Early the next morning, Crazy Dave and Penny return from their journey to Eden and land in the backyard. Though Crazy Dave and Penny attempted to stay as quiet as possible, Peashooter, Sunflower, Chomper, Cactus and Andy were awoken by their arrival. Peashooter left to meet with Crazy Dave and Penny, while Sunflower was changing out of her nightgown. Chomper waddled up to Crazy Dave and received a pat on the head from him. Cactus walked out carrying Andy in her arms, looking very drowsy.
"Good morning Cactus." Crazy Dave chirped.
"Morning Crazy Dave. How was Eden?" Cactus mumbled, attempting to wake herself.
"It was more beautiful than we could ever imagine. We also ran some errands while we were away." Penny spoke.
"What kind of errands?" Cactus asked.
"Remember my old friend, Harvey Flaxcaster? He moved away from town a few years back." Crazy Dave chimed.
"Apparently, he has started his own business as a tailor and clothing salesman. He specializes in making wedding dresses and tuxedos for Plants, and we purchased enough for every Plant to wear on your big day!" Penny explained.
"But Penny, wedding dresses always tear on me." Cactus said.
"That is why we had Harvey custom-make your wedding dress using a fabric/steel polymer. I, uh…provided him the proper material." Penny responded.
"Harvey also made Andy his own little wedding tux! Take a looksie!" Crazy Dave chirped, pulling out Andy's tuxedo from his shirt pocket and showing it to Cactus and Andy.
"Aw! It looks perfect for him!" Cactus said with a smile.
"We have already placed orders on folding chairs for the ceremony and reception, as well as the wedding cake. We also purchased your wedding rings…even though neither of you can wear them. They should arrive by today, and with these preparations, the wedding can commence tomorrow…provided we have you two apply for a marriage license!" Penny beeped happily.
"Is there a priest who can do that?" Cactus asked.
"I know a guy! I think his name was Father Pasture. Come with us, and he'll give us the A-OK to have you two married!" Crazy Dave answered.
"Come on Andy! We're going to get our marriage license!" Cactus cheered, climbing into the back of Penny.
Crazy Dave entered the driver's seat, allowing Penny to rise into the sky and depart. Peashooter and Sunflower had left their bedroom in time to see Penny warp away, wondering where she was going.
"Where did Crazy Dave and Penny go, Chomper?" Sunflower asked Chomper.
Chomper answered Sunflower with groans and barks.
"They went with Cactus and Andy to get their marriage license? I see." Sunflower said with a grin.
"Shoot, is that today?" Peashooter asked.
"Probably not. Maybe tomorrow." Sunflower answered.
"Ok, good! I just hope Crazy Dave and Penny took care of everything." Peashooter said in relief.
"I'm sure they are." Sunflower said with a smile.
Crazy Dave and Penny arrive at the chapel of Father Pasture, an Irish priest and gardener most well known as an advocate for the freedom and well-being of the Plant race. Cactus and Andy step out and walk with Crazy Dave to the entrance of the chapel. Crazy Dave knocks on the door, and immediately receives a response from the elderly priest.
"Hello? Who is it? If you are a Zombie, I'm afraid you're not welcome." Father says.
"Hello Father Pasture. My name is Crazy Dave. But you can call me Crazy Dave." Crazy Dave answered.
"Crazy Dave? THE Crazy Dave? How do I know it is really you?" Father asked.
"BECAUSE I'M CRAZY!" Crazy Dave yelled from the other side.
"Well, I suppose that proves it…" Father muttered as he opened the door.
Father Pasture was greeted with a tip of the hat and a wide grin from Crazy Dave.
"Welcome to my chapel, mister! What brings you here today?" Father said with open arms and a wide smile.
"We're here to get a marriage license for our friends!" Crazy Dave said.
"I see. And who is the happy couple?" Father asked.
"It's us." Cactus spoke up.
Father Pasture looked down to see Cactus cradling Andy like a groom carries his bride. He was confused for a moment before coming to the realization and grinning.
"Well! I've wedded Plant couples before, but I've never seen anything like this! What are your names?" Father commented and asked.
"My name is Cactus, and his name is Andy. Can we get married?" Cactus asked enthusiastically.
"Of course you can, but I will need both of your signatures on the document. If you cannot sign, we can try something else." Father answered happily.
"Wait a moment! We must give Andy a way to communicate! I have an SGD for him in the cup holders." Penny chimed, surprising Father Pasture.
"I apologize, but…did your car just speak?" Father asked Crazy Dave.
"Yep! Her name is Penny." Crazy Dave said with a grin.
"That is amazing! A machine with an artificial mind! Could I have a conversation with her?" Father said joyfully.
"She can talk about a lot of things! Ask her anything!" Crazy Dave said proudly.
Father approached Penny and knelt down in front of her, amazed by her existence.
"Hello Penny. How are you on this fine day?" Father asked Penny.
"I could be worse. So I suppose I am satisfied." Penny responded.
"That is good. Tell me Penny, do you believe in god?" Father asked further.
"Well, if User Dave is my creator, then he is god to me. Is that logical?" Penny answered.
"To a machine, man is their god, yes. You are lucky to have a kind and caring creator!" Father said.
"Perhaps User Dave is kind and caring, though he shows it in a strange and unorthodox way." Penny admitted.
Father Pasture laughs heartily and stands back up.
"In my 84 years on this Earth, I have seen it all! A cactus and an armadillo wishing to marry, and a vehicle with sentience! The Plant goddess blesses us today and forever!" Father chimed.
"User Dave, please retrieve the SGD and attach it to Andy." Penny said to Crazy Dave.
"Gotcha! Let's see if this thing works…" Crazy Dave said as he attached the device onto Andy's head.
"What are you doing to him?" Father asks.
"This doohickey will read his brain and translate armadillo thoughts into words! A talking armadillo! Crazy, right?" Crazy Dave answered.
Crazy Dave tweaked the device a little more until it was firmly attached to Andy's head. Crazy Dave adjusted the small microphone, and allowed Andy to test the device.
"Go ahead Andy. Say something." Cactus said to Andy.
At first the device only generated Andy's usual squeaks, but then recalibrated itself and began generating speech.
"Hello. My name is Andy." Andy simply said.
"His voice is the only one we have. We apologize if it sounds grating." Penny spoke up.
"It's perfect! Now he can talk as much as he wants!" Cactus cheered, tightly hugging Andy.
"An armadillo that can speak…now I truly have seen everything! Well, come inside now. I will find a marriage license for you to sign." Father said, leading Crazy Dave, Cactus and Andy inside.
Father Pasture slowly walks up to altar, leading Crazy Dave, Cactus and Andy.
"Now, let me see if I still have them. I have not left my chapel since the Zombies started attacking my town. They have not returned in a long time, but I must remain vigilant." Father explained as he sorted through a file cabinet.
"Why do Plants need marriage licenses anyway?" Cactus asked.
"I only issue them out of habit, to be honest. The government does not officially recognize marriages between Plants, so licenses for such weddings are arbitrary, at best. Nevertheless, if a Plant and an armadillo wish to be married, my wish is for that marriage to be recognized by all Plants. Ah, here it is." Father said as he extracted a copy of a marriage license and placed it on the altar.
Cactus placed Andy on the altar so he could see the document better. Father Pasture handed Cactus and Andy a pen to sign the document with.
"If you can write, just sign your names at the bottom, next to each other here and here." Father instructed Cactus and Andy.
Cactus gripped her pen with both arms and carefully signed her name on the left. Andy gripped his pen with his teeth and clumsily etched his name on the right. When both of them had finished, Cactus's graceful signature sat beside Andy's surprisingly legible signature.
"Thank you. I assume you wish for me to be the marriage officiant at your wedding." Father said.
"If you can, that would be wonderful." Cactus said.
"I'd be glad to wed you two. You'll make a mighty fine couple!" Father said with a smile.
Shadow Flower was perched on the rooftop of the city hall of the Backyard Battleground, searching the Internet on her smartphone for anything of interest.
"I have to find something worth adding to the intel. I wonder if the Zombies have a social media site of their own." Shadow Flower muttered to herself.
Shadow Flower began her search by using a deep web browser, coming up with the usual nothingness. She then used a conventional search engine to find a site called "Zomnet".
"Zomnet, huh? Why didn't I find this earlier?" Shadow Flower muttered, opening the site.
Upon entering the website, Shadow Flower was greeted to a homepage featuring poorly drawn pictures of Zombies and a badly handwritten welcome message that read: "Welcome to Zombienet. Zign up today, and you can lern all about uz Zombies. We won't eat your brainz, we promiz. Sincerely, the Zombies."
"Typical. Is this site a joke?" Shadow Flower asked herself.
Shadow Flower tapped a button, navigating her to what should have been a sign up page, but instead of boxes to write a username and password, it was a checkbox that said "I'm not a Plant".
"Well, this is depressingly easy to enter. I guess if that's all it takes…" Shadow Flower said as she checked the box.
Shadow Flower was redirected to the news feed page, where any and all posts made by users were publicly displayed. It was an unorganized mess to read, but the site was surprisingly functional.
"None of this is worth anything. Most of it is just the word 'Brainz' posted next to a picture of a brain. There HAS to be something though…" Shadow Flower muttered as she scrolled through the posts.
Only one post intrigued Shadow Flower: A status update made by a Zombie with the username "Glitterbug". The post casually stated: Ordering brain pizza for me and my homies! None of us can cook to save our undeaths! Here's a picture of my socks.
"Wow…I'm surprised this Zombie can spell properly! But other than that, it's not very important. Let's try the search bar…"
Shadow Flower tapped the website's search bar and typed in her topic of interest: Dr. Zomboss. Immediately, the site listed and organized a history of every post with the words "Dr. Zomboss" in them. The very first post was an announcement made by Dr. Zomboss himself, seemingly addressed to any Zombie on Zombienet. The post read:
"I am posting this announcement here in case any of you idiots somehow did not get the message. Earlier this morning, a Zombie bypassed Foot Soldier guards and left the confines of Zomburbia. I only know this because my security cameras were able to provide surveillance footage of the event. As a reminder, all Zombies are prohibited from leaving Zomburbia without my permission, for the sake of your safety and health. For this deliberate violation of security code, I am increasing Foot Soldier security and adding more security cameras near the border walls. Once again, DO NOT LEAVE ZOMBURBIA! We cannot guarantee your safety if you travel beyond the walls of Zomburbia. I do not want to see an incident like this ever happening again. Sincerely, Dr. Edgar Zomboss."
"A Zombie left Zomburbia?" Shadow Flower exclaimed.
Shadow Flower bookmarked the website and shut off her phone, pondering the information she had just learned.
"Why would a Zombie want to leave their home like that? So odd…" Shadow Flower asked herself, jumping down from the rooftop.
Tomorrow arrives sooner than anyone expected, and the wedding ceremony for Cactus and Andy is about to commence. All the Plants that received invitations were doing what they could to prepare. Most of them brought gifts for the reception; the usual presents such as dresses, hats, and even toys. Those that could not attend in person were in attendance via webcams or the video screens of smartphones, which is what Stuffy Flower did to view the wedding. Even the potted Plants such as Bonk Choys, Bloomerangs, Kernel-Pult, Cabbage-Pult and Melon-Pult had their pots seated on folding chairs so they could witness the wedding.
Sunflower was the Maid of Honor, all the other sunflowers were the bridesmaids, Chomper asked to be the Best Man (since Andy didn't actually have any friends prior to meeting Cactus), and all the Peashooters (Peashooter, Agent Pea, Law Pea and Commando Pea) acted as the Groomsmen of Andy. Rose provided most of the wedding decorations, as she could easily conjure such decorations with her magic. Phat Beet was, naturally, the DJ.
Kernel would attend the ceremony soon, but stood guard of the entrance of the garden in case any Browncoats attempted to attack the party. He expected nothing to happen, but he knew how important it was to stay vigilant, something he learned after several ambushes from Zombie soldiers in Germany.
Sunflower was helping Cactus tidy up her wedding gown, along with Camo Cactus and Future Cactus. After tidying the dress and donning the veil, Cactus looked at herself in a pocket mirror and smiled brilliantly.
"How does it look, Cactus?" Sunflower asked.
"I look beautiful! Thank you for helping me dust it." Cactus chirped.
"It's wonderful. If only our friends could be here to see you now." Camo Cactus said quietly.
"They ARE watching her!" Mystic Flower spoke up.
"They are?" Cactus responded.
"They look upon this blessed day from Plant Heaven! Though they have perished, their love and admiration for you lives on!" Mystic Flower stated.
"Thank you Mystic. I'm sure they are. Hey, Sunflower?" Cactus said.
"Yeah Cactus?" Sunflower responded.
"I want to say it one more time…thank you for being my Maid of Honor." Cactus stated.
"It meant so much to me when you asked me to be Maid of Honor. I felt honored to be your Maid of Honor!" Sunflower said with a smile.
"Cactus, Stuffy wants to see you in your wedding dress." Fire Flower told Cactus, holding up her smartphone camera to face Cactus.
"Wow Cactus! That dress looks cute on you!" Stuffy chimed from the phone's screen.
"Thank you Stuffy!" Cactus said with a smile.
"You too Fire! Now you're girly like me!" Stuffy quipped.
"Shut up…you're still the queen of everything girly!" Fire Flower joked as she glanced away, blushing.
The other Sunflowers giggled at their exchange, but were suddenly interrupted by Marigold. Marigold walked up to them carrying a potted plant named Blooming Heart, who looked very worried and anxious.
"Hey everyone? Blooming Heart got my attention earlier, and she keeps trying to tell me something, but I don't follow. Does anyone know what she's talking about?" Marigold explained.
"It's horrible! I only realized just now! I asked my boyfriend Adam to come to the wedding, but I didn't realize that he might get shot! He's coming any minute now, someone please help him! I don't want him to die!" Blooming Heart panicked, almost hyperventilating.
"Slow down, and take deep breaths Blooming Heart. Who's Adam?" Sunflower gently asked, attempting to calm the distressed Plant.
"Wait, wait! Adam? You mean THAT Adam?" Shadow Flower spoke up.
"Yes, him." Blooming Heart answered in between breaths.
"Oh god…that's right! Kernel was standing at the entrance. If he sees Adam, he might shoot him!" Shadow Flower exclaimed.
"Shadow, do you know what she's talking about? You know who Adam is?" Sunflower asked Shadow Flower.
"Ok, you guys remember that graffiti painting the Zombies made that said, 'Adam iz Plant luver'?" Shadow Flower began explaining.
"Yeah?" Sunflower responded.
"Well it turns out, Adam is a real Zombie, and the rumors aren't just rumors…" Shadow Flower stated.
Blooming Heart was a Plant who was often chastised for one trait: She was attracted to Zombies. Many of the other potted Plants thought she was crazy, or that something was wrong with her. Why would she be attracted to something that only wants to eat her? Nevertheless, Blooming Heart made no apologies about her interests, and searched endlessly for a Zombie that would return her love. Adam, a Conehead Zombie, turned out to be this Zombie.
Adam was a Zombie who was often criticized for one thing: He was peaceful toward Plants. Almost all of the other Browncoats made fun of him or stigmatized him for showing any mercy to a Plant, believing that he was stupid for wanting to make peace with something that only wanted to shoot him. Regardless, Adam maintained his pacifist nature, evading all Plants and refusing to harm them. One day, he met Blooming Heart while shambling through the Garden Center, and decided to approach her. Blooming Heart was initially startled by Adam, until she realized his pacific intentions. In that moment, the two became, as Shakespeare would call them, "star-crossed lovers".
"We have to make sure Adam is safe! Please, you have to help him!" Blooming Heart cried.
"Don't worry Blooming Heart, we will!" Sunflower assured Blooming Heart.
"You will?" Blooming Heart said in a surprised tone.
"If what you're saying is true, then he must be a nice Zombie. We'll help him arrive safely." Sunflower said further.
"Come on, we have to warn Kernel before he sees Adam coming!" Shadow Flower said to everyone.
"What should I do?" Cactus asked.
"You stay here Cactus. The procession will start soon, and you can't be seen until then." Sunflower answered.
"Oh, ok then." Cactus said.
Marigold carried Blooming Heart to Kernel, the bridesmaids following close behind her. Sun Pharaoh and Mystic Flower muttered a short conversation.
"A Zombie making peace with a Plant? Impossible." Sun Pharaoh said to Mystic Flower.
"It is very possible, Sun Pharaoh." Mystic Flower answered.
"How?" Sun Pharaoh asked skeptically.
"I know this to be true, for I have seen it with my own eyes…" Mystic Flower answered.
"As a prophecy?" Sun Pharaoh asked further.
"No, as reality!" Mystic Flower said.
"Hmm…" Sun Pharaoh responded.
Kernel was about to finish guarding the entrance, convinced that there was no danger to the wedding. In fact, he had planned a surprise for Cactus and Andy, and wanted to return to his Butterhawk at his farmhouse. But just then, he caught sight of a Conehead Zombie slowly walking towards the entrance. It was somewhat injured, having scratches and bruises on his head, and looked exhausted. He was carrying a gift wrapped box and an Etch-A-Sketch that read, in Zombie handwriting: "I am friend. Pleez don't shoot me". Kernel reacted with mixed feelings, knowing that this Zombie must have suffered through a lot, but also maintained his unwavering defensiveness toward Zombies.
"Hold it right there!" Kernel yelled to the Conehead Zombie.
The Zombie reacted by dropping his present and holding his hands up, terrified as Kernel pointed his Cob Busters at him.
"What are you doing here, Zombie? Did Dr. Zomboss send you to crash the party?" Kernel interrogated.
The Zombie pointed at his Etch-A-Sketch, wanting Kernel to see the message.
"Sorry pal, I don't believe you as far as I can spit. Just walk away slowly, and you won't end up with 30 rounds of kernels in your head!" Kernel barked.
"Wait, Kernel! Don't shoot him!" Shadow Flower called out to Kernel.
Kernel turned his gaze towards Shadow Flower and the other bridesmaids, keeping his Cob Busters trained on the Conehead Zombie.
"What are you ladies doing here? You should all be getting ready for the procession." Kernel said to the group.
"Don't shoot him Kernel. That Zombie's a friend. He was invited to the wedding by his girlfriend." Sunflower explained.
"I apologize, but I didn't receive any word of this. How can you be sure?" Kernel asked, lowering his Cob Busters.
"Marigold, let me see him…" Blooming Heart spoke up, as Marigold carried her to the Conehead Zombie.
The Zombie slowly stood up, feeling safer as Kernel stepped away. He met eyes with Blooming Heart, and slowly held out his arms as a kind gesture.
"Oh Adam…thank god you're alright!" Blooming Heart said in relief as Marigold handed her pot over to Adam.
Adam wrapped his arms tightly around Blooming Heart's flower pot, taking care not to drop her. Blooming Heart affectionately wrapped one of her petals around Adam, sobbing in relief that he was able to make it to the wedding safely. Some of the other sunflowers, and especially Kernel, could only stare in silence as they witnessed a Plant and a Zombie make peace.
"I would appreciate a thorough explanation for all of this." Kernel said.
"It's…kind of hard to explain. But thank you for not shooting him." Shadow Flower said to Kernel.
"Alright then. But if he takes even one bite out of Blooming Heart, he's a dead Zombie." Kernel said in a serious tone.
"I know it must have been difficult for you to come here, Adam. But thank you for going through all that trouble to see me." Blooming Heart whispered to Adam.
Adam nodded, remembering how terrified he was when he was being chased by Foot Soldiers for escaping Zomburbia.
"Hey, Adam! That's your name right?" Kernel said to Adam.
Adam looked at Kernel and nodded with a groan.
"I don't want to hear about any trouble from you, understand? I've got you in my sights!" Kernel sternly said.
Adam nodded quickly, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.
"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to my farmhouse." Kernel said as he walked away.
"Come on Adam! We're going to miss the wedding!" Blooming Heart said to Adam.
Adam grinned and carried Blooming Heart to the garden, where the other Plants were waiting.
The wedding reception was about to go under way. Father Pasture was standing at his makeshift altar while Andy was placed on top of a tall stool, awaiting his bride. Every Plant was seated in their arranged chairs, with potted Plants further in the front where they could see better, and Cactus's close friends in the very front seats. Cactus, the bride-to-be, began walking down to the altar, her pure white wedding gown flowing in the gentle breeze. Penny began playing the appropriate music from her radio as Cactus reached the altar. Father Pasture greeted Cactus with a nod and a grin as he began reading from his special "Plant Bible".
"Upon this day, the Plant goddess, Lux Aeterna, showers her blessings upon two seeds that grow, thrive, and exist in unison and harmony. As these two seeds exchange thine vows and proclaim thine eternal love, a holy priest, be it Plant or Man, shall sow (wed) the seeds and transfer the blessings of Lux Aeterna, the mighty Sunflower Queen in Plant Heaven, unto them." Father recited.
Father Pasture held up the Plant Bible to Cactus, showing Cactus how to read her vows.
"I, Cactus, take you Andy, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." Cactus read aloud for everyone to hear.
Father Pasture held up the Plant Bible to Andy, allowing Andy to demonstrate the efficiency of his new SGD.
"I, Andy, take you Cactus, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." Andy said in a digitized voice, causing some of the audience to giggle.
"Lux Aeterna, I pray that you see to this couple and ensure that no harm or misfortune may come to them. In these trying times, when the dead rise from their graves and attack the living, I pray that you may show us the way to salvation, when the time arises. As a holy priest that speaks on the behalf of plants, I ask of you, Lux Aeterna, to grant us protection from all harm. Amen." Father prayed.
Father Pasture closed his bible and looked out into the audience, outstretching his arms and smiling brilliantly.
"By the power vested in me by the Plant goddess Lux Aeterna, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Cactus, you may now kiss the groom." Father proclaimed.
Cactus picked up Andy from his stool and whispered to him.
"No matter what happens to us, nothing will ever end our love. Do you agree?" Cactus whispered.
"I do." Andy replied.
Cactus smiled, and planted a kiss on Andy's nose.
"I present to you the newly married couple, Cactus and Andy." Father proclaimed.
Everyone stood up from their seats and cheered, tossing flower petals into the air and applauding. Sunflower, Peashooter, and Chomper in particular were very celebratory and joyful to see their best friend getting married. At that moment, everyone saw Kernel's Butterhawk fly above them. The Butterhawk began firing Cob Missiles up into the air, allowing them to detonate and rain popcorn onto the surprised onlookers below. Everyone cheered for Kernel's surprise, to which Kernel responded with a smile.
"I love the smell of freshly popped popcorn on a wedding day!" Kernel exclaimed as he piloted the Butterhawk back to his farmhouse.
Cactus carries Andy in her arms and walks with him down the aisle, where her friends tossed flower petals over them. Crazy Dave and Penny wait for them at the end of the aisle, happy to see the newly wedded couple.
"Congratulations you two! It's time to party!" Crazy Dave cheered.
"When we are finished with the reception, we can take you two to Eden for your honeymoon. Would you like that?" Penny asked.
"That sounds great, Penny. Thank you." Cactus said.
"Dessert comes first! We got your cake on the table for you to cut. Let's waste no time!" Crazy Dave said excitedly as he led the couple to their wedding cake.
The wedding cake was expertly crafted by Crazy Dave, and stood three tiers high. The cake was a chocolate cake covered in vanilla frosting and drizzled in chocolate and caramel. On the top tier of the cake laid an ornament resembling Cactus carrying Andy in her arms. Cactus carries Andy over to a small lawn table and leaves him there so she can get cake for them. She cuts two small slices out of the cake with such skill that the rest of the cake appeared untouched. Putting the two slices on a plate, Cactus brought the two cake slices to the table and offered one slice to Andy.
"Here Andy. I guess since we're the married couple, we get to have the first slices. But let's wait for the DJ to get the music set up, and for everyone else to find a table." Cactus said to her new husband.
"Ok." Andy answered.
As the rest of the Plants sat at their tables (Peashooter, Sunflower and Chomper chose to sit next to Cactus), Phat Beet turned on his speakers and began playing a techno remix of the popular song "Zombies on your Lawn". All the Plants in attendance were greatly enjoying themselves, as well as Adam, who was keeping Blooming Heart in his lap. Cactus and her friends were chatting away without a concern in the world.
"I want to say something to everyone as the Maid of Honor. Do you mind?" Sunflower asked Cactus.
"Go ahead. Phat Beet has the mic." Cactus answered.
Sunflower went up onto the stage and borrowed Phat Beet's microphone and began to speak to everyone.
"Hello everyone! How are we all doing?" Sunflower said, being met with some applause.
"I figured that since I'm the Maid of Honor, I have to give a little speech about Cactus. So, here it goes." Sunflower said further.
Sunflower fixed her dress before giving her speech.
"Cactus, there isn't anything I haven't already said about you. You're kind, caring, charismatic, joyful, and brave…there aren't enough positive adjectives in the English language to thoroughly describe you." Sunflower stated.
Cactus smiled at Sunflower's statement as every other Plant applauded.
"Maybe there will be more good things to say about you in the future, as life will inevitably continue, regardless of events and circumstances. I believe you'll make an excellent wife for Andy, knowing you. I could say these things to anybody in general, but for now, the focus is on you and your husband. May there be even greater things in store for you two in the future. Thank you." Sunflower finalized her speech, returning to her table as the audience cheered.
As Sunflower sat back down, Peashooter took her leaf and congratulated her.
"That was really well spoken, Sunflower. Short and simple, but somehow very effective." Peashooter commented.
"Thanks Peashooter!" Sunflower chirped.
Peashooter planted a kiss on Sunflower's cheek, an action that pleasantly surprised Sunflower. Sunflower responded by cupping her leaf around Peashooter's face and giving him a kiss.
"So…you're still going to be a sniper, right?" Sunflower asked Cactus.
"Of course. Just because I'm married doesn't mean I can't work." Cactus replied.
"Well, for now…just relax and spend some time with your husband. After everything you've done to help Plants and Humans, you deserve it." Sunflower said.
"I will. Crazy Dave and Penny told me that they'll take us to Eden for our honeymoon. I can't wait to see what it's like!" Cactus chimed.
"I'm sure you'll love it there." Sunflower said with a smile.
"Look at Blooming Heart and Adam over there." Peashooter said to his friends.
Peashooter, Sunflower, Cactus and Chomper turn their attention to the table where Blooming Heart and Adam were sitting. They saw Adam gently petting Blooming Heart's head, while Blooming Heart looked up at him with a lovestruck expression. The couple seemed happy, but the source and cause of their happiness was difficult for others to comprehend. Blooming Heart and Adam have both admitted in the past that they did not really question why they were in love; they simply accepted it as it was.
"Mystic Flower mentioned something about peace between Plants and Zombies. Is she saying that it's happened before?" Sunflower spoke up.
"Maybe it has…just not here. Maybe not even in our lives." Cactus responded.
"Did it happen a long time ago and we have no written history of it?" Peashooter asked aloud.
"Sun Pharaoh is technically the oldest Plant in our group, even Mystic Flower is only a few centuries old. Even during her reign as Queen of Egypt, Zombies were hostile towards her people. Mystic Flower must be referring to a different place that we don't know about, and judging by the way she's been talking about it, it must be happening right now." Sunflower explained.
"I guess we don't really need to visit that place to have proof…it's happening right here." Peashooter commented.
"It's a start…but it's far from enough to end the war." Cactus said.
"We'll do everything it takes to end it, Cactus. We'll travel to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, or the endless stretches of the fabric of time if we have to! Right everyone?" Sunflower said boldly.
"Right!" Peashooter said with a nod.
"All the way!" Cactus chimed.
Chomper barked in concurrence.
"Guys, look at the stage!" Peashooter exclaimed.
Crazy Dave had carried a potted Sunflower onto the stage and placed her in front of the microphone. This potted Sunflower was the original singer of the popular song "Zombies on your Lawn", and had since become a part-time Pop singer and Youtube celebrity. The potted Sunflower cleared her throat and began speaking.
"Hey everybody! I just wanted to sing for the reception, if that's cool with everyone. I haven't really sung in a while…but I'm sure I've still got it. Is everyone ready?" The Sunflower cheered.
The audience cheered in excitement, eager to hear the potted Sunflower sing.
"OK! Let's turn it up, DJ!" The Sunflower shouted.
Phat Beet changed the music to the original composition of "Zombies on your Lawn", causing the audience to cheer again. The potted Sunflower bobbed her head left and right to the rhythm of the song, like a metronome on a Grand Piano.
"1, 2, 3!" The Sunflower counted before starting to sing.
Zombies on your Lawn
There's a Zombie on your lawn
There's a Zombie on your lawn
There's a Zombie on your lawn
We don't want Zombies on the lawn!
As the potted Sunflower continued to sing, the audience stood up from their chairs and began clapping along. Some of them, including Shadow Flower and Fire Flower, pulled out their smartphones, turned on the flashlight, and started waving them around like candlelight.
"That sunflower is definitely a one hit wonder, but at least she makes Youtube videos as well." Sunflower commented.
"It's a good thing. Even if she's donating some of her earnings to support the war efforts, she's finding something better to do than fight." Peashooter commented.
"She's doing what she can. We all are." Sunflower said with a smile.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: After a lot of revisions and proofreading, here is what may be the last chapter I will be able to post for a while. I am going to be resuming college in a couple weeks, so I wanted to make this chapter special. It is certainly the longest one I've ever written, almost TWICE as long as Chapter 8. The thing is, I wanted to post 2 chapters, but the chapter would have been too short, so I instead posted it as one long chapter. I hope it is not confusing to read and I hope you all enjoy reading it. I've also updated the profile with more character bios, so please be sure to check that out as well. Once again, please understand that I am resuming college soon and may not be able to post another chapter for a while. But I will still read and reply to PMs, so please feel free to send me them. Thank you all so much for supporting the story. I am FAR from finished, and will continue to write. Until then, Timeman63 logging out!
