New Town
Moondancer was forced to run after Ness once he was changed out of his pajamas, Buzz Buzz flying along as fast as he could to keep up as well. Thankfully, four legs meant easier and faster running than two, so once she caught up she was able to keep pace. "Slow down, Ness!" she told him worriedly. "We aren't in that much of a hurry-"
"Paula's in danger!" Ness insisted. "We need to help her!"
"And running in blindly isn't going to help-Mushroom!" she declared, her scold shifting to a warning shout as she caught sight of the man-sized mushroom charging Ness.
"Wha-" Ness's confused demand was cut off as the mushroom slammed cap first into him like a battering ram, knocking him into Moondancer and sending them both tumbling as a second mushroom ran up, shaking its cap to scatter spores. Luckily, the spores didn't land close enough to Ness or Moondancer to have an effect.
"Get up, Ness!" Moondancer called out urgently as she struggled to get out from under him. "I don't know what exactly those spores will do, but in my experience animate plant life spreading spores is never a good sign!"
Ness quickly got to his feet, swinging his bat at the first mushroom and leaving it immobile. Before Moondancer could get to her hooves and attack, the second mushroom scattered spores again...and a tiny mushroom grew out of the top of her head. "Well this is tujs pumpernickly!" she declared irritably.
"Uh...what?" Ness asked in confusion.
"Careful, Ness!" Buzz Buzz called out worriedly. "The mushroom is scrambling her mind! She might attack the wrong target without meaning to, and she'll have trouble walking or talking!"
"Well that's not good!" Ness declared worriedly as he managed to smash the other mushroom, leaving it immobile as well. "What can we do about it? Should I pull it off?"
"Sotor bairn in shelf!" Moondancer declared warningly. "Tug tug, zut zut!"
"She's right...I think," Buzz Buzz attempted to translate. "We need to find a medical professional, preferably someone who is familiar with uncommon ailments. A healer, rather than a doctor."
"Then we'd better get to the Twoson hospital," Ness decided. "There wasn't a healer in the Onett hospital last I checked."
"Farboaten!" Moondancer declared firmly before turning to wander off in the wrong direction, turning randomly as she tried to correct.
"This is faster," Ness stated firmly as he picked Moondancer up and set her in his backpack with her head and forelegs sticking out. "Just hold on tight."
"Heyo, Hiroshima!" Moondancer declared.
"...hospital fast!" Ness insisted, charging ahead as fast as he could run, munching a Skip Sandwich he'd found in the caves to Giant Step for the extra boost.
Where Oneet's grass and tress were the vibrant greens of summer, Twoson was a dimmer green mixed with the reds and oranges of autumn. Ness was able to catch sight of the hospital as soon as they entered the town, as it was situated in the northeast corner of town, and the path led into town in the northwest. The inside of the hospital was the same as hospitals everywhere, with pristine white walls and floors. In the corner of the lobby, a blue-haired man sat with a smile.
"I'm picking up PSI energy from him," Buzz Buzz told Ness. "I think he's the healer."
Ness rushed up to the man. "Are you a healer?" he asked eagerly.
The man blinked in surprise. "I am," he allowed in a soft voice. "If you have an illness the hospital can't treat, I can help you."
"The yerg ont si cafe yet!" Moondancer declared excitedly.
The healer blinked. "Say, would you sell me the mushroom on your unicorn's head?" he asked hopefully. "I'll pay you $50 for it. Such things are quite valuable potion ingredients."
"If you can remove it safely, sure," Ness agreed readily.
Smiling, the healer reached up and took hold of the mushroom. He mumbled softly under his breath, and a few moments later it released its hold on Moondancer's head. "There we go!" he said happily as he tucked it away and handed Ness $50.
"That's a relief," Moondancer murmured as she mentally reviewed herself for any permanent damage, grateful to find none.
"Do you need any other assistance?" the healer asked curiously.
Ness suddenly realized he was talking to a complete stranger. Without Moondancer in desperate need of help, all he was able to do was shake his head.
"Unless you have anything for social anxiety," Moondancer joked playfully.
"Hey!" Ness snapped, feigning sounding hurt.
"I'm a healer, not a psychologist," the healer joked back as the trio went on their way.
Once outside the hospital, Ness pulled out his Town Map, folding it to Twoson. "Okay...where to first?" he asked curiously.
"The way I see it, there are two options," Moondancer observed idly. "First, we can go to the Twoson Department Store and see about getting you some better defensive accessories, as well as stocking up on useful items. Second, we can go to Polestar Preschool to see if we can learn anything about Paula's present situation. That's where she lives, after all."
Ness hesitated. "I..." he began worriedly. "I want to rush straight to Polestar Preschool and see what we can do to help Paula, but..."
"But?" Buzz Buzz asked curiously.
"Deepsea..." Ness murmured thoughtfully. "Are we sure he's the only one who knows what path I'm going to take? What if there's a trap waiting for us there? Rushing in blindly got Moondancer mushroomized, and that was just an ordinary monster. What if there's something waiting there for us?" He stared down at the map. "At the same time...can we really afford to delay to get the better equipment?"
Moondancer and Buzz Buzz were silent for a time. Eventually, Buzz Buzz spoke up. "If time is a factor, we'll spend more time worrying if we're making the right choice than making a choice, whichever choice we make," he explained softly. "Whereas if there's a trap, we'll lose more springing it unprepared than waiting until we're prepared. In a strict cost/benefit analysis, it makes more sense to prepare. However, the decision is yours."
Ness nodded thoughtfully. "...let's go check out the Department store," Ness decided finally. "If Paula's need were that urgent, she'd have sent us a message while we were awake...I hope."
Moondancer said nothing, knowing this was part of leadership that Ness would have to shoulder on his own.
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I had forgotten about the mushrooms. The Last Of Us, and the zombie ants that inspired it, have ruined that status ailment for me.
Well, now they know that those mushrooms make you mush-mouthed mush-directed.
Mushroom, the most anoying status ailment in the game...*shuder*
(Well this is just dandy!}
{The roots reach the brain through the flesh. Tugging on them is a no-no.}
{Something must be done about this uproarious injustice!}
{Hi-ho, Silver!}
{The Greyface is not here yet!(?)}
Part onomotapeia, part anagram, part word association. Neat.
If it's feigned, wouldn't it be something more like "playfully chided" or some such?
Could be worse; at least you're not given a placebo that cures a Munchhausen-Syndrome-fueled ailment that just so happens to line up with the thematic implications of the antagonist... huh, now I know how Ninten REALLY defeated Giegue.
{Ninten: This is battery acid, you slime! *uses Asthma Spray on Giegue*
Giegue: *Goes into hibernation for a period of time to screw with a new generation of people*}
... I must have It on the brain, because I think I just made an eerily accurate comparison between It and Giygas. What's next, did the Dark Dragon vomit up the universe after a bad stomachache?
Anyways, see ya.
8449966 I know...At least Tatsu made the ailment more funny in literary form.
8449993
"The Face is not Grey yet", actually.
8450605 Darn it, almost had it!!!... Although, it could be interpreted that there could be a differing state of mind between Greyface and his initial incarnation, similar to Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader, or Claus and The Masked Man. Thus, "The Greyface is not here yet" in terms of the vanilla version's story arc and moral alignment.