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The Dark Prince stood before a boarded-up doorway leading up to the shadowed third floor of his castle. It’d been long since he stepped foot up there and to be honest, he had his reservations of revisiting his past again. No light filtered through the haphazardly nailed planks. The smell of dust and neglect wafted from within. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily. No. He had made a promise to the Lightners- his cherished friends.
This was something he had to do, to host the best sleep over ever!
…
After another adventure in the dark world, the band of heroes gathered together in the Castle Town square, debating their next move.
“Hey guys,” Susie said, “we should totally hang out again next time, but without the fighting. I’m up for something more… chill?”
“Wow Susan, I’d never thought you’d say that.” Berdly said, pressing a wing to his chest in pretend shock.
“It’s SUSIE, chicken wing.”
“S-so, what would you suggest Susie? What do you want to do?” Noelle asked.
“Well…” Susie thought back to a night spent lounging on Kris’ couch, watching a marathon of kaiju films, bellies full from apple pie. That was the first time she’d ever felt safe in a home and she wanted to feel that again, though she wouldn’t admit it.
“How about a sleepover?” She suggested, voice trailing off in a higher pitch. Everyone looked at Susie wordlessly. “What? You don’t like it? Psh- whatever I was just j-”
“That sounds like a great idea Susie!” Ralsei chirped.
“Yeah!” Lancer yelled, bouncing up and down in agreement.
“I concur!” Berdly said with a feather pointing in the air. Kris gave a thumbs up and smiled.
“One thing, whose house are we going to?” Noelle asked. “My mom’s pretty strict, so I don’t think we can have it at my place. And I have to ask her if I can stay out late and…” Her voice fell.
“Hey, don’t sweat it.” Susie put a hand on Noelle’s shoulder, eliciting a blush from the deer girl. “We’ll have it at Kris’! Cos uh, my place is er, too small. Yeah.”
Kris shook their head and said, “Can’t, mom’s spring cleaning.”
“Shit. Berdly, what about you?” Susie asked.
“Erm, actually, my dads don’t allow me to have anyone over since the Incident.” The bluebird shot a pointed look at Kris, who grinned devilishly and shrugged in response.
“Okaaaay… so what are we gonna do?” Susie asked.
Ralsei looked at his troubled friends, raised his hand and spoke, “How about you all have a sleepover at my castle? This way, Lancer can attend as well since Darkners can’t hold their form in the Light World.” He smiled warmly. Everyone smiled and nodded, save Susie, who facepalmed and said,
“Riiight! I shouldla thought of that!”
With that, it was settled. The Lightners and Lancer would be having a sleep over at Ralsei’s castle in a week. They decided on a potluck, where everyone would bring a snack each. Ralsei promised to bake a delicious cauldron-cooked chocolate cake.
Now, a day later, Ralsei was faced with a problem. The first 2 floors of his castle had no common area to host his friends, only the rooms he made for Kris, Susie and Lancer. This meant he would have to open up the 3rd floor for use.
Ralsei balled his claws into a fist. He didn’t want to think about the memories going up to the third floor would elicit. He’d done well at pushing it all to the back of his mind where they wouldn’t make him upset anymore. He had a purpose now, to make the Lightners happy. But that wasn’t it, was it? He was running from his past. If there was anything he’d learnt from Susie, Kris, Noelle and even Berdly, it’s that you have to face your inner fears and move forward. If not for himself, then for his friends.
Then maybe he would learn what it means to be… Ralsei-like.
“This is it then. Here I go!” Ralsei raised his palms in the air, wrapping them with the warm, yellow glow of magic. The planks that once boarded up the door glowed the same yellow and wiggled in place, vibrating faster and faster before they broke free from the doorframe with a snap. Waving his arms in a downward motion, he guided the planks to rest neatly on the floor, then released his magic. Now unblocked, the stairway to the third floor seemed to beckon him upwards. Ralsei took a step up the dusty stairs and felt a chill run up his leg.
He shivered, but steeled himself and went upstairs, one at a time.
Everything was just as they left it, except now coated in a thick layer of dust. This used to be the residential quarters of his family. He let the memories come to him like water rushing from a broken dam. They kept things simple; though they were royalty, they wanted not for extravagance nor luxury, preferring a life of cosiness and harmony. Ralsei stepped softly into what used to be his living room. With a small burst of sparks, Ralsei summoned a floating fireball, casting a cold glow on the rest of the room. Damp logs sat in a fireplace grown cold. Cobwebs hung from the tall, arched ceiling. The once-plush armchairs and sofas were sagging and rotted.
The room was all in all in a state of disrepair. The dark prince closed his eyes and remembered. The comforting warmth of fire, the delicate aroma of a cake in the cauldron, tinkling and booming laughter, stories around the fire. An ache bloomed within his chest; a flower of grief he thought suppressed. He decided to move on.
The next door he opened led to the bathroom. It was a spacious one, with a bathtub against a wall. The sink and toilet were nothing special but coated with dust and dirt like everything else. The cupboards and shelves were bare.
Next was the study. Shelves of books towered to the ceiling. A simple wooden desk and chair, made of midnight-blue wood, sat in the centre with a now broken desk lamp. Ralsei smiled sadly, recalling the memory of his mother spending time in her refuge of books, reading one of the ancient tomes plucked from the shelves. It was from one of them that she read him the Prophecy, passed down from one generation to another. Now that he was the last, it was now his sole burden to bear. He ran a finger along the spine of one book next to him, finger coming away with grime. The title read, “Fables of the Sung Shadow”. Now that was a title he hadn’t seen in a long time. It was a collection of fairy stories, myths and tales. He’d have to read it again sometime.
He stepped out of the study, leaving the door open. There were only two more rooms left to check. Approaching a wooden door with a heart engraved into it, Ralsei pushed down the handle and stepped inside.
It was his old room. A small bed stood in the corner, covers neatly made but dull with age. Next to it was a tiny writing desk and chair, so small that Ralsei could not fit anymore at his size. Bookshelves bolted to the walls carried empty picture frames and old picture books. The wardrobe was sparse, carrying child-size robes of green, purple and pink. The prince looked up at the ceiling, the painting was still there. His father had painted the ceiling blue, with a golden sun and fluffy, white clouds for him, to mimic a sky he’d yet to see. When was the last time he slept here? Even he could not remember. It seemed like an age ago.
He stepped out of his childhood room and stood before the last door at the end of the hall. With a trembling hand, he pushed the handle down and entered his parents' bedroom.
It was just as he remembered. Whenever he had a nightmare, he’d spend his nights huddled between his parents on their large and fluffy bed, cosy in warm blankets, gentle hugs and soothing coos. The bed was made, forest green duvet and mint green sheets arranged neatly. The wardrobe, drawers, bedside table, were all intact. Above the headboard of his parent’s bed, a portrait hung high on the wall. He couldn’t make it out from here, so he floated his ball of white flame up, light travelling slowly up the walls until-
He couldn’t see them. He couldn’t make out their faces. Why, why why? His face was there on display; rounder, younger, kinder. But when he looked up all he saw were two blurs, features mashed together in some amalgamation of chaos. This room should be an exact replica so why then? Why couldn’t he remember their faces?
Ralsei ran out of the room, out the hall, out the living room and down the stairs. He slid down against a wall and huddled into a ball, hugging his knees and panting. His heart was pounding and his head hurt. This was why he stopped thinking about it. This was why, whenever something bad happened, the best way of dealing with it was to banish it to a dark corner where it belongs. So nothing could hurt him again.
The dark prince sniffled and coughed. Spring cleaning would have to wait. That night, he dreamt of shadows and screams, of a promise and that dreaded prophecy.
The next day, Ralsei stood in front of the 2nd floor stairwell once more. He gazed up into the shadows. He’d gone up there before, surely he could go again. Nothing to worry about. So why couldn’t he stop shaking?
“Hey! Minty fresh!” Lancer came up behind Ralsei, waving. “What are you standing around for? Ooh, are you getting ready for the sleep over? Can I see? Can I can I can I?” The round boy said excitedly. Ralsei snapped out of his funk and looked down at Lancer, smiling warmly as he shook his head. He winked and said,
“Not now Lancer, it’s a surprise! I’m gonna make this the best sleepover yet!”
“Wow… that sounds awesome! This is my first sleepover with my friends. I tried before with the guards, but the vibes were way off. Hey, are you sure I can’t take a sneak peek? C’mon Captain Toothpaste!” Lancer continued. If he could see the boy’s eyes, Ralsei was sure he’d be giving the biggest, cutest puppy dog eyes right now.
“As much as I’d like to show you, my answer is still no. I’m nowhere near ready yet,” Ralsei replied, chuckling.
“Aw alright then. See ya around Ralz!” Lancer chirped. He turned and ran off downstairs, saying something about a new beat for his latest mixtape.
Ralsei diverted his attention back to the stairs. He couldn’t keep putting this off forever. Besides, he made a promise, and Lancer was really looking forward to this. He took a breath and summoned his trusty vacuum cleaner in the shape of his face. Time to get cleaning!
Over the next few days, the Dark Prince spent hours cleaning and rearranging the furniture upstairs. He decided that everything needed an overhaul. Well, almost everything. The place looked as good as new by the time he was done with it. Now, for the final touches… oh! And a cake!
[The evening before the sleepover]
The Holiday Manor was quiet that evening. Noelle sat at her window alcove, knees hugged to her chest. The sun was setting, casting Hometown in a golden flow. The reindeer girl sighed, she was really looking forward to tonight but her mother forbade her to go
The Holiday Manor stood quiet. Usually, the silence was lonely, hugging Noelle like a shroud. Carol worked late nights. It seemed working was all she ever did nowadays. Tonight however, the quiet was charged with barely suppressed excitement. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a sleepover. It must have been when she and Kris were kids! Her mum never let anyone sleep over, so Noelle and Dess would hang out at the Dreemurrs. The memories were bittersweet, but tonight she would make new happy ones.
Noelle stood before her mirror, holding up two different nightgowns. One was a rich brown, patterned with holly leaves and the other was a blueish white, embroidered with blue snowflakes and sported a lace trim. “Which one should I wear?” She spoke. After minutes of deliberating, she finally settled on the snowflake patterned gown. Satisfied, she skipped down the stairs, making sure to grab the bag containing her homemade gingerbread monsters and humans- and set off for Castle Town.
“Did you remember to bring your toothbrush?”
“And your charger?”
“Don’t forget your spare glasses!”
“And your-”
“OKAY OKAY I GET IT!” Berdy yelled, raising his wings in exasperation. “Dad, Pop, don’t worry so much. I’ve got everything I could conceivably require.” He hefted his bulging backpack, full of snacks, soda and his Mintendo Swap console. He smirked; he was so gonna thrash everyone at Super Smashing Fighters.
Beneath the bravado, Berdly was giddy with excitement. This was his first ever sleepover he’d been invited to. He… wasn’t used to having friends like this to hang out with. He may not show it, but he was painfully aware of how his classmates perceived him. Though this time, after showing his vulnerable side in the previous dark world adventure, Berdly decided to relax on the whole smarty pants (or lack thereof) schtick. But what he’d never let up on was his pride as a pro gamer.
“Bye Pop, bye Dad!” The little bluebird waved goodbye to his parents and ran straight for the school.
It was closing time at QC’s diner. The golden light of the evening sun shone gently through the windows. Susie scrubbed the last of the syrup and grease off the dishes and washed the suds down the sink. Susie landed a job as dishwasher at QC’s after the last guy quit to follow his dreams of being an entomologist, and Susie could use the extra cash. If she was being honest, she wanted to make a change in her life, for herself more than anything. Like hell she wanted to be stuck as the bully, the misfit, the outcast. Her friends helped her see that she could be more than that. So, working part time at QC’s was a start. Catti kept giving her the stink eye, but other than that, it was a pretty sweet gig.
Susie stepped out from the kitchen and into the dining area to find QC waiting for her with a takeout bag in hand. “Here you go sweetheart, it’s on the house.”
“Oh! Uh- thanks! Why though?” QC smiled, violet fur glowing gold in the light.
“Just take it as an extra thanks for all the hard work. You’re a good kid Susie. Keep doing what you’re doing and don’t let anyone say otherwise.”
Susie felt her cheeks flush, a small smile playing on her lips. “Thank you…”
The sweet smell of honey waffles, pancakes and strawberry tarts wafted from the bag as Susie walked across Hometown, stopping when she bumped into a familiar face at the school gates.
“Yo! Kris!” A familiar loud voice rang out from behind the human. Kris turned around and grinned at the sight of their purple friend. “Whatcha waiting around for? Aren’t you excited for the sleepover?” Susie asked. Kris nodded, looked pointedly at Susie, then back at the door. “Aw dude… you were waiting for me?” Imperceptibly, Susie’s tail was wagging beneath her oversized t-shirt.
“By the way… what the HELL are you wearing?” Susie said in disbelief, pointing at Kris’ shirt. They were wearing shorts and a shirt with various wolves photoshopped to surround a glowing full moon. Text at the top and bottom of the image read in exaggerated cursive: “ALPHA WOLF”. Kris looked down, then up, and howled.
“Cuz I’m the alpha.”
“Snnrk- HAHAHAH! Alright alright, stop howling already. Let’s go, bet the others are waiting,” Susie laughed, a mirthful tear in her eyes. Together, two thirds of the Fun Gang entered Hometown High and plunged into the darkness behind closed closet doors. In their descent, Susie’s plain, worn shirt and transformed in a flurry of sparkles into a comfy shirt made of thick cotton, with a picture of ‘Susiezilla’ breathing cyan flames on crumbling skyscrapers. Her sweatpants transformed to a deep violet scale pattern. Kris’ ‘alpha’ shirt glowed and morphed into a wolf onesie, fluffy fur, cartoonish wolf head as a hood and all.
They landed gracefully, catching their potluck contributions in outstretched hands. Susie sniffed the air and began drooling. “Whatever you brought smells really good. What is it?”
“You’ll see,” said Kris.
Noelle and Berdly perked up at the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. The reindeer girl’s nightgown had transformed into a fancier iteration of its original form, cascading to the ground in shiny silver satin and billowing sleeves. Berdly’s Minecrap creeper shirt had become a snuggly hoodie with a green and blue pixel pattern. Ralsei stood at the foot of the stairwell up to the third floor, dressed in a striped button-up pajama set and a matching striped night cap with a pink pompom attached to the dangly bit. His outfit was a mint green, and the stripes were the same pink as his horns, which protruded under the fabric of the night cap.
“That must be Kris and Susie,” the fluffy prince said, beaming.
“Hey guys,” Susie said with a wave. Kris nodded at the group, holding up a basket of delicious baked goods contained within.
Ralsei clapped his hands together and spoke, “Thank you all so much for coming to my first ever sleepover! This is my first time hosting one, and I’m really happy that you all could make it. I hope you will enjoy yourselves,” He stepped aside from the staircase, which was now lit by floating orbs of light emitting a warm glow. He continued speaking, “I did some spring cleaning over the week and spruced things up a little. Feel free to go on up.” He put his hands behind his back, his usual stance. He hoped it did not show on his face but Ralsei dearly hoped that the Lightners would like what he prepared. If they did not, well… he shoved that thought to the recesses of his bind. Focus on fun now Ralsei! He wrung his hands where the eyes of his friends could not see.
Berdly placed his wings on hips and announced, “Well then! Let us ascend, so we can partake in the plentiful bounty of home-brought delectables! Because I’m getting pretty hungry actually and whatever Kris has in their basket is smelling soooooo goooood.” Everyone murmured their agreement and headed upstairs. Ralsei waited until the last Lightner had gone a considerable distance upstairs before letting out a huge sigh. His arms fell to his sides as he climbed upstairs, nervous about their reactions.
When everyone reached the third floor, their eyes sparked with amazement. “Wow… Ralsei, this is incredible!” Noelle said.
“Yeah man, you’ve really outdone yourself,” Susie agreed.
“The décor is very tasteful, it radiates cosy vibes,” said Berdly, who was eyeing the nearby beanbag chair.
Kris turned to the fluffy prince and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Ralsei relaxed. Somehow, Kris saw right through his anxieties, like they were peering into his soul. Kris flashed a thumbs up at him. Then, without missing a beat, handed Ralsei the basket and launched themselves straight at the beanbag chair, crashing into it and sending a certain bouncy boy straight up into the air.
“Wh- Kris! I was gonna sit there!” Berdly cried.
“Woaaaaaah! I’m flying!” Lancer yelled as he soared up and towards Noelle with the speed of a missile. Her eyes widened, and she squeezed them shut, turning her face away, bracing for impact when-
*Pfwump!*
Noelle peeked one eye open, to find Lancer centimeters away from her face, caught by a pair of large purple hands. “You okay?” Susie asked, her eyes wide with concern. Noelle nodded, feeling a blush creeping up her face. Susie smiled. “Good.” Susie set Lancer down, who then whipped out a speaker from who-knows-where.
“DJ Lancer here to serve you fragrant little eggs my latest, sickest, squelchiest beats! I was gonna have the music ready, but these beanbags that Ralz got were so comfortalicious that I had to squeeze in a nap.” The bouncy boy grinned, before connecting his speaker to a laptop, which somehow only had one button where the usual keyboard would be. “My girldad says I’m too young to be using a real computer, but I can have this one that just plays music,” he explained and pushed the button.
A cacophony of bicycle horn honks, fart noises and bitcrushed explosion sounds vocoded to varying dissonant notes erupted from the speaker. Everyone jumped at the noise, including Lancer who rushed to the laptop and pressed the button again, changing the music to calming lofi chiptune beats. “Oops,” Lancer said sheepishly, “That one’s a work in progress.” With that out of the way, everyone made space and sat around a round coffee table draped with a lace doily. Each of them sat on plush cushions with colourful flower patterns, chatting and laughing. Ralsei smiled fondly. He produced a chubby porcelain teapot from behind him.
“Tea anyone? It’s my special blend of golden flower tea.”
The living room was spacious yet cosy. The canary-yellow couch was large and soft to the touch, with cosy woolen blankets and puffy decorative pillows placed on it. The walls were repainted a lovely forest green, with landscapes of the Dark Worlds they’ve visited, as well as some framed photographs of Ralsei with his friends. As for the old pictures, the prince had them stashed somewhere safe. The fireplace was roaring with orange, harmless fire- heating up the room without risk of burning feathers, scales, skin or fur! Bookshelves along the walls were stacked with storybooks and little knickknacks, and atop a cabinet was a large TV. Ralsei didn’t know what kind of games Kris and co liked, but Berdly reassured him that he would bring “the apex of gaming experience” … whatever that meant.
Ralsei settled onto a cushion between Lancer and Kris. “Why don’t we start the potluck and reveal what each of us brought?” he said. “Noelle, would you like to start us off?”
“I’d be happy to,” she said, producing a plate of cookies from her bag. “I baked these earlier today, they’re gingerbread monsters and humans!”
Berdly went next. “I’ve brought you… the gamer’s cornucopia!” From his backpack, he unloaded a bottle of Fanta orange, Mountain Dew and a bottle of lemon tea (his pop’s idea). After that, he produced a few large bags of potato chips and cool ranch Doritos. Finally, he set a large glass Tupperware container of neatly sliced kimbap on the table. “Well, my dad said I had to bring some real food. It is yummy though.”
“I got some sweets from QC’s.” Susie said with an eager smile as she placed the waffles, pancakes and strawberry tarts on the table.
Finally, it was Kris’ turn. They opened the basket they were carrying and thrust a large apple pie up in the air with both palms. “I made apple pie.” They said, smiling, a hint of pride in their voice. Susie was drooling.
“Dude, I gotta have some of that RIGHT NOW.” Susie said.
“And I brought salsa!” Lancer piped up.
Then, Ralsei clapped his hands together, gesturing to the food and said, “Alright everyone, dig in! I’ve got some soup cooking in the cauldron that’s not quite ready yet so we can have that later.”
Everyone dug into the feast eagerly, with choruses of “Mmm!”, “Yum!” and sounds of chomping filling Ralsei’s living room. The fluffy prince sat back and watched delightedly as his friends had fun, content to see them happy. Susie noticed his lack of feast partaking and called him over.
“Hey Ralsei, don’t just sit there, come have something,” she said.
“No, no it’s okay, I’ll just-”
“We insist,” Noelle said. “as the host of this sleepover, you should be eating with us.”
Kris held out a plate of pie to Ralsei. “…saved you a slice.”
Pink eyes widened as he took in the smiling faces of his friends, and accepted the plate gratefully, and with awe. He smiled brightly, but not quite enough to hide the flicker of sadness, the consequence of being one of his foreknowledge. Thankfully nobody noticed. If things went on like this, someday, his dearest friends would all be… No. Enough of this. Just for tonight, he would forget what fate had in store in the near future and just… have fun.
Ralsei took a mouthful of the apple pie and almost couldn’t believe what he was tasting. Unlike Darkner food, the apple pie that Kris baked had a rich sweetness and tartness which felt nothing short of substantial. It wasn’t a ghost, a mimicry of taste that lacked mass but healed you up anyway. That would work for Darkners, but for Lightners, they needed something real. Ralsei chewed slowly, taking in every sensation of the pie. When he swallowed, he felt the food settle in his tummy, a pleasant, fulfilling sensation.
“So… how is it?” Kris asked.
“It’s delicious!”
The rest of the night passed with many, many rounds of a Super Smashing Fighters Tournament, with Kris placing first, Berdly second and Noelle third, with the rest coming in runners up. They played board games, card games- “NO you CAN’T stack a +2 with a +4 that’s not how the game works you PLEBIAN!!” and finally, ended the night with bowls of warm stew.
Everyone, after brushing their teeth of course, lay snuggled up in a huddle of blankets, pillows and sleeping bags on the floor of the living room, all fast asleep, except for one.
Ralsei, for the first time in ages, felt a sense of peace. That someday, everything would be alright. As long as he had his friends, he could face anything. He hummed quietly to himself, a lullaby of legend, which sent him quietly to sleep.
Goodnight, sweet prince.
Goodnight.