-Mushroom Kingdom forest-
The stars gleamed in the night sky above the woods as firelight rose up into the air from the bonfire in the clearing. SMG4 sat near the fire with SMG3 and Mario, roasting marshmallows with SMG1 and SMG2. A long time had passed since Zero was defeated and the world had been safe since then, especially with the God Box's power neutralized as well.
Tonight felt perfect for a get together, a gathering of the Meme Guardians with the Avatar invited as well. While threats like SMG0 were out of the picture, it didn't mean the universe no longer needed the Super Meme Guardians. Bad things could still happen to the Avatar and Mario's continued existence was very, very important.
"So, uh, SMG1?" SMG4 spoke up.
"What is it, Four?" SMG1 replied.
"I know that SMGs look like their avatar in some shape or form, but, uh, how did you end up looking like that? Did you initially look like Spudnick or have you always looked like... that?"
SMG1 scratched his head with an uncertain look on his face. "Are you sure you want to know what happened? It's an... almost embarrassing story."
"No it isn't." SMG2 said, "There's nothing for us to hide and be ashamed of, SMG1. We gotta tell them, SMG4 did ask."
Mario nodded, "Yeah, how did you become a walking-talking Rubik's Cube instead of a blue-looking Spudnick?"
"I love a mystery..." SMG3 remarked, "The mystery of how SMG1 looks the way he does today. We've been kept in the dark for too long, so let's hear the story, eh, fellas?"
SMG1 chuckled, "Oh, so Three and the Avatar wanna know too...?"
"We may as well tell 'em, One." Two remarked.
A warry SMG1 let off a slight groan, "Very well, brace yourselves. It all started years ago in our universe during one of our silly adventures with our Avatar, when we were on a journey up in ToyToy Mountain..."
-ToyToy Kingdom, a long time ago-
He climbed over the blocks, slowly making his way towards the top, towards the place that awaited at the end of the not-so perilous quest. Spudnick's hands slipped, but he persevered and kept climbing until he'd made it over the last threshold. The end was in sight now, the great mystic ToyToy Temple.
"SPUDNICK!" A voice called.
Spudnick had barely made four steps forward when he heard SMG2's voice. He turned around and looked over the edge, seeing that his friends were catching up. The little yellow Spudnick look-alike was gasping for breath and sweating from his efforts to keep up with his avatar, even SMG2's identical counterpart SMG1 looked equally exhausted.
"Hi, guys." Spudnick said in his trademark Southern accent with a cheerful wave.
SMG1 and SMG2 reached the edge and Spudnick helped SMG2 over the threshold, then they helped an exhausted SMG1 up onto the top.
"Don't leave us behind." SMG1 pleaded, "It's too dangerous to go alone."
"SMG1's got a point, I know you love doing things on your own, but we're your closest friends and friends stick together." SMG2 added.
Spudnick looked sad, "Sorry, guys." He then lightened up, "But ya gotta see that temple over there, it looks so... amazin' to take in."
The trio looked ahead towards the massive structure constructed from building blocks, it looked quite bigger than any other place in ToyToy Kingdom. SMG1, Spudnick and SMG2 stepped away from the edge and approached the temple, filled with curiosity.
"Whatever awaits in there, it should be worth the visit." SMG1 quipped.
"I hope we find another teddy bear for me to keep." Spudnick remarked.
"Or a mysterious connection to our universe's origins." SMG2 suggested.
With curiosity overcoming their minds, accompanying their eagerness to explore. The trio approached the towering temple, passing by large statues resembling past inhabitants of ToyToy Kingdom. The temple was said to have been built by followers of the ToyToy Gods, devoted to protecting their divine legacy and honoring it as best they could.
However, according to myth and legend, the temple was not undefended. The temple's builders had set up many defenses, even though the chances of visitors coming here was slim until today. Whatever awaited in there, Spudnick and his pals would be the first to see it. But could they survive the temple's many challenges ahead of them?
CLUNK! Spudnick nearly lost his balance and fell over with SMG1 and SMG2 catching him at the last second, they carefully moved around the spot and saw that Spudnick had stepped on a switch. Something then thumped and clunked loudly above them, the trio looked up to see a huge pair of blocks coming down from the top of the temple towards them.
The blocks got closer and closer, casting a huge shadow over the trio in a threatening manner. SMG2 and Spudnick ducked out of the way, but SMG1 stood still, petrified to the spot. He was very surprised by this, it was important to expect the unexpected, but this was what nobody like him EVER expected...
BOOM! The blocks landed on the spot where SMG1 stood and the meme guardian vanished in the dust as the blocks rolled away before coming to rest upon the edge. "SMG1!" SMG2 and Spudnick cried.
Worried for their friend, the two ran to the spot where he'd been standing. The dust cleared slowly and there he was, flat as paper. However, he was far from out, thanks to the cartoon-y nature of the universe and his cartoon-ish appearance. The flattened SMG1 let out a soft moan and moved an arm, struggling to make any other movement.
"S-SMG1?" Spudnick asked nervously.
"Please say something." SMG2 added.
"SMG1! SMG1! HOW BAD IS IT?"
BOING! "Quit worrying, it wasn't too bad, it's just a minor injury..." SMG1 snapped.
Usually, this would be where someone would be breathing a sigh of relief, but Spudnick and SMG2 were giving their friend some awkward looks as if something about SMG1 had changed. SMG1 was about to say something, probably some words of assurance, but then he noticed the odd looks on their faces.
"What are you staring at me for?" He demanded, "You look like you saw..."
"You might wanna look at yourself, One." SMG2 said, pulling out a mirror.
"Seriously? I'm perfectly fine, Two. Why are you acting so worried?"
"Please, you have to look at yourself." The SMG handed his partner the object in hand.
SMG1 looked at his reflection in the mirror in SMG2's hand and his eyes widened; no longer did he properly resemble his counterparts. He looked drastically different, what was once a round-headed guardian was now a box-headed fellow with a somewhat intact hat and a cube-shaped body with stubby legs and stubby arms.
"Oh no..." SMG1 moaned, he felt like he was going to faint.
Spudnick hugged him, "Don't cry, SMG1. You'll get used to the change, you're still the same person we know. Just don't freak out..." However, despite the avatar's words, SMG1 was feeling uncertain about his future with his new appearance. When others saw his appearance, there would be a lot to deal with...
-Mushroom Kingdom, now-
"Mama mia!" Mario remarked.
"I know." SMG1 said with an uncertain facial expression that soon became replaced with an optimistic smile, "But at least I got used to this look and continued on. Doesn't matter what we look like on the outside as long as what we are on the inside still matters."
"Yeah, I look like Mario, but I'm a different person." SMG4 said, "But what we look like doesn't define us, it's what we do and the people we meet that define us."
Everyone all nodded in agreement with SMG4, tonight's story had taught a very important lesson that had been taught before. No matter what you look like or once looked like, you would always be the same person deep down, regardless of any change. No matter how many times one was knocked down by life, it was for the best to always get back up...
The End
