The Tea Party, Part 6: Musical Breakfast Friends

Iceland

Twilight swept over Reykjavík, but no one could tell due to the gloomy, cloudy sky. Knowing two of their friends had gone to Big Mom's territory, they felt rather uneasy. "I bet Suki's playing on the Oil Ice Mountain. It's probably really cold in this weather." George smiled. "You wanna join her?"

"I don't feel like it." MaKayla replied, staring at the Chrono Staff in her lap. "I…I have a bad feeling, but I don't know what it is…"

Boom. Boom. Boom.

"Is it that?" Miyuki asked. At first, they thought it was a car outside playing its boombox. But even cars could not shake the earth at this magnitude, where even their treehouse rumbled and plates fell from the cabinets. So, the three rushed to the window, seeing a large, moving structure rolling over the neighborhood.

BO-BOM-BOM-BEE! BOOM-BOOM-BEE! BOOM-BOOM-BEE! BOOM-BOOM-BEE!

Sector IC could not believe what they were seeing: a pirate ship that looked like a giant ovular cereal bowl, with a sail that depicted a four-leaf clover, but what really took the cake were the four massive tiger-striped tires that carried the vessel across land. The ship rocked up and down to the beats of the boombox, and it gave little care as the tires rolled over innocent homes. The base of the ship opened and released steam, and within that steam, five figures were present. The five stepped out from the steam and were revealed to be a leprechaun, a muscular tiger, a short man with a white mustache and blue navy uniform, an orange cuckoo bird with a long beak, and a white rabbit.

Wearing sunglasses and gold rings with clover symbols, the leprechaun began to rap. "Orange star horse shoe, clovers and blue moons! The BK's here to spell out yo' doom! The name's Luck-Luck-Lucky, and I got the Lucky Charms!" He slapped his crotch before whipping guns out of his pockets. "Take a big bite kids, it really AIN'T no harm!" He shot Lucky Charms into the mouths of children, outside and in homes, and the marshmallows swelled inside their throats, causing them to choke.

"Don't mess with the yo ho, Bozo. Better chew before you swal-low, Bobo." The parents desperately tried to force the food out of their children's mouths, but to no avail.

"This furry white trash can't ditch them Trix. He had enough o' them trashy shits." Lucky directed to Trix the Rabbit, anger fuming in his spinning rainbow eyes as he grit his cracked teeth. "Wait'll they see, he got tricks his own, they gon' feel in they brittle bones!"

"Hehehe! Silly rabbit!" laughed Trix. "Trix are for kids! LIKE THIS!" He YANKED a rope, flipping a group of playground kids upside-down and smashing their skulls together. He kept pulling the rope to continue cracking their crowns.

"Don't mess with the hobo, mo' fo'. Or we gonna get all mojo, JoJo." The kids presented the yogurt to Trix with pleading eyes, but he grabbed their arms and squeezed them 'til blood squirted out.

"Who-are-we, who-are-they, whatchu wanna know? This tiger's stripped and he's ready to go." Tony the Tiger flexed his muscular abs, dragging two high school boys by the necks. "He whips them boys up into shape, just stuff 'em full of Frosty Flakes!"

Tony poured Frosted Flakes into the boys' mouths, turning their bones brittle as he then bent them and wrapped them together. "They're grrrrrrREAT! For flexibility!" With the boys now in the shape of a single large ball, Tony imbued them with Armament Haki and KICKED with the force of a cannonball, destroying seven houses in a row as the "ball" leaked red.

"Don't mess with the to-to, home bro. That's a bigga-bigga no no, o' foe." Tony molded another ball out of two boys and started spinning them on his claw tip, using his other finger to push down on it and drill a hole.

"His dada was a chicken and mama was a cow, they died eatin' cereal and he didn't care how." Sonny the Cuckoo Bird had feathers falling apart, and he was shuddering as if from a constant cold. "Last thing he knows is puffing cocoa, it's all he needs to fill his BOWL!"

He filled a bowl with Cocoa Puffs, but instead of eating them, he huffed them into his nose. THUMP! The music stopped. "I'm-. I'm-! I'M-! CUCKOO FOR COCOA PUFFS, CUCKOO FOR COCOA PUFFS!" He zipped all around town at blinding speeds, and several people found their selves with holes in their stomachs, as part of Sonny's attempt to search their bellies for more Cocoa Puffs. Everyone desperately tried to hold in their organs.

"Don't mess with the cocoa, Ocho. He gets macho with his mocha, yo' know?" Sonny saw a little boy about to eat a spoonful of cereal and rushed to EAT the spoon, along with the kid's arm. …Turns out, it was the wrong cereal.

"I got a hunch ya won't want this for lunch, this midget will munch and give a good crunch." Captain Crunch sported a giant, creepy grin and hammered his boulder teeth. He sunk his teeth into the ground and began to eat through the road, sidewalks, and yards like a Chain Chomp. "Eat ya out of your house and homes, he'll shave this island until it's dome."

Captain Crunch made his signature whistle just as he finished the circle. A massive chunk of the neighborhood sunk far beneath the Earth's surface. "Geh huh huh! That felt good for my molar!" his teeth clacked.

"Don't mess with the cho-cho, no bo'. He'll getcha like the po-po, Yo Joe." Captain Crunch began creating airwaves with his teeth, creating teeth-shaped rifts in peoples' houses, as well as in the bodies of any morsels in his wake.

Standing in the street, Sector IC were mortified: in just a single song, their entire neighborhood had been reduced to ruin, houses crumbled and people injured and crying. "Don't mess with the yo ho…" The Breakfast Club were approaching the timebenders. "Don't mess with the yo ho…" The song steadily faded away.

"Yow. What-What's up, tiddy tikes?" Lucky greeted them, flashing teeth with gold braces. "We here to get all hoe-down in this hootenanny?"

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you're with the Big Mom Pirates?" George assumed.

"That's rrrrrrrrrrRIGHT!" Tony perked up.

"Does…Does this have something to do with Lola and Terry?" Miyuki asked quietly.

"We have a schedule to keep, boys, so let's make this quick." Crunch said.

"STOP them!" George ordered. (Play "Bad Luck Charm" from RWBY!)

The three timebenders combined their powers to freeze all five of the Breakfast Club in place. "Good. I'll start rewinding and fixing everyone's injuries." MaKayla ran to each ruined house and restored it to form. "After this, we'll have to make a plan to visit Sweetopia. I have a feeling something bad happened to Terry and Lola-"

"KAYLA!" Miyuki cried, too late as Sonny stabbed her friend in the back, spinning rapidly before chucking Kayla away. The cereal icons escaped their Stop and attacked the others. Tony furiously swiped his claws at George, the boy dodging backwards as his shirt was torn. Trix hopped behind George and threw rapid punches, chi-blocking George and kicking him into Tony. The tiger grabbed him and shoved Frosted Flakes down his throat, making his bones brittle as Tony bent him into a ball. Bouncing him like a basketball, Tony forcefully slammed him against the corner of the sidewalk.

Miyuki expanded an Age Circle and tried to reverse Crunch's age, but the captain gnashed at her before she had the chance, forcing Miyuki to dodge. She fired Chrono Beams as a backup plan, but Crunch crushed them in his teeth and ate a path toward Miyuki, who Stopped him again. Miyuki got to his side and shot a Chrono Beam, but the Stop wore off quickly as Crunch burrowed underground. Miyuki tried to run from her spot, but found that her shoes were glued to the ground by Lucky's swollen marshmallows. "AAH!" The ground beneath her feet exploded, propelling Miyuki in the air as Crunch leapt to eat her like a fish.

An Ice Road whooshed across the air, seizing Miyuki as Crunch bit into the ice. "SUKI!" Miyuki beamed, her sister holding her in her arms as Suki slid to a halt on the ground.

"Sister-chan, someone made a avalanche on the mountain!"

"I know, it was—SUKI, WATCH OUT!"

Captain Crunch CHOMPED Suki's head clean off, but the icebender retaliated by freezing him solid. Afterwards, Suki's head grew back from her ice body. "Don't worry, Miyuki! I lose my mind lots of times!"

"That girrrrrl's a LOGIA!" Tony jumped. "Leave her to me!" He discarded George and ran to BASH Suki's head with a Haki punch. She bounced along the ground as blood dripped, but with a firm expression, she was back on her feet and shooting icicles at the tiger. Crunch escaped from the ice and resumed chasing Miyuki, who slowed time to escape him faster.

MaKayla used Rewind on George, undoing his ball form and fixing his injuries plus chi-block. "AAH!" Her leg was caught in Sonny's beak as the bird bashed her back-and-forth against the pavement. Sonny released, and as Kayla flew across the air, the bird sped over and KICKED her away. MaKayla jumped out and shot Chrono Bullets from her staff, Sonny dodging and zipping at her again. "Za Wārudo!" Kayla Stopped time for the entire universe, aggressively bashing Sonny with her staff. "I don't have time for you. I've got to help these people!" When the Stop wore off, Sonny suffered the damage done to him, and Kayla quickly resumed repairing houses and healing people.

"Yicky yicky YEEHAW!" Lucky shot bullets in the air like a cowboy. "Yo chicky-chicky ain't NO WAY you gon' save all dese people! DON'T YOU run from ME, Chicky Mick!" He shot bullets at MaKayla to bind her feet, but Lucky realized it was a red clone created from a Time Recordance. MaKayla had gone in the other direction to fix houses, so Lucky chased her and shot Unlucky Charms. Her feet were binded again, but she became a green Time Clone, and the real MaKayla BASHED Lucky in the back of the head. The leprechaun bounced to recovery, running circles around her and shooting marshmallows, all of which she deflected with Rewind by twirling her staff, causing his guns to get clogged.

George slowed time to swiftly dodge Trix's punches, but the rabbit evaded his as well and threw a punch to George's stomach. Trix then leapt with legs around George's neck, choking the boy while punching his head. George struggled to pull the legs off, then he bit the right leg and was able to get Trix off him. "Ha ha—HO!" George fell into a pitfall and was caught in a net, and Trix jumped in and stamped George with his paws. The net sunk down and shot up, springing Trix skyward like a trampoline as he came down with a Screw Kick and doubled the damage for George.

Miyuki froze Crunch in time and kept trying to shoot his teeth with Chrono Beams, but they were immune to her strikes. "Grrr. How do you grow teeth that big?" Curious, she went to touch the frozen Crunch.

The short captain had his teeth ripped out as crewmen began to stick a massive pair of dentures into his mouth.

"So, you had your old teeth swapped out for these?!"

Crunch escaped from the Stop and replied, "Uh huh huh! These teeth came from the mouth of a Titan. But I still make sure to eat my vegetables." Crunch chomped shockwaves at the air behind Miyuki, biting off the bark of the treehouse. Miyuki gasped when the tree began to topple, so she threw her arms up to Rewind it. She succeeded in the act, but- "AAAAH!" nothing stopped Crunch from catching her legs.

"SISTER!" Suki shot icicles at the big-toothed pirate, but Tony grabbed her head and shoved her against the ground. Suki spread her ice to his arm and froze Tony's entire body afterward. She escaped and rolled upright to freeze Crunch's body, but failed to complete the act as Tony escaped the ice and smashed Suki with a Slam-dunk Attack.

"I wanna know who this girl is," Tony began, lifting the unconscious Suki by the arm, "but all that matters is, sheeeeeee's FOOD!" And he prepared to sink his hardened teeth into her neck.

"NO! NOT SUKI, PLEASE!" Miyuki cried.

"Yow, it seems we gotcho' chilly chonga." Lucky smirked, pointing his clogged gun at Suki. MaKayla turned to her with horror. "I'm thinkin' To-To be settin' ta eat 'er, Skeeter."

"What do you want, anyway?!" Kayla demanded.

"We want YOU!" Trix stated. "Queen Sherry demands your attendance, so you better share it with her!"

"The hell does she want me for?!"

"It ain't our bozo, we just came to go-go." Lucky replied. "So you wanna row-row, or it's a no-no?"

Kayla's heart raced with anxiety. With all odds against them, she saw only one way out of this. "Time Gate, OPEN!" She stamped the butt of the staff to the ground and unlocked Time Fury. "Massive Rewind!" A massive Time Bubble encased the entire town, and she began to repair the injuries of everyone in town.

"'ey, what's the jiz with this frizzy biz?!" Lucky asked.

"I've healed all the people you injured." MaKayla's Fury disappeared. "And mark my words, I can do a lot worse if you hurt us any more." Except every time I use Time Fury, I lose 5 years of my lifespan. "But since you need me so badly, then I'll go with you if you promise to leave this town alone. But if you hurt anyone else, I'll Fury Up and wipe you from existence."

"Yow, chilly out, Clicky Clock." Lucky raised hands in surrender. "We go all pacifist so y'all won't have a hissy-fit. A'ight boys, let go o' them missy fits."

"MaKayla, are you crazy?!" George shouted.

"Relax, George. At least I might be able to visit Lola and Terry this way. For now, just stay and help repair the houses."

The three could only watch as the Breakfast Club escorted her to their big-tired battleship. An elevator lowered from the hull, the six stepping on as they were lifted up to the ship. "And chi-blocked." Hisoka immediately stuck a sticker to the back of her head.

"Uh—HEY!" Kayla whipped around—Tony and Trix grabbed her by the arms.

"Open wide." Hisoka forced her mouth open and poured the vial of blood down her throat. Kayla choked and tried to spit it out… but in a moment, her blue eyes glowed pink.

"T…Terry…" MaKayla felt warm feelings from the thought of him. "Oh, Terry… I miss you, my darling…"

"It's working." Hisoka smirked. "She should be out of it for a while."

"Yo, dafaq you gonna ruin all MY hard work." Lucky stated. "Blast them boom-booms."

As the ship rolled across town, cannons fired furiously and destroyed hundreds of surrounding homes, the horrified operatives rushing to repair what little they could. That was when pink beams struck the houses and turned them into chocolate. "Buu no like when mean kids ruin Buu's friends' playtime." Majin Buu hovered above them, the operatives shock-ridden by his strange appearance. "Buu think you need time out in Buu's tummy! Bibidi Babidi BUU!" He cast a beam at George and turned him into a white lollipop.

"Suki!" Miyuki threw a gray Time Bomb at her sister, and Suki vanished in an instant. A second later, Buu turned her into a peppermint.

"Huh? Where did other girl go? Oh well. Buu eat her later." Buu picked up the timebenders and tossed them down his throat.

"Yo, Bibidi Bop, we ready to make a hole outta this fridge or what-what?" Lucky asked.

"Translation: is Buu ready to ditch Iceland? Buu says, 'Yes'!" And so, the Majin took to the sky. Once the Breakfast Club made up for their lost progress, they returned to space, the evening restless from the head-pounding boombox. (End song.)

When Miyuki had struck Suki just now, she turned her sister into a very tiny sperm, Rewinding her age to pre-birth. However, the effect wore off just a moment after they left. Suki shook her head of the feeling and stood up. "I can't believe I used to be a wormy in my mommy's tummy." She faced up at the ascending pirate ship. "Sister-chan…"

Sector LN Base

"Okay, I think I've made a pretty good rough draft for a magic show." Akko said as she showed each of her friends her notebook. "Now we only have a month to rehearse and make the greatest birthday ever!"

"W-Wait a second!" Lotte flushed after reading the script. "You want me to… sing?!"

"Well, yeah! Queen Sherry LOVES musicals! And you have the voice of an angel, Lotte."

"B-B-But I don't do so well in front of crowds… especially when I have a g-g-gun to my head." A waterfall of sweat trickled down her skin.

"Relax, we'll just give all the students guns and aim them at you to help us rehearse." Amanda joked.

"I've returned from Moonbase, everyone." Diana announced as she reentered the room.

"Diana? What were you doing on Moonbase?"

"I requested the Supreme Leaders to summon some operatives from the Gem KND in New Galaxia. Specifically, ones that could tell about Pink Diamond and her weaknesses, considering the queen is using it for her power source."

"And what did they say?" Lotte asked.

"Unfortunately… no one knew of any specific weaknesses Pink Diamond had. But it was rumored that all Gems who discovered this weakness were shattered, so they could never tell another soul. Furthermore… based on the Gem KND's investigations, several pale Rose Quartzes were discovered. Since Pink Diamond was an advanced Rose Quartz, it's possible that all those Gems were sacrificed and absorbed to restore power to the diamond, even though Pink Diamond's soul could not be recalled. And the original Rose Quartz that once absorbed Pink Diamond's essence never parted knowledge of the weakness unto anybody."

"So, the only way to actually damage Sherry is to be stronger than her." Amanda figured, recalling Akko's recap of the Bowser story. "Otherwise, she's invincible thanks to that Pink Diamond. Just like Pilaf said."

"It's true, I've seen it myself!" Pilaf insisted. "Grandma fought with her own commanders, she was shot by battleship cannons, and she didn't even get a scratch."

"No, but I do have a theory as to how she was revived." Diana mentioned. "Remember when I fought Gruntilda? Her soul tried to escape from her skull, but I was able to call it back using a magic inscription designed to contain spirits. It's possible that Queen Sherry was revived with the same spell. Likely put there by one of her crewmen. Unfortunately, if I can't see for myself how the inscription was conjured, I won't know how to properly undo it. If we only knew which member cast the spell, we could attempt to borrow their memories."

"I bet you anything it was that genie thing she was with." Amanda reminded.

"Maybe, but we can't be certain."

"Look, we can talk about this later." Akko stated impatiently. "We need to start rehearsing, Diana. I know it doesn't concern you as much because you won't be executed, but to the rest of us, it's a big deal!"

"How can you imply I—errgh!…" Diana pinched her nasal bridge. "Akko, I understand why you're passionate about this, but we have to assume the worst case scenario. The odds are heavily against us. Whether we can provide a good performance or not, we must be ready with a plan of escape. For that reason… I have asked that Sector SD be ready on standby to provide us backup."

"Wouldn't Sector V be a better option?" Amanda asked.

"I don't know if you know this, but Queen Sherry seems to disfavor Sector V. If we brought them to Sweetopia, the pirates would hold nothing back. Sector SD is the safer option in that regard. However, if it comes to an escape, Jasminka and I will have to fight, too, so the queen may punish us along with Luna Nova. It may be wise to have everyone evacuate regardless-"

"We can avoid ALL these problems if we just give her a good show!" Akko insisted. "Don't you guys think that maybe we're looking at this the wrong way? Everyone says Queen Sherry is an enemy, so obviously we're supposed to think that, too. But when I spoke to her, she didn't seem like a dangerous supervillain. She sounded like a real person with interests and feelings."

"Even the part about cutting our heads off?" Sucy asked.

"Grrrr, you threaten to cut my head off among other things all the time! ! I really think we can change everyone's impression of her when we give her this show. I think…I think she can be our friend."

"Akko, even today, her pirates continue to raid towns and even kill people. Regardless if she seems to favor you, she is a threat. All her crewmen are. And as Kids Next Door, it is our duty to collect as much information as we can. Because one way or another, we will have to destroy her, too."

"…Maybe we will… but it won't be now. Right now, Queen Sherry is my fan. And I'll give her a show or die trying. But if you guys don't want to be a part of it, maybe you'll be spared."

"… … … Of course I want to be a part of it." Diana said with a slight loss of breath.

"Me, too." Lotte cried, lifting her glasses so they don't get wet. "I could never forgive myself if I let you die because I wouldn't sing."

"I'm not scared of her." Amanda stated. "What about you, Jasminka?"

"I'll give it everything I have!"

"Yeah… we'll do it." Hannah nodded, Barbara agreeing. "Just tell us what you want us to do, Akko."

"Then our rehearsal officially begins!"

Mushroom World; Kongo Jungle

"Damn those Big Mom Pirates!" a Kremling cursed as he and his crewmates chased a tower of Golden Bananas. "WE called dibs on the Kongs' bananas LONG before they did!"

"Shut up and start shooting!" The crocodiles shot guns at the candy-made carriage.

"HO HO!" The guns were sliced by a bladed shield, which returned to its master. "If you wish to seize the Golden Bananas, you must first defeat me: General Tsao Chicken!" Their opponent was a humanoid chicken in purple samurai armor.

"Oi, we ain't gonna chicken away from a chicken!" The Kremlings charged at Tsao, but the chicken swiftly cut them down with a katana.

"I am no chicken, imbeciles. I am of the Rito Tribe, and I am the strongest Rito of all. WAAAH!"

At that instant, Tsao was severed in half by a blue lightsaber, wielded by a blonde-haired woman in white khaki shorts and a blue top. "Should've stayed in your egg, chicken!"

Kremling Krew Kombatant

NOAH HEART

"AR-HAR! THAT'S our Noah!" a Kremling cheered.

"Easy does it… eh?" However, when she looked down, Noah realized Tsao's body had dissolved into an egg yolk.

The yolk swelled up, and in an instant, Tsao BURST out and onto the branch of a tree, clothed like a ninja as he whirled nun-chucks. "Oh, but it is not over easy, because with the power of the Egg-Egg Fruit, General Tsao has been reborn anew."

"Dammit! Kremlings, go after the bananas, I'll deal with this ninja."

"Aye, Ma'am, he's all yours!" The Kremlings resumed their pursuit.

"COCKA-DOODLE-DOOOOOO!" cried General Tsao.

"COCKA-DOODLE-DOOOOOO!" Suddenly, the sky was filled with ordinary Cuccos! The airborne chickens swarmed the Kremlings, knocking them down and pecking them into the ground.

Tsao dropped down and lashed the nun-chucks, but Noah severed them with her lightsaber. Tsao drew kunai instead, using Haki to harden them as they clashed with the saber. Noah glanced at her crewmates and yelled, "Come on, they're just chickens, show them who's boss!"

"We're trying, but they are surprisingly effective!"

Tsao stabbed the kunai at Noah, but she flipped overhead and sliced him perfectly down the middle! Again, he morphed into an egg, so Noah furiously stabbed the yolk. The attack was ineffective as Tsao grew again, blowing Noah away as he popped out as a beefy sumo wrestler. "Ugh… enemies were never this annoying back in the old days." Noah sighed.

Sweetopia

"Yawn…" Terry awoke to the sound of a running faucet and determined that his sister was using the Sweet Soap bath. Since he had already taken a bath last night, he decided to get dressed for the day. "Sigh… only a month of living in Sweet Land to go."

"Hey, Terry!" His father knocked on his door. "Are you kids up yet, we got a surprise for you!"

With only the slightest curiosity as to what this could be, Terry answered the door. "GYUH-!"

He was staring at a mirror image of himself, but with slightly different clothes and yellow hair. "Are you my Negative or something?!"

"No, dude!" Bartie wrapped an arm around his neck. "I'm your dad! One of our cousins has age-reversing powers. We're KIDS again!"

"Yeah, but what sucks though is I can't smoke like this." Virginia said, lighting a candycane cigarette. When she tried to smoke it, her 10-year-old body coughed from the disgusting taste.

"Hey, Terry, whatchu doing?" Lola asked, having come out of the bathroom. "WHAT THE FRICK?!" she yelped at the sight of their parents. "It's US, except we switched hair colors!"

"Guess again!" Lala glomped them from behind. She was now an 8-year-old girl in a flower dress. "With Pilaf's help, I can finally grow up with my brother and his girlfriend!"

"This is… so weird…" Lola said.

"Whoever this Pilaf is, I'm guessing he's a timebender." Terry figured.

"Well, shoot, we can just ask Miyuki to do this if we want to."

"Who's Miyuki?" Bartie asked.

"Miyuki. You know, our teammate. The gloomy chick?"

"First time we've heard of her." Ginny replied.

"You're…You're joking, right?" Terry failed to see the humor in this joke.

Lola gasped. "What if Miyuki was turned into a toy by Sugar?! Just like Cheren was!"

"But then we would forget her, too."

"Oh, yeah. …Didn't really understand how her power worked, to be honest."

"What're you talking about now?" Ginny asked.

"You remember that green-haired girl who could turn people into toys?" Terry asked. "Then she grew from 10 to 23 in one month?"

"Is that from a show or something?"

"N-No, it…it really happened."

"Bzzzzrbt!" An Ancient Robot from Planet Secco rolled up to them. "Lady Lala! The Broodals have come. They want to speak to the guests, szzzichor."

"Oh! We better go see what this is." Lala said, racing down the hall as fast as her little legs could.

As her family followed her, Pilaf, Shu, and Mai peeked out from another room. Pilaf's two assistants were remarkably older than they were before. "Eh heh heh heh. It looks like it's working." Pilaf smirked. "Normally, Lala's memory-wiping powers become nullified when something sparks the lost memories inside her victims. But when she uses them on people that I've age-regressed, the effect grows stronger. After all, if you never knew certain people when you were kids, you won't remember them. Even after they turn back into adults."

"But if Lala gets knocked out or something, the spell will wear off either way." Shu said worriedly.

"Not if you keep your mouth shut! Besides, I'm sure Grandma has a backup plan just in case that happens."

As the Storks followed Lala, Terry's shadow flew ahead and examined her face. Tael could detect the faintest hint of doubt and regret within her three eyes. He never really sensed that before—but then again, emotions were a lot easier to see on a child's face than an adult's.

When they arrived at the front entrance, Lala stood on her tippy-toes to answer the door. "Ah, hello Minister… Lala?" The Broodal, Topper cocked a brow at her young appearance. The other Broodals were behind him. "Ahem… we've been sent by Great Grandma. She wants to speak to the boy."

Lala glanced behind at her brother and her nephew. "Ugh, she means the brown-haired boy!" Harriet stated.

"What the hell does she want me for?!" Terry asked.

"Don't ask questions! Just come with us!" Topper demanded, his heart racing in fear.

"Does she have to right now?" Lala asked sadly. "I was hoping to spend a nice, fun day with the family."

"We'll bring him right back afterwards. Just let us get this over with."

Terry fixed a glare on them. "Only if they can come with me."

"Only you. Grandma wants to give you something special."

Terry glanced at his sister. She felt equally as suspicious as he did. "Fine. Then let's get it over with."

Terry joined the Broodals aboard the Bridal Barge. Just as he did with Lala, Tael could see the fear in the rabbits' eyes as well.

Meatropolis

"I feel like I might be overy-acting," the Butcher opened his heart to the customer, "but I feel like the boss doesn't take me seriously. Maybe it's 'cause of the way I mispronce words. But it's not my fault, honest." He pronounced the 'H' in that word. "I mean, you know what I mean?"

"Oh, Gramma understands." Gramma Stuffum replied understandingly. "Zere are things Gramma is not good at herself. Like making a little boy swell with haggis intestines."

"Well, at least someone in the family understands." Butcher smiled. "I just wish I could help my crew more. But no matter what, I get my butt kicked. Ham-alanch, Salami Slam, Chicken Pot Pow." He formed meat that represented the attacks. "But it never works, and General Tsao starts calling me names."

"You ever feel like zis is maybe not ze right line of work for you?"

"Mmm… maybe a little…"

Unfortunately, their conversation was making the line of customers angry. "Well, it looks like we won't be eating there." Lola figured, the family riding a Lakitu cloud. "Why can't we go to the Breakfast Backstreets?"

"Because that's the Breakfast Club's turf." Lala answered. "Even family members are scared of them. They might not kill you, but you won't feel the same after an encounter with them."

Bartie cocked a brow. Seeing the hint of upset on his sister's face brought back memories. "Speaking of not feeling the same, you don't look so good, Lala. Are you tired or something?"

"Nope!" Lala beamed. "Just… got a lot on my mind. What, with being married to a guy that doesn't like me. You think Jack would find it weird, seeing me like this?"

"Nah, Jack is kind of a child himself deep down." Ginny shrugged. "Still, if you two don't get used to each other, nothing wrong with a long-distance marriage."

"Hm hm hm… if only we all had that luxury…"

Whole Cake Chateau

When the ship landed at the start of the bridge, the Broodals walked with Terry to the castle gates. The fear in their hearts grew with every step that brought them closer to the Breakfast Club at the entrance. "Ahem… w-w-w-we've brought the boy." Harriet stuttered.

"Yaw, that's diggeh dog, ya chickety ribbity." Lucky replied, flashing gold teeth as always.

"Ehm… what?"

"HE SAID 'THANK YOU FOR BRINGING HIM, YOU DUMB RABBIT'!" Trix shouted.

"OKAY, I'M SORRY! P-Please!"

"Nah, it's chilly-willy, Hairy Berry." Lucky came and put an arm around Terry. "We take the trubuh from here, bruduh. Sniiiiiiiifffff…" He decided to press his nose into Topper's head, the lead Broodal shaking in his fur. "Ah always liked you da best, Timmeh Turndog."

And with that, the Breakfast Club escorted Terry into the castle. It was clear the Broodals were merely afraid of this group, but Terry felt they were the least of his worries now. What scared him more, for some reason, was the pudgy pink marshmallow that waited before Grandma's throne. "Hi, Cousin Terry. Grandma will be happy to see you. Buu know you be happy to see this. Aaaaaa…"

The Majin opened his mouth like a vortex and- "AAAAAH!" swallowed Terry in one great gulp. He miraculously seemed to shrink as he slid all the way down to Buu's stomach. "!!" His face going pale, George King and Miyuki Crystal were encased in red cocoons. "G…Guys?!"

"POO!" And Terry went flying out of the Majin's air holes, poofing back to normal size in a blink. "YOU! What've you done to them?!"

"Don't be scared, Terry." Buu replied sweetly. "Buu let friends live if Terry do what Grandma says."

"Huh huh, don't keep her waiting." Captain Crunch pushed open the giant door.

Feeling as if an unseen force were controlling him, Terry walked into the throne room. Still guarding the chamber, Roger the Alien would listen intently.

Throne Room

"A beautiful magic show… a fantastic side-dish to come with my holy Family Cake." A pink cake of Psychic Chi drifted above the queen, with Akko's little likeness swirling around it. "It will be like eating TWO heavenly meals for the price of one!"

"Yes, yes… I'm sure it will be a very wonderful show."

"Speaking of which, Goomnut." Sherry fixed a malicious glare on her little mushroom "It seems that you don't enjoy the young witch's company. Mark my words, I will know if you use your power to disrupt the show. And if you do… I will squash you FIRST!"

"Eh-!" The minister flushed red. "No, I would never do such a thing, Your Highness!" Drat, that's exactly what I planned to do. Perhaps Her Majesty DOES have a plan… at least, I would like to hope that's the case.

The creaking doors echoed, letting light into the dark room. A giant table divided Terry from Great Grandma, but stairs were available to bring the boy up to her. "You've arrived, my grandson." Taking the cue, Goomnut took his leave, the door sealing the room. "Please, have a cup of cocoa." Two humanoid kids with cupheads offered Terry to drink from them via straws.

Terry pushed the Cupheads down and marched closer. "Why have you captured my friends?!"

"Terry… why don't we stop playing this game of pretend and cut to the facts?" Sherry rose to full height and approached her descendant imposingly. "I know you aren't just here to fulfill the conditions of my invitation. You're here on KND duty to spy on me. And I'm sure there are other operatives related to me that have flocked to my planet. I don't really care about them. You, however… I have a very good feeling about you."

"Wait a minute…" Realization dawned on him. "My parents didn't remember our friends… It was Lala! You made Lala DO something, DIDN'T YOU?!"

"My sweet Lala only wishes to relive the childhood that she lost with her brother. She could have easily returned to you after Charlotte's defeat… but instead, she chose to live in peace with the rest of her family. And she wants that for the rest of you. To forget the troubles of your old home life, the burdens of the KND, and live with your sweet grandma. So you see, Terry… you are not visiting Sweetopia. You are moving here."

"The HELL I will! I'll beat the shit out of that marshmallow, take my friends, and get the hell out of here!"

"Poor, sweet grandson…" Sherry softly stroked Terry's chin with her giant finger. "I know change isn't an easy thing to grasp… but you'll find it might be better than you think. After all, 5,000 years in the Spirit World have given me plenty of time to catch up on things… and nothing has captured my heart more than fairytales." She stepped around the table that her descendant was on. Prometheus and Zeus loomed overhead imposingly.

I admit that in the past, I've been a nasty

When the candy wouldn't come, I'd flip a switch! *snaps fingers, and a flicker of pink psychic*

I'd get hungry, I'd get mad

Killed some pirates, they were sad

Slaughtered hundreds, maybe thousands

That was it! True? Yes…

But since then, I tried to be a little better…

Married off and had some children of my own *brushes her hand over the air, forming pink figures that represented numerous races*

And those children married off

To my in-laws, big and strong *those figures branched off into hundreds of descendants*

Now my family's huge and my crew has really grown

PATHETIC! *she swiped the family tree away*

POOR unfortunate souls! *she stomps around the table behind Terry*

In pain… in need… *she lowers her face beside Terry, her expression mock sadness*

This one wants to be a flower, this one wants to be a cloud *figures form in her palms*

And do I help them? *she snaps, and they transform into those shapes* Yes indeed!

Sherry grabbed Terry and carried him around.

Those poor unfortunate souls

So sad… So true… *pink figures spawn around the floor, bowing to the queen*

They come flocking to my planet, saying

"Shelter, Grandma, please!"

And I help them? *snaps fingers, and all the figures have lollipops* Yes, I do!

Sherry set Terry back on the table, close to the Cupheads.

Now, it's happened once or twice *draws a cake knife from her cleavage*

Someone couldn't "Leave or Life" *the Cupheads panic and try to run*

And I'm afraid I had to see their heads would roll… *she swings the knife and beheads the Cupheads, Terry horrified*

Sure, you might just lose a limb! *shrugs, and then her face turns grim*

Or you MIGHT end UP like HIM! *she whips Augustus's mask out of her cleavage*

And those POOR unfortunate SOOOOUUUULS…

Sherry marched over to a bowl of cookies, donuts, and cupcakes, trembling before her towering presence. She grabs a handful and throws them in her mouth as she sits down. "Ah ha ha ha ha! Ma ma ma ma! But that's enough about me! Let's talk about YOU for a second… Someone important is here to see you." She reached into a giant present, grabbed something, and plopped it down beside Terry.

"M…MaKayla?" It certainly seemed like his friend, only her eyes were brimming pink as opposed to blue.

"She's a little inebriated. Must've been something in her drink." Sherry's rotten teeth grinned.

"Mmmmm…" MaKayla hugged Terry and began softly kissing him. "Terry . . . I never realized how good you taste…"

"W…What did you do to her?!"

"I gave her a taste of the family blood. Or should I say… yours." Terry was royally repulsed by this statement. "MMMMA MA MA! Can you imagine my luck that one of my descendants would be friends with the Keeper of the Great Clock? Now, once the two of you are married, we will have power over TIME as well!"

"Y-You can't be serious! E-Even if I did like MaKayla… I couldn't use her for that!"

"Oh, I think you will. You see, I've gone easy on the Kids Next Door until now." She grabbed another handful of sweets. "But if you refuse to cooperate… I will show them NO MERCY!" She crushed the sweets as their little souls flew out. "Starting with your amoeba-sized friends."

"B-But, we aren't even old enough!"

"Yes, on YOUR planet, maybe. But on MY planet, I can marry off whoever I please! I can wed children to adults, an infant to a cucumber! On Sweetopia, there are no barriers between true love!"

"That's… DISGUSTING! MaKayla, snap out of it!" Terry slapped the brainwashed girl, but her infatuation for him was unaffected.

"Ma ma ma! Come on, boy, why do you protest? All my other children are married to people they don't even know, yet YOU'RE lucky enough to marry the one you love! The two of you will be living a life of luxury!"

"But, I-"

"YOU'LL HAVE YOUR WIFE!" Terry was startled by her sudden shout. "Your cooks and maids!" She walked away, swaying her rear. "And DON'T underestimate the powers… of BODY LANGUAGE!" She whipped around, jiggling her breasts. "HA!"

The women here don't like a lot of blabber!

They think a guy with looks is quite the prize! *she pressed Terry and Kayla together*

Terry tried to speak to her, but Sherry stuck a beignet in his mouth.

See, in here it's much preferred

For men to never say a word

And if they do, then I might cook them into pies! *Prometheus burned a giant pie as souls flew out of it*

I'm not all that impressed by your lame teammates!

An albino and that white-haired emo FREAK!

See, our Sweet Gene is the key

To delicious victory

Or else, IT'S A KND KILLING SPREE! *psychic treehouses formed, and they burst into flame*

Prometheus ignited and highlighted Sherry's form while Zeus rumbled with thunder.

COME ON, YOU

Poor unfortunate soul!

GO AHEAD! Take your wife! *she forced the two to hug*

I'm a very busy pirate, and I haven't got all day

It won't cost much…

JUST YOUR LIFE! *she slammed the table and made them bounce*

You POOR UNFORTUNATE SOUL!

It's sad… but true!

If you want to leave my planet, though

You have to pay a toll *she pulled out a roulette wheel and spun it*

Give an arm, or a leg, or else YOUR ASS can take a stroll!

ZEUS! PROMETHEUS! Now I got him boys

Big MOM is ON a ROOOOOLL!

Terry was too afraid to let go of Kayla, glancing up at the wicked woman. Pink flames ignited as she sung her last notes.

You POOR! UN! FORTUNAAAAATE! SOOOOOUUUUULLLL!

The screen grew darker as her insane expression moved in. Only her cake-covered laughing teeth were visible. "MMMMA MA MAAAAAA!"

Party Plaza; February 15

A few miles behind Whole Cake Chateau, a great long bridge stretched across the juicy sea to a secluded island cake. For most of the year, it was empty and lonely, but on this very special day, it was packed with family, friends, and any lucky citizens who could afford to attend. On this one day a year, this Party Plaza was broadcast for all the worlds to see.

"Good morning, people of the universe. Today marks a very special occasion on the Food Planet of Sweetopia, as people from all over gather to celebrate Grandma's Day!"

"That's right, Lynda. Due to the recent and possibly ungodly resurrection of Queen Sherbet Linlin, the Sweetians rejoice as they honor their Grandma on her long-awaited 66th birthday. Our president, Big Bird, has been fortunate enough to receive an invitation to the event. And judging by his annoying singing, he seems to be having one hell of a time."

BIG NEWWWWWS!

My savior has arrived

My intuition's never been so stroooong!

A river of people were flowing across the bridge and flooding into the party grounds. Giant sentient fountain cups were pouring waterfalls of tea and juice, allowing attendees to fill as much as they pleased. Big Bird gleefully danced with camera in hand, his Muppet friends dancing to the rhythm.

BIG NEWWWWWS!

My career has been revived

All I needed was Big Mama's

Invitation all along

Take a party-loving Yonko

Add flare from some witches

An undead Pumpkin King

And his three-eyed fiancée!

Lala's arm was wrapped around Jack's, the king not bothering to look her in the eye as they showed the guard their invitations. Akko happily skipped up next and presented her card, the Nine Witches cloaked in white garbs.

And big neeewwwwws

REAL BIG NEWS

That poor sucker saved the daaaaaay

And down beneath the island dwelled a secret kitchen with a massive oven. Tonio Trussardi and his chefs were hard at work with the final touches of his masterpiece. "Soft and fluffy~ Moist and fluffy~" Tonio sang with an operatic voice. "Life… There's no such thing!" The Rainbow Lollipop, Magic Caramels, Licorice Stalks, Fourth Flavor, and other marvelous wonders were lost within dough and flour. "A life of torment, the taste of tears~ (A pinch of salt) Tears of mortification~ (A tablespoonful)

"If that's how it is, at least for your dessert!" The finished cake towered like an idol, and murals were created from the icing. "Don't you want some sweet cake?" Tonio stuffed the leftover dough into the mouths of his chefs.

"O TONIO~" They bowed to him like a demigod.

King Mickey Mouse watched the party from the safety of his castle, paying especially close attention to Akko. He felt just as excited for what she could pass for a magic show.

And at Luna Nova, everyone amassed in the auditorium, praying with all prayer that their classmates would survive. "I can't believe Akko gets to be on Intergalactic News." Wangari said in envy.

"Oi, is that the only thing you care about? You loco." Verde remarked.

"At least if she screws up, we know they won't take it out on the school." Teresa mentioned.

"Don't say such a thing!" Finnelan stated. "This affects ALL of us! And even so, those nine deserve our support!"

"Please come home safely, Akko…" Molly McIntyre spoke in a very low whisper. The dark-skinned witch still longed to repay the debt she owed to Akko.

"We believe in you…" Ursula said, her heart racing with every minute before the show.

"Soft and fluffy…" Mr. Jelly, Cuppa Joe, and their Brotherhood friends stepped into the party with calm auras. "Moist and fluffy…" Queen Sherry was descending from the sky on Zeus.

"Ahh, my little witches are here." Sherry beamed. "I can feel it, Minister… this is going to be a WONDERFUL day for me!"