Author's Note: Who started the whole Author's Note thing, anyway? I mean, seriously… you see it in every single fanfic on this site, right? I only do it because I saw everyone else do it, and I thought "Oh gee, that's a good idea" but that's probably the same reasoning of everyone else. But who was the one who started it all in the first place? Food for thought at least… aw well. Enjoy this chapter, involving Rougeport, jealousy, crushes, ships, doors, and… wait, that's all in the next chapter. Heheh… sorry. Well, this chapter has Peach and Bowser and Goombella and Nozan, so that's something, right? Enjoy!

Chapter 38: Four Sides, Ark 4

Enter Peach:

"TEC?" I asked as I entered TEC's room. "You called?"

"YES, PRINCESS PEACH," TEC said. "I HAVE BEEN GOING OVER MY PERSONAL DATA FILES AND I HAVE REACHED A CONCLUSION… I WISH TO DO SOMETHING WITH YOU."

I blinked. This was kind of… abrupt. "Well… sure, TEC. What would you like? Dancing? Sneaking through the base? Messing with gels that effect physics?"

"NOT THIS TI-HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE GELS?" asked TEC.

"…you mean they're real?" I asked. "Wow, I just made that up in the spur of the moment…"

"WELL… IT MATTERS NOT," TEC said. "I WANTED TO DO A LITTLE QUIZ GAME WITH YOU."

"Quiz?" I asked. "Well, I don't know very much trivia, but… sure, why not?"

"THANK YOU," TEC said. "QUESTION 1: WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU COLLECT SEVEN CRYSTAL STARS?"

Before I could answer, he gave options for me. "A: YOUR WISH IS GRANTED. B: THE THOUSAND YEAR DOOR OPENS. C: A THOUSAND COINS APPEAR."

"Oh, B," I said, wondering why he gave me a list to choose from.

"CORRECT," TEC said. "QUESTION 2: WHAT IS THE GOAL OF GRODUS, LEADER OF THE X-NAUTS? A: TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD. B: TO BE RICH. C: TO BECOME A SUPERHERO."

"A," I replied, crossing my arms and leaning back. Why was he quizzing me on these things?

"CORRECT," TEC said once again. "QUESTION 3: WHAT IS THE LEGENDARY TREASURE THAT WAITS BEHIND THE THOUSAND YEAR DOOR?"

"What?" I was taken aback by this. "TEC, what are you…"

"PLEASE, ANSWER THE QUESTION," TEC said, and it honestly did sound like he was begging. "A: 100,000,000 COINS. B: AN EXTREMELY RARE BADGE. C: AN ANCIENT DEMON'S SOUL."

Gulping, I answered first with what I hoped it was not: "C."

"CORRECT," TEC answered, making me pale. "QUESTION 4: WHAT DOES SIR GRODUS WISH TO DO WITH THE ANCIENT DEMON'S SOUL? A: CHERISH IT FOREVER. B: BRING IT BACK TO LIFE. C: HANG OUT WITH IT."

"…B," I said, my fear of what TEC was revealing to me being overshadowed by the silliness of some of the questions.

"VERY GOOD. NOW THE FINAL QUESTION," said TEC. "WHAT IS REQUIRED TO SEAL UP THE DEMON AGAIN? A: A LEGENDAR SWORD. B: A MAGIC SPELL. C: THE CRYSTAL STARS."

"C," I answered quickly.

"CORRECT," TEC said. "YOU MAY NOW USE THE COMMUNICATOR."

"…TEC, did you just-" I started.

"PLEASE QUICKLY USE THE COMMUNICATOR," TEC interrupted.

"…" I silently typed up my email and hit send.

"YOUR MESSAGE HAS BEEN SENT," TEC said. "PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR ROOM."

I walked back to my room, but I paused at the doorway and looked back.

"…thank you," I told him before walking through the door again.

"GOODNIGHT PRINCESS PEACH…" the lights dimmed.

Enter Bowser:

I. HATE. WATER. REALLY, I REALLY DO! It started out with us going BACK to Glitzville, because that's where Mario was last, you know? I thought he's probably be so greedy he'd stick around just to keep everyone's eyes on him, the dirty attention hog. So, my plan was we would fly up there and launch a surprise attack just like last time! Kammy dealt out all the details, but I didn't really pay much attention as I took off to Glitzville! And THAT'S when my flier broke. Boy, did I scream when I fell! Er… screamed in a very brave fashion, I mean! And I cannon balled, too! Made a big splash, one that would have won me gold at the Olympics! But anyway, I was stuck on… I mean, walking on the ocean floor BECAUSE I FELT LIKE IT, and I walked forward through the ocean. I must have walked for MILES, but I didn't mind one bit! Not even when the Bloopers ganged up on me! Because… they never really ganged up on me in the first place! I just made it LOOK like that to give them a fair chance! Then, I used my awesome karate skills to beat them all down! Ha, that'll teach you to mess with the Koopa King! I made my way through a pipe and back to Rougeport, trying to shake the water out of my shell. Kammy flew back around then, rubbing in my face how fun Glitzville was. If I WANTED to know, I would have ASKED you, you old bat! So, I did her a favor and burnt her just for getting on my nerves! Then, I went back home to dry myself off and take a long nap with some hot cocoa. But I swear, one day, that Mario is gonna GET IT!

Enter Nozan:

"Hi Nozan!" Tom said cheerfully, walking in with a plate full of coffee. "I know you've been staying up to watch, again, so I decided… are you okay?"

I was still staring wide-eyed at the screen. My face was apparently pale.

"He… just… they… and the…" I stuttered.

"Yes?" Tom set the coffee down next to him.

"The Dream Keeper… he just lost his soul… and then the Nightmare pulled him back out from …!" I managed to spit out.

"The Dream Keeper lost his-wait, what?" Tom asked "What's …?"

"Long story," I waved my hand. "Not important."

"I think it's important!" Tom said. "And why …? Why not just call it something like …?"

He gasped, grabbing his throat.

"…?" he asked. "No wait, uh… …. …!"

"THAT'S why you can't call it something else," I pointed.

"Freaky…" Tom nodded.

"Right… anyway, the Dream Keeper, he just lost his soul not twenty minutes ago," I continued. "And the Nightmare that lives inside him… he just willingly threw himself into … and brought him back."

"…why?" Tom asked. "Nightmares don't have souls, he wouldn't have had any reason to do it."

"On the contrary, if the Dream Keeper's soul was lost, the Nightmare would be as well," I answered. "But… what I don't get is HOW he survived … in the first place. He should have just faded into it just like all the other Nightmares before him."

I continued to stare at the screen, the shock having worn off. I was going over how in the world it was possible for a Nightmare to survive.

"Well… um… okay, I'll just… goodbye…" Tom shuffled out of the room, but I didn't pay any attention to him. Grabbing a cup, I sipped the coffee as I continued to work.

Excerpt from Goombella's Journal:

What is it about Mario? Geeze, I shouldn't even be thinking things like this. I'm fourteen for Star's sakes, and I have no idea how old Mario is! But… I can't help feeling, whenever I'm with him, he just feels younger than he really is. And his eyes… if I just went by his eyes, I would swear he was my age.

I can't stop thinking about him, either. When I thought his soul was lost forever, I was just… well, to be frank, I was terrified. I honestly did care deeply about whether or not he would come back.

GAH, I HAVE TO STOP THIS. Get. Over. Him. Goombella.

I need sleep. Maybe some REM will help me relax. But I hope it won't be like the time when I had a dream where Mario and I- {The rest is scratched out}

Author's Note: Short, I know, but Wednesday and Friday's chapters will make up for it! 'Till then, this is Pax the Dreamer, signing out to play Half-Life! Er, I mean… write! Yes, that's it! Heheh…