Kirby's Insane Halloween II: The Cursed Word
By ClaudeLv250
Introduction: It's that time of the year again – the time for fun, scares, bad horror movies, costumes and candy. In 2009, I wrote a Halloween themed side story to my first SSB series, Kirby's Insane Journey. I fully intended on following up with a sequel, and here it is.
Kirby's Insane Halloween II takes place two weeks after KIH1. In the original, the Smashers were trapped in a haunted house and solved a 50-year-old mystery. In this sequel, the Smashers go to Earth to experience a real Halloween, but a curse interferes with their fun (or enhances it, depending on your view). The plotlines are not heavily connected so there isn't too much baggage to shift through, but there is an original character from the first story that returns here (and one or two from the main series).
Disclaimer: Super Smash Bros. and all related characters are the property of Nintendo. I own all original characters except for the real people that appear in the story.
Chapter 1: Know When to Quit
Yoshi trudged through the damp streets of the marketplace with ease as its sea of patrons consciously parted with every move he made. To an outsider, it would appear as if an invisible barrier had repelled everyone several feet from Yoshi, its epicenter.
The people of Hyrule were actually familiar with his appearance, as his visits to the royal family with the rest of the Smash Brothers were frequent. But he was still an anomaly to them, and even though they recognized him, they weren't completely comfortable. Rumors that the dino could eat people whole made sure of that.
Yoshi reveled in the attention. Constantly being watched meant that everyone knew he was there, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
He continued his trek, watching the castle loom over the rooftops. The sound of boots on wet pavement stopped suddenly as a smell instinctively drew a scowl along his face. It was faint, and he had been distracted enough to doubt his senses, but as he went to lift his foot again, the smell returned sharper than ever and wafted through his oversized snout.
Chamomile incense.
His eyes darted in the direction of the aroma. The thin blanket of fog was of no hindrance; he spotted the shop immediately. Madam Baker's Fortunes sat boldly at the end of the street. He almost walked by without even noticing it!
The door sat ajar with a velvet curtain hanging in the doorway as a sort of 'replacement.' Just the sight made Yoshi want to gag, but like a homing missile, his direction changed effortlessly as he closed in on a new objective. A brisk walk turned into a run as a mixture of disbelief and curiosity welled up inside of him. Surely the last anyone would see of Madam Baker was at the Poe Festival? This had to be a coincidence.
Yoshi charged through the curtain with little regard and nearly collided with a Hylian man in the main chamber.
"Get out of my way!" Yoshi barked. The man was taken aback when he realized what was talking to him, but gathered enough courage to complain.
"But I didn't get my fortune read!"
"I'm doing you a favor, buddy – she's a fraud!"
The man inched around Yoshi before running away in near-hysterics, letting a few loose rupees fall onto the carpet.
A glance around the room told Yoshi all he needed to know. It was a replica of the tent at the Poe Festival. Purple drapes hung all along the room, possibly placed randomly, and along the walls were mystical-looking relics. Above those were portraits of Madam Baker's ancestors. A table sat low in the middle of the room, and surrounding it were pillows. On the other side of the table was Madam Baker draped in a shawl, though her crooked, olive nose pointed through. Her aged fingers gripped a crystal ball.
"I've been expecting you," the old woman whispered.
"Sure you have," Yoshi sneered, approaching the table.
"Sit."
"No thanks," he said, staring into her shawl. He couldn't tell if she was making eye contact with his disapproving glare. "So what brings you to the castle town? Didn't rip off enough people at the festival?"
"My costumers are satisfied with my service."
"The ignorant usually are."
A tense silence blanketed the room. Madam Baker's hands glided over the crystal ball, and Yoshi was sure that she was trying her best to ignore him.
"Possessing such anger is unhealthy and unwise," Madam Baker told him suddenly, listening to his short, angry breaths.
"Are you trying to lecture me? The fraud wants to lecture me!" Yoshi yelled through the room. "I'm letting Zelda know about you. Better hope the weather clears up soon 'cause you're going out in the street!"
"The princess is well aware of my location. You would do well not to stir unnecessary trouble."
"Was that a threat?" Yoshi leaned forward with a grin of amusement and mischief. "Listen up, hag. All you do is swindle people. I know it. You know it. You know that I know it. I know that you know that I know it. Eventually, everyone will know it. So you might want to think twice before you make threats as empty as your fortunes. Quite frankly, you're full of shadoink."
"What did you...?" the fortunteller's head tilted upward curiously. "That word..?"
"What about it?"
"In all the years of my life, I have met few with such callous and reckless language as yours," Madam Baker hissed quickly, her demeanor changing. "Your ignorance towards your destructive behavior is beyond the point of arguing. Many, many years ago I swore to use my abilities to direct misguided souls back onto the right path. You must be made accountable for your arrogance and belligerence in order to learn the errors of your ways. It will be a hard task, but you will learn your lesson before the day is over."
Yoshi stepped back in surprise. Seeing the fortuneteller affected by his antagonism was a first, but he didn't begin to regret his actions until a cold, sinking feeling crept along his body.
The candles that lit the room dimmed when a light wind glided in. A nondescript shape formed of smoke spun within Madam Baker's crystal ball. Across the surface of the ball, her withered fingers danced a meticulous ritual solidified by the ages. The air became thin as Yoshi took shorter breaths. The old woman stood rigid from her seat and pointed one long finger at him from beyond her shawl.
"A curse I place upon you and that word!" she whispered harshly. Yoshi blinked, and in that instant, everything had returned to normal. The lights were back, the air was fine, and Madam Baker was sitting at the table, her fingers interlaced on the crystal ball.
"You can't scare me with a fake curse!" Yoshi declared.
"There is still time to atone."
"Atone THIS!"
Yoshi pushed the chamomile incense sticks onto the floor and shook his tail at Madam Baker before running out of the store.
The doors to the throne room opened and Yoshi ran in. Princess Zelda stood before a circular mirror, admiring her new dress. It resembled her old one, though all traces of white were replaced with solid black, the purple cloth was blood red, and the gold stitching and shoulder plates seemed to be accentuated.
"Oh, hello Yoshi," she greeted, seeing Yoshi's image in the mirror.
"I saw Madam Faker in the town! Can you believe it? She has the nerve to set up shop here!"
"I've known for awhile. She opened the shop right after the Poe Festival."
Yoshi looked taken aback as he asked, "You're not going to do anything about her?"
"She has the right..." she murmured.
"But she's a fraud!" Yoshi whined.
Zelda sighed, "Did you come here just to reignite that old debate?"
Yoshi grunted and folded his arms. "Nobody wants to talk about that hag anyway! Besides, she knows she's skating on thin ice with me."
The princess narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What did you do? Did you harass her?"
"Who says I did anything? I'm just surprised that she's still ripping people off."
Zelda gave him a skeptical glance but decided to drop the subject.
"So where's your Halloween costume?" she asked.
"Don't have one!" Yoshi proudly announced.
"You're...not wearing a costume?"
"No one would know it's me."
"That's the point. You get to pretend to be someone else for a day without breaking any laws. And people give you candy."
"Being anyone but myself would be a downgrade."
Zelda rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror. Yoshi finally paid attention to her new attire.
"...Who are you supposed to be?"
"I'm Dark Princess Zelda! I'm mysterious and edgy!" Zelda picked up a thin black shawl and used it to cover the bottom half of her face.
Yoshi looked on in disbelief. "You're going as a version of yourself that doesn't actually exist? Laaaame!"
Zelda frowned and said, "If a version of Link with a black tunic and red eyes can get a ton of fans, I think people will be able to appreciate a dark equivalent of me." She twirled in the black dress and asked, "How do I look?"
"...Laaaame!"
Zelda hoisted Yoshi and threw him out of the throne room.
"Hey!" he complained as he hit the floor. "You can't kick me out! This is the meeting place!"
"Then you'll just have to wait until everyone else gets here."
Yoshi folded his arms and turned his back to the closing doors.
"Maybe I will!"
The night hasn't even started and Yoshi has already gotten himself into trouble. What exactly does the curse entail, and who's coming for the ride to Earth?