Chapter 6

The fabulous foursome find themselves in a time and space that feels... surprisingly basic. An office foyer, with blinking lights everywhere, sure - but nothing the other three haven't seen even on their underdeveloped planets, let alone from more advanced civilizations.

"What is this place?" Rena wondered. "This rather bland, plain place that makes me realize I never liked cities!"

"Sphere Corporation!" Welch smiled smugly. "Where everything... just... works! Or so they say."

"I was hoping there's more to it," Rena continued on. "Like, it's kinda bare. Needs at least double the fidelity."

"They promised 16 TIMES the fidelity," Welch chimed in. "But 16 times the headache is more like it."

"But what is it, exactly, we'll accomplish here?" Midas wondered.

"We're gonna go to the top and get to the bottom of this!"

"Go up to go down," Ashton wondered. "Makes sense!"

"I bet this place is teeming with guards!" Rena shouted, readying her knuckles. "It's high time I bust a few skulls, being sugar and spice all the time gets annoying! Pain the town red-time!"

"Hold that thought, Rena," Welch interrupted. "There's a lift right over there - we get to the office and try talking to the folks up there."

"I suppose," Midas sounded disappointed. What did they think this was - an action JRPG?

Up the lift they rode, down the corridor they strode. The executive office was just ahead, now. Welch tried knocking - no cigar. Well, with that option out the window, she gave Midas the hand-wave to do his signature move.

And Mida-Spiculed his way through the doors he did, crashing through right the to front desk-

Where a creature of Green, seated he be.

"Well, welcome interlopers," the creature began, "Lemme guess - you're not happy with the way things are going with my Eternal Sphere 2.0?!"

"What manner of creature is this?" Midas wondered.

"He's... he's..." Welch began.

"Some call me The Green Meanie," it began. "Others, the Naughty Nudnik . Still others say I stink, stank, stunk! But rest assured, The Grunch deals with all that junk! Yep, that's my name - don't wear it out."

"How does one wear out a name?" Rena wondered.

"He means don't make it sound old." Ashton explained.

"You guys have already damaged my office, by a good deal!" The Grunch began. "For that, I ought to make you a meal!"

"Oh crap, really!?" Rena's face lit up.

"I don't think he means FOR us," Midas corrected. "He means... OUT of us!"

"I must warn you," The Grunch added, "I'm a 7th Dan in Aikido, and I know how to use it!"

"You'll never steal Christmas!" Welch whined.

"Wait, what does this haveta do with Christmas!?" Ashton asked.

"Yeah - what DOES this haveta do with Christmas!?" The Grunch conceded. "Not everything is about Christmas - there's other days of the year ya know! But I do want my Seasonal experiment to be a permanent one!"

Trading blow for blow, flip for flip and spell for spell, the battle was surprisingly tough for our foursome. A few hairy moments were in the happening - the party was all down on health after Grunch cast his "Song of Whaling" spell - but Rena did her thing and healed them up right quick.

"I wonder if I can still-" Ashton began. "TRI-ACE!"

Even without his dragons, Ashton was able to cast his ultimate attack. With a series of three swings, he explod-ied the whole room, and the Grunch was down - stars circling his head and all. The battle was won.

"Now," Welch said, "Let's find out who this 'Grunch' REALLY is!"

"Bold of you to assu-"

But indeed it was a mask. Finally, the one who infiltrated Sphere and mucked with their software would be exposed for the monster he REALLY was...!

"EVEN EAGAL!?"

"But why," Rena wondered. "Why would you mess with our Universe at all? Sounds awfully troublesome for a guy like you."

"But... HOW?" Welch was perplexed. How do YOU know who he is?"

"I dunno," Ashton admitted. "We just kinda... do."

"I was bored," Eagal admitted. "But it was a fun ride - I guess I had to let you win this one!"

"You didn't 'let' us win anything, we beat you fair and square!" Midas saw through his ego. "Still, you did put up a good fight - individually we couldn't have stopped you."

"What do you have to say for yourself, Eagal?" Welch pressed.

"Just that... I would have laughed in their faces too - if not for you meddling kids, and the old man!"

"I'm half your age!" Midas noted.

"Eek, what's happening!?" Rena noticed she was becoming see-through, herself. Rena, Ashton and Midas all, in fact.

"We're... fading?" Ashton seemed worried.

"Worry not!" Welch assured. "You're just going back home - and your reality has been properly reset!"

"I guess I no longer have a cookie-business in a hollowed-out-tree!" Rena lamented.

"Looks like I'll be stuck with Creepy and Weepy again!" Ashton accepted.

"And it looks like I'll have an actual house!" Midas was - for a change - the most excited of them all. It was rare, but when he was happy he was HAPPY.

With that, Rena Ashton and Midas began to fade away, back into their proper place in 3D existence.

"I guess this is goodbye!" Rena was saddened as she glanced at Midas, then Welch." She'd be able to see Ashton relatively easily as much - or as little - as she wanted to, after all. Same canon planet and all.

"No worries, I gotchya!" Welch went to the nearest console and punched in a few keys." You guys can fast-travel to what's called "The Time Gate" at any time. Use it, don't abuse it!"

With a final smile, a tear and a wave, each of them disappeared back into their proper destinies.

"I guess this means being a sex symbol is no longer in the cards, eh?" Eagal just had to add. "Time to be known as a great writer... a great actor!"

Welch rolled her eyes. "As IF!"

FIN