Galaxies Colide

Meeting Beyond the Mesosphere

"We're here, Mama!" Astrid chimed out happily; dancing across the space above Rosalina's head before floating back down to her side, "We did it! Just as you wanted!" "Thank you, my sweet children," the towering cosmic princess began, legs now feeling rather unstable as she walked peacefully to retrieve her father's enchanted telescope, "I guess there's only a few things left to do in that case, and I'll begin with this one." "Wait!" Astrid called out from behind Rosalina, cueing her to place down the telescope to meet her star child eye to eye, "Have you thought more about what you want to do now that we're here?" Mind having been fully relaxed just a moment ago, Rosalina's sweaty palms now likely spilled her inner truths out to her children as the situational anxiety struck her once again like a meteor shower. With the sunlike heat of her intense, flushing blush causing a drought within her mind, the dry, empty throat of the cosmic princess was clear now of any traffic; not one word slipping through her frozen lips.

"I...I...I don't know," she at last forced between her slightly parted lips as if she'd been turned into a block of lead, "I said a lot before, but now, I just can't think of anything." Still standing frozen as stone, Princess Rosalina's heart had been filled with dreams and hopes just hours ago as she approached the Mushroom Kingdom at the speed of light. Through centuries of observations, Rosalina knew deep down inside that although she desperately wanted to see the princess, the event of her landing before the castle and barging through the doors would likely leave the princess rather flabbergasted, if not afraid as she stared into the eyes of someone she likely had no memory of, yet knew everything about her. *Who wouldn't that freak out?* Rosalina's mind asked her as she nodded her head in truth. It was also extremely unlikely that the mushroom-like guards of the castle would allow the princess to embark on adventures even around the town with Rosalina, even if Mario should introduce her upon arrival.

As she hovered high above the magical night skies in the darkness, the cosmic princess's mind hung cold and empty as slight depression began to fall upon her. She'd traveled over a billion miles to reach the mushroom princess, yet the thoughts and truths within her mind made the distance between them feel so far that not even Rosalina's magical telescope could catch even a brief glimpse of the princess. "I just want Princess Peach to be happy," she spoke in a shrunken voice as eyes began to release tears, "but I don't know what to do."

"Mama! Mama-Mama-Mama!" A small cluster of Lumas called out from the left side of where she stood, "Pick up your telescope! Look right there!" Pointing off into the clear skies above the Mushroom Kingdom, Rosalina's lone eye traced the fingers of the Lumas down toward their target. At first appearing to be nothing more than a rather large mushroom floating around in the atmosphere, the rapidly accelerating object no sooner evoked memories filled with hope for Rosalina as its familiar features came into view. "A red Starshroom!" Rosalina whispered aloud as she shifted her bangs aside to allow her two-eyed vision to confirm her sight. Quickly raising the telescope as she blasted an anxious exhale that caused even the Lumas to jump, Rosalina wasted no time at all focusing in on the approaching spacecraft.

Tiny and frail yet fast and free, the mushroom-shaped spaceship resembled one of many that the Lumas had worked with the Toads of the Mushroom Kingdom to construct. Painted fresh red and white, the rapidly accelerating spacecraft proved to be a friendly, familiar sight to the cosmic princess as she absorbed its each an every feature. "Wait...is that...it can't be!" Rosalina spoke, voice rapidly gaining volume and energy as she pressed her eye into the telescope's eyepiece, absolutely stunned at what she had just noticed. "Quick! Get the gate ready!" Rosalina called out to her children, not once lifting her eye form the telescope, "I think she's gonna land here!" "Who's she, Mama?" a yellow Luma kindly asked. Answer trapped deep within the folds of her throat; the dropped jaw of Rosalina signaled her heart to begin pounding like a supernova. Hands pumping out so much sweat she nearly dropped the telescope; Rosalina began to hover with limited nervous energy as she feared her legs may collapse. Dashing toward her right now, the bright red Starshroom revealed through its frontal porthole that it was piloted by none other than the magical, tender individual Rosalina had been stuck on for many days now. Bright smile upon her rosy face as her hands clenched onto the controls, the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom mirrored the nearly bursting face of her admirer as she soared up high above the kingdom she loved so much. Was she coming here? Did she know what the huge blue comet really was? Did she know Rosalina was waiting there for her? Questions circling her mind as her heart soared like a rocket; the telescope was set down at a safe position to reveal the happily glowing face of she who traveled the stars in search of moments just like this.