Reunited
Chapter 6: The Midnight Mansion
Goombella, Vivian, Koops, and Eggo walk into the mansion effectionatly dubbed the Midnight Mansion. A group of bats flies behind them, including the Apprentice in her bat form. Of course, a swarm of bats following you inside a building in the Forever Forest is normal, so they just dismiss it. The four(five counting the Apprentice) get inside and see three doors. There is a letter taped to the middle door. Curious, Koops walks up and tears it off, reading it allowed(which is good for the Apprentice as it would seem more than a little suspicious for a bat to sit on somebody's shoulder to read something.
"So someone's finally dared to come here, eh? Well, I warn you, I am not the easiest to beat demon you'll ever meet. If you were expecting some animal-themed thing like those stupid TV shows or some big shadow-like roll of cardboard, you've got another thing coming. I don't have element-based powers or work for a higher force or require a stupid broach for my power to work or any ridiculous stuff like that. All of these doors lead you through a unique set of challenges. If you like fighting, then door number 1 is right for you."
Upon Koops saying this, a huge '1' appears in red on the left door. Koops continues, "If you like to use your head, then number 2's perfect for you." A '2' appears on the middle door. "And if you would like platforming then you're advised to go through door 3." As he finishes, a '3' appears on the remaining door.
"Well, I'd be all for door 2 normally," says Goombella, "but if we're gonna beat this guy then we need to get back into the swing of things. Let's go with number 1."
"I'm all for that!" replies Eggo, "I certainly could use it after the way I messed up against Rawk Hawk."
"Well, I guess we should go through the battling. What do you think, Vivian?"
"Goombella has a good point. Alright then, let's get going."
The four heroes walk through door 1. Once they are gone, the apprentice turns to normal.
"Now then, I believe 2 would be most fit for my skills." The Apprentice goes through the central door.
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The heroes find themselves in a long hallway. Ahead they see a sole Podoboo facing them, floating in place. They approach it.
"Heh," says the Yoshi, "just one Podoboo? This'll be a piece of cake!"
"There's not just one of us."
The Podoboo suddenly begins to glow and starts to spin around in circles. As it does, Podoboos begin flying from the walls where they were previously invisible and begin spinning with it. As the Podoboos begin to amount to 50 or so, they stop coming out and spin faster and faster until they stop, revealing a Fryguy in their place that is about 12 times the size of a regular one.
"Oh boy."
The Yoshi begins pelting the enourmous Fryguy with eggs but with little effect. Vivian, being unable to use her fire on it for obvious reasons, resorts to hiding the others as it shoots at them. Goombella tries running around it in order to create a breeze, but instead just catches a blast of fire. The Goomba begins screaming and commences to stop, drop, and roll and then run away. The others run with her as the Fryguy looms in closer... and closer... and closer.
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The Apprentice stands in a room. Inside it there are 6 colored blocks on the floor and 5 colors, red, green, blue, yellow, orange, and purple, on the wall. Written nearby is a message, "Make there be the same amount of each while using all 6 blocks." Each side is the color of one of those on the wall, though the bottom can't be seen. A hole rests o put each one in once the solution is found.
A lot easier said than done, the Apprentice thinks before starting to consider how to do this.
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Peasley and Popple sit aboard the boat on bags of sand. Popple is drinking a can of Kero Cola, while Peasley has a glass of some sort of mixed drink.
"Well, I must say," says Peasley to his sort-of ally, "you're certainly a nicer guy than I first thought."
"If you're trying to butter me up to let you escape, don't bother. I won't fall for it."
"Well, it was worth a shot... but it's the truth anyway. I mean, yeah, you're not the nicest guy around by any means, but you're at least able to talk to."
"Yeah, well, don't expect me to go easy on ya either way if you try to turn your back on me. Now that you know my plan, either you stay in or you die, see? I ain't gettin' arrested."
"Yeah, I get it."
"By the way," Popple says, changing the conversation, "have you ever heard of the Jewels of Life?"
"No, but then again I don't know much about treasure."
"These be no normal treasures," replies Popple, "These are gems that are capable of doing almost anything when brought together! They can make somebody more powerful than ever before, restore lost body parts, and even raise the dead!"
"Yeah, well, do you know where they're at? 'Cause it seems like you could certainly use them."
"Not only that," says Popple, "but you could use them yourself if we found them. Like, say, resurrect that plumber and get him to drive Ludwig out."
"I could, huh? Well, how do we find out where they're at?"
"Well, there's a map hidden somewhere. I'll tell you more about them later."
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Goombella, Koops, Vivian, and Eggo continue running through the hallway, stopping every now and then to jump over a ball of flame coming their way. The group eventually reaches a door which they attempt to open only to discover... it's locked. The four begin to scream until Eggo suddenly gets an idea.
"Hey, the mushroom blocks worked on the original... so we've just gotta use something like that! Koops, get in your shell!"
Koops does so. Eggo then wraps his tongue around the shell and flings it at the top of the wall right above the Fryguy. The shell bounces off, goes through the fiery monster, bounces off the floor, hits again, bounces from the ceiling, etc. until the beast finally splits up. The Podoboos all run away and Koops comes out of his shell. He picks up a key that one dropped before walking back to the door.
Everone begins serrenading the Yoshi with tons of thank yous, a few coins, and a group hug or two, after which they unlock the door and go on in.
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The Apprentice, after using all of this time just looking for a way that this is possible. She finally picks up the block to examine the bottom and see what is there. What she sees is... the bottom is tan!
"That's it!"
She then lays all of the blocks upside down inside the wholes, meaning that there is an equal amount because none of them shows up. A door appears in front of the evil entity, who enters it.
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The heroes find themselves in a pure white room. A large red metallic box-like thing with three sides sits in front of them. Above it they see four purple and silver chains that hang a pure white, ghost-like figure above it by about 30 feet by the wrists. The man-ish thing has long, brunette hair, a blue trench coat, and black pants. He also has an orange collar sticking out from under each side of the neckline of the coat. His eyes are closed.
"Ugh. This guy must've gotten it horribly from this Deathnify freak," says Goombella while looking up, "He looks like he's been scared to death."
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The Apprentice walks into an identical room. Above her hangs THE EXACT SAME GUY.
"Heh, Deathnify must be pretty darn powerful. I can't wait to have a real challenge for once."
She turns away to look for a way out and as soon as she does, the figure's eyes open and begin to glow red.
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The heroes turn the other way in order to look for anything that could lead to where they go next when the exact same thing happens.
"I wonder where that stupid demon's at," says Vivian, "He can't be all that tough."
"Oh, looking for me?"
The four look around and see the man still hanging. He shouts down, "Oh, so you're paying attention now? Good. Now then, prepare to suffer a fate akin to that of your old chums Mario and Bobbery! Brahahahahahahahahahaha!"
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The apprentice stares facing Deathnify herself in the other room.
"So you're this great big ol' demon, huh? You're pitiful. You might as well just do yourself a favor and hand over the jewel, 'cause you don't stand a chance!"
"Is that so? Well, not only am I gonna kill you, but I'll kill those other four pests as well!"
"So, those idiots actually managed to make it through, huh? Well, then, where are they? Shouldn't they be somewhere in here if they're fighting you?"
"Heh, don't you realize that I can host myself from more than one place at a time? Right now, I'm busy playing with their emotions before I kill them. Do you really want to try me? 'Cause if not, I'd be willing to allow you to leave... for a price."
"I don't need to leave. Prepare for your death, ya worthless excuse for a challenge. I shall lay my claim to the Jewel of Memories and be on my way quite hastily."
"My, seems as though someone is confident about her skills. Enough small talk! Time for you and those other four to all be mezmerized, brutalized, and deathnified!"
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The heroes stare up at the demon who still hangs high from the ceiling. "What are you waiting for?" yells Eggo up at the holder of the Jewel of Memories, "Get down here and fight!"
"Oh no, I don't fight from down there. I fight right up here!"
The box-thing suddenly begins glowing. Inside it forms... a glove. The glove floats into the air and twirls a bit, then begins floating with the palm of it facing the heroes.
"Let's see what these powers can do!" yells the demon as a red fireball shoots from the palm of the glove. The heroes barely dodge it, and the glove fades away.
"Egg Toss!" yells Gonzalez Jr. as two eggs are thrown into the air toward the creature. As the shells get within about 10 feet, they suddenly begin to fall(cause, let's face it, eggs thrown 30 feet into the air ain't hittin'). As they do, a mouth emerges from the box, eats the eggs, and then spits fire onto the four heroes before disappearing, doing major damage to Goombella, Eggo, and Koops. Vivian, however, barely feels anything because of her use of fire and therefore continues the assault. She raises into the air about 10 feet and then summons and throws a ball of fire, which hits but just bounces off.
"Don't you understand anything? You cannot win!"
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The apprentice moves out of the way of a pair of shoes that is jumping toward her just before being flattened and then starts an enourmous storm targeted at the demon known as Deathnify. Winds begin to emerge from her hands and ice pours out, swallowing the entire room until the apprentice can no longer see Deathnify through the snow that flies from her palms. She then stops and waits for the snow to clear. Once it does, she is shocked to see that the icey substance hasn't done even the slightest thing to the demon, who merely laughs.
"You thought that your pathetic blizzard would affect me? Ha! You'll have to do better than that if you even want to survive!"
Pathetic blizzard, she thinks, That blizzard was powerful enough to freeze over Lethal Lava Land! Something about this guy isn't right...