"Bye boys, see you later!" Katie called over her shoulder as she followed Chuck and Liam out the door. The family dogs Max and Duke barked in response. Their human left with a smile on her face. The two canines, meanwhile, sat in front of the door forlornly. "I miss her when she leaves," Max whimpered. Nodding his head, Duke agreed, "Me too."

"What's up my dogs?!" Snowball shouted, causing both dogs to jump out of their skins. Recovering from the heart attack he had just received, Max growled, "What's wrong with you?! Can't you greet people like a normal person?!" Laying on the floor nearby, Duke wheezed, "I'm gonna die from a heart attack one of these days..."

"Oh chill out Fat Dog, I'll have one before you ever do," Pops commented, announcing the arrival of the other pets. Max's earlier frustration with Snowball dissipated when he laid eyes on Gidget. Trotting up to her boyfriend with her usual cheery smile, the fluffy white Pomeranian yipped, "Hi Maxie!" Wagging his tail, the Jack Russell terrier responded, "Hey Gidget."

"Max and Gidget sitting in a tree," Mel howled. Buddy immediately joined in, "K I S S I N G!" The two proceeded to fall over each other laughing their heads off. Rolling her eyes, Chloe muttered, "Very mature boys." Daisy nodded her head and added in a hushed voice so only the tabby cat could hear, "Amd Snowball doesn't need any brilliant ideas for our next date." Their faces flushed red with embarrassment, Max and Gidget tried to find something else to look at. Finding his tongue, Max stuttered, "Guys, come on. Gidget and I can't even get up in a tree."

"Not unless I put you two lovebirds up there," Tiberius remarked. Elbowing her best friend in the shoulder, Gidget whispered, "Shut up!" The hawk snickered quietly to himself. Sitting back a little ways, Duke mumbled, "Well this is turning out to be very awkward. Can someone please change the subject?"

"Yeah, good idea Duke. Snowball, as much as I love seeing all of my friends, why did you bring everyone into my apartment unannounced again?" Max asked, turning to the white rabbit in question. Hopping up onto the coffee table, Snowball answered, "Right! I almost forgot. Tiny Dog, you remember that video I took of you sleeping and making weird snoring noises?"

"Oh, you mean the one you took without my consent?" Max retorted, baring his teeth. Ignoring the obvious threat, Snowball continued, "Yes, that one! Anyways, I uploaded to YouTube under your name and using your information and all that other fancy crap websites ask for."

"Excuse me, what now?" Max questioned.

"Look man, have you checked it out yet? It's been up for two days," Snowball insisted. There was a sense of urgency in his voice. During this time, he had been pulling something up on his phone. Finding it, the bunny handed the device to Max. Upon seeing what was on the screen, the terrier's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Peering over his shoulder, Gidget gasped, "Over five billion views?!"

"And it's still trending?!" Duke cried, also peering over Max's shoulder. Taking the phone back for a second before he gave it back to the dogs, Snowball murmured, "That's not the only thing-"

"ONE HUNDRED FIFTY MILLION SUBSCRIBERS AND GROWING?!" Max barked in absolute shock. Everyone else jumped with surprise. "Dude, you're like a billionaire now! Professional YouTubers make a lot of money!" Leonard exclaimed. Pepe was nodding his head frantically beside the poodle. Once again rolling her eyes in annoyance, Chloe scoffed, "Please, there's no way he's gonna become super rich from one stupid video."

"Guys, I hear footsteps coming," Norman squeaked, pointing at the door. Shutting up, everyone listened quietly. Gasping, Duke woofed, "It's Katie!" Alarmed that a human was returning home early, everyone who was not Max or Duke fled the apartment in a hurry. And just in time too as the door swung open. A shocked expression on her face, Katie got down on her knees and scooped up Max in her arms. "Max, I don't know how but there's a video of you on YouTube that's blowing up the internet and we're rich now! Also, we've been requested to appear on three different talk shows!"

"Huh, rich and famous. Why can't I have that?" Snowball wondered aloud, listening with the others from their shared hiding place of the fire escape. Biting her lip, Daisy muttered, "Oh I hope this all doesn't go to Max's head..."

———

One Year Later...

"Guess they're not home at the moment, boy. Probably out showing off their fame again," Shep remarked after doing a thorough check of the apartment. There was no sign of his nephew's family anywhere. Sighing, he turned to his dog Rooster. Patting the Welsh sheepdog on the head with a kind hand, the old man murmured, "I'll be back in two days, Rooster. You be good now, ya hear?" Rooster barked once in reply. With that, Shep left to go on his fishing trip.

"Rooster? Is that really you?" a quiet voice asked. Turning around, Rooster saw a white rabbit on the windowsill. "Snowball?" the Welsh sheepdog asked, hoping he got the name right. Thankfully, he did as the bunny sighed in relief, "Oh thank goodness you're here. Maybe you can talk some sense into Tiny Dog."

"What in the name of Sam Hill happened here?" Rooster asked, padding over to the window and sitting down before the rabbit. Taking a seat on the windowsill, Snowball's ears drooped as he whined, "This is all my fault. I should have never posted that video." Flicking his notched ear, Rooster grumbled, "Just tell me what happened."

"Well, ever since he became rich and famous, Max... oh Rooster he's changed. He's become me, or at least what I envisioned my life would be like if I was rich and famous," Snowball cried. Wiping his nose with the back of his paw, the rabbit continued explaining, "The fame went to his head and he's a huge celebrity. And he's completely forgotten about the rest of us. Duke has tried talking sense to him but nothing ever worked. Then he ran off due to the neglect."

"Where's everyone else?" Rooster questioned. Rubbing his arm in shame, Snowball went on, "Some of them have also left. Buddy's dead, fell into a vat of waste while he and Mel were attempting to pull off some stupid half planned heist they came up with. Gidget hasn't been the same since Max achieved celebrity status, he doesn't ever talk to her or notice her. And you can clearly see what he's done to the city."

"Yeah, I can see that," Rooster remarked as he glanced out the window. There was factory smoke all over the place and many buildings had been replaced with warehouses and office buildings or even just torn down entirely. Heck, on his way here, Rooster had seen the polluted area that had once been Central Park. Turning back to Snowball, he growled, "Why do I have to talk to him? Why can't you?"

"I've tried, he won't listen to me! Please Rooster, just talk to him," Snowball pleaded, "You're our only hope."

———

It was later that night when Max and his humans finally returned home from another interview. It was even later when the humans went to bed. Max was ready to hit the hay himself. Today had been exhausting with photo shoots, trips to the bank and the workplaces all over Manhattan. Everywhere he went, everyone hailed him by his celebrity name Maximilian. So imagine his surprise when, right before he shut his eyes, he heard his old name Max. Lifting his head, the terrier mumbled, "Huh?"

"I'm right here Max," Rooster snarled, sitting next to the terrier's bed. He couldn't believe how much Max had changed. The Jack Russell terrier wore a blue bow tie and matching top hat, and his behavior was one similar to those snooty show dogs who thought they were better than everyone else. He even walked around with his nose in the air. Gazing up at the Welsh sheepdog, Max growled, "What the- what are you doing in my home?!"

"I'm staying here for the next two days until my owner picks me up. But here's the real question. What has gotten into you?" Rooster retorted. Scoffing, Max muttered, "Nothing has gotten into me. I'm living my best life." Circling the bed with stiff legs, Rooster shook his head as he scolded the smaller canine harshly, "No, the fame and the money have wormed their way into your head. You've changed Max."

"I have not. And it's Maximilian now," Max huffed, turning his back to Rooster with his nose high up in the air. Staring at the Jack Russell terrier in disgust, the Welsh sheepdog shook his head in disappointment and rumbled, "You have changed Max, you were good once. But now, you're a bad dog, and one day I hope you get what's coming to you."

"Like that will ever happen, no such thing as karma" Max muttered. Closing his eyes, the Jack Russell terrier mumbled, "And besides, how bad can I be?"