After a long break, I finally am back. I am going to warn you right away, don´t expect frequent uploads for now. My finals are coming closer, but I´ll try to write this anyways. Hopefully this story will be as good as the last ones, maybe even better.
With that being said, enjoy!
He looked at his calendar, and crossed another day out. It now had been an entire year since he left his friends and retreated into Somnom Woods, and the day of truth had come. Either they would look for him in order to bring him back, or they wouldn´t. What would he do if they didn´t come, though?
Mario and Luigi hopped off the Zeeppelin, which had brought them to Pi'illo Island, now that it was time to get Nico back. Not only did they come here in order to search for him and welcome him back, if they could find him, that was; but were also there to assist Starlow and Dreambert in battle, should something have happened with their friend. He might have gone insane or worse, but they didn´t know what would await them in the forest.
"Do you think he´s alright?" Luigi asked his brother while they walked into the direction of Pi'illo Castle.
"He´s an excellent fighter, so I doubt that something managed to harm him. The things we should be concerned about are his mental state and Dark Nico," Mario replied.
"I hope that we´ll be able to restore everything to normal again…" Luigi said, worried about what would happen once they found Nico…if they could find him, of course.
Inside of Pi'illo Castle, Starlow and Dreambert readied themselves for their search. Starlow had kept Nico´s message and the instructions in order to find him locked in the caves behind Pi'illo Castle. Now that the time had come, she hovered towards the statue of the Zeekeeper, where they had found Dreambert as a petrified pillow.
Pressing certain spots on the statue, she opened a small hatch, which contained Nico´s letter. She brought it back to the Meeting Room, where she and Dreambert were supposed to meet Mario and Luigi. As she entered it after arriving there, she could see that the brothers were already there.
"Mario, Luigi. It´s nice to see you two again," she greeted them.
"Same about you, Starlow," Luigi replied.
"Do you have the instructions, my dear?" Dreambert asked.
"Here they are," Starlow said, and put the paper on the table.
If you are reading this, one year should have passed and you are intending to find me. I am willing to come back to you, but I won´t make it easy for you. If I am to come back, you´ll have to earn me. Go to the Pi'illo Temple in Somnom Woods, you will receive additional information there. Nico
"So we need to go there first. Let´s take the Warp Pipe and look for more clues," Starlow said after she read the message out loud.
"Let´s go, then. Is everyone ready?" Dreambert asked.
"Yes. Let´s find him," everyone replied with enthusiasm.
They went to the pipe under the stairs in Pi'illo Castle and gathered on top of it. They were then warped into Somnom Woods, where their friend was hidden. Mario and Luigi stood on the platform, which transported them over the gap. The four then made their way towards the Pi'illo Temple in order to find the next instructions.
Repair: successful.
System: operational.
Warning: System still damaged, weapons offline. Thruster capacity: Mushroom Kingdom and return.
Booting NICBOT-Unit…
On Mt. Pajamaja, something started moving under a pile of snow. Soon, a metallic fist emerged from it. It didn´t take long for the being to free itself from the snow, and it stood up after a year of repairing. He had to gather information on how everything had turned out after he had been defeated by their opponents. Nicbot looked at the wall he had fallen down. He would have been able to fly up there, but the possibility of the worst-case scenario still existed. The robot started climbing up the wall, determined to find out what he had missed in one year.
Mario, Luigi, Starlow and Dreambert entered the Pi'illo Temple, just to see four blocks hovering inside of it. A red one with a "M" on it, a green one with a "L" on it, and a yellow one and a red one with a heart on both of them. Understanding what the blocks meant, Mario and Luigi stood under their respective blocks, while Starlow hovered under the yellow one and Dreambert under the red one with the heart on it. They simultaneously hit the four blocks, and waited for something to happen.
Four runes came out of the blocks, and they projected signs into the middle of the room. Dreambert recognized them instantly, as they were symbols of the Pi'illos´ language. He hovered up to them, and read out loud what was written.
The four have arrived, intending to bring him back. Do they deserve to find him, though? Or rather….does he deserve to be found? It can only be answered through the next tasks. If the four are determined to bring him back, they won´t back down and follow these instructions. Head north, you will find a path. Follow it, until you get a new message.
"So he wants to see if he is of enough value to us, by testing our determination…" Starlow concluded.
"Well then, let´s do it! We´ll get him back," Mario announced, and the four of them left the temple again.
The first rune was glowing green. This meant that they were in the temple, and most likely heading towards the first riddle now. Nico stood up, and packed the runes into a makeshift-backpack. He then set off into the direction of the first riddle. He wanted to see them, after all this time. The human left the clearing, and disappeared into the forest.
The group walked on a small path north of the temple, and the further they walked, the more magic Starlow could feel around her. This part of the forest hadn´t been visited by many, and it seemed like there were more runes like the one Nico had used in the temple. After a while, they reached a crossing. They didn´t know where to head next, but before they were able to discuss their next course of action, a new message was projected in the air by another rune, hidden behind a bush.
Where to go, where to find him…only one way leads to their friend. You may only choose once, and can´t change your mind once you´ve chosen a path. You´ll get a hint, in order to make it fair: think outside the box…
"That hint is there for a reason," Starlow said, and started to look around.
Each path looked the same, and it was obvious to Starlow that the right answer wasn´t visible to them, though the wrong ones were. She investigated the area next to each path, looking for a way that was hidden from them.
And after a few minutes, she found it. It was hard to notice, but the branches on one tree were positioned perfectly for climbing up. She flew upwards, and discovered a makeshift path of branches between leaves. After making her discovery, she hovered down to her friends again.
"It looks like you can climb up there to access a hidden path. I´d say we follow it," she told them.
"That would explain why he had to 'think outside the box'," Dreambert agreed.
The Mario Bros. climbed up the tree using the branches, and then jumped from branch to branch. Nico used a liana to swing to a nearby tree from his position, where he had been spectating the four of them solving the riddle. He then took another path hidden out of sight, so he was going to be ahead of them again.
After following the "path" for five minutes, the group found a tree they could climb down again, as the path in the trees seemed to end. What they found once they´ve reached the ground again was a narrow passage between rocks, only wide enough for one person at a time. They followed the path, and after they had passed through the passage, stood in front of a barrier, made of magic. A large rune was placed in front of it, and a message was written above it.
So now they arrived at the barrier. It is easy to deactivate, by standing on the rune here. But beware, it will only be deactivated while one of you is on there, which means that you´ll have to leave someone behind. While you are on the rune, a protective barrier will be around it, so you are safe from dangers. Or you turn back and won´t return, it is up to you. Make your choice.
"Do we really want to leave someone here?" Luigi asked, worried about monsters.
"If we want Nico back, we´ll have to go through this," Starlow reminded him.
"I´ll stay, I can look after myself," Mario offered.
"Seems to be the best option we have," Starlow agreed.
"Alright, it´s settled, then," Dreambert said.
Mario stepped onto the rune, and a barrier appeared around him. The barrier blocking the way deeper into the woods disappeared simultaneously. The remaining three of them proceeded, and waved their friend goodbye before following the path that was behind the barrier.
Everything looked just like one year ago, and the island was as populated as before; he was able to see it with his scanners from the summit of Mt. Pajamaja. It could only have one meaning: Dark Nico had been beaten again. After he calculated all of the possible ways things could have gone after his master´s defeat, he concluded that Nico was living somewhere now, separated from everyone. But he would allow his friends to look for him, so if they found him, he would have to be prepared.
Looking through his memory, he eventually found something, hidden in Nico´s old house back in Mushroom Kingdom. Before he started his thrusters, however, he checked something in his protocols. What he found was satisfying, and it would serve him soon.
Perfect. Once I´m through with that, I can create a plan, Nicbot thought, and started his thrusters in order to travel to Mushroom Kingdom again.
The trio entered a clearing. The first thing they noticed was a ring of stones in the center of it, as well as another magical barrier on the other side of the clearing blocking the way. There was a message above a rune in front of the barrier, which Dreambert read out loud.
This one is quite simple: there are three pieces of runes hidden on and around this clearing. Only one of them will activate the rune next to this one, which then can be used to deactivate this barrier. You only have one attempt, though. Here´s a hint: the one who is the most meaningful to me holds the right one.
They saw the rune lying next to the other rune, and it was missing a part in its center. The three of them started to look around the clearing, hoping to find something. After a while, Dreambert noticed a few white flowers in a certain area to be arranged as an "L". Once he inspected the location closer, he saw a piece of a rune hidden inside the grass.
"Guys! I´ve found a piece here," he told the others, and brought it next to the two runes.
A few seconds later, Luigi saw something on a tree at the edge of the clearing. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a symbol of a Pi'illo. The plumber looked around the tree, and found a second piece. He picked it up and told his friends that he had found another piece.
Starlow on the other hand took a closer look at the ring of stones on the ground. The stones seemed to look roughly the same at first, but once she took a closer look, she could see that one of the stones was formed like a Star Sprite. Using her ability of Levitation, she tried to move that stone away. After a few moments, she managed to lift it up and put it aside. She saw the third piece on the ground where the stone had been, and levitated it over to the other ones.
"So…now we have to figure out which one to use," Dreambert said after they looked at the pieces. They looked identical, which meant that they would have to figure out what Nico tried to say with his hint.
"So…he said that the one most meaningful to him had the right piece, correct?" Luigi asked the other ones.
"Right. I think I know the solution, then," Starlow replied after she thought about it for a few seconds.
"What would that be?" Dreambert wanted to know.
"I think that it is me. Given by the amount of support I had given him after our adventures and how close I was to him between them, I think it´s safe to say that we had built some sort a special connection between us," Starlow spoke her thoughts out.
"Hm…I think that´d make sense. Let´s try it, then," Dreambert replied, and they put the piece Starlow had found into the rune. The rune started to glow, and kept glowing after that. It was ready to be used.
"I guess that we´ll have to leave someone behind again," Starlow assumed once she realised that the barrier wasn´t deactivated yet.
"I´d say that we should leave Luigi here. Together, we will be able to use our Love Magic against any possible foe," Dreambert suggested.
"Are you sure that you´ll be alright?" Luigi asked them, concerned that something bad could happen to them.
"We´ll be fine. You should be careful to not die of boredom while we´re gone," Starlow replied with a smirk.
"Funny, really funny. Alright then, I guess…" Luigi sighed, and stood onto the rune. The barrier blocking the path disappeared, while a new barrier appeared around the rune Luigi was standing on.
"Don´t worry, we´ll meet again soon, I´m pretty sure about that," Starlow assured the plumber, before she and Dreambert advanced deeper into the forest.
They were going to go past the final barrier, Nico was now certain of it. It was strange, looking into a future living outside of Somnom Woods again. The human made his way toward the area he had built his shelter in, so he could wait for her. He had predicted everything correctly up until now, all he had to do was to play and wait.
If my prediction is correct, then you should be the remaining two searching for me, Starlow and Dreambert. One year is a long time, though I feel like nothing has changed much. It´s a special sort of friendship that connects you four, isn´t it? That makes the final task all the more fitting…connect four, and you may proceed. Place Love Spheres, I will do it remotely using the runes…
These were the words written above a rune in front of a big, ancient structure with several big holes in it. The holes were arranged in six rows and seven columns. Starlow assumed that they had to play and win "Connect Four" in order to find Nico. Behind the structure was yet another barrier, with a rune in front of it which wasn´t active.
"So we´re up to a challenge, aren´t we?" Dreambert asked.
"I´ve never backed down because of a simple challenge. Let´s do it, so we can bring him back," Starlow replied.
Starlow and Dreambert started by placing a sphere in the bottom right. A few moments later, a blue sphere appeared above theirs. The couple proceeded by putting the next sphere on the left of their first one, which was answered by a blue one being put to the left of it.
"He´s trying to deny us, but I think I can outsmart him," Starlow mumbled, and she and Dreambert placed another sphere in the sixth column.
Nico followed by placing his sphere above the recently placed one, so the couple placed theirs in the fifth column. Nico placed his sphere above that one, so Starlow placed their next sphere in the fourth column. She already had a plan, and hoped that it would work out.
Nico´s next sphere appeared in the seventh column, which Starlow used to place a new one in the third column. Nico cut a possible opportunity off by placing his next sphere above that sphere, so Starlow placed the next one in the second column, creating three in a row.
Nico quickly denied them their victory by placing his sphere in the first column. Starlow, seeing a possible opportunity for him to win in a few turns, placed another sphere in the second column. Now that they had two on top of each other, Nico blocked that opportunity with a sphere on his own on them.
"This is the critical point. If he doesn´t see my trap, we have won," Starlow told Dreambert, and they placed a sphere in the third column.
After a few seconds, a blue sphere appeared in the first column. Starlow started to smile, because the game now was theirs. She placed another sphere in the third column. She was now able to shut any attempt of Nico to win down, and because of the order of their turns, he would ultimately have to place a sphere in the fourth column.
The human realised this as he looked at the runes in front of him. He had walked right into her trap; there was no way for him to win. He carefully looked at the board again, and finally gave in. He deactivated the puzzle and activated the rune for the barrier.
You have done well to make it here. Only one of you may speak with me, though. Make your choice; there are no threats inside of this barrier. Don´t keep me waiting.
"Do you want to go?" Dreambert asked Starlow after the spheres on the board disappeared and the rune for the barrier projected these words.
"I think that it´d be for the best that way. I hope that he´s still alright," Starlow agreed, a bit worried about their friend.
"Even if he isn´t, you could get him back on track. Now go and bring him back, I´ll be waiting here," Dreambert replied and gave her a hug, before hovering onto the rune.
The barrier vanished, while a new one appeared around Dreambert. He gave Starlow a confident smile, at which she nodded and proceeded. She followed the path that led her through the forest, and entered a clearing after a few minutes.
What she could see was a makeshift home, a small hut at the edge of the clearing. It was made of logs and had leaves as a roof. Other than that, she spotted runes assembled the same way the Connect Four board was. The door of the hut was open, only its owner was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey."
The voice came from right behind her, so she whirled around. What Starlow saw was a familiar person: Nico. He stood in front of her with a small smile. None of them moved at first, though his emotions seemed to overwhelm him after a few seconds. All of a sudden, he was hugging her, crying in happiness.
"I´m so glad that you´re finally here," he managed to bring out.
The Star Sprite could feel that the months hadn´t been devastating for the human, though she didn´t know about Light and Dark Nico. Nico himself seemed to be more than alright. She eventually hugged him back, happy to see him being more or less the same.
"Good to see you again," Starlow said to him.
"After all this time, I get to see someone else than myself…come, let´s go inside," the human replied, and led her to his house.
Inside, Starlow saw that Nico had made himself a nice little home. In the center of it stood a fireplace, while in one of the corners stood a bed made of leaves. In the opposite corner seemed to be a makeshift kitchen, with several tools and a set of spoons, forks and knifes. Next to the fireplace stood a table with a chair, on the table lied what appeared to be Nico´s personal calendar.
"Take a seat…or rather, take the seat," Nico offered her, so she hovered over to the chair and sat down on it.
The human walked over to the kitchen, and removed a plug on the wall of the sink. Water started to pour out of the hole, and he held a wooden cup under it. Once it was full, he plugged the hole again, and brought her the cup.
"I assume that you´re thirsty. It´s out of a spring near here, I´ve managed to connect it to my little home here," he told her while placing the cup on the table. The Star Sprite levitated to cup towards her, and she drank the cold water.
"Thanks. So…how have you been?" she asked him after she had finished drinking.
"I´ve been alone out here, but looking forward to meeting you again kept me sane. I had explored this forest, and it is beautiful. I don´t think that this is a bad place to live in, but I want to be with you guys again," Nico replied.
"I guess it is time to say 'goodbye' to this place, then. The others are waiting," she informed him.
"Of course…let me grab a few things, then we can go," he replied, and grabbed a backpack that was lying on his bed. He put a few runes into it, as well as his calendar. He then put it on his back and walked to the door.
"You know…I´ll miss this place. Perhaps I´ll get to return here at some point. Come now, it´d be rude to keep the others waiting," he told her.
Starlow got up from the chair, and they left the house. They then set off into the direction where she had come from, looking forward to meeting their friends again.
And so, after one long year, it seems like Nico can be reunited with his friends. Unfortunately, there is someone out there who is going to make this a short happy moment…come on, Nicbot, it´s your time to shine! What will happen next? What is Nicbot going to get in Nico´s old house, and what are his plans? Find out…soon, I guess.
So…yeah, as I´ve told you: finals are on the way. Took me quite some time to write this (I´ve used Excel to plan the "Connect Four" duel…talking about being creative when it comes to writing), but I hope that once my finals are over, I can proceed with writing more.
Until then, you´ll most likely have to wait, while I write those and celebrate my birthday at some point (yep, I´ve been active on here for over a year now, almost impossible to believe for me). When´s that? Somewhere in the middle of April, that´s all you´re going to get.
Of course, how could I ever forget: Review if you want to, and stay tuned for the next chapter!