Dial F, for fast update! Woot!
Did you honestly think I was going to let a wonderful group of people like you down? ... Oh...
Disclaimer: If V Rex owned Pikmin, then Pikmin Three would be out by now...
The sky was black again, the spectacle of lights having long died away. Though it had been beautiful, I was happy to exchange it for the successful events that had happened tonight.
"I really can't thank you enough, I really can't," those same words came at me again and again. Not only from the white pikmin, but also from the four other pikmin. The other mushroom pikmin and I tried to be modest, but there was simply nothing to be modest about.
"We got lucky," I said to the white pikmin repeatedly. That part was true, if most of the cyans hadn't left, the rescue would have been impossible.
"You still would have found a way," the white pikmin replied with a shrug.
"I doubt it," I said with a frown. "Not with that many cyans."
"Well you still would have tried; I know that's a guarantee."
"I can't take on a hundred cyans!"
"No there were two of you, that's fifty cyans apiece. And secondly I said tried."
"You think I'm stupid enough to take on even fifty cyans!?"
"Think of it more like 'brave enough'." The white pikmin said with a smile.
"Stupidly brave," I muttered. "Now there's something I've had enough of."
"Hopefully we won't have to worry about anything anymore." The white pikmin thought for a moment, "What happened to the rest of our group?"
I had to stop myself from halting abruptly. "They…they fled when they heard of my insane idea." I said; I wasn't good at making everything up on the spot.
"I can understand that," admitted the white pikmin.
"They probably didn't like the idea of being 'stupidly brave'."
The white pikmin nodded and smiled.
The rest of the night went without incident, we spent it all traveling and didn't encounter an enemy once. The other cyan's may or may not have known by now, but either way I didn't seem to care, maybe because the constant chatter between me and the white pikmin was all about things that just didn't matter.
By morning, our cautiousness had drifted further away and we finally allowed ourselves to rest. Finding shelter under a vast evergreen tree we stopped there, and one by one, we all fell asleep.
It isn't over yet…
It's as finished as it can be
You have no idea…
You have no power
I can kill you in an instant
Try me
"Wake up!"
I stumbled out of another dream laced sleep and looked through blurry eyes at the mushroom pikmin shaking me awake.
I gazed at him groggily, "What's the matter?" I yawned without concern; a feeling of indifference had come over me since the rescue.
"I needed to talk to you in private," the mushroom pikmin. "That's why I had to wake you."
"Is it important?" I asked impatiently.
"It's about the leaders," the mushroom pikmin said. "Did you tell the white pikmin?"
"No, it had never crossed my mind," I lied. Gone was the indifference, I was beginning to feel uneasy about where this conversation was going.
"Well listen, these pikmin will act like the others," the mushroom pikmin said. "If they hear about it, we're doomed."
"The white pikmin would never do it," my confidence was high in my friend. I wish I could say the same with the others; I had rescued them after all, right?
"From what I've seen we need to expect the unexpected," the mushroom pikmin pressed on urgently. "From everyone, including your friend."
"We've done a lot of things for each other; he's not simply going to…"
"The leader has done a lot for him as well."
"The leader is a figment of his past," I argued.
"It doesn't matter, I just urge you to keep this in between me and you."
I nodded, but my mind was still in doubt. I felt uncomfortable about keeping secrets from my friends, but maybe it was for the better.
"You still seem hesitant," the mushroom pikmin noted.
"It's not that," I shrugged. "Have you, ah, had any dreams lately?"
The mushroom pikmin seemed to think for a moment. "No, nothing at all."
Walking.
And more walking.
All seven of us pikmin had been traveling all afternoon. We didn't bother to stop as some pikmin were still afraid of the cyans and the fact that they might catch up. Yet I didn't feel restless anymore, I wanted to sit down and relax for a bit. Breathe in the crisp cool air, and let flakes of snow melt on my body.
"This forest seems endless," The white pikmin said to me as he surveyed the area around him.
"Even with those eyes you can't see an exit?" I asked in my developing good natured tone.
"Just lots and lots of trees."
"Any predators?"
"No, surprisingly nothing at all," the white pikmin said with a whisper of concern. He seemed to not like the fact that predators were absent from our area.
"I thought I heard some last night," A yellow pikmin spoke up from behind us, his yellow ears flapping in the light breeze.
"You could hear snow falling a mile away with those things," a red said.
The yellow pikmin chuckled. "It is definitely a pain to get to sleep at night, I mean all the noise just drives you crazy!"
This time we all laughed, even the other mushroom pikmin who had kept the same concerned look the entire journey had a smile twitch across his face. When I looked at him, it reminded me of myself back in the desert, so long ago…
"Hey, look up ahead!" a blue shouted. "It's like the ground suddenly ends…"
Indeed the endless row of trees abruptly stopped and we were suddenly at the edge of a vast cliff. One by one we all walked to the edge and looked down. I expected to see…nothing, just an endless fall, but below us bloomed the cone shaped tops of evergreen trees. The forest certainly continued, but the only thing between us and it was a vast cliff, and that presented a problem. The cliff was covered in snow, and some parts seemed safe enough to slide down, but at other parts the rocks from underneath jutted out like scars. It would not be easy.
A strong wind buffeted us, so we had to raise our voices to speak. "If we find a way to descend down this cliff, than we will lose the cyans for sure!" A red shouted.
"No, way it's too dangerous," the other mushroom pikmin replied. "Besides we probably lost the cyans already!"
"We won't get down there alive," the white pikmin muttered to me.
"We'll find a way," I replied slyly, the white pikmin chuckled at this. I then spoke to the rest of our group, "I don't see the sudden need to get down there right away. I say we go left and follow the edge and see if there is a safer route."
"Definitely," said the yellow in agreement. Everyone else nodded their heads and stems as well. The other mushroom pikmin gazed left, trying to see what lay before us, as if something was bothering him. He then simply shrugged and began to lead the way.
"I'm afraid of heights," the white pikmin said to me as we continued to travel. "Thanks for the idea."
"I can see why. After all you are the lightest one here and the wind might blow you off…"
The white pikmin laughed but stepped a bit father away from the edge. Personally I found the view breathtaking; therefore I walked as close to the edge as I possibly could.
A red pikmin in front of me was even more daring; he did a half flip and landed on his hands, teetering over the precipice. He then walked on his hands along the edge, almost, but never fully, slipping on the snow and ice.
"Come on," the other red pikmin said to him. "The last thing we need is another one of us dead."
Last thing…
"You could never expect me to do that," the white pikmin said to me. I didn't really seem to hear them though…
You'll want to do…
"You okay?" the white pikmin said. His voice echoed in my head, as I lost my sense of balance and fell to the ground.
The world is not what it seems…
This can't be happening.
"Hey, help me!"
"The same is happening to the other mushroom pikmin!" At least that's what I thought I heard…
My vision was foggy but I could see the other mushroom pikmin thrashing on the ground ahead of me. My mind was barely working and only one emotion was pulsing from my feet to my stem.
Fear.
Why don't you…
"Get away from me…" I managed to say.
Just simply give up?
"No, you're going to be okay," the white pikmin said hastily, yet he was as scared as I.
"I can't control myself…" I said. My stem began to thrash from behind me…
Now it's all over…
"Mushroom pikmin!" The cry came out from another one of the pikmin.
"I'm going to get you out of here…" the white pikmin said. He tried to grab my arm, but my arm pushed him away…yet I was doing nothing.
It was controlling me.
"Just go!" I choked out. I started to lose consciousness.
"No!"
This time it was my mushroom that came up to slam into the white pikmin. He was blown back by the hit, blown back to the edge of the cliff…
"No…" This time it was me who shouted it. I found the strength to push back the Mushroom's grasp on me and began to run towards the white pikmin, towards the edge…
Glimpses of chaos were all around me. Mushroom pikmin had erupted from the forest and were attacking our small group. I thought I could see the yellow pikmin but I wasn't sure…
Then there was the white pikmin, ahead of me. Teetering at the precipice and then suddenly over…
…and falling.
I resisted another pull form the Mushroom and then suddenly I was over the edge as well. The world whirled around me as I plummeted down, down…
Down until a burst of pain exploded in the back of my head like a bomb rock, and everything slid away; the Mushroom, the white pikmin, and hope itself…
Might seemed rushed and short, but I meant to do that, give the false sense of paradise then a big twist at the end. It keeps the pace upbeat ya know?
Feedback is smashing, as always