I am finally back, hooray! And that can only mean one thing…NEW CHAPTER!
…okay, I´ve calmed down a bit now. Enjoy this chapter!
"Hahaha, finally I am powerful enough," Nico said with a grin, looking at Nicbot, who held the Dark Stone in his hands.
"Yeah, and your wish will allow us to go on with your plan. But I think we should put your power to good use first," the robot replied.
"Hm…what exactly do you mean by that?" the human asked.
"Well…how about a plan we can fall back on, in order to obliterate them when we are cornered or something like that? I think we could use our fluffy prisoner in the Nightmare World for that as well…" Nicbot answered.
Nico thought about it, and Nicbot could tell that his master was already on something that could fulfil the requirements for a way to obliterate the heroes, who had already bothered them more than enough. Soon, a grin crossed his face as he worked out a plan.
"Yes, I think I have an idea…" he told Nicbot, and went on with explaining everything. Dark Nico knew that Light Nico couldn´t warn the heroes anymore, as he had used up some of his strength in order to warn them before, meaning that he simply weakened himself while helping the dark soul with their plan. And now, with the wish that the Dark Stone had granted Nicbot, he had enough Dark Power in order to fully control Nico and use it through the human´s body. And his own wish initiated the next step of his plan…
Starlow, Dreambert and Dr. Toadley were in the infirmary of Pi'illo Castle, where the doctor treated Starlow´s wounds she had received in the fight against Bowser. He used a special ointment he was always carrying with him, as she found out.
"Could you call this the 'Miracle Toadley Cure' for problems with your skin? I think you can. Does this deal with any exterior damage you have suffered? You can bet that it does," he told them, while he applied it to the skin of the Star Sprite.
"Hey…that doesn´t even hurt," she noticed, and the doctor nodded.
"Are you right about that? Yes, you are. Will it take long for the ointment to work? Surely it won´t," he replied.
"I´m glad that you are going to be alright, Starlow," Dreambert said, relieved.
"I think everyone is glad about that, but I´m worrying about Nico…" she replied, concerned about the young human.
"No need to, we will stop Dark Nico before he can carry his plan out," he assured her, but she shook her head.
"That´s not what I meant. Do you remember what the consequences for Nico were after Dark Nico had pulled him through his evil plan back then?" she answered.
"Um…yes I do, but I don´t really understand…" the Pi'illo Prince said, still confused.
"What I want to say is: I have a bad feeling telling me that Nico will be in a worse condition than the last time after we had restored him back to his former self," she told him.
"Wait, do you mean…" he started, and she nodded.
"Yes, I think we will need to watch over him once this nightmare is over," she said as she felt that he shared her thoughts. If they were right, then they would have to protect Nico from someone even more dangerous to him than Dark Nico.
"So, now that we know that you are fine, princess, I think that we should focus on Nico again," Mario told Princess Peach.
"Yes, you need to stop him before he can inflict any greater harm on anyone. Please, be careful while you are out there," she begged them.
"Don´t worry, we´ve always managed to win, and we have always been fine," Mario assured her.
"Shouldn´t we look after Eldream as well? Maybe he has an idea on what Nico might be doing next," Luigi suggested.
"Hm…maybe you are right. See you later, princess," the red plumber said, and Mario and Luigi left her room.
"Until later, and take care," she said, and closed the door to her room again.
Dr. Toadley just finished treating Starlow´s wounds, when all of a sudden, a Pi'illo Master hurried into the room, seemingly upset. He whispered something into Dreambert´s ear, who looked shocked.
"Are you sure?" he asked the Pi'illo, who nodded.
"…I think I know what Dark Nico´s plan is, and I don´t think that we have any time to waste. If we don´t stop him right now, he could win. Let´s search Mario, Luigi, and the rest; we need to go to the Pi'illo Temple immediately," he told the Star Sprite. She of course wanted an explanation, but she figured that he would be able to explain everything on the way there.
"Thank you, Dr. Toadley. Until later," Starlow said to the doctor, and she and Dreambert hurried out of the room.
On the way to the secret staircase, they ran into Kamek, who seemed like he was heading towards the infirmary.
"Oh, you two. I was going to look after you, but it seems like you are fine again, Starlow," he told them.
"Yeah, thank you. We were going to go to Mario and Luigi. Dreambert might have figured out what Dark Nico´s plan is. Prepare to leave in a few minutes, okay?" Starlow replied.
"Alright then, I´ll wait at the castle´s entrance," he said, and flew off again.
Starlow and Dreambert continued their path and soon reached the staircase. They entered it and hovered upstairs, and upon arriving on the second floor, they heard voices coming from Eldream´s room. They found the door to be open, with the brothers standing inside the room, talking to the Pi'illo Elder hovering in front of them.
"And you still haven´t found my Dreambunny?" he asked them, seemingly worried about his pet.
"Sadly, no. Maybe he is holding him captive somewhere on Nightmare Mt. Pajamaja, but we honestly don´t know," Mario replied. Dreambert knocked and cleared his throat, with the trio turning around in response.
"Prince Dreambert, you are fine! That´s good to see," Eldream greeted him.
"Yes I am, Eldream, thank you. We came here in order to tell you guys about something very important," he responded.
"What is it, my prince?" Eldream asked, curious.
"I think Dark Nico might try to create the Sleep Stone," Dreambert went on. Eldream was seemingly shocked, while Starlow wanted to know more.
"Are you sure? If that is true, you will have to travel to the Pi'illo Temple immediately," the Pi'illo Elder said after a short moment of silence.
"The Sleep Stone? What is that?" Starlow wanted to know.
"I was going to do that with the others, Eldream. Come on, guys, let us head to the Pi'illo Temple. I´ll explain everything on the way there," Dreambert replied. The other ones looked at each other, and then nodded.
"Okay, let´s go, then," Mario said, and after saying "Goodbye" to Eldream, they headed to the entrance of the castle, where Kamek waited for them, seemingly impatient. John was hovering next to him, ready to leave as well.
"I´ll come with you, I feel like you will have to enter the Dream World or Nightmare World in order to stop Nico," he told them.
"Now that we are gathered here, where will we go now?" the Magikoopa wanted to know.
"To the Pi'illo Temple," Dreambert said, and hurried outside, with the other ones following him.
"So, could you please explain to us what the Sleep Stone is, and how it is a part of Dark Nico´s plan?" Starlow demanded after they left the castle and headed south.
"Sure. You see, a long time ago, we were given the task to guard both the Dream Stone and the Dark Stone. It would be bad if someone stole one of them, but the power these stones wielded could be overcome. We were also told, however, to never let someone steal both of them at the same time, because they could create the Sleep Stone with them. The power of the Sleep Stone…both the power of pure Dream Energy and Nightmare Energy combined…I can´t even imagine what an evil entity could do with this amount of power," he explained to them, while they reached Mushrise Park and turned east, reaching Somnom Woods shortly afterwards.
"Aha, so we know what Dark Nico could be after. But how does he want to create it, or use it?" Kamek asked.
"In order to create it, he will have to shatter them and use magic in order to assemble them together, creating the Sleep Stone. And powering it up…I forgot how that works. Hopefully he won´t get that far, so we would still have a chance of stopping him," Dreambert replied.
"Okay, but that leaves one question: how does he want to create it without the Dream Stone? I thought it had turned into a Dream Coin and was shattered afterwards by the Zeekeeper," Starlow wondered. Dreambert sighed.
"Well, to tell you the truth: the coins which came from the giant Dream Coin are still a part of the Dream Stone, and after the Dream Coin had disappeared again, the Zeekeeper collected all of the coins which came from it and brought it back to his Dream World in the Pi'illo Temple. Don´t ask me how Dark Nico was able to find that one out, I have no idea. But the coins should still be in that Dream World, and that should be where Nico is headed right now," the Pi'illo Prince told them as they hurried through the woods.
"Okay, but how could he use all of these coins? I mean, he can´t just sit in the Dream World the Zeekeeper sits in and convert all of the coins into the Dream Stone or something like that, right?" the Star Sprite asked.
"He could shatter the coins and collect the Dream Stone Essence that would remain. But even in that state, he would either need the magic of the Zeekeeper or his magic combined with a strong, natural type of energy…" Dreambert listed the options the human had, and thought about it. Suddenly, he realised what Dark Nico could use.
"The lava at the top of Mt. Pajamaja! I´ve always felt a familiar energy coming from it, but if I remember correctly, the stones were forged in the lava up there. He´ll most likely bring the essence up there and recreate the Dream Stone, so he can create the Sleep Stone afterwards," he told them his theory.
"Hm…I think our plan is fairly simple: we´ll wait for them to leave the Dream World in the Pi'illo Temple and defeat them," Kamek suggested.
"This could work out, and even if they escape, we know where to look for them," Starlow said, confident.
"Alright then, we are closing in on the temple," Dreambert announced.
They reached the elevator bringing them up to the giant gap, which they had to cross with the help of the Pi'illo Masters on their last adventure on this island. Soon, they reached it, and the platform brought them to the other side. The Pi'illo Temple was close now, and Dreambert and Starlow could feel the darkness disrupting the otherwise calming aura in this area. Nico was here, without a doubt. They closed in on the building, a big, round temple with an open entrance and a Pi'illo sign above the entrance. Inside stood the Ultibed on the Dreampoint, and a Dream Portal was hovering above it.
"How can he open Dream Portals?" Mario wondered.
"I guess he had the same wish as Antasma back then, being able to access the Dream World at any time," Dreambert assumed.
"So, let´s position ourselves around the portal and the entrance, so they can´t escape once they come out of there," Kamek ordered the others.
Mario and Luigi stood near the entrance, while Starlow, Dreambert and Kamek positioned themselves behind the portal. John waited outside near the entrance, to be safe. They were ready, and if they couldn´t stop Dark Nico, everything would be over.
Dark Nico´s plan seems to be revealed, and the heroes are trying to stop him before it is too late. Will they stop him, or is he going to destroy everyone´s hopes? Find out soon…hopefully.
So, why is this coming out that lately? First, I´ve been abroad for two weeks. Then, school started again, and so on…but now I´ve finally managed to write this chapter.
As always: Review if you want to, and stay tuned for the next chapter!
