Fairy Tales 4; Mount Gwillyion-Mine
It's the hero's final stop as they slowly make their way up Mount Gwillyion- Mine. Will they find what they need? Let's hope so, I'm running out of ideas- OOPS! No I'm not! I'm not! IEE!
"This is it?" Zero growled, staring at the dusty brown mountain that looked as if it had been sculpted out of mud. "There's a clearly defined path to the top!"
Shute knew the winding path up the mountain reminded him of something. Of course it reminded him of a screw, the way the trail wrapped out the lone mountain, but it was something more familiar. It suddenly came to him. "Oh, this kinda looks like something Grandpa Stewy made for me back before he went crazy! I think it was supposed to be a top!"
Shute set his right foot on the mountain; the stones gave way beneath his feet. He adjusted his weight and grunted in satisfaction. "This'll work. Okay, let's go!" The human stepped forward, only to feel his shirt pressing tightly against his voice-box; he gagged and tripped backwards, landing in the outstretched arms of Captain.
Zero sighed, still clinging to the back of Shute's red over- shirt/vest/thingy. "Why must you insist on doing things the hard way? Come with me."
Zero scooped the boy into his arms and began to fly up the side of the mountain, Shute giggling and waving to the earthbound Captain and Zero. Zero flew straight up, admiring the sky and how blue it was. or, at least, sort of blue. It was getting darker as Zero flew upwards, as if a storm were brewing.
Without warning, a bolt of lightning struck right beside Zero and Shute, scaring them both out of their wits! Zero faltered and immediately fell back to ground, landing roughly. His eyes were swollen to the size of dinner plates.
"WAH! Okay, no flying!" Zero panted, holding his "heart". "NO flying up that cursed mountain!"
Captain grabbed Zero's shoulders and shook him. "Where's Shute?"
"What?" Zero checked both of his arms and found them empty. "Ah!"
"YOU DROPPED SHUTE?!" Bakunetsumaru screamed. "WHERE IS HE?"
Zero began to panic. "A- oh no!"
"Guys!"
The Gundams looked up to see Shute crouching on top of an overhanging rock, a long ways up the mountain. He was a little dirty on one side, probably because of Zero dropping him. He giggled none-the-less. "Why must you insist on doing things the hard way, Zero? Come with me, kudasai."
***
Captain listened to every word of Shute's time-wasting story, glad that he could concentrate on something other than the rock-climbing expedition. Zero and Bakunetsumaru were absorbed in their own conversation about princesses and caste systems and whatnot.
"So then, the horse fell over! I mean, right on the guy's leg!" Shute scratched the area of his back directly between his shoulder blades. "And I know I shouldn't have, but I laughed. Not at the guy, at the horse! 'Cause you know I don't like animals, right?"
"You have told me numerous times that, exempting humans, you despise most organic beings," Captain spoke truthfully.
"So, I laughed!" Shute rubbed his head, reminded of the pain. "And then Grandpa Stewy hit me with his cane. I think. I can't really remember that well." He tried to scratch his back again. "AA! Tag itchies!" Shute grunted in effort, yet stopped when Captain began to scratch his back for him. "Aaahhh.. Thanks, Captain."
"You're welcome, Shute."
"Captain?"
The blue-and-white Gundam turned around just as Bakunetsumaru collapsed on his shoulder. "Captain, I'm tired. Can we rest?"
"Yes! I like that idea!" Zero and Baku sat down directly on the trail, leaning on each other and breathing heavily. "Just a quick nap."
"Alright, then." Captain waved Shute over to his side, sat down, and turned off his systems. Shute stayed awake, cuddled in his best friend's arm, waiting for himself to become sleepy and nod off.
So he sat there, and thought about how weird this trip had turned out to be so far. He had nearly died twice; saved once by. hmm. who did the drowning rescue belong to? Was it Zero, who pulled him away from the green hands who wanted to eat them? Bakunetsumaru, who pulled both he and Zero out of the water away from the green hands who wanted to eat them? Or Captain, who had been Baku's lifeline so that he could pull both he and Zero out of the water away from the green hands who wanted to eat them? Oiy, it was confusing, but there was not doubt that the second rescue belonged to Bakunetsumaru, who arrived from out of nowhere to keep him from getting eaten by the evil Redcaps (or, not really evil, they were probably just really hungry).
Was it going to be this dangerous in all of the other dimensions? Surely there had to be more places like Neotopia or Lacroa, maybe. Or would all of them be hostile towards humans? Would he always have to be on his guard? It depressed him; part of the reason that Captain and Zero got so beat up back with the Redcaps was because they had to try and protect him. He couldn't hold his own in a real battle, and if he tried, he would get in serious trouble, get rescued by one of the Gundams, and get called "reckless" and be told "never to do (that) again". It made him mad, angry that he had never made this realization sooner.
Shute growled. "I'm an honorary Gundam. I should be able to go into battle and fight by myself, just like Captain and the others. I'm strong, I can help."
He stroked the golden fins of Captain Gundam, who was still holding him like a little teddy bear. "I'm not just some little tool who sits in the back and activates Captain's Soul Drive. No offense, Cappy."
Captain grunted and adjusted his arm, pulling Shute in closer. The human wiggled himself into a more comfortable position and kept talking to himself. "Hmmm. I've got an idea! This mountain looks pretty easy to climb! I'll make the way up myself while everybody's asleep, get whatever The Muse needs, and bring it back down! Oh, man, they'll be so proud of me!"
Shute gave Captain a quick hug. "Bye, Captain! Don't hurry to wake up!"
Captain let loose a loud growl and flung both arms around Shute unconsciously, pulling him into his chest so strongly it was almost painful. Shute snarled and tried to push himself away, but Captain only tightened his grip.
"Jeez, Captain, you've got the arm strength of a bear!"
"Mm, mmm. yoummhmm mine."
The honorary Gundam laughed. "You've got some odd things going on in your head, don't you?"
"Sssouhhh driveh."
Shute sniffed his disapproval and squirmed about until he could fell his arms again. "Now, how to I get out of here?"
BOOOOWBOOWBOWBOOWOOOOoooooaaaahhooo!
Rain. Oh, sweet, fortuitous rain! For as the cold downpour began, Captain let go of Shute and covered his sensitive eyes, giving him his chance to escape.
"Bye, Captain! Don't wait up for me!"
Captain felt a warm glow arise from within his chest in his sleep. "Shute."
***
And so, he kept running. It was a treacherous climb, because as he ran upwards, it became darker and stormier, sometimes making Shute's footing slip out from beneath him. He had already fallen in the rain twice, although you probably wouldn't be able to tell because of the torrents which would wash off the majority of the mud.
Shute stopped and tried desperately to hide beneath a ledge; the water only seeped into the back of his shirt. He whimpered in anguish. "Oh, come on! I know the rain was good when Captain had me, but it needs to stop now! Please? Kudasai? Somebody!" He squealed again. "Tasukete kudasai! I have been hanging around Baku WAY too long if I'm yelling stuff in Upper Neotopian!" A bolt of lightning hit the other side of the mountain, sending a painful shockwave through his spine. "ITAI! HELP! TASUKETE! SOMETHING!"
He looked about frantically for a better shelter and saw a tiny cave in the side of the mountain. "A cave! I'm saved! Thank you, whoever made me see that!"
***
Shute sniffled, wiping his nose on his wet arm. "I guess the 'mine' in 'Mount Gwillyion-Mine' is actually for. a mine." He kicked a nearby mine cart for lack of something better to do. I guess I can wait."
He began to walk forward, led by the sound of clinking hammers and chittering voices. He sang to himself, "The farmer in the dell, the farmer in the dell-"
"Hi-ho, the dairy-o, the farmer in the dell!"
Shute froze in place, not daring to breathe. "Okay," Shute thought to himself. "There's something in here, and it's trying to sing to me. Maybe. I'll do what Baku said he did and sing back."
"The fairy takes a wife, the fairy takes a wife- oh no! I messed up!"
Whoever was singing along laughed heartily and sang, "Hi-ho, the dairy-o, the fairy takes a wife!"
Shute began to speedwalk into the mine, renewed by a sudden surge of confidence. "The wife takes a child, the wife takes a child."
This continued for a while with Shute and the mysterious voice singing back and forth to each other. Shute began to feel cold, probably from his clothes being wet for most of this journey. He shook himself not much unlike a dog and kept walking. Before long, he reached another hole, this one much smaller than the one he crawled through.
"Hi-ho, the dairy-o, the cheese stands alone!"
Shute turned a little ways to the side and bowed. "Thanks for keeping me company, but I have to go now."
"Ho, boy!"
A little brown thing jumped out of the walls of the mine. It was humanoid in shape, the size of a cat, and dressed in. sort of. medieval. Robin Hood- esque clothes. He had a long and pointed nose, whoever he was, and held in one hand a miner's pick and in the other a stone.
"Greetings, me lad. I be Darnell of the Knockers." Darnell bowed gracefully. "And I be a miner by trade."
"Hello. I'm Shute Marxworth, of the humans," Shute laughed. "And I'm looking for something to help The Muse. Are you the one who was singing?"
"Yes! And ye knew me favorite song!" Darnell placed the small rock in Shute's hand. "For cheering me up today, here be a fairy-shot stone."
Shute examined the fairy-shot stone; it was shaped like an Indian arrowhead.
"If y'er seekin' what I think ye be, you're gonna need that." Darnell bowed again. "I must be back to me minin'. Happy trails, human boy!"
Darnell leapt into the shadows and disappeared. Shute shrugged and wiggled through the tiny exit to the mine.
***
"Well, at least the storm's let up," Shute muttered to himself, holding his shaking shoulders as the water soaked into his skin. "Maybe now I can get something done." He took a quick peek over the edge. "WOAH! I'm a lot higher than I was when I went into the mine! I can see the guys!" At least, he thought that the little blue and red spots were the Gundams he called friends. Without cause, they disappeared and reappeared in a different spot right before Shute's eyes.
"Woah." the human rubbed his eyes, and the spot disappeared. "That was. weird."
Shute kept walking, finding that the ground stopped on the other side of the mountain. Out where he couldn't see it before, there was a huge ocean stretching out to the horizon. He gulped and remarked to himself, "Imagine what lives in there. (gulp) I hope it's not more kelpies. I hate kelpies. I hate animals." He sighed and admitted, "This is hard. I miss Captain."
***
Captain flinched in his sleep, his Soul Drive wavering in and out of activation and dormancy so frequently that it hurt him. He moaned in pain. "Ow. ooooaaaah.. Mmm. Shute."
***
Shute silently trekked up the mountain, unable to think of anything he could use to keep his mind off of his aching legs and tight chest. As he rounded a corner, he had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating again.
Two woman, green in color (the green! Enough with the green! Rargh!) with long, tangled hair. They crouched on boulders on either side of the path, staring at Shute with piercing, colorless eyes. Their long hair fluttered in the wind, accentuating their long, sharp faces. Behind them, the path in the mountain forked, with one trail leading up and one trail leading flat.
Shute approached them and bowed respectfully. "Hello, my name is Shute. Can you tell me which path is the one to the top of the mountain?"
The green woman startled and looked at each other, unable to comprehend the fact that someone was talking to them.
"Um, do you not understand Middle Neotopian?" Shute cleared his throat (it took a few minutes). "Sumimasen. Doko-"
One of the women coughed and began to speak in a raspy, unused voice. "We (cough) c-heard you the f-hir-irst time."
"Oh, thank you, Miss."
"I'M A MAN!"
"OH! Sorry! I couldn't tell!"
The green MAN pushed back a tuft of hair. "The f-(cough)flat path will le- hee-ad you to the tohp. Yo-hoo-ou must run qui-hic-kly or the path will collapse underne-hea-heath you."
"Thanks, sir." Shute bowed again. He took a deep breath and ran across the flat path, finding that it inclined not long after it turned around the mountain. A loud rumble of falling rocks greeted his ears; he yelped and began running faster, finally jumping over a small rock and landing on his chest, his breathing labored.
***
Captain, Zero, and Bakunetsumaru all awoke with a start, breathing deeply and trying to comprehend what had just gone through their heads.
"Captain," Bakunetsumaru bolted. "Did you just have a dre-"
"Yes," finished Captain, holding his head. "Shute-"
"Getting hit by lightning," Zero continued from there. "We all shared the same dream. what about you, Shute?"
No response.
"Shute?"
"Shute-san?"
"Shute?"
Zero caught something out of his eye which made his circuits run cold. He pointed to the wet trial, unable to make the words come out of his throat. Captain followed Zero's arm to see a set of footprints leading from this spot up the mountain.
"OH NO!"
***
"That's it!" Shute whispered, beholding the tip of the mountain. It sparkled like a diamond against the already dark background of the sky. He gasped, or at least, tried to. The breath caught in his throat, making him cough and wheeze before setting off up the top of the mountain. He touched the shining gem and marveled at how it cleared his throat and made all his aches and pains go away. It sort of. took him over. he just stood there, one hand on the gem and the other hand on the mountain. He. just. zoned out. He didn't even notice when the rain began to pour again, washing away some of the mountain mud and revealing that the egg gem was fused to a thin column of solid rock.
He was snapped back into reality by a static roar which rumbled above his head. He looked upwards to see a dark purple circle forming in the sky.
"The Dark Axis!" Shute panicked and began to pull on the gem egg with both hands, his weakness shooting back into his chest like a punch in the stomach. "Egh! Yagh! It won't move!"
The Komusai shot out of the gate, the terrible trio of Zapper Zaku, Grappler Gouf, and Destroyer Dom riding atop it with about a dozen Zako soldiers.
Zapper Zaku let loose his irritating (if unique) laugh. "Finally, this world is weak enough to take over! Let's start doing some damage!!!"
DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDED! "YEH HAAAA HAH HAH HAH HAHA!"
"Stop firing that gun, Zapper!" Grappler snarled, smacking Zapper upside the head. "We need to destroy the power source first, then get to work here, or else the Bagu Bagu won't have any effect on the organics!"
"Duh, anybody got an umbrella?" Destroyer Dom whined. "I don't like duh rain!"
A Zako soldier handed Destroyer Dom a frilly lace umbrella. "Here you are, Lord Dom, Zako."
Dom twirled the umbrella happily. "Duh huh huh, it's a jolly holiday with me! Duh huh huh!"
"Shut up, Dom! Bad Dom!" Grappler looked into a small cell-phone like apparatus and looked into it. "Now, according to the energy sensor, the power source for this dimension is right. below us!"
"Hey!" shouted a familiar voiced Zako (I'll give you a hint: Yellow Microphone). "Look down there! Captain Gundam's little pet has the power source!"
Zapper Zaku looked down upon the pale, wet, sunken-eyed human. "Well, well, it IS Captain's little pet human! Aw, are you lost, little organic boy!?"
"You leave me alone!" Shute tried even harder to pull the gem egg off the mountain, despite being blinded by several lightning blasts not far away.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Grappler shouted. "Without your little Gundam pals, you're nothing!"
Dom jumped atop his favorite instrument of destruction, the Gallop Tank. "Gallop, lock onto target and fire full arsenal!"
Missiles porcupined out of the Gallop's inner weapon locker and pointed themselves at Shute.
"Aa!" Shute held onto the mountain for dear life, awaiting his death.
"SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!"
A ferocious whirlwind blasted the Komusai, sending it out and away from the mountain, towards the ocean. Shute, however, felt no blast this powerful; all he felt was a gentle breeze and the soft caress of a few rose petals. This and the battle cry together made Shute stop flinching and turn around.
"CAPTAIN! ZERO! BAKU! YOU WOKE UP!"
The Gundams themselves were standing on a lower part of the trail, unable to climb up and reach the human boy because the remaining path had been washed away by the rain. They looked at Shute with relieved and hopeful eyes.
"Shute, get down from there!" Zero cried.
"Hurry!" Captain added.
Shute began to let himself fall, but his hands stuck to the egg gem. "Uh oh! I CAN'T LET GO!"
"What?!" Bakunetsumaru waved his swords about in anger. "What do you mean?"
"YOU STUPID GUNDAMS!"
The Komusai arose from the other side of the mountain, behind the Gundam Force. Each evil not-quite-Gundam held aloft his favorite weapon: Zapper, his gattling guns; Grappler, his ax/sword; and Destroyer Dom, his bazooka and Gallop Tank.
Grappler Gouf spoke first. "You pesky Gundams get in our way every time we try to do something!"
"This time, we'll make sure nothing happens ever again!" Zapper Zaku snarled.
"Target acquired!" Dom entered a fighting stance and fingered the trigger.
"Not if we have anything to do with it!" Captain snapped.
"Let's go!" Baku jumped onto the Komusai, holding his swords high.
Shute kept struggling, but it was as if his hands were superglued to the gem. "I can't move!"
***
Urisk awoke with a start, looking towards Mount Gwillyion-Mine with a worried expression. "My little human friend is in trouble. PHOOKA!"
A large eagle dropped from the sky and landed next to Urisk. The goat man snorted. "Phooka, it's an emergency. An evil force is trying to steal the Land Heart."
The eagle startled, his eyes growing. He nodded and lowered his wing, allowed Urisk to jump onto his back. "Bean-Nighe! Come with me!"
The Bean-Nighe stopped her washing and joined Urisk on Phooka. They flew off of the rock and into the sky.
***
Kade's head shot above the water. "Hey! It's the ones that almost drowned! They're under attack! GUYS!"
The Merrows jumped out of the water and, turning themselves into little hornless cows, stampeded to the mountain. The kelpie also joined their trek, carrying Peg and Jenny, the Nuckelavee, the Water Leaper, and a tall woman dressed in a flowing robe.
***
"There is a battle on Mount Gwillyion-Mine!" the head Redcap roared to his minions. "Where there is a battle, there is blood!"
The army cried out in rebellion, raising their weapons.
***
"There's trouble on my mountain!" Darnell muttered. "No one messes up my mountain! My brothers!"
Darnell's abundant brothers grabbed their picks and hammers and charged out of the mine.
***
Captain worked as hard as he could to knock Zapper's ax out of his hand, but the evil not-quite-Gundam was as good a swordsman as he was. Zero had to break from trying to (literally) disarm Grappler Gouf to rescue Bakunetsumaru from falling off the Komusai. Destroyer Dom, for some unfathomable reason, began to show some brains and started shooting Shute! The boy couldn't dodge the blows; he could only crunch up and hope Destroyer missed which he often did.
"Somebody help me." he cried, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Somebody.."
BOOOOWBOOWBOWBOOWOOOOoooooaaaahhooo!
Shute couldn't take it anymore; a young boy can only withstand so much. He suffered a moral breakdown, and finally just broke into a loud sobbing fit. "HEEEEEELP!"
Captain began to feel a fire within his chest, with his eyes burning red with an inward fire.
"SOUL DRIVE ACTIVATE!"
"Super Magical Violet Tornado!"
"Secret Arts! Bakunetsu! Tengyo Ken!"
Zapper Zaku jumped into the air in fear. "Aa! Not the Triple Attack!"
"Be quiet!" Grappler Gouf ordered, holding up his little cell phone thing. "We have this, remember! It'll absorb every bit of energy from that stupid attack!"
Captain gasped to himself, his Soul Drive shutting off momentarily. Bakunetsumaru also uncrossed his swords, causing both him and Captain to fall. "Oh no!"
"CAPTAIN!" Shute knew he was crying only because of his sore face muscles; his face was drenched with rainwater, so tears were basically undetectable.
A giant eagle just zoomed in out of nowhere, catching Captain and Bakunetsumaru just as they were about to fall! They were being held in the eagle's talons as Urisk gave a celebratory whoop.
TWING!
The energy absorber was then knocked right out of Grappler's hand by a spear!
Without warning, millions of spears, arrows, throwing axes, and rocks began launching themselves at the Komusai, hitting Zako soldiers and the three head honchos and anything else in their way!
"What's going on?" Bakunetsumaru shouted.
Zero looked down and pointed with his buster sword. "It is the faes! They have joined our cause and are fighting with us!"
Shute gazed downward and saw a huge mass of mostly humanoid creatures, many of them throwing rocks or some other type of weapon, other simply cheering or blowing battle horns.
"Let's get out of here, Zako!" said a little soldier.
"Open Zakorello Gate!" Grappler screeched! The gate opened very slowly; the magical energy from all of the fairies was interfering with the signal.
"Don't let 'em get away, Captain!" Shute screamed. "Go get 'em!"
Captain felt his chest glowing again. "Let's try this again!" He dropped back down onto the mountain, his entire arm shining with the power of the Soul Drive. "Soul Drive Activate!"
"Gladly!" Zero chimed. He positioned himself squarely on the side of the mountain, still fearing to fly too high because of, um, electrical circumstances. "SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!"
Bakunetsumaru bounded into the air, unable to get a flat running surface to work on. "TENGYO KEN!"
The Dark Axis troops were quickly blown into the sky, sucked into the Gate only after feeling the sting of the famed Gundam Force Triple Attack!
Shute couldn't contain his joy. He screamed as loud as he could. "ALRIGHT! GUNDAM FORCE RULES!" He punched the air in ex- Hey, his hand was loose! "Aa! I'm free!"
Captain ignored the pouring rain and reached out to his human friend. "Please, Shute, grab my hand, we need to get out of here!"
"I, um, wait! We need this thing!" Shute reached into his pocket and grabbed Darnell's fairy shot stone. He hit the column and cracked it, shattering the elf shot. "Aw, man!"
"Shute, we don't have time!" Captain pleaded.
"We need to get out of here!" Zero begged. "Quickly, before you get hurt!"
Shute wiggled the egg gem, jumping at a lightening bolt which surprised him. "I'll get it!"
FLASH! BOOM!
To the faeries on the ground, it was just a bolt of lightening which hit the tip of the mountain. But to Captain, it was watching half of himself dying before his eyes.
Within just a few seconds, Shute had gotten the egg free. But, as soon as the rock which supported the egg gem snapped, a bolt of lightening hit him square in the chest. A bright flash of light surrounded Shute for a moment, and then he shot backwards, the egg gem going in the opposite direction. Captain's ears were met with a myriad of screams, the most heartbreaking being his own.
"I've got him!" Captain dashed after Shute, Zero and Bakunetsumaru hesitating (they didn't know who should help Captain and who should go after the egg thing).
Captain had to race the force of gravity to make sure he hit the ground with Shute before Shute hit the ground by himself. He turned on his heel- wheels and sped down the mountain, keeping the human boy in sight. He had to time this just right, or else. he didn't want to think about it.
"Okay." he calculated. "3...2...1... GO!"
In an amazing feat of strength, he shot himself up into the air, his booster rockets firing at full output. Unlike most of what had just happened in the last couple of seconds, time seemed to be going too fast for him to comprehend; he almost dropped Shute, but he managed to land with the boy intact and cradled in his arms.
Captain cuddled Shute as tightly and fully as he could. Shute was barely aware of what was going on himself; he only recognized the large, muttering figure as Captain because of the golden glow that was enveloping him. His senses sort of swam in his head until he could finally understand what Captain was saying.
"I'm sorry. (mumbling) alright now, it's okay-"
"I'm sorry, Captain." Shute whispered, embarrassed that he had to apologize. "I wandered off when I wasn't supposed to, and I got hurt."
Captain shushed him and pushed the boy's forehead into the crook of his neck. "Don't, Shute. It's alright now."
Shute began to cry, choking back louder sobs and trying very hard to breathe steadily. Captain kept massaging his shoulder, comforting the traumatized youth. The very sight of Shute crying just tore his heart to pieces. "It's alright, Shute, don't cry. I'm here, and I won't let you get hurt again."
"I was so scared!" Shute hugged his savior back and let the tears flow.
"There, there," Captain cooed to the boy. "I. I was scared too."
Zero and Bakunetsumaru watched from a short distance away, the Winged Knight actually standing beside Baku as opposed to his actual floating.
Baku could barely hold back his own tears as Shute finally let his fall. His eyes began to quiver. "That (sob, choke) that is so. sweet and.. (sniffle). kawaii!" He turned and fell into Zero's chest. Zero simply patted his back and let him cry, keeping his eyes on the Gundam and human before him.
"How truly amazing," he sighed to himself. "Such a bond between those two."
***
The Bean-Nighe only had to lay her hands on the egg gem (or Land Heart, as the faeries actually called it), and she was suddenly transformed into a tall, pale woman with red hair and a beautiful green gown. The Muse, formerly the washer woman, hugged Shute so tightly that the boy turned red (not from embarrassment, but from lack of air).
"Oh, thank you so much!" cried The Muse, sounding a whole lot like Sayla. "That was so brave of you! And to think you died!"
The Gundam Force startled, not quite understanding the statement.
"I didn' die!" Shute mumbled, his voice drowned out by The Muse's body.
"But you did!" The Muse squealed. "The Land Heart brings humans back from the dead only if they're dead in the first place. When a live human touches it, its soul is bound to the Land Heart! Soul bonds can only be broken by dieing, and you died, but you touched the stone again, so you came back to life! Isn't that cool?"
All four of the Gundam Force members went pale.
"You mean Shute actually died?!" Bakunetsumaru shrieked.
"And came back?!" Captain added.
"I'M A ZOMBIE!" Shute yelled. "AAAAAH!"
The Muse turned red (this time from embarrassment) and threw her hand over Shute's mouth. "NO! No! You're alive again! You're alive again! You're not a zombie!"
Shute settled down enough to stop screaming, but as soon as The Muse let him go, he barreled into Captain's arms. "I was dead!"
"But you're not anymore!" The Muse snarled, pulling at her hair. She slumped over, sweat rolling down her temple. "Okay, look, the fairies are dancing again, and you're free to leave here and go wherever you want to go. So, just, go! So I don't have to explain more about the Land Heart!"
Captain agreed and led the Gundam Force to the nearest fairy ring, which was in the middle of Faerie Field. Zero and Bakunetsumaru looked into each other's eyes.
"Are you sure this leads somewhere?" Bakunetsumaru asked.
"Certain," Zero nodded. "Hopefully, it will take us to Lacroa. But if it doesn't, I am not worried. Any world in need of our assistance will be home to me until I can find my own."
Shute smiled and held onto Captain's arm, taking Zero's hand in the other. On the count of three, they jumped into the ring together.
DONE! Notes now! Man, this was a sappy chapter.
About Shute not liking animals; I've got nothing against animals, okay? I love animals, especially horses and dogs and big cats and whales (yeah!), but it seems like a nice counterpoint to Shute's character, since his three best friends are Gundams and he, being a boy of ten with a HUGE house and yard, has no pets. It seemed like an interesting thing to add to his character.
ONCE AGAIN, NOTHING ROMANTIC BETWEEN SHUTE AND CAPTAIN! They are best friends that would do anything to make sure that they both survive to live to the next day. Like me and my friend Double F! We'd risk our lives for each other, I know!
Gwillyions, Knockers, Phooka, and most other faeries mentioned here are real. The Muse is not. There is no such thing as a "great human fairy Muse", that's just something I made up.
Samurai Jack is cool. So is Bakunetsumaru, cause he's a samurai, but that's really not important to the notes.
And that's it! This story is now done! DONE!
It's the hero's final stop as they slowly make their way up Mount Gwillyion- Mine. Will they find what they need? Let's hope so, I'm running out of ideas- OOPS! No I'm not! I'm not! IEE!
"This is it?" Zero growled, staring at the dusty brown mountain that looked as if it had been sculpted out of mud. "There's a clearly defined path to the top!"
Shute knew the winding path up the mountain reminded him of something. Of course it reminded him of a screw, the way the trail wrapped out the lone mountain, but it was something more familiar. It suddenly came to him. "Oh, this kinda looks like something Grandpa Stewy made for me back before he went crazy! I think it was supposed to be a top!"
Shute set his right foot on the mountain; the stones gave way beneath his feet. He adjusted his weight and grunted in satisfaction. "This'll work. Okay, let's go!" The human stepped forward, only to feel his shirt pressing tightly against his voice-box; he gagged and tripped backwards, landing in the outstretched arms of Captain.
Zero sighed, still clinging to the back of Shute's red over- shirt/vest/thingy. "Why must you insist on doing things the hard way? Come with me."
Zero scooped the boy into his arms and began to fly up the side of the mountain, Shute giggling and waving to the earthbound Captain and Zero. Zero flew straight up, admiring the sky and how blue it was. or, at least, sort of blue. It was getting darker as Zero flew upwards, as if a storm were brewing.
Without warning, a bolt of lightning struck right beside Zero and Shute, scaring them both out of their wits! Zero faltered and immediately fell back to ground, landing roughly. His eyes were swollen to the size of dinner plates.
"WAH! Okay, no flying!" Zero panted, holding his "heart". "NO flying up that cursed mountain!"
Captain grabbed Zero's shoulders and shook him. "Where's Shute?"
"What?" Zero checked both of his arms and found them empty. "Ah!"
"YOU DROPPED SHUTE?!" Bakunetsumaru screamed. "WHERE IS HE?"
Zero began to panic. "A- oh no!"
"Guys!"
The Gundams looked up to see Shute crouching on top of an overhanging rock, a long ways up the mountain. He was a little dirty on one side, probably because of Zero dropping him. He giggled none-the-less. "Why must you insist on doing things the hard way, Zero? Come with me, kudasai."
***
Captain listened to every word of Shute's time-wasting story, glad that he could concentrate on something other than the rock-climbing expedition. Zero and Bakunetsumaru were absorbed in their own conversation about princesses and caste systems and whatnot.
"So then, the horse fell over! I mean, right on the guy's leg!" Shute scratched the area of his back directly between his shoulder blades. "And I know I shouldn't have, but I laughed. Not at the guy, at the horse! 'Cause you know I don't like animals, right?"
"You have told me numerous times that, exempting humans, you despise most organic beings," Captain spoke truthfully.
"So, I laughed!" Shute rubbed his head, reminded of the pain. "And then Grandpa Stewy hit me with his cane. I think. I can't really remember that well." He tried to scratch his back again. "AA! Tag itchies!" Shute grunted in effort, yet stopped when Captain began to scratch his back for him. "Aaahhh.. Thanks, Captain."
"You're welcome, Shute."
"Captain?"
The blue-and-white Gundam turned around just as Bakunetsumaru collapsed on his shoulder. "Captain, I'm tired. Can we rest?"
"Yes! I like that idea!" Zero and Baku sat down directly on the trail, leaning on each other and breathing heavily. "Just a quick nap."
"Alright, then." Captain waved Shute over to his side, sat down, and turned off his systems. Shute stayed awake, cuddled in his best friend's arm, waiting for himself to become sleepy and nod off.
So he sat there, and thought about how weird this trip had turned out to be so far. He had nearly died twice; saved once by. hmm. who did the drowning rescue belong to? Was it Zero, who pulled him away from the green hands who wanted to eat them? Bakunetsumaru, who pulled both he and Zero out of the water away from the green hands who wanted to eat them? Or Captain, who had been Baku's lifeline so that he could pull both he and Zero out of the water away from the green hands who wanted to eat them? Oiy, it was confusing, but there was not doubt that the second rescue belonged to Bakunetsumaru, who arrived from out of nowhere to keep him from getting eaten by the evil Redcaps (or, not really evil, they were probably just really hungry).
Was it going to be this dangerous in all of the other dimensions? Surely there had to be more places like Neotopia or Lacroa, maybe. Or would all of them be hostile towards humans? Would he always have to be on his guard? It depressed him; part of the reason that Captain and Zero got so beat up back with the Redcaps was because they had to try and protect him. He couldn't hold his own in a real battle, and if he tried, he would get in serious trouble, get rescued by one of the Gundams, and get called "reckless" and be told "never to do (that) again". It made him mad, angry that he had never made this realization sooner.
Shute growled. "I'm an honorary Gundam. I should be able to go into battle and fight by myself, just like Captain and the others. I'm strong, I can help."
He stroked the golden fins of Captain Gundam, who was still holding him like a little teddy bear. "I'm not just some little tool who sits in the back and activates Captain's Soul Drive. No offense, Cappy."
Captain grunted and adjusted his arm, pulling Shute in closer. The human wiggled himself into a more comfortable position and kept talking to himself. "Hmmm. I've got an idea! This mountain looks pretty easy to climb! I'll make the way up myself while everybody's asleep, get whatever The Muse needs, and bring it back down! Oh, man, they'll be so proud of me!"
Shute gave Captain a quick hug. "Bye, Captain! Don't hurry to wake up!"
Captain let loose a loud growl and flung both arms around Shute unconsciously, pulling him into his chest so strongly it was almost painful. Shute snarled and tried to push himself away, but Captain only tightened his grip.
"Jeez, Captain, you've got the arm strength of a bear!"
"Mm, mmm. yoummhmm mine."
The honorary Gundam laughed. "You've got some odd things going on in your head, don't you?"
"Sssouhhh driveh."
Shute sniffed his disapproval and squirmed about until he could fell his arms again. "Now, how to I get out of here?"
BOOOOWBOOWBOWBOOWOOOOoooooaaaahhooo!
Rain. Oh, sweet, fortuitous rain! For as the cold downpour began, Captain let go of Shute and covered his sensitive eyes, giving him his chance to escape.
"Bye, Captain! Don't wait up for me!"
Captain felt a warm glow arise from within his chest in his sleep. "Shute."
***
And so, he kept running. It was a treacherous climb, because as he ran upwards, it became darker and stormier, sometimes making Shute's footing slip out from beneath him. He had already fallen in the rain twice, although you probably wouldn't be able to tell because of the torrents which would wash off the majority of the mud.
Shute stopped and tried desperately to hide beneath a ledge; the water only seeped into the back of his shirt. He whimpered in anguish. "Oh, come on! I know the rain was good when Captain had me, but it needs to stop now! Please? Kudasai? Somebody!" He squealed again. "Tasukete kudasai! I have been hanging around Baku WAY too long if I'm yelling stuff in Upper Neotopian!" A bolt of lightning hit the other side of the mountain, sending a painful shockwave through his spine. "ITAI! HELP! TASUKETE! SOMETHING!"
He looked about frantically for a better shelter and saw a tiny cave in the side of the mountain. "A cave! I'm saved! Thank you, whoever made me see that!"
***
Shute sniffled, wiping his nose on his wet arm. "I guess the 'mine' in 'Mount Gwillyion-Mine' is actually for. a mine." He kicked a nearby mine cart for lack of something better to do. I guess I can wait."
He began to walk forward, led by the sound of clinking hammers and chittering voices. He sang to himself, "The farmer in the dell, the farmer in the dell-"
"Hi-ho, the dairy-o, the farmer in the dell!"
Shute froze in place, not daring to breathe. "Okay," Shute thought to himself. "There's something in here, and it's trying to sing to me. Maybe. I'll do what Baku said he did and sing back."
"The fairy takes a wife, the fairy takes a wife- oh no! I messed up!"
Whoever was singing along laughed heartily and sang, "Hi-ho, the dairy-o, the fairy takes a wife!"
Shute began to speedwalk into the mine, renewed by a sudden surge of confidence. "The wife takes a child, the wife takes a child."
This continued for a while with Shute and the mysterious voice singing back and forth to each other. Shute began to feel cold, probably from his clothes being wet for most of this journey. He shook himself not much unlike a dog and kept walking. Before long, he reached another hole, this one much smaller than the one he crawled through.
"Hi-ho, the dairy-o, the cheese stands alone!"
Shute turned a little ways to the side and bowed. "Thanks for keeping me company, but I have to go now."
"Ho, boy!"
A little brown thing jumped out of the walls of the mine. It was humanoid in shape, the size of a cat, and dressed in. sort of. medieval. Robin Hood- esque clothes. He had a long and pointed nose, whoever he was, and held in one hand a miner's pick and in the other a stone.
"Greetings, me lad. I be Darnell of the Knockers." Darnell bowed gracefully. "And I be a miner by trade."
"Hello. I'm Shute Marxworth, of the humans," Shute laughed. "And I'm looking for something to help The Muse. Are you the one who was singing?"
"Yes! And ye knew me favorite song!" Darnell placed the small rock in Shute's hand. "For cheering me up today, here be a fairy-shot stone."
Shute examined the fairy-shot stone; it was shaped like an Indian arrowhead.
"If y'er seekin' what I think ye be, you're gonna need that." Darnell bowed again. "I must be back to me minin'. Happy trails, human boy!"
Darnell leapt into the shadows and disappeared. Shute shrugged and wiggled through the tiny exit to the mine.
***
"Well, at least the storm's let up," Shute muttered to himself, holding his shaking shoulders as the water soaked into his skin. "Maybe now I can get something done." He took a quick peek over the edge. "WOAH! I'm a lot higher than I was when I went into the mine! I can see the guys!" At least, he thought that the little blue and red spots were the Gundams he called friends. Without cause, they disappeared and reappeared in a different spot right before Shute's eyes.
"Woah." the human rubbed his eyes, and the spot disappeared. "That was. weird."
Shute kept walking, finding that the ground stopped on the other side of the mountain. Out where he couldn't see it before, there was a huge ocean stretching out to the horizon. He gulped and remarked to himself, "Imagine what lives in there. (gulp) I hope it's not more kelpies. I hate kelpies. I hate animals." He sighed and admitted, "This is hard. I miss Captain."
***
Captain flinched in his sleep, his Soul Drive wavering in and out of activation and dormancy so frequently that it hurt him. He moaned in pain. "Ow. ooooaaaah.. Mmm. Shute."
***
Shute silently trekked up the mountain, unable to think of anything he could use to keep his mind off of his aching legs and tight chest. As he rounded a corner, he had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating again.
Two woman, green in color (the green! Enough with the green! Rargh!) with long, tangled hair. They crouched on boulders on either side of the path, staring at Shute with piercing, colorless eyes. Their long hair fluttered in the wind, accentuating their long, sharp faces. Behind them, the path in the mountain forked, with one trail leading up and one trail leading flat.
Shute approached them and bowed respectfully. "Hello, my name is Shute. Can you tell me which path is the one to the top of the mountain?"
The green woman startled and looked at each other, unable to comprehend the fact that someone was talking to them.
"Um, do you not understand Middle Neotopian?" Shute cleared his throat (it took a few minutes). "Sumimasen. Doko-"
One of the women coughed and began to speak in a raspy, unused voice. "We (cough) c-heard you the f-hir-irst time."
"Oh, thank you, Miss."
"I'M A MAN!"
"OH! Sorry! I couldn't tell!"
The green MAN pushed back a tuft of hair. "The f-(cough)flat path will le- hee-ad you to the tohp. Yo-hoo-ou must run qui-hic-kly or the path will collapse underne-hea-heath you."
"Thanks, sir." Shute bowed again. He took a deep breath and ran across the flat path, finding that it inclined not long after it turned around the mountain. A loud rumble of falling rocks greeted his ears; he yelped and began running faster, finally jumping over a small rock and landing on his chest, his breathing labored.
***
Captain, Zero, and Bakunetsumaru all awoke with a start, breathing deeply and trying to comprehend what had just gone through their heads.
"Captain," Bakunetsumaru bolted. "Did you just have a dre-"
"Yes," finished Captain, holding his head. "Shute-"
"Getting hit by lightning," Zero continued from there. "We all shared the same dream. what about you, Shute?"
No response.
"Shute?"
"Shute-san?"
"Shute?"
Zero caught something out of his eye which made his circuits run cold. He pointed to the wet trial, unable to make the words come out of his throat. Captain followed Zero's arm to see a set of footprints leading from this spot up the mountain.
"OH NO!"
***
"That's it!" Shute whispered, beholding the tip of the mountain. It sparkled like a diamond against the already dark background of the sky. He gasped, or at least, tried to. The breath caught in his throat, making him cough and wheeze before setting off up the top of the mountain. He touched the shining gem and marveled at how it cleared his throat and made all his aches and pains go away. It sort of. took him over. he just stood there, one hand on the gem and the other hand on the mountain. He. just. zoned out. He didn't even notice when the rain began to pour again, washing away some of the mountain mud and revealing that the egg gem was fused to a thin column of solid rock.
He was snapped back into reality by a static roar which rumbled above his head. He looked upwards to see a dark purple circle forming in the sky.
"The Dark Axis!" Shute panicked and began to pull on the gem egg with both hands, his weakness shooting back into his chest like a punch in the stomach. "Egh! Yagh! It won't move!"
The Komusai shot out of the gate, the terrible trio of Zapper Zaku, Grappler Gouf, and Destroyer Dom riding atop it with about a dozen Zako soldiers.
Zapper Zaku let loose his irritating (if unique) laugh. "Finally, this world is weak enough to take over! Let's start doing some damage!!!"
DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDED! "YEH HAAAA HAH HAH HAH HAHA!"
"Stop firing that gun, Zapper!" Grappler snarled, smacking Zapper upside the head. "We need to destroy the power source first, then get to work here, or else the Bagu Bagu won't have any effect on the organics!"
"Duh, anybody got an umbrella?" Destroyer Dom whined. "I don't like duh rain!"
A Zako soldier handed Destroyer Dom a frilly lace umbrella. "Here you are, Lord Dom, Zako."
Dom twirled the umbrella happily. "Duh huh huh, it's a jolly holiday with me! Duh huh huh!"
"Shut up, Dom! Bad Dom!" Grappler looked into a small cell-phone like apparatus and looked into it. "Now, according to the energy sensor, the power source for this dimension is right. below us!"
"Hey!" shouted a familiar voiced Zako (I'll give you a hint: Yellow Microphone). "Look down there! Captain Gundam's little pet has the power source!"
Zapper Zaku looked down upon the pale, wet, sunken-eyed human. "Well, well, it IS Captain's little pet human! Aw, are you lost, little organic boy!?"
"You leave me alone!" Shute tried even harder to pull the gem egg off the mountain, despite being blinded by several lightning blasts not far away.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Grappler shouted. "Without your little Gundam pals, you're nothing!"
Dom jumped atop his favorite instrument of destruction, the Gallop Tank. "Gallop, lock onto target and fire full arsenal!"
Missiles porcupined out of the Gallop's inner weapon locker and pointed themselves at Shute.
"Aa!" Shute held onto the mountain for dear life, awaiting his death.
"SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!"
A ferocious whirlwind blasted the Komusai, sending it out and away from the mountain, towards the ocean. Shute, however, felt no blast this powerful; all he felt was a gentle breeze and the soft caress of a few rose petals. This and the battle cry together made Shute stop flinching and turn around.
"CAPTAIN! ZERO! BAKU! YOU WOKE UP!"
The Gundams themselves were standing on a lower part of the trail, unable to climb up and reach the human boy because the remaining path had been washed away by the rain. They looked at Shute with relieved and hopeful eyes.
"Shute, get down from there!" Zero cried.
"Hurry!" Captain added.
Shute began to let himself fall, but his hands stuck to the egg gem. "Uh oh! I CAN'T LET GO!"
"What?!" Bakunetsumaru waved his swords about in anger. "What do you mean?"
"YOU STUPID GUNDAMS!"
The Komusai arose from the other side of the mountain, behind the Gundam Force. Each evil not-quite-Gundam held aloft his favorite weapon: Zapper, his gattling guns; Grappler, his ax/sword; and Destroyer Dom, his bazooka and Gallop Tank.
Grappler Gouf spoke first. "You pesky Gundams get in our way every time we try to do something!"
"This time, we'll make sure nothing happens ever again!" Zapper Zaku snarled.
"Target acquired!" Dom entered a fighting stance and fingered the trigger.
"Not if we have anything to do with it!" Captain snapped.
"Let's go!" Baku jumped onto the Komusai, holding his swords high.
Shute kept struggling, but it was as if his hands were superglued to the gem. "I can't move!"
***
Urisk awoke with a start, looking towards Mount Gwillyion-Mine with a worried expression. "My little human friend is in trouble. PHOOKA!"
A large eagle dropped from the sky and landed next to Urisk. The goat man snorted. "Phooka, it's an emergency. An evil force is trying to steal the Land Heart."
The eagle startled, his eyes growing. He nodded and lowered his wing, allowed Urisk to jump onto his back. "Bean-Nighe! Come with me!"
The Bean-Nighe stopped her washing and joined Urisk on Phooka. They flew off of the rock and into the sky.
***
Kade's head shot above the water. "Hey! It's the ones that almost drowned! They're under attack! GUYS!"
The Merrows jumped out of the water and, turning themselves into little hornless cows, stampeded to the mountain. The kelpie also joined their trek, carrying Peg and Jenny, the Nuckelavee, the Water Leaper, and a tall woman dressed in a flowing robe.
***
"There is a battle on Mount Gwillyion-Mine!" the head Redcap roared to his minions. "Where there is a battle, there is blood!"
The army cried out in rebellion, raising their weapons.
***
"There's trouble on my mountain!" Darnell muttered. "No one messes up my mountain! My brothers!"
Darnell's abundant brothers grabbed their picks and hammers and charged out of the mine.
***
Captain worked as hard as he could to knock Zapper's ax out of his hand, but the evil not-quite-Gundam was as good a swordsman as he was. Zero had to break from trying to (literally) disarm Grappler Gouf to rescue Bakunetsumaru from falling off the Komusai. Destroyer Dom, for some unfathomable reason, began to show some brains and started shooting Shute! The boy couldn't dodge the blows; he could only crunch up and hope Destroyer missed which he often did.
"Somebody help me." he cried, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Somebody.."
BOOOOWBOOWBOWBOOWOOOOoooooaaaahhooo!
Shute couldn't take it anymore; a young boy can only withstand so much. He suffered a moral breakdown, and finally just broke into a loud sobbing fit. "HEEEEEELP!"
Captain began to feel a fire within his chest, with his eyes burning red with an inward fire.
"SOUL DRIVE ACTIVATE!"
"Super Magical Violet Tornado!"
"Secret Arts! Bakunetsu! Tengyo Ken!"
Zapper Zaku jumped into the air in fear. "Aa! Not the Triple Attack!"
"Be quiet!" Grappler Gouf ordered, holding up his little cell phone thing. "We have this, remember! It'll absorb every bit of energy from that stupid attack!"
Captain gasped to himself, his Soul Drive shutting off momentarily. Bakunetsumaru also uncrossed his swords, causing both him and Captain to fall. "Oh no!"
"CAPTAIN!" Shute knew he was crying only because of his sore face muscles; his face was drenched with rainwater, so tears were basically undetectable.
A giant eagle just zoomed in out of nowhere, catching Captain and Bakunetsumaru just as they were about to fall! They were being held in the eagle's talons as Urisk gave a celebratory whoop.
TWING!
The energy absorber was then knocked right out of Grappler's hand by a spear!
Without warning, millions of spears, arrows, throwing axes, and rocks began launching themselves at the Komusai, hitting Zako soldiers and the three head honchos and anything else in their way!
"What's going on?" Bakunetsumaru shouted.
Zero looked down and pointed with his buster sword. "It is the faes! They have joined our cause and are fighting with us!"
Shute gazed downward and saw a huge mass of mostly humanoid creatures, many of them throwing rocks or some other type of weapon, other simply cheering or blowing battle horns.
"Let's get out of here, Zako!" said a little soldier.
"Open Zakorello Gate!" Grappler screeched! The gate opened very slowly; the magical energy from all of the fairies was interfering with the signal.
"Don't let 'em get away, Captain!" Shute screamed. "Go get 'em!"
Captain felt his chest glowing again. "Let's try this again!" He dropped back down onto the mountain, his entire arm shining with the power of the Soul Drive. "Soul Drive Activate!"
"Gladly!" Zero chimed. He positioned himself squarely on the side of the mountain, still fearing to fly too high because of, um, electrical circumstances. "SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!"
Bakunetsumaru bounded into the air, unable to get a flat running surface to work on. "TENGYO KEN!"
The Dark Axis troops were quickly blown into the sky, sucked into the Gate only after feeling the sting of the famed Gundam Force Triple Attack!
Shute couldn't contain his joy. He screamed as loud as he could. "ALRIGHT! GUNDAM FORCE RULES!" He punched the air in ex- Hey, his hand was loose! "Aa! I'm free!"
Captain ignored the pouring rain and reached out to his human friend. "Please, Shute, grab my hand, we need to get out of here!"
"I, um, wait! We need this thing!" Shute reached into his pocket and grabbed Darnell's fairy shot stone. He hit the column and cracked it, shattering the elf shot. "Aw, man!"
"Shute, we don't have time!" Captain pleaded.
"We need to get out of here!" Zero begged. "Quickly, before you get hurt!"
Shute wiggled the egg gem, jumping at a lightening bolt which surprised him. "I'll get it!"
FLASH! BOOM!
To the faeries on the ground, it was just a bolt of lightening which hit the tip of the mountain. But to Captain, it was watching half of himself dying before his eyes.
Within just a few seconds, Shute had gotten the egg free. But, as soon as the rock which supported the egg gem snapped, a bolt of lightening hit him square in the chest. A bright flash of light surrounded Shute for a moment, and then he shot backwards, the egg gem going in the opposite direction. Captain's ears were met with a myriad of screams, the most heartbreaking being his own.
"I've got him!" Captain dashed after Shute, Zero and Bakunetsumaru hesitating (they didn't know who should help Captain and who should go after the egg thing).
Captain had to race the force of gravity to make sure he hit the ground with Shute before Shute hit the ground by himself. He turned on his heel- wheels and sped down the mountain, keeping the human boy in sight. He had to time this just right, or else. he didn't want to think about it.
"Okay." he calculated. "3...2...1... GO!"
In an amazing feat of strength, he shot himself up into the air, his booster rockets firing at full output. Unlike most of what had just happened in the last couple of seconds, time seemed to be going too fast for him to comprehend; he almost dropped Shute, but he managed to land with the boy intact and cradled in his arms.
Captain cuddled Shute as tightly and fully as he could. Shute was barely aware of what was going on himself; he only recognized the large, muttering figure as Captain because of the golden glow that was enveloping him. His senses sort of swam in his head until he could finally understand what Captain was saying.
"I'm sorry. (mumbling) alright now, it's okay-"
"I'm sorry, Captain." Shute whispered, embarrassed that he had to apologize. "I wandered off when I wasn't supposed to, and I got hurt."
Captain shushed him and pushed the boy's forehead into the crook of his neck. "Don't, Shute. It's alright now."
Shute began to cry, choking back louder sobs and trying very hard to breathe steadily. Captain kept massaging his shoulder, comforting the traumatized youth. The very sight of Shute crying just tore his heart to pieces. "It's alright, Shute, don't cry. I'm here, and I won't let you get hurt again."
"I was so scared!" Shute hugged his savior back and let the tears flow.
"There, there," Captain cooed to the boy. "I. I was scared too."
Zero and Bakunetsumaru watched from a short distance away, the Winged Knight actually standing beside Baku as opposed to his actual floating.
Baku could barely hold back his own tears as Shute finally let his fall. His eyes began to quiver. "That (sob, choke) that is so. sweet and.. (sniffle). kawaii!" He turned and fell into Zero's chest. Zero simply patted his back and let him cry, keeping his eyes on the Gundam and human before him.
"How truly amazing," he sighed to himself. "Such a bond between those two."
***
The Bean-Nighe only had to lay her hands on the egg gem (or Land Heart, as the faeries actually called it), and she was suddenly transformed into a tall, pale woman with red hair and a beautiful green gown. The Muse, formerly the washer woman, hugged Shute so tightly that the boy turned red (not from embarrassment, but from lack of air).
"Oh, thank you so much!" cried The Muse, sounding a whole lot like Sayla. "That was so brave of you! And to think you died!"
The Gundam Force startled, not quite understanding the statement.
"I didn' die!" Shute mumbled, his voice drowned out by The Muse's body.
"But you did!" The Muse squealed. "The Land Heart brings humans back from the dead only if they're dead in the first place. When a live human touches it, its soul is bound to the Land Heart! Soul bonds can only be broken by dieing, and you died, but you touched the stone again, so you came back to life! Isn't that cool?"
All four of the Gundam Force members went pale.
"You mean Shute actually died?!" Bakunetsumaru shrieked.
"And came back?!" Captain added.
"I'M A ZOMBIE!" Shute yelled. "AAAAAH!"
The Muse turned red (this time from embarrassment) and threw her hand over Shute's mouth. "NO! No! You're alive again! You're alive again! You're not a zombie!"
Shute settled down enough to stop screaming, but as soon as The Muse let him go, he barreled into Captain's arms. "I was dead!"
"But you're not anymore!" The Muse snarled, pulling at her hair. She slumped over, sweat rolling down her temple. "Okay, look, the fairies are dancing again, and you're free to leave here and go wherever you want to go. So, just, go! So I don't have to explain more about the Land Heart!"
Captain agreed and led the Gundam Force to the nearest fairy ring, which was in the middle of Faerie Field. Zero and Bakunetsumaru looked into each other's eyes.
"Are you sure this leads somewhere?" Bakunetsumaru asked.
"Certain," Zero nodded. "Hopefully, it will take us to Lacroa. But if it doesn't, I am not worried. Any world in need of our assistance will be home to me until I can find my own."
Shute smiled and held onto Captain's arm, taking Zero's hand in the other. On the count of three, they jumped into the ring together.
DONE! Notes now! Man, this was a sappy chapter.
About Shute not liking animals; I've got nothing against animals, okay? I love animals, especially horses and dogs and big cats and whales (yeah!), but it seems like a nice counterpoint to Shute's character, since his three best friends are Gundams and he, being a boy of ten with a HUGE house and yard, has no pets. It seemed like an interesting thing to add to his character.
ONCE AGAIN, NOTHING ROMANTIC BETWEEN SHUTE AND CAPTAIN! They are best friends that would do anything to make sure that they both survive to live to the next day. Like me and my friend Double F! We'd risk our lives for each other, I know!
Gwillyions, Knockers, Phooka, and most other faeries mentioned here are real. The Muse is not. There is no such thing as a "great human fairy Muse", that's just something I made up.
Samurai Jack is cool. So is Bakunetsumaru, cause he's a samurai, but that's really not important to the notes.
And that's it! This story is now done! DONE!
