I've been stocking up on chapters for a different story that will be posted in September, so that its readers won't have to be at the mercy of my slow updating. Unfortunately, this make you at the mercy of my even slower updating. So, that's the situation, in case you're wondering. I now have three stories going at once, but the third unpublished one will (hopefully) receive less attention from moi.
Melody
"Do you know how to use your skills in combat?" Harmony had said several weeks before. Now, I was sweating and exhausted from doing just that. I learned that time-traveling took much energy, effort, and a physical condition that my body just didn't have. I, being a princess, was never trained in battle. I had the Mushroom Kingdom soldiers to fight the wars and the duels for me. Father was very skilled and had mentioned teaching Pietro a thing or two, but apparently, dueling is not for women, especially princess girls. Harmony thinks I need these skills because I have this "great and awesome destiny" or whatever. So I'm just going to have to trust her.
It's come to my mind whether or not I can trust Harmony at all. But I try not to think about that too much, because in case you've forgotten, she can read minds. It's very annoying.
"Melody, I'm not in your head all the time and you know that. Now focus on what we are doing now: disarming techniques."
See what I mean? Oh, I almost forgot to mention something. I have a sword. Pretty cool, no? It was originally Harmony's sword, and she named it Swift as Time, but I just call her Swift. It's a neat name for a sword. She has a long silver blade that stretches down to my lower thigh when she's in her sheath, a midnight blue hilt set with sparkling white and purple gemstones. She's one of the most beautiful things I ever saw.
Now, Harmony and I are sparring in the Cave Between Time (I think Harmony could've named it something grander, though), the original cavern that I met her in. She's a whole lot better than I am.
"Ready, go!" A couple times, she didn't even ask me if I was ready, but I suppose the enemy's not going to do that either.
I matched Harmony's complex footwork as she gently swung her sword. Then BAM! I was knocked to the ground by Force Unknown. No, seriously, Force Unknown, which is Harmony's sword, knocked me to the ground. I looked at Harmony.
"Always be ready for surprise attacks." That's about the tenth time she said that, and the twentieth time she's knocked me to the ground. "You know, you can see into the immediate future, so you would be warned of a surprise attack anyway, right?" It's the second time she's said that. "Focus, Melody." About fifty. And that's just today!
We began to spar once again. The goal for this lesson was to disarm Harmony at some point during the duel. That basically ends the battle before I have to use some of the other stuff she's taught me.
Swift was a good sword, but what was worth more were my skills. All of a sudden, time slowed down. I looked around in wonder. Were these my powers? I looked at Harmony's sword. It was moving at about two miles per hour, so I decided to disarm it. Time speeded back up again and Harmony's sword was on the ground. At first, I couldn't believe my luck.
"It isn't luck, Melody, it's skill." There she goes, in my mind again. "You used your powers, so you won. Simple. Would you like some water?" I would love some water! I took the glass from Harmony and drank all the water in it in one swift gulp. "That will be all, for today. Tomorrow, I will send you back in time eighteen years, so that you can return your cousin and brother to the future." I nodded. I had been expecting this for almost two weeks since she told me, and I felt I was ready.
I looked around the Cave Between Time. I liked it here. The stalagmites and stalactites sometimes do random things, like morph into statues or spit out purple goo, which is actually a delicious substance known as Cille. It's perfectly safe to drink, gives you energy for the next twelve hours (which has kept me up at night, unfortunately), enhances your powers, and one sip will substitute a meal. Either that, or Harmony made that up. She makes up a lot of things. Cille does taste good though, and it really does keep you up late.
I can't return to Castle Toadstool until I can find Pietro and Lillian. The Cave Between Time is, well, between time. No matter how much time I spend down here (seven weeks, so far. My birthday was a few weeks ago. Harmony and I celebrated with a Cille cake, which is DELICIOUS) no time will pass in the Mushroom Kingdom. The civilians won't even notice anything, except for that I might disappear in one place and reappear in another. I might be a couple weeks older though, and that might add up after a while.
With a crack and a flash of light, I was warped eighteen years back in time, on what looked like the border of Worlds Seven and Eight. Obsidian covered the ground and thick fog rolled across the sky. But why was I here? You'd think Pietro and Lillian would be in World One, in the Mushroom Kingdom. But I was very wrong, for out of the fog came none other than Pietro, Lillian, and another human I didn't recognize. The unknown human was pulling behind him a very large motorcycle, which was grumbling loudly and making odd popping noises.
"I told too many wheelies would overload it, Lillian!" said the mystery human, "Now, we are traveling on foot."
"Aw, c'mon. They were worth it! Niko, you're no fun!" This definitely sounded like my cousin. But who was this Niko? I placed my hand on Swift's hilt, ready to fight if he turned out to be their captor, which would explain why they were in World Eight. But then again, he let Lillian do wheelies on his motorcycle, so he might not be all that bad. And letting Lillian do wheelies is a very brave thing to do.
I took a deep breath and said, "Excuse me!" There were two sharp twangs and I detected arrows flying at me, probably from "Niko". I instantly drew Swift and blocked both. "It's me, Melody!"
"Melody!" my cousin and brother cried and we all shared a group hug. Lastly, but not least, came Niko. He still had his bow, and another two arrows were notched, but he put it down.
"Niko, this is Melody, my cousin and Pietro's older sister," Lillian introduced me. Niko still looked wary. He was tall, and looked about Lillian's age. He certainly looked like he'd seen better days, and that his clothes haven't been washed in ages. He was good with a bow and arrows, obviously. If I was still in the Mushroom Kingdom, somebody like him would be driven from the castle gates. But still, I knew my history, and eighteen years ago, World Eight was ruled under the koopa tyrant Bowser, who had actually kidnapped Mother so many times that the Mushroom Kingdom had to acquire two heroes from a different dimension: Father and Uncle Luigi, the Mario Bros. I wouldn't be surprised if the Darklands contained sorrier-looking people.
I wondered if Harmony knew the whole time where my friends were. It seemed too easy, just being warped here.
"So," I said, "Looking for this?" I held up the olive green controller and Lillian and Pietro's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed with confusion.
"How did you get that? We've been looking for it for almost a week now!" Pietro asked me.
"It wasn't with you at all. The time machine was splinched, and the controller was left in the present." Nods of understanding. "Now, a lot has happened since you guys left, and I have some news…"
And so I proceed to tell them all about the prophecy, Harmony, my training, powers, and Swift. Pietro is doubtful, but Lillian catches on pretty quickly and starts to think up about a million antics I could pull on innocent civilians, like the fruit stand trick. In a busy marketplace, set up several fruit stands. Sell some fruit to an innocent Toad, then, after about ten minutes, travel nine and a half minutes back in time to one of your other fruit stands. Sell that same Toad some more fruit. Do the same with several stands until that poor Toad has seen at least ten of you, all selling fruit, at the same time.
You know, sometimes I wonder about Lillian, and what exactly goes on in her mind. I probably don't want to know.
Lillian and Pietro had their own news to share. I found out how they traveled in time, watched Uncle Luigi race, got kidnapped and questioned by Bowser, escaped with the aid of the Colonel, blown up an airship, met Niko, and done wheelies all the way here.
And all the while, Niko was listening quietly.
The questioning by Bowser, I was very curious about. He wanted information on me, I was sure. But how could he even know about me? I've been in the past for about… half an hour. I was positive he wanted to know the whereabouts of the eighth star child (me), not Princess Peach. Are there others like me that he could've sent as spies into the future? No, there is only one "Star Child Number Eight", I think, and it's me. I don't think anyone else can travel in time without Professor E. Gadd's machine. Could he have gotten a hold of the machine somehow? Not likely… This question will remain unanswered, for now. What matters is that Bowser's after me, and I need to be ready.
Mario
"Hey bro, I need to borrow the Shoo-, I mean, Silver Star for a quick ride to Castle Toadstool."
"Aw, Mario, I need to practice!"
"You've been practicing all day, all week! I think we both agree you could use a break." Luigi opened his mouth, but closed it again. "Thanks, I owe you one."
I left the house and strapped myself into the Silver Star, the best racing machine in the Eight-Worlds and also the coolest flying machine ever seen. I opened the secret flying controls and levitated the car into the air, then ZOOM! I was off. I took a deep breath. My palms were sweaty, so I took off my gloves and placed them in the passenger's seat. Usually, there was no passenger's seat, but one could fold it up from a secret compartment. Why did I have the passenger's seat up? Well, I was finally going to do it. I was going to ask Peach to take a ride in the most awesome car ever. I needed to spend some time with her before she's married off to that creep, Este-what's-his-name.
I finally arrived at Toad Town, only to find what I've been dreading for a while, happening again. You have the worst possible timing EVER, Bowser! I thought. His airships were just pulling away.
Then, I had a thought. A test. Of course! If Este-what's-his-name really loves her so much… why doesn't he save her? Now, I'm not saying I don't mind saving Princess Peach. Noo… Not at all! Saving her has been what's gained Luigi and me her friendship and the kingdom's trust.
But I should at least ask. Maybe if he refuses, that would give Peach's side of the argument more leverage…
I turned southward, toward the Mushroom Kingdom's border, and where the Delfino Kingdom's seas began.
Later, I reached Palace Delfino, a large tower-like structure where the Prince lived. I could only hope he was there. I landed the Silver Star in a nearby park and shut off the engine. I walked in the front door and a grand palace indoors met my eyes.
Everything was red, gold, or green. A spiral staircase, golden with a red carpet, led to all of the rooms in the Palace. Innumerable Noki servants dressed in green were walking up and down the staircase, some cleaning, some carrying food or clothes. One came up to me and asked,
"What is your business here at Palace Delfino, sir?"
I replied politely, "I would like to see the Prince Esteban Delfino. My name is Mario Mario of the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Oh! Mr. Mario, sir, I would be delighted to assist you! He is upstairs…" The Noki led me up the staircase and into a room towards the top floor. A large indoor tennis court spanned from the door to the windows of the Palace, in which the Prince was playing tennis with one of the Noki servants.
"Ha! I win again!" he said. But I noted that he wasn't that good, and that the opponent Noki was probably letting him win. He then turned toward me, recognized me instantly, and his mood turned scornful. "What brings you here?" The Noki that had greeted Mario at the door was probably wondering if it was a wise decision bringing me up here without asking the Prince first.
"I came to ask you a question, a question about the Princess of my home kingdom."
"Her? Why, of course! I am aware she has many royal admirers that have had their hopes crushed recently and would be glad to answer any questions they might have for me." My insides boiled up and I was already struggling to keep my speech contained. One thought kept me under control: If you explode at him, the longer Peach has to stay with that even bigger creep Bowser…
"No, it is a personal question, concerning you, too. If she was kidnapped by Bowser again, would you save her?" The two Nokis were wise enough to leave the room, muttering something about cleaning the swimming pool. News had not yet reached Isle Delfino about Peach, and I wasn't even sure it was big enough news anymore to be inter-kingdom news.
"Is this a trick question?" Yes, it was, technically. "Because of course I would brave the seas and the lands, using my sword, Sea's Wind, to best all of the bosses and those infernal koopas…" And so he launched into an extensive monologue, implying throughout that he could save Princess Peach much better than I ever could. Sure…
"Great!" I said, "Because you are going to do exactly that!" For once, the Prince was silenced. "Peach has been kidnapped once again by Bowser, and since you are her fiancé, I think the public would find it quite romantic if you saved her this time." I had Esteban in a trap now. He couldn't refuse, because he had just bragged about how he could easily save the Princess, so he would have to accept.
"Alright, but you're coming with me, as a guide." Hey! He had no right… Oh, fine.
"Okay. I know some great warp pipes we can take not far from here…" My reaction frustrated him, I could tell. Good. "If you want to take your sword, that would help."
"It's, um, at the silversmith's."
"That's fine. I'll teach you how to Stomp." Esteban had a look on his face that said What did I get myself into? Quite plainly, but I didn't care. This rescue mission would certainly be interesting, even more so than the one that took place in space. Heck, the whole gravity deal was pretty cool, the way it kept changing (which unfortunately also led to the need to eat many 1-up mushrooms before an attempt to retrieve a star), but having someone besides Luigi tagging along would be even more intriguing.
Luigi. Agh! He still thinks I was taking the Silver Star for a ride to Castle Toadstool and back! After exiting the Palace, I called Luigi up and told him everything.
"Hehe, that's funny bro! Yeah, I understand you have to save Peach, but would you drop by the house and drop the Silver Star off, first?"
"Sure, Luigi."
"Alright. Bye!
"Bye!"
Let's-a-go.
Ludwig von Koopa
For now, I was the pilot. That would soon change when one of my brothers or sister would emerge victorious from the bickering that was going on behind me. Well, we koopas would call it an insignificant bicker. Most people would call it barbaric brawling.
"Be silent back there! I am trying to focus my intellectual capacity onto driving this vessel!"
"Uh, what did he say?" said Larry, the youngest.
"Dunno," said Morton. "I think he's trying to drive and wants us to be quiet."
"Yeah, that might make sense," said Roy.
Sometimes their conversations upon the subject of one's speech frighten me. But in truth, I was not focusing my entire intellectual capacity on piloting the airship, but also some of it onto devising a plot to capture the escaped prisoners. I had originally planned upon splitting all of us up and giving each of my siblings a World to search in, but that would not quite be fully efficient, because there would be an extra World, unless we could get the aid of Bowser Jr. as well. So I decided to just search one world at a time, with this airship. The airship, Flame Flyer, was one of the most powerful in the Garage. I had also decided to search the Territory of Kharak first, since that was the last time the prisoners were sighted. I knew a large shipment of winged bob-ombs were in that ship, and were the likely cause of the explosion. But still, someone had to ignite them.
I didn't quite foresee that making all these decisions on my own would not have the desired cooperation of my siblings.
We argued for quite some time and I had to eventually had to stop Flame Flyer for fear I would crash her. King Dad would certainly not be pleased that a second airship was smashed into ruins on the high obsidian peaks of the Eighth World.
Yes… It would be a while before this mission got truly started.
Not one of my longer chapters, but informative, that's for sure.
Next…(Chapter 10: Can't We Just Get Along?) Everyone seems to have issues with their teammates. The subject of Princess Peach continues to crop up in Prince Esteban and Mario's conversation, and Mario's not liking it, Niko wants to withdraw from the group, but someone and something both tell him no, and the Koopalings continue to bicker but unknowingly draw ever closer to their quarry. It won't be long before they sight them again.
Yep! Pretty cool stuff coming soon. Review soon, or I'll have to review myself! I have done that before, but I deleted the review… Don't make me do it again!
