Rétro Future - Episode 1: TREASURE HUNTER

by BinglesP

2 absurd things are revealed to the Eds; Edd's now a giant slug centaur, and Cyberspace exists in secret parallel to Earth. Nobody's there to explain why or how for either, so they're all determined to figure it out themselves; even if it means exploring this dangerous new realm first-hand… {AU inspired by Y2K and Frutiger Aero. Episodes listed under separate Published Stories.}

Ed Edd n' Eddy Rétro Future Episode 1

The Rétro Eds Adding Spirits Utilizing Robotic Exoskeletons = Humorously-Unhinged New Triple E Remix

A Y2K-aesthetic Alternate Universe fanfiction by Bingles Praise ( BinglesP on Twitter, YouTube, and DeviantArt)

{Notes:

This is the version of this fanfiction, adapted to fit its formatting. While it is obviously still readable, it's recommended that you at least keep in mind the Google Docs version that preserves the typeface and otherwise-visual presentation of the original document I wrote it on. You can check it out here: /UIDzrkooQY

I also have a Twitter and DeviantArt gallery for the AU ( binglesp/gallery/90549576/ed-edd-n-eddy-retro-future) that I highly reccomend checking out before you read, just for a quick glance, if you haven't already. Not to boost my interactions on there, even; it just an easy way for me to provide visual clarification for the AU that is essentially necessary to understand it. Not that I don't put in the effort to express visuals here, but because this was written with the reader already seeing that artwork in mind.

Also, CN City, at least in the show lineup established in the Cartoon Network era it represented, is canon in this AU. This isn't really relevant to this episode in particular, but I thought I'd mention it here anyway. It's really easy to imagine that show lineup, especially the Cartoon Cartoons subgroup specifically, as part of the same universe anyway.}

Prologue: The Insane Shit that Happened Yesterday

{Author's Note('A/N'): This is an updated and abridged version of the original 'pilot episode' for this series, which is referred to throughout this episode as 'yesterday'. Since said pilot was made when this AU's concept was still brand new and majorly unrealized, this will provide more accurate context.}

[EARTH LOCATION

Peach Creek Cul-de-Sac

STATE/COUNTRY/REALM: Georgia, United States of America, Earth]

The story starts yesterday, when the Eds got together in-person to explore a Cyberspace realm that had recently come into existence.

But before they got to Cyberspace, they had to unfortunately witness the absolute body horror that had happened in-secret, leading to their separation…

Event 1: Edd, the Slugtaur

Edd had been hiding from in-person contact for a while, and was too anxious to explain to Ed and Eddy in their private chatroom what happened, so they met in xys bedroom to check up on xem.

As it turned out, the reason was something that they hadn't even remotely considered; Xe became a 'Slugtaur'.

Essentially, a half-human, half-nudibranch, akin to a centaur.

The 'top-half' of xys body is what remains mostly the same about it, only with rhinophores on xys head now. The new 'slug-half' beneath it, however, is completely different from the original bottom-half of xys body. It's mostly the anatomy of a nudibranch, only, with four flippers that formed off xys legs attached, and much, much bigger. Even by humanoid or centauroid standards, gigantic. Enough to classify xem as a giant xemself.

And lastly, to make things worse, there's no other 'Slugtaurs' that exist or even used to exist before xem; xe's the only one of xys kind, brought in unprepared or unexpecting to be.

Needless to say, that moment they saw xem laid across xys bed in such anatomy, directly showing that xys slug-half's bigger than its entire mattress, they were shocked.

Despite expecting such a reaction, it still brought Edd to tears, pleading they don't abandon xem because of it or tell anyone what's happened until xe's ready to reveal it publically.

Though, they accepted it a whole lot better than what xe had expected, and pretty quickly at that; their horror was mainly in concern for xem. And so, agreeing to keep the sight of xem hidden from everyone else, they moved along.

Event 2: Cyberspace

The three of them entered Cyberspace through finding a Cyberspace Drive Key, or 'CyDi', in the Junkyard, and plugging it into Eddy's TV set out of curiosity.

It led them to them discovering the realm accordingly. To their convenience, someone had prepared for their arrival here, and prepared some coats for them in a display next to the Terminal they just used to get there. They kept them, and it helped them with the colder environment there.

They only stayed for an hour or so, but they did find one thing: a toolshed of sorts, that had two CyDis that Ed and Edd could take home for themselves one-each.

And, also, an aggressive dragon approached them there, but that didn't bother them for too long thanks to Ed scaring it away.

Event 3: Today

And now, for today, they're ready to see what's really out there within the realm…

Chapter 1: Cyber Réunion

Cyberspace, today.

[CYBERSPACE LOCATION:

AREA A

ELEVATION: ±0

EPITHET: Forest
CODEWORD: ARTIFICIAL]

Ed, Edd and Eddy have entered the new dimension once again.

They entered it by their own Home Terminals this time, so they are separated now, briefly. Eddy stays at the same one they all were at yesterday, figuring that the one they all already recognize is a good spot to meet up at. He doesn't want to waste his energy so soon, anyway. So, currently, he's sitting on one of the strange displays that presented their new clothes for the occasion(gift from a currently-unknown source) from yesterday.

[ENTER:

Eddy Skipper McGee
SPECIES: Human
GENDER: Male, he/him/his ROLE: Protagonist of this Story, Swordfighter
TITLE: Ed of Ego ~ Desire Drive for Capitol and Belonging
STATUS: Confident
CODEWORD: FAÇADE]

Edd arrives first, by circumstance.

Edd: "Greetings, Eddy! I'm here!"

[ENTER:
Edd "Double Dee" Marion ?SURNAME#NOT_FOUND#?
SPECIES: Slugtaur
GENDER: Non-Binary, xe/xem/xys ROLE: Deuteragonist of this Story, Gunner
TITLE: Ed of Conscience ~ Enigmatic Scientist
STATUS: Intrigued
CODEWORD: ENIGMA]

Xe looks at Eddy with a wide, pleased- though, slightly anxious- smile. Arms down, hands folded; gills and rhinophores stood upward.

Eddy: "[I'm] Surprised you're 'ere already."

Edd, coming closer: "To be fair, the place I entered through wasn't too far away."

Eddy: "Ah. So, anyway, now we just wait for Ed."

They look around for a few seconds, then back to each other; Neither saw any indication.

Edd: "...Maybe we should look around for him, and perhaps meet halfway? So it's easier for all three of us."

Eddy, standing back up: "Sure. We really should've talked about this while we were in that chatroom, now that I think about it."

Edd: "It's okay, at least we'll know where each of us enters now. It's not like we know much about this place– or, what to do within it–, anyway."

Eddy looks around for Ed and/or his terminal. He spots Ed quickly through going into the forest(of sorts). The only obstacle is that Ed's on top of a large, steep, geometric slope.

[ENTER:

Ed Horace
SPECIES: Human
GENDER: Male, he/him/his ROLE: Triagonist of This Story, Brawler
Title: Ed of Instinct ~ Monstrous Powerhouse with a Precious Heart
STATUS: Excited
CODEWORD: TOLERANCE]

Eddy, yelling up to Ed so he can hear from up there: "ED! I FOUND YA!"

Ed, happy to see him as always: "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Eddy: "COME ON, BIG GUY, JUST SLIDE DOWN AND FOLLOW ME!"

Ed does exactly as he says without a second thought.

Edd: "My, my, we're already all together!"

Eddy: "Huh. Guess that wanderin' from yesterday really did pay off."

Ed nods with a chuckle.

Edd: "So, now what shall we do, gentlemen?"

Eddy: "Might as well fuck around and find out."

Edd: "...Naturally, that's what I was thinking, too. I was wondering if you wanted to discover something more specific."

Eddy: "Can't help ya with that."

Ed, anticipating the exploration: "And I can't help wondering about the specific discovery!"

Edd: "Well then, might as well pick a direction and go forth from there."

Chapter 2: (Don't) Slide on the Slope

The Eds' collective attention turns back to the large slope.

Ed: "We should go back up there first. I think I saw a couple interesting things up there."

Edd: "I concur that it stands out from the other options. But how should we scale such a surface?"

Ed: "Oh, were we supposed to meet up there? Sorry."
Eddy: "Don't worry about it, Lumpy. You could probably help us up there while we're all down."

They all take a moment to think about it.

Eddy: "Nnnn… Well…"

Edd: "It's quite a lateral thinking puzzle, is it not?"

Eddy looks around xem and Ed, to get any idea on how to use their abilities.

Eddy: "...Wait, Double Dee; you're a slug-centaur-thing now, right?"

Edd, reminded: "...Unfortunately, yes."

Eddy: "Can't ya just, you know, stick to the slope and go up normally?"

Edd: "The form of locomotion would be creeping, if that's the word you're looking for. As for your question, um…"

Xe looks down at xemself.

Edd: "...I've never actually tried that before."

Eddy: "Ya serious? If I were you, I'd do that everyday without thinking twice."

Edd, sheepishly: "...You have to keep in mind, Eddy; I haven't been like this my whole life…"

Xe creeps up to the slope, then pulls up the front of xys mantle skirt to not trip over it. To xys delight, it works.

Edd, looking back with a warm smile: "You were right! Even if I don't produce mucus trails most gastropods do– Heaven forbid, otherwise– I still have the necessary friction to climb steep surfaces without such an excretion."

Eddy: "Alright. Problem is, though, like I said; I'm not one a'ya."

Ed, sitting on the ground with legs laying flat: "...Pair up as cavalry!"

Edd: "uu-AH?!"

Eddy: (Ah shit, here we go again…)

Edd: "Why does this topic keep coming up?! I know I said I'd try it eventually, but not in this category of circumstance! I thought we promised you two would ignore my unfortunate-"

Eddy: "-Relax, m'enby, I'll go easy on ya. Plus, this time we got a reason to bring it up."

He lightly scratch-pets xys head as it's within-reach; right behind the ears first, then right behind the rhinophores.

Edd, getting back on the floor and crouching down: "Okay… It's better than waiting for the terminals to open up again, going back, and then all the way to Ed's house, I suppose. Get on my back..; might as well get this over with…"

Eddy gets on xys slug-half's back, as xe gets up again. Xe winces at the added pressure, and presses xys flippers hard against the ground to help with posture.

Edd, shocked: "Ack! -Curse me being half-mollusc…"

Eddy, trying to hold them steady: "Damn, this is… weird!"

Edd, sarcastically: "You think?"

Ed reaches his hands up onto Edd's front-waist, to help him keep steady.

Ed: "Here we go!"

Edd: "Thank you, Ed."

Eddy: "What? Ya giving xem a hug?"

Ed: "No, I'm helping xem up before xe carries you up the thing."

Xe creeps up back to the foot of the slope. Eddy crouches down, holding onto the saddle's ribbon reins.

Edd: "...Okay, I just need to keep posture, and… Ready..!-"

Xe charges forward, still using both xys lower-belly and xys flippers to grip at the surface. The weight xe's carrying makes xem fear falling, but at the same time, it presses them to the wall better in-a-way.

Eddy, tugging the reins forward: "Mush!"

Edd: "G'Y-A-AH! Be patient, Eddy! I'm… Almost there-!"

Xe struggles, feeling them start to slip back down. However, they get to the top successfully, to xys surprise.

[CYBERSPACE LOCATION:

AREA A+3

ELEVATION: +3
EPITHET: Plateau

CODEWORD: ABOVE]

Edd: "I… I did it!"

Eddy, petting xem again: "See? I got'cha… Oh, and thanks."

Edd, turning around: "I shall thank you as well.., for not making things too difficult."

Eddy pets him again. Their faces get closer together tenderly, but then get interrupted in a flinch by the crashes of loud punching against the terrain below them.

Of course, it's really just Ed, using his immense punching strength to climb up the ramp by force.

Ed: "Do not worry about me, guys, I am already back up now."

Edd: "My, that was impressive!"

Xe, ever so curious, looks down at the craters Ed punched through the ground. Crouching down to get a closer look, xe looks into the inside layer of the material, picking at the parts of the surface that chipped off at the impact.

Edd: "You know, I was wondering what materials this surface is composed of. This surface is less like a natural ground, and more like a kind of floor, despite this location emulating an Earthen forest biome's likeness."

Ed, rolling up his sleeve: "I can break more stuff if you need me to!"

Edd: "No, dear, it's fine. I just need this sample of the debris you've already loosened, and I'll keep it for further inspection, once I have access to my geology tool set later."

Edd pockets the scraps and looks underneath them, while Eddy gets off of xem and walks away to continue exploring the area; Ed follows, sleeve in question unfolding by itself.

Edd inspects the inside of the ground material, comparatively analyzing the color and texture.

Edd: "Or, perhaps, I could already observe it here myself… Hmmmm…"

Eddy finds xys curiosity endearing, but he moves on anyway, trusting that xe'll eventually catch up.

Chapter 3: Beach, in a Canyon, in Cyberspace

A new area is already discovered.

Its elevation is much lower than the previous one. There is more water here, what appears to be an entire digital ocean. The beaches' sands are sparkly and fine-grain, with their pristine quality only interrupted by chrome-polished rocks and particles still in the process of weathering.

There's a familiar face down there.

[ENTER: Jonny Tubaiphore

SPECIES: Human
GENDER: Male, he/him/his ROLE: Urban Ranger, Medium
TITLE: Psychotic Environmentalist SnaggleTooth
STATUS: Separated, but not Distant
CODEWORD: PSYCHIC]

Eddy: "Ah, shit. The other guys have already found out about Cyberspace."
Ed: "Huh?"

Eddy points to Jonny.

Eddy: "It's Jonny, look! He's just standing there!"
Ed, seeing him, adding: "– Menacingly..!"
Eddy: "...Nah. The menacing part here is that the hunk'a wood's not there with 'im."
Ed: "Strange…"
Eddy: "Yeah, you get it."

Edd catches up to them.

Edd, catching xys breath: "Hmm? What do you see down there?"
Eddy, keeping his point forward-down: "Jonny. He's right down there, ya see 'im?"
Edd: "Oh my… Quite the location he's found. And he's there all by himself."
Eddy: "Yeah. That guy's weird."

Edd: "...Actually, maybe he just needs some time alone to relax and think?"

Eddy contemplates going over and talking to him, or just leaving him alone and talking about it later.

Eddy: "I dunno, man. He usually just does that in the cul-de-sac just fine. Why all the way down there in Cyberspace? Why'd he even bother going all the way there just to do something he can do anywhere else?"
Edd: "Perhaps a change of the normal scenery?"
Eddy: "...Well, either way, he usually do[es]n't mind people going past 'im. I'm sure he won't mind me going down 'ere. I'm sure Plank's safe and sound, wherever he is."

All 3 of them move forward as they talk now.

Edd: "Actually, I can tell you why Plank isn't with him in particular. It's a pretty interesting story, actually!"
Eddy: "Oh, yeah? Why's that, Double Dee?"

Edd goes on to tell them both the story…

Flashback 1: The Day the Plank Spoke
[Peach Creek Cul-de-Sac, 20XX.]

[Edd's narration]

It was around a week ago, only a day or two before I transformed into a… slugtaur. Neither of you were there with me, of course.

Jonny had noticed an improvement in my recent builds and tinkering, which I didn't notice a difference in beforehand. Apparently, I had gotten so good at it in his eyes, that he was content in suggesting an ambitious commission regarding Plank.

I remember Jonny said something along-the-lines-of:

"We're still best buddies, don't get me wrong, but he's got stuff to do on his own now. And you know what, Double Dee? I think you could make a suit for him of sorts. Yeah, one that allows him to speak and move on his own full-on! Like prosthetic limbs, reading his mind's commands! We'll give you 60 bucks for it!"

[Eddy's interjection]

"60 BUCKS?!"

[Edd's narration]

Yes: He was aware it was difficult and risky, so he bet me much more than our usual prices accordingly. It was only logical of him, as this was no regular afternoon entertainment; this was intended to last them for years.

So, eager to experiment with such a topic myself, I got to the drawing board.

I read up on some books I had kept around about those kinds of procedures, just enough to get the information I needed.

As for design inspiration, I remember modeling its mechanisms after Mildred. You remember her, right? Yes, she was delighted to be a demonstrator. I analyzed her movement as reference, as the piston-esque locomotion of arachnids is the thing I was going for.

I spent the rest of the entire day and following night making that for Plank; making sure not to rush the development, but still trying to get it out and over with.

When I finished, he came over to see it with that trademark hysterical enthusiasm of his. It was pretty heartwarming seeing him compliment my work so excitedly.

So, right then and there, in an effort that surprised even myself, we both heard Plank speak aloud in a frequency both of us could hear; no middle-man to speak for him for the first time, he just went and did it.

[Ed's interjection]

"What did he say? What did he say?"

[Edd's narration]

Easy there, Ed.

And in fact I did, luckily, remember his exact words then and there:

"At last, I am truly alive."

[End of Flashback]

They stop in their tracks, now having reached a spot that allows them to safely descend to the foot of the plateau.

Eddy: "Well, Double Dee, I'm proud a'ya. You managed to get ya'self a happy customer. Without scammin' 'em, no-less."
Edd, flustered a little: "Heh… W-Well, Eddy…"
Eddy, reaching up to put his hand on xys shoulder: "Ay, don't get your antennae* in a twist." {*referring to Edd's rhinophores}

Ed's already moving on as they talk, as usual. Eddy notices.

Chapter 4: Area Beach

[CYBERSPACE LOCATION:

AREA B

ELEVATION: -2

EPITHET: Reef
CODEWORD: BEACH]

Eddy and Ed arrive at the beach at the foot of the plateau. Jonny spots them by the sound of their footsteps.

Jonny: "Hi-ya, guys!"

Eddy, pointing up to the plateau behind him: "'Ay, Jonny. Saw ya all the way up there."

Jonny: "Where's Double Dee? You know, xe gave Plank some pretty neat perks a while back. I've been meaning to show ya, but Plank's busy exploring Cyberspace on his own."

Eddy: "Well, I knew the part about xem making that. Xe just told me. [I] 'Was just about to ask ya where Plank was."

Jonny, laughing: "Yeah, usually he's right by my side, haha!- I'm try'na get used to not carrying him around everywhere."

Ed, head tilted: "Do you want us to find him?"

Jonny: "No, he's perfectly fine. You might even run into him today!"

Eddy turns around and looks up at the plateau.

Eddy: "Ya know, this place kinda reminds me of the watering hole; Big ass rock and all'at."

Jonny, looking up with him: "Oh, yeah. I was reminded of that too. Remember when you all got on top of the big rock there?"

Ed, remembering, eyes still focused on the water: "Oink!"

Eddy, remembering: "Yeah. It sucked."

Jonny: "Oh look, there's Double Dee! All the way up there!"

Edd peeked down at them from the edge of the plateau, rhinophores hidden by retracting them down and hidden under xys hat.

Jonny, waving: "HI, DOUBLE DEE! NICE TO SEE YA!"

Edd, hiding xys anxiety: "GREETINGS, JONNY! D-...DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!"

Edd gets back up, and creeps away from the edge. He relaxes xys rhinophores back into position.

Edd, evaluating xys hiding plan to xemself: (Alright, if I can use various scenery to obscure myself to just my top-half's visibility, and occasionally show the other Cul-de-Sac residents that I'm around, they won't suspect that anything happened to me! I hope…)

At the foot of the canyon's shore:

Eddy: "Yeah, xe's fine. Xe just wanted to wait for us up there, since we're… about to go back up anyway."

Jonny: "Alrighty, then."

At the plateau, simultaneously, as they're talking:

Edd, still on-thought: (But, really… How long will it take until I'm ready? Oh dear… I don't know. Will I have to hide this abominable burden of mine… for the rest of my life? I could become a cryptid!)

As xe's thinking, the other two Eds and Jonny finish their conversation.

Jonny: "Bye, guys! Have a great day!"

Ed: "Already having one, buck-o!"

Eddy, waving goodbye: "Thanks for talkin', man."

They walk back up to Area A's high ground.

Eddy, as they walk: "Jonny and Rolf, huh. They were always the nicest to us, when it came to the outsiders."

Ed: "Nicer than Baby Sister*?"

{*referring to Sarah, of course}

Eddy: "Ya gotta stop lyin' to yourself that she's even comparable to any sense'a morality what-so-ever, Lumpy."

They continue walking, until they reach the top once again.

Chapter 5: New Objectives in Mind

Edd gets up to follow the others, as they move on to travel over the vast plateau of Area A's perimeter.

Edd: "So, anything about Plank's whereabouts?"

Eddy takes xys obliviousness as a cue to ignore what was just brought up.

Eddy, in his social façadery: "Nothin' t' worry about."

Eddy now thinks of a response to Edd's question like-normal.

Eddy: "-Uh, and… Jonny said he's somewhere around here."

As they walk past Ed's terminal, Eddy remembers what Ed said before at the start.

Eddy: "Ay, Ed? Remember when ya said there were some interestin' things up 'ere?"
Ed: "Yes, I remember it like it was yesterday."
Eddy: "It was today."
Ed: "I know!" ("Huh-haha.")

Eddy, still upset from earlier slightly: (Damnit, I wish I could be that stupidly carefree sometimes.)

Ed takes the lead to show them another thing he saw, in the direction they were already going in anyway.

Ed: "Okay, I only just saw it in the distance right around here…"

Edd, looking over him: "Oh, really?"

He sees it again, much closer this time, revealed through a hole in the wall that is blocking the entrance. Ed puts his hands on the crevice, gets a steady grip, and tears the thin wall apart.

Ed: "I did it!"

Eddy: "Another place already. Good job, man!"

They enter the cave's opening.

[CYBERSPACE LOCATION:

AREA C ELEVATION: {±0,-4} Range

EPITHET: Bejeweled
CODEWORD: CAVERN]

{A/N: Yes, I did base this area heavily on the Bejeweled series, especially Planet Preserver from Bejeweled Twist with the green mystery-substance full of little swimming alien whatzits, in the case of the ceiling thing.}

A window to a vat of glowing, green gelatinous substance stretches along the entire ceiling and some of the walls. Some little, translucent-yellow creatures resembling dandelion fluff are swimming around it.

There's a drop down at the end of the opening, presumably to a larger cavern.

Ed brought a flashlight, thankfully. So, he aims its beam down to see how far the drop is. To their disappointment, it's way too big of a drop to be safe.

Eddy: "Yeah, no, we ain't going down there."

Edd: "At least with what we have in inventory, at the current moment, yes."

There's another trail to their right that doesn't descend as steeply, so they go there instead.

It's dark, black, and rocky looking, a stark opposite to the areas outside. Crystal stalactites and stalagmites of various colors line up against the walls and ceiling. The terrain ramps down, with increments of flat levels that increase in area the further down they are. It's still very geometric, just in a different way.

{A/N: I think doing this kind of Purple Prose is really fun. I hope you enjoy these locations I've come up with for this AU.}

Eddy looks around at the myriad of ore as they go down the cavern. In his capital-focused mind, he starts to imagine mining them out of their place and selling them for even more riches.

Eddy, with a mischievous snicker: "Guys… Hear me out…"

Edd, knowing exactly what he's thinking: "Don't even think about it, Eddy. We don't even have mining equipment."

Eddy: "Well, Ed can just punch 'em out, like he did with that slope!"

Edd: "I'm sure he could attempt it, but have you considered him getting hurt? He could hurt his hand on an especially hard one, for what-we-know. Or, these stalactites could be disrupted by the impact's shockwaves, causing their attachment from the ceiling to fall, and…"

Edd keeps thinking of all the ways they could be harmed within a cave, attempting to mine with bare fists or not.

Edd: "Ah… S-Sorry, tangent. I'm starting to overthink again."

Eddy: "Ya don't wanna be thinkin' too hard about how we could get ourselves hurt or trapped in 'ere. We got way too much experience under our belts gettin' trapped together in various ways."

Edd: "You're correct about that, Eddy."

They continue to descend, with caution. They eventually get to the bottom, where there are a few branching paths, but their attention is directed towards the metaphorical fork-in-the-road itself.

It's a flat wall, with beams welded to it in incremental fifths, two of which at the edges connecting it to the natural terrain it's put in-between of. The 2nd and 4th beams wield lanterns, seemingly lit up by glowing crystals that could very well be some of the same as the ones in this cave's ore deposits. And at the one in the middle, most importantly, a single door, with its window shut down with a sliding metal plate from the inside.

This was… another building.

The door is secured, but Eddy's determined to see what's on the other side.

Edd: "Do you really think we should be breaking into this building? The secretive and isolated location, as well as the steel exterior and closed window… This could very well be a facility for something top-secret. Something very confidential, and/or dangerous!"

Eddy, yanking and twisting at the locked doorknob: "Well, duh! That's exactly why I gotta see what's in there!"

Edd scoffs, rolling xys eyes and pouting.

Edd: ("Why do I even bother…")

Ed, also curious: "MUST SEE THE FORBIDDEN!"

Edd, disappointed at them not listening to xem: (Oh, Ed, not you too… lovable oaf…)

Eddy, stepping aside: "Ay, tough guy! Ya think you can pick the lock for me?"

Ed: "On it!"

Ed comes closer, right up to the door. He takes a stretch in preparation, firmly grasping the doorknob, and pulls hard… Only for him to trip back and fall to the floor, with it now in his hands in separation.

Eddy, sarcastically: "Nice job, Guts Man. You made it even harder."

Ed, mistaking the remark as genuine, getting up and showing him: "Can I keep it?"

Eddy: "It's not like we have the tools to put it back on there properly. So, I guess. Maybe we could sell it as an antique or somethin', and lie to whoever owns this joint in front of us that it fell off from rust."

Edd gasps from such an elaborately awful plan.

Edd, 'standing' to the side, still disapproving of their break-in attempt: "You want us to explain this by not only lying, but stealing it and selling it off?! I swear to fucking God, Eddy, it's times like these where you're so… BAD!"

Edd starts stomping– or, on a technical level, slapping– the ground with xys flippers in overstimulated frustration.

Eddy, wanting to shut xem up by a taunt: "Ay, Giantess. If ya don't want us pickin' the lock, why don't ya just tackle us with that gigantic purple bouncy-house parade-float lookin' thing that grew off your body? That'll stop us, easily!"

Edd gasps and blushes in embarrassment.

Edd(though, not really meaning it): "Y-You asshole…"

Eddy, relieved it worked: "Heh. I know."

Eddy comes over to Ed, now remembering on the side that Ed can easily just rip the door open doorknob-intact-or-not.

Eddy, whispering over: ("Finally, Double Dee can stop bitchin' for a minute. It's for xys own good, Big Guy; xe's gonna regret doin' it when we see what's in 'ere, I bet!")

Ed, whispering back: ("Using xys burden of unwilling monstrous transformation to your wills, even on a psychological level? Naught-y boy, Eddy! Huh-haha.")

Ed, in one of his spontaneous strokes of cleverness, uses the opening in which the doorknob was just situated, to twist the lock of the doorknob on the other side to open.

The door swings open on its own in front of them, surprising all three at the successful method used.

Eddy, leaning over at the room the door leads to: "Damn, you did it."

Edd, creeping and leaning over to see it as well: "He… did it..? He did it!"

Ed, surprised himself, humbled at their reaction: "Huh, I guess I actually made it easier."

Eddy rests his arm behind Edd's upper-back, at the waist.

Eddy: "Come on, m'enby. We went into that storage room yesterday, and you had no problem with us lootin' that one out. What's so different about this place, huh?"

Edd, now remembering: "Oh, yeah, I forgot… Hehe…"

Eddy, snickering and grinning devilishly: "I knew you would come around…"

He leads xem forward, as he opens the door all the way to the other side of the wall it's hinged to, preparing to help squeeze Edd's slug-half unstuck through a door frame again.

(^Meanwhile, Ed's already gone inside as well, waiting for them at the front platform.)

Eddy: "Come on, Mx., we should at least see what's inside 'ere while the owners are still outta-town…"

Edd, bending xys top-half down and forward: "Okay…"

Xe leans over and gets xys top-half and front flippers over, as the other two shove the rest through the door frame by force. It's their method of helping xem through most doorways, in fact; it takes a minute, but it's the best they got for xys slug-half's immense size.

As Edd gets inside, they get to close the door, choosing to haphazardly place the doorknob back to compromise with xem.

Chapter 6: Encounter in the Scalding Darkness

[CYBERSPACE LOCATION:

AREA C-4

ELEVATION: {-2,-6} Range

EPITHET: Factory
CODEWORD: STEAMPUNK]

{A/N: Get ready for this super long purple prose that lasts around half of the entire chapter. I can't help it, I find writing these descriptions for all these Cyberspace locations to be really fun and keeps track of my ideas for them well. Almost as fun as writing the Ed x Edd x Eddy parts! …I'm a nerd+geek, I know.}

And so, the Eds have found themselves in a steampunk factory that seems to have automated maintenance despite its vacancy.

There are dozens of contraptions and machinery here, connected together through steam-emitting pipes of copper and bronze. They appear to have been dyed a variety of metallic hues, potentially as an attempt to make the place look less haunting, but the fog has washed them out almost entirely.

Incrementally, there are sand clocks in-between the other mechanisms. Though, inferrably not for telling time, likely, as there are actual analog clocks around as well. They seem to be used for function-cueing on utilizing their particular fashion of shifting weight, especially since they are connected to mechanisms that automatically flip them over to start again when they're finished pouring all of their sand to the bottom.

There is a shaft for the mist to escape, but there's only one at the very center, and it siphons it out as slowly and narrowly as a floor-to-ceiling sand clock. It also routinely closes up its own ventilation whenever a machine needs to obtain power by vacuuming the emissions of a previous process.

This knee-deep excess of mist would make it noticeably harder to breathe than normal by itself, but it's only made worse by the low elevation of the area making the air dense already. Such a combination would be enough to make even one with an amphibious respiratory system faint if they were to stay here for only a couple hours. It's no wonder, then, that the place has adapted to automated cycles.

It's mostly quiet in this location, but there's some noise coming from the mechanical processes. Most of the sounds are actually very quiet individually, but all of them are synchronized at least partially to one consistent beat due to the insisting synergy between them.

{A/N: I'd imagine Area C-4 sounds like the preserved Edison Phonograph Wax Cylinder recordings of the Crystal Palace in 1888, if you know what that is. Specifically the stylus cranking, that sounds a bit like steampunk machinery to me. That's the audio I based this Cyberspace Location off of, at least. I'm quite a trivial history buff, I admit.}

Overall, the place is unusual, even for a Cyberspace location's standards. The Eds have slowed down accordingly, but are still moving forward.

Eddy: "...This place is weird…"

Ed: "You said it."

Edd, shaking: "...I-I'm not sure about this, gentlemen. This place doesn't give a safe impression…"

Eddy: "No shit; I can barely see where we're goin', flashlight or not."

Ed, turning the flashlight off and putting it back in inventory: "Okay then."

There's rusty, metal-grate bridges with dilapidated railings connecting each factory section's platform, with support beams standing them up at the quarter-lengths of each one. The rusty beams extend far down into the pit of complete darkness below, also rusty but not as much.

Tension rises by the creaking unsteadiness of the bridge. It's concerning enough to get Edd to halt behind the group for a second, then rationalize xemself and hurry along them peculiarly. Xe makes it across, though not without slight exhaustion. The others step back to allow xem to be on the platform.

Edd, catching xys breath: "Heh… I've never attempted that before…"

Eddy: "Attempt what?"

Edd: "Using my flippers to move on land. That's how I got that brief boost in speed there. They… don't carry me as well as my legs did before them, as I expected…"

They move on, with the clear goal of finding out whatever this factory is making and what could be on the other side of the facility.

…

When it's all-so-close to the moment they're almost at the other side of the factory, something happens, that many would likely fear the possibility of happening in such a liminal space…

They see the shrouded silhouette of a tall, spindly, robotic figure, standing there with large lethal weapons in their arsenal, appearing to be searching for targets to hunt down.

Eddy, breaking a sweat: ("G-Guys? Do you see that guy over there?")

Edd, cowering behind him and shivering: ("Y-Y-Yes..?")

Ed, morbidly curious: ("Yes.")

Eddy: ("I think it could be the owner… Should we turn back?")

Edd: ("...No, hold on. I have an idea… Ed, could you stand me up on my tail?")

Ed: ("No-o-o-o problem, Double Dee!")

Making a last-ditch effort, leaving room to an exception to xys witness-avoiding status, xe gets Ed to xys slug-half's stomach up rested on his back, as xe stretches xys flippers wide with its digits outspread. Ed compliments this by vocally imitating the sounds of monsters he remembers from the movies he's watched over the years, even though it wasn't a part of Edd's idea.

A last-second attempt to scare the figure away, in the obscuring of the atmosphere's cloaking.

This grabs the figure's attention accordingly, but not in the reaction they wanted. It prompts them to move forward unflinching, weapons aimed at them. They even see the Eds close enough to reveal their shadow-puppetry.

Eddy: "That was so STUPID! Why did you think this would work?!"

Edd: "The… ahem, growling wasn't part of my idea."

Ed, letting go promptly: "Oh, I thought that would help. I am sorry..!"

[The Figure], pointing at them: "I've been looking for you[ three]."

Ed, recognizing him: "...Jib?!"

[ENTER: Jib 2000
SPECIES: Cybernetically-Materialized Robot, Former Imaginary Friend

GENDER: Male, any pronouns

ROLE: Cyberspace Researcher
TITLE: Phantom-Powered Automaton
STATUS: Cold CODEWORD: ROVER]

Jib, who they formerly assumed they'd never see again(or, in the literal sense, see at all), is now materialized as a robotic endoskeleton, with a base-upward cylindrical head shape. The metal comprising their body has a chrome finish, so they reflect both the orange tint of the surrounding haze, and the dotted shine of the floodlights above. The weapons he is carrying are both sheathed away in sacks, as he doesn't intend to use them at the current moment.

He walks towards Ed longingly, relieved to see him after assuming he never would again for so long. But, he accepts that his purpose for finding them isn't just to meet them again.

Jib: "Yes, creator. It is me."

Ed comes closer to put his arms on his shoulder, like he used to. But, reluctantly, after a few seconds, Jib gently takes it off.

Jib: "This is important: Follow me. He is waiting for you."

Jib turns around and directs them to follow through one of the factory's back doors that they were already going to exit from regardless. Because of this alignment to their goals, though, they agree to follow him.

Chapter 7: Banishing Sword of Cyberspace

Jib directs the Eds to enter an elevator. Ed manages to shove the four of them inside the same box in-one-go.

Jib: "...I'm happy you remember me, Ed."

Ed: "Of course I do, Jib. I only have [around] 10 people that I have to [regularly] think about."

Jib: "Peach Creek is still vacant?"

Ed: "Basically."

The elevator is taking a while, but it's not at any risk of breaking; only, it's a little slower than average.

Jib: "...Do you ever feel… Lonely?"

Ed: "No. We sometimes visit the city downtown. We're okay."

Jib: "You're allowed to do that?"

Ed: "Yeah, we are allowed to do that now, at least."

Edd, at the back of the cart: "Yes. It's been a while since we last met."

Eddy, resting on Edd's stomach, after wiping off the steam condensed over his coat: "You could probably already tell [that] things are pretty different in general."

Jib looks over at him and xem, now fully visible thanks to the cleaner air outside the factory.

Jib: "Yes… I can tell."

The elevator takes them to the surface, on the opposite side of the cave from which they entered.

[CYBERSPACE LOCATION

AREA D

ELEVATION: ±0

EPITHET: Jungle

CODEWORD: DRUID]

Jib addresses someone he knows is there, but isn't visible just yet.

Jib: "I found them, sir. All three."

A deep yet enthusiastic voice, auditorily-familiar to only him and Edd, answers.

Plank: "Excellent. You arrived sooner than I expected." [ENTER:

[ENTER: Plank KarmaDruid-002
SPECIES: Druid Tsukumogami
GENDER: Male, he/him/his or it/it/its
ROLE: Cyberspace Exploration & Research Leader
TITLE: Liberated Eternal Arboreal Fragment

STATUS: Eccentric
CODEWORD: SPIDER]

He descends on a lowering string, from an overhanging platform right above, to appear right in front of them.

Eddy: "Ay, man! We were just lookin' for ya!" ("...Kinda.")

Plank: "Of course you four were, that's what I directed Jib to do."

Plank reorients himself to the ground upright.

Plank: "...Anyway, do you all like the clothing I made for you? I see you're all wearing them."

Eddy: "WHAT?! -No fuckin' way…–" ("–Uh, hold on…")

Eddy pulls off his jacket and looks at the inside of it, to see the crediting text on the back of the neck.

Rest assured, Plank had prepared for this distrust, and put his credit there accordingly before giving it to them yesterday, knowing the reveal would leave them skeptical once he found them.

Eddy looks back to Plank, dumbfounded.

Eddy: "Y-... You did..?!"

Plank, crossing his arms and looking back at Eddy smugly: "Yes. I knew you'd discover Cyberspace eventually, so I made some fitting clothing for you all for the colder environment here…-"

He takes a few steps closer towards them, holding back his laughter.

Plank: "-At least, as 'fitting' as any of you fatasses could be in them!"

He laughs and steps backwards with a spin. The insulting comment is to-be-expected with Plank's previous interactions with them, but no matter how in-character it is, Eddy's still pissed off by it.

Eddy, holding back his anger: "Nnnn… Damnit…"

Edd, nervous from the thought the reveal had given xem: "...Wait, so you've known about what recently happened to me in-secret?"

Plank: "Yes, I took a poorly-timed look at the window the day you transformed into… Whatever species you are now. Don't worry, I didn't tell anybody. I spent extra time giving you that outfit for both of your body's halves, since I felt I owed you something personally after Jonathan paid for this suit of mine that you've made."

^Ed: (Plank calls Jonny 'Jonathan'?)

Edd, disturbed knowing his awareness but thankful he's honest: "Well, thank you very much for expressing such gratitude, Plank. As for the species, I've taken 'Slugtaur' as my preferred nomenclature of such identification, by the way."

Plank: "Ah, portmanteau of 'Slug Centaur', I take it. I like that. That's kind-of what I was thinking when I was making that saddle, I admit."

Edd, shrugging: "...Figures."

(^Eddy, Ed, and Jib have been sitting down together on the floor, as Plank and Edd were talking.)

Eddy: "So, did ya call us here just to talk with Double Dee about the chrome clothes n' shit? Why'd ya drag me and Ed 'ere?"

Plank: "First of all, I was getting there. Second, I was just about to offer you two something one-each!"

Eddy: "What? You've never respected me for shit, let alone given me anything besides insults and quarters that get refunded by force."

Plank, turning to the sacks: "Jib? Unravel the gifts."

Jib lays the two encased weapons on the ground right in front of Eddy, and proceeds to untie the rope keeping the sacks shut.

Eddy, looking over the reveal: "Oh, great. You're gonna challenge me to an old-timey duel or whatever."

One item is a laser gun, though it is put aside for the moment.

The other item is a sword, as revealed to him, in mint condition. It's shiny, sharpened to a fearsome point, and almost as tall as Eddy himself. Its design matches that of his snow-jacket.

Jib holds the sword up, and clarifies the Eds' attention while Plank goes back to the platform above them to get something.

Plank: "This is no prop for roleplaying, Eddy."

Jib: "Here, I will demonstrate."

Jib steps back, gets into a proper position, and takes a swing.

The sword's dashing trail as it swipes the air traces an after-image that stays suspended in the air for longer than a traditional mélee weapon would with simple motion-blurring. It glows like a static laser-beam with a sort of pixel sparkling effect. While mostly aesthetic in-purpose, it still makes the blade stand out.

Plank arrives with a scarecrow-esque cardboard substitute he and Jib prepared for this demonstration.

Jib has memorized the planned sequence; he uses the gun first, to take out the arms of the dummy. He then switches its place with the sword, which he uses to decapitate it in one swing, and tear its stand(or, rather, its legs) and torso apart in the second.

Plank: "Yes, Eddy. I'm giving you an actual sword."

Eddy: "Why would I ever need that, though?"

Plank: "Well, it's simple, really; This place is full of two things: really hard-to-cut stuff, and computer viruses taking the personified form of man-killing monsters. I'm giving it to you, so you can have yourself sorted while we keep traversing this place. Plus, it looks cool, and I'm giving it to you for free, so might as well take it regardless."

Eddy, used to most people(who aren't Ed or Edd) he's met ostracizing, antagonizing, belittling and betraying him, is suspicious of all of these sudden gestures of gratitude. Especially heightened by the context of it giving him an aid to his own self-defense.

Eddy: "N… No. You ain't. A clear rule of the market is that people who ain't ya friends won't give ya shit for free. You can't fool me at my own game."

He takes a step towards Plank, reaching his arm out to cock his hand.

Eddy: "So, smart guy… What's the catch?"

Plank: "Well, I offer it partially as a matter of requesting partnership. And I don't mean me wanting to boss you around, rather, us helping out each other. All five of us, in this location, right now."

Jib, adding: "Think of me and Plank as… your friends."

Eddy's confusion heightens, to the point of conspiracy.

Eddy, backing away: "B-... But I thought y'all hated my guts?! We're supposed to be the outsiders, the 'dorks' or whatever!"

Edd is noticeably concerned over his questioning breakdown. Xe, promptly, intervenes by creeping over and giving him a hug to calm him down.

Ed comes over too, but in his case, happy to be accepted by anyone without question.

Edd, hushing: "Now, now, Eddy. Surely, if they were planning to betray us, they wouldn't give you a means of easy revenge for it."

Eddy, secretly still distrusting in-subconscious: "...Alright, fine. I'll join ya, knowing that's the case."

Plank puts his hands together and takes a deep, vocally-synthesized sigh. He walks over and takes the gun off the ground.

Plank, giving Edd the gun: "Well then. And, as for the gun, I'm giving it to you, Double Dee. It's pretty much at the same level of power. And, again– since I know you're not one to pick fights– you don't have to necessarily use it in combat. With a free scope, too."

Edd, promptly putting it in xys inventory: "Thank you. Though, where exactly would I acquire more ammunition, if I were to run out?"

Plank: "It's a laser gun. All it needs is energy, which it already has in Cyberspace, since this is a digital realm of course."

Edd, nodding: "Splendid! Thank you."

Ed is aware that he already has weaponry through the gifted parts of his outfit, and already knew there would be only two weapons given before they were unpackaged, so he figures he has no reason to point out that he wasn't given one.

Plank: "As for you, Ed, that fake tail on your outfit is actually a pretty strongly-enforced whip. So, yeah, I already gave you yours, of course. It was simply the first one I ended up making, and I was going to put the other two in those display-stalls back at Eddy's Home Terminal."

Ed: "Yup! Thank you for giving Eddy and Double Dee theirs too."

Plank: "My pleasure."

Plank returns to his original spot.

Plank, hands together: "And, so, everything's settled, right? We got a new team going on, we're gonna explore Cyberspace together…"

Eddy: "Right. So… What do we do next?" ("And, so you don't complain; 'thank you for all the stuff'...")

Plank: "Well, I do have an idea of where to explore next. I looked into the entrance of this place on my own, but I didn't look through every nook and cranny it had to offer. So, follow me, I want to show you all something."

They all follow Plank accordingly.

Chapter 8: D-to-A Shortcut

Plank leads them up another story connected to the elevator(though through a staircase to the side of where they just stopped at), higher up the mountain that Area C is situated both inside and beneath. The platform he was waiting for them on is the starting point to a shortcut from Area D's entrance to the part of Area A that the Terminals are located in.

But, obviously, in order to get there, they have to go through the shortcut's tunnel first.

Eddy: "Why are we going back?"-

(^He points to the view of Area D now behind them, over his shoulder.)

Eddy(cont.): -"We were going that way!"

Plank sprints to the front of the line to turn to him.

Plank: "I know, I figured you three were. We'll go back to explore that place soon, I promise."

Eddy: "So, what's the thing back at the start you're bringing us to? Why is it so important that we have to backtrack all the way back there right now?"

Edd: "Be patient, Eddy. We've already traveled to four locations brand new to us today, and only over the course of approximately a few hours at that. I know our united motive is to explore all biomes this realm has to offer, but we shouldn't go all at once. Because then, we'd be here all day just wandering forward cluelessly for miles, and then be here all night going back!"

Plank: "EXACTLY, THANK YOU! That's what I was thinking!"

Edd: "Part of my role in the group is to be the straight-man, Plank. -Or, I guess I'd be the 'straight-enby', technically."

Plank: "Sure are, man. And I'm not just flattering you because you made me this new body of mine."

Chapter 9: The 'Toolshed' is Actually a Base?!

They arrive, and slide down the slope down to Eddy's terminal. Plank notices the cables he left there with the rest of the outfits are still on Eddy's third of the casing. He takes it and hands it over to Eddy, puzzling him.

Eddy: "What am I supposed to do with cable bits that don't connect anywhere?"

Plank: "They will right now. Put one of each, in the same left-to-right order, on your hairs."

Eddy: "...Wh…-What the fuck? My hair[s]?"

Plank: "Yeah. They're energy-siphoning hair extensions."

What Plank just said baffles Eddy so much further, that it makes him crack up laughing. Plank laughs with him for a second, even though he knows it was a serious exposition.

Plank: "No, no, I'm serious. Put 'em on the ends of each one. Red left, Green middle, Blue right."

Eddy: "Fine, I'm starting to really trust ya with what you give to us anyway."

He follows Plank's instructions.

To his surprise, instead of the cables simply falling off his hairs as soon as he lets go of them like he expected, they not only attach to the hairs, but the hairs transform to become their wires.

Eddy, pushing them to the front to inspect them: "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY HAIR[S]?!"

Plank: "Relax… You haven't become a cyborg or anything! Me and Jib only had that done to ourselves off-necessity."-

He laughs lightly at that remark.

Plank(cont.): -"But this does relate to the power you have now. Specifically, when you wear that coat. Here, I'll show you what it does at the base."

Eddy: "We have a base?"

He leads the Eds to the toolshed that they had just searched through yesterday.

Plank: "Yeah. Here! Same place you-three found yesterday. I could tell, because you-three took two of the CyDis I was gonna give to you-three anyway. Thanks for that, by the way, though I can tell what the initial motive behind that actually was."

Edd, shocked into guilt: "AH! I'm so sorry we looked through your belongings, we had no idea! We thought it was abandoned!"

Plank, reaching for the doorknob: "Don't worry, Double Dee. There's a reason why I put this near your Terminals, because these were supposed to be shared between us. Otherwise, I would've had it in a different location, and/or installed security around it."

Edd calms back down. Plank opens the door, and invites the other four in.

The Eds notice changes Plank and Jib made yesterday after they went back home:

For one, the abandoned van they used as their base in Peach Creek's junkyard is moved inside, currently being repaired.

And, there's a work-in-progress staircase connected to the back wall, with the shelf-grid that it's taking-the-place-of moved out of the way accordingly. Appropriately, there's an outline around the part of the ceiling that'll be removed when it's finished.

Plank: "As you can see, we've been quite busy on our own time, even here."

The Eds are all impressed at the overall display of labor. They're not even upset by the unpermitted relocation of the van, seeing the purpose of it visualized by its repair clearly unfinished.

Eddy pulls Edd through the door, so all three of them can look around the room again.

Edd, analyzing the current changes: "My, my! Yet again, Plank, you've really showcased your talents and ambition to us so far already."

Plank: "Thanks, man. But I also wanted to bring something up, on that thought, here. Mind if you all listen for a minute?"

They agree to, and gather around him as he climbs up to the surface of the desk.

Chapter 10: Good Spirit from a Wood Spirit

He gathers his thoughts for a second, reading over the papers he left for himself to guide through this meeting he'd prepared earlier.

Plank: "Well, to humble myself here, I gotta be honest. This is nothing compared to the work you three do within the confines of reality."

The confession gets their attention without fail, piquing their curiosity.

Plank, elaborating: "Truth is, the thing I've noticed about Cyberspace is that, this is all specifically the Cyberspace realm; where it's not exactly virtual reality, since we're still in the same bodies we have on Earth, but we're not on Earth itself. So, this is technically still a 'simulation', so physics are different here than the physics and scientific fundamentals we know and share experience with."

Edd, already understanding his point through inferencing: "So, your point is… You wouldn't be able to do this if we were still on Earth?" (I hope I got that right, otherwise that would be quite insulting to admit assuming otherwise…)

Plank takes a sigh.

Plank: "You're right. I'm admitting this to you[ three] because I don't want to build up a façade that gradually builds up expectations, to the point I won't be able to live up to them and it all crashes down on me. I'm not the kinda guy to do that; Eddy is."-

Eddy: "HEY!-"

Plank(cont.): -"But I will admit one thing you[ three]– Ed, Edd, and Eddy– are the kinda guys to do, and that's the main reason why I chose you[ three] in particular, instead of sticking with Jonathan and his friends, despite that group being larger, and 'more popular', and stuff…"

He stands up tall, turns at an angle, and reaches his arm out to them from the side brought forward for emphasis' sake.

Plank(cont.): "...Is because you three have… determination."

He steps back to a straightforward alignment, but keeps standing.

Plank(cont.): "There's something about that clique that bugs me real bad; even if I, Jonathan, Ms. Bartonschmeer and Mr. Vikram, sometimes treat you[ three] with respect, overall, you[ three]'d know and realize more than they-themselves-do that they kinda treat you[ three] like shit overall."

Eddy, accepting the truth toughly: "Ya got that right."

Plank(cont.): "I first started playing along, since I pretty much just blindly accepted all Jonathan said. After all, he was my communicator, so it's not like disagreeing with him on something so socially-established by the general mindset would be worth expressing. Truth is, I always had that little part in me who believed in you three, even if I denied it and kept it internalized at first."

He starts to get nervous, but knows that he should keep going.

Plank: "I know I like to insult you three; I admit, even if some of those remarks were Jonathan's, just using me as a strawman in his own defense, some of them were my own. I admit, I'm sure I couldn't properly tell you[ 3] off my own top-side* which ones were which, even if you logged them all on a list and showed me, anyway. That's why he never got caught doing that!"-

[*"off my own top-side" = Plank's own anatomical equivalent to the phrase "off the top of my head"]

He laughs, but this time out of awkwardice.

Plank(cont.): -"But I kid because I know you[ 3] can take it. You guys face brutality from those guys more than your 'scams' are worth justifying. I really think so. Because, think about it; Even you three call them 'scams' yourselves, but is charging a single quarter each for things you often spend a lot of effort on, and rarely ever lie about when selling, really a grift?"

He gives them a second to think about it, figuring such an addressing-to-formula requires some deep thought. The Eds all discuss it to one another accordingly, and their resulting reaction is unsure, but they still subtly show a positive result towards his point.

Plank: "...Yeah. The fact you usually make those products, stands, and machinery out of cardboard and other things that would otherwise just be wasted into literal garbage is probably what causes such a stigma in the first place. Because it would be trash– again, otherwise– probably conveys to people in their subconscious that it's trash unless it's been completely reprocessed."

Proud of such a point, he nods to himself in assurance, shrugging arms-down. He stops feeling awkward, regaining his confidence.

The Eds are starting to feel flattered and understood by him themselves. Eddy, in particular, eases in confidently.

Plank(cont.): "It's a double-standard, I think! When something is all processed into new things, through recycled materials going back to factories and starting all-over, people think it's 'eco-friendly' and 'professional'; and it is! But when it's reused in a DIY fashion, like you three do on-the-regular… It's suddenly a bad thing?"

Eddy springs up to stand, right up to Plank.

Eddy, clapping for him: "YES! YES, THANK YOU! YOU PUT IT INTO WORDS!"

Edd, adding: "I agree with Eddy. I mean, for the most part, it's because they're easier to find and work with than more 'professional' materials and building methods on Earth's standards, but I thank you for understanding and elaborating upon our perspective and strategy."

Eddy sits back down and points to xem as he addresses Plank again. At least, staying lower for a second, figuring that his speech is almost over.

Eddy: "Y-Yeah. What xe said."

Ed: "Yeah. We… un-trash… stuff."

Plank is honored that the Eds agree with his statement 3-for-3. They now stand up, getting the clue that the speech is almost over.

Plank, hand to [his torso's part equivalent to-] his chest: "I'm… happy to know now that my theory is correct, Eds. Thank you for reassuring my view. And, you know, listening to me in the first place. I'm pretty much done here, and that's my…"

He takes another comedic-timing pause.

Plank: "ED TALK!"

He laughs to himself boldly again. This time, they laugh with him.

Chapter 10: EEE+ is Now in Business!

Edd addresses Plank, honored by his speech.

Edd, hand also to xys chest: "Well, good joke aside; thank you, Plank. I am sincerely thankful that you believe in us."

Plank: "I mean, I have to, since you improved my life so much. If it weren't for this suit you made for me, I quite literally wouldn't be talking like this here!"

Eddy: "I have to thank you too; you really do 'see things' like Jonny said."

Plank: "Yeah, man!"

Ed: "And I am thankful too."

Plank: "Happy to hear."

Plank walks over to the work-in-progress stairs.

Plank: "Alright. I gotta work on this stuff now. You three can go back home, now, or whatever you[ 3] want to do."

Edd: "Actually… I want to help you. This is our new base, after all, and you seem to have a lot of projects and objectives in mind."

Plank: "Oh, really? I'd love some help from you three. That's part of why I decided to give you all that speech; to share my admiration of all your combined creative skills."

Edd: "Ah, I inferred so. Here, I'll help you with the van first, you work on the staircase, and I'll work on that with you when I'm done with the former task."

Plank: "You really know how to come up with stuff fast, Double Dee. Go ahead."

Ed: "Ooh, ooh! Can I work with Jib? I'm so happy I get to see him again today, I want to help him!"

Jib: "Of course, my creator. I am thankful as well."

Eddy opens the door, which they hear.

Eddy: "Y'all mind if I go home, though, right? You two can stay or go as ya please, still."

Plank: "Sure, man. We can meet up tomorrow."

Eddy: "'Aight. Goodbye, everyone; see ya."

Plank+Edd+Ed+Jib(simultaneously): "Bye, Eddy!"

He shuts the door from the outside, and goes back home for the day.

And so, when the day ends, they're all comfortable at home, content with their progress.

TO BE CONTINUED…