Another day. Another week. Another month. Another year. Another Author's Note where I complain about how updates take way too long. And another chapter for you guys to read and wonder what my vision is for this story.
Yes, I know it took me nearly three years to update. This is the longest period of time where I have not updated or published a story. The original release date I aimed for was sometime between July and November 2020. Sigh… Nothing I can do about that though… other than complain about it. I spent a lot of time editing and brainstorming, and I still believe this chapter isn't good enough. At the same time, I feel good about this chapter even though I've worked on it sparingly for the past year and a half. I have other things planned so I've been creeping away from A Rainbow Tale…
That doesn't mean I won't finish this. No way. I still have at least one more chapter to go after this.
Oh and, the name of Elline and Claycia's home mansion has nothing to do with the literal Rainbow Resort from Kirby's Adventure/Nightmare in Dream Land. I chose that name because I thought it fits their theme of colors and art. That Resort from that game was nonexistent in my mind when I considered what to name their home.
Hidden Chapter 5/?: Dreams of Seventopia
Elline nervously watched Claycia read her own Secret Diary, which contained the full story about Cyano and Mimosa's misadventures in text and drawings. Other than the occasional, quiet "mmm's" and "ah's", the sculptress expressed no emotion on her face. Elline is not sure why Claycia insisted on reading her diary. In fact, this is the first time to her knowledge that she willingly reads it. Claycia would still obtain the information if Elline read her diary out loud to her… right?
"The monster… disappeared without a trace?" Claycia queried, snapping Elline out of her brief thoughts, then nodded.
"Yes, it's what they both told me, Claycia. And they're very sincere about their tale." Elline confirmed.
"Hmm… It seems that my suspicions about what bit them are correct, but..." Claycia thought.
"Claycia, what will you do now?" Elline asked while taking back the diary, blushing slightly at the fact that the next page is another drawing of Kirby.
The sculptress sighed and closed her concealed eyes. If any other clue can help her, no matter how small, then it will be very useful. However, there has been no detectable trace of Dark Crafter's influence left in Seventopia… other than the remains of Purple Fortress, which even then has been purified from the Purple Fog. And yet…
The sculptress turned around suddenly and walked down the hallway, with a surprised Elline following behind.
"Claycia?" Elline questioned.
Claycia stopped to turn and examine the fairy sadly. "This information they gave us is helpful but it leads back to the same main clue. That is, examining the ruins of Purple Fortress behind this Rainbow Resort... again."
"Can… I come with you?" Elline pleaded. She didn't want to be alone again due to her nightmares.
The sculptress shook her head. "It could be dangerous—."
"That's exactly why I want to come with you!" Elline suddenly yelled, surprising Claycia but the sculptress didn't visibly express it. Feeling embarrassed at her unusual outburst, Elline shrunk in misery. "I'm sorry about that Claycia… I just… I…"
"I understand your concern, Elline." Claycia said with a sad smile. "But this is something that only I can figure out in the end." The sculptress examined Elline's eyes and frowned slightly at the sight of them. "You should get some rest. You haven't been sleeping much."
Elline gasped at her noticing how weary she is. "…okay…"
Claycia noticed the sudden tone of her reaction but didn't want to comment on it… yet. She long knew that Elline mysteriously hasn't been getting enough rest and she never brings up why to her. If her outburst moments ago was any indication or sign of her emotional state, then the sculptress wants to figure out what's going on as soon as possible. And she believes that the only way to do that is to (almost) fully regain her strength. "I'll be back soon, my fairy friend. I promise." Claycia said before teleporting away, leaving behind the sad fairy girl.
Some relaxing day this was going to be. No matter what I do, I can't get those nightmares and visions out of my head. And every time I experience them, they get more real and clearer. And it always seems real...
Maybe if I just lie down and close my eyes but not actually sleep, then I won't experience anything again…
It's worth a try!
Elline closed her Secret Diary and flew to her bed, facing the two drawings of Kirby and Bandana Dee. With a deep breath, she fluttered onto her bed, laid down, closed her eyes and… dozed off almost instantly.
"…ehehehe…"
"eeeehehehe…"
"eeeeeeeheheheheheheee…"
Elline quickly opened her eyes as the ominous cackling became louder. To her utter shock, she is no longer in her room and laying on her comfy bed. Instead, she is in an entirely different world.
The color of the entire sky is an unimaginable swirling vortex of an ethereal blue and purple. No matter where she looked, the sky oscillates itself in a random wavelength that can almost hypnotize anyone who stares at it for too long.
"Wh-where am I… this place looks like Wonder Space…"
"eeeeeeeeheeeeee…"
Alerted, slowly turned around in fear and stiffened at what was staring at her.
The creature is a giant blob of an ethereal pink paint with a gaping yellow mouth oozing small droplets of paint and five yellow eyes with no pupils aligned along the top of its head. Like the background, the creature's skin swirls around with random, but uniform movement.
"EHEHEHEHEHEHEE…!"
The creature released three small entities from its body. The entities quickly opened their flaps to reveal their lone eyes that peered into Elline's very soul.
Despite all this, Elline couldn't musher the strength to utter a single word. All she could do is fearfully watch as the Para Matters come close to her, the gaping maw signify their clear intentions…
An object suddenly flew in from behind the terrified fairy and rammed the eyes back into the blob of paint. This caused it to hiss in pain and turn its attention to the interloper.
The sudden event also snapped Elline out of her fearful trance. Before she knew it, the creature was jumping around the area, intending to crush whatever attacked it. But it missed all its attacks and was counterattacked by being rammed into from the smaller, but familiar object. Elline could only gasp as the strange object moved around fluidly, despite being a simple ball.
As Elline slowly moved closer to the action to get a good look at whatever saved her, the blob instantly turned to Elline, freezing her in her tracks.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Elline woke up immediately and screamed. She could feel her fresh tears dripping down her face. Her eyes darted to every corner of her room, looking for any sinister eye that could be watching her every move. She could still hear the voice of the terrifying blob that haunted her dream. Without a word, she flew out of her bed and out of the room.
She flew down the hallway, past the main stairs which lead to and from the balcony and main room respectively and towards Claycia's room. Without knocking, she opened the door, entered, and closed the door.
Claycia's room color matches the color of her robes, from the walls to the floor, including the clay bed that Elline painted for Claycia some time ago. The only contrasting color is the circular rainbow-colored rug in the center of the room along with a book stand with Claycia's own diary on it.
Truthfully, Elline came in here to find a solace from her nightmares which are getting more real and intense each time she sleeps. She noticed that she experienced no nightmares when she was near Claycia. Even though she's still gone from her investigating, the fairy hopes that she can rest easy, despite it being practically morning already.
But what got her attention was the diary in the middle. The fairy never sees her big sister figure with her diary. The one time she did is when Dark Crafter was reading it during the second battle she, Kirby and Bandana Dee had with the Dark Matter. And even then, that wasn't Claycia.
"I guess it doesn't hurt to read her diary. She read mine after all." Elline muttered quietly as she opened the book to a random page.
Seventopia has been freed for some time now thanks to the efforts of Kirby, Elline and Bandana Dee. The cottas are happier than ever and Elline and I have been living in peace. Things would truly be back to normal if my abilities were restored. My… sister… would laugh at me in this state….
"Why would I laugh at Claycia? Unless… Claycia… has a real sister?" Elline wondered. "She never mentioned her to me once."
I want everyone to be protected and safe from all harm, including Elline. After what has happened to her long ago and recently, she does not deserve to be used for nefarious purposes again. I plan to help her hone her hidden abilities. Particularly, the Brush Sla—
"She doesn't seem to be just talking about Dark Crafter…" The paint fairy noted before turning the page, completely ignoring the rest of the words on the previous page.
The entire page is a drawing of what transpired on HalfMoon. Claycia was looking down sadly on a sleeping Elline. The fairy couldn't help but smile at that memory. The sculptress is the only reason why she's alive and kicking today. Though, looking closely at the picture, she sees a large shadow figure casted over Claycia from behind.
"Why did Claycia draw this in her picture about the two of us?" Elline wondered out loud "She never mentioned something like this before to me. Yet… it almost seems… familiar…"
Elline spends the next few minutes skimming over more of Claycia's Secret Diary which consisted of their journey and sightings through Gamble Galaxy and things that happened on Seventopia fairly recently.
Once she got to a blank page, she closed the book and stared at the back cover while thinking about what she read. Eventually, Elline sighed and closed her eyes. "Thinking things over won't solve anything. I'll… I'll find Claycia right now and get all my problems sorted out."
With a look of determination, Elline closed the diary and left the room. The fairy's mind wandered over to other events that occurred since… since HalfMoon. Such as Claycia rescuing her and teaching her how to use her powers, Dark Crafter possessing Claycia behind her back and so much more. These thoughts and events never left her head, even as she appears at the ruins of Purple Fortress. Blinking a few times to get rid of her slight stupor, the fairy looked around the area and pouted slightly.
"Of course, Claycia isn't here." Elline mumbled before flying around and looking at all the debris. To her, Purple Fortress was nothing short of ugly and smelly. And that's not considering the evil influence of the world. It went against both hers and Claycia's principles of creating a beautiful, colorful world where anyone can live on. Even Red Volcano had so much to look for and is more habitable than Purple Fortress despite it being the most dangerous planet to traverse through.
Regardless, Purple Fortress was unforgiving to her and all her friends. So many things could have gone wrong when they Infiltrated the Junkyard. More things could have gone wrong if they had never able to access the main elevator to Wonder Space. And even more things could have gone wrong in Wonder Space, such as that strange Purple Fog. She could have sworn that her mind had been tampered with as she and her friends entered it and exited it quickly. It was never brought up against despite that mysterious feeling she had with it, because nothing significant happened to her and her friends. Either way, that is all in the past now. Her and Bandana Dee's reunion with Kirby made the exhausting trek through the fortress worth it. And she'd do it again in a heartbeat for him.
Elline shook away the blush on her face and continued searching the area. Now isn't the time to think about her… friend. She must think about her sister figure and find out the truth behind things. Unfortunately, there's no sign of Claycia anywhere, making Elline pout again. If only someone around here knows of her current whereabouts in Seventopia…
As if her prayers were answered, a large ship flew into the vicinity. Despite knowing what was approaching her, Elline winced as she sees Bastron staring at her in what appears to be a slight surprise.
"MISTRESS ELLINE." Bastron droned. "YOUR APPEARANCE IS UNEXPECTED."
To Bastron's credit, it's right. But then again, nothing can be expected nowadays.
"Do you know where Claycia went!?" Elline yelled so that the ship could hear her.
"AFFIRMATIVE. I HAVE LAST SEEN THE MASTER ON GREEN VALLEY. BUT MY PREVIOUS SCANS ARE OUTDATED, LOUSY, POOR AND—"
"Can you just take me to Green Valley please!?" Elline said to stop the ship from droning out.
"AFFIRMATIVE. I WILL TAKE YOU THERE. YOU MAY ENTER MY MAIN CONTROL ROOM AND RELAX."
With that, Bastron's beret opened like a lid being lifted. The fairy quickly flew into the revealed hatch and Bastron closed its beret automatically once she entered.
The control room consists of a pink couch and purple couch that are appropriate in size for the respective Seventopia creators. Without a word, she flew over to the pink couch and relaxed as Bastron began plotting its course to Green Valley.
Despite all the incidents that Bastron has caused in the past, Elline feels strangely safe in it. The cruise ship may have a mind of its own, but it can be controlled directly by Claycia and whomever the sculptress has permitted control over it. In other words, Elline herself.
Needless to say, the paint fairy has no desire to touch Bastron's helm, even for a moment. And so, Elline rested on the couch and stared at the stars through the cockpit.
…
Were those eyes she saw?
Blinking away at the hallucinations, she looked around the control room and sighed in relief when those eyes from her nightmare never showed up. Elline closed her eyes to relax but it was only for a moment when she started seeing things appear in the dark.
"MISTRESS ELLINE." The ship buzzed, snapping Elline to the present and forcing her to cover her ears. "WE HAVE ARRIVED AT GREEN VALLEY. SHALL I DOCK?" It queried.
Elline sighed. She'd wished that the ship wasn't so loud… but in a way, the loud monotone voice would help her drone out the memories from last night.
"No, that's okay. I can fly out myself now." She replied at her normal voice volume.
"AFFIRMATIVE. I EAGERLY AWAIT YOUR NEXT PLEASANT CRUISE OR INCOMING LETTER."
"Wait, I have a question. Are… are you really our mailman… err, mailship." Elline asked with genuine curiosity.
"AFFIRMATIVE. HOWEVER, LETTERS CANNOT BE SENT TO PLANET POPSTAR YET."
Elline pouted for a good reason. "Why not? And how long will that take?"
"I DO NOT SPEAK FOR THOSE WHO WORK ON MY SPARE PARTS." Bastron replied. "ALL I KNOW IS THAT IT CAN BE FINISHED ANYTIME FROM NOW TO THE DAY THE AUTHOR RELEASES HIS OTHER STORIES AND SAID STORIES GET CONSISTENT UPDATES. NOW, I EAGERLY AWAIT YOUR NEXT VISIT, MISTRESS."
Bastron's beret opened to allow Elline to leave. Once she left and at a safe distance away, Bastron closed the beret and flew away to continue its patrol around Seventopia's orbit. As she approached Green Valley, a wave of nostalgia washed over Elline. In addition to the world being the first planet that was created by the duo, it is also the first world that she and her dear friends traversed through.
Soon, the fairy was on solid ground on the planet. As Elline looked and flew around to bask in the pure greenery around her, she smiled because she realizes that she's travelling on the exact route she went on during the journey through Seventopia.
"I remember telling them a little bit about Claycia and then…"
Her smiling face turned into a light frown. Of course, the Grab Hands showed up to impede them on their quest. She was afraid that the Hands would try and nab her back to Claycia but they changed their target from her to the happy-go-lucky Kirby instead. Despite that target change, she was more afraid of that scenario.
In addition to the not-so-obvious crush the fairy has on Kirby which has her staying by his side whenever she could, Elline realized she had to keep Kirby safe, just like Kirby had to keep her safe. And Bandana Dee had to keep the pair of them safe while the pair had to keep Bandana Dee safe. All in all, they were a team and if one of them was permanently separated, then the team is permanently gone.
Despite their efforts, Kirby was captured on the road to Purple Fortress.
The fairy stopped in place and sighed sadly. This wasn't the time to think about all those negative events that occurred in the past months. Especially since they've freed Claycia and Seventopia is safe again.
…but what if they haven't won? What if Kirby encountered the "Clay Beast" as dubbed by a Mimosa while he was in containment? What if a green flower dropped onto the ground in front of her...?
The paint fairy didn't realize that she almost entered the Forest of Whispy Woods. Despite Whispy Woods appearing and disappearing while no one was looking, the name remained as is for the central forest of Green Valley. And its inhabitants are more than happy to keep it.
Elline looked at the flower on the ground. The petals are pure green in color and the ovules in the center are lime in color. She isn't the type of gal to pick flowers in her spare time, but she always adored how pretty they looked.
The greenery scenery
Adorn in the morn
We yearn the fern
My prelude to my étude…
Elline followed the voice up to the top of the nearest tree. A dark green cotta was sitting on a tree branch, peering down at the fairy. Its eyes are lime in color. In comparison, the Sky Cottas' skin color has two types of color: light blue and light green where the light blue cottas have light green eyes and faces and vice versa for the light green cottas. The only exception is Cyano, who is colored cyan with light green eyes and a light blue face and he is slightly shorter than all of them.
Once Elline noticed the cotta, it jumped down from the branch and landed flawlessly on the ground. Its long, slightly unkempt grass hair behind its head flowed naturally with the wind. It then walked up to her, picked up the dropped daisy, placed it in her hair and finally, smiled at the fairy.
"Here I was, waiting for someone to show. And indeed, it's Miss Elline in tow." The cotta said joyfully.
Elline smiled lightly at her speech pattern. "Hi, Kiwi. How are you doing?" The fairy felt proud that she learned everyone's names from Claycia sometime after the adventure ended. If she recalls, the Grass Cottas don't mind having their names said out loud.
"I say I'm doing good on this fine day!" Kiwi replied happily. "You were very deep in thought. Your facial expressions kept changing on the naught."
"…Am I really that easy to read?" she asked curiously.
"You and Claycia like to think a lot. It always leaves you two on the spot." Kiwi shrugged. Elline sighed inwardly. One day, she'll keep her inner thoughts guarded.
"What were you doing up in the tree?" Elline asked, hoping to move the conversation away from her.
"Relaxing under the sun, thinking about getting my next song done and waiting for another to come!"
"'Another to come'? Who came before me?" Elline said in a hopeful tone.
"The lucky pink sportle who currently lives with the cyan cotta. I wish it were me living with him…" Kiwi muttered, breaking her speech in rhymes.
"Mimosa? Why is she here? I hardly see her straying too far from Orange Woodlands nowadays." Elline asked while suppressing a sigh of disappointment and ignoring the second statement.
"If there is any doubt that gives you pause, why don't we find out the cause, Miss Elline." Kiwi turned around and walked into the forest, with Elline following behind.
"By the way…" Kiwi began and looked at the sky. "Bastron peered down on this world today. It looked like it had something to say."
"Oh… it dropped me off here." The fairy rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry if it startled you and everyone else."
"That's alright. Bastron has no desire to fight." Kiwi said. "It guards us, so we mustn't put our lives on pause."
Her words surprised Elline. Not only that she doesn't mind Bastron's presence despite her love of nature but she's able to live on freely and not look back. That vision is what Claycia strives for but… she seems to be so focused on having her power be restored that she's not practicing what she preaches.
As the pair walked deeper in the forest and closer to the rainbow bridge, they could hear an active conversation. They eventually came across a small clearing with more Grass Cottas seated together. The obvious standout is Mimosa herself, giggling with them.
"…the little guy is gosh darn cute but he's more your girls' type."
"Yes, he is, but those cottas and their secret hidden name regime… I can't understand it."
"I tried to get it out of Cyano… but he can't… or won't tell me anything." Mimosa shrugged.
"Speaking of which, has he been talking about us lately?"
Before Mimosa could answer, she saw Elline and Kiwi approaching them out of the corner of her observant eye.
"If it isn't Mi- Elline!" Mimosa chirped, diverting the attention of the group from the sportle to the paint fairy. "I'd ask what you're doing here but there's no point in asking that."
"What do you mean?" Elline asked curiously.
"Hmm…" Mimosa mocked a thinking pose… somewhat. "You haven't come to visit this world in a while according to my lovely cotta friends here." The aforementioned cottas nodded simultaneously. "The Grass Cottas take great pride and delight in Green Valley because of their love of… well, greenery!"
"Well, I, uh…" Where was Mimosa getting at, she wondered?
"But nostalgia is a powerful thing, isn't it?" she interrupted. "If I recall, you, Kirby and Bandana Dee adventured on this world first. So—"
Before Elline knew it, the Grass Cottas swarmed around Elline in delight. Kiwi backed away before she got caught up in the crowd and watched on silently with an amused expression.
"You journeyed through this world first!?"
"What was it like in our absence?"
"Was it still green and pretty?"
Before, she would be embarrassed at the amount of attention she's garnering. Now, she tolerates it because it keeps her mind occupied.
"Well, I guess I'll start with myself leading Kirby and Bandana Dee to this world from Popstar…"
Elline then explained the journey through Seventopia. She told the cottas of their second encounter with the fearful Grab Hands and how they almost captured Kirby right then and there before Bandana Dee drove them away. Then she briefly went over their trek up the Big Ol' Tree because Elline thought that the Rainbow Bridge was located at the treetop. At the time, Claycia recently connected the worlds together with her magic only before she went cuckoo, so the fairy had no idea where the sculptress hid them. She then talked about how they explored the underground Great Cave while avoiding detection of the Grab Hands. Eventually, they found their way out and made their way to The Forest of Whispy Woods where they fought a tree named 'Whispy Woods' who apparently enrooted in Seventopia from Planet Popstar. They defeated him and restored the bridge to Yellow Dunes.
"…and Whispy Woods hasn't been seen since." Elline concluded, with the Grass Cottas gasped in admiration.
"That's why it's called 'The Forest of Whispy Woods'?"
"No one bothered to propose a name change so we stuck with it."
"But… how did you get down from the Big Ol' Tree!?" one cotta asked.
"W-why do you need to know that, Nori?" Elline gulped. She deliberately left out the part that a branch twig snapped under Kirby and Bandana Dee's combined body weight. The fairy knows that the Grass Cottas tend to be more… fearless than others. Putting two and two together…
"You shouldn't have told them about the time spent in that tree." Mimosa grinned while shaking her head, already knowing what was going to happen next.
"What a leap!"
"How far deep!?"
"We will fly like a fleet!"
"Let's all screech!"
All the Grass Cottas ran out of the forest, screaming in joy and ran in the direction of the Big Ol' Tree. Leaving Elline, Mimosa and Kiwi behind to stare in shock, amusement and joy respectively.
"…jumping off a tree that large is a fright. But the experience is a delight!" Kiwi remarked.
"More of a delight if you can fly." Mimosa said. "But what happens if they don't land in the Great Cave?"
"Then that'd be a very painful… uh… experience… uh…" the cotta fumbled over her word choices.
"I can't let that happen to them!" Elline shouted. She followed the trail of the cottas out of the the forest with the sportle and cotta behind her. Once they were in broad daylight, they could do nothing but watch the cottas enter the house of the Big Ol' Tree. "We didn't even MEAN to fall down that tree. The branch just… snapped…"
"A snapped twig is no use for my wig." Kiwi said, causing the pair to look at her strangely. "…Keep in mind, my beautiful hair is not a wig. If it were, I would not dig this gig." Elline and Mimosa blinked a few times in unison with each other and in confusion of the cotta's sentence. "…Don't look at me like I don't know how to read time. I must always speak in rhymes!"
"Anyways… those cottas are fast." Mimosa said, pointing at the top of the tree. "Then again, having unexpected hidden traits that can help save worlds must be a cotta thing, y'know?"
Elline and Kiwi followed Mimosa's gaze and saw that the grass cottas were at the top of the tree and were prepping to jump into the Great Cave Lake.
"NO, DON'T JUMP!" Elline screamed as a last resort.
Elline's words were on deaf ears. One by one, each cotta leaped off the fragile twigs of the tree with some posing during the fall. Their destination would be the same hole that Elline and the two Dream Land natives landed in. She quickly flew over to the hole that leads into the cave and prepped Rainbow Rope to avert their destination. They were falling too fast for her to cover the whole thing, especially with her limited magic but surely, they would land on the fall-breaking Rainbow Rope, right?
But only sane lifeforms would land on the rope. Every single one of them averted their midair trajectory by moving their bodies in a position to reduce their surface areas in the direction of their descent, which is enough to just miss the rainbow rope and fall into the cave.
Before Elline could say anything, she heard a deep splash sound. Before she knew it, water rushed up from the hole and drenched her.
Elline blinked twice and turned to Mimosa and Kiwi who stood there in shock. Soon, they erupted into laughter. Elline blinked a few times to process everything that happened from their conversation in the forest to her hair getting wet… again. Then, she slowly but surely joined in the laughter. In the midst of everything going on between her and Claycia, this made her forget about that.
But it was only temporary. She soon stopped laughing long before Mimosa and Kiwi finished.
"You should have seen the look on your face when they jumped." Mimosa snickered.
"We do stunts like because it's fun." Kiwi added. "You know that by now. Nothing will give us a good pow."
"Okay… maybe I did overreact a bit. It's just…" Elline paused. She thought to what the cottas could have felt. They felt the feelings of exhilarating, fear and most importantly… the feeling of being free.
"I don't blame your apprehension, Mistress." Kiwi looked towards the sky. "Even I feel a bit of tension… doing stunts like that. But at the end of the day, who needs time to pay attention? That's a fact!" Kiwi exclaimed.
Elline looked back into the hole. She could see the cottas swimming in the water like there isn't a care in the world. Mimosa flew next to her and followed her gaze with a lobsided grin.
"I can't wait to tell Cyano everything that happened today… except the part of our chat that was about him specifically." Mimosa said the last part quietly to herself.
"What did you guys do before I came anyways?" Elline asked a little too curiously for her own liking.
"Hide n' seek, girl chat and now swimming." Mimosa answered bluntly before flying in the cave before Elline could inquire anything else, making the fairy pout childishly at the sportle dodging the question. As Elline watched Mimosa slowly submerge the bottom part of her body in the water, she realized something.
"I thought you didn't like being in water?" Elline half-shouted so that she could hear her amongst the splashing and playing.
"I can tolerate being on the surface of water." She answered. "I just don't like going UNDERwater!"
With a nod of understanding, she watched Mimosa converse with the Grass Cottas. This day so far has been unpredictable for the most part but that's a good thing. She hasn't visited Green Valley in a while, so it was nice to enjoy the simple greenery around her. Now what is the next step? She shared part of her adventure with the cottas and like Mimosa implied, it made her nostalgic, so maybe…
"Miss Elline, you're doing it again. What do you intend?" Kiwi spoke up.
Elline blinked and blushed with embarrassment. She completely forgot about the poetic Kiwi who was standing beside her.
"Me? Why are you still here?" Elline rebutted. "I thought you'd join your sistrens."
"I would join them if you didn't show. So today, I want to be with you in tow." Kiwi smiled. "So, what do you intend, less you think again?"
Elline sighed, before smiling slightly. Having company wouldn't hurt her anyways. "I'm going to go to Yellow Dunes."
"Why is that? To see the ruin's facts?"
"I…" Elline paused to remember why she came to Green Valley. To find Claycia and learn everything about her. Surprisingly, Kiwi didn't bring up her habit again. "I'm sightseeing and reliving our journey. And forget about these nightmares…"
The duo took one last look at the cave below. They told the cottas and sportle where they would be and yelled 'OK' in approval. Sooner than later, Elline and Kiwi walked on the Rainbow Bridge and into Yellow Dunes.
"Elline never brought up her relationship with Kirby and Bandana Dee." One of the cottas said long after the duo departed.
"Elline didn't want to bring up their relationship status so you girls wouldn't ask… questions." Mimosa giggled.
"Questions like what?" the same cotta clarified with a lopsided grin, already suspecting the answer.
"Well, Meadow, Elline and Bandana Dee are great friends. They drabble sometimes but they care about each other. As for Kirby, let's just say that our fairy Mistress has a 'little' crush on him." This made the cottas coo in delight.
Yellow Dunes stays true to its name. Yellow sands, dark yellow hills and yellow plateaus everywhere. Over in the distance, there is a large, ancient building that matches the color of the surrounding environment.
As Elline and Kiwi traverse the environment in the direction of the Long-Lost Ruins, the paint fairy tells the rainbow tale of her and her friends' adventures on this world and Indigo Ocean, ranging from the exploration underground on Yellow Dunes to the sea floor exhibition of Indigo Ocean. Kiwi, of course, listened with her undivided attention and absorbed every word she said.
"…after Kirby and Bandana Dee defeated the Clayykken, the path to Blue Sky Palace was opened again to us."
"Hmm…" Kiwi hummed to herself. "Is it a fact that the Sky Cottas were intact when you guys arrived after the ocean tide washed us away?"
"Ocean tide? Err… they were fine, yes. But I don't know why they were spared." Elline closed her eyes and crossed her hands. "I'm glad they were, of course. Maybe Claycia—"
"I concur, but I must deter the thought because any theory inferred right now will be deferred." Kiwi interrupted while looking straight ahead.
"Whaa…?" Elline droned.
"Did you not catch the environmental color mismatch, Miss Elline?" She reiterated. "If not, detach your eyes from me and reattach them to those ruins."
Elline looked away from Kiwi and ahead. The Long-Lost Ruins appears to be much larger than before, signaling how close they are to the building. Though, the location hardly changed since the last time Elline was here. The castle itself appears like a long-lost bygone from some historic era because Claycia admired the appearance of the many ancient relics on the faraway planet of Rock Star. Including a cyan cotta that watched a Mecha Cotta enter the Ruins to—
"Hey, is that… Cyano?" Elline asked out loud before flying over to him. Kiwi followed behind her with a look of glee. "Hey, Cyano!"
The cyan cotta's head perked up at the sound of his name. He ended his staring contest with the ruins and turned directly to the source of the voice that called his name.
"Miss Elline? I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon." He said while looking at the dark circles under the fairy's eyes. "And she came after Claycia departed from this world too. Very strange timing…"
"I could say the same about you." Elline replied, looking slightly uneased at Cyano staring at her. "…and aren't you going to say 'hello' to your fellow lass in rhymes here?" Elline said to distract his staring.
The cyan cotta looked towards Kiwi, who for some reason, was smiling widely at him. The action unnerved him for reasons he can speculate on.
"H-hello Kiwi." Cyano gulped and looked away from her. For a reason he may or may not know, Kiwi also makes the cyan cotta very bashful. "Why are you here with Miss Elline?"
"I'd ask you a similar question, but I'd need your attention." Kiwi said, still smiling widely at the cyan cotta.
"Well… I… I'm here because the Desert Cottas who are underneath us as we speak, mining for the Regenerative Blue Clay to help power the Mecha Cottas and Bastron."
Elline, who was silently gushing at their interactions narrowed her eyes. "And who said you can mine that clay from underneath us?" Elline asked sternly.
Before Cyano could answer, the ground beneath the trio shook slightly and the sand above a spot was rising. Eventually, a cotta popped out of the ground near the cyan cotta.
This yellow cotta has a hard hat on its head. Its eyes and skin are a dark yellow color that contrasts with the color of the desert. Unlike every other cotta type so far, this one has small hands on its sides that are similar in anatomy to Kirby's hands allowing it to keep its grip on the surface and not sink back underground.
"We struck gold." The cotta said plainly. "Your approval. Needed to continue."
"…I need approval from Miss Elline first." Cyano replied, gesturing with his head to Elline. The surprised cotta turned its body to face her then looked down in shame of not noticing his Mistress.
"Apologies, Mistress Elline." He said with sincerity before turning back to Cyano. "Awaiting your recursive approvals, fellow cotta." He dug back into the ground as fast as he appeared.
"Goldy remains short and to the point." Kiwi said before looking back at the cyan cotta. "But you are the joint of everything." She winked. "Boldly doing whatever you please…"
"Joint of everything?" Elline asked then Kiwi nodded.
"A lot of things that have been happening around Seventopia for the past few months have been his doing. Because he has the great knowledge of our worlds to perform those tasks. Not to mention how he's helped you, Miss Elline, according to what Mimosa told me."
"W-what did she say about me…?" Cyano looked away bashfully.
"I'll get to that detail. Speak to the Mistress for your tale." Kiwi backed away slightly.
"Oh yeah!" Elline pounded a fist onto her palm. "That clay was made by Claycia to keep the worlds fresh and natural." Elline crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "How did you learn about the Blue Clay?"
"…I stumbled upon it." Cyano looked down in fear.
"How did you stumble across something like this?" Elline grilled, not buying his answer.
A stray tumbleweed passes by them as Elline awaits his answer. Who knew Elline could be scary at times when the situation doesn't call for it? Only the author knows…
"I was just finding a way to help you, Miss Elline." Cyano sputtered.
Now that answer took Kiwi and Elline by surprise. Sensing the confusion and urge to continue, he did that.
"Pardon me for intruding, Miss Elline, but you seem very exhausted." He continued. Naturally, this earned a blank look of surprise from the paint fairy. "I assume this has something to do with Master Claycia but I won't bog on that."
Elline sighed inwardly with relief that Cyano doesn't know about the troubling nightmares she experiences.
"You wish to be with Kirby again." Cyano continued. "I should know that based on your short history together. So, with the Master's approval and supervision, I, alongside my fellow Sky and Desert Cottas, have made Bastron become a mail… ship so you can communicate with him. That… is why the Desert Cottas and I have been mining for the Blue Clay. So that it could be powered by it."
Elline could only smile widely.
"Besides, we are not taking more than we need. We always leave enough for the clay to grow back and keep the environment here healthy and fresh." The cyan cotta added. "Master Claycia has already warned me that if I step out of line—"
"That's fine, Cyano. I believe you." Elline said, which slightly surprised Cyano.
"You do…?"
"Of course." She repeated. "Everything you do behind the scenes from securing the Cyan Star to reinforcing Bastron just shows how selfless you are. This is despite how negatively Sky Cottas used to treat you without me or Claycia knowing about it. You want to make sure that no one else would be as lonely as you, right? That's very brave of you, Cyano."
Despite all the praise she is giving to the cotta, Elline couldn't help but envy Cyano. Here he was, doing good things for her and everyone else. Partly due to how she's been acting in the past few months but mostly him moving on from his troubled past with the Sky Cottas. Of course, it's irrational for the fairy to feel this way towards him, considering how the way he is today is a culmination of actions from Claycia, herself, Mimosa and the Sky Cottas themselves but her emotional self believes the reoccurring nightmares are just as, if not, more irrational.
Cyano blushed in embarrassment. "I only want what's best for all of us, Mistress..."
Elline shoved those negative thoughts down and focused back on reality. It's fairly uncommon for Cyano to get flustered. Now Elline had him right where she wanted him. "Cyano, how about you…" Elline smirks lightly as she looks over to Kiwi who was watching the cyan cotta with sparkling eyes. "…spend some alone time with Kiwi here?"
Wide-eyed, Cyano looked at Elline, then at Kiwi, who winked at him, then back at Elline.
"I… you… this isn't about me… it's about you, Miss Elline." Cyano mumbled, trying so hard to keep his composure.
"I disagree, Cyano." Kiwi intervened and stepped forth as Elline flew back. "You must set yourself free."
"I… did set myself free…"
"Well, that's what you say but Mimosa says you're still in some sort of shell. If you stay there all day, you'll fall further in the well."
"…sometimes, I think that's true but…"
"It's always true. Anyone who disagrees… is a fool." Kiwi walked up to Cyano until she got uncomfortably close to him. Even the usual stoic Cyano clearly blushed at her close presence. "But I know you… are no fool. This I know is always true."
"I am free…" Cyano backed up into a stone wall on the Ruins at the same rate Kiwi walked forth.
"You are not free. Do you agree? Do you not see?"
"I do… see…"
"I can help you. You can then understand my view… of you." Kiwi leaned in slowly.
"I… I…" Cyano was sweating at this point but what could he do. He could feel himself being entranced by this poetic cotta, almost to the point where he was about to copy her action and lean forth as well…
The ground underneath them shook slightly, surprising the two. Before they could question it, the sand underneath them collapsed and they fell in the hole.
Elline, who was gushing at the sight of the duo, stared at the hole with wide eyes. She quickly flew over to it, expecting them to be dogpiled on each other but instead she saw something different.
There is a strange vortex deep in the hole. The edges of the vortex are a thick amassment of rainbow colors swirling around the foggy white center like a whirlpool.
Undeterred, the fairy jumped in the hole and fell through the portal. A few seconds later, she landed face first on more sand. However, this sand is moist rather than sunburnt. She lifted her head to examine the surroundings.
The ocean waves, the smell of the salty air, and the nice warm sun on the skin. There was no mistake about it. She is on Indigo Ocean, completely free of the haunted Dethskull ship that had vanished after Dark Crafter's destruction. This is evident by the whole world feeling like it became brighter and warmer. It's as if the whole world was gloomy when that ship appeared.
Any normal being would be popping out their eyes in shock at what has transpired but this is not the first time Elline has voluntarily gone through the shortcut portals that Claycia has hidden all over Seventopia. Only a very small select few actively search for and use these Rainbow Portals. One of them is staring at the ocean right in front of the fairy.
"My secret… has been revealed to the world after six real years…" Cyano mumbled to himself in shame. "I tried to mislead the public by calling them 'light bridges' but…"
"Who would have thought you would be distraught." Kiwi said in an almost unusually upbeat expression. "Oh well, there's no way to tell why we fell in that… well… of sand."
"I caused that." A voice said. The Desert Cotta from before, Goldy, popped out of the sand behind the two. Like earlier, he's half buried in the sand. "Mistake on my part. Mistook strange portal for Blue Clay."
Kiwi's happy expression faltered into a form of fury. She narrowed her eyes at Goldy for ruining her moment with the cotta she adores. "Were you always near us before making that fuss?"
"Yes." Goldy answered blankly. "Still awaiting Cyano's approval."
"I was going to come here anyways." Cyano said, unaware of the one-sided tension going on. "Something's going to happen soon."
"What's going to happen?" Elline asked as she joined the cotta trio.
A cotta mech strolls by the quartet from somewhere and moves to the beach's edge. After doing a quick scan, it enters the water and disappears.
"That was… stranger than us being in danger." Kiwi mused.
"I remember that thing!" Elline shouted. "There was one of those in the Long-Lost Ruins but it attacked me and Kirby." She turned to Cyano. "What did you do to that thing?"
"I was waiting for the Cotta Mech to leave those ruins and follow me to this world." Cyano replied, mostly to himself. "I wanted to see how the Cotta Mech would perform underwater before you girls came. It's not what I was referring to anyways. The real thing I wanted to show is not too far away from here." The cotta began walking away on the beach, with the curious Seventopians following him.
Claycia stood at the edge of the inactive volcano of Red Volcano. Reminiscences of the first battle between her mind-controlled self and Kirby were still present as if it were yesterday. No one bothered to clean up the mess because it wasn't worth the risk of climbing up to the top and viewing the world beneath. If anything, this location was actively avoided by everyone in Seventopia.
The sculptress's gaze is fixated towards the infinitely spanning lava lake. In the rare times where she wants total peace, she comes here to relinquish in it. No one has come here to lay settlement yet so she might as well use it.
"There appears to be more evidence that supports the theory that this 'Claycilium' as I remember Dark Crafter calling it, no longer exists…" Claycia mumbled out of the blue. "It seems to have been destroyed when the fortress collapsed not long after my possessor has been eradicated. I suspect that its target was Kirby, but it never found him because he was in Wonder Space. That much is what I confidently say, thanks to Elline's report. So, if it's out there in the galaxy, searching for Kirby, then I should be able to feel its presence… but I can't."
Claycia sighed again. She was being overly cautious, was she not? Truthfully, she wanted to keep Elline at Seventopia so she would guard her. She didn't want to take a chance at losing her only little sister figure because of her own faults.
Though, it's not like Claycia is particularly careful to begin with. Sometimes, her curiosity gets the better of her and it gets the pair into somewhat dangerous situations. Thankfully, she pulls them out of these situations without much trouble, most of the time before Elline realizes what is or has happened. Speaking of which, Claycia recalls moments when Elline expresses that she wants to visit Popstar only for it to be turned down indirectly. And now, she's been fairly quieter than usual and has been getting less sleep.
"I can't keep pushing back Elline's happiness because of my fears…" Claycia looked down at her hands and clenches them. "She's been unhappy lately. I need to be there for her just like Kirby was while I was incapacitated."
The sculptress looked towards the darkened sky. With a raise of her hand and palm outstretched, a large object appeared before her.
Bastron peered into Claycia's spot on the volcano. "MASTER CLAYCIA. YOU CALLED?"
With the outstretched hand, Claycia created a lump of clay that is double the size of her hand. Of course, she winced in slight pain as she morphed the clay into existence. "Bastron, it's time to finish the puzzle." The sculptress smiled widely.
"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO, MASTER?" The ship droned as it scanned the clay on Claycia's hand.
Despite what the cyan cotta promised "them not being too far away", the destination is on a completely different island, near the Rainbow Bridge to Blue Sky Palace, far away from where they started at. Cyano would have to build a raft to sail from island to island. Goldy was extremely uncomfortable with these raft rides. Not only his drill half was exposed, but he also believed that if he fell in the water, he would never swim out. Thankfully, Elline wrapped him in place with her Rainbow Rope so he wouldn't sway off the boat from rolling. In addition, she told the trio more stories of her adventure through Seventopia from Blue Sky Palace to Purple Fortress. It was enough to calm most of Goldy's nerves and drone out the troubles Elline herself has been experiencing.
Once the quartet finally reached their destination, they (except Cyano) were in for a surprise.
There are two metal poles punted in the ground at an equal distance from each other. A net is tied between the two poles such that it is loosely hanging in the air. In addition, there are cottas standing on each side of the net. The Sky Cottas are divided up based on their surface color.
"This… setup?" Goldy asked.
"We knock the ball over the net, if it falls on the ground on the opposing side, we get a point and vice versa. Whomever reaches fifteen points wins the game. This little game we came up with is what we call… Volley-The-Ball." Cyano explained.
"Intriguing..." Goldy said. Kiwi nodded in agreement.
"Claycia and I have played this game together lots of times and a… few times… with the cottas." Elline said with a light smile. "But they eventually banned us from teaming up because they can't beat the two of us together, no matter how many of them pair up against us." She giggles slightly at the memory of those times she described.
"The coordination you two have while playing is beyond anyone's imagination." Cyano added. "I admittedly still find it hard to believe that you and Master Claycia went on a 99-win streak against my brethren cottas."
"…We would have gone to one hundred if the cottas didn't stop us from teaming together." Elline pouted.
"Anyways, the cottas want me to referee the games because they believe that I'm the best referee there is." Cyano finished before walking forward. This caused attention from the cottas to slowly shift to Elline's group.
"It's the Mistress…!" a Sky Cotta called out, causing all eyes to be on her in surprise and adoration.
"Will you two be playing it?" Elline turned to Kiwi and Goldy to avoid the stares she loathes.
Kiwi looked towards Cyano briefly. "No need for me to play. I'll get in everyone's way." She walked to the spot next to Cyano before Elline could reply.
"Spectating." Goldy said before digging underground. A few seconds later, he unearthed slightly further away from where he initially was and waited for the game to start.
With those answers out of the way, Elline turned back towards the Sky Cottas who watched her every move.
"Greetings, Miss Elline." They all said simultaneously.
"Where is Claycia?"
"Have you come to witness how much we have improved?"
"We still use that pink ball you gave us."
"Is 'Kirline' a thing yet?"
Typically, all rapid questions coming from the cottas would be drowned out by her. But that one question made every hair on her head stand on edge... even though it technically is already on edge.
"W-w-what is 'Kirline'?" Elline asked the cotta, already fearing the answer to the question.
"Y'know, 'Kirby' plus 'Elline' is—" Shamorocka began.
"Ellby!" Olive interrupted. "'Ellby' is better. It's almost spelled like 'Kirby'."
"But that sounds too unnatural." Pear said. "Then again, 'Kirline' doesn't have a good ring to it too."
"So, what do you suggest?" Cadeto said.
"Yes, what is your suggestion?" Tealeo added.
"We could ask Miss Elline instead, you know." A light blue cotta by the name of Rudo said.
"Yeah." They all said in unison. "That's a good—"
"Stop! Leave me alone!" She squealed before covering her red cheeks with her hands then turning away from the crowd in embarrassment.
All the cottas instantly became silent at the "stop" "command".
"You can tease Miss Elline later." Cyano spoke up bluntly. "Right now, we have another game to play." This caused all the cottas to get into their positions as if the conversation earlier never happened.
Once the cottas' attentions were no longer on her, she took deep breaths to calm her racing heart then flew over to Kiwi. "R-remind me to find out who made that term…" Elline growled lightly to herself.
"I'll try, but it won't be on the fly." Kiwi responded with a grin.
"Miss Elline, you should play with us." A light blue cotta suggested.
"Why, Cobalt? There are eight of you on each team. I'll make it uneven." She replied.
"Cyano, join us!" the cottas urged. With a small shrug, he complied and walked towards the light-green team.
"Cyano, what are you doing?" Elline asked.
"…once my brethren are deadest on a mindset, there is no going back in most cases." He replied. "Besides, I may prefer being a referee, but I do enjoy playing from time to time."
"But who's going to be the referee?" the fairy argued.
"Me!" Kiwi said before taking a few steps over to where Cyano was standing before. "It doesn't seem a tad too bad… at first glance. Hopefully, I won't become a become a fad and will be given more than one chance."
"I…" Elline closes her eyes and sighs. She thinks back to how she ended up here. In those string of events from leaving the Rainbow Resort…
It looks like the search for Claycia will have to wait even longer…
"Alright… I'll play…" she conceded, much to the cottas' delight.
Once they settled into their positions, the game commenced. Despite not having visible hands, the cottas are able to play the game with their heads just fine. However, they unanimously agreed to not use their feet to help with returns. In addition, Elline (and Claycia) cannot fly too high off the ground to target the ball.
There are seventeen total Sky Cottas and their colors are evenly distributed apart from Cyano's unique color. So, it's a no brainer that the teams are decided off that. Elline chose the light blue team because Cyano chose the light green team, to even out the players with nine members on one team. In addition, everyone would be on the court at once, even though it'd be a bit crowded.
Elline chose the Libero role because she wanted to give the cottas a fair shot. Usually, when she plays the game with Claycia against the cottas, she acts as the Middle Blocker. With Claycia as the Setter, all the Sky Cottas combined would barely get in a single point versus the mass number of points the duo would earn. When the cottas asked them how they got their skills, Elline would deflect the question by stating the game is fun with more friends. After all, she and Claycia often played together during their journey in the cosmos.
Once the teams were settled, the game began its first rally with one of the light green cottas hitting the serve with a perfectly timed head bonk. It was quickly returned by one of the Front Outside Hitters and just barely grazed the net as it reached the other side. Because of this, the ball dropped to the ground before the cottas could get to it and a point was scored for the light blue side.
"Thaaaat's… 1 for the green team!" Kiwi shouted.
"Oran, that was YOURS!" Navyeta, who was next to him, exclaimed.
"Well, soooorrrrrry." Oran huffed before kicking the ball back to their server.
It only took three passes for the light green cottas to mess up and fail to return the ball, ending the second rally and scoring a point for the opposing team. It just so happens that two of the Middle Blockers collided into each other and crashed onto the ground.
"Owww…" both cottas muttered at the same time.
"Lackeys, did you not watch where you were going?" Shamorocka questioned. "Don't you lot always have eyes at the back of your shells while cooking?"
"Boss, it was Olive that ran into me and ruined my return!" Pear claimed.
"No! It was you that got in my way!" Olive countered.
"It was you!"
"No, you!"
"Quiet you two. Argue later. Game time now! We can't let Miss Elline see us like this." Shamorocka reprimanded, while Elline sighed in the background.
"…And that's 1 for the blue team!" Kiwi said, causing everyone on the court to look at her in surprise because of her late declaration.
"What? Don't mistake me for a fool! You were all watching that argument too!" Kiwi replied. The cottas had no comeback to that because they knew she was right.
Once the light green cottas resituated themselves, they served the ball and the game continued.
As the rallies passed, both Elline and Cyano hardly moved from their spots in the very back as both chose to be Liberos for their own reasons. Elline couldn't help but smile at the competitiveness the cottas were displaying. She almost wondered why she was even playing, let alone be in Indigo Ocean in the first place…
Cyano plays the defensive position as he believes offense is too based on rash impulse and not on proper observation. Since the ball has not come to him once this game, this gave him the perfect opportunity to analyze all the possible angles and strategies the other team would use and as a result, he found one knockback angle that would be effective…
Eventually, the two teams tied 14-14. Since they've played the game a few times on their own, they know that the winning side will be declared as the "dominant species" for the rest of the day. Whatever that meant to Claycia and Elline…
The ball was served by the light blue team and its trajectory was aimed towards one particular cotta. With a single step forward, Cyano ducks and jumps up to knock the ball high in the air. The cottas on both teams, forgetting they were playing with him, were astonished by the strength of the strike. The ball's trajectory was aimed directly at the other defender who had also not touched the ball at all in that game.
Because Elline also would rather watch than play… and think about other things, it took her a full second to realize the ball was coming straight for her. The cottas on both sides watched on with bated breath on the outcome. The fairy girl looked up and prepped her hands to retaliate the ball back…
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Her eyes turned into pinpricks and her mouth was held agape slightly…
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
The cottas see Elline frozen in midair, staring at a fast-approaching volleyball…
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Elline sees is the abomination that appears in her nightmares, time and time again. Despite all her attempts to forget it or clear her mind, each nightmare of the monster gets clearer and clearer to the point where…
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"I'll… destroy you… pink pest!"
…she's reliving a crystal-clear memory of the past.
"NOOO!" She screams. Right before the ball hits her, she swats it away with not her hands, but her own hair! The ball itself gets torn in half and the momentum from the attack causes its pieces to get sent flying in all directions.
Everyone's eyes were on Elline since that scream, who had transformed into her Paintbrush Form without realizing it. Excess paint is continuously dripping from her hair onto the ground where it evaporates at half the speed of it dripping. All the Sky Cottas, including the carefree Kiwi and nigh-expressionless Goldy shook with fear as they watched their Mistress hyperventilate. Even Cyano felt fear strike at his core, despite what he's been through compared to his fellow cottas.
Even so, that said fear gave him the courage to speak up first. "M-m-m-mistress… y-you—"
"No! I… I…" Elline transformed back once she realized what form she was in and looked at the scene around her. First on the mess of paint that came from her own hair, then at all the cottas who stood as far back as possible and finally at her own hands. Some of the paint from her hair remained on her hands before it evaporated away.
"…I have to find Claycia…" she muttered before turning towards the nearby Rainbow Bridge. The cottas watched her fly over the trail leading to Blue Sky Palace and disappeared soon after.
Once she disappeared, the Sky Cottas turned to each other and murmured unintelligible words. Cyano's eyes were glued to some leftover paint that surprisingly didn't evaporate right away. Kiwi walked to the cotta's side with sympathy and Goldy watched everyone with a huge look of surprise, shock and uncertainty.
"Please be okay, Miss Elline…" Cyano whispered. Kiwi hummed in agreement before leaning her head on the cotta.
Back at the Resort, Claycia floats back and forth with a hand under her chin in worry over Elline. After arriving back in the Resort and noticing Elline was gone, she was told by Bastron that the fairy was looking for her. Naturally, with what she's been thinking of before, it sends her in a slight state of panic, but Bastron reassures that Elline will be brought to her safely before taking off to search for her. Still though, she can't help but worry about her little sister.
As she debated going out to search, she hears Bastron engines outside the building before the sound starts up again and fades away. Anxious, Claycia floats out of her room as the front doors open. Ecstatic, she quickly teleports herself to the front door and hugs Elline without even looking at her.
"Elline, I'm so happy you've returned!" Claycia says before letting go. "I just want to… are… are you feeling alright?"
"…no…" she meekly replied. And that's putting it frankly. Elline's hair is not neat and pointy like a paintbrush, but messy and everywhere like a damaged brush. Despite the monotone look she had, the tear stains on her cheeks told a different story. Then her lively and gorgeous eyes have some sort of fear and angst in them that the sculptress has never seen before, not even while she was controlled.
There is a lot of questions she could ask about her… but the first one that she admittedly and shamefully held off until now will hit the nail on the head.
"Elline… are… are you afraid of sleeping?" Claycia inferred cautiously.
"S-Sleep!? Afraid!? Wh-what makes you say that!?" Elline half shouted, making Claycia frown.
"You can barely fly straight, draw well and keep your eyes open. Yet you had plenty of time to sleep and rest… unlike me." Claycia murmured the last part to herself. "What's wrong, my dear?"
"…okay… I am scared. Not of sleeping… but… nightmares." Elline looked down to the ground as more tears fell from her eyes.
Claycia widened her eyes, already suspecting what the nightmares are referring to. Could this be…
"I've been getting terrifying nightmares of an evil blob screaming… no… screeching. And… and… it looks at me with so much fury as if I did something bad to it." Elline sobbed. "I just want it all to end, Claycia…"
Claycia immediately scooped her up in her arms and caressed her gently. Elline instantly hugged her back as if she would lose her only sister figure in the whole universe.
"I don't want to go to bed or be alone in the dark! I'm scared of seeing that blob appear and eat me!" she cried, muffled in Claycia's robes. "And the worst part is… the cottas are now all afraid of me. I ruined their game of Volley-The-Ball because of my fear!"
"And here I was, putting myself and my lost powers so far ahead of me that I ignore the precious gift in front of me." Claycia thought sadly, tears falling from her concealed eyes. "What have I done? What have I become? I can't let Elline's happiness suffer because I've been feeling unhappy. That would make me no different than… than… Dr—"
Claycia's sadness turned into anger upon remembering her crazy and evil biological sister…
"No! I refuse to be like her again!"
A few minutes passed as Claycia held Elline close and caressed her. She also stroked her hair to its neat and pointing style. Over time, the sobs have become mini hiccups.
"…Elline, look at me." Claycia spoke with a firm and gentle voice. The fairy slowly looked up from Claycia's stomach and right at Claycia's unconcealed eyes.
Elline has admittedly never seen Claycia remove the hair that covers her brown eyes. Even she doesn't know why Claycia always keeps them hidden but looking straight into her eyes has given her a sense of relief.
"Elline… I'm sorry." Claycia said. "I've also… been afraid of my own nightmares that plague me. Nightmares of what I fear in the past, present and future. Losing you was, is and will be my biggest fear. This is truly all my fault. Because of this, I've been so focused on correcting my wrongs of the past by regaining my powers so that… that…". Claycia sighed then bore a sad smile. "Elline, please understand that… fear exists in all of us. Overcoming it is anything but easy. It is impossible to get rid of, but it is possible to accept it."
Elline blinked a few times, letting the words process in her head. "Do you think… Kirby has internal fears in his heart too?"
"Of course." She answered firmly. "That little happy-go-lucky puffball is brave, kind and sweet, but even he has things he's afraid of. I'm sure his innocence and carefree attitude are what made him overcome that fear and accept it, alongside other methods on his adventures." Claycia mused that last part more to herself. "Whatever he sees on his quests must always haunt him in the background, but he ignores it, such as the event you, Kirby and Bandana Dee have recently conquered within yourselves back when Seventopia was under the control of Dark Crafter."
Elline blinked a few times in surprise at this statement. How she could even know something like that blew her mind. "…Wh-what do you mean?" Elline asked in shock.
"Even though I was under the control of the dark sunglasses, I was still able to see the world around me… most of the time. Particularly, I've observed your adventure in Wonder Space up until the isle that contained this mansion. You went through some sort of barrier to reach me. I don't know what happened to you three, but I could sense that something occurred within that brief trek that ultimately unbound more of your souls from self-made shackles."
Elline had to blink to process all the information she gave her. She wasn't surprised at the fact that Claycia herself was partly watching their adventure through that Void of a World. Rather, she was surprised at the fact that she and her two dear friends overcame a part of their own internal fears before they fought the Grab Hands.
"…but… but… what do you… what does this all mean…?" Elline asked again.
"Dark Crafter did something to that barrier, or so I've seen. It manipulated your mind and recreated some of your worst fears. Because that was the first time your memories had been manipulated, dark… unseen memories surfaced from within and it plagues you to this day." Claycia paused to observe Elline's reaction. To her slight surprise, Elline remained silent, urging her to continue. Claycia smiled brightly at her. "Despite this and every else negative, do you know what keeps me going during all the ordeals we've been through? 'The worlds of the future will cast a rainbow of hope after the gloomy rainstorm of the past ends. From there, A Rainbow Tale will be told for the people of tomorrow'.
Elline looked down at her hands… and smiled, genuinely.
"Yeah… you're right. Everything... is so gloomy and depressing. But I have hope. Rain clouds will eventually clear out and reveal a rainbow of hope." Elline looked up at Claycia. "You are that rainbow, Claycia. You are my big sister who is here to help me." The fairy grinned.
Touched in her heart, Claycia wrapped her arms around Elline, with the fairy quickly returning the gesture. They both remained there for some time, expressing their joy with subtle tears falling from their eyes.
"Now, how about we get some needed sleep. We both deserve it." Claycia led Elline to her room. "And when we wake up, I have a surprise to tell you."
"A surprise… for me…?" Elline asked with wide eyes.
"Of course, my fairy friend." Claycia chuckled. "It will not be ready yet. But it should be once—"
The duo heard a knock on the door, slightly startling them and they looked at it in confusion.
"I wonder who that could be?" Claycia wondered before floating to the front doors. Elline followed behind her wordlessly.
The curious duo walked to the door entrance and opened it, revealing a sight they weren't expecting.
"Cyano? Mimosa? Kiwi? Goldy?" Elline gasped.
"And the rest of you came too?" Claycia added as she looked onward.
Both the Grass and Sky Cottas (along with Goldy) gathered on the outside space courtyard. All of them expressed concerned looks towards Elline. Bastron waited patiently far behind the group.
For a while, neither side said anything. They were too afraid to speak first.
Elline lightly gasps when a hand goes on her shoulder. She looks up to see Claycia looking at her fondly. The sculptress nodded slowly at her before gently but firmly pushing her forward. Elline used that push figuratively and literally to ask one question that is on the forefront of her mind.
"Are you all… afraid of me?"
"NO!" The cottas shouted before wincing in their own actions and murmuring amongst themselves. Eventually, Cyano stepped up on their behalf.
"We've all come to… make sure you're okay, Miss Elline." he said uncertainly.
"Cyano and Kiwi explained to us what happened on Indigo Ocean…" Mimosa hesitantly added. "The cottas each have something to say to you."
The two groups of cottas plus Goldy murmured to each other softly.
"C'mon now. Don't be shy." Mimosa urged. "Y'all wanted to tell her how you feel for a while now."
This encouraged the cottas slightly, but they were still hesitant to be the first to speak. Eventually, Kiwi walked forth a few steps and faced Elline, whom was still appearing uncertain.
Kiwi: "Mistress, don't be in distress."
Shisa: "We wanted to go for a better swim."
Shira: "The cave was too dim."
Meadow: "But it's nothing compared to your feelings of grim."
Spectra: "In this little kingdom…"
Mallow: "We value our freedom…"
Verda: "And we value you."
Mint: "We valued you before."
Mossy: "And we will value you after."
Nori: "Your stories and experiences…"
Putra: "Create many differences…"
Juna: "But our collective inferences…"
Sabi: "…show us that our fear of you is a mix of pretenses."
Willa: "That fear is gossip."
Yule: "We plead you to think the opposite."
Ceda: "Because we all adore you, Mistress."
Goldy: "Adore and glorify."
Cyano: "The rest of us feel the same way."
Shamorocka: "The Rainbow Deluxe Parfait the boys and I make for you all the time…"
Olive & Pear: "It's the least we could do for you."
Emeraldal: "After all, you are a gem to us."
Limey: "If you say otherwise, I'd say 'Blimey'."
Chartro: "Please understand how great you are."
Harlea: "And how strong you are."
Jade: "And how colorful you are."
Navyeta: "Just think of the times you've drawn pretty artwork for our viewing."
Oran: "Or the times you made sure we are doing okay."
Cobalt: "And those times we all shared a meal together!"
Klein: "There's a reason why we idolize you, Mistress."
Rudo: "And anything else you like and adore."
Yale: "You have given us a life to live."
Cadeto: "You saved all of us once…"
Tealeo: "Now, it's our turn to save you."
"We love you, Mistress Elline." The cottas spoke simultaneously. "We want you to be okay."
Elline was speechless, and how could she not be? Despite what happened earlier, she never imagined this would happen. Tears of joy suddenly fell from her eyes and she did nothing to stop them. "Thank you all!" she sobbed. "Thank you for caring about me."
In response, the Sky Cottas rushed over to her and lifted her to the air with joy. This time, Elline allowed it to happen. She was too consumed by joy to even care. The Grass Cottas jumped with joy.
"Hmm… that took them long enough." Mimosa said with a lopsided grin before turning to Cyano and Kiwi standing next to her. "What will you guys do without me?" she asked in a half serious and half rhetorical manner.
"Who knows." Cyano answered truthfully. "And I don't want to know."
"I would still call for a song. After all, it's what I'm fond… of." Kiwi said with a wink before walking to the front of the parading crowd of Grass and Sky Cottas. The crowd soon saw her watching them expectedly so they stopped their celebrations and awaited what she was going to do.
A Rainbow Tale.
It began on the greenery scenery.
Adorn in the morn.
We yearn the fern.
The prelude to my étude…
The haze that blazes
Few know its rich blue.
The lagoon of doom
Is not so hip-hop anytime soon.
The Ocean in which we sail.
For in it entails
The Treasure of Friendship
Haunted by the Cursed Ship
Rise in the height of noon
Boggled by the weight so soon.
The sight of the light
will lead to the finishing fight!
The jungle on the sunset
where a mystery has been kept.
A native thing sees,
its creative mind feels,
the fated untold union of Gold.
The hot clouds of gloom
surely suggests an incompetent doom.
But the Light shows another way,
despite the dark day.
Yet, Totally Selfish, she was.
But, Totally Selfless, he is.
The Night of the Fortress
is the lack of true interest.
The Darkness of the Unknown
who tried to blot out the Known.
The Wonder of the Void
is an idea to be toyed.
Yet, the shining, fated Lights
created a Miracle for the sights…
And now, the postlude to my étude.
A Rainbow Tale.
Kirby smiled at the success of one of, if not, the most difficult adventure yet. Popstar has been liberated from the hands of the Haltmann Works Company. With everything going against him, from Dream Land being mechanized into a land he doesn't recognize, Meta Knight getting captured and controlled by Susie the Secretary, to Star Dream vowing to eradicate all life in the universe, even he had some slight doubts at the task ahead. He was thankful that things ended up being okay and he, Bandana Dee and Meta Knight were safe and sound.
Speaking of Susie, Kirby looked up and saw the woman staring at him from her business suit mech. Upon noticing the eye contact, she looked away, put on her visor, and flew off into the horizon. Kirby never really truly understood her motives, but he was glad that she helped him at the end and gained a new friend.
Kirby heard a large, familiar sound of an airship emitting from the distance. He looked towards that sound and watched the halberd fly off with Meta Knight standing proudly on the helm of the ship.
As for his best friend, Bandana Dee…
"Fresh natural air! I thought I'd never smell it again!" The waddle dee exclaimed joyfully while holding his hands in the air.
"Poyo!" Kirby agreed and nodded happily.
"I'd love to take a nap or drink apple juice with you, Kirby, but I must go find King Dedede and make sure he's okay! Bye-bye!" The waddle dee waved before taking off in the direction of the ruined Dedede castle.
"Poyo…" A nap does sound nice. The puffball ran off towards the direction of Halberd to his small, dome home that resides on the edge of a cliff with that knowledge that Dream Land is safe and sound once again and hopefully for a good while.
Yes, Planet Popstar is back to normal again… for now.
For things to relatively change soon, it'll take a small, Kirby-sized gray meteor on a collision course with the planet and the sudden appearances of two letters with a rainbow stamp and heart stamp respectively addressed to the puffball lying on the porch to his front door…
The premise of this chapter was all over the place, which was intended. From Seventopia to another glimpse of Popstar AFTER the Robobot Siege. I'm obviously planning something if I brought up Planet Robobot for the third time in a row. Or not. Who knows. Not me or you, that's for sure.
Kiwi the Grass Cotta's way of speaking wasn't easy to write. But it was fun so that's all that matters. As for the other cottas, the decision to reveal all of their names from my notes documents was decided a few months before this chapter was posted. If I actually posted this chapter on time two years ago, I probably would have never revealed them in this way…
I suppose deciding how to write the ending of this chapter was all it took for my will to snap and just drop that bombshell of information.
The whole volleyball segment is a part of my scrapped Chapter Short idea where Kirby, Bandana Dee, Elline and Claycia would play the game on Indigo Ocean, with the teams being decided by home location (Popstar vs Seventopia). I wanted the Seventopia duo to be forces to be reckoned with. The inspiration came from my experiences in high school where the class would play volleyball during Physical Education as one of our activities and it got fiercely competitive. I admit, I never played competitive volleyball, nor watched any official games of it, so please forgive me if my information is wrong. I looked at various Internet sites for rules and roles!
Lastly, I've been thinking about doing a full rewrite of A Rainbow Tale since late 2021. It would properly incorporate all the elements from the Hidden Chapters. However, it's not my priority at the moment, especially since I have other stories planned. I'd prefer to write those stories first before coming back to any of my other published ones.
Anyways, I'll see you guys in the next chapter, the final chapter of this story. It's gonna be interesting but I fear that the overall message and theme I set up for it has long been lost. Oh well! I may have pulled it back, but I won't scrap it so see you guys before the end of time!
Hopefully H.C. 6 will not be another 2 year long wait...