Alternate Battle for Dream Island

ABFDI 1b: Plunge Into Water

The thing that fell out of the sky nearly gave Match and Pencil a heart attack.

"Well, then you're in luck." The speaker box announced, but it was hard to hear from all the screaming. "Oh my, like, woodsicles! That thing nearly, like, hit us!" Match yelled. "WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Pencil exclaimed. "People. Calm down." The Announcer's pleas fell on deaf ears as the ear-piercing shrieking continued on; within a few seconds, people were starting to gather around to see what all the fuss was about. Some tried to calm the two down, others yelled at them to just shut up, and an exceptional few actually noticed the new metal thing and the crater it left on the ground. Eraser groaned. "Alright, what's all this commotion about?" He'd shout to be heard. "My ears are almost bursting!" The Announcer approached him. "Well, everybody, they're building the island of luxury." Just like before, however, he couldn't be heard amidst all the chaos. "WHAT?" Eraser shouted at the speaker box. "I can't hear a thing!" "Yeah, speak up!" Pen chimed in; there'd be a back-and-forth between them while Bubble and Ice Cube slowly but surely brought Match and Pencil back to normal. "T... That..." The writing utensil spoke in-between gasp. "*THAT*!" She'd point at the Announcer. "That thing did it!" "Yeah!" Match added. "Like, that thing appeared out of nowhere and, like, scared us nearly to death!" Ice Cube was rather distraught by this. "I want *revenge*!"

Bubble approached the unusual talking rectangle, seeking answers. "Hoi!" She tried to sound aggressive, but it just clearly wasn't working. "Hm?" The Announcer turned to her, causing the bubble to gasp and nearly pop herself. "You better exploin yourself, or Oi'll, loike, Oi'll tip you over!" "I was doing that." The speaker box flatly replied. "I'm here to tell you about Dream Island: a whole square mile of paradise. It has everything one could possibly want, and can invite others to share it." "Well, that's... alright to hear. I guess." Eraser remarked. "But what's the point in telling us? It's not like we can afford it." "Maybe I can!" Blocky suddenly appeared, waving a very angry Coiny around. "Do you accept spare change?" "Well, good news." The Announcer continued. "They're giving the island away." "Giving it away?" Blocky looked at Coiny for a moment, then threw him into the distance. "That means it's for free! I'll take it!" "But what about everybody else?" The Announcer asked. "They want it too, you know." Blocky scoffed. "Who cares?" "Uh, I do?" Eraser asked. "Yeah, Blocky." Pen added. "I know you'll probably let us in, but there's just something about *owning* it, you know?" "Why are you thinking about owning it?" Golf Ball interjected. "You don't know how to run anything! All you can do is destroy! It's better off in my hands! Well, feet." "Wait, there's an island up for grabs?" Pencil had finally recovered. "That's our chance, Match! We *gotta* have it!"

"Well then." The Announcer stepped in. "I suppose we must settle this with a contest."

-

"So, yes. Whoever stays on the bar the longest wins."

Before anyone knew it, everyone found themselves standing on a wooden balance beam.

Flower was the first to realize what was up, immediately sensing that everyone was too close for comfort. "Out of my way!" She'd shout. "I need my- GAH!" Before she could take matters into her own hands and push them off herself, Pin would suddenly pick her up, spin her around, then throw her right out of the beam and into the water below. "Woah!" Leafy, who was nearby, would gasp in shock. "You saved me!" "That's what I do." Pin remarked. "The world needs more brave and heroic people like you, you know?" Leafy continued. "You're the *perfect* person to have Dream Island!" "Well, thanks." Pin chuckled. "And you're quite a helpful and friendly gal, too." Leafy smiled. "Just trying to do the right thing!" "How about we team up, huh?" Pin suggested. "If either of us win, we let each other into the island; we could use our combined skills to make sure everybody gets to enjoy it." "Sounds like a plan!" Leafy gave a thumbs up. "Can I get in on this too?" Tennis Ball, who was *also* nearby and precariously balancing on the end of the beam, interjected. "I'm sure you guys could use some smarts." "We *could*, yeah." Pin remarked. "Absolutely! Welcome to the team, pal!" Leafy cheered. It was then when they noticed Blocky behind them, disgusted by a Spongy that he was trying *very* hard to push off; with him so distracted, all it took was a little nudge to render him a non-issue. "Let's go turn Spongy around." Tennis Ball strategized. "He could be used as a defensive wall to ensure we're among the last remaining." Leafy and Pin quickly got to work on doing just that.

At the other parts of the balance beam, yet more shenanigans were afoot. "TB's over there!" Golf Ball muttered, looking to her left. "We *have* to stick together; I gotta get to him!" She'd start running, barely weaving her way around Pen and getting blocked by Woody. "Get out of the way!" She'd shout at him, hoping to frighten him off the beam. "Knowing our luck, you'd be afraid of the island!" Unfortunately for her, Woody was focusing more on screaming than actually losing his balance. "GRR!" Golf Ball grew impatient, and so did Pen, who had to hear all this nonsense. "QUIET DOWN!" He'd finally snap, kicking the two off; along the way, Woody would crash into one of the pillars supporting the beam, causing a little piece to break off him.

Meanwhile, a Pencil entirely focused on balancing would watch as Teardrop would threateningly approach Firey. Eventually, with his back against another person, he couldn't back away any further and would end up falling off as well. "HAH"! A nearby Coiny would laugh at the flame's misfortune; during his plummet, however, he'd end up accidentally setting fire to the beam. Needle, who was also nearby, would start anxiously backing away as well.

After easily managing to pop Bubble, who was helpless being on the other end of the beam, Eraser would form a tenuous alliance with Coiny to fight their way through. "Just to make it clear: *I'm* getting the island, but *you* can come as well." Eraser explained, with Coiny scoffing in response. "As if. We'll see about that." With *some* agreement reached, they'd start making their way towards Match. "Look out!" Ice Cube, who was standing next to her, would point with her foot. "They're going quick!" "Not to, like, worry, new friend." Match replied. "I got this." Quickly acting, she'd use herself to light another fire between them and the boys, scaring them off. "Wow!" Ice Cube was impressed. "Just don't, like, get too close, Icy. You'll be, like, fine." Meanwhile, Eraser and Coiny were no longer having a good time. "Just jump across it, or run through it, or something!" The thing that only destroys folded his arms, getting impatient. "Are you kidding me?" Coiny fired back. "That's *fire*! Don't you know what that is?" "You'll be fine!" Eraser groaned. "It's not like it can actually slap you, or anything!" "If you're so confident about it, why don't *you* do it?" Coiny replied. "What, you're admitting you're a *wimp*?" Eraser quipped. "I am *NOT*!" Coiny shouted back.

Pen had been spending the past while trying to eavesdrop on what *those* three were talking about behind Spongy, but was unable to hear a thing; anything that was actually *interesting*, anyway. With not much else to do, he'd decide to strike up a conversation with nearby Pencil. "So, uh. How's it going?" He'd ask. Pencil shrugged. "Fine, I guess." She answered. "You?" "Fine too, really." Pen replied. There'd be a brief awkward silence, the two unsure of what to say next. "How come you aren't trying to push me off?" Pen asked. "Not that you have any reason to, I'm just-" "Too much effort." Pencil interrupted. "Odds are just as likely I'll get pushed off as well in the process." There'd be another pause. "What're you getting the island for?" The wooden writing utensil asked. "To be completely honest?" Pen frowned. "Just looking to get some peace and quiet, really. Don't tell my friends this, but I've been looking for some time off from them; they're nice, but they can get quite loud, quite irritating." Pencil chuckled. "You *do* know who you're talking to, right?" She quipped. "In all seriousness, though, I'm thinking the same thing. Just a nice place for me and Match to hang out." She'd fall silent. "...Actually, maybe not Match. Recently she, uh... wronged me." Pen scoffed. "Tell me about it." He replied. "Participating in pranks is all fun and games until *you* become the target."

Meanwhile, Eraser and Coiny were continuing to bicker over who was going to do the brave and thankless task of jumping over the great fire. "Just *do* it already!" Eraser was getting antsy. "I'm getting ready, alright?" Coiny groaned. "You just have *no* idea how it looks, alright? You're the one behind!" "Behind? Me?" Eraser replied. "You're the one keeping us back because you *just* won't jump over already!" "Again, *you* do it then!" Coiny shouted. "Coward!" Eraser shouted back. "You too!" Coiny responded. "You're just stopping yourself from doing it by saying *I'm* the coward!" Match and Ice Cube were watching from the other side of the flame, very much entertained by seeing the two fighting each other over such silly nonsense. What would *really* make the whole thing much better, however, would be if they finally started falling off. Luckily for them, they were just seconds away from getting their wish; *unluckily*, it was coming in just about the worst way possible.

Snowball had been forced to listen to those two fight it out, and in addition to trying to keep his balance (a word he probably couldn't spell), it was getting too much for his puny brain to handle. "*ENOUGH*!" He'd pick up nearby Rocky and throw it as hard as he could towards them; it'd end up a bit short and would hit Ice Cube first, completely shattering her on impact. "No!" Match screamed. "Icy!" Rocky would then ricochet and start coming back the way he came, hitting Snowball straight in the face. "OW!" He'd stumble back, inadvertently bumping into Needle, and all three of them would end up falling into the water. While Match was mourning her loss, some of the remaining fragments of ice would end up getting thrown into the flame, putting it out as they melted back into water. "Look! Now's our chance!" Eraser shouted; Coiny then *finally* made his charge, easily knocking out Match. He was too fast to slow down, however, and upon encountering the *other* fire, he'd end up swerving to avoid it, falling down as well. "WIMP!" Eraser shouted as he fell. He took a moment to rest and enjoy himself, having been thoroughly entertained by seeing the one he had been arguing with fail in such a catastrophic manner. "Heh." He'd chuckle. He'd then start to make his way over to the others, only to slip on the ice and meet the same fate.

"What do you see?" Pin asked; she and Leafy had spent the past several minutes delicately moving Tennis Ball over to Spongy, allowing them to look over him. "Well, uh..." Leafy frowned, squinting to get a better look. "Hm. Looks like they're doing our job for us." Pin smiled. "Well, that's a relief." She remarked. "Looks like that behavior of theirs is doing us *some* good." "That's a *shame*!" Leafy complained. "How come they have to get into such trouble over Dream Island? Why can't they just be friends? They can share the island!" "Well, there's only *one* island." Pin remarked. "Maybe if there were, like, a dozen. But still..." "It *is* a big island, though." Tennis Ball added his two cents. "I did the math, and even if everyone was let in, they'd each have-" "That's the thing though, isn't it?" Pin interrupted. "Even if we *did* let everyone in and made them share, they'd inevitably be unhappy with what they got, even if it *is* fair." She'd pause for a moment to contemplate things. "If that's the way things are, if that's how they'll stay, then we *have* to win that island. The only way for things to remain in order, to keep them in check, is for strong leadership to remind them what's up." Leafy sighed. "I suppose you're right..." She'd then go to get down from Tennis Ball, but she'd take a wrong step along the way and would accidentally cause him to roll, sending him plummeting. "Oops! Sorry!" She'd shout down to him. "We'll let you on the island, alright?"

With the competition down to its last stages, and with absolutely nothing going on, Teardrop decided to take matters into her own hands and speed things up a little; she'd charge towards Pencil, taking her completely by surprise and sending her falling. "Woah!" Pen would very much take notice, immediately preparing himself for a fight. The two would end up grappling with each other for a good while, as they were evenly matched and unable to get even the slightest edge over their opponent. Leafy and Pin would eventually hear the commotion going on and would look to join in. "Let's go push Spongy off." Pin suggested. "You said there weren't that many left, right? We can easily fight them!" "Aw, alright." Leafy tried her best to hide a frown; it'd take a while for the two of them to shift Spongy's massive weight, but eventually they'd manage to tip him over. Teardrop and Pen were so busy fighting that they didn't notice the large threat literally looming over them before it was too late. "Oh, come on!" Pen shouted. "Not again-" The two wound up crushed under his weight, and all three of them would fall not long after.

"Hey! We did it!" Leafy exclaimed. "I knew we would." Pin smiled. "But now it's time for the *real* doozy..." "Hm?" Leafy glanced at her. "How about a quick game to celebrate?" Pin asked. "Ooh! Sure thing!" Leafy quickly made her way over. "Rock, paper, scissors!" They'd exclaim, waving their hands along the way. "Scissors beats paper." Pin was triumphant. "I get to push you off." "Wait, what?" Leafy was shocked. "B-But I thought." "I thought you already knew, Leafy?" Pin interjected. "Sorry about this, but only *one* of us can *truly* own the island." She'd take a step forward. "Don't worry, I won't push you too hard-"

"That's where you're wrong." The Announcer suddenly showed up behind them. "The two of you both win." "Wha- huh?" Pin was bewildered. "See?" Leafy chimed in. "We *can* share!" "So, let me get this straight." Pin shook her head. "We *both* get the island?" "Nope." The Announcer continued. "You just get to choose the teams." Pin blinked. "*What*." "The teams for a much larger, longer Battle to win Dream Island." The speaker box concluded.

Pin stared off into the great waters beyond, unsure of what to think, what to feel. "Oh, great." She'd mutter to herself. Leafy frowned, glancing at her. "It's not *that* bad..."