Act 3: The Final Ending
Chapter 57: A Bone-Chilling Tale
Edit Finished On 12/29/19
Published On 1/11/20
Author Note: Chapter 57 is here... a day late. Sorry about that, the next chapter will release on time (hopefully). You can probably tell the main gist of what will happen based on the title. Anyway, enjoy!
Review Response
Wishmaker1028: Yeah, I had a lot of fun writing chapter 56, mostly because of all the different events that happened in it. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
White clouds as far as the eye could see…
Mario and co had climbed through clouds and finally reached The Overthere.
"Odd. No party springeth forth to welcome us." Luvbi wondered aloud. "It mattereth not. Father's shrine is just ahead, so we can walk there with ease."
But they would not arrive at the shire as easily as Luvbi predicted.
Why not? Because something unexpected and dramatic was about to happen…
There were clouds, just like the Overthere Stair. Clouds, clouds… and more clouds. Typical.
"So, we're now in The Overthere, right?" Mario asked.
"Yes, indeed we are." Luvbi nodded. "Soon we shall meet with my father, Grambi. Be thou on thy best behavior."
"Grambi's your father, right?" Peach asked, making sure she was in the loop.
"Thou art correct. Grambi is my father and Jaydes is my mother." Luvbi answered. "Pray, listen… I fell ill once, and my father never left my bedside…" She pressed her heart hands together. "They hath an overprotective side, verily, and I grow annoyed of it at times."
"Yeah, I can relate." Connie said. "My mom and dad used to be super strict, but they've loosened up a little. Not that long ago, my mom tried to take my sword that I used for training!"
"You know, having almost no context for that, I'd say that's actually pretty reasonable." Chester commented.
Luvbi giggled a little. "But… mayhap it is mine own fault for being so cute. They cannot help it!"
"Uh, yes, surely…" Tippi sighed. "In any case, perhaps we'd better go meet that Grambi."
And so, the group headed off to explore The Overthere. Before long, they ran into a new type of enemy: a strange, blue, skeleton-like figure wielding a spear. They defeated it, but not before Tippi examined it, revealing it was called a "Skellobit". The group moved on, fighting a few more Skellobits, collecting coins from blocks, and traversing across clouds.
When they went through a nearby door, they heard a cry for help. Ahead, there were two Skellobits poking a Nimbi that couldn't fight back. The Skellobits kept taunting the Nimbi, despite him begging for them to stop.
"Somebody needs stop them!" Tootie yelled.
"Gwah ha ha, these guys look like nothing!" Bowser laughed. Before anyone could protest, he walked forward, toward the confrontation. Kammy walked up with him. "Hey, you!" Bowser yelled.
The Skellobits stopped. It didn't matter, anyway, since the Nimbi already passed out from exhaustion. "What's your beef, huh?" One of the Skellobits questioned.
"Our beef is that you keep hurting that defenseless Nimbi." Kammy said.
"Oh, friend of the Nimbis, are ya?" The other Skellobit questioned. "Then ya must be an enemy of us! Taste spear!"
Without warning, the two Skellobits charged forward. Kammy raised her wand and sent polygonal magic toward one of them, while Bowser kicked the other down. While the one Bowser kicked remained defeated, the one Kammy knocked down got back up. So, Bowser picked up that Skellobit and threw it toward the other one, ensuring that both of them stayed down.
After the Skellobits were defeated, the rest of the group ran forward toward the fallen Nimbi, but were sure to give him some space. After a moment, it appeared that the Nimbi was faking being passed out, because he got up a few seconds later.
"Th-Thou hast my gratitude." The Nimbi said. "I know not who thou art, but thou didst save me…"
Luvbi floated over to the Nimbi. "Pray, speak! What hast happened hither?"
"A pox, verily…" The Nimbi answered. "Yon fell beasts hath been flooding into The Overthere of late."
"That explains why Luvbi said earlier that this place was empty." AJ said. "Those Skellobit guys must've invaded, causing everyone to go into hiding!"
"Yes, and they seek the Pure Heart…" The Nimbi added. "They need it, for they hath some plan most foul!"
"We cannot let them get the Pure Heart." Violet said. "We're going to get to it first, whether they like it or not."
"Oh no!" Luvbi let out an audible gasp. "Only Father knoweth the Pure Heart's resting place… Father is in danger!"
"Then we'll protect him, too." Mario said. "We're going to take out every single last one of those Skellobits."
"And then, we can get this over with." Trixie added.
"I yearn to hide, verily…" The Nimbi said. "But if thou sleekest Grambi, thou shalt need this key." The Nimbi floated over to Mario and gave him a purple, triangular key. "I cannot help more, but prithee, protect Grambi!" An awkward pause. "Um… Farewell." The Nimbi floated away.
The group moved on, making it a point to defeat any Skellobits they saw, even if they were a bit out of the way. Of course, they tried to also get to Grambi's as quickly as possible, too. It was a tough combination to balance, but they managed.
They climbed up a flight of clouds before reaching a floating structure where there was a yellow Nimbi with a big mustache and blue clothes trapped in a huge block of ice. Bowser and Mario used their fire abilities to melt the ice, freeing the person.
"Oh, thank thee!" The Nimbi said in great joy. "It is as though thou hast brought me back to life!" He paused. It felt like his joy was literally going away. "Hold a moment… What am I doing hither? Who am I? Where am I?"
"Uh, are you okay?" Connie asked, a bit weirded out.
"Do I have…amnesia?" The Nimbi asked himself. "Ah, what to do!? ...When is it? Oh, it is futile… I have no idea who I am. None at all! What shall I do?"
"Maybe we should go…" Tippi said, to which the rest of the group quickly agreed. As they went back in a different direction, there was only one comment that could be made:
"That was weird." Tootie said.
"You said it." Chester agreed.
The group scaled more clouds, fought more Skellobits, and got some more coins. They soon found a locked door, which they used the key they got earlier on, allowing them through. On the other side was a another locked door nearby, and another large structure, though this one looked like an elevator. They walked ahead, and found a female crying Nimbi floating next to a big block of ice.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Peach asked the female Nimbi.
"Oh, woe is me…" The female Nimbi wiped away a few tears. "My darling man hath been frozen by brute monsters! I need him so… I am Fallbi, a helpless kitten compared to them! Oh, what shall I do? Thou! Art thou a kitten too, or art thou a grand lion? Prithee, lion, help mine man!"
"Don't worry, I can help." Mario said before he used his firebrand to free the other Nimbi trapped in the ice.
The Nimbi groaned before Fallbi perked up. "Darling dear!" She said, relieved.
"Fair Fallbi!" The male Nimbi said, rejoicing in the fact that he was no longer frozen.
"Thank heavens… Yon person helped thee." Fallbi said, gesturing to Mario.
"Thou hast my thanks, yea. Pray, allow me to do something for thee in return." The male Nimbi said.
"Yeah, verily, darling dear! Perhaps if thou wouldst move the thou-knowest-what?"
"Yea! The thou-knowest-what! Fair Fallbi, thou art as clever as thou art adorable!"
"Oh, darling dear… 'Tis true, but how thou goest on!"
Clearly wanting to get this over with, Trixie began fake coughing, while saying, "Can we move on, please?"
The Nimbi couple blushed before they floated past the group.
Luvbi lowered her eyes a bit. "The thou-knowest-what?" Her tone had clear sarcasm.
"Let's… just see what they're talking about." Tippi suggested. The group began to back the way they came, and not long after, they saw that at the structure they were just at, the male Nimbi was standing in it.
"Sorry to makest thee wait." The male Nimbi apologized as the group walked over. "Behold the Overvator!" He gestured to the structure. "It transporteth Nimbis upward. I owe thee for thine help. I operate yon lift. Prithee, let me giveth thee a ride."
Making sure there was enough room for all of them, the group stepped onto the elevator one by one. Once they were all on, the male Nimbi flicked a switch on the floor, and the elevator began glowing a rainbow color before slowly heading up, stopping only when there was another cloud. The group stepped off the elevator, and the male Nimbi bid them goodbye.
Upon going forward, they found a few more Nimbis trapped in ice, Mario and Bowser helping each of them. There was a door ahead, and on the other side of it was a long structure… filled with yet many more frozen Nimbis. The group helped them out one by one, making sure they were all okay.
Upon freeing the last Nimbi, it was quite obvious that he was different from the rest of them. He looked to be a lot older, he had four heart hands, he donned a long, white mustache and beard, and he wore a light blue robe.
"Whoa! Thank thee for thine help! My given name is Whibbi!" The Nimbi, apparently named Whibbi answered. "I owe thee for that one! Thou art super!"
Before anyone else could say anything, Luvbi angrily floated up into Whibbi's face. "Whibbi! Speakest of my father! How doth he fare?"
"I am sorry, Luvbi…" Whibbi's face grew long. "I could not stop yon beasts from entering Grambi's shrine. And the fiends wrecked the bridge once they crossed it… Help cannot reacheth him."
"Can't we just rebuild that bridge?" Bowser asked. "I don't see how crying's going to help at all."
"Hm… Mayhap." Whibbi answered. "To rebuild it, thou must find Rebbi, Blubi, and Yebbi, 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…"
Whibbi gave them a key, and seeing as there was no way to go forward for now, the group decided to go to the only place they hadn't gone yet: the other locked door. Perhaps one of the three they needed to find would be behind there? After using the elevator to go back down, the group made a beeline for the door and unlocked it.
In the next room, there was a similar structure to the elevator, except with the press of a red button; it went sideways, leading into yet another room. Shortly after walking into the room, they walked toward a long structure, only for a Skellobit to go flying backward past them.
"Taketh that!" A voice from inside the structure yelled, taking out another Skellobit. The voice backed up to outside of the structure, revealing himself to be a Nimbi wearing red. Three Skellobits followed him.
"They come without pause…" The Nimbi said. "Hm… Against such an assault, I cannot hope to last…"
"Hey, do you need any help?" Violet asked.
"Huh?" The Nimbi turned around. "Reinforcements? At last! My strength hath reached its end… Please… Thou must finish them!" The Nimbi fell on the ground, and the Skellobits refocused themselves on Violet.
Violet didn't have to fight alone, thankfully, because Peach ran up to her, ready to help. Two of the Skellobits charged at Violet, while the other one charged at Peach. Violet summoned a purple sword and swung at the two Skellobits, landing a clean hit, which knocked them out. Peach swung her parasol at the Skellobit near her, knocking that one out.
"Well… that was easy." Peach commented, followed by a short giggle.
The Nimbi in red took a sigh of relief, now not being in danger. "The foul beasts are no more…" He paused. "I am Rebbi! Thou hast saved me! I owe thee thanks."
"Rebbi! Grambi is in trouble!" Luvbi said. "Hast thou the red orb?"
"Luvbi… The three orbs are not things to be given away lightly!" Rebbi scolded. "And yet…these are dire times, are they not? And I owe thee a big debt. Here, I give it to thee!"
Rebbi gave the group the first out of three orbs: the red orb.
"I will go thither and check on the others." Rebbi said. "If thou survivest, let us meet again!" Rebbi then floated away.
"Well, I guess we should get going as well." Mario said. "So, we still need to find the yellow and blue orbs. Does anyone have any idea where they could be?" He really did not want to go on a thirty minute goose chase only to find that both orbs were in easy-to-find locations that he just simply missed.
"Hey, wait a minute." Connie said, realizing something. "Wasn't there some guy in blue we met earlier that had amnesia or something?"
"Hm, I propose that could be Blubi." Kammy decided. "He was wearing blue, after all."
"Well, he better have remembered he has to give us that orb, or I'll make him remember!" Bowser said.
And so, the group headed back the way they came… or they tried to, at least. They got lost along the way, leading them to find a Nimbi that was hiding in a chest, and another Nimbi that was faking being passed out and wouldn't budge an inch. After a while, they finally got back to where Blubi was, and he was still spouting the same nonsense he was saying earlier.
"Well this is just great." Tootie said. "Hm, maybe we should hit him on the head with a frying pan to get his memory back just like in the cartoons."
At that, Blubi suddenly paused. "Hold a moment… I remember… I am… I am Blubi!"
"Finally thou snappest out of it, eh, Dumbi?" Luvbi asked, annoyed. "We hasten to yonder shrine to help Grambi, so givest thy blue orb."
"What?!" Blubi questioned. "Oh, indeed, I see… Fell beasts have attacked from The Underwhere… And Grambi is in danger? If thou Speakest truth, then here, takest it!"
Blubi gave the group the blue orb, leaving them with only one to find.
"I cannot linger hither!" Blubi said. "I must go see what is happening. Farewell, Luvbi!" Blubi then floated away.
"So we only have one more to go, right?" Trixie asked.
"Yes, we need to find the yellow orb from Yebbi." Tippi answered. "And then we'll have all what we need…"
It was time to hunt for the last orb. They were running out of places to check, so it had to be somewhere, right? Well, after running around a lot, defeating more Skellobits, and exchanging a fair bit of dialog with each other, the group finally found…
A bathroom.
"Well, this was pointless." Bowser huffed before turning to walk away, only to stop and come back. "Actually, I gotta go." He knocked on the door, but it wasn't like there'd be anyone actually in there.
But surprisingly enough, there was. "Are the beasts gone? So it is safe for me to come out thither?" There was a voice that sounded like a Nimbi from inside the stall. The voice sounded shaky, almost scared. "By the way, who art thou?"
"Heh, maybe we should tell him we're a monster as a joke." Chester said, snickering.
"Chester, that sounds like a terrible idea, and I'm saying that to you as a friend." AJ said. "Mostly because that'll probably just cause him to stay in the-"
"I'm a monster!" Chester yelled to the stall, before doubling over in laughter.
"-Stall." AJ finished, but he knew it was too late, so he sighed in defeat.
The inside of the bathroom was quiet for a moment. "A monster?" The Nimbi inside questioned. "Thou liest! No monster wouldst admit to being a monster! Huh? Hold a moment… That meanth… Thou are not a monster?"
"Wait, that worked?" Chester and AJ asked at the same time.
The door opened, and the Nimbi walked out from the restroom. Bowser ran in and shut the door a few seconds later.
"Hello to thee! I am Yebbi! Thou came to rescue me?" The Nimbi named Yebbi asked. Similar to Rebbi and Blubi, he wore yellow, and bore a mustache.
"We must rebuild yon bridge to reach Grambi!" Luvbi explained as fast as she could. "Thou must givest us the yellow orb! If thou dost not, we shall tell all how long thou spent hiding in thither!"
Yebbi froze. "L-Luvbi? Oh prithee, thou must not tell! I shall do as thou askest!" He practically shoved the Yellow Orb into the group, not wanting to waste another second. He then sighed. "I should not hath hidden like a base coward. I goeth to help the others now… Be thou careful!" Yebbi then floated away.
The group then heard a flushing sound, followed by a sink running for several seconds. The door opened, and Bowser walked out of the restroom. "So, what'd I miss?"
"We have all three orbs, so now we can go back to Whibbi and put them in." Mario explained. "We all remembered the way we came to get here, right?" Silence. "Well, I hope at least one of us remembered."
Surprisingly, on their way back, the group didn't hit as many dead-ends or detours as before. Nevertheless, it still took them a while to get back to Whibbi. Once they were back, they wasted no time and went straight for Whibbi, showing him the three orbs.
"Oh, thou hast them? Then let us hasten and rebuild the bridge!" Whibbi said. "Climbest onto the pedestal hither and placest the three orbs! Dost it now!"
The group walked over to the nearby pedestal, and saw three orb-shaped holes in it. Mario put in the red orb, Peach put in the blue orb, and Violet put in the yellow orb. As they put each orb in, that section of the pedestal would glow that color.
Once all three were in, there was a flash from the pedestal before it began to glow white. Then, from the end of the cloud they were on to the beginning of the next cloud, a rainbow path began to form. It started out as simply red, yellow, and blue, but then it mixed into an endless variety of colors, changing every second.
"Wow, that looks amazing!" Connie gushed, stars in her eyes.
"Looks about as rainbow as my magic does." Kammy commented.
There was a sigh from Whibbi. "Grambi is in danger grave… But we are all so weak… We must ask you… Savest him for us!"
"I promise on behalf of all of us that we will." Peach said.
Luvbi scurried ahead of the group, already racing across the bridge. They tried to catch up, but she was too determined. She thankfully stopped at the end, waiting for them all to catch up.
"Finally!" Luvbi said once they reached the end of the bridge. "Must thou always be so slow?"
"We can only go so fast, Luvbi, and it's called limitation of speed. It's this condition everyone has that makes them lose their full potential of running at the speed of light." Tippi said, sarcasm laid thick in her voice.
"…" Luvbi had no words. She turned around. "Let us just movest on."
There was a door up ahead, and the group went through it, making them just that little bit closer to Grambi. On the other side, the path ahead was littered with blue flags on each side. For about a minute, the path was relatively calm. For only a minute, that is.
"Hold it!" A sudden voice yelled. The owner of the voice, a Skellobit, raced toward them, stopping only several feet away. "How'd you guys get in here? I thought we destroyed the bridge!"
"Well, we fixed it." Trixie responded. "And there's nothing you can do about it."
"You, shuttest thy trap, and you," Luvbi's attention was first on Trixie and then on the Skellobit. "Speakest! Doth my father fare well? If thou hast hurt a whisker on his face, I shall end all that is you!"
"What? You little brat!" The Skellobit yelled. He turned around. "Hey! You guys! Fall in!" What came next was almost unbelievable. Even though the group had been defeating as many Skellobits as they possibly could, hundreds flew with their wings behind the nearby Skellobit. A few of them were grounded, though.
The nearby Skellobit chuckled at the sight before turning back around. "So, ya wanna see how scary we can be, little girly? Well, take a good look!"
"There's still a lot of them." Violet said. "Even though we've defeated so many, there's still… how many is that?"
"I'm not counting that many." Tootie said, crossing her arms.
"Uh guys, there's literally a huge army right in front of us!" AJ reminded.
And then, there was a loud, booming voice from behind them.
"Calm thy mind!" At hearing the voice, the group turned around. Behind them was Rebbi, racing toward them. "I shall handle them!" Rebbi declared. "At long last, my strength returned to me… And now, these fiends shall reap the grim harvest of my Nimbi fury!" He turned around. "The hour is nigh, Nimbi brigade! Art thou ready?"
There was a loud cheer from what sounded like hundred of voices. Nimbis flew in, all of them focused on one singular goal.
"Hast thou fear of these fiends from The Underwhere?" Rebbi asked. The Nimbis collectively responded with some form of 'NAY'.
"Ooh, all tough 'cause ya got an army, huh?" The nearby Skellobit scoffed. "Let's see how ya do against mine! Yer goin' down!" The Skellobit moved back.
"Thou art toast!" Rebbi yelled, before also moving back, positioning himself under his army. "And now, Nimbi brigade…" He cleared his throat. "CHARGE!" At his command, his army rushed forward.
"NO MERCY!" The Skellobit leading his army yelled. His army rushed forward, too.
Both armies collided. It was a mix of blue and yellow in the sky that the group couldn't help but look at. It was almost…. surreal.
"Come on, we have to get to Grambi." Mario said, snapping the group out of it. "We're lucky Rebbi was here to help us, now let's not waste that opportunity."
"Right, let's go…" Tippi said.
The group ran forward, only to be stopped by several Skellobits after a few feet. They formed a makeshift wall, preventing the group from passing. Well, if they wanted a fight, it was a fight they were going to get.
Two of the Skellobits charged forward. Mario went into action, summoning his firebrand and shooting a large fireball at them. Another one ran toward him, so Connie pushed it back with her sword.
While a few Skellobits became cowardly and ran off, the rest weren't budging. Trixie boldly ran forward and kicked one in the gut, knocking it down. AJ tripped another one before Tootie jumped onto its back, and then Chester nearly pushed another one off of the huge cloud they were on.
Only a few left. Mario jumped up and landed on another Skellobit's head, while Violet summoned a purple shield to block the spear of another one. Bowser punched that one, while Kammy aimed magic at the one Mario jumped on earlier. Peach wildly swung her parasol at any nearby Skellobit, hoping to knock them out.
…And that was it. The nearby Skellobits were defeated, the rest were fighting the Nimbis above them. There wasn't any time to lose. A large flight of stairs was ahead of them. They ran up without break. If the Skellobits were beginning to get desperate now, then that must mean…
At the end of the long flight of stairs were a building and a door. They chose not to rest, there was no telling what could happen next if they didn't enter immediately, which was why as they ran toward the door, they nearly broke it down, entering the building.
Inside, there was a singular, large room.
And, a singular gasp.
"Oh…no!" Luvbi yelled.
In the middle of the room stood a lone figure, looking weak. Grambi. Luvbi was already floating over to him, seeing the older Nimbi hold his chest with one hand.
"Father! Father! Art thou all right?" Luvbi asked, endlessly worrying.
"Luvbi…" Grambi said, his voice strained. "Thou should not… have come. Flee…from here…"
A laugh, from the back of the room. "A touching scene, to be sure."
The others ran forward toward Grambi, trying to protect him from harms way. And that's when they got a closer look… of the owner of the other voice.
"Holy…" Violet breathed. It was… impossible to describe into words.
A giant, blue dragon so tall that he had to crank his neck down stood on a giant cannon stood at the end of the room, looming over all of them. His eyes darted over each of them, like a predator looking for the weakest prey in a pack.
And out of all his prey, only one was brave enough to speak.
"It's… it's you, no, it has to be you!" Mario yelled, pointing an accusing finger. "The monster that Queen Jaydes was talking about, the one who let out an army after that earthquake helped them escape from The Underwhere… it's you, isn't it?"
"So those D-whatevers confused that guy for me?" Bowser questioned.
The giant dragon chuckled in amusement. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I assure you. My name is Bonechill. I am something of an evil celebrity in certain circles of The Underwhere…" His voice was as cold as his literal temperature: near freezing, making the room tens of degrees colder.
"That may be, but my father shall never give you the Pure Heart!" Luvbi declared. "So givest up!"
Bonechill reeled his head back. "Oh, you dear, ignorant child… You really don't know a thing, do you? How charming."
Luvbi's courage slowly began to ebb away. "Wh-What dost thou mean?"
"I speak of the Pure Heart…" Bonechill spoke slow and methodically. "And I speak of you, Luvbi… it is thou."
Luvbi froze. "What…sayest thou?" Her gut told her that Bonechill was lying just to mess with her, but still, upon hearing that, she felt something… familiar.
"The Pure Heart was hidden ingeniously to keep it away from evil sorts like me…" Bonechill began to explain. "Grambi…changed the Pure Heart into a Nimbi…that he called his own daughter!"
Luvbi tried to laugh it off; she tried to tell herself that it was all just some huge joke. "Th-That is just silly…" It had to be a lie, she thought it did, she wasn't in denial, she knew… "My mother and father…"
"Oh, priceless!" Bonechill let out an almost foreign, but hearty laugh. "You really think Grambi pays an ounce of attention to you out of love?"
"Th-That's…" As she thought more and more about it, it slowly dawned on her how much it made sense. "No…" How they were both so overprotective over her constantly, how they always… "Thou liest!" But she couldn't believe it. "Father! Sayest something!" She floated back to him, and he looked weaker than ever.
"L-Luv…b…bi…" Grambi groaned, straining so hard just to say one word.
Another cold laugh from Bonechill. "The old fool can weigh the sins of others, but not his own…"
The reality of it all crashed down onto Luvbi; it was almost too much to bear. She was… a Pure Heart? This whole time? Was her entire life a lie? A ploy just to keep the Pure Heart hidden? Was that all she was good for? "It cannot…be…"
"Luvbi, we can talk later…" Tippi said. "Right now, just take Grambi to safety…" For several seconds that seemed like ages, Luvbi didn't move, absorbed in all her thoughts, unable to comprehend it all. "Quickly!"
"O-Ok…" Luvbi almost whispered, before quietly helping Grambi move somewhere away from immediate danger.
"Many thanks for delivering the Pure Heart." Bonechill said, his voice booming above everyone else. "Once I deal with you, none can stop me… I shall be invincible! Please, as your life ends, remember it is an honor to have it ended by my talons!"
And then, before anyone could react, before anyone could say anything, Bonechill let out a frigid ice breath into the air, dropping the temperature down even more. Nearly everyone else was cold. It had to be near-freezing in the room, and none of them were prepared.
"C-C-Come on, g-guys…" Connie said through her teeth-chattering shivering. "W-We n-n-need to… focus!"
"Right, we can't lose!" Violet said, not as affected by the cold. Bonechill reared his head back, ready to spew his icy breath at all of them. "Everyone, split up!" Right as the icy breath was unleashed, everyone ran in different directions. The breath missed everyone completely.
At first, it was total chaos. The incredibly cold environment made it that much harder to efficiently run; to efficiently think out a coherent plan. But even if they couldn't, they still had to fight.
When the ice breath didn't work, Bonechill tried a different tactic: He charged up that cannon that wasn't just on him, it appeared to be a part of him. When the yellow cannon fired, it shot out multiple, giant icicles, going in random directions.
Bonechill had a hard time moving through the room due to how tall he was and how short the ceiling was, so he mostly stayed in one place. His presence was so overwhelming though, that it didn't matter if he stayed in one place or not.
By now, Luvbi and Grambi were out of the building, hopefully safe. Of course, that meant Bonechill could only focus his attack on anyone in the group currently.
Mario ran, trying to keep track of everyone else. The battle had only started not even a minute ago, and yet it already felt like so much longer than that, thanks to the arduous journey beforehand, along with the near-freezing temperatures causing him to lose focus.
…He'd never been this cold before. The only other time he could think of being this cold is during one of the times he had to travel through the Mushroom Kingdom's iceland in order to rescue the Princess during the winter.
The presence of the giant icicles only dropped the temperature more. Once they were shot, they were there to stay. Mario tried to run, but it slowed to a walk as he couldn't help but hold his arms around himself, trying to keep warm. He tried to summon his firebrand, but he couldn't concentrate. The flame on his hand flickered in and out of existence, and the sheer effort of it all forced him to stop in place, and before he knew it…
He heard it when he turned around, Bonechill's ice breath. But it was already too late. From one second to the next, Mario became frozen in a solid block of ice, stuck with the look of horror he'd given only moments before.
In the heat of battle, with over ten people running around, it would be hard to notice everything that went on. Violet dodged an icicle, AJ ran around to keep his blood pumping, and Bowser literally punched through an icicle that was right in front of him. From the corner of his eye, he noticed something.
Now, because he was a Koopa, his natural body temperature was a bit higher than that of other species, which meant he had an easier time adapting to harsher conditions, such as this. When Bowser saw that Mario was frozen, he nearly didn't see another icicle coming for him. He ducked down before tucking into his shell, allowing the icicle to just bounce off of him.
He quickly moved over to Mario before getting back out of his shell. Bonechill was about to shoot another ice breath. Bowser picked up the block of ice containing Mario, and ran to one of the sides of the building, putting some distance between himself and the ice breath.
Once he was within a safe distance, Bowser set Mario down before roaring out fire, melting down the block of ice. Before long, Mario was free, though he looked a bit confused and dazed, and nearly fell over onto his stomach before Bowser caught him.
"Whoa, watch out!" Bowser said before helping Mario stand upright. "Hey, you alright?"
"I…" Mario shook his head, trying to get his bearings. He was wet all over, evident by the small squishing sound when Bowser caught him a moment ago. "…Great, my clothes."
"Oh, they'll be fine, just try not to let them freeze." Bowser said. "You need a minute?"
"Yeah, lemme just…" Mario took a Super Shroom Shake he got earlier out of his pocket. "I'll drink this, then I'll be fine."
Bowser nodded, before turning around and jumping back into the fray. Mario gulped the drink down in a matter of moments, leaning against the wall. He tossed it aside before wondering if he should take a few more moments to rest or try and continue fighting.
From what he'd seen, nobody even figured out yet how to get a hit in on Bonechill. If they were going to win, that would have to change fast.
Connie and Violet swung their swords at the incoming icicles, breaking them in half. When Bonechill unleashed another ice breath, the two had to be separated lest both of them be frozen. Just then, another icicle came speeding toward Connie's way, and she sliced that one.
"Ugh, is this never going to end?" Connie complained. But thanks to her complaining, she nearly didn't see an icicle coming, and just barely raised her sword up in time to block it. The icicle fell to the ground with a clang, giving Connie an idea. "I wonder…"
Kammy took to the ceiling with her broom, sailing past Bonechill's attacks. She hit his body with several magical spells, but they had no effect. She even tried hitting his small wings on his back, but that did nothing too. Frustrated, she charged up an extra-big spell of magic and shot it at Bonechill's head.
To her surprise, Bonechill let out a low cry of pain. Part of the blue on his head seemed too… fade away a bit. She tried to charge up another magic blast, but Bonechill roared an ice breath at her in response, forcing her to fly away quickly.
On the ground, meanwhile, Mario watched. Bonechill's head? That was his weak point? A plan formulating in his head, he ran.
Connie needed to wait for the perfect moment, for the exact timing. It was so precise; she might've only had one shot at it. After Bonechill roared an ice breath at Kammy, he resumed shooting icicles. Connie stood in place, her sword drawn. An icicle flew toward her. Ready…
NOW! She swung her sword at the icicle, and it did exactly what she wanted it to. The icicle bounced off the sword at such an angle that it was sent flying upward… right in Bonechill's direction. Before the large dragon realized it, the icicle hit him on the head, causing him to screech in pain. A bit more of his color disappeared, and not just from his head this time.
"Yes!" Connie cheered, but her cheering was short-lived when Bonechill refocused his attention on her, forcing herself to be more vigilant.
Mario tried to find someone nearby that met his requirements for his impromptu plan, but Bowser would be too heavy, and one of the kids was too small. Violet was occupied, so that left…
"Peach!" Mario ran over to the nearby Princess, who was trying to follow in what Connie did with the icicles, but her parasol was not equipped for the job. "Hey, I just thought of something."
"What is it?" Peach asked, before both of them ran from another icy breath from Bonechill.
"If two of us work together, we can probably get one of us high enough to land on Bonechill's head… does that make sense?" Mario asked.
"Yeah, I think it does." Peach answered, also knowing that Bonechill's head was his weak spot. "So… how about this: You'll give me a boost after you bounce off one of the icicles, and then I'll jump off of you and land on Bonechill's head."
"Sounds like a plan." Mario said, before dodging yet another icy breath.
The Dimmsdale quartet, consisting of Chester, AJ, Trixie, and Tootie were constantly trying to dodge and evade Bonechill's attacks. It was taxing, considering all the previous factors. They barely ran past an ice breath, before having to stop and duck under an icicle.
"Okay, I can't do this anymore." Trixie suddenly said, stopping in her tracks.
"What?" Chester questioned. "You can't just say 'I'm not going to do this anymore' when you're in a life-threatening situation!"
"I mean that I'm not about to let myself just be another target for that dragon for another second!" Trixie explained. "Come on, hasn't all this running been tiring enough?"
"Well, the running has kept our blood pumping." AJ said.
"That's not the point!" Tootie yelled. "What we should be doing instead of just running is fighting back!"
"She's right, we can't just lie down and let the man force us into running and hiding!" Chester cheered.
"Okay, now we're getting on the right track." Trixie said.
"The head is the weak spot, so we'll need to find a way to hit his head." AJ explained. He looked around, and soon saw the split up pieces of ice that Connie and Violet sliced earlier. "And I think I just got an idea…"
Mario and Peach enacted their plan. They waited until Bonechill was shooting out icicles, and then Mario ran forward, Peach in his arms. He jumped up, hoping his aim was correct. He landed on an icicle and pushed off of it, gaining just a little bit more height.
At the peak of his jump, Mario threw Peach up as hard as he could. Just as Bonechill saw what they were doing, it was too late because Peach stomped on his head before falling to the ground, using her parasol to slow her descent.
Another plan was enacted just then. The four split into teams of two; Chester with Tootie, and AJ with Trixie. Each team, under AJ's plan was to grab a part of the broken ice and then throw it at Bonechill. He was already a bit stunned from Peach's attack, so this had to be the perfect opportunity.
Not wasting another moment, both teams threw the ice at Bonechill. Both hit him in the head, and they cheered. This only made the ice dragon angrier, as nearly all of his color was gone. He roared out his icy breath everywhere he could, everyone scrambling to avoid it.
…After fighting for so long, there had to be an end, and it had to be soon. Violet could see everyone getting tired; even Bowser was slowly starting to lose energy and begin to succumb to the cold. The fighting had to stop, and if all else failed…
Then she needed to fight fire with fire… or ice with ice, in this instance. Sword and shield drawn, she was prepared. Bonechill's cannon shot out large icicles, and Violet blocked them with her shield. She rolled out of the way of an ice breath, before she narrowed her eyes.
She threw her shield like a Frisbee at Bonechill, and even if it didn't hit his head, it was enough to distract him as, despite how suicidal it may be in hindsight, she climbed up Bonechill, starting with his cannon.
Violet climbed up his back, and Bonechill shrieked, jerking around to try and get her off of him. She held onto his small wings that seemed useless for support. Bonechill tried to grab her, but his hands couldn't reach her.
When the time seemed just right, when Bonechill began to get tired, Violet raced up his back, readying her icy, purple sword. And then, raising her sword, right as she ran up to his head, right as Bonechill tried to grab her… she struck the sword down, right down the middle of his head.
Everything seemed to freeze, and not in the sense of coldness. Violet stood there on his head for a few moments, her sword still halfway in. Without warning, Bonechill let out a shriek before he violently convulsed, throwing Violet off of him. Peach was there to safely catch her.
All of Bonechill's color was gone, and the only thing he could do was direct his gaze at everyone else in the room. It was no longer one that caused fear… but one that was fear. His eyes darted around, remembering each and every last face that had their hand in helping to defeat him.
"How… Impossible…" Bonechill said, slowly beginning to shake. It should've been impossible, this outcome. "How could you puny worms… destroy… a… master… of the cold dark?"
He let out one final shriek of pain, terror, fear, agony, and so many other incomprehensible emotions. First, it was his cannon that crumbled apart. Then, his body. It crumbled into many, unrecognizable pieces at the back of the room, confirming the very fact that Bonechill was gone.
A steady silence passed through the group before Bowser interrupted it by opening the door for Luvbi and Grambi, signaling that they could come back in. The two reentered, Luvbi looking somber and Grambi looking a little better than before.
It was hard to believe, really. The beast Jaydes spoke of… they really had defeated it. They didn't know much of why it'd been locked up in the first place, but that hardly mattered. After all… they'd won this battle.
Eventually, after a moment's silence, Grambi smiled. "Thou…hast done a fine job… Thou hast saved our realm…" He slowly said.
Luvbi wanted to look at Grambi, but… her head stayed down, staring at the floor in front of her. "Father…" Her voice was low. "The words of that thing…were lies, yea? Thou and Mother art my parents?" She thought over it again. Why should she believe what some random, evil stranger told her? At the moment, there was no proof other than the late Bonechill's word.
Grambi turned around. Luvbi looked up a little, and Grambi's smile faded. "Well… Luvbi…"
The door suddenly slammed open. "Luvbi!" Luvbi and Grambi perked up and faced the door as Jaydes ran in, closing the door behind her.
"Mother!" Luvbi said, a bit surprised. Why was she here?
As if she could read her thoughts, Jaydes answered. "I had not received word of your safe arrival, so I came looking… Are you well?"
"Speakest to me now, Mother." Luvbi said, wanting to get right to the point. "Father and thee… Art thou verily my parents?"
Jaydes's eyes widened a little. "Wait a minute… why do you…"
Luvbi grew angry. Both of her parents were avoiding the subject, making her previous doubt that it wasn't a lie begin to rise up again. "Prithee, Mother. Speakest the truth to me."
Jaydes lowered her head and turned around. She wanted to say something to ease Luvbi's mind, but… for nearly half a minute, she couldn't say anything. But she had to say something. "Luvbi… You…" She stopped. It didn't matter how she found out, but… she couldn't keep lying anymore. "You are not really our child."
To hear it from a beast that you only met a minute ago was one thing, but to hear it from your own mom… no, Jaydes wasn't her mom. She never was. "…So it is…true…" Luvbi's heart began to pound harder in anxiety each second, almost like it was about to escape.
Jaydes turned back around to face Luvbi. If she told her one thing, then… "The Pure Heart was always in danger of falling into the hands of evil, darling. So Grams and I decided to transform it into a shape that no one would suspect…"
Luvbi couldn't look at her mothe-no, she couldn't look at Jaydes anymore. "And that was…me?" Everything felt like it was collapsing in on her, everything she thought she knew was a lie and-a white flash, followed by a scream. Her heart beated faster and faster until… she couldn't really give an explanation for it, but… it was like her body was being replaced.
Instead of her normal body, for a split second, she could've sworn she was… the Pure Heart. In that instant, she felt… just pure, glowing energy. No sentience, no limbs, no nothing, just a shining, lifeless heart. She was back in her normal body after only a split second, but the experience drove her to tears. Was that… who she really was? Why? …Why?
Luvbi hardly even registered Grambi and Jaydes reacting in shock.
"What…was that?" Jaydes asked, both in fear and curiosity.
Grambi remained frozen for a moment, but tried to regain his composure. "The Pure Heart doth struggle against the Luvbi identity… It seeketh its true form. It doth sense someone nearby worthy of possessing it. It must be these fair folk…" He stole a glance at the others, some of them still trying to get their bearings after the intense battle.
"That explains that feeling I had ever since I met Luvbi." Tippi was a bit more direct than usual. "I… constantly had this feeling like I was close to a Pure Heart, but it was so faint I hardly registered it."
…She was so distraught. So many emotions enveloped Luvbi, she had a hard time comprehending them all. She laughed a little, in all the sick, twisted irony of the situation. "Thou sayest I am meant to be with him… He verily is…my prince?" She vividly remembered the first time she met Mario, how she pretty much insulted him.
It was all still so fresh in her mind… Just a few days ago, she was living her normal Nimbi life. All this… she couldn't handle it. "This doth stink! He is completely wrong for me!" She didn't ask to be created, she didn't ask to be a part of this, so why… why did she have to be? "I speak seriously to you… This hath no humor to it!"
…Humor… it was just another feeling that wasn't really there. It didn't matter if she was happy, or sad, or angry… so why should she care about it? All her emotions did was make her blind to the truth, and she didn't want that anymore.
"Fine." Luvbi spat. "I shall return to my Pure Heart form…and I shall go with Mario and his friends…" Who would miss her, really? Her only purpose was a McGuffin in some sort of epic tale, so why waste time dwelling on a fake life?
Grambi nearly jumped, surprised at how quick she was to accepting her fate. "Thou art certain?" He asked. "If thou turnest back into the Pure Heart, the Nimbi known as Luvbi…will cease to exist."
She turned away from Grambi. "Nay, perhaps I already have…" Pure Hearts didn't have emotions, and she was starting to lose any that she had for anyone. "I remember being the Pure Heart now, in truth." Her brief experience as the Pure Heart caused floods and floods of memories to come back to her, and they were… boring.
"And everything would end if I did not do it, is this not so?" An existence without everyone was worse than an existence without her. "So I should just…" …Something snapped within her. "Wait… Why do I explain myself to thee? Thou art not my real father, so QUIET!"
The two adults behind her were understandably shocked. "Wh-What?" Grambi asked, taken aback.
Luvbi turned back around. If she wasn't going to exist anymore anyway, there was no reason she shouldn't just let it all come out. "To think of all the times thou hast scolded me! Thou didst know I was not long for this world! Why didst thou not let me have fun?" If she could do it all over again, she would.
"Nay! Instead, I suffered an angry fake father and a nagging fake mother! I had no life!" How ironic. It was if she never stopped being a Pure Heart at all. "How dost thou plan to make that up to me?"
"Luvbi!" Jaydes gasped, horrified at what her daughter was saying.
Grambi's expression switched to one of anger, but he tried to contain it a bit. "Sayest thou what thou wilt to me, but talketh not to thy mother that way!" He couldn't help but let his anger build. "Perhaps thy sass shall end once thou changeth forms! What dost thou wait for?"
"Oh, giveth me a break!" Luvbi scoffed, raising her voice. "I must do it whether thou wish or not! It shall be a relief!" The giant, purple vortex in the sky was a constant reminder of that.
"Thou art an ungrateful brat!" Grambi yelled. "Dost thou not recall when I lingered by thy ill bedside?"
"I scoff at thy lingering!" Great, now Grambi was trying to make it out like she was the bad guy. She didn't suddenly decide to become a Nimbi all on her own, that's not how Pure Hearts work. "Why dost thou not giveth me back the present I bought with my saved allowance!"
Grambi's fury seemed to never end. "What madness doth spew from thy lips? Who gaveth thee that allowance? And thou didst lie to get the money, too! Thou didst pretend to buy schoolbooks!"
Luvbi turned around, looking at the ground yet again, her anger turning into despair. "How dost thou dare to lecture on lying! And why dost thou think I lied? I thought that Mother and thee… I thought… Thou wouldst…be happy…"
Grambi's rage vanished. He… didn't know how to respond to that.
"The pair of thee…" Luvbi fought back incoming tears. "Thou art not real parents… I… I… I hate thee…"
"…That is enough, Luvbi." Jaydes' voice wasn't that of anger, but of… sorrow. Luvbi stayed quiet. "It is true that we created you as a means of protecting the Pure Heart…" She paused, but only for a moment. "But Grams and I came to love you as a true daughter. 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."
Luvbi slowly turned around to face Jaydes. Tears stained her face. "Oh, Mother… Thou needst not apologize… My dear mother… thank thee…"
She felt the Pure Heart again for just a brief moment. It was the same, unfeeling feeling as before, and she accepted it more this time. "The Pure Heart doth wish to assume its original form…"
"Luvbi…" Grambi croaked out.
Luvbi turned around again, facing the others, who could only watch the conversation in awe. "Everyone… I have one final thing to sayest to thou." She was grateful for the time she spent with them, even if it was brief.
"Mario, thou may not look like it, but thou art a true prince… but I still wouldn't marry thou. Violet, thou have brilliant powers of ice, and I envy you for that. Bowser… thou may look intimidating, but I can see how thou truly are… thou shouldn't hide your feelings. Connie, thou art excellent with sword-fighting. Thou could help protect your own prince, if thou wishes. Peach… even though thou foolishly ate from the golden apple, thou did not know better, and I forgive you for that.
"Chester, thou care about your friends very much, and I admirest thou for that. AJ, your brilliance will help many, thou art truly gifted. Kammy, thou art very loyal, I can seest how much work thou put into the team. Tootie, thou art still in your young ages, so thou must rememberest this: thou mustn't let your emotions overwhelm you, but thou shouldest see where they take thou. Trixie… I can see that thou will be very happy one day."
Luvbi didn't care about the tears flowing from her eyes. Her face slowly crept into a smile. "Tippi… Takest good care of the real me. And…savest us all, yea? Such is my final wish, so if thou dost not do it, thou art most unkind!"
"I understand…" Tippi responded.
Luvbi turned back to her parents. "Father… Mother… Fare thee well…"
"Luvbi…" Grambi croaked out again.
"Oh, my darling…" A tear escaped from Jaydes's eye.
"I am sorry…for lying earlier. Because in truth… I… I love thee…both…" Another tear slid down Luvbi's face before hitting the ground. She then flickered between her Nimbi form and her true Pure Heart form. She flickered once, and then another time, before…
She turned into the white Pure Heart for the last time, before dropping onto the ground while still standing upright.
"Luvbi…" Jaydes wished she could see her daughter, even if it was just for one more second, but this was the only way.
"Now, ye heroes…" Grambi directed his attention back on Mario's group. "Takest our dear daughter… Takest the Pure Heart. And sweareth this to me… Thou must prevail! Let no one else in the universe feel this sadness!"
"Right. We'll…" Mario frowned for a moment, but tried to hide it. "We'll do our best."
"We'll do more than our best." Trixie added. "Our best may not be enough."
"Is it even possible to do more than your best, if your best is the most you can do?" AJ asked.
"Sure it is, you just have to try really hard!" Chester answered. "If you try, you can do anything, can't you?"
"Exactly!" Tootie cheered. "So everyone better do more than their best!"
"Yeah, we will…" Bowser grumbled, embarrassed from what Luvbi told him earlier.
"And we'll give it our best shot." Connie added. "No matter who or what stands in our way."
"When all of us are a team, we're able to get this far…" Kammy said. "So we should be able to go even further, right?"
"Exactly. As long as we set our minds to it, nothing is impossible." Violet answered.
"Right." Peach said. "Which is why all of us will accept the Pure Heart with your fullest grace, Grambi."
There was silence for a moment, before Grambi cleared his throat. "Very well. Then I am satisfied… Now, Luvbi, thou must go…"
And just like that, the Pure Heart slowly began to float to Mario. He could hardly believe it. After all the struggles, after all the pain… here it was, the eighth and final Pure Heart. The dazzling white heart floated over to him, as all of his Pixls came out and danced, just as they always did.
'One problem at a time.' He thought. 'If I can focus on this… then I should be okay, right?' He frowned again, for he was uncertain.
But… that would have to wait, as the cheering of the others around him after finally collecting all the Pure Hearts began to rise.
…
"Heroes… My daughter wanted thee to save all worlds. 'Twas her final wish."
Grambi spoke slowly through his tears as the brave Nimbis cleaned up The Overthere.
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…
And let us hope they truly are prepared for what lies ahead…