And so Vivian and Goombella retrieved the first Crystal Key, though they did not yet realize its significance. The duo left the University of Goom and made their way back to Rogueport, where they hoped that the Thousand-Year Door could provide them the answers they sought – and that the mysterious spectral figure's dire predictions would not come to pass. With luck, Vivian thought she and Goombella could put a quick end to the Shadow Queen's resurrection.

Little did she know that their adventure had only just begun.

The Mushroom Kingdom's Rogueport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than the one full of Bzzaps that dangled above the door to the Rogueport inn. The interior of this inn, however, was a surprisingly warm and inviting locale. On the ground floor was an old watering hole known as Podley's Place, where thirsty sailor Bob-ombs and Squeeks gathered to guzzle gallons of delicious, fizzy Chuckola Cola.

Podley's Place also contained a certain purple-haired aristocrat, who between cola-induced belches was busy reciting his one hundred percent factual life's story to all who would listen: "...and we spent hours wandering the strangest of port cities in which everything was painted red, until finally the navigator slapped his forehead and went, 'Ohhhh, you wanted to sail to ROGUE-port!"

But this wasn't the only colorful character in the bar. There was also quite a bizarre duo slouched over the bar's countertop. One was a squat, round man dressed in a shabby-looking black uniform with a giant white X on the chest. He wore white gloves, a flowing red cape, purple pants, and a purple cap with viking-like horns on it. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of goggles, making it difficult to judge his mood at any given time.

And resting on the counter beside him was what appeared to be a large, black egg turned on its side with goggles glued to the bottom and a window showing off the intricate machinery within. You wouldn't have known it was a person if it hadn't been sobbing hysterically.

"I'm a joke... I'm a joke… Gimme another cola."

"I think you've had enough, Sir Grodus." The cape-wearing man gave the disembodied, robotic head a sympathetic pat.

"I used to be an evil mastermind, you know." Grodus made a vain attempt to lap up the last few cola drops from his overturned cup. "I had an entire secret organization at my command. We even had a moon base. A moon base. "

"Mmm hmm." The Beanish bartender gave a polite nod as he cleaned out a glass with a filthy rag. "I'm sure your moon base was very impressive."

"I went to all that trouble to revive the Shadow Queen so we could rule this miserable planet, and what did I get in return? That stupid witch completely emasculated me!"

"There, there, sir." His minion continued to pat his head. "You know I'll build you a new robotic body as soon as I can afford the parts."

"Oh, what's the point, Crump?" Grodus broke down into another round of hysterical sobs. "All of my minions have left me by now."

Crump stroked Grodus's sleek, metal forehead. "All but one, sir," he said softly. "We will return the X-Nauts to their former glory. I swear it."

"Excuse me, fellas?" cut in the bartender.

Grodus turned to face him, an act that required his disembodied head to bounce in place. "What do you want, Podley?"

"Did I hear you say you're an enemy of the Shadow Queen?" frowned Podley. "The other day, this strange fella in a black sheet walked in here and started talking about her. He said he needed to collect these thingamabobs – I think he called them 'Crystal Keys.'"

" What? " Grodus rolled backwards off the counter in shock, and Crump had to scramble to catch him before he cracked his head / entire body on the floor. "Crystal Keys? Could it be that the Shadow Queen created other mystic items in addition to the Crystal Stars?"

"Hmm..." Crump scratched his chin. "If these so-called Crystal Keys are as powerful as the Crystal Stars, we could harness their power to fuel my machinery. We wouldn't make the mistake of bothering to revive the Shadow Queen again. We could cut out the middleman and enslave the planet ourselves. Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh! "

"That's genius, Crump!" Grodus gave the minion an affectionate nuzzle from within his arms. "Let's hunt for Crystal Keys at once. This could be it! This could be the X-Nauts' chance to reclaim our former digni-"

Before he could finish expressing that sentiment, a stray Chain Chomp pounced out of hiding, grabbed Grodus's head in its maw, and bolted out of the inn.

" What the-? Put me down, you mutt! Cruuump, helllp meee~~~! "

How the heck had Vivian ever found the ruins beneath Rogueport even the tiniest bit scary? Not too long ago, she'd fled them in terror after being yelled at by a spooky ghost girl, but now Vivian was strolling right back to the Thousand-Year Door, totally relaxed. Any time a sudden movement or creeping shadow made Vivian so much as flinch, Goombella would crack a joke or make some snark about how nonsensical this rundown old labyrinth was, and she wouldn't lay off on the humor until Vivian was smiling again.

On their way, the two of them passed by a couple of the drifters who'd moved into the sunken town. Unlike the inhabitants of the newer town above, these guys all seemed pleasant and welcoming. That cute fortune-teller, Merluvlee, even waved at Vivian during her morning stroll. Really, there was nothing scary about this place anymore. The patrols of the X-Nauts and Koopa clan had long since abandoned their posts, and Mario and the gang had cleared out every last monster in the Pit of 100 Trials. What was the worst Vivian had to worry about? A stray Spinia? Ghost lady popping out to give her another lecture?

"Well, here we are." Goombella was the first to reach the Door's chamber. Vivian, err, might have been trailing behind her a bit. "Man, it's even bigger than I remembered." Goombella whistled as she took in every detail of the ornate door – which required her to tilt her entire body backwards.

With a click , the flashlight on Goombella's helmet snapped to life. She'd been overjoyed at the opportunity to don her classic archeologist outfit again and wear her silky blonde hair back in a ponytail. It was her trademark, Goombella had said, like Kolorado Koopa's hat and whip. Goombella shined her flashlight through the gap in the door. Enough sunlight leaked in from above to keep the Rogueport sewers lit, but once they entered the palace... Well, it wasn't called the Palace of Broad Daylight, y'know?

"Hmm..." Goombella waddled past the chamber's circular platform to inspect the Thousand-Year Door up close. The surrounding wall was still cracked and the carvings of the Crystal Stars still glowed with colored light from back when Mario had first opened it. The door was also still open a smidge, but not wide enough for them to squeeze inside. "Hey, Viv, gimme a hand here." Goombella tried to wrench the door wider, but apparently the Goombas' weird telekinesis had a weight limit.

"Err, I can try..." Vivian added her own weight to the pool, but it didn't make much of a difference. Vivian hadn't been overflowing with muscular strength even before the estroplasm. After what had to have been eons of struggle, the two of them somehow managed to open the door a few more inches.

"I miss the Crystal Stars' door-opening light show..." Goombella promptly squeezed through the gap and into the palace, but Vivian lingered behind to wipe off some sweat (Yes, shadow-people have sweat glands. Don't think about it too hard). Vivian sighed and fanned herself. The last remnants of Madame Flurrie's perfume had been drowned out by body odor.

Without further ado, Vivian took a deep breath and followed her friend into the Palace of Shadow. She wasn't scared. So far, everything had been going off without a hitch. Vivian was sure that trend would continue.

By the time Vivian caught up with her, Goombella was completely entranced by their surroundings. To a trained archeologist, exploring the Palace of Shadow must've been Christmas. The millennium-old structure was almost perfectly intact, and every inch of it was lined with gold. Navy wallpaper offset the dark crimson of the palace's flowing carpet, and a massive chandelier dangled far above their heads. Its candles burned bright, the same as they had the last time Vivian was here. Something about that sent goosebumps down her spine.

"Yep," said Goombella, "this place is exactly as freaky as I remembered."

Vivian managed to smile at her. "I'm just glad I didn't have to come here alone."

"No problem!" Goombella smiled in turn. "You know me. I've always got your back. I'm not scared of any-"

" YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE! "

"Zoinks!" Goombella sprang into Vivian's arms.

Vivian was positive that shadowy figure hadn't been standing in front of them a second ago. Judging from her voice, she was the same one from before. Vivian's shadowy pulse might have quickened, but she honestly wasn't as startled as Goombella. Vivian had been expecting this, in fact.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "What did you mean when you said forces were conspiring to revive the Shadow Queen?"

" I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU, YOU FOOL! " snapped the figure. " TURN BACK! LEAVE THIS PLACE AND NEVER RETURN! LEAVE WHILE YOU STILL C- "

Smash . The spectral figure was cut off by the sound of the Thousand-Year Door slamming shut behind them.

"Hey, what gives?" Goombella wrenched herself out of Vivian's arms, her cheeks flushing. "You want us to leave but then you trap us in here?"

"That wasn't me!" The spectral figure's hood darted around the entrance hall, as if frantically searching for something. "It must be him ." Her head snapped towards Vivian. "You have to hide. Quickly, before-"

Suddenly, the chamber was filled with cold laughter. Now Vivian jumped into Goombella's arms – an action which left Vivian down on the carpet, nursing her bruised heinie.

" Too late, sweetheart ," said the voice.

Before anyone had time to react, a trap door opened at Vivian and Goombella's feet, and they tumbled downwards. " Aaaaaaaaaagh-! " Well, actually, Goombella tumbled downwards. Vivian had this thing where if the ground gave out beneath her, the shadow-tendril under her torso would simply elongate until it made contact with the nearest solid object. It was weird. Now Vivian looked like a screwed-up giraffe.

" Goombella! " Vivian started to lower herself down into the pit, but she was stopped by an ice-cold ghost-hand gripping her arm.

"No, Shadow Princess!" Beneath her hood, the spectral figure's eyes were visible. Something about them seemed much sadder than Vivian had expected. "The Black Ghost set a trap for you in the palace's lower regions. You can't fall for it! You're too important!"

Without even stopping to think about it, Vivian smacked the figure's hand away. "Goombella's my best friend!" And that was that. Vivian descended down the trapdoor, her shadow-tendril shortening itself as she went. The moment she was safely below it, the trapdoor closed shut again, leaving the spectral figure far behind.

Unlike the upper floor, the Palace of Shadow's lower region was covered in an unseemly layer of grime. Vivian had to brush off cobwebs as she finally reached the floor below.

"Bella! Are you okay?" The poor Goomba had fallen onto her back, and righting yourself isn't easy when you don't have any arms.

"I'm alright, I'm alright." Goombella blinked and shook herself as Vivian helped her back to her feet. "That fall knocked some HP outta me, that's all." Her flashlight beam crept over their surroundings. "Where the heck are we?"

This region of the Palace of Shadow seemed to be a massive foyer. It held countless doors, each no doubt leading to even more labyrinthine sections of the castle.

"I don't know." Vivian bowed her head. "They say this palace takes up a whole fourth of what was once the ancient sea town. I bet we barely scratched the surface the last time we were here."

"But more importantly, who was that jerk who dropped us down here?"

Goombella's question was quickly answered by the returning sound of cruel laughter. Only this time, it was amplified. Four wads of paper suddenly bounced in front of Vivian and Goombella, and in the blink of an eye, they unfolded. Now the girls' entire field of vision was covered in the papers' inky texture… until four jagged yellow faces appeared on the sheets. Four awfully familiar jagged yellow faces.

" Whee hee hee hee! " one of the faces cackled. "We knew you foolish fools would be foolhardy enough to return here someday!"

"Hey, I remember you guys!" Any drop of fear Goombella might have held had quickly evaporated. "You're those weirdos we freed from the chests!"

"We're pleased you remember us," said another yellow face. "Yes, we are the spirits who so cleverly tricked you into freeing us from our chesty prisons."

"Grifty told us about you guys," said Goombella. Grifty was an old minstrel who hung around on rooftops delivering crucial backstory information to anyone who'd cough up the cash. "He said you four used to be heroes until the Shadow Queen cursed you and you got locked you away in those chests. Professor Frankly and I have done extensive research, and Grifty's story totally checks out. In fact, we'd kinda like to know where he learned it from."

"What are you blathering about?" snapped the third yellow face. "Heroes? Utter nonsense! We are cold-blooded villains wholly committed to the causes of evildoing and wickedness! Aren't we, boys?" It turned to the other three faces, who nodded in agreement. "In fact, to prove how eeeeeevil we are, we're going to curse you, just like we cursed your mustachioed friend!"

"You are?" Vivian's face lit up. "Ooh, ooh, turn us into a swan this time!"

"Yeah!" said Goombella. "We could use that to swim or fly around. I bet it'd be super helpful."

" Helpful? " The fourth yellow face scoffed. "Why would our curse do something helpful to you? Phht . That's, like, the exact opposite of what the curse will be. A swan. Phht. Phht. What kind of idiots do you take us for?"

"No, no, this will be our most terrifying curse yet!" said the first face. "You'll be crying for your mommies every night for the rest of your lives!"

"Therapists will turn you away at the door because they're not skilled enough to handle you!" added the second.

"Oh really?" Goombella cocked an eyebrow. "Alrighty, then, what is this curse? Hit us."

"Well, it's… um… It's a really good one, trust us." The four spirits exchanged glances. "First, it's like… uh… uh…"

"From now on-" one of them spoke up.

"-every time you feel depressed, uh..."

"-a floating ice cream cone will magically appear before you!"

"Yes! But… BUT IT WON'T HAVE QUITE AS MANY SPRINKLES AS YOU'D PREFER!" The spirits erupted into another fit of maniacal laughter. "WHEEEE HEE HEE HEE HEE! SUFFER! SUFFER IN YOUR SPRINKLE-DEPRIVED PURGATORY FOR ALL ETERNITY!"

But before the spirits could cast their horrific curse, a fifth voice swept over the crowd: "Geez, you guys are dense!"

"B-Boss!" In the blink of an eye, the four spirits went from cackling to cowering. Before them, there now appeared yet another dark, shadowy figure, but this one resembled neither the four cursed spirits nor the mysterious, hooded spirit. He was a classic "bedsheet ghost," not unlike Doopliss, only twice as tall and with a black sheet instead of a white one. This ghost also lacked the all-important party hat and bow tie, which was like ninety-five percent of Doopliss's charm. The other big difference was that this ghost hovered several feet off the ground, which highlighted the unsettling lack of anything beneath his sheet – even Doopliss at least had a nifty pair of shoes down slightest movement caused this ghost's sheet to sway wildly, spraying flecks of green moisture every which way.

The crazed look in his burning yellow eyes left Vivian with no doubt – This was the "Black Ghost" the spirit had warned her about.

"Can't you guys cast even one simple curse without me holdin' your hands?" The Black Ghost fixed his scowl on all four spirits.

"Gosh, we're real sorry boss." The faces of all four spirits drooped. "We're trying to be evil like you, but we're no good at it."

"That's because you're not evil," spoke up Goombella. "You dedicated your lives to defeating the Shadow Queen, and now this doofus is tricking you into reviving her!"

But she was met only with more scoffs. "Please, I think we'd remember something like that."

"Do you even remember anything from before you got locked in those chests?"

The spirits looked disarmed. "Well, no, but-"

"Guys, guys, don't listen to Blondie No-arms here," cut in the Black Ghost. "She just doesn't want you to use your awesome curse on her."

Vivian had been hanging back behind Goombella, but suddenly she found herself in front. "I won't let you hurt my friend!" A tongue of flame danced from Vivian's fingertips to punctuate the point.

"Well, well, well, aren't we a brave one?" This had the desired effect of shifting the Black Ghost's attention away from Goombella. Unfortunately, it also resulted in him swooping down to invade Vivian's personal space. "Eyes hidden… purple, shadowy skin… Hmm, a little more broad-shouldered than I'd have thought, but there's no doubt about it – You're the spittin' image of your old lady. The spawn of her cold, vacuumous loins. You're one of the Shadow Princesses!"

Vivian should've toasted the Black Ghost's butt by now, but instead she found herself shrinking under his gaze and subconsciously measuring the width of her shoulders.

"Great, you've established who Vivian is," said Goombella. "Good for you. Now why don't you tell us who you are?"

"Moi?" The Black Ghost touched the edge of his sheet to his center, as if placing a hand over his heart. "Well…" His glowing eyes fell on Goombella's outfit. "...let's say I'm a sort of archeologist, like you."

"I doubt you have a degree."

"See, the Shadow Queen left a ton of awesome goodies after her untimely demises," the Black Ghost continued, ignoring her, "and the awesomest goodie of all is sitting right behind me." He gestured to the largest door in the foyer, which was indeed situated directly behind his inky posterior. It wasn't a quarter as big as the Thousand-Year Door, but it was nothing to sneeze at, either, and, most notably, it contained a set of seven locks all stacked vertically. "I don't know what's in there, but that door is sealed with some epic-level anti-intrusion wards. Queenie wouldn't have gone through all that trouble unless she was hidin' somethin' real good, you follow me? Maybe even more powerful than the Crystal Stars."

The Black Ghost floated between our two heroines, putting his icky cloth on each of their shoulders (or the side of her head, in Goombella's case). "And the only way to open that door is by collectin' all seven Crystal Keys. See, it's the same spell that the four heroes later used to seal the Shadow Queen away." He shot Vivian a knowing smirk. "Funny how her creations keep shootin' her in the foot like that."

"Wait a minute!" said one of the chest-spirits. "So there were four legendary heroes?"

For the briefest of moments, the Black Ghost lost his cool. "No, of course not! These chicks are just using, err, reverse psychology on ya."

"Ohhh." The spirit smiled. "Well, we're too smart to fall for that!"

"Yes, you are. Now then-" The Black Ghost turned back to the girls. "-as I was sayin', I been lookin' for those Crystal Keys ever since my four non-heroic friends here freed me and that wet blanket chick from the Shadow Queen's imprisonment."

"What?" Vivian gave a start. "So you and that ghost girl were sealed away by the Shadow Queen?"

"Did I stutter, lady? Now, I haven't had much luck findin' these keys myself..." A disheartening smirk spread across the Black Ghost's face. "...but the work'll go faster now that I've got two extra pairs o' hands. Well, one extra pair o' hands and a Goomba. You get the idea."

Goombella snorted. "Really? And why would we help you?"

The cut in the sheet that served as the Black Ghost's mouth stretched into a grin. "I was hopin' you'd ask that." He turned back to the chest-spirits. "Boys! Curse time!"

"Hurray!"

"Finally!"

"Curse time is my favorite time of day!"

The Black Ghost swooshed in front of an alarmed Vivian and Goombella, pointing theatrically at them. "Henceforth, you broads are CURSED! Cursed to wander the Palace of Shadow FOREVER until you've brought me all seven Crystal Keys!"

"H-Hey, wait a minute!" Goombella tried to sound calm, but she also huddled closer to Vivian. "I didn't think these guys could give, like, actual bad curses!" Apparently, they could.

" Buggly-wuggly-WOOOOOOOO! "

" Oogly-googly-BOO! "

" BE CUUUUUUUURSED! "

" B-E C-U-R-S-E-D! "

Vivian had never been cursed before, so she hadn't known what to expect. Well, she'd been cursed at by Beldam, but that wasn't quite the same thing. As it turned out, the curse made Vivian's whole body feel like ice. She seized up, paralyzed, but after a second, the effect dissipated. Vivian swallowed. Could she and Goombella really not leave the Palace of Shadow now? Would they spend the rest of their days trapped in these halls?

No. No . Vivian's lip was trembling. Why did she have to drag Goombella into this? She was so selfish… She should've known there'd be a risk...

Goombella, however, was less perturbed. "This is SO UNFAIR!" she shouted at the top of her Goomba-sized lungs. "How do you even know the Crystal Keys are all in this dingy old castle? If even one of them is outside the palace, we'll never be able to get it and we'll be stuck here forever!"

"Ha! Sucks to be you!" The four chest-spirits wadded themselves back into paper balls and swooped away to parts unknown, leaving the girls alone with the Black Ghost.

"Oh, don't you worry your pink little head about it," the Black Ghost smirked. "I've got that covered, Blondie. See, the Shadow Queen left a way to teleport to each of her Crystal Keys, probably in case there was an emergency and she needed to unlock this mystery weapon of hers. And so, if you do a bit of explorin', you'll find magical paintings all over the palace – paintings that show where each Crystal Key is located. All you gotta do is hop inside 'em, and you'll find yourself in whatever world they depict, which, for the purposes of' your curse, doesn't count as leavin' the palace. Oh, but don't get smart and try to take a Warp Pipe home the instant you enter a painting. Trust me, it won't work."

"Good plan," spoke up Vivian, "but there's a flaw in it." She took a deep breath, mustering her courage. "We'll never collect the Crystal Keys for you! We'd rather rot in here than let the Shadow Queen revive again!"

"Revive?" The Black Ghost blinked. "Who said anything about revivin' her? The Shadow Queen sealed me away, remember? I hate that broad! Besides, the Crystal Keys were like her prototype Crystal Stars. If you revived her usin' those, she wouldn't be anywhere near her full power."

"But- But-!" Vivian faltered. Gee whiz, it did seem like collecting those Crystal Keys was their best option. But… that ghost girl had said...

"Any other dumb questions?"

"Yes," said Goombella, "I have several-"

"Too bad. Smell ya later! See you when you've got all the keys!" And with that, the Black Ghost vanished in a plume of dark fog.

" Aaaaargh! Get back here, you jerk! " Goombella spent the next several minutes chewing out the empty air. When she finally spent her energy, she turned back to Vivian. "Hey, you don't think he was bluffing, do you? We really can't leave the palace now?"

Vivian feebly shook her head. "I don't think the Thousand-Year Door will open again until we give him the Crystal Keys."

"Well, we at least got a head start." Goombella retrieved the Diamond Crystal Key from its hiding spot in her jacket. "Guess we'd better look for those portrait thingies he mentioned. And, hey, maybe we'll come up with a plan to stop him while we search." Vivian nodded but said nothing.

Without further ado, the duo set off to explore the Palace of Shadow. Like the palace's upper region, its basement level was packed to the brim with death traps, each more horrible than the last. Even walking across a simple hallway required them to duck under Fire Bars, hop over spike pits, and battle the occasional Phantom Ember and Swoopula.

After one particularly close encounter, Vivian found her lips quivering again. "Goombella… I'm so sorry I got you involved." As she spoke, Vivian handed her their last Ultra Shroom. "I didn't realize the danger I'd be putting you in."

"What, are you kidding?" Goombella beamed, nuzzling Vivian's side. "I haven't had this much fun in forever. This is way better than college!"

Vivian found herself laughing. "I wish I was as brave as you."

Goombella was about to say something, but she stopped as they pushed through the next door. "Hey, look, is that-?" In the room before them was a massive portrait, bigger than Vivian's entire body. And depicted within was a bustling college campus packed with tiny, armless chestnut-people.

"The University of Goom!" Vivian drifted closer to examine the portrait. "This has to be one of the magic pictures the Black Ghost mentioned."

"Figures." Gombella sighed as she waddled towards the portrait. "We finally find a picture, and it goes to the key we already got." She held up the Diamond Key… but the instant she did, the portrait started to glow a brilliant white. "Hey, what the-?"

"Agh!" Vivian shielded her eyes. Light wasn't exactly her element.

After a minute, she lowered her arms… only to discover that her surroundings had totally transformed. Vivian stumbled backwards, shocked. The image of the campus had been swapped out for that of a beautiful human girl. Her curly hair was a pale pink, which dovetailed nicely with the darker pink of her irises, and her skin was a shade away from albino. She couldn't have been older than six, and, judging from her crown and undoubtedly expensive mauve dress, she was a royal of some sort. From her face, Vivian would guess this girl hadn't been thrilled at the prospect of sitting still for hours for the portrait. And… there was something about her...

"Uh, Viv, tell me I'm not the only one seeing this."

Vivian was shaken back to the present by the voice of Goombella. She spun around and followed Goombella's gaze, taking in the rest of their surroundings. Where once this room had been dank, dark, and covered in cobwebs, now it was clean and bright, every inch of it spotless, meticulously polished- Wait, bright? Vivian's head snapped to a nearby window. A second ago it'd been filled with dirt, but now the window was instead filled with sunlight.

Which would mean… they'd been transported at least a thousand years into the past.

"Did we… time travel?" Before Goombella could ponder this, the door opened and a trio of people walked into the room- "Oh, uh, excuse me-" -and directly through Goombella's body. "Eek! Are you ghosts or something?"

"I think..." Vivian's hand passed through a marble table like it wasn't there. "... we're the ghosts here. This is some kind of vision. And these people are…" She gave a start. The little girl standing before her was undoubtedly the one from the portrait, and at her sides were an older man and woman, both equally pale and dressed in a crown and fancy purple robes. From the way they held themselves, there was no doubt they were royalty.

" Please , can I go?" the little girl was saying. Her front teeth were missing, giving her a slight lisp. "Look, it's perfect weather for the beach! All my friends will be there!" She pointed straight through Vivian to the window behind, where there was a stunning view of the crystal-clear ocean. Even though this was a lower region of the castle, it'd apparently still been way up high off the ground a thousand years ago.

"Now, dear," her father, the king, said firmly. He had a strong brow and a boyish face, and his short hair was more of a reddish-pink than the others. And like any worthwhile king, he rocked a flowing pink mustache. "You know you can't skip your magic tutoring. It's integral that you master these defensive spells, and true mastery can take more than a lifetime of study. Frankly, we're giving you too much free time as it is."

" A lifetime? " The princess's lips began to quiver – not unlike Vivian's had been doing a minute ago. "But that's not fair!"

The king sighed. "I know it isn't, dear, but I showed you the relevant pages of the Dark Prognosticus. A disaster is coming for our kingdom. We don't know where, we don't know when, but the people of our royal bloodline are the most powerful sorcerers in all the land. That makes it our responsibility to protect this kingdom from whatever may befall it."

"I don't want that responsibility!" The princess let out a frustrated shriek as she threw out her hands. Without warning, the expensive-looking marble table burst into flames.

" Your highness, you know better than that. " A quick wave of the king's hand summoned a raincloud to extinguish the flames.

The princess's shoulders were heaving. Her face was now wet, and not from the rain. "I… I am sorry, father. Forgive- Forgive-" She couldn't finish the apology because she was bawling too wildly.

"Oh no..." The king drew closer to his wife, his stache drooping. "I've upset her again."

The queen squeezed his hand. She was stunningly beautiful despite, or perhaps because of, her age. Strands of grayish-purple hair tumbled off her head, topped with a tall, golden crown studded with jewels. "It's alright, dear, I can handle this."

The king smiled at her. "What would I do without you?"

The queen smiled back, then dropped to her knees to meet her daughter's eyes. "Honey? Honey, you're right, the world isn't fair, but that's why our family must work so very hard to make it fair, not for ourselves, but for all the other people of this kingdom." Slowly, reluctantly, the princess returned her gaze. "You care for your friends down on the beach, don't you?"

"Y-Yes..."

"And if they were in danger, you would do anything to protect them, wouldn't you?"

"But Mama, it's- it's hard! " The princess broke down into another round of tears.

"I know it is, baby, I know it is..." The queen stroked the girl's hair, kissing her forehead. "But I have faith in you. I know you'll be there for this kingdom when it needs you. Hush now, dry your eyes..." As she spoke, the queen retrieved something from the folds of her robes.

The princess's face lit up. "Oh, it's beautiful!"

Resting in the queen's hand was a small, ornate box. It was a simple crank in a stand, above which were china figures of two women holding each other. "I once shouldered the same burdens you do, my sweet, and whenever the weight grew too much for me to bear, my mother would sing to me to the tune of this music box."

The princess watched, transfixed, as her mother twisted the crank. The women on the box began to rotate, filling the room with slow, delicate music. The way it made Vivian feel was… impossible to describe. And, then, as if there weren't enough emotions welling up inside Vivian's chest, the girl's mother started to sing:

" My love for you can't die, can it?

For our bond is strong as granite.

You're my sun, moon, stars, and planet.

You're my precious... "

But the more the woman sang, the fainter her voice became. All around Vivian and Goombella, the world was growing darker and cobwebs were sprouting. The next thing Vivian knew, they were back in the musty old backroom of the Palace of Shadow.

"Whoa, that was intense!" For a second, Goombella was pumped. Then she noticed Vivian. "Uh, Viv… you okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine." Vivian touched her hand to her face, which caused a damp spot to appear on her glove. "Let's get out of here."