A/N: ok i'm really sorry to disciple of ember who wanted a happy mary ending for making you wait this long. y'know of course you think "happy mary ending" and your thoughts immediately jump to this ending, or at least i would imagine they would. anywho, that's why i didn't write this ending; it was the expected thing. i wanted to come up with something else that wasn't together, forever, but after a few months of no ideas and even less time to actually sit down and think about it, i decided what the heck i'll do it. i *will* still be thinking about something else to write for a happy mary though.
Mary was crouched behind a sculpture, waiting. Specifically, she was waiting for Ib to come around the corner. After destroying Garry's rose, she'd immediately come running to the "Fabricated World" painting in the dark gallery. She'd wanted to go ahead and jump through it and leave, but something stopped her. She had a feeling she needed to wait and make sure that Ib actually got out first. After all, she wanted to grow up with Ib; what would be the point of leaving if, say, Ib got lost and never made it out? Better safe than sorry, at least.
Her heartbeat sped up as she heard footsteps echoing in the stairwell, and she bit her lip to keep in excited giggles as Ib rounded the corner. She ducked down to avoid being seen, and waited as the footsteps went past her. She slowly peeked back up, and when the coast was clear, hopped over the rope circling the exhibit she'd been hiding in and walked slowly to the corner the painting was around. She poked her head out from behind it just in time to see Ib climb into the painting. Now there was no lip biting; she laughed out loud as she ran to the painting.
This was it. This was really it. She'd finally get out of this dark place she'd always called home and be somewhere that was always bright and happy and lovely and she was going to experience it all with Ib. She took a step back before running and leaping into the canvas, shutting her eyes tight as everything around her went white.
Mary realized she had stopped falling. She opened her eyes to see she was standing in front of the painting, but it had completely changed. Instead of depicting the world she'd always wanted to be in, it showed the world she'd always been in. She looked around excitedly, taking in everything. The bright lights, the people walking around, some in couples, some in groups, and some by themselves, the low level of chatter, the soft music playing, the light colors, everything.
She took a few hesitant steps away from the painting, as if she wasn't sure this was actually real. That she'd actually made it out. But the steps became slightly faster and more confident as nothing changed. She made her way through the small crowds, getting a few interesting looks, and headed down the stairs. She wanted out. She wanted to see what the outside was like so badly. But as she entered the lobby, something stopped her. Two somethings.
Ib's parents.
Or they weren't just Ib's parents anymore, were they? They were hers now, too. Her course changed from heading towards the doors to heading towards the couple, and Ib's mother -her mother- happened to turn and see Mary coming, and she smiled at her. Mary couldn't help but light up at the sight; she looked so pretty!
"Hello, Mary. Are you enjoying the gallery so far?" her mother asked. Mary could only nod in response as her mind blanked. This was the moment she'd always dreamed of: meeting parents. Ib's- no, her- father had turned towards her as well, a playful gleam in his eyes as he spoke.
"See, I told you that you'd like it; Miss 'art-galleries-are-too-boring'." Her mother lightly slapped his arm, but she was grinning at it, too. Mary looked down in surprise as her stomach rumbled. She started to speak, but stopped when she realized she'd get to say a word she'd always wanted to. She looked back up happily as she said a phrase she'd never said before.
"Hey, mommy! What's for dinner tonight?"
Her father lightly scoffed and shook his head as her mother spoke. "Come, now, Mary… talking about dinner already?"
She blushed a little, slightly embarrassed, before replying, "Well, it's 'cause I'm hungry!" She glanced around to see Ib making her way down the stairs. "…Ah!" She ran over to her and took her hand with a smile. "Welcome back!" She and Ib walked to their parents together. "Hey, I found Ib!" she called out.
Their mother looked at Ib with an almost relieved smile. Had they been looking for her maybe? "My word, Ib! Where did you get to?" Her expression hardened a bit, but there was still that caring warmth in it. "Your mother wanted to go see the exhibits with you…"
Their father shrugged with a relaxed smile. "Hey, it's all right. Maybe Ib just wanted to see the exhibits by herself in peace!"
Mary nodded and glanced at Ib. "Yeah! That's it, huh, Ib?" Ib hesitated for a moment, then nodded as well while their father spoke again.
"…Well, in any case. We should get going soon. Mary's feeling hungry already, it would seem."
Their mother consented. "Yes, and your mother's feeling a bit parched. Let's see if we can find a café."
Mary almost jumped in place. "Yaaay! Café! Café!" She faced Ib, who was staring off into space, looking as if she was concentrating on something. After following her line of sight to see that she wasn't looking at anything, she took her hand, which got her attention. "Ib, hear that? A café! I can't wait to see what they have!"
"Okay, let's go!"
Mary squeezed Ib's hand. "Yeah!"
As the four sat around a table in the small café they'd found, they discussed the day.
"The Guertena exhibition was quite something…" her mother sighed.
"Yep…" their father agreed. "I bet Ib and Mary learned a lot from it too, huh?"
Mary nodded as she grabbed another macaron. "Yeah, it was the best! Right, Ib?" When she got no response, she turned to see Ib staring at something in her hand. It was a piece of lemon candy. Her eyes widened as she remembered Ib telling her about Garry giving it to her earlier. She froze for a moment, before quickly reaching out and taking it, putting on a cheery demeanor. "Ooh, candy! Gimme!" Before Ib could even react, she'd popped it in her mouth. After a second, she decided she liked lemon. "Teehee… tasty!" She glanced up to see that their parents hadn't noticed; they were talking about something else quietly to each other. A moment passed and a thought struck her. "…Hey Ib. What do you wanna play when we get home?" A smile made its way across her face. "Ooh, I'm getting excited just thinking about it!" She turned back to Ib. "Promise me, from now on… We'll always be together, Ib!" Ib took a moment before softly smiling back.
"Okay."
Mary munched happily on the macaron. This was gonna be so great! She'd get to play with Ib for as long as she wanted, she'd get to share secrets with her, she'd get to be best friends with her, she'd get to grow up with her, and there was no Garry to stop her.
To her, it was the perfect ending.
