Flipped (Super Paper Mario SWAP AU)

Flashback #2

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like to hold a cloud in your hand?" Blumiere asked. 

The two were teenagers now, sitting up in the meadow by the tree where they first met. 

Merlon and the executioner were talking at the bottom of the small hill, though neither Timpani nor Blumiere knew what about. They didn't really care anymore. 

These meetings happened about once a month now, and while Timpani used to be afraid of them, now they were one of the only things she looked forward to.

The sun was setting, turning the sky to a deep blue color, but the clouds remained fiery orange. They reminded Timpani of the legendary girl in orange from the books Merlon used to read her, only these were real. These were more than just legends.

Maybe the girl in orange was up there, waiting for her time.

Timpani would have liked to meet her someday. When she was younger, she would often imagine becoming friends with the girl in orange. 

She didn't need imaginary friends anymore, though. She had Blumiere.

"It would probably feel cold and wet," Timpani answered. "I mean, clouds are made of water, right?"

"Really?" Blumiere asked. "I always thought they were made of warm cotton, but thicker. Like, the stuff that's inside my pillow!"

"Feathers?" Timpani hummed.

"Wait, you guys have feathers in your pillows?!"

"You don't?!"

The two quietly laughed as the sky continued to darker, revealing thousands of glowing stars. Merlon always loved the stars, he could never stop talking about them. Timpani had usually felt indifferent to them because they were just another part of life, only tonight they seemed more beautiful.

It was winter, so the air was cold. But she didn't feel cold, oddly enough. Aside from a few still-glowing clouds, the sky was clear.

"You guys get so many stars," Blumiere breathed. "They're so pretty..."

"Do they not shine over your village?" Timpani asked.

"No. We just get the moon," he breathed.

"The moon?"

"Yeah! It's like a star, but smaller. Well, it looks bigger, but my dad says it only looks bigger because it's closer. In reality, stars are so much more than the moon could ever hope to be," he explained. "My dad really likes the moon anyway, though. Because it's big to us. Sometimes, he says it shines over my tribe because it's the only one brave enough to share light with us too. Someday, I want to go to the moon, but he says that's impossible."

Timpani quietly laughed to herself, covering her mouth.

"And what do you say?" she asked.

"I say the impossible is possible," Blumiere chimed. He laid back and placed his arms behind his head. He smiled softly at the stars. "I mean, look at us! We shouldn't be friends, but we are. We're proof that anything can happen!"

Timpani laughed again, then moved next to him. In the summertime, the tree branches would completely obscure their view of the sky from under that tree, but it was winter so all the lush, green leaves were gone.

"Merlon really loves the stars," she breathed. "He's talked about sharing them with you guys for years. It's his dream. To unite us all. He thinks we've been apart long enough and that fear is what keeps the world from moving forward."

"That's a beautiful dream," Blumiere smiled.

"Yeah..." Timpani trailed off. She placed her hands over her stomach so she could feel each and every breath she took. "I really hope it works out. He's the closest thing I have to a dad. He's kind, caring, and he deserves to see his dream come to life."