Chapter 10: Curses and Dragons

Once they were certain they had given King Koopence's undead army the slip, they started toward the tallest tower, Koops leading the way. Once again, Matthew had a lot to think about, this time about the alleged "secret fear" that Hooktail had that would make defeating him a snap. What would a dragon fear? A mouse? Or was he thinking of an elephant? Maybe it was a more common fear like small spaces or the dark. Then he remembered the first time they had met Hooktail was at night and the only reason they hadn't already been barbecued was because he hadn't seen them, so it wasn't the dark the dragon was afraid of. But what about fire?

The thought made him snort aloud, which only set Goombella off. Apparently, she was still miffed after their encounter with the thief extraordinaire and thought that Matthew was laughing at her. He couldn't get a word in edgewise to tell her that was not it at all, but when Koops attempted to assuage her fury she directed her assault on him instead, which slowed their progress significantly as Koops could not brace himself and lead the way at the same time. Eventually, she ran out of steam, though her face had taken on an impressive shade of red, and Koops took the opportunity to hurry them on toward the stairs that would take them higher.

Landing after landing they climbed, and the higher they went, the more stairs they encountered. The exertion was exhausting though Matthew refrained from complaining that King Koopence should have installed elevators for two reasons: one, he did not like to think of himself as spoiled, lazy, and entitled, and two, Goombella would no doubt chew his head off for daring to suggest sullying the history of the castle by having modern conveniences installed. Then again, from the way she was gasping for breath, she may have been ready to embrace the future with open arms (if she had any) that would spare her this torture.

Suddenly, he paused. Goombella flopped down next to him, thinking he had stopped for a break. Koops ahead of them heard the sound and turned. "A-are you guys, all right?"

"Just a minute," Matthew answered. He waved his finger. "What is that sound?"

Clang clunk bang crash.

The three of them looked up the stairs in puzzlement. It sounded like something metal being repeatedly smashed against the ground. It couldn't be Hooktail because it wasn't loud enough. Was there someone else in the castle?

Then Matthew pointed up. "Look out!"

Something appeared at the top of the stairs and started coming down. Clang clunk bang crash! It tumbled down the steps, a big metal block that reminded Matthew of someone riding inside a clothes basket, unknowingly heading toward his mother and the grounding of a lifetime, though from the racket it was making it was considerably heavier. Karma had gone all out for this one.

"Look out!" Koops cried and threw himself past Matthew and on top of Goombella, using himself as a shield. Goombella screamed though whether from indignation or fright, it was hard to say. Matthew braced himself.

Clang clunk oof! He caught the block though it knocked the breath out of him and his joints screamed bloody murder. It was heavy all right. So heavy it was actually pushing him down the stairs. With a grunt of effort, he took a step down and allowed it to roll to the step in front of him so he could push it back where it had more area to rest on.

"All right, Koops, you can get off me now," said Goombella, shoving him roughly away. Then she said, "Wow, Matthew, you're a lot stronger than you look. Do you work out?"

"At school in P.E.," Matthew replied, rolling his shoulders and grimacing. Those were going to hurt something awful in the morning.

"Wh-what is that anyways?" Koops stammered, wringing his hands as he stared at the block. "Some sort of t-trap?"

"A trap?" cried the block. "What trap? Who said anything about a trap?"

The three of them yelped and leaped into the air, coming back down in a sort of confused dance as they tried not to trip down the stairs.

"You again!" Matthew cried, realizing in an instant that the block was actually a treasure chest, black and with the same design as the last one.

"Me again? Wait, have we met before?"

"Your friend cursed me!"

"They did? That's terrible! Er, I mean, why would they do that?"

"You tell me. He gives me this sob story about being trapped in his box for a thousand years so I release him and then he goes and curses me!"

"Ah! Um, well… you've got to understand, being trapped in a box for a thousand or so years can drive one a little bit nuts, and he's got to take his frustration out on someone. It's really nothing personal. You seem like a really nice guy."

"Sure," said Matthew a little begrudgingly though he was beginning to wonder if maybe he was being too quick to judge.

There was a pause and then the box spoke. "So, uh… is it all right if you… you know… let me out?"

Goombella burst out, "What! Do you think we're crazy? One curse is bad enough! What makes you think we'd fall for the same trick twice? You deserve to rot in there for the rest of eternity, you vapid thing of gas!"

"Oh, come on! That's not fair!" whined the box. "You really think I deserve to be in here? I mean, I can see why you'd be wary, but do I really deserve to be judged for what my friends did? You really think I'd curse you? You deserve better than that, I know you do. In fact, if you let me out, I swear I will do whatever you ask me to do. I can help you!"

"Talk to the ponytail," Goombella said with a haughty toss of her head as she made her way up the steps. "Come on, Matthew. Koops. We've got a Crystal Star to find."

The box's tune changed. "Whoa, wait. Did you say, 'Crystal Star'? As in, the one guarded by Hooktail, the meanest, scariest dragon?"

"That's none of your concern!" the Goomba girl snapped. "Come on, Matthew! What are you waiting for?"

Seized by an impulse, Matthew asked the box, "You wouldn't happen to know Hooktail's secret fear, would you?"

"Matthew!" Goombella cried at the same time the box responded cheerfully, "Well, sure! After spending a few hundred years with the obnoxious lizard, how could I not? Trust me, you're going to laugh when you hear what it is."

Matthew waited for the secret. When the box didn't give it to him, he cleared his throat and said, "Well?"

"Oh, wait, you want me to tell you now?"

Matthew was a little bemused. "Well… yeah."

"Oh, er… I just thought… you know… we had an agreement. You scratch my back, I scratch yours? You let me out and I whisper his secret fear in your ear? It's a secret for a reason, you know. If he knew I told you then… well, I'd skedaddle if I could but in my current predicament…"

Matthew considered the box's words. I guess it makes sense, he thought. Not daring to share a secret in case the dragon came back for revenge. He'd be afraid, too. And this one sounded decent – even a little pathetic, not like the last box that had only used flattery on him. And if someone trapped me in a box for a thousand years, I'd like someone to let me out. And it'd be just cruel not to help just because his friend was a jerk. I mean, would I want someone to leave me trapped in a box for a thousand years based on a suspicion?

Goombella barked, "Don't tell me you're actually falling for it again, Matthew?"

Matthew pulled out the black key from his pocket.

"MATTHEW!"

Ignoring the feeling in his gut that he was making a huge mistake (which he thought was simply a reaction to Goombella's shrill voice), he inserted the key into the keyhole and twisted.

It happened just like before. The key shrieked in agony, the chest blasted open with a jet of inky blackness, and a glowing face appeared before him.

"Eeh hee hee!" it cackled jubilantly, "That was too easy! Sucker! I can see how they managed to fool you!"

Matthew was too shocked for words. Fooled again? Was he really that big of a sucker?

"You scratch my back and I scratch yours? Hah! No, you scratched my back so now I'm going to curse yours! Here it comes!"

There was a flash of light and a crack of thunder and Matthew fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

"Ooh!" squealed the face gleefully. "Felt that, did you? Now let me add insult to injury by telling you exactly what this curse does to you. Have you ever played that game where you skip over the cracks in a sidewalk? Well, this curse takes it to a whole new level! You step on any crack and you'll slip right through it, whee hee hee! This even works on cracks in walls!"

Matthew felt faint. Fall through cracks? That was worse than the last curse!

"Whee hee hee! Oh, that was just too pathetically easy! I'll tell you what, just because you're so gullible, I'll tell you that secret fear of Hooktail's. You ready? It's…"

But Matthew wasn't really listening. This was twice he had been fooled. Twice his good intentions had backfired on him and in a most devastating way. He had always been taught that kindness begat kindness – that a good deed was always rewarded – so what was this?

"Whee hee hee! Did you get all that?"

"I got it," Matthew replied heavily.

"Good! Enjoy your curse, you gullible, gullible fool! Whee hee hee!" With a whoosh, the glowing face disappeared and the inky darkness dissipated. Just before the last wisp of the darkness vanished, the face taunted, "Don't step on a crack or you'll fall and never come back! Whee hee hee!" And then Matthew was gazing into his companion's faces, Koops's horror-stricken and Goombella's scornful. She opened her mouth.

"Yes, yes, I know!" Matthew snapped irritably. "I should have known better and it serves me right."

"I wasn't going to say that!" Goombella protested. "I mean, yes, you should have known better but really you shouldn't be punished for helping out a guy, even if he is a complete jerk…"

"He d-did seem pretty sincere," Koops offered. "I would have done it…"

Matthew sighed. "Well… lesson learned, I guess. Never trust a talking box."

"And hey," said Goombella, bouncing right back into her usual cheer, "the next one we find, we push down some stairs. What do you say?"

"That's assuming there's another one," Matthew told her, which some premonition told him was possible, considering his luck. He moved around the box and up the stairs toward his friends, keeping a watchful eye out for cracks on the way.

Koops bobbed his head. "We're getting close to Hookt-tail, g-guys. I've got a feeling in my tail."

"Close," of course, meant going up a long set of steps that led to a landing within a tower, which transitioned immediately to another set of steps – this one in a tight spiral – which led to a bridge, which became a set of broad sweeping stairs, which led right up to an enormous set of double doors set inside a giant tower, capped with a giant onion-shaped dome…

"We're here," Matthew hiccupped. It was a strangled sort of gasp that came from recognizing the tower from his vision while trying to make an understatement at the same time. The combination didn't work out well for drama. The imposing size of the tower and the thought of the dragon waiting inside, however, more than made up for his misstep as evident by Koops's trembling and Goombella's hyperventilating.

Matthew swallowed with difficulty. Then he smiled weakly and squeaked out with false cheer, "So… what's the plan?"

Goombella sucked in a huge breath. Then she wheezed out, "This was your idea, Matthew. You come up with the plan."

Koops's stutter came out all the worse for his trembling, "W-w-what ab-b-bout his s-s-s-s-secret f-f-fear?"

"Hmm…" Matthew bit his lip to look thoughtful, which was really a way to keep it from quivering as his usual habit for thinking was to close his eyes. It was a good thing because then he noticed the door was ajar and an idea popped into his head. Maybe we can find out his secret fear if we spy in on him first. So he tiptoed to the doors and peered through the opening. He nearly gasped aloud.

Piled high from floor to ceiling around the spacious tower were mountains of treasure. Gold, silver, rubies, sapphires and emeralds were all here and then some – gold statues too heavy for one greedy thief to abscond, scepters cluttered with fine jewels like a rainbow-sprinkle peppermint stick, silver abacuses with the beads replaced by gems, silver astrolabes rimmed with gold, and countless other devices fashioned from precious metals and stones. It was like a garage sale for the outlandishly wealthy.

He beckoned his friends over, "Hey, guys! Take a look at this!" They came over somewhat cautiously, but only because Matthew seemed so excited, and they took a peek. Both jaws dropped.

"That's…" Koops breathed.

Goombella started bouncing with excitement. "That's got to be all the treasure of every king that's ever lived! That dragon's been hoarding them and it's all here!"

How quickly their caution gave way to greed! Forgetting all about the dragon that made its lair here, the three of them all charged inside and pounced on the gold, shoveling as much of it as they could into their pockets. Matthew actually had to clean out his own pockets first, tossing the dried-up shrooms, the letter to MAR, and the magical map, to make room for the diamonds. Then his fingers wrapped around something strange. He pulled it out and gave it a look.

It was the wind-up cricket that Merlon had given him back at Schhwonk Fortress. "I don't think it was by mistake that the dragon left this behind," he had said. And suddenly the truth hit Matthew square in the gut, leaving him breathless. Could this cricket… could it be Hooktail's secret fear?

Over the sound of gold coins clinking against each other as they scrambled over the treasure mountain, none of them heard the whoosh of leather wings beating the air toward them. They did, however, notice when the room suddenly darkened. They turned to the window and all three of them peed their pants when they saw the dragon perched on the sill.

"Aha!" Hooktail snarled, his giant nostrils flaring and expelling smoke that coiled above his head. "Got a couple of dirty Mowzers scurrying about in my tower and stealing my treasure! You're going to regret that."

With a harrowing scream, Goombella scrambled toward a golden statue of a fat Koopa and ducked behind it. Koops gulped and tucked himself into his shell. Matthew simply stood there, staring at the great red beast, his mind spinning gears that weren't attached to anything.

The dragon chuckled at their fright and then said, "Ah-hum! Now this is interesting! Koopas and Goombas I've had before, but humans are such a rare treat! Where are you from, little guy?"

Matthew croaked out something indiscernible that was meant to be an "uh." The dragon tapped his claws against the wall and said, "You going to tell me anytime soon or shall I just eat you?"

"Eat!" Matthew burst out. "Um, no! I'm from Weston – a small town, nothing special…"

"Weston, I see." Hooktail licked his chops and growled with pleasure. "How do you get there?"

Somehow, a little sheepishness crept into his fear and he answered, "I, uh, don't know… exactly…"

The dragon frowned and gave Matthew a skeptical look. "You don't know? How can you not know? Are you lost?"

Matthew shrugged. "Well, kinda… I mean, I don't know exactly how I got here, but I have a map that brought me here, and uh… well, we came here on purpose…"

"Hmph!" the dragon snorted, sending out a plume of fire that knocked Matthew backward with its heat. "Guess there's no reason to keep you alive, in that case. Now hold still…"

Matthew didn't hold still. He scrambled for the nearest hill to hide him from Hooktail's line of sight though he knew that it wouldn't save him. He had to run for the doors! But the pile of coins was slick and he wound up falling a lot. His chest was fit to burst so he clutched it only to poke himself with the cricket in his hand.

There was a heavy flump and the musical clinking of a coin shower. The dragon had dropped into the tower. "Hmm, I should think about this first though," his voice rumbled. "I can't just gobble up such a rare delicacy. Shall I broil him to a fine golden brown? Or flambe him? But maybe I should eat him last. I've got a Koopa and a Goomba, too, and you can't just chase down something so delectable with a more common palate. It's unheard of!"

Matthew saw the doors and the small gap between them whispering promises of freedom and safety to him. Then Hooktail plodded in front of the doors and pushed them shut.

"There we go," he chuckled. "Don't want my little morsels escaping. And now for a little game of hide-and-seek. Ready or not, here I come!"

Matthew clutched the jade cricket in a white-knuckled grip. They weren't going to get out of here alive. The ground was too slick for running and their only way out had been closed. But if Merlon and Ms. Mowz was right, they did have one last chance.

The cricket shook in his hand while he reached with the other one for the key in its back. He fumbled with it as he twisted, sometimes losing it in one hand and then the other, the cricket spinning beneath the key as he held it. It was like trying to put together a puzzle with a blindfold on, but with his very life at stake, he pushed doggedly on.

Then the dragon thrust his head around the hill and he smiled, revealing some frighteningly sharp teeth. "Found you!"

A silent scream burst out of Matthew's throat and he thrust forward the cricket as one might hold a cross before a vampire. The key in its back turned.

And the sound of crickets chirping issued forth as clear as crystal.

Hooktail's transformation was startling. He leaped backward with a roar, "Oh, yuck, yuck, yuck! Where'd you get that? Stop it! Stop that disgusting chirping, you're making me… urgh!"

"It's crickets!" Matthew yelled. "Hooktail's afraid of crickets!" He scrambled from behind his pile toward the dragon, holding the wind-up cricket high.

"I'm not afraid of them!" Hooktail growled, placing his claws over his ears. "I just can't stand them! Their shiny bodies, that sickeningly sweet taste, the way they squish in your teeth! Ugh! And that sound! So loud! So annoying! Trust me, you eat an entire field of them in one sitting and you'll regret it!"

"Good!" Matthew declared defiantly. "Then, uh… where is the Crystal Star?"

"Stop that noise! Stop it! I can't stand it! I'm gonna be sick!"

Koops coasted to a stop next to Matthew. He lifted his chin in defiance as he yelled, "Hooktail, you abominable dragon! Tell me what happened to my dad!"

Hooktail roared angrily, "You turn that thing off right now, or I will roast you all to cinders! I'm warning you!"

Matthew said, "I will if you tell us…" Then he noticed an odd feeling in his legs. Like he was sinking into quicksand. He glanced down and gave a yelp of fright when he saw his legs were being squeezed together like rags being sucked into vacuum hoses as they sank into the seams between the coins. He leaped out of it, sending up a spray of gold, and in his panic tossed the wind-up cricket. Falling onto his back, he saw it sail backward through the air, and then he heard the musical "tink" as it hit the coins and vanished. The cricket's chirping instantly ceased.

His throat squeezed tight. He gulped and said, "Uh-oh."

Hooktail tentatively lifted his claws off of his ears. When he realized the obnoxious chirping had stopped, he placed his claws on the ground and lifted himself upright. He glared at Koops, who was trembling again, and then at Matthew, who was scrambling to his feet before he could sink into the coins again.

"Now you've gone and ruined my appetite," he growled. "And I'll make sure you live long enough to regret it. I can't eat you now with my stomach so queasy but once I'm feeling better, I'll make you the tastiest meal I've ever had. Until then, let's get to know each other, hm?" He reached out his arm and swept out a large pile of the coins to the doors, piling it up until the doors were completely buried. "And no one's leaving until then."

"M-M-Matthew?" stuttered Koops, clutching his head. "Wh-wh-what do we d-d-d-do?"

Matthew had absolutely no idea. There was no escape. The dragon had buried the doors beneath another mountain of gold. The giant windows only led to a straight drop of a hundred or so feet, meters, whatever units of measurements they used here…

"Actually," Matthew whispered to Koops as an idea struck him. "There's another way out. We've got to get to the windows."

"B-but I can't climb. And it's 300 meters to the bottom… oh, your curse!"

"Exactly. We should be able to glide away from here before Hooktail knows what's going on! Where's Goombella?"

"Now then," said the dragon, crossing his arms and resting his head on them. He was apparently serious about getting to know them. "What do you think of my collection? No one else has a collection quite like mine, don't you think?"

"Oh, uh…" Matthew shook his head to clear it. "I've never seen so much treasure in all my life." He said more loudly, "How about you, Goombella?"

She didn't answer… not directly at least, though he did hear her hiss, "Are you kidding me? What do you think you are doing? You trying to get us all killed?" She wasn't anywhere in sight, still trying to hide from the dragon.

"She could probably tell you some pretty interesting history about all these different treasures," he added a little more loudly.

"I will not! I will not! I will not! And what is that even supposed to mean? What makes him think that dragon even cares about history?"

"Just get over here, Goombella!" Matthew snapped.

She heaved out a sigh from behind the golden Koopa and then shuffled out. She crept hesitantly forward, her expression clearly showing how much she wanted to run. When at last she reached Matthew and Koops, she hissed, "I hope you have a plan!"

Matthew clapped her on the back. "Goombella here can tell you all about your treasures: where it came from, when it was made, who had it last, who fought who for it - all that fascinating stuff."

Hooktail yawned. "Ahh, doesn't really fascinate me. It's just a hobby I picked up one day. Once my stomach settles, I'll eat you all and savor every bite." He licked his chops and grinned.

Matthew's stomach turned a somersault. "Uh, right. Still, a bit of education never hurt anyone. Hey, what about that statue over there?" He pointed to the largest that was closest to the window. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Koops telling Goombella the plan. Her face was white.

She swallowed audibly. "R… right. The Gilded Shell… uh, let's go see it… shall we?" She shakily led the way up the hill toward the statue. Hooktail narrowed his eyes suspiciously but said nothing as he shuffled behind them to take a look at the giant gold shell encrusted with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.

"C-c-commissioned by Buwuwl des Collines after his victory over Koopani the Unconquerable, it was made to represent the unity of the people of Collines. Buwuwl is famous for his quote, 'The enemy brought us together and together we shall stay.' It stood as the centerpiece in the town square until it was taken by the invading northern Snow Clubbas thirty years after his death."

"Uh-huh," said Hooktail with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey, I think I see another fascinating bit of treasure over there," Matthew announced, pointing to just below the window. After pulling his legs out of the coins again, he waded over.

Hooktail's eyes narrowed. "Hey, wait a minute. You're not trying to escape out the window, are you?"

"Out the window, are you crazy?" cried Matthew. His friends joined him, all of them trying not to look out the window. Matthew plunged his hand into the coins and fished for something interesting to pull out. "That's a long way to fall, wouldn't you say? Whoosh, splat, ouch. Need I say more?"

"Hmm," replied the dragon, still frowning suspiciously. He glanced down. "What's going on with your legs?"

Matthew hopped out. "Oh, right. Funny story, really. See, we came across this treasure chest and, wouldn't you know it, it turned out to be cursed."

"WHAT?"

Matthew was a bit stunned by Hooktail's dramatic reaction, but then an idea popped into his head. "Yeah, now I fall into cracks and…"

Hooktail wasn't listening. He clawed at his neck. "The key! It's gone! But how?"

Now Matthew was confused. "Key? What key…?" Then he remembered Ms. Mowz. She had given him a key that she claimed to have snatched from a dragon's neck. Hooktail's neck.

Oh.

With a roar of fury, Hooktail dropped to his haunches and advanced on the three of them. "You took the key, didn't you? I don't know how you did it, but you somehow swiped the key from me and let out that cursed Toad's spirit." He forced them back to the very edge of the window's ledge, forcing them to lean back.

"Um, Toad?" Matthew said, whose gears had once again come loose

"Thanks to you, now I've got a spirit to find and put back. You are going to make it up to me by giving me the strength I need to go looking."

Matthew grabbed Koops's hand and Goombella's ponytail. Koops squeezed his hand for reassurance. Goombella was quaking too hard to protest.

"My stomach is settled so I'll go ahead and eat you now," he grinned. "Bon appetite!"

"JUMP!" Matthew screamed and the three of them leaped out the window.

The sky was turning a beautiful shade of indigo with a streak of rose on the horizon where the sun was just touching it. The scent of grass permeated the air, generously distributed by the sleepy breeze.

It came full awake though when it caught wind of the three adventurers leaping out of a window from the tallest tower of the largest castle. With a shriek of glee, it swooped in on the three and started tormenting them, jabbing their eyes, tugging their hair and swiping their clothes. The three weren't too bothered by its mischief, though. No, they were more concerned about the dragon that was coming out of the tower right behind them.

"Get back here!" he roared, launching himself off the tower. His leathery wings spread out with a snap and he swooshed after the escaping adventurers.

Thanks to Matthew's curse (and he meant it sincerely), they were carried along the wind away from the castle. Matthew pulled up his legs to avoid crashing into the crenellations of the castle walls (as his were the longest) and then it was open sky. He might have enjoyed it, too, except there was that overbearing whoosh of leathery wings flapping behind them, which managed to drown out the sounds of his friends' screaming in his ears.

"You won't get away from me!" roared Hooktail.

Matthew realized that the dragon was right. At this rate, he would catch up to the them, snap them out of the air and then wheel right around for home… oh, right, he had a spirit to catch, but that was beside the point. The young adventurer had to think of a way to escape the dragon—distract him or… wait!

"Crickets!" he screamed above the rush of the wind and the fwoosh of the dragon's wings. "Think big, juicy crickets! Shiny black bodies! The way they squish in your teeth! Chirrup!" His imitation of a cricket's chirp was terrible, but he hoped the message would be enough.

"What's he saying?" Goombella yelled to Koops dangling next to her.

"Crickets!" Koops answered. "Think crickets!"

So she whistled in an amazing imitation of a cricket's chirp, and together the three of them conjured up images of Hooktail's most sickening meal.

"No!" he roared angrily. "Stop! Stop it right now or I'll…"

"Hundreds of crickets! A sea of shiny, black crickets! Yum yum!"

"Th-there they are! A whole f-field of them! A m-meal fit for a d-dragon!"

"Chirrup!"

"I'm warning you!" the dragon bellowed. "You say one more word and—ugh—I'll roast you! Oooh…"

But the three adventurers did not relent. "Feel the way they bounce in your tummy! Round and round they go! Down your esophagus and into your stomach, swimming round and round in your stomach acids…"

"Your stomach's f-fit to burst! Th-they're sliding down your th-throat and sp-sp-splashing in your stomach. How c-can you fit any m-more?"

"Chirrup!"

"ENOUGH!"

At last, they did relent, but only because they all saw something coming out of the dark toward them: the spindly silhouette of a tree.

"Look out!" they all screamed.

"Huh?" said Hooktail.

Crash. The three of them became tangled in the branches. CRASH. The dragon speared through the branches, swatting them straight out of the tree and toward the ground. They were almost flattened by Hooktail as he was falling with them but were saved by the very thing that had given the dragon his fearsome name: his hooked tail. It hooked into the trunk of the tree and pulled him short, bringing him crashing to the ground while Matthew and his companions drifted safely down a short distance away.

"Ooog," moaned the dragon from his awkward position, tree branches scattered about him. "I don't feel too good."

"Crickets," Matthew piped up.

"Ugh!" Hooktail tensed, his body coiling. "Oog!" And then he threw up, sending a tide of dragon sick washing over them.

"ICK!" Goombella screamed, hopping between her feet.

"Ugh," Koops held out his arms, letting the sick drip off.

"Ouch!" In the wash of the puke, two things slammed into Matthew's shin - one that shone with the brilliant luster of a diamond and the other like a large green boulder-causing him to hop on his foot while he clutched his bruised ankle.

Then the green boulder spoke, "Ho ho! Sorry about that!" A head and two arms and legs popped out of it and then it leaped to its feet.

The dragon raised his head in alarm and he hiccupped, "Hic! You!"

Koops's eyes bulged. "Dad?"

Koops's dad, for he was the green boulder that had slammed into Matthew's shin, spun around and declared, "Yep, me! I bet you didn't expect to see me again, did you? I've been keeping nice and cozy in your stomach by staying tucked in my shell for the past three years… or was it four? Regardless, thanks to these three here, now I'll be having my revenge!"

Matthew, Goombella, and Koops, all gaped in astonishment at this unexpected turn of events. Koops's dad then scooped up the diamond, lifted it into the air and declared, "Remember this?"

Goombella gasped and then kicked Matthew's shin. "Hey, Matthew! Isn't that the…"

Matthew hopped on his foot while clutching his shin again as he squeaked, "What was that for?"

Meanwhile, Koops's dad waved the diamond. "You almost had me when you swallowed both me and this little talisman. Never could find it in the dark pit of your stomach, especially in the stomach acids; otherwise, I would have just wished to have your stomach turned inside-out."

The three adventurers blanched at the thought. Hooktail turned green.

Koops's dad grinned. "But I have it now, which means it's time for your comeuppance… fourteen years overdue."

Hooktail began to whimper. "No, please, have mercy…"

Koops's dad raised his diamond talisman high. "Little magic star! I wish for Hooktail to be banished to somewhere far away and let everything he eats taste like crickets!"

Hooktail howled, "No! No! Anything but that! No!" But it was too late. The diamond star flashed, blinding everyone looking at it, and the ground rumbled. Then another sound swelled above the rumbling. A cacophonous chorus of sweet trilling that seemed to choke out the night sky and bore into the ears of all listening. The chorus of crickets.

"Stop! Stop! Mercy! Mercyyyyy!" Hooktail thrashed violently, cracking the tree in half. With it still attached to his hooked tail, he spun around and took to the air. The hasty beat of his leather wings carried him far into the night until the only sound left was the unholy choir of the crickets.

"That should be good enough," said Koops's dad with a chuckle. He gave his talisman a shake and the trilling died. Then he turned to the staring trio and said, "Well, I guess I owe you three a debt of gratitude. If it weren't for you, I'd still be slowly digesting in that lizard's belly. Put 'er there!" He thrust out his hand, a big hand that had obviously done some hard work in the past. Matthew glanced at Koops, who was struck dumb, and then to his dad, who he realized with a start was looking at him, so he tentatively took the Koopa's hand.

"A mighty fine pleasure to meet such brave fellows!" bellowed Koops's dad as he shook Matthew around like a limp noodle. "I must admit, though, I never expected you would attempt such a reckless venture, Koops," He turned squarely to face his son.

Koops ducked his head. "I, uh… well, see Dad…"

"I'm so proud of you!" The burly Koopa grabbed his son's shoulders and pulled him into a bear hug. "My son, taking on the feared Hooktail! Why your name will go down in history, son! Koops the Dragonslayer!"

"B-b-but I hardly did anything!" Koops cried. "It was Matthew who saved our tails. If it weren't for him, we'd all be dead."

Matthew blushed. "Oh, uh, it was nothing, really," He tried hard not to feel too pleased.

Goombella kicked his shin. "Sure, but don't go getting a swelled head. It was Koops's dad here who chased off the dragon in the end."

"Was that really necessary?" Matthew snapped, holding his shin.

Goombella cringed. "Sorry."

Koops's dad laughed. "I'm sure good, old Petalburg will give you all a hero's welcome! Let's not keep them waiting, eh?" He raised the diamond star into the air. "Little, magic star, I wish for you to take us back to Petalburg!"

With a flash and a musical tinkling, the star did just that. It wasn't long before the citizens gathered around them to see what had happened. Koops's dad quickly filled them in on Hooktail's demise.

"Thanks to these three, he won't be coming back," he declared. "Petalburg can now live in peace."

"Did I hear that right? Hooktail is gone?" croaked the old Koopa mayor. "Why that's the best durn news I've heard in ten years!" He whooped and started waving his cane in the air while doing some sort of shaky jig. When he finished, he cried out, "As mayor of this town, I hereby declare today to be a national holiday! Murphy and Delilah Day! Oh, and Koops, too."

The cheer that followed was thunderous and the party thereafter the wildest Matthew had ever been to—never mind that he didn't go to many. It was well deserved for it was the first major step in their quest to rescue Princess Peach from the mysterious and sinister X-nauts. And once they got the Crystal Star—the diamond star that Koops's dad had used to chase away Hooktail—they would be one step closer to finding her… wherever she was…