That day before the Halloween celebration, the Snack Pack came home to Pop Village Apartments, only to see a lot of decorations, from marigolds, skeletons, papercut banners, salt, and candles to incense, skeleton figurines, and skulls around. She noticed some sprites with tan skin, colored straight hair, and colorful eyes flying around with their monarch butterfly wings, decorating the place. Rose and the rest of the group are surprised by this spectacle.
"Rose, you're just in time to celebrate Dia de los Muertos with us." He smirked. "I let my family celebrate it in Sweet Pop so that you guys can experience it!"
"Wow, I only read about it but getting to experience it, this is new." Rose gasped.
"Everything is new for you." Poppy added as she flew right up to them. "This is the first time we are celebrating Branch's favorite holiday together in the apartment."
"I usually celebrate it with my relatives during my loner years but this festival is getting grande with all of you around." Branch said.
"Yeah, this is a new experience for all of us." Biggie added. "Branch shared with us about this festival and he offered us to join in the fun."
"On November 2, we will have a Dia de los Muertos party in the cafe." Poppy squealed. "DJ Suki will play some sick tunes for the party, we will have skull makeup, some singing, dancing, and Branch's aunt is making traditional Mexican food."
"Ay mijo! We have a problem!" Branch's aunt, Victoria cried.
"Tiya Victoria, what happened?" Branch asked before introducing the Snack Pack and Rose to her. "Oh, tiya Victoria, I'd like you to meet Poppy, DJ Suki, Cooper, Smidge, Biggie, Guy Diamond, Satin and Chenille, Fuzzbert, Berry Violet, and Rose."
"Oh, I remember you all, including that bobo, Creek." Tiya Victoria said. "Pero es un placer conocerte, Violeta y Rosa."
"It is so nice to meet you, Mrs. Cortez." Rose said. "I remember when you came to the apartment to solve the ghost problem."
"Tú también, but we have a problem, Bernardo." She said. "We ran out of mulato chiles for the mole sauce."
"Mulato chile, I only got the undried ones." Branch said. "The grocery store ran out of the dried variant of them."
"This is a disaster, the Dia de Los Muertos celebration wouldn't be complete without the mole sauce." She cried.
"We can have DJ Suki, Smidge, and Rose dry some mulato chili for us." Poppy said.
"The drying spell would require concentration when in use." Rose added.
"It is worth a try." Branch said.
They went to the rooftop garden of the Monteiro Residence. Snack Pack used a spell to dry the mulato chili for the mole sauce and they wore gas masks to protect themselves. After the mulato chili dried up, they noticed that Rose was overwhelmed by the smell of the roasted chili.
"I didn't know that happens a lot in your household." Poppy said.
"It happens in my home but my cousins faint when they smell the chili." Branch sighed as he picked Rose up.
"Is Rose alright?" DJ Suki asked.
"I'm okay!" Rose said but she fainted on the spot.
"We should go back to the cafe for the party but thank you for helping me with the mulato chile." Biggie said as Branch carried the fainted Rose to the Caterbus with the rest of the team. During the ride, Rose dreamt of a strange figure appearing before her. He is an elf with braided hair and orange dragonfly wings. He stood before her with a smile and several figures appear behind him.
"We can't wait to see you." He said with a smile.
Rose woke up with a gasp. They have finally arrived at the cafe.
"Rose, are you alright?" Branch asked her.
"Yeah, I'm alright." Rose said. "Never mind, let's get ready for the party."
The night after the party, the Snack Pack returned from the party to help out with the preparations for the Dia de Los Muertos.
"You're back for the preparations, sweeties." Victoria said.
"Yeah, we busted those bad girls from the red tavern this night." Rose gasped.
"Gracias for helping me with roasting the chilis." She thanked them.
"De nada, tiya." Branch replied. "We'll help you with the preparation for the ofrenda."
"We can help with the decorations." Rose said. "I prepared the list I wrote down, it has the names of all the deceased loved ones in my family and a photo of my paternal grandpa, whom I don't see."
"That would be a great addition to the ofrenda, mi nina." Victoria agreed.
"We can add some of our late relatives to the ofrenda too." Poppy said, holding a picture of her mother.
"I miss my parents so much, can I add them as well?" Biggie asked.
"Of course you can, mijo." Victoria nodded. "I couldn't wait for the celebration on the day after tomorrow."
On the day after November 1, Snack Pack helped out with cleaning the cafe. They help Branch's relatives setup of the ofrenda in Sweet Pop. Each of them added photos of the late relatives in Branch's family, including all of the Snack Pack's late loved ones. Rose placed the list of the names of her late loved ones beside her grandfather's photo but she is still troubled that she ran off to the restroom to cry.
"What's up with Rose?" Branch asked her.
"I dunno, she started acting strange yesterday." Poppy replied.
"Maybe she had trauma or something?" Biggie said.
"I used a spell to read her mind and no trace of trauma in her." DJ Suki nodded.
"No, I just remember something that made me cry." Rose said as she got out of the restroom.
"Let's go and decorate the outside of the cafe, it would be so much fun." Poppy suggested.
They immediately decorate the door and the exterior of the cafe for the party. The customers marvel at the sight of the preparation. It all went well until Creek saw them decorating the cafe's door with marigolds and decorative skulls.
"Still decorating with Halloween decors?" He mocked.
"I have no time for that, this one is important." He nodded.
"What's the big deal, Halloween's so last October!" Creek insulted Branch.
"What did you just said, you uncultured swine!" Branch yelled.
Upon hearing Creek's insult, Victoria pulled out a flip flop from her purse and threw it like a boomerang, hitting Creek on the face until it flew back to her hand. Creek screamed as the flip flop hit him and flew off.
"Does that always happen with you, Branch?" Rose asked him. "There are some methods of discipline my parents use on unruly kids."
"A lot, with my cousins." Branch smirked. "I experienced the chancla's hit when I slipped and one of my slippers smacked me right into the face."
"Wow, that slipper is one lethal weapon of discipline." Poppy said. "I experienced only groundings from dad when I am not allowed to go out at night."
"Good thing he'll experience only the la chancla but the cinto is way worse than that." He said.
"Agreed." Rose shivered.
"I got the great playlist for the party." DJ Suki said. "I arranged them yesterday."
Meanwhile, Rose was looking at the sun with a sad look on her face. She felt sad as she looks at another picture in her hand. Poppy noticed her sad friend and flew up to her.
"Rose, I thought you were excited for tomorrow." Poppy said.
"I am but all this thinking about Dia de los Muertos made me think about the grandfather I never knew." Rose said. "I was crying because I never know him at all."
"I know how you felt, I barely know my mom, she died when I was two years old." Poppy nodded. "What was he like?"
"I never had any connection to my grandfather, all I know is that he died when my dad was a young man." She nodded. "He was always distant from my dad and his siblings because he moved everywhere around the world as a sailor."
"You barely know him as Poppy barely knew her mom?" Branch asked her.
"Yeah, I only know about him from the stories." Rose nodded. "Last October 31, I saw him when I was passed out."
"What did he look like?" Poppy asked her.
"He looked like my dad, but he looks young and I see several figures behind him." Rose said.
"Oh no, is mom behind him?" Poppy asked her again.
"Yes, I saw your mom, I also saw Grandma Rosiepuff, and many more." Rose nodded.
"It's alright, we can see the newly decorated ofrenda and I'll tell you everything about what Dia de los Muertos is really all about." Branch said.
They went up to the newly decorated ofrenda. It had garlands of marigolds, incense, candles, and all the things their loved ones have loved, from food to games and items.
"Guys, this is my grandma." Branch said, pointing at his grandma's photo. "Just like you miss your grandpa, I miss him so much."
"My mom loves cooking so much." Poppy said.
"And my parents love saving animals." Biggie added.
"I honor Grandma Rosiepuff by putting out everything she loves." Branch continued. "I use marigolds, incense, and candles to guide her spirit back, with several others, including your grandpa to be with us for the day."
"I remember, like all my dead relatives, he is also in my heart." Rose agreed.
"On this day, we think about them and that's how we keep their memories alive." Branch ended the conversation as he placed the photo of Rose's grandfather on the ofrenda. "Even though we don't see them, they're always with us."
"I do feel grandpa is here!" Rose sighed.
"Ay mijo! I forgot to make the desserts for the party, including the pan de muerto!" Victoria cried. "I was so focused on the mole and the other dishes that I forgot to make them."
"We can all do it together." Poppy volunteered.
"Really? You'll let us make desserts?" One of Branch's cousins asked her.
"Yeah." She agreed.
"Gracias mija." She sighed.
"I remember how mom would make pan de muerto for some Mexican friends on Dia de los Muertos." Poppy said as she opened her mother's scrapbook and flipped through the pages until she stopped at its page. "We will need butter, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, whole anise seeds, orange extract, orange zest, and freshly-squeezed orange juice to mix with sugar and orange zest."
"You remembered it, Paloma loved pan de muerto so much, she would love it." She nodded.
"Great, let's make them" Poppy smiled as she and Victoria went to the kitchen.
They immediately got to work, from preparing the mixture, to molding the bread and baking it. The twins help with making plain sugar skulls for the kids to enjoy, ranging from small skulls to big ones, Rose helped out Branch and DJ Suki bake the Conchas, and Poppy learned how to make traditional Mexican desserts aside from helping the adults. Everybody had so much fun learning new things and making desserts for the party. Finally, the party has begun. Everybody, including the customers had so much fun that even the kids get to decorate and customize their own sugar skulls with candy icing. Rose looked at her grandpa's photo with a smile as Branch walked up to her.
"Thanks for saving the day, Branch." Rose thanked him.
"De nada, I'm glad you are finally understanding the joy of this celebration." Branch said.
Just as Rose turned, she saw the spirit of her grandfather standing nearby. She could see Rosiepuff, Dahlia, Biggie's parents, and all of the Snack Pack's deceased loved ones standing with him, smiling at her. She turned back to her friends and joined in the party.