EB trilogy summaries: Mother 3, part 2/2
Feb. 14th, 2013 11:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dmxratedChapter 7: The Seven Needles
Aeolia's Needle
Six Pigmasks stand in two rows at the entrance to Osohe Castle, and salute as the Masked Man and a Pigmask colonel enter.
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Lucas wakes up in a cot at the Old Man's Paradise, in the presence of Boney, Alec, and Wess. The elderly two tell him about a dream Alec had, in which Hinawa told him to pile up some hay. Evidently, it was a prophetic dream, as the real straw pile was where Lucas and Boney conveniently landed.
Alec then asks him if Duster was with him. He also comments that it appears that Lucas had met one of his Magypsy friends, telling him that they're actually quite trustworthy.
Outside the shelter, Boney sniffs the ground, barks several times, and runs after something. Lucas follows him to the small bridge leading to the main part of Tazmily Village, where some villagers have gathered around a bound-and-gagged Ionia. S/He manages to get rid of the gag, before speaking to Lucas. Lucas stands him up, and s/he tells him about having been attacked while applying some makeup. S/He then remembers meeting Lucas just the other day, and comments that he must be the one s/he and the other Magypsies have been waiting for for eons. S/He suggests that they pay a visit to Aeolia's house, and manage to get a boat ride up the river.
Up at Aeolia's house, Ionia greets Aeolia, who asks him/her why s/he isn't wearing any makeup and to untie the rope around him/her. Ionia states that s/he was was attacked and was in such a rush to make sure Aeolia was okay that s/he forgot all about the rope. Lucas proceeds to untie her, and s/he finally gets the chance to fix up his/her makeup.
Just shortly, some sounds are heard from the distance, and the earth trembles, all followed by a flash of light. Aeolia then begins to vanish, and Ionia remembers something about a golden stake with some prongs at the tip. He realizes that that stake, Aeolia's Needle at Osohe Castle, had been pulled out of the ground. He then mentions a "Dark Dragon" that was sealed away with seven Needles.
Aeolia uses his last existing moments to levitate a table and reveal a secret passageway through which to reach Osohe Castle, in order for Lucas and Ionia to determine who pulled the Needle. According to him/her, whether the person who pulled the needle had a good heart or an evil heart will affect the fate of the world.
Lucas, Boney, and Ionia arrive at the courtyard in Osohe Castle, where they find a small hole with purple smoke coming out. Ionia senses that whoever pulled the Needle apparently doesn't even have a heart. He then begins to explain the secrets behind the Needles.
Underneath the Nowhere Islands sleeps a great dragon. This Dark Dragon is the source of the Magypsies' power and life. However, since it is too powerful for humans to control, it had to be sealed away with seven Needles, one for each of the Magypsies. It is told that one day, the Needles will be pulled, and whoever pulls the most Needles will have their heart passed onto the dragon. If an evil person pulls them, it will destroy everything to fulfill wicked ambition; if a good person pulls them, though, then all life will prosper. Furthermore, as each of the Needles are pulled, the Magypsy that they each pertain to will cease to exist.
And finally, it is told that only those who know PK Love are able to pull the Needles. Even the Magypsies themselves do not have that power.
After listening to everything Ionia had to say, Lucas then notices a Pigmask walkie-talkie lying on the ground. It rings, and he picks it up and answers. Assuming he's speaking with his commander, a Pigmask tells him that they have located the second Needle, but need a monkey in order to access it. He then asks to confirm whether or not the way to Chimera Laboratory is by the train and ropeway.
Doria's Needle
Leaving Osohe Castle, Lucas and Boney visit Hinawa's grave once again. There, Nippolyte asks Lucas if he's seen Flint, whom he assumes to have gone into the mountains yet again to look for Claus. He then comments on how strong he has grown, before entrusting him with the Courage Badge that Flint used to own when he was Lucas' age.
Back in Tazmily Village, Lucas and Boney are finally able to ride the train to the other terminal, instead of having to walk all the way through the tunnel.
Inside the Chimera Laboratory, a Pigmask recognizes Lucas as the part-timer from the other day. He tells him where to get changed, and Lucas and Boney each don a Pigmask helmet.
Further inside, another Pigmask asks Lucas to find several monkeys that have gone missing. In the adjacent hallway, a scientist flees while hiding inside a trash can.
Deep within the lab, Lucas and Boney spot Salsa and Samba, only for them to run away. Returning to a previous room, they are attacked by a mechanized lion. After a long fight with it, a Clayman comes to their rescue and knocks it out. Some Pigmasks gather in the room, and confirm that all chimeras on the loose have been rounded up, except for one.
The remaining one is... the Ultimate Chimera. A Pigmask warns Lucas to run like hell if he sees that one.
Lucas and Boney continue to search for the monkeys while doing everything they can to avoid the chimera. In the adjacent hallway, they come across the same scientist hiding inside the trash can. He introduces himself as Dr. Andonuts and says that he's being forced into doing various research for a certain man while trying to conceal himself.
Lucas and Boney soon find the monkeys in a certain room. Just then, the Ultimate Chimera comes in as well. Dr. Andonuts follows suit, and tells them the chimera's weakness. The chimera pounces at them. Fortunately, all he does is knock their masks off as they dodge it, and they're able to run back into the hallway.
Salsa then remembers the time three years ago, when Lucas and the Dragos assisted him, Kumatora, and Wess against Fassad and the Pigmasks. He then gives chase to the chimera. Just as it leaps again at Lucas, Boney, and Dr. Andonuts, Salsa leaps onto its back and presses the button that turns it on and off, saving their lives.
Dr. Andonuts thanks Lucas and Salsa for their help, and declares that he will leave the military and focus on making people happy.
As everyone leaves the lab, a bird on the chimera's back presses the button again, and reactivates it.
-----
Just east of the lab, at the north side of a pond full of Dogfish, Salsa dances in front of a concrete gate depicting some sort of dance. It opens, and Lucas, Boney, Salsa, and Samba pass through.
The four of them head into a conch-shaped hut just north of two ponds side-by-side, one full and one empty, and meet with Kumatora and Doria. Kumatora introduces everyone, and then Doria goes out to show them where the Needle is.
The Needle is submerged in the pond with the water, and impossible to pull out as things are. Lucas goes back to Chimera Lab, and Dr. Andonuts has a few chimeras ready for the purpose of getting rid of the water. Mr. Pump, a red-and-yellow-striped quadrupedal chimera with a hose-like snout, is the one to successfully transport the water to the empty pit.
Lucas pulls the Needle, and Doria gives him his/her razor and lipstick as a memento as she vanishes. The monkeys leave, and Lucas, Kumatora, and Boney set off to find Duster and the third Needle.
Lydia's Needle
The party enters an underground maze dug by Mole Crickets. They battle the same one that Lucas and Claus battled three years earlier, and its brother comes with them to help out by summoning bugs to eat up any large roots that get in their way.
After much exploration, the party emerges on a snowcapped mountain. The Mole Cricket departs from them as they hike up for the next Needle.
Eventually, they reach the hut of the Magypsy Lydia, who is taking care of a few snow bunnies and a wounded Pigmask soldier. The Needle is just through the backdoor, but just before they set off to pull it, the Pigmask Army arrives, and it winds up being pulled by the Masked Man instead. The Pigmasks leave, but a cyborg gorilla with twin flails approaches them.
After they defeat the Steel Mechorilla, Lydia comes out to give Lucas his/her memento, but also expresses concern over the rabbits and the Pigmask, for whom there is no one else to take care of, before vanishing.
Back inside Lydia's hut, it turns out that the Pigmask has healed up enough to watch after the snow bunnies in Lydia's place.
The party then heads to the tip of the mountain, and ride a refrigerator down the slope and conveniently back into the cemetary between Tazmily Village and Osohe Castle. There, they find a letter in a bottle urging them to come to a place called Saturn Valley. After they read it, the same passage opens up through which Salsa and Fassad emerged three years earlier.
Phrygia's Needle
Inside the passage is a coffee table that doubles as a horse, conveniently helping the party through the enemy-infested passage. It stops at a small cave, and they emerge at a place with metal, cone-roofed huts housing small pink creatures known as Mr. Saturns. In each hut, several Pigmasks and Frightbots torture the residents with scary stories in order to gain information as to where the local Needle is. As the party send each of them packing, they find Duster and his Rope Snake as well inside one of the huts, who then rejoin them.
The party passes through a cave onto a plateau, from which Fire Mountain can be accessed. Just inside, they find the hut of the Magypsy Phrygia, who is having a nap. They then fight their way to the Needle.
Upon reaching the Needle, a cyborgified Fassad hovers down, using a pair of musical horns attached to his mouth to communicate while a small robot speaks for him. They then do battle, and the party emerges victorious. Lucas pulls the Needle, and Phrygia arrives just in time to tell the party where the two of the Remaining Needles are and grant Lucas his/her memento before disappearing.
Back in Saturn Valley, a couple of Pigmasks set off a bomb in the cave from which the party first arrived, causing rocks to fall and block it. The party then has to gather some sparrows, which the Mr. Saturns then put into a cage. While they wait for him to finish, they takes a dip in the local hot spring, before having a cup of introspective coffee. A Mr. Saturn also takes Lucas' Courage Badge to do something with.
With the Rope Snake's help, the party flies the cage of birds in search for the next Needle, but then the snake reaches its limit and lets go. The party lands on the Cerulean Beach near Tazmily Village, and the snake goes off to hide in a hole in shame.
Mixolydia's Needle
The party crosses the ocean floor, replenishing their oxygen with a series of mermen who resuscitate them. Eventually, they encounter a living whirlpool named Master Eddy, who defeats them. They wash ashore on Tanetane Island, just barely alive and without any of their items or PK energy. Except for Boney, they all consume some nearby mushrooms, which completely replenishes their health, but also causes some very bad hallucinations.
The way they see the world, the grass and tree leaves are pinkish-red instead of green, and there are things like trash cans and mailboxes along the way. Enemies appear as people they know, except much more malevolent. What eventually turns out to be a toxic waste pool initially appears as a hot spring.
The party reaches Mixolydia's house, where they meet what appears to be a sailor and some woman. The woman recognizes that the party is all fucked up from eating some mushrooms, and them by hitting each of them over the head with a flat wooden stick.
The party regains their senses, the woman turns out to be the Magypsy Mixolydia, and the sailor turns out to be an octopus named Ocho. Mixolydia tells them that the Needle is at the top of the island, guarded by a trio of three stone statues that s/he set up, and that Ocho did them all the favor of collecting back everything they were previously carrying. The party reclaims it all, and then sets foot for the Needle.
The party battles the Barrier Trio, and prevails. Just then, several Pigmask ships arrive. One of them lands, six Pigmasks emerge, and one of said Pigmasks rolls a red carpet for the Masked Man to land on. The Masked Man then pulls out a sword, swings it, and strikes the entire party with a thunderbolt, knocking them out. He then walks up to the Needle and pulls it out.
Mixolydia arrives after the Pigmasks are long gone, and the party gets back up. S/He tells them that Ocho will bring them back to Tazmily Village from where they were washed up, and gives Lucas his/her memento and a jar of pickles, the latter to bring to Ionia, before vanishing.
Ionia's Needle
By the time the party returns to Tazmily Village, most of the residents have left for the big city.
In the Oriander Mountains up north, Kumatora shows the party the way to Argilla Pass. They eventually reach Ionia's house, and deliver the jar of pickles that Mixolydia had entrusted them with. S/He enjoys this final snack, and then explains that the needle is at Chupichupyoi Temple just north. The entrance is blocked by some vines that have been frozen in time, and s/he gives them the Waters of Time with which to free them.
Back outside, the same Mr. Saturn that borrowed Lucas' Courage Badge earlier on returns it. It turns out to be the Franklin Badge, capable of reflecting electrical attacks.
In front of Chupichpuyoi Temple, the Masked Man and some Pigmasks stand by as a Clayman repeatedly rams the vines blocking the entrance. The Masked Man tosses a bomb at the vines, but all it does is knock the Clayman out. The party arrives, and the colonel and two Pigmask Majors battle them. The party wins, and the Masked Man takes his turn and strikes them with another thunderbolt, only for the Franklin Badge to deflect it. The party then battles the Masked Man, and win. The Masked Man begins to malfunction, and the Pigmasks leave. The Masked Man then gets back on his feet, and flies away.
The party waters the vines with the Waters of Time. Lotus flowers sprout all over the vines, bloom, and then die out, before the vines themselves wither.
The party walks inside the temple and up to the Needle. Ionia catches up with them, and tells them that when all of the Needles are pulled, the world will be recreated by the Dark Dragon. S/He gives Lucas his/her words of encouragement, and then teaches Kumatora PK Starstorm, a power so dangerous that s/he never intended to teach anyone up until now.
Lucas pulls the Needle, and Ionia senses where the final Needle is. S/He can't quite pinpoint its location, but does tell that it is in a lively, filthy place. S/He then gives Lucas his/her memento, before disappearing.
Outside the temple, a flying limousine arrives, and the chauffeur tells the party that Master Porky has invited them to New Pork City.
Inside the limo are all kinds of attractions, but the party is unable to partake in most of them, except for a comfy sofa and a bathtub with a golden lion head for a faucet.
Chapter 8: All Things...
Despite its name, New Pork City is actually reminiscent of Las Vegas rather than New York City, complete with an amusement park, a restaurant, and arcade, and a cinema. There is also a statue of King Porky in the northeast corner. Most prominently of all, though, is the Empire Porky Building, reaching many, many stories high up, and with a fire-breathing dragon statue on each side of its entrance.
The party arrives, and has themselves some fun and recreation. Inside the cinema, a movie is playing, about the adventures of the Chosen Four during the events of Earthbound. People complain about a foul smell permeating the air inside, and the party looks for the source. It turns out to be coming from a stinkbug that made its way here from the sewers through a broken speaker. Boney chases it back through the speaker, getting separated from the party.
Unable to follow Boney through the speaker, the party leaves him for dead, and head for the arcade. There, someone who is afraid of dogs tell them that they can hear a dog whimper, and then opens up an entrance leading to the sewers.
The party enters, follows the sound of Boney's barks, and ends up in an abandoned apartment building. There, they meet Leder, the former bell-ringer of Tazmily Village. He speaks for the first time ever, and begins to explain the truth behind the Nowhere Islands.
In the past, there was a world much different and greater than the Nowhere Islands. People predicted that it would end up falling to ruin at some point, and eventually, it did, due to the activity of the humans. Before all was lost, though, a vessel known as the White Ship was built, and transported some remaining survivors to the one place that would survive even if the rest of the world wound up destroyed. That place was the Nowhere Islands, whose protection was from the Dark Dragon. The dragon once lived in harmony with the former inhabitants, but eventually no longer could. Thus, seven Needles were placed to seal it away underneath the islands until its power was truly needed.
On the White Ship, the survivors of the former world discussed how they would live in the new world, in order to prevent that world from succumbing as well. They all agreed that their memories of the old world would be erased and replaced with different memories before starting life anew the way they wished they had. However, it was necessary to record the fact that the memory replacement had taken place, and the Hummingbird Egg was made for that purpose in case anything really bad happened, before being stowed away within Osohe Castle for Wess and Duster to retrieve. Leder was also chosen to retain the memories of the old world while ringing the bell in Tazmily Village to ensure that no one else remembered their old lives.
Civilization had existed on the Nowhere Islands long before the arrival of the White Ship. However, Osohe Castle is one of its few remnants left in existence. When the White Ship arrived, Kumatora, at the time an infant, was given to the Magypsies to raise as the princess of Osohe Castle, and Wess and Duster assumed the role of her retainers. Unfortunately, no one was able to discuss a fabricated history of the Nowhere Islands because there wasn't time to create one as everyone assumed their new roles for their new lives. Thus, they had no choice but to believe that they had always lived in perpetual harmony.
That peace ended with the arrival of a boy named Porky, who abused the vessel he used to travel through time to the point that he was shut out of all other places and eras and stuck here and now. Having brought other people from different eras to brainwash into his Pigmask soldiers, he is the one responsible for everything wrong on the Nowhere Islands. He eventually found out about the White Ship and the Dark Dragon from the Magypsy Locria, who had betrayed his fellow Magypsies and became Fassad. As Leder speaks, Porky's goal is to awaken the dragon so that he could use its power for his own destructive goals. However, neither he himself nor the Magypsies are able to pull the needles, which means that he is controlling someone else who does have the power to.
As Leder concludes his speech, he orders Lucas to be the one to pull the final Needle, if things are to start anew once again. However, the only people who know where it is are the Magypsies, Locria/Fassad is the only one still alive. The party knows that he isn't going to tell them. However, they can begin looking for clues by storming the Empire Porky Building, where Porky plans on hosting some kind of party to celebrate the end of time.
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The party sets foot back through the sewers. Before they're able to climb out, though, Fassad emerges from the sludge and confronts them in battle, this time as the multi-horned Miracle Fassad. After one more intense fight, he resigns himself to defeat, tired of fighting, and falls back into the sludge.
Emerging back inside the arcade, the party sets foot for the Empire Porky Building. Inside, they take the first elevator to the concert hall on the 24th floor, where they meet up with the DCMC. Each of its members are glad to see Duster again, and OJ, the drummer, gives him the afro he wore as Lucky. Duster dons it, and then the band plays a number. It goes through without a hitch, and they begin playing another song, only for the power to go out on them. Porky then speaks from the 100th floor, daring everyone to come up and confront him.
The party rides various elevators up the building, each to a false 100th floor which Porky tells them is the real one. One one of these is the hut that was once home to Locria/Fassad.
On the real 100th floor, the party plays a few minigames, battles a large cybernetic pig called the Natural Killer Cyborg, proceeds down a red carpet, boards small boat down a stream lined with stuff from Earthbound, and then battles with ten of Porky's Porkybots. The DCMC eventually catch up with them and defeat the last three bots, realizing that Master Porky was using them the whole time to brainwash everyone. Flint joins the fray as well, followed by Wess, Bronson, Alec, Fuel, Lighter, and Dr. Andonuts. Porky then announces his presence, and descends inside a mechanical bed with spider-like legs, suspended by a pair of chains. He then gives everyone a speech of some kind, and also tells them where the final Needle is, before activating a secret elevator from beneath Lucas, Kumatora, Duster, Boney, and Flint.
The five of them careen all the way down at top speed, ending up spilled out deep below the city, but remain unharmed upon landing. Flint walks ahead of the party, telling them to continue onward if he doesn't return soon enough.
The party presses forward, and eventually notices Flint's hat drift by across the bottomless pits. They find him defeated shortly afterwards, and he tells them that the Masked Man is Claus.
Eventually, they meet Porky again, and battle him. During the fight, he rants on about things such as how he became immortal from his abuse of time travel and how he and the Dark Dragon will be the only things left in existence once the final Needle is pulled. Eventually, the party causes his machine to break down, and he rants one more time that he will live forever even if he's badly beaten. He then summons a capsule with which to retreat into, and locks himself in. The party is unable to damage the Absolutely Safe Capsule, but Porky, on his part, is unable to attack either.
Dr. Andonuts then comes along, lamenting on how he's now stuck inside the capsule for all eternity. He mentions having told him not to use it, and that even someone as evil as he is doesn't deserve that kind of fate, but then suggests that perhaps this is what he wanted all along.
The party continues on, and catches up with the Masked Man just as he reaches the Needle. The Masked Man knocks Duster, Kumatora, and Boney out with a lightning strike. Only Lucas stands to contend with him, but is unable to attack him all fight long while he openly fights him with his sword, his gun, and PK Love. During the fight, Hinawa's voice is heard, attempting to bring him back to his senses. Flint also steps in and protects Lucas from one of his PK attacks.
As the boys continue to hear Hinawa's voice, the Masked Man slowly regains his sanity, attacking Lucas less and less forcefully, until he finally takes off his mask. As Claus, he then kills himself by summoning a lightning attack on Lucas, knowing it would kill him.
During his last moments alive, Claus apologizes to Lucas and Flint for having been so reckless on that fateful day, before telling them that he's about to reunite with his dead mother. The rest of the party wakes up as well, and everyone still alive encourages Lucas to finally pull Locria's Needle.
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In New Pork City, an earthquake breaks out.
In front of the Chimera Laboratory, Cattlesnakes and an Ostrelephant flee in vain from the oncoming disaster as the earth trembles.
On Tanetane Island, Monkaulri try to escape as flaming rocks rain down from the sky.
Tornadoes, fires, and volcanic eruptions can be seen across the ocean.
At the Clayman Factory, a Clayman brings a chunk of clay to a garbage truck, but the bridge in front of the truck is out, and a hole has formed below.
A fissure forms through a road.
Osohe Castle crumbles. The Mother Porkship takes off while playing the Pigmask anthem, but is then struck by a meteor and falls back down.
A giant, shadowy figure emerges from deep within the earth.
Surrounding the now destroyed Nowhere Islands, the oceans have become turbulent with hurricanes.
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After the Dragon's awakening, the player is said to have woken up inside the game.
In pitch darkness, s/he walks around. Flint is the first one to talk, after being stepped on, and tells him/her to watch where they're going. He then says that a miracle has happened, and everyone is actually alive. He, Duster, and Kumatora converse amongst one another about what just happened, and thank the player for helping Lucas see things through. A Mole Cricket, Wess, Alec, an Oxygen Supply, the Rope Snake, Salsa, a Save Frog, a Mr. Saturn, and Boney are present as well, and all say a few words. The player then walks into Porky's Absolutely Safe Capsule, which rolls and wobbles with glee. S/He then feels something inside him/her, but can't tell what it is. S/He then finds the doorknob that came off of Flint's front door.
The player then meets Lucas, who thanks him/her for everything s/he's done. He wishes that they could be together now that they've just met, but tells him/her that everyone on the Nowhere Islands has been saved thanks to him/her. They promise to meet again one day, and then says goodbye. He then asks what the real world is like and if it will be alright, before they finally say goodbye for real.
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(Well, this entry has taken days to complete. That, along with having to have been split into two, makes it the longest I had ever worked on by a long shot. Now that it's finally complete, I guess I'll get started with chapter 2 of Starbound, before continuing with Kanji in Context.)
Aeolia's Needle
Six Pigmasks stand in two rows at the entrance to Osohe Castle, and salute as the Masked Man and a Pigmask colonel enter.
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Lucas wakes up in a cot at the Old Man's Paradise, in the presence of Boney, Alec, and Wess. The elderly two tell him about a dream Alec had, in which Hinawa told him to pile up some hay. Evidently, it was a prophetic dream, as the real straw pile was where Lucas and Boney conveniently landed.
Alec then asks him if Duster was with him. He also comments that it appears that Lucas had met one of his Magypsy friends, telling him that they're actually quite trustworthy.
Outside the shelter, Boney sniffs the ground, barks several times, and runs after something. Lucas follows him to the small bridge leading to the main part of Tazmily Village, where some villagers have gathered around a bound-and-gagged Ionia. S/He manages to get rid of the gag, before speaking to Lucas. Lucas stands him up, and s/he tells him about having been attacked while applying some makeup. S/He then remembers meeting Lucas just the other day, and comments that he must be the one s/he and the other Magypsies have been waiting for for eons. S/He suggests that they pay a visit to Aeolia's house, and manage to get a boat ride up the river.
Up at Aeolia's house, Ionia greets Aeolia, who asks him/her why s/he isn't wearing any makeup and to untie the rope around him/her. Ionia states that s/he was was attacked and was in such a rush to make sure Aeolia was okay that s/he forgot all about the rope. Lucas proceeds to untie her, and s/he finally gets the chance to fix up his/her makeup.
Just shortly, some sounds are heard from the distance, and the earth trembles, all followed by a flash of light. Aeolia then begins to vanish, and Ionia remembers something about a golden stake with some prongs at the tip. He realizes that that stake, Aeolia's Needle at Osohe Castle, had been pulled out of the ground. He then mentions a "Dark Dragon" that was sealed away with seven Needles.
Aeolia uses his last existing moments to levitate a table and reveal a secret passageway through which to reach Osohe Castle, in order for Lucas and Ionia to determine who pulled the Needle. According to him/her, whether the person who pulled the needle had a good heart or an evil heart will affect the fate of the world.
Lucas, Boney, and Ionia arrive at the courtyard in Osohe Castle, where they find a small hole with purple smoke coming out. Ionia senses that whoever pulled the Needle apparently doesn't even have a heart. He then begins to explain the secrets behind the Needles.
Underneath the Nowhere Islands sleeps a great dragon. This Dark Dragon is the source of the Magypsies' power and life. However, since it is too powerful for humans to control, it had to be sealed away with seven Needles, one for each of the Magypsies. It is told that one day, the Needles will be pulled, and whoever pulls the most Needles will have their heart passed onto the dragon. If an evil person pulls them, it will destroy everything to fulfill wicked ambition; if a good person pulls them, though, then all life will prosper. Furthermore, as each of the Needles are pulled, the Magypsy that they each pertain to will cease to exist.
And finally, it is told that only those who know PK Love are able to pull the Needles. Even the Magypsies themselves do not have that power.
After listening to everything Ionia had to say, Lucas then notices a Pigmask walkie-talkie lying on the ground. It rings, and he picks it up and answers. Assuming he's speaking with his commander, a Pigmask tells him that they have located the second Needle, but need a monkey in order to access it. He then asks to confirm whether or not the way to Chimera Laboratory is by the train and ropeway.
Doria's Needle
Leaving Osohe Castle, Lucas and Boney visit Hinawa's grave once again. There, Nippolyte asks Lucas if he's seen Flint, whom he assumes to have gone into the mountains yet again to look for Claus. He then comments on how strong he has grown, before entrusting him with the Courage Badge that Flint used to own when he was Lucas' age.
Back in Tazmily Village, Lucas and Boney are finally able to ride the train to the other terminal, instead of having to walk all the way through the tunnel.
Inside the Chimera Laboratory, a Pigmask recognizes Lucas as the part-timer from the other day. He tells him where to get changed, and Lucas and Boney each don a Pigmask helmet.
Further inside, another Pigmask asks Lucas to find several monkeys that have gone missing. In the adjacent hallway, a scientist flees while hiding inside a trash can.
Deep within the lab, Lucas and Boney spot Salsa and Samba, only for them to run away. Returning to a previous room, they are attacked by a mechanized lion. After a long fight with it, a Clayman comes to their rescue and knocks it out. Some Pigmasks gather in the room, and confirm that all chimeras on the loose have been rounded up, except for one.
The remaining one is... the Ultimate Chimera. A Pigmask warns Lucas to run like hell if he sees that one.
Lucas and Boney continue to search for the monkeys while doing everything they can to avoid the chimera. In the adjacent hallway, they come across the same scientist hiding inside the trash can. He introduces himself as Dr. Andonuts and says that he's being forced into doing various research for a certain man while trying to conceal himself.
Lucas and Boney soon find the monkeys in a certain room. Just then, the Ultimate Chimera comes in as well. Dr. Andonuts follows suit, and tells them the chimera's weakness. The chimera pounces at them. Fortunately, all he does is knock their masks off as they dodge it, and they're able to run back into the hallway.
Salsa then remembers the time three years ago, when Lucas and the Dragos assisted him, Kumatora, and Wess against Fassad and the Pigmasks. He then gives chase to the chimera. Just as it leaps again at Lucas, Boney, and Dr. Andonuts, Salsa leaps onto its back and presses the button that turns it on and off, saving their lives.
Dr. Andonuts thanks Lucas and Salsa for their help, and declares that he will leave the military and focus on making people happy.
As everyone leaves the lab, a bird on the chimera's back presses the button again, and reactivates it.
-----
Just east of the lab, at the north side of a pond full of Dogfish, Salsa dances in front of a concrete gate depicting some sort of dance. It opens, and Lucas, Boney, Salsa, and Samba pass through.
The four of them head into a conch-shaped hut just north of two ponds side-by-side, one full and one empty, and meet with Kumatora and Doria. Kumatora introduces everyone, and then Doria goes out to show them where the Needle is.
The Needle is submerged in the pond with the water, and impossible to pull out as things are. Lucas goes back to Chimera Lab, and Dr. Andonuts has a few chimeras ready for the purpose of getting rid of the water. Mr. Pump, a red-and-yellow-striped quadrupedal chimera with a hose-like snout, is the one to successfully transport the water to the empty pit.
Lucas pulls the Needle, and Doria gives him his/her razor and lipstick as a memento as she vanishes. The monkeys leave, and Lucas, Kumatora, and Boney set off to find Duster and the third Needle.
Lydia's Needle
The party enters an underground maze dug by Mole Crickets. They battle the same one that Lucas and Claus battled three years earlier, and its brother comes with them to help out by summoning bugs to eat up any large roots that get in their way.
After much exploration, the party emerges on a snowcapped mountain. The Mole Cricket departs from them as they hike up for the next Needle.
Eventually, they reach the hut of the Magypsy Lydia, who is taking care of a few snow bunnies and a wounded Pigmask soldier. The Needle is just through the backdoor, but just before they set off to pull it, the Pigmask Army arrives, and it winds up being pulled by the Masked Man instead. The Pigmasks leave, but a cyborg gorilla with twin flails approaches them.
After they defeat the Steel Mechorilla, Lydia comes out to give Lucas his/her memento, but also expresses concern over the rabbits and the Pigmask, for whom there is no one else to take care of, before vanishing.
Back inside Lydia's hut, it turns out that the Pigmask has healed up enough to watch after the snow bunnies in Lydia's place.
The party then heads to the tip of the mountain, and ride a refrigerator down the slope and conveniently back into the cemetary between Tazmily Village and Osohe Castle. There, they find a letter in a bottle urging them to come to a place called Saturn Valley. After they read it, the same passage opens up through which Salsa and Fassad emerged three years earlier.
Phrygia's Needle
Inside the passage is a coffee table that doubles as a horse, conveniently helping the party through the enemy-infested passage. It stops at a small cave, and they emerge at a place with metal, cone-roofed huts housing small pink creatures known as Mr. Saturns. In each hut, several Pigmasks and Frightbots torture the residents with scary stories in order to gain information as to where the local Needle is. As the party send each of them packing, they find Duster and his Rope Snake as well inside one of the huts, who then rejoin them.
The party passes through a cave onto a plateau, from which Fire Mountain can be accessed. Just inside, they find the hut of the Magypsy Phrygia, who is having a nap. They then fight their way to the Needle.
Upon reaching the Needle, a cyborgified Fassad hovers down, using a pair of musical horns attached to his mouth to communicate while a small robot speaks for him. They then do battle, and the party emerges victorious. Lucas pulls the Needle, and Phrygia arrives just in time to tell the party where the two of the Remaining Needles are and grant Lucas his/her memento before disappearing.
Back in Saturn Valley, a couple of Pigmasks set off a bomb in the cave from which the party first arrived, causing rocks to fall and block it. The party then has to gather some sparrows, which the Mr. Saturns then put into a cage. While they wait for him to finish, they takes a dip in the local hot spring, before having a cup of introspective coffee. A Mr. Saturn also takes Lucas' Courage Badge to do something with.
With the Rope Snake's help, the party flies the cage of birds in search for the next Needle, but then the snake reaches its limit and lets go. The party lands on the Cerulean Beach near Tazmily Village, and the snake goes off to hide in a hole in shame.
Mixolydia's Needle
The party crosses the ocean floor, replenishing their oxygen with a series of mermen who resuscitate them. Eventually, they encounter a living whirlpool named Master Eddy, who defeats them. They wash ashore on Tanetane Island, just barely alive and without any of their items or PK energy. Except for Boney, they all consume some nearby mushrooms, which completely replenishes their health, but also causes some very bad hallucinations.
The way they see the world, the grass and tree leaves are pinkish-red instead of green, and there are things like trash cans and mailboxes along the way. Enemies appear as people they know, except much more malevolent. What eventually turns out to be a toxic waste pool initially appears as a hot spring.
The party reaches Mixolydia's house, where they meet what appears to be a sailor and some woman. The woman recognizes that the party is all fucked up from eating some mushrooms, and them by hitting each of them over the head with a flat wooden stick.
The party regains their senses, the woman turns out to be the Magypsy Mixolydia, and the sailor turns out to be an octopus named Ocho. Mixolydia tells them that the Needle is at the top of the island, guarded by a trio of three stone statues that s/he set up, and that Ocho did them all the favor of collecting back everything they were previously carrying. The party reclaims it all, and then sets foot for the Needle.
The party battles the Barrier Trio, and prevails. Just then, several Pigmask ships arrive. One of them lands, six Pigmasks emerge, and one of said Pigmasks rolls a red carpet for the Masked Man to land on. The Masked Man then pulls out a sword, swings it, and strikes the entire party with a thunderbolt, knocking them out. He then walks up to the Needle and pulls it out.
Mixolydia arrives after the Pigmasks are long gone, and the party gets back up. S/He tells them that Ocho will bring them back to Tazmily Village from where they were washed up, and gives Lucas his/her memento and a jar of pickles, the latter to bring to Ionia, before vanishing.
Ionia's Needle
By the time the party returns to Tazmily Village, most of the residents have left for the big city.
In the Oriander Mountains up north, Kumatora shows the party the way to Argilla Pass. They eventually reach Ionia's house, and deliver the jar of pickles that Mixolydia had entrusted them with. S/He enjoys this final snack, and then explains that the needle is at Chupichupyoi Temple just north. The entrance is blocked by some vines that have been frozen in time, and s/he gives them the Waters of Time with which to free them.
Back outside, the same Mr. Saturn that borrowed Lucas' Courage Badge earlier on returns it. It turns out to be the Franklin Badge, capable of reflecting electrical attacks.
In front of Chupichpuyoi Temple, the Masked Man and some Pigmasks stand by as a Clayman repeatedly rams the vines blocking the entrance. The Masked Man tosses a bomb at the vines, but all it does is knock the Clayman out. The party arrives, and the colonel and two Pigmask Majors battle them. The party wins, and the Masked Man takes his turn and strikes them with another thunderbolt, only for the Franklin Badge to deflect it. The party then battles the Masked Man, and win. The Masked Man begins to malfunction, and the Pigmasks leave. The Masked Man then gets back on his feet, and flies away.
The party waters the vines with the Waters of Time. Lotus flowers sprout all over the vines, bloom, and then die out, before the vines themselves wither.
The party walks inside the temple and up to the Needle. Ionia catches up with them, and tells them that when all of the Needles are pulled, the world will be recreated by the Dark Dragon. S/He gives Lucas his/her words of encouragement, and then teaches Kumatora PK Starstorm, a power so dangerous that s/he never intended to teach anyone up until now.
Lucas pulls the Needle, and Ionia senses where the final Needle is. S/He can't quite pinpoint its location, but does tell that it is in a lively, filthy place. S/He then gives Lucas his/her memento, before disappearing.
Outside the temple, a flying limousine arrives, and the chauffeur tells the party that Master Porky has invited them to New Pork City.
Inside the limo are all kinds of attractions, but the party is unable to partake in most of them, except for a comfy sofa and a bathtub with a golden lion head for a faucet.
Chapter 8: All Things...
Despite its name, New Pork City is actually reminiscent of Las Vegas rather than New York City, complete with an amusement park, a restaurant, and arcade, and a cinema. There is also a statue of King Porky in the northeast corner. Most prominently of all, though, is the Empire Porky Building, reaching many, many stories high up, and with a fire-breathing dragon statue on each side of its entrance.
The party arrives, and has themselves some fun and recreation. Inside the cinema, a movie is playing, about the adventures of the Chosen Four during the events of Earthbound. People complain about a foul smell permeating the air inside, and the party looks for the source. It turns out to be coming from a stinkbug that made its way here from the sewers through a broken speaker. Boney chases it back through the speaker, getting separated from the party.
Unable to follow Boney through the speaker, the party leaves him for dead, and head for the arcade. There, someone who is afraid of dogs tell them that they can hear a dog whimper, and then opens up an entrance leading to the sewers.
The party enters, follows the sound of Boney's barks, and ends up in an abandoned apartment building. There, they meet Leder, the former bell-ringer of Tazmily Village. He speaks for the first time ever, and begins to explain the truth behind the Nowhere Islands.
In the past, there was a world much different and greater than the Nowhere Islands. People predicted that it would end up falling to ruin at some point, and eventually, it did, due to the activity of the humans. Before all was lost, though, a vessel known as the White Ship was built, and transported some remaining survivors to the one place that would survive even if the rest of the world wound up destroyed. That place was the Nowhere Islands, whose protection was from the Dark Dragon. The dragon once lived in harmony with the former inhabitants, but eventually no longer could. Thus, seven Needles were placed to seal it away underneath the islands until its power was truly needed.
On the White Ship, the survivors of the former world discussed how they would live in the new world, in order to prevent that world from succumbing as well. They all agreed that their memories of the old world would be erased and replaced with different memories before starting life anew the way they wished they had. However, it was necessary to record the fact that the memory replacement had taken place, and the Hummingbird Egg was made for that purpose in case anything really bad happened, before being stowed away within Osohe Castle for Wess and Duster to retrieve. Leder was also chosen to retain the memories of the old world while ringing the bell in Tazmily Village to ensure that no one else remembered their old lives.
Civilization had existed on the Nowhere Islands long before the arrival of the White Ship. However, Osohe Castle is one of its few remnants left in existence. When the White Ship arrived, Kumatora, at the time an infant, was given to the Magypsies to raise as the princess of Osohe Castle, and Wess and Duster assumed the role of her retainers. Unfortunately, no one was able to discuss a fabricated history of the Nowhere Islands because there wasn't time to create one as everyone assumed their new roles for their new lives. Thus, they had no choice but to believe that they had always lived in perpetual harmony.
That peace ended with the arrival of a boy named Porky, who abused the vessel he used to travel through time to the point that he was shut out of all other places and eras and stuck here and now. Having brought other people from different eras to brainwash into his Pigmask soldiers, he is the one responsible for everything wrong on the Nowhere Islands. He eventually found out about the White Ship and the Dark Dragon from the Magypsy Locria, who had betrayed his fellow Magypsies and became Fassad. As Leder speaks, Porky's goal is to awaken the dragon so that he could use its power for his own destructive goals. However, neither he himself nor the Magypsies are able to pull the needles, which means that he is controlling someone else who does have the power to.
As Leder concludes his speech, he orders Lucas to be the one to pull the final Needle, if things are to start anew once again. However, the only people who know where it is are the Magypsies, Locria/Fassad is the only one still alive. The party knows that he isn't going to tell them. However, they can begin looking for clues by storming the Empire Porky Building, where Porky plans on hosting some kind of party to celebrate the end of time.
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The party sets foot back through the sewers. Before they're able to climb out, though, Fassad emerges from the sludge and confronts them in battle, this time as the multi-horned Miracle Fassad. After one more intense fight, he resigns himself to defeat, tired of fighting, and falls back into the sludge.
Emerging back inside the arcade, the party sets foot for the Empire Porky Building. Inside, they take the first elevator to the concert hall on the 24th floor, where they meet up with the DCMC. Each of its members are glad to see Duster again, and OJ, the drummer, gives him the afro he wore as Lucky. Duster dons it, and then the band plays a number. It goes through without a hitch, and they begin playing another song, only for the power to go out on them. Porky then speaks from the 100th floor, daring everyone to come up and confront him.
The party rides various elevators up the building, each to a false 100th floor which Porky tells them is the real one. One one of these is the hut that was once home to Locria/Fassad.
On the real 100th floor, the party plays a few minigames, battles a large cybernetic pig called the Natural Killer Cyborg, proceeds down a red carpet, boards small boat down a stream lined with stuff from Earthbound, and then battles with ten of Porky's Porkybots. The DCMC eventually catch up with them and defeat the last three bots, realizing that Master Porky was using them the whole time to brainwash everyone. Flint joins the fray as well, followed by Wess, Bronson, Alec, Fuel, Lighter, and Dr. Andonuts. Porky then announces his presence, and descends inside a mechanical bed with spider-like legs, suspended by a pair of chains. He then gives everyone a speech of some kind, and also tells them where the final Needle is, before activating a secret elevator from beneath Lucas, Kumatora, Duster, Boney, and Flint.
The five of them careen all the way down at top speed, ending up spilled out deep below the city, but remain unharmed upon landing. Flint walks ahead of the party, telling them to continue onward if he doesn't return soon enough.
The party presses forward, and eventually notices Flint's hat drift by across the bottomless pits. They find him defeated shortly afterwards, and he tells them that the Masked Man is Claus.
Eventually, they meet Porky again, and battle him. During the fight, he rants on about things such as how he became immortal from his abuse of time travel and how he and the Dark Dragon will be the only things left in existence once the final Needle is pulled. Eventually, the party causes his machine to break down, and he rants one more time that he will live forever even if he's badly beaten. He then summons a capsule with which to retreat into, and locks himself in. The party is unable to damage the Absolutely Safe Capsule, but Porky, on his part, is unable to attack either.
Dr. Andonuts then comes along, lamenting on how he's now stuck inside the capsule for all eternity. He mentions having told him not to use it, and that even someone as evil as he is doesn't deserve that kind of fate, but then suggests that perhaps this is what he wanted all along.
The party continues on, and catches up with the Masked Man just as he reaches the Needle. The Masked Man knocks Duster, Kumatora, and Boney out with a lightning strike. Only Lucas stands to contend with him, but is unable to attack him all fight long while he openly fights him with his sword, his gun, and PK Love. During the fight, Hinawa's voice is heard, attempting to bring him back to his senses. Flint also steps in and protects Lucas from one of his PK attacks.
As the boys continue to hear Hinawa's voice, the Masked Man slowly regains his sanity, attacking Lucas less and less forcefully, until he finally takes off his mask. As Claus, he then kills himself by summoning a lightning attack on Lucas, knowing it would kill him.
During his last moments alive, Claus apologizes to Lucas and Flint for having been so reckless on that fateful day, before telling them that he's about to reunite with his dead mother. The rest of the party wakes up as well, and everyone still alive encourages Lucas to finally pull Locria's Needle.
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In New Pork City, an earthquake breaks out.
In front of the Chimera Laboratory, Cattlesnakes and an Ostrelephant flee in vain from the oncoming disaster as the earth trembles.
On Tanetane Island, Monkaulri try to escape as flaming rocks rain down from the sky.
Tornadoes, fires, and volcanic eruptions can be seen across the ocean.
At the Clayman Factory, a Clayman brings a chunk of clay to a garbage truck, but the bridge in front of the truck is out, and a hole has formed below.
A fissure forms through a road.
Osohe Castle crumbles. The Mother Porkship takes off while playing the Pigmask anthem, but is then struck by a meteor and falls back down.
A giant, shadowy figure emerges from deep within the earth.
Surrounding the now destroyed Nowhere Islands, the oceans have become turbulent with hurricanes.
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After the Dragon's awakening, the player is said to have woken up inside the game.
In pitch darkness, s/he walks around. Flint is the first one to talk, after being stepped on, and tells him/her to watch where they're going. He then says that a miracle has happened, and everyone is actually alive. He, Duster, and Kumatora converse amongst one another about what just happened, and thank the player for helping Lucas see things through. A Mole Cricket, Wess, Alec, an Oxygen Supply, the Rope Snake, Salsa, a Save Frog, a Mr. Saturn, and Boney are present as well, and all say a few words. The player then walks into Porky's Absolutely Safe Capsule, which rolls and wobbles with glee. S/He then feels something inside him/her, but can't tell what it is. S/He then finds the doorknob that came off of Flint's front door.
The player then meets Lucas, who thanks him/her for everything s/he's done. He wishes that they could be together now that they've just met, but tells him/her that everyone on the Nowhere Islands has been saved thanks to him/her. They promise to meet again one day, and then says goodbye. He then asks what the real world is like and if it will be alright, before they finally say goodbye for real.
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(Well, this entry has taken days to complete. That, along with having to have been split into two, makes it the longest I had ever worked on by a long shot. Now that it's finally complete, I guess I'll get started with chapter 2 of Starbound, before continuing with Kanji in Context.)