OK, readers. Here is the 43rd chapter of this story!
Anyway, now we're back to focusing on Andrew and his five friends as they prepare to leave Twilight Town. In this chapter, Andrew has explained the situation to Mayor Dour and how he was dealing with a fake Andrew this whole time. This comes on top of Andrew telling Vivian some important things that they'll be doing once they get back to Rogueport Sewers and whatnot.
Additionally, Andrew gives his four other friends the pep talk and how he wants them to continue traveling with him when they are feeling doubtful, Andrew makes sure Vivian has her name written on herself, and he gets another e-mail from Peach, revealing that legendary treasure being a demon's spirit, Andrew and Vivian get by a spiked trap room together to find a badge, they find out the fifth location of the next Crystal Star, and some other stuff will occur.
How will this go for the six of them? Find out now, readers!
BACK IN TWILIGHT TOWN:
It didn't take long for the six travelers to make it by the woods and Twilight Trail before they made it back to Twilight Town. Once they made it back, Andrew headed straight to the mayor's house, where he explained everything to him.
As soon as Andrew told him that he was dealing with a fake Andrew previously and that his name and identity were stolen, Mayor Dour felt horrified and ashamed of his mistake. So as an apology, Dour decided to give Andrew a special meal, free of charge.
Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie were all set with eating right now, as they had already eaten at his house previously, where they helped themselves to some Healthy Salad, Meteor Meal, and Zess Dinner, respectively.
Yoshiam, though, couldn't pass by having seconds as he was allowed to eat 12 more things of Peachy Peaches, which got Andew to smirk at this. It seems this experience hasn't changed his little Yoshi friend.
Then there was Andrew, who was given a special meal as an apology for how the Mayor treated him when he was a shadow.
Several villagers who had witnessed Andrew and Vivian traveling through the village when the former was reduced to a nameless shadow, such as Eve and her three children, had also apologized to him for being so judgmental of him when they didn't know that he was the real Andrew. Andrew, of course, was willing to offer an olive branch and move on.
The special meal that Andrew was given consisted of some Zess Deluxe, A Meteor Meal, a Healthy Salad, a glass of Fresh Juice, and for dessert, there were a few pieces of Peach Tarts that he could have too.
Andrew was willing to share some of his food with Vivian since she was his new friend, and she probably hadn't eaten either. Not to mention the fact that Andrew couldn't possibly have eaten all of that food on his own.
Mayor Dour was skeptical about this until Andrew told him that Vivian was a friend of his and that she helped him get his name and identity back. The mayor accepted that and allowed her to eat whatever she wanted, which satisfied Andrew.
As they were eating together, Andrew and Vivian talked together about what they'll be doing tomorrow after getting a good night's rest.
"So uhhhh...Andrew?" Vivian had to ask. "What will we be doing tomorrow once we leave from Twilight Town?"
"Well Vivian, we'll be heading back for the Rogueport Sewers, and we'll be taking a trip to the Thousand-Year Door to find out where the fifth Crystal Star is located," Andrew explained. "Oh! And I'll probably get an e-mail from Princess Peach through my Mailbox SP about something urgent that she found out. I can already see it happening."
"Oh..." Vivian said meekly. "And you've been doing this the whole time?"
"Ever since we went to Hooktail Castle to beat Hooktail," Andrew nodded. "You know of Hooktail, do you?"
"Only from what I've heard," Vivian nodded. "Hooktail's a dragon, right?"
"Yup," Andrew confirmed. "Hooktail was a nasty, gnarly looking, stinky breath dragon if we ever did see one like it before."
"Oh. Must've been dangerous," Vivian said.
"Yeah. But Goombella, Koops, and I took care of it," Andrew assured her. "We won't be hearing about that dragon terrorizing villages again."
"That's good," Vivian nodded as she smiled while admiring Andrew who continued eating.
She couldn't believe it. A man who was as handsome and strong as this one has been here all along. On top of that, he was a sweet and gentle young man too. There was no doubt about it. A man like Andrew comes only once in a blue moon.
Gee whiz, Andrew is as handsome and strong as he was in that picture. Maybe even hotter... Vivian had thought with a shy expression. He's such a sweet man. I 'really' am glad that I'm traveling with him. He's so wonderful and strong. I'll be sure to protect him from anyone, even from my sisters...
With that thought in mind, Vivian continued eating her dinner right next to Andrew, as the two of them had fun before the two of them decided to regroup with the others at the Twilight Town Inn. Andrew had a spare Inn Coupon that he could use up, and it would be able to cover all six of them.
When they had gotten to the Inn, Flurrie had kept her word with Andrew and gave him all of the kisses that she could give him. Andrew, being a massive fan of the actress, was willing to let her do what she wanted to with him.
Goombella had also made small talk with Vivian while getting her to know her better. Vivian ended up learning that Goombella is an aspiring archaeologist and it was the main reason she's been collecting the Crystal Stars with Andrew, along with Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam. And Vivian was also included in the category too. It didn't take long for all four of them to be hospitable towards Vivian now that she was with them.
"Wow. Uh, that's so amazing," Vivian had commented. "Goombella? You're 'really' interested in archaeology?"
"That's right," Andrew had spoken up, now covered in Flurrie's kiss marks. "Goombella has always been into archaeology ever since she was a little girl."
"You betcha, Andrew," Goombella told him. "It's been the main reason that I've been researching the legendary treasure underneath Rogueport. There's so much mystery behind it, and I'd 'totally' would like to know more about it!"
"Trust us, Vivian," Koops spoke up. "The rest of us were as perplexed by it as you are."
"No kidding," Yoshiam jumped up and down. "And now we got the fourth Crystal Star, and Presto is back to normal!"
"That's right," Andrew had nodded. "And tomorrow we'll set back to Rogueport Sewers and to the Thousand-Year Door to find the next Crystal Star."
Before they had turned in for the night, however, Flurrie had wanted to stuff her face up with some more Choco Cake, and she wanted to share it with Andrew now that he was back to normal. Needless to say, Andrew had quite a hoot with it when his face was covered in chocolate along with Flurrie.
Koops and Yoshiam had to grin at the sight of this, with the latter feeling like he was missing out on more cake, Goombella smirked and rolled her eyes playfully at this, and Vivian giggled, finding this display to be kind of cute.
Otherwise, the six travelers went to sleep in the Inn for the night, sleeping together as the tightly-knit team that they were supposed to be. Tomorrow was going to be busy, and they needed to make sure that they were well-rested.
The next morning, which they didn't notice any difference since it was perpetual twilight there, the six adventurers were treated to some nice breakfast.
While Yoshiam helped himself to some more Peachy Peaches that were provided for them, eating 24 of them this time around, the rest of them were willing to eat simple breakfast food, such as Fried Eggs, Omelette Meals covered in Maple Syrup, some Zess Tea that was brewed with the Golden Leaves that the villagers found in the woods, and Yoshiam had some Fresh Juice.
Even Vivian was happy to enjoy a nice breakfast with Andrew, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam, as she had never been given such a lovely meal by her sisters. It made her feel like she was going to have a better life by traveling with Andrew and his friends.
By the time they were done with breakfast, it was about time for them to leave. Andrew had his backpack ready with the Ruby Star inside, and Vivian was willing to follow right behind him. The others, by contrast, were a little reluctant, seeing that they still felt guilty for what they had done to him yesterday.
Andrew had gotten the mayor outside to see him off with his friends. Even though he had been explained about it yesterday, Mayor Dour still felt bad for how he treated the real Andrew when he was a shadow, and how the fake Andrew was Doopliss; the one who turned the villagers into pigs.
"I still can't believe it was a fake Andrew all that time..." Mayor Dour said shamefully. "So we were all fooled..."
Mayor Dour then guiltily shook his head before he continued. "I'm so sorry, Andrew... After all you've done for our town... Did we hurt your feelings?"
Andrew had considered saying that they kinda did with how they treated him like an outcast. However, he didn't want them to start feeling pity for the muscular man, especially since that's the last thing that he wanted right now. He had to come out of this situation bold and strong, no matter how much the stolen identity crisis had scarred him.
"Nah, not really," Andrew told him. "I...I'm not upset. I've been through worse. So it's all right, Mayor Dour, sir."
"You're a bigger man than I, Andrew! Such fortitude! You're a true hero!" Mayor Dour had to exclaim. "Regardless, you've brought a shining ray of light to our dim little town! Twilight Town 'thanks' you!"
"Well, I was honored. Really," Andrew said modestly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I was happy to help. And I was just doing the right thing is all."
It was then Vivian had to tap Andrew on the shoulder. She got his attention and she then decided to tell him.
"Hey, Andrew... We need to get back to Rogueport, right?" Vivian wondered, which resulted in Andrew nodding. "Let's go."
"Of course," Andrew said. "We better get going."
"Please come back to visit anytime you like!" Mayor Dour told them.
"Will do. Thanks for everything, Mayor Dour," Andrew then turned towards Vivian again. "But first off, Vivian? Have you ever been through the pipe before?"
"Uhhh, not really," Vivian said shyly. "Like with my sisters, I tend to travel through the shadows to get to other places. It's how I got to this town in the first place."
"Do you have something with your name written on it?" Andrew asked her.
"Uhhhh, I think so," Vivian remarked. "Maybe on the inside of my hat..."
"Would you like me to write your name out for you?" Andrew offered, getting out a black marker that he had in his backpack.
"Oh. Uh. S-Sure," Vivian said with a blush. "Go ahead, Andrew."
"OK." Andrew nodded. "I'll try to be gentle."
At that moment, Andrew wrote her name on her back, which got Vivian to wince at how gentle he was being. It was 'really' making her face red from blushing. She 'absolutely' adored this young man for the kindness he showed her.
"There. All done," Andrew smiled as he backed away and put the marker in his backpack. "Are you all set, Vivian?"
"Sure," Vivian nodded. "Thanks. Shall we get going?"
"Good idea," Andrew then motioned his other friends to follow him. "Come on guys! We better get going!"
Upon seeing that they hadn't moved at all, Andrew turned to face them before asking. "Guys? What's wrong? Are you all OK?"
It didn't take long for them to notice the apprehensive looks on their faces, along with the fact that they seemed 'really' guilty about something. Andrew was quickly able to figure it out as he sighed and marched up to them.
"Oh come on guys! You aren't still thinking about that, are you?!" Andrew had to tell them. "I already said that I've forgiven you and that there was no harm done. So don't worry about it."
"It's not that easy for us, Andrew," Goombella started with a frown. "You see, we left you all alone when Doopliss used the Ruby Star to swipe your name and appearance from you. We weren't there to help you when you were suffering. And to top it off, we nearly came close to 'totally' creaming you when we thought you were Doopliss."
"And what did I say before, Goombella? Doopliss was the one who manipulated you guys into thinking that he was me," Andrew told her while sounding like he was giving them a pep talk. "This isn't your fault, and I don't hold you guys responsible for it."
"Ummm...But Andrew. We're supposed to be your partners and your friends. And we went ahead and ditched you," Koops said shyly before frowning. "We feel like we had failed as your partners and we had failed as your friends, and we have..."
"Don't you DARE finish that SENTENCE!" Andrew had to yell, getting him to stop. "You did NOT fail me as my PARTNERS! And you 'definitely did NOT fail me as my FRIENDS! None of this is any of your fault, and you guys aren't horrible friends to me! Your wonderful friends! If anything, blame Doopliss! This whole mess was his fault in the first place!"
It was then Andrew frowned as he then admitted. "And it's also my fault too..."
"Mercy me, sweetums," Flurrie was shocked from hearing that. "Whatever do you mean!?"
"I have taken you guys for granted," Andrew admitted the truth. "All the times we've been traveling, I didn't take into account about how it would've been like if I was traveling and exploring the region alone. If I had to fight monsters all by myself."
Andrew had to clear his throat before he continued. "I...I nearly got creamed by one of the Crazee Dayzees in the woods, and I have no idea what would've happened if I had run into an Amazy Dayzee. So yeah. I 'definitely' haven't thought about how you guys felt about fighting alongside me and that I overlooked how much you've done for me."
"Oh c'mon, Presto! Snap out of it!" Yoshiam had to yell. "That's a bunch of crazy talk, and you know it, man! We fight alongside you because we WANT to help you in fights! And we WANT to help you gather the Crystal Stars on this adventure!"
"I guess your right," Andrew then told them. "But seriously, I'm sorry that I haven't kept any of that in mind. I promise that I will do better with you guys. But I really would love it if all four of you continued to travel with me and Vivian."
"Jeepers... I dunno Andrew," Goombella was still doubtful about this along with Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam. "I'm not sure if we deserve to travel with you anymore..."
"Please, guys. I... I need you. I realized how much I needed you guys around after what had happened to me. Not only as my partners but as my friends," Andrew had to encourage them. "So what do you say? Will you guys continue traveling with me to get the rest of the Crystal Stars?"
All four of them could see the pleading look on Andrew's face, which made it clear that he wanted them to keep traveling with him, even after everything that had happened.
After a few moments of thinking, they realized that they wanted to keep traveling with Andrew too. The REAL Andrew that they were familiar with, being modest and soft-spoken about situations. It was then each of them started speaking one at a time.
"Oh, Andrew. You're right. You're 'totally' right. I said that I'd stick by your side, and I'm planning to continue doing that too," Goombella scooted over and rubbed his left leg. "Don'tcha worry anymore, Andrew! No matter what happens, I'm not leaving your side. I will stick by you, always, no matter what 'totally' gnarly things we run into next!"
"Yeah, Andrew. I am gonna stay with you too," Koops walked over to him and gave him a thumbs up. "This adventure has been nice so far, and you've been a great guy to travel with. You have helped us get by some tough situations. And golly, we'd love to stay with you to get the rest of the Crystal Stars. So, uh, I'm gonna remain by your side too..."
"Andrew, you poor, poor man," Flurrie had to assure him softly while massaging his shoulders in comfort. "I shall be willing to make myself a vow to you! For I, Madame Flurrie, shan't ever leave your side again, and I shall never let you out of my sight again! I promised that I'd keep you safe, and I'm a woman of my word, so I shall continue traveling with you too, my handsome hunky muscular darling."
"Yeah! What they said, Presto! I'm gonna continue sticking by you as we kick some more butt from whoever picks a fight with us!" Yoshiam walked over to give him a high five. "And Presto? If there is any other chump like Doopliss that is giving you a hard time, let me know right away! You're the coolest, dude! I've got your back 24/7 man! I promise!"
"That's the spirit, guys," Andrew said with a reassuring smile. "I'm glad that I could convince you. Thank you, guys. I couldn't have asked for anything better."
"Omigosh, Andrew! I just realized something," Goombella blinked. "Usually, it's me who's giving the pep talk of encouragement to you guys! How did you learn to be such a motivational speaker to encourage us to stay with you?"
"Well, it goes to show, Goombella," Andrew said with a sly grin. "This adventure that we've been on has changed me."
"Duh! I think I have noticed," Goombella rolled her eyes playfully as she smiled at him. "But seriously, we're staying by your side no matter what, Andrew."
"And I appreciate that, guys," Andrew smiled as he allowed all four of them to remain close to him.
Vivian, meanwhile, had witnessed this and floated over to them, admiring how close they had gotten. And how lucky she was to have decided to remain with them.
It was then a thought crossed Andrew's mind. Seeing what had happened and how he had to make sure that it could never happen again, it was clear what he had to do now.
I swear, I am gonna protect my friends from now on so that nothing like this will ever happen again. Andrew thought in determination. All five of them. And that does include Vivian...
Andrew kept that to himself as he enjoyed the moment. It came to an end when he saw that his Goomba, Koopa, Wind Spirit, and Yoshi friends were more than raring to go back to Rogueport and to the Thousand-Year Door with the muscular man and the Shadow Siren.
"All right, Andrew!" Goombella beamed in a preppy manner. "Let's get back to Rogueport, OK?"
"Well, Andrew..." Koops commented. "Let's head back to Rogueport, huh?"
"Are you quite ready, Andrew?" Flurrie had to query. "Let's get back to Rogueport."
"Okeydokey, Presto!" Yoshiam cheered and jumped. "Let's kick it back to Rogueport!"
"Gotcha," Andrew nodded. "Let's get out of here."
And so the six travelers headed to the pipe, with Vivian saying something that got his attention.
"Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm. Oh, Andrew," Vivian told him softly. "You are 'really' something..."
"What do you mean, Vivian?" Andrew raised an eyebrow at this.
"You are a really sweet man, forgiving your friends like that when they left you behind like that," Vivian admitted. "I think that it is so sweet."
"Well, it's not like me to hold such a petty grudge over them when it was something that wasn't in their control, and it wasn't their fault. So of 'course' I'd forgive them for that," Andrew explained to her. "It's kinda like how I'm not holding a grudge over how you were a member of the Shadow Sirens that were working for the X-Nauts."
"Oh, I know," Vivian had to sigh dreamily before she frowned. "If only my sisters were as forgiving as you are, Andrew..."
"Ah, don't worry about it," Andrew assured her as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to put up with Beldam's abuse any longer. I can assure you, you are safe with me. And I will keep you safe, Vivian. I promise."
"I know," Vivian said sheepishly. "And I'll keep you safe too. I'll be by your side no matter what."
"And I look forward to that," Andrew smiled at her as he jumped on top of the pipe.
All five of his friends accompanied him on the pipe as the six travelers went right through it. They were putting Twilight Town behind them for the moment and were planning on finding out where they needed to go next after a trip to the Thousand-Year Door...
IN THE ROGUEPORT SEWERS:
It didn't take long for the six of them to get through the pipe and they ended up back in that room in the Rogueport Sewers. They didn't waste any time in jumping off the pipe and exiting the room. They were planning on getting by the sewers to reach the site of the Thousand-Year Door. But before they could, Andrew felt his Mailbox SP going off again. And he knew exactly what that meant.
"Well guys, you know who that is, right?" Andrew asked them with a smirk as he took out his Mailbox SP.
"Yes!" Goombella beamed first. "Sounds like an e-mail from Princess Peach!"
"I bet you got an e-mail from Princess Peach!" Koops proclaimed.
"An e-mail from Princess Peach, perhaps?" Flurrie took a curious guess.
"That must be an e-mail from Princess Peach!" Yoshiam declared.
"Oh my goodness, Andrew!" Vivian then commented on it. "Would that be an e-mail from Princess Peach?"
"That's right," Andrew then opened up the Mailbox SP to see what it said this time. "I wonder what she had to send to me this time. Guess there's one way to find out."
All five of his friends encouraged him to read the e-mail, which is exactly what he did. Unfortunately, the message revealed a rather cryptic and horrifying discovery to them, as they would find out for themselves. This is what the e-mail said in its entirety.
'To Mr. Andrew,
I have finally learned what the legendary treasure is. It is the spirit of a demon!
The X-Nauts plan to revive this thousand-year-old monster... And use its power to take over the world!
They're collecting the Crystal Stars so they can open the Thousand-Year Door... They'll find this demon's spirit...
But the only thing that can keep it locked away is the Crystal Stars themselves! You must not let them get the Crystal Stars!
Please, Andrew... I'm sure that you've collected at least four of them so far, but I must ask you this: You must put a stop to their horrible plans!'
-Princess Peach-
It was then all six of them paled on the spot from what they had just learned from the princess herself. Was it true? Was the legendary treasure 'actually' the spirit of a demon?
"An...ancient demon's spirit?!" All six of them yelled simultaneously.
"Jeepers creepers, it doesn't get much worse than that..." Goombella shivered.
"Well, golly, it doesn't get much worse than that!" Koops had to shake his head nervously.
"Mercy me, that sounds positively horrid..." Flurrie gasped in horror as she covered her mouth with her hand.
"Sheesh, that doesn't sound good at all..." Yoshiam confessed while snapping his fingers.
Vivian didn't say anything. She was a little worried about what they had learned as she frowned upon this revelation.
"What I want to know is how did Peach learn about this?" Andrew had to ask.
"Probably found something about it," Goombella guessed. "Beats me."
"Yeah," Andrew had to frown as he read it again. "Still, this creeps me out. Now this situation has escalated further than we had imagined."
"Did Beldam ever tell you anything about this, Vivian?" Goombella had to ask the youngest Shadow Siren.
"N-No... No, she didn't..." Vivian admitted sadly as her frown deepened. "She... She never told me this. 'In fact', she never told me anything about her plans... Only that I have to collect the Crystal Stars and steal the Magical Map... Nothing else."
"Hey, Vivian. Don't worry about it," Andrew comforted her after he put away his Mailbox SP. "I already know that she probably didn't trust you since she never was fond of you, considering how abusive she was towards you. So it's OK if you didn't know about this. We understand perfectly."
"Oh, thank you, Andrew," Vivian smiled lightly as she looked up towards Andrew.
"Anytime," Andrew smiled back. "Now let's head to the Thousand-Year Door before we do anything further about this predicament, shall we?"
"Totally!" Goombella beamed. "Let's get to the door first! I'm ready to find the next Crystal Star!"
"Yeah... Sounds like a good idea," Koops agreed. "Let's go back to the door."
"Why, absolutely," Flurrie declared. "I do believe that happens to be our next course of action!"
"You got it, Presto!" Yoshiam gave him a thumbs up. "Let's head for the door."
"All right, Andrew," Vivian commented. "I'm ready too."
"Great," Andrew then headed to the right. "Let's go."
"Right! We can discuss it with Professor Frankly later," Goombella turned her attention towards Vivian. "He's my professor in case you didn't know, Vivian. Once we get the location of the fifth Crystal Star, we'll go see him."
"Oh. OK. Thanks for telling me this, Goombella," Vivian said shyly in a soft manner.
"Anytime, Vivian," Goombella said.
Without saying anything else, the six of them traveled through the ruins that were the 1,000-year-old town. And it was obvious that the ruins they passed through were right underneath the Rogueport Plaza.
With the use of Tube Mode, the six of them squeezed through the fallen pillar that was blocking their way, it had a crack on it that meant it could be blasted away with a bomb or a Bob-omb partner. After returning to normal, the six of them continued going to the Thousand-Year Door.
As they were traveling, Vivian couldn't help but take in the scenery of the place. Truth be told, she has been in the Rogueport Sewers several times in the past. But it was never to admire the place, and it was only to transverse through and get the information required to achieve Beldam's plan with the X-Nauts.
She had to frown at this. She was never able to admire and enjoy the beautiful ruins that were underneath Rogueport. But now that she was with Andrew, she was able to enjoy what was around her.
'Needless to say', Vivian loved what she was saying, and was hoping to get to the Thousand-Year Door to see it up close without planning to steal the Magical Map, as Beldam insisted.
Wow. This place looks very beautiful. I can see why Goombella is into archaeology. It's so nice... Vivian thought. I'm sure glad that Andrew is allowing me to enjoy the scenery and not forcing me to steal the Magical Map as Beldam has. I also look forward to seeing the Thousand-Year Door up close to admire it...
Deciding to keep the thoughts to herself, Vivian smiled warmly as she followed her friends through a pipe that led them further down to where the Thousand-Year Door was located.
Before they could go through another pipe upon passing through a barred fence, Andrew noticed another walkway behind a barred fence that he never explored before. This got him a little curious as he mused about it.
"Hmmm... I've never explored this room before," Andrew had to rub his chin. "Wonder what's in there..."
"Only one way to find out, huh Andrew," Goombella encouraged. "Let's check it out!"
All of them nodded as the six travelers went into Paper Mode to slide right through the barred fence as they explored what was in the room beyond the fence.
Once they entered the room, they saw that it was a spiked trap room with spikes that constantly rose before sinking back down, and then shooting back up again, and so on, and so on. There was a brown treasure chest at the end of the spiked trap pathway.
"Wow. Some room, huh?" Andrew remarked.
"I'll say," Goombella agreed. "Looks like this a spiked trap room. These spikes seem to rise and drop according to a set pattern... They must be here to keep out thieves, huh?"
"That's a likely story, for sure," Andrew shrugged.
"Now THAT'S a security system!" Goombella said in a dry manner. "With good timing, if you ran while the spikes were down... you'd still be a shish kebab."
"Yeah. That's an accident just waiting to happen," Andrew deadpanned as he thought of something. "But if you were able to sink into the shadows right before the spikes came back up, then you could make it across."
"Yeah, Andrew!" Goombella smiled. "That is possible! You know what this means, don'tcha?"
"Uh-huh," Andrew nodded before turning towards his Shadow Siren friend. "Well, Vivian? Looks like I'll need your help to get by this spiked trap pathway so I don't get skewered."
"Uh, OK Andrew," Vivian nodded meekly. "I'll do my best."
"I know you will," Andrew nodded at her with a smile.
It was then Andrew and Vivian worked on getting through the path safely while Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam watched and hoped that they could get by without getting skewered.
The way they decided to get by the spike traps was simple. Once the spikes were down, Andrew and Vivian scurried across the path until they sensed the spikes coming back up. When that happened, Vivian dragged herself and Andrew into the shadows right before the spikes popped out and speared them.
After they went back down, the two would resurface and continue to the brown chest until they sensed them coming up again. Then they'd do the same thing. They followed this particular pattern until they made it to the spot where the brown treasure chest was located.
"Wow. We did it, Andrew," Vivian exclaimed, panting in relief.
"There was never any doubt, Vivian," Andrew told her. "Just as long as we had gotten by there together."
"You're right," Vivian then saw the brown chest that was in front of them. "Hey, Andrew. Check out what's inside of that brown chest."
"Right. Could be something useful," Andrew nodded as he went ahead and opened the chest.
Inside the brown chest was a badge. Specifically, it was a Spike Shield badge, which showed a spike ball with Andrew's face in the center of it. Andrew raised an eyebrow at this for a moment before he seemed eager to have found another badge.
"Well, what do you know," Andrew smiled. "It's another badge."
"Wow. You are 'really' good with finding those badges, Andrew," Vivian couldn't help but smile at this.
"I know," Andrew said. "Now let's get out of this place."
Vivian obliged as she helped Andrew get by the spiked trap path so they could regroup with the others who were waiting for them. By the time they got back, the others were thrilled that Andrew found another badge.
"Wowsers, Andrew! Who would've thought that another badge was located here," Goombella exclaimed. "Great job!"
"Man, that is another LUCKY find," Koops added. "Good one."
"My, my, my! I am 'absolutely' astounded at the fact that you found another badge, darling!" Flurrie beamed proudly. "I daresay, that badge might be useful to you later on."
"Cool find there, Presto," Yoshiam bounced up and down. "You 'really' have it down with finding these badges, dude!"
"I know. I'm glad that I found it. And since it looks important," Andrew then decided to put the badge on with his other badges on the left flap of his shit. "I'm gonna wear it."
"Smart thinking, Andrew," Goombella smirked. "Might be a good idea to wear that in case we're dealing with spiked enemies, don'tcha think?"
"Exactly," Andrew nodded. "Now let's get to the Thousand-Year Door."
"Right," Vivian exclaimed. "We're right behind you, Andrew."
They then got out of the room by slipping through the bar via Paper Mode.
Once they got through, they returned to normal and headed for that pipe and went down through it. They then reached the bottom and jumped on the jump pad nearby and they managed to reach the ledge with the pathway leading straight to the Thousand-Year Door.
"Well, let's go," Andrew motioned. "The Thousand-Year Door is just up ahead."
With that, Andrew walked down the path, with Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, and Vivian following right behind them. They were going to see the Thousand-Year Door again, and Vivian would be able to get a good look at it without needing to focus on getting the map. There was no doubt about that at all...
AT THE SITE OF THE THOUSAND-YEAR DOOR:
It took no time for the six of them to make it to the Thousand-Year Door. Andrew, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam were all staring at its sheer beauty. They had seen it before, and it hadn't changed since they last stopped by.
Vivian, by contrast, was just staring at it in curiosity. This was the very door that her eldest sister had wanted to open by collecting the seven Crystal Stars after obtaining the Magical Map. While looking at it up close, she had to admit, it was breathtakingly beautiful, despite what was sleeping behind this giant ancient door.
"Well, here we are. This is the door," Andrew announced as he saw Vivian stare at it. "I take it that you've been here before, have you, Vivian?"
"Uh, yes. Yes, Andrew. I've been here before," Vivian nodded before frowning. "But it was never to admire the beauty of the door. Beldam always was more focused on having me get that box opened to obtain the Magical Map that was in it. She never wanted me to be distracted by the door itself..."
"Well, it's OK if you admire it," Andrew assured her. "Trust me. Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, and I were admiring it when we saw it for ourselves for the first time."
"I understand," Vivian told him softly. "It is a beautiful door."
"Isn't it, Vivian," Goombella smirked. "Andrew and I were 'totally' blown away by its sheer beauty when we came and saw it for ourselves!"
"Yeah... Man, we were impressed when we got to see it," Koops exclaimed. "No doubt."
"Why, it looks just as marvelous as ever," Flurrie commented. "I daresay, each one of us felt exactly what you were feeling before, Vivian."
"Yeah! It rocks!" Yoshiam agreed while jumping. "And now we're gonna see where the fifth Crystal Star is located!"
"I see," Vivian nodded slowly. "Well, Andrew? Do you know what you have to do now?"
"Of course," Andrew nodded as he approached the pedestal. "Time to hold up the Ruby Star and find out where our next Crystal Star is located."
"Great thinking, Andrew!" Goombella encouraged. "So let's get this show on the road, don'tcha think?"
"Right," Andrew then jumped onto the center of the pedestal, with Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, and Vivian accompanying him from behind.
"OK. You know what we need to do now?" Andrew asked them.
"Yup! Break out that Crystal Star, Andrew!" Goombella beamed.
"Yeah," Koops nodded shyly. "Go ahead and hold the Crystal Star over your head again."
"Well, Andrew my darling," Flurrie encouraged. "I do believe it's time to pull out that precious Crystal Star!"
"Come on," Yoshiam jumped. "Bust out the Crystal Star, Presto!"
"All right, Andrew," Vivian told him meekly. "Get out the Crystal Star."
"Certainly," Andrew nodded at all five of them as he took out the Ruby Star from his backpack and held it over his head.
It was then that the same light from the past couple of times surrounded the center of the platform, as the Ruby Star Andrew had over his head vanished into several sparkles.
Then the same diagram-like thing appeared surrounding the pedestal, as the Ruby Star appeared in the circle that was next to the one that the Gold Star was in. And just like the Diamond, Emerald, and Gold Stars, it was shown rotating in place as the Magical Map floated out of Andrew's pocket again.
And just like before, the map unfolded itself. Andrew, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam watched it in anticipation, knowing what was going on. At the same time, Vivian just stared at it in awe, with her mouth slightly open in amazement at what she was seeing.
Then, just like the first four times, the map rose in the air towards the door, right above Andrew as a bright flashing light occurred, where it had engulfed the map 'entirely' as something was happening to the map. A new location was just about to appear on the map.
And it was popping up from what was seen on the map above. Specifically, it was a location that was located on an island just to the south of Rogueport.
Appearing on the far right side of the island was a cave entrance of some kind, and in front of it was a giant skull-shaped rock with an eyepatch over its left eye. There's no doubt that their next adventure was going to lead them to a more tropical location to explore compared to Petal Meadows, Boggly Woods, Glitzville, and Twilight Town.
Once the cave entrance and skull rock appeared on the map on the right side of the island, something else appeared on the map right in front of it. It was revealed to be the fifth Crystal Star; the Sapphire Star.
Andrew then felt a special force overcome the map as he held his hands up. The location had officially appeared on the map. The lights died down as the Ruby Star vanished into thin air, and the map itself floated back down, with Andrew catching it in his right hand.
Just as the case with the Diamond, Emerald, and Gold Stars, Andrew can now summon the Ruby Star whenever he may need it, just by using the Magical Map.
Once he grabbed it with his right hand, he brought it down and unfolded it to look at the new location on the map.
"OK, guys," Andrew motioned the five of them to look at the map. "The new location has appeared on the map, along with the fifth Crystal Star."
Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, and Vivian all went up onto the pedestal and looked at it from themselves.
"Nice! There's the next Crystal Star!" Goombella beamed at it.
"Yeah," Andrew nodded as he observed the fifth Crystal Star. "It's blue too. So that means it's Sapphire, right?"
"Bingo, Andrew! It's the Sapphire Star!" Goombella had to cheer. "You're 'totally' getting the hang of this! I do not doubt that you've figured it out!"
"Yeah. Comes with how this adventure has been changing me," Andrew told her sheepishly and saw that it was on an island. "And it looks like the fifth Crystal Star is on an island to the south!"
"Hey, that sounds nice, Presto," Yoshiam had to admit. "I bet there's a ton of fruit on that island."
"Yeah, such as coconuts," Andrew nodded before saying. "Well guys, you know what we have to do now, right?"
"Right," Goombella nodded. "Let's go back to Professor Frankly's office, what do you say?"
"Let's go to the professor's office," Koops and Flurrie said in unison.
"Let's cruise up to the prof's office!" Yoshiam pointed towards the way out of the site of the Thousand-Year Door.
"We'd better hurry, don't you think? We should go up to the professor's office!" Vivian had to point out. "We have to let him know about the princess's e-mail!"
"No kidding," Andrew nodded. "Maybe he found out some more about the cataclysm and what the demon spirit has to do with it. And you get to meet Professor Frankly for the first time, Vivian."
"I would be happy to meet him," Vivian told him in such a meek manner. "Let's get going."
"Of course," Andrew nodded as he jumped down from the pedestal. "Let's head back to Professor Frankly's place on the East Side of Rogueport."
"All right!" All five of his friends said simultaneously as the six travelers left the sight of the Thousand-Year door, unaware of the fact that someone was spying on them.
The silhouette was plump-looking in appearance, as nothing but its goggled-circular eyes were shown. This person heard Andrew mention something about the fifth Crystal Star being on a tropical island to the south.
The six of them would need to ride a boat to get there. So once the time came for an expedition to the island was underway, and a crew of sailors were needed, this person would disguise himself as a sailor who is part of the crew.
Already knowing what he had to do, he decided to head to Rogueport Harbor, where he'd hide until someone needed a crew for an expedition to that island to the south. Looks like this person had something planned once Andrew got the Sapphire Star.
Regardless, Andrew didn't take notice of this as he and his five friends headed for Frankly's place to show him the map and reveal the terrifying discovery that Peach sent to him.
There was absolutely no doubt that Frankly would be in for a horrifying surprise as soon as the six travelers informed him of what Princess Peach sent to Andrew in her latest e-mail. That was a guarantee...
END OF CHAPTER 43...
Yeah. That's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope you all are looking forward to how I'm gonna handle Chapter 5.
Now, I had decided to have Andrew go into further details as to how he forgave his first four friends, and that it wasn't their fault. Andrew also admits that he has taken them for granted and promises to be a better leader to them from now on.
It's from this chapter onward that Andrew promises to protect all of his friends who are traveling with him, including Vivian. And this'll also apply to the last two partners that he's gonna get.
Also, I just want to let you know about something. In a couple of chapters from now, Vivian is going to display just how protective she is of Andrew, and that she's willing to do anything to keep him safe. So don't be surprised.
Now, there is gonna be a ton of stuff happening next chapter. For the next chapter, the six of them see Professor Frankly and tell him about the e-mail Peach sent to Andrew, after being filled in on their adventure in Twilight Town and he gets introduced to a meek and shy Vivian. Professor Frankly then reveals what he found out that may as well be the demon spirit.
Additionally, Andrew gives Vivian a power-up before the six of them go to the Inn. At Podley's place, they meet a guy named Flavio who plans an expedition to the island that they need to head to and forms a crew with people, including a plump man that the travelers recognize.
Other stuff that'll be shown is that Andrew and his five friends have to find an admiral Bob-omb to get him to be the navigator when he refuses to go out to sea again.
From Podley himself, they learn about his tragic backstory and another missing piece of Andrew's backstory will be revealed, specifically how his mother died exactly. And some other stuff will occur. How will this go for them? Find out next time, readers!
For now, only if you like, you can leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter overall.
Aside from that, I have nothing else to say here. So until next time, I do hope that you all can take care of yourselves. And on that note, thanks again for reading, everyone!