Chapter 39 You Are Strong
Pom Pom leaned against the fence to Viv's garden. The sky was beautiful, the grass was green, and it was the exact right temperature outside. Yet the young Koopa noticed none of those things. Like she so often did over the course of this odyssey that she and Wendy had trekked on, she dealt with more complicated emotions than most people could reasonably handle. Part of her felt icky on the inside. Another part of her wanted to celebrate. Her emotions were wild and varied, and yet, there was mainly one thought she had in her mind. That being the image of Viv's face.
Sniffling, Pom Pom directed her gaze toward the ground. A wind ruffled her hair. It was a particularly strong and cold one, and it made her teeth chatter. She shivered, but she didn't even consider going back into the house. She simply rubbed her arms and frowned.
"Hey Pom Pom," Pom Pom heard Steve call out from a few feet away. "Are you okay?"
Pom Pom bit her lip. "I'm fine, Steve."
"You sure?"
"Yes. Absolutely." Pom Pom turned away from him, not interested in sharing her problems with the talking flower. She looked down at the flowers in Viv's garden, blooming and displaying the healthiest, most beautiful colors. Pom Pom detected a very severe irony here. Viv had nurtured these flowers and helped them to flourish. She had brought them to life, and yet she destroyed Pom Pom's. And Bink's.
And yet, it wasn't even her fault. That was what made Pom Pom feel ultra confused. It wasn't Viv's fault. Nothing was Viv's fault. This was so strange; it seemed like the blame for who and what caused Pom Pom's life to go wrong kept shifting. For the longest time, she blamed herself. Then, she blamed Viv. And now… who could she blame? Her parents? Viv's sisters?
Did it even do her any good to pin the blame on someone?
Right at that moment, the door to Viv's house opened. Pom Pom lifted her head, thankful to see that it was Wendy and not Viv. With a frown and a furrowed brow, Wendy went over to the cadet. Said cadet didn't look at her, instead just looking at the ground again. The chilly wind still blowing, they both stood in place for a little period of time.
"Are you alright?" Wendy eventually asked.
"She's fine!" Steve said. "She told me she was a few minutes ago, said she was absolutely sure of that."
Wendy looked toward Pom Pom. "Is that true?"
Pom Pom hesitated. "I… no. It's not."
Steve gasped. "What? You mean you lied to me?" He huffed. "Hmph. The nerve this one has."
Wendy chuckled and wrapped her arm around Pom Pom. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Depends," Pom Pom said with a bitter tone. "Do you want to listen to it?"
"I do," Wendy said without missing a beat. "You're my friend, and I want to help you."
A surge of gratitude shot through Pom Pom before dying down. "Thank you, but I don't even know if you can help me." She sighed. "I don't know anything anymore "
A silence settled over the scene, only broken by the blowing of the wind. Pom Pom debated over what to say, as well as the best way to say it.
"It honestly feels like a slap in the face." She pushed her hair back. "She wanted to come back to me. Maybe, just maybe, if my family had stayed in place for just a little while longer, everything would be different. I wouldn't have the diagnoses that I do. I wouldn't have depression, anxiety, or trauma. My life would've been vastly different if Viv was just allowed to return to me."
"True, but… would it necessarily be better?"
"I think it would be," Pom Pom responded. "I've been through a lot of horrible stuff."
"Yeah, but those experiences made you who you are. True, they weren't ideal, but I would argue they made you stronger."
Pom Pom snorted. "There's nothing strong about me."
"Oh really?" Wendy raised her eyebrow. "The girl who was the most promising out of the group of new Koopa Troop recruits? The girl who still got back up and marched forward even when every part of her life got thrown into question? The girl who fought Bink, the girl who was always ahead of the darkness, the girl who struggled everyday of her life and yet still decided she wanted to make something of herself? THAT girl isn't strong? Are you serious?"
Pom Pom's jaw dropped as she looked into the princess's eyes. "Wendy…"
"You are strong, Pom Pom. You've always been strong. You battled depression, anxiety, trauma, as well as insecurities and your past. You tried your best every single day of your life. You never gave up. There were multiple points during this journey you and I went on where you could've easily thrown in the towel. But you didn't. Heck, what you went through that ended up kicking off this journey in the first place… do you know how many people would lose their minds and give up entirely after finding out their imaginary friend was real? They would probably personally escort themselves to the nearest mental hospital, or they'd do something even worse. But you stood strong. Despite every single negative feeling the revelation caused you to feel, you still got up. You still marched forward. You never lost track of the mission; you always put the fate of the Mushroom World over your own anxieties."
Pom Pom stared at Wendy. She didn't know what to say. She didn't even know if there was anything to say.
"And not to mention… Viv outright admitted that her friendship with you changed everything. You inspired enough confidence in her that she was able to fight back against her sisters. In other words, YOU are the reason why we are even here right now, why ANYONE is here right now. And that's something I want you to remember." Wendy placed her hand in the middle of Pom Pom's chest. "Whenever you feel lost, or worthless, or like you can't move forward, I want you to remember that we're here because of YOU. Beldam and Marilyn were thwarted because of YOU. The entirety of the Mushroom World still exists because. Of. YOU."
Tears welled in Pom Pom's eyes. Sniffling, she wiped them away, chuckling as she did. "My friendship with Viv is why I was able to start a friendship with you."
"Exactly." Wendy smiled. "We owe everything to you. You walked through Hell and were able to come out on the other side. That is amazing Pom Pom." Wendy's smile grew warmer. "You don't know how amazing you are." The level of respect she gazed at Pom Pom with was extraordinary. "I know this is hard, I know it's confusing. But I want you to know that everything that happened to you... it's just the beginning. The rest will reveal itself in time, and I know you'll triumph over everything, including this. I guarantee it."
Pom Pom's heart melted right then and there. Without any warning, she pulled Wendy into a hug. The princess gasped, sounding like she had the wind knocked out of her. Pom Pom squeezed her tighter than she had ever squeezed anyone. As she did this, the tears flowed freely. Before, she would probably see this as a sign of her own weakness, but not this time. People don't cry because they're weak. They cry because they've been strong for too long.
"Thank you, Wendy," Pom Pom whispered. She let out a breath as Wendy hugged her back. "You know what? I wouldn't change a thing about my life. If I never went through what I went through… we would never have become friends."
"That's right." Wendy let out her own sniffle. "And… I am proud to have you as my friend, Pom Pom."
"I'm proud to have you as MY friend." Pom Pom chuckled as the tears flowed. "You're sweet. You're kind. You support those who you care about, you're willing to move Heaven and Earth to ensure everyone is safe… need I remind you that this whole mission to find Viv was YOUR idea? You talked about me having so many options to throw in the towel, but if you never got the ball rolling in the first place, then everything would be over before it even started." Pom Pom smiled. "You are amazing, Wendy. Every single last aspect of you is amazing."
"Thanks, Pom Pom." Wendy sounded touched in the deepest, most personal way possible. It sounded as though her very soul had been moved by Pom Pom's words. It sounded as though everything in her life had been leading up to this moment, that the storyline her life followed was just now hitting its emotional climax. That might be a little egotistical and/or hyperbolic to say, but Pom Pom didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that she had Wendy as a friend. In some ways, the past that she dealt with didn't really matter. The past wasn't the present, now was it? It might have greatly impacted her present, but contrary to what she had believed for a majority of her life, it wasn't setting her up for failure. No. It was setting her up for the brightest future possible. A future she never would've reached if she never experienced the hardships from her past.
Sniffling, Pom Pom marveled at the beauty of that thought… no, the beauty of that FACT. "No." She let go of Wendy and gave her a bright smile. "Thank you. For everything." Both girls smiled at each other, feeling like everything was finally lining up when…
"Aww!" Blinking, Pom Pom and Wendy turned to see Steve crying. "That… that was beautiful!" He wiped his eyes with his leaves. "Sorry, I tend to get emotional about stuff like this." He chuckled. "I guess I'm just a natural softy."
Pom Pom and Wendy chuckled. "It's okay Steve; emotions are a part of life." Pom Pom stood still for a minute before biting her lip. "So…. We still have the darkness to take care of."
"That we do." Wendy looked toward the door. "Come on."
Pom Pom nodded, and both girls walked back into the house. Viv was sitting on the couch, and when she saw both girls, her expression turned pensive and expectant. She stood up, floating over to them with an air of caution. Pom Pom took a deep breath.
"Viv… we need you to help us."
"Sure," Viv said without even a millisecond of hesitation. "Anything you need, I'll be willing to do it."
"Good." Pom Pom stepped closer. "Viv, I don't know how, but your sisters managed to escape from that box that you said you imprisoned them in, and now they're spreading darkness across the Mushroom World."
Viv's eyes grew wide as she gasped. "What?" she squeaked.
"The darkness has already claimed the Mushroom Kingdom, the Koopa Kingdom, most if not all of the Beanbean Kingdom, and… well, probably almost all of the planet's northern hemisphere, honestly," Wendy added.
Viv looked as though she was about to collapse. "Sweet Borealis…" she started to shake. "How in the world did I not hear about this…?" Pom Pom frowned; it seemed like Viv was the one person who Beldam and Marilyn didn't send the worldwide message to. Still shaking, Viv grasped her temples. "Oh, this is terrible!"
"Yes, it is." Pom Pom took another step forward, wearing a face that she hoped conveyed her desperation. "Do you know any way to fix this? To stop the darkness?"
Viv shook for a few minutes more before she stopped. She regained her composure, standing tall, firm, and serious.
"I do. Since my sisters, Beldam and Marilyn, are the ones who caused this, then we have go and kill them. Doing that will break their spell and will free everyone who the darkness has claimed."
"I see." Pom Pom stepped forward. "Do you think you'll be able to do that?"
Viv cringed. "Yes, but I can't do it alone." She looked between Wendy and Pom Pom. "Would you guys be willing to accompany me? I'll cast a protection spell on you to ensure you are immune to the darkness. And… well, I have a pretty good idea as to where my sisters would be. I can teleport all three of us to them."
"Sounds like a plan," Pom Pom said. She and Wendy walked to stand behind Viv, who held out her arms. "We're ready when you are, Viv."
"Al… alright." Viv didn't teleport them. Instead, she stood in place, taking in shaky breaths.
"Viv, you okay?" Wendy asked.
"Y… yeah. I'll.., I'll be fine." She took a deep breath and snapped her fingers, teleporting them away.