Chapter 37 A Shadowy Beast

Pom Pom and Wendy followed the trail of Steves with a high level of diligence. Pom Pom didn't know exactly what he planned to do or even if it would work. The only thing she could do in this instance was trust, which while not too terribly outlandish, was kinda funny. After all, Steve was a talking flower. He was a talking flower leading her to the key to seeing an imaginary friend again. On paper, that was ridiculous. In practice, it was laughable.

But that's just what Pom Pom's life had turned into, she supposed. Over just the last few days, things had taken such an unbelievable turn. All she could really do in response to this was roll with it.

Steve continued to lead them with his "angelic" vocalizations. He led the girls up a hill, and when they arrived at the top, they saw something that made Pom Pom gawk. It was an orange flower. It was white and had little beady eyes in the center. What's more, it was surrounded by an orange aura. The aura shined with the brilliance of a sun. Pom Pom couldn't take her eyes off of it.

"What is that?" Pom Pom asked.

"It's a Wonder Flower!" Steve said with a joyful tone. "It's one of the most powerful power-ups in the entire world! You can use it to enter the shadow dimension!"

"Uhh…" Wendy raised an eyebrow as she looked down at Steve. "Steve, I've heard of Wonder Flowers from my brother, and based on what he told me, their effects are kinda random. How is one supposed to help us get to the Shadow Dimension?"

Steve giggled, the sound fluttery while also containing a hint of smugness. "Well, your brother clearly didn't do as much research on Wonder Flowers as he should." Wendy snickered, although Pom Pom wasn't sure why. "You see, on a first glance, their effects appear to be random. However, they aren't. Their effects actually tie into what the user is thinking about or experiencing in their subconscious. The wonderful Wonder Flower brings those concepts, thoughts, and feelings into reality,"

"Woah, really?" Wendy asked. "That's so cool!" She laughed as she looked back at the Wonder Flower. "I have NOT been giving Wonder Flowers enough credit!"

"No, you haven't." Steve's eyes sparkled. "If you two ladies focus on the shadow dimension, keeping those thoughts on the forefront of your mind, the Wonder Flower will be able to take you there!"

Pom Pom beamed. "That's perfect!" Pom Pom stepped closer to the flower, took a deep breath, and turned to Wendy. "Wendy, would you do the honors with me?"

"I would love to." Wendy took hold of Pom Pom's hand, and together they took two more steps toward the mystical power up. "On three. One, two, three!" Both girls touched the flower at the exact same time, and when they did, the environment shifted. It took a second for Pom Pom to adjust, but as she looked around, a weird emotion overcame her. She didn't really know how to describe it; it wasn't exactly nostalgia, but it was similar in the sense that it brought her back to the past.

"I never thought I'd actually come here again," Pom Pom said as she looked around the Shadow Dimension.

"Yeah," Wendy said. She took in the black and whitish purple sights. "This is so surreal. I don't… this is… wow."

"Yep!" Pom Pom blinked upon hearing Steve's voice. The two girls looked down at the flower, and he just giggled. "Yes, I'm affected by the Wonder Flower too. Deal with it."

Pom Pom snorted. "Well, this is still good. Steve, would you be so kind as to lead us back where we came?"

"I was hoping you'd ask!" Steve giggled. "Mostly because I think I should get creative with it and sing an actual song." He cleared his throat. "Shooby dooby doo wee, sing with me!"

"Shooby dooby doo wop, do not stop!" The next Steve responded.

Pom Pom grinned. She and Wendy followed after Steve, and as they did, Pom Pom's spirits lifted significantly. She didn't entirely know why; she supposed that she was happy that she was going to see Viv again. Yes, really. The girl who had so much grief related to the Shadow Siren, the girl who felt confused and discombobulated and beyond terrified about all that she had gone through, felt HAPPY about getting to see Vic again. Granted, it wasn't a very pronounced emotion, at least in comparison to the other emotions she just named. But it was certainly there, and honestly, it just served to make her more confused. There were just… SO many complicated emotions regarding this, more than she could hope to count.

Well, whatever. Right now, Pom Pom should focus on getting to Vic as opposed to how she felt about Vic. They followed after Steve, whose funky and cheerful song made Pom Pom feel upbeat. It was therapeutic, as strange as that was to say. In fact it could be argued that this whole journey was therapeutic. Was this because Pom Pom was finally getting answers to questions she struggled with all her life? Was it because she was now aware of the fact that she wasn't broken? Or was it because she had met Wendy, a person who she could care about and trust? Honestly, she was inclined to say all three factors were playing a part in this, which was… nice.

"So come along and dance with me!" sang one Steve. "From all over the world!"

"We brought down the house tonight," sang the next one. "When we danced and twirled!"

Pom Pom smiled. They were almost there. Just a few more meters and they would be back at Viv's house. That was both an appealing and a gut-wrenching prospect, but Pom Pom could deal with that. She would gladly deal with that, especially since…

"Grr…"

Pom Pom came to a stop along with Wendy, and Steve halted with his singing. Chills ran up and down Pom Pom's arms as she swallowed a lump. "You guys heard that, right?"

"Yeah." Wendy very visibly started to sweat as she looked down at Steve. "Steve, do you know what that might've been?"

"I'm not sure," Steve said with a wavering voice. "I do know there tend to be monsters in the Shadow Dimension, so… AHH!"

Pom Pom's adrenaline spiked up. She and Wendy turned around, coming face to face with a monster. Unlike the monster Pom Pom saw in Bink's memories, which didn't have a form that resembled something in the mortal plane of existence, this monster had the form of a wolf. Specifically, a dire wolf; even on its four legs, it towered over Pom Pom and Wendy. It's eyes glowed purple, and it's black fur had a red sheen that made it looked like the monster was caked in blood. It's teeth were long, sharp, and actually somewhat vampiric. And with those piercing teeth and hungry purple eyes, it stared at the two Koopa girl. It's breathing was heavy and expectant. It locked its demonic lips.

"RUN GIRLS RUN!" Steve screamed.

Wendy and Pom Pom immediately heeded Steve's words and bolted down the path. All the while, Pom Pom dealt with a level of fear she never experienced before this moment. Her mind flashed back to what she saw of Viv's time with Bink, how Bink was cursed by a shadow monster and was subjected to a slow, painful, horrific death. The same thing could happen to Wendy and Pom Pom. It wasn't just a possibility, it was a probability.

So, Pom Pom ran with all her might. When she noticed Wendy was struggling to run in her heels, Pom Pom simply picked her up and carried her down the path. Every once in a while, Pom Pom looked behind them. The beast was so close it was probably taking in their scent. If it decided to jump, which Pom Pom was ninety percent certain it would, then they would be dead.

Realizing this, Pom Pom reached into her hammerspace and pulled out her ninja star. "HYAAH!" It lodged in the beast's forehead right in between its eyes. It let out a pained howl and screeched to a halt. Pom Pom let out a breath. It wasn't necessarily a perfect solution, but at least it would buy the two of them some time.

"Go girls!" Steve yelled. "You've got this! I believe in you!"

Pom Pom smiled. Those words of encouragement were very uplifting. They were simple, sure, but they fueled the cadet's motivation and turned it into a blazing fire. And considering that Pom Pom's stamina was starting to give out, a pick-me-up like this was exactly what she needed.

She continued running. She had to go up a hill this time around d, which for someone running on fumes could very well mean a death sentence. But she would keep going; she wasn't going to stop unless she either reached Viv's house or she dropped dead. She stomped up the hill. She heard a squelching noise, which meant that the beast probably found some way to dislodge the ninja star. This was only supported by a strong, iron-like smell. This was the scent of blood. Smelling it right here made Pom Pom wasn't to throw up.

But she was going to keep going. She ran up the hill, and when she saw Viv's house down below, she felt relieved. It was a very shallow and faint form of relief, as they weren't completely out of the woods yet, but at least the end of this life-or-death chase was in sight. Their salvation was just a few feet away, and she was going to claim it.

She bolted down the hill. Thankfully, running down was a lot easier than running up. Her aching, stinging body was very pleased at that fact. Wendy clung to Pom Pom tightly, letting out little whimpers. This was a reason why Pom Pom couldn't fail; she needed to save her princess just as much as she needed to save herself. Reminding herself of that fact gave her just as much motivation as Steve's words of encouragement.

They finally… FINALLY got to Viv's house. Pom Pom attempted to catch her breath as she put Wendy down. The princess scrambled to the door and pushed it open, and Pom Pom rushed in right as she heard the stomping of the wolf's feet. Once they were both inside, Wendy slammed the door, locked it, and barricaded it with her own body.

"Pom Pom, get to Viv!"

"Right!" Pom Pom ran to the bedroom. All the while, she prayed that Viv was actually in there. She was the only way they could get out of the shadow dimension, the only way anyone could be safe. Grunting, Pom Pom pushed the door open…

And there she was. Viv slept in her bed, sound and still. She smiled in her sleep, completely oblivious to all the chaos happening in the world around her. Pom Pom stared at her old friend, for a second completely forgetting the whole reason she was here in the first place.

But then that second was over. Pom Pom made a beeline for the bed and started jostling Viv. "Viv! Wake up! We need you to wake up!"

Viv groaned. "Wuh?" Her eyes fluttered open, and she sat up. Straightening out her hair, she looked around in a daze. "What's going on?"

"Viv! We need you! We need your help!"

Viv looked toward her former friend. When she saw her, all previous signs of sleepiness snapped out of existence. "Pom Pom? Is… is that you?"

"Yes!" Pom Pom's breathing grew sharp. "Look, we don't have much time! I need you to…"

"AAH!"

Viv's eyes grew wide. She sprung out of bed as an ominous THUMPING could be heard against the door Wendy was barricading. Viv rushed out with Pom Pom following her. They both saw Wendy, sweating as she still pressed herself up against the door.

"HURRY!" That was the only word she said, but it was enough. Viv grabbed Pom Pom by the hand and pounced at Wendy. The second her hand came in contact with Wendy's skin, their surroundings changed. They were back in the real world. Pom Pom let out the biggest breath of relief in history. They did it. They were safe. The monster had been dealt with!

Now they just had to deal with the elephant in the room…