Ionia's Needle

[pullsneedles]

"Oh, it's so good to see you again! ♥ " Ionia says when Lucas and his friends arrive at her shell house on top of Mount Oriander. "You've finally, finally come. Lucas, you've always struck me as a bit of a crybaby, but you've grown so strong. ♥ Boney, you came all this way with him. Good boy! Shake."

The Magypsy offers a hand to the dog, who hesitates.

"Shake!" she insists. "...Oh, you don't know any tricks?"

Ionia shrugs and goes on her way.

"Let's see. This slightly plain-looking fellow. ...What was it again? Oh yes... Duster. I knew your name! I was only teasing, dearie! It's a pleasure to meet you, Duster! ♥ I know very well that your fate lies in helping cute li'l Lucas here."

Duster turns to give Lucas a nod while the boy shies away at being called cute and little.

"Kumatora, I've watched you since you were very little, but this is the prettiest you've ever been now. You're absolutely fabulous! ♥ "

Kumatora thumbs at her nose while Duster and Lucas contain their snickering.

"I know you might say, 'Cut that crap out,' but it's the truth!" Ionia tells her, punctuated with a giggle. "By the by, what's in that jar you have there? It looks easy-to-drop and easy-to-roll."

Lucas steps forward and gives her the jar of pickles.

"Ooh! Fabulous!" Ionia coos, accepting the gift. "My absolute favorite! Yummy Pickles! ♥ You brought them all the way here for me? Thank you! ♥" She sets them behind her and says, "These pickles will be the last thing I eat before I vanish... I'm going to really enjoy them! ♥ You don't need to say anything. I understand. Five Needles have been pulled now. Aeolia, Doria, Phrygia, Lydia, and Mixy. Tee-hee, I mean Mixolydia. They've all disappeared now that 'the time' has come. And now it's my turn. ♥ That leaves my own Needle in Chupichupyoi Temple and the one missing Needle... Now, adorable little Lucas, go to Chupichupyoi Temple. The temple is covered in vines frozen in time. You can't get inside with them as they are. You need to sprinkle these Waters of time on them. ♥"

The Magypsy presses a bottle into Lucas's hands. Suddenly at a loss for words, the boy nods his head.

*******************************************

"Stop this!"

When they arrive at the temple, the Pigmask Army was already there trying to break in. The Masked Man had thrown a bomb into the ramming clayman just before Lucas's outburst.

"You! What are you doing here?!" shouts the Pigmask Colonel before setting on them.

A quick fight later and the Masked Man approaches, looking Lucas over.

"You..." Lucas quietly says. "Who are you?"

The Masked Man responds by drawing his sword, summoning forth a bolt of lightning. Lucas instinctively curls in only to see the lightning volley back and hit the Masked Man. The boy stands, curious and looking over himself for any injury. The Courage Badge, cleaned and adorned with a bolt of lightning, seems to gleam.

"Are you all right?" Duster asks.

"'m fine," Lucas answers, tugging at his shirt a bit to better see the badge.

But he doesn't have long to look before the Masked Man attacks.

*******************************************

Lucas feels like it's taking longer and longer to recover from the rush of pulling a Needle, even if it's only the third one he's pulled. A pit sits in his heart when it dawns on him that Ionia is gone now.

One Needle left.

One Needle left and who knows what's going to happen?

But everyone is distracted by the sound of a car horn honking outside. Once they step out of the temple, they're greeted by the longest limousine any of them had ever seen and its chauffeur.

"Master Lucas, yes?"

Lucas cants his head slightly before giving a hesitant nod.

"Our great leader and new king of the entire world, Master Porky, cordially invites you to the greatest city in the entire world:

"New Pork City."