I awoke with a bright smile and a big stretch. Last night was so fun, and I looked wistfully at the ceiling. Maple stirred in his pot, while Gladius stretched and began to hover casually.

"Good morning, Caleb", the sword said happily. "Ready to tackle another day?"

"You know it, Gladdy!" I responded bombastically. Maple was startled awake by my outburst, shooting me a light glare. I sheepishly smiled as a form of apology, which only made the Wasabi Whip roll his eyes with a flat mouth and jump onto my bed. Surprisingly no dirt was kicked up.

Gladius waved me off to get ready, and I ran into the bathroom with a fresh change of clothes. I worked fast, showering and ruffling my hair, before stepping out into my bedroom. I posed proudly, only to falter when Maple suddenly jumped onto my head.

I shot the plant a light glare when he scurried onto my shoulder, but that glare melted when Maple began to nuzzle affectionately. I sighed and returned the affection.

While all of this was going on, Gladius was chuckling quietly. He hovered over to the room's light switch and clicked it on. I squinted at the sudden light, but my eyes quickly adjusted to it. With a deep breath, I headed out of my room into the hallway, Gladius glued to my side.

Only for my mood to immediately fall when I saw an absolutely exhausted Marco leaning against one of the tables. His eyes looked drained of their usual life, which set off all the alarms in my head.

"Marco?" I began quietly. "Are you okay?"

Diaz shook his head. "I don't think any of us are, bro. Last night, after you went to bed, Star got super curious and decided to watch our show. Till the season four finale."

My whole body went rigid as I tensed. "Oh gosh… are either of you okay?"

He shook his head again. "It really hit us hard. Everything involving Eclipsa, Meteora, and Toffee really messed with her. But our relationship is what really messed with us."

I tilted my head. "What do you mean by that?"

"We didn't like it", Marco admitted with 100% honesty. "Seeing us kiss, it made us uncomfortable. Star's more like a sister to me, but seeing us get together at the end… it didn't sit well with me or her. Like we were being forced into something we didn't want."

I gulped. "What about the others?"

"After me and Star broke our brains, everyone else was washed with this morbid curiosity, and took the box sets or single DVDs with their stories to see the full things. Around midnight, maybe 1 AM, we all met back in the Rec Room… and it was clear none of us were okay."

"Even after Manolo's speech yesterday all of that still got to you guys?"

Marco nodded. "It's one thing being told we should carve our own path. But seeing what's supposed to happen, all of it out of our control really changes things."

I looked at my friends sadly. "I get that, Marco. But it will be okay. Me, Gladius and Katania will help you guys get through this."

Diaz shrugged kind of weakly. "Hopefully. Everyone is still in bed if you're curious. It was a long night, I don't think any of us got to sleep till 3 AM."

My eyes widened. "Then why are you up?"

"Star is too", he jabbed a thumb at his bedroom door. "She woke up screaming, then banged her arm on the bed frame. So I offered to go and find some staff to see if they could get me some painkillers for her. She's… She's too freaked out to use her wand."

"I'm guessing you guys saw the episodes about the spells being alive?"

Diaz nodded, then yawned. "Alright, I'm gonna go and get Star her painkillers. Maybe this walk will help clear my head. See ya' dude."

I waved sadly was Marco trudged down the hall and around the corner.

Gladius, who was silent during the whole conversation, finally spoke up. "This is going to be a lot harder than we thought. They need something serious to get their mind off of this, or they may spiral too far and beg for an easy solution."

I shivered as the fear of them asking to have their minds wiped entered my head. "Yeah, we need to do something. But what…?" I began to think as I walked over to the door to the balcony. I opened the door and walked out into the warm breeze, letting the sun warm my skin as I sat down at one of the outdoor tables.

Maple hopped off my shoulder and landed on the solid surface, looking up at me in concern. It seemed like, because he was perfectly fine sticking with me, Gladius and Katania, all of this existential stuff wasn't getting to him as much.

Gladius hovered around aimlessly as me and him wracked our brains trying to think of something we could do to help the others get out of this rut. But, sadly, no such idea came. After a few more minutes, I groaned and smacked my head on the table in frustration.

"Oh boy, what's going on with you kid?"

I looked up and watched as Virus moved and sat at the chair across from me. With a sigh, I shrugged. "A lot. Woke up and left my room only to see Marco standing in the hall looking half dead. He told me after I went to sleep, everyone watched and slash or binged their own movies and shows, and now they're all having an existential crisis."

Virus, who was midway taking a sip of his coffee, froze. She finished the sip and winced. "Yikes, yeah, that is really brutal. Not even the Council members have done that, because they know it'll drive them insane."

I nodded. "So now us three", I gestured to myself, the sword and plant, "Are trying to come up with a plan to hopefully help them through this tough time. Help them cope and heal and adjust so they don't take drastic measures…"

"Like a memory wipe?"

I nodded morbidly. "Exactly that."

The purple blob set his coffee down and hummed in thought. "Well, what do you think needs to happen?"

"I just need to find something, anything, so they can get their minds off it for the time being. Or hopefully realise it's not that bad."

"They just had their whole reality shattered, Caleb", Gladius said bluntly. "It's going to take a lot for them to see it as a good thing."

I fell silent, trying to think of some sort of rebuttal. But instead, what Manolo said yesterday came into my head. And it stuck, so much so I was using it as the centre of my idea planning.

"You know, you could do what me and Rainbow did for you when you first showed up", Virus suddenly mentioned.

I shook my head and looked up at him in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Rainbow said you guys needed an escort if you wanted to leave the castle…" The purple blob said vaguely as he took a sip of his coffee.

I continued to look at him in confusion until it finally clicked in my head. My eyes widened as the memory resurfaced in my head, one of all the way back to my second day here.

Shopping.

Virus was suggesting I take the gang shopping.

A bright smile slowly formed on my face as I looked up at my adoptive father. "Are you sure, Virus? I'm allowed to do that?"

The blob shrugged. "Of course! Rainbow isn't gonna keep ya' under house arrest, she'd be more than happy setting up a transport for you and your friends!"

I looked up at the sword. "What do you think, Gladdy?"

"I think a trip to the mall is a perfect idea!" He cheered happily. "They could pick out new clothes for themselves, get some little Knick-knacks for their room, all of that! It'll be a good first step towards a new beginning."

I nodded and looked down at the Wasabi Whip. "What about you, Maple? Do you want to go shopping?"

The plant, who already looked ecstatic, nodded rapidly before jumping onto my shoulder and nuzzling my cheek. I giggled at the affection, and nuzzled back.

I turned back to Virus with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Virus. You are the best."

"Ah, don't mention it, kid", he said humbly. "I'm just looking out for you. Now go and tell Rainbow what you want to do."

I nodded and sprung to my feet, making a mad dash towards the door back inside. But I froze, looking back at Virus just as I reached for the door knob. I then decided to do something important first.

I rushed back over to the purple blob and hugged him. "Thanks, dad", I whispered.

Virus was caught off-guard at first, only to return the hug warmly. "Don't mention it, son. I'll always be here for you."

I nodded against his surprisingly soft body, then waved goodbye as I finally rushed back inside to find my adoptive mother. I could hear my dad chuckle as I left, which filled me with a loving warmth I missed so dearly.

This was going to be a great day, I just knew it.

~X~

It took a while to track down Rainbow, but luckily I was able to find her and tell her what I wanted to get done today. She agreed immediately, and quickly called up Skye to get a transport ready for the trip. Luckily, the general was actually in the very room with her daughter, and Katania was all on board as well.

So it was all set. In about two hours, we would meet at the front of the castle and head to the mall for a fun day of shopping. Rainbow said that we could buy whatever we want as long as we didn't get greedy. Me, Kat, Gladdy and Maple all nodded, making the goddess smile.

As the four of us headed back to the hallway with my room, I told Katania what Marco told me. Of course, Kat looked stuck between cringing and twisting her face in terror. So she somehow did a mix of both.

"That is horrible", she whispered. "I can't imagine how Izzy or The Doc are feeling. They both looked pretty upset yesterday."

"Based on how drained Diaz looked", Gladius mentioned, "We can assume not good."

We turned the corner into the hall. "I just hope this trip helps them…" I muttered. "Like, I don't want to feel guilt like this. I should've just put my foot down yesterday."

"Don't go blaming yourself for this, Caleb", Katania said reassuringly. "This was bound to happen sooner or later. Everyone would have seen that massive wall of DVDs and let their curiosity get the better of them."

"She's right", Gladius added. "Plus, I expected a reaction like this. It was how the original members of the Council reacted when shown their stories."

I nodded. "Still, I could've done more to stop them. Like, say a firm no and put my foot down or something…"

Maple gently leaned against my head as my other two friends shared a sad look. But all my somberness instantly melted away and was replaced with a determined look.

"Which is why we are doing this!" I said firmly. I marched forward defiantly, the other two close behind as I made my way inside the Rec Room. Everyone was up and about, but looked exhausted, upset, or a mix of the two. That just would not do in my eyes. So, with a determined look not leaving my face, I marched to the front of the room.

No one noticed me, so I picked up a nearby glass pot and threw it on the ground. Everyone but me jumped at the sudden noise and scattering glass.

"Caleb, what the hell?!" Kat roared. "That was expensive!!!"

"Everyone listen up!" I yelled, ignoring Katania. "I know finding out about what you are is really scary, and I understand it's hard." Most of my friends muttered under their breaths, while Izzy and The Doctor looked away in shame. "BUT! I don't want this to drag all of you down. No matter what happens, we are the people we chose to be, so choose to move on and be yourself!" That made most of the others perk up a bit.

"What Manolo said yesterday is true", I continued. "You all need to just accept this and carve your own path. Heck, things have changed regardless. Merida, we were there for the events of your movie, but changed things so you weren't alone. Same goes for you Star. And you Doc. For most of you it was like that!"

I began to pace around the room, arms behind my back. "Which brings us to now. I have a perfect plan to help you guys take the right step into this newer, more chaotic and love-filled life. No matter what happens, we will stay connected, so I decided we should do something I did when I first arrived here." I clapped my hands together and faced the group with a smile when I was at the front of the group again. 'We're going shopping!"

The whole group fell silent as they processed what I said. Slowly, their sombre expressions melted into confident ones, with their eyes filling with life again. Soon enough, the whole group was washed with a light that filled them with joy so they were back to normal.

"Caleb's right", Galacta spoke up, perched on the library railing. "We all need to move on from this. Even when we all return to our homes, we need to stay on our new paths. The ones we chose for ourselves."

"I'm all for that", Scrap Baby said firmly. "My home is filled with so many holes and horrible people that I'm willing to be Scrap Baby. Just Scrap Baby, no Elizabeth Afton in sight."

"I am The Doctor…" Who quietly said. "There is no one I'd rather be than me. I will never forget that or let that change."

"That's it gang!" Kat cheered.

"I am Star Butterfly, defender of monsters", the Mewman Princess began. "With my brother Marco by my side, nothing can stop us. And I won't let some stupid lizard or insane warrior change that!" She raised her wand up and let it glow as Marco hugged her from the side.

"Grojband will have its music heard the world over!" Corey proudly said as he jumped onto an armchair and posed. "Me and Lanes will rock on till the sun sets!" Laney laughed at his over-confidence, but seemed all with it.

I smiled as everyone continued to take turns building themselves up, all of them looking more and more happier.

"Alright gang!" I called out, earning all of their attention when they finished. "We have about one and a half hours until we gotta get going, so get ready and meet me at the castle's front entrance. K?" I received nods and sounds of acknowledgement. "Cool. Catch you guys later!" I ran out of the room, waving as I left. Gladius and Katania were right behind me, and Maple had stayed on my shoulder through the whole rousing speech.

We ran down halls and corridors till we reached the front foyer. At the base of the steps we were on top of was a proud looking Jeremy.

"There you are!" He said with a belly laugh. We dashed down the stairs as he waved at us. "You kids ready to head out?"

We both nodded, and Gladius chuckled. "Caleb was able to boost everyone else's mood, so they'll all be here soon."

"Good. Because Skye is pretty punctual."

"Wait, mom's coming with us?" Kat asked in surprise.

"We all are! After you four ran off to get your other friends, Rainbow somehow convinced herself to join you, and she was able to get Lightness, Darkness and Virus in on it too. So we're all going."

"That's great! I'll meet you at the limo, Caleb!" Kat ran off outside, with Maple choosing to chase after her.

That left just me, Jeremy and Gladius. With the silence, a certain memory entered my head. "Hey… Jere?" The guard looked at me with a smile. "What happened to those three guards that raided my welcome party?"

The man's smile faltered, becoming more of a light scowl. "As soon as you two were sucked into the portal, Skye ripped them all a new one. Rainbow even had a go, and I was ecstatic. Those three have been constant troublemakers, and that was the final straw."

"Were they fired?" Gladius asked with zero emotion.

"More than that. They were court martialed, stripped of their stars and rank, and evicted from the town next to the castle. Last I heard of them, they all split off and aren't friends anymore. Seems like they couldn't stop blaming each other for being caught."

I snorted. "Yeah, that makes sense. I'm glad."

"Trust me, after what happened, Skye was furious. She looked happier than she had in years when she watched those three leave the town and board a bus right towards the city."

"She has every right", Gladius added. He looked over towards the door at the top of the stairs as the sounds of footsteps and happy chatting hit our ears. "Let's get into the limo, Caleb. We need you to snag the best spot."

I nodded and followed the sword and guard outside. Almost in a sense of deja vu, in the circular driveway was the limo I remember from oh-so long ago. Rainbow and Lightness were talking near the front on the driver's side, while Kat poked her head out one of the back windows and waved at me.

With a smile and skip in my step, I headed down the patio steps and entered the vehicle, happy to see Virus, Darkness and Skye already situated.

"Hello Caleb", the general said happily, although kept her calm composure. "This was a wonderful idea you had."

"Thanks, general…" I mumbled in embarrassment, smiling as my cheeks heated up.

Katania giggled and moved over to me. "C'mon, all of us are sitting at the front." She grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the front of the impossibly massive limo interior just as Rainbow and Lightness entered and took a seat.

As soon as I sat down, Rainbow pulled me onto her lap. "This is a massive family outing, so I want your friends to be on their best behaviour."

I nodded. "Don't worry, Rainbow. I'll make sure they will."

She nodded and looked up, watching as everyone else slowly made their way inside. Some were looking around the interior in awe, others felt the plush seating, and others did both.

"Gotta say, this is a nice limo", Majima said with a nod. "Gotta take this out for a spin someday."

"Yeah, not happening", Lightness said flatly. "This thing was expensive, so if you ever scratch it, you're paying for it."

The yakuza rolled his eyes and sat down next to a chatting Izzy and Merida. The Doctor and Ponds sat next to him, shooting him a light glare, while Flowey just laughed.

"Sucks to be you, Goro!" Flowey cackled. "That's why I love being me. No need for cars or buses! I can just be wherever I want to be at any time!"

"Unless you want to be turned into mulch, I say don't do that", Dry said pointing in my direction. I said nothing as everyone winced, silently telling me that my mom was shooting them a very dark glare. Flowey somehow paled past white, and dipped out of view.

"Alright…" Rainbow began. She leaned back and looked towards the front. "We're all ready to go, Jeremy!"

"You got it, ma'am!" The guard called back from the driver's seat. With the sound of the engine roaring to life, we were off.

"You all can look out the windows and skylights to get a better look", Lightness said in a charming tone. "Just be careful."

The others all nodded, and I joined Katania in peering out the skylight more at the front.

We both stuck our head up as we passed by the open front gates, turning around so we could watch them close as we left. Hilda and Vanellope poked out the other skylight, smiling at us for a moment before turning their attention to the passing mansions.

"These are where the richest live", I heard Gladius explain from inside. "Or at least, the ones with the highest social status."

Maple wiggled up my back and onto my shoulder so he could watch the sights fly by.

As the others all talked below and took turns poking their heads out of the skylight, Me and Katania stayed right where we were. We watched the buildings and sporadic trees dart past as we approached the city. It was just like when it was just me, Rainbow and Virus a few months ago.

I smiled wider at the memory as we entered the city limits. I heard the gasps and cooes of awe as we passed by the buildings that raised high into the sky, the blues and purples vibrant against the sky.

Neon signs and flashy billboards advertised everything from news, to products, to movies and shows.

"Wait, our movie is getting a sequel?" Ralph shouted in shock as he and Vanellope stuck their heads out the window. "I didn't think… what will happen to our world when it releases?"

I stopped poking my head through the skylight so I could listen.

Rainbow shrugged. "It'll just happen naturally. You won't really notice unless you've somehow seen the movie beforehand. Which, after what we heard happened last night, isn't happening." She shot the group a disappointed look, which made them all tuck in subconsciously.

"Which is why we're doing this", I said pointedly, shooting a look at my adoptive mother. She frowned, and looked away a bit. "I just think we all need this. Get adjusted, or readjusted in mine and Gladdy's case, to this place, and we'll all be on cloud nine."

"Well, that was one powerful speech kid", Jeremy called from the front. 'And couldn't be better timed. We're here!"

All my friends scrambled to look out the right side of the limo, making me chuckle. Me and Katania returned to our spot, and we watched from the top of the limo as it pulled into the parking lot of the super-mall. It was exactly as when I last saw it. Heck, I could've swore I caught a glimpse of the treasury's boss in a window towards the top.

Jeremy pulled the limo into a designated spot in the lot reserved for Virus, and we all filed out when the vehicle came to a full stop.

I stood in front of the group, with Katania, Gladius and Maple, as they all stared up at the massive building. To the side, the four gods talked with Kat's parents, obviously planning how this would go down specifically.

"Alright!" Rainbow began. "Let's head into the lobby, and I'll explain things from there."

No one voiced any complaints as we all followed the goddess into the building. Much like the parking lot, the inside was utterly packed. People of all shapes, sizes and races walked about into stores of all kinds.

So that didn't change.

"Okay, so here's the rundown", Rainbow began. "Each of you gets a personal map of this place which is usually reserved for VIPs visiting the castle. They're to avoid all the crowds and stuff. Don't Lose it." She began to hand out the digital maps. When she was done, she checked a watch that materialised on her wrist. "Now, it's about… 10:25 AM. In two hours we'll meet up at the food court for lunch and so I can do a headcount."

"She's saying that like most of us aren't adults…" I heard Rory mumbled to Steve.

"After lunch, it's back to shopping till… I'd say 3 PM. Then you all meet back here and we'll head back. The limo has unlimited trunk space, and you guys are using the castle's personal vault to buy all of this. So go and have fun!"

Rainbow waved all of them off, and in no time at all the group were racing off in several different directions. They all vanished from sight as they dipped around corners or into the crowd, leaving me with my adoptive family, Kat and her parents, Gladius and Maple.

"So… where do we start?" Darkness asked in giddy anticipation.

I shared a look with Kat, and we both nodded.

"Art supplies", we said together.

The four gods looked at us in confusion. "Why is that?" Lightness asked.

"I want to decorate the hallway with my room", I explained. "So it stands out more, and so I could hopefully make the others feel more at home. Plus, we could decorate the doors so when they visit we know who's room is who's!"

I just barely missed Rainbow wincing as her brothers and husband looked at her in silent shock. I was confused by the action, my proud smile falling at the very sudden chilliness that surrounded us.

"That's…. That's a good idea, Caleb", Rainbow finally said.

"So to the art store we go!" Jeremy happily said. He marched ahead, and Katania followed after her dad with a smile. I did too, although my smile wears more subdued as I thought about what just happened.

It made me nervous.

~X~

The art store was the first target, which had all the more decorative, wall safe stuff to give the corridor more pizzazz. After that was the hardware store, so we could actually get proper paint that was made for use on walls. As I scanned over the different paints with Gladius, namely the blues so we could paint the TARDIS, the sword nudged me.

"Are you okay, Caleb?" he asked. "You were pretty quiet when we entered the art store."

I shrugged. "It was just how Rainbow reacted to me saying 'So when the others visit'…" I quietly gulped. "How she reacted, and then Virus and her brothers… It made me think she doesn't want them back at all."

Gladius was silent for a moment, before sighing. "That makes sense. Despite being one of the four in charge of the Council, she tends to be fearful of when they negatively react to something. So her logic is if they find slash found out our friends were here, there'd be a massive conflict. Especially if what you say about the Magical High Commission or La Muerte and Xibalba being a part of them is true."

Hearing that made my heart break. "So… after we say goodbye, that's it?"

This time the sword shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Since I can open portals, Rainbow will definitely let me and you visit them in their own worlds, but for all of us to come together like this again? I highly doubt she will."

I was silent, before taking a deep breath, a single tear trickling down my cheek. "That's… That's fine. Just means we need to make the most of our time together now."

Gladius remained silent, seemingly not a fan of how distraught I was because of this. We both knew, deep down, we didn't want to say goodbye. We couldn't. It didn't feel right.

But we dropped it and resumed looking at paints, picking out three that matched the TARDIS the most. I also made sure to grab some bright magentas and pinks so the painted blue box could stand out. Along the way, I grabbed basically one of each other colour till the cart we were using was filled with an almost cartoonish amount.

When Katania, Maple and Jeremy showed up, they gawked at the sight before them.

"Holy crap, Caleb!" Katania shouted in disbelief. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you were recreating the Sistine Chapel's ceiling with all this paint."

I snorted out a laugh as Maple climbed onto my shoulder. "Yeah, honestly, you aren't far off. Although change ceiling to walls, and then you'll be spot on."

Gladius noticed the boards she was holding. "What's the plan with those?"

"Oh, these?" My best friend held up her armful of boards, seemingly made out of some kind of hard plastic. "I was thinking we could put signs above all the doors so everyone knows who's room is whose. Or on them, doesn't matter."

"Kat, that's a fantastic idea!" I cheered. "Gosh, this'll be incredible."

Jeremy laughed. "How about we stick some special lighting on the ceiling. There's a section here that has all types of lamps and hanging lights designed off of whatever."

"Oooooooo, yes, that too!" I began bouncing in excitement. "All these thoughts bouncing around in my head… I need to see them come to life or I will cry for seven years!"

"We'll keep that in mind", Jeremy said happily. He put the things he and Kat snagged and put them into the cart. Then, with a flick of a switch on the main handlebar, it all vanished as the top opened to a blue light of some kind.

I gave the guard a look of confusion, and he gave me a gentle smile. "Infinite pocket space", he explained. "You can put all you want in without needing to play Jenga with your purchases."

"The more I find out about this place, the cooler it gets!" I cheered.

The others all laughed, and I looked at a nearby clock on a post. 11:45, so in about 15 minutes we should be at the food court for lunch.

"We should get going", I said.

"You kids go on, I'll pay for this and drop it off at the limo." Jeremy flashed a credit card, so we nodded and left the hardware store.

As we walked through the super-mall, we caught sight of the rush of emotionless employees heading out of the treasury and into another part of the mall that was closed to the public. I cringed at the sight of them, remembering when I accidentally was swept up and carried upstairs.

I shook my head to clear it when Kat gave me a worried look, and smiled at her reassuringly. She looked past me, and when she saw the wall of suit-wearing bank tellers, she cringed in understanding.

It took a bit longer than I would have liked, but we soon showed up at the food court. Or just outside, specifically, where Rainbow, Virus and Skye were waiting. The others there were Maria, Manolo, Majima, Galacta, Scrap Baby and, oddly, just Buttercup.

"Okay, that's four more", Rainbow mumbled. She looked down at me with a smile. "Being the all powerful leader of this place means you get to have some special areas only for you to eat at when heading out."

I nodded and turned my attention to the lone Powerpuff, who was messing with a rubik's cube.

"Hey Buttercup", I greeted, sitting down next to her on the bench she was at. "How come you're on your own."

The tomboy looked up at me with a bored look. "Eh, Blossom and Bubbles joined the other girls in dress picking, and I didn't feel like tagging along."

I did a half nod, half shrug. "Yeah, that's fair." I looked at the toy she was still fiddling with. "How come you got yourself a Rubik's cube?"

"Because I like it", Blossom said. "I remember The Doctor telling me it could be used as a 'fidget toy', and after he explained to me what that is… I realised I needed something like that so I could, I don't know, just stay busy. There were a lot of times back home when I'd just feel… overwhelmed, when I wasn't doing anything."

I nodded in understanding. "I get ya' there, Buttercup. Some of us just need to be doing something, some of us don't want to do anything. We all work differently, so I'm glad you found something to help you out."

She nodded, not prying her non-existent hands off the cube as her eyes stayed locked on. Soon, just as Buttercup was finishing up the cube so all the sides were the same colour, the others all slowly joined us. Most of them still had bags with them, some didn't and said they asked staff to take them to the limo. Because they were guests of the castle, apparently.

Rainbow rolled her eyes while her brothers snickered quietly behind her.

The Goddess shushed them and led us up a special staircase, where a 'VIP' food court resided. All the same stalls as the public one were there, just with the added benefit of no civilians or other shop-goers getting in the way. It made lunch very fun, as I simply ordered a pizza me, Maple and Kat could share.

And through the whole time, we all chatted happily. Occasionally I'd see Rainbow look at me, some odd glint in her eyes as she locked onto me. Was it pity? Regret? A silent apology? Or a mix of all three?

I couldn't tell, but something was clearly going on, as I saw her and Virus slip off at one point to go and have a private conversation. I hear Majima joke it was so they could make-out, which was met with a swift slap on the back of the head from Maria, Jenny, or Amy.

Each and every time, I'd burst out laughing.

That alone made this the best lunch.

~X~

The rest of the day was a rush of fun shopping till the sun started to go down. I tagged along with a lot of the others, from checking out the arcade with Vanellope; to heading to the wilderness store to check out camping supplies with the Trolberg trio, Merida and Izzy; seeing Zomboss and The Doctor geek out in a tech store while Amy and Rory looked on in exacerbation; trying on clothes (mainly sick ass sweaters) with Manolo and Steve; and just a bunch more for hours.

By the time we all left the mall, my friends were all ecstatic, either happily chatting about the fun time they had or yawning because of how much it drained their energy.

The limo ride back was fairly quiet, as the fatigue finally hit all of us. Most of the gang were leaning against one another, stuck in a state between sleep and not sleep. Everyone tried to stay awake as the sun rested just over the hills on the horizon, but soon most of my friends had fallen asleep.

I was leaning against Rainbow, playing with my own fidget toy (Buttercup mentioning it made me want one) as Jeremy drove the limo down the road that headed straight towards the castle. Kat was passed out next to her mom, who was humming sweet, calm lullabies as she stroked her daughter's hair.

Maple was asleep in my lap, and Gladius was in a hushed conversation with Lightness and Darkness. When I heard stuff like 'Council' and 'Paperwork', I tuned it out, knowing it was not important to me at all. Looking out the window, I watched as we drove under the arch of the castle's front gate, and woke up just enough so I could be ready.

The limo parked, and Jeremy looked back from the driver's cockpit.

"Wake up people!" He announced. Those of us sleeping (except Katania and Flowey) woke up with snorts, rubbing their eyes and stretching as they looked at the guard. "We're back. I gotta get this thing in the garage, but don't worry about all your stuff. I'll get staff to bring it all to your Rec Room." he winked at me, which was our silent agreement that all the hallway decorating stuff would be stored at His, Skye and Kat's place.

Everyone slowly trudged out of the limo and made their way inside, with myself and Gladius saying goodbye to Skye as she carried a still sleeping Katania home.

I was walking with the whole group, sandwiched between Maria and Manolo, when Dry spoke up.

"Caleb… thanks for this", he said genuinely. "After last night, it was pretty hard for most of us. But this idea of yours was perfect. I picked out some sick lava lamps to decorate my room." The flames in his eyes flickered with this sort of excited pride.

That made Gretchen snort. "Be careful not to burn your room down." The skeleton rolled his eyes, which only made the camper start laughing.

"Don't mention it, Dry", I said back with a smile. "I'd do this one hundred times over for you guys, believe me. I meant what I said."

"And we couldn't be more grateful, mijo", Manolo said sweetly as he ruffled my hair.

"Yeah, but right now I just want to crash on my bed and sleep", Corey moaned out as he stretched. "I'm used to running around, but jeez that was a lot."

"Maybe tomorrow we can all just have a day in the Rec Room?" Zomboss inquired. "Give us some time to rest, and try out some of those games. I overheard some other customers at the tech store about a racing game called 'Mario Kart', and I want to see what that's all about."

My eyes widened, then sparked with a subtle competitive energy. "Sure, that'd be fun. Plus, it gives me a chance to show you guys my fantastic art skills."

"You're going to draw losers in silly ways aren't you?" Star said cheekily.

"You know it, Butterfly!"

As we all turned down our hall, everyone exploded into laughter. I bid everyone goodnight as we all retreated into our rooms, that bout of silliness fully draining all of us.

With I sigh, I put on my pyjamas as Gladius put on his scabbard and Maple climbed into his flower pot. After I put my shirt on, I looked out my windows. The sky was a vibrant orange, a hint of magenta just barely visible at the bottom of the opening.

I smiled, heading into bed and curling up under the covers, cuddling Gladius close.

I closed my eyes just as Maple clicked my bedside lamp off.

~X~

There we have it! Chapter 82, one filled with plenty of fluff is finally done! If you couldn't tell, this is meant to be a parallel to the very second chapter of the story, just 80 chapters away. I even made sure the same was just different words for 'Endless' and 'Metropolis'. I thought it was clever.

I am really proud of how this one came out, though. The character moments here are some of my favourites, and that's not an understatement (okay, maybe it is, I like a lot of the character moments from throughout this whole fic).

Be sure to leave a review, and don't forget about the fanart!

Up next: Spurred by Zomboss' comment last night before they all hit the hay, the gang decide to spend the day exclusively in the Rec Room. With what was bought yesterday and a very competitive Caleb, classic gamer rage and hyjinx of all kinds ensue…

~Caleb~