A/N: My very first Halloween fanfiction story! Yays! So, anyway, this goes out to a friend of mine, and a picture that goes with this posted. I had a different plot and idea for this story, but I had some troubles with it, so I revised the whole thing. I hope you enjoy…or not.
Disclaimer: Lemmy, Larry, and the enemies and references from Super Paper Mario belong to Nintendo. Chase, Penny, Lant, Rosina, and Kelino belong to me.
Shadows
Atop the chilling peaks of Permafrost Peak, Chase was having a nice cup of hot chocolate with his Wizard companions and two Koopaling friends.
Chase was reading a book on legends, Penny and Rosina were collaborating on their princess costumes, Lant and Kelino were planning how to get the most candies, and Lemmy and Larry were planning pranks to prevent anyone from eating the candy Bowser was going to give…or gobble up…again.
"Hey, Chase," asked Lant. "Does Ice Land give any candy?"
"So far as I know, trick-or-treaters always get ice cream in ice jars," answered Chase, his eyes still glued to his book.
"Ice cream?" asked Lemmy excitedly.
"That's right, lil' buddy." Chase patted Lemmy's head. "Go ahead and fill your little belly with all the ice cream you want."
Lemmy giggled. He and Chase were close friends, and bonded well with each other. "Can you give us some on Halloween? You make the best ice cream!"
"I'll see what I can do," replied Chase with a smile. "Speaking of Halloween, you guys want to check out the Land of the Dark Shadows?"
All of a sudden, the four other Wizards stopped and gazed at Chase horrified. Larry and Lemmy were confused-not knowing what the Land of the Dark Shadows was, or why the Wizards were so terrified of it.
"Are you crazy, Chase?!" screamed Rosina.
"Don't you know the legend of the Shadows?!" yelled Lant.
"One, how insulting. Two, I'm holding the book," answered Chase, holding up his book. "Besides, we all fought and defeated Shalor (spoilers for the few final chapters of Elemental Wizards!), and he's mellowed out a lot. I don't see why we can't visit."
"Legend has it he's no longer a threat, but a shadow of his darkness lingers…" said Penny.
"I know, we all have read this book several times," said Chase, annoyed. "I just want to visit. Lemmy, Larry, do you guys want to come?"
"I don't know," said Lemmy.
"Me neither," added Larry.
"Awww, what a shame," pouted Chase. "The Land of the Dark Shadows is well known for the Bash of a Thousand Goodies on Halloween…"
The sound of goodies lit up the faces of the two Koopalings. Their mouths drooled excitedly, freezing into tiny drops hanging onto them. "What happens?"
"Well…" thought Chase. "I remember going there for the past two years. It starts with a feast of mounds of candies, some not available in the nine kingdoms. Then, you get to hit ten piñatas the size of elephants. After that, the full moon rises to its highest peak, the silver beam hitting the magic candy crown on Shalor's statue. Then, the crown glows, and tons and tons and tons of mouthwatering, oh-so delicious, ever so crunchy…munchy…chewy-"
"ENOUGH, ENOUGH!" cried the two Koopalings, their eyes ever so wide with happy delight. With such amusing piles of candy, they could stash them and eat them whenever. They could even do the Autumn Candy Pile Jump they've planned for months. "We'll come!"
"How unanimous," said Chase with a sly grin. He turned to his Wizard friends, who were still afraid. "And what about you guys?"
"Well, we're still not going!" protested Rosina. "Besides, you don't seem to know of the legend!"
"I know it, but can't you guys just come already?" whined Chase. "The Bash of a Thousand Goodies begins in two hours, and the hosts give you ten candies for every minute from when you arrived to the party until it officially begins."
This caused another round of drooling from the two Koopalings.
The four other Wizards glanced at each other, quietly conversing until Kelino said at last, "Fine, we'll come."
Lemmy and Larry cried out in joy, and Chase grinned.
"But on one condition: We can tell the legend while we get to the party."
The three stopped grinning happily, and looked confused at the four Wizards.
"Alright then," Chase agreed. "But don't exaggerate the legend AGAIN…we all know what happened to Bowser during Princess Peach's Spooky Tale Party…"
Everyone shivered, repressing the memory. No one from the party dared to bring it up.
"Agreed," said the other four Wizards in unison.
"Alright!" said Chase happily, and waved his hand, causing an organ to appear. He walked over to it, and began to play a haunting tune.
As he played, wind blew ferociously in the room. It was forceful enough to blow away the Wizards and Koopalings, but somehow did no damage.
The winds swirled and spun in a circle, slowly raising a black door. As Chase continued to play the tune, the winds grew stronger and stronger. The door rose higher and higher…until it was as tall as the organ!
Chase slammed several chords on the keys, the door bumping and banging as if it was holding something back until, WHOOSH! The door flew open, revealing the Land of the Dark Shadows.
Satisfied, Chase swirled his hand, causing the organ to disperse into snow. He walked up to his companions, who were scared down to the bone. "Well, we better get going if we want to get to the Bash of a Thousand Goodies!"
"Um…won't we need costumes, Chase?" asked Larry.
"Not exactly…" answered Chase. "But we get disguises."
"As what?" wondered Lemmy.
Answering the rainbow mohawked Koopaling, Chase cast a spell under his breath, and transformed him and his friends into shadows!
"Shadows and whoever wearing shadow costumes can go," explained Chase. "These don't give any of the shadows' powers, but it's fine."
"Cool!" exclaimed Lemmy and Larry, looking at themselves.
"We better get going now," warned Chase. The others followed Chase as they entered the wide door. The second they all entered, the door slammed shut, and immersed back into the ground.
O-O-O-O-O
The Wizards and Koopalings arrived in the Land of the Dark Shadows. The air was heavy and foggy, the moon hung low in the sky. Far in the distance, they could see a flash of lights and fireworks.
"The Bash of a Thousand Goodies is that way," pointed Chase. "We can't miss it."
"Now that we're here, now can we tell the legend?" asked Rosina.
"Sure," agreed Chase. "It is Halloween, after all."
"Finally!" sighed Rosina, and lit her face with a flashlight.
"Where'd you get that?" asked Penny.
"Be prepared…" answered Rosina mysteriously.
"Long after the defeat of Shalor, the evil brother of Shadon, the Land of the Dark Shadows was kept at peace. Shalor's growing jealously of his brother dimmed until no more, allowing him to rule the land-just as he had desired.
However, as restored Shalor ruled the land to his heart's content, a hidden mass of power was at risk. Shalor may have been restored, but his darkness remained. Until the Halloween of seventy-eight seasons time, the Land of the Dark Shadows will remain peaceful.
When the seventy-eight seasons are past due, the power shall form into its own shadow, the darkness it wielded pulsing in the darkest corners. Should it be free from being cast until the rise of the star, it will doom the Land of the Dark Shadows, hindering the shadows until they wither. Then, the shadow will grow powerful enough to rule the nine kingdoms, the helpless people doomed."
Rosina finished the legend, but didn't faze the two Koopas. They looked at the water Wizard confused.
"Rosina, that doesn't sound scary at all," complained Lemmy. "You make them look bad."
"Sounds more like a prophecy than a legend," added Larry. "Like the Light Prognosticus thing King Dad told us about after his adventure."
"Be warned, little Koopas," said Rosina mysteriously. "Be warned…"
O-O-O-O-O
At last, the Wizards and Koopas made it to the Bash of a Thousand Goodies. Chase, Lemmy and Larry breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew! We got here in time!" said Larry.
"And just in time," remarked Chase. "The Underwhere guard is still there!"
Just ahead, there was a Spiked Skellobit guard, standing be the gate. The friends walked up to the Spiked Skellobit, who greeted them somewhat nicely.
"Hey, Chase!" greeted the Spiked Skellobit casually. "Haven't seen you in a while. You brought your friends?"
"Yeah, Skebit," replied Chase. "These are my close friends: Penny, Lant, Rosina, Kelino, Lemmy and Larry."
"Cool, cool," said Skebit. "Nice costumes, by the way."
"How did you know?" asked Lemmy, amazed.
"Dude, Chase ALWAYS does the same spell," Skebit chuckled. "I hang out with him during Underwhere No Work Day."
"Did we miss the introduction?" asked Chase, looking around.
"Nah, man," said Skebit. "You still remember that share, do you?"
"Same, man. Same," answered Chase.
"Good. Now go ahead and enjoy the party," said Skebit, and opened the gate. The friends entered, and saw the amazing frights and delights of the party.
In the party, they saw many shadows and creatures wearing shadow costumes. Everyone was chatting and laughing with each other, having a good time. The banner was dark, the floor was darker, the food and drinks were darkest, and the whole area was pitch dark. The only light provided were the flashlights everyone held.
"I thought no shadow can stand light?" asked Penny.
"They can stand a little, like moonlight," explained Chase. "But king Shalor offered a protection spell to reflect extra light."
Just then, the king Shalor stepped out of the shadows. He was wearing a dark crown, and his wings were down.
"Shadows and creatures!" greeted Shalor. "Welcome to the Bash of a Thousand Goodies! I hope you all are having a wonderful time, eating the feast and enjoying the piñatas!"
Everyone yelled joyfully in delight.
"Well, it is almost time for the Moonlit Crown event!" announced Shalor. "Please come to the statue."
Everyone walked and dragged to the statue of Shalor, which had an exact copy of the crown he wore. The beam of moonlight was near to the center of the crown, almost touching the crystal diamond that was set there.
"Count down from five, everyone!" called out the king.
"FIVE…FOUR…" called out everyone, watching the moonlight get closer to the diamond center. "THREE…TWO…ONE!"
The beam was pointed straight at the diamond, and an amazing blast of light flashed from it. The diamond refracted the light in different directions, hitting the top of several poles. The poles were topped with what appeared to look like the Koopalings' wands.
The top of the poles shimmered and glowed, sending bright beams rocketing above the statue in the center. There was a dazzling flash, and candy fell from the sky!
"CANDY!" screamed everyone, rushing everywhere to grab as much candy as they could. The floor was cluttered with shadows and creatures grabbing multiple candies and shoving others away. But, the only one who wasn't getting candy was Chase. He stood there, looking at the candy, which was black and unwrapped.
"Chase, why aren't you getting any candy?" asked Penny.
"These look strange…" muttered the ice Wizard.
"But didn't you say some of these candies are not from the nine kingdoms?" asked Lant, holding one of the goodies.
"I know what they look like, and these are DEFINITELY not one of them," Chase replied, examining one.
In seconds, all the candy was gone, and the floor was left as clean as it was before. Everyone was munching on the goodies, enjoying the taste.
"This tastes…different," pointed out one of the shadows. The others agreed with him. But, unusually, the shadows and creatures who ate the candy…passed out!
The Wizards were shocked. Lant, who had happened to be chewing one, glanced wide-eyed spat his candy right out. He frantically tried to brush off the candy residue off his tongue and teeth.
Shalor looked left and right, seeing his subjects and shadows pass out. "What is going on here?! What is the meaning of this?!"
"Hehehehehehe…" muttered a mysterious voice, catching the attention of the conscious creatures and Wizards. "So you have now realized my awakening…"
Shalor's tail flicked nervously. "No…you..y-YOU CAN'T BE!"
"Oh yes…it is…" the voice assured. "The candy that the shadows and creatures held began to float and spin in the air, frightening everyone. It swirled and spun in a mini cyclone, the voice cackling louder and scarier.
"You all have the right to be scared on the most delightful night of the year," said the voice as it began to shape. "For I am…Nelor!" The monster looked exactly like Shalor, only it had red eyes and no wings. "The pure negativity of Shalor!"
"N-no!" yelled Shalor. "This cannot be! When the Wizards broke me free on my jealousy, you should have been powerless and no more a threat!"
"True, but the spell wasn't sufficient enough," said Nelor. "I was only sustained in powerlessness. You learned to love, but your heart isn't full to it."
Just as Nelor said those words, Shalor's chest started to pulse. The Chaos Heart, the dark power he had thought had banished, was emitting energy.
"You cannot hold it any longer," said Nelor. "It is time I took things into MY OWN HANDS!" The negative side streaked forward into Shalor, fusing right into him.
Shalor screamed and shouted, his darkness returning to him. The Wizards and Koopalings were horribly terrified.
"I told you that we shouldn't have come!" said Rosina.
"I know!" yelled back Chase. Everyone looked at him confused and angry.
"What do you mean?" asked Penny.
"I knew that the legend was going to take affect this night, so I needed to take you guys along to help Shalor return to normal. Otherwise, destruction would become too strong, and we would have no power against it!" said Chase.
"But why did you invite us too?" asked Larry.
"A section of the legend was never included, but was passed down by the keepers of spells!" said Chase. "Rosina's the leader of the group and the most intelligent of us, but spells are not her forte!"
"True," agreed Rosina.
"So, only I knew!" concluded Chase. "Now enough talk, we have to save Shalor!"
"But what do we have to do, Chase?" asked Lemmy and Larry.
"The section of the legend said, 'Two young masters of a king in the dark, will banish the evil with their fun in heart,'" quoted Chase.
Before the two Koopas could say anything, the newly retained Shalor stood up from his fusion, the evil glare in his eyes.
"Hahaha! Bow before the king of the dark!" said Shalor, rising his arms into the air. He thrust his hands out, magic beaming from his fingers. The dark magic burst and exploded, the sound of evil laughter echoing across the room.
"Lemmy, Larry!" yelled Chase. "You need to hold Lant or Rosina's hand!"
Normally, the two Wizards would protest, but they were too scared to say so. Lemmy held onto Lant, and Larry held onto Rosina.
"Now chant the Celestial Save spell!" instructed Chase.
"We don't know it!" complained Larry.
"Lant and Rosina will chant it! You and Lemmy just think of fun!"
Land and Rosina closed their eyes, murmuring a spell carefully, their amulets glowing. Lemmy and Larry closed their eyes as well, thinking of their fun and happiness. They felt a warm glow in their hearts, and, opening their eyes, saw an image of a heart beginning to form!
"NO!" yelled Shalor. "You can't be! I will as I desire, and you cannot take it away!"
"We will!" said Penny.
Shalor was very unhappy, and his eyes began to glow fiercely red. He thrust his arms out, and a beam of dark magic was heading straight for Lemmy!
"Lemmy!" cried Larry. The older mohawked Koopaling shut his eyes…but felt no attack! Lemmy opened his eyes again, and saw that the beam was deflected!
"This cannot be!" shouted Shalor. "My magic should be strong again!"
"You thought wrong, Shalor!" said Chase.
A golden yellow mist rose from Lant's amulet, taking the shape of the sun! An indigo mist rose from Rosina's amulet, taking the shape of the moon!
"No! cried Shalor. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Again and again, he flung dark magic at the Wizards, but they were only deflected again and again.
The heart images form Larry and Lemmy rose with the sun and moon, and fused into them, forming balls of bright light. The magic swirled each other at high speed, and hit Shalor on contact!
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" cried the dark king, falling back. He fell down, a dark wavy mist rising in the air, until it dispersed into thin air.
Lant and Rosina opened their eyes and let go of the two Koopalings. They looked quite pleased that the spell worked.
"You guys okay?" asked Lant.
"Yeah," replied Kelino.
Everyone looked at the fallen Shalor, who steadily stood up again, the look out of his eyes as they returned to normal. Everyone else who had passed out was now standing up again.
"I…I-I am sorry, my friends," apologized Shalor.
"It's okay now, king Shalor," said Rosina. "I suppose the Land of the Dark Shadows will remain peaceful now."
"That it should," replied the king with a gentle warm smile.
"Hey, since we're all better, why not continue the party?" asked Lant.
"Yeah, let's do it!" added Kelino. Everyone else cheered excitedly.
"Then it is!" said Shalor. "The Bash of a Thousand Goodies isn't over, after all."
"But what about all the candy?" asked Lemmy, using his puppy face.
Shalor laughed. "Until midnight, I can form all the candy you beg!"
"Yes!" said Larry.
"Well, let's party!" said Penny. Everyone burst into cheers. Shalor waving his hand, and candy fell out of the sky again, this time as Chase had expected, as he grabbed one and ate it. Everyone else did the same, enjoying the taste…for real.
"This candy's awesome!" said Larry.
"Best party ever!" said Lemmy. "Hey, wanna do the candy pile?"
"You bet!" agreed Larry, and the two jumped into the candy, laughing and playing with the Wizards all night long, on the Bash of a Thousand Goodies.
A/N: FI-NA-LLY! Got this done at last! This took a CRAZY amount of time, and I'm finally finished with this. I hope this went well, since this is officially, the LOOOOOONGEST I've ever written! (That doesn't mean you guys should demand longer chapters XD)
Now, I've already got the next chapter for Kamek's Babysitting Days, with something to ask. I have the next three chapters for The Elemental Wizards, and there's a poll for you guys on my bio for Ask Koopas and Experiments!
I hope you all enjoyed this, and please do some of those favors so I know you guys are REALLY appreciative of my work. Until the next story, Read and Review!