She Who Treads Amongst the Stars

Final Chapter: Family

Before Luma's transformation into a comet, the crew struggled to find its way back towards Rosalina's planet. Now, after his ascendance tapped into the fabric of the universe, Luma knew the way and could bring them there directly. They could finally go home.

Of course, she had little reason to go back now. All the loved ones she left behind were gone. But she still had to make the journey. She had to make peace with her past and move forward. And, well... it would be nice to see where she had grown up again.

The excursion would be brief, she decided – perhaps no longer than three days. Rosalina still had her duty to roam the cosmos for the sake of its inhabitants and the Lumas. After examining their records and making some calculations, she determined they would arrive in about twenty years. This would have felt like a long time on her home planet, although she knew from experience that time felt nothing like its expected duration out here in space.

There was plenty to do in the meanwhile. Rosalina decided she wanted to reform the comet entirely, giving it a shape and form that felt more structured. Trekking over the comet to reach each dome was like walking the length of a small planetoid. It was starting to get irksome, and she wanted to make things more efficient, especially as they took in more and more Lumas. The comet was starting to feel crowded, and the Lumas kept bumping into each other. The system they had in place before just wasn't going to work now.

After drafting and scrapping many ideas, Rosalina slowly constructed a blueprint of her vision. On the day of its completion, she gathered all the Lumas together in front of the engine room dome.

"Alright children, here's the plan." She waved her wand and projected a huge image onto the sky. "As you know, I've been thinking of reorganizing the comet. My final design is easier to show than explain, so here is a visual diagram. Essentially, I'm going to reorganize the domes, keeping them restricted to a single plane of gravity. This is so we can reduce our travel time and spread ourselves out over a larger area. I'm also going to add walkways in between the domes."

A small yellow Luma raised his little arm. "How come? We don't need those! We'll just float from place to place."

Rosalina chuckled. "It's more so to make things easier for myself, little one. More importantly, it will help support our main feature..." She tilted the wand head forward, zooming in on the glowing ball in the center. A chorus of oooos and aaaas rang out. "See, the physical infrastructure will be centered around the comet now," she continued. "Instead of living on the comet's surface, we'll orbit the Observatory ourselves. This centralizes our source of power and provides a natural sense of order. Does that make sense?" After nods and sounds of approval murmured from the Lumas, Rosalina spoke again.

"I'm going to have to utilize a great deal of magic to make this work – perhaps everything I've got. I'll be shifting domes, creating walkways, and even moving the comet itself. The process will be nothing short of chaotic. I don't want to risk anything happening to you, so I've assigned you a dome to shelter in." The image changed to a map of every dome and the names of various Lumas listed in each. "Once I'm done talking, I want each of you to report to your respective domes and stay there, so I can seal it shut. Then find whatever you can and hold on tight. No matter how you're tossed about, don't be afraid, my young ones. The wild movement may be frightening, but it is to be expected and I will have complete control over the entire process. As soon as it's over, I'll come and unseal every room, and you'll be free to move about once again. Is that clear?"

Murmuring in anticipation, the Lumas formed their groups in front of the domes and filed in obediently. Every Luma had their attendance verified before Rosalina sealed the entrances airtight shut. Then came the difficult part. Drawing upon the full extent of her strength, she thrust her wand in the air and enveloped the comet in a whirlwind of bright light. She floated in the air, eyes glowing and held entirely aloft in space by her own power. Surrounding her was the rapidly spinning array of domes that flew wildly around her. With the concentration of an expert, she summoned dying cosmic matter from all directions and fashioned it into something new. The arrangement of countless atoms formed stable ground for the pathways between the domes- grasslands by the terrace, painted cobble around the fountain, lush purple carpet upon smoothed granite for the bedroom, and so on. As each production clicked into place, the whirlwind around her grew fiercer.