Apple didn't have an eye for subtlety. She colored things in broad strokes, with her artwork and otherwise, in the simplest of color schemes.

Marsh doubted that she realized how big of a change the garden was.

The physical change was obvious. The dull mansion landscape was now accented with bright, living green. A plethora of colors were represented by the two dozen flowers in the garden: red, yellow, blue, purple, pink, even orange. Apple had painted the pots so no two looked alike. 'What an amazing idea,' Marsh thought.

But more significant? The psychological change.

It was good to feel good about something for once, to be able to shut off the dark thoughts with, "well, at least I'm doing this good deed." It was a massive change indicated only by the subtlest of changes in disposition.

Heck, half the changes had already been brought on by the stargazing confession. It was less staring into the distance and sighing, and more taking care of the living things in her life. It was less lonely-feeling.

Loneliness was hard to see, so it'd be surprising indeed if Apple saw all of that.

She sat on the bottommost step of the Purgatory Mansion porch, leaning back and enjoying the scenery. Peaceful thoughts steeped in nostalgia passed through her mind. Memories of times bygone filled her mind.

Many of them involved Apple, but not all of them. Some were of times with Team Epic in between seasons, like her, Lightbulb, and Paintbrush's old tea parties. There was even the occasional snatch of a memory of a time before time, before she even got the letter in the post telling her she was competing on Inanimate Insanity. All were rendered in the brightest of hues, like those flowers.

She sighed dreamily.

The Purgatory Mansion door was bashed open behind her. "Marshmallow!"

"Yes?"

Apple bounded down the steps and stood in front of her, hands behind her back. "I got you something!"

"Oh?"

"But I can't give it to you unless you sit up, put your arms out like you're gonna give me a hug, and close your eyes."

Marsh grinned awkwardly. 'This must be some drawing... What is it, on a poster or something?' She still obeyed, though.

Suddenly she felt something being put on her, like a vest. "Uh."

"Don't look. Just give me a second!"

"A-are you doing up buttons?!"

No response except the distinct motion of buttoning something. A misplaced sense of panic came over her. '...Come on. It's Apple. She wouldn't do something to hurt me, would she?' The answer was no, obviously.

She took a deep breath and willed herself to relax. "Hold on...! There! All done. You can look now."

Marsh opened her eyes. Apple was standing pretty close to her with a hopeful grin on her face. Marsh looked.

She was wearing a dark blue vest with short sleeves. A Walmart logo was etched into the pocket on the front. It was quite loose, especially around her arms and back, but it wasn't falling off of her or anything.

"A Walmart uniform?! Where'd you even-"

"Walmart, obviously! When I woke up and you weren't in bed, I knew I had to get you something special. And Walmart's your favorite. So I went to Walmart and asked what kinda Walmart-logo stuff they had, and the cashier looked at me funny for a minute. Then he gave me this jacket and told me that I could only have it if I gave him my autograph."

Marsh blinked, mind a blank.

"I... don't know if this is weird or romantic. I'm at a loss. Heh, what's the occasion?"

"No occasion. I just love you!"

"Oh." Marsh smiled. "You're something else. Thanks."

"Aww, it's nothing. You look really cute in it. I can't believe how big it is on you, though. That's the smallest size they have without custom ordering it."

"Yeah, it is a little loose." Marsh tried smoothing down the back, to little avail. "It's no big deal, though. There aren't a lot of reasons I'd leave the house wearing this, so..."

"I don't think I ever noticed how tiny you are." Marsh blinked as Apple stepped closer, staring at her. "I thought I was small."

"You are."

"Yeah, but you're even littler. Haven't you ever thought about how cool that is?" Apple pulled her closer by the wrist. "You're, like, the perfect size to hug! But I knew that."

"Aww, really? Come on..."

"Yeah really! I wouldn't lie to you. I love you too much."

"Heh." Marsh's face grew slightly warm. "Well, if me being small makes you so happy, then I'm not growing anytime soon."

"That's great... I think my favorite part about you being little is your hands. They're so cute."

Apple grabbed one and planted a kiss on it.

Marsh instinctively glanced towards the mansion's windows, because God, was it embarrassing. If Bow was watching, she'd never hear the end of it.

"It's not like they're that small."

"Nah, they are."

'Sheesh. I need to come up with something incredibly sappy to say to throw her off her guard.'

"...W-well, whatever! M-maybe the feeling is mutual."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. Um, if you like holding my hands because they're small, maybe I like holding onto yours because they're big. Did you think about that?"

"N-no." Instantly the confidence behind Apple's posture was gone. She stared at her with surprise. No longer the wooer, she waited to be wooed.

'Man, she's so easy to fluster.'

She willed herself not to let her voice crack as she continued, "Yeah. Like, totally. They're also warm. It kind of reminds me of something, uh..."

Apple stared at her with interest, face turning redder than usual already.

'The sun? A really big cup of hot chocolate? Santa? Sheesh. What'd fluster her the most...?'

Marsh thought for a moment, then grabbed Apple's hand. "You. They remind me of you."

"Me?!"

Marsh took her wrist away from Apple. "Mhm! Yeah. Your hands hold mine all the time like you hold me. And they're also, uh, good at making things, like you are."

"Aww! Thank you!"

Marsh laughed. "I feel so useless thinking this stuff, let alone saying it."

"Eh, I love it. You sure do know how to charm a girl. Wow-ie! I think I'm gonna faint! But I am a sucker for it, so..." Marsh pecked her cheek. Apple giggled. "So, what're you doing out here, anyway, Marsh?"

"Nothing unusual. I'm just thinking."

"About...?"

"Stuff."

"You've been coming out here a lot. We ought to build a bench for you to sit in. Maybe even a swingy bench! I forget what that's called."

"A hammock?"

"Yeah!"

"That might not be such a bad idea, actually," Marsh replied. "We'll have to get Test Tube over here one of these days to calculate whether the roof porch can handle that weight."

"Mhm." Apple grinned. "Oh, change of subject. I feel inspired and kinda want to draw you with your gift. is that okay?"

"I don't see why not."

Apple gave her a quick hug. "Great! I'll be back in just a sec with some crayons! Get comfy."

Apple ambled inside. Marsh sat back on the step, looking out at the flowers once more. She giggled to herself. What a wild ride that Apple was.

'Apple, never change. You're too good already.'

There'd been many changes at Purgatory Mansion. There was physical change in adding the color, and emotional change in Marshmallow when she was in its presence.

But more than that, it changed the essence of Purgatory Mansion.

No longer was it a place characterized just by death, ghosts, and regrets. There was a new essence in the mansion, one of being lived in, of being loved in. It was less of a Purgatory Mansion and more of a Love Mansion, maybe even a Paradise Mansion.

Perhaps that was the greatest change of all.