Infestation (A.S, OPEN)

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Naaaaat, heyyyyy..." Yeah, even Swift was willing to admit that this was not the most harmonious of reunions. Everything was so crazy right now and Natalie was so visibly freaked out that it was kind of hard to find any sort of joy in the occasion. Still, Swift had to smile at her best friend despite it all. "Great to see you too. Wish it could've been under better circumstances."

She took a deep breath and looked around, surveying the damage in the immediate area, which didn't extend far beyond mild fire damage, occasional litter, ruined plants and a blood splatter or two. Then she turned back to Natalie and continued, "Seriously, though, sorry your first day on Dimensional Island had to be THIS insane. Yeah, things can get pretty crazy around here, but even we were caught off guard by... whatever the heck just fell out of the sky."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Yyyyyeah..." Evan rubbed his neck, doing his best to smile for Nat's sake while wholly agreeing with Swift's sentiment. "I can assure you, things usually aren't... okay, I guess I should say they aren't always this crazy. And we certainly appreciate you being here to back us up, even if it was pretty spontaneous in all regards..."

He frowned awkwardly. "But spontaneity and general aversion to chaos aside... what's wrong? I think it's clear where you are, and I can get you home easily... but why're you freaking out about it, Nat?"

[ThePopcornFairy]

"Ummmmm..." Natalie really hated stepping on her friends' toes. She really did. She wanted to be happy to see them, but she was too overwhelmed with crushing reality to even return a smile, especially since time was of the essence. "Because in case you guys have forgotten, I AM THE HOST OF OUR UNIVERSE'S HEART, and without it, our universe will probably DIE?!"

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"...OH." YEAH, FORGOT ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT.

Ears flat, not sure what else to offer the situation, Swift turned to Evan and said, "Yeah, maybe we oughta catch up back home, huh? Evan?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Yep! Good idea!" Evan worriedly responded, reaching into his shirt, pulling out the Paramount Key and preparing to open a portal to their own universe...

"That won't be necessary."

The threesome's eyes turned to face their sudden guest, finding the familiar, albeit greatly concerned face of the Angel of Time.

Evan froze slightly. "K-Kendall...?"

"Apologies..." Kendall hastily offered, hands raised as he approached the group. "I know all three of you have a lot to digest right now. And Natalie, I know you're concerned about the state of your universe without the Blue Star there to keep it stable, rightfully so. Rest assured that your universe is not in any immediate danger. I've seen to that myself."

"So... you know what's going on," Evan murmured. It wasn't a question. Why wouldn't Kendall know what was going on? If anything, all Evan was hoping for was that Kendall was feeling less cryptic and more expository today, because he honestly wasn't in the mood to tap dance around this issue.

Kendall nodded solemnly. "I do." He took a deep breath. "With or without my interference, the powers that be would've sent you this time and place, Natalie. I've simply taken it upon myself to pause your universe while you're away. It'll be like its heart never left. Because... believe me when I say... you're needed here. Now."

He looked the Blue Star successor in the eye. "Do you think you could explain what you were doing in Sora's lab prior to your arrival?"

[ThePopcornFairy]

"W... Wait, what?" Natalie had to take a step back for a moment and process what Kendall had just told her. Sure, she was well and truly used to such foreboding words from the Angel of Time, but seriously? This bizarre phenomenon in a world she had never been to and honestly had no jurisdiction over specifically required her help? So much so that Kendall felt obligated to pause HER ENTIRE HOME UNIVERSE just so the absence of the Blue Star wouldn't jeopardize its health?

She wanted to question this, or at least state that a little forewarning would've been nice... but the fact that she had apparently been sent here not by Kendall's hand but the will of the island or the multiverse or whatever just left her too stymied to even begin to delve into her many questions.

Instead, Natalie opted to do as Kendall told and explain the last thing she remembered. "Sora was... studying some sort of spacetime rift. Nothing new, honestly. She'd been looking into those quite a bit ever since you guys started traveling here. But... she said that... this specific rift was right on top of me. Everywhere I went. Like something on the other side was... following me. Sh-She asked me to come in so she could study it up close... so I did... and the more she looked into it, the more... I guess... agitated the Blue Star felt."

Her eyes widened as she looked to the sky. "I sensed... something. I couldn't tell what, but..." She pointed to the cloud. "It felt a lot like THAT."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Swift looked at Kendall, then at Natalie, then at the cloud. "You don't say."

She couldn't pretend to know what it was like to play host to or wield the cosmic power of the heart of an entire universe. She could only go off of whatever secondhand knowledge she had from Natalie's stories. And from what Swift could tell, the Blue Star granted Natalie especially keen senses when it came to forces that threatened the universe it –and by extension, she– maintained.

"Kendall... didn't you once say that Dimensional Island and our universe are... kinda in the same neighborhood?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"To some extent, yes," Kendall replied with a nod.

"So... whatever's threatening the island is also a threat to our own universe, huh?" Evan mused.

"Very much so. These creatures travel the multiverse, seeking to consume universes, taking an especially keen interest in their hearts. They can sense their presence, even across the vast reaches of the void. From here, they easily detected the Blue Star and beckoned to it... just as they beckon to the cosmic power stored within this island's Heart Temple."

[ThePopcornFairy]

Natalie frowned nervously as she stared into the sky. The Blue Star had a natural drive to defend itself against anything and everything that posed a serious threat to its existence. She remembered that drive all too well from her war against the Gold Star. Knowing this and taking Kendall's explanation into account, she quickly deduced that it had detected these creatures through the rift and immediately sought to repeal them before they even arrived. Possibly without her consent. Honestly the last few minutes before she woke up here were kind of hazy.

It made sense to her. What better way to destroy a universe than to rip its heart out? At least Kendall had a contingency plan on that front, but that still brought up quite a few questions.

"So... that rift that was following me around, that brought me here..." Natalie turned to Kendall. "Was that the creatures trying to claw through spacetime to get to me, the Blue Star trying to get to them first... or a combination of both? A-And more importantly, now that I'm here, what am I supposed to DO about it?"

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"What're you supposed to do about it? Isn't it obvious?!" Swift insisted, suddenly pumped up as she gave Natalie a friendly punch on the arm. "If this island falls, our home universe is bound to be these pests' next target! The star obviously knows that! So who better to represent and ensure its protection than you?! Than us?!"

She pounded her fist into her palm with a fiery smirk. "We're gonna beat these suckers into a big ol' bunch a nothingness and save both our homes! That's what we're gonna do about it! Wouldn't be the first time we've... well, you've gone up against a cosmic force of this magnitude. So tell us, Kendall, what're we up against?! How're we gonna destroy it?!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

Kendall chuckled sadly. "If I may be perfectly frank... my jurisdiction is time. The Blue Star is a spatial entity. I can't act like I fully understand its will. I do know, however, that while these creatures very much intend to feed off your world should they succeed in consuming this one, they can only travel in a direct path through the void... so I believe it's safe to say that the rift that brought you here was a result of the Blue Star's desire to defend its universe, even if it had to separate from it to do so."

"And you can guarantee that her absence won't be a detriment in that regard?" Evan asked if only for Natalie's sake.

"Positive. I've seen to it, Natalie, that you will return home at the exact moment you left. Like I said... for the sake of both the island and your universe, this is where you need to be." Kendall smiled at Evan. "And don't worry... you two will have just as big a role in this as her."

"Well, obviously." Evan smirked and folded his arms. "Like I would leave the fate of two worlds entirely on my best friend's shoulders. We got this covered."

Kendall could only nod awkwardly before casting an apologetic look at Swift. "I would certainly go into detail for you... but you'll have to believe me when I say that there's someone out there who can explain what these creatures are much better than I can. For now, what matters is that the city may be clear, but there are still more of them out there consuming the life of the island, and my advice would be to branch out and eliminate as many of them as you can as quickly as possible."

[ThePopcornFairy]

...Wow.

"Uh..." Natalie blinked, rubbed her arm where Swift had hit her and anxiously stared at Kendall. "Okay, this is, uh... this is all happening kinda quickly, I'm not gonna lie. D-Don't get me wrong, if these things are as big as a threat as you claim they are and it's within my power to do something about it, I will. A-And I get that the Blue Star instinctively wants to stop this invasion before it reaches my home. Fine. Buuuuut do you think maybe we could SLOW DOWN FOR A MOMENT while I try to absorb the fact that there is a GIANT RED CLOUD THAT DROPS WORMS THAT EAT UNIVERSES AND STEALS THEIR HEARTS AND IS ACTIVELY SEEKING TO DESTROY MINE AND I HAVE TO TAKE THE MATTERS OF SAVING AN ENTIRE UNIVERSE INTO MY OWN HANDS YET A-FREAKING-GAIN?! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?! BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF A BIG THING TO DROP ON ME ALL AT ONCE AND I'M KINDA FREAKING OUT ABOUT IT!!!"

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Well, good to know some things never changed.

"Honestly, Nat... when you hang around this island long enough, ya get kinda used to dealing with larger-than-life threats on a regular basis," Swift offered, merely shrugging at the look she received in response. "Not trying to downplay the severity of the situation. I'm just saying that there's really nothing to it besides beat the bad guy, save the world. Shouldn't be too hard, right?"

She frowned at Kendall. "Seriously, though, ya can't tell us anything about these monsters before we charge off into Round 2?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

Evan couldn't help but sigh. He knew Swift was just trying to diffuse the tension, but he seriously doubted this would help ease Natalie's nerves. "L-Listen, Nat. This is a lot to take in so quickly. I get it. But you know how Swift and I can be. When danger strikes... we just kinda jump on it. Try to get rid of it right off the bat. You're more of a planner, something I totally respect. To have all of this thrust upon you out of the blue, i-it makes sense that it would be overwhelming... because it is, no matter how numb to the concept we may seem."

He stepped closer and looked her straight in the eyes; he would've put a hand on her shoulder, but he knew how much Natalie hated that. "But this IS happening, like it or not. It's jarring to me too, but I'm keeping my head on straight for the sake of doing my duty to protect the island." A smile. "It's gonna be okay. Once you get your bearings together, I know you can handle this. We've got your back, Nat."

Kendall took a deep breath and stared sadly at the ground. "Again, I... must apologize for springing this on you now, as it's starting... I would've liked to provide you all with ample time to prepare... but... something kept me from doing so."

"Something?" Evan repeated. Matters of interference with Kendall's time powers were serious business, so this easily caught his attention. "What kind of something?"

"N-Nothing you need to concern yourself with right now," Kendall insisted, turning his attention on Swift. "All you need to know right now is that, as you've likely gathered, the only way to kill these creatures in their wyrm stage is via total incineration. Fire, acid, the like. They eat anything organic, and once they've had their fill, they cocoon themselves for several days. Everything else will be explained to you once your support arrives."

[ThePopcornFairy]

For a moment, all Natalie could do was anxiously stare back at Evan. She wanted to believe that she could handle another fight for the sake of defending her home and the Blue Star. She got through the fight with the Gold Star just fine... though, to be fair, she was also worked into that conflict slowly. The magnitude of this conflict weighed heavily on her, sure, but she was still just so terrified by how sudden she had been thrust into it.

Still, despite the rushed pace, this didn't seem like anything particularly new to her, and Evan and Swift were clearly on board with it, which did offer at least a little comfort.

...........................

She took a deep breath and averted her eyes, her gaze hollow and uncertain. "Okay... I'm here now... I guess there's not much else I can do about it."

As long as someone fully explained the situation to her soon, Natalie figured there was no use in complaining about it.

Besides... what better way to reunite the NES than with another whirlwind adventure?

...Right?

RIGHT??

Oh, geez, what had she gotten herself into?