Apple's Grand Tour 2

(Cubed Cinder)


Night had fallen on Giant Land, and Princess Apple walked out of the building that had the big neon sign “Giant Land Hotel” glowing above its entrance. But she wasn’t alone... far from it. Out with her walked six other giantesses. These giantesses all hailed from the far off land of Rymas and were goddesses of different elements. Normally they’re bigger than Princess Apple (since she’s only a little over 50 feet tall), but the magic of the Giant Land Hotel shrunk them so they could stay inside. The goddesses were:

- Acqua, the water goddess known for her blue skirt, blue top, blue flip-flops, blue hair, and rabbit ears.
- Aria, the wind goddess who wore nothing but a sky blue bikini and fairy wings.
- Fiamma, the fire goddess who sports brown boots, denim shorts, a red top, red glovers (without covers for the fingers), and cat ears. In fact, she crawls around like a dog almost all the time when outside of battle. It's safe to say she's 49% dog (and maybe a little cat at times) and 51% human!
- Terra, the goddess of nature who has beautiful green hair and a beige dress. Her nature-loving spirit makes her the least competitve of the four well known goddesses, although her powers were just as strong, if not stronger, as her sisters.
- Lumia, the light goddess who wears a white dress with angel wings and cares deeply for not just her sisters but also the tiny people she visits. She completely dislikes battle and tries her best to avoid if possible.
- And finally Buia, the goddess of darkness, was basically the polar opposite of Lumia, sporting a black dress and dark gray hair, with glowing dark angel wings. She hangs out in underground areas most of the time, and has a very short temper.

The six goddesses were all standing outside the entrance of the hotel, looking back at Princess Apple as she too stepped out.
“I cannot thank all of you enough for being among the first guests of our new hotel.” Apple said.
“Hey, anything for a friend of the land of Rymas!” Aria said.
“Woof!! I had a wonderful time! So much room to play around in!” Fiamma said as she swung her dog-like tail around in happiness.
“And the swimming pool was good for my skin! I’m amazed you were able to build a pool big enough for me in the back.” Acqua said.
“Ahhh... I was able to maximize my peaceful meditation. I feel like my powers will be stronger than ever against the mighty hero next time we meet.” Terra said with a smile.
“We had a great time, didn’t we, Buia?” Lumia asked.
“AHHHHHHH SHUT UP!!!!!!!!” Buia shouted. Lumia just giggled.

“Oh, please don’t let my sister’s words discourage you, Princess Apple. She’s always like this.” Lumia said.
“It’s okay, I understand. The unique personalities of each of you make me proud of the diversity not just in the Mushroom Kingdom, but in the worlds beyond.” Apple said.
“Pfffft... whatever!! Can we just get back to Rymas! I wanna be back to my usual gigantic self!” Buia shouted.
“I’ll have my guards take you to the proper warp pipe. Guards... don’t get scared when they grow bigger. They’re just returning to their normal size!” Apple said. The three giant mushroom guards all nodded and walked out in front of the six goddesses, who proceeded to follow the guards.
“Nyaa! Goodbye, Princess Apple!” Fianna said.
“We shall return for another stay one day!” Aria said.

As Apple was waving the beautiful women off, she turned around and saw her husband, Prince Hugo, walking out holding a clipboard.
“I’m glad those goddesses enjoyed their stay. The Giant Land Hotel is doing better than I imagined.” Hugo said.
“Yep! I told you there would be other giants and giantesses out there looking for a quick place to stay.” Apple said.
“Indeed you were. Just look at the guest list so far. Those goddesses from Rymas, Katelyn Brooks, Growmonga, Ruri Sagaia, Hitomi Miyaka, Takai Biscuit, Giantess Cassie, Giga Sakura, Rini Tsukino the “Giant Pink-Haired One”... I had no idea people like this existed.” Hugo said as he looked at the guest list on the clipboard.
“Yes. And good thing we have the magic in place to temporarily shrink them.” Apple said. She pointed out in the distance where the six goddesses were walking away. As if she knew the exact time it would happen, she watched as all six ladies were growing bigger. By her guess, they tripled in size from when they entered the hotel.
“I see what you mean. It’s amazing to think there can be bigger giants out there.” Hugo said.
“Well, I think it’s for the best that we are at the size we’re at. I mean, how would we be able to talk with our normal-sized friends if we were bigger?” Apple said.
“Yes... fresh perspective from someone who’s been on both sides of the fence.” Hugo said.
“Teeheehee... you’re such a teaser!” Apple said as she kissed her husband on the cheek.

As the two were making their way back to Giant Land Castle, Hugo brought up the next order of business with Apple.
“So have you decided where you’re spending your day off tomorrow?” Hugo asked.
“Oh yeah! My one day vacation away from Giant Land! I have a couple places in mind, namely Isle Delfino and Dinosaur Land. I’m still thinking of some others.” Apple said.
“You could always visit your former home town, Diamond City I believe it’s now called.” Hugo said.
“Oh... um... yes, I could always go there!” Apple said. She was a bit hesitant with her answer but not because she didn’t want to go there. It’s because she had already been there, thinking back to her first Grand Tour that she still hasn’t told Hugo about. Not that she needed too since time was frozen solid during the entire time she was away from the land. Still, that wasn’t a bad idea. She would think it over after spending an ample amount of time on Isle Delfino. That was the top destination spot after reading the beautifully designed brochure she got from Mario earlier in the week. Apple then let out a big yawn.
“(yawn) But right now, my first vacation spot is going to be my bed.” Apple said.
“Hmmm... yes. You are going to need your sleep for tomorrow. Let us get to bed right away.” Hugo said.

The two eventually made it back to their castle and got themselves ready for bed. Despite being happily married, the two giants had their own bedrooms for sleeping in.
“Good night, my princess. I will see you in the morning.” Hugo said with a smile.
“Good night, my beloved.” Apple said, lightly kissing him on the cheek before walking into her bedroom and closing the doors. After quickly changing into her nightgown and brushing her teeth, Apple jumped into bed and allowed the thoughts of where she would go first on tomorrow’s all-day vacation to drift her to sleep.


But the next time Apple opened her eyes, the scenery was vastly different, not to mention her bodily state. First, she was in her regular princess outfit and standing on her two feet. Second, there was hardly any scenery. Just a white invisible floor with the blue sky in the background.
“Hello? Hello!?” Apple shouted, just hearing the echo of her voice. She started walking around.
“Anyone? Anyone here?” Apple shouted again. After walking a bit further into the empty void, the giant princess stopped when she looked down by her feet and saw another curious sight.
“Huh? What’s this?” Apple asked herself. She looked closer and saw it was a blue staircase, leading up to a small red door. Obviously, Apple was much too big to fit inside the red door.
“I feel like I’m in Wonderland or something like that. How am I supposed to fit through this door?” Apple asked. As if there was a voice on the other side listening to her, the stairs suddenly vanished, leaving just the red door. Suddenly, the door began to expand, growing bigger and bigger until it was the perfect size for Princess Apple.
“Well, that explains that.” Apple said. She wasn’t sure about opening this door, thinking there may be a trap on the other side, but with nothing but an empty void behind her, she was left with little choice. She opened the door and slowly stepped towards the opening.
“Hmmm... I wonder what’s on the other side of this dooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!” Apple said. As she took her first step inside the door, she suddenly lost her footing and fell inside the door.

As she was falling, Princess Apple could see she had somehow warped into another land, and she was about to land on the ground below.
“Eeeeeeek!!!” Apple said. She landed on her behind on the ground, denting it quite a bit and leaving behind a loud boom sound like any giantess falling to her behind would do! But luckily for Apple, she was not hurt too badly given the martial arts training given to her years ago by her older sister, Aska. And speaking of her older sister:
“Ugh... I guess that’s why Aska always told me to watch that first step!” Apple said. As she started to get up using her knees, she stopped when she saw a group of strange creatures floating towards. They were quite small, but there appeared to be many of them. Most of them just circled around her legs.
“Um... what’s going on?” Apple asked herself. Finally, a few of these creatures flew up in the air and hovered in front of her face. They then spoke out.
“Welcome to Subcon, giant visitor! What is your name?” one of the creatures said.
“Umm... I am Princess Apple of Giant Land. And who might you be, if I may ask?” Apple asked.
“We are the Subcons, the citizens of this great land!” the Subcons shouted in unison. As the giant princess looked down on the Subcons, she was quickly reminded of the Punies she met during her last vacation. The Subcons weren’t as small as the Punies were, but she could tell they were all in awe of her massive size.
“Well, it’s nice to meet all of you, though I still wonder how I got here. It’s like some sort of dream.” Apple said.
“As a matter of fact, it is! Subcon is the land of dreams, where all dreams are manifested and sent out to those that dream.” the Subcons said.
“Oh? I didn’t know that!” Apple said.
“Yes! Why don’t we show you around and introduce you to our king?” the Subcons said.
“Okay! Lead the way!” Apple said. As she stood back to her full height, the Subcons all flew ahead, and Apple slowly followed them.

As she was being led around the vast kingdom, the Subcons further explained the purpose of the land and themselves.
“Subcon is actually a paradise where dreamers come if they find their subconsciousness is lacking in dream power.” the Subcons said.
“And I guess you Subcons help guide these people back in the proper direction?” Apple asked.
“That’s one of our roles. We also fight to protect our world against those that would rather use it to push out their fiendish nightmares.” the Subcons said.
“Like Wart and his 8-bit army. But luckily, four brave warriors came into our land and defeated him and returned our world to peace.” the Subcons added.
“Four brave warriors? Um... would one of them happen to be Mario?” Apple asked.
“Oh yes! That name sounds familiar. I believe he was accompanied by Luigi, Toad, and even a fine young lady named Princess Peach. We even taught her how to float in the air!” the Subcons said.
“Wow! Did you really? Could you maybe teach me to float?” Apple asked.
“Well, that might be a monumental task given your size, but we can try!” the Subcons said.

As the group approached one of the mountains, before the conversation could continue, suddenly a large group of Subcons came flying out at high speed, almost crashing into Princess Apple along the way.
“Whoa! What’s going on?” Apple asked. As the Subcons with Apple wondered the same thing, they then watched as part of the mountain started to crumble apart. A pink claw-like object suddenly came bursting out of that same mountain, and many of the Subcons gasped.
“Oh no! It can’t be!” the Subcons shouted. The side of the mountain fell apart as the enemy came out. It was Robirdo, a giant mechanical version of Birdo that was just as deadly as the normal-sized Birdo.
“Th15 15 45 f4r 45 u g0!!!” Robirdo shouted in its mechanical, but somewhat hard to understand, voice.
“The 8-bit army must’ve repaired the monstrosity and sent it to come after us!” the Subcons said. Robirdo made its first move by shooting a big egg out of its mouth.
“Whoa!” Apple shouted as she barely was able to dodge the egg by ducking at the last moment. She stood back up and straightened up her tiara, watching as Robirdo leapt into the air and landed on the ground. The ground shook violently, cracking a bit and causing Apple to almost lose her balance despite her size.
“Something tells me this Birdo is far from friendly...” Apple said as she thought about the Birdos she has encountered in the real world, mainly around Yoshi’s Island. Nevertheless, she knew what the Subcons were going to ask of her next.
“Please, Princess Apple! You are the only one big enough to take on the mechanical menace! Please save us!” the Subcons said.
“Don’t worry, my friends. Anyone who is a friend of Mario can depend on me!” Apple said.

As Robirdo fired another huge egg, Apple planted her golden sandals into the ground and actually caught the egg in midair! Other heroes would jump on top of the egg, but not Apple. She was strong enough to take this mechanical menace head on.
“HAH!” Apple shouted as she tossed the egg right into Robirdo’s head. Various gears and parts of Robirdo’s body as a result of the damage, but Robirdo stayed on the attack. In fact, it charged head on towards the giantess. But Apple made a high jump into the air, bouncing off Robirdo’s head and landing in front of the mountain. She saw a rock that would look more like a boulder to a normal-sized person sitting by her feet, so she picked it up and hurled that towards Robirdo, who could only stand there and once again get pounded in the head by the projectile. More gears, even wires and circuit boards, came falling out of Robirdo, and the machine was now steaming mad... literally.

“And this is why I don’t like having machines as bodyguards.” Apple said to herself.
Robirdo charged forward once more, but at a much faster pace than Apple expected. She tried sidestepping the robot, but Robirdo extended its claw and slapped Apple on her back with it.
“Ow!” Apple shouted as the hit tripped her up and caused her to crash towards the ground. The Subcons were just barely able to dodge the giantess and avoid getting crushed. Apple slowly turned around and saw Robirdo creeping up towards her.
“N0w I w1ll f1n15h u 0ff!” Robirdo said. As Apple was getting up, she felt a large batch of grass tickling her hand. She suddenly felt compelled to dig her hands into this grass, pulling on it with all her might.


Finally, just as she was rolling to the right to dodge another giant egg attack, Princess Apple gave one last firm tug on the grass... and out came a huge vegetable, a fat white turnip to be exact. It was big enough to look normal sized in Apple’s hands.
“Whoa, hey... I recognize these vegetables. I’ve seen Peach grow them in her garden...” Apple said. But there was no more time for thinking, especially when Apple realized how powerful a weapon she was actually holding. As Apple got back on her feet, she tightly gripped the leaves of the vegetable.
“Hey Robo-Birdo, how about eating your vegetables for a change?” Apple said as she flung with great force the vegetable towards Robirdo. As always, with the lack of defensive skills in Robirdo, the robot was conked with the giant vegetable. It started to shoot off all sorts of steam and gears as it started to fall apart.
“H0w c0uld u!??!?! 01001000011011110111011100100000011000110110111101110101011011000110010000100000011110010110111101110101!” Robirdo said before it fell into a big pile of pieces and was rendered fully disabled.

As Apple smiled over her victory over the mechanical menace, the Subcons gathered all around Apple’s body and cheered loudly for the giantess.
“YAY! Three cheers for Princess Apple!” the Subcons shouted.
“Gee, thanks. It was the least I could do. That robot should give you no more trouble.” Apple said.
“You’re right. We will see to it that this mechanical menace no longer exists by banishing it to the same nightmare world we banished Wart and the 8-bits. We are forever in your debt.” the Subcons said. Apple smiled and was about to say something else to them... but soon everything started to fade to white.
“Huh? What’s happening? Everything’s fading...” Apple said.
“Oh! You are leaving your dream stance and returning to your normal world. It seems you have fulfilled your purpose for coming here.” the Subcons said.
“Purpose?” Apple asked, having a confused look on her face. Despite that, she watched as the world faded further into white and the Subcons (the ones not carrying off the remains of Robirdo) waved the giantess goodbye.
“Goodbye, Princess Apple! We will never forget you! We hope you will visit again!” the Subcons shouted. Apple couldn’t do anything else but wave back at her tiny friends.

----

The next time Apple opened her eyes, she was back in her bedroom, in her bed and dressed in her pajamas. Naturally, she wondered what just happened.
“Huh? Was that all a dream? Was I really in Subcon?” Apple said. She then watched as the double doors opened. Stepping inside was her husband, Prince Hugo.
“Good morning, dear! Did you sleep well?” Hugo asked.
“Oh... um... yes. Yes I did.” Apple said.
“Very good. The servants and I have finished packing for you. We’re ready for your departure when you are.” Hugo said.
“Heh... are you that anxious to see me leave?” Apple said.
“No! No of course not! I was just...” Hugo said.
“I’m kidding, Hugo! You know I was kidding! Just let me change and do my morning stuff first.” Apple said.

“Of course. I’ll leave you be for now.” Hugo said as he left Apple’s room and closed the doors behind him. Apple finally shook off the Subcon part of her vacation (so to speak) and hopped out of bed to, as she said, do her morning stuff.

About a half hour after changing into her normal clothes and having breakfast, Princess Apple was ready to go. She had decided early on to make Isle Delfino her first destination, and Prince Hugo made sure Apple would be heading in the right direction as they and some of the mushroom guards headed for the beach.
“According to Madzilla, if you generally head for the southwest, you’ll see Isle Delfino.” Hugo said.
“That’s it? Just the southwest? I’m sure I’ll have to make a few turns here and there.” Apple said.
“Yes, I agree. That’s why I packed a magic compass inside your travel chest.” Hugo said.
“My travel chest?” Apple asked.
“Yep! I’ve been saving this for years and I figured now was the time to bring it back. Travel chest!” Hugo said as he turned around and clapped his hands together.

Flying towards the group was exactly as described. A treasure chest that sported a couple wings, allowing it to hover in the air. Apple was impressed.
“Ah! Now that beats having to carry a big suitcase around the smaller lands.” Apple said.
“Everything you need is in here, princess. All the powerups you need to make traveling from land to land easy, including the frog suit that will transform you into a mermaid.” the mushroom guard said as he opened up the chest and pulled out said frog suit.
“Very nice. I can’t thank all of you enough for giving me this... and for allowing me to take this vacation!” Apple said. Hugo smiled, but them rested his hands on her shoulders.
“I know I don’t have to remind you, but be very careful. Both yourself and the small people you meet wherever you go.” Hugo said.
“Thank you, Hugo. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. You just watch over things for me here in Giant Land.” Apple said.
“As you wish.” Hugo said. The two kissed a couple more times before Apple grabbed the frog suit and walked towards the waves of water hitting the beach. Before Apple could stretch the frog suit to activate its powers, she turned around and looked at Hugo one more time.
“Oh! Be sure to say hello to the queen of Ice Land for me!” Apple shouted. Hugo laughed.

“As always!” Hugo said. Apple then stretched the frog suit. Very quickly, the suit disappeared, and the powerup sound rang through the air as Apple instantly transformed into Mermaid Apple. Mermaid Apple wasted no time in jumping into the water and swimming off into the distance, with the flying treasure chest tailing behind. Even though the giant princess wasn’t looking back, Hugo and the guards waved the giantess off before they headed back to Giant Land Castle.

Apple only had one thought on her mind as she swerved around the Bloobers and Cheep Cheeps (gradually decreasing in size the further away she swam from Giant Land) that populated the sea. And that was Isle Delfino...


Apple swam for what felt like a long time when it was really only a little over a half hour. But finally, she stuck her head above water and could see Isle Delfino out in the distance.
“That must be it!” Apple said to herself. As she approached what we know as the Delfino Airstrip, she wondered what kind of reception she would get from the citizens of the island. Scared because she was so big? Happy to welcome her? She would find out in a few minutes.

All was quiet on the airstrip, mostly because no planes were scheduled for landing today. Only a couple Piantas were walking around patrolling the strip.
“It sure is boring today. And hot too!” one Pianta said as he wiped his forehead.
“Yes, but such is our life. Gotta keep all the intruders out especially after that Shadow Mario thingy a while ago.” the other Pianta said. They both just nodded and were about to get back to walking around the strip when they looked out at the ocean.
“Hey, do you see that?” one Pianta said. The water was rippling heavily as waves started to crash onto the very edge of the strip. At the same time, what appeared to be a human head to the eyes of the Piantas started to emerge from the water.

“What... what is that?” one Pianta shouted.
Finally, Princess Apple rose out of the water, resting her arms on the runway and taking deep breaths.
“Whew... that was a long swim. I should talk with E. Gadd about making a stronger frog suit. Maybe it can give me a golden mermaid tail, heehee!” Apple said.

As the giant princess perched herself on top of the airstrip, the two Piantas were too stunned to move at the majestic sight at first. Eventually, though, they regained their senses. Kinda.
“EVERYBODY RUN! THERE’S A GIANT MERMAID ON THE LOOSE!!” both Piantas shouted before they bumped into each other and then ran down to a small motorboat, firing it up immediately and sailing off for Delfino Plaza. Princess Apple didn’t notice the motorboat until she heard the engine activate and it sailed off. She tried to follow them, but land movement was almost impossible given her current power.
“Wait! I won’t hurt you!” Apple shouted. But the boat continued to move away from her. Apple just sighed.
“(sigh) I’m not having a good batting average when it comes to trying to meet people in far away lands. But I should follow them if I’m going to get to Isle Delfino.” Apple said to herself. The giant princess in her mermaid form crawled back to the ocean and swam carefully after the small motorboat. She once again fully submerged underwater so she wouldn’t surprise them.

The motorboat was flying so fast towards the coastline of Delfino Plaza, it looked like for a moment it would fly right over the sands and into the plaza. The Piantas on the beach figured this and scrambled out of the way. Fortunately, the boat did not do that, stopping right on the sand. That didn’t stop the two Piantas from jumping out of the boat and going on a frenzy like their heads were on fire.
“Run everyone!! Take shelter!! Giant mermaid!!!” the Piantas both shouted. The other Piantas looked at each other confused, wondering if this was a bluff. But one of the Piantas, which happened to be the mayor of Isle Delfino, demanded answers.
“Tish tosh! What is all this nonsense of a giant mermaid?” the mayor said.
“It’s true, Mr. Mayor! She was really big!” one Pianta said.
“Like zillions of feet tall!” one Pianta shouted.

“She’s come to destroy our island!” one Pianta said.
“Now now, if we can all just calm down and think logically...” the mayor said.
“Eeeek! What’s that!?” a female Pianta said as she pointed out at sea. The waters rippled everywhere because coming out, just like at the airstrip, was the head of Princess Apple. As Apple shook her head and water splashed around, the Piantas started panicking like crazy, including the normally calm and collected mayor.

“You’re right! It IS a giant mermaid!” the mayor said. Apple quickly had to try to reason with them.
“Wait, please! Don’t run away! I come to your island as a tourist!” Apple shouted.
“Quick, everyone! Defend our home! Attack the giant beast at all costs!” the mayor shouted. The Piantas ran inland and suddenly returned holding baskets full of fresh fruit. The Piantas then started flinging these fruit up towards the giantess, who tried to shield her face from the projectiles. It didn’t matter that her red tank top (from wearing the mermaid suit) was getting splattered with different colors of juices.
“Ow! Stop! That hurts!” Apple shouted. This was not looking good. All that buildup towards wanting to spend a little vacation time on Isle Delfino was going by the wayside real quick with the citizens showing hostility towards her. She had only one shot left to win their trust, and if it didn’t work, she would turn around and swim away.
“Please! I’m a friend of Mario and Princess Peach!” Apple said.

That’s when the attacks suddenly came to a halt, save for one last pineapple thrown by one of the younger Piantas. The Piantas suddenly huddled together with the mayor squarely in the middle of the bundle. Suddenly they all broke out of the huddle and all looked up at the giantess together. It was hard to tell what kind of emotional state they were in because Apple had a hard time finding a mouth on each and every Pianta. But she didn’t have to wait long.
“Young lady! Please forgive us for our rude behavior! Any friend of Mario and the princess is a friend to the entire Pianta community!” the mayor said. Apple breathed a sigh of relief.
“Works every time.” Apple said.
“What was that?” the mayor asked.
“Oh, I mean... thank you, Mr. Mayor. I am Princess Apple from Giant Land. Wait just a moment...” Apple said. Looking down and seeing herself still in her mermaid form, she wanted to fix that right away. Looking around trying to find something that would help her power down, Apple got an idea. She reached forward and plucked a palm tree from the sandy beach grounds, holding the normally tall tree in the palm of her hand. She took a look at the bottom of the tree where the roots were located. She hoped the roots were sharp enough for what she had in mind, and that’s when she thrust the roots of the tree onto her mermaid tail.

“Ow!” Apple said. It wasn’t too loud of a pain reaction... but it seemed to be just enough, for the power down sound rang through the air and Apple suddenly reverted back to her normal self.
“Whew... thank goodness.” Apple said. As she threw the tree aside (it landed near the lighthouse), Apple stood up to her full height, seeing the looks of confusion and slight fear in the eyes of the Piantas.
“Yes, I’m not really a mermaid. That’s one of my special forms I mainly use when traveling. But this is my permanent size. As I said, I am the princess of Giant Land.” Apple said.
“Giant Land? I would’ve thought such lands were in fairy tales!” one Pianta said.
“She’s so big! I wonder if she’ll fit in the plaza?” another Pianta said.
“Nevertheless... welcome, Princess Apple, to the sun-drenched tropical paradise of Isle Delfino!” the mayor shouted.
“Heehee! Thank you!” Apple said as she bowed down at the group of Piantas.
“We’re so pleased to welcome you to our beautiful home! We look forward to letting us refresh your body and spirit.” the mayor said.
“I’m glad to hear that. So I guess you’ll be wanting to take me on a tour of your island?” Apple asked.
“Well, I doubt we can cover the entire island, as I have a busy schedule for today... perhaps a full tour of Delfino Plaza and short descriptions of our resorts and popular destinations will suffice?” the mayor said.
“That’s okay. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your duties to the people of your island. I fully understand as a ruler myself.” Apple said.
“Great! Follow us, young lady, and we will begin the tour immediately!” the mayor said. He and the other Piantas started walking off the beach and further inland to the plaza. Many of the other Piantas couldn’t help but keep looking back at the giantess, but they made sure to keep up with the group. Apple, meanwhile, started a slow walk and followed the group, brushing off the sand underneath her golden sandals as she walked onto the solid ground.


While on tour, Apple did her best to listen carefully to what the mayor was talking about, with topics ranging from Delfino Plaza itself to some of the other popular spots on Isle Delfino. But she couldn’t resist comparing her own size to that of the many buildings she walked past. She towered over many of them, but that was no surprise to her. As she looked ahead, she had to move her left foot sharply to the left when one of the Piantas suddenly tripped and fell onto his back. Apple just barely avoided stepping on the Pianta, but it left the Pianta looking straight up underneath Apple’s dress.
But Apple just smiled and didn’t have any adverse reaction. She had the absolute perfect solution for keeping pervs from seeing exactly what was underneath that red dress of hers. The Pianta confusedly looked up at the black shadow that engulfed everything inside the dress.
“Are you alright, little Pianta? You should be more careful!” Apple said as she kneeled down and helped the Pianta up on his feet.
“T...t..thank you!” the Pianta shouted as she ran forward and rejoined the crowd. Apple brushed her dress, knowing what the Pianta was looking at, or didn’t given the circumstances mentioned above.
“Thank goodness Peach taught me that after she came back from the Dairantou Smash Brothers X tournament.” Apple said to herself before she resumed walking behind the group.

The tour soon took Princess Apple in front of the Shine Gate, which she almost matched inch for inch in height. The crowd had to stop to admire this sight, some even dragging out their camera to get a picture of this moment. Apple played along and struck a few poses in front of or beside the gate. As this was going on, she was curious about the gate itself.
“So is there any story behind this huge Shine Gate? Any historic significance?” Apple asked.
“Ah, yes. The Shine Gate holds the Shine Sprites, which gives our island the full power of the summer! The sprites make sure this entire island is draped in nothing but sunshine all year round.” the mayor said.
“Wow... fascinating! I know some lands in Mushroom World that could use a little more sunshine!” Apple said with a smile.
“Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed this grand tour of Delfino Plaza. Once again, I apologize for cutting this tour short and not showing you the rest of the island.” the mayor said.
“I sure have! And don’t worry about the tour, Mr. Mayor. They say it’s more fun to explore on your own. One gets a grander sense of adventure that way... I think that’s how my sister put it years ago.” Apple said.
“I see. Well, enjoy your stay on Isle Delfino! Now excuse me!” the mayor said. As the mayor and a few of the Piantas walked away, Apple wondered what part of Isle Delfino she should explore next.
“Hmmmm... I do want to see that big amusement park. Pinna Park, I believe it was called?” Apple said.
“Well, we do have a boat that takes passangers to and from the park... but you’re much too big for it!” one of the Piantas commented.
“You’re absolutely right. But I can fix that!” Apple said. That’s when she whistled out for her flying item chest. The chest came by quickly, and Apple tapped it to open it up. Suddenly, a lightning bolt emerged from out of the chest.
“I just gotta concentrate the energy of this bolt into me, and then...” Apple said. She pressed the bolt against her chest, causing all the sparks to flow around her body. The Piantas watched as Apple began to shrink in size. Princess Apple continued to shrink until she stopped at 10 feet tall, still significantly taller than any of the Piantas, but not the full-fledged giantess she was earlier.
“There! I should be small long enough for the boat to transport me to Pinna Park.” Apple said.
“Wow! That’s amazing! Oh, uh, follow me! I’ll take you to the boat.” the nearby Pianta said. Once Apple was led to the boat, she carefully hopped onboard and sat tight, waiting for the boat to set sail. She did her best mentally to keep the power of the lightning bolt inside of her, using a couple more bolts along the way, because growing back to her normal size while on the ship would be bad news indeed!


It took about 20 minutes, but the boat finally reached its destination of the island where Pinna Park was located. Apple (and the other Piantas onboard) hopped off the ship right on time, for as soon as she was on the sandy shoreline of this island, the princess of Giant Land grew back to her gigantic size.
“Whew... that was close. That was my last lightning bolt!” Apple said.

Princess Apple then turned her attention to Pinna Park itself. Like in Delfino Plaza, Apple traversed her immediate surroundings with extra care, not wanting to hurt any Piantas with any steps she took. And as she would immediately discover... she not only had to watch her feet, but also her head, for as soon as she looked ahead, she almost came into contact with a red railing. She then watched as a roller coaster whizzed by her eyes, almost surprising her as she heard both her own voice as well as that of several screaming Piantas (in delight from the coaster).
“Whoa! That was close. What a fascinating attraction that must be.” Apple said as she watched the coaster continue its speedy ride along the red railing that seemed to wrap all around the park.
Eventually she kept on moving forward, eventually taking her to a series of pirate ships. She was quite captivated to see them swinging back and forth... and sometimes in a complete loop!
“Oh my! That looks scary! Wait... what’s that?” Apple asked. She looked at the last pirate ship at the end and noticed something peculiar about it. She walked around the pirate ships (dipping her feet into the pool at times) and finally got to the end one. That’s where not only the ship wasn’t swinging as hard as the other ships, but she saw a crooked M with two dots above it painted in bright red.
“Hmmm... that M looks really funny. I doubt it’s even supposed to be there.” Apple said. She dipped her left hand into the water below and used that same hand to brush off the M. It came off easily, and suddenly coming out of the ship (just as it started swinging again) was a blue coin. Apple picked up the miniscule coin and held it in the palm of her hand.
“Oh! A blue coin? Well, I suppose I can put this towards the cost of that flying treasure chest.” Apple said with a smile as she tapped her chest flying high overhead and tossed the coin inside to retrieve when she got home.

Apple continued her quick and careful exploration of Pinna Park, her journey taking her to the Ferris Wheel at the back of the park. She smiled down at the Piantas that were waving up at her (D.E.B.S. helped spread the word quickly around the island that the giantess is very friendly).
“Hi there! I hope you’re enjoying the ride! In fact...” Apple said. She couldn’t resist it after watching the wheel slowly rotate clockwise, but Apple grabbed one of the bars and very gently pushed it down, causing the wheel to rotate a little faster.
“There you go. Maybe that’s more of a thrill to you.” Apple said. She could hear the Piantas screaming for joy as the wheel spun quicker (but eventually returned to its normal pace), and Apple was glad she could give them a good time.

It was time for Apple to move onto the last major attraction she could find at Pinna Park, and that was the Yoshi-Go-Round. Apple kneeled down and looked inside, again seeing Piantas having a great time. She particularly liked the model Yoshis that the Piantas were riding.
“What a colorful assortment of Yoshis!” Apple said to herself. And as soon as she thought that, another quick thought came to her mind. One that caused her to quickly stand up.
“OH! Speaking of the Yoshis, I haven’t been to Dinosaur Island. I should make that my next destination.” Apple said. She then took another look around all of Pinna Park, and then out in the distance at Delfino Plaza.
“I hate to leave Isle Delfino so suddenly, but I can always come back anytime I want.” Apple said. That’s when she decided to make the trip to Dinosaur Island, and it didn’t take long for her to come up with the perfect item to help her get there. She first thought about the cape feather which would transform her into Sky Apple, but that flight was only temporary. Luckily, she bumped the chest and with the right thought in mind, out came a P-Wing. Apple caught the wing before it could fly too high (and without causing any damage anywhere in the park), and the giant princess now sported raccoon ears and a tail, and there was a white P engraved on the chest area of her dress. Apple looked down at the Piantas who had witnessed the transformation.
“Bye Piantas! I enjoyed visiting your island and I hope to return someday!” Apple said. She then started rapidly flapping her raccoon tail and took off into the air, flying away from Isle Delfino.

Using the map given by her husband, Apple was able to locate Dinosaur Island. It was pretty big, much like Isle Delfino, being seperated by many different parts such as Yoshi’s Island. But Apple didn’t want to scare the Yoshis (who’ve had to confront many giant creatures over the years), so she made the decision to land almost halfway across the entire island. She chose the dense forest on the far east side as her landing spot, slowing her descent and carefully landing among the many tall trees, the tallest about half Apple’s size.
“Touchdown! So here I am on Dinosaur Island. I wonder what part of the island this is...” Apple said as she flipped through her series of maps, eventually coming across the Dinosaur Island one.
“Hmmm... according to this map, I’m over the Forest of Illusion. So if I go north... (yawn)” Apple said, suddenly finding herself very tired.
“Cookie Mountain... up ahead... *yawn*... I feel so... sleepy... all... sudden...” Apple said. What she didn’t know was that this was one of the hidden traits of the Forest of Illusion. A person not prepared to enter will find him or herself suddenly seeing things they normally don’t see, hence the name Forest of Illusion. Apple’s mind was clearly losing focus to this very forest, and she could no longer muster the strength to even stand on her two feet. She dropped her maps, collapsed down to her knees and then rested her body on top of all the gloomy looking trees, ultimately resting her head over the ghost house (almost crushing it flat). Apple was now fast asleep, entering the dream world for a second time in such a short time span. Where she would wind up would surprise even her...


When Princess Apple was finally able to open her eyes again, things were incredibly different. There was no scenery. Just a white background and a white floor as far as she could see.
“Where am I?” Apple asked herself. She took a couple steps and then looked down at her feet. She didn’t hear the soft stomping sounds that she and the other Giant Land citizens were known for. But then again, she thought it was because there was no real ground to be found.
“This has to be a dream world... or a nightmare if I’m not careful.” Apple said.
“Sis!” a female voice shouted. Apple looked around before looking in front of her and seeing her sister, Aska, and her mother running towards her.
“M...Mom? Aska?” Apple said. Indeed, Aska and her mother, Queen Pineapple, were both running towards her with smiles on their faces. But the bigger surprise, almost literally, to Apple was the fact they looked normal sized to her. Aska and Pineapple both stopped running right at Apple.
“My little sister! It’s been so long.” Aska said.
“Yes, Princess Apple, I am glad to see you safe and sound.” Queen Pineapple said.
“Well... thanks, but how is it you two are as big as me?” Apple asked.
“As big as you? Have you been chomping on the wrong mushroom? You’re the same 4’10” that you’ve always been!” Aska said.

“Oh, Apple. Perhaps you’ve been outside too long. Please come home with us.” Pineapple said. She reached out her hand to touch Apple’s, but Apple backed away.
“I’m sorry, Mom, but I don’t believe you’re real. Aska always taught me to always see behind the illusions.” Apple said.
“Yes... very good, Apple. I’m so proud of you!” Aska said.
“Don’t worry. We will be waiting for you. Always!” Pineapple said. The two ladies suddenly faded away into the white background.
“Huh!? Wait! Come back!” Apple said. She rushed forward trying to grab them, but they were totally gone from sight.
“What was that about?” Apple said.
“Princess Apple! This way!” Aska shouted in the distance. Apple started running. She ran for a couple minutes, her mind wandering what Aska, if she was even real, was doing.
“What are you doing, sis? Or better question... what is this illusion... ack!” Apple said. Before she could finish her train of thought, Apple suddenly felt herself slamming against a huge wall. She tumbled backwards and landed on her behind, shaking her head as she recovered from the crash.

“Whoa! A huge wall! Haven’t seen one of those at my size in a long time.” Apple said. She looked forward at the wall, curious as to why it was colored pink. When she looked up trying to see how tall the wall was, Apple found herself continuing to tilt her head backwards as the ‘wall’ reached higher and higher. It even changed colors from white to something resembling human skin. When Apple realized it was not a wall... her jaw dropped down in shock.
“What the...!?” Apple shouted. Standing before was a huge, probably 250-300 feet tall, Princess Peach sporting her athletic wear. The wall Apple crashed into was actually Peach’s shoes, followed by her white socks and then her legs.
Hmmm... I wonder where Princess Apple is. She said she would be here.” Peach said as her voice boomed out high in the decibel chart. Apple almost had to cover her ears from how loud Peach’s voice was. She briefly wondered if this is how her voice sounded to the normal-sized Mushroom people, but the next task at hand was to see if she could get the giant Peach’s attention. This was a situation she hadn’t done in a long time, but her experience with trying to get Prince Hugo’s attention in the past helped her out.
“PEACH! Down here! I’m down here!” Apple said as she jumped up and down and waved her arms around. But no dice. Peach acted as if she didn’t hear a sound. In fact, it sounded as though she was calling out to someone else.

Daisy! I still don’t see Apple anywhere!” Peach shouted.
“Daisy? Where... eeeek!” Apple shouted. She looked around trying to see where Princess Daisy might be, and it was when she looked behind her and saw a similarly giant Daisy approaching Peach and fast! Apple had to rush out of the way to keep from being stepped on. Daisy, like Peach, was also in her athletic wear, looking very similar to Peach except of course for the yellow/orange color scheme.
Really? That’s strange. You would think she’d be easy to spot given her magnificent size.” Daisy said.
I know. I don’t know how she’s able to do it. You know, being able to interact with us normal-sized people so easily. She’s almost an expert at it!” Peach said.
Well, why not? She’s the princess of Giant Land; the best one ever!” Daisy said.
Still... it must be incredible to see the world from a different perspective.” Peach said.
Come on, we better keep looking. It’s not like we’re going to step on her or anything like that!” Daisy said. And with that, the two giant princesses walked together to the east, the same direction where Princess Apple was standing. Apple suddenly sound herself looking up at the bottom of Peach’s shoe.
“Wait! Peach! Waiiiiit!!!” Apple shouted, trying in vain to hold the shoe back with her arms.

The scenery changed again in a flash, as did Apple’s state of mind both physically and mentally. Because she looked down and saw she was sitting on top of the gloomy trees of the Forest of Illusion. And she was her good ol’ gigantic self too, no longer in any danger of being stepped on like Peach almost did to her.
“Whew... thank goodness it was all an illusion. I expected nothing less from the Forest of Illusion.” Apple said. As she helped herself back onto her feet and brushed the many leaves from the trees off her dress and legs, she couldn’t help but wonder what that sequence of events was about.
“Was that a message? To not take my size for granted? What could it have meant?” Apple said. As she continued to ask questions franatically to herself, an interesting sight to behold brought her back to reality.
“Oh?” Apple said. She looked out towards Soda Lake, where she saw a Boo as well as Lady Bow (one of Mario’s friends from afar) holding hands as they floated happily over the water. It may look like an ordinary romance sighting, but to Apple, it was an important reminder.
“Oh, Hugo. I miss him already. He probably misses me too.” Apple said. As she stepped towards Chocolate Island, easily stepping over the rocky terrain that gave Mario a workout back in the day, she made the decision to end her vacation right then and there.
“Well, it’s been fun, but I really should get back home. These other islands can wait for another day.” Apple said. And so, with a bump of the flying item chest, another frog suit came out. Apple became Mermaid Apple upon touching the suit, and she jumped into the water and began the long swim back home.

Little did she know she would have to make one more stop on her vacation. A stop that would span the ages.

------

As Apple was swimming in the general direction where Giant Land lied, the giantess glanced down and caught a glimpse of something. Something that looked very peculiar.
“Huh? What’s that?” Apple asked herself. She swam lower, deeper towards the ocean floor to get a closer look. It was a strange sight. Hills, tiny question blocks, gray rusted koopa shells, and a castle made of green instead of red bricks. All underwater. And Apple immediately figured what she had stumbled upon.
“Is this... the Minus World?” Apple said to herself. There was no mistaking it. She had read about the myth in her spare time. It was a world seemingly only reachable by the most acrobatic of adventure seekers. Mario had even claimed to have seen it when he confronted the mystical being known as the Game Genie, although Mario has since backed off that claim having been knocked out during his encounter with the enigmatic figure visiting from another world (presumably the same world as Culex although this too is unconfirmed). Nevertheless, Apple was seeing this world with her own two eyes. While looking at the castle, she noticed a bright light shining from inside.
“Oh? What’s this bright light?” Apple asked. Curiosity got the better of the giant princess as she swam towards the castle. With no lifeforms to speak of in the Minus World, Apple threw her careful and cautious nature out the window and gently tore apart the castle piece by piece. But when the top of the castle was completely broken off, the light became so intense, she had to shield her eyes. She could also feel herself getting pulled in, like she was stuck in a strong current, but the bright light prevented her from swimming to escape.
“Ack!” Apple shouted as she just braced herself for the ride. Suddenly, she found herself not only falling down, but she felt like she was out of the water too.

Apple finally landed on the ground with a resounding boom. The hard landing caused her to lose her mermaid power as she reverted (with power down sound again) back to her regular but still gigantic self. Apple slowly sat up.
“Ouch... that had to hurt. Thank goodness all my powers protect me from these hard landings.” Apple said. She stood up on her two feet, but looked up and saw a Yoshi egg go flying over her head. What caught her attention was the larger than normal size of the egg. Normally Yoshi eggs are super hard to see given her size.
“Huh? A Yoshi egg? That one’s pretty big...” Apple said. As she watched it sail in the air, she suddenly saw a large fireball come flying in her direction.
“Yikes!!” Apple shouted as she quickly ducked down to dodge the fireball. As she snapped her head back to see where the fireball was heading, she was stunned to see what she was now looking at. It was the remains of a castle, and jumping all around the top of the rubble was Yoshi and a baby wearing Mario’s familiar red cap.

“Mario?” Apple said. Before she could wonder any more, she heard a monstrous roar from behind. That’s when she looked and saw another sight she wasn’t familiar with at first.
“Bowser?” Apple said. She was looking at Baby Bowser, although he was huge; about a head taller than herself. She sidestepped another of his fireballs and watched as it almost struck Yoshi and Baby Mario. That’s when it became clear to Apple what had happened to her when she tried to interact with that white light.
“That bright light... it must’ve been a time warp! I’m watching the first epic battle between Mario and Bowser... almost literally!” Apple said.

That’s when Apple had to be very careful, as one wrong move could alter history in a very bad way! Luckily Yoshi had not taken shots at her yet... it was likely because he was focused so much on beating the gigantic Bowser, who Apple took another look at.
“Wow... for a baby he sure looks scary when big! Just like his kids!” Apple said to herself, noting the bright white eyes that the giant Baby Bowser was clearly using to focus his attacks on Yoshi.
At least, that was the case at first. Apple now had to contend with Yoshi’s eggs as he finally started taking aim at her.
“Whoa! Hey, watch it! I’m on your side!” Apple said as she bobbed and weaved around the eggs. And that was the lapse in concentration that even someone as dumb as Baby Bowser could see through. He let out a loud roar and shot out a fireball, hitting Yoshi square on. While the projectile didn’t burn him, it did knock him unconscious and throw Baby Mario off his saddle. The baby was crying profoundly while floating around inside a bubble.
“Oh no!” Apple shouted, knowing a death here would be treacherous for the entire history of the Mushroom Kingdom. Apple quickly rushed towards the remains of the castle, being careful not to damage it more than it already has been. She reached a hand underneath the baby... and almost as if the bubble was reacting to the good nature of the giant princess, the bubble popped and Baby Mario landed in the palm of her right hand.
“Don’t worry, Mario, I will protect you now just as I will in the future.” Apple said with a smile, even though she knew he wouldn’t understand those words yet. She carefully set the baby down back on Yoshi’s saddle, where he giggled happily and then tried to wake Yoshi back up.

But Apple had no time to interact any further with Yoshi or Mario’s younger self, for when she felt the ground rumbling and many booming sounds followed, Apple turned around and saw Baby Bowser quickly charging forward. She figured he was trying to end the battle now by running into his own castle, causing Mario and Yoshi to fall and leaving his Koopa empire unchallenged with the giant brat using the entire island as his own playground. Apple was determined not to let that kind of future take over, and so she made her move as soon as Baby Bowser was close enough.
“Kochou no Mai!!!” Apple suddenly shouted as she jumped and thrust her fist upward, making contact with Bowser’s chin and sending him backwards a few steps.
“OW OW OWWWWWWW!!!” Baby Bowser said as his body also blinked yellow for a couple seconds. This told Apple that Baby Bowser had a spell casted on him, no doubt a temporary enlargement spell by one of his Magikoopas. As Baby Bowser shook his head trying to recover from the blow, Apple had a mean look on her face. If only I had my Dark Shroom with me, she thought to herself.
“Even as a baby, you are a big jerk, Bowser. I won’t let you hurt my friends! Not now, and not ever!” Apple shouted. With her item chest nowhere to be found, Apple had to resort to another item. One that she never thought she would have to use as a weapon. Her own tiara. She took it off and tossed it towards Bowser.
“Ha!” Apple shouted. The red tiara actually became encased in flames having been tossed harder than Mario’s fiery fastball. Baby Bowser had no chance to evade this attack and got hit square on the nose.
“OW OW OWWWWWWW!!!” Baby Bowser said as his body blinked yellow again. This time for a much longer period and he wasn’t falling backwards either. As the tiara bounced off Baby Bowser’s nose and rebounded all the way back to Apple, showers of multi-colored sparks came flying out from all around Baby Bowser’s body. Purple, orange, green, blue, and finally white. The white sparks were bright enough that Apple had to shield her eyes temporarily. When she opened them up, Baby Bowser was gone. As she looked around wondering where the giant villain went, she suddenly heard another baby-ish cry behind her.
“Woow! Woow! WOOW!!” Baby Bowser shouted. Apple looked behind and noticed the cry coming from Baby Bowser, who had shrunken back to his normal size and was laying flat on his stomach on one of the remaining platforms of the castle. Apple then watched as a Magikoopa, who she would later know as Kamek, came flying in.
“How dare you!? It’s not fair... you are such a big meanie... we’ll be back! You’ll see! Waaaaaaah!!” Kamek shouted as he too cried out in defeat. He swooped down, picked up the fallen Baby Bowser, and took off for the moon. Apple breathed a sigh of relief.
“Whew... thank goodness that’s over.” Apple said.

Apple then looked down at Yoshi, who had finally regained consciousness. Yoshi at first was scared and tried to find ammunition to fire at the giantess, but Apple brought out her diplomatic side and did her best to calm the dinosaur down.
“Shhhh... it’s okay, Yoshi. I am your friend. You don’t need to be afraid.” Apple said. Yoshi didn’t move any further. In fact, Baby Mario giggled in happiness and tugged on Yoshi’s back, which told Yoshi he was happy and not afraid. If Baby Mario wasn’t afraid, neither should Yoshi.
“Yoshi! Yoshi!” Yoshi shouted. He then, after looking to his right, started jumping from platform to platform. Apple was curious as to where Yoshi was going, and so she followed suit from behind. When Yoshi stopped running, that’s when she saw a stork tied up on a platform and hanging upside down. There also was a white bag where Baby Luigi had popped his head up. Apple watched with fascination.
“I see... Bowser must’ve kidnapped Luigi and Yoshi was trying to rescue him and reunite the baby brothers.” Apple said.
“Leave luck to heaven and call me a daddy’s uncle! You found the other baby! Thank you, brave dinosaur. I am forever in your debt... but maybe you could help me down from here?” the stork said.
“Let me take care of that for you.” Apple said. She reached forward, and as gentle as she could with her big hands, Apple was successfully able to liberate the stork. It flapped its wings and hovered in the air above the babies.
“Oh! Thank you, giant woman. My my... you really grew up. I can’t imagine what carrying you as a baby would’ve been like!” the stork said.
“Well, you’re welcome, but I must tell you I’m actually from the future. I came here after stumbling into a time warp from the Minus World. You wouldn’t happen to know a way for me to return home, would you?” Apple asked.
“Hmmm... I think I recall seeing some weird portal near the Cave of the Bandits while the Toadies were carrying me here. Maybe that’s what you are seeking.” the stork said.

“Well, anything’s worth a try.” Apple said.
“I’m sorry, but I must get going and deliver these Brothers to their home in the Mushroom Kingdom. This is my first late delivery in years!!!” the stork said. He carefully took Mario from Yoshi’s back and placed him in the same bag that Luigi was in, and the two brothers hugged each other, happy to be reunited. The stork then took the bag in its mouth and took off for the dark skies. As Apple watched the stork fly away and she waved it farewell, a thought crossed her mind.
“The Mushroom Kingdom? I thought they said they were from the Brooklyn kingdom. Hmmm... oh well.” Apple said. She then looked down and saw that Yoshi was gone. A glance to the left saw the dinosaur hopping across the platforms and eventually reuniting other colored Yoshis, just as much in happiness as the young Mario Brothers were. Apple smiled.

“Like a true hero riding off to Desert Land.” Apple said. And with that, Apple departed from the destroyed castle herself, hoping she would find the portal that the stork mentioned.

It took almost a half hour, mostly of defeating some of Bowser’s leftover minions (some of them gigantic like the Golden Tap Tap), but Apple was able to find the Cave of the Bandits. At least she recognized it judging from all the blue and red bandits that were running around trying not to get stepped on by the giantess. And sure enough, high above the cave entrance was a portal that wasn’t as bright as the one in Minus World, but it definitely resembled it. Apple took a deep breath. She didn’t know where this portal would take her.
“Well, here goes... I’ll either be back in Minus World or in some other galaxy.” Apple said. She reached forward and got sucked completely into the portal, which disappeared as soon as the giantess was completely through.

It would be a very rough ride for the giant princess, who blacked out just seconds into her new ride.

-----

“Apple! Apple, my dear! Wake up!” Apple heard a voice shout as she finally regained consciousness. When Apple opened her eyes, she saw a lot of sand that stretched for miles. She also eventually recognized the voice calling out to her belonging to her husband, Prince Hugo.
“Ohhhh... where am I?” Apple said.
“Easy, my princess. You had a rough landing.” Hugo said. He reached down, along with Madzilla and one of the Giant Palace mushroom guards, and helped Apple to her feet. Apple was shaking her head trying to undizzy herself.

“I’ll say! I give it a 7 if you ask me.” Madzilla said.
“What? She ate a lot of sand!” the guard said.
“Honey? What are you doing here?” Apple asked.
“I could ask you the same thing, actually. We were walking along the beach when suddenly you came flying out from a portal and landed on the sand unconscious.” Hugo said.
“Oh! That time portal... it must’ve brought me all the way back here.” Apple said.
“Huh? Time portal?” Hugo said.
“Well... it’s a long story.” Apple said.
“And one I’d be glad to hear at the dinner table. Come on, let’s get you back to the palace and check for any injuries.” Hugo said. As the group was heading back to Giant Palace, Apple suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, wait! Where’s my chest of items?” Apple asked.
“Don’t worry, it will eventually find its way back here. You grew quite attached to that chest, after all!” Hugo said. Indeed, the group looked out towards sea and saw the chest flapping its wings rapidly and coming onshore.

“See?” Hugo said with a smile.
“Heh heh... we have the coolest gagdets, with all apologies to E. Gadd.” Apple said.

“Come on, let’s get on home.” Hugo said.
“Yeah! I’m cooking today!” Madzilla said.

“Thank you, everyone. It’s great to be home.” Apple said. And so the group, along with the flying chest, headed back home to Giant Palace. Apple took a good look out to sea. Another eventful, but amazing, vacation had come to an end. Whether she would take another one remained to be seen, because Apple kept thinking as she was walking back... there’s no place like home!


END