Dreams Come True

Sunshine Breaking Through

I awoke the next morning with a big stretch. Gladius was at the end of the bed fast asleep, and Maple was in his flower pot deep in his own slumber. I smiled as I looked the two of them over, only to look up at my window to gaze outside. It was pretty cloudy, but I knew it wasn't a bad omen for anything.

In fact, I realised my mind felt so much clearer than before, and that made me relax considerably. It seems the worst of it had finally passed, which filled me with relief. I stretched a second time, my bones feeling strong and firm, before hoping out of bed to get ready for the day. Unlike the last few days, this time in my bathroom was filled with an air of happiness that was dearly missed, and I exemplified it by humming some of my favourite songs as I washed my body under the warm water.

After I was all washed and dried off, I looked myself over in the mirror. Some faint bags were still visible under my eyes, but they had greatly faded, and life had filled my eyes one again, regaining that sparkle I remember when I first made it back. I was getting better, but I still felt hints of that sadness and anguish from before still in me. It was buried really deep, but it was there.

I shook my head, deciding it would be better to talk about it later, so I finished getting ready and moved out back into my room. Gladius and Maple were still asleep, so I decided to let them rest and left into the hallway.

The corridor was still, with the light shining through the open windows with ease. I looked down towards the balcony, eyes darting about the empty hall for a bit, before I turned and headed down the opposite way. I bobbed my head as a silent song played in my head. I walked with a light dance as I made my way over towards the wall length window, the visible city vibrant and alive.

I leaned against the windowsill, letting my eyes wander aimlessly as the blanket of grey clouds hung in the sky. It was somewhat methodical, like a weird dream thanks to the rolling hills in the background.

Despite what one would think, I liked it. It was typical Canadian weather in the middle of spring or fall. Which made me wonder if because of me living here, more of the real world will slowly seep into the Capital. It was a fun thought. Maybe it would mean more trees would grow amongst the barren hills.

As I continued to gaze out towards the city, I became aware of a presence walking up from behind and rested against the windowsill to my left. Peeking out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jenny. To my right, Steve copied the teenage robot. Behind me, I watched as Ralph (with a messy hair Vanellope on his shoulder) stop a few centimetres away.

We all gazed out towards the city in peace, simply soaking up our presence. Soon, Gladius joined us, and the six of us all remained there in a quiet calm.

"It all started with you two", I mumbled, nodding my head at the wrecker and racer without looking at them. "The two of you were the first ones who helped me and Gladdy when we were so far from home."

The wrecker snorted. "Yeah... Man, that was so long ago. It's crazy to think that two months ago we were perfectly fine at the arcade, then this little crumb muncher...", he flashed Vanny a cheeky smirk and nudged his shoulder, making her giggle, "suddenly says she found the stranger Surge was talking about. Lo-and-behold, it was a kid and his talking sword who just needed help."

I turned around and smiled up at him, earning a playful hair ruffle in return.\

"And, let's not forget about that awesome kart you built, Glasses", Vanellope mentioned. "I'm gonna make sure it's in tip-top condition when I get back home. So whenever you visit, we can have an awesome race! You might have beat me in Mario Kart, but I'll make sure you lose when we race in Sugar Rush."

We all started to laugh at that, making sure to keep it down so we didn't wake the others.

"And then you guys met me", Jenny continued after we calmed down. "You helped me deal with Armagedroid coming out of nowhere, and gave me one heck of a reason to tag along with you on this wacky adventure. Let me get a break from home." She looked back out to the city. "I love Tremorton, I love mom and Brad and Tuck and Sheldon... but even I have my limits. And I guess I'm still a bit... annoyed at them for what happened with the holiday destruction and Cluster Prime stuff."