“I can’t believe it but I did it. I helped my team come together and we took out a Royal! He was terrifying, his name was Fluorescon, and his ability scared me. He could upgrade his Luminescent generals giving them the ability to fire bolts of light. I thought we were all going to be purified, then I took a deep breath like Fluffy told me to do, and focused. Once I did I was able to take command. I had Dragon lead in the front to take the brunt of the hits with his Brute trait. Then I had Kittenberry and Lamp on support with me, focusing on healing everyone’s Magick Shields and buffing our attacks. Fluffy and Ame were our main source of damage so I had Ame take out the Generals, while Fluffy attacked the Royal from range. It felt like an eternity, but when he fell it made me believe I could really do it, I really can be a leader!”

It had been three days since Bunberry told her story, and Cherry was still having trouble thinking of himself as a girl. He wondered if it was because he had never tried before and had lived so long as a boy. It would probably be really hard to adjust to that, so he’d just have to try really, really hard. It was just for two weeks to see if it fit, but it was no use unless he—err, she—really put in an effort. So she was a girl for now, and she was going to be the best girl she could be.

She thought back to when she learned that liking masculine or feminine things didn’t determine your gender. She wasn’t sure exactly what to think of all the stuff she learned, but she had to start somewhere. And she did like some feminine things, regardless if she was really a girl, so she decided to try a nice 3-tiered pink skirt, white top, and some open toed sandals to show off her painted nails. Her hair was held back by a pink headband, and the rest flowing down her back. The gender stuff might be confusing, but at least she loved the outfit.

She thought back to her Night Crystal, and the events of Lightning Dust. The Night Crystal was alive, it breathed, it cooed, it was almost like a baby or toddler. Did Raftilia kill Lightning Dust’s Night Crystal? Mercifully she was given her chance to have her question answered right away when she made it to the main lobby. Raftilia was before her, moving towards the back wall. She was a little afraid of the dog-like being, given what she could do, but she summoned up the courage and quickly approached her. “Raftilia, can we talk?”

"Hmm? Oh, Cherry Sparkles, how good to see you. Is everything alright?” she asked as she turned towards Cherry.

“I just had a question.” She bit her lip, then took a deep breath to get the confidence to ask what she wanted. “With Lightning Dust, I-I wanted to know what happened to her Night Crystal. I know mine is alive, and so I was wondering… did you… hurt it?”

Raftilia shook her head, her demeanor turning quite sad. She turned back towards the lobby, then found an empty couch and sat on it, patting the empty seat next to her. As soon as Cherry sat down, Raftilia gave a deep heavy sigh. “Originally I didn’t even plan to break it, but when I touched it everything changed. Cherry Sparkles, her Night Crystal was already dead. Her evil deeds and cruelty had long killed her Night Crystal. It was nothing more than an empty vessel for her power, and I wasn’t going to allow her to use it that way anymore.”

That caused Cherry to breathe a sigh of relief, but also to feel a little sad. Lightning Dust had killed her Night Crystal for power. How could anyone do such a horrible thing to such a sweet innocent being? Though, another question was Cherry’s main concern.

“You told me I’d come to learn what being a Sparkle meant. Could you tell me now?” Cherry asked.

Raftilia paused, then looked Cherry in the eyes. “Alright, what do you want to know? I do believe you’ve earned some answers.”

“Why does being a Sparkle matter? Bunberry is super strong and she’s not a Sparkle.”

“A Sparkle doesn’t necessarily have destructive power, some are more supportive. Sunshine Sparkles wasn’t extremely powerful, she was the weakest one of the Sparkles. Her Trait, however, was incredibly useful. She was able to amplify the Traits and abilities of anyone around her.”

Cherry was intrigued. “Really? What could the other Sparkles do?”

“Well, Diamond Sparkles had the ability to copy Traits from others. Pink Sparkles had the ability to absorb Luminescent entirely.”

“Absorb … Luminescent?”

“Yes, she could place her hand on them and just… absorb them, giving her a massive boost of power that she could send back at them.”

“That’s crazy! No wonder she was so powerful.”

Raftilia’s eyes lit up. “Oh, she wasn’t just powerful. She was kind, she was loving, she was… amazing. To describe her would be impossible. You know, I used to push new recruits by telling them they weren’t as strong as Pink Sparkles. I later realized it was more of a detriment to my efforts so I stopped.”

“I see. I wonder what my Trait is.”

“I’m certain it’ll be as wonderful as you are, Cherry Sparkles. I meant it when I say, you are our last hope. I’m sorry to put that on you, but something about you… I can feel it, I can see it. You are special, far more special than you realize.”

Cherry wasn’t sure what to make of that. She was special? Was she really? “Well, I hope you’re right. I want to end this war, and I don’t want anyone else to suffer.”

“I’m more than confident you will. Either way, Cherry Sparkles, I do have things I need to do. Is there anything else you wanted to know?”

She bit her lip and thought for a moment. What were they like as people? Maybe some information on them might help her relate to them more. “I was curious, did the other Sparkles have any hobbies or things they liked?”

Raftilia paused for a moment, then smiled. “Well, Pink Sparkles really liked the occult and things relating to it. She often mused how it was like the Umbra Girls were witches. Sunshine Sparkles really liked dinosaurs, her favorite was a great beast called a Plesiosaurus. Diamond Sparkles really liked a human game called Chess, she also enjoyed various strategy games like Risk and Stratego.”

Cherry was amused by how simplistic and silly their favorite things were. Their deeds were still phenomenal, and Cherry still had a lot to live up to, but hearing they had such simple hobbies helped them feel more down to earth. She wasn’t sure what a strategy game was, or what an occult was, but they sounded kinda cool. She kind of wondered what her hobby would be someday. Fangirling Bunberry couldn’t really be a hobby, could it? “Thank you very much Raftilia, I think that’s all.”

“It’s always a pleasure, Cherry Sparkles, take care.” Raftilia got up, then left for the wall. She pushed something on it, and before Cherry’s eyes the wall opened up into a lengthy corridor. Shortly after Raftilia walked into the corridor the wall closed. So that was where she went when she had things to do. It was probably her office or room or something.

Cherry was glad to get answers to her questions, but something else was bothering her more. Her stomach. It craved sustenance. As she entered J.J.’s restaurant she was greeted by some kind of music. It was really catchy, with instruments Cherry wasn’t familiar with. Some were light and reedy, and others were sharp and boisterous. Atop that was a singer with an accent Cherry had never heard, light and slow and full of emotion. As strange as it was, it gave the restaurant an uplifting atmosphere. Even better, she found Coffin Flower and Kittenberry sitting at a table.

Coffin Flower wore a nice knee-length midnight black dress with a slit up the thigh, along with a matching pair of heels, with a pair of red stockings to give a little contrast to her dark outfit. Her hair was decorated with a couple of dying flowers, that may or may not have been clips.

Kittenberry wore a pink pleated above-the-knee skirt with a white top with a calico kitten motif on it. Then white knee highs with calico kittens at the top, and finished with a pair of pink T-strap mary janes. Her hair was done up in twin tails with calico kitten clips.

Cherry loved both their outfits in different ways. She loved Coffin Flower’s for the uniqueness—she’d never seen someone dress in mostly all black before—and she loved Kittenberry’s because it was just so cute.

“Kittenberry, Coffin Flower, can I sit with you?” Cherry asked.

“Cher Cher! Of course you can!” Kittenberry said brightly.

“Of course, Cherry. Always a pleasure.” Coffin Flower happily nodded as well.

With a smile on her lips, Cherry sat down. “So, do you know what that music is? I really like it, but I’ve never heard anything like it.”

“That is the music of the soul, the sounds of some of the greatest musicians of all time. Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday to name a few. I always liked jazz. It can liven up a room and just spread good vibes all around,” J.J.’s voice spoke from behind Cherry.

“Eep! J.J., I didn’t see you, sorry.” Cherry squeaked.

“No worries, Cherry, I’m always happy to talk about my favorite music and musicians. Anyway, it’s so good to see you all. What would you like?” J.J. asked with his signature smile.

“I’ll have a veggie burger with pineapple and horseradish sauce, fried morels and a root beer.” Coffin Flower ordered as if looking at a restaurant menu.

“You got it. Cherry, Kittenberry?” J.J. prompted.

“Mew, I’m gonna have some mozzarella sticks and a salmon spiced up just the way I like, with lemon drizzled on it.” Kittenberry said. “Also some apple juice, and a glass of water.”

“Mozzarella sticks? What are those?” Cherry asked.

“They’re these yummy breaded sticks with cheese and stuff, mew. And they come with a yummy sauce to dunk them in.”

Cherry’s mouth watered at the description, she wanted to try some. “Can I have some of those?”

“Of course, Cherry, you can have anything your heart desires.” J.J. responded.

“Oooh, then I’ll have that!” she said, then paused. There was something else she wanted, something she was certain J.J. couldn’t make. “I also want these weird meat sticks I saw one time, they look like long strips and have this yummy sauce on it. Oh, and that cold fluffy drink from last time.”

“All right, mozzarella sticks, barbecue ribs, and a Coke float. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” He walked away with a smile and Cherry was confused. Ribs? Like bones? He was going to feed her bones? That didn’t make any sense. Regardless she gave a smug smile, he wasn’t going to be able to get this one. She was going to win!

“Anyway, Kittenberry, as you were saying, you can just change the way people feel by them being around you? That’s amazing!” Coffin Flower said in awe.

“Uhhh, I guess so? I wish it didn’t affect Umbras too, and only affected Luminescent, meow.” Kittenberry said sadly.

“Oh… right, most people probably wouldn’t like that too much.” Coffin Flower mused.

“That and you can’t swear around me, either. Go ahead, try it.” Kittenberry goaded.

“Oh, well apple pie! Wait, Cake! Donuts! Goddess, cupcakes and jelly beans! Wow… that’s… incredible!” Her eyes seemed to light up, Cherry had never seen someone so happy about being unable to swear.

“Yeah, mew, it’s just how it is around me. As long as I’m conscious anyway and you’re within my range. Same with the feelings thing. Though as a countermeasure, mew, I take medication to keep my emotions in check, and mental exercises to keep myself stable. As long as I don’t express strong emotions I’ve found it won’t leak out onto others, meow.”

“It’s okay, you’ve been through a lot.” Cherry said. Then suddenly thinking back to the cake and cupcake comment Coffin Flower made, she remembered something she had forgotten. “Oh no, Kittenberry I’m so sorry, I missed your birthday. Happy belated birthday.”

“It’s okay, there’s no point to a birthday without my Acorn,” Kittenberry said solemnly.

“Oh, right Acorn Flower was your friend, I’m sorry.” Cherry consoled her.

“She was… more than a friend, Cherry. We were… she was… she was my soul mate.” Kittenberry said and suddenly Cherry understood. They weren’t just friends, they were lovers. “We were the same age—as humans, I mean. She was so kind, and loving, and also strong, mew. She was the only person that could ever be around me and not be affected by my Trait. She loved to swear around me to spite others who got angry at me or made fun of me. It was pretty funny.”

“Really? How did she do it? Is there a way to become immune?” Coffin Flower asked. She seemed unusually fascinated by the details of Kittenberry’s Trait.

Kittenberry shook her head. “No, the reason is her Trait was Nullification. She was immune to Traits and most abilities. Even a Royal’s powers held no sway over her. She would play hopscotch in Allightstar’s Energy Cage just to make him angry, it was pretty funny.” She giggled.

“That’s incredible. Wait, did you say powers?” Coffin Flower asked.

“Oh, yes, each Royal has their own kind of Trait, a special ability only they have. You have to be careful whenever you're around them. That's why we always say to stay far away from them.” Cherry couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They were already terrifying enough, but they had special abilities too? Why were they so much like the Umbra Girls? That thought alone was terrifying.

“Why didn’t I hear about that from Dragon during my training? Or Bunberry?” Cherry asked.

“Likely Bunberry thought you’d already been told,” Kittenberry explained, “but Dragon can be… he isn't a very good teacher, mew. At least not for the, umm, knowledge like stuff. But for combat Dragon is the best teacher we have. Even better than Bunberry.”

Cherry was in disbelief. “Really? But Bunberry said he’s gone soft.”

“They got kinda a rival thing going on, they like to push and tease each other. They’re basically best friends. The only times she seems to smile anymore is when she’s competing with him. The Umbra Knight doesn’t smile much, meow.” Kittenberry said, deadpan.

“Why does she call herself that? The Umbra Knight, I mean?” Cherry asked.

“Well, she has crossed a boundary most Umbra won’t cross. Rather than just killing Luminescent, she takes great pleasure in torturing them. She claims it gets you Night Energy, but I don’t know if it’s worth it. Even if they are trying to end humanity, they’re still alive right, mew? I don’t know, I know we kill them anyway, but it feels wrong to do what she does sometimes.” Kittenberry shivered.

Cherry didn’t like hearing that. So what if what she did was a bit out of the ordinary? Bunberry was awesome, she was the coolest person ever. She had been through so much and still saved her and fought off a horde of Luminescent by herself. What wasn’t to like about that?

“Well, I don’t know about that stuff, but what I do know is that you deserve to be happy, Kittenberry. We’re heading to the Recreational Room after we eat, then we’re gonna give you a birthday to remember, right Cherry?” Coffin offered.

Cherry looked up to Coffin Flower, jerked out of her thoughts. “Huh? Her birthday? Yes, absolutely.”

“R-Really? You’d do that? For me, meow?”

“Absolutely, it’ll be your special day.” Coffin Flower said matter-of-factly.

“Okay, then I’ll go with you, mew.”

With that, J.J. returned with their meals. Cherry was brimming with anticipation as he approached. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife as he lifted the pan lid. Impossibly, despite having a poor description of it, the dish underneath was exactly what Cherry wanted.

They thanked J.J. as he left to go attend to another Umbra Girl. Cherry ate her food with a pout. She really thought she had him this time. She’d thought that the last three times too, but every single time he always knew, no matter how bad the description was. It was almost like magick, but he said he was a normal human. So how? Her food was delicious, at least, and soon they had finished. Leaving the dishes behind, as they had before, they left the restaurant. Heading out the door to the left was the Recreational Room. Cherry hadn’t been in here yet, but she’d heard good things.

Coffin Flower opened the door, and led Cherry and Kittenberry in. She was acting kind of like a parental chaperone. It felt a bit weird to have someone you’d only known for three days acting like a mother hen towards you, but it also felt kind of nice. Cherry would have preferred it was Bunberry though.

The inside of the Recreational Room was unlike anything she had seen before. It had three sections. The left side had soft carpet on the floor and nice beige colored walls. In the center were several big comfy couches with side tables next to each side of them. They were all curved inward to face a massive entertainment center. There was a large flatscreen TV with a metal box attached to its bottom that was covered in those strange runes like the ones in the Ceremony Room. Under that was a sliding glass door with objects Cherry couldn’t quite make out from the door.

To the right was what looked like several large tables, some had paddles, some had balls, and some had board games. They had board games back at the Orphanage, but most of them had missing pieces or were unplayable.

To the back was a dark room with all kinds of neon lights. Cherry couldn’t quite see what was in there, but she could hear loud noises. And a sign with glowing letters in a rainbow of colors above it read: “The Umbra Arcade.”

Cherry walked over to the left, and opened one of the glass cases. She took out one of the things inside, it was curved and oblong, with buttons on it, and a little stick that stuck out of one side. “What is this?” she asked.

“Oh, that’s just a video game controller. You can play any kind of game here, and also watch any kind of movie you can think of. The remote is over there, mew.” Kittenberry pointed to a metal rectangle with buttons. It was on one of the tables, sitting next to a large empty glass bowl. Kittenberry walked over to it as Cherry’s eyes rested on it. “Oooh! You’ll love this, mew. You can get all kinds of snacks from the bowl. You just reach in and grab what you want.”

Cherry looked at her like she was from outer space. The bowl was clearly empty, there was nothing in it. Kittenberry grabbed her hand, and put it inside the bowl.

“What in the?!” Cherry watched her arm go inside the bowl, and then pulled out several pieces of chocolate candy. The kind she saw in her books.

“Yeah, mew, it’s so cool. No matter what snack you want, it’ll give it to you. You just reach in, and pull it out.”

“Really? That’s fascinating.” Coffin Flower said, and reached inside a glass bowl on the opposite side. She pulled out some chocolate balls. “Malted milk balls, I wonder?” She popped one in her mouth. “Wow. It really works. Our boss really pampers us, doesn’t she?”

Kittenberry nodded, and Cherry couldn’t help but agree with her. Despite the initial deceit at the recruitment process, Raftilia really seemed to care about them. She had free healthcare, free therapy—which is something Cherry promised herself she’d get into eventually—any food you could ever want—maybe, Cherry was still determined to find food J.J. couldn’t make—and a huge Recreational Room with countless entertainment options. It was all only for the low, low price of leaving behind everything you know and risking your life to fight Luminescent and do lots of good deeds to stave off explosion. Still, Cherry wasn’t sure if it really was such a bad trade. Her life was infinitely better as an Umbra, she got to learn all kinds of new stuff. Gender, sexuality, and countless other things.

“So, what would you like to do, Kittenberry?” Coffin Flower asked. “It’s your birthday celebration. Whatever you want, we’ll do.”

Instead of answering Coffin Flower, Kittenberry broke into tears and grabbed onto her in a large hug. Cherry joined in the hug, and Kittenberry cried into both their arms. After a few minutes, she broke the hug. Then wiped her tears away. “I really like the arcade. You up for that?”

“You got it, Kittenberry. I’m not sure what an arcade is, but I can’t wait to see!” Kittenberry hadn’t just saved her life, Cherry could tell there was more to her. She wondered why everyone avoided her or hated her so much. You’d have thought she’d done something terrible or something. However, it seemed like a bad time to ask that at her Birthday Party, so she kept quiet.

“The Arcade is quite fun. I’ve still got some tickets left over. I’m saving for the skull heart choker. Maybe we’ll get enough this time. That’d be cool!” Coffin Flower was excited at the prospect. Cherry wanted to know what tickets were, and what they were for, so she also agreed to do so.

Kittenberry led them inside the Arcade, and Cherry’s senses were assaulted as soon as she went inside. It was much larger than she expected, with hard flooring and stone walls. The room was dimly lit with only the flashing lights of the machines to illuminate the room. Not only that but the machines made so much noise that was both exciting and overwhelming.

“Okay, we’ll need some tokens to get started, mew. You always get twenty a day, so make sure you make the most of the games. There’s a lot here, so I hope you find stuff you like.”

Cherry followed Kittenberry and Coffin Flower over to a machine that dispensed 20 coins into her hands. She looked around after getting her tokens and felt overwhelmed with the amount of choices. There were games that had people beating the stuffing out of each other. Games about shooting people who apparently came back from the dead? Games where you throw a ball into a hoop? Though one game in particular sounded kinda cool.

“Get ready for Ultimate Skee Ball! Everyone’s favorite game. Try your skill here and prove yourself worthy to obtain the Golden Ball, and then score a victory for massive ticket rewards!” a feminine mechanical voice said from the machine. Cherry wanted to get that golden ball. She didn’t know what it was, but she really wanted it.

“Can we do this one?” Cherry asked.

“Oooh, skee ball, that’s a very fun game. You up for it, Kittenberry?” Coffin Flower asked.

“I love that game mew, I wanna get the max ticket prize!” Kittenberry seemed fired up.

“Okay, so, how do we play?”

“Simple, little girl. You get 10 balls, you roll the ball up the slope and try to get in the small holes. If you miss, you hit the empty zone and get nothing. If you hit, you get tickets. If you hit 3 times in a row you get a Golden Ball. It’s possible to get 3 Golden Balls in a single run. Go for a high score and that max ticket prize!” The voice answered. Cherry was shocked it recognized her question. Was it alive? She decided it wasn’t good to think about that stuff when involved with this place. After all, it was pretty much filled with magick, wasn’t it? Nothing worked here like it would normally.

“Yeah, I wanna play,” Cherry declared.

“I’ll play too, mew!” Kittenberry said.

“Count me in too,” Coffin Flower added.

“Then let Ultimate Skee Ball begin!” Ten balls slid towards Cherry, and she picked them up.

She rolled the first one down and… it fell in the empty zone. She grabbed another one, and…it went in the empty zone. She got annoyed and threw another… straight into the empty zone. She was getting frustrated. She rolled another and missed again “Grrr, this game is impossible!” She pouted. Then rolled another down, and got a hit. That changed her feelings immediately. “Wait, it hit? Omigosh it hit!” She rolled another down, and it also hit! She threw another and it looked like it was about to go in, but then… rolled off the edge into the empty zone. “What?! That’s not fair!”

“Cherry, it’s okay, you still got 3 balls left. Don’t give up, mew!”

“She’s right. You got this, Cherry!”

Her friends' cheers helped her regain her composure and she gripped the ball in her hand and tossed it with all her determination, and it went in! She threw another, and it also went in. Finally, she threw one more and sure enough it scored!

“Congratulations, Cherry Sparkles, you have earned one Golden Ball, best of luck.” After the voice spoke, a ball rolled down towards Cherry’s hand. One that was golden, and shiny. She tried not to let it get to her that it called her by name, and instead focused. She rolled the ball and it went inside. The machine whirled and made a loud noise. “You did it, you sunk the golden ball! Your total winnings, 500 tickets + 100 tickets+100 tickets+100 tickets. Then, doubled to 1600 tickets! Congratulations!”

Cherry was overjoyed as the machine spewed out tickets, she found herself having trouble keeping up with them as it continued until it dispensed exactly 1600 tickets.

“Nice job, Cherry. I wasn’t able to get a Golden Ball on my first try.”

“Me either, mew. You’re a natural.”

Cherry enjoyed the praise, but now it was Coffin Flower’s turn.

“All right, let’s see if I can beat my previous score.” She walked up and threw a ball, it went in! Then a second, another hit. Sadly the third missed, denying her chance at a Golden Ball. “Hmm… gonna have to focus harder.” She kissed the ball then threw it and it went in. Then she tossed another, and it went in. Her sixth ball hit the mark, and the machine blared.

“Congratulations, Coffin Flower, you have earned one Golden Ball, best of luck.”

Coffin Flower grabbed the golden ball and held it tight, then tossed it with deadly precision. It went in. The machine was overjoyed.

“You did it! You have four balls left, make them count!”

“Hehe, I love it when you praise me.” Coffin Flower seemed very happy with the machine.

“Errm… yes. Anyway, continue.” The machine didn’t seem to know what to make of her words. Neither did Cherry. Coffin Flower was an odd one, but she was a really good person. Cherry would definitely have to be careful about judging a book by its cover.

Coffin Flower grabbed three balls and threw them all at once. All three of them impossibly flew in.

“Wow… that’s… incredible. Either way, you’ve earned a Gold Ball, good luck.”

Unfortunately it seemed something had distracted Coffin Flower, as she threw it half-heartedly and it sank.

“No tickets, unfortunately, but better luck next time? You still have one ball left.”

“That’s okay, can’t win ‘em all. Though if you ask me, I definitely won regardless. I think I got enough for what I want, but one more can’t hurt.” She threw the ball and it went in.

“500+100+100+100+100+100+100+100+100+100. That’s 1400, then doubled to 2800 tickets. Congratulations, Coffin Flower.” The machine was about to spew out tickets, but Coffin Flower slid a card next to it and instead it stopped. “Tickets deposited. Great job, Coffin Flower.”

“Yep, that’s plenty. Thank you skee ball machine. I’m always grateful for your compliments.”

“Oookay, next one. Princess Kittenberry, you’re up.”

“Oooh, I’m feeling good about this one, mew!” Kittenberry threw one ball and it went in perfectly. Then she threw two more, one after the other and they hit as well.

“Congratulations, Princess Kittenberry, you’ve earned a Golden Ball, good luck!”

Kittenberry took a deep breath then threw the ball, and it went in!

“You did it! You have 7 balls left, you can do it!”

Kittenberry threw another ball, and it went in. Then she threw a second and a third and again all went in.

“Wow, two Golden Balls in a row? You don’t see that often, you can do it, I believe in you.”

“Yeah, we believe in you too! Go Kittenberry!” Coffin Flower cheered.

“Get ‘em, girl!” Cherry joined in.

Kittenberry grabbed the golden ball and tossed it, and it went in perfectly.

“Two Golden Balls collected, will you get a third? You’re on fire, Princess Kittenberry!”

Cherry was deeply concerned, Princess Kittenberry was on fire? He looked her over immediately but she seemed neither on fire or harmed. “Kittenberry are you okay?”

“Cherry, it’s an expression. It means she’s doing a really good job at the game."

“Oh, sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, mew. Jeez you’re so silly, Cher Cher.” Kittenberry giggled, then picked up another skee ball. She threw it, and in it sunk. She threw another, and bam! Another hit. She threw one more with bated breath. Everyone gasped as it fell in.

“This is unprecedented, three golden balls? Princess Kittenberry you are making Ultimate Skee Ball history!”

She brought it up to her head, and closed her eyes. She tossed the ball. Cherry was shocked. She did it with her eyes closed? Wasn’t that reckless? Regardless, the ball circled around on the edge of victory and then fell inside. She had done it.

“Three Golden Balls! Congratulations! Only one more to sink and you will have won the maximum prize!”

“Jeez, Kittenberry you’re amazing!” Cherry was starry eyed at Kittenberry’s accomplishment.

“Thank you, Cherry!”

“Yeah, I’m jealous, I want her to compliment me like that too. I’m going to have to work hard to learn to be as good as you at this game to earn it.”

“Anyway, mew… last ball.” She took a deep breath. Her hands were shaking, she clearly was very nervous. Cherry wondered if the nerves were getting to her. Unfortunately, Cherry’s fear became true as she accidentally lobbed the last ball, it bounced and pitifully landed in the empty zone. “Oh, well. Still, mew, I did really well.”

“Yes, you did, Princess Kittenberry. You made a new record that will be very hard to beat. Now, for your prize. 500+500+500+100+100+100+100+100+100+100+100+100. That’s 2400, then doubled to 4800, then doubled to 9600, then doubled to 19200 tickets. Absolutely fantastic job!”

Cherry wondered if they were going to be swimming in tickets when Kittenberry, too, took out a card, and swiped it on the side of the machine just like Coffin Flower.

“Tickets deposited, have a good day.”

“Meeeeeew, that was so good, I’m so happy!” Kittenberry’s extreme joyful emotions bled over to Cherry. She wasn’t bothered by it, however, and Coffin Flower seemed absolutely ecstatic.

“So this is how it feels… I feel wonderful, no, better than that! Kittenberry your Trait is phenomenal!”

“O-oh, sorry! I’ll try to fix it!” Cherry felt her trying to suppress it, as her emotions fell back to normal levels. “Please don’t hate me… I’m sorry!” she begged.

“Why would I hate you?” Coffin Flower asked. “You showed me something amazing. Thank you.” Cherry wasn’t sure it was amazing, but she definitely didn’t hate Kittenberry.

“I don’t hate you Kittenberry.” She thought to herself. What was a good way to show her appreciation? What about a nickname? Kittenberry was pretty hard to find one for, but then it came to her. “In fact, I really like you, Kibby.”

“Cher Cher, did you just give me a nickname?”

“Y-Yes, is that okay?”

“It's more than okay. It's the best. Thank you so much!” Kittenberry hugged Cherry tight.

“Anything else you two kids want to do?”

“First, the tickets. Why do you have some card thing, and I have to hold mine?” Cherry pouted.

“Oh, that’s because it’s your first time meow. Once you turn them in you get your own card too and won’t have to carry them anymore.”

“Oh… can we turn them in, then?”

“Hmm, okay, mew, but I wanna do more games after!”

“I’m totally up for that. I just want you girls to have a good time.” Ever the chaperone.

They led Cherry away from the games and into a small room. Inside were countless objects sealed inside a glass counter, and hung on the wall. Toys, games, stuffed animals, and even hair accessories. Upbeat music filled the room, but there was no one at the counter.

“Hello, Cherry Sparkles, Princess Kittenberry, and Coffin Flower. How are you today? Please deposit your tickets and choose your prize.” An upbeat mechanical feminine voice said. This one was less exuberant than the other one. It was softer, and giggled after welcoming them.

Kittenberry pointed to the empty counter, and so Cherry went over to it. She placed the tickets on the table, and watched in awe as they sank into the counter, completely out of sight. In their place rose a small card. She picked it up as Coffin Flower pointed to what Cherry assumed was a choker. It had a little heart buckle and was black with lace. She laid her card down and then it rose from the glass counter. She picked it up and put it on immediately.

“Well, I’m happy. What about you two?”

“I wanna play some more stuff, I’m saving up for something big, and I don’t have enough yet mew.”

Cherry looked at her ticket count, then spotted something out of the corner of her eye. A cute little rabbit plushie that was dressed in an armored dress and carrying a big sword. She wanted it soooo badly, but saw she was short quite a bit of tickets. That made her sad, but then also determined. “Me too, I’ve got my eye on something, also.”

For the rest of the day, they played different games inside the Arcade. Cherry found a newfound admiration for the shooter games. They were really fun to her, especially with friends. She preferred the one with shooting dinosaurs over the one with zombies though. After the games ended, they wound down with Kittenberry’s favorite movie: A Whisker Away. Cherry had never had so much fun in her life, sadly she still didn’t have enough for the plushie but she would definitely come back again and get more tickets. After such an exciting day, she vowed then and there, that she would never regret becoming an Umbra Girl. She’d never have been able to meet all these wonderful people. Sure there were people like Lightning Dust and Coarse Amethyst who were a problem, but there was also Dragon, Dag, Kittenberry, Coffin Flower, and of course Bunberry. With them, she felt like she could do anything. The only real thing bothering her, was that strange memory she had. Little did she know that in just a few short days time she would have her answer, and come face to face with the woman from her memories. That meeting would challenge everything she knew about the world, and it would shake the very foundations of her identity and her soul.