Chapter 9: Forest of Mystery
As the heroes made their daring trek down the mountain, they encountered many monsters. But they easily overpowered their adversaries, who attempted to impede their progress.
Upon reaching the woods, Huey and Kersti got into an argument over who would apply the vacuum. Mario broke it up, saying they could both do it.
"Both of us?" Huey said. "That sounds great!"
The vacuum fell down, activated, and began to take in all the black paint surrounding the forest.
After they cheered, Trash walked Kersti into the forest.
When they were out of earshot, Mario started to whisper to Huey.
"You like her, don't you?" he said.
"Who, Kersti?" he asked. "Nah, she's too irritable."
"Uh-huh. 'Irritable.'"
Mario gave him a look indicating he knew Huey liked Kersti.
"Mario, why are you-"
"Tell her."
"WHAT?! NO!"
"Why not? You could snag yourself a beautiful woman!"
Mario imitated a tiger growling, and winked at Huey.
Huey sighed, then picked the nearest rose he could find, which was a silvery red, and caught up to them.
He tapped on Kersti's shoulder (A/N: "Crown"?) and handed her the rose.
"Thank you," she said. She then blushed slightly, and then smiled.
"You're welcome," Huey replied shyly.
They continued through the entrance and found the forest filled with poisonous water yet again.
"WHAT THE?!" Mario exclaimed.
"That... does not look like happy fun times..." Trash said.
"Do you like my poison rivers?" a voice said. "I vorked really hard on it! Screeeee!"
They looked around, and found a floating ball of ink, with two yellow eyes arranged in an angry-looking way. It had a perpetual smile, with evenly sized sharp teeth, and a visibly red, glowing core. It was mostly purple, but it's right side was composed of multiple colors, and they were always swirling. It's arms were long and were of a brighter purple.
"Who are you?!" Huey asked.
"Oh, just vere are my manners?" the floating ball asked in a Slavic accent. "My name is Inky, and I am the king of ink! Screeeeep!"
"The king, eh? Then I assume you know why this entire game happened-"
"SHUT UP, TRASH-" Huey began.
A beeping noise played in everyone's eyes while the words "Technical difficulties, please wait..." appeared over a rainbow wall. Then everything went back to normal.
"Then can you explain why this entire series of events happened?"
"Vy, yes I can! I sent those shy guys to steal your beloved princess's color because I MUST revive my master!"
"Master, eh? And who is this 'master'?"
"He prefers that I do not say his name... for he gets very embarrassed..."
Inky then snapped his fingers, materializing a doll of Princess Peach out of thin air.
"You vant your beloved princess? Vell, you'll haff to go get her!" He then tossed the doll into the woods, landing in the windows of a giant mansion.
Mario then remembered a nightmare he had a few days before, while they were at the Seedy Stop.
The dream went a bit like this...
"Mario!" Princess Peach screamed.
"I'M-A COMING, PRINCESS!" Mario yelled.
"HELP ME!"
Peach was getting swallowed up by a huge ball of ink, who spoke in the same accent as Inky.
"The time has finally come! ARISE, MASTER!" the giant ball said.
Peach screamed, and suddenly he were atop a black tower. It was raining, with lightning striking the tower.
A black shy guy spoke, looking directly at Mario.
"...peculiar..."
Suddenly, Mario left his state of shock and remembered where he was.
"If-a you've got something to do with the nightmare I had a while back, then go away and never return!" Mario yelled.
"Now, Mario, is that any vay to speak to your future king? Now, you haff made me angry! Oh, wiggler!"
Suddenly, wiggler charged out of the poisonous water, covered with ink.
"Teach your guests some manners!"
Wiggler then charged at them, red as a strawberry, and really mad. Mario stomped the flower, then used a paint leech to take the ink out.
However, it was mostly fused to his skin, so they had to defeat him.
"Nice try, you nim-nims!" Wiggler said tauntingly, while the quartet laughed.
"WHAT KIND OF... I can't take it... what kind of insult is nim-nims?! What is that, a vegan food?!" Trash said as he slowly fell over backwards.
Wiggler looked very confused, and asked why they were laughing.
"It's just... your insults... just... what kind of insult is nim-nims?!" Huey said.
"Nim-nims?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kersti said.
Mario laughed for a short while, but then got back on track, and continued to defeat the giant caterpillar.
He was the only one fighting, for the others were busy laughing themselves to death.
As it was, Mario easily beat the caterpillar, at which Inky stared in shock.
"B-but... no one should be able to resist my ink!" he stuttered.
"Well, you're-a wrong!" Mario said.
Looking around for a way to escape, Inky flew into the sky, but Mario grabbed his body.
"I.. WON'T... LET YOU... GET AWAY!" he yelled.
"Idiot... you vill never get us!" Inky said as he detached a piece of his body, the piece Mario was hanging onto. "Besides, we've already got your princess! Oh, it vould be a SHAME if she died!"
As Mario fell back into the woods, he realized his only option was to stop Inky.
He fell on the ground, hearing a loud slap and seeing a large cloud of dust fly up.
He felt something slimy dragging him onto a sandy area, and he fainted.
Several hours later...
Mario woke up on Whitecap Beach, with a horrible pain in his neck. He found several jungle guys leaning over him, conversing in their tribal language.
Mario got up and found Huey, Kersti and Trash tied onto stakes, and with guards watching over them, Mario could not free them.
Suddenly, the chieftain came out.
He spoke in his tribal language while a translator told Mario what he was saying.
"He says, 'My people! Today, our savior has been delivered! As thanks, we shall sacrifice these lowly creatures to the gods as thanks!"
After the crowd cheered, Mario yelled.
"NO!"
The translator was translating away when he translated for Mario.
"What? The savior doesn't want them to be sacrificed?" the translator said.
"Yes-a! Even though they were kind of annoying... they're really useful!"
"And for what purpose would you have in keeping them alive?"
"We'll defeat the scourge of your kingdom!"
The chief weighed the options, then asked for their release.
"If you succeed, we shall give you this!"
The chief raised a cage with the green mega paint star in it.
"Sounds goo-"
Suddenly, a large green vine ripped the cage apart and took the star deep into the jungle.
Then it tore down the stakes the other three heroes were stuck to, releasing them.
"Well, now you have no choice but to defeat that scourge."
"We-a shall!"
