A/N: I'm sorry for delaying these longer and longer! As I get more into the story, I find myself disliking certain ideas I had previously laid out, so going back to redo an entire part takes up some extra time on my part. Sorry. This chapter has a foreshadowing scene that I added last-minute, but I think it connects this chapter to the last one really well.
I'd like to thank invinciblebritishfishandchips for following! (That's an amazing username by the way lol)
NOTICE: This chapter contains references to severe abuse and depictions of minor abuse.
REVIEWS:
Derick Lindsey: The number of characters is part of it, but mostly I just felt that she didn't have a method to actually combat the enemies. I know that she could've just punched and kicked like a normal person, but since she hasn't been a part of a main adventure game (aside from Mario Run I guess), I couldn't find a good place for her character in the combat scenes. Yeah, that person in the bunker was interesting. We're just gonna have to see who it turns out to be ;). The thing with Koops and Vivian I added because a lot of people seem to ship them together and I thought I'd just reference that. But you're right, I'm not really focusing on relationships here. Thanks for reviewing!
ViolaHarmony: Yes, having a dragon in your debt can be quite useful, we'll have to see if Luigi remembers that promise ;). I probably should have explained where Koops came from a bit more in retrospect. I thought about editing the chapter after I posted it, but I decided that it could wait until a later chapter where (spoiler :0) more of the TTYD partners have joined. Glad to know I'm not the only one who struggles with fight scenes haha! Just keep practicing! Vivian definitely has a role to play in the upcoming chapters, including this one. Thanks for the double review!
hackeline83: Yes, I know the feeling you have... it's coming ;). Thanks for reviewing!
Guest: That chapter will come eventually, I hope you stick around long enough to find out! Thanks for reviewing!
With that, I bring you the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 6 – The Second Kingdom
Sarasaland.
A continent separate from the main Mushroom Kingdom, this once-desert-wasteland is now a very populated kingdom of its own. Though not as bright as the Mushroom Kingdom at first glance, travelers would often find themselves faced with warm welcomes and friendly citizens.
That, however, is no longer the case.
The streets remained mostly deserted, save for a few Wizzerds and dry bones. Citizens, when not forced into labor, were confined to their homes and rarely, if ever, saw the light of day. Occasional screams and shouts could be heard in the distance. Most people assumed that it was some insane citizen who thought that they could break free from their metaphorical bonds. The screams lasted, at most, a few minutes, before whoever it was went completely silent.
Just outside the capital city, an old, rusted warp pipe protruded from the top of a hill. Slowly, a green hat could be seen rising out of it, followed by a pair of blue eyes, taking in their surroundings.
"The coast is clear," Luigi whispered. Cautiously climbing out of the pipe, he was followed by his fellow heroes.
"Holy shit…" Toad mumbled. "Never seen this place so empty."
"Eh, who cares. Let's just get in and get out," Waluigi grumbled, starting to walk towards the city walls. He was immediately grabbed by Bowser, who pulled him back.
"Are you insane? You go in there, you'll get ripped to shreds," the koopa king said. "I mean, when I say that we shouldn't bust in somewhere…"
"Shh!" Luigi held up his hand, silencing the rest. There appeared to be some sort of commotion going on inside the town. Luigi pulled out a pair of binoculars and began watching.
There were three citizens, who appeared to be Toads, being led into the middle of the street by a group of Wizzerds. Once there, an unexplained shadow appeared on the ground before them. From it, a figure similar to Marilyn arose, but much smaller and had a red-and-white hat instead.
Koops nudged Luigi. "That's her. I seriously don't understand why she'd do this after what we went through…" He drifted off into thought.
Turning his eyes back to the binoculars, Luigi was just in time to watch the Toads being treated to green blasts of energy from the Wizzerds. The heroes could hear the screaming from where they were situated, giving them chills.
"We cannot stand here and let these poor people continue to be tortured!" Rosalina said.
Yoshi chirped angrily, seconding her opinion.
Luigi sighed. "I know you want to get in there and fight, but Bowser's right. We'd get destroyed. Who knows how many more of those things are nearby? If we're gonna do this, we have to do it stealthily."
"Ooh, I've always wanted to try this in real life!" Toad whispered excitedly.
Luigi pressed a hand to the small receiver in his ear. "Daisy, is there any way to sneak around the wall?"
"There should be a hidden door on the east side," her voice came through the speaker. "That is, if those freaks haven't already found it."
"Alright, thanks." Luigi turned to the rest of the group. "Okay, we need to get to the east side of the wall. Daisy says that there's a secret door that we can use to get in."
"We know that, dipshit," Wario said. "We can all hear her, remember?"
Luigi's face went red for a bit. "Right… Sorry. Okay, let's go!"
Unbeknownst to the group of heroes, someone had quietly followed them through the warp pipe. The figure had been peeking over the rim, analyzing who he was dealing with.
He felt quite confident with himself. The two thieves would be easily disposed of. Their boldness and self-confidence would practically take care of them for him. The koopas and the Yoshi would also not be much trouble, along with that annoying Toad friend of theirs. The space princess might take some time, but it would be mostly inconsequential. That left just one left.
The brother.
The figure sighed. He knew firsthand that Luigi Mario, though he tended to let his nerves get the best of him, was a worthy opponent. After all, he had learned from the best there is. He knew that even if all of the plumber's friends were defeated, the man in green himself would fight until the bitter end.
Not unlike himself, he supposed. While he admired Luigi's talent and abilities and would have preferred trying to convert him to Her side, he knew that the plumber must go.
Putting these kinds of thoughts aside, the figure began to sneakily follow the heroes.
Upon reaching the east side, Luigi radioed Daisy again. "How are we going to find the door?"
"There should be a brick that pushes in," she replied. "If I remember right, it's in the tenth row up from the bottom."
Bowser growled. "Great. Only two miles of wall to check. At this rate, we'll have the world saved in a hundred years!"
"Will you shut it for once and get looking?" Toad grumbled.
The heroes each took up a position at different parts of the wall, making sure to mark where they started so no one would waste too much time checking bricks that had already been tested.
After a tedious half-hour, it turned out to be Wario who found the correct brick. Pushing it in, he nearly jumped back when a large section of wall began to open up into a dark room. After calling the others over, the walked through the pitch-black room until they found another door. Cautiously opening it, they found that it opened up into the city.
"Okay, we're in," Luigi whispered over the radio. "Do you have one of those for getting into the castle?"
"Are you kidding me?" Daisy retorted. "After getting kidnapped once I beefed up my security! The only way in and out is through the front gate. Maybe someone should take notes…"
"You know, that's not actually a bad idea…" Bowser wondered aloud. "It would make it easier to find you pesky plumbers- "
"Now's not the time for this," Luigi whispered. "We're in, we just need to get into the castle, and, if Koops is right, convince Vivian that we have a chance in all of this."
Slowly walking from building to building, the heroes took no chances when making their way towards the castle. Luigi took the lead, notifying the rest if there were any enemies blocking their path. A few times, they were able to sneak up on one from behind and take care of it quietly. Before long, they were hiding on the eastern wall of the Sarasaland Castle.
"That wasn't so bad," Toad said optimistically. "Maybe this'll go better than last time!"
"I feel like anything could be better than last time," Waluigi said.
"That is a good question, though," Luigi said. "Bowser, does she have a dragon too?"
"Nah, I don't think so," Bowser replied. "I'm pretty sure I saw the purple one head back towards Rogueport after it torched the Darklands. We should be safe. Er, relatively safe."
"Excuse me for interrupting, but how do you think we can enter the castle?" Rosalina inquired. As if on cue, two Wizzerds opened the front doors and began floating away.
"Now's our chance!" Luigi said. Dashing up behind them, he performed a swift double jump on their heads to bring them crashing to the ground, unconscious, before they were able to lock the doors. Waving for the rest to follow him, he entered the castle.
The main entryway was as grand as Luigi remembered it, even if it was a bit darker than he recalled. Marble pillars stood hundreds of feet high, holding up a beautiful stained-glass sunroof with the image of a flower on it. The candles that normally provided a warm, welcoming glow now had a blackish-purple color that looked like it shouldn't even emit light, but it was.
Suddenly, the heroes ducked behind some furniture as two more Wizzerds floated by.
"That was close," breathed Toad.
Luigi held up a hand to silence him. Slowly moving through the castle, he tried to remember the quickest way to the throne room. He found that he was able to reach it in only a few minutes.
"Okay, we're going to go in, convince her to join us, then we blast out of here like maniacs. Ready?" Luigi asked his group. They all nodded in return. "Okay, here we go!"
They took up positions on either side of the door. Luigi held up his hand for a countdown.
'Three, two, one…'
The heroes charged through the doors, preparing for the worst upon entry.
They found quite the opposite.
The throne room was not only completely empty, but it also looked like it hadn't been used in months. Dust and cobwebs lined the walls and ceiling. The curtains were closed, blocking out nearly all of the light from outside.
"The hell is this?" Wario complained. "This was supposed to be fast and easy!"
"Yeah, what gives?" Waluigi growled.
Luigi looked around in confusion. "Uh… So much for that." He turned back to the rest. "So I guess we just go from door to door until we find her?"
"No," Koops interjected. "No, this isn't like her. Even if she's been turned to their side, she'd never just disappear. She's too loyal to her allies to do that."
"Huh," Bowser said. "Cool. Oh well. Looks like we're going with what Green 'Stache says- "
Suddenly, a low giggle could be heard throughout the room.
"You have to be shitting me," Toad said. "We walked right into a trap again?"
"Yes… Yes, you did," the voice came again. The heroes looked up at the throne to see Vivian materialize before them. "I didn't think that you'd be coming for me next. You know, since I was once his partner."
"Viv!" Koops shouted. "Come on Viv, it's me! Koops! You remember me, right?"
Vivian turned her gaze towards him. "Koops… Hm, not ringing any bells. Whoever you are, you probably just weren't important enough for me to remember."
Koops recoiled, horrified. "What… Dear Grambi, what did they do to you, Viv? I know you're a Shadow Siren and all but… Geez…"
Vivian giggled again. "You really think that my Queen tampered with my mind? No, my little subject. I made this choice myself. Do I regret it? Sometimes, maybe, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons."
Luigi's face hardened. "We're not gonna let you keep ruling these people like this! We're gonna take you down!" Everyone except Koops cheered in approval.
Vivian laughed again, this time more heartily. "Oh, will you now? I already had something planned for this meeting… So, enjoy."
The sound of gas spraying into the room could be heard. Almost immediately, the heroes began to feel incredibly tired. One by one, they sunk to the floor, trapped in a deep sleep.
Luigi was the last one to remain conscious. "You… You won't… Get away… With this…"
Vivian laughed again. Slowly, she made her way over to Luigi. "Shh… Sleep, my subject… Sleep…" She manually closed his eyelids.
He was out cold.
Luigi woke up in a very uncomfortable position.
Lifting his head from his chest, he found that he was chained up to a wall by his wrists and ankles. His shirt had also been removed, and his overalls unbuttoned.
Looking around, he saw that he was in a small room with stone walls and a single lamp. There was also a table in front of him. On it was what appeared to be a small knife with an elegantly engraved hilt.
It wasn't long before Vivian rose out of the shadows before him. "Missed me?"
Luigi spat in her direction.
Though it didn't hit her, Vivian still recoiled away from Luigi's spit. "Seriously? That's just disgusting."
Luigi refused to meet her gaze. "Disgusting acts for a disgusting traitor."
Vivian sighed. "Really? You're still going to lecture me about this?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Luigi retorted. "I believe what Koops told me. I saw you with Mario back in Rogueport before all of this started. You were his friend. You left that crazy Grodus guy's side because my bro gave you the respect and acceptance you deserved. And now… Now you're just back where you started."
Vivian held her face in her hand, laughing to herself. "Let me tell you, you can make a really good speech. Maybe you should've done that instead of princess rescuing."
Luigi turned to look at her. "Why are you being so nice to me all of the sudden? Just trying to get my guard down before you torture me?"
Vivian looked up at him in shock. "What? No! I'm not going to torture you, dude! Calm down!"
Luigi cast her a confused glance. "But what about…?"
Vivian's eyes lit up in acknowledgement. "Oh, those guys in the street… Yeah, that was a bit awkward. If those Wizzerds hadn't been there and I'd have caught them myself, I wouldn't have done anything to them."
"So… Wait a minute, I'm really confused!"
Vivian sighed. "I guess you deserve to hear the whole story. So, after the whole mishap with miss "I'm-going-to-kill-you-all…"
Almost immediately upon escaping the Palace of Shadow, Vivian ran into the people she wanted to see the least.
Her sisters.
Well, her sisters and that other guy that she and Mario had fought before.
"Well, well, well, look who it is," Beldam sneered. "Looks like you chose the wrong side, bitch!"
"Yeah! Did you see how that demon lady crushed that Mario guy? That was great!" Doopliss said. Marilyn elbowed him hard in the side, silencing him. "Alright, alright, leave the talking to her, got it…"
"Can you… Monsters just leave me alone?" Vivian said. She tried to sound tough, but ultimately ended up sounding small and weak.
Beldam cackled. "Oh no, sweetie! We have some unfinished business with you! That is, until her majesty decides what to do with a traitorous little bitch like you."
Vivian could feel herself beginning to tear up. "N-No, you-you're not going to win, w-we can still b-beat you- "
"Oh, will you just SHUT UP!" Beldam screamed. She slapped Vivian across the face, knocking her down to the ground.
Vivian put a hand to the cheek that was hit. Slowly getting up, she tried to look tough again. "I-I've beaten you before, I can do it again- "
"WHAT DID I JUST SAY?" Beldam slapped her again, causing her to cry out in pain.
Beldam leaned down next to her ear. "Now, you listen to me. I'm going to make sure you pay for your mistakes. The hard way. We're going to have some sister-bonding sessions over the next few weeks. I'll try to make them… non-fatal."
With that, Beldam cast a spell to make Vivian fall unconscious.
When she woke up, she was faced with more pain.
More physical pain.
More mental pain.
More emotional pain.
Pain.
Pain.
Pain.
Before long, she was crying herself to sleep every night, praying to the star spirits above that there was some way that Mario could fix this.
She prayed, though she knew that it would do nothing.
By the time Vivian finished her story, she had tears rolling down her face. She had released Luigi from his bonds during this time, so he was able to try to comfort her some.
"Every damn day, that… That… Monster put me through the worst things you could imagine," she continued. "After a while, I knew that the only way to stop was to submit and reclaim my 'rightful place'…"
Luigi put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about it. You're safe now. Help us escape, and we can take down your sisters and that demon. We still have a chance to save the world!"
Vivian nodded, wiping away her tears. "You're right. I know where the others are being held. I made sure that I would be the one to "torture" them personally, so they should be fine."
Luigi nodded and got to his feet. "Let's get out of here, then." Pushing open the door, he turned back to Vivian. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot to ask. You said there was a guy by the name of Doopliss with your sisters? Whatever happened to him?"
Vivian, eyes glued to something beyond the door, pointed in fear.
Luigi turned to find his path blocked by a figure in a white sheet with what appeared to be a party hat on top. The sheet had holes cut in it for eyes and a mouth.
"That," the figure said in a devilish voice, "would be me."
"He… He's supposed to watch over me… Make sure I don't misbehave," Vivian said.
Luigi gulped.
Looks like this plan wouldn't be going as smoothly as he had first thought. Or second thought.
They were going to have to fight this thing.