Paper Mario Corrupted

Chapter 3: The Sharky Conundrum

"Now, my queen..." Mario began.

"...please, call me by the name you used to know me, Peach," interrupted the shadow queen. "I'll call you Mario."

"Okay. Now, Peach, what are we to do? There is a waiting world to be taken over. Shall we?" Mario held out his arm in gesture of politeness towards Peach.

"First, we must decide what to do with this little one over here." Peach pointed directly towards the little blue yoshi, Sharky, who was cowering in the corner. Mario and Peach slowly closed in on the poor Sharky who was shaking violently with fear. "We could . . . take care . . . of him. Or we can take care of him."

"Yes! He would make quite the interesting meal for Bonetail, but he also has the possibility of being a very valuable asset if he were to work on our side," Mario mused.

"Gonzales! What are you doing! What's wrong with you...?" Sharky was nearly in tears he was so afraid of the Shadow King and the Shadow Queen.

"SILENCE, WORM! You will speak only when spoken to!" Peach yelled, shaking a fist in Sharky's face. She turned to Mario. "Well, I can grant him the powers of darkness like I did you, or there's your alternative."

"Did Bonetail get fed recently?" Mario said, seemingly uselessly.

"He has. There was a group of archaeologists who passed by before you came along." Peach started to stare at her fingernails. "Oh look, I broke a nail." She raised her right hand and swirled it above her head. Her fingernails were instantly fixed. "That's better."

"Oh, . . . . . so Bonetail found his own meal." Mario began to pace.

"Excuse me, may I interject?" said Sharky shyly.

"What do you want?" said Peach, somewhat irritated.

"What is this Bonetail?"

"Oh, well, he is an ancient dragon who lives on the 100th floor of this palace. He tends to get cranky when he hasn't eaten over millennia, but luckily those archaeologists came by. Trust me, they never came back." Peach took out a nail file and started to file down her brand new nails.

"I grow tired of this pointless banter," Mario said as he stopped pacing. "Make your decision. Spend your last years in the stomach of some dragon, or start your life anew and come with us!"

"Well, digesting in the pit of a dragon's stomach doesn't sound too pleasant. But, I don't know about being evil," Sharky summarized. "If I turn, at least I am still alive. At least there's that I can hold on to." Sharky scanned the floor at his feet.

"I've made my decision!" he announced. "I will join you two, only on the basis that I will still be living."

"That's all I needed to hear." Peach turned towards her coffin and raised her arms. She recited a short incantation, and the black haze returned. Upon completion of Sharky's transformation, the haze was sucked back into the coffin, revealing a new Sharky. He was no longer blue more blackish purple in color, his eyes, like those of Mario and Peach, blazed red. His teeth were dramatically changed, into 2-inch fangs.

"Yo' Gonzales! Guess what!" Sharky said, mockingly.

"What?"

"I'M EVIL!" said Sharky as he struck a pose, showing himself off.

"Yes," said Peach. "The transformation was never done with a yoshi before, but you turned out splendidly. And now to put you to the test!"

"What?" Sharky was confused. "What test? You never mentioned anything about a test, your wretchedness!"

"The King and I decided that any new servants of ours, especially ones destined to be our henchman, must pass a test of ability. LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" The lights went out.