"I'll post once a month, just because my chapters are 5k+ words and I don't have a good chapter buffer"
Yeah okay past me, whatever you say.
I know this is kinda heavy in spots, but it'll lighten up! Eventually!
Anyway, enjoy an early chapter and I'll see ya'll on February 1st!

"A sleepover? At the McGee house? For how long?" Ed's mother questioned, Ed not quite looking up at her face, "Did you ask Marylin about this before you came to me? Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Ed nervously gulped, only nodding his head in response.

He doesn't like asking his mom for stuff, sometimes she gets really angry about it.

"Don't just nod your head you little-! Ugh." Ed could see his mother pull a hand over her face, before letting out a sigh, "So Marylin knows? You and your friends aren't just doing this on a whim?"

"It was her idea, mommy." Ed told, making his mom hum in interest.

Ed silently hoped that meant his mom wouldn't ask more questions.

More questions means he might not lie right, and they'll get caught.

"Her idea? Mary, Mary, Mary, what's going through your little head now…" Ed's mother mumbled to herself, before chuckling, "Alright, Ed. You can go stay at Eddy's house for a week or two…"

Ed perked up, looking excited…

"If you can convince that Nazz girl to take over babysitting for Sarah."

Ed felt his heart go crashing down, horror spreading over his face.

Nazz? Babysit for Sarah?

But- b-but if he tells Nazz, Nazz might tell Kevin, and Kevin might-

And if Kevin tells Mandy-!

For a moment, he felt his mind race…

"Just… Stay calm when your mother mentions watching over Sarah." Double D told him just an hour ago, "Try striking a deal with her, that she'll lie to your mother in exchange for something of yours. I have a few dollars stored away from my paper route in season 1 that you can use to buy her some candy in exchange for her silence. Bribery may not be the most… ethically-sound method, but it might just be our only option."

Breathe, Ed. It's okay.

"Sarah? Yeah, she'd probably give us up in an instant, huh?" Eddy huffed, before sighing, "Listen, I… I got a dollar or two shoved away somewhere in my closet, been saving them for a rainy day. I'll give them to you, and you'll buy Sarah some chocolate or something to keep her yap shut. Maybe find some cheap doll and fix it up with some of those paints of yours or something. Just do whatever it is you gotta do to make sure your mom doesn't find out what's going on!"

Ed shook his head, pulling himself out of his head before smiling bright at his mom.

"Okay mom! I'll ask her!" He chirped, unaware of the scowl that spread on his mom's face.

She was silent for a moment, before she huffed, "Good. I'll be working on our dinner. Don't be too loud."

Ed watched as his mom walked into the kitchen, silently grinning to himself.

He might not get his mom's dinner for a while, but Eddy's mom's food is really good too!

It makes his stomach happy, and he doesn't feel that weird feeling in his belly at night when he's-

He shook his head again, trying to keep his brain focused.

He's gotta go upstairs now, give Sarah the candy-

No! Ask Sarah first, then give her the candy!

If he gives her the candy first, she might ask for more!

At least, that's what Eddy said…

Ed was quiet as he walked up the stairs, hearing his baby sister giggling to herself as he approached the door.

Don't break the door, don't break the door, don't break-

*Knock*

The door opened, and Sarah smiled as she opened it.

She must've thought he was mom.

"Yes, mommy- Oh." Sarah's smile fell upon seeing her brother, sending him an impatient look, "What is it, Ed?"

"Uh… can, uh… can we talk?" Ed reluctantly asked his sister, who raised a brow.

"We already are, stupid." She huffed, opening the door further to invite him in, "What do you want?"

Ed walked in, Sarah closing the door behind him and waiting.

The two stayed silent for a moment, before Sarah scowled.

"Well!? What do you want?!" She snapped, making Ed blink.

"Oh! I wanna go live with Eddy for a while, but mom wants me to tell Nazz to babysit Sarah." Ed told, making Sarah blink.

"Nazz?" Sarah hummed, looking conflicted, "I like Nazz and all, but she's pretty strict sometimes. She's got this time-chart for her babysitting jobs, she sends kids to bed early if they're bad… She might even tell on me and Jimmy!"

"Ah-huh. I don't wanna do that!" Ed told, before reaching into his jacket and taking out-

Sarah's eyes widened, looking at the boxes of candy with interest.

A box of brownies, some lollypops, a bag of taffy…

There were even two jawbreakers for her and Jimmy!

…He can never tell Eddy that he gave Sarah and Jimmy jawbreakers.

"We'll tell mom that I got Nazz to watch you, but Nazz won't really be watching you!" Ed grinned, holding out the boxes, "And you get a lot of candy too!"

Sarah tapped a hand on her cheek, eyes flickering up to her big brother.

She was thinking about it!

He can see that she is-

"What's the catch?" She narrowed her eyes, making Ed sweat slightly.

"Uh… you'll have to go to Eddy's if you miss me?" He lied, hoping Sarah wouldn't say no.

Sarah was silent for a moment, before reaching out her hand with a nod.

Ed handed her the candy, and she smirked.

"When ya leaving?" She asked, unwrapping one of the lollypops and popping it in.

Ed's eyes shifted, starting to sweat again "Uh… tonight?"

Sarah looked… happier somehow, letting out a small giggle.

"Perfect! Now get out of my room."

"But-"

"Out. Before I tell mom."

Double D let out a quiet hiss, terrified of the call ahead of him.

He… he really didn't want to do this, but…

Well, Eddy's mother insisted that they laid their false path thoroughly.

And that involved calling mother and father.

Double D took in a long breath, before picking up the phone and quickly dialing the number.

It took a moment until the phone began to ring, likely due to the long distance between he and his parents.

One… two… three… four… five…

Oh dear, are they busy?

Six… seven… eight… nine… ten…

His parents stated that they would be off work at 6 or 7 in Peach Creek's timezon-

There was a click, and Double D gasped.

"M-Mother, Father, I-I'm so sorry for calling you so late at night!" He apologized almost instantly, getting a small chuckle in response.

"Don't worry Eddward, we just got off work." His mother's comforting voice reassured him, before taking on a slightly worried tone, "Is something wrong?"

"Don't tell me my sister didn't drop off your groceries again!?" His father groaned, being silenced by his mother's hushing.

"I… I-I was talking with Eddy's mother. Ms. McGee?" Double D started, his mother letting out a sound of interest, "She… Sh-She wishes to take us with her on an educational trip."

"Educational- Oh, I see." His mom sighed, sounding slightly annoyed, "Her boss finally forced her into multi-universe hotel-spotting. I was wondering when she would run out of excuses."

"Why does she wish to take you and her boy?" His father questioned, making Double D gulp again.

His father had never approved of his friends, no matter the arguments he made.

Oh, this wasn't good…

"H-His name is Eddy, father. A-And Ed is going as well, M-Ms. McGee figured a week away from town would do us well… considering Kevin's recent… outbursts." Double D told, making his parents sigh.

"Still friends with that Hills boy, Eddward?" His father sighed, sounding a bit irritated, "I thought I told you he and the McGee boy are nothing but trouble?"

"Hey, Sockhead." Eddy sighed, he and Ed sitting on either side of him, "Don't… Don't worry about whatever your dad says. We all know that your mom's the deciding point in all this."

"Yeah, Double D!" Ed chirped, moving his hands and fingers as he spoke, "Your mom's like the mother seagull in 'Attack of the 50-Foot Seagull'! And your dad's that little seagull that gets crushed by the mother!"

They heard an amused snort from the other room, but Eddy ignored it to roll his eyes.

"Ed's got a point you know. Your dad may talk big and nasty, but your mom's the man of the house." Eddy smirked, nudging Double D's side, "So argue with your dad in ways that your mom'll approve!"

Double D took a breath, almost hearing his friends' reassurances as he began to speak again.

"E-Ed and Eddy has their merits, father." Double D weakly protested, feeling his heart pound in his chest, "They're just… odd. Just like everyone else in the Cul-De-Sac. They have merits and potential, they… they just haven't been able to nurture that potential. Y-You know, I've been working on nurturing those merits by h-humoring their antics and scams. T-They're certainly getting there, they… they just need more time."

Relax, Sockhead. We know you don't mean it.

"Eddward's right, Nelson. Ed could have a very successful future in the arts if he would stop focusing on those gaudy movies. And Eddy is turning more and more into his mother every year, and you know her potential is limitless if she would just get a good grip on it." His mother argued, before humming, "I think that's a wonderful idea, Eddward. A week or two of learning of another country's culture would do you boys good."

Double D resisted the urge to sigh in relief, hearing his mother's approval.

"I'm more focused on the potential of a foreign language." His father chuckled, "Japanese is a fantastic language to put onto a transcript. Perhaps you and your… 'friends' can learn it together."

"Well, Ed does seem to have an odd affinity for foreign languages…" Double D mumbled, before shaking his head, "Thank you, mother. Thank you, father. I'll tell Ms. McGee about your approval right away!"

"I'm just glad my sister won't complain to me about dropping off groceries for a week." His father grumbled, a grunt indicating that he'd been hit in the stomach.

"Have a good night, Eddward. We should see you around Christmas or so. Kisses to you, my dear!" His mother told.

"K-Kisses to you too, mot-" Double D started, before the call cut prematurely, "-her…"

He did it.

Double D let out an exhausted breath, feeling ready to crawl into bed and sleep for the next week.

But instead, he quickly dialed another number, keeping the phone close to his ear as it rung.

Onc-

"So, how'd it go?" Eddy's voice immediately questioned, a smile spreading on Double D's face without his permission.

"Formal greetings are important Eddy." He lightly scolded, getting an impatient groan on the other side, "Mother and father approve, so long as we learn the basics of Japanese at some point before their visit during the holidays."

"Japanese?!" He exclaimed, letting out another groan, "Sockhead, your dad stinks!"

"Mother… agreed that some time outside of Peach Creek would be good for us." Double D continued, much to Eddy's shock.

"Seriously? Your mom said that?"

"Mother has been focused on my mental health since her assistant had that psychological meltdown last spring, remember?" Double D reminded his friend, who scoffed.

"No? When did you ever tell me about that?" Eddy huffed, before audibly rolling his eyes, "Whatever. Ed called and said that he convinced Sarah already. Apparently, he told his mom that he was just staying at my place for a week or two, but mom says that Ed's mom probably wouldn't notice anyway. All mom's gotta do is give dad the heads-up that we're leaving, and we're in the clear!"

"…Besides actually leaving the universe without anyone noticing?"

"Don't worry about that, Sockhead!" Double D could hear Eddy's smirk over the phone, as he chuckled, "Because I got the perfect plan!"

"Eddy, this is the most idiotic-"

"Shh!"

Double D looked baffled at the 'perfect' plan Eddy had concocted.

Which amounted to 'follow his mom through the portal'.

Did he really think was going to work!?

All this effort, all of this planning, all to be potentially ruined by-

"Also, I… I was planning on bringing my sons." They heard Marylin tell her boss, who snickered to himself before laughing flat out.

"Sure! Why the heck not!? Gets those brats outta the 'hero's' hair for a while, that's for sure!" Marylin's boss laughed, the portly man glancing around, "They here?"

Eddy gestured to his friends, gaining an evil look for a moment before pointing to his mom's boss.

What was he-

Oh!

Double D nodded, while Ed saluted without a second thought.

…Oh, he hoped Ed understood what Eddy was asking of them.

Eddy stomped down to his mom, looking both arrogant and rancorous all at the same time.

Double D made his expression stern, Ed having lifted him onto his shoulders and had an almost frightening expression on his face.

"Took ya long enough to tell 'em, ma!" Eddy scoffed, his voice having taken a Brooklyn-like accent to it, "Are we goin' now!? We've been waitin' so long that my legs were fallin' asleep!"

"Yes sweetheart, just give me a moment." Marylin sighed, the smallest twitch to her frown betraying her.

Not that her boss noticed.

The man just rolled his eyes and chuckled, before turning on his heel and walking away.

"Have a nice trip, McGee." He waved as he left, leaving Marylin a bit stunned.

"Wh-" Marylin started, before blinking rapidly, "That's a more carelessness than usual. That's odd."

"Maybe your boss is just that happy to have gotten rid of you for a week." Eddy snorted, making his mom chuckle.

Double D tried to move off of Ed's shoulder, unfortunately slamming onto the ground as he fell.

"I suppose so." Marylin hummed nervously, before shaking her head, "Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter. Shall we?"

Double D brushed himself off as he stood, settling his bookbag onto his side as he nodded.

"To a world beyond ours, to find adventure and-" Ed started to exclaim, before being cut off by Eddy.

"And take a break? Yeah, I'm ready." Eddy smirked, pulling his hands behind his head as he sighed, "Sleep until 3, not have to worry about scams, maybe see something neat, some chick to-."

"Personally, I'm just excited to discover the culture!" Double D admitted as they started through the portal, "I may have told mother and father that this trip was purely educational, but I would genuinely love to-"

The clicking of a gun stopped the four in their tracks, the portal being closed behind them as they found themselves face-to-face with multiple animalistic creatures with guns pointed at them.

The three boys froze, Marylin slowly pulling them towards her.

Ed let out a quiet whimper, especially as one of the odd animals stepped towards them.

"Took ya long enough." One of the animals scoffed, snatching Double D's bookbag from the hatted boy, "That human said you'd be here an hour ago."

Marylin could taste bile.

What has her boss done?

"…Why do I feel like something important just happened?"

Dora and her friends blinked at Amanda, who had been laying face-first into the bleachers for almost the entire class.

Dora's face twisted slightly, an unsure look on her face as Naiya hummed.

"Well, I think I just heard some kind of break-up over there-" Naiya pointed, making Amanda groan.

"No, not that." They grunted as they sat up, a hand to their head. "I feel like… like somebody just fucked up the timeline. And they fucked it up bad."

Pablo raised a brow, sharing a worried look with Alana.

"Language!" Emma scolded, making Amanda scoff.

"Shut up already with that, stickers. I'll swear if I want to."

"Like someone just messed up the timeline?" Dora questioned, looking a bit worried now, "What do you mean? Did someone mess it up in here, or on the outside? And… and how bad is bad?"

Amanda glared at the ground, before shaking their head with a groan, "Ugh, I can't get anything else. I know it's outside, but besides that I got nothing."

Dora and her friends watched as Amanda leaned back on the bleachers, letting out a sigh as they closed their eyes.

"Maybe I'll figure it out later, before things get too bad." Amanda hoped, which didn't do much to reassure the others.

"Too bad!? How bad too bad, Amanda?!" Kate squeaked in horror, making Amanda sigh.

"Not that sort of bad, Puppet." Amanda told, before their face twisted in mild worry, "At least I hope not. Honestly, I don't know if this is even related to us. It's close though. Maybe a little too close."

"It's the Multiverse, Amanda." Dora sighed, pulling her knees to her chin, "A problem will always hurt the others too eventually, and… and you know that it'll hurt us, Amanda."

Dora's words sunk into her friends like a rock, making them look to each other in worry.

They knew Dora didn't like the multiverse, especially not the multiverse council, but…

Times like these make them question what had happened out there.

Did it have something to do with that memorial shrine in her room?

Amanda was silent for a moment, staring at Dora with the slightest tint of worry.

"Oh, I really don't like this." Pablo mumbled, his friends nodding in agreement.

"…Don't think I'm not aware of that, Explora." Amanda sighed again, opening their empty palm in mild frustration, "Let's just hope I can get my powers back soon. Otherwise, we might be in trouble."

Dora the Explorer belongs to Nickelodeon/Viacom and Amanda the Adventurer belongs to MANGLEDmaw Games and DreadXP(?)
...Yeah, so remember what I said about no context in the prologue chapter?
This is one of those BIG no context things.

All I'll tell ya'll is:
-Amanda is the DEMON ITSELF (with she/they pronouns don't fight me)
-Dora took them in after [spoiler event] (Amanda states, always in a deadpan tone, that they are being kept there against their will when really they don't got anywhere else to go.)
-Amanda and some characters got HISTORY/BEEF/DEATH WISHES against each other. I will not state whom.
-Dora is mourning someone.

I will eventually make a one/two-shot that will give more context into the Dora-Amanda story, but that's farther down the line.
For now, enjoy this odd snippet of their story.

(Also that group of kids around them are not OCs, they are actually from the Dora and Friends show! I like them :).)