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springbreezes-and-peonies · 9 months

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The Wishing Star

“……You REALLY promise this will work? Like this is a real thing and not…I dunno…a scam of yours or something Magolor?”

The spider-kind Floralian Taranza sat anxiously in one of the few seats onboard the dimensional traveler Magolor’s ship. He’d been tying and untying and generally fiddling with his red scarf for what felt like hours now. If what Magolor promised him was true, then everything would be better again. His whole world would be rosy again. But well, that was the problem with Magolor…he didn’t always tell the truth…He could be nice, and polite, but Taranza knew at heart he was a bit of a con artist…

“Look would I lie to you? Don’t answer that…But yes, it’s true. I’ve studied the Ancients, devoured knowledge about them for a LONG time. It’s how I got the Lor here, it’s how I learned to slip through dimensions, and it’s how I came to meet Kirby and you in the first place. These Clockwork Stars are real…they can grant the user any one wish. And when I say ANY wish? I mean ANY wish. Anything you want. When I heard about your uhm……situation…I decided, ‘who would be more deserving of a wish than my good friend Taranza? The stand-in King of Floralia! Who could deserve a wish more than him!’ And so I HAD to tell you!” Magolor enthused…maybe a little too much, before toning it down again.

“……Well yeah…and you made me promise to give you something in return…but you still haven’t told me what that something is…” Taranza stated, gazing curiously at Magolor with his four, front-facing eyes, his horns twitching a little as he thought. ‘What could he want from me? He’s such a trickster…I wonder what I have that he wants…’

“Don’t worry about that now! I haven’t even decided yet! I just feel I deserve some reward you know? For bringing you out to the Star and for not using the ONE wish myself heehee. I could’ve done that you know? Clockwork Stars are hard to find, and our little pink friend has destroyed two of them already…”

Magolor said, grinning a little to himself as he watched the Lor’s display system carefully.

‘Oh you’ll see what I want Taranza…and I know once that Star gives you what YOU want, you’ll be so happy…you won’t even think of saying no to my request! I want a seat of power in Floralia…and I want to see where you’ve kept that destroyed Dark Mirror…I know you’ve gotta still have it, and I can fix it…and once I do…I’m gonna see just what this mirror-world has to offer…’

“I suppose it doesn’t matter……whatever you want, if this works, will be fine…I…” Taranza frowned, looking down, clasping his six hands together.

“I just want to see her again……” He sighed, his silver hair falling into his face a little as he looked down.

“Welp! It shouldn’t be too long until we’re to that Star, and you WILL see her again! I know it will work Taranza buddy! I’ve read all about them!” Magolor enthused again, he was SURE it was the appropriate amount this time!

“Yeah…I……” Taranza began, but stopped just as suddenly, lost in his thoughts. He took a deep breath, and reached into his cloak, materializing the beautiful, tiny, pink bloom he’d picked from the Dreamstalk that had grown in his Queen’s place after her passing. He touched the flower petals so delicately, gazing at it closely, a look of longing in his four eyes.

“I just…hope it works…I hope she can remember our love…I…hope she is the Sectonia I knew and fell in love with…before that mirror changed her so much…” he sighed sadly, holding the flower to his chest gently, as he often did for comfort. In a way, it was all he had left of his wife and love.

“Don’t doubt me so much! It will work! And I bet, as long as you phrase it right, the Star will bring her back just as she was before her change, her true self! Just make sure to phrase your wish right!” Magolor explained, checking his monitors again. He WAS certain this would work. After all he’d studied a good deal about the Clockwork Stars the Ancients had built. They could be a little tricky, but as long as you were careful with your words, they’d give you just what you wanted.

“But what if I’m NOT careful enough?” Taranza asked, and his vision began to blur, as he felt his eight eyes burning with tears. “What if I don’t phrase things right or…or what if it doesn’t matter? What if the Star can only bring her back to her most recent state and it does, and she…she tries to warp and hurt everything again? I…I can’t stop her then! Not alone and I…I don’t know if I have the emotional strength to fight her anyway!” He began to cry so heavily, his thoughts overwhelming him as he remembered his Queen’s final day. All the time she’d spent under the mirror’s influence, she still would show him love, and affection on occasion, though it became more and more fleeting as time passed, as if part of her old self was trying to break through, but that day……

“If it brings her back like that…She…She even hurt ME in that state…I…that’s how I…I realized that…” Taranza could hardly speak from crying so much now, on the verge of hyperventilation. His thoughts were becoming too much. He wanted his beloved back, it had been a few years now, and still he missed her and dreamed of her every day, but the possibility of things going wrong was so overwhelming for him.

Magolor heard his voice cracking, and his cries becoming urgent, and he turned away from his monitors to face him. He could see tears streaming from all of his spider eyes, as he clutched the dream-blossom to his heart. A look of surprise and concern spread over Magolor’s face at the sight, and he rushed quickly to the spider-kind’s side.

“H-hey now…” He patted Taranza’s back gently. “Don’t worry too much about all that, it’s gonna be okay! I mean, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! You can’t let it pass you by, by worrying so much about this stuff! It’s gonna be just fine, I’m sure of it!” Magolor was nervous to be in this position. He was not what anyone would call the comforting type, but he couldn’t help but feel moved by Taranza right now. He’d never really had any feelings for anyone the way Taranza had for his Queen. He’d basically been a loner his whole life, never part of a group. Never growing any tight bonds with anyone, certainly not relying on anyone for love and affection or much of anything really. He just went where he wanted, took what he wanted, and did what he wanted and that was that. But to see someone else like this…he couldn’t help but feel genuinely sympathetic to Taranza’s sorrows in this moment.

“I don’t s-see how you can be so sure……” Taranza shook his head, and looked into Magolor’s golden eyes, tears still streaming down his face.

“You’ve not wished on any of these Stars yourself…you’ve no idea what could go wrong and…and bringing a whole person back to life can’t be easy……” He sobbed a little more, looking at his dream-blossom once more, its petals so beautiful and pure, its scent so much like his Queen’s, the nostalgia it conjured up brought him both peace and heartache.

“Regardless I have to try…Everyday I spend without her…the pain is immeasurable…even after three years, it’s still so immeasurable……” He wiped his eyes some, but he continued to cry still, unable to sooth the pain he felt in his heart.

“And I owe it to her to keep trying whatever I can…because the mirror was my gift to her…Her death was my fault…I owe her a new life…a better life…” He sobbed, as he tried and failed to choke back his tears.

Magolor frowned sadly, and looked down. He couldn’t help but to feel a little ashamed of himself. All he’d ever wanted or longed for was…material. Power, titles, objects…but here he was, taking advantage of this man, struggling to be a good king to a broken kingdom, lost without the love of his life. In his grief, he would give Magolor anything if he could actually help him bring his wife back, and Magolor knew this to be the case…and just like with Kirby before, he was taking advantage. ‘No…I’m…not gonna go being all soft now over some widower…I’m. Not. A deal is a deal and…and he agreed! And besides! He’s getting something too! So it’s fine! It’s fine! Isn’t it…?’ Magolor’s thoughts were racing, and he looked at Taranza, his primary white eyes flooding with tears that showed no sign of stopping anytime soon.

‘HECK!!!’

Magolor wrapped his hands round Taranza, hugging him close. “You gotta stop thinking like that……You already told me, you just found the mirror randomly and when you found it, it LOOKED like a normal mirror. You had no way of knowing the power it held OR what it would do. So stop blaming yourself or……or I’m turning this Starcutter around! Okay?” Magolor said, he could hardly believe himself right now.

“Okay…” Taranza nodded, and hiccuped a little as they eased up some. “I’m just a-anxious…I’ve never been so close to a-actually getting her back Magolor…” he explained and hugged Magolor back with his six hands, being very careful of his dream-blossom as he did so.

“You just gotta practice your phrasing for when you talk to the Star okay? Here, we can try a little right now, since we’ll be there soon…” Magolor explained, and he stopped hugging him and cleared his throat.

“Just say something like: ‘I, Taranza wish for my wife Sectonia to be revived from the dead exactly as she was before encountering the dark mirror!’ Then it’s all very clear and there’s no way to get it wrong!” Magolor smiled a little, and looked at Taranza, awaiting his response.

Taranza wiped his eyes again, and mumbled softly to himself “I…Taranza wish for my wife Sectonia to be revived from the dead exactly as she was before encountering the dark mirror……” He stated, and repeated the statement over and over several times to be sure it would stay in his mind. He nodded to Magolor and smiled a little through his tears.

“Thanks…” he said, tucking his dream-bloom away in his cloak again as he felt his nerves beginning to settle once more.

Magolor nodded, and smiled warmly at him scratching one of the horn-like shapes on his hood shyly. “Yeah well, you know…anytime…” he said, and laughed awkwardly.

A beeping sound came from the monitors on the Lor Starcutter, and Magolor raced back over to check.

“Oh boy!” He exclaimed as he looked at the display. “ We’re here! Let’s go!” He grinned as he took one of Taranza’s hands and guided him out into space, where they would be face to face with the clockwork star. ‘Do I even care about my reward anymore? Am I just doing this to see him happy? He’s…lost so much…he deserves to have her back. He didn’t deserve to lose her! I want my reward but argh! I want him to be with his wife again!’ His thoughts were racing as they both floated out into the void of space.

Taranza looked up at the massive, gold clock-face in awe, and maybe a little bit in fear. Its eyes opened slowly and its expression was cold, apathetic, mechanical as it stared down at him. This was it. This thing, the size of an asteroid was going to be the key to bringing back his wife, his queen, his best friend. He just had to say the words exactly as they practiced. He just had to open his mouth…

Gears could be heard shifting and spinning slowly, and the soft, subtle, beeping of computers sounded faintly from within the Star, as its gaze shifted down coolly upon Magolor and Taranza.

“I am Star model: DWARF. Any request made to me shall be fulfilled to its completion and to the satisfaction of the requester.” The Star spoke clearly and mechanically to them.

“I am able to fulfill only one request per visit, and may only see one visitor per ten years. State your request if one is to be made. It will be fulfilled concisely, to the letter.” The star finished.

Taranza floated still, on the spot, unable to move or speak, until he felt Magolor push him gently forward, and heard him whisper encouragingly to him.

“Go on. Just like we practiced.”

He cleared his throat, and gazed up at the clock face…He took a deep breath and reached into his cloak again, calling the dream-blossom forth for comfort and peace of mind, gazing upon its petals before facing the Star once more.

“Star model DWARF…I…I, Taranza wish for my wife Sectonia to be revived from the dead exactly as she was before encountering the dark mirror!” He stated as clearly as he could, Magolor mouthing the words with him as he spoke, crossing his fingers and closing his eyes despite himself.

Gears could be heard whirring within the star, and its eyes turned round and round in its sockets before gazing squarely at Taranza once more.

“Your wish is to revive the soul and life force of the departed Floralian Queen Sectonia. Her soul and being as they were before the transformation brought upon her by the dark mirror. Is that correct?” DWARF asked for confirmation, its eyes cool and focused, unblinking.

“Y-yes. Precisely.” Taranza nodded in agreement. He couldn’t wait. He was shaking with anxiety and anticipation. ‘Oh my queen. How I’ve missed you. Oh to hold you again…to feel your embrace…to see your beautiful eyes gazing into mine…to be at your beck and call…to feel my purpose return…my Queen, my Sectonia…my dearest friend…my flower…my EVERYTHING. It’s here, right here…finally…’ Taranza’s head was spinning so much, he felt his cheeks warm with blush and his heart pounding in his chest like a ceremonial drum. He could already see her sweet face, already feel her six hands that fit so perfectly in his, already hear her loving voice urging him on, calling his name to ask something, anything of him. Already…already…

The sounds of gears shifting hard stopped his daydreams short.

“To bring someone back from the dead is one of the largest of requests. It is possible but an energy force will need to be exchanged.” The Star spoke, and the cold eyes of its face glowed a moment and turned abruptly to face Magolor. “He will be sufficient.” It said coolly, and a ball of gold light surrounded Magolor, freezing him in place.

“H-hey!” Magolor tried to call out, but no sound came from him. He couldn’t move. He was stuck in place, totally helpless. ‘Oh no…a power source I…I’m an IDIOT! AGH! I should have known! I should have known! This isn’t just some party favor he’s asking for! It takes a soul to get a soul! I’m so stupid! You wanted power Magolor…well now you’re about to power this blasted Star!’ His gold eyes were wide with fear. He was completely at Taranza’s mercy. ‘There’s no way…He’ll give me up…I know he will…I saw how much he misses her…he loves her…In his position I would do the same…Heck I would do the same just for riches! I can’t even blame him. Damn!’

All of Taranza’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he stared up at the clock face. ‘It…It’s going to take Magolor to…But…’ He shook his head and focused hard.

“W-wait!” Taranza exclaimed frantically.

“Y-you need him as a power source to fulfill my wish? I…That would kill him!” Taranza said, waving all six of his little hands frantically.

“To revive the dead, a living thing must be exchanged as a source of energy within my core. I would need a strong source to use as a battery, as Queen Sectonia of Floralia was a powerful being. The mage has immense powers and knowledge. His life force would be sufficient to revive the Queen.” The star explained, awaiting Taranza’s response.

Taranza looked at Magolor, stunned speechless as he saw Magolor’s panicked, golden eyes staring back at him from his bubble. He was completely trapped, completely helpless. Everything was up to Taranza. Everything was his choice now.

“I…revoke my wish…I wish for Magolor’s release instead……He is my friend…I cannot lose him……” Taranza spoke, and his voice trembled and quaked as he did, all six of his hands shaking as he held his dream-blossom close. “I would not be here but for him…I…cannot exchange his life for my Queen’s…” his voice cracked, and he looked down. He could feel his heart breaking all over again, but Magolor…he’d consoled him. He’d shown him genuine kindness on this journey. He could not offer up his life to some Star. It was not his life to give.

“Friend……?” Magolor spoke again, but still no sound came out. He suddenly felt his limbs loosen up and the bubble around him disappeared as the gears within the clockwork star turned, its eyes slowly closing once more…

“Request fulfilled. Star model DWARF Entering SLEEP.” It spoke, and the whirring of mechanical sounds slowly died down.

Taranza burst into tears as he watched the Star’s eyes close, all hope of seeing his Queen again fading with the light from those eyes. “What’s done…is done…” he muttered quietly, sniffing gently at his dream blossom before tucking it back into his cloak, returning with Magolor to the Starcutter.

Magolor boarded with him in silence and entered the coordinates for Popstar into the Lor to begin their journey home. He wanted to give him a moment to self-sooth. He doubted he wanted to hear his voice at the moment. After a time, he finally spoke up.

“I……I’m sorry…I got your hopes all up and I…I didn’t think it worked like that…” Magolor could feel himself tearing up a little too. He shook his head. “Taranza…I…I did have…less than stellar motives for wanting to help at first but…but after talking to you I…I genuinely wanted to help. I mean that. Honest! From the bottom of my black hole of a heart…” Magolor said, speaking softly to him.

Taranza shook his head sadly. He felt beside himself with grief, but he was happy that at least Magolor wasn’t dead now too. He couldn’t have gone through with such a thing. Not ever…

“Y-you still took me out here…to the middle of space…I…What do you want as a reward…?”

He wiped his eyes sadly, he felt so defeated as he looked at Magolor.

Magolor thought hard for a moment. He could still make his request. He could still get his reward…power…magic…knowledge. It all could be his. He shook his head.

“Well I…You said I…uhm…back there, to that Star, you said I’m your friend??? I…don’t really, particularly have many friends…maybe…my reward…can be your friendship. If you uhm…really wanna be friends with a con artist like me…” Magolor said, scratching the back of his head nervously.

‘Curses! That pink puffball and his little Dream Team, found-family crap is rubbing off on me! But…Taranza will be a valuable friend…he knows a lot about magic. And…he said we’re friends…’

Taranza looked at him a moment in stunned silence, and he floated over to him and hugged him tight. “Mhm…You are my friend, it’s true…I’ll be your friend for sure. You’ve…helped me a lot today, even if things didn’t work out…”. He smiled weakly, happy with Magolor’s requested reward.

Magolor smiled a little in surprise before gently shoving Taranza away. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. All that mushy stuff. I don’t do hugs alright.” He laughed a little and looked at Taranza. “Anyway. Thanks for, ya know, not sacrificing my life energy to a cold, wish-granting, computer thing to resurrect your dead-wife and all that…I uhm…really appreciate it. I’m really grateful…” Magolor said, and looked back at his monitors, watching the Lor chart their course.

Taranza laughed softly, wiping his eyes again as he sat back down in one of the passenger chairs, sinking back comfortably in his seat. He felt so exhausted.

“Yeah…Anytime…” he said, sighing deeply, a mix of emotions running through his brain. ‘Maybe life is for the living now…and I should start paying attention to the people I have with me still…instead of grasping constantly for what is lost and gone…’. He thought to himself, and he closed his eyes to rest. ‘What a terrible, wonderful day…’

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