After encountering a case of swinification, we were quick to track down the mayor of the town, finding his house and stepping inside to have a chat with him.
"Excuse me." I said stepping across the threshold of his door. He seemed to be a rather tattered looking man, sitting in his chair with a disheveled expression.
"Not often we get travelers." He said standing up on shaky legs. "Welcome to Twilight Town. I'm the mayor of this poor town. Some call me Dour. What brings you to our sad little town?"
"We're in search of something btu I was a bit curious about the pigs roaming the street." Dour gave out a weary sigh.
"It's an unfortunate curse put on our town. Beyond our edge is a forest, and at the heart of the forest is an ancient building known as the Creepy Steeple. When the steeple bell rings, one of our poor villagers is turned into a swine." Peach and Flurrie gave out shocked gasps.
"Who's doing this?" Koops asked.
"A dark creature who has made their home there. He is a ruthless monster who only enjoys misery." Dour shook his head, "It's been so difficult to sleep. At this rate, the village will be one big pigpen. I suggest you and your friends leave before you become part of our piggy future."
"Not gonna happen gramps!" Eggi interjected. "We're looking for something really important."
"Yeah, and who know-" I started. "-we might be able to stop your future as bacon."
"Have you heard of something called a crystal star?" Goombella asked. Dour mused for a moment.
"Not by that name…but there is a red star shaped stone in Creepy Steeple. That might be what you're looking for."
"That must be it!" Peach said with a cheery expression.
"W-Wait, you people aren't thinking of going to Creepy Steeple, are you!?"
"We've gone to worse places." I shrugged off. "Nothing we can't handle.
"You're braver than I am…good luck."
Coming to the edge of town, we were met with a gate blocking our way to the forest. Next to it stood one of the citizens, who seemed extra on edge.
"Sorry. I can't let you pass through. A nasty monster lives in the woods past here. I'm serious. That's what somebody said. If you want to go through, you'll need the mayor's permission."
"We were just there. He said we were foolish but he didn't stop us." I explained.
"I'll still need written permission." Why can't word of mouth be enough?
"Don't worry, I'll go back and get it." Koops offered.
"I'll go with you darling." Flurrie added. As they took off, I looked overhead at the perpetual moon in the sky. This entire region of the world seems to live on its own rules that were incredibly difficult to determine. We hadn't been traveling long enough for it to even approach dusk and yet the entire town was in a perpetual twilight. It was like something out of a story book.
"…You think we'll be turned into pigs?" Goombella asked.
"I don't think so. We haven't been here long enough for anyone to actually take notice of us." I hypothesized.
"What if it's a random spell?" Peach asked.
"…Let's not think too hard about it." The bell tolled, echoing through the town and making all four of us tense up. When it stopped, we were relieved to find none of us had turned into swine. I had to hope that it was an hourly thing and not just some guy ringing the bell when he got bored…oh, it's definitely that isn't it.
As though on cue with my thought, the bell tolled again a few minutes later. The nervous gate guard looked around in fear before being shrouded in purple smoke. When it cleared, a pig was all that was left in his place.
"…You think we still need the mayor's permission?" Eggi asked, prompting Peach to give him a light smack on the head.
"Don't be rude." I didn't want to incur her wrath but…he had a point. The sound of Koops panicking had us all turn to see him rushing towards us with Flurrie in tow.
"Th-The mayor turned into a pig!"
"Well that tracks." I said motioning to the pig that 'guarded' the gate.
"Oh my." Flurrie said. "I hope I don't turn into a little piggy. Dirt would not look good on me."
"Are you immediately going to start rolling in mud?"
"I'd rather not have the option…unless it's a mud bath." Ignoring the strange hypocrisy of that, I stepped up and unhitched the gate, letting it swing open our path to the forest of Twilight Town.
The forest path was filled with strange creatures and dark foliage that matched the town we had come from. It seemed like anything that had grown under the shadow of twilight had an edge to it that made it rougher and darker. Everything we ended up fighting hit that description. Dark green goombas with a nasty disposition, along with their para and spiked varieties.
"Goombella, are you the only goomba who isn't a thorn in our side?" I asked.
"Not sure. Goom U is full of awesome goombas."
"Then why can't they all be like you." She blushed slightly at this compliment.
"I'm one of a kind!" Another toll of the bell made us tense up again. Every time it went off, we all had to dread one of us turning into a pig and even if we didn't, someone in town definitely did. These crystal stars seemed to be able to cause all kinds of magical mishaps when in the wrong hand…at least I hope it was the star. If someone was able to do this without the star, they must be incredibly powerful.
At the edge of the forest stood the steeple we had been looking for. Around it was scores of wilted and barren trees that seem to wilt under the now darkened purple sky. The steeple itself seemed dilapidated, with stone work looking loose and pieces of the building seemingly worn away. The gate in front of us seemed warped from being forced open, and even the brickwork it was attached to looked as though it had seen better days. Nearby was an empty well, the rope that held the bucket long broken and the bucket itself dented and unusable. Creepy was an appropriate word for this structure; it even had Koops on edge.
"M-M-Maybe we stay out of there." He offered. The bell tolled; this time much clearer and originating from the protruding tower that shot straight up from the main structure.
"Sorry Koops." I said looking at the gate for a way to open it. "If there's a crystal star in there then we need to go in."
"Ugh…I know…" A chain lock had been placed on the gate itself, and the spiked addition on the stone work to either side meant we couldn't just leap over it.
"Hey Black." I turned to Eggi, who pointed to a nearby gap between the brick fence and the ground, creating a small opening.
"Perfect." Crouching down, I crawled through the opening and stood up as soon as I reached the other side. Moving over to the gate, I noticed the only thing keeping it attached was a small lock with the key already in it. "Too bad this thing was so tight I couldn't see that lock from the other end." With a quick click and unhook, the chain and lock fell to the ground and the gate swung open.
"Oh my, this place is positively dreary." Flurrie commented as she looked around with various level of worry and disgust.
"This is weird." Goombella commented. "Who leaves a key IN the lock?"
"An amateur?" Peach offered.
"That's an understatement." I commented. It almost seemed like whoever was here didn't really care that much…or they were confident in their ability…hmmm.
The inside of the steeple didn't seem to fair any better than the outside. Any pews that had been here were long gone, the carpet up to the alter area off-colored, and the alter itself replaced with a crude stone monument to a star. The only thing that seemed untouched by time was the glass window panes on the walls above us that shined in the moonlight, projecting their images onto the floor we walked along. Although I think I was the only one to take note of that, as the rest of the group looked around warily as a low moan ran through the area, with a few boos phasing in and out around us.
"Nobody told us this place was haunted." Peach said gripping my arm.
"A handful of boos here and there…nothing too bad." I said trying to dissuade the general vibe of fear in my group. But as though to make that pointless, the star monument seem to shift slightly. Approaching it slowly, the moans seem to get louder, as though originating from below the monument.
"Freeeeeeeee uuuuuuussssssssss."
"Is something trapped down there?" Eggi asked. Maybe this was what the curse was about. A long dormant entity looking to be released and the curse is a result of them not freeing it.
"Koops, help me shift this thing." Koops looked at it hesitantly before nodding and helping me push the monument. As we pushed it, a hole was revealed underneath, and once it was fully uncovered, we were thrown back. A torrent of boos erupted from the hole, filling the steeple room with their presence and laughter. When they finally stopped rushing out of the opening, one boo floated down to meet us. Right below him was a small key, which I was quick to swipe up and pocket.
"Thanks for freeing us. Now we're free to have some fun!" That's not a good sign.
"Will you at least lift the curse on Twilight Town?" I asked.
"We didn't curse them."
"You aren't the guys turning them into pigs?" Goombella asked.
"Where's the fun when they can't scream?" The boo chuckled and cackled at his own question. The bell rang out again. Guess our culprit was at the top, "Speaking of screams…" The boos around started to close in on us, "I'm sure you have some really good ones!" Okay, time to get moving. All of us were quick to start running, dodging anything that rushed at us and tried to grab at us. When one grabbed Eggi, Peach was swift to smack it away and grab Eggi, holding him close and running away from them. If we stayed in here, we were all going to get grabbed and I didn't want to know what happened after that! I rushed for the nearest door and pulled it open.
"Everyone, this way!" Flurrie grabbed Goombella and Koops and flew through the door as quick as she could, with Peach following behind, gripping onto Eggi as tight as she could. When everyone was through, I followed and slammed the door shut, hearing the laughing slowly die. Guess they weren't going to leave the main chapel room thankfully.
"This place is gonna turn my shell white." Koops commented looking a bit shaken.
"Be brave man." I said slapping his shell. "We've still gotta climb to the top and beat up a magician." The bell rang again, "The sooner the better."
We had ended up on the outer perimeter of the steeple. Strangely, it seemed to have healthy, if slightly darker than normal green, grass. Above us were bats hanging from the awning like covering, eyeing us but not ready to pounce.
"Aside from being spooky, this place is kind of contradictory." I commented.
"I know what you mean." Goombella said. "Green grass and dead trees? Falling apart brick work in a building this sturdy? What is with this place?" On some level, I could understand the dichotomy given the twilight theme but it seemed much more prominent here specifically.
"So how do we get up to the bell tower?" Koops asked.
"Not sure…anyone see a way up?" I asked.
"I did notice an upper level that led to a door." Flurrie said. She gave a proud smile, "As an actress, I have to keep my eyes out for light cues so I know where to stand. As such, I notice important details in every room I enter."
"Wasn't that upper level in the chapel area?" Peach asked. That meant getting to it would have us going through boos eager to scare us.
"…Should we beat up the boos?" Eggi asked.
"We're not ghostbusters." I said and everyone gave me confused looks. "Never mind, bad joke."
"What if somebody distracted them?" Peach suggested. "Maybe even somebody with a flair for the dramatic?" That wasn't a bad idea. Flurrie could float around on her own so she'd be able to float up to the second floor after we all got through.
"Flurrie, how's your improvisation skills?" She giggled and unfurled her fan, giving a dramatic pose.
"Darling, have you ever heard of my one-woman show?"
I cracked the door to the second level of the chapel area. Straight across from the doorway, I could see a door with a lock on it. Hopefully Flurrie would buy us enough time to get that open. I turned to look down on the lower level. The boos were wandering around aimlessly…that is, until a gust of wind blew through making them look around. A gust kicked up, creating a small tornado in the center of the room. It had all of the boos attention…but I wasn't take that chance. The tornado burst open, revealing Flurrie in all her dramatic flair.
"Hello dears! It's wonderful to see you here. I have decided to give you a private performance of my one-woman show. I hope you enjoy!"
"…" The boos said nothing and closed in on her slowly. Something told me they weren't entirely interested in watching her perform. But their eyes were on her.
"…N-Now, let's start with a small work of drama from my early years." They drew in closer, "I-It takes place in a small hamlet…a-a few miles from the ocean…" Okay, we'd better hurry. Quietly opening the door, we moved as quickly but as quietly as possible to the next door, "A-All my time was spent wistfully lost…only w-when I found my mother on her deathbed d-did my life take a drastic turn…f-for the better and the worse." I placed the key into the lock and turned it, hearing a small click and making the door slowly open. I looked back down as everyone made their way in. Flurrie seemed to be surrounded by silent boos. Well, if they wanted to terrify her, they were succeeding. Nothing seemed to scare Flurrie more than a silent audience. Also, their lifeless eyes and vacant smiles just put everyone on edge. I waved to her and she looked up at me with a bit of relief on her face, "W-Well, you've been a wonderful audience…b-but it seems my manager is calling for me. Till next time dear!" She floated up and through the door quickly. I was quick to follow before the boo's eyes turned to me, shutting the door and stepping away from it.
"How was your performance?" I joked.
"Boos can't appreciate my talents." Luckily you like being the center of attention regardless.
Stairs spiraled up to where the bell tower was. As we climbed, I could hear the bell ringing get louder and louder with each level. Whatever was at the top seemed to be ringing the bell with a raging fervor. When we finally stepped into the bell chamber, the ringing stopped, and I was surprised at where we were. The bell hung over us but around us seemed to be somebody's attempt to turn it into a one room apartment. A fridge in one corner with a bath and a television not far from it.
"Hey, hang on, there, slick!" Turning to the source of the voice, I caught sight of a strange man in a bed sheet cover. He wore a festive party hat and a bow tie with bright red shoes. Two eye holes showed his pitch-black eyes with a red center and the mouth hole moved and morphed as he spoke…as though the sheet itself was alive, "What are you doing interrupting my 'ME' time?" he seemed to be holding onto a long rope that led up to the bell. Wait, has he been ringing it one-handed?
"Are you the one turning the villagers into pigs?" I asked placing my hand on my wooden sword.
"So this is the monster the mayor was talking about?" Peach asked. The strange creature gave a low growl.
"Who're you calling a monster?"
"You turn people into pigs!" Goombella yelled. "That seems like something a monster would do!"
"I'm just having a little fun! What's your problem? Why do you need to pick a fight? I'm busy thinking up new pranks and stuff!"
"A prank has to end eventually, so how about turning the villagers back to normal." I said drawing my weapon. Peach did the same.
"Hmmmmmm…nah! It's not much of a prank if it just stops."
"Then we'll make you stop!" Eggi yelled. The creature let go of the bell and moved towards us.
"Last chance to just stop this before we have to do this." I said, giving him one more warning.
"Ha! You think you cans top me slick? Give me your best shot. Just like those pigs will wallow in mud, you'll wallow in defeat!"
The sheets tactics seem to be the same as the boos, moving around and trying to crash into us. Fortunately, that seem to be his only tactic, meaning we were free to smack him whenever he got close. With a resounding thwack, I sent the weird creature crashing into the ground. He got back up and shook for a moment.
"Is this it?" Eggi asked. He was right though, something wasn't right. This thing couldn't be what was changing the villagers.
"Do we just keep it up Soren?" Peach asked, a bit unsure of the easy situation herself.
"Yeah…yeah, just keep it up. We've got him on the ropes." The living sheet chuckled.
"Hmmm…you've got me on the ropes huh? Then it's time to pull out all the stops!" His red eyes closed in one me, and they shined brightly as they seem to bore into me. The sheet burst into a puff of smoke, and when the smoke cleared, a shadowy, faceless version of myself was standing across from us.
"…Okay, this got more complicated." As I looked at him, I felt a strange tingle up my spine, and as I looked at him, I felt as though I was staring back at myself.
Meanwhile
Ms. Mowz moved around the outer area of the steeple, her eyes glazed over and a heavy sigh from her lips as she searched around for any badges she could find at this point. She had hoped that a place this deserted would have a secret reservoir of valuables and that some of those valuables would be rare badges. She had expected Soren and his group to show up and uncover some secret entrance but unfortunately, that secret entrance was swarming with boos, making it impossible to approach. Even the weird secret entrance in the well wasn't something she could move around. Mowz let out another sigh.
"I suppose not every safe is going to be easy to get into. Maybe Soren and his friends know a way in…or at least the person they're beating up will." Grabbing onto the rafters, Mowz made her way up to the roof of the steeple before climbing up the bell tower. When she got to the top, she caught sight of Soren and the others fighting a shadow double of Soren, "How odd." Mowz watched as it effortlessly copied any of Soren's movements and swings, but it couldn't seem to match his badge abilities or equipment. As such, the double was being smacked around by Goombella and Koops, and stomped on by Eggi and Flurrie. Eventually, Soren and Peach delivered the final smack to the double slamming it against the ground. It struggled to stand up before slumping to the ground unconscious. A crystal star fell off the strange double's body and Soren was quick to swipe it up, "Naturally they won." Ms. Mowz said to herself with a giggle. She wouldn't want to take on a group like that by herself. With a small celebration of their victory the group made their way back down the stairs, giving the mouse thief her chance to interrogate the owner of the steeple for his secrets.
Ms. Mowz was quick to grab the nearby chair and tie up the Soren double with a secure knot before sitting on top of the tv set in front of it. She crossed her legs and leaned back coyly as she waited for the strange creature to stir. If it really was a Soren double, she was sure it would be as much fun to tease as the real thing. It gave a weary groan before raising its head and turning it in various directions in confusion. Mowz couldn't tell its expression due to its lack of eyes, nose, or mouth but she figured it wasn't expecting to be tied up.
"Wha…what happened? Where…Ms. Mowz?" Oh, it was very convincing; it even had his voice, "What happened to everyone else…and why am I tied up?" She gave out a weary sigh. It wasn't any fun to tease him if he wasn't even going to play along. Changing tactics, she stepped off the television set and up to the shadow double, "Listen, how about you tell me where you keep all your rarest badges, and I don't spend the next few hours GETTING the information out of you."
"Mowz it's me!" Mowz huffed at this response.
"Please, I know Soren isn't made of shadows. If you really want to keep this up then…" She reached behind her and pulled out what looked to be a feather, "Let's get started." She wasn't exactly sure where to start with him but she was glad to find that no matter where she started, he was laughing up a storm.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHSTOP! PLEASE STOPAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!"
"Then just tell me where those badges are."
"IAHAHAHAHAAHAH DON'T KNOW! IT'S ME _!" She clicked her tongue playfully.
"If you keep lying I'll just have to keep this up."
"AHAHAHAHAHAHHAI'M NOT LYING!" Mowz stopped for a moment, making the double give out weary breaths.
"Alright, if you're really Soren, then what did I give you in order to defeat Gloomtail in Petalburg village?" When it finally caught its breath, the double tilted its head in her direction.
"Well, that's clearly a trick question on every level." Mowz was slightly surprised at this response, "First off, you didn't give us the cricket badge, we already had it when we met you. Second, we fought Hooktail, not Gloomtail. Third, it was in Hooktail Castle not Petalburg Village." Mowz blinked for a few minutes before it fully sunk in. The shadowy looking figure in front of her WAS Soren. Which meant whatever took off with his friends was an imposter.