Goodbye Gig

"...And so, the grand opening of the new Museum Exhibit is complete!" Blathers announced, gesturing to the ribbon strung across the entrance of his beloved Museum with a strong sense of pride.

It had been a full week since the town had been sent away on their free holiday, and what a holiday it had been! Dodo airlines had spared no expense and took the townsfolk to not one, not two but three separate islands.

The first two islands had been a rare flower island and a large pond island, giving the varying group members enough variety for all of them to enjoy themselves doing fishing, running or sleeping. Flora had expressed a lot of excitement as they boarded the plane to the final island, hoping for a night time waterfall visit to end a perfect evening away.

"Hopefully its got nothing to do with spiders..." Tom shivered, still a little sore from the bites he had received on his travels.

Flora was sadly quite far off the mark, and instead the five of them spent a solid hour running away from what can only be described as a 'insect nightmare'. Though the others managed to evade their exoskeletal attackers, the poor cat had not been so lucky, and instead spent the whole trip back nursing his itchy bites.

"Maybe he's showing off some of the fish you caught?" Mira chirped up, successfully cheering up the sorely sullen cat before looking back and scanning the rest of the town. "That or maybe it's just getting a makeover like the rest of the town?"

When they had arrived back a lot had changed around the town. The first thing they had noticed was the distinct smell of bleach and fires in the distance. Even from the landing port at the bottom of the island the scent was almost overwhelming, especially for those with more sensitive senses of smell.

"Well Tom Nook did say something like that when we came back..." Del mused, doing his best to hide his curiosity and restrain himself from rushing through to see what was new.

After fighting through the nasal assault, they made their way back to the Town Hall in order to both thank and complain to Isabelle for the simultaneously incredible and horrible trip they had received. To their surprise, the area around the Town Hall and Nook's Cranny was completely shut off, with Timmy and Tommy directing them away and a long caution ribbon running around the area.

"Yeah, Tom said everything was becoming new!" Flora agreed with a smile, happily finding herself closer to the crocodile and cat after their shared experience.

Despite several warnings, curiosity had gotten the better of the villagers, and they had eventually pushed through to see what was happening in their town. What they found in the centre was a mess; red 'paint' everywhere, holes all over the place and little chunks of things they had never seen before strewn as far as the eye could see. Upon their entrance, Tom Nook had hurried over with a concerned look and shushed them away, telling them it was a secret renovation and that the town was getting an update for a big event.

"I wonder if he will be here today..." Boomer sighed, his flippers tracing over his new aviator goggles in wonder.

While the others had accepted his word and went back to their homes with no complaints, the normally passive penguin had stayed for further questions, all pertaining to a certain new villager that he was worried about.

A week on, and there had still been no word on Mr Doom or VEGA.

Isabelle stepped out from the crowd, barely able to contain her excitement. Pulling some oversized scissors from her pocket, which were easily twice her size, she snipped the ribbon as regally as she could. "I now declare the new part of the Museum open! Welcome all...to the Doomed Travellers section!"

The town folk all cheered and clapped, before rushing forward through the doorway, past the hall and to the brand-new section of the building.

As they did, Tom Nook strolled over to Blathers with a tired smile. "I'm glad the moles were able to get it done in time."

The owl mirrored the weary look with his own. "They worked hard, though I'm surprised they helped us after what happened to Resetti."

"I'm not." Tom sighed, rubbing his shoulders with his paws. "They probably had to hear his speeches on a daily basis. If anything, his passing was probably why they gave us such a discount on the building."

"Can I...?" Isabelle started, but the two simply nodded in answer to the question she was about to ask. "Thank youuuuuuuu!" She called, running after the group to catch up.

"And you guys should be equally proud for your efforts." Tom said, nodding to the Able sisters. "Without the two of you, none of this would have been possible."

"A-Any time!" Sable replied, blushing furiously. "W-W are done with the other designs...if you...want to see...?"

The tanuki looked at her and shot her a genuine smile. "Absolutely; I'd love to get a sneak peek before we put them up around town. Plus, it would be nice to talk to you properly for a change; its been a while since we've caught up."

Along with helping Tom and Isabelle with the clean-up in the aftermath of the 'waving contest', the sisters had worked tirelessly to reproduce all of the patterns VEGA had requested from them. Soon enough the town would be awash with enough anti-demonic symbols to ward off even the Icon of Sin itself.

"In that case, would you mind showing me around the exhibit while they head off?" Mabel asked Blathers, shooting her sister a sly wink and taking the curator wing in paw, being extra careful not to skewer him with her quills.

"Of course!" The owl cawed happily, leading her forward to knowledge and leaving behind the childhood friends to catch up and reacquaint properly.

Blathers walked her through the entrance, along the hallway and into the gigantic open room of the new exhibit. The two of them had seen it in varying stages of completion, but had purposely stopped themselves from sneaking a look in the final day of construction so that they could enjoy the surprise along with the rest of the town.

"It's so creepy!" Mira exclaimed, pointing at the withered humanoid statue in front of her. "It looks like something out of a ghost story!"

"What about this one?" Tom pointed upwards, directing their gaze to the hanging model of a very large, round mono-eyed creature with red skin and an angry look. "Him and his rockier twin over there look like balloons! It's weird...but also kind of cool."

Flora shuddered as they turned the corner to find one of the exhibits in a fierce jumping motion, armoured muscles glistening from its new polish. "Ohh, I think I may be seeing this one in my dreams later."

Right on cue, a camouflaged menace sprung out at them, decloaking and giving a mechanic screech to scare the villagers all back to their senses. From behind, Blathers couldn't help but chuckle at them whilst simultaneously marvel at the technology before him. He'd never thought of making interacting exhibits in this way before, and so far, he was completely converted.

"H-Hey..." Del said shakily, trying to keep his cool as best he could. "That pink thing over t-there looks a bit like one of the rhinos we saw on holiday last year."

"Y-Yeah!" Mira chimed in, walking up to its strange body and cautiously petting it. When the statue didn't respond, she placed her hand confidently on it and signalled the others to come forward. "Ohh! Come and check out the last few ones.!"

"Woah...that guy has some stylish horns." Boomer gasped, looking at the towering final figures at the end of the room. "I mean, the robed one was cool, and the red one with the green eyes has some potential...but I think he is my favourite."

Mabel couldn't help but sneak a quick grin. They were too enamoured by the 'final' display to notice the huge curtain at the back, and as they circled round the final sculptures, she grabbed her Shih Tzu partner and ran behind the cloth to announce the final surprise.

"WE HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED THE BOLD NEW EXHIBIT; DOOMED EARTH!" She called out over the announcer, and the town members all spun to locate where the voice was coming from. "FOR OUR NEXT SURPRISE, I WILL INTRODUCE OUR NEW MUSEUM CURATOR..."

"New...curator?!" Boomer gasped, taking deep breaths to try and slow his heart. Though he was still missing his friend, the day so far had been nothing short of action packed for him, and his sleepy body was struggling to keep up.

"Hello again everyone."

"VEGA?!" The town cried out in shock, before pausing for a minute and shouting "VEGA!" again in a much happier tone.

"Indeed, I have returned. Sorry to keep you waiting." The AI's circuits smiled, and the lights dotted around the exhibit flashed in an enticing display of technicolour. "As of right now, I will be officially starting my new role here assisting Blathers. I look forward to the time we will be spending together."

"As will I!" The owl smiled in response, failing to contain his happiness. After he had recovered from the noises of the battle, which was well after most of it had been cleaned up, he and the AI had had plenty of opportunities to discuss future prospects. As two beings seeking to both provide existing knowledge and discover new findings about the world, it was hard for him not to offer to take his new friend on. This new exhibit was something the two of them had come up with together with those thoughts in mind, and they had spent the week planning and bringing it to life.

Of course, VEGA had initially rejected the advances, albeit reluctantly. As much as his thoughts mirrored the curator's, his duty was first and foremost to humanity. Only when they had been saved from the demonic threats completely could he retire to a quiet life.

"OUR NEXT SURPRISE IS BEING DELIVERED BY A VERY SPECIAL GUEST, WHO'S COME ALL THE WAY FROM A WORLD CLASS MUSICIAN!"

Tom's jaw hit the floor. "No...no way it can't be...!"

"THAT'S RIGHT; I AM SUPER DUPER EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE ARRIVAL OF NONE OTHER THAN K. K. SLIDER!" Isabelle roared, and the curtains parted slightly to reveal the Jack Russell holding his signature guitar.

"Hey there villagers, how are you?" He called out in a powerful yet chilled out voice.

Naturally the crowd went wild, with the five of them cheering and roaring. Mabel and Isabelle couldn't help but join in too from the side-lines, with Isabelle forgetting herself and running out to join him.

"K.K. you're my biggest idol and I love your work!" She told him, stars in her eyes and heart in her hands.

The dog responded coolly by taking her hands and shaking them. "Thanks for your support, and thanks for inviting me here today." He turned to face the crowd and shot them a smile. "I'm ashamed to say I hadn't heard of this place until the other day, but when I heard the story of what had happened to this town in the past few weeks...man I was shook"

"Keep it vague." VEGA whispered in his ear, and the dog nodded in acknowledgment. During the week the AI had contacted him using one of Tom's communication systems and told him the story. Though they'd offered him money to come, the dog had turned them down in try K.K. style, stating that the only thing he wanted was the chance to spread his music.

"But through it all you've got here now, and with this beautiful exhibit to prove it!" He continued, tactfully dancing around the fact that they were standing in a monument to the greatest battle to ever take place in New Horizons.

"WE LOVE YOU K.K.!" Tom cried out, completely oblivious to that fact.

"I love you too man." He laughed back, and the cat almost fainted on the spot. "Now, before I get to singing, I have one more job to do. Who hear remembers Mr Doom?"

All of their hands went up at once.

"He was the big guy who was good at digging up fossils."

"He did that weird thing with his legs to cross the rivers, but he wasn't so bad."

"He was really generous and kind to the museum, though he kept saying my name..."

"He was really cool about fishing and I STILL LOVE YOU K.K.!"

"He was...my friend." Boomer finished with a sad smile. "Wish I could see him again."

K.K. took a deep breath. "Well buddy..." The curtains sprung open and the lights shone down, revealing none other than a fully armoured and operational Doomguy. "...now's your last chance."

"HEY BUDDY!" The Slayer boomed, throat scratching uncomfortably from the overuse of his vocal chords. "GOOD TO SEE YOU!"

Boomer's eyes lit up, along with the rest of the town. "Mr Doom! Where have you been?"

"...BUSY..." He replied, thankful that his visor was still opaque for the most part.

What a week it had been for him.

As soon as the portals had shut, he passed out from fatigue. VEGA had managed to call the villagers nearby to help carry his body to Tom's shop for emergency treatment, and despite his hulking mass of muscle they completed their task with relative ease. As it turns out, lifting sharks from the ocean and carrying them around all day made lifting demonic destroyers a hell of a lot easier.

The AI had rushed to search for proper treatments and surgeries for the numerous wounds inflicted on his user, to which Tom simply shrugged and grabbed a bag labelled "medicine" from the shelf nearby. One gulp later and the extensive bone fractures, numerous lacerations and horrific blood loss had all magically disappeared.

It took VEGA a whole day to process what he referred to as 'this incompressible science-breaking stupidity", in which time Red had managed to return with the parts needed to construct a portal back to Earth. Unsurprisingly, the fox was dumbfounded at their lack of enthusiasm for his parts, but he was happier that there were no guns being pointed in his face. The process was long, and even with the combined effort of a master craftsman, a hulking marine and a now somewhat jaded super AI it was hard going, though they admittedly had stopped to plan for the upcoming exhibit and town remodelling.

By the fifth day the portal was completed, and as soon as it was switched on the missed transitions from the original VEGA came flooding in.

"Demonic invasion imminent!"

"The Dark Lord is gathering his forces!"

"The Seraph-...what are those animals?"

At that point Doomguy's VEGA cracked open a binary beer and unloaded physic-breaking-bombshell after bombshell on his counterpart. After the initial processing conflicts and discussion, the decision was made to keep the two versions separate to prevent any data instability and to reduce the risk of rampancy. This allowed both AI's enough scope to complete their primary and optional objectives to the fullest, making them both satisfied.

Once the pleasantries were over, however, it was clear that Doomguy's work was not over. With the demonic horde now teeming through, it was up to him to find Hell's leader and put a stop to it all, or else there would be nothing left for anyone. Which of course meant that he was needed back in his world more than here.

It had taken some very mild persuasion from Tom and the others to keep him there until the museum opened so that he could say goodbye properly. He had initially played it off as part of his cold and uncaring character; one unfazed by anything after his countless battles, but this was quickly dispelled by his shaking legs.

Truthfully, he was reluctant to leave his friends.

Ultimately duty won him over though, and he agreed to stay for the construction of the museum and the surprises that were to be held during the exhibition opening. This gave him two days to relearn how to speak somewhat coherently for the first time in centuries, which, aside from the initial multitudes of swearing and screaming, went surprisingly well.

"So...are you back for good then?" Boomer asked, staring into the very soul of the marine.

Said marine struggled to maintain his gaze. "NO...I HAVE...A JOB TO FINISH!"

The penguin's eyes fell for a moment as he took a deep breath. "I see..."

At this point the rest of the audience had gone silence, allowing the two of them to talk it out. Not only was this the greatest number of words they had heard the Slayer speak, this was also the greatest amount of emotion they had seen him display.

"BUT...I WILL RETURN.!"

Boomer's eyes shot back up in excitement. "You will?" The marine nodded. "Promise me? Because you owe me a holiday now."

"I PROMISE...FRIEND..." Doomguy nodded and the town cheered with excitement.

K.K. grinned at the side. "And to prove that, he's going to sing a brand-new song with me for all of you!" He strummed a few gentle chords, before passing his microphone to Isabelle. "Would you mind singing the vocals for this; I hear you have an amazing voice."

"OF COUUUUUURSE!" She yelled, and across the island Tom Nook shuddered as if a ghost had passed through his body. As the first chords played, she took a deep breath and focused herself. "The life was quiet all around; a cute little island, nice and non-violent. But everything turned upside down when a new guy came to town..."

K.K. hit the amp on his floor, and before they knew what was happening the song turned from a usual peaceful melody to a very rock filled anthem. Everyone got up on their feet to hear the three of them sing, and though they were surprised at how well Mr Doom could keep a tune they were somewhat taken aback by the bloodthirstiness of his tone.

(A/N: for those of you who want to listen to the song being sung, and the one that helped inspire this whole fic for that matter, it's called Doom Crossing; Eternal Horizons by The Chalkeaters)

This song was followed by several others of a more 8-bit nature and before they knew it the day was spent. The legendary K.K. had so much fun he promised to come back again once a year, which was met with a resounding cheer from everyone including VEGA who greatly appreciated the almost mechanical music. Most of the villagers returned home with huge smiles on their faces, and in Tom's case a signed guitar from K.K. himself, which was his new prized possession.

Blathers, Mabel and Isabelle were left with the cleaning up to do, though the latter did it with a spring in her step as she recounted her new favourite phrase from Mr Doom; "Rip and Tear! Oh, its so cute I'm gonna use it every day!"

The hedgehog left a little early to head back and check on her sister, who had nothing but good news to tell of her day out catching up with Tom Nook. Said Mr Nook also returned home to smiling faces, though for once his nephew's happiness was exceeded by their grinning uncle.

As the sun finally set and the moon came up, two figures stood in the starlight with a portal swirling beside them.

"Is this goodbye then?" Boomer asked, staring at the ground with his lips aching from smiling all day.

"FOR NOW!" Doomguy nodded, taking a moment to breathe the air in a final time.

The penguin coughed, choking up a little. "Its only been a few days since we met...but I'm gonna really miss you man."

"ME TOO." The Slayer replied, holding back his own feelings for a moment. He was a monument of strength, a pinnacle of defiance and a master of defence. Countless demons had fallen before him and hordes more were yet to meet their end, but the simple fact remained.

He was at heart a human being. And every human needs a friend.

"Here." Boomer said, raising his flippers over his head and taking off his brand-new goggles and passing them to the traveller. "I know we went through a tonne to get these, but I think Style Boy would want you to have them for...um...wherever you're heading."

Doomguy held the item in his hand. Tactically speaking, eyewear for an avian creature was completely useless to him, but emotionally speaking he had just received an upgraded BFG.

"I WILL KEEP THEM WITH ME ALWAYS." The portal crackled in the background, signalling that his time was limited. Rifts in space were unstable at the best of times, and there was no way they were going to rely on the tricky kitsune's parts more than they had to. "AND I WILL KEEP YOU WITH ME...ALWAYS."

Boomer smiled, shedding a tear as his buddy walked towards the spinning circle. "Me too Mr Doom. I'll see you at the next crossing!"

Doomguy stepped through to his world, and turned around for a last glance at the penguin.

"UNTIL OUR NEXT CROSSING."

A/N I really hope you've all enjoyed this story as much as I have. When I started writing this fic for my incredible fiancé months ago I'd never imagined so many of you would take the time to read it too, and better yet to send me such nice messages. It's been a hell of a ride (pun intended), but I can honestly can't thank you all enough for the support; I wouldn't have done it without you, especially not you MiMi. Keep your chin up, and I'll see you all at the next Crossing.