Chapter 5: The Best Scavenger Hunt – EVER! (Part 2)

The third chamber was dark, almost impossible to navigate through, if not for the sparkling stars that twinkled up above and all around. At least, that's what Emmet thought that's what they were – he was almost hesitant to step forward too many steps for fear of bumping into objects.

"Can you see anything?" he whispered to Lucy. He wasn't even sure whether they would even be able to find the clue in all of this darkness, and with the clock ticking away…

Finally, after a few minutes of adjusting his eyes, he could at last see what lay before them.

The third room in the challenge was a simple bedroom, not unlike Emmet's own. Only, this bedroom was large in area space, with clutter on the floor and furniture. It was also dark – in fact, the only source of light came from a small nightlight next to the bed.

Lucy and Emmet walked closer to the source of light. On the bed lay a note – the next clue for the puzzle. Emmet picked it up and read:

'Musical notes I speak, love is what I bring.

I nestle you in warmth, and can carry you to the moon up north.

With me comes sleep that is mild, but dreams that are wild.

What am I?'

"So, we're supposed to be listening to some music?" Lucy asked.

Emmet turned around to face the room ahead of them. He was silent for a few moments, listening carefully. "There's no music playing. It's quiet."

"No music?"

"Yeah…so, how are we supposed to find the music when there isn't any playing?"

"We need to spread out and look around the room. We'll find something that's supposed to play some music. Like a player, or some headphones…"

"Or a canary."

Lucy blinked twice. "A…what now, Emmet?"

"A canary."

"Why…a canary?" Lucy couldn't fathom why Emmet, as well as he was doing so far in this challenge, would have the idea that a bird was the answer to their riddle.

"Well, think about what the riddle says: 'Musical notes I speak, love is what I bring.' Birds sing, and everybody loves to listen to them. So, for them, it's like they're spreading their love for everyone when they sing."

Lucy couldn't help but smile at Emmet's explanation. Oh Emmet…sometimes being simple brings out the best of you. She didn't say this to him aloud, however. Instead, she said, "You might be on to something. See if you can find something like a bird hanging around nearby. I'll look elsewhere to see what I can find."

Emmet nodded, and immediately they split from the light, until they could only see the shadows of each other.

Emmet was grasping on one side of the room, and using his arms to feel his way around, so as to not bump into anything. His hands felt something hard and long, like woodplanks. I guess this is a bookshelf. He tapped it twice. Really sturdy, he thought to himself. Strong enough to support some weight…

He latched his hands on the edge and began to climb, carefully feeling every nook and cranny of the shelves. There were objects of different types organized on the shelves. Most seemed to be books, but at other points, Emmet would feel something like ornaments used to decorate the shelves, or small toys…

As he continued to climb up and around the shelves, the gears turned in his head. He kept pondering over the meaning of the riddle, and what it had to do with somebody's bedroom. He reached the end of the shelves, and realized that it was a dead-end, unless he wanted to continue feeling his way around the shelves, where there was nothing in particular that was interesting. Just some old toys and…

He touched something small and, what felt to him, fragile. He wrapped his hand around it to feel the details – it felt like porcelain, with decorative edges along its round body. His eyes widened and he grabbed the object in his free hand. What if he had already come across the key to their exit?

Lucy found that looking for clues in the dark was a lot harder than it looked. She was almost embarrassed by her difficulty – she had been a spy, a rebel, a warrior. Slinking in the shadows looking for clues had been a specialty of hers. Why was she having such a hard time now coming across anything that was particularly useful?

"CONTESTANTS ARE REMINDED THAT THEY HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME TO COMPLETE THE CHALLENGE TO SUCCESSFULLY MOVE ON AHEAD!"

The announcer voice rang in the room suddenly, startling Lucy. She could feel the pit of her stomach growing annoyed with each given reminder. I know, guys, I KNOW, she snarled in her mind. I don't need you to keep giving me the reminder!

She froze in her tracks when she heard something faint playing behind her. She knew it wasn't a voice, but rather gentle chimes playing…

Music…

She stopped what she was doing and headed to the opposite end of the room to find the source of the music. To her surprise (and delight), she found the outline of Emmet in the shadows, holding what looked to be a small device.

"Lucy, I found it!" he exclaimed.

"That's great, Emmet! …What is it?"

Through the shadows, Lucy could see Emmet opening the porcelain box up, and a whimsical figure stood in the middle, turning along while the musical chimes played. "It's a music box."

"A music box?"

"Yeah, like the riddle said."

"That's great! Emmet, show the music box towards the exit for…whoever's watching us, and see if we got it."

Emmet stepped forward and held the box high, hoping the judges (or the people in charge of the challenge, whoever they were) would accept this as the correct answer. "It's a music box!"

Silence. No movement was made. Lucy and Emmet were confused – weren't they correct? Wasn't the answer a music box?

…Or were the people who were supposed to be running this show just not paying attention right now?

Emmet turned to Lucy, confused. "It's not a music box, is it?" he asked quietly. There was a little bit of fear etched on his features now; if this first guess wasn't the correct one, who was to say the second try wouldn't work…or the third? They were also running out of time…they needed to find the correct answer, or risk being trapped in this isolating room, for perhaps always.

"CONTESTANTS ARE REMINDED THAT THEY HAVE APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES LEFT UNTIL THEY ARE DISQUALIFIED FROM THE HUNT!" The booming voice caused them to jump, but what frightened them more was the limited amount of time remaining for them. Five minutes?!

"Emmet, read the riddle again – just one more time!"

"Musical notes I speak, love is what I bring.

I nestle you in warmth, and can carry you to the moon up north.

With me comes sleep that is mild, but dreams that are wild.

What am I?"

Lucy tapped her foot and sighed loudly. "Okay…I think we're on the right track here. We just need to figure out if and how the music box plays into this."

"Lucy, the riddle says something about sleep."

"Okay?"

"We're in a bedroom. With a nightlight." Emmet grinned, as an idea flashed in his brain. "What if there's one more thing you'd need to help yourself get to sleep?"

"…Okay, I'm not following. What else would you need to be able to sleep?"

Emmet wound the key to the box, and began to let it play. It was a gentle and soothing melody, and one that seemed incredibly familiar for the both of them. "You need a lullaby."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Lullaby! That's it!" she cried. She grabbed Emmet's hand and turned him to face their exit again. "The answer is a lullaby!" she announced.

This time, the answer was received and accepted. The door opened, leading the way to the fourth, and final room. Emmet placed the music box back on the shelf, then turned to find Lucy shaking her head at him, smiling. "How did you know?" she asked him quietly. "I couldn't even figure it out."

Emmet gestured towards the room around them. "I think whoever made this wanted players to use the room around them to solve the riddles, not just come up with the easiest and fastest solutions. That's not what a good construction worker does. A good construction worker has to examine his work from every angle, and sees how it fits into the environment around it. Otherwise, it just wouldn't look right, you know?" He blushed when he saw Lucy was staring for quite a while at him. "…What?" he asked, chuckling sheepishly.

"Nothing, it's just…you're really bright, Emmet. And I don't think you get enough credit from that." Especially from me, she added to herself.

"Huh…thanks, Lucy."

"No problem. So…ready for the final one?"

"I'm ready when you are."

"Then let's go!"

The two Master Builders ran through the exit, to make their way to the last area.

The final room Lucy and Emmet entered was built to resemble a museum of sorts; objects were placed strategically to create an organized and relaxed atmosphere. The Master Builders curiously walked around the different displays, admiring how lovingly it had been put together.

The displays showcased various methods of transportation: trains, airplanes, spaceships…a lot of different types of spaceships, actually.

Lucy was beginning to have an idea of who came up with the idea for this final room.

"Lucy, here's the last riddle," Emmet called over to her. He had found a note placed on top of a desk, obviously meant to resemble a curator's desk.

The note read:

'Loud I roar when I soar,

Fast I zoom, leaving a great gray fume,

Earth is far behind, leaving your future blind.

What am I?'

"Loud I roar when I soar…it doesn't sound like a train to me," Lucy murmured.

"Fast I zoom, leaving a great gray fume…" Emmet read aloud the next line.

"Earth is far behind, leaving your future blind…"

"What am I?"

It didn't take long for Lucy and Emmet to look at one another and smile.

"This one is a lot easier than the last one," Emmet said.

"It sure is," Lucy agreed. "It's obviously a rocket."

"Spaceship," Emmet corrected her. It was obvious he was also thinking of Benny.

"Right, a spaceship…so, do we pick any one of them? I mean, there are a lot of different rock-er, spaceships here on display."

"It doesn't hurt to try."

The pair walked to the nearest spaceship display and carefully opened the display case. Emmet carefully picked up the rocket and raised it high, so that the ones watching them could see him clearly. "The answer to the last riddle is a spaceship…specifically, this one."

There was silence in reply…for a moment. Suddenly, Emmet could hear recorded cheers and whistles echo inside the room, and the ceiling opened to reveal paper confetti trickling down on top of him and Lucy.

"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'VE SUCCESSFULLY SOLVED EACH AND EVERY PUZZLE, AND HAVE WON THE HUNT! NOW, COME AND CLAIM YOUR TREASURE!"

Emmet dropped the spaceship, caring less whether it landed safely; that didn't matter to him now. He ran to Lucy and clasped her hands excitedly. "Lucy…we did it! We did it! We got to the treasure!"

"We did!" Lucy cheered alongside him, beaming deep with pride. "You were amazing, Emmet! All those puzzles…I've gotta admit, even I got stumped a couple of times."

"Oh no, Lucy, don't be silly. You were definitely awesome out there. I wouldn't have been able to reach some of those places, but you did."

Lucy smiled her thanks to him. "Ready to go see the treasure?"

"Yes. I. Am." He held his arm out to her (like any good gentleman would), and together they strolled through the final door.

There were no piles of gold to be seen, no treasure chests with gigantic locks on them that needed prying open. Instead, Emmet and Lucy walked into a large, open area that was darkly lit. In the center of the room, where the light shown best, was a single treasure box, simple in design, and small enough to be picked up easily by both hands.

Emmet was confused. "We…we did make it out through the exit, right?"

"Uh-huh," Lucy confirmed.

"Soooooo….um…where's the treasure?"

"You're the treasure, you lovable orange ball'a bricks!" a voice rang out.

The lights suddenly flashed on in intensity, forcing Emmet to look away for a few brief moments. Once his eyes adjusted, he opened them to see a large white banner.

It read: "CONGRATULATIONS EMMET! THE BEST SPECIAL, FRIEND, AND TREASURE HUNTER EVER!" The writing grew smaller as it spread to the edges, but Emmet could still read the message loud and clear.

It still took him several moments to realize that the banner was meant for him.

Unikitty, Batman, Metal Beard, Benny, and Sweet Mayhem appeared next to the banner.

"Surprise!" Unikitty called out. "Congratulations, Emmet! You guys did great!"

Emmet struggled to find his voice; he was having a hard time comprehending just what was going on.

"So, Emmet, do you want to open the treasure, or do you want us to do it?" Benny asked.

"What…treasure?" Emmet's voice finally returned to him. He walked up to the chest to join his friends, Lucy close behind him. "You mean, you were waiting for us this whole time?"

"Waiting…and watching," Unikitty replied, winking at him. "We designed this place just for you, Emmet, to show how much we appreciate you."

"…Me?"

"Yeah. It was Wyldstyle's idea."

Emmet turned to Lucy, confusion still written on his face. "You set this all up for me?" he asked quietly.

Lucy blushed and held her hands behind her back, shyly. "…Surprise?"

"Well…yeah…I am a bit surprised."

"A bit? HARR-ARR!" Metal Beard roared. "If me ship were struck by a polka-dotted giant squid, I'd no more look surprised than ye do right at this moment."

Sweet Mayhem lifted the treasure box. "Here…this is for you. It's your treasure box."

Emmet took the box and shook it carefully. It didn't sound like any valuable metals or jewels were locked up inside, like he had originally thought. "What's inside?" he asked.

"Ugh, it's a surprise, Brickowski…" Batman sighed loudly. "You have to open it up and see, otherwise it's not a surprise."

Emmet unlocked the hatch and opened the box. Inside were letters, envelopes, all addressed to him. "There's…there's a lot in here," he finally spoke, in a hushed voice.

Unikitty curled up next to him, preparing to give him a warm embrace. "We wanted to make you feel better. Wyldstyle said you'd been feeling kind of down lately, so she came up with this idea to find this treasure…but we wanted to make it fun, so we came up with these riddles and challenges to try to make it more challenging along the way."

"Yeah, and the carnival thing was planned right at the last minute, but everyone in town seemed to enjoy the diversion," Sweet Mayhem added. "It created the best cover for the treasure hunt to take place."

Lucy placed her hand on top of Emmet's. "You don't have to read these right now, if you don't want to. You can save it for later, if you want."

Emmet smiled. He wiped his eyes; it was only now apparent to him that they'd gotten a little watery. "I'll read these later…if you don't mind guys."

"It's no problem, Emmet," Lucy answered soothingly. "We just wanted you to remember that…we're here for you. All of us."

Emmet closed the lid of the treasure box. "Thanks you guys…you're all awesome, and I don't know what to say. I just hope it wasn't trouble putting this all together for me."

"Don't be silly!" Unikitty purred happily. "It was no trouble at all!"

"Well, mateys…" Metal Beard announced. "I don't want to break up the mood, but…there still be a carnival happening, if ye want to partake in those activities?"

Lucy turned to Emmet. "Emmet?"

Emmet grinned. "Yeah! Oh, yeah! Just…let me take this back to the house…" he waved the treasure box. "…And I'll meet you guys there."

"Sounds good, Emmet," Lucy smiled. "We'll see you soon!"

Emmet rushed out the corridor and began to make his way to his Dream House, on top of the hill. It would be quite the run from the festivities, especially with the treasure box, but he felt as light as a feather, and energized by what his friends had done for him. He couldn't wait to read the letters and spend more time with them.

He suddenly felt too light, at least his head did. He began to slow down. Maybe all of this running after all of those challenges was getting to him. Too much excitement did that for some people sometimes.

Now his arms felt heavy – this chest weighed a ton! How many letters were in here, anyways? He limply dropped it to the ground. As soon as he stood up though, he felt a searing pain in his head. He grabbed his head with both hands, but that did nothing to mitigate it. His body dropped to the floor, and he tumbled back and forth in agony. It felt as though his brain were being split apart…

Emmet…

My dear, sweet Emmet…

You have a purpose…

You were lost…

Guide him, Emmet…

Guide…

The voice (a familiar voice, one that he hadn't heard in over five years) grew louder and louder in his brain. He gasped and cried, and continued rolling around.

Slowly, his body relaxed as he lost feeling in his limbs…

Just like in his nightmares…

The pain was disappearing, but so was his consciousness…

Soon, all Emmet could see was black, and he knew no more.

A/N: Duhn, duhn, duuuhhhnn! Sorry, this chapter is late! But I'm determined to see this story through to the end! Although, interesting cliffhanger I'm leaving poor Emmet in, huh? What do you think is going on with him? Well, we'll have to wait until the next chapter to see. Thanks for all of you who are leaving me reviews and feedback - I really appreciate it! I hope this story is going in an interesting direction...now we've just got to add Rex to this mix in the next chapter. ;) Thanks again, everyone!