"It would be better to risk our lives at escape than remain unwilling prisoners forever."
-Fox McCloud
Long ago, in a world beyond worlds, in a time beyond time itself, a great creator smashed his fist into the vastness that was the known universe, and called it creation. As the years and light-years passed, the worlds slowly drifted apart into separate universes, and even different dimensions. Life was spawned, and it evolved on each world as a mirror that reflected the evils of the planet. The more evil and hatred that resides on a world, the more evil and bloodthirsty the inhabitants of that world become. And so it has been, for millions of years.
Time and distance aided the prevention of evil from spreading from world to world. Only in the land of Ni, the birthplace of the universes, can evil not exist. Hardly a star system, much less a life form, can penetrate the sacred realm of Ni. It is the connection point between each universe that holds everything together.
So many different dimensions branch off from the land of Ni that trying to count them all would span over lifetimes. It is only with the power of the heavens that I am able to tell you of these few...
Part One
1.
"Gr-r-reeeennn...." squealed a soft voice. "Don't take her away! No! Grr..." weak groans could be heard from the tangled underbrush. "Mamma!!!"
Walking the sandy tropical beach of Yoshi's Island was nothing out of the ordinary for the yellow Yoshi, who was leisurely enjoying his time picking up odd seashells and other ocean debris, but the sudden rustling and muffled sounds from a baby Yoshi nearby startled the yellow one. He edged closer to the jungle's rim, to try and spot the source of such noise, but only when the yellow Yoshi pulled away an obstructing fern leaf did he find what had whetted his curiosity.
"YOSHI!" the baby cried loudly as the yellow Yoshi was leaning closer. The Yoshi jumped back with a start, then stumbled over backwards as his foot caught a thick jungle vine. He hit the sand with a audible thud and a loud, "Oaf!" The Yoshi quickly pulled himself up to a sitting position, and rested back on his hands as he silently waited for the infant's next move. The baby Yoshi was in a restless slumber; completely oblivious to the yellow Yoshi sitting only inches away. Realizing that the child didn't notice his presence, the dinosaur cautiously crawled closer, to get a better look at what he was dealing with. He leaned over the baby's resting spot and peered down at the hatchling, who could only be a little more than a few days old. The Yoshi was pinkish in color, with pale shades of blue dappled on the skin like Dalmatian spots. This coloration obviously marked the young one as female. Unsure of what else to do with this amazing discovery, the yellow Yoshi cautiously lifted the crying infant into his slender arms, and waddled away.
"Queen Lucia, I have found something!" a yellow Yoshi hollered out at the top of his lungs as he raced across a Yoshian village and burst into a small hut constructed of straw and tree bark. The doorway was a fine mesh of straw, elaborately beaded with ocean pearls, which the yellow Yoshi pushed aside in such a hurry that several pearls sprang from their straws and scattered onto the hard-packed dirt floor. The hut itself reeked of ripe fruit and freshly-cut straw, and seated on a wooden throne in the back of the hut was a female scarlet-colored Yoshi. She was dressed in a deep violet silk skirt, with a crown of brightly colored feathers resting on her head. She raised one annoyed eyelid at the intruder as he rushed up to her with a small bundle held tightly against his chest. The yellow Yoshi nearly collapsed with exhaustion at the scarlet Yoshi's feet as he bent on one knee and extended his hands to show his prize.
"It is a h-hatchling, my queen. It was f-found in the jungle. I, ...I believe it is female," the Yoshi stammered as he tried to catch his breath.
The scarlet Yoshi regarded the yellow one carefully before even considering to move from her comfortable throne. The yellow Yoshi continued to gasp for air, with his palms extended outward and his head held low in a clumsy show of respect for the queen Yoshi. When he heard no reply, the yellow Yoshi slowly raised his head to gain view of the scarlet Yoshi, only to find her apparently immersed in deep thought. "What do you want me to do of her, my queen?" the yellow dino interrupted the queen's train of thought, and she snapped out of her daze. Queen Lucia shoved herself from her throne, and approached the sleeping child, who began to murmur and stir from yet another nightmare. The queen Yoshi stood silent as she scrutinized the infant's condition through her deep amber-colored eyes, while the yellow Yoshi shakily knelt before her with the hatchling still sleeping in his arms. The scarlet one nodded thoughtfully, then instructed the yellow Yoshi:
"You shall take this child to the villagers, and she will be raised as one of our own. When she is breed enough, then the village shall decide her fate."
The yellow Yoshi gave a subtle nod, and replied to these orders as was proper.
"As you wish, Queen Lucia."
With these words in mind, the yellow Yoshi sprang to his feet, briefly recovered his bearings, then departed from the queen's hut with the intention to head out and show his fellow villagers his marvelous discovery.
Seventeen years later, in the distant Lylat System...
"Not to alarm anybody, but I think we're about to encounter some rocky terrain ahead," Fox McCloud warned through the communications relay on his Arwing's control panel.
After flying for nearly three hours (Lylat Standard Time, of course) across the barren landscape of Titania, the StarFox team was getting anxious for some kind of a challenge, or at least a change of scenery. "It's about time," Slippy Toad echoed the team's thoughts. "I'm ready for some action," Falco Lombardi added as he adjusted his flying gear and switched on his radar viewscreen. Fox checked his system's control panel. There was no external damage to his ship, nor to any of his wingmates -as expected- and all systems appeared to be functioning normally. Of course, there would be no reason for anything to be wrong with his Arwing, but Fox figured that it was worth it in the long run to follow simple safety procedures such as this, to prevent some stupid accident. He smiled with a grunt as he suddenly recalled the briefing that he held before the team dropped onto this planet...
Four hours earlier, while onboard Great Fox, the StarFox team's mother ship...
Fox was preparing the team for a mission on the planet Titania, located far into the Lylat System. He was gesturing towards a map stretched out on a table in the main meeting hall, as Peppy and Slippy looked over it with great interest. Falco rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself as Fox was reminding the rest of the team to be careful.
"...Look, we don't want to happen to us whatever happened to Bill and his squadron. We all know that Titania isn't exactly the greatest place for a visit, much less a mission like this. Don't forget to stay close and keep up your guard... Falco, am I boring you?" Fox smirked at the falcon, who was leaning back in his chair and obviously not paying any attention.
"No. Go ahead. I'm listening," he spoke in a dull, disinterested tone.
It was then Fox's turn to roll his eyes and ignore Falco's reply. "Well, normally I would split us up to cover more ground, but I don't feel that it would be the best idea at this time. I think it would be best to stay together, and fly across this area right here..." he moved his claw across the map to show where he was talking about, and Slippy nodded with agreement.
"Fox, what about over here?" Peppy interrupted as he reached over Fox's paw and indicated a more mountainous area further north on the map.
"Don't be stupid. That place is full of active volcanoes. We wouldn't be able to see three pebblelengths in front of ourselves from all the gases and smoke. Not to mention that place is almost completely uninhabitable. It would be impossible to find anything there, much less what we're looking for," Falco interrupted with a more forceful voice than he had used with Fox, as if to prove some sort of point. He leaned forward in his chair and studied the map thoroughly while keeping a careful watch on Peppy, who was mustering up a reply to such an uninvited comment.
"No one asked you, Falco," the hare shot back quickly. "It's not as if you are participating in this meeting, anyway," he added. "Yeah!" the frog exclaimed defiantly.
"Shut-up, slimy lips," Falco snapped at Slippy. He then turned to Peppy. "I listen when it's necessary," the falcon retorted. Falco turned away from the map with a disinterested gesture. "Besides, I know what I'm talking about," he continued before anyone could say anything else.
"How is that so, Falco?" McCloud questioned Falco's source of information. The fox glared at his teammate with an annoyed look on his muzzle that Falco apparently didn't seem to pick up. The falcon began to explain his answer while toying with a rubrics cube that Fox had been using as a paperweight for the map on the table.
"In case you didn't know already, I traveled there once... a long time ago," he spoke contemptuously when referring to the desert world. "I don't want to go into any details, but I was there with some of my old friends," Falco said just as the rubrics cube jammed up and stopped turning. He effortlessly tossed it across the room, where it landed on a cushioned chair. Lombardi turned to face Fox and the others. "Not that I would want to go back, though. I don't know the place like the back of my wing, but I know enough to stay away," he finished his brief story, and shot everyone in the meeting hall a piercing look.
After noticing that no one else came up with a reply, Fox spoke quickly to break the awkward pause following Falco's angered words.
"Okay, then. That answers your question, Peppy. Now that all matters are settled, this meeting is dismissed. I'll be heading back to my quarters, if you all don't mind. I expect to see you guys in the docking bay in half an hour," the fox concluded as he turned to leave. Peppy, Slippy, and Falco hardly bothered to move, until Falco pushed himself up and followed Fox out of the room, while toppling over a metal chair with a loud clang.
"Slimy lips, indeed..." Slippy muttered under his breath as soon as Falco had left. His words probably would have served him better had he mentioned them sooner.
The StarFox Mercenary Unit had been cruising across the Lylat System, picking off small missions and assignments to earn their worth in space dollars, when a surprisingly urgent message had come in from an anonymous caller. For a rather large sum of space dollars, the team would fly a reconnaissance mission on Titania to search for ancient ruins. However, archeology wasn't really the team's specialty, and as everyone in the Lylat System knew, travel on Titania was extremely hazardous. Just recently Bill Grey, commander of the Husky squadron, had been reported as missing in action along with his fellow fighters shortly after landing on Titania to patrol for any remains of Andross's now decimated army.
Normally, the StarFox team would dismiss such a mission assignment without a second thought, and if Bill Grey hadn't been mentioned in the message, they surely would have. As much to the rest of the team's surprise as Fox's, the messenger claimed to know Bill's exact location! This anonymous employer was very persistent about getting his job done, however, and would only inform Fox McCloud of Bill's whereabouts if he accepted the mission. Fox had little choice, but to do what he could to help find his long-time friend.
A large mountain loomed in the distance. It jutted out from the flatlands like a dull knife, and quickly dominated the scene. Fox snapped out of his daze and shifted his course for the distant peak. The rest of the team promptly fell into formation.
As the mountain slowly grew into his cockpit's viewing range, Fox's mind started to wander. 'Where on Titania are these ruins? I can't see anything for astrolengths around except for that mountain... what an unusual mountain, too. Out here in the middle of nowhere, as if someone just planted it there on purpose...' Fox's thoughts began to jump from one subject to another as he started to worry. 'We can't be too far from the ruins by now, if there are any at all...'
McCloud sighed and shifted under the weight of his helmet/communicator as he began to feel a greater concern for his lost friend. 'Could Bill really be trapped here? If so, where? What do these ruins have to do with him? He has to be here somewhere...'
"I hope he's okay," Fox muttered out loud. He winced as his own words brought him abruptly back to reality. He felt a little strange after saying such a thing out loud when he didn't intend to. Maybe it was because he was actually begining to realize just how much he cared for his friend. However, the more likely cause was that Fox had left his com-link on, so everyone probably heard him.
Peppy Hare quickly chirped in, "Me too." Fox could tell that Peppy was somehow thinking the exact same thing. This thought, as odd as it was, was slightly comforting, and the fox immediately felt less embarrassed. 'Besides, even if we don't find anything...'
The mountain itself seemed to leap out in front of Fox as he focused his attention and cleared his thoughts of such worries. 'Now is hardly the time to start losing track of the mission at hand,' he reminded himself. As the team approached the massive stone structure, they could notice some of the mountain's less distinct features, including several cave openings drilled into the cliffside. Slippy couldn't help pointing that out, as he leaned over in his seat, looked over the edge of his cockpit canopy's window towards the cliffs below, and croaked excitedly over the com-link, "Look, guys! It looks like some kind of tunnel network carved into the mountainside!"
This seemed to be little more than an interesting novelty, and just as the team recovered from that brief distraction, Fox glanced back to his viewscreen.
"Whoa!" The mountain's ugly stone face was only meters away from peeling the paint job off the nose of Fox's Arwing! The fox instinctively pulled up on the controls and veered away from a collision course. The rest of the team quickly followed his example, with Falco grumbling over Slippy's incompetence and poor timing.
"Way to go, froginator. Tell us when something USEFUL comes to your mind."
"At least I have one," came the reply.
"Pipe down, you two. We've got work to do," Peppy cut-in, thus ending the discussion.
As Fox's ship finally crested the first mountain peak of the desert world, the leader of the StarFox team discovered exactly what the anonymous messenger was speaking of...
Through the winding trails and paths of a lush jungle scene, two Yoshi twins carelessly played on the sunlight-dappled forest floor, near a gurgling stream filled with swimming fish. It was a hot, humid day, with clear skies and the distant scent of ripe fruit drifting through the tropical air. The scent was enough to drive any full-grown Yoshi to hunger, but the two children were too involved in their games to pay any attention.
Barnoth and Baroth were the twins' names; two eccentric little Yoshies that could play all day and all night if it weren't for their parents interruptions. Barnoth, the white Yoshi, was leaning against the thick trunk of a large tree, with his face buried into this arms. He was quietly mumbling something to himself...
"48... 49... 50! Ready or not, here I come!" the little white Yoshi shouted into the forest as he jumped back from the tree and unshielded his eyes. Barnoth searched left and right for any obvious signs of his brother. When he found none, the white Yoshi started to walk down the overgrown trail just ahead of him, while turning over every rock in the way. "You're here somewhere, I know it!" the little one told himself as he passed a gruffel bush, fresh with gruffel berries. Barnoth couldn't resist the small snack, so he started to pluck some berries from the bush.
"Baroth! Barnoth! Come here; it's time for dinner!" a distant voice carried through the jungle to Barnoth's ears. "Aw man... but I was about to eat these!" the white Yoshi complained as he threw the collected berries into the dirt and waddled away.
A smaller blue Yoshi soon emerged from the berry bush, his mouth stuffed full of gruffel berries. He quizzically turned his head towards his fleeing brother, then chased off after him while shouting in a muffled voice, "Wait for me!"
"Salith, were are the kids?" a yellow Yoshi looked up from his cooking to ask another female Yoshi a question. The female was blue in color, with blonde hair running down her back like a horse's mane. She was stirring a boiling stew in a large kettle. Salith spoke softly when addressing her mate:
"You know them, Meekachu; off in the jungle, playing as always."
"Of course," Meekachu grunted as he sliced fruit into tiny bits with a sharpened bone-handled knife.
Salith stepped away from her pot of stew, turned towards the jungle path, and called again, "Barnoth! Baroth! Come get your dinner!"
"Coming, mom! A weaker voice emitted from the forest, just before a white Yoshi barreled through the bushes and charged up to his mother. A smaller blue Yoshi stumbled up right behind him. His mouth was stuffed with berries, which flew out of his mouth as he said, "I want some dinner!"
Salith frowned and shook her head at the little blue Yoshi. "Baroth, what did I tell you about eating before dinner?" the mother Yoshi scolded.
The blue Yoshi took a big gulp, then answered back, "But I wasn't eating anything!" Barnoth snickered at the foolish display from his brother.
Salith was growing impatient. "Don't make it worse by lying to me. Look, you left a trail of berries all the way over here! I don't want to hear another word from your smelly berry mouth. Go over to the stream and wash up before dinner. You too, Barnoth. You both look filthy!"
"Yes, mother..." the twins grumbled as Barnoth turned around and marched back to the forest, while dragging the whining Baroth away by the arm.
"Heheh... kids," the yellow Yoshi laughed to himself as he sliced through a thick melon with his blade. "Salith, watch this fruit for me. I shall be right back," Meekachu requested. "No problem, Meek," Salith calmly replied. She gave a gentle smile towards her mate, then returned to her cooking. "Thank you, dear," the yellow one thanked his companion, then set down his cutting knife and wandered over to the other side of the village.
The Mulhollen tribe was the center of commerce of ancient Yoshi's Island: And just by looking around the village square that day, you would be able to see why. Meekachu enjoyed watching the activities of his village, and as he passed them, the yellow Yoshi would casually observe the trading shops and small stores, which were stocked with fruit, colorful beads, and glistening pearls. Animal skins were also being sold on the roadside to merchants from neighboring tribes. Every Yoshi was in an unusual hurry; cooking meals, cleaning their homes, and preparing for the night's festival. The yellow Yoshi smiled as he recalled a day like this, many years ago. In fact, the last time he remembered everyone working this hard was on the day of his own acceptance...
Meekachu's train of thought was put to a stop when he finally arrived at the other side of the village square. Just ahead was the queen's chamber. The yellow dinosaur took a deep breath, and marched ahead into the lone hut.
"My Queen, the ceremony is almost ready," Meekachu announced as he entered Queen Lucia's home. "The food is just now being prepared, and everything else is in place," he continued. The yellow Yoshi finished his report, and bowed before his female dictator.
"No... it is not," Queen Lucia sternly replied. She stood up from her throne, and approached the servant hastily. "Miya is gone. The chief reported her missing earlier this morning."
The queen's words seemed to stand alone in their importance. The yellow Yoshi gasped at the shock of the news, and nearly fell over from his bowing position. Meekachu corrected his posture before attempting to speak again.
"But... how can that be?!? She would not disappear like this on such an important day. What am I to do of this, my queen???"
"Find her."
"Yes, my queen. Of course."
Meekachu finished his last sentence while running off in the opposite direction. He wasted no time in scurrying out of the hut and running to his mate's side to tell her of the news. The Yoshi stumbled past several stores and small homes, and nearly knocked over a pile of honeydew melons before finally reaching the blue Yoshi and shouting these words to her:
"Salith, Miya is gone! She ran away again!"