Chapter 43 Running from the Pain

The group stepped out of Soda Jungle's haunted area back out into the light. As the sun streamed down onto Wendy's face, she felt giddy. REALLY giddy. This was how everything was supposed to be. It was supposed to be bright, the world was supposed to be free from supernatural threats like the Shadow Sirens. The world had the peace it held so dear stolen, but Wendy, Pom Pom, and Viv had taken it back. Everything was back to normal, and Wendy couldn't be happier.

She took a deep breath, wanting to fully appreciate the fresh scent of freedom. "We did it," she said to herself. She turned to Iggy and Armando, who were smiling. "Isn't this amazing?"

"Yeah," said Armando. "When I saw the Shadow Sirens for the first time, I was so worried. I knew that we were fucked. I wasn't sure exactly how, but I knew that we were fucked."

Iggy chuckled nervously. "Yeah." He scratched the back of his head and looked back at his sister. "Still though. Wendy, the fact that you were able to save everyone… its incredible. Incredible beyond words!"

"Thanks!" Wendy said. She gestured toward Pom Pom. "I couldn't have done it without Pom Pom, though. You should've seen her; she went to such great lengths over the course of the mission! She was fearless, she was strong… she… oh man, seriously guys; I am SO proud of her!"

Pom Pom gave Wendy a grateful smile. "Thanks, Wendy." Realization flashed across her face, causing her to gasp. "Wait, Wendy! Check your phone; your other brothers might text you back now!"

Wendy gasped the most excited gasp ever. "You're right!" She dug her phone out of her hammerspace, ready to text each of her brothers. She did just that, asking each of them if they were feeling all better. To her delight, she got answers from each of them right away.

"I'm fine, now that that cloud is gone," Ludwig said.

"I feel like I blacked out for the past decade; what the heck just happened?" asked Roy.

"I'm great, and I'm happy to know that you're okay, Wendy," said Lemmy, leaving a smiley emoticon at the end of the message

A warmth grew in Wendy's heart. She smiled, feeling like she could cry a river of joy. She didn't do that though. Instead, she let out a squeal of delight, even going so far as to jump up and down. "Oh, this is great! This is amazing!" She let out a delighted laugh as she stopped jumping. "Oh man." She held the phone over her heart. "I just… I can't believe this. After everything we went through… after everything that happened…" she turned toward her friend. "Pom Pom, I can't thank you enough for joining me on this…" she stopped, blinking. "Where'd she go?"

…

Viv stood atop a hill, overlooking the now bright and cheery Soda Jungle. She frowned as she did, considering all that she now associated with this region. This was the place where she defeated her sisters TWICE. This was the place where she had claimed her freedom, one time temporarily and the other time permanently. This life that she has lived, this eternal life that for the longest time she imagined would never allow her even a modicum of joy, was now turning around. It… was it bad that this newfound freedom was scary? Just like she did after the first time she defeated her sisters, she didn't know where she was going to go. She wanted to know. She would give everything in the world to know.

But she didn't, and she was scared.

Viv sighed. Maybe she should just go back to the Flower Kingdom. She had lived there for a good amount of time, lived a life that was simple and amazing. She saw so many sights over the course of just one day, and she loved every single day. Her life, by all definitions, was lovely.

Except… she was lonely. Vastly lonely, so lonely that it made her feel pain. She wanted to change that, but deep down, she didn't know if she was able to. Every day, before she went to sleep, she always asked herself if she had the courage to go and make friends. And… well, she kinda had friends. Or… friend. She and Steve were friendly with each other. That was nice, but… Steve was friendly with everybody. EVERYBODY. So… as nice as being on good terms with him was, it wasn't really an accomplishment. And… well, he was a flower. A friendship with a flower wasn't anything like a friendship with…

With Pom Pom, with Bink. Two people who she had wanted to keep around forever, and two people who she had lost. She lost them. Bink was gone, Pom Pom's life had been destroyed, and… Viv couldn't for the life of her say which scenario was worse. Bink was gone. Pom Pom was lost. And it was all because of her.

Viv sighed again. Maybe she was better off not looking for friendship again. For that matter, maybe everyone else would be better off too? Sure, she was lonely, but maybe that was for the best. Maybe… that was what she deserved.

"Hey."

Blinking, Viv turned to see Pom Pom coming up the hill. As she did, Viv felt so strange. She didn't know if she should smile, she didn't know if she should frown, she didn't know if she should laugh or cry or… she didn't know what to do. She was at a complete loss.

"Pom Pom?" Viv looked at her. "I…" she stopped. No, no, what she was about to say was stupid. She should just stay with the simple stuff, stuff that she knew was safe to say. "We're free."

"Yeah. We are." Pom Pom paused as a wistful smile appeared on her face. "In so many ways."

Viv nodded, biting her lip as she did. "Yeah." She let out a breath. "I can't believe my sisters are gone. This… this will take some getting used to."

"I can imagine," Pom Pom replied. "I guess we both have some things we need to get used to." She looked into Viv's face. "In a world where nothing made sense for the longest time, trying to bring sense back into your life takes a while."

"Yeah." Viv hesitated before a surge of courage shot through her. "Hey Pom Pom?" Pom Pom looked right at her, willing her to continue with her eyes. "I…" she hesitated. Like she always did, like she was destined to do, she hesitated. "I…" she felt so small. So dumb. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Viv. Just say it."

"But it's stupid!"

"No. No, it's not." Pom Pom took a step forward. "I promise you it's not. Just say it."

It was ten years ago, and Viv was introducing herself to that little girl that she met in the forest all over again. Her lower lip trembled as she let out a breath. "Alright." She could be brave. For Pom Pom's sake, she could be brave. "My life has been… difficult. More often than I would care to admit, there have been times where I considered… just giving up." Viv frowned. "After all, I lost you. You were the first friend I had ever made, and when I couldn't find you… well, I was devastated. I wanted to run away from the disappointment, from the pain." Viv wiped her left eye even though no tears were falling (yet). "That's why I went to the Beanbean Kingdom in the first place. Before I ran into and became friends with Bink, I was running. And hiding. Running and hiding, running and hiding from… the pain in my own heart." Viv sniffled. "Bink was the first time I felt better. Being friends with Bink helped me feel less like garbage and more like a person. And then… then…"

"Then he died," Pom Pom said. "Right?"

"Yeah," Viv squeaked. She took in a breath, hoping that she could take back the reins on the courage that was rapidly leaving her. "And after that, I ran and hid again. All my life I've been running and hiding. But… you can't escape from your own pain. Nothing you do will change how you feel when you hurt."

"You sure about that?"

"Completely sure. Nothing can help you when you're in pain."

Pom Pom stepped closer to her. "See, I don't think that's true. If you share your pain with others, they can help you heal. They can be by your side and give you a shoulder to cry on, which, you know, is often times the exact thing you need."

Viv frowned and sniffled again. "That is true, but when you're someone like me who has no friends, you can't get that."

"Well, that's where you're wrong, Viv. You do have friends." Pom Pom finally smiled. "You have me."

Viv stared at Pom Pom for half a minute. "Pom Pom…" she shook her head. "No. That's a lie. You and I aren't friends, we can't be! I… I ruined your life!"

"No, Viv. You didn't." Pom Pom took in a breath. "You never ruined my life. Nothing you did ruined my life. It was circumstances. It was your sisters. It wasn't you."

Viv sniffled again. "That is true, but…"

"Viv, listen to me. What happened to both of us is messed up, I won't deny that. But the thing is, I never forgot about you. Now, one could say that that was for the worst, but I don't think so. The truth is… I didn't want to forget you. Even though everybody told me you weren't… I wanted you to be real."

Viv's breath caught in her throat. "You did?"

"I did. I really, really did. You were a bright spot during a horrible period of my life. You were a friend to me, a true and honest friend. The thought of you not being real, even though that was the narrative that everyone in my life was pushing, hurt me. It hurt me on a deep, personal level." She paused. "Yes, I was mad at you when I first found you, but that was only because I was in so much pain. I had been lied to my whole life, and in that moment, I did the same thing to myself. I wanted you to be the bad guy because… well, mostly because I wanted someone to blame, but also because… I thought that maybe if you were the one to blame, I could escape from the pain once and for all."

Viv felt a pang. "So… you're just like me."

"Yeah. I guess I am." Pom Pom paused. "Like you, I spent my whole life running from the pain. I wanted to escape from it more than anything in the world. I went to at least ten different therapists. I joined the Koopa Troop as a soldier, thinking that dedicating myself to a good cause could help me feel better. But nothing helped. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Viv asked, not taking her eyes off Pom Pom.

Pom Pom gave Viv the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. "Because I wanted my friend back."

Tears welled in Viv's eyes. She hastily wiped them away as Pom Pom continued.

"I wanted you back, Viv. I wanted it more than anything in the world. I think that's part of the reason why I had so much trouble with therapy at first because deep down, I knew you were real. And I didn't want to let you go. Even if people saw me as crazy, even if I myself thought I was crazy, I wanted to hold onto you with all my might. I never forgot you, Viv." Pom Pom put her hand on Viv's shoulder. "You are my best friend."

Viv's vision grew blurry as she pulled Pom Pom into a hug. "You're my best friend too!"

Pom Pom sniffled and hugged her back. The two of them hugged each other on top of the hill, in the light of day, after the worst trial of their lives. Viv held on tighter to Pom Pom than ever before. They were best friends. Always had been, always will be.

AN: Don't go away! There's one chapter after this, so stay tuned! :)