The Shadow Spreads Chapter 2
Hi guys! Thanks for taking the time to read this story, and I hope you enjoy it! I've worked hard on it, but I'm open to criticism. Thanks for reading!
I finally exited my palace after a millennia, and I basked in the glorious darkness I had created. Using the power of the Crystal Stars, I raised my buried castle to the edge of Rogueport, the port town where the ancient city used to be. It seems like only yesterday that I had conjured up my palace, with its walls, towers, dungeons and the main spire in the middle, which were my chambers. I knew that in order to stop my defeat from happening again, I would need to absorb the power of the Crystal Stars. I also remembered that they were at their most powerful when in their designated locations, therefore I should absorb them while in their homes. The most powerful star, the Crystal Star, I could absorb straight away, as it was from the ancient city.
"Muh huh huh huh huh... Finally, the power of my precious Stars will be mine..." I muttered as I absorbed its power, turning it a dull grey. I tossed it away, and it shattered.
"My queen, I have important news. Your dragons have been defeated by Mario, and have all ceased to exist." stated Beldam. This filled me with rage.
"Well then... I will have to bring them back..." I muttered, as we walked up the castle stairs and into my chambers. "But first, I must absorb the Crystal Stars..." I mentioned.
"As you wish, my queen..." responded Vivian. "May I suggest using the sewer pipes? They are quite efficient..."
"How do we access these... Sewers?" I asked.
"There is a pipe in East Rogueport that leads there... As we go, may I visit Professor Frankly?" she inquired.
"Of course" I replied.
As we walked to the pipe, I started reforming this so-called town. The centre, which once had a gallow, was replaced with a statue of me. The docks were turned into a navy base. The Western garden was replaced with only black roses, and the casino was turned into a temporary dungeon. As we arrived at the pipe downwards, I allowed Vivian to speak to an old Goomba I was told was a professor. We entered his house, to find him trembling in the corner. "Professor Frankly, why are you hiding? It's just me, Vivian..." she spoke to him in a sweet voice that hid evil.
"A-and who are those?" he asked, gesturing to me and my servants.
"Just the Shadow Queen and my sisters, as well as Doopliss." She replied.
"T-TH-THE SHADOW QUEEN?! ARE YOU MAD?" he yelled.
"How dare you?" I hissed at him. "I could destroy you in an instant! However, you may be of use... Vivian tells me you're a professor who studies the ancient city under Rogueport... I could help with that... If you just become my servant..." I offered.
"No! Never! Not in a million years!" he responded.
"How unfortunate..." said Vivian, as she cast a fire spell, which caused him to receive critical damage. "I thought you would want to know the secrets of the past..." she said, casting another spell, leaving him incredibly weak. "I hope you'll reconsider..." she offered again.
"NEVER!" he shouted back.
"Well then... I guess this is goodbye..." Vivian smiled, as she cast one last spell, destroying him. "My queen, may I recommend we take his books? They contain valuable information about various topics."
"Of course, my dear..." I replied. I turned to the door, and I saw a pink Goomba in an archaeologist kit staring, dumbfounded.
"Oh hello, Goombella" Vivian said pleasantly.
"Vivian... What happened to you?!" the Goomba responded, clearly distressed.
"I accepted my destiny, and I joined the Shadow Queen once more..." Vivian explained.
"Who is this... Being, who stands before me" I asked.
"This is Goombella, one of Mario's other companions" Vivian told me.
"I see... Mario is defeated. However, you look like you might make a good servant... And my Vivian seems fond of you..." I said to her. She looked tempted, but not enough...
"No! I won't join you! Not after what you did to Mario!" she cried. Why does no-one want power nowadays?
"C'mon Goombella, it'll be just like old times! Except instead of being the heroes, we crush them!" Vivian convinced her. "What do you want with your life? I bet I could make it happen..."
Goombella looked more and more tempted. "Well, I've always wanted to visit Little Fungitown..."
"That would be easy! What else?" Vivian pushed, similar to how I convinced her to rejoin me.
"I always wanted to meet the Goombario that Mario talked about..." I could sense her aura becoming darker by the second.
"That could be arranged! If you join me, we could rule over a kingdom together! We would be roomies in our castle! It would be great!" Vivian told her.
"Okay! I'll join you! I'm your eternal servant, my queen."
"Yessss... Good... Now, let's pay a little visit to Petalburg..."
We went into the sewers and went over to the Petalburg pipe, but a Blooper was in the way. I summoned my Shadow Hands and smacked it into the murky depths, and we were off to Petalburg...
We worked our way around the lands and strengthened each star, absorbing them one by one. Each time, Vivian and Goombella insisted on looking for their other friends, but each time, they were nowhere to be seen. After absorbing each star, I reformed the landscape around the area. In Petalburg, Sshwonk Fortress became the Shadow Prison, with the underground section working as a dungeon. The Great Tree became the Dark Tree, and it served as a military base. Glitzville became Pitsville, as I recreated the Pit of 100 Trials there. Twilight Town became Midnight Town, as I made a permanent black in the sky. The Creepy Steeple had a new curse placed on it, so every bell chime turned a person into shadows of themselves, similar to what Doopliss did to Mario. On Skull Island, all the trees were destroyed, and the cove was sealed away permanently. Lastly, Poshley Heights Hotel was turned into a den for one of my dragons to occupy, and the Excess Express was overrun with Smorgs.
When I finally returned to Rogueport, I immediately reformed my army, with my Phantom Embers, Swoopulas and Dark Wizzerds. I added a few new additions as well, such as Dark Boos and Hyper Clefts. I then spread them out across the lands, to ensure my rule. I then resurrected my dear pet dragons. "Muh huh huh huh huh... Greetings, my pets..." I said, stroking them affectionately.
"Greetings, my queen" They all replied in unison.
"Yesss... You have returned to me... Now. Hooktail, you will return to you previous home in Petalburg. Gloomtail, you will occupy the tower I have built in Poshley Heights... And Bonetail, you have been relieved of your duty in the Pit of 100 Trials. You will now live in Rogueport, in the Eastern Area." I told them.
"We will fulfill our duties, my queen." Gloomtail spoke.
"Yesss... Good..." I replied. They flew off in various directions, going to their new homes. It was then that I went to my old crypt, hidden behind my throne. I summoned Vivian, Beldam and Marilyn. I didn't bother with Goombella or Doopliss, because this was a private matter.
When they all arrived, I started speaking. "As much as I like this new vessel, I feel it impeding my power... The soul that I have suppressed is getting stronger the more power I possess." I explained. "That is why I have decided to bring back my old vessel." They all gasped, but said nothing. "I will use the power from the Crystal Stars to achieve this. You will all have the honour of witnessing this event." After a few seconds of silence, I started the spell. The purple candles, which had been burning since I had reawakened, burnt fiercer than ever. I raised my arms and my eyes turned a dark red that glowed. A black whirlwind formed, as a body materialised over the coffin that contained me for years. It had a plain white dress, with pink-grey hair ending in curls. The whirlwind then formed around me, and my soul left this vessel behind. It collapsed as it did last time, breathing heavily and seemingly unconscious. I started feeling great joy as my hands surrounded this new vessel, as I touched my head to it and merged with it. The room flashed a bright white like last time, and as it cleared away, my new form floated down to the ground.
I looked down lovingly at my original vessel, what I was meant to be in, for the first time in 1,000 years. The white dress had been replaced with dark purple, with white star patterns that moved up the dress in a flowing fashion, similar to how my spirit looked. I has a large crown with rubies encased inside, and my gloves had the same appearance as the dress, which was considerably less puffy than that silly princess'. Speaking of which, she had just woken up. And was staring at me horrified.
"I don't believe we've formally met. I'm the Shadow Queen." I said sarcastically.
"I know who you are... Y-you evil body stealer!" She shrieked at me. "YOU'VE BEEN INSIDE ME FOR A MONTH! OF COURSE I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!" I just snickered at her.
"You'll never win... M-Mario will stop you..."
"Muh huh huh huh huh... You really trust that foolish man?" I said, conjuring his unconscious body. The princess stared at him, and she almost cried. "You can't stop me... Just give in..." I said. Because I was finally complete in my new vessel, I had gained new abilities such as brainwashing. However, brainwashing is easier of the victim is in the middle of emotional turmoil. I was just waiting for the right moment to strike.
"I'll never give in!" she yelled definitely.
"Muh huh huh huh huh..." I laughed. "I'm afraid it wasn't an option..." I told her as I summoned a ball if dark wind behind her. It sucked her in, and I could hear here screams as the evilness rooted itself in her head permanently. Eventually, the screams stopped, and I could hear evil cackling from inside. I stopped the wind, and she floated down. She looked the same as she did when I inhabited her, but without the collar and cloak. "Hello, my queen." She said to me.
"Hello Shadow Peach..." I responded, knowing now, nothing could stop me from achieving my goals...