It wasn't often the staff of Nintendo Land would get a break to be recharge their power, turn off "Hostess Mode" and act as themselves, but the people behind the Miis eventually had to go to work, school, or sleep, depending on which side of the world they lived.
But just because they were able to take breaks, didn't mean they truly restored their physical and emotional power. No one knew this better than Dark Monita. At first, it was just supposed to be a joke: she was very patient, and even laughed along with them. Why hate the evil overlord? Why not hate the evil overlord? After all, she was the villain: wasn't everyone supposed to hate the villain? So she played along and took the teasing and booing, even relishing in it. If nearly everyone hated her this much, it could only mean she was doing her job right.
But, in reality, she was just an actress like everyone else in the park. This was something the other Monitas seemed to have forgotten. Now of days, if she even dared to float outside the shadows, they harassed her by throwing various pieces of trash that were left around the park, called her nasty names, and once one even stole her hat and refused to give it back. No matter how many times she pleaded for them to stop, no matter how many times she told them it wasn't funny anymore, and even when she got help from her loved ones to try and get them to leave her alone, nothing worked, and nothing changed. She felt all she could do was simply accept their abuse, even if it drove her to virtual tears.
Tonight, she spent several minutes staring at the Central Tower. It wasn't just her grandmother's body: it also contained the charging stations for all of the Monitas in the park. She was low on power, but still she hesitated to approach it. Closing her eyes, she decided all she could do was brave the path and make a run for it. Maybe it would hurt her pride, but if she could make it to the tower, it wouldn't hurt long.
"Hey, there she is!" one Monita shouted out.
"Look, it's the big bad overlord!"
"Boo!" another Monita called.
"Boo!" a chorus of them joined in.
Ignore them. Just keep going, she thought.
One Monita floated in front of her, sneering. When Dark Monita went around that one, another one only took her place. Soon, Dark Monita found herself surrounded by a group of Monitas whose taunting voices overlapped, cheering as she decided to head back for the shadows.
Throwing her hat to the ground, she stopped floating in attempt to try and preserve what little was left of her energy. Sighing at the sound of their heckling, and the feeling of her pixelated eyes watering, she decided if she had a little bit of juice left, she would make it once everyone else had left to charge.
"Stop it! Leave her alone!" The voice that rose to be the loudest was identical to the others', but its strong, compassionate tone set it apart from the others. "Go on, shoo!"
Turning, Dark Monita gazed upon the face of the original Monita. It was no different than any other face there in the park...not to anyone else at least. But to Dark Monita, her sister's face was the most beautiful face in the world, the face of an angel; especially when "Hostess Mode" could be deactivated, and she could see that beautiful smile of hers.
"Hey, sis." If Dark Monita had a heart, it would have skipped a beat when Original Monita wrapped her arm around her in a firm, loving hug. "Don't listen to them: they're just trying to get you down because they're jealous of how unique you are."
"Easy for you to say," Dark Monita smiled sadly upon her sister letting go. "No one can tell you from anyone else."
"Sometimes I wish they did," Monita's white eyes sparkled, a dreamy vision playing in her mind. "Don't get me wrong, I like my job as a guide, but sometimes I wish I was the hero the players get to be. That I was somehow special, like you."
Dark Monita chuckled softly. "I hate to break it to you, but being 'special' isn't all what it's cracked up to be. 'The grass is always greener,' they say."
"I suppose that's true." Floating slightly higher, Monita extended her hand. "Come on, I'll escort you back to the tower." Keeping her close on her arm, she continued, "I'm so sorry they treat you the way they do. I wish there was some way we could get them to take you more seriously, or treat you like an equal."
Dark Monita's expression then turned completely neutral.
This puzzled Monita. Her sister didn't normally have that look unless she was thinking hard about something. "What's on your mind?" she inquired.
"Hm? Oh, nothing. Thanks for walking me back home. Let's just get some rest while we can."
What woke Monita wasn't that her batteries had recharged to 100%, it was the panicked screams outside of the tower. Quickly detaching herself from the charger, she burst out the door at the top to a horrifying sight: half the Monitas' screens had turned a dark purple, their eyes and smiles a wicked green, and the other half were trying to flee; normal, but all it took was a touch to turn them to the monsters they became. She had an ugly feeling just who was behind all of this.
"Dark Monita!" Monita called. Through all the chaos, her sister was nowhere to be seen in the crowd below.
"MMPH! MMM!"
Turning towards the panicked voice, Monita was horrified to find Princess Monita behind her. She was unaffected by the virus, but her mouth had been covered by a white "x", as if it had been taped shut. Worse yet, she was struggling in Dark Monita's grip, her screen the same dark purple as the corrupted Monitas, but her eyes and smile had become red, a feature that set her apart from the rest of them.
"Dark Monita, what are you doing?!" Original Monita shouted.
"In good time," she grinned evilly, her once-friendly, feminine voice had turned deeper, something that made her sound like a true villainess. "In the mean time, if you wish to save the princess, you'll have to find where we're hiding. Good luck!"
A flurry of corrupted Monitas formed a swirling cloud around them, and when they disbanded, Dark and Princess Monita were gone. They split up into the twelve different attractions, leaving Monita and the Central Tower the only ones in the main plaza.
Monita wasn't sure how long it took for the shock to wear off. Even then, she was still trying to process what happened. She looked up into the Central Tower's face, hoping for an answer.
"Well, don't look at me." It was as if her grandmother could read her mind. "I know as little about this as you do."
"But all the staff are gone and everything is out of control! What do we do?!"
"Don't worry: I've made sure that the park has an emergency closing. No one will be able to access Nintendo Land in this dangerous of a state."
Monita looked around, anxiously trying to figure out what to do next.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Go and save your sister!"
"But where is she?"
"I'm not sure...but the only way I can think of is to simply look."
Anxiously floating around the tower, looking at the flickering, fluorescent lights of each attraction, she eventually settled on starting with Takamaru's Ninja Castle, where Princess Monita was stationed during opening hours.