I'm back baby! You all know me, Silva, TheSilverSableye! You know how I haven't updated in months? Well, I'm back! Do I have a reason? Not really, so to make have a chapter of Earthbound!
Ninten was happy that the rain stopped and the dark clouds had cleared, but there were quite a few things he was mad about.
He had realized his friends were jerks
The Mayor had sent him to the zoo. While he would usually love this, he was informed the animals were out of control and dangerous.
And 3, two songs had been repeating in his head and he was sure they were connected.
"I could be watching Ninja Turtles right now. I'm starting to regret this whole hero thing." he claimed. It only took him a few minutes to reach the Choucream Zoo. The mayor's words were true, the Zoo was closed down. He looked through the bars of the gates, but he couldn't see any animals. The only thing he did see, and unfortunately hear, was a red-haired hippie, with facial hair and a peace sign shirt. He was holding up a sign, shouting about animal cruelty.
"Abolish the slavery of animals. Abolish the slavery of animals. Abolish the-"
"Hey, hotshot, do me a favor and shut your mouth." The Hippie glared at him.
"You are but a pawn to this e man, little dude. Break from your chains and free yourselves." Ninten rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe you should go find someone that cares about what you're saying. Maybe a raccoon in a junkyard, how about that?" Ninten restrained a chuckle as he could almost see the steam coming from the hippie's ears.
"The man, they have gotten to the youth so quickly. pigs worry little dude, my healing touch shall free you from those capitalist pigs' control!" Before Ninten could react, the hippie swung his sign at his gut, briefly knocking the air out of him.
"Peace and love, huh? Yeah right." Ninten rushed at the hippie and swung at his sign. The hippie retaliated by blocking the bat with his sign. It looked just like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader's battle in The Empire Strikes Back. The hippie suddenly jumped back and attempted to do a downward slash. Ninten quickly dove to the side and swung his bat at his knees, The hippie jumped over the swing and sideward slashed at Ninten.
"Grrr. I stopped Zombies and Lamps. This shouldn't be this hard." he dodged the slash and dropped his bat. The Hippie was confused for a moment, but his focus was replaced as Ninten ducked down and punched him in his crotch. The Hippie let out a scream as Ninten rushed away, scooping back up his bat. He left the Hippie howling in pain as he whipped out the zoo key.
He prepared to load in the key when a brown blur flashed in front of his face. He quickly turned to the offending blur and was slightly shocked to see a monkey holding the zoo key grinning at him. He couldn't decipher the type, but then again he barely knew about monkeys to begin with.
"What the heck!" he exclaimed. The monkey smirked more and laughed before scaling the gate and bounding into the zoo.
"This day just keeps getting stranger and stranger." he raised his bat, ready to beat the lock into submission until he absent-mindedly nudged the gate with his foot. The gate immediately swung open and the lock fell to the ground.
"Of course." he kicked away the lock and ran into the zoo. It was bare of people, though he already expected that. Enclosures full of animals were on those penguins tend couldn't help but run to the penguin exhibit. He didn't hide that penguins were his fand favorite animals. He had a penguin pencil case, penguin stickers on his locker, and even penguin underwear. The penguins at the zoo didn't seem to be out of control, just in their home walking around and going about their lives. Ninten's smile grew larger by the second.
His perfect moment was interrupted when he heard a trumpet. He whipped around and was met with a face full of water. He shook off most of the liquid and faced his opponent. He looked up. And up. And up.
"Whoah, mama." he stared up at an elephant, glaring at him with unnatural red eyes. He barely raised his bat before the pachyderm batted him away with its trunk. Ninten's brain was scrambled as he soared over the enclosure before being sent down by gravity into water. Deepwater.
'Now I know what cats feel like.' he thought as he broke the surface, taking in a big gulp of air. He doggy paddled to a piece of land and basked in the sunlight.
"After this, I'm gonna try acupuncture." he proclaimed. He peeked past his wet sneakers and was surprised to see logs floating shockingly fast towards him.
"Huh. If I wasn't second-guessing myself, I would think those were Alligators or something." the logs suddenly shot out from the water like bullets. They opened their jaws and snapped at him.
"Why do I even alk?" he brandished his bat and swung at the gators. The Alligators moved fast and were too slow to act as one got their head caved in. The second one bared its teeth and lunged at him. Ninten was tackled but rolled away before the Alligator turned around to bite him.
"Time to improvise." he chuckled to himself. He bolted toward the alligators, who opened their mouth in glee as their prey ran towards them. But the predator's plan was destroyed when Ninten jumped, landed on its jaws, and used it as a makeshift springboard to reach the railings. He grabbed the rail and flipped back onto the zoo path. The Alligators scraped the wall trying to reach their prey, gave them a raspberry, and briskly walked away.
"Ok, the animals are acting strange," he said, twirling his bat, "I just gotta find out why." he thought deeply, trying to think. He focused, but a shrill shrieking noise creepy through his ears.
"Jeez, where is that coming from?" he climbed up a phone booth and inspected the zoo. It took him a few moments to hear the sound coming from a far building tucked away behind trees.
"Guess that's where I'm going." he dropped from the phone booth and was smacked by a ball of paper. The monkey from before grinned and cackled once more and sped off. Ninten's objective was immediately overridden; defeat the monkey.
"Get over here!" he screamed as he ran as fast as he could towards the primate. The monkey laughed even more as he scaled hedges and trees. Ninten clambered over them too, not once taking his eyes off the monkey.
"When I get you, you're gonna wish-" he skidded to a stop. The monkey flipped, somersaulted, and jumped over the sleeping bodies of Gorillas, hyenas, and a large Tiger. Ninten's breath hitched. He carefully stepped over the animals, sweat dripping off him by the gallons.
'I never should have gone in that basement. I never should have gone in that basement. I never should have gone in that basement.' he chanted in his head. He snuck more around the creatures until he slipped on a banana peel and landed on the tail of a hyena. The animal leaped up and yowled, landing on a gorilla. The gorilla stood up straight and socked the hyena again. The hyena woke up another gorilla, and then woke up another hyena, and so on and so on.
The boy tip-toed quietly away at the brawl, but was stopped by a furry wall. Turning around, he almost needed a new pair of pants as a Chommo Tiger growled at him threateningly. There was no way he could outrun a tiger.
"I can't believe I'm doing this but…" he hit the tiger under its chin, distracting it enough for Ninten to leap on its back. He gripped the mangy fur and the tiger lurched back on its hind legs, roaring.
"Yippee Ki Yay!" he screamed as the tiger tore off. The tiger bucked wildly, trying to usurp the unwanted passenger, but the boy held on. Disc-shaped objects suddenly descend from the trees, following him. Ninten noticed them and was surprised to see flying saucers of all things, with little window lights.
He barely had time to remark when the Lil Saucer shot a mini laser at him. It scorched off a patch of the tiger's fur, making it yowl. Ninten swung his bat at the first one, sending it to the ground, but two more took its place. He swung at more, but they kept appearing, and soon he was looking at 30 of the little buggers. Ninten spied an elephant walking across a path a few feet away. He stood up on the saddling's back, and when they were close enough to the animal, he jumped up, saddling the elephant with difficulty., "If only my mom could see me now. She'd probably ground me till I'm in college," he said. The Lil Saucers followed after him and he resolved to just dodged their shots, which seemed to work. He almost didn't see the building where the noise was coming from.
"Oh man this is gonna hurt." he groaned. He stood up on the elephant's back, judged his entry point, and jumped through a window. The glass shards flew everywhere, none somehow embedding themselves in the boy. He laid there for a second before standing back up. Most of the Lil Saucers fled, but one stayed, firing lasers at Ninten. He merely smacked it out the window.
'Hypnosis: Alpha'
'DefenseUp: Alpha'
'DefenseDown: Alpha' more words drifted into his mind, and he figured they were more of these strange powers. He raised his hand, about to cast one to test it out until he noticed a gigantic pill.
"What the-" the pill floated above the floor, somehow emitting the ear-shattering sound. Ninten approached the object with hesitation and poked it with his bat. Nothing happened. Ninten escalated the situation by smashing the pill, cracking its surface, and stopping the sound. The pill cracked open in the middle, letting loose a viscous liquid that smelled like burnt rubber.
"UGH! Jeez, that's the definition of grody," he said. He stepped over the puddle and was intent on leaving until he turned around to get one last look at the liquid and was shocked to see it moving and swerving like a wave. It curled into feet, then legs, and the rest of the body, something Ninten had never seen before.
Standing only inches taller than him, with painted foreign symbols on their chest. A black visor blocked Ninten's eyes from peeking and sharp whip-like hands stood glued to its hips.
"Starman Jr model number SX21LOQ, reporting for duty." it droned. Ninten stepped back in horror.
"Evil Talking Robots. Dad was right!" he said. The robot swiveled its head at him.
"Scanning...done. You are the one that stopped me from my mission. Please evacuate the premises."
"N-No way! You need to get the heck outta here yourself, off this planet!"
"...Well then, I suppose I shall have to remove you. By force." the Starman Jr.'s whip-like hands unfurled from its side. They were sharp like daggers.
"That won't scare me! I know how to defeat you!" the robot stopped and seemed intrigued by this matter.
"Activate Self-Destruct sequence!" he waited for the robot to explode in glorious red. It never came.
"Uhh, everything I'm saying is a lie, including this?" Nada. He glanced over to a glass of water and threw it at the robot. It splashed over it, but nothing happened.
"...In my defense, it seemed like a good idea," he muttered. The Starman Jr lunged at the boy, eager to complete its mission. Ninten narrowly dodged as the sharp hands of the robot sank into the wall behind him. He struck the robot with his bat, but it seemed to be ineffective. The Starman Jr removed its hands and lunged again at Ninten. This time, he couldn't dodge and raised his bat as the tendrils hit wood. He gulped as the tendrils almost came close to his face. He yanked the bat away and gained some distance against the android.
"Who're you working for, why are they invading?" he growled. The alien robot said nothing. It stood still as yellow energy built up in its visor. Ninten barely sidestepped a laser blast, scorching the floor.
"Ya know, maybe we got off on the wrong foot. Hi, my name is Ninten Dooooooe!" Ninten sputtered out as he leaped out of the way of another laser blast. He decided now was the time for action, and jumped on a desk.
"Go back to the scrap heap!" he bounded to the Starman Jr., swinging his bat down. He heard a metallic clang and wood cracking and splintering. When he landed, he dared to look at his bat. Yup, broken, snapped, and dead. Ninten could feel his eyes get glassy.
"That was my favorite bat! It got me through the game between us and Threed. My dad gave it to me!"
"Processing speech...result: Do not care." Starman Jr. stated. It began to gather another Laser Blast, this one bigger than the last.
"Please stay still so you can be eradicated." Starman Jr. said. Ninten balled his fist. Not even 10 minutes ago he had escaped death by learning healing powers. Now here he was, staring down a laser blast. He took in a deep breath and exhaled.
"I'm not going down without a fight." Ninten growled, holding the broken bat and assuming a stance. Starman Jr. said nothing as he released the blast. Like a missile, it streaked towards the boy, scorching the floor and walls in its wake. Ninten could feel the force of the laser as it grew closer. He clenched in waiting as the attack was about to hit him, closing his eyes to feel the heat of the blast. He waited...and waited...then waited some more until he opened his eyes, wondering where the attack was.
Ninten glanced down at his chest, where a great force was pushing on him. The Franklin badge was sparkling with yellow energy.
"Whoa." He got out before the badge retaliated. SHHHHHHOOOM! A beam of yellow energy sprang from the badge at the robot. It stood there, seemingly accepting its loss. The blast hit it, degrading and rusting the robot in seconds before it turned to ash. The blast ended, leaving a hole in the wall where Ninten entered.
Ninten took a step back and breathed. He leaned down and fell to the ground, still breathing heavily after the ordeal.
"Why me?" he asked no one in particular as he stood back up, opened the door, and left.
The animals had returned to their calm selves since the noises stopped, returning to their enclosures. Ninten breathed a sigh of relief as he walked out of the building, hands in his pocket as he walked down the path.
He continued to walk until he reached the exit, and he was intent on leaving when his eyes glanced over at a cage.
"YOU!" The same monkey that had tortured him was now sitting in the cage, surrounded by leaves and trees. I gave a cheeky grin and waved.
"I guess the noise made you act weird too? Or maybe you're just a jerk." Ninten said, shrugging. His eyes drifted to a sign by the cage almost worn out from time. 'One of a kind. Come see the famous Singing Monkey!' Ninten looked back at the monkey, who grinned and cleared its throat.
The monkey then sang a song. Its voice wasn't the best, but the song flowed smoothly, like waves crashing on a beach. Ninten watched in amazement until a familiar feeling came back to him.
"...Give it some words, and…" Ninten sang. He slapped himself in the face. 'Get it together, Doe! This is the third verse and it hasn't even been a day!' He sighed and left the zoo, saluting the monkey on the way. The monkey bowed to him. He passed the hippie, still writhing on the ground cupping his groin. Both ignored the other.
Ninten walked quickly to City Hall, passing everyone and slipping between people. He climbed the stairs and pushed open the door to the Mayor's Office. The man himself was there, gorging himself on a hamburger.
"I did it." Mr. Goodman stopped and nearly spit out his burger when he saw the boy.
"A-Ahhh! The hero returns with good promise, I hope! Did you get rid of the problem?"
"Did you know there was an alien robot making the animals go crazy, and almost killed me?!" Mr. Goodman scoffed.
"You kids and your crazy imaginations. I must thank you for fixing the problem though. You've helped the whole town. And here's your reward." The mayor opened a drawer and took out a stack of 10-dollar bills. He tossed them on the floor at Ninten, slightly scattering them. The total added up to $100.
"Now scram, I've got things to do." The mayor said, waving him off. Ninten clenched his hands. He forced himself not to move because if he did, he would have bounded over towards him and socked him good. Instead, he pocketed the money, turned, and placed his hand on the doorknob.
"And watch out for those Starmen. They can pack quite a punch." Ninten stopped in the doorway. His toes curled. He spun around, a picture of perfect anger on his face as he pointed to the mayor and uttered; "Hypnosis: Alpha!".
The mayor dropped his burger. His eyes seemed to roll into his skull as his eyelids closed, falling into a sleep. Ninten waited for a minute to see if he would wake up. Ninten breathed in, and breathed out, before leaving the office.
"And you fought an alien robot?" he heard his mom say. Ninten shrugged, even though she couldn't see. He had called his mom after depositing the money in his card and buying a brand new aluminum bat. He chose to tell his mom of his adventure, surprised she took it well.
"Yeah, it called itself Starman Jr. I don't know anything about aliens or robots, but I do know that someone must have built it, and I'm gonna find out who." he heard his mom sigh.
"Well, you seem to be doing alright. Just, be careful and don't get into too much trouble, alright?"
"Ok, mom. I love you."
"Love you too, sweetie." Click. Ninten ended the call and put the phone back on the hanger and left the phone booth. Leaving the department store, he finally realized he didn't know where to go. He figured he might as well leave town, wondering if something might be going on in other towns. He walked on the road that would take him to Merrysville.
"Why doesn't Podunk have any schools?" he wondered. He was quickly set on the road that would take him to Merrysville. Except as he took a step, he heard something. Like when you hold your ear to a seashell. He quickly turned to the noise, intent on figuring out the source. He quickly spotted a cave off the beaten path, one he had never seen before. 5 years of riding the bus, and yet he had never spied it. He stepped hesitantly to the mouth of the cave, looking around for bats. Ninten had explored caves before, except those had been the colorful kind made out of fabric and were only 5 feet long, right in his living room.
Ninten stepped in and began walking through the dark-grey tunnel. No bats were around although he still ducked at the sounds in his mind. 'Why am I even here?' he wondered, trying to ignore the hammering in his heart.
He stopped. Something seemed wrong, although he couldn't tell. He took a step backward, intent on fleeing away from this overgrown crevice before the ground below him gave way. How did rocks and dirt break? He thought that too as he plummeted down.
Ninten woke up needing to pee. He had stopped peeing the bed 3 years and had always thanked the big man upstairs that he had trained his bladder to hold until the morning. He quickly stood up and remembered where he was. A cave that he had crashed into from another cave. He took a leak in one of the corners and looked up. The entry point was about 10 feet up, and there were no footholds along the wall he could use to propel himself up.
"Well crap." he grumbled. He might as well become a troglodyte. That was the name of a cave person, right?
"Wendigos are cannibals, so if I ate my finger, would that count?" Ninten had heard from Harry that biting off your pinky was as easy as biting a baby carrot. Ninten was always scared to try it, but if he was going to live in a cave, he might as well.
"One, two,th-AHHH, Can't do it!" He turned around to distract himself from the enticing nature of his finger. He immediately spotted an entirely pink conch shell, raised on a pedestal of stone.
The sound he had heard before drifted back into his ear, this time closer, and directly came from the shell. Ninten, headset on learning more, reached out to grab it. Right as his fingertips grazed it, there was a burst of light. Ninten shields his eyes with his other hand, but the light crept through. All around him was soft, pink light, like cotton candy.
"Who has lost his tail?" a deep verbatim voice spoke. It seemed to come directly into Ninten's mind.
"UUUUUUUMMMM...I don't know?" a quick pain in his brain, like a brain freeze, made him scream in pain.
"Answer, or leave." Ninten wanted to do the latter, but it's not every day a disembodied voice telepathically talks to you. And Ninten intended to find out what was up. He thought and thought, thought of all the riddles he had learned in his life, and which seemed to be the right answer.
"Man?" Pain. "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt?" Pain. "THE PRINCESS? IS SHE IN ANOTHER CASTLE?" Immense total pain. He screamed the loudest he ever had in his life.
"Answer, or leave." the voice called. Ninten sucked in his breath through gritted teeth. He went back, thinking about everything he had learned in his whole life, and the life he had lived, for some kind of answer. His mental search brought him to today, just a few hours ago. When he read Great-Grandpa George's Diary, there on one of the pages, that strange riddle he couldn't figure out…
"The forgotten one, the ship that sails?" he yelled. A solid second passed before the voice came back, more calm than before.
"Correct." Suddenly, the fog parted, leaving Ninten to adjust to this new sight.
Everything was pink and made out of clouds. People that looked like elves with wizard hats milled about. Houses shaped like shells sprung up from the cumulus walkways. There was a cat seemingly swimming in the clouds as well. It was like a city in a children's book.
Ninten couldn't believe his eyes. He hurriedly rubbed at his eyes, thinking this was some dream.
Far from it, it would seem.
He wandered around, gazing at the cloud buildings and the fact he was walking on an actual cloud. He gazed over the end and was met with an endless sky.
"Wait, how am I even standing on this thing? Clouds are made out of water." Ninten questioned. Then he remembered he had battled an alien robot not too long ago.
It was now that he finally noticed that many of the strange inhabitants of this world were staring at him. A deep blush grew on his face as he fiddled with his hands, unsure of what to do with them.
I guess I do look pretty ridiculous to them…but I gotta get outta here! That weird seashell isn't around here… He thought, walking away from the onlookers, past all the shell houses to where he figured a 'road' was.
"Now how am I going to get home…" He wondered, tapping his chin. The tapping of his chin seemed to increase, sounding quite loud than normal. Bewildered, Ninten stopped his tapping, but the sound continued to emit. Glancing around to find the sound, Ninten came face-to-eyeball with a floating pair of eyes, connected to a nose with long nose hair. It blinked, emitting the sound Ninten had been hearing.
"Hello." Ninten blinked. The eyeballs blinked along with him.
"H-Hello, sir…I'm-"
"I'm Groucho. What's wrong with your clothes?" the floating face asked.
"Well, I'm not from around-"
"Monsters will be attracted by your strange appearance. You should get those clothes changed." Groucho spoke…somehow.
A tree with a face morphed into its wood walked by on its roots, looking at Ninten up and down.
"Who's this weirdo?"
"He was just about to go to the Queen's Fountain, keep walking, Woodoh." Groucho moved its mustache like it was a dismissive wave of a hand.
"Queen's Fountain?"
"Yup, just by the castle," Groucho said, pointing his pupils north. Indeed, there was a large pink castle that looked like it was made out of shells just like the houses.
"Wow. Er, thanks, Groucho. I'll go check it out."
"I promise you won't be disappointed, weird-clothed kid." the monster said before it drifted away like it was flying.
After that strange encounter, Ninten took up walking to the castle, impressed by the sights around him as he went. He wished he had a camera to snap a picture of this place. The world might be getting invaded by aliens, but who could pass up an opportunity like this?
The fountain was just as impressive, being made out of a shell as well, water flowing out from a small bowl on the side and then dropping into the basin at the bottom. Crowds of the citizens of this world were around the fountain, and Ninten stopped to observe.
"So…what's up with the fountain? Why's it so popular?" He decided to ask someone. They turned to him, sizing him up with his strange clothing.
"The Queen's Fountain allows what once was broken to be fixed. Items can heal from their water. Like your clothes." They observed. Ninten just thanked them, feeling slightly miffed about his fashion sense constantly getting talked about. He approached the fountain, digging into his bag and pulling out his broken bat that has met its end at the Starman Jr.
"If what they say is true…then…" Ninten gently lowered the bat into the water. Seconds ticked by before a dazzling light overcame the water. It felt like someone had poured dozens of pennies into the fountain, all of them glimmering brightly before they all were claimed and the light disappeared. Ninten's bat, which was previously broken beyond repair, looked good as new. Ninten eagerly grabbed it, hoisting it up into the air like a sword.
"Oh my god…" he breathed, stunned even after facing all that he had faced. "I…This is amazing! It's just like my weird Lifeup thing." He stated, mostly to himself. Everybody else was focused on putting their items into the fountain.
"This place is amazing…but how do I get out of here?" the boy asked again, searching around like there would be an answer.
And, indeed, there was.
"HALT! Stay right there, you strangely clothed kid!" A voice rung, freezing Ninten to his spot. He turned, looking at a person in red clothes, with a cloth tied around their head, holes cut into the shape of diamonds as eyeholes. Well, where eyes should be, as no matter how hard Ninten looked, he couldn't see any eyes.
"I-I'm halting!" He squeaked, letting them come closer.
"Hmmm…so what people saying is true. You are a weirdly looking kid with a strange fashion sense…" they hummed, rubbing their chin. They then snapped their fingers.
"This'll be just what'll make the Queen happy! She loves seeing weird things." Before Ninten could protest or question, he was lifted by his arms and dragged away.
"H-Hey! What're you doing! Let me go!" Ninten struggled. Even though he had defeated an alien robot, he was still a pre-teen and was no match for this adult. He was dragged away from the fountain, all the way to the castle. A symbol, marked to look like a XX that Ninten had noticed around town was placed upon the highest spire. Guards of the castle, wearing large hats that looked better fit on a ladybug, were wielding sticks as they approached.
"Halt! You must give me the answer to the ridd-"
"Stand aside! I have here a child that will make the Queen laugh!"
"Really? This strangely clothed kid with weird fashion sense?" the guard asked. Ninten frowned.
"Exactly. Besides, even you don't even have a riddle."
"What? Of course, I do!" The guard protested. 'Of course, I have a riddle. I even have an answer, two alligators! Now I just have to find a question…' the man thought, Ninten using his Telepathy.
"Um…is it 'two alligators?'" He asked. The guard's eyes widened.
"I-I, how did-"
"Great! It's been solved! Now let's go, the Queen awaits!" Ninten's capturer brushed past the guards, who were still confused. Ninten smirked silently to himself.
The inside of the castle was anything like the exterior as Ninten was brought inside. The floors seemed to be made out of green glass but didn't reflect anything. Milling about were other guards, even ones who looked similar to who was carrying Ninten, except they were wearing blue clothes. All Ninten heard, from either listening or hearing with Telepathy, were people talking about the Queen. Even he was starting to get worried, hearing about the nightmares plaguing her. He wished the guard carrying him to go faster, hoping what he said was true, that he could help the Queen at least laugh.
Finally, they arrived at the throne room. An elegant red carpet paved its way from the door to the throne, was the Queen. An elegant blonde woman with hair trailing down to her back, wearing a pink dress and a pendant. A spiked crown sat on her head, throwing Ninten off for a bit until he looked at the woman. He felt like he recognized her from somewhere. He couldn't place it, but she look familiar.
The Queen, who had her eyes closed, opened them to gaze at Ninten. A small smile appeared on her face. Ninten got the feeling she recognized him too.
"Hello…Ninten." the boy nearly recoiled in shock.
"Wha? H-How did you know my name?" he asked. The Queen smiled, looking at a guard to her right.
"Everyone here knows you're name. We know who you are. We are all you're friends, after all." She says. The guard nodded.
"Hey, Ninten," they said. The guard holding Ninten nodded, letting go.
"Yup, that's right, Ninten ol' buddy!"
"But you called me a strangely clothed kid?"
"Did I? I don't remember that."
Ninten gawked in disbelief. This was all insane. Well, nothing he had experienced before today.
"Ninten." the Queen called again, getting his attention. "I am Queen Mary. You are in Magicant." She said, letting him know the answers he always wanted to know."
"Magicant…wow. I'm sorry, but this is all so crazy? I barely even know how I got here, there was a shell, everything is pink, and-" he trailed off, not knowing what to say. Queen Mary giggled, placing a hand on her cheek. Ninten slightly smiled too, happy he could make her happy.
"Ninten, thank you. I had not laughed in some time. You see, I've been having nightmares, and they've been happening ever since I have forgotten my song." she noted solemnly. The guards all hung their heads in sadness, and Ninten felt slightly sad as well.
"The melody is merely 8 Notes long, I have no clue how I have forgotten…it's such a shame…" she sighed.
Ninten awkwardly scratched his chin. He was nowhere near a great singer, even with how much rock music he listened to, so he didn't know how to help. He also found it strange, it seemed like this song was so important, and it was so short, how could she forget? Ninten racked his brain for something to say, maybe to lift her spirits when he opened his mouth.
"Maybe I can sing? I know a song." He blinked, before realizing what he just said. Why in the world had he said that.
Queen Mary's eyes lit up, and she leaned forward. "Really? You would do that for me?" Blushing, Ninten nodded. Queen Mary smiled again, clapping her hands.
"Wonderful! Please, go!" she urged, putting Ninten on the spot. He nervously shuffled, clearing his throat.
"I-It's only 3 Notes, and I don't think I have the whole thing, but…" He breathed in, before exhaling and starting to sing.
"Take a Melody…"
"Simple as can be…"
"Give it some words, and…" he stopped, blushing again as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Th-That's all I know, sorry," he mumbled, looking up. All the guards were staring with rapt attention, some covering where their mouths would be. Queen Mary had reclined in her thrown, a wistful look in her eyes. A brief panic settled over Ninten, wondering if his singing was so bad he disrupted the royal court. He was about to excise himself when Queen Mary spoke.
"Ninten…that was a part of my song." She said, delightfully.
"R-Really? I had no idea, I-I was just."
"You've already found 3 Notes! Ninten, might I ask you something? A favor?" she asked, looking at him. Ninten looked at her pleading look, and he thought about it. He already had one job to do, and he was starting to regret it. Saving the world from aliens and zombies and whatever was a taxing job. But the look on her face…she looked completely helpless, almost scared. Even though he was a pre-teen, Ninten couldn't shy away from a person in need.
"Of course. What is it?" he asked. Queen Mary looked to a guard, who went behind her throne. After a second, they walked out with something in their hand.
"Ninten, I beg you, find the remaining parts of my song. I know this sounds selfish, but it would mean so much to me and my friends of Magicant. Please, Ninten." she pleaded. Ninten nodded again.
"I-I will. I promise. I already found 3, shouldn't be that hard." that caused Queen Mary to laugh again, making everyone in the throne room a tiny bit happier.
"Thank you, Ninten. This means so much. Use this ocarina to play the notes when you come back, and this Onyx Hook. It will allow you to come here whenever you want." the Guard who had ducked behind the chair opened his hands to reveal the items to Ninten, who took them gratefully. Ninten had never seen an ocarina before, and at first, he thought it must be some magical item that only existed in Magicant, until he remembered seeing it in a magazine once. The Onyx hook was curved and sharp, and Ninten made sure not to poke himself with it.
"Thank you, Queen Mary. I promise I'll get the rest of the notes." Ninten promised. Queen Mary smiled, nodding at Ninten. He looked at the Onyx Hook, gripping it firmly.
"So, can I also use this to go ba-" he began to say before a bright pink light entered his eyes. Not shielding them, the light went away, and Ninten was back. Back outside the cave that housed the pink conch shell that would take him to the magical land of Magicant. Stashing the items away, Ninten adjusted his hat, coming back onto the road that would lead him to Magicant. A small smile was on his face, and his sense of adventure firmly reignited now that he had a goal.
"No time like the present." he said to himself, and he jogged along the road, all the way to Magicant, ready to find the Eight Melodies.