Authoress' Notes: Well, whaddya know? It looks like it's my 17th birthday's today! A few b-day wishes with your reviews would be nice... :)
Better Off Alone
Chapter 13: Revelation (Part I)
...So this was it... There was definitely no turning back now... not like that was one of their options to begin with...
Grodus was in the room up ahead, holding Peach captive... All they had to do was defeat him and save her... But what exactly were they going up against? Was he stronger than Gloomtail? Tougher than Magnus von Grapple 2.0? More annoying than the Shadow Sirens? No one could be certain. He just needed to be stopped at all costs.
...But she was starting to have those feelings again...
Her hair began to stand on end... Her skin crawled with goosebumps... She was starting to experience little cramps around her stomach and chest area...
Something bad was about to happen. She just knew it.
...What if Grodus had already awakened the queen and was waiting for them to walk right into his trap? For all she knew, the Shadow Queen was poised to strike all her friends down with the flick of a finger... and their radiant path to victory would abruptly end in a solemn dirge of failure. Vivian wasn't worried for herself, as the queen was her mother and would never lay waste to her favored daughter.
...It was her companions' lives she feared for. All of them were so optimistic about completing such a great task that they failed to ponder over what they could be up against. The queen was much, much stronger than Grodus, while Beldam's harassments were child's play in comparison; not even Gloomtail could hold a candle to her power.
They walked through what seemed like the millionth door and into a new room that was unlike any other one they'd seen so far. As big and spacious as it was, most of the room was littered with thick pillars and large mainstays with bronze-trimmed arches etched into them, leaving only the main path void of any obstacles. There was also a quintet of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, similar to the countless amounts seen in other rooms. The center one was the largest of them all, filled with dying torches and molded wax.
Several candles on the chandeliers burnt with a peculiar sound upon their entry; it would occasionally get louder and louder, creating the feeling of a raging inferno in that very room. Then it would slowly fade away, and the inferno died back down to a small cluster of candles, barely able to stay lit on their clammy bases.
It one of those crazy illusions that would occasionally happen if one stayed still for too long, their minds filled with nothing but the damp, putrid smell of carcasses rotting nearby under some floorboards. Vivian knew this palace was made as a torture chamber to kill all intruders... and if it couldn't do that, it'd drive them insane so that they'd eventually killthemselves.
They finally arrived at another door, but somehow, everyone knew it led to Grodus...
Koops himself was starting to get restless. What started as a playful trek down the long, dark road suddenly turned into a time of serious matters. Waffles was no longer joking about the 'moldy, old Swoopulas' stinking up the hallway and Goombella's taunting of the 'Luigi-fan' Phantom Embers had come to a standstill. A word hadn't been said since the room before last and it made him feel like something was wrong.
The Shadow Siren was also beginning to feel a little edgy. Koops noted her odd behavior. She seemed unusually terrified... Well, Vivian was always on the edge of being terrified of something, but that was due to her constant insecurity. He felt whatever she feared now wasn't to be taken very lightly...
No one uttered a word as Mario pushed open the door, revealing the next room. A new sight to everyone but Vivian, it was wide and spacious, with most of the forward view blocked off by a large platform and some stairs.
"This room..." Goombella finally said. "It feels so... weird..."
"Really?" mocked Waffles. "Well, that's strange, especially considering how this room looks exactly like every other room in the stupid place!"
"I don't think that's what she meant," Bobbery intruded.
Koops looked up the short staircase they faced. "And I don't think we're getting anywhere by standing around arguing."
One by one, each partner followed Mario up the stairs until they reached the top. At the end of the room, Grodus sat in the throne and stood upon seeing them. ...But what really made him annoyed was seeing his perfect specimen tag along. She nervously followed their every move, staying as far away from the front as possible. As far as he was concerned, not only was the princess his property, but the siren also belonged to him.
"Mario...You are the one who has spoiled my plans, defeated my best lines of defense, and destroyed my home base... I can't say I'm exactly pleased by your interference. "
He took a few steps forward before stabbing his staff into the carpet as a stern warning of his short temper.
"Your foolishness ends here... The Shadow Sirens, Lord Crump, and the X-Nauts... My subjects have all either turned against me or have failed in their duties miserably. I've come to believe if one is to have absolutely anything done, he must do it for himself."
"And that's exactly why we're here to stop you!" shouted Goombella.
"This may be difficult for you to undertsand, but I simply cannot let myself be defeated. Your threats are frail and pathetic, they almost make me feel sorry for when I destroy you... almost..."
He waved his staff about, creating four Grodus X's, and enveloped himself in one of his Shield Guards.
"Ha! Like that'll ever work! We'll just bust through it!" Waffles grabbed Bobbery and hurled him at Grodus. "There! Howddya like that?"
"FOOLS!" he bellowed. The smoke from Bobbery's explosion slowly cleared, revealing Grodus to be unharmed inside the Shield Guard. "Do you think I'm joking when I say I cannot be defeated? I promise to make your downfall as painfall as I possibly can! Now, come! Enough of this senselessness! The time is nigh to decide the Crystal Stars' fate once and for all!"
Mario, who'd apparently had enough of the continuous onslaught of threats, started the attack. Goombella follwed, as did Koops and everybody else. Vivian knew it was useless to go jumping in on Grodus like that. As long as the Grodus X were at his disposal, he really couldn't be defeated.
The others thew everything they had at the robed overlord, yet nothing seemed to be working. On top of that, the Grodus X would occasionally lash out and strike them with unbelievable force. And because they were so fast, it was almost impossible to avoid them.
He may've made a fool of her back on the moon, but she had new confidence now... Holding both hands out, the she began to concentrate.
"You, siren!" demanded Grodus. "What're you doing?"
Instead of answering, Vivian let her hands do the talking. Snapping her fingers together, her palms set on fire. In a flash, the Grodus X were dancing about, engulfed in flames. They eventually fell to the ground as scorched corpses. The Shield Guard around Grodus shattered into a thousand pieces; its broken glass-like fragments scattered all over the floor, forcing the commander to shelter his face with an infuriated growl.
"Wow! Great going, Vivian!" complemented Goombella.
"Now, let's see how tough you are without your stupid... uh... whatever those things were!" Waffles picked up Bobbery and tossed him at Grodus again. The Bob-omb exploded on impact, causing him undeniable pain.
Koops attacked next, pulling into his shell and sprinting across the floor with a Shell Slam attack. He hit his target quite hard, almost making him fall over. Goombella threw in her effort by Multibonking and Waffles followed her up by throwing several eggs. Grodus summoned two more Grodus X before Flurrie had a chance to use her Gale Force, allowing the following wind to blow them away.
"Hey, we can just use Flurrie to get those things out of our way!" pointed out Goombella. "This fight's gonna be a piece of cake!"
"Well, that's delightful! I had a feeling it wouldn't work on the big brute anyway," Flurrie sheepishly admitted.
Mario pounced on Grodus several times, barely dodging his barrage of white flames. Koops attacked next, his shell not affected by the lingering fire. Their opponent tried to summon his Grodus X's again, but Flurrie blew them away and Waffles' egg made a direct hit. Vivian decided to get her two cents in and socked Grodus right in the face. The feeling of her fist making contact excited her; She wanted to attack again!
...But she had to wait, as it was Mario's turn. He used it well, bashing the boss' computerized head with his Hammer. Vivian quickly caught herself and noticed how oddly aroused she was becoming as the brawl went on.
...It scared her. It really did.
The battle raged on for several minutes with the same attacks patterns and the same results. Grodus summoned some Grodus X's, Flurrie got rid of them, someone atacked, then Grodus attacked, ususally missing. Vivian was feeling a little better about saving the princess. But then again...
She couldn't believe Grodus was that much of a pushover... He had to have something else up his sleeve to be fighting so effortlessly. Either that, or something was wrong with her. Or maybe it was because she had help this time. Eight against one did seem kind of unfair, but as easy as he was, Grodus did manage to land a few heavy hits every now and again. It was all evened out, regardless.
Finally realizing he was fighting a losing battle, Grodus stopped and backed away. He'd sustained much injury, including deep cracks to his glass dome with the inside malfunctioning. "Your skills are more impressive than first thought... But even I anticipated this as happening..."
"Why don't you stop trying to sound so important and admit deafeat already?" voiced Koops.
"One does not experience defeat until he is out of options... and if that's the case, I have only begun to fight!"
He outstrecthed his arm, rod in hand and emitted a strange aura. He sharply turned around and maneuvered the rod in a circular rotation. Despite the confusion over his actions, the adversary's intentions were cleared as a Shield Guard suddenly appeared near the edge of the room. Peering through the green translucence, sat the very thing everyone was vying for: Princess Peach.
Dazed, she stood and looked around. "...Where... where am I? What is this place?"
"Look! It's Her Highness!" enlightened Bobbery.
Peach whipped around. "Oh! Mario! Is that... Is that you?"
Grodus stood between the princess and her saviors, his rod pointed at the captive. "Move one step and she breathes no more!"
"You..." Goombella narrowed her brow. "You wouldn't!"
"...Dare you take a chance? Try anything and see if I'm bluffing!"
They were at a predicament... They couldn't attack Grodus in fear of hurting Peach... Maybe he was bluffing... If anything happened to the princess, whatever he was planning would be useless. But they couldn't take that risk; no harm could ever befall Peach, even if it meant harm for them.
...So they remained motionless, glaring intensely at him with gritted teeth and hatred in their minds.
Grodus backed away, laughing. "I see you understand how serious I am. Acting irrationally at this point would be a fatal error on your part."
He continued cackling and backing away until he abruptly stopped, making an irritated grunt as he turned around and huddled over. This left the group confused.
Goombella squinted. "What's that freak doing?"
"Think he's about to destroy us all with some kind of nuclear bomb, or something?" whispered Waffles.
The Goomba glared at him.
"...Well, he could!"
Their suspicions were answered as Grodus threw his robe around, revealing him to be struggling with Vivian, holding his staff in clenched hands.
"You little monster! Let go this very instant!"
"I'm not letting you get away with this, Grodus! I'm tired of both you and Beldam trying to ruin other people's lives so you can get what you want!" She spat out the last part with a violent yank, displaying her strength.
A hint of fear crossed Koops' mind for the first time in a while. Why did she always have to put herself in these situations? It was like Vivian was trying to make up for all the things she didn't do wrong, and in doing so, made them worse for herself. They had to do something...
Peach watched helplessly from her prison, fearing for Mario and the others, but also feeling empathy for Vivian.
Poor thing... She was trying so hard to prove her worth in defeating this weirdo... But at least she was persistent. As far as the princess was concerned, that's all that really mattered.
They pulled and tugged, back and forth with one another. Grodus continuously waved the rod from side to side in hopes of either hitting Vivian with the orb or using the sharp side to impale her.
"This is madness!" said Bobbery. "So, what exactly are we supposed to do now?"
"Get Peach!" shouted Vivian. "Go while I've got him distracted!"
"NO!" With a forceful thrust, Grodus finally threw her off. "I now see why your sisters are so ashamed of you! Why can't you just be the way you're supposed to be? And you say I'm the nuisance! Not only are you a pest, but your endeavors are something to scoff at! Everything that is and related to you is failure and it's not hard to see why!"
"Hey, chrome dome! Lay off it! We're the ones you have a bone to pick with, not her!" called Waffles.
"I do agree! And what could you possibly want with dear, little Vivian, anyway?" asked Flurrie.
"What I want with her is really none of your concern, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to vaunt a little." He aimed his staff at the Shadow Siren. "I will see to it that this twit's body and mind are manipulated to my modifications. My next spell will keep her under my control for all time! I suggest you don't move, or she faces certain and utter pain!"
"Don't listen to him! Go get Peach!"
"But..." Goombella shook her head. "But we can't do that... There's no telling what he'll do to you!"
"Better keep that mouth of yours shut before it gets you into even more trouble, siren!"
...That was the last straw. She couldn't stand the way he called her that, like it was more of a curse than a name...
She loathed the way he spat it at her, expecting her to take it like the pathetic little animal she was. Like a whimpering dog at its master's feet...
She was a Shadow Siren; part of a strong, noble species, known for their suave stealth and dominance. Bowing down to his power was the only shameful thing she could've been accused for.
Vivian was just about to let loose an intense fury on her oppressor when the ground started shaking, throwing everyone off balance.
"What? ...What is this absurdity?" growled Grodus.
As if to answer his question, the ceiling in the chamber's middle and fell open, taking out the chandelier and smashing it into the floor. Amid the debris sat a familiar figure, covered in the wreckage of his own snooping around.
"What the...?" Waffles peered into the mess of broken gravel and dust.
"My Chunkiness! Are you alright? That was a nasty fall for you," called a familiar voice from another level.
"...Bleh... I'm fine. Nothing a Mushroom couldn't cure..."
The large form standing, he brushed through his fiery hair, shook off debris from his spikey shell, and his large snout snorted dust from his nostrils. It was obvious to see who this newcomer was...
"What?" Waffles couldn't believe his eyes. "Isn't that... Bowser?"
"Oh, of all the people!" scoffed Flurrie.
"What's he doing here?" Goombella demanded.
"What the-- Mario?!" the Koopa King blinked several times in disbelief. "Don't you have better things to do than to keep following me around?"
Kammy hovered in on her broom. "Lord Bowser! Over there, it's the princess!"
"Really?" He eagerly turned to see she was right. "Wow! Talk about a lucky break!"
"But... what's going on here...?" She surveyed the battle-scarred scene. "I think we just missed something fierce..."
"Well, I don't know what the heck happened, but I'm about to take my prize back to where she belongs: MY CASTLE!" He guffawed loudly at his dastardly plan. "Don't anyone even try to stop me this time!"
"Ingrate!" barked Grodus. "Just what do you think you're doing?"
Bowser raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are you supposed to be? A snow globe?"
"Your stupidity appalls me. I don't know who you are, but taking the princess is simply not an option..."
"...Wait a minute..." Kammy adjusted her glasses. "King Bowser, don't you see? If Peach is here with that lunatic, then that must mean... it was him! He's the one who dared to interfere with your ruling of the Mushroom Kingdom by taking Peach!" She thrust her scepter at the captor for further emphasis.
"What?"
"You'rethe jerk who stole Peach and messed up my whole schedule! Not only that, but you took her into uncharted territories without so much as a threat or an evil note! I mean, really! I've seen some low-down, dirty tricks, but that was just repulsive!"
"Your irksome tactics are not only idiotic, but rehashed and insipid! You are a faulty king and deserve to be beheaded! The girl belongs to me now and she will soon become the catalyst for my new empire!"
"This guy's lost it!" Bowser concluded. "Oh, well. Time to grab Peach and get out of here before something even weirder happens!"
"No! You shan't ruin my plan, you substantial boor!"
Bowser raised an eyebrow. "...'Substantial boor?' Hey, Einstein! Ever think of using actual words in a sentence? Geez, I can't even understand what you're saying! Not that it matters, anyway..."
Grodus summoned more of Grodus X and ordered them to attack the Koopa King. He swatted them away like flies.
"Hey, just who do you think you are, buster?" asked Kammy.
"The future leader of world!" he proclaimed, standing. "If you give up now, perhaps I will spare you as a jester of some sort."
"Fat chance! You're the one who's supposed to be bowing down to me!"
"I'd rather perish than allow myslef to manipulated by the likes of you!"
"My pleasure!"
Inhaling deeply, Bowser blew forth a barrage of flames. Although weakened, Grodus was able to protect himself with another Shield Guard.
Kammy was apalled at his behavior. "How dare you defy Lord Bowser's commands? You must be either very brave or very foolish attempt such a feat!"
"Yeah! Even I'd listen to me if I were you!" added the Koopa King.
As the argument went on, Goombella was at a lost for words. "Well... What do we do now?"
Waffles tugged on Mario's leg. "Gonzales, we need to take out Bowser as soon as possible! He's, like, the main bad guy! Your old nemesis! We have to fight him!"
"No way, Waffles! Let's just free Peach and get out..."
Goombella didn't have time to finish as Waffles shouted, "Hey, Mr. Big, Fat, and Ugly! Over here!"
"WHAT?" Bowser turned around, fuming. "What'd you just call me, you little shrimp?"
"I don't think provoking him was the brightest idea..." Bobbery uttered.
Realizing his mistake, the baby Yoshi nervously laughed. "Uh... Heh heh... oops?"
Bowser pushed Grodus to the ground. "I'll deal with you later!"
"Mario, watch out!" Peach warned.
"Mario, you scum! Your meddling ends here! Prepare to be thwarted!" Just as Kammy was about to unleash an attack, Vivian appeared from behind and yanked the broom from underneath her, causing her to fall hard.
"W-what?" She groggily stood. "Hey! How did that happen?"
The distraction was long enough for Mario to jump on Bowser's head. Enraged, the Koopa King whipped around to snap at him with powerful jaws, but fell short and only snagged air. Bobbery took this opportunity to explode near his feet.
Grodus decided the ongoing fight was wasting his time and ran to Peach. Aiming his rod at her Shield Guard, she levitated out of the sphere and floated over to him. "I don't have time for this nonsense! These cretins will ruin the whole plan!"
"Mario! Over here! HELP!" Peach squealed with all her might to get his attention. Unfortunately, her voice couldn't be heard over the chaotic scramble.
Knocking over the throne, the fleeing leader revealed a large doorway that led to nothing but darkness. But before he could enter it, Vivian appeared, blocking his escape.
"...Like I said, I'm not letting you get away with this..." she growled, her hat's rim hanging low.
Grodus clutched his staff angrily. "Get out of my way! I swear, I've had it up to here with your intrusive behavior!"
"And I've had just about enough of you and your stupid plans! I'll make sure you regret all the things you've done to me!"
Grodus was already tired from earlier and fighting while handling Peach would prove difficult. He managed to avoid Vivian's first atack and ran for the murky passageway. Unfortunately, he didn't expect her to turn around and attack from behind, knocking Peach out of his grasp.
After that, she began pummeling Grodus. Hit after hit, she continued her assault, not once holding back. She punched him, rammed into him, and even bit an arm once or twice. Her mind was clouded with blind rage. She didn't care about Mario, the princess, or even Koops at the moment...
It was like a broken record skipping in her head, pushing her to attack more and more. She was doing things she never knew she could before. All the frustration, the pain, the anger... She was never able to let out all her emotions through crying, but beating the crap out of Grodus sure made her feel better.
Finally done, Vivian stood victorious. She was out of breath, sweating, and throbbing all over, but she was done. Reality hit hard and she suddenly realized how violent she just was. She gazed down upon her trembling hands in shock and fear. Mario and the others were still fighting Bowser, with Kammy already out of commision. But her battle had been fought and won...
Grodus felt he was on his last leg. He couldn't take another hit. All had to do was get Peach down that staircase...
He glared at Vivian, seething at her defiance of his orders. How dare she attack him like that? ...But he shouldn't have underestimated her prowess. It was the very thing that made Shadow Sirens so priceless. He knew she had the ability from her wild display back on the moon... but having actually succumbed to the siren's power secured her invaluable worth...
She now had her back turned to him, possibly tending to Peach. He slowily stood... tired, but determined... staff in hand, he inched closer. He refused to let himself to beaten down by the likes of her...
"...What just happened?"
Peach sat in an awkward position on the floor, recovering from being tossed aside in the tussle. After Grodus dropped her, everything went by like a flash... But she was well aware of the beatdown Vivian gave him. Maybe this timid, little creature with the cute hair and adorable eyes wasn't so innocent after all...
The princess tried to look past that and soon realized how, instead of fearing Vivian's strength, she actually respected it. She admired the vicious brutality under her gentle exterior... How she was able to stand up for herself and not go down without a fight. Peach knew she was pretty bold for a princess, but brute force was never her thing.
Seeing the Shadow Siren come near, she smiled uneasily. "Wow, that was... really a show of strength back there..."
Vivian bit her lip, now ashamed of her actions. "I'm... I'm really sorry you had to see that... He was really asking for it... I had to..."
"Don't worry. What you did was totally understandable. You can't take everything in life lying down and that showed him not to tread on you ever again."
Vivian smiled at that. She sounded so positive and sincere, like she really meant it. Maybe there were good people in this world after all. The ones who wanted to reach out and touch others just... because. Not for money, fame, or personal gain... Only to help another in need.
...Her thoughts were pratically smacked out of her head as the diamond-hard orb of Grodus' staff smashed into her cranium. She fell to the ground writhing in pain, not knowing what was going where...
Her mind... badly injured...
Couldn't think straight...
Grodus had gotten away...
It's all her fault...
Was that Peach screaming? Did the others even know of this? Were they coming to her aid? She couldn't tell... Her perception was damged and unreliable at the moment. She could only wonder... What was going on? How she've let down her guard so easily? Why wasn't she paying attention...? She could've heard Grodus sneaking up from behind and counterattacked.
She sat there in a subconscious trance, watching him run through the dark corridor and disappear.
...It was the last thing she saw before blacking out...
Authoress' Notes: I decided to change the plot a little, seeing as I'd love for Bowser and Grodus to go at it like Koopas and X-Nauts should. I tried my best to keep the big lug (and the haggy whore) in character, based off all the silly threats and stuff he usually says... Did I do a good job? XD