"Hyah! Hraaah! And kick! Woo!"
"Well done!"
"Heh, thanks! You keep sparrin' like that, you'll have the makings of a champ!"
"You're quite the strong opponent!
"You're pretty tough yourself, Cabochon! A stark contrast to that soft exterior you got goin' on!"
"Thank you! I'll take that as a compliment."
"I was never really good at complimentin' people, heh."
"It's quite alright. I still have a lot of work to do, though. It was a wonderful workout!"
"Worked up a nice sweat, too! I could go for a bite to eat right about now."
"Why don't you join me for lunch? It'd be wonderful to be in your company some more, even if only for a little bit.
"Yeah? I think I'll take you up on that offer!"
"Wonderful!"
"...Cabochon."
"Hm?"
"...Thanks for hearing me out earlier. I don't usually open up to people like that, but it made me realize that keepin' all that bottled up does more harm than good."
"Of course. You're my friend and I care deeply about you. If I can be a shoulder to lean on, then I've done my job for you."
"Jeez, you're makin' me blush over here! Stop that!"
"Haha!"
"C'mon, let's go have lunch."
• •
Beyond Bowser's castle, the pair made their way through the Darkland Forest. As the duo traveled, the scorched trees gradually began turning into more lush trees. The middle of the forest was quiet and gloomy, leaving the two to follow any source of light to lead them forward. There was no visible path so it was up to them to find the right direction…
"Alright, so Iggy pointed us toward the city… Where is that exactly…?" Lovure floated around Larry in concern.
"Just outside Darkland. It's a real big city, can't miss it!" Larry pointed in front of them, leaving Lovure even more confused. "What are you pointing at…? I can't see anything past all the trees!" The forest was fairly dense, so it was hard to know the right way to go. Nevertheless, Larry was adamant and continued. After a while, the light sources became less abundant, making Lovure more apprehensive.
"It's totally this way. Trust me." Larry continued walking to which Lovure hastily followed close behind. The duo continued on their way through the forest for a while. A long while. An unusually long while. Lovure stopped and sat on a nearby stump out of exhaustion.
"Phew! We've been going around this forest for far too long! Do you even know where you're going?" asked Lovure. "Uhh, duh? I live here, y'know," said Larry. "Now, let's see…" Larry looked around the forest and tried to determine where to go next. He pretended he knew exactly which way to go, heading in a random direction. Larry and Lovure passed by a strange-looking bush, a strange-looking tree, the stump, and the same strange-looking bush again. They were essentially going around in circles!
"Wait a minute–I've seen that bush before! You don't know where you're going, do you?" asked Lovure.
"Yeah I do!"
"No you don't! We've been going around in circles this whole time! Just face it, we're lost!" yelled Lovure. Some crows flew away as Lovure's voice echoed in the air.
"We're not lost, dude! I know this place like the back of my hand! …Maybe."
"Maybe?!" More birds flew away as Lovure yelled." "Ohh, we'll never get to the city! The world is doomed as we speak!" Lovure sighed in defeat. "All hope is lost!"
Lovure sat on the stump again, this time face down. "Hey, cool it! There's gotta be a way outta here somewhere…" Larry looked around for another opening. As if on cue, Larry's stomach growled. "Oogh. I'm hungry. I shoulda brought some snacks along the way. Fighting works up an appetite, y'know!" It's been a while since he had eaten and they were already too far into the forest to head back to the castle for supplies. Larry was getting more and more peckish by the minute!
"If I had something to share with you, I would have…shared it with you," said Lovure. "Perhaps there's something out here we could find to hold you off until we get to the city?" The duo continued walking through the forest in hopes of finding a tasty snack. They searched…and searched…and searched. Nothing. There wasn't a single thing to eat around them.
"UGH! We've been at this foreverrr. I'm wasting away!" said Larry. He was fine.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Larry!" Larry immediately fell to his knees. "I'm gonna starve!"
Lovure looked at all the trees around them for something Larry could eat. Finally, he spotted a tree bearing a shiny red apple. "Aha! How about that?"
"An apple? Eh, it's not a cheeseburger, but I guess it'll do for now." Larry climbed up the tree and reached for the apple. His short arms made the task more difficult than it should have been. He reached as hard as he could… "Allllmost… thereeeee…" Without warning, the tree came to life! Using one of its branches, it swatted Larry off of its trunk, causing him to fall to the ground.
"AHHHH! Hey! What gives, tree?!" shouted Larry. The tree simply put its "hands" on its "hips".
"Well! I can't say I blame it. I'd be upset if someone were climbing on me, too," said Lovure. "Er… Have you tried asking it nicely…?" he asked.
"Asking nicely? Who do you think I am?!" said Larry. "We don't ask nicely for anything! We take what we want! And right now, I want a snack!"
The tree shook its "head" at the comment. As if this tree wasn't acting weird enough, it blew a raspberry at Larry. "Alright, that tears it!" Larry tried to charge at the tree but Lovure held him back. "Larry, please! It's no use!" yelled Lovure. Larry stopped.
"…I know! Why don't you float up there and grab it?"
"Me?! I–hmm. You might be onto something there…! Let me give it a try," Lovure floated up to the apple, attempting to grab it. The tree swatted Lovure away, causing him to launch into another tree. "OOF!" Lovure fell to the ground face down. The tree blew another raspberry.
"...Alright, I tried," said Lovure, muffled.
"...Dude! What was that for, tree?!" Suddenly, Larry heard stomps from out of nowhere. The trees rustled in the wind. "Uh oh. Something's coming…! Heart Dude, get up!" The ground shook a little and Lovure sprung up, hiding behind Larry. "I don't like the sound of that!"
The stomping got louder and louder and soon after, a silhouette could be seen out in the distance. The two waited in anticipation until the silhouette stumbled closer and closer. Finally, the silhouette was made clear and the duo could see what it was.
It was an infected Chargin' Chuck: a LuvChuck! He was being overpowered by crystals and veins, giving him a sort of hunchback appearance. Even the inside of his helmet was overgrown with veins, blocking his vision. He groaned in pain, having succumbed to the nefarious virus. "Eugh! He looks terrible!" yelled Larry. The LuvChuck couldn't see that it was Larry who was shouting at him…but he certainly could hear him. The LuvChuck turned around to face Larry.
"RRRRAAAGH!" The Chuck charged at Larry and Lovure at full speed. Luckily, the both of them dove out of the way just in time. "Oof!" The LuvChuck hit one of the trees, causing the tree to lose some of its leaves.
This gave Larry an idea… "Hey, Heart Dude!" whispered Larry. "I'll bet if I can get that chump to charge at us while we're in front of the stupid tree, he can knock that apple down!"
"That's… brilliant!" whispered Lovure.
"Yeah, I know right?"
Larry stood up. "Hey, stupid! Over here!" The LuvChuck, having heard Larry, turned around. "That's right! I'm talkin' to you! You can't get meeeee!" Larry made some noise, which made the LuvChuck fly into a rage. He charged at Larry again, but Larry moved out of the way, and in turn, made the Chuck crash into the apple tree. The sheer force made the apple fall out of the tree and onto the ground.
Lovure pointed to the downed LuvChuck. "Look! There's its weak spot!" The nodule was on the back of its helmet! Larry turned around, rushing to pull out the Heartbreaker. The tree "looked" down at the zombie, holding the LuvChuck still as Larry aimed down the gun's sights. The LuvChuck squirmed, trying to get out of the tree's grasp but the tree was stronger.
POW!
Larry shot the Heartbreaker at the LuvChuck, hitting it directly in the heart nodule! "Bullseye!" said Larry triumphantly. The veins slowly disappeared and melted away. The tree, also seeing this, let go of the LuvChuck and he fell to the ground. Larry and Lovure slowly approached the downed Chuck, who had returned to normal. He opened his eyes and as soon as he saw who was staring him down, he sprung up.
"Boss! What're you doin' here?!" asked the Chargin' Chuck.
"I could ask you the same thing!" said Larry. "You were a zombie and you tried to maul us, dude!"
"I did?! Sorry, Boss! I couldn't think straight… or even see straight! See, I was comin' from the city back to the castle to warn everybody about what was goin' on! Some weird fog…smoke…stuff was taking over the city! One minute people were runnin' away and the next everybody started bitin' each other! I tried fendin' 'em off, but I got bit, too! I got overwhelmed so I charged outta there! I came through this forest as a shortcut to the castle and after that, it was all a blur…"
"Hold on a moment… You came from the city?" asked Lovure. "Would you happen to know how to get there at all?"
"Yeah! Now that I can see again…and think again…I can show off my sense of direction!"
"Wonderful! Would you mind taking us there?"
"We did kind of save your shell, dude," Larry butted in.
"You scratched my back so I'll scratch yours! Follow me, Boss, and, uh…!"
"Lovure! It's a pleasure."
Larry and Lovure followed the Chargin' Chuck… but not before Larry picked up the apple that lay on the ground. The tree made a motion of "c'mon, man".
The three traveled through the rest of the forest. Lovure told the Chargin' Chuck about the calamity throughout the land and even at the castle. Beneath them was a footway in the dirt leading to an opening in the trees, the bright lights from the city peeked out at the trio. As they approached the city, the sound of commotion grew louder.
"Oh no… It's as bad as you said it was!" yelled Lovure.
Infected and non-infected alike were running amuck around the streets, the dark fog dissipating from its initial spread. Some tried to fight off the zombies while others ran to find shelter. Larry and Lovure both kept their distance from the groups of zombies.
"Ugh, what a mess!" said Larry. "I'll say," Lovure replied.
"Boss! Look over there!" The Chargin' Chuck pointed over towards a distant group of zombies who were being flung around. "What's going on over there?!" asked Larry. "C'mon, let's go check it out!" The three ran towards the group of zombies. As they got closer, more and more zombies were being pushed back and knocked out. It wasn't long until the group was able to see who the culprit was…
"And stay down!"
"ROY?!" Larry yelled.
Roy punched, kicked, and threw zombies left and right. "Back off you freaks! You ain't about to get me!"
"Roy! What're you doing here?!" asked Larry. "Uh, hey. Long time no see. I came to watch the big match at Showdown Arena… but there's no time for that right now. These freaks are trying to come after us!"
Some of the zombies in the group edged towards Larry. The Chargin Chuck got in front of Larry, protecting him. "Boss! Let me hold them back for you! You just take care of breakin' their hearts!" Larry pulled out the Heartbreaker, its gem glistening in the sun. Roy took a look at the fancy firearm. "What's that thing? You think you can take these guys out with that?!" he asked.
"Watch me!" replied Larry.
The Chargin' Chuck charged into a lot of zombies, incapacitating them. Now that they were vulnerable, Larry was able to line up several shots at their nodules. One by one, Larry shot left and right at the zombies, hitting each of them in their heart nodules. After a long fight, almost all the zombies were healed thanks to Larry. He flourished his weapon and finished off the last zombie.
Larry put away the Heartbreaker and Lovure sighed in relief. The crowd murmured in confusion as everyone returned to normal. "And that takes care of that!" said Larry.
"Wonderful work, Larry! You saved everyone! And thank you as well." Lovure nodded at the Chargin' Chuck to which he rubbed the back of his head bashfully.
"Uh, Larry? What's with the guy here?" asked Roy. "I'm called Lovure. Allow me to explain everything…" After a brief explanation of the situation, Roy grunted in frustration. "So it's all YOUR fault, then!" yelled Roy. He punched Larry in the shoulder. "OW! I'm taking care of everything, okay?!" yelled Larry.
"Yeah, ya' better be!"
"I am!"
"Boss! Er, Bosses!" The Chargin' Chuck spoke up. "Should I take these guys somewhere safe?"
"Beats standing around waiting to get bit again!" said Larry.
"ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP, EVERYONE! The place is filled to the brim with zombies…thanks to LARRY HERE…" Larry gave Roy the stink eye. "...So that means you all gotta get outta here! If you don't want yer butts bitten by these zombies, then I suggest you all high-tail it out of here and find some shelter! Now, GET OUT OF HERE!" The crowd quickly followed the Chargin' Chuck to find some shelter.
"So you said there's a big match at the arena today?" asked Larry. "I mean yeah. Supposedly, anyway. Wouldn't be surprised if people were usin' that place to hide from the zombies or whatever, though," said Roy.
In the distance, people were running out of the arena screaming and shouting. Larry, Lovure, and Roy all caught sight of the display. They made their way to the arena entrance without question and went inside. More people were screaming and running away from the main area.
"Help, zombies!"
"Ahhhh, we're gonna get eaten!"
"Run for your lives!"
The three of them entered the main area and were shocked to find hundreds of zombies in the stands murmuring amongst themselves. "That's a lot of zombies!" yelled Larry.
The crowd didn't seem to be attacking anybody. In fact, they had their attention glued to the arena in front of them. They were all in a daze as if they were waiting for something… or someone.
Larry's brooch made a heartbeat that he could feel in his own chest. He clutched his chest in fear and bewilderment. "Uh…what was that?!" he asked. "The brooch!" replied Lovure. "There must be a high concentration of the virus nearby! But where…?" The lights shut off abruptly and a single spotlight appeared on the runway. "Alright, ya brats! Get ready for a show unlike anything you've ever seen!"
All of a sudden, fog came out of the fog machine on the runway. The laser lights and spotlights lit the runway up. It was a laser light show! The door in the back of the runway opened and a single silhouette emerged.
"Huh?!" Larry, Lovure, and Roy all faced the runway. The silhouette made its way to the center ring, being shrouded in fog. It climbed in the ring and the fog faded away. Finally, a dark red figure showed her face. She sported a high red ponytail, a spiky leather jacket, a belt with a heart gem on it, and a gold headband crown. She appeared to be very strong and robust.
The zombie crowd cheered for her as she hyped them up. A microphone came from the ceiling in front of the spirit. "What's up? I'm Garnet! Are ya ready for a show you've never seen before?!" The crowd cheered again. Roy leaned close to Larry and whispered. "Who does she think she is?" he asked. "That's Garnet, obviously," Larry replied.
"Bring out my victims!" The runway's doors opened and revealed some zombified wrestlers. These zombies looked different from the others… Their hearts and veins were a vibrant shade of dark red, their edges jagged and thorned. "Huh. I've never seen zombies that look like that before!" said Lovure. "Did the virus…mutate?!"
The zombie wrestlers entered the ring. Garnet cracked her knuckles. "Come on!" She taunted. One by one, the zombie wrestlers came running towards her. She performed various wrestling moves on the zombies, knocking them each out.
"She's strong, I'll give her that!" said Roy. One of the zombie wrestlers came flying out of the ring. The trio ducked, avoiding getting hit by him. Garnet performed a clothesline on the last zombie wrestler. She got on top of him and performed a leg hold maneuver as her finishing move. One…two…three! The bell rang and she got up, hyping the crowd up!
"You all are weak! Weak!" Garnet yelled. "I'm looking for a better opponent!" The spotlight moved onto Larry and company, which caught them by surprise. "WELL WELL! If it ain't Prince Meat himself! Fancy seein' you here!" Larry pointed to himself. "ME?!"
"Yeah, you! Get up here!" One of the zombie wrestlers picked Larry up and tossed him into the ring. The koopa landed on his stomach with a thud. Garnet approached her victim, cracking her knuckles again. "See? I knew you'd come runnin' to me! Means you're all mine, now!"
"What?! No! I came here to stop you!" Larry replied. "You're causing all kinds of problems! And that's our job!"
"Yeah right! You couldn't resist being my prince so that's why you're here!"
"I'm not a dang prince!"
Garnet chuckled. "Alright, Prince Meat. You wanna get to me? You gotta go through my guys first!" Garnet whistled. As if nothing happened, the zombie wrestlers all got back up and grouped up in front of Larry. "Heh! Good luck!" Larry just stared at the group in front of him.
"Be careful, Larry. These zombies are much stronger than the other zombies we've been fighting. They have a different strain of the virus…" warned Lovure. "Relax, Heart Dude! We'll just hit 'em with the same old tricks we've been using, right?" Larry pulled out his Heartbreaker and winked at Lovure.
The group of zombie wrestlers came running towards Larry all at once. Larry was able to dodge and leap out of the way of some of the incoming fighters. "I don't see a nodule anywhere! Dang it!" Still, he tried shooting at them to no avail. "ACK!" Larry got drop-kicked by one of the zombie wrestlers. Another one performed a takedown on him.
Larry was being thrown and tossed around by the wrestlers and then into the ring's ropes, becoming dazed. "Larry!" Yelled Roy. "Gahhhh… This ain't good!"
Garnet laughed it up. "C'mon, Prince Meat! Put up a fight already!" she yelled.
"Larry, tag me in! Let me take care of her!" Larry came to and tagged Roy in. Roy jumped into the ring.
"And who are you supposed to be?!" Garnet asked tauntingly.
"Name's Roy! I'll be your opponent!" Roy walked towards Garnet.
"Tuh! You're approaching me?! That's bold, Pinky!"
Roy cracked his neck on all sides. "I can't beat you to a pulp without gettin' closer, ya' know!" He assumed a fighting stance, ready to take Garnet on. "C'mon! Let's dance, girl!" The two charged at each other, pushing against one another with their arms. Their strengths matched perfectly! "Take… this!" Roy picked Garnet up and suplexed her. She landed with a resounding thud, shaking the ring.
The infected crowd roared with excitement! Garnet rolled back up, rushing back to the ropes. She bounded forward with a headbutt into Roy. He recoiled and stammered backward. Roy jumped at her and pile-drived her into the floor. The crowd seemed to be loving every minute of the match.
Meanwhile, Larry continued trying to fight off the various zombie wrestlers in the ring. He tried shooting at them again, but his efforts still didn't get him very far. "It's still not working!" Larry said.
Suddenly, Roy came flying towards the zombies. "AAAAAHHH!" He barreled into them, knocking them all out of the way like bowling pins. Roy hurled into the ring's ropes and landed on his stomach. "Roy!" Larry ran to Roy's aid, helping him up. "Ugh… That girl's got some moxie! She's not messin' around!"
"Oh no ya don't!" Garnet dragged Roy back into the middle of the ring by his legs. She lifted him, performing an airplane spin, then threw him to the floor.
"GAH! C'mon! Aren't you some kinda princess?!" Roy taunted. "The princesses where I live don't act like this!"
"What did you say, ya punk?!"
"You heard me! You ain't gonna find your prince stompin' around the way you do!"
"Take that back, Pinky!"
"Or what, young lady?!"
"ARGH! You're worse than my own mom!"
Garnet gritted her teeth. Jewel-like veins slowly wrapped around her body from behind as she balled her fists. "Larry, look!" Lovure shouted. Larry turned his attention to Garnet as her appearance began to change.
Garnet charged at Roy, picking him up again. She was as furious as furious ever got! She slammed him into the floor.
"All my mama did was talk down on me! And now you, too! You're just proving her right!"
"Hey! Leave my brother alone!" Larry yelled. "I love a good fight as much as the next person, but you don't have to do this!"
Garnet's breathing became heavier by the minute. The veins kept creeping around her body. "She never took me seriously! All she did was chastise me about everything! Garnet, you'll never inherit the throne if you act like that… Garnet, dear, you're scaring everyone. Cut that out! Garnet, no one will ever like you if you keep being the way you are! ARGH!"
"...Sounds like a lousy mother to me," Larry said. "That's cause she is!" replied Garnet. "If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be like this!"
"You don't gotta listen to any of that junk! What's the point in making her listen to you when she won't even put in the effort herself?! Look, I know what it's like! I'm the youngest of all my siblings! Sometimes, they don't listen to me!"
"C-c'mon, man!" Roy grunted.
"But that doesn't mean I gotta change how I am, right? You shouldn't have to change yourself, either!"
Garnet shut her eyes. "This is the only way she'll listen." She looked down at Larry with rage in her voice and gaze.
"When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna show her that I'm in charge and destroy anyone in my way! Including Glasses Boy here!" The veins grew more and more, entrapping Garnet as she got on one of the ring's corner stakes. "So what if I dress like this, talk like this, and act the way I do?! She's not gonna run my life anymore after this!"
As she lifted her arms in the air, she closed her eyes, preparing to take a leap of faith onto Roy as her finishing move. As she prepared for her final move, the vines coagulated into a heart nodule right in the middle of her chest.
"Larry! The nodule!" Larry's brooch beat in tandem with Garnet's heart nodule and Larry could feel the heartbeat. Larry and Lovure nodded at each other. The Koopaling aimed at the nodule and shot at it. The nodule exploded violently and Garnet clutched her chest in pain, falling to the floor. The group of zombie wrestlers and spectators slowly returned to normal, collapsing to the floor, as well.
Larry ran to Roy's side again. "Get up, Roy! We won!" said Larry. "Guh. That girl was taking her anger out on me! That's messed up, even for me!" said Roy.
"I don't get it…!" Garnet punched the ground hard, her fists and body shaking. "Why did she make me believe everyone thought like that? Pit me against my siblings like that?! Why!? WHY!?" Garnet started to tear up. She fought with herself to hold the tears back.
Larry and Lovure slowly approached her.
"Prince Cabochon was the only one who understood me. The only one who understood any of us! He showed me a world that wasn't out to hurt me or chastise me, or any of that other junk Mom said there'd be! When we got the news that the prince vanished, it felt like my whole world started to fall apart. And with all that power we had… I wanted to crush the world that took him from us. GAH! It's just not fair! It's… not…" She pounded her fist down again and again.
"It wasn't right that your mother filled your head with such nonsense," said Lovure. "She poisoned your mind with expectations that were outside of your reach. She wanted you to become something you didn't want to be…and it ate you up from the inside out."
Garnet sniffled. "She didn't even see me as her daughter, I bet. Just another heir to her stupid throne! Another cog in the machine!" She recalled all the times that her mother never allowed her to be herself, all those times she had to push her real emotions away. All the times her mother wouldn't listen to her…
• •
"Stand up straight, dear. You're slouching again."
"Yeah."
"What was that, young lady?"
"I-I said yes. Yes, Mom."
"The guardsmen tell me you'll be seeing that young man from Dark Land again. Do you want him and the commonfolk to think you're un-ladylike?"
"Cabochon and I've talked to them before. They don't think like–"
"And what's with that outfit? You want to enchant people, not scare them away! You're a princess!"
"... I know."
"Oh, don't give me that look. Someday you'll inherit this throne and I want you to act and dress like it. You'll thank me for all I've taught you until then."
"..."
"Look at me when I'm talking to you!"
"... Yes, Mom."
"Change your clothes… and your attitude."
• •
Garnet stopped holding back and burst into tears. She sobbed and sobbed, tears pouring out. Lovure reassured her that it would be okay. "There, there... It'll be alright," he said. Garnet nodded silently. After a long moment of crying, she calmed down and got up off the ring's floor.
The crowd fell into a hush. For the first time, the arena was dead silent.
Garnet approached Larry and Roy. "You two put up a good fight. Sorry, I kinda pulverized ya' back there." "Eh, no hard feelings!" Roy replied. "Didn't mean to taunt ya' too badly back there. Well, I did mean it, but I was tryin' to play the heel and, uhh… didn't know you had some heavy baggage." The two of them shook hands. Their grips got tighter and tighter before Lovure had to get their attention to break it up, earning a chuckle from the two.
She then turned to Larry. "Hey… Larry, right? Thanks for savin' me from… me. I dunno where I'd be without ya'," Garnet said.
Larry's brooch suddenly came off his lapel. It floated in front of Garnet. "Huh…?" The spirit stared at the regalia as it glistened, inviting her to touch it. Slowly but surely, she reached her hand out towards the brooch. As she touched it, she could feel a pulse of warmth flow through her body.
She felt reborn, healed, and ready to face the world once more.
The brooch floated back to Larry's lapel and the Heartbreaker gained a gemstone: Garnet. Larry took a look at the gun with its new gemstone. "Whoa. What just happened?" he asked.
"Your heart-to-heart with Garnet powered up the Heartbreaker! It should be a little stronger now," replied Lovure.
"Cool!" Larry said.
The crowd in the stands began cheering for the group. Garnet took a look at all the people in the crowd cheering for them. Even the previously zombified wrestlers were cheering for them. For her…
Garnet held both Roy and Larry's arms in the air as the crowd cheered even louder. She smiled brightly, tears streaming down her face.
• •
"I'm not afraid to be myself anymore. I used to hate the way I am thanks to Mom, but now I don't gotta worry about that."
"I like myself the way I am. And if others don't, that's their problem. Not mine. You liked me for me. You taught me that it's okay to be myself. That it's okay to be vulnerable. You became that shoulder I could lean on when I felt bad."
"Cabochon, if you're out there…thanks for keeping me grounded. I know I can't change the way I am…and I don't plan to! Thanks for everything. I'll never forget you…"