Holding my arm firmly, Leafy rushes over with me to the sandy island shore.

"Here we are; the place where you'll learn your identity!" Looking out at the open ocean from my spot standing on the sand, I take a little time to marvel at the waters' seemingly endless, expansive size, its sapphire-blue complexion, and the myriad glimmering ocean waves rippling on its surface.

"You ready?", Leafy asks. Snapping out of my gaze, I nod.

"Well, look in the water," she says, a strong sense of assurance in her tone. Slowly, I get to my knees, and carefully bend down to peer in the water.

Whoa... I really am an object.

In the water, I see everything that I thought myself to have when I first arrived, but I also notice a light mint-green label wrapped around the circumference of my body with a picture of a strawberry on the front of the label. Most of all, however, is a giant pink swirl on top of my body. From seeing this, I immediately assume that this is where I'd touched that strange pink substance a few hours earlier.

Am I... a cup of strawberry yogurt?

"Leafy, I think I know who I am now."

Excited at the news, Leafy frantically waves her arms.

"Really? What are you?" I ready myself to tell my ecstatic friend the news. "... I'm a yogurt cup."

"That's really cool!", Leafy excitedly exclaims. "So that means your name is Yogurt Cup?"

Thinking it over, I realize Leafy is right.

"I suppose so... you know, you're the only object here in this 'Goiky' place that I know so far. I haven't even seen anyone else. So, if it isn't asking too much of you... could you take me to see them all?", I ask shyly, only to immediately regret my words.

What was I thinking? I felt so selfish to be asking Leafy of such a difficult request, especially taking into consideration that everyone except for me apparently hates her after what she'd done. In addition to that, I remember that earlier, I said to myself that I didn't want to drag Leafy into this situation that I'm dealing with, and yet I'm doing that right now by asking Leafy to help me with my own problem.

I await her reply anxiously, looking down with my face beginning to turn a bright red. Asking her to help me with my own made me feel selfish and shameful. With Leafy's back turned towards me, presumably as she thinks of something to say in response, I look away in shame. "...You know what, I shouldn't have said that, Leafy...", I mumble regretfully.

Then, she finally responds. "I don't know if I can do that, Yogurt Cup...", she says as she turns around to face me. Then she sees my face, and grows extremely guilty. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry, Yogurt Cup; I shouldn't have left you hanging without an answer for so long... I was just thinking it over, and I didn't realize...ugh..." Leafy rambled on regretfully.

A few moments of silence later, noticing that I'm still upset, Leafy tries her last resort of calming me down and gives me a huge hug.

"Please forgive me, Yogurt Cup..."

Of course I do, Leafy; of course I do.

I don't say anything yet, but after a few moments, I hug Leafy back tightly.

"I understand, Leafy. It's OK. I'm sorry..."

Eventually we let go and are about to head off somewhere else until something annoying interrupts our activity.

~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~

"Leafy, where are you? Leaf- wait, who is ?!", a small, shrill, whiny voice calls out; it sounds female. Leafy quickly turns around to the source of the ear-grating sound to see a small, transparent, cubical armless being with an enraged expression on her face who is glaring right at me.

"This is my new friend, Yogurt Cup! What does it even matter to you anyways, Ice Cube? Don't you me like everyone ?", Leafy hisses. I never would've guessed she has the potential to be so fierce.

Tightening her grimace, 'Ice Cube' starts to become even more upset.

"I don't care about whatever business you're minding, Leafy. I'm only calling for you because Match and Pencil need you to get them something. Now come on and get away from that weirdo stranger!", Ice Cube rants.

Rude.

"I'm serious, Ice Cube; go away. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm hanging out with my friend," Leafy retorts. I can tell Leafy is seriously pissed right now.

"Fine, then, Leafy; since you want to be so , have it your way. But I assure you, you will get off so easily. I'll be back!", Ice Cube growls as she stomps off. 

"What is her deal? I didn't even say or do anything to her...", I mumble, feeling both dejected and upset at the fact that I just made my first enemy. "Don't worry about her, Yogurt Cup; she isn't gonna do anything serious," Leafy assures me.

Not long after Leafy made her statement, however, I feel a hard kick on my back.

"Ow! What is your problem, Ice Cube?", I exclaim. A expression of shock flashed momentarily on Ice Cube's face, but then it quickly forms into an even angrier expression. "How does she know my name? Leafy?"

With no other choice, Leafy is forced to explain She sighs heavily and starts to speak. "I indirectly told her when I addressed you by your name, obviously. In fact, I was minding my own business when she bumped into me a few hours ago. We talked, and she said she had no idea what she was, so I helped her to find out. Now we're getting to be good friends, and she said she wants to meet everyone here and that she hopes to make more friends and has a good life here in Goiky. And yet here you are trying to ruin that by hating her for no reason! Lastly, Ice Cube, her name is Yogurt Cup.", Leafy rants. But Ice Cube isn't done yet.

"Oh, really? Well then, since this 'Yogurt Cup' apparently has me as an enemy according to you, I'll tell my alliance everything you told me about her, and I'll make sure she'll have more. Mark my words, I will have my REVENGE!", Ice Cube maniacally smirks, chuckling 'evilly' as she walks away. Unimpressed by Ice Cube's pathetic first impression, I roll my eyes.

"Ice Cube isn't threatening in the least," I remark.

"You know, Yogurt Cup? You're right. Ice Cube is just full of nonsense, as usual," Leafy nods, agreeing with me. "She isn't going to get far with that attitude," she continues before pulling me back into our hug from earlier.

You bet she isn't, Leafy.

animatic_fanatic