The village the trio found themselves looking over was entirely blue. The buildings were blue. People's clothes were blue. The fences were blue. The flowers were blue. Even a cow, barely visible in the distance, had been painted blue. "I'm surprised the grass isn't blue," Ness murmured wonderingly as the group moved slowly into the town.
The people there wandered around with odd smiles on their faces, greeting each other with chants of "Blue, Blue," as they celebrated their blueness, or whatever it was they were doing. The smiles they sent in the group's direction were...disturbing. "I think we should spend as little time here as possible-" Buzz Buzz began.
"Blue!" one of the townspeople - dressed from head to toe in blue and wielding a paintbrush - charged the group, hostility and madness pouring off of him in waves.
Ness let out a shocked scream and swung his bat, catching the man in the back of the head and sending him sprawling. He then slowly got to his feet and wandered off, seemingly unhurt due to the nature of Ness' PSI Bat, but muttering "Blue, Blue" all the same.
"The grip on their minds is strong," Moondancer mumbled nervously.
"That's not all we should worry about," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "Look at the other people."
Ness glanced around, seeing everyone going about their business. "Looks the same..."
"Exactly," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "One of their own charged a stranger, was struck hard enough in the back of the head to kill if the bat hadn't been designed not to...and none of them so much as blinked. Even the ones staring right at the confrontation had no reaction."
Ness and Moondancer both shivered violently. "Okay," Ness muttered quietly. "Let's not ask questions about where Paula might be."
"Agreed," Moondancer confirmed. "Let's just look around and see what we can find. We came in through a cave in the northwest, and it looks like the entire settlement is walled in by cliffs, so caves would be the only way out."
The trio explored the settlement carefully, doing their best to avoid people without being obvious that they were trying to avoid people. They found only a few buildings they could easily access - one in the southwest labeled a bed and breakfast, one in the center of town obviously some sort of town hall/church, and one in the northeast that was a drugstore with a few other things to sell - and two other caves, one to the north and one to the east. They hadn't gone into any of the buildings or tried to buy anything.
"Anyone overhear anything useful?" Ness asked hopefully as they moved to an empty part of town.
"I buzzed a few people," Buzz Buzz spoke up. "Heard them talking about someone called 'Mr. Carpainter'. If I heard right, he's the 'spiritual leader' of this settlement."
"According to signs, this 'settlement' is called 'Happy Happy Village'," Moondancer pointed out. "Not very useful info, but at least we know what to call the place."
"At least the only thing we had to go on isn't everyone saying 'Welcome to Our Town'," Ness pointed out. "So where do we go?"
"I'd suggest the caves," Moondancer pointed out. "If Paula were within the settlement, I would have felt her by now...unless she's already been sacrificed."
"Let's assume she hasn't," Buzz Buzz spoke up before Ness could sink too far into depression. "North or East?"
"I feel power from the East," Ness pointed out. "Feels like Giant Step, so that's probably the Sanctuary."
"North, then?" Moondancer suggested. "If the Sanctuary's anything like Giant Step, it'd be protected by monsters, not cultists."
Nodding, Ness led the way towards the north cave...only to pause as he got a look into a storage shed. "...huh," he mused idly.
"What?" Moondancer asked curiously.
"It's just...it's full of lawn gnomes," Ness pointed out. "That feels...significant."
"A cult store house full of lawn gnomes feels significant?" Buzz Buzz asked curiously. "...why?"
"Not sure," Ness admitted. "Let's go check the cave to the north."
The north cave was surprisingly empty of creatures of any sort, and led out to a large house not painted blue in a secluded portion of Peaceful Rest Valley. "Wasn't Paula taken to a hideout in Peaceful Rest Valley?" Ness asked hopefully. "I remember hearing someone say that..."
"I can feel her," Moondancer said firmly. "She's here."
The trio quickly rushed around to enter the house through the front door, scaring off some Spiteful Crows along the way. The interior was surprisingly spartan, with only a single table, a single chair, and a large metal cell wall and locked door cutting off the entire back half of the building. Behind the metal bars was a teddy bear...and a blonde girl about Ness' age in a pretty pink dress, red ribbons holding her hair in twin bobs. She looked up at the group with a smile. "Ness, Moondancer, Buzz Buzz...I knew you'd come," she spoke softly as she moved up to the bars.
"Paula..." Ness breathed softly as he moved to her side. "I'll get you out of here, don't worry." He tugged on the bars.
"It's locked," Paula pointed out softly. "Mr. Carpainter has the key-"
"These bars don't block PSI," Moondancer pointed out as she examined the cage.
"All I know is PSI Freeze and Fire Alpha," Paula admitted. "And the second I only know because Lucky of the Runaway Five has been giving me special PSI training for the week or so before I got kidnapped. Not sure how a singer in a band knows so much about PSI, but I knew I could trust him." She gestured around. "Still, blasts of ice or fire didn't seem a good idea on metal bars or in a wooden house."
"Fair enough," Moondancer allowed as she stuck her horn through the bars and fired off a PSI Beam Delta, punching a hole in the back wall big enough for Paula to climb through. "I can't really use PSI Beam in combat since it's a bit too fast paced and that one takes more focus than I can handle quickly, but it works great for making shortcuts."
Paula stared at the hole. "...well, that certainly works," she offered happily. "I'll meet you around front!" Grabbing the teddy bear, she pulled a frying pan out from under her skirt.
"...where were you hiding that?" Buzz Buzz asked in shock.
Paula giggled impishly. "A girl's gotta have her secrets!" she offered teasingly.
"Oh!" Moondancer called out. Reaching into her item-space, she pulled out the shield-spoon she'd gotten at the same time as the PSI Bat. "This looks like you might be able to use it."
"Ooh!" Paula breathed as she took the weapon. "It's a Magic Fry Pan! This'll be great!"
"And wear this!" Moondancer added, floating over a Star Pendant and Goddess Ribbon. "It'll protect you."
"Meet you out front!" Ness said happily as Paula donned the Pendant and tied the Ribbon in her hair as the group moved to leave the house.
Outside, Pokey was waiting for them, grinning ear to ear as he was flanked by two of the cultists dressed all in blue and a Spiteful Crow. "Hey Ness!" he declared smugly. "You're just here to bother me, aren't you? Well, you can call me Master Pokey, since Mr. Carpainter made me an important person in Happy-Happyism-"
"PK Fire!" Paula shouted out as a stream of fire shot over the two cultists, igniting their clothes and sending them running around like crazy as they struggled to put themselves out. Rushing forward, Paula knocked the crow aside with the Magic Fry Pan.
Pokey stared. "What? But...you haven't fought Carpainter...key..." His eyes caught sight of Moondancer blowing smoke off her horn. "No fair!" he screamed out angrily as he began to bounce up and down. "Cheater cheater cheater!" With that, he dashed off.
Buzz Buzz looked at Paula. "...PK?" he asked in confusion.
Paula blushed prettily. "...PSI Kickass?" she offered in embarrassment.
Ness grinned. "I like the sound of that," he offered with a chuckle as Moondancer facehooved.
"Oh, here," Paula offered, holding out an oddly configured badge. "Mr. Carpainter uses lightning, so you'd better be wearing this when you fight him to free the village. It's called the Franklin Badge."
Smiling, Ness took the badge. "Thanks. It's...good to meet you, Paula." He glanced away, rubbing the back of his head.
Paula smiled happily, moving closer to Ness.
"So...how long until they start sneaking off to trade kisses you think?" Moondancer asked Buzz Buzz, making both youngsters leap apart with bright blushes on their faces.
"They're 13," Buzz Buzz replied. "I'd say the minute they're somewhere they don't have to worry about a monster attacking."
"Huh," Moondancer observed ruefully. "So it's my Father that's being the chaperone then. How ironic."
Why am i having flashbacks to the start of Season 5?
Ah, there it is.
More likely psychokinesis, but whatever.
I'd say Happy Happy Village is going to receive a grumpy old guest... That'll probably get every one of them killed in the process.
I think this village is on Santa's personal naughty list. They have a few too many Wee men.
8499420
It has been absolute ages since I played Earthbound, but checking the wiki, apparently "PK <thing>" was the original Japanese, at least in the first game, Earthbound/Mother 2 used "PSI <thing>". I'm not sure if the official translation of Mother 1 (released as Earthbound Beginnings) or the fan translation of Mother 3 used PK or PSI.
That said, in the first Super Smash Bros, Ness called out his psi attacks, and he said "PK Fire", PK Thunder", etc., which was not translated in the west. (Didn't need to be, it was just the English words transliterated - PK Faiya, PK Sandaa.)
Edit: Due to the Smash Bros voices, I think "PK <thing>" sounds better for a called attack.
Edit: Kinda curious now what PSI Rockin is going to be in this story.
Simple: Ness knows his meme history.
I'm not taking suker bets.
Ho Ho Ho, Santa's going to kick your asses if he finds out it was you guys and not him donating them to a charity.
... Old Man Henderson?
8499489 i immediately thouht of the offshoots of Psychokinesis; namely Cryokinesis (pk freeze), Pyrokinesis (pk fire), Electrokinesis (pk thunder), Telepathy (brainshock), and so forth.
ME WEE MEN!
8499428
Please let OMH appear... Please let OMH appear... Please let OMH appear...
This was a cute chapter. The references to both Gorillaz and Our Town were good.
I knew there'd be something between Ness and Paula. Speaking of, I thoroughly enjoy Paula's characterization.
You really don't want to be dealing with the horror of blue grass.
8499489
I pretty sure KAI is rocking unless we go full Emotion spectrum here then it's PK Willpower. Cue the DC comics references...
yeah, haha
Finally, someone let me out my cage
Now time for is nothing, cause I'm counting no age
Now I couldn't be there
Now you shouldn't be scared
I'm good at repairs!
and I'm under each snare
sorry these song lyric titles just be setting me off in to musical tangents
Ladies and gents don't wimp out
call up the lyrical side show
just bone a throw away
My Rhymes don't stick
why don't you give them a lick
sweet and sour I will show you my power
Those darned cultists took his wee men!
It's Gorillaz not a little old?
Right... so this is what I was talking about in the last chapter. Making references to things that either haven't been conceived yet, or stated by characters who wouldn't possibly know that reference regardless of the time of its conception. For example, Ness, a kid from 199X who's so sheltered that he doesn't even know what television is, would not know a song from a show created in 2010 (with the song itself premiering on April 4th, 2015), and wouldn't present it as an inside joke since the context of the joke hasn't even been conceived yet.
Is... Is this how Bobsheaux feels? Because I'm starting to feel his pain.
14 years old.
Plus, the actual answer to that question just got answered, so it's kind of pointless to ask unless you wanted to make a "where does her hammerspace come from" joke, which still doesn't make sense since he'd have been using a hammerspace since the last game an- ah, forget it, let's just move on.
...
Psionics.
Psychokinesis.
Moving on.
Because as everyone knows, 13-year-olds start making out in the bushes if they've known each other for less than 10 minutes.
Besides, how would he be an expert on human physiology? Is that how bee-like/rhinoceros-beetle-like aliens are at 13? Because there's normally a process for humans; they meet each other, go through a haunted mansion, cross a desert and listen to the flora and fauna, beat up gangbangers, defeat a sleeping dragon, go through a cave full of brains in jars, and then, when the sexual tension is at its highest, when they're all alone in a room where no one can see them... they slow-dance (the scandal!)... but just before they finish, a giant robot channels his inner Kool-Aid man and bursts through the wall before their friend comes in to save the day with a tank, only to end up hurting their other friend in the process.
Am I saying the love story of Mother 1 is more realistic than the theory proposed by Buzz Buzz here? Why yes, I do believe I am.
Also... 13 Years Old.
Anyways, see you next time.
Huh, wonder if Greyface has contacted Pokey, since it seemed like Pokey was confused when the script wasn't being followed...
8500062
Porky made noises along those lines as early as Deepsea showing up.
MUCKLE DAMRED CULT! 'AIR EH NAMBLIES BE KEEPIN' ME WEE MEN!?!?
haha of course
I see you there!
Wonder who'll be useless for a bit?
Hahaha! She said it!
Giggle. I loved that story. I wish he hadn't burned the Backstory of Doom, though.
8500023
I disagree. That really only applies IF there aren't time-traveling ponies who have lived through that/read about it in the news and likely subconsciously remember it. Even if it weren't a crossover with that very world, once you bring in the multiverse (or however you explain crossovers), that sort of little thing goes unnoticed under suspension of disbelief having much larger fish to fry all of a sudden (and the same logic that makes that even possible also explains extratemporal knowledge too).
Besides, the reference is likely not for Ness' benefit, but a wry comment to herself . Goodness knows I make those, at least.
8794432
Pretty sure his issue is that it was Ness who said it.
WARE YEH MUCKLE DAMRED CULTIST BE KEEPIN' ME WEE MEN?!
Dear god he has pinkie lvl 4th wall breaking capabilities and even scarier is at least pinkie know she does HE IS DOIN IT ON ACCIDENT AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
<derp>