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Now, onto the chapter...
Chapter 28 Exciting Space Race
Mario moved swiftly, even more swiftly than he was used to as he made his way over to Rosalina. His mind split itself in two in terms of what exactly to focus on at the moment. For one, he focused on Luigi and Daisy. Did he have faith in them? For the most part. Luigi could be brave when he needed to be, when the situation absolutely called for it. The encounters with King Boo were prime examples of these situations. Even still…well, Mario was his older brother. He couldn't not worry about him. It was a base instinct, a protective urge that he did more or less automatically. While thinking about him going on the rescue mission all by himself, Mario uttered quite a few prayers to God. Yes, God; he was from the real world, and while he had met Grambi and saw his powers first hand, he was still going to trust in the Almighty of the place where he had grown up. God could protect Luigi. God could bring him through the challenge even in a world that existed in a completely different dimension than the one where he was worshipped.
The other thing Mario focused on (well, worried about would probably be a better descriptor) was the space journey. He…honestly, he had mixed feelings about space as a general rule. On the one hand, he loved the joy of discovering new and exciting galaxies. Some of the locations he had come across, like Toy Time Galaxy and Sweet Mystery Galaxy, were still places that Mario thought about fondly to this day. They haunted his dreams, making his whole body quiver with excitement.
On the other hand…well, the vastness of space was overwhelming to the nth degree. There were no limits to the universe, only an ever-expanding well of places to visit. This made Mario feel…well, small. He felt so insignificant in the grand universe, so much so that his very abilities and worth were brought into question. Was saving Princess Peach, an achievement that garnered a lot of praise on the measly planet that was the Mushroom World, really matter in the vast vast universe? Did the actions of a speck of dust, so fragile and miniscule, even have a drop of worth in the cold, unforgiving, and unfathomable place that was space have any significance?
Mario shuddered thinking about that. Sure, space was beautiful. But it was also depressing. It exacerbated the feelings that already brewed deep within Mario's gut, that he really wasn't as super as the title "Super Mario" made him out to be. That's why, as he made his way over to the woman who was vastly more significant in the grand scheme of the universe than he could ever hope to be, Mario hoped that the mission to meeting with the purple luma would be fast. Really, he would have wished that anyway because he wanted to get back into his own body as soon as possible. But his own personal feelings about space definitely made those hopes stronger and those prayers to God more desperate and frequent.
Eventually, he came across Rosalina. She stood in the courtyard of Peach's Castle, smiling at him but also giving him a furrowed brow. She gripped her wand in a noticeably tight manner, increasing Mario's worries as she stood next to a ship that resembled the star shroom. She must've conjured that up. Mario had told her that teleportation made him nauseous in the past, so she more than likely considered that and chose a mode of transportation that would increase his comfort.
"I'm glad you came, Mario," she said, her voice soft yet strong in intent.
Mario nodded, putting up a smile that he hoped disguised his worries."The feeling is mutual." He wiped sweat off of his brow (even though he could control his facial expression, he couldn't control the body's natural reaction to stress). "I see you have a star shroom."
"Yes," Rosalina said with a nod. "I wanted…I wanted to make you feel comfortable, as teleportation…"
Mario's smile grew wider at the confirmation of his previous theory. "Well, I commend you for being considerate." He giggled. "Only makes you more deserving of the titles of Princess and Space Goddess."
Rosalina turned red. "Mario! I'm not a Goddess! I am merely a being who wanders the universe and observes all the events occurring in it!"
Mario snickered. "That sounds like something a Goddess would do."
Rosalina's complexion grew even redder. "Except you would need to be omnipotent for that to be the case, and I am hardly…" she shook her head. "You know what? It doesn't matter." She gestured toward the ship. "Let's not waste anytime."
Mario nodded. As he got into the star shroom, his heart pounded. His heart beat only got stronger as he got into his seat and strapped himself in. By the time Rosalina was all set and buckled up, Mario felt his heart beat to be so strong that he wouldn't be surprised if the whole of his brother's body pulsated and throbbed. He did a deep breathing exercise, one that he had seen Luigi do countless times during stressful situations.
"Okay…" Rosalina got herself engaged with the countless buttons on the dash panel. "We will be taking off in three…" she pressed a button, and the ship rumbled. "Two…" The interior of the ship lit up like a star. "One…" she pushed a lever forward. "Lift off!"
With that, the engines flared to life. Mario gripped the sides of his seat, waiting for the unmistakable swiftness that was the ship revving up for and then subsequently going into life speed. His teeth were gripped so tight, and his expectations were so high, that he was actually kind of disappointed when the ship actually did make the jump. He had expected a feeling so strong that it completely threw him off kilter. But this…well, it was like causing a chair to recline. Not special, not exciting, just more comfortable than anything else.
"Huh," Mario said as he sat up in his chair and readjusted his position. "That was way less discombobulating than I thought it would be."
Rosalina laughed as she nodded. "The thing about these star shroom ships is that they handle like a breeze. This especially surprising to me considering that these ships were created on your planet, which isn't a place known for being the most technologically advanced planet in the universe."
Mario blinked. "Huh. That's pretty interesting." He redirected his attention to the outside of the ship. The circular windshield displayed an inky black "sky" (Mario knew that wasn't the right word, but he didn't know what else to call it). The only light source in this endlessly dark vacuum was the light of the stars. They twinkled, looking like they could provide solar systems with light and warmth for billions upon billions of centuries. A shrinking feeling overcame the plumber, as it so often did in space.
To distract himself from the overwhelming feeling of insignificance, he turned back to Rosalina. "So. Will this luma be at the Comet Observatory like he was last time?" This question caused Rosalina to suck some air through her teeth, causing Mario to blink. "What's the matter?"
Rosalina looked at him, nervousness, concern, and even a tiny bit of reluctance showed through on her face. "Well….I'm afraid that won't be the case." She turned to face outside, avoiding eye contact with Mario at all costs. "The truth is, he ended up leaving the Comet Observatory about…three of your weeks ago. He told me that he wanted to explore the universe before it was his time to become a part of it, so he left with wide eyes and a taste for adventure." She turned back to him, shame leaking through her expression. "I sent him off that time with a heavy heart, uncertain if I was really ready to part with him. However, if I had known about the predicament you and Luigi would face due to Fortune's Comet…" she sunk into her chair. "I most definitely would have stopped him."
Mario's heart sank. "I…I see." Suddenly, fear struck him as a question popped up in his mind. "Wait, do you think he's transformed into a galaxy already?"
Rosalina thought about this before shaking her head. "Probably not. While he is on the brink of reaching physical maturity for a luma, he still had a ways to go in terms of his star bit consumption to truly reach the point of transformation. I highly doubt he would have found the necessary number of star bits even in this three week period, as star bits tend to be scattered in various spread out locations. Some parts of the universe don't even have them, and I'm pretty sure the planets he told me he was going to visit fit into that mold."
Once she wrapped up the point she was making, Mario put his hand to his chest. This was mostly because another question that had been brewing in his mind had fortunately been answered as Rosalina spoke. "Oh. So you know where he is."
"Yes, I do. Very fortunately, I do. He is in a far off quadrant of the universe, exploring the Melty Monster Galaxy specifically."
Mario's heart stopped. "M…Melty Monster Galaxy?" Mario barely escaped with his life the last time he visited Melty Monster Galaxy. Oh, this wasn't good. This wasn't good no matter what angle one chose to view the situation from.
"Yes." Rosalina pressed a button on the dashboard. "Unfortunately, this star shroom doesn't have enough juice to reach that distance. Even though they are amazing for comfortable traveling, long distance traveling is a different animal all together. So, I am taking you to the Comet Observatory. We'll make our way to that Galaxy from there."
Mario nodded. Inwardly though, he was freaking out. Lava, Magmaargh, and fire storms; those were the things that made Melty Monster Galaxy as infamous as it was. Why did the purple luma decide to go there specifically? It seemed like an idea so beyond bad that it made Bowser's "brilliant" plans to kidnap Peach seem like intricate plots conceived by a master planner. He shuddered just thinking about the heat that galaxy radiated.
"You're shaking."
Mario inwardly cursed; damn, Rose was certainly observant. "Uh…well, lava and I aren't exactly the best combination to mix together…"
Rosalina nodded, pursing her lips as she did. "That's understandable." Her brow furrowed. "Well, if it'll make you feel better, I'll accompany you at all times in that galaxy. I won't let you out of my sight for even a Terrarian millisecond." Her mouth inched upwards into a smile. "Does that make you feel better?"
"It…it actually does." Mario smiled at her. "Thanks, Rose."
"Of course."
So, the two sat in silence for a little bit. Mario, as he looked out at the stars, tried to tell himself that he shouldn't worry about the vastness of space. Sure it was big, but that didn't mean it was uninviting. For every Melty Monster, there was a Gusty Garden, as well as a Cosmic Cove. The universe, in a way, could be considered a mixed bag in that sense. Some places were big, some places were small, but every place was a place to explore. Just because most of the universe was unknowable in some aspects didn't mean it had to remain that way. Many parts of it were itching to be discovered, as well as itching to welcome foreigners like Mario and his friends.
"Are you concerned about your brother?"
Mario did a double take. "What was that?"
"Are you concerned about your brother?" Rosalina pressed another button on the dash panel. "He is going on a dangerous journey, in your body no less…"
Mario's heart sank. "Well…yeah, I am. Even if he wasn't in my body, I would still be shaking in my boots knowing he's doing this without my help. He…we always do this together. He's never gone and done this thing by himself. It…I guess it's only natural for me to worry in this case…"
Rosalina nodded. "Yes. It only makes sense."
Mario faced her, trying to look fierce, brave, and courageous. "But you know what? I have faith in him. I have to have faith in him. I've seen firsthand what he had to deal with two days ago. And you know what? He's very gutsy; he can face a ton of ghosts with a mere vacuum. He can hold his head up high even when there aren't very many people who give him recognition. Luigi, by all accounts, can be brave." He smiled. "I know he can do this."
Rosalina beamed. "I feel the same way." She pulled a lever back. "Luigi has his own level of 'oomph,' as people on your planet say."
Mario nodded. Once again, he pushed his worries to the side. Luigi could do this. He needed to do this…
Within minutes, the two arrived at the Comet Observatory. Mario breathed a sigh of relief as he exited the star shroom and stepped onto Rosalina's one of a kind space station. As Rosalins got out herself, a bunch of lumas made their way over to them. Their voices, which were mostly known for cooing, sounded kind of odd when they used them to squee.
"Mama! You're back!" one said.
"And you brought Luigi with you!" another said as they kept their eyes on the Mushroom Kingdom's hero.
Said Mushroom Kingdom hero chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, actually little fella, I'm not Luigi. I'm Mario."
All the present lumas blinked. "Mario?!" they asked.
"How can you be Mario?"
"Yeah? Is it Opposite Day or something like that!"
Rosalina chuckled as she got out her wand. "I'll explain it to all of you little ones." She floated upward. "Eventually. Now we need to focus on taking off…"
