Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mario hummed as he walked down the empty city street, holding a plate of spaghetti in his hands. His boots clacked on the hollow cement below him, and his overalls were slightly muddy. His hair poked out in weird ways under his hat, and his mustache was especially large with glee. The spaghetti in his hands was hot and fresh, as he had freshly picked it up from Marty’s restaurant. He couldn’t wait to eat it, but he wanted to wait until he returned to the castle to dig in.

As he stared at the spaghetti mistfully, he began to hear the chatter of two people getting louder as he approached. He figured they were on the other side of the sidewalk, so he expected a simple hello as they passed.

What he didn't expect was to bump into Swag, his spaghetti splattering against the officer’s uniform and getting sauce all over his vest. Mario stepped backwards after the collision and watched as the plate fell to the floor and shattered on the sidewalk. “Aw, my spaghetti!” He exclaimed, kneeling down and picking up the now dirty noodles.

Swag was none too pleased with this occurrence, glaring down at the Italian as he wiped tomato sauce from his vest. “Are you kidding me?! Spaghetti sauce?!” He yelled, kicking at the spaghetti on the floor. Chris, who was with Swag, sighed and rested his hand on his shoulder. “Dude, cool it. It’s just spaghetti.”

“But this is the third time my vest has been ruined! At this point it’s deliberate!” He complained, grabbing Mario’s arm and pulling the Italian to his feet, much to his surprise. “Huh? What do you need, officer?” He asked, cocking his head sideways. Swag glared at him further, causing Mario to swallow nervously.

“What I need is an apology, jackass.” He demanded, gripping Mario’s arm tighter as he pulled him in. Chris, in response, grabbed Swag and pulled him back, prompting the polygonal man to release Mario’s arm. “Swag, chill. It wasn’t on purpose.”

“That’s what you think.”

“I saw it happen! He was just staring at his spaghetti!”

“Who the f-” A truck horn sounded as the officer cussed. “Carries around spaghetti on an open plate?!”

“Uh...” Chris didn’t have an answer for that. Mario, hoping to avoid trouble, opted to take a few steps back, but Swag noticed him trying to escape. Wrestling himself out of his partner’s grip, Swag pulled out his gun and cocked it, aiming the barrel at Mario. Mario shrieked and froze, raising his arms high. Chris, surprised, grabbed Swag’s suit and pulled him back, yelling at him. “Are you crazy, Swag?! He’s not trying to run!”

“Yes he is! He’s a fugitive!” Swag pressed his finger on the trigger, but before he could fire, Chris lunged for the gun and grabbed his wrist, pushing his arm and ruining Swag’s aim as he fired bullets. Mario, terrified, crouched low to the floor and covered his head with his arms, shrieking all the while as bullets fired.

Once the gun was clicked empty, Chris sucker-punched Swag in the face and pinned him to the ground, knocking Swag’s head against the curb. Surprisingly, this didn’t knock him out, and Swag continued to fight back. When Mario looked up to watch the fight, he let a dumb smile spread across his face. This was mildly entertaining.

“Swag, you are insane! He didn’t do anything wrong!” Chris argued, catching one of Swag’s fists. Swag glared at him. “Yes he f-” Two horns. “Did, Chris! I’ve been an officer for 5 years, I know a criminal when I see one!”

“I’ve been an officer for 20 years, Swag! He’s innocent!”

Three horns sounded, but neither of them swore or cussed. Both men, and Mario, looked around the city for where the sound was coming from. When they looked towards the road, which had a 4-way junction, they saw a large truck barreling towards them at an unsafe speed, while its driver honked its horn for help.

All three of them shrieked, and the polygonal men burst up and ran for their lives. Mario tried to follow, but his boot tripped over a crack and he fell face-first into the concrete.

Upon looking up once again, he found the truck dangerously close to running him over. His eyes widened as the world silenced around him, his life flashing in his mind.

The last thing he could hear was the harrowing alarm of the truck that rammed him into the brick wall of the apartment nearby.

~

Tari peacefully sipped her tea as Meggy brushed her hair, placing the mug down in her lap as she guided the brush through her hair. Meggy chuckled as she worked through tough knots, listening to her chatter about duck breeds.

Meanwhile, Three and Four were not as peaceful as the girls, as they were arguing in the kitchen over a broken mug on the floor. Bob and Boopkins watched this from the kitchen table, both peacefully eating their granola bars as Three raised his voice.

“I swear, you know full well I treat my mugs with care, and the one time I let you borrow one, you break it!” He yelled, gesturing to the shards on the floor. One of the shards had Cunt Coffee written on it in marker. Four, obviously annoyed, shook his head in denial. “It’s been a whole week since I borrowed that mug, Three! I didn’t break it then, I certainly didn’t break it yesterday!”

“I didn't say anything about yesterday.” Three noted, his voice lowering. Four’s eyes widened as he realized his mistake. “Shit.”

“You little-” Three lunged for his partner in a rage, screeching colorfully as he knocked Four against the counter. Bob laughed at the fight unfolding in front of him, while Boopkins gasped fearfully. “Guys, please stop fighting!” He yelled, afraid to approach the brawling guardians. Bob simply laughed as he watched Three pin the blue guardian to the floor, though he promptly shrieked when Four bit down on his hand.

“Alright, what the hell are y’all yelling about?” Meggy asked, walking into the kitchen with Tari close behind. Turns out both of them heard the arguing. Three looked up at Meggy with a scowl. “Four broke my mug and tried lying to get out of it!”

“Dude, I’m sorry!” Four apologized, pushing Three off of him and launching him into the cabinet doors under the sink.

Suddenly the floor began to shake profusely, a low rumbling noise playing as the earth below the crew shook. Meggy and Tari reached for the counter and gripped it tight. Four and Three scrambled off of the floor and onto the counter, standing over a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. Boopkins shrieked as he jumped onto the kitchen table while Bob remained planted where he was. “What the hell?!” Three yelled, barely keeping his balance as the whole castle shook. Tari whimpered as the earthquake stretched on.

Soon, cracks began forming on the ground, one large cluster appearing under the kitchen table and spreading outward like a spiderweb. It was only then that Bob decided to panic as well, yelping as he leapt onto the table. The rumbling appeared to grow louder as the cracks stretched throughout the castle, even spreading outside the kitchen and up the walls.

When the earthquake finally ceased, everyone stared at the cracks with wide eyes, both from confusion and fear. The kitchen remained silent as a faint ringing began in everyone’s ears from the sudden loss of sound.

Then, Luigi entered the kitchen, his legs slightly quaky as he leaned through the kitchen entrance. “Did- Did y’all feel that?”

”Everyone felt that, Luigi. Don’t be a dumbass.” Three retorted, glaring at the green Italian. Four then smacked Three upside the head, prompting the purple guardian to fall forward onto the floor. His landing barely missed the scattered mug shards.

“What could've caused that?!” Tari asked, her grip still tight on the counter edge. Meggy, however, had already let go and was standing up, dusting off her leggings as she kicked at the shards. “I don’t know. We should check if everyone’s okay.”

“It’s a good thing most of our friends are in the castle, right?” Four noted, jumping down from the counter as Three stood up off the floor. Luigi then began to stutter. “A-actually... Mario left an hour ago to pick up some spaghetti...”

“What?!” Everyone yelled in unison, staring at Luigi as they processed this new revelation. Luigi shrunk under their gaze and hurried out of the kitchen, prompting everyone to follow him.

“Luigi, why didn’t you tell us before?!” Four asked, following the green Italian out the front door. The cracks inside the castle also stretched outside of it too, the quaky lines thinning as they spread outward. Luigi turned to Four with a worried look. “Because I thought he already told you! I thought- I thought you’d have already known!”

“Well, now where is he?” Three asked, staring at the cracks in the earth. Luigi shrugged, looking away from the group. “I think he might be in the city. Marty’s got a shop out there.”

“Of course there’s Marty.” Four sighed, rubbing his forehead as a headache creeped up on him. “Why does my head hurt so suddenly?...” He muttered, following the group as they all made their way to the Showgrounds exit. Three shrugged, scratching his hair under his hat. “My head kinda hurts too...”

“Do you think it’s a coincidence?”

Three shrugged at the question, tugging on the rim of his hat before dropping his hands to his sides. Four sighed, dropping his hands as well as he buried them in his pockets.

~

The city was empty, like usual. But it was unsettling, and the cracks in the ground and occasional earthquakes only added to the suspense. Every step they took made them feel like they were being watched or haunted, but by what? Something was wrong in this city.

Luigi shuddered as he bit his hat. “Creepy...” He muttered, hiding half his face under his cap. Meggy rolled her eyes, stepping over the numerous cracks in the road. “I know this city is abandoned and shit, but this is just... Beyond weird.”

“And by weird, you mean scary?” Tari asked, her shoulders tense. Four and Three lagged behind the group as they held their heads, groaning quietly. The pain hadn’t left them, apparently.

“Ugh, this migraine is killing me!” Three complained, pulling off his hat to try to ease the pain. Four opted to look around the city to distract himself, tracing the cracks with his gaze as he followed them all to a single truck. Weird...

“Guys...” He called, pausing his walking to turn to the truck, which was only a few streets away. Everyone stopped in their tracks to look at Four, and then at the truck in the distance. “All of these cracks come from that truck...”

“Do you think Mario’s in there?!” Luigi exclaimed, tugging at his hat. Meggy’s eyes widened slightly as she feared the worst. “There’s only one way to find out.” She then proceeded to run towards the truck, crossing the road and following the cracks. Everyone else soon followed, muttering amongst themselves.

As they approached the truck, the cracks appeared to widen and gape like hungry mouths, opting to swallow innocent bystanders. Meggy jumped over the cracks with the ease of a gymnast, while everyone walked around them.

“Do you think he drove this into the wall?” Tari asked, leaning closer to Luigi. Luigi shook his head vigorously. “No, he would never. He’s not qualified for big trucks like these.”

“He's qualified for other trucks?”

“Only those cleaning ones at Disney.”

The crew heard a sharp gasp from Meggy, and Luigi was quick to dash to her. She was holding both her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with terror. “What is it, what’s wrong?” Luigi asked, resting his hand on her shoulder. When she didn't answer, he followed her gaze, and gasped in horror.

It was Mario.

His body was completely rammed into the apartment wall, with blood all over the concrete, the truck hood and the brick wall. His arm was limp at his side, while both of his legs were crushed underneath the wheel of the truck. He was bleeding profusely from the head, giving his left eye a bloodshot appearance. Both his eyes were fogged and cloudy.

Mario was dead.

Meggy began to sob as she fell to the floor, her hands still firmly covering her mouth. Luigi could feel tears running down his cheeks like waterfalls. When Tari, Bob, and Boopkins saw the sight of their friend dead, Tari immediately broke down, falling to the floor and curling into a ball. Boopkins also began sobbing while desperately trying to comfort Tari. Bob simply lowered his head, staring at the floor.

“Why is everyone crying over here?” Three asked, dragging Four behind him as he weaved around Tari and Boopkins. But upon them both seeing Mario’s corpse pressed against the apartment wall, Four began to cry.

“What...” He muttered, wiping the tears that dripped down his face. He couldn’t believe it: Mario was... Dead. After all they had been through, he finally died. And in the worst way possible, too. Three could barely keep his composure as tears streamed down his face. “No... No, no! Mario can’t be dead!” He denied, running past the sobbing group and grabbing Mario’s shoulders, tugging desperately at his corpse. “He can’t die like this! He can’t!” He cried, falling onto the concrete as he lost his grip on the body. As he continued denying his death, as he kept trying to pry the body from its juncture, he kept crying. Three kept crying, Three kept sobbing.

“He can't... He can't be dead...” Three’s voice grew hoarse as he kneeled in front of Mario’s body, watching the blood from his head drip onto the concrete. The only sound in the city now was the crew’s sobs.

Four glanced at his hands, shaking as he remained silent, tears streaming down and dripping onto his gloves. He watched as a purple and pink null texture replaced the ghost white color of his gloves and spread up his sleeves. This same texture began appearing in other areas as well, such as over his boots and on his cheek. Three was also suffering from this change; The texture had already replaced some of his hair color when Four looked up from his hands. He watched as the null texture spread down from Three’s shoulders to his lower arms, and when Three turned around, Four noticed that his eye was completely covered by the texture.

“Four?” Three muttered, looking at his guardian partner. Everyone paused their sobbing to look at the guardians. “What’s happening to us?” Three’s voice was quiet as he muttered the question. He had some textures running up his neck, too. Meggy wiped her tears as she watched Luigi walk up to Mario’s body and take his hat from his head. Four scratched at the textures on his hands. “I... I don’t know. Is this how One and Two feel?”

“One and Two!” Three burst up from the ground and turned to Four, his hands shaky as he raised them. “We have to tell them about this! You- You know what happens when-”

Before Three could finish his sentence, the earth began to shake again, the cracks on the floor growing wider and wider. Tari and Boopkins had to jump across a crack to make it to the group. Luigi almost fell in, but Meggy was able to pull him up in time. Mario’s body slid out of its position, prompting the corpse to fall and lay sideways between the wall and floor. Everyone shrieked as the earth shook, and Four and Three clung to each other. “We have to find One and Two!” Four declared as soon as the ground stood still. Tari pulled out her phone and began to type something before handing it to Four. “Call One.” She commanded, wiping her tears. Four nodded and took the phone, dialing for One as everyone began to run in the direction of the elder guardians cottage.

When One finally picked up, he sounded dreary and tired. “This is SMG1, how may I help you?”

“One, we need your help! Mario’s dead and the world is collapsing!” There was a sound reminiscent of coffee being spat out on the other end. “What?!” One exclaimed. Four could faintly hear Two’s complaints on the other end of the phone.

“Mario, he- He got rammed by a truck and now he’s dead, and the world is gonna collapse and now me and Three look like null zombies-” Four began to break into sobs as he fell behind the group, though Three was quick to grab his arm and drag him along. One began to stutter. “Okay, okay, uh, are you guys on your way here?”

“Yes! We don’t know where else to go and your cottage-”

“-Is closest to the city, I know! How many of there are you?”

Four began to count the crew before turning back to the phone. “7?”

“7 people, I can work with that. Hurry here, and me and Two will help y’all out.” Four made a sound similar to a yes, and One hung up.

At their cottage, Two began to panic. “Mario is dead?! How did- I don’t want to die here!”

“Where would you rather die?” One asked, rummaging through a lockbox underneath their couch. Two stuttered. “Uh... Hawaii.”

“Okay, diva.”

“Shut up!”

“We don't have time to argue, Two! The cottage could fall on top of us at any moment, and we need to prepare for that!” One slammed the lockbox shut, running around the cottage as he gathered brooms, mops, and other tall items. Two remained seated where she was, contemplating her life.

“It’s just like ToyToy all over again.” She sighed, rubbing her eyes. One paused his pacing to look at her worriedly. “It’s not like ToyToy. We’re not alone this time.”

“But we’re going to die! We don't have our pods to escape this planet, and if we’re crushed before the others can get here, we’ll die by ourselves!” Two sobbed, heaving forward as she held her face. One frowned as he set down what he gathered, walking over to Two and hugging her tight.

“We're gonna be okay... I know it.”

Chapter Text

As the crew continued to run through the empty city, reaching the outskirts of the streets as they approached the forests where the cottage sat, the earth began to shake again, more cracks appearing at their feet. Four’s head began to pound as the null texture spread along his body further. As well as the texture on his cheek spreading to his eye, the pink scars he bore in IGBP began to visibly show. Three’s migraine also returned as he slowly went blind in his left eye.

“I can’t see!” He yelled, losing his footing in the grass as he fell forward. Everyone stopped in their tracks to turn to Three worriedly, as he tugged at his face in desperation. “Why can’t I see?!”

“It’s the textures, we have to keep going!” Four grabbed his partner and pulled him to his feet, dragging him along as he kept running. Luigi gripped his brothers hat tight as they all ran, tears streaming down his cheeks still. Tari and Meggy were still slightly sobbing as they ran, and Bob and Boopkins were both silent.

When they finally arrived at the cottage, the earth had stopped shaking, and Four had begun pounding on the door. “Let us in! It’s us, we’re here!” As he kept hitting the door, Three tugged at his face, his eyes wide. His vision was dark as he grew adjusted to his new condition. “Why is this happening...”

“One, let us in!” Four yelled, punching the door. Finally, it opened, and the crew was greeted by a bruised One. Tari yelped. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine, I just fell into a chair the wrong way. Get inside!” One stepped aside, allowing the crew to enter the cozy cottage. Three was the last inside, as his sense of direction was now severely fucked up.

As soon as everyone was inside, One slammed and locked the door, leaning against it as he sighed in exhaustion. “Good lord...” He muttered, sliding to the floor. Two approached the group with a first aid kit, her expression firm. “Is anyone injured? Bruises, cuts, anything?”

“Nope... Three’s gone blind, though.” Bob pointed to the guardian partners, who were already seated on the couch. Three had his hand over his eye. Four was staring at his hands. Two sighed worriedly as she approached the guardians. “Yeah, texture loss. It happens when a guardian loses their avatar.”

“But why is it so concentrated?!” Three asked, uncovering his eye. Two winced at the sight. One stood up, dusting off his legs. As he approached the two guardians on the couch, he held out his right arm, which was covered in the same null texture Four and Three shared.

“When an avatar dies, their injuries are set into their guardians evenly. Spudnik, for us, lost an arm, a leg, and his eye. As a result...” One gestured to Two, who then pointed to her left eye. “I got the eye, and One got the limbs.”

“Do you know what injuries Mario sustained?” One asked, taking the first aid kit from Two and opening it, rummaging through it aimlessly. Meggy stepped forward, her beanie in her hands. “When we found him in the city, both of his legs were... Were broken. His right arm was broken too from colliding with the wall, and- And his eye was bloodshot, his left one.” Meggy broke into tears as she recounted his injuries, wiping her eyes as she cried. Two glanced back at Three and Four as she processed the information; Two broken legs, and both Three and Four had those traits split on opposite legs. Bloodshot eye, Three obviously had it. Broken arm? Four had it. Two nodded in understanding.

“Yep. All injuries were split between you two.” She said finally. Three glared at her angrily as he tugged at his face. “But what about my eye?!”

“You’re blind like me, Three. Can’t fix it.”

“As soon as a guardian loses their textures, they can’t be restored. No amount of meme energy can fix it.” One stated bluntly. Four sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He had too much of a headache for this. “Well, why do our heads hurt then?”

“That’s just your connection recovering from being severed from your avatar.” Two answered, tugging at her dress. “It’s gonna be like that for a few days...” She chuckled nervously, and Four groaned. Tari stepped forward, closing the first aid kit in One’s hands. “None of us are injured, One.”

“Right. Sorry. Is- Is anyone hungry? We’ve got snacks!” He offered, shoving the kit into Tari’s arms as he ran into the kitchen. Two sighed disappointedly as she leapt onto the couch, sitting next to the guardians. Three glanced at her in confusion, and she simply shrugged. “He’s coping. He did this when we arrived on Earth too.”

“Really?” Three chuckled weakly, rubbing his blind eye. Two nodded, smiling. “Yeah. Paranoid, much?” Three chuckled again, a bit stronger this time as the statement cracked him up. Luigi sat down on the floor near the couch, gripping his brother’s hat tight. The red M on the front shimmered in the light coming from the window, blinding Luigi slightly as he stared at it. The cloth of the hat was slightly scuffed and dirty, with red dust from the brick wall staining the rim.

The longer he stared at the hat, the more he grew numb. All sound around him seemed to silence, and it felt like it was just him and the hat. He could feel something graze his shoulder, but he bothered not to look at what touched him. He felt a hand grab his, but he didn’t move. He was alone.

“Luigi!” Meggy yelled, slapping the green Italian despite her own protests. Luigi finally snapped out of it, blinking and rubbing his cheek as he stared at Meggy. She had tears running down her cheeks. “Luigi, don’t scare us like that!”

“We've been trying to talk to you for 5 minutes.” Four stated, rubbing his arm nervously. Three crouched low to the floor and rested his hand on Luigi’s shoulder, his expression firm, but worried. “Do you want to talk?” He asked softly, tilting his head slightly. This simple question made Luigi burst into tears, crying out in pain as he engulfed the guardian in a hug. Three, who usually hated hugs, leaned into this one, squeezing the green Italian as tight as he could without harming him.

He wasn’t alone. None of them were alone. They had each other.

Chapter Text

As the sun began to set beyond the horizon, the orange sky above barely visible above the brush of trees, the SMG4 crew began to feel weary and tired.

One and Two were fretting over their supply of sleeping bags. Meggy and Tari were holding each other close, muttering empty comforts to each other. Bob and Boopkins had mostly moved on, but the sight of Mario’s body left a burn in their memory, and it brought Boopkins to tears every time he thought about it. Three and Four were secluded, silent, never daring to utter a word to break the silence. Luigi was staring out the window, watching the hues of the sky change as the minutes ticked by.

“Strange.” He whispered, shutting the curtains and darkening the room. “It’s already sunset and the world hasn’t ended.” Luigi turned around and sat down, his back leaning against the wall. Four’s shoulders slumped. This was going to be their first night without Mario. Meggy felt tears well up in her eyes. “Never thought I’d live to see the day I wouldn’t hear Mario say goodnight.”

“You were going to see that day anyway if Mario wasn’t dead.” Three said bitterly, crossing his arms. Four glared at him angrily, and Three scoffed. Meggy wiped her eyes, staring at Three with a frown. “What's your problem, dude?”

“Gee, I don’t know, Mario just fucking died?! He’s not supposed to be dead!”

“And look at where we are, Three! Do you think we had control over this?!” Four pulled off his hat and smacked Three roughly with it, prompting the purple guardian to turn and lunge at his partner. Meggy and Tari shrieked as the two guardians fought. Bob seemed to cheer them on while Boopkins only cried for them to stop. Luigi backed himself into the wall, snatching Mario’s hat from the ground as the two guardians brawled. One and Two, after realizing that the two were fighting, were quick to pull them away from each other.

“Is now really the time to fight, you two?!” One yelled, his arms outstretched between them. Three and Four exchanged glares. Two tugged at her dress nervously. “The world is about to end and you two are fighting! I know you’re grieving, but-”

“Do you really know?!” Three snapped, and Two snapped back. “We do! We actually watched our planet die before us, Three! We got lucky to escape, but we can’t do that now! And me and One, we watched Spudnik die in front of us! At least you two found Mario already gone!” Two sobbed, wiping her eyes. One looked between the two guardians and his partner, his expression worriful. “Two-”

“I don’t want to die yet! None of us want to die! I’m not- I’m not ready to leave!” Two fell to her knees, curling over and crying still. One hurried to comfort her, dropping to the floor and hugging her. Four and Three glanced at each other, then at the elder guardians in front of them. Three rubbed his arm nervously as he stared at the floor. Four tugged at the collar of his sweater.

Luigi stood up from his position, his face shadowed by the rim of his hat. Mario’s cap was in his hands as he approached the guardians. When Three and Four turned to him, the green Italian smacked them both with the red cap. “Do you really think Mario would’ve wanted you two to fight like this?” He asked, his expression stern as Three and Four looked up at him in confusion. They’ve never seen him so stern. “Do you really think Mario would want you two to be arguing right now?!” He yelled, startling everyone. Bob’s eyes widened slightly. “He is pissed.” He whispered to Boopkins, who nodded in agreement.

“Wha- Luigi, what are you-” Four was smacked again by the hat. “Mario wouldn’t want you to fight! And yet here you are, arguing over something petty! I’m sick of it!” He cried, stomping his foot. Three flinched at his volume, but he had to agree; This was the worst time to be arguing, especially over something so trivial. Mario would want them to get along.

“... I'm sorry, Luigi.” Three muttered, pulling off his hat and holding it to his chest. Luigi looked at him sternly. “Mario wouldn’t want us fighting, and if anything, we should be trying to stop that.”

“I’m glad you’re able to realize that, Three.” Luigi sighed, loosening his grip on the red cap. Four walked to the couch and sat down, curling into a ball as he sank into the cushions. Three sooned followed, seating himself on the opposite end of the sofa. One sighed as he turned to Luigi, still hugging Two as he stood up with the tiny guardian in his arms. “Thanks for breaking them up, dude.”

“No problem. I just... I need a break from all the fights today.”

“We all do.” Tari admitted, stroking her hair nervously. Luigi smiled weakly as he looked at her, holding his brother’s cap in his hands. “Yeah.”

“I can’t be the only one who's wondering this, but...” Bob began, raising a sword hand. Everyone turned to look at him with curiosity. “What do you think every other person on earth is doing right now?”

“Probably panicking over the earthquakes.” Three proposed, sitting up on the couch. Four scratched his scalp. “God, I hope Saiko and Melony are okay...” He muttered, prompting Tari to lower her head. “I wonder how the castle is doing...”

“How about this? After tonight, we’ll head out to the castle to see if it’s intact. But right now, we need sleep.” Four jumped down from the couch and turned to One, who was setting Two down on the ground once she had calmed down.

“Sleeping bags?” He said bluntly, and One nodded, walking past Four and crouching, rummaging under the couch before pulling out a bin full of sleeping bags. “Take whatever you like and lay ‘em down. We’ve also got a guest room if you don’t like sleeping bags.”

“I call dibs!” Bob exclaimed, grabbing Boopkins and dashing down the hallway, dragging the surprised fish with him. Three immediately burst into laughter at the sudden event, and Meggy couldn't hold back her own chuckles. Everyone else just smiled.

~

Chris and Swag panted as they ran into the police station, slamming the doors behind them. Swag heaved forward as he leaned onto a desk, and Chris glared at him. “Are you fucking crazy, Swag?! You just killed that guy!” Chris shouted, thankful that the station was empty. Otherwise he and Swag would be in deep shit.

“I didn’t kill him! The driver did! This isn’t on me!” Swag protested, pulling off his shades and throwing them across the lobby. Chris scowled. “Are you kidding me?! Your bullets hit the truck tires, your gun fired those bullets, YOUR hand pulled the trigger! This is YOUR fault!” Swag shook his head firmly, and Chris snarled, “I’m real fucking tired of you denying your crimes, Swag.”

“What crimes? I ain’t done a crime in my life!”

“You KILLED a man today, and it's not the first time, either!” Chris yelled, lunging towards Swag and pinning him to the desk. Swag tried to reach for his gun, but Chris quickly grabbed it and tossed it across the room, still strongly glaring at his partner. Swag seemed to shrink under his gaze, actually feeling afraid under his glare.

“I have dealt with your antics for TOO long, Swag. I think it’s about time I rat you out.” He threatened, and Swag’s eyes widened. “W-wait, Chris, we can talk this out!”

“No, I’m not listening to you!” Chris slammed Swag over the desk, prompting the polygonal officer to fall over to the other side. Chris rummaged through his officer pouch for some handcuffs, and when Swag stood up once again, Chris took his wrists and slapped the cuffs onto him harshly. Swag flinched at the feeling of cold metal on his wrists. “What the hell are you-”

“I'm arresting you. You're now a prisoner, and I am the captor. You will do as I say, when I say it. Understand?” Swag swallowed shallowly. “Chris, please-”

Chris grabbed his partner’s shirt and pulled him close, glaring and scowling. “Do you understand me?!” Swag nodded hurriedly, his expression fearful. Chris, now satisfied, let go of the man’s shirt and beckoned him around the desk, pointing to the door. “We’re going to find SMG4 and his buddies, and you’re going to apologize for murdering their friend.”

“But-”

“Out. NOW.”

Swag whimpered audibly as he hurried out the door, not even daring to break out of his cuffs. Chris followed him out and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him along as they made their way through the city.

Chapter Text

The night passed without much trouble. Luigi had made himself comfortable on the couch while everyone else slept in sleeping bags on the floor. Meggy and Tari had positioned theirs next to each other. Boopkins dragged a bag to the guest room while Bob napped on the bed. Four and Three were on opposite sides of the living room. One and Two were asleep in their own room, though they slept fitfully.

The earth rumbled, and Luigi burst up groggily. “What the- Fuck!” As the earth shook, he fell off the couch and scrambled beneath it for safety, quivering with the ground. Everyone else also seemed to stir from their slumber, a quiet chatter beginning.

“What’s going on?” Meggy asked tiredly, rubbing her eyes. Luigi tried to answer, but before he could get the words out, the earth stopped shaking, leaving everyone in confusion. Four fixed his hair as he sat up. “What the hell was that?”

“I think it was the shortest earthquake we’ve experienced so far.” Tari proposed, pressing a few buttons on her mechanical arm so that it would activate and allow her to move it around. Three sighed and laid back down. “Well, it’s already over, so can we go back to sleep?”

“I guess. G’night, y’all.” Four mumbled, laying back down and burrowing himself in his sleeping bag. Tari, Meggy, and Luigi seemed to be the only ones awake now. Luigi crawled out from beneath the couch and jumped back onto the cushions, sighing as he lifted Mario’s hat. Tari glanced at him worriedly. “Are you doing alright?” She asked, deactivating her arm. Luigi looked at her and smiled meekly. “I’m doing just fine... I guess.”

“You’re lying.” Meggy stated, crossing her arms around her legs as she curled up. Luigi’s smile faded quickly and Tari looked at her. “Meggy...”

“You cared a lot about Mario, Luigi. There’s no way you would’ve moved on this fast.”

“I haven’t.” He admitted, placing the red cap in his lap. Meggy blinked at his honesty. “I’m just trying to keep strong. He would want me to. Like he was.” Luigi sniffled, wiping his eyes. Meggy frowned, turning away from the two. Did she mess up calling him a liar? Tari placed her hand on her shoulder, but Meggy shrugged her off. Luigi, seeing her slumped over in grief, stood up and walked to the girls, crouching in front of Meggy with the hat in hand. Meggy looked up at him solemnly, her eyes low-lidded.

Luigi then placed the red cap on her head, adjusting it so that it fit snugly around her. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at the rim of the hat, hanging over her eyes. Luigi smiled in comfort as he reached to hug her. Tari covered her mouth with her hand.

“What are you...” Meggy mumbled, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

“Mario thought of you like a sister. He would’ve wanted you to have it.”

That one sentence made Meggy burst into tears as she hugged him back, sobbing quietly into his shoulder. Tari rubbed her back in comfort, letting her own tears run down her cheeks.

~

As the crew ventured through the grassy path to the showgrounds, Four and Three were chattering about the buildings and their potential conditions. Luigi and Meggy were comforting each other while Tari held hands with Meggy. Bob and Boopkins were silent, and the elder guardians were far behind the group, talking amongst themselves.

“How long do you think we have until... Y’know.” Two made an explosion gesture with her hands. One sighed as he adjusted his scarf. “Maybe a week. Two weeks at most. But the world is going to end no matter what, so does time matter?”

“I guess, but if we have a frame-”

“We can make the most of what we have...” One scratched at his neck, causing a dark rash. Two smacked him to stop, and he scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Do you think the others are okay?” Four asked, scrolling through his phone aimlessly as he tried to contact anyone. Three shrugged, his hands in his pockets. “Beats me. I think Saiko is with Kaizo, and Melony is... God knows where.”

“Well, if the world ends, we’ll know she’s safe, heh.”

“Right.” Three responded sarcastically, rolling his eyes. As they approached the showgrounds, the castle was clearly visible, and the crew gasped at the sight of it.

The castle was completely destroyed, with the roof caved in and the front entrance blocked, as well as some of the walls having fallen both inward and outward. The pillars that kept the castle upright were toppled, and one of those pillars just barely missed the café. Just outside the remains, however, was... Chris and Swag?

“Our castle!” Four yelled, running towards it as fast as his legs could take him. Three glanced at the crew behind him. They all shrugged, and Bob winced. “I’m more worried about the police guys.”

“Same here.” Meggy admitted, tugging at the rim of Mario’s cap. Luigi walked past Three, his arms firm at his sides.

As the crew approached the castle, they saw Chris leaning against the one wall that still stood strong, while Swag was seated on the ground grumpily with his hands cuffed. Three glanced at the two of them and snickered, grinning stupidly. “Damn, how long were you two waiting for us?” He teased, staring at Swag with a sly look. Swag glared at him angrily. “Did you make the wait interesting?” Three laughed as everyone glared at him in disgust, meanwhile Chris simply sighed as he stood up. Swag was tempted to stand up and sock the guardian with his cuffs, but a glare from Chris made him recoil.

When Three’s laughter died down, he looked at Chris and, with the smile still stamped on his face, crossed his arms and asked, “What are you two doing here anyway?”

Four stood up from his position on the ground(he was sobbing at the loss of his stuff in the castle) and turned to the officers, confusion evident in his expression. “I don’t get why you came here. We didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yes the fuck you did- Gah!” Swag felt himself be pulled by the collar to his feet, Chris glaring daggers at him. Everyone looked at the partners strangely as Swag shrunk under his gaze.

Suddenly, the officer was pushed towards the group. “We’re here to apologize. Moreso for what Swag did than what we did in the past, but nonetheless apologize.”

“Great. We’ve been due for one since 2016.” Three commented, and Four smacked him with his hat. Meggy tilted her head sideways as she noted the handcuffs on Swag. “Did- Did Swag get convicted?”

“By me? Yes.” Chris answered bluntly, his hand at his gun. Swag scoffed as he stood up straight, turning to the officer. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Chris?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?! You’ve done so much illegal shit and you’re calling me fucked up?!”

“Cause you are!”

“No, I’m not! I haven’t committed murder on innocent people like you did YESTERDAY!”

Four’s eyes widened as he stepped forward, his hands up. “Wait wait wait, hold up. The fuck you mean yesterday? What did he do yesterday?”

“I’m surprised you’re not more concerned about the murder he’s committed before that.” One noted, tugging at his scarf. Bob shrugged off his comment. “At this point, we know Swag well enough to know that if someone pisses him off enough, he’ll open fire on ‘em.”

“And that's exactly what he did yesterday!” Chris yelled, grabbing Swag by the collar and dragging him back. Swag yelped as he felt himself being pulled back. “He and I were out in the city on a walk since we were on our break, and we happened to bump into your friend.”

“Mario?” Meggy mumbled, her eyes wide as she pieced together the situation. Chris nodded. “And since this idiot can’t keep his anger in check, he fired at the air and some of those bullets hit a truck that was coming straight for us!” Four stared at Swag, clenching his fists in anger. Everyone else just stared in shock as Chris revealed what happened.

“As a result, your friend is dead, and Swag is here to apologize.” Chris pushed Swag towards the group, and Swag scowled. “I’m not doing shit.”

“Then you risk getting your ass beat.” Three commented, watching Four carefully as he muttered the words. Swag turned to him in confusion, failing to process what was happening.

Four did, and so did Chris, because as soon as Four readied himself to lunge at the former officer, Chris stepped back a few feet and crossed his arms behind his back, watching intently as the guardian lunged at Swag. Everyone else shrieked and Bob laughed as they watched Four tackle Swag to the ground and sock him repeatedly, throwing punches and screaming profanities not even a gamer was prepared for. Swag tried to struggle, but seeing as he was handcuffed, his attempts at escaping Four’s punches were unfortunately futile. All the while, Four was seeing red. He couldn’t see the damage he was doing to Swag, and it was bad. Bloody nose, black eye, even a few knocked out teeth, he was making bruises.

Three looked at Chris in a panic. “Are you just gonna let this happen?!” He exclaimed, gesturing to the so-called “fight” occurring in front of them. Chris nodded sagely, watching as Four threw a particularly hard punch and the sound of bone snapping played, followed by a cry of pain from Swag. “He deserves this. After everything he’s done, this is his punishment.”

“But he’s being beaten to a pulp!”

“I don’t see you trying to stop it.” Chris commented, tearing his gaze from the beating to glance at Three skeptically. Three paused, blinking. “I-I guess you’re right.”

“Chris, help!” Swag cried out, managing to headbutt Four so that he was stunned, even if only for a few seconds. Chris simply glared at him, watching as Swag was turned around to have his face shoved into the ground. As he continued to plead for help, Four did not let up, throwing punches and slamming the officer into the dirt. Bob’s laughter eventually died as Four grew increasingly more aggressive. “Hah.. Damn, I’ve never seen him so angry. At this rate he might kill him.” He commented, and Three clenched his fists. “I’m not letting that happen.”

As Three began to approach the brawling duo, Swag turned his head sideways to glare at Chris angrily as Four continued to hit him, managing to yell swears at him before Four threw a final punch, causing a disturbing snap to echo across the showgrounds.

Everyone went silent as Swag’s struggling stooped, his arms and legs going limp as his vision blacked out. Four panted as he lifted his fist, scowling. Chris stared with a blank expression, gazing at Swag, who had left shortly after the snap. As soon as Four returned to his senses, he stared at the body beneath him as he stood up, carefully stepping away, his hands over his mouth. “Oh my god.” He mumbled, his eyes wide as tears welled up. Three stared at him in shock.

“Did- Did you just-”

“He killed Swag.” Chris stated bluntly, walking towards his dead partner and crouching. He could see a clean cut on his neck, seeping fresh blood as he confirmed Swag was, indeed, dead. “Chris, I- I didn’t mean to, I-”

“You’re fine, man.” He said, standing up once more. Four buried his face in his hands as he sobbed, and while Three had tried to comfort him, everyone remained where they were in fear. “I don’t blame you.”

“But- But I killed your partner!”

“After finding out that he murdered the backbone of the universe yesterday, I couldn’t give two shits about what you did to him in that fight.”

“But-”

“No butts. I prefer tits.” This response made Four choke on a laugh, and while Three chuckled at the stupid attempt at comfort, everyone else groaned nervously. Only Bob seemed unfazed by it all, as he gathered the courage to approach the group and pat Four on the shoulder. “That was sick, man.” He complimented. Meggy stepped forward, gripping her shirt tightly as she slowly approached. “He got what he deserved, I guess.”

“He had it coming!” Boopkins shouted, making everyone else giggle a bit. Chris smiled at the reception, while Four stared wide eyed at everyone else as they shared experiences. Only One and Two seemed uncomfortable with it all, staring at the corpse on the ground as if it were roadkill.

“So, we’re all gonna ignore the fact that Four just... Killed him?” Two asked, waving her hand at the corpse. Everyone nodded dismissively, though Four turned to the guardians and sighed. “I.. I don’t know what got into me. I was just- So angry!”

“We’re not blaming you for that, but jeez.” One walked towards Four and rested his hand on his shoulder, smiling gently at him. Four stared at him solemnly. “You’re fine in my book.”

“Sorry to break the mood here, but,” Tari began, turning towards the desecrated castle in front of them. “Where are we going to stay until the world ends?”

“I’ve got a spacious house y’all can stay in.” Chris proposed, rummaging through his pockets and pulling out a key ring where many keys dangled and jingled. Three shrugged. “I frankly couldn’t give a fuck.”

“Why aren’t you proposing the café?” Four asked, wiping his eyes. Three shrugged again. “I just know you shitheads will dirty up the place. I’d rather not have that.”

“The world is ending, Three, do you really think the smell of feet in your café is going to matter when we die?” Meggy retorted, glaring at the purple guardian angrily. “I don’t want to die with feet being the only thing I smell!!” He snapped back. Chris jingled his keys. “My house it is.”

Chapter Text

As the crew walked through the forest, Chris spinning his keys with his finger, they all became engaged in mindless chatter in hopes of distracting themselves from their fates.

“How big do you think it is?” Boopkins asked obliviously, and Bob nearly choked on his spit. As he coughed, Boopkins shot him a strange look. “H-How big is what?”

“Chris’s house. What were you thinking?” Bob cleared his throat nervously. “Nothing. Maybe it’s two stories tall.”

“I hope so. There’s a bunch of us here...”

“I can assure you, my place is big enough for all of you.” Chris exclaimed, catching his keys. Four looked past the officer into the distance, and he spotted a fairly large house surrounded by a spiky gate. Some of the trees around the house were tilted and off-kilter, possibly from the earthquakes, but the house was still intact. The front doors were a dark oak, and the knobs were made of a shiny silver. The crew admired its beautiful exterior, complimenting the velvet colored walls.

“How the hell is your house still intact, Chris?” Three asked, staring at the tilted trees around the house rather than at it. Chris shrugged and pointed to the ground. The grass was slightly overgrown at their feet. “Steel foundation six feet under. If this house ain’t going with the trees, it ain’t going with the ground.” Three nodded, impressed. Bob immediately ran towards the doors and pounded on them, turning the knobs and trying desperately to get inside. Rather than reprimand the Garo for his useless attempt at entering, Chris simply chuckled as he approached the door, pushing Bob aside and unlocking the door. “Be patient, dude. I was getting to it.”

“You were taking too long.”

“So what?” Chris opened the front doors, allowing the crew a view of his house.

The room they entered was large and spacious, with only a few boxes in some corners and a soft rug in the middle of the room. At the end of the room was a staircase and an entrance to the kitchen and living room. In a segment separated by an open arch was a dining room, with a simple white table and a few wooden chairs surrounding it.

“Whoa! This is so cool!” Meggy shouted, her words echoing across the large room. Chris smiled at the compliment, beckoning Four and Three inside before shutting the doors. “Make yourselves at home. I’ve got plenty of rooms for you all.”

“W-Wait, you’re serious?” One asked, turning to the officer in confusion. Chris smiled wider, taking off his suit jacket and hanging it on a chair. “Of course. It’s the least I can do for you all, make you comfortable while the world is ending.”

“Chris, you-” Tari began before being shoved aside by Bob. Meggy was quick to catch her and glare at the Garo. “What’s upstairs?” He asked firmly, pointing a sword upward. Chris blinked at his forwardness, slightly stuttering as he thought of an answer. “Uh, just some bedrooms and Swag’s confiscation room-”

“Thanks.” Bob immediately burst from the open room and up the stairs, prompting everyone to stare at the staircase with confusion. Boopkins shrugged it off and went to follow him, jumping up the steps as he climbed. Four glanced at Chris in confusion. “‘Confiscation room?’”

“Yeah, Swag took a lot of stuff from people. Not all of it is contraband, really, just some shit he thought was illegal.”

“Keyword, thought.” Three commented, and Chris nodded. “Do you guys want something to eat? I know how to make some good pancakes!”

Three’s stomach grumbled at the offer and he quickly nodded. Everyone else also agreed, and Chris grinned widely as he walked towards the kitchen. “Make yourselves comfortable.. Basically anywhere! I couldn’t give two shits. Give me 10 minutes and you’ll have the best pancakes on Earth!” Tari and Meggy cheered while the guardians laughed.

~

As Bob rummaged through a wooden chest, pushing aside toy cars and empty nerf guns, Boopkins stood in the doorway watching him, worried. “Are you... Looking for something?”

“Yeah, I am.” Bob answered hurriedly, lifting a stress ball and tossing it aside. Boopkins watched the ball roll on the floor before eventually colliding with the wall. Boopkins sighed as he walked towards Bob, maneuvering around the fallen trinkets he had thrown behind him.

“What exactly are you looking for?” He asked, peeking into the chest as Bob parted the items to reveal the bottom of the chest. With a disappointed sigh, Bob sat back and stared at his swords, which were thrown onto the floor a few feet away from the chest. “A stone is what I’m looking for.”

“A stone?”

“Mhm. One you’d use for sharpening knives and shit.” Boopkins’ eyes widened slightly. “Why do you want to sharpen your swords now?”

“If I’m going to die, I want to look cool during it.” He admitted, letting his hood slip off. His red locks fell over his shoulders as his expression was finally revealed, worried and fearful. Boopkins frowned as he stepped closer, hugging the Garo as best he could with his tiny arms. Bob smiled gently as he hugged him back, turning towards Boopkins as he wrapped his arms around him.

When they pulled away from the hug, Bob paused, looking at his bandana around his neck. Boopkins cocked his head sideways as he waited for Bob to follow him out.

Bob grinned, his yellow teeth bared as he pulled off his bandana. “Can you turn around for me?” He asked, holding the red and yellow cloth in his hands. Boopkins eyes widened slightly as he obeyed his request, turning around so that his back was facing the Garo. Bob, still grinning, wrapped the bandana around Boopkins like a scarf, letting the longer part hang behind him like a cape. “How does this feel? Can you still breathe?” He asked, adjusting the cloth slightly. Boopkins smiled widely as he looked at the cloth. “I love it! Are you really giving me this?”

“Yeah. I won’t need it.”

“Oh thank you Bob! You’re the best!” Boopkins hugged the Garo again, and Bob hugged him back, lifting him as he stood up. “Heh. You’re welcome, kid.”

“Hey, Bob! Chris made pancakes!” They heard Four shout from downstairs. Boopkins grinned as he pointed towards the stairs. “Set sail, S.S. Bobowski!”

Bob made a zooming sound as he ran out the room and down the stairs, Boopkins safely perched on his shoulder.

Chapter Text

Everything went black as Mario’s body shrieked with pain, feeling his back collide with the brick apartment wall behind him as his vision vanished. The last thing he could hear was the deafening alarm of the truck. The last thing he could feel was his legs crunching under the weight of the truck wheels. The last thing he could see was his own blood splattering on the truck hood.

How long was he out? It felt like eternity. He couldn’t feel anything, and he couldn’t even think. All he could feel was his heart thumping in his chest as it finally slowed to a stop.

...

A sharp pain flooded Mario’s head as he burst upward, his eyes shooting open as he grabbed at his hair. He couldn’t feel his hat. Or his legs for that matter. His breathing was rapid and unsteady, his mind was racing, what was going on?!

As he slowly returned to his senses one by one, he analyzed his body, checking for injuries. Surprisingly, he found none, only finding his legs to be surrounded by a light fog. His arms were also surrounded by this fog as well, though both quickly faded as he began to look around.

It was just clouds. Clouds for miles in every direction. The sky was the familiar light blue he knew, but there was no sun, and yet it was as bright as day. As Mario tried to stand up, he felt a sharp pain in his head, and immediately fell forward in pain as he yelped.

“Ow...” He mumbled, sitting up onto his knees as he rubbed his head. As he ran his fingers through his hair, he realized he didn’t have his hat. “Where’s my hat gone?” He asked aloud, resting his hand on his lap. As he tried to stand up once again, and didn’t fall this time, Mario began to wander around the empty space, nervously tugging on his overall straps.

It felt like a liminal space where he was; Nothing but clouds for miles in every direction, the only sound flooding his ears being the slight rustling of his clothes as he walked paired with the occasional gust of wind, it was all too strange, even for him. Mario tried to listen to his heart in his chest, but found no pattern of thumps in his ears. It scared him slightly. It didn't help that he still felt a stinging pain in his head from the collision.

As he continued walking through the empty cloud fields, his boots making a weird fwoosh sound every time he took another step, Mario spotted two shadows in the distance, only a mile away. One was tall and had weird tendrils on its head. The other had oddly large hair in segments.

Mario, not skipping a beat, burst towards the strangers in the distance, panting as he ran through the clouds and fog. As he grew closer to the strangers, he began to recognize them more clearly. The tendrils on the taller one were actually fins, and he was wearing a navy blue sweater. The shorter one was an inkling girl with bright pink hair. Mario knew both these people!

It was Axol and Desti, his friends from before!

As the Italian finally screeched to a stop behind his friends, albeit falling face first into the clouds, Axol and Desti looked at him in disbelief, their eyes wide. When Mario looked up at them, grinning stupidly, Desti facepalmed.

“Oi, fuckin’ great.” She swore. Her voice had a southern accent that could be detected from under the inkling gibberish that overlayed her words. Axol crouched to the floor and helped Mario to stand, his expression worried. “Mario, how did- How did you get here?” He asked, dusting off the Italian’s sweater. Mario shrugged, scratching his neck. “I dunno honestly.”

“What’s the last thing you remember doing before ending up here?” Desti asked, turning towards the Italian, resting her hands on her hips. Her outfit was similar to Meggy’s, though she had a black hoodie around her waist and black boots. Her hair looked like octopus tentacles colored a weird shade of pink and purple. Mario looked at his legs as he replayed what happened.

“Do you remember it at all? It’s okay if you don’t.” Axol reassured, standing up and towering over Mario. Despite his height, he was a gentle giant. His blue sweater had some signs of wear and tear, though that was probably due to how he died.

Mario looked up from the ground and tugged at his overall straps nervously. “I-I remember getting rammed into a wall. I think it was a truck. It feels like so long ago...”

“Yeah, death feels like that.” Desti commented, and Mario stared at her strangely. ”Death?”

“Mario, you’re dead.” Axol stated, resting his hand on the Italian’s shoulder. “How else would you be talking to us right now?”

“But- No, I can’t be dead! My friends, they need me!”

“Not anymore. You’re dead.” Desti remarked, and Axol glared at her sharply. “Fuckin Christ, Desti, you haven’t changed at all.”

“Fuck you, furry.”

“I’m not a furry, I’m an anthro!”

“Same fuckin thing!”

As the two argued endlessly, Mario gripped his sweater harshly, right where his heart sat... Or would sit. Does he even have a heart anymore? Does he have anything?! Anything that defined him as human?! His breathing grew rapid as his grip on his sweater grew tighter. If he had a heartbeat, it would be the only thing he could hear. But right now, a deafening ring flooded his senses, making him fall to the floor as he tried to cover his ears. Tears welled up in his eyes.

Axol and Desti paused their arguing to look at the Italian on the floor, panicking and crying. Desti scoffed and crossed her arms while Axol ran to comfort him, dropping to his knees and hugging Mario while muttering empty comforts.

“I’m not supposed to be dead... I have to be there. I-I have to be with my friends!” Mario stuttered, tugging at his hair. Axol rubbed his back as he tried to comfort him, hugging him tighter. “I know dude, I know, they’re gonna be okay.”

“I don’t think so.” A voice said. The trio looked towards the source and saw Niles and Zero, the former guardian predecessors of One and Two. Niles had a sort of emo boy hairstyle, with most of his hair tucked over his left eye dramatically. Zero had one eye and that was it. They weren’t exactly the best to look at, but they weren’t eyesores either.

Mario sniffled as he wiped his eyes. “What do you mean?” He asked, his voice shaky. Niles sighed as he approached the two on the floor, crouching to their height as well. “You were the backbone of the universe, Mario.”

“I know that, dipshit.” Mario replied, frowning at the guardian. Niles chuckled at this response and continued. “Without you, Earth and basically everything else is going to implode on itself, and your friends will probably join us in a week or two.”

“Niles!” Axol shouted, shoving Niles away angrily. Mario blinked. “You can’t just say that! Did you even try to sugarcoat it?!”

“I’m terrible at sugarcoating shit, Axol, you know this.”

“Why don’t you just leave this to me, Niles?” Zero proposed, stepping between Axol and Niles. When he glanced at Mario, noticing his panic, he sighed with sympathy. “Mario, I know you’re scared, but we’re here to help you out.”

Zero stepped forward and helped Mario to his feet. As Mario wiped his eyes, Desti stared at him, concern flooding her expression. “Is Meggy...” She began, moving a strand of hair from her face. Mario looked at her as he waited for her to continue. “Is she okay?”

“Well... As okay as she can be right now.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Desti scoffed and turned away, her shoulders slumping. Zero snapped his fingers to catch Mario’s attention. “Look on the bright side, bud! You can do basically whatever you want up here, heh!”

“So long as it isn’t destructive or evil...” Niles muttered under his breath. Axol rested his hand on Mario’s shoulder. “If you want, we can lead you to a few of our other friends we’ve met up here. You might not know them, but it’s a great chance to meet them!”

“Mm... Okay.”

Zero took Mario’s hand and dragged him through the fields, allowing the others to follow. Mario looked at his feet as he walked through, hoping to see something he could recognize through the thick puffs.

Chapter Text

Bob stood at the foot of the stairs curiously, staring up the steps at the second floor. Everyone else was scattered through the house’s first floor. The guardians were all in the dining room discussing their powers and how they could use them. Tari and Meggy were in the empty lobby, running around and shouting. Chris and Luigi were in the kitchen discussing snacks. Bob could have easily interrupted any of these events, either by inserting himself into conversations or causing problems generally. But he wasn’t doing any of that. Instead he was at the foot of the staircase, staring up at the second floor as if he saw a ghost.

Then, slowly, he took a step up, his swords at his sides as he gripped the handles. Something was compelling him to go upstairs. He didn’t know why, but he had to.

As he slowly climbed the tall staircase and wandered around the second floor, he spotted the door to the confiscation room wide open. The chest inside was open too, and a few items were scattered around it. He could hear the faint beeping of a digital pet from inside the room as well. He could also hear... Giggling?

As he peeked inside the room, he saw Boopkins pressing buttons on a tiny tamagotchi, giggling as the device made sounds reminiscent of an infant laughing. When Boopkins finally noticed him, the fish waved enthusiastically and beckoned him inside. “What are you doing in here, dude?” Bob asked, wandering inside and resting his swords against the wall as he entered. Boopkins held up the tamagotchi excitedly, a wide grin stamped on his face. The tamagotchi looked like a baby bat, and its expression matched Boopkins.

“I found this little guy in the chest! His name is Fred!”

“Fred?” Bob echoed, cocking his head sideways in curiosity. Boopkins giggled at his confusion, lowering the tamagotchi. “Yeah! Fred, he’s a silly lil’ bat boy! I adopted him!”

“Whatever you say, pal.” Bob wandered to the chest and began to rummage through it, parting the rifts of items as he looked through. Boopkins pressed another button on the tamagotchi and it made a beep sound as it powered down. Boopkins frowned. “Aw, the battery died.” He sighed, throwing the thing aside. Bob chuckled. “Wow, you’re a terrible father.”

“Shut up!” Bob laughed harder. As he lifted and tossed out more strange items, Boopkins’ curiosity seemed to grow as stranger items were thrown aside. As he peeked inside the box, his gaze focused on a toy pistol, or at least he thought it was a toy. As he reached to grab it, Bob spotted it and swatted his hand away. Boopkins frowned. “Why not?” He whined, reaching for the gun again, only to be smacked again. Downstairs, a fight could be heard clearly, but both of them ignored it. Bob took the gun and checked it, finding 3 bullets. “It’s loaded, dude, you don’t play with loaded guns.”

“What if we got rid of the bullets?” Boopkins proposed, insistent. Bob clicked the gun into safety and tossed it aside. “Loaded or unloaded, you don’t play with guns.”

“Look who’s talking.” Boopkins remarked, and the Garo above him scooped him up and lifted him high above his head, teasing and yelling. “You do realize I could throw you across the room, right?” Boopkins laughed in his grip. “You don’t have the nuts to do so, ha ha!”

A shriek of anger sounded downstairs and the two paused their play fighting to look out the door of the room with concern. Bob slowly set Boopkins down on the ground, though the fish still clung to him like a cat to a tree branch. Bob looked down at him with confusion and slight fear. “Should we check it out?” He asked reluctantly, crouching to the floor. Boopkins nodded furiously. “Even if they’re angry, we should check if they’re okay.”

“Okay, wise guy.” Bob chuckled, standing up once again. But before they could walk out the door, the ground began to shake, followed by another yell from downstairs. Boopkins hugged Bob tight as the earth shook, prompting the Garo to pick him up and hold him close like a child. As the earth shook below them, the ceiling began to give out, some rubble falling to the ground. Bob, realizing the danger if he and Boopkins stayed, immediately dashed for the door, ignoring his swords.

But he was too late. Another jerk of the earth and the ceiling over the door fell, blocking their exit. Boopkins shrieked, crying. Bob, now thoroughly panicked, began to yell at the top of his lungs, calling for help. “Hey! Help, we’re trapped!!” He exclaimed, trying to pull out the rubble that blocked their exit.

Back downstairs, Four huffed heavily, his boot at the center of cracks below him. His expression was angry, a cluster of pink scars visibly glowing on his left side. The rest of the crew was staring at him fearfully. Three was on the floor, eyes wide. Four blinked, the scars slowly fading. As he looked down at the cracks he caused, he stepped back, coping a hand over his mouth. “I... I’m sorry...”

“Maybe we should move on from the topic of magic...” One commented, rubbing his arm. Tari looked around nervously, counting heads until her eyes widened. “Guys, where are Bob and Boopkins?” She asked fearfully, hugging herself. Chris looked towards the staircase. “I saw them both go upstairs...”

Then they heard the faint yelling and cursing of the Garo, paired with the sobs of his fishy friend. Chris immediately burst towards the stairs, his boots stomping on the hollow wood. Everyone else soon followed him, muttering worriedly amongst themselves.

Bob continued to pull at the rubble in the door, cursing and yelling to no avail. “Damn it! Those idiots are as deaf as ants!” He shouted, lifting his swords from the wall and slicing at the rocks. Unfortunately, since the blades were already dull, this only sharpened them and made them dangerous to swing. Boopkins sobbed in a corner, his body curled up into a ball-like shape. “Can’t you idiots hear us?!”

“We can!” They heard Chris yell from the other side. His voice was muffled from the rocks. Bob, relieved that they were upstairs finally, threw his swords aside and kept pulling at the rubble. “How the hell do we get out of here?!” He shouted, trying to scream through the cracks to help them hear. Four slid down the wall as he buried his face in his hands, guilt washing over him. No one seemed to notice except Luigi, who was quick to help. Three ran towards the blockage and began to tug at the rocks, hoping to open the entrance bit by bit. Chris, however, pulled him away, causing Three to glare at him. “What the hell, man?! We’re trying to help them!”

“If you pull out one rock, the whole thing will come crashing down.” Chris pushed Three aside and walked to the blockage, leaning close as he spoke. “Is there anything in there you could use to break the rocks on your end? Or maybe a fire ax to break the wall?” Bob looked around the room. The only things inside were a rug, the chest full of items, and a sobbing Boopkins in the corner. “Bob turned back to the rocks. “Not really, but I can check the chest.”

“Great. You do that, we’ll find something.” Chris turned around, pointing at Meggy. “Go downstairs and look for the emergency kit. When we get them out, we need to make sure they aren’t hurt.”

“You got it!” Meggy saluted the officer before running down the stairs, practically jumping down the steps as she ran down.

Inside the room, Bob was rummaging through the chest, pushing aside various items in a panic. Toy cars, old books, mangaka... Nothing he could use.

Then his mind turned to the gun Boopkins found. Maybe he could use it to chip the rocks. Bob glanced at Boopkins, who was sobbing. “You okay, man?”

Boopkins sniffed, wiping his tears as they flowed. “No, we’re gonna die here!”

“We’re not gonna die, Boops.” Bob repeated, walking to him and hugging him gently. Boopkins paused his sobbing in surprise. Bob has never been this physical, at least with hugs. Maybe he was scared too. Boopkins hugged him back, letting himself be lifted by the Garo as he kept his arms around his neck. Bob walked to where the pistol sat on the ground and picked it up, turning off the safety and cocking it, pointing it at the rubble.

“Did you find anything?” Chris yelled, taking the kit from Meggy. Bob yelled back, “Yeah! Take a few steps back, will you?”

“Okay!” Chris stepped away from the rubble. Bob took a breath as he took his aim, pressing his finger on the trigger. Boopkins covered his ears, anticipating the sound.

Then the earth shook again, stronger than before. Everyone outside the room fell on their asses as they lost their balance. Inside the room, Bob lost his focus as he fell backward, accidentally pulling the trigger on the gun and firing a shot at the roof. Boopkins shrieked as he and Bob hit the ground, and Bob screamed as larger chunks of the ceiling fell around them. They could hear the others yelling out for them, but they couldn’t understand their words. Bob was at a loss, and so was Boopkins.

This was it.

This was how they were going to die. Crushed by the ceiling.

Boopkins immediately turned towards Bob and hugged him tight, burying his face in the Garo’s shoulder. Bob, in response, sat up and hugged him back, holding him tight and close as tears streamed down his face. Boopkins, however, refused to cry, instead opting to mutter sweet nothings as comfort.

And as the ceiling finally have above them, the last thing they could think was: ”At least I have my brother beside me.”

~

The earth stopped shaking, and everyone groaned as they lifted themselves off of the ground. Chris ran towards the rubble and pressed against it, yelling into the cracks. “Bob! Boopkins! Are you two okay?!”

Silence. Chris called out again. “Hey! Are you alright?!” More silence. Meggy and Tari fell into tears. One and Two stared at the rubble blockage in shock. Three and Four stared at it in horror. Chris pounded against the rock with his bare fist, causing Luigi to run and tear him away from the wall before he could hurt himself. Was he... Crying?

“Answer me! In- In the face of injury, you have to answer...”

Chris slumped over as he fell out of Luigi’s hands, falling to his knees as he sat in front of the blocked doorway. Still silence filled the hall.

Bob and Boopkins…

Four hid his face as he began to sob. “It’s all my fault...” He muttered, curling up as he tried to hide from everyone’s gaze. Three dropped down on the floor to his level, staring at him worriedly. “It’s not your fault, dude. You- You didn’t cause that earthquake, it was a coincidence!” One and Two audibly winced, and Three shot them a glare. Turning back to Four, he noticed the pink scars returning once again. “Dude, listen to me. Can you hear me?”

Four’s sobbing continued as he continued to curl in. Three frowned as he took it as a no. “Dude, get out of your ball and look at me.” He demanded. Four still didn’t respond. Realizing that he was probably having an attack of some sort, Three crawled closer and hugged the guardian tight, prompting everyone, except Chris and Luigi, to stare in shock. As far as they knew, Three wasn’t touchy. And hugging the man he despised like this? It really meant things were serious.

Four paused his sobbing, revealing his tear-streaked face as he looked up at the man hugging him. Three only squeezed in response to the movement, not saying a word.

“What are you...” Four mumbled, processing everyone's gaze on him and Three. Meggy and Tari were holding back tears. One and Two were close to each other, with Two hugging One’s leg like a koala. Luigi and Chris were still turned away, though Chris now had his head in his hands. Four looked at Three in surprise. “It’s not your fault.” Three muttered, pulling away to look Four in the eyes.

“But-”

“No. Nuh uh. None of that. It wasn’t your fault.” Three stood up and pulled the guardian to his feet, hugging him again as he did so. When they parted once again, Three glanced at Chris, who was wiping his face free of tears. “Chris? Do you have sleeping bags?”

“Yeah. It’s only 4 in the afternoon, though.” Chris sniffled, looking at Three strangely. Three shrugged and took Four’s hand, leading him to the staircase. “I couldn’t give two shits. The world’s ending, let us nap for fucks sake.”

“Just saying.” Chris commented before following them down, dragging his hand along the wall as he hiccupped. Everyone else began to follow them, and the rest of the day was silent and sorrowful.

Chapter Text

Three laid awake on the ground of the open room, focusing on his breathing as he stared at the ceiling high above him. The clock on the wall read 9 pm, and everyone was already asleep. Meggy and Tari were right next to each other, cuddling like koalas. Luigi was face planted on his pillow, and somehow still comfortable. Four was in a corner of the room far away from the group, possibly from guilt. Two was under a pillow on the sofa, and Chris was in a whole other room. One however, was also awake near the wall.

“One?” Three called out, whispering as he turned over in his bag to face the guardian. One glanced at him curiously. “What’s up, dude?”

“Can I... Ask you something?”

“Sure, go ahead.” One turned towards the purple guardian as he rested his head in the crook of his arms. “Is... Is it actually Four’s fault that that earthquake...?” Three didn’t finish his sentence, but One knew what he meant. With a sigh, the guardian nodded solemnly. Three’s face fell. “Why? I don’t get it...”

“Meme energy is unstable in the world right now, Three.” One began, sitting up and wrapping his arms around his legs. Three looked at him strangely. “Meme energy? The shit that Mario was made of?”

“Yep. He was the reason why so much of the energy in the world was stabilized. The energy that gives you-” One pointed to Three. “Your powers.”

“Without Mario-”

“Meme energy is unstable and prone to destruction. It doesn't help that Four is emotionally fragile right now.”

“Everyone is fragile, One, Four ain’t special.” Three scoffed, sitting up and crossing his arms. One furrowed his brow as he looked at Three. “This may come as a surprise to you, Three, but Four is a lot stronger than you and I.”

“... What do you mean?” Three cocked his head sideways as One conjured a tennis ball and a baseball from his bag beside him. “Think of guardians like sports balls. You and I are tennis balls, like this one.” One rolled the tennis ball to Three, and Three picked it up, looking at it strangely. One continued. “Four is like a baseball. Same mass and volume as a tennis ball, but much, much more powerful when thrown.”

“What’s your point?” Three asked skeptically, tossing and catching the tennis ball in the air. Annoyed, One threw the baseball bat at Three and knocked his leg. Three grabbed forward as he cried out. “Ow!”

“My point is, while Four is the same to you and me in terms of power, he’s a lot stronger than us when he lets his emotions get the better of him. He’s letting his baseball of emotions be thrown recklessly.” Three looked at the baseball right in front of him, and again at the tennis ball in his hands. “... So if Four throws a temper tantrum again-”

“It could be the end of us. Scary, I know.” One curled inward as he looked at the ground. Three frowned as he rolled both balls away, scooting towards One. One sighed as Three leaned against him, hugging him. “Since when were you a hugger?” One chuckled, and Three pounded his fist on him playfully. “Oh, shut up. I figured I’d abandon my tough guy sona since the world is ending.”

“You had a tough guy sona?”

“Shut up!” Three yelled, bursting off of One and crossing his arms angrily. One laughed at this, covering his mouth as he tried to muffle the sound. Three eventually gave in to his own chuckles, giggling incessantly.

When they finally calmed down, Three laid down on the floor once again, sighing. One also laid down, using his arms as a makeshift pillow. Three glanced at him and smiled. “You’re a cool dude, One. We should hang out more.”

“We’re gonna have to, heh.”

“Yeah, lol.”

“Did you just say ‘lol’ out loud?” One asked, chuckling. Three laughed again. “Yeah, so what?”

“Stupid.”

“Fuck you!” Three joked, shoving the guardian. Meggy groaned audibly and buried herself further under the blankets. The men fell silent as the rustling went on, only opting to speak again when the room fell silent once again.

“This may seem like an odd question, but how do you think you’ll die if we don’t make it to the end?” Three flipped himself over, looking at One as he thought over his question. One raised his hand and made a stabbing motion. “Those fence pikes will be the end of me, I’m telling you.”

“Dude, they’re like 7 feet tall and probably really dull. How the hell are they gonna stab you?” One shrugged, turning over away from Three. “Dunno, I’m just answering your question. Goodnight, Three.”

“Yeah, whatever, goodnight.” Three turned away from the guardian, burrowing himself into his sleeping bag. At least he knew he wasn’t alone.

Chapter Text

Two grumbled as Luigi gently nudged her awake. Sunlight was poking out from behind the curtains in the windows, slightly irritating the sleepy crew. “Two, wake up.” Luigi beckoned, turning the tiny guardian around so that she faced him. Two rubbed her eyes as she sat up. “Ugh... Luigi, what’s up?” She groaned, looking up at the smiling Italian. “Is... Is someone dead?”

“No, silly!” Luigi chuckled, pulling Two out of her sleeping bag. Two yawned as the cool air of the room splash against her, making her flinch. “Mmh. What time is it?”

“5:30.”

“5:30?!” Two wrestled herself out from Luigi’s grip and glared at him, now fully awake. Everyone else was asleep around them. Luigi kept smiling. “Why the hell did you wake me up so early?!” She exclaimed, wringing her hands. Luigi giggled as he pulled out a bag of pancake mix from his hat. “I wanna make pancakes for everyone!” He confessed cheerfully, shaking the bag. Two’s expression changed to surprise, then content as she smiled. “Oh, I see. But why did you have to wake me up?”

Luigi’s smile faltered. “... I don't wanna be alone.” Two giggled. “Oh alright, you idiot.”

~

The smell of fresh pancakes wafted from the kitchen to the open room, and the sweet scent pulled the crew out of their slumber. Meggy yawned as she stretched her arms upward. Tari pressed an assortment of buttons on her arm while half asleep. One groaned as he pulled himself out of his sleeping bag, and Three fixed his hair as he sat up. Four, who was on the other side of the room and huddled in his sleeping bag, remained asleep despite the tempting smell.

Three sniffed the air as he rubbed his eyes. “Does anyone smell pancakes?” He asked, shimmying out of his bag as he stood up. The crew could faintly hear humming coming from the kitchen, paired with Two’s voice.

“The smell is making me hungry...” One admitted, placing his hat on his head and standing up. As everyone began to wake up fully and pull each other to their feet, Four peeked out of his sleeping bag in curiosity. The smell was tempting to follow... But he didn’t have the energy to follow it.

Three walked to the kitchen in a haze, still tired. Two immediately greeted him with a wave and a plate of pancakes, lightly coated in sweet syrup. Three blinked, looking up to see Luigi at the counter flipping pancakes on a pan and pouring syrup onto other stacks beside the stove. When the others entered the kitchen to investigate, Luigi turned around and smiled widely. “I made breakfast!”

“Aw, Luigi...” Tari grinned as she approached the Italian and hugged him, gently wrapping her arms around him so as to not interrupt his cooking. Luigi smiled and handed her a plate, to which she immediately accepted and scurried to a place on the floor she could sit and eat. Three cocked his head sideways as he took the plate of pancakes from Two. “Why are you making pancakes? It’s like...” Three glanced at a clock. “6 in the morning.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t have anything to eat when we wake up! Can you drag Chris and Four out here, too?” Luigi handed the rest of the plates to the other members of the crew, leaving three plates for himself, Chris and SMG4. Three wandered out of the kitchen, setting down his plate on the counter as he left, approaching Four’s sleeping bag. It was as still as a rock, but Three could see it rise and fall as if it were breathing.

“Four? Are you awake?” He asked, crouching and nudging the bag. The bag shifted slightly, and Four grumbled underneath it. Three sighed exhaustedly. “Four, come out of there. Luigi made pancakes.”

“Mmh.” Four groaned, poking his head out from beneath the bag. Three smirked at how he looked like this; He looked like a cat wrapped in towels. The thought made Three snicker, and Four frowned. “I don’t wanna get up.” He said before burrowing back into the bag. Three stopped giggling and shoved the bag again, trying to get Four out. “Come on, dude, Luigi made pancakes.”

“You said that already.” Four replied, his voice muffled. Three giggled again. “Come on dude, just come out.”

“No.” Four huffed. Three’s smile faded slightly as he stared at the bag. He was persistent. “Four...” Three began, nudging the bag still. His voice fell to a whisper as he heard Chris descend the stairs and enter the kitchen. “Come on, dude. We’re your friends. At least give us the pleasure of eating breakfast with us.”

No response. Three sighed disappointedly. “I’m not gonna force you to leave your groundhog home, but if you won’t come out for us...” Three stood up, turning away from the sleeping bag. “At least do it for Mario.” He then left, leaving Four alone.

Four sat there in silence, slowly pushing himself to leave the bag. Mario wouldn’t want him to isolate. He never wanted him to. He hated isolation anyway; It made him feel lonely and alone.

As Four slowly emerged from the sleeping bag, the harsh sunlight blinding him from the windows, he stared at the empty room around him. He could hear his friends laughing in the kitchen. It wouldn’t be bad if he joined them... Right?

As he stood up, shielding his eyes from the light and wandering to the kitchen, his gaze wandered to the sleeping bags in the corner, unoccupied and rolled up. Four could feel his eyes well up with tears, and he quickly wiped them away. As he walked into the kitchen, he saw his friends on the ground, chattering and giggling as if everything were normal. He couldn’t blame them, though. Any sense of normalcy at this time was comforting.

Tari and Meggy were next to each other, eating off of each other’s plates like a couple. Chris and Luigi were against the glass back door, talking about gardening and jobs they wish they pursuited before. One and Two were telling jokes to lighten the room, and Three was on his own, laughing along. Four glanced at the kitchen counter and saw a single, lone plate of pancakes. He smiled gently, walking to it and lifting the plate gently.

“Oh, Four!” Two called, waving excitedly to the guardian. Four looked at her and smiled, walking to the group and sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. Three looked up from his plate and smirked. Tari began to ramble about a dream she had, and Meggy commented every so often to add spice to the conversation. One and Two continued their jokes, and Chris and Luigi greeted the guardian before returning to their own conversation. Four’s dull mood soon faded as he enjoyed the morning, laughing along with the jokes and listening to Tari’s rambles. Three smiled at his friends; he was glad everyone could stay positive, even after a tragic event.

A tragic event.

Three’s smile fell as he stared at his pancakes, now with one sad flat pancake left on his plate. As he glanced at the staircase, now taped off for safety, he lifted himself off the ground and took his plate with him. “Hey, Chris?” He muttered, turning towards the officer solemnly. Chris glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. “Can I... Go upstairs for a moment?” Three felt nervous asking. Chris blinked and smiled, nodding and waving the guardian away. “Don’t be up there too long, dude.”

Three brightened slightly. As he brushed his friends and dipped under the safety tape, his thoughts began to race as he held his breakfast close. Was this a good idea? Was a stupid idea? What if he got hurt, or worse?

He shook off his thoughts as he approached the rocky doorway, filled with rubble and the faint smell of peppermint.

“Peppermint...” Three muttered to himself as he sat down in front of the rubble, the pancakes in his lap as he slowly ate in front of the rocks. Was this going to offend their ghosts? Make them jealous? Did they think he was mocking them?!

He shook his head vigorously. “Sorry. I hope this isn’t rude.” He mumbled, taking another bite of his pancakes. The rubble was silent. The occasional falling of pebbles paired with the clinking of his plate filled the empty hall. Three sighed. “I’m.. Sorry we didn’t treat you two better. You didn’t deserve a fate like this.”

Three looked up at the rubble, expecting some sort of answer. Upon receiving nothing, he sighed again. “Who am I kidding? You’d never forgive us. We treated you like shit. And we’re sorry.”

Three stood up again, his plate now empty. He placed his hand on the rubble and pressed his forehead against the rocks, shutting his eyes. “Hope they treat you better up there.” As he turned away and left the hallway, he muttered something under his breath.

“And down below.”

Chapter Text

Mario sighed as he sat in the clouds, Wren right beside him spinning a toy gun in his hand. Axol and Desti were watching him closely, eyes narrowed suspiciously. Mario glanced at the inkling next to him curiously. “So...” He stalled, watching the toy gun spin before it launched away into the clouds. Wren groaned in annoyance. “I don’t wanna talk to you.” He said, turning away from the Italian. Axol sighed as he walked over to the duo, pulling Mario to his feet. “Sorry about him, Mario.” He apologized, his fins twitching. Mario waved off his apology. “You’re alright, Axol! I understand.”

“Oh thank God.” Axol heaved forward in exhaustion. Mario patted his shoulder in comfort. As Wren stood up, his gaze caught two dots in the distance quickly approaching. Rather than point it out, however, he opted to pick up the gun he dropped and point the barrel in their direction. Desti quickly noticed and shoved him, ruining his aim. “You asshole! You don’t shoot newcomers.”

“This thing ain’t even loaded.” Wren objected, spinning the gun. Niles looked at the approaching duo and noted a brown cloak and a tiny fish. He recognized these people, but only vaguely.

“Mariooo!!” Boopkins yelled out, dashing past the group and tackle-hugging the Italian’s leg. Bob soon followed suit, shoving the man to the floor as both of them enveloped Mario in a tight hug. Mario yelped as he made contact with the ground, and soon he hugged both of them back, sobbing. “I can’t- Oh my god...”

“We’re so sorry, man!” Bob cried, squeezing tighter as he buried his face in Mario’s shoulder. Boopkins couldn't even get words out; He was just plain sobbing. And all the while everyone else was watching with solemn expressions. Wren scoffed and wandered a few feet away from the group. Zero and Niles sighed in sympathy. Desti looked away. Axol, who missed the two more than ever, held back tears as he covered his mouth in shock.

When the three finally separated, Mario grabbed Bob’s shoulders and shook him, causing his hood to fall from his head. Boopkins was a sniffling mess as he clung to Mario’s arm. “How did you get here?!” Mario asked, wiping his eyes. Bob hiccupped. “We- We were just in Chris’s house and an earthquake trapped us in one of the upstairs rooms and- And the ceiling collapsed and-” Bob fell into sobs again. Axol quickly hugged the Garo, his arms almost wrapping around him twice with how lanky he was. Bob’s sobs were reduced to hiccups as he processed this action, though he soon returned to crying. Boopkins also noted Axol’s presence, to which he also ran to hug the axolotl. Desti burst into hysterical laughter at this, while Mario was left confused.

“You- You were crushed?” He asked shakily, his hands quivering. Bob nodded, looking at Mario solemnly. “It... Hurt a lot.”

“Not really.” Boopkins confessed, sitting on the ground. More laughter from Desti, and Wren smacked her to shut up. Niles approached slowly, fiddling with his hands as he didn't know what to do with them. “Hey, Mario?” He called, resting one of his hands on the Italian’s shoulder. Bob, who noticed his presence, burst from the hug and shoved Niles back, standing in front of Mario defensively. Zero and School were quick to step in.

“Whoa, hey! Niles is fine, he’s not a threat!” Axol explained, pulling Bob back and lowering his arms. Boopkins cowered behind Mario fearfully as they both stared at Niles. Niles stepped back before continuing. “Yeah. I’m here too. Miraculous, ain’t it?” He asked sarcastically. Zero shot him a glare, but the guardian shrugged it off. “Everyone is here, dude. This is where you go when you die. It doesn’t matter if you were good or bad.”

“That sounds ominous. Ominous is bad.” Bob said, glaring at him. Boopkins whimpered behind Mario’s leg. Hoping to relieve the tension, Mario stepped forward and patted Nile’s shoulder, earning a smile from the former guardian. “He's harmless, guys. I promise.” Mario reassured, grinning weakly. Boopkins blinked in confusion, and Bob cocked his head sideways. “.. But he’s a murderer.”

“And you were a drug dealer, Bob, who cares?” Mario retorted. This time, Wren burst into laughter, keeling over as he cackled. Bob blinked and crossed his arms, grunting defeatedly. Booking stepped forward nervously, tugging at the Bahamas around his neck. “So if Niles and Bob are here, along with One-shot Wren-”

“It’s just Wren, kid.”

“Then wouldn’t that mean that Swag is here too?”

The group fell silent. Desti, Wren and the guardians were left confused at who this ‘Swag’ guy was. Axol was surprised, and Mario was confused, though not for the same reason as the others. “... Why would Swag be here?”

“He’s dead, obviously.” Bob said bluntly, and Boopkins punched his leg. Axol gasped. “Oh god, he is?!”

“Yep. Four snapped his neck after we found out he technically killed Mario.” Mario’s eyes widened. “He... What?”

“I didn't think Four had the courage to kill someone...” Axol muttered, and Niles frowned. “He literally killed me by killing you, Axol.”

“That was Melony, you dumb fuck.”

“Okay!” Mario shouted, raising his hands. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Bob snickered, but another punch from Boopkins shut him up. Mario took a deep breath and sighed, rubbing his eyes. “If Swag is dead, then we haven’t really seen him around. He’s probably avoiding us or just lost in the vast expanse of wherever the fuck we are.” Axol nodded in agreement. Niles raised a hand. “Who is Swag?”

“Mario’s murderer and awful police officer. He treated us like shit.” Bob answered, rolling his eyes. Boopkins looked down at the clouds. “Then maybe he isn’t up here then.”

“Then where would he be, fishboy?” Wren asked, raising an eyebrow. Boopkins looked up and grinned for the first time in a while. “Hell!”

The group burst into hysterical laughter.

Chapter Text

Tari sighed as she and Meggy sat on the couch, watching the news as it was the only thing on. The poor news lady was frazzled and scared as her studio fell apart around her, but there she stayed, relaying the weather from her stack of papers. Tari flinched upon seeing a piece of rock fall onto the counter beside the lady, hearing her screech. Chris, tired and sipping a cup of coffee, lifted the TV remote from the couch and turned off the tv. Meggy glanced at him. “What was that for?”

“I don’t need to hear about the weather at the end of the world.” Chris retorted, sipping his coffee. Meggy stood up from the couch and raised her arms upward, groaning as she stretched out her limbs. After lowering them again, she looked at Chris expectantly. He raised an eyebrow curiously. “... Do you need something?”

“Do you have any spare clothes I can borrow? I need a shower.”

Chris’s face burned red as he processed the question. Tari heaved forward in hysterical laughter, and in another room, Three could be heard laughing his ass off. Meggy, upon realizing what she said, began to wave her arms wildly, desperately trying to explain her plight while Chris stared at her in confusion.

“I didn’t mean it like that! I just- Ugh!” She threw her hands onto her face, hiding her embarrassment. Chris chuckled and waved his hand. “Meggy, there’s a closet somewhere in the hallway with spare clothes.” He set his mug down on a side table and rested his hand on Meggy’s shoulder, prompting her to look at him shyly. “Don't feel bad for asking, Meg.”

“Don’t call me that. But thanks.” Meggy quickly swirled around and ran down a hallway by the TV, her shoes squeaking on the tiles. Tari glanced at Chris with a smirk on her face. “Smooth.”

“Shut up, raspberry.”

“Raspberries are red, dumbass.”

“They’re also blue.”

“Shut up.” This remark made Chris chuckle again, picking up his mug and sipping his coffee before wandering away.

In the hallway where Meggy had wandered, the former inkling rummaged through the hampers of clothes, muttering to herself. “I didn’t know Chris liked Hatsune Miku.” She said as she pulled up a black tee with the vocaloid stamped on the front. She smirked and giggled as she slung it over her arm. “I wonder if he has figurines.”

After finding a suitable pair of shorts, Meggy hummed her way to the bathroom, quietly shutting the door and locking it.

~

Luigi and One chattered about at the base of the staircase, sitting on the first step and talking. Four and Three were upstairs near the blocked doorway. Tari and Chris were in the living room chatting about, while Two was huddled in her sleeping bag. Luigi fiddled with his hat nervously as One chattered on about meme energy.

“And as such, with the fragile state of the earth right now, any slip up could open a hole right under you.” He said, pointing to his feet. Luigi sighed as he stared at where One pointed, tilting his head slightly sideways. “One?”

“Yeah?”

“What happens if a guardian dies?” Luigi asked softly, glancing at One solemnly. One’s eyes widened slightly at the question. He never thought about this before. Luigi squeezed his hat in his hands. “If- If Three or Four die, will the end of the world speed up or- Will it be like with Niles and Zero and have no effect?”

One winced at the mention of the former guardians. Luigi noticed this, and waved his hands as he tried to apologize. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable!”

“You’re fine, dude.” One said, waving off Luigi’s apologies with a chuckle. Luigi lowered his hands worriedly as he watched One lean forward, his antennae hanging over his face. “What I think, in theory, what happens when a guardian dies is...” One fumbled over his words as he waved his hands. “In theory, I think the death of a guardian would, um, it would speed up this world’s decay rather than end it. Though with Mario already dead, it’s going to only quicken the process-”

“But would that only count for Three and Four? What about you and Two?” Luigi interrupted, rather nervously. One stared at him, surprised. He wasn’t offended or anything; He was simply shocked.

“I hope that wasn’t mean, but I heard you and Three talk about, um.” Luigi paused, twisting his hat left and right. One mouthed a silent oh, and turned back forward. “Right. I don’t think me or Two would have much effect on the world. If we...” One paused, staring at his hands as a blue flame lightly engulfed his palms. Luigi watched the fire burn with fascination before One clenched his fists, extinguishing the flames. “If we left, the worst that would happen is Four and Three would be devastated.”

“Yeah, I’d imagine.” Luigi rested his hand on the guardian’s shoulder, a worried expression on his face. One chuckled. “Yeah.” His face fell as he buried his head in his hands. Slowly and quietly, he began to sob. Luigi inched closer and wrapped his arms around the sobbing guardian, saying nothing as he rubbed his back with his palm.

Chris and Tari watched this from afar with worry, Tari fumbling with her arm, and Chris with his mug to his chest. Tari glanced at him with worry. “Are they okay?” She asked, not exactly searching for an answer. Chris shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe the severity of all this caught up to them.”

“Probably...” Tari pressed a few buttons on her arm before it erupted into sparks, prompting her to shriek and startle Chris and the others. A loud thunk could be heard down the hallway where Meggy was. Four quickly rushed down the stairs and hurried to Tari. “What’s happening here?! What’s going on?!”

“I-I don’t know! I think my arm is malfunctioning!” Tari shrieked, grabbing her shoulder to keep her arm still as the prosthetic shook and zapped uncontrollably. When it stopped, the arm fell limp, the glow lining its screws and crevices fading. Chris blinked at this. “Is... Is it supposed to do that?”

“No... I think it powered down.” Tari poked and prodded at its buttons frantically, trying to get the arm to power on again as her panic grew. Two’s gaze shifted from the group to the hallway where Meggy had disappeared just an hour earlier. Her brow furrowed worriedly as she continued to stare down the hall, a slight ringing beginning in her ear as she noted the silence coming from the hall. Tari sighed in frustration as she realized her pressing was doing nothing to activate her arm. “Damn it! I don’t wanna be armless...” She complained, hanging her head low. Two quietly clapped her hands to catch everyone’s attention.

“Guys, I think we should check on Meggy. She hasn’t come out of the hallway in a bit...” She said, slowly approaching the hallway. Chris soon followed after her, and everyone else stayed behind.

When Two and Chris arrived at the bathroom door, they felt water pool around their feet. Chris’ eyes widened slightly with fear. Two tried to shake the water off of her boots. “Um. Is that bad?”

“Very. Meggy?” Chris called out to the inkling inside, pounding his knuckles on the wooden door. There was no response or sound from the other side, not even a faint slosh of water to signal that Meggy heard them. Four and Luigi entered the hallway out of curiosity. “Is everything okay down here?” Luigi asked, his hat in his hands. Chris began to pound at the door harshly. “Meggy isn’t responding, and there’s water on the floor.” As he continued to pound on the door, yelling for Meggy to respond, the rest of the group began to huddle in the narrow hallway worriedly, muttering quietly.

Two lowered to the ground and tried peeking beneath the crack of the doorway, but alas, Meggy’s boots blocked her view. “I can’t see anything.” She said, scratching at her arm. Chris, now impatient and terrified, began to kick at the door fiercely, startling everyone in the hall. Four tried to pull him away, but Luigi was quick to pull him back. “Just- Let him do this.”

When the door finally fell forward with a bang, Chris immediately noticed Meggy slumped beneath water in the bath, her eyes open and empty gazed. Blood and water soaked the rim of the tub, and blood seeped from her head into the bath. Tari gasped as she rushed into the bathroom, falling beside the tub. Chris also dashed beside the tub, this time reaching into the water to pull Meggy out from the water, albeit keeping his eyes shut. Tari felt tears roll down her face as Meggy was pulled from the water.

“Meggy! No no, don’t do this to us!” She yelled, grabbing the girl’s shoulders and shaking her vigorously. Chris turned back towards the door, covering his mouth as tears streamed down his cheeks like waterfalls. The group in the hall was silent as Tari cried for Meggy, shaking and hugging her corpse while sobbing uncontrollably.

“Oh god...” Four wandered out of the hallway silently, muttering quietly as he walked out. Three quickly followed him, trying to comfort him. Two rubbed her arm as she stared at the water on the floor. Luigi’s and One’s eyes were averted, though both were equally as devastated as the girls. When Tari’s sobs were reduced to quiet sniffles, Chris stood up shakily, his arm over his eyes. “When- When you’re ready girls, we’ll take care of her.” With that, he wandered out of the bathroom solemnly, dragging One and Luigi out of the hallway with him.

Two slowly sauntered over to Tari, resting her hand on her shoulder. “Tari, are you...” She paused her sentence, noting Tari’s blank, dead expression when she turned to look at her. Her eyes were devoid of emotion by this point; Plain and dead and lost. This scared Two.

“Tari?” Two muttered quietly, inching closer slowly. Tari glanced at Meggy’s body in her arms, her eyelids lowering as she laid Meggy down on the floor. After covering her with a towel, Tari stood up and left the bathroom, leaving Two alone with Meggy’s body.

“Oh no... Something tells me she won’t last long.”

Chapter Text

Tari sat alone in a corner of the open room, her knees to her chest as she stared at her prosthetic on the ground in front of her. The rest of the crew were far away, watching her sit in the corner with worry. Chris was outside with a shovel, giving a proper burial to their fallen friend. Her prosthetic arm twitched and zapped as it laid on the floor, the battery giving its all to survive before finally falling limp. Tari was unfazed.

Two tugged at Three’s pant leg worriedly, not taking her eyes off of Tari. “Is she gonna be okay?” She asked, letting go of his pant leg. Three sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. She’s been like this all day.”

“Duh! Meggy just fucking died, of course she’s gonna dissociate!” Four shouted, smacking Three upside the head. Luigi facepalmed as he sighed in exasperation, while One glared at the brawling guardians. When Chris returned inside the house, a dirty shovel in hand with his boots covered in mud, he blinked at the conflict occurring between Three and Four. With a frown, he raised the shovel and dropped it onto the tiled floor, causing a loud slam and ring to echo throughout the house. Everyone looked at him in surprise.

“Weather outside is getting a bit freaky today. I kept feeling water drip down my shirt while I was digging the hole.”

“Are you sure that’s not just you sweating?” Three asked skeptically. Chris gestured to his front, which was clear of any water that could have soaked the cloth. One sighed as he walked to the back door, peeking out the window. “I had a feeling this would happen. The weather is going to be seriously out of wack for the next few days.”

“When is the fucking world going to end?!” Four shouted, grabbing his hair and tugging at it in frustration. Two glanced at Tari again, only to find her reaching for the arm on the floor. Panicked, she rushed towards her. “Tari, don’t!” She shouted, kicking the arm away and grabbing Tari’s shoulders. Tari blinked at her, her gaze still bland and dead. Two shivered. “Tari, you can’t grab your arm, it’s useless and dangerous now. What if- What if it electrocuted you?”

“I’d rather be electrocuted than live any longer without Meggy.” Tari muttered, and Two’s eyes widened. She was lost before she even physically died.

“Oh, honey...” Two muttered, hugging Tari tightly. Tari began to sob quietly as Two did this, slumping over her as she tried to hug her back. The rest of the group watched this with quiet remorse. Luigi glanced at Chris worriedly. Chris simply shrugged as he walked to the girls.

“If it provides any comfort to you,” He began, looking down at Tari. The girls looked up at him with curiosity and sadness. “I have a garden right outside the front door, you can pick a few flowers to leave for your companion.”

“You’d let us pick flowers for Meggy?” Two asked, pulling out of the hug as Tari stood up. Chris nodded solemnly, resting his hand on Tari’s shoulder and pulling her into a tight hug. Tari gasped softly at this, but did not oppose the action. “I know how it feels to lose someone you love. I won’t keep you from grieving properly.”

Tari then began to openly sob into his shoulder, soaking it with her tears. Chris was unfazed by this, still hugging her and rubbing her back as a sort of comfort as he muttered to her. Luigi glanced at Three and Four and gestured to them. “Why can’t you two do that?”

“We’re both terrible at comfort.” Luigi facepalmed again, and One chuckled.

Chapter Text

Out in the empty city, everything was in ruins.

Remaining civilians dashed from shop to shop, hoarding food and fighting for their lives against each other and the earth’s deadly forces. All of the grocery stores were reduced to rubble. The roads all around the crashed truck, which was now burning the oil it carried, were cracked and unevenly leveled. Mario’s body was completely gone where it once sat, leaving only a decayed skeleton. Anyone who passed the wrecked truck risked losing their lives.

Many of the apartments and businesses in the city were also in ruins. The apartment that the truck collided with was completely crumbled, reduced to rubble leaving only the wall that crushed Mario to begin with. Many large businesses, such as Casino Paisano, were also in shambles, with the walls and foundations showing through crumbling cracks.

The only building in the city that was even somewhat intact was Mr. Puzzles’ studio.

“I can’t believe this! It’s been a whole week of non stop earthquakes, and just when we think it’s all over, the fucking weather turns on us!” Sonic complained, pacing around the lobby of Puzzles’ studio as the cyborg, Shroomy, and Marty watched him complain. Mr. Puzzles had a roll of bandages in his hand, and his other arm was completely gone and bleeding a strange mixture of oil and blood. Shroomy had a chunk out of his head, and his boy scouts uniform was torn at the sleeves. Marty was a cardboard cutout with light scuffs on the apron. Sonic, who was pacing and complaining angrily while holding a cracked cell phone, had bandaged cuts on his arms and legs, and a face patch on his cheek. Everywhere else on his body had bruises.

“When is this going to be over already?! It’s been a whole week!”

“You said that already, mista’ Hedgehog.” Shroomy replied, and Sonic glared at the shroom angrily. Puzzles winced as he wrapped his arm. “May I remind you that I do not care for your complaints, and that you BROKE INTO MY STUDIO?!” Puzzles shouted, his screen flickering to a crazed expression. Sonic glared at him aswell, and Marty let a dark shadow loom over him spiritually as he replied to the situation. But, seeing as no one could understand him, his opinion was ignored.

Probably for the best.

“Mista’ Puzzles, do you need help wrapping that ol’ thing?” Shroomy asked, pointing to his severed arm. Puzzles groaned and shook his head, resuming his attempt at wrapping the injury. He was doing a terrible job, however, as the bandaging was loose and soaked. Sonic put his hands on his hips as he tapped his foot impatiently. “You’re supposed to sew the wound before wrapping it, idiot.” He remarked, and Puzzles groaned again as his screen flickered between expressions. Shroomy walked in front of the cyborg and snatched the roll of gauze from his hands, tightening the bandages and earning a shriek of pain from the cyborg. Sonic winced at seeing Puzzles so visibly distraught, and while Shroomy tried to be quick, his shaky hands only made the pain worse.

When he finally finished, Puzzles keeled over as he groaned, gripping his arm tight. “You m-motherfu-u-ucker.” He cussed, his speakers stuttering as he uttered the words. Shroomy simply shrugged and helped him sit up. “A ‘thank you’ would be nice, Mista’ Puzzles.” Puzzles simply snarled in response. Sonic sighed as he stared at the cell phone in his hands. “I’ve been trying to call Swag for hours, but he isn’t picking up. I swear, if he’s acting on his ‘summer dream-’”

“Hold the fuck o-on,” Puzzles interrupted, staring at Sonic strangely. Sonic looked back at him. “Why the h-h-hell are you trying to call Swag-ag?”

“Um. He’s my husband?”

The room fell silent as Sonic and Puzzles were locked in a staring contest. Shroomy could barely hold back a chuckle while Marty remained silent... Like usual. Puzzles felt tempted to gag, but resisted. “My condolences to your marriage.”

“Fuck you, you oversized VHS tape!”

”What did you just ca-call me?!”

Soon enough, they were both engaged in a petty argument, and Shroomy could no longer hide his laughter. As the mushroom wheezed on the floor and the hedgehog and cyborg argued, Marty watched with a curious intent. He couldn’t do anything to stop this, but he found it interesting to watch. And entertaining.

“Ugh! I just- Ragh!” Sonic groaned in frustration as he slapped his hands over his face, turning away from Mr. Puzzles. Puzzles huffed and also turned around, attempting to cross his arms and failing. When Shroomy’s laughter finally died, he stood up shakily and stepped between the two, raising his arms to keep them from escalating the fight. “Now- Now we can’t be fighting at a time like this. It’s dangerous out there!”

“No shit, Shrooms, you ain’t teaching us anything.” Sonic remarked, scowling. Shroomy frowned and shoved them both, earning himself sharp glares from both of them. “Now, listen here. I was a boy scout for all my school years, an’ I know just what to do in a situation like this.”

“Oh yeah?” Puzzles leaned down to Shroomy’s level, giving him a fake, strained smile. “And what exactly is ha-happening right now, Shrooms?”

“The world is endin’!”

The studio fell silent once again. Sonic and Puzzles exchanged looks before staring back at Shroomy. “... What?”

“This is the second coming, you two! The rapture, Ragnarok, the end of days!”

“We get it, we get it!” Puzzles shouted, slamming his hand over the fungi’s mouth. With his fake smile still present on his screen, he cocked his head sideways as he lowered his voice. “What makes you think what is happening isn’t the result of humanity fu-fucking itself over?”

“Well, I’ve done my research on this kinda thing, you see.” Shroomy sauntered away from Puzzles and began to pace in a circle around the room, with the other three residents of the studio watching him in confusion. “In every disaster movie where the world timer is reachin’ its end, there’s always a pattern; Earthquakes, thunderstorms or any other kinda storm, and then lava!” Shroomy waved his hands wildly as he gestured an explosion. Puzzles sat down in a chair while Sonic tapped his foot again. Both were unamused by Shroomy’s antics, but curious to hear more. “Elaborate.” Puzzles commanded, and Shroomy grinned. “So, we all know what’s been happening for the past week, the uneven earthquakes and the collapse of buildings, right?”

“Yes? That’s pretty hard to ignore.”

“Exactly, and now there’s a big storm outside right now. I figure that storm is gonna persist for at least 3 or 4 days before it lets up, and you know what happens after that?”

“What?” Sonic tilted his head sideways. Shroomy’s grin grew maliciously wider. “Lava. Explosions. The earth’s crust will separate and allow the molten rock beneath us to rise and explode upward. Everything will be set ablaze!” Shroomy threw his hands up again, laughing maniacally. Sonic and Puzzles exchanged worried glances as Shroomy continued to cackle, and Marty’s cutout twitched slightly.

“Oookay.” Puzzles interjected, standing up and approaching Shroomy. Shroomy’s laughter eventually died as the cyborg walked to him and lowered his hands. Puzzles let another fake smile stamp his screen. “Well, that was certainly a... Enthusiastic answer, Shroomy.”

“Thank you! I’ve been ready for this since 5th grade.”

“Jesus fucking christ, he’s a lunatic.” Sonic muttered under his breath. Puzzles groaned audibly as he stepped away from Shroomy, sighing exasperatedly. Only Marty seemed unbothered by the explanation, probably because he was a cardboard cutout. Mr. Puzzles glanced at Sonic and gestured to the front door, which was being rattled by the rain. “Care to help me throw them both out?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Chapter Text

Tari sat at the top of the staircase, watching everyone downstairs wander about and chatter quietly. The upstairs was empty and isolated unlike down below. The halls were dirty and the wallpaper was peeling off, exposing the wooden foundation behind it. The carpet floors had nails sticking out at every turn, meaning that Tari had to watch her step when wandering about. But she wasn’t walking around. She was sitting at the staircase, holding her stubby arm in her hand as she rubbed the scar with her thumb, staring downstairs into the ether as she tuned out reality. Four was also upstairs with her, wandering around near the blocked doorway before sauntering to the staircase. He was silent as he sat beside Tari, crossing his arms as he leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees.

“... Everything okay?” He asked, resting his hand on Tari’s shoulder. She flinched and looked at him in surprise, but soon relaxed as she realized it was him. “Uh, no, not really. I...” She lowered her voice to a mutter as she continued, the rest of her response in mumbles. Four tilted his head sideways in confusion as he watched her turn away. Her hood was over her head, casting a shadow over her face. “Tari?”

“Huh? Sorry, I kinda started rambling there.”

“I-It’s okay, I didn’t really hear any of it.”

“Oh.” They fell silent once again. The creaking of the floorboards downstairs echoed up the stairway, and the chatter seemed to quiet down. Four glanced at the bottom of the staircase. “... What do you think they’re doing down there?”

“Dunno. Probably looking outside.” Tari replied blandly, her voice soft and dull. She rested her chin in her palm as she stared down. Four’s brow furrowed with worry as he stared at her. “Tari, are you... Doing okay?”

“What do you think?” She snapped, glaring at Four in frustration. Four recoiled his hand from her shoulder, his eyes wide. Her sharp gaze was enough to pierce through bone. “... Tari.” He muttered her name quietly, slowly inching closer. In response, she scooted away, curling inward. “Tari, I want to help.”

“Nothing you can say will make me feel better, Four.” She snapped, standing up suddenly. Four stood up with her, his fists clenched. “Tari, I know how you’re feeling right now, I feel the same-”

“Do you really?!” She shouted, turning around to grab his arm and grip it tight. Four flinched at how fast she turned. “Do you really know how close me and Meggy were?! We were like- Like best friends! Possibly closer!”

“I-I know that-”

“You don’t! You really don’t! You never talked to Meggy when she wasn’t with Mario, she was just- Just an accessory to you, wasn’t she?!” Tari screamed, tears gathering in her eyes. The rest of the crew, who had heard the argument from downstairs, began to gather at the foot of the staircase. Four wrested himself from her grip and backed up to the wall in fear. Tari approached him angrily. “You’ve never cared about us, Four! You call us your ‘friends,’ but in reality, we’re just a bunch of strangers! You don’t even know our favorite foods!”

“S-Sure I do! Is it... Spaghetti?”

“That was Marios!” Tari screamed, slapping the guardian across the face. Everyone downstairs gasped, and Chris quickly began to climb the steps to break up the fight. As Tari sobbed and screamed at Four, Four began to zone out, his thoughts racing. When Tari raised her hand again to slap him, Four grabbed her arm and shoved her down the stairs angrily.

“Four, no!” Three yelled, stomping up the steps to catch Tari.

But it was too late. By the time Tari hit the steps, her back snapped, leaving her limp. Four covered his mouth with his hands in shock as the crew stared at Tari, then up at him. Their expressions were horrified and filled with terror. Four stumbled backward away from the staircase, tears welling up in his eyes. “I... I’m so sorry!” He shouted before running away from the staircase. Luigi and Chris were quick to try and follow him, walking around Tari’s body as they chased after him, while everyone else dragged her corpse down as they tried to revive her in tears. Four rounded a corner and slammed right into the blocked doorway, breaking his nose as blood splattered on the rocks. Luigi caught him as he fell backward, and Chris began to shake him vigorously, his eyes full of tears. “What the fuck were you thinking?!” He yelled, his grip on Four’s shoulders tight. Luigi pushed him away and helped wipe away the blood seeping from Four’s nose. Four sobbed uncontrollably as he did this, wiping his eyes and tugging at Luigi’s sweater. “I’m so- I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to- I don’t know what came over me, I just-” He couldn’t form a proper response to this, just sobbing uncontrollably.

Chris and Luigi looked at each other with worry before looking back at Four, who was keeled over on his hands and knees. Blood from his nose stained the carpet below. Downstairs, loud cries began to ring and echo upstairs, signaling that they had lost yet another companion. Four sobbed harder. Luigi sighed as he wiped his eyes. “Good lord... We’re all falling apart.” He muttered, grabbing Four’s shoulders and pulling him to his feet. Taking off one of his gloves, he held the white cloth to Four’s nose, letting the blood soak the glove. “Stay up here, okay? We’ll...” Luigi sighed again as he patted Four’s shoulder in comfort. “We’ll take care of things downstairs.”

Four simply nodded in response, taking the glove from Luigi and keeping it to his nose. Chris pulled himself to his feet and glanced at Four before following Luigi downstairs, witnessing the grief the crew was in.

One and Two were at Three’s side, and the purple guardian was on his knees in front of Tari’s body, his head hanging low as fresh tears dripped onto the tiled floor. Tari herself was limp, her back oddly bent upwards despite her already being gone. Two was hiding her face in her hat, while One let his own dread-filled expression show clearly. Luigi wiped his eyes as he sniffled, trying so hard to hide his own dread. Chris crouched next to the body and buried his face in his hands, crying quietly. Luigi walked over to Three and sat next to him, placing his hand on his back and rubbing gently.

“Where is he?...” Three muttered quietly. Luigi tilted his head sideways before he realized what he was asking. “Three, I don’t want you to do anything rash-”

”Where. Is he?” Three asked again, his tone firm and dark as he looked at Luigi. Luigi flinched and recoiled his hand, staring at Three worriedly before the guardian sighed. “I... I don’t even want to know what I’d do to him.” He mumbled, burying his face in his hands. Luigi relaxed his shoulders, once again rubbing the guardian’s back as comfort. “Just give him time. He’s upstairs by the blockage... He needs...” Luigi sighed.

“He needs to be alone.”

Chapter Text

As Chris shoveled more dirt outside to bury the new corpse, the rain pattering harshly against his coat, he grumbled and muttered curses to himself. Tari’s body was wrapped in a bunch of old blankets, and the cloth was now soaked and dirtied from the rain. On a table under the patio, protected from the rainfall, was her prosthetic, still twitching with energy. Chris wiped his face as he stood up straight, letting the rain drip down his face. A crack of thunder could be heard from miles away, and the following lightning strike only shined just a few minutes later, as Chris threw the bundle of blankets into the hole he dug. As he began to bury her once again, he began to sniffle and cry. “Fucking hell.” He muttered, wiping his eyes. He was growing attached to the crew, even though he hardly knew them. Why did he care so much? As he shoveled the last of the dirt over the pit he dug, he let a few tears fall from his eyes. “Damn it... I can’t get attached now.” He muttered, stabbing his shovel into the dirt. The sliding back door opened behind him, and when he turned, he saw Luigi in the doorway with a bowl of Cheez-Its in hand. Chris chuckled at his presence as he wiped his eyes. “Heya, Lu. What are you doing out here?”

“Just checking up on you. Want a Cheez-It?”

“No thanks, I’m not hungry.” Chris laughed, wiping the mud from his hands onto his jeans haphazardly. His outfit had changed dramatically from when the crew first met him outside the ruined castle; No longer was he in his formal, officer attire of a suit, slacks and gun belt. He was dressed more casually, with dark blue jeans and a white tee decorated with floral symbols on the front. Luigi shrugged off his answer and tossed a Cheez-It into his mouth. “How are you taking everything?” He asked gently, placing his hand on the officer’s shoulder. Chris flinched at the contact but soon relaxed, sighing deeply as he glanced at the piles of dirt in the yard. “... Not well.”

“I figured. No one’s taking this well.” Luigi chuckled weakly, setting the bowl down on the table near Tari’s prosthetic. Chris looked at Luigi strangely. “You seem to be doing just fine.”

“Oh no, I am on the verge of a breakdown right now, Chris.” Luigi forced a laugh as he uttered this, removing his hand from Chris’ shoulder and burying it in his pocket. Chris furrowed his brow with worry. “Are- Are you okay?” He asked, tilting his head sideways. Luigi’s nervous laugh turned into a weak chuckle. “Heh... Not really.”

“Have you been holding back your tears all this time?”

“Yeah, kinda.” Luigi wandered out from under the patio into the rain, standing just in front of Tari’s grave. As he slowly took off his hat, he turned his head upward, letting the rain pour onto his face as he sighed. Chris slowly approached him, letting himself be taken by the rain as well. Luigi looked down at the dirt as he pushed his boot into the mud. As he sighed, Chris rested his hand on his shoulder.

“I... Have a lot of feelings being pent up right now. It started when we found Mario, and then with Bob and Boopkins, and now...” He gestured to the piles of dirt in front of him. “Meggy and Tari are gone too.”

“I want so desperately to cry, to sob into someone’s shoulder...” He continued, gripping his hat so tight the rim bent. “But I have to be strong. Mario would want me to be.”

“Mario would also want you to let your feelings out.” Chris confessed, placing his other hand over Luigi’s. Luigi looked at him in surprise. “I know I don’t know any of you fuckheads-”

“Hey!”

“-That well, but from what I gathered about you, you are a very emotional person.” Chris turned the Italian around and gripped his shoulders firmly. Luigi blinked. “There is nothing wrong with trying to be strong, but you have to, at some point, let those tears fall.” Luigi blinked at his firm tone before lunging forward to hug him, hiccuping as he tried to hold back tears. Chris wrapped his arms around him tightly as he leaned downward to hug him. He could feel his shirt be soaked from where Luigi pressed against him, and it wasn’t from the rain. “Let it out, Lu. I’m right here.” He muttered, rubbing his back.

Back inside the house, Three and One watched this ordeal quietly from behind the sliding door. One’s arms were crossed and Three’s hands were buried in his pockets. One sighed as he turned away from the glass, placing a hand to his head. “I can’t take this... Two people lost in one day. What’s next? Am I going to die tomorrow?”

“One, don’t say that.” Three remarked, looking at him with worry. One shook his head as he wandered away from the back door, his hands raised. “I’m just saying with the rate of how we’re losing people, we’ll all be dead before the world implodes.”

“One!” Two shouted from her position on the sofa. She was wrapped in blankets like a heartbroken teenager. Mario’s red cap, which was now a rusty red and covered in scuffs, sat beside her and a bunch of granola bar wrappers. One raised his hands in surrender as he turned around. “I’m just saying!”

“Now is not the time to be saying anything!” Two screamed, grabbing Mario’s hat and flinging it at the blue guardian. One dodged sideways to avoid being hit in the face, causing Four to be hit instead. As the rim collided with his forehead, he fell backwards with a yelp, landing flat on his ass. Three rushed to his aid, albeit cursing at the guardian and calling him an idiot. Four didn’t say anything in response to this, simply rubbing his forehead where a bruise was beginning to form. When Three looked up at him proper after lifting the red cap, he saw the state Four was in.

Four’s eyes were tired and low-lidded, with eyebags under his eyes as dark as a shadow, and his clothes were dirtied to the point that not even the best laundry detergents could wash out the dirt and blood stains on his sweater and overalls. The purple texture on his arm and legs were also brighter and farther spread out, and the mark on his cheek had begun following the path of his IGBP scars. Not to mention the blood on his hands, which was now dried from when he beat Swag to death, had completely soaked into his gloves.

He looked awful.

Three sighed with worry as he grabbed the guardian’s face and forced him to look at him. “You didn’t sleep at all last night, did you?” He asked, tilting his head sideways. One approached the two on the ground and crouched, analyzing Four’s condition before sighing disappointedly. “Jesus, dude...”

Four said nothing in response, instead standing up and pulling both guardians to their feet. One and Three exchanged worried glances as they watched Four return upstairs. When Three glanced at his hands, he found that Mario’s cap was missing. “Oh that fucking thief!” He yelled, glaring at the staircase. One sighed again as he turned around. Two was on the couch, burrowing herself in the pile of blankets, still crying quietly. As One began to approach her, Chris and Luigi reentered the house, soaking wet and smiling.

“Don’t tell me you two fucked in the rain.” Three remarked, snickering. One wheeled around and flung his hat at the guardian, landing a hit right between his eyes. Chris keeled forward in hysterical laughter at how quickly One reacted, and Luigi was quick to hurry to Three’s aide, albeit giggling under his breath. Two also couldn’t hold back her laughter, poking herself out of her bundle to laugh. When Chris glanced at One, still laughing uncontrollably, One shrugged and made a motion similar to a bat swing. Chris laughed harder.

“Oh ha, ha. Very fucking funny.” Three complained, grumbling. Luigi chuckled. “Sorry, man. You did kinda deserve it.” He laughed. Three rolled his eyes jokingly as he rubbed his nose. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

Chapter Text

Four groaned as Three dragged him to the open room, a towel draped over his arm and a brush in his hands. Three was grumbling incessantly, complaining about how Four “had let himself go.” Chris and Luigi were in the open room clearing out the unused sleeping bags, and One and Two were seated on the sofa chattering about. Outside the rain rattled against the house, with faint thunder sounding miles away. When they arrived in the open room, Three forced Four to the ground, sitting behind him and beginning to brush his hair roughly. As Four cried out in pain and Three making frustrated remarks, Chris and Luigi giggled.

“You did this to yourself, Four! It’s not my fault you decided to isolate yourself!”

“Okay, but can you be a little gentler- Ow!” Two laughed, and One chuckled quietly. Three continued to grumble and complain about the condition of Four’s hair as he brushed it, while Four himself whined at the pain of his hair being pulled. Two jumped down from the couch and walked up to Four, taking his hand and shaking it around. He glanced at her strangely. “The hell are you doing?”

“You’re a doll now.” Two then slapped Four with his own hand, and Three laughed. Four groaned at the repeated smacking Two was inflicting upon him with his own hand, and Chris had keeled over in a fit of laughter. Luigi was turned away and hiding his own giggles, while One had fallen sideways as he coughed and laughed.

“I’m a toy for your entertainment...” Four groaned, and Two giggled. “Maybe.” A harsh tug on Four’s hair made the guardian shriek and cuss, to which Three laughed. “Calm down, man! I’m almost done with the knots, chill out!”

“Mmh!” Four groaned. The lights overhead began to flicker and dim, prompting everyone to pause and look up. A crack of thunder sounded outside following a flash of lightning. Chris frowned. “I think our power is about to go out.”

“What makes you say that?” Luigi asked. Right after that, the house went dark and silent, all of the power in the house vanishing in a flash. Two shrieked and hugged Four in surprise. Luigi cowered fearfully, clinging to Chris like a cat to a tree. Chris, in response, hugged the green Italian tight. One had fallen off of the couch in surprise at the sudden loss of light. Three and Four were relatively unfazed, instead simply staring up at the lights that were now off and darkened.

“That. That is what made me say that.” Chris responded, pulling out of the hug to look up at the ceiling. With a sigh, he looked down once again, and noticed that all four of the guardians with them were glowing at their textures. Luigi’s eyes widened slightly. “Whoa. You guys are like night-lights.”

“Wait, really?” Four asked, glancing at his arms. Sure enough, both arms were dimly glowing, providing a soft purplish light in the dark. Three was also glowing at the legs and eye, and Two and One provided the most light. Two bounced up and down excitedly. “Eee! This is so cool!”

“Why are we only finding out about this now? This could’ve been really useful in previous power outages at the cottage.” One commented, staring at his arm and leg as they shimmered. Luigi shrugged as he lifted a sleeping bag from the ground, dragging it towards the group before laying it down and laying on top of it. Chris opted to sit beside the Italian, and they all looked towards One to join them. With a sigh, the guardian complied, walking to the group and sitting beside the guardians. Two gleefully ran to another side of the group and sat down, forming a circle where they sat. Four sighed in frustration before shrieking again, feeling himself be pulled back harshly before being smacked in the head with a brush. “That’s for breaking my Cunt Coffee mug, Four.”

“That was almost two weeks ago!”

“I’m still mad about it!”

~

The clock on the wall ticked by slowly. Chris and Luigi were engaged in conversation while the guardians played around with Four. Three was behind him brushing his hair, and One and Two were at his sides tracing the pink lines on his arms. Four was displeased with all this contact, especially with Two smacking him with his own hand, but he was unfortunately powerless to stop them. Thunder boomed and cracked outside, and occasional flashes of lightning lit up the house through the windows. The rattling of the rain soothed their nerves, but also made them nervous.

A crack of thunder sounded loudly, and Luigi shivered in his sweater. “Ough... These storms are so intimidating.” He muttered, tugging on his hat in fear. Four looked outside the window behind them out of curiosity, watching the rain patter against the glass. Suddenly a towel was thrown over his head, and he felt Three’s hands rub the towel against his head harshly. As he cried and protested, Chris and Luigi laughed. “Relax, I’m almost done. You really let yourself go, Four.” Three stated, pulling the towel off of Four’s head to reveal the angry guardian with frazzled hair. One held back a snicker. “Fuck you, Three.”

“Do it yourself.” Three remarked, grinning. Chris wheezed loudly as Four and Luigi shot him a look, while the other guardians keeled over in laughter. Four turned a deep shade of red in embarrassment, turning away from the others and burying his face in his hands. As their laughter died down, Chris took a glance at the clock. “Hah... Wow, 11:15. It’s really late out.” He said, rubbing his eyes. Luigi shrugged off the time and looked at Four and Three, watching as Three dodged many light punches from the other guardian.

Crack!!

A loud boom of thunder sounded across the house, prompting everyone to shriek and cling to each other in fear. Shortly after, a blinding flash of lightning occurred just outside the back window, making everyone shriek again. The strength of the rain against the windows seemed to increase, for it was no longer a calm pattering, but an intimidating bashing at the walls and windows. Two and One quivered in fear. Luigi and Chris clung to each other like toddlers, and Three and Four scrambled around each other. When the booming stopped, they all exchanged glances between one another. Chris and Luigi slowly unwrapped from around each other nervously, with Chris standing up and Luigi laying down on his stomach. Three raised an eyebrow with a smirk, and Four smacked him in the back of the head. “God, Three, be appropriate-”

Another lightning strike occurred, this time striking through the roof of the house and landing just a few feet away from where Luigi laid. The Italian was quick to scramble out of the way from the strike, and a deafening boom of thunder shortly after sounded. Two shrieked as she jumped back, while Chris and the other guardians were quick to tend to Luigi. “Are you okay, man?!” Four exclaimed, pulling the Italian to his feet. Luigi twisted his hat nervously. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay-”

“Look out!”

Chris pushed Luigi forward, knocking both him and Four to the ground. When they both looked back, the ceiling of the house collapsed on top of Chris, leaving his upper half unharmed. The harsh rain poured into the house. Chris spat out a splurge of blood as his lower half was crushed. Luigi shrieked as he fell beside him, holding his face and crying. “No! Chris!”

As if to make things worse, the earth below them began to shake, causing One to fall back against the wall near the front door. As Luigi cried and tried to pull Chris out, the other guardians were panicking. Three was clinging to Four like a kitten to its mother, and Two was wrapped around Four’s leg. Four was unamused at the fact he was being used essentially as a cat tree, but right now he couldn’t care less. “Okay, let’s not panic!” One yelled, hoping to be heard over the rain. Luigi sobbed at Chris’s side, while Chris tried to shove him away. “A captain- Goes down with his ship.” He wheezed, pushing Luigi aside. “Run! Save yourselves. Don’t worry about me.”

“No! We can’t leave you here!” Four exclaimed, wrestling himself from Three’s grip. One tried to walk forward, but a crash through the wall prompted a fence spike from outside to pierce through him, right in the stomach. Two stared at him in horror. “One!!” She cried, frozen to Four’s leg. Luigi sobbed harder. Three could hear a faint ringing in his ears. Four didn’t know where to go; Should he try to pull Chris out from the rocks, or try and help One?

Suddenly, a soft hum sounded through the room, and upon turning around, the crew saw One with his hand raised, emulating a soft magic that contrasted with the harsh rain and thunder falling into the house. Three’s eyes widened. “One, what are you-” Two cried out again. “No! You can’t do this, One!” Four’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening; One was using the last of his magic to save them.

“One, please! We can’t lose you too!”

The blue guardian smiled weakly as he placed his other hand on the fence spike. Luigi clung to Chris as he hugged him, refusing to let himself be pushed away. Two sobbed uncontrollably as she tried to will herself to move, despite her fear.

“Tell me what the sunset looks like.” He muttered, the magic pulsing. A barrier formed around the guardians, and Two finally rushed towards it, pounding against the wall with her fists. “No!!” One smiled wider, blood dripping from his mouth. Suddenly, the barrier vanished, taking the guardians with it. The earth’s shaking grew stronger as One fell limp, forcefully pulling himself off of the spike and crawling to where Luigi and Chris remained. Luigi sobbed as he held the two close, bawling his eyes out as both Chris and One bled out beside him. Chris hovered a hand to the Italian’s face. “You have to run-” One lowered his arm and grinned. “Leave him be. He would have already fled if he wanted to leave.”

As the house around them began to collapse, Luigi’s sobs became the only thing the dying duo could hear, and while it was a solemn sound to hear, it was better than the sound of rock and rubble falling around them.

~

A flash of light appeared in the empty cafe, and Four, Three and Two fell onto different objects. Three slumped over the counter of the cafe in a daze as his head spun from the sudden teleportation. Four sat down on a stool near the counter and also slumped. Two was in front of the counter on the ground, her eyes wide as she began to hiccup. “No... No no no no...” She muttered, listening to the pattering rain outside. Four and Three looked down at her with worry. “Are you okay, Two?” They asked in unison.

“No! One!” She burst upward and ran towards the doors of the cafe, crying and shouting for her partner. Four quickly rushed towards her and grabbed her, pulling her back and up into the air. She struggled against his grip with all her might, trying to wriggle herself out of his hands as she cried. “No! We have to save them! Please, no!” She sobbed, her efforts growing restless. As Four walked back to the counter, tears in his own eyes, Three took Two from his hands and hugged her, climbing atop the counter to sit down. Two still struggled against his grip, though she was growing tired. “Please! We can’t leave them there...” She muttered, turning her head downward as she sobbed, her tears dripping onto the marble counter. Four climbed onto the counter and scooted closer to Three, holding out his hand. He was offering a hug.

Two quickly burst towards the guardian, clinging herself to his chest as she sobbed into his sweater. Four lazily wrapped his arms around her as he bent forward, quietly crying along with her. For once, Three strayed away from the hug, instead opting to turn around and cross his arms as he curled up.

“He’s gone... He’s actually gone...” Two mumbled between sobs. Four nodded silently, gripping his sleeves so tightly that the fabric began to tear. The marks on his arms and legs spread further upward, still glowing softly. The mark on his face also spread along, almost reaching the other side of his face. Three’s marks also began to spread, though not as severely as Four’s. Four hugged the tiny guardian tight as he cried. “What do we do now...” He muttered, looking up at Three. Three glanced at him and Two, worry evident on his face. “I... I don’t know.”

“I guess we just... Survive.”

Chapter Text

The cafe was silent. Two was in the back room isolating herself, leaving her to consume any snacks that were in the boxes back there. Three was behind the counter reorganizing the cabinets while his coffee machine whirred on. Four was in a bean bag chair beside the counter, zoning out with a blank expression. The coffee machine dinged, and Three sighed as he slid a mug of coffee towards Four. Four blinked and stared at the mug.

“Drink up, dude. You haven’t eaten anything in days.”

“What’s the point...” Four muttered, taking the mug and sipping the coffee inside. Three rolled his eyes as he rummaged through another cabinet, pulling out a wafer and tossing it at Four. The blue guardian caught the waffle before it could hit him properly, and took a dainty bite of the crust before leaning back in the bean bag chair. Three glared at him. “If you spill coffee on that chair, I swear to god-”

“I know, I know, you’ll kill me.” Four mocked, placing the mug on the counter. The back door creaked open slightly, and Two wandered out in a daze as she walked to Three and hugged his leg. Three sighed and leaned down to pick her up, hugging her as he crouched down. “You okay, pipsqueak?”

“Don’t call me that, grapefruit.” Two mumbled, and Three chuckled as he stood back up. Gently placing her on the counter, Three placed one hand on his hip as he raised the other to rest on her head. Two groaned and mumbled as he did so, but didn’t bother to fight the contact. Four rolled his eyes as he stood up again. Unfortunately, a sharp sting in his leg caused him to cry out and fall forward, gripping his knee. Two and Three looked over the counter in worry. “You okay, man?” Three asked, watching Four wince as he held his leg. “What does it look like!? My leg feels like it’s on fire!”

“Oh gosh, it’s happening already?” Two asked, and Three and Four looked at her in confusion. Two, realizing she’d have to explain something, hopped down from the counter and approached Four’s leg. Four recoiled from her touch in pain, and Two frowned. “A side effect of an avatar dying is that, eventually, the sensations of pain they experienced will be... Transferred to their guardians.”

“So basically my leg is broken now?” Four asked, and Two let out a weak giggle as she shook her head. “No, it’s still fully functional, but you may experience an equivalent of period cramps in your leg for a few hours.”

“Why am I not feeling that yet?” Three asked, more thankful than confused. Two shrugged as she walked up to the bean bag chair and sat down. “I dunno. Maybe you’re just lucky.” Three grinned at this, and leaned over the counter to stick his tongue out at Four. Four, in response, raised a middle finger at the purple guardian, and Three laughed. His happiness was short lived, however, as he soon collapsed at a stinging feeling in his leg. “Ow! Fuck!”

“Comfort is short lived.” Two stated, snatching Four’s coffee and sipping it. Three cussed angrily. “Damn it, Two!” He shouted, and Two giggled.

~

As the sun set over the horizon, the destroyed castle reflecting some of the sunlight and shimmering a bright orange rather than its usual blue, Two sat outside in front of the cafe, watching the clouds move in the sky. The ground around the cafe and castle was cracked, with some cracks gaping open like mouths. Two held a cold wafer in her hands, slowing eating away at the waffle as she stared up at the sky.

The door to the cafe opened, and Three stepped out slowly. “Hey, Two. You okay?” He asked, shutting the door and sitting beside her on the ground. Two shook her head slowly as she took another bite. “I miss One.” She mumbled, looking down at the ground. Three nodded in agreement as he scooted closer to her. “Yeah, I miss him too. We didn’t hang out enough, and I...” Three sighed as he looked at the cracks in the dirt. “I wish I knew him better.”

“We had a lot on our bucket list for Earth after we arrived here. We both wanted to ride a roller coaster with a loop-de-loop. I wanted to find a fossil of some sort. He wanted to meet some famous public figure.”

“You had a lot planned, huh?” Three asked, looking back at Two with a grin. Two chuckled. “Yeah... So many goals, not enough time.” Two stood up and began to pace around, setting her wafer on the ground. Three tilted his head slightly as he watched her pace. “Y’know, he and I had a lot of hangouts planned with you guys. We realized a few months ago we hardly ever talked after Genesis, and even when we saw you at court with Nintendo, we barely interacted. We- We hardly knew you both beyond the training we did to control your powers!” Two cried out, spreading her arms out as she stepped back, facing Three. Three’s eyes widened in surprise.

“We had so much to do with you both! We wanted to like, invite you out to lunch, or maybe hang out here at your castle!” Two turned around and began to wander off, pacing in a new direction. The cracks she was approaching blindly seemed to widen. Three realized the danger and stood up, following her. Two continued her rambling.

“You two are genuinely so cool to us, and- And you are far more powerful than the both of us! You learned how to- How to transmutate memes faster than we could! Do you know how hard that skill is to learn?”

“Two, slow down-” Three called out, but Two continued, stuttering as tears formed in her eyes. The cracks she was approaching were getting wider. “You and Four, you’re both so much more powerful than both of us. The abilities you could give Mario, they were far stronger than what me and One could give you!” Two wheeled around and walked backwards, facing Three. Three walked towards her. “Two, wait-”

“You don’t get it! You both are better than us! You- You don’t rub it in our faces, but it’s always there, it’s always-”

Two took a step back and slipped, falling into a wide crack in the floor. Three lunged forward to grab her arm, managing to grip her hand as he fell to the floor, his arm hanging in the dark. Two shrieked as she gripped his arm. “Don’t worry, Two! I got you!”

The sound of a door opening sounded from the cafe, and Four walked out in a daze. “What’s going on...”

“Four!” Three yelled, looking back at the guardian. “Get your ass over here, Two needs help!”

“Oh shit!” Four slammed shut the door to the cafe and burst for Three and Two, all the while Three was trying to pull her up. Two screamed as she kicked her legs. “What’s taking so long?! I weigh 20 pounds!”

“My sleeve’s stuck on the cliff!” Three yelled, pulling his arm. Sure enough, he was right; His sleeve had caught onto a rock in the cliff of the crack, and it was keeping him from pulling Two out. Four fell to the side of the crack and reached out to Two, reaching for her torso as he reached in. Three’s hand began to slip, and his grip on Two’s arm began to loosen. Two shrieked. “Don’t drop me!”

“I’m trying! Four hurry up!”

“I’m not in a good position to grab her, I-”

Three’s hand slipped, and Two fell into the abyss of the crack. By the time they heard a gut wrenching scream, signaling that Two either was stabbed by the spikes below or broke her back, the dark had already completely consumed her, leaving the remaining guardians to stare into the dark.

Four sat up, his gaze blank. Three also sat up, only his expression was distraught. “Oh god... It’s just us now.” Three muttered, burying his face in his hands. Four blinked as he watched Three cry into his hands. “... Just the two of us.”

“Why are we the last ones to go?!” Three yelled, lunging into Four’s arms and sobbing into his sweater. Four flinched at the sudden contact, but quickly leaned into it, he knew Three needed this comfort. As he hugged Three tightly, he felt tears run down his dirty face. But for some reason...

He didn’t feel anything. Had he grown numb to all of the deaths that were happening around him? Even with Three falling apart in his arms, did he lack the energy to cry with emotion? Nonetheless, despite Four lacking energy and emotion, he cried, he cried into Three’s shoulder while Three cried into his.

The only sound remaining in the Showgrounds was the sound of Three’s sobs, and the impending rain storm approaching them both.

Chapter Text

The cafe was silent. Outside the rain was pouring harshly, and the thunder and lightning strikes were growing more and more frequent. Three was behind the counter cradling his stinging leg, while Four was in the back room, hiding. Just earlier that day, Three had found Eggdog’s collar underneath the counter, and had burst into uncontrollable sobs. Four had no idea how to comfort him, and at that point, he couldn’t even comfort himself.

In some desperate attempt to hide, Four locked himself in the back room, leaving himself alone with the corpse of a rat and a bunch of food.

Three gripped Eggdog’s collar tight as he wiped his eyes, staring out the window of the cafe and watching the rain fall. He always used to expect customers during this kind of weather; But he knew now the cafe was going to be closed forever.

Three sighed as he stood up from the counter, turning towards the back door with a solemn expression. The clock above the door read 4:23. But he knew the batteries died days ago. As he approached the oak door, his hand hovering towards the knob, he called out to Four. “Four? Are you still in there?”

No response. Three clenched his fist. “Are you dead? Can you make a bag of chips drop if you’re not dead?” Still no response from the other side. Three tried opening the door, but found that it was locked. He began to panic. “Four? Four, say something!” He yelled, pulling and pushing against the door as he tried to get in. “Four! Don’t do this to me, man!!” He cried, shoving himself against the door. Eventually the hinges gave out, and the door fell inward in front of SMG4, who was napping in a corner. Three facepalmed as he walked towards Four in frustration, picking him up off of the floor and carrying him back out to the cafe’s dining area. “You fucking donkey...” He muttered, scowling as he dropped Four into a bean bag chair.

“Mmh... What’s going on?”

“I pulled you out of the back room since you were just napping in there with a dead rat.” Three scoffed, rolling his eyes as he wandered behind the counter. Four sat up in the bean bag chair lazily. “Ugh... Why though.”

“Because first off, sleeping within 5 feet of a dead rat is gross, much less within 10 inches.” Three shivered at the thought. “And secondly, you can’t keep isolating yourself like this. It’s just us now, dude. You can’t be doing this anymore.”

“Yes I can. What’s the point of trying to live if we’re just going to die?” Four mumbled, climbing out of the chair and wandering towards the doors of the cafe. Three’s eyes widened. “... What are you doing?”

“Going outside.” Four opened the doors to the cafe, the harsh rain sounds flooding the empty cafe. Three leapt over the counter and rushed towards Four, grabbing his arm. “Are you kidding me? If you go out there, it’s suicide!”

“Yeah, glad you guessed!” Four yelled back, wrestling himself from Three’s grip and running outside. Three, horrified and frustrated, chased after the guardian in the pouring rain.

“Four, you’ve officially gone mad!” Three shouted, barely being heard over the thundering rain. Four crossed his arms as he tried to keep warm, his sweater and overalls being soaked from the rain. Three didn’t seem to care about the rain, he was busy being pissed at Four. “You’ve done some crazy shit in the past, you know that? But this takes the fucking cake!”

“What does it matter...” Four mumbled in response, continuing his stroll through the rain. Three ran to catch up with him, the wet grass being crushed under his boots. “Uh, it matters a lot! We’re the last people on Earth, probably, we should make it count! And besides-” Three grabbed Four’s arm and pulled him back, glaring daggers at him as the rain dripped off of both of them. “Suicide is the most pathetic way to die.”

“Shut up.” Four mumbled, staring at Three like he was a ghost haunting him. Three scowled and pulled him back. “No! I’m not letting you do this to yourself. We’re seeing the end of the world together.”

“Shut. Up.” Four’s tone was stern. Three only gripped his arm tighter. “You can tell me to shut up all you want, but it’s not gonna do anything-”

“Shut up!”

Four squeezed his eyes shut as he pulled Three back and punched him in the chest, causing Three to yelp and gag. When Four opened his eyes again, he found Three spitting blood from his mouth, staring at Four’s now blood covered arm. Four looked down at where he had punched Three in the chest, and found that his fist had completely punctured through where Three’s was supposed to sit.

Chapter Text

Three gasped as he gripped Four’s arm, spitting blood from his mouth as he looked down at his partner’s arm. Four’s eyes widened as he felt Three’s heart beat in his palm, bloody and wet in his gloves. Three began to slump and collapse on Four’s arm, and Four screamed. “No! No, Three!” He cried, catching Three as he slid off of his arm. Blood gushed out from the puncture onto the wet grass, and Three winced and writhed at the feeling of rainwater pouring into his wound. Four sobbed as he tried to shield Three from the rain, to fix his wound despite his heart beating in his hand.

“Three! I’m so sorry, I- I can fix this!” Four stuttered, tears streaming down his face as he placed his other hand on Three’s chest, trying to use some of his remaining abilities to heal his guardian partner. But unfortunately, his powers were useless. Four heaved forward as he hugged Three, the guardian wheezing his last breath. “Three, I’m so sorry!” He sobbed, squeezing him tight. Three managed to muster a weak grin as he slowly raised a hand to Four’s shoulder, but before he could place it, his breath faded, leaving his hand to fall to the ground as his body bled.

Four dropped his body, the corpse of his guardian partner splashing in the wet grass. He glanced at his hand in shock, and realized he never actually dropped Three’s heart. He watched the convulsing jumble of muscles bleed and beat as its routines slowed to a stop, leaving Four to hold a dead organ in his bloody palm.

Then it hit him.

Four was alone.

The empty city where Mario had initially perished was in complete ruins. The Mushroom Kingdom had collapsed, with all of its residents having jumped into Peaches Pit to hopefully escape death, instead unknowingly jumping towards it. Everyone else in the world was probably dead, too. Even Four’s enemy, Mr. Puzzles, he was probably killed by the storms in his own studio.

Four stood up shakily from the ground, stepping away from the corpse of his guardian partner. In his palm, he still held Three’s heart. As he inched backward, his thoughts raced. What was he going to do now? Everyone he knew and loved was dead. They were probably all behind the pearly gates, but where was he going to go? He was responsible for 3 of their deaths, so was he going to hell? But he knew those weren’t intentional, he was angry! But he still killed them.

Four felt like his mind was going to split in half. His conscience and his logic were fighting each other, brawling like toddlers over his fate when he died. But what would it matter? He would be dead! But he wanted so desperately to reunite with his friends, to hug them and apologize for his bullshit.

Four glanced again at the heart in his hand, now noticing how the blood was completely watered out by the rain. In a fit of rage realizing that all of this, his friends deaths, was all his fault, he threw the heart at a tree harshly, screaming his lungs out as the heart made a disgusting splat against the wood and slid down the bark, albeit being torn to bits as the wood caught on the flesh of the heart. Four fell to his knees again, the mud and dirt below him staining his dirty overalls. His sobs soon turned into hysterical laughter, his hands hovering towards his face as his crazed laughter echoed across the forest.

He had completely lost it.

Four stood up again, his hands tugging at his hair. As he desperately looked around, he noticed the dirt path he and his friends used to take to the empty city, and it was probably the one that Mario took before he died. With a smile still plastered on his blood covered face, SMG4 began to follow the path, dragging his feet along as the rain hammered onto him.

~

The rain was reduced to a drizzle as Four strolled through the empty city, his smile gone, his fists clenched, his boots and overalls drenched in blood. The buildings were no longer standing or crumbling, but completely in ruins, reduced to rubble. When Four passed Mr. Puzzles’ old studio, he noticed blood and oil creating a pool by the doorway. “Good riddance.” He muttered under his breath as he continued through the city, strolling towards the broken truck that started it all.

Mario’s body wasn’t even there anymore. His skeleton was reduced to mere dust in the week and a half that the world was ending, leaving only scraps of cloth where he used to sit. The brick wall where he collided was the only structure still standing; The apartment itself had caved inward on itself. The truck that killed him? Exploded and burned, leaving only the driver’s compartment. Four could see the skeleton of the poor driver in the seat from the window. He burst into uncontrollable laughter again. “I can’t believe- Hah- This is how I’m going to die!” He slumped against the brick wall and slid to the ground, right next to the scraps of cloth. Tears welled in his eyes. “I’m all- All alone! Just meee!” Four laughed, feeling his tears drip down his cheeks and fall onto the sidewalk. The cracks around him were growing wider.

“I wonder how it’s gonna happen- Will I be consumed by the earth? Will this wall topple over? Or- Or am I going to be struck by lightning?!” Four cackled, clawing at his face in desperation. The earth below him began to shake, and he grinned maniacally, despite his crushing grief. “Oh? Or is it the shaking that will kill me?” He asked, watching the cracks around him gape open.

What he didn’t expect was for lava to rise to the surface, making the air around him hot and unbearable. Four’s laughter died as his smile dropped, the realization hitting him like a truck as the lava began to pool.

This was it.

This was how he would die.

Burned by lava.

As the hot, melted magma grew closer to his limbs, Four curled himself inward, his eyes wide as he watched bubbles form and pop in the pools around him. This was probably the worst way to go to him, but he knew his friends had worse fates.

As the lava made contact with his boots and legs, the magma began to melt away at his limbs, and he bit back a scream. As tears streamed down his face and dripped onto the sidewalk, he bit down on his hands, tasting the blood that stained his gloves. The pain was excruciating, but he dared not scream. If anyone else was possibly alive in this city, watching him be burned and melted, he wouldn’t want to scare them like he did his friends. He forced a smile onto his face as blood rose into his throat, the magma reaching his hip. He couldn’t feel his legs anymore.

The lava shifted from the earth shaking, and a scattered splash of magma hit Four’s chest and stomach. Four bit down harder on his hands and knuckles, breaking through the cloth of his gloves and cutting through the skin of his hands. He could feel his guts burning, but he remained silent through it all.

As his vision began to fade, his body became numb. He looked out into the empty city one last time, seeing the buildings be flooded with lava and magma. He forced a smile as he let his hands fall into the magma, spitting blood as he laid himself against the brick wall.

“This is it...” He wheezed, feeling the hot magma flood his upper chest. He could feel his lungs being burned to a crisp. “Here I come, pits of hell.”

His vision went black as the magma splashed again, engulfing the rest of his body with the tide of the lava.

Chapter Text

SMG4 felt his body convulse as the heat became too much. His heart had already stopped beating, his brain turned to mush, his body melted under the magma. The last thing he could hear was the crackling of the lava engulfing him.

...

The pain hit him like a bullet as Four burst upward from the ground, feeling his body as he breathed quickly. The space around him was strange and cold; The only thing surrounding him was clouds in every direction, going on for miles. There was no sun, but the sky was a clear bright blue. Four’s breathing slowed as he realized that he wasn’t being melted, and as he tried to stand up, he noticed the obvious scorch marks on his sweater and overalls. But his hands and face felt... Fine. No scars or burns. He could feel the IGBP scars on his cheek, though. He grinned sarcastically.

“Great! I’m dead! It’s finally happened!” He boasted, throwing his hands up. The clouds around him shifted slightly as he began to pace around, though whether it was from panic or relief was unknown. Four tugged at his hair as he walked in circles. “I figured this was going to happen! There was lava! And I could feel my legs burning up! So WHY am I so surprised?!” He threw a punch at the air, possibly out of habit. When he fell to his knees in exhaustion, he wheezed, but not out of laughter.

He could barely breathe.

“God... What is in the air here?” He asked quietly, trying to catch his breath. As he looked around, he could see faint silhouettes of strangers in the distance, mostly ones resembling toads and furries. He paid no mind to them. As he sat up, he could hear footsteps approaching him, but he didn’t bother to look back.

“This is... A weird looking place. Is this even hell at all?” Four asked himself. A voice he recognized behind him answered.

“It isn’t! This is purgatory, bud.”

Four turned around, his eyes wide. Axol stood towering over him, a gentle smile on his face as he held out his hand to the guardian. Four gasped softly as he processed the man in front of him.

Axol was, of course, an axolotl, with a blue sweater and purple slacks, though for some reason, his sweater had stitches along the front and back where he was struck before. The rest of him was completely intact however, with some notable scars on his face from possession, but they were faint and hardly visible. Axol smiled wider as Four took his hand gently, pulling the guardian to his feet and patting him on the shoulder. “You look pretty scuffed up, dude.” Axol chuckled, taking Four’s hand and leading him through the clouds.

All the while, Four was confused.

If this wasn’t hell, then why was he here at all? He didn’t deserve to be already higher than some purgatory, so why was he sent here in death? Much less being with Axol, the most innocent out of his former friends, why was he in this strange purgatory?

“Why am I here?” He asked quietly, feeling his face. Axol chuckled again. “Why else? You’re dead!” Axol replied rather cheerfully. Four glanced at him strangely and Axol laughed, though a bit nervous. “This is where everyone goes when they die... At least, everyone we know already.”

“So Swag and Mr. Puzzles are here too?”

“Yep! We found Swag yesterday trying to drown himself in the clouds and mumbling about some Sonic feller. Puzzles got here yesterday too.” Axol paused his walking and crouched in front of Four, holding his shoulders gently as his expression turned stern. Four swallowed nervously. “Before we continue any further, Four,” Axol took a deep breath. “SMG3 and the others that you.>. Killed, are here as well with the larger group.”

Four winced as he heard himself be reminded of his mistakes. Axol rubbed his shoulders in comfort as he lowered his voice to a whisper. “They aren’t mad at you, Four, I can tell you that.” He reassured, standing up again and holding out his hand.

“But I think you should still have an apology ready.”

“Of course.” Four muttered, taking Axol’s hand as they continued their stroll through the clouds.

As they walked farther and farther, the space became more densely populated, with strangers and old familiars running about. Karen and her kids were playing around in the fluffy clouds. Rob the scarecrow was just splayed out in the clouds, enjoying the peace. Mr. Puzzles was enjoying the sunlight, a contented expression on his cracked screen.

Finally, Axol and Four arrived at the heart of the population; All of their old friends chattering about without a care. Four quivered behind Axol nervously, suddenly feeling fearful of his friends. Axol rolled his eyes and waved at the group, earning waves back. Three, who was still on edge from everything, waved back nervously. “Hey, Axol... How are you?”

“I’m doing good, Three. Are you adjusting okay?” Axol smiled as he tilted his head, and Three nodded hesitantly. “Yep! Doing just fine...”

“Well, let’s hope the new guy will feel the same.”

“Wha?”

Axol stepped aside, revealing Four to the others. They all gasped at varying volumes, seeing his scorched overalls and scarred face. Tari immediately rushed towards him and hugged him tight, crying out for him. Meggy rushed towards him as well, though instead of hugging him she punched him in the gut. Bob laughed at the violence. Boopkins rushed towards Meggy and pulled her back in a hurry. Luigi and Chris looked at Four with worry at his condition while One and Two rushed towards Four and tackle-hugged him. Everyone else was panicking and asking questions, all the while Four was confused.

Three remained silent as he watched this all happen. He noticed how confused and scared Four looked, with some noticeable pain from being gut punched. After a bit of confusion, Three shoved everyone aside and placed his hand on Four’s shoulder. Four swallowed his fear. “H-Hey Three...” He mumbled, smiling nervously.

Three sighed and pulled the guardian into a hug, surprising him. “Huh-!?”

“I’m still super mad at you, but at least now we have time to talk it out.” Three pulled out of the hug to pat Four on the shoulder.

After a minute of silence, Three then slapped Four across the face, earning more gasps from the others and more laughter from Bob.

“Bob, what the fuck?!” Chris exclaimed, amazing Bob upside the head. Four rubbed his cheek as he burst into laughter, leaving the others confused. Axol rested his hand on Four’s shoulder as he leaned down in worry. “Four, are you okay?”

“He’s gone mad!” Swag exclaimed, peeking out from behind the group. As Four continued to laugh, tears welled up in his eyes as he spread his arms outward, lunging towards Three in a heap of sobs. Three hugged him back solemnly, and the two embraced quietly.

The group began to part into two sides, allowing Mario to walk towards the two guardians. Four broke from the hug to stare at Mario in shock.

“Mario, is that really you?” Four asked quietly, his hands shivering as he raised them towards the Italian. Mario smiled and hugged Four tightly, muttering something in Italian. Four broke into more sobs.

He knew he was safe now. He was with his friends.

He was finally...

Happy.