Face it
Chapter 1
It finally happened. On the top of the tallest building in New Donk City. It was a small affair, officiated by Pauline in her red pantsuit. Only 5 guests. Daisy in a simple turquoise sleeveless sundress. Toadette had a one shoulder pink dress with a gold bauble necklace. Toad had on a blue suitcoat with a red bowtie. Yoshi had a black bowtie. Luigi had a black tux and a green bowtie. The bride looked elegant in her white sweetheart bouffant dress with a tiara and veil covering her updo hair. The groom in a matching white tux, red bowtie, a white top hat covering his brown wavy hair that matched his well brushed mustache.
“By the power invested in me by the city of New Donk. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss.”
Peach bent down, cupped Mario’s face and kissed him. Mario, in turn, stood tall and gently cupped her elbows. Daisy, Toadette, and Yoshi burst into cheers. Luigi and Toad burst into tears.
***************
“Mama! Mama! Mama!” A pink luma soared through the observatory to the kitchen, only halting once it bumped into a tall blonde lady in blue holding a teacup.
“Oh!” The tea sloshed but none of it dripped over the rim. She set the cup down to face the star child. “What’s the matter little one.” She folded her arms around the floating squish.
“Mama! I was looking through the telescope and there is a ship!” The luma escaped its mothers grasp to float up to her face. “It’s heading right to us!”
Rosalina hummed in thought. “Let’s go take a look together.” The woman floated herself out of the kitchen dome down the stairs to the grassy part of her home. She entered the Terrace dome that held the telescope. There was in fact a ship and it was in fact heading to the Comet Observatory. “Would you be a dear and wake up Polari for me?”
“Yes, Mama!” With that the little pink luma zoomed out of the room.
***********************************************************************
The large square black and red ship hovered over the castle like Observatory. The magic bubbled that protected the home of the Lumas stayed activated. Rosalina held a device up to her mouth. “What is it that you wish to do with the Comet Observatory?”
The device crackled on another voice came out of it. “I wish to speak with the Goddess Rosalina.”
Rosalina had never been referred to as a Goddess, she knit her brows together. “You are speaking to her. What do you wish to talk about?”
“About a tragedy that happened recently.”
She looked to Polari, he shrugged back.
“What tragedy? What happened?”
There was a long pause before the response came. “A black hole has swallowed a planet full of inhabitants.”
“Oh dear!” he placed her hand to her heart. She was well acquainted with loss. “Are you one of the inhabitants?”
“Yes Goddess, me and the crew of this ship are the only survivors.”
“Oh my dears! What is your name?”
“Tatanga, Goddess, my name is Tatanga.”
******************************************************************
Back at the Mushroom Kingdom Castle’s large garden, Mario and Peach had given everyone hugs it was now Luigi’s turn. Luigi was still sniffling. Mario gave him the big bear hug. “I’m so proud of you, fratellone.” Luigi whispered in his brother ear.
“Grazie davvero. Ti voglio bene.” Mario stepped back and held his brother’s arms looking into his eyes. “Take care, fratello.”
“I will.” Luigi looked back at the rest of the wedding party. “We will. Anche io Ti voglio bene, fratellone.”
With that they released each other. Peach came and gave a peck to Luigi’s cheek. “Thank you for taking care of the kingdom and for taking care of Mario. See you in three weeks, cognato.”
With all the goodbyes taken care of Mario and Peach boarded the Odyssey ship. They waved out the window until the wedding party was no longer in sight. Everyone else headed into the castle, except for two.
Luigi felt another tear fall down his cheek. Watching his big bro, now married, go off into the distance.
Daisy walked up to Luigi and gave his shoulder a playful nudge with hers. “It’ll be all right.”
“I know,” he replied quietly. “Time just moves so fast sometimes…. It use to just be me and Mario and now he has his own family….it’s going to be different.”
Daisy hummed at the thought and gave Luigi a comforting hug. They stood outside until the sun started to set.
**********************************************
Rosalina only allowed Tatanga on to the Observatory. She was sympathetic to tragedy, but she needed to verify his story. They met in front of the map. Rosalina had all the lumas hide except for Polari. “Now, tell me what happened.” She addressed a hairless purple man with large, pointed ears, sharp teeth with two bottom teeth on each side extending past his upper lip. He was in a black and red suit.
Tatanga pointed to the outskirts of a galaxy. “We are almost to the next galaxy. Our people don’t usually leave our planet. Me and my crew had left years ago to explore. We didn’t find anything that was as good as home.” He looked steadfastly at the map.
Rosalina didn’t take her eyes off of him the whole time. She was trying to decern his sincerity. She nodded respectfully. It was an old part of the galaxy that she didn’t go very often. There was a planet that was on the map that had an old star next to it. “How many did you manage to save?”
He looked down at his boots. “Only 20 of us.”
She closed her eyes in sadness. “What is your plan now?”
Tatanga turned to her and bowed. “That is the reason we came to the Comet Observatory. We came to ask of you, the Goddess of the stars, to make us a new home.”
She didn’t respond right away.
“We could have taken over a planet, but what of the original inhabitants? We might make a mess of the ecosystem there. We wish to have our planet.”
He gave her a pleading look.
“I am no Goddess, I do not create planets.” She stoically responded.
“You may not but the lumas do.” He gestured his hands to the black luma that floated near her.
His knowledge surprised her. “Yes….” how much info should she be giving out. Does he already know? “If they so choose.”
“Goddess of the stars, we humbly ask you to ask your lumas to consider our plight.”
She had already sent a batch of luma out to graduate into whatever they wished to be. It always hurt her heart to see them go but it also made her so proud that they wished to make others happy and to create. The next batch wouldn’t be ready to transform for a while. “I will have a counsel with my oldest lumas.” That’s all she could do really. They choose what they wanted to grow up to be. She signaled to Polari to gather the lumas.
***********************************************************************
“Children,” Rosalina tried to calm down the murmur of all the lumas that had gathered out on the front lawn of the observatory. “Children, we have here Mr. Tatanga.” She pointed to the purple man next to her. Many questions arose. Rosalina gave her children a look that quieted them. “His planet was destroyed.”
All the Lumas all exclaimed in sympathy.
“He could only save 20 of his friends.” Some of the lumas looked up at the newcomer with sad eyes.
“He and his friends” She pointed up to his ship that was sitting on the dock of the observatory.
“Are asking for a new place to live.” She paused to look into her children’s faces. “I ask those of you who wish to become a planet if you would be ok for these travelers to inhabit the planet you become.”
Many of the lumas discussed amongst themselves. 10 of the lumas floated forward. “Mama, we can become his new planet.” Her heart fluttered a little, she didn’t know if it was with pride at how helpful her children were or if she felt worried about her children’s future in the hands of a stranger.
She turned to Tatanga full of purpose. “If you are to inhabit one of my children’s planets, I need you to promise to take care of the planet.”
Tatanga bowed low. “Of course, Goddess.” She still didn’t feel reassured.
“No, I need all of your people to promise.” Usually, life just happens upon on the planets her lumas turn into. But this was the first time she would have a choice who lived on her children’s future form.
“You wish all my people to board the Observatory?”
Rosalina hesitated, “Yes.”
--------
Next Chapter:
1 note
·
View note