Battle for Some Actual Peace and Quiet for Once

Episode 1 - Some Really Boring Meeting

There was a sudden flash of bright white light, and Triangle found himself spinning out of control, falling towards the ground.

Of course, the immediate first response to being suddenly dropped several kilometers from the sky was intense amounts of panicking. Just a moment ago, he was just contemplating his existence in an infinite dark void, alongside the very person that got him into said mess. But now, he was very much at risk of dying right then and there. As he saw the white clouds below him getting closer and closer, and the blue sky above him not getting any darker by the second, he realized that this wasn't just some hallucination induced by some unknown substance, but as something very real that could very much affect him negatively, if he failed to act on it. Thankfully, physics dictates that if something's spinning very quickly, lift would be generated, causing him to go up. At least, that's what I picked up from the very few classes I suffered through. As soon as Triangle was spinning at a sufficient enough speed, he began to slow his descent, slowly at first, but quickly speeding up. As he wasn't facing *perfectly* straight down, however, he'd begin deviating from his course of falling straight down into the ground and dying an unpleasant death. He'd begin moving about the clear blue sky rather quickly, although without a sense of direction.

Unfortunately for Triangle, however, the problems would only seem to stack up on him further. After a few seconds or so of this incredibly nauseating spinning, he'd unexpectedly hit something in the sky, cancelling out most of his rotation. As he continued falling and spinning ever so slowly, he'd eventually be staring directly at the object responsible for the sudden pain he was feeling: a large metal box. It was featureless, with the exception of one side, which acted as a door, with white letters painted onto it. To his dismay, he didn't even have to look at it any longer to realize what was written onto it. He'd be stunned by the discovery, and so would spend the next several minutes staring in awe as he plummeted into the ground, occasionally seeing the box drifting slowly away from him. With the force of the impact, Triangle thought, it was highly unlikely that whoever was inside was still alive without immense amounts of protection. He didn't have time to think about it further, however, as of course, he was *still freaking falling*.

The impact wasn't pleasant, that much was obvious. Triangle bounced several times, probably breaking at least a single bone, and ended up with a face full of dirt. Thankfully, because he had a whole ton of technological augments to heal him should something like this occur (and *not* because he's the protagonist), he managed to walk it off. He'd still feel the very real pain of it, however. He'd spend the next several minutes groaning and writhing in pain, followed by cleaning himself up and making sure nothing *too* important was broken.

After he was all done with that, he'd take a minute to look around, searching for literally anything to help him with his current predicament. However, to his dismay, in the distance was a metal speaker box conversing with a pink eraser. Immediately after seeing it, Triangle would groan, realizing what he had just gotten himself into.

-

It was morning again in Goiky.

The familiar yellow disc of the sun began to rise out of the horizon, and the sky gave way to orange hues which illuminated the land. The vibrant green grass of the fields, although motionless, seemed to stir with life as photosynthesis began to kick in once more. A gentle breeze would sweep through as well, the last vestiges of the cool and dark night fading away as the new morning came to be. A new dawn for the inhabitants, and a symbol for their bright future.

It had been quite a while since the fields were last calm. Most of the inhabitants could only remember it as a distant dream. Those memories of them simply wandering and frolicking about in the green grass, chatting about nothing in particular, and not having a care in the world were all over. Their once-peaceful way of living was shattered in a myriad of pieces, much like a mirror, which could never be brought back to the way it was, and all their best efforts would always come up short. It had only been several weeks or so since the arrival of those two strangers into Goiky. That Triangle and his strange speaker friend. They were such a stark contrast to the peaceful and carefree folk, and they made sure that they knew it. Their entire lives turned upside-down as Triangle split them in twain, dividing them into two teams, which once never got into conflict with each other, but because of the artificial divide became sworn enemies. Warring became commonplace in these once-peaceful lands, and even though there wasn't any actual blood spilled in the conflict, there might as well have been, spilling into and ruining the lush green landscape. It *was* a Battle for Dream Island, after all. And much like a tornado tearing through towns and communities, it disappeared as quickly as it arrived. By the time the several weeks were over, they had lived, they had learned, and they had loved, but when the hosts disappeared and they returned to the fields, they were back at square one, but they had to pick up the mess they had left behind.

And what of the mess? They knew it was a blight on their world. They knew that it was a cancer, a tumor left in there by the tide of change, and much like any normal tumor, it was going to be a pain, both metaphorical and literal, to cut it out and be rid of it. The two houses, the very symbols of the divide into two, as well as the rest of the living quarters that Triangle had set up, remain standing on the fields. There had been efforts to escape it, destroy it, even. But there they were: Pristine, intact, with not even the slightest scratch on its walls. A monument to the pain and suffering they had suffered in these lands. There were calls to tear it down, of course, but these structures have grown to become so influential to the course of their lives, being the only landmark that stood out in the sea of grass, that trying to destroy it wouldn't be so much as a removal of oppression, but a tearful goodbye. And even if the demand was there, where would they even begin? The people of Goiky had never seen such structures like these before, having been used to their ways of living of just hanging around in the fields, that trying to take it down would be much like taking down a tree: most certainly not impossible, but definitely something that was greatly difficult. And even if they managed it, to tear it down to its basic components, where would those components be moved to? It wasn't like they could destroy them, or anything, lest they cause a larger scar that would take longer to heal.

And so they stayed. Many people voiced their concerns about the decision, but they stayed. For the foreseeable future, it would stay, and they would make use of its amenities and enjoy its cool shade. Its mark on their society was a permanent one, much like most of the effects the hosts had on them, both good and bad. The divide, as much as they loathed and despised it, would remain as pronounced as it was under Triangles iron fist. The powers which kept the divide in place were now gone, but its effects stuck. Much like dousing yourself in paint and then trying to wash it off, it would become a stain that would stay there for the time being, much like all the others. A line had been drawn in the metaphorical sand which none dared to cross, and it still stood even when the man who carried the stick to create it was now long gone. The schism between the two groups had grown far deeper than the mere superficial conflict set up by the hosts, affecting them on a far more personal level. Although most of the friendships that were broken during the competition managed to be mended by its end, the effect of it was still there, whether they liked it or not. Anger still grew inside them from events that were long over, and it wasn't like they could put a bandage on it and declare that issue to be solved. Tangents aside, one thing was most obviously clear from all this: almost nothing from their previous life would ever return, and they had to learn to live with what they had now. This was the new normal.

Regardless of if they loathed it, or cherished it, or somewhere in-between, that was how it was going to be. It was a new dawn, indeed, a new era in their lives. They had gotten through the storm, but they now had to deal with the flood which followed. But at least for now, even for just a little while, they could pretend as if nothing had changed, and they could attempt to go back to the way they lived before.

-

Pencil groaned as she got up from her bed. She wiped whatever was on her eyes, stretched slightly to get the muscles going, and proceeded to get up to admire the silence that happened during the sunrise. She very well knew that it was the only time she truly had to herself, and so she would enjoy it to the fullest.

She made her way across the house, making sure to not cause even the slightest creaking of the floorboards as she made her light steps across. As she went along, she decided to check in on the other girls as they continued with their slumber: Match was still gossiping in her sleep, babbling out nearly-incoherent sentences about the last time she saw someone doing something news-worthy. A soggy puddle had formed around Ice Cube, but that happened all the time, so it wasn't so much of a concern. Flower was clearly having nightmares, Golf Ball was muttering equations in-between snores, and Teardrop remained perfectly silent with not even a hint of breathing. The remaining two, Leafy and Bubble, were the only ones who were sleeping normally. Pencil sighed, realizing how creepy she looked while doing this. She couldn't care less for the boys, so what was she doing right now? As soon as she had checked in on all of them, she finally made her way to the front window of the house, overlooking the empty parking lot and the fence preventing them from going to the fields beyond. As one final distraction, she'd notice that two of the beds remained empty, with not even the slightest impression pressed upon them. Pin and Needle. Where were they now? Their disappearances were mysterious, and remained a plague in their minds. Well, that and the disappearance of Coiny as well, but they didn't care as much for him.

After spending all that time on trivial matters, Pencil finally looked out of the window to watch the sun rise. As it rose, she remembered everything in-between the last time she was calm and now. As it turned out, those two times just so happened to be around the beginning and the end of the competition. She remembered all the competing she had done (although it was very little), all the conversations she had with Match and the rest of the Alliance about the tension that came about as a result of it, the pain of being eliminated, followed by all of her friends being eliminated as well. The painful stays at the Tiny Loser Chamber, Temporary Detainment Camper, and Huge Loser Residence, the road trip, the climactic battle, and then just... The end. She remembered her and the others' trip back to Goiky on Helium the airship, and all the uncertainty that came with it. They had gone through what was possibly the most exciting time of their lives, doing things that they couldn't have possibly ever dreamt of, and then it was all over. Just like that. They had done and lost so much over the span of several weeks, but it all amounted to... Not much, really. They were back to normal, which was all they ever wanted, but at the same time, they felt like they had lost many things when the competition was over. Perhaps it was the sense of ambition. The feeling which encouraged them to strive harder for a goal. Yeah, perhaps that was it. Or maybe it was those that they lost along the way. One of the two.

But even with all the controversy surrounding the competition they had to endure, they could at least sigh in relief, knowing that all the troubles that came with it were gone, even if all the positive things, even though they were few, had gone as well. Of course, they no longer had to deal with competing with each other, with planning to do so in the future, with the shifting web of alliances which could easily snap in an instant. All of it was now gone in the wind, relegated to that time, now irrelevant. For now, at least, they could enjoy the calming atmosphere of the fields once more. The peace, the relaxation, the... Screaming?

"AAAIIIEEE!"

"GOSH DARNIT, WOODY!"

The boys had woken up too, I suppose. Pencil thought to herself, grumbling as she did. Those boys always were a rowdy bunch. As the shouting match began between the boys as one after another was woken up by how loud it all was, it began waking up the girls as well, despite how muffled it became due to being separated by two walls. The girls began groaning and shouting as well, realizing that they had to endure yet another day's horrors and pains. Although it was nothing like that painful competition, the former contestants still hated the sight of some of their comrades even before then. Flower began cursing to herself as she saw everyone else waking up, knowing that at least several of them were going to berate her throughout the day. Leafy began greeting everyone, though it went unnoticed. Everyone else would be doing much the same as Pencil: getting up, stretching, and beginning to converse about all they were going to do for the day. After several minutes of this, mostly in order to get everyone to *fully* wake up (as objects, much like humans, felt the lethargy of waking up, at least according to my headcanon), Golf Ball would make her way to the back of the house, taking a good look at her disloyal subjects (to her, at least), before clearing her throat to prepare for another day of shouting matches between anyone and everyone.

"EVERYONE, QUIET DOWN!"

Everyone would immediately do so, knowing very well what would happen if they didn't do so immediately. Absolutely no one wanted to get into an argument with Golf Ball, especially with her being sesquipedalian and a thought process which none could compare with. After the girls remained silent for a few seconds, during which the only noises being made were coming from the boys house, Golf Ball nodded to herself, satisfied with the job she had done, and continued. "We'll be having yet another meeting today." She continued. Everyone groaned in disappointment as soon as they heard this news. "Ugh, seriously?" Match, who was the closest one in the house to actually being Pencils friend, groaned especially loudly. "Like, no one likes the meetings, alright? They're like, not needed!" "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Golf Ball immediately shouted at her, wanting to quickly quell dissent. "These meetings are all-important! This whole 'competition' nonsense has changed all our lives, and we have to deal with how we will go on in the future! If I wasn't here to manage you all, you'd all be in anarchy by now!" "It's only been, like, a day!" Match protested. "I'm sure we could, like, work it out." "NONSENSE!" Golf Ball fired back. "We all know how lacking in intellect you are! All you do is gossip!".

As Golf Ball continued in her tirade, Leafy would rudely yawn, but Golf Ball was, of course, too busy to mind it. "Is it just me, or does Golf Ball seem..." Leafy shivered. "Angrier, than usual?" Flower shrugged. "I dunno. It just sounds like the stress of having to manage you dorks is getting to her. I'd know." She'd fold her arms. Leafy would simply scoff in response. "Says you." "What happened to you being nice, Leafy?" "You're a-" "EVERYONE!" Golf Ball shouted once more, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "LINE UP! FOLLOW ME!" She'd begin making her way to the other side of the house, which led out to the area the hosts had designated to be where they lined up during the competition. Although they didn't really like reliving the memories of the competition, it helped maintain some semblance of order in the group. Otherwise, most of them would've just escaped and ran out into the emptier sections of the fields by now. As Golf Ball made her way, everyone else would reluctantly line up, not wanting to ruin any more friendships than they already had. She'd struggle to open the door with her feet, as it required quite a bit of stretching to reach, but she'd eventually manage it, and the single file line remained as they lined up in the pavement in front of the houses, and as Golf Ball detached from it to stand in front of them to bark yet more orders. The lining up of the boys would be a bit less harmonious than that of the girls, but they'd eventually manage. Tennis Ball would then stand in front of Golf Ball, being her ever-loyal companion, and the closest thing *she* had to a friend.

"QUIET DOWN!" Golf Ball yelled yet again, as soon as they boys had lined up to the best of their abilities. "SHEESH! DO I HAVE TO REMIND YOU ALL EVERY SINGLE TIME! THIS IS JUST COMMON SENSE!" The crowd eventually quieted down, although a few remained, fighting against the order of the system. Golf Ball sighed. "Probably the best we'll ever do." She'd pause for a moment, remembering her speech for the day (which, of course, she had memorized by heart the night before), and cleared her throat yet again before beginning. "Good morning, everyone!" She continued. Everyone groaned as they heard her grating (to them) voice. At least in her yelling voice, it was somewhat tolerable. Whenever she was in her normal speaking voice, she was normally about to boast something, mostly her intellect. "Did you all have a good night's sleep?" Everyone began to stutter slightly, not really sure how to answer the question. On the one hand, it was the first time in quite a while that they actually got a full 8 hours or so, but on the other hand, some people's dreams went... Less than cordial. Blocky folded his arms. "Of course not." Eraser scoffed. "Yeah, I agree. Would've been way better if I didn't have to wake up to you talking." "QUIET!" Golf Ball immediately shouted in response. "DO I HAVE TO HAVE TB SQUASH YOU?" Tennis Ball would then stare at the two of them, unamused. Blocky and Eraser would immediately go silent from the threat.

"Now, thanks to my *brilliant* leadership and guidance, I have managed to keep everything cordial and prevent chaos from erupting once the competition was over." Golf Ball continued. "During yesterday's meeting, we managed to agree upon the rules and guidelines which we will follow in the future." "Nobody agreed to them!" Eraser heckled. One glare from Tennis Ball immediately silenced him again, however. "But we haven't managed to agree upon who will actually *enforce* these guidelines, as well as what we're going to do in these living quarters. Besides relaxing and having fun, of course." Match scoffed. "Ugh, like, couldn't we just, like, do those two things, like, all the time instead?" "Of course not!" Golf Ball immediately replied. "This competition has reminded me that we're doing absolutely nothing with our lives, which is something I will *not* put up with! I can't just let my intelligence go to waste!" Golf Ball sighed to calm herself down. "So, today we'll be working on that, as well as several other things, if we can squeeze that in with the time we have." She'd breathe. "Any takers?". Absolutely no one would raise their hands up, with the exception of Tennis Ball, who would raise his foot up. "TB, we already agreed that you'd be one of them." Golf Ball remarked. "Sorry! I'm just so willing!" Tennis Ball replied.

Eraser folded his arms. "I'm going to be honest, here. No one's going to take up that offer, GB." He'd begin. "For one thing, barely anyone here likes you, with the exception of your *platonic* friend." He'd do air quotes at the appropriate time. "I can probably count how many people could consider you as a friend with one hand." Golf Ball seethed as he went on. "Second of all, we're already wasting so much doing your bidding with all these unimportant meetings. Why would we want to waste our time even further with this whole 'enforcing' nonsense?" "We're only spending an hour on these meetings!" Golf Ball protested. "And that was *after* all your bickering to lower how much time we'd spend on them! Don't act like that was *only* my fault!" "Oh, I will." Eraser smiled. "Also, the rules are here for a reason! We've been given all these amenities and luxuries by the hosts, and with them gone, it's up to us to maintain their current pristine condition!" She continued. "How would you like it if this place became smelly like Spongy, or even worse, destroyed entirely?" Spongy would protest, but he'd be ignored as the argument continued. "Well, that's someone else's job." Eraser protested. "You said so yourself. The hosts did the job before us, so what makes us the next people to do it? Why not you do it yourself, if you're so insistent?"

Golf Ball's anger continued to grow. "I DON'T HAVE ANY ARMS!" She'd fire back. Eraser scoffed. "Again, not my problem." "Wait a minute!" Blocky joined in on the argument once again, having started it then immediately left as soon as things got a bit ugly. "If Golf Ball doesn't have any arms, then what makes *her* the leader?" "What, can *YOU* do a better job?" Golf Ball replied. Blocky simply scoffed. "Yeah, probably. Unlike you, I actually care about the others. You just want people to follow your orders because you're too lazy to do things yourself." "I am *NOT* LAZY!" Golf Ball protested. "AND-" "Is that so?" Blocky interrupted. "If that's the case, then what else have you been doing, besides boss people around and just being obnoxious?" Golf Ball immediately froze. She actually couldn't recall doing anything *besides* those two things. Well, maybe not the last one, but still. "I... Uh..." "Have you been in the competition long enough to know what the contestants had been experiencing all that time?" Blocky continued. "If you actually had, you'd know that absolutely no one here likes to be bossed around. Not by Triangle, and *especially* not by you." "YOU KNOW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT LEADERSHIP!" Golf Ball responded. For seemingly the first time in her life, she didn't actually have any good response to what was being thrown at her. "FOR THAT MATTER-" "If *I* was the leader instead of you, I'd definitely be doing a way better job by *not* doing my job." Blocky continued to interrupt, which only angered her further. "For that matter, we'd be doing a far better job if *no one* was the leader. We were doing just fine before the competition began, and that was with no one bossing us around!"

Everyone else just stared awkwardly as it all continued. They'd alternate between looking at the smug Blocky and the angry Golf Ball, not really wanting to side with either one of them, lest they anger everyone else as a result. "So, how about it, Golf Ball? Will you know better and give up your useless role, or are you going to remain being the obnoxious bozo you've always been?" Golf Ball remained frozen, her expression clearly showing anger, but wasn't able to do anything about it. Blocky scoffed. "What's the matter, bozo? Lost for words? Has your intellect finally failed you?" Golf Ball began to shake, although not out of fear, of course. Her platonic friend took several steps back, fearing what she might do if she went into an outburst of rage. "...GB?" Tennis Ball asked. "Are you okay?" "NO!" Golf Ball shouted. Everyone would immediately be confused as to which person this was addressed to, and so remained silent. Blocky scoffed yet again. "That's what I thought." "I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP!" Golf Ball continued. She'd take the few bold steps towards Blocky, looking at him directly in the eye (at least, to the best of her ability) in anger. "I'm not going to lose to you, Blocky." Blocky considered spitting at her face, but hesitated from doing it at the very last moment, thinking it was too good for her. "Sounds like you already have." "NO!" Golf Ball yelled.

Everyone continued to stare awkwardly at the confrontation, not wanting to make it more uncomfortable than it already was, although some considered pushing one of them towards each other just for the fun of it. Golf Ball remained silent, wanting to show some restraint, before continuing. "Afternoon." Golf Ball continued. "The back lawn. We finish this. We decide who truly gets to lead this place." Blocky scoffed. The whole idea was funny to him, of course. He couldn't think of a single scenario where he would lose to *her* of all people, what with him having arms and all. If he somehow managed to lose to Golf Ball, he would never be able to live it down. "Will you accept?" Golf Ball continued. "Or are you too much of a wimp to do it?" *Now* his pride was on the line. Even if Golf Ball were to rig whatever she had in mind in her favor, he had to at least try his best. Rejecting now would be an immediate blow to his self-esteem. Blocky reluctantly nodded. "Fine. Why not. I'm willing to give you a chance." Golf Ball finally smiled for the first time that day. "Be warned, though. You might find yourself to be a bit... Disadvantaged, eh?" Blocky waved his arms at her. Golf Ball scoffed. "You make me *sick*." She'd back away from Blocky afterwards. After a few moments of yet more awkward silence, Golf Ball finally concluded. "This meeting is adjourned. Feel free to do whatever you want. Be at the back lawn in the afternoon, though. We'll settle this then." Blocky simply scoffed.

Everyone would then disperse to their usual locations to hang out and such. Meanwhile, Golf Ball and Tennis Ball would remain at the parking lot, scheming.

-

The sun was now high above the sky, indicating that it was noon. Firey sat alone at the back lawn (the new name for the pseudo-park from BFTMTMAADI), waiting for the time to tick by until this event was to occur. The cacophony of noise going off in the buildings continued non-stop as everyone distracted themselves from the ongoing dispute between the 'leaders'. Everyone was either in the amenity buildings having fun, or were taking long naps in the houses, still exhausted from the competition. Firey, however, decided to use this time to just lay there in the sun. The heat seemed to somehow give him energy, what with him being made of literal fire and all.

As he continued staying there in silence, Leafy would walk up to him and would greet him. "Hey!" She'd wave to him. "Hey." Firey would wave back, although with less energy. She'd sit down next to him. "What're you doing?" Firey scoffed. "I dunno. Just hanging around alone, I guess. I can't exactly go inside the buildings, or anything. I might set off the fire alarm." "But you were able to go inside before, and you still hang around in the houses! Why the sudden change in opinion?" She'd ask. Firey sighed. "I don't know about that, either. Maybe it's because Triangle's gone. I think he might've done something so that I wouldn't set things on fire, given that he has all sorts of powers. Now that he's gone..." He'd pause for a moment and sigh again. "How about you, Leafy?" He continued. "Oh, just catching up on some photosynthesis!" Leafy answered. "That trip was *far* too long! Too much travelling, too little sunlight!" "...Leafy." Firey interrupted. "You weren't even there for most of the trip. You disappeared, remember?" Leafy froze. All she could say was "Uh..." as she struggled and failed to come up with an explanation. She very well knew that she disappeared, and what she did during that, but she knew that she was going to be hunted out of the living quarters if they knew of her secret. After spending several seconds in silence, she'd simply gulp and sit down beside him.

"Firey, you're my friend, right?" Leafy asked as soon as she reckoned he forgot all about the whole debacle. Firey would nod to the best of his ability. "Uh, yeah. Of course." He'd shrug. "You *are* everyone's friend, right?" "Yup!" Leafy nodded. "And since you're my friend, you can talk to me about all of your problems!" She'd smile. "I don't have any problems, though." Firey remarked." "You sure?" Leafy asked. "It sure doesn't seem like it, what with your recent behavior..." "What do you mean?" Firey asked. "I mean, what with you distancing yourself from the others and all that. Something *has* to be up." Firey sighed. "...It's nothing. I'm just... reminiscing on the good old days." "What good old days?" Leafy asked. "The competition, or before that? People seem to be awfully nostalgic of the competition these days, for some reason..." "The competition, yeah." Firey nodded. "I know it sucked for us and all, but it was kind of exciting, don't you agree?" "I suppose, yeah..." Leafy nodded. "It did have its downsides, though." "Yeah." Firey nodded. "Especially..." He'd hesitate, but chose to go through with it, as what he had to say was extremely important. "...Their disappearance." "Their disappearance?" Leafy asked. "You mean, like, the hosts? Or... Them?" "...Them, I mean." Firey clarified. "Needle, Coiny, and Pin." "Oh... Right." Leafy frowned slightly as she recalled her memories of them. They were good people. Well... Not so much that last one, but still.

"Yeah." Leafy nodded. "It's strange how they vanished, and all that." Firey nodded back. "I just think that it's all... Weird, you know?" He'd continue. "They were some rather important people. I knew them very well, and they got into... Quite the conflict." Firey cringed as he remembered Pins speeches about why Needle totally sucked and she was so incredible and great and epic and all that. Leafy would sympathetically cringe as well. "And yet people ignore it, pretend that it never happened." Firey continued. "It's just all... A little off, don't you think?" Leafy would nod. "Yeah, now that you say it, it does..." She'd sigh. "But I think they have their reasons for choosing to ignore it. I mean, they did just go through a competition which changed their lives, and now have to focus on how they're going to live after all that." Leafy breathed. "They'd obviously focus on themselves first before anyone else. It's selfish and mean, but I can't say i'm not guilty of that." Firey would nod. "They could've at least acknowledged it, though." Firey continued. "Again, they were important during the later stages of the competition. The fact that they all disappeared, and *only* them, should be concerning." Leafy nodded in agreement. "I'm sure some of them have voiced their concerns, but in private. Like what you're doing right now." Firey nodded. "I suppose."

Awkward silence would then follow, Firey sighed. He had to get what he was about to say off his chest, regardless of how embarrassing it was. Firey sighed. "...I kinda miss Coiny, Leafy." Leafy would raise an eyebrow. "Huh?" She'd take some time to digest what he had just said. "...You miss *Coiny*?" Firey would nod. "*Why*? You two were, like, sworn enemies, right?" "I know!" Firey answered. "And it's because of that that i'm so concerned." He'd continue. "Was it something I said? Something I did? Could he just not live without someone opposing him all the time? I need answers!" Leafy sighed. "I'm sure everything will be answered in due time. I mean, those three are *probably* doing their best to return here..." She'd shudder at the thought. Even then, the thought of Pin still brought her fear. "And once they're back, they can explain themselves." Firey nodded. "I suppose you're right." They'd then both smile at each other. "I'm glad I have someone to help me get that off my chest. I *really* didn't want to talk about the whole Coiny thing with the other boys. You know how they are..." Leafy chuckled. "Yeah. I know, right?"

They'd spend the rest of their time doing much the same as they had during the competition: simply conversing about things and just having fun. They didn't think of it as anything more than simply friendly chatting and fun, and so it *wasn't* anything more.

-

It was now the afternoon. As soon as Golf Ball and Blocky showed up in the back lawn, everyone else followed suit, waiting for what seemed to be inevitable. The two were obviously going to clash, and everyone feared how it was going to happen. As soon as most of them had gone to the back lawn and had seated themselves at the sidelines, the two of them would begin an angry staring contest once again, doing so for a minute or so until one of them blinked.

"Alright, bozo. We're here-" "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Golf Ball immediately interrupted Blocky. He'd simply scoff. "We're here. What are you going to waste our time with this time?" He'd ask. "Are you deaf? I already told you what we're going to do here!" Blocky folded his arms. "Didn't make it clear enough." Golf Ball continued to seethe in anger, but she'd restrain herself from hitting him right then and there. She'd take several steps back, just to make sure she wasn't within arms reach. "This is going to be simple, alright?" Golf Ball continued. "Won't even waste 10 minutes of your time." She'd turn to the others, which had formed a crowd on one of the paved paths in the back lawn. "You guys want that, right?" She'd ask. Everyone would simply nod. She'd then turn back to Blocky. "We're going to settle this in a race." He'd scoff. "A *race*?" Blocky chuckled. "You're kidding me, right?" "What's the matter?" Golf Ball asked. "Are you scared that you might *lose*?" Blocky remained silent after that. "The race is simple." Golf Ball continued. "Three laps around the back lawn. Simple enough for you, right?" Blocky reluctantly nodded. "Where's the starting line?" He'd ask. "TB?" Golf Ball would then turn to Tennis Ball, who was standing beside the crowd. He was dragging a stick along with his foot. He'd then make his way over to them, and would use the stick to draw a line on the grass, ruining the pristine back lawn by a line of dirt.

Blocky scoffed. "Good enough." "STARTING POSITIONS!" Tennis Ball yelled. Some of them would cover their ears in response. Golf Ball and Blocky would then walk up to the line of dirt, getting ready to begin running. "GET READY!" Tennis Ball continued to yell. "GET SET!" an uncomfortably long silence would then follow. "GO!" As soon as Tennis Ball finished yelling, the two of them would immediately begin running their first lap. As Golf Ball had done more exercise with her legs and feet (what with being her only appendages and all), she would be able to outrun Blocky for the first stretch of the race. This, of course, would be met with booing and jeering from most of the crowd, especially from the boys. As they continued, Pencil would sigh internally and think about all the other things she could've done with the time she wasted to watch the dumb race unfold. The first lap would go by uneventfully, with Tennis Ball yelling that it happened as the two of them crossed the dirt line yet again. By the second lap, Golf Ball, even though she was the faster runner, had less stamina than Blocky, and so he was able to begin catching up. By the halfway point of the second lap, Blocky managed to finally get to her, and would immediately shove her into the ground, causing her to begin rolling on the ground. Immediately after, the booing would turn into cheering as Blocky began winning. "Woah!" Match remarked. "Is that, like, even legal?" She asked. "It was legal during the competition." Pencil remarked.

Tennis Ball would be quick to notice the foul (although not really, since there were no rules) play that occurred, and would begin charging towards Blocky. Golf Ball would spend some time struggling to get up, but would eventually manage. By that time, Tennis Ball had managed to catch up to Blocky and tackle him to the ground, causing the cheering to turn into booing. "THIS RACE SUCKS!" Eraser would shout. Match scoffed. "You, like, got *that* right." She'd remark. Blocky would eventually manage to get Tennis Ball off him, but by that time, Golf Ball had managed to finish her second lap. As the third lap began, Golf Ball was struggling to remain at a running pace, and Blocky was beginning to catch up to her yet again, but with Tennis Ball being right behind him. Everyone watched in horror (and in silence) as the race began to reach its conclusion. As Golf Ball and Blocky ran the final stretch of the race, Tennis Ball finally managed to catch up to Blocky and tackle him to the ground yet again, causing him to fall short of the dirt line. Meanwhile, Golf Ball would be able to run (although it was more of a walk by that point) to the line and cross it, but would stumble and fall as soon as she did so. But it was clear by then that Golf Ball had won the terribly-managed race.

It took a good minute or so for all parties to manage to get up once more, with Golf Ball being the first. "YES!" She exclaimed. "FINALLY! I won my first race!" She jumped in joy, though almost tripping and falling yet again in the process. Blocky finally managed to get himself up shortly afterwards, and would immediately object to this so-called victory. "HEY!" He'd shout. "I DEMAND A REMATCH! This clearly wasn't a fair race!" He elaborated. "Nope! I won fair and square!" Golf Ball replied. "Remember the competition? There *are* no rules to any of the contests! You just have to do it first!" "THIS ISN'T THE COMPETITION!" Blocky protested. They'd get into another angry staring contest immediately after. "I don't care! You're not getting a rematch!' Golf Ball replied. "I'M *GETTING* A REMATCH!" Blocky fired back. "UGH!" Pencil groaned. "JUST SHUT UP, ALREADY!" She'd shout. Everyone would freeze in shock, especially Pen. She'd then walk up to them and separate the two from each other. "Absolutely *none* of us wanted you two to fight over the meaningless position of 'leader'!" She'd continue. "And to be perfectly honest, i'm fully sick of it!" "THEY STARTED IT!" Golf Ball and Blocky would then respond in unison. Pencil sighed. "I don't care. I don't care whatsoever. I just want to enjoy my life in peace. Alright?" She'd breathe to calm herself down. "If you're going to argue, then do it in-" "-A COMPETITION!" Blocky would shout, interrupting absolutely everyone.

Everyone froze yet again in absolute fear of what that meant. Everyone began to panic. "NOIO!" Bubble panicked, as usual. "NOT ANOTHER COIMPETITION!" "Not again!" Spongy groaned. Rocky simply barfed in response to all the tension. Golf Ball simply smirked. "You know what?" She'd begin. Pencil sighed. "Oh jeez. What is it *now*?" She'd ask. "I *do* like the idea of a competition. After all, it *is* a true test of skills to see who is truly fit to lead us all." Blocky raised an eyebrow. "Actually, yeah. I agree." He'd reply. "Well, of course I would, given how I suggested it." He'd smile. "I'm in." "So am I." Golf Ball replied. Pencil groaned at the thought. "No, no, *NO*! NOT THIS AGAIN!" Pencil screamed. "REMEMBER THE LAST TIME WE HAD A COMPETITION? REMEMBER ALL THE SUFFERING?" "YEAH!" Blocky shouted. "I *loved* it! Let's do it again!" Golf Ball nodded in agreement. Pencil groaned again. She'd sigh as she weighed her options. After a minute or so of thinking about it, she'd finally reach a decision. "Ugh." She'd groan once more before continuing. "Alright. There'll be a competition." There'd be a second round of panicking as the decision was made. "But if there's going to be a competition, then it needs a host. I'll be the one to fill that role, because I don't want to have to deal with your bickering and-" Pencil froze, and sighed yet again. "...What did I just sign up to..." She'd think to herself. "Ooh!" Match raised her hand. "Can I be, like, a co-host?" "No co-hosts." Pencil replied. Match would groan in disappointment as a response. "If anyone could be a co-host, then *everyone* would. We need at least *some* people for the teams."

"Speaking of the teams..." Golf Ball joined in. "Can we decide on them today?" "NO!" Blocky yelled. "I've had enough with all this competing stuff for today. We'll settle the teams *tomorrow*." "Let's just get it over with!" Golf Ball protested. "Let's do it-" "TOMORROW." Numerous voices from the crowd shouted. Golf Ball sighed. "...Fine." She'd scoff. "But you *better* be there.' She'd continue. "You were the one who came up with the idea, and you're going to suffer through it." Blocky scoffed back. "Fine." "Fine!" They'd stare at each other one last time before walking away in opposite directions. Pencil sighed as the crowd ran up to her and began berating her for agreeing to such a proposal, especially Match. "Ah, jeez." She'd think to herself. "Here we go again."

-

The night was rather calm, even after the Devent had struck and caused everyone to suffer quite a bit of pain. One of the people that was especially hit hard by the Devent was the Announcer, who was now lying on the ground after experiencing the worst seizure of its life. As everyone obviously had other concerns after it had hit, no one really paid any attention to the fact that the old speaker box had failed to show up to address the situation.

In the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep, an unknown floating object would hover over the living quarters, specifically over the Announcer. As soon as the craft spotted it, it would activate its tractor beam, causing the Announcer to float up and be taken inside the craft. As soon as the speaker box was inside, the craft would turn off the beam, and would immediately disappear as quickly as it appeared.