ATWN: Chapter 16

About an hour passed by after the events at the fairground happened. Everyone from the Cul-De-Sac who had no clue what was going on was soon informed in full detail of the situation, asking the questions they wanted to know from the Eds, the girls, and the new teens that arrived here. After getting some of the answers they wanted, everyone decided to hang out around the area for the day before they went back home; it would be kind of a waste to arrive at a fairground and not do anything here!

The six older teens from the fantasy world had changed their appearances to how folks looked in this world thanks to the magic they could do, just so they would not stand out like a sore thumb anymore while they were here. Eddy's brother had woken up a short moment ago with a splitting headache; he could barely recall what happened, only remembering the two girls who were inquiring about his younger brother before blacking out. Meanwhile, Double D wanted to be left alone again with the young girl from earlier named Lynn to talk to her more; he was still unsure of how to break the news to his neighbors about having a sister, especially to his two best friends. He never once told them about what happened or that he had a sister at all. Lily decided to not follow them this time, realizing she did not need to keep prying into their life like that, despite still being very worried about him.

Anyway, we could now see Eddy sitting next to the tent the girls set up last night, looking out towards the ocean in front of him. He was currently thinking about the situation that the six older teens told him and the others about earlier; how some sort of shadow warlock from their fantasy world was now set on destroying all three worlds, and they needed their help in stopping him from achieving his goal. He was also thinking about what Ben and Hazel told him and Lily after the meeting was over with everyone else.

"There's something else we need to inform you two about," Ben stated to them; the others had walked away to do other things around the area, "Do you remember when I mentioned a prince and princess a moment ago?"

"Yes, they were two of the six warriors that died many years ago, sacrificing themselves to seal away this warlock you are trying to fight," Lily replied, reciting what Ben said to them earlier.

Ben and Hazel paused for a split moment before saying anything, looking towards the two younger teens, "You both mentioned you've been having nightmares about things that happened in the past and of things to come… That was also a talent that the prince and princess had when they were alive," Hazel began to explain, "Princess Lilith could see visions of the past, while Prince Alexander could see premonitions of the future. It's something that only the royal bloodlines of their kingdoms can do."

Eddy and Lily could only stand there, processing what they said before their statement hit them like a ton of bricks, "A-Are you saying that the two of us are royalty…?" Lily asked in disbelief.

"Well, not as you are now, but your past selves must have been them," Ben stated, "You two had a brother and a sister that took up your mantel when you sacrificed yourselves. They are currently the Queen of Perscia and the King of Solumar," he paused for a second to look at Eddy before continuing, "Her Majesty has always told me stories about her older brother and how she still misses him… Seeing you here now in front of me feels very surreal."

Eddy could not believe what Ben and Hazel told him at the time, 'Me? Some kind of prince from a different world?! There's no way that's true! It's WAY too freaking weird!' he kept thinking to himself.

He then could feel a strong hand being placed on his right shoulder. Eddy looked up to see that his older brother was standing next to him, "Hey there, Pipsqueak," he greeted.

Eddy froze a little at the sight of his brother before calming back down, remembering the way his brother was acting before was not him, "H-Hey there, Bro…"

"Those weird kids with the weapons finally gave me an update on what the heck happened to me earlier, along with a bunch of other things," his brother stated as he sat down next to him, "Seems like you've been through a lot with your friends in the past few weeks."

"Y-Yeah… we have."

The two brothers sat there for a second before one of them spoke again, "… Hey, Evan?"

"Hmm?"

"You know I gotta ask this; it's been bugging me ever since it happened," Eddy started to say to his brother, looking up at him with a small glare, "I know you had anger problems when I was little; even taking it out on me sometimes, but why did you leave Peach Creek? Was it because of those anger issues back then? You didn't even say goodbye to me or anything and Mom and Dad wouldn't tell me why you left…"

Evan stayed silent to his question, staring out at the ocean in front of them, "You probably don't remember this, but I had a high school sweetheart in my Senior year; Diana was her name. I remember you two meeting briefly when she first came over when it was exam time. She was smart and really kind; even had a nice bod too. We were a couple throughout that last semester of your Senior year…" Eddy could see his brother's face falter slightly, "But after we graduated, she and her family had to move away to here, to Sunflower Shoal. I decided to follow her and move here too, but Mom and Dad were not so keen on that. They didn't really like her or her family."

"Huh?" Eddy questioned a little, "Why didn't they like them?"

"… I can think of a few reasons," Evan stated before making an angry frown, "Her parents were not exactly nice to her or other people because they became a part of a group of cultists. Diana was never like her parents, but their reputation kind of stuck around her, even when she tried to get away from them by moving in with me."

His face turned from an angry frown to a sad frown, "We were both happy for a long time; I married Diana shortly after high school, and we had a kid a year later; my son Noah… But then, I got a call from the police one day while I was here, working at my job," he paused for a second before continuing, "Her parents forced their way into our apartment, where they had a big argument with her about something, and… the police believe they killed both Diana and Noah before running away. There were no bodies at the scene, but there was evidence left behind that something bad happened to them… That happened two and a half years ago, and they're still out there somewhere, probably in hiding with that cult they're a part of."

Eddy widened his eyes in shock at what his brother told him, "They never got arrested?!"

Evan shook his head, "The police never found out where they went to, so it's been an active case this whole time," he made a harsh glare, "I know those two are still out there somewhere, and I won't rest until the police find them so they can finally be arrested… Or at least until I find them myself to punch them in the face before handing them over."

There was another pause between the two brothers, "Since then, I decided to move out of that apartment and live here at my job: not even going back home… I couldn't tell Mom and Dad about what happened with Diana and her parents; about her being my wife, or even the fact I had a son that is also missing with her."

That was when a sense of dread washed over him at what he heard; Eddy had a nephew and was an uncle, but never knew… He was stunned by his brother's story, "Bro, t-that's just… Too messed up."

"… Don't worry, I know," was Evan's reply, "Sometimes life can be cruel like that."

Eddy could feel his brother's arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him in a little, "Anyway, enough about me and my depressing crap! What else have you been doing lately, Pipsqueak?" Evan asked, trying to brush aside what he was feeling right now, "Did you finally find someone special in your life while I was away?"

Eddy stared at his brother before realizing he was becoming nervous for some reason, "N-No, not really."

"Heh, trying to be humble, aren't you?" Evan chuckled, "You know, one of the girls I met this morning was really worried about you. I could tell the little dove wanted to find you when she asked me if I was your brother. She was smart in figuring out who I was beforehand, I was kinda impressed!"

"H-Huh…?" Eddy looked up at his brother in confusion, "A dove? You mean like the bird?"

"Yeah, it's that girl with the bright blond hair from earlier. Her hair color reminds me of dove feathers; even her hairstyle looked a little frizzy, kind of like puffy feathers," Evan stated, "I don't think I got her name yet, but I could tell you two are close. She even found and woke me up before sunrise! Talk about dedication."

Eddy widened his eyes, "Amelia did that? T-To try and find me?!" he asked, now becoming more nervous than before.

"Sure did!" Evan replied with a nod of his head, "You really found yourself a special girl, huh? One that was willing to search for you and your friends like that."

That was when Eddy could feel a deep blush starting to form across his face, realizing what Evan was trying to say to him, "U-Uh… Y-Y-You think so, Bro?" he asked again with a nervous smile.

"Yeah," Evan stated before realizing something, "Wait, are you two not an item yet? I'm kinda shocked about that!" he took his arms off Eddy's shoulders to place his hand there again, "You should go and tell her! Holding back your feelings on that kind of stuff is a bad thing."

"… You're right!" Eddy replied to his brother with a nod of his head, a look of determination could be seen on his face, "I'll go and tell her right now!"

"That's the spirit!" Evan laughed, gently pushing Eddy on his shoulder for him to get up from where he was sitting, "Go and get her, Pipsqueak!"

Eddy got up from where he sat to go and find Amelia, but not before looking back at his older brother again, "Uh, thanks for the words. I-I kind of needed that."

"Don't mention it!" Evan stated with a cocky, but friendly smile, "If you want me to, I can reserve the Ferris wheel here for you two in a minute, and then you can tell her there! Just meet me there and I'll hook you two up; It'll be a great setup! I only ask for you to tell me how your confession goes afterward as payment for operating it early, alright?"

Eddy stared at his brother again before replaying back with a big smile, "Thanks a lot, Bro!"

He then began to dash off to find Amelia, leaving Evan behind. His older brother looked at Eddy run off before looking back at the ocean nearby, making a big sigh to himself, "Geez, kids these days still got it rough, don't they?"

Eddy sprinted off towards where he remembered seeing Amelia a moment ago, at the concession stands that served the food at the fair. Once he got there, he could see her sitting down at a picnic table, it looked like she was alone right now. Eddy was about to approach her before he saw someone else walking over to her, making him halt in his tracks.

"Hey there!" Kevin greeted Amelia with a big smile.

Eddy widened his eyes before making a glare at the teen. He and Kevin always had a bad history with each other, but Eddy was never jealous of Kevin whenever he saw him talk to other girls. But now, Kevin was talking to Amelia!

'There's no way Amelia likes that freaking jerk! Right?' Eddy thought to himself before a bit of panic started to form, '… RIGHT?!'

"Oh, hey Kevin," Amelia stated when she noticed he had come over to him, "What's up?"

"Not much. Just felt like asking some questions without the others around," Kevin stated as he sat down next to her at the table.

Amelia arched an eyebrow at him, "Uh, what kind of questions?" she asked.

"About the world you came from!" Kevin replied, "I wanted to ask more things about it, since you said it was a different place, right?"

Amelia stared at Kevin before making a little smile, "I don't know why you'd be interested in that; there's not that much of a difference between the two besides how far technology progressed between here and there. Certainly nothing magical like in Ben's world."

Eddy could feel himself becoming angrier as the two kept talking to each other but decided to hold his ground, so his cover would not be blown that he was listening to them. He did not expect himself to get jealous like this; not in a million years. He had finally found someone he liked, only for Kevin to come by and try to ruin things! How dare he!

"Hey, I gotta ask you this too, while I'm thinking about it," Kevin stated to Amelia, "Why do you and your friends hang out with those Dorks so much?"

Eddy widened his eyes at the question he asked, he could feel a strange lump starting to form in his throat, feeling nervous about what Amelia would say back.

Amelia's body froze at the question Kevin asked, not sure how to respond to it, "I-I, uh… I just love — NO! I like hanging out with them! They're all so funny, y'know?! L-Like Eddy?! Yeah, that's it!"

Kevin paused for a short moment before he laughed a little at her response; not in a taunting way but more so like a friendly tease. The face she made was all he needed to know, "Whoa, I honestly didn't see that until now. Good for you!"

He then got up from where he sat, "Well, I'm gonna go hang out with Nazz. Thanks for answering those questions I had," Kevin turned to her before he began to walk off with a small goodbye wave, "You should try to keep Dorky out of trouble from now on! Catch you later!"

It was a few seconds after Kevin left that Eddy could see Amelia still sitting there at the table, her head now lowered as if she was thinking about something. Eddy made an internal sigh to himself, realizing now that Kevin was not trying to hit on Amelia. Either that or he had a sudden change of heart, 'Thank god for that!'

Before he could think about what he was doing, he began to walk over to Amelia, his heart felt like it was beating faster and faster, 'C-Come on now! You can do it!' Eddy thought to himself, 'Try to be smooth!'

Amelia was the one who noticed Eddy approaching her, "Oh! Hey Eddy," she greeted with a smile, not realizing he was nearby when Kevin was talking to her, "I was wondering where you went after that little meeting ended. What were you doing?"

"I, uh, went to catch up with my brother on s-some stuff," Eddy stated before internally cursing at himself, 'Geez, REAL smooth there! I'm not bringing my A-game here at all! She's probably thinking I'm some sort of weirdo now!'

"That's good to hear," Amelia replied, "You can tell me about it later if you want. That was the first time I ever saw your brother; he was never on the show, but you've talked a lot about him and the things he did when he lived there."

Eddy could see Amelia starting to get up from where she was sitting, widening his eyes a little in a panic, "I need to go talk to Lily and Naomi, so I'll—"

"W-WAIT!"

Amelia made a small yelp from Eddy's sudden shout before she could walk away; she felt him grab her wrist as well, but not forcefully, "Whoa, geez! what is it, Eddy?"

Eddy could feel his heart pounding even faster than usual before he finally asked, "Can you follow me for a sec? I wanna show something to you!"

Amelia stared at Eddy for a second, she could sense something was up, but could not put her finger on what it was, "Sure!" was her reply.

"Cool! Follow me!" Eddy said as he made a big smile, hiding his nervousness from her, 'Oh god, don't try to panic! Please don't panic…!'

The two teens walked off towards the Ferris wheel, where Eddy's brother was secretly waiting for them to arrive. It did not take them long to get there; the Ferris wheel was huge compared to everything else around it.

"Uh, Eddy?" Amelia stated with confusion when she noticed where they were at, "Why are we here? I'm pretty sure none of the rides open until the park opens up until noon, and it's 10:30 right now…"

"Heh, don't worry about that!" Eddy replied before turning to Amelia, "Let's get on before the invisible crowd starts to form!"

Amelia felt Eddy grab her right wrist before he zoomed off towards the Ferris wheel, much to her shock, yelping a little as he dashed ahead; so much so that her feet were not on the ground and a dust cloud had formed behind them thanks to this world's cartoon physics. Eddy stopped right when they approached the Ferris wheel's passenger car, letting go of Amelia so she could stand back on her feet.

"W-Whoa, slow down!" Amelia yelped to Eddy, still feeling the inertia from the sudden jog.

Eddy jumped into the Ferris wheel's passenger car in front of him before turning back to Amelia, extending his hand out to her, "Come on! I bet we can see the whole town from here!"

Amelia stood there for a second, staring at Eddy as she could feel a blush start to form across her face. She reached out to his hand, letting him help her into the passenger car. It swayed a little when she hopped inside, but that was to be expected. The passenger car of this Ferris wheel was the kind that had windows on all sides, so there was no chance of anyone falling out of it. It was a few seconds after closing the door that the two of them could feel the Ferris wheel start to move very slowly.

Amelia widened her eyes from the sudden movement, gasping a little as she did, "Huh, I thought the rides didn't start until later…"

Eddy stayed silent for a short moment; it was now just the two of them in this little passenger car. No one was around to interrupt them or hear what he was going to ask her. Eddy looked at Amelia as she looked out the window of the Ferris wheel's passenger car; he could feel himself blushing again, turning away to look out at the window next to him.

Amelia turned to look at Eddy, only to see he was also looking out the window on the other side of her, "… Eddy, I need to ask you something," Eddy looked back at Amelia, "You said you were having nightmares about that shadow warlock, right? It sounded like those dreams affected you badly, and I'm pretty sure everyone noticed that…" she paused for a moment before asking, "What exactly was he doing in those nightmares that made you freak out so much?"

Eddy's heart almost came to a halt at the question she asked; he was not expecting her to ask about THAT, of all things!

"I can't tell you," Eddy replied, trying to get away from the topic, "I-It's too, uh, too graphic for me to describe."

"… Was he trying to hurt Ed and Double D?" Amelia continued to ask, deciding not to budge in changing the topic, "That's the only reason I can think of that made you act that desperate…"

Eddy stayed silent to her question for a second, "N-No, it wasn't them…" he bit his bottom lip before continuing, "It was you; h-he kept attacking you in my nightmares, every single night… Long before I even met you. I-I finally realized the girl I kept seeing was you because of that picture you showed me…"

Eddy glanced away, closing his eyes as he started to remember what he saw, "The dreams kept getting worse every time. You kept getting hurt… y-you died in one of them," he opened his eyes to look back at Amelia, "That nightmare almost came true! I could see the shadow was about to attack you, and I tried to stop it before Jonny arrived on that bus…"

A heavy silence filled the passenger car, with Amelia trying to process what he told her.

"Oh geez, I-I shouldn't have said ANY of that!" Eddy started to say, trying to look away from her to hide the blush on his face, "Just ignore what I said, okay?! Man, why am I this much of an idiot?!" he slowly looked back to Amelia, only to see her look at him with worry.

Eddy swallowed his nerves, closing his eyes for a second to take a deep breath before opening them again. Here goes nothing.

"I-I, umm… I don't think I've ever felt this way with anyone before. The dreams never stopped, but I don't think it's from that!" Eddy could feel so many beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead as he began to breathe in deeper and deeper like he could not breathe, "Can I… CanIAskYouToBeMyGirlfriend?!" he finally blurted out all at once in one big shout, closing his eyes in preparation for her response, 'Oh god, she's going to slap or yell at me now!'

Amelia could only sit there while Eddy confessed his feelings for her, absolutely stunned at how nervous he was. She could still see him breathing heavily even after blurting out his confession; he was beginning to hyperventilate.

That was when she got up from where she was sitting, going over to sit next to him, "Eddy! You gotta calm down," Amelia stated, "Everything's okay now…"

Eddy's eyes snapped open, gasping a little in shock when he felt Amelia pull him into a hug. Before he realized what had come over him, he hugged Amelia tightly, trying to calm himself down. They could feel how fast their hearts were racing as they hugged each other.

Amelia kept him in her hug until she could finally feel him calming down, both of them were still holding each other, but not as tightly as before. She looked back at Eddy; he was looking away from her in embarrassment at how he was acting, "Man, I'd thought I would be better at this kinda junk…" he muttered to himself.

"Don't worry, I get it…" Amelia stated to him, "I know it can be scary to ask things like that the first time, I remember when Aaron acted this way to me back then. That's how I know it's genuine," she smiled at Eddy, "I just hope this can last longer with us than the times I had with him."

Eddy turned back to Amelia to ask what she meant before feeling her lips pressed against his own, catching him completely off guard. His three hairs stood straight up in pure shock as his eyes widened from her actions before closing his eyes as well, responding with a deep kiss of his own. They continued to sit where they were in another tight embrace, kissing each other until stopping a few seconds later. That was when they noticed the Ferris wheel ride was almost over. The two teens looked at each other, becoming silent as the ride finally came to a halt.

Eddy was making a warm smile as he looked at Amelia; a look in his eyes that neither he nor Amelia had seen before now, "W-We should, uh, probably get going," Eddy stated, trying to regain his composure, "Sorry that I'd called you out here like this without saying why. I…"

"It's alright," Amelia replied to him, reaching for his hand to hold it tightly, "We should take things slowly for now, okay?"

Eddy stared at Amelia before a big, happy smile started to form across his face, realizing what she meant, "Wait, you really want to be m-my girlfriend?!"

Amelia nodded her head, "Yeah."

The passenger car they were in began to automatically open for them to exit the ride. That was when Eddy hopped out of the ride with Amelia; he was holding her in his arms bridal-style. She yelped a little at his sudden actions.

"I DID IT! I-I finally DID it!" Eddy cheered loudly as he kept Amelia in his arms, spinning with her before putting her down on her feet. He also spun her a little in place before dashing off, leaving her spinning as he left, "I GOTTA tell Ed and Double D!"

Amelia eventually slowed down from the spin she was in, leaving her very dizzy with a few swirls in her eyes, "Wow, I still can't get used to the cartoon physics here," she stated to herself in a disoriented tone.

Amelia started to stumble a little before stopping herself from falling. She regained her composure, looking in the direction she saw Eddy run off to, 'I can't believe that just happened,' Amelia thought to herself as she closed her eyes, making a deep sigh, 'Hopefully, he can start to calm down now… Or maybe not. It's hard to tell at this point.'

Amelia made a big smile, opening her eyes as she then walked in the direction that Eddy went off in. Evan was standing by the Ferris wheel's control panel, watching how his little brother was acting when he exited the passenger car with Amelia. He could tell his confession was successful, 'Thank god that went well for him,' Evan thought.

Author's Note (February 9th, 2024): Wooo! Another chapter is done, and there's plenty more to go from here! Stay tuned!