Mother X: Father

Chapters

All My Bags are Packed
I'm Ready to Go
Cause I'm Leaving
On a Jetplane
Don't Know When
I'll Be Back
Again
Song of Love
Touch of Madness
First Step
Tiny Hooves
Drink Deep
Splash
Computer
Dreams
Lit Corridor
Falling Apart
Setting Things in Motion
Catching Up
First Contact
Fate Foretold
Broken Soldier
New Friends
Green and Blue
Blue and Grey
Grey and White
Grey and Greyer
Red and Black
Future and Past
Broken Family
Cleansing Red
Problem Solving
The Destroyer
Home no Longer
Retaking the Ship
Monsters On Either Side
Shadows of Madness
Saturn Veiling
Robots For Everyone
Back to the Future
Secrets of the Mind
Secrets of the Past
Gotta Get Back
Back to the Past
Samurai Ness
Watch Out!
Darker Feelings
Regrets
First Fragment
Street Sharks
Escalation
Wood and Words
More Words
Ants in Pants
Leadership
Leaving Home
New Town
An Apple A Day
A Mystery
Searching for Clues
Reunited With Answers
Peaceful Rest Valley
I'm Happy, I'm Feeling Glad
I've Got Sunshine in a Bag
I'm Useless, But Not For Long
The Future Is Coming On
Easy as Onett, Twoson, Threed
We Are The Working Dead
Walking in a Winters Wonderland, part 2
We Blinded We With Science
This is the Mash
Before, Behind, Beside
Into the Jaws of Death
A Valley Where Rest Is Peaceful
Behind the Waterfall
Cleansing Light
The Journey Continues
Beating the Heat
Wandering Wonderings
Deja Who
The Power of Three
Will Set Us Free
Seperation
Darkness
Nightmare Moonside
Into Darkness
Darkness Mixing
To Break the Darkness
Connected Hearts
The Empty Peace
Star Power
The Rescue
The Power of Friendship
Eruption
White and Gold
Dark Side of the Moon
Police Banality
Walking in a Winters Wonderland, part 1
What We Do For Friends

All My Bags are Packed

The group stayed where they were as they caught their breath, keeping an eye on what was left of the Formerly Clumsy Cleaning Robot, none of them certain it wasn't going to get back up again. Eventually, Ness spoke up. "...is it dead?"

"I...I'm not sure," Jeff observed calmly. "It's...not moving, but...that's really no guarantee. There...might be a third phase?"

As his strength returned, Buzz Buzz floated over to the robot and - greatly daring - landed on one of the limbs. "...there isn't any motive force anymore," he observed, relief palpable in his voice as he buzzed back over to Moondancer. "Short of it being reactivated by an outside force, I think we're good."

"Well, now we need to find Pokey," Ness stated as firmly as he could despite the quaver in his voice, though whether from relief, weakness, or fear was impossible to tell, even for him. "Which means...getting past it..." He managed to push himself to his feet.

"He's not down there," Groovy spoke up as the Runaway Five entered the room again. "While you were dealing with this thing, a couple of us went down a floor to check his office. Luckily, his maid is a fan, so she was able to get us past security without trouble."

"He hasn't taken the elevator down," Lucky pointed out as Okay - the Drummer - silently and almost automatically went to examine the fallen robot. "You should probably check up. We'll handle cleanup here while you do."

Ness and Paula glanced towards Moondancer, who nodded firmly in response. "Okay," Ness agreed with a nod. "We'll see if Monotoli knows where he is." With that, he moved to help everyone to their feet and hooves before leading the way back to Monotoli's office.

Monotoli was pacing back and forth frenetically as they arrived. "Oh goodness!" he spoke up as they arrived. "I'm terribly sorry...but Porky came bursting through here just a minute ago racing for the helipad. I'm not sure what he was up to, but he was screaming 'Cheater!' over and over again as he raced past."

Ness sighed ruefully as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I...don't suppose you have any idea where he was going?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, he had a pamphlet for the Summers Museum sticking out of one of his pockets," Monotoli pointed out. "I understand they recently opened a Scaraba exhibit."

"That...doesn't really tell us anything," Paula admitted sadly. "If all we do is chase after him, we'll probably walk into another trap. I don't suppose we have any other clues?"

"Scaraba...that is the desert far to the South, yes?" Poo asked curiously. "According to the stories of my homeland, it is where the secrets of our PSI and the power to protect the world was developed. Perhaps the pyramids there still hold helpful secrets-"

"Pyramids?" Moondancer and Buzz Buzz gasped out simultaneously.

"You know something?" Ness asked curiously.

Moondancer and Buzz Buzz both fell silent, but an image flashed through both their minds. Dr. Destructo's lecture on why the Geeg feared humanity, their previous attempts at invasion...and of the people of Earth hiding in pyramids as 'Gods' fought back against the invasion. "There's going to be something important in Scaraba," Moondancer stated firmly. "I don't know any more details than that...so we should look into that museum exhibit. There might be clues."

"So...we are going to follow him and risk walking right into a trap," Ness concluded ruefully. "Well, if we move fast, he shouldn't have time to prepare anything as exotic as that robot. How can we get there really fast?"

"If I had been in Summers before, I could have taken us there with PSI Teleport," Poo offered helpfully. "Do you know of anyone who has been there? Perhaps I could learn to get there from them?"

"Just my Mom," Ness allowed ruefully. "And I have no idea where she is at this point."

"If we could get the Skyrunner to my Dad, he might be able to fix it up and reprogram it to go to Summers," Jeff offered helpfully.

"You did want to go fix up Mondo Mole back by Lilliput Steps," Moondancer pointed out. "We're about due for backtracking anyway, and I could get you to Saturn Valley and the cave while Jeff sees how salvageable the Skyrunner is in Threed."

"Sounds like a plan!" Paula declared happily as she smiled warmly at Ness.

"Alright, that's what we'll do," Ness decided. "We'll just get back to Threed." Turning, he led the group back out of the office.

On the way down, they came across the Runaway Five where they'd fought the robot. There was no sign of the robot, however. "So you're heading back to Threed?" Groovy offered helpfully. "We can give you a lift. Be a lot more restful than trying to walk, Teleport, or ride the bus."

"How did..." Ness began, only to shake his head. "Never mind. We'd be glad to take you up on...what happened to the robot?"

"Here," Lucky offered as Okay handed a bundle of Bio-Metal Robot Parts to Jeff. "We broke it down so it can't get used against *hic* you, but you might find some use for it." He quickly patted his chest. "Sorry, hiccups. Got a bit startled when that thing unfolded like that."

Moondancer stifled a giggle. She'd heard the *click* that Lucky had disguised as a hiccup...and she'd seen what Okay actually was now. She was certain Jeff would make good use of that salvage.

Shaking his head ruefully as Jeff put the parts away, Ness spoke up again. "Thank you for the offer of the lift. We'd be happy to accept."

"Great!" Gorgeous offered happily. "We'll meet you outside!" With that, the Runaway Five raced down the stairs to the elevators.

Ness stared after them for a time, a thoughtful look on his face. Eventually, it was Poo who spoke up. "Something bothering you, Ness?" he asked curiously.

"Just...remembering how intense it was to run up the side of the building like that," Ness allowed with a soft smile. "It was...fun."

"Wait, you did what?" Paula gasped in shock.

"Indeed it was," Poo observed happily. He then glanced from Ness to Paula, to the door the band had taken, and then back to Ness with a smile. "Think we could outrun the band back down that way?" he suggested, the barest hint of impish mischief in his voice.

Moondancer couldn't help but grin. Her time in Poo's mind had showed her that as disciplined as his mind was and as dedicated to duty as he'd trained himself to be, the intense combat training he'd undergone for body and mind had left him with an - albeit well controlled - adrenaline addiction. He wouldn't go out of his way for thrills, but when they presented themselves...

A wide grin split Ness' face. "I've got extra Skip Sandwiches!" he offered with a grin.

"I wonder if I can modify the Robo-Pack mid flight to have the arms work like a propeller..." Jeff mused as he called up the schematics on the manipulator arms.

Paula blinked at Ness for a time, then sighed. "I suppose he needs a few flaws," she murmured to herself with a smile as she stepped up behind him. "It'd be a bit boring or frustrating if he were too perfect."

Author's Note

Bio-Metal Robot Parts - can't do anything with these on their own, but they might just be useful if combined with the right materials

I'm Ready to Go

Much to the Runaway Five's surprise - based on a few startled oaths from Gorgeous and Groovy - and the youngsters' pleasure, they did manage to run down the side of the building safely just ahead of the band coming out the front door. Much to Jeff's mild irritation, he was unable to develop a proper propeller design for the Robo-Arms due to a lack of proper parts. Much to his relieved surprise, the Robo-Arms proved more than capable of bracing and absorbing the inertia of the fall without damaging himself or the pavement beneath him. "Note to self," he muttered quietly as he straightened his glasses, "check my supply of parts before attempting anything like that again, not after."

"I'd have arrested your inertia before you hit the ground if you were actually in danger," Moondancer pointed out as she lightly touched down, having simply let herself fall before neutralizing her inertia with her PSI aura via levitation just before impact, a few moments before Jeff's own landing.

"Too bad we don't have time to do that again," Ness breathed out, the exhilaration still running through his system.

"I'm sure the opportunity will present itself another time," Paula offered as she wiped her own brow.

"Indeed," Poo agreed dutifully. "As enjoyable an experience as it was, duty calls."

"In that case, let's get to Threed," Buzz Buzz suggested firmly. "Before someone working for Giygas tries to steal what's left of the Sky Runner."

"Right!" Ness agreed quickly before leading the way into the Runaway Five's van. He paused once they were all inside, however. "Is...something different about the van?" he asked curiously.

"No," Moondancer observed calmly as she glanced around, seeing the PSI illusion of the van and the inside of the saucer craft. "Why?"

"It's just...despite there being more of us, it seems..." Ness shifted, sitting down against the perceived wall and squinting past it. "...roomier, somehow..."

Moondancer smiled warmly. It seemed Ness' abilities were progressing further than anticipated, and his mind was now strong enough to perceive the presence of the illusion, if not clearly pierce it. "Well, more of the equipment's in the trunk," she pointed out obliquely.

"Maybe that's it," Ness allowed uncertainly as they began to move.

The trip back to Threed was uneventful, and it wasn't long before the Runaway Five dropped them off on the road by the graveyard at Jeff's request. With a hearty farewell and warm well wishes, the minor heroes turned band left the youngsters to their adventure. Watching them go, Moondancer felt sad at the separation...but somehow knew that she would see them again, and that her bond to them could not truly be severed. She felt them...in her Magicant.

As they turned toward the graveyard, Moondancer spoke up. "Jeff, Paula, Poo, you head down to check on the Skyrunner," she instructed. "I can only take one other person with me on the point-to-point teleports, and that's with Buzz Buzz's assistance in focusing the energy."

"Understood," Jeff agreed calmly. "With luck, I should have it up and running before you return." He turned and calmly went to the ladder down to the catacomb where the Skyrunner had crashed. Poo calmly followed.

Paula pouted briefly, but nodded assent at last. "Alright. Be careful, you three." With that said, she followed Jeff and Poo down the ladder.

Nodding, Ness shifted himself onto Moondancer's back for closest contact. Bracing herself, she sent them both through the warp.

As the trio climbed down the ladder, Poo noticed Paula's hesitation. "Is something bothering you?" he asked in concern.

"It's...this place has some bad memories, is all," she offered hesitantly. "I...don't really like coming back down."

"Ah, you refer to when you were infected with the Zombie curse," Poo deduced in recognition. "Yes, I can see why this would be a troubling place to return to."

"H-how did you know about that?" Paula gasped out in surprise.

"When Ness and Moondancer shared my mind at the end of my training, we shared each others stories," Poo explained. "I saw many of the events each of them had been through as though through their eyes, and they through mine. I know them both quite well."

Paula frowned thoughtfully as she turned the implications of that over in her mind. Jeff, meanwhile, got to work on the Skyrunner, pleased to see that it wasn't as badly damaged as it had appeared on first crash examination.

To Moondancer's surprise, they appeared in the cavern to Lilliput Steps, rather than Saturn Valley. "Buzz Buzz, why direct us here?" she asked in confusion. "Don't we need to pick up the Secret Herb?"

"No we don't," Buzz Buzz corrected. "I did a quick check of Ness' PSI strength. He's aware of far more PSI than he should be at his current level of training. I expect the PSI you both unleashed back in Nightmare Moonside to heal Giegue through the Mani Mani Statue opened both your minds beyond their normal limits. And Ness did want to do this himself."

"You're here?" Mondo Mole asked in surprise. "It's a lot sooner than I expected. I thought you were going to wait until you learned PSI Healing Gamma?"

"He has," Buzz Buzz pointed out as Ness stepped off Moondancer's back and walked up to Mondo Mole.

"But that shouldn't be possible!" Mondo Mole pointed out. "He's nowhere near strong enough-" His eyes widened as Ness laid his hands against him and the numbness faded, his body moving again. He then looked into Ness' eyes. "...oh wow. Star PSI..."

"Indeed," Buzz Buzz confirmed. "He and Moondancer have each discovered one."

"That's why they know PSI beyond their level," Mondo Mole observed as he glowed faintly. "Well, I'm not needed here. Oh, but Ness?"

"Y-yeah?" Ness asked in surprise.

"Power isn't supposed to come easily, or cheaply," Mondo Mole explained calmly as the glow suffused him. "The world knows this, and will not freely grant you power even if you are attuned to it. Creatures like me, who guard the Sanctuaries? We are a mix of Giygas' madness and the planet's power, drawn to the Sanctuaries to guard them not to steal them, but to test if you are ready for their power. Don't be afraid to strike with all your might when you fight us. Some foes, that will be your only option...and Earth needs to know you can, and so do you."

Ness nodded in understanding. "So that's what the Sprout meant at Milky Well..."

"Don't think we'll take it easy on you, either," Mondo Mole continued. "The others will do everything in their power to kill you. In the long run, it's better that the Earth fall than for you and Moondancer walk Giygas' path. Understand?"

Swallowing convulsively, Ness nodded.

"Then my work here is done," Mondo Mole observed as his body dissolved, leaving behind an ordinary mole that scurried away back to his hole."

Ness stared after the mole for a time, then shook himself. Turning, no sign of distress was on his face as he nodded to Moondancer. "Let's go," he said calmly. "Paula and the others are waiting."

Moondancer nodded in agreement, focusing her energy to warp back to Threed.

Author's Note

Due to the effect of discovering Star PSI, Ness and Moondancer will now learn ordinary PSI 20 levels earlier than normal. This has no effect on their stats, especially PP.

Cause I'm Leaving

As Jeff led the way into the lower chamber where the Skyrunner had crashed, he was surprised to see it looking to be in rather good condition. A couple of the locals were there, and one offered the town's thanks for their work, and explained they'd scrubbed the ship clean in the hopes it would help. Nodding thanks, Jeff stepped into the ship to examine the actual damage.

"So how bad is it?" Paula asked curiously.

"...not nearly as bad as I'd thought," Jeff observed calmly. "All the internals seem to be working normally, and the external structure is still more or less intact. I wouldn't rate it against another crash landing, but our first stop will be my father's lab in Winters, and there's a landing pad there. A more complete fix will be possible there. For now, I'll just disable the PSI tracker, set the course for Home, and check over the Gravity Engine for leaks or other damage. The last thing we'd want is for something to go wrong there while mid-flight."

"I know not what that means, but I would presume you are correct," Poo observed calmly. "Let us devoutly hope that anything that goes wrong with this vessel happens while it is on the ground...and we are not inside."

"I'd honestly prefer nothing go wrong at all, but-" Jeff paused, then turned to Poo. "Was...was that a joke?"

"An attempt," Poo offered apologetically. "I am still adjusting to your language, as I am used to thinking in the tongue of Dalaam. It is a difficult transition, and I suppose not everything will translate well."

Jeff stared at Poo for a time, plainly uncertain how to respond. Eventually, he straightened his glasses. "R-right. Well, it should be sky worthy at least as far as Dad's lab. We'll just see what happens from there...once Ness, Moondancer, and Buzz Buzz get here, anyway-"

"Hup!" Ness declared happily as he leapt in through the hole, flipping himself in the air as he came down and somehow negating his momentum in the process, coming in for a gentle landing. Moondancer floated down lightly beside him. "Did you say we were ready to go?"

"That we are," Jeff confirmed as he began going through pre-flight checks.

"And how did your trip to heal the Mole go?" Poo inquired diffidently as they all boarded the craft.

Ness was silent for a time as he turned that over in his mind. "...enlightening."

With that, the Skyrunner shook as the engine hummed to life, and it lifted gently into the sky.

Moondancer smiled softly as she watched her friends reactions to flying through the sky in the Skyrunner. Ness was plastered to the window, practically trying to push his head through it as he stared out, down, and around at their flight, marveling at the experience of soaring so far above the ground. Paula was close behind him, but seemed to also be a bit nervous about the height...although that could have been an affectation as an excuse to cling to Ness, not that he seemed to notice. Poo stood calmly near another window as he also stared out and around. While his expression was calm and disciplined, every muscle in his body seemed tense as he looked around...though the fact that his hand was nowhere near his sword suggested this was from controlled excitement rather than controlled fear.

It wasn't long before snow became visible, and Jeff spoke up. "We're almost there. I suggest everyone brace themselves, just in case something goes wrong. We're going in on autopilot, so be ready for anything."

Moondancer rolled her eyes as that statement only seemed to get Ness all the more excited. However, nothing went wrong as they gently settled down on the landing pad after passing smoothly through the skylight. As they stepped off, Moondancer saw two monkeys waiting for them, one of them wearing a bow.

"Bubble Monkey?" Jeff asked in surprise.

The monkey not wearing a bow waved, while the one wearing a bow approached. Speaking in squeaks, chirps, ooks, and eeks, her meaning came through in thought form to all of them.

"Congratulations!" Jeff offered happily as the Bubble Monkey approached, trying to look cool.

he began awkwardly.

"A starburst?" Ness asked excitedly. "A Sanctuary Guardian?"

"Well, we know what we'll be doing while Dad works on the Skyrunner, if he's available," Jeff observed calmly.

the Bubble Monkey offered happily. His wife covered her cheeks as she cheeped at him, and then they departed.

As the group moved away from the Skyrunner, they saw Dr. Andonuts puttering around the lab. When he spotted them, he yelped in surprise, patting his chest. "Oh, you startled me," he managed to say, patting his chest. "So you're Ness."

"That's me," Ness replied, struggling to keep a smile on his face as he pushed himself. "I...understand you know my parents?"

Dr. Andonuts nodded. "Oh yes, we're old friends...." He frowned under his mustache, deep in thought. He then turned to look over the group. "You've all...grown," he observed awkwardly. "Jeff, you're...much more sure of yourself. And you too, Ness, from what your mother's said." His gaze hovered on Moondancer briefly in confusion, and even more so on Buzz Buzz, but then turned back to Ness. "I heard your discussion with the Bubble Monkey. I'll get started on the Skyrunner while you head north to...the locals call it Rainy Circle. Maybe we'll have time for tea and biscuits when you get back." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Of course, I don't actually have any tea...or biscuits...jerky maybe?" He gestured to an oversized caveman standing next to a revitalization device. "Big Foot over there makes a great jerky."

"We'll...we'll see," Jeff began awkwardly. He rubbed his head nervously. "This isn't as easy as it was last time, is it?"

Dr. Andonuts shrugged. "Ana has a way of making a lot of things easier," he allowed. "But...we'll figure things out."

With no one quite sure what else to say, Jeff led the group out and towards the cave to the north.

On a Jetplane

As the group passed by Stonehenge on the way to the cave, Ness paused and turned towards the center. He couldn't help but feel like there was something there...watching him. However, despite the sensation of such an ominous presence, there was nothing there to indicate the cause...aside from some exceptionally aggressive bears and a few oversized Cave Boys. However, the Cave Boys fled from the group unless a Mighty Bear had already charged in to battle, and despite their size and speed they proved to have difficulty maneuvering around the stones of Stonehenge. As a result, only one encounter - which ended quickly due to the bear going for Jeff first and lacking the strength to push past the Robo-Pack's servos, thus serving only to distract everyone from Ness' momentary hesitation - actually occurred before the group reached the cave.

No other creatures stood between the group and the Starburst on the uppermost floor of the cave, and so there was no hesitation in approaching it. "So you've come," the voice echoed from within the shimmering light. "This is the fourth 'Your Sanctuary' location, but it's mine now. Take it from me, if you dare..." As the voice trailed off, the starburst exploded, the light expanding to surround the entire group and reveal what it had hidden.

A huge mushroom stood upon a glade of smaller mushrooms, it's wide red cap overhanging an aggressive face as it waved beady little arms at the group...a sight that would have been more comedic if it didn't tower over them all by at least six feet. "I! AM! SHROOOM!" it declared in a bellowing voice full of power but lacking in intellect. "I WILL CRUSH YOU ALL!" It began to swing its arms at the group.

Ness instinctively ducked under the first swing, only for it to pass harmlessly three feet over the top of his head. "Huh," he murmured thoughtfully as he straightened. "I don't think he can hit us physically-" He ducked lower as a wash of flame swarmed in the air over the group.

"That's not the threat!" Paula declared as she caught her breath as her hands smoked from how quickly she unleashed the fire, and how difficult it was to control its focus without a target. "Every time he moves, spores shake free of him!"

"Mushroom and spores?" Buzz Buzz yelped worriedly as he ducked into Jeff's pack for shelter. "If those infest you, you might lose control of yourself and attack each other without meaning to!"

"Then we should stop its movements!" Poo declared firmly as he dashed forward, slashing with his sword. He grinned as one arm fell off. "That should-" His voice failed as the arm turned into normal mushroom where it landed, only to regenerate completely where it was severed. "-do...nothing. Curious."

"YOU CAN'T HURT ME!" Shrooom! declared dramatically. "I NOT FEEL PAIN!" He shook with laughter, scattering multiple different spores into the air.

Before Paula was able to unleash another wave of flame, several of the spores wound up going down Jeff's throat due to a badly timed sneeze. "Ugh..." he groaned as he went to his knees. "Feels like...food poisoning or something..."

"Healing!" Ness declared immediately, placing his hands on Jeff's side as they glowed with his PSI.

"My thanks," Jeff stated calmly as he got back to his feet. "But I think you should focus on damaging this beast as best you can.

"The fire isn't doing much," Moondancer stated with a frown as she tried to reconfigure her PSI Shield to filter out the spores, only managing one type at a time and that requiring constant maintenance. "And cutting doesn't do any good."

"Well I can't get close enough to strike him without trying to dodge rain!" Ness pointed out as he rolled out of the way of another volley of spores. As he came to a stop, he felt a rock under his foot. "...worth a shot," he mumbled as he picked the rock up, tossed it lightly into the air, and struck hard with his bat.

The rock shot through the air and embedded itself in Shrooom!'s flesh right between the eyes. It had no other noticeable effect.

"Well...that didn't work," Ness grumbled as he shifted his bat to his back.

A blast of energy from Jeff's Gaia Beam vaporized a chunk of Shrooom!, only for it to rapidly grow back. "Physical damage seems to have no effect on this creature," he observed worriedly.

"I! AM! SHROOOM!!" Shrooom! declared proudly as he shook more spores around. "I NOT FEEL PAIN-"

"We get it!" Paula snapped out irritably as she launched a Freeze Gamma, the concentrated burst of cold solidifying part of the beast's flesh.

"I...AM..." Shrooom! continued, seeming to slow from the cold as the solidified portion restricted its movements.

"Of course!" Jeff declared excitedly. "Plants like mushrooms have solid cell walls! If we're able to freeze it solid, we should be able to shatter its very cellular structure and prevent regenerative mitosis!

"Understood!" Poo declared as he also launched a PSI Freeze Gamma, freezing another portion.

"Ness!" Moondancer called out as she unleashed a Freeze Omega, solidifying even more of the creature. "See if you can't imbue your bat with some of your own PSI for a stronger hit!"

"On it," Ness stated calmly as he stepped back, calling forth the energy waves that he was able to unleash and infusing them into the Psi Bat at both ends, readying for a devastating attack as the metal seemed to vibrate from the focused energy.

Focusing her own energies, Paula was able to unleash her Power-Freeze. While it didn't cause the beast to begin crumbling as it had other creatures she'd hit with it, the rest of its body solidified. "Now, Ness!" she called out as she staggered.

"KIAI!" Ness screamed out as he leapt into the air, positioning the sweet spot of the bat's swing right where he instinctively knew the cold had left the beast most vulnerable. With an echoing crash, the beast shattered, the pieces scattering throughout the starry field the battle was contained in.

As everyone caught their breath, Buzz Buzz noticed something. "Why hasn't the field faded?" he asked worriedly. "Shouldn't the fight be over?"

"It should be..." Moondancer murmured with a frown. As she spoke, one of the pieces began to thaw...and wriggle, as did some of the mushrooms in the glade.

Seeing this, Ness though fast. "Poo, Starstorm!"

"At once!" Focusing his mind, Poo called down the stars as his sword had opened his mind to do. Starlight showered from the field surrounding them, smashing into every piece and mushroom and obliterating it. As they all ceased, the field faded.

As everyone finished catching their breath, Paula straightened her hair. "Is it just me...or was that a lot harder than these fights have been?"

"They're supposed to test me," Ness explained as he straightened himself, brushing off his shirt. "All of us, but me especially. Their forms are empowered by a mixture of Giygas' Madness waves and the Earth's energies from the Sanctuary..." He hesitated thoughtfully.

"And both the Madness waves and your energy nature shifted dramatically as a result of you and Moondancer using Star PSI to try and heal Giegue through the Mani Mani Statue," Jeff concluded decisively. "I imagine we can expect future encounters - both at Sanctuaries and elsewhere - to have become much more challenging."

"Then we must push on all the harder," Poo declared firmly. "If things have destabilized as it seems, then there should be more of a chance to accomplish our goals. For now, let us enter the Sanctuary and hear its melody, shall we?"

Nodding, Ness led the group through the no longer guarded cave entrance.

Outside the cave, the group found an odd puddle in the middle of the snowy clearing, rain seeming to constantly fall into it, and yet the water level never changed. As they stepped up to the edge, the Planet's Light enveloped them, and the Melody of Rainy Circle washed over them before being recorded in the Sound Stone and Glowing Stone.

As Ness caught a brief whiff of his Mom's spaghetti, Moondancer found her mind drifting back to her very first trip into her Father's Magicant...her first meeting with Niiue...and her first sight of the Red Swirls that tore at her Father's mind, the Whorls of Madness. She remembered their names, and the memory filled her with determination.

She would save her Father yet.

Don't Know When

Having experienced the melody of the Sanctuary, the group made their way back to Dr. Andonuts' lab. Despite once more feeling the odd energy from Stonehenge, Ness put it from his mind and focused on their goal. If the flow of events was destabilized due to what happened with the Mani Mani to the point the maddened creatures and Sanctuary Guardians were getting stronger, then there might be a chance to divert events before things got too far...so his focus was on trying to catch up with Pokey on the off chance he could help him to break free, if it wasn't too late.

Once they reached the lab, Dr. Andonuts looked up from the table, startled. "Oh, you're back already!" he gasped out in surprise. "I didn't think you would be that fast..."

Ness shrugged his shoulders easily. "Jeff figured out the weakness of the Sanctuary Guardian, so the fight went pretty quick."

"Is...is that so?" Dr. Andonuts observed thoughtfully. He turned to Jeff as he approached. "You've...grown a lot since I last saw you."

Jeff glanced down uncertainly, scuffing his shoe against the floor. "I...didn't exactly have much of a choice, all things considered."

The doctor sighed softly, a rueful grin on his face. "I know how that is..." he allowed, glancing towards an oddly placed keypad in a nearby wall. His eyes briefly went sad, but he quickly blinked away whatever thoughts had appeared in his mind. He then looked oddly at Jeff.

"D-dad?" Jeff asked uncertainly.

Dr. Andonuts seemed to come to a decision. "2-1-8-2-5," he said finally. "If things here ever look desperate and I'm not here...remember that. Perhaps...perhaps you can do what I could not..." He glanced away. "The Sky Runner is fixed up now. You can leave for Summers...anytime." He huffed thoughtfully into his mustache. "It...shouldn't break this time."

Jeff opened his mouth as if to ask something, only to hesitate as he saw the look in his father's eyes. "...alright," he allowed before turning back to the group, only then noticing that the entire discussion had been too quiet for them to hear. "We're ready to go," he said firmly.

Nodding, Ness let Jeff lead the way to the Sky Runner. Once everyone else was inside, Jeff exchanged one last glance and nod with his father before climbing aboard and starting up the machine.

"You sure you don't want to say anything else to your Dad?" Moondancer asked curiously. "We...might not see him again for a while."

Jeff sent a smile out the window as they rose into the air. "...I don't need to," he allowed thoughtfully.

After a seemingly brief cruise above the clouds, the Sky Runner once more dipped down below, coasting over a harbor filled with ships that did not seem to be in any hurry to go anywhere. Before long they passed over a stone pier, and then a beach filled with relaxed sun bathers and swimmers. Before anyone could get a good look, however, the Sky Runner began to shake violently. "Einstein's whiskers!" Jeff swore as his eyes raced over the controls. "We must have hit a bird going through the clouds! The telemetry from the antennae is off, and it's throwing off the engine's fuel balance! Assume crash positions everyone!"

"What are the crash positions, exactly?" Poo asked curiously as he braced himself. Ness had already thrown himself protectively over Paula, though what good he thought that would do in the event of a crash was anyone's guess.

"Brace yourselves!" Buzz Buzz called out desperately as he clung to Moondancer's mane.

Sighing, Moondancer rolled her eyes as she generated her PSI Shield, wrapping it in a tight bubble around the whole group. "Ness, a little help if you would?" she asked dryly.

Ness blinked for a time. "Oh...right. I can do that..." He sheepishly raised his hands and added his own PSI to the barrier just as the ship crashed into the sand and fell apart around them, the shield enabling them to handle it with no injury and only the slightest of jostling.

As everyone began brushing themselves off, Poo spoke up. "So what is our destination now?" he asked curiously.

"The museum," Ness stated firmly. "Pokey was heading there, and we need to see why." With firm nods all around, the group headed up off the beach and onto the boardwalk. While a few people around seemed puzzled by the groups' intensity, no one seemed disturbed or genuinely upset, and so the group pushed past the laid back atmosphere to continue their mission.

It didn't take long for the group to reach the museum. Wanting to avoid any issues of 'pets' like had happened at the theater in Fourside, Moondancer did her best to focus on the aura that caused people to overlook her if they were weak in PSI impression, doing her best to expand it to encompass Buzz Buzz as well. As a result, both of them went completely unnoticed as they made their way past the front desk, though the woman behind the counter did mention that the hieroglyph display was currently being remodeled and thus wasn't available for public viewing.

"I get the feeling that's what we need to see," Jeff murmured thoughtfully as the group entered the main exhibit hall.

"Considering the only things out here are a few old sarcophagi of varying sizes with no inscriptions, you are probably correct," Poo observed as he looked around the hall. "We will need to gain access to the hieroglyphs regardless."

"Any ideas on how to do that?" Ness asked quietly, trying to avoid drawing attention to the rather illicit discussion.

"In books, getting somewhere you aren't allowed is usually accomplished through force, stealth, or bribery," Paula pointed out thoughtfully. "Which of those would work here?"

Ness thought that over for a time. "Moondancer, would you be able to project yourself into the exhibit to tell us what the hieroglyphs say?"

"If I knew how to read them, probably," Moondancer allowed ruefully.

"Same goes for Buzz Buzz flying in, I take it?" Ness asked morosely.

"Pretty much," Buzz Buzz allowed. "That and I'm not sure I could fly that far without being noticed...and I don't even know where I'd be going."

"That is a good point," Jeff pointed out. "Perhaps we should explore further and find where the remodeling is happening before planning a way in?"

"Sounds like a plan," Ness allowed. Glancing around, he saw the only way out of the exhibit hall was the hallway they'd entered from and a stairwell on the far side. "To the second floor, then." With that declaration, he led the group over to the stairs and up to see what awaited them.

As they reached the top of the stairs, a man dressed in purple stood guard in front of a door. As they approached, he spoke up. "Sorry, can't go any farther kids," he stated in a calm, gruff voice. "This room's being remodeled. Authorized personnel only."

"And...how might we become...authorized?" Poo asked obliquely.

The man snorted derisively. "What, you think you're some kinda royalty so the normal rules don't apply to you, samurai boy?"

Poo glanced towards Ness, who nodded to encourage him to continue. "Of course not," Poo allowed, his left hand going into a pocket of his gi. "Rules apply to everyone, even royalty such as I." Seeing that gave the guard pause, he continued. "I simply know that there is always a way to accomplish anything, if the need is great enough...and I had hoped I might attempt to translate the inscriptions for my friends." Pulling his hand back out, he idly flipped a small, crimson ruby between his fingers like a much more valuable coin trick.

"Yeah, I can see why that might be important," the guard said, somewhat distracted by the play of light on the gem.

"And I've always felt it better to ask for permission..." He let his free hand idly rest on the hilt of his sword as though he were resettling it from an uncomfortable spot. "...than forgiveness. Cleaner, if nothing else." He paused thoughtfully. "Was that the right word? I am still learning this language..."

The guard blinked for a moment, then chuckled softly. "I'm impressed with your academic dedication," he observed dryly as he extended his left hand. Poo accepted the offered handshake, the gem missing from his grasp when he pulled back. "I suppose I can make an exception just this once...as long as you don't touch anything." With that, the guard pushed the door open...at which point two warriors made of somewhat damaged clay and bandages charged out.

Moondancer quickly seized both in her PSI, pushing them back into the exhibit. "Is this part of the educational experience?" she asked dryly as she held them up.

"But of course!" the guard declared happily. "A rich kid came by helicopter to look at the hieroglyphics not long ago, and he thought the whole thing needed to be a bit more lively! He loaned us these two, and we're remodeling to add more animatronics!" His eyes were a bit glazed as he spoke. "Took some pictures of the hieroglyphics, too! Made a lot of money that day..."

Keeping the creatures at bay, Moondancer allowed Poo to enter to examine and translate the inscriptions. "To fight against the invaders, we built the pyramid fortress," he spoke aloud as he translated. "However, our efforts were futile and we lost. Nonetheless, our pyramid was protected by the gods of Scaraba. The invaders will be reborn every millennium and will attack again. Even now, the invaders hide behind space and time to build their evil stronghold."

"An evil stronghold?" Ness asked in surprise.

"Behind space and time..." Moondancer murmured worriedly as her thoughts turned back to that place where they'd fought their way towards Giegue, only to be diverted. She looked up at Buzz Buzz, who nodded to confirm he was thinking the same thing.

Poo continued to translate. "A place out of time is beyond the Dark, and is even further beyond the Lost Underworld."

"Sounds like somewhere we should investigate at some point," Jeff murmured thoughtfully.

"The Deep Darkness is shrouded, it is without light," Poo continued. "Only one with the Hawk Eye can pierce the dark. The Sphinx now watches over everything, waiting for the coming of a truly brave hero. ...dance in front of the Sphinx."

"I...guess we know where we're going," Ness allowed thoughtfully.

"Want a picture?" the guard asked pleasantly. "A reward for studying so hard." With a happy, dazed grin he handed a picture over to Ness, who quickly put it away to review later as needed.

As the group moved to leave the museum, they noticed that the front hall was empty...and the phone was ringing.

"Should we answer?" Paula asked curiously.

"The call probably isn't for us," Moondancer pointed out thoughtfully.

"There's a pad and paper there," Ness pointed out as he picked it up. "I can take a message." With his free hand, he lifted the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello? Is this Mr. Fork of the Scaraba Cultural Museum?" the voice on the other end demanded excitedly.

"Umm..." Ness began awkwardly.

"Doesn't sound like you," the voice on the other end continued, not seeming to register Ness' lack of response. "Well, I'll quickly tell you my story because I'm busy, busy, busy! I found something so extraordinary that mere words won't do it justice!"

"Who is this?" Ness managed to ask, hoping he could at least write a message.

"What do you mean, 'Who am I'?" the voice demanded irritably. "It's me, Mr. Spoon from the Fourside museum of Natural History! Look Mr. Fork, I'm not exaggerating this find! How often do you find something guarded by stars?" The signal cut out with a click and a beep.

Ness blinked at that. "I...think we need to detour to Fourside," he murmured thoughtfully.

I'll Be Back

A quick Teleport later and the group found themselves back in Fourside just north of the museum. Entering from the front, Ness led the way to the front desk. The attendant there smiled kindly at the group. "The dinosaur museum doesn't have any actual dinosaurs," she observed thoughtfully. "They're all replicas, but I'm sure everyone knows that. If you still want to see the dinosaurs, it's $5 a piece for the entrance fee."

Ness frowned thoughtfully. "Actually, we were hoping to see Mr. Spoon. He works here, right?"

"He does," the attendant allowed. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Uh...no," Ness allowed.

"Well, he might be on the museum floor if his schedule is free," the attendant allowed, glancing through some papers. "I don't think there'd be a problem if you talked to him while in there as customers."

Ness stepped back from the counter and turned to the others. "Something tells me we won't be able to get an appointment," he admitted worriedly.

"Doubtful," Moondancer allowed. "He's probably keeping his schedule clear for Mr. Fork...who won't be calling."

"So we pay the entrance fee and hope he's there?" Jeff suggested thoughtfully. "I mean...it's just $25, right?"

"I'd like it if we could be sure he'd be there first," Paula countered with a frown. "However little it is compared to our resources, wasting money isn't a good habit to get into."

"And how are we to determine if he is there?" Poo asked curiously. "We do not even know what he looks like, so we cannot investigate without physically entering and asking around."

"We could ask about his discovery," Buzz Buzz suggested thoughtfully. "If he's made a fuss, this lady might know."

Blinking in surprise at that thought, Ness turned back to the attendant. "We'd heard Mr. Spoon had made some sort of fantastic discovery?" he asked curiously.

"Is that what all that fuss with the door in the back is about?" she asked in surprise. "He's been back there so much it's getting worrisome, but if he's researching something I guess it makes sense..."

"So if he's on the floor he'd be by the door in back?" Jeff pressed.

"Likely, yeah," the attendant allowed thoughtfully.

Poo took a glance through the entrance, narrowing his eyes as he let his essence sink into a memory of a creature once encountered. As his eyesight sharpened, he saw an older man with red hair and thick stubble in a lab coat, seemingly standing guard against the door that had been mentioned. "He's there," he observed as he slipped his mentality back into himself. While it was easier to use the Mirror technique to imitate a foe's abilities if the foe was there, using it to imitate from a memory allowed for more control if less effectiveness. Not useful when in combat, but effective otherwise.

"We'd like to see the exhibits," Ness confirmed happily, paying the entrance fee for the group.

"We hope you enjoy," the attendant replied happily, ushering them onward.

After stopping to make sure Poo was okay, the group made their way to the back of the museum floor. Once there, they approached the scientist. "We heard there was...something extraordinary?" Ness managed to get out.

The man - presumably Mr. Spoon - frowned and rubbed at his stubble. "You want to see something extraordinary, huh?" he asked rhetorically. He lowered his gaze as he thought in silence for a time before speaking up. "...you know, there's a new singer at the Topolla Theater named Venus. Could you bring me her autograph on an eraser? Or...anything, really. Doesn't have to be an eraser..." His breathing quickened slightly before he got himself under control. "If you bring me that, I could show you something extraordinary..."

"Maybe we should have split the party for this," Paula observed thoughtfully as they turned to leave, as it quickly became plain nothing else would budge the man.

"Wouldn't have done any good," Jeff pointed out as they made it out of the museum. "We didn't know we'd have a second objective."

"To the Topolla Theater, then," Ness allowed ruefully as they made their way there. "At least it's not too far away..." He frowned as a certain thought crossed his mind. "Do we still have the stuff we used to make Moondancer look like a therapy pet?"

"Oh don't you dare!" Moondancer snapped irritably. "Do you know how undignified that felt? I can just sit out one performance."

"But I don't want to leave you out here alone-" Ness began awkwardly.

"We can just split the group for this," Moondancer insisted. "There's six of us. Three and three should be fine, right?"

Ness thought about that for a time, then frowned. For a moment it had almost felt like something had pressed against his mind, but it was already gone. It hadn't felt hostile, but it had felt...odd. Almost like something was trying to get a mental look at him...though he wasn't entirely certain it had even happened. "Look, we'll just see if they still insist on the 'no pets' thing," he decided firmly. "Maybe they'll see you as a person this time instead, like Paula's Dad did."

Moondancer frowned a trifle petulantly. "...maybe..." she allowed uncertainly.

As they entered the theater, Ness noticed the person behind the counter looking a little glass-eyed, as though he were only half awake. "$30 group ticket charge," he droned in a bored monotone.

Shrugging, Ness handed over the cash and took the ticket he was offered before presenting it to the person blocking entrance.

"Thank you," the man replied as he stepped aside. "Please hurry, the show is about to start."

"Uh...okay," Ness allowed uncertainly as the group made their way into the theater proper.

As soon as they were through the door, the lights dimmed, freezing them in place. A strained male voice immediately began announcing the entertainment. "Oh baby, baby, baaabyyy! Don't make me hurt so bad! These guys are all stone cold gone for you... Ow! You cute, sexy thing you... Baby, sing to me! Sing to me only! ...Baby! Venus! Just sing and I can die a happy man! I want to hold-" The mic clicked off seemingly of its own accord.

The spotlight came on on the stage, illuminating the blonde woman the group had seen on stage with the Runaway Five at their last performance, though she had her back to the audience as a smooth jazz number began. Her blonde hair hung more than halfway down her back, parting just enough to show where the back of her dress stopped just above the small of her back. It clung to her curves as she swayed back and forth to the music, not yet singing. Both dress and hair sparkled in the light as her heels audibly clicked against the stage with each step, though the sound quickly muffled by the rising music. She slowly turned around, revealing how the dress hung off her upper arms, leaving her shoulders and a good amount of decolletage exposed. Her face was flawless, her lips gentle yet full, and her eyes a glimmering gold surrounded by the silver dusting her lashes. There was something almost unearthly about her beauty.

As she opened her mouth and began to sing, none of the group could quite make out what the words were, and yet somehow they seemed to carry the sense of an unutterable longing, a loneliness that seemed to define a person's being, and an ancient wound to the very soul desperate to be healed. And yet despite the emotion that seemed bound up in the song to the point it seemed to pierce the soul of the listener without bothering to pass through ears or mind, her face showed only bemused curiosity as she danced and swayed to the music.

Part way through the song, a man actually clambered up onto the stage, plainly seeking to do something to the performer. However, though she turned to look at him and backed away, her expression remained almost clinically detached, watching him less like he was a threat or a crazed fan and more like he was a lab animal exhibiting odd behavior. She showed no fear or hurry as she backed away and her guards dashed in from either side of the stage to drag the interloper off. Shortly thereafter, the song ended and she calmly made her way to the back of the stage, the spotlight cutting as the music did. When the lights came up, she was gone.

The entire group shook themselves out of the daze the experience had left them in. Ness and Moondancer were the first to recover, and helped the others recover as well. "Let's see about getting that autograph," Jeff observed calmly as they all recovered.

"Agreed!" Ness replied eagerly...a trifle too eagerly, if the look on Paula's face was anything to judge by. Poo merely smiled at that but said nothing.

Making their way across to where the entrance to the dressing room was, they found a young-seeming man standing guard. As they approached, he glanced at Moondancer before stepping aside. "Miss Venus wishes to see your group whenever you come," he stated calmly. "Hurry, before the other fans notice you."

Before the others could react, Moondancer all but bum-rushed them into the room. Once inside, they found the room almost empty except for Venus herself, who was standing next to a chair and gazing out a window. As they approached, she turned to them. Though she continued to show no expression as she looked over the group, for a moment it looked like a smile briefly touched her face as she looked at Moondancer, though it was gone too quick to be certain. "You came for an autograph?" she asked calmly as she reached over into a cupboard. "Let's see what I can give it to you on."

As she rummaged through, Jeff blinked in surprise. "You...knew why we were coming? How?"

"The stars told me," she replied rather airily as she pulled out a banana peel of all things before putting her signature on it. "If it was for all of you, I'd use something a bit more permanent...but for anyone else, best it's on something that will decay and not leave evidence soon."

As everyone was left rather confused by this assertion, Paula struggled to get a handle on the situation. "So you're into astrology, then?" she asked curiously.

"In a manner of speaking," Venus answered mysteriously before handing the autographed banana peel to Ness before kneeling down in front of Moondancer. "It did lead to my choice of stage name." She rested her hand briefly, affectionately in the unicorn's mane before standing upright, leaving Moondancer confused. "But for now you all should hurry. You have someone to catch up to once you finish this side trip, don't you?"

"R-right!" Ness responded immediately, turning to lead the group out.

"But why Venus?" Poo asked curiously as they reached the door.

"It was my second choice," Venus explained calmly. "My agents told me my first choice would be seen as too masculine, for some reason."

"What was your first choice?" Moondancer found herself asking, uncertain why.

For a brief moment, Venus' eyes were sad, and she gave Moondancer a significant look. "Mercury." As Moondancer gasped in shock but before anyone else could say anything, she closed the door, leaving them outside the dressing room.

Again

Moondancer staggered back with the others as they made their way back to the museum. While the others barely seemed aware of what just happened, she was lost in her own mind.

There was no doubt about it. The singer Venus was Cerue...her mother. She'd left Mercury and come to Earth, the focal point of the conflict with Giegue/Giygas, and placed herself in a position practically at the heart of the conflict. And on top of that...she'd felt her in her Magicant. It was how she knew that Venus was more than mere human...but Cerue hadn't touched Moondancer's Magicant even when they were together on Mercury, when she had chosen the role of Moondancer's mother. Back then, Cerue had been entirely self-enclosed PSIchicly, as though she shunned even the idea of letting her mind directly contact another's.

Moondancer couldn't really blame her for that, admittedly. After all, her only past experience with that had been when she was with Giegue...and the way that had ended would be enough to put anyone off it, even if they didn't fully understand what it was like. To permanently anchor your mind, your soul, a piece of your very sense of self and identity to a bond shared with another, only to have it torn asunder as that person became someone you couldn't even recognize anymore...

As the group entered the back room Mr. Spoon had been guarding - a room containing only an open manhole cover through which a distant glimmering of stars could be seen - Ness paused and laid his hand on Moondancer's neck. What happened on Mercury? he asked silently, no doubt in his mind that his thought inquiry would reach her. Whatever it was that Venus was talking about, it threw you off something fierce.

Moondancer shuddered as she tried - and failed - to bring her thoughts and emotions into some semblance of order. Such an undisciplined mind would shame the Geeg and their subordinates. An idle snort crossed her mind as she briefly thought about how little that would actually matter to Giegue and Cerue how she wished she knew them, before the Nightmare Engine-

Oh, so that's why she threw you, Ness thought to her silently, making Moondancer realize he was actually picking something up from her wandering mind with how undisciplined her thoughts were at the moment. I can see why that would be emotional for you...but why aren't you happier?

Moondancer closed her eyes, bringing herself back into focus as she felt Poo add his hand to her back. With the three of them touching minds, she felt herself briefly surrounded by Mu, the comforting emptiness letting her face her thoughts and doubts without fear. When we last parted, she said Giegue learning about her presence could be...very bad, she explained in silent thought. I...don't understand why she would be here now.

Perhaps the 'here' and the 'now' are the exact details you are missing? Poo suggested diffidently, even his silent thoughts as disciplined as his normal expression. Though perhaps 'now' is less of a concern, given that time manipulation is at hand and events don't necessarily influence each other in linear order. At least, I believe that is what I understand from your discussions with Nieue from the memories you shared.

Moondancer thought about that for a time. Yeah. That did seem to be the situation...

Buzz Buzz shifted idly in her mane, having been privy to the silent discussion due to proximity. Well, the answer's obvious, he observed thoughtfully. Something happened HERE, in Fourside, that sent ripples through Time and Space that meant she wanted to be here...something that would reach her even in the heart of Mercury for her to feel-

The Star PSI! Ness concluded, his eyes widening in shock. We were reaching through the Mani Mani Statue into the heart of the Madness and whatever machine was influencing Giegue...and healed him, restored him, brought back part of his true self! If any connection between them remained, she would have felt that through the distortions of time, wouldn't she?

Moondancer blinked for a bit as she felt energy surging within Ness as he said that, energy that resonated with something deep inside her that seemed to purge the world around her of even the slightest touch of grey, a grey she didn't even realize was there before. As she felt a different power welling inside her to meet it, a tinge of blue and gold touched her vision ever so briefly. Then...maybe it's not just Father that can be saved after all... she thought, a desperate hope coloring her thoughts.

Alinivar promised, Buzz Buzz pointed out, a smile in his thoughts. We'll keep it.

Moondancer took a deep breath, letting her thoughts and emotions gently settle as she stopped trying to rein them in. Seeing Jeff and Paula staring at the silent gathering, she awkwardly scuffed her hoof against the carpet. "Sorry about that," she apologized, her voice still somewhat thick with emotion. "I..." She hesitated, uncertain how to explain what it was all about. She certainly didn't want to mention Cerue aloud.

"Don't worry about it," Jeff observed calmly, straightening his glasses. "I'm quite aware there was something...unusual about the encounter with that singer. I suppose it was your turn to experience emotional upheaval that redefined how you saw yourself and your place in the world on this journey."

"And here I thought it was traveling with her that was making us experience that," Paula offered somewhat teasingly, though her eyes showed compassion and understanding. Moondancer was unsurprised that Paula understood without being told.

"Precisely," Jeff joked with a slight smirk. Clearing his throat before anyone could comment, he began speaking more seriously. "I took a look down the manhole cover. As can be expected, it leads into the sewers, and it is...far from clean. We can expect to be slogging our way through in order to get anywhere, and it is unlikely it will be an easy or comfortable trek. I already spotted specters and other creatures swarming through the sludge. Roaches, trash creatures, and R.O.U.S.es, just to name a few."

"That's not going to be pleasant," Ness muttered irritably as he gently took his hand from Moondancer's neck, breaking the mental contact to free them all up to think and plan separately. "Is there at least a walkway?"

"There is, but it is blocked here and there by large barrels," Jeff allowed apologetically. "We may have to slog through the sewage at certain points to reach the Starburst containing the Sanctuary Guardian."

"Could we not go over the barrels?" Poo suggested thoughtfully. "If they are too heavy to lift or push out of the way, then they should be sturdy enough to handle one our age clambering over them. If Jeff and I gave Ness a boost, he could clamber over first and receive each of us coming down the other side, and Moondancer could float herself over after giving me a leg up once everyone else was across."

Jeff tapped his chin in thought before taking another look down the manhole. "That might work in theory...but we might be attacked by monsters while the group was divided. Not to mention the barrels do not look entirely clean, and we might end up slipping off them into the sewage anyway, and then be further divided if attacked."

"Once one of us ends up in the sewage, there's no point in the rest of us not if there's danger," Ness pointed out. "Let's give it a try and see how it turns out. It might work, and I can't see the attempt hurting anything in the long run. And you could use your Robo-Pack to help stabilize things if we misjudge anything."

"Very well," Jeff allowed uncertainly, though accepting Ness' decision as leader of the group. "Let's go."

Song of Love

In amongst the asteroid fields, the ship floated. The lights were dimmed, the engines off, the shields the lowest possible to deal with the occasional stray space debris. To all appearances, the ship was dead. The only sign of life was in the cockpit.

The alien was tall and thin, the only visible muscle definition in the rippling of his torso. His brown eyes glowed in his elongated head, his gray skin given a white sheen by pale starlight. His arms and legs ended not in hands or feet, but in wavy tendrils that could grasp anything. A similar tendril shaped his tail, though it ended in a thicker stub as a vestigial defensive weapon. He had no need of weapons, though, as he floated seemingly serenely in the air as he stared out of the cockpit towards a blue star. However, that seeming serenity was far from the truth.

His name was Giegue, and he had just suffered a most humiliating defeat in his greatest of goals. His race - the Geeg - had been blessed with powerful PSI abilities that could reshape the world around them with mere thoughts...and for reasons of their own, the Geeg had placed the infant Giegue with humans to be raised. Giegue did not know why...nor did he know why George and Maria - the humans who had raised him - were sent away without warning. The Geeg told him it was because they had betrayed him, used him to give PSI to humanity. This must be truth: Giegue could not conceive the concept of untruth...and yet, George and Mary had said they loved him, and what he understood of love was incompatible with betrayal so they must have reviled him all along the rotten miserable-

He pulled his mind away from the destructive line of thought. Emotions were weakness, he knew this. George and Maria had loved him, and feared him. Fear had been stronger than love, and that had led to betrayal. He believed this. Thus, he'd come to the conclusion that to remove emotion from humanity would make them stronger, above betrayal. He had told this to Cerue...and she had recoiled. He'd tried to explain, but the gutless wench chose her science over the only thing that kept him sane-

Again, Giegue pulled his mind back from the destructive train of thought before it could start damaging the world around him, or further damage his mind. That bridge was broken, a wound in Magicant that would never heal. Should there be a need, he would excise the damaged portions completely. That would leave him with a clear mind to accomplish his goal...and find out what went wrong. Instead of excising emotion, his experiments had locked the subjects in states of rage and madness...

And then the humans had come. Ninten, his nephew, grandson of George and Maria, gifted with powerful PSI. Anna, another child with potent PSI at her command. Lloyd, another child, gifted with machines but not PSI. Teddy, a young adult with great strength who had watched over them. They had used against him a melody they could not have known, further proof of betrayal-

Again, Giegue pulled back from the destructive thought. The song had brought back the happy memories, as it was the song Maria had used to sing him to sleep. But now, it was tied to the division in his mind, the madness that was tearing him apart. Already, he could feel the division inside, and see Niiue taking shape as the representation of his innocence, his capacity to...love. Soon, Niiue would have to be excised to allow Giegue to continue to function...but doing so would drastically damage his psyche.

Gazing out into the field of stars, he saw a smaller asteroid moving fast enough to have a tail. A shooting star, George had called them. They were supposed to grant wishes. On an impulse, he decided to make a wish. Tracking its progress, he thought silently, I wish there was another way...a way to be whole...

In the moment of making the wish, Giegue had forgotten just how powerful his mind was. He had poured his whole - for lack of a more accurate descriptor - heart into the making of the wish, for that one moment of uncharacteristic wistfulness...and all that power was bound to have an effect. It reached across the cosmos...and connected with another surge of power, drawing the two together.

Giegue floated back, staring down at the tiny creature that had appeared literally at his feet. The creature somewhat resembled the horses of Earth, but was much smaller, almost the size of a house cat. It had a yellow-gray coat, large purple eyes, a red mane and tail with a purple stripe, and a horn growing out of the center of its head. For some reason, it was wearing large square glasses and a massively oversized dark blue turtleneck. To Giegue's surprise, it had a strong PSI impression, one that was distinctly female.

As she caught sight of Giegue, she started to wail, her eyes closed and her horn glowing. A wave of energy - that was similar to but not PSI - washed over the chamber, gripping everything movable and swirling it around her...and applying enough torsion to things that weren't movable to threaten to tear the chamber apart. Giegue carefully probed the force with his mind, and swiftly learned two things. First, his PSI would bounce off the whirlwind of force she had created if he tried to destroy her. Second, if he didn't find some other means of stopping her tantrum, she would tear the cockpit apart...and her tantrum had already damaged the door to the point he wouldn't be able to leave before explosive decompression occurred.

He stared at her, doing his best to examine the creature...and reached the conclusion she was an infant. He knew of a way to calm a crying infant...though it would tear at his mind. Still, he would be alive. He couldn't guarantee that if he didn't stop her. Taking a deep breath, he began to sing, his voice echoing in the small canopy.

Take a melody
Simple as can be
Give it some words and
Sweet harmony
Raise your voices
All day long now
Love grows strong now
Sing a melody of
Love, oh love
Love is the power
Love is the glory
Love is the beauty
And the joy of spring

Love is the magic
Love is the story
Love is the melody
We all can sing

As the song echoed, the tiny filly's cries slowed, then stopped. As it reached its end, she floated into Giegue's arms, curling up there all bundled up in her oversized turtleneck. She blinked up at him, smiled softly, and went to sleep.

A surge of strong emotion shot through Giegue's being, so strong it nearly broke him...but it was not anger. It passed before he could fully analyze it, but it left him with a desire to...know more about this child. He would...study her.

As he watched, she started to fuss in her sleep, her face contorting in pain. It looked like she was going to cry again. Not wanting to have to deal with that again - or to have to sing again - Giegue reached out with his mind to try and banish her dreams...only to discover that the child had a fully fleshed Magicant, the world of the mind. If he wanted to know more about her, he didn't need to limit himself to observation. If he was careful - and gentle - he could enter her Magicant and learn her secrets that way. To do so to a Geeg without permission was - as Cerue had told him - an egregious violation of every rule of conduct not to mention a violation of deepest trust...but this creature was not a Geeg.

As he stepped into her Magicant, he found he still held the filly in his arms. Finding himself in the first area of Magicant - the 'Home Zone', where the one whose Magicant it was would find the most comfort and ease - he found himself surrounded by books, stacked as high as he could see. And there on a desk was a nameplate, the filly's name.

'Moon Dancer'.

Powers that were and weren't PSI, a manifest Magicant, and a name...this child was full of surprises.

Touch of Madness

Giegue floated carefully around the stacks of books, being careful not to touch anything. The last thing he wanted to do was to disturb this Magicant before he fully understood it. He couldn't recognize any of the titles on the books stacked to the heavens - in point of fact, he couldn't even read the titles, they were in a language he knew not - so he began to search for a way out from amongst the stacks. It didn't take him long to find it, and when he did he stepped out into a city that had no place on Earth. In fact, it looked more like part of the false world that Maria and George had raised him in, with drawings of castles and clear blue skies.

He held the infant Moondancer in his arms, and yet there walking away from him was an adult Moondancer, dressed in the turtleneck and glasses which were no longer so badly fitting, her flank marked by a dark blue swirl and star. The meaning escaped Giegue, but he knew details like that were always important. As such, he followed the adult Moondancer through the Magicant, seeking to make sense of what he was seeing.

The mare walked past a school, pausing at a window to stare at a filly Moondancer, not yet wearing glasses, who was sitting beside a purple filly with a two-tone mane like Moondancer's own. Neither were showing much emotion as they spoke to each other in words Giegue did not understand, but he had no trouble interpreting the scene. It was not the way of the Geeg to show much emotion, or even to admit to having it anywhere but in the most private corner of their Magicants and sharing only with the one with whom they would declare 'We are'. Of all the Geeg, only Cerue knew the turmoil of Giegue's own emotions and now she was-

Giegue forced his mind back to the present perceptions, unwilling to damage the Magicant he was exploring by letting the turmoil of his own leak out. He could tell by the positioning of lights and other things within the memory that it was a happy one...and yet the dark tones of the world around the classroom indicated it was a painful recollection. This was curious. As the adult Moondancer turned to leave, Giegue followed, keeping the foal in his arms from fussing by gently running one tendril through her mane.

The adult Moondancer continued to pause to observe memories of her younger self and that purple filly. It didn't take long for Giegue to recognize what was happening there, or why he so rapidly compared it to...her. The emotions were different, but the sense of bond was the same. The purple pony had been Moondancer's gateway to beyond her own mind and private world, and she had anchored a great deal of her self-esteem and ambitions to the purple filly's regard. He found he no longer wanted to see why those memories were tinged with darkness, but knew he would have to see all of it. He was a scientist, and this was the key to saving humans from humanity.

It didn't take long to see the cause, though it was worryingly close to the Sea of Eden, the dark side of Magicant that contained the darkness and nightmares of the mind, the destructive, instinctive portion. Here he saw the adult Moondancer standing in front of a rather childish party filled with cake, balloons, a pinata...it was rather like the parties George and Maria threw for Giegue's 'birthdays', a human tradition he still did not understand. How could a measure of time based on a planet orbiting a star have meaning aboard a ship that did not move?

The mare seemed eager, hopeful...but the purple pony moved into view. "Sorry, Moondancer!" she called out dismissively. "I'm much too busy being special and important and Celestia's personal student to have time for your stupid party. I don't even have time to meet you face to face or send you a note about it, so I'll just let those other mares we hang out with tell you I'm not going. You just don't matter!" With that message delivered, the mare trotted cheerily off into shadows, the mental constructs of the party slowly collapsing behind the adult Moondancer.

He recognized that this memory was perception, not truth...but that was easy for an outsider to see. Such distinctions were difficult to perceive in one's own Magicant, he knew that quite well. But of greater concern was seeing the entire Magicant slowly crumbling inward, as the Sea of Eden opened its maw around the adult Moondancer, slowly drawing the rest of the Magicant into the darkness.

As the darkness spread, Giegue withdrew to the library...where he found another adult Moondancer huddled amongst the books, weeping. She stared up at the stars...and her power began to gather. As the power flowed over her, she began to fade and vanish...only for a surge of PSI to make the library vanish, leaving behind only a statue of himself.

So that's it, Giegue thought to himself. When I made the wish...my PSI connected to her. My desire to find a way to be whole connected with her desire to no longer be a part of the world that caused her such pain...and our shared strength brought her to me.

"So you figured it out, then?"

That voice drew Giegue's eyes to where the adult Moondancer was visible, changed. Her mane and tail flowed freely, crimson spirals moving of their own accord through violet clouds. Her eyes shone crimson in pools of darkness. Her coat had become a putrid green-yellow, and her teeth now looked like half-rotten fangs. "So you aren't the old Moondancer," he concluded flatly. "You are her Nightmare. That is why the Sea of Eden opens for you."

"Indeed I am...and you aren't needed in here." The figure slowly started to step forward. "She gave into the darkness. She welcomed the end. If not for your interference, her pain - my pain - would be over now. You can leave now, and we'll get back to what we were doing."

The foal in his arms clung desperately to Giegue, weeping in terror. He gently stroked her mane...and heard his own voice echoing.

Take a melody...

Seeing the Nightmare flinch back from that sound, Giegue understood. "In the depths of her despair, she sought death...but she no longer seeks death now. I am her lifeline, a second chance."

"So you will 'keep her safe'?" the Nightmare sneered. "She may not see it, but I do! You care not for her, anymore than George or Maria cared for you!"

The sudden surge of rage in Giegue's mind actually sent the Nightmare staggering back, even if he didn't actually wield it. "...how curious," he murmured softly as he brought it back under control. "It appears even my own mind and heart are still beyond my comprehension...and this filly will help me understand them. Perhaps she is my key to becoming whole. And perhaps I will be hers."

"You'll have to escape this Magicant alive first!" the Nightmare roared, lunging for him.

"Take a melody..." Giegue gently sang.

The Nightmare was brought up short as a statue of Giegue erupted from the mental firmament, causing her to slam into it.

"Simple as can be..." Giegue continued.

A second statue rose, this one of a Geeg with a more human face and build, wearing a striped T-shirt and a baseball cap...Niiue. Giegue briefly wondered why he was here in Moondancer's mindscape, but then continued his song.

"Give it some words, and..."

A third statue arose, this one of...a bee rising out of a flying saucer? Giegue made a mental note to explore the significance of these at a later date if he could.

"Sweet Harmony..."

The fourth statue was a human child, male, wearing a striped shirt, shorts, baseball cap, and holding a baseball bat.

"Raise your voices..."

The fifth statue was another human child, this one a girl in a dress.

"All day long now, love grows strong now..."

Another human child, this one male wearing glasses.

"Sing a melody of..."

The seventh statue was a human child with a topknot.

"Love, of love..."

As the eighth statue rose, completing the circle, Giegue lost his voice. It was Cerue. Why would she play such an important role in the stability of Moondancer's mind? What did it mean?

The Nightmare tried to charge at the gaps between the statues, only to be brought up short by walls of song. She eventually settled for glowering at Giegue. "It won't hold forever," she growled, the barrier blocking most of the menace of her voice. "It will break eventually...and no matter how strong she becomes, she won't be able to beat me. The stronger she becomes, the stronger I become. Every skill, every spell, every PSI she masters, I will learn it too. And by the time the barrier breaks, your mind will have shattered. You know she stands no chance against me alone!"

Giegue's eyes widened as he glanced over the statues. Is that what they mean? Another prophecy? He turned back to the Nightmare. "I do not believe she will face you alone," he stated. Saying no more, he turned and floated back towards the rest of the Magicant.

To his surprise, it was almost completely blank. When he looked close, he could see the echoes of what was there before, now suppressed by the binding of the Nightmare. So she is now a blank slate? he thought to himself as he left the Magicant and returned to his cockpit. He looked down at the little filly. "I will take the time to learn what I can from you," he observed softly. "And I will shape you such that you will be able to overcome your Nightmare...as I believe it is your destiny as that shows for you to help me conquer my own."

"And I'll help you," Niiue promised from inside his mind, his voice filled with love.

Giegue said nothing, simply stroking the now peacefully sleeping infant in his arms.

"So...what does she eat?" Niiue asked curiously.

Giegue blinked for a time. "...that is an important consideration, is it not?" he murmured, the slightest hint of worry entering his voice.

Author's Note

Just letting everyone know, the first major arc of this story draws heavily from the fanmade game "Mother: Cognitive Dissonance". I highly recommend the game to all Mother fans...or any readers who want to see more of the backdrop I won't cover directly in story.

First Step

Thankfully, it wasn't too difficult for Giegue to figure out what to feed Moondancer. Leaving her in the care of a Starman named Larice, he teleported down to Earth to observe the closest terran counterpart - a pony - and grabbed a few samples of its preferred diet. He then teleported back up to the ship. By the time he returned, Larice had started showing unusual behavior. The Starmen - silver-bodied metal soldiers that served the Geeg as shock troops - were meant to be nothing but that: shock troops. His time with Moondancer, however, had caused Larice to start exhibiting unusual bonding behavior, to the point he actively resisted Giegue's attempts at retrieving her. For his pains, Larice had his Emblem - the sign of his servitude to Giegue - cracked, and was sent to the labs to be decommissioned...eventually.(1)

Once Giegue confirmed that Moondancer did indeed enjoy eating the vegetable matter he'd brought back, he shoved it into the matter replication engine of the ship, coding it to use PSI energy to enhance the foodstuffs to help accelerate Moondancer's development. He was pleased to see that this apparently made the food taste better to Moondancer, and fed her as much as she wanted to eat...once he'd mushed it up to a consistency she could eat.

After that first meal, he began careful study of her, examining her from every angle as he held her aloft in his PSI, doing his best to determine the source of her power. For some reason, this seemed to thrill the little filly, as she laughed gaily from the floating. Before long, her horn began to glow, its energies interacting with Giegue's PSI, and she began levitating herself.

"You certainly learn fast," Giegue observed calmly as he turned to trace her movements as she zoomed around and around him. Noticing her entire body glowing, he frowned. "That is not PSI. That is your energy. I want to understand it." Carefully, he began probing the energy fields around the filly with his PSI.

Despite his best efforts, his probing brought him no answers. Instead, Moondancer swung around his head giggling happily before finally settling atop his head, snuggling in between his antennae.

"You are being quite frustrating," Giegue observed irritably.

Perhaps if you took a different approach? Niiue suggested diffidently from within Giegue's Magicant.

...and what would you suggest? Giegue asked coldly.

Trying to use PSI to analyze her abilities isn't working, Niiue pointed out. Perhaps you should teach her to tap PSI, and then see how her energies interact once the two powers share a body?

Giegue frowned thoughtfully as he turned the notion over in his mind. He saw no harm, and saw every reason why it would work. He decided to engage in the activity immediately...and he knew just how to begin. Of course, he would need to wait for Moondancer to get hungry again...

While waiting for Moondancer to get hungry, she actually fell asleep on Giegue's head. He was mildly surprised at this, but saw no reason to dislodge her. He could easily carry her weight as well as his own as he floated, and not only did this reduce the chances of him losing track of her, it meant he didn't need to go to the effort of constructing a crib for her...or journeying back into his nursery to retrieve the betrayer's prison for his child mind-

Giegue closed his eyes, rubbing his temples with both fore-tendrils as he struggled to push back the wrathful thoughts. He had a project to study, and if it gave him everything he wanted it to, he wouldn't have to give into rage to fix everything. The engine was off...everything was going to be fine...just fine...just fine...

Moondancer woke with a cry of hunger, much to Giegue's pleasure. Gently lifting her off his head, he strapped her into a chair before going to the opposite side of the room to mix up her food. Once it was mixed - and releasing an aroma he presumed was pleasant to the filly - he left it where it was before floating over to Moondancer's side.

The filly glanced up at him in confusion, pointing insistently at the bowl. Giegue waited impassively, watching her to see what she would do. After a time, she turned back to the bowl with a pout, her horn glowing as her aura gently lifted the bowl off the counter.

Giegue immediately lifted a tendril, directing his PSI to push the bowl back down onto the counter. Moondancer let out a plaintive cry, glaring up pugnaciously at Giegue.

...that is absolutely adorable, Niiue pointed out from within Magicant. Giegue ignored him.

Giegue repeated the experiment a few more times, using his PSI to push the bowl back onto the counter each time the filly tried to bring it to her with her aura. Each time, she let out a noise of complaint that got angrier and angrier with each outburst. Finally, after the seventh try, Moondancer rounded on Giegue and slammed her hooves down on the chair's tray-table with a cry of pure infantile rage.

Giegue didn't see it coming, but he felt the blow of pure PSI forming just before it took him on the underside of his chin, sending him flying across the room. He managed to recover before he hit the wall, glancing down towards the filly. "Not what I expected, but..." His voice trailed off.

Moondancer was looking up at him in absolute horror, tears in her eyes as she clutched her front hooves to her mouth. Giegue couldn't for the life of him understand why.

Look at it from her perspective, Niiue pointed out. She just used her first expression of PSI...to strike the one she looks at as father. She's probably terrified she'll be punished...or just of PSI in general.

Seeing the logic, Giegue floated back down to Moondancer's side, caressing her mane with one tendril as he smiled reassuringly. "Good job," he offered gently, hoping to reassure her. As he'd hoped, the terror started to leave her expression, and she nuzzled into him. He continued the caress, then gestured again to the bowl.

Turning, Moondancer's horn glowed as she lifted the bowl with her aura. This time, Giegue wrapped one tendril around her horn as he guided his PSI to push the bowl back down. Moondancer looked up at him in confusion, then back at the bowl...and focused, screwing up her face in concentration.

A few moments later, Giegue wiped vegetable mush off his face as the bowl continued to spin upside down on his antennae. Moondancer looked up at him, her expression a mixture of worry and suppressed mirth.

Well, she did move the bowl with PSI like you wanted, Niiue pointed out, his mental voice also showing signs of amusement.

At that point, Moondancer burst into helpless giggles. To Giegue's surprise, he found himself...enjoying the sound.

(1) For those who've played "Mother: Cognitive Dissonance", just a little tip of the hat. For those that haven't, this will be important later.

Tiny Hooves

Once Moondancer unlocked the capacity to use PSI, it was relatively easy to teach her to use it for various things. The most readily available was the basic telekinesis, using PSI to move things around. She seemed to enjoy this quite a bit, as PSI apparently took less strain and focus than her other abilities. Much to Giegue's curiosity, the first thing Moondancer attempted to do was access the ship's computers. Much to his frustration, nothing he did would dissuade her from the attempt, despite her being unable to read the language the ship's logs were written in. Eventually, this led to language lessons, reading anything that could be in any written medium.

Giegue found this activity oddly enjoyable, especially with how rapidly Moondancer absorbed every bit of knowledge he gave her. He wasn't surprised this was the case given her 'Magicant Core' had been a library, but he was surprised that the activity itself was pleasurable to him. Teaching her was a means to an end, so he could study her...wasn't it?

He hadn't started trying to teach her to speak vocally yet. The Geeg language was entirely projected thought forms, far more efficient than any vocalizations and with much less opportunity for misunderstandings, and she seemed to be grasping it readily. She was already capable of broadcasting her basic needs like food, water, teaching, and comfort. If her mind developed at all like that of a Geeg's did, she'd be broadcasting complex thought forms - the equivalent of complete sentences - in one Earth Month, and obscure thought forms in one Earth Year. At that point, her mind would be advanced enough that he'd be able to start inquiring about her non-PSI abilities and get answers.

One thing about her thought forms confused him, though. She often prefaced any thought form demand with a thought image of himself - despite her having interacted with no one else besides the Starman that was now in stasis awaiting decommissioning - and accompanied by a thought form that did not have an accurate translation in Geeg. This one most often was broadcast when she was demanding comfort. The part that frustrated Giegue about that the most was that he was certain the thought form was familiar, but its lack of a Geeg equivalent meant that it couldn't reach his mind ungarbled.

In order to avoid getting too focused on these frustrations, he'd taken to reading bedtime stories to get her to sleep. Not only did using actual vocalizations take his mind off things, it doubled as a reading exercise in Earth languages, and was able to get her to sleep without the lullaby half the time. He still sang it to her when it was the only way to get her to sleep, but as he'd expected constantly bringing it back wore away at his mental stability. Niiue's cooperation helped hold himself together, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he was unable to remain whole and sane. He only hoped Moondancer was old enough to care for herself by then...

...where had that thought come from? It was not one based in his logical mind, and it had not come from the part of his mind distorted by rage. Had it come from-

While I agree with the sentiment, it wasn't me either, Niiue informed him delicately.

Giegue stared down at the filly floating beside him, staring up at him with...it was affection, wasn't it? Wasn't that what that facial expression meant? Affection was a strong emotion amongst those races not as evolved as the Geeg...

Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths. "Are you enjoying the story?" he asked quietly. While not something he considered of significance, he'd found she slept more readily if she enjoyed the story he chose to read her, which meant he didn't have to sing.

Moondancer nodded eagerly, floating herself closer to him so she could stare at the pages as he read, trailing a tendril under the words as he read them so she could connect images to sounds.

At this rate, she'll never learn to walk on all fours, Niiue observed, amusement thick in his mental voice.

Giegue refused to smile at that assessment, no matter how accurate. Instead, he continued to read to the foal until she started to yawn. Once there, he closed the book, chuckling as she tried to use her own PSI to push it back open. "It's time for bed, Moondancer," he instructed firmly, gently shifting her up to his head.

Moondancer broadcast irritability, petulance, and eventually compliance. Curling up on his head between his antennae, she snuggled in to sleep.

"Goodnight, Moondancer," Giegue offered gently.

"Nai Da," Moondancer responded softly, sleepily.

Giegue's entire body jerked as the thought forms that accompanied those words hit him, sending Moondancer tumbling off his head. "D...Da?" he gasped out, his emotions escaping control and starting to tumble through his mind. "N...no, I..."

I cannot be Dad...

Dad betrayed...I will betray, I only care about what I can learn...

Was that all it was for me too...? No! I won't believe it!

Truth is truth-

Perception is not! I know not for myself, only what I was told!

And on what I was told, I acted to pervert a race! I am a monster!

I...I...

They were right to betray me...

As Giegue's emotions cascaded, Moondancer floated up to him, broadcasting distress and demands for comfort with all her might. Before long, it became plain even to her that he could not hear her. Desperate, she did the only thing she could think of to try and help him.

In the crystal clear tones of a music box, she began to sing.

Giegue froze as the notes pierced the fog of emotions in his mind, reaching past conscious thought and down to the very core of his being. Even as the song tore him apart, a meaning implanted itself deep in his mind.

Love...

That was the thought form that did not translate, because the normal Geeg language wasn't meant to transmit emotional impressions. That was something only shared amongst those who were. Cerue had...

She...she loves me...as her father?

Love only wounds...

She is an innocent! She has no concept of harming another.

I know better. I saw her Magicant, her Nightmare.

I saw it fade as I protected her!

It is not gone.

She won't harm me.

But I will harm her. She loves me, but just like them I care not for her.

Then why am I clutching her so tightly?

Giegue blinked in surprise. As his emotions brought themselves back under control, he found he was clutching Moondancer tightly to him, as tightly as Maria had when he cried as an infant and she'd sung to him. As an infant, he'd struggled against it because such close contact was not natural to Geeg...but Moondancer snuggled in, plainly enjoying being held so tightly even if she still broadcast concern and fear for him. "Da..." she whimpered softly.

Giegue slowly, carefully brought his emotions under control. "It is alright," he spoke up finally. "It is...alright..."

It is not.

It will be.

Will it? Niiue asked of the new voice in Giegue's mind, the voice of love.

Drink Deep

After the emotional upheaval, Giegue found himself uncertain of his motives regarding Moondancer. He still wanted to discover the secrets of her non-PSI abilities...but he also wanted to see how she could grow, how she could develop. He wanted to see what she'd be capable of when she had learned all he could teach her. He wanted to see if she could learn all he could teach her.

Moondancer had plainly been affected by what had happened, as she now refused to be more than a couple feet from Giegue. Before, she'd been fine as long as they were in the same room. Plainly, her worry for him hadn't faded no matter how little it showed in her broadcast thought forms, which had advanced much as he'd projected. She could now broadcast the complex thought forms, and she was quite vocal-

Dad, see the stars again please?

Giegue smiled softly as that thought reached him. Moondancer had become rather fascinated with the celestial bodies of the solar system and beyond, though she still referred to them all as 'stars' in thought form. Having never left the spaceship - as far as she could recall - she had no concept with which to shape the thought-form 'planet'. "Alright," he responded softly, his own thought-form being far more developed and stable in broadcast, to the point it was practically audible. He turned to the main screen and activated it, calling up the view of various star groups, what lesser races called constellations. He slowly panned the view, looking for the particular ones Moondancer wanted to look at.

Not the sparklies! Moondancer broadcast, her thought-form still having a bit of 'baby talk' to it. The sleepy ones!

Giegue thought for a time to deduce her meaning, then chuckled. "They are called nebulae," he corrected gently as he focused on the one humans called Horse Head, Moondancer's favorite from the Sol system perspective. On the screen, stars could be seen just barely shining through the clouds of gases.

But they're sleepy! Moondancer insisted, pointing at the gases. See? They've got their blanket pulled up tight!

Giegue closed his eyes as his grin widened, the closest a true Geeg would get to laughing aloud-

But I'm not a true Geeg.

I...suppose not-

And I am not human.

I...never wanted to be-

Giegue banished those thoughts, opening his eyes as he reached out a tendril to indicate various formations within the nebula. Using lessons on proper terminology as a shield against his roiling thoughts, he brought his mind as under control as he could. Moondancer, for her part, snuggled against his head. The tone of her thoughts indicated she'd felt his brief turmoil, but knew that direct intrusion would not be welcome.

After a while, Moondancer spoke up. Dad, you have stars? Different ones?

Giegue turned that question over in his mind, deciphering the simple thought-forms into the more complex message Moondancer lacked the capacity to ask. "You want to know about the stars as seen from my home?" he asked gently. When he felt her nod, he sighed. "Moondancer, I was raised aboard this ship from when I was very young, as young as you. I have been on planets, but they were never home to me. I know my race has a homeworld...but I have never in my memory touched its land, smelled its seas, felt its wind. I know nothing of it. This ship is my home."

Why here? Moondancer asked curiously.

"...I do not understand," Giegue was forced to admit, the inquiry too vague to decipher accurately.

Moondancer frowned, her face screwing up in concentration. Green star, she finally broadcast. Lots of thought on Green star, and others here. Why here? Why not elsewhere?

Giegue sighed as he understood the inquiry. "I...have a project I was working on here in this solar system," he explained softly. "My first attempt didn't work, and only worsened the problem I sought to fix. I...I need to try again. I can't give up."

Help?

Giegue froze in shock at the simplicity, the straightforwardness of that offer. "You don't even know what the project is," he pointed out.

So?

"It might be something you find repulsive once you understand it."

No. Daddy project.

Giegue gently lifted Moondancer off his head to stare at her. She was convinced that simply because he was her Dad, any project he was involved in must be good. "...you don't know me as well as you think you do," he offered sadly.

Don't need know. Love.

Was I so innocent, so pure, so certain when Maria and George held me?

Will she turn against me so easily when her own people tell her I am a monster seeking to use her?

Will she break as I have?

Will she be worse?

"Help...Da!" Moondancer insisted audibly in the Earth language Giegue had taught her, the one he'd learned from his 'parents'.

Giegue stared at Moondancer in shock, then once again found himself pulling her close. After holding her for a time, he let her float back from him. "...I will accept your help, when you are wise enough to understand," he assured her softly. "For now, it seems you are progressing quite rapidly. I look forward to how quickly you grow."

Moondancer floated forward to nuzzle his face. Grow big, strong, and smart for you Daddy! she promised. Make you proud!

Giegue smiled. "I am certain you shall," he agreed, reaching out to stroke her mane.

Moondancer suddenly winced. Knots!

Smirking, Giegue used his PSI to individually manipulate every single strand of Moondancer's mane, carefully unraveling the knots. "Brushie brushie," he offered softly, making her giggle. She always loved when he called it that.

Splash

Moondancer glanced up at Giegue worriedly. Are you sure I'm ready Dad? she asked in clear thought-form, the structure now concise and straight forward. You told me this was really advanced...

Giegue smiled down at his daughter. "It will be alright," he reassured her. "You won't be going in alone. I'll be right with you every step of the way. Besides, you need to take this step if you're to understand what my project means, so you can help me with it."

Moondancer nodded slowly. "A-alright," she managed, putting strength behind her thought voice so it was momentarily audible. I'll do it.

Giegue gently stroked her cheek with one tendril. "That's my brave girl," he praised softly.

I don't really mean it.

I do mean it.

I'm only saying whatever gets her cooperation.

I'm telling her what she needs to hear for her sake.

That's not the same as meaning it.

It's close enough.

Will she think so once she's inside?

Giegue carefully suppressed those thought voices within his mind. He wasn't certain what part of his mind they came from anymore, but he knew he didn't want Moondancer to see them on this trip. "Alright, Moondancer...close your eyes, open your mind. Feel the door I open to you, and step through." He watched as Moondancer closed her eyes, sinking into her mind and leaving her body. Once he saw her approaching him in the mental fields, he slipped into his own mind and opened the door to his Magicant.

As Moondancer entered, she stared around at her surroundings. Pale white paths intertwined as they flowed off into the distance. Clouds of different colors floated around, kept away from the main paths by walls of will. Spire tendrils created warps that linked bits of the white landscape together across vast distances, and only very few figures scattered around in the far distance. "It's...so empty," she offered, her voice concerned.

"A truly disciplined mind controls its Magicant absolutely," Giegue explained. "As a Geeg, I keep my mind disciplined, so as to preserve pure logical thought."

"Then the clouds are your emotions?" Moondancer asked curiously. "Is that why they have color?"

Up above, a golden cloud flared briefly. Atta girl...

"That was pride," Giegue confirmed. "You grasp these concepts, as you have all others I've presented to you, most swiftly. This is very good."

Moondancer blushed with pleasure at the praise. However, her eyes were caught by a red and blue cloud that seemed to be clashing. "That's...should that be happening?" she asked worriedly.

Giegue sighed softly. "That is something I will simply have to deal with," he explained calmly. "For now, do not concern yourself with it-"

"But I am concerned," Moondancer insisted. She pointed to the red and null-light swirls within the red cloud. "Those don't look like natural thought-forms...or evocatives."

The yellow cloud pulsed again at her proper use of the term for thought-forms based purely in emotion, though the pulse was subdued by the blaze of red light from the red cloud as the swirls were called to attention. N...A...L...T... The four swirls named themselves as they struggled to drive the red cloud to consume Giegue's mind. Resolutely, he turned his attention away from it. "Come, there is someone I want you to meet."

Nodding, Moondancer slowly floated after Giegue along the white path, hopping into a warp here and there as he directed. Much to Giegue's dismay, however, Moondancer paused as they passed a part of the path that was badly fractured, as though a fundamental part of the structure of that part of the land had been ruthlessly torn out. "W...what happened here?" Moondancer whimpered softly.

Giegue closed his eyes even within his mind, not even wanting to see the image that appeared over the broken land, of the Geeg whose mind had been so intertwined with his-

-until she betrayed-

-until I drove her away-

-until she was gone. "...Cerue..." he murmured softly, not even entirely aware he had said it loud enough that Moondancer heard, or that the thought-form carried so much of the conflicting emotions and thoughts that surrounded that entity.

"...Dad?" Moondancer asked worriedly.

"...the most important, self-defining, most...sacred thing a Geeg can say about themselves and another Geeg...is We are," Giegue explained softly. The thought-forms did not translate well into any spoken language, as they carried with them a sense of oneness, a sense of singularity, of two minds - two souls - melded to the point it was impossible for an outside observer to draw the line where one ended and the other began...and to the point that the two so melded didn't want to draw the line themselves.

"And...you and...Cerue?" Moondancer asked softly.

"...We were..." The overtones of betrayal, of eternal wounding, of a bond forever shattered...it made Giegue physically sick to even vocalize it. He could only hope that Moondancer wasn't advanced enough to grasp it-

Moondancer nuzzled against Giegue, doing her best to comfort him. "I'm sorry..."

"Why are you sorry?" Giegue asked in confusion. "It had nothing to do with you-"

"I'm sorry I brought it up and made you relive it," Moondancer explained. "I'm sorry I made you hurt again."

Giegue shivered. Somehow, those words shot straight to the core of his being, and he saw the red cloud weaken even as the Swirls strengthened. He felt there was something significant there, a key he had searched for if only he could grasp it. Despite his best efforts, it continued to elude him in the moment. "...come," he said finally. "He is this way."

Moondancer nodded, once more floating at his side as he moved to a more stable - for the moment - portion of his Magicant. Waiting for them there in his ball cap and striped shirt was Niiue, who smiled at them as they approached. "I finally get to meet her face to face?" he asked softly, moving towards the filly.

To Giegue's surprise, Moondancer moved easily to Niiue's side, showing no hesitation or fear. "Why are there two of you, Daddy?" she asked curiously.

"Giegue's mind is fractured," Niiue explained simply. "To preserve the undamaged portions, they have become bundled up in the two of us. I am Niiue."

"And should the fracturing become complete, and I am unable to continue caring for you...Niiue will watch over you in my stead," Giegue explained.

"Then you'll always take care of me?" Moondancer asked softly. "I'll always have Daddy with me?"

"Yes," Niiue responded readily.

After a time, Giegue nodded agreement.

Lie...you cannot know...you cannot promise...

...

Computer

The next stage of Moondancer's education was to teach her how to use the computer systems of the spacecraft. The first stage of this involved ensuring she could read the entire written Geeg language...which was actually a sequence of symbols connected to specific thought-forms, rather than an actual language of its own. Each symbol carried a PSI impression, and one whose PSI was strong enough would perceive the impression and thus see the thought-form translation rather than the symbol itself. This made decoding it next to impossible for those who lacked a PSI impression, and the act of decoding it a PSI exercise in and of itself for young Geeg. Of course, this meant ensuring that Moondancer understood the concepts behind each of the thought-forms of the computer language so she could properly interpret everything she could learn from the computers, and use them properly.

Though he felt he really shouldn't be at this point, Giegue found himself surprised at how rapidly Moondancer absorbed everything and began accessing the computer. At first, he simply watched proudly as she raced through all the data files, absorbing everything presented to her of the Geeg perspective on the life forms of the galaxy and this solar system in particular. However, he found himself forced to turn away slightly when he saw she spent a great deal of time accessing those files that Cerue had compiled before she had abandoned/fled from him. That reminder was painful for the divisions it caused in his mind.

His head jerked back as he felt systems stirring in the ship, and saw Moondancer had managed to access the control programs. "Moondancer, you shouldn't be tampering with those!" he insisted quickly as he moved to another console, rapidly inputting commands to override whatever Moondancer was attempting to do.

"But I was just trying to understand your project!" Moondancer insisted, her PSI presence now strong enough to shape her thought-forms audibly, stepping over any need for translations as any who received it would hear it in their native tongue. "You said I could help once I understood it."

"The Nightmare Engine is an offshoot that should remain offline for now!" Giegue insisted as he finally shut the engine down once more, before crafting security protocols to keep Moondancer from accidentally activating it again. "It does not yet work as it is supposed to, and it could have negative effects on your psyche if activated at this point."

"Why would it do that?" Moondancer asked insistently. "Why is a part of your project designed to influence the psyche?"

Giegue remained silent. He knew now that she was ready to hear about his project...but he found himself hesitant to actually tell her. He did not understand why. She had promised to help him with the project, and he had said he would tell her when he felt she was ready. So...why was he now unwilling to tell her when she was plainly ready?

I don't want her to hate me like Cerue did...

He flinched back from the thought. Was...was he really considering going back on his word...because he cared too much about what she thought of him? Was he capable of deliberate deception in that way? Could...could he lie?

And if he could lie...was that a result of deceptive human contamination? Or could all Geeg lie?

"...not today," he stated finally. "Today is computers. The project...will be for another time."

Moondancer looked at him somewhat dismayed, but she turned back to her console and began exploring other systems.

The next few cycles continued in that vein. Moondancer would explore the ship's systems via her console. She would stumble across a system she shouldn't have been messing with. Giegue would race to undo whatever damage she'd unwittingly done, and craft security to prevent her from accidentally getting into those systems again. On occasion, she would deliberately attempt to circumvent his security, and he would race to patch the holes she had utilized. After the first few such times, Giegue discovered that matching his wits against hers in that way was actually enjoyable, and created an exercise on the computer specifically to allow them to do that without involving any delicate systems. Moondancer expressed great joy when they did that, proclaiming that it was such fun for them to play together.

Fun...play...

Even as he observed her growth, the conflict in Giegue's mind continued to spiral as new realizations piled atop old certainties, mutating thoughts and conclusions until he was no longer sure what had happened and when. Finally, he had done the only thing he could do. He had placed the new thoughts within the clouds of emotion that tore at his mind, and let them come to conclusions based on their perspective. He then attempted to look at those conclusions from a pure logical perspective.

I am capable of lying. Assumption: This is a result of human corruption. I am no longer a true Geeg, which is why I am alone here. I am an abomination which should not exist...and all that is left for me is to perfect my project, and shape humanity and the other creatures of Earth to serve the Geeg, as they are supposed to...as the Starmen do, and as all lesser creatures will. Through true understanding of lesser forms of life, Geeg prove themselves superior and thus worthy of claiming dominance.

I am capable of lying. Assumption: This is something all Geeg are capable of once they learn how. Both humans and Geeg are capable of deception. I knew my parents well, having spent a great deal of time with them. I did not know the Geeg who took me (took back) when Mother vanished and Father left. They gave me a version of events that made sense, and made me want to 'fix' humanity to make them better to serve the Geeg. The Geeg want to rule humanity. If I chose humanity over the Geeg, they could not do that: I know my PSI output dwarfs that of the average Geeg for some reason. The Geeg told me a lie to turn me against my parents, to serve them. My parents did love me.

He stared at the two conclusions in his mind. The entirety of both arguments hung on the two assumptions, and he saw no way to determine which assumption held truth...especially as there were no other Geeg were present late enough in his life to know the answers-

Cerue-

We were. If I am corrupt, she could be corrupt through me.

What is the answer, Niiue? he pleaded desperately. Which is right?

Niiue was silent for a time. You know which answer I believe, he stated finally. But I also know that my own perspective is colored by the parts of your mind I am made from. I can not give you an impartial perspective with a certain answer...because there isn't one.

Giegue stared at the conundrum in his mind, the two sides of his thought that were slowly tearing him apart. One of hope, one of self-loathing...both antithetical to the Geeg way of being. And he knew not what he should do.

You need to tell her, Niiue stated finally. She may not be the key to the plan anymore...but she might be the key to you...

Dreams

Giegue hovered silently as he watched over Moondancer's slumber. She'd grown in the time she'd been with him, and was now approximately the size of a large Earth house cat, the size he'd been when they abandoned him-

Giegue pushed the thoughts aside. Emotions were becoming harder and harder to control, and his mind was slowly losing stability. He hoped he would last long enough for Moondancer to be ready...or that he'd find some other way to ensure her continued safety. She now wore the turtleneck she'd arrived in, even if it was a little baggy on her. She also now needed the glasses she arrived in, though whether that was from too much time on the computer like father/him or because her previous life was dictating her body's development, he could not say.

She had gotten big enough that sleeping on his head was no longer viable, something he found he missed. She instead tended to fall asleep on computer consoles, hanging from the ceiling, or simply floating in midair. He'd been amazed to discover she'd found a way to shape a PSI focus that kept her suspended in one place in the air that remained self-sustaining while she slept. Hovering came naturally to him - save while sleeping - so he'd never thought to seek such adjustments. Had his mind still been stable enough, he would have found such things fascinating, and eagerly explored the implications and discoveries. Instead, he merely took note of them and struggled to hold his mind together.

To his surprise, Moondancer began to toss and turn in midair. This was highly unusual, as Moondancer almost never moved while she was sleeping, a habit picked up from when she slept on his head as movement there risked tumbling off, something fun to do while awake but ill-conducive to good sleep. Frowning, Giegue floated closer to gauge her state better, only to pull back as he saw her expression. The few times she'd tossed and turned, it had been because of active dreams, and her expression had given away the type of dream. A smile showed it was a good dream that he would not disturb, but ask about when she woke up. A pensive frown, scrunched eyes, or an open mouth generally indicated a nightmare, which he would dispel by entering her Magicant to help her calm her mind. But now...

Moondancer's eyebrows were furrowed. Her entire body was tense. Her hooves pawed at the air. Her tail lashed. Her horn sparked angrily. And most confusing/distressing of all, her lips were pulled back in a snarl, revealing tightly clenched, grinding teeth. This was...

This is no ordinary nightmare, Niiue confirmed inside his mind. Something is very, very wrong.

"No..." Moondancer growled out. "No..."

"Moondancer?" Giegue asked worriedly. "Are you awake?"

Moondancer continued to writhe, plainly unaware of Giegue's concern, or possibly even his presence. Desperately, Giegue attempted to enter her Magicant to attempt to understand this dream if not dispel it...only for a powerful mental energy to create a violent backlash that prevented him from completing the dive. "What?" Giegue demanded in shock, clutching at his head.

Something has made a connection to her sleeping mind! Niiue deduced. Something that doesn't want you interfering with whatever it's doing.

Giegue's soft face twisted into a snarl of rage, several systems throughout the ship sparking dangerously in response to the mental force this brought to bear. "I will teach them to hurt my little girl!" he roared out, for one moment the two warring sides of his emotional thought synchronized in action, if not in motivation. For that ever so brief moment, his mind seemed startlingly clear.

"NO!" Moondancer suddenly screamed out with mind and voice, her back arching as her PSI flared violently, its aura colored crimson and lashing back along the connection. Somewhere, something could be heard to crack violently. "I WILL NOT HELP YOU HURT HIM!"

Giegue lunged in to help her, only to be pushed back by the sheer wave of force that was almost beyond comprehension. He could feel that he could easily focus his power and punch through it, but he had no idea what doing so would do to Moondancer. As several ship systems started to break down and pieces of the ship collapsed in on themselves before floating away, the unity of his thought failed as he became divided between worry and irritation, and curiosity overcame concern. He felt an odd sense of loss, as though something of great importance almost happened but did not.

Moondancer gasped for breath as she came awake, dropping to the floor below her on all four hooves. The wave of PSI she had been unleashing dissipated, and she slumped to the floor as she burst into tears. "No...it won't happen...it can't happen...I won't let it happen..."

Concern overrode irritation, and Giegue floated to her side. "Talk to me," he instructed softly. "That was no ordinary dream. Something was preventing me from entering your Magicant to help you-"

"An apple," Moondancer managed to say.

"...an...apple?" Giegue asked, confused.

Moondancer took a few breaths to calm herself, disciplining her mind as she'd been taught. "A glowing apple appeared in my dream," she explained. "It...it said you brought ruin, but it spoke of children who would stop you. Said destruction was your fate, and I would help the children to stop you. I told it there was no way I would turn against you...and I felt the energy in the apple. It said I had no choice, that my fate was already written...and I struck back. I felt...so angry..."

Giegue stared down at her. Something in what she was saying...hadn't he heard something like that somewhere, amongst the other races of this star system? However, he discarded the thought for the moment. "Moondancer, the time has come."

Moondancer lifted her head. "The...time?" she asked in confusion.

"The time for you to hear my Plan," he explained. "I do not know if you are ready...but I do not believe I have the time to wait any longer..."

Lit Corridor

Moondancer moved slowly through the corridors of the ship, leaving the cockpit and her father behind her. As he'd promised, he'd told her all of his plan, what he'd done to attempt it, what he intended in the future...and she didn't know what to think. After hearing why as well...she had to see some things for herself.

"The Geeg are superior because our logical thought and emotional thought are not tightly intertwined, and thus our emotions cannot rule us. This is Fact we know from our first day. By this Fact, we bring our greatness to other races, enfolding them into our empire in service of the Geeg, that they can achieve their greatness to add to our own. This is our way. Before we enfold a race, we find a way to study them, to learn how they work, so we can know what place they belong."

Giegue's words made sense from the Geeg perspective, the one Moondancer had been raised on. And yet, some part deep inside her mind and heart declared that the words were...wrong. As she turned the corridor, her thoughts followed the explanation once more.

"The study of humans was different, because they were a very unusual race. Their history was rife with both violence and compassion upon their own people. The Geeg could not understand this, and so they sought to map the human mentality upon the Geeg mentality, to find the translation. A child was sent, to interact with humans. This is how I met my mother and father.

"When they found me, I was under attack by a creature of the world. They did not hesitate to leap to my defense. However, their defense did not drive the creature back. I acted. They were confused, but they cared for me. Seeing this, the other Geeg brought them and I back to this ship, so communication and study could be opened, so understanding could be reached.

"A great deal of time passed. I played with Mother, and learned from Father...but something went wrong. Father found the PSI amplifiers, tools for young Geeg to develop their abilities more rapidly, and to enhance the latent PSI capacities of those that serve the Geeg. And then was the betrayal..."

Moondancer stepped into the hidden storage chamber with the PSI amplifiers, looking them over carefully. There were not as many of them as she expected, suggesting that most of them had been utilized in one way or another. She wasn't surprised, from the rest of the story.

"My own memory of the events is unclear. Niiue speaks of...losing his tail, and when he does he always looks to the double X mark on his own pink tail, which does not make sense to me. All I know from my own recollections is that Mother vanished, and Father abandoned me on the ship, running to Earth. The Geeg tell me he sought to use me and the PSI amplifiers to create a weapon against the Geeg. I had no reason to doubt...and I still do not have enough information to dispute.

"As I grew, I came to certain conclusions based on what I had learned. Whenever Father or Mother discovered something, they got very excited. They displayed their emotions to an extent Geeg would consider rude, and they seemed incapable of holding them back. From this, I deduced that emotional and logical thought are completely intertwined in humans, that their emotions can dominate their thinking, or be suppressed. This is something that is new, and why we could not make sense of human history. I concluded that this is why Father enacted his betrayal...because his fear blinded him to the logic of humanity joining the Geeg. And so I began my project to separate emotional and logical thought within humans, to evolve them to be more like the Geeg, and thus better able to serve the Geeg.

"I modified the engine of this ship to be the primary PSI engine of this endeavor, and chose an isolated section of the planet to experiment. However, the engine's range wasn't strong enough to have the effect I desired...so I buried the PSI amplifiers throughout the region, keyed to resonate with the engine. Admittedly, this caused some...unusual side effects upon the regions, depending on what PSI energy the environment had naturally. Some animal hostility, randomly flying objects...things of that nature.

"But it didn't work how it was supposed to. Instead of separating the sides of thought, those affected had their emotional side amplified, making rage and aggression the predominant mental state until they were consumed by it entirely."

Moondancer paused as she hovered before the engine that had done all this, careful not to touch any of the controls. The massive construction filled her with a nameless dread...but Giegue had given her a name for that dread.

"This is why it is now called the Nightmare Engine.

"I attempted to tweak the engine to create the effects I wanted, trying to change what was going on. However...four individuals began to battle against the very effects I was creating. I watched their endeavors, trying to learn both how they were able to do so and why. This was especially of interest because two of them had potent PSI abilities. In my study, I learned that the boy who led them, Ninten, was my father's great-grandson.

"When they confronted me, only three arrived. I tried to explain to them what I was doing and why in a way that I thought they would understand. Since Ninten was family, I invited him to come with me, to be treated as Geeg rather than servant race. I can only assume there was a miscommunication, because he refused my offer and denied me. And when I decided I had to destroy them to complete my mission...

"The melody, the one I have sung to you...it was one Mother sang to me. It...it...I cannot explain the effect it had on me that day. But ever since, the separation of my logical and emotional thought has...suffered. I found myself susceptible to the Nightmare Engine's effects, and so I shut it down. ...I regret I did not realize it sooner. If I had...no, I cannot let myself linger on that..."

As Moondancer floated down to the other end of the ship, to the nursery area she had never seen before, she let herself think about what Giegue's plan was. Humanity in its current state was a danger to the Geeg. They feared the Geeg, and some had access to powerful PSI. If they could not be brought into the fold of the Geeg empire, they had to be destroyed as a threat. The plan was to use a device based off the Nightmare Engine to drastically increase his PSI reach so he could grasp every mind on the planet at once, and alter them to either be clear, submissive, or dead. Moondancer understood that this was necessary from the Geeg perspective...but she also knew that Niiue was drastically against the plan, and the conflict over this between Giegue and Niiue was coming to a head.

As she entered the nursery, she looked around for something, anything to give her some hope. Eventually, her eyes fell on an old music box. Curiously, she opened it.

As the notes played, Moondancer felt as though maybe, just maybe, things would work out after all. For a few brief moments, she felt at peace and believed in her Father, believed that there would be a happy ending.

As she felt the ship shake and a distant surge of PSI - the pair of sensations damaging the music box to twist its notes - she felt that hope fade.

Falling Apart

Moondancer had trouble following events after that. While she stayed close to Niiue, it wasn't the same as it had been, being with Father. Meanwhile, she had to stay away from Giegue because even his presence upset her own psyche due to the total rejection his disdain represented. Instead, she turned her attention to whatever research she could get her hooves on in a desperate attempt to find a way to save her Father...even though each day left it feeling like that being no longer existed.

A more upsetting encounter - however brief - was when a strange figure with a grey face appeared on the ship, ostensibly to meet with Giegue. While Moondancer recognized him as at least resembling a human, something about the man caused her to develop an instant dislike for him, especially since he burst into the cockpit in an officious manner that disrupted her studies. "Can I help you?" she growled at him as he entered.

Much to her surprise, he seemed to dislike her just as much. "Only if you jumped out the nearest airlock," he snapped out. "Now where's the boss around here?"

"Go down the hall and take the second left," Moondancer responded curtly.

"No he's not!" the grey faced man snapped. "That's the nearest airlock!"

"And that's where you can go," Moondancer taunted before focusing on her studies once more.

"Why you-"

"Can I help you?" Niiue asked coldly, positioning himself between Moondancer and the grey faced man.

The man sneered. "No, but your other half can. Where is he? I have an appointment."

Niiue sighed. He plainly disliked the man, but was unwilling to openly oppose Giegue in anything just yet. "He's down in the launch area," he responded curtly.

The man let out a snort, thumbed his nose at Niiue, then turned and stormed out. "I don't like him," Moondancer growled irritably.

"I don't blame you," Niiue allowed. "I have a feeling Mr. Greyface there is going to be a real problem."

"Is that really his name?" Moondancer asked curiously.

"No idea," Niiue answered worriedly. "I don't even have any idea how a human could find us here, or get here from Earth. They don't have spaceships yet..."

Moondancer frowned worriedly. "We'll just have to keep an eye on his activities...and find out what he wants to talk to Giegue about..." Her irritation faded to sorrow, as it always did when she referred to that being by name.

Niiue laid a comforting hand on Moondancer's back. Knowing he couldn't say anything, he remained silent.

Moondancer's irritability continued since Greyface's visit. He had brought with him a good deal of information that he had offered Giegue as a way to help him complete his endeavors, along with warnings about ancient defenses on Earth against just such an assault. That information had confused Moondancer. Giegue's planned assault involved a PSI force that would overwhelm the human mind...but their information showed humanity had no natural PSI or technology related to it, and that the Geeg had never been to Earth before. Even so, there was evidence of space combat between several planets, each blaming each other for it. And the Starmen data talked about Mars...

Why was Earth prepared for an attack they'd never experienced before? What connection was there between the Starmen, Mars, and space battles with no apparent origins? And why were the Geeg databases that had been so free with information before so conspicuously silent on these subjects? Was there something about the situation that the Geeg deliberately wanted to keep from Giegue?

She was distracted out of her musings as Niiue approached. "Moondancer, the situation has changed, and we need to get moving."

"What?" Moondancer gasped out. "Why?"

"Giegue's making his move," Niiue explained. "He just took a meteor pod to Saturn, in pursuit of the four pieces of the Apple of Enlightenment-"

"The what?" Moondancer interrupted worriedly, her mind flashing back to the dream/nightmare.

"Greyface told him about it," Niiue explained. "It apparently foretells a prophecy of Giegue's destruction. And yes, I believe it's the same Apple you dreamed about. Giegue seeks to gather the pieces - since it fragmented itself specifically to hide from him - so he can hear the prophecy and thus thwart it. There's more to the plans, but I'm afraid I wasn't able to overhear anymore before he left."

"And we need to do what we can to keep him from getting the Apple pieces?" Moondancer clarified.

"Yes, but we can't do it from here," Niiue confirmed. "Not only is this ship too bulky, we wouldn't dare activate the Nightmare Engine even if those systems were working right now. So we're going to have to take a saucer."

Moondancer nodded in understanding. "I hate leaving all this data behind, though..."

"I'll try to bring what we can," Niiue promised. "But first, we're waiting for someone."

"Who?" Moondancer asked curiously.

"Larice," Niiue explained. "You remember him. He's the Starman who took care of you when Giegue went to Earth to find out what to feed you."

"...and then he didn't want to give me back," Moondancer recalled. "Why is that?"

"You can ask him yourself when we meet with him," Niiue explained. "For now, we need to get professional. All the Starmen are going to be here soon, and I'll have orders to give-"

At that moment, the entire ship rocked dangerously. "What's that?" Moondancer gasped as her console went dark.

Niiue rushed to the PA. "Your attention please," he announced calmly. "This is Commander Niiue speaking. We have just undergone a heavy collision. Any survivors on the lower levels should please report upward."

"A collision?" Moondancer gasped out. "We'd better get to a saucer before the ship falls apart and life support fails..."

"Soon as I give everyone their orders," Niiue agreed.

Setting Things in Motion

It wasn't long before all the Starmen of rank Super, Deluxe, and Ghost had gathered for their orders in the cockpit. To Moondancer's confusion, Niiue waited until Larice arrived before giving anyone their orders. "It looks like everyone's here," he said as soon as Larice came through the door. "As you know, we've been hit. And you're wondering 'by what?'"

As Niiue began to pace, Moondancer rolled her eyes. Is this really necessary? she thought at Niiue irritably. They're pretty well trained. You could just give them orders without explaining-

Like Giegue always did? Niiue thought back. Yes, and that was so effective that all we have left to order around are those who did so...and Larice. I'd rather have more troops capable of independent thought if we're going to be trying to save my other half from himself. He turned towards the Starmen. "It appears we were hit by...some sort of shielded organic life form."

Wait, what? Moondancer demanded, once again trying to access her malfunctioning console. What kind of organic life form can survive in space, even with a shield?

Us, for one, Niiue pointed out. We are able to use our PSI to move ourselves around even with our physiological reactions suspended. No idea if we're the only ones who can, or what type of organic life form this is...and I don't intend to stick around to find out. "It tore directly through the engine," he continued aloud, "giving us about...30 minutes to evacuate. As Starmen, you all should have no trouble using PSI Teleport to leave the ship, right? Ten minutes left now, so hurry."

As all the other Starmen teleported away, Larice moved forward. "Sir *whirr, click* I lack that ability. Only Super and above have that skill uploaded."

Niiue chuckled softly. "Still haven't learned your lesson from last time?" he asked teasingly.

"No, *click* sir," Larice responded firmly. "I do not feel *whirrr* it is a lesson I should learn."

"What do you mean, Niiue?" Moondancer asked curiously.

"Why don't you tell her, Larice?" Niiue suggested. "If you think you have the time."

Larice turned to Moondancer. "Master Giegue assigned me to *whirr, click* take care of you while he was gone. I perform all commands to the best of my ability. However, I concluded *whirr, click* that returning you to him was counter to the order to 'take care of you', as his *click, click* unstable mental state was not conducive to your healthy growth. I asked *whirr* if it would be better if you were tended by others - like myself - until he was in a better state."

"That's why he took your emblem?" Moondancer gasped in surprise. "But...he said-"

"Giegue's memory of events is no longer accurate," Niiue pointed out. "He has learned to lie to himself...and that's making his mental state all the more unstable." He sighed softly. "I hate to say this, Moondancer...but don't get-"

"You are not *whirrr* being very conducive to her mental well being either," Larice interrupted.

Niiue raised an eyebrow. "A bit verbose, aren't you?" he asked encouragingly.

"We are soldiers, meant to serve *whirrr* our Master," Larice explained. "This means we are to *click* carry out our duties to the best of *whirrr* our abilities. So if we feel a different approach *click click* is better, we are remiss in our duties if we do not raise it..." He whirred and clicked for a time. "...Giegue did not agree..."

"And yet you're still following that last order he gave you?" Moondancer inquired thoughtfully.

"He never rescinded it," Larice stated plainly.

Niiue smirked over at Moondancer. Still think just giving orders is better? he thought at her.

"I no longer *whirr* have time to reach the escape pods," Larice offered. "I hope this last act of mine is of benefit to you."

"I can use PSI Teleport," Moondancer pointed out primly. "I'd repay you poorly if I didn't warp you to the hanger to take a ship."

"The ship in there is a one seater," Niiue pointed out. "You'll have to teleport back up here without him once you deposit him." He turned to Larice. "We'll get in contact with you eventually. Until then, travel to Saturn and locate a Mook with an odd blue coloration. Find him and join his cause."

"Orders confirmed," Larice deduced. "Whose orders *whirr, click* have priority?"

Niiue tilted his head. "I don't under-"

He's asking if this means your orders now supersede Giegue's, Moondancer thought at him silently.

Niiue fell silent. On the one hand, they were going up against Giegue, however circuitously. On the other, Niiue didn't actually have the authority to supersede Giegue's orders in the command structure...and even if Larice would accept his word that he did, any signal of that sort in the Starmen network would make him lose whatever authority he had. ...what do I say? he asked Moondancer silently.

Moondancer smiled. "Larice, you said the last order you're still following is to take care of me...and you took that to mean even defying Giegue if that's what it took?"

"Affirmative," Larice declared, followed by a few more disc sounds.

"Then until further notice, my orders are absolute," Moondancer offered. "Is that acceptable in the command structure?"

"...acceptable," Larice concluded. "You are *whirrr* Giegue's daughter. Ergo, you are Geeg command chain."

"Good," Moondancer confirmed. Taking hold of Larice, she teleported him to the hanger, and the one-seater ship waiting there. "Then here's one order from me you'd better follow: don't die."

Starmen had no faces to show expressions, but Moondancer got the PSI impression that Larice was smiling. "Affirmative," he agreed as he boarded the ship.

Moondancer watched it take off, then warped back to the cockpit. "What now?" she asked Niiue.

Niiue smiled sadly. "Now we make our own way out...and hope for the best." Taking hold of each other, the pair teleported out of the ship, aiming for safety.

Catching Up

As the PSI energy faded, Niiue and Moondancer found themselves standing on one of many rock chunks in the asteroid belt, their bodies surrounded by their PSI energy as their physical functions slowed to almost nothing. Whoa, Moondancer marveled as she struggled mentally to adapt to not relying on her body for functionality. This is...pretty trippy.

Yeah, it's disorienting the first time you slow your internal systems like this, Niiue agreed. Don't worry, though. We won't have to be like this for long. I've got another ship stashed near here. It's not as big, but it gets the job done...especially since all we're really doing now is zipping around providing support for Larice and the crew he joins up with.

What's so important about a blue Mook, anyway? Moondancer asked curiously as she followed Niiue in a teleport chain from asteroid to asteroid. ...for that matter, what even is a Mook?

A three-eyed, multi-tentacled race native to Saturn, Niiue responded, before going into an odd lecturing mode. A Class II sentient species. It's a rare example of a highly psionic lifeform that is not its planet's sole dominating inhabitant. Every Mook uses PSI abilities. Their many limbs assist not only in-

Why does this sound like a data entry sheet? Moondancer interrupted. It...also doesn't sound like you...or Giegue.

Niiue was silent for some time. ...when something is broken, bits and pieces are left behind on both sides.

Can I ask you who Cerue was without causing mental issues? Moondancer inquired, gently but hopefully.

Niiue said nothing until they'd entered the two-man ship he'd led them to, an oddly-shaped pod that could do little but fly very fast, and couldn't even land anywhere without crashing. Once the pair was inside and had adjusted their physiological responses back to a normal level, he spoke up. "If things had turned out differently...she might have been your mother."

Moondancer stared in awe. "My...my mother?" she gasped.

"Don't hope too much," Niiue cautioned. "When the link between Giegue and Cerue broke, she...left. I have no idea where she went from there. It's highly unlikely you'll ever see her...and if you do, it will likely not be a pleasant encounter if you mention the connection."

Moondancer hung her head, her ears flat against her skull.

Niiue decided to distract her as best he could. "In regard to your original inquiry, this blue Mook seems to have some sort of connection to the Apple of Enlightenment, and to Points of Power around the Solar System. He and those gathered with him are the Apple Chasers. Beyond that...I don't really know what's going on. I can only hope that Mook has - or will have - a plan. For now, let's head to Saturn orbit."

Nodding, Moondancer moved to the communications rig, plugging in Larice' com signal to see if she could raise him, intending to find out if he'd managed to find the blue Mook.

To her surprise, the rather primitive comm system rang a few times, before receiving a connection signal. "Larice, it's Moondancer. I've managed to get a lock on you, and we're on our way to Saturn to observe. It's gonna be a bit, so I want a report-"

"Survived *bzzt, click* attack from Giegue," Larice interrupted. "...barely. Alinivar located and *click* allied with. Alinivar condition...stable. Col. Saturn condition...stable. Zarbol condition...passenger *click* stable, vessel in need of *bzzt* repair."

"Sounds like you got your ass handed to you," Moondancer allowed worriedly. "Lucky you're still in one piece."

"I am under order *bzzt, click* to not die," Larice retorted, his voice sounding stronger.

Moondancer managed to chuckle. "Well, do a better job following that order, you hear? Now, did he say anything significant?"

"He mentioned *clickclickclick* an Apple," Larice responded, sounding as though he'd undergone a full system's reboot now.

"Tell them to get to Satralla Tower!" Niiue spoke up. "That's where I'm getting the signal from the Apple fragment."

"Satralla Tower, Larice," Moondancer relayed. "You know where that is?"

"...Alinivar and *whirrr* Col. Saturn know the location," Larice responded. "However, Alinivar is *click* aware of a third Point of Power, and wishes to *whirrr, click* investigate it first. The Points *whirrr* unlock PSI abilities for Alinivar and Col. Saturn."

"...follow his lead, Larice," Moondancer stated finally. "The Apple picked him, so I'll assume he knows what he's doing."

"Understood," Larice agreed before the connection was lost.

"Well, that's a good sign I hope," Niiue allowed. "If Alinivar knows what he's doing, that's good for the rest of us. I just hope nothing goes wrong."

"For now, just get us to Saturn," Moondancer insisted. "They might need assistance."

"Just going to make a quick stop nearby to get them a ship," Niiue countered. "They're going to need to get off world."

By the time the pair finished arranging for the work to get Alinivar and the others a ship, they were in position over Satralla Tower just in time to see the group confront Greyface. Moondancer frowned as she watched the fight from the pod, definitely unhappy with what she was seeing. Despite how well Larice's new friends were able to fight, Greyface seemed implacable...until he ran out of ammunition for his weapons. Before the group could take advantage of that, he seized the Apple Fragment and hopped back into his pod, shooting straight out of Saturn orbit.

"Can we stop him?" Moondancer asked hopefully.

"Even if we could do anything other than try to ram him, he's too fast to catch," Niiue grumbled. "Better let Larice know about the ship we got him. And tell him to head for Jupiter. A lot of Giegue's forces are active there, so another Apple might be there. Even if it isn't, there's another Point of Power there."

Nodding, Moondancer turned back to the comm to relay the message.

First Contact

Once Moondancer had relayed the message to Larice to head for Jupiter, Niiue steered their little pod away from Saturn. "Where are we going now?" she asked curiously.

"We're going to meet up with some backup," Niiue explained. "Some Starmen of Super, Deluxe, and Ghost rank have acquired a more stable ship for our use, one with a bit more breathing space and a teleportation array we can use to go from ship to planet and back again as we need to. While Alinivar and his crew take care of things out here, we're going to see about investigating the source of all this. I want to find out how Greyface got ahold of that technology, and what effect that's having on Earth."

"Isn't that...dangerous?" Moondancer inquired worriedly. She'd never set hoof on Earth, and wasn't entirely certain she wanted to. With what going there had done to Giegue...

"I don't think we need to worry," Niiue offered comfortingly. "I doubt observing will unseat our psyches...and it might just give us information we need." He smiled as a ship came up on the monitor, a saucer class much like what they'd made available for Alinivar and his group, but with a docking bay for smaller pods like their own. "Here we are."

Moondancer floated nervously beside Niiue as they docked. She wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but she was already feeling her world fraying somewhat around her. She was...she had to admit it. She was afraid of what was to come, of what she might lose next.

Once aboard, Moondancer took in the crew. Starmen - the only servants of the Geeg she'd ever encountered - were roughly humanoid shaped entities with a metal exterior and tendril upper limbs. Starmen, the lowest rank, were grey. Supers were gold. Deluxes were bright silver. Ghosts had a uniquely reddish-black exterior that drained light from around them, giving them an eerie aura. "Welcome Commander Niiue, *click* Commander Moondancer," a Starman Super greeted as they entered the main control bay, which took up most of the ship. "Course has been *click* laid in."

"Then let's go," Niiue stated firmly, glancing sadly at how Moondancer moved even closer to his side, seeming afraid of trying to talk to the Starmen around them. Sighing, he pulled her into a gentle embrace, deciding to hold her until they reached Earth. He'd hoped she'd talk to them, maybe find a way to bond with them as a way to maintain her mental stability...but she plainly just wasn't ready or equipped to do that. Anything beyond what was 'necessary' for this mission was plainly too much for her just now...

As the blue planet came up on the monitor, the Starman Super turned to Niiue. "Commander Niiue! We're coming up on the planet. *click*" He turned to glance back at the sphere. "It's strange...this primitive place. Of all the planet's to repel Giegue's advances... Finally we'll find out why... Here's hoping we don't get the same reaction in the process. *click*"

Moondancer frowned thoughtfully. She didn't really like the way these Starmen spoke about Giegue...though she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. Still, they were here for information. She would just have to follow Niiue's lead...and not leave his side.

"I know it's not my place to say so," the Starman Super continued, "but don't spend too much time down there, Commanders."

Moondancer blinked in surprise. Last she'd checked, questioning orders and trying to suggest better ways to handle situations is what got Larice branded a traitor. And yet this one, a Super, was daring to chide, to caution Geeg Commanders? Was it that those of Super rank had more authority to speak? Was this something Niiue had ordered? Or...was there something she didn't know about the Starmen in general?

"Head straight for that Polestar place," the Super continued. "That's where the PSI reading is coming from."

PSI reading? Moondancer thought, shocked. We're investigating other PSI users?

Yes, Niiue confirmed. We don't have many readings, and this is the strongest we can pick up. I'm hoping one will lead to Ninten, or some other member of that family. I'm...I'm pretty sure the only way to save Giegue is to make him face them again, and somehow make things right. But...

...but...? Moondancer thought back worriedly.

While you were communicating with Larice, I was able to briefly touch Alinivar's mind. I...I know who the Apple has named as those destined to defeat and destroy Giegue...and the leader is of Ninten's blood.

Moondancer let her thoughts fall silent as she turned that over in her mind. It sounded somewhat familiar, like something she'd once seen in her own Magicant...a part she wasn't supposed to visit yet...

Turning, Niiue carried Moondancer to the chute that would send them down to the surface. They found themselves in a human town painted in the colors of Autumn. "...Twoson..." Moondacer said suddenly.

Niiue looked down at her in surprise. "You've been here?"

Moondancer shook her head vigorously. "No. But...I feel like I know this place..."

Frowning, Niiue carried her over to Polestar Preschool, doing his best to ignore the way locals turned to stare at the pair. He then moved carefully to the upstairs before cloaking himself and Moondancer in inverted PSI energy. Short of an incredibly powerful PSI user, no one would even be able to see them...but maintaining it was costly, which is why he hadn't done it sooner. It was really only good for short bursts of investigation.

Inside the room they entered were a man and a woman leaning over a crib, in which a baby girl slept. "Say, that ribbon looks really cute, doesn't it?" one of the parents said, it was difficult to tell which through the inverted PSI.

"Yeah," the other agreed before laughing softly.

The parents continued to talk, but Niiue ignored them as he moved to examine the baby blonde girl. She was definitely the source of the PSI energy, but-

Before he could complete the thought, Moondancer's eyes widened. "Paula," she said suddenly in recognition...and yet she had no idea where she got the name from.

Dancer! a thought came back, and with it an excited surge of PSI that caused a nearby teddy bear - one that one of the parents had just been fetching - to burst into flames.

Niiue immediately warped them out of the room, and back to the ship.

Fate Foretold

"What was that?" Moondancer demanded of Niiue as soon as she managed to catch her breath. "How did I know her name, when it looked like her parents hadn't even named her yet? How was her PSI strong enough for baby Geeg speak? How did she know baby Geeg speak? How did she know my name? My essence?" Moondancer started to hyperventilate as she let what happened start to run through her mind. The infant - Paula, apparently - had spoken in the thought language of the Geeg - the infant form, at any rate - which was more mental conception than actual words...and somehow as an infant knew Moondancer well enough to present her as more than just 'oddly colored shape of importance'. The mental image that came through was very strong...but it was slightly inaccurate. It was an image of Moondancer...but not as she was now. "When did she even get that image from-"

"Moondancer, shut up!" Niiue suddenly snapped out angrily, his PSI starting to flare.

Moondancer flinched back in shock, her ears going flat as her eyes started to water.

Almost immediately, Niiue's anger faded as he looked completely contrite. "Moondancer, I'm sorry..." He swiftly was at her side, holding her in a comforting embrace as he stroked her back, trying to calm them both down.

After a time, both managed to calm enough for Moondancer to speak up. "Niiue...what's going on? Why...why are you so upset?"

"I...I caught that image," he explained softly. "I was able...to get a bit more from it than you did. And 'when' is the right question, but a question I don't want to answer, because I don't want it to have an answer."

Moondancer tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I...after getting brief contact with that girl's mind, I have a theory that will explain most of what just happened," Niiue continued, looking paler than normal. "But I don't want to share that theory, no matter how much you want the answers...because I want the theory to be wrong. Because if I'm right...it may be impossible to save Giegue."

Silence reigned between the pair for a time. Finally, Moondancer spoke up. "Then you're wrong," she stated firmly. "If the only explanation that fits the current information means we can't save Giegue, then we don't have enough information to get the right explanation. It's as simple as that."

Niiue took a few calming breaths, then smiled down at Moondancer. "I guess I can hope you're right, even if that's all I've got left. How are you able to stay so optimistic, so hopeful after everything that's happened?"

Moondancer glanced down, pawing at the floor with one hoof. "Because...because I've felt the start of the madness that's driving Giegue," she explained. "There's...there's a seed of it inside me. If...if I don't stay optimistic, stay hopeful...then that seed will sprout. And I'm pretty sure that won't do any good saving Giegue."

Niiue shuddered violently, as he mentally applied what he'd caught from that brief glimpse into what Paula was able to say onto Moondancer's present abilities, PSI and otherwise. The result was absolutely terrifying. "I wish the Geeg had gods," he grumbled morosely. "Then I'd have someone to pray to...it seemed a comforting activity back when Maria taught Giegue how to do it..."

"What's a god?" Moondancer asked curiously. "I haven't come across that term before."

"Humans and other races at a similar level believe in higher powers that watch over and protect them," Niiue explained. "They pray to these figures to influence events to improve their lives, and they have enough latent PSI power that enough 'miracles' happen in response to prayers to make them believe it actually works."

"Higher powers that watch over and protect..." Moondancer murmured softly, turning that over in her mind as she tried to find something in her experience that fit. Her eyes widened as she hit on one possibility. "Humans pray to the Geeg?"

Niiue opened his mouth to deny it, but paused. He had to admit that it was entirely possible that some of Earth's religions were spawned from Geeg involvement as the world was explored for possible inclusion in the Geeg empire at some point in their distant past. He didn't really like thinking of things that way, or wanting Moondancer to think of herself - or Giegue - as a god to humans. "Well, they certainly don't think so," he finally declared in a joking tone.

Moondancer smiled happily. "I...I think I know what I should do now."

"As do I," Niiue agreed. "I...I'm going to see if I can project into Giegue's Magicant - or what's left of it - to see if I can pick up more of what he plans to do now." He carefully sat in a meditation position. "Don't disturb me until I'm done."

Nodding, Moondancer moved to the other side of the ship to give Niiue space. Sitting back on her haunches, she closed her eyes and lifted her forelegs up, putting the flat of her hooves together.

"What are *bzzzt* you doing?" a Starman Super inquired of her.

"Praying to Father," she offered softly. "Maybe he'll hear me somewhere in time...and that will help me save him."

"Praying to Master Giegue will *click* help him?" the golden being asked in surprise.

"It can't hurt," the little filly offered hopefully.

The Starman turned and sent signals to its fellows. After a time, the ship was set to coast with motion sensors on max as the entire Starman complement moved to beside Moondancer before kneeling and putting the tips of their arm-tendrils together. "Is this the *whirr* proper position?" A Deluxe inquired.

Moondancer chuckled softly. "I guess so," she admitted. "Now...pray that my Dad will be alright."

"*whirr, click* Let Master Giegue-"

"Not for 'Master Giegue'," Moondancer corrected. "Pray for my Dad."

The Starmen exchanged confused glances. "It is your order to *click, click* use that specific terminology?" A Starman Ghost asked.

Moondancer nodded firmly.

The Starmen all bowed their heads. "Let Commander Moondancer's *whirrr* Dad be alright," they murmured in unison, over and over like a mantra.

Smiling, Moondancer returned to her own silent prayers. Dad...I don't know if you can hear this, or if you're even out there somewhere in space-time anymore...but I'm going to try and save you. And whenever I have a quiet moment I'll pray to you...and tell you everything I've done. I guess...that way you can have a record of my adventure? Isn't that nifty? I...don't have much to tell you now, but this is how it started...

Broken Soldier

Moondancer was startled out of her prayers as Niiue shot awake. "Moondancer, we need to get to Mars now!"

"We do?" Moondancer gasped in shock. "Why? What's going to-"

"If we don't act now, the Appleseekers will be destroyed by Giegue, and everyone is doomed!" Niiue snapped. "And we need to hurry if we're to have a chance at saving Larice!"

Moondancer leapt to her hooves. "I don't know if I can teleport all the way to Mars from here-"

"We will *whirrr* get you there fast," the Starman Super at the helm offered immediately. "And then we will attempt to retrieve the first Apple from the forces blindly helping Master Giegue destroy himself. If we succeed, Giegue will be safer. If we fail, we will *bzzzz* be a distraction!" He then froze, seeming to realize how much he had spoken out of turn. "Unless that is *click* not the plan?"

"It's a good plan," Niiue confirmed quickly, "as long as you've already set the course!"

"We are now in Martian orbit!" the Starman Super responded immediately. "Loading world map. Please choose landing destination-"

"That pinnacle, Moondancer!" Niiue stated quickly, pointing to an image of the second highest pinnacle visible on the map.

"Got it!" Moondancer stated quickly, grabbing hold of Niiue as she teleported them both to the surface.

They landed on the desolate red surface of the planet in time to see Giegue and Greyface exit a grey structure that plainly was the exit for an underground facility. Greyface started to step towards the pair, hands going to weapons, but Giegue's tendril immediately stopped him. "Go," he growled firmly. "I will deal with this." Holding up a glowing yellow object resembling an apple with a bite out of it, he floated it over to a nearby Starman Deluxe. "Take this to the ship."

"As you command, *bzzt* Transcending One!" the Starman declared before teleporting away.

"Whatever you say sir," Greyface offered in a surly tone, before hopping into his own small craft and flying off.

"The Transcending One?" Niiue asked Giegue carefully as he floated towards them. "Is that what they're calling you now?"

"It is suitable," Giegue responded simply. "I will transcend physical form, become a being of pure PSI, and thus bind all life in the system to my will. This is my destiny."

"And what about me?" Moondancer demanded hopefully. "Where do I stand in that?"

"The subject of a flawed experiment, nothing more," Giegue answered flatly. "You will be enslaved like any other."

Moondancer gasped, shock and despair visible in her PSI aura. "No...that...that's a lie-"

"I am Geeg," Giegue stated flatly. "I do not lie."

"No!" Moondancer snapped back angrily. "I know you love me! I felt it in your care!"

"You are mistaken," Giegue responded coldly. "I do not love. Love is a lie I am no longer capable of." As Moondancer slumped to the ground, tears in her eyes, he turned towards where three figures were exiting the facility, murderous rage in their eyes. One was a blue creature that seemed to walk on tentacles, with three eye stalks and a guitar gripped in its tendrils. One was a small pink creature about Moondancer's size that seemed to be all head, with a big nose and tiny feet wearing a tall hat. The third was a silver UFO.

"Don't pick a fight with them now," Niiue warned Giegue coldly. "You don't have your complete strength anymore since you discarded me, and there's no telling how much damage Moondancer could do to you if she joins. Besides, our backup is already attacking your ship. If you want to keep your apples..."

Snarling, Giegue vanished in a flash of red.

Niiue knelt down beside Moondancer. "It's going to be okay..." he began comfortingly, only to sink to his knees, clutching his chest.

"Niiue?" Moondancer asked worriedly. "Niiue, what's wrong?"

"It's...it's nothing..." he responded quickly.

I can't tell her, he thought in his core. I can't tell her...that I'm not a complete Geeg, or even half of one. Just a discarded piece...and as Giegue grows in strength I weaken...until I'll cease to be...

"Who are you?" the tentacled figure asked. "How do you know that thing?"

Niiue managed to get to his feet. "Please don't talk like that," he chided gently. "Giegue is - or, at least, was - Moondancer's father before this all happened.

The aggression started to fade from the figure's expression. "Oh...you must be Niiue, then. Larice told us about you. I'm-"

"Alinivar," Niiue confirmed. "Where's Larice? Is he alright?"

"Greyface...reprogrammed him," the UFO spoke up, his voice halting...and somehow very familiar to Moondancer. "Made him give him the Apple, and attack us."

"We not fight, boing!" the third figure declared hotly, his voice so oddly pitched it was hard to understand him. "But he see wrong, and break himself to not hurt us, zoom!"

"...Larice..." Moondancer whimpered softly.

"That's unfortunate," Niiue offered sadly. He closed his eyes for a few moments. "I've contacted some of my men. They'll retrieve his organic components and place them in a new shell, one without the reprogramming option. In the meantime, we'll stick with the three of you. My powers aren't what they were, but Moondancer's a real powerhouse."

Alinivar nodded. "...alright then," he allowed finally. He then turned to Moondancer. "I'm Alinivar."

"Why do you have a guitar?" Moondancer asked curiously, trying to take her mind off Giegue and Larice.

"Because we're in a band," Alinivar responded, a smile in his eyes as he perked up. "Tonzura Go!(1) I'm lead guitar."

"Colonel Saturn pipes, boing!" the small pink one declared happily.

"And I play a synthesizer," the UFO offered. "Oh, my name is-"

"Buzz Buzz," Moondancer interrupted. "No, wait, that's wrong...isn't it? You're...Zarbol..." Her eyes widening, she rounded on Niiue. "How do I know that?"

Niiue stared at her sadly. "Moondancer...you don't want to know..."

(1) If you know the original Mother 2, you may see the Easter Egg/future spoiler here.

New Friends

Alinivar, Col. Saturn, and Zarbol stood back and watched as Niiue and Moondancer locked eyes. While none of them could clearly perceive it, the two were locked in a struggle of mental will as Moondancer tried to compel Niiue to explain why she knew things she couldn't possibly know and how it connected to Paula knowing her, while Niiue staunchly refused to give any information. Finally, Moondancer lowered her gaze. "I hate this..." she grumbled. "Everything's flying and falling apart, and I don't even know my own head anymore..."

Niiue gently stroked her mane comfortingly. "It's what we have to work with," he offered apologetically. "If I thought telling you more would help you, I would...but I really believe it would only hurt you. For now, you might as well get to know these guys."

Moondancer sighed ruefully. "Alright..." She turned back to Alinivar. "Lead the way."

Nodding, Alinivar turned to lead the way. "So...who are you, anyway?" he asked after a time as he led the way along the red dusty path. "I admit I never left my home village before all this started happening, but you don't look like a Geeg, or like a Sol native."

"Very strange, Boing!" Colonel Saturn confirmed. "Like Earth pony, Ding! But pony...no horn zoom!"

"And how did you know me?" Zarbol asked as he floated up beside her. "It was...a little disturbing."

"No arguments there," Moondancer told Zarbol, unaccountably comfortable with the tiny UFO. "As for your questions Alinivar, Colonel...I don't know anything about my species. I...showed up one day aboard Giegue's ship, and he adopted me. So...I'm the daughter of the vicious destroyer you're desperately trying to stop. Here's to awkward silences." She lowered her head, certain this would lead to a lot of avoided gazes, careful silences, and-

"Not call Dad, zoom?" Colonel Saturn asked, his tone - what she could make out of it from the strange sound of his voice - sounding concerned.

Moondancer closed her eyes. "Because he isn't Daddy...not anymore. He's...someone else now..." To her surprise, she felt several tentacles wrap around her, pulling her into a comforting embrace. Though she could tell this was meant to comfort her and make her feel better, she couldn't help sending a thought Niiue's way. Where did all that art from Earth's Far East say this goes again?

Niiue tripped, nearly stumbling against the wall of the canyon they now had to move through. He turned back to glower irritably at the little pony, but that only made her giggle.

"So tell me about yourself," Moondancer asked Alinivar. "Who are you, outside the one an Apple dragooned into stopping Giegue?"

Alinivar gently set her down to have his tentacles free for combat since she seemed more emotionally stable now. "Well, other than the band, I used to paint," he explained. "Until the whole mess with the Apples, I was a bit of an outcast amongst Mooks for my odd coloring and my inability to use PSI. It's why I lived in a Mr. Saturn village."

"A...Mr. Saturn village?" Moondancer inquired curiously. "What do you mean?"

"All Mr. Saturn are Mr. Saturn, boing!" Colonel Saturn explained. "Except Colonel Saturn. Only one Colonel Saturn."

"He means that his entire species, except for himself, are called Mr. Saturn," Zarbol translated. "...honestly, no one else can make sense of it, either."

"No Mrs. Saturns?" Moondancer inquired curiously.

"Not as far as anyone else can tell," Alinivar offered.

"Colonel Saturn fought in rock war!" Colonel Saturn declared proudly. "Protect all Mr. Saturns!"

"And I mostly worked with my friend Boson in music and music-related endeavors," Zarbol explained. "Other than that, I worked in product delivery. I'm only along on this because Alinivar invited me to join his band. I'm not really sure how much I can contribute, but Alinivar and Colonel Saturn are my friends. I'll do what I can. And Larice..."

"He's going to be okay," Niiue insisted as they reached another clear space atop the cliff. "You'll even be able to check on him. He's being repaired aboard your ship."

"Speaking of..." Alinivar murmured in surprise as his eye stalks lifted. A large saucer craft was moving into position, extending a boarding ladder for them.

At the top of the ladder, a purple Mook dressed in a black and white suit with spikes on his shoulders greeted them. "Hey, we've picked up your buddy! Need a lift?"

"Thanks, Elmadan!" Alinivar called up as the group clambered up into the UFO.

Moondancer glanced around at her surroundings. It was slightly smaller than what she and Niiue had been riding in before, though that could have been because it seemed much more crowded. A couple Mr. Saturns were off in one corner, and a purplish-pink UFO hovered over a huge set of speakers and other musical instruments. However, what seized her attention was a Starman Super and a Starman Ghost standing over Larice's body as they carefully worked to sustain and extract his organic components. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked them hopefully.

Niiue smiled softly as he moved to assist. "Alinivar, the next Apple Fragment is on a planet to the East-Northeast," he called out. "Set course while I help my men work on Larice."

Moondancer flinched as she realized what planet Niiue meant. They were going back to Earth.

Green and Blue

As Zarbol guided the ship towards Earth, things were quiet and peaceful inside. Moondancer did her best to use that calm and peace to try and meditate, but that peace was interrupted as the ship came under attack by a large green creature made of tentacles, mouths, and one large eye. "What is that?" Alinivar demanded as he led the race to the combat deck to try and fight it off.

"Gargiathan," Niiue stated quickly. "A space creature that attacks and devours space ships. It's incredibly durable, and can regenerate any part of its body it loses. I'm pretty sure we won't be able to destroy it here. The best we can do is make it take enough damage to drive it off-"

"It's only got one eye!" Moondancer pointed out. "And it's in the center of its body, like some sort of nucleus! Maybe if we focus our attacks there, we'll be able to do some real damage?"

"Maybe, maybe not zoom!" Colonel Saturn offered. "But can ship hold up while we find out?"

"I've actually got an idea," Mondancer continued. "But do any of you know PSI Beam, or any laser-type attack?"

"I have a spread laser attack, sorta," Zarbol offered. "It...might work."

"I know PSI Beam," Niiue provided. "It's not as strong as it was, but it should work for whatever your plan is."

"Larice knew it..." Alinivar offered sorrowfully.

"Do you know PSI Freeze?" Moondancer quizzed Alinivar insistently.

"Just Beta, but yes," Alinivar confirmed.

"Alright, here's the plan," Moondancer offered quickly. "As soon as we get out there, Alinivar cast PSI Freeze on the outermost layer of Gargiathon's eye! Don't try to freeze the eye itself, just try and solidify and crystallize the outermost lens."

"My Glare might diamondize it, if I focus on just that," Alinivar offered hopefully.

"Then try both!" Moondancer insisted. "Colonel Saturn, what about you?"

"Laser gun, boing?" the small soldier offered. "Borrow from Larice. Not use well, but can pull trigger zoom."

"When I give the signal, all three of you focus all your beams on the target area," Moondancer instructed firmly. "You'll know it when you see it."

"I'll instruct the other ship to hold their lasers until they see us using ours!" Boson - Zarbol's pink friend - called out from the comms.

Gargiathon let out a roar as they all arrived, the sound coming from its many mouths as it focused its single eye on the group. Alinivar immediately acted, unleashing PSI Freeze Beta and his Glare, focusing the energy of both on the outer coating of the eyeball. Gargiathon flinched back with a snarl, trying to shake the crystal-ice lens that took shape there. "It...it worked!" Alinivar gasped out in shock. "I can't believe it worked!"

Moondancer frowned, focusing her PSI. What she was trying to do was a little beyond her if she were going to use it as an attack on its own, but she hoped she had the strength for this purpose. PSI Shockwave - the PSI only the Geeg could use - turned PSI power into light that was not light to barrage targets with endless streams of power. Moondancer had only mastered PSI Shockwave Beta, but Gamma was what she needed. Gamma created planes of light to focus and amplify the PSI power for more devastating blasts. She couldn't focus her PSI well enough to unleash Gamma, but if she could just create one plane of light...

Nine squares of hard-light PSI flew through the air before coming together in a spinning square between the ships and Gargiathon, the squares folding in at the corners to focus.

"Now!" Niiue roared out as he unleashed PSI Beam Epsilon, the powerful beams shooting into the plane of hard-light. Zarbol backed it up with his Sparks shot, the endless streams of tiny shots being drawn in. Though the laser weapon Colonel Saturn had borrowed sent him tumbling backwards nearly off the ship when he fired, the beam still tracked. The other ship - who was under attack by Gargiathon before they had arrived - unleashed its own defensive lasers.

As all the Beam and laser energy struck the plane, it focused into a single powerful Beam that shot into the crystalline lens and tore through the eye behind it as it was further amplified, and right out the back of the creature. Gargiathon let out a pained scream of rage...and fell still.

As Moondancer lost control of her PSI, she slumped to the ground. "Oogh...that was not pleasant..."

"What's this?" Zarbol asked as he caught a small sphere that floated out of Gargiathon's decaying body towards them.

Niiue's eyes widened as he caught sight of it. "That's...that's a Reboot Orb! You should definitely hang onto it. It'll come in handy at some point."

"Can we go back inside now?" Moondancer asked hopefully as she slumped atop Colonel Saturn, using him for a pillow.

With Gargiathon destroyed, Zarbol once more set course for Earth. "We're ready to land, but..." he began nervously.

"But?" Niiue asked curiously.

"There's some sort of barrier around the planet," the little UFO pointed out.

"I'll take care of that," Niiue insisted, floating out of the ship. Floating up to the barrier, he opened a door in it, letting the ship through...only for something to hit the ship.

"We're going down!" Alinivar shouted out as he held tight to Moondancer to keep her from being jostled. "Brace for impact!"

Blue and Grey

As Moondancer came to, she found herself in a rather ratty apartment with a large hole in the roof. Everyone from aboard the ship was in the room, with Alinivar and Zarbol standing over her worriedly. "You okay?" Alinivar asked as she slowly got to her hooves. "You were kind of out of it when we crashed."

"I used a PSI my mind wasn't ready for," Moondancer pointed out as she shook her head. "That's never pleasant..."

"Well, we're on Earth now," Zarbol offered helpfully. "Niiue's out reconnoitering, seeing what he can see of the surroundings while making certain our location is secure-"

"Ah, good, you're awake," Niiue called as he entered through the door. "We should be safe enough here as far as continuing Larice's repairs...but just about everything else is non-functional. We are in the right general location for the Apple at least, so it needs to get found quick. Alinivar, Col., Zarbol, that's your job...but take Moondancer with you. It's better for her right now not to sit and mope. Show her more of the world, get her mind off things." Smiling, he floated a wallet full of dollars - as opposed to the bowbucks Alinivar was used to using for currency - over to Moondancer. "Besides, of the four of you, she's the only one who understands Earth currency."

"Earth doesn't have space travel," Moondancer pointed out. "Won't they comment if a group of aliens wander around?"

"I've got disguises for all of you," Niiue responded quickly. "Here, put them on."

Sighing, Moondancer joined the others in putting on their disguises. Alinivar looked like an ordinary human boy in a green and yellow striped shirt. Col. Saturn sat atop a make-shift robotic body he could control with his feet, a trenchcoat making it look like he was the head. Moondancer was in a dog suit, with Zarbol inside a balloon whose string was tied to the dog's paw. "This is really the best you could manage?" Moondancer asked despairingly. "Why am I a dog?"

"Would you prefer to be a cat?" Niiue teased playfully.

"Honestly...?" Moondancer murmured irritably.

Chuckling, Alinivar led the way out of the building, Moondancer forced to follow along as Zarbol all but towed her behind him. The building was in as bad condition as the room had been, filled with trash and junk to the point the halls were barely passable. A sign at the front revealed why, as the building was apparently condemned. For some reason, Alinivar immediately turned north into the dump.

"Somehow I don't think this is the city Niiue wanted me to see," Moondancer pointed out flatly.

"I can sense another Point of Power," Alinivar explained. "The more PSI Col. Saturn and I can do, the better. Besides, maybe it'll help you with your PSI to be exposed to it, too."

Not having an argument for that, Moondancer shrugged and followed along as the group maneuvered the junkyard, doing their best to avoid the flying bits of paper charged with residual PSI energy that attacked them if they got too close. Moondancer made note of how the PSI animated the inanimate object to give it a semblance of its own will even as they destroyed them, feeling it was somehow important. However, the only truly profit they gained from destroying them was exercise for Moondancer's mind via use of her PSI, and the fact the destroyed paper turned into dollars...for some reason.

As they moved deeper into the junkyard it started to drizzle, and then the drizzle slowly turned into fog that obscured the path. Much to Moondancer's confusion, Alinivar paused to open every wrapped box they found along the path and to search through every trash can. She would have commented disparagingly about the habit...but just as she was about to, he found a power up disc for Starmen containing data for PK Fire Delta. This left the whole group in a somber mood.

Elsewhere in the junkyard, in an area suspiciously devoid of fog or rain, Alinivar also managed to find a small green gem filled with PSI energy. Moondancer wasn't sure why he held onto it so tightly.

Alinivar led the way up to a strange conglomeration of PSI energy that blocked the path. "You finally got here," it spoke in a voice that seemed to have no sound. "This is the seventh Point of Power, but it's mine now. Take it from me, if you dare."

The sphere of light unfolded into a strange canine that seemed to be made of junk parts put together. Alinivar, Col. Saturn, and Zarbol focused on a defensive strategy, using PSI to keep everyone protected from damage and healed while striking with weapons when they could. Moondancer couldn't help but marvel at just how well they worked together in battle, considering how little time it had been since they'd all joined forces. In point of fact, they worked together so well that the creature was so much scrap before Moondancer had even gathered her thoughts to fight. "...impressive," Moondancer murmured in surprise.

"We've been doing this a lot," Alinivar offered deprecatingly. He then led the way to the seventh Point of Power...a pool of black water with junk floating in it, a Tardrowned Pool.

"This is what we came for-" Moondancer began to demand irritably, only to stop as she felt the power suddenly emanating from the spot. Music seemed to play from nowhere as the spot resonated with six others throughout the star system, forming a strange, not-quite-complete harmony. She felt residual energy flowing into her mind to strengthen her thoughts, while most of it flowed into Alinivar and Col. Saturn.

Moondancer's eyes widened as she briefly saw into Alinivar's mind, and an image of Maria singing to Giegue...

As Alinivar turned to lead the way back into the city, Moondancer began to look at the blue Mook in a different light. He was more important than he realized...

Grey and White

Moondancer let Alinivar take the lead around town, following him as he wandered this way and that. Sometimes he engaged citizens in conversation. Sometimes he rooted around in trash cans, or opened wrapped gift boxes. She could only assume he knew where he was going, or was guided by a higher power that did. Considering he often followed seeming dead end paths to useful items in places he had no possible way of knowing something was there...he was either a natural at adventuring, or being guided by a force that knew what it was doing. Moondancer decided to assume the former, as she didn't like the idea of Alinivar being directly guided by the Apple of Enlightenment, the only 'higher power' she could believe would be involved in this instance.

However, some things he did left her completely baffled. On finding a pendant that her PSI told her warded off some PSI powers, he refused to wear it and a pair of Shades at the same time...despite the fact they were worn on completely different parts of his body whether he was disguised or not. While she could accept the claim 'they clashed' as a fashionable choice, it didn't really fit the adventuring mindset considering the Shades seemed to contain latent PSI energy that boosted physical abilities. Eventually, she decided not to think about it, and hope they got back to finding the Apple soon.

...she then began to feel depressed that she was eager to continue the quest that seemed to have only her Father's death as its logical conclusion. The only distraction from that proved to be the occasional attacking hippie or stop sign they had to fight off.

A kindly woman allowed them to take a map since they seemed lost, which showed them they were in Thunderton. The only other town shown on the map that they could get to was to the west, called Cloudvale. "So...is that where we're going?" Moondancer asked Alinivar curiously.

"Probably," Alinivar confirmed. "I...I don't feel the Apple anywhere around here."

Unfortunately, attempts to move West were blocked by police officers and a roadblock, who - despite obvious corruption at wanting a huge bribe to get by - Alinivar decided they shouldn't attack to force their way past. Moondancer found it rather inefficient, but went along with the group as they made their way instead into the Piggsnout Tower in the center of Thunderton.

With a bit of help from a local and a delivered package, the group was able to get into the Tower rather easily...save for a rather odd moment when the receptionist wanted to register 'the one behind you', and refused to explain beyond that. However, she apparently got the answer she wanted, and sent them up the tower.

Moving up the tower, they encountered a room offering a 'Free PSI Test'. Inside were devices that Moondancer readily recognized as a means of measuring PSI potential. Of course, they were designed to test ones ability to learn PSI, and use by someone who already knew how to tap that power would overload such a device. As such, she was amused if unsurprised when the one administering the test was startled out of his chair when the device exploded. They were then ordered to report directly to No. 10, whoever that was, at the top of the tower.

Halfway up the building, Alinivar led them into a room with large V's on either side. Inside was dark, and filled with training dummies that resembled a kid in a striped shirt wearing a backpack and red baseball cap. Though she didn't recognize the figure, Moondancer felt she should...and the sight of these dummies looking like him used for training made her sick to her stomach, for some obscure reason.

Noticing her upset, Alinivar quickly led the way back out of the room and up the tower. It wasn't long after that before they reached the top, and entered the guarded room. Once inside, Moondancer thanked all her lucky stars for her disguise that hid her reaction. Right there was Greyface himself, sitting on a couch. To his left was a spider-like mech. To his right was a Mr. Saturn shaped machine that seemed important. To either side of the room were six iron pencil statues and four more dummies...only this time, Moondancer found she knew the names. Ness...Paula...Jeff...Poo... She struggled to get ahold of herself, eventually simply curling up until Alinivar picked her up and carried her. She then blocked out her surroundings, hoping this wouldn't last long.

Much faster than she anticipated, Alinivar was setting her back down. "What happened?" she asked curiously.

"We had a stroke of luck," Zarbol explained from his balloon. "Greyface pointed us straight to the Apple, and gave us a way to get past the cops so we can get to Cloudvale."

Moondancer sighed in relief. "Good. The sooner we're out of here, the better."

"And there's no reason we need to give him the Apple once we have it..." Alinivar murmured in agreement.

The group wasted no time making their way past the cops to the west. This led to crossing a long bridge...though a rather gross man doing his best not to let his nose run - and failing miserably - attempted briefly to stall their progress. As the group prepared for battle, Moondancer pointed to how close the edge of the suspension bridge was. "Do you think he can swim?" she asked Alinivar curiously.

Smirking, Alinivar grasped the man and simply hurled him off the bridge, then continued on their way.

At the other end of the bridge was a set of lifts on ropes leading up into the cliffs above. As they rode, Moondancer made her way to the window and looked out...only to stare in awe. While she'd often looked out the windows of the spaceship growing up, that had always been the dead expanse of the starscape. While she'd always known the stars had more life than she could see, space was just so empty. The majesty of that view had always been tainted by the knowledge that the glass she leaned against was all that stood between life and painful death out amongst the stars.

Here, though...here the majestic expanse of a planet was laid out before her. The view to the east only showed her Thunderton, but glancing out any of the other windows showed her a vast ocean, soaring mountains, verdant grasslands and lush forests. She saw life in all its glory for the first time in her life...and she loved it! "Do you think we can explore a bit before we go?" she asked hopefully.

Alinivar chuckled softly. "Well, we need to get the Apple...but after that, it'll still take a while before the ship is fixed. I think we can squeeze in a...I believe humans call it a 'nature hike' or two?"

Grinning eagerly, Moondancer threw herself at Alinivar in a fond embrace.

Grey and Greyer

It didn't take the group long to make it back to the tower in the center of Thunderton, Apple of Winter in hand. No one stood in their way to get there, or as they climbed up to the top. Once there, they pushed the door open and entered Greyface's office. Greyface was waiting for them. "So I see you brought back the Apple," he stated calmly. "I'm proud of you." He then chuckled softly. "And this is about the time you bluster and threaten under some vain belief that you can actually defeat me here and somehow change history...because you're just that much of an idiot. You didn't really think those disguises fooled me for a minute, did you?"

Alinivar snarled under his breath. "You seem to forget you're human...and don't have PSI!" He began to gather his mental energy.

Slipping a hand into his pocket, Greyface pressed a switch on something. A strong, high pitched sound began echoing through the room, forcing Alinivar and Moondancer to clutch at their ears as they lost the ability to concentrate. "I don't need PSI. I know how it works, what it takes to use it...and how to circumvent it. My technology, enhanced by Geeg tech, will trump your pitiful PSI any day. You can't possibly win against me...ever."

"Win?" Zarbol snarled, his UFO body filtering out the sound so he could still function. "Do you think this is some sort of game?"

Greyface laughed boisterously. "Of course it's a game! It's always been a game! And I'm the big bad villain who's twisting everything around to get what I want, and only the 'heroes' can stop me, if they're strong enough, brave enough, and smart enough to not stick to the rules! But you lot? You're not the heroes." He put his hands on his hips as he leaned forward, glaring at them disdainfully. "You're just a bunch of NPCs with delusions of importance. It doesn't matter what you try to do...you will never succeed. And I will enjoy watching your futile struggles until they end. Guards! Seize them!"

Zarbol spun around, ready to do whatever it took to protect his friends from the guards...only for the sound to stop.

"Guards! What's taking you?" Greyface demanded angrily.

"They're a little tied up at the moment," Niiue observed calmly as the doors burst open.

"What?" Greyface demanded in shock. "That's impossible! The sound should have been disabling even to a Geeg fragment like you!"

"Then it's a good *bzzzt* thing he didn't come alone, *click*" Larice declared as he slid into place beside Niiue, his body now the black and Crimson of a Ghost class Starman.

"Larice!" Moondancer called out in relief.

"No need for disguises anymore," Niiue pointed out, using his PSI to teleport the group's disguises off them.

"Finally, Boing!" Col. Saturn gasped in relief as he wriggled around without the large body weighing him down.

Greyface, however, staggered back in shock. "Oh my pork...but you're..."

"Dead, right?" Larice asked as his voice box whirred. "My old body *click* is no more, but I am more than my body. This one is much more my power. Besides, *click*..." His optics turned towards Moondancer. "Starmen always follow orders..."

Greyface glared daggers towards Moondancer. "You...again and again you twist things, make things happen...you shouldn't even be! I looked into the face of time, and you aren't part of this game!" Spinning, he lunged into the spider-like mecha that sat next to the couch. "Well I'll fix you! I'll delete you from this game, and then things will be like they're supposed to be!"

As the group braced for battle, Moondancer swallowed nervously. "What...what is that thing?" she demanded as the mech lashed out at them, deflecting PSI and weaponry launched its way. "It looks like Geeg tech...but it's not!"

Greyface cackled madly. "You're right, it isn't. Geeg tech is built by sane minds. It was Lord Giygas who crafted this for me, so I could ride the timestream and ensure he became Lord Giygas! I am the reason time is trapped, and nothing you do will have meaning! There is no hope for any of you, and I will see you burn!"

"Giygas..." Niiue whispered in fear as Moondancer shivered.

All sorts of weaponry extended from the spider mech. "That's right! If you think Giegue is strong now, just wait and see! Giygas' power is beyond comprehension! Then again, you won't see...because I'm going to kill you right here and NOW!"

"NO!" Moondancer screamed out, her horn hurting as she focused all the PSI she could gather. She wouldn't die here...she wouldn't lose her friends!

PSI energy leapt out of her horn straight up, drawing similar energy out of Alinivar, Col. Saturn, Larice, Zarbol, and Niiue. The coruscating sphere of PSI lashed out in a rainbow of colors, pushing the mech back and disabling many of its weapons even if the armor was undamaged.

Greyface swore sulfurously under his breath. "So that's what it is...that's where it comes from...I wondered how a PSI could exist that Master Giygas didn't know, and didn't obey the rules of PSI...a PSI to combine powers...it comes from you! Well, it doesn't matter if you beat me now. This mech...it's a time machine! I'll just disappear to another time and space, and next time I'll be ready!"

"That will not be necessary," Giegue suddenly stated from the door as he floated in.

"Ah, the cavalry has arrived," Greyface chuckled darkly.

Niiue quickly moved to stand between Giegue and the others. "Giegue, you know you can't fight me."

Giegue stared Niiue down. "And how certain of that are you?" he asked, calm fury in his mental voice. "Sure enough to risk all?"

Niiue tensed up. "You four! Take Moondancer into the Phase Distorter and get out of here, now!" He gestured to the Mr. Saturn shaped vehicle at the other end of the couch without looking.

"But Niiue!" Moondancer called out, only to stagger as Alinivar grabbed her. The four piled into the machine with Moondancer.

"No you don't-" Greyface started to call out, only for his mech to be batted aside by Niiue's PSI.

"You should step out of the way," Niiue stated firmly. "Your pitiful human mind couldn't hope to comprehend what's really going on here..."

That was the last thing Moondancer and the others heard before Alinivar threw the switch, and the world went white.

Red and Black

As the world became visible again, Moondancer and the others found themselves inside a dilapidated apartment building. The walls looked to be on the verge of falling apart, and there were cracks and holes scattered around through which nothing was visible. There were no windows, and what light fixtures could be seen had no power. "W...where are we?" Col. Saturn asked worriedly, so unnerved that he didn't even add his usual 'Boing'.

Larice made a few scans, the spikes on his shoulders sparking as the higher-tech antennae collected information. "This place is not *whirrr* in my location data."

"The teleport didn't last that long," Zarbol offered hopefully. "So we're still on Earth...right?"

"Let's go find out where us, ding!" Col. Saturn piped up eagerly, the tension still thick through the whole group.

"Everyone stay on guard, though," Alinivar warned. "We have no idea what dangers might be out there."

"Whatever's out there, we're stuck with it," Moondancer spoke up worriedly. "The Phase Distorter broke down. We can use it to restore our energies, but it's not going to be getting us anywhere else..." She glanced over the controls. "Not that I have any idea how we'd program where to go if it wasn't..."

"Everyone stick together, then," Alinivar ordered firmly before leading the way to the door.

As they stepped outside, red ground crunched under them as they walked. Trees stood dead in the distance, nude of leaves and barely staying upright. Buildings that looked to have once been a small town sat open and abandoned. The only signs of movement were crazed Shamblers - furry sophonts from Pluto - whose PSI aura showed their minds had been completely eradicated by something, leaving only madness and power; humanoid beings Larice's scanners identified as 'Psychic Psychos' who seemed to be made of living flame, mutant eyeballs with long legs, and creatures that resembled a child's science project on molecular structure. Alinivar led the group through town stealthily, doing his best to keep from engaging the crazed aliens while gathering anything that might be useful from the town.

As they explored, they found an old, dilapidated sign that declared this place had once been a town called Onett. Moondancer couldn't help but feel this was important, but couldn't for the life of her figure out why. However, the sight of the place so empty and dead filled her with despair.

Seeing her upset, Alinivar quickly led them to the north of town, where only a single house remained intact. The door was guarded by a sphere of coruscating light just as the Tardrowned Pool had been.

"You finally got here," the sphere declared as the group approached. "This is the Eighth Point of Power. But it's mine now. Take it from me, if you dare."

The sphere then unfolded into a larger molecule-shaped being, the balls of its body arranged in something of a pyramid shape. Moondancer couldn't help but feel the shape should mean something to her...but was quickly distracted by the battle as it summoned several of the smaller molecule beings to its aid. Thankfully, none of them proved very durable, and Moondancer focused on using her PSI defensively to backup Zarbol while Larice and Alinivar went on a conservative offensive and Col. Saturn kept everyone's strength up.

Eventually, the larger molecule being seemed to fall apart...but instead of fading, the balls rearranged themselves into a new shape. This more closely resembled a human form...only to briefly flash the image of a glowering horned statue. The image made Moondancer shiver in fear, making her briefly lose control of her PSI. After enough of a barrage, the creature fell apart again...this time reassembling in a field that presented the image of a dog made out of diamond. To Moondancer's surprise, she felt no emotional impact from this form. The next shape it took was a human standing upright with arms raised over its head...but the image that appeared seemed to lack cohesion. It wasn't long before the creature fell apart anew, and did not reassemble.

Alinivar led the way quickly into the house, moving back into the bedroom at the back of the second floor. Moondancer couldn't help but feel she'd been in there several times...despite the fact she knew she'd never been there before. As she thought of that, the Power of the Point resonated with the group. Moondancer spun in surprise, certain she saw a young boy enter through the door despite the fact it hadn't moved.

She felt Alinivar and Col. Saturn's PSI grow as they absorbed the power of the Forgotten Home...

Alinivar suddenly staggered. "So...so that's what it means..." he murmured softly.

"What what means?" Moondancer asked hopefully.

Alinivar smiled. "I...I think I know how we can save your father..." His PSI aura resonated, and for a brief moment eight spheres of different colored light flowed around him to the sound of music. "Let's...let's get to the top of the hill."

Moondancer wasn't sure what Alinivar meant, but he seemed so certain that she couldn't help but follow along, desperately hoping he was right.

At the top of the hill, a strange pillar made of what looked like two twisted tails stood pointing into the heavens, marked only with XX. As the group approached it, however, it blazed with light. When the light faded, the group found themselves in an open area with grey paths. Moondancer instantly recognized it. "W...we're in Giegue's Magicant..." she murmured in awe. "But...how?"

"We'll just have to keep going and find out," Alinivar stated firmly.

Future and Past

The group of five carefully followed the narrow paths through the white place they found themselves in, running into odd individuals that recognized Moondancer but not the others...save for a small insect that claimed to know Zarbol. While they weren't certain where they were supposed to go, there weren't that many ways to go unless one could self-propel via PSI. As Moondancer was the only one who could do that, they followed the paths.

At one point, they passed a structure that resembled a small metal mountain range that exerted magnetic pull on its surroundings. "Magnet Hill..." Moondancer murmured as she caught sight of it.

"What was that?" Zarbol asked curiously.

Moondancer blinked. "I...I don't know..." She wasn't sure why - or even what - she'd just said anymore.

Seeing an image of Greyface, the group approached the mental projection. As he saw them approach, he frowned. "I took my pig friends through time...but I have no idea where they ended up anymore," he stated calmly. "All those lives in limbo now...aren't you happy, Moondancer?"

Moondancer shivered in response. "I...don't understand..."

"Of course you don't," Greyface responded coldly. "Just like the rest of your kind, you're flailing around in a world not your own, desperately trying to enforce your idea of what the 'right thing' is, without thinking about what that might do to the world itself. Timelines don't manage themselves, you know. But that's your charm, isn't it? Because you're just so cute, so much is excused..."

"But...but I just want to-"

"Yes, you just want to save your Daddy," Greyface taunted darkly. "And you might just manage it. But don't think that won't be without consequences, and don't pretend you'll like all of them. Lives are in the balance, and there's already blood on your hooves. He may have been a ship devouring monster...but Gargiathan was alive, and you killed him. And you're going to have to spill a lot more blood if you want to save Giegue." He smirked. "And I don't think you can be that ruthless.

"But then, who am I to judge?" He turned away. "I'm just a part of the narrative. You don't have to stop...just be sure to think."

As Moondancer sat there staring, Alinivar gently pulled her forward, hoping to find real answers further along, rather than meaningless riddles.

Further along the path, Alinivar encountered an image of himself, who gifted him with a guitar forged from the energies of Magicant to help boost his abilities. Since it so closely resembled his favorite, original guitar, he immediately decided to hold onto it for use in combat. Combat quickly arose as they moved to a deeper part of the Magicant, where the paths turned from white to red.

"We're nearing the Sea of Eden," Moondancer observed worriedly. "The source of the darker aspect of the psyche. We can expect to run into some serious danger here."

"Then we'll just have to be ready, *whirr*" Larice stated firmly, priming his weapons.

The red paths were narrower, and twisted and turned much more than the white paths, making them harder to maneuver. There were PSI concentrations in the form of monsters along the path, but they did not actively hunt the group, nor were they difficult to avoid. Eventually, the twisting paths led to a hole in the ground which they dropped down, hoping to find answers.

At the bottom of the hole, they found a room filled with blue light. Six doors lined the far wall: from left to right they were yellow, blue, dark grey, pale grey, orange, and green. In the center of the room was a faint image of Niiue. "Niiue!" Moondancer called out desperately, rushing towards him.

"It sure took you all...long enough," Niiue managed to say, plainly struggling as he seemed faint, almost not really there. "Welcome to the future of the Earth...the future of Giygas. More than 20 years in the future, to be precise. Giygas has left...all devastation. When you left in the Phase Distorter, Giegue had the last piece of the Apple of Enlightenment. He did not attack me, but secluded himself with the Apple...and learned its prophecy. I waited for your return...but you never came. And Giegue, driven mad by the prophecy, became Giygas. Giygas...extinguished all life. He had turned his PSI against himself...destroying his body and becoming pure PSI energy, amplified somehow...to destroy everything. All...was lost..."

"No!" Alinivar snapped out angrily. "There has to be a way to fix this! Some way to save Earth, the solar system...to save Giegue!" The others chorused their agreement and determination.

Niiue's eyes lit up. "There might be a way. The Apple told me everything when he was done with it. Return to your own time, and you can find a way to reverse this future. Bring the mineral Zexonyte here. It can only be found in the leftover hunks of meteors that have fallen planetside...so check Saturn. With it...we may be able to make a last ditch effort..." He breathed deeply. "Take this door...it will get you back out. The Phase Distorter will have finished repairing and recharging now."

A bright pink door appeared behind the group as Niiue vanished. With nothing else to do, the group made their way to the door, Moondancer taking one last glance back to where Niiue had vanished from. The world flared white as they opened the door, leaving them in the south of Onett. They swiftly made their way back to the apartment and the Phase Distorter...which now accepted the command to Warp. In a wave of light, they vanished...only to reappear aboard their ship.

Niiue flinched back in shock as they arrived. "Leave it to you to show up on a refueling run instead of-Oof!"

Moondancer had cannoned into him, clinging tightly to him and crying her eyes out.

Niiue stared down at her in confusion, but quickly wrapped his arms around her as he looked back up at Alinivar. "What happened?"

"We saw what happens to the world if we fail," Alinivar offered grimly. "But if we find some Zexonyte, we might just have a chance when we go back to the future."

"Wow," Niiue murmured softly. "That's...heavy. Well, as long as we have a new lead..." He stood up, cradling Moondancer. "We've got some fuel, so figure out where we should go. Up to you when we're ready to act. I've loaded up a map of the star system to the computer. I'll give you whatever information I can when we reach a planet."

Alinivar nodded as Zarbol moved to the helm, ready to set a course.

Author's Note

Game dialogue has been paraphrased or flat out changed to keep this from turning into a straight novelization.

Broken Family

Following the starmap, Alinivar guided the ship close to the sun, coming to a halt at the tiny planet of Mercury. “There’s...power here,” he murmured softly. “I can feel it. We should land.”

“We can’t,” Zarbol spoke up. “There’s a barrier of some sort, like what was around Earth.”

“Think you can get us through without crashing this time, Boing?” Col. Saturn asked Niiue.

Niiue shot the pink blobby alien a playful glare before floating out of the ship. Opening the door in the barrier, he left a path free for others to land. “I won’t go with you all this time,” he spoke calmly. “My information on Mercury is...missing. However...Moondancer, I’m not sure if you should go or not.”

“I’ll go,” Moondancer spoke firmly. “I...I feel like I have to.”

Niiue nodded, letting the group go down to the planet’s surface.

The surface of Mercury was gray, dusty, and scattered with occasional debris. At first, it seemed as though there was nothing there of interest...until Alinivar spotted a broken signpost next to a rocky pillar. “Signs mean civilization, even if it’s a ruin,” he stated firmly as he approached. “And ruins might have useful weapons.”

“There’s a door around the back!” Moondancer called out, uncertain how she knew that. As they approached it, however, she felt a distance resonance as her PSI waves hit...something, or...someone she was somehow linked to.

Through the door, a long stairwell led them through a dark metal tower chamber, deep beneath the planet’s surface. At the end, a single door led into an identical circular chamber that was somewhat better lit. In the distance they could make out the opposite side of the room, paths looping around the walls moving up and down to various chambers. “...this could take a while...” Alinivar murmured worriedly.

The group explored carefully, hoping to find answers. What was surprising to them the most was that several side chambers contained display chambers with aliens of various sorts from around the Sol system, seemingly content and with data placards on the front of the containment units. The first line of each was in Geeg characters, followed by a long, rambling, detailed description in common script. After reading several of the entries, Moondancer recognized the pattern from the time Niiue had told her what a Mook was...and why his answer had been like a data entry. Cerue, she thought to herself. She’s here somewhere...the one who should have been my Mom...

With that realization, Moondancer paid closer attention to the data entries, trying to see if she could get inside the female Geeg’s head. At first, she had no luck...until they came across the entry on Starmen. The entry spoke of how the race had once been organic, but forcibly fused with cybernetic augments to the point they were now manufactured. One line leapt out at Moondancer, thought.

Though their species forced conversion was a mistake, the design itself is impressive.

“A...mistake? *whirr*” Larice gasped in surprise as Moondancer read that part. “Then...whoever wrote this *click* does not agree with what was done to *whirrr* the Martians?”

“She doesn’t agree with Geeg policies...” Moondancer murmured in shock. “I wonder why...”

Eventually, the group’s random explorations led them to opening a tube that dropped them into a containment tank. Though they were trapped, for some reason none of them could bring themselves to care. It was just so...peaceful inside.

“Oh, I forgot I left that passage open,” a voice called out. A Geeg walked over, one with softer features than Giegue but looking about the same age. “I apologize for the enclosure. Don’t be frightened-”

“Cerue,” Moondancer spoke up softly.

The Geeg flinched back in surprise. “How...how do you know me?” she demanded, her voice quavering somewhat as she kept the words spoken rather than thought.

“...if I tell you, it won’t be pleasant,” Moondancer answered after a time of thought. “Or so I’ve been told.”

“I prefer having unpleasant answers to riddles,” Cerue insisted coldly.

“Alright,” Moondancer allowed. “You were my mother.”

Cerue flinched back visibly from the statement, looking almost wounded. “...oh...” She walked over to the controls and released the group. “I suppose...we have something to talk about. How...how is Giegue?”

“...broken,” Moondancer admitted sadly as the others pulled back, Larice moving to collect a Reboot Orb from the corner of the room. “He couldn’t hold himself together anymore...and now he’s in pieces.”

“I’m...sorry to hear that,” Cerue offered, a bit of sadness in her voice. “I...I had hoped he might get better...even if we never will...” She turned towards a screen, taking calming breaths as she focused her mind on the streams of data.

“Can I ask you some things?” Moondancer asked hopefully. “About you and...Dad?”

“...if you must,” Cerue allowed.

“How did you know Dad, before?”

“Control samples.”

Moondancer blinked in confusion. “I...don’t understand.”

“Giegue was an experiment to see what effect being raised by humans would have on a Geeg, to see how best humans could be conquered,” Cerue responded flatly. “To contrast it, there were two control samples. One was a Geeg infant raised by other Geeg. The other was a Geeg infant kept in total isolation save robotic care units to provide physical necessities. I was the second sample, which is why I don’t socialize well, and am so at home with computers.” Her arms slowed her manipulations of her console. “When Giegue’s parents...well, when the experiment fell apart, the whole thing was abandoned. The infant raised by Geeg was taken back with the Geeg, as a Geeg. But Giegue and I...we were abandoned as flawed Geeg. When we found each other, we were able to bond. We found common ground, and a way to be...happy together. We were.

“However, we didn’t know how to be. We often went our separate ways as we engaged in our own projects. My passion was study...but Giegue was determined to fix what was ‘wrong’ with humanity, that broke him and his parents. It...it’s wrong to meddle with life to that degree. A whole culture and all its beauty was destroyed and all but erased when the Geeg turned the Martians into Starmen...and Giegue couldn’t see that what he wanted to do to humans was no different. He enacted an experiment while I was off studying and collecting samples...and he was broken when he came back.

“We fought, then. Not physically, or with PSI...but I wish it had been. This fight was far worse. Because of this fight...we were. And every day since that parting, I’ve wished it could have been different. But that is...in vain...”

“...I don’t understand the bond you speak of completely,” Moondancer spoke up softly. “I’m just a kid. Then again, I probably wouldn’t even if I were an adult. But...love seems to be a part of it.” She walked up to Cerue. “I love Dad...and when he’s whole, he loves me. You...love Dad, and he loves you still, or this wouldn’t hurt so much.” She floated herself up closer to Cerue. “And...though we only just met, you are my Mom...and I love you. Can...you love me? As a daughter?”

Cerue turned her eyes to Moondancer. “I...I don’t know,” she offered sadly. “I...can try?”

Smiling gently, Moondancer floated closer, putting her forelegs around Cerue in a hug. To her surprise, Cerue returned the embrace.

After a time, Cerue guided the group to the lowest level of the facility. “Down there is the core of Mercury,” she explained softly. “It is the essence of the planet’s power. It’s a mere fragment as compared to the power of Earth, which will be the key to stopping Giygas should he take complete shape...but it could still help you. Connect - just a little - to Mercury, if you can.”

Moondancer tried to open her mind to the planet...and found herself somewhat overwhelmed. She felt the power there, but could not quite grasp it. She felt it become a part of her, however, as it became a part of Alinivar.

“I...when you leave, I can’t let you back in,” Cerue offered softly, apologetically. “If Giegue encountered me in his current state, or knew I was here...it would be bad. You can’t tell anyone...not even the one you call Niiue.”

“...will I ever see you again?” Moondancer asked hopefully.

“If you manage to save Giegue from himself, and he is able to pull himself back together...I will find you,” she promised softly. “If you can’t...” She shivered softly. “Though we were, part of that broken bond remains. I...I do not believe I could survive feeling his death...”

“Then we’ll save you, too,” Alinivar promised.

Cerue smiled softly. “Goodbye...and good luck.”

When the group returned to the ship, Niiue immediately pulled Moondancer into a hug. “I know...”

Nodding, Moondancer burrowed into the hug as Alinivar set a new course.

Cleansing Red

After leaving Mercury, Alinivar set course for Mars. Once there, Niiue went over the data available. “Looks like there’s a factory here mass producing troops for Giegue, but no trace of Zexonyte. Though if you want to try and cripple Giegue’s forces, you could blow the factory up. That might give us an advantage in out maneuvering him.”

“Worth a try,” Alinivar agreed. He then turned to Moondancer, who’d stayed close to Niiue since they’d left Mercury. “Feeling up to tagging along?”

Moondancer nodded. “Yes, I think so,” she agreed. “If it’s on Mars...then it’s making Starmen. That...that should be stopped.”

“Agreed,” Larice spoke up with a whir. “The wrong done *click* my people should be rectified.”

With the decision made, the group made their way down to the surface.

Not far away from the ship, the groups saw the structure they were looking for, the entrance guarded by a Starman who glowed gold and silver, its limbs covered in spikes and the shape of its head-helm slightly different. “Careful,” Larice spoke up. “That is *click* a Final Starman, one of the strongest versions. It may be difficult *whirr* to get past.”

“*click* Attention HQ!” the Final Starman suddenly declared as it locked in on them. “Enemy Number One incoming. Apprehend immediately! Orders are confirmed, no discourse with enemy units permitted!”

“And no chance of talking,” Moondancer murmured sadly as the group prepared for battle.

Larice’ prediction proved true, as the Final Starman was incredibly tough. Not only was it physically durable, it had incredibly strong PSI defenses. Oddly enough, the guns Col. Saturn had picked up on Earth seemed to be the most effective weapon, as the Final Starman’s energy shields didn’t work well against the particle based weapons. Odd how a weapon-being designed to be the strongest in space fell so easily to ordinary bullets.

Before long, the Final Starman fell apart and stopped moving. The group then made their way into the facility. In stark contrast to Mars’ red surface, the inside of the facility was dull grey. As it turned out, however, it was merely a tunnel to the facility itself. Inside, it turned out to be a factory for manufacturing Blue Starmen, a newer model that had different abilities. As they moved through, they discovered quite a few notes regarding something called ‘Project Rebuild’ on the walls, discussing some sort of weapon that was somewhat vulnerable to electricity. As they reached the last note, Alinivar stopped and stared.

“Alinivar?” Zarbol asked worriedly. “Why aren’t we moving forward?”

“It...it can’t be...” Alinivar murmured sorrowfully.

Curious, Moondancer moved up to see what was written on the note.

Test Subject: Taken from Satralia after Giegue attacked there.
Inflated, robotized, badass-ized!
Just look at that radar on its head!

“Is something wrong, Alinivar?” she asked worriedly. “You...used to live in Satralia-”

“There was a Mr. Saturn who was with me when I faced Giegue there, before the Apple chose me,” Alinivar murmured sorrowfully. “He was a friend. I...I bought my paints from him. I...never found any trace of him after the attack...no matter how much I looked...”

At the very top of the facility, a huge Mr. Saturn waited. It was half-machine at this point, with a radar in place of a ribbon. Alinivar stared up at it as they approached. “It’s you, isn’t it...” he murmured softly.

The creature - labeled ‘Ultrasaturn’ - stared back down at them, seemingly impassive as it waited for them to get close enough to fight. Alinivar stopped before entering that range.

“Is that you, my friend?” Alinivar asked sorrowfully. “I still have my gold stone. I never did pay for my paints...” Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a small shimmering piece of rock, glowing gold. “I haven’t painted in a while, I’m afraid...”

The Ultrasaturn stared at the stone, taking no action.

“I’ve gotten into music, just like I always used to talk about,” Alinivar continued. “I...I’m in a band. And...I guess saving the solar system. But...I couldn’t save you...”

The Ultrasaturn remained motionless.

“Is...is there any of you left in there?” Alinivar asked desperately. “Anything I can still save?”

“...”

Alinivar’s eyes locked on the one eye of the Ultrasaturn that was still flesh and blood...where a single tear had formed. “My friend, it is you...”

“Not...anymore...” the Ultrasaturn managed to push out past the program. “Come...no closer...can’t...control...”

“I...I can’t save you?” Alinivar moaned sorrowfully, lashing his tendrils angrily.

“You...can...” the Ultrasaturn responded. “...it hurts...it hurts...end it...”

Alinivar’s eyes closed, tears pouring as he couldn’t face what was being asked...but at the same time, he couldn’t turn his back. He gathered his PSI, intending it to be a single blast.

Energy gathered from Col. Saturn, from Larice, from Zarbol, from Moondancer...and from the Ultrasaturn. A wave of pure light tore through the Ultrasaturn, doing no damage. A ghostly image of a Mr. Saturn floated free of it. “Thank you, boing,” it said softly as it floated away. “Paint one more for me...” It then faded away...and with no soul to drive it, the Ultrasaturn fell dead.

Alinivar moved up to the fallen body sadly. Reaching out, he gently removed the radar bow...finding paints hidden inside. Giving the bow to Col. Saturn, he pocketed the paints before setting the gold stone in the open mouth. “Goodbye, my friend.”

No one said anything as they stepped into the next room, setting the factory to explode before warping back to the ship.

Back on the ship, Alinivar moved to a corner where he pulled out an easel and the new paints. Staring out into space, he eyeballed a memory and began to paint. He had left his friend alone and forgotten...he owed it to him to ensure he was remembered.

Moondancer watched calmly, trying to understand what had happened, and what would happen. One thought entered her mind, a thought that filled her with fear. What had been done to Alinivar’s friend had left him in such pain that ending him saved him. And the way he’d cried out... ‘...it hurts...it hurts...’

Is that how she would have to ‘save’ her father?

Problem Solving

Once Alinivar finished his painting, he put it away without showing it to anyone and then moved to the controls. For a time, he sent the ship on odd, indirect courses, stopping here and there to pick up items the ship map showed would be useful. Moondancer didn't tag along when they were going onto ships, since the ships flew under Giegue's flag and she didn't want to draw undue attention. When they approached Neptune, however, she decided to tag along once she wrapped herself in a protective PSI shield that would keep her from getting wet.

Neptune's 'surface' - if it could be called that - proved to be a sequence of clouds solid enough to walk on, interconnected by whirlpools and waterfalls that linked the cloud platforms and the occasional cavern. A few buildings were built on the clouds, including one that Alinivar went directly to. This proved to be the lab of a fish-man by the name of Dr. Yooghurt, an acquaintance of Malik, the silver Mook Moondancer had seen - but not spoken to - on the ship.

Moondancer wasn't able to follow much of the discussion with the fish-doctor, but it led to a bit of back and forth between the ship and the lab...and something about a cassette tape. After that, they went to an area called the Cloud Ocean, where numerous cloud platforms were scattered about and could only be reached via a special riding ship that could leap from one platform to the next through Neptune's thick atmosphere. While very pretty, they didn't remain there long. After Zarbol had harvested a couple of ancient devices from some old wreckage, they brought those back to Dr. Yooghurt. He tweaked them into parts for the ship, a ship-mounted weapon and a heat-shield projector that would allow them to explore Venus.

Once they were installed on the ship, Alinivar swung by the Uranus Orbiter - where, on impulse, Moondancer picked up a Goddess Ribbon to hang onto, even though it didn't suit her - before heading for Pluto. Pluto proved to be almost completely frozen over and covered in ice and snow, with soaring mountains and spires at one end of the tiny planet. Moondancer grinned eagerly as they stepped out onto the planet, leaping into the snow and digging back and forth within it. To her surprise, the entire group took a break for a couple hours to teach her to play in the snow, including making snowmen, having snowball fights, and even going to the mountains to teach her to sled. Moondancer enjoyed all of it immensely, and it managed to take her mind off her more somber thoughts. They even managed to earn a useful item and a new PSI skill for Alinivar through a mountain contest from the native Wooly Shamblers - bipedal beings with two tentacles as the only thing visible under a thick coat of wool.

After leaving Pluto, Alinivar found a planet not marked on the map, small and with only a single landmass, that seemed to appear as they approached it and vanished as they moved away. Ancient records identified the world as Eris, and nothing whatsoever was known about it. All that was there was a message left by an ancient civilization about an invading threat that returned every millennium, and a prophecy with its own intelligence. "Do...do you think it's talking about the Apple of Enlightenment?" Moondancer asked Alinivar curiously.

"Considering the place is decorated in an apple motif, maybe," Alinivar allowed, pointing to where decorations that resembled the Apple fragments they'd tried to collect sat twinkling in the light of the tiny world.

With nothing else to do there, Alinivar set course for Venus.

Venus was cloaked in acidic clouds that the group could barely survive, only protected by the cooling energy shields projected around them by the ship. However, the surface was incredibly hot, and covered with acid and lava pits that criss-crossed many of the paths, and the heat bore down on them all even as they walked. If not for the occasional cavern or pool of water they were able to duck into, they would have surely overheated and cooked before too long. Alinivar's new PSI Freeze Omega skill proved especially useful at dealing with the monsters that prowled Venus, and Moondancer's PSI allowed her to float over pits of lava to reach some important items.

After a few more side trips to pick up items, Alinivar took the group to Jupiter to explore the swamps south of Bolos, a city of Foppies - tiny red balls with stubby feet. The swamps had narrow dirt paths surrounded by poisonous water, with pink fog shrouding vision. Various monsters of plant matter wandered about, trying to hunt the group down if they got too close. Eventually, the path led to a cave blocked by an irritable cactus, which insisted on fighting them if they wanted to pass. After an intense battle, it was finally felled, and the group was able to enter.

Inside was an old friend of Zarbol's. After the pair talked for a time, he upgraded Zarbol's UFO body with a few new skills, and the group made their way back to Bolos. Once they reached the town, however, Moondancer let out a long yawn.

"Getting tired?" Alinivar asked curiously. "How about we take a nap in a real bed before we head back to the ship?"

Moondancer smiled softly. "That sounds nice..."

"There's a hotel in town, Boing!" Col. Saturn spoke up. "Will be nice to get slumber, kay-o!"

"I could use a decent recharge," Zarbol agreed.

"We have all *click* been pushing hard," Larice agreed.

With that decided, the group made their way to the hotel and paid for a room for the night. Everyone curled up for a good, long rest.

As Moondancer tried to sleep, however, she felt a voice calling her. Unable to sleep, she got up...only to find a door open in the wall, a door that hadn't been there before. Curious, she stepped inside.

Beyond the door was a much higher tech facility, a single chamber with a window out onto the stars. Inside was a single Fobby - a creature resembling the Foppies, except orange - staring out the window. "So you've come," it said simply, its voice echoing with powerful PSI.

The Destroyer

"W-who are you?" Moondancer asked nervously as the door sealed shut behind her.

"How rude," the Fobby countered irritably. "You enter my domain and you demand my name before introducing yourself? I thought you were raised better."

Moondancer felt her fear being pushed back by anger at that disparagement of her father. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Only that I was under the impression that Giegue was trying to keep you from walking the path he now walks," the Fobby responded coldly. "Plainly he's failed. Another Destroyer is already rising. Pathetic."

Moondancer could feel her rage growing at being treated so dismissively - and at such disparaging remarks being directed towards her father - but she forced it down. If he was trying so hard to make her angry, she'd deny him that. "I'm Moondancer," she introduced herself calmly. "Who are you?"

The Fobby turned, its beady black eyes staring at her. "Perhaps there is hope for you yet," he murmured thoughtfully. "I am the true Cosmic Destroyer, Fobbygig. The Giygas that Giegue is soon to become is but a pale imitation of my true nature. It irritates me, as if he completes his journey unhindered I will have to choose between finding a new solar system to rest in, confronting him myself, or beginning my own destruction...and I don't want to really do any of those."

"I'm not going to let him become that," Moondancer insisted firmly.

"...oh?" Fobbygig asked cruelly. "You really think you can stop someone from becoming a Cosmic Destroyer? Do you even know what it means to be a Cosmic Destroyer? Foolish." The air became heavy with PSI as red swirls of concentrated emotion energy took shape. "I can sense your fear. Just the feeling of my power in check has you shaking until you can barely move. Fear opens the door to destruction. Face Giygas and you will die. It is that simple. Only death and madness await you on this path."

"Then I'll change the path," Moondancer insisted, barely managing to force the statement past chattering teeth without stuttering. "If Fate says I have to lose him...then I'll just change Fate. Predestination can kiss my-"

"No need for obscenity," Fobbygig interrupted, amusement dripping from his voice. "Still, you think you can change Fate? Reshape the path predicted by the Apple of Enlightenment? Alter the very fabric of causality in this looping time without tearing the fabric of reality apart?"

"...if it comes to that, I'll figure out a way to stitch it back together," Moondancer declared firmly.

A horrible sound filled the air, tearing at the psyche and making the very air dance in colors there were no names for. It took a moment for Moondancer to realize the sound was Fobbygig laughing, which only made it worse. "Oh, you intrigue me," he murmured softly. "Very well, let's see what you're capable of."

"What?" Moondancer gasped in shock.

"You seem to think you can save your father from madness," Fobbygig explained. "So I will test you against madness. Survive, and I'll let you leave to make your attempt. Overcome, and I'll grant you a boon to aid you. Refuse or fail, and face destruction for disturbing me."

Moondancer swallowed convulsively, knowing she was in deep trouble. However, the only way out was forward. "Alright," she agreed, bracing herself.

Fobbygig had no facial expression, but she got the sense he was smirking at her. The air shook, and she felt an attack coming, but she could not comprehend its form. Energy lashed into her, sending her flying against the wall as she felt her mind reel, tearing at her ability to focus her PSI. "You can do better than that," he stated coldly.

Gritting her teeth, Moondancer forced herself back to her hooves and unleashed Shockwave Omega, having just recently realized its power. The energy constructs flew out of the air towards Fobbygig to unleash their destructive power, only to dissolve against the red swirls that filled the air between them.

"It is impressive you know that skill," the tiny ball-like creature observed coldly. "But it is nothing compared to my raw power. You'll have to do better than that."

Moondancer felt an attack coming again. Rather than trying to interpret it, she let herself react, rolling to the side. She felt the energy pass her on all sides, slamming into the wall behind her.

"Well, you can dodge," Fobbygig mused curiously. "One, anyway." The swirls began to spin.

Moondancer could feel multiple attacks coming her way. She'd already seen trying to think her way past didn't help. Closing her eyes, she fell into her PSI...past her PSI...into her magic.

She reacted.

"What the-?" Fobbygig stared as energy lashed out from Moondancer's body, swaying like snakes as it sought out every random hole in the waves of madness as they sought him out. The bands of energy were relatively weak, and the waves could easily brush them aside...but as they tightened, the two energies were locked together, unable to get the force to move.

Moondancer's eyes flared open, and she raced along one of the beams of magic she'd unleashed. Drawing on the others, she felt the power of PSI Quicken drastically increase her pace as she raced through the maze of PSI and magic until she was in physical range of Fobbygig. As he drew in power, she spun around and brought up both hind legs to strike him as hard as she could.

Her hooves impacted, sending the creature flying against the far wall before bouncing into the red swirls, ricocheting around for a time before flying back towards Moondancer. Letting herself react, she lashed out with her legs again, continuing the deranged game of pinball until the red swirls could no longer hold cohesion from the damage they'd taken, leaving her just kicking the ball-beast into the wall.

"Enough!" Fobbygig suddenly roared, his energy flaring out and pushing Moondancer back against the wall. "...it seems you can grasp the edges of madness, and can find ways to overcome. However, at your current strength it would take the full power of madness to match what Giygas will unleash...and that would destroy you." A strange weapon floated over to Moondancer, affixing itself to her right foreleg before projecting its emission dish. It was the same color as Fobbygig...which Moondancer now realized wasn't quite orange. "This is the Borange Ray," Fobbygig explained. "It is stronger than any weapon in the solar system, as it draws from the essence of madness for its power, inflicting it upon those who feel the force of its rays. As it is now, it will strike entire groups...but if you learn to understand and master its power, you will be able to focus the power so it strikes a single target, and does not spread madness."

Moondancer blinked in surprise. "I..."

"No thanks," Fobbygig insisted. "As I said, I would grant you a boon if you overcame. That is all. Now wake up!"

Moondancer's eyes flew open. She was back in the bed in the hotel. There was no door in the wall. The others were still asleep. Had it all been a dream?

As she shifted, she felt cold metal against her leg. She stared in awe at the Borange Ray strapped to her. She prayed she would learn to control it soon, and not risk hurting friends or innocents with it.

Home no Longer

It wasn't long before the others woke up, having rested well in real beds for a change, as opposed to the hyperpod available aboard ship. While those rejuvenated the body, they did not leave one feeling rested. Moondancer fully expected a full inquisition from the group regarding her new weapon, but was pleasantly surprised.

"That's new," Alinivar observed, staring at the Ray strapped to her leg.

"It is," Moondancer confirmed.

"Powerful?" Zarbol coached.

"Exceptionally, but dangerous," Moondancer allowed.

"Can you *click* control it?" Larice inquired.

"I think so," Moondancer agreed. "At least, I can ensure it doesn't hurt us."

"Then everything kay~o!" Col. Saturn proclaimed firmly, getting agreement all around.

Moondancer smiled in relief. She had not wanted to explain where the weapon came from. She wasn't entirely certain she even believed it, or if it had really happened. For now, she wanted to just focus on wherever Alinivar decided to go next.

Moondancer and Niiue stared at the next destination Alinivar had chosen. "T-the ship?" Moondancer stammered nervously, staring at the wreck that was all that was left of the place she'd once thought of as home. A massive hole in the side showed where the stellar object had impacted, and all the systems were down leaving the impression of a dark, abandoned husk. It clashed strongly with her happy memories of the bright, shining home she grew up in, and she didn't like the contrast...any more than she'd liked running through the ship as it fell apart.

"Geeg technology is very advanced," Alinivar explained simply. "There's bound to be some useful things in there, and if we're going to confront Giygas, then we need all the help we can get."

"I...won't fault your logic," Niiue allowed. "However, I would recommend being very careful in your explorations. You can expect anything inside to be strong enough to withstand any security systems that are still operational."

"Understood," Alinivar agreed. He then turned to Moondancer. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. You...grew up there. Seeing it like this..."

Moondancer was silent for a time, mulling it over in her mind. On the one hand, seeing her old home in such a state was painful, and would likely be more so - possibly traumatically so - if she actually went inside. On the other hand, if she didn't face up to it, what chance did she have to face up against her father's madness? "I...I need to go," she decided finally.

"Alright," Zarbol allowed softly. "But stay close to one of us at all times, okay?"

Moondancer nodded firmly, putting herself in the middle of the group as the ship landed in the ruined docking bay. The group stepped out into the darkened chamber, their own PSI energy protecting them from the vacuum of space until they passed through the air lock. They moved as silently as they could through the halls as vines crawled over the walls.

Before they'd made it very far, the PA dinged to life. "Oh...oh..." an unfamiliar voice echoed. "I feel a somebody walking around... Hello, somebody."

The group shivered slightly at the voice, but moved on. The path deeper into the ship was in fragments, and only careful maneuvering through jump pads and vine bridges let them make their way in. Before they made it much farther, however, they spotted something that made Larice freeze up and Moondancer stifle a scream.

It was a Starman...and yet not a Starman. A strange, plant like growth had pierced the metal shell straight to the organic components within, blooming into a flower that had full command of the metal body...save the expression of mindless agony somehow shaped onto the faceless metal head, as though the organic being inside the metal shell had forced one last, silent scream into existence upon its shell in a desperate cry for help.

"W...what is that?" Zarbol gasped in fear.

"Not like, boing!" Col. Saturn whimpered, shivering as he clutched his guns.

"Then we get it off him!" Alinivar stated firmly, readying his tendrils.

"Do not *click, whirrr, bzzt* bother," Larice managed to stammer out. "It has...eaten him."

"Then we kill it before it gets any of us," Alinivar insisted.

Shrinking in fear, Moondancer leveled the Borange Ray and fired. Two waves of borange light erupted out of the Ray, slamming into the monstrosity and knocking it back, dazing and confusing it even as it took large amounts of damage. Before it could recover and fight back, the others had finished it off with ranged attacks, none wanting to get close enough for the plant to touch them until it was naught but ash. Zarbol even used his speakers to push the ash away from them all and out into space, just to be on the safe side.

"Do...do you think we helped him?" Moondancer asked Larice softly.

"...I choose *click* to believe so," Larice responded softly.

"Then we'll help all those we can on the way to whatever's caused all this," Alinivar insisted firmly.

The group continued to move deeper into the dark, dreary halls of the ship, leveling their weapons at every shadow as they stalked the halls, and purging every parasite infested Starman they came across. Their only sign of real progress came as the voice from before echoed over the PA.

"Attention, crewmen. There's a somebody... I'd like it if you apprehended them. But it's not that important..."

The group moved on, trying their best to push past the tense atmosphere and the fear in their own minds. However, another PA message drove that fear home forcefully.

"Hi again. It's just me. Maybe we don't have to apprehend them. We can probably just convert them. That'd be okay with everyone, right?"

"C-c-c-convert?" Moondancer stammered out in terror. "They...they want to put those blooms on us?" The images assaulted her mind far too easily. A flower planted in her flesh, slowly blooming as its roots invaded her body and took control of her muscles and bones, the agony of it as it slowly infested her and turned her into little more than a puppet of flesh, with only a soundless scream of agony on her face beneath the bloom as it sprouted from her eye to wrap around her horn to show she'd once been something more...

"We won't let that happen," all four of the others stated firmly as Larice gently pulled her into an embrace, offering her what comfort he could.

Author's Note

...well, so much for sleeping tonight. Definitely should have written this chapter by daylight...

Retaking the Ship

Once Moondancer was a little more calmed down, the group continued deeper into the ship, everyone staying as close together as possible and keeping all noise to a minimum, as even the slightest warning of approaching danger would be greatly appreciated in the situation, and none wanted to let it go unnoticed.

When the path seemed to dead end, the group made their way into a side room with a hole open into space and barricaded themselves in. Larice turned optic lights on as bright as he could, giving them an oasis of light in the darkness to take a few breaths in to calm down and gather themselves. "So now what?" Zarbol asked as the others calmed down.

"There's an open vent," Alinivar pointed out. "Someone small could go through the vents and see if they can find a way to open a path for the rest of us. Or we could return to the ship-"

"We would have *bzzt* to walk," Larice spoke up. "My Recall ability is *click* non-functional. Presumed signal jamming."

"Well, that's reassuring," Alinivar murmured sarcastically. He turned to Col. Saturn, Zarbol, and Moondancer. "Any volunteers to try the vents?"

"I go," Col. Saturn spoke up, his nose wriggling. "I make less noise, can sneak. Though weapons noisy..."

"I'll go with you," Moondancer spoke up firmly, though her voice shook with fear. "This place was my home, and I know every inch, even the vents. I can guide you through, and I don't think any of us should go alone."

"Should not send more *bzzzt* into vents," Larice indicated. "More people means *whrrr* more noise, more attention."

Moondancer swallowed convulsively, but nodded firmly. She followed Col. Saturn into the vent as quietly as she could.

The vents were even darker and narrower than the rest of the ship had been, with only a very low green light illuminating the paths...and partially hiding the plants that wandered around the vents. Rather than using light to maneuver, Moondancer sent out an ultrasonic pulse and read the return vibrations to silently guide Col. Saturn through the vents to some of the controls. She pitched the sound to high for her to hear, and luckily the plants couldn't hear it either. The tiny green sprouts wandered around the vents, popping up to block paths and search for the pair. Col. Saturn froze any time that happened, keeping himself between the plant and Moondancer. Once the plant ducked back into the floor of the vent, the pair moved on as quickly and silently as possible.

Moondancer had to bite back a scream and clutch at her chest as the PA went off on their way back to the group. "They're crawling around... In the guts."

At that point, neither of them could hold back and they made a mad dash for the open vent back to the rest of the group. Moondancer threw herself into Alinivar's tendrils and Larice's arms, shivering in fear. Col. Saturn slumped to the floor, panting for breath.

"Feeling better?" Alinivar asked softly as Moondancer started to calm down.

"No..." she whimpered softly. "But we have to keep going..."

Nodding, Alinivar set Moondancer down. Undoing their barricade, they moved onward.

The switches Col. Saturn and Moondancer had flipped opened doors further down the path. The first one led into a small room with a crashed console. The PA beeped as they entered. "What are they doing in there?" the voice asked curiously. "That's a weird room. That's not one of my rooms."

"Sounds like we're safe in here for now," Alinivar murmured as he walked up to the crashed console. "Doors and lighting maintenance, huh? This should help us get further if I can get it working...ah!" He pulled out one of the five Reboot Orbs they'd managed to collect, placing it into the console and booting it back up. "Emergency function active now? Well, that's a start." He turned back to the group. "Want to take a break here, or keep going?"

"Keep going!" Moondancer insisted quickly. "I...I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to..."

Alinivar glanced around, and saw the nods the others gave in agreement. "Alright. Let's go."

As they left, the PA beeped again. "They're doing something... It's bright in here. I don't like it. All crewmen..." The voice lost its seeming playfulness, becoming angry. "Find them."

"Looks like things are going to be rougher as we go," Alinivar murmured.

"Alternatively," Larice spoke up, "the plants could be *click* weaker."

"We can hope so," Moondancer murmured softly.

As they moved deeper into the ship, the infected Starmen and plant creatures were more numerous and aggressive, giving the group the impression of being actively hunted. They moved as swiftly as possible, trying to ignore the PA announcements as they came.

"Oh, I guess they're in the big room now. It's alright. You don't have to fight them. They're kind of dangerous. Stepping on vines carelessly."

How whoever was at the controls seemed to know where they were at all times with the systems down, they couldn't guess. None of the possible answers were very pleasant to think about.

They eventually made their way into the old Starman quarters, where Larice had once lived. As they entered, another announcement came. "That's not a very nice part of the ship. They're in the wing I found some of my friends. They can all make friends, I think. Visitors, if you're listening...can you try not to step on anything alive?"

Larice visibly shuddered. "The other Starmen...*click click*...only those of Super rank or above can teleport...only I had the experimental engine...without those *bzzt, whirr* the others were trapped..."

"And...we abandoned them to this..." Moondancer sobbed softly. "This is our fault..."

"Then that makes it our job to fix it," Alinivar stated simply, gently pulling his friends close to comfort them. "We find whatever's pulling all these plant strings, corrupting ship and crew...and we put it to an end."

"Without getting corrupted ourselves," Zarbol added softly, worriedly.

Monsters On Either Side

The group continued their quiet, careful exploration of the ship, moving through the dormitories until they found another open vent. Col. Saturn and Moondancer once more went in together, moving through the vents to find the switches to open more doors. This time, some of the vent passages were covered with odd liquid and moss, forcing the pair to move across it much to their disgust and dismay. Thankfully, that plant life showed neither intention nor capability of attacking them, leaving them to avoid the moving plants that would try to attack. Still, that didn't stop them from moving as carefully as possible across each patch they were forced to cross, and avoiding any that they could.

A brief detour out of the vents through another vent cover led to a cut off portion of the deck with new gear for Zarbol's UFO body, making the trip at least profitable. Rather than make their way back through the vents, Moondancer used her own PSI Teleport to take them back to the rest of the group, able to both lock on and penetrate the field that was preventing Larice from using Recall since it was so short range. After that, the group used the new paths in silence, avoiding the infested Starmen when they could to conserve energy and obliterating those they could not avoid as swiftly and quietly as possible to avoid drawing attention.

As they moved on, the PA beeped again. "This is the back of the ship," the voice told them pleasantly. "For the most part, this concludes the alien spacecraft tour. We hope you have a pleasant stay. Leave...or don't."

"Do you think that means he's not going to talk at us through the PA anymore?" Moondancer whispered hopefully.

"I hope so," Zarbol whispered back. "I jump in here every time that thing beeps, it comes so out of nowhere. It's so jarring..."

Further along, they were able to use another Reboot Orb to start up the systems on a repair capsule which could restore Larice's systems, since it was only designed for use on Starmen. Still, it proved a good base where they could rest and recuperate for further endeavors into the ship's interior.

As they moved into tunnels off that chamber, the PA beeped to life again. "Oh, I forgot about those tunnels," the voice offered, like an afterthought. "There's no friends back there..."

"Then we shouldn't have to worry about more plant things to fight," Alinivar murmured thoughtfully. "Assuming it's being honest..."

Before long, the group came to the main engine room. The massive construction was inactive, and several of the rings were damaged. "Don't touch anything," Moondancer warned. "The Nightmare Engine is especially dangerous, and could easily distort our perceptions if activated. Let's just pass through here quickly-"

"I can still feel you," the voice called over the PA. "Just because it's quiet doesn't mean I'm not here. I don't know what this room is for."

"And that's a massive relief," Moondancer gasped out. "If he had known..."

The group quickly moved further into the ship, ignoring the engine chamber. They dealt with more infested Starmen, and at one point a Mook that had been devoured by a plant until it looked more like a tree than a creature. Thankfully, this meant the face was long gone, so they weren't confronted by another sort of existential horror.

Finally, the group made it into halls that looked relatively intact, the walls a dark blue that Moondancer remembered. This was the part of the ship she'd lived in, connected to the cockpit. As they started to explore, the PA beeped again. "Your attention please..." the voice called, this time distorted as it was badly mixed with a recording of Niiue's voice. "This is your new commander speaking. Would our visitors please proceed to the bridge up front of the ship and retrieve their reserved upgrades..." Both Larice and Moondancer shuddered, remembering when that segment had been broadcast initially. "And would any friend or crewmen present and listening please proceed to...um...anywhere near there or the science wing." The voice then returned to normal. "So that was my Ship's Captain imitation. How do you like it? Was it okay?" After a time of silence, the voice continued. "Oh...sorry."

The group continued along the path, using two more Reboot Orbs to reactivate a couple of doors they had to make their way past, finally making their way to the bridge. As they approached, the PA beeped again. "What are you even coming up here for? You wouldn't happen to be looking for...me, would you? Ha, ha, ha, hee, hee..."

Before making the turn to the bridge, Alinivar made his way over to the side, where a stone glowing in the colors of meteors was embedded in the wall. Thinking it might have been Zexonyte, he went to retrieve it...only to find it was a stone filled with the Essence of Knowledge. He decided to hang onto it, in case it would be useful later...though deciding not to make use of it until he'd conferred about its nature with Niiue.

As they reached the bridge, they saw it overseen by a massive bloom, larger than any of them with wide red petals. As they approached, the PA beeped again. "Oh, okay. Here. I. Am. Was it worth it?"

Moondancer stepped forward angrily. "You...what did you do to my home?"

"It's not your home anymore," the flower responded, its voice half PSI and half broadcast over the PA. "It's mangled, broken...and mine now. There's nothing left for you here. You had no reason to come...except to scavenge from the wreck, just like me. But you came in, and killed my friends..."

"Friends?!" Moondancer demanded angrily. "Can you even imagine the torture it must have been for them to be infested by those-"

"And that's so different from what the Geeg you respect so highly did to them?" the flower interrupted. "Herded into ships to be transformed into half metal monsters...and then herded onto the ships by the self-same monsters until there were no Martians left...and you call what I did monstrous? The Starman circuitry includes a pain blocking system...not for battle purposes, though. It's to prevent the organic components inside from realizing that the conversion has left them in constant, unbearable agony. The expression left behind from my making them my friends isn't just from my seeds planting...it's also from those systems shutting off. At least when they became my friends, the pain ended."

As Moondancer stared in shock, the plant continued. "You know, it's funny...I wanted you to leave. I wanted you to get whatever you wanted here, then turn around and leave. And do you know why? Because I know I can't beat you. That when you hunted me down here, you would destroy me...just like you destroyed Gargiathan, just like you tossed that poor sniffle guy into the river to see if he could swim...just like you destroyed my friends to 'help' the dead corpses they used for homes and bodies. I can't beat you. But I can still win...by making you think.

"You'll destroy me, so you can access all that's left behind in this ship so you can try and 'save' your father, the one who abandoned this ship and all inside it to me...but next time you're faced with a confrontation, you might pause and think. Maybe instead of tossing someone off a bridge, you'll show an ID that gives you clearance. Maybe instead of obliterating something, you'll scare it off. Maybe instead of reaching for your gun, you'll hold out a hoof. Maybe instead of slaughtering your way to your goal...you'll focus on freeing your 'father's innocent victims from madness.

"Maybe you'll think. And that will be my victory...and you won't even know my name."

Moondancer stared at the creature for a time, completely poleaxed. Finally, she spoke up. "What's your name?"

Silence greeted her, followed by a chuckle. "Ha. Ha. Ha. You are learning. My name is Master Magnolia. You're still going to kill me, aren't you?"

"...we have to reboot the systems by the Nightmare Engine," Moondancer offered sadly. "And...there's no telling what it would do to you...and it can't be left to fall into anyone else's hands once we have what we need." She stared around at the ship, once her home...and knew what had to be done. "I..."

"When you're finished, you're going to blow up the ship to protect everyone," Master Magnolia deduced. "Even if I stay, I'm still dead. ...sigh. And just when I'd found a home where I could be left alone, where no one would bother me."

"There's an invisible world!" Moondancer spoke up suddenly. "At the edge of the star system. It's only visible if you're near it. There's only a single landmass, and the light is only near there. It's small, and could make a good home for you...and your friends. No one could find you there, because no one would know to look."

"...you are thinking. You are learning." Master Magnolia was silent for a time. "I will make you a deal. I will take myself and my friends, and bond to the bottom of your ship. I will leave the vines here for you to explore the wreckage when you return, after dropping us off at this world you mentioned. If you will trust me to not take over your ship...I will trust you to take me to this new world. And then we can be...your kind of friends."

Moondancer swallowed nervously, then nodded. "Okay. It's a deal."

Master Magnolia was silent. "You really mean that." After a time, the plant disconnected from the computer hub, floating out the broken cockpit shield towards the group's ship.

Moondancer opened her mind. Niiue! she called out. The plant floating towards the ship is NOT an enemy! Do not fire on it! Once we all return and everything from this ship has gathered, set course for Eris!

After a time, Niiue responded. I hope you know what you're doing.

...so do I...

Author's Note

When you encounter Master Magnolia, he gives you 'one last chance' to leave by "holding the Alt key in your mind and pressing F4". Since he can break the fourth wall that way in the game...I took a few liberties.

Shadows of Madness

Once Master Magnolia and his 'friends and crew' were dropped off on Eris, the plant creature gifted the group with a Starman skill disc he'd found aboard ship as a thank you for finding the diplomatic solution. "I left enough dead vines back aboard for you to explore, and none of my friends to get in your way," he assured them as they lifted back into space. "Good luck...and don't forget to think."

With that done, the group returned to the old Mothership, determined to explore the last portion awaiting them. With no plant creatures to get in their way, it was a straight march through the ship to the engine room, where the Nightmare Engine sat silently, menacingly in wait for them. Once there, they made their way to the other end of the room, where a large blast door was sealed, the computer controlling it waiting for the final Reboot Orb. Once installed, the computer beeped back to life.

"Sealed Blast Door Control System, Status: Ready," the computer read out. "Warning: Door Sealed By Command. Door Has Not Been Opened For 8X Years - Error: Door Seal Circumvented Once Within Solar Cycle-. Unseal Anyway?"

Alinivar hesitated. "More than 80 years?" he murmured thoughtfully. "What was down here that was so important to keep hidden? And...how was it circumvented?"

"...that was me," Moondancer murmured softly. "This area...it was where Dad lived with George and Maria...his human parents. I was able to use my energy to pass the blast doors without opening them. Dad...didn't like this area. It filled him with too many...dangerous memories. That's why he kept it sealed, never opening it after the Geeg sealed it when they had no more use for it, even though he had the authority to do so."

"Then...should we open it?" Alinivar asked softly.

"...I think we should," Moondancer stated firmly. "It's...important. I'm just not sure how."

Nodding, Alinivar gave the command to unseal the door. Behind the door, a dark corridor that was so shadowed Alinivar could barely see his tentacles held out in front of his face awaited them. Moondancer ignited her horn, giving just enough illumination to move through the hall. "Follow me," she spoke up softly, turning left and moving down the hall. The others followed silently.

Once again, Moondancer entered the chamber where her Father had spent his childhood. It was almost exactly as she remembered it. Everything was still in its place, only the music box showing some damage from having fallen off the shelf when the ship took the initial impact that caused it to fall apart. She walked up to it sadly, distressed to discover that the damage had caused its song to become distorted...as though hope lay dying now that the ship had been lost.

As they turned to leave, they found Niiue standing by the door. "Hey," he greeted softly.

"...Niiue..." Moondancer began nervously.

"Alinivar, you should take the others back to the ship," Niiue instructed gently. "There's...something I can learn here, but I need to do it myself-"

"I'm going with you," Moondancer stated firmly.

Niiue looked towards Moondancer. I'd rather you not face what will arise, once the others are gone, Niiue sent to her alone in thought. Once I raise the echoes left behind...

The echoes are of dangerous memories, Moondancer sent back flatly. And your powers continue to dwindle. If I don't go with you, you might not make it back alive. I'm going.

Niiue tried to stare her down, but could tell she would not budge. Sighing, he nodded. "Moondancer will stay with me," he told Alinivar. "The rest of you should get back to the ship quickly. No matter what happens, once you've returned to the ship you should not board the Mothership again. Wait for us on our ship. We will return."

"If it's going to be dangerous-" Alinivar began.

"Not in that way," Niiue interrupted. "Trust us, Alinivar. Things will become clear soon. And Moondancer is right. What we'll find here...might well be the key to saving Giegue. And I don't want you exposed to it."

Alinivar stared at him for a time. "Alright then. Larice? Recall?"

"Over *bzzt* here," Larice stated, moving to an open space in the room. Alinivar moved to stand beside him. Col. Saturn soon moved to join them. Zarbol hesitated, glancing between Moondancer and Niiue, but eventually joined them. Once all four were together, Larice warped them back to the ship.

Once they were alone, Niiue released his PSI, calling back the memories resting within the ship as the Nightmare Engine slowly whirred to life, thumping like a heart beat. Through the windows, shadows of Geeg could be seen watching, observing the 'experiment' that was one of their own children, used to become a weapon. Turning, he led the way into the corridor, Moondancer following.

With each beat of the ship's engine, the corridor shifted between Memory and reality. In Memory, the ship was cast in a purple glow, a light that in no way illuminated. As they exited the corridor into the engine room, monsters roamed in the Memory. The monsters were swirls of the red energy of madness that had filled Giegue's mind towards the end, and that Fobbygig had summoned to battle at his sides. Despite its power, it was easy to escape when encountered, though difficult to evade. As the pair made their way towards the bridge, an angry voice spoke to them.

Leave.

Go back.

Get Out.

As they continued, images of their friends appeared briefly, echoes of their footsteps. The 'heart beat' quickened as they approached the bridge, the dangerous swirls becoming harder and harder to avoid as they popped in and out of perception.

Finally, they reached the bridge. As reality and Memory pulsed in and out, an echo of Giegue could be seen at the helm, from the moment when he had severed himself from Niiue and set time on its present course. Moondancer and Niiue carefully approached the echo as it appeared and vanished with the heart beat of the Nightmare Engine, approaching it in a moment it was there.

Giegue smiled softly at Moondancer. "I'm...I'm sorry."

Moondancer gasped in shock. "D...Dad?"

"I failed, Moondancer. I...I thought maybe I could hold me together, that maybe...maybe what you had given me would be enough to stave off the splintering. But I wasn't strong enough. I didn't believe enough. I cast Niiue out and left...and I was left behind, a fragment of a fragment, trapped in the pulse of the Nightmare that created all of me. But...maybe it is for the best. I've barely held on here...but I can help Niiue now. A skill he lost...and the essence of Nightmare, that will reach through the Devil to touch the heart of The Child. Take it, Niiue, that a chance can exist..."

With that, Giegue's Love sank into Niiue, awakening in him the Unnatural Wave and the Nightmare Empower. With that, the Nightmare Engine shut down for the last time...and the place Moondancer once called home died. In silence, the pair warped back to the ship, letting Alinivar set a new course.

Saturn Veiling

As Alinivar set the course, Moondancer gazed out the back viewport at the wreckage of the Mothership. Without the energies of the Engine to hold it together, it was disintegrating in space as the vines Master Magnolia had left behind as bridges came apart against the pull of inertia. There was no need to make the ship self destruct to keep its secrets, as it was taking its secrets into detritus of its own accord. Soon there would be nothing left...and she wanted to watch as much of it as she could, as a last tribute of the place she'd once called home.

Before long, the ship dwindled out of sight as they entered Saturn orbit. Moondancer turned to Alinivar as their ship came to a halt. "Going after the Zexonyte now?" she asked curiously.

"Among other things," Alinivar confirmed.

"There appears to be another race arising on Saturn," Niiue spoke up softly, still reeling somewhat from what had happened aboard the Mothership. "Some kind of sphere life forms. Someone in Satanae might be able to tell you more, but you should definitely investigate that while you're down there."

"Will do," Alinivar agreed as the group moved to teleport to Satanae. "And..." He turned towards Moondancer and smiled. "Maybe we can try diplomacy. We might just make some friends."

Moondancer smiled softly. It seemed she wasn't the only one whom Master Magnolia had made think.

Satanae proved to be a very brightly colored village in the southern regions of Saturn. The ground was bright blue, the rocky walls of plateaus were bright pink, the plateaus had orange tops, and bright red and blue flowers scattered around. In the distance, a swamp in puke green, neon blue, and dirty orange could be seen side on to the town. The group's base of operations was a former base for one of Greyface's allies, and was made of grey metal...the only place that wasn't an eyesore to Moondancer. "How do you...stand living here?" she murmured, struggling to keep her throat as closed as possible.

"What mean, boing?" Col. Saturn asked curiously. Alinivar also looked at her without understanding.

"Various races *click* see light in different spectrums," Larice explained. "What is *whirr* painful to your eyes is comfortable to theirs."

"Please tell me it's not all this garishly bright?" Moondancer whimpered softly.

"Further north it's darker blues," Zarbol offered helpfully.

"We need to swing by the swamp," Alinivar spoke up. "There's something there we need."

"Can...can you get it without me?" Moondancer pleaded. "I'll...wait for you on the path north..."

"The cave's this way," Zarbol offered, turning to lead the way there while the others headed for the swamp.

The inside of the cave was a much darker blue, with overall muted colors as compared to Satanae. Moondancer took a few calming breaths as she leaned against the wall, idly blasting a monstrous PSI manifestation that charged her as she caught her breath. "Thanks, Zarbol," she murmured softly as she felt her insides return to a semblance of normal. "That was...unpleasant."

"I take it you don't like bright colors?" he asked curiously.

"No, bright colors are fine," Moondancer countered. "It's just...the way those colors clashed...it was not pleasant to look at. A bright splash here and there is fine, but I felt like my eyes were being assaulted."

"Well, the others shouldn't be too long," Zarbol promised, "and the northern region of the rings is much darker, since it's in the planet's shadow. Muted blues leaning towards purple, and a few splashes of faded pink."

"Purple and...pink?" Moondancer murmured in surprise, for a moment getting a flash in her mind of a mane blowing in the breeze. She quickly shook her head to banish the thought. "Well, we should do what we came here to do."

"Agreed," Alinivar said as he entered, a Blue Gem in his grip as the others followed him. "Spheres and minerals, here we come."

The area on the other side of the caverns proved to be just as Zarbol described, though it was plain the rings had been damaged at some point as several chunks were missing, making it somewhat difficult to maneuver. Eventually, they encountered a Smiling Sphere - there was no other way to describe the golden object - floating in a dead end.

"Hello there!" Moondancer greeted warmly. "Are you friendly?"

The sphere did not respond.

"The people in Stanae *bzzzt* said that only flame could make them move," Larice observed as he gathered his PSI.

"I'd rather try something else first," Moondancer countered firmly. "Maybe they can't speak vocally. Maybe their communication - if they have it - is entirely PSI based. I want to find out before we start randomly trying to kill them." Stepping up, she pressed her horn to the sphere. Can you hear me? she asked, making her thought as clear as she could make it.

...explosion time? the sphere thought back. We gonna fight?

Why do you want to fight? Moondancer thought back, putting the focus on the sphere's desire.

Fight fun! the sphere thought back, its message gaining clarity as Moondancer's PSI connected more firmly to its. Smash, explode, bits make more!

You reproduce through explosive sporing? Moondancer gasped in shock even in thought.

...you don't?

No, we don't, Moondancer replied. You're the only creature I've encountered that reproduces that way.

The sphere was silent for a time. ...we make mistake, it answered finally. Must tell others. So sorry! We not attack anymore, no more fight, no more make not-us explode. With that, the sphere backed up onto a spring of air that launched it to a higher cliff, zooming off into the distance.

"...I think it worked," Zarbol observed dryly.

"So what was that about?" Alinivar asked. "You had the communication locked between the two of you."

"The spheres reproduce by scattering spores through exploding," Moondancer explained. "That's why they fight, to push each other into exploding. They didn't realize we didn't do that."

"So, attacking and exploding on others was their way of saying 'let's make babies'?" Zarbol asked in surprise.

The four older beings exchanged glances. "...not say that, boing?" Col. Saturn suggested hopefully.

"Yeah...let's just say Moondancer cleared up a misunderstanding, and now we're working on opening communications," Alinivar agreed.

Robots For Everyone

After a quick nap in the hyperpod, the group was ready to move on. Moving further in the large room, they found a vending machine that let them restock a few repair packs and food items that could restore health and PSI. Beyond there, a ladder led down past metal walls and into deep caverns of moon rock with massive chasms to either side of a narrow path. Embedded in a wall was another Knowledge Stone that Alinivar took the time to claim, as it could be exceptionally useful.

One last path downward led to a large chamber with a single human scientist inside. In the distance behind him was a massive battle robot, bright green and heavily armored, glowing with power. As they approached, he frowned as he turned to face them, arms crossed. "Hmph, you five. Well, congratulations, you found me." He straightened himself out proudly. "I am Doctor Destructo. Giegue hired me to build his robots."

"Dad?" Moondancer asked hopefully. "Or..."

"I know your story," Destructo responded flatly. "He wasn't your Dad yet when he hired me. I've been here hard at work for several decades, even before his first operation on Earth."

"Why?" Larice asked curiously. "Why would *click* Giegue want robots? He had *bzzt* Starmen, and the Nightmare Engine."

"Oh, the robots on Earth during that operation weren't part of his takeover attempt," Destructo responded airily. "By the time that group of kids got that far, he fully intended to face them himself. He only sent some of the early models down to test their capabilities in combat. They performed quite admirably, leading to an order to increase production and functionality."

"If he didn't want them for Earth, why did he want them?" Zarbol asked in confusion.

"Why, for Deep Grey," Destructo answered readily. "The Geeg Homeworld."

"What?" four voices gasped in shock.

"Boing?" Col. Saturn demanded as well.

"Giegue knew there was a good chance he wouldn't be welcome in Geeg society even if his experiment on Earth succeeded," Destructo explained. "Even then, he was too emotional, and Cerue would always be forbidden by the nature of the 'experiment' she was. If he succeeded at freeing humanity from being ruled by their emotions, he would have bound them to his service, and then led them against the Geeg with my robots as a vanguard." His voice became fevered as he warmed to his subject, thrusting his fists into the air in eagerness. "They would be offered the choice of letting Giegue and Niiue be part of the Geeg Empire, or being conquered by Giegue...and they would have seen they were right to fear humanity!"

Dead silence greeted this proclamation. "...the Geeg...fear humanity?" Moondancer finally managed to say. "Why?"

Destructo shook his head, tsking under his breath. "You don't even know that much?" he asked ruefully. "Well, I do enjoy a good lecture. Let's start at the beginning."

Reaching over, he tapped a computer display, calling up starmaps. "The Geeg Empire has ruled the entire known and explored universe - which admittedly doesn't extend too far beyond the Milky Way - for uncounted thousands of years. When they discovered life had developed in the Sol System to the point it could be useful, they moved to conquer it." The map zoomed in, showing a map of the Sol system. "However, they found their first assault thwarted entirely by Earth. The early humans of that era were all incredibly powerful PSI users, attuned perfectly to the planet's potent PSI fields. Having never encountered PSI users of that strength before, the Geeg withdrew and studied, planning and preparing." The image showed captured stills of those early humans, crude brutish creatures that wielded potent PSI by instinct, rather than thought.

"A thousand years later, they returned to try again when they learned that there were far fewer PSI users on Earth. This time, Earth fought them off with a different strategy." A single human appeared, dressed in a white gi with but a topknot of hair flowing back. His arm was stretched forward as planes of light shot forward, smashing into anything the Geeg could bring to bear. "A single PSI user unleashed the full power of the planet's PSI field in a technique called PSI Kiai, which turned willpower into raw destructive energy. For fear of the technique being used against them again, the Geeg used their skill at attacking minds to erase the ability to use the technique - and even the knowledge of it - from the planet before withdrawing. They then learned to use the technique themselves, combining logic and emotion into the unique Geeg skill they call Shockwave."

As the image changed to show Geeg discovering the awesome power of PSI Shockwave, Moondancer's eyes widened. Shockwave...was originally a human PSI? But the Geeg had stolen it, made it their own, and erased the capacity to use it from humanity? ...what would the Geeg do if they learned she - not a Geeg - had learned to use it? Or Alinivar?

"The third time they came, humanity had built fortresses in which they could hide from the onslaught, and half-machine, half-PSI titanic golems they called gods to protect them," Destructo continued, now showing an image of a pyramid fortress and oddly designed moving statues that called down the stars themselves onto the invading Geeg. "They called down a new PSI, that used Earth's PSI field to call the energy of the stars down to smash the Geeg craft. As they withdrew again, they discovered that Martian PSI was similar enough to human PSI that - with the right techniques - such PSI could be turned against the humans. Thus, Mars was conquered, and the Starmen were born...and the most advanced were given the ability of Starstorm.

"That was 1000 years ago," Destructo concluded his explanation. "However, it wasn't until they returned this time that they truly came to fear humanity."

"Only this time?" Alinivar demanded, perplexed. With how thoroughly the Geeg had been driven back each time, he would have been sure they'd be afraid already.

"Yes indeed, and for one simple fact," Destructo continued. "For all their power and incredibly long life spans, the Geeg have a very low population growth rate...possibly because they've suppressed all emotion and instinct in favor of logic. Their entire species throughout the empire caps out at about 20,000. Only procreation matching through genetic comparisons for minimal commonalities keeps the species genetically viable. The average population of most races throughout the galaxy - space faring or otherwise - caps out between 100,000 and 500,000, with a more or less stable population density, with a slight curve upwards." He turned to face the group. "At the time the Geeg arrived for their fourth attempt at conquest of Earth, humanity had just cleared one million population, and trends showed that they would just keep growing in number at a rate far in excess of any other race.

"And on top of that, humanity had mostly lost PSI...but made up for it with machines," Destructo continued. "Most races throughout the galaxy use PSI, even if it's only to levitate tools or something similar. Without that convenience, humanity has developed machinery far faster than any other race did. And we've done things with machinery even the Geeg never conceived of." He began to cackle a little madly. "The only limit to what humanity can make with machines is our experience and imagination. That and our rate of growth terrified the Geeg. What if we learned space travel? What if we developed machines that could use PSI? What if we created machines that could suppress PSI?

"And that's why the experiment known as Giegue was started," Destructo concluded, pushing the board away. "To take humanity apart from the inside out. And from what you've seen, my machines are worthy of the fear of the Geeg!"

"I don't see why," Alinivar pointed out. "Sure, they're powerful, but we took them down."

"Of course you did," Destructo allowed. "You aren't Geeg."

"But if the Geeg *click* are so powerful-"

"Logic driven Geeg can only do four things with their PSI in combat," Destructo interrupted. "Protect their bodies, replenish their vital energies, unleash Shockwave...and attack the opponent's mind. They are most skilled at that last one, and it's the skill 99 out of 100 Geeg will attempt first. But my robots have nothing organic inside them. No matter how advanced the AI...there is no mind for the Geeg to attack. And if you can get past a Geeg's formidable PSI, their bodies are incredibly fragile. The smaller, faster bots here? They could charge the Geeg while they try and find the 'mind' to attack and cut them down. The larger could tank a Shockwave or two, especially with repair bots backing them and acting as shields.

"And my masterpiece!" Destructo declared eagerly, gesturing to the huge green bot beyond the safety railing. "R7039-X! Huge, powerful, capable of tanking several Shockwaves alone...and equipped with the PSI circuits, systems that will let him use PSI! Magnet, PSI Power Shield, and Lifeup! Three PSI that make him an unstoppable killing machine to the Geeg! And that's not all!"

"It's not?" Moondancer gasped in shock, trying hard not to look at how Zarbol was floating quietly over to the giant robot.

"No!" Destructo continued dramatically. "It also has installed a PSI battery that can store all the PSI it absorbs from the Geeg it defeats, a PSI suppressor to keep them from contacting other Geeg, and the final touch...the Madness Generator!" He called up the design as Zarbol came to a halt behind the giant robot's main body. "Once the Devil Machine is complete and Giygas unleashes his madness upon the system, R7039-X will absorb that energy, and be able to broadcast it when he marches on Geeg outposts! The Geeg's servant creatures will go mad, and be unable to help their masters! The Cosmic Destruction will spread, as only by giving into madness will the Geeg unlock the skills that can let them fight back. Dead or mad, the Geeg Empire will fall, and Giygas' wishes will be carried out as the cruelty and lies of civilization are torn down, and all that is left is the true nature of life...anarchy and destruction!" Leaning back, he let out a bellowing maniacal cackle...which covered some odd noises coming from where Zarbol floated.

As he calmed down, he turned back to the group. "And now, I must politely ask you to leave. Under Directive Nineteen, the stones that were left here are not to leave this chamber."

"Stones?" Alinivar asked eagerly. "As in Knowledge Stones?"

"Precisely," Destructo responded immediately. "I have disabled the ship-blocking field surrounding the moon. Please recall your craft immediately and leave."

"I don't think we can do that," Larice buzzed flatly.

Destructo frowned. "Well, if you're going to stay, you might as well be useful. We can always use more test subjects...especially for my masterpiece!" He raised his hands dramatically.

In the distance, R7039-X whirred to life...only to fall apart, revealing Zarbol putting away his salvage equipment. "These parts are great!" Zarbol declared eagerly.

"No!" Destructo wailed out in despair. "My masterpiece! I dedicated three years to carving the PSI circuits by hand so it could use PSI without creating a mind to attack, and decades to perfecting the blueprints! I don't know if I can do it again!" He sank to his knees, weeping bitterly. "He was my only friend...and I never got to see him turn on..."

Zarbol hovered for a time. "...well, now I just feel kind of awful-"

"He was going to activate it and make it attack us," Moondancer pointed out.

"...yeah, not so much now," Zarbol allowed. "Not sure what I'll do with most of these, so why don't you hold onto them Moondancer?" Floating over, Zarbol handed over a tech-club, a shield-spoon, a broken antenna, miscellaneous robot parts, an Empty Stone, and four Star Pendants. Moondancer happily hung one pendant around her own neck while putting the rest of the items away.

"Let's get those Stones and get out of here," Alinivar decided, moving into the next room to collect the two Knowledge Stones, the others following along behind him as he took a back exit out of the base and into apparent space.

Larice's communicator suddenly rang. "Hey, it's Niiue. You guys alright? We lost contact with you for a while, but now you're back on the radar."

The group exchanged glances. "I...guess we're okay," Moondancer responded finally. "Give us a ladder, Niiue. We're coming onboard."

Author's Note

Items:
Tech-club - an odd club made of technological components. Reacts to PSI energy.
Shield-spoon - a shield in the shape of a large spoon, with a flat bottomed bowl and an insulated handle. Has circuits in the metal that resembles runes. It probably has some significance.
Broken Antenna - a smart guy can probably make something cool with this
Miscellaneous robot parts - a really smart guy can probably make something awesome with this.
Empty Stone - it looks like a Knowledge Stone, but it has no glow. Might be important.
Star Pendant - equipped to the body, this strongly protects from fire, freeze, flash, and paralysis...but the others have gear with stronger PSI boosts to their combat potential, so they don't want them.

Back to the Future

Upon returning from the Moon, Alinivar checked the map to see if there was anything else that might help them in their final confrontation with Giygas. With the map giving no indicators, he turned to the others. "I guess it's time for us to get going," he murmured softly, turning to the Time Skimmer in the corner. "No going back after this..."

"I am *click* prepared," Larice informed him readily.

"I'm not backing down," Zarbol insisted.

"Time travel, kay-o!" Col. Saturn agreed.

"Here's hoping everything works out," Niiue murmured softly.

"We have to believe it will," Moondancer spoke up firmly. "Otherwise...this was all for nothing."

As the others aboard the ship said goodbye to the group, they boarded the Time Skimmer and sealed it shut behind them. Just before Alinivar could press the button, Col. Saturn spoke up. "Before we hit the button...I save something special for us. Ding!" He pulled out a thermos and six cups...from where, there was no telling. "It is wonderful Mr. Saturn coffee! Let us drink and be happiness before we go!"

"This isn't going to stunt my growth, is it?" Moondancer asked playfully as the cups were filled. "I need all the help I can get in that regard." The entire group shared a laugh at the tiny pony's rejoinder. Even as much as she'd grown, on all four hooves her horn just barely cleared the top of Col. Saturn's hat, putting her chest high on the average thirteen-year-old human.

As they all drank their cup of coffee, they slipped into a peaceful repose as the world around them seemed to waver. Each of them seemed to be receiving their own message from somewhere...and Moondancer listened carefully to hers.

"Everyone holds a secret or two close to their heart.
Some on the surface, some buried deep.
You don't even know yours, Moondancer.
This began as a journey to save your Father from himself,
but it will end in a journey of self discovery.
You can not save him in the time known as now,
but you've already decided you won't rest until he's saved.
It just might be possible.
Not everything is as it should have been.
Something has happened, sending echoes through time.
The meteor blocking Alinivar's cave was supposed to have a guardian.
The PSI of a normal Sphere should not have been strong enough to communicate alone.
Fobbygig was helpful, a teacher.
Echoes through time...echoes of memories forgotten...
There are secrets there, and if you are to achieve your goals, they must be discovered.
A difficult choice awaits you.
Make the right choice, and you have a chance to save him.
Make the wrong one, and you will share his fate.
But know that even if those who care for you aren't there right now, their love for you remains.
Don't lose hope.
Before long, those you care for will face down their own secrets, as the shared bonds link the realms of mind.
You can not join them in this. The time to explore your mind is not yet.
My message was garbled before, and lost now...but you have already chosen the path I knew you wanted.
I wish you luck..."

When Moondancer's mind returned, she found they were already at the top of the hill where the entrance to Giegue's Magicant awaited. Niiue stood by it, waiting for her and the others to be ready to explore. "Niiue..."

"I won't be going in with you right off the bat," Niiue explained softly. "I'm going to try and meet up with the other me. It might be a bad idea, but..." He gave Moondancer a direct look. "My heart is telling me I need to do this."

Alinivar nodded, not catching the message Niiue had been sending. "Alright then. Good luck."

"You too," Niiue agreed.

Alinivar led the group into the tail-shaped pinnacle, and through it to the grey land of what was left of Giegue's Magicant. As they moved through, they noticed there were far fewer thought-construct entities around. One they approached smiled at them. "One by one by one," he said softly as his body started to fade. "L-i-g-h-t-s o-u-t-!"

Moondancer whimpered as she saw this. She knew what it meant. Giegue's Magicant was losing cohesion, and the constructs - vessels of parts of his being - were fading away. If they didn't hurry, there'd be nothing left of him.

A small bee-like creature was the next thing they encountered. It looked straight at Zarbol. "If I'm you, will you disappear when I'm gone?" Zarbol looked mightily disturbed as it faded.

The image of Greyface remained where they'd last seen it. He looked straight at Moondancer as she approached. "It's a pity I didn't tease you about there not being anything of you here last time," he murmured thoughtfully. "You know why that is now. Not that it'll do you any good...or me for that matter. The outcome's already been decided." As he began to fade, he turned to stare at-

...

-empty space, only to fade away completely, his last observation a mystery.

After that, it didn't take long to reach the red area. The thought-monsters there were much stronger than they had been before, and much harder to avoid. Thankfully, everything they'd gathered together left them more than adequately prepared when it came to fighting the beasts, letting them push their way forward along the path they knew they had to take. As they approached the hole they needed to drop down, however, it opened up to reveal a glowing eye, staring at them. It let out an unearthly roar as it took the shape of Gargiathan, though looking somewhat rotted and decayed. Only two tentacles moved as backup to the massive eye as it slowly crawled towards them.

"Everyone stick together!" Alinivar insisted. "Cover each other, and take this thing down!"

"The eye's the only part that matters!" Moondancer called out. "Focus as much damage as we can there!"

Everyone braced their strongest weapons, ready to fight their way through as best they could.

Secrets of the Mind

After a long and grueling battle that pushed the groups bodies, PSI, and weapons to their limits, the monstrosity finally fell and left the hole behind. The group quickly leapt down, taking a relieved sigh as they saw the spot of light that would revitalize them and refresh their energies.

The chamber, as before, had doors along the walls. There were two doors on the left wall, one yellow and one blue. The two on the right wall were orange and green. The two on the far wall were a pale grey and a deep grey, spread apart with room for an additional door between them, gold padlocks sealing the doors shut. On the wall behind them was the bright pink door that had once let them leave, but now led only to a void.

Above them, of all places, was another door that hadn't been there the last time they'd reached this area, floating next to where the hole they'd dropped through had been before it vanished. This door had a color scheme that almost exactly matched Moondancer's between the light yellow-grey door, red padlock, and purple chains holding it shut. "Well, that answers that," Moondancer spoke up as she stared at the door.

"What do you mean?" Alinivar asked curiously.

"Each of these doors lead into our own minds," she explained. "Inside, you'll have to face your secrets, the ones you keep even from yourselves, and in doing so gain the strength to face what Giegue has become...because we plainly aren't strong enough to do so as we are." She gestured to where the hole had been. "We barely made it past a nightmare creature that was a mere fragment of his mind. Do we really think we can handle the entirety of his power?" She glanced at her sealed door. "But it's not time for me to face my secret...so I can't enter. Barred from my own Magicant..."

Silence reigned for a time. Eventually, Larice spoke up. "The doors are *click* keyed to us. We can each only *bzzt* enter our own doors. Will you *whrrr* be okay here by yourself?"

Moondancer nodded slowly. "I...have a lot to think about," she murmured softly.

As the four others entered their doors, Moondancer stared up at her own. It was the Apple that spoke to me in the coffee, she thought to herself. Despite all my efforts to divert from the path laid out by fate, I'm still trapped to walk it. We seem to be going exactly by the predictions...and the prediction is that Father is destroyed. Is there no way to save him? Are all my efforts...futile? She could feel despair beginning to slowly take hold of her mind...

Don't lose hope.

The words came back strongly in her mind, helping to banish her despair. Garbled before, lost now...was I wrong about what the Apple tried to tell me when I was younger, before Father split? Is there a way to save him after all? Echoes through time...maybe I've already changed destiny enough he can be saved...except the Apple said he couldn't be saved now... She shook her head. No, it said he couldn't be saved in the time known as now! The Time Skimmer! Somehow, that will be the key! There's a moment in time somewhen with the right situation and conditions to let me save Father...if I make the right choices, and not be consumed like he was/will be... She shook her head, rubbing her temples with both fore-hooves. "Time travel is confusing," she grumbled aloud.

She was startled out of her reverie as the others returned, heralded by a loud noise as the padlocks on the two doors to the north shattered. Moondancer examined the four friends, trying to see how their journeys had changed them. They all seemed...more sure of themselves. Larice and Zarbol showed the most change, though. Larice seemed to be staring around at the world like he'd never seen it before...while Zarbol was letting his gaze linger on things as though he might never see them again. Moondancer wasn't certain what to make of it.

The group moved together to the pale grey door on the right. It was marked 'Niiue's Door'. Niiue has his own door? Moondancer marveled in surprise. She'd honestly expected Niiue's Magicant to be part of Giegue's...unless that part of Gieuge's Magicant had already been shifted into Niiue by the time Moondancer was able to enter Giegue's Magicant, on the assumption the division was inevitable.

As she pondered this, Niiue popped into existence beside them. "Hey guys," he offered disconsolately. "Haven't found the other me yet...can I join you?"

"It is your door," Alinivar offered pleasantly. "Let's go."

Niiue's Magicant was bright pink, as though walking on fluffy clouds. Nearby was a well too small for even Moondancer to enter, and further along was a sign. The group followed the only available path to the sign to read it. "Bridges mean monsters," Alinivar read carefully. "Entering towns means no monsters. Isn't that some sort of rule?" Alinivar glanced towards Niiue. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"What makes you think I know?" Niiue countered playfully.

"It's your Magicant," Alinivar countered. "Your mind!"

"And that makes you think I know everything about it...why?" Niiue interjected impishly.

Alinivar glowered at Niiue for a time, then turned to lead the group across the bridge. "Sore wa himitsu desu..." he grumbled under his breath in irritation.

"Wow, you really took in a lot while we were on Earth!" Niiue praised.

"Oh shut up!"

As they wandered around - occasionally startled by a monster that literally appeared out of nowhere - Moondancer shifted her attention between the landscape (the pink was bordered by green, with green waterfalls flowing from nowhere to anywhere) and the playfully irritable interchange between Niiue and Alinivar. She was glad to see something that took her mind off how deadly serious things were, however briefly. She could only hope the interlude would last long enough to let her relax. She was certain whatever they were to discover, it would lead to very unpleasant revelations.

Secrets of the Past

As the group continued to wander Niiue's Magicant, they eventually reached a town populated by human, bear, Starman, and even flower shapes. They talked to everyone they came across...but their responses proved to be confusing. The only common thread they were able to follow was that nothing was as it seemed.

After a time of exploring, they left the town to continue exploring. One of the denizens advised them that a door to the south could only be opened by a 'mysterious woman'. On hearing that, Niiue led them purposefully to the east, where the image of a blonde human woman floated serenely. Moondancer felt she should know the woman, like she'd seen her somewhere before...perhaps in a photograph, or someone else's memory. Approaching her, however, caused her to vanish, leaving a field of stars behind that soon disappeared. She became visible to the east.

The group continued to pursue the woman, following her vanishing silhouette as she continued to disappear each time they approached. "Who is she?" Alinivar demanded as she vanished for the fifth time.

"That's a complicated explanation I don't want to get into just now," Niiue replied firmly.

Eventually, they caught up to her at the door, where she vanished as it swung open for them. Beyond the door was an...the only way to describe it was 'undercloud path' with several more signs. Curious, Alinivar went up to each to read them. However, the signs gave no real answers beyond explaining a very small bit about the nature of Magicant...and the nature of the PK Harmony skill Alinivar had discovered by visiting all the Points of Power.

As they approached a small, sleeping, grey cat-like thing, they found themselves back in the room of doors, with Niiue nowhere in sight. "What just happened?" Alinivar demanded in confusion.

Moondancer said nothing. She was pretty sure she knew what had happened. Somehow, the cat-thing had been a gate into the deepest levels of Niiue's mind, and he hadn't wanted company there for some reason. She was certain they would see him again when he was finished with whatever he was doing. "Let's check the last door for answers," she suggested firmly.

Alinivar looked at her with a suspicious frown, but eventually conceded. The group approached the final door...'Giegue's Door'.

The group found themselves disembodied, observing a scenario as it played out. They were unable to speak or act, only to watch as the woman they saw in Niiue's Magicant sat with a black haired man under the stars on Earth. When the woman addressed the man as George, Moondancer knew what was going on. It's George and Maria, she thought to the others. Giegue's...parents. The group watched in silence as the events unfolded.

George and Maria finding the infant Giegue on Earth, protecting him from an angry animal, taking him in...

The three waking up on the Mothership, exploring, being 'welcomed' by the Geeg who were there...

The playroom, Maria singing to Giegue, three years of family...

George discovering the nature of Geeg PSI, and their technology...

The slow decrease of Geeg observing events...

The daring escape, Giegue's fear...

And Maria being sealed inside a Magicant Gate.

As George flew away on the smaller UFO, Moondancer felt a resonation within her own mind, and the vision continued. As Giegue cried, the Geeg who had arrived at his fearful summons floated forward.

The humans are flawed and cruel, one explained softly.

Their emotions command them, the other confirmed.

This is a flaw.

This is power.

This must be...corrected.

With that the pair vanished, leaving Giegue alone on the ship, crying for his Mother.

The scene progressed rapidly as Giegue grew, continuing to be all alone. Eventually he extended his explorations beyond the Mothership...and found his way to Mercury, where Cerue was studying the creatures of Sol. Both stared at each other in amazement, not sure what to do.

I'm Giegue, Giegue finally offered.

...Cerue...

I've never seen another Geeg my own age before.

I've never seen another Geeg before.

They remained silent, floating and staring at one another. Finally, Giegue floated out one of his toys from the playroom, a small ball. Want to play?

Cerue stared at him. What is...play?

...I'll teach you...

Again, the scene accelerated, showing the pair of young Geeg growing together as they played, talked, studied, and developed. Slowly but surely they grew close, bonding to each other. Neither was mentally equipped to be alone in their own minds, and the experiment the Geeg had performed with them as subjects had left them outcast amongst all. Clinging to each other, one outcome was inevitable as friendship - an unnatural Geeg mental state - blossomed into something more.

A late adolescent Giegue and Cerue floated in front of each other, both looking nervous. Are...are you sure? Cerue asked worriedly. I'm...I'll never be at home with other Geeg...

I won't be either, Giegue responded. But I'm at home with you. The wounds in our minds...we can never overcome them alone. But...they don't feel as bad when I'm with you. Their noise is softer when your thought is in my head. I know how I...feel. He slowly floated forward, extending the tips of his legs, arms...and finally, the tips of his ears folded forward like antennae.

Cerue stared at him. I...I feel the same... Floating up to him, she returned the gesture, her tips gently, barely touching his.

We are, they whispered together.

Again, the scene accelerated. The pair were much closer now, though they also spent much more time apart. But even when physically apart, all they had to do was close their eyes and look and they'd be inside each others' minds, reveling in the bond and the contact. However, as their studies continued, strain began to shape.

What are you doing? Cerue demanded one day as she stared at the data Giegue had collected on Earth.

Humanity is flawed, Giegue explained calmly. They can't control their emotions. It leads them to self destruction. I want to help them, help them overcome this plague upon their own minds...

And make them more like Geeg? Cerue snapped out angrily. This is the Martians all over again!

It's not like that! Giegue promised. The technology is much more advanced. I can be sure no one is harmed. It'll be safe!

For us or for them? Cerue demanded. Giegue, I don't like the idea of tampering with an entire race. It's...it's not natural. Look at what the Geeg have become, that we do so to ourselves so freely?

Giegue had no answer for that. He wanted to be a good Geeg...but he also wanted to be a good human. Was he his mother's son, or a child of his race? Did his Father factor in? Was there a middle ground?

Seeing and feeling his distress he was experiencing, Cerue relented. Just...promise me you won't do anything large scale, alright? Keep your studies small.

I promise, Giegue swore immediately, and meant it.

He kept his experiments small. No more than one PSI amplifier in any settlement, keyed to only respond to short bursts from the Nightmare Engine. He carefully studied the way the human mind shaped emotion, and thought he knew what he was doing. He switched the Engine on for a short burst...

And the amplifiers went out of control. Human emotions - Earth emotions - were far more volatile than Giegue had anticipated, and the reaction began to feed upon itself, growing bigger and bigger. He struggled to find a way to keep it in check, to bring things under control...only to see human children moving to do so for him. One of them he soon realized was directly related to George, his Father. He wondered why it was happening, what George had been up to...

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

Cerue's voice, filled with shock, despair, and a sense of betrayal, shot through his mind. It wasn't supposed to be like this! Giegue quickly defended. It was small! But it went out of control, and-

Stop it! Cerue demanded. You have to stop it!

I... Giegue stared down at Earth, at what was happening. The answers, they were so close...he almost understood... I...can't...

How many people are dying for this experiment? Cerue demanded angrily. How many minds have been destroyed? How much will the race, the planet, be altered for this experiment, for the answers you want so badly?

Giegue had no response.

...is it really so important to you? Is this what you've become?

I... Giegue responded, desperately reaching out to her...only for her to withdraw.

I don't know you anymore...

Giegue's mind reeled. He felt the bridge - once so strong, firm, and unbreakable - between his mind and Cerue crumble as the bond was severed. Once again, he was alone in his mind. He struggled to order his thoughts and feelings. He had to do something. Did the answers really matter? He could stop this! He could pull everything back, make things right, set things right...

Foolishness. The bond was broken. Cerue would not heed him. But Ninten...

He was family. He was correcting Giegue's mistake, bringing things under control. If Giegue could just talk to him, find a middle ground, a common ground...maybe he would mind link. Maybe he would keep him company in his own head. He desperately clung to that hope...

But his words did not reach Ninten. And then the song...the song...Mother's song... "Mother!" he cried despairingly as his mind came apart.

In despair, Moondancer broke free of her incoporeality within the vision to rush to comfort her Father...only to see herself appear in his arms.

And the vision faded, and they were once more in the room of doors. As a pitch black door appeared between the two grey ones, Moondancer slumped to the floor and wept for her Father.

And she desperately Prayed to him, that he might somehow find peace...somehow be whole.

Gotta Get Back

Once Moondancer regained her composure, she turned to the others. "So...are we ready?" she managed to say. "I...I don't think we have any options...but this last door."

"We don't," Larice confirmed with a buzzing to his voice. "But are you ready?"

"What?" Moondancer gasped in shock.

"What's going to happen through that door..." Alinivar began. "It's going to be rough, no doubt about that."

"We decide together, boing," Col. Saturn continued.

"That we would wait until we were sure you're ready," Zarbol concluded. "We want to be sure you can handle it. We...we're not sure we can, but we don't really have a choice anymore. But we don't want to take that away from you."

Moondancer managed a soft smile. "Thank you, all of you." She turned to face the door. "I'm...I'm not ready. But I'm pretty sure I'll never be, if all I do is wait here until I am."

With that said, the group passed through the final door.

Behind the door was a white path like what had been in Giegue's Magicant. However, where that path had still been bright, this was now shadowed. The black void of the world beyond the path was dotted with red. A bestial snarl echoed over and over through the entire area. The red glow filled the world and faded away in a pattern like breathing, that matched the snarling of the beast. The group moved slowly, terrified of what they were seeing.

Before long, they reached the end of the path...where a crimson rift in space pulsated like a wound, flexing like a maw. Within the rift, Giegue could be seen inside some sort of machine. As the sight of him became clearer...he opened crimson eyes that had neither heart nor soul in them, only fury.

Before any of them could react, Giegue immediately began unleashing waves of offensive PSI at the group, ruthlessly attempting to break them down and destroy them as best he could. With no other option, the group was forced to bring their own power to bear as they struggled for some sort of defense. Alinivar, Col. Saturn, Larice, and Zarbol positioned themselves between Giegue and Moondancer, hoping to protect her somewhat from what was happening. Moondancer focused her PSI on trying to protect the others...and calling out to try and reach the one they fought. "Father, please stop!" she called despairingly. "Why are you doing this?"

Giegue did not respond. As far as any of them could tell, he couldn't even hear her words, let alone understand them. The endless waves of PSI that Giegue unleashed slowly pushed the group back, wearing down on their resources...until two Niiues suddenly rushed into the chamber.

Giegue stared at them, tilting his head back and forth in confusion. His power seemed to weaken.

"We're here to help," Niiue spoke up encouragingly, "as much as we can. I don't know how it's possible, but here in this place I feel as if I can actually attack him."

"If we can push him back," the other Niiue added, "there might be a chance."

"Push him back," Moondancer murmured softly as she stepped forward. "I...I can do that..."

The group continued to unleash their PSI against Giegue. When Niiue unleashed his powerful PSI and it connected, Giegue flinched back in surprise. When Moondancer's PSI struck at him, he...hesitated. Each time the attacks from the two Niiues and Moondancer hit, Giegue's assault faltered. The group pushed forward. It seemed like somehow, they just might win.

The two Niiues combined their energies, unleashing a devestating white blast. Giegue seemed to fade out of sight.

"Did we...win?" Alinivar gasped in surprise.

"No," Moondancer spoke up. "I can still feel him. He's...somewhere."

"We both made it?" one of the Niiues asked in surprise. "That's a relief. And you are right, Moondancer. That was merely a guardian, shielding his innermost self." As the two Niiues settled to the ground, the one speaking turned to the other. "You know what to do now, other me. I'll send the messengers back." He moved to Zarbol and Moondancer's side.

"What's going on?" Moondancer demanded in confusion, desperate for an explanation.

"Moondancer," the other Niiue began carefully. "It's time for me to tell the others everything, so they can understand what's going on. Because the four of us will be diving into the Maelstrom before us...to buy you two time."

"Time for *bzzt* what?" Larice demanded. "What will happen *whrrr* to Moondancer and Zarbol?"

"I'm the messenger," Zarbol spoke up softly. "That's what the Apple told me. There are youths who...have the potential to change the destiny Giygas has created. I'm supposed to tell them of what happened, to start them on their journey. If...if they traveled alone, Giegue would have no hope of salvation. But if Moondancer goes with them...there's a chance this will all have been worth it."

"Using the Zexonyte, I can send them both through time," the Niiue standing beside Moondancer and Zarbol explained. "Ten years in the past...that's where they need to go."

"Ness...Paula...Jeff...Poo..." Moondancer spoke softly. "They...they're the ones..."

"That's right," the other Niiue explained. "But if we try to send them now, Giegue will feel it. He'll stop them. So in this place, where only love stands between us and the great beyond, we're going to buy time. I wish we could do more...but our fate's already written."

"I think you may be surprised," Alinivar spoke up. "There's more to us than even the Apple thinks. Love may be all that keeps us from oblivion...but it's hope that keeps us moving forward."

"...never lose hope," Moondancer added, her voice lifting. "That's what the Apple said to me."

"Then keep hoping, boing!" Col. Saturn called out firmly. "Into jaws of Death, party level 600, zoom!"

"We'll track down what's left of him," Niiue confirmed. "We can only hope that things work out."

Larice turned to Zarbol and Moondancer. "Goodbye, friends."

"Good luck boing!" Col. Saturn added.

"...I'm not going to lose hope," Alinivar spoke firmly. "I'm going to keep hoping that we'll all survive and see each other again. So I'm not going to say goodbye. Just...until next time."

With that, Niiue warped Zarbol and Moondancer away, leaving Niiue to lead Alinivar, Col. Saturn, and Larice into the heart of the Maelstrom.

Back to the Past

Niiue stood before Zarbol and Moondancer. "I know Alinivar said he wants to believe you'll meet again...but this trip into the past is one way. You won't have a way back."

"I expected that," Zarbol allowed sadly. "If we succeed, this future won't exist anymore to come back to. If we fail, there won't be anything of us left to come back."

"Or worse," Moondancer whispered fearfully, "what's left will make things even worse..." After all, Fobbygig had warned her that she might walk the same path as Giegue did to become Giygas. She would have to be careful not to walk that path.

"We have the Zexonyte," Niiue spoke softly. "So there's only one thing I need to do before I prepare the time shift. Moondancer, do you still have the Empty Stone from the Moon?"

Moondancer nodded, pulling it out. "I still have everything from the Moon," she confirmed.

Niiue reached into a pocket and pulled out the Unity Star. "Alinivar recorded the songs from the Points of Power around the system on this, before that power unlocked PSI Harmony within him. It might just help you now." He gently dropped the Unity Star into the Empty Stone.

The stone hummed as each tone from the Unity Star briefly filled it, and Moondancer felt something inside her react to it. The stone glowed as it absorbed the melodies of Mercury's Core, Venus' Heat, Mars' Silence, Jupiter's Storm, Saturn's Rings, Uranus' Dregs, Neptune's Waves, Pluto's Snow, and Eris' Eye. The Glowing Stone hummed with power not yet realized.

"Put it away now," Niiue instructed firmly, before giving a small stone to Zarbol. "This serves a similar purpose to the Unity Star. Give it to Ness when you feel the time is right."

Zarbol nodded as he accepted the stone. "Right. I'll tell him about the Points of Power-"

"That's not what they're called on Earth," Niiue corrected. "They connect strongly to Ness for some reason, so they're called 'Your Sanctuaries'. He's the only one that can draw on their power..." He turned towards where Moondancer was putting away the Glowing Stone. "...as far as I know."

"I have all this information from the Apple of Enlightenment," Zarbol pointed out. "We're ready to go." Moondancer nodded confirmation.

"Alright," Niiue allowed. "Then on three, close your eyes. One...two...three..."

Moondancer and Zarbol closed their eyes.

They were inside something dark, cozy, and warm. There was no sensation beyond thought. Moondancer felt Buzz Buzz's thought...but there was something wrong. Buzz Buzz? she thought in confusion. I thought you had a different name.

Time is shifting, Buzz Buzz thought back. It's affecting memory a bit. My real name might draw undue attention when we go back. After all, we were on Earth twenty years ago, and we're only going back to ten years ago.

Oh, that makes sense, Moondancer allowed. How soon do you think before we start time shifting?

Not until after Alinivar and the others confront Giegue, Buzz Buzz pointed out. He needs to be distracted to keep from catching us.

I don't like hiding from my father, even if it is on my father's orders, Moondancer grumbled mentally.

...wat?

Oh, right, you weren't told that part of the story, Moondancer realized. Niiue is part of Giegue, part of his Magicant made manifest as a separate being. It's why they couldn't fight before, why they know each other so well, and why Niiue was taking care of me after it happened.

Buzz Buzz was silent for a time. ...I feel like that information really should have been presented much more dramatically, he thought finally.

Yeah, I'm a bit too distracted to deal with being dramatic, Moondancer countered softly. I'm trying to find their minds.

Whose minds-Alinivar and the others? Buzz Buzz's thought gasped in shock. You can feel their minds?

I can if you'll quiet yours for a bit, Moondancer countered grumpily. ...got it. They just confronted Giegue... She shivered as she felt an echo of Giegue's rage. That's...that's pretty strong...but they're strong too. Strong enough to...survive, I hope.

Hold onto hope, Buzz Buzz told her. That's what the Apple said-

Moondancer's thought suddenly became turmoil. Oh...oh Geeg... she moaned. What...what did Father do to himself? It's...his body is breaking down, and his mind...madness...

Pull back from it! Buzz Buzz ordered quickly. Before you get dragged in!

Moondancer managed to pull her thought back, just barely clinging to Alinivar and the others. The madness...it's starting to take physical form. This...it isn't going to be pleasant...

Just breathe, Buzz Buzz instructed. Just breathe and calm down. It's going to be okay.

The small space they were in suddenly shook. What happened? Moondancer demanded in confusion.

The time shift has started, Buzz Buzz explained. We aren't in the past yet, but we're out of Giegue's reach.

I can still feel Alinivar, Col. Saturn, Larice, and Niiue, Moondancer pointed out. And...it's not Giegue anymore. I...I feel Giygas...

You should let go, Buzz Buzz told her gently. Whatever's going to happen next, it won't be something you want to feel, I'm sure-

Alinivar's trying something! Moondancer crowed in mental delight. He has a plan! I- Her mind lurched. I...I can't feel Niiue anymore...

Moondancer... Buzz Buzz began softly.

I...I can't feel Larice or Col. Saturn either...only Alinivar... Moondancer's mental voice sank into despair. I...I can't feel any of them anymore. Just...the song. The...lullaby...

Moondancer, put it from your mind, Buzz Buzz instructed firmly. If Alinivar's plan worked, then we don't have to worry. If it didn't, then there's nothing we can do. For now, we need to focus. We're going to be arriving on Earth of ten years ago soon, and we need to be ready to find Ness.

Moondancer was silent for a time, sunk in despair. Eventually, she managed to get her emotions under control. So...how are we to do that? she asked flatly.

I...don't know, Buzz Buzz allowed. I...I know we'll be arriving in a meteor, and that Ness lives in Onett...

I know where that is, roughly, Moondancer spoke up, extending her thought to encompass their entire vessel. I just have to steer...

Samurai Ness

Steering their craft into Earth's atmosphere proved especially difficult for Moondancer...mostly because she had no idea what sort of craft they were in, or what she was doing. Thankfully, she was able to get a lock onto the general area of Onett, and through trial and error figured out how to send them in specific directions in time to crash at the top of a hill to the north of Onett. So now what? she demanded of Buzz Buzz.

Now we wait, he answered calmly. Ness will arrive up here eventually, without any adults around. When that happens, we'll make contact with him.

Why without adults? Moondancer inquired curiously.

Because he needs to hear our message unfiltered, Buzz Buzz explained. If there are adults around, they'll try to 'protect' him from what we're saying, or just from us. But if he's to be set on the right path, he needs all the answers we can give him as directly as possible.

Moondancer was silent for a time. Buzz Buzz couldn't help but be concerned, since her thoughts up to this point since landing had...no color to them. No emotion. She'd withdrawn almost completely. When she finally sent thought again, there was only...impatience. So we just wait, she offered flatly. Wait and hope some kid does the right things to set things in motion and save the day, and hope things happen the way they're supposed to.

Just about, Buzz Buzz allowed. Don't worry, everything will be okay. I'm sure of it.

Moondancer did not respond.

Buzz Buzz sighed to himself. It probably was too much to hope for that Moondancer would be ready to accept all this. He'd tried to get her to let go of the others mentally earlier for this very reason. He knew they'd likely never see the others again. He also knew he likely wouldn't survive long without his UFO shell, which he'd had to leave behind. He needed to find a way to get her to open up, to bond with Ness. If she didn't, she wouldn't stay her for very long once they left their ship.

As he waited, he could feel people around them, but none of them were Ness. As such, he kept them sealed inside, waiting for the right time. So...know any good knock-knock jokes? he asked Moondancer hopefully.

...knock knock, Moondancer finally responded.

Who's there? Buzz Buzz answered quickly, hoping to bring her out a little.

Nobody, because everyone we know and love is probably dead.

Buzz Buzz was silent. That...wasn't very funny, he pointed out finally.

Oh, you wanted a funny knock-knock joke. Sorry, those don't exist.

...okay, that was kinda funny.

When Moondancer didn't respond, Buzz Buzz let them slip back into silence. When he felt the presence of people fade, he began to wonder if perhaps they were too early, and Ness wasn't ready to start his journey. He hoped they wouldn't be stuck in their ship too long waiting.

There's a small boy coming, Moondancer observed flatly. It's not Ness.

Then we don't really need to worry yet, Buzz Buzz allowed.

Giygas madness wave has started to touch creatures here/now, Moondancer pointed out. He could be in danger.

In truth, this wasn't something that actually mattered from Buzz Buzz's perspective. After all, they were trying to save the entire solar system. One civilian life didn't hold much weight in that scale of a situation. On the other hand, if it got Moondancer to respond at all, it was worth doing something about. We'll keep watch, he concluded finally. If anything dangerous comes up here, or if he tries to leave without anyone protecting him, we'll step out and help.

Moondancer fell silent. Buzz Buzz supposed she was accepting the compromise. Not long after, she spoke up. Here comes Ness, she observed, her mental voice showing more interest. He's got a dog with him...and the dog just fled when it felt my touch on his mind. There's another boy... Moondancer's mental voice turned somewhat dark. ...I don't like him...

Be nice, Buzz Buzz cautioned. We might need his help to convince Ness.

Hope not, Moondancer grumbled. Looks like they're here for the other kid.

Okay then, Buzz Buzz observed. Time to make an appearance.

Ness turned to lead the way back towards home, Pokey and Picky behind him. Pokey was already panting just from having to climb a hill for a second time that night, while Picky seemed to be handling himself just fine. As they passed the meteor, Pokey suddenly tugged on his sleeve. "...what?" he asked flatly, just wanting to get home and get to bed already. As exciting as the adventure to rescue Picky had seemed when they'd started, Pokey rapidly sucked all the fun out of it. Besides, the cracked bat was starting to show wear, and he wanted to see if he could fix it before giving it back to Tracy.

"Ness, do you hear that?" Pokey wheezed, his voice grating on the nerves. "It sounds like a bee buzzing around!"

Ness was about to dismiss Pokey's concerns as his usual issues with insects of any sort, but he did hear...something. "It's...not quite a bee buzzing," he observed. "It's...it's got more of a hum to it..."

As he spoke, the meteor suddenly blazed with a beam of light shooting to the heavens. Two figures rose up out of it before the light faded. One was a tiny insect. One was...a small unicorn?

"A bee I am...not!" the insect declared.

"...eh?" Ness squeaked out, a bit lost. While he was an imaginative boy, this was a bit more than he could readily handle.

While Buzz Buzz explained everything to Ness, Moondancer looked the rather freaked out boy over. Red baseball cap, striped shirt, blue jean shorts...exactly like the dolls she'd seen once. She could feel the strength of the PSI in his mind, barely beginning to be unleashed. If this was the hero they needed...well, he had potential.

She turned to the other two boys, both blonde with their hair cut in such a way their eyes were hidden. The younger one seemed nice enough, with an eager to help air around him. The older one...that was the one Moondancer had taken an instinctive dislike to, and she knew why. His PSI impression felt far too similar to Greyface's. She found herself glaring angrily at the boy, who flinched back in fear. Snorting derisively, Moondancer turned to look away...only to find a hand in her face.

"I'm Ness," Ness offered warmly. "Are...are we going to be friends?"

Moondancer blinked up at him, seeing only gentle sincerity in his eyes and aura. She wasn't that much older than him, she realized. A year, maybe two at most. She just felt much older after everything she'd been through. She decided to humor him for now. "Sure," she replied, placing her hoof in his hand and shaking.

"So...three boys and one girl?" the older blonde boy - Pokey, that was his name - wheezed out. "I'm not one of those boys, right?"

"Heaven forbid," Ness and Moondancer stated together. They then blinked at each other before sharing a quick giggle.

Pokey's eyes narrowed in irritation, and he huffed petulantly. "Let's just get Picky home already, okay?"

Rolling his eyes, Ness turned to lead the way down the hill. Buzz Buzz orbited his head, and Moondancer walked at his side. Pokey and Picky brought up the rear. The winding path proved quite empty...which seemed to disturb Ness. "What's wrong?" Moondancer asked curiously.

"On the way up, there were animals all over the place," Ness explained. "And they were acting weird. From what you two said, I think they had Gi...Goo...Giggly on their heads?"

"Giygas," Moondancer corrected idly.

"Yeah, that," Ness confirmed. "Anyway, they were attacking, and I had to fight them off-"

"I think you mean 'we'!" Pokey snorted in a superior tone of voice.

"No, I don't," Ness corrected as they rounded the last bend, turning towards the houses. "But now they're all gone. It...I dunno, feels like a-"

The whole world flashed as a figure beamed down right in front of them.

"Trap!" Ness declared worriedly as he braced his bat in both hands.

Buzz Buzz and Moondancer braced themselves. They recognized the figure of a Starman...but this wasn't an ordinary Starman. It was bright blue...there were spikes on its shoulders...and it wore a cape.

As its optics glowed, it turned to the group. "Not who you were expecting?" it whirred softly.

Watch Out!

The figure glowered down at them, standing imposing over all of them. "You were expecting something, I'm sure, some low ranked Starman perhaps, chosen *click* to be just enough to be spared to eliminate you all as weak as you are. You, Buzz Buzz and Moondancer *whirr* likely thought you could handle what came. You expected a minor hurdle...but it was I, Captain Deepsea, who arrived to block your path!"

"Why would such a high ranked Starman come all the way out here in space and time?" Buzz Buzz demanded, gathering his PSI as best he could.

"I didn't, *bzzz*," Captain Deepsea explained. "I knew from when Master Giygas listened to the Apple that this would be where the Earth's chosen would rise from. I did not know who or when *click*, but I knew where. So I came here and hid myself away in Sleep Mode, set to activate when the PSI impression of the equine passed." His optic blazed. "I could have guarded the Zexonyte, but there would have been no point. The five of you then could have bested me...but the goal of guarding the Zexonyte was to prevent your message, and thus stop the Chosen Four from gathering." He turned towards Ness, who braced himself with his cracked bat. "Now that I know which is the *whrrr* Earth's Chosen, far simpler to simply kill him now." He raised his arm and fired off a powerful beam.

"Watch out, Ness!" Buzz Buzz called out as he cast Reflect, managing to deflect the beam out of the way and protect everyone for a time.

"You can't keep that up *c-click* forever," Deepsea observed flatly. "My PSI reserves dwarf yours, and you have no way to recover them without your shell. Eventually, it will run out...and you don't dare attack me physically, reduced as you are."

"He might not," Moondancer called out, "but I do!" She swung the Borange Ray up and pulled the trigger.

As the wave of madness energy lashed forward, Deepsea vanished...only to reappear as it passed. This repeated for the second shot. "I have incorporated a delay into my transporter engine," he stated bluntly. "This makes it ideal for evading your weapon, which takes some time between salvos to charge up another shot."

"I have more than just my gun!" Moondancer snapped as she unleashed Shockwave Gamma.

Deepsea wrapped his cape around his body as the blasts of energy struck home, letting it wash over him. "Did you think I was *whrrr* unprepared for that?" he taunted. "I *click* studied everything your group did. I prepared for all conceivable attack strategies."

"Prepare for this!" Ness suddenly cried out, leaping forward and swinging the cracked bat over his shoulder.

"Ness, no!" Buzz Buzz screamed.

As Ness swung with the bat, Deepsea lashed out. One arm struck the bat on the crack, shattering it. The other struck Ness right in the gut, sending him bouncing along the ground and leaving a trail of blood.

"NO!" Buzz Buzz screamed out, rushing over to try and help.

"And with that the prophecy dies," Deepsea declared as he gathered his PSI. "With this, Giygas' victory is assured..."

Moondancer rushed to Ness' side along with Buzz Buzz, her entire body shaking. It couldn't be...they couldn't have lost already. The prophecy...that was the only way to find the key to saving Giegue. If Ness died...

A cold grey aura swirled around Moondancer as she let out a despairing wail. She felt her PSI energy dissipating, dropping to nothing...

Deepsea staggered back as his attack deflected off a grey shield that had surrounded everyone, slamming back into him. "W-what?" he demanded, stunned.

Ness gasped for breath as he sat up, wincing as he felt his ribs rapidly healing from the breaks Deepsea had inflicted. "What the...?" he managed to gasp out.

"You're alright!" Picky cried out happily.

"Quick, we need to find a way to stop Deepsea!" Buzz Buzz called out. "This won't last long...wait a minute! In Moondancer's bag, a bat!"

Jumping to his feet, Ness reached into Moondancer's bag until his hand wrapped around a bat that felt like it was made for his grip. It was covered in circuitry and symbols, and he felt it responding to the power of his mind.

Ness equipped the ~~Tech-Club~~ PSI Bat!
Atk +150
Def +50
Guts +150
Strikes at Giygas' madness in the target, driving it out and dealing non-lethal damage.

Buzz Buzz' gasped as he managed to get a read on how the bat was reacting to Ness' PSI. "Ness! That weapon is designed to react to Giygas' energy in those affected by it! Strike with all your might, and drive his influence out of Deepsea! It's our only chance!"

"You think I am *whrrrr* mad?" Deepsea declared angrily. He pulled his cape back, proudly displaying his emblem. "I am a soldier of Giygas, the Transcending Lord! I swear by my emblem, I will not be swayed by your trickery-"

Rushing forward, Ness swung the PSI Bat as hard as he could, aiming the 'sweet spot' right at Deepsea's emblem. Deepsea tried to strike out at Ness physically and with his PSI, but it continued to bounce off the grey energy field. He warped away to dodge the swing, but Ness quickly pulled the bat back and swung again...making contact on the emblem just as Deepsea reappeared.

SMAAASH!!

Deepsea was sent flying back through a nearby tree before crashing into the one behind it, slowly sliding down the bark. The point of impact - his much vaunted emblem - was cracked and sparking. His optic flickered frequently in various colors. When he spoke, his voice sounded off, and was in a sing song tone. "What is love? Pony don't hurt me...pony don't hurt me...no more..." With that, he warped away.

As the grey field faded away, Moondancer slumped over...only to be caught by Ness. "Easy now," he offered gently as he slowly set her down on all four legs. "Dunno what that was, but it saved our bacon."

Buzz Buzz floated silently. He did know what it was. He'd witnessed Giegue gathering red energy like that to empower himself the first time the group had tried to confront him, using anger to fuel his PSI. Moondancer had just tapped Emotion Driven PSI...and that was very dangerous for her. Yes, it gave great power...but at what cost?

Author's Note

Moondancer has realized a new power!

Fear - expend all PP to fully revitalize whole party's HP and PP, and generate a field that negates all damage for three rounds. Normal methods of restoring PP will not work for the duration of the battle.
But the cost to the mind...

Darker Feelings

Once he was sure Moondancer was okay, Ness turned to the rest of the group. "Everyone else okay?" he asked worriedly.

"I am unharmed," Buzz Buzz offered helpfully. "I did not expect that level of threat so soon...though I doubt we'll-"

Ness held up a hand. "Let me check on everyone else first, okay?" he pleaded. "Want to be sure everyone's good before any more long speeches."

Buzz Buzz fell silent. That was a valid point...and it showed Ness was a good leader, even if he was only 13.

"Picky? You and Pokey okay?" Ness asked worriedly.

"I'm a l-little shaken up," Picky managed to say. "I mean...it looked like that blow broke you in half like your bat! How can you-"

"Oh no, the bat!" Ness picked up the two broken halves of the bat, the chunk around the crack reduced to so many splinters. "How am I going to tell Tracy I broke her bat?"

"You were nearly split in two and it's the bat you're worried about?" Pokey suddenly screeched out.

"Well I'm not broken," Ness pointed out logically, "but the bat is. You okay, Pokey?"

"I am not okay!" Pokey wheezed, his eyes looking wild. "This is all wrong...so wrong, so wrong...how can you be so calm?" He fell over against a nearby tree, trying to curl up as he muttered under his breath. "So wrong...not what he said...too soon...he can't..."

Ness winced. Pokey was a coward, Ness knew that quite well. And yet he'd gone out this far just to help Picky...and Ness had been cruel to him. That wasn't fair of him...even if he was already feeling like he was about to fall off his feet and was sick of Pokey. He was supposed to be a better person...and Pokey was Picky's brother, after all. He didn't want to screw that friendship up for Tracy. He walked over to Pokey. "Come on, Pokey, let me help you up." He leaned over, offering a hand. "Let's get you both home, then I'll go look for Giggles. I just hope he didn't come across Deepsea on the way home..."

Pokey shivered a bit, then let himself be helped up. "Yeah...home..." he muttered without enthusiasm.

Since everyone was more or less okay, Buzz Buzz spoke up again. "I doubt you'll encounter that level of threat again anytime soon," he observed idly. "From the sound of it, Deepsea took independent action in an attempt to circumvent events as they have to happen. However, you should still be cautious. Once you deliver these two home, I'd recommend recuperating at home to be certain you are none the worse for wear from this clash before continuing your journey."

"Good-" Ness's words were interrupted by a long yawn. "Idea," he finished, slowly moving towards the house on the left at the end of the path. Moondancer fell into step next to Picky, who walked at the back of the line behind Pokey, Buzz Buzz orbiting Ness's head.

The inside walls of the Minch residence were plain, severe white. The floor was a pattern of blue squares, and the furniture was bright red, the curtains bright pink. All in all, Moondancer found the decor rather tasteless. Mr. and Mrs. Minch were waiting in the living room as the group approached. Mr. Minch, even this late, was dressed in a somewhat scruffy business suit. Mrs. Minch wore a rather tasteless sparkly red dress that didn't look anywhere near as good on her as she seemed to think.

Mr. Minch spoke up before anyone else could. "I'm sorry that my kids troubled you so much," he stated flatly. He then turned to the kids. "Both of you are really going to get it now!"

Pokey and Picky immediately raced upstairs, Mr. Minch following after them. Ness leaned towards Moondancer. "They didn't notice you?" he whispered in surprise.

"I don't want to be noticed," Moondancer explained easily. "They're both very weak-minded. As long as I don't draw undue attention to myself, that desire is enough to keep them from registering my presence."

"...can you teach me that?" Ness asked hopefully.

"No."

The sound of flesh striking flesh, followed by a slammed door, echoed from upstairs. The noise dragged Ness's attention away from the conversation as Mr. Minch returned to the room. "By the way, I would be happy if you left sometime soon," he declared primly. "I'm tired of your family living next door. We've loaned your father a lot of money. It may have been a hundred thousand or more..."

Moondancer couldn't help but frown. Mr. Minch's aura reeked of deceit and self-serving apathy as he spoke of the loan. She could feel his thoughts focused on something in the drawer of a nearby end table. He was just too easy to read. She made a mental note to do something about it on the way out. She noticed Ness was also frowning, plainly not liking the discussion.

"Well I guess it could have been less," Mr. Minch allowed magnanimously. "But because of the loan, my family and I now live in poverty!"

Moondancer glanced around at the 'poverty'. She found it odd that Mr. Minch would claim 'poverty' when the only thing in the entire house that looked even slightly used was his suit, while Ness - whose family could be presumed to be 'living high on the loan' - was wondering how he would explain to his little sister that he broke her already cracked bat as though it would be a huge disappointment. She was really beginning to dislike Mr. Minch.

As Mr. Minch moved to go back to his own business, Mrs. Minch walked up. "My husband is far too lenient with the children," she declared airily as though anyone listening could possibly weigh in on her opinion. Feeling nothing but self-centered vanity from her, Moondancer knew she just loved hearing the sound of her own voice and was using 'talking to Ness' as an excuse to wax 'eloquent' on a current subject. "Oh well, nice guys finish last. That's the story of our life..."

At that moment, Buzz Buzz felt his wings beginning to flag. He hadn't spent this long outside his shell in as long as he could remember, and he desperately felt the need to rest. He slowly lowered down toward Mrs. Minch's over-permed hair, figuring she wouldn't notice anything there as all sensation of touch must have faded from the excess of chemicals.

"Ayaaaeee!" she shrieked as Buzz Buzz approached. "I think it's a dung beetle! I'll smash your guts out!" Her hand gripped a fly swatter as her arm moved back.

The world slowed down for Moondancer. She could see that Buzz Buzz did not have the energy to dodge the incoming strike, nor the durability to survive it. She'd lost Giegue, lost Niiue, lost Larice, lost Alinivar, lost Col. Saturn...and now this uncaring bitch was going to take Buzz Buzz away too! She would not let her!

Red miasma blazed around Moondancer, swirling in small clouds as her face twisted in an expression of absolute fury. Energy of the same color seized Mrs. Minch's entire body before slamming her against the wall, smashing the end table to bits as she flew. "You dare..." Moondancer growled out. "You self-centered hag...you'd take all I have left...you empty values..."

Empty value, a Geeg description for something that had no influence on reality. The gravest insult a Geeg could deliver to any living being, for it was to say that in the grand equation of the universe the balance wouldn't even notice if the one described continued to exist.

Mrs. Minch tried to scream, but her mouth and throat were locked. She could only stare in horror as the pony - the monster - slowly advanced.

"You miserable, pathetic creature...your greatest contribution to the balance will be that you unleashed this in me..." The fly swatter twisted and warped in the red miasma as its very matter was turned inside out from the tip, working towards where Mrs. Minch gripped it.

Mr. Minch was yelling something. Buzz Buzz was screaming. But Moondancer could not hear. All there was in her world was fury, madness, and making her pay...

Just before the warping energy reached Mrs. Minch's flesh, Ness dove through the miasma surrounding Moondancer and wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her up short. "Stop it," he whispered softly. "You aren't a bad guy. This isn't you. You're my friend..."

He dares to interfere? I will smite him like this bitch-

...I'm sorry...

Moondancer felt her rage slowly starting to leave her, the miasma starting to fade. As her mind started to clear...she realized she'd nearly taken that fateful step the Apple had warned her about, nearly followed the path to becoming Giygas. Turning, she buried her face in Ness's shoulder, trying to hide her emotions as she struggled to control them.

Author's Note

Moondancer has realized a new PSI.

Anger - costs 0 PP. Fully replenishes Moondancer's PP (overriding Fear's forced zero) and temporarily boosts all stats, her next few actions after use dictated by rage.
But what does it do to her mind?

Regrets

Moondancer clung tightly to Ness, not wanting to let anyone here see her cry. She would definitely need a good cry before she was ready to adventure. She just hoped they could leave soon-

"Out!" Mr. Minch shouted suddenly, his voice somewhere between angry and panicked. "I want you all out of my house! I don't want to see you cross my threshold ever again! And you!" He shook his finger at Ness. "You can expect me to bring this up with your Mother when we talk later about how much your family owes-"

Moondancer's PSI seized the notebook that she'd sensed Mr. Minch's thoughts on. "I don't know money," Moondancer stated flatly as she floated it over, feeling the dread that took hold of Mr. Minch's heart. "But you do. The original loan amount is recorded...along with the illegal interest rates charged so that Ness's father wasn't able to pay it off right away. As are the payments taken from Ness's mother from the funds his father sent the family to live one. Along with the notations that each parent wasn't told the other parent was also paying. You counted on his father's work being too important for his mother to want to worry him, and his guilt - for whatever he feels guilty for - to lead him into not bringing it up. All of that is apparently written in here." She turned to glare at Mr. Minch. "I'll be giving this to Ness's Mom. I'm sure you'll have lots to talk about when next you go to 'collect a payment'."

"You...you can't..." Mr. Minch began desperately. "You can't just...walk in here and steal my personal property-"

"You invited us in with your sons," Buzz Buzz spoke up plainly. "No breaking and entering. You're really going to hold a petty theft against extortion?"

"...did that bug just talk?" Mrs. Minch gasped in shock, having apparently regained her bearings after Moondancer's attack since she wasn't actually harmed.

"Buzz Buzz is my friend," Moondancer stated flatly. "And you tried to kill him. Be glad I leave this place in one piece."

Ness quickly ushered Moondancer out of the house. The group was startled to find the sun had already risen. "But..." Ness began in a whimper. "But I didn't get to sleep..."

"I'm sure your Mom will let you," Buzz Buzz spoke up calmly. "Besides, she needs to see that notebook."

The trio made their way over to Ness's house. As they reached the gate in the fence, Moondancer could have sworn she felt someone watching, but the sensation rapidly faded.

Once they were inside, Ness's Mom took one look at the group and rushed forward. "You three look worn to the bone. Have some spaghetti all three of you, and then scoot off and sleep till tomorrow."

"N...notebook," Moondancer managed to say, holding it up.

"I'll look at that while you're sleeping," she responded firmly as she grabbed it before rushing the trio to the table.

To their surprise, she even set out a bug sized plate for Buzz Buzz, complete with bug sized noodles and utensils. While Buzz Buzz was grateful, Ness was stunned. "Uh...Mom? You do realize there are...aliens at the table, right?"

"Of course there are, Ness," she responded airily. "Your generation thinks you invented everything. I was dealing with aliens when I was your age." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well...one for sure, anyway..." Her face turned thoughtful and sad briefly, but she quickly smiled again. "Now eat up. I'll go set up some extra cots in your room for your guests."

With her nudging, it didn't take long for the trio to finish eating and be tucked in. Buzz Buzz was given a bed in two bowls set edge to edge, very similar to his old shell but easy to leave. Moondancer had an extra thick piece of carpet that was almost like sleeping in grass but without bugs. All three slept long and deeply until the following morning.

As Moondancer awoke, she saw Ness was looking conflicted. "What's wrong?" she asked curiously.

"...I need to apologize to Pokey," he began softly. "I didn't treat him well last night. That was uncalled for. Just because I was tired and cranky was no reason to take it out on him. But I don't know how I can apologize when I'm banned from the Minch house."

"You will figure something out," Buzz Buzz observed softly. "For now, I need to give you this." He placed a small stone in Ness's grip. "This is the Sound Stone. Scattered around the world are points of power, known as Your Sanctuary. When you visit them, this Sound Stone will collect their melody. When the melody is complete, drawing from all eight, it will infuse you with the power of Earth...if you are ready for it. When you have the power of Earth, then you will be ready to face Giygas."

Moondancer thoughtfully glanced at her Empty Stone. Would it gather the melodies as well? Would that help her deal with the madness?

Another thought occured to her. "Here," she spoke up, floating one of the Star Charms in her possession over to Ness. "Wear this. It'll protect you."

Smiling, Ness put it on. "Thank you. It's good to know you'll both be helping me."

"Not too much," Buzz Buzz spoke up. "My power is limited, and I need to conserve it. And if you rely too much on Moondancer's power, your own won't grow. She'll be there if you get in over your head, but you need to focus on developing your own power. Only once you're as strong as her can she help you out full time."

"Until then, I can help you carry things," Moondancer offered. "Your pack doesn't hold that much, but I use a pocket dimension maintained by PSI for my storage needs. That should make things easier."

Ness chuckled. "I get the feeling that's going to be more than enough help." Pushing his covers aside, he leapt to his feet. "Come on, let's go."

Smiling, the trio made their way out of the house to the gate...at which point odd upbeat music heralded a man in a top hat and suit with a blonde beard descended from out of the sky. "Pictures taken instantaneously!" he proclaimed eagerly. "I'm a photographic genius, if I do say so myself!" In an instant, he had a camera and tripod setup. "Now look at the camera and say...Fuzzy Pickles!"

Buzz Buzz hovered uncertainly. The suddenness told him this was a threat...and yet neither Ness nor Moondancer reacted with fear or hostility. They were completely relaxed, as though this person were...familiar. Ness took a pose with his hand out in a victory sign as Moondancer tried to pose next to him, looking more silly than dramatic. "Fuzzy Pickles!" they said together.

The man snapped the picture. "What a wonderful photograph," he mused warmly. "It will always bring back the fondest of memories..." He then spun, flying back up into the sky.

"...what was that about?" Buzz Buzz demanded.

"Not sure," Ness admitted, "but I think it's the start of a great adventure!"

"I wonder what memories he wants to bring back?" Moondancer mused thoughtfully as they headed south towards Onett proper.

First Fragment

Feeling much more certain of themselves now, Ness, Moondancer, and Buzz Buzz progressed south along the forest- and cliff-lined path towards Onett proper. A few snakes and crows attacked, their very shape warped by Giygas influence, but Ness proved fully capable of handling himself with the PSI Bat as Moondancer stood back to watch, Buzz Buzz resting in her mane. Plainly, as long as they weren't encountering anything particularly dangerous, Ness could handle himself. The more he fought, the stronger and more sure of himself he seemed to get, though it was a slow process.

As they reached Onett proper, Ness stopped at the edge of town. "Alright...what do we do now?" he asked carefully.

"Why ask us?" Moondancer asked curiously. "This is your adventure."

"Because I don't really know what I'm doing," Ness admitted. "Fighting the monsters to turn them back into animals? Yeah, I can do that. But figuring out where to go? I haven't even gone to town without Mom before! I only just turned 13, and I'm more at home in the woods or up on the mountain than in town. I don't do well with people, I get all tongue tied..."

"You seem pretty verbose now," Buzz Buzz pointed out.

"Well..." Ness rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I...uh..."

"You were about to say 'I talk to animals all the time', only to worry how we'd feel about being called animals?" Moondancer translated. "Don't worry, we're not offended. You're an animal to us, too."

Ness sighed in relief. "Thanks for understanding. I mean, there are a few kids who enjoy spending time with me up at the clubhouse in those trees, but other than that..."

"I take it that's why you've never stood up to Pokey when he did things you didn't like?" Buzz Buzz inquired.

Ness flinched. "It's...it's not like that with Pokey...really..."

"Do you think we should check in with those friends of yours?" Moondancer asked curiously. "Maybe they'll have something to help on your adventure."

"Good idea!" Ness agreed happily before turning to head for the clubhouse. Moondancer and Buzz Buzz followed, Moondancer keeping up her 'Ignore Me' Aura so people wouldn't notice her if she didn't want them to, though she also kept her distance from the younger of Ness's friends. PSI Auras didn't effect the especially young, as their minds weren't developed enough to receive PSI impressions.

To Buzz Buzz's surprise, Ness's friends talked at him rather than with him, with Ness mostly communicating with nods, shakes of his head, shrugs, and smiles. While adults might have found such behavior concerning, Moondancer found herself amazed at just how much Ness was able to communicate to his friends without sound, carrying on a full conversation to all appearances. He walked away with his friends' well wishes and the loan of a Mr. Baseball Cap, which was infused with his friends' well wishes and thus interacted with his PSI energy to increase his defenses.

"While we were on Earth, we got a Town Map," Buzz Buzz pointed out to Moondancer. "We were told to return it to the library in Onett. Maybe the Town Map would be useful? It did map out every town..."

"I'll go get one!" Ness agreed readily, rushing into the Library to get one. The librarian was understanding enough to know exactly what it was he wanted. Coming back out as he unfolded it, he held it out so Moondancer and Buzz Buzz could examine it and plan the next course of action. "So...what now?"

"From the sound of it, you need some guidance," Buzz Buzz observed calmly. He crawled across the map as he examined individual houses. "...this place," he stated finally. "The map is incredibly detailed this close up, I can even read the signs off the map. And the sign outside this house says something about a Hint Shop. I bet if you bring some money, they can tell you where to go next. Like...like a fortune teller, but more accurate."

Moondancer and Ness exchanged glances. "I suppose it's worth a try," Moondancer allowed, letting Ness lead the way to the house Buzz Buzz had pointed out.

The house was rather plain on the outside, and even plainer on the inside. A balding man wearing glasses - his brown hair combed over his balding head from the sides - stood behind a stand made of cardboard nailed together, looking far from sturdy or reputable. "Welcome, Ness," he greeted softly as the group entered.

"You...know my name?" Ness asked nervously, not noticing Buzz Buzz and Moondancer stiffen at the sound of the man's voice.

"It's my job to give you hints when you get lost on your journey," the man replied readily. "Call me the Hint Man. Of course, my service is not free. If you are to grow, you must learn to stand on your own...and only through growth can you succeed. So I will charge you for the clues I provide...but I'm sure you'll find my prices quite reasonable. $35 dollars for your first hint."

"That's...reasonable?" Ness asked nervously. It sure sounded like a lot of money to him.

"Call your father about how much he's placed in your account for your adventure," Hint Man observed idly. "I'm sure you'll think otherwise."

Ness sighed. He did have $35 on him, as an emergency fund...but he needed to know where to go. He handed the money over.

The Hint Man happily accepted it. "It seems that the citizens of Onett are being harassed by those dang street punks called Sharks," he spoke up, as though reciting from a script. "I wonder if going to talk to Frank, the leader of the Sharks, would do any good?"

Ness groaned softly. "Great...that means I need to t-t-talk to people and ask about this Frank..."

"Fight some of the Sharks," Hint Man suggested blandly. "Not only will your Father send you more than enough to earn back the cost of the hint, some of them might have something to say about Frank."

Ness managed a smile. "Thanks..." Turning, he stepped out of the house.

Hint Man turned to Moondancer and Buzz Buzz. "Aren't you going to jo-"

"George?" Moondancer finally gasped out. It had to be. It was the same voice...wasn't it?"

"I am not George," the Hint Man responded calmly. "But I can tell you about him. But are you certain you want to know? The story isn't pleasant."

Moondancer gulped, but steeled herself to nod.

"I am the past looking forward," Hint Man intoned quietly. "I see the future as it will unfold, but now I turn my eyes backward to speak of what has been. George loved his wife very much, but he was obsessed with answers, discovering the secrets that were hidden without thought to why they were hidden...and this brought him no end of trouble. The grey child...his love for the grey child was rivaled by his desire for answers, to study the grey child. This became a rift between himself, his wife, and the grey child. The child did not trust him enough to go when he discovered the danger. He failed them...but that was only the beginning of his sins."

Moondancer and Buzz Buzz were dead silent. "How...how do you know all of that?" Buzz Buzz finally gasped out. Even their view of the events through Giegue's Magicant hadn't given them those details.

"My story is my purpose," Hint Man answered easily, a soft smile on his face. "That purpose is fulfilled." He started to fade away. "I don't mind not being here anymore. They are better out without this fragment..."

He vanished entirely. His hint stand slowly collapsed in on itself, leaving behind a thick magazine of some sort with a Starman Deluxe on the front. Moondancer curiously lifted it up and tried to open it...only to find she could only read the first few pages, which covered Onett, the areas around it, and the creatures they would face there. "This is...odd..." she murmured nervously. She glanced at the ruins of the stall...which weren't there anymore. "...so is that..."

Ness stuck his head back in. "You guys coming?" he asked curiously. He then blinked. "Where'd the Hint Man go?"

"He had somewhere else he had to be," Buzz Buzz explained. "But he sold all his hints to Moondancer, so she can help guide you in the future."

"Awesome!" Ness crowed happily. "Thanks a lot, Moondancer!"

"Uh...you're welcome," Moondancer answered thoughtfully, turning to follow out of the empty house.

Street Sharks

With his new mission in mind, Ness immediately got to work hunting down the street punks known as 'The Sharks' that were causing such trouble on the streets of Onett. They proved to be relatively easy to find, as they wore special black jumpsuits that changed color as they became aggressive, turning a variety of colors that made them look like rejects from the circus. Most of the Sharks wandering the streets had the light of Giygas' madness in their eyes, so Ness had no hesitation striking them down full force with the PSI Bat to make them return to normal. With the power of the PSI Bat, each one fell with a single strike...though before long, the Sharks they found wandering seemed to vanish rather than turning into normal people, only to take shape again when they weren't looking.

"What causes that?" Ness asked Buzz Buzz curiously.

"This is only a guess, but I'm pretty sure the Sharks are all under someone's sway," Buzz Buzz explained thoughtfully. "Given that they are a gang, probably their leader...and it's their leader who's primarily influenced by Giygas' madness wavelength. Most of these 'Sharks' we're fighting are probably projections, based in that leader's belief of how many followers they have. Though that shouldn't be possible..."

"It would if there happened to be a PSI amplifier anywhere in the area," Moondancer pointed out. "With the proximity of Your Sanctuary, it would influence anyone with a strong enough PSI impression in a position of power and authority once the amplifier was activated, especially if the amplifier were receiving and boosting the madness waves."

"Lier X. Aggerate did mention he had something big to show me that he dug up," Ness mentioned idly. "I hadn't given it much thought, since he's always coming up with crazy stories...but could that be it?"

"He lives up on the mountain?" Moondancer clarified as she glanced through the available pages of the Hint Book. "Then it's entirely possible he dug it up just in time for our meteor to have triggered its activation."

"Should we go deal with it?" Ness asked curiously.

"Definitely not!" Buzz Buzz insisted firmly. "As dangerous as one of those things can be, if it is amplifying madness waves, neither of you are equipped to deal with it...at least not until after you've been exposed to the Earth's energies through a Sanctuary or two."

"But we should make a point of coming back to the meteor sooner rather than later," Moondancer pointed out. "Zexonyte will form in the meteor before long, and we should retrieve it as soon as it forms. It's a very rare and valuable mineral that's a must for time travel, and I'd rather we have it and not need it than our enemies having it and finding a use for it."

"So where do we find the leader of the Sharks, then?" Ness asked curiously, making a mental note to check back frequently for the Zexonyte.

"Well, the Sharks primarily seem to be congregating in the southern half of town," Moondancer pointed out. "What's down there?"

"Well, there's the hospital, the bakery, the police station, the not-yet-open Mach Pizza, the arcade, and a few houses," Ness listed as he examined the Town Map. "What am I looking for?"

"Well, where would a bunch of street thugs congregate?" Buzz Buzz asked curiously.

"The hospital?" Moondancer suggested impishly.

Buzz Buzz attempted to glare, only to realize that was incredibly difficult when one's eyes weren't visible and one was sitting in the hair of the one you were glaring at. "Before they pick a fight with us," he clarified, setting Ness to giggling.

Moondancer shrugged her shoulders. "How should I know what a street thug thinks? The madness waves affecting their minds blocks my ability to read them."

"You just...casually read minds?" Ness asked in surprise.

"Below a certain threshold of PSI ability, yes," Moondancer confirmed. "It's not something I know how to turn off. I can't read yours, if that's what you're worried about..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Or your Mom's, for some reason."

"Well, you're a kid, Ness," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "Which of those places sounds like fun to hang out?"

"The hospital," Ness insisted firmly. "You can visit the sick and the elderly in need of medical attention and make them smile! It really makes my day to do that."

Buzz Buzz stared in stunned amazement. At least that was a clue as to why the Apple picked this kid. Maybe asking a kid who wasn't trying to be a saint would help. "What would Pokey think of as fun?" he tried.

"Oh, he's always sneaking down to the arcade!" Ness pointed out disapprovingly. "I don't know why. It always gets him in trouble, and none of the games there are any fun...and the older kids are always monopolizing them, anyway."

"In that case, I suggest we try the arcade," Moondancer offered. "If nothing else, it's a place to eliminate."

As they entered the arcade, they found the interior dimly lit. They were constantly bombarded by the sounds of the games running, being very distracting as they moved in. It was also filled with several Sharks. One of them immediately rushed up to Ness. "It was you! You beat up my buddy, didn't you?" His black suit turned green as he pulled out a pogo stick with which to charge Ness. "You'd better just beat it!"

Ness countered by sweeping his bat at the base of the Pogo Punk's pogo stick, tripping him up before bringing the PSI bat down to the back of his head. The aura of madness immediately dispersed, leaving the punk unconscious. "Okay," Ness offered happily.

"Huh?" Buzz Buzz asked in confusion.

"He said I should beat it," Ness pointed out, smiling nervously.

"Nice attempt," Moondancer praised gently, "but you really shouldn't try to explain those."

Ness nodded as they moved further into the arcade. A door into the empty lot behind the arcade was guarded by a Shark with a hula hoop. As they approached, he smirked down at Ness. "Hey kid," he greeted playfully. "Do you want to become a member?"

Ness stared up at the Shark in abject terror. Moondancer couldn't place why at first...until she realized it was his social awkwardness kicking in, being asked a direct question. Finally, Ness managed to shake his head.

The Shark's suit turned bright purple with a white skeleton drawn on it as he began to swing his hula hoop. "Don't be such a snob!" he snapped out as he lunged in to attack.

Ness swung out with the PSI Bat, knocking the hoop into the Shark's head to daze him before delivering the knock out blow. "...is this what it's going to be like?" Ness asked worriedly. "Am I...am I going to learn to talk to people...with a bat instead of words?"

"There are three other kids destined to help you," Moondancer reminded him. "And one lives one town south of here. ...at least, I assume a town called Twoson is close to Onett."

"It is," Ness agreed. "That...that will be something. A...a human friend I can...talk to."

"First we need to deal with Frank," Buzz Buzz reminded him gently.

Nodding, Ness pushed through the doors.

Escalation

Ness stepped out into the fenced in yard behind the arcade, the red fence making a plainly defined battleground covered in grass, bordered on the other side by buildings with a few trees around the edges. Standing near the back of the yard was a blonde man with expertly coiffed hair, dark shades, slight stubble, and a bright red suit. Swallowing nervously, Ness walked up to the man, Moondancer and Buzz Buzz hanging back at this point.

The man turned to stare at Ness in silence for a time. When Ness didn't say anything, he spoke up. "I'm Frank," he stated flatly, his voice intense as he slowly unfolded his arms, hands going into his pockets. "You are?"

Ness swallowed convulsively, desperately trying to make his mouth work, but no sound came out. This wasn't just some stranger, this was a dangerous adult. He was barely able to speak to kids his own age beyond single words. Getting his name out to the kids in the clubhouse had been an achievement. He could only speak clearly to Pokey and Picky because he was so used to Pokey rambling on and on about how great he was and every 'rule' of the games he came up with that it had become white noise, and talking to them felt no different than talking to his Mom or to Tracy. They were constants in his life...though he wouldn't go so far as to say friends. Picky was more Tracy's friend than his, and Pokey...was Pokey.

When Ness didn't say anything in response, his thin lips turned downward into a frown. "C'mon, can't you at least say your name?"

Finding an answer he could give, Ness shook his head violently, clutching his bat close for a feeling of safety.

Frank's eyebrow raised. "Really? Can't say your own name to me...and yet you come in here with a weapon after having trounced plenty of my boys...it's not cowardice, no. Social anxiety, huh?" His lips turned upwards in a grin. "And you come here despite that. Now that takes guts. You sure you don't want to join up?"

Ness shook his head firmly, managing to calm down now that Frank was willing to do all the talking.

"So you're here to stop me then?" Frank questioned wickedly.

Ness nodded, shifting out of his tense stance into a combat stance.

Frank laughed. "Kid, I like your spunk! Just wish I knew your name before we got started." Pulling his hands out of his pockets, he brandished two butterfly knives. "I'll try not to mess you up too badly-"

"Put the knives down," Moondancer ordered flatly as she leveled the Borange Ray right at Frank's head.

Frank turned towards Moondancer in shock. He hadn't even been aware of her presence until she spoke, and all he could actually perceive was some chick having pulled a gun on him. "What is this?" he demanded angrily. "Are you getting in the middle of a man to man fight?"

"Not if you put the knives away," Moondancer stated flatly.

"But he's got a bat!" Frank complained.

"And you're twice his age with some martial arts training," Moondancer countered. "Put the knives down, or I shoot you."

"And how am I supposed to hold my own against a bat and a gun?" Frank demanded angrily.

"You won't," Moondancer continued. "Ness needs to learn to stand on his own. Put the knives away, and I put my gun away, and then you two can go at it 'like men', if that's what you want."

"What are you, his mother?" Frank demanded angrily.

"...more like a new big sister," Moondancer allowed. "Now...knives down, or do I shoot you?"

Smirking, Frank folded the knives up and slipped them back into his pockets. "What about my mech?" he asked, jerking his head towards the tree beside him.

Does the mech have any blades? Moondancer asked Buzz Buzz silently.

Buzz Buzz sped over to behind the tree, then came back. Just a fist and treads.

"You can use the mech if you prefer," Moondancer allowed. "Will that even things against a little boy with a bat?"

"Knives aren't okay, but a mech is?" Ness demanded in shock.

"I don't know if I can heal stab wounds with my standard PSI, and I don't want to find out I can't if I can avoid the situation," Moondancer explained easily. "Bruises, bone cracks, contusions, bleeding...those I can handle easily, and your own PSI is strengthening your body so you should be fine short of the mech rolling over you, and you know how to dodge that. Worst you'll get is a side-swipe."

"You don't sound like you even want to fight me," Frank observed to Ness. "Why are you here, then? What are you really after?"

Ness swallowed nervously. "G...Gi...Gia..."

"Giant Step?" Frank deduced. "Yeah, the Mayor and Chief of Police forbid anyone going up there after my boys trashed the cabin. That and all the freaky things going on with the wildlife. So you came to take down my gang, thinking that'd get you in good enough with the Mayor that he'll give you the key?"

Ness blinked in surprise, and turned to Moondancer. "Is that why we're doing this? I thought it was just general good-deed hero stuff."

"It does seem to make sense," Moondancer allowed. "I'd wondered how this would get us to Giant Step."

"Why are you trying to get there, anyway?" Frank asked curiously.

"I need to record the song there to save the world," Ness answered, his momentary distraction over an actual path of adventure letting him get a complete sentence out.

Frank burst into surprised laughter. "You're crazy!"

"I'm a talking candy colored pony with an alien space gun that shoots concentrated madness," Moondancer pointed out flatly. "Sanity's overrated at this point."

"...that job at Mach Pizza's sounding better and better..." Frank murmured softly.

"Does that mean I don't get to fight the mech?" Ness asked sadly.

Frank stared at Ness in amazement...and then his mouth stretched into a wide grin. "Stay right there, kid." He ducked behind the tree.

With a great deal of clanking, a wooden construction rolled out. The top part of it was somewhat humanoid, with a caricature of Frank's face on the head, two large fist arms, a smoke stack, and tank treads on the bottom. "Behold, Frankystien Mark 2!"

Ness braced himself as he choked up on the bat. It was time to test himself.

Moondancer calmly held her bag of popcorn up to Buzz Buzz, who took a single kernel to enjoy for the fight.

Wood and Words

Ness moved around carefully as the tank/mech trundled slowly, steam building up out of the smoke stack. As he saw the treads starting to spin, he lunged and rolled to the side out of the way of a charge before coming to his feet, holding his bat out as he watched for an opening.

"Come on, Ness!" Frank called out eagerly. "You can do more than dodge, can't you?" Another burst of steam poured out the smoke stack as the torso of the mech swiveled towards him.

Ness waited calmly for the next attack to come, once more lunging out of the way as he watched how the mech moved. Off to the side, Moondancer and Buzz Buzz watched curiously. Do you think he can take it? Buzz Buzz asked curiously, sending the question through thought so as not to disturb Ness.

Absolutely, Moondancer confirmed, responding in the same way. To be honest, after seeing him fight here, I think I might have been a bit overprotective when it came to the knives. I doubt he'd have gotten stabbed.

What do you mean? Buzz Buzz asked in confusion. All I've seen him do is run away.

He's studying his opponent, Moondancer explained. He knows meeting it head on is asking for shattered ribs or a caved in skull, like when he fought Deepsea. He's looking for his opening...and he's already seen it.

Just as the mech came in for the next charge, Ness dodged to the side. However, instead lunging far out of the way, he dodged just to the side of the mech and raced past it, spinning to strike the smoke stack with his bat as he raced by. This caused the mech to shudder for a time until the stack unblocked, and Ness took advantage of that to leap onto the treads on the other side and strike at the shoulder joint a few times before leaping away.

"Not bad, Ness, not bad!" Frank called out excitedly. "Figured my mech out already? Well in that case, it's time to show what really makes the Frankystein Mark II shine!"

A loud clacking heralded one of the arms of the mech shifting to point straight at Ness. Before he could react, the clenched fist launched off the arm, taking his hat right off as it grazed his head.

"Damn!" Frank snapped out as Ness stared in awe, the fist returning to the arm. "Those strikes must have thrown off the targeting calibrations! That's okay, the other arm's just fine!" The other arm extended.

Ness braced himself, pulling his bat up over his shoulder as he focused his PSI into it.

The rocket fist shot out towards Ness...and he stepped back and swung his bat, striking the fist like a baseball. There was a loud CRACK! at the impact, and the fist spun back into the mech to slam into the treads, crushing part of them and causing the whole mech to teeter to one side. Ness rushed in to take advantage of that. Using his bat as a level, he applied force until the entire mech tilted onto its side, rendered completely immobile.

The top of the mech popped open as smoke poured out. Frank coughed as he tumbled out of it. "Damn...you got my mech good," he murmured in awe as he looked up at Ness from on his back. "Not bad kid. My first defeat...ever. It looks like 'Fail-proof' Frank is now just... 'Failure' Frank." He slowly pushed himself to his feet. "...I'm gonna help you get to Giant Step," he decided firmly. "Can't disband the Sharks, wouldn't do any good. Someone else would just step in and take over. I'm still the toughest on the street - aside from you - so I can maintain authority...I'll change what we do. Reforming the Sharks, that'll get you into the Mayor's Office to get that key."

Ness smiled back at Frank. He wanted to say thank you, or...something. But he just couldn't get the words out.

To his surprise, Frank grinned at him and shot him a thumbs up. "No need for words now, kid," Frank offered warmly. "I felt your soul through your bat, through my mech." He held his clenched fists out to Ness. "Real men have no need of words...they speak through these!"

Uncertainly, Ness extended his own clenched fist to meet Frank's, becoming more certain as contact was made.

"...Men," Moondancer groaned in frustration.

With the Sharks no longer a problem for the city with Frank snapping them into shape, Ness led Moondancer and Buzz Buzz to town hall to speak to the mayor...only to freeze as he actually entered the building. "I...I'm actually going to have to talk to the Mayor, aren't I?" he murmured worriedly. "Explain who I am, convince him I'm the one who handled Frank and the Sharks, and that I need to get to Giant Step?"

"That's correct," Buzz Buzz observed idly. "I'm sure you can handle it."

"Can't either of you do anything to help me?" Ness asked worriedly.

"What, like psychic paper that you can just flash in his face on an ID wallet that will make him believe you're whatever authority will get him to immediately go along with you?" Moondancer asked curiously.

"Yeah, like that!" Ness agreed eagerly. "Do you have something like that?"

"Don't be absurd," Moondancer chided playfully. "Paper can't hold PSI energy of that complexity. It would have to be a handheld computer screen at minimum, and at the tech level I've seen around here the Mayor'd be more focused on the handheld comp than on who it said you were."

Ness' face fell. "But..."

"You've got this Ness," Moondancer reassured him. "You faced down a half-tank mech! How can this be scary for you after that?"

"I didn't have to talk to the tank!" Ness pointed out in terror.

"Yes you did," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "You spoke with your bat."

"Somehow I don't think whacking the mayor upside the head and swiping the key to the cabin is the right approach," Moondancer pointed out dryly. "If nothing else, how do we know which key he has in his desk is the right one?"

"Because you read that in his mind?" Ness asked hopefully.

Moondancer stared at Ness. "...you're actually considering whacking the Mayor upside the head and making a run for it with the key?"

"...no," Ness admitted apologetically. "I just..."

"How can this terrify you when you enjoy visiting the elderly in the hospital?" Buzz Buzz demanded pointedly.

"They never expect me to talk!" Ness pointed out defensively. "They just want someone to listen! I'm a great listener!"

Moondancer groaned, sitting back on her haunches. "...alright, here's my idea," Moondancer began. "How about we go back to your house, tell your Mom about what you did, and ask her to call the Mayor and make an appointment for you to talk with him so you can skip over all that social awkwardness?"

"I'm good at talking over the phone!" Ness offered excitedly.

"...if it works," Buzz Buzz murmured uncertainly.

More Words

It didn't take long for Ness to lead Moondancer and Buzz Buzz back to his house. Moondancer noticed that Ness could greatly exceed normal physical limits if it meant avoiding social awkwardness, likely a manifestation of subconscious focusing of PSI into his body. She made a mental note to look into teaching him how to do it consciously.

As they entered the house, however, they found Ness's Mom sitting at the table with a man none of them recognized. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man dressed in a business suit and dark pointed shades, his black hair done up in a pompadour. The notebook Moondancer had given Ness's Mom lay on the table between them, and they were in the middle of a deep conversation.

"-with the totals listed here, this isn't just a civil suit anymore," the stranger was concluding. "If we go forward legally, there could be repercussions for the youngsters."

"Hmm..." Ness's Mom murmured thoughtfully. "As bad as they are at parenting, tearing the home apart likely isn't much better. Are there other options?"

"Well there's always reversing the arrangement with the threat of legal action," the strange man continued, "but that raises the possibility of having the bluff called...or the arrangement ongoing until charges are pressed the other way. How are your finances if you end the arrangement entirely?"

"Well-" Ness's mother began, only to cut herself off as she caught sight of the group. "Oh Ness! Back already? Did you get homesick so soon?"

"I...I..." Ness began awkwardly, staring at the strange man.

"So this is Ness," the man spoke up, looking Ness up and down. He chuckled softly. "Feels like I'm looking back in time."

"Don't scare the poor boy," Ness's Mom chided.

Smiling warmly, the man held out a hand. "I'm Theodore," he introduced himself warmly. "I'm an old friend of your parents, and...I guess you could call me your family's 'legal adviser'."

"A lawyer?" Ness asked in surprise.

"Not exactly," Theodore corrected. "I've seen both sides of the law long enough to know all the ins and outs of it, is all. So what brings you back here?"

"Uh..." Ness continued awkwardly.

"He just defeated the boss of the Sharks in battle," Buzz Buzz supplied helpfully.

"So you beat up Frank then?" Theodore pressed Ness.

"He just said-" Moondancer began, only for Theodore to cut her off with a finger to her snout.

"I didn't ask you," he stated calmly. He then focused on Ness.

Ness swallowed and nodded. When Theodore continued to stare, he struggled with his voice. "Y...yes. I...I beat...Frank."

Theodore nodded. "And that's two major victories for you," he stated calmly. "One over an enemy, one over yourself. You're going to need a lot of both if you're to finish the journey that's awaiting you. Now why'd you come back here?"

"I...I wanted...call...Mayor," Ness managed to get out, only to tense himself. Closing his eyes, he tried again. "I wanted to call the Mayor about getting the key to the shack, so I could go to Giant Step," Ness managed to say before opening his eyes.

Theodore grinned proudly down at him. "Alright. Still want to do that?"

Ness started to nod eagerly, but held himself back. "...no..." he managed to say without closing his eyes. "Just...secretary. Make an...appointment."

Theodore clapped Ness companionably on the back. "That's the ticket, kid!" he declared expansively. "Keep that up, and you'll find real strength, the kind that doesn't come from magic rocks and spooky mind powers, but from the power of the mind."

"Did that make any sense to you?" Moondancer asked Buzz Buzz in confusion.

"I think the important part is if it made sense to Ness," Buzz Buzz allowed.

"Not yet, but I think it will someday," Ness replied readily before moving to the phone.

While Ness was on the phone, Theodore turned to Moondancer and Buzz Buzz. "So aliens again, talking pony and bug?" he asked flatly, making Moondancer's eyes widen in response. She'd known she couldn't read this stranger, but she hadn't expected him to see them so clearly. She didn't feel any aura of PSI power in him, just a strongly disciplined mind that repelled probing thought.

Buzz Buzz floated up for a closer look. "...if you're who I think you are...same one," he explained softly.

Much to Moondancer's surprise, Theodore and Ness's Mom winced visibly. "If you know that, I can guess how you're involved," Theodore stated calmly. He turned to Moondancer. "What about you? Never seen anything like you."

"He's her father," Buzz Buzz explained before Moondancer could speak. "She wants to save him."

"I'll manage...somehow," Moondancer insisted, trying to figure out why the conversation caused Theodore's face to...the only way she could describe it was 'close', as all signs of emotion vanished, and why Ness's Mom looked...broken.

"Okay, I made the appointment!" Ness spoke up eagerly. "Come on guys! We've got an everyone to save!"

As Moondancer and Buzz Buzz followed Ness out, Theodore turned back to Ness's Mom. "Think they can do it?" he asked worriedly.

"We just have to believe in them," she allowed sadly. "With luck, they'll do...what we couldn't."

Ness led the way into the Town Hall, heading straight for the stairs to the Mayor's Office. The building interior was the same as every office building everywhere, with grey walls, a few columns, and identical potted plants in the corners. Just before the stairs, the Mayor's secretary looked up as the group entered. "Oh, are you Ness?" she asked gently.

Ness nodded, finding himself once more tongue tied. He tried to push past it.

"No, save your nerve," the woman offered quickly. "The Mayor can be overwhelming at the best of times face-to-face, so be ready. I've let him know about your social issues, and asked him to be considerate...but he's a politician. You-" She paused, then chuckled. "Well, if you were a little older you'd know how they can be. Go on up, he's waiting for you."

Nodding and smiling, Ness took the stairs up. The Mayor's office was wide open with large windows, providing an amazing view of the city. It was a bit more decorated than the rest of the building with plush throw rugs and sofas surrounding the Mayor's large desk, but presented nothing to really distract Ness from the upcoming confrontation. A police officer and another politician stood far back from the desk, leaving the path clear for Ness to approach.

The Mayor himself was a portly, balding man with thick glasses, the black suit he wore tailored exactly to his frame to be comfortable. "So you're Ness," he began calmly as Ness approached. "I'm Mayor B. H. Pirkle. It's nice to meet you."

Realizing the Mayor was waiting for a response, Ness gathered his nerve. "It's...nicetomeetyoutoo," he got out on one breath before his nerve failed him.

"So you're the one who beat up the town bullies, punched them out big time, kicked their butts, bit their heads off, spit in their eyes, and made them wet their pants," Mayor Pirkle declared happily. "And made them promise not to make trouble! Well done! Now, what can I do for you to show the town's appreciation? Would you like a Press Conference? A parade in your honor? Your name on every tongue, your face on every billboard-"

"No!" Ness interrupted, his expression of panic having grown with every offered reward until it looked like he was going to make a running leap out the window to escape. "No credit! Just...I just want to get to Giant Step!"

The Mayor grinned widely at that, and Moondancer frowned. His secretary told him Ness had social anxiety, and he used that so he could take all the credit for what Ness did, with Ness's permission at that!

Do you really think Ness would want credit anyway? Buzz Buzz thought back bluntly. Moondancer had to admit that was likely true.

"And you need the key to the entertainer's shack to get there," Mayor Pirkle concluded. "Now, that could certainly help keep the town peaceful...but it's also quite dangerous. Even if you can take care of yourself against the Sharks, it wouldn't look good for the city if it were publicly known I'd sent you up there even if you did want to go. So whatever happens once you go up there, you handle it yourself without mention of me, alright?"

Ness nodded. "O...Okay-"

Moondancer nudged him, getting his attention. She then gestured with her horn to the police officer.

Ness quickly got the hint. "There's...a sign saying Do Not Enter," he began carefully. "Will...will the police stop me?"

The Mayor frowned thoughtfully as he pondered this. "This puts me in a pickle," he began carefully. "I can't officially tell the police to let you go there...but I can't simply do nothing and let you get caught when this is your reward for helping the city. I can keep the attention of the police elsewhere for...the next couple of hours at best if you go now, but I can't help it if you get cornered by a particularly overzealous officer. We have a few of those here, after all. Is this acceptable?"

Unable to find a way to improve things beyond this - and reaching the limit of his ability to keep the conversation going - Ness nodded vigorously.

"Wonderful!" Mayor Pirkle declared happily, handing over the Key to the Shack. "Good luck and move quick...but not so quick that you aren't careful, alright?"

"Okay," Ness agreed, quickly rushing out of the building with Moondancer and Buzz Buzz hot on his heels.

Ants in Pants

With the Key to the Shack in hand, Ness wasted no time getting there to open it back up. The entertainers who had been eager to get into the rather ramshackle structure to change were most grateful, though kept their distance and stayed out of the group's way. The shack had a rather large hole in the back wall, providing a perfect path to the caverns behind.

Once they were inside, Moondancer spoke up. "Be careful, Ness," she cautioned gently. "Caverns like this cause PSI waves to rebound and collect, leading to animals and constructs within becoming much stronger than those encountered outside in the same area, and the narrow passages concentrate them into large groups."

"Got-YAH!" Ness screamed out, leaping back to dodge the attack of a large Rowdy Mouse that tried to bite him, quickly knocking it away with his bat. "Got it," he agreed.

"Not all such creatures will be easy for you to notice," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "The slugs will be little threat, since their own bodies will hold them back. The ants, on the other hand..."

Ness shivered violently. "You don't need to warn me about ants," he spoke up nervously. "I read Leningen vs the Ants. The last thing I'm going to do is underestimate PSI amplified ants." He moved forward carefully, keeping his eyes on the ground and swinging the bat at anything that moved.

Moondancer took the time to look around as they made their way through the caverns. Unfortunately for her hopes, it seemed caverns everywhere in the Sol system were much the same, save the color of the rocks. Stalactites, stalagmites, unexplained ropes leading to different floors, inexplicable gift boxes with helpful items, and stray animals that weren't quite animals trying to kill the explorers.

The black ants they encountered didn't look quite like ants, however. They were more...antoid if anything, having a rough ant shape but being far too brightly colored where they weren't black, and somewhat larger than normal. Thankfully, their larger size made them less agile than ants normally were, and less durable. A single swing from the bat was often enough to take down one of them...though they generally arrived in groups of two or three. When Ness was lucky, the other ants would just attempt to bite him as he struck their comrades. When he was unlucky, they released pheromones that summoned more of their comrades to the attack.

The one time Ness started to get overwhelmed from sheer numbers, he turned to run to get room to regroup. Moondancer used a PSI Shield to cover his escape, letting the Antoids bang against it for a time until they lost interest. She then moved to check on Ness. "You okay?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah," Ness confirmed as he used his PSI to heal himself from the bite wounds he'd received. "Just...wish I had a way...to hit groups at once so they can't overwhelm me like that."

"I'm certain that desire will awaken into a skill before too long," Buzz Buzz allowed as the group moved on.

Thankfully, halfway through the caverns the group stepped out onto a middle plateau halfway up, with no stray animals wandering about. The only creature of any sort on the grassy plateau was a tiny butterfly that sparkled in the sunlight. "What is that?" Ness asked in confusion, trying to keep away from it.

"That's a magic butterfly," Moondancer explained. "I read a file on it once. In areas that have been artificially amplified with PSI energy, they spawn. They're actually ordinary butterflies naturally attuned to PSI energy, and they infuse that gathered PSI energy into any PSI talented individual they encounter to release their burden, then move on to gather new energy."

"So...it's not going to hurt me?" Ness asked nervously.

"No," Buzz Buzz confirmed. "It will help you - all of us - relax."

Trusting his friends, Ness walked up to the butterfly...which promptly released its gathered energy into them, replenishing their minds and helping them to relax. Smiling, Ness waved to the butterfly as it floated off free of its burden, then led the way into the caves at the other end of the plateau, continuing higher.

After a short climb up several ropes, the trio reached a final opening guarded by a creature surrounded by a glittering spark of light, glowing with power that defied perception. "What is that?" Ness asked in confusion.

The spark seemed to turn towards him, and started to unfold. "So you're Ness," it spoke calmly. "You come seeking Your Sanctuary...but it's mine now." The creature fully unfolded into a Gigantic Ant that towered over the group, scattering several Antoids as it did. "Take it from me...if you dare!"

The light flared, surrounding the group and locking them in so there would be no escape. Ness quickly took a battle stance as Moondancer surrounded herself and Buzz Buzz with a defensive barrier.

"Don't bother," the Gigantic Ant told the pony as it lunged for Ness. "I have no interest in you."

Ness dodged as best he could, but while he could evade the lunges of the Gigantic Ant, it made the Black Antoids harder to track, and they were able to get several painful bites through. Striking the ants one at a time did no good, as one of the Antoids that stayed standing called one to replace it as soon as one fell. "Stop it!" Ness cried out angrily. "This isn't fair!"

"Fair?" the Gigantic Ant hissed out cruelly. "I was called to this spot to claim its power, granted a destiny beyond what I could imagine...and you come to steal it away and complain about fairness?" The ant stomped the ground, sending several rocks crashing down from the ceiling.

"I...said...STOP!" Ness screamed out as his PSI suddenly flared, pushing rocks and ants back. Dashing forward, he focused his PSI into his hands and thrust forward. "KIAI!" he screamed out.

Moondancer's eyes nearly popped out of her sockets as Ness unleashed what she recognized as PSI Shockwave Alpha. But...but the Geeg took the power to use PSI Kiai away from humans when they created Shockwave! she insisted silently. How could Ness use it?

A question for another time? Buzz Buzz suggested as the unleashed wave of power destroyed the Gigantic Ant's cohorts. For now, don't you think we should help Ness?

"My friends...my friends!" the Gigantic Ant screamed out. "How dare you-" Its words were cut off as Ness' bat slammed into its jaw, driving its mandibles into its head.

"Shut up!" Ness snapped out before taking another swing.

SMAAASH!!

The ant's skull caved in from the blow, smashing it to the floor as it shrank back down into an ordinary ant, which quickly scurried away. Ness panted for breath as he leaned back before falling to his knees.

"...well done," Moondancer offered warmly. "You seem to have managed yourself quite well."

"Next time...you help," Ness managed to gasp out.

"...I will," Moondancer allowed. "I will help train you, until you're strong enough and experienced enough I feel confident in your leadership. For now, let's step through to the Sanctuary."

Nodding, Ness led the way out of the caverns.

Atop the highest plateau, a massive human-shaped footprint was embedded in the ground. As the group approached, music filled the air. As the music ended, Ness and Moondancer felt refreshed...

...and just for a moment, Moondancer thought she saw Giegue wiping vegetable mush from his face, his eyes smiling.

Leadership

Feeling confident in his abilities, Ness went straight past the roadblock that had been opened for him, ready to head to Twoson. The path there led through a grassy area between two dense areas of forest, and the only creatures on the path proved to be the Antoids they had encountered in the caverns leading to Giant Step, which continued to flee from them. Eventually, the path turned past a small house before continuing south, leaving a long, wide area with no obstacles or other hurdles to worry about.

"This place will be good," Moondancer decided firmly as she slipped the Borange Ray into her pocket space.

"Good for what?" Ness asked curiously.

"Remember how I said I wanted to find somewhere clear on the way to Twoson?" Moondancer reminded him. "Because of something I thought you were ready for?" As she spoke, she slipped off her Star Charm, adding it to her pocket space as well.

"Oh yeah," Ness confirmed as he turned to face her completely. "What was it you thought I was ready for?"

"To challenge me," Moondancer responded readily.

"What?" Ness and Buzz Buzz demanded in shock.

"After you beat Titanic Ant, I said I would help train you until I felt confident in your skills and leadership," Moondancer explained simply. "However...when we both became attuned to Giant Step, you immediately declared it was because fate still had a chance for me to save my Father. I'd been losing hope on that...but you restored it. Plainly, you are a far more capable leader than I had believed." She turned firmly to face him. "So now I will test your skills with a simple challenge. I will unleash my powers against you, and not use them to protect or heal myself. If you are able to hit me enough to make me yield before you are unable to battle, then I will know you are ready to lead me...and then I will follow you, and help you in all your battles."

Ness swallowed nervously. "Are...are you sure I am ready?" he asked worriedly.

"No, I'm not," Moondancer allowed. "But that doesn't matter. If you don't succeed here, I will fully restore us both, and you may try again whenever you feel you are ready, with the aid of anyone else who has chosen to follow you by that point. However, the more allies you have gathered and the stronger you have become, the more of my own power I will unleash."

Ness nodded, steeling himself as he took a stance. "Buzz Buzz, you should head to that house over there," he instructed. "Out of the line of fire."

"A...alright," Buzz Buzz allowed worriedly before zooming off where instructed.

"Whenever you are ready," Moondancer offered, glad to see Ness thinking clearly even now.

Ness stared Moondancer down for a time, taking several deep, calming breaths...and then charged in swinging.

Moondancer quickly spun and lashed out with both hind hooves, striking the bat and knocking it out of Ness's grip. "I never said my power was only PSI!" she snapped as she seized the bat with her magical energy and brought it back down to try and strike Ness...only to bounce off a focused wall of light Ness created at exactly the spot the bat was coming in on. "Eh?" Moondancer asked in shock as the wall of light instantly vanished.

"I just figured out how to make Shields!" Ness explained as he caught Moondancer off guard by lashing out with a kick to her face, making her stagger back. "It's kinda weak, enough to slow several incoming impacts...but I saw you using PSI focused at specific points back when we were dealing with the Sharks, so I figured if I put the full energy into an attack I could see coming, I could stop it completely-" As he'd spoken, he'd caught the bat coming down and swung again...only to see it stop on a similar tiny wall of light.

"You should save explanations for after combat!" Moondancer explained as the bat bounced off her shield, sending Ness sprawling as the force of the swing recoiled on him. "It could give your opponent ideas." Lunging forward, she tried to bring her hooves down on his stomach, only to feel her breath woosh out of her as Ness pistoned his legs into her barrel to send her flying back over his head.

"KIAI!" Ness screamed as he rolled to his feet, gathering the released wave of energy into his hands and managing - somewhat - to focus it directionally at Moondancer. While it wasn't focused enough to increase the damage too much, this resulted in it still having a wide area of effect that was difficult to dodge or block. Moondancer was forced to brace herself and let the blast hit her, gritting her teeth as the energy rolled over and through her body and sapped her strength. As the wave passed, she heard a wooshing sound...and then silence. When her eyes opened fully, she found the 'sweet spot' of the bat millimeters from her horn. "Yield," Ness requested politely.

Moondancer blinked. "Why'd you not finish the swing?" she asked curiously.

"I noticed your horn glows whenever you use your abilities," he explained softly. "Not as much when you use PSI...but when you do the other things, much more. Figured it was...important, and possibly fragile. Am I right?"

Moondancer hesitated. "...I don't know about fragile, but I do know I need it intact, and getting hit there hurts a lot. Even if it's just bumping accidentally into a wall when you aren't looking where you're floating."

"So hitting you like this would have disabled you?" Ness asked curiously.

"Entirely possible," Moondancer allowed. "Enough that...I can accept your victory here. Besides, I broke my own rules." She grinned sheepishly. "I was so excited by your description of PSI Spot Shield that I just had to try it, forgetting that I'd said I wouldn't use my PSI to protect myself."

Ness chuckled as he withdrew his bat. "I'm just glad I don't have to do that again," he added with a grin. He started to gather his PSI to restore himself, only to clutch at his head. "Ow..."

"You overused your PSI," Buzz Buzz observed as he flew over. "You don't have any energy left to exert it just now. When we get to Twoson, we should stop at the hotel for a rest. Wouldn't you say, Moondancer?"

Moondancer smiled up at Buzz Buzz. "I'd say that's up to Ness," she offered impishly. "What do you say, fearless leader?"

Ness rubbed his aching head for a bit. "...will the enemies in Twoson run from us?" he asked curiously.

"Unlikely," Buzz Buzz allowed. "They're likely to be much stronger than the ones here."

"In that case, I think we should go rest at home," Ness suggested. "It'll be a lot more comfortable than some hotel, after all." With that, he turned to lead the way back up to Onett and the hills beyond.

Author's Note

Moondancer joined Ness!

Leaving Home

It didn't take long for Ness, Moondancer, and Buzz Buzz to reach Ness's house. Ness entered happily, fully expecting to see his Mom happily tending a pot of spaghetti and ready to serve him up a bowl before sending him off to bed to rest. However, much to his surprise, his mother was nowhere in sight. Instead, it was Theodore tending the pots of spaghetti, one exceptionally tiny. "Oh, you're here earlier than your Mom anticipated," he observed as Ness and the others entered. "The spaghetti's not quite done, but the sauce can simmer a little longer."

"Where's Mom?" Ness asked worriedly.

"Oh, I managed to help...correct some issues regarding finances," Theodore allowed, flexing his muscles a bit. "So with a bigger budget available, she decided she needed to get some shopping in. She's already made her way to Twoson by now, and will either take the bus to Fourside or walk if the bus has trouble. She asked me to watch the house and Tracy in the meantime."

"But aren't the wild animals and other monsters going to give her trouble?" Buzz Buzz asked worriedly.

To the trio's surprise, Theodore burst into uproarious laughter. It faded as he saw the looks he was being given. "Oh, you're actually serious," he observed as he cleared his throat and began serving up the dishes. "Trust me, there's probably nothing on the planet your Mom can't handle. She knows what she's doing, so you don't need to worry. If she says she can handle a trip to Fourside for some household essentials and a few toys, than she can certainly handle herself."

Ness's Mom walked calmly down the tunnel leading from Twoson to Threed. The bus service had told her flat out that it would not run so long as the tunnel was haunted, and so she'd switched her pretty low heels for some comfortable hiking shoes and marched on down to the tunnel. A few wild animals had approached, plainly driven mad by something, but one look from her had caused self-preservation instincts to reassert themselves. She was certain she'd have as little trouble in the tunnel.

A ghost floated up to her. "Go back..." it moaned spookily. "Go back..."

Ness's Mom put her hands on her hips and gave the ghost a glare. "Is that really the best you can do?" she declared irritably as the ghost stared at her in confusion. "My son will be coming through here on his adventure at some point, and I can tell you now that this just isn't going to cut it. Can't you at least get some chains to shake and make the lights flicker or something? This is practically amateur hour here. If he's going to face everything he'll need to, the least you could do is toughen him up by giving him a real challenge."

The ghost looked at her nervously. "Uh...go back?" it offered in confusion, wriggling tiny arms in what it hoped was a spooky way.

Ness's Mom pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "I don't have time for this. I have shopping to do, and I don't want Theodore to watch the house for more than a few days, and I only expect that because the stupid bus company are a bunch of cowards." She pushed past the ghost dismissively without bothering to open her eyes to look.

Several other ghosts moved up close to surround her. "Go back!" they moaned insistently as they reached out to grab her.

Her eyes snapped open angrily and she lifted one hand. Flames gathered there as the lights flickered and the tunnel shook, as power barely suppressed yearned to erupt. The ghosts fled in terror, and the power and flames subsided. "And I expect Threed to be genuinely spooky when Ness gets there!" she shouted out angrily. "If this is a sample of what it'll be like, Pokey did better with his haunted house last Halloween and he had to work from whatever he gathered out of the trash because Mr. Minch refused to buy decorations for him, the cheapskate!" With that last declaration, Ness's Mom continued her march through to Threed, mumbling imprecations about 'lazy productions values' under her breath.

"So for now, why don't you three get a good meal and a good nap?" Theodore suggested as he set the table. "Two of you sure look like you could use it. What did you fight to get in such bad shape, anyway?"

"Each other," Ness managed to say, the odd familiarity Theodore took when talking with them managing to somewhat step over his social anxiety.

Theodore chuckled nostalgically. "Reminds me of when I met your Father," he offered warmly. "Speaking of, why don't you give him a call before you head off to bed? Let him know what things are happening? He probably wants to keep a record of it, knowing him. He was always a real bear about keeping records."

"I'll do that," Ness agreed as he moved to the phone.

Moondancer did her best not to listen to Ness's conversation with his Dad. She had her own Prayer to her Father to make, hoping against hope he could hear and that it would somehow help him. After that and a filling meal, the trio sought bed, finding the sleeping arrangements Ness's Mom had presented still in place.

"..."
"...Ness?"
"...Moondancer?"
"...Ness...I'm a friend you haven't met before..."
"...my name is Paula. Moondancer knows me..."
"Can you hear me calling?"
"...I'm...Paula..."
"..."
"..."

Ness sat up in bed the following morning in a cold sweat. "That was-"

"Paula," Moondancer confirmed as she pushed herself to her hooves. "She lives in Twoson. She's your next companion. I met her when she was just a baby...and somehow she knew me, and I her. Apparently, she already knows you, too."

"She's in trouble!" Ness told Moondancer insistently.

Moondancer's eyes widened in surprise, and she straightened her glasses back onto her muzzle. "I didn't hear that from the message-"

"I didn't hear it, I felt it!" Ness insisted. "We need to go, now!"

"You could at least change out of your pajamas first," Buzz Buzz pointed out playfully, making Moondancer giggle.

New Town

Moondancer was forced to run after Ness once he was changed out of his pajamas, Buzz Buzz flying along as fast as he could to keep up as well. Thankfully, four legs meant easier and faster running than two, so once she caught up she was able to keep pace. "Slow down, Ness!" she told him worriedly. "We aren't in that much of a hurry-"

"Paula's in danger!" Ness insisted. "We need to help her!"

"And running in blindly isn't going to help-Mushroom!" she declared, her scold shifting to a warning shout as she caught sight of the man-sized mushroom charging Ness.

"Wha-" Ness's confused demand was cut off as the mushroom slammed cap first into him like a battering ram, knocking him into Moondancer and sending them both tumbling as a second mushroom ran up, shaking its cap to scatter spores. Luckily, the spores didn't land close enough to Ness or Moondancer to have an effect.

"Get up, Ness!" Moondancer called out urgently as she struggled to get out from under him. "I don't know what exactly those spores will do, but in my experience animate plant life spreading spores is never a good sign!"

Ness quickly got to his feet, swinging his bat at the first mushroom and leaving it immobile. Before Moondancer could get to her hooves and attack, the second mushroom scattered spores again...and a tiny mushroom grew out of the top of her head. "Well this is tujs pumpernickly!" she declared irritably.

"Uh...what?" Ness asked in confusion.

"Careful, Ness!" Buzz Buzz called out worriedly. "The mushroom is scrambling her mind! She might attack the wrong target without meaning to, and she'll have trouble walking or talking!"

"Well that's not good!" Ness declared worriedly as he managed to smash the other mushroom, leaving it immobile as well. "What can we do about it? Should I pull it off?"

"Sotor bairn in shelf!" Moondancer declared warningly. "Tug tug, zut zut!"

"She's right...I think," Buzz Buzz attempted to translate. "We need to find a medical professional, preferably someone who is familiar with uncommon ailments. A healer, rather than a doctor."

"Then we'd better get to the Twoson hospital," Ness decided. "There wasn't a healer in the Onett hospital last I checked."

"Farboaten!" Moondancer declared firmly before turning to wander off in the wrong direction, turning randomly as she tried to correct.

"This is faster," Ness stated firmly as he picked Moondancer up and set her in his backpack with her head and forelegs sticking out. "Just hold on tight."

"Heyo, Hiroshima!" Moondancer declared.

"...hospital fast!" Ness insisted, charging ahead as fast as he could run, munching a Skip Sandwich he'd found in the caves to Giant Step for the extra boost.

Where Oneet's grass and tress were the vibrant greens of summer, Twoson was a dimmer green mixed with the reds and oranges of autumn. Ness was able to catch sight of the hospital as soon as they entered the town, as it was situated in the northeast corner of town, and the path led into town in the northwest. The inside of the hospital was the same as hospitals everywhere, with pristine white walls and floors. In the corner of the lobby, a blue-haired man sat with a smile.

"I'm picking up PSI energy from him," Buzz Buzz told Ness. "I think he's the healer."

Ness rushed up to the man. "Are you a healer?" he asked eagerly.

The man blinked in surprise. "I am," he allowed in a soft voice. "If you have an illness the hospital can't treat, I can help you."

"The yerg ont si cafe yet!" Moondancer declared excitedly.

The healer blinked. "Say, would you sell me the mushroom on your unicorn's head?" he asked hopefully. "I'll pay you $50 for it. Such things are quite valuable potion ingredients."

"If you can remove it safely, sure," Ness agreed readily.

Smiling, the healer reached up and took hold of the mushroom. He mumbled softly under his breath, and a few moments later it released its hold on Moondancer's head. "There we go!" he said happily as he tucked it away and handed Ness $50.

"That's a relief," Moondancer murmured as she mentally reviewed herself for any permanent damage, grateful to find none.

"Do you need any other assistance?" the healer asked curiously.

Ness suddenly realized he was talking to a complete stranger. Without Moondancer in desperate need of help, all he was able to do was shake his head.

"Unless you have anything for social anxiety," Moondancer joked playfully.

"Hey!" Ness snapped, feigning sounding hurt.

"I'm a healer, not a psychologist," the healer joked back as the trio went on their way.

Once outside the hospital, Ness pulled out his Town Map, folding it to Twoson. "Okay...where to first?" he asked curiously.

"The way I see it, there are two options," Moondancer observed idly. "First, we can go to the Twoson Department Store and see about getting you some better defensive accessories, as well as stocking up on useful items. Second, we can go to Polestar Preschool to see if we can learn anything about Paula's present situation. That's where she lives, after all."

Ness hesitated. "I..." he began worriedly. "I want to rush straight to Polestar Preschool and see what we can do to help Paula, but..."

"But?" Buzz Buzz asked curiously.

"Deepsea..." Ness murmured thoughtfully. "Are we sure he's the only one who knows what path I'm going to take? What if there's a trap waiting for us there? Rushing in blindly got Moondancer mushroomized, and that was just an ordinary monster. What if there's something waiting there for us?" He stared down at the map. "At the same time...can we really afford to delay to get the better equipment?"

Moondancer and Buzz Buzz were silent for a time. Eventually, Buzz Buzz spoke up. "If time is a factor, we'll spend more time worrying if we're making the right choice than making a choice, whichever choice we make," he explained softly. "Whereas if there's a trap, we'll lose more springing it unprepared than waiting until we're prepared. In a strict cost/benefit analysis, it makes more sense to prepare. However, the decision is yours."

Ness nodded thoughtfully. "...let's go check out the Department store," Ness decided finally. "If Paula's need were that urgent, she'd have sent us a message while we were awake...I hope."

Moondancer said nothing, knowing this was part of leadership that Ness would have to shoulder on his own.

An Apple A Day

It didn't take long for Ness to finish shopping for useful items at the Department Store, mostly because they didn't have much he or Moondancer could use that was better than anything they already had. The equipment Moondancer had brought with her to share was orders of magnitude stronger than what could be found here, and that left little worth buying. Feeling awkward and like he'd wasted time, Ness led the way back out of the store. "Straight to Polestar it is," he murmured worriedly. "We need to check on Paula."

"Lead the way," Moondancer allowed, letting Ness choose the path and following along.

Ness kept moving south, knowing that Polestar had to be somewhere in that direction. Moondancer frowned as they moved right past it since Ness was so focused on moving, but said nothing. For one thing, she found she was able to sense inside Polestar Preschool, and not only could she not feel Paula, she felt no danger either.

It didn't take long for Ness to realize he'd taken a wrong turn. Looking at his map, he frowned. "Okay...where'd I go wrong...?" Spotting a rather plain house with the sign 'Apple Kid' just outside, he made his way there. "Maybe he can give me directions..."

Moondancer shook her head ruefully. Maybe Ness had learned to rely on himself a little too well, if he didn't ask the pony who'd been there before or the flying member of the party for directions or scouting. Still, Moondancer had decided to trust in Ness' instincts. Alinivar had always seemed to know where he was supposed to go and what he needed to do, as though some unseen, unknown force had been guiding him. Perhaps Ness was receiving similar guidance, and this visit to the 'Apple Kid' would be helpful to them.

Inside the house, the group found a bit of a mess waiting for them. The red room had piles of tools, half-finished tech, and empty cans scattered around. The only furniture was a bookcase filled with technical manuals and a park bench. A rather slovenly young man dressed in red, his only companion a mouse, looked up in surprise as the group entered. "O-oh!" he gasped in surprise. "I wasn't expecting visitors." He moved quickly up to the group, trying to smooth his wrinkled shirt and messy hair as he went. "I...I have sort of neglected my housework," he admitted ruefully. "I know it's a bit of a pig sty, but anyway..." His voice trailed off awkwardly.

"...Apple Kid?" Ness asked hopefully, managing to overcome his awkwardness when talking to someone just as awkward in his own way.

"Yes, that's me," Apple Kid confirmed. "Apple Kid, starving inventor." Noticing Moondancer wrinkling her nose, he chuckled ruefully. "Yeah, I haven't taken a bath in a while, so I may be kind of stinky."

"No may be about it," Moondancer grumbled under her breath as she used her PSI to block her nostrils, breathing through her mouth as carefully as she could.

At that moment, Apple Kid's stomach growled loudly. "Yeah...like I said, starving inventor," he managed to say awkwardly. "I don't suppose-"

Before Apple Kid had finished his sentence, Ness had pulled out three Hamburgers, two bags of French Fries, and two cans of fruit juice. "Eat up," he offered insistently. "I got way more than we needed at the Department Store, anyway."

"Indeed," Moondancer agreed, turning her nose up at the Hamburgers. She didn't know how Ness could bring himself to eat them when he spoke freely with all sorts of animals, cows included. She could only presume he didn't realize where the meat came from.

"Thfanks!" Apple Kid spoke up through a mouthful as he quickly stuffed his face, having already devoured the first Hamburger, most of the second, one bag of fries, and one can of juice. He chewed and swallowed before he wound up spraying when he next talked. "You seem very nice." He hesitated. "Umm...I know it's asking a lot, especially when you've just given me all this food...but do you think you might want to invest in my inventions?"

Ness glanced in his wallet. He'd taken a good amount out of his account - expanded by what his Father had been depositing - for Department Store purchases, and had barely spent any. He still had a good $400 on him. He pulled half of it out. "This enough?" he asked hopefully, not really wanting to leave himself empty.

"That'd be perfect!" Apple Kid declared happily, gratefully accepting the money. "Trust me, you won't regret this!" He turned to his tools as he immediately got to work, mumbling to himself, "Now I can cover my bills for the month, I can focus on inventing..."

"Before you get started," Moondancer spoke up, "we came in for directions."

"Directions?" Apple Kid asked curiously.

"Yes," Ness admitted ruefully. "Which way to Polestar Preschool? I'm from Onett, and never been to Twoson before-"

"Oh, you passed it on the way here, then," Apple Kid explained readily. "It's straight north from here, the large building that looks like a rather opulent two story house. Rather easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for, because that's exactly what it was before the homeowners converted the first floor into a preschool."

"Thanks," Ness offered, his voice both grateful and rueful. Turning, he saw the mouse had blocked the door and was holding a small black device up to him.

I am a mouse, the mouse spoke up, his voice audible to Ness' mind, though not his ears. No one's given me a name yet. You were very kind to my Master, though you did not come for that purpose. Let me give you this to help you. He then placed the device in Ness' hand.

Unfolding it, Ness discovered it was a mobile receiver phone, the sort that could receive calls but couldn't send them. He smiled, and started to respond that it would be very useful, but the mouse stopped him.

Take it and say nothing, the mouse told him. Good luck on your journey. I'll get out of your way now. With that, the mouse zipped out of the doorway.

Shrugging, Ness opened the door to let the group back out onto the street.

A Mystery

After leaving Apple Kid's house, Ness led the way north into Polestar Preschool. As they'd been told, nearly the entire first floor was a single room schoolhouse, with preschoolers walking around between desks as they drew, painted, or chatted haltingly with each other. Watching over them was a blonde woman who was whistling happily as she worked. "That's Paula's Mom," Moondancer told Ness, recognizing her PSI imprint from her last visit here with Niiue.

Nodding, Ness went up to the woman. "Uh...excuse me..." he began nervously.

"If you want to talk to Paula, you should speak to my husband in the next room," the woman replied readily, gesturing to the closed door. She tilted her head towards Moondancer. "I heard your little friend whispering. But you don't need to worry about Paula, she has a couple of guardian angels. I felt them near when she was just a baby."

Moondancer tensed up. She wasn't sure if she was more upset at discovering she and Niiue had been detected without knowing it, or realizing their presence had possibly led to this woman being somewhat blase about her daughter's safety.

Ness plainly didn't understand this anymore than Buzz Buzz did, as he simply led them through to the next room. There, a blonde man with a mustache stood looking as tough as he could manage. "Umm..." Ness began awkwardly. "Is...is Paula in?"

"So you wanna see Paula?" the man demanded crossly. "Many come to see her miraculous powers, but they're just leeches." He spat the last word angrily, an attitude of angry frustration coloring his pose. "So...are you from a TV station?"

Ness blinked in confusion, then turned to Moondancer in confusion. "What's TV?" he asked quietly.

Buzz Buzz stared. There was no way...then again, there hadn't been a TV in Ness's house anywhere, and he apparently didn't spend much time in town proper before they'd arrived...

"The box with bright lights and annoying noises in the main room of Pokey's house," Moondancer clarified.

"Oh," Ness allowed. "...station?"

"Like on a radio, but with pictures," Buzz Buzz clarified.

"...they can do that?" Ness asked in awe.

Moondancer was almost positive Ness was messing with them.

"So you aren't from a TV station?" Paula's father asked gruffly, seeming somewhat mollified by Ness's genuine innocence. "Still, to meet you or not to meet you can only be decided by Paula, and she has said she will only meet with a boy named Ness and a unicorn named Moondancer." He seemed to be somewhat apologetic about that second part. "I...try not to question the things she says even when they seem outlandish. She does have a way to know these things..."

As Ness glanced back at Moondancer in confusion, she quickly realized what was going on. Paula's father didn't have strong enough PSI to pierce her veil of 'perfectly normal', and likely saw her as just 'this kid's friend' with very vague details. She focused her PSI outward, forcing herself to manifest in her natural state to the man's eyes. "Not so outlandish," she observed dryly.

After several minutes, Paula's father finally managed to regain his composure and close his mouth. "I...I suppose you're Ness and...Moondancer, then?" he finally managed to ask.

"Y-yes," Ness managed to stammer out. "Is...is Paula in?"

"You're the ones Paula has dreamed will save the world!" Paula's father declared firmly. "I'll just...just go get her, shall I?" Turning, he raced up the stairs.

Ness and Moondancer exchanged glances. "Why'd he react like that?" Ness asked curiously.

"I naturally have a PSI field around me that makes me seem ordinary," Moondancer explained. "If your PSI is strong enough, you can see right through it like you do. His isn't strong enough, so I had to amplify my PSI output to push through the veil so he could see me for what I really was."

"Do you think Paula's PSI is strong enough to see through?" Ness asked curiously.

"I'm certain of it," Moondancer confirmed.

At that moment, Paula's father came running down the stairs. "S-she doesn't seem to be here!" he stammered out, looking somewhere between panicked and trying to stay calm. "I wonder where she went? I'm sorry, could you come back later?"

"We received a psychic message from Paula before we reached Twoson," Ness spoke up instantly, pushing his social awkwardness aside as he felt the danger raising its head. "She wasn't able to get much through, but I picked up a sense of danger. Can you tell me anywhere around town she normally hangs out? Someone there might have some clues."

"E-Everdread over in Burglin Park might know something," Paula's father managed to say. "Paula spends far too much time there, and I've heard rumors that his business isn't entirely on the right side of legality or morality. Or you could ask the Runaway Five! Paula often goes to see their shows, and they always let her backstage. I was never really sure about letting that happen, especially since they changed the name of their band before coming here, but they always seemed so nice and Paula has such strong powers..."

"Changed their name?" Moondancer asked curiously.

"Yeah...I think it was Tornado Bros, or something like that," Paula's father confirmed. "Tor something or other...maybe Ton..."

Moondancer's eyes widened. "...Tonzura, by any chance?"

"Yeah...yeah, that was it!" Paula's father declared firmly. "Kind of an odd name, don't you think?"

Moondancer went dead silent. Ness quickly took over the conversation. "Thank you for the information," he offered warmly. "We'll let you know if we learn anything."

"Of course, of course," Paula's father agreed. "I'll...I'll just keep an eye out for her." He turned and began to pace worriedly.

Ness quickly led the trio out of the preschool. "Okay, looks like we have two clues to go on," Ness began carefully. "There's Everdread, or there's this band..."

"I'll go check out the band," Moondancer said immediately. "Buzz Buzz, you watch Ness' back while he confronts Everdread."

Ness blinked in surprise. "Are you sure-"

"I suspect something," Moondancer corrected. "If I'm right, then they can be a good help to us but need to be approached the right way. If I'm wrong, they still might help us, but better they only think me the fool and not you too."

Ness nodded, accepting the logic. "Alright, just be careful."

"You too," Moondancer agreed as they went their separate ways along the street.

Searching for Clues

Ness moved carefully through Burglin Park. It didn't seem to be that dangerous a spot, and was actually rather relaxing. Several stalls were set up with people selling various things, from condiments to school supplies, along with several selling things on blankets. However, there didn't seem to be any sort of danger there. A path through the middle of the park led straight to a small house, and a man could be seen atop it. The man had thick black hair, a bushy black beard, a black hat, a red face, black shades, a Hawaiian shirt, blue slacks, and black shoes.

As the man caught sight of Ness, he leapt off the roof dramatically before landing with a 'Hup!' on the ground, grinning eagerly as he stared at Ness.

Ness swallowed nervously. "M...Mr. Everdread?" he asked carefully.

"Wah ha ha ha ha!" the man laughed eagerly. "Why don't we chat later...after we've locked horns?" He took a combat stance, wincing as he put weight on one of his feet.

Noticing that, Ness pointed to the foot in question. "Buzz Buzz, heal him."

"Are you sure?" Buzz Buzz asked surprised.

"This is going to be...a battle of men," Ness concluded, "just like with Frank. I don't want an unfair advantage."

Buzz Buzz stared at Ness for a time. "...he's at least 20 years your senior, plainly has martial arts training by his stance, outweighs you by a factor of at least two in what looks like pure muscle...and you think it's unfair to him he has a twisted ankle?" he demanded incredulously.

"Yes," Ness replied firmly. "Heal him please."

Buzz Buzz let out a sigh. "Is this why the Apple chose you? Because you're crazy?" He sighed as he flew over to the man. "If you're going to act like Sun Wukong, I just hope you have the skill to back it up..."

The bearded man let off another laugh as Buzz Buzz spun around his ankle, healing the injury. "I like you, kid! You know what it means to be a man! So I won't hold back!" With that, he charged forward.

Ness closed his eyes and tilted back out of the way of the first strike. He then slowly let go of his physical awareness, doing his best to sink completely into his PSI. His body was nowhere near strong enough to beat a foe like this, only his mind was. He would need to rely entirely on his mind. He reacted to the threats he felt coming, twisting and turning and leaping out of the way of strikes he wasn't entirely aware of.

The man growled eagerly at the sight of this. "So you know blind fighting, huh?" he demanded eagerly. "Well I know how to counter that..." A strike right at Ness' center failed as Ness simply sat down and rolled out of the way. "Damn! You're too small for that to work! You ain't got a strike zone! Well, I know a few o-GURKH!"

Ness had thrust forward with his bat like a pool cue, getting the man right in the solar plexus. He then jerked the bat up to catch the man on the chin while letting the upward swing spin him around before turning it into a forward swing with the momentum, slamming it into the man's gut and sending him flying into the wall of his house.

The man coughed several times as he struggled to catch his breath. Pulling himself off the wall, he grinned down at Ness. "Okay, you won fair and square," he gasped out as he shook himself off. Once Ness opened his eyes, he continued. "Yes, I'm Everdread of Burglin Park...and you're here asking about Paula. You won't like the answers I have to give, which is why I fought you, to see if you were strong enough to hear them."

"And what are they?" Ness asked eagerly.

"She went off to a secret hideout in Peaceful Rest Valley east of town," Everdread explained, "but she got kidnapped by a chubby boy and a man in a blue outfit. I heard them say something about a human sacrifice, but I wasn't able to do anything. Those guys were just too tough. But you're tougher than that, kid, so I'm sure you can handle it. If you manage to pull through and save her, come see me. I couldn't stop her being taken, so if you bring her back I'm going to do what I can to help you."

"Right," Ness confirmed. "East of town..." He pulled out the town map to plot the course.

"Head east from the bus station," Everdread offered before ducking back into his house.

Moondancer slowly made her way north, focusing her PSI senses. She wasn't paying much attention to where she was going. Instead, she was focusing on tracking the strongest PSI signatures in the area. It was a bit difficult since the entire area was blanketed with the background PSI waves from Giygas, reaching through time and slowly building until they would be overwhelming. Even when she was able to filter through that without being overwhelmed by it, she had to push aside the residual of Paula's frequent passages. If she was right about the identity of the band, then once she'd filtered through the residuals she would pick up at least five incredibly strong PSI signatures other than her own. Ness, Buzz Buzz...

...and there they were. Three others, though there was something off about them. She could tell they were strong, but they felt...shackled. Like something was deliberately limiting the power of the minds in question for some reason. Still, she was able to pick them up, coming from a building she could see ahead of her, one signal coming from outside.

The building was old brick, with a sign declaring 'Chaos Theater' above the door and window facing the road. There was a long line to the window, so Moondancer instead approached the two men standing outside the building to one side on the grass next to a van. One hefty man was dressed in a black and white suit with a red suit jacket. The other - taller and skinnier - was dressed all in black. Both wore shades and black hats, and the van was also black. She found herself disappointed that her search turned up nothing, turning to leave...

She dragged her attention back. Something was...off. Something was making her not want to pay too much attention to the men or to the van. She knew what that meant. PSI cloaking field. Pushing through, she went right up to the pair.

The hefty one smirked down at her. "Hey little lady," he greeted warmly. "We're the Runaway Five. You know famous people when you see them."

"Well, not that famous," the other man allowed. "That Paula lass is the talk of the town."

"Oh, where are our manners?" the hefty man asked. "I'm Gorgeous, and my friend here is Lucky."

"Yes, but what about names?" Lucky joked. Both men chuckled...though Lucky's chuckle seemed oddly stilted to Moondancer's ear.

"I hear you used to go by a different name?" Moondancer asked carefully.

"Yeah, before we came here," Gorgeous allowed. "But the folks here in Eagleland don't like foreign sounding names much, so we changed it. The new name suits us much better, I think."

"What was the old name?" Moondancer asked curiously. "Was it by chance...Tonzura Go?"

"Perrrrhaps," Lucky replied, the 'r' stretching oddly. "Why do you ask-k?" For some reason, he seemed to hiccup on the 'k'.

Moondancer turned all her attention on Lucky. She knew there was a field here, something blocking her perceptions, and she would pierce through it. She would push aside that illusion of a suit, this disguise of a harmless old musician...

...and see the broken symbol.

"...Larice?" she gasped out hopefully, her eyes starting to water.

Lucky stared down at her for a time. He then knelt and brought his hand to Moondancer's head...and she felt the familiar bio-metal tendril stroke her mane.

Reunited With Answers

With a choked sob, Moondancer flung herself forward, clinging tightly to Lucky/Larice as she struggled to control her emotions. The perception filter shifted, and she found herself firmly in Larice's embrace, though she could tell no one beyond the field was seeing a ghostly Starman hugging a unicorn.

"Dammit, Larice," 'Gorgeous' growled irritably. "Whatever happened to keeping a low profile?"

"We are still *click* hidden," Larice responded firmly as Moondancer glanced over.

'Gorgeous' was revealed to be a Mook...but not Alinivar. She did recognize him from on the ship though. "You're...Elmadan, right? I don't think we ever spoke..."

"We didn't," Elmadan confirmed. "And I didn't go with to confront Giegue...but I got pulled along when things went all wibbly-wobbly."

"Wibbly-wobbly?" Moondancer asked in confusion.

"I shall *whirrr* explain," Larice spoke up as he continued to stroke Moondancer. "We confronted Giegue, and Greyface. Giegue sought to be installed in the Devil Machine, some sort of PSI amplifier that would enable him to influence the entire solar system at once. Greyface was building it. Once we detected you and *click-click-click*...Buzz Buzz safely traversing through time, Alinivar attempted his plan. He used PSI Harmony to attempt to reconnect Niiue and Giegue, restoring their connection to each other to make Giegue whole again. It worked...partially."

"Partially?" Moondancer pressed, trying not to show how worried she was about the answers.

"They became linked," Larice continued. "However, this only brought *bzzz* Giegue out of the madness for a short time...but in that brief time he, with Niiue, was whole...and amplified by the Devil Machine. He worked his PSI on the fabric of time itself...and sent us here to Earth five years back, with instructions to establish ourselves with human identities to watch over you and the Chosen Four, to make sure you stayed well."

"And what happened to the part about doing so incognito?" Elmadan demanded crossly.

"Not my fault *whrrr* she saw through my cloak," Larice answered primly.

"I heard you letting the clicks and whrrrs through!" Elmadan snapped out. "You wanted her to figure it out! I thought you said your Magicant trip destroyed the obedience program in your head!"

"That does not *whrrr* affect my chosen loyalties," Larice responded firmly. "I chose to follow and obey Moondancer. As far as I'm concerned, I am still under her order."

"My order?" Moondancer asked in surprise.

Larice gently stroked her cheek. "Yes. Don't die."

Moondancer managed to smile. "...thank you, Larice," she offered warmly, leaning into the gentle caress. "It's...it's a relief to know you're all okay. But...why are you here? In Twoson?"

"We were told to watch over the Chosen Four," Elmadan pointed out. "We spotted Captain Deepsea in stasis up in Onett where Ness was growing up when we first started exploring. We couldn't hang around there, and knew you and Buzz Buzz would keep him safe once you arrived...but we didn't know if he was the only one looking to end a Chosen before the Four could gather. Since we didn't know where any of the others were except Paula from your talks with Niiue, we came down to Twoson to watch over her."

"Then why didn't you do anything when she was kidnapped?" Moondancer demanded fiercely.

Elmadan and Larice exchanged embarrassed glances. "Alinivar still doesn't *click* know how to handle Earth currency," Larice finally allowed awkwardly.

"...huh?" Moondancer asked, thoroughly confused.

"We got set up at this theater as a band for cover," Elmadan explained, "but...somehow we wound up racking up a huge debt, and now we can't leave. If any of us try, the theater owner is on us like a ton of bricks." He shrugged. "And nobody wants to try my suggestion for dealing with the situation."

"One, you are supposed to be trying to be good," Larice pointed out firmly. "Two *click*, it would blow our cover. Three, we are the heroes."

"More like backup heroes," Elmadan grumbled irritably. "The prophecy is about 'The Chosen Four'. You lot were just the 'Applechasers'. I'm not even mentioned."

"Four, Moondancer *whrrr* does not like casual killing," Larice finished. "Not when there is another solution."

"What about that sneezy guy on the bridge?" Elmadan demanded. "Alinivar tossed him into the water on Moondancer's suggestion!"

"He turned out to be a surprisingly good swimmer," Moondancer observed idly, a wry smile on her face.

"We cannot assist you presently," Larice spoke up, drawing Moondancer's attention away from the grumbling Elmadan. "Aside from the contract *bzzz*, it would be unwise to expose aliens on Earth right now. However, if you can free us from the contract somehow, we can assist you. Your path beyond this town to Threed is blocked. If we are enabled to leave town, we will escort you past the block. There is one Sanctuary beyond Peaceful Rest Valley, and one somewhere in the Threed region."

"Thanks for the info," Moondancer replied warmly. "And...and for letting me know you all were okay. I'll pass on the information to Ness...but I won't mention about who you all really are, not yet. He needs to complete his journey...and I need to complete mine."

Larice nodded as he gave Moondancer one last caress before she turned to go meet back up with Ness. "There she goes," he observed as she left the perception filter.

"You really think they've got a chance?" Elmadan asked curiously.

"I choose to believe-"

"Don't tell me what you believe," Elmadan interrupted. "You're the closest to a computer brain in this group. Tell me the odds!"

Larice was silent for a time. "...I detected emotional PSI impressions in Moondancer's aura."

"You mean the stuff that sent Giegue down the path to become Giygas?" Elmadan asked worriedly.

"When he gave into it, yes," Larice confirmed. "That path is now open to Moondancer. There is a chance she will walk it unmeaning, and doom us all. I would estimate...we have 1 chance in 3 of surviving the oncoming struggle. 1 in 3 of that being the happy ending we hope for."

"So we have a 1 in 9 chance of getting the best outcome?" Elmadan asked curiously. "Not the best odds, but not the worst-"

"Negative," Larice interrupted. "There are nine possible outcomes. The odds of each are uncertain. There is insufficient data."

"What are you good for, anyway?" Elmadan grumbled.

"Baritone."

Peaceful Rest Valley

Moondancer bumped into Ness as he exited Burglin Park. "So what did you learn?" she asked hopefully.

"Paula was taken past Peaceful Rest Valley in the east," Ness explained. "We can get there by heading east from the bus station."

"What about you?" Buzz Buzz asked curiously. "Did you learn what you hoped?"

Moondancer gave Buzz Buzz a significant look. "I learned I was right," she offered somewhat cryptically, "and that they can help us...if we help them first. Unfortunately, their leader isn't very good at handling dollars."

Buzz Buzz nearly fell out of the air before he caught himself. "I see," he allowed, managing to control his spoken emotions if not his physical reactions. "Did they have any other useful information?"

"The locations of two Sanctuaries," Moondancer replied. "One beyond Peaceful Rest Valley, and one in the Threed area. They've offered us a lift to Threed once we've saved Paula if we can get them out of their current contract."

"For now, let's head to Peaceful Rest Valley," Ness suggested. "We should get to Paula as soon as possible."

The trip to Peaceful Rest Valley was rather uneventful, with only the Rambling Mushrooms and some Mobile Sprouts - tiny green plants with two leaves and roots on which they walked - in the cavern path into the valley. The Mobile Sprouts proved the greater concern, as they had the capacity both to heal their allies and leach PSI energy right out of Ness and Moondancer. Thankfully, Moondancer's reserves of PSI were quite large, so they weren't that worried about being short in a crisis. However, between these abilities and the Sprouts tendencies to sow seeds - which could grow into new Sprouts - Ness began to try and avoid them as best as possible. Moondancer eventually reached the point where she reached for the Borange Ray if they wound up facing more than three at a time.

The first time Moondancer had opened fire and obliterated five Mobile Sprouts in a single shot, Ness stared before turning back to her. "Why haven't you been using that more?" he asked curiously.

"Because it uses the same energy that's causing this problem," she explained simply. "It's madness energy, just like Giygas' power. While it can obliterate just about anything we're coming across at this point...it obliterates them. Animals, plants, people...and we're trying to save them. I'll use it if we get into a pinch, but I'd rather rely on your ability with the PSI Bat to thrash the Madness out of our opponents rather than using said Madness to destroy them. Beyond that..." She hesitated, unsure how valid her next thought was.

"If it works by unleashing Madness, is it making the Giygas effect worse every time you use it?" Ness concluded, thinking along the same lines.

"I have no reason to believe it is...but no evidence to prove it isn't," Moondancer allowed. "I'd rather we do as much as we can without."

"Okay," Ness agreed as they walked into the Valley they were seeking.

The valley proved to be as relaxing in appearance as the name suggested, though there seemed to be an odd air of menace. The pale green grass, pale brown cliffs, and dark green trees gave a restful view that hid dangers they encountered along the paths beside the purple rivers...presumably a result of how light reflected off water, rock, and plant life rather than any comment on the water's purity. A bridge that once led across the first river was broken, forcing the group to go around.

"If there were more of the bridge, I probably could have repaired it," Moondancer observed ruefully, "but there aren't enough logs there."

Danger came in a few different forms as they tried to move deeper into the valley. Tiny UFO's, Spinning Robots, and the Mobile Sprouts were quite common...though Shambling Oaks soon proved to be the most dangerous of foes. The UFOs and Robots only had beams to shoot at them, which could be evaded or blocked with Moondancer's spot PSI Shields. The Oaks, however, could use potent PSI to weaken the groups ability to deal or tank damage, as well as scramble their senses with PSI Brainshock. The real terror was when they were about to fall, and exploded into flames. The shockwave of damage nearly caused Ness to black out on more than one occasion. They quickly learned to take them down last when faced with a large group.

Before they could make it very far into the Valley, however, they found the only available path blocked by a large pencil-shaped iron statue. "Any chance you could push it over into the river?" Ness asked Moondancer curiously.

"No," Moondancer replied readily. "This statue isn't actually iron. The alloy looks like iron, but it's PSI resistant. I wouldn't be able to grab hold of it. It looks like..." She pushed her glasses up her muzzle with one hoof. "...we've got a real case of Writer's Block here-"

"YEEEAAAAHHHH!"

Moondancer and Ness both let out screams of surprise as that sound erupted out of Ness' backpack. Scrambling, he managed to pull out and answer the Receiver Phone. "H-Hello?" he managed to gasp out.

"Hey Ness!" Apple Kid called over the line. "I just finished...you sound startled. Something wrong?"

"Just the phone," Ness said as he calmed down. "It's...really loud."

"Oh, right," Apple Kid allowed. "I was trying to give a Receiver Phone ringtones, but I accidentally got it locked on one that was really loud and annoying. My pet mouse seemed to like it, though, so I let him have it. Is that the phone he gave you?"

"Yeah..." Ness allowed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, anyway, I've just finished this really great invention!" Apple Kid continued. "Get over to Burglin Park as fast as you can so I can give it to you. It's sooooo cool, and in all likelihood exactly what you need to get past a seemingly insurmountable obstacle you just encountered...or I might just be sleep deprived from working so hard on it. Think I'll take a nap until you get here. The grass and sun are so comfortbasjfjaf..." Apple Kid's words trailed off into nonsense sleep mumbles before the signal cut out.

"...that's going to be hard to deal with..." Ness murmured as he hung the phone up. "Come on, back to Burglin Park."

I'm Happy, I'm Feeling Glad

It didn't take the group long to make their way back to Twoson and Burglin Park. They found Apple Kid dozing beneath a tree near the back of the park, south of Everdread's house. He awoke as they approached. "I'm feeling really out of it after working all night on this," he spoke up groggily as he held up a small device with a dish on one end and a single button at the other. "But I'm really proud, because finally the Pencil Eraser is ready!"

"The Pencil...Eraser?" Ness asked carefully as he took the device.

"Yup!" Apple Kid said proudly even as he swayed somewhat. "This machine will eradicate all pencil-shaped figures in just one second, no matter what they're made of! It's incredibly powerful!" He blinked a bit. "Just...don't use it near a store that sells pencils...or in the school supplies aisle of the department store." He noticed the odd look Moondancer was giving him. "Something wrong?"

"Not exactly," Moondancer allowed. "It's just..." She hesitated, trying to find a way to phrase her inquiry without coming across as ungrateful. "You're right that this is exactly what we need to continue our journey right at this moment - our path is blocked by a pencil shaped statue of all things - and this is, of course, an amazing piece of technology that it can do such things, be so small and portable, and never need to recharge...but..."

"But...?" Apple Kid prompted, enjoying the praise but confused about the direction the discussion was taking.

"Why?" Moondancer asked finally. "Why would you build such a device? What possible reason could you have to think making it was a good idea? Plainly you were right, but...how did you arrive at such a conclusion?"

Apple Kid blinked as he tried to make sense of what Moondancer was asking. "...I don't think I ever actually asked myself 'why' when it came to any of my inventions before..." he admitted in wonder. "I just...made them. It was just...the thing to do."

"...well, I've heard stranger explanations," Moondancer allowed thoughtfully.

"Any chance it was an odd talk with a member of the Runaway Five?" Ness asked suddenly, causing Moondancer to spin to stare at him.

Apple Kid blinked. "Come to think of it, I think it was a talk with Groovy - the Runaway Five's cellist - that made me start trying. See he'd asked me to work on a device he'd found..." Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a strange device with multiple odd inputs and a strange shaped output. "He called it the Combinulator. Said it could combine two items into one, and as an example he talked about combining a pencil and an eraser into...something that wasn't a number 2 pencil with attached eraser. That's what gave me the idea to make the Pencil Eraser." He looked the device over. "He said it was useful, but only someone really smart could actually make it work. He was hoping I could simplify it so anyone could use it...but I couldn't even manage to make it work." He pointed to the multiple inputs. "All I managed to do was upgrade it to be able to use more than two items at a time. Maybe you'll find a really smart guy to make it work." He handed the device over to Ness. "I'm sure Groovy won't mind me giving it to you."

"I'm pretty sure he won't," Moondancer murmured thoughtfully, remembering when she'd last seen the device. "I'm sure it'll be useful...eventually."

Ness slipped the Pencil Eraser and the Combinulator into his backpack. "Well, we've got what we need. Thanks Apple Kid!" With a wave, he turned and led the way back to Peaceful Rest Valley.

"If I invent some other brilliant item, I'll call you!" Apple Kid called out as they left, before laying back under the tree to doze off again.

It didn't take long to get back to Peaceful Rest Valley, and the Pencil Eraser was as effective as they could have hoped. Before their very eyes, the pencil-shaped statue was erased right before their eyes, fading out of existence as though dissolving. "Wow," Ness murmured in awe as he watched it happen.

"Impressive," Moondancer murmured agreement.

After that, exploring Peaceful Rest Valley was simple if frustrating, as it proved to be a long winding path that went up and down slopes, across bridges, around the top of plateaus, and past quite a few pointless dead ends...the entire path swarming with Walking Sprouts, Shambling Oaks, UFOs, and Spinning Robots. It was eventually a relief to enter another cave passage.

"I never want to go through there again!" Ness murmured fervently. "At least, not until we find another Sanctuary and the mad things start running from us."

"It might be too far from a Sanctuary for the power to affect them," Buzz Buzz pointed out worriedly.

Ness groaned irritably. "I'm just glad you were able to grab hold of those UFOs to hold them still," he told Moondancer. "Otherwise, there's no telling how long they'd have kept zipping out of range of my swings and zapping us."

"Don't mention it," Moondancer murmured softly, glancing apologetically up at Buzz Buzz.

"Don't worry about it," Buzz Buzz reassured her. "That's...a past life."

"Well, at least we're past it for now," Ness declared in relief. "Now we just need to explore the settlement on the other side of this cavern, and figure out where Paula is."

"I should be able to lock onto her PSI signal," Moondancer reassured him. "That should make things rather straightforward. Once we find where she's being held, we can figure out how best to save her, and then find the Sanctuary."

"Agreed," Ness confirmed. "The sooner we're back past that Valley, the better..." His voice trailed off as he stepped out of the cave.

"Is something wrong...?" Moondancer started to ask, only for her own voice to trail off as she saw what had so stunned Ness.

As Buzz Buzz joined them, he found himself reacting to the scene...differently. "Yo listen up, here's the story, about a little guy that lives in a blue world-"

"Seriously, Buzz Buzz?" Moondancer demanded irritably.

"What do you expect? I used to be in a band."

I've Got Sunshine in a Bag

The village the trio found themselves looking over was entirely blue. The buildings were blue. People's clothes were blue. The fences were blue. The flowers were blue. Even a cow, barely visible in the distance, had been painted blue. "I'm surprised the grass isn't blue," Ness murmured wonderingly as the group moved slowly into the town.

The people there wandered around with odd smiles on their faces, greeting each other with chants of "Blue, Blue," as they celebrated their blueness, or whatever it was they were doing. The smiles they sent in the group's direction were...disturbing. "I think we should spend as little time here as possible-" Buzz Buzz began.

"Blue!" one of the townspeople - dressed from head to toe in blue and wielding a paintbrush - charged the group, hostility and madness pouring off of him in waves.

Ness let out a shocked scream and swung his bat, catching the man in the back of the head and sending him sprawling. He then slowly got to his feet and wandered off, seemingly unhurt due to the nature of Ness' PSI Bat, but muttering "Blue, Blue" all the same.

"The grip on their minds is strong," Moondancer mumbled nervously.

"That's not all we should worry about," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "Look at the other people."

Ness glanced around, seeing everyone going about their business. "Looks the same..."

"Exactly," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "One of their own charged a stranger, was struck hard enough in the back of the head to kill if the bat hadn't been designed not to...and none of them so much as blinked. Even the ones staring right at the confrontation had no reaction."

Ness and Moondancer both shivered violently. "Okay," Ness muttered quietly. "Let's not ask questions about where Paula might be."

"Agreed," Moondancer confirmed. "Let's just look around and see what we can find. We came in through a cave in the northwest, and it looks like the entire settlement is walled in by cliffs, so caves would be the only way out."

The trio explored the settlement carefully, doing their best to avoid people without being obvious that they were trying to avoid people. They found only a few buildings they could easily access - one in the southwest labeled a bed and breakfast, one in the center of town obviously some sort of town hall/church, and one in the northeast that was a drugstore with a few other things to sell - and two other caves, one to the north and one to the east. They hadn't gone into any of the buildings or tried to buy anything.

"Anyone overhear anything useful?" Ness asked hopefully as they moved to an empty part of town.

"I buzzed a few people," Buzz Buzz spoke up. "Heard them talking about someone called 'Mr. Carpainter'. If I heard right, he's the 'spiritual leader' of this settlement."

"According to signs, this 'settlement' is called 'Happy Happy Village'," Moondancer pointed out. "Not very useful info, but at least we know what to call the place."

"At least the only thing we had to go on isn't everyone saying 'Welcome to Our Town'," Ness pointed out. "So where do we go?"

"I'd suggest the caves," Moondancer pointed out. "If Paula were within the settlement, I would have felt her by now...unless she's already been sacrificed."

"Let's assume she hasn't," Buzz Buzz spoke up before Ness could sink too far into depression. "North or East?"

"I feel power from the East," Ness pointed out. "Feels like Giant Step, so that's probably the Sanctuary."

"North, then?" Moondancer suggested. "If the Sanctuary's anything like Giant Step, it'd be protected by monsters, not cultists."

Nodding, Ness led the way towards the north cave...only to pause as he got a look into a storage shed. "...huh," he mused idly.

"What?" Moondancer asked curiously.

"It's just...it's full of lawn gnomes," Ness pointed out. "That feels...significant."

"A cult store house full of lawn gnomes feels significant?" Buzz Buzz asked curiously. "...why?"

"Not sure," Ness admitted. "Let's go check the cave to the north."

The north cave was surprisingly empty of creatures of any sort, and led out to a large house not painted blue in a secluded portion of Peaceful Rest Valley. "Wasn't Paula taken to a hideout in Peaceful Rest Valley?" Ness asked hopefully. "I remember hearing someone say that..."

"I can feel her," Moondancer said firmly. "She's here."

The trio quickly rushed around to enter the house through the front door, scaring off some Spiteful Crows along the way. The interior was surprisingly spartan, with only a single table, a single chair, and a large metal cell wall and locked door cutting off the entire back half of the building. Behind the metal bars was a teddy bear...and a blonde girl about Ness' age in a pretty pink dress, red ribbons holding her hair in twin bobs. She looked up at the group with a smile. "Ness, Moondancer, Buzz Buzz...I knew you'd come," she spoke softly as she moved up to the bars.

"Paula..." Ness breathed softly as he moved to her side. "I'll get you out of here, don't worry." He tugged on the bars.

"It's locked," Paula pointed out softly. "Mr. Carpainter has the key-"

"These bars don't block PSI," Moondancer pointed out as she examined the cage.

"All I know is PSI Freeze and Fire Alpha," Paula admitted. "And the second I only know because Lucky of the Runaway Five has been giving me special PSI training for the week or so before I got kidnapped. Not sure how a singer in a band knows so much about PSI, but I knew I could trust him." She gestured around. "Still, blasts of ice or fire didn't seem a good idea on metal bars or in a wooden house."

"Fair enough," Moondancer allowed as she stuck her horn through the bars and fired off a PSI Beam Delta, punching a hole in the back wall big enough for Paula to climb through. "I can't really use PSI Beam in combat since it's a bit too fast paced and that one takes more focus than I can handle quickly, but it works great for making shortcuts."

Paula stared at the hole. "...well, that certainly works," she offered happily. "I'll meet you around front!" Grabbing the teddy bear, she pulled a frying pan out from under her skirt.

"...where were you hiding that?" Buzz Buzz asked in shock.

Paula giggled impishly. "A girl's gotta have her secrets!" she offered teasingly.

"Oh!" Moondancer called out. Reaching into her item-space, she pulled out the shield-spoon she'd gotten at the same time as the PSI Bat. "This looks like you might be able to use it."

"Ooh!" Paula breathed as she took the weapon. "It's a Magic Fry Pan! This'll be great!"

"And wear this!" Moondancer added, floating over a Star Pendant and Goddess Ribbon. "It'll protect you."

"Meet you out front!" Ness said happily as Paula donned the Pendant and tied the Ribbon in her hair as the group moved to leave the house.

Outside, Pokey was waiting for them, grinning ear to ear as he was flanked by two of the cultists dressed all in blue and a Spiteful Crow. "Hey Ness!" he declared smugly. "You're just here to bother me, aren't you? Well, you can call me Master Pokey, since Mr. Carpainter made me an important person in Happy-Happyism-"

"PK Fire!" Paula shouted out as a stream of fire shot over the two cultists, igniting their clothes and sending them running around like crazy as they struggled to put themselves out. Rushing forward, Paula knocked the crow aside with the Magic Fry Pan.

Pokey stared. "What? But...you haven't fought Carpainter...key..." His eyes caught sight of Moondancer blowing smoke off her horn. "No fair!" he screamed out angrily as he began to bounce up and down. "Cheater cheater cheater!" With that, he dashed off.

Buzz Buzz looked at Paula. "...PK?" he asked in confusion.

Paula blushed prettily. "...PSI Kickass?" she offered in embarrassment.

Ness grinned. "I like the sound of that," he offered with a chuckle as Moondancer facehooved.

"Oh, here," Paula offered, holding out an oddly configured badge. "Mr. Carpainter uses lightning, so you'd better be wearing this when you fight him to free the village. It's called the Franklin Badge."

Smiling, Ness took the badge. "Thanks. It's...good to meet you, Paula." He glanced away, rubbing the back of his head.

Paula smiled happily, moving closer to Ness.

"So...how long until they start sneaking off to trade kisses you think?" Moondancer asked Buzz Buzz, making both youngsters leap apart with bright blushes on their faces.

"They're 13," Buzz Buzz replied. "I'd say the minute they're somewhere they don't have to worry about a monster attacking."

"Huh," Moondancer observed ruefully. "So it's my Father that's being the chaperone then. How ironic."

I'm Useless, But Not For Long

The group of four readily made their way back through the caves to Happy Happy Village, only to stop as Ness hesitated at the exit. "What's wrong?" Paula asked worriedly.

"The entire village is under Carpainter's sway," Ness pointed out calmly. "If they see you walking free, what are they going to think? How are we going to get to Carpainter without being mobbed by the entire village trying to kill us?"

"Oh," Paula murmured worriedly. "I...I hadn't really thought of that. I was so excited about getting to go with you..."

"If they're under mental domination, then the vast majority of them will have limited recognition skills," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "If a situation 'looks right', they are unlikely to notice anything out of place about it."

"How could we make escaping with Paula 'look right'?" Ness demanded in confusion.

"Well, they were planning to sacrifice her," Moondancer pointed out. "So wouldn't they consider it normal if two robed cultists were escorting her into the central building that looks like a cross between a church and a town hall?"

"That is where everyone gathers," Paula agreed thoughtfully.

"So if we dress the part, they won't notice that one cultist is really short and the other has four legs?" Ness clarified.

"Highly likely," Buzz Buzz confirmed.

"And where are we supposed to get-"

"The cultists Paula set on fire climbed out of their robes to get away from the fire," Moondancer pointed out, pulling the robes out of her pocket space. "If we paint over the burnt parts, we should pass muster." She hauled out one of their cans of blue paint as well.

Ness stared at this in disbelief. "You really think this will work?" he asked Buzz Buzz.

"If it doesn't, it'll at least give us a grace period as people try to make sense of it," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "The cave to the Sanctuary is close enough we could duck in there before they chase us if that happens. Then we can come up with a different plan."

Ness sighed ruefully. "This is the silliest thing ever..." he grumbled. "What's the back up plan? Dress us all up in red and white stripes and say we're from Mach Pizza?"

"Delivery people travel alone," Paula pointed out. "But we could paint the one robe, and I could sit on your shoulders while Moondancer sat on mine?"

Ness groaned, but got to work.

I think I'd have preferred the pizza plan, Ness thought to himself as he walked through town chanting "Blue...blue..." Paula walked behind him, head down and her hands bound with one of her hair ribbons, looking forlorn and bedraggled. Moondancer marched behind her, also chanting "Blue...Blue..." He and Moondancer were dressed in the blue robes and masks, and he held the paint can and brush. To his bemusement, no one looked twice at them as they walked calmly through town and into the central building.

The entirety of the building's inside was painted bright blue, and filled with cultists in the blue robes and masks marching in place or in circles as they chanted "Blue...blue..." The overall choral effect seemed to give the words power, making the chant weigh heavily on the mind.

Buzz Buzz flew into Ness' mask. "I can feel a strong PSI amplifier present," he whispered softly, "and the thrum of Giygas Madness. Something here is providing a direct link to Giygas...but it isn't at full strength. Be very careful."

Ness nodded as he continued to chant, slowly making his way through the crowd. Those that noticed the trio parted for them so they could make their way towards the stairs. One or two looked at them oddly, but seemed to be unwilling to break the group chant by calling attention to anything odd there. Despite the strangeness of the plan, they made it all the way to the stairs.

The stairs led out into another blue chamber with a tall platform with stairs leading up to it. At the top of those stairs was a man dressed in blue, with a goatee and sideburns also dyed blue. Behind him was a golden statue of a devil standing tall with its arms crossed. As Ness stared at the statue, its eyes seemed to track him, a faint red glow briefly visible within. He knew this was the amplifier Buzz Buzz had mentioned.

The man smiled down at the group. "Ah, so you bring the sacrifice...but aren't you a little short to be a cultist...Ness?"

Sighing, Ness pulled the hood off. "I'm genuinely surprised we made it this far," he allowed ruefully.

"I'm surprised you didn't try delivering a pizza," the man replied.

"That was plan B, Mr. Carpainter," Paula pointed out as she pulled the ribbon from around her wrists and fixed her hair. "I was going to sit on Ness' shoulders."

"I take it you have no interest in helping me make the world blue and create a happy, peaceful society, then?" Mr. Carpainter asked sorrowfully. "It's too bad, Ness...as strong as you are, I would have wanted you at my side as my right hand man."

"And here I thought that's where Pokey stood," Ness suggested, slipping his hand into his pack and readying himself.

"Well my left hand would have worked just as well," Carpainter allowed...then grinned and thrust one finger forward. "Die!" he roared out as lightning flashed towards the group.

Ness pulled out the Franklin Badge and stuck it to the top of the PSI Bat before holding it up. The metal of the bat drew the lightning, which deflected off the Franklin Badge.

"What?" Carpainter gasped in shock.

Before he could react, Ness, Paula, and Moondancer all charged forward. Paula swung her Magic Fry Pan at his stomach. Moondancer kicked out at his knees. Ness swung at his head, trusting to the PSI Bat to not deliver lethal damage.

SMAAAASH!!

All three hits connected strongly, causing Carpainter to collapse to his knees, his eyes going starry as he staggered.

"Well...that was anti-climactic," Buzz Buzz observed idly(1).

Carpainter staggered as he got back to his feet, the overpowering mental pressure fading as the statue's glitter faded. "T...thank you," he managed to say. "Do...do you see the Mani Mani statue behind me?"

"Hard to miss," Moondancer observed drolly.

"Since I got the statue, I've been doing...peculiar things," he allowed. "Please forgive me if you can...I just wanted to have a normal life..."

"It's not your fault," Ness offered quickly. "The statue...it's connected to something...unseated. That's what made you act like you did."

"My thanks," Carpainter offered gratefully. He turned to Paula. "Paula, I..."

"If I held this against you, I'd have set you on fire," Paula offered brightly. "All forgiven!"

"Uh...thank you," Carpainter agreed uncertainly. "I'll...stay here and make things go back to normal...and dispose of the statue. Good luck on your journey."

Smiling, Ness turned to lead the way outside.

(1) But game accurate. Based on the attack power of the PSI Bat, the Magic Fry Pan, the way damage is calculated, and the Guts boost the weapons give, one regular hit from all three of them would have been enough to deplete Carpainter's HP in game. Having them all SMAAAASH!! was honestly overkill.

The Future Is Coming On

It didn't take long for the group to make their way out of the hall, especially as it had all but emptied of people, with the few remaining wandering around confused. It was with relief that the group stepped out into the open air.

"Ness!" a familiar voice called out.

Ness turned in surprise, seeing Pokey running up to him. He found himself unable to say anything as his neighbor and somewhat friend rushed up. While he was upset that Pokey had been working for Carpainter and had kidnapped Paula, he managed to convince himself that unless Pokey showed continued signs of being antagonistic, then it was probably the effects of the Mani Mani that had made him act that way.

"What a horrible nightmare!" Pokey gasped out. "I...somehow woke up. It was..." He shivered all over, then shook his head. "Ness, let's be friends again?" he asked hopefully.

Ness smiled softly. It looked like Pokey had snapped out of whatever was influencing him, and was actively trying to fight it now. He started to open his mouth to say yes...

Ness couldn't find his voice. He felt his jaw lock. Why couldn't he speak? Why couldn't he even smile? It...it was like the world was squeezing down on his mouth and throat, and he'd think he would choke if his breathing weren't somehow completely normal.

"Please answer me," Pokey pleaded. "I promise to be good..."

Ness struggled to answer...but could say nothing. He could only watch as hope started to fade from Pokey's eyes as he turned and slowly walked away. "...okay..." Pokey said softly as he walked away.

Some distance away, Pokey's posture shifted. When he turned back to Ness, his face was no longer that of a child. A wicked grin hung under enraged eyes. "Hah!" he called out. "I lied! See you, suckers!" Though his words were hurtful, they lacked true hatred behind them as he dashed away.

As Pokey made it out of sight, Ness gasped for air. "W-what was that?" he demanded in fear. "It...it felt like..."

"Like time itself weighed upon you?" Moondancer asked softly.

"...yeah..."

"The events that have happened are the result of a time loop," Buzz Buzz explained. "Something from the relative future altered the past to create the present chain of events. Until that relative future event occurs, attempts to break the time loop could cause drastic harm to the very fabric of time...and likely will be suppressed by time itself."

"But if that's so, then how can we save everyone?" Ness demanded worriedly.

"There will be a moment," Paula spoke up with conviction. "A moment where the loop ends but before it begins. In that moment time has been rewritten once before. If we can reach that moment, we can act. The machine is the key."

"The machine?" Ness and Moondancer both demanded intensely.

Paula seemed to slump in on herself. "I...it was a vision I just had," she explained. "I...I can't say any more than that..."

Moondancer frowned irritably, but Ness smiled. "At least it's confirmation we can succeed!" he declared hopefully. "Come on, let's go check out the Sanctuary."

Despite his words, he paused to gaze at the path Pokey had taken for a time before turning to move on.

Entering the cavern east, they found it opened up into a huge cave with twisting paths. "This definitely looks like a path to a Sanctuary," Ness observed thoughtfully. "Even feels like the path to Giant Step."

"In that case, we should be careful," Moondancer pointed out. "The animals here are likely to be strong from the Sanctuary's proximity, and very aggressive due to the guardian-"

"AHH!" Paula screamed as she leapt back from an aggressive mole that was charging her.

"Stop!" Ness screamed out, trying to halt the mole in its tracks with his PSI.

A tingling wave shot from Ness's outstretched hand to strike the mole. Its entire body locked up.

"Looks like you've learned PSI Paralysis," Buzz Buzz observed happily. "Quite a useful skill. It can prevent a target from moving at all when it works!"

"That could be useful," Ness observed. "Especially if we're facing something I don't want to smash over the head."

Paula promptly sent the small mole flying with her frying pan. "Let's go, then!" she declared happily.

The group carefully wound their way through the cave, working their way towards the end. In addition to the small moles, they encountered green bats and brown bears. The bears proved to be the only foe that was of true concern, as they had immensely powerful bodies and could take a great deal of punishment before the madness was banished from them. Thankfully, there were a few magic butterflies in the cave the left the group feeling refreshed as they passed.

At the end of the cavern, the starburst of light awaited them, hiding the form of the Guardian. "You finally got here," it spoke as they approached. "This is the second 'Your Sanctuary' location, but it's mine now. Take it from me...if you dare!"

The light blazed and revealed a massive mole, its sharp claws and teeth dripping blood. It hissed angrily at them. "Prepare yourself!" it declared as it lunged forward, reaching out with its sharp claws.

"Stop!" Ness called out, thrusting his hands forward and unleashing PSI Paralysis.

The Mondo Mole froze, ending up braced on both fore paws and one hind paw. "Er..." it began as it tried to move.

"Isn't there a way to settle this peacefully?" Ness asked hopefully. "Why are you even blocking me? What's the point?"

"This place's power is not to be trifled with!" Mondo Mole snapped out. "Do you think such power comes cheaply? I will not let you take the power with that attitude!" He wiggled back and forth briefly, then fell over on his side. "Uh...little help?" he asked hopefully.

Paula blinked in surprise. "You...can't move at all?" she asked in surprise.

"Of course not!" Mondo Mole snarled. "I'm paralyzed! Completely numb!"

"Then why aren't you attacking with PSI?" Moondancer asked curiously.

"Because I don't know any offensive PSI!" Mondo Mole declared angrily. "I can make myself stronger and protect myself from offensive PSI! That's it!"

"You mean...you're completely helpless right now?" Buzz Buzz asked in surprise. "You can't attack, and there's literally nothing stopping Ness and Paula from just whacking you with their weapons until you go down?"

"Err...their sense of fair play?" Mondo Mole suggested hopefully.

"Is there anything preventing me from just walking past you to the Sanctuary?" Ness asked curiously.

"Uh...no," Mondo Mole admitted. "Now that the starburst field is down, I...can't really stop you."

"Okay." Turning, Ness walked right past Mondo Mole.

"You're...just going to leave me here?" Mondo Mole asked in surprise.

"Don't worry!" Ness promised. "I'll come back just as soon as I learn how to fix your present condition!"

"...well that's plum nice of you," Mondo Mole muttered as the group passed, unsure if he was being sincere or sarcastic.

In a small clearing behind the cave, a trail of tiny footsteps inscribed a small loop between two trees. As the group approached, the area filled with light and music filled the air. As it did, Ness and Moondancer felt it infuse them. Ness had a brief vision of a baby in a red cap. Moondancer remembered her father's embrace as he told her, "It will be alright..."

As the power of Lilliput Steps infused them, and the song was recorded on the Sound Stone and the Empty Stone, Moondancer could only pray that it would be.

Easy as Onett, Twoson, Threed

With the power of Lilliput Steps absorbed into Ness and Moondancer, the walk back through the cave was rather straightforward, since the animals within the cave fled from their presence. Ness paused after reentering the cave, however, to move to Mondo Mole's side. "Anything I can do to make you more comfortable until I come back and heal your paralysis?" he asked hopefully.

Mondo Mole blinked at him in surprise. "...you're serious?" he asked in shock. "You really intend to backtrack all the way here once you learn Healing Gamma just to heal the Paralysis you inflicted on me?"

"Well, yeah," Ness confirmed. "I only did it because I wanted to try and talk things over before fighting, to see if there was a way to resolve things without fighting. The fact that you seem to have your complete faculties means that you aren't consumed by the madness waves, so diplomacy was an option. I...just didn't realize that it would leave you completely helpless." After a bit of a struggle, he shifted Mondo Mole back into an upright position. "This better?"

"Uh...sure?" Mondo Mole offered, now completely confused. "I mean, yeah, my current state is from absorbing madness waves and feeding off the power of the Sanctuary, and beating me into submission would just restore me to my previous state given the weapons you're using...but if you'd really rather try the pacifist route with me, I guess I won't complain. Gonna be pretty boring waiting around that long..."

Ness scratched his head as he tried to think of a way to fix that, only for Buzz Buzz to fly over to Moondancer. "Have you got any of my equipment from before?" he asked curiously.

"I...think so?" Moondancer allowed, opening the entrance to her pocket space for Buzz Buzz to find what he was looking for.

Diving in, Buzz Buzz pulled out a complex looking record player and several records, though Moondancer had to levitate them as soon as they were out of the pocket space. "Voice activated!" Buzz Buzz explained happily.

"Aw, sweet!" Mondo Mole crowed. "Tonzura Go! records! I love that band!"

Buzz Buzz decided to say nothing as Moondancer set the device up, but he preened inside.

With Mondo Mole made comfortable, the group made their way back out of the cave.

Upon arrival in Happy Happy Village, the group were surprised to discover that all of the blue everywhere was completely gone. "...that was fast..." Moondancer murmured in surprise.

"Well, if everyone worked together..." Paula allowed happily, moving up to Ness' side. Ness blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his head.

Frowning, Moondancer turned to Buzz Buzz. Okay, what gives? she demanded in a private thought communication. They literally just met. Why are they already so anchored to each other?

They just met physically, Buzz Buzz corrected. Both of them are exceptionally powerful PSI users, and their destinies have been intertwined under the guidance of the Apple of Enlightenment since they were in the cradle. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were cavorting together in their dreams while younger without even realizing it. That would easily explain why Ness is so anchored to her. That, and she's probably the first human girl his own age he can talk to without completely shutting down since they can talk with thoughts instead of words if they wanted.

...and Paula's already shown to be able to see the future, and has probably seen one she really likes where they end up together? Moondancer added ruefully.

Also possible, Buzz Buzz allowed.

Moondancer glanced at the pair of blushing pre-teens as they walked hand-in-hand towards the entrance to Peaceful Rest Valley. At least they're cute together, she admitted ruefully.

Passage through the Valley proved much easier on this trip for a number of reasons. Not only did Ness now know the path through the Valley and didn't have to wander as much, he was much stronger than before. This allowed the whole group to shrug off damage that would have been somewhat debilitating before. On top of that, Paula's PSI Fire proved exceptionally effective against groups of Mobile Sprouts they encountered...especially after one of the Sprouts tried to drain Paula of her PSI energy, only for her to immediately drain it right back as she mastered PSI Magnet Alpha.

Only the Territorial Oak still proved a serious threat with its tendency to explode in flames once defeated, but they were easy enough to avoid. A bridge repaired by one of the citizens of Happy Happy Village made the journey much easier.

Ness's first stop upon their return to Twoson was Polestar Preschool, so that Paula could reassure her parents that she was alright, and let them know she would be travelling with Ness. Paula's mother was warm and supportive, making sure to give Paula a hand-made band-aid in case anyone got injured. Her father was overly emotional, nearly weeping over Paula's safe return, and actually weeping at the idea of her going off on her own with 'a boy, a bug, a pony, and no chaperone!' Moondancer found no end of amusement at Paula's embarrassment at that assertion, though Ness was kind enough to get them back outside rather quickly after letting Paula grab a few things she wanted from her room.

"Don't worry, Dad!" Paula insisted as they started to leave the house. "We'll meet another friend in Threed, I'm sure of it. There's nothing to worry about."

"Well...alright," her father allowed as he started to regain his composure.

"He'll be a great help to us-" Paula continued.

"He?" her father gasped out in shock. "Two boys and no chaperone? Oh, my poor baby girl!"

"Is this a bad time to mention the prophecy about this adventuring group talks of three boys and a girl?" Moondancer asked impishly.

"WAAAAAUGGGH!" Paula's father screamed out in parental despair.

"...there's absolutely no way we can present this such that he isn't going to be freaking out, is there?" Ness asked Paula worriedly.

"Probably not," Paula agreed as they raced out of the school. "Let's go check in with Mr. Everdread-"

"And now she consorts with criminals and older men!" her father wailed out. "My poor baby girl!"

"It's not that funny," Paula growled irritably as Moondancer laughed.

Everdread smiled as the group entered his small house. "I see you've rescued Paula," he offered softly. "That's good. I was going to ask you to be my partner, Ness...but I know you'll refuse. Not only is it written all over your face, I read it in your fists when we fought. Of all the things you might turn out to be one day, a criminal is not one of them. Instead, please accept this." He set out a large wad of bills on his desk. "It's $10,000. Use it for whatever you want. I'm sure there's something you want to do that requires this amount of money, so good luck with your endeavors. I intend to find out what happened to the Mani Mani Statue Liar X. Agerate unearthed in Onett." With that said, he turned and left.

"Uh..." Ness began, unsure what to do as he wasn't given an opportunity to respond.

Moondancer grabbed the money. "Let's get to Chaos Theater," she instructed firmly.

"You're going to free the Runaway Five from their contract?" Paula gasped happily.

"Exactly," Moondancer confirmed. "They've already promised a lift to Threed in return."

As the group approached the Chaos Theater, Moondancer and Paula both tugged Ness over to where Gorgeous and Lucky stood just outside the theater, next to their van. Lucky grinned as the group approached. "Well look at you, boy!" he crowed proudly. "Not one but two lovely ladies tugging you to a show. A player like you deserves a special treat!" Reaching over, he shoved a Backstage Pass into Ness' hand.

"Huh?" Ness asked in confusion as Moondancer and Paula tried to suppress their laughter.

Gorgeous and Lucky both looked towards Buzz Buzz with a smile before turning to work on the van.

"Let's go inside," Moondancer insisted, nudging Ness towards the theater.

With Paula on one side and Moondancer on the other, Ness found himself frogmarched into the backstage area of the theater where the Runaway Five were preparing for their show. Once there, Moondancer went right up to Nice (the sax player) and Groovy (the cellist), curling up with them like they were old friends as they each reached out to stroke her mane familiarly. Buzz Buzz found himself oddly drawn to Okay (the drummer), much to the rest of the Five's amusement. Ness blinked in confusion, but Paula simply gripped his hand a little tighter to take his mind off of it.

Stepping back out of the backstage area, they were greeted by the Runaway Five's rather swinging blues performance.

After the performance, the group made their way back to the theater lobby. "That was..." Ness began, uncertain what to say. "It..."

"I know what you mean," Paula agreed. "I don't normally like Blues music myself...but there's something about the Runaway Five's music that always makes me feel...good. I'm not sure what more to say."

Moondancer smiled softly to herself. She'd heard the music behind the music, the song really being performed. It was the melody of the Points of Power Alinivar - or Groovy, as he apparently presently went by - had gathered in order to unlock PSI Harmony. Hiding it within the Blues music of the Runaway Five, he was playing it over and over on the world that was the focus of Giygas' attentions, in the hopes it would strengthen the restored link between Giegue and Niiue. What the goal of that was, Moondancer wasn't sure...but she'd felt that as she'd listened to the performance.

She decided to let Ness and Paula shake themselves off while she went to speak to the Chaos Theater manager. Slipping into the office, she walked right up to where the portly, bespectacled man sat behind his desk. "The Runaway Five owe $10,000 on their contract here, right?" she asked calmly.

"That's right!" the manager responded immediately in an intense if wheezy voice. "And they'll stay here until they pay it off-"

"Not anymore they don't," Moondancer interrupted, slapping the Wad o' Bills she'd taken from Everdread down on the desk.

The manager blinked at the money sitting in front of him. "Uh...wow. I...I'm not sure what to do. With the contract paid off, they're free to go...though I'm not sure what to do with the theater without them..."

"You'll figure something out," Moondancer allowed as she held out the hoof. "The contract?"

"Groovy has it," the manager replied readily. "Just let him know it's all paid off-"

"We already know," Lucky spoke up happily as he stepped in, scooping Moondancer up in his arms. "And now we're all getting ready to hit the road!"

Moondancer smiled up at Lucky as she was carried out to the van, joining Ness, Paula, Buzz Buzz, and the band inside. Her eyes widened as she entered, seeing somewhat through the PSI field of the van...to the interior of a smaller saucer craft. Larice motioned her to silence on that as music started blaring.

"Okay guys, here we go!" Eldaman called from the controls as he backed up...onto the sidewalk. "Outta the way, sidewalk!"

The 'van' coasted just over the surface of the road, zooming down the path towards the tunnel to Threed as the music blared out, blasting back the madness waves that made creatures go wild so no 'monsters' could interfere with the path of the vehicle. Those unaffected by the waves had the sense to stay out of the path of the crazily driven van as it swerved, bounced, and jived around corners as it zoomed towards its destination.

The ghosts in the tunnel proved unable to interfere with the van, as much because of the upbeat music weakening their ability to be terrifying as because the van was far too fast for them to catch. As they reached Threed, Ness, Paula, Buzz Buzz, and Moondancer took in their surroundings.

Threed seemed to be under a permanent pall of night, with thick cloud cover blocking any sunlight from touching the ground. The trees seemed to be gradually withering, and the few people who were out followed the van as best they could as though its music were somehow a lifeline in a dreary world.

Parking in front of the Department Store, Gorgeous let them off. "Looks like we're parting ways here for now," he offered comfortingly. "This town seems pretty gloomy, but I'm sure you lot will brighten it up with your own little brand of sunshine before long. Just keep a song in your heart...and don't give up." With that, he got back into the van and drove off, taking the upbeat music with them.

As the gloom of the town closed in on the group, Ness shivered. "Let's get inside somewhere and figure out our next move," he suggested eagerly.

We Are The Working Dead

The group quickly ducked into the drug store, which was very brightly lit. Moving into the back of the small building, Ness and Paula huddled around Moondancer as though for warmth while Buzz Buzz perched atop her glasses. "So...plan?" Moondancer spoke up, uncertain about this sudden closeness. While it was plain the air of terror and menace filling the town had put Ness and Paula on edge, Moondancer had learned from her Father how to control her emotions so as to not be overwhelmed by them. While a sudden spike in emotions could catch her off guard and overwhelm that control, the environment created only a gradual buildup that she was easily able to keep a lid on.

"Right, plan," Ness agreed as he rubbed his arms. "First thing first, we should see if they have anything here we could use...and ask some questions about what's going on here. The more we know, the better prepared we can be...and the better job we can do fixing things."

As the group moved towards the counter, the two men behind it - one selling general supplies, the other medicines - were talking. "So are you sure we're safe in here?" one asked.

"Pretty sure," the other agreed. "The monsters haven't broken into buildings...yet. They only seem to hassle anyone out on the streets that they get in the way of. Besides, none of them like bright light very much. The Mach pizza guy said he managed to get away from a group of them by setting his flashlight to strobe."

"Wasn't he being chased by those freaky puppets?" the first asked in surprise. "They give me the creeps! Them and the pumpkin-headed freak."

"He said it wasn't his first pizza job that involved defending himself from freaky puppets with a flashlight," the second answered. "And he says pizza delivery's a lot better than night guard."

"I think the zombies are the worst, though," the first allowed with a shudder. "The way they just...keep walking, even into complete destruction. I saw one of them just walk into the bus back while it was still running. Didn't even seem to care that it was run over. Just...mindless..."

"If the ghosts weren't blocking the tunnels out of town, I'd be out of here like a shot," the second agreed. "But...it's like we're being kept here. Ever since the first wave of undead and monsters swarmed out of the northwest graveyard, this place has been a prison of death and despair..." He looked up. "Oh, customers! Welcome to Threed Drug Store. We hope you have a pleasant stay in our town. Can I get you anything?"

"Some optimism?" Ness asked hopefully.

"Failing that, trite humor?" Moondancer suggested.

"Sorry, fresh out of that first one," the clerk joked, grinning as that put small smiles on the children's faces. "Be careful if you go out after dark...except it's always dark. And wear a helmet." He laid out a hard hat. "It'll protect your head from impacts, and for a good price!"

"No thanks," Ness allowed. "We're good. We'll be careful."

"Do," the clerk agreed as the group left.

"Well that was useful," Buzz Buzz observed dryly.

"Convenient," Mondancer agreed.

"So...into the northwest graveyard, then?" Paula asked nervously.

Ness nodded. "And we try to be careful-watch out!" He lunged forward, knocking Paula to the ground as a pale-skinned marionette dressed in plaid attacked them as it hung from its strings, held by no one.

Moondancer quickly fired up her horn, trying to grab the strings in an attempt to exert some control, only for the power to feedback into her and send her briefly sprawling. "Something's in control..." she growled angrily.

As the marionette hesitated while the strings untangled, Ness got to his feet and struck with the PSI Bat with all his strength...only for the puppet to right itself as though it hadn't been hit. "What?"

"Your bat only attacks the madness wavelengths of the target's mind!" Buzz Buzz called out. "These things are just puppets being directed remotely. They don't have minds!"

"Fire!" Paula shouted out as she unleashed a wave of flame at the puppet, setting it on fire. Even as it started to fall to pieces from the fire, it continued to attack.

"Flash!" Ness called out, releasing a blaze of blinding light from his hands that caused the puppet to stagger a bit.

Desperately, Moondancer shaped a blade in her PSI and swept it at the strings, trying to sever them. The puppet dropped, having taken too much damage and dissolving.

As everyone panted for breath, Ness spoke up. "Okay...that's definitely something I need to fix..." He held the PSI Bat in front of him.

"Any ideas how?" Paula asked curiously.

"These things don't like fire or light," Buzz Buzz observed. "It's a pity we can't imbue those traits into the bat for damage..."

Paula's eyes widened. "Well, it's designed to target a special type of PSI field..." She put her hands on the bat. "FIRE!"

Energy flowed from her hands into the bat, and it glowed red.

"...that works," Moondancer observed, doing her best to hide her shock.

With the enchantment on the bat, Ness was able to inflict damage on the enemy monsters which wandered the town and homed in on the group, letting them make their way towards the graveyard without too much trouble. Once inside the graveyard, the groups of monsters were much larger, and accompanied by strange red ghosts that leapt out of garbage cans, and creatures made of the garbage within. While fire wasn't that effective against them, both were very vulnerable to Freeze.

At the very back of the graveyard, a ladder could be seen...but it was guarded by two zombies who remained exactly where they were as the group approached. The moment they got close enough to attack, the zombies turned and looked.

Their empty gaze stared into and through the group, penetrating their mental resolve as their minds were filled through that gaze with horrific images. Plants withered and died, animals tore each other apart, humanity no better than the animals as creatures from beyond the stars sang awful hymns of praise to a creature unknown, and the sun went out...

"Hey, wake up!" Buzz Buzz insisted as he flew into Moondancer's ear.

Moondancer leapt to her hooves, shaking herself off. "W-what was that?" she gasped out.

"I don't know," Buzz Buzz allowed. "As soon as you three locked eyes with the zombie guards, you just...froze. I was able to pull you away, but you need to grab Ness and Paula."

Nodding, Moondancer lit up her horn and dragged the pair to the dead tree Buzz Buzz had pulled her under in an attempt to snap her out of it. As soon as they were out of range of the zombies' gaze, they clung to each other in dread.

"I think we should head to the hotel," Buzz Buzz suggested worriedly. "A good night's...well, a good rest ought to do all three of you good."

"Hotel, rest, good..." Ness agreed as he struggled to come back to himself.

"...cuddle?" Paula asked hopefully as she shivered in his embrace.

"...please..."

While Moondancer didn't say anything, she agreed that a cuddle sounded pretty good just then.

Once they were able to bring themselves to move, the group made their way back into town, clutching their weapons tightly...though no one noticed the enchantment on Ness' bat had worn off. As they approached the hotel, they caught sight of a blonde woman wearing a very skimpy black 'outfit' standing in the middle of the road, with no monsters in sight anywhere around her. As they approached, she turned to enter the hotel.

"T-think she knows some way of keeping the monsters at bay?" Ness suggested hopefully. "Maybe we should ask?"

"Just as long as it doesn't involve dressing like that," Paula muttered darkly, turning a steely gaze Ness' way. He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

Seeing that this was somewhat dispelling their fears, Buzz Buzz decided to capitalize on it. "We should check her-I mean it out, anyway," he observed innocently, deliberately inserting the 'misspeak' to keep them stirred up a little.

Moondancer couldn't help but chuckle as Paula ground her teeth as Ness led the way into the hotel. The woman walked past an empty lobby, and into the furthest hotel room, leaving the door slightly ajar as she did. As they approached, Ness slowed suspiciously. The room inside was completely dark. "Wonder what this setup is about?" he asked nervously.

Paula blinked in surprise. "...aren't you 13?" she asked pointedly.

"Yeah?" Ness confirmed. "And?"

"And...you don't have any idea why a scantily clad woman walking around on the street would leave a door into a darkened room invitingly ajar behind her?" she continued.

"You think it's a trap?" Ness gasped in shock.

Paula blinked at that a few times, then sighed before stepping back to rest her hand on Moondancer's neck. At least I don't have to worry about wooing him with sex appeal, she thought at Moondancer. Hard to believe any teenager is that unaware.

I think it's more he's that pure, Moondancer pointed out in thought. His idea of fun back in Onett was to go to the hospital to visit the lonely older patients, he finds video games odd, and he had no idea what a TV was until your Dad asked if we were with a TV studio.

Paula's eyes sparkled. My pure-hearted white knight...

I'm breaking mental contact before you fantasize any further, Moondancer insisted firmly as Ness carefully led the way into the darkened room.

The door slammed shut behind them as the lights came on. The woman stood in the back next to a zombified dog as zombies and ghosts surrounded the group. "Buzz Buzz, go get help!" Ness ordered as he took a battle stance between the monsters and Paula and Moondancer.

"What help?" Buzz Buzz demanded frenetically.

"Find Ness' Mom!" Moondancer insisted. "She was on her way to Fourside!"

"Right!" Buzz Buzz agreed as he zipped between the ghosts, too fast for them to reach him.

"Not so fast," the woman growled in a distinctly unfeminine voice. Her arm lashed out, stretching like a tendril before seizing Buzz Buzz.

"Buzz Buzz!" Moondancer called out worriedly as she activated the Borange Ray.

"I suggest you all put your weapons down now," the 'woman' insisted firmly. "Unless you're fine with me crushing your friend here like the bug he is."

"Don't do it!" Buzz Buzz called out. "You can't let yourselves be captured like this!"

"Do you really think you can continue this journey...knowing you chose to abandon a friend to death?" the 'woman' asked Ness. "Weapons down...now."

Ness glowered at the 'woman' for a time...then sighed and lowered his bat. Moondancer lowered the Ray. Paula lowered her pan. The monsters converged...and everything went dark.

Buzz Buzz flew around his unconscious friends worriedly as they lay in a cavern-like room, the walls unfinished stone, the only exit a locked door. He'd been thrown in after them and the door sealed shut, beyond his ability to break down.

"Are you certain this is a good idea?" a rather wet voice demanded with a sloshing sound to it. "Why not just kill them?"

"Because despite what all of us would like to think, his parents and their ilk are not out of the game," another voice hissed out, recognizable as the 'woman' from before, put sounding...almost synthesized, as though it were only half being generated from an actual organ.

"What does that have to do with anything?" the wet voice demanded.

"If we were to flat out kill them, I wouldn't count on them staying dead for very long," the half-synth voice continued. "And if they get that directly involved, the loop will break, and who knows what will happen next? This will work much better. The humans are infected now. By the time anyone can get to them...they'll be undead, and under The Master's control."

"That can be cured if the mind is strong enough," the wet voice pointed out. "Or treated before it progresses that far."

"Only if they're found soon enough," the half-synth voice countered. "Between how deep they are and the buzzing of their 'friend', they will feel death before too long. The pony knows no Healing PSI...and by the time any help arrives, they will have turned...and sought to feed on the only living flesh present. Either they will eat her and be emotionally destroyed, or she will spatter them and solve our problem for us. Win-win."

"And if the pony survives to break free afterwards?" the wet voice demanded.

"She takes the same path as The Master after having destroyed her friends to survive," the half-synth voice offered snidely. "Just leave the door locked and keep the path in hidden. Let time take care of the rest. Now can you and your boss handle the rest of the assignment here yourselves? My work in Fourside is well behind schedule because I had to come back and help."

The wet voice muttered angrily for a time.

"Good," the half-synth voice confirmed. "Now I need to be extra careful with my work. His mother's there. I'll need to step carefully..."

As the voices faded, Ness, Paula, and Moondancer began to stir. "What...happened?" Ness managed to get out.

"Where are we?" Moondancer added as she sat up.

"Why does the back of my neck hurt?" Paula demanded as she brought a hand to the back of her neck, only to pull back with a wince.

Buzz Buzz zipped over, and saw what he'd feared. "It's an injection mark," he explained as he checked and found one on Ness' neck as well. "I heard them talking about infecting the two of you, turning you into zombies."

"I don't want to be a zombie!" Paula yelled out. "We need to get out of here!"

"The door's locked, and the exit hidden," Buzz Buzz added. "And all we have is a receiver phone."

"I can contact our third friend telepathically!" Paula spoke up helpfully. "Maybe he could come save us?"

"But in time?" Ness asked worriedly. "What if...what if he gets here too late?"

"Then we give him more time," Moondancer spoke up as she closed her eyes.

To the amazement of all present, a coruscating energy began to gather at the tip of her horn. Once it was about the size of an egg, she collapsed. "Time energy," she explained. "Gathered from my magic and PSI...and about all that I can gather. Figured out how it felt and should work when we rode the Time Skimmer. This much...could send one of us back in time ten seconds."

"...that's not much," Ness observed worriedly.

"But a thought, an idea...that could go back further," Moondancer added. "Paula should use it to send a message to our new friend to come get us. It should give him...at least two weeks to get to us, maybe a little more. He'll be able to feel how far in the future it comes from once he gets it. Afterwards, Paula should send the message again without the time energy, and hope he can track us from that."

"It's...it's worth a shot," Paula offered worriedly as she took the time energy into her hands. I'm calling out to you, who I've never met... I'm calling our friend who we haven't met yet... Jeff! Jeff! We need your help in the time yet to come! I am Paula, and I am with Ness, Moondancer, and Buzz Buzz. We are all friends you have not yet met...and we need your help at the time this message is being sent. Please, come, you're our only hope...

The time energy faded.

"I guess we can only hope it got through," Ness observed as Paula sagged. "Are you okay, Paula?"

"It...it took a lot out of me, too," she explained as she took a few deep breaths. "Now, to try and reach him in the now..." She closed her eyes. Jeff, it's Paula... If you can hear me, I hope you got my message sent into the past. Please, co-

Something large and metal smashed through the roof of the chamber, giving just enough time for the group to scamper out of the way. The machine cracked as it impacted the ground, part of it crumpling in on itself. One side irised open, and a shadowed figure stepped out.

Light created a silhouette. A blue fur jacket...a small figure...a gun in one hand being cocked...light glinting off glasses...

"Did somebody call for a big damn hero?"

Walking in a Winters Wonderland, part 2

234:00.00
Lv: 7
Off: 44
Def: 58
Spd: 8
Gut: 8
Vit: 4
IQ: 22
Luc: 4

With the Bubble Monkey tagging along, Jeff had readily made his way south to the shore of the lake, the natural boundary between the area where Snow Woods was and the southern areas including Stonehenge and his father's labs. He had been attacked by dogs, crows, and goats, but between the Robo-Pack's defenses and his Magnum Air Gun, he managed to make it all the way without being injured. None of the creatures had targeted the monkey, all of them focusing on Jeff himself, though the monkey had helped out on occasion by leaping onto the goat's heads and scratching at their eyes, a momentary distraction that gave Jeff time for a clean shot.

Crossing the lake was a different story, however. On arrival, Jeff had started to plan building a boat of some sort to sail across, but the monkey had nixed the idea. "Ukekeke!" he had insisted, which Jeff had understood - somehow - to mean, One of the many people camped by the lakeside had interpreted Jeff's sudden desire to wait till sunrise to be their shared desire to see Tessie, a 'mysterious creature' that supposedly lived in the lake.

Come morning, a very strong wind was blowing over the lake...and yet the water was completely still, save for a single spot that was rippling oddly. Jeff was curious about the phenomenon, but the monkey quickly dragged him over to a spur of land sticking out into the lake before demanding a piece of gum. Confused but curious, Jeff handed it over.

The monkey chewed the gum and blew a bubble, floating himself up into the air and over to hover above the rippling water...and a flat purple head slowly lifted out of the water on a long neck to let the monkey land gently atop it.

"A...a dinosaur? Here?" Jeff gasped in shock, to stunned in the moment to recognize the type of dinosaur right off the bat.

"Ukuk-KE!" "Ukiki!"

Jeff continued to stare in amazement as the creature slowly swam up to the side of the land spur, close enough that Jeff was able to step onto its back. It then slowly swam south across the lake, aiming for the far western shore. Much to Jeff's surprise, none of the people out to try and spot Tessie in the lake seemed to realize the creature was even there. "Selective cloaking as a natural defense mechanism?" he murmured in awe. "Fascinating! And it would have to be a type of energy that the Bubble Monkey had, to allow him to see through it and be aware of it...the most likely would be that PSI that was being researched a few years back down in Thunderton...but I've been tested and I don't have any abilities along those lines, so why can I see it?" He continued to mull this over in his mind...only for his eyes to light up. "Wait! Could the ability rely on people's natural acceptance of the world around them? I'm always looking at new ways to think of things, so could it be the field can't effect me because there's nothing I would naturally assume it to be?" Smiling, he shook his head. "I should probably think about that another time, or discuss it with Dad when I meet up with him. I doubt either of my present companions could explain it..."

"Kekeke!"

Jeff lifted his head to stare at the Monkey in disbelief. "...what?"

"Ukikikeke!" "Ukekike!"

"...fascinating..."

233:30.00

Stepping off Tessie's back, Jeff watched as the noble creature swam back out into the lake before disappearing into the water. He regretted not being able to study such a phenomenon further, but he had friends waiting for him. Besides, there was always a chance he might be able to come back and study it further someday.

Heading further south, he found his path blocked by a giant pencil-shaped statue made of what looked like iron. "This is...odd," he mused curiously. "What possible purpose could this statue have?"

"Kukiki!"

"I suppose...but it seems odd, nonetheless," Jeff observed before stepping into the surprisingly well-illuminated cave. A nearby sign declared it to be a 'modest dungeon' made by someone named Brick Road, containing a rather curiously designed maze. Shrugging, Jeff made his way through it, dealing with the Rowdy Mice, Mad Ducks, and lumps of Worthless Protoplasm that attempted to attack him.

At the other side of the cavern, an old man in grey overalls stood just outside. "Maybe it was too easy?" he murmured thoughtfully before shaking himself off. "My name's Brickroad, the dungeon developer."

"Dungeon developer?" Jeff asked excitedly. "Like for tabletop games?"

"That's how I began, but now I seek more...reality," Brickroad explained with a wide grin. "I've devoted my life to making dungeons...and by combining my skills and Dr. Andonuts intelligence, I can become 'Dungeon Man', the first combination of human and dungeon in history!"

"You know my Dad?" Jeff asked in surprise. "I'm trying to get to his lab-"

"Oh it's not far at all!" Brickroad reassured him happily. "Just head through the next cave and you'll be at Stonehenge. Straight south from there is Dr. Andonuts' lab." He waved Jeff on happily. "Let's meet again when I've become Dungeon Man!"

233:00.00

The southern cave was much darker, with water dripping from the stalactites into still pools. Mushrooms grew everywhere, and bats and crocodiles patrolled the chambers. Slugs and mice attacked in the halls, and the entire place seemed to echo with an odd, mad sound that was not quite heard.

Jeff pressed on determinedly. Nearly everything he encountered went down from one shot of his magnum air rifle, and Parrying with the Robo-Pack let him take down entire groups of attackers before they even realized it. The only thing of use he found in the cave system was a Cheap Bracelet, which he strapped to his arm just in case.

At the end of the caves was a strange starburst blocking one of the paths...but the way it pulsated warned him away. Despite wanting to investigate, he knew he didn't have time.

Just outside the caves, Jeff caught sight of Stonehenge...and the Bubble Monkey caught sight of a female monkey. "Kye uki kukyi!" With no more than that, he dashed off after the female monkey, leaving Jeff alone.

Rolling his eyes, Jeff progressed south past Stonehenge until he reached his father's lab. As he entered, he found himself relaxing as he became surrounded by the pristine white walls, bits of tech scattered about. He could see his father in the distance...having a heated debate with a woman he didn't recognize.

"Seriously, how do you get this lost?" Dr. Andonuts demanded in disbelief. "It's a straight road through the desert! How did you end up on a completely different continent?"

The woman looked abashed. "You know I never really got the hang of teleporting," she offered defensively. "And the traffic was backed up halfway across the desert! I couldn't even get into the tunnel! Can't you help me?"

Dr. Andonuts rubbed his brow in frustration. "The instant revitalizing device is right over there. I can't loan you the Sky Runner. Without a landing pad, it will crash and be unusable for weeks until the auto-repair finishes! And Jeff's going to need that soon to meet up with your son!"

"I've got just under a week left..." Jeff spoke up as he walked forward. "At least, that's what the message from the future said with the timer in my head..."

The woman turned to him and smiled. "Goodness, is that Jeff? I see what Theodore was saying about looking back in time, Dr. He looks just like you at that age..." She chuckled indulgently. "So my boy will need your help in Threed?"

Jeff nodded. "Yeah, sounds like they're in real trouble..."

The woman - Ness' mother, apparently - pursed her lips. "Me and my big mouth..."

Dr. Andonuts chuckled softly. "Well for now, you need to get to Fourside, don't you?"

"Right," the woman confirmed, walking up to the Instant Revitalizing Device - a large capsule with odd doodads on the outside - and stepping in for a moment. She immediately stepped out before walking outside. A strange noise - like something accelerating to incredible velocities - could be heard, only to fade away.

Dr. Andonuts turned to Jeff with a smile. "My, look how you've grown. Already off to save the world, huh?"

Jeff rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "Well, friends I haven't met yet...but I suppose the world's probably next, isn't it?"

"Yes, you're one of those meant to travel with Ness," Dr. Andonuts confirmed. "And you're here with plenty of time if you have nearly a week. Let's see what I can teach you, and how strong you can become here with the equipment you have..." Putting his arm around his son's shoulders, he led him into the lab.

01:15.04
Studying with Dr. Andonuts and training in Stonehenge has increased stats!
Lv: 20
Off: 60
Def: 71
Spd: 15
Guts: 15
Vit: 8
IQ: 65
Luc: 10

Dr. Andonuts smiled as Jeff climbed into the Sky Runner, a UFO-like spherical flying craft designed for swift hops across the globe. "I've helped you all I can, son," he said warmly. "Now it is all left in your hands. It should take just over an hour for the Sky Runner to make it to Threed from here. From there, you'll have to track down the others by their PSI signal. The Sky Runner is designed to do that. Be careful of the landing, though. Without a pad, it will crash. Are you ready?"

Jeff nodded as he placed his hands on the controls. "I'm ready. Course locked in."

"In that case...luck be with you."

With that, Jeff fired up the Sky Runner. It shook on the pad for a time, then launched itself into the air through the open skylight directly above. It hovered over the lab for a time, shifting back and forth as it analyzed telemetry...then shot higher into the sky until it pierced the clouds.

Jeff grinned widely as he rode in the machine, ducking below the clouds to spy where he was on occasion. It was a most exciting and exhilarating journey, and he wanted to savor every moment of it. Despite the time, it was far too soon for his tastes when the Sky Runner dipped below the clouds into the darkness of Threed.

00:00.15
00:00.14
00:00.13

He took manual control as he steered around the entire town, looking over the grim landscape as best he could. He spotted zombies walking in and out of a tent far to the south of town, but received no signal there. He also saw a passageway behind two zombie guards in the back of the cemetery...but there was no signal there...

00:00.03
00:00.02
00:00.01
00:00.00

As his mental timer counted down to zero, the sensors beeped as they tracked a psychic burst. "That must be the original message!" he declared excitedly, tracking down its approximate location. Because the signal lasted so long, he was able to get the exact location in the north-eastern cemetery in town. However, before he was able to position the craft, the signal cut out.

"Alright," he said to himself. "There's probably going to be another message in the present soon..."

As he predicted, the signal picked up again...directly below him. Shifting a few feet to one side, he activated the 'Crash Landing Protocols'. He braced himself as the Sky Runner lifted higher...then smashed down through the ground and into an underground chamber.

As the craft became inoperable, Jeff braced himself. "Okay...time for first impressions..." Bracing his gun in one hand, he clambered out of the craft, smiling as he caught sight of the four individuals waiting for him. "Did somebody call for a big damn hero?"

He felt a little uncomfortable with the expletive, but seeing the grins on those waiting for him filled him with pride...

...right up until he tried to climb down the pile of rubble and stepped on his own shoelace.

We Blinded We With Science

Moondancer, Ness, and Paula all lunged forward to try and catch Jeff as he started to tumble down the rubble pile. Rather than trying to catch himself, however, he grabbed something at the side of his backpack and pulled. Four robotic manipulators shot out of his backpack, hitting the ground and bending to bleed the momentum so that his glasses weren't even scuffed when he hit the ground. They then pushed them back up so he was back on his feet. "Well, so much for managing to look-"

"This is amazing!" Moondancer breathed as she looked over the robotic arms. "How'd you get the joints so small? Did you shape them with...wait, tool marks? No mental power at all? How'd you get them so small and sturdy? It looks almost as flexible as Starman bio-metal, but without the liquid aspect!" She ran her hoof over one of the joints, then jerked her hoof back in surprise as the entire limb flexed in response, the tip shifting from a gripper to a sharp point. "Wow! No wonder the Geeg are scared of what human machinery can do..."

Jeff blinked in surprise as he guided the limbs back into the pack. "They're...really that impressive?" he asked in awe. "I mean, I'm pretty sure you've seen more advanced-"

"Oh, I've definitely seen technology that functioned at a much higher level," she agreed, "but all of it was shaped with mental power. To see something like this shaped entirely by hand..." She clambered up Jeff's side, sticking her head into his pack for a closer look at the mechanisms. "Wow! Is this low-level spatial compression maintained by a shake-motion power source? Is...is that a pedometer as the generator hookup? This is incredible! What sort of chemicals do you have in the battery pack to generate that much power from the shaking of walking? Wait, is the spatial compression focused on the battery pack too? It's bigger on the inside too? Did you really build this yourself?"

Jeff chuckled nervously. "Well, I had help, but yeah..."

Ness grinned widely. "Well, I don't think you have to worry about how we see you. Don't suppose you have some way to get us out of here before we turn into zombies? Maybe those limbs will stretch to the hole in the ceiling?"

"Not that far," Jeff admitted. "But I think I could handle the door." He walked over to the door and tried the handle. "Locked, huh? And...yup, keyhole!" One of the limbs extended before inserting the tip into the keyhole. There was a brief shake, and the door swung slowly open. "That one isn't one of mine, but I did incorporate it into this..."

"Here!" Moondancer declared, handing Jeff the Combinulator, the Broken Antenna, and the Miscellaneous Robot Parts, along with hanging her last Star Charm around his neck. "That ought to help you stay safe while we fight our way through all the undead."

"A-are you sure you want me?" Jeff asked nervously. "I mean, tech aside, I'm not very strong, very nearsighted, kinda shy...and more than a little reckless-"

"Those last two describe three of us dead on," Moondancer pointed out flatly, gesturing from herself to Ness and Paula.

"I dunno if I'd call myself shy..." Paula pointed out playfully.

"So you'll fit right in," Moondancer promised.

"Well for now, we need to figure out where to go to not be infected," Ness muttered worriedly. "Think the Healer at the Hospital could help us?"

"We could ask," Jeff allowed. "If that proves a dead end, I saw the zombies doing something in a large circus tent south of town."

"Then we've got a plan," Buzz Buzz declared, swooping back to swing around Ness's head.

As Ness turned to lead them out, Jeff could only stare. "Did...did that insect just talk?"

Moondancer turned and glanced at him. "The talking, brightly-colored unicorn swarming over your tech doesn't bug you, but Buzz Buzz does?"

"Well, your cranium is plainly large enough to contain a fully developed brain," Jeff explained readily, "not to mention your throat large enough relative to body size to contain a viable voice box. But...how would all that fit in a space smaller than my pinkie fingernail? I mean, I suppose I could conceive of some sort of micro-shaping of the cells for the brain and voice box, but his voice would be a lot more high-pitched!"

"Actually, I'm not speaking aloud," Buzz Buzz explained. "It's PSI transmission. I'm just shaping the thought so your minds interpret it as hearing it in your ears because I've discovered in my travels that larger beings prefer to hear with their ears over in their heads, for the most part."

Jeff blinked for a time. "Okay, that makes sense," he allowed thoughtfully. "But how exactly can you-"

"And I'll happily answer any further questions when we aren't on a time limit in regards to Ness and Paula turning into zombies."

"Oh, right," Jeff agreed, flushing slightly in embarrassment. Ness, Paula, and Moondancer all suppressed their giggles.

A blue haired Healer identical to the one in the Twoson hospital looked Ness and Paula over carefully. "Well, I have good news and bad news," he told them softly. "The good news is I recognize the infection and know exactly what it is and how it will progress."

"What's the bad news?" Ness asked worriedly.

"There's nothing I or the doctors can do," he offered apologetically. "The only thing that can theoretically treat this type of infection is, according to ancient records, 'the planet's sacred light'. Said light is known to raise the dead and cleanse all illness and pain. However, I have no idea where said light could be found or how to apply it."

"Sounds like the light given off by Your Sanctuaries," Paula pointed out to Ness. "It was...really refreshing when it washed over us back at Lilliput Steps."

"How long do we have to find a treatment?" Moondancer asked worriedly.

"Six," the healer answered calmly.

"Six what?" Jeff asked in confusion.

"Periods of unconsciousness," the healer answered calmly. "A strong will and mental focus prevents this infection from spreading. Each time you lose consciousness - whether from being knocked unconscious or from sleeping - the infection will spread further. However, if you don't sleep when you need it, it will spread faster as your will and mind weaken from sleep deprivation."

Ness blinked worriedly. "...I don't want to know why you know this particular infection in such detail, do I?"

"You do not," the Healer confirmed. "However, no medicine known to Earth will help you, unless the 'sacred light of the planet' proves to be effective."

"Guess we'll have to work fast and careful-" Moondancer began, only to duck as a blast of golden light shot out of Jeff's hand.

"Whoa!" Jeff called out in surprise, staring at the several doll-like monsters that fell to bits from the blast shooting straight out the hospital doors. He carefully pulled his finger off the trigger of the device he was holding, now obviously some sort of ray gun. "Okay, fixing that antennae up while waiting was definitely a good idea! Think I'll call this the Gaia Beam!"

Moondancer glowered at him for a time, then turned back to the others. "Or we can just stay behind Jeff and use PSI to snipe the PSI users."

This is the Mash

As the group carefully stepped over the remains of the marionette monsters that Jeff had accidentally destroyed, Ness turned to their new companion. "So, that tent you mentioned?" he asked hopefully. "Lead the way."

"Follow me," Jeff agreed, Gaia Beam primed and following the street to the south of town, where a few mobile cages like those used by moving circuses to hold wild animals were just visible through the ever-present gloom. As they moved nearer, something within one of the cages snarled and lunged at the bars, the stench of rot escaping. The group swiftly backed away as a large purple tent became visible. "There it is," Jeff pointed out calmly.

"How are you...not scared of any of this?" Moondancer asked curiously.

"Because I find it absolutely fascinating!" Jeff responded eagerly as they moved around the tent. "The actual living dead walking...just the idea of a force that could cause this is in violation of most of the known scientific principles of this world...much like this Gaia Beam, since it doesn't have spatial compression tech and yet is able to generate so much energy so many times without straining its structure or overheating. I'm honestly curious about what is making these things go, how its preventing the undead from breaking down, how it's moving the inanimate objects..."

"This is just a wild guess," Paula spoke up, "but the undead seem to be the result of whatever infected us, and everything else is probably ghosts."

"And what allows the ghosts to maintain cohesion without physical matter?" Jeff inquired excitedly. "What are their limitations? How is it possible to damage a ghost physically? What does a ghost consume to restore its energy reserves-"

"By Giygas, do you ever shut up?" the tent demanded angrily, eyes wincing as a large mouth snarled.

"And how is a tent capable of speech and self-motion?" Jeff continued excitedly. "How can it have a headache without a head? Where does the pain focus? And how does it eat if it's possible for creatures to go in and out of it without trouble?"

"...and that's a no..." the tent grumbled irritably. "Goooargggh!" Energy gathered around the face as it prepared to attack.

Moondancer and Paula immediately unleashed PSI Fire, on the assumption that something made of fabric would be vulnerable to fire. Ness struck out with his flame enhanced PSI Bat. Jeff braced himself in a Parry, ready to counterattack. The tent, seeing Jeff not attacking, unleashed a barrage of blows in his direction...only to be reduced to ash as Jeff parried and countered each blow.

"...and how am I going to get any of those answers now?" Jeff asked sadly as he stared at the ashes left behind as the zombies that had been within the tent fled, leaving only a single trash can.

"Pretty sure most of the answers boil down to 'madness enhanced PSI'," Moondancer pointed out.

"Well that's hardly scientific!" Jeff complained as Ness fished around in the can.

"What did you find?" Paula asked curiously.

"A jar of Fly Honey," Ness responded readily. "Not sure what we should do with it."

"Other than hold onto it, I'm not sure either," Buzz Buzz allowed. "It's definitely important if it were secured like this."

Jeff sighed. "I guess it looks like..." He reached up to straighten his glasses. "...we've reached a dead end-"

"YEEEAAAAHHHH!"

Ness let out a scream as he jumped before pulling out the Receiver Phone. "I am never going to get used to that." He flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

"Hey Ness, it's Apple Kid!"

"Hey Apple Kid!" Ness responded happily. "Any chance you recently invented something to deal with a zombie apocalypse?"

Apple Kid chuckled softly. "Well, I dunno about 'apocalypse', but the Zombie Paper I just invented should trap zombies pretty well. Find a big open structure like a circus tent, lay the Zombie Paper down on the floor, and every zombie within a city-sized radius should be drawn into the structure to become stuck on the Paper...which won't actually affect anything but zombies!"

"That sounds like exactly what we need!" Ness confirmed happily. "But what do you mean 'should'?"

"Well, since there aren't any zombies in Twoson, I haven't been able to test it," Apple Kid explained. "So can you come pick it up?"

"I'm afraid not," Ness explained. "We're stuck in Threed due to zombies, possessed human-sized dolls, pumpkin headed monstrosities, and ghosts."

"Then delivery by Escargot Express isn't an option..." Apple Kid muttered worriedly.

"Maybe the Mach Pizza delivery guy from the Threed outlet?" Paula suggested. "Didn't the drugstore people say none of the monsters bothered him?"

"That's an idea," Ness agreed. "Apple Kid, can you order Mach Pizza from Threed for delivery? That delivery guy should be able to get in and out...maybe."

"I'll give it a shot," Apple Kid allowed. "I'll tell him to find you at the Threed bus stop, so wait there for him, okay?"

"Got it!" Ness agreed. "Hopefully we'll get the Zombie Paper soon. Don't suppose you have anything for treating zombie infection?"

"Sorry, my degrees are in engineering, not biology," Apple Kid apologized. "I'll look into it, though." With that, he hung up.

Ness sighed as he put the phone away. "Well, time to go wait at the bus stop...and hope for the best..."

Passage of Time
Infection Worsens
Ness - Infection 1
Paula - Infection 1

Ness, Paula, and Jeff sat on the bench next to the bus stop, knowing no bus would come. Moondancer lay on the grass nearby. Buzz Buzz settled on the Bus Stop sign since he'd noticed his constant buzzing disturbed Ness and Paula, who looked the worse for wear and seemed to be getting a little sluggish. Jeff shared a couple picnic lunches he'd picked up while training with his father south of Stonehenge, hoping good food and sweets would help them feel better. While they were cheered by the offer and the food, it did not seem to affect their lethargy.

A man in a red and white striped shirt suddenly rushed up. He had a top hat on his head, white pants, black shoes, a bear mask under one arm, a flashlight on strobe in the other hand, and a bag slung over one shoulder. "Are you Ness?" he asked curiously.

"Y-yeah, that's me," Ness confirmed.

"Apple Kid asked me to bring this to you, since normal delivery services can't get through the Twoson-Threed tunnel," the man explained easily as he switched off his flashlight. "That'll be $476 for two deliveries."

Nodding, Ness groggily pulled the money out of his wallet and handed it over.

"Pleasure doing business," the delivery man said as he handed over the package.

Ness took the package...and stared at it oddly. He started groggily struggling to get it open as the delivery man raced away.

Jeff quickly pulled the package out of Ness' grip. "M...maybe I'd better take care of this," he spoke up. "Moondancer, why don't you take Ness and Paula to the Hotel...and tie them to the bed until the Paper's done its thing?"

Moondancer's eyes widened. "It's effecting them, too?"

"It...smells interesting..." Paula began curiously, leaning towards Jeff.

"Right!" Moondancer declared firmly. "Bed for you two! Join us in the hotel once you've placed the Paper, Jeff. A night's sleep should help their minds, if not the infection...and should give time for the Zombie Paper to draw in all the zombies."

"See you soon," Jeff agreed, moving carefully to a large circus tent in the center of town.

Night's Rest
Infection Worsens
Ness - Infection 2
Paula - Infection 2

Author's Note

Zombie Infection Game Mechanics:
'Infection' describes a character who is undergoing the process of turning into a zombie. This status effect does not vanish at end of battle, cannot be cured with PSI Healing, Cup of Life Noodles, or Secret Herb, and cannot be removed at the hospital. It also persists when a character is revived from being unconscious.
Infection can be contracted one of three ways.
1. Plot event (Ness and Paula are Infected this way)
2. A Zombie monster attacking with an Infectious Bite
3. Party being wiped out in a battle with Zombie monsters (this inflicts Infection 1, see below)

Infection can progress (Infection 1, 2, 3, etc.) as a result of the following events.
1. Party sleeps at a Hotel (Infection +1)
2. Character is KO'ed in battle, and not revived before the end of battle (Infection +1)
3. Party is wiped out in a battle with Zombie monsters (Infection +2)
4. Ten minutes play time since the last time Infection increased (Infection+1)

Infection progresses as follows:
Infection - Character is Infected, but otherwise no effect
Infection 1 - Character is infected. Vitality, IQ, and Speed reduced by 2-3
Each successive level of Infection reduces Vitality, IQ, and Speed by an additional 2-3 points, no lower than 2.

When an Infected character's Vitality, IQ, and Speed are all reduced to 2, it becomes Infection X. Each time Infection would increase from then on, a Guts calculation (the same one to see if a character who takes mortal damage in battle survives on one HP) is run to resist further progression.

On first failure, Infection X becomes Infection Y, and Speed is reduced to zero. At this point, the character can take no action in battle but Defend, or character specific actions such as Pray or Spy.

On second failure, Infection Y becomes Infection Z, and Vitality is reduced to zero. Character's HP is reduced to one, and can not be recovered beyond that point.

On third failure, Infection Z becomes Zombie status as IQ is reduced to zero. A Zombie character will have no HP or PP, cannot be commanded in battle, and has a 50% chance every round of battle to attack another party member with an infectious bite, which will deal damage based on 50% of their offense stat with 50% chance of inflicting Infection+1. This attack ignores Defend or Parry's effects.

Infection can be cured only by visiting a Sanctuary.

Before, Behind, Beside

Ness and Paula awoke groggily, struggling to get their minds in order and to get their bodies moving. Both of them could feel their muscles protesting every movement, and an inexplicable hunger filling them. To their surprise, more picnic lunches awaited them, and they each fell on one with surprising viciousness, not even understanding why they were so hungry.

"Okay, I guess you were right, Jeff," Moondancer observed worriedly. "It...is affecting them stronger than anticipated."

"Huh?" Ness asked in confusion.

"I'm used to getting by on a half-night of sleep while I invent or tinker the other half," Jeff explained, "so I used the other half to talk with Moondancer and Buzz Buzz about the situation, both small and large scale." He pushed his glasses up his nose. "And what I've been able to determine...is that if it really does take the 'Light of the Planet' to cure this infection, then it can't be a purely biological contamination. And if it's not purely biological, then it will be actively mutating as opposed to passively, seeking out ways to overset your will to weaken you until you turn. Meaning the longer you resist it, the harder it will be to resist, the more energy it will take to purge...and the more it will change you as you become unable to resist its power to influence your actions."

Paula groaned, rubbing her head. "Just because we're a bit groggy and a bit ravenous doesn't mean we're acting like zombies..."

"And how do you feel about ketchup dripping off your chin onto your dress like blood?" Buzz Buzz inquired, buzzing over to the mess in question.

Paula glanced down at herself. She felt like she should be upset about the mess - and about how rumpled she looked after sleeping badly in her clothes - but... "Meh. We've got more important things to worry about."

"And there's the problem," Jeff observed calmly. He turned to Ness. "Neither of you slept well last night because you were struggling against both nightmares from the infection and the call of the Zombie Paper-"

"Speaking of, can we make sure all the zombies are in the paper?" Ness asked curiously. "That's the tent just south of the hotel, right?"

Jeff turned to stare at Ness. "And how do you know where I put the Paper?" he asked coldly. "You weren't there when I did it, and you didn't see me do it from here either."

Ness opened his mouth to respond...only to realize he didn't have one. "I...I don't know..."

"This is what I was afraid of," Jeff stated calmly. "Both of you are slipping into a zombie mindset without even being aware of it, and it's just going to get worse, not better. I know you're the one who's being infused by energy from the Earth, Ness...but plainly you aren't fit to lead us right now."

Ness gritted his teeth, feeling his temper start to build. He wanted to snap out at Jeff, shout him down about taking over the quest, make him back off and bend down to get at that juicy... His eyes widened as he realized the direction of his train of though. "Y...you're right," he managed to force out. "So...what's the plan?"

Jeff nodded. "As I said, you're the focus of the Earth's energy," Jeff continued. "While we're apparently supposed to be the Chosen Four, if we lose you we're screwed. And the forces we're up against here know that. And they don't even have to work that hard now that you're infected. We were given an estimate of six stages before full infection...and I think that's about right from how rapidly your behaviors are changing. I'd estimate four more stages before you start to turn, and once that starts you probably won't be able to fight at all. We know there's a path to wherever the zombies are coming from in the cemetery, so we explore that now. I'll take point, Moondancer will bring up the rear, and you two stay between us at all times." He turned to Buzz Buzz. "Do you think you can manage what we discussed?"

"I can try," Buzz Buzz allowed. "I've never tried to keep PSI protections up that long, even small ones...and without my shell, my PSI potential is greatly reduced. It was designed as an amplifier, after all..."

"Try, but don't push yourself," Jeff stated firmly. "Let's-"

"What happened to you being shy and having trouble speaking out?" Ness asked curiously. "Didn't you say you had trouble with that when we met?"

Jeff futzed with his glasses, blushing a bit. "I do, in social situations. I'm maintaining control by approaching the situation as a scientific problem. That I know how to handle...for the most part. Let's go...before I lose my nerve."

The trek to the cemetery proved rather uneventful. Buzz Buzz orbited the group as they marched in a diamond formation, sticking close together. Any hostile ghosts, bugs, or marionettes that approached from the side he managed to knock back with a brief Barrier flare, long enough for Jeff to lock on and shoot them with a focused Gaia Beam. Moondancer dealt with anything that approached from behind by picking it up in her aura and throwing it to the front of the group. Jeff dealt with anything that approached from in front by parrying with his Robo-Pack, always ready to fire.

At the back of the cemetery, behind where the two truly terrifying zombies had been standing guard, was a ladder leading down. Jeff stopped once they reached it. "This is where things will get tricky," he murmured worriedly.

"How so?" Ness asked, curious despite the listless tone to his voice.

"The Zombie Paper only reaches as far as the city limits," Jeff explained. "Beyond here, we're outside its effects. While that should give the two of you more focus as you'll no longer feel its pull, it also means we'll be encountering zombies again."

"And if whatever force is in charge has been paying attention at all, they'll be trying doubly hard to get you infected, as well as push the infection along for Ness and Paula," Moondancer concluded. "Which means we're likely to be swarmed."

"Then we'll just have to make a good showing," Ness said firmly, putting his bat away as he gathered his thoughts as best he could.

"What are you doing?" Jeff asked worriedly.

Ness blinked, struggling through the fog that kept trying to cloud his mind. It would be so easy...so easy to just relax, not think, let the new friends come and plant him. Shaking his head, he spoke up. "You can...parry to protect yourself. That will...keep the zombies distant. But if...Paula or I leap...into the fray..."

"You open yourself up to further infection, and your slowed reflexes and thought process will get you in trouble," Jeff deduced. "So you want to have all your focus on your PSI, which you can unleash from behind me."

"Good...thinking, Ness," Paula agreed as she slipped her pan into her skirt. She held her hands forward to gather fire between them, only to flinch back. "I'm...I'm afraid of my...own fire..."

"Stay strong," Buzz Buzz spoke firmly, trying to hide his own worry as Moondancer shivered.

Time Passes
Infection Worsens
Ness - Infection 3
Paula - Infection 3

Into the Jaws of Death

As Jeff climbed down the ladder first, trouble struck almost immediately in the form of what looked like the classic bedsheet design of ghost. Rather than attack physically, it simply phased between the robot arms and touched Jeff, its icy hand causing his body to freeze up and fall off the ladder.

"Jeff!" Ness shouted as he tried to leap down the ladder to help, only to trip and land head first on the ghost, flattening it to the ground.

Moondancer leapt after them, landing more easily as she unleashed a blast of cold on the ghost, turning it solid before spinning and kicking to shatter it. "Are you alright?" she asked Jeff and Ness worriedly.

"...now that's using my head," Ness offered with a dazed chuckle.

"I'm alright," Jeff confirmed as he got to his feet. "You guys need to focus on the ghosts, though. I can't parry them."

"Then we'll...deal with them," Paula managed to say as she slowly climbed down. "Ice...ice seems to work well. I can do ice..."

Jeff shook himself off as he checked his robo-pack for functionality. "Okay, let's go."

The cavern beneath the cemetery had a winding path, but it was most definitely a tunnel to somewhere with no splits or false dead ends. The corridors frequently opened into large chambers where zombies swarmed, while the ghosts patrolled the corridors between them. When confronted with ghosts, Jeff went on the offensive with shooting while Paula and Moondancer unleashed Freeze PSI to slow them down or halt them. When confronted by Zombies, Jeff stayed defensive, letting them shamble up to him so he could take them out one at a time.

However, in one corridor, they encountered multiple ghosts and zombies together. "Watch out!" Moondancer called out as the ghosts went straight for Jeff. One was quickly vaporized, but the other managed to touch him with an icy hand, locking his body up...and letting the zombie it had concealed beneath it lunge in with a bite.

"Einstein's sideburns!" Jeff swore as the teeth dug into his flesh as he struggled to move. A blast of fire suddenly washed over him and the zombie attacking him. The zombie was reduced to ash, while the Star Pendant he wore left him feeling only a brief feeling of heat that warmed his limbs and let him quickly strike down the other zombies. "Are the rest of you al-GYAK!" He clutched his arm where he was bitten, the wound pulsing and green.

"It's infected!" Moondancer gasped out worriedly as she quickly used her PSI to seal the wound, to at least make the limb usable. "What do we do now?"

"We keep going," Jeff stated firmly. "It...it should take longer to fully consume me. It's based on how often we need to rest, which is when we can't fight back against it...and I'm used to running on only a half-night's sleep while I work the other half. Let's...keep going."

Ness and Paula glanced worriedly between themselves, but let Jeff keep leading the way.

"Gyork!" a sudden voice declared, drawing their attention to what was - apparently - a sentient pile of puke with eyes and a mouth.

"Oh god, I think I'm going to be sick," Paula muttered as she looked at it, her hand going to her mouth.

"Good, gyork!" the creature declared. "The weakness of nausea will accelerate the infection, and we will get another of me from the infected puke! You may not be Fly Honey delivery zombies like I first thought, but we will prosper from this. Now give me the Fly Honey!"

The pile lunged for the group, but Paula and Moondancer quickly unleashed fire while Jeff fired with his Gaia Beam. Ness swung his PSI Bat through the combined energies to smash the pile apart...quickly bringing his hand to cover his mouth and nose as the scent of burned vomit assailed him.

"Please tell me someone has an air freshener PSI," Jeff murmured queasily. He then blinked as Buzz Buzz flew through the stench, dispersing it. "...you actually have one?"

"No, but I can collect scents that appeal to me to spare others," Buzz Buzz allowed. Noticing their stares, he spoke again. "What? I am insectoid."

"That is...surprisingly easy to forget, all evidence to the contrary," Moondancer allowed awkwardly.

"Thank you," Buzz Buzz replied happily.

Infection has spread
Jeff - Infected
Ness - Infection 3
Paula - Infection 3

At the end of the cavern, the group stepped back into light. The grass was green, the sun shone down, and a waterfall could be heard in the distance. "Looks like we're out of Threed city limits," Jeff observed.

"Y...yeah," Ness confirmed as he pulled his cap down as far as he could to shade his eyes. "T...too bright..."

"Can we get inside soon?" Paula pleaded as she struggled to shield her eyes.

An older man leaning against a nearby tree spoke up. "It looks like your friends aren't doing so well," he observed in a friendly tone. "Would some food help perk you all up? I've got some for sale, good prices."

"Sorry, but we aren't carrying any money," Jeff apologized. "Beyond that, we're already carrying a good amount of food."

"Well, perhaps somewhere to rest would be good," the old man suggested. "Further up the path towards the waterfall, there's a cave to the east. Leads to a valley full of the strangest creatures I ever saw. Friendly little buggers...but strange. Like...like faces with feet and bows."

Moondancer perked up. "Do they talk funny? Say things like Boing and Zoom all the time?"

The old man blinked. "Why...yes. Have you been there?"

"No, but somewhere very like it." Moondancer turned to Jeff. "I don't know how, but there's a settlement of Mr. Saturns here, and we should get there as soon as we can."

"What?" Jeff asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Because Mr. Saturns are from Saturn," Buzz Buzz explained. "Not of Earth. Not only that, they're excellent healers and field medics, which means they will have with them medicine not of this world. If anyone can help with the infection you three are dealing with, it's them!"

"Exactly!" Moondancer confirmed. "Let's go!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jeff demanded as he turned to resolutely lead the way forward.

Infection Worsens
Jeff - Infection 1
Ness - Infection 4
Paula - Infection 4

A Valley Where Rest Is Peaceful

The path towards the waterfall was quite straight-forward, with no deviations until the cave in the east cliff wall that could just barely be seen in the distance. As the group made their way there, they encountered several different creatures that tried to fight them. Red Antoids proved one of the most numerous, and easiest to deal with as - like their black cousins in the Giant Step cave - either attacked with a bite, healed themselves, or called for help. Jeff in the lead parrying could wipe out an entire group in less than a minute. The new variety of zombie that was present was worrisome at first, but without ghosts accompanying it it wasn't able to get past Jeff's robotic manipulators. Brown gators also attacked, but were quickly convinced to go elsewhere when they saw the blasts of Jeff's Gaia Beam obliterating the zombies.

The more concerning creature was a strange Armored Frog, which seemed to have the head of a frog and the body of an armadillo. While it wasn't strong enough to get past Jeff's defenses, the odd combination unnerved Moondancer for reasons she couldn't quite put her hoof on...and upset Buzz Buzz for reasons he refused to elaborate on beyond his initial reference to it as a 'chimera'.

After wading through the waves of enemies, the group finally managed to get to the cave. Ness and Paula eagerly dove into it, relieved to be out of direct sunlight. Jeff rushed in with them, now more worried than ever about their present state.

In the cave itself, an overlarge roach attacked them violently, only to be readily repelled. It wasn't long after that before they left the cave into a brightly lit valley...

Infection Worsens
Ness - Infection 5
Paula - Infection 5
Jeff - Infection 2

Moondancer breathed a sigh of relief as she took in the valley. It glowed as though it were a place of eternal sunshine, and she could see that Jeff's bite wound looked somewhat healthier just from being there. The Mr. Saturns walking around were a bit of comfort, as were the circular buildings that housed both their beds and their businesses.

As they reached the true entrance to the town, where the narrow path between cliffs widened into the valley, one of the Mr. Saturns turned to them. "Welcome to Saturn Valley, Boing!" he greeted warmly. "Here, all Mr. Saturn, zoom! Oh, you not well, see Dr. Saturn, Kay-O!" Turning, the Mr. Saturn pointed to one of the nearby buildings.

"Thank you!" Moondancer offered gratefully as she grabbed Ness and Paula in her aura to pull them to the building, Jeff following along quickly.

Jeff skidded to a halt inside, however, when he saw a Mr. Saturn sitting in a blue trashcan. "Uhh...?"

"Mr. Saturns are strange, but their medicine is top notch and they work for free," Buzz Buzz pointed out quickly. "Trust me."

"Do you want me operate on you, Boing?" Dr. Saturn asked curiously.

"Can you do anything for them?" Moondancer asked hopefully, pushing Ness and Paula in front of him.

Dr. Saturn took one look at the back of their necks and wobbled his nose. "This infection new, dangerous, Boing," he observed gravely...though his voice remained high pitched and musical. "Cannot cure, zoom."

"You...can't do anything?" Jeff asked worriedly.

"Hmm...special medicine I have...but only work so long before infection overcome. boing," Dr. Saturn allowed. "These two much close, need medicine soon or start fail, zoom." He turned to Jeff, his nose wiggling. "You, body/mind special train, stronger. Infection attack...body/mind/health, boing. You not far along, last longer by two. Want some special medicine, kay-o?"

"Definitely for Ness and Paula," Jeff confirmed immediately, "but...I think I can go without for now. I...haven't had to struggle against the infection since arriving here."

"Special light in Saturn Valley, Boing!" Dr. Saturn confirmed as he gave the medicine to Ness and Paula, who both eagerly devoured it, their color and eyes looking better even as they took bites. "Drawn from Well, but far and not strong Zoom. Not cure infection, but not progress, and make medicine grow, Kay-O!"

"So we can take our time here?" Ness asked hopefully as he stretched, his mind feeling clear and his body lacking aches for the first time since he'd been infected.

"When leave Valley, light go away, boing," Dr. Saturn pointed out. "Hit hard, zoom."

"So the longer we stay here, the harder the infection will hit them when we leave," Mondancer deduced. "We'll be careful about that."

"Help Saturns, boing?" Dr. Saturn asked curiously. "All taken past Waterfall. Big door, need Password, zoom. Save Mr. Saturn, boing?"

"I think we can take the time," Paula offered nervously. "How much more good will the medicine do us?"

"You two, none zoom," Dr. Saturn allowed. "Five doses, then no work. Work better in large doses than small, kay-o."

"Then which way to the Sanctuary?" Ness asked urgently. "We need to get there. That's the only way to purge the Infection."

"Well past hot spring, Boing!" Dr. Saturn pointed out happily. "But ladder broke. Back way from behind Waterfall, zoom!"

"Then I guess we'll be saving the Mr. Saturns in the base first," Jeff concluded, mentally running calculations on how much time they had.

"One escape, zoom!" Dr. Saturn offered happily. "In caves north, boing! Get answers, get supplies, rest up kay-o!"

"We'll do that," Ness agreed firmly.

Saturn Medicine Heals
Ness - Infected (0/6)
Paula - Infected (0/6)
Jeff - Infection 2/12
Infection does not progress while in Saturn Valley. Timer continues to count down.

Despite them not truly hurrying, the group decided to split up to get everything they needed from the town. Paula was detailed to visit the shop to see if there was anything they needed from it. Jeff explored to see if there was anything sitting around town that he could make use of. Ness intended to try and make contact with someone outside the range of the Valley as the phones in Threed hadn't worked after he and Paula had gotten infected. This left Moondancer and Buzz Buzz to talk to the Mr. Saturns and find the one who escaped in order to try and learn how to get into whatever facility was beyond the waterfall.

It didn't take long for Moondancer to find what she was looking for, one Mr. Saturn who looked like something was stuck to him, discoloring somewhat. As they approached him, his nose wriggled eagerly. "Base...secret. Base behind Grapefruit Falls!"

"How do we get in?" Moondancer asked eagerly.

"Password?" Mr. Saturn asked thoughtfully. When Moondancer nodded, he continued. "I tell. Belch man say, 'Say Password.' Then stand still. Wait three minutes!"

"Well, that's easy enough to do-" Buzz Buzz began.

"Unless the infection worsens on Ness or Paula during those three minutes," Moondancer pointed out worriedly. "A single grunt or groan might mean we had to start over."

"Do you have a better idea?" Buzz Buzz demanded curiously.

"I might," Moondancer murmured thoughtfully. She turned to the Mr. Saturn. "What can you tell me about the door?"

"Man steel," the Mr. Saturn replied happily. "One inch, zoom!"

"New plan," Moondancer stated softly. "When the 'Belch man' asks for the Password, Jeff shoots the door."

"We'll just have to hope that works," Ness pointed out worriedly as he entered the room. "I tried to call Mom and Dad, but...the numbers are specifically blocked in the region. Home, too. Even the number for Jeff's Dad that he gave me when I told him about this."

"We're being deliberately cut off," Buzz Buzz observed worriedly.

Behind the Waterfall

Infection Suppression Ends
Infection Worsens
Ness - Infection 1/6
Paula - Infection 1/6
Jeff - Infection 3/12

As the group left the light of the valley, they felt the Infection strike into them again. Being prepared for it, they were able to deal, and Jeff once more led the way to the Waterfall path. Moving on the offensive, they were able to clear the way through the hostile creatures that attacked to reach the Waterfall.

Just before they could get to the water, the man who had appeared just outside Ness' house when the journey began appeared again, camera in hand...only to frown. "No, I don't think you'll be wanting to remember this part," he observed thoughtfully. "I'd make a joke about fuzzy pickles to try and lighten the mood, but you're all a little young for that. Come back up here once you've left the Well?" With that, he vanished.

"That was...odd," Buzz Buzz observed thoughtfully.

"He took my picture back in Winters," Jeff pointed out. "He seemed harmless enough." He turned back to the waterfall. "There's the path behind it," he pointed out, gesturing to where the water flowed onto the ground before it flowed into the river below. He carefully led the way through, with Moondancer making a barrier to keep the water from soaking the group.

Behind the waterfall, a steel wall could be seen, with a door in the middle. As they approached, a voice from behind the door demanded, "Say the Password!"

Jeff aimed the Gaia Beam. "This is my boomstick!" he declared as he prepared the shot.

"Fine, but what's your pass-"

Jeff fired, blasting a hole in the door and incinerating the mobile pile of puke that had been behind it. "No chance of stealth now!" he declared, turning to the group. "Let's go!"

"Right!" Ness, Paula, and Moondancer agreed, racing after him.

The inside of the base proved to be much like many such bases Moondancer had been in before, with plain gray metal walls, and several floors connected via ladders against walls. Metal pipes raced back and forth along the walls. The only thing that proved somewhat distressing was the fact the floor they ran on was somewhat sticky, making their steps squelch. "Eew..." Moondancer moaned at the first touch, quickly levitating herself into the air rather than walk like that.

"Try not to think about it," Buzz Buzz suggested when he saw similar distress on Paula's face.

The base proved to be crawling with Fobbies overwhelmed by the madness, charging the group in a suicidal manner, only to be blasted by Jeff's Gaia Beam, Ness' PSI Kiai, Paula's PSI Fire, or Moondancer smashing them into each other. The only other creatures in the facility appeared to be the Farm Zombies they'd encountered outside, overlarge flies, and the piles of puke that - for reasons they all tried not to think about - were able to move and talk.

Further along, they spotted the captured Mr. Saturns, chained up by a conveyor belt that was producing Fly Honey. "We're here to help!" Ness yelled to them, rushing forward.

"PSI chains seal, Boing!" the first Mr. Saturn declared. "Beat base boss, all go zoom!"

"Then it looks like we're going deeper," Paula allowed as Jeff took the lead once more.

Infection Worsens
Ness - Infection 2/6
Paula - Infection 2/6
Jeff - Infection 4/12

By the time the group had reached the deepest parts of the base, they could feel the infection spreading slowly through them anew, making it harder and harder to keep going, especially as they found themselves walking through thicker pools of green on the ground. Moondancer tried to help by pushing the group forward with her energy when she could, though it didn't do much.

As they reached the final chamber, they found a door into a cave...with nothing guarding it. "Isn't there supposed to be a base boss?" Paula asked in confusion as she walked towards the door. "That's what the Mr. Saturn's said-"

"Watch out!" Ness screamed out, pulling Paula back just as a disgusting blob of green ooze fell from the ceiling to nearly splatter over her.

"Oh gross..." she moaned as she scooted back. "Ew, ew, ewww..."

Another dollop of sludge fell down atop the first, followed by more until the pile was larger than the group. At the end, two white spheres and a brown sausage landed atop the pile, which slowly drew itself up to tower over the group. The spheres rolled over, revealing themselves to be eyes. The sausage pulled itself apart, the moldy white bits within becoming teeth in a putrid mouth. The creature looked over the group, drew itself up fuller... "Mi mi mi mi mi..." it began in a deep, sonorous bass voice.(1) It then began to sing.

"I am the great Master Belch
And you are the ones that I will squelch
The gas that I disgorge
from my gastronomic forge
Now I shall emit you little twits!"

Before the group could react, Master Belch exhaled a cloud of vile smelling gas, so horrible it caused the eyes to tear up, the nose to clog, and the stomach to churn violently.

"I think I'm going to be sick..." Paula moaned as she clapped a hand over her mouth.

Rushing forward, Ness struck with his PSI Bat...only to pull back as it only spattered bits of Master Belch around, creating an awful mess and releasing a worse stench.

"This is unpleasant," Jeff murmured as he took a shot, only for the massive pile to reform after the blast passed.

Master Belch chuckled wickedly, and then continued to sing.

"Do you really think you can stand in my way?
You don't seem to know the one you fight!
Fly Honey's the one thing that does not make me decay-"

Hearing this, Moondancer seized the Jar of Fly Honey from Ness' bag and chucked it at Master Belch, who eagerly seized it out of the air.

"Why do you think I'm such a lovely sight?" Master Belch concluded his singing as he began to wolf it down, losing himself in it.

"Freeze him!" Moondancer called out to Paula. The pair focused together to unleash their PSI Freeze, attempting to solidfy and crystallize the monster for destruction, or at least reduce his liquid ability to soak damage.

Eventually, Master Belch finally stopped moving, only to slowly drain away into the floor.

Infection Worsens
Ness - 3/6
Paula - 3/6
Jeff - 5/12

(1) The "Master Belch song" submitted by F14m3rz

Cleansing Light

"L-let's get out of here..." Paula groaned as she covered her mouth, desperately trying to keep from throwing up. "It feels like he's still here...that stench..."

"That's because he splashed when you blasted and smashed him," Moondancer pointed out, gesturing to where their clothes were spattered with a substance it was best not to think about.

"We should hurry through there," Jeff suggested urgently. "It looks like a stone passage, so it should lead towards the Sanctuary...I hope."

"Go go go!" Ness urged as he grabbed Paula's hand to pull her through.

As the group raced through the passage, several Mr. Saturns greeted them happily, crowing about how they escaped. Eventually they stepped out into Saturn Valley on a higher plateau, one that had a hot spring in it that glowed pink.

"Special hot spring, boing!" a nearby Mr. Saturn told the group. "Light filled, zoom! Self clean, wash off yurk, feel good, Kay-O!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Moondancer said quickly as she pushed the group ahead of her into the spring.

After being briefly submerged, all four youngsters surfaced with gasps of relief as the pleasant scent of the hot spring water washed away their nausea and other symptoms, and as the gunk stuck to their clothes broke away, dissolved, and vanished before their very eyes. Before long they were completely clean.

"We...we can take time while here in the Valley, right?" Ness asked hopefully. "I could...really use a break...and this spring feels...so nice..."

"Need spring towels, boing?" a Mr. Saturn nearby offered. "Hang clothes dry, zoom!"

The group glanced at each other and shared a smile.

Soaking in the hot spring stalls the Infection timer.
Ness - 3/6
Paula - 3/6
Jeff - 5/12

With plain white towels wrapped around the humans' bodies to preserve modesty, the four youngsters happily soaked away in the spring until they felt their strength returning and their stress and aches fading. As they soaked, one of the Mr. Saturns approached with a thermos and cups. "Drink coffee with me before you go?" he offered hopefully. "Say yes to me? Say no to me?"

"Say yes," Moondancer advised the others with a soft smile. "Mr. Saturn coffee is...unique and invigorating. And it won't stunt your growth."

Smiling somewhat bashfully, Ness held out his hands for a pair of cups, passing one to Paula while Jeff accepted his own.

"Bottoms up, Boing!" the Mr. Saturn declared happily as they all drank.

As the coffee flowed into her, Moondancer once more found herself floating in a space that was somewhere between dream and reality, but not quite Magicant. She could feel Ness, Paula, and Jeff there as well, but could not see them...but that wasn't really important. The voice, when it came, had more to say to them.

You've traveled very far from home, Ness...
Do you remember how your long and winding journey began with someone pounding on your door?

Before the voice could continue, Ness spoke up. "Pokey. He was the mean kid...but it wasn't his fault. I...I still need to apologize for how I treated him that night..."

You are a very forgiving boy, Ness. This is good
But Pokey is not yet ready for forgiveness.
He too has a role to play in all this before it comes to an end.

"But I want to save him, too..."

You and Moondancer, despite your obvious differences, are very alike.
It is no wonder the Earth shares its strength with both of you.
But as far as you've walked, as strong as you've become, you aren't strong enough to save anyone yet.

"What do we need to do?" Moondancer asked thoughtfully. She felt like she should be more emphatic here, but it felt like her emotions were muted somehow, her mind clearer as a result.

The Prophecy speaks of the chosen four...
When all four gather, strength will be unleashed.
But strength alone can't save anyone.
You've felt the power before, Moondancer. The power that comes from those bonds of friendship.
A time will come when it must be unleashed again. It is the key to the warps of time, that will open the path to your goal.
No one alone can accomplish the goal.
Hold onto your courage, and share it with your friends.
Do not fear separation, as it may prove necessary at times.
As long as you hold each other in your heart, your bonds will remain strong.
Three fates await this world and all tied to it, and the choices you make will determine which comes to pass.

Once you complete what you came here for, you must journey East.
Beyond the vast desert is the city of Fourside.
The path forward awaits you there, along with great danger.
I wish you all luck...

As the group returned to their normal awareness, they found themselves fully dressed and standing just inside a cave, the light of the Valley behind them. "That coffee has...quite a kick," Jeff observed as he straightened his glasses with one hand and blasted some attacking plants with the other.

"And here I thought strong drinks made humans lose their clothes?" Buzz Buzz joked. Paula blushed brightly.

Ness, Jeff, and Moondancer all turned to stare at Buzz Buzz in confusion. "I don't get it," they chorused together.

"...never mind," Buzz Buzz allowed lamely. "I forgot how young you all were. Let's keep going."

Beyond the short cavern, the group stepped out into bright sunlight, where more plant-based creatures attacked. New colors of Sprout and Mushroom attacked alongside a strange plant-man that wielded a giant leaf. However, Paula and Moondancer were able to push all of them back with PSI Fire, with Jeff and Ness striking out occasionally with their weapons. This left them with a clear path into the next cavern.

The path they walked on within was high above a distant darkness their eyes could not pierce. At the end of the path, a glowing starburst signified another Sanctuary Guardian. "You finally got here," the voice from within the starburst said. "This is the third 'Your Sanctuary' location." The voice paused, and they could feel themselves being examined. "And you arrived in plenty of time, too. So this place is mine now. Take it from me-"

"Wait!" Ness interrupted. "Plenty of time? Are you talking about the Infection?"

The voice in the starburst did not respond.

"And what if we weren't in plenty of time?" Ness demanded. "What then?" When there was still no response, his eyes widened. "The monsters around here are caused by Giygas...but you're brought here by the Sanctuary! You're not here to keep me from getting the power...you're here to test if we're ready!"

"And it looks like you have advanced in ways unanticipated," the voice spoke calmly. "So let's see what you're capable of." The starburst erupted, revealing a massive brown plantform topped with a golden sprout. "I am the Trillionage Sprout," it spoke in a different voice, the golden sprout at its top glowing as two of the silver Sprouts that had been patrolling the path came to its aid. "Best me if you can. Fear not my death, for this form is shaped by the Sanctuary, and in defeat I will only become what I was."

"FIRE!" Paula and Moondancer screamed together as they unleashed waves of PSI flames. Lunging forward, Ness dipped his PSI Bat into the flames, absorbing the energy before striking forward with it. Jeff primed his Gaia Beam and began to fire rapidly.

The Trillionage Sprout attempted to fight the assault with physical force and sudden blazes of light. It was large enough to knock any of them onto their backs if it hit, but the flashes of light were neutralized by the Star Pendants the group was wearing, rendering them useless.

In frustration, it glared at Ness as an eerie glow surrounded its eyes.

"Move!" Buzz Buzz shouted, using a spot-shield as a battering ram to knock Ness out of the line of sight. "That glare can turn you into diamond!"

"Then lets make it hard for him to see!" Ness cried out as he brought his hands to the front of his head. "PSI Flash!" A blaze of light erupted from the center of his forehead, causing the Sprout to cry uncontrollably.

Not long after that, the Sprout took too much damage and collapsed, reverting into an ordinary plant and leaving the path to the Sanctuary clear.

Stepping outside, the group found a well that seemed to be filled with milk. A round stone in the center sprayed the liquid up constantly to fall back into the well. As they approached, the Light of the Planet washed over them, cleansing their Infections as music filled the air.

Moondancer felt her father gently brushing knots out of her mane, and heard her own voice firmly declaring, 'Help Da!' As she and Ness became attuned to Milky Well, she found her determination to keep that promise renewed.

The Journey Continues

As the light faded, the group felt themselves completely refreshed. Before their very eyes, the Infected wounds faded and vanished, leaving only healthy skin behind. Jeff breathed a sigh of relief as he saw this. "Oh...good..." he managed to say as his knees gave way and he fell back on his butt. "That's...over and done with. No more...mental decay..."

"I guess I can see why that's something you'd especially worry about-" Buzz Buzz began.

"Ness can take charge again, thank god!" Jeff gasped out, putting his face in his hands as he continued to shake. "Please don't ever put me in charge again. I don't like it at all..."

Ness chuckled softly, and patted Jeff companionably on his shoulder. "Well, you did a good job of it," he offered warmly. "I doubt we'd have pulled through on this without you. Thank you." He held his hand out to Jeff to help him back to his feet.

Jeff looked up in surprise. Blinking and straightening his glasses, he accepted the hand up. "I just...did what needed to be done..."

"That's all any of us are doing," Paula pointed out, giving Jeff a comforting hug to help him calm down.

"So where to now, Ness?" Moondancer asked, happy to let things get back on track.

"Well, the coffee voice said we need to go to Fourside," Ness recalled with a smile. "So let's get back to Threed and move on from there. Here's hoping getting rid of that Master Belch got rid of the zombies."

"Well if that didn't, maybe waking the Light here in Milky Well drove the darkness back," Buzz Buzz suggested.

Turning, Ness led the group back out through the cave system.

The journey back to Threed proved rather uneventful, and even the crypt-like tunnel between Grapefruit Falls and Threed was empty of zombies and ghosts, much to the group's relief. When they stepped out of the tunnel, they had to shade their eyes as the sun shone brightly down on the town. They couldn't stop the smiles on their faces as they saw and heard the townspeople celebrating the end of the siege. "Sounds like everything's back to normal," Paula stated happily, smiling as the group looked out over the town.

"Do we want to stick around for the celebration?" Buzz Buzz asked curiously. "Pretty sure you could all use a break."

"We may want to, but we shouldn't," Ness stated firmly. "We don't know how time's flowing right now, or when or where we need to be to fix everything at the end, or how we'll get there. Until we do, we need to keep moving."

"Not only that," Moondancer began with a frown, "if the various forces under Giygas' command that are still capable of rational thought are in communication, they'll know we finished things here. Do we want to bet they haven't beefed things up in Fourside, or give them time to do so?"

"You've got a point there," Buzz Buzz agreed with a sigh. "The woman who locked you up under the cemetery and arranged your infection was talking to Belch's troops about getting back to her post in Fourside. We need to rush."

"So the question is...walk or ride the bus?" Jeff asked curiously.

"Bus," Ness stated firmly. "If it's running now, we should save our physical strength and rest up however we can, and riding a bus would be a good way to do that. Let's get to the bus stop."

As they made their way towards the Bus Stop, they wound up taking a wrong turn and walking in front of the circus tent. As they did, the mysterious photographer dropped out of the sky to land near them. "Well, I know you're in a rush, but the specter of decay is no longer hanging over any of you or this town, so how about making a memory before being on your way?" Smiling, he held up his camera. "Look at the camera and say...Fuzzy Pickles!"

Moondancer and Ness both smiled, posing for the camera as Paula and Jeff both blinked in shock. "Fuzzy Pickles!" they declared together just before the old man snapped the photo.

"Wow, what a wonderful photograph!" he declared happily. "I'm sure it will always bring back the fondest memories!" With that, he vanished back into the sky.

"What is up with that guy?" Buzz Buzz demanded in confusion.

"I'm sure we'll learn eventually," Moondancer allowed thoughtfully.

By the time they reached the bus stop, the bus was just pulling up. The driver glanced at them as he swung the doors open. "This bus will take you to Fourside, barring any traffic or other incidents beyond my control. $2 per person to ride. For your group, that's $8. Wanna ride?"

Ness nodded, not feeling nervous but still uncertain about speaking aloud to someone he didn't know at all. He handed over the money as everyone took their seats. The inside of the bus was like public transportation anywhere, with seats that were the barest level of physical comfort to maximize possible passengers while still meeting all safety regulations and leaving room for handicapped passengers. They each took a seat - Moondancer between Ness and Paula to stabilize her - as the bus doors closed and it pulled away.

The bus drove readily down the streets of Threed, making its way rapidly into the East Tunnel. Moondancer lifted her head to stare out the window as she watched the tunnel lights swoop by, seeming to fly away as the bus drove on. "Fascinating..." she murmured as she watched the play of the shadows inside the bus from the lights as it drove rapidly through.

As they left the tunnel, she stared briefly at the grassy area they passed through before entering another tunnel, before watching the shadows play again. Beyond that tunnel, she stared out at sandy dunes and rocky formations for a brief moment before pulling back and shedding her turtleneck. "How is it so hot out here when it was cool barely 100 yards away?" she demanded incredulously.

"The desert sands absorbs and releases the heat of the desert, I believe," Jeff offered thoughtfully. "I'm not sure, since I haven't studied weather, but I do know that deserts are much hotter by day and much colder by night than most other environments."

The bus suddenly came to a halt. "Man, it's bumper to bumper out here!" the driver declared. "There's no way I can get through this to Fourside. "My job's to drive, so I need to take the bus back and report this. If you guys want to get out and walk around to get to Fourside, I'll open the door. Or I can take you back with me. Your choice."

"I guess we'll get out and-" Paula began, only for Ness to cut her off.

"Can you drop us off back at that store I saw a little way's back?" he asked the driver. "I think we can work something out from there." He stared at Moondancer in concern as she stared worriedly out at the scorching sands, already starting to pant from the heat.

"Sure thing, kid," the driver agreed, turning the bus around to stop there. "There's a bus stop here, anyway. Good luck, kids, and be careful!"

The group stepped off the bus, moving quickly into the shaded awning of the store as they began to plan their next move.

Beating the Heat

As soon as the group was inside the store, Ness moved Moondancer around until he found the coolest point in the store before laying her out to relax and cool off. "Okay, what do we do now?" he asked, turning to Paula, Jeff, and Buzz Buzz.

Jeff raised an eyebrow. "Um...I'm pretty sure our only option is attempting to walk around the traffic via the desert itself, and hope we're able to take a pedestrian path at the opposite end to get past the jam. What other options could there be?"

"I was hoping for one that didn't have Moondancer dying of heat stroke," Ness pointed out dryly. "Even the single step between the edge of the road and the shadowed awning left her struggling to breathe in the heat. With how much heat her fur coat keep in in this desert, I'm not sure there are enough Wet Towels in the world to get her through the whole desert, especially when we don't know where we're going through it."

"And even if there were, I doubt the store has them all in stock," Paula added thoughtfully. "Not that we could spare to cash to buy them all if they did..."

"Moondancer," Buzz Buzz spoke up, "you had that technique you could use to completely cut yourself off from your environment, don't you? You used it to float around in the vacuum of space without having to breathe. Can't you use that here?"

"Using that technique leaves...me pretty much defenseless...against anything but...environmental hazards," Moondancer pointed out between panting for breath as her body slowly cooled to more normal temperatures. "I'm not willing to bet my life that there aren't any Madness Wave influenced animals or Giygas troops roaming that desert waiting to try and kill us...or on anyone but a Dr. Saturn knowing how to treat me if I end up in need of medical attention from such a combat." She shook her mane out to get the sand out of it. "What I want to know is why it was so much cooler on the road, to the point walking there didn't leave any of you sweating?"

"Oh, I can answer that!" Jeff spoke up excitedly. "That's actually one of my father's inventions. It's a special material that absorbs and redirects temperature extremes. In this case, it's inlaid in the road under the asphalt to absorb the intense heat of the desert and redirect it deep into the ground where it readily disperses. That's why no one driving in the desert ever has tires melt while on the road, or has the radiator overheat and cause the car to crash."

"And how does that not create uncontrolled tornadoes over the desert from the temperature imbalance?" Buzz Buzz demanded in shock. "Hot air and cold air meeting always creates strong wind systems, and it felt at least 20 degrees cooler on the road than over the sand."

"Most of that was wind chill, actually," Jeff corrected. "See, the material is laid out so that the cold air created is in motion along the road, specifically in the direction of traffic flows. This results in everyone getting a tail wind to minimally reduce gas expenditure, and controls the resulting mini-system as the movement of cars along the road reinforces the flow of air."

"How did he manage to come up with something like that?" Moondncer asked eagerly, enthralled at the notion.

"I haven't the faintest idea," Jeff allowed ruefully. "This invention came about before I was born."

"It actually sounds a bit like the material used in my old shell to protect the interior from environmental extremes," Buzz Buzz observed thoughtfully. "Which is also similar to the heat-shielding material employed by Geeg spacecrafts for atmospheric penetration."

"Then maybe we could use it to build Moondancer some sort of environment suit to protect her from the heat?" Paula suggested hopefully. "Because otherwise, I think our only options are 'leave her here while we find a path to Fourside and back to pick her up' or 'wait for the traffic to clear', and I don't think either are a good choice."

"Leaving Moondancer alone is definitely a bad choice," Buzz Buzz confirmed. "As is waiting for the traffic to clear on its own, we don't have the time to spare. Not sure how we'd be able to get that material, or if the environment suit is a feasible option..."

"I'm going to make a phone call," Ness spoke up, heading over to the nearby payphone. After inserting a dollar, he dialed home.

After a time, a familiar voice answered. "Yello?"

"Hey Uncle Theodore," Ness responded happily. "It's Ness. I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"I will if I can, kid," Theodore responded readily. "What'd you need?"

"Well, you know that special material in the roads that...um..." He turned to Jeff. "What's your Dad's name again?"

"Dr. Andonuts," Jeff answered, pushing his glasses up as he observed Ness curiously.

"That Dr. Andonuts invented?" Ness said into the phone. "The stuff that makes the road and the air above it cooler?"

"Yeah, I know it," Theodore confirmed. "Everyone who drives knows it. Why do you ask?"

"Think you could get a hold of some and send it to us?" Ness asked hopefully. "We're at the Dusty Dunes Desert convenience store just by the bus stop, and have hit a bit of a snag. Moondancer can't handle the desert heat, and we have to get around a lot of traffic."

"Well, I guess I could get you some," Theodore offered doubtfully. "But it's really only meant for roads and the like. Not sure what good it will do you."

"I'm pretty sure Jeff can figure something out once he has some of the material," Ness allowed. An idea occurred to him. "Oh, can you send us a fridge, too?"

"A...fridge?" Theodore asked in surprise.

"I figured Jeff could use some raw materials, too," Ness explained. "You can take the money out of my account if you need to, or send it COD."

"Tell you what," Theodore offered with a chuckle, "get a picture of whatever Jeff makes out of this for me to see later, and it's on me."

"Will do!" Ness promised. "Thanks Uncle Theodore!" He paused. "Have you heard from Mom? Will she be home soon?"

"From what she told me last time she called, she took a wrong turn and wound up in Winters and then Summers on her way to Fourside...somehow." Theodore chuckled softly. "Your Mom doesn't exactly have the best sense of direction at times. Anyway, she said she picked up some sweets for you while in Summers, so maybe you'll meet up with her in Fourside and get to try some!"

"It'd be great if we did," Ness offered happily. "Heck, maybe Mom can bring that picture you asked for."

"That could work," Theodore allowed. "I placed the order through Escargot Express, so you should have the stuff in about ten minutes. Later kid! Have fun storming the castle...or whatever it is you're up to!"

"You too, Uncle!" Ness offered warmly. "Give my love to Tracy."

"Will do." There was a click and a long beep, signifying the connection broke.

Ness hung up the phone. "Well, we'll just have to see what happens when the stuff gets here."

"Ness, I'll freely admit to being able to repair just about anything I come across," Jeff pointed out worriedly, "but you're asking me to create something brand new out of a few obscure items you're handing me! What, do you expect me to just shove them into the Combinulator and hope it gets us what we want?"

"Would it work?" Ness asked curiously.

Jeff opened his mouth to counter, then paused. "Well, I don't fully grasp the workings of the Combinulator yet, but it does seem to work less on the actual functionality of the input items and more on commonalities of nature...If I had a third item that had some sort of motor, it might create a cooled walker unit Moondancer could equip to let her move around in the desert with us..."

"Uh...I have no idea what you're talking about," the store clerk spoke up helpfully, "but we do sell RC cars...?"

Jeff blinked. "That...might just do it."

Eleven minutes later, Ness, Paula, and Jeff walked into the desert with Wet Towels on their heads to keep their body temperatures down. Moondancer followed along behind them inside a clear glass capsule that walked along on four metal legs at her PSI command, discharging powerful Freeze PSI at her directive to deal with any enemies they encountered. While the Hot Suit - as it was called - would be completely useless outside the desert as it required the high temperature imbalance between the outside and the inside to power the mechanisms, it gave Moondancer a way to deal with the desert while still being able to protect herself, which was exactly what they wanted.

Wandering Wonderings

While no one knew exactly where they were going when it came to trying to get through the desert, Jeff had seen the desert from above from the Sky Runner while on his way to meet up with the group in Threed, and he knew that it was clearly bounded on four sides by mountains, ocean, ocean, and the road respectively. While nobody knew enough meteorology or environmental science to question how this could allow for an enclosed weather system that kept it boiling hot in the desert at all times, it did tell them that as long as they were methodical about exploring the desert, they would eventually cover every inch of it and find a way through.

Moondancer was able to help there, as she was able to keep a mental map of everywhere they'd walked, thus making sure they did not retread ground they'd already covered without intending to. A weak Freeze PSI to the Wet Towels the three humans wore on their heads before said towels could turn completely dry helped to ensure no one got overheated from the sun, and the heavy armaments the group carried meant that the various desert dwelling animals that had been driven mad - and the few UFOs that were Giygas' troops and actively hunted the group down to destroy them - were unable to inflict much harm on the group before being blasted away or to bits.

The only oddity that occurred as far as Ness could tell was when a Smilin' Sphere charged up to the group...only to hesitate as Moondancer's aura suddenly flared. It then seemed to stare at her for a time - despite completely lacking eyes - before zooming off in another direction. Ness decided to wait and question that until they were out of the desert and talking didn't risk dehydration so quickly.

Of the non-hostile creatures the group encountered, they found several telepathic monkeys, a few sets of animal bones with not much to say, and a couple of sesame seeds that had quite the complex love story between them. For some reason, Ness insisted on moving the white sesame seed to be next to the black one...at which point the Fuzzy Pickles photographer appeared to take a commemorative photo, promising to give a copy to Theodore as it was also a picture of the device Jeff had made for Moondancer, as promised.

Towards the opposite edge of the desert, the group encountered a large burly man with a large yellow crane-like vehicles with scoop-shovels on the front - a brief look into her 'Eclectic Headspace' told Moondancer they were called 'excavators', though not why she knew that - and a few pickaxes standing near around a hole dug into the ground, the various equipment scattered around said hole. There were a few other men nearby dressed like construction workers, but the one nearest the hole seemed to be in a foul temper.

Ness led the group up to the man as he seemed to be rambling to himself. "This hole's great!" he insisted in a gravelly voice. "Good hole, good hole, good hole..."

"Why the hole?" Ness asked him curiously, keeping himself to short sentences. While beating the heat helped him talk to others as it kept his mind off what he was doing, he still tried to stick to short sentences. He could build from there, eventually.

The man glanced at Ness in confusion, then shrugged. "First, someone asked me to dig for buried gold," he explained ruefully. "I began to feel like I was obligated to find it..." His voice trailed off as his stomach grumbled. "Man, I'm-"

Ness quickly pulled out one of the picnic lunches Jeff had brought with him from Winters and handed it to the man.

"Wow, thanks!" he exclaimed happily as he took it. "This is enough for the whole crew...and there's even cake!" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I was never told what to do when I found the gold, so if you need some come look me up when I find it. I'll give you whatever you need. Really, the finding's a lot more enjoyable than the having." With that, he turned to call his men over to eat.

Ness led the group south, and before long they came to a now cleared road. As Moondancer put her Hot Suit away as she stepped onto it, she turned to Ness. "Did you know he was going to make that offer?" she asked curiously.

"Nope," Ness admitted awkwardly. "And to be perfectly honest, unless we specifically need gold, I'm not planning on taking him up on it."

"So...you walked up to some random stranger in the middle of the desert...and just handed him food because he was hungry?" Moondancer asked incredulously as she tried to wrap her mind around it. "Why?"

"Isn't Ness so noble and gallant?" Paula sighed longingly, making Ness blush, Jeff blink in confusion, and Moondancer roll her eyes.

"Perhaps something a bit less flowery, Ness?" Moondancer pressed.

"We aren't on this quest to fight the bad guys," Ness explained calmly. "We aren't here to save the world either. We're here to save everyone. He needed saving from hunger, and we had plenty of food to spare. So I saved him. He's part of 'everyone', after all."

"So you took time out from our big quest to do a small good thing?" Buzz Buzz inquired curiously, a tinge of pride in his voice.

"Big things are made up of small things," Ness pointed out.

"And the good we sow as we go will help us in the long run," Buzz Buzz agreed. "We're fighting a power that seeks to mentally rewrite all of life to erase goodness. Acts like this...may just be the things that turn the tide."

Moondancer rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I...guess I hadn't looked at it that way," she admitted.

"And besides that," Ness continued as they reached the end of the tunnel and out onto a suspension bridge over beautiful blue water, "the last person to randomly ask us for food was Apple Kid. Look how much it's helped us to have helped him." He paused, rubbing his chin. "Speaking of, I wish I had his number. I need to let him know that we aren't infected anymore, and how much his inventions helped in Threed."

Moondancer had stopped listening at this point. With the pause on the suspension bridge, she made her way over to the edge to look over into the water, glancing out as far as she could see. Taking a brief moment, she decided to do something she hadn't done in a while.

Stepping gently out of her body, she extended her time sense so she could glance over a much larger piece of the nearby world without distracting Ness and the others. The green grass, the flowering cacti, the white clouds...

Ness wasn't entirely correct about them working to save everyone. It wasn't just everyone that needed saving. She'd seen the future that was Giygas. The planet itself had died...and it would not be the last one. They were saving the world...and everyone on it.

But the thought that even these little good deeds here or there could somehow turn the tide...suddenly, that task no longer seemed so overwhelming.

Deja Who

Beyond the suspension bridge, the group entered Fourside. Unlike the other towns they'd been to so far, Fourside was tightly packed with tall buildings with narrow streets between them. Where the other towns had been sprawling communities with businesses stretching outward, here people plainly had decided to build up. A quick glance at the map showed a pub, a hotel, a theater, a bakery, a museum...and two massive buildings towering over everything else, the Department Store and the Monotoli Building. "Looks like there's a lot to do here," Jeff observed thoughtfully as he examined the map.

"We should hit the department store first," Ness suggested. "That's what my Mom was coming here for, and she said she had some stuff for us."

"Then let's go!" Paula declared happily, taking Ness's hand with a smile and a faint blush. "I'm looking forward to meeting your Mom." Ness blushed as well, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Moondancer rolled her eyes at these antics. Why do I suddenly feel like ruefully declaring 'Young people' to the world at large? she silently asked Buzz Buzz. I'm not that much older than them, am I?

In years, I'm not certain, Buzz Buzz allowed. Not certain how old you are physically, either. But that's not the only way to measure age. It probably wouldn't be as frustrating for you if you had someone to feel about the way they do each other, though.

Moondancer blinked thoughtfully, an odd image of almost-memory crossing her mind. ...why did you suggesting that make me picture some sort of purple and green reptile? she asked, trying to make sense of it.

Hey, it's your mind, Buzz Buzz countered quickly. Why are you asking me to make sense of it if you can't?

Shaking her head to banish thoughts she couldn't make sense of, Moondancer focused on following the group to the department store...only to frown in confusion as Jeff groaned in frustration. "What's wrong?" she asked him curiously.

"The Department Store's closed for renovation," Jeff explained ruefully, gesturing to a sign on the doors to the store. "So much for our only lead-"

"'Check out a show at Topalla while you wait'?" Paula read curiously, tracing words below the main message of the sign with one finger. "Is that a lead?"

Ness looked at the writing closely. "...considering that's Mom's handwriting, I'd say so."

"But how would a show at a theater be a lead?" Jeff asked curiously. "Hidden message in the lyrics? Visions of future dangers concealed in the choreography? The pattern of notes on the sheet music hiding a blueprint for an ultimate weapon Giygas' forces are constructing?"

"Or maybe the Runaway Five are just in debt again and need us to bail them out?" Buzz Buzz suggested somewhat sarcastically.

Moondancer glanced at Buzz Buzz thoughtfully. "I can check rather easily," she offered helpfully. "Just someone keep track of my body for a bit. I need to step out of it to make things easier."

Jeff gently picked Moondancer up and set her in his Robo-Pack. "It can hold quite a bit in there, and the spatial compression takes the weight off my back."

"Could you fit all of us in there?" Ness asked excitedly.

Jeff rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, maybe...if I make a few modifications..."

Leaving Jeff to his speculations and Ness and Paula to marveling, Moondancer stepped out. Floating along in the ether, she extended her awareness to feel the mental signatures of-

Yup, there they were. Alinivar, Larice, Col. Saturn and the others. Following the trace of their thoughts, she found them in the back room of the theater, the UFO/Van parked in a garage behind the theater and locked in so it couldn't be accessed from outside. Deciding to be more direct than before, she simply sent a thought pulse inquiry to Larice, hoping to determine what sort of plight they were currently in.

Alinivar is *whrrr* not good with Earth money, Larice sent back instantly, his thought-tone filled with rueful frustration.

How in debt are you this time? Moondancer asked curiously.

Unknown, Larice responded apologetically. Earth numbers do not properly compute. Knowing this wasn't helpful, Larice added the location of the manager's office in the theater, so she could investigate more directly.

Silently phasing into the office, she positioned herself over the female manager's bleach-blonde hair, and opened her mind to simply listen to her surface thoughts. She didn't expect to get direct answers this way, but hoped to at least learn where she kept the Runaway Five's contract so she could investigate...or failing finding a solution, destroy it and all copies.

I can't believe any band around this long can be such fools when it comes to contracts! Sure, everything in the contract is strictly legal and above board, but no entertainer worth their star on the walk would have agreed to terms like that! Now between room service bills and all that other junk they've requested, they owe me over a million dollars...and having them locked in as entertainment here until they pay it off will make me even more profits since they're so popular! New entertainers will want to get their start performing with them, and I can use that to get them under contract here too! And it's not like they'll be able to pay it off anytime soon. Heh, not unless they find buried gold or something...

Moondancer floated out of the theater. While the thoughts she'd picked up had given her the whole situation and a potential solution, it seemed just a little too pat to her. The one they needed to pay off thinking about 'buried gold' just after they did a favor to a gold miner? It fit too well together, and left her thinking someone was pulling strings somewhere.

A quick shift and she was floating over the foreman from the desert, who had dug a lot deeper by now. She could already hear his thoughts as she listened.

Oh crap oh crap oh crap! Monsters in the mine! Oh, I never should have agreed to go looking for gold for that photographer! He promised me adventure, excitement and wealth as long as I gave some of what I found to that kid! How'd he even know I'd end up missing lunch one day so a kid could walk up and give me food out of the goodness of his heart? Well what am I supposed to do now, wait until the kid comes back to beat the boss monsters so I can get back to mining, then give him some? Oh, what did I get myself into...?

The photographer? Moondancer thought to herself as she shifted back to Fourside. Why would the fuzzy pickles man have interest in our endeavors to set this up? How would he even know? ...I need to get his story someday... Returning to her body, she popped her head out of Jeff's Robo-Pack. "We need buried gold to pay off their debt this time," Moondancer explained aloud, derailing whatever conversation had been happening.

Jeff rubbed his forehead. "Then I guess it's a good thing Ness was kind to that miner...though I certainly never expected dividends this quickly."

Moondancer said nothing. She had the feeling Ness, Paula, or Jeff would not approve of her listening to people's thoughts like she had, and she didn't want to distract them with a mystery.

The Power of Three

As Ness led the group back towards the desert, Moondancer beckoned Paula aside. "I've noticed that you have a bit of a problem when it comes to the physical aspect of combat," she observed thoughtfully.

Paula ducked her head with a small blush. "Yeah...I've never been all that physically active before, and when I was younger it was actually easier to do the heavy lifting with my mind, my PSI, than it was with my body. I know that probably seems kind of lazy-"

"Actually, it seems very Geeg," Moondancer interrupted with a smile. "Geeg bodies aren't that strong physically, but the potent PSI every Geeg is born with makes that almost inconsequential. More often than not, Geeg rely on PSI almost exclusively, so there are quite a few methods they have to help boost their PSI output. Since you are exceptionally effective in that regard, I was wondering if you wanted to attempt a few on our way to the desert?"

Paula beamed happily. "I'd love to!" she declared excitedly. "I'd really like to be able to contribute more when it comes to the combat aspect of things." She hefted her Magic Fry Pan. "Sure, this lets me deliver some hard hits...but between Ness' bat and Jeff's Gaia Beam, I can't help but feel I'm falling behind there. I...I want to be useful to Ness."

Moondancer smiled widely. "Alright. We'll really only have time to amplify the output of one PSI formation before we get to the Gold Mine, and then we'll have to fight our way through instead. So...which PSI to you want to amplify?"

"Well, since we're going to the desert, I think Freeze would be a good choice," Paula observed.

"And a good choice for learning this method," Moondancer agreed. "PSI Freeze focuses the energy on a single target, and the basis behind this method is boosting your ability to focus PSI power beyond your normal limits. If you're already focusing, that should make it easier. Now, let's start with visualization..."

When the group reached the desert, Moondancer was forced to stop giving Paula guidance while she got herself into her Hot Suit. However, Moondancer was certain Paula was continuing her work on her own, and would have something to show for it soon enough. For one thing, unlike Ness and Jeff, she wasn't sweating. For another, her curls whirled about gently as though a small breeze surrounded her. Plainly, her Cold Studies were showing progress.

As Moondancer had seen when she'd overlooked the desert in mind only, the mine had been greatly expanded. The hole dug into the ground was much wider with a winding, sloping path leading into the cavernous aspect of the mine. The dig site was surrounded by people, but the foreman was nowhere in sight. Ness confidently led the group into the cave, where out of the direct sun it was only mildly warm, not enough to be uncomfortable. As Moondancer got out of her Hot Suit, Ness approached the foreman where he stood just inside the cave. "Umm...is there a problem?"

The miner turned in surprise. "Oh, it's you!" he declared in surprise. "From the look of your face, I'm guessing you were hoping I'd found some gold by now."

"I don't mean to be insistent..." Ness began, unsure what he should say here.

The miner waved him off. "Nah, I did promise, and I'd love to give you some of the gold I'm sure we'll find here...if not for the monsters that we found in this maze we dug up. The smaller ones aren't too much of a problem - the digging equipment's more than strong enough to drive them off - but a few really tough ones make their dens deeper in, and they're right vicious! Tear an excavator to pieces with claws and teeth vicious! If I can't figure out a way to get rid of them, I might just have to abandon the dig..."

"What sort of big ones?" Jeff asked curiously.

"Big moles, five of them," the miner explained. "Two or three times the size of a man, real nasty buggers..."

"Didn't you beat one of those back at Lilliput Steps?" Moondancer asked Ness curiously. "Just by paralyzing it?"

"Oh yeah," Ness confirmed as he smacked his closed fist into his palm as he recalled it. "Hope I learn to heal numbness soon-"

"Ya know you can do that with a Secret Herb, right?" the miner pointed out. "I hear some funny looking folk north of Threed have some."

Ness blinked in surprise. "I...really should have thought of asking the Mr. Saturns about that, shouldn't I?" he asked Jeff and Moondancer sheepishly.

"We did have a lot on our minds there," Moondancer pointed out with a smirk. "I can't really blame you for wanting to get out of there as fast as possible."

"Well, if you kids think you can fight these monsters...I guess I can't stop you," the miner allowed. "If you pull it off, I can get back to digging...and I'll be sure to give you the biggest hunk of gold I find here!"

"Thanks!" Ness offered happily before leading the group deeper in.

With the mention of it being a 'maze', once they got out of the initial tunnel to where the path split, Ness kept to the right hand wall as he led them around, smiling as he saw Jeff using a device equipped to his Robo-Pack to map out the paths they took on graph paper, keeping it to scale. As they wandered, they found vicious snakes, giant yellow ants, sentient bundles of rope, and odd looking ducks that homed in on them as they approached. The only ones that proved a true problem were the bundles of rope, as they gathered in large groups. Everything else they encountered was quickly dispatched with physical blows or blasts from the Gaia Beam.

Deeper into the maze, they found ladders leading to a lower level. "This plainly isn't a natural maze," Jeff observed as they climbed down the first one, carrying Moondancer in his Robo-Pack as he did so she didn't have to burn PSI energy floating herself down.

"Wonder what it was before the monsters took over?" Ness posited thoughtfully.

"Maybe it was part of some ancient temple, with treasure hidden deeper in?" Moondancer suggested mildly. "We should hope so, or we likely aren't going to be able to pay off the Runaway Five's debt."

As they followed the new corridor, they came across an open side chamber where a large blue mole was visible. It had greenish gore dripping from its fangs and claws, and it rushed them as they approached. "I'm one of the Masters of this hole!" it declared intensely in a growling, hissing voice. "There are five masters in all! We are all moles, of course." He then began to preen himself. "I believe I'm the third strongest amongst us. Take your best shot-"

"Power-Freeze!" Paula suddenly shouted out, opening her eyes as they blazed blue and thrusting one hand out forward, fingers spread.

A beam of intense blue light shot out of her palm to strike the mole, causing ice to spread over its body as it slowly became completely frozen. The beam continued until the creature shattered...leaving behind a much smaller, normal looking mole that stared at the group in shock and fear before dashing away as fast as it could.

Paula smiled happily as she looked at her hand, pleased with what she'd accomplished...only to blush brightly as she saw Ness and Jeff staring at her in awe.

Author's Note

Paula has mastered two new PSI techniques.
Power-Freeze:
Cost - 30 PP
Takes two turns to cast. Power equivalent to PSI Freeze Omega. Has 50% chance of instant-KO if enemy is vulnerable to Freeze PSI.
Meditate:
Cost - 0 PP
Fully restores PP. Skip the next two combat rounds.

Will Set Us Free

Once Moondancer explained what the new PSI ability Paula had developed meant - and Ness and Jeff had stopped staring at Paula in awe - Ness led the group further into the maze, continuing to follow the right hand wall as they climbed back to the upper level. When they were confronted by the lesser monsters, Paula unleashed far more of her PSI than she had before, only to slip into meditation every so often before unleashing it just as much afterwards. This resulted in nothing they encountered as they made their way through being a genuine threat to them...save the Mad Ducks. Every so often they would do...something. It was impossible to explain or describe what they were doing, exactly, but it sometimes left Ness, Paula, Moondancer, or Buzz Buzz unable to concentrate enough to use PSI. It faded over time, but it was still disturbing...so much so that Moondancer had taken to zapping the ducks on sight with one of her few combative magic spells, a laser from her horn. While her magic was potent for combat, it took more out of her than her PSI, and she wasn't as practiced with it. Still, for single targets - especially weaker ones - it was supremely effective.

Eventually, they came across another large blue mole. "I'm really the third strongest mole!" he declared in a frenzy as he charged them. "I'll destroy you now!" He immediately lunged forward with his claws, only for them to get caught on the limbs of Jeff's Robo-Pack. "Wait, what-"

"Power-Freeze!"

Five seconds later, the frozen structure of the mole fell away, revealing another smaller mole that fled in terror.

"Nice combo!" Ness praised Jeff and Paula. "Can I get the next one, though?"

"They have PSI Power-Shields up," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "They're like the shields of light you've learned to make, but extra strong. The energy deflected from incoming strikes rebound on the one performing the strike, rather than simply being neutralized."

"...it can do that?" Ness asked in shock, mentally already trying to rearrange his own mental form of the 'shield of light' to do that.

"Something tells me this is going to go fast," Moondancer murmured thoughtfully.

After a time, a third mole appeared. "My strength falls between the second and fourth strongest masters!" he declared proudly as he approached. "Do you wanna test-wait, are you charging your attack while I'm monologuing?"

"Power-Freeze!" Paula shouted, freezing the mole solid and once again making it collapse to reveal the tiny mole within. "Yes," she told it as it ran off.

The next mole proved to be a bit smarter. Digging into the ground at its feet, it chucked a massive chunk of rock at the group to scatter them before speaking. "I am truly the third strongest master of this hole!" it declared as it lunged straight for Paula. "I'll demonstrate the power of being third to you!" It lashed angrily out with its claws...only for the claws to bounce back off a tiny plane of light that appeared in front of Paula, causing it to smack itself in the head. "OW! Seriously, what the-"

By that point, Paula had finished powering up. "Power-Freeze!"

Eventually the group located the final large mole. It looked at the group...but did not attack immediately. "You've fought the strongest master, the second strongest master, the fourth strongest master, and the weakest master of this hole," it observed calmly. "I am truly the third strongest master...but did you ever stop to wonder why being 'third strongest' is of such importance to us?"

Ness paused as the group braced for combat. "Well...kinda?"

"The strongest has only his muscles," the mole observed calmly. "The weakest only ambition. The second strongest is ever envious of the strongest, seeking to topple him. The second weakest is ever protective of his position, fearing to become the weakest. But he who stands in the middle looks back and forward. He plots. He schemes. He plans. The power of the Third is wisdom. And my wisdom has given me the strategy that shall enable me to overcome the adversity you bring into our hole, one that none of you will possibly anticipate."

"And...what's that?" Paula asked nervously as she gathered her PSI.

"Fuck this shit, I'm out!" the mole declared as it turned around and proceeded to dig its way through the rock, collapsing its new tunnel behind it to prevent pursuit. With its departure, the other crazed creatures that had infested the hole lost their madness, and withdrew from such a noisy, human place.

"...I must admit, I did not see that coming," Jeff observed calmly.

"Well, let's go tell the miner that everything's alright," Ness concluded. "And..." He paused. "Should we go back and get a Secret Herb to treat Mondo Mole, or should we head back to Fourside?" he asked thoughtfully. "Time is kind of on the line, and without a way to get back and forth quickly, backtracking that far would take a long time..."

"Compromise," Buzz Buzz suggested. "Head back for Fourside now. If we can't find anything we can do there to move forward - or find your Mom doing her shopping - we take the bus back to Threed. We'll be close enough to Saturn Valley there that Moondancer would be able to teleport herself there, get a Secret Herb, and rejoin us. Then we take a bus back to Twoson. It'd be a bit of a stretch, but Moondancer could get the group to Peaceful Rest Valley in one jump with a bit of PSI support."

"That works," Ness concluded happily, glad they had a plan of action.

The miner had been overjoyed to learn the hole was monster free, and immediately set to work planning the dig. As it was closer than trekking back to a bus stop, the group decided to walk across the bridge back to Fourside and enjoy the breeze.

They were halfway across the bridge when an excavator pulled up to them, and one of the miners got out. "Ness!" he called out happily as he approached. "I'm George, Gerardo Montague's brother-" Seeing Ness's confusion, he smiled. "My bro never introduced himself when you fed him, huh?" At Ness's nod, George chuckled. "Well anyway, he's back in the mine. He hasn't found any gold or buried treasure yet, but that hasn't stopped him. We did find a Diamond, though, and he wanted you to have it." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a glittering sphere about the size of an apple. "Here you go." Plopping it into Ness's hand, he hopped back into the excavator and drove back towards the mine.

Paula and Jeff both stared at the gem in awe. Moondancer looked it over in fascination. Buzz Buzz whistled appreciatively.

"So...think this'll pay off the Runaway Five's debt?" Ness asked curiously.

Seperation

To Ness's surprise, the Runaway Five refrained from commenting on the situation with him and Moondancer...although they sent Moondancer some knowing looks that left her glowering back at them, especially Groovy. They then insisted that Ness and the others hang around to watch their 'goodbye show' at the Topolla Theater. Ness was happy to oblige, if only to get out of the spotlight for a time.

Of course, then Gorgeous decided to shine the spotlight anyway once the show started before the lights came on. "It's going to be a great show! We're so good...it makes me think those kids in the 'assistance animal' seats will wet their pants! Those kids are hip, baby!"

"Seriously?" Moondancer growled out as she ground her teeth as Paula and Jeff facepalmed and Ness buried his face in his hands in embarrassment.

"Hasn't he learned how to act like a sensible human yet?" Buzz Buzz muttered under his breath.

Admittedly, the show itself was quite good. The group's performances were top notch, as good or better than they'd ever been...especially when they announced 'the new star who would be taking their slot' and brought out a young blonde woman in a slinky, shimmering black dress that was introduced simply as 'Venus'. She sang with the group, her behavior - especially with Gorgeous and Lucky who backed her up - showing that she knew them somewhat as more than just fellow stars. Moondancer couldn't stop herself from examining the woman speculatively. I wonder how well she knows them, she thought to herself. I wonder if she knows their secret... Another thought suddenly struck her, and she focused her mind in the same way she did when she'd been trying to see Lucky's true face.

As she stared at Venus, she could tell there was something there...but she couldn't see what. She could tell there was something about Venus that was more than just ordinary human...but she couldn't determine if it was just a latent untapped PSI gift, a disguise she couldn't penetrate, or something completely unrelated. She could tell that Venus seemed to lack any sense of innate modesty in the way she moved as she sang...but no matter how she moved, her dress stayed exactly where it was on her body. Moondancer made a mental note to ask Larice if she got the chance.

The thought nearly abandoned her mind when the Runaway Five's van - which in her altered vision state she saw as their saucer ship - 'drove' onto the stage for Gorgeous, Lucky, and Venus to board before 'driving' off. If they're that reckless with their shows, it's no wonder they racked up such a tab, she thought to herself as the show came to an end.

Ness quickly rushed the group outside, hoping to meet up with the Runaway Five to talk...only for them to be long gone by the time they got there. "Well, there goes that idea of a lead..." he murmured thoughtfully. "And here I thought with how they helped us getting to Threed, getting them out of their contract here would have given us a new lead..."

"The Department Store is finally open!" someone walking by declared excitedly as they ran by with a group. "With how long those renovations took, there's bound to be something awesome there now! Let's check it out!" The group eagerly agreed as they headed to the Department Store.

"Well, that's a lead," Jeff murmured thoughtfully, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

"Do you think that's just a coincidence?" Moondancer asked Buzz Buzz curiously.

"...if it isn't, I don't like the possible reasons," Buzz Buzz replied worriedly.

"Let's not be so down!" Paula spoke up happily. "Ness's Mom was coming here to hit the department store for its selection, so let's go there and see if we can bump into her! If not, we can go shopping!"

"...shopping?" Jeff asked in confusion. "It's...it's not like this is a vacation..."

"Well we don't always have to be acting like the world's about to end," Paula pointed out petulantly. "Just because we're on a quest to save everyone doesn't mean we have to treat every minute seriously. It'd be good for us to have some fun!"

"...she's got a point," Buzz Buzz allowed. "There is that saying about all work and no play, and you guys are just kids. You should take some time to relax when the opportunity arises."

"In that case, let's go shopping," Ness decided firmly. "We can wander around, see if anything is to our interests...maybe hit a crafts shop and make things for fun. And we can get a meal at the food court and relax." He hesitated. "...that's what kids do at department stores when they're just hanging out, right?"

Giggling, Paula towed Ness along towards the Department Store, Jeff and Moondancer following along behind - mostly because no one had taken the leash off Moondancer yet - with Buzz Buzz flying along after them.

The group entered the department store together, moving up to the second floor since the first floor only had the reception and returns desk, with nothing of interest to any of them. While the place was brightly lit and clean, nothing seemed to be particularly eye-catching. The second floor had a couple of food shops and a few tables...along with a door to another area that drew Jeff's attention.

Ness approached the tables and tapped one. "Let's meet back here when we're done looking around," he stated firmly. "We can grab some food before we head out to figure out where we should go next."

"Don't suppose that guide we got from the Hint Guy has any clues?" Buzz Buzz asked Moondancer.

Remembering the guide, Moondancer quickly pulled it out and glanced in. She flipped through everything they'd done...only to reach the blurred out pages again. "Looks like something's supposed to happen here," she observed finally. "It mentions the Department Store being open...and that's where it stops."

"Then we'll be careful," Paula stated firmly. "I'm sure we'll be fine." She smiled happily with confidence.

The group dispersed, each taking some money that Ness handed out for purchases from his account...which had grown considerably with everything his father was putting into it. Paula went straight to the toy store, looking around at the plush animals as she decided whether or not she would get one. Moondancer wandered around looking for books before returning to the food stores and grabbing some meals for everyone while she waited. Jeff paused briefly at the toy store before checking out the back room, where he found someone who had a few bottle rockets and other doodads for sale that he thought would be useful for his inventing.

Ness briefly looked over the sports outlet...but finding nothing to his interest, he moved on to a crafts store and grabbed a handful of things before moving back to the food area to meet up with Moondancer. She raised her eyebrow as she caught sight of him. "I didn't expect you to be one to work with crafts," she observed thoughtfully. "You seemed more the sporty type, if quiet."

"Just something I thought I'd try," Ness allowed as he got to work, setting his materials out to one side of the tray Moondancer had prepared for him.

Moondancer decided not to comment on that as she watched him work, assembling something from the charms as he worked carefully. She raised her eyebrow when he quickly hid his work when Paula returned with a plush bear to cuddle as they ate, but said nothing. The look Ness gave her said anything she'd need to ask about.

Jeff returned before long, having gathered what he needed and wanted, and once they were all done eating they moved to leave the mall. At the middle of the first floor, Ness turned to Paula. "I...I made you something," he managed to stammer out as he held out his hand. Resting off his fingers was a simple charm bracelet, with a few charms attached. Moondancer was able to spot a bow, a baseball, a pony, and a flower among the charms, though she couldn't see the others.

Paula's eyes lit up with excitement. "It's gorgeous!" she declared happily as she reached for it, taking it into her fingers.

The lights flickered. Something blurred past their vision. Paula screamed.

The sound of the bracelet snapping seemed to echo as a few charms fell to the floor. Ness stared, eyes wide in shock and fear as the charms tinkled on the tile floor.

Moondancer and Jeff struggled to rush to his side through air that suddenly far too thick...and a voice echoed through the dark store over the PA. "Your attention please...would the customer from Onett, Mr. Ness, please proceed to the fourth floor? That was customer Ness, 4th floor office..." A strange animalistic sound followed, mixed with an odd electrical static as the signal cut.

Darkness

"W-what just happened?" Jeff stammered nervously. "What's going on? Ness? Moondancer? I...I can't see you-"

A spot of faint light appeared at the tip of Moondancer's horn, giving just enough light to let Jeff's eyes adapt to the darkness in the department store. "Don't get used to it," she whispered softly. "We can't go in further with this, it'll just draw attention...not to mention it leaves me light blind when it's this close to my eyes. I'll need to extinguish it if we're going to fight...and I can feel madness waves filling the store. There are going to be monsters to fight."

"R-right," Jeff managed to stammer out as he straightened his glasses. He squinted for a time, then nodded. "Okay." With that, Moondancer extinguished her light. "Ness, how are you doing? And is Paula okay?"

"...Paula..." Ness' voice sounded off, as though it were coming from a long way off. He swayed slightly where he was. "Where...where is Paula? Have to...help Paula..."

"The PA said to go to the top floor," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "We should start there-"

Ness staggered off towards the escalator, a heart charm - the only one still in one piece with the breaking of the bracelet - clutched in his hand. As he stumbled up to the escalator, metal twisted and warped without warning as the stairs ceased to move, letting him slowly walk up the down escalator.

"W...what just happened?" Jeff demanded worriedly.

"...something bad..." Moondancer whispered worriedly. "We need to keep up with him."

Nodding, Jeff scooped Moondancer into his robo-pack, racing after Ness to keep up. As they reached the second floor, an animate vinyl record and electric guitar closed on Ness...and there was a flash of red. The record shattered, and the guitar's own strings strangled it before snapping the neck, rendering it so much scrap wood, metal, and circuits.

"How?" Buzz Buzz gasped out in shock. "That...what was that-"

"Madness," Moondancer whispered softly. "I've seen it before! Ness!" She leapt from Jeff's shoulder, rushing up to Ness. "Ness, you need to stop! You're going to lose yourself to-"

Before she could get to Ness, a swirl of red in the air around him lashed out, smacking her into Jeff's arms. "Paullla..." he spoke up, his voice oscillating strangely as he staggered away, heading for the escalator to the third floor...which also warped and stopped at his approach.

"You've seen this before?" Jeff asked in shock.

"Yes, but it shouldn't be manifesting at this level!" Moondancer insisted. "Even if Ness is starting to walk this road, his PSI isn't strong enough to generate this on its own-" Her eyes widened as realization struck her. "I've felt this before!"

"What?" Buzz Buzz demanded. "What have you felt?"

"This sensation of pressure in the air, as though power equal to the fullness of time were focused on a single moment...this is what it felt like when Ness was prevented from forgiving Pokey back in Happy Happy Village!" Moondancer tried to focus her PSI...and found the air filled with Nightmare Force. "Something's taking the energies of the Nightmare Engine, amplified by Giygas' Madness Waves, and flooding the area with it specifically to channel it into Ness!"

"But why?" Jeff demanded as they followed Ness to the third floor.

The PA suddenly toned. "Ness, Customer Ness..." the voice repeated. "Please hurry to Paula..." A very inhuman roar followed...mingled with a very human scream of fear.

"PAaula...pauLA!!" Ness's words oscillated from normal speech to barest whisper...to anguished scream.

"Because this is the PSI energy that turned my father into Giygas," Moondancer explained softly. "And what nearly led me down the same path. The Chosen Four are what the prophecy speaks of...but Ness is the Chosen of Earth, the one who draws power from the Sanctuaries. If...if he walks the path of the Destroyer..."

"But how?" Jeff demanded. "How is this possible?"

"It's obviously his distraught state from Paula being snatched," Buzz Buzz pointed out as they reached the fourth floor. "But the question is what's bringing so much of Giygas' power here? What's focusing it?"

"It'd take a carefully tweaked PSI Amplifier to do this," Moondancer pointed out thoughtfully as she struggled to keep her own emotions in check and not be consumed by the waves as well. "It's obviously something Greyface made, and designed specifically to target Ness...which means it would have been placed in Onett originally and somehow made its way here-"

"The Mani Mani Statue!" Buzz Buzz gasped out. "Everdread said Liar X. Aggerate sold it to Mr. Carpainter in Happy Happy Village, and he was trying to track it down! It must have wound up here somehow, and someone's using it to gain or keep power in this city...but now it's been activated to target Ness since his mind is in a receptive state!"

"So how do we snap him out of it?" Jeff demanded worriedly.

As Ness approached the office door at the back of the fourth floor, the PA sounded again. "Ness, Customer Ness..." The inhuman cry sounded again, this time sounding almost like maniacal laughter...but mixed with static.

"I don't know if we can," Buzz Buzz offered worriedly. "Ness managed to snap Moondancer out of this once by clinging tight to her...but we can't even get close to him. We'd need someone strong enough to push all this energy back to reach him..."

The door to the office twisted off its hinges as Ness staggered through.

"Then we need to make sure it isn't Ness who deals with whatever's behind that door," Moondancer stated firmly. "Because if he kills like this - and in this state, he will kill - then there's no going back for him..." She led the charge through the door.

The office was small, with a window staring out over the city. An alien figure Moondancer and Buzz Buzz immediately recognized as a Mook sat behind the desk...but he didn't look like any normal Mook they'd ever seen. Parts of its skin was pale pink...and other parts were glistening metal. Sparks danced between its eye stalks, and the flesh near the metal parts bulked up oddly before subsiding with each movement.

It looks like the Ultra Saturn, Moondancer thought to herself, afraid to broadcast the thought.

The Chimera project, Buzz Buzz sent her, remembering a device that they had found on Mars and the reports surrounding it...and the temptation Alinivar had resisted.

The Chimera Mook smirked at Ness as he swayed before the desk. "Oh...too little too late," it taunted with a cackle. "Paula's not here anymore. She called for you so prettily, I just had to plumb the depths of her screams." Its half-metal tendrils waved menacingly. "But don't worry...she left something for you..." A flash of thin white fabric briefly appeared between the tendrils.

Ness, Jeff, and Moondancer stared at the Chimera Mook, Ness in blind lack of recognition, Jeff and Moondancer in confused lack of recognition. "Is...is that supposed to mean something?" Jeff asked finally. "You say that like it's supposed to make us...especially angry for some reason."

The Chimera Mook's eyes went flat. "Seriously?" it asked, its voice losing a bit of menace. "Nubile young girl captured by an alien beast with tentacles?" It waved its limbs in frustration. "What, do I need to have 'Made in Japan' stamped on my chrome for you to catch the implication?"

"They're 12," Buzz Buzz pointed out flatly.

The Chimera Mook blinked. "...wow, I really need to check the facts of my audience when I plan these things out-"

The desk suddenly warped and distorted, turning into a tree that wept blood and breathed fire before bursting into fragments as Ness staggered through it. "You...Paula you...took you...Paula..."

The Chimera Mook grinned. "Or maybe I didn't need to go to the effort. It seems-"

"Ness Subo Famico!" an intense, authoritative female voice suddenly snapped out. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

Ness, Jeff, Moondancer, Buzz Buzz, and the Chimera Mook all turned to the door, where Ness' mother stood with her hands on her hips, glaring down at Ness.

"M...Mom...?" Ness stammered out, the red swirling around him fading somewhat. "W...what...?"

Ness' mother stomped right up to him, idly brushing the red swirls that remained out of her way with her bare hands. "How many times have I told you to watch your anger? You know how it affects your abilities! It has since you were four!"

"But...but he took-"

"No buts!" she snapped out. "Now take a deep breath, calm down, a-"

"Hey!" the Chimera Mook snapped out. "I was in the mid-"

"Excuse me!" Ness' mother snapped as she rounded on him. "But I was having a serious conversation with my son, and you can wait!"

"Yes Ma'am!" the Mook responded automatically, only to blink as he realized what he'd just said.

"Now Ness, calmly tell me what's going on," Ness' mother stated firmly.

As the red swirls faded, Ness' knees shook as tears poured from his eyes. "He...he took Paula!" he wailed as tears poured down his cheeks. "And, and...and he hurt her...he said, and-"

His mother quickly pulled him into a comforting embrace. "There, there," she whispered softly. "Hush now, sweetie. It's going to be okay. The bad alien didn't actually hurt Paula, believe me. I know the shape of a mind that would even consider doing such things to someone her age quite well, and if I'd felt it from him I'd have tracked him down fifteen minutes before the power outage, ripped off his tentacles, braided them together, and used the resulting rope to give him an all-the-way-through colonoscopy to scrub out his entire digestive tract-"

"I say!" the Chimera Mook objected strenuously. "That's quite enough-"

"And I still will if he doesn't keep his mouth shut while I'm comforting my emotionally fragile son in his moment of despair!" Ness' Mom snapped out, her eyes flashing as she glowered at the beast.

"Shutting up now," the Chimera Mook whimpered as it ducked behind its tentacles.

Ness' mother held him for a time, then pushed him back. "Now chin up," she told him softly. "Yes, Paula needs rescuing...but in the meantime I promise you, she is fine. You'd feel it if something really bad happened to her, same way you could sense her nearness when you were going to rescue her the first time."

"How did you-"

"Upupup!" she chided, putting a finger to his lips. "No questions now, just a promise. Don't let your anger control you anymore. You are a kind, gentle, considerate, compassionate boy...and you need to stay that way, okay?" Ness nodded slowly. "Good. Now, I'm going to go finish my shopping, and find someplace where we can sit down and enjoy a special treat I brought you from Summers. In the meantime, you thrash this idiot for Paula, okay?"

"I have had enough!" the Chimera Mook snapped out. "I don't know how you broke Giygas' power here, and I don't know how you're even here to begin with, but I will not be made a mockery of-"

The Chimera Mook suddenly found itself slammed against the opposite wall by an intense blast of cold that sapped its strength, and then Ness' Mother was in his face. "And you're lucky I spotted that silk was just a handkerchief," she growled out so only he heard, "because if I thought for a moment you'd done something like that to someone my son's age, or if I find out you try to, I will rip your eyes from their stalks and use them to sodomize you all the way to Gomorrah!"

The Mook blinked in confusion. "I...I don't understand that reference..."

"You would soon enough," she growled out fiercely, her eyes glowing with inner light as for one brief moment, the beast felt the full force of her mind.

"A...A...Ana..."

She smiled grimly. "I wondered if I would be recognized..." She turned to Ness and the others with a smile. "There's a bar near the edge of town by the path to Dusty Dunes Desert. I'll meet you all outside there, okay?" With a smile, she turned and left.

The Mook growled as it struggled to rise. "If you think...that stupid Monotoli is going to steal my thunder-"

Moondancer's PSI blazed. A blast of Thunder PSI ripped through the Chimera Mook. Already drastically weakened by Ana's Freeze, it burst apart as its circuitry overloaded, tearing apart its flesh. She stared in shock, not having expected that to happen.

"Well...that's a clue," Jeff managed to say, desperately trying to hold down his lunch.

Nightmare Moonside

With the destruction of the Chimera Mook, the power in the department store turned back on...though the escalators groaned and shrieked in mechanical protest of how they'd been twisted, resulting in officious voices instructing everyone to clear out until repairs could be made. A security guard didn't even blink twice at Ness, Jeff, and Moondancer being in the office on the fourth floor before escorting the group out. Once they were all outside, Jeff straightened his glasses. "So...what should we do now?" he asked carefully. "Do we pursue the mention of Monotoli?"

"Bad idea," Moondancer pointed out calmly. "The Mani Mani Statue's been moved by human agency up until this point. First Liar X. Aggerate in Onett, then Mr. Carpainter in Twoson...which suggests it's currently in the possession of this Monotoli, if that creature was talking about him as if he would be more important." She gestured to the nearby skyscraper, with 'Monotoli' written on the front in a vertical arrangement. "So we're likely to be up against a lot of security that isn't under Nightmare or Madness influence, since nobody over in that area shows any signs of odd behavior. Can't bash our way through, and we don't even know if Paula's there."

"Yeah," Ness agreed. "Finding Paula...needs to be our priority." He seemed...listless as he spoke, his eyes frequently drifting to the heart charm still clutched in his hand. "Any...any ideas how to go about doing that? It doesn't sound like charging into Monotoli's building would be a good way to go about it."

"If she is there, you have to fight your way through a horde of security people in their right minds to get to her, followed by another Carpainter but stronger, and all the while the Mani Mani Statue will be feeding Madness into you through every crack it can find," Buzz Buzz concluded. "If she's not there, the attempt lands you in jail...assuming you don't end up there anyway even if she is there."

"Sounds like our priority should be finding and destroying the Mani Mani Statue," Jeff deduced thoughtfully. "It's the method through which Giygas is empowering his agents and corrupting Ness. Cut off that avenue, and Ness or Moondancer might be able to sense Paula's location and we can go to her more directly."

"Of course, we're in the same rut we were before as far as where to look," Moondancer muttered as she looked up from the 'strategy guide' she'd been checking before. "It seems my concerns about overusing the Borange Ray and releasing extra madness in the world were well founded. According to this, it should have been an ordinary Mook we encountered in the Department Store...and when I pointed that out to the guide, the later pages have grown even blurrier. We can't count on anything here being accurate anymore..." She tapped the one page past the 'Department Store Mook' page that was still clear...somewhat. "And I don't like this line about 'divided paths'. That either means we end up splitting up...or we're at another crossroads in time where things could go either way. Neither is a good sign." She carefully closed the guide and put it away.

"In that case, why don't we wait for my Mom over at that bar she mentioned?" Ness suggested thoughtfully. "She always seems to know how to fix messes. Maybe she can help."

"Not a bad idea," Jeff allowed as the group made their way there.

It didn't take long for the group to find the bar in question, and they stood calmly outside for a time. However, it quickly became apparent that none of them were well equipped for calmly waiting for something to happen. Eventually, Ness spoke up. "I'm going to take a look inside," he said firmly. "Maybe someone in there can tell us something...or maybe Mom directed us here for some reason beyond just a chat? Maybe there's something important here..." He turned resolutely to enter the bar.

"But-" Jeff began, only to blink in surprise as no one stopped Ness from entering. Confused, he hurried after him.

"This will not end well," Buzz Buzz grumbled as Moondancer followed the pair.

To Jeff's surprise, the bar served various juice and milk drinks in addition to the adult beverages that weren't available to youngsters, making it more of a cafe than a bar despite the wall of exotic liquors behind the counter. "Maybe we can get a smoothie or something..." Jeff began, only to see Ness' eyes glazed slightly as he walked around the edge of the counter. "Ness, I'm pretty sure we aren't supposed to go back here!" he called out as he raced after him...only to follow him through a door hidden behind a wall panel, the bartender ignoring their actions.

Seeing the door slowly closing behind the pair, Moondancer seized it in her aura to hold it open before racing in after them, Buzz Buzz close behind.

Ness blinked as he came to himself, staring around at what looked like the bar he'd just been in...but distorted, as though everything were cast in negative colors. The people were odd distortions of ordinary people, half stretched out and half squashed as though viewed through fun house mirrors. "Is...is this Fourside?" he asked worriedly.

"Fourside?" one of the people asked, obviously confused. "This is Moonside!"

"Yes is no, no is yes!" another declared happily as a flame charged Ness, only to metamorphose into a fire hydrant with a face. "Wecmole to Moonside!"

Moondancer stared around her in shock. It looked like the bar she was just in...but it was very different. The roof was much lower, and the glasses were stockier. The benches were no longer built for humans, shaped for someone of a completely different physique. In fact, they almost looked shaped for her own physique...

And the bartender was a pony like her, but without a horn. She had a plum coat, a raspberry pink mane and tail, and fandango eyes. She glanced over at Moondancer and smirked. "Welcome to Nightmare, useless knockoff," she offered pleasantly. "Care for a drink? Cyanide? Hemlock? Arsenic? That was your fancy last time you were here..."

Moondancer blinked in confusion. "What?" she asked dumbly, backing up against the door she'd just come through...only to find no door there. "What the?"

"This is Nightmare," the bartender offered with a twisted smirk as a wolf made of wood with glowing green eyes lunged for Moondancer. "No real world lies here..."

Jeff stared around in shock as he took in his surroundings. It looked odd, like two different worlds superimposed upon each other. On one side, it looked like an odd fun house mirror reflection of Fourside. On the other, it seemed like a relatively happy land of colorful creatures and rainbows, overcast with a dark sheen that left everything dreary. Somewhere in between, it almost looked like a very small room filled with boxes, but it was very hard to spot that part. "What's happening?" he demanded in confusion. "Which is real?"

"Which?" Buzz Buzz asked in shock. "You see both, too?"

Jeff turned...and blinked in shock. Instead of the tiny bug he was used to seeing Buzz Buzz as, there was a floating black ball with silver stripes on its body, big golden eyes, and dragonfly wings keeping it afloat. "...you look different."

"I noticed," Buzz Buzz buzzed back. "I look more native to that non-human land we're seeing...but not quite."

Glancing back and forth, Jeff saw both Ness and Moondancer fighting separate red swirls. The one attacking Ness sometimes looked like a fire hydrant with a face. The one attacking Moondancer sometimes looked like a green-glowing wolf made of bits of wood. "I...I think these worlds we're seeing are made for them," Jeff pointed out thoughtfully. "I don't know why we're seeing both, though, and not our own..."

"I'm not because I'm trapped between times," Buzz Buzz explained. "It's why I'm so weak, and why most things don't perceive me. As for you...I think you're immune."

"Immune?" Jeff inquired.

"You have an incredibly strong mind, strong enough you should be a powerful PSI user," Buzz Buzz explained. "But you don't have access to PSI. You're PSI-Null...and I think that means PSI effects that specifically target the mind can't touch you. Which means...you're immune to the Madness Waves, the power of the Nightmare Engine, and things that amplify that power."

"I see-" Jeff began, only to see Ness and Moondancer wander off in two different directions. "What do we do?"

"We'll have to split up," Buzz Buzz concluded. "These images...they're effecting the two of them. We can't leave either of them alone in them. I'll stick with Moondancer, since I already look like I belong in her illusion. You stick with Ness. We'll...try to keep them from accidentally blasting each other."

Jeff shuddered at the thought. "Here's hoping..." he muttered as he raced after Ness.

Into Darkness

Moondancer moved forward carefully as she explored the land identified as 'Nightmare'. It looked like a dark and gritty outline of what should have been a bright and colorful hamlet, somewhat reminiscent of Twoson but built to Moondancer's scale, if slightly warped. Ponies like herself wandered around, but they were all slightly distorted as though viewed in a fun house mirror. The only place she could see in the distance that looked to be of interest was a library inside a tree...that sometimes flickered into a strange castle that looked like someone had tried to apply to colorful stones the essence of a castle, a tree, and a library without fully understanding the functionality behind the three. Moondancer tried to make her way there, only to find the path blocked by an invisible wall.

"I think you'll need to find another way," Buzz Buzz told her carefully as he looked around, trying and failing to make sense of what he was seeing...and struggling not to let it show when something from what was obviously Ness' hallucination in this area didn't quite mesh with Moondancer's and faded right through him.

"I don't suppose you have any suggestions on how?" Moondancer asked curiously.

"You could try...talking to people?"

"But that's Ness' job," Moondancer pointed out nervously.

"He's not here though, is he?"

Swallowing nervously, Moondancer approached a bright pink pony. "Uh...hello?" she asked.

"Hello!" the pink pony greeted happily. "And...goodbye!"

The world swirled around Moondancer and Buzz Buzz, and they found themselves in a different part of town. "O...kay?" Moondancer asked carefully. "How...did that happen?"

"That must be how we can move past the invisible walls," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "I see...quite a few of those bright pink ponies bouncing around...and they seem to be repeating 'Fun' over and over again when we aren't talking to them. If we find the right one, we might be able to progress."

"Well, our first goal should be finding out how to get to that castle-" Moondancer froze as a nearby pink pony began waving eagerly to her. "...is a hallucination trying to be helpful?" she asked nervously.

"Only one way to find out," Buzz Buzz offered.

Curiously, Moondancer approached the waving pink pony.

"Hello...and goodbye!" the pink pony declared, and the world warped around them.

Moondancer found herself on a path around the side of the shifting building, the only path that led to its far side. Blocking the path was a brown pony with an odd smile. "Well isn't this a fantastic place?" he declared in interest. "Seems like a negative reflection generated by a powerful psychic amplifier drawing from the darkness of the heart of the one affected, shaping some sort of story. Fantastic! But no, I can't stay and study, there could be problems..." He turned to Moondancer. "Oh, hello. What can I do for you?"

"I'd...like to get past," Moondancer offered somewhat uncertainly. "You're...kind of blocking the path."

"Oh, so I am," the stallion allowed. He tapped his chin for a time. "Nope, sorry, just can't do it."

"Why not?" Moondancer demanded irritably, doing her best to keep from actually getting angry.

"Beyond me is the focal point of this whole place," the stallion explained readily. "If something happens, this entire place could collapse...and I can't just leave my companion behind. If you can bring me the muffin mare, then I'll move. Until then, I'm staying right here." He sat firmly in the path. "Oh, and don't bother trying to force me to move with your telekinesis. The rules of the narrative are being strongly enforced this close to the focal point, and that simply won't work."

Moondancer sighed. "So...I find this 'muffin mare' and bring her to you, and then you let me by?"

"That's right!" the stallion agreed. "But don't you think there's someone you should find before you try to leave?"

Moondancer blinked in surprise. "Ness and Jeff," she murmured in shock. "They're here somewhere too, aren't they?"

"...more or less," Buzz Buzz explained cautiously. "You and Ness are each being affected by this 'narrative force' in different ways. Jeff stayed close to Ness, and I stuck with you. So...there's no way to be sure what Ness will look like to you in this place...and vice versa."

"Of course things couldn't be simple," Moondancer grumbled to herself, turning to head up the path.

Moondancer searched carefully through every building she could enter. There was a hospital, a bed and breakfast, a bakery, and several ordinary houses...though when she tried to enter those, the residents would get grumpy and upset and try to kick her out. Some of them were quite effective at doing so. Her ears still rang from what that blue-maned unicorn had done with the sound system. "How am I supposed to find this 'muffin mare'?" Moondancer demanded irritably. "I don't even know what I'm looking for!"

"Maybe you should try asking people?" Buzz Buzz suggested helpfully. "That worked when you were trying to get to the castle."

"What, I should just walk up to one of the pink ponies and ask, 'Do you know the Muffin Mare'?" she suggested sarcastically.

"The Muffin Mare?" a nearby pink pony inquired.

"The...Muffin Mare," Moondancer replied nervously.

"Yes, I know the Muffin Mare!" the pink pony sang out happily. "Hello and goodbye!"

The world warped around Moondancer and Buzz Buzz, and they found themselves in another part of the town behind a few buildings they hadn't been able to go around.

"...well, that seems to have put us on the right track...maybe," Buzz Buzz allowed nervously.

Moondancer groaned as she approached another nearby pink pony. "This is going to give me a headache..."

"Oh, you want the hospital?" the pink pony asked curiously.

"What, no!" Moondancer declared hastily. "I want-"

"Hello, and goodbye!"

The world warped around them, and the pair found themselves in the hospital. "...I'm going to have to go through all that again, aren't I?" Moondancer demanded irritably. "Seriously, I said no! Why did she send me-"

"That is how things fare, here in Nightmare," a zebra standing nearby said warmly. "The thing that you must always know, is no is yes and yes is no."

Moondancer groaned ruefully. "That would have been useful to know last time I was in here. Why didn't you tell me then?"

"That is my task," the zebra responded readily. "But you did not ask."

Groaning, Moondancer walked to the nearest wall to press her face against it, not wanting to bang her head when she wasn't sure if the surface was really solid or just an illusion.

Darkness Mixing

With the new knowledge of how things worked in Nightmare, Moondancer made her way back to the first pink pony who'd sent her to the out of the way area before...only to be sent somewhere random when she talked to her normally. "...why didn't that work?" she demanded irritably.

"Probably because it wasn't the same mare," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "They keep...popping in and out of everywhere and switching places."

"Does that mean I have to pull the Muffin Mare schtick again?" she demanded with a groan.

"Nopper!" a nearby pink pony offered happily.

"Well, that's a reli-and I just remembered about the whole yes/no thing," Moondancer growled out. Pausing, she took a few calming breaths. "Do you-"

"Wait, I meant yupper!" the pink pony interrupted. "I totally don't know where you want to go! Hello...and goodbye!"

The world warped around them, and Moondancer and Buzz Buzz found themselves in the out of the way area again. "...a hallucination is just messing with me? That's a new low..." Turning, she approached the new pink mare. "Do you know the Muffin Mare?" she asked carefully.

"Noppers!"

Moondancer thought about that for a moment, trying to figure out how to get through to this pony that wasn't even really there. "...I don't want to see the Muffin Mare."

"In that case, I'll send you to someone much better!" the pink mare responded eagerly. "Hello...and goodbye!" The world warped again.

The pair found themselves in a new out-of-the-way location, this one with a gray mare with a somewhat purple mane and a flat expression...who looked oddly out of place in the surroundings. Every other figure of the hallucination looked twisted and warped as though their inherent oddity had been exaggerated...but with this one, it was almost as if the attempt had been made only to fail. "Uh...?" Moondancer began awkwardly.

"Hello...and goodbye," the mare spoke in a complete monotone voice. "...shall I?"

"Please...no," Moondancer quickly corrected herself.

"Then...goodbye."

The world warped again, and they found themselves in a small warehouse with only two individuals. One was a gray pegasus with yellow eyes that looked in two different directions. The other was a pink pony wearing a muffin costume. "I think we've found the muffin mare," Buzz Buzz began, moving towards the pink pony.

"Pretty sure that's another warping pony," Moondancer pointed out flatly as she approached the pegasus. "Are you the Muffin Mare?" she asked her carefully.

"I can't find my little muffin!" the pegasus whimpered softly, tears in her eyes. Her voice was oddly stilted in an endearing way. "Please find my little muffin!"

"So...are you the muffin mare?" Moondancer repeated.

"I can't find my little muffin!" the pegasus repeated in an identical tone. "Please find my little muffin!"

"You...didn't answer my question..." Moondancer pointed out flatly.

"I can't find my little muffin! Please find my little muffin!"

"Can't you say anything else?" Moondancer demanded irritably.

The mare's eyes suddenly both locked on Moondancer's. "Haven't you ever played video games?" she demanded flatly. "With the narrative force in play I only get one dialogue box until you advance the plot, two if I'm lucky. Now are you going to look for my little muffin, or are we going to go through this again so you can get your jollies over my sorrow?"

"But I don't even know what I'm looking for!" Moondancer complained.

"I can't find my little muffin!" the pegasus whimpered as her eyes went back to pointing in two different directions...but her wings and hooves made shapes on the ground, indicating something small and pointed...but before Moondancer could see anymore, the pink pony in the muffin suit had trotted over the image, her eyes crazed and her coat grayed out.

"You wanna find the muffin?" she asked darkly, cruelly. "Well you're not gonna if you don't play by the rules. Hello...and-"

Moondancer's eyes narrowed and her energy - not her PSI - lashed out and seized the hallucination roughly. "Goodbye!" Moondancer stated firmly before blasting the figure into the nearest wall, causing it to burst into green flames and reveal some sort of insectoid pony that dispersed into red swirls.

A new pink pony popped up. "I was wondering who took my shift here!" she insisted irritably. She smiled widely at Moondancer, shaking herself off and drawing attention to an odd red pattern drawn on her face and through her mane. "Seriously, someone needs to learn some patience! Thanks for that, so let me help you. Goodbye...and Hello!"

The world shifted...and a space between spaces opened up. "This is the path between the nightmares!" the pink pony explained. "You'll probably find a lot of things that aren't what they seem...so be careful in there! But the muffin's in the other Nightmare, not yours."

"Well, at least we'll find Ness and Jeff-" Moondancer began.

"But don't stay in the other Nightmare too long!" the mare insisted. "This one will collapse without you in it before long, and then elements will start bleeding through. And...hang on!" Grinning, she pulled out black and gold paint. The gold she painted on one of her teeth, the black between her eyebrows. She then pulled a cloak over herself, turning into a walking shadow. "With the way things have been skewed," she said, her voice now definitely sounding masculine, "you might not be the only one crossing. Looks like I've got two jobs today!"

Nodding nervously, Moondancer turned and entered the path between nightmares.

The path between nightmares swirled with light, sound, and swirls of red as madness leaked back and forth between the illusions, the very fabric of reality seeming to come almost undone as enhanced PSI tore at the senses. Creatures like the black bug-like pony patrolled the path, taking on shapes both familiar and strange as they attacked. Giegue, Niiue, Alinivar, Paula...Moondancer found herself fighting images of them all, only for the images to decay as she bested them. There was also the image of a purple unicorn with a star-shaped mark on her flank...and Moondancer felt oddly pained whenever she saw that one, as with the tiny purple and green reptile.

After a time, she saw strange shaggy white creatures approaching, armed with clubs and swords and wearing stone-like face masks. She took no hesitation blasting them apart as they approached...until she saw one holding a familiar looking bat. "What...?" As the bat was swung towards her, she braced herself for combat-

"Wait!" Buzz Buzz insisted as he landed on her horn. At the same time, another shaggy figure behind the bat-wielding one seized its arm. "That's-"

"-Moondancer!" Jeff snapped out as he hauled back on Ness' arm.

Ness blinked in shock and disbelief, glancing from Jeff to the shadowy creatures before them that seemed to ooze right out of the ground as they took shape, the one in front readying to blast him. He'd been pushed to his limit struggling to deal with Moonside, trying to make sense of what had happened...only to find no one waiting for them in the tiny warehouse the chain of warpers had led them to. He had feared he'd led Jeff into an inescapable trap, only for a whole in the world to open before them. And now...

He saw the energy surround his bat, slowly pushing it down. "M...Moondancer?" he began nervously.

"...Ness?" Moondancer gasped out in surprise, before rushing forward, the illusions fading off both of them as they clung to each other in relief.

To Break the Darkness

Once Ness and Moondancer managed to calm down, the group began trying to make a plan. "I need to get into Moonside," Moondancer explained calmly. "Apparently, the 'Little Muffin' is somewhere over there, and the 'Muffin Mare' won't go with me to open the path we need to follow unless we find her 'Little Muffin'. I don't suppose you saw anything like that over there?"

"No...but we didn't look everywhere..." Ness admitted, looking a little ashamed.

"Moonside's been affecting Ness rather strongly," Jeff explained worriedly. "He's had moments where he'll just lash out in rage that he didn't even feel, points where he can barely speak...times when he can't stop talking..."

"These nightmares are designed with you two in mind," Buzz Buzz pointed out to Ness and Moondancer. "It's not surprising Ness is having a hard time with Moonside...though it does leave a question of why Nightmare seems to only be frustrating Moondancer..."

"Either her training in controlling her emotions is protecting her, or she doesn't have the same emotional connection to the Nightmare that Ness is experiencing with Moonside," Jeff suggested thoughtfully. "Based on what I've glimpsed of Nightmare while wandering Moonside, I believe it may be a distorted version of a part of her home world, much how Moonside is a distorted version of Fourside, a part of Earth."

"I don't have a home world," Moondancer pointed out flatly. "I grew up on father's spaceship."

"And how did you get there?" Jeff asked pointedly.

Moondancer blinked in confusion. "I...I don't know. I just...appeared."

"And that's why Nightmare doesn't affect you the same way it does Ness," Buzz Buzz explained calmly. "Your memories of whatever it's supposed to represent are locked away so deep you can't feel it."

"Then it sounds like we should go back through together to find the Little Muffin," Ness deduced thoughtfully. "I think...having all of you with me will...help."

"And it's not like we were able to find the man whose eyebrows were connected and has a gold tooth on our side," Jeff murmured dryly.

"A pink pony dressed up as him back at my end," Moondancer pointed out thoughtfully. "Go fetch 'him', and then we can look wherever you didn't for the 'Little Muffin'."

"Alright," Ness agreed, turning to follow the Path Between Nightmares over to the Nightmare side. He returned shortly. "'He' said we wouldn't see 'him', but 'he' would be following us," he explained thoughtfully. "...then 'he' gave me a cupcake. I...have no idea what to do with it, or if it's even real."

"Put it in Jeff's bag," Moondancer suggested readily. "After we're out of here, we'll check if it's still there."

Nodding, Ness did as instructed. "So...how are we going to find the 'Little Muffin'? Or..." He paused as they stepped out in Moonside, in a warehouse with no people and no exit but the Path Between Nightmares. "...or even get out of here?"

Moondancer glanced around carefully, looking for something Ness might have missed. "Hmm...I don't see any way out...but I think I might have an idea." She turned to the group. "Do you think you could all follow the warpers back here?"

"Easily," Ness confirmed. "I know where the first one in the chain is."

"Do you know one of the buildings that you haven't looked in?" she pressed.

"The museum," Ness stated firmly. "It's the only one we can get into that we didn't go into."

"Can you visualize the entrance clearly?"

Ness nodded, closing his eyes as he called it up in his mind.

"In that case...Hello, and Goodbye." She flared her PSI, and the world warped.

Moondancer, Jeff, and Buzz Buzz found themselves outside the Moonside museum. Moondancer blinked in shock. "That wasn't supposed to happen!" she insisted worriedly. "The last thing I wanted was to have Ness end up alone...and I'm not in position to get back into Nightmare to keep it from bleeding into Moonside."

"Then we'd best hurry," Jeff stated firmly. "I know the warper pattern, so let's find that muffin."

Turning, the group headed into the museum. At first, it seemed like an ordinary museum, despite the Moonside distortion. However, when they reached the exhibit hall, the distorted skeleton in the background flew off its posts to try and attack them, forcing them to do their best to defend themselves. As they struggled, a loud shriek caught their attention.

A tiny unicorn filly dashed by, running from a painting that pursued her as she screamed, "I want my mommy!"

Moondancer quickly blasted the painting. "Are you the 'Little Muffin'?" she asked in surprise.

"That's what Mommy calls me," the little filly said nervously. "Do you know Mommy?"

"Okay, we found her!" Buzz Buzz barked out. "Lets get back to the Muffin Mare before-"

The museum tore open as one of the houses from Nightmare erupted into it, bursting open to spill a swarm of wolves made of dead wood and voracious creatures that resembled the shape Buzz Buzz had taken.

"Get close to me!" Moondancer called out as she closed her eyes and focused. "Here's hoping this works," she muttered as she felt Buzz Buzz, Jeff, and the 'Little Muffin' grab hold of her. Focusing her PSI Teleport on Ness, she whispered, "Hello...and Goodbye."

The world warped.

Ness, Jeff, Moondancer, and Buzz Buzz landed just outside the crystal tree Moondancer had seen in Nightmare...only to see it now fused with what looked like the Monotoli building from Moonside. Elsewhere, bits and pieces of Nightmare and Moonside could be seen interspersed or fused as the edges of the dark world crumbled inward, buildings actually vanishing. A pained groan echoed over everything as the stallion who'd been blocking the path ushered the Muffin Mare and 'the Little Muffin' into a blue box that folded in on itself and vanished. "...I think I broke it..." Moondancer muttered worriedly.

"It...it hurts..." Ness groaned as he clutched at his head, struggling as the odd world they were in continued to dissolve. "Make...make it stop..."

"Let's get to the source and stop this, quick," Jeff insisted. Nodding, Moondancer raced around the edge of the building.

"Nope!" a man insisted as he blocked the path. "You can't get by unless you're-"

"Not today!" the invisible 'man' insisted as the man blocking the path was dragged off towards the pub. "Good luck, kiddos!"

"Make it...stop..." Ness groaned, silencing any urge to comment on the oddity.

Rushing around the building, the group saw an image of Monotoli vanish to reveal the Mani Mani Statue that Mr. Carpainter had been using in Happy Happy Village, now glowing with power and seeming to be breathing.

And then the statue flickered, and Giegue stood there, his body twisted and warped, half-dissolved as he struggled to hold himself together. "It hurts!" he screamed out, and Ness echoed the scream. "Make it stop! Make it stooop!"

"Dad!" Moondancer screamed out in fear, lunging forward...only for Ness to grab her by her turtleneck's collar and hold her back. "But-"

"Don't come...not near!" Giegue and Ness cried out together as the red swirls of Giygas surrounded the warped figure. "Not hurt...you too..."

"What's causing this?" Jeff demanded urgently, hoping to get some answers while Giegue appeared to have some sense of awareness beyond Giygas.

"Devil Machine...break body...mind stronger..." Giegue and Ness said together, only to scream as more of Nightmare Moonside dissolved, collapsing inward towards the group. "It hurts! It hurts...so good...no...help me..."

"I want to help you!" Moondancer screamed out. "How do I help?"

"END IT!" Giegue screamed as Giygas roared, the brief connection between Giegue and Ness that let him speak breaking as the red swirls took shape and the Mani Mani Statue reappeared, pumping the world full of the energies of madness.

"No!" Moondancer cried out despairingly. "No, that can't be the way! I...I won't accept it! I won't give up on you!" She felt Ness' hand on her shoulder. "N-Ness?"

Ness' eyes were hard as he tensed up, struggling to hold the red swirls back from his body. "He's...he's not gone yet...but his strength...it's running out. The Mani Mani...it connects to him in his present state...right now, if we act, we can help him. But we'll have...to reach through the Mani Mani to do it, and...expose ourselves completely to the Madness..."

Moondancer stared from Ness to the Mani Mani Statue to the red swirls...and steeled her nerves. "Then that's just what we'll do," she stated firmly, marching forward. The red swirls struck out at her, and she lifted the Borange Ray, thinking it somehow might ward them off or absorb them. Instead, the Ray cracked, splintered, and exploded, releasing a charge of Madness that caused a brief breach in the waves from the statue. Lunging forward, Moondancer pressed her horn to the statue and opened her mind and heart.

The pain, the Madness...it swamped over her as she felt the agony Giegue was going through in the linked moment as the Devil Machine tore his body apart to turn him into Giygas. She could pull back now and protect herself...but if she did, Giegue would become Giygas, and never return from it. She could not do that. She could not turn her back on Love.

She felt a power welling up in her...

When Ness saw the explosion on Moondancer's foreleg, he lunged forward. The Madness plunged into him, and he felt it tearing at his mind and heart. In the redness, he saw Paula being attacked by the Chimera Mook. He saw Monotoli doing...horrible things to her. He saw...he saw himself, consumed by Madness, treating her like a plaything. His Mom, his sister, Jeff, Moondancer, Buzz Buzz...he saw them dying and worse than dying...despair and fury welled up inside him...

No! It wouldn't be like that! He wouldn't let it be like that! He would make things better! He would save everyone! He just had to hold onto Hope, and believe that things would be better. Pushing through the Madness, he placed his hands against the Mani Mani...and he felt Giegue's despair. The pain was so great, and he felt the weight of the wrongs he'd done when split from himself. His strength was almost gone. He was going to give up...but Ness wouldn't let him. He would help him remember what it was to Hope.

He felt a power welling up in him...

Jeff and Buzz Buzz stared in awe as Moondancer and Ness blazed with a blue and gold light that pushed back the darkness of Nightmare Moonside, erasing it as the back room they'd been wandering around in all along became slowly visible again. The red waves of Madness faded away...and Ness and Moondancer screamed.

"PSI HEALING EPSILON!" The scream tore its way out of Moondancer's throat as the blue light surged into the Mani Mani Statue.

"PSI LIFEUP KAPPA!" The words seemed to leap from Ness' throat without bothering to consult mouth or brain as the golden light surged forth.

The Mani Mani shook, glowed, blazed...and shattered.

The world came to a halt in the moment between the Statue breaking and its link to Giegue severing. The voice that spoke was pained, tormented, and raspy...but there was strength in it. "...thank...you..."

The shockwave sent all four of them out the side of the building, rolling to a halt at a blanket Ness' Mom had laid out with a little picnic for the group. "Well, I was wondering what was taking you all," she offered jovially.

Connected Hearts

As Ness and Moondancer shifted groggily, barely able to lift their heads, Jeff did his best to explain what had happened. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Ness's Mom-"

"Ana," Ana corrected softly. "The name's already been spoken where you can hear, so there's no longer a point to keeping it a secret. Besides..." She glanced from Ness to Moondancer to the piece of the Mani Mani Statue that froze just before the sharp point would have gouged out her right eye. "The need for secrecy has...changed."

Jeff blinked in surprise. "Ana? Father used to talk about a friend named Ana...and-"

"But other names should be saved for now," Ana offered calmly as she began setting out the picnic lunch for everyone. "Help Moondancer to drink, while I do the same for Ness. Star PSI takes a lot out of you, and is especially hard on the throat."

"Star PSI?" Jeff asked in confusion as he gently scooped up Moondancer, holding a juice bottle to her lips to help her drink as she managed to open her mouth for it.

"That's what the old records call it, according to my husband's research," Ana explained calmly as she gently poured the juice into Ness' mouth in small amounts so his throat could be eased while still letting him breathe. "It's PSI that comes from the heart rather than the mind, and syncs with the heart of a star...thus the name. Unlike other PSI, it can't be learned, only used."

"That...sounds like the emotion-driven PSI that Giygas uses," Buzz Buzz spoke nervously.

Ana sighed as she gently set Ness down as he steadied himself to hold his own drink. "There is a connection," she confirmed worriedly. "That's part of what my husband has been researching. When he learned of Star PSI, he sought to learn how it could be called...to save someone consumed by the dark side of it. He blames himself for that..."

Ness slowly set down his drink, then looked up at his mother. He couldn't find the words...but in his eyes were the horrors from Moonside where he'd been forced to face distorted images of the world, of his friends, of his home...family members wishing him to die, not knowing him, or fearing him...and the visions the madness had pulled forth from the darkness of his own mind...

Moondancer slowly sat up, feeling...lost. The place Nightmare was...that was where she came from, wasn't it? It was important, wasn't it? Then...then why did she feel nothing from it? Why was she left feeling empty? Even if she couldn't remember...shouldn't she have felt something? Or...were the words that the ponies who'd spoken to her true? Was she so isolated in her old world that...no one would have noticed her going missing? Did she...not even have a place there?

Ana gently pulled the pair into a motherly embrace. "I'd hoped to meet up with you before this happened, to try and help you face it," she whispered softly. "But all I can offer now...is more trials, and hope you're up to it...and can reach what will help you..."

"Hmm?" Ness asked curiously, not really understanding what she was saying.

"It will make sense in time," Ana promised. "For now, eat and enjoy."

Nodding, Ness, Jeff, Moondancer, and Buzz Buzz all dug into the picnic. Before long, all that was left was dessert...and Ana provided Ness with a special little cake all his own. "I'm sorry I don't have enough for everyone, but there was a shortage of ingredients..." She glanced worriedly towards Moondancer.

Ness leaned forward to take a whiff of the cake, and smiled. "I think..." Reaching into Jeff's bag, he pulled out the cupcake and took a sniff. "Thought it was familiar," he said firmly as he handed it to Moondancer. "Want some, Jeff? Buzz Buzz?"

"No thank you," Jeff avowed firmly. "I ate more than enough. Enjoy your treats."

"Too much sugar is actually bad for my physiology," Buzz Buzz explained easily. "Thank you for the offer, though."

Managing to smile, Ness and Moondancer eagerly dug in...and as the last crumb vanished, their eyes drooped and they slowly slumped over. Ana carefully braced them before laying them down on the blanket.

"What's happened?" Jeff asked nervously.

"Something important," Ana explained evasively. "And...I can't stay until he wakes up. I've done too much already. And I fear what may come if I do too much more. Look after them until they wake, please." With that, she turned and walked off.

Jeff sighed as he scooted close to the sleeping pair. "Well, this is going to be interesting," he murmured with the slightest hint of sarcasm. Opening his pack, he began to tinker. Surely he could come up with something interesting by the time they woke up.

Ness and Moondancer felt themselves flowing over a land seeming to hover among pink clouds. Green grass and brown dirt paths led between pagodas, and a building that was somewhere between a castle and a temple sat at the very top of the paths. Somehow, they knew they were in Dalaam, a land in the far east.

Slipping into the temple/castle, they found themselves drawn through the golden halls and across red carpets to what was obviously a throne room, where a young boy their age sat in a lotus position, wearing a white gi and his head mostly shaved save for a single topknot.

Poo... Ness found himself thinking as he felt himself slipping into the boy without meaning to.

The Crown Prince... Moondancer added in her own thoughts as her essence followed Ness'.

As Poo slowly opened his eyes, he found two others gazing out at his surroundings through them with him. He blinked a few times. I was prepared for one companion within my soul on this stage of the journey, he thought formally to them. I am...uncertain what it means that there are two. And one of you...is very not of this world.

It's...a long story, Ness offered softly. You see...

With respect, even at the speed of thought I do not believe we have time to discuss this 'long story' before my Master gives me instructions, Poo interrupted gently as his eyes locked on an old man slowly approaching him, the approach even slower than normal as the mental discussion enhanced their time sense. If you trust me, and will open your minds to me, I can feel the story from both of you...with your permission.

I...don't think we'd be in here if we couldn't, Moondancer observed thoughtfully as she opened her mind, turning her thoughts back to her memories. She could feel Ness doing the same...and felt the approach of Poo's thoughts.

She'd expected a ruffling, like flipping through the pages of a book. She'd expected a stretching as her mind expanded to accommodate his intrusion. She even expected a possible Magicant dive. What she did not expect was the gentle sensation of Poo's mind touching her own, hers touching Ness', and Ness touching Poo, before all three minds pulled back. A...fascinating story, Poo observed softly. There is...much here for me to think about, and to meditate on. But that is for another time. The final test comes...and if you are here, then you two are meant to come with me.

Before Moondancer or Ness could ask what he meant, the older man spoke up. "Prince Poo," he greeted firmly yet respectfully, "the time has come for you to undertake your final trial...though it comes earlier than expected. Go to the 'Place of Emptiness' and endure this final test."

Poo nodded as he stood up from his throne, bowing to his teacher. "I shall endeavor to do my best to live up to the work you have put to training me," he avowed firmly.

His teacher nodded. "I am praying for your success in this final stage of your training."

With that, Poo turned to walk out of the palace.

The Empty Peace

After gathering a few of his belongings, Poo made his way out of the Palace. As he headed out, he was briefly addressed by a young girl his age, wearing a red silk kimono with her hair done up over her head. "Prince Poo..." she greeted warmly, a maidenly blush on her cheeks. "...you're my favorite!" She then burst into giggles from her audacity, even as Poo nodded and smiled warmly in recognition before stepping out of the palace and onto the winding path through Dalaam.

A friend of yours? Ness asked curiously.

Indeed, Poo responded readily in his mind. She has been a frequent playmate, though not as much since my training has begun...though she always sought to attend me during my training.

Did she now? Moondancer mused idly before taking in the land of Dalaam through Poo's eyes.

The green grass waved peacefully in the calm breeze around the brown dirt path, with small brick houses with thatch roofs here and there. The citizenry eagerly invited Poo into their homes as he approached, urging him to take anything he felt might help him in the journey his destiny had laid on him. Poo graciously accepted each invitation and gift, storing it against possible use.

There were many young girls wandering around Poo's age, and all of them greeted Poo respectfully and affectionately, much to Ness delight and Moondancer's amusement. You seem to know a lot of girls, Ness observed hopefully. Maybe you can help me with... His thoughts faded as he remembered what had happened to Paula, and emotions began to roil.

It would be my pleasure to assist you both with the rescuing and courting of your special one, Poo offered warmly, quickly dispelling the beginnings of Ness' dark emotions.

As Poo continued down the path, one of the girls came up to him. "Prince Poo, will you make out with me again like you used to?" she asked eagerly.

'Make out'? Ness asked in confusion, not understanding the term.

Really now? Moondancer inquired, just a trifle wickedly.

Poo felt embarrassment race through him. Suddenly, those moments of 'innocent pleasure' with this young maiden no longer seemed so innocent. "I am sorry," he managed to say, "but I must continue to my training just now."

The girl pouted. "Your training has changed you!" she complained petulantly. "I'm jealous of your training!" She spun around in a huff, the swift movement briefly making the hem of her kimono whirl, drawing attention to it so that Poo almost saw her ankles.

As Poo felt his own embarrassment increase, he felt Ness' growing confusion and Moondancer's growing amusement, which only served to increase his embarrassment. He quickly continued down the path, seeking to clear his mind.

As he came to the final fork in the road, Ness found himself focusing on something out of the corner of Poo's eye. What's that? he asked, trying to draw Poo's attention to it.

Smiling, Poo walked over to a cave entrance blocked by three statues of rabbits dressed as ninjas. This cave is said to hold something extremely important, Poo explained readily, but no one knows for sure. No force attempted in the history of Dalaam as it is recorded has ever managed to make the statues budge.

Sounds like we might need another invention from Apple Kid, Moondancer observed thoughtfully. Or something similar.

It would be of great interest to my people if the true contents of this cavern could be discovered, Poo marveled happily. Any records of such have been lost to time.

We'll look into it, Ness promised. Satisfied with this answer, Poo turned back to the other path.

The path led out to a peninsula of land with a tall spire rising out of it, a single rope leading up to the top. This is the Place of Emptiness, Poo explained softly, where I will complete my training. I am led to understand it will be...intense.

An old man rested calmly before the rope, blocking the path. He turned with a smile as Poo approached. "There's a strong look in your eyes," he murmured warmly. "You must be Prince Poo."

Poo nodded in confirmation. "And who might you be, Elder?" he asked curiously.

"One who completed Mu Training long ago," the old man answered readily. "I want to show you a higher level of intelligence. However, my own mastery of it is still incomplete. I'll see you again. So long." With that, the man disappeared in a whirling spiral of wind and shot up into the air.

...that was different, Moondancer murmured thoughtfully.

I am certain it will make sense in time, Poo mused as he began climbing the rope to the top of the spire.

When he reached the top of the spire, the peaceful and relaxing atmosphere of the land seemed to fade, to be replaced by an almost but not quite menacing air. Poo sat down calmly to meditate, seeking to clear his mind. Ness and Moondancer joined him in this, letting him guide them in seeking emptiness.

As they meditated, one of the maidens from before stepped onto the only part of Dalaam that could be clearly seen from the pinnacle, as though something about the pinnacle blotted out everything else. "Ah! Prince Poo..." she called out worriedly. "I am a messenger from your Master! He sent me to tell you that you must stop your meditation immediately! It is far too soon, and you are not fully prepared for this!"

Too soon? Ness murmured thoughtfully.

Pay it no mind, Poo murmured back, his thoughts quiet. It is the stars and the fates that dictate the timing of such things. If I am not ready...then I know you both will aid me.

"Prince Poo!" the maiden called out again, no longer sounding quite like herself. "You must come back with me instead of staying in a place such as this. Your Master wishes it...please rise, Prince..."

I believe staying is the right thing, too, Moondancer observed softly as she sank into the meditation, so like the training her father had given her to grasp the full power of her PSI by suppressing her emotions. I'm not so sure that message really comes from your Master.

"Your highness, you must give up this trial for now," the maiden called out desperately. "Believe what I say, for it is the truth!" Seeing that Poo refused to heed her, she turned and walked away.

Poo almost wavered there. After all, if it had been one sent to sabotage his training, would she not have continued? He started to pull himself out of his meditative state, only to feel Ness hold him back.

If she had kept going, you would have known her for a saboteur, Ness pointed out softly. You would have ignored her words. By giving up there, she makes you question. His voice seemed somehow...older and wiser as his mind gently released full awareness.

Accepting Ness' words, Poo sank deeper into meditation. The world faded around them, leaving only emptiness as a ghostly apparition approached them. It was the face of one born in Dalaam, but far older and wiser than anyone Poo had seen in his country, even older than his Master...and there seemed to be a cold cruelty in the gaze.

"Prince Poo..." the apparition spoke harshly as it reached him. "I am the spirit of your ancient lineage. To complete your trial, I am going to break your legs. You will lose the use of them. Do you accept this?"

Poo hesitated, not just from the thought of having to go through life unable to walk, but at the absolutely emotionless way in which the spirit dictated this, as though it didn't care one way or the other how he responded. Swallowing nervously, he murmured... "Yes..."

Poo clenched his teeth as he felt the bones of his legs shatter, from his pelvis all the way down to his toes, every nerve in him screaming as the bone shards dug into muscle and sinew, tearing away at it. Ness nearly screamed in agony in their shared mindspace as he felt the pain as well, only Moondancer's support keeping them all from breaking down...though it was a struggle for her as well.

"So Prince Poo..." the spirit continued, ignoring the agony they were going through, "you cannot walk, as your legs are broken. Next I will tear your arms off..." He seemed...amused at the sense of horror pouring off the trio at the idea. "I shall then take your arms and feed them to the crows. The taking of your arms...do you accept this?"

Poo struggled through his agony, knowing his new friends within him felt it too...and faced up against the trial he faced. "...yes..."

He tried to scream as he felt his arms violently torn from his body, falling limply to his back in agony as his life's blood spilled out from his wounds...but no sound came from his mouth. The screams in his mind as Ness and Moondancer felt the pain as well were more than enough, and pushing through his own agony he struggled to comfort them. In the shared agony and comfort, they faced the spirit - faced death - in strength.

The spirit seemed...intrigued at the defiance. "Ah, Prince Poo...without legs and arms you can only lie there. Now, I'll cut your ears off." The spirit seemed...surprised that this garnered no emotional response. "You do not mind my taking your hearing away, do you? Do you accept this?"

"Yes," Poo spoke immediately, strengthened by his friends with him.

A lance of pain struck through Poo's head as his ears were sliced cleanly off, but none of them screamed even as all sound vanished. They were determined to see this through to the end in strength.

The spirit's eyes twinkled for unknown reason. Words floated in the air between the spirit and Poo. So, Prince Poo. No legs, no arms, and no sound. By floating words through the air, I must ask you...do you care if I take your eyes? Do you want to live in eternal darkness? I shall steal your sight...do you accept this?

Though they could not hear it, they knew Poo said 'Yes,' and he managed to make his head nod to be certain of it.

A last stab of agony shot through them all as the world went dark, trapping them in eternal emptiness...but no screams came. Clinging tightly to each other in the space of Poo's mind, they held each other up, refusing to be broken. And then another mind touched theirs, one immensely ancient and powerful.

So, Prince Poo...now I can only communicate directly with your mind. Your mind is all you have left. Soon I will take your mind, but you probably don't want to allow that, do you?

To the spirit's surprise, strength flowed through the three joined minds, and Poo spoke up in thought. ...do it...I accept this...

The spirit chuckled darkly. Then I shall take your minds and possess them...

The trio felt themselves sinking into darkness even deeper than before, clinging desperately to each other for strength...and then slowly felt the need for such strength pass. The darkness was not fearful, nor was it harmful. It was simply...empty. Waiting to be filled. Waiting...to be accepted.

The darkness was peace...and held no fear. The trio felt their minds relaxing as they embraced the darkness, the emptiness, and made it their own...

Star Power

Poo slowly opened his eyes, staring out from the Place of Emptiness with new strength and conviction. He had seen eternity, and knew what awaited there, and found no fear. He knew his powers, and his limits...and knew himself strong enough to fight alongside his new friends. He knew he had the power and the will to save the world, and was determined to put it to use.

Inside his mind, he felt his friends awaken with a new awareness as well. Ness felt the roiling of his emotions calmed, quieted. He knew he was bound to Paula, to Jeff, to Poo, to Moondancer, and to Buzz Buzz. He knew even death could not truly separate them, so long as they stayed true to one another. He knew that with the help of his friends, he would save Paula. He knew together the six of them could accomplish anything. With that knowledge came peace of mind. With a gaze into the empty darkness, he knew he need not fear what would come if they fell. So long as they had the will and the drive, they would find a way to return.

Moondancer found her own fears and concerns relaxed. The darkness no longer brought fear to her mind, nor did she find fear from physical pain. As long as she stayed true to herself, she knew she would find the strength to overcome...with her friends. Friends...somehow, that firm acceptance of such a thing felt important, an importance even the mind link could not fully grasp.

One of the attendants approached at the edge of visible land. "Prince Poo!" he called out joyfully. "You have now completed your training! The old Master must be so pleased! Hurry now, and return to the palace!" With his message delivered, he left with a spring in his step.

As Poo got to his feet, briefly marveling at the feeling of his legs, he felt the link to Ness and Moondancer beginning to waver. My friends? he asked in confusion.

We...fell asleep after eating magic cake before being linked to you, Ness managed to say as he felt himself moving.

I'm guessing...we're waking up now, Moondancer concluded.

Then when you awaken, I shall join you in body, and meet you both face to face, Poo promised firmly. As I have seen, life and experience can not be taken for granted, and I fully intend to experience as much as I can with my friends. For now, I bid you farewell, and know we will meet again soon.

See you in Fourside, Ness murmured as he felt the link fade.

Fourside, hmm? Poo pondered thoughtfully. A most unusual name for a city. I shall be sure to ask Master how to get there...

Ness slowly opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling of a hotel room. "Di..." he began, finding his voice a little rough. Licking his lips, he tried again. "Didn't we fall asleep in the park?"

"I'm guessing Jeff or your Mom moved us here," Moondancer murmured as she lifted her head at the foot of the bed. "If nothing else, it's a lot more secure than leaving us out cold in the middle of a field where Giygas minions could ambush us."

Ness managed to sit up, grabbing a glass of water sitting on the end table and drinking it down before handing the other glass to Moondancer. "Then...where is Jeff? And Mom?"

"Your Mother left after you fell asleep," Jeff explained as he stepped in with a smile, using a towel to wipe grease and oil off his hands. "She said she'd done too much, and feared the consequences if she did more. Since it didn't seem safe outside, I moved you both here and rented the room. Once you were both settled, I decided to investigate the Monotoli connection."

"What did you learn?" Ness asked eagerly.

"I learned that Monotoli's office is on the top floor of his building, and that no one's been allowed up there for several days," he explained calmly. "All his orders have been relayed by his right hand man...Porky Minch. I didn't see him myself, but apparently there are orders that anyone matching your description be let up to his floor and taken straight to his office."

"Pokey..." Ness murmured thoughtfully. "It has to be."

"But why's he calling himself 'Porky' now?" Moondancer asked curiously. "I mean...I guess I see the resemblance, but he doesn't seem the sort to go for self-deriding humor..."

"We could go up and ask him," Jeff suggested diffidently. "That seems a quick way to reach the top of the building without having to fight through most of the security."

"We'd be walking right into a trap," Ness stated firmly. "That's the sort of thing Pokey loved setting up when we played together back when we were younger. If we go in the front door, we're asking for trouble."

"But...what other way in is there?" Jeff asked curiously.

"Let's go take a look at the building and find out?" Moondancer offered with a grin, looking forward to the challenge.

As they stepped outside, Poo walked up to them. "Ah, Ness, Moondancer!" he greeted warmly, offering them both a respectful bow. "And you must be Jeff," he greeted as he turned. "I learned much about you when Ness, Moondancer and I shared minds during the final stages of my training. It will be an honor fighting alongside one so wise and brave." He bowed again. "I am Prince Poo of Dalaam, and I am here to aid however I can."

Jeff stared a bit, blinking in confusion as he was caught off guard. He quickly regained his composure, however. "Well, welcome to the team, I guess," he managed to say. "Though...you don't seem to have brought much with you." He glanced over Poo, who only wore his training gi and carried no weapons.

"I...am afraid most of what you are used to using in combat I would be...unsuited to," Poo admitted sadly. "The only weapon I have ever trained with is a training sword and my own hands and feet, nor have I ever worn any sort of protective garb."

"A sword, huh?" Moondancer mused. "That's...like a Sharp, Pointy Thing, right?"

Poo blinked in confusion. "That...is the fundamental nature of a sword, yes," he allowed.

She began rummaging mentally through her PSI storage space. "Pretty sure I have one of those...huh, I seem to be missing a few things..."

"They fell into my pack while you were riding in it," Jeff explained bashfully, "and I'm afraid I got...experimental."

"How so?" Moondancer inquired. The Sharp, Pointy Thing had been a gift from a Starman Super, and she'd been holding onto it for a while, certain it would be useful at some point.

"I used the combinulator," Jeff explained ruefully. "I put the sword, a chunk of Meteotite, and a spare Star Pendant you had in and...this came out." He reached back into his pack.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary sword in a rather plain sheath...until Poo drew the weapon. The hilt had no true ornamentation, but the guard glittered with stardust. The blade itself showed signs of being truly strong steel...but also signs of heavy use, as though the blade had been worn down by ages until all that was left was the essence of sword, a weapon meant for cutting things. This was a sword meant to bring a battle to a close as quickly and as permanently as possible. Holding it up to the sun, it was almost ostentatious in the way it did not glint in the light, as though it didn't have time or patience for such frivolity. This...was a True Sword of Kings. Just holding it, he felt he could feel the spirits of every hand to wield the weapon before him speaking to him, guiding him through its use...and to a higher understanding.

A blaring honk caught everyone's attention. Turning, they saw an empty taxi glaring at them before speeding towards them. Almost without thought, Poo focused his PSI through the blade and pointed it at the taxi as the others braced for battle.

Stars seemed to shoot out of the sky, slamming into the taxi in beams of light and explosions that blasted it to pieces, sending shrapnel flying and a burning wheel bouncing off into the distance.

As the others stared, Moondancer smiled. "Yes...let's see about a 'back door' to Monotoli's office, shall we?"

Author's Note

Sword of True Kings
Attack + 20
All other stats +5 (boost to IQ and Vit affects in battle only, and does not influence increases to HP or PP)
Double Chance for a Smasssshh!!! hit
Protects from Fire, Freeze, and Flash
Equip to Learn Starstorm Alpha
Use in battle as an item to cast Starstorm Alpha, once per battle. Reusable.

The Rescue

Ness, Jeff, Poo, Moondancer, and Buzz Buzz stared up at the towering Monotoli building. "So...a backdoor to the top floor?" Jeff asked curiously. "I admit, I'm not certain how you intend to accomplish that."

"Dramatically," Ness responded calmly as he pulled out several Skip Sandwich DXs. "And quickly. Poo, how fast can you run unaided?"

Poo glanced from the sandwiches to the ground, and from there to the side of the building before gathering himself and bracing in a running pose. "Fast enough," he assured Ness.

"Moondancer?" Ness inquired.

Moondancer grinned, seeing where Ness was going with this. "I think I can manage," she agreed, taking one of the sandwiches.

"Jeff, how strong are the grippers for the arms on your Robo-Pack?" Ness inquired carefully. "And how strong is the harness? And how sturdy is the material of this building?"

Jeff blinked in confusion at the series of questions...only for his eyes to widen as he realized what Ness intended. "I...believe it is all well within required parameters," he allowed as he took one of the sandwiches and grasped the controls for the Robo-Pack. The four robotic arms moved into position.

"In that case..." Ness concluded as he took a bite. "Let's run!"

As soon as Ness, Jeff, and Moondancer finished their sandwiches, they raced for the side of the building. Ness and Moondancer focused their PSI so that when they placed their feet and hooves against the wall, they stuck until pulled off. It wasn't enough to hold them there long, but long enough to place the next step as they ran. Jeff swung the arms of his Robo-Pack forward, digging into the wall of the building to pull himself straight up the side. Poo grinned eagerly as he raced forward, drawing on the same PSI energy as Teleport to rapidly accelerate his running up the side of the building, keeping his speed to just below the level that would actually trigger the teleport.

As they raced up, windows from the higher floors opened and tough guys in suits leaned out with guns, taking aim.

"Evade!" Jeff called out as he began racing around on the wall like a spider to dodge the incoming bullets. Moondancer simply raised a PSI shield, keeping it to her exact size to deflect the incoming rounds. Poo leapt off the wall to a window cleaning platform, from that to a gargoyle crenelation, and from there to above the gun-wielding guards.

Ness started to gather his PSI, but quickly saw his plan of action was flawed as the thugs were all wearing dark shades, making an attempt at disorienting them with PSI Flash uncertain in its effectiveness...at least from directly in front. Focusing the PSI into a sphere he launched it ahead of him. When it reached the level of the windows he detonated it, the blazing light hitting the thugs' peripheral vision and making them wince and try to cover their eyes...which let Jeff swipe their guns from them as they raced past the floor.

As the roof approached, Poo grabbed hold of the edge and performed a perfect flip onto the roof, bleeding all his momentum in the process. Moondancer gently floated herself off the top of the building and onto the roof. Jeff pulled himself up carefully before setting himself down. Ness leapt off the roof, gathering his PSI to float himself gently onto the roof in a final back flip, landing lightly on the helipad right next to the helicopter. "Alright, let's get inside!" he declared firmly as they opened the unlocked roof access and went in.

After a long corridor, the group found themselves in a large office with yellow wallpaper, carpet, and furniture. An old man with grey hair cowered away from them, and Paula was visible standing next to the desk, seeming unharmed. "P-p-please don't hurt me!" the old man pleaded as he flinched away from them. "I give up, that's enough! Please!"

"Ness!" Paula called out happily as she rushed over to the group, throwing her arms around his neck. "You finally made it here! I knew you'd come!"

Ness immediately embraced her worriedly. "Are you okay?" he asked earnestly.

Paula giggled softly. "I'm fine," she reassured him happily. "Mr. Monotoli isn't really a bad person. In fact, I'm not entirely sure he was the one giving orders here. He's been...apologetic ever since I arrived here."

"W-when the statue arrived, I was...somewhat under its control," Mr. Monotoli explained nervously. "It...helped me climb to political and economic power here in the city...but then it went wrong. It started lashing out at me...and I could only get the help from it through Porky Minch...he's the one who's been controlling things here for some time..."

"Then I guess we'll have to go deal with him," Ness muttered ruefully. "I...need to fix this."

"Who's this?" Paula asked curiously, glancing at Poo.

"A pleasure to meet you," Poo greeted formally with a bow. "I am Poo, of Dalaam. I have been called to be one of your companions, to aid Ness and all of you in saving the world. I hope our friendship will grow quite strong in our time together."

"I'm sure it will!" Paula responded happily.

"Porky's office is one floor down," Monotoli offered helpfully. "He's usually there."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Moondancer asked eagerly. "Let's go!" The group quickly stepped out the office door into the rest of the building.

Just outside the office, an odd robot could be seen bumbling about. It had a few cleaning attachments, a round head with a circular antennae, tiny arms and legs, and a round body. It tumbled towards them as soon as it saw them. "Ping!" it sounded out, though whether the sound was vocalized or part of its machinery, it was difficult to tell. "Clankety clankety...rattle rattle dwourrrrr...squeeeek tweet tweet...CLANK!" With the final sound, it lobbed a bomb towards the group.

Everyone lunged to the side to avoid the bomb as best they could, drawing their weapons to defend themselves. As the Clumsy Robot toddled back and forth between them and the exit, they prepared themselves for battle.

The Power of Friendship

All six combatants readied themselves for battle. To Moondancer's surprise, Poo glanced at Ness. "What is our strategy?" he asked intently.

Ness blinked in surprise, but adapted quickly. "Spread out!" he stated firmly. "Those bombs have limited explosive range, so grouping up is a bad idea. Go for evading and blocking until we've figured out how to get past it, and try to flank it so it can't focus on all of us at once."

"Understood!" Poo responded immediately as he drew his sword and blurred forward, immediately trying to get behind the Clumsy Robot. To his surprise, the Robot tumbled backwards, keeping its back to the door and its optics on him as he nearly tripped over some dropped scrap. "It seems determined to not allow us to reach the door, or turn its back on us."

"There's probably a weak point there, then," Jeff deduced as he used his Robo-Pack to leap upward, grasping the ceiling as he shifted his orientation, one hand on the controls while the other braced his weapon. "Given how clumsily this thing seems designed, I wouldn't be surprised if it was an off switch."

"Then we'll make it turn around!" Paula snapped out as she focused her PSI Thunder into an intense beam, lashing it forward to strike the robot in the shoulder. Much to her frustration, its torso spun around without exposing its back before coming to a halt. "The heck?"

"I see you've branched out in your PSI Focus," Moondancer observed as she sent her own Beams forward, grinding her teeth as the Robot staggered back and forth out of the way.

"What, did you expect me to just sit and twiddle my thumbs uselessly while the rest of you grew stronger without me, patiently awaiting my heroic rescue like a good little damsel?" Paula countered with a sardonic smirk. "I'll pass on that, thanks."

"WHY!" Ness snarled out as he swung his bat, only for the Robot to sway under the strike. "WON'T! YOU! HOLD! STILL?!" Each word was accompanied by a swing and a miss, and increased frustration.

A blur of movement, and Poo shot past the robot, slicing off one arm. As the group stepped back to get their bearings, the robot looked down at its severed arm, picked it up, and reattached it with a band-aid before returning to battle as though it had never been severed.

"This is getting ridiculous," Jeff groaned as he finally landed a shot that knocked the robot onto its rear against the door...only for it to eat a sandwich and get up, completely uninjured.

"Any ideas, Buzz Buzz?" Moondancer asked desperately.

Buzz Buzz hovered uncertainly for a time. "Umm...wait five seconds?"

All eyes - including those of the robot - turned towards him. "Huh?" everyone asked.

The door behind the robot burst open, and the Runaway Five - Alinivar and the others - charged in. "Don't worry, kids!" Gorgeous called out. "We got this!"

As the robot tried to turn towards this new threat, Groovy managed to get behind it. "There's an off switch back here!" he called out as he flipped it, causing the robot to stop moving.

"...I thought I was kidding..." Jeff groaned ruefully before fixing his glasses. "Well, as long as we can-"

"~~Did you just~~-" the robot suddenly squeaked out, it's voice oddly stilted. "~~...flip...my...switch?~~" Its entire body began to vibrate.

"That's not supposed to-" Lucky began, only for one of the limbs of the robot to expand massively, slamming the entire band back out the door they'd just busted in through. The rest of the robot unfolded in an almost organic way as liquid metal bubbled out of its torso and solidified into a much larger chassis, hulking over the entire group and filling one entire side of the room as panels popped open, revealing lasers, buzzsaws, spikes, and other weapons of death as it focused its gaze on the group, eight eyes tracking the entire group as best it could.

"Brace yourselves!" Ness called out as he cast the biggest PSI Shield he could as the onslaught began. Paula, Moondancer, and Poo joined him, adding a shield against PSI energies and strengthening his shield as best he could while Jeff starting shooting the stronger projectiles out of the air.

Porky laughed wickedly to himself as he watched the battle unfolding from a hidden alcove in the passage between Monotoli's office and the now battle arena. He'd hidden there once he learned that Ness and the others were running up the side of the building rather than coming up the way they were supposed to. "Well well, Ness, never took you for one to flip the board over," he cackled as he rubbed his hands together eagerly. "That pony's been a bad influence on you. And trying to turn it off instead of breaking it...oh, you'll regret that! Wanna make up your own rules? Well I can do that too!" His grin stretched across his face as red swirls danced behind his eyes. "Hope you enjoy the game, my friend!" He practically spat the last two words, though whether from sarcasm or a twisted enthusiasm it was impossible to tell, even for him. "I've crafted this special challenge just for you..."

"Any ideas, Ness?" Paula asked worriedly as the machine slammed into the barrier repeatedly, spikes and saws cutting away at the wall of light as lasers and shock prods struck into the PSI Power Shield, breaking down PSI defenses. "I don't think we can keep this up forever..."

"It repairs itself faster than I can inflict damage," Jeff continued as he continued to fire as fast as he could, pausing only whenever his gun started to overheat. He watched once again as the parts he'd blasted off restored themselves. "I hope someone has some ideas."

"Some help, Buzz Buzz?" Ness asked hopefully. "I know you need to conserve your PSI since you can't restore it as easily as we can and need it to sustain yourself without your shell, but if we don't find something..."

Buzz Buzz was silent for a time...then ducked out of the barrier. Several of the robot's limbs swung at him, but being such a small target played to his advantage as he was able to dodge between them. "I'll see if I can find a weak spot or something!" he called out as he wove around the limbs as best he could.

Seeing that the intensity of the assault faded slightly as attention was diverted, Moondancer acted. "Scatter!" she called out. "It only has so much focus!" With that she dropped her barrier and dashed to the side, firing off beams from her horn and aiming for the robots optics. While it didn't inflict any damage, it did draw attention and provide distractions.

"Everyone cover your eyes!" Ness screamed out as he lobbed another PSI Flash Bomb, this one detonating as it hit the face of the robot. While none of the PSI effects worked against the robot, the bright flash briefly blinded the optics and disoriented the beast. As everyone scattered, it attempted to recover and strike back.

As one of the limbs struck near her, Moondancer got a clear look at it, like the arm of a twisted spider...

"All together!" Ness cried out as he drew all his PSI in at once. "It recovers too fast...so we need to take it out all at once!"

Moondancer's eyes lit up as she realized why it all felt familiar. "Together!" she cried out as well...as she called on the forgotten power...

PSI Friendship.

Energy lashed up and out of all six of the warriors, pulling forth all the power they could bring to bear in a rainbow of colors. Merging together, it slammed down into the behemoth in a prismatic burst that tore it apart, shredding the machine into so much scrap as the group collapsed, desperately catching their breath as they watched, desperately hoping it wouldn't get back up.

...and it didn't.

Porky ground his teeth as he stomped his feet in frustration. "No! That's not fair! That's not supposed to happen! That's not possible!" Glowering at the group, he dashed off to the helipad shouting, "Cheaters cheaters cheaters cheaters!" over and over before taking off.

Eruption

Moondancer raced back towards the cockpit as fast as her PSI could carry her...for as long as her PSI held out. However, another shockwave of PSI from there sent her tumbling, rolling across the floor before coming to a halt. She tried to tap her PSI again to levitate, only to find the sheer PSI pressure in the environment made it impossible to concentrate. Rather than wasting further time in futile attempts, she instead took to her hooves as she raced through the ship. She cursed just how long the corridors were that it took her so long to get there, worried that whatever was happening to her father would be finished - and horrible - before she got there.

The ship continued to shake as she ran, and she could feel various systems flickering on and off as numerous parts of the ship became damaged, the computer systems crashing. She had to get there fast. Seeing parts of the paths she had to race across collapsing in front of her, she desperately tapped her magic instead of her PSI, letting her do short range teleport jumps across the gaps. While not as simple an effort as using PSI to teleport, PSI Teleport only worked for vast distances - like from one end of the ship to the other, or from this ship to another - while her magic based teleports worked excellently for short hops, the same way Starmen used their Flashporter Engines to move around rapidly.

Despite her best efforts, she'd only made it to the flight deck when she felt a primal scream through her PSI, and the sound of shattering glass and torn fabric. She staggered against the wall as she felt that, then pushed herself upright just as she saw the door to the cockpit open. Seeing the floating alien that came out, she rushed forward. "Fa-" she started to call out, only to freeze.

Giegue looked more or less the same, but his PSI aura felt drastically different. The air of compassion that had always been there whenever he looked towards her was gone. The patience in his gaze had vanished. His yellow eyes now glowed red. He swept past her through the air without a second glance.

Moondancer slumped back into the floor, her eyes wide in disbelief. "D...Daddy?" she whimpered, unable to believe that in one moment she had been so summarily and definitively rejected by the center of her world. She could feel her mind, her Magicant, starting to crumble from what had happened, and she felt something deep in her mind stir. For a brief moment, she felt a crack within her psyche, and red energy filled her gaze.

"Moondancer..."

That voice snapped her out of her reverie. Turning, her jaw dropped as she saw who was standing there. "N-Niiue?" she gasped in surprise. "But...but you're supposed to be inside Daddy's Magicant! You're a part of him!"

"A part he could no longer handle having in his mind," Niiue explained as he walked up to her before kneeling beside her. "The damage that had been done to his mind...it was tearing him apart. He held on, staying whole, for as long as he could...but finally the only way he could keep you safe was to remove himself from the equation. And so, he took the conflict in his mind and split it down the middle. The aggressive, angry aspect that blames humanity and himself for everything that went wrong is what you see going off to continue his plans to 'fix' things. And I..." He sighed softly. "I am his heart, the part that remembers the love of his parents and still loves them, Ninten...and you. And now, as a separate entity, I will keep my promise to take care of you."

Moondancer glanced between Niiue and the path Giegue had taken. "Is...is this the path that Apple was talking about in my dreams?" she asked worriedly. "Is that the part of Daddy...destined for destruction?"

Niiue shrugged his shoulders. "It may be," he admitted. "I know for a fact that one of the things he intends to do now is seek out the Apple - a sentient artifact we've identified as the Apple of Enlightenment - to get the fullness of its prophecy. I...I'm afraid if its prophecy is that, then...learning of it will cause it to become self-fulfilling. So I want to see what I can do to stop him from getting ahold of the Apple...without confronting him directly."

"What...what happens to you if he's...?" Moondancer couldn't finish the thought, not wanting to say anymore.

Niiue sighed softly. "We're still linked," he explained. "I exist as a discrete part of him. If he dies...I will cease."

"Then we have to save you both," Moondancer declared firmly. "How can I help?"

"That I do not know," Niiue observed sadly. "For now...we will just have to wait and see what he does, and what happens with the rest of the solar system. There are forces at work easily as powerful as we are, and we need to be ready to act as guided...and ready to find a way to tweak events if possible so the future we want comes to pass. If the Apple communicated with you directly, I can only assume something about you is significant to the way events are going to play out."

"The figures in my Magicant?" Moondancer asked curiously. "There's a circle of eight statues in my Magicant, but I only recognize you and Giegue..." She shivered, not liking that she now had to mentally classify 'Giegue' and 'Daddy' as separate entities. "You think I'll somehow be guided to the others, and that might help me save Daddy?"

Niiue smiled sadly, worriedly. "We can only hope..."

Author's Note

Anyone catch the pattern of chapter names for the past eight chapters?

White and Gold

When the group stepped out of the lifts at the top, Moondancer rushed forward to explore, only to jump back with a yelp as her paw-covered hooves sank into the white ground before her. Thankfully, any people around were too far away to hear a dog scream in shock. "What's that?" she gasped in surprise. "Why did the ground sink?"

"That's snow," Zarbol told her gently. "It's-"

"I know about various weather formations," Moondancer interrupted. "I just didn't know snow was...soft ice?" She gently took another step, only to jerk her paw-wrapped hoof back as it too sank into the white layer over the ground. "How...how strange..." She continued to paw at the snow as the group made their way forward, occasionally leaping to let all four paw-hooves crunch the snow...unwittingly perfectly imitating puppyish behavior. Alinivar and Col. Saturn did their best not to coo at how adorable it was. They fought off the few hostile sources as best they could without calling her attention to them, trying to let her enjoy her innocent fascination.

They continued to make their way through the town, stopping here and there to talk to the townsfolk. Moondancer didn't really listen as they continued, too focused on the snow she was now dancing in. Eventually, however, Zarbol tugged the string to get her attention, guiding her to look at where they'd stopped.

At the very top of the mountaintop town was a statue of four youths. One young boy wore a baseball cap. One was a young girl with pigtails. One was a young boy in glasses. One was a somewhat older young man wearing shades. Due to the grey stone, Moondancer was unable to distinguish further details. However, the description on the statue illuminated her as to their identities.

'The four heroes who bravely marched forward up Mt. Itoi and repelled the alien forces.'

That's wrong, Moondancer thought to herself. Dad told me about that day. While there were four youngsters who stood against him, only three actually climbed the mountain to face him. Then again, all four seemed to weigh heavily on his mind...

Alinivar calmly focused his mind, raising his disguise's hands against the statue before releasing his PSI, causing it to slide backwards revealing an entrance to an underground facility of some sort. Her eyes alight with curiosity, Moondancer eagerly followed into it, though she let Zarbol carry her down the ladder.

Below the ladder was a single chamber made of metal, with missing panels here and there exposing circuitry. There was only one door aside from the ladder as an exit, off to one side of the room next to some exposed cables. A warning sign reading 'Danger: High Voltage' hung between the broken cables. Alinivar stared at that for a time before taking a few breaths. "If any of you don't want to risk that-" he began.

"No worries for lectric, boing!" Col. Saturn insisted. "Saturns part rubber!" His large nose wiggled as if to prove his point. "Only PSI lectric bad."

"I can take a few thousands volts before I need to worry about system damage," Zarbol provided helpfully. "I'm really durable."

"We're assuming an Apple is here?" Moondancer asked curiously. When that received nods of confirmation, she steeled herself. "Then I'm not backing down. I...I need to see one of these up close."

Nodding, Alinivar led the way towards the door, only for the voltage symbol on the sign to come to life and leap off the wall to attack them, flanked by two small concentrations of PSI charged electricity.

"You were saying, Colonel?" Moondancer pointed out as she shifted into a defensive stance, powering up her PSI to back up the protective shield Zarbol was already generating.

The electric shapes attacked primarily with electricity and bright flashes of light, which with PSI amplification turned into PSI Thunder and PSI Flash. While the electrical discharges could be deflected somewhat by Moondancer and Zarbol's combined shield, the flashes of light pierced right through, dazzling the eyes and inflicting physical disorientation if they didn't time blinking their eyes properly to filter it out. Thankfully, despite the devastating potential of their arsenal, the creatures energy based bodies proved readily disrupted, and enough concentrated firepower eventually forced them to dissipate.

With the creatures destroyed, the group made their way through the door only to find an even smaller room of metal panels, the only other feature being a small wooden table with a glowing gold apple that was somewhat see-through sitting atop it. Unerringly, Alinivar walked up to the table, quickly followed by the others. As he reached out to take it, time seemed to slow to a crawl as the world - save the Apple - went grey. A voice Moondancer recognized from her nightmare - now known to be true - echoed.

"Your struggles to defeat the destroyer
Are all too little too late.
But within you lies the power
To ensure my prophecy rings true.
For alongside you is life's messenger,
and your story may in time be passed on.
His call must be answered by the
fated four, Earth children, one girl among them."

As the world returned to normal, Alinivar collected the Apple of Winter. His eyes seemed hard. "...no," he stated firmly.

"Beg pardon?" Zarbol asked curiously, seeming disturbed by the message they'd received.

"No. It's not all meaningless," he snapped angrily. "And I say we prove it to the Apple that we have what it takes...starting by storming our way back up that tower and wringing Greyface's neck!"

Moondancer was rather unsurprised to see Col. Saturn and Zarbol immediately get behind this course of action. She couldn't really dispute it herself, as she was certain Greyface had something to do with why Giegue was so far gone now. At the same time...she couldn't help but feel that somehow they would regret this decision...

Dark Side of the Moon

With the situation with the Spheres resolved, the group made their way to Satralia. Moondancer found herself much more relaxed in the dark blues and deep purples of the town, the only bright color being the yellow roofs to the towers that served as houses and places of business. She noticed that Alinivar seemed somewhat sad as they wandered, but she said nothing about it. She understood all too well. This had once been Alinivar's home...and there was no way of telling if he'd ever be able to come back once this was all over, or if it would even still be home for him. She assumed Col. Saturn had a similar train of thought, but his face was impossible to read.

Alinivar led them north of town, fighting their way through - of all things - living grass that attacked them. On first encounter, Moondancer attempted a short pulse of PSI on the same wavelength Master Magnolia had communicated on, in the hopes these might be some of his and could be redirected. However, there was no response, and they were forced to destroy the animate plants or be destroyed. Eventually, they came to a cave blocked by a meteor. Zarbol immediately began harvesting the Zexonyte they needed, which left nothing of the meteor behind. Alinivar immediately stepped into the cave.

The cavern was rather small, with very little furnishings. There was only a hypersleep pod, a phone, a plant, and an easel with a painting on it inside. Alinivar smiled as he walked through. "Home sweet home," he murmured softly as he walked through the cave, gently touching things with fondness as he remembered. "It wasn't much of a life, I admit. Just myself, my...friend who got me paints, and my painting." He walked over to the one on the easel. "I never got the paints to finish this one..." He sighed softly. "Someday, I'll have time to finish..." He turned back to the group. "Enough wool gathering. Let's go. Larice, Recall."

"Understood," Larice whirred, warping them back to the ship without another word.

With the Zexonyte in hand, Alinivar set course for the only place the ship's map showed to have anything that might assist them, Earth's Moon. Once there, he turned to Niiue.

"Don't look at me," Niiue responded immediately. "I can tell something's down there, but it's so heavily shielded I can't sense anything. Careful, there's no guarantee once you're inside that you'll be able to get back out as easily."

"I'll go with," Moondancer insisted. "I might be able to boost Larice's recall function if we get stuck."

"Be careful everyone," Niiue cautioned worriedly as the group dropped down to the Lunar surface.

The only area on the moon's surface they could explore was quite small, with four pedestals with slots to insert gems. Alinivar immediately pulled out the Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue Gems they'd picked up on the other planets. As he moved to place them in the pedestals, Zarbol spoke up. "You know, I didn't think about it before, but..."

"But?" Alinivar asked curiously.

"Those gems look like stars," Zarbol murmured softly.

Why am I suddenly picturing a mare made of shadows and nightmares erupting out of the moon and the sun going out when Alinivar places the gems? Moondancer thought to herself in confusion.

Once the last gem was placed, the entire surface of the moon became cloaked in shadow as a hole opened in the center of the pedestals, an entrance into the inside of the moon, but with no ladder. If they entered, they would have trouble leaving.

"Everyone ready?" Alinivar asked carefully. Once they all nodded, he led the way down, each of them using their PSI instinctively to slow their fall to avoid injury, as even in the reduced lunar gravity it was a long fall.

The facility inside the moon had golden metal walls, a dim pink floor, and golden crystals sprouting up here and there. As they moved, Larice's body began to ring with a phone signal.

"Hey, this is Niiue," the message played once he picked up. "The ship's been blown away by some sort of...force field. I'm bringing it back in, but you'll be stranded for a while...and I was only able to get this message through in a compression burst. Hold on tight and be careful, okay?"

"Guess we'll have to be careful," Alinivar murmured as they moved deeper into the facility.

On the way in, everything they faced was robotic, all of it seeming to be somewhat humanoid in configuration. At first, Moondancer had been afraid that this was some sort of experiment to apply the conversion that had turned Martians into Starmen on humans, but the first shattered construct revealed nothing but machinery inside, without a trace of organic composition. Thus relieved, the group continued deeper into the facility.

While most of the robots went down easily from the barrage of force the group was able to bring to bear, the few that survived the first onslaught quickly demonstrated that they were able to unleash devastating force of their own. One almost completely shattered Larice's body with a single punch, though Zarbol had plenty of repair kits with him and was able to put him back together once the opponent was destroyed, even salvaging junk from the downed robot for parts in an attempt to reinforce. They all quickly agreed to be far more careful.

A non-hostile robot had a greeting message for them as they approached. "I AM THE WELCOME DESK BOT. WELCOME TO THE MOON. BY COMMANDER GIEGUE'S ORDERS, PERSONNEL MUST EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY, EXCLUDING DESIGNATE DE-X. DO NOT DISTURB THE STONE ROOM."

"DE-X?" Zarbol asked curiously.

"Giegue?" Moondancer gasped in shock.

"Stone room?" Alinivar murmured, remembering the Stone of Knowledge he'd picked up in Giegue's mothership. Was there a connection?

Unfortunately, the Welcome Desk Bot had no further information, forcing the group to continue in the dark. Dropping down another hole left them by a transportation capsule equipped with an advanced Flashporter Engine for warping across large gaps. "I shall *click* drive," Larice offered as the group climbed in. "I am *whirrr* familiar with the system."

Larice quickly maneuvered them around the room, dodging robotic patrols while going up to robots that resembled the Welcome Desk Bot, giving them orders to disable various units. It seemed important to do so, and the less systems trying to stop them the better. Before long, they reached the opposite side of the room safely, making their way into the next room...where most of the robot patrols and devices that looked designed to produce more were shut down. It could only be assumed that was what they'd disabled in the previous room.

The discovery of a safe side chamber with a functional, accessible hyperpod for full repairs and restoration was a welcome relief, granting a base from which to explore further. "Let's take a break here," Alinivar suggested, leaning back to catch his breath. "Wouldn't want to wander into something we couldn't handle before we were ready."

"Agreed," Zarbol chimed in. "And it'll give Niiue time to get the ship back in range. I have the feeling we'll want out as soon as we're finished..."

Police Banality

It took some time for Ness and Moondancer to snap out of the trance Giant Step left them in. Buzz Buzz sped up to them both once they did. "It seems the first hurdle has been cleared," he observed idly. "The first Sanctuary has attuned itself to you, Ness...and to you, Moondancer."

"Huh?" Moondancer asked in surprise.

"Ness's Sound Stone recorded the melody," Buzz Buzz explained. "And...so did your Empty Stone. It seems like the Earth intends to empower both of you."

"That's good, right?" Ness asked hopefully. "If it only empowered me, then Moondancer wouldn't have a part to play, and she might not have been able to save her Dad. This means there's a chance!"

Moondancer blinked in surprise. Between Deepsea showing up and what had happened at the Minch residence, she'd begun to have doubts about her ability to save her father...and yet when Ness declared that so strongly, she found she could almost believe in herself again. "Ness, on our way to Twoson, I'd like to find somewhere clear for something," she explained softly. "There's...something I think you're ready for."

Nodding, Ness turned and lead the way back into the cavern. Much to the group's surprise, the mice, ants, and slugs under Giygas' influence fled at their approach. "Are they scared of the power of Giant Step?" he asked curiously.

"A distinct possibility," Buzz Buzz allowed. "It is a place of great power, after all."

"That should make leaving easier," Moondancer observed dryly.

As they exited the caves at the bottom, they found a cop waiting for them. "Hey, you!" he declared, immediately approaching Ness aggressively. "The board says 'Do Not Enter'! Couldn't you read it?"

Ness stared up at the cop in fear. While he'd gotten a bit better at speaking face to face to strangers, the man's aggressive approach scared him even apart from his anxiety. "I...I..."

"Whatever!" he snapped angrily. "Just get your butt to the Onett police station later!" With his statement given, he turned and marched off towards the station.

"Well...we know where to go next," Buzz Buzz observed idly.

"Why do clues have to be so scary?" Ness whined.

After some gentle soothing from Moondancer, Ness was ready to head for the Onett police station. It didn't take the group long to get there, and the inside was just as bland as most buildings they'd been inside, with single color walls and floors, this time grey and brown. Cops sat behind desks, though two were out front. One was the cop who had hassled them as they came out of Giant Step. As soon as he saw them, he moved to lecture them, only for the one he was talking to - a red-faced, mustachioed officer with more decorations on his uniform - to silence him. "I'll handle this," he said gruffly. He then approached the group. "So...you went to Giant Step," he said gruffly...though his tone wasn't actually unfriendly yet.

Ness rallied gamely. "I...I was given the key..."

The man waved his hand. "I've been briefed," he interrupted. "I'm Captain Strong. I understand you want to go to Twoson."

"I...understand the road's blocked?" Ness managed to ask.

"Indeed," Captain Strong confirmed. "It's a state of emergency. In addition to the problems here in Onett, though those are dying down, there are rumors of wild animals attacking travelers with the strength of ten men, some sort of crazed cult, and even ghosts of all things. I don't know how much can be believed, but I've ordered the roadblock to try and keep those problems out, and the citizens safely in."

"But...but I really need to go..." Ness insisted, though his voice quavered somewhat.

Captain Strong 'harrumphed' into his mustache. "Well, you're determined. It must be important. And you did handle the Sharks and the cave to Giant Step...still, I can't in good conscience let a child go out of town in the present state of things unless I'm certain of their abilities. If you're confident you can handle anything the path throws at you, then follow me." He turned to lead the way towards the back of the station.

Steeling himself, Ness followed Captain Strong past the bathrooms and cells until they came to a room in the very back. Five police officers were waiting in a line against the wall as Ness entered, Strong off to one side. "These are five of my best men," he explained simply. "But even all together, they have trouble making the trek to Twoson in present conditions. If you can best them all in a fight, myself included, then I'll open the roadblock for you.

Ness stared at the group and nodded. "Okay," he said firmly, feeling more confident now it was a fight. He knew how to handle a fight. "One at a time...or all at once?"

Captain Strong chuckled. "You've got guts, kid...alright. All at once!"

The five cops moved in to circle Ness...and he thrust his arms forward. "KIAI!" he cried out, discharging his PSI.

The wave of destructive energy struck the cops, slamming them against the wall and rendering them prone. Captain Strong grinned. "So you know some martial arts then?" he growled eagerly as he stepped forward. "In that case...get ready for my Super-Ultra-Mambo-Tango-Foxtrot martial art!" He shifted into a stance that was somewhere between a combat stance and a dance pose.

Ness drew back, letting Strong lunge forward with his strikes as he dodged and weaved. The strikes included spinning kicks, swinging chops, and attempts at a submission hold. By keeping his distance, Ness was able to buy time to evade and analyze. When he saw his moment, he raced forward and slid like he was stealing home plate, diving under a spinning kick to slam into the leg Captain Strong was balancing on, knocking him over. Ness winced, clutching at his side as he rolled away, as the impact had hurt. His PSI energy quickly flowed in to heal the injury, and he leapt forward swinging his bat as Captain Strong struggled to his feet.

"Enough!" Captain Strong called out after taking the first blow to his shoulder. He slowly got to his feet. "Damn," he muttered under his breath, "when did kids get to be so scrappy?" He smirked at Ness as he caught his breath. "You should think about joining the force when you're older!"

Ness blushed brightly, lowering his head. "I...I..."

Strong chuckled as he worked the kinks from his shoulder. Pulling out his radio, he found the right signal and opened a communication. "Strong here. Do you read me? ...Hey! It's Captain Strong! Listen, a kid in a striped shirt wearing a baseball cap is going to come to the roadblock soon. His name's Ness, and he doesn't talk much. Let him through. ...I know that. I know that! Don't ask me why, just do it! That's an order!" He turned back to Ness. "Good luck and stay safe. I don't want to have to explain to your mother if something terrible happens to you."

Ness nodded. "Yeah...that sort of thing is...probably the hard part of your job-"

"Because your mother is fudging terrifying!" Strong interrupted. "Sheesh, so I accidentally stepped on the ball and broke it...it was like looking into the eyes of a demon..." He shivered violently. "Don't suppose you'd know if she has mob connections?"

Ness just tilted his head, completely lost. His sweet, kind, gentle, loving mother...was scary?

Walking in a Winters Wonderland, part 1

Far to the North in the snowy land of Winters, two weeks previously, a young blonde boy tossed and turned as a dream of inventions was interrupted by a desperate message.

I'm calling out to you, who I've never met...
I'm calling our friend who we haven't met yet...
Jeff! Jeff! We need your help in the time yet to come!
I am Paula, and I am with Ness, Moondancer, and Buzz Buzz.
We are all friends you have not yet met...and we need your help at the time this message is being sent.
Please, come, you're our only hope...

336:00.00
335:59.59
335:59.58

With a startled yell, he shot out of bed and tumbled to the floor, feeling around to try and find his dresser so he could find-

"Jeff, you okay?" a voice asked worriedly. "Oh, right, glasses!"

Jeff felt his glasses pressed into his hands, and he quickly put them on before blinking up at the red-headed boy in front of him. "Thanks, Tony," he said softly as he got to his feet. "That was one strange..." His voice trailed off as he saw the timer, still counting down in his mind's eye, never leaving.

335:59.39
335:59.38
335:59.37

Tony stared at him worriedly. "...Jeff? Are you okay? You're...you're scaring me..."

Jeff ran his hand through his hair. "It...it wasn't a dream," he managed to say. "I...I got a psychic message from...from someone. A...a friend I haven't met yet. I...I need to help them." Noticing Tony's raising eyebrow, he sighed. "Yeah, I know it sounds crazy..."

"Well, as long as you know it, how can I help?" Tony asked helpfully.

Jeff blinked in surprise. "R-really? You want to help me with this...crazy adventure?"

"Of course I do!" Tony confirmed warmly. "I'm your best friend, after all! So what first?"

Jeff thought for a time. "Well...I'm going to need to leave Snow Wood at some point to get there, but I want to be prepared to do so. So I should see what I can gather in the way of supplies, and take a few days to train myself up a bit for whatever I might encounter."

"Leave?" Tony asked in surprise. "That could get you in big trouble if anyone caught wind of it..."

Jeff nodded, straightening his glasses. "I guess I'll just have to make sure no one does, then."

Tony nodded. "I'll do what I can to help. What did you have in mind as far as preparation?"

"I think I'll need to talk with Maxwell," Jeff decided. "He knew my Dad pretty well, so he might have some suggestions."

"Alright, let's go meet him then," Tony agreed. "This time of night, he's usually in his lab downstairs."

Nodding, Jeff turned to lead the way down, Tony falling into step behind him. The inside of Snow Wood Boarding School was much like boarding schools everywhere, with old-style architecture that the students were all certain didn't meet modern building code right up until they started studying architecture. The lab was one of the few private rooms on the first floor, right next to the locker room. As expected, Maxwell Labs was in his lab, trying to tinker away with something, his red hair a mess and his grey lab coat rather filthy. The older student looked up in surprise as the pair entered. "Oh, Jeff, Tony!" he greeted as he shifted his goggles aside. "What brings you here to my lab in the middle of the night?"

"I...I need to make some preparations," Jeff explained worriedly. "I..." He hesitated. He trusted Maxwell, but he was often called on as a TA in some of his classes. He might decide that he had to tell the teachers for Jeff's sake.

To Jeff's surprise, Maxwell smiled. "I know that look," he said softly. "Your father had the same look in his eyes when he left to build his lab to the south, though I was much younger then. Is it destiny calling?"

Jeff blinked in surprise. "Uh...psychic friend I haven't met yet? Does that count?"

Maxwell chuckled. "I'd say so. Well, you aren't going to get far in your current state. You aren't hurrying, so you have time. How much?"

335:44.42
335:44.41
335:44.40

"Almost two weeks," Jeff replied readily.

"Time enough to prepare," Maxwell confirmed. "Come over here and see what you can help me make of this. Tony, you're in charge of foodstuffs for the both of us while we work. Make sure Jeff gets a balanced diet, and make sure he rests."

"Yes sir!" Tony agreed readily as Jeff moved to Maxwell's side.

"Looks like some sort of storage unit," Jeff observed as he looked over it. "Though these elude me..." He lifted up an oddly-shaped metal projection coming out of the central unit.

"The original idea was a pack that would keep track of what it held and hand it to you when you needed it," Maxwell explained. "But...it kind of got away from me. You're pretty good at repairing things. I think between the two of us, we should be able to make it work."

"And this?" Jeff asked, holding up what looked like a folded Swiss Army Knife, but made of keys.

"Ever had a problem with a key being slightly bent, chipped, or otherwise just a little bit bad?" he explained happily. "I had an idea of something to fix that, and this is the start of it."

"Like some sort of mechanical skeleton key?" Tony asked excitedly. "Like those lock picking gadgets in spy novels?"

"Something like that, yeah," Maxwell agreed. "It was going to take a blank key projection and reshape it to the lock...but I'm still working on making that work..."

"Hmm..." Jeff mused to himself as he glanced between the two incomplete inventions. "I think I have a few ideas..."

240:00.00
Training and study with Maxwell Labs has improved Jeff's abilities.
LV: 1
Off: 38
Def: 52
Spd: 5
Gut: 5
Vit: 2
IQ: 17
Luc: 2

Jeff smiled as he looked himself over in his room's mirror. Working with Maxwell, he was able to complete the Bad Key Machine, and then incorporate its reshaping into the manipulator arms of the now completed Robo-Pack, which he wore strapped to his body. Not only could the pack hold more than twice what his old backpack could, the four manipulator arms actively handed him items at need, or could be manipulated by a control in his left hand to deflect incoming swings or projectiles - he and Maxwell had tested it with a metal pipe and a pop gun - as well as change one prong into the key projection from the Bad Key Machine.

In raiding the lockers, Jeff had found a Holmes Hat and a broken air gun, which he'd managed to fix overnight on the third day of preparations after the intensive study. The now repaired Magnum Air Gun was quite powerful, and he felt would prove an effective deterrent against the maddened animals he was likely to encounter on his trip south to his father's lab. He also had quite a few boiled eggs stashed for snacks along the way.

"You look ready to take on anything," Tony breathed in awe as he watched Jeff pose in front of the mirror.

"...I don't feel it," Jeff admitted ruefully. "At least, not anything I'll face after leaving Dad's lab..."

"Well, don't think about that yet," Tony suggested. "For now...it's time for you to go, isn't it?"

Jeff nodded. "Ready?"

"I'm ready, are you?"

Jeff swallowed nervously and straightened his glasses. "Yeah, let's go."

Moving swiftly, the pair snuck down to the front hall before glancing around to make sure no one was looking. Seeing they were alone, they ducked out the front door. Tony then moved to the gate, which was too tall for either of them to climb over. "Use me as a step to get over," he instructed quietly.

"Thanks, Tony," Jeff offered warmly. "I'll...I'll be back."

"I know you will," Tony agreed happily. "We're Best Friends Forever, after all. Be careful."

"Will do," Jeff promised as he hopped over the fence. Safely on the outside, he watched Tony run back into the School before ducking into the nearby shop to avoid getting spotted by any teachers.

Once inside, a woman immediately accosted him. "Do you want a monkey?" she asked eagerly. She gestured to a red-furred monkey that was sitting beside the door. "He's free with a pack of bubble gum, and the gum's only a dollar!"

Jeff flinched back from the intensity. "Uh...sure?" he offered in confusion, holding out one of his two dollars.

The woman took the bill, handed him the pack of bubble gum, and then dashed out of the store. "Free!" she screamed out excitedly. "Finally free! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"...eh?" Jeff asked in confusion.

"Ukekeke," the monkey offered comfortingly. However, Jeff somehow heard in his mind,

"O...okay," Jeff allowed. "...want some gum?"

"UKE!" the monkey agreed excitedly, taking a stick and chewing happily. It then blew a bubble big enough to float it into the air before slowly settling back to the ground as it pulled the gum back into its mouth.

"...yay me," Jeff murmured, uncertain if he should be sarcastic here.

Author's Note

Robo-Pack
Def +40
Worn on the Body
Can only be used by Jeff
Doubles inventory space
Acts as automatic Bad Key Machine while equipped
Changes Guard command to Parry

Parry Command
Increases Jeff's speed by 10
On Jeff's turn, he will ready his defenses.
Any physical attack targeting Jeff after his defenses are readied will be neutralized, and countered with a full strength Shoot attack.
Effects last one round.

What We Do For Friends

With Diamond in hand - well, pocket really, as even Ness realized walking around with a gem that big in his hand was just asking for trouble even from anyone not corrupted by Giygas' madness waves - the group made their way back to Fourside before heading for the Topolla Theater. The large off-white structure stood tall and proud - though not too tall - in the city near the road out of town, where it was likely to garner attention from anyone entering the city via the main road. The white marble columns that held up the overhang over the entrance and the steps leading up would definitely catch the eye, drawing attention to the posters displaying the various acts that had and were presented there.

Inside, pale blue carpets stretched edge-to-edge in the large open 'reception' area, with a single desk blocking the way further in save for a single gap blocked by one person. Ness went up to the man in a suit. "Uh, we need to-"

"Please have your tickets ready," the man interrupted calmly before proceeding to ignore the group.

"So...the only way we can get in is if we get a ticket to the show?" Jeff deduced thoughtfully.

"Seems that way," Moondancer observed calmly.

"What about the backstage pass Lucky gave me?" Paula asked curiously.

"For the Chaos Theater?" Buzz Buzz reminded her.

"Oh...right..."

Sighing, Ness made his way over to where someone else was sitting behind the desk. "Um...tickets?" he asked nervously.

"$10 per person," the man replied in the bored tone of one who had worked in the service industry for far too long, was probably waiting for his shift to end so he could go home and pretend customers didn't exist for the night, and likely wouldn't be influenced by Giygas' madness waves if a generator were inside the building because all trace of imagination and fantasy had been ground out of him by the daily grind. It was a very evocative tone for having so little inflection. "$30 for your group." His eyes fell on Moondancer. "No pets allowed."

"She's not a pet, she's my friend!" Ness snapped out insistently.

"Ness, it's okay-" Moondancer began comfortingly.

"No it's not!" Ness interrupted. "Just because you aren't human doesn't mean they should kick you out!"

"Young man, call her whatever you want," the clerk responded in his usual bored tone, "but some of our customers have animal related allergies. Service animals only. No exceptions."

Ness' fists clenched as he was plainly seething. Before he could open his mouth, however, Paula spoke up. "Does that include therapy animals?" she asked curiously. "Like, for those who need the animal assistance in order to function outside their homes and manage socialization?"

"Yes, but only if kept on leash and wearing the proper identifying jacket," the clerk continued dryly.

"Sorry, Ness," Jeff spoke up consolingly. "I know you prefer to let her walk on her own-"

Moondancer's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Don't you dare-"

"But for here at least you'll need to hold her leash," Jeff finished, handing Ness a leash that was hooked to Moondancer's turtleneck...which now had a few yellow pieces of paper with the words 'Therapy Animal At Work' attached to it on either side and on her back. Blinking, Ness took the leash.

"$15 for the 'service animal required' seats, since that takes extra cleaning and is separated from the rest of the theater to protect customers with allergies," the clerk explained with a bored tone. "Total for your group is $45, seats are the front row left side, corner booth."

As Ness paid for the tickets, Moondancer glowered up at Buzz Buzz. "Not one word..." she growled under her breath.(1)

Before going in to watch the show, Ness decided to see the manager about paying off the band's debt. He nervously walked up to the desk in the office, a blond woman sitting calmly behind it as she went over paperwork. "E...excuse me..." he began nervously.

"Custom, Complaint, Confusion, or Cordiality?" the woman asked calmly without looking up from her papers.

"...huh?" Ness asked in confusion.

"I'm a busy woman," she responded immediately. "In addition to managing the theater and balancing the budget for existing acts, I'm also the talent scout, seeking out new acts and figuring out who has what it takes to make it. A lot of big stars got their start here. So are you here to do business, file a complaint, your confused about something going on, or just here to say hi?"

"Uh...business," Ness answered readily.

"New contracts, existing contracts, or auditions?"

"...existing contracts?"

"So whose contract are you here about?" The woman finally looked up from her papers.

"The Runaway Five," Ness answered, unsure if he was more or less nervous now that there was eye contact. He subconsciously clutched Moondancer's 'leash' tighter. Rolling her eyes, Moondancer stepped up next to him to offer some comfort and support.

The woman looked Ness over carefully. "Oh, you're Ness," she said calmly. "Lucky said you were looking for a way for them to pay off their debt and would be in sometime soon. Described you pretty well." She interlaced her fingers as she looked at him over her glasses. "So how do you intend to pay off a multi-million dollar debt?"

"How'd they even accrue that much debt, anyway?" Paula asked curiously.

"Mostly room service charges," the manager explained calmly. "They've all got some pretty odd tastes when it comes to meals, especially Lucky and Keyboar, their keyboardist. Anything the hotel they stay at doesn't have in stock gets delivered special at a higher charge, and everything comes here via their contract...and I have to pay it off regularly whether they've made enough for the theater to pay it off or not. Between that and all the fees on those exchanges and the cost of a shipping company that would make delivery runs through Threed while it was overrun by ghosts...it adds up quick." She frowned. "That...and there was that incident with Gorgeous(2) and a few fangirls that needed to be smoothed over...but I think that might be something I shouldn't discuss with minors."

"Will this cover it?" Ness asked curiously, setting the Diamond down on the desk.

The manager's glasses slipped off her nose. "Wha...how...where did you get something like this?" she gasped out in shock. Pulling out a small tube, she began carefully examining the gem through it.

"We helped out a gold miner in the desert," Ness explained calmly. "He hasn't found gold yet, but he found this and gave it to us."

The woman stared at the Diamond for a time, then slowly lowered the tube she was examining it through before carefully putting her glasses back on. "This...will cover the debt, and free the Runaway Five from their contract," she explained calmly. "But...are you sure that's what you want to use it for?"

Ness looked at the gem for a time. "...well, it's a bit too heavy to play catch with it...so sure. Can't really think of anything else I'd do with it."

"...alright then," the manager finally responded, plainly unsure how to take that last statement. "Then the debt is paid and they're free to go." Picking up a packet of papers, she calmly tore them to shreds before dumping them into a small wastebasket.

"Did you hear that?" Groovy called out from just outside the office before the entire band came charging in. However, before any of them could say anything to thank Ness...they caught sight of Moondancer.

Moondancer, for her part, glowered angrily at them. "Not. One. Word."

(1) Originally, the plan for this scene was to stop at 'no pets allowed', have the brief bit about Ness insisted Moondancer wasn't a pet for a bit of cute character interaction, then have Moondancer volunteer to wait outside. Then the 'therapy animal' line showed up...and the rest of this seemed much funnier.
(2) Remember, it was revealed that Gorgeous was Eldaman in disguise. Think about that in regard to the 'incident'.