Finally done with this chapter!
Enjoy! ;)
Chapter 25: A Bone-Chilling Tale
White clouds as far as the eyes could see… Mario and Co. had climbed through clouds and finally reached Skyworld. "Odd. No party springeth forth to welcometh us," wondered Luvbi aloud. "It mattereth not. Godmother's shrine is just ahead, so we can walk there with ease." But they would not arrive at the shrine as easily as Luvbi predicted. Why not? Because something unexpected and dramatic was about to happen…
The complete gang had arrived at Skyworld; a beautiful city in the sky, where the angels live. At the heart of this place was Palutena's Temple.
"Soon we shall meet with my godmother, Palutena. Be thou on thy best behavior." Luvbi said.
"So, Lady Palutena is your godmother?" Pit asked. "Why haven't I heard that before?"
"Pray, listen… I fell ill once, and my godmother never left my bedside…They hath an overprotective side, verily, and I grow annoyed of it at times. But mayhap it is mine own fault for being so cute. They cannot help it!" Luvbi replied.
"Uh, yes, surely… In any case, perhaps we'd better go meet that Palutena." Tippi suggested.
"Let me lead the way; I know the direction to her Temple." Pit insisted.
The gang nodded and was led by Pit to the right direction to Palutena's Temple, unaware about the recent attack that has happened here. They had encountered an unusual Skellobit in their way; what was a Skellobit doing here? But upon climbing on a moving cloud and avoiding a Skellobomber's attacks, which was throwing Skellobaits, they encountered another Skellobit plus a Spiky Skellobit.
"Geez! What's with all of those skeleton enemies?!" Sonic complained.
"I don't know…there's something very bad happening here… Which is why this place was so quiet…" Pit suspected.
They decided to head down, and found a door. Once they emerged out, they found an angel, surrounded by two Skellobits, screaming for help:
"HEEEEEELP!"
"Oh god! One of the angels is in trouble!" Pit said horrified.
"Hwahwahwahwahwahwahwahwa! Awww, what's da matter?!" one of the Skellobits mocked.
"C'mon! Fight back, ya big wimp, ya!" the other Skellobit taunted.
"Hey! Leave him alone, you bone heads!" Sonic shouted in anger as he and the gang went to the Skellobits.
"What's YOUR beef, hah?" the Skellobit on the front questioned sarcastically.
"Oh, friends of the Angels, are ya? Then ya must be enemies of US!" the Skellobit on the back guessed. "Taste spear!"
So the gang fought them and they were defeated. They then went to the Angel, and he thanked them:
"Th-Thou hast my gratitude. I know not who thou art, but thou didst save me…"
"Pray, speak! What hast happened hither?" Luvbi asked.
"A pox, verily… Yon fell beasts hath been flooding into Skyworld of late." The Angel answered. "They seek the Pure Heart… They need it, for they hath some plan most foul!"
"Yon beasts seek the Pure Heart! Foulness!" Luvbi shouted in shock. "Only my Godmother knoweth the Pure Heart's resting place…"
"S-So that means… Lady Palutena is in danger!" Pit shouted worriedly.
"I yearn to hide, verily…but if thou seekest Palutena, thou shalt need this key." The Angel said and handed the key to the gang. "I cannot help more, but prithee, protect our goddess! Um… Farewell." He then left.
"T-This is horrible… Skyworld is being attacked again! But this time it's not by the Underworld Army…" Pit stuttered in worry.
"Do not worry, Pit. We'll do our best to free Skyworld from danger, isn't that correct?" Jewel encouraged.
Pit made a small nod. They went forward and found more of those Skellobits in the way, and also a Gigabite. They went up, and once they reached a Sky Arch, there was a frozen Skyworld Centurion. Bowser set it free by using his Fire Breath to unfreeze the ice.
"Oh, thank thee! It is as though thou hast brought me back to life!" The Centurion thanked, but he looked around and noticed unfamiliar surroundings. "Hold a moment… What am I doing hither?! WHO AM I?! WHERE AM I?! Do I have…AMNESIA? Ah, what to do!"
The gang noticed that he has lost his memory; this Centurion was Blubel. They left this area and went to the locked door above. On the other side was another locked door, so they went forward. Up ahead, they found a female Angel named Falliel, crying because her sweetheart, Novel, was frozen.
"Sniff… Oh, woe is meeee… My darling man hath been frozen by brute monsters!" Falliel sniffed. "I need him so… Oh, what shall I do? Thou! Art thou a kitten too, or art thou a grand lion? Prithee, lion, help mine man!"
Bowser then used his Fire Breath once again at the frozen Angel, and he was freed!
"Unnghh…" Novel groaned.
"Darling dear!" Falliel exclaimed.
"Fair Falliel!" Novel exclaimed.
"Sniff… Thank heavens…" Falliel cried in happiness. "Yon person helped thee."
"Thou hast my thanks, yea. Pray, allow me to do something for thee in return." Novel said.
"Yea, verily, darling dear! Perhaps if thou wouldst move the thou-knowest-what?" Falliel insisted.
"Yea! The thou-knowest-what!" Novel replied. "Fair Falliel, thou art as clever as thou art adorable!"
"Oh, darling dear… 'Tis true, but how thou goest on!" Falliel blushed. "Let us away!" she then starts to leave.
"Ah! Pray, wait, my lovely Falliel fair!" Novel called and followed her.
"The thou-knowest-what?" Luvbi questioned.
Everyone was just as confused as Luvbi was, but they decided to head out to where the couple went. They found them standing near a Sky Arch, which was actually a Sky Elevator! This elevator shaped like an arch was used to transport Angels upward. Novel then helped the gang go up. Once they reached their destination, they found more Angels frozen. Bowser freed them all with his Fire Breath. They all said that those monsters that the gang fought froze them. So they already know what those skeleton monsters were able to do.
On the other side of another door they went, after freeing more Angels, they ended up unfreezing another Skyworld Centurion.
"Whoa! Thank thee for thine help!" he thanked them. "My given name is Whibel! I owe thee for that one! Thou art super!"
"Whibel! Speakest of my godmother! How doth she fare?" Luvbi shouted.
"Is Lady Palutena OK?" Pit asked with worry. But Whibel sighed and lamented:
"I am sorry, Luvbi and Captain Pit… I could not stop yon beasts from entering Palutena's Temple. And the fiends wrecked the bridge once they crossed it… Help cannot reacheth her."
"Oh no… Lady Palutena!" Pit whimpered.
"Man, all I hear is CRYING! Show a little initiative! Can't we rebuild the bridge?" Bowser asked.
"Hm… Mayhap. To rebuild it, thou must find the three Centurions Rebel, Blubel, and Yebel, and get their three orbs. Once thou hast them all, we can rebuild the bridge. Taketh this, and findeth the others… I beg of thee… Thou must help…" Whibel requested as he hands another key to the gang.
The gang went out to find the three Centurions. They went back to Blubel and they managed to convince him to remember who he was:
"Hold a moment… I remember… I am… I am Blubel!"
"Finally thou snappest out of it, eh, Dumbi?" Luvbi rolled her eyes. "We hasten to yonder shrine to help Palutena, so givest thy blue orb."
"What?! Oh, indeed, I see… Fell beasts have attacked from The Underwhere… And our goddess is in danger? If thou speakest truth, then here, takest it!" Blubel said and handed the Blue Orb to the gang. "I cannot linger hither! I must go see what is happening. Farewell!" he then left.
The gang found Rebel being attacked by the monsters and was trying to fight them:
"TAKETH THAT!"
Suddenly, a Skellobit came out of the building and was defeated, and Rebel came in. he turned around and noticed more of those Skellobits coming to him.
"They come without pause… Hm… Against such an assault, I cannot hope to last…" he said weekly. He turned around and noticed the gang. "Huh? Reinforcements? And Captain Pit? At last! My strength hath reached its end… Please… Thou must finish them!"
The gang accepted his request and took the rest of the Skellobits. Once they were done, Rebel thanked them:
"The foul beasts are no more… I am Rebel! Thou hast saved me! I owe thee thanks."
"Rebel! Lady Palutena is in trouble! Do you have the red orb?!" Pit asked.
"Captain… The three orbs are not things to be given away lightly!" Rebel said. "And yet…these are dire times, are they not? And I owe thee a big debt. Here, I give it to thee!" he then hands the Red Orb. "I will go thither and check on the others. If thou survivest, let us meet again!" he then left.
The final Centurion, Yebel, was hiding in a bathroom from the monsters. The gang answered 'a monster', but even that, Yebel came out, relieved that he was safe.
"Hello to thee! I am Yebel! Oh, and you're here too, Captain! Thou came to rescue me?" Yebel said.
"We must rebuild yon bridge to reach Palutena! Thou must givest us the yellow orb!" Luvbi insisted. "If thou dost not, we shall tell at how long thou spent hiding in thither!"
"L-Luvbi?! Oh prithee, thou must not tell! I shall do all thou askest!" Yebel stuttered and handed the Yellow Orb. "I should not hath hidden like a base coward. I goeth to help the others now… Be thou careful!" he then left.
"We finally have all the three orbs. Let's go back to Whibel and rebuild the bridge to Lady Palutena's Temple." Pit said, directing the gang out.
They went back to where Whibel was, and he spoke:
"Oh, thou hast them? Then let us hasten and rebuild the bridge! Climbest onto the pedestal hither and placest the three orbs! Dost it now!"
The gang went to the pedestal and placed the three orbs, each of them emitting a pillar of light. Eventually, the pillar glows white and shakes, and up ahead, the bridge builds itself in Tetris style. The bridge was shaped like a rainbow.
"Palutena is in danger grave… But we are all so weak…" Whibel whimpered. "We must ask you… Savest her for us!"
The gang nodded and crossed the bridge to reach a door.
"This door will lead us to Palutena's Temple. We must hurry." Pit assured as they go inside.
They emerged out, and were finally at the entrance of the Temple. But before they could climb the stairs, they heard a voice:
"HOLD IT!" it was from a Spiky Skellobit. "How'd you guys get in here?! I thought we destroyed the bridge!"
"Shuttest thy trap, foul one! Speakest! Doth my godmother fare well?!" Luvbi hissed. "If thou hast hurt a whisker on her face, I shall END all that is you!"
"Wh-Wh-Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! You little brat!" the Spiky Skellobit shouted in anger. He turned to the other Skellobits. "Hey! You guys! Fall in!" immediately, a lot of Skellobits came in. "So, ya wanna see how scary we can be, little girly?! Well, take a good look!"
"Oh god, there's a lot of them! I didn't know there were so many left!" Pit said shocked.
"CALM THY MIND!" Rebel's voice came in and went to the gang.
"Rebel!" Pit exclaimed.
"I shall handle them, Captain!" Rebel assured. "At long last, my strength returned to me… And now, these fiends shall reap the grim harvest of my Centurion fury! The hour is nigh, Centurion Troops! Art thou ready?!"
"YEEEEEA!" the Centurion Troops shouted as they came in.
"Hast thou fear of these fiends from The Underwhere?" Rebel questioned.
"NAAAAAY!" the Centurion Troops shouted.
"Ooh, all tough 'cause ya got an army, huh? Let's see how ya do against MINE!" the Spiky Skellobit teased. "YER GOIN' DOWN!"
"THOU ART TOAST!" Rebel shouted. "And now, Centurion Troops… Ahem… CHAAARGE!" as the Troop charged towards the Skellobit army.
"NO MERCY!" the Spiky Skellobit shouted as the army of Skellobombers charged.
Both troops began to fight. As the Centurions were fighting the Skellobombers, the gang fought the grounded Skellobits. Once they got rid of the grounded Skellobits, they wasted no time in climbing the staircase, where at the end there was a door leading to Palutena's shrine. They hurried inside.
Once inside, they found Palutena kneeled on the ground, looking quite hurt and weak.
"Oh…no! Lady Palutena!" Pit gasped in horror as he and Luvbi rushes to Palutena.
"Art thou all right?!" Luvbi asked.
"Pit… Luvbi… You shouldn't…have come…my goddaughter. Flee…from here…" Palutena said weakly.
"What?! Why, Lady Palute-" Pit was cut out by an evil laugh:
"Brrrrooo ha ha ha ha ha... A touching scene, to be sure."
Pit and the gang looked behind Palutena, and there was a huge blue boned dragon; he was Bonechill.
"Hey! You're the boss of all the crazy guys who escaped The Underwhere, aren't you?!" Pit hissed.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I assure you. My name is Bonechill." Bonechill introduced. "I am something of an evil celebrity in certain circles of The Underwhere…"
"That may be, but my godmother shall never give you the Pure Heart! So givest up!" Luvbi shouted in anger.
"Oh, you dear, ignorant fairy… You really don't know a thing, do you? How charming." Bonechill snickered.
"Wh-What dost thou mean?!" Luvbi asked.
"I speak of the Pure Heart… And I speak of you, Luvbi…" Bonechill said. "IT IS YOU!"
"WHAT?!" the whole gang gasped in shock.
"What…sayest thou?" Luvbi questioned in shock.
"The Pure Heart was hidden ingeniously to keep it away from evil sorts like me… Palutena…changed the Pure Heart into a fairy…that she called her own goddaughter!" Bonechill revealed.
"No way…" Pit was astonished.
"Ha ha… Th-That is just silly… My mother and godmother…" Luvbi said sarcastically.
"Oh, priceless! You really think the goddess of light pays an ounce of attention to you out of love?" Bonechill teased.
"Th-That's… No… Thou liest!" Luvbi said with a frown. "Godmother! Sayest something!"
"L-Luv…b…bi… Unnghhh…" Palutena groaned weakly.
"Brrrrooo ha ha… This foolish goddess can weigh the sins of others, but not her own…" Bonechill laughed evilly.
"It cannot…be…" Luvbi lamented.
"Luvbi, we can talk later. Right now, just take Lady Palutena to safety!" Pit warned. "QUICKLY!"
"O-OK…" Luvbi accepted and led Palutena to safety.
"Many thanks for delivering the Pure Heart. Once I deal with you, none can stop me… I shall be INVINCIBLE! Please, as your game ends, remember it is an honor to have it ended by my talons!" Bonechill said and begins to attack the gang.
"Let's do this, everyone!" Pit said with determination.
Bonechill begins by breathing ice, and small icicles fell at the gang's direction, but they moved out of the way.
"P…Pit… Bonechill's weak spot…is…his…head… Go for the…head…" Palutena's voice suddenly came into Pit's head.
"Huh? Lady Palutena?" Pit questioned. But he didn't hear her voice again. "Lady Palutena?! Oh god…she's too weak… Everyone! Bonechill's weak spot is his head!" he warned the gang.
"Got it!" Jewel said and tosses her Explosive Opal at Bonechill's head while Pit shoots at it with his bow.
After the first hits, Bonechill shoots out ice projectiles from his cannon. The gang dodges them and attacked his head again.
As he was getting hit, Bonechill's skin falls off, and becomes more aggressive. He tries shooting out ice projectiles while breathing ice at the same time. The gang had troubles dodging them, but thanks to Pit's minor flying, he shoots more and more blue arrows at Bonechill's head, eventually defeating him for good.
"BRRRAARGH!" Bonechill growled in defeat. "How… Impossible… How could you puny worms…destroy…a master…of the cold dark?!"
The cannon breaks up, the rest of Bonechill's skin falls off, and his wings fell off, only his bones remained, which also fell off.
Soon, Palutena and Luvbi reentered the room.
"L-Lady Palutena!" Pit exclaimed and went to her.
"You…have done a fine job… You have saved our realm, heroes…" Palutena said weakly.
"Godmother… The words of that thing…were lies, yea? Thou and Mother art my family?" Luvbi asked.
"Well… Luvbi…" Palutena was about to explain when a voice suddenly came:
"Luvbi!" it was Queen Jaydes.
"Mother!" Luvbi and Melissa exclaimed at the same time.
"I had not received word of your safe arrival, so I came looking… Are you well?" Jaydes asked in concern.
"Speakest to me now, Mother. Godmother and thee… Art thou verily my family?" Luvbi questioned.
"Wait a minute, why do you… WHAAAAAAT?!" Jaydes was shocked.
"Prithee, Mother. Speakest the truth to me." Luvbi demanded.
"Luvbi… You… You are not really my child." Jaydes lamented.
"*gasp* …So it is…true…" Luvbi gasped.
"The Pure Heart was always in danger of falling into the hands of evil, darling. So Palutena and I decided to transform it into a shape that no one would suspect…" Jaydes explained.
"And that was…me?" Luvbi guessed. But suddenly, a flash came into her. "WAAAAAAH!"
For everyone's surprise, a silhouette of a white Pure Heart appeared within Luvbi!
"What…was that?" Fox was surprised.
"The Pure Heart does struggle against the Luvbi identity… It seeks its true form…" Palutena remarked. "It does sense someone nearby worth of possessing it. It must be the eight heroes…"
"So, uh… Ha ha… Thou sayest I am meant to be with those three… They verily are…my princes? This doth STINK! They are completely wrong for me!" Luvbi shouted in frustration. "I speak seriously to you… This hath no humor to it!"
"Luvbi…" Pit murmured.
She then goes near Mario and Co. and said:
"Fine. I shall return to my Pure Heart form…and I shall go with Mario and his friends…"
"Are you certain? If you turn back into the Pure Heart, the fairy known as Luvbi…will cease to exist." Palutena hesitated.
"Nay, perhaps I already have… I remember being the Pure Heart now, in truth. And the world would end if I did not do it, is this not so? So I should just… Wait… Why do I explain myself to thee?! Thou art not my real godmother, so QUIET!" Luvbi shouted.
"Wh-What?!" Palutena was shocked.
"To think of all the times thou hast scolded me!" Luvbi yelled. "Thou didst KNOW I was not long for this world! Why didst thou not let me have fun?! Nay! Instead, I suffered an angry fake godmother and a nagging fake mother! I had no life! How dost thou plan to make that up to me?!"
"Luvbi!" Jaydes shouted in anger.
"Say what you want to me, but don't talk like that to your mother that way!" Palutena growled. "Perhaps this sass shall end once you change your form! What are you waiting for?"
"Oh, giveth me a break! I must do it whether thou wish or not! It shall be a RELIEF!" Luvbi yelled back.
"You are an ungrateful brat! Don't you recall when I lingered by your ill bedside?" Palutena hissed.
"I scoff at thy lingering!" Luvbi scoffed. "Why dost thou not giveth me back the present I bought with my saved allowance!"
"What madness do you spew from your lips?! Who GAVE you that allowance?!" Palutena questioned with anger. "And you lied to get the money, too! You pretended to buy schoolbooks!"
"How dost thou DARE to lecture on lying! And why dost thou think I lied?!" Luvbi whimpered. "I thought that Mother and thee… I thought… Thou wouldst…be happy… The pair of thee… Thou art not real family… I… I… I hate thee…"
"…That is enough, Luvbi." Jaydes said. "It is true that we created you as a means of protecting the Pure Heart… But Palutena and I came to love you as a true child. We wanted to be with you for all time, to protect you. You became a part of us. Perhaps we were wrong to create you…and if we only caused pain, we apologize."
"Oh, Mother… Thou needst not apologize… My dear mother… Thank thee…" Luvbi sighed.
Then, the Pure Heart's silhouette appears within Luvbi again after another flash.
"The Pure Heart does wish to assume its original form…" Jewel pondered.
"Luvbi…" Palutena cried.
"Heroes… Takest good care of the real me. And…savest the world, yea? Such is my final wish, so if thou dost not do it, thou art most unkind!" Luvbi requested.
"We understand…" Jewel said.
"Mother… Godmother… Fare thee well…" Luvbi said goodbye.
"Oh, my darling…" Jaydes lamented.
"I am sorry…for lying earlier. Because in truth… I… I love thee…both…" Luvbi said as she was almost fading away. She turns to the heroes. "Jewel, before I…turn back…may thy know…all of thee eight heroes…?"
"Sure…" Jewel responded. "Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Bowser and Melissa, come here to me so that I can introduce our heroes."
The ones Jewel called did as she said so, and she continues:
"Luvbi… Here is our group of eight heroes…" she begins to introduce them in order. "The first hero, Mario, is from the Mushroom World. The second hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, is from Mobius. The third hero, Kirby, is from Popstar. The fourth hero, Fox McCloud, is from Lylat. The fifth hero, Link, is from Hyrule. The sixth hero, Marth, is from the Altea kingdom. The seventh hero, Pikachu, is from Kanto. And the eighth hero, Pit, is from Skyworld."
"OK… Thank thee…for…introducing thy…heroes…to me..."
As Luvbi said her last words, three flashes came into her as the Pure Heart within her uses its strength to finally reveal itself. Luvbi was no more…
"Luvbi…" Jaydes whimpered.
"Now, the ones spoken from the prophecy… Destined heroes… Take our dear child with you… Take the Pure Heart." Palutena lamented. "And Pit… Take care…"
"Sure, Lady Palutena…" Pit replied.
"Swear this to me… You must prevail! Let no one else in the universe feel this sadness!" Palutena swore.
"You can count on us, Palutena." Jewel assured.
"Very well. Then I am satisfied… Now, Luvbi, you must go…" Palutena said.
"Oh, Palutena…" Jaydes lamented.
The white Pure Heart flies to the gang. The eighth Pure Heart was in their possession!
"Heroes… My goddaughter wanted you to save all worlds. 'Twas her final wish." Palutena spoke slowly through her tears as the brave Angels cleaned up Skyworld. Draped in sadness, Queen Jaydes walked slowly to her palace in The Underwhere. Mario, his friends, and the eighth Pure Heart were all that remained… This Pure Heart had come at a high price. Let us hope it was all worthwhile.
To be continued...
At long last, the heroes have all the eight Pure Hearts! The final area is near! Next chapter coming soon! Please review.