A/N: A little idea of mine for the amazing game Ib. This is sort of my own ending for Ib. This happens right after Garry and Mary swap roses. On a side note, why do people hate Mary? She's adorable!
Disclaimer: Kouri owns Ib. I am not Kouri. Therefore, I do not own Ib.
"Why Garry? Why?" the blond girl sobbed, tears dripping down her cheeks.
"Because I care about Ib. I don't want her to be hurt." the lilac haired boy said it like it was the easiest thing in the world to understand.
Mary felt emotion well up inside her. Garry's rose, blue like her dolls, one of her favourite colours, was clutched in her hand. As the tears fell down her face, they fell onto the petals, damping them slightly, causing the rose to heal a little. The thorns pricked her hand and her voice caught in her throat as she tried to talk to them.
"I-I can't... can't d-do thi-this..." She began to sob uncontrollably, collapsing to her knees. The knife clattered to the ground next to her. "I-I can't hurt y-you two... You're my fr-friends... I c-can't... I d-don't w-want this... I did this... for a p-place in the world, but... I-I c-can't t-t-take yo-yours..." Suddenly, she threw the rose at Garry. He caught it in midair. "Go..." She stopped crying, and her sobs were replaced with an eerie silence.
Ib rushed to Mary's side, dropping to her knees and placing an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her. "Mary..."
"Just leave me be..." Gary looked on at the scene, Ib trying to comfort Mary as she sat there, silently. Mary... She looks utterly destroyed... All she wanted was to go with Ib... To go to the real world... To have a friend... To escape this living hell... Mary must have been here years, decades... no, CENTURIES! I remember now, that book said she was painted... 208 years ago! My god... No wonder she's not quite sane... Oh Mary... Mary...
"Just leave... Leave."
"No, Mary. I won't leave you here." Ib's voice was defiant. "I won't leave you, my friend."
"Friend... After all I've done, you still call me your friend..." She was crying again, her tears soaking her dress. "No Ib, you must leave. You must go..."
"No."
"You and Garry have lives outside, you have to go back." Her voice had grown stronger, and she had stopped crying once more.
"I'll stay with you forever" Ib clutched Mary tighter, as she tried to defy Mary.
"Leave..."
"No."
"Leave..."
"NO!"
"LEEEAAAAVVVVEEEEE!" Suddenly, the knife was in her hand. Ib got up, slowly backing away. Garry grabbed Ib's hand and pulled her away, just as Mary got up and slashed at Ib with the knife, barely missing her.
"Mary, what are you doing?" he asked nervously. She took a step forward. "M-Mary?" Mary advanced, the knife held threateningly as she walked towards him... "Mary, stop! Don't d- Ahh!" Gary yelled as Mary suddenly rushed forwards, slicing through the palm of his hand. Blood seeped from the shallow wound.
"GET OUT!" Mary's shout rang through the Toybox. Even her dolls shrank back from her as she stood there. The room went dark and red crayon cracks arced from her feet, covering the floor and walls in a spider web of fractures.
Garry began to run, pulling Ib away from Mary. "Ib, we have to run!"
"But... she's..." Ib was sobbing, unable to understand what was happening. Mary began to run at them, and Ib let Garry drag her away. They fled as fast as they could, away from their friend, away from the girl who couldn't understand the pain she felt.
They ran and ran, through the Toybox, out into the Sketchbook, and into a pink room, with a single staircase. There, Ib pulled Garry to a halt.
"Ib, we have to keep running!"
"Shhh! Listen..." Garry cocked his head and heard... nothing. Not a whisper. "I think we can catch our breath for now." Ib let go of his hand, only to find her own stained red with blood.
"Ib you're hurt!" Garry exclaimed.
"No... I'm not hurt. You are." She said, pointing to the gash in his hand. "Here, take this." With that, she hands him her handkerchief.
"Thanks Ib." With that, he uses it to bandage the wound, stopping the flow of blood. "Oh, wait a minute... This is lace? Embroidered with your name? I'm really sorry for getting this dirty, Ib, I didn't realise it was so expensive... "
"Don't be. You can keep it." Ib said with a smile. "Come on, we have to keep going."
"Uh, okay..." mumbled Gary, as he let her drag him down the stairs.
Ib stood before the painting, with Garry holding her hand. "Is this... It? Can we leave through here?"
"I think so Ib. I really hope so." He replied. "Hmm... let's see. 'Fabricated world. Once you jump in, you will lose all of your time here. Will you still jump in?' Well, what to make of that..." He paused before looking back at Ib. "It sounds promising, but it seems slightly ominous. Also, what does it mean, 'jump in'? Jump into the painting? Can we do that? I don't see how we could-" He was cut off by a bright flash of light, as the frame of the painting vanished.
"Well, the frame's gone, so can we just step in?" Garry muttered, before stepping up into the painting. "Yes! We just step in! Come on Ib, I'll help you up." Garry held out his hand so Ib could take it. As Ib moved towards him, however, she heard a familiar voice.
"Ib? There you are! Your father and I have been worried sick. Where have you been?" Her mother called from down the corridor. "Come on, it's time to go." Ib was torn, unsure of whether to go with Garry, or her mother.
"Ib, come on, we have to get out of here!" Garry called, trying to persuade her to come with him.
"Ib, what have I told you about running off with strangers? Come here at once young lady."
What do I do...? I can't leave either one. What if Garry's wrong? What if he's right? What do I do? I don't know who to follow!
"Ib. Come with me!" said her mother.
"Ib, take my hand." Garry called softly.
In that moment, Ib made her choice. Relying purely on instinct, she made the choice any 9 year old would – To follow her mother. As she turned and took the first step towards her mother, with a slight sigh and a response of "Yes mum", she was sent reeling back as someone screamed from just behind her mother. Neither Garry nor Ib could see who it was, because Ib's mother was in the way. So neither of them were prepared for the tip of a knife to exit the back of her neck. The knife was then forcibly ripped out, and as the woman slumped forwards, a pool of brown liquid formed around her. Rolling over onto her chest, she tried to crawl to Ib, only for the knife to be plunged into her back. She looked up at Ib, reached towards her, made a last, gurgling, rattling noise, and then finally, she died.
Ib looked up at the strange assailant who had killed her mother. Surprised and more than a little worried to see Mary there, she asked her the obvious question. "Mary, why'd you... Kill my mum..."
Mary snarled once more, looking Ib directly in the eyes. "I told you to leave." She said, waving the knife threateningly. "Well, go on... LEAVE!" she screamed, launching herself at Ib. Without a moment's hesitation, Ib grabbed Gary's still outstretched hand and lifted herself up into the portrait. There was a flash of light, and the frame of the picture reappeared, causing Mary to bounce off of the barrier between them. She fell to the floor and lay there, still. Ib and Garry held Each other's hands as they waited to leave. And waited... And waited... Something was going on, Garry was sure that It wasn't meant to take this long. That was when they noticed Mary slowly getting to her feet, a sad smile on her face. She looked at the painting before sighing heavily.
"You're gone then. You've left, and are back in your world." This was when Garry realised that she couldn't see them, and that she didn't know they were there. "I... I'm sorry. Sorry for trying to trick you. I... I just wanted a friend so much. A person who would play with me, laugh with me, cry with me... everything. And, to get two, like you two... It was the best thing ever. Garry, you were so funny, and so easily scared, yet so brave too, giving your rose for Ib's at the drop of a hat. And Ib... You were so kind, so willing to lend your help. And you were loyal too; you tried to comfort me even after all I'd done. You were the best friends I could ask for... Please don't hate me... I- I chased you because I wanted you to go... I wanted you to live your life out... Live your life outside this place, which you'd never do if Ib had stayed with me. All the times I've hurt you both... I know I don't deserve it, but I still beg you for forgiveness." At this, Garry and Ib's hearts went out to the girl, and they both murmured words of forgiveness. They finally understood, Mary had made them hate her, just to get them out. She had set them against her, attacked them, to try and break their bond of friendship – For their own good. For if they were no longer her friends, they would have no reason to stay with her. The girl, who had wanted friends for over two hundred years, gave up her friends to keep them safe. She was truly selfless, in every sense of the word.
"I forgive you, Mary..." Ib whispered as the world faded to black around her.
A/N: Shorter than most of my stories, but still, I feel it's just quite a sweet little one-shot.
I'm going to be writing two, maybe three Ib Fanfictions that branch on from this. Those fanfictions will be unrelated to each other, hence why I've left the ending a little open ended, so that I can add a little more to it in each of those stories.
Well I hope you enjoyed this. Until next time,
JJ4622,
Over and Out,