Emmet stared out into the empty space in front of him.
It had only been a day since he crash-landed into the planet Undar, where he wasn't able to move.
He could still vividly remember the panicked sounds and arguing of the beings from the man upstairs (Were they children?), the way the boy started yelling into the air and wondering where he, Emmet went (was he the same boy from before?).
…
They both left after that heated argument, not aware of how he was just out of reach, how they just had to look a little more to find him.
…
It was really quiet, and the silence was starting to get to him.
It’s fine though! Lucy was really strong, and tough! She’ll show up to save him after she defeats all of those evil aliens with the others!
He knows that he's probably going to get an earful from her and the others later for trying to go out into space all by himself.
Gosh, he really shouldn’t have tried to get past Stairgate by himself, all of the Apocalypseburgers warned him that he shouldn’t do it, even if they were a bit… mean in the way they told him.
But that doesn’t matter. They’ve been doing that for the past few years now, he’s used to it. Sure, he’s not going to exactly enjoy the way they’re going to baby him, but- but that’s just because they care about him. And yeah, it was a bit pathetic how he crashed so quickly.
…
It-it’s fine though, they’re coming soon, they won’t just abandon him here, he just needs to keep up that optimism that he’s maintained throughout the whole apocalypse until they find him.
He can wait, they won’t forget him, they're friends after all.
But isn’t that optimism what they all hated about him? Didn’t they constantly demand that he should toughen up?
*****
He can’t find the words to describe Undar despite being here for a while now it’s cold and dark and lonely…
Usually, he can hear the kids of the man upstairs coming down before seeing them, the sounds of their heavy footsteps thumping down the staircase and grabbing what they need from what he thinks is the basem*nt, before running back up, leaving him alone, stuck in his head with his thoughts.
He doesn’t have much to do here, paralyzed, left to stare as the world outside continues to move on without him. Unaware of the plastic toy, minifigure, lego person trapped on a strange planet, all alone.
…
Wow, it’s really taking Lucy a while to find him.
It’s been too long since he last saw her, and he misses her. A lot.
There's a throbbing and sharp pain that was making its way up his side. He thinks that it's probably from being flung out of his makeshift spaceship, the explosion from the crash probably ended up injuring him more than he first thought.
There wasn’t much fire when his ship exploded, but he still wondered if he would get a scar from that. Maybe that would make him more tough.
It-it really hurt, he just wanted the pain to stop, couldn’t Lucy just hurry up a bit?
…
Oh- wait no- what is he thinking?? He shouldn’t want them to rush to find him! They got kidnapped! That’s a perfectly valid reason to not have shown up yet.
Of course, Lucy and the others are going to come for him eventually, they’re just not here yet because the aliens are much more evil than they thought!
Yeah! That was it!
Oh… but now he’s worried about her, He remembers that weird dream he told Lucy about, but that was just a dream, and it hasn’t happened, so it couldn’t be true! But, was the ceremony that the general talked about going to cause armageddon?
No. He has to hold on to that hope and positivity, it's helped him for years now, gotten him through his days in both Bricksburg and Apocalypseburg, and Lucy will definitely defeat all of the evil aliens… even if it’s without him stupid Emmet, can’t do anything right
…
He can wait a little longer. It’s what friends would do for each other… right?
*****
He can see Lucy.
She, Unikitty, Benny, Batman, and Metalbeard. They were all there.
…
Not there for him though… why aren’t they saving him?
Weirdly enough, Lucy’s hair was pink and blue, and he wasn’t talking about those streaks that she had before (though they were really pretty), her hair was completely pink and blue, not a hint of the black it's been since he met her. It's so weird, he wasn’t sure if that was her actual hair color or if she’s been brainwashed.
…
Lucy’s stubborn, it’s one of the reasons he loves her so much. She never would have let herself get brainwashed by the aliens they’ve been fighting... But she and the others look so different, and not even in a bad way, but seeing the bright colors and happiness on them after years of seeing them constantly dark and upset was kind of weird.
And…
And they looked genuinely happy too, happy in a way that he could never really draw out of them when the apocalypse started.
He-uh didn’t really know what to think of that, since you know… he wasn’t there with them.
NOT THAT HE WASN’T GLAD THEY WERE HAPPY! Man upstairs no, they needed a break from that constant depressive atmosphere, and he missed seeing Unikitty all bright and carefree, her fur a nice soft pink compared to the harsh fiery red she’d been sporting for the past few years.
As he continued to observe what was happening not like he had a choice it looked like the aliens actually weren’t that evil.
That’s good though! Because if they weren’t evil then that means that his friends weren’t hurt! And by the looks of how everything is going from here, they look peaceful. Which- is a bit weird and he is skeptical of their supposed niceness because they did fight and attack them for a long time, and they did kidnap his friends.
But maybe they actually aren’t evil and he’s just overthinking it.
But then if they weren’t evil then why hasn’t he been saved yet?
Did they just not care…
*****
Emmet liked to cling to the good parts of his life.
It made him clingy.
He knew that it was annoying, wasn’t it?
Before everything that happened, with him finding the piece of resistance and going on a fantastical adventure to save the world, he still did that.
He clung to his potted plant Planty, the only friend that he had, the only thing that he could ever really spill his feelings to, even if it was a plant that couldn’t respond to him. Or provide that comfort that he so desperately craved from a real friend
He clung to the joy he experienced whenever he watched his favorite TV shows. Even though they were repetitive, and meant to keep him under Lord Buisness’ control, they still gave him something to at least try and talk to others about.
He especially clung to the instructions that led him throughout his day, to that mindless routine, telling him exactly what to do, and how to ‘fit’ in. And while it didn’t make others like him like he had hoped it would, and made it hurt more when he found out his co-workers never cared nor noticed him much, they still allowed him to live in that sweet illusion long enough.
Of course, to keep him from drowning in his loneliness, these' joys' he clung to ended up keeping him naive to the world around him, living in that little bubble of cluelessness.
It wasn’t until Lucy burst into his life in the craziest way he ever could have imagined, and pulled him into a fantastical world he never dreamed of existing, that he finally got to have the friends he so desperately craved all his life.
…
Though he may have gotten a bit too clingy. The apocalypse made everyone so tough and gritty, and he could tell that his efforts to stick with then and try to look on the bright side weren’t really appreciated.
But you know, they wouldn’t just leave him here because of that. That’s crazy.
Sure they might not have wanted to keep him around for all of the supposedly dangerous things they were doing, claiming that he was too weak and soft to be able to handle it. And yeah, it did hurt to hear that from his friends, but he still cared for them, and he was sure they cared for him too.
They-they were probably just taking a break right now, getting used to the newly joined system Syspocalypstar and all.
They’ll come for him.
And-and he’ll try to be less clingy if it was so irritating.
He didn’t want them to hate him, did he?
It sure looks like they already do
*****
The cold darkness was suffocating as Emmet laid there in Undar. He had no idea how much time had already passed, it could have been months for all he knew, and he had no real way of telling.
If he tried really hard, he could hear the sound of his friends laughing and singing along to the catchy pop music playing in the background, bright colorful lights flashing as the girl (He learned her name was Bianca) played with them like they were toys in front of him.
They were toys though, just playthings for a higher being
Emmet still wasn’t entirely sure how the way the realm of the man upstairs worked. He could at least understand that the large beings had some form of control over their actions, and could make them say and do things. But then they would leave, off to continue with their own lives.
He thought that whenever they left, everything in his realm would just freeze, no longer guided by the hands of beings outside of their perception.
But that theory of his was scratched off his mental bulletin board once he realized that that would mean they had to play the characters of everyone at the same time. And while they seemed powerful, he doesn't think that they're capable of that, and the main focus was always on his little group of friends.
Emmet also noticed that he could still hear the faint sounds of joy, the sound of Lucy laughing along with their friends as they kept having fun with each other and their brand new Systarian friends as Bianca left them to their own devices once more.
These discoveries made him wonder… Before the war started, when he stopped Lord Business from destroying the entire world with the kragle (Which he now realized was… superglue?), how much of what he did was actually him. And how much was just him being a puppet on a string for the little boy (Finn)?
He… he liked Finn. He seemed like a sweet kid, really perceptive for his age, but he also didn’t seem to have a great relationship with his father.
Emmet hoped they’d resolved those issues now. The kid helped him get that motivation to finally get the boost to becoming a master builder, and help talk down Lord Business instead of ending him to stop TAKOS Tuesday.
He heard Lucy laugh again, bright and joyful.
He found himself listening to her laugh.
A laugh that he would rarely hear during the apocalypse.
A laugh that he always loved to be able to draw out of her, because of how rarely he heard it.
… A laugh that now others could hear too. He’s not special anymore
Lucy was allowed to be happy. He was not jealous of this one little thing he had with her being shared with plenty of others now, he really wasn’t.
He ignored the fact that they seemed to be moving on from him. why would they need to do that They wouldn’t leave him behind, he just had to remember that.
*****
The loud banging of the dryer above him rang in his ears as the mother started it again for the millionth time after he landed under it.
It was exhausting to deal with the insistent sounds of wet clothes being thrown around the machine, and his ears would ring for what he thought was hours on end as it got harder and harder to hear the world around him.
And that wasn’t even including the harsh winds that would swirl around him, whipping his hair around when he would occasionally slip back into his reality, the cold sinking into his bones even quicker.
A small frown made its way onto his face. The isolation was really starting to set in and it felt like a cold dark void inside of him.
He stared out unblinkingly into the empty space, the lights were off and the entire room was engulfed in darkness, as if he needed any more of that. This time the sounds of the dryer running were much more muffled than the first times he heard it…
Yeah no, he’s definitely losing his hearing from this shi- stuff, stuff.
And yet he couldn’t bring himself to feel anything at this conclusion. He’s probably already spent years in this place waiting for his friends to come, they had to have noticed he was gone.
I mean, of course they would. Who just doesn’t notice one of their friends going missing for years?
…He just needs to hold on a little longer, just a bit more, even if he keeps losing more and more of himself to the icy cold darkness.
*****
“Everything is awesome~”
“Everything is cool when you’re part of a team… ”
He trailed off at the end, his surroundings going back to the previous silence that Undar typically took on before the lone Minifigure tried to fill it in with the lyrics of his favorite song.
Was being part of a team ever all that great?
He doesn’t think it means that they should forget about one of their co-workers, especially if they spent years working with him. And yet they still weren’t able to recall who he was, or ever be bothered to learn his name until he became The Special.
He doesn’t think it should mean that they should constantly push him aside, claiming he wasn’t capable, or that he was too soft and weak to be able to do anything by himself, even though he was the one that saved the world, he was the one to save them all from dying, and he was more than capable of doing things by himself.
After all of that babying him, escorting him around Apocalypseburg, and keeping him away from ‘danger’, they leave him alone in this hellhole, and for what? Because they didn’t like how he acted around them? Because they never liked him in the first place? Because they wanted him to toughen up?
Were they leaving him here on purpose to toughen him up?
…
That- he- what is he supposed to say about that?
What? Is he supposed to go ‘Thank you so much Lucy! Yeah, I was left behind alone with my thoughts for a long time, and the isolation was excruciating, but hey! At least I'm exactly what you like now! All tough and broody now!’
…
“Oh f*ck that.” He muttered, an unnatural bitterness seeping into his voice.
…
You know he would have been affronted at the fact he actually swore if he wasn’t so upset furious at his friends right now.
He let out a sigh, the frown on his face growing as he held back the urge to start crying right then and there.
He wanted to believe that they would come for him, he really did, but it looked like they forgot about him, and that little hole of loneliness in his chest that had been slowly growing in the time years he spent here, turned into a deep chasm that was threatening to eat him alive.
He was getting so tired of waiting, his friends looked like they were having so much fun, and the Systarians weren’t evil, so he really couldn’t understand why they hadn't come yet. They had nothing preventing them from doing so, so why?
Why?
*****
There was dust everywhere, covering him in an unwanted blanket, filling his lungs up with every breath he took, never letting him forget where he was.
It was a reminder.
Letting him know exactly what he was left behind to experience.
And how his friends don’t care about him
*****
Sometimes Finn would sneak down to the basem*nt in the dead of night to watch movies, treating them like they were some kind of secret that he didn’t want his parents to know about.
Emmet(?) didn’t understand why Finn felt the need to hide these movies from his parents (other than the spicier ones), but he couldn’t bring himself to complain considering the fact that these little secret nighttime movies were his only distraction from his thoughts and loneliness.
He did find himself enjoying some of the movies that Finn would rewatch from time to time, some of his favorite ones had to have been the movies with the dinosaurs! He thought that they were just the greatest things ever. The idea that people could actually bring back animals that are supposed to be extinct was so cool! His favorite ones had to be the velociraptors. They were so smart! He personally thought they should be renamed Radtors because they were so rad.
God, The things he would do to even get the chance to pet a dinosaur.
Ooooh, maybe he could try time-traveling to do that. Like in that one movie back to the future! Of course, the carnivorous ones would probably try to eat him, but maybe he could train them! Oh and get an entire crew of them, like Metalbeard and his crew! That would make him really tough… maybe Lucy would love him then
He watched as Finn pulled out a DVD from his case and slotted it into the player, making the TV screen light up with the next movie he chose… It was The Matrix… He never really knew how to feel about that one. It always hit a bit too close to home.
There was something about the whole plot that felt way too familiar to how he was thrown into being The Special and saving everyone from Lord Business.
…Maybe it was also the realization that his ‘reality’ wasn’t ever that real in the first place, and he was just a plaything for beings far more powerful than he could ever be.
…
Just some food for thought.
****
Emm̶̯̆̾e̴͚͝͠t̸̬̯̀͐ flinched as Bianca ripped off another Minifigures toys, that’s all they are head, reattaching it to one of the other plastic bodies.
He didn’t know if it hurt when they got pulled apart and put back together to create a new person, fit for whatever the kid wanted to use them for.
It was really starting to hit him how much control the otherworldly beings had over his world. The fact that they could control exactly what everyone said and did, how they interacted with others, killing them off and reusing them for spare parts.
...
Did that ever happen to him?
****
The pop music that kept being played on loop was really starting to grate on his nerves. He couldn’t even cover his ears for that bried moment of relief.
I mean sure, he used to love listening to the bright cheerful tune of Everything Is Awesome, but even then that was starting to get really f*cking irritating ( Apparently Lucy wrote that song…hm). He was a bit glad that he was starting to forget the tune, the pop songs being played were torturous enough... Now that he thought about it he was struggling to remember things other than his ex-favorite song. And wow, didn't that fact just send a wave of panic washing over his paralyzed body. What’s worse is that he couldn’t really do much about the fading memories. He couldn’t help but scoff at that, just one more thing he’s been left here to suffer from at the hands of his friend's neglect. please no, he doesn't want to forget
He realized that a lot of things were fuzzier than they should’ve been.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept, the last time he’d been hugged, the last time he felt real joy and not the bitter loneliness that sunk its jaws deeper into him the longer he spent here.
He could still remember how all of his friends looked even if they were different now, mostly because of the way Bianca would play with them right in front of him. He doesn’t want to think about what would happen if he couldn’t even see anything out of Undar, would he have forgotten what they looked like too?
All he could do was hope that they would save him eventually.
Though that’s becoming more unlikely
*****
It hurts
Please
Why isn’t she coming
Do they really hate him?
*****
They were all just having a great time, weren’t they? Leaving him here was the best decision they all could’ve made wasn’t it?
God, they were all just a bunch of f*cking traitors. They took the chance to get rid of him the moment it popped up, didn’t they? And then they replaced him with the person that kidnapped them of all people.
He didn’t know if he wanted to just break down crying or break something, but at this point he just wanted to be able to do something other than lay here, wasting away as more dust piled on top of him.
He couldn’t understand why they wanted nothing to do with him. Was it his positivity? Did it irritate them to the point they would just leave him for dead? But that couldn’t be true, because they always looked so happy when partying with the Systarians. And that General Mayhem always acted so happy just like him, so that couldn’t be it.
Maybe it was his apparent inability to protect himself. But he defeated Business on his own! He was as much of a masterbuilder as the rest of them, and yet they chose to continue babying him despite the proof he could take care of himself, and he could! He's been doing it for years before he met any of them, did he look that weak?
Though maybe… maybe it was just him that was the issue. Maybe they got sick of him and everything about him specifically.
A laugh bubbled out of his throat, he couldn’t believe it, they decided themselves that they had to babysit him, but then apparently got sick of him enough to just let him rot away without a care in the world.
He couldn’t believe it.
He didn’t want to believe it.
They were still the first people who showed him any kind of kindness or affection, even if it was short-lived, and they only did it until his usefulness ran out.
…
God f*cking- they were just using him the whole time, weren’t they?
*****
The longer he spent here, the more he could feel his mind begin to crumble under the weight of Undar.
He wanted to move, he wanted to get up onto his feet and walk away from this whole mess. To get away from this awful place that’s been chipping away at his mentality, but he couldn’t. And that’s what Lucy left him to deal with.
Nothing more nothing less.
He still remembered the times she looked at him lovingly, the little moments of weakness she would share with him, soft kisses that would be gone as soon as they came but only made him appreciate them more… he doesn’t remember what that felt like anymore.
She always used to call him Ems, a nickname that he thinks he was happy to be called, it meant she cared, something special just between the two of them, something he never let anyone else call him. but now? It doesn’t really… fit him anymore?
He’s not Emmet anymore, is he? That sickeningly sweet optimism washed away a long time ago crushed along with any hopes and dreams he had and Emmet… Emmet was meant to make his friends happy, he was meant to reassure them in the dark times of the apocalypse, meant to brighten their day, meant to be their friend.
He’s not doing that anymore now is he, the Systarians Mayhem are filling in that role for him now. Just… Brightening up everyone's day. Like the f*cking rays of sunshine they were. it hurt, it hurt so much
But… if that’s the case…
Then who is he?
*****
He hates them so much
They just left him here
To die
Like he was worthless
They were always just pretending
They.
Never.
f*cking.
Cared.
…
It was about time he accepted that.
*****
The kids were fighting again.
It wasn’t about their toys, they stopped arguing about that a long time ago after Finn gave up his love for Legos and finally grew up. No, this time it was about some other thing Bianca did to disturb him and his belongings.
The two teenagers' voices were a little bit muffled by his damaged hearing, but he could still get the gist of it from the yelling at each other.
Of course, eventually, their mom came down to check on all of the noise they were making, forcing them both to stop before going back up the stairs. As far as E̴͖̚m̷͕̏m̶̭̕e̴̤͗t̵̨̔ could see from his limited view, Finn shot his little sister one last venomous glare before stomping up the stairs to (what he thinks is) his room.
Bianca stared dejectedly after her older brother before slowly dragging her feet up the stairs to follow him out of the basem*nt, shutting off the light switch, plunging the room into darkness, and leaving him alone in silence once more.
He didn’t know when Finn started to develop this hatred towards his sister, but the isolation on this godforsaken planet allowed him to watch as over the years the boy slowly moved on from childish things and finally began to toughen up. Leaving behind everything that made him special.
It… Good for him honestly. He probably should have done that himself a while ago, probably would have saved him from all of the humiliating comments from all of the f*ckers in Apocalypseburg.
But then they have the f*cking audacity to just go off and join the aliens that they’ve all been fighting, the ones that he’d been told countless times were just evil and heartless. They- for f*cks sake -he’s watched them all link arms and run around giggling like a bunch of school children, disregarding everything that happened in those 5 years of war, like there was never any kind of amniosity between them.
A bunch of hypocrites the lot of them. One day they keep up that stupid ‘tough’ act, and then the next it’s all sunshine and rainbows, but when HE does that, apparently that means he’s weak, and unable to take care of himself.
…
He misses loves hates them.
He hates them a lot.
*****
It took a while…
It really did.
But he gets it now. He finally gets it.
It doesn’t matter how much he gives to others, how much he does for them, how much he cares. Because even after all of that, he’ll always be pushed aside, lingering in the background until they need him again.
But the moment his usefulness runs out? When every bit of potential has been squeezed out of him?
Then they’ll just toss him aside like a used rag while they move on to the next newest thing that they find is worthy of their attention, leaving him behind to fade away once more, only giving him that brief but oh-so-sweet taste of glory, fame, happiness, before ripping it all away again.
…
It…It’s just not fair.
He’s spent all of his pathetic, useless life giving, and giving, and GIVING, to the point that now? He just wants to take.
He wants to be able to take things, keep something all to himself that no one, no one can ever rip away from him ever again.
He wants that recognition, that fame that’ll make sure that he'll never be forgotten ever again.
The whole ‘saving the world from doom’ schtick only made him memorable for a split second, because oh- obviously saving everyone from imminent doom is not that special is it? Since everyone’s done it before haven’t they?
…If saving them won't do anything, then maybe making everything crumble to the ground will make sure that they remember him, forever. No matter what.
*****
Well, Finn’s finally leaving for college. All ready to grow up and move on from everything here, just one more person leaving him behind… again.
The kid has got to be what? 18 now? That means he’s been here waiting for 5 years now.
…
It’s been 5 f*cking years.
A dark bitter laugh bubbles up from his throat before the dryness from his dust-filled lungs reduces him to a coughing fit that won’t stop
5 motherf*cking years he has been left here with NO salvation in sight, not even a little hint of anyone caring anywhere! The fact of how disposable he was to all of them being thrown into his face time and time again.
Now this whole song and dance of everyone but him moving on with their lives and getting their happily ever after was getting old. At this point, he’s willing to do anything to get out of this hellhole.
Maybe when if he finally gets out, he’ll be able to get that revenge he’s been wanting on all those pathetic traitors idiots.
.
.
.
He wants needs to destroy something. Tear bricks apart piece by piece, make entire skyscrapers crumble to dust, they didn’t care about him! So why the f*ck would he care about what they think?!
Time and time again he’s been proven that they don’t care, so why was he still clinging on to that stupid hope that they’ll come!? He just wants to destroy everything until there’s nothing left. If he can’t have anything why should they?
Why should they get their happily ever after while he rots away, stuck in a tortuous never-ending cycle of hate and agony, destined to watch as everything he ever wanted is given to someone else?
He just wants them to love him, he thought they were family
And GODS he so f*cking pissed. White hot rage washing over his mind in waves, making it hard to think straight, but it’s so much easier to let the anger consume him, because then he doesn’t need to think about how much it hurts them anymore. All he can think about is the fiery red fury that’s burning him from the inside out.
He doesn't notice his body shaking
He won’t cry over them anymore, he refuses to cry over those nobodies.
HE WANTS TO GET UP AND CRUSH THEIR SKU-
CRACK
…
What. What the f*ck.
The anger that was rushing through his veins abruptly stopped as he realized, oh wow he’s on his back now. He just moved.
Once the shock passes, pure delight pulses through him for the first time in years, because he just moved! He can finally get up and out of this place now!
All he had to do was grab onto that anger, that betrayal he’d been denying himself of, and pull himself to his feet. Sure it felt like dragging his limbs through molasses during the first few attempts to get up. Still, the possibility of finally tasting freedom after all these years made him cling even harder to all those negative emotions, his only company after all this time.
And as he took his first step out of Undar, a rough laugh full of relief bubbled out of his chest. He could finally savor the feeling of being able to use his limbs, tasting the not-as-dusty air of the real world, his attention was drawn to the bright and colorful bricks that made up Syspocalypstar. Anger lit up again as a plan started to click together in his mind.
First thing on the list, getting a new name.
He climbed up the wire hanging off the edge of the table, like some kind of cool action hero! hopping over the drawers full of spare pieces.
He wasn’t Emmet anymore, that part of him was lost to the cold darkness a long time ago.
But as he stared at the extra pieces lying inside the compartments, pulling out a dark blue vest, a lime green R stamped on the front of it. Infinite possibilities were thrown around his thoughts, a grin stretching across his face.
He wasn’t called a master builder for nothing. Now that he was finally free from the confines of his stupid naivety, he could be so much more than what he used to be.
He could be so much more than what they ever were.
Once he's done, everyone will finally remember him.
They'll all rememberRex Dangervest
*****
