The Secret of Edd: Into the breach once more! and the world suddenly changes...

Edd yawned, stretched, and looked around. It was 5:24, and he had already woken up three times.

"I'll never get back to sleep... I might as well start cleaning my room now." He muttered, and sighed.

With that, he got out up and proceeded to make his bed and disinfect his room again. He then took a shower and got dressed. It was now 5:58.

Edd stared at the clock. "It's only..." he groaned. "This is going to be a long wait until they wake up, if I know Eddy. What can I do until then?" He sat down and grimaced, then curled up as his stomach lurched.

There were sounds of a car starting in the garage, and then drive off, but Edd paid it no attention, trying to convince his stomach to settle itself… It wasn’t normal to feel sick like that.

After sitting against the wall for several minutes, and trying a few conventional things, he gave up. Edd walked downstairs and sat on a chair, pulled out a jawbreaker and sucked on it. Remarkably, that seemed to help, and he was filled with more respect for the sugar spheres.

He gazed at the clock, and considered what they could do that day… They already had plenty of money, so any otherworldly scamming would really be for the fun of it. Edd had been thinking for about a rather long amount of time when he froze, hearing noises outside.

The back door slammed open and two pairs of footsteps walked around downstairs. They went up the stairs, then came back to the staircase.

He looked up as the two silhouettes approached, and a light suddenly turned on.

"Hiya, Double D!" Ed exclaimed as he walked over.

"See ya didn't sleep late today, huh Sockhead?" Eddy asked, grinning.

"Very funny Eddy. What are you two doing awake so early today?" Edd asked, standing up slowly.

/All right… I feel a little better, but motion isn’t helping…/ he thought, biting his lip as the world swirled somewhat around him.

Eddy nodded as he pulled out a jawbreaker. "What'd ya think? We got FIFTEEN BUCKS in that other one! Of course we're going again!"

"We should try another world, the world of the Bunion people awaits us, after all..." Ed said slowly and solemnly.

Edd looked over, and decided to give in to a desire that filled him pretty much any time Ed talked-to ask what he was talking about. "What on Earth are 'Bunion people' anyway?”

"The Bunion people are-"

"No, no, no…! Ed, no one really cares, Sockhead, drop it… Not now." Eddy said, then pulled out a jawbreaker. "Are we going, or not? Those jawbreakers won't buy themselves!" With that, he stuck the jawbreaker in his mouth and smiled.

"Don't leave me behind, guys!" Ed yelled as he ran after them.

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Jonny stopped running around the cul-de-sac circle when he saw Edd’s door being opened again, and the trio coming out. He went over to them, watching them walk by. "Are you guys going-exploring-again?"

Eddy nodded, glancing nervously at Kevin and the others. “Yeah, uh… Just back into the woods, nothing special…”

Kevin held the football he and Rolf had been passing in order to watch them. Rolf eyed them irritably, but didn't say anything. Edd and Eddy winced at the thought of roosters that popped up in their heads.

"What are you up to?" Kevin asked suspiciously.

"Nothing that will affect you, Kevin, do you don't have to worry about it." Edd commented, and walked by towards the wood behind Ed's house.

Eddy stuck his tongue out, only for his jawbreaker to fall on the ground.

Kevin started snickering, and Rolf grinned. "Poor Ed-boy lost his jawbreaker, no?" Rolf asked as he started laughing. “Poor Ed-boy.. He probably stole for the money of that candy, no?”

"Nah, me? Steal? Besides, it's not a big deal." Eddy said, grinning at the two as he pulled out another jawbreaker. "Smell ya later, guys!" He followed Edd towards the woods, and pulled Ed's arm. "Come on, Lumpy!"

Kevin and Rolf stared. “He had another with him…? Odd.” Rolf remarked.

Kevin shook his head. "Where'd he get those jawbreakers..? D-did they break into my garage again..?” He looked alarmed, and ran over to the garage door to check it out. Rolf followed him, with a final glance in the direction the Eds had gone in.

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"Well, what number should we use today?" Edd asked Eddy curiously, glancing over at him.

"Um, well, it started, with 8-3-, um, -2..." Eddy commented, looking up and trying to remember the rest of the numbers-it really hadn’t mattered to him.

"8-3-2! Got it, Eddy!" Ed exclaimed, and went over to the keyboard, typing the three in.

"Wait Ed! That's not even close to our number, DON'T PRESS ENTER!" Edd yelled frantically, waving his arms for Ed to stop.

Ed pressed enter.

The gate opened far quicker than it did before, causing a huge gust sucking them towards it. Edd grabbed a tree so he wouldn't slide forward.

"E-eddy-y! We-e shouldn't be go-oing in the-ere!" Edd haltingly yelled as the wind swirled around and made him lose his hold on the tree.

"Who cares! Let's just check it out!" Eddy yelled back as he walked towards the gate, beckoning for Ed and Edd to follow. Ed got up from where he was sitting and walked forward with no difficulty.

I have a bad feeling about this; I don't want to go into this light... Edd thought as he carefully approached the gate.

Ed waited until Edd passed him, then followed Edd and Eddy, and all three walked into the light.

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/Don’t go in there, don’t enter that world/ Planktriedto yell toEdd from where he and Jonny were. Either Edd didn't hear him, or ignored him, for he walked forward into the gate.

Jonny looked down at Plank with a concerned expression on his face.

"Plank? Why didn't you answer me?"

"They went? What do you mean by that, buddy?" Jonny asked.

"You're scared? What could happen...? Or did they go in that world you were talking about yesterday?"

"You think so? But you don't know? This is really confusing, Plank..."

"That's okay, I'm not mad. But tell me if something else comes up, K?"

They went back to playing, but much of Plank's mind was on the Eds, and what they were doing...

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Oh, what… That didn’t feel at all like the other time, that hurt! Edd gasped and held his head.

Eddy caught him when he staggered through. "You okay?"

"Well, I believe I have a severe migraine, but other than that I'm fine." Edd picked his head up slowly. "Where?--- my goodness--"

Edd straightened and stared at the view before him.

The first thing that came to mind, as he looked out, was his dream. The forest was gone, the sky gray and overcast, except where you could occasionally see the full moon in a dark, blood-red sky. There were small shapes flying far overhead, not birds, or planes, but something he had never seen before. He turned towards the cul-de-sac, or where it had been. There were ruins there, and the dump was huge, spewing out the smoke responsible for the gray sky.

Ed walked by towards the ruins, and Edd and Eddy ran down the stairs after him.

"Whoa, this looks like the planet of the blue people from 'I was a small alien blue person', the mini series, where robots had sent their space vampires to take over the world, use people as slaves, and take others to change them into minions of evil." Ed said, looking skyward.

"Considering the circumstances, I don't think I'd be surprised..." Edd whispered.

"NESTOR!" Ed suddenly yelled, and ran forward. There, the rooster was flying around in search of food.

"Is that the stupid chicken again?" Eddy complained.

Edd paused, watching the bird flapping. "How is that rooster flying? The bone and muscle structure isn't strong enough to support one’s weight..."

Eddy glanced over at him. "Why are we standing here, talking about a chicken?"

"Nestor! You can fly!" Ed exclaimed from off to the side, hugging the bird.

Edd looked blankly forward, putting a hand to his mouth. "I don't know... But wasn't Nestor the name of one of Ed's seagulls that he held captive in his room?"

Eddy now blatantly stared. "You remember things like that?"

While the two looked at each other, Ed walked over to him, the bird still in his arms. They both turned to him, and simply watched him in confusion.

"Guys, this is Nestor the second.” Ed introduced happily, smiling at them both. “Nestor, these are my friends, Double D and Eddy. Guys, say 'Hi, Nestor'."

"Um, yes… hi, Nestor..." Edd said, rather hesitantly. He shrugged, and continued looking around the area they were in.

"Eddy, say 'Hi, Nestor." Ed said patiently.

Eddy rolled his eyes. "Ed, we have better things to do than talk to-"

"SAY HI TO NESTOR!" Ed yelled. The boy’s eyes had bugged out, and both of his friends jolted to stare in a kind of fright at him. When Ed got this intent on something… dangerous things happened.

"H-hi, Nestor... cualquirer..." Eddy muttered as he shook his head, then glanced over at Edd. Now Edd was acting weird, too, as his eyes widened and seemed to sparkle at him-Eddy cringed.

"Eddy, you know Spanish? Then¿Dónde estamos nosotros?" Edd asked, absolutely delighted by the idea.

"Huh?" Eddy wondered, then shook his head. "I just know that cualquirer is ‘whatever’. My brother told me that knowing other languages is a good way to attract the ladies."

"Oh." Edd said, looking slightly depressed. “I only know a small amount, my lessons haven’t been the most productive yet…”

"Uh, yeah…” Eddy didn’t want to keep talking about languages, how boring was that anyway? So he shrugged again. “Anyway, it doesn't look like we'll make much money here, huh?"

Edd shook his head…in agreement. "I don't think so, because-"

"GUYS! DUCK!" Ed yelled suddenly, dropping the chicken and pulling them to the ground.

An extremely large bat flew inches over their heads and turned into a familiar human, or more accurately, vampire.

"Kevin?" The three exclaimed simultaneously, staring up at him.

The boy was clothed in black, although minus the cape the outfit itself wasn’t unlike what the Kevin they knew wore. His hair was longer, down to about his shoulders, and of course there was how pale his skin was…

He grinned, revealing two fangs. "Well, what do you know? The dorks are alive.”

‘Kevin’ landed, looking the group over. “And all of you are human, very strange… I had thought that you--” His gaze rested on Ed, then Edd, and after a pause, on Eddy. “Alive after all this time?” The concept seemed especially puzzling, and then he shrugged. “Strange.”

“Wha-what…” Eddy stammered, stepping back. Ed hissed for him to stay still, but that was enough… ‘Kevin’ had seen the fear, looked amused, and stretched slightly.

“…I guess I'll have to do something about that human thing, won't I?"

The vampire lunged towards them, arms shaped into wings, and the Eds scattered. Ed's brain went through everything he knew about vampires, while Edd yanked the controller out of his pocket.

"Eddy, LOOK OUT!" He screamed as Kevin flew at Eddy. He ducked and rolled out of the way, and Kevin flew over him again, then pulled up to study them for a few seconds.

Edd pushed a button and the gate reappeared a short distance off, about 50 feet. "Get to it!" He yelled to the others. They got to their feet and started moving as quick as they could.

Ed and Eddy booked and Edd came close behind. /This could be it…! Guys, wait up.. Or let me run faster, because I daren’t look back to see where he is/ he thought frantically as he tried to keep up. The sounds let him know that Kevin was just behind him, and ahead he could see the others go through. Time seemed to slow as he ran forward.

/I wonder… What would happen if a person died in another universe…? To their soul…? I’d rather not find out… But there’s only 20 feet left… 10… I can do this/ Went through his mind idly as his feet reached to their full potential.

He could feel the pressure of Kevin approaching behind him somehow, and could hear everything around him. Everything. Vastly distant howling, explosions years in the past, everything he ever had nightmares of and the realization that if he fell, it was over. The others couldn't get through the gate unless they pressed enter again--a safe guard he had added in case someone was hostile and came through--so they could get pushed to the other side and be unable to return… That ‘safe guard’ now meant that no one else could help him.

All of that awareness passed through his mind in a millisecond… then time started again. He braced, ducking down, and took the final leap.

Edd jumped through the gate and pressed a button as he fell through. The gate vanished behind him, and the vampire Kevin stopped in mid air, examining the area before him.

“How did they do that…?”

He landed, looking at where the gate had been for a moment, thinking. Memory seemed to come to surface, but the frown didn’t leave his face. He had no competition in the region, so a habit of talking to himself had started up.

“They were… very human. Too young, much too young to be from here…” A shrug, and a fang-revealing smile spread across his lips.

"Oh well... I'll find other prey. Heh heh heh heh heh..." He couldn’t help chuckling; seeing human Eds was a nostalgic experience, reminding him of how much this world had changed in the last half-century.

Kevin spread his arms, which changed again to wings, and flew towards the moon with the wind howling below him. It may not have even been the wind, werewolves instead, but he didn't care. It wouldn’t affect him, after all… That conflict had been called to a truce years before.

There was a graveyard to the north, not far from where the hospital was, or rather had been. It had been more than three decades since humans had been considered the dominant species of the planet, after all. The hospital had become an area where zombies tended to gather. They usually had living guests with them, and of all the creatures around, they were the worst at guarding their prey.

Perhaps some food there…? It’d be worth a look…

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On the other side, Ed was pouting. Pouting, and whining. And complaining, all these at once, while he tried to convince Eddy that they go back, and how they could so very easily survive.

"If we just had a wibble whacker, a few stakes, and a cotton swab dipped in garlic juice, we could have destroyed the vampire and brought Nestor with us, as well as explored more."

Eddy stared at him. "Ed, are you an idiot?” After thought came to mind, and he held up a hand. “Actually, don't answer that. But going back there would be plain stupid!"

He looked over to see Edd stumble out of the gate, then sit abruptly on the top stair. "What's wrong?"

Edd's skin was a bit greenish, and he was holding his head in his hands, the remote pushed off to the side. His hands dropped, revealing an odd look on his face, one that Eddy couldn’t recognize on his friend. "I-I don't feel well, I-I think that e-experience fri-frightened me t-too much..."

Eddy nodded slowly. "Yeah, that was really freaky." He commented, and then gave Edd a good look again.

/He really doesn’t look good… Man… I don’t think it’s just him being afraid… Wonder what happened in there./

They all stayed there for a moment while they each recovered, and Ed started jumping up and down. "Well--Let's go somewhere else! Let's go somewhere else!"

Eddy groaned. “Oh, c’mon Ed, give it a few minutes, would you?”

Ed pouted again, and looked up towards Edd. While Ed watched, Edd breathed rhythmically, calming down, and pulled a small notebook out of his pocket

“Mmmmm…” A low growl or hum came from Edd’s throat, an apparent sound of deep thought. In bored frustration Ed sat stubbornly on a stump, crossing his arms.

…Right… Eddy shook his head, then climbed over to Edd. “You sure you’re okay?”

Not stopping the pencil, Edd looked up (Eddy really envied that ability, with that he could watch girls in class and take notes) and shook his head. “I… I’m not sure…”

“Mmm… Well, don’t go getting sick.” A thought occurred to them both, and the two paled. “Don’t think it was something in the air there, do you?”

Edd shivered, the pencil finally paused in its scribbling, and put the to items away. “Goodness, I hope not… It all looked look… I don’t know, a nuclear war had taken place years ago… and a vampire… who knows what might have been there. I took that idea in mind with this,” He gestured at the gate, “with thoughts of things such as… oh, transporters in the Star Trek series, but something that we’d know nothing about…”

“Cross our fingers that wasn’t it?” Eddy suggested, standing and stretching. The two walked down the stairs.

“Pretty much…” Edd replied. Ed’s boredom caught their attention, and Edd sighed. "All right… But I must insist that I choose the world this time."

"Why can't I?" Ed complained, standing from the stump with a puzzled expression.

"I can't say that I'll trust your judgment for this again, Ed."

"Oh." Ed said thoughtfully. "What's a judgment? Is it a terrible disease? That puts you under the control of--"

"Oh no, let's just go before Ed starts spouting again..." Eddy muttered, then pointed to the control panel. "Come on, Double D."

"Certainly. Let's see, 8-3-2-0, then, I'll do, -1-7." He pressed these numbers, then pressed Enter, and the light filled the gate slowly.

Edd and Eddy walked forward, only for Ed to run in first.

"ED!" Eddy yelled, grinning and chasing after him.

"But, I wanted to go in first this time…!" Edd exclaimed, running into the gate in the back, again.

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Jonny walked into the clearing just in time to see them run in. "So, Plank, was that the world you were talking about?"

/No, they already went in. Can't you feel the difference in the air? Something about that world changed ours.../

Jonny looked puzzled. "How could it change our world? And why?"

/I don't know, but that was the world of impossibilities. I think it's gonna cause trouble for everyone if they don't know beforehand.../

"That's terrible! What do you think we should do?"

/Get everyone else together and tell them./

"Okay, let's go!"

Plank smiled. And now to deal with the Eds… Whenever they return, that is. He thought to himself, not commenting to Jonny.

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Meanwhile, in another part of Peach Creek, Lee was in the middle of kicking May in the back. "Get up! You have to help clean up too!"

"Yeah! You can't always be that lazy!" Marie’s voice, through a window, came from outside.

May stretched unusually slowly, and continued her slow-motion thing as she stood up from the couch. “Well, what is there for me to do?”

Lee frowned, looking around. Thanks to a lot of soda and pizza the night before, the house was a wreck-May would have been better off by asking what she couldn’t do. "Start by bringing these clothes outside to Marie." She commanded, dropping the pile of wet clothes in her arms onto May.

"Oh! Fine..." May muttered, moving it all into her arms so she could see, then walked to the door. "Open the door, Marie!"

The door opened and May went out, stretching her arms out to her sister. "Here's the clothes."

"Fine, then take these ones to Lee." Marie said. She put the wet clothes on the ground and gave May a large stack of dry clothes. May looked down, then shook her head and walked back in.

Inside Lee was balancing about fifteen plates in her hands, trying to get around the table.

"Stupid table! Get out of the way!" Lee exclaimed, getting ready to kick it to the side.

The table moved out of the way before she touched it.

Lee and May stared at it. It was a perfectly ordinary looking table, sitting still and seemingly incapable of self-driven movement.

"Table, come back." Lee said slowly. It slid across the floor towards her.

Staring at the table a moment, Lee looked at her sister, then at the pile of dished balanced on her arms. "Dishes, float in the air." The dishes levitated out of her hands and above the table.

"Um, clothes, go on the table..." May said hesitantly. They also floated out of her hands, only to fold themselves and land on the table.

The two slowly turned to stare at each other. May’s eyes were wide open, and Lee had moved her hair out of the way to take a closer look at the objects.

"Whoa..." Lee whispered.

May nodded agreement. "This is so neat... Think Marie would do what we say too?"

Lee nodded slowly, looking towards the window. “Yeah... MARIE!" She screamed. "GET IN HERE!"

The two watched, expectantly, as a few seconds later the door opened, and Marie walked slowly in. Her movements were awkward, jerky, as if they were against her will. "Wha-why am I moving?"

"Jump up and down four times." May commanded, grinning, and motioning with her finger up and down.

Marie blinked, confused. What…? Ah! Stop it! Why am I doing that! She struggled frantically as her body started jumping.

The other two started giggling crazily.

"What's going on?" Marie exclaimed when she stopped jumping, stepping back a few feet to distance herself from them.

"Everything is doing what we say..." Lee said, dropping her hands to look around.

"Does that mean we could make our boyfriends KISS US?" May asked in her excitement. "And hug us, and give us flowers?"

Lee gave a wicked smile. "And do whatever we want to get revenge on people. Not Marie, though, ‘cause sisters need to stick together, but everyone else..."

May nodded in agreement with the sister remark, and winked at Marie. "Yeah, we can make Double D do whatever you want. Just be nice to me, and we can do that… This is so cool!”

Another voice came from outside the trailer. "Um, May? Marie? Lee? Are you in there? I need to talk to you..." Jonny asked cautiously.

May and Lee started grinning evilly, and Marie half-smiled nervously in an attempt to go along with things; she still had no idea what was happening.

"Our first victim..."

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Eddy stared around in shock, and Edd rubbed his head.

Edd’s headache was receding, but he still didn't feel well. He looked up and gazed dumbly at the site before them. Somehow, they were standing in the middle of the cul-de-sac, instead of the woods.

Only two people were in sight, Eddy and Rolf. They looked exactly like the Eddy and Rolf of their own world, and even the scene seemed familiar... Rolf was chasing Eddy, who had some money in his hands.

As they watched, Eddy ran into his house, and Rolf stopped running, out of breath.

"Why must Eddy persist in stealing from me?" Rolf moaned aloud, clearly enough for the three to hear, sighed and turned around.

Ed, Edd, and Eddy stood there, nervously looking at him.

Rolf stared at Eddy, turned towards the house, and whirled around again in utter confusion. "How is Ed-boy here when he is in his home?" He demanded frantically. “Has Rolf truly departed from the world of sanity…! Curse those defane devices, Rolf knew that now good would come from them--!”

"Please, Rolf, stay calm, we're from another world, we're not just figments of your imagination..." Edd said quickly, holding his hands up and stepping forward.

"Another--world?" Rolf slowly asked, giving Edd a strange look.

"Yeah, another world, like… Another universe, or something. What's the big deal?" Eddy asked. He held a straight face as Rolf gave him a critical look, and inwardly snickered. Man, Rolf would’ve been even easier to mess with than the Ed or Double D from that other one… I should’ve saved that whole making-them-think-they’re-insane thing for now…

"I--see... A… Another world, it is…" Rolf murmured, then looked at them again. He sighed, then nodded a smiled welcomingly. "Well, then… You may come to Rolf's and tell me about this other world, and I will tell you about here... Yes?"

They walked across the street to Rolf's house and went inside. All four sat around the table and started to talk.

"Where we're from, I don't actually steal stuff, so, uh, don't worry about that." Eddy proclaimed quickly.

"Yeah, and chickens don't fly there..." Ed pouted.

Rolf looked at Ed with a puzzled look on his face. "Chickens do not fly here either, Ed-boy..."

Edd nodded, leaning forward on the table. "Then, this world is normal? We already entered one where there were vampires, and it wasn't at all pleasant..."

"’Normal’?” Rolf started, then grimaced slightly. “No, truthfully, we have been having-”

Squealing and sudden clucking started outside. The Eds glanced to the side, confused, and Rolf became upset.

“And again?” He murmured, then walked quickly to the back door. The boys glanced at each other, and then ran to the door to look at the backyard.

Wilfred and a chicken--Gertrude, Ed could recognize--were backing towards the house, with a large lizard in front of them.

It was about the size of a crocodile, completely orange in color, and there was smoke coming out of its mouth. Its eyes weren’t very focused, giving it a rather stupid appearance. It tilted its head, studying the pig and chicken curiously.

Ed gasped, whether in shock or delight none of them could tell. "It is a fire-breathing sun lizard from the salamander zoo!” He nodded seriously, and looked to the others to explain. “There, the strange creatures devour their young and build nests out of pine trees.”

"Is that real?" Eddy asked, faintly bored sounding, and staring from the window he looked out of.

Edd nodded, looking slightly frantic. "I believe it is, somehow… Ed, how do we get it away from here before it mistakes us for its young and devours us?"

Ed put a finger to his lip, thinking. "Um, we need a fish, some hot dogs, and a large can to lure it away. To trap it, we'll need an atomic ray blast cage, and--"

"Getting it away from Wilfred will have to do, Ed-boy." Rolf commented. “That creature has been here before; two chickens have been missing since the last time.”

"All of the things you say we will need are probably here in Rolf's kitchen... With luck this should be easy." Edd remarked, looking through a few cupboards with Rolf.

“Yeah, like when are we ever lucky?” Eddy retorted, glancing out the window again.

Edd shrugged, and with a slightly sarcastic tone, remarked, “At least Ed knows what the creature is, right?”

Eddy snorted. “Like that’s helping us...” He was becoming irritated by this point, because Ed was still staring out the window, enthralled, and telling Eddy all about the sun-lizards' bathing habits.

"-then they emit a poisonous acid which they spread through water, then they hold the water in their mouths and--"

“Ihhh..!” Eddy grabbed at his head, groaning in frustration, and grabbed at Ed to cover the older boy’s mouth. "Ed, no one really cares... Let’s just get the stupid thing away!”

Edd and Rolf were just coming back in, and Eddy let Ed go. Ed pouted, looking out at the sun-lizard, then nodded. “The chicken must be saved...” Ed took the stuff and stuffed the fish and hot dogs into the can. He then proceeded to open a window and throw the can out so far it landed near the creek somewhere.

Eddy stared blankly at Ed, then groaned.

"Um, Ed, now what are we supposed to do?" Edd whispered frantically. "We don't have a lure anymore-- oh."

They watched as the lizard’s nostrils twitched and its head trace the flight of the can. After a moment of thought, the lizard got up and slowly walked towards the street, then by Eddy's house, and to the creek.

"Wow..." Eddy managed to say.

"That--worked? Ed was right about that? That would imply that the information in his comics and movies have some basis of truth... what a frightening thought..." Edd murmured, a nervous expression crossing his face.

Ed grinned, and saluted. "Alarm code four-four-niner has been terminated, Sir!"

Rolf seemed relieved. "Well, now we can continue the telling of tales, no?"

"Certainly, Rolf." Edd answered. The four walked back to the table to explain everything.

Eddy leaned back in his chair. "So, Rolfy-boy, who's first? Us, or you?"

"I will tell of this cul-de-sac first, and you may tell of your own afterwards. Rolf wishes to be hospitable to his guests, despite my curiosity in your story…" Rolf commented as he pulled out some food, similar to what their Rolf had served them in the past. "Fish stick?"

Edd turned green, and Eddy looked nervous. "Uh, no thanks, not hungry..." He said, looking at Edd.

Ed grinned curelessly. "I'll have a fish stick, Rolf!"

Edd and Eddy stared at Ed in shock as he accepted a fish stick and proceeded to eat it. "Mmmm, yum..." He said between bites.

Rolf smiled, and then turned to the others. "Well, where should Rolf begin?" He asked.

"Why not start with everyone who lives in the cul-de-sac, and what they're like?" Edd proposed.

"Ah ha.. Hm, well, there is Rolf, Nazz-girl, Kevin, Jonny and Plank, Jimmy, Sarah, and the Ed-boys." Rolf said. "The Ed-boys are always trying to buy jawbreakers," The others nodded, "Kevin excels in various athletic fields, Evil-child Sarah is a terror to the neighborhood, and Jimmy is always with her."

Eddy looked annoyed. "That's just like our cul-de-sac, Double D!"

"Who is this 'Double D'?" Rolf asked. The Eds looked startled.

Edd frowned, and raised a hand. "I'm Double D, Rolf."

Eddy was confused. "Yeah, he's Double D. Does he have another nick-name or something here?"

"No boys in the neighborhood have nicknames like 'Double D'." Rolf commented slowly.

"Isn't there another me around here?" Edd asked nervously, rubbing his hat in confusion.

Rolf looked at him, shaking his head slowly, and studied the boy for a moment. "Not in the cul-de-sac."

"Then, who's the third Ed?" Eddy exclaimed.

"There are not three Ed-boys, only two." Rolf continued. “Ed, and Eddy. You two only. You, though-“ He shook his head again. “You’re not one of the Eds here.”

"Only two Eds? Come on, isn't there anyone who looks like Double D here?" Eddy asked, now looking completely puzzled.

"Well, there is that Edward who does not live here, but somewhere near here, but he is no Ed-boy. No one in the neighborhood really knows him, as he is a friend of the Kanker sisters." Rolf replied.

"WHAT?" Eddy exploded. His eyes widened, and his hair was standing on end. “Friend with the Kankers and not us!”

Ed stared. "No way..."

"I have trouble believing I would have become friends with the Kanker sisters, but not with Ed and Eddy..." Edd remarked, shivering.

"Well, that is who he spends his leisure time with..." Rolf said slowly.

Eddy stared at Edd. "Weird, but we'll just check it out later... So, what were you saying, Rolf?"

"Well, we are having troubles with creatures of legends, such as that lizard. They have been appearing everywhere..." Rolf started.

"That's--odd..." Edd murmured. He turned to Eddy and suggested, "Eddy, do you suppose it has anything to do with the other world we went to today?"

"I dunno... How long have these things been showing up for?" He asked Rolf.

Rolf looked up, then back at them. "About three or four months."

Edd and Eddy stared at him, thinking. “Probably unrelated, then…” Edd murmured.

Ed grinned. "Could you pass the gravy, Rolf?" He was holding a squid instead of wearing it on his head, and the plate before him was covered in food.

"Certainly." Rolf said, giving Ed the gravy.

Ed poured some on the squid, then dumped the rest on the plate. He then proceeded to shove it in his mouth whole.

"Ugh..." Edd muttered, his face turning green again. He covered his mouth and glanced at the roof.

Eddy smirked. "How is it, Ed?"

"Rhitz hwelly guld!" Ed exclaimed, food bits spewing from his mouth.

Eddy tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?"

Ed swallowed. "It's really good, Eddy. Rolf, can I have another?"

"Of course, Ed-boy." Rolf said, passing him another squid.

"Yummy!" Ed continued to eat the food for an extended time while the others went back to talking.

"I'm sorry Rolf, but I'll have to pass on any exotic cuisine... If I eat any, I'll be ill for sure." Edd said when Rolf offered him a cucumber-ball.

"So will I." Edd said as Rolf turned towards him. "Traveling between worlds seems to make normal people feel sick." All three glanced at Ed, eating away.

“Ed’s not normal.” Eddy explained quickly.

Rolf sighed, looking disappointed, and leaned back in his chair. "If we are at the telling of tales again, speak to Rolf, and tell me how you got here."

Eddy started talking, and explained how his parents told him he was leaving, and how they built the gate. He then described the worlds they went to, and what had happened in them. By the time he finished, it was getting dark out.

Rolf gazed thoughtfully at him, then looked out the window. It was getting dark out, and lights were turning on in the houses around them. He turned back to the Eds.

"Well, we have shared our stories, and the day is ending. Will you be going back to your world now?"

Eddy pondered it, and Edd spoke up. "Actually, Rolf, I was hoping we could stay here for the night, then explore the cul-de-sac tomorrow morning."

Eddy nodded, thinking about what Rolf had told them.

"Well, there is no room in the house of Rolf, so you would have to sleep in the shed. Is that a problem?" He asked softly, looking worried.

"Not at all, we've done that before." Edd said.

"Yeah, but Lumpy snores really loudly, we won't be able to sleep..." Eddy said.

"That is no problem, Rolf's food help to cause quiet sleeping." They turned to Ed, who had fallen asleep in the chair. His dish was empty, and his snoring was barely audible.

"Well, that worked... which was it, anyway? I'll need a recipe..." Eddy asked as they stared at the sleeping Ed. He grinned. “The cash I could get off Sarah for a trick to get Ed to never snore again…”

Rolf’s eyebrow raised. “The squid. It is getting late now, and Rolf should be doing his chores. So, goodnight, Ed-boys." Rolf said kindly as he got up and started cleaning.

"Oh, let me help you with that, Rolf." Edd said, quickly standing.

"No thank you, please go to the shed and sleep." Rolf said as he carried the plates into another room.

"Come on, Double D..." Eddy said as he tapped Ed's shoulder. "Hello? Ed...? Wake up already..."

Ed snorted, then opened his eyes. "Huh?"

"Come on into the shed, we have stuff to plan already." Eddy complained, then walked out the backdoor.

They walked across the yard, Ed yawning loudly a few times as they went. Eddy left the door open to give them some light and the three found places around the room to stand comfortably.

"Well, what did you need to discuss with us, Eddy?" Edd asked as he leaned back on the stack of hay.

"I don't think we're gonna make any money here, so after we check out the trailer park, we'll head home." Eddy replied.

Ed started to pet the cow. "Good girl..." He crooned.

The other two stared at him." Anyway..." Edd commented, "We have to go back right after exploring, unless you want us to get in trouble. If we wake up at this world's version of 6:00 am, then go to the trailer park and spend 30 minutes there, then go straight to our homes, it'll be about 5:00 pm!"

"Wow... then we'd better wake up early. I'll get in even more trouble if I'm late to dinner and my parents don't know where I am..." Eddy muttered.

"That's right, Eddy. Anything else that you wanted to say?" Edd asked.

"Nope, I'm done." Eddy said, then arranged some of the straw into a pile so that he could be comfortable laying on it.

Edd nodded, and then he and Ed walked to the door.

Ed snuck over to the chicken coops and stared inside at the birds, while Edd stayed in the doorway and looked out. Some few stars were visible, but clouds were blocking many of them.

He leaned against the doorway and sat down, gazing skyward.

/So much is going on… We’re in another universe, where I apparently don’t even live in the cul-de-sac… Eddy’s leaving, suddenly, for an unknown amount of time, and we don’t even know where he’ll be going to…/

/And Mother and Father… They’ve both been skittish around me in what little time we spend together, more so than usual. Those strange conversations they’ve been having when they thought I was out of hearing… What on Earth is happening, I wonder/

The moon came out from behind the clouds, a bright, full moon, and Edd stared at it. /Full moon… Hmm. It’s silly… That does look like the gate… Or am I being reminded more of the light from that dream/ The moon went behind another cloud, and Edd sighed.

/With Eddy leaving, what will Ed and I do to entertain ourselves..? I suppose I could always give Eddy instructions on how to build the gate… With alterations in the three-dimensional destination variables, instead of defaulting it, we could always visit, but… He’s never much good at doing these kinds of things without our aid… Perhaps if we find out where he’ll be going before he actually leaves… Get the latitude and longitude, and since it’s the same planet the destination should be relatively stationary… Hmm…/

He rubbed his head, for his headache was returning, then froze. Edd slowly turned his hand down and stared at it.

It was darker than usual, far darker, and something was covering it. Edd softly touched it, then gasped as he touched hair.

"Huh?" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet, staring at his hand in terror. "Ah!" He shrieked, shaking all over.

------------------------------------------------------------

Someone yelled in a strangled voice, and Eddy opened an eye, looking up.

In the doorway, Edd was standing and shaking, staring at his hand.

Eddy stood up. "Double D, what's wrong?" He asked in a sleepy voice.

"M-my ha-hand..., i-i-it's no-not right..." Edd stammered, shaking more and backing into the shed, gazing at his hand the whole time.

"Huh? Your hand?" He put his own hand out and grabbed the base of Edd's, examining it. “Okay, so you’ve got some dirt on it… Jeez Double D, you always freak out from the stupidest-“ Edd attempted to wipe the ‘dirt’ off. When he felt it, he let go as if he had been shocked. "Wh-what the heck? What's going on?" He exclaimed, staring at Edd.

"I-I d-d-don't know..." Edd whispered, and staring back at Eddy. His expression was one of terror, and he glanced at his hand, then back at Eddy.

Ed wandered over, looking around Edd’s shoulder "What's the yelling about, guys?" He walked next to Eddy and looked back and forth between them, puzzled.

The moon came out again, and the light shone in on them. Edd held his hand up, trying to understand what was happening, then curled up as his stomach lurched again.

Pain washed through his body as he clasped his hand, pain like he had never felt before. He could almost feel his DNA twisting as his body seemed to shift around him. He opened his eye slightly, and stared at what had been his hand before...

Ed and Eddy stared as Edd collapsed, and seemed to mutate in the light.

"The light of the full moon..." Ed murmured, staring at his friend in shock. "Eddy, I think Double D is a--"

The pain subsided, and Edd could move again. He opened his eyes to a gray scene before him, as if he were color-blind. He moved his head, only for his hat to fall off his head. There was no sign of his clothes, and he looked down at his body. He saw the body of a dog, or--

"--a werewolf...?" Ed murmured.

/Wh-What…? W…Werewolf…? That’s not possible, that can’t be what’s going on, this is just some bizarre dream, right/ Edd thought frantically, backing up to get away, only to back into the hay. He shivered and looked up. There, Ed and Eddy were standing, staring at him.

"Double D?" Eddy asked softly. The boy’s eyes were wide, as he kept himself ready for running. He’d seen Kevin as a vampire before, there was always the chance that this was a dream. Weird dream, yeah, but he’d had weirder.

Edd’s new body shook, and he opened and closed his mouth as he tried to speak. When only a growl came out, he saw Eddy jump out of the corner of his eye, and Ed’s head had tilted.

“Double D, nod if you understand me?” Ed asked. Ed, being Ed, wasn’t afraid. Werewolves as he understood them were humanoid, standing on two legs when they chose. Edd looked like just a wolf, or a husky--dark gray/brown all over, and clear restricted to walking on all fours. How his friend would have just turned into a wolf he didn’t really know, but it seemed to him like Edd wouldn’t be a blood thirsty maniac.

The wolf nodded slowly, looking itself over again.

"You're really, I mean, you're you?" He asked.

Eddy was understandably startled as the wolf regarded him with an odd, wide-eyed look. The expression in the wolf's eyes as it gazed at him was creepy. He could just picture Double D looking at him that way. In fact... Double D often gave him that look, when he was nervous, or scared out of his wits.

Images spun in Eddy's mind, the last few moments flashing at him.

He saw Edd looking at him from the doorway, shaking and holding his hand.

He saw himself grabbing Double D's hand, only to jump back in fright.

The last thing was Edd staring at Eddy with that frantic look, then down at his own hand.

Then everything went black, and he remembered nothing else.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

End of Part 3

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Edd (reading out of a Webster’s Dictionary, on his bed): “Bunion... Noun, ‘an inflamed swelling on the first joint of the big toe’... Oh, goodness!”

Edd and Eddy both turn green.

Eddy: “Bunion... People. You just had to ask, didn’t you?”

Edd: “...I suppose I deserve that visual after asking... Ugh.”

Ed (Seriously): “I bet they invaded in Double D’s dream, too. And in that ‘Eight Three Two’ world. Maybe they experimented on Nestor, and that’s how he can fly...”

Eddy: “...I hate you guys sometimes...”

Edd (shivers, looks around.): “Did anyone else get a deja’ vu feeling there?”

KK: “I think I was gonna write Eddy saying that in the story itself, and changed my mind... It was probably in reference to that scene, too.”

Ed: “Funky...”

Edd: “Moving on, though...”

Eddy: “A werewolf?”

Edd: “I was surprised too!”

Eddy: “But-a werewolf? When the heck did you get bitten by a werewolf! A vampire maybe, but...”

Edd: “Not yesterday.”

Eddy: “When, then?

Edd: “I don’t know! Eddy, don’t expect me to know this! Kitty’s in the room, remember? I only act as her voice when she’s not present!”

Eddy, Edd, and Ed look expectantly at Kitty. She smiles and shrugs.

KK: “You don’t know yet, and I’m not spoiling. The way I wrote it so far stinks. I know who and when exactly the whole thing happened, and how it affects your life, but I can’t say yet... I’m gonna rewrite it. For now, though, let me warn you that I bend or break multiple rules generally accepted for werewolves, vampires, and so forth... For the benefit of the plot.”

Eddy (snorts): “Not even a hint?”

KK: “Nuh uh.”

Edd: “At least now you’re making it expressly clear that I kept my own mind, rather than being overwhelmed by primal urges... and that I just look like a wolf. That wasn’t even remotely clear before.”

KK: “...Maybe.”

All three Eds blink, and look suspicious. Kitty raises her hands in an exagerated shrug.

KK: “I haven’t decided yet! I’m gonna rewrite the story, make it a little older, and since I don’t know if I’m ever gonna write the sequals, I need to let Rolf and a few others be weirded out by Double D... Once I was gonna have this whole elaborate story about it being only children or adolescents that maintain their minds, and have a bit years in the future where Double D and any other such people finding that they’re no longer in charge when they change...”

Edd (pales): “And, of course, the best way to deal with that is have something like that this early? That’s a little cruel...”

KK shrugs again, sadly.

Eddy (raises an eyebrow): “Sequels, huh? More than one was planned?”

KK (weary): “You don’t want to know how many I’d had thoughts of, at least. And the fact that I received a fanfic of my fanfic made me a little more optimistic about the idea...”

Ed: “So we won’t all die?”

KK: “It’d be hard to write a sequel if you did.”

Ed (nodding): “Soooo... Uh, Double D doesn’t look like a werewolf’s supposed to, and the rules about them got all messed up... But why Double D? I can howl better than he can!”

Edd: “Um...”

Eddy (would sweatdrop if this was an anime, but as it’s not, blinks instead).

Ed: “See? ArrrooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooo---“

Edd, Eddy, and KK clasp hands over their ears, wincing.

KK: “Let’s leave already...”

Eddy and Edd nod, and all three inch out of the room.

Eddy: “Uh, anyone reading, thanks-and please review!”

The Secret of Edd: Part 3