CHAPTER 9
- One King to Rule Them All -
'Thousand-Year Door?' 'Rainbow Relics?' 'Shadow King?!' Doopliss was having trouble juggling all the info that he'd just heard from Mario and the gang. What the hell was going on this stupid island?
After Doopliss had confessed his love to Vivian, he'd felt his heart suddenly sink into the depths of his chest. He just felt so sorry for Vivian that she had to be loved by such a goddamn failure like himself. He'd spent almost the entire night just thinking... Thinking about how much he just wished he could control his feelings and somehow remove the love he had for Vivian, just to make her happy. He thought perhaps his life would've been better had he never met her...
And yet as the sun had begun to rise, Doopliss realized that wasn't true. His love for Vivian is what saved him from the spell of the Crystal Star, and it's what drove him to leave Twilight Town and the Creepy Steeple in the first place. Honestly, did he still want to live all by himself in that dreary old church with nothing but a shiny rock to keep him company? No way! Doopliss was overjoyed to have found something, someone... that he could love. And as that one dude in The Wedding Singer said, "If you find someone you can really love, that's special. That's not something you can just let go..." Or something like that.
He had later witnessed them all attempting to board the Elation by riding Flurrie, only to have the boat explode right in front of them. After that, they decided that since they were stranded with Grodus, Crump, and Bowser, they might try to find the last Rainbow Relic so that Grodus would die or something. Doopliss decided to follow them after that. He wasn't sure why, but he just had a feeling Vivian was being led into some sort of danger... He followed them to the Temple of Optics (though he didn't go inside, because Vivian didn't either... plus, he was a total wuss), and was now following them through the Plains of Eden towards the Palace of the Gods so they could place the Rainbow Relics. It was between then and now that he heard everything they said...
The Shadow Queen was back... Back to finish something she started with the Rainbow Relics 1,000 years ago... And she was inside that little Crystal Ball and possessing Vivian.
Doopliss couldn't believe it - so THAT was the demon who had possessed her that night in the motel!
You see, Doopliss had run away after confessing his love to Vivian, but he returned to the motel a few hours later to maybe say something in apology, but he instead witnessed Vivian walking out of her room and into the one Mario was in. Also, her hair had been all funny and flaily and stuff. So Doopliss then listened from beyond the door and heard all this crazy stuff about Shadow Queens and Relics and something about possessing Vivian's body and creating an evil heart, and... something about a husband...
Now that Doopliss knew so much, he was able to piece it together to make a somewhat reasonable story, though he still wasn't too sure about the whole thing. He was still following them through the Plains of Eden and eavesdropping, right now hiding behind a rock, when he heard something awful...
Vivian had used Mario to get the Crystal Stars for her so she could revive the Shadow Queen 6 months ago...
No way. Vivian was too sweet to do anything like that. It couldn't be possible!
Doopliss looked over from behind the rock, and saw Mario and everyone walking off without her, leaving her to cry on her own.
Poor thing. She really did seem sorry for what she'd done. Maybe he could've gone over and consoled her a bit...
But before he could make any moves, he saw two others fly into the scene and fly in right behind Vivian. Doopliss recognized one - it was Parakarry, the loon he'd sung the YMCA with.
But the other he didn't know. It was a big, floating stone head that looked like it could've come straight from an ancient Mayan temple. What the hell was that thing?
The stone head guy lowered himself behind the crying Vivian.
"There, there..." he said lovingly. "Don't cry honey, don't cry..."
'Honey?' Who was this guy, and why was he calling Vivian 'honey'? Seems like something only a dad would call her baby girl or something.
Vivian turned around, and saw the floating stone head behind her, along with Parakarry, who waved. Doopliss could only judge from her mouth and body language, but he wasn't sure if Vivian was happy, sad, or kinda scared to see them.
"...W-who are you?" she asked.
The floating head guy curved his rocky lips up into a smile. "...They call me Zanthir."
Vivian's mouth seemed to droop. "Oh, right. I've heard of you... You think I'm just the greatest thing in the world, don't you? Just because you think I killed the X-nauts?"
Zanthir chuckled. "The X-nauts... are over. They're not important anymore. What is important... is that you've come back to me."
"What do you mean?" Vivian asked, clearly intimidated. "And why did you call me 'honey'?"
Zanthir's smile didn't disappear. Man, the look on that guy's stony face... You'd think he'd just fallen in love or something! Or that he'd just found someone he loved that he hadn't seen for 1,000 years!
Whoa... Doopliss had meant that as a joke, but that last thought struck him as very serious. Why was that?
"I'm just so happy to finally see you, Vivian..." Zanthir replied. "To finally see you again..."
"I still don't know what you mean," she said, getting scared.
"Please, don't be afraid," he said. "Why, I remember when you were just-"
"Um, sorry to interrupt," blurted Parakarry, "But don't we need to get up to that there Palace of the Gods? Looks like Mario and his friends have already used that stone slab thingy over yonder ta get up there!"
Zanthir grimaced and looked up at the palace in the sky. "At last..." he whispered.
He then looked at Vivian and Parakarry. "You two wish to witness that placing of the Rainbow Relics, right?"
Vivian nodded. "Yeah... that was supposed to be a special moment to share with my friends..."
"Right then!" Zanthir exclaimed. "Vivian, hop aboard! Parakarry, follow behind me. Let's go!"
And so Vivian reluctantly slipped into the shadows and reappeared on Zanthir's head, and Zanthir and Parakarry began to fly off.
Doopliss thought hard. He'd heard in that weird conversation between Mario and possessed Vivian the night before that her husband had been inhabiting the body of a God the past 1,000 years. Her husband would probably be the Shadow King, so...
His heart suddenly swelled with fear. "Oh no..."
He looked up at Zanthir and Parakarry, who were now but two dots in the orange sky, flying towards the palace.
"I have to get up there..." he whispered to himself. "I have to save her..."
"Hey, YOU!" came a gruff voice from behind.
Doopliss whipped around and saw Grodus, Bowser and Crump standing there, all looking like they were ready to do something rash.
"Was that not Vivian I saw speaking with that strange stone head?" Grodus asked. "Because remember what we said to you... You refused to help us locate her, so I vowed to kill her right in front of her if I ever found her! Now then, where are they headed!? Speak, or I will have Bowser and Crump flatten you!"
"Yeah! Bowser roared. "I want Peach!!"
"And I want an X-Box!" exclaimed Crump.
When Doopliss didn't speak, Grodus quickly grew impatient. "Bowser! Crump! SEIZE HIM!!"
Bowser and Crump both charged and each grabbed Doopliss by one of his arms. They lifted him up, but Doopliss made no attempt to fight back.
"Now then, Doopliss..." Grodus said threateningly. "You tell us right now where Vivian and Peach have gone. Last time, I only threatened to kill Vivian right in front of you. This time, though, I vow to kill YOU if you don't speak!"
"OK," Doopliss said. "I'll tell you..."
"Huh?" asked Crump.
"Huh?!" asked Bowser.
"HUH?!" exclaimed a very surprised Grodus. "You... Y-you'll actually tell us where they're going?" Grodus asked.
"Yes," Doopliss promised.
"You won't, like, lead me the wrong way or give me bad directions or anything like that?"
"Honest. I'll tell you where they are."
"Well, this is a surprise..." said Grodus. "I thought you cared for Peach's and Vivian's safety - especially Vivian's..."
"I do," Doopliss replied. "That's why I'm willing to tell you where they are. You three may be my only hope of saving them all."
Bowser promptly let go of Doopliss's arm, causing Doopliss to drop and Crump to lose balance and fall on his ass. "Whoa whoa WHOA..." Bowser said, backing up. "I'm not gonna be doing any SAVING of any sort! No way! I'm the King of Evil! Saving is the total opposite of what I do!"
Doopliss shook his head. "No Bowser. You're not the King of Evil. In fact, the true King of Evil is upon us right now. He and his queen, too..."
Doopliss then stared intently at Grodus. "You do know which queen I'm talking about, don't you?"
Grodus stared up at Doopliss. Even through Grodus's goggles, you could tell his eyes were filled with confusion and anger. "No... It's not possible... You don't mean the Shadow Queen, do you?"
"I do, Slick. The same Shadow Queen who you were tricked into resurrecting, and the same Shadow Queen who blew your body to hell."
Grodus groaned, as though reminded of the painful fact that he was but a head with no body. "Grrrhhh... I thought she was dead!"
"Evidently not, man. And from what I understand, there's a Shadow King as well - a man who's waited 1,000 years for the Shadow Queen to be freed from the Thousand-Year Door so they could resume their plans - their plans to destroy the world!"
Grodus's eyebrows shot up. "Destroy the world!? That's MY job! No way that shadow bitch is gonna beat me to that, whether or not she does have a king by her side!"
"Oh," Doopliss said. "And since the Shadow Queen is only a ghost and can only survive in a stupid Crystal Ball, she plans to invade Vivian's heartless body and create a heart from scratch - a heart of pure evil, so she can have a physical form again."
"...Does that mean she's gonna kill Vivian?"
"Essentially, yes."
"WHAT?! Where are they?!"
Doopliss pointed straight up at the Palace of the Gods in the sky overhead. "Right up there in that tower. And I think the rites are gonna be completed puh-retty soon..."
Grodus growled. "URGH! NOOO!! I was supposed to kill Vivian! Bowser, head to the docks and get the Koopa Klown Car ready, pronto!"
"Aye aye, sir!" Bowser saluted. He immediately bolted at high speed across the plains towards the dock. As he ran, he screamed, "Peach, I'm coming for you! Try not to get killed by the Shadow King, so I can kidnap you...!"
"So," Grodus continued in a casual tone. "The Shadow Queen plans to possess Vivian permanently... I bet that makes you pretty worried, doesn't it Doopliss?"
Doopliss sighed. "More worried than you'll ever know. God, I hope I make it in time..."
Crump walked over and patted Doopliss on the back. "Yup, I know how you feel bud. It sucks when someone who owes you money dies. You just can never get the money after that, ya know?"
Grodus and Doopliss looked at him like he was an idiot. He was clearly used to that look cuz he merely nodded and turned away.
Suddenly, the whir of a helicopter blade sounded from far across the plains. It grew louder as it approached, and within seconds, Bowser's Koopa Klown Car came flying in from across the sunset-lit sky. It lowered down carefully, parting the grass with the wind from its propeller.
"Hop in, guys!" Bowser called. "And hurry up! I've got a princess to kidnap!"
Doopliss and Crump helped Grodus's head into the vehicle. "I've got a witch to get revenge upon!" Grodus exclaimed.
Crump jumped in shortly after. "I've got... uhhh...something important to do, too!"
Doopliss finally jumped in himself, and as he did, he stared up at the palace in the clouds.
"And I've got a love to save..." he said to himself.
With that, Bowser grabbed the controls and kicked the Koopa Klown Car into high gear, causing it to rocket up into the orange-glazed cloudy sky towards the Palace of the Gods.
This was it. The final trial...
Nearly five days of adventuring, and it all came down to a final battle against two of the most evil beings ever to be born out of the wickedness found in the hearts of the common people...
A final battle over the awesome power of the Gods themselves...
Who will win?
Who will succeed in governing the godly power of the Rainbow?
Only time will tell...
Zanthir, with Vivian on top of his head, landed in the Palace's docking bay and allowed Vivian off. Parakarry lagged in behind them, completely winded from that flight that he'd had to do for the 3rd time.
The three accompanied one another through the hallways of the palace. Vivian was still a bit teary from the truth she'd revealed to her friends earlier, but Zanthir seemed to be giving every ounce of his will just to make her feel better. Parakarry simply observed, not saying anything, but still wondering about the true relationship between these two...
The three climbed several flights of stairs, climbing closer and closer to the palace's summit. They were headed for the turret at the very top, where Mario and his friends were planning to place the seven Rainbow Relics, and hopefully bring back The Rainbow for the first time in 1000 years.
Zanthir and Vivian were both very excited about this, but Parakarry didn't seem to care a whole lot. He'd done what he wanted to do already. He really had no more reason to be in Morteva. What was it that made him stay and follow Zanthir all over the place? Maybe there was something he sensed that he didn't like and hoped to observe more closely...?
Zanthir suddenly stopped. "Let's get Reinus," he said. "I have a feeling he'll want to witness the placing of the Rainbow Relics."
"Good idea," Vivian said. "Where is he again?"
"He's just down this hall, ain't that right?" Parakarry asked.
"Yup," Zanthir exclaimed excitedly. "C'mon!"
Zanthir quickly flew down the hall, making Vivian and Parakarry chase after him. They found he'd stopped in front of the door to Reinus's room.
Zanthir lightly tapped his rocky body against the door. "Hello? Reinus?"
Reinus's godly voice sounded from beyond. "I said no more cookies!!"
"Oh, don't worry! It's just me, Zanthir! Parakarry's here, too! And we also brought a special guest - Vivian!"
Silence from behind the door.
"...Zanthir, come in. Leave your guests outside."
"Sure thing!" Zanthir said. The door opened slightly. Zanthir squeezed through and it shut behind him. Vivian and Parakarry were left standing alone in the hallway.
Parakarry put his hands on his hips. "Well gee, that's not like Reinus. He's usually happy ta have guests! Why would he only wanna talk ta Zanthir?"
"Because Reinus doesn't like me..." Vivian said sadly.
Parakarry turned to her with a puzzled expression. "He doesn't like YOU? Why, how could anyone not like you Vivian? You're as sweet as they come!"
Vivian still looked glum. "Thanks, but... I think it's because I'm a Shadow Siren. You know, a pawn of the Shadow King and Queen. The evil beings that stole the Rainbow Relics from their post in the first place..."
"Oh... I see." Parakarry said. "Well, once Reinus really gets to know you, he'll realize just how wrong he was!"
Vivian forced a smile. "Thanks Parakarry. That makes me feel a little better..."
Parakarry just couldn't bring himself to be happy when he saw Vivian so sad. "Whatsa matter, sugar? I've been meanin' ta ask, but... Why were you all alone in the field cryin' while Mario and everyone else was on their way to the palace?"
Vivian felt the tears of regret beginning to flow again. "I... I told them the truth that... When I first joined Mario, I was only using him to find the Crystal Stars so that could revive my queen. That... I was only pretending to be their friend..."
"Oh my..." Parakarry uttered in shock. It was unpleasantly surprising that Vivian could ever do such a thing, but his shock then became confusion. "But Vivian, if you've only been pretending to be their friend all this time, why do you feel so bad about it?"
Vivian looked up. "Because somewhere along the line... I realized that they really WERE my friends. They were the only people who ever treated me like they wanted me there... Not even my sisters or my king or queen ever acted that way towards me..."
Vivian then buried her face in her gloved hands again.
Parakarry gently caressed her arm. "Aww... I'm awfully sorry Vivian. Are you afraid that if you go up there and greet Mario, he'll reject you?"
Vivian nodded.
"Well he should be smart enough to understand that you're sorry about what you did! Shoot, I traveled with Mario on an adventure once, and I swear to you he was the most forgiving man I ever darn met! I can't imagine he'd still he all upset about what you did, especially considerin' how sorry you feel!"
Vivian looked up at him. "That's what I thought, too. But... he's changed so much since we started this adventure. He's not the Mario I met and care about anymore... I don't know what it is about him, but he's just not the same. I just wish I knew what it was that's making him this way..."
"Well then... let's find out together!" Parakarry exclaimed.
Vivian gave a genuine smile. At that moment, Parakarry seemed to be the only person in the world that really cared about her.
Of course, there was also Zanthir, but he was so loving it kind of freaked her out a bit...
And then there was Doopliss too, but she had no idea where he was...
In fact, thinking about Doopliss suddenly made her feel very sad, and for the first time, she actually felt as though she wanted to see him again...
Vivian sighed heavily. "Thanks Parakarry," she said, giving him a hug.
A sudden ruckus erupted from behind the door. Reinus's voice.
"What?! Mario and his party have found all seven Rainbow Relics?"
"Yes Mr Reinus!"
"And they're scaling the palace at this very moment, ready to return them to their post!?"
"Affirmative sir!"
"OH SNAP! WE HAVE TO SEE THIS!!"
The door suddenly burst open, and out ran Reinus, followed closely by Zanthir. Reinus looked down at Parakarry and Vivian. "Come!" he announced. "The Rainbow! For the first time in 1000 years... The Rainbow is finally coming back!" With that, he bolted down the hall and ran up the stairs like an excited little school boy. Zanthir struggled to keep up. "Vivian, honey! C'mon! And you too, Parakarry!" he called back before continuing to race up the stairs after Reinus.
Vivian and Parakarry looked at one another and shrugged, then began to pursue the two Gods up the stairs to the very tip-top of the palace...
Mario and his friends had scaled the last of many staircases, opened the last of many doors, and taken the last of many lifts, and they now all stood upon the turret of the Palace of the Gods. Upon reaching the top of the lift, they were greeted by a strong wind that immediately reminded them that they were well over 3 miles up in the Heavens.
Upon observation, it appeared that the roof of the palace housed seven pedestals that were evenly placed around the roof's wide perimeter. It was clear that these pedestals were the supposed resting places of the seven Rainbow Relics - once placed in their post, they would hopefully restore The Rainbow of legend and protect the Earth from aliens forever - namely Grodus...
Peach looked off the edge of the palace rooftop and stared in awe. The island of Morteva was but a dot in the vast sea, and it was hard to see through the orange cloud cover, which was quickly darkening into a shade of reddish-purple on account of the rapidly setting sun.
"Come on guys!" Mario called out. "We should get the Relics placed by sundown!"
"Are you sure about this, Mario!?" Goombella shouted over the rushing wind. "Remember? The Relics could either bring the world protection or destruction!"
"We've already come this far!" Mario argued. "We can't just turn back now! Besides, the Shadow King and Queen evidently didn't finish what they started with the Relics... I'm willing to bet they didn't get far enough as to make it at all risky to place the Relics now! The longer we wait, the more time we give them to catch up! We should really do this as fast as we can!"
As usual, no one saw fit to argue with Mario.
"Oh, and about that poem," Koops called out, "Do you think we'll ever get a chance to read that final verse!?"
"I dunno!" Mario replied. "Maybe placing the Relics is the key!"
This was more than enough reason for them to take the risk of placing the Relics now - they all were desperate to find any methods possible of reading the last verse of The Poem...
Mario took out the seven Rainbow Relics - The Hands of Friendship, the Ears of Trust, the Lips of Love, the Feet of Strength, the Eyes of Virtue, the Nose of Knowledge, and the Heart of Courage - and held them out. He wanted each Relic to be placed by a different person, and all at the same time. Everyone immediately ran up and decided to take their pick.
Bobbery took the Red Hands of Friendship. "I suppose I deserve this one... seeing as I did help a lot in the fight against that totem pole monster!"
Ms Mowz picked the Orange Ears of Trust. "Maybe a symbol of trust wouldn't fit a thief too well, but what the heck. I've kept some pretty crazy secrets!"
Flurrie snagged the Yellow Lips of Love. "If there's anyone around here who knows anything about good lovin', it's me!" (Everyone grimaced when they heard this o0)
Koops picked up the Blue Eyes of Virtue. "I dunno why I want this one... Maybe I'm just virtuous C:"
Goombella grabbed the Indigo Nose of Knowledge. "I know I don't have a nose," she said, "But I do have knowledge!"
Verdugo grabbed the Violet Heart of Courage. "Come on guys! Ya'll know I'm courageous!"
This left Mario holding only the Green Feet of Strength, and Peach still with nothing. Mario looked up at her and offered the Relic to her.
"Oh, that's OK," Peach assured him. "You did have to give up your shoes to get that one! You deserve to place it!"
In truth, Peach really just didn't want to hold a statue that looked like a pair of feet. Mario accepted her offer.
"OK," Mario said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the Crystal Ball. "Here Peach. You hold onto this..."
Peach wasn't sure why Mario was offering her the Crystal Ball. The smoky spirit inside really freaked her out, but she agreed to hold onto it while Mario and the others began to examine the pedestals around the perimeter of the rooftop.
The idea was very straightforward - each pedestal had a marking on them that indicated a specific body part. All they had to do was place their respective Relic upon the pedestal of the same body part. Within a matter of seconds, everyone was in their spot, ready to place their Relics upon the pedestal before them...
This was it. After 1,000 years, the Rainbow Relics were finally about to be put back in their post.
With this, The Rainbow would return, and the world would be safe from Grodus, the X-nauts, and all other alien beings forever...
And yet, as they all stood there, holding the Relics up, ready to place them down, they couldn't help but feel an aura of impending fear...
Slowly, the haunting messages of The Poem written by the Shadow Queen and Shadow King came creeping back into their minds. Telling of their wicked plans concerning the Relics themselves, and how they would bring the world's end...
Could they really?
Could the Relics really fulfill the wishes of these evil beings?
Or was it still safe to place them now, thus providing the world protection forever?
If they were to know the answer to this foreboding question, all they could do was put the Relics down...
Bobbery was fighting a severe inner battle. He held the Relic that would inevitably provide the red band of The Rainbow. If he placed his, it would cause a chain reaction which would result in The Rainbow's revival. But isn't that what he wanted? He wasn't sure...
Everyone was thinking the same thing - if they placed their Relic first, it would bring everyone else to do so as well, and it worried them...
And so, for several minutes, they simply stood, holding the Relics above their pedestals, waiting for each other to make the first move...
Suddenly, a faint glimmer was heard, and a green hue illuminated the nearby clouds. Everyone turned around, and saw Mario has placed the Feet of Strength in its place, and it now began to glow a mellow green.
Feeling a bit less anxious, Bobbery placed the Hands of Friendship, and the result was the same... a soft tinkling and a faint red glow.
And with that, everyone found the courage to place their Relics down...
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet...
The surrounding sky glittered with the seven colors of The Rainbow. It was truly a sight to see...
Mere moments after the final Relic was placed, the glow from each became brighter. The sky itself seemed to darken to make room for the array of glowing light. The Rainbow Relics began to shine their respective colors so brightly that all atop the tower had to shield their eyes. They could only imagine what everyone on the surface of the Earth was thinking, for they too must've seen the heavenly glow in the darkening sky...
Peach, however, could hardly focus on the dazzling light show surrounding her. The Crystal Ball in her hands had begun to shake like mad. The spirit within was getting awfully excited...
Just then, the lift to the rooftop rose up, and off stepped Reinus, Zanthir, Vivian, and Parakarry. Upon being greeted by the godly Rainbow lights, they gasped in shock, wonder, and in Reinus's case, bliss.
"Oh my..." Reinus exclaimed. "You guys... You actually did it! You actually found the Rainbow Relics! Now the seven bands of godly light'll fire from each Relic and combine to make The Rainbow once again! Yeehaw!"
Parakarry was spinning around and gawking at the ever-brightening colors around him. "Oh sweet mother of mercy. Am I dead? Or am I eatin' too much mushroom again?"
Vivian was stunned by the array of colored light around her. She was also happy that, despite the fact that she wasn't included in the Relic-placing ritual, the Relics had still ended up in their place after all.
Zanthir merely stared ahead at the show with an odd grin on his face. He turned slowly towards Vivian and whispered in her ear. "You know Vivian... All this wouldn't be happening right now if not for you... Thank you."
Vivian could sense something wrong in his voice. "What do you mean?"
Zanthir chuckled. "I mean... You're efforts are what made this event possible for us. You've helped us complete what we started 1,000 years ago... Thank you so much."
But Vivian was still confused. "I still don't understand... What did you start 1,000 years ago?"
Zanthir leaned in close and smiled. "The end of the world, honey... The end of the world..."
Vivian threw her hand over her mouth and gasped.
At that moment, the Rainbow Relics began to shake madly. Even Reinus was surprised by what was happening. From what he knew, the focus of energy on each Relic should've been aiming towards the center of the sky, so they could all fire their bands of light into one another and combine them into The Rainbow. But no...
The focus of energy on all seven seemed to be aiming the opposite direction... down at the Earth below...
The Rainbow Relics looked as though they were about to fire their bands of light any second, seeing how much they were shaking and flashing brightly. The Crystal Ball in Peach's hands was vibrating crazily as well, as though awaiting the impending doom...
And yet, Vivian looked in the faces of all their friends, and they looked hopeful. They thought The Rainbow was going to return just as it was meant to. They had no idea that something terrible was about to happen.
And Zanthir...
He just stared at the lights with that odd grin on his face.
Vivian couldn't believe it. Zanthir had been an enemy all along...
And he thought she was on his side!
Vivian couldn't bear it anymore. She had to say something!
Vivian shoved her way around Zanthir and ran out into the center of the rooftop. "STOP!!" she tried to yell over the rushing wind and loud chiming of the Rainbow Relics. "Mario! Everybody! Take the Rainbow Relics off of their posts! The Rainbow isn't coming back! They're gonna cause the end of the world!!"
Only a few seemed to hear what she had said, including Ms Mowz. "Oh my... I KNEW something wasn't right here! My thief's intuition was telling me!"
And with that, she leapt at the Ears of Trust and grabbed them, but as she did, a powerful jolt of energy surged up her arms and blew her backwards across the rooftop!
Zanthir heard Vivian's warning as well, and he seemed utterly shocked, and even angry. "Vivian! What's the matter with you?! You're mother and I worked very hard for this, and so did you! Why do you want it to end now?!"
Vivian turned to him with her hands balled into fists. "What the hell are you TALKING about?! I don't even know my mother! And I don't even know who YOU really are either, Zanthir! Why do you keep saying stuff like that?!"
Zanthir's angry face became one of surprise. "You mean... you never knew?"
But as the Relics glowed more brightly than ever and the Crystal Ball shook more violently, his face reverted back to one of wicked joy. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore..."
A sudden BOOM! blew everyone off their feet. The light surrounding the Relics suddenly burst, and at the same time, they all fired their respective band of colored light.
However, they did not aim at the center of they sky, as what was expected...
Instead, each band fired off the side of the tower, and spiraled downward towards the Earth... Directly at the island of Morteva.
The seven rays of color began to spiral together into a single, Rainbow-splashed apocalyptic beam that sped towards the helpless island below at incredible speed. As the spiraling Rainbow cascaded down to the Earth, everyone atop the Palace ran over to the edge of the roof to watch below.
They all stared in shock.
Especially Reinus...
"Oh no..." he whispered. "What has happened? All that godly magic aiming straight for Earth! NOOO!!"
Peach stood close to Mario, but neither could find the right words to say...
Until Peach finally uttered the question... "What have we done?"
Mere seconds later, the swirling Rainbow of Death made contact with the Earth...
And a gargantuan explosion of rainbow-colored light erupted from below.
The blast was so humungous that the ensuing cloud nearly rose as high as the Palace of the Gods itself. The explosion spread outward at an astonishing rate, crossing over the ocean in all directions. It was a massive rainbow-studded ripple that left a wake of smoldering multi-colored flames in its wake.
It all happened so fast...
Within a minute, the concussive blast had spread so far over the dark horizon that it could no longer be seen.
But it was clear that the blast would spare not even the last inch of the Earth's surface...
All below them were dead. Everything... gone. Only a world of leaping rainbow-colored flames existed below...
The sight was enough to make everyone atop the Palace shed tears. Mario, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Verdugo, Bobbery, Ms Mowz, Vivian, Parakarry, Reinus and Zanthir... The only beings left alive on the entire planet. Not even any other Gods had survived, for they had all been on the Earth's surface doing their work when it happened.
They were the last ones. The only survivors...
And it was all their fault...
Mario closed his eyes and shook his head. He couldn't believe it. He'd let The Poem and the hope for Grodus's death get to him so much... and look what he had done. The world was over...
Everyone stood in silence and stared down at the destruction for a long time. No one could say anything. The only sounds were the crackling of the massive, multi-colored flames below and Reinus's heavy crying, for he had just witnessed the world he had created be destroyed right before his very eyes. It was a horrible moment indeed...
Suddenly, the silence was broken by laughter...
Zanthir's laughter.
Everyone turned to him, but he didn't stop. It started as a delighted chuckle, and soon grew into a hearty laugh, and then into full-blown bellowing. Everyone stared in utter confusion. His laughter at a moment like this made them all burn up inside.
"Zanthir, what the hell is the matter with you?!" Reinus screamed. "The Earth we've spent so long taking care of is gone! And you're laughing?!"
Zanthir immediately stopped and looked at Reinus with a cold expression.
"Don't you call me Zanthir..." he said in a dark tone. "Call me King!"
Suddenly, Zanthir opened his mouth wide and fired a powerful blast of dark matter straight at Reinus's heart. He screamed and held his chest in pain. The blow had thrown him back with so much force he toppled off the edge of the palace roof.
"Reinus!!" everyone screamed, looking over the edge and watching him fall.
He fell and fell and fell... Until he was lost in the abyss of the dancing rainbow-colored flames below. They seemed to eat him alive...
Verdugo pounded his fists on the edge of the rail. "Come on Reinus! You're the King of the Gods! You can't be dead! You CAN'T be!!"
But Reinus did not reemerge from the flames. He was gone...
Mario gritted his teeth and turned around to face Zanthir, who was looking awfully pleased with himself. "Who the FUCK ARE YOU?!" Mario screamed.
Zanthir looked down at him. "Who am I, you ask? Mario, you idiot - It's no matter who I am to you. But... It does matter who I am to my little girl..."
Zanthir floated over to Vivian, who was still in total shock of what had just happened. "Vivian honey. Thank you for all that you've done for your mother and I. All this wouldn't be possible if not for you..."
Vivian put her hands over her ears. "No! No! NO! This isn't my fault! I'm not responsible for any of this! Please, tell me it's not true!!"
Zanthir appeared quite shocked by this. "But Vivian, honey... You've worked over 1000 years helping your mother and I make this day possible. Why do you suddenly regret it all?"
Vivian didn't know what to say. She still didn't even know what Zanthir had anything to do with this...
Zanthir leaned in close. "You DO live to serve your king and queen, don't you?"
Vivian looked up at him with her mouth open in awe. "Oh my God..." she whispered. "You're... My King?"
Zanthir nodded in such a way that demanded high respect. Vivian promptly dropped down and put her hands on the ground, showing that respect.
Parakarry gawked. "Zanthir... Y-you're the Shadow King? But... No way! It couldn't be!"
"If you're the Shadow King..." Mario asked. "Then... is THAT really the Shadow Queen?!" He pointed towards the black mist within the Crystal Ball that Peach held, which was shifting rapidly and excitedly.
"Yes..." The Shadow King murmured. "That is my wife... Now only a ghost because of what YOU did to her!"
Mario clutched his hammer. He wasn't sure what to do...
He was afraid to attack, seeing what The Shadow King had done to Reinus. But he had to do SOMEHING...
"Alright then, Shadow King..." he said angrily, "Tell us everything. Tell us everything about your past! Right now!"
Zanthir chuckled. "Mario... That's exactly what I was hoping to do! Besides, it's not like that knowledge will help you anymore. The world you know is already gone... and when the rainbow flames finally burn out, it all shall be nothing but charred wastelands... A world which my wife and I can start from scratch. A world for us... Made by us..."
Mario held his hammer as though ready to attack. "That's great, but I'm not asking about that! I'm asking about who you really are!"
Zanthir laughed again. "Oh, how rude of me! Please, allow me to formally introduce myself..."
Zanthir then opened his mouth, and a thick black smog began to seep out. It swirled unnaturally, appearing to take shape. The shape of something big.
And then, when the smoke finally took its shape...
Mario and co found themselves staring at the true form of the Shadow King himself.
He looked very much like the Shadow Queen that they all remembered. However, he was a fair amount larger, and he sported a larger crown, and he had a mustache much like Mario's. His appearance certainly complemented his title.
Everyone stared in horror at the sight of the Shadow King before them, as well as the body of Zanthir, which toppled over and fell to the floor as though his very soul had just been ripped out. Zanthir wasn't really the Shadow King... He had just been possessed the whole time?
The Shadow King crossed his arms. "Now then, I believe you asked about my past. Is that correct Mario...?"
Mario was still in such a state of shock that all he could do was nod his head.
"Right, of course. Now, let me begin... I was born in the Mushroomian Empire nearly 1,025 years ago. My earliest memories were just walking through a dark forest, trying to find a way out, which suggests to me that that's where I was born. I had no parents to speak of. It was like I was just dropped on this Earth for no reason. When I reached the heart of the empire, I saw the ruler Grunt T standing before a long line of people. I found he was lining up criminals that were to get Atomic Wedgies. The strangest thing, however, was that with each person that suffered from their wedgie, it seemed to give me strength inside... Like their torture gave me pleasure. It was so strange... And yet, it was also at that moment that I realized, for some unspeakable reason, that it was because of the torture these people suffered that I was even born. I was no human child - I was an ephemeral product of the pain and despair of this empire, and it made me feel terrible... However, over the next five years, I learned I had some incredible powers. I could shift from my normal human state to one made completely of shadows - the shape you all see before you right now. In this state, I could slip in and out of the shadow realm, possess other people, and even use my darkling magic to kill. It was with these gifts that, at 5 years of age, I killed Grunt T as my way of getting back at him for causing me to be born, which resulted in the collapse of the Mushroomian Empire itself..."
"Dear me," Bobbery said. "You were once HUMAN?!"
"I was born a human," The Shadow King replied. "But whether I was a human and a shadow being within the same body, or a human would could become a shadow being at will, I never knew..."
"So... You regret ever being born?" Ms Mowz asked.
"No," the Shadow King replied gruffly. "Regretting would imply that I MADE the choice to be born, and I now wish I hadn't. Me, I HAD no choice! All the pain and suffering in the land just summed up together to create me! I hate the world for this! I hate the world for creating me! And I didn't even have a choice!"
"Well, ya know, no one can choose when they're born. It just happens..." Verdugo said.
"You just don't understand..." The Shadow King moaned. "Especially when you're an immortal being such as I... But in any case, please allow me to continue."
The Shadow King cleared his throat and went on. "At about the age of 20, I was but a drifter. The Mushroom Kingdom that stands today was still in its infancy, just beginning to take the place of the Mushroomian Empire which I had destroyed. One day, I used my powers to sneak onto a ferry that was bound for some land beyond the borders of the land I was born in. I took this ferry to a seaside town called Marina Del Rey, which in the native language meant 'King's Harbor'. It was a rough little burg - gossip told of an ongoing war between the syndicate and the gang of thieves. I promptly killed anyone who tried to steal my coins, but it seemed death was such a common thing in this place that no one even noticed. It made me feel awful - was the entire world really like this? Full of such vile, heartless people? It almost considered committing suicide... until I met her."
"The Shadow Queen...?" asked Peach. She was still holding the Crystal Ball containing her spirit, which was strangely calm.
'Yes..." the Shadow King muttered, as though lost in memories. "I was walking past an alleyway when I heard a strange, yet familiar, sound. It was the sound that was heard when I emerged from the Shadow Realm. I remember thinking, 'Could there be another in this world like me?' I walked down the alley and saw her sitting there, curled up behind a pile of garbage, her face was one of utter sorrow..."
"Aww... What did she look like?" Goombella asked, who was awfully curious about what the Shadow Queen looked like as a human.
"Hmm..." The Shadow King. "Maybe I could demonstrate... Ah, you!" He pointed at Flurrie.
Flurrie gasped. "Oh my! You mean me?"
"Yes you! I need a female to demonstrate what she looked like! I won't take 'no' for an answer!"
"Oh... alright then..." Flurrie said, reluctantly approaching him.
"Very good," he said. "Now..."
And with that, he waved his arm around and puff of thick smoke engulfed Flurrie! When the smoke cleared, there was a beautiful woman in a blue satin gown standing there. Her eyes were a deep shade of purple and her hair was long, silky and black. "That's more or less what she looked like," the Shadow King said. "Lovely, isn't she? I even added the gown for some extra loveliness!"
"Wow... she WAS pretty..." Goombella said.
"Seriously," said Koops. "Hehe... Lookin' good there, Flurrie!"
The Shadow King waved his arm around again, and Flurrie changed back to normal, though she was still wearing the gown. She looked down at it. "Oh my, this gown makes me look 100 lbs. thinner! May I keep it?"
"Hell no," said the Shadow King. "But you can wear it for now. Just watch the panties. I put those on you, too."
"Oh, dear me..." Flurrie moaned.
"Anyway..." continued the Shadow King, "When I first approached her, she appeared frightened of me. However, I quickly showed her that I was like her, and when I did, something just blossomed between us. We both were strangers in the world, knowing a secret pain that only us two understood. I swear to you, it was love at first sight..."
He looked at the Crystal Ball before going on. "We spent many days together, just expressing our pain and how glad we were to have found each other. According to her story, she too seemed to be born out of nowhere, seeming to exist solely as a product of the anger and ill will that existed in her town. When she first told me this, I immediately knew what she should do - I urged her to destroy the town. To use her powers to completely annihilate its people and take over as punishment for giving birth to her. She was reluctant at first, but she trusted me. Within the next day, she released all her rage upon that town and caused it to sink into the depths of the Earth. She even used her magic to create seven Crystal Stars that she used to exert her dark influence upon the surrounding lands, and to create 3 pet dragons to do her bidding with. I must say - I was impressed. In fact, seeing her do such evil acts made me love her more..."
"...You were alive while The Rainbow was still up in the sky, right?" Mario asked.
"Yes..." was the reply. "In fact, I was just about to get to that part. You see, my wife and I would always look up at The Rainbow, and for whatever reason, it simply filled us with disgust. People said The Rainbow represented all the happiness in the world, but she and I knew better. The world had enough horrible things in it to give birth to beings such as us... We even began to ponder destroying the world completely, and perhaps even building a new world in its place... A world suited for us, made by us, and made for us... The Rainbow, we knew, contained the power of the Gods, so if we were to make our wish for world destruction come true, seizing the source of The Rainbow and using it against the world was certainly the best way. After all, if the power of the Gods could create so much life, it could certainly take it away as well..."
"So..." reasoned Parakarry. "Ya came here lookin' for The Rainbow Relics, is that it?"
"Precisely," The Shadow King said. "We ferried our way here to the land of Morteva and made a living here for 5 years while we conjured our plan. When it was ready, we used our powers to appear atop the Palace of the Gods and steal the Rainbow Relics from their posts. It was then we used our magic to reshape them in such a way that, when returned to their posts, their beams of godly energy would not fire up into the sky, but rather straight down at the Earth..."
"Hey, where do I fit in this whole story?" Vivian asked. "I'm your servant, for goodness sake! Beldam and Marylin too! When did you take us on as your servants?"
The Shadow King bent down and stroked Vivian's hair lovingly. "You mean you never knew? Beldam never told you...?"
"Told me WHAT?!" Vivian demanded.
The Shadow King closed his eyes. "Vivian, honey... Remember I said your mother and I worked hard to make this day possible? Think about it..."
Vivian didn't even have to think long about it. "Oh my God..." she whispered. "You... you really are my father."
The Shadow King nodded. "Yes Vivian. And the Shadow Queen was your mother."
Vivian shook her head. ""But... I only knew you as my king and queen all these years. That's all Beldam ever said you were to me... Why wasn't I ever told?"
"My little Vivian..." he said soothingly. "Please... allow me to continue my tale and you'll know..."
Vivian simply nodded and listened, breathing heavily as though she still couldn't quite believe what she'd just heard...
"While my wife and I lived in Morteva those 5 years, we gave birth to 3 daughters. We were surprised that they weren't born half-human, half-shadow beings like us, and rather as complete shadow beings. However, we loved them all the same. In fact, my wife was pregnant with our first daughter, Beldam, before we even moved to Morteva, so a mere 2 days after we did, she was born. Later came Marylin, the strong but silent daughter. And lastly came you, Vivian..."
The Shadow King looked at Vivian sadly as he continued. "We were desperately hoping to get our ultimate plan done before you were born, because we hoped that you could be born into our new world. Therefore, even when my wife was pregnant with you, we put it into action. We stole the Relics and reshaped them successfully, and we may have been able to put the Relics back right then and finish our work if not the Four Heroes interfered..."
"The Four Heroes?" asked Peach.
"Yes, the Four Heroes you stupid wench! They found out our plans and tried to stop us. They truly were a force to be reckoned with, so we had no choice but to hide the Relics across the lands (as well as drawing a map to their locations) and resume our plans later. With the Four Heroes still on our trail, we were forced to then split up and return to our original homelands. I took Beldam and Marylin with me back to the newly established Mushroom Kingdom. My wife, who was still pregnant with you Vivian, returned to Marina Del Rey. Splitting up was hard to do, but it was for the best. We promised to meet back at Morteva soon and resume our plans. Unfortunately, it that was the last time I would ever saw my wife in the flesh..."
The Shadow King looked at the Crystal Ball sorrowfully. "Beldam, Marylin and I hid within the basically deserted Mushroom Castle storeroom (where I left the map) for several days until I figured it was safe to go speak with my wife about resuming our plans. I slipped into the shadows with my two daughters and reemerged within Marina Del Rey, but by the time we got there, she was already gone... Sealed behind The Thousand-Year Door. The Four Heroes had followed her home and defeated her human form, leaving her in the shadow state, but thankfully not before she gave birth to Vivian. In this state however, my wife was weakened horribly, and the Four Heroes used her Crystal Stars against her to seal her within her own palace. By the time we arrived, we were too late..."
The Shadow Queen looked at Vivian again. "However, we did find little Vivian... all alone outside the Thousand-Year Door, crying to be let in. We knew because she knew her mommy was beyond there. It was then I took you and raised you for several more years on my own in the Mushroom Kingdom, until I thought all 3 of you were old enough to be given jobs to help with The Shadow Queen's revival. Beldam to find a pure maiden, Marylin to find an alien race, and Vivian... to curse the Four Heroes and to search for the Crystal Stars. While they did their work, I returned to Morteva and possessed Zanthir's godly body to await the day my wife was freed and the Earth to be overthrown. And that day... is today..."
The Shadow King stared at Mario coldly. "I curse you Mario. Once the Thousand-Year Door was open, I became so hopeful... but you went and destroyed her last physical form, leaving her to wander as a pathetic spirit only capable of possession... Before I could even greet her!"
But the Shadow King then smiled. "And yet I thank you, for making this day possible. Thank you. My wife and I shall live in happiness from here until the end of time..."
"Alright, alright..." Mario said. "Interesting story... But before we kick your ass, there's still one thing I need to know..."
The Shadow King crossed his arms. "If you honestly think you CAN kick my ass... Anyway, what would you like to know?"
"The Poem..." Mario said. "Where did it come from? And is there another verse?"
The Shadow King nodded. "Ah, yes. My wife actually wrote that poem during our time in Morteva. She wrote it all, in fact, except for that last verse, which was by me. We wrote it on the same piece of paper on which we drew the map leading to the Rainbow Relics. I remember I left it in the Mushroom Kingdom castle storeroom, and over 1,000 years, I'd suspect the ink from The Poem and Map would've run dry by now... I guess my wife remembered everything and showed you all little by little, did she not?"
"Yeah, she did actually..." Peach said.
"Hoho! She's clever isn't she? Using The Poem's dark messages to keep you intrigued in our little mystery so much that it actually lead you to find the Relics for us! Genius! I always knew she was!"
"Is there another verse?" Mario asked, who was gripping his hammer quite tightly now. "Theoretically, there should've been one more, but that bitch of a wife of yours never showed it to us."
"Are you asking if there's another poem verse after the one I wrote? No. That was the last one. No more was written after that. Hoho, did my wife try and make you believe there was one more? Oh, the cleverness! I must say, I'm happy to have her as my queen to rule this new world with..."
"How can she help you rule the world when she's just a spirit that can only survive in a Crystal Ball?" asked Vivian.
The Shadow King turned to her. "It's ironic that you ask that, honey. I'm afraid I've yet to tell you your last job to make this plan complete..."
"What job?" Vivian asked. "I already cursed the Four Heroes and got Mario to find the Crystal Stars... What more is there for me to do?"
The Shadow King lowered his head. "I'm terribly sorry Vivian. Both your mother and I are. However, I'm going to be direct - being a shadow as you are, your body has no heart. You are empty... A perfect new vessel for your mother to inhabit so she can help me begin this new world..."
Vivian gasped. "What?! The Shadow Queen is- Umm, my mom is... She's gonna possess me?"
"I'm afraid so, honey. She will create a heart for you and use your body to have a physical form once again..."
Vivian shook her head. "But... But what will happen to me?"
"Your soul will be lost. You will cease to be. I'm sorry Vivian. Truly, we both are. But I know how much you wanted this day to happen, so the sacrifice can't be too bad, can it?"
Vivian clenched her fists and they flared up. "My king! No... dad! I may have wanted this to happen at one time, but not anymore!"
The Shadow King appeared surprised. "You... You don't wish for the world to be as we shadows would want it?"
"Not anymore..." she said. "I did at one time... But that was before I met Mario. When I did... I learned what it really meant to be happy. It's not power or release of rage that makes you joyful - it's friends. People who truly care about you, and don't use you for their dark designs... Just like you did to me. You, mom, Beldam, Marylin... All of you! Mario and his friends made me feel like I was loved and cared about... And I was so happy... And that's why I actually HELPED Mario beat the Shadow Queen when The Thousand-Year Door opened!"
When the Shadow King heard this, he stared down at her like any disappointed father. But being the Shadow King, the look was about 100x more effective. "Vivian... How could you? You aided in the defeat of your own mother?!"
"Yes... and it was my choice! My choice because Mario and his friends have been more of a family to me than you and the rest EVER have!!"
The Shadow King was silent for a long time, until he finally shook his head. "You killed your mother's physical body... She deserves to have yours, you ungrateful little maggot! Beldam! Marylin! Get over here and take Vivian away! Allow my wife to possess her body for good!!"
Beldam and Marylin suddenly appeared out of the shadows nearby. "Yes my King!" Beldam exclaimed, grabbing Vivian by one arm.
"GUH!" cried Marylin, grabbing Vivian's other arm. Both sisters proceeded to drag her across the palace roof. Along the way, Beldam shoved Peach to the ground and picked up the Crystal Ball, which contained the Shadow Queen's spirit, eagerly awaiting the moment when it would gain its new body...
"Beldam! Marylin! Let go of me! Please!" Vivian cried as they dragged her away from everyone. "Mario! HELP!"
That was the last they heard before Beldam and Marylin pulled her into the shadows along with the Crystal Ball...
"Vivian!!" Mario cried. He began to make a dash for her when the Shadow King fired a bolt of black matter in his path. It exploded in Mario's face, causing him to stumble back.
"The final survivors..." The Shadow King groaned. "I must thank you for placing the Relics for my wife and I, but to make our plans for a perfect world come about, I must kill you all!"
The Shadow King reared up his huge arm and swung it horizontally, sending a wave of black matter across the rooftop. Most everyone managed to duck beneath it, except for Koops, who got blasted in the face. Whatever that matter was, it sure hurt like hell when it made contact!
Verdugo started chucking Mini Eggs like crazy, but the Shadow King used his magic to make them turn around in mid-air and aim for Goombella instead, thereby making her smaller than she already was. The Shadow King had fun trying to squish the frantically running Goombella with his big arms.
Ms Mowz managed to sneak up behind the Shadow King and proceeded to whack him on the head with his own crown. "Ow! OW! OWWW!!" he screamed, scratching at his head and trying to get the annoying mouse out of his hair. He finally managed to grab her and throw her off, causing her to slide several feet. She finally stopped sliding just inches short of falling off the palace roof. She looked down - a 3 mile fall into a chasm of leaping rainbow flames. Not a good way to go...
Parakarry and Bobbery were doing a good job of keeping the Shadow King distracted while Mario clobbered away with his Hammer. Parakarry flew around while Bobbery rained his Bomb Squad bombs upon the King's head. Mario's Hammer was doing noticeable damage to the King, and it gave them all hope that they may gain the upper hand...
That is, until the Shadow King threw a cloud of dark matter square at Parakarry, causing he and Bobbery to crash-land and knock down Peach, Koops and Verdugo like bowling pins. This left Mario on his own, whom the Shadow King easily swiped away with his massive hands.
"You pathetic beings..." the Shadow King growled. "You're just like the rest of the world that gave birth to me! You all must pay!"
Flurrie, who was still wearing the gown and undergarments, scoffed at him. "Us?! Oh dear me, I believe it's YOU who's gonna be doing the payback, buster!" She reared up and flew through the air, ready to deliver a Body Slam of epic proportions!
Goombella, who was still tiny, tried to call to her. "Flurrie! DON'T!!" Unfortunately, her tiny voice was too soft to be heard...
Flurrie sailed at the Shadow King, ready to slam him with all her stage presence, but the Shadow King merely flicked a finger, and sent a blast of darkness right at her. It intercepted her in midair and caused her to blow backwards - right off the edge of the palace!
"FLURRIE!!" everyone cried, running over to the edge.
Flurrie was falling... The dark matter blast had impeded her ability to fly. She would soon fall into the rainbow flames that had engulfed the rest of the world. She would die just like everyone else...
"Oh well..." she told herself as she fell, looking down at her gown, "At least I'll die beautiful..."
RRRRRRRIIIIPPPPPP!!
A sudden pain shot through her body from her under region. She was no longer falling... She was hanging by the panties! "WHAT IN THE NAME OF-!!" she cried. "OOOOGGGGHHHH!! THE EXCRUCIATING PAIN!!"
"Oh, sorry lady. You seen Peach around here?"
Through her tearing eyes, Flurrie looked up and saw the one who had caught her to be... Bowser!? Indeed, it WAS Bowser! Flying in his Koopa Klown Car! He had survived the Rainbow explosion? And Grodus, Crump and Doopliss as well! How strangely funny!
Of course, seeing as she was getting her frickin' Atomic Wedgie right then, she couldn't really think about that. "BOWSER!" Flurrie demanded. "I'm weakened and I can't fly! Now pull me up THIS INSTANT!!"
Bowser looked at his claw. He saw her panties had been snagged onto his sharp fingernails when he'd reached out and tried to catch her. "Heh, hey guys! Check it out! I caught her by her panties!"
Crump and Doopliss both looked and laughed. "HAHA! 'TOMIC WEDGIE!!" They yelled out together, laughing.
Flurrie was still in agonizing pain. "PULL ME UP!!"
"OK, geez. Relax you crazy wench..." Bowser said, carelessly yanking her up and flinging her into the Koopa Klown Car.
"Now take us to the top of that palace!" Flurrie demanded.
"We know," Grodus said. "We were heading there in the first place. It seems the Shadow King and Queen have fulfilled their plans to destroy the world. I plan to take revenge upon that queen as well as Vivian..."
"And I wanna kidnap Peach!" Bowser cried.
Flurrie rolled her eyes. "Oh whatever, I'll worry about your threats later. Right now, the Shadow King and the safety of Mario and the others is all that matters..."
"Hey Flurrie," Doopliss whispered to her in private. "Is Vivian safe?"
Flurrie frowned. "Doopliss dear, the Shadow Queen plans to invade her body and create a wicked heart within her!"
Doopliss suddenly became very serious. "Bowser! Get us up there NOW!"
"Settle down, Doopliss!" ordered Grodus, " I know you're in love, but come on! Try and think rationally!"
Doopliss cupped his hands together and stared up at the rapidly-approaching palace rooftop. "Please Vivian..." he said to himself. "Hang in there... I'll save you. I promise...!"
Bowser hastily flew the Koopa Klown Car to the Palace's rooftop to see the Shadow King laying waste to the heroes surrounding him.
"That bastard..." Grodus muttered to himself. "Thinks he's a better villain than ME, eh? We'll see about that! And where's the Shadow Queen? I got a score to settle with her, too!"
"PEACH!!" Bowser yelled when her saw her on the rooftop. He was so excited he accidentally made the Klown Car to crash on the roof, causing everyone to spill out. When they did, everyone already on the roof stopped what they were doing and just stared.
"Bowser?" Mario asked. "And Grodus? And Crump? And Doopliss? And Flurrie? All in the same vehicle? WTF?!"
Grodus quickly bounded over to Mario. "Mario!" he ordered, "Forget our past disputes for a mere moment and listen to me. I know of some attack methods that we can use to bring down the Shadow King."
Mario looked over at Verdugo and Koops, who were taking some severe beatings from the King. Mario knew they couldn't go on doing what they were doing. He had no choice but to trust Grodus at the moment. "OK, what are your ideas?"
Grodus turned towards everyone else. "EVERBODY!! Huddle over here immediately!"
All of Mario's friends and villains took notice right away. The Shadow King did as well.
"Not you, Mr Shadow King. You stay there."
The Shadow King looked disappointed. "Aww..."
The Shadow King watched the group huddle for several seconds. Were they discussing battle plans with which they might beat him? Ha! Not even all 12 of them together could hope to win! And even if they did succeed in destroying his physical body, his spirit would still live on... And there was still nothing they could do to restore the world. It was already destroyed! Nothing they could do could ever change that...
"And... BREAK!!" Was the last thing he heard Grodus yell from the huddle.
Bowser retreated into his shell while Mario reluctantly climbed into Flurrie's huge mouth. Mario then gave the signal to fire. Crump quickly did his signature Crump-a-Bomb and pounded on Flurrie, causing her to spit Mario out straight at Bowser. As he flew, he used his velocity to deliver a huge Hammer whack to Bowser's shell. Bowser blew out fire as he slid, and his shell was sent spinning into the unsuspecting Shadow King's body, also burning him badly. The attack had been a success! They began to prepare for another go.
At the same time, Peach gave Koops' shell a heavy kick, which caused it to slide right past the Shadow King. Bobbery, who was aboard the shell, blew up as he passed, stunning the King. And before he knew it, it happened again! Goombella was on the other side, and had kicked it back. They were attacking him good, leaving him virtually no opportunity to fight back!
Grodus stood off to the side with Verdugo and gave him a quick lesson on Mortal Kombat fighting techniques. After a short while, Verdugo jumped up the to King and shouted "MORTAL KOMBAT!!" The battle was pretty much one-sided - The Shadow King knew little about fighting with energy bars! It certainly seemed Grodus's battle strategies were giving Mario and his friends the upper hand...
Doopliss, on the other hand was off on his own. He had been frantic with worry since he'd heard that the Shadow Queen was to possess Vivian's body. "Vivian!!" he called. "Vivian, where are you?!"
Assuming she was under the shadows, Doopliss did the only thing he could think of - he took Vivian's shape and used her powers to slip into the shadow realm below. Once he did, he looked ahead and saw her... Held down by her two sisters, while the Crystal Ball began to seep its black mist, which aimed towards her mouth. The Shadow Queen was attempting to enter her body...
"NOOOOO!!"" Doopliss screamed, fighting his way through the shadowy blackness towards the sisters. Beldam and Marylin were shocked to see another Vivian running at them...
But Vivian... She understood right away. "Help me! Please!!"
Doopliss ran forwards and shoved the Crystal Ball out of the way, causing the spirit leaking out to be thrown back as well. He then grabbed Vivian and pulled her to the surface, leaving Beldam and Marylin down in the shadows...
Upon breaching the surface, Doopliss promptly turned back into himself and pulled Vivian out of the way of the battle against the Shadow King. Vivian stared at the fight before her, and she was glad to see that it looked like Mario was winning (even though for some reason Grodus, Bowser and Crump were there...). And then she looked at Doopliss, who was still holding onto her.
"Doopliss..." she sighed. "You saved me..."
"Yeah..." Doopliss replied. "But you're still not safe. They'll be back to-!"
A sudden sock to the back of the head caused him to topple over in a daze. Marylin and Beldam had risen up not a second before, Beldam holding the Crystal Ball in her hands.
"Doopliss!!" Vivian cried, kneeling down beside him.
"That idiot Doopliss nearly ruined the whole ritual, Vivian!" Beldam shouted.
Vivian looked up at her pleadingly. "Beldam, please... You and Marylin lack hearts just like me! Why can't you let the Shadow Queen possess one of you instead? You both want this more than me!"
Beldam shook her head. "Sorry Vivian. It was mother's choice. Your body was the one she wanted. She claims she could magnify your fire powers to horrendous amounts..."
Vivian just shook her head. She didn't know what to say...
"Marylin! Hold her down!"
"GUH!!"
Marylin rushed forward and pinned Vivian to the ground. Beldam stepped up and held the Crystal Ball in front of Vivian's face.
"Remember when you first got those boarding passes sent to you, and I tried to make it seem like I didn't want you to go? Just a bluff, little sister! Just a bluff... to make this day possible..."
With that, the dark mist began to seep from the ball once again. The contorted face of the Shadow Queen herself formed in front of Vivian's face and howled wickedly. Vivian screamed and screamed, hoping someone could save her.
Doopliss, who was still struggling to stand after that last blow, would not make it in time...
Vivian's screams suddenly became a deep groan and died away as the Shadow Queen's soul forced its way into her throat and into her bosom.
By the time Doopliss came to, it was too late.
Beldam and Marylin simply stared at Vivian's limp body. The Crystal Ball in Beldam's hand was empty and clear.
"What the hell just happened?!" he yelled.
By this point, all fighting atop the palace roof had stopped. The Shadow King, as weakened as he was, was the first to speak. "It's happening..." he said with a small laugh. "My wife... She's now creating a dark heart within Vivian's empty chest... And when that heart is complete... My wife will have a body once again! Good-bye Vivian... You're mother and I are... truly sorry..."
When Doopliss heard this, he completely broke down. "NOOOOOO!!" he cried, forcefully shoving Beldam and Marylin out of the way. He knelt down and cradled Vivian's lifeless body in his arms, pressing his face close to hers. Already, his tears were dropping down onto her face.
"Vivian, please..." he whispered to her. "Don't let her do this to you... You have to fight it. Please!"
Everyone on the rooftop couldn't bring themselves to make any moves when such a heart-wrenching scene lay before them. Doopliss holding his love in his arms... Mario and most of his friends, even though they had no idea of Doopliss's affection for Vivian, were still deeply saddened by this. Even the Shadow King seemed surprisingly soft..."I'm sorry, but Vivian can't fight it. She has no heart with which to fight..."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!!" Doopliss shouted. "How can she feel pain with no heart? How is she able to feel regret and shame with no heart? How can she have friends...? How can she cry...?"
Already, Vivian's hair was beginning to turn from soft pink to wavy purple and sparkly. The possession process was happening, and there was no way Doopliss could stop it...
Doopliss may have wanted to make a move right there. Maybe some way to take revenge upon the Shadow King and Vivian's sisters for doing what they'd just done... Or maybe some feeble effort to force the Shadow Queen's soul from within Vivian's body...
But Doopliss knew that it was hopeless. All he could bring himself to do was hold Vivian close to him for as long as possible, for he knew that in a matter of minutes, Vivian would not be Vivian anymore...
He held her close and cried. All the while, he continued to whisper into her ear...
"I love you Vivian. Please, fight it... I refuse to believe that you don't have a heart. You have to..."
The severely weakened Shadow King merely shook his head. "You weak little imbecile!" he said coldly. "It doesn't matter how much you care about her. She's a heartless Shadow Siren that wishes to aid her family in destroying and recreating the world."
He then turned to Mario. "She may have thought she was your friend, Mario... But she was just confused. Deep down, she's glad to offer this sacrifice to her mother..."
Mario shook his head. "That's not true... It... It just can't be."
"I'm afraid so," The Shadow King replied. "She is the direct seed of two beings born out of pure darkness and despair. No heart of any sort could exist within her..."
"Hey!" Goombella shouted. "Are you trying to say that Vivian's truly evil just because of who her parents are?!"
The Shadow King was somewhat surprised by her outburst. "Well, I-"
"Well honestly!" Koops said. "How well could you possibly know her?! According to your story, you never even tried to get to know her! You just gave her a job and then abandoned her to possess Zanthir's body, where you just hid for 1,000 years!"
Flurrie chimed in as well. "Vivian may have acted like the end of the world was important to her when you knew her, but she was just a little girl! She's grown up so much since then, and you didn't even witness it happen? How could you possibly know how she thinks now?"
"Yeah!" Verdugo yelled. "You're just too much of a jackass to accept the truth that Vivian's really on the good side! She even told you herself that she beat up the Shadow Queen - her own mom - just because of how she really felt about her family! Geez, could you be any more STUPID?!"
"Vivian's the sweetest, most fragile girl I've ever had the pleasure of meeting,' Bobbery announced. "If she doesn't have a heart, then neither must I, nor anyone else who's speaking upon this rooftop right now!"
Ms Mowz nodded in agreement to what everyone said. "Indeed - some King you are... A king is expected to keep the order of entire kingdoms. YOU couldn't even offer so much as a hello to your own family! You're failure as a King is also your failure as a father!"
Peach decided to give her two cents as well. "How can you be so blind? Vivian only became so caring because of how you and the rest of her family treated her! Your disappointment in her is your own fault! Can you not see that? Or are you just a genuine idiot?!"
Parakarry couldn't think of anything to say. "Umm... yeah! What they all said!"
Bowser, Crump and Grodus all looked at one another. They couldn't think of anything to shout that hadn't already been said, so they simply nodded.
The Shadow King was so shocked by these remarks that they even seemed to weaken him. Could what they all said really be true? Was Vivian really a kind, caring, gentle soul? And all because of the treatment she got from her family? But how? She was born from the two most evil beings ever conceived... How could it be possible?
But even so, he still looked over at Vivian's body, which was starting to look more like his wife every second... And it was from this he determined that what they all said COULDN'T be true... After all, if Vivian had as big a heart as they all said she did, why could she not fight back against The Shadow Queen? If the Shadow Queen could truly possess her, then it meant Vivian truly did lack a heart, just as he'd said...
He turned towards Mario and smiled wickedly. "I'm sorry, but even if what you said WAS true... Have you not realized? The world's already ended, and nothing you do can change that!"
Mario gripped his Hammer and narrowed his eyes angrily...
But in the silence, he heard the rainbow flames crackling from far below on the Earth's surface... And realized the Shadow King was right.
The world was already lost. No amount of fighting could change that fact...
And Vivian... Whether she got possessed or not (though it looked to be so), how would they live on? In a world full of darkness and shadow? It didn't seem worth it.
Mario lowered his Hammer and sighed deeply.
The Shadow King merely laughed. "Hmph... I was hoping you would understand soon enough. Now I merely have to wait for my bride to be reborn, and our rebuilding of the world shall commence!"
A sudden cry from Doopliss made everyone turn towards him. "Hey!" he cried. "S-Something's happening!"
Everyone looked to see what he meant, and indeed, something WAS happening. Vivian's hair... It seemed to be fading back from purple and sparkly to bright pink...
The shadowy mist that had enveloped her body... disappearing...
Vivian's suddenly jerked and let out a gasp, and a deep purple smog was coughed up from her throat.
The Shadow Queen!
The... Shadow Queen?!
But... If the Shadow Queen left Vivian's body, that could only mean...
"NO!!" The Shadow King shouted. "It can't be! It's... IMPOSSIBLE!!"
Doopliss snatched the Crystal Ball from Beldam's hand and held it out. The Shadow Queen's spirit quickly retreated back into it.
Doopliss then looked up at the King. "Fraid so, Slick! Vivian's got a heart, and your poor bitch of a wife had no room to make her own! Sorry!"
The Shadow King stood in silence for a long time, a look of utter disbelief and ferocity on his face.
He then completely lost it.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Our plans... RUINED! All because of YOU!!"
Everyone looked around. "Who are you referring to?" they all asked in one way or another.
The Shadow King clenched his teeth. "Uh, A-ALL OF YOOOUUU!!" His hands began to flare up with dark energy. "I swear to you... I will KILL YOU ALL!!"
The entire palace began to shake as the Shadow King screamed and stored up all of his rage, ready to release it upon everyone. Rage was the fuel for the Shadow beings' powers, it seemed, so whatever The Shadow King planned to do, it couldn't be good...
Mario ordered a huddle, excluding Vivian, whom he told Doopliss to leave on the ground. "Everyone, we have to do something!" he said urgently. "Does anyone have any ideas?!"
Grodus was quick to talk. "It may be a risky idea, but I recently installed TEC with a primitive time machine that can revert the state of an entire planet approximately 10 minutes back in time, once every couple hundred years it seems. TEC never permitted me to use it, but..."
"Yo!" Bowser exclaimed. "10 minutes... That should take us back to before the world even ended! We might be able to stop it all from ever happening!"
"Maybe," Crump thought. "But Sir Grodus, if we go back in time, will we still remember we actually went back in time?"
"I don't know," Grodus said. "As I said, TEC never allowed me to field test the feature. Even so, it may be our only chance... The problem is, there's no way I can ever convince him to do anything for me..."
"Then let me talk to him!" Peach announced. "He'd definitely listen to me! He loves me, remember?"
"OK," said Mario. "But we need to make sure this is worth the risk. Should we use this time machine, or no? Part of me really thinks we might be able to get through to the Shadow King if we just talk to him, but I dunno. What are we gonna do guys? We're running low on options and time!"
Mario thought about the issue for as long as he could afford to, then came to his decision. "OK! Peach, Grodus and I will stay here. Everyone else, go see if you can talk to the Shadow King and see if maybe you can convince him to... I dunno... stop."
"Stop?" asked Parakarry.
"Yeah. Even if you don't get him to settle down, you'll at least hopefully distract him long enough so that Peach gets enough time to talk TEC into using the time device. Everyone clear?"
"Yeah!" they all shouted. With that, everyone but Mario, Peach and Grodus ran to confront the Shadow King in all his fury.
"Yo Shadow King!" Koops shouted. "It's not worth it to release all your rage on us!"
"Why... NOT?!' The King answered back angrily, charging up more and more dark matter in the palms of his hands by the second.
"Well," Verdugo yelled. "Shouldn't you be happy you at least managed to destroy the world? You know, the piss-poor world full of heartless bastards that created you, all dead? Isn't that worth anything?"
"Not without my wife it's not!"
"But your wife's still in that Crystal Ball! Isn't that good enough?" Flurrie asked.
The Shadow King merely screamed and continued to store his fury, which would be unleashed any second.
"This is gonna be harder than I thought..." Ms Mowz said.
Meanwhile, Mario whipped out his Mailbox SP and handed it to Peach. "I recently installed Instant Messenger on this thing!" he shouted over the howling wind. "You can talk to him using that!"
Mario quickly got the IM process all set up, then handed the SP to Peach.
"OK!" Peach said, taking the SP. "Grodus, what's TEC's screen name?"
"TEC-XX, with a dash after the C!" Grodus answered.
Peach entered the name and her message. The conversation went as follows:
--
teh1337mario: tec?
TEC-XX: Hello. Who is this?
teh1337mario: its me peach!
TEC-XX: Peach? Could it be??
teh1337mario: yes tec its me!
TEC-XX: ...Peach, why is your screen name teh1337mario?
teh1337mario: i dunno this is marios sn not mine
TEC-XX: Oh, I see... But still, I'm so happy to hear from you again! I thought maybe you'd died in that humungous explosion that I saw engulf Earth not too long ago. I'm glad to know you're safe...
teh1337mario: yeah thx but we need help
TEC-XX: Oh my, what's wrong Peach? How can I help you when you're so far away? And why's your grammar so horrid?
teh1337mario: i dont have time for good gramar listen we need ur time machine
TEC-XX: My time machine? How do you know about that?
teh1337mario: not important we need it to revert the world back to normal
TEC-XX: Oh, why yes! Of course! The time device could put the world in a state before it blew up!
teh1337mario: exactly can u do it?
TEC-XX: Yes, but there's a problem - the time device will cause the entire planet to go back in time approximately 10 minutes, including yourself. You will have no memory of the fact that you went back in time, so how can you save the world?
teh1337mario: will u remember?
TEC-XX: The time device's target radius is the Earth, not the moon. So yes. I will remember.
teh1337mario: IM me right after u use the time thing and tell us not to place the rainbow relics cuz the worlds gonna end if we do
TEC-XX: Not to place the "Rainbow Relics", you say?
teh1337mario: yeah and also that zanthir is the shadow king
TEC-XX: Um, OK... But Peach, you won't remember anything... How will I know you'll believe me?
teh1337mario: ill believe you tec trust me
TEC-XX: ...I do trust you, Princess Peach. I always have.
teh1337mario: thx tec please do it asap!
TEC-XX: Good luck, Princess Peach. The time device is ready...
--
At that very moment, the Shadow King screamed and let out every ounce of his fury in the form of a massive cloud of black matter, which threatened to engulf the entire palace rooftop and kill all those who stood there. This was the end...
ZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPP!!
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