"What in the everloving (heck) is going on here?!"

I held my baseball bat threateningly, but I would be surprised if my face was as. I was terrified. I mean, these skeletons—because that's what they are, now that I've gotten a closer look at them—just fell through a magical portal into my home with no explanation to be had.

From within the writhing pile, there came a voice a little on the deeper end. "listen, lady, we're just as confused as you are."

My head tilted slightly, but my bat stayed in the air. My gaze traveled over the others, all looking at me. "Well? Anyone else want to volunteer an answer before it's goodnight to you?"

"nope. we're all at a (gosh darn) loss, sweetheart, so if you could just not threaten us, that would be great."

"HEY! PLEASE DON'T SWEAR! IT'S RUDE!"

I winced. That one's voice was loud, but not so much so that it broke my eardrums, which I always appreciated.

"does our magic work?" one asked the group.

"nope. already tried. portals don't work, either. bones and gaster blasters are fine, though."

The room went instantly silent. The voice was glitchy, and I figured it was probably the black-boned skeleton that had first landed on me, whose scream was glitch-like.

Suddenly, the pile dispersed as they all scrambled in different directions. They dove behind furniture and hid behind each other as if it was a game of paintball and the black skeleton was 'it.'

It was just them—him, I guess, I could tell the voice was male-like—laying face down in the middle of the floor.

He looked up, and immediately scowled. "look, you guys, if i wanted to kill you, i would have."

"But didn't you...like...faint, or something?" I helpfully pointed out. "That would probably stop you from killing them."

He shot me a deadly glare. "do you want me to start wanting to?"

I put my hands in the air in a surrender position. "Fair enough, fair enough."

I then held the bat down like a cane and leaned forward. "Now, since you seem more intelligent than your peers, perhaps you know what the (heck's) going on."

"hey!" a chorus of voices protested.

He gave me an odd look, before shaking his head. "no clue."

"destiny."

My face whipped towards a skeleton with a blue bomber jacket with tan fluff on the hood, a white t-shirt, black basketball shorts with a white stripe, and pink slippers. An odd combination, but one that I certainly wouldn't object to, had I been given the outfit.

He was sitting lazily on the couch, staring straight into me.

I immediately sensed a protective vibe from him—more so than I did the black skeleton, but his seemed more specifically aimed towards someone, while this guy's was more general towards the group.

I was called (by one person) Judge for a reason.

"What?" I questioned, bringing my bat up and hefting it on my shoulder.

His...sockets, I guess...studied me. "destiny. she told me that something big was happening in the multiverse, and that i was included."

Destiny? But what would...I didn't even do anythi—

"(Shooooooooooooooot)."

I brought the ring up into my vision—it was still on my finger.

It gleamed, harmlessly, in the light.

I glanced at the group. "I think...I think I might have accidentally done this."

There was nothing for a moment, before the room was suddenly filled with glowing, floating bones and dragon-skull-looking things, all aimed at me.

I threw my hands in the air, the bat waving a bit. "Wait wait wait, let me explain, lemme explain!"

Nothing moved, which I took as a good sign.

Around the room, multiple skeletons were on their feet, glaring at me with one of their sockets on fire—I mean, if they're living skeletons in the first place, it was better not to question logic. Most of them were just doing nothing.

Two of them were the skeleton from earlier and the black skeleton. Another was a tiny one dressed in light blue and gray, looking at me with concern. Another skeleton had a giant paintbrush attached to their back and a neutral expression on their face.

The last was wearing a lilac hoodie, and my heart instantly softened for them. They had a pained expression on their face, looking towards the floor, and they were curled into themselves, seeming to want everything but to be here, in this situation...with these people.

That's it, I realized. They didn't want to be here with these skeletons. Did the others not like them?

My question was answered when one of the ones standing—a mean-looking guy with a sharp gold tooth—glanced over and glowered at them.

"what's he doing here?"

That skeleton, the lilac one, winced, curling into himself more.

"HE LOOKS...DIFFERENT THAN USUAL, FELL!" the tiny little blue skeleton chirped.

The paintbrush guy looked at him curiously. "Blue's right. Lust, why are you wearing that hoodie? I thought you didn't like...um..."—a rather rude cough—"...non-revealing clothing."

My nose wrinkled. Lust? What'd he do deserve that nickname? He looked like he would have anxiety attack just wearing shorts and a tee out, let alone act like the name implied.

But I made no comment, instead sending him a look of worry and pity.

The lilac peeked at me and caught it, but his face remained unemotional as he tucked even further into himself.

Like he was trying to not associate himself with me.

Like he was trying to do me a favor.

...My gaze returned to the three skeletons standing up.

One of them was the gold-toothed bully, who I noticed had red pupils. His bomber jacket was gray with tan fur, he had similar shorts to the destiny skele, and he wore red sneakers.

Another had their gray hood up (which also had tan fur) and the same shorts, but blue sneakers. One of his...eyes?...had a red iris and blue pupil, while the other was a red pupil.

The last had a chunk of his skull missing, with a single red iris for his left (eye). His blue jacket seemed to have bloodstains all over it, which made me shiver.

"Um..." I began, tearing into the awkward silence the lilac guy had inspired, which brought all the attention back to me. "Well, you see, I think I may have used magic to bring you all here."

Immediately all the skeletons seemed to get on their guard—each one of their pairs of (eyes) went black, except for the black skeleton's (who always seemed to be the outlier)—and I held my hands out, the bat clattering to the ground in an effort for me to look less threatening. "No, no, no, I'm not a mage or anything, although I wouldn't know what you'd have against them. I...may have made a wish on a ring."

The paintbrush skeleton's (eyes) returned as he sighed, cocking his hip and putting a hand on it. "seriously? that's what brought us here? that's a bit cliché, don't you think? a wish on a piece of jewelry?"

I mimicked his gesture. "Look, dude, this may be cliché, but it's the plot we were forced into,"—that earned me some odd looks, which I dismissed with a wave—"so we just have to deal. I don't know how to get you back—"

"can't you just wish us back?" Black-Boy interrupted. "or is that too 'inconvenient to the plot' for you?"

The sarcasm in his voice was as evident as the glitch in it, but I answered back seriously, not feeling entirely in control of my own words, "Yes, it's pretty inconvenient. And I don't know if this ring has a cool-down or what, and I don't know what could happen if I use up the last wish—because there's only one left. It could kill us all, for all you know. I don't know about you, but I rather like living. Also, what if we need to use it later, in case of an emergency?"

"She's not wrong."

Pain surged through my head like electricity through a wire. I dropped to my knees, gritting my teeth in pain as the words echoed in my brain.

Through the white that was clouding my vision, I noticed all of them do the same, grunting and groaning in their own levels of aching. Except for the destiny guy. He just winced.

"The ring does have an odd thing about consequences. It comes with a minimum time period between wishes, that being three months. Each wish also has its repercussions—and you, my Judge, my Reader, will experience them soon, don't you worry. But I did fulfill your wish. You aren't alone—not anymore."

Just like that, that female-esque voice that wasn't quite a voice was gone.

I gasped, keeling over and breathing harshly against the carpet. My lungs felt like they had never had a drop of oxygen in their lives.

"If I were to assume that that was Destiny?" I panted, raising my head and directing my gaze towards the skeleton I knew would know.

He looked uncomfortable, shifting in place, but nodded. "yeah. yeah, you'd be right."

(Ugh, this chapter was SOOOO LAAAAME!

Hi guys. Lunar here.

You guys like? 'Cause I don't! :)

It doesn't feel like my best work, but that's probably because I've just been tired for no reason.

You guys are probably going to flock to my door, crying 'Of course not! We love your work!' {Looking at you, Aurora-Chan_Here and _Crystal_Lily_123.} But still.

Eh, it's here and it's done, and that's what matters to me, because I want you guys to be happy.

Thank you guys for reading, and I love you guys. See you soon for the next chapter.

Ciao, Lunarlings.

Lunar, signing off.)