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It’s amazing how big a single seed can grow.
Mind you, this is no ordinary seed. On the contrary! It’s a seed as special as the one that grew the Tree of Whimsy itself! At least, that’s what it feels like, to Bdubs.
He handles it with utmost care, planting it just outside of the shade of the Tree. Plenty of room to grow, but also ample opportunity to connect their roots.
Oh yes, this is going to be something big, he can tell. He could tell back then, too, when he first found the magical little sapling in the deepest dungeon underneath his monolith base. Something about it seemed to be calling him, guiding his actions. Bdubs remembers reaching out towards it, not quite making it, but the sapling made its way into his hands, somehow.
He doesn’t remember it burrowing into his skin, fusing with his very code. It all gets a little blurry after that point. He awoke a few days later, pulling himself from the ground, and there it stood: his tree.
He never really dared to confront its true nature. Or his own, for that matter. And why would he? He was busy. He’s a busy guy! Always building and drawing up new designs and running errands for the people he feels obligated to follow, you know how it goes.
But now… Now he has time. And he felt it, too. It was a long process. It started with a writhing feeling deep inside. Little sprouts turned into moss which turned into a soft cloak that helped him store and even create his own energy. He began to feel— really feel— the trees, leaves rustling in the wind, and hastily cutting any flowers that he found in his hair after taking a break in the sunlight.
The Tree has been trying to tell him something for a very, very long time, and he didn’t want to listen.
He could always hear it, feel its presence in the back of his head—no, rather, deep within his core.
It was finally time to confront that part of his past. That little something that merged with him when he found it. All the way back at the start of Season Nine. And now, it’s happening all over again.
That is, planting a new seed.
“Here, I’ll help you grow all big and strong, just like ‘ol Bdubs here himself!”
Bdubs pats the dirt gently, and by magic, the seed begins to sprout, a small line of green growing up, up from the earth, bending and twisting, reacting to any shadows, searching for sunlight.
He can feel its roots growing and spreading and connecting, making use of the rich soil to grow taller, bigger, spread wider. Bdubs never wanted to acknowledge this kind of connection at first. He doesn’t know what changed for him to want to explore it more, now. He remembers avoiding it as much as he could at first, yes, but now he’s not so sure where his moss cloak ends and where his own body begins anymore.
The sprout—the body grows and grows, stalks and leaves splitting off, weaving and knitting together into a vaguely humanoid shape. What was only one seed develops into flowers of all different kinds of plants; bark hardens, vines stretch, and moss layers over everything. Bdubs begins to feel a little dizzy as it all happens. He blinks, he—it—he can already feel so much. He grabs a pair of shears from his pocket and trims away some of the leaves, revealing big brown eyes staring back at him.
…
…
…Woah.
That’s him. It’s like looking into a mirror but finally, actually, really seeing yourself for the first time. No, it’s certainly not perfect, but that’s him. Bdubs breathes in. The leaves on his other body do the same, opening up to begin collecting energy. He can see double, he thinks. They’re still in the process of connecting.
“Hello there,” he says, and his voice sounds both clear yet muffled, still. He shakes his head. He rustles his leaves. He can feel the wind on the other self’s grassy coat.
He’s both frozen and rooted to the ground. Stunned. He could move, if he wanted, but he’s just… he’s… Did he know that this would happen? That he was capable of growing a copy of himself? His other body is still, too. Simply observing. Waiting. Guarding.
He could use this.
If he ever gets a hold of another seed, he’ll pick a better location. A more strategic one. To prank people, of course. Or to handle his moss shop, or… Either way, he’ll do it better! Focus his energy, now that he knows what it feels like. He’ll make sure the next body won’t be rooted to the ground completely. It will be mobile, like he is. An extension to the Tree, able to move and talk and fight and build. Oh, yes. He was distracted by the sensations of growing new life, but he won’t be distracted next time!
“Hey, um… Bdubs? Bdubs es?”
Both of them look right at Etho, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He could hear Etho’s voice double, see him twice from the slightest difference in perspective.
“I… I lost the key to the cellar. Do you…?”
“I’ll be right with ya.” And Bdubs walks back to the Monolith, Etho following him closely. He can see Etho looking back at his new body with wide eyes. Does Etho know that that’s him? Does he know that he can see and feel through his new body as naturally as his other one? That he’s much more connected to the Tree of Whimsy than even he thought?
That underneath his overalls, he’s a writhing, tangled, intricate construction of vines, roots, and twigs all the same?