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Chapter Text

There was a distinct rustle of leaves above him.

That was the first thing Stampy noticed as he glanced around the oak forest, tail swishing from side to side. His eyes focused on his surroundings as the breeze brushed against his fur, gentle but quite cold. His left ear flicked, listening for any new sounds. He took a moment to think, trying to recall what was going on.

He had spotted something between the trees, hadn't he? It felt like he had seen the glint of something earlier. Something shiny, somewhere, lost on the messy forest floor. Exactly when did he spot it? He wasn't sure.

Stampy stepped forward, hearing light crunches of fallen leaves and sticks under his sturdy, albeit heavy boots. He noted his torso was covered by a familiar hooded red vest, which was more unusual- he hadn't worn his quest vest in months- but the pressure against his form was nice. Protecting him from the cold, too. 

The shimmer of light from the object was bright blue, almost the color of the sky. It was buried partially underneath a few fallen leaves, the color of it- whatever the object was- contrasting against the orangey-yellow of the leaves. 

Stampy wondered about what it could be as he slowly approached it. The fact the item seemed to glow- or at least reflect the setting sunlight- was intriguing to him. Maybe it was a diamond? As he stepped closer, though, it seemed to be a deeper blue than a diamond was. He squatted down, picking it up in his hands and turning it. The light made it sparkle, but the glare off the object from the sun didn't hurt his eyes like it normally would. 

It was a six-sided tube-like shape, four times longer than it was wide, with the tips of the object shaped into a pyramid-like point. It felt very comfortable to hold, fitting in his hand as if it were made for him. It felt like it was something he should call 'his'.

"Fascinating..." He muttered under his breath, tilting the possible-gemstone and watching it shimmer under the now quickly-fading sunlight. He noted the fact that it felt quite cold under his paw-pads, almost like holding an icicle. 

The wind picked up again, startling the cat as he looked around. The trees were now barren at this point, the dry leaves tumbling through the air around him and skittering across the ground. The sky was darker, scattered stars only partially visible behind the clouds rolling in. His eyes stung from the cold air, and his ears flattened as the wind whistled loudly.

He grasped onto the gem, closing his eyes-

-----

It was quiet as he opened his eyes a second time. 

Stampy stared at the checker-pattern of the ceiling, noticing how quiet the room was. He sat up, rubbing his eyes with empty paws as he yawned. The quiet was nice- and the room was warmer too. He did begin to miss his vest, though.

"What... Was that dream?" Stampy muttered under his breath. "Never even seen that forest before..." 

He didn't even realize he was speaking, assuming it was all his internal thoughts, but he had a tendency to verbally narrate things.

He tried to remember what exactly happened in the dream. Something about a forest. He remembered the leaves, the darkness, the gem, and the vest. There was obviously some sort of reason he was looking for the gem, but he didn't remember why he was looking for it. Maybe there were more dreams before? He couldn't remember.

It was unusually short for a dream. Usually, his dreams consisted of him in a flat world, building in a god-like state. Infinite items, infinite strength, and the ability to fly. He'd create places he wanted to make, to conceptualize them- process those ideas, he had guessed. 

The most recent dream, though, wasn't one of his builder-dreams. It reminded him more of the Target nightmare he once had. He felt mortal, compared to the other dreams. Vulnerable. Except the recent dream didn't have Target. Target was alive and not haunting him, and he was glad about that for the most part.

It didn't matter that much. He stood up and slipped out of bed, stretching his arms out and up with another yawn. He then turned to face Barnaby, his dog, to go and wake him up.

"Baaaarnaby?" Stampy stepped over, kneeling down and carefully petting Barnaby. "It's time to wake up, buddy!" 

The dog stayed asleep.

"Baaaarnaby!" Stampy hummed out again, gently scratching the dog as he pet him.

Barnaby let out a sleepy howl in response, to which Stampy simply chuckled.

"Alright," Stampy stood up, sighing in amusement. "I'll let you sleep, but we're gonna hang out today!"

Barnaby's ears perked up, the dog slowly opening his eyes and looking up at Stampy.

Stampy nodded back, turning around and walking over to his porch door. "Yeah! We're going to hang out allll day, but you've gotta be awake!" 

Barnaby barked, taking a moment to scratch himself with one of his back paws, before trotting over to Stampy's side.

The cat smiled brightly as he opened the balcony door, walking up to the fence and glancing around. 

It was quiet.

Stampy's ears drooped, tail swishing a bit as he noticed none of his friends were outside yet. The sun was shining, the sky seemed to be quite clear, and yet they were sleeping in. Or... Maybe he was awake early?

Barnaby headbutted his leg and the cat looked down, smiling again but weaker.

"I know, buddy. It's okay." He nodded, turning to walk back inside. It was alright, he'd just go and make his breakfast first, and then say hello to them after. 

He walked over to his chest, reaching in and getting his iron boots to put on. Carefully, he balanced on one leg as he slipped his boot on the other, and then swapping to the other side. Stomping once with his left, then again with his right.

Marching towards his bedroom door, then down the hall, Barnaby copying his march behind him. It was fun, and it made him feel better, his tail raising again in relaxation. He started to skip a bit, hopping into the kitchen.

He became very giddy as he entered, excited to bake.

---

Sliding the cake tin into the furnace was a bit difficult when your dog's trying to sniff at it. Stampy had to gently shoo away Barnaby as he set the cake to bake, pointing over at the chair.

"Sit over there, boy! Okay? I'll get you some porkchops!" Stampy waved his paw, watching as Barnaby decided to instead headbutt his leg.

"Barnaby..." Stampy pouted, struggling to hold back a giggle of amusement.

A bark in response, Barnaby huffing out his nose as he sat in front of Stampy.

"That-" Stampy let out a soft giggle, standing up and walking over to the table. "Silly pup."

Another bark, Barnaby's claws clicking and clacking against the floor as he skittered to the table. Carefully, Stampy helped Barnaby up onto one of the seats, petting his head, before turning and walking over to the chests.

"Do you ever dream, Barnaby?" Stampy muttered, pulling out a porkchop. 

Barnaby barked back, wagging his tail with his head tilted.

Stampy turned to look at the dog, sighing. He stepped over and tossed the porkchop onto the table, chuckling lowly.

"I don't know if you understand me when I ask you stuff like that, but I do like it when you listen." Stampy sat, tapping the table with his claws.

Barnaby sniffed at the porkchop, quickly taking large bites and nearly dragging it off the table. Stampy watched, quiet as his tail flicked slightly.

"...I wish you could talk back to me, though." Stampy muttered quietly, holding his face in his paws. "I just... I know you care about me, but you..." He trailed off.

Barnaby's eating slowed, the dog tilting his head at Stampy, appearing to be pouting in concern.

"It-... I can't expect that much from you, I know." Stampy peeked up, choosing to lean over the table and pet Barnaby, balancing a bit haphazardly. "You're the best dog I could ever ask for, but you're still... you don't... understand-"

Barnaby ducked down, jumping off the chair and sprinting around to Stampy's side. He jumped up into Stampy's lap, sitting down and leaning onto the cat's chest. At first, Stampy was startled, arms raised to his sides, before he relaxed, tail settling and arms wrapping around the dog.

"I care about you more than you could ever know." Stampy whispered softly.

Barnaby howled softly in response.

"I know, buddy." Stampy's smile quivered a bit, blinking away tears as Barnaby nuzzled into his chest. 

Moments passed, and Stampy's body relaxed. He found himself purring slightly, just happy to be with Barnaby. 

And then he heard a crash outside the kitchen, farther down the hallway

"What in the world-" Stampy blinked, glancing at the doorway. 

Barnaby jumped off his lap, darting into the hallway and barking a few times. Stampy scrambled to his feet, following after.

«Sorry! Oops!» Fizzy signed hastily, stumbling up with a frown and lightly brushing their yellow skirt with their hands and fixing the suspenders.

Stampy's ears drooped as he stepped over towards the elephant, frowning back. "What's wrong? What happened?"

«Was trying to see how far I could jump.» Fizzy crossed their arms, pouting. A pause, before signing again, their movements more subdued this time. «I tripped and fell.»

"Oh, did you hit your head?" Stampy tilted his head slightly, paws clasped together in worry. 

«No. My head's okay.» Fizzy insisted, glancing at Stampy and waving their hands in a 'calm down' sort-of motion. «I don't get hurt that easily.»

"Are you sure?" Stampy muttered in concern, feeling Barnaby headbutting his leg and reaching down one of his paws to pet him.

«Yeah.» Fizzy nodded and rolled back and forth on their heels.

Stampy nodded back, glancing back over at the kitchen.

Fizzy tilted their head, signing a bit, before tapping on Stampys shoulder with their trunk to get his attention.

«Are you baking something?»

"Cake." Stampy chuckled. "It's breakfast."

«You haven't eaten anything yet?» Fizzy blinked, eyes squinting in confusion.

"My first food of the day is breakfast! Which is cake!" Stampy waved his hands around, smiling.

Fizzy's face squished together in thought, nodding as if to say *oooh*. «I just eat cookies in milk.» Fizzy shrugged. 

"...In?" Stampy stared.

«Yeah! Like cereal!»

"...Alright." Stampy blinked, walking back into the kitchen, Barnaby trotting in after and heading over to the table. He climbed up on his chair and continued to happily eat the rest of his porkchop.

Fizzy went to sign more, but ended up sort-of babbling to himself with his hands as he followed Stampy. 

The cat carefully opened up a chest, grasping some home-crafted oven mitts and putting them on with a grin.

He carefully reached his mitted paws into the furnace, taking out the cake and carrying it to the table, sighing in contentment. He then walked back to the chest and grabbed a dull flint knife, bringing it over to the cake and cutting it into eighths.

Fizzy stomped twice to get Stampys attention, before signing an excited «Can I have a slice?»

Stampy nodded, ear flicking as he heard an approaching sound. William's footsteps.

«William!» Fizzy signed repeatedly, getting distracted from the cake and bouncing out of the room.

Stampy snort laughed, sitting down and grabbing a slice. He took a pretty large bite, but savored it in his mouth as he listened.

"Hi Fizzy." The beaver spoke, voice distant to Stampy. A notably long pause of silence. "I am good. You?" Another pause. "He eat cake every day." 

Stampy took another bite as he heard the two walk back to the kitchen, tail tip flicking slightly but otherwise idly dangling off the side of the chair.

"Well... Not that healthy. But he chose it." William glanced at the cat as he walked in, Fizzy skipping behind. William turned back to Fizzy, watching intently while fidgeting with his sleeves on his green button up.

«But it's repetitive over and over and over-» Fizzy frowned.

"He chose it." William shrugged. "He deal with stomach ache."

Stampy sputtered, staring at William. "I'm not gonna get a tummy ache!"

"After eat a lot of cake, you will." William smirked.

"I don't eat the entire cake! I share it or save it!"

"You eat the whole cake if you could." William walked over, sitting down at the table and idly petting Barnaby as the dog ate.

"...Yeah, but it..." Stampy trailed off, glancing away.

"It give you stomach ache." William replied with a smug smirk.

"...Yeah. I would get a tummy ache." Stampy muttered, smiling in amusement as he took another bite. "Oh, uh, I wanted to tell you about a dream I had!"

"What?" William hummed, leaning forward in intrigue.

"Well, it started out in a foresty place?" Stampys hands waved in front of him, gesturing with the story. "And I was looking for something, some kinda magical blue gem? And it was really shiny! And... It felt almost real."

"Huh. Strange dream." William's eyebrows narrowed as he thought. "You interact with gem before sleep?"

"Nope! I haven't thought of or interacted with any gem or crystal in months." Stampy shrugged. "It's also... just... I don't usually get dreams like that. Most of my dreams involve me building things... although recently I haven't actually... built in those dreams..." He cupped his jaw with his paws and leaned onto the table. "...I don't know."

"Cat smart. You figure it out. In time." William leaned over, patting Stampy's shoulder. 

"Thanks, Will. I'm just... I don't know who to talk to about it! I don't know what it means- and it might mean something magical or it might just... be my imagination." Stampy gestured, leaning back in his chair and glancing at William. "It-"

"Polly smart. Knows lot about magic. Or... some things." William interrupted with a shrug, smiling softly.

"...Well," Stampy nodded, "she is quite smart, yeah... could read some stuff about magic as well. I think I have some books relating to it..."

"Go ask!" William gestured, smiling. 

Stampy chuckled, glaring at William a bit, before stuffing the rest of his slice into his mouth. "Fine! I will, then!" He replied, a bit muffled as he chewed and swallowed his food. 

William rolled his eyes, pulling a carrot out of his inventory and offering it to Stampy. "Eat this. And go."

Stampy nodded, grabbing the carrot and taking a bite out of it as he walked out of the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Stampy's knocks were always the same. Three fast, semi-firm taps. Polly recognized it immediately, sitting her book to the side and grabbing her cane as she stood up from the couch. The bells on her clothes began rattling as she walked over with a skip in her step.

Polly answered the door, eyes lighting up as she waved to greet Stampy.

"Hi!" Stampy smiled as he waved back. "How're you?"

"Good. You?" The reindeer waved her free hand around, motioning for Stampy to enter the house.

Stampy nodded, taking a few steps inside and skipping over to the living room. "Happier! I've been thinking about things!"

Polly shut the door and followed after, humming in acknowledgment. "Better days?"

"Better day, singular, but hopefully the days do get better, yeah." He flopped onto the couch, sniffing at the air. "...Are you making pie?"

Polly giggled and nodded with an affirmative hum, sitting down next to him and leaning her cane against the arm of the couch. "Pie done soon. Few minutes."

"Ah." Stampy hummed, glancing over and noticing she had sat her book down. "You gonna read that?"

"You can talk. You talk a lot. I like listening." Polly smiled, leaning back and tilting her head at him.

"Oh! Yeah, thank you!" He giggled, smiling as she giggled back. 

"You're welcome!" She clasped her hands together as she relaxed.

Stampy's ears perked and he snuggled into the couch, humming as he thought of what to talk about.

Oh, right. The dream.

"Polly?" He began, formulating his words in his brain before he said them. "Have you ever had... weird dreams?"

A pause came from Polly, the reindeer humming and putting a digit to her chin.

"...What differ from weird dream and normal dream?" She glanced back.

"Well-" He gestured, and Polly couldn't help but smile excitedly, knowing this was going to be quite the rant. He chuckled, but continued.

"I had this dream last night, and it was about a forest? Thing? It was an oak forest, I think. And there was this glowy gem? And I had my quest vest and iron boots, you know, my adventure gear." He chuckled. "And I approached this glowy thing, and it was... like, a bright blue gem? And it was soooo pretty!" He gestured a bit, flapping his hands as he got excited about it. "And then, like, the wind picked up? And it, like, immediately became nighttime! Dark, like, instantly!" He glanced at Polly, making sure she was listening and continuing once she nodded back. "And then I woke up, and... I-I just don't know! It felt magical!"

Polly hummed as she processed the words, thinking. She fidgeted with one of her bracelets, which had tiny bells like her choker, letting them clink and jingle.

"You get dreams of building?" Polly glanced over.

"Well, those are my normal dreams, yeah." Stampy nodded in confirmation.

Polly hummed. "This dream different. Had nature. And glowing gem." She looked up at the ceiling as she thought.

Stampy went to reply, but his train of thought got cut off by a different bell-sound. Polly lit up, standing and grabbing her cane, trotting over to the oven.

"Oh! Pie's done!" Stampy turned to look over the back of the couch at Polly, watching as she pulled the pie out of the oven and sat it on the table to cool.

"You continue?" Polly glanced over at him, smiling as she hurried back.

"Yeah, uh." Stampy hummed, tapping his chin. "I do think it's a magic-related dream. I mean, there is a lot of magic in the world now! Enchanting, potions, other dimensions..."

"Could read magic books." Polly offered. "Have lots here."

"You'd let me check them out?" Stampy stood up excitedly.

Polly nodded. "Read lots. If no answers... Um... Find more books?" She shrugged, smiling.

Stampy snort laughed, nodding back. "Yeah, maybe. I'll read a few of them, and... if I don't find answers, we can play some minigames?"

Polly nodded, getting a knife and cutting the pie carefully.

Stampy smiled, walking over to Polly's bookshelf, crouching down and pulling out one of the books. Carefully, he read the title with a digit gliding underneath the words. He then sat down, criss-crossing his legs as he opened the book, scanning through it. His eyes tried to skim for anything important, but... Nothing seemed to perk his interest.

He pulled out another book, reading the title and opening it, before stacking it to the side. Through several books he went, getting frustrated a bit. Nothing mentioned crystals in dreams! Or glowing crystals! Some mentioned end-crystals, but he knew the teenie-weenie blue gem he had held was not an end crystal.

Slowly, he read through the books, getting information about potions and enchanting and redstone and the difference between different kinds of magic. Things that spoke of how crafting was figured out, how inventories exist, why respawning probably exists, why there's several dimensions, but... Nothing about what he wanted. 

The idea of creation magic versus ender magic, though, that sparked some intrigue. The books differentiated the two with whether or not they were innate to the player in some form. The creation magic, which included crafting and inventories and respawning, was innate to a player. Ender magic on the other hand, which included things like portals and potions and enchanting, often had to be learned and studied. 

It made him think. Thinking about the first time he spawned into this world. The cold breeze on his fur, the sun shining in his face, the sand and snow under his paws... The innate knowledge of being able to pick up stuff and put them in his inventory, learning how to craft and create very quickly. He had known of the monsters- googlies, he called them- since the first sunset. It felt like he had known that stuff for ages, and yet it was all new to him. He was always excited, ready to explore and create and discover. He felt he had some form of power, to create and build and design! It was fun.

He leaned back, stretching his legs out so he was laying on his back, before turning to lay on his stomach, holding the book close to his face. 

If this "creation magic" was so innate, why did it slip away so easily? Why did he struggle to come up with new ideas? Why were his drawings of new games messy, and confusing, and sillier than ever? His energy low, wanting to sleep all day and ignore his friends? Why would the universe betray him like that, if he was supposed to be creative? It felt like a lie. It wasn't innate, it was just...

Stampy blinked and flinched as he heard footsteps approaching, rolling onto his side as Polly stepped over.

"You good?" Polly pointed, kneeling down and resting her cane against one of the bookshelves.

"Oh, yeah- just... I can't find anything." Stampy sat up with a sigh. 

"Look for dream book?" Polly's face twisted into a thinking-expression

Stampy tapped his cheek, his tongue sticking out in a blep of consideration. "Hmmm… Oh! Maybe this one-" He pulled out one of the books, titled 'Ultimate Dream Interpretation Dictionary', reading the back.

'This dictionary has over 5 thousand different dream scenarios or things that may appear in your dreams, from your teeth falling out to seeing recurring trinkets, and everything in between! Unlock your subconscious hopes and fears, and find out what your dreams mean in this Ultimate Dream Interpretation Dictionary!'

Stampy's ear flicked as he considered. Wasn't this a psuedo-science? He wasn't quite sure, but he didn't care, flipping through it as Polly knelt beside him. 

Her hands skimmed across the books on her bookshelves, looking for any other similar dream-related books. Anything that may help them in their search. She had some somewhere...

Stampy's pointer digit glided across the pages, skimming and flipping to the C chapter as his tail swished nervously. 'Crystal... Crystal, anything about crystals'...

'Crystal - Seeing crystals in dreams may symbolize something specific depending on what kind of crystal you've encountered. For this, you may want to research about crystals and their meanings in our other book Ultimate Crystal Meaning Dictionary! For any unknown crystals, though, the following colors may symbolize more general meanings!'

Stampy's ears perked up as he beamed, excited. Maybe this would give him some sort of clue?

'Blue Crystals may symbolize entering a new chapter of your life, like the sky of a brighter tomorrow. You may be wishing for courage to move forward and to fulfill your dreams, or may be looking for more optimism in your life.'

Stampy paused, ears dropping again. Wasn't that obvious? Didn't everyone want to have a better tomorrow? He closed the book, avoiding slamming it too harshly even with his bubbling frustrations. His tail flicked wildly, and Polly noticed.

"Stampy... Breathe... You safe here. Calm..." She reached over, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"But- but I don't get it! What does it mean?" Stampy gestured, eyes narrowed and chest rumbling with an angry purr-like growl.

"What book say?" Polly hummed, reaching over and gently taking the book from him.

"Nothing good. Just blue crystals may symbolize wanting a better tomorrow and wishing you had- like, courage to do things you want?" Stampy waved his hands around, curling up a bit. It was infuriating. Almost painfully so.

Polly flipped through the pages, humming to herself as she nodded along. 

"We can play game instead?" She offered after a moment of silence, glancing over at the cat.

"...maybe. What minigame do you want to play?" Stampy looked over, considering the options. 

---

Stampy rolled the terracotta golf ball in his hands. A bright orange and white marbled design baked into the ball shimmered in the afternoon light. It was really pretty to him.

Gently, he sat it down on the starting marker at the edge of the lime wool course, lifting his club and readying his swing.

Fizzy was audible behind him, tooting out the notes to some music disc. Polly was heard humming along, while William stood closer to Stampy, watching him. His own, deep green golf ball, in his hands.

Stampy swung at the orange ball, smiling to himself as it rolled down the 'Noob alley'. It was relaxing, and he felt a bit proud at the hole in one. It wasn't too impressive, but William clapped for him.

Next, the beaver went, swinging and just barely missing the hole. He chuckled, walking over and putting it in.

Polly went after, making it a hole in one as well. Fizzy last- somehow hitting it over the hole, against the back edge, and then into the hole. 

It was... A bit boring, but Polly wasn't in a high energy mood. To be fair, neither was Stampy.

Slowly, they advanced through the game, Stampy winning by a slight amount. Each time, he fixated on the golf balls, watching them roll around on the wool. He wondered to himself- what it would be like to play with the ice again but with the terracotta balls. Would they scrape on the ice? Could they make little patterns with their putts?

He might have to test it- not with the updated course though. It was way easier for them to walk around on the wool anyway. Soft, even underneath his iron boots.

Closer to the end of the game, Stampy's mind seemed to wander even more- thinking again about the dream. What did it even mean? Was there some sort of update to the world? He often got dreams where he'd test around with something he had yet to find in his waking world, but the gem...

"Stampy?" Polly's voice called out.

Stampy looked over, blinking and smiling at Polly with a nervous laugh.

"Sorry! Was just thinking about stuff!" He gestured, walking over to the last course and setting his ball at the marker.

"About?" Polly hummed, leaning on her cane with one hand, the other fidgeting with her club.

"...Uh, just... Minigame ideas, sorta." He half-lied as he swung the club.

"Oh! Really?" Polly perked up, seemingly happy the cat was starting to wonder about new minigames. "Like what?"

Stampy shrugged, stepping over to where the ball had stopped, readying another swing. "Dunno, really. Just... An ice game? With the balls, where you have to draw something?" He smiled as he got the ball over the water, chuckling to himself.

Polly hummed, walking around the side of the course, following Stampy. "Maybe a cake game! Like... Hmm..."

"It's hard to come up with new games!" Stampy gestured, before swinging the club again, making the ball go inside the recreation of his face. "Especially when all you want to do is have a lie in."

"Tired days are tiring." Polly chuckled. "But some day... You get past it. It move on"

Stampy nodded as he walked around, entering the head-hatch and stepping over to where his ball was. "Yeah. Eventually." He swung again, getting 4 points in total that round.

Polly nodded, glancing over to where William was and giving him a thumbs up.

Stampy grabbed his ball and walked back out, smiling at Polly, before sitting next to the edge of the course, watching William.

The game was quiet, but it was nice regardless. Polly got first, Stampy got second (a close second), and William and Fizzy tied for third.

Stampy was tired.

Chapter Text

Another dream.

This time, there was darkness.

He wandered through a less dense forest, humming nervously.

He eventually found it. The cracks.

The glow was bright, almost blinding. A mix of magenta and black.

How the black bits in the cracks glowed, he didn't know. But it still seemed to.

Squinting his eyes, staring into the glow.

It felt large, too large. Surrounding him.

Growing out of the ground, as if it was infecting his surroundings.

He stepped back, tripping.

Falling.

---

He gasped as he awoke, glancing around with adrenaline pounding at his chest.

It felt less real, it seemed, than the other dream he experienced, but it was a different dream. Different than the norm.

He yawned, rubbing his face and purring to himself to calm himself down. It was kinda scary, to fall into an unknown... thing. Glowy... portal-like thing. It wasn't the same as the glow of a Nether portal, but it was similar.

He continued his morning routine, preparing his cake and such, a bit more thoughtfully and quietly. He played with Barnaby, mostly tug-o-war, waiting for the cake to finish baking.

Eventually, after pulling the cake out of the oven, he sat at his couch, lounging with Barnaby, eating a bit of it. Bite by bite, giggling as he pushed away Barnaby, the dog trying to lick the icing off his face.

"No, Ba-haha- Barnaby! You can't eat the icing!" He laughed, leaning back as he wiped his face off.

Barnaby did howl quietly in defiance, but remained happy with his tail wagging.

Stampy finished off the bit he wanted to eat, getting up and putting the rest of the cake in the fridge. Carefully shutting the door as he glanced at Barnaby.

He couldn't stop thinking about the glow. It looked so close to a Nether portal, and yet... so different. Would it lead to the Nether? A dimension similar to it? Maybe a new dimension? He wasn't sure, and he needed to know.

"Barnaby, can you stay here?" He knelt down, petting the dog. "Just... stay around the house, don't try to follow after me. I'll be back, okay?"

Barnaby howled, barking and pouting a bit.

"I know, buddy. I'll be okay! Do you want to go to the doghouse?" He stood up, gesturing.

Barnaby seemed to consider this for a moment, before barking and running over to the doorframe.

"Haha, okay! Let's go!" Stampy grinned, following after Barnaby with a bounce in his step.

---

He did leave a note. He wasn't going to just run off without some form of indication it was his own choice to be gone.

'Dear Friends,' it read, 'I'm off on an adventure to see what these magic-dreams are about. I woke up earlier than you guys, so I didn't want to wait to personally tell you. I'll be back soon.'

Below the main note, he scribbled out his signature and a tiny cat face, and he ended up doodling a few hearts and stars around the note too. He hoped it'd be good enough, to make them feel confident and trust it was him. He had gotten very afraid when he got notes he thought were from friends and they had ended up kidnapped. Hit the Target, luckily, seemed to be leaving them be... For a bit. Hopefully for a while.

At least long enough to complete his adventures.

He left it sitting at the Love Garden heart, kept there by a few small rocks since he didn't want the wind to blow away the note before someone found it.

Next, he had to get prepared.

He walked into his room, approaching his chest and grabbing his stuff. He assumed he didn't need much for the adventure, only grabbing his quest vest, some tools for general exploration, a stack of torches, all that stuff. Enough for a few days, but leaving room for things he might collect along the way.

Carefully, he pulled the quest vest over his shoulders and through his arms, zipping it up as he sighed. The pressure against his torso wasn't too tight, but was firm enough to comfort him, as if wrapped in a hug. He purred to himself as his mouth curled into a soft smile, tail swaying in the air gently.

He then stopped by the kitchen, grabbing some bread and porkchops, before walking through his storage room, trying to consider what he needed. Opening chests, grabbing logs and cobblestone, alongside a map of his world.

And then, he began his adventure.

Leaving his house and walking past the Love Garden, past his helpers houses, the shops and businesses, taking in the late-morning sunshine as he trecked across snowy-grass.

The biome separation almost felt weird to walk through, as the air felt warmer by a degree or so crossing biomes. Stepping carefully onto the sand of the beach separating the biomes, then beyond onto the open plains. He had considered exploring out here before, since the plains were relatively flat and would be easy to build on, but he wasn't ever really... Sure.

He walked farther, humming as he slowly crossed the field, paying attention to how fresh the outside air felt. The sun was warm on his fur, and the grass below him felt soft, gentle to walk on.

He ended up running, giggling and laughing as he hopped around, getting distracted from his plan. He ran through tall grass with his arms wide out to touch it all. He stopped at some points to smell some of the flowers, considering picking one and putting it behind his ear, but he worried it'd fall off and he wouldn't realize it. The flowers were doing fine on their own, anyway. He did touch them though, feeling the softness of the petals underneath his pawpads.

It was mid-day, maybe a bit past noon, when he ducked into a forest, the shade blocking out the sun. It was colder by a slight bit, but he wasn't sure if it was just the shade or the biome change. He didn't quite care, it was fun to explore.

He saw some rabbits eating some leaves, all huddled up together like a family. His ears perked and he knelt down, watching. It was endearing, and he couldn't help but smile.

After they ate, they stared back at him, before scrambling away, only looking back to make sure the others were all together. He felt his stomach grumble, which reminded him to eat too. So he sat down, taking out some of his bread, relaxing as he ate. And he listened to the birds in the trees chirp a song, almost a lullaby.

He eventually got up again, belly full and mind hungry for more adventure as he continued to explore.

Distantly, on what seemed to be a hill, he could spot a glow. Something on the side of the hill, and... Cracks? Cracks in the ground?

He carefully approached this glow, watching his step to be certain he didn't hurt any rabbits or birds or other animals that might be on the forest floor. Which led him to a tiny pumpkin patch. His mouth drooled as he thought of pumpkin pie, making a note to eventually ask Polly to make him one.

As he stepped around the pumpkins, humming with every hop between the vines, he noticed the sky was darker. It was getting late, and he was already quite far out... He spent too long dilly-dallying, apparently.

He didn't mind. The nature around him was fun, and he felt better. He was healing, in small ways. But he was here for another reason. He just... needed to be quick about it, probably.

Stampy continued to walk, going beyond the pumpkins and out the other side of the forest, inching closer to the distant glow, which was starting to hurt to look at. He squinted his eyes, staring at the cracks, which...

Yeah, they were large. Just like in his dream.

He stepped closer to the hill, staring at the cracks up and down, spreading out like a spider web. It was nearly blinding, and yet his eyes adjusted quickly. He stared into the magenta glow, ears perked and tail swishing slightly. It hummed, a nearly-dry hum, akin to a nether portal but more static-y. Hissy and low.

He stepped closer still, kneeling next to the cracks, watching as it shifted, the stuff inside being a magenta and black checker pattern that seemed to drift along, nearly waving like ocean water. He wanted to know how it was created, why it was cracking through the ground, why it was here. He wanted to know more, if it was safe to touch, safe to explore. *Was* it a portal? If so... Where would it lead him?

Stampy looked up to see the now-setting sun behind him, the moon already decently high in the sky, and he wondered. Thinking. Considering his options.

Did he promise he'd be back by nightfall? He couldn't recall. He assumed not.

He considered his options once more, thinking about what could happen. He was pretty sure he would respawn, if it was dangerous at least, but... If it was a portal, where would it take him? Would he end up in the Nether? The End? A new dimension?

Was it meant to be here? For him? Is this some sort of destiny?

He crouched down, dipping a paw into the glow with a hesitant whimper, spreading his digits out a bit...

It... Didn't hurt.

He poked more of his arm in, tail swishing slightly, but it felt fine. Similar to sticking your arm through a Nether Portal, but less nausea-inducing, at least so far.

He pulled his paw back out, standing up as he thought. It... Wouldn't hurt to take a step in, would it? He'd find a way to come back home. As Squid always said, he was a clever cat. He was smart. He'd handle himself.

Plus... He wanted to see what was out there. Or, in there.

He shifted so his lower paws and ankles stuck into the glowy portal-thing, leaning back as he took a breath in. He then rotated himself, going belly-down against the grass and pushing himself backwards into the portal, as if he was going for a swim.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in, and slipped the rest of his body inside.

---

He couldn't tell if his head was spinning or not.

As he opened his eyes, it felt like he was in an entirely different body, yet when he looked down at himself, it looked the same.

And then he noticed- He was sitting on air.

He yelped, scrambling to his feet as he panicked, heart racing all-of-a-sudden. There were countless stars below him! His head snapped side to side, eyes wide in terror. They were everywhere! He-

*Deep breaths, Stampy.* He took a shaky breath in, closing his eyes. He was fine. He was on solid ground, even if it didn't look like it. He felt a flat surface under him, at least.

He glanced around again, calmer now- and it seemed like he was in the middle of nowhere. It felt very void-like, but... It wasn't the void. If it was, he'd be dead, already respawned or in whatever afterlife there was or something. Not just standing there.

He took a few steps forward, wherever forward was, and started to wander. It was cold- like a fall afternoon kind of cold- and not entirely dark, but definitely hard to see anything besides the stars.

As he wandered, he started to worry if he'd get home, if there would be a way home. He didn't want to worry his friends, or Barnaby. They cared a lot about him. He'd miss the places, too, and the warm cake, and cozy blankets. The sunshine in the early morning, and the smell of flowers in his garden.

He glanced around, freezing as he spotted a crack in the air. It wasn't as big as the crack in the overworld he encountered, but was close to large enough to walk through.

He stepped over, hesitating. It seemed to emanate some form of glow, which did look like sunshine, and that was a good sign!

Peeking through the hole, he saw... Himself. And Squid? And they were doing some building, but the world looked different. It reminded him of when he had made a machine to make the world all plastic-y, except it looked different than that! He wasn't quite sure what to describe it with, but it looked silly. There were also statues, or something, that looked like him and Squid, which made him smile. Made him yearn for the past.

He turned away, though, walking off to explore what else was there. He didn't want to go in, that wasn't home. That wasn't where he needed to go.

As he walked, he saw another crack, and he sprinted over, taking a peek inside. This one looked... Softer? The world looked very green, filled with plants, and he heard a waterfall nearby. It seemed pretty early in the day in the world, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. He couldn't quite tell where it was meant to be, but he did like it. Buildings spread out, similar to the last one, but more cozy.

He decided to leave it be, though, stepping away and continuing on his journey.

He sprinted towards another crack, ears now perked and tail high, body relaxed as he peeked in. This time, it seemed like a giant version of his bedroom? He stared, watching as people ran around, playing... Some sort of game? He presumed, at least. Or maybe it was a battle?

Towards yet another crack, he dashed, looking around. This time, it seemed to be afternoon, quieter, later in the day. He heard his own voice, calling out a goodbye to someone, sprinting away from some sort of situation... With a hoodie of himself? But... They were human? There was also some sort of... castle? Mansion? In view? Other voices spoke, but he didn't recognize them. It felt weird, uncanny.

He stepped back, turning away and going towards the next crack with a hum. Thinking.

As he took a peek in, his breath stopped in his chest. It was a similar figure, sitting on a chair. A happy, giddy voice spoke. Something in his hands, fidgeting with it while staring at some glowing... television?

He closed his eyes, stumbling backwards and nearly falling over. It felt worse- the uncanniness sinking into his chest. Something wasn't right. That wasn't him, that was...

He opened his eyes, noticing the crack sealing itself shut. It glowed, sparkling almost, but then... Nothing.

He stood up, reaching out to touch where the crack in the air was, but it was closed now. Gone. There wasn't anything to grab onto in front of him anymore. Turning to look around him, the other cracks seemed to have sealed up too. It was... Eerie. Almost scary, but not quite. It felt like they closed for him. At least, it was pretty good accidental timing.

He was starting to get stressed out by them anyway.

He started to walk around again, humming softly. It was too quiet. The slight mumble of the air around him was barely audible, and his body was starting to tune it out on instinct. Or maybe it was just fading? He wasn't sure.

"Hello?" he called out to the universe around him. "Is... There anyone here?"

No response.

"I wanna go home, please." He called out again.

No response again. Not even an echo of his own voice.

"Why am I here?" He called out again.

The stars were sparkling, twinkling. Unaware of his presence.

"Where is here? What kind of world am I in?"

They formed constellations, certainly, but none he recognized.

"Am I safe? Am I stuck here?"

The stars glowed and twinkled, on and off, flickering gently. Not in any notable pattern, yet still, they sparkled to their own beats.

"Is this the end?"

He wondered if they were really stars.

"Is this the afterlife?"

Were they planets reflecting the light from the stars in their galaxies?

"Is this some form of dream?"

They could be. He couldn't check anyway.

"I don't understand."

They all blended together as bright-dots anyway.

"What's my purpose here?"

He turned in the right direction, it seemed. Wherever that direction was. There was a portal. A legitimate portal this time. Not a crack in the air, or some crack in the ground.

He stepped over, hesitating as he stared at it. The main portal frame was made of quartz, the corners of the portal having four colors- blue, yellow, pink and green. Two trees floated on either side, branches stretching up into the empty sky and roots digging into nonexistent ground. There was a few quartz slabs leading up to the portal, connecting to the frame. The glow of the portal's magic was a soft, yet bright blue. Turning and swirling like a nether portal, but more... Water-like.

"...Is it a coincidence it's blue?" He spoke aloud as he stepped even closer, asking whoever was listening. "The blue looks identical to that gem in the dream."

It continued to shift and sparkle, unaffected by his words and reminding him of the lack of an answer. Yet, he couldn't shake off that feeling. There was some form of connection. There had to be. Otherwise...

"Why would my dreams bring me here?"

He reached out, touching the portal feeling that light-nausea sensation he felt when touching a nether portal. It was going to suck for a minute, it seemed. But... He didn't have much of a choice in that moment. He glanced back, seeing no other portals in the area. No cracks to step through. Nothing.

He closed his eyes, stepping into the portal and taking in the sensations.

Breathing through it.

Keeping calm.

Chapter Text

He stepped out onto soft grass again, the air warmer than his home.

He glanced around, back in a forest again, but the trees... They were much larger than the ones he was used to. Towering over him.

He stepped forward, noticing the way the sun sparkled above. It was much earlier in the day than when it was in his own world. Maybe the time was different? Or maybe he had been in that void for longer than he realized.

He didn't do well with keeping track of time anyway, but he managed, at least.

He glanced down as he walked, noticing a dip in the grass, where it faded and became dirt from so many people walking on it. A path? It seemed?

He followed this path down into the forest, trying to keep track of the directions to the portal. Yet, the texture change of grass path to gravel path knocked his train of thought off course, the cat's ears perking as he heard the crunch of tiny rocks under his boots.

He walked along, taking in the sounds and sights around him. He stared at the trees and leaves, noticing flowers growing alongside the pathway. The way the path itself seemed to be slowly carving itself out, into a solid road. The way the trees intertwined with each other at points, yet stood out on their own, stretching up into the sky and covering the world with their leaves. The fresh, almost summer-like air brushed his fur and seemed to cleanse his mind of worries.

Ahead of him, a few chunks away, was a town. Warm, lightly bustling with the sounds of people talking. It looked pretty too, distinctly different from the builds he had in his world, but cozy and colorful.

Stampy's ears perked as he heard a distinct laugh. Recognizable. Another voice was speaking, and a third was chiming into the conversation.

He sprinted towards the sound, approaching a cafe storefront, noticing the trio hanging out.

Lee was leaning over the table, gesturing their hands as they explained some sort of joke or funny story. Sqaishey was covering faer mouth as fae giggled, watching as Squid made a joke back, and the group laughed even harder.

Stampy stepped closer, tail swishing hesitantly, but it raised up as he processed the scene. Those...

"Stampy?" Squid muttered as it noticed the cat out of the corner of its eye, looking over at him. Lee turned to look, followed by Sqaishey as they seemed to collectively realize-

"LEEE!" Stampy sprinted over, wrapping his arms around the bear nearly immediately.

Squid giggled and watched. "Oh, someone has a bias!" It teased

"I'm getting to you!" Stampy giggled, watching as Squid and Sqaishey stood to group hug him. He relaxed, nuzzling into the squid and duck's arms, happily letting himself be squished between the three.

"How are you here?" Lee muttered after a moment, pulling away.

"Weird story, honestly!" Stampy replied, chuckling. "It started when I got this dream about a gemstone and it felt like the universe was calling out to me! And I had gotten another dream, about this crack in the ground, which is unusual because most of my dreams involve me building and creating things! And since I told Polly about my first dream and she lended me some books, and eventually I decided to go and explore because of the other dream and find the location of it and-"

Squid blinked, staring at Stampy, but stayed quiet as the cat spoke.

"-I ended up getting a bit sidetracked and it became dark, cause it was later in the day, and I saw the glow of the cracks, so I ran over! And when I touched it, it felt weird but fun and then I jumped in and got transported to this... weird world area? It looked like the night sky all around me and I ended up finding a portal in this world- It was more like a legitimate portal but with a different frame and then I walked in and I ended up in a forest here!"

A long pause between the four as the listeners processed what they had heard.

"What?" Sqaishey giggled, a little confused

"Yeah, what?" Lee giggled, looking at Stampy.

Stampy suddenly felt quite self conscious, hesitating. "Um... I got a magic dream and ended up-"

"No," Lee cut him off. "What do you mean by... A crack in the ground?"

"Oh!" Stampy smiled, gesturing as he stepped back. "Like... A cave hole? But it had cracks spreading aaaall the way up the side of this hill!" Stampy gestured, arms circling around as he tried to show how big the cracks were. "And it glowed magenta and black! Well, the black didn't really glow, but it.. also kinda did? And it was, like, the colors as squares and it was sooo weird!"

Sqaishey tilted faer head, pausing. "Like a sinkhole would look like?"

"Sinkholes usually end up quite circular from the surface, though. I think." Lee glanced over

"I was thinking it sounded more like the cracks ravines form." Squid shrugged.

"It didn't look deep like a ravine though!" Stampy gestured. "Plus, it was on the side of a mountain! Or, hill, kinda. It's a tall hill!"

Lee nodded. "So, was the glowy bit conforming to the shape, or was it like... affected by gravity?"

"Um, it was like how a portal lines up with the shape? So... not affected by gravity. I don't think, at least." Stampy shrugged

"Ooooh, that sounds pretty!" Sqaishey nodded. "And so, it was like... a complete accident that you came here?"

"Magic isn't an accident." Squid glanced over.

Stampy giggled. "It wasn't my intention. Maybe it was someone else's intention, but... It depends."

The group giggled, glancing between each other.

"It was 'Brine's intention, not mine!" Squid spoke in a pretend-Stampy voice, which made the cat cackle.

"Staaahp!" Stampy giggled, covering his face as he tried not to wheeze of laughter.

"Daww!" Sqaishey poked Stampy's face, giggling along. "It got you flustered!!"

Stampy and Squid giggled even harder, Lee waving their hands to get the other three to quiet down.

"Stop laughing, I need to ask a question!" Lee spoke, a smile on their face and intertwined in their voice. "Stampy, how have you been?"

Stampy hummed, the others nodding and glancing at the cat, collectively intrigued in his wellbeing. It made him almost tear up, how soft and happy their expressions looked.

"I've been okay. A bit depressed, but the magic-y dream got me all motivated to explore!" Stampy hummed.

"Have you built things since we've been gone?" Sqaishey perked up.

"Um... A lot, but I took a break recently. Just haven't been... feeling it." Stampy's paws waved in front of him, clasping together.

"Like an art block?" Lee suggested, gesturing their hands similarly to Stampy.

"Sorta? It's... I-I just felt like nothing... Nothing was worth it." He sighed, glancing at the ground. "It's just- like, depression or whatever."

Squid watched, stepping over and wrapping an arm around Stampy. "We're here for ya, Stamps. If you need to vent-"

"But I don't know if I need to!" Stampy frowned, clinging onto Squid a bit, arms wrapped around it softly.

Squid hummed, snuggling into Stampy's fur a bit. "Well... Do you need to get something off your chest?"

Sqaishey walked over, putting faer hand on his back softly. "Yeah, tell us what you need to share to someone."

Lee nodded, smiling at Stampy and opening their arms for a hug.

Stampy sighed, smiling back as he wrapped his arms around the others, the four snuggling into a group hug. And they stood there for a moment, before Squid's stomach growled.

"Oh, I'm hungry-" Squid laughed, glancing at the others as it considered what to eat.

"We could go get lunch!" Sqaishey offered, gesturing faer hands around.

"I know of a good cafe with cakes Stampy might like!" Lee beamed, gesturing for the others to follow them inside.

---

Stampy was a very noisy eater. Anyone who knew him for over a day would quickly realize this.

He stuffed the Very Berry cake into his mouth, chewing loudly and almost embodying 'nom nom nom' as he ate. Squid seemed to be very amused about this, chuckling and watching as Stampy got icing smeared around his mouth, his fur flattening with it.

"How similar is it?" Sqaishey asked him, curious.

Stampy glanced at faer, tilting his head as he chewed.

"To Lee's cakes." Fae clarified, giggling.

Stampy swallowed, nodding. "Oh, uh..." He started, thinking. "A bit different, but not bad. Has a similar soft texture."

"Did you ever change the recipe?" Lee hummed.

Stampy shook his head as the bear laughed.

"I expected you wouldn't, but I also wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to try something new." They gestured their hands around. "You're always... So... Um." They paused, thinking and putting a paw to their chin in thought.

"Creative?" Sqaishey offered, looking at the bear.

"Innovative!" Squid added, waving a hand.

"Curious, I'd say." Lee shrugged, glancing at Stampy. "You'd go 'Hmm... What if I did this?' And it might taste good, it might taste bad. Who knows." They gestured their hands around, smiling.

Stampy nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I'd do that, but I don't really... Like that idea." He gestured, taking a smaller bite this time and thinking. "...I like the sameness, the comfort of expecting the same cake taste. I like the routine of waking up, getting Barnaby, going to bake my cake, eating said cake, meditating at the love garden, and then going out and doing stuff."

"Where is Barnaby anyway?" Sqaishey hummed, looking around. "Did he not come here with you?"

"Sqaish, if the portal was dangerous, it would have forever-killed him." Stampy glanced at faer, sighing. "...I do miss him already, though."

"Can't you go back?" Squid offered, taking a bite of its own food- a ham sandwich.

"I don't know how, really. I'll figure it out, but..." Stampy's ears drooped, and he stared at the table as he finished the last bit of the cake slice.

Before Lee could reply, he blinked as he heard the jingle of the café door, glancing over in curiosity.

A pale old man walked in- wrinkly eye bags and gray hair under a tall blue wizard hat. His eyes were hazel-amber and soft, his coat a desaturated purple and his pants a muted pink. The golden buttons on his green button-up seemed to shimmer in the light. In his hand was a curved cane of sorts- although it had a floating octahedral purple gem of some kind, hovering at the end of the curve. It seemed to be in the shape of a question mark, the handle made of some yellow material and the base being gray.

Lee and the others seemed to acknowledge the man, and then go back to eating, but Stampy was enamored by him. What a fancy looking fellow!

The man walked over to the counter, and Stampy just watched, tilting his head. He ordered something... And then walked to one of the nearby tables, his cane leaning against his chair. He whistled softly, looking out the window, and then around the café, eventually meeting eyes with Stampy.

Stampy glanced away as soon as he realized he was staring, and he heard the man laugh.

"Stop staring at the mayor!" Sqaishey swatted a hand at him, giggling.

"The who?" Stampy looked at faer, blinking.

"Wizard Keen! He's the mayor of this town!" Lee giggled along. "He's really nice."

"As nice as you?" Stampy looked at Lee, smiling at them.

"Oh, hush!" Lee laughed, glancing over at Keen again, waving.

Keen carefully stood up, walking over with his cane slowly and pulling up a chair at the quad's table.

"You're a new face around here!" The old man said to the cat, his smile gentle and kind. "What's your name?"

"Um..." Stampy started, glancing at the man. "I'm... Stampy. Stampy Cat." He held out his paw for a handshake.

"It's nice to meet you! I'm Wizard Keen Preston! You can call me Keen, though." He smiled, shaking the cat's paw gently, before leaning back in his chair. "How have you all been today?"

"Good!" Stampy nodded as the others hummed in agreement.

"I was starving earlier, but I'm great now!" Squid laughed, as it dusted off sandwich-crumbs on a napkin.

"I've been mentally coming up with a song!" Sqaishey smiled, gesturing faer hands around.

"You write music?" Stampy blinked as he glanced over.

"Yeah!" Sqaishey nodded. "I play a lot of stringed instruments, but my favorite is guitar!"

"Oh, that's lovely!" Stampy beamed. "Can you teach me one day?"

"Um, maybe. It might be harder with your paws, but I can probably teach you ukulele! That'd be easier, I think. Less strings, and softer on your paw-pads!" Sqaishey gestured faer hands around, as fae pointed at his paws.

Stampy hummed, looking at his paws with a hum. "Yeah... That sounds like a plan-"

"Keen!" Another man- similar pale skin but darker, red hair and a coal-black mustache on his face- spoke. His fancy outfit was all black except for his deep red shirt, shown beneath his un-buttoned overcoat. His eyes were red and full of rage, eyebrows crunched inwards as he marched over to the wizard.

"Heinous- not so loud!" Keen hushed him, glancing over. "What do you want, brother?"

"I wanted to talk to you about your stupid posters!" Heinous grabbed a chair, scooting it very loudly across the floor and sitting in front of Keen, leaning right up into the old man's face. "They're all over town! Why do you even need so many?"

Stampy tensed, and the table got quiet. Lee's ears wiggled as they listened in, but mostly, the others seemed to focus on their food more. Stampy... Couldn't help but watch the two directly.

"I told you, every citizen running for mayor, including me, gets to put up campaign posters. You can still make your own." Keen gestured, trying to calm the other down.

"I don't get it! Why don't you retire already?" Heinous snapped. "You make this town worse anyway!"

"I ran for mayor, and I was voted in. That's why I haven't retired. I simply wish to see if I can make it for one more term." Keen took a glance over at the workers, still waiting for his food and hoping Heinous wasn't being too disrespectful shouting in the otherwise quiet café.

"No one likes you as mayor." Heinous scoffed. "You don't even do anything to run this town."

"Several people do! Or else they wouldn't have voted for me!" Keen turned back to Heinous, sighing. "And I do. There's a lot of paperwork involved-"

"Paperwork, shmaperwork." Heinous grumbled, crossing his arms. "If people just listened and got along, and there was no stupid new projects to do, you wouldn't have to deal with all that paperwork!"

"Heinous, you can't just... not let people do things!" Keen frowned.

"I could. I can make this town stay the same. So it's safer. So everyone can understand what is happening! And so there is nothing unexpected!" Heinous waved his arms around, nearly smacking Stampy in the face.

"There is always going to be change." Keen shook his head in disappointment. "I understand not liking it, but it's part of life. You need to learn to deal with it."

"Or I can make it stop. I can keep things in order. Lawful and logical." Heinous huffed. "Change just makes things unpredictable. Makes people unpredictable."

Keen let out a heavy sigh, putting his head on one of his hands and going quiet. "...Heinous. You need to-"

"You need to retire, old man!" Heinous snapped.

"I'm only fourty-seven! You're fourty three!" Keen stared at his brother.

"And yet you've aged poorly. You can't even walk without using your wand as a cane! Your wrinkles are huge!" Heinous gestured.

"Oh my god..." Keen sighed again. "I'm not arguing with you right now."

"I'm taking down your posters." Heinous stood up, nearly tripping over the chair but catching his balance.

"Try not to destroy things along the way, dear brother!" Keen watched, frowning as the other man left.

The café was tense. Stampy felt his heart pounding in his chest. The way that man reminded him of Hit The Target, except... Louder? It scared him.

Keen relaxed as the waiter came over, placing his order at the table. Thanking them, he began to eat.

The waiter simply smiled at him, putting the extra chair back where it belonged, and then walking off.

Silence. Stampy's heart pounded louder, or maybe he was simply more aware of it. He wished Barnaby was there. He stared at his empty plate, already craving more cake.

"Hey, you're okay." Lee reassured, reaching over and gently patting Stampy's shoulder. "Breathe..."

Stampy looked up, weakly smiling at the bear, appreciating their touch. He wanted to say something nice in return to them, but... He couldn't think of anything.

He raised his hand to order another slice of cake.

Chapter Text

The smell of the library was relaxing. A papery, soft and spiky smell. A smell that reminded him of comfort, of cozy winter nights next to a campfire.

Keen's cane thudded softly against the polished oak wood floor, the clink of Stampy's own boots almost at the same tempo. Behind him, Squid, Sqaishey, and Lee followed. Their footsteps were all different as well- Squids being fast and bouncy, Sqaisheys were soft and light, and Lee's were thumpy and slow.

Stampy wondered if he analyzed things too much, but it was way too fun not to, especially in the new world!

He started to examine the library more, noticing the bookshelves pillared up all the way to the 6-block tall ceiling, with some ladders and scaffolding placed to help people collect books from them. Some spots had misplaced books- either very visibly in the wrong place, flipped backwards, or sat on the scaffolding. But it seemed to be quite rare- and none looked damaged. There were several floors too- Stampy counted three at least- and he wondered how many different subjects there could even be in a library like this!

He continued to wander around with the others, glancing at Keen with a smile.

"You feeling better, Stampy?" Keen asked him as he glanced back.

"Yeah! A lot better! I love it here more!" He nodded, looking around again as he trailed away from the group. It seemed the others started to wander around too, Lee going straight for the cooking section, Sqaishey heading to the poetry section and Squid... Walked to the romance section.

Stampy couldn't help but chuckle, smiling to himself. That dork...

He watched as Keen wandered off as well, the wizard heading towards the history section with a happy hum of a tune. His eyes fixated on the gem thing again- on the wand-cane-thing. It sparkled just the way the gem in his dream did... Maybe that was just how gems sparkled though.

His ears perked, glancing around as he heard two voices. Distantly, a conversation from two strangers. His curiosity took control, and he approached the sound. He couldn't help but eavesdrop!

Walking into a lounge area, one of his ears flicked and his tail swished as he tried to find where the two were. The room was softer- the lighting was dimmer and yellower- and it gave an air of even more comfort.

He stepped slowly, head turning slightly as he scanned the room, before noticing them at the back wall. They were sitting on a bench, right next to a window that had greenery just outside.

The first thing Stampy noticed was that the duo had very vibrant hair. The one on the left having short, deep-blue hair, and the one on the right with long, braided pastel-rainbow hair. The left one had lightly-tan skin, vivid blue eyes, a firm medieval-looking white and brown dress and matching brown boots. The one on the right, on the other hand, had deep brown skin, dark green eyes, a soft white dress with shimmery-gold trims and golden flats. The right one was also wearing a golden tiara with an emerald gem on it, whereas the one on the left was wearing large brown goggles, positioned like a headband.

They seemed to be deep in conversation, the one on the right being much more softspoken than the left one, who was louder. Not that loud- as they were in a library, but more aggressive in her words.

Stampy slowly approached them, noticing his footsteps were muffled by the carpet in the lounge. He wondered if he should say hi, or if it'd be best to just let them continue their conversation. They looked friendly, though!

Before he could do anything, though, the one on the left sneezed, glancing around, before staring at Stampy.

"...Oh, you're... You're literally just a cat." The blue haired one blinked, almost confused.

"...yeah? I'm Stampy! Stampy Cat!" He gestured, hesitating.

"It's just- I'm allergic to cats." The blue-nette rubbed her nose, to which the rainbow-haired one sighed, pulling out some tissues from faer inventory.

"It's not deadly." The rainbow one said.

"...Oh. That's... Good. I think." Stampy muttered, feeling awkward.

"It's annoying!" The blue-nette complained as she blew her nose, watching as the other got her some medicine out of faer inventory as well. "Thanks."

"I'm Priscilla." The rainbow-haired one spoke, glancing at Stampy. "This is my best friend, Rama."

"Yup." Rama sighed, taking the medicine and tossing the tissue into a nearby trash can.

"I like your hair! Both of your hair...s? Your hairs? Your... Hair, separately-" Stampy gestured, trying to get the phrasing right

Priscilla giggled, nodding at the cat. "Thank you. I dyed it myself! Well- I dyed mine, I helped Rama the first time she ever dyed her hair, but she's done it on her own afterwards."

Rama nodded, smiling. "Yeah! Prissy says I make it look sloppy sometimes though."

"You are quite impatient, Rama." Priscilla laughed.

"Am not!" Rama scoffed, but laughed along as well. She couldn't help but admit it on some level. She didn't like waiting. At. All.

"Are too." Priscilla covered faer mouth as fae giggled, glancing back at Stampy. "Do you need anything?"

"Oh! Uh-" Stampy stuttered, glancing away. "No, no, I just wanted to say hello. I heard you two talking and got curious!"

"Eavesdropping isn't nice!" Rama frowned.

"To be fair, I don't remember anything you two were saying- I don't think i even processed it." Stampy shrugged.

"It was not that private anyway." Priscilla reassured, waving faer hands around. "Just some small talk!"

"Still rude." Rama huffed, but was smiling at that point, looking at Stampy.

Stampy chuckled quietly, rubbing his neck. "Yeah... Anyway- What books do you two recommend I read?"

"What do you like?" Priscilla shrugged. "Do you like long, or short books?"

"Erm..." Stampy looked at Priscilla, noticing fae was tapping the spot next to faer. He smiled, sitting down. "I like medium books, I guess?"

"Big text, or small text?" Priscilla thought, glancing around the room as fae considered the options.

"Big text! It's easier to read!" He gestured.

"How big?" Fae looked at his hands.

Stampy held up his paw, pinching his digits together to show the size of the text- larger, but not kid-book size large.

"...Alright. Do you prefer fiction, or non-fiction?" Priscilla nodded.

"Uh, fiction? Kinda?" Stampy shrugged. "I like reading books about building, and then novels about adventurers!" He gestured even more, paws waving in spirals and curves. "And recently, I was looking for books on magic- I had a magic-y dream where I found a crystal! And the crystal was all blue and shimmery, but it wasn't a diamond, it was like- deeper blue? Sorta? Not by much, but more blue than cyan, and-"

"You talk a lot." Rama cut him off, getting a glare from Priscilla.

"Rama, be nice." Priscilla frowned, before turning to face Stampy once more. "You said you had a dream about a crystal... What was the shape of it?"

"Uh... Like a tube? But... Pointy?" Stampy waved, gesturing smaller, straight lines.

"...How many sides did it have?" Priscilla's hum was deep, as if fae was coming up with a theory.

"...Six? I think?" Stampy shrugged, right paw grasping the air slightly as he tried to remember. "It looked like someone shaved it, like a pencil, at the point?"

Priscilla stood up, glancing away, then at the cat. "I'll be right back."

Stampy blinked, looking at Rama as Priscilla left.

The blue haired girl shrugged, chuckling. "No idea what fae's doing."

"...Why do you have goggles?" Stampy pointed, immediately getting distracted.

"Because I like them. Helps me not get stuff in my eyes, and all that. Plus, the pressure of the band is good against my head." Rama gestured.

"Oh! You like pressure stims?" Stampy perked up, to which Rama blinked.

"...Pressure whats?" Rama tilted her head.

"Okay- stimming is, like, a thing you do to stimulate yourself! Self stimulation is, usually- like, have you ever flapped your hands in excitement? Or tapped your foot and bit your nails when nervous or impatient? Rocking back and forth when you're sad or anxious?" Stampy's paws gestured wildly, and he copied the stims as he explained them.

"Oh! Yeah! I do!" Rama nodded, flapping her hands and watching as Stampy copied her. "Is that not what everyone does?"

"It is something everyone does occasionally! But it's more common with autistic people." Stampy beamed.

"Ah. Makes sense." Rama chuckled, smiling.

Eventually, Priscilla came back, holding some small-ish gemstones in faer hands, sitting between the two once more. Stampy's eyes fixated on the shiny rocks- each of them a different color, almost sparkling in the lounge's dim lighting. He counted four, one in the same sky-blue hue he remembered in his dream. The others were a soft pink, a deep yellow, and a vibrant green, and they shimmered in sync as Priscilla tilted them in the light.

He immediately grabbed the blue one, holding it in his hands as it seemed to glow. Rama leaned over, staring at the cat as he analyzed the gem.

It felt... Strange.

"Do you recognize it?" Priscilla asked, gently rolling the other three in faer hands.

"Yeah. This is exactly the same as the one in the dream! Except less cold..." Stampy muttered, ear flicking as he stared at it.

"That is a wondershard, or a shard off of a wondergem." Priscilla explained, smiling. "They're a magic kind of gemstone, similar to obsidian in a sense, except they're related to... Do you know what creation magic is?" Fae looked at Stampy, tilting faer head.

Stampy nodded. "Yeah, so, does it make you wonder or something?" He joked, chuckling a bit. He found it... Painfully ironic. Cruel in some sense. The universe was taunting him, wasn't it? Teasing him with the idea of creating things, and then stealing away his motivation.

Priscilla hummed. "Sort of. It inspires wonder, as an effect of sorts. Gets your mind more aware of what's around you, gets you curious. You can choose to ignore it, but it's..." Fae waved a hand around, glancing off to the side to think. "...It's... A magic. It could overpower you, if you let it. Or it can be a guide."

Stampy huffed, leaning back onto the back of the bench and staring at the ceiling of the lounge, tail dangling to his side and swishing slightly. "It's stupid."

"...Do you not feel motivated?" Priscilla frowned.

"No! I've had some stupid creative block for months now! Like I want to lie in bed and sleep forever!" Stampy waved his paws around, huffing.

"But you still came to visit Miriwood?" Rama blinked, staring at the cat.

Stampy glanced at her, frowning. "It... It was just because of the dream... Not because-"

"No, you don't get it." Rama huffed, sounding a lot more snippy than she realized, but she continued. "You got a weird dream, about something that you thought was interesting and had to do with magic, and you got out of bed to explore that? That's... Something."

"...I-" Stampy sighed, shrugging and staring at the floor. "...Yeah. I just- I thought the dream was important or something. I still don't know what it means."

"I think you'll figure it out soon enough." Priscilla smiled, standing up and starting to walk off. "For now, let's go look for some books for you, Stampy."

Stampy nodded, standing up with Rama and following after.

---

Eventually, the group headed out of the library, heading to the center of the town, and Stampy felt quite anxious. He rolled the crystal around his hand as he followed the others. He kept glancing at Keens wand cane... Thingy.

"Is it real?" Stampy eventually asked, pointing towards the cane.

"Huh?" Keen glanced over to Stampy, blinking in confusion.

"The gemstone on your cane... Wand thingy." Stampy gestured his paw around.

Keen chuckled. "Oh! Yes, it is!" He paused his walking and picked up the cane, gently poking at the gem. "It's held here because it's part of the magic of the wand! I've just been using it as a cane too, since... Having to carry a cane and a wand can get annoying. It's multipurpose!" He smiled, putting it back to his side.

Stampy hummed, kneeling down and staring at it. "Is it another wondery-shard thingy?"

"It is a wondergem, yes." Keen laughed, watching.

"Can I touch it?" Stampy reached out his paw, not touching it yet but putting his hand near it.

Keen chuckled, shaking his head as he started to walk again. "Not yet. We're almost there."

Stampy frowned, but stumbled after, humming. "Where are we even going anyway?"

"To the center of town." Keen smirked, glancing at Stampy. "You'll like it."

Stampy pouted. "But Keeeeen!" He muttered as the wizard pointed off into the distance. He turned to look-

A chunk or so away, there was a large crystal, looking like a piece of a geode, or just a really large gemstone cluster. The bottom of the wondergem was rocky, spikes of the gem jutting up to the sky. Each part of the crystal had its own color, creating a rainbow mixture. Stampy's ears perked and he sprinted forward, up to the podium the large crystal was placed.

"Oh. My. God." Stampy reached to touch it, feeling the warmth the gem had from being in the sun all the time. Unlike most gems that fade in sunlight, it seemed to be just as vibrant as ever, even when it was out in the sun all day. At least, he guessed. It looked like a statue, or a monument!

Squid sat on a bench nearby, flopping its body across the entire seat, stretching in the sun. "I knew he'd love it." It smiled, closing its eyes.

Sqaishey giggled, walking to Stampy's side and sitting next to him, fluffing out faer feathers. "Do you like it?"

Stampy nodded, tilting his head and rocking his body side to side. "It's so sparkly!"

Rama ran over to his side and held out the wondershards in her hands, up to the larger wondergem. "They're the same!" She gestured.

Stampy glanced over, smiling. "Yeah! Are they common?"

"In the mountains around here, yeah." Rama nodded. "Although the larger gems like this one-" She pointed at the large wondergem, "-are rarer. They grow in big geodes, not as big as amethyst geodes, but the crystals are much larger!"

Stampy nodded, glancing back at the gem. "How many colors does it have?"

"Technically, there are four primary colors the gem appears in, but they can have variations between those colors!" Rama smiled. "Priscilla's studied them for a loooong time, fae does that same speech explaining them-"

Priscilla was heard laughing from afar- leaning next to a tree with Lee. "No I don't!" Fae retorted

"Yes you do! You go like,You know the four key factors to wondering, right? There's Curiosity-" Rama mimicked Priscilla's voice, to which the other laughed even more, walking over.

"No! No, you-" Fae wheezed, before gesturing faer hands. "Okay, okay, fine. I want to explain it, though."

Rama smirked. "Fine." She giggled, watching as Priscilla turned to Stampy.

"The four colors correspond to the four traits of wondering, of learning, in some sense." Priscilla pointed to the colors as fae explained the meanings. "Blue is for curiosity, yellow is perseverance, pink is kindness, and green is logic!"

"They don't actually mean that." Rama cut in. "It's just what people have anecdotally claimed to experience when holding them."

"They do in the same way colors represent emotions in color theory." Priscilla countered.

"Yeah, you and your color theories." Rama snort laughed

"Oh hush!" Priscilla chided, but laughed along. "It's easier to remember, regardless. Plus, they are important."

"Why are they important?" Stampy blinked, humming as he tilted his head, tail lightly swishing upwards in the air

"Here we go-" Rama giggled, but seemed to be excited for Priscilla to explain.

Priscilla rolled faer eyes at Rama, smiling. "To wonder, at its core, means to be curious. To question things around you, to test and to want to see what happens." Faer hands gestured, twirling in the air and counting on faer fingers. To know something, you need to keep trying, to persevere through and to not give up, even if your theories may be proven wrong. You also need to show kindness in your testing and learning, as hurting living beings is cruel, and often won't help at all in your search for answers. Kindness helps you bond, and learn from others. You also need to think logically and critically about what you are doing, not being solely swayed by emotions, to think through and test your theories scientifically. Not always, but..."

"You're such a neeeerd-" Rama teased, snort laughing at the other as Priscilla smiled.

"Oh, hush, you!" Priscilla glanced at Rama, the two sharing a soft glance between each other, almost intimate and caring even as they appeared to be bickering otherwise.

"Okay, short version!" Rama gestured a hand around. "Basically, you got to want to know stuff, you gotta not give up easy, gotta treat people good and not hurt them, and you gotta use the scientific method or whatever."

Priscilla chuckled, smiling. "Yeah, that.... That's a bit more simplified, but yes."

Stampy nodded along, ears perked as he glanced back at the gem. "And this... Crystal, it inspires all of that?"

"It gives you the push, the motivation, but ultimately, it's up to the individual to choose to wonder." Priscilla's hand gently poked at one of the points of the gems. "...Although, many in this town enjoy wondering. It's almost a cultural thing, in some sense, here."

"Why isn't it called, like... Wonder Town then?" Stampy looked over at faer.

"I believe the miri part of Miriwood means wonder." Priscilla shrugged. "Although some people do refer to this village as Miriwood, The Town Of Wondering."

Keen smiled, walking over to the three. "I call it The Town Of The Wondergem!"

Stampy smirked, crossing his arms. "Well I call it the coolest town ever!"

Keen blinked, smiling with a chuckle as Priscilla nodded, giggling along.

"That's very kind of you, Stampy." Priscilla hummed. "Can I give you a hug?"

Stampy's ears perked and he nodded nearly immediately. "Of course!" He opened his arms as the human hugged him, nuzzling into faer arms.

"Oh, you are very soft..." Priscilla mused, chuckling as fae started to pet him.

Stampy couldn't help but purr, leaning into the touches as Priscilla coo'ed at the cat, melting a bit.

"Oh you are just the cutest thing-" Priscilla muttered, watching as Stampy reacted even more positively, nuzzling into the pets and purring louder as Priscilla scratched behind his ears.

After a good few minutes of just snuggling the cat, Priscilla let go, chuckling.

"Alright, I think I need to go and help a friend in a bit, so I'm going to leave you, but do visit the library whenever you need me, and I will hopefully be there!" Priscilla smiled.

Stampy nodded, waving as fae left. "Byeee!"

"See you later, Stampy!" Priscilla waved back, walking down the road.

Stampy squealed, before glancing around and noticing Squid sunbathing. He beamed, walking over to the blue squid and sitting next to the bench.

"Hey, Stamps." Squid mumbled softly.

"Hello!" Stampy giggled.

Squid's smile grew, but its eyes were still closed. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah! A lot better! Especially when I get to look at you!" Stampy hummed and watched as Squid blinked, staring at him.

"...Cmere." It shuffled up, now leaning back and sitting properly, patting the space beside it for Stampy to sit.

Stampy's ears perked again and he quickly sat down, leaning against Squid and closing his eyes.

"...I missed you." Squid hummed, wrapping an arm around the other and closing its eyes as well.

Stampy felt his heart warm up. "I missed you too."

Chapter Text

The helpers were very confused to see a lack of the cat around.

The three had checked his room, but he wasn't there. Neither was he in his hiding places- like the underground Love Garden, the Doghouse, the Secret Base, not even in the clubhouse.

They went on a search, checking various places Stampy loved to go. He wasn't in the bakery, or the train, or the brick building near the funland, or... Anywhere, it seemed.

Even Barnaby seemed worried, as the others were freaking out. Stampy said he would return, but the dog didn't know when. Neither did the helpers.

"Did he leave forever?" Polly muttered, voice cracking and hands clenching into the cobblestone stairs she was sat on.

"He not like that. He like us." William paced in a circle around the love garden.

"What if he not like us? What if... He hate us?" Polly whimpered, blinking away tears. "What if he hurt himself?"

«He probably got lost?» Fizzy signed, although visibly uncertain as they sat down on the grass. «He would have said something if he hated us...»

William just huffed, pacing around faster. "It's fine. It is fine. He come back soon. He always come back."

"...what if Hit the Target did something?" Polly whimpered, covering her mouth. "What if Target took Stampy?"

William froze, tense. "...He maybe did."

"...We should... Plan. Plan for fight." Polly muttered.

Fizzy frowned, shaking their head and stomping their feet. «No, we would have seen signs of Target. He leaves signs. He and Veeva are not up to something. I don't believe it.»

"What happened then?" William stared at Fizzy, uncertain.

«...We find clues. See if Stampy left something.» Fizzy shrugged, glancing around.

William grumbled, but nodded, looking around the love garden. "We look everywhere before. Where...?" He muttered, as he paced around more, examining the surroundings.

Polly glanced around as well, carefully walking over to the bottom of the Love Garden's heart and carefully kneeling down. Her hands gently lifted a rock, grabbing the small, folded note that was stuck underneath.

«What that?» Fizzy signed, walking over and sitting down criss-cross as he stared.

William watched too, kneeling beside Polly and resting his arms on his knees.

Polly's eyes skimmed the note, frowning.

'Dear Friends, I'm off on an adventure to see what these magic-dreams are about. I woke up earlier than you guys, so I didn't want to wait to personally tell you. I'll be back soon.'

"...Why he not wake us up?" Polly handed the note to William. "It not nice to just... Leave."

«He scared of making us mad?» Fizzy signed, almost to themself as they furrowed their eyebrows.

"We wait for him." William shrugged. "We see if he return. If no return in a day. We search."

"Should ask Veeva and Target?" Polly tapped her chin.

"Yeah. Ask for search help. If no return yet." William hummed, standing up and looking around. "...Wonder where he go?"

-----

Stampy stretched his paws up in the air as he stared at the empty stage. His eyes fixated on the structure, noticing the beams of dark oak logs holding the stage up off the ground. The staircase to the main platform seemed to be of the same wood, except in plank form. Yet, the inner parts of the platform was made of oak, making a distinct contrast.

His eyes trailed up some of the taller dark oak pillars, up to the off-white roof of the stage. It was made of a wool-fabric, blocking the stage from the sun.

Behind the tent-stage... stadium? Thing? He wasn't sure- but his bored eyes wandered behind it, seeing the trees scattered around the area. They looked as vibrant as his own eyes, except darker in hue. The way they reached towards the tent, casting more shade, seemed to comfort him. He wished he had picked a spot to sit that was closer to a tree.

Around him was a bunch of chairs, made of quite squeaky wood- his ear twitched as one squeaked behind him, soft chatter coming from the townspeople as they waited for the candidates to arrive. It made him feel slightly overwhelmed, but he was able to fidget without too many harsh glares.

There was going to be some... Election things going on. Something about speeches and voting and choosing who you want to be mayor. He had no idea, really. It wasn't the newest concept ever, but he never really... Understood it. He'd rather a community choose their own rules collectively, get along and simply follow moral principles for the most part.

But this town was much more complex than his town of Amorville. More people, too. He was a bit overwhelmed at some points, dozens of people wandering the streets and chatting. There were some quiet spots, though. That was nice.

He blinked as he saw someone walk up to the stage- someone he recognized. Several people, actually. The announcer of the election-speech-thingy wasn't a person he recognized, although their tightly coiled black hair and deep brown skin seemed to sparkle alongside their bright green diamond-patterned dress. Their eyes were a similar, vibrant green, and he wondered if his own eyes looked that pretty.

Next to the announcer, though, was Craig, with faer hands in faer pockets and crimson hair pulled back into a ponytail. Faer shirt was the same deep green-blue one he had seen faer wear before, with a magenta heart outline stitched onto the front. Fae's bright blue eyes glanced around the audience, and Stampy noticed a scar on faer face, a faded reddish brown cut on faer cheek, almost entirely invisible against faer warm light-brown skin. He wondered what happened to faer, but decided he'd ask after.

Right beside Craig was Keen, and beside him was Heinous, the two glaring at each other momentarily. Heinous had his arms crossed, and was tapping his foot impatiently. Keen kept fidgeting with a sheet of paper in his hands, squinting his eyes slightly in what Stampy guessed was deep thought.

He wanted to wave to them, but the host-announcer-person was speaking, and he didn't want to distract anyone, simply smiling at them and hoping they noticed.

Eventually, the announcer waved for Craig to come up to the stand, which was a small lectern and a microphone on the end, and Stampy's ears perked. Faer voice was soft, as fae spoke to the citizens.

"If I become your new mayor," Craig started, glancing down at note-cards fae made. "...I want to expand the town. In my leadership, we will open more shops, build new houses, and grow a stronger, larger, and more curious community." Fae looked at the crowd, smiling. "I want to inspire growth, and utilize the space around us to give people more places to explore, to visit, and socialize in."

Fae nodded faer head and did a little bow, getting a round of applause from the crowd as fae walked back over to where the other two candidates were.

"Thank you, dear Craig Summerfield!" The announcer smiled. "Next up!" They waved for Keen to come forward. The wizard walked up to the stand, shuffling up his papers.

"As you all know," Keen introduced with a chuckle, "I have been your mayor for the past five years, and have decided to run again. With me re-elected, I do not plan to change much about the physical layout of the town, but I do promise to improve the magic curriculum! I plan for teaching more apprentices in magic, and for new classrooms in our secondary school to focus on the sub-categories of magic, like the elemental-types. Together, we can become stronger, and learn more about the world around us!"

Another round of applause, and Keen bowed as well, holding his hat in place. He turned to walk back to the other two, smiling at Craig.

Stampy couldn't quite hear it, but it seemed Keen was complimenting Craig, the two sharing a smile and nod, both of them more relaxed. He couldn't help but smile along.

"Thank you for that, Wizard Keen Preston!" The announcer nodded towards him, glancing at Heinous afterwards. "And finally-"

Heinous stomped over to the microphone, dusting off his shirt and sighing loudly. "Those two are really quite ridiculous, aren't they?" His words were snappy, harsh and judgmental, filled with venom and rage. "Wishing for foolish things, like inviting total strangers into our town, or focusing on unnecessary and dangerous magic instead of what we really should be doing!" His arms waved wildly, gesturing with vigor- left hand clenched into a fist by his side as he grasped the microphone with his right. "They dare risk your lives for clout? For popularity? To try out new things? What if people with bad intentions join the community?"

The crowd glanced at each other, whispers spreading already as Heinous continued.

"What if someone tries to grief our town, or destroy our homes? New shops built just to invite criminals to feast and then destroy!" Heinous grit his teeth. "And magic- we have dealt with magic disasters in the past. Several fires erupted from kids learning fire spells, houses flooded from misspoken water spells. There is a reason why there are laws against things such as wither skulls, and yet we allow for other sorts of dangerous magic?" Heinous's voice boomed into the microphone, practically growling in disgust.

"If I am elected as mayor, I will keep us safe from these dangers. I will limit the expansion of the town, still allowing visitors but permanent residents must get background-checks! I will also outlaw more types of magic, as it is dangerous, and the majority of things you can do with magic, you can also do without magic, it simply takes more time." He glared at Keen and Craig for a moment, before turning to the audience once more. "I will keep things logical, lawful, and safe."

The crowd didn't clap as loudly this time. Many still clapped for him, but some looked distrustful. Frowns, whispers, glances around at the others around them for reassurance- making sure they weren't the only ones that found Heinous to be controlling. Stampy's ears drooped and he watched as the announcer carefully stepped forward.

"Thank... Thank you, Heinous Preston...!" Said announcer muttered, nervously smiling at the man as he walked back- almost stomping.

They sighed, glancing at the crowd and smiling again, more genuinely this time. "Now, it is time to ask the candidates some questions! Questions that you all have sent in!" They gestured their arms around, before turning to the three.

"Question one-" They started, holding up a finger to indicate the number. "What would you do if there is ever a shortage of supplies?" They hummed, glancing at Craig first.

"I would expand so we are able to generate more supplies. Creating more farmland and a new water collection site at the west-side river." Craig hummed, turning to Keen.

"I would encourage community help, each citizen using their magic to increase productivity when they can, like using rain spells at the existing farmland, for example. If last resort, I would also temporarily open more space to generate supplies, or see if we can reach out to other towns for assistance." Keen smiled, glancing at Craig, then towards Heinous.

"I'd simply not let a shortage of supplies happen in the first place. We need to focus on work, keeping the farms tended to more often and using wit over magic cheats." Heinous glared at Keen. "We craft more watering cans and manually water the fields, as using rain spells could overwater the plants and provide no harvest."

Keen scoffed, crossing his arms. "Teaching people how to properly cast these spells will prevent such disasters!"

"That still does not stop all of them!" Heinous snapped.

"Quiet down, you two." The announcer huffed. "Second question, how would you respond to leading during a natural disaster?"

Craig hummed, glancing at Keen, before shrugging. "Make a plan, beforehand? The obvious-" Fae chuckled. "I think Keen would know about it best, honestly. If I was elected, I'd still ask him for advice about natural disasters."

Keen smiled, nodding. "Yes! Well, I have already shared around fliers that share information on our most common natural disasters, like lightning storms and earthquakes, but teaching our students about weather and how to predict weather would be the best choice. I would also offer classes on weather, earth and water spells, which would allow us to combat things like famines and droughts. Community plans to deal with these disasters, and routine practices to make sure everyone knows what to do, would help greatly in those situations."

Heinous scoffed, crossing his arms. "All of that, minus the spells. Instead, we should be keeping ready-stocked supplies beforehand."

"W-well of course!" Keen narrowed his eyes at Heinous, frowning. "But still, the stored food can go bad over time, and being able to create rain when there is a drought would lead to less starvation-"

"And risk a flood? We can simply stock up on water now." Heinous huffed.

Keen grumbled, crossing his arms as well as he glanced at Craig, who shrugged.

The announcer sighed, shaking their head slightly, before speaking again. "Question three! What would you do to keep the town safe, in case another town threatens to fight, or even start a war with Miriwood?"

Craig and Keen glanced at each other again, almost as if the idea baffled them.

"I have not heard of any negative relations with other towns." Keen admitted, looking at the announcer, then at Craig, going to let faer speak.

Heinous interrupted with a laugh, smiling. "I would simply prepare a large army beforehand. Training people fully in raw physical combat, no need for silly golden apples or potions. Netherrite armor and a knowledge on how to kill would be fine."

Keen glared at Heinous, frowning, then turning to the announcer. "I would offer to talk it out. Not let the situation escalate, and if it somehow does risk citizen lives, we would evacuate the town, and fight back with magic if absolutely required."

Craig put faer hands in faer pockets, nodding. "I would also attempt to come to a compromise with the opposing town, and increase the knowledge of battle in the citizens, so they would be able to defend themselves. The guards who protect the city from mobs at night can also fight in the battle, but preventing hostility is my top priority."

The announcer nodded again, humming. "And finally, question four! What are you going to do about the public transportation system? How do you plan to improve it, if at all?"

Craig hummed. "I plan on opening more train stations, and expanding the rails alongside the expanded town."

Keen nodded at Craig. "I plan on adding more trains that run more frequently, and a few new stations at the important parts of town."

Heinous huffed. "I would add one or two more train stations, but simply try to make navigating by foot easier, and pleasant. I do not see the need for all of the trains."

The announcer nodded once more, turning to the crowd and smiling. "There you have it! The answers from your candidates!" They smiled. "Think hard about who you are going to vote for! Newspapers repeating what was said today will be released during the next few days for the final vote counts!"

The crowd clapped and cheered, and eventually everyone started to head out, leaving in small groups. Stampy stayed sitting, though, staring at the floor.

He wondered if he was even allowed to vote.

---

Stampy kicked his iron boots in the water softly, feeling the weight of the boots push and pull at the water. He flicked his tail along the grassy shore, mind wandering away from himself. He wanted to build- to create a new water-based minigame. Maybe one where you have to swim through tiny holes and collect items?

His paws dug into the edge of the shore, feeling the dirt under his pawpads, thinking. He watched the water sway and swirl around his legs, how it dampened his fur and made it look a deeper orange.

It could be an obstacle course, of sorts. Swimming through an ocean-esque area and ducking around rocks. Maybe bits where you'd poke up, out of the water, and parkour. Or maybe, even, he could build around a shipwreck, and-

"Stamps!" Squid's voice was loud, but distant. "Stampy, come over here!" It waved for him.

Stampy glanced over, the ideas for the minigame sliding to the back of his mind ashe smiled. He stumbled up, approaching the tiny picnic blanket the three were sitting on, squeaking as he flopped down in the shade.

"Okay, you saw who was running, right?" Lee smiled, their paws gesturing around excitedly.

"Yeah!" Stampy's ears perked and he nodded. "Craig, Keen, and Heinous! I was shocked to see Craig even here!"

Squid chuckled. "Fae's been around. Fae actually talked about you before, saying fae missed you."

"Oh, absolutely." Sqaishey nodded. "Craig talks about you like you're a long lost lover of faers."

Stampy giggled along, sputtering. "Fae does?"

"Yeah!" Sqaishey nodded again, hands gesturing slightly. "Then again, I'm pretty sure fae's just dramatic about it. Fae... Is very dramatic."

"I know." Stampy chuckled, sitting up and glancing around at the blanket. "Do you guys have food?"

Squid grabbed the basket, pulling out a small box. "Lee baked this for you."

Lee watched carefully as Stampy took the box, the cat gasping excitedly.

"Oh!" Stampy opened it, pulling out the tiny cake inside. "Ohhh, this looks delicious!" He beamed, taking a bite immediately.

Sqaishey giggled, before glancing at the other two. "I think Craig might be the best candidate. I like the idea of the expansion." Fae hummed.

"I kinda wanna stick with Keen." Lee hummed, shrugging. "I think the extracurricular magic classes sound interesting. Regulations and more studies on it would probably help overall."

"I think I like Keen, but Heinous is right about the possibility of griefers." Squid shrugged back, taking a bite out of Sqaishey's pumpkin pie.

Sqaishey chuckled, grabbing a slice as well and leaning on faer other hand. "Well, yeah, but... We haven't had any, have we?"

"No, but allowing too many visitors can increase the possibility." Squid pointed, hand waving a bit. "I think creating a more sturdy army would also be best- like, diplomacy is fantastic! But we need to make sure we have a plan B, you know?"

"Kinda like how I was Stampy's bodyguard till I had to find someone else to replace me." Lee chuckled.

"...What?" Stampy looked at Lee, blinking.

"Oh- yeah, I notified William of your world." Lee explained, turning to Stampy. "He's a lot more adept at fighting, and all." They shrugged with a smile.

"Oh! Oh, okay." Stampy nodded, glancing around at the others as he went back to listening.

"Maybe. Heinous does sound very... Controlling, though. Like he'd make too big of an army and make us feel more defensive, scared..." Sqaishey pointed out. "Plus, a fowl-mouthed man like him wouldn't allow us to have good relations with other towns."

"He reminds me of Target." Stampy chimed in. "Especially at the cafe!"

Squid nodded, pointing at Stampy. "Exactly! He's fighty like Target! He'd cause a war faster than the other two."

Sqaishey and Lee nodded, humming as they glanced around at each other.

"I do like the idea of the expanded train network too." Lee hummed, gesturing their paw around. "I know Amy's always talking about her arms getting tired rolling up the hills."

"That is true." Sqaishey hummed. "I know even I get tired walking around sometimes, and the trains only really go to the north and west side of town."

"I think it'd be nice to see an underground subway of sorts." Lee gestured. "Like the tree train in Amorville, sort of."

"There also needs to be more bridges over the rivers." Squid pointed out, gesturing at the river they were nearby. "More connections to the forest, and more well-lit hiking paths!"

"I wonder if they're gonna do another speech?" Stampy cut in, humming. "You all raise some good points, and I know at least Craig would hear you out!"

"Oh, we should talk to faer about it!" Sqaishey stood up. "Fae'll listen, or at least decline politely."

Stampy laughed, putting his cake in the box and closing it, carrying it after Sqaishey. Squid stood up and helped Lee fold the blanket, putting it in the basket and walking after as well.

Chapter Text

Stampy was excited to learn that he had an apartment near Craigs. Well- his was a temporary rental, using it more like a hotel, and stampy was a floor below Craigs on completely opposite sides of the hall, but still! It was exciting for him!

He walked into the building, noticing the elevator and staircase at the entrance, glancing at Lee with a smirk.

"Betcha I can run faster than you can ride the elevator!" Stampy offered his friend, already wanting to play.

The bear just chuckled, nodding. "Fine, but you have to wait till the doors fully close!" They walked over to the elevator, walking inside as Stampy darted over to the staircase.

"Three! Two! One!" Stampy shouted as the doors closed on Lee, screaming "GO!" as he sprinted up the stairs.

Sqaishey and Squid shared a glance as they entered, chuckling amongst themselves as they walked up the staircase as well, a lot more slow and casual than the other two.

The cat's boots were audible clanking up the stairs, as fast as he could go. He swerved around and cackled excitedly, hoping he'd make it. And just barely, he did- stepping out onto the third hallway, panting and glancing as the doors of the elevator opened again.

"That- haha- that was close!" He beamed, smiling at Lee.

Lee simply chuckled, walking over. "You okay?"

"Yeah! Just out of breath-" Stampy panted, leaning onto them a bit. "That was so fun!"

Lee smirked, nodding. "It was! We can race again later, too." They offered

Stampy's ears raised again and he nodded, grinning widely. "Yeah! You bet!"

Sqaishey glanced around as fae got up to the correct floor, starting to walk down the hall. Fae counted the numbers on the walls, looking for Craig's room. Eventually, fae found it, knocking gently and gesturing for the others to walk over.

Yelps and hushed whispers and giggles were heard behind the apartment door. Eventually, there were footsteps walking over. Craig was the one who answered, hair a bit messy and eyes soft as fae opened the door.

"Can I help you?" Fae asked, glancing at the four and noticing Stampy. "Oh! You! Hi!" Fae waved, gesturing for the four to enter.

"We wanted to talk to you about your politics-stuff." Sqaishey explained, walking to the couch closest to the wall and sitting down.

Craig nodded, glancing towards another room. "We can in a bit- I need to check on Levi."

Stampy followed Sqaishey, sitting down. "Levi's here too?" He muttered, not too shocked but curious.

"Yeah. They're partners." Squid sat down. "They call themselves joyfriends."

"Oh really?" Stampy mused, smiling. "That sounds cute!"

Eventually, Levi came out of the room beside Craig, as bald and pale as ever. His dirt-brown suit was untidy, messily buttoned up and collar not properly flattened. His face had the same birthmarks that looked like tears down his face, but his light blush made it clear he was not sad. His small eyes had deep brown- almost black irises, staring firmly at Craig with a subtle smile.

Craig lead Levi to the opposite couch, sitting down next to him and fixing faer hair, glancing at the others. "What are your questions?"

"Are you gonna change your mind?" Stampy blurted out, before anyone else could ask a question.

Craig blinked at him, tilting faer head. "...Heh?"

"Like, do you think hearing the other candidates choices is gonna change your mind on certain things? So- do you think we need a bigger army, or more magic focus, or...?" Stampy waved his paws around.

"Oh! Oh, of course- haha!" Craig laughed, smiling. "Of course, it has changed my perspective a bit. Yeah, uh-" Fae clasped faer hands together, thinking. "...I think possibly implementing more focused safety classes would be beneficial. Teaching kids and teens how to deal with magic, and when it is good to use and when it can be dangerous. Also teaching how to fight- for the mobs we encounter daily, to the potential of a battle with another town in the future."

"Was the expansion idea inspired by how I lead building in Amorville?" Stampy hummed, kicking his legs.

"Sort of, yes. I think also, the lack of things to do in the town can feel restrictive, especially over time, and inviting more people to our town to help out would change it into a more community-focused space." Fae nodded as fae spoke. "It would also, hopefully, make sure we don't get into any big battles or wars with other towns."

"Ah!" Stampy beamed, nodding and leaning back into the couch. "So, how would you design the revamp?"

"With the help of the community and smaller votes." Craig smirked.

The others watched as the two chatty beings talked, Squid staring at Stampy and listening to his voice with joy. Sqaishey and Lee looked at each other every now and again, but focused on the conversation. Levi listened along as well, but had his head facing the floor instead.

"So what about the army and protecting the town?" Stampy waved his paws around in circles. "You know, just in case there is a battle?"

"Obviously, everyone knowing basic self defense would help, but hiring some more people to serve in an army-of-sorts to guard from mobs and griefers and such would be a good goal to set." Craig hummed. "Opening a proper weapon and toolsmith shop in town might be beneficial too, as then it would be easier for people to get things they need in case of a war, or a zombie hoarde."

"And the famine stuff? Natural disasters?" Stampy leaned forward, almost glowing with excitement.

"Stockpiling on non-perishable food items and teaching farming more alongside sharing tools for growing food at home would probably be a good counter to that. Alongside the whole, you know, community practices for reacting to natural disasters, making sure we build and upgrade existing buildings to have protected areas, studying how these disasters happen and predicting them better..." Craig counted on faer fingers. "Again, probably would ask Keen about it for help if necessary. Even if I am elected, there's no way I'm going to be a master at everything."

Stampy hummed, kicking his legs more. "Are you gonna build a subway? Or above-ground trains?"

"Possibly both. The most important lines could go underneath the town, with more sight-seeing rides going above ground!" Craig smiled. "Although I would to ask a certain builder friend of mine for help on planning the routes-" Faer smile turned into a cheeky grin

Stampy laughed, alongside Squid and Lee, nodding. "Yeah? Your builder friend?" He giggled. "I'll definitely help!"

"Thank you, Stampy." Craig nodded, glancing at the others. "Any other questions?"

Lee raised their paw up in the air. "Are you gonna hire Keen as a second mayor?" They asked, tilting their head.

"Uh, not a second mayor, but I will definitely go to him for assistance if needed!" Craig chuckled.

"Oh oh oh!" Stampy raised his paw excitedly, swaying it wildly in the air. "Are you gonna add more hiking trails?"

Craig chuckled, nodding. "Sure! Although, I think you and the other citizens can technically already make your own."

Stampy squealed as Squid cheered, chanting "Hiking! Hiking!" together.

Craig laughed even more, stretching up faer arms and nodding. "Yeah! Thank you!"

The group eventually settled down, Stampy kicking his legs and humming quietly. Levi tapped Craig's shoulder, the red-head turning to look at him.

«You making diner?» Levi signed slowly.

Craig nodded, standing up. "Yeah- hold on-" fae replied, walking over to the kitchen and humming.

Levi smiled slightly, standing up and following after with a chuckle.

"What're you cooking?" Lee called after, curious.

"Probably stew?" Craig called back.

"What kind of stew?" Lee asked

"Beef stew!" Craig started to pull out the ingredients from the cabinets and such, preparing his meal.

Stampy pulled out the cake from earlier from his inventory, eating another slice of it and smiling to himself.

Squid watched, chuckling. "Why do you even like cake?" It paused. "Not- not that cake is bad! You just- eat it all the time."

"Comfort food." Stampy hummed. "I wonder if I could make a minigame that's sorta like musical chairs..."

Squid blinked, staring at the cat in confusion. "Where did that thought come from?"

"Well, I was imagining a game relating to cakes and pies and slices of stuff, and then thought of making a game that you have to run around in a circle and you stop on slices that light up, or something? And every round, the number of slices equals the same as the number of players, minus one, so like musical chairs-" He paused, looking up at Squid. "...I feel more inspired than ever right now, Squid."

Squid let out a laugh, nodding. "Going to new places would do that to you!"

"But- no, Squid, I've spent the past- like, few months laying in bed!" He waved his paws around. "I've felt... Really, really depressed. Demotivated... Like I couldn't do anything. Even in my dreams, I sat and stared at nothing."

"...But you're feeling better now...?" Squid hummed, gently wrapping an arm around Stampy- who immediately nuzzled into its touch.

"Yeah!, like... My mind got cleared, or something." Stampy shrugged. "...I want to explore more. I want to learn- I want to... To wonder."

"You'll get the time to do so." Squid smiled softly.

"You know what else I want to do?" Stampy smirked.

"...yeah?" Squid hummed.

"Kiss you." Stampy squeaked, feeling his face warm up in a blush.

Squid laughed, grasping Stampy's face gently with its hands, leaning in. "Yeah? Want a kiss, you pretty boy?"

Stampy giggled excitedly, squealing happily as Squid kissed his face over and over.

Lee and Sqaishey turned to each other, chuckling in amusement.

Stampy purred and started to kiss Squid back, wrapping his arms around it happily. "I love you! I missed you and your voice soooo much, Squid!"

"Yeah, I know. I missed you too." Squid hummed, kissing Stampy's jawline softly. "...Do you want to be my joyfriend?"

"I want nothing more than to be your joyfriend." Stampy muttered, looking at Squid with a bright smile.

Eventually, Craig and Levi finished cooking, the two placing bowls of the stew at the coffee table in between the couches. Fae counted, making sure fae got everyone something, before sitting down and starting to eat faer own stew.

Stampy picked it up, staring at it with a hum of thought. He took small bites, wincing at the taste- not liking the flavor it had. He wondered why he couldn't just eat cake all day. Could he make cakes that had all his necessary daily nutrients? He probably couldn't on his own, as he often hated trying new things, especially relating to food, but he did assume it was possible. Somehow.

Sqaishey and Levi exchanged glances, the duck signing to him and watching as he signed back. Stampy wasn't fully paying attention, but they seemed to be talking about formalwear?

Squid was slurping down the food quickly, pretty loudly monching and cronching. Lee glared at it, but it didn't stop, continuing to eat loudly.

Lee was polite about their eating, careful and slow, savoring each little bit of the stew. Their little bear ears wiggled slightly, and they chuckled softly.

Slowly, they finished their meals, and Craig washed the dishes. Stampy found himself stretching, walking over to a sunbeam spot on the floor and sighing.

Maybe things would get better.

---

William gently looked around as they entered in a new forest. It was a lot different then the terrain in their own world, but it was lovely nonetheless.

Polly stepped out a moment after, alongside Fizzy, who bounced forward excitedly, babbling a tune out happily. William turned to look at where they exited, but noticed no portal. He hesitated, glancing at Polly with a frown of worry.

"We will be fine." Polly smiled, gesturing for William to follow as she started to walk.

Walking down the path, Fizzy jumped on the few fallen leaves scattered around the path, officially marking that autumn was starting in this world. They stomped around, leading the way towards the distant, cozy town.

The streets were bustling compared to Amorville, but they were still relatively quiet. People walked the streets, some chatting, most of them heading into the shops.

William kept his guard up, although kept his sword and shield in the hotbar of his inventory to make sure he wasn't seen as a threat. He turned his head slowly and scanned his surroundings, looking for any bright orange figure.

"-And I looked at it like- what do you mean you made Squid Ink Pasta?" A soft voice spoke, followed by a series of soft giggles from another voice. "It said it didn't mind trying it out, but I couldn't help but- just- really?"

"Oh, it's a goofball." The second voice giggled. "As long as it didn't hurt itself, though!"

"Exactly. It's weird, but it's- it is- it is its choice-" The first voice sputtered, followed by the second voice's laughter.

William approached the voices, glancing at the bright-pink haired one. She had a bright blue croptop, with scattered deep-red roses stitched onto the bottom edge. Her tiara and bracelets were a similar bright blue to the croptop, contrasting well with her hair and her vivid purple mermaid tail. She was sitting on a wheelchair, one with a low back seat and silvery purple bars. Her smile was soft, pastel-pink lips on even paler skin, and her eyes were a lapis-blue, and seemed to be focusing on the penguin in front of her.

The penguin in front of her was smiling brightly back, their hands holding chopsticks as they ate some sushi with the mermaid. Their dress was a soft baby-blue with small yellow flower patterns scattered on the dress, contrasting well with their slightly visible yellow king-penguin chest mark and the black and white feathers covering the rest of their body.

Next to them both were two others, one was a tan-ish royal-looking person, their eyes almost as deep blue as the mermaids. They had a bright golden crown, and their suit was formal, primarily purple with glittery gold decour on the shoulders, buttons and around the collars. They were listening to the mermaid, eating a sandwich. In front of them, a green alien with a very large forehead and bright yellow suit, the decour being silvery and gray. Its eyes were small and black, staring at its own sandwich as it ate.

William hummed as he stared at the mermaid, recognition flooding his mind. "...Amy, right?" He asked

Amy turned to look at him, blinking. "...Hello. Who are you?"

"I Stampy friend. Looking for him. You see Stampy here?" He gestured.

"Oh!" Amy shook her head, turning to look at the others. "Rosie? Have you seen him?"

Rosie shook their head, shrugging.

"What about you two? Cosmos? Finn?" Amy pointed, tilting her head.

Finn shook their head as well, glancing around as Cosmos thought, shaking its head too.

"Ah. That not good." William muttered. "We search for him here. Thought he here."

"You could ask Squid! I think it mentioned Stampy yesterday" Finn chimed in.

Polly walked over, looking around at the four and smiling at them, clasping her hands together. "Squid here?"

"Where Squid now?" William hummed as he glanced at Finn.

"I think he's at his house?" Finn shrugged.

"He lives near my place. By the river, over on the north-east." Amy pointed, starting to roll back from the table. "I can show you the way!"

Polly's eyes lit up, realizing Amy had a wheelchair, walking over and putting her cane in front of herself. "You have wheelchair! I have cane!"

Amy looked over, smiling. "Oh yeah! It's pretty! It matches your harness!" She pointed, gesturing at the reindeer's outfit.

Polly nodded, starting to follow Amy. "Yeah. Made it myself."

"I'll save your leftovers!" Rosie called after, smiling and waving.

"Thank you, dear!" Amy called back as she rolled down the street.

Fizzy hopped after, followed closely by William, who kept looking around the street.

"Did you make wheelchair?" Polly asked Amy softly.

"Nah, I think it was Ank? Ank and Craig?" Amy shrugged. "Ank at least repaired it once, they were very helpful."

"Just manual?" Polly examined the chair as Amy rolled.

"Yeah, it's tiring, heh." Amy chuckled softly.

"Can make it redstone powered." Polly offered, looking over and walking back to Amy's side.

"Really?" Amy glanced at Polly for a second, eyes almost sparkling in excitement.

Polly nodded, smiling. "I am redstone engineer. I make lots of redstone machine."

"Oh, that's lovely!" Amy smiled, rolling towards the town centre.

Fizzy lit up the moment they saw the big wondergem in the center of the town, sprinting over to it and gazing at its rainbow-shades. They tried to climb up onto it, but William sprinted to their side and grabbed them, chuckling.

"No, do not climb that. That not safe." William chided, shaking his head.

Fizzy frowned. «But I want to lay on it!»

"That would hurt." William wagged a finger at the elephant.

Fizzy pouted more, but nodded as they sat on the side of the monument, staring up at the sky. It was also similarly rainbow-ish due to the sunset starting, a soft blue above them fading into purples and pinks and oranges the closer one looked towards the horizon.

Amy turned to watch as the rays of the sunshine made the geode sparkle, reminding them that night was soon to come, but the safety of the town kept her calm. She rolled over to William's side, tapping his shoulder.

"Do you want to stay over at my place tonight? Tomorrow, we can go and look for Stampy more!" Amy offered, smiling.

William nodded, glancing over at Fizzy and waving for them to follow as he walked after Amy.

They knew things would get better soon.

Chapter Text

Waking up in a newer, still unfamiliar room was unsettling to Stampy as he stirred from his sleep.

He woke up decently late compared to when he usually woke, with no sunshine on his fur- the windows weren't pointed in his direction. As he sat up, stretching, he looked around his emptier apartment, ears drooped. The hum of the air conditioning was the only real noise he heard. Maybe, if he focused, he'd hear some birds outside, but not much else.

He slipped out of bed and yawned, raising his paws high up in the air, stretching out his tail and legs too. He purred softly, glancing to his side- instinctively expecting Barnaby, but seeing an empty space.

He wandered out into the living room, and then into the kitchenette, where Lee was writing something at the counter. A cake was already in the oven, and it smelled just like home. The cat's body relaxed, and he sat next to Lee on one of the chairs.

Stampy hummed to himself, looking at Lee, who signed a happy «Hello stampy!»

"Not a talking day today?" Stampy tilted his head.

Lee shook their head. «No speaking. Want use small sign words.»

Stampy nodded back. "Fair enough. The cake smells good."

«Making it for you.» Lee chuckled.

"I know. I appreciate it." Stampy beamed, rocking back and forth. His eyes glanced to the paper Lee was writing, humming.

Lee clicked their tongue, catching Stampy's attention, before signing again. «Making list of to-do. Got work.»

"Ahh." Stampy nodded, leaning back in the chair. "I don't know what I'm gonna do today."

Lee tapped their chin, thinking. «...You got letter from Heinous.» Lee signed, sliding it over.

The handwriting on the envelope was very spiky, the name Stampy Cat written closer to the top left corner. Stampy gently cut open the envelope with his claw, careful not to cut anything important. He shook the envelope gently, letting the paper fall out, before grabbing the letter and opening it.

'Dearest Stampy', it read. 'I have heard rumors that you are important to several citizens in Miriwood. A best friend to many. I formerly invite you to my castle, then, to talk to you about their morals and beliefs, and to learn about you as well. I promise you no pain, and ask for you to come with no weapons or armor you do not usually wear. (I have heard of your affinity for wearing iron boots, and you may keep wearing them.) I hope to see you this afternoon. Attached is a map of how to get to my castle.' At the end of the letter was a sharp and hastily written signature of the name Heinous.

Stampy's body tensed, recognizing the similarities to Target's handwriting. They were different, of course, but it was terrifying to see how similar they were. Still, Stampy wanted to meet this fellow, and his curiosity dragged him forward. If he was gone for too long, his friends would search for him.

He wondered if William, Polly, and Fizzy were searching for him. He decided to not wonder about it too much, not yet. He didn't want to go back home yet, even if he missed them.

Stampy stood up from the chair, looking at the cake as Lee took it out of the oven.

"How long till it cools down?" Stampy asked

«A few minutes. Do you want to leave?» Lee tilted their head back.

"Kinda? Yeah." Stampy glanced over at the door, then back at Lee. "...Do you think I'd be safe if I went to Heinous's castle?"

«You are tough. I believe you be safe. I will go find you if you not back soon though.» Lee shrugged.

"Thank you." Stampy smiled. "Can I take a slice to go?"

Lee nodded, cutting Stampy a slice and putting it on a plate, handing it to the cat.

"Thanks again!" Stampy smiled, taking the plate and sitting it on the counter. He sorted his inventory, putting the letter in his hotbar and moving his tools and weapons into the storage slots. He then picked up the cake plate and sprinted over to the door, running out through the hallway and down the stairs.

---

He stopped sprinting once he was outside, taking a bite of the cake and glancing at the map as he carefully followed the drawn out path. He finished the cake once he reached the outskirts of the city, moving the plate into the storage slots and focusing even more.

Step by step, he walked along a dirt path, weaving between trees and hopping over some fallen branches. His boots crunched on small piles of leaves, and part of him wanted to fixate on that instead. But he kept walking.

As he approached the castle even more, he noticed how large it was compared to Hit The Targets castle. He pondered how much detail went into it, how much effort and inspiration it took to build such a complicated looking structure. Maybe Targets wasn't as good because it had gotten blown up, or maybe they had less time to practice building compared to Heinous.

He wasn't sure, but he continued forward.

He knocked on the large castle doors, blinking as two small children opened them. Their skin colors were very vibrant, blue and orange separately. They both had messy, green hair, and deep black eyes. They wore torn-up tank tops- the blue one with an L on his shirt, and the orange one with an F.

"Hello?" Stampy stared at the two, blinking.

"Greetings, Stampy Cat!" The blue one hollered, almost hurting Stampy's ears. "Welcome to Heinous's castle!"

The orange one nodded, pointing at himself. "I'm Flunky, and this is Lackey!" He pointed at his twin.

"I wanted to introduce us!" Lackey whined.

"Sucks to be you then!" Flunky chuckled.

"Flunky! Lackey! Back the fuck up!" Heinous shouted as he marched over to the door, gesturing for the kids to back away from the door. "Stampy, come inside."

Stampy blinked, stepping inside and whimpering softly, his heart raced in his chest and his ears drooped down, almost flat against his head.

"Why do you look scared, Stampy?" Heinous frowned, voice going softer.

"Cause you were yelling at him!" Flunky grumbled. "He's got sensitive ears!"

"No he doesn't! He's just shy, that's all!" Lackey insisted.

Heinous glared at the smaller two, before waving for Stampy to follow him as he lead them to the dining room.

"You are safe here. I have no weapons on me either." Heinous insisted, waving his empty hands around. "What foods do you like?"

Stampy hesitated, glancing at the floor and shaking his head. "I already ate, but thanks."

"Oh. Alright." Heinous nodded as he sat at the table, gesturing for Stampy to sit at the other side. "Well- for one, do you enjoy using magic?"

Stampy sat down, hiding his paws below the table and feeling as his tail swished to the side, swatting the air.

"Um... Not really? Kinda?" Stampy shrugged, staring at his lap. "I like magic, but I've never really used it... I've enchanted stuff, but-"

"So you use it as protection. Because you're scared." Heinous raised an eyebrow. "Am I correct?"

"...I... Sort of?" Stampy frowned.

Flunky and Lackey climbed up onto the chairs next to Stampy, sitting as politely as they could. Flunky was mostly watching Stampy, whereas Lackey was watching Heinous.

"You seem like a scaredy cat." Heinous chuckled. "Your body language shows it so well. Your shoulders are tensed, and your eyes are staring at the floor more than anywhere near me. Take a deep breath."

Stampy closed his eyes, taking a gentle, slow breath in and trying to relax.

"Do you think that you're strong without the enchanted armor?" Heinous raised an eyebrow at the cat.

Stampy looked at him, hesitantly nodding. "Yeah! I'm... I'm strong with my friends, and-"

"What about on your own?" Heinous waved a hand.

"...No, but... I always have my friends to lean onto!" Stampy shrugged, glancing away.

"What if they leave you?" Heinous frowned.

"They won't. They like me. Some left, but-"

"They left you?"

"...They were happy to see me again, here."

"What if they secretly hated you?"

"They don't."

"What if?" Heinous leaned forward, resting his head on his hands.

"They don't hate me! They don't- Target's wrong, they like being my friends!" Stampy's heart raced more, eyes watering.

"Target? Who's Target?" Heinous tilted his head.

"...My enemy. He... Says that I make them my slaves, or something. But I don't!"

"What do you mean?" Heinous hummed.

"I usually build with my friends, and I tell them what to do when they help me. I was... Mean back in the day, when I was first learning how to exist- but I've changed! I've changed since then, I'm not mean, I'm nice now. I've grown!" Stampy frowned softly, whimpering.

"Do you not know how to do things on your own?" Heinous leaned back into his chair.

"I do! It's just... It's easier with friends." Stampy shrugged, gesturing and staring at the floor.

"What else does Target say about you?" Heinous frowned gently.

"...he says I'm... A bad leader." Stampy started, glancing at Lackey, then Flunky, then back at his paws. "He... He wants to take control of my Lovely World."

"Why would you be seen as a bad leader?"

"...He thinks I'm controlling."

"What do you control?"

"It doesn't matter." Stampy sunk into the chair, feeling even worse now.

"...Hm. Do you think trusting people is good?" Heinous hummed

"Most people are nice and trustworthy, so yes." Stampy scoffed, tail swishing more.

"Do you trust total strangers?"

"I'm sitting in your castle, what do you think?" Stampy glared at Heinous. He heard Flunky and Lackey chuckle at his sides, but he ignored them.

"I think you're quite the fool." Heinous chuckled. "Impulsive. Too caring. Trusting."

"What- you want me to leave or something then?!" Stampy huffed.

"I want you to listen." Heinous leaned forward, standing up and walking around towards Stampy. "How well can you fight with no weapons?"

"Don't you dare-" Stampy tensed, hissing.

Heinous knelt down, smiling. "Scaredy cat. Like always. Do you ever do anything productive for your world? Do you protect it well? Or do you rely on your friends to protect you instead?"

"I want to leave." Stampy huffed, a quiet grumble in his throat. His claws clung onto the chair and left small marks.

"You rely too much on your friends. They're just fine without you." Heinous stood up. "They do not need you. They need someone who can protect them better."

"I'm fine without being here!" Stampy hissed more.

"I need you here. To help you learn a lesson." Heinous turned away, thinking.

"I don't care." Stampy narrowed his eyes.

"You're foolish for not listening." Heinous huffed. "They said you were annoying."

"...who did?" Stampy tilted his head

"The bear and the duck." Heinous hummed. "Although I would not be shocked if they all agreed with that idea."

"...They think of me as annoying?" Stampy felt his heart sink, and his eyes watered.

Heinous nodded. "I have heard that, yes. They gossip about you quite loudly."

Stampy slumped in his seat, and he heard Flunky and Lackey move around- shuffling to his left and whispering to each other. He didn't bother listening to what they were saying, though. He didn't want to hear anything.

"I could train you." Heinous offered.

"I don't care." Stampy snapped, glaring at him with another hiss.

"You need to be independent." Heinous glanced over.

"I want you gone." Stampy narrowed his eyes again

"You want me dead?" Heinous blinked, stepping forward.

"I want you GONE!" Stampy hissed again, swatting his paw at Heinous's hand.

The man yelped, stumbling back a bit and holding his hand close- there were three light but still stinging scratches.

"Oh boy-" Lackey chuckled.

"Oh jeez-" Flunky recoiled, staring at the cat.

Heinous stared at Stampy, the cat tensing and hissing again.

"Calm down, kitty!" Flunky gestured his hands in a pacifying motion- or in an attempt to pacify the cat.

"Yeah- just... Calm down!" Lackey added, reaching over and patting Stampy's shoulder.

Stampy would have swatted at them, but held back, not wanting to hurt the small ones. He did, however, glare at Heinous more.

"I want to leave." Stampy huffed.

"Can I pet you before you go?" Flunky asked, hesitant.

Stampy slowly nodded, glancing at the kids. His ears drooped as the smaller being put his hand on the cat's head, and he couldn't help but purr slightly.

Lackey reached over as well, petting Stampy's head too. It was nice. Reassuring. He purred louder, glaring at Heinous and nuzzling into the touch.

"You two are falling into weakness." Heinous scoffed at the kids, before walking off, stomping a bit.

Lackey huffed, rolling his eyes and muttering some swear words under his breath as Flunky ran his fingers gently through Stampy's fur.

"He can be so mean." Flunky mumbled.

"Sorry he was being mean to you, kitty." Lackey nodded, reaching over and scratching Stampy's face softly.

Stampy relaxed even more, enjoying being pet like the cat he was. It was soft, gentle, and he let out a soft chuckle.

"It's fine. You two are very... Small." Stampy glanced between the two, smiling softly.

"You're very soft!" Flunky giggled, booping Stampy's nose.

"And sound just as soft!" Lackey nodded, tilting his head. "...Do you have fangs?"

Stampy nodded, opening his mouth as the kids gasped.

"Woah! They're really sharp!" Flunky poked at one, turning to Lackey. "How sharp are mine?"

"Dull." Lackey glanced, pointing at his own fangs. "Mine are too."

"Awww, I want sharp fangs!" Flunky complained, pouting.

"Imagine biting your tongue with sharp fangs, though!" Stampy gestured as he blepped out his tongue.

"Oh, ouch!" Lackey covered his mouth as Flunky shook his head.

"That sounds awful..." Flunky whimpered.

"Exactly. It hurts like hell." Stampy nodded.

"How do you even eat when you could bite yourself like that?" Flunky tilted his head.

"I just.... Am careful? I make sure I don't? Same way you don't bite yourself." Stampy shrugged.

Flunky nodded as Lackey poked at his own fangs.

"What're you doing?" Flunky glanced over.

"Imagining myself as a dragon." Lackey hummed matter-of-factly

"Oh! You'd look badass as one!" Flunky nodded, smiling.

Stampy let out a giggle, nodding. "You two should draw yourselves as dragons!"

The two glanced at Stampy, blinking and gasping.

"LETS GO!" Flunky shouted, sprinting off as Lackey followed after, the two entirely distracted by the idea of drawing.

Stampy watched, cackling as he stood up. He turned and looked around, scanning the room for Heinous.

Slowly, he walked out of the dining room, noticing Heinous on his throne, the man bandaging his hand softly. Part of Stampy felt bad, for attacking the man. Yet... He did give plenty of warning, and he wanted the man to leave him alone.

Plus, it was a little scratch. That was it.

Still, he stepped forward, towards the throne. He reached out his paw towards Heinous, gentle.

"...Are you okay?" Stampy's voice was quiet, barely a whisper, yet it echoed in the nearly-empty castle room.

Heinous glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "Why do you care?"

"I attacked you." Stampy muttered. "I hurt you, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Heinous scoffed, crossing his arms and hiding his injured hand. "I'm fine. Go, if you want to leave so bad."

Stampy hesitated, stepping forward again. "...Can I check it?"

"No." Heinous glared, narrowing his eyes. "You said you wanted to leave. So leave."

Stampy's heart sank, and he nodded, glancing away. The guilt filled his heart, but he knew the other was going to be fine.

And he walked out.

Chapter Text

The cafe seemed busier than usual. At least, busier than last time.

Stampy stepped over to the table they had planned on meeting up at, noticing how empty it was. He knew why- it was because he visited earlier, he wanted to be there first.

But as he sat down, he felt alone. He glanced out the window and stared into the streets outside. The few flowers left alongside the buildings waved in the autumn breeze, more leaves tumbling around on the stone bricks. It almost felt dull to watch. The draining of colors for winter snow, the way the plants slowly died and collapsed into compost, the way the world seemed to slow down in the cold air.

He tapped the table with his claws, now trimmed down to be more dull, thudding more than clinking. He shuffled his vest on his fur, crossing his legs and flicking his ear as he rested his head on the window.

The chatter of the other patrons in the cafe sounded muffled to him as he spaced out, sighing.

Waiting. Waiting for something...

Just...

Waiting...

...

Stampy nearly fell asleep, but a tap on his shoulder startled him out of his dissociation, glancing around.

"Stampy? You alright?" Squid asked softly.

Stampy turned to look at it, smiling. "Oh, yeah, sorry. I'm fine."

He noticed that Lee was sat next to him, Squid and Sqaishey on the other side of the table, and the three seemed concerned about him.

"You were all... Sad looking. Like you were a lost puppy or something." Sqaishey shrugged, faer hands gesturing a bit.

"I'm just..." Stampy started, sighing and shrugging back, tapping the table with his claws again. "...Concerned? Worried? Self conscious?"

"About what?" Squid asked, tilting its head.

"Yeah, what wrong?" Lee asked, their voice soft and quiet today. A semi-verbal day, it seemed.

Stampy hummed, staring at the others momentarily. "...Someone said that you guys think I'm annoying."

Sqaishey paused, but nodded back. "Yeah, sometimes you are."

"I'm more annoying!" Squid insisted, to which Lee and Sqaishey laughed.

Stampy blinked, tilting his head. "You're not annoying, Squid!"

"Nah, I am." It nodded.

"But I enjoy your company!" Stampy frowned.

"Both are true, yes." Squid shrugged. "I know you groan at my purr-fect puns, Mister Cat."

Stampy scoffed, groaning and hiding his face. "Okay- well-"

The table collectively melted into giggles, before Sqaishey spoke again.

"But yeah, you can be annoying at times. Especially in the morning, just screaming people's names to say good morning!" Sqaishey gestured. "Although it was good, because you kept us on a schedule. I've missed it, recently."

Stampy glanced at faer, hesitating. "...you missed me being annoying?"

"Yeah! It made me happy." Sqaishey shrugged. "Well- I wasn't happy being annoyed, but it was nice knowing that you wanted to greet us a good morning, even if some days I wanted to sleep in."

"You could always sleep in if you wanted to!" Stampy frowned.

"I know. But it was funner to wake up and see your smiling face." Sqaishey tapped the table. "Speaking of your smiling face, want to order some cake?"

Stampy's ears perked up and he nodded, the others lighting up in amusement at his expression.

Sqaishey giggled, smiling. "Alright! I'll be right back!" Fae stood up, walking off to order their food.

Stampy beamed, kicking his legs and humming to himself. "...It's not, like, a bad annoying, is it?"

Squid shook its head. "Nope. Sometimes you can get really annoying, and lean into irritating, but most of the time..." It gestured its hands around. "It's like the 'groaning at a bad joke that you still find funny' kind of annoying. Mildly annoying. And even then, it's not that common."

Stampy nodded, kicking his legs. "...Does it make you guys mad?"

"I think once or twice I've gotten a bit upset, but I do remember telling you." Squid shrugged. "Like, the- uh... That one day when you were making jokes about my vocal stims."

"Oh, yeah. I didn't mean it in a bad way!" Stampy gestured.

"Makes you happy and all that, I know." Squid chuckled. "...Maybe annoying isn't the right word to describe it, honestly."

"What other word would you use?" Stampy tilted his head.

"Listen, if I knew how to think of words, I'd use them." Squid laughed. "There's one thought in my brain and that is-" It cut itself off, glancing away with a blush.

"...It's what?" Stampy blinked, staring.

"...Kissing you." Squid muttered

Stampy blushed as well, glancing away. "You- um-"

"Sometimes you talk way too much and I want to kiss your mouth and make you quiet. Make you melt in my hands." Squid added on, noticing how Stampy melted over its words.

Stampy sputtered, his expression going into a soft, flustered smile. "...Squiiiid....!"

"Mmhmm." Squid laughed again, leaning its body over the table slightly. "I love the way you squirm when you're flustered."

"I'm going to shove you." Stampy scoffed playfully, glaring at Squid as they smiled together.

"Yeah? Gonna try to act all feral, kitty boy?" Squid teased, the two laughing even more.

Lee glanced at Sqaishey as fae walked over to the table, pointing at the feline and cephalopod with a chuckle. Sqaishey smiled, sitting down and staying quiet as fae watched the two, just as amused as the bear.

Stampy reached over, grasping gently onto Squids hand and smiling. "Pretty boy."

"You're the pretty boy here." Squid hummed.

"Noooo, you are!" Stampy stuck out his tongue.

"Fine. We can both be pretty boys, but you're the soft boy." Squid chuckled. "I'm the soft boy."

"Aren't you nonbinary?" Sqaishey glanced at Squid.

"Yeah." Squid turned back to faer. "Nonbinary boy."

"Do you mean you're nonbinary and don't mind being called a boy, or literally nonbinary boy?" Sqaishey blinked.

"...Both?" Squid shrugged. "I like being a creature, but if I had to pick a gender, it'd be male, I guess."

"So you're a guy in a squid way?" Stampy offered.

"Specifically in the way that I'm the Kraken." Squid smiled proudly.

"Krakengender..." Stampy nodded, to which Sqaishey and Squid giggled.

"That'd work." Squid shrugged. "Krakenboy, maybe?"

"My Krakenboy" Stampy blepped, giggling.

Sqaishey let out a snort laugh, hiding faer face with a groan. "Alright, ya lovebirds-" Fae teased.

Squid smirked, looking around. "How long till the food's here?"

"Shouldn't be long." Sqaishey shrugged, glancing around as well. "I ordered our usuals, by the way."

"Good." Stampy smiled, looking over at Lee. "You wanna add to the conversation, or are you happy listening?"

Lee smiled. "I happy listen now." They glanced between Squid and Stampy. "You two flirty. It cute."

Stampy giggled. "Yeah. It makes me feel all warm inside. Bubbly and happy."

Squid nodded. "Bubbly like the ocean."

Stampy nodded, pointing. "Yeah! Yeah yeah yeah!"

Sqaishey giggled, smiling as one of the waiters brought their food to the table, humming.

Each of them got something different. For Sqaishey, it was a slice of pumpkin pie. For Stampy, a slice of chocolate Very Berry cake. For Lee, a large chocolate-chip muffin. And for Squid, some sweet rice cakes.

Stampy- of course- ate pretty messily and loudly in comparison to the others. He munched on his food, getting icing smeared on his fur. He ate the sweet berries on the top slower than the rest of the cake, savoring the flavor.

Squid was similarly messy, but quieter, shoving the rice cakes into its mouth like its life depended on it.

Sqaishey ate slowly with a fork, scooping bits of the pie into faer mouth, humming happily at the taste.

Lee ate at a more average pace, but they seemed to focus on picking out little bits of the muffin with the chocolate chips, smiling.

It wasn't long until they finished eating, although Squid and Stampy finished first and went back to flirting with each other while the other two finished their snacks.

"Have you guys voted already?" Sqaishey glanced between Lee and Squid.

Squid nodded. "I'm voting Craig. Think fae's gonna lead the best."

"I maybe choose Keen, but do not know yet." Lee shrugged softly

Sqaishey nodded. "I'm probably gonna vote Craig. Keen would be my second choice, but I think he does need to retire." Fae tapped the table, shrugging. "He's old, and deserves relaxation."

"True." Squid hummed. "And it's not like the others who lose can't talk to the winner and give them advice."

Lee nodded, gesturing. "I know Craig going to talk Keen when fae need help."

"Exactly!" Squid nodded, pointing at Lee. "No one's a know-it-all. Craig admits that. I like that about faer."

"Mmhmm!" Sqaishey smiled. "Plus, I trust faer. Fae's been friends with Stampy, and he's a good leader, so fae's probably learned a thing or two."

"Heh?" Stampy blinked, looking up at Sqaishey. "...I'm a good leader?"

"Yeah." Sqaishey nodded matter-of-factly. "Has that changed?"

"I... I don't know." Stampy shrugged.

"Has William, Polly or Fizzy complained about your ruling?" Sqaishey gestured.

"...Not really." Stampy shrugged again, clasping his paws together.

"Then you're probably still a good leader." Sqaishey smiled.

"Oh, speaking of William!" Lee perked up. "William talk to me and ask you where you are, Stampy." They turned to look at him. "I said you safe, just out to talk to someone. He want to see you."

Stampy nodded, smiling. "Oh! I should go say hi to them, then!"

"You can go." Lee nodded, watching as Stampy stood up and pushed in his chair.

"Say hi to Fizzy for me!" Sqaishey waved faer hand.

"Why can't you come with?" Stampy raised an eyebrow.

"We have politics to talk about." Sqaishey gestured. "The final counting of the votes happens tomorrow at noon."

"Oh, okay!" Stampy chucked. "See you before then?"

"Hell yeah!" Squid cheered happily.

Sqaishey giggled and nodded. "Yup! Talk to you later, buddy!" fae waved again.

Lee waved as well, calling out a soft "Byeee!"

Stampy smiled, walking out the cafe.

---

His ears perked as he turned to look around, scanning the streets for any signs of his friends. He wondered how long they'd been searching for him. He had only been away for a few days at most, even leaving a note that said he'd come back soon, but maybe a few days was too long for them.

Were they worried? Scared? Did they think Target had hurt him? It wouldn't shock him if they thought that, especially Polly. Polly had been kidnapped a long time ago and Stampy... He didn't notice for a good while. He still felt guilty about it, but Polly said it was fine. They were fine. For now.

Stampy wandered the streets, gravitating towards the centre of town again. The wondergem placed in the centre made him curious. He wanted to know how it worked, and why the locals seemed to have such a strong folklore related to it. The colors had meanings, and they connected to the concept of wonder, and people claimed to feel more inclined to wonder when interacting with a wondergem.

Was it a placebo effect? Was it really magic? He wasn't sure, and he didn't know how to test it to find out the truth. It wouldn't shock him if it was true magic, but it still felt silly on some level. Mortal beings were very capable of making themselves believe something.

Yet, if it was helpful, why did it matter? If he felt a sense of wonder while holding these colorful gems, it wouldn't do any harm. He'd just want to question things, and explore, and feel alive again. That's the placebo, he presumed, it'd give him.

His paws touched the wondergem, tilting his head and watching the crystal glint and shimmer in the cloudy afternoon sunshine. The autumn breeze brushed through his fur, gentle rustling of leaves on stone bricks audible behind him. It felt comforting. The universe was giving him a hug.

He was safe. He was alive. He was happy.

And then he was startled- a very loud elephant toot sounding behind him, like someone blowing harshly into a trumpet. The cat jumped, hair standing on edge as he stumbled, nearly falling over onto the gem but catching his balance. He turned, noticing Fizzy staring at him happily.

"...jesus CHRIST-" Stampy wheezed, half laughing and shaking his head. "Don't scare me like that!"

«Alright, but it was funny.» Fizzy signed, giggling.

"Oh my god- I didn't even hear you! How the fuck did you creep up on me like that?!" Stampy blinked, chuckling along.

«You were all fixated on the gem. Did not hear anything.» Fizzy pointed.

"...Well-" Stampy started, going to reply with something, but he noticed William and Polly with Amy and Rosie out of he corner of his eye. William was watching Fizzy and smiling at Stampy alongside Amy, whereas Polly and Rosie were chatting amongst themselves.

"Amy?" Stampy blinked, walking over as his ears perked up, happy to see her.

"Hello, Stampy!" Amy waved, beaming.

"I haven't seen you in ages! How have you been?" Stampy smiled, bouncing slightly.

"Great! Me and Rosie are engaged!" Amy held up her hand, showing a silver engagement ring with a vibrant rose quartz set inside, leaves detailed around the gem.

"WOAH!" Stampy gasped, smiling. "That's awesome!"

"It is!" Amy softly nodded. "How have you been?"

"Not super good, but doing better." Stampy shrugged. "I was worried earlier that people thought I was annoying, and I'm still a bit worried about that, but less anxious. Squid was flirting with me, and... Yeah."

Amy nodded, giggling. "It really likes you. I've heard it talk about you, wanting to write letters but it thinks it sucks at writing..."

"Oh... That's why Squid sends letters less?" Stampy hummed, frowning. "I like its handwriting. Makes me smile."

"It says it's bad at the words." Amy shrugged. "Can't formulate them, or something."

"The letters don't have to be poetic. Just a simple hello makes me happy!" Stampy smiled. "I'll talk to it later about that."

"You should. For now, though! Can I hug you?" Amy reached over her hands, smiling.

Stampy beamed, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around her, nuzzling him into her shoulder as she ran her fingers through his fur.

"I glad you okay." William hummed after a bit, glancing over at Polly, then at Stampy again.

Stampy looked over, smiling softly. "I'm happy you guys worried about me enough to come search for me."

"Of course!" William huffed, almost sounding offended at the idea he wouldn't search for his friend. "Why we not?"

"Because... I... I don't know." Stampy shrugged. "I kinda expected you guys to... To just wait for me."

"You gone for whole two days!" William waved his hands around. "Did not say a word. We got worried."

"...Did you go through the crack in the ground as well?" Stampy hummed, tilting his head.

"Yeah. Scary." William hummed.

"Do you know how we'll get back?" Stampy began.

"What do you mean?" Amy frowned, glancing at Stampy and scratching behind his ears.

"I- we got here through a crack in the ground! It was like- all glowy, with magenta and black checkerboard... Watery... Portal-y stuff." Stampy waved a paw around, frowning.

"Did you not have to build a portal?" Amy blinked.

"No?" Stampy stared at her, absolutely confused. "What do you mean portal? Is there a way to get back?"

Amy sighed, smiling in amusement at the cat, finding his confusion endearing. "You can make a portal that goes between this world, and the worlds-dimension."

"...the what?" Stampy's eyes widened in intrigue.

"There's a dimension that has a bunch of portals to other worlds. Each with their own unique patterns. You have to use a specific kind of enchanted flint and steel to travel between the different worlds, but it's not that hard to find here." Amy smiled brighter. "I can help you build a portal, whenever you want to leave!"

"I wanna stay for the election!" Stampy smiled back, nodding. "But then after, you have to show me how this world... Portal-y thingy works."

Amy nodded again, glancing at William. "I can get you a book on portals and alternate worlds. If you want."

William nodded, smiling. "I appreciate that. Thank you."

Chapter Text

Just before noon struck, Stampy found himself sat between two groups of his friends; Sqaishey, Squid and Lee on his left, and William, Polly and Fizzy on his right. The votes were counted, and the announcement was going to happen in a few minutes.

Stampy felt funny. His eyes glanced around, scanning the crowd for any signs of anxiety in anyone else. He knew that it was very unlikely for Heinous to win, but he feared it still. Heinous reminded him too much of Hit The Target, and he didn't want this town to deal with an evil man like him.

He did wonder if Heinous was truly evil, though. He didn't believe Target was fully evil, just mislead and refusing to change. Heinous might be similar, or he might enjoy hurting and controlling others. Stampy had no idea, and part of him didn't want to try to figure it out.

It wasn't his job to befriend Heinous. He'd leave that up to someone else. Maybe Keen, or something.

Hopefully, Stampy could get Heinous to be nice enough to befriend someone, but he didn't know how. Every time he looked at the man, it reminded him of Target. The way they stood, the way they gestured, the way they spoke- even their facial hair was nearly identical!

He glanced up at the stage in front of them, watching the announcer from the debate shuffle some papers, the candidates standing behind them. They spoke some formal introduction, and then shuffled more notes.

Stampy's eyes unfocused, staring behind them at the trees, watching them wave in the wind. He didn't really want to be there. He didn't want to hear the results in that moment, and so he waited, only half paying attention to the words the announcer was speaking. Stuff about the candidates and their opinions or something.

And then, the words came out. Craig had won.

Stampy blinked, looking around as the crowd cheered and clapped, snapping back into reality for a moment to join in. He saw Craig smiling and nodding at the announcer, faer hands gently clasped together. Fae looked happy. Grateful.

His eyes scanned over the other two. Keen was similarly happy, as cheery as ever. Heinous, though, looked pissed off.

He spaced out a bit more, eyes staring at the ground as the townsfolk chatted and cheered, Craig giving some form of speech, before they all started to leave. People began standing up and slowly leaving the town stadium-thingy. He heard his friends standing up, and he turned to look at them, smiling.

What happened next felt like a dissociated blur of events. The cloudy day seemed to get cloudier as he heard the marching-stomping sound of Heinous's footsteps approaching. Whispers from his friends were audible, but not clear. He felt Sqaishey put faer hand on his shoulder, and William stepped between Heinous and Stampy.

"You all are fools." Heinous stared at them, growling. "Trusting magic too much and wanting to open our town to opposing towns"

"You're too close minded." Sqaishey huffed, stepping past Stampy and gesturing for Squid to lead him away from the situation.

"I'm simply defending our town from pesky outside griefers." Heinous snapped.

"Defending this town doesn't mean you need to close us off from the outside world." Lee grumbled.

Stampy watched as he was gently dragged off, Squid leading him backwards slightly, to about a chunk away.

"You risk peoples lives here." Heinous huffed. "Magic is deadly. You do not realize how deadly it is."

"Everything can be deadly!" Lee scoffed. "You can choke on food, you can drown in water, but are we going to get rid of all that? No!"

"Magic is not a necessity like food and water." Heinous rolled his eyes.

"It's not, but it can help us accomplish big things and benefit the community!" Sqaishey gestured.

"You also can learn how control magic safer." William chimed in.

Heinous huffed. "I think it's pointless. Everything one can do with magic can be done otherwise, just with more effort."

"Why do we need to give so much effort?" Sqaishey frowned.

"To grow as society, we make things easier." Polly chimed in. "We use redstone to farm lots more, instead of do it slow by hand."

"You're just lazy." Heinous glanced around at the animals around him.

"It's not lazy! It's ingenuity." Sqaishey waved a hand around.

"Ingenuity is for developing physical and manual technology. Not using magic to cheat your way through life." Heinous rolled his eyes.

"Magic is not any more of a cheat than something like armor." Lee hummed.

"Armor has to be hand crafted!" Heinous glared.

"You know, you do craft things using a form of magic, right?" Lee smirked.

Heinous sputtered, waving his hands around. "Th- it- half of you aren't even citizens here!"

"So?" William frowned. "Wanted to see election result. Friends live here. Will go home soon, but not now."

"I want you to leave. I want all of you gone." Heinous snapped.

"No, they're staying as long as they want." Lee huffed back.

"Whatever. Soon, you idiots will understand, once this town is under threat." Heinous grumbled, walking off with that familiar stomp.

Craig, who was watching from afar, started approaching the group with a worried frown. Stampy relaxed slightly, nuzzling into Squid's protective arms.

"You guys okay?" Craig asked.

"Yup!" Sqaishey nodded.

"All good here!" Polly gave a thumbs up.

"He quite rude." William hummed.

"I know." Craig looked at William, nodding. "...I'm sorry he yelled at you guys."

"It's alright!" Sqaishey smiled, glancing back at Stampy and Squid, gesturing them back.

"Still," Craig spoke as Stampy and Squid slowly approached the group, "He needs to get better at handling his emotions."

"He needs to not be so paranoid of other towns." Stampy hummed. "Sure, some people aren't nice, but not everyone who becomes a citizen in this town is inherently a threat."

"Yeah!" Sqaishey nodded. "Like you! You're nice and not a threat!" Fae pointed to Stampy.

Stampy let out a chuckle. "You're really nice."

Sqaishey beamed. "You're welcome!"

Squid hummed, glancing at Craig. "What are you gonna do if there are outsiders who are threats, though?"

"Defend, protect, evacuate." Craig smiled. "Defend the city as best we can, recognize when there's, like, a true threat, and then evacuate the regular townspeople from danger if there happens to be a battle." Fae turned to Stampy, chuckling. "Amorville would definitely accept refugees in times of crisis, right?"

Stampy smiled brightly in return. "Yup! Amorville is always open for citizens of Miriwood, as long as they promise not to destroy things, you know."

Craig chuckled, nodding. "That's good to note." Fae glanced at faer watch, humming softly. "I think I have to go for now, but I would be happy to talk to you more later, Stampy!"

Stampy nodded back. "Alright! See ya!"

---

Stampy tapped his claws against the table with his left paw, scooping cake into his mouth with his right. His tail swished slightly, thumping against the booth he was sitting at.

The cafe was noisy, and so Stampy sat in a corner, as far away from the others. Part of him wished he had a way to muffle the noise more, but his ears didn't fit the human noise canceling headphones.

The cloudy day slowly turned into a rainy day too, a pitter-patter outside against the window. Stampy whimpered, deciding to pull up his hood and try to block the sound out by covering his ears with it. It helped only slightly, but enough to make him feel safer and happier.

The cake tasted flat, almost tasteless, and his tail thumped more. He tried to purr to himself as a comfort, but that didn't help either. He wanted Barnaby.

The cafe entrance opened, and Stampy looked up, frowning slightly as he saw Heinous walk in. The older man didn't seem malicious at the moment, and Stampy tried to keep calm, but something nagged at him. Plus, Stampy was already grumpy and not doing well! He didn't want to look in that man's direction.

He sunk into the booth, adjusting the hoodie strings and pulling it as tight as he could. His fur shifted uncomfortably against the fabric, but it was as close to comfort as he could get in that moment.

Heinous noticed the cat, walking over and staring. He was quiet as he sat down in front of the other. His own mind raced, uncertain on what to say.

"...Why are you here?" Heinous asked after a pause of relative silence.

"...I wanted to understand my dreams." Stampy mumbled.

Heinous laughed. "That's pathetic! Your dreams are probably silly and not important enough to travel to a town you don't belong to."

"It's not just that." Stampy huffed, a growl in his throat. "It's... It showed me a portal- a glowing crack in the ground, with some weird... Magenta-black glow."

"...Magenta and black?" Heinous blinked, staring at Stampy in confusion.

"Yeah, like... A checkerboard pattern. It almost felt... Unreal. Like it shouldn't exist." Stampy shrugged. "And I went to explore, to see if it was real- and it was, and it took me to this, like... Void? And I eventually got here."

Heinous nodded, tilting his head. "...And it was in your dream, and then in real life?"

"Yeah!" Stampy nodded again. "I went to where it was, in real life, and then that's how I got here."

"...There was no portal frame?" Heinous blinked.

"Oh, there was. Just, inside the void area, like as if I was in-between worlds." Stampy shrugged.

Heinous blinked again, tilting his head the other direction. "...And you trusted it would be safe."

"Well, in my mind I was thinking- either it wasn't safe, and I'd die and respawn in my bed, or it was safe, and I'd learn why I dreamt about it." He shrugged. "...I still don't get why I ended up dreaming about it though."

"...Did you ask my brother?" Heinous hummed. "He's quite the smartypants about magic stuff like that."

"Not personally, no." Stampy shrugged. "I'm not sure how to bring it up to him, and I kinda don't wanna go home yet."

"Do you not have friends back home?" Heinous blinked, confused.

"Oh, they came to look for me." Stampy smiled slightly.

Heinous nodded, humming. "...Your smile looks fake."

"What do you mean?" Stampy blinked.

"You look like you're trying to force that smile." Heinous pointed.

"...I-I'm just... Overwhelmed, and trying to ignore it." Stampy shrugged.

Heinous nodded, standing up and gesturing for Stampy to follow. The cat hesitated, but followed, gently grasping the man's hand.

"You're soft." Heinous mumbled, squeezing Stampy's paw gently as they walked out the door, using his free hand to pull out an umbrella.

Stampy smiled slightly, ducking under the umbrella and stomping a bit on the water-covered ground. "I'm a cat, of course I'm soft!"

"...It's nice." Heinous hummed, leading the cat towards the library.

"You really think so?" Stampy adjusted his hood, shuffling it a bit.

"Why would it be not nice?" Heinous shrugged. "Cats are good and soft."

"...I thought you hated me?" Stampy looked at Heinous, tilting his head.

"I hate what you stand for, not you." Heinous shrugged.

"But what I stand for connects to who I am." Stampy glanced away. "...I stand for kindness and generosity and supporting one another. I stand for utilizing tools to make life easier, and to improve the lives of many whenever possible. You can't really remove that from who I am."

Heinous thought for a bit, nodding. "...I still disagree with your support of magic. It's a cheat."

"What's so wrong with 'cheating', really?" Stampy's ears flicked as he thought. "If it makes someone have a better life, that's not a bad thing."

"They should work for it." Heinous shook his head.

"What if they cannot do certain things? Like... someone who can't move their legs using magic to teleport or to fly? So they can move around?" Stampy shrugged.

"Wheelchairs work just as fine." Heinous glanced over.

"But both are good alternatives to not walking at all." Stampy waved his free paw a bit.

"...I guess so." Heinous shrugged, looking around at the buildings around the library. "It Just feels... Cheap. Like you're getting things you don't deserve."

"It's a tool just like a wheelchair would be a tool." Stampy glanced up at the umbrella. "Similar to how that's keeping us from getting very wet, a spell to repel water from you would do the same. Plus- I think magic still takes energy, it's not effortless."

"...It does?" Heinous glanced over.

"Have you not tried to do magic before?" Stampy looked back at Heinous. "I tried once with Polly a while ago, and got so tired I slept on her floor."

"...I was never good at it. I attempted, I failed." Heinous hummed softly, face pulled down to a slight frown. "My parents said I didn't try, insisted Keen was better because he understood it innately. He did not have to work for his praise."

"I think you both worked hard." Stampy stomped slightly in the puddles while Heinous gently stepped over them. "Just because they didn't see your efforts doesn't mean you weren't trying, and just because you can't see how much effort it took Keen, doesn't make his efforts less real."

Heinous slowed for a moment, sighing. "...You're too kind. You're gentle to the wrong people."

"I believe everyone deserves a listening ear if they're willing to communicate." Stampy shrugged. "If you were gonna yell at me, say I'm just annoying and don't deserve to speak, I wouldn't talk with you."

"Your voice is a bit annoying. Your tone and pitch could be grating." Heinous glanced over. "Yet, you're still gentle even if your voice sounds like sandpaper at times."

Stampy chuckled, smiling. "I'm glad my gentle-ness is still notable, at least!"

"...Yeah." Heinous stopped at the library door, opening it and keeping Stampy covered from the rain. "Now, go do whatever you do with your... Learning... Stuff. You'll probably find your answers about your dreams here."

Stampy nodded, wiping his shoes at the entrance and walking inside.

Chapter Text

Stampy gently wiped off any excess water off his paws as best he could as he entered the library, his ears perking up as he looked around. The library was quiet, with only the distant hum of redstone lamps and one of the workers there talking softly to another guest about the books they were checking out. It was nice, and a comfortable place compared to the busy cafe. 

He thought about the difference between the towns, and how he actually appreciated the quiet of Amorville in comparison. The cafe was very fun at times, especially when with his friends, but the amount of people chatting at once, the clinks and clanks of moving dishes and silverware... He didn't like it.

Of course, if more people joined Amorville, he wouldn't be mad about it, but he liked the quiet, cozy town like it was. He enjoyed being able to sit quietly in his bakery with just a dog or a few friends at most. 

He was starting to feel happy that there wasn't as many people in his own town of Amorville and that it never got too busy or loud. Sometimes he enjoyed the loudness, but he also enjoyed sitting in Stampy's Hot Buns either just with Barnaby or another dog, or with his three closest friends joining him. If people wanted to visit or stay, though, that would be fine! He wouldn't get upset at new people But he didn't want it overcrowded. Then again, there was only a few food places in Miriwood compared to the abundance of houses, whereas most of his town of Amorville was shops and very few houses. There'd probably be places for people to spread out around.

He walked around the library once more, this time paying attention closely as he could to the little details. His eyes trailed along the ladders and scaffolding, eventually up towards the signs above the sections. Different categories, sorted by themes, with a few sections specific to certain age groups.

He wandered, up the stairs to the next floor, around a few more bookshelves, down again, wandering in circles as he tried to find something relating to his issue. Back up- all the way to the third floor this time, and around a few more bookshelves...

Eventually, he wandered into a magic section. Bookshelves labeled for different kinds of magic, like brewing and spellcasting. He wandered further, looking for anything about dreams. Dreams, or crystals, or visions of the future, or going through different worlds, or anything like he's experienced.

On one shelf was the same book he read at Polly's house, the 'Ultimate Dream Interpretation Dictionary' thing, next to several other ones. 'Ultimate Crystal Meaning Dictionary', 'Ultimate Plant Meaning Dictionary', 'Ultimate Magic Dictionary', 'Ultimate Spellbook', and so on. He continued to walk, seeing some books on different kinds of magic, how to create powerful beacons, how to brew potions, how to create portals, how to enchant things- wait.

He stepped backwards, grabbing the portals book, pausing and opening it. His ears perked up and so did his tail. The first pages were explaining how portals worked, with visuals showcasing how the basic nether and end portals looked and how to activate them. The next pages showed some information on portals into different worlds, most following the same layout of a nether portal. There was one with glowstone, one with gold, one with redstone, one with wool, some multicolored, some not, and many with different portal glow textures.

He sat down on the floor in front of the bookshelf, and his eyes stopped at a part mentioning portals between worlds that were not player-made. Portals that seemed to appear in the wild, and how they rarely appeared unless there was some sort of strong connection between worlds, implying that a force outside the worlds caused the connection. They were anomalies, but studied enough to know that- for the most part- they were safe.

At least, that's what the book said.

It also mentioned similar 'corruption' colors, with the magenta and glowing-black being some form of raw-essence of the world. Interacting with 'matter' itself, or something. That if you saw these colors in a portal, that might mean something's going amiss in the worlds you are in. It may mean something that was there no longer exists, or maybe something was supposed to happen, and it didn't happen. That this can rarely affect portals and needs to be studied more.

His stomach sank a bit in worry, but he sat the book to the side. He'd re-read it a few more times, just to get more information, but he wanted to find out more about the crystals. He stood up, scanning the books again and eventually stumbling upon another book, this time about the wondergem.

Wondergems are a source of wonder, the book began. Stampy held back a scoff, sitting down as his eyes scanned the book's words carefully. They come in many different colors, occasionally being iridescent but often appearing in separate different colors, like how quartz can come in many shades and colors. Primarily, it's found in a vivid cyan-blue, a soft amber-like yellow, a vivid deep pink, and a bright emerald-ish green. Other shades and colors are possible, but much rarer. Deposits of yellow and pink seemed to be the most common, with occasional lighter variations in color, with the blue being less common and green being the least common out of the four. The least common color of wondergem ever documented is lavender, or a light nearly clear purple color.

The book went on about it's magic properties, how it activates the mind's ability to think, to wonder and be creative. How it works similar to what a beacon's effect would be- the more gem, the stronger the power. It gave the player a mild effect of curiosity, and for some it made them more attentive to their surroundings. How many people who've found its effect useful often incorporate a fragment of a wondergem into jewelry or carry one around in a purse or backpack. Some have incorporated wondergems into their creative workspaces, using them as decoration on a writing desk or putting them next to a thinking chair. Some even attribute it's power to good luck or overall happiness.

It mentioned the same kind of theories on the colors and their meanings, attributing blue and cyan shades to more curious and optimistic feelings, yellow and orange to determination and perseverance, pink and red to kindness and hope, and shades of green and turquoise to logic and reason. It mentioned that these associations might be placebo, or related to ideas society puts on these colors, and how personal ideas of color and their meanings can change how you feel around the wondergems. 

It mentioned some studies where participants where blinded to the colors of the gems, and told to guess which of the four common colors they represent. Before the test had begun, the participants filled out a questionnaire that asked for their favorite color overall, and their favorite wondergem color. The participants were more likely to guess a color close to their favorite wondergem color when holding larger wondergem crystals, compared to the smaller crystals, which were more random and varied. This hints at a possible bias towards the color they prefer being most associated with the effect a wondergem gives off. The page ends with a small 'but there needs to be more studies to analyze the gem's properties under different conditions and to figure out what exactly makes up the different colors of the wondergem, and if the different colors give off slightly different effects' disclaimer.

It also mentioned how some people may have dreams including a wondergem, especially if they own one and associate it with creative ideas. It might show up when people are searching for wonder themselves, or may need a spark of inspiration. A brief part mentioned it spontaneously appearing in some people's dreams who've never seen one before, but 'this was uncommon and often unverifiable'.

He stared at the page for a long moment, blinking. Did the universe...? Was it trying to get him to keep going? Was it all a coincidence? But the shape of the crystals that Priscilla showed him... They were the same shape. The book described it as a 'hexagonal prism with either end having hexagonal pyramids'. A common wondershard shape, pictured alongside other common shapes.

He stacked the book on top of the other one, and went back to reading some other books. Other books about dreams, magic, but his mind kept wandering back to the gem. He wanted to find Priscilla, to get himself one. It was supposed to be his, right?

He took the two books- alongside another that contained several ideas to get one started on a creative project- and went down to the checkout.

-----

Stampy walked up to the gemstone at the town centre, the rain having faded a bit into a light sprinkle. The books were kept safe in his inventory, away from the rain and water and anything that could mess them up.

His hands touched at the gemstone, and he felt a soft rush of... joy? Comfort? Wonder? Imagination? He wasn’t sure, but it felt nice, like a warm hug.

He leaned his face towards it, noticing the fingerprints and smudges and spots where other people also have touched the gem, and places where they’ve scratched it too, He rested his forehead on the crystal’s surface, noting that it still had some warmth from how long it’s been in the sun for. The rain had cooled it off a bit, but not a whole lot.

His eyes closed, and he let himself relax a bit, which ended up with someone tapping his shoulder… several minutes later.

He glanced over, Rama tilting her head at him.

"What’re you doing, mister cat?" She asked, giving a silly questiony-thinky face.

“Oh-" He glanced away, stepping back from the gem and wiping his hands on his vest. "Nothing."

"You looked like you were falling in love with a rock." Rama snort chuckled.

"Was not!" Stampy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Although, I do need, uh... Something you might have." He looked back at Rama, pausing.

"Yeah? what is it?" Rama blinked, before sneezing into her elbow. "Sorry-"

"It's fine!" Stampy gestured, stepping a little back. "Do you have any wondergems I can borrow?"

"You can buy them pretty easily." Rama shrugged. "Do you have money?"

"I have..." He trailed off, ruffling through his pockets. "...I don't have anything to give you, uh..." He paused, frowning. "I had some spare gold coins and I gave those to the lady at the library, since I wanted to keep the books cause I might not be able to return them."

Rama sighed. "I'll buy you one. What color?"

"...blue. Like the one your friend had." Stampy muttered.

"Oh, if you want one of Priscilla's wondershards, you can ask faer for it." Rama gestured. "Fae'll probably give one to you."

Stampy nodded. "Where does fae live?"

"Deeper in the forest, but I think fae's out doing errands." Rama hummed. 

Stampy nodded, starting to walk around the town with Rama following after. The two walked in silence, looking around for Priscilla.

It took them quite a while to find faer, but they found faer as fae walked out of a small [store] store.

"Mister cat here wants your crystals, Prissy!" Rama called over, stepping to Priscilla's side.

"What?" Priscilla glanced at Rama, before noticing Stampy and smiling. "Oh, okay!" Fae chuckled, before digging around faer inventory and pulling out the four wondershards faer showed him before. "Here!"

Stampy held out his paws, taking them carefully. "...Just... Like that?"

"I was going to give them to you before, but I forgot, and you ended up giving the blue one back anyway." Priscilla shrugged.

"Oh!" Stampy nodded, glancing down at the wondershards and smiling. "...Thank you!"

"You're welcome! Need anything else?" Priscilla tilted her head.

Before Stampy could say anything, Rama sneezed again, and Priscilla sighed softly in amusement, pulling out some tissues for her.

"I think I'm good for now, thank you!" Stampy beamed, holding the wondershards to his chest. 

"Alright! See you later, then!" Priscilla waved, before glancing at Rama and starting to ramble to her about faer other plans for the day.

Stampy walked right back to the center of town, staring at the wondergem and holding the wondershards up to it.

He didn't notice the rain fully stopped, not noticing at all until the clouds were pushed out of the way of the sun, and the sun's rays shimmered onto his wondershards and the big wondergem.

And he swore it had a soft glow to them, illuminating each other and casting so much warmth and wonder, twinkling and shining like stars.

For a moment, the universe gave him a hug.