Another average day in the Ruins of the Golden Skylands. A place once home to the legendary Prequels, now housing the grand army of heroes known as the Disciples.

Tirelessly, they fight to defend the Fictional Realm. But while waiting for missions, you can find patient Disciples honing their skills in combat, travelling across worlds to find adventures of their own…

Or having a quick meal at the Food Court where Disciples can unite with friends and chat about their daily lives in and out of the battlefield.

"…And that's the last time I'll build something mid-brainfreeze." Tails says to the Disciples in his table, concluding his story: His brother Sonic, Sayaka Miki, Kirby and Anakin Skywalker.

"I feel sick." Sayaka winces painfully, not even wanting to look down at the cheeseburger she ordered.

Kirby meanwhile claps to the story rapidly, a gleeful joy on his face. Chances are, he didn't really understand the story, but still wanted to be polite to the Disciples' chief mechanic. His food not even present on the table, not even the plate… both victims of his ravenous appetite.

"I didn't even know technology could even do that." Sonic comments, eyebrow raised in both intrigue and disgust whilst holding a pizza slice.

"Neither did I!" Tails exclaims, drumming the table with his gloved fingers. "Nor do I wanna do it again!"

"Remind me to never sit with you guys again." Anakin grumbles, already preferring Obi-Wan's speeches about protocol and fighting defensively over the birth of Tails' worst invention yet.

The disgusted aura clears however when a voice comes hollering from the distance, busting through the doors of the food facility.

"Guys! Guys! Guysguysguysguysguys!"

The one scrambling to the table in a crazed panic is Neptune, her pink hair unkempt and splotches of dirt smothered across her typically stark purple dress.

Falling onto the surface of the table before picking herself up again, Neptune breathes heavily and eyes each of the Disciples with a twitch in her head.

"It's an emergency!"

"Thank you, a mission!" Anakin holds out the hilt of his lightsaber.

"You bet your missing accent there's a mission! A big one!" Neptune pants. "Someone. Stole. My FIRST pudding cup!"

Anakain stands still for a moment in disbelief before slumping back in disappointment.

"I don't know about you guys, but pudding doesn't exactly sound like a big deal." Sayaka says. "Just get one from the Sugarcube Corner over there." She adds, pointing backwards to the sweets stand.

Neptune leans over to Sayaka, practically shaking. "I think you forgot the part where I said… my FIRST pudding cup!"

She reels back, lulling her head in distress. "The very first time I ever tried pudding… it was the first thing I ever ate after being born in that Imaginite Factory!"

Sonic blinks for a moment. "Wait, you still kept that?"

"You know what she's talking about?" Sayaka then asks her mentor, who hums in acknowledgement.

"Course I do. I was the one that gave it to her." Sonic replies. "After recruiting Neptune despite Buzz's… apprehension towards defective Imaginators, I gave her pudding to remind her that while she was born with no memories, she's still Neptune."

"And it worked, she loved it ever since. I just didn't think she kept it for all these years."

Neptune then continues from there. "I keep it in my dresser, under the floorboards, in a safe, and in a glass case! It's the Russian Nesting Doll of 10 year old sweets!"

"But when I checked today, I just saw old consoles!"

"It's got a lot of sentimental value to the kid." Tails huffs. "I know I would feel bad if someone stole my first invention from the 1980s!"

"And that was…?" Anakin glances in questioning.

"A weaponized VCR." Tails holds out his hands. "Super badass thing. Shoots a Hi-Fi stun laser and the victim hears Elton John and the first act of Empire Strikes Back in their head for 4 hours straight."

"Don't say that movie's name in front of me." Anakin growls before turning to Neptune. "But still, you're right. That thing's got a lot of value to her, might as well lend a hand."

"Then it's a mission after all!" Sayaka rubs her hands and points at Neptune. "You got any leads, Nep?"

Neptune adjusts her hair and begins to pace the floor. "Weeeelll, whoever stole it must have a real hankerin' for sweets. I suggest we interrogate any Disciple with a sweet tooth and make 'em spill the jelly beans if you know what I'm saying!"

"I think we could do something a lot less time consuming than that." Sayaka strokes her chin. "We have security cameras in everyone's rooms… let's just look at Nep's."

Thirty minutes later, the five Disciples stare at Teletraan-1's records in the security office in disbelief. When putting up Neptune's room, the only thing they see is a hastily drawn stick figure wearing Neptune's dress on a piece of lined paper that is taped over her camera.

"…Oooooh yeaaaah, I taped that over my camera so nobody could spy on me. A Nep needs her privacy!" Neptune chirps as Sayaka faceplants on the keyboard.

"There goes that idea." Sayaka grumbles before raising her head and putting her fist to her palm. "Alright, Plan B! We get Batman to analyze the footsteps!"

"On a mission." Sonic then replies.

"Dark Knight Batman!"

"On a mission."

"Justice League Batman?"

"Also on a mission."

"Batman Beyond?"

"Mission."

"...LEGO Batman?"

"Vacation."

"Is there ANY detective free?"

Sonic looks down at his DEUS watch, analyzing the Disciples database and tapping his foot as he scrolls through the list of heroes with the Detective subclass.

"It really just isn't our day."

"We'll do the interrogation thing." Anakin concludes.

MUSIC: THE HOW WORKS – AVENGERS: ENDGAME

"Alright, here's the plan." Sayaka explains from an empty dorm. All that lies in the grey room is a table, a cup of water, a chest of "supplies" and four chairs.

"Anakin and I will ask the questions. Neptune will stand by. Sonic and Tails are monitoring the situation. Everyone clear on that?"

"Roger!" Neptune salutes, Anakin nodding with a casual thumbs up.

"We read you loud and clear, kid!" Tails replies from Sayaka's watch. "Bring in the first suspect."

SUSPECT 1: BEA

Sayaka looks straight into the eyes of the Pokémon Gym Leader, who is maintaining a stoic expression. "So… what kinda sweets do you like, Bea?"

"S-Sweets? Me?" Bea scoffs, laughing it off. "I keep healthy! I don't… yeah, I don't eat candies." She tugs her collar.

"You don't, huh?" Anakin chuckles, using the Force to pull something from the supplies chest. Flying through the air and landing into his grasp, he slams a damning piece of evidence to the contrary.

"Then I suppose you'd be repulsed by THIS, huh?!"

Glimmering before Bea is a sealed Wonka Bar. She gulps.

"Tempting… isn't it? The allure of that creamy milk chocolate? All molded in fun little patterns? I bet there's even a Golden Ticket inside!" Anakin uses the Force to lift the chocolate bar in the air, practically making it dance in front of Bea's sweating face.

"I-I…"

"Hey, if you know where the pudding is, this is all yours." Sayaka adds further incentive. "Just tell us the truth."

"Look, you got me, okay?!"

Sonic and Tails from afar share a high five.

"I LOVE sweets!" Bea gasps.

"Then you took my pudding!" Neptune leans closer to Bea with a suspicious and deathly glare.

"Wait, wait, wait… Nep, what's the flavor of that pudding?" Sayaka asks, waving both her hands to cut the tension.

"U-Uh, vanilla." Neptune then answers.

"And Bea… you like chocolate, but what about vanilla?"

"Oh… it's okay, but I'm not that big of a fan." Bea then says, resulting in Neptune drooping down in defeat.

So much for that high five as Sonic presses the mic button on the Security Room's keyboard. "Just take the bar."

SUBJECT 2: PAINYATTA

"You're a piñata, right? You thrive off candy, even if you don't particularly digest them, right? Just stuff 'em in you so you can shoot it back at bad guys, right?" Sayaka asks, writing on a clipboard.

"So in theory, 10 year old pudding should hit the spot."

"Well, amigo…" Painyatta lounges on the seat too small for his giant colorful body. "That part's true, about how I collect candy as ammo… but spoiled candy's another thing."

"You don't digest them, so how is that anything different?" Anakin shakes his head in doubt.

"Doesn't mean I don't taste them!" Painyatta groans in disgust at just the thought of a decade old cup of pudding. "And the idea of eating something older than my origin game?! I might as well be barfing something other than candy."

Neptune rubs her hands, brewing a plan. "Then let's put that to the test, eh?" She snaps her fingers, cueing Anakin to send something flying to Neptune's hands via the Force. She grips it, earning a disgusting squelching noise.

"Eat this Go-Gurt and prove your case, fluffy!" Neptune menacingly dares.

"…How old is that?!" Painyatta asks with a sniff before pulling back. "Ugh! Smells like a wet dog!"

"It's older than the Disciples itself! A relic of a longgone era! Born in a society where civility is but a fleeting concept, where barbarians reign and anarchy rules the nation!" Neptune yells, her hands stretched to the ceiling in a dramatic crescendo.

Before sitting back down and just holding the tube to the Skylander. "2004. This is from 2004."

"Neptune, you don't wanna do that." Sonic advises, as Painyatta hesitantly reaches out for the spoiled tube.

"Anakin, get your Force powers ready." Sayaka nudges Anakin, who silently nods back and holds his hands out.

Painyatta takes the tube and shrugs. "Fine. Whatever gets me out of here. But don't say I didn't warn you!"

And with a flip of the tube and an airborne gulp, Painyatta lands onto the ground and instantly grips his blue and yellow stomach.

"Oh… Ugh… Here it comes…"

"Fire in the hole!" Sayaka summons her cape and hides behind it whilst Anakin holds out both hands as Painyatta uncontrollably lets loose a barrage of wrapped candies from his mouth, speeding through the air like bullets.

Neptune ducks under the seat as Anakin uses the Force to halt as much candies as he can in midair.

"What did I tell you? WHAT did I tell you?!" Sonic shouts back through the intercom.

SUBJECT 25: KYOKO SAKURA

"What's this getup, Sayaka?" The redhead Magical Girl asks, sitting with her feet up on the table and holding a piece of Pocky in her mouth. "Good Cop, Bad Cop?"

"Just play along." Sayaka sighs, exhausted. "You'll be outta here quick."

"Kyoko, I know very well you got a knack for two things. Sweets…" Sayaka runs down.

"Guilty as charged." Kyoko nods.

"…And previously, stealing."

"G-Guilty as charged." Kyoko winces. "Ah, shit. Is this the apple conversation again? Look, after you died, I stopped stealin' from people, okay?"

"Look, I believe Kyoko." Sayaka says. "She wouldn't be lying to me. So she didn't take Neptune's pudding."

Kyoko blinks for a moment. "Neptune's pudding? Yeah, I took that though."

"Wait, what?!" Anakin gasps.

Meanwhile, Neptune points her finger aggressively with bloodshut eyes. "YOUUUUUU!"

"So YOU'RE the no-good, backstabbing, double-dealing, red-handed, red-haired candy culprit!"

"What?!" Kyoko bites, cracking her Pocky in half. "You're the person who told me to take it!"

Neptune's jaw opens, her eyes dilating in disbelief.

"…Now it's my turn to say what. What?!"

Kyoko swallows what remains of the Pocky in her mouth and shrugs. "You must be tired. It was two days ago, you came back from an overnight mission in that planet. Trenza…somethin'."

"Yo, Kyoko…" Neptune asks, her weight shifting drowsily onto Kyoko, who pushes her away. "You got a real knack for hiding stuff… right?"

"I mean… back home, I used to store my stuff in an abandoned Church. Never got caught." Kyoko dusts off her hoodie from Neptune's drool.

"I gotta looooooot of consoles, and my new ones are back…" Her eyes start to lazily close before forcing themselves back up. "…WARDS compati… something."

"Point is, I gotta store 'em somewhere. But my first pudding cup is in there. Can yoooouuuu keep it safe for me?" She asks with slurred words.

"Uh, yeah sure. Where is it?" Kyoko asks, confused by the whole ordeal.

"And then you passed out after tellin' me where." Kyoko rolls her eyes.

"Don't mean to ruin the storytime here, but it'll be a bloodbath until we break this up." Tails says over the intercom as Kyoko's attention is redirected to Neptune receiving murderous glares from both Anakin and Sayaka.

"Ah, shit." Kyoko grinds her teeth. This is not going to be pretty.

"Hey, so all's well that ends well?" Neptune asks, holding her retrieved pudding in its glass case. "I'll put atop my shelf next time! Because it's not like anyone's gonna steal it with how old it is!"

She excitedly jumps in her seat, sitting with the others in the Food Court table where it all happened.

"I just can't believe I wasted the day looking for something you asked someone to steal!" Sayaka rants.

"Next time, get some sleep before asking someone favors." Sonic tells Neptune.

"Yup, yup! Lesson learned! But hey, at least playing detective was pretty fun, right?" Neptune asks.

"NO!" Everyone yells in unison.