Sweet Reunions

Sweetopia; the Noodle Sea

The Noodle Sea was among the hottest and murkiest in the world, filled entirely of piping hot soup. Many ships secured a shore where a mansion was built. Vegetation was highly abundant: there were dozens of gardens around the mansion, and plants were overgrowing on its walls.

An 8-year-old girl with green hair and white dress was on a balcony, which had four chocolate statues resembling her. She was the owner of this mansion, Minister of Beans, Commander Pea. Being a Kokiri, she seemed a lot younger than her true age. She watched as three orange men with green hair approached her, handing Pea a mask of a sunglasses boy with a lollipop stick in his frowning mouth. "The mask of Augustus as you requested, Lady Pea."

"Good work, Grunka-Lunkas." Pea replied cutely. "I so very missed snuggling with Big Bro Augustus." She hugged the mask softly. "This war has got me very worried, you know? But I'll feel better knowing you're by my side." She faced the Lunkas with a slightly serious expression. "I'm going to bed now. Make sure you've all finished your chores. I don't want to wake up in a messy mansion. Or else no breakfast for you. Good night!" With that, she entered the double-doors to her room.

The Grunka-Lunkas exchanged angered glances, then faced the statues of Pea. They began to dance and sing in unison. "Grunka-Lunka dunkety doo. We are sick and tired of you." They pointed at the statues. "Grunka-Lunka dunkety drat. You are the bossiest, snottiest brat." They kicked the statues.

"You have us all working from dawn until dusk."

"We sweat so hard that we shed off the husk."

"One of our guys fell dead in the stew."

"We ate him up, but served none for you."

"So, go piss off and shut the hell up! Grunka-Lunka Dunka dunkety dup!"

"ARE YOU THREE SINGING?!" Frightened, the Lunkas zipped off to their tasks.

The ship that O-Tama snuck onto at Shipwreck Cove had fortunately docked at the shore's harbor. Her hand signal steady, Tama walked across the sea's surface and entered a sewer pipe within a cliff. She eventually stopped to rest under a hatch before setting an Infi-Cube on the floor. The Deadly Baby Trio jumped out of the cube. "Ugh, Augustus better pay us a boatload." Stewie scoffed, repulsed by the soupy stench. He climbed out of the hatch and sent a small helicopter with a camera up to zoom in on the mansion. "Well done, Tama. You've successfully brought us to our destination. And just as we expected, Augustus is here." They watched a digital recording of Pea hugging the mask.

"Where's August'n? O-Tama canst not see."

"That mask she's holding. That girl is Pea, one of the Sweet Commanders. She may look small, but she's incredibly strong. Back when we were in the crew, she would turn some of the prisoners into masks with her magic. That song Augustus taught you is capable of changing him back. We need you to sneak into that mansion and retrieve him. You also need to swap his mask with this identical copy." Stewie handed her a mask. "It won't fool her for long, but by then, it'll be too late. If you get hungry, there's plenty of food around there."

"O-Tama will not eat!" The young ninja vowed. "O-Tama will only eat whatever August'n feeds her!"

"You better have a ton o' kisses to give him!" Rallo teased, reaching up to pinch Tama's cheek. "If ya know what Ah mean." Suddenly, the cheek popped off. "WAAAAH! I'm sorry, I didn't mean-!!"

"What the deuce?!" Stewie took the round-shaped "cheek" from his hand. He lightly pinched it, and noticed Tama's cheek was still intact. "This isn't flesh, it's…" He took a tiny bite of it. "It's good."

"Oh? …" Curious, the girl grasped her right cheek and pulled out another ball. "It's kibi dango! O-Tama didn't know her cheek grew dango."

"Mw-mw-mw?" Maggie asked.

"You're right, Maggie!" Stewie remembered. "Tama did eat something on the ship. It must've been a Devil Fruit that had yet to be given to a crewman."

"Akuma no Mi?" Tama cocked her head.

"We'll explain later, but it might be best not to pinch yourself, and don't fall into any water. You have to rescue Augustus while Pea is asleep, and make absolutely sure you're not discovered. If you have to knock someone out, hide the body. We have Nel on standby in case something goes wrong, but right now, we can't risk alerting one of the strongest crewmen to our presence. Good luck, Tama."

"Hai." With an adorably serious nod, O-Tama climbed the ladder and approached the mansion. (Play "Haunted Towers" from Luigi: Dark Moon.)

Stage 7: Jades Manor

Mission: Rescue August'n and be fed candies!

Two Deku were guarding the mansion gates. Tama simply needed to crawl through the corn garden and approach the wall, which had spikes on top. She thought she was skinny enough to slip through the gate bars, but to distract the Deku, she whipped her bamboo stick and knocked over some corn stalks. The Deku heard the rustling and came in to investigate. By that time, Tama's Shadow Clone poofed away, and the real Tama squeezed through the gate. There were Deku patrolling more tall garden crops, so Tama crawled behind some trashcans.

"Well, you're past the gate, but I assume the front entrance is locked."

"YEEK!" Tama looked around in panic. "What is this voice in my ear?! It's so close, yet O-Tama sees no one!"

"Tama, it's me, Stewie, calm down! This is the earpiece I stuck in your ear. It's also designed to translate our languages, that's how we've been talking to you."

"Stew'n? How didst thou get in my ear?"

"Just look at the watch on your arm. It'll display a digital map of the area. The white dot is you, red ones are guards. However, staring at the screen too long will hurt your eyes, since your world isn't adjusted to this technology."

Tama tapped the watch and was awed by the holo-screen that appeared. "Oooo! What sorcery!" Tama snuck between one of the paths between crops (which had barbed wire to prevent her from cutting through), keeping watch on the radar to avoid the Deku guards. She made it to a tall, wooden fence and could crawl under a small opening.

There were no other guards in this section, but a Deku was perched on a pillar and constantly rotating as it sprinkled the candy flowers with its nose. To hide from it, Tama had to lay on the grass and use a Cloak Jutsu, unseen by the gardener, then she moved again when she was out of the line of sight. "Don't step on the flowers, Tama. He'll know." With that in mind, the ninja had to follow a maze-like path around the flowers. She stepped around the puddles, knowing the splashes would attract its attention, and reached the door to the next garden.

There were three small steps leading to a narrow wood board. Beneath that board was a soil patch that Minish were raking. There were hundreds of the tiny gardeners, and they would likely swarm Tama if just one of them looked up. The ninja took off her sandals and very quietly tip-toed over the board. Amazingly, all the Minish were deeply focused on their work, not one bothering to face up. She stepped down the opposite side and entered the next garden.

This garden had bushes of gum berries, and a tall Bubble Plant was blowing a large gum in and out. Piantas (chubby colored humanoids with hula skirts) were picking berries and tossing them in baskets on their backs. "Tama, I see an open window in the mansion on your left. No one is in there. You can use the bubble from that flower to float up there."

"Ah see a chest there, too, get us some gold!" Rallo said.

Tama crawled around the bushes to hide from the Piantas, using Cloak Jutsu whenever they walked her direction. A Pianta was marching around the chest in the corner, stopping to water bushes at certain parts. Tama cracked open the chest and sucked the treasure into the 'magic cube' during one of these moments. Afterward, she made her way to the Bubble Plant and picked the gun off its mouth. Luckily, it blew a new gum, so the Piantas would never know. "Okay, put the gum in your mouth and start chewing."

"O-Tama is a disciplined ninja! She will not eat!" she whisper-shouted.

"You're not going to swallow, just chew it and blow!"

"Food that is not meant to be swallowed? How confusing!" She did as ordered and, after waiting for the guards to look away, she blew the gum to a large size and let it carry her. She willed her body to float toward the open window and sucked the gum in to land inside. She was in a dark storeroom with some clothes hangers and boxes, but just as Tama approached the door, a pink-haired Twili girl entered.

"I wonder if Nati is hiding in here-soup." asked Soup, the 6-year-old skimming the room with her glowy eyes. Tama had already jumped behind a box and cloaked herself. She could barely hear Soup's bare footsteps as she studied the room. "Is it too dark in here, Spoon? I guess Nati isn't here. Let's go-soup~" With that, she left the room.

Tama listened until her steps were out of earshot. She then slipped out of the room. The hallway had soil and plants running through the middle, and the heads of some of the large sunflowers were turning left and right. To stay out of sight of the Floro Sapiens, Tama had to climb to some shelves higher up. There was a table with a flower vase, which Tama took down. "Kage no Jutsu!" Two clones of herself poofed into being, and they took turns climbing on the table as they formed a stack. The real Tama on top could climb to the shelves, and one of her clones put the vase back before poofing.

She tiptoed as lightly as possible and stepped over planted pots on the shelf. She got to a vent and made a Shadow Clone to help her pull it open. Tama crawled in and allowed it to guide her, turning a right corner before finding a vertical segment. She formed a Shadow Clone stack to climb up. She found an exit to the vent, only to realize a Pianta was standing directly over it. She crawled back and followed a left route, only to encounter a mouse. "Squeakity-squeakity-squeak!"

"Shhh! Go away, Mausu!" Tama waved her hand forcefully, but the rodent insisted on sniffing her face. "Thou wilt reveal O-Tama's presence! Hither, a treat." She picked a little piece of dango off her cheek and fed the mouse. The mouse squeaked in joy and began to nuzzle her. "Go back!" The mouse stepped backward obediently. "Hmm… Roll for O-Tama." It rolled.

"Intriguing. It seems whatever Devil Fruit that was is designed to earn the loyalty of animals. Perhaps they planned to use it against the Kremlings. Tama, see if you can make it distract the guard."

"Okay, Mausu. Distract!" The mouse ran out of the exit of the vent.

"Aha! I knew I heard a rat!" The Pianta chased it toward the right behind some plant tables, whilst Tama exited the door to the left. This room had a garden of large tomatoes, all of which faced Tama with scowling faces. Whenever Tama walked near one, it would lunge out and try to bite her. Tama used clones to run in the garden and distract the hungry tomatoes, leaving her to race to the exit.

She was above the rafters in this new room, Killer Tomatoes perched on some parts. Tama stepped forward until a tomato blocked her, so she turned on a left board. She could not advance due to broken boards, but another mouse was across one, so Tama tossed a dango to it. When it fell under her spell, she ordered it to go around and distract the tomato. The fruit lunged at the mouse, giving Tama the chance to get past its starting point and cross an alternate board. Hanging water cans were sprinkling the boards, making those spots slippery as Tama took long-steps across. She used the mouse to distract other tomatoes and reach a window on the other side.

Tama cracked the window open and slipped out, sidling along the mansion's gutter. Heli-Deku were using flower propellers to float left and right, shining lights from their noses. This was meant to give light to the large berries under the gutter, but Tama had to Cloak Jutsu lest they spotted her. She used a Clone Stack to go up a vertical segment of the gutter, followed by a more diagonal segment. Tama once again had to stay still and cloak, but if she remained still too long, she would lose balance on the slope. Eventually, Tama could climb to a ledge with railing: the balcony where Pea's room rested.

Looking both ways, the ninja crossed the balcony and tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Stew'n, a magic spell is sealing yonder door!"

"Check those statues for a spare key. One of them might have a hidden compartment."

Tama climbed the first Pea statue and tried to open some parts of it, but nothing. She went to the second one and searched it—the leg broke and it fell, the head snapping and rolling off. "Eeek! O-Tama broke it! Oh?" Something shiny stuck out of the neck. She picked it out.

"Yes, that must be a spare key! But if you leave that statue lying around, a guard is bound to discover it."

"P-Please, Boss, I don't wanna go in there!" a voice yelled.

"Well, I'm not going to bed without my classic Princess Toadstool doll!" a whiny voice replied.

Panicking, O-Tama pushed the statue's remains over behind a vase. She then ran onto the pedestal and used a Transform Jutsu to become a bronze (chocolate) Pea statue. Pilaf, a blue goblin boy in pajamas, pushed a Mobian jester dog onto the balcony. "Just take the key from the statue, sneak in there, and find my doll."

"B-But we aren't allowed to disturb Minister Pea's sleep, Boss. O-Or we're gonna get masked."

"Please, ever since she captured Cousin Augustus, she's been sleeping like a baby. You'll be perfectly fine, Shu."

"Oh, Emperor Pilaf?" An old woman in a Russian coat named Mai approached him with a Peach doll. "I found your toy on the wardrobe. I believe one of the others must have put it there."

"They what?!" Pilaf snatched the doll back. "Who dares lay hands on my prized Toadstool?! Oh, I bet it was Corlan. I never should have trusted you, Corlan! GRUNKA-LUNKAS! Find Corlan and bring him to me DEAD OR ALIVE!"

"Not so loud, Boss!" Shu hushed. "You're gonna wake Pea up."

"He's right, let's return to your room." Mai suggested. "You can punish Corlan after a good night's rest."

"Sigh, very well." They began to leave. "Oh, and speaking of which, when is the Awakening Serum supposed to get here?"

"By tomorrow morning, Sir."

"Ooo, I can't wait to see how powerful I become!" (Play "Dodo's Coming" from Mario RPG.)

Now that they were gone, Tama poofed back to normal and sighed in relief. However, she heard footsteps and became a statue again. Three Grunka-Lunkas marched in in a huff. Whoever ordered them here was gone, so only these dumb statues remained. They could do naught but vent their frustration on them.

The three each picked a statue and marched to it (luckily, none of them were Tama), beginning to chant. "Grunka-Lunka doppity dob. We couldn't ask for a dumber job." They kicked the statues. They swapped around as one was near Tama. "Grunka-Lunka pottilianta." They kicked, but Tama used Substitution to swap with the lone statue—in the brief second they blinked, they didn't notice. "We hate takin' crap from those stupid Piantas." Kick, swap.

"We work and we work right down to the bone!" Kick, Tama swapped! "You sleep with your dolls, but we yawn and groan." Tama thought she was safe, but one of the Lunkas suddenly ran to her, and she swapped at the last second before the kick! "How would you like it if you were a slave?" The Lunkas threw apples that bounced off—Tama swapped, but one of the apples ricocheted back to her, bonking her head. She barely had a second to change back into a statue before they noticed. "Perhaps maybe then you WOULD," Kick, swap, "BE," kick, swap, "HAVE?" Kick, swap—a Lunka threw a second kick at her, but she swapped.

"Grunka-Lunka lickity lung." Kick, swap. "We'll take your hide and give it a wrung." Fakeout-kick, she stopped herself just in time. "Then we'll live in happiness, too." They danced circles around the statues, giving no indication which one they'd hit. "Grunka-Lunka-Wunka dunkity-doo!" They finally kicked, and Tama swapped with the lone one just in time.

The Grunka-Lunkas ran out, giving Tama a moment to catch her breath. !! One of them came back—she became a statue, and remained perfectly still even as his foot met with her leg. "Dunkity-doo~" Then he left. (End song.)

Tama poofed to normal and dropped on her rear as she grasped that leg. "Hoooh… O-Tama's legs feel like dango. But she's almost thither…" She withstood the pain and limped toward Pea's room, unlocking it.

Her room had a large dollhouse, a pile of stuffed animals, and a queen-sized bed. It seemed too large for the little Kokiri child, who slept blissfully with her Augustus mask in her arms. A music box played a gentle lullaby. She made little snores and her hold on the mask was loose. With the carpeted floor to mask her steps, Tama tiptoed-over—a loose board creaked beneath her. "GROOOWL!" Pea's head briefly swelled up to the form of a sphinx, but it shrunk back to a human head and she slept. "Nnnnrrr… I'm thinking of… a man who's always happy… yet is always boiling. Who is he…?"

She must be talking in her sleep. Tama tried to creep forward, but a force held her back. "Nani?! Stew'n, explain this sorcery."

"Blast! Pea's Devil Fruit allows her to make barriers around her that can only be opened by solving her riddles. A happy man who's always boiling… it must be her uncle, Ernesto Taco."

Tama responded with this. The barrier disappeared. She crawled under the bed and peeped up from behind Pea. Tama pulled out her fake mask and slowly reached for Augustus's mask. She froze when Pea rolled on her back, arms spread to either side. Drool leaked from her little mouth. If Pea felt the drool, she might wake up to wipe it off, so Tama politely wiped it with her sleeve. With that, she slipped the Augustus mask out of her hand, at the same time placing the fake in its place.

Tama crawled under the bed and crept toward the exit. Creak—"GROOOWL!" Pea morphed into a sphinx for a brief instant before hugging her fake mask. "Nyah… I'm thinking of a fluffy ball with a peanut inside." The barrier prevented Tama from leaving.

"A fluffy ball with a peanut?" Rallo asked. "Don't sound very appetizin'."

"Is…Is she talking about YOU, Rallo?!" Stewie asked.

"WHAT?! No way she knows about mah peanut head! Augustus swore he'd never… That son of a bitch."

"Rallo'n?" Pea responded in confusion. The answer was correct. Tama exited the room and locked it.

"Excellent, you've secured the captain. Now for a quick way out of there. Climb those banners to get onto the roof and use the glider we supplied you." The child obeyed and climbed the nearby banner which displayed the Big Mom Jolly Roger. Once atop the roof, Tama found a Big Mom flagpole in one of the corners. She grabbed the top of the pole with a Clone Stack, propped herself upside-down, and pushed off the pole as she opened a glider on her staff. She quietly glided through the darkness, going beyond the mansion gates, and would set foot on the ground beside the sewer.

Tama climbed down to reunite with her crew, placing the mask of their captain on the floor. Tama pulled out a wooden ocarina and played a gentle song. Doo-doo-doooo, doo-doo-doooo, doo-doo, do-do-doooooo… The Fairy Ocarina turned the notes of the Song of Healing into power. Augustus's mask shone with light, vanishing in a flash that forced the youths to seal their eyes. When they reopened—"Aaah!" their 18-year-old captain, in full flesh and blood, fell into the sewer.

"August'n! O-Tama will save thee!" She jumped in and immediately began sinking. "August'n! Save O-Tama!"

Within a moment, Augustus recomposed himself and pulled Tama to land, both of them coughing filthy soup out of their lungs. "Huff… and I haven't even finished my lollipop." The boy smiled coolly and withdrew the candy he had been sucking since before he was masked. He withdrew another one, unwrapped it, "For you, Tama," and stuck it in her mouth. "You did splendid on your first mission."

Tama smiled from the sweet taste in her mouth, her tongue dancing with the lolli. "O-Tama's so happy to see thee, August'n." She gave his legs a hug. "Oh! O-Tama hast gift for thou, too." She picked a dango off her cheek.

"What the—?! Since when can you do that?"

"She might've accidentally eaten a Devil Fruit." Rallo answered.

"You idiots let a Historian eat a Devil Fruit?! You realize how much trouble we're gonna get in? This is like… gonna change history or something!"

"You wanted to take her off her planet in the first place!" Stewie argued.

"Tama, I'm officially promoting you to Junior Babysitter." He ruffled her violet hair. "'Cause these twerps just can't do everything on their own." He then ate the dango. "Hmm… not bad. So, based on what I've been overhearing, we're in a Pirate War."

"Yes, we're signed in under Captain Slag's name. We don't stand a chance in Hell of winning unless we side with one of the Emperors. Fortunately, the Kids Next Door owe us a favor for saving their Moonbase."

"Y'know, it's time like these I bet they could really use my intel on the crew." Augustus smirked. "Let's try to find them, shall we? I'm sure there's ops causing trouble somewhere on the planet."

Hyrule; Haunted Wasteland

The twilight was barely visible as a thick sandstorm swept over the desert. Kami Heartly and Noah held their arms up to block the sand from their eyes. "UUUUUGH, it's so windy here, Kami! Why can't we come here later?!"

"The spies said this desert is always windy, nobody ever comes here. Yet, for some reason, a band of Mandy's assassins entered the sandstorm. The only possible explanation is that Kimaya's out here. This would be a perfect place to hide; the storm shouldn't bother an undead person."

"I sure hope! But what're you gonna do after you save Kimaya, anyway? Leave?"

"I want to leave, but I couldn't very well leave those kids in K. Rool's captivity. At the very least, I want Kimaya home and in the flesh. That's all that matters to me now. At any rate, I don't think the Kremlings much appreciate this weather either. Let's get to it." (Play "The Days When My Mother Was There" from Persona 5.)

Stage 8: Haunted Wasteland

Mission: Find Kimaya Heartly.

Keyblade and lightsaber in hand, Kami and Noah marched into the sandstorm. The Boogey Pirates had stuck wooden flagpoles in the sand so they wouldn't get lost heading back. The ladies made use of them, but in the process were ambushed by two lady ninjas, called Demon's Arms. They slashed swords, but Kami and Noah defended with their own. A clash followed suit, which ended with Noah flipping over to slash her opponent's back, and Kami knocking the sword out of her ninja's hand, then bashing her in the head.

The ground sloped down into a quicksand river, but they noticed small platforms on the opposite slope. Noah cut down the nearby flagpole as it fell into the quicksand, serving as a bridge for them to walk down, then hop up the steps. The next flag was inviting them to come over, and Noah was about to take the bait, until Kami grabbed her shirt and indicated the shark fins swirling around it. They readied their selves for whatever monsters these were, and shortly after approaching, Malgyorgs felt their presence and swum toward them. The sand sharks showed their fangs, but Noah stabbed the first one's face and chopped down on the second.

The two noticed two other flags from this one, and one of them was surrounded by Malgyorgs. A Twili boy was tied to the pole, but how to reach him without disturbing the sharks. Wooden pegs were standing around the shark field, and Kami could balance and jump across them without disturbing the creatures. She found a route leading to the Twili and cut him free. "Thanks, Miss! The 'babysitter' lady left me here as a punishment. I'll try and get home without them seeing me." He used Shadow Glide to fly away, since the rope's chi-blocks no longer subdued his bending.

Kami and Noah approached the alternate flag, followed by a linear route leading directly against the wind. With sand constantly blowing in their eyes, they had to watch for crates or barrels threatening to hit them and slice them in half. One of these was actually a treasure chest, so Noah jumped to grab it and was nearly pulled off. "I'm only in this crew for extra money, you know." Eventually, they came upon a cave leading downward and decided to go in.

Torches provided light in the cave, but some of the flames came to life in the form of Lava Bubble spirits. A few cuts from the Keyblade were able to disperse them. A short distance afterward, they found a Klump sumo-wrestling with a Fatblin on a narrow bridge over a dark pit. Since the Klump was on their side (literally and figuratively), the ladies ran up and pushed him. They helped in pushing the Fatblin back, eventually sending him into a hole past the bridge. "Thanks, Boss Kami. That guy was mean. Lemme clear a path for ya." The cave turned right, but was blocked by boulders. The Klump chucked Orange Grenades and blew them open.

The ladies walked around some puddles of poison ooze before stopping at a river of the substances. Seeing the stalactites on the ceiling, Noah ran back to get momentum, then ran up the wall and over the river, cutting the stalactites down so Kami could jump across. They came to a wider river and could see the cave's exit across. There was also a Kannon stationed there, to whom Kami called, "HEY! You mind shooting down those stalactites for us?!"

The Kremling jumped and about-faced toward the ladies. Taking the cue, he shot his cannon to the ceiling to make the stalactites fall in a slightly random manner. The ladies jumped whichever footholds were closest, though some of them had giant Skulltulas on them, so they held back until a safer one fell. A Skulltula appeared on a stalactite, but was crushed by a second stalactite that was safe. The next stalactite fell, but to their left, a second one with a chest, which Noah hurriedly snagged before resuming the path, eventually reaching the Kannon's position.

They exited the cave back to the sandstorm, and a group of Bazukas were shooting at the silhouette of a platform. The platform shot cannons back, the Bazukas dodging quickly as sand splashed into the air. The ladies ducked as they charged toward the platform, avoiding the cannons and reaching the platform's base. A Bazuka was waiting there, and to help his superiors get atop the platform, he fired metal barrels straight up for them to bounce on. Once on the platform, Kami and Noah swiftly cut down the Lizalfos.

The post had been captured, but the two heard a girl's cry: "Please, let me come down! I'm swallowing too much sand, cough!" This came from the roof of the platform, so Kami sought help from the Bazuka again to bounce up there. A Rito girl was tied to a flagpole, so Kami cut her free. "Thank you, Miss! I can make it home from here." She spread her wings and flew away. There was a large stone pillar situated over a cliff, so they used one of the platform's cannons to blast the base. The pillar fell and connected with the opposite side of the trench. As the ladies began to cross it, they could see the shadows of Bullbos galloping across, Bulblin readying their Shock Arrows.

Noah positioned her lightsaber to block the arrows, drawing close enough to the riders to where they could cut their steeds. The Bullbos would steer uncontrollably and go over the abyss. The ladies crossed the chasm, but from then, could only walk blindly through the desert. There was a small flicker in the distance, and as they neared it, it took the form of a Poe. They readied to fight the lantern ghost, but it only did a twirl and floated away. Curious, they decided to follow the Poe. It made several turns along its path, making them jump over quicksand pits or take down some Malgyorgs. Kami tripped over something buried in the sand; learning it was a chest, they quickly pulled it out before catching up with the Poe.

Eventually, the spirit drifted to the sky. The two simply walked forward, coming upon a skull with macabre designs. "Is…Is this-" Kami reached for it. (End song.)

"FREEZE, motherfu—huh? ?" A skeletal cowgirl popped out of the sand with Keyblade-guns aimed.

Kami and Noah were taken aback at first, but shortly came to the realization. "Kimaya…"

The skull on the ground opened an eye socket. "Mrs. Heartly?!" The rest of Django's corpse rose out of the ground, and he dumped sand out of his hat before putting it on.

The mother embraced her daughter in a hug so tight, Kimaya felt a few bones break. "Kimaya…" Though the child had no beating heart, she felt a warmth inside her. She never once expected to find her mother of all people out here… and didn't expect to feel so happy. However, what seemed like a teary voice turned to anger, as Kami SMACKED her daughter's skull and spun it around. "WHAT THE HELL?! You weren't even home for ONE DAY after saving the universe and you run away to MANDY'S crew?! AND YOU!" She smacked Django. "I trust you to watch after my daughter and you turn her into a cursed CORPSE!"

"Hey, this wasn't my fault!" Django argued. "She got killed by a cheap shot and this was the only way to save her!"

"Besides, what's the point of goin' to school if Ah look like THIS?!" Kimaya questioned. "I ain't growin' up and I ain't havin' no kids. I'm dead, Mama, so there ain't no point in you takin' care of me."

"Kimaya, there's a way to bring you back to life!"

"W-Whuh?!"

"K. Rool captured this timebender girl that can 'Rewind' people to previous states. He tested it on this lady who was also undead like you. She was just a skull, but the timebender brought her to life, flesh and everything. If it worked on her, it'll surely work on you. A-And Django, you can come back, too!"

His red pupils shrunk a tad. "C-Come back… to life?"

"Yeah. Unless… you're used to being dead?"

"I…I always just assumed I was stuck like this." Django stared at his skeletal fingers. "I never cared about finding a way… but if you're telling me this can actually work…" Then Kimaya and I can grow up together.

"Either way, YOU'RE coming to life, Kimaya, like it or not!" Kami decided firmly.

"Then I'M coming too, SCREW being undead!!" Django declared.

"I guess it's it, then." Kimaya shrugged. "Ah do miss what soda tastes like. First we gotta get outta this shit."

"I don't suppose you ladies brought us some rides?" Django asked. …The only response he received were the howls of wind. "Right. I'll get us hitched." With a strum of his guitar, two skeletal Stalhorses emerged from the sand, making an eerie neigh.

Kimaya and Django mounted a horse with him in front, and Noah took the reins of hers and Kami's horse. A lightning struck the ground before them—the horses thrusted back and flung the riders off. "Just where do you think YOU'RE going?!"

They heard fast galloping as Azula and some Demon's Arms surrounded them, riding giant mongoose-lizards. "Well, ladies, we've finally found the traitors. And a couple of Kremling agents to boot."

"Heathens!" yelled a ninja, aiming her sword. "You will pay for destroying the Demon Head's Lazarus Pit!"

"A Lazarus Pit?" Kami thought that sounded familiar. "H-Hang on, these two messed with our Krew, too! They're our prisoners, not yours!"

"You think I'll fall for a lie like that?" asked Azula. "I saw you hugging that brat. For treason against Lord Mandy, you will ALL be executed. Assassins, seize them-"

Django strummed his guitar, creating a horrible soundwave that hurt the lizards' ears and made them kick the riders off. "Let's go!" The four remounted their Stalhorses and escaped.

"AFTER THEM!" Azula's band mounted their lizards and chased. (Play "Yell Dead Cell" from Metal Gear Solid!)

The sand beating their eyes, the ladies had to rely on the skeletons to lead them. To their left, a mongoose-lizard was running level with them, the beast moving over as the assassin struck. Kami blocked with her Keyblade and kicked the ninja, but with two more on Django's right, Kimaya shot them with poison bullets. Two more ninjas rode up behind them, standing and leaping forward at Kami, who bat them away like baseballs. A squad of Bulblin riders followed, launching an array of Fire Arrows into the air as they rained around the horsemen. They took a few hits, but brushed the fire off.

Then Kami saw the spark of Azula's lightning, the Blue Demolisher hot on their tail. They steered the horse left just as the lightning fired and missed. Azula got closer, more tightly focused on her target. She struck, but the horsemen barely dodged. Now Azula was little more than a reach behind them. "Noah, your sword!" Kami swiped the lightsaber and held it to block a beam of lightning. The saber was sizzling and the static made Kami's hair stand up, but it managed to repel the lightning enough to where Azula fell back. "Ergh!"

Kami switched the lightsaber off so it could recharge. Malgyorgs swam under the sand in pursuit of them, Django watching for their fins and strumming soundwaves to scare them off. Sand Traps began to pop up; pairs of sentient cacti monsters connected by barbed wire. The horses jumped the wires with not much trouble, though the last Sand Trap slid backwards a bit before stopping, nearly tripping the horses. A pair of cannon platforms were coming up, splashing the sand with their gunfire, the horses dodging side-to-side and bypassing the towers.

Azula was catching up again, this time condensing large amounts of chi into blue fireballs. She hurdled the fireballs ahead of the riders, and they exploded into flaming pillars. They maneuvered around the pillars and observed the flames' trajectory, but some of them would suddenly zip left or right and land in a different spot. Azula was catching up and ready to shoot a charged flame directly at them. However, Sand Snakes had got onto her lizard and slithered around her. "What?! Get off, you horrid things!" She slowed down as she was throwing the snakes off.

"Those snakes must be Kremlings!" Kami beamed.

As if on cue, she received a call. "Boss Kami, we have a Flying Krock ready to pick you lot up. There's a bunch of robot things about to lock onto you, but our Krackshot Krock will get 'em."

A red beam locked on them from the storm, and Kimaya recognized the charging blue light it originated from. "It's a Guardian! Get ready to jump!" When the light finished charging, a powerful laser fired, the horses jumping as it exploded against the ground on their left. It readied to charge again, but the eye was shot by the Krackshot, who saw the light's origin point through the storm. Using his keen eye, the Krackshot shot two more Guardians that failed to shoot them, whilst the riders took down some Demon's Arms on mongoose-lizards. Shock Arrows zipped by from behind, a troupe of Bulblin in pursuit. Kimaya twisted her upper torso to face them and shoot them with pro gun-slinging.

They were finally exiting the sandstorm, a Flying Krock soaring under the clear night sky. Azula aimed lightning up at the ship, but a quick shot from Kimaya's gun to her lizard's eye caused her to miss. Neckies swooped down and grabbed the four horsemen in their talons by the arms, lifting them off the Stalhorses. The Neckies dropped them in the Krock, which began to ascend to the heavens. "This is Krock 51," said the pilot, "we've recovered Kami and Noah along with the targets, preparing to return to base."

"SO LONG, Fire Bitch!" Kimaya called.

"There was a time when I would scold you for cussing," Kami sighed, "but I haven't got it in me, anymore."

"Ah, just one more thing." Django noticed a Boogey flag about to pass by them. He strummed a sonic wave and turned the flag into a gold one with Kimaya's skull. "Much better, wouldn't you say?"

"Hell yea!" Kimaya cheered. (End song.)

Mobius; Spying Eye

A somber quiet had filled the submarine ever since the Firsthand Pirates received Monaca's message. Yuta had been glued to his seat, weighed down by the incomparably heavy burden on his heart. The cabin door opened, and everyone readily looked as Melody returned. "Emily, were you able to send word to other sectors?"

"Um, yeah." she answered. "Sectors W7 and AC know, and they've been asked to spread the word. Hopefully Sector V will hear it soon, too."

"Good. Now then…" Melody faced Yuta. "Yuta, you honestly disgust me. It's one thing to blindly worship me, but I can't believe you're so willing to kill your own family."

"I-I'm not willing!" He stood up and shook his head. "But I promised you… I promised I wouldn't get in the way, so this is the only way I can…"

"You're right. You screwed up simply by joining our team. But if you wanna keep just a shred of dignity, you can at least be loyal to your family. Even if it would save my mom… I couldn't forgive someone who'd sacrifice their own family. I mean, I could maybe understand if they were evil like your friends' parents, but that isn't the case, right?"

"No, of course not! And I really don't wanna, but…"

"If my mom dies, then I'll just have to suck it up and deal with it. But don't even think about killing your own, okay?"

Yuta didn't believe he deserved such kindness from her. But she was sure in her words, and… even for his religion, he would never kill anyone. Even if it was selfish… he didn't want to, and he wouldn't. "I'm sorry, Melody… but I don't want my family to die."

"Good." She made a light smile. "Sigh, we'll just have to put our faith in the others. Word on the other prisoners?"

"Oh, yeah!" Emily beamed. "Sector W7 contacted us and said they found the cave Fybi is trapped in."

"They found Fybi?!" Anthony exclaimed. "Let's hurry up and meet with 'em! If it's a cave, I can totally save her."

"Then you'll be happy to know my T.E.L.A.-N.E.T. has their ship marked as well." Emily withdrew the net and set it to the Rocketship. "I'll warp you there in a jiffy once you're ready."

"You know it! Being this far underwater's making me nauseous."

"And how. Heeeeere it GOES!" Emily swung the net with vigor, and Anthony vanished in a flash!

Hyrule; Q-Bus

As morning peered over the canyon walls, Eddy Flores was the first to wake from his slumber, the scrawny nerd stretching his thin limbs. "Mmmmm…" he moaned in a silent yawn. Eddy slipped on his glasses and surveyed the bus. His friends were still asleep… including Carmine and Mitch. With a smirk, Eddy dropped one of his socks over Quill's nose before switching to a new pair, a friendly prank he liked to do on occasion. Afterwards, Eddy peeked outside to check for danger… "Huh?"

There seemed to be a girl running up the canyon path. She had the long ears of a Hylian, wore an orange shirt, and brown dress. Her round ears and armful of books indicated she was a bookworm, and her brown hair was in a cute ponytail. "Whoa!" The girl tripped and dropped all her books and glasses. "Darn it, I'm never gonna make it…"

Eddy didn't expect to see such an average-looking girl out in a place like this… but truthfully, he thought she looked kinda cute. Eddy stepped out of the cloaked bus and called, "Hey! Do you need some help?"

"Yah!" She jumped at seeing him. "Oh, hi… Where'd you come from?"

"Oh, just around the corner. Heh, my friends and I are camping, and…um, I'll pick these up for you." Eddy bent down to collect all the books in a stack.

"Hehe, thank you!" The girl smiled sweetly and took the books from him.

"You're welcome! Heh, where you off to around here?"

"Oh, this is my usual route to school. Hehe, I live on the other side of the canyon." She smiled sheepishly. "Takes me an hour… I really should move. Well, I'll see you!" The girl resumed pace and raced up the road.

"W-Wait!" Eddy tried to jog after. "I can get you there faster!" She seemed to turn and run down a slope to the right. "You can ride in our bus! I'm a great driver, you should see my—AAAAH!" But there was actually no slope as Eddy fell off a ledge.

The girl seemed to change into an elf and climbed back on the ledge, hurrying back to the bus. "I'm using to dating multiple men, but three at the same time is really stressful!"

Quill stirred in his sleep, an unwelcoming scent in his nose. "Ugh!" He shot awake and threw off Eddy's sock. "I'm gonna kill him…" Quill looked around and saw that Eddy was gone, though the others were asleep. The vice-leader put his shoes on and stomped outside. "Eddy, where are you?!"

"Oh, hey there! Are you looking for someone?" Quill turned to find a blonde elf girl in a green dress and black pants. She was a few inches shorter than him.

"Oh, no, I… not really."

"That's a cool hairstyle! Hehe, are you some sort of 'bad boy'?"

"Oh, me?" Quill brushed back the spikes on his hair that were shaped like engines. "Yeah, you could say that. I've been hittin' towns with my gang." He smiled boastfully. "Been thinkin' of hittin' this one next."

"Teeheehee! Oh, my! I hope I'm not on your list~!" She swayed teasingly.

"Well, that depends, sweetheart. Know any good restaurants around here? Wouldn't mind a bite to eat."

"Hee hee! In that case, follow me!" The elf merrily skipped along with Quill following. Within moments, they arrived at Mogma Town, where the elf led Quill to an ordinary building. "Here we are!" She opened the door.

"Sweet! Let's see what this place-" Quill walked in first, but she immediately shut him inside.

The elf raced back to the bus and assumed a new form: a teenage Hylian with brown hair in pigtails, a green midriff, and blue shorts. "Alright, just one left. This guy should be easy."

Drake was awoke by the mild noise and saw that Eddy and Quill were absent. "Up and at 'em already? But then shouldn't they-"

He heard a light tapping on the door. Drake cocked a brow and put on his sunglasses, going to answer it. The Hylian girl leaned in a nonchalant way. "Hey, dude. It's a little early for shades, isn't it?"

"Uhh…can I help you with something?"

"Just saw this bus here and thought it looked cool. Is it yours?"

"This bus is… supposed to be cloaked."

"I got sharp eyes, baby." She winked her eyes in a flirting way. "Nothing gets by me, know what I mean?"

"This is weird…"

"I got an eye for cool things, man. And right now, my eyes are on you."

"These are the most cliché flirting lines of all time. Either way, I don't really have time to. We need to get going."

"Oh, but you're so handsooooome. Can't you spare a little time for me~?"

"Nah, but I would like to know what you did with my buds."

"They were goin' to that town and I just walked by 'em."

"They wouldn't have wandered off on their own so willy-nilly. And you're just full of red flags, so you're gonna tell me."

"Maybe they went to that restaurant down the road. Wanna come with-"

Drake SOCKED her in the jaw. "OW!! What kind of jerk just punches a girl?!"

"When a girl gives me bad vibes. Now, where are Eddy and Quill?"

"You'll never save them!" The girl ran off.

Drake growled and ran to wake up the girls. "Jenny! Miko! Car…mine?" But when he tried, his body simply phased through them, while Carmine herself just disappeared. "Mitch?" The Hinobi leader disappeared as well. "Grrrr! HEY, GET BACK HERE!" Drake dashed out of the bus and after the strange girl. "What did you do to my team—MAAAAAATES!" Drake followed her off what he assumed was a short ledge, only to plummet down a pit. Darkness enveloped him by the time he hit the bottom. "Ow! What the…What's happening here?!"

"Drake!" The leader looked as Quill and Eddy hurried over.

"Guys! Where did we end up?!"

"I don't know!" Quill yelled. "I was following this cute elf girl and…"

"Ahahahaha!" The boys gazed up as a strange tower made of blocks seemed to appear out of nowhere. The teenage girl was seated near the top. "See, big boy? You couldn't resist me~"

"That's her!" Quill shouted. "That's the girl I was following!"

"Huh?! That's the girl I was following!" Eddy argued. "She doesn't look anything like an elf!"

"Are you kidding?! Just look at her!"

"Okay, knock it off, you two." The girl teased. Her true appearance was a blonde woman in a white dress. "You boys can picture me however you like. The name's Catherine and you've fallen in my dungeon! The only way to escape is this exit door at the top of the tower. Unfortunately, only one of you can escape."

"You're one of Mandy's pirates, aren't you?!" Drake demanded.

"You boys better hurry. The floor's falling."

They felt their block platforms rumble. "AAAH!" Eddy frantically ran and leapt onto the next layer, the others following before the lower platforms fell into the abyss. "I just wanted to drive you to school!"

"Hey, I would've been driving her!" Quill argued. "And besides, you-"

"Shut up and start climbing!" Drake ordered, clambering up a stairway of blocks. Unfortunately, he reached a taller stack with no way to climb up. Drake pulled out the lowest block, but dropped to the next one, so he pulled out the previous block, repeating the process until he made a more convenient stairway to carry them up higher. "'Kind of weird-ass physics are these?!"

"Let's go up this way!" Quill tried to push an end block off to connect with the bottom corner of another floating block, but the block he pushed merely fell into the pit. "Okay, what defines when blocks float?!"

"Okay, I think I figured this one out!" Eddy began pulling a block across their foothold, with Drake jumping over it to the other side. "Then we climb on," he climbed on that block with Quill joining, "and pull this one-" he pulled out another block, pushing himself and Quill off.

"WHOA!" Quill yelped as he barely grabbed onto the rim of their current block. "Warn me before you do that!"

"I didn't tell you to climb up with me!"

"Well, I thought you were bringing us HIGHER!"

"Hee hee hee!" Catherine giggled. "My, which boy will steal my heart tonight~?"

…

Night still loomed in the Waking World with the operatives sound asleep. They were blissfully unaware as E. Carmine was being dragged away in Nergal's tentacles. "My sister is a succubus. She has trapped the boys inside a nightmare from which only they can wake up. But only one will be able to wake."

"What?! W-What happens to the other two?!"

"They'll just remain asleep until the next night, during which time we'll have you all in confinement. Catherine and I aren't the most power-heavy crewmen, so we like to play it safe. As for you-"

SCREEEEE! Nergal whipped in the direction of the bus, hearing an earsplitting screech.

"WAAAH!" Jenny and Miko jolted awake. "Okay, I forgot to set the alarm again!" Miko yelled. "Wait…" Upon realizing she wasn't in her house, she asked, "What was that?"

"That was Carmine's Sound Bomb!" Jenny pulled up her friend's sleeping bag. "Did she go somewhere? Hey, why aren't you three waking up?!" She kicked the boys, but they seemed to be in deep sleep.

"Mitch is gone, too!" Miko realized.

"Darn it!" Jenny quickly grabbed her rollers and sped off the bus, first speeding toward the town. "CARMINE! WHERE ARE—huh?!"

Jenny immediately skid to a halt. In the dim light produced by the village, she could make out the unmistakable form of Queen Mandy. The Emperor herself was holding Carmine by the neck. "It's easier to do things myself. I'm taking this brat prisoner, and you'd better not follow, or else!"

Jenny bit her lip in fear. She couldn't just let Carmine be taken, but how could she possibly take on the Emperor? She wasn't expecting Mandy to suddenly show up here. What was she supposed to…

The bus's headlights flashed on as Miko took the wheel. "Move aside, Jenny! I'LL wreck this queen!" And she stomped the gas!

Jenny quickly dodged. "MIKO!"

Nergal panicked, realizing his disguise failed. He morphed into a horse, strapping Carmine to the back with his tendrils, and ran aside. Miko stomped the brakes and swerved the bus just against the edge of town. Nergal trotted up another canyon path, Jenny reboarding the bus as Miko steered after. "Miko, you could've hurt Carmine!"

"I would've stopped! I just wanted to scare her, and it worked! Mandy's a joke!"

"I don't think that's Mandy, it must be some kind of shapeshifter."

"Dammit!" Nergal cursed as the bus was gaining. "I'll have to lose them through-"

Fortunately, a mechanical knight dropped down from above with a chop of its sword, Miko abruptly stopping the bus. "It's YOU, AGAIN!"

"Nergal, it is very late, and I want beauty sleep. If I wake up with pinkeye in the morning, you're dead meat!"

"Just crush that bus!" Nergal rushed into a cave.

Miko summoned her Q-Knight to clash with the Ash Knight. It easily blocked Miko's attacks before throwing a kick to Q-Knight's stomach, followed by a spin attack—Miko ducked and dealt a stab, barely grazing Ash Knight's hip. "HAH! Got you!"

"A lucky shot!" Ash Knight flew back and charged forward, the Q-Knight grabbing as Miko poured every ounce of strength in her fingers to push back. But Ash Knight pulled back, making Q-Knight stumble forward, and Ash flew up for a slice down! The digital knight was partially severed, its body flickering. Ash Knight dealt a side swipe, but Miko made it duck and stab Ash's stomach. "Jenny, go help Carmine! I'll take care of this!"

"By yourself?!"

"I can protect myself, but Carmine looks like she needs help!"

Jenny looked to Carmine's bomb sacks on a shelf. "Yeah…" She quickly grabbed the sacks and skated off the bus and into the cavern where Nergal fled.