Well, testing took ages, so that was a major setback in terms of story writing. Sorry about that . This story is kind of depressing, so don't read if you want to be happy. Also, sorry Dimentio fans, I just had to write this idea down right now, so yeah.

The 100 Themes Challenge

4. Innocence

In the far reaches of space, a giant starship floated, the pure light coming from the bright-blue core causing the shadows of space to retreat. Purple spikes poked out of white pillars with purple ribbons attached to a purple-and-white plate beneath the core. A red bar with yellow stripes circled the core. A giant peak almost seemed to scrape the dark, star-studded sky. It flattened and spread out at its beginning, with a golden chain with stars adorning the border and some light-blue teardrop crystals decorating the tower. Many land masses were attached to this colossal structure, including an island with a small house on it and a giant ring made out of different materials. This was the main part of the starship, containing many different attractions, including a garage, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a library. The library was where the galactic ship's owner could be found at this moment.

The library was very cozy, with a crackling fire, plenty of books on the shelves, plenty of pictures on the mantle, a round rug with star shapes, and two circular cushions. She was sitting in a green rocking chair, snoozing softly. She was very pretty, with platinum-blond hair that completely covered one eye, giving her a mysterious look. She wore a light blue gown with frills at the ends of the sleeves and a silver star brooch with a yellow center. Silver pointy shoes could be seen peeking out of the folds of the skirt of her dress. A silver crown was perched upon her head, with red and blue gems embedded inside, and star-shaped earrings the color of pirate coins dangled from her ears. A large brown book sat on her lap, embellished with a star on the front cover and golden lines weaving their way around the border of the book's cover. A silver wand with a star of said color on the end lay on the floor, forsaken by its owner. The only sound to be heard was the crackling of the fire…

"Mama! Mama!"

The woman bolted awake and turned to see two little chubby stars. They both had big black eyes. One was gold as the sun, and the other was blue, like the ocean. "Is the kitchen on fire again?" she said in a panicky kind of voice to the two star beings.

"No, mama! Everyone wants a story!"

She relaxed and sighed. "Okay then. Bring them in."

The Lumas cheered and a group came rushing in through the door, all various colors. They sat themselves on the cushions, the floor, or just floated in midair. "Let's see… what story shall I read you today… how about… this one?"

A few Lumas peered over her shoulder. "I've never heard that one before!" A Luma pointed to a story deep in the heart of the book.

The celestial woman trembled for no apparent reason. "Something wrong, Mama?" a Luma questioned, a look of worry upon its chubby little face.

She shook her head and smiled a half-smile. "I'm fine. It's just a little chilly. I'm sure it will warm up." She then clapped her hands twice. "Gather round, everyone! It's story time!"

They all cheered and made themselves comfortable. She then propped the book up and began to read:

Once upon a time, in the deepest reaches of space, where no light penetrated through the darkness, a comet soared through the cosmos. The passengers on that comet were many star beings, a little girl, and thousands of star bits (The Lumas cheered once again upon the mention of these sweet snacks; they were their favorite food.). They lived a happy life on that little comet, singing and dancing to their hearts content.

One day, they flew by a very odd-looking planet indeed. It looked like a purple mushroom, with white dots all over its surface. The star beings and the little girl would have flown right past it, for it was rather creepy, if they weren't in a desperate need for water. So they tethered the comet (for it was moving very slowly) to an asteroid that would keep it in place and landed on the surface.

The ground was the same color as the planet: purple with white spots. There was no plant life to be found, the only thing notable other than the ground was the craggy rocks of the same design in terms of color. That and the eerie silence that came from the lack of things that were capable of making sound. The little girl's heart sunk. They would never find water in this desolate wasteland. "We should leave." she said with a heavy heart. They were about to board the comet when a noise broke the silence like a rock breaking a window. The girl and the star beings both jumped in fright, then started searching for the source, carefully, oh so carefully. The girl slowly journeyed farther and farther away from the group. Suddenly, she looked around and realized that she was all alone. She trembled in fear and called out "Hello?" Only silence answered her. She had started to retrace her steps when she heard the noise again. She fought with herself for a moment, then caved in to her curiosity and resumed her search. As she got closer to the noise, she realized it was someone crying. It was coming from behind a large hill made of crumbled rocks. The little girl looked around the rock face and saw a person.

She couldn't see much from her position, but she could tell it was a living thing. She crept forward and, ever so lightly, tapped the extraterrestrial on the shoulder.

It bolted up, and, without hesitation, whipped a ray gun out and pointed it at her. She yelped and lifted up her hands (which is the universal sign of surrender). She could see it was female now, and she could tell this person was royalty. Her skin was purple, and her head looked a little bit like a mushroom, with white spots. She had only two fingers, with sharp claw-like nails. She had very ominous eyes, black with red pupils. She wore a bright pink dress that went down past her knees. It was very simple, with only a black brooch on the chest for decoration. A half crown was perched upon her head. The little girl noticed something else; this was definitely the source of the crying. The alien was trembling, and her eyes were swimming with tears.

The human girl slowly reached outward and patted her on the shoulder. "Don't be scared… I won't harm you." The alien blinked in surprise, and the little girl realized she had no idea what she was saying. She said something unintelligible and pointed at the comet, which cast a bright light onto the surface of the forgotten planet. The little girl nodded (she was assuming the alien monarchy was asking if that was hers). The alien sat down on a rock and waved her hand, like she was ordering her away. A twinge of annoyance plagued the human girl at being treated like a servant, but she forced it down and turned to walk away. She walked past the rock that completely shielded the alien from sight, when a Luma zoomed in front of her. "Mama! Where did you go? I was worried, Mama!"

"It's okay…" cooed the child, hugging the star. Then she heard that noise again. The crying. She poked her head around the rugged rock face, as quiet as a predator stalking prey. The alien child had her misshapen head in her hands, crying her heart out. The little girl slowly started to get closer, her heart defeating her logic.

Then the little star, without a second thought, zoomed towards the heartbroken extraterrestrial. She looked up, screamed in terror, and hid behind a small rock. The Luma descended to sit next to her. It attempted to wipe her tears, but she scuttled away. The Luma looked crestfallen at the sight of someone running away from it. "Don't be sad…" it said.

The little girl watched this unfold from her spot, frozen in midstep. She had been so sure the star would have met a terrible fate, but apparently this was not so. So she, too, crept towards the two space beings and joined the Luma. She smiled at the fearful mushroom girl. "He won't hurt you. Lumas are peaceful beings. They are children of the stars." The human girl held out her hand to the monarchy. Slowly but surely, the girl took her hand, and then smiled, revealing small fangs.

The three found the main group of Lumas, and then boarded the comet (which was still anchored to the asteroid). The girl and the Lumas then decided to gather some star bits for the other child. The girl wanted to make her feel better, even though she didn't even understand a word she said. When they offered the celestial candies to the alien, she looked suspiciously at them, but slowly took a nibble. Her eyes widened and she gobbled the whole thing, and then took a giant handful! (The Lumas giggled at that.) The group ate, laughed, and danced for hours, but eventually the princess was looking anxiously at her home. The little girl's heart sunk. She was enjoying spending time with her new friend, but she knew if she was a princess, that her planet needed her back. So they descended to the dark, desolate wasteland of a planet and prepared to say goodbye. She gave the alien a hug and smiled. "Are you still sad?" she asked, even though she knew that the other girl didn't understand her.

The monarchy smiled and said something in her native language in a happy tone of voice. The human's smile grew bigger. That was a good answer.

Fate would have it that the comet never flew by that forsaken mushroom planet again, but the little girl and the Lumas would never forget that encounter.

The end…

The Lumas cheered and flew out of the library, content with the story. Rosalina sighed sadly and closed the book. Then a voice rang out across the room, making her jump in surprise. "So… you-a… knew… them?" In the doorway stood the last person she wanted to see. He had milk chocolate colored hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in plumber garb, complete with blue overalls with yellow buttons, a red shirt, a hat of the same color as his shirt, and brown boots. His name was Mario Mario, the man who had saved her observatory, and the universe, from being taken over by King Bowser. He was also one of the people who had saved the Mushroom Kingdom from the cruel, murderous alien race, the Shroobs.

"I… I thought you were in the Beach Bowl galaxy, taking a vacation." She said.

"I-a forgot my-a towel."

"…Oh."

"Which-a one?"

"What do you mean?"

"Which-a princess… did you-a know?"

"…The younger one. I assume you heard the whole story?"

"Yes. I… I don't-a blame you. You were-a children."

"Okay then… Do you want anything to eat, perhaps?"

"No… I'm-a good. I'll-a be leaving soon."

"So soon?"

"Princess-a Peach-a invited me for-a cake."

"Well… goodbye."

He turned and left the library quickly. She gazed up at the ceiling, wondering why the universe was so cruel, turning an innocent little girl into a sadistic, cold-blooded mass murderer. Wondering how fate could twist their lives in such ways, to create such a tragic dilemma. How even the purest among them had as much blood on their hands as the most twisted.

As she thought about those things, a single tear slipped down her cheek.

I've always wondered if there was any connection between Rosalina and the Shroobs. So… yeah (I've noticed that I say that a lot. I'm trying to stop, promise). And no, I wasn't just being lazy about P.S's getup; I just edited it a little bit. So yeah (Darn…)