Authoress' Notes: Here's Chapter 8 for ya, but be WARNED! This one's a bit deep and longwinded. There's one part I kinda borrowed from somebody on another website, but I asked permission and do not take credit for it. ALSO! There's a bit of sauciness in the first part! Not enough to run away and scream in horror about, but still saucy! Just a word of advice :)
Better Off Alone
Chapter 8: Devotion
Koops slowly opened his eyes to the sound of birds twittering around him. He sat up to realize, instead of on the Excess Express, he was in Petal Meadows. The sky was clear and blue with only a few lazy clouds hovering around.
He stood in confusion, brushing the flowers off his jacket. "...What's going on? How'd I get here...?"
"I brought you here..."
"Huh?" He turned around to the heavenly voice. If it weren't for her red-and-white striped hat, he never would've guess who this entrancing beauty was...
Amazee Dayzee petals were sprinkled in her hair, giving her entire body a dazzling glow of vitality as it swayed in the wind. The soothing breeze graced her adoringly, with her diaphanous dress of white fluttering like ripples in a stream. It gave her the appearance that she was floating above the ground, like an angel. Her silky gloves traveled up to her elbow and ended with a lacy pattern of flowers, which matched perfectly with her gown. She even had on Flurrie's favorite necklace and wore it well.
"Vivian?" Koops found himself walking to her in disbelief of how gorgeous she looked.
She smiled. "Yes?"
He gently grabbed her hands, his actions driven by an unknown force. "I... have to tell you something... really important..."
"What is it?"
He took a deep breath. "I... wanted to tell you that I... I love you... so much. I really do..."
Vivian nodded knowingly. "I know, Koops. And I love you, too..."
His heart skipped a beat. "Y-you do?"
She tugged on his jacket's collar. "Yes... With all my heart..."
Koops was ecstatic. He didn't know what to say. It was so easy... Just like that, he told her how he felt and she accepted. Unfortunately, he never planned it to go any further. What was he supposed to do now?
Her tail began to wrap around his legs, but he didn't mind; it was merely a sign of affection.
"I've always loved you. I just wanted to wait for the perfect time and the perfect place to say it..." she continued, her tail growing tighter around Koops' legs.
"I did, too. But I was scared you'd say no... because I'm such a weakling..."
"Of course not..." Vivian whispered. She held his cheeks and kissed him on the nose... It seemed like an eternity before she let go.
Afterwards, Koops was finding it hard to stand from such an overwhelming shock. "...W-what?"
"What's wrong?" She smiled. "Didn't you like it?"
Koops was stupefied. "I-I... y-you and w-we just... a-and... b-but i-it's..."
She put a finger to his lips. "Shh... It's okay. We're together now and nothing can ever pull us apart. Right?"
"Y-yeah..."
He winced painfully as Vivian once again tightened her tail around his legs and now his waist. At this point, it was really beginning to hurt...
"And now that we've finally gotten this thing off both our chests, we can explore our feelings even deeper..." She spoke with a hint of treachery.
"Huh?"
It now dawned on Koops that something about Vivian defiantly wasn't right. She seemed more... devious than her usual timid self. What was wrong with this picture?
"Don't worry. Just relax and everything will be over in a minute..." Without warning, Vivian pinned Koops to the ground and began kissing him again... Except it was a lot harder...
He pushed her off and coughed nervously. "Hey, wait a minute... Don't you think we're kinda rushing into this?"
"No... We're only expressing our feelings to each other in our own special way..."
"But not like this..." Koops tried not to look at her. "It's not right."
Vivian glowered under her hat. "What? You mean you don't love me?"
Koops knew that wasn't true. He loved Vivian with all his heart and more, but wasn't ready to start such an... intimate relationship. "We should wait... before we end up doing something we'll regret--"
Before he could finish, a sharp noise sounded, then a cutting pain stung his neck...
"Ow!" Koops threw Vivian off again, but in pain this time. He rubbed a sore spot on his neck and frowned at the warm, thick substance he felt upon it. Looking at his hand, stared in horror at what he saw.
The tips of his fingers were coated... with drops of blood...
Did she... Did she just bite him?
"I'm not taking no for an anssswer!" Vivian hissed.
...Hissed? Vivian hissed at him? ...What was happening?
The Shadow Siren's grasp had gotten to the point of almost crushing Koops. He coughed and sputtered as the weight of a Thwomp was slowly forced onto his lungs...
"Vivian... what are you... doing?" He struggled to breathe against her grip.
"I'm doing what I do to all my victimsss," came the sadistic reply. "If you're not going to cooperate, I might asss well crusssh you..."
Koops tried not to hyperventilate over her malicious threat. "W-what? You can't be serious... You're joking... right?"
She towered over him imperiously, a nasty forked tongue licking out between her lips. "Oh, how I wisssh I wasss..."
Vivian emphasized her point by tightening her hold. Fortunately for Koops, his smooth shell enabled him a sleek escape from the crushing grip. Free from her wrath, he sprinted off into the flower field... Or at least, that's what it used to be. It now resembled a battlefield; a barren wasteland for the dead and dying. The trees and plants were all horribly distorted, with the sky an ugly purple. Ominous black clouds crept about, overshadowing him with misfortune and despair as he ran.
"You cannot essscape!" Vivian hissed from behind, her voice leaking with poison.
"Vivian, listen to me!" Koops shouted, not looking back. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but I'm not your enemy!"
"No, Koopsss, you're not my enemy... YOU'RE MY PREY!" She dove for the fleeing Koopa, but missed and crashed into the ground.
The resulting shockwave caused him to trip and fall hard. As he rolled about on the ground, trying to regain balance, a long shadow hovered over Koops. Terrified, he looked up to see that this nightmare was only beginning...
Vivian was now a giant cobra, nearly 50 feet tall and glaring down at him. Her hood was inflamed, revealing a thick, lavender underbelly beneath her shiny, black scales. Her mouth was wide open in an ugly sneer, laughing at him madly while a blue tongue flickered about angrily. The teeth in her mouth were all so sharp and pointed, the longest ones oozing black acid. Her pupils were single dark slits, unmoving from their target.
"This isn't happening... This can't be happening..." Koops whimpered. He could already feel the tears stinging his eyes not only from disappointment, but fear...
Throwing her head back, Vivian started laughing. "It'sss sssuch a pity to sssee you like thisss... I though you'd be more of a challenge to catch!" Her now demonic voice vibrated.
Koops got up and continued running as fast as he possibly could. His eyes darted around in a panic, looking for somewhere to hide, someone to help, a sign of reality to this madness... Anything...
"You cannot get away!" boomed Vivian, her long body snapping like a whip as she dashed after him.
After what seemed like hours of listening to her maniacal laughter, Koops finally noticed Goombella standing out in the open, her expression vague and monotonous. Surely, she could help. Maybe she'd give him a good Headbonk and tell him this was all just a terrible nightmare...
"Goombella!" he panted. "Thank goodness you're here! Look, Vivian... She went crazy and... I mean, we were talking and stuff... and she just..."
The Goomba kept looking off into the distance with the same eerie dullness. "Did this 'talk' include holding hands?" she asked, sounding like a broken record.
Koops backed away in horror. "...What?"
"You have to be careful with who you trust or they could end up stealing something from you..." she smiled menacingly with the same lackluster appearance.
By this time, Koops was hysterical with panic and anguish. He felt like he was about to lose the little bit of sanity left in his already crazed mind...
He shook Goombella in desperation. "Tell me Vivian isn't a snake! She's NOT a snake! I... I know she's not..."
Suddenly, a huge shadow loomed over him, black acid hissing on the grass near his feet. "Ssshe can't help you know, Koopsss... NO ONE CAN!"
Koops turned around in time to see his reflection in Vivian's ugly fangs just as she launched herself towards him. He jumped into his shell to quickly shoot out of harm's way, but Vivian predicted this and violently slammed her jaws shut around him. She jerked her head back and tried to swallow her meal, only to realize nothing was in her throat and something was keeping her mouth from completely closing. Koops managed to grab the roof of her mouth and, using all his strength, gradually push it back open. Vivian's forked tongue licked around his body, hissing and growling at him like mad. Her hot breath reeked of sour venom, burning Koops' eyes and scorching his skin.
"Vivian..." he gagged from the noxious fumes, "Stop it..."
She put more pressure into her jaws, feeling his strength dwindling. "You're ssso gullible, Koopsss... I can't believe how easssily you let your guard down..."
Koops shut his eyes in pain. No... he never let his guard down and he wasn't at all gullible. He was trying to be nice to her...
But... was it really as a friend or something else?
He didn't have time to ponder, as he was slowly being crushed. He opened his eyes again to see Goombella standing in before him, under Vivian's forked tongue.
"I tried to warn you, but you didn't listen..." she mocked, a smug look on her face. "And now, you're going to die. Poor you..."
She started laughing manically, her evil snickers echoing in Vivian's closing mouth.
It continued... the disdainful scorn continued on until the darkness came... and it consumed him, with disgusting pleasure in the fright of his last scream...
"NO!" Koops sat up in a cold sweat, his throat dry and aching. Panic-stricken, he looked around to realize he was back in his room on the Excess Express; the subtle clatter of the train's machinery creating an eerie feeling to the sudden hush of realism.
It was morning again... This was their final day on the Excess Express.
Sighing, Koops placed a hand over his face, the shock still wearing off from his nightmarish delusion. He looked around again to notice Vivian still sleeping soundly, if not awkwardly, in the bed. The sheets and covers were wildly ruffled and trailing onto the floor almost like there'd been a struggle prior to his awakening. Nonetheless, her slender body was curved with the lopsidedness of the bed, while her snoring consisted of a soft hiss from her inhaling and exhaling... almost a like a snake's.
He turned away...
Vivian wasn't a snake... It was only a bad dream. Everyone has bad dreams at one time or another and he was no exception. It was impossible for her to be something so fierce and cold-hearted. She had a warm, gentle character...
His mind wasn't completely convinced, but Koops figured he would eventually come to his senses and understand how stupid it was to compare the siren to a lowly serpent.
He stood and picked up Vivian, placing her back into a normal sleeping position and throwing the covers over her. She added to this by grabbing the blankets and wrapping herself in them. As he looked upon her sleeping form, the dream came to mind again and he shuddered.
...Out of curiosity, he carefully fingered her jaw...
What are you doing? Checking to see if she has fangs?
Koops stopped. That was what he was doing, wasn't it?
Why check? You know she's not a snake, he told himself. You're an idiot...
The Koopa sat up and frowned. What was he doing? Researching Vivian like some kind of a science experiment? Why was he worried about what her teeth looked like? Was he losing his mind?
A sudden chill fell upon the room, creeping up and down Koops' spine and shell. Everything had become so deathly cold and uncomfortable in the last few minutes; the frosty air was practically dripping with heartless repugnance. Maybe he was thinking too much...
...Or maybe he was obsessed his conscious taunted.
With a sigh, Koops rose from leaning over the Shadow Siren and quietly exited the room. If there was one he did know about Vivian, it was her habit of sleeping for nearly a day.
This particular morning was quiet and uneventful. There was nothing to do, not much to see, and nothing was happening. Everything was so calm; the muted chugging of the wheels and the constant bumping of the train traveling the tracks was so relaxing. If listened to long enough, it would eventually lure them to sleep. Koops, on the other hand, found this noise to be stimulating as he sat in the dinning room pondering over the one thing about Vivian he couldn't figure out...
Why was he in love with her?
...He couldn't give himself a straight answer, just a vague assumption as to why.
Well, she was pretty cute... and a pleasure to look at... But why?
Maybe it was because of her species. Vivian was a Shadow Siren and sirens were infamous for their deceitful attitudes and tricks. They were strikingly lovely women who lured men to their deaths with their captivating looks and never got along well with other females... Could that be the reason why her sisters always picked on her?
But Vivian was so innocent. She hadn't done a single dishonest thing since she joined up with Mario, not to mention that she probably didn't have it in her.
Thinking back for a moment, Koops remembered something. It was about the ancient legend of the Crystal Stars. It was hazy, but he seemed to remember hearing about a trio of Shadow Sirens and the curses they placed on people when he was a toddler's age. By the time he'd been brought into the world, the legend was just a myth that no one took seriously. But he knew he'd heard of them somewhere before...
"Hey, Koops," Goombella called, snapping the Koopa out of his thoughts.
"Oh, good morning," he faintly greeted, finding himself reluctant from her scary role in the dream.
Joining him over in one of the window-side tables, she set her Fresh Juice down. "Where's Vivian?"
"Still sleeping. I didn't want to trip over something and wake her, so I came in here."
"I don't think you're that clumsy." She sipped her Fresh Juice. "So, are you bonding well with her?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. I saw you two snuggling together this morning..." Goombella smirked knowingly.
He started to panic. "...Oh! Please don't tell anybody else... I... We were only talking... and... then..."
"Stop freaking out. You know it's not a big deal. I'm just glad Vivian's finally beginning to warm up to you."
"Yeah... All she needed was a little time."
"Why don't you go wake her up and tell her breakfast is ready? She must be hungry."
Koops looked toward their cabin uneasily. "You think I should? I mean... she's still sleeping and..."
Goombella pushed him away from the table. "Oh, go on! You know she won't mind. I think we're the only ones awake, so we get first dibs on all the good stuff!"
"Okay, okay... I'm going..." He watched Goombella walk back to her seat and motion for him to go before he continued to their room.
On the way, he passed a few of his other partners coming out to get breakfast. He greeted each one with a "good morning" and received friendly salutations in return. Arriving at the right cabin, he peered in to check and see if Vivian was still sleeping.
He gently knocked. "You awake?"
Perched on the couch, Vivian flaunted her glowing hair and smiled. "Oh, there you are. I was starting to wonder where you where."
Her face was different somehow. It seemed more happy. Vivian's smiles were usually more fake or halfhearted, but this one was sincere...
"I went to get some breakfast," he replied. "You want anything?"
"Well, a Couple's Cake would be nice," she answered, twisting a finger in her curls. "The one from the other night was delicious."
"Um, okay, we can get that...if you want..."
"Are you coming with me?"
Koops gulped. Why was he so nervous? "S-sure..."
"Good, let's go then." With that, she shyly led him out and down the hallway.
How strange... The Vivian he knew before last night was nothing like this one. As awkward as it seemed, she actually looked much healthier than before. Her silky skin was more flourished and her lips were glossier; her entire body had a stronger texture to its already dainty shape. Comparing Vivian to herself upon their first meeting, she'd undergone a complete transformation in only a few days' time. It left Koops puzzled and, at the same time, content of her amazing progress...
Upon reentering the dinning room, Koops suddenly stopped and frowned. Something was wrong...
Aside from Mario, Goombella, Flurrie, Waffles, and Bobbery, no one else seemed to be in the normally hectic dining car. Ms. Mowz was the only exception, her disappearing skills anything but unusual at this point.
"What's going on?" asked Vivian. "Where is everybody?"
Goombella shrugged. "That's what I'd like to know. I thought everyone would be awake by now."
"Well, we stayed up pretty late last night, so they could still be sleeping," said Flurrie.
Although farfetched, that could've been a possibility. Then again, most of them had been guilty of staying up even later than most of the staff...
The dinning room was usually quiet as everyone sat scattered at several different tables, due to the lack of other passengers. The occasional clanking and scraping of utensils on plates were the only noises heard in the silent refectory. Not even the jovial Chef Shimi was in the kitchen, cheerfully cooking up dinner.
Goombella eyed the nearly empty area. "What is going on? It's already past noon and no one's even walked past here..."
"Maybe they've already eaten," Bobbery suggested.
"Now that I think about it, I haven't even seen anybody else since last night," Koops said. "It's like everyone just vanished into thin air."
"Who cares? That means more food for us!" Waffles said, taking a bite out of his breakfast.
"Pfft, that's so immature of you! Come on, Mario, let's go tell the engineer about this. He might know something."Goombella stood up, the plumber follwing her.
Waffles finished his food. "I still say it's no big deal. What could possibly get them? Those Smorg things?"
Flurrie shuddered. "I sure hope not."
"What do you propose we do while you're gone?" asked the salty Bob-omb.
Goombella checked her surroundings one last time. "You guys can keep an eye out if anyone shows up. We shouldn't be too long."
"Sure thing," Koops answered.
Vivian gently tugged on his sleeve. "You think something bad's going to happen to us?"
"I don't know, but don't worry about it. Whatever it is, Mario'll handle it..."
"Yeah, Gonzales has it all under control! No problem!"
"For all we know, it could be a surprise and everyone is actually hiding," Flurrie proposed.
"Yeah," assured Koops. "I bet they're going to jump out right about..."
No sooner had he spoke, the windows all throughout the train were suddenly darkened with black, splotchy blobs, all with their familiar uttering: "SMORG! SMORG! SMORG! SMORG! SMORG! SMORG! SMORG!"
Bobbery glared at the Smorgs, appalled. "What the...?"
"Guys!" Busting through the door, Goombella practically tripped. "It's those... those things again! We were just talking to the engineer about where all the passengers went, then they took over the entire window!"
Waffles pointed outside. "Dude! They've taken over the entire train!"
Horror darkened her face. "You mean they're all over the train?"
The Yoshi rolled his eyes. "Isn't that what I just said?"
"But how are we ever going to stop them from in here?" Flurrie though out loud.
"Oh, that one's easy."
"Huh?" Everyone looked over at the window-side tables to see Ms. Mowz with a Mushroom.
"What are you doing here?" Goombella demanded.
"Oh? What was that now?" Her ears twitched wildly. "Well, that's odd. I could've sworn I heard strange noises coming from inside the baggage car. Anyone else hear that? No? Maybe it was just me, then..."
"...She could be right, guys..." Koops said. "There might be some kind of back door in there."
"C'mon, let's go already! We can't stop 'em if we stand around here all day!" the Waffles nagged.
The Goomba obviously wasn't convinced. "How do we know she's not lying?"
"She's not! Come on!" Everyone collectively shouted, pushing her out.
By the time the group arrived in the baggage car, like Ms. Mowz said, Smorgs were pouring in through an opening leading from outside. The conductor and waitress scrambled amongst the madness to avoid the relentless attack of the black smudges, but ended up getting caught in the melee as well. There were so many Smorgs cluttering the room, it seemed like the very floor was moving. Despite the fact they were seriously outnumbered, Mario and the others attempted to at least get the Smorgs out the train. Unfortunately, they soon found out the annoying, black creatures were anything but to be underestimated.
"There's too many of 'em, Gonzales!" Waffles shouted, throwing an egg at the swarm of darkness.
Bobbery toppled over another clump of Smorgs with a forceful explosion. "I hate to say it, but I think we're outnumbered!"
"Oh, my gosh! They're like, everywhere and stuff!" the waitress squealed, wielding her silver platter around and smacking a few Smorgs.
As things went from bad to worse with Smorgs coming in by the thousands. From prior experience, Vivian knew only bright and hot things were their true weakness, the most effective being fire. Raising her hand, she quickly snapped her fingers; a quick burst of her smoldering flame stunned the Smorgs as they screeched in pain and bounded out the opening from whence they came.
Waffles dropped an egg, poised to throw it. "Wow, Vivian... We tried everything to get those things out of here! How'd you know that was going to work?"
"Smorgs don't like hot, bright things so... I figured that'd do the trick," she explained.
"But how did you know that?" Flurrie asked.
"Lucky guess?" she lied.
The conductor helped the waitress to her feet. "Whew... Thank goodness those creatures are gone. Are you okay?"
The Toad waitress dusted herself off. "I'm alright, but whatever that stuff was took the rest of the passengers!"
"I knew this place seemed a little too quiet today," Waffles said in a facetious manner.
Jumping across a few crates, Mario grabbed onto a thin ceiling pipe behind a mess of disordered luggage. He shimmied over to the Smorgs' escape route and to the top of the train. Obediently, everyone followed him out the back door and climbed a ladder leading to the roof.
On top of the speeding Excess Express, cold air blew fierce and strong in everybody's faces, making it hard to breathe. Trees and rocky cliffs whisked by in the distance, seen only as a jumble of green and brown blurs every few seconds. Like a plague, the ever-daunting amount of Smorgs raged around the train's exterior in annoyance of their continuous defeat.
"...Okay, Mario..." Goombella said, a tinge of fear in her voice. "No sweat, right? We can take these guys. It's no big deal, right? ...Yeah, it's no big deal..."
Waffles pushed her. "Stop acting like a wuss!"
"I'm not acting like a wuss!" She spat. "...I'm just trying to be careful..."
"Guys, save the fighting for that thing, okay?" Koops coolly spoke.
"Fine!" Goombella pouted. "Let's just get this over with..."
The raging battle with Smorg proved long and difficult. The enigmatic eyesore would occasionally grow three tentacles full of passengers and attack with them, dealing large amounts of damage to sometimes multiple partners. Throughout the battle, it changed into different forms, one of which resembled a crane that thrashed about in desperate attempts to crush its opponents. After several exchanges of powerful blows, and a few helpful hints from Goombella, Mario's crew soon figured out the Smorgs' attacking pattern, all the while, gradually whittling its energy down to a sparse level. Not long afterwards, the Smorgs and its Miasmas finally gave up the fight and detached from the roof in dizzy, clusters, the wind carrying them off to destinations unknown. Promptly following the grotesque monster's celebrated defeat, it left behind the captive passengers; no one seriously injured by the escapade. With all hands present and accounted for, they gladly followed Mario back through the back door to resume their regular train schedule in peace.
As always, Mario received the many thanks, gratitude, and comments of "I can't believe you did that!" from the locomotive's customary residents. They spent the rest of the congratulatory voyage with chitchat and gossip about the earlier skirmish, from both the fighters and the victims.
Several hours later, the train came to the stop everyone'd been waiting for: Poshley Heights. The relieved travelers all disembarked gladly, afraid the longer they stayed on, the more likely something weird was about to happen.
"Finally! I thought I'd never get off that crazy train!" Goombella sighed loudly, accompanying the others in walking down an exquisite stairway into the central metropolis.
"Quit whining. It wasn't that bad," Waffles retorted.
Goombella glared at him. "What?"
Koops separated the two. "C'mon, stop it... We need to get Crystal Star, remember?"
"Can we find it after I cream Waffles?" Goombella growled.
Not being one for pointless fights, Mario walked on into the ritzy town to look for the star himself, as Koops and the others tried to quell Goombella and Waffles' fighting. It wasn't long before his posse realized he was gone and, abandoning their squabble, ran to catch up with him. They soon came to a large building in the edge of town.
Mario looked at the map then showed it to Goombella, who confirmed his assumption with a nod. "Yeah, that's the Poshley Sanctum. You think the Crystal Star's in there?"
"Well, what are we standing around out here for? I say we go in!" Waffles demanded.
Koops pointed to a padlock securing the handles. "I don't think we can. The door's locked..."
Suddenly, Goombella's mouth dropped. "Aw, come on!"
Flurrie glanced at her. "What?"
The Goomba scowled at a letter tacked on the door. "There's a note here that says the manager of this place went on a vacation and won't be back for two weeks!"
Waffles grabbed Bobbery. "Don't worry about it! We can use Captain 'Stache here to blow the door open!"
"Unhand me at once, you little ruffian!" the admiral fumed. "Breaking and entering is strictly beyond my policy and illegal!"
"He's right, Waffles. Don't do anything crazy..." Koops warned.
Goombella pulled on the padlock, sticking her tongue out at its awful, metallic taste. "There's gotta be some other way to get there..."
"Ah, Luigi and company, I presume!"
Everyone turned their heads to see Pennington walking up the staircase, a ring of keys in hand. "Are you trying to get in, or something?"
"No, we're trying to blow the door down," the Yoshi dryly replied.
"It's no use. We do need to get in, but the door's locked and the manager's on vacation!" Goombella demonstrated by pulling on the lock again, gagging at the aftertaste.
"Luckily for you, I happen to be that manager, this happens to be my domicile, and my vacation happens to be over!"
"But I thought you were a detective," Koops said.
"Only on the side, you see," Pennington answered, unlocking the door. "It puts bread on the table, so I guess you could call it a hobby of mine."
"Some hobby," Waffles curtly remarked.
Entering the sanctum, everyone quickly found themselves shocked to see none other than Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss huddled around the sparkling star at the far end of the building.
"It looks like you're too late, Mario!" Beldam cackled as she grabbed the Crystal Star. "I'll be taking this, if you don't mind!"
"Hey, put that back! It doesn't belong to you losers!" shouted Waffles.
"How about NO?" Doopliss taunted. "You can't touch us now, Slick! We've beaten you to the punch! Why, I bet you--" Beldam whacked him over the head with the Crystal Star.
"Shut up! We got what we've come for, so we might as well be off. There's no point trying to argue with the likes of you idiots." She glowered at the younger sister, who cowered beside Koops. "And as for you, Vivian..."
"Beldam, I..."
"Don't bother coming back with us... EVER!" Vivian flinched at her harsh tone. "I've seen more than enough betrayal from you to know whose side you're really on... Not only have you disgraced your own kind, but you've insulted our very sovereign!"
"I'm... I'm sorry..."
"Is that all you can say? 'Sorry?' I swear, you're like a broken record; Useless and repetitive!"
Vivian turned away, more embarrassed than ashamed of being yelled at in front of her friends. "Please... stop yelling... I'm..."
"Oh! Let me guess! You're sorry! Am I right?"
She didn't answer.
"I said, AM I RIGHT?"
"Leave her alone!"
Everyone looked at the Koopa in shock, impressed by the startling occurrence. Vivian joined them gawking, mouth slightly agape from his stroke of bravery.
Beldam frowned. "What?"
"I said... leave her alone," he repeated. Despite his conscious insisting him to stop, Koops tried his best to look and sound stern. "Why are you always picking on Vivian like that? ...What'd she ever do to you?"
Goombella backed him up. "You're probably just jealous she's not there for you to torture anymore!"
"Yeah! Lay off! Vivian's on our side now, so deal with it!" retorted Waffles.
"At least Vivian is warmly welcomed with us, you vile thing, you!" Flurrie added.
"What kind of sister treats her own flesh and blood with such brutality?" Bobbery joined in.
Vivian gazed upon these individuals protecting her. They were all so idiosyncratic, but worked together as a team. She couldn't believe how eagerly they came to her aid. Only true friends did things like that...
Beldam scoffed. "You mean you're actually standing up for that pathetic little worm? Either you're extremely foolish, or extremely desperate to ever show sympathy for such a worthless failure!"
"And you must be pretty stupid if you think we're gonna let you get away with the Crystal Star!" Waffles threatened, making a mad dash for the trio.
Unfortunately for the headstrong Yoshi, Marilyn was able to grab him before he reached his target, holding him up and away from the elder siren.
"Hey! Lemme go!" Waffles struggled, hanging by his diapers in her grasp.
"You can keep that traitorous wench... Let her drown in her own sorrow for all I care. Marilyn, Freak-sheet, let's get out of here... and leave that nuisance for these losers to deal with!" Beldam disappeared into the shadows with the star.
"Guh-huh..." Marilyn followed her, dropping Waffles in the process.
"Hey! HEY! Stop it! You guys know I can't do that! Wait!" Doopliss jumped out the broken window in a panic.
Waffles shook a fist. "Yeah, you better run, wusses! Or else Gonzales'll kick your sorry--"
"Don't listen to her, Vivian. She's just a big jerk who doesn't care about other people's feelings!" Goombella shouted, more towards Beldam than speaking to her.
"Yeah, forget about her..." Koops consoled.
"All right..."
"Hmm! Yes, well, I have absolutely no idea what just transpired here, but I can deduce that it might've pertained to the young lady in the red and white hat!" Pennington announced.
"Thanks for the update, Sherlock," Waffles replied sarcastically.
"But how are we ever going to get the Crystal Star back? Beldam must be long gone with it by now," Flurrie said.
Pennington fixed his cap. "Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say those hooligans just stole a red herring of this 'Crystal Star'!"
"A what?" asked Koops.
"Do you by any chance mean the fish herring, good sir?" Bobbery frowned.
"No, no, no! What I mean to say is that they only took a fake! A fraud! A diversion from the real thing! It was phony, false, counterfeit, and as you hip people like to say, 'Totally bogus'," explained the penguin with the improbably large brain.
"Then where's the real one?" questioned Goombella.
Pennington walked over to Mario. "For security breach reasons, I'm sorry to say that I can't tell you that. However, you have Luigi on your side! I'm sure he can use his skills to find that Crystal Star thing for you. Am I right in saying so? I should be!"
Waffles made a face. "You don't know where it is, do you?"
Despite Pennington's outrageous claims, everyone set out to look for the real Garnet Crystal Star. The sanctum wasn't very big, but unusually empty, which made the search particularly easy. They looked under curtains and scanned behind the large painting in the rear, while Mario used his Spring Jump to walk around on higher platforms and beams. Eventually, Bobbery came across a pipe behind one of the drapes, well-hidden due its similar color. The group appeared skeptical of where it went exactly, so Mario volunteered to test it out. It wasn't long before the plumber reemerged with, to everyone's surprise, the Garnet Crystal Star.
Waffles scratched his head. "Wow... That was... kinda easy,"
"...So, that's where it was... I knew it either had to be in there or--I mean, bravo!" Pennington corrected himself. "Consider your great find a gift from a fellow detective. I'll just put another red herring in its place. It's not like it has any real value, am I right?"
Bobbery coughed loudly. "Yes, completely rubbish... Not at all of any worth or significance."
"I guess we should go back to the Thousand-Year Door and put this Crystal Star in its place," Goombella alleged.
"Nonsense!" Pennington interrupted. "The only way in or out of Poshley Heights is via the Excess Express, which won't be running again until tomorrow. You can all rest in the hotel down the street awaiting then."
"But I'm almost certain the price for all of us staying for a night would be quite steep," the Cloud Spirit said.
Waffles checked his diaper for spare change, finding nothing. "Yeah, Gonzales. I don't think we have enough money."
"Once again, nonsense! I'm also inclined to repay you again by taking care of that ridiculous hotel fee," the detective offered.
"Really, now?" Bobbery perked up. "I must say, that's quite generous of you, old chap."
Pennington smiled haughtily. "Yes, it is quite generous, but think nothing of it! It's most likely the least I can do."
Not long after, Pennington led the rest to the Poshley Hotel, which was a stunning sight to behold in itself, especially the interior. The lobby was small, but its expensive wallpaper and carpeting more than made up for its size. Near the end of the decorated foyer, amongst the comfy chairs and furniture, luscious streams of clear water cascaded serenely outside the sterilely clean windows. Even the elevator shone proudly with its recently-polished door frame, complete with shiny buttons just ready and waiting to be pushed.
"Well, hello and good evening to you, sirs and ma'ams," the hotel receptionist, a Toad, greeted. "Will you all be staying today?"
Pennington stepped forward. "Yes, seven individuals with seven different rooms, please."
"You mean we can get our own rooms?" Koops asked, thinking it sounded too good to be true.
"Do we hafta pay extra for that?" Waffles grumbled.
"Well, the usual fee for an entire party to one room is 30 coins, and if you want to go separately, it's 50 coins for each room. There's eight in your group, so that'd be..." the Toad stopped and counted. "...about 400 coins."
"Good thing it's not on us..." the Yoshi muttered.
"Waffles!" Goombella scolded.
"Well, it's not!"
Taking the money from Pennington, the Toad gave each partner and Mario a ticket with two numbers. "Okay, you're all checked in to stay for the next 24 hours. The numbers I gave are your floor and room numbers. And if you need anything at all, just come back here and ask!"
"Great," Koops smiled. "It'll be good to finally relax and not worry about some evil monster bent on world domination trying to kill us."
"Yes, well, I should be heading back to the sanctum now. After those strangers took my main attraction, it's probably bothering people with its... emptiness," Pennington stated, as he headed out the entrance.
With all of the accommodations evenly distributed, the party boarded the elevator to their floors and rooms.
Getting to her room, the Shadow Siren set her items onto the bedspread; the Boo's Sheet Koops gave her, the Peach Tart from the friendly innkeeper in Rogueport, and the Power Jump badge she received from Ms. Mowz two nights ago.
Vivian picked up the badge and looked it over. I really need to give this to Mario... It's not like I can use it, she laughed to herself.
A knock at the door brought her back to reality. She called, "Who is it?"
"Um, it's me..." was the familiar reply.
Hearing his voice, Vivian nearly tripped over herself in quickly trying to reach the door. She blushed at her silly eagerness and opened it. "Hi, Koops..."
He walked in with a Choco Cake slice. "Hi... Uh, they had these downstairs for new hotel guests, so I got one for you."
Taking it, she smiled. "That's so sweet, thank you. Where's yours?"
"Uh... there were only a few slices left and I kinda gave them to Goombella and Flurrie," Koops sheepishly admitted.
"You mean you didn't get any?"
"No... But it's okay. Ladies first, y'know."
She beamed brightly and looked for something to pay him back with. Seeing the Peach Tart, she handed it to him. "Here. It's the second best thing."
"No, don't. It's--" He stopped mid-sentence as Vivian placed the pink pastry in his hands.
"Take it. You deserve more, but that's pretty much all I have."
Koops took the Peach Tart, somewhat embarrassed. "...Thanks..."
"All right..." Vivian searched frantically for a polite way to end the conversation. "I'll see you again later sometime, okay?"
"Okay."
She gently closed the door, locking it back for privacy, Koops believed. He began to tread away slowly, blushing at the backfiring of his plan.
About the Choco Cake being offered downstairs for new guests... That was a lie.
Choco Cakes were handed out as a request and Koops only asked for one. He never even went to Flurrie or Goombella's rooms. All he wanted was to be near Vivian again and make her... happy.
Instead, everything ended up in a flop, as Vivian repaid his polite endeavor with a present of her own. Of course, he didn't mind this at all, but it just seemed to utterly rob his good deed of its significance...
"Koops?"
Startled, he turned around. "Huh?"
The Shadow Siren stood there, looking a little embarrassed. "Um... if it's not too much trouble... you think you can grab me a fork to eat this with, please?"
He answered her with a smile. "Why don't we both go get one?"
Vivian involuntarily puckered her lips in confusion for a moment. She then blushed. "Okay... We'll both go..."
Together, the two boarded the elevator to fetch their utensils, unaware of a stranger in white watching their every move. She stood carefully behing a curtain, her heart-shaped tail twitching madly...
"One shouldn't make friends with the enemy so easily, Koops," she whispered. "Vivian may be your ally, but there is always calm before the storm... Be wary, my friend, be wary..."
"From the dark remnants of the eternal darkness, an appointed heir will take her place as the new Shadow Queen. Her sinister rule will poison the lands and consume the souls of any unfortunate mortal cursed with existence. The days afterward will all be pained ones; life will have little more purpose than to serve this accursed fiend. Escape by death is a fool's dream as it will torture your soul as punishment, and those who oppose will stand knee deep in the blood of their loved ones. True to her name, she is but the shadow of merciless fire and destruction and the world will suffer her inferno of desolation."
...So it shall be written... So it shall be done...
The rest of the afternoon was like a break everyone needed. Everyone spent the evening relaxing outside, enjoying the hotel or taking a tour of Poshley Heights. Mario and Ms. Mowz went off searching for hidden items, finding quite a few useful objects in bushes and behind fences. Goombella joined them in their hunt, sparring with the rodent all the way. Waffles ran about the municipality, practicing his moves and battling strategies, sometimes accidentally colliding with the occasional bystander. Bobbery and Flurrie passed their time by socializing with Poshley Heights' residents, exchanging stories about the finer things in life and its aristocratic values. Unlike the others, Vivian and Koops stayed inside the hotel enjoying each other's company and talking about their individual preferences.
When all was said and done, each partner had to admit their day was enjoyable and well worth the struggle. It more than made up for the last three days it took for them to arrive. As night was fast approaching, the team began to recall and discuss their last battle amongst themselves...
"What about the part when I hit its tentacles straight on?"
"No, you didn't! Bobbery did that!"
"Bobbery couldn't even reach the tentacles!"
"If I remember correctly, I think it was Mario who destroyed the Smorg's appendages."
"...Yes, I'm quite certain it was..."
"Wait, weren't there three of them?
"I think I got the third one..."
"...but Mario got the main... thing..."
"Do you think we really got rid of it? It just kinda flew off the train afterwards..."
"It could still be in... wherever we were at the time..."
"Who cares? It ain't buggin' us!"
"Waffles!"
"Well, it's not! We don't even know where it went, for crying out loud! Do you wanna go looking for it in the middle of nowhere?"
"No, but that's not the point!"
"And if it does strike again, we will demolish it once again; simple as that."
"You think it'll attack the train again?"
"Probably."
"Don't say that!"
"Why?"
"Because it gives me the creeps!"
"I still can't believe you're afraid of a couple of puny, little Smorgs!"
"Look, they creep me out, okay? I'm not scared of them, but I don't want them anywhere near me!"
"Then that means you're scared of 'em!"
"NO, I'M NOT!"
"Shh! Not too loud, guys..."
"Goombella, what time is the train leaving tomorrow?"
"Pretty early. Around 10:30."
"You mean in the morning?"
"Uh, duh..."
"In that case, we should all be off to bed. We surely wouldn't want to miss it."
"Yeah..."
"I'm getting sleepy anyway..."
"If we're late for that train tomorrow, we're gonna have to start sleeping outside. I don't think Pennington'll pay for another night..."
Koops stood and headed for the elevator, followed by everyone else except Mario, as he was already on his own floor. As the elevator gradually went down, each partner got off on a different floor and said their good nights before heading off to their rooms. First Bobbery, then Waffles, Flurrie, and finally, Goombella. Arriving at his floor, Koops started to get off, but turned to notice Vivian still in the back, quietly fingering the seams of her gloves.
"Vivian?"
"Huh?"
"You've been pretty quiet today..."
"Oh, well that's only because... I don't have anything to say..."
"Okay. Is this your floor?"
"...No. I'm on the fourth one."
"But we already passed that."
"I know..."
"Then why--?"
Vivian's eyes darted about underneath her hat as she scrambled to think of an answer. "Uh... I want to... go get some Choco Cake..."
"Oh. Well, good night..."
"Good night..."
The elevator doors closed and Koops went to his room. He didn't bother turning on the light; it was late and sleep was imminent. As he lay on the plush bed, admiring the baroque walls and furniture, he began to wonder of his frightening dream from last night and what message it was trying to project.
Not to mention how unusual Vivian was acting...
"Hello, again... Remember me?" came the familiar soothing of a voice.
"Ms. Mowz?"
The sly rodent emerged from a dim space underneath the window. Stepping into the moonlight leaking through the pane, her glossy, white coat gleamed like a pearl. "Yes, that's right. I seem to sense a feeling of insecurity in here. Anything wrong?"
Koops tried not to look surprised. Ms. Mowz knew practically everything about anything, so there was no point in being shocked anymore. "...Well... it's something I dreamt about..."
"A dream, is it?" She nodded in understanding. "Yes, a mental vision of one's inner structure and profound mind."
"This was more like some kind of a nightmare. I dreamt that Vivian... she... she turned into a snake... It was really awful..."
"Maybe your dream was trying to tell you something; a warning, perhaps."
"Huh?"
"I could be wrong and it was only a minor inconvenience, but then again, it could've had a deeper, more philosophical meaning to it."
"What meaning? Everything about that dream was wrong..." Koops seemed determined to convince himself this was true.
"Vivian may not be a snake in personality, but have you ever considered that she might be a metaphor of one?"
Koops sighed, starting to get a little annoyed. "No, that's... that's crazy. Okay, yeah, I know Vivian's a little different, but she's not that different."
"Then tell me... Exactly how much do you know about her? Do you know where she came from? Or her general turf? Do you even know where to find more like her?"
"No, but what's that got to do with anything?"
"You've only known her for a short time and as that time grows, so will your friendship and so will your knowledge on Vivian's backstory."
Koops noticed she was starting to stray from the subject. "Then, what does the dream mean?"
"It means that some things are better kept a secret, while others are meant to be revealed. People are always trying to dig deeper and deeper to find out all the mysteries that plague their mind... yet some are disappointed and in some cases, severely punished from their discovery, ruing upon what they're released. Do you think you're ready to discover Vivian's mysteries? Do you think you have the willpower to handle her hidden secrets?"
Koops sat speechless, surprised by the issue's recondite significance.
Was he really ready to learn more? Maybe the subject of Vivian's history was meant to be kept a secret. He felt like he shouldn't be trying to pry any further into the matter. Ms. Mowz's deep elucidation of the subject haunted him with a lingering feeling of fear and intimidation... Then again, it was for Vivian's sake. He'd made up his mind long ago about his intentions and turning back now would seem as a waste of time on his part.
The mouse broke his pondering silence. "Listen, Koops. I understand your feelings for Vivian and I'm sure she has hers for you, but one shouldn't rush into things so recklessly. You've only begun to understand her ways. Like her unique ability, Vivian herself is veiled in myriad of legends."
Koops groaned. "Man... all this thinking's giving me a headache..."
"Don't worry yourself over it, now. Everything will become clear in due time. You most likely won't find the answer to all your questions today, tomorrow, or next week... You only need to comprehend to understand."
"...Don't those two words mean the same thing?"
"On the outside maybe, but to truly see the importance of it. You must be ready to accept what is given to you and not try to chance facts, despite whether you like them or not. Right now, you're far from ready to adhere to such high standards," she calmly said.
Koops sighed again. "Yeah, I guess--"
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a faint knocking at the door, a soft voice calling, "Koops?"
The startled Koopa looked at the door as Ms. Mowz spoke again. "Well, I'm assuming that means our time together must come to an end, sweetheart. Maybe I can tell you more in our next little seminar of complexity and confusion," she faintly chuckled.
"No, wait. I--"
Turning back to quickly finish with Ms. Mowz, Koops was shocked to see she'd already disappeared without a trace. He kept staring at the floor, noticing not even her imprint was left on the plush carpeting. He began to wonder if she was ever there to begin with...
He turned to the door again in time for Vivian to appear out of the shadows.
"Sorry," she apologized. "When you didn't answer, I thought something was wrong..."
"Oh," he remarked, caught off guard. "No, nothing's wrong in here..."
"Well... They were handing these out for free downstairs, so I got you one." She held out an Electro Pop and a Fire Pop for him to pick from.
They didn't have any more Choco Cake."
Koops chose the Electro Pop. "Thanks."
Vivian took a lick from her Fire Pop, sitting on the bed. "Today was a good day, huh?"
"Yeah. We saved a train and got a Crystal Star. That's two accomplishments in one." He licked the candy off his lips. It left the tangy flavor of sugary lemon on his tongue.
"Actually, I've been having... a lot of fun... since I joined you guys," Vivian said in-between licks.
Koops nodded. "Me, too. I've seen so many things and places I didn't even know existed."
"What do you think's going to happen when we get the last Crystal Star?"
"Well... I don't really know. I think we'll use them to open the Thousand-Year Door."
"And then?"
Koops shrugged. "No idea. You can ask Goombella and see if she knows."
Vivian nodded, remembering how she said the train was leaving early the next day. She turned her attention to the clock on the wall, surprised it was almost midnight. "Ooh, it's getting late."
"Time must really fly when you're having fun, huh?" Koops lamely remarked, mentally kicking himself for saying something so stupid.
Vivian smiled. "Well, I guess I should get back to my room now." She placed a hand on his. "We should do this more often."
Koops practically choked on his Electro Pop. "Uh-huh," he nodded quickly, his candy on the verge of lodging itself in his throat.
"Okay then..." She started to say something else, but abruptly stopped.
He felt a gentle touch against his face. It was a short, soft, and sweet feeling... The same kind his mother used to shower him with. The lollipop slid out his throat and almost to the floor, only for Vivian to catch it...
Before Koops could even blink, it was over. Vivian stood innocently in front of him with both candies, her dark body melding into the obscurity in of the room.
...Was that... was that a kiss? Surely it couldn't have been. Vivian wouldn't do something like that... Would she?
"Koops? Are you okay?" She asked in a quasi-false tone. "You dropped your Electro Pop."
"Oh, yeah. I kinda... choked on it..." Koops improvised, taking back the swirly-coated lollipop.
"Be more careful," she playfully teased, while walking to the door. "Good night, Koops. See you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay..."
Koops frowned for a second. Vivian seemed to be... swaggering... as she walked out and closed the door behind her.
Technically, Vivian always had a swaying motion to her body. She didn't have any legs, so that was just the way she walked... But this time was different. This time, her swaying was much too obvious to go unnoticed. Did she do that on purpose to catch his attention? Or could it've been a result of her undeveloped structure?
Then it struck Koops like a Courage Shell to the head.
Could she have been trying to... flirt with him?
It didn't sound right. With all the words he could use to describe Vivian, the term "flirt" never once came to mind. It was probably just her way of getting off the bed... Yeah, that had to be it...
Discarding his tenuous thoughts and finishing his Electro Pop, Koops walked to a bathroom across the hall to wash and ready himself for bed. Looking into the mirror, he started to apply a warm washcloth to the sticky, yellow remnants of the candy around his mouth.
...Then he noticed a small, red smear on his right cheek. For a split second, he panicked, thinking it was blood, but the smear wasn't a blood red color; it appeared more of a cherry red... Koops cautiously fingered the smudge, only to realize it had a sticky texture.
Almost like his Electro Pop...
Almost like Vivian's Fire Pop...
Authoress' Notes: Whew! It's finally done! Sorry for the long dialogue, but I wanted to enhance the partners' personalities a little. I'm thinking of making a sequel to this, but I'm sparse in ideas right now. Do you think I should go through with it? Tell me in your reviews! Also, was that dream sequence creepy, or WHAT? XD