DAY FOUR

Majid grumbled bitterly as Toadley examined his head. The doctor had insisted that he wake up Majid bright and early for a quick test, to see if he could figure out what caused Majid's amnesia in the first place.

Majid was not a morning person.

Despite being on the receiving end of many accidental fireballs, Toadley was undisturbed and ready for his first patient of the week.

Majid was still not a morning person.

"Are we done yet?" Majid whined annoyingly on the spare bed. Ms. Mowz had given the four a place to stay, with the girls in one room and the guys in another.

"Interesting… what's this?….. possibly?…." Toadley would murmur, ignoring Majid's complaint. Eventually, the toad announced his verdict.

"Would it appear that your amnesia is caused by a bonk to the head? It would not. Does it seem like your amnesia is caused by a shock? It would not."

"Then what did cause my memory loss?"

"Magic."

Majid stared agape at Doctor Toadley. "Magic?"

"Yes. Is it Magyk? It is not. It is Magic."

"But… how?"

"Well… it's sort of a grey area." Toadley admitted. "You see, some people are born with magic, while others have magic thrust upon them. But everyone is born with some magical powers. They could be strong powers, they could be minor powers. Until they find their magical selves-"

"Magical selves?" Majid interrupted.

"Again, it's a grey area, so Is it mostly conjecture?"

"It is?" Majid groaned.

Toadley nodded. "These powers usually reflect who we are, or what we do with our lives. Some people are just naturally born with magic. The Goombas, The Bomb-bombs, and the Duplighosts are great examples."

"What powers do those guys have?"

"The Goomba usually possess psychic abilities, the bomb-bombs can return to life if they died of explosion related activities. And can Duplighosts duplicate? Probably, I've never seen one. Again, this is conjecture. You are a natural with fire powers, as is Vivian. Whoever stole your powers is also a naturally-born, and very powerful, magical being."

"So we search for that guy?"

"We do."

"How will we know if he's the guy?"

"Will we have to wing it? We will"

Majid groaned in exasperation.

Vivian was having a surprisingly good time with Ms. Mowz. While she initially distrusted the thief, Vivian quickly warmed up to her. After all Ms. Mowz was kind, young, and a pleasant person to be around.

You know, if she wasn't stealing from you.

The two girls were out getting supplies (and hopefully information) to prepare for whatever trouble came next. The first thing they grabbed was disguises, as Vivian did not want to constantly hide in the Shadow Dimension wherever she went. Now throughly hidden in plaint sight, Vivian found herself waiting for Ms. Mowz to return from the badge shop. Apparently, the thief was conducting some quick business, and was planning to leave the store to her Assistant Manager.

Being out in the open, and yet perfectly hidden behind a thick, green cloak, was somewhat… nerve-wracking. And yet also comforting. She had nothing to hide from.

Suddenly, Vivian found herself very VERY bored. Desperate to pass the time, the girl counted the number of packing sailors for some sort of trip.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" came a voice. Vivian turned and found herself face to face with Flurrie.

"EEP!" Vivian's muffled squeal cried. If Flurrie noticed the sound, she didn't let on.

"The sea has always been a source of amazement to me. It's never ending waves… it's oceanic sounds. When I was on tour, back when I was in show business, I took a cruise across Cheep Ocean to the Beanbean Kingdom. At night, you could hear the Star Kids themselves, dancing on the waves. I never appreciated it back then. I was far too caught up in all the fast-paced life of theatre. I learned a good many things on that cruise. It's a great place to get information."

Vivian turned her head out to stare at the sea. She watched waves crash down on the shores.

"If you want information, that's the place to go."

Flurrie walked away, a triumphant smile on her face.

Majid stared at Vivian in disbelief. "You want us to do… what?"

"Take a trip on a ship that's taking off soon," Vivian repeated.

"But… why?" a baffled Majid asked.

"We never got any information from those sailors. This way, we'd get away from spying eyes, get information, and work on our game plan. It's perfect."

"Wouldn't it be dangerous?"

"Well, we'd obliviously have to be careful. You and I would have to remain disguised at all times, but Toadley and Mowz could roam freely on the decks. If we need alibis, Ms. Mowz and I are trackers, Toadley is the doctor, and you're a back-up koopa, for extra hands on deck."

Majid couldn't find any more holes in her logic.

"Is this really an option?"

"Looks like it." Ms. Mowz smiled.

"Alright, who agrees with this plan?"

"I do." Toadley said from the corner. "Will it be risky? Yes. Will the fresh air and extra time to plan be good for us? Undoubtably."

Majid shrugged and turned to Ms. Mowz. "What does our resident thief think?"

"I never do relax much," Ms. Mowz pondered. "I'm game."

Majid nodded. "Well, let's pack."

Four very people rushed toward the Great Flavio's boat. Flavio didn't remember hiring these people, but the more people he had to help out, the less likely evil ghosts would try to attack.

Not that Flavio believed in that sort of thing.

The first one on board was a purple-shelled koopa, who wore a long purple bandana around his neck. Following him was a figure is a large, green cloak deeply hidden from the world around her. Or him. Flavio REALLY couldn't tell who was behind the cloak.

Next was a nomadimouse, who easily ran next to the koopa, displaying a great amount of energy. She could be useful, with the amazing skill she possessed. Finally, a small toad followed from the rear, wearing a stethoscope on his forehead. A doctor perhaps? It suddenly occurred to Flavio that leaving on a life-threatening journey without a good doctor was probably not a good idea.

Oh well. As soon as we took off, nothing could hold back the GREAT Flavio! Now where was Mario?

Koops did not like what was going on one bit. Mario was acting so different lately, and Goombella had stopped voicing her opinions. Flurrie would disappear for long hours, and Yoshi… well… Yoshi was getting increasingly… "grumpy." He appeared to always be glaring at the others (minus Mario of course, he would never insult the closest thing he had to a dad). Whether or not it was because of the lost battle between the shadows, he was not sure. Sometimes, Koops wondered if he was the only one still focused on the goal at hand.

Maybe it was time to help them remember that.

"Hey Mario," Koops spoke to the hero. "We've been searching for days. If I know how this adventure works, the shadows will come when we least expect them."

"Or when the plot demands it." Koops thought.

Mario's face seemed to darken for a moment, but it could have been a trick of the light. "I think you're right Kooper."

"It's Koops."

"Everyone," Mario called, brushing over his mistake. "It's time to leave the shadow problem as is, and return to saving the world. We take off in an hour.

The group seemed mildly surprised, but quickly began packing for the trip to Keelhaul Key.

For a quick second, Koops saw a small smile on Flurrie's face. Then it was gone.

"Here comes the man now," Flavio announced. "No doubt we'll be ready ready to take off soon."

"Finally," Majid muttered under his breath. This shadow wanted out of this town as quickly as possible.

Then he saw him.

No. No. No. Please, great star spirits above, no.

"Vivian," Majid hissed forcefully. "Did you put me on a ship with Mario?"

Vivian stared at him blankly. "No. Why would I-"

Then she saw him.

"No. No. No. Please no." she whispered frantically.

"Maybe we could still-"

That's when the ship took off. The shadows watched in horror as the dock drifted away, leaving all four heroes stuck with their supposed savior of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"How… can this get this any worse…" Majid said hopelessly.

Behind him, a blue bob-bomb moped the decks, grumbling insistently. "I can't believe I agreed to go to a cursed island," he moaned.

Son of a Bulbasaur.

STATS:

Majid: 20/20

Vivian: 15/15

Dr. Toadley: 20/20

Ms. Mowz: 25/25

FP: 7/15

Star Points: 75/100

Coins: 200

ITEMS:

Game Boy Horror SP

Matre Delish's Guide for Experienced Cooking

Super Luigi

The Mushroom World: Your Travel Guide (special map included)

Pulse Stone

Puny Orb

Beanbean Brooch.

Lucky Star Pendant

Prophecy Notes

Mushroom

Fire Flower

Merlon's Letter

I realized that this was going to be a very short chapter pretty early on in writing this. I'll try to make up for it later, seeing as I have many plans for the future.

A recent conversation with BISlover showed that, after some convincing, he understood Yoshi's character. Feel pity for him. The closest thing to a dad he had has been replaced by a demon.

On the other hand, the demon in question has never felt love before. In his mind, he deserves this more than Mario. He's not doing a very good job with it, but, well, he did get a happy ending in the game.

Speaking of happy endings, has anyone seen "Into the Woods"? It's about a combination of fairy tales, including Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and something involving a Baker and his Wife. Basically, the first act is about the fairy tales and everyone's wishes. The second act involves the consequences of their actions in the first act, specifically the Giant's wife coming for revenge after Jack killed the Giant.

It's a really good show that shows asks "What is good and evil?"

I wasn't sure how to end this chapter. I wanted Majid to swear, but not anything too vulgar. A couple choices went through my mind and I'm still not sure. In fact, I'm going to take a poll and you (yes, you) decide which choice would have been best. Just check out my profile and if you don't like the choices, send me an idea.

Well I'm out of Author's Notes. Review the story please.