Prologue
It was a weird day at Creepy Steeple. And that’s pretty much normal, if you know what I mean. There was an endless twilight outside, with wind rustling through the dead trees, the giant stained-glass windows glistening as they were struck by the eerie light. Otherwise, there was an undisturbed silence throughout the building. Doopliss had locked himself in the bell tower for his daily “me time”. Again. And that meant no TV time for any of the Boos until Doopliss said they could come in. How very dreadful. Most of the Boos residing in the steeple were either busily pranking each other as usual or pretty much just haunting and floating around.
One particular Boo was doing neither, but wandering outside the Steeple and enjoying the general eeriness. Unlike the others, this Boo did not have a preferred name, but was just referred to by the name of his species. This didn’t get too confusing - all of the other Boos had names. Also unlike the others, he would often go outside to float around the plants in what could be called a garden. Well, I wouldn’t really call it a garden... most of the plants were either dead or eating other plants that were not dead. Now, he was doing just that.
“So, a new twilight has just begun. What shall I do today? Not much to do at all, really. This old building can get so boring... The only real enjoyment I ever got outta this place was when it was cursed to turn all those peeps in town to pigs when the bell rang! Perhaps I can get those Piranha Plants to eat some of Doopliss’ junk food supply. A fairly satisfying prank,” he thought aloud. “Nah, I don’t feel like pranking today. Wait- WHAT AM I SAYING?! I’m going mad out here!” And with that, Boo began frantically darting around and around in ovals (because circles are so boring) and screaming chaotically. Not that anyone noticed.
Boo was generally different from the others. He had more personality than most Boos, but he enjoyed doing everything a normal Boo would. Of course, he would shrink down and whimper at the sight of a real threat like all Boos.
A few minutes later, Boo heard movement in the distance and the sound of many leaves rustling, and stopped his ranting. He disappeared with a poof and floated, still invisible, towards the front of the Steeple. He found nothing. Reappearing with another poof, he pondered.
“Stupid dead ears..” he whispered to himself. And with that, he floated back to the... err, garden.
But unbeknownst to Boo, something had been there. Two figures popped out of the bushes as soon as the ghost had floated out of sight. They appeared to both be humans. The first wasn’t very tall, and dressed completely in black- black shirt, black pants, black shoes, black hooded jacket.. He even had black hair to top it off. Cold and empty black eyes stared icily at the creepy old Steeple. The boy appeared to be about sixteen or so. The second figure was shorter than the first, and basically dressed exactly the same, except its clothes seemed too big and baggy. Its eyes seemed more innocent and afraid than that of its companion. He was also much younger, appearing to be about ten years old.
“Woah, that was a close one! One of those creepy ghosties almost saw us!” said the second figure. The first one glared down at the second figure icily.
“Be quiet. I’m about to monologue!” screeched the first figure, fingering a blackish-purple crystal that hung from a string around his neck.
“S-sorry..” the second one stuttered. After a few seconds of silence, the first figure looked back at the Steeple.
“Finally, the perfect spot! A place of our very own! Or at least, it will be, once we dominate it. Are you ready, Shadow?” said the first figure. His voice was of a menacing tone, one that would send a chill of fear down most people.
“My name is Rupert! And no, I’m not ready! I don’t wanna do this, someone already lives here, and besides, it’s filled with creepy ghosts!
“I told you, your name is Shadow now! Rupert is not frightening enough. Name one thing that would crumble to its knees and kneel to that name!” After a moment of silence, the figure smirked. “And besides, I’m sure the current resident wouldn’t mind being our slave. I mean, wouldn’t you rather choose a life of slavery rather than one in a grave?” The figure cackled to himself. The second one, apparently “Shadow”, appeared afraid for the slightest moment, then put on a straight face and stood his ground.
“And as for the pitiful ghosts,” the first figure continued, “I have that all taken care of.”
Shadow looked down at his feet.
“Yes, big brother...”
Chapter 1: A Jolly Good Twilight?
After returning to the garden, Boo proceeded to float back to its center, where he had been earlier.
“So... which prank shall I pull? That trick I played on Bonboo last night was a thriller. Yes, that cheese was very sticky... Maybe there’s still some left over to do a rerun on Boot!” Boo concluded. Cackling softly to himself in that distinct cackle that all Boos have, he swirled around in a circle (because the author is tired of repeated ovals) and disappeared with another poof. Boo then proceeded to glide through the nearby building’s wall. He was about to reappear with another poof, but decided against that when an awful sight met his eyes.
Two human figures dressed in black had come barging into the Steeple (not even bothering to close the doors, how very rude) and were now cackling like mad, the noise echoing in the huge main lobby. Well, the taller one was. Was he trying to attract attention or what? One of Boo’s friends materialized in the hallway, deeply annoyed by the racket.
“Yo, what’s with all the noise, chum?! You’re disturbing the peace! And...” he paused, looking over the two boys. “... Just who are you anyways, chum?” he questioned. Boo searched his memory for the Boo’s name. Let’s see... Ah, yes. He had gone creeping people out last Sunday with that Boo, Boom.
The taller of the two humans stopped cackling and chuckled lightly. “Why, my name is Griffin. And this pathetic waste,” he said, waving an arm over the shorter human, “is my brother Shadow. And I, my good sir, am the one who will be taking control of this old Steeple.”
“Heh! Yeah, right! You’d better get outta ‘ere fast if ya know what’s good for ya!” said Boom, laughing. Griffin smirked.
“And what exactly do you plan on doing about it if I don’t?” teased the human. A nerve appeared on Boom’s forehead.
“THIS!” And with that he whistled, calling all of the Boos in the Steeple. Boo resisted the urge to go to his friend. He had a bad feeling in his gut. Not that he had one.
One by one, every Boo in the Steeple materialized next to the first one with their own poof. The entire main lobby was soon filled with a horde of hundreds of Boos. All of them were there, except one.
“All right, guys, let’s teach these intruders a lesson!” cried Boom, pointing straight at Griffin and Shadow. Shadow had fallen on the floor at the sight of all the Boos, frightened nearly to death. His taller counterpart completely ignored him and reached into the pocket of his black jacket, revealing a tiny purple box.
At that moment, every one of the Boos attempted to fuse together, which would have created Atomic Boo. But they were unable to form the giant Boo. They stared blankly at each other, confused.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” shouted one Boo.
“Maybe we’re missing someone!” shouted another.
“Yeah, we need everyone to make Atomic Boo!”
“Where are ya, chum? Stop holdin’ out on us!!!” screamed Boom, the same nerve on his forehead.
Suddenly, Griffin held out the box in his open palm, and removed the lid, the crystal around his neck glowing. A purple vortex appeared inside the walls of the box, creating a massive, purple wind tunnel that filled the entire walkway. Boo backed away slightly, just avoiding the grip of the wind. All the Boos that had gone to Boom’s side, including Boom himself, were pulled into the wind tunnel, screaming in an eerie Boo scream, flailing their arms as they were sucked into the vortex, growing smaller and smaller as they completely disappeared into the box. Once the last Boo was sucked up, the wind tunnel disintegrated and vanished completely. Griffin replaced the lid and covered the tiny purple box, then put it in his pocket.
By now, Boo was terrified, especially for his friends, and shook terribly with anger, glaring at Griffin. He remained invisible, not knowing what to do. This guy could take on hundreds of his friends, what good would it do to appear and confront him now?
Shadow stood up slowly from his place on the ground, shaking noticeably. Griffin merely smirked with a smug look on his face.
“Come, Shadow. We shall now take care of the remaining resident,” Griffin said eerily, looking towards the bell tower.
Boo did not want to see any more. He had to get some help, but from where? In a panic, Boo phased through the wall and reappeared outside in the garden.
“Oh, man! What a jolly good twilight this has been... GAH! I gotta find someone who will help me!” shouted Boo in the lowest voice he could, not wanting to be found by those creepy guys. Well, he didn’t really have to worry. He could vanish in an instant. But anyway. Boo quickly made up his mind and started floating as fast as he could towards Twilight Town.
……
After journeying through the woods for many minutes, Boo finally found his way out of the trees and looked onward. In the distance was his planned destination- Twilight Town. Boo picked up speed with hope and floated over the fallen tree in the pathway and continued on. He had barely made it into the town gate when the gatekeeper noticed him and screamed.
“AAAAHHHH! It’s one of those Steeple ghosts! EVERYBODY RUUUUUUUNN!!!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. When he was finished all the people outside were running around screaming and trying to run away from him.
“Wait- please! I-I just want someone to...” Boo stuttered. But by that time everyone had already fled into the buildings. “...help me.” Boo closed his eyes and screamed in frustration, flailing his arms. When he was done throwing his fit of rage, Boo opened his eyes again and saw... the pipe to Rogueport. Wow. How very exciting...
“Wow! How exciting!” Boo whispered. “Maybe someone from Rogueport will help me! I’ve heard amazing tales about Rogueport! I wonder what it actually looks like,” he concluded. And with that, he took one last look towards the old Steeple and hopped down the warp pipe.
Chapter 2: Enter the Roy
When Boo emerged from the pipe, he was in a small concrete room. A sign next to the pipe he emerged from read “THIS WAY TO TWILIGHT TOWN”. Then Boo slapped his forehead.
“D’oh! This pipe comes out in Rogueport Sewers!” Boo sighed. With that said, Boo floated upwards towards the ceiling and phased through a layer of solid concrete until he finally emerged in the west side of Rogueport. With his jaw dropped, he viewed the scenery.
“Hmm. Not exactly what I expected, but it’s better than old Creepy Steeple,” Boo stated. Suddenly, a little Toad with a mint-green cap pointed at Boo and screamed, his eyes wide with fear. Boo, confused, looked down at the little Toad, and his natural instincts took over. He smiled widely and stuck out his tongue, laughing wildly. At this, the little Toad ran away, screaming, into one of the buildings. Amazingly enough, no one else even noticed the whole thing.
“Guess screaming is a common thing ‘round here,” said Boo. And right on cue, a scream sounded in the distance. Getting back on track, Boo continued on to the main plaza, looking around for anyone who might help him. But even when he asked around, the person would run away, usually screaming. Almost giving up hope, Boo wandered towards the docks, feeling dejected. Suddenly, a boat’s horn tooted from the dock. Boo looked up to see a small but colorful ferry docking. He simply sighed.
“Only a lame ferry...” he said, still dejected. He asked a tough-looking Bob-omb sailor in the harbor if he would offer some help, but the sailor only yelped at the sight of Boo and jumped into the water. Boo sighed again and wandered towards the crates near the dock. He was about to sit on one (meaning float above it, since Boos can’t physically sit) when he saw a man in blue overalls wearing a green shirt and green cap with an “L” labeled on it step off of the “lame ferry”. This guy looks like a reasonable ally, thought Boo. And yet he looks strangely familiar, like some guy I’ve seen before, but taller. Oh well, I will go ask him if he wants to help me.
And with that, err, thought, Boo floated through the crates and approached the man in green.
“Hi Mr. Guy! My name is Boo, and I kind of need help...” he began. The man swiveled around and gasped.
“WAAAAAH! It’s a Boo!!!” he said with some kind of accent. He turned around, then faced Boo with some kind of vacuum in his hands. The man turned the vacuum on and the sheer force sucked Boo in, without warning. Boo screamed and flailed his arms as it became dark, signaling that he was in some kind of compartment.
“Haha! There! Now to get-a rid of this menace!” said the man’s muffled voice from outside the compartment.
“WHAT?! Dude, you’re totally insane! I just need some help!” shouted Boo. But apparently, the man could not hear him, because the next thing Boo knew, he was being emptied out of the compartment into some kind of huge cannon, which he barely caught a glimpse of as he was dumped out into another compartment into the cannon itself. Boo whimpered as he heard the sound of a match being lit. After a few seconds of impending doom, Boo heard sizzling, then-
BBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH…” screamed Boo as the cannon fired, sending him off into the distance.
“Bye-a-bye, Boo!” waved the man in green, laughing.
……
Boo flew through the air for hours, waiting for the force of the cannon to wear out, for it had launched him with such force that he could not simply stop and float. He sighed every so often, sometimes he talked to himself. The only notable scenery was the crystal clear ocean waters whirring past below him. In the past four hours he had seen two ships and one whale. Not much to talk about. For a few more minutes he simply flew by in silence, wondering what to do. Now he was not only without help from anyone, but far away from home as well. He sighed again, probably the twentieth time that day.
“What a jolly good twilight...” he muttered miserably as he continued to fly through the air. Suddenly, a dark speck appeared on the horizon. Boo squinted his eyes to try to see exactly what it was. After a few more minutes of flying closer towards the dark speck, it became the shape of a land mass. It looked like some sort of volcanic wasteland, but he could not be sure of that theory until he got closer. Ten more minutes passed, the land mass becoming clearer and larger. Now he was sure of it, the land before him looked like volcanoes and mountains. How dreary. Many storm clouds gathered in the sky, but there was no rain. Soon, he would be above the land mass, and he really hoped that he would overshoot it and land somewhere else. But fate had the exact opposite thing in mind. Boo began to lose altitude just as he was about to fly over the mountain range, suddenly going into a nose dive that also sent him spinning uncontrollably. Boo screamed but did not close his eyes, spying what looked to be like a dark and demonic castle directly below him.
“WHAT A JOLLY GOOD TWILIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGHHHTT!!!” Boo screamed as he drew closer and closer to the castle’s roof. Only seconds away, and he would strike the castle.
“Hang on, I’m a gh-” Before Boo could finish and conclude that he was a ghost, he did not have time to phase through the roof, sending him careening straight through it, creating a whole the same size and shape as his body. The room below the hole flashed by as he crashed straight into the next floor. The process repeated for two more floors, creating two more holes, until he finally lost speed and bumped into the next red-carpeted floor, coming to a final halt.
“Ow,” Boo stated simply as he regained control and floated upward a little. Surveying the room, there were only a few visible patches of floor showing, for there were many piles of junk food, action figures, and other things we will not go into all over the room. Boo, luckily, had landed on a patch of bare, carpeted floor. On the stone walls were framed pictures of what looked to be like seven Koopa Kids. An unmade bed sat in one corner, and a bedside table sat next to it, and some sort of magic wand sat on it. Boo was about to float over to the strange wand when the door suddenly opened.
“Yo, who’s in my- ROOM?!” cried a large Koopa kid who stepped in after the door opened. He looked like one of the Koopas from the picture. His jaw hung from his mouth as he gaped at the hole in the ceiling, which was next to a lightbulb, lighting the room. Boo had barely missed it. Boo looked at the hole, then at the Koopa Kid.
“Oh, um.. Sorry about that, dude.” he said to the Koopa Kid.
“You’re in for a beatin’, pal! You’ll wish you never laid a foot in ‘ere!” said the enraged Koopa Kid, clenching menacing-looking fists, glaring at Boo through his sunglasses.
“But I don’t have feet,” said Boo, unaffected.
“Yeah, well... too bad! Now you have something you don’t want, twerp! AND THAT’S THE ATTENTION OF ROY KOOPA!!!” screamed the Koopa Kid, apparently named Roy.
“Relax, man! Besides, I might decide to scare you any moment now!”
“What kinda lame threat is that? I’m gonna scare ya! Ha! Prepare for pain, pal! You’d better enjoy the time you have left with a functional brain! Besides, I ain’t afraid ’a no Boo!”
Suddenly, large, big footsteps came from the hallway. Then, of all things, the door was slammed down, revealing none other than Bowser, who Boo recognized from many tales Doopliss spoke of. Wait! Now he remembered who these Koopa Kids were! They were the Koopalings (as if that weren’t already obvious enough)!
“WHAT’S GOIN’ ON IN HERE?!” Bowser shouted more than asked. “WHO MADE ALL THESE HOLES? It’s gonna cost me a fortune to repair all this damage. And when I looked down in one of the holes I saw that it stopped in YOUR room, Roy! Now confess! It was you, wasn’t it?!” Bowser demanded, small little pillars of smoke rising from his nostrils.
“N-n-no, King Dad! It was this Boo w-who wrecked my r-r-room!” stuttered Roy, who quickly turned around and pointed at Boo. Boo, who was still unaffected, burped for no apparent reason.
“Ha! Yeah, right! Like a Boo would smash through all these floors! But whether he did or didn’t, he’s still gonna have to be punished for trespassing on our property!” said Bowser. “And,” he added, when Roy sighed with relief, “you’re still going to the dungeon, Roy!” he finished.
“WHAT?! BUT I DIDN’T-” Roy was cut off as he was picked up by the head by Bowser, who then proceeded to pick up Boo and haul them both out of the room. Boo was too startled to escape from Bowser’s mighty clutch. Bowser trudged onward through a twist of hallways until he barged into a room at the very end, which turned out to be the door to a balcony.
“First, we’ll get rid of this Boo, then I’ll just be escorting you to the dungeon, Roy,” said Bowser. When Boo looked through Bowser’s fingers, he saw a huge black cannon, exactly like the one the man in green launched him out of, except much larger, and much more menacing. Bowser opened the cannon’s hatch with his foot, then dropped Boo into the compartment. But, when Bowser turned around, he accidentally dropped Roy in, too. Roy was about to scream for his father to stop but Bowser kicked the hatch closed from behind just in time to block out the sound. From inside the heavily crowded compartment, Boo covered his ears as Roy persisted to shout for his father to stop. There was the sound of someone inhaling, then the sound of Bowser breathing fire-
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!
The cannon fired with the sound of a huge explosion, sending its two inhabitants sailing off into the horizon, both screaming at the top of their lungs and fading into little specks within seconds. Bowser smiled and watched them until they were gone completely. Apparently, he hadn’t noticed that one of his children was also onboard the flight, for when he turned around and saw that his son wasn’t there...
“What the... ROY! Where are ya? That
little weasel! He ran away! COME BACK HERE, ROY!” yelled Bowser, running
back into the castle, thinking that Roy was somewhere inside.
Chapter 3: Slightly Off-Course
As Boo and Roy flew through the air, Kastle Koopa became further and further away, until eventually it was just a tiny speck on the shape of a large land mass on the horizon. The ocean soon became the only notable scenery once more.
“You...” said Roy, who was next to Boo in the air. “...This is YOUR fault! If you hadn’t come crashing into the castle then NONE of this would’ve happened! I’m GONNA BEAT YOU INTO A PULP!” yelled Roy. Boo simply burped again and phased through Roy’s fists whenever he tried to punch Boo.
“Well, it’s not my fault that the man in green put me in a cannon and launched me across the ocean to land in your pad! And now I’m being blasted again!!! Oh well, at least we’re headed for Rogueport,” sighed Boo as Roy continued to attempt to beat him up.
“I dunno what you’re talkin’ about, but King Dad will be SO mad at me it won’t even be funny!” Roy said through gritted teeth. “Wait- did you say Rogueport?! Aw, man! What a dump! What’re you, from Rogueport?” asked Roy. Boo shook his head in response.
“No, I’m a Creepy Steeple Boo. But the worst part of today is that no one will help me!” cried Boo, screaming in frustration.
“No matter what your problem is, it can’t be worse than mine!” yelled Roy.
“Yes it is!” And with that, Boo told Roy everything that had happened that day, from the very beginning in the Steeple’s garden, to that very moment as they were flying over the ocean. About a half hour passed as he told the story in detail.
“Woah. Dude, that must reek!” said Roy when Boo was finished. Boo nodded and sighed. “Well, hey! I can’t forgive ya for wreckin’ my room, but I’ll help ya, little guy!” Roy added. When Boo smiled with new hope, Roy grabbed him by the head, then said, “But if you tell any o’ my family, I’LL KILL YA!!!” screeched Roy, right in Boo’s face.
“Why? What’s the big deal?”
“If they knew I was helpin’ you, they’d all ’tink I was goin’ soft! THERE’S NO WAY I’M GOIN’ SOFT!!!” he yelled.
“Well, technically, you can’t really kill me...”
………
Many hours passed, just like Boo’s first experience being launched out of a cannon. Judging by the position of the sun, Boo guessed that it was somewhere around 1 or 2:00, possibly even later. But Roy didn’t know what he was talking about when Boo tried to tell him. Sometime into the trip Boo turned over to look at the clouds, which were passing by quicker than usual because of their high speed. Boos normally hated this time of day because of the sun, but Boo didn’t really mind all that much. He asked Roy to join him but Roy said he refused to do something that babyish.
Sometime later Roy spotted land to the right. Indeed, a large land mass slightly more colorful than the one Boo had spotted on his trip to Kastle Koopa had appeared on the horizon, but it was to the right. WHAT?! Boo nearly panicked and yelped.
“What’re you doin’ that fer? Rogueport’s right there!”
“Yeah! ALL THE WAY OVER THERE!!! We’re heading for empty sea!” Boo screamed, covering his eyes.
“No we’re not!” said Roy. Boo opened his eyes again and followed Roy’s pointer finger. On the horizon lay another land mass, which they were headed for.
“Prepare for impact, Roy!” Boo shouted, seeing no form of cushion waiting for them on land. It looked like some kind of island, which looked pretty much deserted except for tiny make-shift buildings near the shore. “Roy, do you know the name of this island?” Boo asked.
“How should I know?!” Roy shouted.
“Wait...” Boo thought back to the times when the Boos “borrowed” a book from Doopliss on the areas around Rogueport. It could get so boring around the Steeple, they wanted to know what was beyond the world of perpetual twilight. Petalburg... Glitzville... Fahr Outpost... an island due south of Rogueport... That would be Keelhaul Key!
“That island is called Keelhaul Key. I remember…” Boo added creepily.
“Dude, you’re creepin’ me out! And besides... we’re comin’ in for a landin’!” shouted Roy. Indeed, the pair had began to lose altitude surprisingly fast, and were now careening towards the jungle on the island.
The pair immediately started screaming as they both gained speed and watched the trees rush up to their faces. A leafy crash was heard as the companions (yeah, right) landed in the trees and came to a very abrupt stop, if a little painful. Boo had crashed into the canopy, where he now floated in a daze. He spit out a few leaves that had lodged in his mouth. When his sight went back to normal he heard more leaves rustling, then a muffled yelp, followed by a large thud. Boo shook himself together, then floated downward and phased through the jungle’s canopy, where he spotted Roy on the jungle floor. Roy sat in a daze like Boo had been in, in a sitting position on the ground, holding a hand on his head.
“Roy!” Boo shouted, floating down to the Koopa Kid. “You okay?”
“Just fine,” said Roy, his voice dripping with grumpiness. He stood up quickly.
“Hmm. We should find someone who’ll help us in that sad excuse for a village.” said Boo.
“Ex-CUSE ME?!” said a voice in the bushes. Boo and Roy looked towards the sound and saw an orange-capped Toad spying on them from the bushes. “Eep!” yelped the Toad, who quickly started running.
“C’mon!” shouted Roy as he gave chase. Boo quickly caught on and started chasing as well. The Toad was obviously frightened and made sharp and sudden turns, cutting through the brush, trying to lose his pursuers. Boo and Roy could barely see him through all the vines, leaves, and general brush. Boo, determined not to lose their only guide to civilization, sped up and disappeared with a poof, quickly teleporting in front of the Toad. As the Toad screeched to a halt, Boo enlarged himself and smiled wickedly for more effect. The Toad fell over in surprise, yelping and putting his arms up in front of him.
“Oh, man! You shoulda seen the look on your face!” said Boo, still laughing.
“Nice,” said Roy, who had caught up and was now standing behind the Toad.
“Just who are you guys, anyway?!” said the Toad, standing up. “You think it’s funny to insult our town, make me run for my life, AND nearly scare me to death?! What’s your beef, man?!” demanded the Toad.
“You want an intro? I’ll introduce ya to my fists-” Roy began.
“Relax, man.” Then Boo looked at the Toad. “We’re, uh, sorry ‘bout that. My name’s Boo and that guy is Roy. We kinda got here by accident,” Boo finished.
“Yeah, if ya call bein’ launched outta a cannon an accident,” said Roy.
“Woha, you got here... by being launched out of a cannon?!” asked the Toad in amazement, the hatred starting to disappear from his eyes.
“Uh... yeah. But it wasn’t really supposed to happen. When it did, we hoped that we would land in Rogueport, but I guess the angle was kinda off...” said Boo.
Then Roy added, “And now we’re stuck here wit youse.” The Toad looked at both of them with a confused look on his face.
“Well, my name’s Todd. Just Todd. I don’t like adding that “T” to the end of my name. But anyway, I’m pretty sure you’re not stuck here.” said the Toad named Todd.
“What’re you sayin’?” asked Roy.
Todd smiled. “There’s a pirate guy on this island who lives on an old pirate ship; it’s always docked in the, err, dock. His name is Cortez. Ever since that whole incident with that hero guy, he takes people to the mainland and vice versa!”
Boo and Roy’s jaws both dropped. What incredible luck!
“Can you take us to this guy?” asked Boo.
“Of course!” Todd responded. And with that, Todd turned around and started jogging through the brush. Boo and Roy immediately followed.
After about twenty minutes of walking at a steady pace, ducking under low branches, and swatting annoying bugs, the jungle finally began to grow thinner and thinner, until finally the trio emerged out of the jungle completely. Beyond the trees was the ocean and the sandy shore. Ocean swells and the constant, gentle movement of the water induced calmness. Small shrubs were placed randomly across the grassy areas, and an ocean breeze blew calmly across the general area. Ahead was a shanty seaside village, comprised of shacks and what looked to be the remains of a shipwreck. More orange-capped Toads and a few Bob-omb sailors were strolling around the village grounds, enjoying the wonderful breeze.
“C’mon! Just beyond the village is the
docks!” shouted Todd, running forward, instantly followed by Boo and Roy.
Chapter 4: A Cat Named Chuck
After a quick jog through the village, Todd, Boo, and Roy came within sight of what appeared to be a small pier jutting out of some rocky, grass-covered ledges. Only one ship was docked in the small harbor. It was, indeed, the fabled Cortez the Pirate King’s ship. Only now did Boo remember the legends. Those tattered black sails, the eerie design of the ship, and how it loomed there in a gloomy way; this was an honest-to-goodness pirate ship. Boo became very excited, for he was interested in all dark and gloomy things. In fact, all Boos were. Roy seemed very interested as well and did not hesitate to follow Todd all the way down to the pier with Boo.
As soon as all three of them were on the wooden pier, a single, oversized, scarred, pirate hat-wearing skull materialized above the deck of the black ship, its stony eyes gazing down upon them. Only Todd appeared to be even slightly afraid.
“Yes, what is it? I’m making preparations to journey to Rogueport an’ see if an old amigo is in town. If you have any business with me, make it quick!” said the skull.
“A-actually, I was w-wondering if you wouldn’t mind taking these two along with you. They have to get to Rogueport as well. They won’t be bothersome, right, guys?” said Todd. Boo and Roy nodded when he finished.
“Aye, that can be done. Hop aboard, amigos, I am planning to leave port immediately,” answered the skull, who Boo and Roy had already figured was Cortez.
Boo gave a quick thank you (Roy didn’t bother) and the two hopped on deck with the Pirate King. The ship immediately set sail and began drawing away from the pier, making a turn to face north, towards the wedge of land in the distance that meant Rogueport. Todd stood on tiptoes, waving madly at the departing ship. Boo and Roy waved back, as Cortez steered the ship away. Within a few minutes, the island was already a few miles away, the tiny village and its single peer small lines and dots.
Roy adjusted his sunglasses and relaxed on the deck, while Boo floated around the deck and even floated up to the crow’s nest, completely fascinated with the ship.
“So, what are your names, amigos?” asked Cortez as Rogueport began to get closer by the minute.
“I’m Roy Koopa,” said Roy, adjusting his sunglasses once again.
“And my name’s Boo. Just Boo,” said you-know-who.
“Ah, and I am Cortez, the Pirate King!” said Cortez, his voice dripping with every hint of majesty he could muster.
The conversation only lasted a few more minutes before Cortez shouted out, “Look, amigos! Rogueport is close! Prepare to dock!”
Indeed, Rogueport was now very clear to the Boo and Koopaling. The dirty harbor awaited them with its usual inhabitants, the sailors and Toads who worked there.
Cortez’s ship began to slow as they drew in closer to the harbor. Boo couldn’t believe they had made it back to the mainland with such ease! That ferry which the man in green had arrived on was nowhere in sight. At least that meant no return trip to Kastle Koopa for Boo any time soon.
“This is where we all step off, amigos!” cried Cortez as the ship pulled to a complete stop. Roy hopped off first, followed by Boo, who floated off. Cortez floated off of the deck afterwards, making sure the boat was all in order.
“I shall place a curse on me boat, so that no one may steal it while I’m gone,” said Cortez to Boo and Roy, “while I look for my amigo. He does not seem to be around here. Adios!” And with that, Cortez completely disappeared from sight.
“So, whadda we do now? You gotta take me back to Creepy Steeple with ya, right? Wherever that is,” asked Roy, scanning the area he was laying eyes on for the first time. Boo nodded in response, automatically moving forward, leading Roy. Most people did not notice the shady twosome as they made their way through town, first through the main plaza, then through West Rogueport.
“Meh. This place is a dump. You made it sound all exciting,” said Roy as they came to a halt over the spot where Boo had first emerged into the town.
“You only noticed that now?” said Boo as he grabbed Roy’s arm and phased them both downward, traveling through the layer of concrete and ending up in the small room that housed the pipe to Twilight Town. Boo floated down until Roy’s feet touched the ground, then released his arm and looked around the room. Something caught his eye as Roy advanced towards the pipe.
“Wait, dude. What in the world is that?” said Boo. Roy turned around in the direction Boo was pointing and saw a small thing in the corner. It looked up to reveal that the creature was a cat. It was a scrawny thing; it looked like the cat hadn’t been eating very well. Its gray- and black-striped fur was slightly matted and its green eyes were wide and filled with fear.
“Ah, its just a cat.” said Roy, waving an arm at it in a dismissing motion.
“So... it’s down here because...?” Boo retorted.
“I dunno. What, you care about a little cat?”
“Nah, not really. It’s just... odd.”
“Forget about the cat!” said Roy. Roy was fuming and was now about to take out his anger on the cat. “Or even better, I’ll just get rid of the cat!” he shouted.
As Roy got closer to it, the cat hissed menacingly, its back arching, claws extended. Suddenly, it leaped up, landing on Roy’s face, slashing randomly. Roy screamed as he desperately tried to get the cat off. After several minutes of struggle and being laughed at by Boo, Roy peeled the cat off his head and threw it off. The cat landed in Boo’s arms, still hissing at Roy.
“Looks like you’ve made a friend.” said Boo, chuckling.
“Quiet, you!” shouted Roy, calmly adjusting his sunglasses and wiping at a scratch on his cheek. “And get that cat outta here!”
“What? You’re just gonna leave him here?”
“Yeah. So? It’s a cat.”
“Well if you’re going to leave him here, I’ll just have to bring ’im along.”
“What for?”
“He’ll probably starve down here, don’tcha think?”
Roy clenched his fists in fury. “Fine! Keep yer stupid cat! Let’s just go already.” And with that, Roy jumped down the pipe, rolling his eyes.
“I think I’ll call ya Chuck!” said Boo as he floated down after Roy, Chuck in his hands.
……….
As Boo emerged from the other end of the pipe, he saw Roy just standing there, in awe of the perpetual twilight. Boo raised an eyebrow and put down Chuck, who instantly started following Boo everywhere he... floated. Chuck had so far given the impression that he wasn’t someone to mess with, but he showed kindness and a liking towards people who had done him no harm.
“D-dude...” said Roy. “This place is almost as creepy as home! What’s with the... uh... eeriness?”
“What, you don’t like it? I’m hurt,” Boo said as he floated towards the eastern side of town. Roy followed, admiring the perpetual twilight and staring in awe at the gigantic full moon beyond the distant hills. Chuck, of course, was only a few inches behind Boo and would constantly turn and hiss at Roy when he felt like it. He was slowly starting to forgive Roy for almost beating him to a pulp, but was still suspicious and always had his guard up. As the trio walked/floated by, the townspeople hardly noticed and kept to themselves in the buildings (which were just as shady as usual) or walked past as if in a constant state of misery. Some people were talking in low and unexciting conversations, but otherwise the only sounds were some footsteps and the occasional caw of a crow.
As they approached the town gate, even the gatekeeper did not seem to notice them and waved them through lazily, even though they would’ve continued on anyway because all three of them were generally troublemakers.
“Um, where exactly is Creepy Steeple, anyway? I thought we were gonna pop up right in front o’ it when we came outta ’dat pipe!” complained Roy.
“It’s in the woods,” Boo responded, his mind going into auto-drive as he floated towards the woods he had always known.
Chapter 5: Shadow the Traitor
“C’mon, Kitty! Why you gotta keep messin’ wit me?” asked Roy as he caught up with Boo and Chuck, who was staring at Roy through narrowed slits.
“Guess he still doesn’t like ya,” Boo commented. Roy rolled his eyes through his shades. Now they were halfway deep into the Twilight Woods, the light becoming dimmer and even more menacing, just like Boo remembered.
“So, changin’ the subject... who were ‘dose guys who took over your pad?” Roy said through gritted teeth, still glaring at Chuck.
“The guy said his name was Griffin. And his lil’ sidekick was called Shadow.”
“Bah! Lame names, man! How could ya guys lose ta’ chumps like ’dat?” asked Roy, laughing in deep bellows.
“I have an idea...” whispered Boo in a low voice that Roy could not notice.
…But they were unable to form the giant Boo. They stared blankly at each other, confused.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” shouted one Boo.
“Maybe we’re missing someone!” shouted another.
“Yeah, we need everyone to make Atomic Boo!”
“Where are ya, chum? Stop holdin’ out on us!!!” screamed Boom…
…All the Boos that had gone to Boom’s side, including Boom himself, were pulled into the wind tunnel, screaming in an eerie Boo scream, flailing their arms as they were sucked into the vortex, growing smaller and smaller as they completely disappeared into the box…
Boo shuddered at the memory, wondering if none of it would have happened if he had gone to his friends when they called.
“Dude, you okay? Not that I care or anything,” said Roy.
“I-I’m fine. Now c’mon, we’re almost there,” said Boo, snapping back to reality and continuing to lead his companions towards home.
After a few minutes of walking/floating, the trio emerged from the cluster of trees and onto the Steeple property. Creepy Steeple loomed ahead of them, past iron gates, looking even more gloomy than normal. The bell tower looked especially more menacing than usual, twisting into the eerie sky. Behind it was that full moon, which simply added to the gloomy effect.
“B-Boo.. Boo-Boo-” Roy stuttered as he searched for the right words to say.
“WHAT?! DON’T EVER EVER EVER CALL ME BOO-BOO! IT’S SICKENING!!!” screamed Boo.
“Heh. Sorry. B-but anyway... W-what’s that? Is th-that.. where you live?!” shouted Roy. Boo nodded.
“C’mon, hurry! We have to see if my friends are all right!” shouted Boo, who quickly rushed forward through the iron gates, followed by Chuck, who jumped over it. Roy adjusted his sunglasses and completely barged through the gate.
As they all entered the main lobby, the trio discovered that it was deathly quiet... not even a Swooper was moving about. There was just a complete silence, and absolutely no life.
“Boo,” said Roy, shattering the quiet. “Whadda we do now? Do we just take on ‘dose guys? ‘Dey seem wimpy enough.” Roy had just finished talking when suddenly a large thud was heard from the top of the bell tower.
“C’mon! We’d better go check that out!” cried Boo, worrying over what was going on in the only home he had ever known. Boo led Roy and Chuck out the patio door and around to the staircase room. As they walked up the stairs and up to the second-floor path to the bell tower, Roy mumbled softly, complaining about how far they had to walk. Boo ignored him and Chuck seemed to also. As they entered the bell tower and started up the spiral staircase, which was quite large, Roy slumped his shoulders and didn’t say anything. As they moved up towards Doopliss’ room, another thud was heard, except louder this time since they were closer.
The companions (I wouldn’t call them heroes) jumped/floated up into the room using the spring always placed there. When they landed, a surprising sight awaited them. Griffin was standing on the other side of the room, facing away from them, fiddling with the blackish-purple crystal he wore around his neck. He was in front of a dazed Doopliss, who was slumped against the wall, many bruises strewn across his body. Shadow stood in a corner, watching his brother.
“You shouldn’t have annoyed me so much, Doopliss. You and your “me” time. Hah! How pathetic! Then you raved on and on about us getting off your property. Well, guess what? It’s MINE now! And you can just take your little “me” time somewhere else where people accept little pests like you! Oh, I forgot. No one likes pests!” And with that, Griffin threw back his head and cackled. Roy couldn’t help but chuckle.
“THAT’S your big comment? That’s all you could come up with?! Dude, you’re too lame!” exclaimed Roy, holding his sides with laughter.
Both Griffin and Shadow swiveled around towards their visitors. “What’s this?! More meddlesome pests? Wait... What’re you doing with them?!” shouted Griffin, who pointed a finger at Boo. “I captured all of the Boos here!”
“Not me. I knew something was weird about you, and I went and got help,” said Boo, looking back towards Roy and Chuck.
Griffin laughed. “So let me get this straight. You escaped my trap to run away and come back with mere annoyances? You’re all just flies I can flick away effortlessly, then I can return to taking control of this perfect base! From here, I can gather my own army, starting with all of your pitiful Boo friends and maybe even this Doopliss here! I’ll turn you all into brainwashed soldiers, an unstoppable force that’ll help me take control of this world!” he exclaimed.
“Not gonna happen!” shouted Roy, stepping forward and pounding one fist into his other palm. “King Dad is the only one who’ll be runnin’ dis’ kingdom! Besides, you ain’t even a match fer’ me!”
“Big brother…” whispered Shadow, “I think we should bolt. This big guy scares me...” he said, looking up at Roy, who was indeed much taller than him.
“Nonsense!” shouted Griffin. “Do not degrade yourself to a pitiful coward!” He then turned back towards Boo, Roy, and Chuck. “Prepare for punishment!” He raised his hands, which glowed with a black veil of radiation, the crystal around his neck glowing with the same color. First, he went for Roy, who had stepped in front of his “friends” to shout at Griffin. Roy’s entire body became shrouded in the black shade of Griffin’s hands, then he flew backwards and slammed into the wall, Boo and Chuck dodging just in time. Griffin released Roy, who fell to the ground dazed, in the same position as Doopliss.
“Finally, the first step of my plan is almost complete!” cackled Griffin, walking menacingly towards Boo.
Boo, who was slightly frightened, panicked and enlarged himself towards the ceiling, shouting, “BACK OFF!”
Shadow cowered behind his brother, and Griffin flinched only the slightest. “You think you scare me?” asked Griffin, smirking.
Boo’s normal smile faded, his body shrinking back to normal size. He backed away slightly as Griffin advanced on him once more.
Suddenly, a freak meow came from out of nowhere. Chuck, who had been forgotten in the commotion, lunged at Griffin, claws extended. He landed with precision on Griffin’s head, where he started slashing at random, hissing angrily the whole time. Griffin screamed, his hands and crystal glowing black as he randomly threw objects around the room. Ouch, there went the TV.
Griffin finally came to his senses and peeled off the cat with his hands, then threw him across the room, where he landed in Boo’s arms, who let him down.
“THAT’S IT!” cried Griffin, his eyes now glowing black as well.
“Stop it!” said a small voice. It was Shadow.
“WHAT?!” shouted Griffin, the glow disappearing completely rather abruptly for some reason. Shadow had stepped in front of Boo and Chuck, who were in front of a slightly winded Roy.
“I don’t like this, Brother. Not at all. I cannot do something so... so wrong. Forcing someone’s rightful home from them, then brainwashing them into world domination! I don’t think it’s right. If you really want to continue with this insanity, then you’re on your own,” exclaimed Shadow, his voice still small but firm.
“Insolent fool! This is treason! Fine, then. I never thought highly of you, anyway. You may be punished along with these pests!” shouted Griffin, who raised his hands. Again. Except they were not glowing, and nothing happened. Boo, Roy, and Chuck all raised their eyebrows, confused.
“Looking... for this?” Shadow asked. He held up a blackish-purple crystal in his hand, the same one that Griffin usually wore around his neck.
“You...” said Griffin, surprised. “HOW DID YOU...?”
“Ah, I snatched it when you weren’t looking. Now, I must not let you continue on like this. You must never continue. I won’t let you!” shouted Shadow, who raised the hand holding the gem, his hand and eyes glowing purple along with the crystal. The tiny purple box containing Boo’s friends floated from Griffin’s pocket. He attempted to grab it as it floated towards Shadow.
“Now... Goodbye, Bro,” whispered Shadow. The box opened with the crystal’s magic, releasing all 199 other Boos, who happily floated away and down to the main lobby, not even bothering to stay and ask questions. The purple vortex appeared inside the box once more, forming another massive purple wind tunnel which completely engulfed the other side of the room. Griffin screamed, eyes wide, trying to run away as the wind dragged him in. He grew smaller and smaller just as the Boos had as he eventually disappeared into the depths of the box. Shadow closed it with the crystal, cutting off the wind tunnel and finally returning the Steeple to its original calm eeriness. And with that, he collapsed, breathing deeply. As he fell, the crystal shattered to pieces.
Boo, Roy, and Chuck stood where they were (Roy had recovered by now), watching with their jaws dropped. After just standing there for a while, Roy finally spoke.
“Well. That was... interestin’.” he
whispered.
Epilogue
When everything had calmed down a bit, it was discovered that Doopliss had also been sucked into the wind tunnel. Whoop-de-doo. Now, that would’ve meant more TV. for the Boos, but it had been broken by Griffin, remember? Boo and Roy dragged Shadow into Doopliss’ bed for him to rest in, while everything was explained to the rest of the Boos. Chuck had disappeared afterwards, no one had even seen him go. Ah, but no one was really attached to him anyway.
The other 199 Boos returned to normal haunting and pranking business immediately, not really caring about what had just happened. Rolling their eyes at the others, Boo and Roy returned to Doopliss’ room to find that Shadow had vanished completely, without a trace. The window was open, so he must’ve gotten out that way. Now, Boo and Roy were in Creepy Steeple’s... garden, watching the moon set. A new twilight was beginning, but the eerie scenery remained.
“Hmm. Well, I guess this is the end of our lil’ adventure, eh, Boo-Boo?” asked Roy, chuckling.
“Stop that! … Yeah, I guess you’re right. There’s no need for you to stay anymore.”
“Yeah. I’d never thought I’d say ‘dis, but... I’ve kinda gotten attached to ya. It’s gonna be hard ta’ leave.”
“Well, I guess you’re always gonna be welcome ‘ere,” said Boo.
“Thanks, bud. Well, I guess I’ll be seein’ ya,” said Roy, turning towards Boo.
“Okay. You’re gonna come back?” Boo asked.
“Maybe. But only if I feel like it,” said Roy, maintaining his tough image.
“Heh! Okay. G’bye, man.” Boo laughed.
“Bye.”
And with that, Roy bounded up the hill towards Twilight Town, on his way back to Kastle Koopa. Boo watched him until his figure disappeared with the setting moon, still as eerie as always.
“Hmm. Well... what a jolly good twilight that was,” said Boo, his Boo-laughter echoing throughout the woods.
The End
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