Chapter 69: Settling the Score: Part II

"…you. Even you're not that powerful."

But everyone could hear the trembling fear Vivian had in her voice.

"Practice makes perfect. Enough speech. It's time to end this. One shall not survive." Beldam declared.

"THEN YOU SHALL BE THE ONE!" Rolf shouted.

Beldam's evil grin increased. She seemed quite content to see Rolf so angry. From behind her, rushing at them from the mist, Marilynn and Doopliss flew into the battle.

Double D acted first.

He held his rod up to block himself. Marilynn whizzed on past him. Doopliss flew right at him, smacking right into his rod. It took everything he had to hold back the powerful strike.

Double D gave a loud groan as he began to slide backwards. His shoes giving off an equally loud screech as he slid across the stone ground. The force ended up too much for him to hold, as he suddenly felt himself falling. He gave a yell and fell backwards into the lake.

"Double D!" Eduardo Jr. shouted, becoming very mad no. "No one pushes him around and gets away with that!"

The small Yoshi shouted and charged Doopliss. Doopliss, being unprepared for an attack, shouted and took the hit. Both he and Eduardo Jr. gave out another shout and fell into the lake.

Lee looked around the chamber.

She wasn't interested in any of the others. All she wanted was to find May. It would have been hard to find one person within all of the mist that had been around since the beginning of the fight. All around her, she could hear battling from all directions.

Double D emerged from the water's surface. Eduardo Jr. was clinging to his back.

"Are you okay?" Double D asked.

"I'm fine, dad. C'mon, let's take them down." The little Yoshi said, shaking his head to dry his hair.

Double D began to swim towards the edge of the water. As he did, he suddenly heard a distant roaring sound.

"Heads up!" Eduardo Jr. shouted.

Double D looked up and saw a large wave barreling towards him. It must have towered to two stories tall.

"Whoa!" Double D shouted just before the wave crashed right over him, forcing them both underwater.

As Double D fought to swim back to the surface, he felt something rip on his back. He opened his eyes and spotted Eduardo Jr. sinking to the depths of the lake. Double D gasped and swam deeper and deeper. As he dove, he spotted something glowing beneath the waves.

He heard the sound of screeching, and something moving quickly in the water.

Double D's heart race increased. '…What is that?'

He knew however that it would have to wait. He began to dive underwater. He pushed himself further and further down. He saw Eduardo Jr. still sinking, air bubbles escaping from his mouth. He gasped and reached for the little hand of his Yoshi…

He surfaced from the waters, giving out a loud gasp. Eduardo Jr. gave a gasp himself, spitting water from his mouth. He was loudly coughing, doing everything he could for air.

"Are you okay?" Double D asked, worried to death for the little one.

"…Thank you. I'm fine. I owe you so much." Eduardo Jr. said back.

Suddenly, something emerged from the water's edge alongside them. It was shiny and covered in scales. Its white skin was smooth aside from large red eyes staring back at them.

"It's a water dragon!" Eduardo Jr. shouted.

"No. I recognize those red eyes. It's Doopliss." Double D said, his eyes narrowed.

He was awaiting the day he had the chance to fight him again, but not like this.

The dragon gave a loud roar. It swung a flipper and forced Double D and Eduardo Jr. air born. They both gave screams, until they landed on the side of the lake. Both of them, gasping for air. Double D looked up and saw himself staring into Beldam's face.

Beldam gave an evil smile. "At last, you stand at my mercy. I have awaited this day to come."

"…do whatever you want to me. But promise you will leave them all alone." Double D said.

"No, dad!" Eduardo Jr. shouted.

"You want mercy?" Beldam asked. "…how pathetic. In that case, there will be a change of plan. I will take you friends out, one by one. And I'll start with you little, 'son.' This should be amusing."

Beldam laughed and pointed her finger at Eduardo jr. She began to glow blue, filled with energy. She was levitating off the floor, his hair and hat flying around with energy. The blue light reflected back onto Eduardo Jr.'s eyes.

He began to whimper softly, too scared to get up.

"Leave him be!" Double D screamed.

"Solidify." Beldam said and dark energy burst from her hand.

Eduardo Jr. gave a scream as the energy flew at him. From nearby, he heard an enraged scream. Eduardo Jr. suddenly felt himself being pushed away. His little body rolled on the floor. He was in pain, but the curse failed to strike him.

Eduardo Jr. looked up and shouted. "AAAH!"

Double D was lying down on the floor, his legs turning into stone.

"No! DAD!" Eduardo Jr. shouted, tears forming in his own eyes.

Double D gave a weak smile. "Eduardo Jr…"

Double D gave a groan as the rest of his body was hardening, turning to an ugly gray.

"No! It's too early! Don't! Stay here with me! I can't do this alone." Eduardo Jr. shouted.

"…you… go on. Do it, you must fight." Double D another groan as he began to shake.

"Dad! Please, it can't end like this!" Eduardo Jr. shouted.

"I'm… sorry…" Double D groaned, his shaking hand reached for Eduardo jar's head, as he gave it a weak stroke. "Goodbye..."

That last word echoed in the chamber as he finished turning to stone. Eduardo Jr. now stood next to the statue that he called his father.

He was groaning and sobbing at the same time. Vivian, who was nearby gave a scream.

"No!" She rushed towards Double D's statue.

She collapsed and started to cry.

"Enough of this display of weakness!" Beldam shouted as she pointed at them again, her body beginning to glow. "Ice Ball!"

A huge chunk of ice was now careening towards them. Eduardo Jr. crawled out of the way. Vivian was too scared to move. Her trembling body refused to react.

Out of nowhere, she felt herself jerk backwards. The ice ball missed her by inches. It hit the statue, causing it to fly across the chamber. Eduardo Jr. gasped as he saw it crash into the lake.

He managed to catch a glimpse of Double D's stone hand still reaching out for Eduardo Jr. as he sank into the depths. "Double D!"

"When will you pathetic fools get over it?" Beldam asked. "He was nothing but a weakling and a small thorn in my side. Now he is nothing."

Eduardo Jr.'s face changed to that of pure rage. He shouted and ran towards Beldam. Meanwhile, Vivian managed to get up. She looked behind her and saw Kevin, who had just saved her life.

"Thank you." Vivian said.

Kevin gave a smile. "You welcome, but we're not done yet. Someone's gonna pay for all this!"

From behind, Marilynn's form appeared, holding her electric spear.

"Kevin, heads up!" Nazz shouted.

Kevin watched as Nazz emerged from the mist, performing a perfect drop kick on Marilynn. She crashed and fell to the ground.

"Thanks, Nazz! That was great!" Kevin complimented.

"C'mon Kevin, let's beat her!" Nazz said.

Kevin gave a nod as Marilynn shot back upright, holding the yellow glowing spear.

Jimmy squeaked as he flew backwards. His body crashed on the stone floor. He looked up and saw May's angry face.

"May!" Jimmy shouted, holding his palm out in front of him. "I beg of you, please stop!"

"You're still the sad little boy you always were. I promise, I'll end this fast." Her hand and medallion both began to glow blue.

Jimmy gasped.

"Solidify!"

Jimmy took the blast. His left leg was already stone, the curse rapidly spreading.

He got up weakly. He began to walk with every energy he could, his stone-cold leg making a scraping sound as he dragged it. He found Sarah's statue. To him, it was like looking at the statue of a maiden one would find in a museum.

"…dearest Sarah."

Both his legs were now stone, as he lost his balance and grasped Sarah's statue. He wrapped his arms around her as he was turning to stone. Jimmy shook his hand as he lifted up the half-ripped ace of hearts card. He managed to find Sarah's, which was also stone, dangling from the necklace that still existed on her neck.

He put the two pieces together, just before it turned to stone. It did, he noticed the card merge together, to become one, fixed heart.

He gave a smile. "If we can't be on this world anymore, then we can at least be together."

With that, his body completely turned to stone, still wrapped around Sarah.

May laughed evilly. "Who's next?"

"MAY!"

May was silent. She heard the shout come from somewhere within the mist. As she turned, she saw someone approaching her. Her body became more and more visible as she stepped from the misty.

"Lee. Surprise, surprise."

"May, what are you doing?" Lee asked.

May gave a smile. "You still don't get it, do you?"

"Shut up and turn them all back to normal now!" Lee shouted.

"NO!" May's own voice echoed. "I'm sick of you!"

Lee gasped. "What?"

"I was the youngest." May said. "So, I was nothing. You and Marie beat on me daily. My say never mattered to you, did it?"

"Of course! We were sisters, it was just rivalry!" Lee shouted.

"I'm sick of your lies, so just shut up." May said back.

"…this isn't you, May. What happened to my sister?" Lee asked.

"I'm right here." May said. "Do you know what happened to me?"

"Tell me!" Lee shouted.

"Recall the day I escaped? I proved myself stronger than you that day by doing what you couldn't." May said.

Lee growled. "It's over now. Hurry, free them!"

May said nothing, just stood glaring at Lee.

"Do it now! I'm ordering you as your big sister!" Lee shouted.

"SHUT UP!" May shouted. "You are not the boss of me! The reason why I did this, was to finally get my vengeance for all the brutality I endured from you!"

Lee gasped. "…Was I really that mean to you?"

"That's over now. The weak May you knew died." May said.

"I want her back!" Lee shouted. "I'm prepared to do whatever it takes!"

May chuckled. "Then come and get her back."

Lee shouted. "I won't let our sibling relationship die like this!"

With that, she gave a battle cry and charged at May. She held out both fists, ready to strike.

May laughed and held out her finger. "Solidify!"

Lee flew backwards, taking the hit. She crashed and skidded on the hard ground. She stopped after a while, near the edge of the wall. She looked at her rapidly solidifying hand, then at May.

"…NOOOOOOOO…." Lee's voice slowly quieted down, until it was nothing but a ghostly echo in the now quiet chamber.

May brushed off her cloak, as she began to walk through the dead silent chamber.

As she walked through the mist, she passed by a lot of statues.

She noticed Jimmy and Sarah, still holding each other. May spotted ones of Mario and Flurrie nearby, both looking at each other with fear. Kevin and Nazz stood in a battle position. It looked like they had been cut off guard in their own battle. Eddy and Goombella were frozen together.

Eddy was reaching towards Goombella. This one looked like they were trying to say goodbye. Koops and Bobbery were on the floor, with petrified expressions. Johnny and Plank were at the side of a bridge, clinging on to it so as not to fall.

She continued to pass the other statues.

As she passed by, she gave count. "…it isn't over. There are four people left unaccounted for."

She suddenly heard the sound of heavy breathing. Her head turned to the only sound in the mist chamber. As she walked, she saw Rolf, Eduardo Jr., Ed, and Vivian, standing side by side. Beldam, Marilynn and Doopliss had them surrounded, each of their hands glowing and ready to cast a spell.

Beldam tilted her head, catching May in her sight. "Well, May. A good time to appear. What is the status?"

"All solidified. The West, North, and Southern ends of the courtyard are secure." May stated.

"Good work." Beldam said, looking back at the four remaining. "Now, the question remains. What to do with these fools…"

Rolf growled. Eduardo Jr. looked just as angry now, with his heart burning for the desire to avenge Double D. Ed gave a serious expression, and Vivian looked very panicked.

"May." Beldam said. "If you care to do the honors?"

'"Certainly." May said, holding up both hands towards the group.

They both began to glow blue. She was going to cast a Solidify spell.

"Wait!" Ed shouted.

"What is it?" May asked, lowering her hands.

Ed stepped forth. "I shall fight."

"Are you kidding?" Doopliss asked. "We can take you down in no-"

"Wait." Beldam said, holding her arm out in front of Doopliss, now sporting an intrigued smile. "Ed, you will fight May, to the death."

"Accepted." Ed and May both said simultaneously.

Beldam, Marilynn and Doopliss stepped out of the way to let Ed pass them by, then trapped Rolf, Vivian, and Eduardo Jr. again.

Ed and May gave each other glances. Both of them knew this fight would determine the fate of the world.