PopCap-Topia: Neighborville has Moved!

Chapter One: Tremors, Lights, and Meteorites

The tremors start at midnight, exactly.

Oh, Dave thinks, at first, This is one of Zomboss’ games. He's probably made a new machine that causes shakes.

(He doesn't think about the fact that he's also in California, where earthquakes are a common occurrence.)

Naturally, as Dave is maybe the one person in Neighborville who's not afraid of the ‘oh so evil mad scientist, the spectacular genius inventor’ Dr. Edgar George Zomboss, he goes right back to sleep.

At one o’clock, his niece shakes him awake. Dave knows at this point it's gotten serious, because Patrice knows he likes his sleep.

“Uncle Dave!” She says. “Somethin’ weird is happening outside!”

So Dave rubs his eyes, throws his pot on his head, and lets her lead him out onto the lawn.

“I'll be damned,” Dave muses as they step onto the lawn. “The sky is on fire!”

It's true - the night sky is alight with flashing colors and lights, almost akin to a bout of flames.

“Yeah,” Patrice says. Dave catches a look of worry on her features. “You think Dr. Zomboss is doing this?”

“Probably. I mean, he's behind everything these days, isn't he?” Dave ruffles her hair. “Don't worry, we'll fix it.”

●●●

Dr. Edgar George Zomboss, who some (mostly himself) may call a genius, paces in patterned steps within his lab. In his hand is a transmitter, through which he is communicating with one of his… trusted cohorts.

    “Brainstorm,” Zomboss snarls through the transmitter. “What the fuck is happening out there. ANSWER ME.”

“Sir, I-” There's a loud explosion. “I can't quite… get a good signal-”

“I sent you out there with my BEST satellite, Brainstorm, what do you MEAN you can't get a signal? I swear, if you are FUCKING something UP-”

“Sir, I am doing my BEST!” Professor Brainstorm snaps back. “These readings are unlike any we've ever seen! The only time the readings have been this strange was when-”

“When WHAT?”

“When we were in… the other world!”

Zomboss’ eyes go wide. He looks up at the screen. One of his cameras is catching the storm - colorful lights raining down, fading into the ground. He's not sure how, but he feels a strange sense of familiarity at their sight.

“I'm going out there,” Zomboss says into the transmitter. Brainstorm makes a noise of protest, but Zomboss quickly shuts him down. “You won't stop me. I need to see this.”

“But - the plants-”

“Oho, that's rich. As if that idiot David and his meager army could best me while this is happening.”

With that, he puts the transmitter down, and from his pocket he pulls his phone. As he's shoving on his coat, he quickly dials a number he hasn't called in, well…

A long, long time.

●●●

Dave and Patrice fly swiftly around the weaving lights in Dave's van (her name is Penny.) The computerized van had made what could be called a protest about flying during a time when there are flashing lights everywhere, but as per usual, Dave didn't listen to her.

“Matilda, stay calm!” He says into his phone. On the other end is Matilda, as could be surmised. “Patrice and I can take care of this. We just gotta find whatever machine of Zomboss’ is causing all this, and-”

He's startled by a sudden ringing that interrupts his call. “Sorry, I'm getting another call. I'll have to call you back, ok?”

He hangs up before she can answer. That's strange - he doesn't recognise the number. He answers it regardless.

“What the FUCK did you do, David?!”

Dave nearly chokes. He was NOT expecting that.

“Who is it, Uncle Dave?” Patrice asks from the passenger's seat.

He turns to face her, eyes wide. “It's Edgar.”

“You do NOT have permission to call me Edgar, you piece of-”

“Hey, hey, there's a kid in the car with me! Hush it with the swearing!” He briefly catches Patrice rolling her eyes. “And what do you mean, what did I do? This storm is obviously your work-”

“Oh, bullshit!” Zomboss yells back. There's a pause. “Apologies, Patrice.”

“It's fine, really-”

“Edgar, this better not be one of your mind games, or I swear-”

“MY games? No, no no no. This is obviously one of YOUR games, David!” Zomboss says. “I've got my best scientists out in the field, trying to figure out what this storm is. Do you know what the closest bet is?!”

“I-”

“Poptopia, David! The place YOU’RE so obsessed with!”

“Wait, really?” Patrice says, unprompted. “This stuff’s from Poptopia?”

“Yes, Patrice, and it's all your UNCLE’S fault!”

“Hey now!” Dave says. “Don't you go jumping to conclusions! I'm about as clueless as you when it comes to-”

“User Dave.” Penny’s robotic voice comes over the radio. “I detect a large object veering towards-”

“-So don't go blaming me, you zombie son of a-”

Patrice takes the wheel from him with a panicked yelp, and veers them left. It's then Dave realizes that a small meteor almost hit them - it could have killed them.

“Ed, look, I don't know why you're blaming me for all this-”

“DON'T CALL ME ‘ED!’”

“Shut up! We've gotta make an emergency landing, or else we'll hit-”

“Calculating safest route for emergency landing.”

“-Thank you, Penny-”

“David, I swear to GOD, when I get my HANDS ON YOU-” 

Dave quickly swipes to hang up the call. “Hold on, Patrice!” He says to his niece. “This might be a little bumpy!”

Patrice nods, grabs hold of the armrest, and the two of them wait for Penny to make her landing.

●●●

Patrice squints her eyes open. They made it! They landed in-

… a tree?

Yeah, it's definitely a tree. A big, green, fluffy tree. She looks over to her uncle - he's passed out from the landing, but he seems fine. Probably just the stress of it all.

Hey, wait. Is that-

“A… chuzzle?” Patrice gasps. It's landed on the van’s window. It makes a squee! at her, and hops off.

She carefully opens the passenger side door, leaning her head out to make sure it's all real. She pinches herself. Turns around, makes sure Neighborville is behind them. And it is. 

“Well,” She starts. 

They're still in Neighborville… but they're also in Poptopia. Indeed, the borders of the town appear to have been ripped from the Earth, and… well… moved.

“That's… that's new.”

She watches another chuzzle hop by on the ground. “Oh boy,” She sighs. She looks over to the unconscious Crazy Dave. “How are we gonna get out of this one?”