Ribbon's POV:

Oh, hi, it's you guys again. What? You want a status update on the Fairy side of current events? Well... Let's see...

Ever since Taffy and I got back to Ripple Star yesterday, things have felt really... well, worried and strange. The Guardian Fairies still haven't gotten back from their diplomacy trip to Planet Pipi, which would be completely fine and according to plan, if it weren't for the fact that no one on the Fairy Planet can get in contact with them no matter how hard they try. Not only is that concerning, but with everything going on here, it's really not very good, either.

What all's going on here, you ask? Well, nothing that we didn't already know about... The Queen Fairy's still really sick, or so we've been told. No one'll let us talk to her, and without a talk with her, there's no way we can get the Fairies to agree to be the puffball team's allies.

Right now, I'm nervously flitting around the castle, attending to my normal Decorating Fairy duties and trying to keep everything looking cheerful for when the Queen gets better. Taffeta, on the other hand, is anxiously following me around, mostly being in the way, although that part of it's not on purpose.

"You do think the Queen'll be all right, don't you, Ribbon?" she asks for the millionth time, reaching up and fixing the bun in her hair for the billionth time even though it doesn't really need it.

Biting my lip, I force myself to put on a smile, turn, and nod at her confidently for the trillionth time. "Of course, Taffy. She'll be fine. She just needs a few days to get well." That's what I keep telling her, anyway, but I can't help but worry, myself. In a sense, the Queen Fairy is sorta like Ripple Star's Fountain of Dreams. Since the Fountain didn't make it, even though everyone's always thought it'd always be there, who's to say if the Queen'll be able to make it?...

Not noticing the deep frown on my face as I drift over to a polka-dot bow on the wall and straighten it, my little sister lands and sits down against the wall, shaking her head slowly. "I really hope you're right... I've just got this terrible feeling, like something absolutely awful is about to happen, Ribby. Oh, if only the Dreamland heroes had actually done something instead of just sitting around..."

With a huff of exasperation, I put my hands on my sides and flit over to right in front of her before sternly scolding, "For the quadrillionth time, it's not their fault all of this happened! For ripple's sake, things would probably be a quintillion times worse if they hadn't been able to stop the Darks, whatever ended up happening to both of them."

Rolling her eyes, she half-glares up at me and mutters, "Look who's decided to actually act like the big sister for once."

Even though that really hurt, I don't show it at all other than to clench my fists and fly away from her again. "Well, someone's gotta be, and since you're busy placing blame and worrying over things we can't help, I guess it's gotta be me this time around."

Ignoring me, Taffy goes right back to wringing her hands and looking around herself with a woebegone expression on her face. "I wish Nova was still around... If it was, we could go make a wish on it for the Queen to get better. Too bad somebody- who just so happens to be one of the Dreamland zeroes- happened to go and blow it up on some dumb narcissistic quest a few years ago!"

Refusing to even look at her, I remind her in a mutter, "At least he put it back together before he blew it up again, so it wasn't like he wasn't undoing something he himself did. Or so the story that went around about the whole thing goes."

"And who blew it up the first time? Oh my gosh, how about that- one of the Dreamland zeroes!"

"Yes, but it wasn't really Kirby's fault- I mean, I don't think it was- oh, I don't even know," I groan and shake my head wearily as I land on the floor, lie down on my back on the carpet, and close my eyes in exhaustion.

A few minutes go past in quiet before Taffeta mutters in concern, "Ribby, are you gonna be okay, there?"

Slowly nodding, I manage a tiny smile and weakly joke, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm just temporarily stress-paralyzed."

She giggles a little bit over against the wall for a second, but it suddenly cuts off. "Something's wrong. I gotta go."

Quick as a wink, I'm up off the floor and zooming after her through the castle halls. "What do you mean something's wrong? Nothing happened! Everything's just as tense and quiet as it has been ever since we got back home!"

Without slowing down, she tells me firmly, "I just know. I'm a Guardian Fairy; it's my job to know."

"Well, you were going to be, but then you signed up for the Decorating Squad because I asked you to," I remind her, feeling slightly guilty, but at the same time, kinda glad I did. "If I hadn't and you had become a Guardian Fairy, you'd be on Planet Pipi right now, and then we wouldn't have anybody here on the surface who knows protective spells."

Not acknowledging me, Taffy keeps flying until she reaches the Queen Fairy's quarters. The Queen is so sick, we've been told, that she hasn't even been going to the throne room the past few days since we left, and the worst part is that no one knows what's wrong with her. All the history books say that her Mother Fairy was always sick for no reason, so she might have inherited that from her, but why would it only kick in now? There's gotta be some real reason behind it, other than just stress and the mess in Dreamland with the Fountain and the Mirror that she warned us about...

Firm, Taffy marches over to the two Guard Fairies (not the same thing as Guardian Fairies) who are guarding the ornate wooden door with embossed, golden flower patterns all over it. "Let me in," she orders them, arms crossed, but they act like they don't even notice her. "I need to see the Queen, and I'm not kidding, ma'am and ma'am. Let me in, or I'll let myself in." Still, the Fairies don't respond.

"Taffy..." I start cautiously as I put one hand on her shoulder, and then slowly wave my other hand right in front of one of the Guard Fairies' face. She doesn't react at all, other than to offer a single blink a second later in perfect synchronization with her fellow door guard. "What's wrong with them? Are they... robots or something?"

Frowning, Taffeta reaches out and shoves one on the arm, which makes her fall over like a rock. Her eyes dart up to look at Taffeta, showing that she's actually alive, but-

"Frozen?" Taffeta mutters in confusion, and quickly casts a spell on both of them to reverse whatever's going on. The second they can move again, they both give an unconscious gasp and start talking over each other.

"Thank goodness you showed up. The Queen, she's-"

"There was a Star Warrior who kept demanding to see her, but we wouldn't let him in, and he-"

"She's doing even worse than before, so we didn't want anybody bothering her until one of the Nursing Fairies could think of something to do for her-"

"He froze us and busted right in, and then a giant spider just up and took the Queen, and skittered off just a minute ago!"

"What?!" me and Taffy gasp, and the second both Guard Fairies give a flustered point in one direction, we both take off zooming after the guy. Thankfully, the Fairies we pass along the way are smart enough to just point the way we need to go, rather than slowing us down with needless chatter.

"It's gotta be the Dark Solar guy who broke the Fountain," I gasp as I fly after my Sister Fairy.

Huffing and panting as she pushes her wings much faster than she's usually accustomed to, Taffeta half-agrees, "It's gotta be somebody, that's for sure. Whoever it is, I'm gonna be giving them a piece or twelve of my mind whenever I find them."

We zip through the castle all the way to the throne room, but then we lose the object of our frenzied flight. "Well, they gotta be around here somewhere," I huff and puff optimistically as I land and lean against the throne room door, only to have it fall open since it was already slightly ajar. "Ow! What the...?!"

Rather than questioning the fact that the throne room is open for the first time since we've been back, Taffeta zooms in the door into the throne room. "We know you're in here, spider, whoever you are, unless you magicked yourself away or something... Give us back our queen, or else!"

Before I can pick myself up and follow after her yet again, someone gives a dark, raspy laugh and pushes the door shut again. "Taffeta! No!" I yelp and try to open it, but quickly hear a grinding noise as the monster on the other side pushes something heavy against the door. Growling, I soar over to the secret passage I know about, the one I used to get in there the other day and listen to Taffeta and the Queen Fairy talk about the problems in Dreamland. Thankfully, it's still open and able to be used, but once inside, I can't see or hear anyone or anything. It's pitch black, and it sounds like everyone is gone.

If that bug teleported away with my little sister, then he's gonna be in great, big, rippling trouble. Producing a simple light spell- easy enough for even a Caveman Fairy to use, if there were such things- I shine it around, hoping to find who I'm looking for.

Instead of seeing anybody, I suddenly have the pocket of my dress start wiggling at my side, as if something inside wants to get out. "What the...?" I mutter as my surprise makes the spell I was using dissipate. "But all I've got in there is a handful of cherry blossoms Kirby gave me in Dreamland, before things got really bad..."

Out of the top of the pocket, the now faintly-glowing cherry blossoms come flying out, but the way they falteringly float along through the air, their petals faded and wilted (even though I thought Meta Knight said something at some point about that tree's blossoms never doing that), makes them look almost sick.

Well, I know the tree they came from would be sick. I never got inside the Garden to see, but I heard the others say that the Fountain was dead and that the Dark Matter was choking everything else. But how would these flowers be able to move on their own, sick or well? We're light-years away from that tree right now.

Weakly, the petals swirl around, until suddenly, over where they flit, a little being even shorter than I am appears, a being with light-brown skin, skinny, twig-like arms and legs, dim green eyes, a pink short-sleeved work dress, and a head full of wilted, faded cherry blossoms.

Whatever she is, as she continues to very faintly glow, she looks around herself in fear and tiredness until she notices me. A tiny look of relief crosses her face as she runs over to me, tripping several times on the way like a deer with a hurt leg, and throws her twiggy arms around me.

"Mama," she sighs happily, burying her face in my side. But the weird thing is, she doesn't say it in the common language, or even in Fairy, but in a weird, windy language that I've never heard before. And yet, I can understand it. "Mama, Noki is very sick. Please help, Mama!"

Shaking my head, I step back out of her hug, and instantly feel awful for doing so when she gives me a hurt look. "I-I'm not your mama, little one... Who are you? Where did you come from?"

"Noki's not supposed to leave the tree... Noki has to stay close to the tree, or she'll disappear and the tree will die... But Noki had to stay with you and help you, Mama, so Noki went with the blossoms. As long as the blossoms are close, Noki will be okay." As if it's an afterthought, the slightly see-through being suddenly dashes over and scoops up the blossoms that made her appear before shoving them in my hands. "Mama will take care of the pretty flowers. Mama will take care of Noki." Giving me a trusting smile, she throws her arms around me again.

"I thought I sensed her, and now it turns out that I was right, per the norm," the raspy voice that I heard laugh earlier suddenly mutters. "Would ye look at that, now I have two valuable treasures of two planets right where I want them. This must be my lucky day... but then again, I've been having an extraordinary number of lucky days lately." The creature punctuates this with another creepy chuckle, wherever it's at.

Shuddering, Noki grabs my arm and pulls it around her shoulders. "Bad monster. He hurt the Fountain. The Fountain is Noki's friend. Please don't let him hurt Noki, Mama!"

Confused and scared, I stutter, "W-why do you think I'm your Mama? What are you?"

While Noki is too frightened to answer, the raspy voice explains for her instead. "Why, don't be stupid, little Fairy darling. She's a Sakuranoki Spirit, and the very last one, too, to be exact."

"No. There will be more sakuranoki stars someday. Noki will be a mama tree; my Mama said so," Noki shivers and pulls tighter to me, daring a glance up at something I can't see. "You can't hurt Noki. Mama won't let you."

Chuckling darkly, the voice continues as I can hear the spider skitter slowly around the balcony that runs around the high ceiling of the throne room, "Shouldn't ye be all grown up by now? Or are ye little and weak again, just like ye were when my predecessor met thee for the first time? If thy 'Mama' had been smart, she would have traded ye for that sword she wanted my predecessor to make, not that book... But while my original thought it was useless because there was only one prophecy about him in it, he didn't know that there was also some... information, shall we say, in it that was about me. With the help of the Dark Bibliochimera to work the spell that gave me these powers, and that prophecy book's helpfully telling me- entirely unintentionally, of course- that the Fountain was the perfect place to prepare the potion, everything was just too easy. And, of course, since I didn't want the heroes to get their hands on the one book that could offer them help of any fashion, I added it into the mix once I was done with it, and it just dissolved in the deliciously wicked sludge.

"But where was I?... Ah, yes, I remember now. Like it or not, this isn't thy mother, twig, which ye would know if ye weren't so ill. She's thy sister, if ye wish to think of it that way, and she has no idea who ye are or how to help ye."

Shaking her head at my side slowly, Noki backs away from me, fists clenched and shuddering all over. In her breezy language, she disagrees in fright, "No. Mama said she'd always take care of Noki. Mama's right here." But even as she says that, you can tell that he's got her at least halfway convinced that I'm not who she thinks I am. Which I'm not, but I'm also not against her in any way like he's trying to paint it.

"What do you mean, she's my sister?" I demand in confusion as I reach a friendly hand out to Noki. Scared, she just backs away from me further. "She's not a Fairy, is she? And what do you mean, that she's a Sakuranoki Spirit?"

Weakly, Noki answers the latter question for the voice. "Noki lives in the tree. Noki is why the tree is alive and special. Noki takes care of the Fountain and Dreamland, but now Noki is sick. Noki saw Mama and knew she could help, so Noki moved to Mama's blossoms to stay with her." Breezy voice suddenly growing accusatory, she mutters, "But you aren't Mama."

"She isn't," the voice agrees with her smugly. Answering me, he adds, "I say she's thy sister because ye both call the same Fairy 'Mother;' her because she was adopted, and ye because she was thy Mother Fairy. Either way, that Fairy is dead and gone, and now all that's left are ye three."

Lost, I mutter, "Three?..." but then remember Taffeta. "Where is my sister? You give her back, whatever you've done with her, or I'll- I'll- I'll find some way to make you sorry, spider! Assuming you really are the spider we saw earlier!"

Once again, another dark laugh. "Funny, one of the last prophecies that was actually prophetic said that the twig was going to protect both of ye... And yet here she is, just about ready to keel over. And if she doesn't get back to Dreamland at some point in the near future, she will probably go ahead and do just that, my dear."

Looking over at Noki again, I offer her my hand once again. "Well, if you're my sister, then I'm going to take care of you, even if you are technically older than me, or so it sounds..."

Afraid and suspicious, she hesitantly takes my my hand, and then gives me a weak smile as something makes her decide that she can trust me. "You look like Noki's Mama. But Sister?"

Nodding once, I agree, "So it seems. My name's Ribbon. Taffeta's your sister too, and we'll find her soon."

"Rin, Tafta," she nods with a little whooshy giggle. "Sisters. Mama Cherry."

Even though I'm not sure what the 'Mama Cherry' part means, I give her a small grin anyway. "Right."

"How absolutely heartwarming, but that's really not what we came here to do," a voice different from the raspy one, but similar, declares. There's a noise like someone snapping their fingers, and then all the candles along the upper balcony flicker to life with a weird, dark purple flame that doesn't give off much light. That reveals a giant spiderweb woven all over the ceiling, with the Queen Fairy and Taffeta glued to it in one corner and an eight-eyed yellow Star Warrior sneering down at us from the center. "Care to join us, loves?"

Scowling, I squeeze Noki's hand reassuringly before grabbing her other hand so I can fly her up to him. But much to my surprise, she twists out of my grip and falteringly leaps her way through the air up to him. A second later, I gather my wits back and take off after her. (Seems like I'm flying after other people a lot today...)

Panicking, Taffeta, who has a piece of spiderweb over her mouth and one arm protectively around the deathly-pale Queen Fairy, shakes her head frantically at me, clearly telling me not to come up there.

Glaring at her as I begin to hover close by, while Noki lands delicately on a single rope-like strand of the web just next to me, being careful not to get stuck, I mutter under my breath, "Well, someone's gotta be the big sister." Noki just glances between the two of us in confusion, while Taffy blushes in shame.

"Good," the Star Warrior laughs as he practically struts over to us, and then cordially holds a glove out toward us in friendly conversation. "Now that we are all here assembled, we can get down to business. Here's the thing, Fairy loves: the Queen won't be alive much longer. One way or another, she's going to be in the sky tonight, even if I don't help her along in any fashion. Typically, she'd be succeeded by whatever heir is born from the flower she leaves behind, but I have a deal for whichever one of ye is interested. Ye agree to name me and my precious home planet thy closest allies and to help me conquer the Galaxy, and I'll pull the strings and twist some memories of the Ripple Star public around so ye can be the Queen. The other two... well, they'll just be disposed of, because I simply can't stand having people who know the truth wandering around in my perfectly-woven web of lies, quite frankly. Nothing personal, I assure thee. So... who wants to be the Queen?"

Me and Taffeta both glare at him in disgust and hatred, while Noki whimpers in fright and reaches up to grab my hand, not really understanding what's going on. Since I'm the only one who can speak, really, since Noki uses that weird wind language, I growl, "None of us are interested, Dark Solar, assuming that's who you are." Taffeta vehemently nods in agreement, eyes narrowed.

As the Star Warrior's saccharine, fanged smile grows more strained, he mutters fiercely, "Ye do realize that if ye do not cooperate, I will just dispose of all three of ye, correct?"

With a small yelp, Noki suddenly topples over into a sitting position, suddenly finding herself stuck to the web like the other two. It only takes me a second to see the Dark rope-like spell that tugged on her leg, and only one more second to see another spell just like it coming for me. Giving a cry of fright, I dart out of its way just in time, which makes the monster scowl up at me and throw the spell at me again. Thankfully, I'm able to avoid it a second time, and then pause just long enough to offer him my own 'deal.'

"Look, Mister, we can't talk if Taffy's bound and gagged like that. Give her a chance to voice her opinions too! Let 'em both go!"

Seeming to find this a good idea, Taffeta nods eagerly, making noises of agreement under the spiderweb patch that covers her mouth.

Rolling his eyes, the Star Warrior agrees, "Very well," and lazily waves one glove, which makes Taffeta's web-y shutter-upper disappear. A moment later, both of my sisters are unstuck from the web.

As soon as she's laid the Queen Fairy down gently beside her, Taffy zooms out of the web to join me, and Noki leaps gracefully up just behind her. Grabbing my arm, the purple-haired Fairy grins at Dark Solar and assures him, "Just give us a moment to talk. Come on, Noki!" Turning to me, she breathes quickly and almost silently, "I've got a plan. I just need you to distract him long enough for me to get away and cast a spell. Get it? Got it? Good." Before she can flit away, she pauses just long enough to tell me, "Next time you see the Dreamland heroes, tell them I said I'm sorry. This guy just told me all about everything he did, and you heard some of it, and, well... There really was nothing they could do. They really did do everything they possibly could have. So next time you see them, tell them they had an ally in Taffeta, even if not in the rest of the Fairies."

As she goes to fly away, I grab her arm and demand, "What do you mean, 'had an ally?' Don't you mean 'have an ally?' And why can't you tell them yourself?" When her face just grows firm and she starts to try and tug away from me, I question anxiously, "Just what spell are you planning on casting, Taffeta?"

With a weak smile as she gracefully twists out of my arm, Taffeta tries to reassure me, "I'm a Guardian Fairy, Ribbon; I know what I'm doing. Just leave the heroics to me, okay?" With that, she zips off to the other side of the room and turns her back to us as she begins crafting some spell.

"What is she doing?" the monster asks suspiciously from where he impatiently paces back and forth along one strand of his web while eyeing me angrily with four of his eight eyes. The other four, including the two big ones, stay focused just front of him, which is a pretty creepy effect.

Trying to buy her some time, whatever she's up to, I shrug nonchalantly, "Oh, she's just trying to decide if she's willing to fight me for the throne, probably. Like I'd ever actually pass a chance like that up. She'd better bring her a-game."

Noki gives the most Valley-Girl-sounding sassy whoosh of agreement you ever heard and tosses her blossom 'hair' over her shoulder. It takes all my concentration to keep from snickering at her, even in the current situation. Really, I like this Sakuranoki Spirit.

"She'd better hurry. I don't have all day here," Dark Solar mutters grumpily and continues pacing. "Planets to conquer, heroes to destroy, places to go, people to see... Ye know how it is, my dear."

You wish, web-brain, I think to myself, and then chance another glance over at Taffeta, who seems to be struggling with the spell now, deeply concentrating. What spell could she be casting? I wonder, and then gasp as it hits me.

She must be using the Guardian Fairies' greatest spell, a spell that sends a being away from whatever planet the spell's cast on and makes it so that they can never return until someone invites them to. Centuries ago, that spell saved Popstar from Nightmare, which is the only time it's ever actually been used before. But that time, there were at least a dozen Guardian Fairies working together to cast it. It's a spell way too big for one Fairy to craft on her own.

Zipping over to my younger sister without a moment to lose, I huff at her, "Taffy, you're insane. You can't do this by yourself! It takes six Fairies at the very least for it to be safe, doesn't it?!"

Ignoring me, Taffeta continues muttering the spell to a little sphere of fiercely-glowing Fairy magic that rests in front of her in her cupped hands.

Grabbing her shoulder and giving her a little shake, I order sternly, "I'm not joking, Taffeta. Stop it before you hurt yourself or someone else."

She pauses in muttering the spell just long enough to ask me, "Have you got a better plan?" When I don't answer, she nods once, seeming tired. "Thought not. Somebody's gotta do something to protect Ripple Star. Might as well be me." Glancing up at me for a split second, she manages a tiny smile. "I love you, sis, even if your head is always up in the clouds."

"Come now, dears, what's keeping ye so long?" Dark Solar demands, not bothering to even try and hide his frustration anymore. Noki shrugs at him innocently and grins sugar-sweetly, but it's not enough to keep him from spreading a pair of tattered, yellow, fallen-angel's wings and flapping up towards us.

Giving me a desperate glance, Taffeta hisses, "Distract him. Now, Ribbon."

Gulping, I do as she says, deciding to use a feint technique. Zipping toward the toppled-over throne that's blocking the giant, oaken double doors of the throne room, I start to shove on it as if I'm trying to get out. Catching on, Noki joins me, and that's enough to move the Star Warrior's attention from Taffy to us.

Growling, he switches directions by plummeting towards us until he's close to the ground, and then uses his wings as a sort-of parachute at the very last moment before he crash-lands. "I figured ye were planning some sort of escape plan up there, but this really isn't all that impressive, I'm afraid, loves."

Pretending we can't hear him, we both keep shoving on the throne while he walks closer, me barely flinching even when I hear the shnnng sound of a sword slowly being drawn.

And then, a shout from above.

"Dark Solar, you are an enemy of this planet. As such, I, the lead Guardian Fairy of all Guardian Fairies present, banish you from this planet, until such time as you are invited back by one of the inhabitants!"

At first, the monster just frowns and turns to address my little sister, one glove raised in annoyed opposition, but then there's an explosion of bright light that I never would have believed one Fairy could produce on her own.

Well, I'd heard the spell was powerful before, but I guess I never realized just how powerful. When I next realize where I am and what's going on, me and Noki are both slumped against the throne (which is still blocking the door), Dark Solar is gone, and all is very, very quiet.

Next to me, Noki stirs and gives a weak, whooshy moan. Worried, I offer her a hand, only to have her half-open her eyes, stick her hand in my dress pocket where the cherry blossoms are, and then disappear back into them. Frowning, I pull one out and see that it's even more wilted than before, with dead brown around the very edges. Gulping, I get up and look around, surprised by the fact that it's light enough to see in here again, but it only takes me a second to see why.

Over in one corner of the web above, a bunch of Nursing Fairies are huddled around the Queen, who's still entirely unconscious and even more pale than before. They must've gotten in through the secret passage like I did.

One of them notices me and flits down in a hurry. "Oh, Ribbon, we were so worried... There was a huge explosion, so we came in here to see that the spider was gone, and that you were lying against the wall with a weird sprite sort of creature right next to you. Next thing we know, the Fairies who run inter-planetary communications paged us to let us know that someone named 'Lord Solar' had sent them a message swearing revenge for being so rudely turned away from our planet. Of course it only took us a moment to put two and two together, but still... Wow. We never would've imagined you could cast a spell like that all on your own. You're a hero, Ribbon- uh, again."

It takes me a minute to absorb everything she just said, but then I smile sheepishly and wave my hands around. "But it wasn't me, ma'am. It was Taffeta. She did it. I wouldn't know how to cast a spell like that."

Frowning, the Nursing Fairy gives me a firm stare. "Taffeta cast it? But where is she now?"

As my smile disappears, I question in terror, "You haven't seen her?"

When the Nursing Fairy shakes her head, I take off for where Taffy stood on the balcony, even though I feel awful all over and my wings hurt, like I got run down by a starship or something.

At first, I can't see anyone or anything among the rubble of the balcony, which somehow makes me feel hopeful and panicky all at the same time. Maybe she got out and went to find help, and her and the Nursing Fairies just missed each other on the way. I hope.

But then, out of a crack in the marble floor, I see a tiny little green sprout, with the bud of who-knows-what kind of flower on it, a small, purple glow all about it.

"No," I whisper as I land and my wings droop. "No, you can't just go like that, Taffy, not after you were almost a Non-Bloomer and everything. You can't just be gone that fast."

Of course the flower doesn't answer, but it doesn't need to. I'm a Fairy, and I know how the Fairy life-cycle works. The only reason there's a flower here is because Taffeta is gone.

Starting to cry, I sit down beside the tiny sprout and cup my hands around its bud oh-so-gently. "You're going to be beautiful, just like your Mother Fairy. Just like my sister. And I'll take good care of you, and tell you all about Taffy-" I start, but then have to stop because I'm crying too hard. The last thing I can get out is "I'll tell you all about your mother, Taffeta the Hero Fairy, an ally of the Heroes of Dreamland."

A minute later, down below, a chorus of gasps and 'oh-no's' goes up, and I don't have to look to know what it means. Two Fairies gone. Two new flowers born. Even though I know that in itself should make me feel hopeful, that and the fact that thanks to Taffy's sacrifice, Ripple Star'll be safe now, I can't help but dissolve into a sobbing mess.

Ripple Star'll be safe, yes... But it'll never be the same without the Queen Fairy Tonbo and my sister Taffeta.

Unable to keep from thinking one bitter thought, I mentally mutter as I lie down on the ground beside the new little flower and curl up into a ball, Good luck fixing this one, Kirby. Even you can't fix everything, for me or for anyone else.

As I lie there and cry my heart out, eyes scrunched shut, I begin to feel something like a warm hug from somewhere inside of me, although I'm not the source. No one says anything, but I don't feel so alone anymore, even though everything still hurts terribly.

Managing to open my eyes for just another minute, I look at the flower that will become my sister's Daughter Fairy and murmur in a hiccup-y way between sobs, "At least things can only go up from here."

At least, I hope that's true... But what do I know?