AN: Well, here we are folks. The last chapter I'll ever publish in 2024. I hope you guys enjoy :)
Chapter 11 She's Real
The chilliness of World 3 felt like an animal sinking its teeth into Pom Pom's skin, threatening to consume her and let her bones turn rock hard. She blew into her hands while shivering, hating how different from the Koopa Kingdom this region was. She had seen snow before once when she was really little, but it didn't compare to this. Again, this was so bitingly cold that it made her worry for her own safety. Not even Frosted Glacier had compared to how horrible these temperatures were.
Of course, she couldn't focus on that, and she wasn't going to focus on that. She and Wendy had a mission, a mission that required her to put her feelings of personal discomfort to the side. They were going to find out who those purple shadow women were. They were going to do it or die trying.
They flew over World 3 for about twenty minutes. Pom Pom kept her eyes on Wendy, who went to comfort a good portion of the soldiers and servants on the ship. Blowing some warm breath into her hands again, Pom Pom approached the princess.
"How much longer until we get there, boss?"
Wendy frowned. "I'd say that we'll get there in about five minutes, give or take." She stood in place before sighing. "I hope we find the answers there. I'd hate for all this to have just been a wild goose chase."
Pom Pom groaned. "Yeah, I know that feeling." She bit her freezing lip. "I just hope that the cloud we saw in Soda Jungle doesn't grow bigger. I mean… there's a possibility that it might claim lives if we let it fester." She cringed. "Sure, there's no guarantee that's the case, but…"
"It's better to be safe than sorry. Yeah, I know." Wendy stood in place before taking a step closer. "Hey." She took Pom Pom's hand, an action that didn't surprise the cadet. At least, not as much as it probably could. "No matter what happens, we'll go through it together."
"Right." Pom Pom gave Wendy a smile. "Together."
"City of Frostwall fast approaching, Princess Wendy!" A paratroopa called from up on the deck.
"Okay!" Wendy stepped away from Pom Pom. "Thank you, Captain! Make preparations to make landfall."
Curious, Pom Pom went to the edge of the deck. She gasped when she saw Frostwall, with its shiny buildings that looked like some sort of blue jewel. What blue jewel exactly, she couldn't say for sure. They looked so otherworldly, with the way they glowed and how soothing their hue was. Despite her worries and the discomfort that was still growing, Pom Pom beamed at the sight. "Wow," she said, her breath becoming fog upon making contact with the atmosphere.
The airship soared over the buildings, with flat tops covered in snow and signs of life showing through each and every one of them. It was so homey; how could a city have sights as magnificent as shining blue buildings and sights as ordinary as apartment buildings and stores? It was the weirdest contrast Pom Pom had ever seen, and yet, it somehow made Frostwall more complete. She was starstruck by this amazing city…
Until she saw the building that the airship had set its course to: the Grand Library of All Mushroom World Knowledge. At first, seeing the building with same cerulean luster, Pom Pom smiled. However, the smile quickly faded when she saw a throng of people trying to get through the open library doors. Koopas, humans, koopa troopas, goombas, shy guys, ninjis… even some sentient snowmen were part of the crowd. Pom Pom couldn't help but worry, couldn't help but be overwhelmed when she saw this. What did it mean? Why were there so many people? It almost looked like all of Frostwall's population was trying to stuff themselves in the library!
"Wendy," Pom Pom said as she went up to the princess. She pointed down toward the ground. "Are you seeing this?"
Wendy nodded. "Yeah, it's so strange. I wonder why…" she stopped. Her eyes grew wide, and a worry that made Pom Pom shiver in an entirely new way overtook her.
"What is it?"
"That has to be it," Wendy uttered. She slowly turned her head to Pom Pom. "It seems you and I aren't the only people who are looking for answers."
"What do you mean… oh!" Pom Pom's eyes grew wide. She got another look at the crowd as the airship was parked. "That vision… it wasn't just the people on the airship who experienced it. It seems that…"
"That the whole world got it," Wendy said, her face grim. "Exactly."
A pit formed in Pom Pom's stomach as some of the soldiers got the ladder ready. "Well, if that's the case…" She made her way over to the ladder. "I'm now hoping that we figure out what's going on for EVERYONE'S sake, not just ours."
The koopas descended. When they reached the ground, the noise of the crowd carried into Pom Pom's ears. It made her cringe. The people sounded so worried, so scared. They were looking for relief, but could they get it? Were there even any books in that expansive library that could provide answers? Pom Pom wished there was, hoped there was, prayed there was.
The koopas's feet touched the ground, and they walked toward the library. Pom Pom tried her best to squeeze through the crowd. She was water, she was flowing, she was liquid… oh dear, it seemed that even water could be stopped in its tracks if the blockage was big enough. Pom Pom tried to push her way through, but it was close to impossible. She was close to throwing in the towel when…
"MAKE WAY! THE PRINCESS OF THE KOOPA KINGDOM IS COMING THROUGH!"
Pom Pom let out a breath of relief when she heard the soldier barking orders. She was just as thankful when the crowd listened; they parted right down the middle to make way for Wendy and her crew. As she walked through the crowd like a bride walking down the aisle, Wendy gave the people a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry everyone," she said. "We'll figure out what's going on, and we're going to set everything straight."
A warm feeling surged through Pom Pom's heart, causing her to smile as she followed Wendy and her entourage into the library. This wasn't going to be so bad. Like Wendy said, they were going to figure out what was going on. They were going to help everyone, and they were going to set things right. Those weren't just hollow words coming from a shifty politician; those words were a promise from a gracious and loving princess.
The koopas got into the library. When the purple-capped Toad who sat at the front desk saw them, they did a double-take before gawking. "P… Princess Wendy? Of the Koopa Kingdom! What… what are…"
Wendy held up her hand to silence the stuttering librarian. "It's okay. We aren't looking for any trouble. We just need to find out who was in the vision that everyone saw, including you and I." She stepped toward the Toad, giving a smile warmer than fresh-baked cookies. "Please."
The Toad looked contemplative. "That vision was concerning I will admit…" he drummed his fingers against the table before looking back at Wendy. "Well, normally you would need a signed letter from the mayor of Frostwall to gain access to this library's information. However, seeing that you're royalty who is coming under peculiar circumstances, I can definitely make an exception this time around." He got up from the chair. "Follow me, Your Majesty."
Wendy and Pom Pom exchanged a smile before following the Toad. They weaved through the numerous books, all while Pom Pom marveled at them. This library really did look like it had all Mushroom World knowledge. Usually, when places had titles like that, it was an exaggeration, more than likely some sort of marketing ploy to draw people in. This place? No, there was no marketing ploy being used here. It was definitely truthful, which gave Pom Pom hope that they really could find the answers that they so desperately needed.
Eventually, the librarian stopped at one bookshelf. "Wait here a moment, Princess Wendy." They went to search through the books. And Pom Pom was only now noticing this, but the section that the Toad had gone into was labeled "Supernatural and Occult." That made Pom Pom whimper. While she had been excited to find answers before, now there was this level of unease paired with the anticipation.
"Okay," the Toad came back out with a purple-covered book. They flipped through the pages before gesturing to them. "Follow me to the table please." Wendy nodded, and when they got there, the librarian pointed toward a page. "I believe this might be what you are looking for."
"Thank you," Wendy said with a smile. "You are very kind." The Toad beamed at her before going back to the front desk. Wendy exchanged a look with Pom Pom and the soldiers before sighing. "Alright, let's see." She pulled the chair out, took a seat, and started reading aloud. "This section talks about… the Shadow Sirens."
The Shadow Sirens? Yes, that made sense; that was what the women in the vision called themselves. But… oh, just hearing that name again made a lump form in Pom Pom's throat. She had never encountered a kind creature that had the word "shadow" in its name. Not one.
"What are the Shadow Sirens, Your Highness?" A koopa troopa asked, thankfully doing it so the worried Pom Pom didn't have to.
Wendy picked up the book and held it close to her face. "The Shadow Sirens are a trio of shadowy spirits that serve and are loyal to the Shadow Queen." Wendy paused before continuing. "While not part of the original pack of demons who got thrown out of the Palace of Light alongside her, or true demons at all, they were still created by the Shadow Queen in order to carry out her wicked orders. These women have the ability to blend in with the shadows, channeling dark magic in order to attack people and even hypnotize them. Some legends even point to them drawing in victims with cursed music to kill them."
"Like mermaid sirens…" Pom Pom pondered this before putting on a firm expression. "So, if these Shadow Sirens were the women we saw, and they do have such strong magical powers… what exactly do they plan to do now that they've come back?"
Wendy held up her finger before turning the page. "The Shadow Sirens are known as creatures of ambition. They have spent centuries practicing and honing their skills in shadow magic in order to one day cast the entire Mushroom World in darkness…" Wendy's form grew stiffer. An eerieness took over the scene. "This darkness would have the power to hyphotize and zombify the people who fall into it, turning them into vessels for the Shadow Queen's magic."
Pom Pom started to feel sick. She thought back to the cloud, with how it seemed to scream in the most frightened way possible.
"Good God…" She put her hand to her stomach. "We… we're all in danger. Aren't we?"
Wendy's hands shook. "It would seem that we are." She turned limply gripped the page. "I don't know how the Shadow Sirens managed to resurface, but I think it's safe to say that they've definitely honed their power enough to accomplish their goal." She turned the page. "I just hope that there's someway to defeat them…" She stopped. She gasped, looking absolutely horrified.
"Wendy?" Pom Pom asked. "Is everything okay?"
When the princess spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Pom Pom…" with a shaking finger, she pointed toward a picture on the page. "Look."
Pom Pom looked in the picture. The drawing was VERY accurate to how the creatures in the vision looked. There was the scrawny blue one. According to the caption, her name was Beldam. And there was the plump orange and yellow one. Her name was Marilyn. Seeing both of them captured so perfectly in drawing form was so surreal.
"Oh wow. Whoever drew that picture must've seen the two Shadow Sirens themselves."
"Not two," Wendy said, pointing at the page again. "Three."
"Three?" Pom Pom looked at where Wendy pointed, and… her heart stopped. Nothing else in that moment mattered. Nothing else even existed. The room was gone, the people were gone, even Wendy was gone. All that was there was Pom Pom and the picture on the page.
"Viv?" She picked up the book, staring at the picture with a dropped jaw. Pom Pom was six years old all over again, looking into those loving golden eyes and laughing at one of the most beautiful laughs she had ever heard.
"No…" Pom Pom put her hand to her chest. "No… she's…" she started to hyperventilate. "She's real…"
"Yes," Wendy said. "It would seem she is." Wendy looked at the book again. "And it would seem Viv's real name is actually Vivian." Wendy frowned. "Interesting."
Pom Pom barely heard her princess. "She's real…" everything was crashing down on top of her. She grasped the top of her head as her hyperventilation got worse. "She's real."
"Pom Pom? Are you okay?" asked Wendy.
Tears involuntarily poured from Pom Pom's eyes. "She's real…" she fell to the ground, trembling as a million memories she had spent her whole life suppressing came back to her. "She's real… She's real… She's real…"
Wendy looked legitimately scared now. "Pom Pom, please answer me."
Pom Pom couldn't even hope to fulfill that request. The only images flashing through her mind were Viv's smiling face. The only words she thought were those two words that she had repeated nonstop.
She's real.