AN: Alright, this chapter is really self-indulgent, I admit. But it was one of those stupid ideas I couldn't get out of my head until I wrote it.

20- Vacation

A week had breezed by since the defeat of Siegfried. Arachna castle had been repaired, and everyone felt a great deal of relief. Richter hadn't been seen since than either, nor had he made any reported attacks.

There was only one small problem left. Hunter was bored.

"Everyone, I had this awesome idea," he announced, when the group was gathered in the castle. Aqune was there as well, and had brought Buguese with her.

"What might that be?" Igneous asked, though he was unsure if he really wanted to know.

"Well," said Hunter. "We still have Richter's transporter, right?"

"Yeah," Magma replied. "I didn't throw it out or anything."

"Great!" replied Hunter, his eyes lighting up. "In that case, who wants to go back to the Outer World?"

"Alright," Corona replied, though she was kind of surprised by the proposal. "We didn't really get a chance to enjoy it last time."

"I want to go!" Sparkle said.

"Me too," Lumen added. "The girls there were beautiful."

"But don't you think the same of the girls here?" asked Hunter.

"Yes," he replied.

"If we come, would we have to go near any of those computers?" asked Igneous, sounding concerned.

"Well… not really," replied Hunter, confused. "I told you, Igneous, they're not dangerous. Addictive, but not dangerous."

"Then, alright," he said.

"One day we should go on a private date to the Outer World," Glint suggested. "How about today? Are you guys sure you have to come too?"

"Well, I'm definitely coming," Magma said. "The Outer World looked pretty fun."

"Great, then," said Hunter, who mostly ignored Glint's comments. "Well, here's my idea. We go to a mall."

"What's a mall?" asked Corona.

"Well, most malls just have a lot of clothes stores. I'm not really a fan. But there's this one mall which is pretty incredible. They have a movie theatre, so I can finally show you guys what a movie is. There are lots of great places to eat there. And best of all, it has its own amusement park!"

"And, what's an amusement park?" wondered Igneous.

"Well, it has amusement in the name, so it must be fun," Lumen replied.

"Geez…" Hunter said. "I think I'm finally realizing how different my home world is from this one. Basically, you can go on different rides, which are sometimes scary, but in a fun way. I'm sure you guys will love it!"

"It all sounds wonderful," Aqune finally spoke up. "But I don't think I should come with you."

"Oh, sorry, Aqune," Hunter said. "I forgot you couldn't go."

"I don't mind," she said. "I'm just glad you guys can enjoy yourselves now. And, I'll do something I enjoy."

"What's that?" asked Hunter, glad she was taking it well.

"Cooking," she replied. "I'll make something really delicious for all of you when you get back. And I have Buguese to help me."

Hearing this surprised Buguese more than anyone.

"Actually, I don't have much experience in cooking. Perhaps that's a bad idea."

"Oh, it can't be as bad as Corona's cooking," Magma commented.

"Hey!" Corona yelled. "I'm getting a lot better."

"Yeah, that's a little mean," Aqune said. "Anyway, have fun, and don't worry about us. I promise you'll be impressed."

"Thanks," Hunter said. He was looking forward to it.

Once they had found the transporter, the Spider Riders traveled to an enormous mall.

"Alright," Hunter began. "When I first came to the Inner World, I bought some of the Earth money I saved up, because I didn't know whether or not I'd need it here. Now, I guess I'm free to spend it all. So we can have all sorts of fun."

"Let's see a movie first," Glint said. "And I can sit next to you, right? Now… who do I want on the other side of me? Igneous, maybe? No, Magma! Or Lumen, perhaps?"

A while later, the group stepped out of the theatre.

"That was fascinating, but one thing really bothered me," Igneous commented.

"What?" Hunter asked.

"What is outer space?"

"Uhh…" replied Hunter, now regretting that he took them all to see a sci-fi movie. But it was the coolest looking thing. "You could say… it's like the anti-Inner World!"

"Huh?"

"Well, the Inner World is below the earth, and space is above it. No one really lives in space though."

"I didn't understand the movie at all, but I don't care," said Magma. "I just think this popcorn stuff is amazing. What other kinds of food does your world have, Hunter?"

"There's plenty," Hunter said. "Hamburgers and fries, ice cream, shakes. You should definitely try some more." As the group walked a little bit, Hunter spotted a Dairy Queen. "We're going there!" he announced.

And so, though no one was quite sure what they were in for, they got on the line.

"May I help you?" said the cashier, a young girl.

"Yes, you may," replied Lumen, who squeezed in front of Hunter. "All I'd like to order is your heart."

"What?" she replied. "Don't you just want a Blizzard like most people?"

"No, a blizzard is much too cold," replied Lumen. "But it's nothing the warmth of love can't fight."

"Please, ignore him," Hunter spoke. "We'd just like seven small vanilla sundaes." He figured to just start them off by ordering something simple.

"Yes, coming up," the poor girl replied.

"This is pretty good," said Corona. "But… it's cold."

"It's supposed to be," said Hunter. "If you heat ice cream, it will just melt."

"More, please," said Magma, who had quickly downed his.

"Sorry," Hunter said. "I don't have unlimited money, and I still want to hit the amusement park."

"Aww… that's too bad," said Glint. "I was hoping you'd show me which restaurant here was the most romantic."

"I don't know," Hunter replied. The thought also brought back memories of his weird restaurant endeavor with Corona. He didn't want to repeat that. "Actually, I used to just get fast food when I came here."

"So, this is an amusement park?" Magma asked, as he traced the roller coaster track with his eyes, trying to make sense of it.

"It reminds me of some Insector machine," said Corona.

"But doesn't it look fun?" Sparkle said. "Hotarla, I wish you could come out and see it too."

"Kyu…"

"We're riding the roller coaster first!" Hunter announced. "Come with me." He led them to the back of the line.

"The line is quite long," said Lumen.

"That's a rule of amusement parks," replied Hunter. "The cooler the ride, the bigger the line. But I promise, you guys will love this."

"So, what do you think?" At last, they had gotten off the ride.

"It… it was great," answered Magma. "I have to throw up!" He ran off to the nearby garbage pail, regretting having eaten all that popcorn and ice cream.

"My head is spinning," said Igneous. "Why did it go upside-down? Is it broken?"

"It's supposed to," replied Hunter.

"I guess it was cool," Corona added. "But, they wouldn't happen to have something more gentle, would they?"

"Oh, alright," Hunter said. "We'll try something simpler." He was a bit disappointed by their responses, but maybe a coaster like that was too overboard for first time riders. Still, they did dangerous things all the time as Spider Riders, so surely they should have been up for the thrill.

"What's that?" asked Sparkle, as they passed by a large tower-like structure.

"It's a free-fall ride," replied Hunter. "It's a little scary, but not as much as the roller coaster. Want to try it?"

The others all agreed, so they got on the line, this time, much shorter.

By the time the ride was over, Magma still had to throw up. But mild confusion aside, the others did seem to like it better.

Afterwards, the group tried out a few more rides. But everyone was starting to get tired, or nauseous.

"Should we go back now?" asked Corona.

"Yeah, alright," Hunter replied. "I'm pretty much out of money anyway."

"We also have to make sure Buguese didn't burn the castle down this time," added Magma.

"Aqune wouldn't let that happen," Hunter said. "Well, at least I hope so."