Somehow, they'd made it.

Vivian and Crump had practiced their hearts out over the course of the past couple of days. Flurrie had trained her two fresh-faced students hard, having them rehearse their performance again and again. Vivian was certainly more confident in her acting skills than ever before, but…

They'd already run out of time.

From her position behind the curtain, the shadow could clearly hear the current actors that were performing upon the Poshley Heights Entertainment Festival's "Ten-Minute Rookie" stage. The group was a pair of Goomba children, likely no older than twelve. She'd spotted them as they'd walked past her. Their confident, experienced gait, despite their young age, had immediately caught her attention.

They were out there performing like their lives depended on it. Each line they spoke strummed at Vivian's heart, inviting her to feel just as they did. Their emotions were pure. Beautiful. They told a tale of two siblings who had lost their parents but persisted in the face of adversity. She was drawn in by their sadness, their glee, their hope…

After those talented children were done, only one more performance stood between her and the spotlight.

But she wasn't ready.

The quivering shadow stared down at her body. The dress she wore was absolutely lovely, the type that she had only seen in her dreams – she looked almost like a fairy. Flurrie had picked out a stunning red that complimented her natural hues and had tied her hair up in the most adorable ribbon. When Vivian had seen herself in the mirror, she'd spun in a circle, watching as the long dress flowed about her figure – she'd never felt so beautiful, so attractive, so euphorically confident in her femininity.

That confidence hadn't been enough to overpower her anxiety.

"Um… Crump?" she whispered to her acting partner in a tense tone, fluffing her curls for the umpteenth time. "Are you sure that I look okay? Please, be honest…"

Crump grumbled as he continued to read through his script. "Yeah, I have no idea. You look fine to me, could you stop asking? Just watching you is making me nervous."

Though the crowd wasn't overwhelmingly huge, Vivian still guessed there had to be at least a hundred people out there. Like Flurrie had explained, the event was far from one of the main draws of the festival. Most of the audience consisted of parties with a vested interest – such as families, friends, recruiters, schools… or, just as frequently, of bored wanderers who were passing by in-between the festival's larger, more prolific happenings. So, by all accounts, it should have been one of the most low-pressure events around, and yet…

The shadow wrung her hands as she tried to calm her writhing stomach. …She could feel acid making its way up her throat. If she vomited out there on the stage, in front of all those people…

"G-ghhhhhghhhhh…" she groaned, clutching at her belly as she barely fought back the urge to gag.

"Hey, you gonna be okay? You gotta calm down, seriously," Crump warned, rubbing at the back of his head as he looked up. "Like… come on. Even if we bomb it, it's not the end of the world. We've both made it through way worse stuff. So, keep it together, you hear?"

"Mmmm. Yeah, you're right…" Vivian began to take deep breaths as she pressed a quivering hand against her chest. She pictured some of the things that made her happy – her friends, the moonlit path between Twilight Town and the steeple, the cute little accessories she'd seen in a magazine that she wanted to save up for and buy someday…

As she worked to calm her nerves, the children's performance concluded. The next group passed on by – an acting club from one of the nearby schools.

"I can do this. I can do this." The shadow repeated those words within her mind again and again. Flurrie was there for her – the wind spirit had told her to just do her best and not to worry too much about the results. That she'd support her no matter how she did. That she was already proud of her. And Ms. Mowz was there too, waiting to see her on the stage…

"…How dare you!? I trusted you… I trusted you! YOU TRAITOR!"

The current performer's voice pierced the air, filling Vivian with a sense of dread. …They were amazing. In fact, they were possibly even better than the previous group…

"Wow, they're actually pretty good, buh huh…?" Crump commented. Vivian could sense a slight edge in his voice.

Minutes passed. The acting club's performance concluded, marked by the excited roars of the applauding audience. Their play had been a rousing success.

Vivian and Crump looked at each other with a shudder.

"Thank you very much!" The announcer called out, dismissing the actors. "Next up, we have… 'A Cosmic Meeting,' performed by Vivian and Crump!"

That was their cue.

Vivian's entire body froze at the sound of her name. She could feel sticky sweat forming on her palms, on her back… a fist tightened around her lungs, squeezing her from within. It was all enough to make her horribly lightheaded.

Both performers remained stock-still for just a moment. But Crump was the first to move, shaking off his own tenseness with a renewed vigor. He stood and gave Vivian a light clap on the shoulder, followed by a spirited thumbs-up. "…C'mon, let's knock their socks off. We got this! Stop worrying so much - you look great, buh huh huh!"

The shadow gave a start at the sudden touch, letting out a small "eep!" as his hand made contact, but it was enough to snap her back to reality. She shot him a crooked smile, flexing her fingers as she pulled her bag over her shoulder and prepared to take the stage.

"…Yeah… thanks," she whispered. Despite the X-Naut's confident words, she could still feel a slight nervousness between the two of them – but he was right. At the very least, they had to give it their best shot.

And so, the pair moved into their positions.

Vivian made her way over to the left side of the stage and peered out from behind the curtain. The professional stagehands had moved incredibly quickly – just beyond, she could see them laying down the last of a trail of fake, mossy rocks, arranged so that they led straight up to a proud deity's shrine. A plastic star statue stood at the end of the display, looking almost as though the staff had somehow taken a small slice out of a serene, ancient forest and transported it straight onto the platform. She could see Crump on the other side, just beyond the curtain.

"Now… please, enjoy the performance!" With a small flourish, the announcing Toad exited towards the right, giving Crump a nod on his way by.

It was time to begin.

Vivian took one last breath. Just as Flurrie had instructed her, she imagined herself as a young girl, burying her own sense of identity beneath her character's. She was taking a leisurely stroll through the forest, searching for subjects to sketch, when suddenly…

With that thought at the forefront of her mind, Vivian moved from behind the curtain. She crept forward, fixing her gaze upon the statue with a sense of curious wonderment.

"Oh, my… what in the world is this? Father and Mother never mentioned such a thing… Hmm…"

The shadow carefully inspected it. She looked it in the eyes, prodded gently at the cracked stone, and lamented its neglected, pitiable state as she observed the dirt and grime that had accumulated upon its derelict surface.

"It's… beautiful. What a shame, though… let's see here, you poor thing…"

Then, placing her miniature sketchbook upon the ground, she crouched and began to dig within her bag. After a few seconds, she found the item she was looking for – a handkerchief – and began to wipe gently, though fruitlessly, at the dirt.

The audience practically disappeared as she focused wholeheartedly on her character's genuine feelings. Her lines flowed effortlessly from her, almost as if they were born from her own mind. She moved gracefully, paying the sea of eyes no mind as she sat down with her sketchbook in her grasp once more, opening it up with pencil in hand.

"…Hello? Can you hear me? Hello?" a mysterious voice, dripping with uncertainty, called out to her from beyond. It sounded frightened, almost pleading – like it needed her to respond.

Woefully confused, Vivian's character responded with shock as she looked to and fro, trying to understand where the voice was even coming from – the poor girl had no idea that the stars, as powerful, wish-granting entities, even existed beyond her fairy tales. It took her a bit to comprehend the truth, eventually turning her gaze skyward as the mysterious being continued to speak to her. Yet, despite the star's insistence that the girl reveal her deepest desires, she merely gave it a simple request:

"This is a bit sudden. Erm… do you mind if I just… stay here for a bit and sketch, I suppose? It's been a while since I've had company." She bashfully smiled up at the light beaming from above.

The star responded with glee. "Is that all? Of course, child, I would love that very much!"

And so, Vivian partook. She buried herself within her sketchbook and began to make light motions with her pencil, scribbling a little doodle within its pages. …While she wasn't exactly an artist, Flurrie had told her to do her best to draw something anyways – it would make the scene feel more realistic. Vivian smiled as she recalled the advice.

She was genuinely surprised at how well things were going - she was doing great! The shadow almost giggled. And she'd been so worried just moments ago – yet, Flurrie really had proven herself to be a top-notch instructor. Was there any other actress out there that could train a couple of rookies to perform in a mere two days? She hoped Ms. Mowz was enjoying the show, too.

"By the way, child…" Crump's voice, authoritative and haughty, carried from behind the curtain, "How are things within the land these days? I've been quite worried, you know."

That was her cue to continue. Swelling with pride, Vivian looked up once again and opened her mouth to speak, pulling herself back from her thoughts and into her role. She reached into her mind, searching for the words that she'd worked so hard to memorize…

…

But nothing appeared.

"I'm not really sure…" Vivian mouthed, her face suddenly falling as her voice trailed off.

…What… came after that?

The shadow's thoughts filled up with noise, producing only that piece of the line despite her best efforts to remember. She froze as she strained to continue, reaching into her mental library but pulling nothing, nothing, and more nothing out. Was… she supposed to start talking about the town, or…?

No. No, it was something else. …What… what was the wording…? Her parents? Maybe that was it, or… no, was that later? The order she mentioned them in was important, and there was something else that she needed to include, but…

Panic began to set in. Vivian could feel it - she'd already been quiet for far too long. She looked out over the audience, meeting the confused gaze of a Toad woman, then a Koopa, then a Bumpty… they knew. They knew something was wrong.

They knew she'd messed up.

"Mmmm, the poor thing. Is she going to be all right…?"

Ms. Mowz's whiskers twitched as she ferried her next piece of buttery popcorn to her mouth. She'd arrived at the event with basically no expectations at all – really, upon hearing the word "rookie," she'd immediately imagined something like one of those amateur Christmas plays that doting parents loved to force their children into. And yet, she'd been pleasantly surprised with the quality of the performances. Even Vivian had been doing a wonderful job, despite her inexperience. At least, up until that point…

The Little Mouser wasn't entirely sure what in the world had happened, really. Vivian had gone from the picture of confidence to looking like a wilted flower in less than a single minute. The contrast was more than a little jarring – was she ill?

With the tip of her nose quivering in curiosity, the thief looked up at Flurrie – the cloud spirit's brow was furrowed in a concerned concentration. The experienced actress remained silent, her eyes fixed upon the shadow, almost as though she were trying to send her strength with her mind.

Ms. Mowz turned her attention back to the stage, waiting and hoping for Vivian to get it together.

Still looking strikingly like a Yoshi in headlights, the shadow's gaze darted over the audience as she stumbled over her next words. "T-things have been… they… they could be better!" The line fell haphazardly out of her mouth as she tugged at the ends of her hair.

Silence followed. The shadow shriveled in on herself.

"…Just what might be the matter…?" Ms. Mowz whispered to Flurrie.

"That's not her entire line. She's forgotten it, the poor darling… how dreadful," Flurrie sighed. "If only she would recover and move on along, I'm quite certain she could handle the rest. She was doing remarkably well during rehearsal, but…"

With a slight hesitation, Crump's voice drifted out from beyond the curtain:

"Uh…" he paused, clearly thrown off. "Yes, child? Is something the matter? I deal in wishes, you know – perhaps I could help?"

Silence. When Vivian still didn't continue, the X-Naut added on just a bit more.

"…Buh, I mean… what of your mother and father? Are you alone?"

The shadow's head snapped over towards the right, taking the cue. "O-oh…! Um… yes, my mother and father are gone right now! I-I… am alone!"

Though Vivian finally spoke, Ms. Mowz couldn't help but notice that Flurrie's frown grew.

"She's completely lost the flow. Poor, sweet thing… I'm sure she's horribly upset right now, but she really does need to calm down. Goodness gracious…"

Looking between Flurrie and the panicking girl, a thought popped into Ms. Mowz's head.

Beldam had been right.

Vivian was a failure. She couldn't do anything on her own. There she was, alone upon the stage, ruining everything and wasting everyone's time. Flurrie had worked so hard to train her, and yet…

Maybe she shouldn't have tried at all. Maybe she should've just gone home, should've listened to Beldam. Instead, she'd gone out into the world and caused trouble for others. ...Of course things would turn out like this. Why had she ever expected anything more?

Beldam had often said that they weren't like other people. That they weren't meant to live in the "normal" world. Maybe it was true. Vivian had been created to be a follower, a dweller of the shadows, a servant of the Queen's – of course she'd struggle. From the moment she decided to try to take control of her own identity, to live her own life, she'd been doomed to fail again and again. It's why Beldam was so hard on her – why she was always badgering her. It all made sense.

Vivian gazed out over the crowd once more. A myriad of faces, of all sizes and colors, met her eyes. Many of them were families, undoubtedly there to enjoy spending quality time together while watching spirited actors light up the stage. They all stared at her, each and every one of them judging her for who she was. For her incompetence.

She wanted to cry.

"Just you? What of the townsfolk? Are they well?" The voice from beyond the curtain attempted to continue the performance, but his words scarcely reached Vivian at that point.

It was over. The shadow reached up and covered her head with her hands, gripping her hair within her fingers as she sunk to the ground. …She couldn't do it. She couldn't do it…

She'd been a fool to think she could.

"VIVIAAAAAANNNNN!"

A voice called out from the crowd. Vivian weakly raised her head, searching.

"H-huh…?"

Someone was yelling her name.

"VIVIAN! VIVIAN, SWEETHEART, OVER HERE!"

That time, Vivian caught the direction it was coming from. A familiar white mouse was bouncing up and down, waving her hands vigorously.

Ms. Mowz was calling out her name.

'VIVIAN! Dearie, you can do this! Keep going! You're wonderful – we love you!" the Little Mouser yelled out, cupping her little hands around her mouth. Seeing that Vivian was looking in her direction, she gave the shadow an encouraging wink.

Ms. Mowz didn't look angry. She didn't look disappointed. She didn't look like she wanted to scold Vivian, to hit her for being stupid, to degrade her… no. It was entirely the opposite.

Then, next to the Little Mouser, Vivian spotted Flurrie. Though the wind spirit was quiet, it was the expression upon her face that pulled the shadow's attention. She was smiling at her – a reassuring, motherly smile, urging her to stand up and keep going. A proud smile, filled with warmth. A smile filled with acceptance – a smile that told her it was okay to make mistakes.

A smile that told her she could still get back up.

Vivian nodded, picking up her sketchbook once more. At some point, she'd allowed it to fall to the ground… but, no. No, she wasn't done. She could still perform.

They still believed in her.

She closed her eyes for just a moment as she regained her focus. Then, opening them, she began to speak once more.

"Townsfolk? Mmmmm… I mean, my parents are well. …I… think, though they've been gone for quite a while this time. …I hope they return soon," she pressed a finger to her bottom lip as she gazed over at the star statue, finally providing an answer to its inquiry. Though her voice was still laced with uncertainty, it wasn't her own.

She could do it. She could do it. Even she could shine.

The play continued.

Once her act had concluded, the first thing Vivian did was collapse into the grass.

The shadow lay a short distance away from the stage, spread out in an area behind the continuing performances, in a spot where she was hidden away from the eyes of the world. She could finally take a breather – she hadn't realized it until she'd exited, but she was absolutely covered in sweat. In her exhaustion, she could scarcely even bring herself to care that she was getting her dress dirty.

"Man… you really had me worried there for a second, but you sure pulled through, buh huh huh! That ending was great!"

Crump held a water bottle out to her, clutching one of his own beneath his other arm. After clumsily hobbling to the shadow's side and then collapsing roughly onto his rump, he twisted off the lid of his drink and took a big, refreshing gulp.

"I'm really sorry about that," Vivian shook her head, still feeling somewhat mortified. "I… my mind just went blank. If it wasn't for Ms. Mowz, I don't think I could've finished at all…"

Even though the rest of the performance had gone wonderfully, she still couldn't quite scrub her guilt away. …Freezing like that in front of all those people was just embarrassing. Despite knowing that her friends wouldn't blame her for it, it was still…

"Nah, seriously, did you hear how hard the audience applauded at the end? You totally nailed the death scene! I thought I was gonna have to start prepping for a funeral, buh huh huh huh huh!" the X-Naut laughed, clapping a cheery hand on his knee.

It was true – when Vivian had finally finished her acting and had seen the faces of her audience, they were filled with pure, raw emotion. Though she couldn't possibly expect her team to win, she was legitimately proud of how she'd done overall.

Despite her mistakes, the experience had been fun. …Really, truly fun. She wasn't an actual professional, far from it, but maybe she really was interested in continuing with acting? …Perhaps she could ask Flurrie about getting more lessons? Maybe, just maybe…

The shadow sat up and frowned, sipping at her water as she pondered her next steps. …She really needed to think of a better plan for the future. First, more than anything else, she had to figure out what she was doing over the next few weeks – returning home still didn't sound like the best option. While she hated to admit it, living in the Creepy Steeple was a very real possibility. She could keep delivering mail for money, then maybe attend acting lessons in the evenings…

But… she also really needed to at least talk to Beldam at some point. What would she even say to her, though…? She couldn't let their relationship go back to what it was before – to the constant bullying, the berating, the abuse. And yet, she didn't want to just leave it broken, either. There had to be a way she could really, truly create a bridge between them. …To make Beldam proud to be her elder sister. There just had to be…

"What's up? You're making one heck of a face again. You worried about us losing?" Crump sat back, looking up at the sky. "…Yeah, I'm pretty sure we won't win this. Those kids were just waaaay too good. But it's, uh, fine… I'll just… eat rocks or something. Y-yeah…" He paused, looking at his feet. "…I mean, I guess it was a good experience? I'm feeling a little calmer about my own junk now that I've been away for a second. …We'll work it out. We always do. Buh… buh huh huh…"

She could feel the nervousness in his voice. …He was really struggling too, wasn't he?

Crump took a moment to finish off the last of his water, then stood as he made to leave. "…Well, anyways. Even if it didn't go like I hoped, I guess, uh… thanks for working with me. Can't say I ever expected it, but it wasn't the worst thing ever," he murmured, rubbing bashfully at the back of his head.

Vivian looked up, slightly taken aback. Though he was dodging her gaze, she could still feel a hidden hint of warmth behind his words.

"Oh! Hmm hmm hmm…" she smiled, rising to a standing position herself. "Yes! You did a good job. You really surprised me, showing up like you did… but I'm glad you weren't up to anything bad. Even if we don't see each other again, make sure you keep behaving yourself, okay? Don't make us come after you!"

She extended her hand. After a short pause, he reached out and took it, shaking it.

"…Yeah. You got it. Make sure you keep those sisters of yours in line too, yeah?"

Vivian wasn't sure if she could promise that, as much as she wanted to. So, instead of saying yes, she simply gave him the most accurate reply she had.

"I'll do my best!" she nodded, smiling brightly.

Releasing her hand, the bulky X-Naut looked over towards the Poshley Heights streets and motioned at the food stalls. "I'm gonna go over there and see if I can grab something. Flurrie gave me a little bit of cash earlier, so…" He fumbled in his pocket. "Catch you around, maybe. I've gotta head back home soon, but… yeah. Have a nice life?"

She giggled. "Mm-hmm. …You too, Crump. Do what you can!"

He turned and began to stalk off towards the town, giving her a small wave as he went. However, before he could get too far…

"Aha, there you two are! Hiding, are you? And here I thought you'd go rejoin your friends… it's a good thing you stand out so much, gweaah heh ha!"

Without any further warning, a pair of all-too-familiar Boos suddenly materialized before them, acting as though their presence was the most natural thing in the world. Lady Bow fanned at herself as Bootler gave a light bow, holding a packet of papers within his hands.

"L-Lady Bow…?" Vivian stammered, surprise written across her face. "Is something the matter? Um, Flurrie's still at the festival, I think…"

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of where Madame Flurrie is at," she huffed, "I'm not looking for her. It's you that I'm interested in."

"W-what…?"

Vivian's palms suddenly began to sweat. She could sense trouble on the horizon.

"Bootler! Give them the details." The ghost folded her fan, grinning mischievously all the while.

"Yes, my lady," he nodded, facing Vivian. "Lady Bow was quite impressed by your performance. She knows a diamond in the rough when she sees one. Despite my reservations about her being away from home for so long, she's grown quite fond of this place and has seen fit to return again and again, partaking in the culture with a keen interest. Though her mansion waits back in the Mushroom Kingdom mainland and is truly the best place for a Boo of her stature to be, she…"

"Bootler." The Boo noblewoman growled.

"…Ahem. Yes, that aside, she's been working on plans to create something of a vacation home here and seeks to expand her horizons even further. And so…"

The spectral butler extended the papers, practically thrusting them into Vivian's hands.

"Young lady, how would you feel about joining us in this brand-new venture?"

Vivian looked down at the packet with wide eyes. The stack, five pages tall, had a title printed in ornate, golden font across the top.

"Fantaboolous Studios…?" she spoke the words. A tagline – "Experiences so memorable they'll haunt your dreams!" – followed beneath them.

Lady Bow let out a slight chortle at Vivian's stunned face. "Surprised, are you?" she laughed, "Well, don't be. This isn't some kind of scam. I've been planning this for a bit. It's simply difficult to break into the industry without connections! But… if you were to join me in this journey… gweeeaaaah hah hah… well, I just think that we may be able to help each other out."

Vivian began to read the front page. …A full-time, well-paid position, trained personally by Lady Bow? She hadn't even started to consider the possibility of immediately jumping into a new job, but…

"You as well, you chunky fellow. Though Lady Bow is not quite as impressed with you, we are interested in making use of your workers. That is something that you do, yes? Labor contracts?" the Boo butler questioned.

Crump paused, pressing a hand to his chin before he let out a gasp. "Wait, for real? …Uh, yeah, we sure as heck do! Buh huh huh huh!"

"Well, that's only if this one over here accepts," Lady Bow smirked at Vivian with a glint in her eye. "…How about it? Are you interested? This could be your first step in really getting away from your mean old witch of a sister, you know. She can kick you out all she wants without you blinking an eye – after all, you're guaranteed to be rich and famous under my guidance!"

Vivian continued to read. …She'd been hoping to ask Flurrie to help train her, but… well, she'd already been quite the burden on the busy actress. She felt bad, only ever asking for help and never really giving anything substantial in return. This… was a bit different. This Boo woman was taking a risk too, and, if it paid off in the end…

She felt a sudden presence beside her – Crump. He had rushed over and was reading the contract as well, his eyes practically alight beneath his goggles.

"Hey, I know this is really sudden, but… c'mon. You've gotta take it! We need this gig!" he pleaded, pressing his palms together. "She mentioned something about your sister kicking you out? Well, that's whatever! We can give you a place to stay, don't even sweat the details, so… please! I need, need, need this! I'll do anything if you can just get this lady to fund us!"

Vivian could feel a mounting pressure. …All three of them were staring at her, eagerly awaiting a response. She knew she was probably being manipulated again, but… but if she really could do something like this, on her own, without either Beldam or Mario guiding her forward… if someday, she could get her eldest sister to look upon her while she was atop the stage, to admire how far she'd come… if there was even the slightest chance that she could become someone truly great, like Mario, that others looked up to, that inspired them…

She was willing to give it a try.

"All right…" she nodded, gulping down her uncertainty. She may come to regret the decision later, but…

"Oh?" The grin on Bow's face widened. She eyed Vivian with the hungry ferocity of a predator closing in on its prey.

"I… I accept your offer," the shadow declared, meeting Bow's eyes.

She didn't know if she'd be all that good at it. She didn't know if she'd be able to fulfill Bow's hopes. She didn't know if succeeding would even make Beldam respect her. …But, she wanted to hold onto hope that this new path would be better than the one she'd been on.

And so, Vivian chose to fall into Lady Bow's open jaws.

Chapter image: www tumblr com/thegroduschronicles/757022371861463040