Gusty Garden Galaxy used to be a paradise, once upon a time.
The expertly crafted temples of marble and polished stone dominated the landscape, taking away the breaths of those who laid eyes upon them for the first time. They were surrounded by palatial gardens filled to the brim with the most fragrant and colourful flowers one could ever claim to encounter. There were shiny cobblestone paths, fountains inlaid with jewels, ponds of water so clean and clear that you could bend down and drink straight from them.
Various fruit trees were scattered about, their produce sweet and fresh. The grass was soft and a healthy shade of green. Apple, cherry and peach blossoms lined the courtyards, their delicate petals floating down to cover the ground below them in a beautiful rosy colour.
There was always a gentle breeze; not too warm, not too cold.
The inhabitants of this universe's answer to the Garden of Eden were the richest of the rich. They'd have to be to live in such a place. Blessed by the gods, people say.
They wore simplistic but fashionable clothes, woven from silky, smooth materials and accentuated with brightly-colored jewellery. They ate the finest foods with literal silver spoons and drank the finest wine from golden goblets. They frequently held socials with those from the neighboring temples. Together, they danced the night away under the beautiful light of the stars.
It was, truly, a blessed life.
Until the winds came.
Rosalina stood on a chunk of land that used to be part of a much larger chunk, one big enough to house an entire temple and its garden. Everywhere, there were remaining bits and pieces from the glory days. The marble steps, once shiny, now dull with years gone by. The patches of sporadic flowers, their perfume still strong enough to fill the air. The unsavory new inhabitants, a far cry from the rich that had once made their home here. Piranha plants, bugs, and goodness knows what else.
It was an interesting, if not sad, sight to see. It was a magnificent place that fell of extremely hard times. Its polished and tidy beauty could not be saved. Instead, a new beauty, rugged and unorganized, took its place.
Would something like this happen to the Comet Observatory if she fell on hard times? Would vines tangle their way through her bookcases? Would flowers sprout in the Fountain? Would all manner of creepy-crawlies make their home in her bedroom?
Rosalina shivered at the thought of her home falling into such drastic disrepair. How horrible it would be to see that happen!
It was hard to believe that these people saw that reality first-hand, and that there was nothing she could do about it.
"Mama! Mama!"
A Luma rushed up to her, holding something that sparkled in the light whenever he moved. The rest of the Lumas were following suit, chattering excitedly amongst themselves.
"Mama! We were digging around and we found this! Look!" He thrust it into Rosalina's face.
Rosalina took the object and inspected it. There were a few flecks of dirt which she carefully wiped away. The object was small, and nestled snugly in her palm. It was green, but the exact shade depended on where the light was shining onto it.
A jewel! An emerald, to be more exact.
"What a lucky find!" Rosalina told the Lumas. "These can be quite rare. Where did you find it?"
The Lumas excitedly dragged her to another spot and pointed at several small holes in the earth.
"Can we try and find more? Please?"
Rosalina laughed lightly. "Of course! Just try not to make a mess."
As the Lumas resumed their digging, Rosalina looked down at the emerald, still firmly in her grasp.
It seems like beauty can still be recovered from destruction, after all.