Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.

While ATMC and CFVY Are Exploring Ancient Hyrule/Alterna

"Wow… that's… and I thought the universe had it out for me."

BGM: Soft Light (Super Paper Mario)

Chaos Ruby stroked her Houndoom's back while Ruby was sitting across from her. "Like, yeah, that whole prophecy thing can kiss my ass, but… that would explain why I felt so tired all of a sudden, like I wanted to puke… and… why I was so achy."

"Yeah, sorry…"

"Don't be. It's not your fault that the quack did all that nonsense to you. If he did that with me in my current state, I'd rip that guy apart… but seriously, elephant hips? Of all things!"

"Right? Ugh…"

"And then you had to deal with another Ruby who's gone loco in the brain when Ganondorf helped her out in another universe… yikes, so those dreams I have are real… there's another universe out there that's probably worse than I am! …I didn't think that was possible."

"It's just… why me? Why did I have to deal with that universe's problems? I was in the middle of grieving that mom had finally had her rest and now I had to get pulled back into another adventure?! Like… ugh!"

Ruby groaned. "At least… I got to see my mother one last time."

"Mother from another universe, you mean?"

"Yeah… and, she actually did give me the closure I needed… but the thing is-"

"You're tired as hell and you want the universe to stop treating you like a punching bag."

"How did you…?"

"Ahem." Chaos Ruby had chaos magic course through her hand.

"Right…"

"I don't care if there is a lighter version of the dark kind. The prophecy foretold ME that I'd go insane! Like, what the hell! There's a reason I've been calling it the Prognosticrap."

Ruby snickered. "That's… funny."

"Well, it does put a smile on my face that I can just call them out. Though I do have a bigger smile on my face since Chiaki has the Chaos Powers. Chaos Chiaki, as I call her… but luckily, she's using it for good."

"Yeah… I do have to ask though. You went back for your Pokemon. Why didn't you take Zwei with you?"

"I wanted to… but I didn't want dad to feel lonely, so I let him stay there. Of course… now that I'm hearing in your neck of the woods that he got married to a cosmic space queen… ugh, I should've grabbed Zwei had I known that'd happen!"

"It's fine…"

"Yeah, it is… oh well."

"So… you hanging in there?"

"Honestly? I've been feeling a lot better lately. I'm still waiting for you and Chaos Chiaki to come to my neck of the woods officially so I can just… be done with this chaotic nightmare. My Pokemon have been helping me keep my patience in line. But honestly, I'm more worried about you."

"Heh… me worrying about myself… cute…"

"Yeah, it's kinda silly but… you've been through hell so at least you're taking a break from adventuring, right?"

"I'm… still tired…"

Chaos Ruby grimaced. "Considering your voice isn't as chipper like it used to be… hell, it's a lot lower than mine. You sure you're feeling alright?"

"Yeah… by the time Weiss gets back with Oran, I should be back to normal…"

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just… know."

Chaos Ruby folded her arms. "Uh-huh…"

"You don't sound convinced…"

"You've been put through the wringer and I'm pretty sure you almost dying to elephant DNA, going through the Rewind Spring, and then getting pulled to another universe would do a number on your mental health."

"Wow, got it in one…"

"It's been a week, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, maybe if you go hang out with someone, it might do ya some good. Or hell, go camping! Do something!"

"Well… Akame gave me a map to her favorite camping spot in Dimble Wood… maybe I should go there."

"See? Go to Akame's spot! She's doing an adventure for ya, might as well take this time to just… chill and be happy!"

Chaos Ruby got up, Grim moving from his spot as she walked over and hugged Ruby. "Smile, okay…?" She smiled at her, putting her fingers on her lips and formed a smile, then Ruby disappeared from her world.

She let out a sigh. "A lot of people are worried about me, but… honestly, I'm more worried about you."

End BGM

Back in her universe, Ruby was sitting on the window sill in her room, sighing. "If only it was that simple…"

She looked at the map and immediately pulled out her scroll, taking a picture of it and started to text someone.

"Hey, Akame gave me this. You want to go with me? It's in Dimble Wood."

"Oh absolutely! I've been feelin' that kick to go camping! I'll meet ye in Toad Town!" - Gloria

"Meet ya there."

Ruby took a deep breath. "Yeah, this'll do me some good."

She walked to her closet, pulled out her camp supplies and walked downstairs, where Yang was watching TV with Byleth.

"Hmm?" Byleth spotted Ruby. "Oh, you're going camping?"

"Yeah, thought I'd go out. Gloria's going with me."

"Oh! Let me come with ya! Akame's spot that she found should be pretty good!" Yang smiled as she took off and came back with her own supplies.

"Have fun!" Byleth waved as the sisters walked out.

"Daffy Duck, he had a farm, E-I-E-I-O! And on this farm he had an igloo, E-I…E… I… Oooh…"

Byleth snickered. "Where do they come up with this stuff?" She giggled.

At Toad Town…

BGM: Toad Town (Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story plus Bowser Jr's Journey)

"So wait… Pauline invited Mario to New Donk City for… what?" Blake asked.

"For his honest opinion about a newest addition to the city. She's received positive feedback from the city, but she wanted to know what her ex thought." Captain Toad said.

"...Why?"

"That's what the princess thought too! Why would Pauline want Mario's feedback? Maybe she just wanted a trusted friend's own opinion."

"Seems a bit odd…" Blake mused. "But okay then…"

She glanced over at Ruby and Yang walking by with camping gear. "Hmm?" She walked over to them. "You guys going camping?"

"Yeah! Gloria's gonna meet us here. Wanna come with?" Yang asked.

"Well, it's been a while since I've gone out. Sure." Blake smiled before whispering in Yang's ear. "Plus, it'll have us keep an eye on Ruby."

"Why do you think I'm tagging along?" Yang whispered back with a grin.

Blake smiled and then walked off to gather her stuff right when Grif and Epsilon walked over to them.

"Heeey! There you are!" Grif waved them over.

"Oh hey, you two…" Ruby greeted. "What's up?"

"Would you believe us if we said Grif's got a semblance? You can thank Medic for that." Epsilon said.

"Really?" Yang asked as Grif disappeared from their eyes, only to come back with cookies. "Whoa!"

"Ta-dah!" Grif smiled.

"Teleportation?" Ruby guessed.

"Actually, no. It's a time stopping semblance." Grif said. "I basically got Dark Ruby's semblance!"

"Oh cool! Someone got her semblance and is using it for good this time!" Yang said. "What do you think about that, Ruby?"

Ruby stared at Grif with a wide eyed blank expression on her face.

"Ruby…?"

Nearby…

"Hmhmhm~" Nyx hummed as she walked with her Black Yoshi. "Oh hey Gloria!"

"Hey lass!" Gloria waved.

"Decided to camp here?"

"Yeah, Ruby invited me so I thought I'd meet her here." She said as Blake walked by.

"Oh hey, Gloria." Blake waved.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOW!"

The four of them turned to the source of the voice.

"Ooooh!" Yang and Epsilon grimaced as Grif was on the ground, holding on to his crotch.

"What did I do…!" He groaned as vines retreated into the ground.

"O-oh! Oh my gosh… I-I'm so sorry! It was a… I… I didn't mean to attack you like that, I… I…"

"Ooookay! You definitely need to get away from everything for a while!" Yang pushed Ruby away.

"I told you she'd hate it!" Epsilon said.

"I thought she was over it…" Grif groaned.

"What happened?" Blake asked.

"Medic gave Grif a new semblance and it just so happened to be Dark Ruby's semblance. Needless to say, Ruby had a panic attack and attacked Grif." Yang said.

"I didn't mean to hurt him… I.. I…"

"Oooh…" Blake grimaced.

"Oh… shite…" Gloria winced.

"Well, that settles it. I'm taggin' along with ya." Nyx said.

"You are?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, I got nothing better to do anyway. The twins are hanging with Umber in Alola, Iris went to the movie theater with Rantaro and Jade's still in the process of making something for herself, shutting herself away in her own lab while occasionally going outside to get some sun for like ten minutes. Soooo, it's just been me and this big guy."

"Yo Yo!"

Ruby turned around. "Grif! I'm sorry!" She called out to him.

"It's okaaaaay… oooooow…"

Ruby sighed. "Get me out of here, I need it…"

"Alright! To Dimble Wood!" Yang declared as they took off.

End BGM

BGM: Dimble Wood (Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story plus Bowser Jr's Journey)

"Okay, so based on what Akame drew out, it should be over here somewhere…" Yang said, looking through the map while Ruby looked down in the dumps. "Agh… ya couldn't have been clearer on this, Akame? Geez…"

"Let me take a look." Blake looked at it closely. "Ooooh, okay… I know where to go. We just need to take a right and- WHOA!"

She tripped, falling on the ground.

"You okay?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah…" Blake got up. "Never thought I'd trip over a foot-" She looked down, noticing the size of it. "-Print…"

Gloria knelt down to examine it. "Based on the size of this thing, I'd say… Tyrantrum."

"It… looks a bit bigger than that." Ruby said.

"Maybe it ate a Mega Mushroom." Gloria smiled. "But let's not worry abou-"

The ground rumbled beneath their feet.

"...That… doesn't sound good." Nyx said as Blake's ears twitched as they heard rustling from the foliage, all of them getting ready to fight whatever it was coming for them.

End BGM

"Waaaaaaaaah!" Mario came bursting through the foliage and then turned left. "Hi girls, bye girls!"

"Mario…?" Ruby wondered as suddenly trees came toppling down.

BGM: Chasing the Dragons (Jurassic World)

"We need to hide. NOW!" Blake said as they swiftly hid behind trees… right as a massive T-Rex came barreling through.

The T-Rex let out a loud Roar, turning his head to where Mario ran off to and chased after him.

A few seconds later, a motorcycle came launching out of the foliage as the motorcycle drifted, revealing to be Pauline.

"Mario! He's not a bad dinosaur! He just wants to play with you!" She said as she drove after them.

"I'M-A NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES!"

End BGM

"That… was the ugliest Tyrantrum I've ever seen!" Gloria said.

"That wasn't a Pokemon, that was an actual friggin' Tyrannosaurus!" Yang exclaimed.

"Ach, whatever, lass!"

"Was that… what Pauline wanted to show Mario?" Blake asked.

"...Why did she have that?" Ruby wondered.

"I dunnae, maybe she wants ta build a park." Gloria said.

Nyx sweatdropped. "I know a few movies where that's a horrible idea…"

"Yo Yo…" Her Yoshi agreed.

"...Soooo! To that secret place?" Yang asked.

"Oh yes, absolutely." Ruby nodded as Blake walked off as Gloria noticed the same footprint next to the one where Blake tripped over earlier.

"...Ye gottae be shittin' me…" Gloria mumbled as she turned around and ran off to catch up with the others.

Once there…

"Oh… oh my…!" Ruby said, her eyes sparkling in wonder as a smile crept up on her face.

"Did Akame ever describe what it was like?" Yang wondered.

"Not really, no!"

"Don't blame her, I don't think it'd do it justice." Yang said as they put their camping gear down and proceeded to set up a few tents.

"Alright… now to test that lake…" Yang said as she dipped her feet in it. "Ooooh! Just right!" She smiled, taking off her clothing to reveal a bikini as she dove right in as the girls looked at each other and with a shrug, they did the same thing and dove on in.

Yang looked around, seeing some Cheep Cheeps and Magikarp swimming around, along with a few friendly Bloopers as everyone else soon accompanied her. Yang glanced over at Ruby, who looked like she was enjoying herself. Ya know, come to think of it… I haven't seen her smile once ever since she came back from that other universe. Maybe she smiled when mom and dad came back but…

Yang shook her head. Agh, focus! If she wants to talk about it, I'll let her.

Soon, everyone went up for air, although Gloria went into her Empoleon form to go and explore underwater a little more, coming across a few Feebas and Poliwhirl swimming around. Gloria smiled at this as she kept going before reaching the far end of the lake as she came up.

"Wow! This lake is pretty lengthy!" Gloria said as she turned around and swam back, and on her way back, a Dratini and Dragonair swam near her. She looked at them in awe as they gracefully swam around her before disappearing as she reached the camp again where everyone else was at.

"Decided to go the distance?" Nyx asked.

"Yeah. It's pretty great!" Gloria smiled.

"Alright, let's keep putting a smile on Ruby's face and-... where'd she go?" Yang looked around.

"WAHOOOOOOOO!"

SPLASH!

They turned to see two plant-like diving boards on top of a rock. One low dive and one high dive as Ruby had jumped off the high dive. Ruby came up for air with a dorky smile on her face.

"Being a complete dork." Blake chuckled.

"Now there's the Rubes I know!" Yang grinned.

Gloria smiled. "Atta lass…" She chuckled.

"Definitely needed it, that's for sure." Nyx chuckled, tossing a fruit to her Yoshi.

A few hours later…

"Aaaah… this is what I needed…" Ruby said, sitting in front of the campfire while Gloria was busy making some stew for everyone.

"Hmm…" Gloria taste tested it. "Mmm… needs a little more pepper…"

"I have to say Ruby… you look a lot more chipper than earlier." Blake said.

"Yeah, you were definitely acting like you were depressed earlier, given I haven't seen you smile and-" Yang paused, putting her hand to her mouth. "Sorry… I didn't mean to-"

"No no… it's okay…" Ruby said, her smile disappearing and sighing.

"You… want to talk about it?" Nyx asked. "You don't have to or anythi-"

"No no, I might as well rip the bandaid off…"

BGM: Luma (Super Mario Galaxy)

"You sure?" Yang asked.

"I… might as well say it…"

"Okay…"

Ruby sighed. "I've… been through a lot this past year. Dark Ruby, tormented by her, framed by her at Delfino, almost killed by her after we dealt with the Shroobs, I ran away to Galar, she almost killed you three in space, died from the universe imploding in on itself, but mom put it back together… I get heartache because my paper version of myself was going through the wringer…"

"How's she holding up?" Blake asked gently.

"I talked with her earlier. She's hanging in there… but I can tell she's more concerned about me."

"Even she's worried? Oh boy…" Yang mumbled.

"Then we got swallowed up by Bowser in a blorb crisis, Dimentio comes and puts me through hell… not to mention dumping me in Phazon… and then Dark Ruby comes back with a vengeance, tortures me, kills me, throw sludge in my face, break my weapons… destroyed my hip and my arm, even though I actually like my plant arm…"

Tears swelled in Ruby's eyes. "Get my soul ripped out of my body, my hip is replaced by a quack… I go to Hisui to try and stop a crazy maniac from destroying the bonds of humans and Pokmeon, only I let out an elephant bellow that shortened my life immensely, I almost get killed by Dialga, dipped in the rewind spring and my hips were shattered again… I said goodbye to my birth mother and THEN I'm dragged into another universe's problems where I had to deal with Sapphire Onyx, someone who I thought was just a dream but it wasn't! And that confirmed to me that there's another universe out there where I fell into despair and became a Spring Maiden and… and…"

"Ruby…?" Blake's ears lowered.

"AAAAGH!" Ruby cried. "Am I just a damn punching bag?! What did I ever do to the universe that made it go "Hmmm, let's give Ruby hell! That'll be fun! Let's NOT give her a break! You want a break? Here's a damn middle finger instead!"."

Gloria turned to her, immediately calling out Cinderace. "Here, stir the stew for me, okay?"

"Race Race!"

"Do I have a target painted on my back? Do I have an invisible "kick me" sign tattooed on my back?! It's just… UUUUGH! It…" Ruby sighed. "When I came back… I… needed a break… but… to be perfectly honest with you guys… I've fallen into depression…"

"Depression?!" Yang said where Nyx immediately pulled out her joke book, flipping through the pages. "Rubes, why didn't you say anything?"

"Oh, I don't know! Probably because when you tell somebody they're depressed, they automatically ASSUME that they're instantly suicidal! And let me tell you, I'm far from that! Oh, and let's not forget that there are OTHER people who are like "Oh, you just need to smile more. You're just only depressed because you want attention! Just smile more!" Oh, yeah, let me just SMILE when i'm getting tortured by my dark half! You think it's easy to smile when I've been through the damn wringer so many times?!"

"...That's relatable…" Blake said, recalling her experiences with the X-Parasites.

"Oooh…" Yang frowned, recalling how K. Rool put her through hell at DK Isle.

"I never told anyone… I didn't want them to worry. …Okay, that's a lie. Oran sensed something wrong with me and asked me what was wrong. I told him I just felt depressed… and well, let's just say he tried his best."

"Depressed? Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." He immediately gave Ruby a tight hug.

"What are you doing?"

"Hugs usually make everything better!"

"He tried, he may not understand everything all the time, but he tried." Ruby said, where she immediately felt a hug from Gloria.

"Ruby…" Gloria whispered. "We're always here for ye…"

"Yeah, and honestly, if you wanna get away from stuff for a while, my door is always open." Nyx said. "...No, seriously, Rantaro's living with us in the guest room and Futaba crashes there all the time. What's one more?" She giggled. "You're always welcome to come hang out and sleep over."

"My door's always open too." Blake said.

"And mine." Gloria smiled.

Ruby sighed. "Thanks guys…" She wiped her tears. "I'm… sorry for snapping like that. And for… what I did with Grif. The moment he said what his semblance was, I just… panicked. For a second there, I thought she came back and was wearing Grif's armor."

"Naaaah, I'm pretty sure Hades isn't letting her out." Yang said. "But, I can see why you did that."

"Yeah… that's why I haven't been smiling as much lately…"

Blake immediately hugged Ruby. "I know how you feel… considering my first mission with SPBRR. I came back and I wasn't the same. I was… pretty depressed for a while. Luckily, through some healing, I was able to bounce back. Mostly… the X-Parasites still terrify me, no matter how long it's been since we've defeated Raven Beak."

"I've been on that same boat too. What, with K. Rool taking my semblance away and all." Yang said. "I bounced back, that's for sure!"

"Admittedly, I was depressed for a while after the Wario Bros kicked us out of Gusty Gulch… but after a while, I was able to bounce back. And hey, I finally got my revenge on those money hogs, so it's all good. I guess you could say it was… a goldmine?"

Ruby snickered. "Nice one…"

"I haven't had depression myself, but I know that ye need a massive hug from us…" Gloria said. "We're all here for ye… we love ye too much."

"Yeah, and if Weiss were still here, she'd say the same thing!" Yang said as she walked over and hugged Ruby. "I'd hate to see my little sis so depressed…"

"Thanks, Yang…" Ruby hugged her back. "I've… honestly been considering going to a support group for my depression…"

"Uh… do they have support groups for what Ruby went through?" Nyx whispered.

"Let's see…" Blake counted on her fingers. "Alcohol, drugs, porn, divorce, death of a loved one… I… don't think there's one for what Ruby went through."

"...Then we can make one where we're all there for her."

"You sure you want that, sis?" Yang asked.

"I dunno… maybe… I'm not sure if there's one for "Universe has it out for me just because I exist". I've been hesitant because of… ya know, not being sure if there is one."

"Well… if you ever find one, we'll be right there for ya." She smiled.

End BGM

Thud

Thud

Thud

"...You guys hear that?" Nyx wondered as they turned their heads to see the same T-Rex from before walking through the trees, having lost sight on Mario.

BGM: Capture T-Rex (Super Mario Odyssey)

…However, the T-Rex spotted the group and roared.

"Oh come ON!" Ruby snapped. "I swear, that thing is looking at me and wants me for dinner! I SWEAR the damn universe has it out for me!" She said, all of them unaware of Gloria immediately running back to her kitchen set up.

"Then we'll make sure the universe won't bite you in the ass anymore." Nyx said, cocking her crossbrows as Yang squared up as Blake readied Gambol Shroud.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

"OI, UGLY!"

The T-Rex turned his head to see Gloria slapping some pans together to get her attention. "YE WANT SOME FOOD? HOW ABOUT A MEAL TA GO!" She yelled clanging the pans together as the T-Rex snarled, roaring directly at her face and charging at her.

Gloria smirked, immediately going into her Latias form and flying off as the T-Rex charged after her. Nyx immediately getting an idea and chased after the two.

End BGM

"What… are they doing?" Ruby wondered.

"Making the universe chase after them instead." Yang said.

"...They'll be okay, right?" Blake asked.

"Blake… it's Gloria and Nyx. They'll be fine!"

"Good point."

Ruby sighed. "They didn't have to do that…"

"Well, they did." Yang smiled.

"Hmm…" Blake looked over at the plant diving boards that Ruby created. A lightbulb appeared on her head, snapping her fingers over the idea. "Ah!"

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"Soooo… instead of searching for a support group, why not take up planting flowers?"

"Flowers…?"

"Yeah, I heard it's very therapeutic for some people. You can just… plant to your hearts content if you want. You can make flowers, can't you?"

Ruby pulled up her rose arm, her palm opening up and springing up a pink flower. "Yeah…?"

"So do that instead. Get your mind off things! Think of it like… therapy!"

"Therapy? I dunno… I don't want to disturb Byleth and Bereto…"

"Well, I'm pretty sure they never thought of planting flowers because they were bandits back then. Last I checked, bandits didn't have flowers on their mind. Can you blame there, honestly?"

"No…"

"Exactly! So why not just flower bomb an entire empty field? Heck, do a greenhouse or something… just plant away! Try this field right here!"

"If… you say so…" Ruby nodded as she planted her rose hand on the ground, where a variety of flowers bloomed instantly.

"Well! I guess we don't have to worry about them growing for several weeks." Yang smiled.

"You… think this is enough?" Ruby asked.

"Well, it's definitely prettier!" Blake smiled. "Think you could do some more? Try that patch of land over there, right where that Politoed is at."

"Okay…' Ruby immediately used her semblance to head toward that direction.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Yang asked.

"I dunno, ask me again in a few minutes. Okay, try that rock formation over there! I think it needs some color!"

A few minutes later…

"Phew…" Ruby rubbed her forehead, her smile not disappearing. "I feel like I'm cheating."

"Cheating or not… it definitely made the place beautiful." Blake said.

"I dunno… I don't think-"

"Shhh, look over there!" Blake pointed as they would see some Deerling examining the grass along with some Comfey and Ribombee.

Ruby gasped, her eyes sparkling in awe as the Pokemon were smiling and dancing around the flowers, grateful for the now colorful field. "Oh my gosh…"

"You made them happy… and I can imagine that could make any person happy too." Blake said. "Soooo, what do you think?"

"I… I think I can give it a shot." Her smile still not fading. In fact, her voice sounded a little chipper and in a different pitch something that Blake immediately picked up on.

"Soooo, you still doubt me~?" Blake grinned.

"I'm not much of a flower person, but… it's definitely gorgeous."

"Whoa!" A voice said as they turned to see Nyx and Gloria approaching them, the latter covered in mud. "We were only gone for a few minutes, and we come back to… flower paradise!"

"You can thank me for that!" Blake smiled. "...Oh, Gloria, why are you covered in mud?"

"Well, Nyx set up a trap while I was occupying that beastie and… well…"

Earlier…

"I'll admit it… I didn't think that net would hold the T-Rex." Nyx said, backing away to admire her work.

The T-Rex roared, where the net snapped and the T-Rex fell… right into another trap where he fell into a pitfall… where mud suddenly splashed out and got all over the Scottish Galarian.

"Blegh! Why teh fock did it get all over me and not ye?!"

"Guess you were in the splash zone!"

"Great…"

In the present…

"I'm gonnae wash up, I'll be right back…" Gloria went into her tent and while she did, her Rotom phone vibrated as she pulled it out, seeing it was from Marnie.

"What ya up to?" - Marnie

Gloria texted back.

"Campin' with Ruby. Lass desperately needed it. She's all depressed because she thinks the universe has it out for her."

"Honestly, I don't blame her. By the way, what do you think of this outfit?"

Marnie sent a picture of herself.

"...Are ye… wearing a crown? And a dress?"

"Honestly, the dress was Shez's idea. She thought I'd look cute in one. Personally, I think the crown's a bit much but who am I to argue with her magical roommate?"

"Ye look like a Galarian Moltres!"

"It'd be fitting if I actually had one, but… alas, Nyx has it. Oh well… Neo thinks I look adorable in it."

"Ye definitely look cute!"

"Aw, thanks!"

"So, you up to anythin' evil lately?" Gloria added a winking emoji.

"Well… Lord Bowser heard of this magical belt that can turn him into anything, so he sent me, Neo, Shez and Pittoo out to investigate. However, Kamek has his concerns over this belt and needs to do a proper analysis when we come back. He hopes Lord Bowser won't be around when he comes back."

"Sounds like a scheme of some kind!"

"Yeah, just thought I'd give you a heads up so RWBY and Co can get ready to launch into battle."

"Actually… I think it'd be best if Rubes sat this one out ta focus on her mental health."

"Yeah, honestly, I totally agree with you there."

"See ya after the dust settles?"

"Yeah. Love you!"

"Love ye too!"

Gloria smiled. "Heh… how about that…" She chuckled and changed into a different outfit.

"So yeah, we totally left that big ol' lizard hanging." Nyx giggled.

"Alright, sorry about that…" Gloria walked out. "Thought I'd-"

"PFFFFFFFFT!" Ruby immediately burst out laughing. "What the heck are you wearing?!"

"Huh?" Gloria looked down. "Uh… a two piece Team Yell outfit? What about it?"

"Ha… hahahaha! That… that totally means that you're… you're… you're part of Marnie's fanbase now!" Ruby laughed to the point where she fell on her back, tears falling out of her face out of heavy laughter.

"Oi! Excuse me… what's wrong with bein' part of Marn's-" She paused, realizing that Ruby was actually laughing and noticed Yang, Blake and Nyx were looking down at her with smiles on their faces. She smiled, closing her eyes and chuckled. She opened her eyes again with a shimmer in 'em. "Yeah, I'm her biggest fan out of them all, considering I scored a date with her and all. Unfortunately, I lost my face paint and my banner, but-"

"Stop! STOP! STOOOOP! I CAN'T BREATHE! HAHAHAHAHA!" Ruby cackled.

Gloria chuckled. "Good to have ye back."

"Aaaaah…" Ruby giggled as she sat up. "Oooh man, I definitely needed that!" She said, her voice sounding really chipper and back to her normal tone.

Meanwhile…

The T-Rex, now having his head poking out of the trap, struggled to get out while Mario was on his knees, panting exhaustively as Pauline approached. "Oooh… okay, I'm gonna have the Wrecking Crew come down with their excavators and get him out of there, then pull him out."

"Hah… hah… hah… you're insane!"

"Naaah, the kids will love it! I'm thinking of opening up a park in New Donk and have this guy roam around to his heart's content. Maybe put in a few more dinosaurs in there to make it livelier."

She then smiled, pulling out a notepad. "Soooo, what do you think? Any feedback?"

"Oh, I got-a plenty of feedback for you on this!"

"Good, let's hear it!" Pauline cheerfully smiled.

Back with the girls…

BGM: Friends in My Heart (Kingdom Hearts II)

"Yo yo!" Nyx's Yoshi smiled, having gobbled up his food already.

"Geez, not even stew will slow ya down, huh?" Nyx chuckled.

"See, I can make stuff other than curry. It just happens to be a favorite of mine." Gloria smiled.

"Yeah…" Ruby smiled with her.

"Sooo, you up for another Bowser busting adventure, given the details that Gloria gave us?" Yang asked.

"Honestly… I'll sit this one out. Self care and all that stuff…"

"Good, because we would've held ya back if you said yes anyway!" Yang grinned. "I'm sure the Mario Bros can handle that one solo!"

Blake nodded. "They'll understand."

Ruby looked up at the night sky. "Yeah…" She closed her eyes as a gentle breeze flew past her. "I feel like things are about to look up for me…"

Meanwhile, in the Paper universe…

Chaos Ruby softly hummed as she read a comic book. "Strange… I feel my heart warming all of a sudden." She said and then chuckled. "Ruby, what did you do this time?" She giggled.

End BGM

Suddenly, at that moment, her Houndoom perked up and then started barking at the door.

"What is it?" Chaos Ruby wondered, when suddenly the door was blown apart as she immediately telekinetically stopped it and put it to the side as a Loss Leader stormed right in.

"Ruby! I have finally found you!"

"Who the hell are you?"

"I am Magog, Calasmos's right hand soldier… AND I HAVE COME FOR YOUR HEAD!"

Chaos Ruby said nothing, chaos magic swirling in her arms.

"Alright…"

Chaos Ruby's eyes glowed blue.

"Bring it!"

Soooo, major shout out to Wyvern for wanting to include Odyssey's T-Rex, of all things, to show up on here. I wasn't so sure if I wanted to add it, but he was insistent so... eh, why not?

Ibuki: Chaos Ruby's gonna be busy...

Deadpool: Meh! It's Paper Damian, I'm sure he'll go down in no time!

EDIT: Reworked the scene with Oran and Ruby.