This is the story of one bird, and how she saved the world.

After the demise of those plumbers, things proceeded in a surprisingly normal fashion. The old monarchy vanished, needless to say, along with her toad empire. Turtles that had previously hid in the shadows rose up to take their places. A prosperous new city was created.

Everything was great. For a while.

It started in low places. Rivers, jungles, and even windy deserts all began to experience strange happenings. You could tell an area was infected by a greenish tinge in the air, accompanied by the faint smell of dying flowers. Many creatures perished gruesomely, but those who survived were cursed — or perhaps rewarded — with strange abilities.

That's when it began its spread to more populated areas. The turtles, wealthy and powerful and blind to the suffering of those they deemed weak, were caught completely off guard when mountains of green smoke rushed toward their cities. They hadn't given it much thought before, when it didn't concern them, but now it all made too much sense: the plumbers rigged the pipes.

It was game over for the turtles.

But not for everyone.

Down, in deep dark waters, a lone survivor swims. She has to flap her fins three times as fast as other fish her age just to stay elevated. Her friends call her Flappy because of this, a nickname that she has embraced full-heartedly.

Well, they used to call her Flappy. Now they call her nothing.

For the past several hours, Flappy had been determinedly flapping toward a light in the distance. The light had been there for as long as she could remember, a mere glimmer so many miles above her home. Her dad used to tell her stories of mysterious animals that live in that light. Those stories are all she has now.

The light had been growing steadily larger and brighter without her even noticing, but now she sees. While before it was a just white speck in a sea of black, it is now a spectrum of colors. Predominantly, green.

She continues flapping and flapping, never moving her eyes from that patch of light. It is getting so close, she can see little bubbles on its surface. Soon, it seems to encompass her entirely.

And then, in a splash, it is behind her. And she keeps flapping and moving upward, powered by some force she can't explain. The world is no longer cold and dark, but warm and vibrant. And green.

Flappy soars through flumes of toxic gas, and she is reminded of the day her home was attacked. The day the harmless lime-colored pipe so many families had built their homes around suddenly emitted deadly toxins, sparing her alone.

There is no scarcity of pipes on the surface, either. Whole rows of them line the ground, leading to some far-off place. Somehow, Flappy knows that a single touch from one of those things will kill her. She flies way high up, trying to see where they ended, if ever.

In the distance, she does spot the outline of a secluded building where the pipes lead. Most likely, the source of the gas. It's not much to go on, but it is her only hope of stopping this disaster.

With the dead city at her back, she begins her journey.