Chapter 18

Routines

The sun was peering through the blinds of the window, its rays shining between the tiny spaces and revealing minuscule particles of dust in the air. The room was quiet as well as the world beyond the exterior of the house; it was quite peaceful in fact.

Though total silence was non-existent as the sound of a grown man snoring heavily could be heard under the thick forest-green bedsheets. The man was nestled on his large king-sized bed, sleeping happily as his mind was deep in a heavy slumber.

Whatever dream he was having that moment would be erased as, after a few minutes later, the rays of the sun reached his face, the bright light of the sun blinding his eyes as he slowly opened them. Groaning in aggravation from being awakened during a decent sleep, the man pushed himself up, yawning and rubbing his eyes at the same time.

He sat upright on his bed, his mind still trying to wake up and become active. He scratched his green hair on top of his head, stretching his body around with the sound of his bones cracking with each movement. After a one last yawn, he moved his legs to hang over the right side of his bed, his mind still waking up though now at a level where he could easily move.

The man looked down and fiddled with his dog-tags that hanged around his neck and laid against his grey shirt. As the metallic surface reflected the bright light off the sun, the words embedded on the tags were visible, with the name 'Flippy' being evident on the first tag.

Flippy stretched his arms one last time before bringing himself up to his feet, standing tall and upright. He proceeded to march towards the blinds of the window, and pushed them aside to get a clear view of the world.

Upon removal of the blinds, Flippy could see the white blanket of snow that covered the once green fields, trees standing without leaves, streets near-absent of traffic, and a cool breeze that flew through the air. Judging by the position of the sun, without looking at his alarm clock, he estimated it to be around 9:30 to 10:00 in the morning, a good enough time to finally jump out of bed on a lovely morning.

Smiling happily, Flippy walked away from the window and marched straight for his wardrobe on the opposite side of the room. Opening up the mahogany doors, he instantly got a clear reflection of himself of the mirror inside, revealing a rather dirty and rough look Flippy, his eyes still slightly baggy from his heavy sleep and his medium-length green hair roughed up.

Despite the site, he kept his smile while making a 'click' sound with his mouth, pointing to himself in the mirror. He quickly grabbed his usual garments, consisting of his BDU jacket and shirt, along with camo-pattern pants. With the apparel hanging over his left arm, he looked over to the hanging calendar on the right inside door of the wardrobe, pointing out the date 'December 24th, 2048.' Since it was Christmas Eve, the day was off for everyone, which made Flippy only feel more the merrier.

Placing a quick 'X' over the square box containing the number '24', the rest of the morning was filled with his usual routine: take a shower and clean up, get dressed, comb hair, re-make the bed, check schedule book for any important events for the day, do basic morning chores if possible, eat a healthy morning breakfast, clean dishes from said morning breakfast, go outside for less than a minute to enjoy the fresh air and to retrieve the day's paper and mail, go back inside to read today's paper and mail before ripping up the mail for being mostly ads and junk, and finally relax.

...

And that was it. It was not even noon yet, let alone 11:00 in the morning, and all of his morning routines was squared away. Flippy sat in his chair in the living room and let out a tiring sigh, fully awake at this point and yet his mind had no idea of what to do next.

He leaned forward and rested his head on his right hand. Flippy took the quiet time to think over the day… and over the previous time before this date.

Ever since the day Ezekiel took command over the world and acted as their new god just over five years ago, everything in the world changed. As promised, everyone was given their human forms along with perfected English language. The world around them, such as the buildings, changed accordingly to fit the larger size of a human being. Environments changed to feel more 'natural' and 'life-like' compared to the outside world, and life itself followed a new but realistic routine.

As for himself and the other Tree Friends, they changed personally themselves; not just in the form of physical appearance, but as a person with an active mind. Common sense was a thing now, as well as basic intelligence, granting everyone the ability to make correct choices and care for themselves without getting themselves hurt. The mental disorders, like his PTSD and Petunia's OCD, were now either wiped-away or reduced in severity, not exaggerated.

But best of all, in all these years after Ezekiel's command, there has never been one single death, not even from the generics. No accidents, no pain, no suffering, no fear, nothing was possibly wrong in the world. Not only was he himself and the Tree Friends were fixed, but how the world worked was brought to a natural setting, just as it should have been.

And despite all the changes, no one noticed the difference…

Except for him. Flippy, being the only one to survive along with Ezekiel, retained the memories of the events prior to that fateful day, and can still remember the times of being an insane murdering bear and how the world appeared so much different, the way things looked and how they worked. No one else could recall the life before except for him. It was completely different…

And yet, at the same time, it wasn't. No matter how he looked at it, Flippy felt the same way of the world. It wasn't real, no matter how good it resembled the life outside. This still wasn't his real body, this still wasn't his home, everything he touched wasn't real, life itself here was not real. It was still the same false reality that he lived in before.

The routines themselves never changed either. He still woke up in the morning, got dressed, did his basic chores and ate breakfast, would go outside and do his work, return home to sleep, and repeat the process all over again. It was still the same repeating life as before.

He longed for the day to return home again, to see the REAL world, to experience REAL events and emotions. But all of this was bound to Ezekiel's ability to find some ability to get them home, and the long wait was starting to get to him.

At least now, though, he could live in this virtual world as a human and without the fear of death, so that counted for something, right?

As Flippy sat depressingly in his chair, still thinking of life events prior to this day, he felt a sudden vibration in his right pocket of his pants. Jolting up in surprise, he quickly reached through his pocket and pulled out his cellphone, reading the bright message shown on the small screen.

1 new message: Flaky

Smiling when noticing Flaky's name and profile picture, he pressed the icon on the screen and opened up the message screen, reading Flaky's text message carefully.

Hey, there's something I wanted to ask you. Mind meeting me at Happy Tree Park?

Without hesitation, Flippy clicked the 'Reply' button and entered his response.

Sure, be right there!

Sending off the message in an instant, Flippy got up and moved to the side of the front door, looking down to see his thick brown combat boots. Placing his feet in both boots one at a time, he quickly tied the laces, stood up straight, opened the door, and closed it behind him, locking the door in the process and entering the coldness of the outside.

As Ezekiel kept his promise to work hard to find a way to get them home and to always stay sane by protecting them each day, Flippy kept his promise to be the watchful eye on the ground. From time to time, either he or Ezekiel would call each other, giving a friendly chat or a report on how things were doing on the ground. As usual, Flippy would say that life is as it should be, with everyone following their routines and no deaths and such, only confirming the same events every day. It was pointless, but it did keep Ezekiel company while he secluded himself secretly away from the world, only seeing it through the views of hidden cameras.

But as Flippy kept his eye on the world around him, making sure everything is as it should be, he kept his other promise: to watch over Flaky for Ezekiel. Feeling odd at first to watch over her, since he never thought of hanging out with a beautiful woman like her, he soon came to accept doing it for Ezekiel. She was indeed a fun person to be with, and seemed to be always happy when she wasn't alone. She even seemed to be less paranoid and more independent as he got to know her better.

Though despite the years being with her, Flippy never bothered to make a real relationship with her, which Flaky herself had no problem with. Being a good friend to her was enough to keep both of each other happy, though Flippy did it also for another reason.

As far as he knew, Ezekiel still had feelings for her, and misses her plenty, but as a new acting God, he decided it was best he avoided all contact with the world, including Flaky, never having a chance again to speak to her. Knowing that he could never be with her to keep her company and safe, he rested the duty on Flippy to keep her safe and happy. And he was content on doing that for him. No need for a relationship, just keep her happy until they could meet again in the future.

It didn't take long for Flippy to make his way to the park, which was more active than he expected it to be. As his thick boots rested in the deep snow, he took the time to observe the winter wonderland of Happy Tree Park, noticing the center lake completely frozen in ice, and energetic Tree Friends skating across the surface. It was a peaceful world as it should be.

A few more seconds of observing the glorious morning, Flippy finally caught the view of a beautiful woman sitting comfortably on a park bench near the center. Her long red hair reached down to her backside, soft to the touch, though littered with multiple flakes of dandruff, a trait that failed to be removed no matter what was done. She was nestled in a woolly brown coat, thick and fluffy, which kept her body warm from the cold outside air.

Seeing how she was sitting anxiously and alone on the park bench, Flippy silently made his way behind the red-haired woman, unsuspecting his presence. He trekked carefully through the thick snow, trying to not make any audible sounds in his march. As the woman looked straight toward the frozen lake in front of her, Flippy got right behind the park bench, standing tall with his hands stretched out and an evil grin on his face.

He inhaled a large sum of oxygen and-

"Flippy, I swear if you try to scare me again, I will hit you."

Flippy exhaled with a slight chuckle, caught off guard by Flaky's outstanding perceptive abilities. She would be a hard person to sneak up on if she were an enemy solider.

Keeping a happy smile on his face, and walked around the bench with his hands in his pockets, looking at the beautiful face of Flaky, who looked up with a little grin.

"Did you really think I would fall for that again?"

Flippy shrugged his shoulders. "Well… it did work the past 20 times. I guess I'll just have to mix it up a bit next time."

"Unless you don't mind losing your package after trying again, I suggest you rethink doing that."

Flippy's eyes widened as he looked down to his crotch briefly and back up to Flaky with a scared grin. "Alright, ma'am, you're the boss!"

Flaky giggled lightly before getting up to her feet. She stretched her arms out wide and wrapped them around Flippy's body, Flippy returning the hug as she spoke happily.

"Well I'm still happy to see you again! I was a little afraid you might not show up."

Flippy held his hug on Flaky for a short moment before letting her go, keeping a smile on his face. "You know I can't ignore you. I can always make the time to meet up with you now and then!"

Flaky wrapped her arms around herself to keep her hands warm, and nodded her head. "I'm glad you can, especially for today. There was something I wanted to ask you about."

Flippy placed his hands back in his coat pockets and walked beyond Flaky a short distance. "Alright, I'm up for that. Mind we chat and walk together?"

Flaky walked up to Flippy's right side, and nodded her head again. "Sure, it's a good day for walking anyway."

Flippy smiled in response to Flaky's agreement, and the two walked side to side on the paved walkway in the center of the park. As other Tree Friends conversed with each other, performed activities or walked by them, the two never separated and kept close together in the park.

After a short moment of silence, the two enjoying the scenery and fresh air, Flippy spoke up. "So, what was it that you wanted to ask me about?"

Flaky, almost forgetting the reason why she asked Flippy here, jolted a bit before looking up to Flippy, brushing her hair aside from her face. "Well… um… you know that, this year, I'll be the one hosting the Christmas party taking place at my house tomorrow, right?"

Flippy nodded his head in excitement. "Of course I do. Everyone's been talking about it like crazy!"

Flaky looked a little stunned. "Really?!"

"Yeah. I mean, YOU'RE the one hosting the party this year. Normally it's either someone like me, Nutty, Lumpy, the rest of the guys and sometimes Giggles, but you were always the last one to expect to host something like a party."

Flaky crossed arms with a little angry yet sarcastic expression. "And why would you all think that?"

Flippy shrugged his shoulders. "Well… it's not really a secret that you can be a bit shy and scared plenty of times."

Flaky's eyes widened as her cheeks turned red. "I'm not scared all the time! I'm just a little… a little…"

"Over-cautious?"

Flaky stayed silent for a brief moment before speaking up. "I say just more careful than everyone else."

Flippy chuckled lightly. "I know there's a saying that you can never be too careful, but still, you can go a little overboard."

"Well, the world can be a dangerous place you know? I say it's better to be a little more careful when doing something; you don't know something terrible could happen in this world."

Flippy was silent for a moment, his mind having flashbacks of the events before Ezekiel's takeover. The deaths, accidents, violence, it was indeed a dangerous world before, with possibly anything happening.

"I can't deny with you there." Flippy brought his smile back and looked back down to Flaky. "So yeah, I know about it, and people are happily awaiting the day and excited that you're doing it for once. What about it?"

Flaky blushed a little again as she spoke carefully. "Well it has come to me that I sent an invitation to everyone I know and like in this town… except for you."

Flippy nodded his head. "That is true, I did not receive an invitation yet. Is it for everyone's safety that I don't go?"

Flaky shook her head hastily. "Oh no, it's not that at all! In fact, I was wanting to ask you here that if you would like to come to it… that is, if you want to or not."

Flippy shook his head as he laughed. "Flaky, what makes you think I would deny going to a party hosted by you? I was surprised that it took this long to ask me; I thought you forgot about me or something."

Flaky looked down as she kept a shy smile. "I know and I apologize for that. Still, it would be great to see you there with everyone else. Besides, since it's different this year with me hosting it for once, it would be a new experience for all of us in some way. So… what do you say?"

Flippy, overly-excited in his mind, wrapped his arms around Flaky, surprising her. "I say count me in. Hell, expect me to be the first there already!"

Flaky giggled lightly as Flippy held her. "Alright, alright! Take it easy; the party doesn't start until tomorrow night, so keep your energy until then."

Flippy chuckled as he happily let go of Flaky, who crossed her arms while keeping a serious expression on her face. "Now, there are a few exceptions and rules this year."

Flippy placed his hands in his pockets as he leaned back. "Oh really? Like what?"

"First: my house, my rules; I say something is wrong or shouldn't be done, you listen, alright?"

Flippy nodded his head. "Of course; it's your house and I respect it."

"Second: no alcoholic beverages or smoking. I won't have someone get drunk in my own home or fill my room with that terrible smoke. Remember Nutty's party last year when he allowed that at his house? Yeah, we're not doing that again, not in my house."

Flippy chuckled lightly. "I won't complain with you on that."

"And finally: you need to bring a gift of some kind. It's Christmas, the day of giving, so you better have something nice to give for at least ONE guest, which I'm sure you already have, right?"

Flippy froze for a moment, his eyes widening with the sudden realization that a gift was not readily at hand. "Um… yeah, of course I got a gift! It's a really good gift, trust me."

Flaky, suspicious of Flippy, nodded her head slowly. "Well good. I hope the person you intend to give it to will like it." She then smiled and stood up straight. "And that's it. Be clean and sober, have a gift ready, be very respectable, and show up around 5:00 PM tomorrow to help setup. It's going to be a long night so get some sleep, got it?"

Flippy quickly went to an attentive position and jokingly gave Flaky a military salute. "Ma'am, yes ma'am!"

Flaky giggled lightly and returned the salute. "Okay, at ease, solider."

Flippy, laughing alongside her, dropped his salute and stood still, the two looking at each other happily in the middle of the park without a care in the world. The sound of silent conversations and the cool wind could only be heard as the two briefly stood looking at each other.

After the short silence, Flippy opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the sound of Flaky's watch on her left arm. She jolted a little as she rolled up her sleeve and brought the watch to her view, showing the time was now 12:00PM.

Her face looked surprised as she brought her right hand to her cheek. "Oh, I'm going to be late to pick up the supplies for the party tomorrow!" She rolled her sleeve back down and looked happily at Flippy. "Thanks for meeting… and… walking with me, Flippy… it was nice."

Flippy forcefully kept his smile, despite being disappointed in seeing Flaky having to leave. "It was… we'll be able to talk more tomorrow, right?"

Flaky nodded her head. "Of course, silly!" To the surprise of Flippy, Flaky gave him a tight brief hug. "We'll see each other tomorrow and celebrate a great holiday together. It'll be fun! And when it's over, we'll happily await for it again next year."

As Flippy brought his arms to hug Flaky, the idea of another year in the world was killing him inside. She just wouldn't understand the feeling of being the only one knowing none of this was real, but he played along with it. It made her happy, which was enough for him. "Yeah, it will be."

The two let go of each other, and with a smile on both faces, waved goodbye and went their separate ways for the day.

Flippy walked out of the boundaries of the park, and now stood on the sidewalk just south of Happy Tree Town. He placed his hands in his coat pockets, and leaned to the side as he pondered a few questions to himself.

"A gift, huh? Where the hell am I going to get a gift in time for the party tomorrow? I need a good one, too, not anything cheap… so where…"

Flippy looked up and noticed the giant tree in the center of Happy Tree Town, overlooking the entire city and its structures. He stared at the topmost area of the tree, and shrugged his shoulders as he marched forward.

"Well, I might as well pay the guy a visit, anyway. Wonder what he's been up to…"

The metallic room was lit up with the flashing lights and dials on the enormous supercomputers and machines against the walls, and the sounds of beeping noises and other techy-sounds emitting from the many pieces of advanced technology all currently active and running at maximum capacity.

As the machines performed their line of work, Ezekiel sat in the leather chair at the end of the room, sitting beneath a small computer attached to an oversized screen in front of him. His eyes were glued to the screen as his fingertips tapped the many buttons on the keyboard lying in front of him. He kept track of every letter he typed and every single bit of information that popped up on screen, never missing anything important.

On the monitor in front of him, two prompts were opened side to side. One prompt was labeled 'Processes,' while the other was labeled 'Administrative Logs.' While keeping his main focus on the many processes of information constantly being sent back and forth between the virtual world and the main server, he also kept some attention on the number of outdated logs found in the other prompt.

Before running towards the next log, he overviewed the processes on the screen one last time.

"Graphics Processing Unit usage… currently waving at 87%... Memory at 68%... Central Processing Unit usage at… 98%?! Dear God, this server has been un-optimized trash from the start! How did that guy even keep this place from throttling or crashing?! Alright, let's see… well, we can tone down the number of generated civilians in the server. That should drop it down some."

After a few keystrokes, a command prompt was show, revealing 'Reduce Generic Civ- 15%.' When the command was carried out, which was barely even a recorded second, Ezekiel noticed the CPU usage drop from its exaggerated number now to '92%.'

"Damn, those guys take up a lot of necessary space. Always generating around the holiday season too… just like Florida. But that's done now, should keep the world stable now."

Wiping his forehead of a few small droplets of sweat, he turned his attention to the second prompt, and listed the many selectable logs on screen, each listed with a long strand of numbers. He forgot which page he was on at this point, even starting to forget the information he learned from the previous logs. Still, he started at the top, which was labeled '123039.'

Ezekiel brought the mouse to hover the cursor over the number, and double-clicked it, opening up a media-player. Upon activation of the application, it revealed a video recording, giving Ezekiel a clear view of the previous administrator before him.

The Mad Man.

Curious to what he was going to say this time, Ezekiel leaned forward and kept his ears to listen only to the words emitting from the speakers of the monitor.

Begin Log

"Administrator's Log, December 30th, 2039, yearly review number 7."

"Basic Diagnostics Report: all systems are maintaining stable condition, no noticeable bugs or errors found from security scan. CPU usage continues to work in an odd fashion due to over-processing of the many variables in the server, most prominent when handling generic AI. Note: adjust internal usage to optimize the generation of generic AI in the future to avoid possible crashes."

"Subject Overview Report: All subjects maintaining perfect health status. Stasis Pods are continuing to work at optimal settings, keeping heart-rates stable and yet pausing any age growth. Memories still wiped and saved in backup storage, no noticeable sicknesses throughout the year, all in perfect standing."

"Begin Administrator's Yearly Personal Overview:"

"Well… here it is. The beginning of the new decade in the 21st century. Such a marvelous occasion that I, sadly, will not be able to take part in. My duty as Administrator is too important to leave for festive activities beyond this virtual world of mine, and doing so may cause complications with the server with no manager holding the fort. Even a brief second leaving could cause some damage, so thus, I must stay. At least I have my subjects to keep me company, and with a variety of festive entertainment. I do wonder, though, how the world has been without by appearance…"

"Though I guess that isn't important now. This is my new home, and this year was yet another successful one. No bugs, no failures, no issues or complaints with the server. Despite running non-stop at near-maximum capacity, it retains its powerful abilities with no hiccups, and still stands as possibly the greatest achievement in technological history. I only wish I could manufacture this further for the whole world. Imagine, having every soul to occupy these pods. Then I would TRULY be God."

"But I guess these find subjects will have to suffice for now… but I do worry, however. While this year was still fun to play with them, controlling their world, having them carry out their own demises in such beautifully crafted and gory incidents, it does seem to be getting… bland. While this is indeed the greatest world my sadistic mind could come up with, and I do intend to stay for years to come, the repeated process of dying over and over without self-consciousness or memory becomes repetitive, and my ideas slowly dwindle on how to eradicate them in the most gruesome yet unique fashion."

"The worst of these situations is Flippy. He is like a son to me. So evil, so sadistic, so creative with his kills. And yet, that's all he does: kill. He is the exact image of me… and yet, I'm starting to get bored of me. Interest in him has dropped significantly as, while I've even gave him a proper backstory a few years back, the constant overuse of him only makes him boring. I just can't keep up using him if he doesn't decide to do anything else."

"With that said, I will place his Stasis Pod on Hold, and keep his character out of the world until I find the need of him once more. The other Subjects won't notice his absence once the next character wipe is performed when their next deaths arrive, and Flippy will stay nice and safe in the backlogs of the server. He'll come back again, I'm sure, but for now, he needs his rest."

"And perhaps me as well. Despite my Stasis Pod preventing age growth similar to the other subjects, I can still feel my old age getting to me. Perhaps the slow work days of staying in this tower alone is getting to me, but I just wish I could spice things up a bit. What happens when I can't think of anything new to kill my subjects? What happens if my boredom reaches its peak? What happens when the sadistic fun of murder suddenly becomes only a chore for me? This world will become useless then…"

"Luckily, I don't imagine to have a situation like that occur anytime soon, as I have an entire book of daily deaths to impose onto my subjects, perhaps for another decade or two. And besides, if I do get bored, the Failsafe installed will just exit me out while killing off the others. Can't have them leave and tell the world what I did now, can we? And just think, it'll be like jumping out of a window and leaving a bomb behind, killing everyone while I successfully escape unharmed. An epic escape like no other!"

"Ah, but that'll never happen… I hope. I just would like to have some sort of challenge, though, to make my time here fun again. Something new, something that fights back. I can't create an AI to do that as it could be costly on performance, and using one of the existing subjects wouldn't be any easier. If only I could just play with something… or someone, then I can have some REAL fun again, just like the glory days."

"Well, I'm sure I'll think of something. I always do. Until then, this concludes my yearly review and personal log. Here's to another glorious and deadly decade in the world of Happy Tree Friends!"

End Log

When the message finally came to a close, Ezekiel leaned back on the chair, and looked up to the dark ceiling above him, smiling as he let out a soft sigh.

"Looks like you got your wish, you son of a bitch. Hope it was worth it…"

Ezekiel dropped his smile as his mind started to drift into a deep thought, taking in the Mad Man's personal log entry into account. Despite the evil deeds he had performed in the past, Ezekiel could agree to one thing the Mad Man felt during his time as Administrator.

Boredom. Though unlike the Mad Man, who went into a mad frenzy of bloody murder, Ezekiel secluded himself for half a decade doing nothing but watching others live out their lives. He never saw the bright rays of the sun, interacted with the many inhabitants, or had any real outside fun. Instead, his entire remaining life was being spent behind a computer handling processes and watching others. This was what it felt like being a god over the town.

And he was surprised how he has yet to enter a mad state of insanity from the pure boredom of waiting and sitting. He just wanted to go home right now, but was forced, like the others, to wait it out for God knows how long to get even a glimpse of freedom. It was Hell.

As he sat on his chair depressingly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the familiar red quill all the years back. His mind still could not let go of the young porcupine… well, woman, that he enjoyed being with, and loved from the beginning. He wanted to be with her, and yet, it would always be impossible, so long as they stayed trapped in the virtual world.

"Oh please… let us go home soon…"

"Hey, what's gotten you all down?"

Ezekiel jolted upwards on his chair and placed the quill back in his pocket as he heard the sound of a familiar friendly voice. He smiled as he turned around to see the humanized Flippy standing at the entrance of the hall with his arms crossed in front of his camo BDU jacket. Ezekiel chuckled as he got up his chair, walking towards Flippy happily.

"Well, you know. Same Shit, Different Day; just following the same usual routines everyday while we stay here. You understand, right?"

Flippy nodded, forming a fake smile in agreement. "Yeah, too right there, mate. Just another day in paradise, huh?"

Ezekiel nodded his head slowly as he brought up his ATC resting on his left forearm, pressing a few buttons as he spoke calmly. "Yep, sounds about right. So, since you're here, care to play a few games of blackjack with me, lose a few more hundred chips for me like last time?"

Flippy chuckled as he shook his head. "Nah, I'm afraid I don't have the time to lose more of my savings, though I can stay a bit for a drink… or two."

Ezekiel smiled as he pushed out his left palm forward, a glowing orb emitting from the metal gauntlet. "Alright, fine by me, friend."

As the two stood side to side, Ezekiel shot out a blue beam of light out into the center hall intersecting between each room, summoning up a small table, two comfortable cushioned chairs, two shot glasses, and a bottle of the strongest whisky he could make.

Once the objects were perfectly formed, the two proceeded to walk to the table, and take their seats by the table, Flippy taking the right chair and Ezekiel on the left.

As Flippy leaned back on his chair, Ezekiel leaned forward and grab the bottle of whisky, popping off the top of the bottle and pouring it into both shots carefully. "So, Flippy, how is the world down below this tower of mine? I can see only so much from my perspective, so how is everyone and the world doing personally?"

Once Ezekiel finished filling the shot glasses with the strong liquor, the two grabbed their shots and picked them up, Ezekiel gulping down his shot with ease as Flippy held onto his. "Pretty much the same stuff the last five years. We wake up, do our routines, and go to sleep. Really, it's like our original lives, except without the death. We're happy, enjoying each day, but that's about it. What you're seeing is pretty much what was always going on. Don't know what else I can say."

Flippy gulped down his shot of whisky, cringing as the booze flowed down his throat. Ezekiel picked up the bottle and filled up their shots a second time, though looking a little depressed after hearing Flippy's review. Life was, indeed, no different before, with the exception of the repetition of death. It was just a repeat of daily life in a fake world.

"Well… at least everyone is happy down there; that's the only thing that matters right now. As long as you're all safe and happy for the time being until I find the way out, then I'm happy."

As Ezekiel finished filling up their second shots, Flippy left his shot on the table as he placed a concerned look on his face. "Hey… this year now… it would be your fifth year both in this world and Administrator… how are you holding up in here? I mean, stuck in this place for five full years, never going out once… don't you ever get bored?"

Ezekiel placed the bottle of whisky on the table as Flippy finished his question. He stared down at the table blankly while coming up with an answer, either telling it truthfully or saying something completely different. Once he found his answer, he nodded his head as he picked up his shot glass.

"Well… I won't deny that staying here 24/7 can get to me… locked up in here like a prison, only able to entertain myself by summoning up something, though only able to share the experience with myself… yeah, it does get boring after the first couple of years, and you wonder how the hell you still stand…"

He drank his second shot, and gently placed the shot glass down with a smile. "But… it doesn't faze me as much as you think. Because, even though I'm stuck up here unable to do anything… I still get to watch all of you enjoy your lives every day. I get to see the smiles on your faces, run carefree out into the world, and enjoy life to the fullest. All of these happiness is made… because I watch and protect over you. I make these great situations for you guys whenever I can, I protect you from the dangers of life, and always be with you even though I'm not next to you. Seeing you guys happy… it makes me happy, and that's what matters to me. Your happiness is my happiness, and I'll stay up here as long as I can in order to keep you all happy and safe."

Flippy watched Ezekiel with a concerned look as his friend wiped a small tear from his left eye, though smiled at him widely and with joy. "You're doing a good thing for us, Ezekiel, sacrificing your time to find a way out for us and keeping us safe. It's a boring lifestyle, I imagine, but we are happy thanks to you."

Ezekiel nodded his head and leaned back on his chair. "Well, once I find a way out and this is all over, the first thing I'm doing with you guys is taking you all to Vegas and have a hell of a time. Gambling, having a drink or two, and enjoying life to the fullest. Should help make up for those 15 years of waiting. I would like, though, if one of you could buy me a drink, as I sure as hell could use a REAL one with an actual kick to it."

Flippy chuckled lightly as he crossed his arms in front of him. "Yeah, sure thing man. I bet it'll be fun losing REAL money, too."

"Hey, that's Vegas for you. Win some, lose the rest, but at least you were smiling when doing it."

The two went silent for a moment, letting the two shots slowly take their effects onto their bodies, before Ezekiel spoke up again, blushing lightly. "So… um… how's Flaky doing? Well, I hope…"

Flippy nodded his head sharply. "Oh yeah, she's doing fantastic, man. Happy, energetic, more sociable than ever. Still a little shy and scared now and then, but the years being outside more often have really helped her. I've been having a fun time with her, letting her see the world and such, and she's been a great friend too."

Ezekiel made a small grin as he leaned forward. "Only a friend, you say?"

Flippy blushed as he shook his head. "Oh no! I've kept my promise to watch her, but I never actually made a real move on her. Sure we're close, but I never formed a relationship; she's your girl, not mine. Besides… I don't think she's my type anyway."

Ezekiel laughed as he sat up straight on his chair. "You're missing out on something big then, as you'll never find a girl like her again. Still… thanks for watching over her for me. I can do only so much from my side, so thanks for keeping her happy."

"No problem… actually, there's something I wanted to ask concerning her, the reason why I kind of came here."

Ezekiel shrugged his shoulders. "Ask away, man. I'm god of the world, whatever you need I'll make it happen."

"Well, you see… this year for Christmas, Flaky is the one holding the party; a real shocker, I know, though everyone is excited that she is doing this for everyone. But… um… you see… I kind of-"

"You forgot to get a gift for when they start sharing gifts for everyone, didn't you?"

Flippy looked stunned, his eyes widening as he spoke quickly. "Hey, I didn't get an OFFICIAL invitation until today, so that kind of leaves VERY LITTLE time for me to get something! I'm not a miracle worker, Ezekiel, and I kind of need a little help to come up with something now if I don't want Flaky to get into a little fit. She may seem nice and everything, but boy, she can be a little cranky if you anger her."

Ezekiel laughed again while leaning back on his chair. "Oh yeah, she is the type to expect something to be carried through when she demands it. I know that from experience once… anyway, let me come up with something here…"

Flippy watched Ezekiel dispel away the bottle of whisky and shot glasses, giving free space for him to work with. Ezekiel, scratching his head as he ran thoughts through his mind, smiled as he typed in a few words into his ATC, and summoned out a beautiful looking necklace inside a small cushioned box, laying gently on the table before them.

Flippy brought the box to himself while Ezekiel crossed his arms. "She may not be into the 'girly' things, but she still knows to look nice once in a while. I think she might look good wearing that, and would enjoy it very much to have something nice to wear on special occasions, especially knowing it came from you."

Smiling as he patted the small box, Flippy looked up and gave Ezekiel a nod. "Yeah, I bet she will. Thanks, Ezekiel. You're the best."

"I try to be." Ezekiel let out a small sigh of relief, and sat up straight once more. "So, will that be all for today, my friend?"

Flippy looked up for a little bit before looking back at Ezekiel, nodding his head. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up for today." He pushed his chair back, standing straight up on his two feet while keeping the small box in his hands. As he stood up, he gave a worried look at Ezekiel. "Hey, man…"

Ezekiel got up to his feet, dispelling the remaining furniture as he looked at Flippy. "Yeah?"

"You sure you'll be fine for ANOTHER year alone on Christmas up here… in the tower… by yourself?"

Ezekiel shrugged his shoulders as he placed a fake smile on his face. "Meh, it comes with the job. I'll be fine, Flippy; you just go out there and have fun for me. You all stay happy for me, okay, just until we finally leave."

Flippy kept his worried look for a brief moment, but gave a friendly nod towards Ezekiel. "Well… you stay safe yourself, Ezekiel. I'll be back again soon, okay?"

"Alright, you take care, Flippy… and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

As Flippy walked towards the exit hallway, he waved behind himself with a smile. "Merry Christmas to you as well, Ezekiel!"

And with that said, the two were off in their separate lives again, with Ezekiel alone once more up in the tower. He stood in the center of the room, staring at the exit hallway blankly, and let out a long depressing sigh, looking down at his feet and shaking his head.

After standing alone for a few minutes, he looked to his side to see the large window he constructed on the tower, invisible from the outside but clear on the inside. It gave him a physical view of the world beneath him, not one that was behind the lenses of a camera.

He walked towards the window, and looked out into the snow covered wonderland of Happy Tree Town. The Tree Friends beneath them were having a glorious day, smiling and laughing as they should. Ezekiel placed his right hand on the glass of the window as he observed the world in motion, smiling at his creation… at least his portion of it.

Ezekiel soon dropped his smile as he reached into his pocket again, pulling out the same red quill. As he kept his eyes on the sharp tip of the quill, he nodded his head determinedly, and looked out into the world again.

"Merry Christmas to you, Flaky. I'll be with you from here… but one day, we will get home, and we can do it together then. I know we will get home soon… I'm sure of it."

Ezekiel placed the quill back in his pocket gently, and placed his hands at his sides as he observed his world.

"One match found."

Ezekiel's eyes widened to an unbelievable length as he heard the speaker say a phrase he thought was impossible. He stood paralyzed at the window as his body shook slightly. He took in a deep breath and slowly turned around to face the Control Room behind him.

"What… what was that?!"

"One match found."

As the speaker repeated the same phrase, Ezekiel marched forward toward the computer at the end of the Control Room. His eyes never blinked nor looked away from the screen from the computer, as he saw a sight so beautiful on the screen that it almost made him cry.

"One match found."

Ezekiel chucked lightly with an enormous smile on his face as a command prompt on the screen displayed the same phrase. Underneath the labeled prompt was the same file he remembered the years back, the same file designed to take him and everyone else home. After all of these years of waiting, the computer finally found what he was looking for.

The key to unlocking freedom.

Ezekiel shed a few tears as he chuckled, looking up to the ceiling with a large smile. "Well… I guess there is such a thing as Christmas miracles."

He looked back down at the computer, wiping away his tears as he sat down on the leather chair. He rolled himself up to the keyboard and mouse, still keeping a clear view on the computer screen. Once he got himself straightened out on the chair, he brought the mouse to hover the cursor over the file, and nodded his head.

"Just hold on, everyone. We're going home…"

Ezekiel double-clicked the file shown on the screen, and opened a sole execution file. His hands were trembling as he brought the cursor over to the file, and took in a deep breath as he prepared himself.

With a few seconds of preparation, he double-clicked the execution file, and watched the cursor morph into a spinning hour glass, sitting anxiously on his chair while he watched the computer load the file.

Suddenly, a large media player popped up on the screen, similar to the media player used for the personal entry logs. Curious and confused, Ezekiel looked at the black screen, unable to make a conclusion on what he was seeing.

The black screen was suddenly replaced with a camera view of the control room, taken from the computer camera in front of him. After waiting a few seconds, Ezekiel caught view of the Mad Man, slowly bringing himself down onto the same leather chair he was sitting in now.

Ezekiel was baffled at the sight, completely confused and dumbfounded at why a video of the Mad Man was playing instead of sending them home.

He leaned forward instantly as he prepared to listen what the Mad Man was going to say on the video in front of him.

"Hello, Stranger."