Hello and welcome! I can't believe we're here. TTYD is actually back!
Previously, I wrote a rather niche and self-indulgent prequel to TTYD based around the X-Nauts (which I just copied over here from AO3 a few days ago HAHA)… and so, it felt natural to write a proper TTYD sequel next! The ideas for this have been cooking in my brain for quite a while now. That said, there's no need to read my previous work or anything like that - this one'll stand completely on its own and will be focused on characters beyond just the X-Nauts.
Anyways! This story will be my attempt to expand upon TTYD's epilogue. I've heard a lot of dissatisfaction out there with how the game concluded, so I'd like to create something that hopefully develops the ending a bit more organically. This is not a rewrite of said ending – rather, it's a continuation
New chapters are planned to be uploaded once every two weeks on Thursday evenings (though I may change to a three week schedule down the road if it gets to be too much to handle). I'd also like to use this as an excuse to hone my art skills, so for some extra fun I'm planning to include one drawing per chapter. Since doesn't have a way to show images and keeps sanitizing everything, I'll just stick an awkwardly spaced out Tumblr link at the bottom.
Let's have a good run!
Silent tears dribbled down the shadow's face as she crouched within the darkness. Yet, despite her suffering, she spoke not a single word.
The poor girl had arrived at the Creepy Steeple's musty basement room mere moments ago, having only made it a few inches through the doorway before she'd completely lost her composure. Soundless sobs, one after the other, wracked her shoulders. Her mussed pink hair billowed about her as she slouched pitifully just above the ground, her wisp of a tail trailing off somewhere behind her.
The sole occupant of the room, a vibrantly-colored, perpetually half-lidded tropical bird, watched nervously from just a short distance away.
This situation was a first for the bird.
Though he opened his beak to question the girl, to find out why she was like that, only silence trailed out – words just wouldn't come to him. What was he even supposed to do…? Comfort her? Ask if she needed help? Why had she decided to have a breakdown right there, in front of him…?
He didn't know. …But she just kept crying. And crying, and crying, and crying…
While it wasn't the only time Vivian had come around, it was the only time she'd ever arrived in such a sorry state. Typically, her arrival was a positive event - she'd give him a cracker, a cookie, whatever she happened to have that day, after which she'd stop by the box she'd commandeered in the back of the room for either a longing look at the contents or to add something new. Her collapsing into a crying mess on the floor was not a typical event. …Thankfully.
His thoughts muddled, the parrot peered over at the colorful rose-print chests nestled amongst the room's various knick-knacks. One of the boxes remained empty, just as Doopliss had left it when he'd fled the steeple, but the other one - the lilac-shaded one - now contained the shadow's beloved treasure trove. It was a receptacle filled with happy, well-loved memories, hidden away from those that might harm the contents.
Thinking over his options, the bird glanced back over at the shadowy girl and furrowed his brow. If he retrieved something from that box and showed it to her, would it help stem the flow of tears? Actually… now that he took a closer look, there was already something crumpled up within her fingers. Based on past events, he already had something of a guess as to what it was, but…
"Gghh… why…?" the shadow gasped between breathless sobs, finally letting loose her first words. She wiped her gloved fingers across her eyes, obscured as ever by her puffy, pink bangs. Hot, wet tears congregated at the bottom of her chin, where they slowly dripped down and sank into the cold stone below.
For a moment, the bird glared at her, narrowing his eyes. Why did he have to deal with this at all? …But, he did have to admit, she was a bit nicer to him than his previous keeper.
"Well. Fine," he thought . Perhaps he could put in a little extra effort… just for her.
"Skrawk? Vivian…?" the bird trilled as he hopped down from his perch, tentatively inching closer to the weeping girl. "Vivian, are you okay? Was she mean to you…?"
He remembered. The shadow had talked about it before. The reason why she always stored her valuables in the steeple's basement was because of…
"Ghhhhghh... hgggh," Vivian choked out, barely forcing the sounds from beyond her lips. "Augh… ggggh… Beldam… Beldam, she… she…!"
And then the dam broke.
The shadow practically leapt forward as she wrapped her arms around the parrot's soft form, clinging to him for dear life as she wailed. Startled, the bird let out a squawk - but he didn't struggle or withdraw. Vivian buried her face deep within his feathers as she let loose her pain.
"My letter… my letter…! It's the first one I've gotten from him in months, I didn't even get to finish reading it… Why, why, why does she always have to be like this…!?" the girl cried out, her voice tinged with grief. "I just… why!? I just want her to care… I want to come home to someone who's happy to see me! I want to talk about the things I enjoy, I want to feel valued, I want to share those special moments… Why is that so hard!? Why does it always, always, always turn out this way!?"
The crumpled paper fell to the ground beside the pair. …No, upon further inspection, the paper wasn't merely crumpled. It had been soaked through, the words blurred, the paper relentlessly torn into chunks. Remnants of ink, hopelessly illegible, and a colorful mushroom print could be seen upon its ripped surface.
The parrot shuttered as Vivian's grip tightened around his body. She gulped for air between words, her entire body quivering harshly.
"I'm so tired of this! So, so tired… why… why…?"
"Vivian… s-skrawk…"
The shadow continued to cry.
Just before, things had been a bit quieter.
Vivian, the youngest of the Three Shadows, wore a gently used mail bag across her shoulder and dangled three plastic bags from her arms, each one bulging with colorful produce. She hummed softly as she strolled down the dusky, orange-tinted path of Twilight Town and approached the first stop on her way home.
The shadow came to a halt before the mayor's house and gently rapped a fist against the door. Then, while waiting for him to respond, she reached a hand into her bag and gingerly slipped a few envelopes out.
Despite the hiccups they'd had during the incident with Doopliss, Vivian couldn't help but feel somewhat indebted to the mayor for allowing her and her sisters to move into town. Those difficult days of old, back when the Three Shadows had lived within the depths of Rogueport and spent most of their time wandering and scavenging amongst the ruins of the past, seemed so very far away. Every time she entered her new home and greeted her sisters, every time she remembered all that they'd been through and how much things had changed since then… she felt grateful.
And, equally as important, the mayor had given them all work.
Vivian knocked at his door one more time, then listened carefully for a response. …Nothing. But that was fine – rather than waiting around, she placed the letters into a recently installed dropbox. She'd accept the delivery fee when she saw him next.
Carrying on along her path, she stopped by a few more houses, each time pulling a letter or a cardboard package out from the depths of her trusty sack. Coins slowly filled a loose, jingling pouch that hung at her side.
Twilight Town, in its remoteness and relative seclusion, previously hadn't had a dedicated mail carrier. Residents were instead in charge of securing their own deliveries – often done by journeying out into the all-too-bright, anxiety-inducing Rogueport themselves. So, when she'd expressed an interest in finding work and had mentioned that she'd become comfortable with traveling, the mayor had suggested a certain job for her.
Vivian had been more than happy to accept the opportunity.
The delivery work was fairly easy and gave her a good excuse to get to know the townsfolk a bit better. Not only that, but the frequent trips into Rogueport also gave her plentiful chances to stop by and see Goombella… whenever she managed to catch the busy little Goomba in-between research trips, that was.
As she continued on along, Vivian rapped at another door and called out: "Eve? Eve, are you there?"
The door opened just a crack as a tiny face peered out from beyond.
"Oh, the mail lady!" the small child chirped, his expression brightening with recognition. "Mommy said you'd be coming today. Here, hold on, she wanted me to give you a thing…"
He scampered off for just a moment, then quickly returned with a lunch box and ten coins. Two other children soon joined him and lined up with huge smiles plastered across their faces.
"Thank you, here's your paaaaayment!" they sang out in chorus as they extended the box out to her.
Vivian accepted it, opening the lid just a crack to eye the contents. …A Meteor Meal from Zess T! Eve didn't often give them out, but it was lovely when she did.
"Hmm hmm hmm, thank you very much! I'll bring the box back later," Vivian giggled. Waving back to the kids as she left, she continued along her route.
Marilyn and Beldam had similarly taken up miscellaneous jobs around the area. Twilight Town was a small community, sustained by the collective efforts of all. Despite her somewhat lackluster communication skills, Marilyn had rapidly become well-known for providing excellent service hauling heavy materials and chopping lumber. As for Beldam… well…
Beldam was trying.
Having finally finished up her deliveries, Vivian arrived at her last stop for the day: her own house. She hummed quietly as she reached for the handle, pulling the door open while taking care not to smack her precious bags against the frame. She'd very much been looking forward to getting back – after all, she'd gotten something quite special at the post office.
"I'm home!" she called out as she listened for signs of life within. The occasional creaking of a rocking chair and the low drone of a television could be heard from beyond, but no response came. Quietly, Vivian slipped inside and closed the door behind her, being careful not to make too much noise.
After all, she wasn't alone.
Taking note of a certain someone's distant grumbling, Vivian peered over at the house's other present occupant - a hunched, shadowy old woman sat within a nearby rocker, swaying back and forth in a constant rhythm. Various bits and pieces of discarded cloth and thread surrounded Beldam's dark figure. The eldest of the three siblings clenched her teeth as she stitched carefully at a shirt within her lap… and then missed her mark, starting in on creating another gnarled zig-zag pattern across the surface.
Vivian frowned but said nothing. …Poor Beldam. She really had been trying, Vivian had witnessed it all, and yet…
Quietly leaving her sister to her work, Vivian instead headed over to their little kitchen area and began unpacking her bags. Carrots, potatoes, bread, soup mix, apples, and more… options ran through Vivian's mind as to what she wanted to cook for them that night. Beldam was clearly in an exceptionally bad mood, but maybe some warm stew would cheer her up a bit? They could eat it alongside the Meteor Meal! It'd be a true feast.
Inwardly, Vivian smiled at the thought. They had a stove now. She could cook… on the stovetop! How luxurious!
"Hmm hmm hmm…!" she hummed as she took a paring knife into her hands. She started carefully peeling at one of the potatoes, removing strips of the rough, brown skin…
…only to stop as Beldam let out a massive, frustrated "RRRGHHH!" and tossed her most recent piece of stitching to the side, adding it to her ever-growing pile of rejected works. The eldest shadow rose from her seat and threw her arms up in the air, hollering out "Curses! Curse this!" towards the heavens with enough indignation to make one believe that the stars themselves were responsible.
"Um, Sis? Are you doing all right…?" Vivian weakly called out as she turned to look at the pitiable scene. Beldam buried her face in her hands, then slowly drifted over towards her younger sister, a derisive snarl peeking through her fingers.
"I'm fine, Vivian! If you're here, then say something," she growled. Then, as she motioned over to Vivian's mail bag upon the floor, she questioned with a sense of urgency: "Well!? Is my package here yet? Hmmm? Tell me that you've seen it!"
"Oh! Yes, it is!" Vivian clapped her hands with a smile, then leaned over and plunged a hand into the sack's depths. She pulled out a slightly weighty rectangular parcel and gleefully presented it to her sister. "Right! You've been looking forward to this, haven't you? It's rather heavy – there must be lots of good stuff in there! Hmm hmm hmm!"
"…Just a bit, yes," Beldam sighed. "…That portly woman with the endless offspring, Eve… she recommended it. For beginners. She seemed to believe it would… help… the issue."
"I, uh… I see." Though Vivian's smile remained, it took on a bit of an awkward tilt. "I mean… yes! Good luck, I know you can do it!"
With a "tch!", Beldam sat down at the kitchen table and began to fiddle with the package. Upon tearing back the paper, she revealed its contents: a book titled "Demystifying Dressmaking," a brand-new sewing kit, and a variety of fabric ordered specifically in the brown hues most loved by the Twilighters.
Vivian sure hoped Eve was correct in her recommendations. Beldam had already tried several different jobs – gardening, woodworking, even babysitting… and yet, all of them had gone about the same. Sewing was Beldam's most recent venture, after Eve had essentially fired her and left her with a few particularly choice words of wisdom. The eldest shadow sibling had been trying to learn the craft for a few weeks now.
Thankfully, Marilyn and Vivian's success in their own jobs had been more than enough to sustain them financially. …Not that it ever seemed to make Beldam feel any better. If only she could at least cook, but even that skill seemed to escape her.
And so, for better or for worse, Vivian was in charge of cooking dinner again that night. Upon finishing up her meal preparations and setting her stew simmering on the stovetop, the youngest shadow finally took a well-earned, restful seat at the kitchen table and began to dig through the bottom of her mail bag. She quickly pulled out the item that she'd been anticipating so very, very much.
A letter from Mario.
Barely able to contain herself, she ever-so-carefully pulled open the lip, taking extra efforts to avoid ripping the envelope. She'd be storing it away safely for a long time to come, that was for sure – letters from Mario were rare. Not because he didn't care, she was certain… as much as she wished he would write more, she understood. Mario was popular. Very, very popular. So, the fact that he still remembered her at all, still made an effort to write to her, was truly more precious than she could even begin to describe.
The first thing she noticed was the adorable mushroom print stationery. Little fungus-shaped symbols in a playful, cheery red-and-white adorned it from front-to-back… a Toad Town specialty, maybe? Had Mario purchased it from a store there? …Did everything in the Mushroom Kingdom capital have such a cute, happy look to it? A wide smile spread across her face as she imagined the possibilities.
Next, she took a close look at the penmanship. Mario's handwriting was chunky and sort of scraggly, and yet it had a soft, kind touch to it. …It suited him, she thought. It really, truly suited him…
"What's that…?" Beldam snarled from across the table. Vivian flinched at the sudden intrusion upon her reverie – she'd almost forgotten her sister was still there.
"A-ah… it's…" the youngest shadow sibling stuttered, searching for just the right words to explain.
Usually Beldam didn't ask about Vivian's letters, so she hadn't exactly anticipated the question. …Mario was a topic that they pointedly avoided, despite the massive impact that he'd had on all their lives. And Vivian was more than a little afraid to change that.
…Though… maybe it would be fine for her to mention it? Vivian had brought things back from her outings with her friends before – Beldam had seen them and, though Vivian could sense a certain tension from her, she'd said nothing. She'd even sat down and willingly had a heart-to-heart with Goombella once, back when they had first settled into Twilight Town.
The youngest shadow peered down at the letter again, still carefully considering her next words. …In the distance, she could see the tips of Beldam's lips twitching in impatience as she waited for a response.
Even though Vivian very much wanted to tell her the truth, she did still have reservations about letting Beldam anywhere close to her more important possessions… painful, yet-raw memories of Beldam grabbing a certain necklace out of her hands and then bullying her to the point of tears flashed across the forefront of her mind. As a result, she preferred to store such things outside of the house and not talk about them openly, but…
…No. With a willful shake of her head, she ushered those memories away. No, no, no – that had been from the before times. She wasn't going to hold a grudge. Beldam still snapped at her occasionally, but she'd been so much better. They were starting over from scratch. …They'd decided that together.
And so, she was honest. With a happy smile, she let loose the truth: "It's a letter from Mario!"
Beldam's already-sour expression fell instantly.
"From Mario, is it…?" His name seeped from Beldam's mouth like poison. Even from beneath the rim of the elderly witch's hat, Vivian could make out the white outline of Beldam's clenched, bared teeth.
"A-ah…" Vivian stammered for just a moment. Then, catching herself, she forced a cheery disposition back into her voice: "I mean… that's right, hmm hmm! He still writes to me sometimes! Not often, but… it's always such a nice surprise! It sounds like he's been busy. I wonder what it's like, over there in Toad Town…"
"Vivian."
Beldam growled as she gripped the edge of the table.
At the mention of her name, Vivian's chest tightened. Sweat beaded the surface of her palms. That tone of Beldam's…
Beldam hadn't taken on that tone for a long time. Not since back then.
"Are you still thinking about him? About Mario?" Beldam hissed as she slowly clawed at the table, her fingers flexing like talons. "It's been months since he left, my lovely. How long do you plan to cling to him? …You ought to move on along, you know. We have much to do here. In the present."
"S-Sis?" Vivian paused. "What do you mean…? I think we've been doing alright, and-"
"Vivian. Listen to me. I mean I don't want to hear it! All this Mario business!" she snarled. "It's simply pitiful, listening to you long after this hairy lout. He left. He's gone, finally! And he's not coming back! You poor, sad little thing…"
Beldam's words pricked at Vivian's heart. …She knew it was unlikely. Mario had come back once, for just a bit after their adventure had ended, but… but six months had already passed. Six long months where she was sure he'd met more people, made more friends, maybe even already gone on another journey…
Six months where she hadn't seen him. Six months where he hadn't seen her.
Six months of fading memories.
"You… you don't know that for sure," Vivian swallowed, a slight bitterness rising up her throat. "He might decide to come back here on vacation sometime! There's always more to see, or maybe I could go visit him, or…"
She missed him. She really, truly missed him. But… but, as long as he kept writing, as long as she held onto his letters… as long as she knew that a piece of her still rested with him, and he with her, it was fine. They would always be friends… always, always, she was sure…
But then, Beldam made her move.
The elder shadow reached out across the table and snatched the letter from Vivian's hands. Vivian let out a cry and frantically grasped at the stationery – and yet, Beldam held it just out of reach. Even as Vivian continued to fight for it, the vexed witch smacked an irritated hand against her forehead, pushing her further away.
"Quiet, you! Let me see this…" The oldest sister continued to shove the youngest back as she quickly skimmed the first several lines. "The Princess… Luigi… pah…! Now, Vivian, just look at this! What fluff! Do you think he sends this same format to everyone? Mwee hee hee, this is just about as generic as it gets, it is!"
"Sis, STOP!" Vivian finally reached far enough past Beldam to grasp the edge of the letter, only for Beldam to jerk it away yet again. The sound of paper ripping tore through the air.
Vivian looked down to see a chunk of the stationery remaining within her hands. An anguished gasp escaped her lips.
"Mweee hee hee! Silly girl, look what you did!" A playful, sadistic glee crept in from the edges of Beldam's voice as she cackled. "You ripped it! …But, see, now? You don't need this. …You don't need any of it. You can stop clinging to him any day now, any day…"
Tears began to well up beneath Vivian's bangs, but she didn't let them escape – she was stronger than that. Stronger than that… she was… stronger now, surely… "Beldam, give it here! Stop playing around. I'm not clinging to him! He's my friend!"
"Oh? …Is that right? Well then, where is he? When's he visiting next? We should all go out for a picnic together! Now, wouldn't be a grand old time? Mweee hee hee!"
"I…"
"…Or do you not know? Well? Why'd he leave you behind, out here with your awful, nasty old sister!?" Beldam spat as her voice rose, "Vivian, I know you don't actually want to be here! I know you'd much rather be out fraternizing with that mustachioed 'hero' or whatever you may call him, wandering about who-knows-where with those other mongrels… You only came back because he left you, no doubt about it, you wretched thing! You don't have to say anything - I know it's true!"
Vivian bit her lip as Beldam's accusing glare bore a new hole into her heart.
"…You despise me, don't you?" A pained, boiling resentment emanated from deep within Beldam's core. Cracks began to form. "You… you've been looking down on me, haven't you? Enjoying my struggling, thinking you're above me now… you think I deserve this, don't you, you scoundrel!? Don't you think I haven't noticed!"
"What are you even talking about…!?" Vivian shrunk back, nervously clenching her hands against her chest. "I… I never…"
"Don't play dumb, you fool! Coming in here with that big, dopey smile on your face while I'm over here, ready to burst from frustration… curse you, curse you! And you're just rubbing it in my face!" Beldam roared, her voice scathing. "You took our queen, you took our future, you took everything…! You ought to just leave, you disloyal, backstabbing worm! You think I'm no good, is that it!? Always looking at me with that pitying face, like I'm some sort of wretch… Look, here's what I think of your attitude!"
Before Vivian could recover from the shock of Beldam's words, her elder sister darted over towards the sink. With the twist of a single knob, water flowed from the gaping mouth of the faucet, dousing Mario's only words to her in months with an all-obscuring liquid, sending them fleeing across the page. Beldam began to rip, rip, rip at the remainder of the letter, tearing the hero away from Vivian once more.
"Stop that, STOP THAT!" Vivian screamed as she shoved Beldam out of the way.
It was too late.
Slowly, the tears flowing from beneath the shadow girl's bangs began to abate. The bird gently nuzzled his head against her, a pang of sympathy blooming within his chest.
As much as he liked to complain about Doopliss, his own stories couldn't even begin to compete with what this girl had to put up with.
"I can't stand this…" she sniffled, still holding the parrot within her arms. He stared up at her, quietly listening. "Is this how it's always going to be? Is this still all I have, even after everything I've done…? I thought… I thought she really was getting better. She had been, she seemed like she was trying, but… but… ghhhh… Sis, why…?"
"Vivian… skrwaaark…" the bird crooned quietly. "I mean, uh… you don't have to go back there, do you? You could stay here. Do you wanna…?"
It was a little musty, sure, but it was livable enough. If she got some bedding, she could lay down in the corner… or, even better, Doopliss's old room was free real estate now.
"I… I don't know," she whispered, letting him go as she sat up and wiped at her eyes. "Maybe… maybe it would be best if I left home, at least for a while. …I really don't hate her. Despite everything, I really don't… I want her to feel comfortable and do well in life. I… wish she could understand that. I didn't leave because I didn't want to be with her… I…" she sighed. "I just want her to do better. That's really all there is to it."
"…Uh, yeah. I get you."
Even though the parrot said so, he didn't really understand what was going on in the girl's head – her emotions were a bit too complicated for him. But, even then, she still smiled a bit at his words.
"Thanks for listening. I'm sorry to trouble you like this... I promise I'll bring you more snacks, okay?"
His head perked up. Now that's what he wanted to hear. "Skrawk, skrawk! You're welcome anytime! Anytime, anytime, yep!"
"Hmm hmm hmm… you're a good bird," she grinned as she patted his head. "Actually, how about I make a trip out to the store tomorrow? We can fix it up down here, and I'll-"
POP!
Before Vivian could finish her sentence, a hole appeared in the fabric of reality.
The air before them began to warp faster than the shadow could even blink. It swirled with mystery, spinning in on itself, becoming a small galaxy. Specks of dust began to glow with an otherworldly aura, catching bits and pieces of the light beyond the veil and reflecting it like stars.
"E-EEEK!?" Vivian squeaked like a frightened mouse, falling backwards onto the floor and grasping the parrot for dear life. The two watched in abject horror as something long and pill-shaped began to emerge from the beyond, slowly growing in size, and then…
CLANG!
Just like that, the mysterious metal object unceremoniously slipped out of the hole and smacked against the stone floor. It rolled for a short distance before it stopped, a single light upon its surface glowing an ominous red.
The portal closed in on itself and disappeared, leaving nothing but the object behind.
Chapter image: www tumblr com/thegroduschronicles/751951948860850176