Chapter 55: Cry For Help
Note: Most of the characters in the alternate universe belong to GrandpaJoeProductionFanfiction.
"Location: Richmond, Virginia, November 24th 2109"
In Richmond, Vanellope was explaining everything TheDisneyFan365 told her to the other Sugar Rush racers (except Candi, Snowanna, and Swizzle), Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Licortwist, Creamy, Turbo, Future Vanellope-A, Future Taffyta-A, Future Candlehead-A, Future Citrusella-A, Future Candi-A, the Nicktoons, and the Neverland inhabitants.
"But if that's true, how are we going to get to each world? I don't think our portal keys have enough power to get us there." Damon asked.
"Well, because he wanted us to go there and has unlimited power, he'll probably help us right about..." Vanellope started to reply.
Suddenly, three dark purple portals appeared.
"Now." Vanellope said.
Cinndon nodded.
"Great! But how will we split up?" Cinndon asked.
Adorabeezle thought about it and got an idea.
"There's only one logical solution to solving this problem." Adorabeezle replied.
"What's that?" Turbo asked.
"We should split up into teams. Everyone should pair up with who they want and then go into a portal together." Adorabeezle replied.
Vanellope smiled.
"That's a great idea!" Vanellope said. She then studied the group and said "Okay, here's how we'll do this. Taffyta, you take Turbo, Timmy and his Fairies, Dani, and all the racers except Rancis and Adorabeezle, and head into the first portal.".
Taffyta nodded.
"Okay. Let's go, everyone." Taffyta said.
She, the other Sugar Rush racers except Rancis and Adorabeezle, Turbo, Timmy, and Dani disappeared into the first portal, which disappeared once all of them passed through it.
"Okay, Hook you take your crew, Cinndon, Crepe, Silvia, Sam, Tucker, and the Indians, and head into the second portal." Vanellope said.
Hook nodded and turned to the members in his group.
"Let's go!" Hook said.
He, the rest of the Pirates, Cinndon, Crepe, Toxika, Sam, Tucker, and the Indians all headed into the second portal, which closed behind them.
"Okay, now, Jimmy, you take SpongeBob, Licortwist, Creamy, Maddie, Jack, Candace, and all the Fairies except Periwinkle, and go into the third portal." Vanellope said.
"Alright." Jimmy said.
He and the members in his group disappeared into the third portal, which disappeared behind them.
"And that leaves the rest of us. I guess Clockwork can stay here, while the rest of us go on." Vanellope said.
Future Taffyta-A looked around in confusion.
"Hm." Future Taffyta-A muttered.
"Taffyta, is something wrong? You seem lost in thought." Future Candi-A asked.
Future Taffyta-A nodded.
"Something doesn't seem right. TheDisneyFan365 said all of us had to split up, and we split up into four groups, but there were three portals. I wonder why." Future Taffyta-A replied.
But before anyone could say anything, Vanellope, Rancis, Adorabeezle, Future Vanellope-A, Future Taffyta-A, Future Candlehead-A, Future Citrusella-A, Future Candi-A, and Periwinkle disappeared in a flash of dark red.
"Location: Ylisse, the Nintendo Realm of the Dream World, April 1st 2143"
Grimleal halls had the peculiar characteristic of managing to be both brightly lit and shadowy at the same time. The fires in the copper braziers burned fiercely and cast long black shadows that danced and shied away from the feasting multitude.
The most important seats had been reserved for Validar and Future Lucina. An enormous dragon's skull hung from the wall behind them, its head adorned with curled ram's horns and its jaws open in a perpetual roar. Ancient musty tapestries depicting gruesome rituals and apocalyptic events covered the walls and matched the woven rugs and cushions that seated the cultists and the dishes that broke their usually spartan diets: goat, rice pilafs colored with saffron, and rare delicacies such as candied winefruit and wyvern heartstring. The somber notes of the liturgical music played daily were replaced by the frantic gurgling notes of the water flute, while dancers dressed in see-through silks entertained.
Future Lucina had barely touched her food, but justified it as needing to pay full attention to the goings-on around her. In order to keep her grandfather and the rest of his cult believing that she and Grima would become one, she put on a convincing facsimile of a person raised to be the vessel: poised, cool, and indifferent to her surroundings, as though she was above it all. Future Lucina knew that it was more then effective to the congregation, since several members came as supplicants: touching the hem of her clothes in awed reverence, begging her for favors and advice, endless compliments and kowtowing, even from those too fearful to do more then stare from a distance.
Validar, on the other hand, was more then pleased. He attributed her initially disappointing appearance to travel-weariness, such were the limitations of her mortal shell, and watched approvingly as she received worshipers from her cushion. Despite the time away, it seemed as though she still fit into the "role" she was born for. The sway she held over the Grimleal was indisputable. Conversation between Validar and Future Lucina was formal and brief. He, too, had forgone feasting, as he was completely absorbed by her actions. His observations turned to pride and satisfaction. Was it not a great show of his wealth and power if he could afford to adorn the vessel in the finest offerings of the Grimleal's coffers? The purple silk and gauze of her dress floated, almost dreamlike, around her frame, cinched by golden belts and tinkling with opals and amethysts. Her heavy golden collar complemented the gold tiara that circled her brow with a fat teardrop ruby that hung between her eyes. "Grima's vessel" deserved only the best and, in turn, accentuated the natural elegance of her vestments as only a perfect being like herself could. Yes, Validar thought. The vessel was the glorious culmination of generations' worth of breeding, and it showed despite her taking more after her sire rather then dam. Her kohl rimmed lids drew attention to finely shaped blue eyes, and her dark blue hair was swept back into an elegant and maturely styled braid. It was draped over her collar and drew his eyes up the soft slope of her neck and exposed shoulders.
As he finished admiring Future Lucina's features, he stood and the entire assembly fell silent. Validar raised his golden goblet with all the importance of a stateman's staff.
"Fate has smiled upon us this year. We welcome ten fine healthy children to our flock. Blessed be the wombs that hath nurtured them. Our mages have reported excellent progress with their spell crafting, and our new apprentices have become the first to memorize the entirety of our scripture in less then a decade. Our agents have managed to penetrate every major settlement of the nation and assure me the utmost loyalty from the lowliest chieftain to the highest amir. The only thing standing between us and our rightful dominance is the apostate capital that dares to claim our throne, and the enemies of our temporary leader Jubilee. Last, yet certainly not least, Grima's true vessel has come to us after trials in the future. It pleases us to see our Lord's essence carried safely in a strong body deigned worthy of his presence. How it fills us lesser beings with envy, to not be afforded that same privilege!" Validar announced, his voice ringing with smug pride.
Some members of the congregation began to weep at his words.
"With our dearest Aversa entertaining the jesters of the Walled City, we can rest assured that the eyes of the unworthy will dare not set upon our sanctum. Our celebrations shall continue uninterrupted, and soon, after we help Jubilee win in her plans, Grima will smile upon us all and usher in a new age as has been fated since the beginning of his slumber. That, I guarantee: glory be to Grima!" Validar announced.
Future Lucina recognized the unspoken cue, and rose to lead the hall in prayer. Amidst the rise and fall of collective chanting and undying oaths pledged to their vessel, to him, to Grima, Validar felt more vindicated then he had ever since Robin's birth, certain that his life's labors and the centuries of his predecessors backing were finally coming to fruition.
"Location: Modesto, California, August 27th 2041"
It was a hot summer's day in Modesto. George, Adam, Charles, Rachel, Benjamin, Megan, Camden, Bob, Emily, Cassi, and Darin were all spending a lovely day at the park. Adam and Charles were playing basketball, when Adam noticed something up ahead.
"Hey, what's that?" Adam asked.
"I don't know. Let's go take a closer look." Charles replied.
He and Adam put away the basketball before running over to get a closer look at a glowing purple light. Meanwhile, Megan and Camden put down their books they were reading, and they noticed that Adam and Charles had disappeared to investigate something. Curious about that, they ran over to where the dark purple haired boy and orange haired boy had headed off to. George, Rachel, Benjamin, Bob, Emily, Cassi, and Darin all looked up from a chat they were having, and they noticed their friends (or cousins, in Emily's case, brother, in Rachel's case, and sister, in Benjamin's case) had disappeared, so they decided to go see what the four were up to. Once everyone was together, Rachel, out of curiosity, reached her hand out to touch the glowing purple light. As she touched it, the light started to expand in size, turning into a giant dark purple portal that stretched higher then Camden's, who was the highest of the group, head.
"What's this?" Rachel asked.
"I don't know, but I'm curious to see what it is. Come on, everybody." Adam replied.
Just then, Abigail ran over to the group.
"Hey, guys!" Abigail shouted.
She wanted to tell them about how Peter and SourCog had fought, and how TheDisneyFan365 had saved her and Peter, and sent him away on a quest. However, as she neared the group, she accidentally tripped. She landed on the others, and they accidentally stumbled forward through the portal, which closed behind them.
"Location: The Mushroom World, the Nintendo Realm of the Dream World, January 7th 2151"
"Unbelievable. It's like we were kicked back at the very start of our trip to rescue my parents and the others." Moon said.
"Kind of like the whole point of us being 'sent back' to Yoshi's Island, then to World Seven, and finally Luigi's Mansion." Juliet said flatly, knowing that, as Kamek had pointed out, he'd already given hints about the enemies they were set to face and they had been too slow to figure it all out.
"You seriously didn't see through my little hints?" Kamek asked tauntingly, as if giving confirmation to Juliet's silent assumption.
Dark Pit narrowed his eyes and started seething towards Bowser's right-hand Koopa. Likewise, and in a similar fashion, Moon, Juliet, Pit, and Danielle just kept silent as they glared daggers toward Kamek.
"Oh, how scary. I'm practically shaking on my broomstick." Kamek said mockingly. He then laughed boisterously and asked "Playtime's over, fools. Let's get to it, or are you standing there to give me the sign that you surrender?".
"Surrender? Not likely, turtle mage." Pit replied.
Danielle nodded.
"Exactly what he said. We went so far to rescue our friends, and we're not letting you, or any of your shadow clones of our previous enemies, get in the way of what we originally came here for!" Danielle added.
Kamek smirked.
"Now that's more like it! Hopefully this isn't a bluff, eh?" Kamek asked.
"Dead wrong!" Dark Pit replied, leaning forward.
His expression made it clear that he was really going to go through with it. Kamek smiled sweetly, seemingly unaffected by the hostility that was directed at him, hovered higher up in the air, and stabbed his wand toward the five's direction.
"Get them!" Kamek shouted.
At that, the shadow clones of their foes came rushing toward them. The shadow doppelganger of the soil monster from Yoshi's Island unleashed a multitude of flying eyes aimed the exact same way the original had done to them. Moon, Juliet, Pit, Dark Pit, and Danielle tensed. They had fought with it before, so it wouldn't be too hard for them to deal with it now. Or, at least, they were sure of it. Moon extended his arm toward the closest eye, ready to grab it and throw it right back. Yet, it suddenly disappeared like black-tinted smoke the moment the blonde haired boy's hands clenched at it.
Danielle, who saw all that from the corner of her eye, stared after the whole scene with a disbelieving look. How could that suddenly have been ineffective when that was basically how they had defeated it before? So, just to test it out for herself, she launched a vine towards another eye, yet it did exactly as the first one had to Moon. All that replaced it now was nothing but a bunch of black smoke.
"No way. Th-That's impossible." Danielle said.
"It's possible, alright." Kamek said from up above. Then, very conspicuously, he gave out a huge yawn and said in a bored tone "You know, seeing you idiots struggle there has actually proven me wrong. I kinda expected that I might actually break a sweat trying to stop you five here right on your tracks, but, surprisingly, you are so ridiculously easy that I don't even have to move a muscle to even lift my wand by a fraction of an inch. Whatever, to quote my king's words, my minions will wake me up when it's time for your funeral.".
"Don't think you can just..." Pit started to say.
He was interrupted by Lakithunder's lightning bolts aimed at him. The moment he caught wind of it by the corner of his eye, he quickly ran to the side to dodge it, albeit only barely.
"Whoa, that was real as you can get." Pit said, looking down to see that the blackened ground that was a result of Lakithunder's bolts.
"Y-You said it." Danielle said, she and Juliet trying to break free from all the eyes that had somehow surrounded them and were now going to the two females on a tight constrict.
Dark Pit quickly ran to help his girlfriend, but was struck upright by something black that flashed against him.
"What was that?" Dark Pit, struggling his way up after being knocked to the ground with such force.
He looked up to see that it had been King Boo's shadow clone. Dark Pit gritted his teeth and launched an arrow from the Silver Bow right at King Boo, only to receive the same result of black-tinted smoke. He shook his head angrily, wondering how they would ever be able to beat any of Kamek's underlings the way things were going.
"Ugh, we can't hit them, yet they can actually be capable of smacking us." Juliet said in a strained voice, given the fact that she and Danielle had barely gotten free from the constraints of the soil monster's eyes and had now only gotten twice the number in return to surround them.
Dark Pit panted from another flurry of King Boo's shadowed punches. Apparently and unfortunately, it was actually capable of materializing itself after fading out into smoke. He was now only barely on his knees, due to the apparent barrage of King Boo's punches he had to deal with. Moon, Juliet, Pit, and Danielle weren't in good condition, either. Juliet and Danielle were trapped in straitjackets composed purely of the shadowed fiend's eyes, while Moon, Pit, and Dark Pit were unable to get up due to all the blows they had gotten. The five then looked up to see the shadow clone of Lakithunder raise a hand, ready to blast another round of bolts. They braced themselves, since they were clearly in no condition to even be able to dodge what was sure to come their way. Lakithunder released the bolts, which split in five directions, one aimed at each of the five.
Moon, Juliet, Pit, Dark Pit, and Danielle screamed in pain as the charges ran throughout their bodies. They writhed in pain, and even at the agonizing second, they could see Kamek smile with smug satisfaction. The five laid where they were, free from the eyes and with no sight of King Boo near, yet somehow on their last legs if the saying could ever be applied to the pain they felt right now. None of them were sure if they even had the energy left to get up, much less fight back, though even if they could the inevitable would happen. Their shadowed foes would just dematerialize and rematerialize as they wished to avoid getting hit at all. And none of them had even landed a blow. Moon gritted his teeth as he struggled to make his way up. He could see himself, his adopted sister, future daughter, and friends surrounded by Kamek's shadow underlings. Even if Kamek had pit only one against them, they could hardly stand a chance given that they could fade as if they weren't there. Now it was like facing the multitude of Bowser's minions back outside the castle all over again. Their journey rescuing the captives, which took them from Yoshi's Island, to World Seven, to Luigi's Mansion, and finally which led them to solve the labyrinth of Bowser's Castle, had not anticipated them for this.
Or had it?
Something stirred within Moon, which caused him to suddenly jolt upright and gain the energy to get up in spite of his exhaustion and weariness. The ones they were facing were shadows of the foes they had fought to get to where they were now, and the whole fight was nothing but a shadow of their entire journey. Because from Yoshi's Island to World Seven to Luigi's Mansion, and then to solving the riddle of the labyrinth of Bowser's Castle, there was actually one thing they all had in common.
"Location: Unknown, November 24th 2109"
Vanellope, Rancis, Adorabeezle, Future Vanellope-A, Future Taffyta-A, Future Candlehead-A, Future Citrusella-A, Future Candi-A, Danny, and Periwinkle found themselves in a large central chamber, probably part of an even grander temple judging by the interior design. Vanellope turned around to face the others.
"Is everyone okay?" Vanellope asked.
"Yeah, I think so. What happened back there?" Rancis asked.
Suddenly, a dark portal opened, and Abigail, George, Adam, Charles, Rachel, Benjamin, Megan, Camden, Bob, Emily, Cassi, and Darin stumbled out and fell to the ground.
"Ow! Thanks a lot, Abigail!" Camden sneered.
"It's not her fault, cuz. She tripped and fell to the ground!" Emily snapped.
Adorabeezle was surprised to see them and turned to the others.
"Guys, are they who I think they are?" Adorabeezle asked.
"If your seeing them as well, then, yes, you are." Future Candlehead-A replied.
Vanellope, Rancis, Adorabeezle, and Danny ran forward, and they helped the older teenagers up.
"Careful now, you twelve. We wouldn't want to see you get hurt." Danny said.
Cassi gasped.
"What are you guys doing here?" Cassi asked.
"And why is there a clone of you, Vanellope?" Bob asked, having spotted Future Vanellope-A, as well as Future Taffyta-A, Future Candlehead-A, Future Citrusella-A, and Future Candi-A.
"There's a lot to explain, but I'll make this as quick as possible. This is the year 2109, and you twelve have been dead for the past few decades. In this time period, me and the other racers are super heroes, and we're trying to stop Jubileena's evil alternate future self, Jubilee Darkheart, and a band of villains working for her from taking over the whole multiverse. The "clone" of me, as well as Taffyta, Candlehead, Citrusella, and Candi, who, Abigail and George, is your parent's great-great-granddaughter, are from Jubilee's timeline." Vanellope replied.
"Wow. That is a lot to take in." Benjamin said, amazed by the black haired girl's explanation.
George stepped forward and examined the area.
"So where are we, anyway?" George asked.
Almost immediately, TheDisneyFan365 appeared before them.
"Wait, how..." Abigail started to ask.
"You've arrived at last. It was I who summoned you all here." TheDisneyFan365 replied with a calm and echoing voice.
"Summoned us? Why?" Vanellope asked.
"A world stands on the brink of destruction, but only those with the power to cross time and space can reach it in its hour of need. People such as yourselves." TheDisneyFan365 replied.
"What happens in this world that is so bad that we need to help it?" Rancis asked.
"Another world under the control of someone similar in power to me, GrandpaJoeProductionFanfiction, in which a corrupt government rules America, causing untold chaos throughout the world. All hope for the future rests upon the shoulders of a Rebellion, which includes children of some of the Rugrats of that world. However, without intervention, the children and Rebellion members will die." TheDisneyFan365 replied.
"All of them? But that's..." Darin started to ask.
"Hear me. That universe's version of Tommy, Chuckie, Susie, and Dil fight in a battle, but are annihilated before they can get to safety. Bill, Lil's child in that universe, and three other Resistance members, Lauren, Sky, and Gabriella Coleman, try to disable a powerful weapon and bring it's power source to the Rebellion, only to expire in sight of their town's border. Jill, Bill's sister, tries to fight the president of America, Ronald Thump, with that universe's version of Erebus, with the rest of her family and some of her friends present... but soon after, all of them are slain." TheDisneyFan365 replied.
"But if that's the case, who saves the world?" Periwinkle asked.
"None do. It sinks into shadow... and finally fades into oblivion. This is the world's inevitable destiny. But sometimes, destinies are too cruel, and so, I sought help. Sugar Rush, those from the past and future, Ghost Child, and Ice Fairy, please intervene. Change what cannot be changed without you." TheDisneyFan365 replied.
"We'd never turn our backs on those in need so long as the power to help them is ours." Danny said.
"That goes for this world and any other... even if our hopes are as thin as you say." Future Candi-A said.
"Thank you. But first, there is another obstacle that you must conquer, and it is among yourselves." TheDisneyFan365 said.
"I'm afraid I don't understand..." Charles started to say.
"As I said, this is a world where the United States has fallen prey to a corrupt government, causing untold chaos. My power and influence, as well as GrandpaJoeProductionFanfiction's power, has been severely weakened almost to the point of nonexistence. In its current state, I am only able to guide you all once. And even then, your time is short." TheDisneyFan365 replied.
Vanellope sighed and nodded.
"Very well. We understand." Vanellope said.
TheDisneyFan365 raised his arms.
"Very well. Then I shall send you now to the moment in time before that world falls. Find the ones that are in trouble, and see them through their task." TheDisneyFan365 said.
"We will." Future Citrusella-A said.
"Here is my final counsel. The world you are about to visit bears a great resemblance to your own. You may encounter people you know or people you love. If you do, fight by their sides. It will give them great courage and strength. Now go, heroes. I know that destiny can yet be reshaped by your hands!" TheDisneyFan365 said.
In a flash of light, the group was engulfed by TheDisneyFan365's power.
"Location: The Mushroom World, the Nintendo Realm of the Dream World, January 7th 2151"
"What is it, Moon?" Juliet asked in a hushed voice as she, Pit, Dark Pit, and Danielle practically limped towards the blonde haired boy.
"It's all the same. Since the very beginning, it has always been the same." Moon replied whispered, more to himself then to the others.
"What is?" Dark Pit asked.
"The soil key-eyes monster back in Yoshi's Island, Lakithunder from World Seven, King Boo from Luigi's Mansion, and finally the labyrinth that required the jewel that got us past Bowser's security system." Moon replied.
"And?" Danielle asked.
"They all followed through the same procedure." Moon replied.
"I'm... not following you, Moon." Juliet said.
"Huh. I guess I kinda confused you, didn't I? I'll break it down to you guys in rather simpler terms." Moon said.
Danielle looked nervously at the trio of shadow clones that were still surrounding them, tense and ready to attack at just on moment of an advance.
"Please do, but... just do make it quick, though. I can tell that even though these guys won't make a move until we advance to attack, they likely won't be waiting here forever." Danielle said.
"What made us know which eyes to hit? What had us figure out the presence of the 'key-eyes'?" Moon asked, all while keeping his eyes on Kamek's shadow minions in case they would take advantage of the five's hesitation.
"Easy. We looked hard and around. It wasn't that easy, though. If we hadn't properly paid attention, we may have had a hard time distinguishing the keys from the clones." Juliet replied.
"And then there's Lakithunder. He made me fall victim to my own illusions." Moon said.
"Yeah. We had to snap you out of it." Pit replied.
"Indeed, you did. But what was it that made me believe that it was all bogus?" Moon asked.
"Hmm. I know you said something about the fake Juliet saying stuff that I wouldn't have. But there was more." Juliet replied.
"Of course. You see, the fake Juliet had a black hump. It hadn't been obvious to me. In fact, looking back at all that now, chances are I overlooked that tiny detail. It really forced me to look hard in order to get myself to know that none of what was happening to me was real, as much as I may have wished otherwise." Moon said.
"So how does King Boo factor in on this?" Dark Pit asked.
"That's where it gets more obvious, Dark Pit. While I fell for Lakithunder's 'wonderland', Danielle fell for King Boo's depressing images. It was so convincing he actually made her give up." Moon replied.
Danielle flinched at the memory. Moon saw his future daughter's reaction, yet he went on with his speculation (while secretly glad none of the shadowed minions moved in advanced, since they were still silently observing them, as well as the fact that Kamek had gotten bored seeing the five battered without so much as a fight and now fell asleep due to his boredom).
"But maybe there was a hypnotic quality to his voice? Maybe... but if you think about it, the fact that he flashed all those images at us proved that, looking at it now, everything wasn't what it seemed to be. The key-eyes from Yoshi's Island, the fantasy from World Seven, the scenes King Boo showed us..." Moon started to reply.
"What about the labyrinth that needed the key jewel?" Pit asked.
"That's exactly it, Pit! That couldn't have been figured out if we hadn't looked around to see that the area before that puzzle of a hallway was exacty as Bowser's little riddle had meant. Maybe that's what we should do here. The setup here is that we can't hit them, but they can hit us, right?" Moon asked.
"So... you think that we also need to look beyond what we normally see here, right?" Danielle asked.
Moon nodded.
"That's right. In fact, I'm starting to think that this is exactly like how we were 'brought back to the beginning' by Kamek." Moon said.
Suddenly, Kamek stirred in his sleep, and then his eyes fluttered open. The shadows thought of it as an advance and now tensed themselves forward.
"Now what's this? You five are still standing?" Kamek asked.
"Yes. And this time, your minions will be the ones going down." Pit replied.
Dark Pit nodded in agreement to what his counterpart sad.
"If you want to fight us, man up and quit creating a bunch of underlings to do your bidding. It's pretty cowardly, if you ask me." Dark Pit added.
Kamek was taken aback by the calmness of their tones.
"I don't see what your talking about. Is this a bluff?" Kamek asked.
Danielle grinned and crossed her arms.
"Why, you still don't get it, do you?" Danielle asked. She looked back and forth toward the shadow creatures that surrounded them and said "All of this is just an illusion!".
And on cue to the girl's statement, the scene suddenly lost its stability, and everything fell apart. The skies have lost color and the ground began to crumble. Eventually, huge chunks fell into the endless black void, though Moon, Juliet, Pit, Dark Pit, and Danielle continued to stand where they were, as if they were standing on an unseen platform. It was as if a spell had been broken, which was exactly the case. Now that the five had opened their eyes and seen past Kamek's illusions, everything had set the way it had originally appeared. Even the Koopa mage's shadow copies of their previous foes had dematerialized and soon faded into nothing. All that was left of the scene was a pitch-black place.
"Impossible." Kamek whispered.
"Give it up, Kamek! We've had just about enough of your chaos!" Moon called out.
"Same here! It's over!" Juliet said.
"Impossible." Kamek said again, as if he hadn't heard either of the two.
His hands were clenched into fists, which strangely began to tremble.
"Right, looks like he's losing it right now." Moon thought.
He cleared his throat, about to have him tell them where Bowser was right now, when suddenly the Koopa mage's head snapped up like he'd known the boy was about to speak.
"YOU! SHUT YOUR MOUTH RIGHT NOW!" Kamek yelled.
Moon, Juliet, Pit, Dark Pit, and Danielle jumped in surprise. It wasn't because of the sudden outburst, but because of the expression his face took on. It had become violent, crazed, and somehow creepy.
"You brats want me to give up? In your DREAMS!" Kamek practically snarled. He then got a grin, which was either crazy-looking, or really, really disturbing, and asked "How about a nice battlefield, shall we?".
He waved his wand, and the scene from when they fought those shadow creatures had regenerated.
"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Danielle wondered.
"Location: Ylisse, the Nintendo Realm of the Dream World, April 1st 2143"
Soon, the mass of worshippers filed out of the hall in an orderly fashion. Hands plucked at Future Lucina's gown and bodies grovelled at her feet as she and Validar exited, guards shadowing their steps and clearing out the foyer as those who were lesser ranked were commanded to return to their quarters for the moment. Soon, the only ones left were Validar, the members of his council, and the silent cadre of handmaidens assigned to Future Lucina and her chambers. Gold and rubies glittered on Validar's splendid robes as fiercely as his eyes as he stepped to her with a purposeful smirk stretching his narrow face.
"I sincerely hope this has all been to your approval. Anything less would be more then unacceptable for one of your caliber. If so, do tell me, and I shall work diligently to correct it." Validar said.
Bowing low at the waist and holding out his cape revealed a richly lined interior darker then night. Future Lucina surveyed the assembled party with a feigned half-heartedness. It surprised her to witness how easily she slipped into the role of their prized possession so effortlessly, as though her years in the outside world had been but an afterthought, that she had been stuck inside the dragon's cadaver all that time.
"Better then I had hoped for. It honors me to see such devotion and effort. You have done well by me, and our flock shall be justly rewarded for such attentions." Future Lucina replied. A yawn racked her frame and she said "It seems that travel has sapped more of my strength then I thought. I will take leave now. If I am to rise early tomorrow, I need to rest undisturbed." Future Lucina said.
She made sure to emphasize that last word with a subtle narrowing of her eyes. The present company all bowed before her.
"Of course. I have seen to it personally that not a single one of your effects is out of place. Everything as befit your rightful station." Validar said.
He dismissed his councilors with a lazy flick of the wrist, and a snap of his long fingers sent a maiden fetching a torch for him. A sudden downturn of his brow alerted her, too late, of the sharply shaped nail tracing a path from her cheek and brushing a stray hair gently past her lobe and back to it's spot behind her ear. Validar's carefully positioned smile then returned.
"All perfect. I bid you a good rest. We shall meet with the council after dawn." Validar said.
As though he were a chilling midnight breeze, he swept out of the foyer with a woosh of robes that left the area darker and colder after his departure. Future Lucina stared at the spot where Validar stood until she snapped out of her reverie and began to make her way to her quarters. Her servants trailed after mutely, bearing long crimson candles that wept bloody wax and gave their faces a gaunt glow. Deeper and deeper they traveled into the earth, winding through several dark passageways. After passing through a particularly complex and confusing set of doors, Future Lucina arrived at her quarters doorway and entered through it. Her servants followed her inside and started preparing her room so she could rest, fluffing pillows and lighting gently scented incense to aid her sleep. Future Lucina nothing as her accessories were removed and laid gently on the sideboard, as alcohol was rubbed tenderly into her skin to remove her makeup, and as a comb passed through her hair, a maid making sure to unravel every snarl and tangle found, before braiding the dark blue tresses. After that was all done, she unrobed and changed into a dark red-and-black nightgown before her servants left her alone and she went to bed.
