The Sequel
'And it all seemed so good in my head…'
By:
Majin Magus
Miyuki had never seen anything like this before.
It was approximately one hour after she had returned with Bowser and the Koopalings, and already a loud celebration party was in full swing. Every Koopa in Bowser's whole kingdom must have been there. Goombas and other Koopas were constantly cheering and yelling, and there seemed to be some type of rock music playing from somewhere in the room, specifically, the throne room.
The girl could tell how joyous an occasion this was – the Mario Brothers were finally dead – and how, under all the crazy yells and loud cheers, how truly happy everyone really was.
"I wonder if anyone ever thought of how they must feel…" Miyuki murmured to herself. She wasn't with the party, she was off to the side, watching with a happy look. Of course, she was exhausted from the small amount of fighting she did do, but she wouldn't miss this for the world.
Just at that moment a Koopa Troopa with a blue-colored shell walked over to her. He grinned, and stood next to her.
"So…you're the girl, huh? The girl who thought up the plan that won King Bowser the Mushroom Kingdom?" he asked, his voice clearly stating he would ask more questions.
Miyuki turned her head to look at him. Strands of her sky blue hair dangled in front of her eyes. "Yeah," she replied, grinning back with the look in her eyes.
"What's your name?" the Koopa Troopa asked.
"R-…er… Miyuki," Miyuki answered. She could feel a long string of questioning coming. Ah, well, she didn't have anything else to do, now did she?
"What'd you think when you first came here? I heard the Koopalings found ya. Probably scared ya, didn't they?"
"Aaah…no, not that much."
"How long did it take you to get used to this, huh? To get over the shock?"
"…Shock? What shock?"
With a mischievous grin, the blue Koopa Troopa asked another question. "Without your fire power, how strong are you, really?"
Miyuki cockily grinned. "Oh, I'm not sure… I don't think I've ever fought without my power before." Unbeknownst to the blue Koopa Troopa, who was obviously planning on challenging her, Miyuki had watched anything with fighting (mostly anime) with unblinking eyes. She could replay any moment of any fight she had even viewed.
"Well, then…" the Koopa Troopa began.
"Let's go," Miyuki finished, pushing off from the wall she had been leaning on. "There's plenty of room to fight in here, and I promise not to hurt you if I really am as powerful as I think I am. And, I won't use my fire power."
For a moment the Troopa was startled. Miyuki had obviously said everything that was on his mind, but he regained his composure.
"I'm one of the generals of King Bowser's main army, and you're an inexperienced human girl. I won't hurt you…much." The Troopa grinned. Other Goombas and Troopas, breaking away from the party, had gathered around the two in a circle.
Miyuki stood, ready, as the Troopa prepared to attack. 'This is so pointless… I bet that moron just wants to prove how strong he is by defeating me in a fight…an unfair fight,' she thought, observing the look in the blue Troopa's eyes.
All of a sudden, the Troopa pulled into his shell and rolled at Miyuki. She was surprised, but not so much that she couldn't leap over him. The Troopa, still in his shell, turned and jumped, twirling, into the air.
"Whoa!" Miyuki cried, then she thought for a split second. The shell spun toward her, and at its current height and speed it would collide with her face.
'I wonder how high I can jump…' she thought, then decided to try.
As it turns out, Miyuki could jump fairly high. It may have been because of her power, but now was not the time to consider that. With her impressive jump – probably about twenty feet straight into the air – she was above the spinning Troopa.
With a sudden inspiration, Miyuki swerved as she fell down to ground to make contact with the Troopa's shell. The blue shell was then empty, and the Troopa, shell-less and weak, tumbled along the ground for three feet or so.
"This fight was completely unnecessary and pointless. I don't understand why you'd want to fight during such an event," Miyuki said. The Troopa huffed indignantly, scooped up his shell, and disappeared into the small crowd that was still watching Miyuki.
From within the mass of Koopas, Miyuki could faintly hear someone recounting the story of how the Mario Brothers were defeated.
"Hey," a voice behind Miyuki called.
The girl turned to see Wendy. "Hi," she greeted.
Surveying the mass of celebrating Koopas, Wendy said, "It's too loud in here. Wanna take a walk?" Miyuki nodded and they slipped out the throne room's door.
Wendy and Miyuki were the only ones in the stone halls of Bowser's castle. Their footsteps echoed in the deserted corridors.
"Some party, huh?" Wendy said.
"Yeah. It's pretty wild," Miyuki agreed.
Wendy stopped and then so did Miyuki. "I saw you against that Koopa Troopa. You must be stronger than all of us put together," Wendy said.
Somehow Miyuki doubted this. "It seems so, but I'll bet, with your wands, any one of you could take me out. I could never have fought like you did tonight." Then, she added as an afterthought, "Man, that sounded cliché, didn't it?"
Wendy smiled, showing her weariness. "Ah, that would be 'last night.' I think it's like two in the morning."
"How long is this party going to last?"
The female Koopaling shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I bet this'll last for days. Or at least until some of the mushrooms attack us." Wendy looked out at window at the starry sky.
Miyuki blinked. Wendy's thoughts weren't just on the celebration, but the future? How the princess or Mushroom people could attack at any time? She was obvious a tad brighter than her brothers; not being distracted by the Marios' defeat.
"You're not as distracted as your brothers and father," Miyuki stated simply.
"Yeah… Hey, how about we get some sleep? If we can sleep with all that noise going on," Wendy suggested, and led the way down a hall. After a few turns, they arrived at a fine cherry wood door. From right here, the din of the party was distant, barely audible.
Wendy turned to Miyuki, and the small Koopaling looked up at the girl. "This is the room furthest from the throne room," she explained, and opened the door.
The room was very large to say the least. Also, it wasn't a bedroom. It was more like a botanical garden. Luscious green plants were sprawled all over the ground, and there was a fountain in the center, spilling out cool, clear water.
"What the…?" Miyuki muttered. "How can anyone sleep in a garden?"
Wendy smirked, enjoying the startled look on Miyuki's face. "Ah, but this isn't a garden. This is for anyone who wants to sneak into my room." Seeing Miyuki didn't understand, she continued. "My room is underneath this. I needed to hide all my stuff from my brothers so they wouldn't trash my room, so I came up with this idea."
Miyuki stared. "So…you dug your room under a garden to keep your brothers out?" she asked, trying to see if she understood.
"Yep!" Wendy replied, beaming around at her room.
"Must've been hard work," the girl said.
"Nah." Wendy twirled her wand around.
Miyuki grinned at the Koopaling's ingenious accomplishment. Then she followed Wendy down a cobbled path where they halted. They stood on a large stone, and Wendy tapped her wand on it in an odd pattern.
The earth rumbled and the stone sunk into the ground. Once it stopped, about five feet from the surface, Wendy pulled Miyuki off the rock as it glided back up to its spot.
Instantly hundreds of candles lit up to reveal a row of neat corridors, each paved, top to bottom, in smooth stones. No speck of dirt was on the ground, and there were burrowed windows allowing a view of the starry sky.
"This is incredible. How… When…" Miyuki muttered, stunned at the brilliant work done here.
"How? With my wand, of course. When? Ah….I think one month ago. Not sure, exactly. I have guest quarters down that way. Oh, and if your hear any noises like Piranha Plants or my brothers, don't worry. This stone repels everyone and everything I don't want in here," the girl explained, pointing and gesturing.
Miyuki nodded and went off toward her room. At the end of the tunnel, there was a nice bed, sheets and blankets all black, and a nice big window to the side. There was a door to her right, and she assumed a bathroom was behind it.
After discovering that that was a bathroom, Miyuki went to bed. She was sleeping in seconds, and blissful, wonderful rest awaited her.
*
In the Mushroom Kingdom's castle, everyone was mourning. Toad and the Princess listlessly walked the halls. Peach sobbed loudly, and everyone else just let tears slide silently down their faces.
Kevin stood on the balcony outside his room, and he stared into the starry sky. He knew it was very late. Or, technically, very early, but weariness was no problem. How many times back home had he memorized homework assignments late into the night because he been too lazy to do it earlier?
"Wonder if she's homesick…" he breathed, thinking of Rachel who now called herself Miyuki. He didn't let who she allied herself with get in the way of his concern. After all, she was human, the same as him.
'So were the Mario Brothers,' he thought. He did remember her talking about the Mario games before, how Bowser was so cool. There was good and evil in everyone, but was it possible for Bowser to be pure evil? In a predetermined video game, maybe, but in real life?
Kevin sighed. His thoughts were bouncing around… He was now just talking to himself, remembering things from a while ago…
"Do you remember that day I said I love you? I meant it…" Kevin called to the night sky. "I don't want a girlfriend just to be popular. I want to stay with you. I feel deeply for you. This isn't a crush, Rachel!!" He ended by screaming the last sentence into the silent air.
A single, silent tear ran down his face, and he turned and went into his room.
*
Miyuki stirred in the bed. She lazily got up and wondered what time it was. Her eyes trailed to her sword, but she hardly ever used it, so it was decided it would just stay there.
"Aah…how do I get out of here?" she mumbled, going down the hallway. As she was about to turn to go see if Wendy could tell her, Miyuki collided with something.
That something was Wendy. They each looked at each other, then Wendy smiled a hello.
"What the…?" Wendy gasped as light began to filter in her hallway. Dashing to her room and back, Wendy grasped her wand. Miyuki could see Bowser's face in the wand, but he was looking at Wendy.
"Bring the girl and come to the throne room," Bowser commanded.
"Why? What's going on?" Wendy asked, perplexed.
Bowser yawned, then spoke. "There's going to be a ceremony in a few minutes," he explained. The yawn had revealed a tired and weary face.
The girl Koopaling grinned. "Like last night's ceremony? Because if so, I'll have to pass."
"Nah…this is official. Although everyone's so cheerful it may not be too official. Anyway, get over here." The face disappeared and Wendy looked up at Miyuki. They were on their way to the throne room.
*
The halls of the throne room were decorated in vibrant colors, but it lacked the silence and seriousness of a real ceremony. Every Koopa Troopa was talking noisily, and no one even noticed when Wendy and Miyuki entered.
As they drew closer to the throne, however, everyone quieted down a bit. Wendy looked at her father, mainly because his eyes were focusing on Miyuki. The other six Koopalings were standing next to the throne, and they had become quiet. Ludwig was holding something behind his back.
"Miyuki," Bowser said simply. His voice echoed through the now silent room. The girl could feel every eye on her, but for once she didn't feel self-conscious.
"You have won the war that we have all been fighting so long. For this every Koopa in my realm is – or should be," he added with a threatening growl, "grateful. Therefore, I feel you deserve this."
Ludwig stepped forward and handed Miyuki a sleek, black wand. The shaft was smooth, and the orb was an icy blue. A jewel on top of the orb, which looked like a ruby, glistened in the light of the torches that lit the room.
Miyuki was shocked beyond belief with gratitude and surprise she couldn't speak, so she just bowed.
"That wand has incredible power. It's just a shade weaker than the wands of my children, but your other ability makes up for that." Bowser grinned, and there was a very happy look on his face. It wasn't evil either, just a very happy expression.
Miyuki smiled back.
*
Outside the castle, Miyuki was trying out her new wand. She grinned happily as a rock became a small volcano and emitted lava. Although she was having fun, she did notice when someone was behind her. She turned to see Ludwig.
"I must admit, I was a bit concerned when you took that ring off," Ludwig said without preamble, "and when I knew, I didn't tell dad. I knew he would doubt you would keep your word. After all, I asked myself, what was there for you to gain in lying? Freedom, maybe, but you don't seem to want that, huh?"
Miyuki, not interested in that topic, asked, "What can this wand do? How powerful is it?"
Ludwig thought for a moment. "Hmm…I created it, but dad made sure it was less powerful that ours… stupid, really… He practically designed every facet, so I can't be sure." He mumbled like that for a few moments, then just laughed.
"Aah, I don't know, so let's not pursue it." Miyuki could tell he wasn't happy with himself for not knowing. She knew he considered himself a genius, which he was, but, obviously, if he didn't know something, it bugged him.
Always one to be a little psychic, or just clever, something occurred to Miyuki. She turned to Ludwig, a look of deep consideration and slight alarm playing on her face.
"There could be an attack soon… A strategic maneuver would be to strike the enemy while he's still gloating over victory!" she exclaimed.
Miyuki half expected Ludwig to look at her like she was crazy, but he was nodding.
"Dad'll be very upset at this theory, and probably won't even believe it," Ludwig murmured, but loud enough for Miyuki to hear.
"Well, then just send someone out on guard duty and then they'll come running back when they see something," she suggested, and Ludwig slapped a hand to head. He muttered "Of course!" and ran off.
Miyuki stood outside, eyes squinting in the noon sun's glare. Attacking during day was not a good idea, but when everyone was this out of whack…
"Damn, she's smart," she muttered, meaning, of course, Peach.
A few moments later, a red Para Troopa fluttered out of the castle, looking flustered. Ludwig dashed after it on the ground until he was next to Miyuki.
"And keep a sharp lookout!!" he roared after it. Miyuki smiled, then sat down. She looked around at the edge of the cliff the castle was situated on. Miyuki sighed and had a resentful grimace on her face.
Ludwig turned his head to look at her, blue strands of his wild hair hanging down in front of his eyes. "What? Do you miss home?" The question wasn't mocking; it was just a question.
"No… I just wish I could've said goodbye to my father, and, of course, tied up some loose ends at school. I'd love to see those idiotic kids' expression when I throw a fire show for them."
Ludwig thought for a moment. "I guess you could go back for a little bit, but I think you should ask my dad first. He'd probably get very angry," he replied.
"Hmm…sounds good. Hey, and I've got an idea. You know how if some one steals your wand, they can use it however they want?" Miyuki asked, standing up.
"Well, yeah! It's happened so many times," Ludwig replied, remembering bitterly.
Miyuki grinned, wondering if her idea could work. "What if the wand was, like, implanted into your hand so only you could use it. And then it couldn't be stolen!" she explained.
The genius Koopaling's face broke into an excited grin. "Yeah…that could work!! Come one, we'll try it with your wand, then we'll go ask dad about your going back for a bit." While pulling Miyuki inside, he laughed wildly.
Down the stone hallway they walked quickly, but soon Ludwig was so excited by this new idea he had broken into a run. Miyuki laughed and followed him to his lab.
*
It took perhaps one hour to perfect the hand-wand thing, which proved how smart Ludwig was. The only problem was it wasn't invisible. Beneath her right glove, a piece of metal covered each of Miyuki's fingertips and tiny wires and computer chips had to be implanted in her hand. Fortunately, it had been painless.
There was just one last test to be done.
"Go ahead. Make…um…a chain chomp!" Ludwig urged excitedly.
Miyuki held up and tensed her right gloved hand. She concentrated on a chain chomp. Seconds later, the chomp fell to the ground and blinked at Ludwig.
"Yes! It worked! Hee hee hee!! I'd like to see anyone get hold of our wands now!!" he cried happily, then he quickly installed one on his hand. Half an hour later, he had a hand-wand thingy and they walked off toward the throne room.
*
The throne was empty except for Bowser. Most of the Koopas had gone off to party in the other worlds, now that the Mushroom Kingdom government had fallen into disarray via shock.
"Dad, Miyuki wants to go home to tie up some loose ends," Ludwig said as they entered. "Also, I've perfected a new invention!" As the genius Koopaling showed off the hand-wand thingy, Miyuki laughed silently. She didn't mention she had a part in that; was waiting for an answer from the Koopa King.
Bowser considered the request, but not before complimenting Ludwig's invention. "Very well…" he started, and Miyuki waited for the rest.
"…Ludwig, you will go as well." His son was taken aback; jaw hanging open slightly.
"B-but Dad…why do I have to go?!" he shrieked, clearly not warming to his father's command. Obviously going to the human world was not a favorite pastime of any Koopa.
Bowser frowned. "Ludwig, although this girl has proven loyalty somewhat, I cannot be sure she will return. What if she tires of this life and decides to just head home? What do you say, girl?" He shifted his gaze to Miyuki.
The girl smiled. "A proper accusation, but I assure you my loyalties remain with you, now and forever. I will not object to an escort, because it is you wish," she replied with an eager air, which she quickly concealed.
"So it is settled," Bowser rumbled. "You shall embark at dawn."
*
Miyuki was awake an hour or so before dawn, and she slipped silently out of Wendy's room, not wishing to wake her. Using the wand in her hand, she made her hair lie flat and straight, but she kept its color. Many kids dyed their hair, and sky blue would be nothing extraordinary.
Walking down the halls, she turned to find Ludwig stumbling out of his room. He muttered darkly to himself, then saw Miyuki staring at him.
"Aah, I'm just upset," he explained. "It's not only that I have to go to the human world, it that I have to…have to…" He stopped there, obviously repulsed.
Miyuki thought about what he could have to do, then it hit her. "You…you have take on human form, don't you?" she asked. Judging from Ludwig's expression, he deduction was correct.
"We'll make it as short as possible. Of course, there are a lot of airhead morons who need to be shown what can happen when you mock someone who can fight back…" Miyuki grinned. Ludwig was intrigued, but frowned as he stared at the hand-wand thingy.
"Can you, ah, tell me if this looks alright?" he asked, waving his 'wand' and quickly transforming into a human. Miyuki considered his form.
Ludwig's human form stood at about Miyuki's height, and he had most of the some looks as Kevin did. His hair, on the other hand, was still as blue as his real self, only now it was shorter yet still as unruly. It looked as if he had copied Miyuki's clothing, black shirt and jeans torn at the knees, but made them wearable for him.
The girl nodded. "Looks in order. Let's go." A large black hole appeared in the floor a few yards away, and they both jumped in, Miyuki first. As she fell into the abyss, she wondered how this would go. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea…
*
It was about noon, as you could see beams of light cascading from the holes in the manhole. Miyuki and Ludwig listened for sound, and then silently they crept out of the sewer.
"Er…this is about two blocks from my school, and a mile from my house," Miyuki recalled, staring at the surroundings. "Well, let's get this over with."
They quickly strode down the sidewalk and soon arrived outside Miyuki's school. It was a stout brick building about thirty or so feet tall, and it held about…um…ah, how many kids are there doesn't matter.
Miyuki and Ludwig used their wands to become invisible, then they leapt up to the top of the school. The girl remembered something then, there was an assembly of some sort today…the perfect opportunity to brandish her power to those idiotic children.
"Ok, ok, no big deal…just remember: you're more powerful than them," Miyuki muttered to herself, putting her hands to the concrete, palms down. They were right above the assembly hall now.
Ludwig chewed on his lip. "I'll wait here. This is what you want to do, I have no place in this," he said, and the girl nodded. He stepped back from Miyuki just as the concrete blew apart.
There was a semi-deafening blast, but the chunks of stone didn't fall, they hovered in the air. Miyuki took a deep breath, and used the power of her wand to make the gray rock fall onto the ground.
"AAAAHHHH!!!! WHAT THE HELL?!" more than one person screamed. Others yelled hysterically but they were all glued to their seats, looking up at the hole. A small form leapt from the hole and fell slowly to the ground. The crowd made room as the person landed, all stupefied with terror and confusion.
Miyuki stood up, her hair returning to its normal spikiness. She smirked and looked around at the bewildered faces. A brunette girl she recognized ran up to her.
"Rachel?! What the hell are you doing here? What's going on?!?" the girl shrieked, and looked on the verge of tears.
The other girl looked spitefully at the brunette. "Kaitlin. Hello."
Her eyes sweeping the confused crowd, Miyuki spoke. "Greetings. Sorry about the ceiling. It's reparable, no? Anywho, I'm here to teach a lesson."
Smirking, Miyuki continued. " I remember, oh, a month or so ago, how every single solitary kid in my grade mocked me. Heh, I don't think much of it, but just screw with your heads, I've come to show you what I've become."
"W-what? R-R-Rachel…what do you mean?" a jittery teacher asked. No one had moved. Everyone was terrified and/or shocked.
Using the wand under her right black glove, Miyuki slowly floated off the ground. Fire whirled around her in a matter not unlike the way electrons zoom around the nucleus in an atom
As beads of sweat freely ran down her face, Miyuki focused her power for one final special effect.
"And my name is Miyuki now!" she yelled for the school to hear.
And her body burst into flames and vanished. A few people screamed as the flames whirled around and finally came to a rest on the basketball hoop, for the assembly hall was also the gym.
Miyuki sat on the rim, grinning. As the rim broke, she flipped in the air and landed amidst the crowd.
"And don't try to destroy the wild dreams of others, you robotic conformists; dreams can come true. And want to know why I said that? Because my dream came true." With a smirk, a mocking bow, and a snicker, Miyuki vanished.
*
"That was fun," Miyuki said, grinning as she sat back on the top of the school, about five feet from the hole.
Ludwig furrowed his brow. He was back to his original form, and staring at the girl that reclined on the snow before him.
"Wasn't there something else you wanted to do?" he asked, eager to leave the human world. He wasn't crazy about being human again…plus being here made him feel paranoid.
Miyuki thought. "Nah…forget the other thing. We better get back, they'll be calling police and stuff soon." With a single graceful move, Miyuki flipped from the building and fell into a black warp hole. Ludwig followed suit.
*
The two surfaced in the Dark World, amidst all the lava and black rock that was seen in Mario Brothers 3. Spurts of the molten exploded from the black rock, which were most likely of brimstone.
"I'm going to have some fun around here," Miyuki said. Clenching her right hand, her body turned into hundreds of tiny little licks of fire, and those bits of fire disappeared in the lava.
Ludwig decided that he could probably have more fun bouncing around on the lava than partying back at the castle. A few quarters of an hour later, Miyuki jumped from one tower of lava back onto the ground. She hadn't been singed because she had used her hand-wand to be immune to the heat of fire.
"That was more fun than any video game I've ever played!" she exclaimed, sitting down on the black rock. Ludwig walked over to her with a quizzical look.
"Video games are where you use a device to control a character on a screen to have fun. Lots of games offer a rush when you play them really fast, but this…this is living." She sighed, staring at the gurgling lava as if it were a beautiful work of art.
An invisible force jerked Ludwig's hand up, and Bowser's face instantly appeared in hologram form, hovering in his palm.
"A guard out on patrol – though I don't know why he was on patrol – has sighted an attack force made of every mushroom in Peach's kingdom heading for here. Get back here right now!!" With a flash, the picture was gone. Ludwig and Miyuki exchanged nods and ran off.
*
The two flew up out of a black pipe and at once witnessed attack Mushroom people. They were throwing things at the castle – Miyuki didn't know what the hell was flying through the air – and trying the bash the door down.
Her body immediately changing into flying fire, Miyuki rushed over and reappeared behind all the Mushrooms. None saw her, and an idea danced across her mind as tiny wisps of fire danced across her fingertips.
Miyuki was grabbed roughly on the shoulder and was spun around. She was face-to-face with Kevin, who was looking at her with complete seriousness.
"I need to talk to you," Kevin said simply.
"Later." Miyuki pulled his hand off her shoulder and turned, but Kevin grabbed her wrist this time.
The girl spun around, enraged, but she stopped when she heard his words:
"I love you."
Not knowing what to say or think, Miyuki just gaped at Kevin, who was just staring at her. Finally, Miyuki choked out some words, not turning away even in the midst of the erupting battle.
"Well…this is one hell of a Romeo and Juliet."
Er… Fin
Now, you're all probably thinking, 'What the hell kind of ending is that? I read ALL THAT for such a stupid ending!?!?' Don't be discouraged: after I get all these stupid ideas out of my mind (i.e., StH fics, Dbz fics, a ReBoot saga I need to fix and finish, etc) I will finish this. I might rewrite some of it, but I need to finish this so people will be happy and so I work on something else.
Got an idea! You guys suggest endings in your reviews, ok? I'll give you lots of due credit in the last installment. It's not that I can't think of anything (lies through teeth), but…ah…forget it. Just gimme some ideas. If you want to see the ending, give me some damn ideas!!