Don't get so used to these longer chapters. I'm just hyped about FINALLY GETTING INTO MY PLOT.
Also... god damn. I actually had to look up train parts because I don't know shit about trains.
Before they left, the girls had a quick lunch at the inn. The innkeeper was adamant that the four of them have a proper meal before they left for Stornway. As they ate, they decided to discuss something rather important.
"Alice, what are you going to do now?" Marine spoke through her mouthful of food, ignoring the looks of disapproval coming from Iris.
"I'm going home, of course. There's nothing else for me to do, so I'll HAVE to be allowed to go back. Anyway, here. I made these drinks myself." Alice set down cups of a translucent black liquid in front of Iris and Marine, ignoring Sheila. "This is alcoholic, so none of this is for you, Sheila~"
Sheila pouted, cursing her younger age. Marine sniffed the drink, suspicious of the black liquid, but it didn't smell like death, so she chugged it. Instead of the alcohol-induced feelings she usually got, Marine felt... odd. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was different. Iris, after seeing Marine drink it and that she hadn't instantly died, drank it as well. Alice watched them do it, her trademark grin slowly reappearing on her face.
As the group neared Stornway, Alice's movements began to get a little more... extreme. Not only Alice was incredibly jittery, skipping everywhere, not being able to stay still, getting way ahead of them and just jumping around until they caught up, but she couldn't stop squealing and screeching (but it did scare off all the monsters). Iris and Marine just assumed that she was happy about saving Coffinwell from the contagion, but Sheila knew better.
". . .Alice's full Celestrian powers will be regained!"
Sheila looked at Alice from the corner of her eyes, So Alice is actually a Celestrian... and now that she's done these things, she's leaving the mortal realm? We'll never see her again...?
She brewed over similar thoughts all the way back to Stornway, where Alice bid them farewell, waving enthusiastically as she and Stella skipped off towards the mountains, excited for seemingly no reason. Marine was slightly confused about that. Isn't Angel Falls the only town in that direction? Alice isn't from Angel Falls.
Iris saw both of her younger friends staring after Alice as she ran off, and tilted her head back and forth trying to make a decision. They want to go. They want to go and see where Miss Alice is going, but is that really necessary? Surely, she'll come to visit... but.
With one last glance at her friends, Iris made her decision with a firm nod of the head. She reached out both of her arms, and took the two girls in a headlock (covering their mouths to prevent Alice from hearing their surprised screams), quickly dragging them behind her as she trailed after Alice.
. . .
The girls finally caught up to Alice, who was in the middle of a large clearing, seeming to be chatting with Stella, before Stella flew forward, and disappeared. Alice laughed, and followed after her, also disappearing. The three of them quickly made their way to where Alice disappeared, staring at the clearing. The only thing in view was a fallen tree, but there's no way that they could just disappear.
Marine started to get a terrible headache, and clenched her eyes, shaking her head slightly to get rid of it. When she opened her eyes... she saw that in front of her was a large, golden train. There was only one rail car, but it was off to the side, detached from the engine.
Sheila looked over at Marine, who looked like she couldn't believe what she was seeing, and then back at the train. It wasn't an uncommon thing for Sheila to see; in fact, she was rather used to it, but what if Marine was seeing the same thing...?
"Marine, do you see it too?" Sheila smiled at Marine, tilting her head to look at Marine around Iris (who had dropped them to the ground moments ago). Marine gave a short, uncertain nod of the head. Sheila stood up, renewed with vigor from having a fellow friend seeing the same things as her, dusted herself off, marched up to the door to the engine, and threw it open.
Inside was a glowing interior, with golden structures, and green-ish blue flooring. At the front of the helm was Stella, who was fiddling with the controls. Standing behind her, looking somewhat disturbed, was Alice, who instantly swung her head towards Sheila at the sound of the door opening.
"...What the... What are you doing here, Sheila?!" Alice's eyebrows shot way up, shocked at the sight of her.
"You're going back to your Celestrian Palace, right?! I wanna come with!" Alice froze in place, not knowing how to handle this, but then an idea occurred to her.
"...Sheila, where are Iris and Marine?"
Sheila jutted her thumb behind her, "Outside. I think Marine's having heart problems from the sight of this pretty train."
"Well, the Starflight Express is pretty extravagant." Alice snickered, "You guys can come in, if you want. We'll be taking awhile to reach lift-off status."
Sheila beamed, and rushed out of the cabin to get Iris and Marine, leaving Alice behind, who instantly returned to her prior thoughts.
Alice and Stella had just arrived back at the Starflight Express, but before they could get to the door, an eerie, cloaked spirit appeared in front of them, staring off distantly.
Stella leaned her head back, taking the stranger in. The ghost was definitely a girl, having the most basic feminine features, and clear, crystal-blue eyes that were slightly glazed over. "...Blimey! This gal looks like she could use some cheering up. Hey, Alice, this gal's obviously a ghost. Why don't 'ya ask her what's up? Maybe she just needs an ear to cry into."
Alice stared at the ghost, too surprised to say anything. The girl spoke, tilting her head downwards and shaking it. "...He's not here..."
Stella returned her attention towards the girl, slightly confused. "What was that?"
Again, the girl shook her head. "He's not here either..."
With that, the girl walked off, disappearing in that way that ghosts do. Stella shook her fist with anger, "Wow, charming! Couldn't even give us the time of day! Dead mortals are so flappin' rude!"
"...Putting that aside... Stella, why don't we get back to repairing the Starflight Express?" Alice smiled timidly, but it went unnoticed by Stella, who laughed, and flew ahead of her, entering the Starflight without responding. Alice gave a short glance over to where the girl had disappeared, and followed after Stella.
Alice shook her head, sighing. No... that's impossible, isn't it? She wouldn't be here. She has no reason to be here. It wasn't her.
"...A-Ahem." Alice looked up, and saw her three former(?) companions standing there in the entrance. With a grin, Alice forced her thoughts to the back of her head.
That can wait for later; right now, I have more important matters to take care of.
". . . .And then I crashed into the falls." Alice had given a shortened version of her story as Stella continued to fiddle with the controls. Sheila, who knew the more important things, wasn't all that shocked. Marine and Iris, however...
"You mean you're not really 5-6 years old?!" Marine's eyes widened, having realized that if Alice was an immortal being, there was nothing that said that the Celestrians didn't age slower then them.
"What?" Alice raised an eyebrow, "No, I'm not. Why in the world would you think that? I look nothing like a five-year-old."
The others turned their eyes away from Alice, a collective thought almost visible in the background. You totally look like a little kid, though...
"...Ah-ha! Here we go!" Stella let out a cheer of excitement as she pulled on a lever, and smashed her hand into a button. The entire cabin shook violently as it lifted off the ground, glowing brighter than before. The rail car automatically attached itself, and they zoomed upwards, quickly escalating up the height-charts. Marine stared at the lone window in the car, and almost got sick from how high up they were, not to mention how fast they were going.
"...YES! I DID IT! I DID IT!" Stella cheered, throwing her hands in the air.
"Woohoo! Ahahahaha!" Sheila laughed from the thrill, while Iris just sat on the ground, having fallen from the sudden movement of the train. Alice, however, was at the helm with Stella, helping her steer and making sure that Stella actually knew what she was doing. Something told her that being a stewardess wasn't Stella's first job-option.
"Wow! Is that where you live, Alice?" Sheila smiled as she looked out the window, amazed by how big the Observatory was, and how it seemed to be floating in the sky. She didn't seem to pay any attention to the ominous dark purple clouds that surrounded the place, or even the flashes of lightning and claps of thunder.
"...Yeah." Alice's tone sounded slightly off, as she frowned at the sight, before slipping back into her happy-form that she had before this whole thing had happened.
"Okay! Here we go, a niiice little stop... Oops!" Stella swore under her breath as she slightly lost control, causing the train to come to a violent stop, slightly scraping the rails of the Observatory. "...Oh well, we landed, at least."
Alice gave a shrug at that, while the others were tangled about all throughout the cabin, heavily jarred from the landing. Alice looked up when her sharp ears caught wind of voices outside. ...Ah, it's Apus Major. She threw open the door, and calmly exited, signaling the others not to come out yet. In a bright white light, out came Alice, smiling happily.
"B-By the stars!" Apus Major staggered a few steps back, surprised to see what almost looked like a mortal appear in the Observatory, but upon a closer look... "A-Alice?! Is it truly you? What are you doing aboard th-"
His eyes, though old and worn, bugged out when he noticed a most important detail. "W-What is this?!" He approached her quickly, patting her shoulders and her head, "Y-Your wings... your halo! What horrors have fallen upon you, child?"
"Ah... When I fell from the Observatory, my wings and halo disappeared. It was most likely caused by that strange burst of purple light that blasted me in the first place, causing my fall. I was in luck though, and Stella, the... captain... came to my aid, and helped me get back up here. However, she was not my only help..." Alice turned back towards the Starflight, and dragged out the shaken forms of her companions, who were now forever scarred by Stella's terrible flying skills. "These mortals assisted me greatly, so I granted them sight. With their help, getting the Starflight back in working order was easy."
Apus Major nodded throughout Alice's speech, taking it all in. "It is surely a miracle that you have returned to us, Alice, but... what became of the other Celestrians who are gone to realm beneath? Why have you alone returned to us?"
Alice felt her insides twitch furiously, but remained calm. She couldn't afford one of her outbursts here. This was not the mortal realm, this was the Observatory, where she has resided for many years. Not only that, but Apus Major wasn't alone. There were some adult Celestrians accompanying him, and Alice could feel their subtle looks of anger. As angry as she was, Alice did not want to infuriate the others more than they already were. It'd be a bad idea to make uneasy people angry.
Apus Major, however, realized his blunder instantly from the silence that emitted from Alice (not to mention the not-so-subtle daggers he was receiving from a certain mortal), "...Forgive me, Alice. Your homecoming is most important to my heart, and is plenty reason to give our thanks to the Almighty."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, leading her away from the others, "Now, you must tell this old man the events that you've witnessed in the Protectorate..."
The two of them got away quickly, leaving only the mortals and the adult Celestrians (who had turned their glares to the non-Celestrians). Marine was returning their glares full-force, but Iris smiled calmly at them.
"Excuse me, but do you know where we could wait for Miss Alice? We are slightly... tired from the journey up here." Iris picked up Sheila, who had banged her head against some metal contraption, and was instantly knocked out.
Luckily, one of the adults was kinder than the other two, and was able to put aside her unease about the recent events. It was her job to take care of mortals, after all. "Of course, come this way and I'll bring you to her quarters."
It was a long walk made even longer by the amounts of stairs there were. Marine was quickly getting frustrated with how many stairs there were. Why are there even stairs in the first place? These guys fly! Arghh!
After the long, long, LONG walk, they finally arrived at a large, white door at the end of an dark and empty hallway on the bottom floor. On the door was a large, black plaque with the name ALICE written in big, bold, dark red letters, the paint having dripped sometime after it was made, giving it an eerie feeling. The kind Celestrian was clearly unwilling to touch the door, and gestured towards the room, sweating slightly.
"W-Well, this is where Alice's quarters are located. I'm sure she won't mind if the three of you go in. I'll be sure to tell her where you three are, so just wait here for a while." Before the lady could escape, Marine grabbed her elbow, tugging her back somewhat roughly.
"How can you be sure that you'll find her in this big place so quickly?" Marine gave her a suspicious look. The attitude these people were displaying towards Alice was getting annoying.
"...I'm positive that Alice will go... there after her report to Apus Major. And if she's not there, then she's gone to locate Columba, who has been friends with her for ages." Finding the explanation sufficient, Marine released the nervous woman, who quickly flew away from them, leaving behind a slight breeze.
These Celestrians are frickin' weird. Marine shook her head at their antics, and opened the door to Alice's room.
Meanwhile, with Alice...
". . .and that's pretty much everything that happened." Alice smiled at Apus Major from across the table, taking a small sip of her usual drink. It was a good thing she had bought all those holy waters back in Stornway, because doing good deeds made her really thirsty. It had been a real hassle, forcing herself to eat mortal food. Celestrians don't need to consume anything, but Alice still likes to drink holy water. It helps that she can remember those times when she was able to do things like this more easily.
"So, the Protectorate is being swarmed by monsters, the undead are coming back to life, and diseases from long ago are reappearing. That is the gist of what's happening, correct?" Alice nodded, "And you didn't see a single other Celestrian on your journey?"
Alice shook her head, "No, Apus. I did not spot a single other Celestrian."
Apus Major let out a long, drawn out sigh. "I see. So the mortals are also experiencing dark times..." He gestured over to the main upper-lobby, where only a few Celestrians were scattered. "Just as you had fallen, my dear, many others had also fallen to the Protectorate below. Not only that but... Yggdrasil's sacred fruits that we Celestrians have been awaiting for these last couple of centuries... they have also fallen to the mortal realm. A great number of our survivors descended to the Protectorate to search for the fallen, the fyggs, and the source of the attack, but alas... As of yet, you are the only one that has returned to us."
"Really?" Alice was amazed. Only she, the (possibly) only one who no longer had her wings, was able to make it back to the Observatory. Not the snooty elders, the annoying gossips, or the bratty newbies. It was Alice.
Alice, and only Alice.
She was brought back by the depressed tone Apus suddenly had, "We've been anxiously waiting for those still missing, but... it is a wonderful miracle that at least you have returned to us, Alice. I've always felt that you were like a granddaughter to me, despite our differences. You must be sure to go give thanks to Yggdrasil for ensuring your safe return, but... it's understandable if you go and comfort Columba first."
"...Comfort her? Why? Is she okay?" Alice was slightly worried. Even though Columba was not her mentor, they had been friends for as long as Alice could remember. Sure, their friendship had really only initiated because of Aquila, and might not have happened otherwise, but they were friends nonetheless, and Alice did not have many of those to spare.
"Yes, she's alright." Alice didn't wait for another word, and rushed off towards the library, Columba's post. She had a bit of trouble with the doors, which suddenly wouldn't open, for some reason. Stella's ball-form flew around her, circling Alice like the planets circle the sun.
"Alice, it's time for the two of us to part. I've brought 'ya back to the Observatory sound and safe, just like I promised. Uh... good luck, and stuff like that. It was nice knowing 'ya, Alice." Stella waved, and flew off back towards the Starflight.
Putting that aside, Alice refocused on the door, which still wouldn't budge. She heard footsteps coming from behind, and quickly swung around to face the newcomer, only to be face-to-face with Hope (Columba's apprentice). Hope was slightly teary in the eyes, and grabbed Alice's hands without her usual hesitance, sniffling.
"Oh, Alice! I didn't believe them when they said you had returned, but... here you are! Praise be the Almighty!..." Hope trailed off, and looked around, confused. "...Aquila is not with you?"
Alice shook her head, being civil despite her hands feeling like they were on fire. "No, I haven't seen him since before the calamity."
Hope returned her hands to her sides, looking slightly disturbed. "...But when you fell to the Protectorate, he..." With a sigh, Hope shook her head, smiling again. "It matters not. You should go seek Columba, she will be immensely relieved to see you alive and well. She and Aquila feared the worst when you were shot by that beam of light and sent hurling down towards the Protectorate. You can't get in the library because she hasn't returned since the calamity. Ever since the day you fell, she could be found on the floor below us..."
Alice turned, and without even so much as a "thank you", quickly made her way downstairs. She did not need to be told where on the floor Columba was. Alice knew perfectly well where Columba would be.
Alice glared at the door in front of her, which held the room Columba was in. It was her most hated place in the entire damned building. Inside was the lone gravestone that had ever existed on the Observatory. Alice loathed it with a passion. It made her very upset; furious, even, and Alice was a very loyal being. If she hated it, so would Alice. Even if it was the best thing to ever happen, Alice would hate it. Even if it saved all life, brought back all the fallen Celestrians that had been killed in action over the centuries, and enabled her to be reunited with her parental figure, Alice would still hate it.
For her, I will do anything.
Now... I can go burn my brain watching sad AMVs.