Alright before we get this started, let me make it clear that this is a sequel to KholdStareV's fanfic, Somewhere over the Rainbow. His story is a sequel to Paper mario: The Thousand Year Door. With his permission and guidance, I bring you this. If you haven't played Paper Mario 2 or you haven't read his fanfic, you'll most likely be completely lost here. Plus, if you do jump right into this one without reading the first, there's spoilers right off the bat, so be warned. This will be updated from time to time, depends on my schedule, plus i'm in the middle of another story, so bare with me. Without further ado, I present to you,
Paper Mario: Reach For The Stars.
Enjoy
Prologue: It has begun…..again..
Hard to say it's already been a year and a half since Mario and his friends have defeated the one they call, the Shadow King. During the time, the party has once again gone their separate ways; Mario went back to the Mushroom Kingdom, Goombella still continues her studies, Koops has been taking care of his new daughter Koopessa, Flurrie has been in touch with Ms. Mowz from time to time and has been performing in a lot more plays, Verdugo now lives with his "Parents" on Precious Island, (Keep note of this for later) Vivian has stayed in Twilight Town along with Doopliss, and Bobbery has once again hit the seas with Cortez, discovering new islands to explore.
The mushroom kingdom has been as joyful as always with a few minor falls here and there. (Again, keep note of that for later) Mario did happen to have a few more adventures after his journey to the land of Morteva; such as flying into space, going back in time, a few parties from time to time, etc. When Mario isn't hungry for some meatballs, or food in general, he's hungry for adventure. However, he's grown tired of the quests he's sent on to save the princess; especially after a couple of fights and arguments with her as well. His brother Luigi tries to keep his mind off of her, but yet again, it still frustrates him. One day at the Mario Bros residence, Mario was watching tv in the living room while Luigi was attempting to prepare lunch for the two of them. The red clothed older brother then notices a static in his tv.
"Of course, the one time I try to enjoy myself for once." Mario complains as he walks over to the tv to try to fix the cable box. All of a sudden, the power in the home decides to go out.
"Agh! Mario, did we forget to pay rent again?" The timid green brother asked.
"Ima pretty sure I payed for it last week." As Mario walks back to the couch hoping the power comes back, instead receives a strange noise coming from a close distance. He then peeks out the window and notices no one was to be seen or spotted. He scratches his head in confusion where then he is given the noise again, but much louder. It was a very calm, slow voice that had the tone of a middle aged woman and said the phrase 'The key that will clear the bright sky forever'. After that, the power suddenly came back on, confusing the plumber. "Did- Did you...hear that bro?"
"Hear what?" Apparently the voice was in Mario's head, confusing him even more.
"Man, I need some fresh air." The hero in red takes a step outside into the front yard of his house to get his mind settled on what just happened. He then thought to himself. "Was I hallucinating? Was the power outage just a coincidence?...No, it can't be." Instead of focusing too hard on this current event, Mario spots a letter in his mailbox. He then decides to retrieve it from the mailbox, tear it apart and read away.
Dearest Mario,
I wish to welcome you to our beautiful town in the city of Segosa. We are in desperate need for a protector in our land. There seems to be unusual events going on with some of the residents of the town and the complete atmosphere itself is being harshly affected as well; Some tourists don't even feel as safe to possibly visiting here. I'm not only worried about the decrease in population due to people leaving, i'm also concerned about the danger that may be possibly be placed onto the natives who continue to live here. I am aware of the many adventures you have been on over the years, but I also happen to especially know about your journey on defeating not only the horrid Shadow Queen, but the mysterious Shadow King as well. I'm not sure what or why, but I think there are some evil beings behind all this unusual behavior. I wish for you, the members that helped along with your quest, and one guest of your choosing to come visit Segosa and adventure on how to solve these mysterious events. 9 tickets for a cruise ship, known as The Elation, are included in this letter. The ship will make a stop at the Rogueport dock tomorrow morning at 9:00 A.M. I hope to meet you very soon
Sincerely,
The Mayor of Segosa,
Mayor Mondai.
Mario felt a bit edgy about the favor this Mayor Mondai character is asking, but this means 2 things to Mario; he gets to see his friends again and gets to go on hopefully another exciting adventure. He saw the tickets attached to the letter and noticed there was exactly enough for him and his 7 friends….plus one more. Mario would assume to give this one to Peach, but is starting to have second thoughts. He walks back inside and notices a burnt, black smoked face on Luigi. Apparently there won't be any lunch after all.
"Whatcha got there bro?" Luigi asks, cleaning his face with a towel.
"A letter from a mayor of some place called Segosa. He said he seems to know about my previous adventures in Rogueport and Morteva and needs my assistance."
"I think I heard of that place before. It's supposed to be very nice I assume."
"Well anyways, he gave me 9 tickets; 1 for me, 7 for all my party members and 1 for a guest." Luigi assumed it would of been for Peach, despite knowing about the fights they've been having. "Want to tag along bro? It's been awhile since we had an adventure together." The younger brother in green was very surprised by this. Mario hardly brings him on adventures anymore.
"Well…..sure!" He exclaims in excitement. "But what about the princess?"
"You let me take care of that, but for now, we gotta get ready, the Cruise leaves first thing tomorrow morning and I gotta get these tickets shipped to my friends."
"You go ahead and do that bro, I'll prepare our suitcases" And with that, Mario gave Luigi two tickets and took the other seven to Parakarry's post office. Mario seemed to be very stoked for this journey. When informing parakarry about the urgent importance of these letters, he understood clearly.
"You can count on me Mario, i'll get these taken care of right away." Mario exited the office and was about to make his way back to his home where his brother will be waiting for him, but was stopped by a certain someone…..?
Twilight Town has been…...uh, gloomy, as usual. Nothing more has changed other than no Beldam or Marlyn this time around. Vivian now lives alone in her home with no one to punish or abuse her. She obviously enjoyed that there was no more of that, but she felt very lonesome with no around. On the bright side, Doopliss was there to keep her company. Since the last adventure, he has changed his ways and has become a much more respectful…...uh...sheet...ghost...thing… I don't know. He quit the whole acting career a long time ago; it really started to wear out on him. One thing he didn't quit is his friendship with Vivian. He was more focused on keeping her happy and keeping her safe. Sure he screwed up in the past and Vivian still can't let that go, he's put it all behind him now. However, he still wishes for the day that he will be with Vivian. She knows how much he loves her, but in the end she can't stop thinking about everything that happened with him trying to kill Mario and the others. Is it because of what he has done or is it because he isn't good enough for her?
Vivian was quietly taking a nap in her decently comfy bed. After shutting her eyes for about a good forty minutes, she'd expect to be having a dream by then. Well apparently, she still only sees the blank darkness of her closed eyelids. Within this, she heard a low pitched, quiet voice. It was hard for her to understand the words she was hearing, but then it started to gradually get louder and louder. Vivian could then make out words of what it was saying. It kept on repeating the phrase, "The key that will risen the dark ones". It was the tone of whispering, but it felt like someone kept getting closer
to her ears and become much louder. All of a sudden, her shut, pink eyes finally open widely. She looked at her clock; it was only midday. The noise she heard felt so real, it gave her a headache. Three knocks were then placed on her front door.
"Oh Vivian, are you awake sweetie?" one of the mothers of Twilight Town asked.
"Um, yeah, come in." She responded, getting up from her bed, trying to get the soft ringing out of her head. The twlighter opened the door but didn't bother to step inside.
"Just wanted to let you know that Doopliss is searching for you, dear. He's waiting by the shed."
"Ok, thanks for letting me know" She smiled as she grabbed her pink hat and walked out the door. She then makes her way to the town gate where she spots the blanket sheeted duplighost himself, Doopliss, sitting alone on a bench.
"Hey there Doopliss!" she exclaims with a smile on her purple shadowy face.
"Huh? Oh, wassup Viv." He responded with little enthusiasm. She felt a little concerned on his attitude; he's usually all crazy and jumpy, especially when Vivian's around.
"You ok?"
"Um, yeah, just a little confused about a couple of things, that's all."
"Like what?" She took a seat right next to him.
"Nothing that would interest you, really."
"What makes you say that? I'm all ears."
"I….. just don't feel like talking about it right now."
"Oh, well alright" She said in disappointment and curiosity as well. "So, what did you want to see me for then?"
"Mostly just to hang out, but also to ask you a couple things."
"Such as?" Doopliss knew it was a sore subject to bring up, but he's been super concerned about it; He's not sure why though.
"I'm just worried about the Shadow King." Vivian raised an eyebrow at him.
"How come? We got rid of him, didn't we?" She seemed to take it in pretty well and not have some horrid flashbacks like how she was with the Shadow Queen.
"Well yeah, but I'm afraid something's bad going to happen. You know how Mario and the rest of you defeated the Shadow Queen. Hate to remind you Viv, but she came right back and possesed you. Now that the Shadow King is out of the picture, what if he makes a random return as well." Doopliss had some unusual thought about this, but why now? It's been quite some time since a threat was placed onto the world.
"Doopliss, if the Shadow King were to make a return somehow, don't you think he would of done it sooner? It's been, what, a year and a half since we took down that no good father of mine?" She shivered a bit and spoke again. "Ugh, still surprises me that I was that creep's daughter. Also, how long has this been on your mind? Why is this just coming to you?" He looked down and closed his eyes for a brief few seconds. He opened them back up and finally responded.
"Honestly, it popped into my mind a couple days. I was just doing my usual routine, which is sitting in my chair and hoping the stupid satellite on my tv will cooperate with me. After many failed attempts, I decided to take a nap. I was asleep for a good hour and a half. During that time, I start hearing noises in my sleep. At first I thought it was one of those stupid ghosts messing with me. However, they never come up to the rooftop. So there I am, still asleep with this constant chit chatting in my head, getting louder and louder every second. The next thing you, know, i'm wide awake and I continue to listen to these unusual noises. I look out in the moonlight and I seem to spot a shooting star. However, it had some weird black flames coming from it and it looked like it was coming my way." Vivian was very confused but very interested in Doopliss' tale. "Every second it's getting closer and closer and by that time, it just explodes in thin air. Some of the remainders of the black flames fell to the ground and sunk into the dirt. The noises in my head seemed to stop, but I was very interested in finding out what that was all about, so I made my way downstairs and outside the Creepy Steeple, I spot the ashes from the explosion and the smoke was doing some weird, unusual dance. All of a sudden, I hear a random voice speaking to me say 'The key that will rid of the dark ones' and the smoke disappeared. I was so confused and concerned for the past two days." Vivian was thinking to herself and thought back to what just happened to her not too long ago.
"That's strange because I took a nap about an hour ago and i heard this weird phrase in my dream that is awfully similar to the one you heard. Instead it just kept on repeating the words 'The key that will risen the dark ones'" Doopliss looked up to acknowledge what Vivian was saying.
"Ok that definitely hasn't got to be a coincidence!" Doopliss said in shock. "What exactly could this mean?"
"I haven't gotten the first clue, but i'll be sure to keep my eye out for whatever happens. Even if it is another evil threat, i'm pretty sure we'll be able to deal with it, even if it is the Shadow King" Seems like Vivian is a bit more courageous since her trip to Morteva. Doopliss then jumped up in confidence.
"Yeah, whatever is thrown at me, especially if it's that dark idiot overlord, ima kicking his ass!" Vivian giggled at this statement and the silly pose Doopliss was making.
"Now there's the goofy Doopliss I truly know. I'm sure we both are able take on any obstacle, especially if Mario were here to help as well" She smiled at him while receiving a slight grin back.
"Well, I best be heading back to the Steeple. Nice chatting with ya Viv, see ya later."
"Oh, leaving already? Well alright, see ya Doopliss."
Vivian made her way back to her house and noticed she had a letter waiting for her in the mailbox right aside of her home. She grabbed the letter from mailbox, carefully opens the envelope and unfolds the letter inside. She immediately saw who it was sent by, which made her very excited
"It's from Mario!" Vivian exclaimed in glee as she began to read the plumber's handwriting.
Dear Vivian,
Didn't expect to get a letter from your good pal Mario now did ya? I hope you were to get this letter right away and not too late. I recently got a request from a mayor of a place called Segosa who needs our help. Since it has been a while the 8 of us gone on an adventure together, I thought it'd be fun and exciting to meet up again. A ticket should be included with this letter as well. It's for, you guessed it, a cruise ticket. That's right, we're going back on the Elation! I double checked I sent a letter to all 7 of you guys, so i'm very hopeful all of you will be able to make it. Oh and I hope you guys don't mind but my good bro Luigi is coming along as well. The letter I got came with an extra ticket and I haven't been able to go on much journey's with my my younger bro, so I thought why not. Don't worry, he's going to be the ONLY guest i'm inviting. Anyway, the Ship is making a stop at the Rogueport dock at 9:00 A.M tomorrow on Friday. I know it's last minute, but I truly hope you, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Verdugo, Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz do wish to come. I know how last trip ended up, but we pulled through. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to do anything! Again, hope I see you guys tomorrow!
Your friend,
Mario
Vivian right away stepped inside her house and started packing immediately. She didn't even have to think about it. Sure the last journey they all had was filled with a few twists and dark ends, but she and her friends still had fun managed through. Plus, she even said herself that she's ready for whatever comes at her. As Vivian begins to place her clothes into her giant bag, another set of knocks was placed on the front door.
"Hey Viv it's Doopliss, can I come in?" The sheeted boy asked
"Sure can!" She replied as he opens the door, steps inside and closes it behind him.
"I uh, think you dropped this by the shed." He pulled out a pink locket with a gold chain connected to it.
"Oh my goodness, how could I have been so careless? Thank you so much!" She retrieved the locket and decides to place it into her bag. (Once more, we'll save that for later) Doopliss noticed the pile of clothes and accessories on her bed and started to get curious.
"What's with the packing? You-you aren't moving, are you?!" He asked with two big wide eyes.
"Hehehe, no silly! I got a letter from Mario; he told me that we're all going on another adventure." She explained what was going to him and he understood clearly.
"Segosa huh? Can't say I heard of the place. Sounds exciting though!"
"I just can't wait to see all my friends again; it's just been so long!" An idea then clicked into her head. "Hey, why don't you come with us? Come on, it'll be fun! This time around I won't have to kick your ass" Vivian said jokingly.
"Nah, I'm gonna sit this one out. It's not my place and I don't think it'd be right to bring some random guest. Plus I don't even have enough money this time around" That was sort of a lie. Vivian was kind of disappointed by his answer.
"Well if that's the case, can you at least watch the place for me while i'm gone?"
"You don't even need to ask twice, I got everything taken care of." Vivian packed the last of her things and zipped everything up.
"Whelp, I'm gonna go stay at the Rogueport inn so that I'm right there when the ship comes. Oooh, i'm so excited!" She picked up her bag and made her way to her front door. "See ya whenever i come back Doopliss!"
"See ya Viv" He waved as the shadowy figure walked out and closed the front door.
Doopliss plopped onto Vivian's bed with zero concentration.
"Man, this is way comfier than my crappy recliner" As he attempted to get comfortable, the power suddenly goes out, leaving the entire place dark except for a dim of light around him. "Ah! What is this, a power outage?" He gets up from the bed very slowly to make sure he doesn't trip and spots a shadowy figure facing the front door with its back facing towards Doopliss. "Oh Vivian, did you forget something behind?" What he didn't seem to notice though was that Vivian was missing her hat along with the long length of her hair, instead being short and dark blue with a slash of red instead of pink. It obviously had to be a male who had a slight chuckle at a good enough tone for Doopliss to hear. The figure turned around revealing it's face that had white eyes and currently a little grin on its face.
"So you must be Doopliss. I've heard many things about you good sir." The mysterious shadow male exclaims without hesitation.
"Uh…..who are you and how do you know my name?" He asked with lots of confusion
"Listen pal, I ask the questions around here. Anywho, I've noticed you did not accompany Vivian on her little trip" He then raised an eyebrow at the shadow figure.
"How do you know about Vivian?"
"First off, don't interrupt me, and secondly, I said i'll be asking the questions. like I was saying, it's obvious you surely care for this girl, more or less love this girl for all we know. Am I wrong?"
"Well, yeah I do love Vivian, but i'm passed all that now. I screwed up in the past which is why she can't bare to be with someone who used to be as careless as me." The shadowy figure chuckles at this answer he was given.
"Is that so? Is that what you really think? Is that the only reason?" He began to float across to Doopliss. "I mean hey, if I were a girl, I wouldn't want be around dating some dude who hides himself under a blanket." This comment made Doopliss a little tensed, but shrugs it off instead of letting it all out.
"You say Vivian can't love you because of how you treated her and Mario in the past and it was because 'Crystal star caught her mind and screwed with your head' or...something like that"
"Pfft….tell me something I don't know!" Doopliss crosses his arms
"But, between you and me, I don't think that's the only case. I believe that was to hide the real truth."
"The….real truth?" He asked confusedly.
"Yes! The true meaning of what was your intentions on attacking Mario and his friends.. Isn't it obvious? It's because you are a villain, Doopliss. You've always been. The only reason you're hiding it is because you're in love. If it weren't for her, you would be planning some crazy assassination on Mario. Seems to me that you still aren't a huge fan of that guy. You try to act calm, nice and friendly when Vivian mentions him, but it's so difficult for you, isn't it? Now that I think about it, what Vivian states about her not being able to date you because of your 'dark actions, is a bit hypocritical if you ask me, considering she had evil intentions as well. You two would possibly perhaps make a dark couple."
"But...Vivian would never turn evil and….ne-neither would I?"
"She joined Mario just to lure them into a trap, but for some apparent reason, went against it."
"Well obviously, she realized what good friends they truly are" He countered his argument. The shadow figure circled around Doopliss, continuing to talk to him.
" But her intention was to trick them, and something is telling me that somewhere inside her non existing heart there's evil there.." He stopped walking and faced him "And I know just the person to fix that issue."
Doopliss then without hesitating, replied in anger.
"Absolutely not! There's no way I'd make Vivian the new Shadow Queen. What the hell makes you think I would ever do that?!"
"Because then she wouldn't find any issues about truly loving you, no matter what evil deeds you committed. Think about it, what sounds more extravagant to you; being stuck in the friend zone forever, being teased day by day, or ruling the world with a beautiful witch" This is crazy, why is Doopliss taking a while to think about this? "You have until tomorrow to decide, i'm pretty sure you are able to scrape up a few bucks."
"You still didn't answer my question. Who are you, how do you know about this and why are you telling me about this?"
"The answers you seek will be revealed very soon. That's if you decide to board the cruise ship, which is where I will be waiting. The future will be up to you Doopliss, and soon, you'll have your wish." The shadow male disappeared in thin air and the lights came back on. Doopliss sat back down on the bed to think to himself.
"What was that all about? Why does this day keep getting weirder and weirder? Does he have to do with that explosion...or even Vivian's unusual dream today? What if he's after to attack Vivian? What should I do? I'm pretty sure I do have enough money but,...oh I don't know." He noticed a picture sitting on a nightstand of Vivian with all of her friends. He smiled when he saw her lovely face, but was starting to build up a bit of steam when he saw mario in that photo. He quickly snapped out of it and tried to focus. Thoughts were running all around in his head, deciding the right action to make…..
To Be Continued…
Need something to read while you're waiting for the next chapter to be released? Fan of Sonic or Mlp? If not, then...no need to keep reading. Then check out my other fic in progress "Sonic: Friendship and Speed at it's Best"