Skolar's Escape
Invincible. Untouchable. Undefeatable… These words seemed to fit Skolar's captor way too well. But, when one has the power of the Star Rod coursing through their body, as Tubba Blubba did, of course they'd be difficult to defeat. As of right now, no one could lay a finger on him.
Skolar was deep in thought, as he almost always was, studying his situation and weighing his options. He could wait for Mario to come and rescue him. The hero had already rescued two of the other imprisoned Star Spirits after all. But, Bowser had made Tubba Blubba just too strong, and Skolar wasn't sure if Mario would be able to find a way to defeat him.
The Star Spirit considered another option, the more appealing one in his mind. He could find a way to flee this haunted castle and return to the sky, thus saving Mario the trouble of having to come here to rescue him.
Skolar took a moment to measure his chances. "Let's see…" he thought. "The castle is full of Bowser's minions, Tubba Blubba is invincible, and my powers are significantly weakened." The odds were definitely not in his favor.
"Well, no one said this was going to be easy…" the Star Spirit mused to himself. Tubba Blubba had a strong body, but Skolar knew that a strong mind was infinitely more powerful, and now was his chance to prove it.
The Star Spirit closed his eyes and tried to feel the energy around him. He hoped that there was someone in this castle of mindless minions who would assist him. Straining to test the life energy in the farthest corners of the castle, Skolar found just what, or rather who, he was looking for.
Deep down in the castle's pitch black basement was a lone Boo who seemed to be hiding from Tubba Blubba. Skolar would have to use a great deal of his power to try to communicate, but if the ghost would agree to help him escape, then it would be worth the risk.
The Star Spirit locked onto the Boo's location and began to speak directly into the ghost's mind. "Hello… Please don't be afraid…" the intelligent star began. "I am Skolar, a Star Spirit who is being held prisoner by Tubba Blubba… I need your help."
"Tubba Blubba?" The ghost shrieked in fear and alarm, having gotten chills by just hearing the name of the monster who had caused him and his friends so much misery. "S-sorry, b-but I can't help you! He's scary!"
"…But you can… if you would lend me your powers of invisibility…" Skolar pleaded, but the terrified Boo wouldn't hear it.
"No! I-I can't go up there! He'll eat me!" the ghost wailed.
This wasn't going well. Skolar had to find a way to calm the ghost's fears otherwise he wouldn't be going anywhere. "Please…" Skolar tried again. "You can still hide from Tubba Blubba… I only wish to hide with you… We won't confront him… I just need you to come to the top floor of the castle… and assist me…"
The Boo thought about this for a moment. "You promise we won't fight him?" he asked.
"Yes…" Skolar answered, straining harder to maintain his mind link with the ghost.
"And I can go back to hiding as soon as we're done?" the ghost asked.
"If that is your wish…" Skolar answered, his voice trembling with weakness.
The Boo considered the star's words for a moment. "Well… okay." He said.
Skolar sighed with relief and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to regain a little of his lost strength when he heard a disembodied voice in the dark chamber.
"Okay! I-I'm here, but I'm staying invisible! I don't want Tubba Blubba to catch me!" the Boo said, having phased through the walls of Skolar's prison.
"Thank you." Skolar whispered gratefully. "Now… if possible… would you share your intangibility with me?"
"Yes. Let's just be quick!" the ghost said urgently, and in a moment, Skolar vanished from the room, having received the power he needed.
Slowly, the pair of them descended through the floors of Tubba Blubba's castle, unseen and unheard by anyone. But, the Boo would get startled by every little sound, and Skolar would have to calm him down to keep him from abandoning him altogether.
"Just… be still… I believe we're almost there…" Skolar said gently. Even this little bit of communication seemed to drain the Star Spirit's strength. Somehow, the frightened Boo was able to keep it together long enough to transport them to the large double doors that led outside.
"Okay! Y-you're good, right?" the terrified ghost asked, eager to disappear from there as quickly as possible.
"Yes." Skolar said. "I believe I can handle it from here. Thank you." Without a moment's hesitation, the Boo disappeared from sight and Skolar flew through the massive double doors of the haunted castle into the outside air.
The sun was setting on the horizon, bathing Gusty Gulch in golden light. Dust floated on the wind, but the air was warm.
Skolar was in such a weakened state when he made it outside that he couldn't go back to the sky at first. The star stared longingly up at the heavens, wishing he were strong enough to ascend to his home. Unfortunately, wishing wouldn't help him this time.
Knowing this, Skolar started down the windy hill. If he could just make it to Shooting Star Summit, he could take the leap to Star Haven. But, that would require passing through Forever Forest, a haunted wood where, if one wasn't careful, they would find themselves wandering hopelessly in circles.
The Star Spirit flew as fast as his power would permit, occasionally glancing over his shoulder and listening for the sounds of heavily thudding feet that would precede his pursuing captor.
He had passed through the ghost town at the foot of the hill with no signs that he was being followed. A few Boos traded curious glances as he passed. Skolar felt sort of sorry that they had to suffer under Tubba Blubba's tyranny.
Just outside the haunted village, a windmill stood, its large blades spinning slowly, creaking hypnotically in the breeze. Skolar had heard one of Tubba Blubba's minions talking about a secret that his master guarded in the mill, and that the monster could only be defeated if the secret were discovered. But, if Skolar could make it back to the sky, Mario wouldn't have to go through the trouble of searching for the secret and could then could devote his time to rescuing the other Star Spirits.
The sky blackened and the air grew colder as Skolar ventured into the thicket of trees that marked the entrance to Forever Forest. He had flown over the back gate of a large, eerie mansion, quickly passing by without a second glance. Now, he'd have to concentrate his efforts on getting through the forest.
Knowing that Tubba Blubba wouldn't pursue him this far, Skolar was able to put the giant, blue Koopa out of his mind. However, in addition to the Piranha Plants and Fuzzies that roamed the forest floor, there were many things to fear.
He started along the dark, eerie path, skirting around trees and bushes that blocked his way. Owls hooted in the tall trees overhead and ghostly howls pierced the air like sirens. Though the woods were dark, Skolar was able to make out some of the more intriguing aspects of the forests, such as the fragile pink flowers that fell from bushes and melted like snowflakes if one got too close to them, or the dimly glowing mushrooms that would flash at the slightest touch.
The star carefully scanned the environment, looking for the slight differences that indicated he was on the right path. However, the deeper into the forest he went, the more panic began to take hold on his mind. How long had he been wondering the woods? And what if Tubba Blubba had decided to come looking for him after all. Skolar would have to hurry if he wanted to make it out of the forest.
"Maybe around here…" he thought, hovering closer to a tree that cackled as he passed by, spooky red eyes glowing on the dark wood of its trunk. A shiver ran through him as he continued through the dense woods, looking for the light of the exit.
The forest air felt colder and began to press in all around him. A thumping on the ground startled him, and he turned sharply, only to find a Fuzzy bouncing along the path. Skolar's strength was failing him as well, and only thoughts of the starry sky kept him going.
He took another turn, and it became clear to him that something wasn't right. Things on the path seemed too familiar. Hadn't he seen those glowing mushrooms before? Had he been going in circles this whole time? "Mustn't… give… up…" the star whispered feebly to himself.
But, no matter how much he searched, the way back to Toad Town and Shooting Star Summit never seemed any closer. Skolar grew more worried with each passing second, no matter how much he tried to reassure himself that he'd find the way out.
Skolar was slowly flying by some of the melty pink flowers when he heard voices in the distance, laughter drifting on the wind towards him. It seemed to echo all around him, and he thought he heard voices amid the eerie cackling.
"Someone's wandering around the dark forest all alone."
"He must be lost."
The star glanced around him, hoping that it was possible the terrifying voices were referring to someone else. But, seeing as he was the only one around this area, he concluded that wasn't the case. The voices continued speaking, advancing closer until they encircled the Star Spirit. No one had appeared, so Skolar couldn't put faces to the speakers, but there was only one creature that he knew of in the universe that had the power to become invisible, and he deduced that he was now in the company of several Boos.
At that moment, the ghosts made themselves visible to Skolar's eyes, and were now floating in a ring around him, conversing with one another about the poor, lost, soul they had found.
"He's a Star Spirit!" one of them cried with mischievous glee.
"Let's take him back to Lady Bow! She can decide what to do with him." Another ghost suggested.
Though they could be quite mischievous at times, Skolar knew that most Boos were generally interested in scaring people for their amusement. However, by the way these ghosts were talking, it sounded like this would be the end of the road for him. Though the wise star had the ability to summon legions of shooting stars and send them crashing down to earth like meteors, a technique that would surely give the Boos a fright, he just didn't have the physical or mental strength to pull it off.
The Star Spirit grew uneasy as the ring of Boos tightened, closing in on him. Though he had indeed escaped from Tubba Blubba's castle, he was powerless to escape these tricky ghosts, and it looked like he would have to wait for Mario to rescue him after all.