LiamTheYoshi

You never played ANY of the classic 3d Marios?! Not a SINGLE ONE?! Wow... Well, you're certainly in for a treat. Be sure to get Odyssey when you get a Switch as well. That game is amazing!

Why would Nintendo remove 64 and Galaxy from the Wii U eShop, when the collection is a limited time offer? That doesn't really make much sense. That is unless the three games are rereleased individually.

And don't worry. Something will be done about them real soon.

nintendoscript15

We'll be learning more about their past in due time.

I'll be honest. I wasn't expecting anyone here to know what A Bug's Life even is. It's kinda forgotten nowadays when compared to say… Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles. I didn't even get to watch it until seeing it on Disney Plus.

FairyTalePrincess16

Well, I'm enjoying your own take on Galaxy so far! Keep up the good work!

Amethyst Goldenwind

Ding Ding Ding! You got it! Though I guess it was kinda too obvious, so I shouldn't be surprised.

Rosalina and Aster's past will be revealed in due time.

Nataly Guardado

Wow, cool! Maybe I could consider trying them.

If you like honey, than you'll love Star Bits! Since it's mentioned in Rosalina's storybook that Star Bits taste like honey.

I actually took Spanish classes for three years in middle and early high school. Sadly, I stopped in my Junior year due to not having room for it in the schedule.

breath20k

I'll admit, the Galaxy series introduced some of the best powerups ever made, in my opinion.

StarlitDuck

I never really saw the appeal in Rosalina and Waluigi. When I ship a couple, I see two characters that are somewhat different, but also have something in common that can make them relate to each other and really see that spark connecting the two of them.

Think of how I handled Luigi and Daisy in my Sunshine story. Luigi is shy, cowardly, and timid, while Daisy is energetic, brave, and hot headed. They seem completely different on the outside, but deep down, they both understand how it feels to be treated lesser than an older sibling, even if said older sibling still loves them.

But Rosalina and Waluigi? What could they possibly have in common? They're both single, and there's no one else they could be shipped with? Yeah, no. Sorry, but that's a terrible excuse. Rosalina is a watcher of the cosmos with a very deep past. Meanwhile, Waluigi is just a one dimensional jerk who takes enjoyment out of bullying Luigi. And as far as the games go, I haven't really seen ANY redeeming qualities about him that could possibly make him relatable! Even Wario has somewhat of a heroic side as shown in his games, even if it's mostly for his personal gain. If there's any Mario character that's just better off remaining single, it's Waluigi. Sorry Warosalina fans, I respect your opinion, but this is just what I think.

Okay, sorry about my rant. I just needed to get that out there. Believe it or not, I've seen a lot of Rosalina x OC ships on Deviantart. We'll be seeing plenty of Aster throughout this story.

C. T Genius

Thank you! They are making great progress so far! But they still have a long way to go.

Mario bros fan4ever

Um… hello? I tried to ask you through PM what this powerup you have in mind is, but you never responded.

Chapter 11: Trouble on the Tower/Captain Toad through the Roof

[BGM: Comet Observatory 1 - Super Mario Galaxy]

Mario, Aster, and the Toad Brigade arrived back at the Comet Observatory with the star. Said star flew off to an unknown location.

"Phew! Looks like we've got 5 stars now," Mario confirmed. "We're making good progress, but still a long way to go."

"We're back, Rosie!" Aster announced before she gave both of them a hug.

Meanwhile, the Toads were impressed by this place. They looked around every corner of what they could see of this beautiful spacecraft in awe, similar to Mario when he first arrived.

"Woah!" Jeff T. exclaimed.

"Impressive design," complimented Dylan T.

"Is there a post office around? I wanna deliver mail here!" Seth T. said with giddiness.

"Man, where are we? I want to go home…" Bob T. grumbled, feeling homesick.

"Hey, who's in charge here?" Captain Toad looked around, admiring the place.

Rosalina came up to them.

"Welcome to the Comet Observatory. My name is Rosalina. I watch over and protect the cosmos. I'm assuming you're friends of Mario."

The Toad Brigade stared at Rosalina, not sure what to think. Then Dylan raised an eyebrow.

"Are you a witch?" Dylan asked suspiciously. This made Rosalina feel rather uncomfortable.

"Umm… no…"

Aster gave Dylan a death glare. "No, she's NOT!"

"Okay! Geez!"

"To be fair, Dylan, that was impolite," said Jeff.

Mario has this aching feeling in his head ever since Toad told him about their friends being separated. He knew he had to let it out somehow.

"Aster, Polari, can you guys explain everything to the Toads? I need to talk to Rosalina in private. It's serious matters."

"Sure thing!" said Polari.

Luma also came out of Mario's hat, feeling that he shouldn't eavesdrop. Mario and Rosalina walked into the Terrace so no one else could hear them.

[BGM end]

"What seems to be concerning you, Mario?" Rosalina asked in worry. She could see the distress in Mario's face. Sweat dripping from his head like water dripping from an icicle.

"Well, Rosalina…" he began. "Back at Honeyhive Galaxy, the Toads mentioned that they got lost with my brother, and two of my closest friends." The plumber swallowed a lump in his throat. Trying to keep it calm. "Do you think you could… p-pinpoint their locations?"

Rosalina frowned, feeling bad for poor Mario, and wishing she could help.

[BGM: Sad Girl - Super Mario Galaxy]

"I'm sorry, Mario. I wish I could, but with the little star power we have, I don't think that's possible. Your friends and brother are likely in galaxies too far away for our current reach."

That made Mario upset, and he cried on the floor. Rosalina kneeled down and patted Mario on the shoulder.

"They-THEY'RE DOOMED! THEY'RE DOOMED! THEY'RE DOOMED!" he repeatedly yelled over and over again.

"Mario, what are you saying?"

Mario snuffed up a tear. "I know Toad and his buddies turned out okay, but what if they were just lucky? Luigi, Alex, and Leah could be anywhere! And for all I know, they could be DEAD! Luigi is my only brother, and Alex and Leah are like family to me! You have no idea how heartbroken I would be if I found out they were goners!"

Rosalina herself started to cry a bit too, for this reminded her of something.

"I do, actually…"

"Huh?"

"I know how loss feels, Mario. I've dealt with it countless times. More than you could ever think." Rosalina looked like she was about to cry, but then took a deep breath. "I already told you how I lost Aster until you brought him back to me, but he's not the only one I've lost. I always have to deal with saying goodbye to my Lumas when they grow up and transform. It's heartbreaking, because each and every one of them is special to me. Just like any child would be to their mother. Yet I lose at least one of them each day."

Mario felt awful hearing this story. He's dealt with loss, and have met people who dealt with, or were close to dealing with loss, but none of them could ever measure up to what this woman was feeling. He was expecting to see her cry... but she didn't.

"Wow, Rosie… I'm… I'm sorry I misjudged you. That must be horrible." Mario sympathized. "But how are you so calm about this? I'd have every reason to cry."

"I used to cry about it, but as time went by, I just came to accept this reality. After all, new Lumas will arrive after the old ones leave. But thank you for listening. I haven't had someone to share my feelings with in a very long time," Rosalina thanked. "And as for your brother and friends, I wouldn't think about worst case scenarios. Have some faith. I'm positive that they're okay."

"Thanks…" Mario sniffs another tear. "...Rosalina. You know, I see why all those Lumas look up to you. You really are someone I can feel comfortable letting out my feelings to. Aster is lucky."

[BGM end]

This made Rosalina smile as both left the Terrace. And just in time as Aster and Polari just finished explaining to the Toad Brigade.

[BGM: Comet Observatory 1 - Super Mario Galaxy]

"So, this place is a mobile space station controlled by your long lost wife, and we need to find Power Stars to refuel it?" Dylan remarked.

"Yes. Exactly!" confirmed Aster.

"You know, Princess Peach uses Power Stars as well… Are you sure neither of you are witches?"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, THIS IS NOT WITCHCRAFT!" he boomed at the Toad.

"Um… Aster?"

Aster turned back to see Mario, who was now feeling better.

"I think it's time for us to get going. Those Stars aren't gonna collect themselves," Mario directed.

"Right, right. Sorry, it's just that your friend here is getting on my nerves." Aster sighed.

"I know how that feels…" Mario rolled his eyes, thinking of that 'another castle' craze from his very first adventure.

Both heroes entered the Terrace and took the Pull Star. They selected Honeyhive Galaxy and blasted off towards it.

[BGM end]

Honeyhive Galaxy

[BGM: Course Intro - Super Mario Galaxy]

This time, their mission was to scale up the observation deck and reach the top of a windmill in the trees that was hidden before. First, they had to get to the deck.

[BGM: Honeyhive Galaxy - Super Mario Galaxy]

Mario and Aster landed in the same spot as last time. Though they did notice a few changes. The most noticeable one being that the tunnel behind the waterfall was blocked off by a honeycomb-like gate.

"What's with the gate?" Mario wondered.

"It usually gets closed off when the queen is resting. But I don't think we have to go there anyways," Aster dismissed. "What I am concerned about, though, is the numerous rocks around here."

Looking around, there were indeed several cylinder-shaped rocks all over the starting planet. At the top of them was a symbol indicating they had to be ground pounded. One bee approached them.

"That rock just fell from the sky! It was… scary," the bee said in fright.

"Don't worry. We'll get rid of them." Mario pound grounded the rock, smashing it to pieces, and leaving behind Star Bits which he picked up.

"Wow. That's quite an impressive stomp," Aster admitted, mildly surprised.

"Thanks! It's the Ground Pound. A classic move of mine."

Mario did the same to another rock up ahead. This one sprouted up a sproutle vine, which they swung up to reach a new area of the planet. This was at the base of a huge tree surrounded by a small water moat. Mario and Aster walked around the tree and used a spring to reach a switch. Mario pound grounded said switch to reveal a bridge to a new area.

"You really should teach me this ground pound move of yours. It looks much cooler than just punching downward with your fist like I used to do," Aster requested.

"Oh, it's easy! I had a friend who learned the ground pound just from a Toad's explanation. And she was only six years old at the time!" said Mario.

Luma peeped out of Mario's cap.

"Hey, Mario! Try spinning AND ground pounding at the same time! You're gonna love it!"

Mario didn't know where this was going, but he did it anyways. The plumber spun around like a ball in the air, then spread out his arms and feet. He pounded a stump in front of him, that he wasn't even above before with his feet rather than his butt. Part of the crates lowered and revealed a wall jumping path.

"Woah!" both heroes expressed in shock.

"Tada! That was the HOMING ground pound! Use it in case your aim with the regular ground pound is a bit off," Luma explained.

"Thanks, Luma!" Mario thanked before both heroes wall jumped up the path.

The top of this area just so happened to be the top of the waterfall. And a Launch Star was waiting there.

The Launch Star took them to a set of Mushroom twin planets. Inhabited by Piranha Plants and Wigglers, Mario and Aster took them down before taking a Sling Star over to a tubed relay planet.

This planet was shaped like a rattle with a hollowed out tree trunk as the handle. A ? coin was waiting there which Mario collected, summoning a Rainbow Star.

"Woohoo! You're gonna love this one, Aster!" Mario exclaimed as he touched the star and Aster at the same time, turning them both rainbow.

*Rainbow Mario theme plays*

"WHAT THE?!" Aster screamed in surprise of his body turning rainbow.

"OH YEAH, BABY! WAHOO!" Mario boomed as he, still holding onto Aster, ran across the planet, destroying every enemy. Then they jumped down through the hollow tree trunk and landed on the observation deck right as the Rainbow Star's affect ended.

*Rainbow Mario theme ends*

"Alright, that was fun, wasn't it Aster? Let's move out!" Mario exclaimed, feeling completely fine after that, but as for Aster… not so much.

"Give… give me a moment…" Aster groaned. "Ugh… my head…" Mario gave him a moment to take a breather.

"Hehe… Sorry. I guess that was a bit too much for you. But I'm sure you'll get used to it in due time."

Once Aster caught his breath and his head no longer ached, he got back up.

"Sorry. I'm just not used to most of these 'powerups' of yours. The only one I've ever used was the Red Star."

Mario looked confused. "The Red Star?"

"It's a special kind of star that grants the power of flight," Aster explained. "I never needed any other powerup because the red star gave me everything I needed for travel and combat. I could soar through the cosmos with it! Sadly, the only way to obtain a Red Star is by encountering a Red Luma. And… those are quite rare nowadays."

Mario was piqued with interest on this powerup and wondered if he'd ever use one.

"Hmm… if I ever encounter one of those, I'd like to try it out," Mario grinned.

"Maybe someday you will…" Aster trailed off before shaking his head and looking up the tower. "Alright, so it looks like the next star is at the top of that tower."

A bee approached them.

"Oh, Aster! Thank goodness you're here! The Mandibugs are back, and they've taken over our observation deck! Ooooh, they make me so mad!"

Mario and Aster nodded to each other and took off for the top of the tower. Before long, they encountered a large, stag beetle-like insect that sported snapping mandibles, it's dorsal side displayed a ground pound sign. The bug tried to approach them and snap them with their mandibles. Aster quickly pulled Mario out of the way.

"Careful, Mario! Those are the Mandibugs the bees have been talking about!" Aster warned. "They'll try to snap you with their sharp mandibles!"

"Ouch!" Mario cringed. But then a lightbulb came on his head when he saw the ground pound symbol. "I've got an idea!"

Mario ground pounded the Mandibug to flatten it and leave behind Star Bits. Aster smiles at this, feeling pleased.

"Wow! You're a genius, Mario! You really need to teach me everything you know in exchange for me teaching you all about these galaxies," Aster requested.

"I will!" Mario promised.

Mario ground pounded a button to activate the windmill and then he hopped up on one of its platforms to get to the top. Up there, they encountered the Stink Bug Parent, which was a Mandibug with a smaller Mandibug stacked on top of it.

"You know what to do, buddy." Aster gave a wink.

Mario nodded and pound grounded the smaller Mandibug on top. This made the parent so angry that it turned red. The parent proceeded to attack even faster. It managed to hit Aster while Mario finished it off with a ground pound and a Power Star appeared out of it.

"Aster, are you okay?!" Mario reached out to him in concern.

"Hold on a sec." Aster threw a Star Bit at a glowing yellow light, making a coin appear, which healed him almost instantly. "Okay, I'm fine now."

They took a look at the nice view of the planet, then grabbed the star.

[BGM: Power Star Get - Super Mario Galaxy]

YOU GOT A STAR!

"WAHOO!"

"YES!"

[BGM end]

Meanwhile at the Observatory…

The Toads and Lumas are working on building a ship for the Toads to travel through space on. Captain Toad and Dylan were watching the construction.

"What do you think, captain? As soon as we're finished with this starship, we'll be able to travel through outer space!" said Dylan.

"Looks great so far! Let me know when it's finished. I'm gonna go exploring."

Captain Toad headed off into the Terrace.

"I wonder what's in these weird domes."

Toad went in and looked around, impressed by the interior. Polari directed him to the Pull Star. Toad was just as impressed by the space realm as Mario was. Seeing both Good Egg and Honeyhive as options, he chose Good Eeg and a Launch Star fellow him there.

Good Egg Galaxy

[BGM: Unidentified Planet - Super Mario Galaxy 2]

Upon landing on the starting planet, Captain Toad saw a Power Star on the roof. He could easily jump up there, if it weren't for the heavy backpack on his back, which prevents him from doing so. He walked over to Aster's house and read the sign on the door.

"Gone… for a long time. Need to get in? Use the pipe on the other side. Just don't touch my stuff!

-Aster"

"So this is where that Aster guy lives?" Toad asked himself.

Regardless, he walked over to the other side of the planet and climbed into the Golden Pipe.

[BGM: Captain Toad Goes Forth - Super Mario 3d World]

Inside, the interior of the house looked different. The walls were still in tact, but the place was infested by Goombas and spiny plants on the floor, walls and ceiling. The ramps were also gone.

Captain Toad had to maneuver around the enemies since he couldn't jump, and reach a switch that would change the gravity effect on him. He did manage to stomp a few Goombas whenever gravity changed, but the enemies still did a few damage to him.

When he made it to the ceiling, he took a pipe that led him up to the roof with the glittering star. All that was left was to grab it.

[BGM: Level Clear - Captain Toad Treasure Tracker]

Toad held the star in his hand, smiling. Then said star circled around him, and both did a pose.

YOU GOT A STAR!

"YAHOO!"