Calm Before the Storm
Peach, Zelda, Merlee, and Merluvlee sat before Merlon the Shaman and his crystal ball. The mustached Shaman had an outfit that was nearly identical to Merluvlee's. His room complied with the theme and style of the hotel, but there was no bed, only a couch, chair, and table for his crystal ball.
"I have seen many things in my life," Merlon began, staring into his crystal ball. "I foresaw Bowser's rise to the throne as well as the arrival of the Mario Brothers. I even foresaw that our princess would be kidnapped and saved over and over again. But none of those prophecies can compare to the horror of our clouded future."
Zelda remembered parts of her dreams, which had never made any sense to her. Slowly, but surely, certain elements of it, such as Peach and some of Bowser's minions, had filled in a few of the cloudy areas. "What do you see?"
"Much of it is obscured, but what I do see is almost too horrible to speak of. However, there seems to be a set of rules and conditions strung throughout my vision."
"The…Forbidden," Zelda mumbled. Then, she closed her eyes asked aloud, "Could you describe some of the images, please? I must know what my dreams are trying to say."
"Girls, if you would," he motioned to his granddaughters. "Zelda, if you believe your dreams are prophetic, please assist me as well." All but Peach closed their eyes and began to concentrate. The Shamans began to chant and hold up their hands as the crystal ball glowed ominously and floated into the air. Star-shaped lights began to circle along the walls. Peach marveled at the stunning special effects. Once the light show ended, all the psychics made a collective sigh.
Merlon began first. "I have foreseen what I can only call…the Forbidden dream. It seems to be a set of rules that, if broken, shall bring calamity upon all. The first seems to have to do with…ketchup? That can't be right…Well, the images are relatively clear but I still don't understand them. Another one seems to show several people defeating one another until only one remains. I suppose I'll just move on… Ah! This one is obvious. It clearly states that the Star Rod is not to be used for selfish purpose."
"That's one rule already broken," Peach mumbled.
"The next rule seems to deal with…triangles?"
"The Triforce," Zelda said. "I don't think you all will have to worry about that one…"
"Very well," Merlon said. "The next one has something to do with the face of a young man. He has a strange, somewhat intimidating face. Besides that, all that remains in that rule is an inevitable darkness. The next rule…someone utters some form of phrase or chant, magic words perhaps… It leads to destruction…That is all I have seen. How about you, Merluvlee?"
"Ah, yes," she replied. "The prophecy of the stars has shown me the destined path…or at least part of it. Hmm… It leads to Pinna Park, and the mystery of the missing Yoshi's that were known to inhabit this island. However…a dark cloud…no, smog…An evil smog covers Pinna Park. I cannot see what lies within. I also see the Shine Sprites weakening, as this smog grows wider and more pure in its evil. Oh my! If the evil within is not defeated, this island will drown in the darkness!"
"That sounds urgent," Zelda said distantly.
"The Shine Shield is shrinking every second, little by little. It is the only barrier between us and what is presumably Bowser's evil. In only a few days, it will be too small to encompass the mainland and we will all be doomed. I can see nothing more."
Merlee began to shuffle cards in her personal deck.
"Well, what did you see?" Merlon asked impatiently.
"Our princess has visited the land of dreams, yes?" she said, continuing to shuffle.
"If you mean, have I ever dreamed before, then yes," Peach answered, not understanding her point.
"I speak of the land of Subcon," Merlee said, laying three cards facedown on the table. "To succeed in your quest, new items you must don. The fairies are again at war with the 8-bits Club. Go there when you can and they shall take you to their hub. But for now, relax and enjoy your break…for in your future lies great heartache." She flipped over the cards for everyone to see. The first card showed a picture of someone dreaming. The second showed darkness surrounding little crimson fairies and a shining object in the center. The third card showed the classic happy and sad masks that often symbolized drama.
"And you Zelda?" Merlon asked.
Zelda frowned, keeping her eyes closed. "I…nothing. It's nothing. Excuse me." She abruptly rose to her feet and walked out.
"Merlee, how do I get to Subcon?" Peach asked quickly. "Last time, we all just walked through a door…I don't even know if that actually happened."
"It's very easy, I assure you, even ho-hum. You will get there soon when the time has come." Peach thanked her and the others and left to find Zelda. It wasn't long before she found Zelda sitting at the edge of a pool, staring out into the sunset.
"Is something wrong?" Peach asked quietly.
Zelda remained silent for a few seconds. "…No…Yes, something is wrong…but I'd rather not talk about it."
"Does it have to do with what you saw in that prophecy?" Peach asked.
"Please, just leave me be," Zelda said, sounding ready to cry. Peach sighed and began to walk back to the hotel. When she turned to glance once more, she could see Zelda sobbing.
"Great, now there're elves," mumbled an arrogant voice. It was the woman in the cloak. She was strolling past Peach into the hotel. She was noticeably taller than Peach.
"Excuse me," Peach called out to her. The woman stopped and turned around to look at her.
"Oh, it's just you," she said, looking down on her. "What do you want?"
"May I ask your name?"
"I'm afraid not," she said frankly. "No sane person would let themselves be anywhere near a woman wanted dead or alive by Koopa…if they could help it, anyway." She abruptly walked away.
Peach supposed that there was nothing better to do than eat and get ready for bed. After soon finding out that the Shamans were not social eaters, she had a quiet meal by herself in her room. She took a refreshing shower and was in bed just after nightfall. It did not take her long to fall asleep since she had had an exhausting day. Sometime later, she awoke to the sound of showering. A few minutes later, Zelda walked out quietly and slid into the adjacent bed.
"Good night, Zelda," Peach spoke.
"Good night, Peach," she replied.
Peach awakened the next day to the sunlight coming through the slits in the window curtains. She opened them wide and let the sunshine pour in. She felt completely energized and ready for the new day. "Rise and shine, Zel…" she stopped when she didn't see Zelda in her bed. The bed was already made neatly, as if no one had ever slept in it.
"Good morning, Peach," Zelda said wearily from the other room. She was sitting at the dining room table, drinking coffee. Today, she was wearing her leaf skirt and pink top.
"You're up awfully early," Peach said, taking a seat.
"I didn't sleep very well," Zelda replied, sipping her coffee.
"I know what you need," Peach said optimistically. "You need some rest and relaxation."
"Peach, I'm really not in the mood for this," Zelda frowned tiredly.
"Merlee said that we should just take it easy. There are some great places to relax on this island. In fact I know the first place we can go to."
They sat on the edge of a pier in Ricco Harbor, fishing in the shade of one of the huge ships. The fish were still active since it was relatively early in the morning. All was quiet except for the caws of seagulls and the waves of the ocean.
"See, isn't this relaxing?" Peach said cheerily.
"I have to admit it," Zelda said. "I do enjoy fishing. It reminds me of those times when Link took me fishing at Lake Hylia. Sometimes we'd fish all day and night just to see who could catch the biggest fish. Of course, he always won. Whoa!"
Suddenly, something began to tug on both of their lines. Despite the crystal clear water, they couldn't see what fish were pulling, since they stayed in schools. They began to reel in the fish, which were fighting back furiously. Peach stood up to get better leverage. Amidst much splashing, she finally yanked out a large orange fish with black stripes. Zelda was struggling much more, though. She was actually walking away from the water, since reeling and pulling was not enough.
"It must be pretty big," she grunted. Peach decided to help her pull. Whatever was pulling was definitely strong. One mighty tug later and the two were pulled into the water. They resurfaced, laughing away.
"And this is the main garden of Bianco Hills," Peach said, as they strolled through the park area amongst the palm trees. "This is the lake…Mario had to clean the whole thing…and that's the main windmill at the top of the hill."
"What a quaint little village this is," Zelda said, looking all around. "And you say a giant Piranha Plant actually tried to start trouble here?"
"Mmhmm, but Mario got rid of him…twice!"
"In this game," Peach said, "you're supposed to smash as many crates as you can before the time limit runs out." They were inside a building with stacks of crates and a lone Pianta with a stopwatch in his hand.
"Ready…go!" he shouted. Peach jumped on top of one crate and jumped to a higher one until she was at the topmost one. Then, she jumped, flipped in midair, and crashed down, shattering the crate below her. She repeatedly used this hip-drop technique to quickly smash all of the crates. When the last crate was smashed, the Pianta handed her a green mushroom.
"How did you do that?" Zelda asked, baffled by the technique. "I've seen Link smash crates by rolling and tackling into them, but I've never seen anyone use their…posterior like that. And how did you do that gravity-defying flip?"
"I picked it up from Mario," Peach grinned. "Now, you try."
"All right," Zelda said unsurely. When the Pianta signaled, she ran for the nearest crate and less gracefully made her way to the highest stack. She was doing much more climbing than actual jumping. When she was finally at the top, she attempted the hip-drop. Instead, she did a front flip and fell off of the stack completely and hit the ground with a thud.
"Don't give up!" Peach cheered. Zelda tried to pound one of the smaller stacks and merely fell off once again. Then, she decided to try Link's technique. When she rolled into the nearest crate, it cracked but was not destroyed. Adding to that, now she had hurt her head, neck, and back. She stood up and began to charge her energy. Then with a small magical blast, she destroyed the stack of two crates.
"Time's up!" the Pianta called. "Wow, you need a lot of practice."
"I've never seen anyone have that much trouble with a ground pound," Peach giggled.
"Oooh," Zelda moaned blissfully as she slid into the Pianta Village Hot Spring.
"Would you believe that hardly anyone else comes here?" Peach sighed. Both of them had their hair in ponytails.
"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Zelda asked, sinking further into the steaming water. "Not even a royal bath can compare to this." She felt as if all of her problems were melting away. The only thing that could have made it more perfect was Link being there with her.
"And this is Tricky Ruins," Peach said, quickly leading Zelda through a pathway that also opened into a cliff. "This is where the ancient King of Noki Bay used to live. In fact, this whole cliff is full of secrets." Suddenly, there was a rumbling noise.
"What's that?" Zelda asked.
"Remember how the cliff became concave when we activated those switches? Well, they're resetting, so hurry along." They jogged up the final incline and reached the top of the cliff. There were a few palm trees and a small pond. They took in the majesty of the bay and its shell spires. Then Peach hopped off to the side and landed on a slightly lower cliff. Zelda followed her down. There, they found an old short Noki in a purple seashell waiting by the mouth of the waterfall. He was selling what appeared to be fish bowls.
They dived into the depths of Noki Bay, wearing the glass bowls on their heads, and were enjoying the sight of all the Nokis just floating around. They were short, Toad-sized, sea creatures in spiral shells. There were sparkles and fish everywhere in the dark, but comforting waters. Zelda was especially surprised by the multitude of gold coins in the undersea town and ruins. She hadn't quite believed Peach when she said that the coins were also life-giving objects that could help them hold their breath longer. The second she picked up a few, however, proved that Peach was right. This was indeed a magical world where things did not have to make sense.
The two princesses lied back on the sand of Gelato Beach as the waves came in and soaked their toes. They were thoroughly enjoying their fruit smoothie and parfait. Zelda had experienced surfing for the first time only a few minutes ago. She also got to experience the startling, yet harmless nature of the Cataquacks that walked the beach. They were large, circular blue birds with large, green eyes and two legs. They had a tendency to flip trespassers dozens of feet into the air. But Zelda had learned that it could actually be quite fun sailing into the air like that. Peach had even told her about the Wing Caps, Raccoon Leaves, and Cape Feathers that could let anyone soar the heavens. It was a great day. She was even starting to develop a tan. Best of all, it would be a very short boat ride back to Hotel Delfino.
Once they arrived back at the Hotel, they gambled their coins in the casino's slot machines. Then, after watching the sun set into the horizon, they enjoyed a deluxe meal of potato salad, shroom steak, and Yoshi Cookies in the lobby. It was not long after that they started to turn in for the night.
"Thank you for such a great day," Zelda said, tossing her leaf skirt into a corner and hopping into bed.
"You're welcome," Peach said, turning the light off. "Maybe tomorrow we can buy some pajamas."
"I doubt that there'll be anything that fits," Zelda chuckled.
"Probably not," Peach giggled. "Sweet dreams."
"I hope so."
Just off the beach of Delfino Plaza, there was a tiny island with a warp pipe and a single palm tree. The warp pipe was one-way only, assuring that no one could pop out and invade the island. In fact the Shine Sprite's shield had shrunk too much for the pipe to even be within their protection. That didn't stop a small, cerulean submarine from rising out of the water behind the island. A midnight blue Ninji peaked out of the hatch and hopped out. A Fly Guy, essentially a Shy Guy with a small propeller on its head, joined it. Finally, a lantern-wielding Poe floated out of the sub.
"The pipe's clear," the Ninji said, noting that it was only a few inches beyond the Shine Shield.
"And so is the plaza," the Fly Guy said, surveying Delfino Plaza through binoculars.
"Then, let's get to business, gentlemen," the Poe rasped, dropping down into the pipe. A few moments later, they materialized inside the Plaza. The Ninji led the other two to the red pipe on the roof of a building in Bianco Square.
"I'll take point here," the Fly Guy said, signaling the others to enter the pipe. They materialized on the empty, moonlit Serena Beach.
"Yes, I sense something here," the Poe said. "Is this why your king wishes to end her life?"
"Yeah," the Ninji replied as they made their way toward the hotel. "She looks harmless, but she's got a lotta' power under that pretty dress."
"Then, why not simply silence her through more…conventional means?"
"I'd love to, especially since she…silenced some of my kind a while back. Thing is, she has a really powerful elf bodyguard with her."
"An elf, you say?"
"Yep, so that's why we're using the Nightmare-o-matic." The Ninji threw down a potion and a box-shaped machine appeared out of the smoke. "With this, we can get them in their sleep without getting too close to them. We have plenty of connections in Subcon, so it should be pretty easy. Plus, it doesn't cause too much alarm here. We're saving that for when this shield finally goes down."
"And I suppose this machine is where I come into play?"
"That's right," the Ninji said. "This thing's powered by negative energy, so hop on in." The Poe receded into its lantern, which assimilated with the machine. A picture of its face appeared on the side of the Nightmare-o-matic as the machine activated. "Okay, now to just lock onto the targets…Good." Then, he noticed something wrong. The machine had locked onto Peach and Zelda, but it only transmitting to Peach. It was as if something was blocking it from Zelda. "Well, at least this'll get rid of Toadstool."