It was almost unbelievable, both in believability and coincidence. Our final location, trumping all others as far as I could see from everyone's slack jawed expressions, was the moon. The very moon Alice had just e-mailed us from for the past few…damn, it's been almost two months now. Both Goombella and Professor Frankly were pouring through every book they had for how to get there while the rest of us huddled around the map thinking.
"This can't be right." Bobbery said holding his head with a weary expression. "How in blazes are we supposed to reach the moon?"
"I have to agree darling." Flurrie added with a rare unsure expression. "Sadly, my fame is not interstellar. My connections are useless."
"…Have any of your connections actually been any use?" Koops asked earning him a withering glare from Flurrie.
"Any headway?" I asked the two Goombas.
"This may take us a while to find something." Frankly replied looking more stressed by the second.
"This is a doozy of a problem!" Goombella added with an excited, if slightly bloodshot look. "It feels like my brain is about to explode with all the work we have to do…it's like my senior thesis all over again!"
"Wait, aren't you still a student?" Peach asked.
"Yes! A senior! Working on my thesis in fact!" Her eye twitched.
"…Welp, we can probably leave this to these two." I said turning to the rest of the group. "That said, this next trip will be to the X-nauts' lair. We have to make sure we're ready for anything!"
"Those chumps couldn't stop us before! We can handle all of them without breaking a sweat!" Eggi shadow boxed as he spoke to emphasize his point, and while I could appreciate his enthusiasm, we've only gone up against grunts and Crump. Their leader had to be tougher, then add in the two shadow witches and we were likely to be in for more trouble than we've faced the entire adventure. But even then…I couldn't take any chances with Alice so close to being rescued.
"Even so, we shouldn't underestimate them. Let's make sure we're ready for anything that could happen. Also, since this is the last star, things are probably going to get pretty hectic from here on out, so if there's anything you need to do, do it now." Everyone had general looks of worry before nodding.
"…I've got a few calls to make." Koops said shuffling out of the house, with Flurrie and Bobbery behind him. I looked over at everyone else, just catching the last moments of Vivian's sad expression before she fell into her shadow and disappeared. Mowz looked off for a moment with a neutral expression before her smile came back and she skipped past me with a playful wink.
"Guess I'll make sure we're all set. See you later my Swiss hunk~." …Everyone seemed distracted and off as they left…it was a lot of pressure to put on them suddenly…after they've gone along with me this far without complaining too much…
"Soren?" A tap on my shoulder had me turn to see Peach looking at me with her worried expression.
"Sorry. Just lost in thought is all."
"Don't get all up in your head Black!" Eggi yelled as he hopped up and down on the table. "You can't start getting spineless after all the stuff we've taken on! There's nothing we can't handle together!" I had to chuckle at his confidence.
"That's right!" Peach said, pumping her arms. "I know you're worried about everyone, but we can do this together. Everyone has trusted you this far, so trust them to stick by you to the end." She was getting too good at reading me…but this was probably a good thing this time.
"…Even so. I think I've got some business to take care of myself." I turned to Eggi.
"Think you can protect Pink for me?" Eggi flexed his arms.
"Easily!" I pat his head.
"Meet up later?" Peach nodded.
"You do what you need to. Just come back with the confidence you had when we started this, okay?"
"Got it." With a look at her sweet smile now in my memory, I turned and headed out to Rogueport.
First stop was my usual check-up, the badge shop. Stepping in, I found the usual siblings manning the shop, Mincy and Mic. Although Mincy seemed to be gathering up stuff under the counter as Mic watched worriedly.
"Are you sure about this sis?"
"Positive." She replied, pulling up a small case.
"B-But you always said it was too expensive to even leave out."
"Yep. But I'm not leaving it out to be bought." She turned to me with a smile, as though she knew I had been there the whole time. With a small skip, she moved over to me and grabbed me by the belt. Before I could even react, she fiddled her hands before hopping back with a faux-innocent smile. Looking down, I saw she had added a badge to my line up; a gold heart with shinning lines coming off it. "Someone needs it more than we do."
"That guy again?" Mic looked at me in confusion before looking back at his sister with a narrowed glare. "Is this guy your boyfriend?"
All things considered, I had to give Mowz credit for her acting ability. While we knew her flirtatious thief persona well at this point, I had gotten a chance to see her innocent shop owner Mincy character, and the way she blushed and pushed her hands against her burning face was the picture definition of bashful, lovesick girl.
"He's…special~."
"…Gross." Mic let out an ick sound before looking away from both of us. Capitalizing on his disgust, Mincy quickly pulled me out of the shop.
As soon as we got far enough way she let out a small huff and started fanning herself with her hands, trying to dissipate the rosy complexion of her cheeks.
"Whew, that was a little more intense than I expected it to be. Actually got a little flustered." I chuckled and she looked up at me before giving out a small giggle.
"So what is this badge exactly?"
"An exact name for it isn't known. But for as long as me and my brother have had it, we've called it the Pure Heart Badge."
"Fitting. What does it do?"
"That…I don't know. But it's one of a kind, and I-…Mowz found it underground near where they eventually uncovered the Thousand Year door."
"And…you think it will help?" She fell silent.
"…Mowz says she's worried. Ever since she met you and the others, things have gotten more and more dangerous. She feels like it's only going to get worse from here…and even if she doesn't know what it does…she hopes that a badge this rare and valuable will keep you and your friends safe." I see…
"Well…with her by our side, I'm sure will avoid any pit traps or deceit we encounter. She's got a nose for it right?" Mincy's eyes widened for a moment before she burst out laughing.
"Technically she has a nose for treasure…but you don't get treasure without being able to sniff out a trap or two."
"Then I'm positive we'll be fine."
"…I think you're right. I'm with you to the end of this whole thing my sweet provolone man~." Hang on, did she just- I turned to face Mowz-…Minc-…HER, only to find she had disappeared.
"…Never a straight answer with that girl." I let out a small chuckle before making my way to my next friend.
I wasn't too surprised to find Bobbery in his house, sitting in a comfortable chair in front of his fireplace, a log crackling in the consuming fire that burned inside. A bottle was in his hand, but not like the soda we had recovered on his 'death bed'. It had a much lighter color than the soda, and the words 'vintage red' were visible on the label.
"Ah Soren, what brings you here?"
"Just checking up." I replied, making my way over. He gave a chuckle and reached for a wine glass, pouring some of the drink into it before handing the glass to me.
"I don't have cold feet if that's what's worrying you. Air travel still beats even the roughest sea voyages in my book." I joined in his laugh before taking a sip of the drink. Despite only ever smelling it, I could tell by the taste what this was.
"Wine?"
"Aye…Scarlet and I enjoyed a glass on our anniversary every year. It was our way of celebrating what we've gone through, as well as a cheer towards what was to come…without her I didn't see a reason to do it…not until now." He took a swig directly from the bottle and set it down on a nearby end table, "Thanks to you kids, I'm looking forward to what comes next. Even this blasted mission to go to the moon." I glanced around the modest home, only now noticing something I could have only noted knowing Bobbery now.
"…What was Scarlet like?" Bobbery chuckled, opening up the drawer on his end table and shuffling his hand through it before coming out with a picture, before handing it to me, "…I think…she'd be glad to see your eyes have that adventurous glint back."
"Aye…would you give me a moment Soren?"
"No problem. I'll see you back at Frankley's when you're ready." Handing him the photo back, I left the house, letting my friend soak in his emotions before our big mission.
Going around the corner of the alley, I found Koops tapping away at his e-mail device. Coming up to him quietly, I saw he had written out a detailed message to Koopie Koo…before hastily deleting it and starting over.
"Nervous buddy?" The almost comedic juggling of his device was a dead giveaway to that.
"M-Maybe a little." He replied with a light chuckle.
"It is a pretty dangerous place to go. Even more given it's the enemies home base." My mind drifted back to Koopie Koo as I said that, "I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to go back to Petalburg. You've helped me plenty so far…and she'd be sad if anything happened to you."
"Yeah…telling her what I'm going to end up doing has been terrifying. She'll probably tell me not to go and come home." Something about that seemed…wrong.
"You really think that?" This made him stop for a moment and think, "She's stubbornly worried about you yeah…but she let you come with me after fighting a dragon…I'm willing to bet she has more faith in you then you think…we certainly do."
"…Have I really changed that much?" I had to laugh at this.
"You threw shade at Flurrie just a little bit ago. I'm almost positive the old Koops would have been too scared to even consider THINKING it. You immediately got into the fight with those creatures on the train even after being captured by them. Old you wouldn't even recognize who you are now." He gave a small smile at this, "You may look the same. But who you are inside has grown beyond your shell. Never doubt that."
"Yeah…I think I know what to send Koopie Koo now. Thanks Soren." Standing up, I gave him a small salute and left him to write out his e-mail to his girlfriend.
In a surprising twist, I found Flurrie at the Inn, scribbling down on a stack of paper with a pensive look on her face.
"You're gonna give yourself crows feet with all that squinting." I teased and she just giggled.
"Please darling. I am, and always will be, utterly fabulous in anything I do."
"Sure. So what are you doing?" Grabbing the top page of her stack, I was slightly puzzled and surprised to find a screenplay called, 'The Magnificent Tale of the Thousand Year Door', "Are you…writing a play?"
"Of course darling! This whole journey has been a kindling of my artistic passion, fueling my return to the theater! My first debut will be a personal dramatic retelling of our adventures. If I want to get it into theaters as soon as possible, I must have it complete as soon as possible."
"Interesting spin. Most people would retire after all the craziness we've been through." She giggled.
"Oh darling, aren't we a special breed of people in that regard? I'm sure this will not be your last adventure. Why should it be mine? Or any of ours?" She set her pen down, "And while we will all be taking different paths…I do not want to forget what we've done together. Even decades from now, I want to remember this time together with everyone." …Flurrie's a wind spirit so…I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"When we get back, all of us will help hammer out the finer details." She reached with her other hand and placed it over mine.
"Thank you, Soren. This play will be fabulous with everyone's help."
"Only way it could be with Flurrie in the leading role, right?"
"Unquestionably!"
It was a bit of a hunt, but I eventually found Vivian standing near the west exit of Rogueport. Her eyes were looking out towards the way to Twilight Town, wavering slightly. She let out a sigh before slumping onto a nearby bench. I sat in the spot next to her as she twiddled her thumbs sadly.
"…I'm going to have to face my sisters eventually, aren't I?"
"Most likely."
"I got lucky with the whole train situation. They were more concerned with beating us to the star then actually facing us…but that won't happen forever." She shook slightly at the thought of finally confronting her sister.
"Maybe it's for the better though."
"Huh?"
"I just mean…confronting them during the whole train fiasco might not have been the right time anyway…you still seem scared to actually confront Beldam." She almost shrunk when I said that.
"I-It's true…Beldam always picked on me, even before I became her sister. I-I think she just pushed me around due to my meekness." She fidgeted with her hands as she spoke, "I've known her for hundreds of years…I just feel like I'll revert back to that timid…THING who gets walked all over." The way she emphasized thing caught me for a moment.
"…That's why we'll be right there when you do." I grabbed her hand and she almost jumped, "Your friends will be right there to make sure you don't get pulled back into that hole she dug you into. You've got people who see the REAL you. A shy but brave girl who cares deeply about her friends…and I think even her family, regardless of what happens." She giggled slightly as tears formed in her eyes, "And as long as she doesn't forget that there are people who care for her the way she is, she'll never shy away from the person she's become thanks to her own strength of will." With a deep breath, she wiped the tear from her eyes and lunged over to hug me, "Never let other people's perception of you break who you are Vivian. Because the people who care about you are always out there. I promise." I could hear her sob quietly into my jacket…and so I just sat there, letting her pour those conflicting emotions and worries away. All the turmoil she had been dreading seem to fall out of her; after this, I had no doubt she would be able to stand up to her sister…and even if she didn't think she could, we would be right there to give her the push she needed to come into her own. I wasn't going to let anything bring her or any of my friends back down…after all, I promised.
After the emotional toll of the day that was my trip around town, I re-entered Frankley's house with an exhausted sigh, finding the same four people still here. Frankley and Goombella were still pouring through various texts for anyway to get to the moon and Peach held Eggi in here arms, the little Yoshi sleeping peacefully. Taking a seat next to her, I let out a long breath as I slumped against the wall, letting the tension of the past few hours wash away.
"Hard work today daddy?"
"Very funny, 'mommy'. Everyone is just a little worried." I looked down at the Yoshi in her arms, "…What about him?"
"No. Seems he has full faith in you and me." No surprise there. Since he's hatched he's only had me and Peach as his role models. We've kept knocking back every challenge we've come across so it's no wonder he has complete faith in us…and his boundless optimism in us only seem to grow into a confidence he could back up with genuine ability and skill.
"…So what did he tell you?" I could tell by the way she cradled him, her grip slightly tightening whenever she looked down at him.
"He…He wants to strike out on his own once this whole adventure is over. Try for the Glitz Pit championship title himself…and make us proud." She slightly teared up as she spoke. Not knowing enough about Yoshi biology, I had no metric for how long the mother and father stay with their kid, although given how fast he's grown into his own…aside from his size, I could only assume it was rather quickly. Hell, maybe we've been coddling him too long. Regardless of that, I put my arm around Peach as she looked down at the bundle of vigor and pent-up battle-ready kid we had brought into this crazy world.
The one thing that brought me out of the family bubble was the sudden collision of a hardcover book with the floor. I jolted slightly, somehow not even fazing Peach, and looked over to see Goombella face first on the floor along with the book she had dropped. Standing up, I moved over and helped her to her feet before sitting her down and sliding over a cup of coffee I assume was put there for her and Frankley. She took a sip from it and shook her head slightly.
"Mind need to take a break there Bella."
"I can't yet. We're SO close to that last star. I know there's an answer of how to get it…somewhere. We just have to find it." I grabbed her by the shoulders as she tried to get back up and slowly brought her back down to her seat.
"And we will…but we can't have you conking out in the process."
"But what about the treasure, and the X-Nauts, and your friend?" I tensed slightly. I had almost forgotten Alice was so close…
"…You're my friend too. I don't want to watch you push yourself before the real hard work begins. So take a breather to make sure you don't crash when we finally DO open the door." She slowly nodded, slumping her upper body onto the top of the nearby desk and folding her arms into a makeshift head rest, "I'm positive you want to see what's beyond it with your own eyes, right?" She gave a nod, a small smile gracing her slips before she finally nodded off. Frankly was quick to throw a blanket over her before returning to his search.
"Grad students always forget a researchers' greatest tool is their mind. Which means taking care of it properly. Cramtastic bunch, the lot of em!" I looked down at the sleeping Goomba girl, recalling her unmatched excitement with all the wild stuff we've encountered so far.
"Yeah…but her passion is uncontrollable."
"Of course! It's what makes her my favorite student." I eyed the old goomba for a moment, recalling his trouble remembering her name when we first met…crazy old coot might have been playing us at the start…or at least her maybe.
"Well, I'm positive she'll make an amazing archeologist."
"I have no doubts about that as well." The buzzing of my scroll pulled me from my musings, finding a message from…Lily!? I immediately opened it up.
Soren! We found something in Rogueport's sub-city that might lead us to Alice! Please meet us at the fountain plaza under the city ASAP!
I looked over at Goombella, two seconds away from shaking her awake before stopping myself to remember that I had JUST told her to take it easy for a little bit and recharge. I took a glance over at Peach who was still looking down at Eggi sadly…everyone is trying to get ready in their own way…but we're so close…Alice, give me a little more time.
Closing my e-mail, I sat back down next to Peach and let all the friends I had made up to this point do what they needed to. We were going to be ready for whatever came next, even if it took a few extra minutes for us to do it.
"Don't worry Alice. I'll be there as soon as I can." I closed my eyes, and let myself drift off to sleep for a little bit, just to be sure I would be fully rested for the climax to this whole adventure.