Chapter 19 Afraid of the Dark Part 1

The atmosphere created by the forest was welcoming. It was safe. It was cool. Pom Pom could stay here as the darkness overtook the world. There was nothing she could do about it anyway, so she might as well accept her untimely death. She supposed that getting eaten alive by an ever growing darkness wasn't the worst way to go. It sure would beat getting her head chopped off.

Pom Pom sat at the base of a tree. She admired her ninja star one last time. Her mother would probably cry if she knew what was happening. She would probably wrap Pom Pom up in a blanket and cuddle her underneath the crooked, decaying tree. She would probably tell Pom Pom that it was going to be alright. She would probably say that it was going to be okay.

Of course, it wasn't.

Pom Pom pulled her knees up to her chest. It was funny really; she had come all this way only to have it be insignificant in the end. If anything, she blamed Iggy for that. She blamed every stupid guy. Sometimes, it is best to put your anger to the side. Too bad Iggy was too immature to realize that.

Pom Pom leaned against the tree. It felt nice, having the solid feel of something against her shell. This tree was acting as support. Sure, it knew that both it and the girl who sat under it were just minutes away from dying. But it still was willing to give support. Pom Pom felt grateful for the tree. She closed her eyes, preparing herself to sleep.

"Help! Help!"

Pom Pom opened her eyes and looked down the lane. There was Vivian. She was floating at breakneck speeds over to the cadet. When she stopped right in front of Pom Pom, she looked relieved.

"Oh, thank goodness," Vivian said. "You haven't gotten dragged away."

Pom Pom lifted an eyebrow. What was Vivian talking about? Had she lost her mind like Iggy had?

"I'm sorry, but I literally have no idea what you are talking about," Pom Pom said. Vivian looked at her with terror in her eyes and horror on her lips.

"It's your friends," she said. "I saw them get dragged away by the darkness." Pom Pom bounced to her feet.

"What? Why didn't you go save them?"

"They were too far away," Vivian said simply. Pom Pom narrowed her eyes.

"Oh really, is that it? Or were you just too scared to go after them?"

Vivian adorned a shame filled expression. However, the words she spoke betrayed her.

"I was not too scared! I was...just…" she sighed and sat down on one of the massive tree roots protruding out of the ground. "Oh, who am I kidding? I was scared! They could have been saved immediately if I decided to go after them."

Pom Pom snickered. Vivian spoke as if her actions mattered in the end. It was funny in the worst way possible.

"Yeah, it's not like they would have gotten eaten anyway," she said sarcastically. Vivian groaned and put her head in her hands.

"I could have stopped them," she said. "I could've held onto their box, been there to watch over it. But I didn't. I should never have hidden it in that temple."

The sound of sobs could be heard as Vivian's body began to rise and fall sporadically. Pom Pom just watched her. No way was she going to provide comfort to the former Shadow Siren.

"You're right," she said. "You should've."

The two sat in silence save for Vivian's crying. Pom Pom felt like her heart was contracting inside of her chest.

"They're gone," she muttered. "They're gone." It was such an odd thing to have to say. The Koopalings, the Princess. They were probably dead already. And if they weren't, then they would be soon.

"No, they aren't." Pom Pom looked over at the Shadow girl. While her face had tear stains on it, she also had an almost defiant look on her face. Pom Pom scoffed.

"That's what they all day," she said. "That those who have died are never truly gone. Trust me, I've heard it before."

"No, I mean they truly aren't gone," Vivian protested. "That's not how the darkness operates. It won't reshape the world until the planet is completely covered. And considering how big this planet is, I would think that it still has a long way to go."

Pom Pom scoffed again. That certainly was comforting.

"So...what? Are you saying that there is still a way to save them?"

"Theoretically." Vivian paused and shook her head. "But who am I kidding? I can't go up against my sisters. They would destroy me in an instant."

Pom Pom stared at the quivering Shadow girl. She felt a vile, sour substance rise up in her throat.

"Oh, come on!" She shouted so loud that birds and bats flew away. "Are you seriously telling me that your well being is greater than the well being of an entire planet?"

"What? No! That's not what I'm saying at all!"

"Then why not get up off your butt and do something? The two of us together could actually save the world! But you're too much of a scaredy cat to…"

Vivian recoiled again, sobbing into her lap. It was then that Pom Pom realized that she was being too abrasive. She felt a pang in her chest. She had to take a softer approach.

"Look, Vivian," she said, going out of her way to speak softly. She sat down beside the Shadow Girl. "I know that you're scared. Believe it or not, I am too. But we can't let that stop us. One of the ideals that they teach in the Koopa Military academy is bravery. And right now, that is exactly what we need to do: be brave. Everyone is counting on us. Everyone. Do you really want to let everyone down?"

Vivian slowly lifted her head. She stared off at the ground again.

"No, I don't."

"Me neither. That's why we have to do this. No matter how much we don't want to, we have to go fight your sisters. I know that they were mean to you. But you can't let that stop you."

Vivian thought about it before putting on a triumphant expression.

"You're right," she said softly. "You're absolutely right."

Pom Pom smiled.

"Okay. So what's our game plan?"

"Well, I can teleport us to the place where my sisters are."

"Awesome. Let's do that."