(no subject)
Chapter 4 brought a new "team ability," plus a darkened night sky. With more enemies seeking to destroy them, they try to forget their new plight at a gathering at the Princess' castle...
The castle courtyard was full of citizens from all around the Mushroom Kingdom. The castle foyer was loaded beyond capacity with smiling faces and awestruck tourists. Important figureheads were also present. It was quite a scene to behold.
"All of this... for us?" Brandon asked while eyeing everyone in the foyer. "What did we do?"
Dani grinned. "I'm royalty, you're being hailed my savior, and we're the legendary Star children... get with it! We're celebrities!"
He lightened up a little. "It is kinda awesome..."
"Good boy. C'mon, let's go find my parents. I'm sure they'll be making announcements soon." Holding hands, the couple wormed their way through the crowded foyer, searching for the Princess.
A small shadow lurked in a nearby corner, nodding its head and disappearing into the crowd not far behind the young pair.
***
Luigi was sitting out in the courtyard, conversing with Toadsworth while monitoring the situation outside. This was a massive affair, and there was rumors that an attack was imminent. He hated conflict, but he knew it was his responsibility. He couldn't help but think of his niece's boyfriend as his sucessor, the one he could lay all the responsibility on. He was into his forties now, plus, the hero business never had appealed to him.
"It is a wonderful gathering, Master Luigi," Toadsworth said with a smile and nod. "Everything seems to be going just fine."
"Absolutely. I've seen no trouble outside of a pair of Toad children fighting over a piece of cake." He chuckled. "Children are cute."
"Has Lady Danielle and her friend gone into the castle? Her Highness was looking for them."
"Yeah, about ten minutes ago. I told Dani to watch for baddies, but she seemed so happy that I don't think she heard me. And Brandon--her friend--was so busy looking around that I doubt he heard me even call his name."
"I would hate for trouble, Master Luigi. This kingdom has been wonderfully peaceful lately."
"I know, Toadsworth. And while Dani's return is such a wonderful occasion..."
"Yes. Her return has brought a new level of danger to the field. I must be going inside; it is far too hot for an old man like me." The elderly Toad began to walk back into the castle, but turned about halfway. "Master Luigi... where did Lady Danielle go for the last fifteen years? You were the last person to see her before her return."
"I don't know, Toadsworth. I'm just glad my niece is home again, where she belongs."
***
A small bell was rang, causing a silence amongst the many partygoers. Out from her private chambers came Her Highness, looking as beautiful as ever. At her side was her loving protector of twenty-plus years, grinning widely.
"Your attention please," the Princess' soft voice spoke, causing many men to swoon and sway. "Welcome all, and thank you for coming. This is a most glorious day in our Kingdom, one I'm very pleased to be able to share with all of you. As many of you are aware, twenty years ago I gave birth to my only child. However, when she was five, she disappeared. It has been fifteen long years since my daughter was last seen in the Kingdom, and many of us had given up hope that she would ever be found alive. A lot of us thought this to be the work of Bowser."
A hushed chant of boos and jeers ran through the large crowd.
"But I am thrilled to announce the return of my daughter, the heiress, Danielle!" The Princess turned as the door opened and the twenty-year-old heiress walked out. A roar of applause rushed through the crowd, causing Dani to blush vividly.
"We have her friend to thank. He brought her to us in her most desperate time of need. Brandon, will you please join us?"
Dani tugged him out before he could respond. Another massive rush of cheers and applause. The young couple were on cloud nine.
"Please enjoy this party. It is to honor the safe return of our dear heiress, and to honor the one who brought her safely home." The Princess nodded, and the partygoers began to cheer and mingle.
"Mother, this is all so nice," Dani said as she hugged her mother. "You didn't have to do this, though."
"Nonsense, Danielle," the Princess smiled. "it is a happy occasion that you return!"
Mario hugged his daughter as well, grinning ear-to-ear. "You're tough. Just like your father, huh?"
Dani grinned. "You know it, Daddy." Mario smiled proudly at hearing this.
Her mother smiled. "Why don't you two go mingle and have fun? Your father and I will be nearby if you need us."
Dani nodded, but found Brandon had already wandered off. She sighed heavily. "I'd better go find him."
The Princess and Mario laughed as their precious daughter walked away into the crowd.
The shadow nodded its head again and silently uttered a command.
The castle began to quiver and shake. Brandon had been standing outside with Luigi when this began. Both humans jumped back and stared in awe at the magnificient building as it began to rise from the ground.
"Oh no," Luigi whispered softly.
"I gotta go," Brandon said as he sprinted towards the castle. Unknown to himself, he was already glowing blue.
"Good luck," Luigi murmured to nobody.
***
"Mother!" Dani shouted into the crowd of screaming civilians. "Mother! Daddy! Stars above!" The ground quivered violently as people scrambled for the exit. She ran up the stairs, two at a time. "Damnit, no!"
Brandon finally pushed his way into the building as it lifted completely from the ground. Not knowing what else to do, he helped more civilians safely escape before it was too high to safely extricate anymore people. He then realized Dani had not shown up. Neither had the Princess, nor Mario.
"Where did they all go...?" The castle shook again, harder, and he grabbed a tapestry to keep his balance. "Where the hell are we all going?" He held onto the tapestry tight as the entire castle tilted sharply left. He closed his eyes as people slid out of the building. He swung from the tapestry and managed his way upstairs to where Dani was.
The building tilted harder.
They both grabbed curtains, looking horrified as they dangled high above the ground. She held out her hand and he grabbed onto her, holding onto her shoulders.
"What the hell do we do?" He yelled up to her.
"Hang on," she growled quietly, climbing up the curtain. "Mother... I have to get to Mother."
"Don't let us go, Dani." He hung on tighter.
She climbed as far as she could, reaching the door. "Brandon! Climb up on my shoulders and climb through the door."
"Are you sure?"
"You want to fall to your death?"
He shuddered and made his way up onto her shoulders, straining to push the door over. He scrambled up onto the ground quickly and released a held breath, then hoisted his girlfriend up. By now, the entire area around them was dark as night. He held out his right hand and illuminated the area with a fire orb.
"What happened, Dani?" He asked her.
"No doubt Bowser." She gasped softly. "Mother!" The two ran ahead.
***
The ground shifted again and Dani levitated off the floor slightly, holding onto him until the ground steadied. The first shift had come so rapidly she'd been unable to charge her energy. They slowly settled onto the floor again and heard pounding footsteps above them.
"Up there," he pointed. "Directly above us."
She nodded. "You ready for this?"
"I don't know, Dani."
"We gotta. For the kingdom." She ran on ahead.
He smiled a bit at her. "For the kingdom," he shrugged, catching up to her.
Bowser turned with a slight start when the young defenders burst in to the rescue. Behind him was the Princess, bound, held by two elite guards. Both defenders began to shine in their individual colors. Brandon had learned to let her psychic bond to him direct him. He was getting better.
"Let her go, damnit!" Dani demanded.
Bowser smirked. "How about we fight for her?"
"Fine!" The two younger fighters replied. They split up, him taking the defensive as she took the offensive. She knew more about it than he did. As she distracted the mighty beast, he began to charge up a fire orb.
"Come and get me, Bowser!" She taunted, body flickering with a white hue. Her eyes turned white as she spun and attempted to paralyze the creature. He responded with a savage slash to the girl's right arm. She screeched softly, causing the Princess to yell in horror.
Brandon smirked a bit, seeing his opportunity. He threw his charged fire spell and made contact, sending Bowser into a roar of pain. The evil king was quick, however, and set into the insolent human as well.
"I have no time for this!" Bowser yelled, pulling out a scepter. It was a beautiful ruby wand with a gold Star-shaped gem. The gem had seven smaller crystals of different colors carved into it.
Star Rod. Star Haven. Lost Star Spirits. No wishes. Defeat is imminent. The image flashed before both Dani and Brandon at the same time. They both looked at the scepter, horrified.
"I stole the Star Spirits and their power... now I'm gonna drain yours away, too!" Bowser laughed loudly.
Both fighters began charging. She set to flashing rainbow, while his entire body turned sapphire. The scepter began to charge.
"Star Rod," Bowser growled evilly, "Drain the energies of the Stars and bestow them to me!" The Star Rod began to flash and suddenly the heiress and her boyfriend were paralyzed in their tracks. Their bodies trembled with a horrible violence and their cries were silenced. The Princess stared on in utter horror.
"Drain them, Star Rod... make their energy mine!"
It felt as if their very lives were being pulled from their bodies. They couldn't move and their lungs had been crushed. They could feel the energy pouring from their bodies through millions of invisible, bleeding wounds. They both closed their eyes as their muscles tightened. The force suddenly released them, collapsed to the floor.
He picked himself up first, a small fire orb charging. "No," he growled while hyperventilating. "I nearly lost her once... I won't... I won't do it again."
Bowser smirked. "Aw, how cute. Watch this, boy." He stomped his foot hard upon the fallen heiress, who cried in agony.
"Damn you," the near-lifeless human growled louder, the orb in his hand growing in size. With the very last of his strength, he fired a large fire orb into the chest of the evil creature.
Bowser fell back and roared with pain once more, then laughed. "I have no time to deal with powerless brats like you..." The Star Rod flickered and a large bolt of lightning crashed from the sky, launching the defeated pair from the castle, their unconscious bodies plummeting to the earth below.
The Princess screamed. "My child...! Stars above!"
Bowser laughed, then bellowed, "This day belongs to Dark Land! I've the power of the Star children in my grasp, and the Star Spirits can do nothing for it!" He turned to his guards. "See that the Princess is locked in her room, then send some scouts down to the ground. I want them to make sure that I killed those two meddlesome children. I'd hate for this plan to be flawed."
The Princess bowed her head silently, holding back tears. "My daughter... my dear, dear daughter..."
***
From the sky above, the couple plummeted. Though their bodies were unconscious, their minds were running strong.
Wake up, the voices instructed worriedly. Children, you must wake up. If you do not, you will die... The Princess needs you. The Kingdom needs you. The Stars need you. The world is in darkness. Children. Wake up...
In the middle of a clearing, the young couple landed. They were dead on impact.
The castle courtyard was full of citizens from all around the Mushroom Kingdom. The castle foyer was loaded beyond capacity with smiling faces and awestruck tourists. Important figureheads were also present. It was quite a scene to behold.
"All of this... for us?" Brandon asked while eyeing everyone in the foyer. "What did we do?"
Dani grinned. "I'm royalty, you're being hailed my savior, and we're the legendary Star children... get with it! We're celebrities!"
He lightened up a little. "It is kinda awesome..."
"Good boy. C'mon, let's go find my parents. I'm sure they'll be making announcements soon." Holding hands, the couple wormed their way through the crowded foyer, searching for the Princess.
A small shadow lurked in a nearby corner, nodding its head and disappearing into the crowd not far behind the young pair.
***
Luigi was sitting out in the courtyard, conversing with Toadsworth while monitoring the situation outside. This was a massive affair, and there was rumors that an attack was imminent. He hated conflict, but he knew it was his responsibility. He couldn't help but think of his niece's boyfriend as his sucessor, the one he could lay all the responsibility on. He was into his forties now, plus, the hero business never had appealed to him.
"It is a wonderful gathering, Master Luigi," Toadsworth said with a smile and nod. "Everything seems to be going just fine."
"Absolutely. I've seen no trouble outside of a pair of Toad children fighting over a piece of cake." He chuckled. "Children are cute."
"Has Lady Danielle and her friend gone into the castle? Her Highness was looking for them."
"Yeah, about ten minutes ago. I told Dani to watch for baddies, but she seemed so happy that I don't think she heard me. And Brandon--her friend--was so busy looking around that I doubt he heard me even call his name."
"I would hate for trouble, Master Luigi. This kingdom has been wonderfully peaceful lately."
"I know, Toadsworth. And while Dani's return is such a wonderful occasion..."
"Yes. Her return has brought a new level of danger to the field. I must be going inside; it is far too hot for an old man like me." The elderly Toad began to walk back into the castle, but turned about halfway. "Master Luigi... where did Lady Danielle go for the last fifteen years? You were the last person to see her before her return."
"I don't know, Toadsworth. I'm just glad my niece is home again, where she belongs."
***
A small bell was rang, causing a silence amongst the many partygoers. Out from her private chambers came Her Highness, looking as beautiful as ever. At her side was her loving protector of twenty-plus years, grinning widely.
"Your attention please," the Princess' soft voice spoke, causing many men to swoon and sway. "Welcome all, and thank you for coming. This is a most glorious day in our Kingdom, one I'm very pleased to be able to share with all of you. As many of you are aware, twenty years ago I gave birth to my only child. However, when she was five, she disappeared. It has been fifteen long years since my daughter was last seen in the Kingdom, and many of us had given up hope that she would ever be found alive. A lot of us thought this to be the work of Bowser."
A hushed chant of boos and jeers ran through the large crowd.
"But I am thrilled to announce the return of my daughter, the heiress, Danielle!" The Princess turned as the door opened and the twenty-year-old heiress walked out. A roar of applause rushed through the crowd, causing Dani to blush vividly.
"We have her friend to thank. He brought her to us in her most desperate time of need. Brandon, will you please join us?"
Dani tugged him out before he could respond. Another massive rush of cheers and applause. The young couple were on cloud nine.
"Please enjoy this party. It is to honor the safe return of our dear heiress, and to honor the one who brought her safely home." The Princess nodded, and the partygoers began to cheer and mingle.
"Mother, this is all so nice," Dani said as she hugged her mother. "You didn't have to do this, though."
"Nonsense, Danielle," the Princess smiled. "it is a happy occasion that you return!"
Mario hugged his daughter as well, grinning ear-to-ear. "You're tough. Just like your father, huh?"
Dani grinned. "You know it, Daddy." Mario smiled proudly at hearing this.
Her mother smiled. "Why don't you two go mingle and have fun? Your father and I will be nearby if you need us."
Dani nodded, but found Brandon had already wandered off. She sighed heavily. "I'd better go find him."
The Princess and Mario laughed as their precious daughter walked away into the crowd.
The shadow nodded its head again and silently uttered a command.
The castle began to quiver and shake. Brandon had been standing outside with Luigi when this began. Both humans jumped back and stared in awe at the magnificient building as it began to rise from the ground.
"Oh no," Luigi whispered softly.
"I gotta go," Brandon said as he sprinted towards the castle. Unknown to himself, he was already glowing blue.
"Good luck," Luigi murmured to nobody.
***
"Mother!" Dani shouted into the crowd of screaming civilians. "Mother! Daddy! Stars above!" The ground quivered violently as people scrambled for the exit. She ran up the stairs, two at a time. "Damnit, no!"
Brandon finally pushed his way into the building as it lifted completely from the ground. Not knowing what else to do, he helped more civilians safely escape before it was too high to safely extricate anymore people. He then realized Dani had not shown up. Neither had the Princess, nor Mario.
"Where did they all go...?" The castle shook again, harder, and he grabbed a tapestry to keep his balance. "Where the hell are we all going?" He held onto the tapestry tight as the entire castle tilted sharply left. He closed his eyes as people slid out of the building. He swung from the tapestry and managed his way upstairs to where Dani was.
The building tilted harder.
They both grabbed curtains, looking horrified as they dangled high above the ground. She held out her hand and he grabbed onto her, holding onto her shoulders.
"What the hell do we do?" He yelled up to her.
"Hang on," she growled quietly, climbing up the curtain. "Mother... I have to get to Mother."
"Don't let us go, Dani." He hung on tighter.
She climbed as far as she could, reaching the door. "Brandon! Climb up on my shoulders and climb through the door."
"Are you sure?"
"You want to fall to your death?"
He shuddered and made his way up onto her shoulders, straining to push the door over. He scrambled up onto the ground quickly and released a held breath, then hoisted his girlfriend up. By now, the entire area around them was dark as night. He held out his right hand and illuminated the area with a fire orb.
"What happened, Dani?" He asked her.
"No doubt Bowser." She gasped softly. "Mother!" The two ran ahead.
***
The ground shifted again and Dani levitated off the floor slightly, holding onto him until the ground steadied. The first shift had come so rapidly she'd been unable to charge her energy. They slowly settled onto the floor again and heard pounding footsteps above them.
"Up there," he pointed. "Directly above us."
She nodded. "You ready for this?"
"I don't know, Dani."
"We gotta. For the kingdom." She ran on ahead.
He smiled a bit at her. "For the kingdom," he shrugged, catching up to her.
Bowser turned with a slight start when the young defenders burst in to the rescue. Behind him was the Princess, bound, held by two elite guards. Both defenders began to shine in their individual colors. Brandon had learned to let her psychic bond to him direct him. He was getting better.
"Let her go, damnit!" Dani demanded.
Bowser smirked. "How about we fight for her?"
"Fine!" The two younger fighters replied. They split up, him taking the defensive as she took the offensive. She knew more about it than he did. As she distracted the mighty beast, he began to charge up a fire orb.
"Come and get me, Bowser!" She taunted, body flickering with a white hue. Her eyes turned white as she spun and attempted to paralyze the creature. He responded with a savage slash to the girl's right arm. She screeched softly, causing the Princess to yell in horror.
Brandon smirked a bit, seeing his opportunity. He threw his charged fire spell and made contact, sending Bowser into a roar of pain. The evil king was quick, however, and set into the insolent human as well.
"I have no time for this!" Bowser yelled, pulling out a scepter. It was a beautiful ruby wand with a gold Star-shaped gem. The gem had seven smaller crystals of different colors carved into it.
Star Rod. Star Haven. Lost Star Spirits. No wishes. Defeat is imminent. The image flashed before both Dani and Brandon at the same time. They both looked at the scepter, horrified.
"I stole the Star Spirits and their power... now I'm gonna drain yours away, too!" Bowser laughed loudly.
Both fighters began charging. She set to flashing rainbow, while his entire body turned sapphire. The scepter began to charge.
"Star Rod," Bowser growled evilly, "Drain the energies of the Stars and bestow them to me!" The Star Rod began to flash and suddenly the heiress and her boyfriend were paralyzed in their tracks. Their bodies trembled with a horrible violence and their cries were silenced. The Princess stared on in utter horror.
"Drain them, Star Rod... make their energy mine!"
It felt as if their very lives were being pulled from their bodies. They couldn't move and their lungs had been crushed. They could feel the energy pouring from their bodies through millions of invisible, bleeding wounds. They both closed their eyes as their muscles tightened. The force suddenly released them, collapsed to the floor.
He picked himself up first, a small fire orb charging. "No," he growled while hyperventilating. "I nearly lost her once... I won't... I won't do it again."
Bowser smirked. "Aw, how cute. Watch this, boy." He stomped his foot hard upon the fallen heiress, who cried in agony.
"Damn you," the near-lifeless human growled louder, the orb in his hand growing in size. With the very last of his strength, he fired a large fire orb into the chest of the evil creature.
Bowser fell back and roared with pain once more, then laughed. "I have no time to deal with powerless brats like you..." The Star Rod flickered and a large bolt of lightning crashed from the sky, launching the defeated pair from the castle, their unconscious bodies plummeting to the earth below.
The Princess screamed. "My child...! Stars above!"
Bowser laughed, then bellowed, "This day belongs to Dark Land! I've the power of the Star children in my grasp, and the Star Spirits can do nothing for it!" He turned to his guards. "See that the Princess is locked in her room, then send some scouts down to the ground. I want them to make sure that I killed those two meddlesome children. I'd hate for this plan to be flawed."
The Princess bowed her head silently, holding back tears. "My daughter... my dear, dear daughter..."
***
From the sky above, the couple plummeted. Though their bodies were unconscious, their minds were running strong.
Wake up, the voices instructed worriedly. Children, you must wake up. If you do not, you will die... The Princess needs you. The Kingdom needs you. The Stars need you. The world is in darkness. Children. Wake up...
In the middle of a clearing, the young couple landed. They were dead on impact.