Mother X: Father

by Tatsurou

Don't Know When

Having experienced the melody of the Sanctuary, the group made their way back to Dr. Andonuts' lab. Despite once more feeling the odd energy from Stonehenge, Ness put it from his mind and focused on their goal. If the flow of events was destabilized due to what happened with the Mani Mani to the point the maddened creatures and Sanctuary Guardians were getting stronger, then there might be a chance to divert events before things got too far...so his focus was on trying to catch up with Pokey on the off chance he could help him to break free, if it wasn't too late.

Once they reached the lab, Dr. Andonuts looked up from the table, startled. "Oh, you're back already!" he gasped out in surprise. "I didn't think you would be that fast..."

Ness shrugged his shoulders easily. "Jeff figured out the weakness of the Sanctuary Guardian, so the fight went pretty quick."

"Is...is that so?" Dr. Andonuts observed thoughtfully. He turned to Jeff as he approached. "You've...grown a lot since I last saw you."

Jeff glanced down uncertainly, scuffing his shoe against the floor. "I...didn't exactly have much of a choice, all things considered."

The doctor sighed softly, a rueful grin on his face. "I know how that is..." he allowed, glancing towards an oddly placed keypad in a nearby wall. His eyes briefly went sad, but he quickly blinked away whatever thoughts had appeared in his mind. He then looked oddly at Jeff.

"D-dad?" Jeff asked uncertainly.

Dr. Andonuts seemed to come to a decision. "2-1-8-2-5," he said finally. "If things here ever look desperate and I'm not here...remember that. Perhaps...perhaps you can do what I could not..." He glanced away. "The Sky Runner is fixed up now. You can leave for Summers...anytime." He huffed thoughtfully into his mustache. "It...shouldn't break this time."

Jeff opened his mouth as if to ask something, only to hesitate as he saw the look in his father's eyes. "...alright," he allowed before turning back to the group, only then noticing that the entire discussion had been too quiet for them to hear. "We're ready to go," he said firmly.

Nodding, Ness let Jeff lead the way to the Sky Runner. Once everyone else was inside, Jeff exchanged one last glance and nod with his father before climbing aboard and starting up the machine.

"You sure you don't want to say anything else to your Dad?" Moondancer asked curiously. "We...might not see him again for a while."

Jeff sent a smile out the window as they rose into the air. "...I don't need to," he allowed thoughtfully.

---

After a seemingly brief cruise above the clouds, the Sky Runner once more dipped down below, coasting over a harbor filled with ships that did not seem to be in any hurry to go anywhere. Before long they passed over a stone pier, and then a beach filled with relaxed sun bathers and swimmers. Before anyone could get a good look, however, the Sky Runner began to shake violently. "Einstein's whiskers!" Jeff swore as his eyes raced over the controls. "We must have hit a bird going through the clouds! The telemetry from the antennae is off, and it's throwing off the engine's fuel balance! Assume crash positions everyone!"

"What are the crash positions, exactly?" Poo asked curiously as he braced himself. Ness had already thrown himself protectively over Paula, though what good he thought that would do in the event of a crash was anyone's guess.

"Brace yourselves!" Buzz Buzz called out desperately as he clung to Moondancer's mane.

Sighing, Moondancer rolled her eyes as she generated her PSI Shield, wrapping it in a tight bubble around the whole group. "Ness, a little help if you would?" she asked dryly.

Ness blinked for a time. "Oh...right. I can do that..." He sheepishly raised his hands and added his own PSI to the barrier just as the ship crashed into the sand and fell apart around them, the shield enabling them to handle it with no injury and only the slightest of jostling.

As everyone began brushing themselves off, Poo spoke up. "So what is our destination now?" he asked curiously.

"The museum," Ness stated firmly. "Pokey was heading there, and we need to see why." With firm nods all around, the group headed up off the beach and onto the boardwalk. While a few people around seemed puzzled by the groups' intensity, no one seemed disturbed or genuinely upset, and so the group pushed past the laid back atmosphere to continue their mission.

---

It didn't take long for the group to reach the museum. Wanting to avoid any issues of 'pets' like had happened at the theater in Fourside, Moondancer did her best to focus on the aura that caused people to overlook her if they were weak in PSI impression, doing her best to expand it to encompass Buzz Buzz as well. As a result, both of them went completely unnoticed as they made their way past the front desk, though the woman behind the counter did mention that the hieroglyph display was currently being remodeled and thus wasn't available for public viewing.

"I get the feeling that's what we need to see," Jeff murmured thoughtfully as the group entered the main exhibit hall.

"Considering the only things out here are a few old sarcophagi of varying sizes with no inscriptions, you are probably correct," Poo observed as he looked around the hall. "We will need to gain access to the hieroglyphs regardless."

"Any ideas on how to do that?" Ness asked quietly, trying to avoid drawing attention to the rather illicit discussion.

"In books, getting somewhere you aren't allowed is usually accomplished through force, stealth, or bribery," Paula pointed out thoughtfully. "Which of those would work here?"

Ness thought that over for a time. "Moondancer, would you be able to project yourself into the exhibit to tell us what the hieroglyphs say?"

"If I knew how to read them, probably," Moondancer allowed ruefully.

"Same goes for Buzz Buzz flying in, I take it?" Ness asked morosely.

"Pretty much," Buzz Buzz allowed. "That and I'm not sure I could fly that far without being noticed...and I don't even know where I'd be going."

"That is a good point," Jeff pointed out. "Perhaps we should explore further and find where the remodeling is happening before planning a way in?"

"Sounds like a plan," Ness allowed. Glancing around, he saw the only way out of the exhibit hall was the hallway they'd entered from and a stairwell on the far side. "To the second floor, then." With that declaration, he led the group over to the stairs and up to see what awaited them.

As they reached the top of the stairs, a man dressed in purple stood guard in front of a door. As they approached, he spoke up. "Sorry, can't go any farther kids," he stated in a calm, gruff voice. "This room's being remodeled. Authorized personnel only."

"And...how might we become...authorized?" Poo asked obliquely.

The man snorted derisively. "What, you think you're some kinda royalty so the normal rules don't apply to you, samurai boy?"

Poo glanced towards Ness, who nodded to encourage him to continue. "Of course not," Poo allowed, his left hand going into a pocket of his gi. "Rules apply to everyone, even royalty such as I." Seeing that gave the guard pause, he continued. "I simply know that there is always a way to accomplish anything, if the need is great enough...and I had hoped I might attempt to translate the inscriptions for my friends." Pulling his hand back out, he idly flipped a small, crimson ruby between his fingers like a much more valuable coin trick.

"Yeah, I can see why that might be important," the guard said, somewhat distracted by the play of light on the gem.

"And I've always felt it better to ask for permission..." He let his free hand idly rest on the hilt of his sword as though he were resettling it from an uncomfortable spot. "...than forgiveness. Cleaner, if nothing else." He paused thoughtfully. "Was that the right word? I am still learning this language..."

The guard blinked for a moment, then chuckled softly. "I'm impressed with your academic dedication," he observed dryly as he extended his left hand. Poo accepted the offered handshake, the gem missing from his grasp when he pulled back. "I suppose I can make an exception just this once...as long as you don't touch anything." With that, the guard pushed the door open...at which point two warriors made of somewhat damaged clay and bandages charged out.

Moondancer quickly seized both in her PSI, pushing them back into the exhibit. "Is this part of the educational experience?" she asked dryly as she held them up.

"But of course!" the guard declared happily. "A rich kid came by helicopter to look at the hieroglyphics not long ago, and he thought the whole thing needed to be a bit more lively! He loaned us these two, and we're remodeling to add more animatronics!" His eyes were a bit glazed as he spoke. "Took some pictures of the hieroglyphics, too! Made a lot of money that day..."

Keeping the creatures at bay, Moondancer allowed Poo to enter to examine and translate the inscriptions. "To fight against the invaders, we built the pyramid fortress," he spoke aloud as he translated. "However, our efforts were futile and we lost. Nonetheless, our pyramid was protected by the gods of Scaraba. The invaders will be reborn every millennium and will attack again. Even now, the invaders hide behind space and time to build their evil stronghold."

"An evil stronghold?" Ness asked in surprise.

"Behind space and time..." Moondancer murmured worriedly as her thoughts turned back to that place where they'd fought their way towards Giegue, only to be diverted. She looked up at Buzz Buzz, who nodded to confirm he was thinking the same thing.

Poo continued to translate. "A place out of time is beyond the Dark, and is even further beyond the Lost Underworld."

"Sounds like somewhere we should investigate at some point," Jeff murmured thoughtfully.

"The Deep Darkness is shrouded, it is without light," Poo continued. "Only one with the Hawk Eye can pierce the dark. The Sphinx now watches over everything, waiting for the coming of a truly brave hero. ...dance in front of the Sphinx."

"I...guess we know where we're going," Ness allowed thoughtfully.

"Want a picture?" the guard asked pleasantly. "A reward for studying so hard." With a happy, dazed grin he handed a picture over to Ness, who quickly put it away to review later as needed.

---

As the group moved to leave the museum, they noticed that the front hall was empty...and the phone was ringing.

"Should we answer?" Paula asked curiously.

"The call probably isn't for us," Moondancer pointed out thoughtfully.

"There's a pad and paper there," Ness pointed out as he picked it up. "I can take a message." With his free hand, he lifted the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello? Is this Mr. Fork of the Scaraba Cultural Museum?" the voice on the other end demanded excitedly.

"Umm..." Ness began awkwardly.

"Doesn't sound like you," the voice on the other end continued, not seeming to register Ness' lack of response. "Well, I'll quickly tell you my story because I'm busy, busy, busy! I found something so extraordinary that mere words won't do it justice!"

"Who is this?" Ness managed to ask, hoping he could at least write a message.

"What do you mean, 'Who am I'?" the voice demanded irritably. "It's me, Mr. Spoon from the Fourside museum of Natural History! Look Mr. Fork, I'm not exaggerating this find! How often do you find something guarded by stars?" The signal cut out with a click and a beep.

Ness blinked at that. "I...think we need to detour to Fourside," he murmured thoughtfully.

Comments

[Chrome Masquerade]

The man snorted derisively. "What, you think you're some kinda royalty so the normal rules don't apply to you, samurai boy?"

As a matter of fact-!

[Chrome Masquerade]

Poo glanced towards Ness, who nodded to encourage him to continue. "Of course not," Poo allowed, his left hand going into a pocket of his gi. "Rules apply to everyone, even royalty such as I." Seeing that gave the guard pause, he continued. "I simply know that there is always a way to accomplish anything, if the need is great enough...and I had hoped I might attempt to translate the inscriptions for my friends." Pulling his hand back out, he idly flipped a small, crimson ruby between his fingers like a much more valuable coin trick.

"And I've always felt it better to ask for permission..." He let his free hand idly rest on the hilt of his sword as though he were resettling it from an uncomfortable spot. "...than forgiveness. Cleaner, if nothing else." He paused thoughtfully. "Was that the right word? I am still learning this language..."

He's stating that it's better to follow the rules... while at the same time 'hypnotizing' the guard.

Neutral good.

[FTKnight]

I love this story, and the first time playing Earthbound, I accidently got that sanctuary early.

[Spellflame]

...didn’t we learn that already?

[Dirty Bit]

I like how the group got a complimentary photo for their experience.

I totally felt Jeff's words to his dad...

[Auram Potentia]

yay update and why do i think some more is happening in this world other then normal earthbound stuff? also to note i never played the games so i don't know if my guess is right or wrong.

[Fire Flyer]

10419467
Because you've read other PWNYverse stories and thus have acquired an idea of how the plotlines work?
...Or you're just imagining things - I wouldn't know, I never played the games either. But given it's Tatsurou, it's entirely possible he could go either way just to throw one or both of us off the scent.