Chapter four
The gods must be lazy
Book five
The world of light and darkness
The Smash Fighters were reunited once again, but tragedy struck almost immediately! A new foe known as Galeem, a being of perfect order, met their initial attack and overwhelmed them, knocking out almost every fighter in a single blow! Only Kirby was left, and the world fell under Galeem's control.
Slowly, the heroes rallied, regrouping and fighting back. Inch by inch, they repelled Galeem's forces, struck down his generals, and confronted him. He was a tough foe, but they defeated him after a mighty battle.
But the threat was not defeated yet. As soon as Galeem was defeated, a new foe, named Dharkon, the master of chaos, seized upon Galeem's weakness, threatening to enshroud the world in darkness. Undeterred, the fighters pursued him, shattering Dharkon's forces, then defeating him.
But neither foe was truly dead, and they mustered their remaining troops for one last battle. With the aid of Master Hand and Crazy Hand, the fighters mastered both light and darkness, and engaged the two malignant deities in one final battle. Galeem and Dharkon, unable to stop fighting each other long enough to face their common foe, were truly defeated, once and for all. The heroes returned to their respective homes, and they all lived happily ever after.
-The End-
xxxxxxx
Rosalina closed the storybook. "And that's the end of the story."
She looked around the library. Most of the Lumas had fallen asleep by now. Some were curled up on chairs, some lay on the floor, and a few were snoring while still floating. The few remaining awake ones seemed on the verge of falling asleep themselves.
She chuckled melodically. "All right, bedtime," she said. She placed the storybook back on the shelf.
A small blue Luma tugged on her dress. "What happened next, Mama? What did all the fighters do after that?" he asked.
She smiled. "Like I said, they lived happily ever after. They went home, back to their friends and family and did…all the things people do when they don't have a big monster to fight."
"Like what?" the child asked, tilting his head.
"Oh, I don't know," she said. "Throw parties, drink tea, take naps…whatever they wanted."
"But…what if they wanted to fight big monsters?" the Luma asked, puzzled.
The hint of a sad expression flitted across Rosalina's face, but the young Luma wasn't alert enough to catch it. "Well," she said, "they probably found some other big monsters. Or just sat around, waiting for one to find them."
The Luma still wasn't finished. "So, does that mean they weren't happy?"
"No, of course they were, but…" She clasped her hands together. "I'll explain tomorrow," she said.
"Okay," the child said, satisfied. He flew over to an open spot on a nearby sofa and sank into it.
Rosalina headed for the door, glancing back inside as she left. "Good night, children," she said softly, addressing the few remaining awake ones. "Tomorrow, we'll read…" She looked at the bookshelves, recognizing each book by memory.
Let's see, I've read that one already, read that one, and that one, read that one twice, and…
Her eyes scanned from row to row, bookshelf to bookshelf. Each book produced the same reaction. Every single one.
She realized that her smile was faltering, and redoubled it. "You know what? It'll be a surprise."
She kept up her grin as she waved the Lumas good night. Only once she had left the room, and scanned around her to make sure nobody was watching, did she allow herself a sigh.
Well, that's a lie. There's not a single surprise left on this whole ship.
xxxxxxx
Rosalina sat on the edge of the observatory, dangling her feet over the void. She allowed one of her heels to slip from her foot, let it fall for a couple of seconds, then caught it with her magic and brought it back onto her foot, then repeated the process.
She looked out into the stars, head on her hands and elbows on her knees. Thousands of tiny pinpricks of light against the blackness of space, each one unique in its own way, with billions more out of sight. And yet, looking at them now, she found there wasn't a single one she couldn't name.
"There you are," said a voice from behind her. "I noticed you weren't asleep."
She turned. A black Luma floated a few feet away, looking at her.
"Oh, hey, Polari," she said, offering a smile. She beckoned him in. "Haven't seen you all day."
"Oh, I was just taking stock of our provisions," he said, drifting to her side. "Somehow, despite how long it's been since we made port, we're drastically overstocked on food. We should have no trouble making it to our next destination."
"Oh, that's good," Rosalina said, more dispassionately than she had intended. "How's the beacon?"
"Just fine," Polari responded. "Burning just as brightly as ever." He drifted in and touched her shoulder. "Which is more than I can say for you."
She chuckled, shaking her head. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" She looked out into the stars. "I was looking through the library today, and I realized that I'd read all of the books. Every single one, cover to cover. Some of them more than once – most of them, in fact."
"Ah, I see," Polari said. "We'll have to pick up some more the next time we fly by the Book Nook Galaxy."
"Yes, that'd help," she said. "Temporarily. But we'd still only have a certain number of books. A finite number."
Polari frowned. "I don't quite understand."
"I'm an infinite being, Polari," she said. "I'm going to live forever, until the end of time. And even then, well, I've lived through the death of one universe – who's to say the next one will be the end of me?"
Polari patted her shoulder. "And you've already run out of things to do, is that it?"
"Not exactly," she said. "There's always the children to take care of. They're precious, each one of them, and there's always more of them to replace the ones that leave. But I've got to find something else to do with my time. I can't define my whole life by them. Every time we complete our journey to the gateway, the universe feels smaller. We pass the same galaxies each time, meet the same species."
"Not always," Polari pointed out. "There was that one time, with Bowser, and Mario."
She smiled. "Yes, that was an exciting time, wasn't it? But I just checked on them last week. They aren't up to much, either. No races, no parties, nothing." She chuckled at the irony. "To think, I'd be impatient waiting for a couple of mortals to invite me to something."
A dot of light streaked across the sky, drawing their attention. "You know, down on Earth, they wish upon comets like that," Rosalina said. "A foolish sort of ceremony, hoping the comet will grant their wishes. I wonder how many people have wished upon us as we passed them by. I wonder how many of those wishes have come true."
"Why don't you make a wish on this one?" Polari asked. "If anyone could make a wish come true, it'd be you."
Rosalina laughed. "Sure, I guess I will." She closed her eyes and made her wish.
Polari squinted. "Wait a minute," he said. "That's not a comet."
Rosalina took a closer look. He was right. It was moving too fast, and it was far too small and too close. And furthermore, it was turning, curving, towards…
"It's coming right at us!" Polari realized, alarmed.
Rosalina hopped to her feet. "Ready our defenses," she said. "We won't be taken unaware like last time."
But as she squinted at the approaching shape, it started looking familiar to her. "Hold on," she said. "Isn't that the…"
As the object neared the observatory, it turned slightly to the side, and her suspicions were confirmed. "It's the Halberd!" she remarked.
"Should I still prepare the defenses?" Polari asked.
"Uh…yes," she said. "Just to be safe."
But it seemed the ship was not hostile at all. It approached the garage, turning to a passive angle and slowing down. And as it drew close, she recognized a few figures standing on the deck. Three princesses waved at her, and Meta Knight stood next to them, wrapped in his cape. Then, as the ship stopped, he pulled back his hand and flung a small white object towards her, spinning like a frisbee.
Rosalina caught it between her index and middle fingers, then turned it over. It was an envelope, with a familiar seal attached.
Immediately, excitement filled her body. She cupped her hands to her mouth. "I accept!" she shouted. "Just let me call a sitter!"
She pulled out her cell phone and hit "L" on her speed dial. After five rings, she heard the familiar tenor voice.
"Yo, this is Lubba," he said lazily. "Who is this?"
"Hi, Lubba," she said. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Hey, Rosie!" he said, enthusiasm entering his voice instantly. "How are you? How's the ship? How are the Lumas?"
"Well, that's the thing," she said. "I'm going to Smash again, and I need someone to watch the children while I'm out. Do you think you could-"
"Are you kidding?" he interrupted. "I love those little scamps! I'll be right over!" He hung up without another word. Rosalina didn't bother calling back to ask when he could make it. When Lubba said he'd be right over, he meant right over.
A few seconds later, a portal opened up in space, and the Starship Mario came screaming through. The Lumas, some of whom had been woken up by the Halberd's noise, were now all up and out, looking at the unusual fleet before them.
"Hey, kids!" Lubba said, floating down to the observatory.
"LUBBA!" they screamed, mobbing him.
Rosalina turned to address them. "Mama has to leave for a bit. I'll be back soon, I promise."
"You just leave it to me, sister," Lubba said. "We'll have some great fun, won't we, kids?"
All of the Lumas cheered in assent.
A red Luma tugged on her dress. "Can I launch you onto the ship, Mama?" he asked. "I've been practicing!"
She patted him on the head. "Of course you can."
"Great! Then just hop into me after I…TRANSFORM!"
He turned into a launch star, and Rosalina promptly hopped in and launched herself, flying in an arc towards the deck of the Halberd. She landed gracefully on her feet, right in the middle of the gathered crowd.
"Welcome aboard," Peach said, hugging her warmly.
Meanwhile, Bowser chuckled. "Told you she wouldn't even need to read the letter," he muttered to Ganondorf, who slipped him a ten.
Rosalina turned back to the Lumas, who were waving her goodbye. "See you soon, children! I'll have a new story for you when I get back!"
The ship fired up its engines again, heading off towards its next destination. Lubba watched it go, and sighed.
"I guess I'm just not cut out for Smash," he said wistfully. "I'm not in shape for it. Maybe I should use those P90X DVDs I bought last month." He stroked his chin. "Nah, I'll do it in a few weeks." He turned to the Lumas. "Hey, who wants to play space tag?"
"ME!" screamed the Lumas in unison, and the observatory was filled with the sounds of laughter and merriment.
xxxxxxx
Skyworld, never busy to begin with, had slowed to a crawl. No monsters darkened the skies, and no angels brightened them. The fastest moving objects in the whole realm were the clouds.
Within her inner chambers, Palutena lay all but motionless, languid in a bathtub the size of a stadium. A giant, half-eaten bunch of grapes lay on a platter next to her, abandoned. It was the only thing she'd eaten all day.
Pit walked into the room, using the door at floor level. "Lady Palutena," he said with little of his usual exuberance. "You have visitors."
He didn't seem too shocked to see her in the bathtub – as well he shouldn't, since she'd been there for the past three days.
Palutena peered down at him. "Do I, now," she said, lazily tracing circles in the water. "Is it Zeus, wanting to play dice with me again?"
"No, it's the Smash fighters," he said.
"Oh," she said, brightening a little. "Send them in, then."
Pit did a double take. "Send them in?" he repeated. "In…here?"
She sighed. "Yes, Pit, in here. That's where I am, isn't it?"
"But you're…you're not…" He gave up, lowering his arms. "Fine. If you're fine with them seeing you like this, I'm not gonna argue with you."
He left the room. Palutena rested her arms on either side of the tub. "And why shouldn't I be?" she murmured to herself. "Aphrodite walks around like this, and everyone worships her."
Shortly afterwards, the cluster of people came in, Peach in front with Pit guiding her. She started looking around at her eye level. "Um…Palutena?"
The goddess chuckled, angling her head so that she could look down at them. "Up here, Peach," she said.
Peach looked up, then did a double take. "Oh! Hello, Palutena." She and the others looked around, realizing exactly what this room was. "Is this a bad time, or…"
"Now what would give you the impression that this was a bad time?" she asked, smirking.
"Um…nothing," Peach said. Everyone else was silent, transfixed.
"Then spit it out," Palutena said. "You're getting a new Smash Bros. tournament together, aren't you?"
"Y-yes, but there's more to it than that," Peach said. "We believe there is a new evil force in this world, one that's sapping our will to fight."
"Well, Zelda believes that, anyway," Bowser mumbled in a voice he probably thought she couldn't hear.
Palutena exhaled. "Well, as a goddess of this realm, I can't ignore such a threat, can I?" She looked around the gathered group. "Haven't recruited Bayonetta yet, I see."
"We're honestly not sure where to find her," Peach admitted.
Palutena put a finger to her chin. "I may be able to help with that. But first…"
She clapped her hands together, and a dazzling blast of light filled the room, blinding all occupants. When the light faded, Palutena was standing in front of them, human sized and fully dressed. "I accept your courteous invitation."
"Well, we're happy to…" Peach trailed off as her vision returned. She stared at the goddess, concern blossoming on her face. The rest of the party adopted similar expressions.
"What?" she asked, making sure she had dressed herself properly. "Is there something wrong?"
Peach recovered. "No, not at all," she said quickly. "You look good. Very…thin."
Palutena looked down again. Her robe, which normally conformed snugly to her body, was loose in the waist and other areas. Her belt was sagging, and as she put a hand to her stomach, she felt her ribs protruding. It had kind of snuck up on her, but they must've immediately noticed her waist was now three inches skinnier. At least.
"Oh, that," she said. "I haven't been hungry, so I haven't been eating." She shrugged. "Better than the opposite, at least."
"I…suppose so," Peach said. "Come on, let's get to the Halberd."
They started walking, but only a few steps later, Palutena began to feel dizzy. Peach noticed that she was off kilter and slowed her pace, but it didn't help much. She looked down and realized her legs were shaking.
Peach signaled to the group to stop. "Is everything okay?" she asked quietly.
Palutena smiled. "Of course it is," she said, trying to reassure her. "I just…forgot I could do this, that's all."
She clapped again, and suddenly they were all standing on the deck of the Halberd. Wario sighed in relief at not having to walk back to the ship, though obviously he didn't say thanks. "Now, where are the rooms?" she asked.
"This way, your Majesty," Meta Knight said, taking her hand. Peach felt a little relieved to see that he, too, set a slow pace. She could always count on him to be paying attention, at least.
Everyone else headed for their own rooms, but Peach grabbed Pit's arm before he could follow. "How long has she been like this?" she asked quietly.
"Like what?" Pit responded.
"Undereating!" Peach hissed, grabbing his other arm. "She's not doing well, isn't that obvious? You're her guardian, you're supposed to…"
It was then that she realized how scrawny his arms were. His belt seemed to be cinched tighter than usual, and his cheeks were sunken.
"Yeah, well, I've got my own problems," Pit said. "If there's a demon that's making food lose its flavor, point me towards it and I'll kill it. Otherwise…I got nothing."
He walked away, head guiltily pointed down. Whatever guilt he was feeling, it was nothing compared to Peach's. She clasped her hands to her chest, empathy radiating from her.
"I should've done this weeks ago," she said to herself. "Or at least done something."
