Horizon-Bound

Epilogue --Picnic--

(Aight decided to move oneshots to a general ahit oneshot book. >:)! enjoy da epilogue here.)

"Where's Shapes?" You muttered softly, resting your back  against a tree on your picnic blanket. 

It had been a month since you last visited the forest, and you felt it was long overdo to see your friends again. Chester shrugged softly, fiddling with a ribbon from the basket of food you had brought.

"They said they'd be here soon," He stated, "I'm gettin' tired of waiting though."

You furrowed your brow lightly, slapping the doll's hand away, "No. You wait."

Chester huffed in response, "I'm like 5 times your age kid!"

"This is also my food."

"Ughhhh."

A rustling in the bushes caught your attention,  casting your gaze over to the shrubbery that marked Subcon's entrance. With a tilt of your head, a tall figure slowly emerged, something else in its arms.

"Hey Shapes," You smiled softly, "Whatcha  got there?"

"A little subconite, they decided to tag along."

A confused look crossed your face as the grey-cloaked creature was set down, watching as it stood to its feet.

"Aw what? Chester! You didn't tell me you were having an adventure!" The doll squeaked out, sounding notably younger than your friend in question.

"Yeah, 'cause you weren't invited squirt!" Chester snarked back, getting knocked over in a tackle from the younger subconite "Ough! Kid, you gotta stop doing that."

You chuckled softly, "Who's this?"

Chester sighed, pushing the grey subconite off himself as he sat up.

"Well. (Y/N), this is my little brother, Ezekiel. Eze', this is my friend (Y/N)."

"Hey! Cool! A human" The little doll then rushed you, barely giving you time to catch him, "How'd you find them?"

Patting the young doll on the head, you questioned, "Did he recently get a body or something? He seems way younger than you."

"Yeah," Chester responded, "He was stuck as a dweller for a while, we couldn't...really find him until a few years ago. So he's still a kid."

There was a snort from the older doll as he teased his brother, "Hear that, you're still a baby."

"I'm not a baby," Ezekiel snapped back.

Letting the two argue, you shifted your position on the blanket slightly, looking up as Shapeshifter took a seat beside you and Moonjumper, eyes squinting up in a soft smile.

"My," They stated, watching as Moonjumper gently wrapped an arm around your shoulders, "You two look in much better shape now adays."

"Mhm," You hummed in agreement, opening the basket to grab a muffin from it, "I still- I can't thank you enough, you know."

Their ears twitched a bit, glancing up towards the sky before meeting your gaze, "Trust me. I couldn't just leave a lost soul up where they didn't belong."

"...Shapes?" You softly questioned, "Were you lost once?"

"Haha, all us immortals are born lost," Shapeshifter responded, clasping their large paws together, "It's up to us to find ourselves."

"...I guess everyone is, huh?"

Your eyes glanced to Moonjumper, noting the thoughtful, almost melancholy expression on his face. Your hand gently moved up, pressing against the red markings on his cheek. A thankful hum and tilt of his head was all you really needed to confirm he was comfortable with it.

"You see," Shapeshifter continued, "The longer I exist in this plane, I realize. If I do nothing with this immortality...What is my purpose? So many others are gone to dust so quick..."

"I see," You mumbled, "That makes sense."

"One piece  of advice I have for the two of you," Their paw rubbed your head lightly, "Enjoy this life while you have it, dear friends. Your lives will change fast, neverendingly so, it's only natural. Dwell only on the good, the rest won't matter once it's said and done. I've seen too much regret in my time."

You heard the tell-tale clink of the shackles that were bound to Moon's wrists, watching the ghost contemplate them for a moment.  A small smile formed on your face when the ghost turned, giving your cheek a small kiss with one of his small purr sounds. 

"We'll keep that in mind, Shapes."

A calm quiet fell upon your small group, the afternoon sun bringing a comfortable warmth as you sat, watching the clouds go by slowly.

"Hey," You jolted just a little, shaking Shapeshifter's shoulder with a strength the creature wasn't quite expecting, "I have something to ask you."

"Ah-ahaha, yes?"

"So Hat Kid told me something," You smirked a little, "Apparently Snatcher has a new friend? Do you know anything about that?"

"Ah." 

Their abnormal quietness hit you, making you laugh in realization.

"I think you do!" You squealed, clinging to their arm in a teasing fashion, "You know, huh?"

"Hmph," The being shoved you off onto your back, rolling their eyes at your fit  of giggles, "You know, just because this immortal gets into your business, doesn't mean you get to get into theirs!"

You snorted, relaxing a little, "Glad you listened to my advice."

"Who said I did? All you did was quote some cheesy tv show at me."

"Ha. ha," You sarcastically replied, sitting up with the aid of Moon, "Either way."

"Hm. Yes I suppose."

With one more playful snort, you looked back up at the clouds.

This hadn't all been bad. Not at all. Your eyes darted, watching Chester and his brother wrestle,  yanking at eachother's cloaks with teasing words of making their boss bad. You settled softly into your ghost's arms, sighing softly.

It was worth it, in the end.