fly me to--

[moonsmile]

The crumbling stairs are a memory--remember, Nebbie, remember being Nebby, so small and afraid, remember when we fell?

The crumbling stairs are an adventure, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds up to a peak, leaving her breathing hard and aching at the top every time; even if the Ride Pokémon ever dared to drop her off at the Altar (and they never did), she would've told them to put her at the bottom anyway.

The crumbling stairs are beautiful, looking down from above.

That isn't why she's here.

There's a strange distortion in the air. It's deeper and louder than it's ever been.

An hour before, she said "Let's see how far we can go," Nebbie waving their wings and trilling agreement, and this is their fruit. She can see another world through the crack, fuzzy and different from the usual.

Nebbie appears flies into the sky without her prompting, singing, singing, and they sound like bells made of stars.

Moon traces her finger over Nebbie's Pokéball and thinks again: Let's see how far we can go.

Farewell, Altar of the Moone.

The world splits open, and she strides through, Nebbie her sky-blocking shadow.