Author's Note:
My apologies for the writing being different feeling in every chapter so far. I'm trying to change my writing ways for the better, so my efforts are going to be reflected in the way the chapters are written. I promise to have a permanent style ironed out by the end of this.
Alex Whiter Final Chapter: Changing Myself
After his conversation with Alpha, Alex made his way out of the Command Sphere, pondering what to do next. With his head lowered he was deep in thought, being blind to the presence of a leaning Gemini close by.
"Can I really trust Alpha? …He's not the worst person in the universe, but…" The memory of being probed for information through electric shock made Alex grimace and shudder, and then he lifted his head and finally saw the Koopa.
"…How long have you been there Gemini?" Alex said dryly without looking surprised while Gemini pulled himself away from the wall.
"The entire time. I wanted to just be close by in case Alpha needed me to help, but it seems everything went well." He sounded quite relieved to know things ended quietly between his allies.
"Be honest with me Gemini…How much of Alpha's plans did you know about?" Alex's suspicions were met with Gemini glaring at him but admitting honestly "I knew you wouldn't cause a ruckus, I think that's good enough."
"I suppose you would know him better than anyone else in this world…" Alex glanced away from his friend before hearing "He's earned my trust, and I've earned his. That's what he does with everyone around him, he wants to be able to trust them not just as comrades, but friends. Though I get the feeling he wants something a little more out of you, Alex."
"…Really?" "I think he sees you as a son he never had, honestly." Replied Gemini with a hand on his chin to show him deep in thought.
"That's silly. He needs to remember he's a Goomba sometimes…" Alex rolled his eyes a little and chuckled at the thought.
"It's not odd for different species to care for humans. Need I remind you that baby Mario was able to find his family because of the kindness of a few Yoshis?" Gemini's inquiry led to Alex admitting "Yeah I suppose I've heard of a few cases of animals taking care of humans on my world. But still, the thought of Alpha seeing me as a son is just…just bewildering…"
"Maybe you'll be able to think about it more after a quick meal. How's that sound?" Gemini's inviting smile and gesture out made Alex take his offer after a little thought, and so the two made their way through the hallways of the base until they were at the cafeteria. Along the way Alex looked at his cast after not paying attention to it for so long, noticing just how carefully it was wrapped around his arm so to not interrupt his blood flow.
"Gemini…?" "Yeah?" "How did this cast get on my arm?" Alex awkwardly moved his arm around to look the cast over the rest of the way, followed by Gemini grinning as he knew it'd feel good to answer this question.
"It was Alpha who gave you the cast. He was worried that the bleeding on your arm would've gone out of control during transportation. He also had to remove some Pirahna Plant venom from your veins by bending some needles between the cracks in the casting…I'm sure there's a pretty interesting story behind how that happened…" Gemini smiled at his friend to encourage conversation, but he just looked away and didn't seem to be in the mood to bring it up.
"I recall you being a little more talkative back then…" Gemini scratched his head and sighed. "I'm…I'm just really not in the mood right now Gemini, sorry." Alex was rather tired as he spoke.
"Maybe you'll change your mind once you get some energy back." Gemini then dropped the subject after that bout of optimism and led Alex into the cafeteria close by, which was bustling with activity again as it was now a new day entirely.
Alex followed Gemini to the buffet table but just idly glanced around the room at all the people wandering around, all of them content with talking to each other and discussing their plans for the day. A bit of jealousy rose up inside of Alex, manifesting as a tight scowl especially as a couple of the people mentioned their families.
Gemini could sense the tension though and turned around to ask "Everything alright Alex?" which was just what was needed to snap him out of current mood and glance ashamedly at his friend.
"…If only I could tell you, Gemini…" Alex's eyes glided left and right as he looked at the ground, and Gemini thought "And if only I could help you get through whatever's bugging you, Alex" before he made it to the buffet line and made the decision to put some food down on a plate for Alex to eat, choosing some of the healthier options after taking into consideration the condition of his body on the medical records.
"Koopa leaves for energy, sun dried mushrooms for health, and a little bit of honey gelatin for your blood sugar levels. Mix and match the foods if you think it'll work out, but this should be enough to keep you walking straight for a few days." Gemini offered the plate out to Alex, who picked it up after blinking weakly a bit in surprise, followed by Gemini setting up his own plate with some fresh meat.
"Why aren't you giving me any meat?" "Shockingly, you don't need any of it. Your protein levels are normal…But if we don't get everything else in balance, that won't matter at all." Gemini then walked to one of the nearby tables and sat down, with Alex slowly doing the same. Gemini realized he forgot to grab some utensils and embarrassingly shot a jolt of electricity around another Koopa to magnetize a couple forks over to the table while the Koopa ducks his head into his shell to avoid them.
After Gemini casually throw a fork to his friend the two started eating, though Alex twiddled the fork around between his fingers while staring blankly at his food. He still didn't really feel in the mood to eat until his stomach grumbled loudly, which led to him sighing and then poking the leaves so he could put them into his mouth. It was an odd, crisp flavor, especially for leaves, but the saliva on Alex's tongue dampened the leaves and gave made the leaves taste rich and pleasurable to the buds.
Even in his melancholic state, Alex let out a merry hum but kept is subdued enough that Gemini couldn't catch it, though the fact that he quickly took another bite of the leaves blew the façade he was trying to put on regarding his pleasure. "I see you're taking a liking to this food" said Gemini with a chuckle while Alex was too absorbed into his meal to respond. This was basically Alex admitting that he was hungrier than he was letting on, and it didn't take him long for everything on his plate to be devoured before Gemini even got through a couple bites.
When Alex was done and he laid the fork onto the plate, Gemini just stared at him, blinking a few times while Alex noticed the attention his friend was giving and immediately broke off his child-like bliss to glance around awkwardly, not wanting to admit through words that he was enjoying himself even a bit.
"Hahahaha! I forgot that humans eat a lot more than we do." Gemini took his friend's actions in stride and even found it funny to some extent.
"Ghh…I-I just…" Alex struggled to come up with an explanation, but Gemini just waved his hand out and said while taking a bite of food "Don't worry about it Alex, you don't have to say anything." As he kept eating Alex glanced aside and barely paid attention.
"…After being gone I thought you'd want to ask me some questions, but instead we're just enjoying this meal." Gemini put his fork down in response and held his hands together before looking Alex in the eyes.
"The way I see it, you'll either tell me things when you're ready or you won't. I'm not going to disrupt your privacy…That's the difference between me and Alpha. We may be friends, but I'm not going to turn a blind eye to him using emotional manipulation to get answers sometimes." He said all that even knowing that Alpha might be listening in, though a part of him knew the Goomba would respect his opinion regardless.
"So just sit down, relax, and take your time figuring everything out Alex, and I'll be here to keep you company if you want me to stick around." The offer was made with a smile that Alex accepted into his heart with a tired chuckle before he replied "I guess we really are friends, cause you know what to say to me…"
Gemini chuckled in turn, glad to hear those words come from Alex as the boy sighed and then leaned back, rubbing the side of his head while pondering something deep down. While he was willing to accept Gemini's offer to just slowly think things over, there was something he was REALLY curious to ask while he had a prime chance available to him.
"Gemini, i-is there any part of you that regrets helping me become the Elemental Overlord?" Said in a hesitant manner.
"…I wouldn't say regrets, but I did have some doubts while we're going through the temples." Gemini laid his elbows on the table and held his hands, speaking seriously as he thought his words over carefully "I mean you were only 11 at the time, that's incredibly young for someone to be in control of that much power. Admittedly, I was going off of personal experience at the time…" Alex let out a tiny sigh as Gemini was seemingly confirming his suspicions, only for the Koopa to raise a finger to show he wasn't done yet.
"But if nothing else, you willingly kept going with Mario to every temple, even knowing you were outclassed against some of the later guardians. That takes guts, and I could respect that about you. Had you chosen to stay behind and do nothing, I would've made certain that you'd never become the Elemental Overlord. Cowards should not be trusted with power, cause those type of people only care for their own skins." Gemini spoke harshly on the subject.
"Now if you were to ask me if you should still be an Elemental Overlord these days…I'd have different words to say. Want to me to go on or is that good enough?" Alex had to think things over since he was given the time to do so, but the curiosity nagged at his mind more than ever before and made him nod his head gently.
"Alright…" Gemini made a loud crack with his knuckles as though he knew he'd have to buckle down for a bit and then continued on with his explanation "Truth be told, I can't really judge you on that without any clue as to why you've been on the run for the last couple of years. At most, I have to weigh in what you've done for us against you suddenly disappearing. You stopped Joe Dark from destroying the planet, you killed Tabuu, you defeated your evil clone and dealt the last blow to Cackletta's ambitions, and if it wasn't for you grabbing the Gaia Temporis Mew wouldn't have been able to stop the reality bender. Three times directly, one time indirectly you saved us Alex."
Alex just looked away as though he was ashamed by his accomplishments, and Gemini had to thus hold a hand out and point out "Hey, that's a lot to be proud of. You're a hero to the people like Mario and Luigi are…They even erected a memorial statue for you in Toad Town."
"Well not only did they waste whatever material they used to make that, but I should never be compared to Mario and Luigi…Neither of them are burying any anger or jealousy in their heart." "I'd debate with you on Luigi there, but he's not on topic right now." Gemini said while gesturing out a few times, intrigued by Alex's immediate response.
"Tsk…!" Alex frustratingly realized that he let slip an answer, and was beginning to question whether he was falling for any manipulations or if his mind was simply refusing to think straight from a lack of nutrition lately.
"Alright Alex, I think I'm starting to understand what's going on…" Gemini laid his hands down on the table and firmly explained "You're afraid of yourself. You don't want to go out of control and hurt those around you, so that's why you cut off your ties with us. Well let me tell you something Alex…"
Alex was expecting bluntness from Gemini with the way things were going, but the Koopa instead reached into his shell and pulled out a photograph to show after looking around to make sure that no one but Alex would see it. The picture showed what appeared to be Gemini with two other Koopas, a blue-shelled one with a red scarf and a pink-shelled one with glasses. Alex recognized the blue one as Kooper, an ally of Mario's, but not the other one.
"I don't tend to show this to anyone, but I can't illustrate my point without it. See these guys?" Gemini pointed to the other two Koopas and continued "They are my two bestest friends from before my M.S.I. days. Before Smithy gave me my demonic heart, I would spend my time with them having fun and enjoying life…Of course that all changed when the aforementioned event happened. Then I was afraid of ever staying with them, as I could've become a threat to their lives had my power gone out of control."
"I lost six years of my life with them thinking that very same thing over and over again…Sure, Alpha was there to help me train my powers, but I could never get rid of that nagging feeling until I saw them both again during Tabuu's attack. After defeating Smithy I decided to start seeing them both again whenever I could, and now I'm perfectly comfortable with myself and these powers of mine." While the picture was put away Alex just looked at Gemini while feeling mild confusion.
"…The point I'm trying to make is this…I don't know how long humans live for, but it'd really be a shame if you died prematurely or wasted most of your life running away instead of getting help that's readily available to you Alex. Alpha and I…We're your friends, we'll help you out however we can if you're willing to accept it."
"Is there even anything worth salvaging from this anger and jealousy, Gemini?" Alex bit his lower lip and took great shame in himself.
"Yes. Our friend." That was all Gemini needed to say to get Alex to widen his eyes and pause in place, his mouth agape as he started to come to a realization. He left behind so many friends when he ran away…Mario, Driad, Luigi, Geno, Mallow, Gemini and Alpha, but the one thing they all had in common was their inability to give up. For Alex, it made his decision all the more worse in hindsight, and his mind filled with an overwhelming sensation of shame.
He clenched a fist close to his chest and closed his eyelids while Gemini wondered just what his mind was thinking of. "I never wanted this…I never wanted any of this…! This power, these responsibilities…! I just wanted my mother and father and the happiness we had together! Why can't I just go back to those times…!"
"You don't have to struggle anymore…You can just burn it all away and be done with this nightmare…" Alex snapped into his own mind for a moment as a gruffer and crueler version of his voice called to him. In his mind Alex was kneeled down, and a copy of himself walked up beside and held his arms out with a vicious look on his face complete with shaded forehead and flaring irises.
"Come on now, just accept me inside of you…Let our hatred BURN it all away!" The hatred urged dramatically while the real Alex cowered from the hatred his other self showed by burying his head atop his legs and grabbing the back of it with both hands, hoping it would go away.
"Hey hey, shoo already, he doesn't need you right now!" Another voice called out to the hatred, causing it to growl irritably before it's punched in the face by a swift burning fist, sending him hurtling far away. Alex continues to tremble, but that's because the voice he just heard is someone who has been a constant presence as his conscience for the last year or so…
"Come on Alex, stand up. You can do it!" The enthusiastic voice came from Alex's clone, the cheery boy named Mew, wearing her familiar black shirt and blue pants and having an inviting smile on his face as he held a hand out to Alex, who said in a panic "If it's not the nightmares, if it's not him, it's YOU…! Ever since I sent you back to Earth, you haven't left me alone…!"
"Well I'm not here to bug you about that this time. Come on, I want to show you something…At the very least lift your head up…" When Mew showed a lack of pestering, Alex slowly stopped trembling and let out a confused remark before lifting his head up, watching far ahead as a spotlight shone down on six of the people Alex knew from back then, the only one missing being Mario. They all smiled and waved, leaving Alex stunned with awe.
"You may have lost the happiness your parents provided you with, but that doesn't mean you can never be happy again. We're all here for you, waiting for you to come back again Alex." Mew explained with a gleaming smile.
"But how can I ever be worthy of this after all I've done? I'm a coward…I'm a liar…I'm a monster…" Alex replied while resting his hands on the ground and feeling nothing but pity towards himself.
"You might not be worthy right now, but that just means you have to walk the path to achieve that worthiness…We might not be together now, but every step you take will bring you closer and closer, and eventually we CAN stand side-by-side as friends…and perhaps even brothers? Wouldn't that be cool Alex?" Mew said while putting his hands under Alex's right arm to try and help him up, but he was still a little resistant to the idea and looked away from Mew, mumbling curiously about accepting him as a brother…
It was then that Alex felt his other arm being lifted up, and he glanced to see the face of the portly red and blue plumber himself Mario smiling down at him with a thumbs up and a jolly proclamation of "Lets-a go!" and that was enough to send a jolt through Alex's heart he hadn't felt in a while…The feeling of determination pulsed through his body, and he accepted the lift of his friends so he could start standing on his feet.
"Then I'll try…I'll try and find my happiness at the end of this light…So I can be worthy of seeing you all again someday." Said as warm flames wrapped around his body, while the embodiment of Alex's hatred pushed itself off the ground after Mew's earlier punch, grinning from ear to ear.
"You won't succeed…You'll see me again someday…No…You'll NEED me one day…And I'll always be there to welcome you with open arms…" Alex looks back at the hatred and while a little worried casts it aside for now, choosing to wake back up to reality with a sudden gasp that took Gemini by complete surprise.
"You alright Alex?" Alex stood up and began to make a run for the Command Sphere before giving Gemini an answer, though he suspected the truth quite easily from the brief smile seen on the boy's face. As Gemini chooses to leave the matter be, Alex runs through the base and nearly knocks down a couple people along the way until he ends up back at the Command Sphere, panting as he stops and enters because he was still too weak. Alpha was still where he was before, but his chair was elevated back up. He turned around and looked down at Alex with a tiny grin.
"Well well, that was pretty fast. Is there something else you want to ask?" Alex lifted his head up, panting heavily but still forcing through his mouth "I-I don't have anymore questions…I'm going to accept your offer…Alpha…"
"Oh? Are you sure about that, Alex?" "Surer than I could ever be…You're right, I can't keep running away. No matter what it takes Alpha, I'll go the distance necessary to get rid of this anger and jealousy…I don't want to just be worthy of being the Elemental Overlord, I want to earn the right to be your friends again." Alex stood firm and looked up at Alpha with a fire in his eyes, the kind born of determination, which made the Goomba's grin wider.
"And there's that look in your eyes again…Hahaha, now I see where Mew got it from. Very well, I'll train you as best as I can Alex, but be warned that while I won't be cruel I won't be going easy on you either. We shall begin tomorrow morning once you've finished regaining your energy, 5:00 sharp." Alpha spoke with the joy and authority of a proud officer, and Alex gave him a nod. Today was the start of a brand new journey in Alex Whiter's life, but for him to go farther along this path there is someone new he'd have to meet first…
ALEX WHITER CHAPTER FINISH.
Next Time: The Other Protagonist