A/N: Hello there! So... this one took me way longer to write than I thought... I'm sorry for that. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I've gotta get back on my updating schedule...

.

Klevar's Story

.

So close and yet so far! Klevar strained to see the dark sky through the thick clouds that imprisoned him. Home was just beyond his grasp. All he had to do was fly straight up, and he'd reach Star Haven. Straight up!

But, even if he could go home, he couldn't bring himself to ignore the desolation down below. Soft pleas for help rose up from the withering residents of Flower Fields, and each one tore at his heart.

'Where's... the sun?'

'Won't someone please make the cloud's go away?'

'I feel... so droopy...'

Klevar could almost hear the rustling of trembling leaves as lilies, roses, and even the rare Bub-ulbs begged for relief from the smothering darkness. 'Poor things,' he thought. Their wishes should have been giving him power, but ever since Bowser sealed him away, all he could do was listen and mourn at their suffering.

When times grew hard, Klevar preferred to find solace in a good book. He had already read many good titles: 'A Twinkle in Time', 'Quantum Shine Theory', and even Maitre Delish's cookbook. But, Huff N Puff wouldn't allow for anyone's solace; not the flowers, not his minions, and certainly not Klevar.

For starters, the giant dust-colored cloud creature forbade any kind of light in his domain, even Klevar's glow, dim as it was. He had already blocked out the sun with that cloud-making machine of his, not to mention the smog from his contraption was polluting the environment.

"I'll turn this sun-blasted place into a cloud-covered paradise, and not even you can interfere," Huff N Puff said when Klevar had been placed under his guard.

For days Klevar floated in the clouds, and with each passing hour, he found it easier to give into despair. His only source of joy was the well-worn copy of 'Star Legends' tucked under his arm, but his feeble glow was much too dim for him to read by, so he absentmindedly rifled through the book's pages , their flat papery texture and the book's solid cover his only tangible link to the world beyond.

Well, almost...

Like the other stars, Klevar could reach out to different places with his spirit, but he was especially good at it because of all the time he spent working his imagination with books.

He decided to try it now. At least he would feel like he was doing something useful. After a quick check to see that Huff N Puff was gone, he allowed his mind to drift down to the weary world below.

The land stretched out before him, and Klevar sensed everything from the sheer vastness of the meadows down to the tiniest of little details. He saw Wise Westerwood's yellowing leaves and drooping branches. He felt the dried, shriveled petals of millions of pink, white, and yellow flowers that carpeted the grass. He could even smell the faint sweetness of their blossoms, but it was dulled due to their withering health.

Then, a wisp of waning warmth brushed against Klevar's senses. The star winced, wondering for a moment if it was one of his fellow guardians.

'No,' he thought, shaking his head, 'Bowser wouldn't have two of us so close together.' He squinted in concentration and reached out for the warmth again, hoping he hadn't imagined it.

It was coming from the northwest. Who in Flower Fields lived there? Klevar racked his brain to remember. There was a Bubble Plant, a few cloud-riding Lakitus, and...

"Of course!" Using all his powers, Klevar strained to the source of the warmth. His mind's eye brought him to a spiraling, stone tower, atop which sat a very gloomy sun.

'No wonder it's so dark!' Klevar thought. The Star Spirit knew all too well of the crisis in Flower Fields, but he didn't know that things were this bad. The sun was definitely not where he was supposed to be. And his light was much dimmer than usual. Mortals would have no trouble looking directly at him, not like when he was shining at full capacity. But, why wasn't he in the sky, trying to fight off the clouds that Huff N Puff created? Klevar gathered his energies to the Sun's tower, intent on fining out the answer.

"Hello," he greeted.

The sun's sky-blue eyes widened upon seeing the Star Spirit. "Hello... I didn't think anyone else would come here...

Klevar hovered for a moment, unsure of what to say. "You are the sun, correct?"

The response that came was one of the gloomiest Klevar heard. "I am... Or at least, I was." The sun sighed. "All the plants in this land depend on me, but these clouds keep me from rising into the sky. I'm a complete failure as a sun."

Klevar's heart sank. For a being responsible for filling the world with warmth and joy, the sun sure sounded hopeless. He wished there was something he could do, for the sun and the plants. He wanted to give them all a happy ending, like the ones in his books, but right now, that seemed impossible.

He floated there in silence, trying to think of something encouraging to say. The wishes of wilting flower spirits swirled around his head, along with passages of text he read recently, but he doubted 'Beauty and the Boo' or 'Rosalina's Travels' would help him out now.

Klevar's glow flickered with sadness. The sun thought he was a failure? It was Klevar's job to grant the wishes of all the good people in the world, and not only could he not do that, but he couldn't even help one soul find a little hope. He was a complete failure as a Star Spirit.

"You know," the sun said, breaking through the clouds of Klevar's thoughts. "you're not the only one to come here."

"Oh?" Klevar asked, a spark of curiosity kindling inside him.

"Yeah... Someone else came by a short time ago. Said they were gonna try and break the Puff Puff Machine. You know. The thing making all the clouds..."

"They did...?" Klevar said, curiosity turning to hope.

The sun bobbed up and down, his form of a nod. "I told him he shouldn't strain himself. Better that he just go home..."

"Wait a moment..." Klevar murmured. There was only one person he knew of who was brave enough to journey across a desolate land to help those in need. In fact, it was the one who he himself was waiting for. "Ah! That's Mario! It has to be!" he exclaimed, heart flittering inside him.

The sun's eyes snapped open. "Mario?" he asked, glowing a little brighter. "...Come to think of it, I didn't bother to take a good look at the guy. It all just seemed so useless..."

Klevar had almost thought that for awhile himself, but now that he knew Mario was so close to freeing him, the spark in his heart swelled, burning stronger than ever. "It won't be for long. Soon the light will come again. But I must go... My power is growing faint."

And it was. Klevar had nearly exhausted his strength talking to the sun. He wondered if he did anything to help...

"Well, I hope you're right."

The sun sounded doubtful, but in his final moments of contact, Klevar thought he saw his stormy expression lessen just a bit.

Reluctantly, the Star allowed his mind to detach from the sun's light and heat. It was back to the dark clouds for him. His head was throbbing, and he knew there was nothing more to do but try and conserve what little strength he had left.

Each agonizing minute seemed to crawl along more slowly, and this time, Klevar couldn't dive into the memories of his stories for comfort, so he waited.

And waited...

The changes were too subtle for Klevar to notice at first. He thought he felt a little warmer, and he was sure the gray clouds became a little brighter. He looked down and found he could see his shadow easier.

And then, it happened.

In an explosion of light, glorious rays of energy pierced through the darkness, spreading their warmth over every gray cloud in the sky, turning them a brilliant gold. Many of the clouds had vanished entirely, disintegrating beneath the sun's beams. The Puff Puff Machine had been broken!

Klevar embraced the welcome heat, soaking as much of it up as he could. He listened to the newly-lit world below. The cries of suffering flowers and trees were turned into exclamations of joy.

'It's the sun! It's the sun!'

'That heat feels so good!'

'I feel full of life again!'

Klevar smiled. The sun's warmth drove away every last ounce of despair Huff N Puff had caused, and the light seemed to renew him as well.

It was strange, he thought. The Star Spirits spent centuries granting wishes and delivering the message of hope to others, but Klevar never really got to experience that for himself. Now, however, hope came to him in the form of these beautiful, radiant sunbeams, and one thing was certain. His story was going to have a happy ending after all.

.

A/N: As usual, thanks for reading! Your support means a lot.