Reunited
Chapter 24: Sic Semper Tyrannis
Popple thrusts his left hand forward, causing the former Excess Express to rocket it forward, once again barely missing the heroes but hitting a building, causing it to collapse to the ground. All five heroes notice that the mock stone in his hand is controlling the train and promptly all five take their own course of action to get up the platform. Goombella and Ms. Mowz try using their small size to sneak up but that is ruined when the two have to jump out of the way of Deathrail. Koops and Eggo try a full-frontal assault, but they are met by a blast emerging from the stone itself, sending both flying backwards. Vivian takes a different method...
"You five are so pathetic!" Popple shouts as he moves his left hand a bit to point toward a nearby restaurant, causing a bag of food left lying by a customer who panicked when Deahtrail first launched to float to him and land directly at his feet. "I think I'll have me a meal while I watch you five try to stop death from coming. The only things I like more than watching idiots suffer are food, gold, and, oh yeah, myself!"
Suddenly Popple feels two hands grab with by the back of his collar. He turns his head slightly to see Vivian, who has just emerged from the shadows, holding said collar, and she immediately throws him into the side of the now stagnant train. He bounces off like a basketball off a wall, landing in a crumpled heap, the stone shattering in his hand and the Excess Express returning to normal in the process. Vivian slides down to him and, seeing that he is showing no signs of movement, lays one hand on his wrist.
"I'm not going to claim to be an expert or anything, but I'm pretty sure he's dead," Vivian remarks.
"He deserves even worse after all this," Goombella remarks while eyeing the destruction. The five turn and walk away, heading toward a boat nearby that they've commissioned to take them to Serena Beach. Popple's teeth suddenly press down on a pill wedged in the side of his mouth. After a liquid drains from it, he stands right back up as though nothing ever happened.
"Sic semper tyrannis," he mumbles before begin to walk in the opposite direction of the heroes, "Sic semper Peasley." A Wanted poster with his photo on it lands at his feet, but Popple ignores it and continues walking.
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Several hours later...
Deathnify sits upon Doopliss's throne in his standard form, having locked the door to keep someone from barging in. It has been rather easy to use the Doopliss transformation to put himself into power truthfully: he just convinced Doopliss's military officials into believing that the Doopliss in the hospital was a fake used to set-up Ludwig as well as garner sympathy for the small desert country.
"All is going according to plan," Deathnify mumbles as he sits upon the throne, "As soon as I get Ludwig alone, it begins." He suddenly transforms into Doopliss, then walks over and presses a red button on the wall, turning on the intercom to downstairs.
"What day of the month is today?" the demon asks in Doopliss's voice, awaiting his moment to strike, specifically Ludwig's biweekly visit, the last of which was on the 8th.
"The 15th, your highness," the secretary answers, sounding as though she was awoken by the intercom, not surprising considering the time. Deathnify takes his cloaked finger off of the button, then returns to his normal form once more.
"Just one more week. I have waited so very, very long for my time..." He then walks over and picks up the phone, dialing a number in Monstro Town, "Hey, Boo. Yeah, everything's going great. Ludwig's fate is just a week away, and after that you know what to do. So, you, Boolosus, and Van Gore interested in a game of cards tomorrow night?"
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Two Nights Later...
It's around 3 in the morning at Serena Beach, literally just a few hours before the destruction of Hotel Delfino. But the pirates of the Sugar Crew are not resting up fr the big day, instead awake for a joyous night of celebration not only at being ready to gain the Jewel of Love, but also at having successfully foiled an attempt to stop them, locking the interloper, Yoshi, in the brig of the S.S. Teacup. Syrup herself sits on the deck of the vessel engaging in a night of shanties among with most members of her crew. Others stand on the beach itself, dancing around a bonfire heating the cool ocean air. One of the partiers, a Wanderin' Goom named Goomer, notices a small green ship about a mile from the shore.
"Captain," he interrupts during the chorus of the song, "Someone's coming."
"Let them be!" she replies merrily, "Tonight is a night of celebration, not violence!"