AN: Hello, everyone! This story is a birthday present for my good friend, mariobroultimate. Happy birthday, Ultimate, and I hope you enjoy this story!
Just be aware, while I will use some of Ultimate's original characters, this story is not connected to his works, such as the Super Mario Galaxy or Super Mario Sunshine stories. Consider this an AU more than anything.
Chapter 1 Bloody and Beaten
Aster grit his teeth. The taste and smell of blood washed over his mouth and nose. He wiped sweat from his brow, all while anger and exhaustion flooded his psyche. This was too much. Way too much. He had to get up and keep going, but he couldn't. His exhaustion locked his legs into an unmovable state. His eyelids drooped, and a gnawing void made itself known in the pit of his stomach.
He cursed under his breath. Come on, Aster. Get up. GET UP! He tried to push himself up, but his bruised, beaten, bloodstained arms were too weak to allow him to do that. He dropped to the ground, his breathing speeding up at an alarming rate. He cursed again.
Please, he pleaded in his head. Please, I need to stop that creature. I need to stop it!
Nevertheless, the intergalactic wanderer remained at a standstill. He lowered his head onto the sandy floor. Bits of rock stuck to his face, stinging the man's skin. He would have brushed it off, but he was far too weak to even lift a finger. His breathing was growing shallow. The edges of his surroundings were growing dark.
"Healing Spieling!"
Surprised by that voice and even more surprised by his strength returning, Aster looked up into the sky. His wife, Rosalina, descended upon him while brandishing her wand. Her eyes shined with concern, similar to how her entire body shined with light.
She knelt down beside him. "Are you alright?"
Despite the situation, Aster managed to put on a smile. "I'm fine." He lifted himself onto his knees, rejuvenation and joy flooding his soul now that blood and wounds were no longer an issue. "Thank you."
"No problem." Rosalina's smile dissipated as she looked out at the cosmos, so beautiful and dangerous. "I assume it got away."
Aster grit his teeth once again. The anger returned as he rose to a standing position. "Of course it got away. It always gets away."
Rosalina sighed and rose to her feet as well. She planted her hand on Aster's shoulder, stroking it in order to bring some comfort to her husband's mind. "I'm sorry."
Aster shook his head. How could this be so hard? This alien was so tricky to catch, so hard to pin down. Appropriate given its trickster-like nature, but aggravating given the fact that it could potentially spell the universe's doom.
Aster spit on the ground, wiping his lips as his eyebrows scrunched up. "That darn Puffling. They are a pain in the tailpipe."
"I know." Rosalina pulled her hand off of Aster's shoulder. "It's a shame."
"Darn right it's a shame." Aster put one foot after the other. He was ready to fly off this planet. He was ready to kill that Puffling and prevent the universe from imploding with the snap of that creature's powers. He was ready…
"Honey, where are you going?"
Aster stopped. The concern and worry in Rosalina' voice… It put a pit in his stomach, made fear come to the forefront of his consciousness. While the hunt for the Puffling had been extremely hard physically on Aster, there was no doubt that it had been even harder for Rosalina mentally. This was the fourth time she had to teleport away from the Observatory in order to heal his wounds. Even though her magic had left him without any scars, it did nothing to get rid of Rose's paranoia.
"You're going out to look for it again, aren't you?" she asked.
He let out a sigh and turned toward her. He put on a smile, one that he hoped appeared warm and courageous. "You don't have to worry about me."
"Of course I do!" She approached him and placed her hand on his cheek. "You're my whole universe, Aster. If something happens to you…"
"If that Puffling manages to escape, then there won't be a universe at all." He placed his hand over hers. Her skin was so soft, comforting like a hand knit blanket. He looked back into her eyes. "I have a job to do. You and I are protectors of the cosmos, after all."
Rosalina removed her hand from his cheek and shook her head. "You've nearly gotten yourself killed Aster. Four times!" Tears welled in her eyes. "What if I get preoccupied? What if I'm unable to save you in time?" A tear slid down her face. "If you die on this mission, then you won't be any good to anyone."
Aster bit his lip. She was right. Of course she was right. Besides, there was also the fact that he was feeling separation anxiety being away from her. Her and her beauty, her and her kindness. Her and her love. She was trying to protect Aster, but even a cosmos wandering deity wasn't perfect. If she didn't get to him in time, then he could end up dead. While this thought didn't necessarily bother him (he was curious about the afterlife and wished to experience what it was like), he could never forgive himself if he left Rosalina eternally heartbroken.
So, he looked her right in the eye. "I…suppose it wouldn't hurt if I took a little break from the hunt."
Rosalina sniffled and smiled. "Thank you." She dried the tear from her face. "Thank you so much." Her smile grew brighter, shining almost as brightly as the stars. She waved her wand, and in an instant, she and Aster teleported off the sand planet. They just as quickly landed on the Comet Observatory's floor. As soon as they were there, lumas floated over to them. The star shaped creatures squealed with glee.
"Mama! Papa!" They encircled the couple, causing Rosalina to beam and Aster to let out a rare chuckle. He petted one of them on the head, delivering to that particular luma an even more concentrated dose of joy.
"Hello, hello, little ones," Rosalina said. "I can see that you missed us."
"Of course, Mama!" a little pink luma exclaimed. "You and Papa were gone for, like, a bajillion years!"
Aster shook his head at the hyperbole. "Time is such a tricky concept for stars to grasp." He beamed and pointed to Rosalina. "This pretty lady wants me to live forever," he half joked.
"I want that too, Papa!" exclaimed a green luma.
"Me too!" said a purple one.
"Forever isn't nearly long enough for me," said a white luma. "I want you to live for forever times infinity!"
Aster and Rosalina laughed. "Forever times infinity sounds good to me!" Aster said. He turned back to Rosalina, putting on a joking face. "So, I assume the reason you wanted me here was because you wanted to feed me?"
Rosalina snickered. "You know me so well."
"Well," Aster said, "I would hope so since we're reaching one million years of marriage!"
Rosalina chuckled. "One million? Try one million and ten!"
"Oh. Right, right, my bad." He laughed before cupping his wife's hands. "Anyway, after we eat, I'll discuss what has happened with the Puffling."
Rosalina nodded, her face turning serious after all that silliness. "Yes, of course." With that, she led him to the kitchen dome.
