Bubbles SMP: Retold - Chapter One

Nine - Captivity

Jack and Bubbles looked around. By now, zombies and skeletons had begun to appear around as the moon's light shone down from directly above. Jack noticed that there was a creeper approaching Bubbles from behind.

He may not have noticed it, but it definitely noticed him. The creeper slowly crept up behind Bubbles. Jack saw his opportunity and took it.

"Hey, Bubbles?" Jack panted.

"What?"

"Wanna see a magic trick?" Jack mimicked.

Bubbles eyes widened with realisation as Jack pulled out a potion of poison and smashed it straight in his face. The glass shattered instantly, the poison quickly affecting Bubbles' ability to breathe.

"YOU FUCKING-" he struggled, his windpipe closing.

The shock had Bubbles stumbling back, straight into a creeper. It began to fizz and glow. Jack quickly leapt into a sand dune for cover as Bubbles exploded into hundreds of pieces.

As with Jack, Bubbles' inventory flew into the air and landed all around the crater that the creeper had created.

"Holy shit..." Jack muttered, peering over the dune. "I guess that makes us even..."

He hopped over the mound and slowly staggered towards the pit. If he could take the disc back now, all of his problems would be sorted. Jack fell to his knees and began to frantically search for the music disc amongst Bubbles' other items.

An enraged Bubbles landed with a quiet thud on the sands of Ducctopia as he clutched a spare stack of ender pearls. He took a bow, paired with a poison-tipped arrow, and pointed it at an exposed part of Jack's skin.

Jack could feel his presence.

"How did you get here so quickly? You just died..."

"I got over it." Bubbles scowled. "I would get the fuck out of my stuff right now if you don't want to lose a second life."

"Oh yeah? You haven't even got anyth-" Jack laughed, looking up.

Greeting him was the green tip of an arrow, pointed straight at his eye. He could almost smell the poison emanating from it.

He slowly raised his empty hands. He had failed to retrieve the disc from the pile in time. He slowly stood up and hopped out of the crater.

"What the fuck were you thinking, killing me?" Bubbles spat.

"You killed me first!"

"Do you not understand how valuable our lives are?" Bubbles hissed.

"You literally fucking killed me first, mate. What am I supposed to do, sit there and take it?"

"Exactly." Bubbles hissed.

He did not drop his guard and kept an eye on Jack while rummaging around for his sword and armour. Once fully reunited with his inventory, Bubbles rose out of the crater slowly, sword pointing outwards.

"I'd argue that fight was a draw." Jack nervously shrugged.

"No, it definitely fucking wasn't. I think I was the clear winner." Bubbles hissed at him venomously.

"In what world?"

"Well, I'm standing here pointing a bow at you while you cower in despair."

Jack had no response. It was true that Bubbles had the upper hand right now.

"Besides..." Bubbles smiled. "I still have the disc."

He pulled out the pristine music disc and spun it on one of his fingers.

"But not for long." he finished.

He dropped the disc on the sandy floor. Then he grabbed a flint and steel, lighting the floor on fire. The disc instantly burned away in the flame. Bubbles stomped on the small fire and it was put out.

Jack stood in silence. As did Bubbles. Bubbles had a mad smile spreading like wildfire across his face.

"NO!" Jack screamed, swinging his blade at Bubbles blindly.

Bubbles craftily sidestepped the attack and quickly pressed his own blade back against Jack's neck. Jack immediately stopped moving, and held his breath.

"Now you're gonna drop all your stuff. Right fucking now." Bubbles whispered in his ear.

Jack stayed silent, a single tear fell from his eye. It wasn't that he was crying, it was just the feeling of shame. He glared at Bubbles' smug, victorious face.

Suddenly, Bubbles dug a hole in the dirt with his shovel. Once it was two blocks deep, he pointed into it.

"Drop all your stuff in the hole."

Jack sighed loudly. He didn't want to co-operate. By looking around, he could tell that nobody was coming to save him.

"I think it's clear who won this battle now, isn't it? Drop your stuff in the hole. Now." Bubbles spoke through gritted teeth.

Jack calmly began to dump out his inventory onto the floor. First his armour, then his weapons, and then the rest of it.

Bubbles lit the hole on fire and watched emotionlessly as everything Jack had worked hard for melted away. Bubbles put out the fire and jumped into the hole, retrieving the unburned netherite equipment.

He quickly placed down an ender chest and found a yellow shulker box. It was already labeled 'Jack's Stuff'. He quickly put his netherite inside and closed the box, shoving it back inside the ender chest.

"I suppose this makes me your slave now?" Jack snarkily asked.

"Of course it does!" Bubbles shouted gleefully. "Now you get to come and live with me!"

Bubbles looked out to the ocean. The sun was slowly starting to rise. He quickly grabbed Jack by the arm, knowing that people would soon be awake and out to get him.

"Come on, you moron. Wouldn't want anyone coming to save you, would we?" Bubbles asked.

Jack shook his head fearfully.

They escaped to the nether unnoticed and unscathed. Once inside, Bubbles quickly ushered Jack to cross the frozen bridge with his sword.

As Jack crossed the bridge to his doom, he thought about the many regretful choices he had made up until this point. Now he had no disc, and no freedom. All he could do now was hope and pray for saviour.

"I should have just listened to Taylor..." he thought to himself.

Bubbles led him through the second nether portal. He quietly forced Jack into a boat.

"So, where are we going?" Jack quietly asked, trying not to annoy Bubbles.

Bubbles picked up the ores and began to sail the boat towards his unfinished exile house.

"To where I've been living. Idiot." Bubbles growled.

They sailed past the island where they had first started fighting. Jack couldn't believe that all of this had been going on for a full day.

They finally reached the large island. They climbed out of the boat and Jack observed the large potato farm hanging off the edge of the beach. It seemed like Bubbles was already well stocked...

"Seriously, is this it?" Jack asked, irritated, looking upon the unfinished build.

"What, were you expecting paradise?" Bubbles scoffed. "We can just build it together."

Bubbles walked up to a workbench and grabbed a diamond axe. He turned back to Jack and handed him it. He pointed to the insanely large spruce forest close by.

"Go farm wood. We'll need loads of it..." Bubbles instructed.

"Yes... sir." Jack obediently listened.

His idea was to befriend Bubbles. It wasn't like he had any other choice. If he was able to become good friends with him, he may be able to get his stuff back, and return his life to normal.

As he went to chop down the tall trees, he tried to block the thoughts of his pigstep disc out of his head. But unfortunately, some things are never forgotten.