The sunflowers were huddled around Shadow Flower, doing their best to heal her from her severe injuries. They found the task to be easy, utilizing their enhanced Heal Beams and Heal Flowers to quickly bring Shadow Flower back to health. Even though Shadow Flower had missed out on a Solar Therapy session due to her mission, she was a naturally resilient sunflower that shrugged off most of her injuries. After Fire Flower wrapped the last bandages around her wounds, Shadow Flower sat up, grateful for her friends' medical expertise.

"Feeling better now Shadow?" Sunflower asked.

"Much better. But I could have slept it off too." Shadow Flower cheekily replied.

"Shadow! Just be glad you're alive!" Sunflower giggled at Shadow Flower's response.

"Anyway, check out that folder I got. There's precious intel to be had with that one!" Shadow Flower said, pointing to the folder Sunflower was holding onto.

Sunflower opened up the folder, revealing sketch work of a large machine, a magnet, the moon, and for some reason, a brain. The documents appeared to be plans to build a weapon of some sort, but were confusing and incomplete.

"Shadow, this is all there is? I can't make heads or tails of these papers." Sunflower said, straining to comprehend the incoherent documents.

"From what I could tell when I looked at the plans, Dr. Zomboss is building a giant magnet weapon, for no other purpose than to magnetize the moon closer to the planet, potentially with devastating consequences." Shadow Flower explained.

"…why would Zomboss want to magnetize the moon to destroy the Earth? What would that accomplish?" Sun Pharaoh asked, ridiculing Shadow Flower's hypothesis.

"Well…you have me there." Shadow Flower shrugged and replied.

"Shadow, you could have died out there, and these documents don't even give us enough to work with…" Sunflower said to Shadow Flower.

"At least give me credit for finding something. I'm sure I'm onto something with these plans, I just need to find the remaining pieces, to complete the puzzle." Shadow Flower reassured the sunflowers.

"Well, for now you shouldn't go anywhere. You've been through enough trouble for today, wouldn't you agree?" Sunflower said.

"Don't worry, I've had quite enough of Zombies for one day. So I guess that means we're ready to go?" Shadow Flower stated.

"Absolutely!" Sunflower responded.


Crazy Dave had powered up the RV carrier to transport all the Plants back home. The carrier was modified to be large enough to house even Penny. Crazy Dave hopped into the driver seat while Penny and the Plants stepped into the back of the carrier. Agent Pea, Law Pea, and Commando Pea sat across from Peashooter and Sunflower, who were tightly snuggled together. Chomper and Cactus were seated beside Sunflower and Peashooter, respectively. Marigold, placed on a stretcher, was moved to the back of the carrier for her comfort and safety. After every Plant had gotten into the carrier, Crazy Dave called back to them:

"You coming?"

"Of course, User Dave." Penny called back.

"Here we go! Yahoo!" Crazy Dave hollered.

The carrier lifted off the ground and began rising higher and higher into the sky. At the right altitude, it sped quickly through the sky with a blur, leaving Zomburbia behind it. If only for a week, the Plants would be free from fighting the Zombies. Any chance they could have, they gladly appreciated.


Crazy Dave landed the carrier onto the garden of the "Backyard Battleground", a nickname for the small town occupied by both Plants and Zombies. The Backyard Battleground was far less of a battleground than the name would imply, as the town was primarily occupied by only Weeds and Browncoats. So while there was fighting occurring, it was on a much smaller scale than in places like Zomburbia. Therefore, the Plants were relatively safe so long as they stayed within their boundaries. Crazy Dave opened the back of the carrier to let Penny and the Plants exit it. Chomper, Cactus, Peashooter and Sunflower stretched and basked in the bright sun. Chomper enjoyed the sunlight so much that he decided to sunbathe, falling asleep as the sun warmed him. Marigold too, was enjoying the sunlight, which served to subside some of her sickness. Fire Flower immediately ran off to relax in her room, while Sun Pharaoh went to her room to sleep. Agent Pea, Law Pea, and Commando Pea stuck around Peashooter and Sunflower, wishing to keep them company. Crazy Dave and Penny went into Crazy Dave's garage to work on another machine. Everyone was very happy to be home after fighting in Zomburbia for so long.

Cactus saw Andy the Armadillo crawling over to her from the tomato garden, instantly running up to him on impulse.

"Andy!" Cactus joyfully cried out, picking Andy up and pecking him on the forehead before falling backward onto the grass and hugging him tightly.

"I missed you so much, cutie! Let's play roly-poly, ok!" Cactus chirped.

Andy complied, curling into a tight ball while Cactus lay on her belly and pushed him around. It was the couple's favorite silly thing to do together. Sunflower and Peashooter giggled at the two, enjoying it as much as they were. Marigold, while unable to giggle or laugh, simply smiled at the couple, happy to be in a more familiar place.


Crazy Dave and Penny were busy building a machine in the garage. Penny referred to it as a "Temporal Teleporter", but Crazy Dave referred to it as a "Timey-Wabby-Wo Twiddydinkie". The machine would be capable of transporting individuals across time and space without the need for a time travelling vehicle like Penny. They would simply set the spacial coordinates and the temporal coordinates and then step through, transporting them to their desired place and time. Crazy Dave was finalizing his part of the work, a small round object that functioned as a probe to be sent through the portal once it was finished. The device was supposed to be immune to temporal abnormalities such as lag, displacement, acceleration, and other things that were beyond Crazy Dave's understanding, but basic concepts to Penny. This device would be sent through the portal as a test to make sure it would not cause any harm to its users and to make sure it could efficiently branch between two points in time and space.

"I hope you are working hard on the Chronal Immunity Core, User Dave." Penny said to Crazy Dave.

"You mean this jawbreaker? It's pretty hard to chew." Crazy Dave said, clutching the core in his teeth.

"User Dave, please refrain from consuming the metal object. We require it for the use of the portal." Penny said firmly.

"You're so smart Penny! You always know what to do." Crazy Dave replied, taking the core out of his mouth.

"I have obtained a temporal signal from our new mercenaries, User Dave. Would you like to speak with them?" Penny asked, bringing up a small screen for Crazy Dave to see.

This chronal communicator was a prototype device, so it could only transmit sound and visualize it to communicate inflections and pitch.

"Sure thing, but first things first…" Crazy Dave said.

Crazy Dave took out his smartphone from his pocket and called a currently recruited mercenary. His name was Kernel Corn, mostly referred to as simply Kernel or Colonel. During the Zombie war, he had been fighting overseas in Europe and Asia. When the Zombies began overtaking major cities such as Suburbia, Crazy Dave ordered him to return home as quickly as possible to assist in fighting for the homeland, to which he obeyed without hesitance.

"Heya Kernel! How soon are you gonna be home?" Crazy Dave asked Kernel through the phone.

"Only a few minutes more, sir! It feels great to be home again!" Kernel responded.

"The other two mercenaries are awaiting your contact, User Dave." Penny spoke up.

"Heya Rose! Ready to take a ride on the Timey Train?" Crazy Dave asked Rose through the temporal communicator.

"That's a wonderful idea! Just say when, and I'll be there in an instant." Rose said in a silky voice.

"Heya Citron. Ready for a history lesson?" Crazy Dave asked Citron through the communicator.

"I've got my history major baby! But I'm more than ready to roll out!" Citron said, his voice exuding sheer confidence and spunk.

"Just give us a little longer, and you'll be eating present day tacos and fighting Zombies in no time!" Crazy Dave chirped.

"We anticipate your arrival, good mercenaries." Penny said.


Fire Flower was lying in her bed, exhausted from fighting Zombies in Zomburbia. Her room was moderately spacious, accommodating for the extensive collection of personal belongings strewn about, including comic books, video games, ribbons she couldn't be bothered to wear, and dresses she couldn't be bothered to wear. Most prominently, Fire Flower had framed pictures of her parents hung in many places on her walls, along with one frame sitting upon her nightstand. This was the last picture the family ever took, on the fateful day that Fire Pea and Solara went off to war for the last time. Fire Flower kept this picture on her nightstand as a source of comfort, a method of preserving her parents' likeness, and an outlet for her to communicate with her parents in a spiritual way.

Fire Flower decided to talk to her girlfriend on Grapevine one last time before going to bed. She pulled out her smartphone and took a picture of herself lying in bed, looking quite tired.

Blazechick posted a status update

Blazechick: Sleepy Selfie! Gonna crash in like 5 sec

Stuffleupagus: SQUEE! You look so cute when you're sleepy! I just want to cuddle up with you right now! (* ‿* )

Blazechick: heh, I'm sure ya do. Do you wanna vid chat? ;)

Stuffleupagus: Ok!

Fire Flower opened the video tab of Grapevine and selected "Stuffleupagus" to chat. The chat screen opened up, played a short loading animation, and revealed Stuffleupagus's face.

Her real name was Stuffy Flower, and she was a happy, colorful girl. She was a bizarre specimen of botany, as she was a sunflower made entirely from fabric and cotton stuffing, hence her name. She closely resembled a stuffed animal toy, as she had buttons for eyes, patches on her body and petals, and a string on her back that can be pulled to produce a music box tune. When Fire Flower and Stuffy Flower met each other through Grapevine and exchanged texts and pictures, the two became romantically interested in each other. Often, the two would awkwardly flirt through Grapevine, always resulting in giggles. Even if their relationship only existed within the technological strings of their smartphones and the internet, Fire Flower and Stuffy Flower felt a strong emotional connection.

"Well, uh…I said I wanted to chat, but I'm…at a loss for words." Fire Flower said.

"Is it my snuggly face? It's my snuggly face, right?" Stuffy Flower giggled.

"God, you're so girly!" Fire Flower remarked, smiling due to how cute Stuffy Flower was acting.

"You love it don't you?" Stuffy Flower said.

"Yeah, but I mean, seriously. You spit rainbows, you like pink cotton candy and strawberry ice cream, and you act like everything is huggable. It is physically impossible for you to be any girlier." Fire Flower jokingly ranted.

"I have a pet Unicorn Chomper!" Stuffy Flower chimed.

"I stand corrected." Fire Flower responded.

The two burst into laughter, taking joy in being silly and cute.

"Seriously though, his name is Bjorn, he likes cupcake sprinkles, and he can teleport with rainbows." Stuffy Flower continued.

"You're putting in too much detail to be making this up. I'm gonna have to check him out when I come over." Fire Flower replied.

"He would love some company. Unfortunately, he's the last one of his kind, so I have to keep him safe and hidden from everyone. He gets lonely a lot, but it's for his own good." Stuffy Flower explained.

"He gets lonely, huh? I know how that feels…" Fire Flower said quietly.

"You're not lonely Fire! You have me and your friends over there." Stuffy Flower responded.

"Neither of those things change the fact that I'm orphaned, Stuffy. I'm not even sure if I have a mother or father figure to look towards. I just have this picture." Fire Flower stated, picking up the framed photo on her nightstand and showing it to her camera.

"I talk to this frickin' picture every morning and every evening, hoping there's someone on the other side to hear it. You'd have to be an idiot to believe something like that. When you're visiting someone's grave and you say hello, they can't actually hear you. You might as well talk to a wall for all it's worth. If ghosts are real, my parents would see where I am now. They'd see me growing up without them, going to the same war they died in, falling in love with another girl online, and I would never get to know how they felt. It makes me so mad, to think that they could potentially still be here with me, get the chance to meet you, and be the parents they always wanted to be, but they can't because they're dead. A Zombie soldier took away my parents in an instant and there was nothing I could have done to stop it. Nobody could do anything to stop it. It's just a fact of my life now, a dark part of who I am. The passage of time itself will never distance me from their death; I'll always feel like it happened just a few minutes ago. What did my parents do to deserve torture and violent death? What did I do to deserve having my family taken away from me so early in life? Why do bad things always happen to good people?!" Fire Flower furiously ranted, throwing the photo at the wall in a blind rage, breaking its glass.

Fire Flower began sobbing in distress, her heart broken from her outburst. Stuffy Flower could only look on in shock at the crying Fire Flower on her screen. She had just witnessed all of Fire Flower's anguish overflow and explode from her heart and soul. If she were there in the room with her, she would have given her a big hug and a kiss to ease her pain. Fire Flower wiped some of her tears from her face before speaking again.

"I'm so sorry Stuffy. I can't just get angry like that and expect you to not be bothered by it. It's not fair to you…" Fire Flower quietly said, still sobbing.

"It's ok sweetie, I understand what you're going through. Just try not to have an outburst like this when someone's around." Stuffy Flower softly spoke, doing her best to comfort her girlfriend.

"Yeah, I won't…" Fire Flower said quietly.

"Don't any your friends feel like family to you? There has to be one person that could be like your parents." Stuffy Flower said.

"Well…can you keep this between you and me? I don't know what they would think if they found out." Fire Flower said.

"You said that when you told me to keep it a secret that we were dating." Stuffy Flower responded.

"Stuffy, please…cross your heart." Fire Flower pleaded.

"*sigh*Cross my heart." Stuffy Flower replied.

"Ok…you know Sunflower, right?" Fire Flower continued.

"Yeah, what about her?" Stuffy Flower questioned.

"She…she looks just like my mom, but with more freckles." Fire Flower admitted.

"That's actually not surprising." Stuffy Flower said.

"That's not all. One time, I almost called Sunflower mom. Could you imagine how embarrassing that would have been?" Fire Flower continued.

"She would have understood why. She knows you miss your mom, and she was even friends with your mom. So if you ever called her mom by accident, she wouldn't be surprised either. Well…maybe a little." Stuffy Flower responded.

"Sunflower doesn't know anything about me. She couldn't possibly replace my mom." Fire Flower said.

"You're not giving her enough credit. But if there's anything she doesn't know about you, it's best that you tell her. If you need a mother figure to cope with, you might as well start with her. Does that sound like a good plan?" Stuffy Flower spoke.

"I don't know…" Fire Flower said.

"Get some sleep, ok Fire. Tomorrow will be a new day. Make the best of it. And remember, I'm here for you every day. Just give me a call or a text." Stuffy Flower reassured Fire Flower.

"Alright. Thanks Stuffy." Fire Flower thanked Stuffy Flower, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes.

"I'll let you get some rest now. I can't wait to see you and your friends come to Time Park!" Stuffy Flower said.

"I'll try to get us to go there as soon as I can, I promise." Fire Flower said with a smile.

"Good night sweetie!" Stuffy Flower said.

"Good night baby." Fire Flower said back.

Fire Flower and Stuffy Flower blew kisses to their screens before ending the video chat. Fire Flower stood up from her bed and walked over to the place where she threw the photo of her and her parents. She picked it up and saw the damage she inflicted; the glass was cracked all the way across the picture and dislocated in some places. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be pieces missing, which saved Fire Flower the trouble of having to find the missing shards. Fire Flower tightly hugged the photo frame and apologized to her late parents:

"I'm sorry mom and dad. I just wish you could be here for me, even for just a day. I wish you could see who I am now."

Fire Flower removed the photo from the broken frame and threw away the frame and glass. She opened up a drawer to find a spare picture frame, which she slid the photo inside. She placed the photo frame back onto her nightstand before crawling back into bed. Before going to sleep, she kissed the photo (that is, her parents) good night. She placed her head on her pillow, pulled the covers over her head, and fell fast asleep. Ever since she lost her parents, Fire Flower had more bad dreams than good ones. She could only hope for good dreams.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Between college finals, investing time in Overwatch, needing to go some places with my parents, and writer's block, that is mostly what has taken this chapter so long. But good things come with time; I've updated the story description to provide a summary for the story, I am very satisfied with how this chapter turned out, and so far I have written 10 chapters. For chapter 11, I will shift the focus to the Zombies, and keep writing that way for perhaps a couple chapters. I hope you will be interested in that! Stay tuned!