For awhile I merely stared at the white, or rather the darkness that enveloped her. I wanted to think she was staring back, but judging by the despondence in her voice, it seemed more likely that she wasn't even trying to look at me. I had finally reunited with her after so long, and yet she still felt so far away...

I put my hand to my forehead. It occurred to me then that I could've activated my glow, but the thought quickly perished. I simply wasn't ready to see her.

And she clearly wasn't ready to be seen.

"It's... been a long time," was all I could think to say.

She took a deep breath. "Spicebloom... What has happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"A year has passed since I last saw you. But you never came looking for me until now. Something must have happened."

"Sharp as ever," I murmured. "I'll tell you, but I want to know a few things first."

Another deep breath—this one more agitated. "Very well."

"The others. Have you seen them at all?"

"No, not since I last saw you. Have you seen them?"

"No, I've kept my distance. Same with Peppergrass and Honeyglow."

"Peppergrass? Honeyglow?"

Ah, right. She didn't know. "Peppergrass is the other red, who's now an orange. Honeyglow is the female yellow, who's now a pink."

"Wow. I can't believe she actually went with you," she muttered. "Why is she a pink, though? Is there a Pink Onion out there, too?"

"No, it's the same two colors. She just wanted to be pink."

"I see. And I assume that you're orange like your friend?"

"Correct, as usual." I scratched my head. "So... why have you stayed alone for so long? I know why you avoided the blue and Goldenrod, but why did you never come to the valley?"

A long silence passed. The darkness somehow grew heavier, and regret welled up within me.

"Because I don't belong anywhere."

This answer came in the form of a faint whisper, and yet I heard it loud and clear. My anxiety was instantly superseded by confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I thought I was one of them. I thought that they... that he was my friend. But all along he was just..." Her voice began to crack. "I'll never forgive him. I'll never trust him. But... BUT... I cannot argue with his philosophy. With their philosophy. I knew them when they were Onion pikmin. I saw how they changed after we left. My Onion was STOLEN from me... but their Onions were not. I cannot deny the evidence. I do not belong with your colony."

My face tensed. "White... I know that's not what this is about."

"Wh... What?" she stuttered.

"You speak of my colony like it's no different. But you know better than to assume that. You were there when Goldenrod instructed them. You saw their potential. And you know I haven't lost my edge, because how else would I have found you?"

She said nothing.

"And you know what else? If you still honestly believe that Onions are bad, then why did you call yours 'stolen'? That's a weird way to describe something that you don't like."

Still she said nothing.

"White! I need you to tell me what's wrong! I want the truth!"

"YOU WANT THE TRUTH?!" she shrieked. "I'M NOT EVEN A REAL PIKMIN! THERE'S YOUR TRUTH!"

My face dropped. "...What?"

"You know what you, your friend, the blue, and the yellows all have in common? You were all born into the Onion life! You all have your opinions on whether it's a good life or not, but at the end of the day, that's how you all began. That's how every pikmin began—every pikmin except ME. I didn't even know my Onion EXISTED for most of my life! Everything I knew—everything I aspired to be—came from the blue, and he LIED! You all know who you are, where you came from, and what you want to be. You're all your own pikmin. But I am not. I believed what the blue wanted me to believe. I did want he wanted me to do. I lived the way he wanted me to live. I was never my own pikmin. I was always HIS pikmin." She took some deep, choked breaths. "Thanks to him, I'll never know who I really am. Who I was really meant to be. I can never be myself because myself never got to be. Nothing will ever feel right. Nothing will ever feel genuine. All because of that... THAT..."

The burrow erupted with agonized sobs. I could do nothing but freeze, the noise piercing my heart as much as my ears. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Was she holding it in? Or was she too exhausted to sustain it?

Either way, I had to say something.

"White… It makes sense that you feel that way. When you left the Onions, you believed you were leaving your own Onion behind—even if you didn't know which one it was. But if you had known that your Onion had been absent all along, things might have gone differently. You would've had something to long for. You would've felt less informed. These factors could very well have influenced your decision."

"That's exactly my point," she whimpered. "The blue stacked the odds in his favor. He made certain that my priorities were his priorities. Like I said, I'm not my own-"

"Let me finish," I said firmly. "The blue may have affected the course of your life, but he didn't make you. He's the reason you're in the woods, but he's not the reason you survived. He's not responsible for your intelligence, your craftiness, or your instincts."

"Isn't he, though?! If it hadn't been for him, I'd probably still be-"

"No. He isn't. He may have catalyzed it—I'll admit that much—but he didn't make you smart. He doesn't have that kind of power, because if he did, then everyone who followed him would've survived! Obviously there was something different about you!"

"What are you saying?" she breathed.

"You've always had potential!" I exclaimed. "The blue didn't make you! The woods didn't make you! The hardship didn't make you! All they did was REVEAL you!"

Silence once again took over the burrow. Then, ever so delicately, a single word drifted out of her.

"...Reveal..."

I had to shield my eyes as a light shattered the darkness. It was an ivory light—ivory as the pikmin that was now visible before me. Her ruby eyes were streaming with tears, and yet there was a tinge of hope in their gaze. "Spicebloom... I..."

"You don't need to say anything," I said, my own eyes growing misty. "Come on. Let's feel the sun."

Slowly, we emerged from the hole and stepped out of the blueberry bush. The leaves above us swayed in the breeze and shimmered in the sun, as if the forest itself was welcoming us back. Earlier it had felt like we had been apart for ages, but now it felt like no time had passed at all.

In spite of everything, all was right in that moment.

We turned to each other, but before any words could be said, a familiar flapping filled the air. We looked up and saw Honeyglow descending toward us. Alighting on the ground, she stared in awe before whispering, "White. It's you. It really is you."

"Yes, it's me," she whispered back. "And you're... Honeyglow?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's right."

The white glanced around. "Where's the other one?"

"Peppergrass? He's back at the valley," I replied. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you. Well, if you want to come back with us, that is?"

She looked away for a moment, then back to me. "Yes. I think I do."

I nodded. "Let's get going then."

"Let's," said Honeyglow. "I hope you're looking forward to meeting your Onion, White."

The white's pupils shrank. "My WHAT?!"

My stem went limp. "Oh. Right. Forgot to mention that."