Dreams Come True

Faded Memories In The Ruins

The blurred blues of the sky almost formed these weird rings that outlined the Hub like an attention grabbing circle. It made the whole world have this air of sadness, the shadows of what could've been casted far. We were blanketed in the dark, the sunless sky feeling cold.

"Gladius..." I began as we all walked, the Hub still a distance away. "I was thinking... If these universes weren't scrapped, would that mean all of us could have met another way?"

"Most likely", the sword mused. "But then we wouldn't have gone on this adventure. So consider it a double edged sword."

"Ironic", Majima said aloud. This made Gladius huff and everyone start laughing, the noise echoing off the hollow walls. Honestly, I'd take what we could get, considering we were in a dying world.

The walk mostly devolved into a calm silence, but I couldn't shake the feeling from earlier. Subconsciously, I looked over my shoulder. Nothing but an empty street, so I just shrugged and faced forward again.

"Something on your mind Caleb?" Hilda asked as she walked up next to me. Twig was skipping carefully next to her, while Alfur sat on her beret.

I nodded. "Just thinking. And taking in the sights of this place. Yeah, it's terrifying, but as an artist, it can be inspiring."

That caught the attention of the others. "You're an artist?" Manolo asked in surprise.

"Yes, I am", I said proudly. "I draw any chance I get. But considering the current circumstances, I haven't been able to. Hopefully when we get back, I'll finally get to work on some projects."

"That would be great!" Hilda cheered. "Me and you could maybe do some sketching after all of this is over!"

I nodded for the second time. "My thoughts exactly, Hilda!"

"My question is... when we get you back...", Laney began, "What's going to happen with the rest of us? Will Rainbow and the others boot us out, or let us stay?"

That made everyone pause, then look at me blankly. I shook my head and shrugged, but Gladius let out a sigh.

"I'll be honest", he began, "It's hard to say. Rainbow, ever since the Vortex, has become increasingly jumpy when it comes to people visiting other universes aside from the Capital, so when she hears what we've all done, especially when it comes to this place", he gestured to the ruined buildings around us, "she'll probably faint out of pure terror."

Most of us winced, while Dry let out a low whistle. "Well, that'll be a fun bridge to cross when we reach it. I'm ready to be obliterated by four angry gods."

"I don't think they'd go that drastic, Dry", Maria chided. She walked up to me and wrapped me in a one armed hug. "Caleb will be able to explain things, so I'm sure we'll be fine."

"But then where will we stay if we aren't kicked out?" McGee asked.

"The hallway Caleb's room is attached to", Gladius explained, "Has bedrooms and nothing else. All of them are guest bedrooms that haven't been used in years, but are consistently maintained. Unless for the 50 years I was locked up in the storage room, those four punks became pigs and let the rooms fall into disarray."

Ralph snorted as Vanellope broke into a fit of giggles on his shoulder. I rolled my eyes with a smile as the others all started to quietly laugh, only for everyone to shut up when another quake rumbled beneath our feet. A building behind us, and not too far at that, was knocked over and crashed onto the road, blocking our way back.

We all stared silently at the wreckage, only to glare at a giggling Izzy. "Wow, we were all nearly pancakes. Or should I say... roadkill?"

We all groaned at her attempted joke and went to continue down the road. But as soon as I took a single step, some rusted trash cans were knocked over in an alleyway near us.