The Seventh Needle Mines

The Seventh Needle Mines, also known as the Final Cave or Last Cave, is the unnamed final dungeon in Mother 3. 
As the name suggests, it is the location of the last of the Seven Needles, and is the result of the Pig Mask Army's attempts to uncover it. It is found far underneath the Empire Porky Building. 
An ominous cavern, the mines are tinted a lurid variety hue of purple, with elevated paths and cliffs connected by man-made metal walkways above valleys of illuminated and violently charged mist. This is seemingly due to the extremely close presence of the soon-to-be-awakened Dark Dragon, as the excavation efforts have reached the Dragon's powerful and nearly uncontrollable flow of energy beneath the Nowhere Islands, with its aura drastically affecting the caverns' environment. Due to this very energy, otherwise inanimate objects and forces have been given life of their own, and made into extraordinary powerful and threatening entities, making the mines an extremely dangerous and chaotic place to traverse. The Item Guy, a Save Frog, and a natural Hot Spring can be found towards the very end of the mines, right before the Needle. 
Following a battle against a horde of Mecha-Porkys on the true 100th floor of the Empire Porky Building, Lucas, Kumatora, Duster, Boney, and Flint are sent down a massive elevator, crashing into a dark mine shaft- marking the game's second and final major point of no return. After the group gets their bearings, Flint asks if he can go on ahead- a question that Lucas cannot proceed past unless he says "Yes". Flint thanks his son, but tells him to not ask why he's doing it. He, however, gives him the permission to move forward if it "seems like he's been gone a long time". Lucas' party eventually decides to proceed regardless of Flint's request, traversing down the mine shaft using a series of staircases and ladders. They eventually reach the bottom, finding the entrance to the dungeon. 
Traversing onward, Lucas and his friends eventually come across Flint further in the cave, now hat-less and wounded following a confrontation with the Masked Man. Flint reveals the identity of the Masked Man as Claus, their missing family member that Flint has been searching for for the past three years straight. Flint tells Lucas to make sure that he's the one who pulls the Needle, and reassures him that Claus didn't consciously hurt him- it was the "Porky" inside him that did this. 
Walking deeper into the cave, Lucas' party is stopped by Porky in his Bed Mecha, who refuses to let them proceed any further lest they get in the way of his plans. Additionally, Porky mocks the insistence that his "monster's" has a name and identity, before beginning a battle against them. During this intense fight, Porky reveals the nature of his eternal life, age, and true desire to simply see the world reach its end and eliminate anyone who won't like him. Eventually, the group manages to do enough damage to cause his Mecha to run out of power. Porky insists that he cannot die, nor that Lucas has even won to begin with. Suddenly, he calls down the Absolutely Safe Capsule that he coerced Dr. Andonuts and the Mr. Saturns into creating for him. Sealing himself inside, the Capsule proves to be truly impervious to all means of damage, and eventually, the game's narration itself concedes that the battle against him is, by definition, over due to his now invincible nature. 
After the stalemate, Dr. Andonuts comes from behind the group, shocked at Porky's decision to call it, and explains his hesitance for him to have entered it. He reveals that while it is true that the Absolutely Safe Capsule truly is absolutely safe, it is also inescapable, sealing the user forever inside with no hope for exit. He ponders if through ignoring his warnings and taking this action, Porky got what he truly wished for, and asks Lucas if it's wrong of him to think this way. 
Leaving Porky and Dr. Andonuts, Lucas and his friends venture deeper into the cave, reaching its final section- a plateau with the Needle planted inside, and the Masked Man preparing to pull it. Stepping forward, the Masked Man turns around to face Lucas, and resolving to settle things one-on-one, knocks out the others with intense bolts of lightning. The final battle of the game, that will decide the very nature of the world and all life on it, begins. 
During the battle, Lucas finds himself unable to bring himself to actually fight back, while the Masked Man assaults him with physical strikes from his sword and arm cannon, alongside deadly bouts of PK Love. Lucas is unable to revive his friends without the Masked Man immediately sending out more intense lightning bolts, leaving him to fend for himself against his assailant's attacks. During the heated confrontation, a voice can be heard echoing throughout around the boys- this voice is revealed to be Hinawa's voice, calling out to her sons desperately from the beyond. Lucas notices the voice, but the Masked Man seems to be completely ignoring it, focusing only on his mission. Flint also eventually returns, jumping in front of Lucas to shield him from the Masked Man's ruthless PSI attacks. Before collapsing to a second PK Love in a row, Flint pleads for his brainwashed son to remember who he is, and how long he's been searching for him. Hinawa continues to cry out to the Masked Man, begging him to come to his senses. A flashback to years before begins, showing the twins in their infancy as Flint and Hinawa talk about what they want for the two growing up and how they see their life turning out. 
Coming back to reality, the battle's tempo drastically slows down, as Lucas and the Masked Man are alone. Lucas gradually begins to break down emotionally, as the Masked Man eases up on his attacks and seems to be gazing at his lost brother and his surroundings, before eventually starting to break down himself. Hinawa's voice takes a softer tone, asking her son to come to her, noting that he has to be exhausted after going through so much. The Masked Man fully comes to his senses, and removes his mask- revealing the now older face of Claus. The twins stare at each other for a moment, before Claus ends the battle himself on his own terms by shooting one final lethal bolt of lightning at his brother before he has a chance to react, despite knowing full well that he carries the Franklin Badge. With the last of his strength after taking the full brunt of his own attack, Claus stumbles towards Lucas, who embraces him for the first time in three years. The two share a moment of silence, as Claus apologizes to him and Flint for everything, and assures him that he's going to where their mother is. Claus thanks Lucas and assures him that they'll meet again, before finally drawing his last breath in his arms. 
At this point, the others have regained consciousness, having watched the battle reach its conclusion. Letting his deceased brother's body down gently, Lucas is asked of Flint to forgive Claus for his hastiness. Flint then gives him some final words of encouragement, ensuring that Hinawa and Claus have entrusted the future to him, and tells him that all that's left is for him to believe in himself. After all that has happened, Lucas is given the resolve to approach the final Needle, putting the lives of him, his friends, and everyone he knows who believes in him on the line. The ending of the game plays out as the Dark Dragon is finally awoken from its millennia-long slumber and recreates the world in accordance with Lucas' heart. 
==Enemies== 
*Minerali
*Fenomeno
*Porky Minch
*Absolutely Safe Capsule
*Masked Man
==Trivia==
*This area bears a striking resemblance to the Cave of the Past, the final area in Earthbound before the final boss(es). Possibly in play on its counterpart in the "past", the mines may be considered the "Cave of the Future", due to its placement in the Earthbound/Mother timeline.
*The overworld sprites for the Fenomeno and the Minerali look very similar to the world sprites of the enemies found in The Cave of the Past in Earthbound.
*Talking to Flint many times eventually triggers dialogue where he comments on Lucas' persistence during such a critical moment, mentioning that his son seems to be interested in his bald head. He describes himself as being "bald as a bean", and after talking to him again, is taken back by Lucas seemingly thinking the phrase is a "dumb way of putting it". Flint scolds his son for his newfound "bitter" nature, and tells him to stop talking to him for now.
*Checking Porky while he's inside the Capsule reveals that he's sticking his tongue out at Lucas.
*Talking to Dr. Andonuts again leads him to start rolling the Absolutely Safe Capsule back and forth.
*Regardless of if the player chooses "Yes" or "No" when pulling the final Needle, Lucas chooses to pull it anyways. Dialogue found in Mother 3's code suggests there was narration for when the player chooses "No", stating "No one can stop Lucas from pulling the Needle. No one.", however this dialogue was removed from the game and Lucas pulls the Needle wordlessly.
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Category:Mother 3 Locations
Category:Locations