Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. I thought they were all gone!”

A purple alien ran through the woods, his purple hands clutching a medium-sized glowing, green can. A moderate size stick, broken in two, was strapped on his back, softly bouncing as his pace quickened. His yellow with red polka dotted bow tie was still tied to his light blue shirt. The shirt had a dark blue spot in the middle as his same colored shoes sped across the grass. He looked behind him and screamed. He was being chased by three vegetables, a tomato, a cob of corn, and a carrot, and they were all angry and massive. The tomato, huge and red, was quickly gaining speed from its rolling, making the alien panic more. He was going as fast as he could, but it wasn’t fast enough. It did not help that the corn, flying and small, was spitting kernels at him, giving the alien more to deal with. The carrot, purple and pissed, was just following behind, it wasn’t really inconveniencing the alien at the moment, but the second he stopped the carrot would do its work. Being ganged up by agitated veggies only boosted the small alien’s adrenaline, causing his floating feet to move quicker than ever. He could take them on if the forest wasn’t so cramped, and if his stick was still one. He clutched the tonic closer to his chest as he ducked his head from an incoming kernel. He took a sharp turn, almost tripping on an exposed root, luckily his foot slid under it. The alien felt a prick behind him, the tomato was practically touching him. Another scream escaped his mouth.

“Zig zag! Zig zag!” The alien chanted to himself as he ran back and forth. This did throw the massive tomato off, causing it to crash into a tree. The alien laughed before almost getting smacked by a kernel.

These vegetables were persistent, they wanted his head on a stick, and that can of tonic. The alien was even more persistent, he just needed to make it to a hotspot and he was home free. The issue is that he was lost in this massive forest. All he knew was that he was somewhere in the South Plain. But at the same time, everything was in the South Plain.

He looked around and kept his head down, “There’s gotta be a portal somewhere! The South Plain is filled with them,” He paused, a slight frown forming on his face, “I hope… Woah!” A projectile grazed his head, they were getting closer. The biggest threat, the tomato, was far behind, but seeing its speed, it won’t be like that for long. The alien panicked even more, he really didn’t think he was going to make it.

“No.” He told himself, even with that hint of doubt. “Alright, Ed. The Doc needs the tonic. Suzy- er, Earth is relying on me.” He gasped for air, his chest was hurting now and his feet ached. He has not done this much running since the situation with Grogh, and even then the vegetables weren’t that fast. Something was different about these three, but he had no time to find out. He just had to keep running.

Another turn, another stumble. Another stumble, another fumble with the can, almost dropping it and spilling its liquid. The alien could not do this all day, he’s bound to collapse, and it's going to be soon if something doesn’t pop up. Now he was actually getting hit by the flying corn seeds, causing him to lose his balance for a split second. Ed was exhausted, but that was no excuse. His eyes darted around for some sort of sign, a signal that he was getting close to a portal. Agent Xyz or even a symbol would do. His pace was slowing, his breaths became more heavy, but he pushed forward. His surroundings became more fuzzy and his grip on the can loosened. The trees seemed to be looping in his mind, every stone, flower, and mushroom looked the same now. His head hurt, his feet hurt, his chest hurt. He clutched his head to clear his mind. Ed opened his eyes to find a familiar stone formation.

“A portal! Yes! Finally!” He exclaimed. His body still ached, but at least he had a set destination now. Suddenly, his otherworldly body felt a surge of energy burst through him, causing him to rapidly pick up his pace, stunning the vegetables and him. The portal looked… off however. The color was a weird purple with white highlights. The glowing was inconsistent and it seemed to be flickering. The stones were teeming with vines and flowers, giving it an abandoned feel. The label was nowhere to be found, but the alien didn’t seem to notice or mind, he just needed to get out of here. The portal was inches away, this was it. He took a leap and dived into the portal. The vegetables tried to follow, but the magical device flickered out and shut down. The three veggie goons skid to a stop and just stared at the now deactivated portal.

Chapter Text

“WOAHHH!!”

The purple alien flew through the portal, losing his grip on the tonic as his body parts lost connections. This happened all the time when traveling through these things, but this time it felt more violent. The colors around him shifted in an unnatural way, it made him uneasy, but anything was better than getting beaten to a pulp by a carrot. As the force pulled him forward, he shut his eyes. His mind could not handle the flashing colors at the moment, he was already overstimulated enough. Suddenly, the force vanished as he propelled out of portal and landed face first. He landed on a soft patch of grass, so that’s less head damage for him. He groaned and felt for his parts as he reassembled himself. His mind was still a little dizzy, but at least he could catch his breath.

“Whew! Hard part’s done!” He sighed and looked around. “Wow…”

He was surrounded by another forest, which kind of bummed him out, but it was different. It felt more bright, magical, dream-like then the woods back on Earth. Each tree was a different shade of brown, massive roots bulging out of the ground and wide trunks. The leaves were a deep green with shades of pink scattered through it. The grass was comforting and warm from the sunrays, beaming through the leaves. The sky, from what Ed could make out, was a light blue, with bits of clouds here and there. It all felt nostalgic for him, somewhere he would only really see in a dream. Mushrooms and flowers peeked out of the ground, all with a soft, warm glow. Various bird chirps could be heard, and some actually sounded like full on singing. A quiet river stream was in the distance, only adding to the sereneness of this environment. This felt like Earth, but with its own touch to differentiate it. The portal behind him flickered rapidly, the once strong light fading away. It was mildly shaking, and the alien noticed. He just did not think too much about it currently.

The alien took a deep breath. This was a nice change of pace from the chase. His feet didn’t ache as much and his steady breath returned. “Now…” He started, “Where’s that can…” He put a hand to his chin, well, he would if he hand any. His eyes went wide as his head darted around him. “My hands?! Where are my hands?!” Ed looked behind him, his broken stick was still attached. He tried to control his hands and feel where they were at, but it came up blank. He panicked again. “Oh no! I lost the can and my hands-!” He took a step forward and slipped on an object, causing him to fall back. He peeked his head up to see the can of tonic, perfectly fine. “Oh. There’s the can.”

He struggled to get up, but he managed. He stared at the can, unsure how to pick it up. He couldn’t kick it, it could spill its contents. He couldn’t pick it up, that was obvious. He sighed and just sat down, looking at the tonic sadly.

“Now I know how the toasters feel I guess…” Ed could pick it up with his teeth, but he didn’t know how to get the best grip onto it. He gently flicked the can with the top of his shoe, unsure on how to progress. He heard some sort of crumbling noises to his right. He turned to the sound, and gasped. The rock formation making the portal was now a pile of dust. He frowned. “I guess that explains the, uhh, shaking.” He shook his head, “Whatever. I don’t need that silly portal anyway. I’ll just find another one.” He huffed and stared back at the can.

“Maybe… I could… find help?” He told himself as he got up again. He looked around, he could only hear the sound of birds and running water. He glanced at the can and took a step forward. Then another step, still eyeing the can. He started walking away, and turned his head for a second. He waited and turned back, only to yelp.

There, holding the can of tonic, was a limbless creature. He was around the same height as the alien, maybe a bit shorter, and had tan skin. His hair was a little messy and swooped over his face. Its blonde color glowed in the sunlight, actually, the entire creature glowed in the sunlight. His torso wore a sleeveless dark purple hoodie with a white circle in the middle. The hood was a strong red with two laces peaking out. He wore white gloves and yellow shoes. The shoes had white rimmings and a dark yellow swirl pattern. He looked like a creature of Earth, he did lack limbs, but there was something more magical about him then other inhabitants. He seemed fascinated by the can, tossing it up and down with ease.

Ed gasped and ran towards the creature. “No! Don’t touch that!” He would be waving his hands, but he had a lack of them at the moment. The creature turned his head and smiled.

“Havi! Tilak zoeba?” He stopped throwing the can and pointed at it.

The purple alien stopped in front of him. He tilted his head. “What did you say?”

The man blinked, “Tilak zoeba?” He repeated, still pointing at the can.

“Listen, you… I don’t know what you’re saying but that can is mine. I need it to save Earth!” He stepped closer. He tried to point to himself, but he could only do so much from head movement.

He scratched his head. He pointed at the can again and pointed it to him.

This Ed understood. He smiled and nodded. He took another step closer, “Yes! It’s mine! Give it to me!”

“Ebaa?” The creature pointed to the lack of hands on the alien.

“Oh! Um… actually, put it down.” He looked at the ground and back at the newcomer.

This seemed to get the point across as he placed the can down. He looked back at Ed. “Zoeba wee?”

Ed jumped at the limbless creature speaking to him. He tilted his head, “I didn’t quite catch that. Can you repeat that?”

He frowned, “Tilak zoeba wee?”

The purple creature looked around. He still was not getting this.

The creature sighed and tapped his foot. He put his hand up to his chin, like he was thinking something. Ed did the same, but without the hand. Suddenly, Ed got an idea.

“Hey, do you think you could help me find my hands? This whole communication would be way easier.” He asked, looking around.

The creature turned to Ed, “Droe, mavr?” From the tone, he was unsure of what he was saying.

Ed sighed, “Alright, if I can’t use my hands I’ll use my feet.” He hopped on one foot to use the other as a temporary hand. The newcomer seemed to pick up on this. Ed moved his foot to gently touch the creature’s hand. He raised it, causing the alien to nod. He turned his foot to himself, hoping to get the message across.

“Oh!” The man smiled, “Zoeba eeba hayine!” He waved his hand around.

Ed nodded, “Yes! My hands! I need them!”

The creature thought to himself, “Ebba wah hayine… hayine…”

The alien looked around and lightly tapped his foot. He tried to understand what he was saying, but none of the words he recognized. Ed was alerted by a snap.

“Wah yane havine!” He started to run off, “Kande wah!” He moved his hand in a ‘follow me’ motion.

Ed understood that. Before he followed, he glanced at the tonic. “No, wait! I can’t leave the can out in the open!” He inhaled through his teeth as the creature was far away. “It’s okay. I won’t be gone for long. It’ll be fine… I hope.” He sped off to catch up with the newcomer.

The creature laughed, smiling in the wind. His hair and hood flew back, flowing with the current. He was graceful when it came to this, the alien was not. Ed followed behind, panting. He tried to keep up, but without arms, it was challenging.

“So, where are we going?” Ed managed to say in between breaths. He couldn’t really tell where he was going, he had never been in this part of Earth, if this even was Earth.

The limbless man turned his head, “Uner kande Globox’s! Yaha solep enthe!”

Ed tilted his head. “Globox?” That word in particular sounded different, like a name. He stumbled on a root and kept running.

“Oh! Globox! Yaha wah zozoro!” He smiled and picked up the pace.

“I’m going to pretend I got that- Woah!” Ed ducked under a branch, he saw the creature running up the trunk of a tree, “Huh?”

“Kande wah!” He laughed and disappeared into the treetops.

The alien panicked, “No! Wait! I don’t know where to go!” He gulped and dodged another branch. “Okay, Ed. Where would a guy named ‘Globox’ hang out? Uhhh… it sounds like… a boy’s name-!” A pile of leaves smacked him in the face. He spit them out and kept running. “Ugh! That limbless… thing! Why couldn’t he tell me what was going on?” Ed stumbled on a root. He shook his head, “Maybe, the destination is ahead of us! Yeah! That’s it! He was just, taking a shortcut or something- Oof!”

Ed crashed face first into a tree trunk. He groaned and fell onto the grass. His body parts disassembled and he fell into a pile. Faint laughing was heard as Ed looked around. A familiar limbless creature ran down a trunk and skid to a stop in front of the alien. He looked down at him, hands on his hips.

“Wow. Zoeba traught liep wah.” He said, poking Ed’s bow tie.

Ed sighed, “I am not going to try and understand what that meant.” He reassembled himself and stretched. He would rub his head, but that wasn’t an option currently, so he looked around. “Are we here?”

The man smiled and ran around the trunk, Ed gave him a confused look and followed. The creature was staring up when the alien caught up to him. He looked up and saw a massive treehouse. Ed’s jaw dropped. The treehouse was huge, it seemed to sprawl out for who knows how long. The main house seemed to have hundreds of different rooms, and that’s just the outside. The downfall was that the house looked rickety and worn down. He was confused on how it, or the tree, was still standing.

The creature pulled on a rope hanging down and a slight bell could be heard. “Ay! Globox!” He called out. “Ebaa zoeba grend wah?”

“Kande!” A voice called back, it seemed to be male and a little low.

Ed tilted his head. “I wonder who this Globox fellow is?” He thought to himself. The creature and him could hear the creaking of floorboards, but also the calls of children. Children or really high sounding voices.

The limbless man laughed and turned to Ed, pointing to the house. “Globox? Ehh, zoeba zozoro yaha.”

“I still can’t understand you- Oh!” Ed almost got hit by a ladder that was thrown down. He gasped and looked up. There on the platform peeked a blue head that resembles a frog of some kind. He was blue, and looked rather happy.

“Rayman! Kande wah! Waliz zoeba zozo!” He waved and turned around, presumably inside.

Ed turned to the limbless creature as he climbed up the ladder. “Oh, so your name is ‘Rayman’. Good to know.”

Rayman paused halfway up the ladder and looked down, “Kande?”

The alien was starting to pick up on the meaning of words now, and to him, ‘kande’ meant ‘follow’. He stared at the ladder, then at his lack of hands, then back at Rayman.

“Oh! Seebee wah!” He slid down the ladder back onto the ground. He eyed Ed up and down.

“Uhh, what are you doing- Woah!” Ed was scooped up by Rayman. He held his torso with ease as he climbed up the ladder with one hand. “Listen, Rayman, I could’ve just waited until you got my hands.”

Rayman glanced at Ed, trying to understand what he was saying.

“Right. Right. Language barrier. Forgot.” He chuckled awkwardly before getting thrown onto the top by Rayman. He landed on the platform on his bum and the creature swiftly followed, landing onto the platform feet first. He turned to Ed and offered a hand. Ed gave him an unamused look.

The limbless man chuckled and picked up the alien and set him on his feet. “Droe.”

The alien stumbled, “Uh, thank you.” He turned his head to see who he assumed was Globox, behind him were, what seemed like, millions of little blue frogs. He gulped, “Maybe I should’ve stayed on the ground.”

Chapter Text

“Rayman! Wah zozoro!” The big frog thing exclaimed, giving Rayman a massive hug. The little ones, who Ed presumed were his children, all followed, their small light blue bodies bouncing up and down, trying to join in on the hug.

The alien was able to get a better look at the frogs now, they were all primarily blue, but some of the kids were pink or some sort of purple. Others seemed to be red and a few orange. They all had dark spots scattered across them and white underbellies. They shimmered in the sunlight, so they probably had some sort of coating on. The biggest one hugging Rayman was a soft blue color with dark blue spots littering his back. His hands and the surroundings of his mouth were the same color as the underbelly. His feet, with a lack of ankles, were webbed, so definitely a frog. The children followed this pattern, but they were all different.

The kids raised their hands, “Jeopel Ray! Jeopel Ray!”

The limbless man smiled, “Havi! Dehwa, Globox! Yaolerps! Ebaa janip zoeba?”

Globox laughed, “Snarp! Ebaa zoeba?”

“Snarp. Wah ebaa grend.” He glanced at Ed, who was still confused about the whole deal.

The alien just watched, impatiently tapping his foot as he looked around. He didn’t bother trying to figure out what they were saying, he had a goal in mind at the moment. “Listen,” He started, “You two can hug it out; I’m going to go look for my hands.” He walked forward but stumbled and fell onto the ground. He looked to see what he tripped over and found a frog baby thing looking at him. Ed winced, he worried that the kid would cry. Instead, the child just pointed at him.

“Jeopel, ebco zoeba?” He said, a look of confusion on his face.

Suddenly, everyone just turned to stare at Ed. The alien looked around and chuckled awkwardly. “H-hello…”

Globox put Rayman down and looked at him, “Rayman, tilak zoeba zozo?” He pointed at Ed.

The creature nodded, “Bea! Yaha ebaa hayines!” He waved his hand.

Ed was slowly getting a grasp on this conversation thanks to the hand movements. Something he wished he could do. He got up and nodded, hoping he was understanding it right. “Yes! Uhh… what was it… hayines..?” He tried to replicate what they were saying, but he obviously pronounced it wrong from the look on everyone’s faces.

“Yaha boe… ebba warnie. Ebba yaha?” The frog asked, crossing his arms.

Rayman replied with a shrug. “Ebaa boe wee Wandayē?”

The alien tilted his head. Wandayē? Is that the language they are speaking?

“Globox, ebaa yane yaha’s hayines?”

He put a hand to his chin and nodded, “Oh yeah! Wah yane havines!” He whistled and all the baby frogs directed their attention to him “Yaolerps! Ebaa yane yaha’s havines?” Globox pointed at the alien. A soft croak could be heard, but no one spoke up.

The frog turned to the alien and shrugged. Ed frowned. “This was a waste.” He mumbled. Then he felt something, he felt a touch. It wasn’t on his feet or body or even head. It was on, “My hands! They’re here!” His eyes darted around, skimming the sea of frogs. He started to push through the crowd, trying to feel his way to his goal. He attempted to grab, pull, tug, or throw to cause some sort of commotion for a hint.

Globox and Rayman glanced at each other, unsure of what the alien was doing. The two just watched as Ed traversed, trying his hardest to not step on a child. He peaked above the crowd, trying to control his hands just enough to see purple fingers. His hope was draining before a scream was heard from the house.

“Globox!” The voice was high pitched and squeaky, definitely a girl. “Warnie havines ebaa inerpt!”

Rayman, Globox, and Ed exchanged stares before speeding off into the house, navigating the minefield that were little children scrambling inside to see what’s going on. Ed stumbled but was the first inside. He turned behind him to see the blue frog calming down his kids. Rayman followed and looked around.

The house was way nicer on the inside. Rugs with various colors and designs lay on the ground as the wood surrounding them looked freshly painted. Splinters were nowhere to be seen and everything was polished, but still gave off the diy feel. In the room ahead of them was a big living room with three couches. They looked worn out, but comfortable at the same time. Windows were the right size as sunbeams beamed through them, giving the whole pace a homey feel.

“Uglette!” The creature started, “Zoeba wee ebaa inerpt? Bea?”

The voice responded in a scream, so Rayman headed to the kitchen to deal with the intruder. Ed walked behind him, still confused. His hands felt prickly, but he couldn’t fully grasp the feeling.

“Uglette? Is that a name? Who calls themselves-” The alien was interrupted by a finger to his mouth. The two peeked around the doorframe to see the damage.

In front of them lay a kitchen, but it was a messy kitchen. Not exactly super messy, but everything was unorganized and all over the place. Another frog-like creature who looked an awful lot like Globox stood on a countertop, holding a mop. She had light pink skin, also glimmering. She was wearing an apron, now almost falling off, and a big red bow. Her skin was dappled in darker pink spots and her mouth and underside were a white. She also lacked ankles. Ed presumed this one as Uglette. The two pairs of eyes glanced down to see the cause of the chaos.

“Ay, janip boe ebaa hav-” Rayman started before getting interrupted by a speeding alien.

“My hands!” He exclaimed as he ran into the kitchen. There, clawing at the counter, was a purple hand. The other one was struggling in an apron, trying to escape the maze of fabric. Ed stopped in the center of the room and reconnected with his hands. The parts came to a halt and crawled towards the alien, before becoming a part of him. Ed let out a laughed and exhausted sigh as he rubbed his hands. This break didn’t last long as he was bapped on the head by a mop.

Uglette frowned upon him as she landed on the ground, “Zoeba sklank! Snarp waliz zoeba havines! Zoeba waliz wah havine feefo!”

Ed rubbed his head and looked at the pink frog. He may not have understood what she was saying, but she was mad. The alien understood why she felt like that, he did trash her kitchen, unintentionally.

“Woah! Uglette! Zoeba zozo! Garie raviop!” Rayman said, protecting Ed from getting another smack in the head.

The alien got up and raised his hands, “Yeah! What he said. I promise I’ll clean up this mess. I just need to get my can-” He was cut off by the end of a mop to his face.

Uglette glanced at the kitchen and back at him. “Boe. Ellaiep.” She shot a glare at him, like an angered mother.

Language barrier or not but Ed completely got the message. “Yes, ma’am! I’ll get on that right now!” He would have to postpone grabbing the can. “It didn’t feel right to leave my mess anyway…” He mumbled as he picked up a broom from the corner. The alien did mean that sentence, he may be an agent, but he was a janitor at heart, whether he liked it or not.

As the alien was cleaning, Globox walked into the room after putting a kid down. He looked at the messy kitchen and gasped, “Uglette, wah zozoro! Ebaa cavier?”

The pink frog, with her arms crossed, side eyed Ed. Ed looked at Globox and chuckled awkwardly. He turned back to the ground and quietly whistled.

“Eh.” Rayman started, turning to his friend, “Havine obi. Yaha’s grend tilak.” Globox nodded and the two of them watched the alien clean up the kitchen. He was doing a really good job, making everything neat and tidy.

“Zoeba enthe snarp!” The frog called out. The limbless creature nodded his head and gave a thumbs up.

This validation made Ed softly smile, even if he didn’t fully understand them. He kept working, putting away cups, sweeping up floorboards, and washing the dishes. This was all therapeutic for him. He did not understand why or how, but cleaning this dingy room eased his nerves. It made him feel at ease, it reminded him of a simpler time. He got a little carried away, however, giving the whole kitchen a glow up before realizing his mission. He panicked and placed the mop down. He did a quick check up before heading over to the frog.

“Hey, Uglette?” He ran up to her, rubbing his hands. “Is this good? Can I go now?” He further tried to get his point across by pointing his thumb at the door.

Uglette looked at the kitchen and smiled, clapping her hands. “Oh! Zoeba enthe snarp! Wah inerpt larint ebaa weazo!” She giggled to herself and walked to the oven.

The alien glanced around, “So, can I go or-”

“Larint! Oh, Globox!” Rayman exclaimed, cutting Ed off. He patted him on the back and smiled, “Snarp enthe, zozo.”

Ed rubbed the back of his head, “Uhh, thanks, Rayman… I think.” He shook his head, “Anyway, this has been fun but I really need to get the tonic and-”

Rayman laughed and grabbed Ed’s hand and dragged him to the dinner table. He sat the alien down and took a seat next to him, humming a small tune to himself. Ed glanced at the creature, then at the table. He sighed and tapped his fingers, praying that whatever was going on would be done soon. Globox placed himself next to Rayman as the kids filled in the remaining seats. Ed was getting anxious now, worrying about the can and tuning out the conversation happening around him. He couldn’t understand it anyways. His finger taps got quicker as his foot moved impatiently. He gritted his teeth.

“Why can’t I just leave?” Ed said to himself as his eyes darted around. “Well that would be rude.” He replied to himself. “Be grateful that they even rewarded you for your efforts then kicking you to the curb.” He exhaled and rested his chin on his hand.

He turned to Rayman, who was deep in thought with the frog dad. He side eyed the kids, who were all talking amongst themselves. Another sigh escaped Ed’s mouth as he rested his head on the table. He stuck out his hands and wiggled his fingers. It was nice to be able to do things again, even if his first job was the same job he did back on-

“Qerio!”

The alien’s thoughts were interrupted by the call of a pink frog. He looked over to see three massive stacks of cookies. Faint smoke could be seen above them as the scent spread across the room. Ed took a whiff and smiled, there was something nostalgic about these treats, even if he had never tasted them before. Rayman, Globox, and Uglette each passed three cookies to everyone on the table. The baby frogs cheered and dug in. The limbless creature slid a plate in front of Ed and smiled.

“Zoeba rodeec?” He asked, glancing at the cookies.

Ed picked up the cookie and examined it. It smelled great and looked great as well. A small smile crept on his face as he nodded. “Yes. Yes, I am.” He chuckled and popped the treat in his mouth.

Rayman grinned and did the same. The cookies were extremely good and felt like a party in Ed’s mouth. Earth food was good, but never as good as this. The crunch mixed with the melted chocolate perfectly complemented each other, giving the feeling of them dancing in unison. It was all comforting for the alien, giving him the feeling of being home. He finished the last two and downed a glass of milk, only adding to the flavor. He took a deep breath and wiped his mouth.

“Wow.” He said, “That was good.”

The limbless man turned his head and smiled, cookie crumbs rimming his mouth, “Zoeba liep yahi?”

Ed thought for a second, “I’m going to say, yes.” He gave Rayman a thumbs up.

Rayman laughed and turned to the baker, “Uglette! Yaha lieps yahi!” He ate another cookie and took a sip of the milk.

“Weazo!” She smiled and walked over to the alien. She gave Ed a pat on the head, “Yahi ebaa zoeba!” She chuckled.

Ed grinned. He may not have a clue on what she was saying, but the words made him feel fuzzy inside. He got up from the table just as Rayman finished his last cookie. The alien picked up his glass and plate and walked towards the kitchen. The creature drank his own glass of milk and followed. The sound of running water and whistling could be heard as he peeked his head around the corner to see what Ed was doing. Ed stood there in front of the sink, washing his dishes. He also cleaned the other plates lying around. Rayman walked up to him and placed his dirty plates on the side.

“Hei. Ebaa zoeba enthe?” He asked, examining how Ed was cleaning the dishes.

Ed jumped and quickly turned off the water, “C-cleaning up my mess. As always.” He softly chuckled to himself as he dried the cup and set it down. He wiped his hands on his clothes and walked to the doorframe. He pointed to the door, “I need to go get my can now.”

Rayman followed behind, “Mavr?” He questioned, hands in pockets.

Globox and Uglette turned their heads to see Ed by the front door. “Ebaa zoeba kande?” Uglette asked, wiping the mess from the face of one of the children.

“The tonic-.” Ed paused, he had his hands now. He made a rectangle out of his hands and pointed it to himself.

The creature understood this as he gasped, “Oh! Zoeba oriang!” He nodded as he stood beside Ed, “Kande!”

The alien looked around and smiled, “Uh, yes! Let’s… let’s go.” He awkwardly laughed and walked out the door. He waved to the frogs, “Thank you! Goodbye!”

Rayman walked out the door and also waved his hand to his buddy’s family, “Boebavi! Uner janip relips!” The limbless man shut the door and turned to Ed, who was already making his way down the ladder. He laughed and jumped off the edge, using his hair to glide down safely.

The alien witnessed Rayman do this. He kinda just stared blankly before shaking his head and making it to the ground. Rayman put his hands on his hips and turned to Ed. “Evap. Kande.”

Ed nodded, “Yes. Let’s… uh… khan… day…” He tried once again to pronounce a word. Rayman just looked at him and frowned. “Yeah I’m just gonna stick with English.”

The creature snickered and ran off in the same direction on how they got here. Ed quickly followed behind, being able to run more efficiently from his hands. He still came into several close calls with raised roots and low branches, but he was in a better mood. Maybe it was the cookies, maybe it was the fact that he could do things now. Rayman ran alongside Ed this time, laughing at the alien’s slip ups. Ed laughed along with him, though, so it wasn’t that bad.

The two came to a stop in the clearing Ed was in originally. They caught their breath as Ed looked around. He was still in a rush from all the running, so his vision was a little dizzy. He took some steps forward and examined his surroundings. He saw the pile of dust and the grass swaying in the light breeze. He put his hands on his hips and became a little anxious.

“Uhhh… where is it?” He asked himself, his eyes darting around.

Rayman walked towards the alien, also glancing around, “Zoeba yane ebaa oriang? Evap?”

Ed ignored him and started feeling the ground. “My can! The tonic! No no no!” He inhaled sharply through his teeth. “It was here! Right here! I remember! What happened?” He patted where he last saw the tonic.

The limbless man went over to the spot and kneeled down. Ed sighed and laid face first on the grass. “It’s useless.” He stated, “It’s over. I’m finished. And so is this world.”

Rayman gave the alien a sympathetic look before feeling the grass. He looked at his gloved hand and gasped, “Lum powop!” He exclaimed.

Ed lifted his head up, “Huh?” He sat up and examined Rayman’s finger. In the right angle, it glittered a bright yellow. Actually, the grass also glittered a bright yellow at a certain perspective. It looked like bits of the sun fell down, sparking in the beams of light. “What did you say? Lum what?”

“Lum powop! Yahi karvig zoeba oriang!” He explained, picking Ed off the ground. He looked in the other direction.

“Uhh, Rayman, buddy. I still can’t understand you.” The alien also glanced in the direction where Rayman was looking.

The creature put a finger to Ed’s lips, “Shhh. Yaiten.” They both paused and listened to their surroundings. Birds chirping and running water was the most prominent noise. Suddenly, one noise stood out from the rest, it sounded like singing, like a choir of folks. Ed tilted his head while Rayman gasped.

He pointed to the woods, “Warnie! Lums!” He smiled and grabbed Ed’s hand.

“Wait, Rayman! Lums? Where are we going?” Ed asked, looking around frantically.

“Kande!” He pulled the alien into the woods, despite his friend’s objections. The two ran into the unknown, with the faint singing getting louder each step. Ed gulped while Rayman laughed, they were onto something, even if one was lost in the dark.