I took a seat next to Gareth who had Eggi in his lap as Goombella took a seat next to me. The Bard of Legend began to play his lute, a slow soft tune leading us in as he began to speak.
"Long ago, more than a thousand years, a terrible and powerful being appeared in the glorious city that would one day become Rougeport as it is now." As he played, I felt my consciousness begin to fade…but his voice rang clear, even into my dreams.
In the murky darkness of my dreams, I could see a blackened figure who looked to be wearing a regal dress.
"A vicious and cruel shadow queen, preyed and ravaged the land for her own amusement, turning lands of rich soil to barren wastelands and dooming bright, vibrant towns into eternal darkness. No one could oppose her power, and those who did were swiftly killed in a cataclysm that shook the earth and rend the skies in twain, sinking the city below the earth and allowing her to construct her retched Shadow Palace from what it once was."
The figure threw her hands out, producing hundreds of black hands that stretched out of the ground, all coming together to produce the shadow of a giant castle, at which the regal figure stood at the double doored entrance to.
"With her home established, and her subjects docile, she set her sights on the rest of the world, creating horrible demonic creatures and beasts to fulfill her dark desires. With her army made, she set them out to all corners of the world, wiping out all resistance and taking lands by force."
The regal figure raised her hand again, this time making a dark mist appear around her. From its depths, shadowy monsters rose to take form; beasts of all shapes and sizes that almost had me quivering in my spot.
"She did not stop there though. With a large swath of her power, she created three unmatched dragons, Hooktail, Gloomtail, and Bonetail. Loyal to the queen, and more than eager to spread fear and suffering across the land."
As the creatures disperse, three massive dragons rose from the dark mire, letting out spine chilling roars before taking off into the sky.
"Her influence only grew, making her the most feared being across the world. With her kingdom of subjugation only growing, she needed a way to exert her influence across the land. So, she created objects filled with her power that could stand as bastions of her rule; the seven crystal stars."
The mire of darkness gathered into seven spots, before pulling in to create seven shadowy stars that gathered around the regal figure.
"With her will exuded, those who faced against her were quickly thrown into the tortuous Hundred floor pit to be eaten by Bonetail. All seemed lost…until four brave warriors stepped forward."
I felt a gentle warmth suddenly hit my back, as a light began to pour in from the same direction. Turning around, four white shapes could be seen, their influence brightening up the darkness.
"A brave toad from Petalburg, who protected his town from the Queen's evil forces. A wise goomba, who used his vast knowledge to aid the Punies in defending the Boggly Woods. A scarred koopa, willing to put his fears aside to fight back against the evil armies onslaught, before eventually being captured. Lastly, a boo warrior who turned against the demonic army and freed the trapped koopa, before banding together with the toad and goomba."
The four white figures rushed forward, grabbing the stars around the regal figure and turning them white as they began to circle the group of four.
"By banding together, they were able to obtain the crystal stars, and turn their power around to face the Shadow Queen. At the shadow palace, they faced off in a truly spectacular battle that destroyed the Queen's human form."
The four figures raised the stars to the sky, producing a blinding light. The regal figure let out a shriek as her body turned white, before completely disintegrating. Everything was quiet for a moment before the ground began to rumble. The palace doors burst open and a shadowy figure emerged, larger than the regal figure and imposing its menacing aura as it loomed over the four white figures.
"Using the crystal stars, they sealed the queen within her own palace; expending what they could of the stars power to make it last for as long as possible, creating a seal that would last a thousand years…but as they did, the queen sent a portion of her own magic out to curse the heroes."
Another light burst from the stars, pushing the shadowy figure back through the door before shutting it and illuminating itself with all seven of the stars. The four figures white form began to turn grey as they fell to the ground.
"She had promised to return once her seal had broken, vowing to conquer the world once and for all. Before the course could overtake them, they prepared for those who would come after them; putting the crystal stars into places where they would be protected and locking the map away in a box that could only be opened by one with a pure heart, to ensure they would not fall into the wrong hands."
Before my eyes, I watched as the four figures faded away, leaving behind only a single white outline of what I assumed was the chest with the map inside.
"Nobody knows what happened to the four heroes after that. Once they had set everything in order, it was as though they had faded away. Leaving behind only their legacy for the next generation of heroes."
From behind me, another white figure approached, this one I recognized, "Peach…" She picked up the box, opening it and letting a blinding light spill out that engulfed everything I could see in pure white.
"Now that the seal is about to be broken, I can only hope that those who will stand up to face the shadow queen will be able to eliminate her for good this time…its what my friends would have wanted after all…"
When the light finally died, I was sitting in my spot in the back alley of Rougeport, my friends all around me with the same confused expression. The only thing that was missing was the Bard of Legend, his entire set-up seemingly vanished without a trace, leaving us in a desolate alley, with only the memory of the story he had told us.
"…What just happened?" Goombella asked.
"…I…think we were given a firsthand account." I hypothesized. With the story still fresh in my mind, I hastily pulled out a blank journal and began writing down everything I had just heard and seen as best I could. Gareth let out a small chuckle.
"So we're dealing with an honest to god demon huh?"
"Scared?" Eggi asked. I had to stifle a giggle as Gareth let out a big single-
"HA! Not in this life! But seriously, the stars are just that queen's power?" I stopped my scribbling for a moment to think. It couldn't just be the Shadow Queen's power bounced back could it?
"That would explain why she was sealed away instead of destroyed." Goombella mused.
"What do you think happened to the four heroes?" Eggi asked. Curses come in all forms, so anything could have happened to them honestly…but if they faded away…oh have no clue. Finishing up my notes, I let out a defeated sigh.
"Well, at least we know how to take down that demon." Gareth brought up, taking the brighter side of what we just experienced.
"B-But that just sealed her away!" I interjected. "I-It didn't destroy here."
"Ah, minor problem. I'm sure we'll figure it out once we have that last star. Knowing Soren, he's probably got it already!"
"HA!" The boisterous sand deep voice almost made me drop my journal as I turned to see Bowser looming over us, "He's looking in the wrong place! I found out where the last star REALLY is."
"You think you beat a magical map?" Goombella asked with a deadpanned tone.
"I DID beat that dumb map! All those stars have been on THIS planet, and if that dumb door is in this town then one of the stars has to be too!"
"Th-The logic isn't far off." I said. "B-But the map Soren has hasn't led him astray yet."
"I'm telling you, it's here!" He snarled and I started to shiver.
"Your unparalleled-ness!" He turned his attention to Kammy and I let out a relieved breath, "I just heard tell of a secret area in the sewers filled with traps!"
"Take that you bookworm! I'm willing to bet my shell there's a Crystal Star there!"
"Ooh! I'll tag along to find out!" Gareth volunteered as he plopped Eggi into my bag.
"Believe me now?"
"Nah. I just want to know how heavy your shell is when I win it." Bowser let out a grumble as the trio made their way out of the alley leaving me with Goombella and Eggi…this was a bit of an odd combination to be left with honestly.
"What should we do now?" Eggi asked. I thought before turning to Goombella.
"Frankly has a lot of information on the legend, right?"
"At least information on the areas we've been to in our travels." That's still useful.
"Let's head back and do some research then. There's something I want to confirm and I need more info." With a nod, the three of us made our way back to the professor's house. I had a bad feeling about what was to come and I needed to be sure that something terrible wasn't on the horizon.
Gareth
"Really? That was it!?" That whole trap system was a joke. What Bowser couldn't burn away, I reduced to pieces, leaving us with just a long hallway of beat-up guards and broken traps.
"Hmph! Worthless security system." Hearing panting behind me, I turned to see Kammy wheezing as she caught up to us.
"V…Very well done…your stalwartness…" As she collapsed into a heap at the doorway, we stepped into the end room. It was mostly filled with exercise equipment and pictures of some yellow hawk dude…wait…
"Hey, it's Rawk Hawk!" I yelled excitedly. I hadn't even thought about the guy since we saw that show a few weeks back.
"More importantly-" Bowser pointed over to the backwall, where a belt sat on a plaque, with the crystal star we were looking for at its center. Bowser rushed forward and snatched it off the wall with a triumphant laugh.
"FINALLY! I got the last crystal star!"
"Hey, chumps!" We turned back around and at the door stood the man, the legend, Rawk Hawk…with his foot currently on Kammy's back, "You better put that back where you got it before you get a taste of the Rawk!"
"No way you over muscled freak!" Bowser shot back, clutching the star tightly…did I just hear something crack slightly.
"Then get ready to taste the power of the HAWK!" Rawk Hawk rushed forward before leaping and going for a drop kick. Bowser effortlessly grabbed him by his extended feet and threw him at the back wall, making Rawk Hawk slump to the ground, "Urgh…pain…"
"GAHAHAHA! Nobody can stop the great king! The crystal star is mine!" Bowser held the star up, and I noticed a small crack running from the edge of one of the points towards the center.
"Might need to double check it." I brought up and he gave me a confused look before examining his prize.
"…THIS THING IS JUNK!?"
"Where is the real one then?" Kammy asked as she got back up to her feet.
"Urgh…Black and Pink have it…oogh." Rawk Hawk weakly answered.
"Great…beaten by a bunch of colored freaks!"
"I…think I remember that being Soren and Peach's fighting names." I said, scratching my head as I tried to properly remember.
"That's even worse!" Bowser gave a long sigh before plopping down.
"…So, think it's time I got your shell."
"Over my and your dead body."
Lily
Back at Professor Frankley's house, we found he had stepped out, leaving us to look through all his notes. I began pouring through the pieces he had collected on the places where the crystal stars had been found. Petal Meadows had been the first location; home of the Toad hero and apparently where they had even run into one of the three dragons from the story, Hooktail. Next was Boggly Woods, specifically the great tree at the center where the hero Goomba had been. Then it was the Glitz Pit…an odd location given how it most likely didn't exist a thousand years ago. Then Twilight Town, clearly still affected by the Queen's curse of eternal darkness to at least some extent…and considering the Boos…maybe even the Boo heroes' home. Then the cursed island of Keelhaul Key; according to records the star ended up in the hands of pirates when they raided a shipping vessel. Then the Poshly Heights sanctum, built specifically to protect the star. According to eye witness accounts, the star Soen was currently after on the moon was first found in Rogueport's sewers.
"…Something is odd about all this." I mused as I looked over everything.
"All the locations are pretty random." Goombella said.
"No, they're not…w-well, most of them aren't. Places where they have actually BEEN protected all share a few traits." I pulled out the notes on Petal Meadows, Boggly Woods, Twilight Town, and Poshly Heights, "These areas in particular. They were either homes of heroes, or specifically chosen as places to protect the stars. Did you find the book on the History of Twilight town Eggi?"
"Right here!" He announced holding up the book with both hands and wobbling slightly at its weight. Taking the book from him, I opened up the first page…and found exactly what I was looking for.
"There! Hundreds of years back the town used to be called Duskville!"
"What does that mean?" Goombella asked.
"The curse around the town began to dissipate when the crystal star was put there for protection." These crystal stars…there not just the queen's power…, "We have to tell Soren when he gets back. I think we might be able to use the stars to completely destroy the queen this time!" Gathering up all the notes, I stuffed them into my bag. I stopped before I rushed out the door, high on the adrenaline of new information, and turned to the very confused pair I had almost forgot about, "U-Um…can you two gather everyone back up at the s-secret room in the undercity?"
"I don't know what you found but it must be BIG news to get you this excited!" Goombella said with a toothy grin before patting me on the shoulder, "We've got it covered, meet you down there." I let out a relieved sight and rushed for the sewer entrance.
Approaching it, I felt the hair on the back of my neck prick slightly. Whipping around, I came face to face with a strange shadowy hag wearing a blue witch hat.
"So you found a way to utilize the Crystal Stars against my mistress did you?" I quickly reached for my staff and held it out, trying to stop my hands from shaking; I hated taking on enemies alone, "Honestly, you interlopers just keep being more trouble than help at this point." Help? "No matter though. Another interference to condemn to the void!" She extended her hand, and I felt the ground under me suddenly slump as it had become an eerie pool of black that started sucking me in. Using my staff, I slammed down at a solid spot outside of the murk, and vaulted out of the pool before it could absorb me. Using the momentum of the vault, I angled myself to try and kick the strange witch, only for her to sink into her own shadow and appear behind me as I landed, prompting me to make a full swing around to smack the witch and send her backwards, "Stubborn brat!" She threw her hands forward and a cold, biting wind hit my face and hands. As I tried to block, I felt my toes begin to numb and looked down to see my feet were sealed in a thick layer of ice that slowly worked its way up my legs. I struggled and twisted to try and stop the ice, finding nothing stopped the spread, until I was frozen solid. "Heh. Catching you children alone makes dealing with you significantly easier. Now, I applaud you for learning such a dirty little secret, but telling it to others is a big taboo missy. As a reward and a punishment, you get to experience something not seen in a thousand years…say hello to that annoying plumber for me. I'm sure Bonetail is enjoying him very much." A cackle was the last thing I heard as I was dragged into the darkness of her portal.
The ice shattered upon my landing, giving me a chance to look around. The interior was one small room, a single set of stairs at the center…and a creature waiting in the shadow for me to approach it. I scrambled in my bag, pulling out my scroll and relieved to find I still had a signal. I hastily typed away what I had to let Soren know, and everything about-
"GRAH!"
"EEP!" I scrambled back as the monster in the corner had decided to take the first bite. Hastily sending what I had already typed, I readied myself for a fight, hopeful that I could hold out long enough for my friends to find me.
Soren
When Peach and I stepped out of the teleporter, we were immediately grabbed by Koops and Vivian who had pulled us into a hug. Even through their stumbling and stuttering, I could tell they were just glad we got out of there before the whole place shut down…and looking over at the now unpowered computer, the whole moon base was a desolate nothingness…not even a blip of machinery activated.
Before I could ask any questions, the door burst open and Gareth stepped through with a self-satisfied grin as Bowser grumbled bitterly behind him.
"Yo! Get the star?" I reached into my bag and pulled out the large crystal star. Gareth gave an impressed whistle before knocking against it with his knuckles, "Yep, that's a genu-ine crystal star. You can tell just by looking."
"Enough!" Bowser yelled and Gareth chuckled. I smiled before putting the star away. The door opened again as Goombella looked inside. Behind her I could see everyone else had already gathered…except for Lily.
"She's not here?" A pit dropped in my stomach. I looked at Gareth who had the same worried expression, only to have the moment interrupted by my scroll buzzing. Alice!? I pulled out my Scroll and looked t find a message for Lily.
"Soren, I got ambushed by a blue hatted witch. She sent me to some kind of dungeon. She said somebody called Bonetail was in here. Listen, the stars were made by the Shadow Queen, when they were used, they were full of her power and it was what sealed her away. But I think now-" What…no no no no, it can't just END there!
"Bonetail…that story said people were sent to a…" Gareth struggled to think, scratching his head vigorously to try and shake loose the memory, "Come on…right, the hundred floor pit! She must have been sent there!"
"I know where that is!" Vivian spoke up.
"We need to go save her now then." I quickly replied.
"No, you need to get to the door." Gareth said. "That whole story was long and confusing…but they did say the seal was close to breaking. Even if those stars just seal her away again, you need to be there with the stars to do that."
"What about Lily?" Gareth just smirked before wrapping his arm over Vivian's shoulder, making her slightly jump.
"Come on, we got this!"
"Hah! Like you could do anything without your king around!" Bowser added. "We'll save the scrawny girl while you hold off whatever queen you're talking about until I get there." So he's playing sacrifice and hero?
"Thank you for your assistance, King Koopa." Peach said with a small curtsy and smile, making Bowser's face slightly flush.
"Let's get moving subjects!" With his rallying cry, he stormed out of the room and down a direction…completely unaware his guide to the pit was still in front of me.
"Stay safe down there." I said to Vivian. "With Gareth backing you up you should be okay but…just in case." …With things getting serious…, "One second." Pulling out my wooden swords, I sliced through the air, producing a tear in reality. But before I could step through, the very weapons I had intended to grab fell out onto the ground in front of me…thank you Mary. Tossing my wooden swords, along with Gareth's bat, into the portal, I picked up the actual weaponry we could use. I handed Gareth his Axe along with Lily's scythe for when he found her while I collected my dual longwords and Alice's katana…I would get this to her before it was over. I looked over at Vivian one more time, finding her more confident than I was expecting for where she was headed. With a reassuring smile, she and Gareth made their way towards the pit…going the opposite direction Bowser went…huh.
"Alright, everyone ready?" I looked over at my friends who had come this far with me. Goombella gave me a toothy grin, Koops nodded confidently, Flurrie unfurled her fan and held it up triumphantly, Eggi jumped to catch my attention and show off his boundless energy, Bobbery tilted his hat with a worn smile, and Mowz gave me her usual flirtatious wink. Turning to Peach, she gave me a sweet smile. She had stood by me this far so even she knew I didn't need her reassurance that she would stick by me, "Then let's go!
Gareth
Vivian led me through a few off-side tunnels until we came to a completely out of place room. The walls were perfectly carved, and at the center sat a set of stairs that descended lower into the ground.
"B-Be careful." Vivian spoke up quickly. "The dungeon is designed to drag its prisoners further down. Once you make it down to the next floor, the stairs will disappear." Damn, that's intense…
"Guess I should get moving then." Cracking my knuckles, I strut forward. As I came to the entrance leading down, I turned to face Vivian who almost bumped into me, "Thanks for the help, Viv. I got it from here."
"H-Huh?"
"If its just a pit full of monsters, I think I can handle that just fine. Soren on the other hand is going into the belly of the beast…odds are he needs more help right now."
"B-But-"
"Besides, you've been on this adventure for a while now, why not make sure it ends the way you want it?" Vivian stood there, absorbing my words before nodding.
"Th-Thank you…I will." Before my eyes she disappeared into her shadow…Soren met some crazy friends on this one.
"Well then…time for some fun!"