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For the first time since the land split apart, Connie had really gotten the sense that things were going to be okay.
Maybe better than okay.
She was still riding the giddy, lighter-than-air sensation of restoring another Great Lighthouse; the feeling of pure joy coursing through her as she put her Wattanist training to use, a power and strength she had never known she had being realized as she lovingly coaxed the lost light to awaken. As the Connectar’s flow returned, she felt closer than ever to Concordia and her fellow people—most of all, to her beloved mentor, who had taught her everything she knew. When she closed her eyes, she could picture the tender and happy expression of approval that would be on Miss Cozette’s face if she were there to see it.
Her heart had soared even more as Mario and Luigi cheered for her, affectionately lifting her into the air and beaming at her like—like they were proud of her, like she was a hero. Her delighted and astonished laughter had bubbled up along with a deep gratitude for the remarkable brothers. Where would she be if they hadn’t appeared that unexpectedly fateful day? They had made it possible for her to be here, realizing her full potential. Because of them, she had finally allowed herself to really, honestly believe that her homeland would be restored.
Those were the thoughts that remained with her as she—along with Arc, who had given them all an exuberant welcome—excitedly conversed with them back on Shipshape, determining what their next move would be after they’d had a chance for some well-earned rest. Scaling the Great Lighthouse had required tedious work and increasingly risky battles for the brothers, but though they showed slight signs of weariness, their eyes and voices were alight with that joyful energy that seemed to characterize them. Connie always felt somehow warmer and stronger just by being around the two of them, like maybe things weren’t quite as bad as they seemed—or, if they were, at least that didn’t mean you had to let it get you down.
“I was watching when you guys got the Great Lighthouse connected! It’s amazing!” Arc enthused, his eyes sparkling as if he were still seeing it at that moment. “That blaze of light when the Uni-Tree carves a new path on the ocean…there’s nothing like it!”
Mario smiled at him. “You should see what it’s like in person when our Connie brings the lighthouse to life. Mamma-mia, now that’s something amazing!”
“Oh, yeah!” Luigi was quick to nod his agreement. “She says her special Wattanist words, and gets all float-y and shiny, and—well, it gets kinda bright to look at, a little too bright—but really cool.” Snoutlet, popping out from the comfy hideaway of Luigi’s cap, squealed his enthusiastic confirmation with a fond smile towards Connie.
The little Wattanist could only clasp her hands and giggle with modest pleasure at her friends’ sincere words. Arc was beaming at her now, too. “I’d love to get to see it,” he said. “Thanks to you, Connie, and with Mario and Luigi on the case, I just know we’re gonna see Concordia back together in no time!” He tipped his sailor’s hat to them all as he trotted a short distance off to resume his view of the sea, leaving the others to continue conversing cheerfully.
And that was when everything started to fall apart.
Again.
“Wait…what is that?” Connie’s tone shifted to one of wary incredulity as she peered into the sky, drawing the others’ attention in the same direction. They all ran to the island’s edge for a better look, Arc quickly joining them. What they saw brought a swift end to the lighthearted conversation.
They had entered the intense purple waters of the Gulchrock Sea. Far above the island, but steadily drawing nearer and clearer into view, great dark masses as well as countless tiny shapes were silhouetted against the glowing violet sky. The area around them was filled with rapid, explosive flashes and puffs of smoke. The closer they came, the more obvious it was that they were witnessing a raging battle in the skies.
With a jolt of movement, seeming to have taken a hit, one shape split off from the others and hovered dizzily above them, closer than the rest. Connie could glimpse a fierce, hulking form within some sort of compact airship. Then the figure turned in their direction, revealing his face.
“Bowser.” The brothers spoke at once, their voices low with surprise and dismay.
“Bowser?” Connie repeated in a high-pitched whisper, almost a squeak. By this point she had heard several stories about the menacing Koopa king from Mario and Luigi’s world, enough to know that this couldn’t be good. A major source of trouble to the Mushroom Kingdom, he could be begrudgingly cooperative on occasion but was overall impetuous, stubborn and dangerous. Of course he’d never been a match for the brothers in the end, but he did have the higher ground at this particular moment…and now he appeared to be looking straight at them, eyes widening and narrowing in turns as he identified just what, or who, he was looking at.
Upon doing so, he reared back and let out a furious growl that could probably be heard for a mile in every direction.
Connie shuddered at the ferocity of the sound. She could tell from one look at the grave, knowing tension on Mario’s face—and the open panic on Luigi’s—that this meant serious trouble. She floundered, everything in her wanting to run but feeling inexplicably rooted to the spot.
In another moment the decision was made for her. Bowser had called forth the attention of his troops and, with a decisive point in their direction, ordered them to fire straight at Shipshape!
The sight of a cannonball growing larger and larger as it headed right for them was terrifyingly mesmerizing, like a train wreck that doomed you to stare until the bitter end. Mario’s imperative injunction to run! snapped Connie out of the trance just in time, and her feet began moving of their own accord, hardly knowing where they were going. The group scattered, narrowly avoiding the impact with its terrible crash as it lodged into the earth where they’d been standing.
Shipshape rocked with cannon fire as the shots came faster. The air was filled with the panicked shouts of folks fleeing for cover, repeatedly masked by one deafening boom after another that you could somehow feel in your chest. Connie was running alongside Arc, trying desperately to avoid the erratic tirade, when another direct hit lurched through the island and sent them both sprawling. She squeaked in dazed surprise, all the while the warning bell in her mind chiming out get up get get up! Her limbs didn’t seem to want to obey her.
In the next moment she was aware of strong arms wrapping around her, lifting her. She opened her eyes and blinked, startled to see the ground rushing below her at a dizzying pace. Then she managed to twist herself around enough to catch a glimpse of Mario’s determined face above her, dark brows furrowed. He had picked her up and was holding her close to his side. Tears of gratitude prickling at her vision, she looked over and saw Luigi carrying Arc in the same way, the fear in his face overshadowed by his willingness to protect the boy. A memory floated vaguely through her mind, something Arc had mentioned about Luigi’s mustache reminding him of his missing father.
Suddenly her senses snapped back to attention. A round, telltale shadow had appeared around the group. And it was definitely getting bigger.
Connie opened her mouth to warn the brothers, but their boots had skidded to a stop; they had already seen it, but too late. She took a frantic look at their faces and saw sheer desperation there. The sight made her heart sick. Unable to do anything else, she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable impact.
But it never came. The next thing she knew, she and Arc were both flying through the air back the way they’d come, hitting the ground with an unceremonious thud. The wind was knocked out of her, and for a moment she simply stayed there, trying to process what had just happened…until a final, shuddering crash from behind brought her to reality.
Mario and Luigi had thrown them out of harm’s way. They hadn’t had time to run, but they’d made sure their friends would be safe. That meant—oh no—Mario and Luigi—!
The two children looked up just in time to see their heroes being thrown from the ship by the unavoidable impact.
There was a terrible, disbelieving moment before Connie let out an anguished cry. She ran to the island’s edge, Arc close behind her, to peer down into the waters where they’d fallen. Their bright clothes would be easy to identify, but not a trace of them could be seen. She barely even registered that the barrage had ceased, as if it had now achieved its awful purpose. The two looked at each other in despair.
“Come on.” Arc dashed towards the rear of the island, where they’d have a better look at the waters that trailed swiftly behind them. Connie followed, and the two resumed searching.
“I—I don’t see them,” she said, her voice small and thin. “Arc, can you—?”
The fear on her friend’s face was a mirror of her own. Connie twisted her hands in anxious silence as he pulled out his telescope, fumbling with it slightly, and searched the deep, roiling waves in every direction. He stayed that way for a long time, unwilling to admit defeat, but finally he lowered it slowly and shook his head, though his eyes remained fixed. “Connie, I—I can’t see them anywhere,” he said helplessly. “Maybe they ended up in a different current? These waters are so strong…”
Connie rose to her feet and let her gaze rove around her, taking in the devastation of her beloved Shipshape Island. The terrain was littered with the craters of cannon fire, wreathed in smoke. Toads and Concordians hesitantly crawled out of hiding places to assess the damage. Many still trembled with fear and exertion from fleeing the unexpected attack. Some were crying.
A sudden chorus of shouts pulled at her attention, and she turned to see the source. Several people were pointing in dismay toward the group of islands that trailed behind Shipshape, linked by Connectar.
“Oh, no.” She was dimly aware of Arc’s voice beside her. Two islands—Twistee and Heatfreeze, by the looks of it—had had their connections knocked loose by the attack and were steadily drifting away.
That was how Connie felt on the inside at that moment. Like the ties to her hope and confidence had just been severed. Alone. Adrift.
As if in a dream—or more like a nightmare—Connie turned back to face the sea. Shipshape, where she’d once been all alone, had experienced new life as the many islands were connected. More and more people had flocked there as a beacon of hope and community, folks who were excited about what was happening and wanted to be at the center of it, not missing a thing. Joining together after their long separation and buoyed by the same purpose of seeing the land restored.
Mario and Luigi had made that possible. Everything had changed since they’d shown up in Concordia and devoted themselves to saving it as if it were their home—even as they longed to be able to return to their own world.
What if they were never able to do either one?
“No!”
Despondent, Connie fell to her knees. She buried her face in her hands and wept—for Mario and Luigi, for Shipshape, for the severed islands, for Concordia. It was bad enough that their quest’s chances of success would likely plummet without the brothers’ help, but the possibility of never seeing their kind, happy faces again filled her with sadness. Where would the sea take them? Had they been badly hurt? What if Bowser or even Zokket found them? She had worried about them before, but this was different. They were at the mercy of the currents and they’d had no preparation or warning, not even a chance to regain their strength. Another pang stabbed through her heart when she realized that poor Snoutlet was with them, too. She could only pray that Luigi’s cap would provide a buffer of safety for their little companion.
“Connie…it’ll be alright,” Arc worriedly pleaded. “I’m sure we can fix this somehow.” When the distraught girl didn’t respond, he knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to think of something to help her. “You’ve got to be brave, like…like how you must feel when you restore a Great Lighthouse!”
When she still didn’t answer right away, he waited in patient silence, giving her time to pour out her feelings. Connie tried to remember the confidence that had flooded through her only a short time ago, that wonderful feather-light and hope-filled sensation, but now it was like a distant memory just out of her grasp.
“I’m sorry,” she said brokenly. “I, I can’t. Everything’s all wrong…what will happen to us? What will happen—to poor Mario and Luigi?” Her voice broke on another sob, like waves bursting against rock. “We didn’t even—have the chance to thank them—for saving us. What if—we never see them again?”
Arc leapt to his feet with a sudden vehemence that startled her, causing her to look up at him through her tears. His hands had curled at his sides, his face was almost fierce.
“No! We can’t think that way,” he cried. “My dad said that if we lose heart, we really are done for. He said we have to keep going. No matter what. Mario and Luigi always keep going! That’s why I know they’ll come back.” His voice shook slightly, taught with emotion. “So will my dad. And your teacher, Connie. We can’t give up on them…we have to believe they’ll come back.”
Connie stared at him. “Arc…do you really think…?”
There was a pause, and at last he smiled at her, his familiar happy smile. “Aye, Cap’n. I do.” He offered his hand to help her up.
She couldn’t help but smile a bit in return at the moniker. She took his hand and stood up a bit shakily, exhausted from everything that had happened and her long cry, but on the inside she could feel strength returning. She felt better for letting her emotions run their course, and that had cleared the way for Arc’s words to penetrate, bolstering her with their simple courage and sincerity. Just a moment ago, she’d been too afraid to keep hoping. Now she felt ready to try again.
Overwhelmed with wordless gratitude and a mixture of emotions, lingering worry for their friends mingled with rising hope, she threw her arms around him and hugged him hard. She needed more than anything to feel close to someone, to have the stability and support of a friend in that moment. She realized for the first time that she’d become closer to him than anyone else on this island.
Recovering from surprise, Arc carefully put his own arms around her with boyish awkwardness. After a moment he managed to overcome his embarrassment and return the hug fully, both giving and receiving much-needed warmth and comfort, like clinging to a life ring in a stormy sea.
When they drew apart, they laughed a little, realizing how much they’d both needed that. “I haven’t had a hug since…before the land split apart. Since Miss Cozette…” Connie trailed off as she remembered her mentor’s warm and supportive hugs, which she’d needed more than ever when Cozette was no longer there to give them. She tried to wipe at the straggling tears on her face with the back of her hand.
“Yeah…I haven’t had once since my dad…I remembered it just now. He gave me a really long hug, before he sent me out to sea.” Arc swallowed, seeming to be struggling within himself. He noticed Connie’s struggle to dry her tears and held up a hand. “Wait.” Reaching up, he unfastened the sailor’s tie he always wore and held it out to her. “Here. Use this.”
She looked at it for a moment in surprise before gratefully accepting it. “Thank you, Arc.” And she meant it. For everything.
“It’s nothing.” As she gently dabbed at her face with the silky white material, Arc looked at the ground with uncharacteristic shyness, yet seemed pleased with himself.
Then Connie gasped. “Oh, my goodness! How long have we been talking here? We need to make sure everyone on Shipshape is okay!”
Arc smiled, seeing that she had moved past her despondency. “That’s what makes you a great Wattanist, Connie. You’re always taking care of things, whether it’s plants or people.”
She blushed at that picture of herself. “I’m just doing my job. It’s what Miss Cozette taught me to do.”
He nodded. “It’s what Mario and Luigi would want us to do, too. They wouldn’t want us worrying. Come on, let’s try and get things cleaned up so they won’t have so much to deal with when they get back.”
She smiled. He’d said when, not if. She determined to follow his lead. “Right. Let’s go!”
…..
Hours later, Connie awoke from a light and uneasy slumber. She blinked at the hazy, purplish sky, wondering vaguely what time it was. The atmosphere of Gulchrock made it difficult to tell, but she guessed it must be approaching dawn.
She stayed on her bed for a while, her mind going back over everything that happened since the attack. It had taken longer than expected to examine the full extent of the damage. Still, by working together, they’d managed to clear some of the worst debris and verify that everyone was safe and accounted for by nightfall.
Almost everyone. She shook away the unbidden thought, reminding herself that worrying wouldn’t help. All she could do was pray that her friends were safe and keep looking after things here, as she always had. Still, she couldn’t keep herself from wondering where they were, if they were unharmed, if they’d had enough to eat or somewhere safe to rest. After an hour of poring over the ocean map, examining the surrounding currents, Arc had set Shipshape on the course he thought most likely to take them in the brothers’ direction. There was little else they could do.
There was no chance of her going back to sleep. She would’ve been getting up soon anyway, so she sat up and swung her feet over the side of the bed, deciding to get an early start on fixing whatever they could today. Moving to the water pitcher on the table beside her, she poured some into a bowl and splashed her face, letting the cold wake up her senses. Then she picked up her watering can, enjoying the familiar feeling of its weight in her hands, and began watering the colorful flowers around the Uni-Tree.
Connie sang softly under her breath as she went about the task, grateful that these lovely blossoms had been spared in the attack. She made sure to be quiet, as several people slept in or near the island plaza. It was common for folks to stay overnight on Shipshape, particularly the Toads and others who were a more permanent fixture around the place, but usually a fair amount of Concordians went home to their own islands at night. Now that Twistee and Heatfreeze were disconnected, however, visitors from those islands were unable to return, and so more people had spent the night on Shipshape than usual.
It lifted Connie’s heart to remember how everyone had come together to help each other. Some people had offered invitations for stranded folk to be their houseguests; others went home and came back with extra bedding or food to share with those remaining. Everyone was remembering what it meant to be connected as a community, and to nourish that connection, even with those they had only just met or didn’t really know at all.
She felt a bit more melancholy, though, when she remembered telling Princess Peach and the rest of the IDLE crew about what had happened. They had just returned from a brief expedition to find everything thrown into chaos, an understandable shock. Peach had been none too pleased to find out that Bowser was in this world, too, expressing her anger at his impetuous actions and her compassion for the stranded islanders.
The hardest part had been breaking the news about Mario and Luigi. Connie and Arc had started by explaining how the brothers had rescued them, which made the princess smile. “That sounds just like those two,” she’d said warmly.
Upon learning about the two being lost at sea, however, she’d visibly paled. It had taken her a moment to respond, and the tense way she’d clasped her gloved hands seemed like an attempt at composure. When she did speak, however, it was to advise them not to worry, citing how well she knew the brothers could handle themselves, especially as long as they were together. There was a conviction in her voice that showed she believed what she was saying, but it couldn’t erase the concern that troubled her blue eyes. It wasn’t surprising, as anyone could see how dear the brothers were to her.
The group hadn’t been on Shipshape long before they’d set back out on an emergency mission to locate the drifting islands. Connie had a feeling that their haste could be partly attributed to Peach’s desire to look for her friends, as well. It must be easier for her to be out there doing something rather than waiting and worrying.
Connie suddenly realized she’d been standing motionless for some time, lost in thought, watering can still in hand. She shook her head and set it down. How would she ever focus on doing what needed to be done today? Maybe some time on the beach would help clear her mind.
She made her way carefully through the slowly lifting darkness, taking the sloped path that led down to the small beach. She stopped short when her eyes were drawn to a familiar spot of blue. Someone had had the same idea she did.
“Arc?”
The boy turned his head, seemingly caught by surprise. He made a small and lonely-looking figure sitting on the beach, facing the sea. For a second, Connie thought she saw something sparkling in his eyes.
Arc hurriedly ran a hand over his face. “Connie? I didn’t think anyone else would be up. Did I wake you?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t get back to sleep.”
“Oh. Me, neither.”
“Oh.” A pause. “May I join you?”
He seemed to think about it and then nodded. “I’d like that.”
Her small steps pressed softy in the pale sand, closing the short distance as she lowered herself beside him.
The sky was still dark, but a dull radiance brewed there. It would have been silent but for the deep purple tides that rose and fell, foaming like gossamer at their feet. Arc had taught her once that if you listened carefully, the sounds were slightly different between seas. Her ears weren’t as finely tuned as his, but she thought she was getting better. Gulchrock waters had a deep, resounding quality, more substantial than the clear and almost crystalline notes of the Brrning Sea they’d left behind.
“This is where we first met you,” Connie found herself saying, “when you washed up in that capsule.”
Arc looked up, as if waking from a dream. “Yeah. I guess it is.”
She remembered beholding the strange metal capsule with wary curiosity. At first she’d been suspicious of some scheme by Zokket, but that had quickly given way to concern for the castaway sealed within. Her heart filled with compassion again just thinking about it.
“You must have been really scared, weren’t you?”
He let out a shaky chuckle. “Honestly, Connie? I was terrified. I could barely think of anything but getting out of there, and I didn’t know why I was there in the first place.”
Arc was one of the bravest people she knew, but it was clear what a traumatic experience being abducted by Zokket’s forces had been for him. The fact that he was still recovering his memories of it was proof enough of that.
“But then,” Arc’s voice came again suddenly, and he began to smile, “I heard kind voices, voices of people who cared about me and wanted to help even though they didn’t know me. I haven’t forgotten how much you stayed and talked to me while I was stuck in there.”
“Of course!” said Connie feelingly. “I couldn’t just leave someone alone in the dark. I knew how scared I would be if it were me.”
“I was grateful. I still am,” he said, meaning it. “I’ll admit, I got a little nervous again with those hammers. But then the first things I saw when I got free were Mario and Luigi, and everyone’s friendly faces…at first, when I remembered Dad, I wanted so badly to still be with him, but…” Arc squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and they were shining again when he opened them. “I had to trust that he knew what was best when he sent me away. Maybe he even saved my life. I just…I wish I knew whether…”
Even though the catch in his voice was making her want to cry again, Connie steeled her resolve and put a hand on his shoulder. “It must have been hard for him to do that. He’ll be so proud when he hears about your bravery and how much you’ve helped us, Arc,” she said, careful to use when instead of if. He had done that for her, and she would return the favor. Now she hesitated. “You really miss your dad, don’t you.” It was a statement, not a question, but she waited for him to confirm it.
There was a pause before he simply nodded, as if not trusting himself to speak.
“How come you’ve never talked about it much?” Connie asked gently.
He seemed to consider that. “I…I guess I just thought it wouldn’t help anything…” he removed his telescope and began turning it in his hands absently. “Getting down about it…it almost seemed like letting him down, since he told me not to give up. Besides,” he cleared his throat and gave her a wobbly smile, “everyone around here’s got enough troubles without me bringing them down, too.”
“Oh, Arc.” She shook her head emphatically. “You’d never let your dad or anyone down. Having hope doesn’t mean you don’t still have feelings. And, after all,” she said, thinking of the way she’d seen people draw together through the tragedies they faced, “being honest about the way we feel, and letting others help us…isn’t that what makes our Bonds truly strong?”
He stared at her in thoughtful surprise. “I—I never thought of it quite that way. But it’s true…Connie…thank you.” The brightness of his confident features returned when he began to smile, even as he allowed a tear to escape unchecked down his cheek. He laughed, a happy, relieved sort of sound.
The Wattanist smiled back, feeling a confidence of her own. She had managed to bring back his light, just as she had with the Great Lighthouse. A light that had helped guide everyone on their shared mission with its enthusiasm and cheer.
She took one of his hands, like an anchor securing a drifting ship on the sea. “Even though it’s hard being apart from your dad, I’m so glad you came here,” she said sincerely.
“Me, too.” He grinned, taking her other hand with his free one. “There’s a lot more work to be done around here, after all. So let’s make everyone proud!”
Connie laughed with delight and nodded her agreement. They stayed that way a moment, the purple dawn growing bright around them as if to reflect the lightness they felt within. Soon Shipshape would spring to life as a new day began.
Suddenly Arc leaned his head to the side, listening. “Wait…can you feel that?”
She paused and became aware of a slight shift in the atmosphere, a sort of zing that charged the air as if in anticipation, putting her senses on alert. She could even hear the trees and bushes rustling in an unusual, almost restless way.
It was not an unfamiliar sensation. They had experienced it countless times onboard Shipshape, and it always meant the same thing.
The two looked sharply at one another at the same time, their faces registering the same surprise and wonder. Another sound could be heard now, a wonderful wind borne sound that steadily increased in volume and proximity.
“This—this is just like when an island is connected to the lighthouse!” gasped Connie.
Arc nodded, dazed. “But…that would mean…”
An unmistakable burst of light shot through the sky on a direct course for Shipshape, lighting up the atmosphere before fizzling out into the dawn. The Uni-Tree could be heard creaking and shifting in response to the sudden influx of energy. Above the beach, groggy and amazed voices were filling the newborn morning, and the snatches the children overheard confirmed their mounting hopes.
Connie clasped her hands in sheer joy. “Mario—!”
“—and Luigi!” Arc finished, grinning.
In seconds they were flying up the path to welcome their heroes, their friends. And Connie knew something deep within herself; that no matter how bleak things got, no matter what happened from this point on, she’d have the strength to face it.
She had friends by her side. And in her heart.