Alasea scratched at the back of her head at the news. "We're not going to have to dress up fancy, are we?" she asked. "I mean, I have nice enough things I can wear, much better than what I was wearing when we all first met, but... nothing quite on that level."

Helena, curled up on the bed with her back gingerly against the wall, picked up the ends of her makeshift dress with the tips of her claws. "And I'm not going wearing this."

"Dress the best you can," Hugo said. "She'll live."

Matt bent down for his travelling pack. "Well, I could go ask if you can borrow one of Peach's dresses."

"Oh, no, I couldn't do that," Helena said. "I'm sure we can make something out of what we have. Alasea said she was going to help me tailor my clothing anyway."

Alasea nodded. "I already have a few ideas on how to tailor them," she replied. Might help me keep my mind off of it...

Matt tossed the pack over his shoulder. "I, uh...I guess I'll let you do that. Come on, Hugo." He turned towards the door. "I need someone to chatter with, and you're it."

"Keep in touch," Hugo reminded the girls before leaving the room along with Matt.

"Well, we better get started," Alasea said as the boys left. "Ileyna, would you like to help us?"

"Sure," she said, sitting up straighter in her seat upon being addressed.

Time passed and soon the dinner hour was close at hand. Matt made it a point to change out of his jacket for once...at least until he could get it washed. For now, though, he was borrowing a great, crisp brown blazer that the mushrooms somehow found. They assured him his jeans were fine, though, as long as they were clean. And they were, naturally.

A retainer led him into the dining room. Real long, just like the kind of dining room he'd expect in a swank castle. The walls were a reserved pink, but still WAY too much pink. Candles burned on the table and along the walls.

"Presenting Masters Matt and Hugo!" a mushroom dressed like a sharp butler announced as soon as Matt and Hugo walked in.

"Bear-E, cut it out," the other mushroom flanking the door said. "You're making a fool out of yourself again."

Princess Peach, sitting at the head of the table, rose from her chair. "There you are! Thank you for accepting my invitation."

"Well, it's not like I could refuse," Matt said. "That'd be rude." He noticed Mario and Luigi on each side of the table next to Peach, sitting next to their childish selves. And...they wore the exact same thing they were wearing today. Fantastic. This getup sure was worth putting together.

"Guess we didn't need to dress up," Alasea commented as she and the other two girls stepped in. She had changed out of her shirts and capri shorts into a nicer-looking shirt and longer skirt, but it was nothing truly suitable for a royal dinner. Ileyna, having little else, had stuck with her beret, bolero, and dress.

"Presenting Lady Alasea, Lady Ileyna, and..."

Bear-E's sentence died when Helena stepped into the room after Ileyna. She had discarded the sheet for a larger, looser version of her white sundress, her shoulders and arms covered by a light jacket. Even now her wings poked from the back, folded against her body. She glanced around the dining room until her eyes landed on Matt.

"...hi," she said.

"Hey," Matt replied. "Alasea did a good job on that."

"Yeah, she did." Helena beckoned with her claw. "Come on."

Alasea smiled a bit at the compliment and locked her arm around Helena's as they went to the table. Ileyna trailed behind them.

Dinner was...somewhat recognizable. There were meats and vegetables that mimicked foods Matt was familiar with. Still, no one bothered to try the Shyguy Surprise, and with a name like that, no wonder.

He popped a cut of steak in his mouth. "Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm," he said, doing his best to speak with his mouth closed. "This is a mighty fine steak. My compliments to the chef."

"We have over twenty chefs in the kitchen at all times," Princess Peach said. "Then there are the chefs in the cafe. They always do good work."

"I believe it."

Ileyna, meanwhile, mostly poked at her food, not really that hungry. Despite knowing better, Alasea refrained from admonishing the girl; she understood why she didn't really feel the drive to eat.

Helena stole a glance at Ileyna's untouched food while Matt kept the conversation going with one of his many tales of adventure.

"So then this monster just runs at me, right?" Matt said. "But I just sidestep and I'm like, 'see ya'! and the guy falls over into a portal I made on the ground. I didn't even TRIP him, he just fell all by himself! I think that portal took him to a dimension of fists and now he's getting punched for all eternity."

"I don't get it," one of the servants said.

"You'd have to have been there."

Princess Peach took a sip of whatever drink was in her goblet. She was way too nice for wine - bet it was water. "Oh, I almost forgot to ask you...are there any specific supplies you need before you head out tomorrow?"

"We're good as far as I can tell," Alasea said after a moment of thought. "We... still have everything R.D. owned and all the supplies he kept. I could use some fire flower seeds and some instructions on how to grow them, though."

God knows if she could use that kind of power, it could be a useful weapon against the monsters infesting her world.

Mario explained that he could easily give Alasea some fire flower seeds. All it took was water and time, just like normal flowers.

"I bet I can instant-grow 'em with my nature powers," Matt said. "Get 'em ready to use out of the box." He snapped his fingers suddenly. "I almost forgot. Princess, do you think you have anything Helena could borrow? Our current wardrobe's-"

Without looking up from her food, Helena banged the table. Loud.

Peach nodded slowly. "...I see. I'll ask my tailors. I'm sure they'll be able to create something for her."

Alasea was grateful for it, because as good as she had done tailoring the one outfit for Helena, it was a pain in the rear to make clothing that wouldn't shred during Helena's transformations. She'd have to cook something up with her powers should they return to her own world.

After dinner, Matt handed his plate to one of the servants so the little guy wouldn't have to fenangle up onto the table. Might as well do his part. "I really appreciate havin' us for dinner, Princess."

Peach smiled. "The pleasure was all mine." As she stood, two loyal servants pulled away her massive chair. "One more thing - tomorrow, before you leave, you should visit the professor. He told me he was working on a device that will help you in your journey."

"A device?" Alasea asked, looking surprised as she passed her plate off.

"He would only tell me that it was a surprise, and that it was something you'd find useful," Peach said.

"We'll take any kind of assistance we can get," Hugo said as Helena picked him up. "Take me back to the room, Helena. I'm powering down early tonight."

"Take Ileyna with you, too, please," Alasea asked, gently nudging the tired and depressed girl forward. She went easily enough, not really having the energy to see what surprise the Professor had for them.

"Okay." Helena took the girl's little hand inside her claw. "Come on, let's get you tucked in."

Matt decided not to go back to the room just yet. Instead he found himself back at the cafe, still open into the night for any servant working late. He ordered another cherry limeade and, when it came, immediately took out the limes and stirred the concoction.

The real problem now was that their group had become majorly weaker. R.D. was a big gun in their arsenal, and now that he was gone, jackasses like Re-Tuul and Malvettix were more free to run unopposed. He would have to take up the slack. Maybe develop some confusion strategies so they could...

...not now.

He looked around the cafe - deserted, save for the workers. Finishing off his limeade, he told them he would return, and left, making his way to the courtyard where a legion of stars spread out in the blackness above.

He found a bench to sit alone on, buried his face in his hands, and finally let himself sob.

Alasea had requested a private room to herself before turning in for the night, needing time to be alone with her thoughts and away from Matt, Hugo, Helena, and Ileyna. As the night dragged on, Alasea tossed and turned in bed, unable to succumb to sleep.

Groaning, she sat up and turned the nearby lamp on low, looking down at her lap. How am I supposed to get any sleep like this? she wondered, idly plucking at the nightgown she wore.

Silently, she slipped out from underneath the covers and pulled out a robe from the dimensional pocket in her purse, putting it on.

She slipped outside, onto the nearby balcony and looked up at the star-filled sky stretching out over the Mushroom Kingdom. A cold breeze swept past, tickling at her feet and causing the ends of her robes to flutter, but she ignored it. Instead, she leaned against the balcony railing, propping herself up on her arms as she stared ahead.

This wasn't something she could keep doing for too long. This war had only gone on for a couple months and already the losses were piling on too high.

"You're leaving your father, but you won't be alone. We will always be with you, dear."

Her mother had been the first victim, killed when the Dark Dragon tore open their house as it rampaged through her hometown. She had been thrown, panicked and confused, into the streets.

"I feel very fortunate, to have been your father."

And the world was falling apart. She saw neighbors, friends, all slaughtered by the beast. America fell, followed closely by the entire world, and now it was just the game board for two different, alien monsters vying against one another. She found her father and his people struggling to survive, but now... he was gone too.

"The Core's more important. Defeating Magister is more important. And with this bastard here, we can't accomplish that. Get to the portal. I'll hold him off."

Now R.D., one of her closest friends, possibly even more... now he was gone, too. Lost to the monsters perpetrating this bloody war.

The girl tried and failed to hold back a sob, and sank to her knees, burying her face in her arms on the railing.

"I can't take this anymore," she whispered, tears leaking from the clenched eyes, staining the sleeves of her robe. She sobbed again, and again.

"Please..."

The next morning, when the sun was barely up, Matt started waking everyone. Hugo only required a single tap - like always, it was enough to get the Mettaur to instantly power on.

Helena was a different story. She was curled up on the bed like always, but judging by the fact that her current form looked bigger and meaner, worse case scenario meant she'd try to claw his face off if he startled her. Matt settled for poking her once in the leg.

Helena lashed out with all limbs, her back straightening, and her head smashed into the wall. "OW!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Matt said. "Just trying to wake you up, didn't mean to startle you!" Helena growled, running a claw over her horns. "...anyway, where's Alasea?"

"She got a seperate room," Hugo reported. "She wanted to be alone."

"Fair enough." Matt reached out to the slumbering Ileyna and gently shook her shoulder. "Hey. Come on, time to wake up."

Grumbling, the girl's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up, rubbing at them. Drowsily, Ileyna looked about the room as she awakened.

After a few moments, the events of the previous day reasserted itself in the girl's mind, and her heart sank, having hoped it had all been a terrible dream.

"Yesterday... really happened, didn't it?" she asked, sounding heartbroken.

"Yeah. It did."

Matt sat down on the bed and gave Ileyna a warm hug. Completely out of nowhere. Surprised him a little, even.

"We'll be okay," he said.

The girl leaned into the hug, relaxing a bit at the comfort.

Matt let go and stood up. "All right, let's get this show on the road. Get dressed, I'll wake up Alasea." He left the room, making sure to close the door behind him, before walking in front of one of the adjacent doors. "Hey," he said, rapping on the door with his knuckle. "If you're not up yet, you should probably do so."

"I'm off today, gimme a break!" a very rough and grumpy voice replied.

"Oh, sorry!" Matt said. "Wrong room." He backed off. After all, the guy was off today, give him a break.

"Looking for me?" came the girl's voice a little ways off. Alasea stood in the hall, already dressed and ready to depart. R.D.'s satchel hung from her shoulder, and his ruined helmet was strapped down tightly behind it.

Alasea herself showed signs of having slept little, with rings under bloodshot, puffy eyes. Some of her hair hung down over her eyes. All in all, she looked like hell.

"Yeah." Avoiding any words of encouragement or leadership outside of that seemed tactless. He didn't want to be that much of an asshole. "Give us a minute - we're almost done."

Alasea nodded. "Take your time," was all she said.

Princess Peach made a big deal out of their departure. Matt had hoped she wouldn't, but didn't actually tell her not to. Still, it was uncomfortable after one of the retainers requested their presence when they were done preparing, and they found themselves in the throne room, facing Peach as she was flanked by members of her royal guard, lined up down the edges of the carpet. Not too long after they had entered the room, Mario and Luigi entered as well along with the babies, taking their places next to the group - they had been ordered to stand in their own, super-important looking line.

"I realize you must leave soon," said Peach, "but I did not want you to go without a more formal recognition of your efforts." She nodded at the elder of the Toadsworths, who stepped forward as she descended the throne. He opened the oak box he was carrying, revealing golden pendants shaped like stars attached to golden chains. "The Mushroom Kingdom officially recognizes you as heroes of the kingdom."