#guest: smg4!mario | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hyperfanfictions · 3 months ago

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So since AO3 is still down for me and won't be back until 11:45 PM..

I'm posting the marware fic here! I may as well repurpose this blog again for general fics anyway

Fic under cut(its marware)

Mario hummed happily as he strolled through the forest leading to Puzzles’ studio, humming his iconic theme song and, when that one was finished, the Puzzlevision theme song. He was just as happy as ever; He had finally recovered from some awful injuries and was free to do what he liked without concern! And of course, he was going to celebrate by kissing his TV headed boyfriend.

As he approached the studio and raised his hand to knock on the door, Puzzles opened the door and lifted him up excitedly, spinning around with the Italian in his arms as he laughed. Mario laughed along with him despite being confused.

When they finally stopped spinning, Puzzles placed Mario back onto the ground and held out a letter to the Italian, grinning excitedly. Mario noticed that the letter’s wax seal resembled the one they saw on a gala invitation a few months back. “Amore, what's this?” He asked, still smiling. Puzzles waved his hands excitedly, his screen flickering as his smile grew wider. Mario, realizing he probably wasn't going to get an answer, took the letter and tore it open, pulling out a neatly written invitation.

“Dear Mr. Puzzles, the Truffle Kingdom formally invites you to the coronation party of the newly appointed Queen Alyssa. You and your potential consort will be esteemed guests of her majesty and will be greeted formally by her.” The letter continued to list activities and options in the buffet, to which Mario closed the paper and looked up at Puzzles in shock. “Another ball?”

“We're esteemed guests! Isn't that amazing?!” Puzzles squealed, standing up and waving his hands excitedly. His antennae vibrated rapidly with his excitement, and Mario smiled. “It is awesome! I wonder if the others were invited too...” Mario looked out the forest curiously, and Puzzles quickly lifted him into his arms bridal-style. Mario blinked as his face turned as red as his sweater. “Uh-”

“Let's go find out!” With that, Puzzles burst running, the flustered Italian in his arms.

SMG4 looked over the invitation Meggy handed him with intrigue. The wax seal resembled the one on the previous invitation, as well as the handwriting being just as neat as before. SMG3 had already begun reading Tari’s invite, and a wide grin was spreading across his face. “You hear that, Four? We’re esteemed guests.”

“So I've heard.” Four replied, opening the invite to read it himself. Before he could actually cut the paper, however, Puzzles kicked open the door to the castle, carrying a very red Mario in his arms like a bride. Meggy and Three immediately burst into laughter at the sight of a stupidly grinning adware and flustered Italian, as if they swapped personalities. Tari clasped her hands together and awed, while Four simply scowled and rolled his eyes as he opened the invitation.

Puzzles giddily walked into the castle and set Mario down, to which the Italian breathed a sigh of relief. Meggy snickered. “Did he carry you all the way here?”

“Yes. He also ran here, so that didn't help, heh.” Mario chuckled as he fixed himself, standing up straight as he brushed off his overalls. “Did you guys get an invitation too?” He asked, turning towards Meggy as he fixed his hair. Meggy nodded and pointed to Tari and Puzzles, who were bouncing up and down in excitement. “Tari and Four got theirs earlier today, and we only just opened them. Did Puzzles get his?”

“Yep! Barely got a chance to knock on the door when he burst out and spun me around, hah!” Mario laughed, and Meggy chuckled. Four rolled his eyes and turned towards Three, who was watching Tari and Puzzles plan out outfits. “What’s up, dude?” He asked as Four approached him. Four held up the invitation. “3 days doesn’t seem like much time to prepare for a ball, don’t you think?”

“I think it’s plenty. We’ve got two days to shop for clothes, and after that, 12 hours max to do makeup!”

“... Are you going to wear makeup to the ball?” Four asked, blinking in confusion. Three gestured to his eyes, which had a faint purple eyeshadow on the lid. “I wear makeup all the time dude. It’s just not noticeable most of the time. I am so stepping it up for this dance.” Three laughed triumphantly while Four sighed, folding the invitation and setting it on the counter. Puzzles crouched to the ground to Tari’s level as Tari waved her hands excitedly. “Okay okay okay! So- Outfit ideas. Go.”

“I’m thinking a navy blue suit?”

“Ooh, great! It would be nice to add some color to your grayscale ass, no offense.”

“None taken! Will you wear the same dress as last time?”

“Probably not, it’s weird to wear the same dress twice. I did really like those veiled sleeves though, even if they kept getting caught in the crooks of my arm.” Tari giggled as she flapped her hands up and down in excitement, and Puzzles soon joined her, the expression on his screen grinning. Mario watched with a lovestruck gaze, his hand to his cheek as he smiled at the two. Meggy elbowed him as she snickered. “You looove him~” She teased, and Mario looked at her strangely. “We’ve been dating for 6 months, most of that time being behind y’alls backs.”

“I know, heheheh.” Meggy giggled, and Mario rolled his eyes with a smile.

Suddenly, Tari and Puzzles approached the two with wide grins, Four and Three being dragged behind them. Four’s expression was sour while Three’s was grinning. Mario and Meggy looked up at them in confusion. Tari grabbed Meggy’s arm and giggled. “We’re going shopping!”

“Wuh-”

Mario felt himself be lifted and slung over the adware’s shoulder, and Puzzles began to hum his theme song as he walked out the door, dragging behind him a wheezing Three. Tari soon followed after them, dragging Meggy and Four with her.

The Kohls was a messy place to buy suits, but it was cheap.

Four and Three browsed the vests as they talked, while Puzzles gave advice to Tari on dresses she found nice. Mario had to be held back by Meggy as they browsed the dress shirts. As Tari pushed aside a flowery sundress, her gaze locked onto a golden yellow dress with scattered sequins, the sleeves veiled and the skirt poofy and long. Tari snatched the dress from the hanger and held it before her, pressing it to her chest to allow Puzzles to see it. “Wow! What a gorgeous dress.”

“And it's got the sleeves I like! Ain't that neat?” Tari smiled, her expression beaming like sunlight. Puzzles smiled and lifted the cloth of the skirt, feeling the sequins and the petticoat underneath. “Yellow is certainly an odd color to go with, but if it makes you happy...”

“Yes! Yes, it does!”

“Okay, okay!” Puzzles grabbed her shoulders and turned her around as he stood up, his screen flickering as he switched to a calm expression. “Why don't you go show Meggy your choice. I'll see if I can help Four and Three out.”

“Okay! Ha ha!” Tari burst running through the aisle as she ran towards Meggy and Mario, flaunting the dress she chose. Puzzles smiled and walked over to Three and Four, who were arguing over colors.

“I'm telling you, wearing any color besides blue would work on you!” Three proposed, holding up a yellow vest. Four scoffed. “I'm not against that idea, but fucking yellow?!”

“If you're looking for a color then may I propose mahogany instead?” Puzzles reached between the two and pulled out a deep red vest instead. Four narrowed his eyes to the idea, but after staring at the vest for a moment, he took the vest and held it onto his body. Three grinned and snapped his fingers. “See! You look good when it isn't blue.”

“Fuck you.” Four glared at the guardian in front of him before looking at Puzzles. “Why aren't you shopping for something, Mr. Puzzles?”

“I've already got a suit in my studio, heh...” Puzzles fiddled with the knobs on his head as a sweet smile filled his screen. Four scoffed and turned towards the vests again before pulling out a magenta vest. “Well if I'm wearing red, then you're going to wear pink.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Actually, I feel green would better fit with your purple aesthetic, SMG3. They are complimentary colors!”

“You did not just say ‘aesthetic’ unironically.” Three teased, and Puzzles rolled his eyes. “I say many words unironically, SMG3.”

“Yeah, but it's still fucking funny.” Three replied, pulling a green vest from the selection. Puzzles chuckled, and Four glared at him. He wasn't used to seeing Three and Puzzles get along like this when they were enemies before. He still didn't like Puzzles hanging around them.

“Puzzles! Mario found something!”

“Huh?”

Puzzles and the guardians turned around to see Meggy showing off a flustered, grinning Italian holding a light orange suit to his body, the lapel decorated with blue and gold sequins. A heartbeat line spread across Puzzles’ screen as he processed a mental image of Mario in that suit, and Three raised his thumbs. “Awesome choice.”

“Huh. Never thought I'd have the image of Mario in a suit in my head.” Four mumbled, slinging the mahogany vest over his arm. Puzzles walked to his lover and cupped his hands around the Italian's face, and Mario chuckled and pushed him away. “Quit it, we're in public!”

“Yeah, save it for the bed!” Meggy teased, and Tari appeared behind her and smacked her in the head. “Be appropriate!”

“Yeah, Megs. This is a dance, not a strip club.” Three responded, earning a glare from Tari and Puzzles while Four just stared at him in disgust. Meggy and Mario burst into hysterical wheezes as Puzzles stood up, groaning. “Meggy, have you at least found a dress?”

“Oh yeah! I found a cool red dress with a gold trim, it looks awesome.”

“Great, grab it so that we can leave.” Puzzles turned around and left the aisle, prompting the others to follow him, with Four noticeably behind.

The days passed without trouble, or at least much of it. Puzzles proved to be much help for the group by helping with their outfits and makeup on the day of the gala, and when the skirt of Tari’s dress tore accidentally, he was quick to fix it up.

Tari heaved a sigh of relief as Puzzles released her skirt. “Thank you so much, Puzzles. We don't give you enough credit for how much you've helped us.”

“It's no problem!” Puzzles replied, placing the small kit of supplies he had on the kitchen counter. Three was sipping a cup of coffee as he tugged at his best, admiring his reflection in the shiny fridge. Meggy raised an eyebrow. “Enjoying yourself, emo?” Three glared at her as he set down his mug. “I'll let you know that I look fucking awesome, Meggy.” Meggy laughed at this response, and Puzzles rolled his eyes. Four entered the kitchen in his green vest and dark trousers, still wearing the brown boots he usually wears. Three stared at him skeptically. “Dude, you’re still wearing those? Put some damn dress shoes on.”

“I forgot to buy some while we were out, SMG3!” Four growled, and Meggy laughed. Four sighed as he rubbed his eyes tiredly, the back of his gloves displaying a Roman 4 similarly to how Three’s had a Roman 3. “Just... Where’s Mario? Is he still upstairs getting ready?”

“I think he is...” Tari replied, fiddling with her hair that Puzzles had curled for her. Puzzles stepped forward slowly. “I could see if he’s okay?”

“Not in my castle.” Four snapped, glaring at Puzzles angrily. Three quickly stepped forward and pushed Four back while Puzzles recoiled, his hands raised in surrender. “Back off, Four! He was just offering to check on Mario.”

“I’m just saying, I don’t want him doing anything weird! We have to leave soon!”

“Get your head out of the gutter, Four.” Meggy remarked snarkily, and Tari giggled. Four glared at the both of them when the group heard footsteps and humming coming from the stairs, and when they all turned around, they saw Mario in his orange suit, a bright white tie around his neck turned off kilter and a variety of pins and buttons lining the lapel with the sequins. His dark trousers were wrinkled to oblivion at his boots, and he wore his iconic red cap like before, but this time, his hair wasn’t frazzled and his mustache wasn’t a mess of hairs under his nose. He put on a stupid grin and Puzzles hummed, brushing past Three and Four to crouch to Mario’s level and kiss his forehead, the electricity tickling his skin. Four rolled his eyes.

“You look amazing, hun.” Puzzles said softly, and Mario began to fix his tie. Puzzles’ screen flickered. “What are you-”

“You’re still terrible at tying a tie. You didn’t bother to learn in the past 3 days?”

Puzzles laughed. Tari and Meggy awed at the couple while Three smiled, meanwhile Four was looking at his gloves to distract himself. God forbid he look at his rival and best friend share a moment.(smh 4)

When Puzzles finally stood up again, his red tie properly fixed, Four looked up again to see the two holding hands. With a scoff, he made for the door, jingling his keys. “Great, now that we’ve got everything ready, let’s go.”

“Oh, hold on.” Puzzles split from the group and ran upstairs, leaving Four to groan loudly. Three raised an eyebrow skeptically. “What is your issue, dude?” He asked, crossing his arms. Meggy turned Mario’s tie so that it was facing forward, and Mario turned it back to the side of his neck. Meggy shrugged and turned back to the door. “I don’t have an issue, I just want to get going already!”

“It sounds like you’re just annoyed with Puzzles grabbing something at the last minute.”

“I am.”

“I’m back!” Puzzles announced, quickly running down the steps again as he slipped something into his suit. Four stared at him strangely as he took Mario’s hand again, smiling. Four narrowed his eyes at the adware suspiciously before opening the door, stepping outside. The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon of the Showgrounds, and the castle shone with a soothing glow in the fading sunlight. The van they approached was a deep purple, signaling it was Three’s.

Three spun his car keys in his fingers before catching them and pressing a button, prompting the van to beep. “Alright, losers, get in! We've got a ball to attend.”

The castle was just as grand as before. The glass-stained windows varied in all the colors of the rainbow, and the lights inside illuminated the streets outside. Nobles and civilians were gathered at the double doors begging to be let in while knights and security kept them away. When the group finally pulled up to the castle, they were confused.

Meggy fiddled with her dress nervously. “What's the hold up?” She asked, fixing her hair. Her dress stretched down to her knees, and had an off hanging shoulder strap. Around her neck were pearls, shiny and glimmering in the light from inside the castle. Puzzles tilted his head sideways. “Perhaps we can ask one of the knights? They will surely have an answer for us, right?”

“Doubt it, but it's worth a shot.” Four replied, running towards the doors and pushing through the group. The others decided to follow him in curiosity. Four tapped the shoulder of a security guardian facing the windows. When the guard turned around, the crew realized it was Swag with a bruised eye. Three’s eyes widened as he tried to hide a smirk. Puzzles stepped forward worriedly. “Swag! Are you alright?” He asked, pointing to the bruise. Swag blinked in confusion before shrugging it off and turning back around, peeking into the windows. “I’m fine, some kid flung a toy car at me. The Queen is inside getting her dress fixed last minute since it tore. She should be out in a few minutes.”

“Why are you here in the first place?” Four asked, watching the nobles at the doors argue with the knights. He found the situation hilarious, though he dared not show it. Swag stared at him skeptically. “I’m a guard here? I was specially hired by her majesty herself to make sure no troublemakers get in.”

“Then I guess Mario and Puzzles aren’t allowed, huh?” Four joked, straining a smile as he glared at Puzzles. Puzzles didn’t seem to notice his glare, however, as he had chosen to occupy himself by plucking flowers from the bushes around the castle and pinning them to Mario’s suit. Four’s smile dropped as he looked back at Swag, who had an eyebrow raised in suspicion. “No... If anything, I’m more worried about you and your partner hoarding the buffet table.” Swag pointed a finger at Three and Four, to which both guardians took offense and the girls burst into a fit of giggles. Puzzles and Mario looked towards the group in confusion, as they had completely left the conversation as soon as Swag said it would be a minute before the doors opened. Puzzles looked towards Mario as he plucked another flower. “What are they giggling about?” He mumbled, tucking it into the lapel of Mario’s suit. Mario shrugged, and the doors to the castle opened.

A lady dressed in a long, purple ball gown stepped out of the castle as the nobles and knights made way for her, the gem of her crown glistening in the moonlight. She looked around for a moment before turning to the SMG4 crew, and she put on a big smile. “My guests! You’ve arrived!”

“We’ve been here for 10 minutes- gah!” Four felt him be pulled forward by the queen as she shook his hand aggressively, a wide grin on her face. Puzzles and Mario returned to the group as she did this, and when she released his hand, she clasped hers together. “I’m so delighted you all could attend! I’m such a fan of your work!”

“Oh! You- You know who we are?” Three asked curiously, and Puzzles perked up. “Have you heard of something called Journey To Stardom, your majesty?”

Queen Alyssa grinned as she turned towards Mr. Puzzles. “Yes! You must be the script writer! Come in, come in!” She grabbed the adware’s hands and dragged him inside, and as the crew and other guests followed, an excited chatter filled the large ballroom.

As Alyssa dragged the group to a corner of the room, a knight positioned himself at her side, his sword in its sheath and his hand at the pommel. Three swallowed nervously as he turned his attention to the bouncing queen. “Thank you so much for coming, I’ve always wanted to meet you in person!”

“Hah, Queen Alyssa, you had the chance to meet us at the last dance.” Four mentioned, and Alyssa nodded. “I did, but I was mostly looking for him, heh!” Alyssa pointed to Puzzles with a smile, and Puzzles flinched. The group turned to him curiously and he chuckled, and Mario, noticing his anxiety, took his hand gently and smiled. “Thanks for inviting us, Queen Alyssa,” He began, offering his other hand out to shake. Queen Alyssa took it and smiled. “It’s an honor to be here, truly. Now if we could enjoy the night...”

“Ah, of course!” Alyssa released Mario’s hand and waved the crew off, grinning. Four and Three immediately wheeled around and burst for the buffet table, while Tari and Meggy followed them to prevent them from swallowing the whole buffet whole. Mario waved goodbye to the queen as he dragged Puzzles away, though instead of rushing towards the buffet table, he opted for a wall instead. Puzzles crouched to the ground as he held his screen. “Oh my god, I fucked up, didn’t I...”

“What are you talking about, you did fine!” Mario reassured, cupping his hands around his lover’s frame. When Puzzles looked up at him, he saw how he had decorated his lover’s suit with a variety of flowers ranging from roses to carnations to lilacs, all from the gardens outside the castle. The way they glistened in the light coming from the chandelier... Oh, he couldn’t not kiss that face. Puzzles’ screen flipped from worry to contempt as he gazed into Mario’s eyes, leaning into his palms. Mario smiled and chuckled, kissing the screen and feeling the fuzz on his lips.

“Hey, lovebirds!” SMG3 shouted from the buffet table, catching the couple’s attention. Three was holding a glass of wine in his hand as he waved them over, while Meggy and Tari were consuming cupcakes by the minute. Four, weirdly enough, had decided not to eat anything from the table, instead opting to brood facing away from it. Mario shrugged off Four’s strange behavior before pulling Puzzles to his feet and approaching the group.

“Enjoying yourselves yet, homosexuals?” Three asked jokingly, poking Puzzles’ screen before his hand was slapped away. Puzzles rolled his eyes as his expression flipped to annoyance, and Mario chuckled. “The night just began, Three, we haven't even done any- Ooh, muffins!” Mario breezed past Three to reach for a yellow-frosted muffin and took a bite, grinning as he did so. Puzzles sighed as he looked at the Italian, a stupid lovestruck grin on his screen. Three elbowed the adware as he chuckled. “He's gonna steal your brain cells, Puzzles. He's a magnet.”

“And I'm made of metal~” Puzzles responded, fiddling with the knobs on his head again. Three paused as he processed the reply, blinking before grinning again. “You sly motherfucker-”

“SMG3.” Four called out for the guardian, frustrated. “Can you do me a favor and grab a glass for me?” Four forced a smile as he looked at Three, and while Three was confused, he complied with Four’s strange request, grabbing another glass from the table and pouring some wine into it. As he walked to Four with his drink, Meggy and Tari walked over to Mario and began to strike up a conversation, which was hard to keep since Mario was stuffing his face.

As Three handed him his drink, Four grabbed his arm and pulled him close, his expression stern. Three yelped as he felt himself be pulled closer, almost dropping the glass onto the checkered floors. “Wha- Dude what the fu-”

“Don't you think Puzzles is planning something?” Four asked, his voice low. Three’s eyes widened in surprise as he processed the question, catching a glance at Puzzles at the other end of the table. He had a smile on his screen and he was fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves. Three looked back at Four like he was crazy.

“Dude, what the hell?”

“You saw him earlier tucking something into his suit, right?”

“So? It was probably a phone or something!” Three wrested his arm from Four’s grip, causing the wine in the glass to splash onto both of their suits. The crew looked at them in confusion. Four scoffed and walked away from the group, climbing the stairs to the balconies above. Three looked back at the group and shrugged. Puzzles tilted his head worriedly. “Is he okay? Is Four feeling ill?”

“He's probably just being delusional or some shit.” Three answered, grabbing a napkin from the table and dabbing it against the stain on his vest. “Oh...” Puzzles sighed, gripping Mario's hand.

“I hope he's okay.”

Four grumbled as he wiped his vest, staining his gloves with the wine as he tried to clean his suit. “Stupid fucking... Red wine! Ugh!”

Four groaned and turned towards the balcony, leaning over the fence and looking over the guests that were chattering endlessly. He glanced at his friends, who were huddled by the buffet table and stuffing their mouths full of the many treats and wines that the table offered.

His gaze fell onto Mr. Puzzles, and his eyes narrowed in frustration. He knew he was hiding something. He saw him fiddle with the lapel of his suit, how he tugged at his cuffs, he had a secret. Not to mention just before they left the Showgrounds, Puzzles had to grab something of importance before they left. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

Four watched as Puzzles waved goodbye to the others, and with an intrigued expression, watched him approach Queen Alyssa and talk with her for a moment. He saw him lean down to whisper in her ear, and he noticed how her expression became surprised before turning to glee. He watched Puzzles burst towards the stairs to the opposite balcony, where it was empty and devoid of guests and guards. Four’s brow furrowed as he made his way towards that balcony, circling around the path and avoiding being seen by his friends as he slipped upstairs again.

As he snuck up on Puzzles, hiding behind a pillar, he saw the adware pull a small, black box from his suit, staring at it wistfully as if it were an aged photo. Four’s thoughts began to race. What if it was a remote of some sort? A button that if he pressed, he would explode this castle up, or worse, poor Queen Alyssa?! He had to stop him.

As Puzzles began to put away the box, Four lunged at him, knocking him to the ground and the black box sliding across the floor. Puzzles shrieked as he tried to scramble towards it, but Four quickly shoved him and grabbed it out of reach, holding it away from the adware as he stood up. Puzzles’ expression was mortified. “SMG4! W-What are you doing up here?” He asked nervously, his hands twitching nervously. Four glared at him. “Don't start asking me questions, Puzzles! I knew you were hiding something!” He yelled, gripping the box tighter. Puzzles glanced out over the balcony in worry, and upon finding that nobody had heard the telling, sighed in relief. Four’s eyes twitched.

“Listen, Four, I can explain-”

“Can it, cyborg! Why do you have this?! Is it a remote? Did you plant a bomb somewhere in this castle?!”

“No! How would I be able to do that, I've been with the others this whole time!”

“I saw you talk to Queen Alyssa!”

“Ah-” A heartbeat line spread across Puzzles’ screen as he processed this. Four blinked in confusion at this reaction, and he took the chance to look at the box properly. When Puzzles snapped back to reality, he saw Four trying to open the box, and his fans whirred louder and faster than before. “Four, wait-!”

Four popped open the box, and there he saw a golden ring with a square ruby gem, glimmering in the light of the chandelier. Four’s eyes widened in surprise, he wasn't expecting this. When he looked back up at Mr. Puzzles, he saw the adware trying to hide his expression behind his hands, his fans loudly whirring his head and echoing across the hall. Four blinked as he processed the implications.

“You... You were going to propose to Mario tonight?” Four asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. He didn't understand this at all; Why would Puzzles hide this of all things? Was it a love thing? Puzzles nodded sheepishly, his screen visibly red as he tried to hide it. From what Four could see from behind his hands, Puzzles’ expression was embarrassed and flustered. Speaking of his hands, he had only just noticed a silver band on his finger, with a small diamond right in the center. How had Mario not noticed?

Four’s gaze softened as he looked back at the ring he held in his hands. Why did he feel so guilty now? Puzzles was an enemy; He deserved no sympathy.

But... All he had been thinking about tonight was Mr. Puzzles. What about Mario?

They were the ones that were together, after all. Mario loved Puzzles for more than just his tv abilities. He liked his smile, his voice, his haha; Puzzles liked Mario's personality, his confidence, his humor. They were a great pairing, even with the imperfections and odd past. Why couldn't Four see that?

Four sighed as he closed the box and walked back to Mr. Puzzles, pulling his hands from his face and placing the box in his palms. Puzzles’ screen flickered in confusion as his fans lowered in volume. “Do your proposal.” Four commanded, closing his palms as he crossed his arms. Puzzles stood up in surprise. “I-”

“I'm not gonna fight it. Just- Do your thing. I'll go downstairs to watch it and hang out with the others, just...” Four took a deep breath and smiled, watching as a wide grin spread across Puzzles’ screen. “Just go do it, man.”

“Oh, thank you!” Puzzles dropped down and hugged the guardian tight, causing Four to yelp. Four chuckled as he patted the cyborgs back, and after a moment of them hugging, Puzzles pulled away and ran down the steps. Four soon followed after him, aiming for the buffet table and rejoining the group. Three greeted Four casually. “Hey dude. Are you done being crazy, yet?” He asked jokingly, and Four rolled his eyes. Mario offered the guardian a muffin, grinning as he wiped frosting from his lips. Four laughed and took the muffin, unwrapping the plastic cup and taking a bite. Soon, Puzzles returned to the group and took Mario's hand, leading him out to the middle of the ballroom. Tari and Meggy blinked. “What is he doing?” Meggy asked, taking a sip of her wine.

“Beats me.” Three replied, watching as Puzzles kneeled to the floor to be level with the Italian. This wasn’t a strange sight to see with the crew, or anyone in general; Puzzles was extremely tall, and Mario was just over 5 feet tall, so of course, Puzzles would crouch and kneel to have proper conversations with his boyfriend.

A ringing noise echoed across the ballroom, startling all of the guests as everyone turned their attention to Queen Alyssa holding a microphone.

“Attention, guests! Thank you all dearly for attending my coronation party! It is truly an honor to have you all here!” Alyssa beamed with excitement as she bounced slightly up and down, her dress flowing with her movements. “Now, for most of you that attended the last gala that my father held, the schedule is the same; We’ll all gather in the middle of the ballroom and pair up with our partners to do a spin and waltz to end the night! But first...” Alyssa pointed at Puzzles and Mario, directing the crowd's attention to them. “One of our guests had something to say.”

The room fell silent. Some guests began to mumble among themselves, though the crew near the buffet table was silent. “What is going on?” Three asked quietly, glancing at Four. Four shrugged and raised his hands. Puzzles sighed as he took his lover's hands, gripping them tight as he gazed into Mario's eyes lovingly. Mario smiled.

Puzzles took a deep breath. “Mario, you have made me the luckiest, happiest guy in the world. Every experience we've shared, the memories, those endless conversations, I've cherished every single one of them.” Puzzles cupped his palm around the Italian's cheek, and Mario immediately leaned into his hand, grinning as he continued to stare at Puzzles. The adwares fans spun faster. “These past 6 months with you have been a delight. I would never trade you for anything else, 5 stars or otherwise.” Those words stung SMG4 like a bullet. He really thought Puzzles was still looking for fame after all this time, but he was wrong. Despite the sting, Four continued to watch with a smile.

Puzzles pulled his hand away from Mario’s cheek and reached into his suit, rummaging through it before pulling out the black box he had before. Mario's eyes widened slightly as the gears began to turn in his head. “Are you-”

“Mario, my love, my sun, my star, I want to spend every moment with you for the rest of my life, until my fans stop spinning and my heart stops beating.” Puzzles opened the box and revealed the golden ring, prompting the guests, and the crew at the table, to gasp. “Holy fucking shit.” Three mumbled as he uncrossed his arms, setting his glass of wine down on the table before wringing his hands. Tari and Meggy began to squeal with excitement. Four let his smile grow wider.

“Mario...” Puzzles began, taking the ring from the box and shutting it. “Will you... Marry me?” Puzzles hesitated muttering the fateful words, but when he finally got them out, Mario began to bounce up and down. He was smiling from ear to ear, his eyes wide and glimmering with excitement. “Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes!!" Mario tackle-hugged the adware in excitement, crying and laughing at the same time as tears welled up in his eyes. Puzzles’ screen flickered at the response before he burst out laughing, scooping up the Italian and spinning him around as they filled the ballroom with their laughter. The crowd of guests burst into cheers and clapping, and Tari and Meggy squealed. “Oh my god!!” Tari explained, grabbing Meggy by the shoulders and shaking her. Meggy laughed as they hugged each other, and Three laughed. “Holy shit, Four, are you seeing this?!” He asked, looking at the guardian. He was surprised to see that Four was smiling at the couple, watching them spin about. “Yeah, I am seeing it. And for once...”

“I don't feel angry to see it.”

The dance came to a close, the music ending on a high note as the crowd dispersed. Puzzles and Mario immediately dashed towards the buffet table, where Tari and Meggy greeted them with open arms. Mario tackled Meggy excitedly, the two squeezing each other as they squealed. Tari bounced up and down as she stared at the ring on Puzzles’ finger, admiring the gem that sat on the silver. Three had begun complimenting the cyborg incessantly, and while Four remained silent during it all, he gave Mario an approving nod when the Italian glanced at him.

“I'm so happy for you two!” Meggy exclaimed, waving her hands up and down. Puzzles chuckled sheepishly as he tugged at his suit jacket. “Ah, well, mmm.” For once, the address didn't have a response, though he didn't need one; Mario was happy doing all of the talking for him. “I know! This is- Ahahah! We're finally getting married!” Mario flapped his arms up and down excitedly, and Three clapped Puzzles on the back. “Good going, dude! Takes a lot of courage to do that in front of so many people.”

“Ah- Well, it's not my first time doing something like that in front of an audience, eh...” Puzzles laughed shyly as Mario jumped up and kissed him on the vent, prompting the adware to burst into shy giggles. Queen Alyssa approached the group with a wide grin. “I'm so happy for you two!” She announced, taking Mario's hands and shaking them. “I'm glad you could trust me with such an important event to set the mood for, Puzzles!”

The crew stared at him for a moment. Mario and Three burst into laughter while Tari just stared at him in shock. “You went to the queen to set up your proposal?!” She blurted, and Puzzles nodded. “I-It was just a favor! Nothing more...”

“Don't stress about it, Puzzles.” Four said, walking up to him and resting his hand on his forearm. Puzzles looked down at him in surprise. “You two are a great couple.” Four put on a smile as he raised his thumb at the adware, and Puzzles’ screen flickered as he grinned.

This was the best night they'd ever had.

#tumblr lagged like crazy while i edited this to not include the italics htmls #but heres your marware #btw ill prob delete this later #marware

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glitchychara · 2 months ago

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Amnesia

Tyler One Shot, 3,384 words

I really hate puzzles. It's weird, because I'm more of a problem solving girl, but puzzles just piss me off for some reason. I hate TVs too. I don't know what it is about them, but they just bug me. Mario's always watching some stupid thing on the TV, which kinda makes me wanna smash it to pieces with a hammer. Again, it makes no sense to me since I don't mind playing video games with them, even when I keep losing to everyone because I've never played before. It's just the TV in general, I guess. Although I recently learned my biggest trigger is TV static. I don't know why, but I get weird flashbacks everytime I hear it. Even though it was only once since I've been here. I started seeing images and they filled up my head and I didn't know what was going on and then someone reached out and I couldn't see who it was so I swung but it turned out to be Meggy so she blocked me and she asked me if I was okay and then-

And then I got up. And I left. And I came back a few hours later. And they never brought it up. Nor have I heard any TV static since.

But anyways, Meggy and Smg4 took me to the doctor yesterday, which I don't know why a centaur would wanna be in the medical field, nor did I trust the guy, but at least he was gonna tell me exactly what was wrong with me….until he gave me my doctors note and it was literally a scribble. Like, excuse me sir, what the HELL is this supposed to be? Chicken scratch?? Anyways I gave it to the axolotl looking guy who was working at the pharmacy and somehow HE KNEW WHAT IT SAID?? I swear I'll NEVER understand doctors. Anyways, he gave me this bottle of pills and sent me on my merry way. Guess who STILL doesn't know what's wrong with her? Me :). So I figured I'd Google what the pills were for and guess what? Apparently I have something called “Amnesia” which, according to Google, means “permanent or temporary memory loss.”

Huh??

add “doctors” and “pharmacists” to the list of things I hate.

I talked to Three recently, and he asked me if I was going to get my own house. I told him I didn't plan too. “Why not?” he asked, stacking cups next to the coffee machine. I shrugged and continued my task-cleaning out the new pastry display. “Smg4 lets me live in his guest room for free. Why would I wanna pay for a house?” He laughed and asked if I wanted to live with him forever. “Well, not forever, obviously. Just until I go home.” I replied, now adding pastries to the display case. “Tyler. About that…” I turned and looked at him, confused. It was the first time I've ever seen him look sad. “Tyler, you don't even know where you're from. How do you plan on getting home if you can't remember how you got here? Might as well get used to living in the Mushroom Kingdom, you know.” I rolled my eyes and ignored him. What would he know? I'm completely fine living in the castle. It's not like Smg4 does much anyways, other than making videos. Which he should make better, by the way. I mean, he lacks creativity, and a story in general. The whole point of making something is to entertain your audience. How is he going to do that if he's so focused on his “it doesn't have to be perfect” bs? I swear, some people don't deserve their fame, or money, or power or reviews or stars.

5. stars.

What am I saying? I don't know anything about true art. I've never even made anything myself. Maybe those doctors were right.

Damn Amnesia…

(tagging @its-a-me-mango and @psychologistlemon bc I thought you guys being the doctor/pharmacist was funny)

#smg4 gacha oc: tyler #genesis talks

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midnight1nk · 2 months ago

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My dear fellows, it's time to place your final bets for this upcoming WOTFI! Only just mere days away, everyone's been curious:

How will the challenges play out?

Whose submission got accepted into the episode?

How will the crew defeat Mr Puzzles?

Will Mr Puzzles die?

Indeed, they are very valid questions. It's only reasonable that we would guess. Some speculated that Puzzles will die similarly to how One-Shot Wren did in Western Spaghetti. Others said the opposite, that Puzzles may go down a path of redemption. So on and so on.

The point is: We aren't a hundred percent sure what will happen. That includes me. Anything could happen. But that is the fun of it all, it captivated us so much that we were at the edge of our seats. Eager to find out more.

In my "Welcome to Puzzle Park" episode review, I predicted that SMG4 and Mario would have to win the mini-game challenges to save each of their friends from Mr Puzzles. And now, before the SMG4 show decides to jump-scare me with a new update, I want to share a twist on my original guess.

If SMG4 and Mario couldn't save the Crew and get controlled by Mr Puzzles, then who would?

"...Mom sure is taking a long time, huh."

THE UNEXPECTED GUESTS

⚠️ DISCLAIMER IN INTRO POST ⚠️

"To your own demise, you created your own enemy…"

RECAP

Let’s go over the episode ‘Welcome to Puzzle Park’ once again:

The SMG4 Crew, including Karen, is forced to listen to Boopkins' vacation story, beginning to wonder where Meggy is. And right on cue, Leggy pops in and lures them to Puzzle Park, a carnival built by Mr Puzzles, which they didn't know that part until the Crew got there. Unfortunately, being forced to enter the park, each one of the Crew took part of the attractions and games. One by one, they suspiciously disappeared, Three noticed this.

A whole day goes by and the park is empty except for Four, Mario, and Three. Three saw Luigi getting captured, realizing that the park was a trap, and went to warn the rest of our Star Trio. A clown head intervened, capturing Three before he could tell them to run. In his last efforts, instead of struggling, Three sent a text to Four, hoping it would be enough for the two to escape before it was too late. Four and Mario, being in the middle of their competitive water gun game, saw the text and attempted to escape.

The whole park, somehow coming to life, chased the two down until they went through a magical exit door. In there, they faced a hall of mirrors and finally face Mr Puzzles. Puzzles reveal his plans, that the Crew was “the missing pieces of Puzzle Park”. Leggy opens up a portal to the hall for Didney’s Engine Room, Four and Mario having no choice but to go through. Entering the Engine Room, they encounter a horrifying site: A grown-sized Mr Puzzles, merged with the Power source Star with wires and limbs. Mr Puzzles laughs maniacally before the doors of the Engine Room close behind the duo, ending the episode with the grayed-out credits.

Now, that is all well, set, and good. But, when I was rewatching this episode, a question popped into my mind:

"Wait, if Karen is here, then are Zack, Cody, and Katie home alone?"

As much as I could assume that they were with a babysitter or at school, Karen got captured by Mr Puzzles regardless. A whole day has gone by and her kids are left at home. Then, I fall into a rabbit hole of questions:

Would her kids notice her strange absence? Would they ask if their mom was ok? Would they try to locate her?

Wait, what about Beeg4 and Eggdog? Three and Four were also captured and didn’t tell them where they went.

And JubJub? Sure, Boopkins have other family so Jubjub isn’t technically alone but wouldn’t he wonder where his brother went?

Question after question, it all ends up having the kids missing their family members.

If the kids realize that their family is gone, what will they do?

Well, why don’t we play a game of “what if”, shall we?

Instead of Four and Mario, what if the kids save the Crew?

THINK OF THE CHILDREN

The kids, believe it or not, have been an important aspect of this WOTFI arc, ever since the very beginning. Look back at all the previous episodes:

We Must Kill Mario

Zack, Cody, and Katie get excited seeing Four on screen in a Puzzlevision episode, ‘Mario’s Mysteries’

Despite being Zack’s birthday, Four tailored each entertaining act for each kid, making them feel special

SMG4 and SMG3 come up with an episode

Three came up with the plot of Four turning into a child just so he could go on the teacup ride

Mr Puzzles’ Lowest Point

Puzzles relied on the children’s interests in brain-rot comedy just so he could be popular

In the first series of attempts, he sought Karen’s kids for their approval. The third time was successful

his videos only catered to a single demographic

Unable to satisfied the children at the convention, Mr Puzzles gets chased all around town. Zack being one of those kids who chased him

The children abandon their attention on Puzzlebox to pursue Goob4. Sure, Goob4 is not SMG4 but it is still another punch to the gut for Puzzles, that Four will keep beating him in popularity no matter what. Losing his young audience was a subtle factor that drove him to lose his mind

Mr Puzzles' Clubhouse

Didney, formerly beloved by people of all ages, has a park known as Didney Worl, dubbed as "The Happiest Place on Earth"

A flashback shows Mr Puzzles as a child wanting to own a carnival when he grows up, hoping that he could make everyone happy (similarly how Four’s goal, shown in IGBP)

These episodes all revolved around kids, so it’s possible that WOTFI would as well. Plus, it’s one of the aspects of Four and Puzzles parallels. While Puzzles tried to satisfy every kid with one show, Four made sure that each kid was happy, his acts being unique.

Well, another reason for Mr Puzzles to hate SMG4, jealous of Four being able to connect with his audience so easily.

HOW WILL IT PLAY OUT?

Technically, this is the end of the mini-theory. However, I do want to contribute to the narrative in how I would personally write it. Not that it will come true, this is just for funsies. This is how I imagine it:

Four and Mario attempt to fight off Mr Puzzles, wanting to save their friends. But Puzzles became too powerful, not even Mario of all people being able to stop him. The last scene we see them trying to dash for the exit before being grabbed by Puzzles.

We cut to Karen’s house. Zack, Cody, and Katie would be sitting around, flipping through the channels on the TV. One of them looks out the window, noticing that it is nighttime. They were told that their mom (Karen) would be visiting SMG4 for just a bit, something about welcoming Boopkins back from his vacation. It was supposed to be for a couple of hours.

“Mom sure is taking forever, huh.”

Back before dinner, she said. That she was going to make pizza. But the oven was cold, and no pizza was made. They were starting to get hungry. They loved having Mom around, she was always there for them. She loved them with all their heart. But now, something felt off.

“Hey, guys, look!”

The three looked at the screen to see an advertisement of Puzzle Park, an incredible carnival with exciting attractions and games, having its grand opening today. It’s so much fun that you wouldn’t want to leave.

Right there on the screen, they see SMG4, in a new outfit with a top hat and twirling cane, performing an act. They cheered, of course, they recognized their favorite YouTuber. Wow, who knew Four was part of this.

Then, they saw their mom on the screen, exactly as Four is with the new outfit and act. They were a bit surprised by this, Mom didn’t tell them she was part of this. Why? Wouldn’t she have invited them to join her at the carnival? Still, they were happy to see their mom.

Just then, a knock on the door. They open to see Beeg4, Eggdog, and JubJub on the other side, they looked worried. They were let in and through Cody’s translating, they were worried that something happened to their dads. Three never told Eggdog where he went and was pretty much left alone in the cafe. Beeg initially didn’t care, he got to be home alone to do whatever he wanted to do for meme’s sake, but a new meme just dropped, and was shocked to see that Four didn’t say anything about it. Not even a like on the post. For JubJub, his brother said that he was going to tell his friends about his vacation but he never came back home to the ocean.

Eggdog spots his dad on screen, dancing around in glee. That’s not my dad, Eggdog points out. The light in Three’s eyes, it was gone. As if his mind wasn’t there. Despite the theatrics the crew was doing, they looked like they didn't intend to act this way. There was no happiness. They looked like puppets.

Finally, Mr Puzzles come up on the screen, urging the viewers to come on down to Puzzle Park. Zack points out that Puzzles was the one behind Puzzlebox. They then concluded that Mr Puzzles had something to do with their family members being mind-controlled. So, they gear up and head for the carnival to confront Mr Puzzles. And soon, they learn they would have to save each Crew member one by one by completing mini-games.

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

And there you have it, the kids being Puzzles’ first audience to ultimately being the ones who will defeat him in WOTFI! It would be a nice change of pace for the show and it will come full circle if they go with this. I'm going to be honest: I didn't intend to post this today. I was hoping to wait for the trailer to drop so I could post multiple things:

one of the posts is obviously my reaction/analysis of the trailer

second, a post where you guys help me fill in the boxes on the bingo card I'm creating for WOTFI (still going to do this in the future btw)

and lastly, this mini-theory

I initially thought that it would be a silly little post, thinking that it might not come true, But the more I thought about it, it made sense in my head. It works especially with my “The Ticket” theory (excluding the shoe part) of the kids knowing some form of truth behind Puzzle Park. Again, anything could happen, my dear fellows. This isn’t out of the question. We would just have to wait and see at around October 19th!

“One can't fully understand how much a child love their family...”

And hey, that’s just a theory…

AN SMG4 (MINI) THEORY

🎶Thanks for dropping by🎶

#smg4 #smg4 theory #wotfi 2024 #wotfi 2024 predictions #smg4 wotfi #smg4 mr puzzles #smg4 karen

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shygirl4991 · 9 months ago

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Cover art by @merp0515 Gmod art by @b-r-i-n-g-x Do not repost art (this fic is for my sib bringx have an awesome day!) Summary: Frustrated with SMG4, Three takes his stress out on a pair of dolls he put in Fours room. Slowly secret feelings slip out with a guest catching the whole show.

Tag: love confession, first kiss, dorks in love,fluff

SMG3 huffs walking away from four and the rest of the crew annoyed, SMG4 wanted to do a video testing everyone's skills in different challenges. Four knew that Three wasn't about eating challenges and other silly activities the others would be into, yet the man still told Three he had to eat a bunch of pasta against their avatar. He storms into the castle thinking on how to blow off steam since the group was using his cafe as background to help boost interest. He noticed that Four left his room open, there in the chest of his room were two doll made to look like their old design.

He keeps stomping as he makes his way to his partner's room, he slams the door shut and looks at the dolls. He picks them up frowning, seeing their old design brought back not so pleasant memories for him. He sits on the floor with the dolls and sighs changing the pitch of his voice he begins to move around the SMG4 doll “Oh Three mind doing some really stupid shit that will make you look like an idiot, haha that was a joke i dont give a shit go do it!” he picks up his doll and starts moving it “You're just giving me these roles cause you know i'm better than you, i'm A tier while your just a D tier scrub!”

He kept going back and forth getting his anger about the events out of his system, slowly something else surfaced as he brought the doll together. He blushed seeing how close the dolls were, he brought them closer as his heart raced at the thought of making them kiss. Is this something that he wanted?

He thinks back over everything they have gone through, he had to admit since confessing he saw the other man as a friend the pair had gotten closer. They joke around more, they hold hands more often not because he likes it after all they had to use their powers in that way. Lately he has not been able to get SMG4 out of his head, the idea of spending time with him made his chest feel strange. He thinks back to the last time he felt this way, he met Gary, he saved him from an explosion he caused due to using too much gunpowder they hit it off well until his obsession with SMG4 got in the middle.

He sighs dropping the dolls, everything that has gone wrong was because of the idiot. Yet at the same time all the best memories he had was also with the man, with conflicting emotions he grabs the dolls again and makes them kiss.

He smiles softly at the sight, it reminded him of their first kiss that Mario made them do. He acted like he hated it but deep down he knew he loved it, he changed his voice and moved the SMG4 doll “Your so awesome SMG3, no wonder you became tumblr sexy man. Lately my thoughts on you have changed.” he moves the other doll making it seem shocked “What are you saying SMG4!?” Lost in his game of pretending he doesn't hear the door open as SMG4 went to check on him. He blinks seeing Three sitting by his bed holding the two dolls, he slowly walks towards him hearing the man speaking.

SMG3 blushes feeling a bit embarrassed from what he was going to say “Well what i mean is i love you SMG3,” with that he makes the SMG4 doll kiss his. Seeing this SMG4 lets out a giggle “Hey Three what are you doing over there?” startled SMG3 screamed, throwing the dolls away from him.

Three turns giving the man an awkward smile “OH SMG4 how long have you been there?” Four couldnt help the smirk growing on his face as he looked at the dolls now abandoned. “Oh just got here, heard a voice in my room and wanted to check it out.” he then walks over and sits next to the man still smirking “What were you doing?”

Three lets out a nervous chuckle “Uh oh! Getting stressed out so I was teaching your stupid doll a lesson!” He smiles feeling confident that his answer lured Four away from the truth. Four hums picking up his doll then he turns to SMG3 “Well don't stop because of me let me help you out!” Three eyes go wide before he can decline the offer SMG4 presses the doll's lips on his cheek, causing him to blush.

Three stared wide-eyed at Four who then hides behind the doll “I can't help that i fell in love with you, we are friends now no longer rivals! I’m sorry for hurting your feelings. Could you ever forgive me?” still blushing he grabs his doll and talks behind it “Sure whatever this is fucking stupid why are we doing this?” Four moves the doll closer to him. Three was watching every move that Four was doing, nervous as to what the man in blue was planning.

“Because we had a fight earlier and i want to make it up to you,” Three blinks surprised to hear four words. Without thinking he leans forward, seeing this Four took his chance placing his own lips on Three. After the quick kiss, Fours face was dark red, he got up acting as if nothing happened “We should head back to the others!” Three gets up and grabs the blushing man pulling him into another kiss, dolls forgotten on the floor as the two share a kiss. As they pull away, Four looks at Three in awe, Three rubbing his arm “uh what just happened?”

Four shyly looked down “My confession with the doll wasn’t a lie, i got interested in dating…looked around and no one caught my eye. But that's when I noticed an apple already did and it's you..” SMG3 smiles hugging Four “You're such an idiot… I feel the same.” They pull away smiling softly at each other before leaving the room, Four then comes up with an idea. Telling Three he needs something he runs to his room and grabs the dolls, he places them on his bed now holding hands. He giggles and runs out of the room “HEY BABE NEW IDEA FOR A VIDEO!”

#smg4 #smg3 #smg34 #shygirl4991 #smg4 smg3 #smg43 #smg34 fanfiction #fluff #love confessions

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deltaruinedcoco37 · 1 year ago

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SMG4 Incorrect Quotes from my laggy tablet

Three: Yesterday, I heard Meggy ask “are you sure this is a good idea?” and Mario saying “just trust me"

Three: I have never moved so quickly from one room to another.

~~~

Three: Look, I know you think my judgement's clouded because I like SMG4 a little bit.

Saiko, holding SMG3's notepad: ...You doodled your wedding invitations.

Three: No, that's our joint tombstone.

Saiko: My mistake.

~~~

Meggy: What can therapy do for me that screaming in my car for 30 minutes can’t?

~~~

Four: Gatekeep, girlboss, and what's the other one again?

Mario: There isn't another one. You're crazy...

~~~

Tari: My friends say I'm the most charismatic out of the group.

Boopkins: Well, you always have a smile on your face.

Tari: Thank you!

Bob:

Bob: What drugs do you take?

~~~

Boopkins: Did you invite SMG3 to come with us to brunch?

Four: Hey, this is my "Be nice to SMG3 day", okay?

Saiko: More like your "Be gay for SMG3 day"...

Meggy: Yeah SMG4, every day this week has been your "Be nice to SMG3 day".

Four: Yeah, especially today, though. Anyway, how's construction on the extra room in our house for Thr- I mean, the second guest room going?

#smg4 #smg34 #smg3

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sanvirtheobserver · 8 months ago

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Taking Flight, An SMG4 Fanfic: Volume 3

Here we are with Volume 3 of Taking Flight. After the Ketch adventure, our crew finally decides to return home to lick their wounds, catch up with old friends, and make new ones on the way.

Also, I MIGHT be rebranding this soon. More info on that once I wrap up Volume 4.

..............................................................................................................................

Chapter 11: Tender Love And Care

It's a relatively calm day in the Castle as Karen tidys up. You see, SMG3 made a deal with Karen that Depresso would babysit her kids if she agreed to upkeep the Castle while the Gang was gone.

Karen: I wonder how Clownie is doing....... Eh, I'm sure he'll be fine.

So far it's been going well.......... for Karen. A quick cutaway gag reveals Depresso stuck to the wall with duct tape. Katie is the only one actually trying to help him while Zack is busy playing Call of Duty and Cory is just spinning around in place.

Karen had just fed BEEG SMG4 when she notices SMG3 coming in through the front door.

SMG3: Honey! We're home!

Karen: Oh, hi Three. How was your trip? You all make it back alive?

SMG3: Just barely. Speaking of which, is the guest room open?

Karen: Of course. Why do you ask?

We see Tari and Melony rushing in.

Melony: SMG3, we need that guest room. Tari, you get the medical supplies from the Storage room.

Tari: On it!

Karen: Woah woah woah, what's going - GASP!!!!

Karen is shocked to see Mario and SMG4 carrying a barely conscious and bloody Meggy.

Karen: CHRIST ALMIGHTY, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?!?

SMG4: It's a long story.

Karen opens the guestroom and readies the bed as the three make their way in. They gently and carefully lay Meggy on the bed as Tari enters the room with an IV and some medical supplies.

Karen: Alright, set it up over here.

Back in the Main Hall, we see Whimpu and Melony going over Meggy's condition. Melony seems....... out of it. Everything is muffled and there's this ringing in her ears. She jumps when she feels Luigi touching her shoulder, snapping her out of her daze.

Luigi: Melony?

Melony: Oh, Luigi. It's just you.

Luigi: Is there something wrong?

Melony: Sorry, sorry. Zoned out for a bit there. It's just........ where do we even start?

Karen comes out of the guestroom to give an update.

Karen: I had Tari ready an IV for Meggy. That should help with the internal bleeding.

Luigi: I have more painkillers ready, and Mario is off to get some One-Ups from the garden.

Karen: Hold up! That much rapid healing with this many injuries could cause more complications. We don't wanna risk anything healing backwards or upside down.

Luigi: Oh. Okay.

Karen: We also need to dial back on the painkillers a bit until she's stable. She has a concussion, so we need to keep her awake for right now. Any more right now and she'll ABSOLUTELY black out.

Whimpu: You really do know your way around medicine.

Karen: You kinda have to when you're a single mom with four kids. Melony?

Melony: Hm?

Karen: I need you to hold her down while SMG4 realigns the bones and applies the sutures. Can you do that.

Melony: Yes ma'am.

Karen: Luigi, I need you to get the plaster ready for the casts.

Luigi: Okie Dokie.

Tari steps out while holding her left shoulder.

Tari: SMG4 is ready with the sutures.

Karen: Alright. I'm gonna look and see if anyone else needs some help.

Melony and Luigi go back into the Guest Room while Karen goes off to meet with SMG3. Saiko comes in and notices Tari headed for the bathroom. Once she's inside, Tari heads for the sink and takes a deep breath as she removes her jacket. The left side of her shirt is bloody. She winces as she removes her shirt and sees that her left shoulder is covered in burn marks that stretch across her chest and up her neck. That's when Saiko knocks on the door.

Saiko: You okay in there?

Tari opens the door a crack

Tari: Yeah I'm just getting changed.

Saiko: Tari....... I can see the blood. Let me help.

Now knowing she can't hide it, Tari reluctantly allows Saiko to enter. To say she was concerned about Tari's condition is an understatement.

Saiko: Jesus......

Tari: It's fine, really. I can handle it. You should be concerned about Meg-

Saiko suddenly pulls Tari into a hug, much to her surprise.

Saiko: I should've been there. I could've helped. I could've smashed that thing and kept it from taking you, I........ I'm sorry.

Tears begin to well up in Saiko's eyes. Seeing Tari hurt like this makes her wish that she had been there. Maybe things could've gone differently, maybe they wouldn't, but that doesn't matter right now to Tari. She gently wipes the tears from Saiko's face.

Tari: What matters is that you're here now.

Back in the Guest Room, Meggy is screaming her lungs out as Melony holds her still and SMG4 reinserts the last compound fracture. Mario holds her hand as tears stream down her face.

SMG4: And.........done!

Meggy: NGH.......AGH.......pant.......pant Okay.........Okay...........

Melony steps out of the way as SMG4 gets to work on the sutures. Meggy winces with every pull of thread.

Meggy: Hey Mario. You wanna play Super Smash Each Other In The Ass Bros after this?

Mario: Meggy, I don't think-

SMG4: No, that's good! Mario, keep her engaged while I finish up here.

While SMG4 finishes with the sutures as Meggy and Mario are talking, Melony's leans against the wall holding herself. Luigi comes in with a tub of casting plaster.

Luigi: Plaster is ready. You sure you don't want any painkillers?

Meggy: Yep. Doc said my brain is bleeding, remember?

Luigi: Whimpu never said that! He said you had a concussion!

Meggy: Eh, Tomato Miyamoto.

SMG4: That's not how it goes, but she's right. She needs to stay awake, and if she takes anything right now it could be lights out. Melony, I'm gonna need you to hold her still again...... Melony?....... MELONY.

Melony: Oh, right! On it.

She places her hands on Meggy as Luigi readies the plaster.

Meggy: Bring it on, doc!

Luigi: Okay, here it goes.

Kaizo is entering the Main Hall when he hears the screaming. Meggy tightens her grip on Mario's hand and Meggy's shoulder as Luigi applies the cast. Mario keeps trying to pep talk Meggy as Melony holds her.

Mario: It's okay Meggy! Just think about video games and Ramen!

Luigi: Keep her still, I think I got it!

Melony keeps mentally repeating "I can do this" as the noise gets louder, but even that's getting drowned out. Meggy's screaming, Mario and Luigi's yelling, the increasing grip pressure on her shoulder, it's beginning to overwhelm her. It's too much as her breathing gets faster and faster as she can hear her heart beating in her ears. That's when SMG4 gives her a light tap on the shoulder.

SMG4: Alright, Melony. You can-

It's too much. Without warning, she jumps back and backs herself against the wall, hyperventilating as she holds her head and begins to tear up.

SMG4: Melony?

Kaizo is caught off guard as Melony rushes out of the Guest Room, right past him, and straight into the Storage Room before shutting the door. Everybody is shocked, unsure what to make of what just happened as Kaizo enters the Guest Room.

Kaizo: So, um......... is the ginger still alive?

Meggy takes a deep breath as the pain subsides for a moment.

Meggy: Yeah........ I'm good.......... But I think Melony..........

Kaizo: I saw. I'll look into it. Also, the cat said that you should be good to start on painkillers again. Keep it to small doses, though.

Meggy: Yaaaaaaaaaaayyyy.

SMG4: Thank's, Kaizo. We have things covered here.

In the Storage Room we see Melony curled up into a ball and quietly sobbing in the corner as the door creeks open. She doesn't even acknowledge Kaizo standing right beside her.

Kaizo: Hey......... can you talk to me?

She shakes her head. Kaizo notices red splotches seeping out from under the clockwork armor. She's been wearing it since they had escaped the Ketch. He kneels down and keeps his voice low.

Kaizo: Look. I know I'm not too good with this whole "comfort" thing, but I can see that you're hurt. And I want to help.

She slowly meets his gaze.

Kaizo: So......... what do you need?

She waits a moment before signing "Take it off, slowly" before raising her arm to him.

Kaizo: Alright.

She winces as Kaizo gently removes the gauntlet, revealing a pattern of circuit shaped wounds underneath. The arm and armor are both covered in blood.

Kaizo: Damn........ is the rest of it like this?

She nods, signing "I wanted to make sure she was okay first". Kaizo takes a deep breath.

Kaizo: Alright......... let's get the rest of this junk off of you so you can wash off.

Tari and Saiko exit the bathroom, with Tari's arm and chest wrapped in bandages. They see Kaizo exiting the Storage Room with Melony, now bereft of that armor and covered with a blanket.

Tari: Melony?! Oh my God what happened?!

Kaizo: She........ had a bit of an emergency. Don't worry, it's all under control now.

Melony signs "he actually helped out a lot" with a smile.

Tari: Is there anything we can do to help?

Kaizo: Yeah. Is the Bath Room open? Because she is in desperate need of a bath.

Tari: Sure thing! C'mon Melony, let's get you cleaned up.

Melony signs "thank you" to Kaizo as Tari escorts her to the Bath Room. He notices Saiko smiling too.

Kaizo: What?

Saiko: Nothing. C'mon, let's go check in on Meggy.

They both head over to the Guest Room. Judging by the lack of screaming, they're done with applying the casts. They've also started on painkillers judging by the copious amounts of giggling. In the room we see Mario sitting beside her on the bed, letting her rest her head on his shoulder while they watch meme compilations on his phone. We see Karen and SMG3 talking with SMG4 and Luigi, with Karen handing SMG4 a jar of green liquid.

Karen: This is a diluted extract from the One-Ups Mario gathered. Put an ounce of this in her IV once per day and once per night. If all goes well, she'll be back on her feet in two weeks.

SMG4: Understood.

Kaizo and Saiko enter the room.

Saiko: Everybody still alive?

Luigi: Alive and well! Say, where's Tari and Melony.

Saiko: Kaizo helped Melony out with her armor and Tari is helping her clean up.

Saiko didn't say it directly, but she was proud of Kaizo. Those kindness lessons were really paying off.

Kaizo: How's the shortstack?

Karen: Well, we got everything patched up the best we can for right now. I'm having someone come over to help monitor. I gotta head back home and make sure my kids haven't killed Mr. Depresso.

SMG3: Thanks for everything, Karen. We all owe you one.

As Melony steps out of the shower and Tari helps dry her off, a knocking on the front door can me heard. They head over to the front door and Tari is surprised to see.........

Tari: Whisk!?

Whisk: Hey guys. My mom called and said you needed some help.

Tari excitedly welcomes her inside. We zoom out from the Castle as Whisk is introduced to the rest of the gang.

Tari: Guys, look!

Karen: Hey Whisky, glad you could make it.

Luigi: Whisky?

Whisk: Mom, I told you not to call me that in front of others!

Meggy: MOM!?

Karen: Oh, so you've met my daughter.

Tari: Wait, Whisk is your daughter?

Meggy: Karen's your mom!?

Mario: And I'm-a Mario!

SMG4: MARIO!

This goes on for the rest of the night.

Chapter 12: Chillin' Out

It's a cool spring night over at the Showgrounds. Peering through the Game Room window we see Tari, Saiko, Melony, Meggy, Belle, and Whisk all sitting on and around the couch watching a new movie called "Midwest Angelica" on the TV. Now, you'd think that after facing LITERAL GODS that they'd be numb to this kind of horror, and you'd be right.

Whisk: EEEEP!!!!

Not for Whisk, though. The first creature sighting has her vaulting over and behind the couch, much to Belle's amusement.

Belle: Whats the matter? CAT got your tongue?

Meggy: Be easy on her. You alright Whisk?

Whisk's head pops up from behind the couch.

Whisk: Y-yeah. I'm g-g-good.

Tari: Guys, maybe we should watch something else.

Whisk: No, really! It's fine. It's fine it's fine it's fine. I'm just gonna be...... back here for a bit. Heheh......

Meanwhile, we see Bob and Boopkins plotting something over in the Storage Room with a variety of cheap Halloween junk.

Boopkins: Bob, are you sure this is a good idea?

Bob: Oh come on, Boopkins! One does not simply see a bunch of girls having a sleepover without messing with them a little.

He digs into the pile and picks out a ghost costume for Boopkins and a creepy mask for himself.

Bob: Showtime.

They very quietly make their way into the Gaming Room while the girls are distracted, with Whisk all bundled up in a blanket burrito on the floor between Belle and Melony. Another jumpscare makes her flinch, but she manages to stay in place this time.

Melony: See? Nothing to be afraid of.

Whisk: Y-Yeah.......Yeah, you're right. It's just a scary movie is all. It's not real, and it can't hurt me.

That's when Boopkins makes his move, stumbling out of the shadows as he makes the scariest noises he can possibly make. It's not very effective, but it does make for an effective distraction as Bob catches them off-guard.

Bob: OOGILY BOOGILY BITCH.

That's enough to make both Whisk AND Boopkins scatter. Bob laughs his ass off, having successfully completed his mission.

Saiko: WHAT THE HELL!?

Bob: Holy shit, did you see that!? I sent her flying! Thanks for the assist, Boopkins. Boopkins? Boopkins where are you?

He looks behind the couch and sees them both holding each other in sheer terror.

Boopkins: trembling Oooooooohh maaaaaan.

Bob: Oh, damn. I'm a lot better at this than I thought.

Meggy may still be a week away from recovery, but that doesn't stop her from punting Bob out the window and into the dumpster. A faint "ow my ovaries" can be heard in the distance as Tari sits beside Whisk to comfort her.

Tari: I'm sorry about Bob. He can be....... troublesome, when he wants to be.

Whisk: I-it's okay. Hey...... can we put on some MyStreet?

Tari: Of course.

Over at the Café, we see SMG3 and SMG4 having their own little get-together with their old friends.

SMG4: I'm glad you guys could come over.

Remember when I mentioned X and FM getting new designs all the way back in Food Wars 2? Well, now they're right here and I finally get to describe them to you! X is around the same height and build as Whimpu. He wears a Turquoise hoodless jacket and Beanie, a dark green scarf and sweatpants, and a pair of glasses.

X: It's good to be here, Four. As for FM, he's as tall as Ganondorf and ABSOLUTELY jacked with a gorgeous blonde mustache and mullet. He wears a red skullcap and plad shirt, a black leather vest, some scuffed-up jeans, and a pink and blue friendship bracelet.

FM: Hey Three! I saw your new ride and I gotta say she is BEAUTIFUL.

SMG3 gives a clearly forced smile, silently grinding his teeth into powder as he prepares some coffe for the four of them. Looks like he's still not over the whole "abs" thing. SMG4 and X take a seat.

X: So, I see you guys got yourself a new place.

SMG4: Yeah. Things were a little crazy for a while, but we eventually managed to carve out our own little slice of paradise.

X: And judging by the ship, you've been on quite the adventure lately.

SMG4: Yeah.......... Hey, can you take a look at something for me?

X: Sure.

SMG4 pulls out a small device and places it at the table. It's the same one that stranger placed on Melony to drive her crazy. X picks it up and carefully examines the design.

X: Hmm.........looks like a piece of Xelor tech.

SMG4: Xelor?

X: Time magi. They're followers of Xelor, the God of Time in the World of Twelve. I've rarely seen them on Earth though. Where did you get this?

SMG4: It's a long story.

Back in the Castle, we see Boopkins and the girls are fast asleep in the Guest Room. Meggy, Whisk, and Boopkins have taken the dog bed, Tari and Saiko have taken the casino bed, Belle has taken the chair, and Melony just brought her own mattress........ but she doesn't seem to be resting as easily as the others. Taking a look within her dream, we see she's back aboard the Ketch, once again clad in that Clockwork Armor. All her friends lay dead around her as she holds a wounded Tari by the throat.

Tari: Melony........ please........

Melony wanted to stop, but she had no control over her own body. She could only watch as her blade pierced Tari's heart. Tari gave one last teary gaze, her heartbeat growing slower and softer as the light faded from her eyes until....... nothing. Melony was in silent anguish as she dropped Tari's lifeless body to the ground. A figure emerges from the shadows. It is the Stranger, the one who had turned her body into a weapon she could no longer control. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and a single phrase echoed within her skull......

?????: Good work, my puppet.

Melony awoke from her nightmare in a cold sweat, her distressed breathing rousing Boopkins from his slumber.

Boopkins: Mh.......huh? Melony?

Melony didn't respond, her eyes damp with tears as she held her legs. Boopkins hops down from the bed and walks over to her matress.

Boopkins: Are you okay? You look scared.

Melony looks to Boopkins, slowly regaining her composure as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

Melony: Y-yeah....... I just..... had a bad dream. Sorry for waking you up.

Boopkins: It's okay.

Boopkins hops onto the mattress and gives Melony a hug.

Boopkins: I'll go get you a glass of water?

Melony: Yeah...... yeah I think I could use that. Thanks.

Back in the Café, we see FM trying to make some small talk with an unamused SMG3.

FM: Anyways, we decided that Alex and Derrick would handle fireworks for new years. Like, what's the worst that could happen, right? Not FIVE SECONDS later we see Derrick is missing a hand and Alex has third degree burns on roughly ninety percent of his body.

Meanwhile, SMG4 had just finished regailing the tale of their Ketch adventure and the not-so-pleasant aftermath to X, who is tinkering with the Xelor device.

X: Yikes. I had heard that Xelor Armigers weren't the most pleasant to use but....... mind control? That's a whole new level of scuffed. Poor girl must've been mortified.

SMG4: Yeah. That guy was a MENACE. Pretty sure we'd all be dead if it wasn't for Tari coming in with the clutch.

X: Speaking of which, has she figured out the whole "ancient heritage" thing yet?

SMG4: Not yet. To be honest, we've all been taking our time getting back into the swing of things.

X: I don't blame you.

SMG4 gets up from his seat and does a stretch before heading for the door.

SMG4: Anyways, I've gotta get some shut eye. I have one hell of a meme backlog to get through tomorrow.

X: Well, before you go........

He tosses the Xelor device back to SMG4.

X: I modified the device into a temporal anchor. It should come in handy in case you see that Xelor again.

SMG4: Oh thanks, X.

X just shrugs with a grin.

X: Anything for a friend.

We close out the night with SMG4 heading back to the castle. He checks the Guest Room and sees everybody fast asleep, with Melony and Boopkins now peacefully snuggling on the mattress. SMG4 smiles as he heads to his room and calls it a night.

Over at Mushroom City, we see Wario and Waluigi rummaging through the dumpster for valuables. So far they've made quite the haul as Waluigi finds a vintage lighter and tests it our by lighting a cigarette.

Waluigi: I know a few folks who would pay quite the coin for this.

Wario: That's child's play. Check this out!

Wario manages to haul out a broken motorbike.

Wario: I've meet meaning to get myself a new ride, wahaha!

They both share a laugh about their finds, but fall silent after noticing someone else in the alleyway, his piercing red eyes set on the brothers. Wario pulls out a gun and Waluigi pulls out a bat as they both approach the figure.

Wario: This is our haul, wise guy!

Waluigi: Yeah, go steal someone else's junk!

The figure says nothing. He merely holds out his bandaged gauntlet and presents two gear shaped devices to the brothers.

Chapter 13: Lunchtime Tussle

It's a beautiful day in Mushroom City as Meggy, Whisk, Melony, and Tari are over at Peppino's Pizza for lunch. Unsurprisingly enough, Mario and Luigi are already there, with Mario getting started on his fifth Spaghetti Supreme. Something tells me Luigi isn't gonna be happy with the bill.

Whisk: Does he........ normally eat that much?

Luigi: Not really. Usually he'd be on his tenth by now.

Whisk: That....... can't be healthy. Have you tried getting him on an exercise plan?

Meggy: It's not impossible, but......it usually ends in disaster.

Clench: He turned into King Kong at one point. Climbed a skyscraper and everything.

Peppino comes out of the kitchen with the girls' order and a timid smile on his face.

Peppino: One Surf n' Turf Stromboli and a side of Garlic Knots. Enjoy!

Meggy: Thanks, Peppino.

He nervously watches as Whisk takes her first bite, knowing how crucial a first impression is when it comes to first-time customers. Luckily for him, Whisk is more than impressed.

Whisk: WOW! This is amazing.

Peppino breaths a sigh of relief. Another satisfied customer.

Peppino: It's a pleasure doing business with you.

He heads back into the kitchen for Mario's 6th Spaghetti Supreme as Whisk goes ham on the Stromboli.

Tari: Hey Melony, wanna see what I've been practicing?

Melony: Sure.

She holds out her hands and focuses, creating a small hollow bubble of blue light.

Whisk: WOAH. How are you doing that?

Tari: I've been practicing my barrier projection. I've got the basics down........

She tries to expand the bubble as much as she can, getting it to around the size of a volleyball before it pops.

Tari: ........I just need to work on my focus. I haven't gotten a chance to train since the incident on that Ketch.

Meggy: Speaking of which, did we ever figure out who the Captain was?

Tari: I mean, even with all the other factions on board, it was predominantly a Ketch, and even the Grineer and Corpus had those black Fallen banners. The captain could've been the Kell of whatever House those Fallen belonged to.

Melony: Well........I have a theory.......

She thinks back to that Xelor that attacked them on the bridge. If they were to place bets on who the Captain of that Ketch was, her money's on him. But her train of thought is interrupted when they hear a rumble coming from outside. Mario and Luigi also take notice of the rumbling, which was then followed by police sirens. They look outside to see a circle of police cars led by Mr. Monitor surrounding a local pawn shop. Even the military is getting involved as Chris and Swag come riding in on a UNSC Falcon. We pan over to see a pair of armor clad individuals. One is short and stocky, with barrel like arms tipped with mechanical bronze claws and a gear shaped signet on his chest. The other is tall and lanky, with an arm mounted crossbow, a quiver on his back, and a similar signet on his right shoulder. Both are carrying sacks filled with various items from the now wrecked pawn shop.

Swag: KIDS GONNA DIE TONIGHT!

Chris: This is Babygirl to Mamamia. Targets are in sight.

Hal: I read you, Babygirl. Keep those guns on standby. ATTENTION, FELONS. WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED. STAND DOWN AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED.

The Stocky one replies by launching his fist like a wrecking ball, sending Hal and several cop cars flying across the street. Swag opens fire with the Falcon's mounted machine gun to little effect. The Lanky one retaliates with a precise explosive bolt to one of the Falcon's engines, causing it to crash. Chris busts out of the cockpit as Lanky hops on top of the wreckage and pulls Swag out of the passenger bay, holding him up by the throat as Lanky aims for his chest.

Swag: You fool, do you really think you can best Swagmaster6969696969? I'll have you know I served as one of the generals of the Anime Secret Service and lead the charge towards dismantling the Anime Cartel. I know over 200 ways to kill a man with my bare hands alone and blew up a small Malaysian Island by sheer accident, so you can imagine the kind of carnage I can do Intenionally. You could've lived a happy life if you hadn't crossed me, and now I will reign hell upon you until you are nothing more than a blood stain and a memory.

Chris: Can you please just kill him and get it over with?

But just before Lanky can do just that, we see Melony come in and dropkick him off the wreckage before catching Swag all superhero style as Tari tags in with her glaive drawn. They both get ready to face off against their assailants.

Melony: That armor........ this must be the work of that guy from the Ketch.

Tari: Then we need to aim for the signets.

Swag: Alright ladies, it's time to kick some HOLY SHIT IS THAT A SURF N' TURF STROMBOLI!?!?

He rushes by Meggy and Whisk as he heads straight into the restaurant, much to Chris's bemusement. I guess that Stromboli must be one hell of a hit. Stocky hands his sack over to Lanky and charges forward. Lanky makes a break for it with the loot while Stocky battles Tari and Melony. Meggy readies her bowgun to give chase.

Whisk: Meggy, wait! You're in no condition to fight! You're not fully healed!

Meggy: It's fine. I just need one clean shot.

Suddenly, we see a truck roll in with Chris behind the wheel.

Chris: I drive, you shoot.

Meggy and Whisk hop aboard and the three give chase. Lanky notices the truck and opens fire. Chris swerves to avoid the incoming bolts as Meggy returns fire, trying her best to land a hit on the signet on Lanky's shoulder.

Meggy: Keep it straight, Chris!

Chris: I'm giving it all she's got! What the hell is this guy on?!

Meggy eventually manages to land a hit on one of Lanky's hands, causing him to drop one of the loot sacks which crashes through the truck's windshield. The truck serves out of control before crashing into a nearby flower shop, with Meggy flying head first into a bed of roses. A mercifully soft landing, apart from the thorns. Whisk's allergies start acting up as the airbag goes off right in Chris's face.

Chris: I don't get paid enough for this.

Back with Melony and Tari, we see Stocky giving them both no quarter. He easily tanks their ranged attacks while also constantly evading and deflecting their melee attacks, whipping his chained fists around like morningstars. Melony would've activated her Deity Mode by now if it wasn't for that nightmare interrupting her sleep last night.

Melony: Dammit....... he's gonna wear us both down at this rate.

It was then that Mario comes out of the restaurant, which gives Tari an idea. She goads Stocky into using a grappling attack, launching his claw right at her. Tari dodges and allows Mario to be grabbed instead. Since Mario had just eaten ten Spaghetti Supremes, Stocky has trouble moving Mario due to how heavy he is. He isn't even aware of what's happening. This gives Tari and Melony the opening they need. Charging up her sword, Melony lands a powerful strike on Stocky that sends him flying upward. Tari intercepts from above, landing a clean strike on the signet on his chest, splitting it in half as he crashes down into the pavement. When the dust settles, we see Stocky lying in a crater with his armor shattered. His helmet falls off and the girls are shocked to see that it's actually..........

Tari: Wario!?

Wario: It's hot....... in Topeka....... eeegh.

The gang meets back up in Peppino's restaurant. Luigi is paying off some tabs, Meggy is still prying thorns out of her hair, Whisk is recovering from her allergies, and Chris is busy interrogating Wario.

Chris: Alright you big yellow son of a bitch. You have T-minus 30 seconds to start talking.

Wario: And what if I don't? You gonna court marshall me? Send me to the big house? I'll have you know that I am a pretty tough nut to crack.

Swag comes in with a massive bladed weapon labeled "Neutertron 9000". One flick of the switch electrifies the blade, causing it to glow red hot and spin around at hypersonic speed.

Swag: You were saying?

Chris: You have two options Wario. Either you tell us now and we'll let you off with prison time and parole, or you can let my friend here test out the latest and greatest in surgical hardware on your eggroll. What will it be?

Judging by the abject look of horror on Wario's face and his desire to keep his family jewels, he gives in.

Wario: Alright, alright! Me and Waluigi were dumpster diving the other night when this mummy looking guy came up to us.

Melony's eyes widened in shock.

Wario: He gave us these gear broach thingies. We tried them on and........

He falls silent for a moment.

Wario: .........The power was amazing, but it felt like being crammed into an iron maiden full of tazers. Everything was too bright, too loud, and the only thing I could understand was this......voice guiding me. It was awful, like I was a tormented animal on a leash. I wasn't in control at all.

Tari looked over to Melony, who was still processing what Wario had told them. She felt the exact same way when that stranger placed the signet over her eye..... and turned her against her friends.

Melony: So it really was him........... and the guy with the Crossbow must've been.........

Tari: Waluigi..........But what would he want with a bunch of pawn shop knick knacks?

They look over to the sack, and we transition to another scene in a warehouse. We now see the Xelor stranger approaching the bag brought to him by Waluigi. He carefully opens the bag to verify its contents, before presenting it to a figure in the shadows.

??????: I heard you ran into a bit of a snag, Rhode. Did you not intend to deliver more?

The Xelor finally speaks. His voice was raspy and faint.

Rhode: Apologies, captain..........we were intercepted by......... her compatriots.

??????: I see.......

A large metal talon reaches into the bag, rummaging through its contents as a pair of gold glowing eyes peer out from the darkness.

??????: Still, you did manage to pull off a decent haul. We are still one step closer to our destination.

He pulls out what looks to be a blue stained glass dodecahedron etched with odd symbols.

??????: And one step closer to the gate.

Taking Flight, Chapter 14: New Neighbors

It's another fine day at the Showgrounds as Meggy and Melony eagerly watch Tari practice her barrier projection. So far, she's managed to create a dome she can fit in.

Meggy: Alright Melony, you're up.

Melony hacks away at the dome with her sword. Tari's shield seems to be holding up so far.

Clench: Keep it up, Tari. Keep it up.

Melony kicks it up a notch with some energy blasts. Tari winces as small cracks begin to appear on the barrier. Melony then switches to her Deity Mode and readies a charged strike, but Tari falls to her knees and the dome dissipates. Melony powers down and goes to check on an exhausted Tari.

Tari: huff..........huff.......... How long was that one?

Meggy: Two and a half minutes. A new record!

Tari: Great....... anyways I cough cough ..........sigh.........

Melony: Yeah, I think that's enough for right now.

Tari rolls onto her back.

Tari: No, no, it's fine......... I just need to take a breather is all.........

Clench: And maybe an Advil or two.

SMG4: So, what do you think so far?

The girls turn to see SMG4 with......... someone new. He's an odd looking fellow, wearing a deep blue suit adorned with hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds. He also has a lavender scarf with what looks to be a golden "bowtie" in the shape of a pair of wings. His head is a free floating ball with a mouth, and he wears a fedora with a golden band around the head.

?????: It's a rather lovely place. Quite roomy, too. It almost reminds me of my brother's place.

Meggy: Uh......SMG4?

SMG4: Oh, hey guys! This is Aybel, one of our new tenants.

Aybel: A good noon to you.

SMG4: He's gonna be running our new guest house.

Melony: Guest house?

SMG4: Yeah, something to keep things fresh around here. Me and Three have been in talks to get some more traffic flowing here in the Showgrounds, and he suggested we open up a place for guests to stay long term.

Tari: Now that you mention it, Three did say that things have been a bit slow here for his business.

Meggy: That's all good but........ why didn't you run this by us first?

SMG4: What do you mean? I've been sending you guys texts and emails all week.

Meggy: You mean the same things you use to spam us with memes?

SMG4: Well........

While Meggy and SMG4 sort things out, Aybel hovers over to Tari and Melony. Tari gets back on her feet to greet their newest arrival.

Tari: It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Aybel. I'm Tari.

Aybel: The pleasure is all mine Ms. Tari. And you must be Melony Greenhorne, I presume.

Melony: You know me?

Aybel: One of my brother's associates told me about these "mangas" of yours. She's quite a fan of your works.

Melony: Oh, wow! Well, make sure to send her my thanks the next time you see her.

Aybel: Actually, you may be able to do so yourself. She's gonna be a patron at the guest house.

Tari: Wait, you already have people lined up?

Aybel: Of course. They'll be here by sundown, so if you'll excuse me........

SMG4 and Meggy meet back up with the others as Aybel hovers over to an open plot of land.

Aybel: .......I must get to work.

And so he did. Motes of light fly from his fingertips and dance to his every gesture. He uses their light to draw perimeter within the plot, sculpting intricate patterns of doors and windows within a 5-layer octagonal frame. When the outline is done, the most fly together to create a single ball of light above the construct. Aybel snaps his fingers and BOOM! In a flash the structure becomes a red and yellow building with a tent-like top, the windows embroidered with a golden trim. An ornate arch adorns the entrance, ordained with a round plaque depicting Aybel's "bowtie". The Crew is awestruck.

Our Guest House is complete.

Aybel takes off his hat and out comes a small floating bubble with beady black eyes and a formittable set of razor sharp teeth.

Aybel: Bubble, could you be a dear and help me get the rooms ready?

Bubble: Gotcha!

The crew comes inside to see the main lounge. In the center we have the lounging area with 4 couches and TVs with various amenities such as video games. To the left we have the kitchen, to the right we have the bathrooms and storage, and in the back we have a stairway that leads to the upper floors.

Aybel: Good to see things are in order down here.

Tari: I gotta say, you have quite the setup here.

There's a knocking at the front door. It seems as though some of the patrons have arrived earlier than expected.

Aybel: When it comes to ensuring the safety and comfort of those under my care, I spare no expense.

He opens the door to great three new arrivals: A ragdoll with red curly hair and a button eye, a tall purple rabbit man with a flannel shirt and overalls, and an anxiously pale little jester with red and blue dimples and candy shaped eyes.

Aybel: Oh, Ragatha! I'm surprised to see you here so soon.

Ragatha: It's like you always said, hesitation is defeat.

Aybel: SMG4, this is Ragatha. She's a prized pupil of mine. The rabbit and the jester are her entourage, Jax and Pomni.

Jax immediately heads for the nearest couch before Ragatha snags him by the ear.

Ragatha: Jax....... these are our hosts here. Why don't you introduce yourself?

Jax: Alright alright! Jeez...... Sup guys, my name is Jax. It's a pleasure to be here.

Somewhat satisfied, Ragatha releases Jax and allows him to laze about on the couch.

Ragatha: At least take your bags to your room before you start being a lazy ass.

Jax: Hey, we walked for 30 miles! As far as I'm concerned we earned this.

Pomni: I'm really sorry about him. He can be......... insufferable at times.

Meggy: It's alright. My friend Mario can be like that too sometimes, so I'm kinda used to it.

Tari goes over to grab Jax's bags and heads upstairs with Ragatha and Pomni. We see three floors of rooms connected by a central spiral staircase.

Ragatha: Just place his bags outside of room nine.

Tari: Will do!

Tari heads up the staircase to room nine as instructed, placing Jax's luggage outside the door. She also can't help but feel........ curious about some of their new tenants.

Tari: So....... what brings you guys to the showgrounds

Ragatha: Well........ there was a bit of an "incident" over at our workplace, so Aybel convinced our boss to let us stay somewhere else. It's a bunch of responsible businesses stuff.

Tari: What exactly IS your "business"?

Pomni: We're a performance troop called the Circus. Well, less of a Circus and more of a.........makeshift community for lost souls. That's how Caine puts it at least.

Tari: Lost souls?

Ragatha: Yeah. Sometimes a soul gets lost and ends up becoming....... something else. Jax became a rabbit, Pomni became a jester, and I became a ragdoll. It can be a bit jarring at first, having only fragments of who you used to be. And sometimes even those get lost if you're not careful enough........ and you only have so long to find them again until you go crazy, which is when things start to get....... REALLY bad..........

She falls silent for a moment. Pomni goes over to Ragatha and holds her hand. Ragatha gives Pomni a reassuring smile.

Ragatha: So, yeah. The Circus provides us with a home, good work, and plenty of things to do so we don't start going crazy. It's a decent gig, all things considered.

Ragatha and Pomni retreat into their rooms, leaving Tari to contemplate Ragatha's words for a moment. She can't help but think back to the days where she'd be drifting around, living off of prize money from video game tournaments. Then came that day at the mall, when she first met Mario. In a way, she was a lost soul herself until she joined SMG4's crew. You could say that makes her a Carnie herself.

And with all things considered, she wouldn't have it any other way.

Chapter 15: Abstract Thinking

It's a full moon out tonight on the Showgrounds as more arrivals have come to the Guest House. First up we have Gangle, a ghostlike shadow figure covered head to toe in bandage like ribbons. A pair of white glowing eyes peer from behind a porcelain mask. Sitting next to her was Zooble, who looks somewhat human apart from the fact that their body is divided into various mismatched shapes, sizes, and colors. Their hair is basically a bunch of green triangles. Lastly we have Kinger, a walking white king chess piece with a white beard a pair of floating eyeballs, and two completely detatched floating hands. He wears a red velvet cloak and bears a scepter witn a queen's crown. He's also busy hiding in a pillow fort because he might be a little nuts. We see Tari coming in with a tray of lemonade.

Tari: So, how has your first day been?

Zooble and Gangle take their glasses.

Gangle: It's been really nice so far. Thank you.

Zooble: Yeah, it's good to be out under an actual sun for once......... no offense to Sunny, of course.

Tari walks up to kinger to give him his lemonade.

Kinger: Oh, thank you!

His hand pops out of the fort and grabs the glass before slinking back in. Tari just starts pacing around after that, clearly curious about something.

Zooble: Got something on your mind, kid?

Tari: Oh, well........... I was a bit curious about Aybel and this brother he keeps bringing up.

Gangle: Oh....... Aybel is very kind....... and.........

Yeah, she's not normally one for conversations. Zooble places a hand on her shoulder.

Zooble: They're the "ringleaders" of this little troop of ours. Aybel handles the logistics, and Caine does his best to keep us from losing our minds.

Kinger: He's also VERY showboaty. Like, a REAL showman. He's always so full of energy, and he loves to plan adventures and activities for us when we aren't out doing temp jobs.

Tari: Temp jobs?

Kinger: Yeah. When it comes to lost souls, the line between the mind and the body is practically nonexistent. As messed up as we are, our sanity is what gives us some semblance of control over ourselves. That's why Caine and Aybel do their best to keep us sane. Aybel thinks that doing normal people jobs will help us feel more "human," and Caine sometimes has us go on an adventure to keep our minds healthy and stimulated.

Tari can't help but think back to what Ragatha said earlier, about out how losing your mind can cause bad things to happen.

Tari: So........Your physical forms are tied to your mental state, so you need to maintain your sanity to maintain your body.

Zooble: That's pretty much the jist of it.

Tari: So.......hypothetically speaking...... if a lost soul DID lose their sanity, then they would cease to exist?

Zooble: Well........Not exactly.

The trio exchanges glances at one another.

Zooble: Let's just say its......... not a good time......... For anyone.

Tari: Oh........um....... okay. Sorry for......

Zooble: It's fine. Look. If anything goes wrong, we'll give you a call. Alright?

Tari nods. She takes the hint and decides not to push the topic further as she takes her leave. An awkward silence fills the room after her departure.

Kinger: Did someone mention an insect collection?

We later see Tari flying above the treeline. She can't help but feel awful about that conversation.

Clench: Look on the brightside! Zooble and Kinger were still nice about it, so it's not like you screwed up TOO badly.

Tari remains silent. She can't help but feel like she messed up as a hostess by overstepping on what was evidently a sensitive topic. Maybe she should wait a bit longer before bringing that up again. She should also watch out for that lance flying towards her.

Tari: Huh? WAAAH!

Tari narrowly dodges the lance. She frantically tries to trace it back to its source right as another whizzes towards her. She brings up a small barrier, but it pierces through and stops a mere armhair's length from her eye. She also sees its not a lance. It's a sharpened candy cane. She dives down into the trees, stows her wings and draws her glaive in case things get up close and personal.

????????: You're a daring little duckling, aren't you.

She spins around to meet her assailant: a princess, dawned in a royal dress embroidered with sprinkle patterns and a crest depicting a piece of hard candy adorned with a crown. She had the face of a swirling orange jawbreaker, and a small crown rested upon a head of red orange slice shaped hair. A bright orange gem sat on her chest.

Tari: Look...... I'm sorry I intruded on whatever you were doing. I did not come here looking for a fight.

????????: Of course you didn't. No one would bring a glowing pair of wings on a stealth mission, especially at night time.

Tari: Of course! This was just all a huge misunderstanding. So let's just-

Tari's words are cut off with a swift kick to the gut, sending her barreling back. The princess then draws a swirling peppermint lance from her gem as Tari tries to get back on her feet.

????????: Of course........ it would be rude of me to not finish a fight I started. Nothing personal, just basic warrior's etiquette.

She rushes forward again, more than prepared to drive that lance through Tari's heart........ but is stopped when her lance meets a pair of cleavers wielded by a familiar ragdoll.

Ragatha: What the hell do you think you're doing?

????????: Oh come on, Ragatha. You know how banefully boring a patrol can be. What's the matter with letting off some steam?

Ragatha: She's with me. And she has nothing to do with this. Now stand down.

????????: And you think you can take me on?

Ragatha: No........ but Aybel might. Especially when he finds out you abandoned your patrol in an area where there's a primeval on the loose.

Tari is shocked to even see Ragatha of all people here, and confused as to what this woman has to do with her.

Ragatha: I'm giving you a choice here. Either we keep up this fight and Aybel finds out you abandoned your duties to "let off steam", or you can stay your weapon and save your murder boner for the primeval.

The air is tense and still as the two stare each other down.

Ragatha: What's it gonna be?

With a sigh, the princess relents and stays her weapon.

Saturday: You're no fun. It's not like I was gonna kill her anyways.

Ragatha: Yeah....... right.

Ragatha stows her cleavers and helps Tari to her feet.

Ragatha: I am so sorry about this. She can be a bit......... trigger happy, sometimes.

Tari: It's okay, but......... could you please explain to me what's going on here?

????????: I am Loolilalu of house Bonbon, heir to the throne of Sugar Canyon.

Ragatha: We just call her Saturday.

Tari: Well, it's nice to meet you, Miss Saturday.

Saturday only replies with a scoff and a roll of her eyes. A bit of a brat, as you can see.

Ragatha: So...... why are you out here, anyways?

Tari: I was just heading home for the night until your friend ambushed me. How about you?

Their little meet and greet is interrupted by a distorted shriek from the woods.

Ragatha: ........That's why.

Saturday: I'll tell you what. You can either fly back to your little nest and forget tonight ever happened, or you can make yourself useful and see how deep this rabbit hole goes. I personally don't care which.

Saturday then rushes off in the direction of the shrieking with Ragatha following close behind, leaving Tari to contemplate her next move.

Clench: I don't know about you.......... but I'd like to show that bitch just how "useful" we can be.

Tari gives a confident smirk as she spreads her wings and flies off after the two.

#smg4 #smg4 au #smg4 fanfic #tadc #Nexus!AU

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