AN: I am a terrible person for making Hat Kid suffer like this...
Behold the alternate ending to Chapter 4, The Illness has Spread!
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Just one more left! Hat Kid thought to herself as she raced up the various mountain tops that made up the Alpine Skyline, panting the entire time.
The day had started out like a typical one, run around until she found one of her missing Time Pieces, return to the ship to celebrate, have some cookies, and then take a nap. That was her routine, but something had gone wrong after she collected that Time Piece.
The sky had turned dark, lightning flashed, and everything had gone to peck.
Weird purple flowers had appeared everywhere, and the Goats started acting super aggressive! They had tried to attack her multiple times, leaving the child with no choice but to dodge them or get hurt.
She had quickly made the connection between the appearance of the strange flowers and the extreme change in the Goats behavior, and struck out to stop this strange illness.
It had been easy to reach the first two large flowers that were the source of the smaller ones, using her hookshot as well as her acrobatic skills, but as she progressed to the third she began to notice something while she was running.
It was getting harder to breathe.
Hat Kid knew she was an athletic child, having run all around the Alpine Skyline looking for her missing Time Pieces and never ended up panting. Peck, that had been easy compared to the training she had been through, but now...
Now she was gasping for air as she ran to that last flower. Her lungs felt like they were on fire and she could taste something metallic in her mouth.
She noticed some odd purple fluff floating on the strong winds and knocked them away from her face with the wave of a hand.
The broken wheezing that made up her breathing began to get worse, forcing the child to stop running. She stopped and hunched forward, one hand reaching up to grasp at her chest.
And then she started coughing.
It was a deep, raspy cough that sounded like it was filled with some kind of liquid. Like the cough someone might have when they were sick, but somehow far worse. She bent forward even more, the coughing getting stronger and her vision changing.
Was her shadow always that dark? Why did the lightning seem so bright? What was going on-
A retching cough, that strong metallic taste appearing in her mouth once again, and something landing in her hand. The child winced, looked down, and felt her blood run cold.
As she stared down at the viscous red liquid in her hand, spotted with what she assumed was purple spores from the flowers, she realized something. She had forgotten one of the most basic lessons about exploring other planets.
Always be careful of unknown lifeforms, especially plants, because you did not know what was toxic.
And it was clear to her now, as she stared at her stained blood, that this plant was extremely deadly to her kind.
How long had it been in her, the child wondered, feeling detached from her body. How long had the poisonous substance been sitting in her body, being pumped through her arteries and veins. How long did she have left-
She collapsed, body going numb and vision beginning to fade out. The toxin was taking effect and it would not be long before...
Hat Kid was numb to the crystalline tears that poured from her eyes and stained the ground. After everything she had been through, after getting back so many Time Pieces and even her soul...
It looked like this was the end for our hatted protagonist.
The ground underneath her began to shake and it took all of her strength to turn her head to the side. She looked up at the looming silhouette of a Goat. Lightning flashed once again and more of the purple spores floated through the air.
Death towered above her, and she had no choice but to embrace it.
If only she had not lost her Time Pieces in the first place...
It was all her fault...
In her deadly, unconscious state she did not hear the voices that rung out around her. The single shout that would prove to save her life.
"NOW!"
Figures jumped off of roofs and cliffs, some tackling the Goat that had been seconds away from crushing her, and others running to pick up the unconscious child. She was quickly picked up by two of the figures and carried off to a safe place. Lighting flashed and revealed the identities of her saviors.
It was the Nomads!
The natives of this vast, mountainous region had originally been hiding because of the infected Goats and vicious weather, but once they noticed the hatted child fighting to save their home they decided to help out.
It had been terrifying to watch the child pass out, undoubtedly from the now poisonous air, but luckily for the Nomads the scarfs that they wore seemed to protect them from the toxic spores.
One of the Nomads, a shorter one wearing a blue outfit, picked up her discarded umbrella and glanced over towards where the last flower was. Their kind was pacifistic in nature, preferring to completely avoid conflict rather than engage in it, but if fighting would save their home...
They would do it in a heartbeat.
"CHARGE!" The short figure shouted, lifting the umbrella aloft, and with that the rest of the Nomads rushed towards the final flower. Some were struck by attacks, such as lightning or vines that sprung up from the ground, but the majority managed to make it to the toxic flower.
Together they attacked, doing whatever they could to weaken the vegetation that was causing this mess. Punches and kicks left marks, but did not seem to do much damage.
Suddenly, the Nomad that held Hat Kid's umbrella jumped up in the air, soaring towards the source of all of the chaos and destruction that had plagued their home.
With a shout the umbrella was lifted high in the air, and then brought down, striking the plant!
A blast of purple smoke erupted from the now decapitated flower, dispelling the threat and allowing the skies to return to their normal appearance. It looked as though the mountain based village had been saved.
Now there was only one thing left to worry about.
Hours later Hat Kid groaned, a headache ripping through her mind as she slowly sat up in her bed...
Wait what?!
She jolted upright, hissing at the pain that danced behind her eyes, and looked around the room she found herself in. It was small and made entirely out of planks of wood, giving it a homely feel. There was a fireplace in one wall and a table resting in the center of the room. The bed she was in was directly across from the door and window, allowing her to look at the bright blue sky.
Blue sky? She must still be on the planet then!
But what happened? The last thing she remembered was passing out because of the flowers...
The flowers! The poison!
Panic immediately filled the still recovering child. What had happened while she was unconscious?!
"Ah, you are awake!"
The calm but excited voice broke through the haze of fear and confusion that covered the child, allowing her to focus on the figure that had just entered the building.
It was a Nomad!
This one was tall and wore purple coloured attire. Her yellow eyes lit up with glee as she took in the conscious child in front of her. She quickly rushed forward and began looking Hat Kid over for any injuries that still needed to be healed. After finding nothing she stepped back and nodded in satisfaction.
"And you have no more injuries, good!"
"Uh," Hat Kid began to say, pushing the soft covers off of her body so she could properly face the Nomad. "What happened?"
"Those flowers were poisonous and you got sick, but we made an antidote!" She cheerfully replied.
"We?" Hat Kid asked, uncertain as to what the happy Nomad was talking about.
Rather than verbally answer the Nomad gestured towards the, still open, door of the house she was sitting in. Cautiously, the child walked forward and soon found herself at the door, a strange shadow covering it. Suddenly a massive form leaned down and an, unfortunately familiar, furry face appeared in the doorway.
It was a Goat!
Instinctively Hat Kid cringed back, swiftly hiding in the home as memories of the Goat that had nearly crushed her played in her mind. Was this the same one that had tried to kill her?
Interestingly enough the brilliant white eyes of the Goat seemed to dim in... sorrow?
"Do not worry about the Goats, they are fine now and they helped us make the antidote." The Nomad said, walking forward to join the child near the door. Comforted by the other presence, the child stepped out from her hiding place but still stayed inside the house so she could get a better look at her visitor.
"Are you the one who..." Hat Kid trailed off, unsure of what to say next.
Luckily enough it appeared as though no more words were needed as the Goat nodded, confirming what she had originally thought.
Silence reigned for several moments as the child tried to figure out what to say next. She knew the Goats were not vocal and since the towering creature had not left was obvious to her that there was another reason why he was here.
A metaphorical lightbulb appeared above her hat.
"Oh, are you apologizing to me?" The Goat eagerly nodded, some of the light returning to his eyes.
The Goat then gently gestured to her and then tapped the ground in front of him. Hat Kid knew what the silent creature was asking, but she was still a bit nervous. Then again it was so weird so see a Goat looking so sad...
Hat Kid huffed, tilted her hat back, and strode outside towards the creature. Almost immediately she was covered by his shadow as he loomed above her. Even crouching the being was still significantly taller than her.
He then gestured to her hat, once again confusing her. Several gestures later she realized that the Goat wanted her to remove her hat. It was an odd request but she complied, holding her favourite hat in her hands as she waited for the creature to do, whatever he planned on doing.
The Goat then began to gently pet her hair.
The soft brushing motion was incredibly gentle, far softer than anything Hat Kid thought a creature of this size would be capable of. It was actually oddly relaxing and she found herself leaning into the affectionate touches.
After several seconds of this the hand was lifted up and away, an involuntary whine escaping the child, making her blush in embarrassment.
The Goat's eyes were shining with a playful light, a seemingly affectionate snort escaping the furry behemoth. He then stood up and walked away, the apology having been completed. Hat Kid blinked.
That was weird...
"Aw, that was so cute!" The Nomad squealed, rushing over to the child so she could also watch the Goat walk away. "I have not seen a Goat do something like that before."
The blush on her face only grew more intense.
"By the way we found this near the last flower." The Nomad said, entering the house once more, picking something up, and then joining her outside again. Hat Kid's jaw dropped when the item was held up, the warm glow it emitted encompassing the doorway.
It was a Time Piece!
"Thank you so much!" She cried out, rushing forward and hugging the helpful Nomad. A soft red glow appeared under her yellow eyes, her own version of a blush, no doubt.
With her mission complete, even if she had not been the one to complete it, Hat Kid walked over towards the edge of the cliff so she could return to her ship. Her hostess seemed to sense this as she did not ask what the girl was doing, and instead remained near the door of her house.
"Come back any time!" The Nomad shouted, waving to the child.
Hat Kid grinned, waved back, and rocketed up into the air.
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AN: Full disclosure I honestly planned to kill off the precious smol in this fic but I decided that would be a bit too cruel XD
THE NOMADS AND GOATS NEED MORE LOVE ANYWAYS!
Reviews are always welcome and I hope you guys enjoyed :3
-ImmortalCoelacanth