"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
That was the first thing Chopper and his friends heard as they stepped through the door. The room, while not as large as the room where Grodus, Bowser and Kammy were fought, was big on its own. A long, red rug led up to where Grodus and Peach were and ended at a blue coffin. The tiles on the floor were also a similar color to the coffin, but what surprised the heroes the most were the amount of candles lit in the room.
"Stop right there, Grodus!" Chopper shouted, pointing at the X-Naut leader. "You will NOT be causing any havoc today! Your plan ends here!"
"I'm afraid my plans will not be ending here!" Grodus cackled. "You're already too late, Chopper!"
"Oh, jeepers..." Scrub gulped. "Then what do you plan on doing then?"
"You see this coffin here? This is where the Queen's Star is located." Grodus explained. He looked over at the coffin with narrowed eyes. "However... There is also something else that's even too dangerous for me..."
"Too dangerous? And what would that be?" Berry asked.
"Why, the soul of an ancient demon!" the X-Naut leader declared while tightening his scepter. "And unfortunately, it's the reason why I was bouncing around as a head for five months... And as much as I loathed the idea of coming here... I need the Crystal Star located in here. So, I'll just nab the Crystal Star in here, and I'll let the ancient demon rip you all to pieces!"
"Wait, if you're releasing a demon..." Chopper began, bringing his attention to Peach. "Then why do you need Peach?"
"Oh, that's where things get interesting..." Grodus said coldly. "You see, the demon's soul is what remains... But it can be brought back to life with someone with a pure heart...and it just so happens that this princess is just the thing!"
"Oh, geez..." the antennaed boy frowned.
"But there's a big mistake here..." Vivian began. "You know that this plan won't work!"
"Gaack ack ack! You thought I wouldn't be prepared for that?" Grodus smirked. "My newer body TEC constructed me has been modified to resist such powers from a demon! Therefore, I will not be stopped, and she WILL obey me!"
"C-Chopper… I'm so s-sorry…" Peach moaned, slowly looking up at the heroes. "I'm sorry that I got you involved in this… This is clearly all my fault…"
"Don't blame yourself, Peach..." Chopper trailed. "I don't think this was something we were all expecting..."
"Gaaaack ack ack ack ack!" Grodus cackled. "Prepare yourself for the greatest evil that had existed in this world! Now, come out of your slumber, Shadow Queen!"
Grodus turned to the coffin and used his scepter's magic on it, causing bright flashes to emit from the room. Soon all the candles were put out and replaced with black flames, and the room began to get much dimmer. The coffin emitted a flash, and its lid began to slide off on its own, making a green glow emit from inside.
All Chopper and his friends could do was gape as a large, black tornado came from the coffin.
"Poyo! (This is unbelievable!)" Kirby gasped.
However, rather than a soul of a demon rising from the coffin, a strange, black mist came out instead. Soon the black tornado disappeared, and the heroes stared at the mist in disappointment, with the exception of Vivian.
"…That's your demon? It's just a black mist!" Chopper commented in bewilderment. "And I don't see any Queen's Star either!"
"Yarr... Well this be a bit of a disappointment..." Bombette trailed. "Me mateys an' I were expectin' somethin'...scarier."
However, Grodus remained silent and looked up at the black mist.
Glitz Pit-
"Get ready to… BRAAAWL!" Jolene shouted as the gong echoed in the arena. Rawk Hawk and a green Yoshi named Gonzales Jr. were about to go head-on with each other, with both of them charging at each other.
"All right!" Gonzales Jr. cheered. "I can't believe I'm about to face off against the champ! Aw, yeah!"
However, before the two fighters could land a single blow on each other, the room began to darken. Looking above, the fighters, Jolene and the audience noticed the sky was starting to darken.
"Wh-What? What's going on here?! The sky's preventing me from RAAAAAWKING!" Rawk Hawk wondered as the audience left the pit to check outside. Both he and Gonzales Jr. decided to go outside and check too.
"What? That's not cool! The sky's turned dark!" Gonzales Jr. gaped until he paused for a moment. "Hold on… Don't tell me the Shadow Queen's back again…"
Shadow Queen's Chamber-
"At last! I have arisen!" the dark mist cackled. "Now, who is the one that has called me back?"
"So it's able to talk..." Berry trailed. "That voice sounds very unsettling..."
"Yeah, and I don't think I've ever heard this queen's voice before," Shadower added.
"It is I, my Shadow Queen," Grodus answered, making the dark mist look down at him.
"You again... I thought I blasted you into oblivion..." the dark mist trailed. "But clearly you're desperate to come back to me..."
Grodus could only narrow his eyes at the darkness before him.
"So, have you brought me another vessel?"
"The same one from before? Yes."
"Is that so?" the dark mist looked down at Peach with an approving look. "Yesss… I can accept this… I'm glad to be possessing something...familiar. Now, then…"
The dark mist began to float down to the defenseless princess, causing the heroes to take action and run toward her. However, Grodus was able to use whatever energy he had left to hold them back with a barrier, causing them to get knocked back.
"Oh, no! Peach!" Chopper cried, seeing the dark mist enter Peach's body and causing a bright flash, blinding everyone in the room.
?-
Gemerl exploring a world where a sunset once stood until the darkness came, but soon the ground began to shake around him. He nearly lost his balance, but he was able to hold himself together and progress onward.
"This shaking... Is there an earthquake? And why is the sky suddenly dark? This is something that should be done by ME!"
Soon the shaking stopped, and Gemerl was able to remain calm. "Hmmmmm... Now that was very interesting. That shaking was not very long... I wonder what might've caused it."
The Gizoid pondered for a moment before his eyes flashed purple. "Hold on… I think I know now… The great cataclysm has arisen. So those legends were true... However, it should be me who is controlling this power! I swear I'll eradicate whoever brought that demon back to life! ...Actually, that might not be a good idea at this moment. I must find the Crystal Star that's in Sunset Hill."
Gemerl lifted off the ground with the help of his jetpack and blasted off through the grassy, beach-like area.
Somewhere else in the Palace of Shadow-
The real Professor Frankly had made his way into the Palace of Shadow and was near the door leading to the torch puzzle. However, he soon stopped when he felt the shaking stop.
"Oh, no... Has the dark power finally awaken after five months?" Frankly gasped. "This can't be! This is unthinkable!"
Shadow Queen's Chamber-
After one final flash, everyone could finally see the horror that had awakened from the black mist. Instead of the beautiful, innocent Princess Peach, she had transformed into Shadow Peach. Rather than a pink dress, hers was black, and her blonde hair was hidden behind a pointy cape with a white trim. The blue jewel on her dress was now red, and her earrings had become red too. The jewels on her crown were also a bright red. Along with that, her skin had become cold and pale.
"P-Peach... Is that really you...?" Chopper gasped as he saw the horror that was Shadow Peach.
"Muh huh huh huh… Finally… I have returned!" Shadow Peach cackled. "Now, you may all bow down to me."
"I'm afraid it is you who will be bowing down to me," Grodus stated. "So... Do yourself a favor and hand me the Crystal Stars! Then you can destroy that antennaed fool over there!"
"Me? Listen to you?" Shadow Peach clearly rolled her eyes and gave her an annoyed look. "Of course you wouldn't learn a thing... Why should I listen to a lower-class villain?"
"Uh oh... This doesn't sound good." Chopper gulped.
"Huh? What? LOWER-CLASS?! You ungrateful little...!" Grodus gripped his scepter and fired a lightning bolt at Shadow Peach. She took the full force of the attack, but didn't appear to budge.
"Dang... He's outclassed." Scrub gaped.
"Please, was that supposed to harm me?" Shadow Peach's eyes glowed red as she fired a dark lighting bolt at Grodus. To her surprise, the X-Naut leader was still standing, thought he had been pushed back slightly from the force. "Well now... It looks like you do have a bit if a brain... Maybe you're not as low-classed as I thought..."
"Indeed..." Grodus panted.
"Yet... I don't see you lasting too long against me. I mean, look at the state you're in! Surrender to me, and maybe I'll let you live..."
"I am the one who does the commanding around here!" Grodus's scepter began to glow green as he turned to Chopper. "Unfortunately, this is where we part ways, Chopper. Have fun with this witch!"
And just like that, Grodus had disappeared via teleportation.
"Hmmmm... I'll give him credit. He knew he couldn't last long enough to fight me." Shadow Peach grinned. "Oh well. There's plenty of time to find and obliterate him."
"My queen!"
The Shadow Sirens, Doopliss, the Shadow Brothers and Tipral made their appearance in the room, with the Shadow Sirens and Brothers looking very pleased.
"You have returned to us at long last, Your Majesty!" Mysterious grinned, bowing down to Shadow Peach, just like his brother and the two sirens. Doopliss and Tipral, however, did not.
"Ah, Beldam and Mysterious… It's been a while since we saw each other, has it not?" Shadow Peach pondered. "Ages have passed for you, Mysterious. So you are the ones responsible for calling me back, yesss?"
"Yes, we were responsible for that," Tipral nodded, speaking coldly. "We got that fool to open the coffin, and we also managed to convince him to bring that girl here too. We also managed to get the Thousand-Year Door open with a little help. Are you happy now?"
"I can assure you that the queen is very pleased," Beldam noted.
"Ah, yesss, Tipral… You and the others know your duties well. I am proud of you. In fact, it's very nice to finally set my eyes on you."
"Huh? What do you mean by being proud of me?" Tipral asked, giving the queen a glare. "Tell me this instant!"
"You never knew? How else would you have been created in that space station a thousand years ago?"
Tipral continued to glare at the queen until he thought about it and paused. "What...? But how could you be...?"
"I guess the scientists never gave you the news," Shadow Peach grinned. "Or maybe you obliterated them, did you not? Yesss... That would have been something I would've done. But you were indeed created from my DNA. However, you went missing, yesss?"
"What happened during my life is none of your business. It's something I'd rather not discuss..." Tipral spat.
"Whoa... That's not something I expected." Chopper gasped.
Shadow Peach turned her attention to Chopper and his friends. "…And who are these beings that stand before me?"
"Oh, they are of no use!" Beldam assured. "However, we can let you dispose of them if you wish!"
"…Hold on a second. Your face... It looks familiar." Shadow Peach said, taking a look at Chopper.
"Huh? What do you mean? How would you KNOW me?!" Chopper asked.
"Yesss… That face does look familiar! You look just like that blonde boy that tried to fight against me near the Thousand-Year Door."
"Look, shadow lady, you might be mistaking me for someone else! We're... We're here to stop you!"
Chopper and his friends got in a fighting stance, though Shadow Peach could easily see the fear in their faces.
"You fools really believe you can face me? Just look at the fear in your eyes! But since that other fool has left, I'm willing to let you become my faithful servants."
"Chopper, you really wouldn't say yes to her, would you?" Vivian asked with a worried expression.
"Poyo! (Refuse this witch, Chopper!)" Kirby cried.
"No way!" Chopper replied harshly. "Leave Peach alone, and give me the Queen's Star!"
"Queen's Star, you say? You wouldn't be talking about this, would you?" Shadow Peach raised her arms and held up a purple Crystal Star, causing the group to gasp. "I must admit, this has helped me stay as a black mist. If it weren't for this, my soul may have truly perished."
"Arr, I say! She has the Crystal Star!" Bombette gaped as Shadow Peach let it absorb back into herself.
"But, I WAS considering helping you find those Crystal Stars you so dearly need if you joined me. But, seeing as you refused my offer, I think you wretched fools shall learn the error of your ways!"
Her eyes turned red, and with a single flash, lightning began to come down on the heroes...
...Only to have it blocked.
"What the..." Chopper noticed he was unharmed by Shadow Peach's spell, but he ended up gaping when he saw who was now behind him. "Meta Knight?!"
"Wait... What in the world?!" Scrub gaped. "What's this guy doing here?!"
Sword and Blade Knight landed on the ground as well to join him.
"Hmmm? What's this now? Are my eyes deceiving me or am I seeing another face that looks familiar..." Shadow Peach looked down at Meta Knight's Sword. "It's that sword... Yesss... I think I see it now."
"I've claimed this sword and cared for it ever since I got it," Meta Knight explained. "And I plan to stop you with it!"
"Meta Knight? What are you doing here? In fact, HOW did you get here?" Chopper asked.
"You didn't listen to my warnings, Chopper. This is many of the results that can happen because of the Crystal Stars. And how I got here is the least of your concerns. Right now we have to get rid of this demon before she can cause more havoc!"
"We'll take it from here, guys," Blade assured. "We have everything planned for this battle!"
"Wait... So we're not going to be fighting this witch?" Berry groaned. "Well that's disappointing... Though, Maybe it's best we let them handle this..."
"You guys find someplace safe. This could be a little dangerous…" Sword Knight suggested as he got his sword ready and glared at Shadow Peach. "You're going down, witch!"
Sword made the first move and charged at Shadow Peach. However, each time he swung, she was able to easily dodge the attacks and struck him with dark lightning. While it wasn't as deadly as the one she tried obliterating Grodus with, it was enough to send him flying back to the heroes and leave him injured.
"Sword!" Blade turned to Shadow Peach and gripped his sword tightly. "Now it's personal!"
He lunged at the witched, hoping to at least stab her. The attack was easily dodged, allowing Shadow Peach to strike him with lightning and send him flying back. However, Blade was far from finished.
"I'm not going down so easily!" Blade jumped out of the way of another lightning attack and fired a Sword Beam. Shadow Peach deflected it back at him, sending him flying to the wall. Meta Knight jumped in and was ready to strike Shadow Peach, but she saw it coming and moved back.
"Meta Knight! Don't try to hurt her! She's possessing a princess!" Vivian called out.
"She won't be harmed when she's back to normal. I can assure you that." Meta Knight said as he flew up and brought his sword down. Shadow Peach stepped out of the way and summoned a purple demon hand.
"Huh?" Meta Knight turned around and he got smacked away by the hand, making his sword get stuck on the floor. He eventually became unconscious when he hit the floor, just like Sword and Blade Knight had become.
"Muh huh huh huh huh… They do not stand against me…" Shadow Peach grinned, now turning to the heroes. "Now that they're out of the way, I can focus my attention on you seven!"
"All right, bring it on, witch!" Chopper declared, now approaching the queen.
"You honestly believe a little child such as yourself can take me? You are very foolish to oppose me. Yesss...and that foolishness...will have to be punished..."
Tattle: Omigosh, I can't believe Peach just got possessed! That's AWFUL! Now she has become Shadow Queen. The demon that destroyed this town 1,000 years ago and tried to destroy this world five months ago. Max HP is 150, Attack is 8, and Defense is 0. She'll unleash big lightning attacks. She'll also use magic to raise Attack and Defense, or to absorb HP... She might even try to drag you all into darkness... But, just the thought of attacking Peach... I really feel sorry for you guys, but I feel like it's the only way to win. You guys can do your best, I know that!
"150 HP?! This isn't good..." Chopper gulped before giving a determined look. "But we have to fight her, no matter what!"
"Listen, Chopper, I will follow you to the end, I swear it!" Vivian assured. "I feel bad that we are fighting Peach, but we have to stop the queen! And when she does, you and I can… Well, anyway, let's take the fight to her!"
"Poyo! (Then let's get started!)" Kirby suggested.
"All right, then! I think I know how to start this!" Chopper opened his hand to summon an ice ball and ran toward Shadow Peach to toss it at her. She ended up cringing as she took 6 damage.
"Gah! Foolish boy! You shouldn't have done that…" Shadow Peach hissed.
Vivian sunk into the shadows and appeared in front of Shadow Peach, giving her a good fiery punch, which left her with a nasty burn. However, this certainly did not make her happy. Shadow Peach raised her arms and dark lightning struck Vivian.
"For defying your queen, I shall destroy you as well, Vivian! Joining him? For shame!" Shadow Peach scoffed. "I expected better from you, considering that you would have been the next Shadow Queen!"
"Me? The next queen?" Vivian gaped. "Well... It's too late for that now! I've already chosen my own path, and that's with Chopper!"
"You brat! When I rule this world again, I'll send you to the deepest depths of the Pit of 100 Trials!"
Chopper suggested using powerful attacks to take her down, so he launched himself up high with his Spring Jump and delivered a powerful stomp on Shadow Peach to deal 12 damage. Scrub couldn't help but smirk.
"Awesome job, Contadre! Now it's my turn!" Scrub fluttered over to Shadow Peach and made her cringe with his Ground Pound. She grit her teeth and glared at Chopper. Raising her arms, Shadow Peach managed to boost her Attack and Defense by 3. She was also struck by Vivian's burn before wearing off, leaving her at 130 HP.
"Why do I get a feeling that she reminds me of Maquano somewhat with that ability? Ehhh... I don't think that's important. We still gotta focus on taking her down!" Chopper managed to take 5 out of Shadow Peach with the help of his Power Smash. Kirby floated above Shadow Peach and he came down on her as a stone to deal 5 more damage.
"You... I think I have an idea for you!" Shadow Peach snickered as a transparent spirit surrounded her and summoned a couple of purple hands called Dead Hands. They grabbed a hold of Kirby and dragged him into the shadows, causing a lot of harm to him and dealing 18 damage. Once he emerged, everyone noticed how beaten he was.
"Are you OK, Kirby?" Berry asked.
"Poyo... (I've...been through worse...)" Kirby wheezed. "Poyo. (But I'm not done yet.)"
"Well, now we know the dangers of this witch," Chopper realized. "We better be fast."
Shadower decided to make the first move and delivered a Shadow Punch to the queen. While it only dealt 3 damage, it was able to lower her defense to 0, giving Chopper a chance to deal 6 damage to her with his Jump attack.
Shadow Peach hissed as her eyes flashed red and zapped Chopper with more dark lightning. However, this dealt 11 damage. "Muh huh huh huh... So how does that feel, little boy?!"
Chopper responded by launching himself into the air again and striking Shadow Peach with a Spring Jump. The Shadow Sirens and Brothers couldn't help but cringe at the painful attack.
"My queen! We must help you!" Beldam suggested.
"It's the only way that you'll win!" Mysterious called as well, getting ready to approach Chopper. However, Shadow Peach raised her arm as a gesture to stop.
"No… You will not help." Shadow Peach stated coldly. "I would like to personally handle these seven myself…"
"Then bring it!" Bombette exclaimed, running straight at Shadow Peach and leaving off an explosion. To counter, she summoned a lightning bolt that zapped Bombette. Thankfully, she managed to put her guard up to take less damage.
"There's no way that attack will stop me!" Bombette declared, noticing Shadow Peach's buff wear off. "Mates, time we attacked!"
"Yeah!" Chopper declared, creating a fireball and throwing it at Shadow Peach, burning her. Berry followed up next, running up to the possessed princess and whacking her with her Ruby Hammer.
Smirking, Shadow Peach let her lightning spell hit Chopper. However, that didn't stop him from hitting her with his hammer, and once Vivian used her Shade Fist on the witch, she was down to 68 HP.
"We're more than halfway done with her!" Chopper smiled.
"Urgh… You ungrateful little..." Shadow Peach cringed, noticing her strength getting weaker. However, an idea soon struck her mind once again. "Hmmm… I will admit, you all are putting up a great fight. You foolish beings are not as weak as I predicted, so maybe you are less useless than you appear. Perhaps it's because I'm not too accustomed to this body... Yesss... It just feels too unfamiliar to me. Let me assume my true form and show you real power…"
"What is she doing?" Chopper asked.
Shadow Peach soon lifted off the ground as she was surrounded in a dark tornado. A purple shadowy demon wearing a large, golden crown with reddish violet jewels embedded in them and long, grayish purple hair that curled back at the end had appeared before them. With the small little white sparkles resembling stars on her hair and body, it almost looked like they were staring into space. Two disembodied hands had appeared too with black smoke underneath them. Her body appeared to move in the way of a small twister, and inside was Shadow Peach, along with the Queen's Star absorbed in her body.
"There's the Crystal Star right there!" Vivian shouted.
"Ah, yes… This feels much better." the Shadow Queen grinned. "I'm much more used to this body than that girl's. You see, in this form, your attacks are like those of a child to me… You are lucky that you've managed to bring me this far, but now you will perish with the honor of having seen true terror and power! Muh huh huh huh huh huh!"
"That's...cough... That's what the Shadow Queen looks like?!" Chopper gasped. "Oh my gosh... That really DOES look more like a queen..."
"She also looks kind of like Vivian too, Contadre!" Scrub added.
"Yeah... Well, as creepy as she may look, there's no way I'm going to let that stop me!" Chopper charged straight at the Shadow Queen and attempted to land a stomp on her. But to his surprise, she hardly flinched. "Wh-What? That didn't do anything!"
"You serious?" Scrub fluttered up to the queen next and tried hitting her with a Ground Pound. "No way! Our attacks aren't doing anything!"
"Muh huh huh huh huh huh! Is that your idea of an attack? Foolish…" the Shadow Queen cackled, using her two hands to absorb 8 HP from both Chopper and Scrub. She also blew a green mist that turned into a cloud of poison. Unfortunately, this ended up affecting Chopper greatly, causing him to become posioned.
"Ungh... I don't feel so good..." Chopper wheezed.
"Oh, boy… With Chopper being poisoned, and us unable to attack her… This is NOT good…" Shadower trailed.
Chopper tried bashing the queen with his hammer, but not even that left the Shadow Queen in pain. Berry tried the same thing, and the same thing had happened.
"Seriously? Being invulnerable is hardly fair!" Berry frowned.
"Muh huh huh huh huh… Now, taste my power!" the Shadow Queen used her two hands to strike two of them, while another bolt of lightning ended up striking them.
"Poyo... (Now we're getting out butts kicked...)" Kirby moaned, attempting to hit her with a Cartwheel, only to miss. Chopper even tried freezing her, but it was all fruitless.
"I don't understand..." Chopper wheezed. "We were this far, and now we can't do a thing to her!"
"Hmmm… What a troublesome little pest you are. I didn't expect you to still be standing after being poisoned. I will admit, you are a lot tougher than that blonde boy that reminds me of you… Muh huh huh huh huh…"
The Shadow Queen's hands disappeared and were replaced with an army of Dead Hands that had dragged Kirby into the shadows. However, rather than attacking them, the hands went into the shadows and reappeared in the audience. The heroes watched in horror as they heard the audience screams before they were dragged into the shadows. The Dead Hands had appeared back by the Shadow Queen, except now she had fully recovered.
"What the…! WHAT was that?!" Chopper gaped.
"That was terrible!" Berry cried.
"Yesss… I have recovered from any slight damage you may have caused earlier… And now…I will punish you for your resistance…"
"Uh, Chopper, what'll we do? We could be done for…" Vivian trailed, looking up at the Shadow Queen that now towered over them.
"Unghh... We can try to hang in there..." Chopper coughed, trying his best to stand despite the poison.
"Look at you all suffering. You can't even put up a fight! I guess you are just like the other fools that had tried to oppose me..." the Shadow Queen trailed. "However, I will let you live you all live if you choose to now serve me. If so, perhaps I will forgive you for this..."
"Not a chance..." Chopper coughed. "You possessed a friend of mine, and I cannot forgive you for something like that! I'd rather die than join you!"
"Yeah!" Scrub stepped in. "I'm with Contadre on this!"
"Then… I shall make you suffer! All of you will suffer! I'll start with you, little boy!" the Shadow Queen grabbed Chopper and began to squeeze the life out of him. No matter how hard Chopper tried to fight, he could not with the poison. "Yesss... Fight all you want! In the end, your death will only become more painful!"
Sword and Blade Knight slowly got up from their conscience and saw the Shadow Queen squeezing the life out of Chopper.
"Oh, no... This isn't good..." Sword gulped. "That witch's squeezing the life out of him! Blade, we've gotta do something, and FAST! 'Cause Chopper might die!"
"Even if we tried helping, our efforts wouldn't do much," Blade stated. "She's unstoppable in her true form, and not even our swords can do a thing. ...Wait, perhaps Sir Meta Knight can help!"
They turned to the unconscious Meta Knight. Knowing what they had to do, they tried to shake their master in order to get him up. Meanwhile, Chopper's friends watched in horror as Chopper was getting paler and paler by the minute.
"No… Please don't do this!" Vivian cried.
"Muh huh huh huh huh! I'm sorry, Vivian, but I believe this is for the better. By letting him live, he could possibly alter some of my plans. Besides, why do you care for him so much? Do you possibly love this boy?"
"Well, um… Uh…" Vivian shyly stepped back, unsure of how to answer that. "If only I could help Chopper..."
"You can't defeat Contadre, you evil witch!" Scrub cried, now attempting to punch the Shadow Queen with all his might. She used her free hand to flick him away, but that did not stop him from attacking. "If it weren't for Contadre, I wouldn't be here! I pretty much owe my LIFE to him!"
Berry eventually joined in and began to bash at the queen with her hammer. "And Chopper and I had been friends ever since we were two! He was one of the first friends I had, and he was the first one I ever loved! What you're doing is unacceptable!"
"Fools... You cannot save your precious friend! Once I'm done with him, you're all next!" the Shadow Queen hissed.
"Meta Knight! C'mon! You need to get up!" Sword cried, shaking Meta Knight a little more violently. He looked back at how Chopper was suffering and then at Beldam, who was cackling.
"Mmmmwee hee hee hee! With Chopper gone, we shall get…" Beldam paused when she realized something. "My queen! Stop! We can't destroy him! As much as you want him dead, we can't actually do that."
"Beldam, stay quiet for the moment," the Shadow Queen ordered. "This fool cannot get in the way of out plans! And for that, he must die!"
Not only were Scrub and Berry bashing away at the queen, but the rest of Chopper's friends eventually joined in. They were eventually driven back by a small, dark wave the queen summoned.
"You fools never learn... It's all over for you!"
"Oh, man... This is bad. Real bad..." Sword thought, turning his attention back to Meta Knight. "C'mon, sir! You're not a heavy sleeper!"
"Wake up, dang it!" Blade cried.
"Unnh…" Meta Knight's dull yellow eyes became bright as he slowly got up. "Sword? Blade?"
"Sir Meta Knight! You're OK!" Sword cheered. "But, no time for group hugs at the moment. We're in some SERIOUS trouble here!"
"Sword, I'll handle this. You always screw us up most of the time." Blade noted before turning to his master. "Sir, Chopper is in trouble, and we don't know WHAT to do…"
Meta Knight looked at the cackling queen, and then he saw Chopper in the darkness of her hand. "…This isn't good. Clearly nothing can work on her. However… I think I might know the key to break her invincibility."
He rushed over to the queen and looked up at Chopper. "Chopper! You must bring out the seven Crystal Stars! It is the only thing that can counter her power!"
Hearing what Meta Knight had said, Chopper closed his eyes and tried to summon the Crystal Stars. Soon a bright light emitted from Chopper, causing pain in the Shadow Queen's hands.
"What… What is this? AGGH!" the Shadow Queen screamed as the darkness around Chopper was destroyed, freeing him in the process.
"You… You will NOT cause havoc or hurt my friends!" Chopper said as he landed. The Shadow Queen hissed and tried to grab him again, but Chopper managed to kick it away and land a jump on the queen. While it didn't physically harm her, a bright light soon enveloped her.
"Urghh... What... What did you do to me?!" the Shadow Queen roared. Soon, flashing lights started to emit from her, and with one last flash, the Shadow Queen felt as if a barrier from within her had been completely shattered.
"Chopper…"
"Yar? That voice! Could that be Princess Peach?" Bombette gawked, looking up at Shadow Peach. Everyone else looked up as well and saw a spirit of Peach from within her possessed body.
"Chopper… I…"
"Wh-What? You wretched little girl! You disobey me?!"
"Chopper… Take… Take the last of my power…" Peach made Shadow Peach raise her arms and completely revitalize Chopper and his friends. Not only that, but their status ailments, particularly the poison status, was gone.
"I... I feel so much better!" Chopper gasped, his skin now back to a pale green. "I don't believe it..."
"It's so good to see that you're fine…" Vivian smiled.
"You brat! Obey me, girl!"
"Farewell…Chopper… I…believe…in you…" Peach's trailed as her voice faded, along with her spirit.
"NO! PEACH!" Chopper cried.
"Chopper, before you fight..." Meta Knight approached Chopper while holding out his sword. "I once heard that this weapon was used to fight against the Shadow Queen a thousand years ago. If the legends are true, then this sword might help you defeat her. I would fight, but I'm not exactly in the best shape for that, so I trust my sword upon you."
Chopper looked down at Galaxia and took it with a smile. "Thanks, Meta Knight. I'll make sure I return this in one piece."
Dropping the sword in his mouth, he had regained his green floppy hat, except now he was carrying Meta Knight's sword in his hand rather than a normal one.
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Very cunning, Princess!" the Shadow Queen roared. "But you foolish mortals will not undo me! Know me as your queen!"
With that, Chopper and his friends charged straight at the queen.
"Chopper! This is our moment! We're almost there!" Vivian cried.
"Enough prattle! This ends now!"
Tattle: Eeek! Now THAT is a demon right there! Boy, she looks mad! Max HP is 150, Attack is 8, and Defense is 1. Since you can now hurt her, you should give her everything you got! She can attack three times if her hands are out, so you REALLY want to be careful. Try to attack her with moves that can attack all enemies. If she raises her attack, use Vivian to hide in the shadows. This is it, Chopper! It's either you get the Queen's Star or it's all over!
"Hmmmmm... Well, I think I have an idea of how to start things!" Chopper smirked, pulling out a Shooting Star. "Let's see if this actually works!"
Throwing the item into the air, shooting stars began to rain down from above on the Shadow Queen. She ended up taking 6 damage, leading to her hands getting destroyed as well.
"Poyo... (Well we have her and her hands to worry about... This might be annoying...)" Kirby trailed.
Vivian made her next move and went into the shadows. Once she emerged in front of the Shadow Queen, she delivered a flaming punch that left her gaping.
"Wh-What… H-How is it that you can hurt me?!" The Shadow Queen gasped.
"Ah-HA! Now we're even! Prepare to suffer, queen! Chopper smirked.
"Fooooooooools!"
The Shadow Queen summoned Dead Hands to assist her, while her eyes flashed, making Chopper get struck by lightning. Surprisingly, Chopper was able to guard it with ease, only taking 7 damage. The Dead Hands pulled Bombette into the shadows and attacked her three times. After guarding the attacks, she only took 9 instead of 12 and was brought back up from the shadows soon afterward.
"Arr! I say, it be dark down there!" Bombette wheezed.
"Yeesh... Those hands have 8 HP. I'm not so sure if I can take them out with one attack... But I can try lowering her defense!" Shadower aimed his finger at the Shadow Queen and the Dead Hands and let them get struck with his Shadow Smite. This left the Dead Hands at 2 HP, while the Shadow Queen had taken 5 damage and had her defense lowered.
Chopper made a dash at the Shadow Queen and used his Galaxia Drill to spin his body and sword like a drill at both the queen and the Dead Hands, destroying them instantly. "Dead Hands…and they die. Weird…"
"Grrrrr! Unthinkable! Very well… Then I shall try something else…" the Shadow Queen's hands reappeared and she raised her Attack by 8, leaving the heroes gaping.
"Crud! I was hoping she wouldn't do that!" Chopper gulped. All he could do at the moment was attack her hands and also her. So, he swung his sword and fired a Sword Beam at the Shadow Queen and her hands, which dealt 8 damage to her and destroyed her hands.
Knowing what she had to do, Vivian pulled Chopper and his friends into the shadows thanks to her Veil ability, while the Shadow Queen began to unleash her powerful Dark Wave attack. It ended up missing, to the heroes' relief, but once they reemerged, the Shadow Queen summoned her hands and let them smack both Chopper and Scrub, while she herself zapped Berry.
However, before anyone could do anything, a bingo wheel appeared before them with at least two Shine Sprites. The last wheel was spinning, but once Chopper threw a star, it became a Shine Sprite.
BINGO!
Chopper and his friends felt completely revitalized, and an entire audience had come in as well.
"Wow... I don't think this story ever had a Bingo game! ...But enough with this story. This is all real!" Chopper ran up to the Shadow Queen and swung at her. Since her defense was back to 1, it only did 5 damage. Vivian used her Fiery Jinx and destroyed the hands and left the Shadow Queen with a burn.
"Hmm… Maybe I need to go to…drastic measures…" the Shadow Queen summoned her hands and let them absorb 8 HP from both Chopper and Kirby, making the Shadow Queen recover 16 HP.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Chopper gaped. Regardless, he attacked her with his Spring Jump to deal 10 damage, and then Berry used her Hammerang to take out the hands and hurt the Shadow Queen.
The Shadow Queen summoned her Dead Hands, but rather than making them drag one in the shadows, they charged straight at Chopper like a stampede. The Shadow Queen exhaled dark breath, but they all managed to guard it.
"Hey, Contadre! I wanna try out that move!" Scrub suggested.
"What move?" Chopper gawked.
"Y'know! The Stampede!"
"Oh! Well, it might not hurt that witch, but it might do a lot to those Dead Hands!"
"Good!" Scrub turned his attention to the Shadow Queen and made a sharp whistle. Soon an army of Yoshis ran into the battlefield and trampled the Dead Hands, leaving them at 2 HP, while the Shadow Queen took none. However, Chopper's Sword Beam managed to destroy the Dead Hands and take 7 out of her, bringing her down to 100 HP.
"I still have plenty of more where that came from!" the Shadow Queen hissed, summoning more Dead Hands. She made them drag Vivian in the shadows and deal 12 damage to her, followed by zapping her.
"Ugh... There must be an easy way to take out those Dead Hands..." Vivian sighed, trying to readjust her hat.
An idea popped in Chopper's mind, and he brought the Ruby Star out. He started to draw circles around the Shadow Queen and her Dead Hands. Compared to before, he seemed to have a much easier time doing this and managed to draw at least six circles. This destroyed the Dead Hands and did 16 damage to her.
"So he improved... Not bad..." Tipral commented from the sidelines.
After the Shadow Queen summoned her hands, she exhaled breath that made the group allergic to any status ailments, as well as dealing 5 damage to them.
Once Shadower destroyed the hands and lowered her defense with his Shadow Smite, Chopper attacked the Shadow Queen with his Spin Jump, leaving her at 70 HP. "All right! We're doing pretty well against this boss!"
"Fools... This is far from over..." the Shadow Queen hissed, summoning her hands to smack Shadower and Bombette, while she zapped Chopper, who ended up guarding. In the meantime, Chopper ate a Jelly Ultra to recover 50 HP and FP, while Bombette attacked with her Bob-omb Blast to destroy her hands and deal 8 damage.
When the Shadow Queen summoned her Dead Hands to charge at Bombette, she quickly guarded each attack and only lost 9 HP. "Yo ho ho! Is that all ye can do, ye evil witch?! Yer not goin' to win by doin' that all the time!"
Chopper smiled at Bombette's comment and destroyed the Dead Hands with another Sword Beam, while Kirby transformed into a Stone and dealt 8 damage to the Shadow Queen.
"Muh huh huh… You do not know what you have done…" The Shadow Queen cackled, raising her Attack and Defense by 3 in the process. She also summoned her hands too.
"Well this is nice..." Berry sighed, readying her hammer. "I'll take care of this!"
She threw her hammer like a boomerang at the hands and the queen and, while it only dealt 3 damage to her, it managed to take out the hands. Chopper swung Galaxia at her afterward, bringing her down to 40 HP.
"What now, Shadow Queen? You were pretty freaky at first, but now we're reducing you down to nothing!"
"Don't think it's over yet, fools!" the Shadow Queen cackled, raising her Attack by 8. "When you're struck by this attack, you won't even be standing!"
Chopper gave a look of disappointment, but he didn't let that get in his way. He attacked her with a Sword Beam to destroy the hands, while Vivian brought everyone into the shadows to avoid her powerful Shadow Wave, which appeared much larger than her Dark Wave.
Despite reemerging unharmed by it, the Shadow Queen summoned her hands and managed to absorb 8 HP from both Vivian and Shadower.
"That's it..." Shadower twirled his finger and struck the queen with his Shadow Smite, while Chopper attacked with his Spring Jump to deal 12 damage. Even then, the queen was able to zap Chopper and deal 11 damage to him.
"With her defense down, attacking should be a little easier," Chopper assured, now striking her with his Galaxia Drill and destroying her hands. Scrub fluttered over to her afterward and managed to throw in a Ground Pound to reduce her to 35 HP.
"Ha! Take that, witch!" Scrub grinned.
"Uuurghh… No… It… It cannot be… How…" the Shadow Queen wheezed before trying to poison them with her breath. Thankfully, the group managed to guard it just in time, while the Shadow Queen's hands reappeared, ready to attack. Her attack and defense boost wore off as well.
After Chopper managed to slash at the queen, Bombette took out the hands and brought the Shadow Queen to 21 HP thanks to her Bob-omb Blast. That rewarded her with being zapped by the queen, along with Dead Hands that trampled Chopper.
"OK... 21 HP... We're almost there." Chopper wheezed, attacking the Shadow Queen and her Dead Hands with another Galaxia Drill. Vivian, meanwhile, reduced her down to 10 HP with her Fiery Jinx, along with destroying the Dead Hands.
"Urgh… You… You will not stop me!" the Shadow Queen grunted, summoning her hands and raising her Attack by 8. "You won't be leaving this place alive, you fools!"
"That won't happen!" Vivian declared, raising a finger. "It's already over for you!"
Before the Shadow Queen could react, she was scorched by Vivian's Fiery Jinx, leaving her at a dangerously low 3 HP.
"Thanks, Vivian!" Chopper smiled before turning to the queen with a glare. "All right! It's time to finish this! And maybe I can finish this in a traditional way! I've used this move against Bowser and Maquano two years ago, and now you get the chance to witness it!"
Raising Galaxia, Chopper smirked as it began to glow green. He jumped in the air and moved the sword back while it began to sparkle with energy.
"Galaxia Sword Beam!"
With a single swing, a green Sword Beam was fired out from Galaxia and managed to strike the Shadow Queen dead on.
"AAAAAIIYEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Black smoke began to emerge from the Shadow Queen as she began to feel completely weakened by the attack. Chopper even gained 50 Star Points, leading him to level up afterward. But before the heroes could cheer, they heard moaning coming from the Shadow Queen.
"Impossible! Un…thinkable!" the Shadow Queen gasped. "How could I… I cannot be beaten by lesser beings such as these… And I had just been reborn into this world… I cannot… I must not… No…"
"Too bad for you. I don't want this world to be harmed by you." Chopper stated. "So... Bye bye."
With a large, white flash, Shadow Peach was enveloped by black smoke, while the Shadow Queen raised her arms and let out one final scream.
"AAAAAIIYEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"No! My queen!" Beldam and Mysterious cried.
"Guhhhhh!"
After two more flashes, the Shadow Queen exploded, while the black smoke surrounding Shadow Peach began to slowly descend onto the floor until the black smoke disappeared, revealing Peach to be lying on the floor unconscious. The black flames on the candles also disappeared and were replaced with red flames.
"Much better..." Shadower sighed.
"NOOOO! Let's get out of here, Marilyn!" Beldam cried, sinking into the shadows afterward.
"Guh-huh!" Marilyn agreed, following her.
"Hey! HEY! Hey, wait!" Doopliss exclaimed, fleeing from the chamber.
"Great… Now we lost our queen! We're out of here!" Mysterious grumbled, escaping through the shadows with Purple, leaving only Tipral.
"Hmph… So, Chopper… You destroyed my creator. I can't say I'm surprised…" Tipral pulled out a crystal ball and let any dark smoke remaining in the room go into it.
"Is that…" Chopper started.
Before Chopper could finish, Tipral put the crystal ball away and teleported out of the room. "Well, I guess that finally closes that chapter!"
"Ahem…"
Chopper turned around and saw Meta Knight approaching him with his cape wrapped around himself. Remembering what he had said, Chopper returned the sword to Meta Knight, making his floppy hat disappear.
"Good. Now that the Shadow Queen is gone once again, things should be a little peaceful." Meta Knight stated. "However, just because the queen is destroyed does not mean evil itself is gone. There are still many dangers out there, and I hope you are prepared for them. Remember what I had told you before, Chopper..."
With that, he and his two servants exited the chamber.
"Well, all's well that ends well, right?" Chopper wondered. "...Never mind that. Though it makes me wonder about that queen being Tipral's mother... If that's true, then does that mean the queen was...?"
Vivian slowly gave him a nod, leaving him a bit saddened. "Oh... Well, I'm sorry about destroying your mother, Vivian... I kind of hope you're not hurt by that."
"It's OK, Chopper. She was evil, and she tried to hurt you and everyone else." Vivian went down to his size and hugged him. "But you and everyone else is OK, so things are fine now. Thank you, Chopper…"
"Oh... Well, I guess you're happy?"
"Of course I am," the Shadow Siren nodded, though Chopper felt like he was forgetting something.
"Wait! What about Peach?" Chopper turned his attention to the unconscious princess and walked over to her. "Hey... She doesn't appear to have any serious injuries! Great!"
"Ugghhh… Ahhh…" Peach slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head.
"Are you all right, Peach?"
"Yeah... I think I'm fine... So… It's all over, then…"
"Well, I guess for you it's over, but for me, not yet." Chopper replied. "I mean, my friends and I do need to collect those twenty Crystal Stars..."
"Listen, Chopper, I'm sorry that I got you into this. I put you in so much danger…"
"Hey, no need to apologize! This is almost like a job for me, and it's nothing I truly hate!"
"Yeah, honestly, this stuff is pretty fun," Scrub agreed. "I mean, we just beat a shadow demon holding the Crystal Star! ...Come to think of it, where did that thing go?"
When Peach got up, she felt something in her inventory, so she pulled it out to reveal the Queen's Star. "Oh my! This star is so beautiful! This is the Crystal Star you need, right?"
"Yeah! That's the one!" Chopper nodded. "I guess it wasn't destroyed along with the Shadow Queen..."
"Ah-hah! THERE you are, Chopper! I can't believe I went through all of this trouble to find you!"
Turning around, the heroes saw Professor Frankly walk into the chamber.
"Professor Frankly? What are you doing here?" Vivian asked.
"Well I came here to warn you about the Shadow Queen's revival, but seeing as she's gone, I guess I don't need to!" Frankly answered. "I see she even left the Crystal Star behind, too!"
"I guess it was too powerful to get destroyed," Peach guessed. "Chopper, I really should thank you for saving me... I kind of hope Mario isn't worried sick about me... In the meantime, you should take this Crystal Star. I believe you've truly earned it!"
"…OK! I guess I shall!" Chopper, smiled, taking the Queen's Star from her. The Crystal Star gave one bright flash before circling around Chopper. With it high above him, he held the star up.
You got a Crystal Star! Your Star Power has increased to 9, and Chopper can learn the special move Dead Rampage!
END OF CHAPTER
The destruction of the great cataclysm had restored peace back to Rogueport…for now. With Peach safe, their adventure was coming to an end…or not, for there are twelve more Crystal Stars to find. With Grodus out of the picture, will Chopper have a much easier time finding the remaining Crystal Stars? Was there possibly something eviller than the Shadow Queen out there as well? Perhaps these evils will rise again and try to stop Chopper on his journey for the twenty Crystal Stars.
I'm not gonna lie. This was probably one of my favorite chapters thus far. I mean, the Shadow Queen was probably my favorite boss in the game and my second favorite boss in the Paper Mario series, so this chapter was going to be epic. 'Twas very intense, I'd say.
I know in the game the people from each area would cheer for Mario against the Shadow Queen, but I chose not to put it here for a good reason. I'm not going to go into much detail about that either.
With that, you could say the first arc of this story is pretty much finished, much like Chapter 8 in Paper Chopper. But just like in that story, our adventure is far from over!