(OK, so...finally getting somewhere with this! And, for once, Wario and Waluigi aren't in it! (I'm obsessed with Shy Guys, Boos, and Duplighosts, BTW.) Anyway, this is one of the longest chapters; 11 pages according to Microsoft Word!
In this chapter, Dry Dry Outpost has been taken over, so the good guys have to fight a bit of a battle to get it back. Definitely rated PG for fighting and blowing things up...
Oh, and the disclaimer is the same as on the other chapters, but I'd like to add one thing: Fauna the Parakoopa, while not an official character by Nintendo, is not of my own creation, either. I'm using her with the permission of my friend Melissa Mario Sister. Thanks, Melissa!!
XD!!! Only I could possibly mess up the chaptering system... I tried to replace Chapter 6 with this one, with the new author's notes, but somehow, when I was done, chapters 5&6 were gone, chapters 1-3 were all listed as chapter 1, etc. O.o What happened???)
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The Ultimate Betrayar
Chapter 6: The Battle for Dry Dry Outpost
Word of General Guy's defeat by a mysterious shape-changing creature quickly spread around Toad Town, much to the general's embarrassment. But it certainly wasn't every day that you had a normally peaceful town of Mushroom People overrun by terrified Shy Guys!
When Princess Peach and Mario heard of it, they feared the worst. A little later on, when Pararera and the Duplighosts appeared in town, they knew there was really something weird going on.
Princess Peach actually sent some of her servants to go get General Guy and the Crystal King and bring them to her castle. The two of them certainly didn't want to, but knew they had no choice
Once they came to the castle, Peach wasted no time in asking them questions. "There's been reports of evil stars taking over Star Haven and kicking the Star Spirits and a Star Kid out," she explained. "Did you two have a run-in with one of those evil stars?"
"Yeah," Pararera mumbled. "This black star with a weird accent who had the ability to shape-change much better than a Duplighost." He didn't add the part about him being so easily defeated by Deceptar, though everyone knew that was what had happened.
"Weird accent? Shape change?" General Guy looked thoughtful. "I didn't see an evil star, but the Toy Box was taken over by this creature who spoke with a very strange accent and who first turned into a Spy Guy and then into me. This guy froze many of my Shy Guys solid, and then when I tried to attack him, he deflected the lightbulb's attack and ended up destroying my BEAUTIFUL NEW tank!" He clenched his fists. "Grrr!!! He MUST PAY!!!"
Peach was thoughtful. "So this evil star kicked both of you out of your home regions. Mario, where do you suppose he'll strike next?"
"How am I supposed to know?" Mario muttered.
Toad was drawing on a map. "I think I might have something figured out. We're in North Mushlandia, and the Crystal Palace is right here, at the far northeastern corner of North Mushlandia." Toad drew an X where the Crystal Palace was. "That was the first place that this evil star went to."
"Duh," Peach answered. "And your point is?"
"Then, this evil star went to Shy Guys Toy Box, which isn't actually the far western corner of North Mushlandia, but close enough. Look!" Toad drew a relatively straight line from the Crystal Palace to Shy Guys Toy Box. "If he follows this pattern, he'll go somewhere to the far east again, and this means" Toad now drew a line to the Dry Dry Desert. "His next stop will probably be either the Dry Dry Ruins, or, the most probable, Dry Dry Outpost!"
Peach and Mario stared at each other for a moment, then at Toad. "How the heck did you figure that out?" Mario asked.
"I've actually spent some time thinking," Toad boasted.
General Guy was impressed. "If you were a Shy Guy, I'd have you promoted to one of the top soldiers in a jiffy!"
Pararera had other things on mind "Don't tell me, you probably want the General and I to help you out on this one," he guessed.
"If you promise not to try to kill any of us, sure," Mario answered.
"That's a promise," the Crystal King agreed. "Just once we get the Crystal Palace back, I'm history!"
"Yes, I agree," General Guy added. "Anyone who takes over the Toy Box deserves capital punishment!!"
"It's settled, then," Peach concluded. "To the train station, everyone!"
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At the train station, they met up with Parakarry and Mayuri, who, along with another new Parakoopa friend, had just come back to Toad Town to report.
"Some evil veggies have taken over Dry Dry Outpost! We couldn't even get in town!!" Parakarry exclaimed. "We can't boot em out, either! We need some reinforcements!!"
Pararera gasped. "EVIL VEGGIES?!" he exclaimed, "The Crystal Palace was taken over by a group of evil veggies!"
"Goombario and Goombaria reported seeing three evil veggies near Goomba Village, too," Mario added.
"Was one of them a cucumber?" Mayuri asked. "This weirdo veggie was a cucumber with an army of turnips and pumpkins!"
"Our intruder was a potato with turnips and pumpkins," Pararera answered. "DUPLIGHOSTS!! Where is everyone?!"
That was answered when a few nearby girls screamed.
"Aaaah!!! What the?! Why are there three mes?!"
"YAAAAAHH! THERE'S FOUR OF ME!!"
"DUPLIGHOSTS!!!" Pararera roared, "GET BACK HERE BEFORE I TEAR YOU A NEW PATCH IN THOSE SHEETS OF YOURS!"
Immediately most of the Duplighosts came, but the Crystal King was quick to notice two who were missing: his best ghosts, Cloner and Dupliana!
"Gah! Where are those two?! Well, let's get going"
"Uh, Boss," a Duplighost spoke up, "You're made of ice, so are you sure you should go to a desert?"
Pararera thought a moment. "Dang, you're right," he admitted. "I can't go to the desert! What was I thinking?! I'd melt!"
"Good point," Princess Peach agreed. "Why don't you just stay here and try to scare off anyone evil with those insane Duplighosts of yours?"
"Fair deal," Pararera agreed. "I'll stay here to (yeech) watch over Toad Town."
The other Parakoopa, a little female one with small wings, big eyes, and a reddish-purple shell, didn't speak until now. "I think one was heading for Toad Town. This carrot thing. He looked really mean!"
Peach also finally noticed the little Parakoopa. "Hey, who are you?" she asked. "I haven't seen you before!"
"My name's Fauna," she answered. "I got lost in the desert, and they found me!" motioning to Parakarry and Mayuri.
"How can you be so sure about the carrot?" Mayuri asked.
"I saw it before I wandered to the desert," Fauna answered. "I was lost in the Forever Forest, and I saw the carrot, who was looking for the Boo Mansion but got lost in the forest instead! So he said he'd attack Toad Town! At least, that's what I heard it say."
Peach and Mario looked at each other. "How long ago was that?"
"4 days, I think."
"Why were you wandering out there, anyway?" Parakarry asked. "The Forever Forest and Dry Dry Desert are too dangerous for young ones like you!"
"Oh, um," Fauna stuttered, "I was looking for"
Fauna didn't get to finish, as just then the train conductor called out that they were ready to go. Mayuri agreed to keep Fauna in Toad Town with her, while everyone else left to go to Dry Dry Outpost.
As expected, Deceptar was waiting there for them as well
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"
"Moustafa, ya mean," Deceptar told him. "Good, I see I doan have to help you out, do I? Yer smarter than that dumb tater; what order did Wart make y'all in again?"
"First he put a carrot in the Vegginator, and that came up with Carroboscis," Cucumbersome explained. "That's why Carroboscis is the smartest of the three of us. Next was me, and last Potatocide. That's why Potatocide's so dumb: when it was done with him, the thing that makes us intelligent veggies was broken, and Wart hasn't been able to fix it!"
"That explains all," Deceptar agreed. "I'll jest be on my way now; I have ta go to—"
"MASTER CUCUMBERSOME!!!!" A frantic turnip was bouncing toward them. "Master Cucumbersome! Mario's heeeeeeere!!!! He and a few others are trying to break into Dry Dry Outpost!!"
Cucumbersome gasped. "WHAT?! What should we do!?"
Deceptar grinned. "Leave it ta me," he answered. "I'll take care o' Mario for ya!" Deceptar made a wish to look exactly like Mario, and that's precisely what happened
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Right outside the gates of Dry Dry Outpost, Mario's group was trying to break in, but they couldn't, for the wall was very high and the gate was locked!
"No guards, though," Peach mused. "So what should we do?"
"Beats me," Mario answered. "Too bad Luigi's not here. He's the smarter of us two brothers; he'd know what to do!"
Parakarry flew up to the top of the wall to look in. "Those veggies are still there," he commented. "What should we do? Order all the weed killer possible?"
"Nah, not these veggies, heh heh"
"Why do you say that?" Toad asked, turning to the one who had spoken. "Mario?"
"What?" Mario asked.
"Why did you say" realizing there were two Marios, "YAAAAHH! WHAT THE?!"
"Oh, no!" Princess Peach gasped, "What happened?"
"Jest one o' us is real," the fake Mario grinned. "Can ya tell which one?"
"Not really" Toad trailed off.
The fake one rolled his eyes, and turned into Toad! "NOW can ya tell?!"
"Yipes!" Toad gasped, "Yeah, yeah, I can tell Oh" Toad fainted!
"YOU!!!!!!" General Guy roared, "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STOLE THE TOY BOX FROM US SHY GUYS!!!" He took a fighting stance, ready to address his few troops who were there. "No one messes with General Guy and the Shy Squad and gets away with it! SHY SQUAD! ATTACK!"
Deceptar created a forcefield around himself, which actually wasn't necessary because the Shy Squad was too chicken to fight him anyway. "I'm here ta defeat ya!" Deceptar announced. "My pardner and I know that Mario's bout the only one who could possibly save all the Star Spirits and the Star Kid, so if I get rid o' you guys, we got no worries!
Mario frowned. "I don't think so," he said.
"How can ya be so sure?!"
"Because RUN FOR IT!!!!!!!!" Mario yelped and did so. Deceptar, too stunned to do anything else, shot a beam of power at the fleeing good guys. Fortunately for them, Deceptar had forgotten about one little thing: the forcefield. Nothing could get in the forcefield, neither could anything leave it. Thus, the power beam bounced off the forcefield and hit Deceptar instead! (Which, may I add, would look extra funny because Deceptar was still disguised as Toad!!)
"Well, that was worthless," Princess Peach panted once they reached the oasis. "All we did was run away from some powerful shape-changing thing"
"THAT'S THE SAME CREATURE WHO TOOK OVER SHY GUYS TOY BOX!!!" General Guy roared. "We have to teach him a lesson! NOW!!! No one humiliates the Shy Squad and gets away with it!!"
"Unless they're Mario," the real Toad, who was conscious again, pointed out.
General Guy had no answer for that
"
So they did. Thankfully, Deceptar was gone, having left for his next location. It was just the good guys: Mario, Peach, Toad, General Guy, some of the Shy Squad, and Parakarry, left with Cucumbersome, the other evil veggies, and all the now-captive citizens of Dry Dry Outpost.
"Shouldn't be any different than the time we stormed through Bowser's Castle, right?" Parakarry nervously asked.
"Maybe not," Mario admitted, "But what can we scare veggies off with?"
"Weed killer," Toad suggested.
"No, that's too obvious." He frowned. "We need something else"
Princess Peach suddenly got an idea. "Oh! I know! We should" She whispered her plan to Mario, whose eyes lit up at the idea.
"She's right, everyone!! Back to Toad Town!"
Toad and General Guy exchanged confused glances. "OK"
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So, what exactly is Peach's plan? Toad, General Guy, and Parakarry pestered Mario and Peach about it the entire way back to Toad Town, but they would never tell. However, they quickly were able to figure it out when, getting off the train, Princess Peach and Mario suddenly grabbed the two nearest Duplighosts, Cloner and Dupliana, and literally dragged them onto the train!
"HEY!!!" Cloner yelped, "What's up?! The boss isn't in trouble, is he?!"
"He's still in Toad Town, you idiot," Toad reminded him. "You're not made of ice, too, are you?"
"No, we're not," Dupliana answered, "We're mysterious creatures who hide ourselves in sheets and love to mimic how people look, heh heh That's how we got the name Duplighost', you know!"
"I figured," Mario muttered. "We need you two to help us take over Dry Dry Outpost."
"He means re-take," Princess Peach corrected. "Did either of you see that black star?"
"I did," Cloner answered. He turned into it. "I'm the evil black star who took over the Crystal Palace, see?!"
"PERFECT!!!" Peach exclaimed, "Just hold that look until we get to Dry Dry Outpost, OK?"
"What about me?" Dupliana asked.
"We have something for you to do too," Peach answered. "We'll see once we get there."
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The pumpkin guards now stationed around Dry Dry Outpost let Cloner in without question, especially since he was trying very hard to imitate Deceptar's accent. Once he was in, Dupliana changed herself into a pumpkin, and was also let in with no question. However, when the guards were not expecting it, Dupliana suddenly changed back into her normal self to smash the pumpkins!
"Smashing Pumpkins!" Toad squealed. "All, right!"
"Hey," Mario chided, "Not like they're a band or anything"
Toad rolled his eyes. "Well, can we go in yet?"
"Nope!" Dupliana motioned to about 20 more evil pumpkins. "We still have work to do!"
"Shy Squad!" General Guy shouted to his troops, "Get those pumpkins, and I promise we'll have pumpkin pie and bread with dinner tonight!!"
The eight Shy Guys stared at each other for a moment, then ran around aimlessly screaming and flailing their arms at random. Finally one of them got the courage to jump on a pumpkin, who was squashed flat by the Shy Guy's slight weight. The others, seeing how easy they were to defeat, went on doing the same. But the pumpkins kept coming, and coming
"There's too many of them!" Dupliana yelped. "What should we do?!"
Mario got an idea. He took out a fire flower. "Everyone, stand back! Peach, use Psych Bomb!"
"What? OK" Princess Peach and Mario let out a barrage of bombs and fireballs. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left but a charred pile of former pumpkins.
Toad was wide-eyed. "Remind me to never make you two mad ever again"
Dupliana made sure that the coast was clear. "OK, everyone, let's go!"
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Even though Cloner had never been here before, he felt very sorry for the citizens of Dry Dry Outpost. They were being terrorized by the evil veggies; even the bravest people did not dare to wander from their homes. The only two were doing anything to try to stop them were Moustafa and Little Mouser!
Right now, he saw Little Mouser and Cucumbersome in an argument. "I refuse to sell anything to you," Little Mouser was saying. "You might as well just leave; there's no way that you and your veggies could survive in this searing desert heat for very long!"
"If you won't let us in, we'll force our way in!" Cucumbersome tried, but Moustafa, who was in the doorway and holding a very sharp pointed stick, stopped him. "Dumb mice!!!!! LET ME IN!!!!!"
"No, I'm afraid we cannot allow that," Moustafa told him. "Little Mouser, do you have the brine?"
"Ooh! Yeah!" Little Mouser ran into the shop, then came right back. "Hey, there's a huge vat of it right in here!"
Cucumbersome's eyes widened with fear. "B-brine?! I don't wanna be a pickle!!"
"Then I advise that you leave," Moustafa held out the stick.
"I won't let a few mice stop me!" Cucumbersome prepared to attack the little mice
Cloner knew he had to do something! He quickly shape-changed into the cucumber. "Hey, you imposter! What are you doing?!"
The real Cucumbersome stopped. "WHAT THE?!?! Who are you?!?!"
"Me? I'm, uh," realizing he didn't know Cucumbersome's name, "I'm I'm the cucumber who has taken over Dry Dry Outpost! Get out of here, you nisemono!"
"NISEMONO?!" Cucumbersome scowled. "GET OVER HERE, YOU STUPID IMPOSTER!"
Cucumbersome (who was quite hefty) tacked Cloner, who turned into his normal self from the damage inflicted. "Owwwwwwwwwwww That hurt"
Cucumbersome grinned. "You're a Duplighost," he observed. "Now to finish you!"
"HEY, WAIT!" The others, led by Dupliana, had caught up with Cloner in just the nick of time. Dupliana quickly shape-changed into Cucumbersome, and tackled him. "Ha ha! I'm a Duplighost, too, but I can also copy attacks!!"
"
Toad picked it up. "Wow, so if we do a lot of damage to these veggies," he commented, "they'll turn back into normal ones!"
"Duh," Peach told him, "I think everyone's figured that out by now!"
"What about the turnips?" Parakarry asked.
"You mean the ones surrounding us?" a Shy Guy asked.
"Yeah, those"
"Take cover," Mario warned, "For FIRE POWER!"
"Hello, Mario, we're in a town," Peach reminded him. "We can't use fire power or Psych Bomb, unless we want to kill ourselves and everyone on the block!"
"Oh, you're right," Mario admitted, "Er"
General Guy was about to tell the Shy Squad to attack when suddenly A shooting star came down! And another, and another
"It's raining stars!!" Toad exclaimed. "What's going on?!"
Peach just then spotted a familiar little Star Kid "TWINK?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"
Twink chuckled, though he was still focused on destroying the evil veggies. "Yep, that's me!"
"How'd you get here?!" Mario asked.
"Well," Twink answered, "When Betrayar and Deceptar kicked me out of the Star Haven, I landed here! I was here for a few days, recovering, when that evil Cucumbersome showed up. I wasn't strong enough to beat Cucumbersome, but I didn't have to worry about that; I knew you'd save all us stars, Mario!!"
"Hey," Dupliana nearly growled, "It was ME who beat Cucumbersome!!!"
"I'm so glad you're OK," Peach continued, "So now we've finally found one of the stars!"
"Yeah," Mario muttered, "Just 7 more to go, eh?!"
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Geez, that chapter stunk. I think it did, anyway. But, better than nothing and they finally found a star!
So, where is Deceptar headed next? Will he stick with the old pattern? And who will be the first actual Star Spirit that the good guys will find? To be answered in Chapter 7! (Once I get it done!)