Chapter Seven: Intertwining Fates and Destinies
Jinx stood with his back turned, his cape fluttering in the wind as the giant meteor he stood on hurtled towards the planet at almost sixty miles an hour. Kamek stood opposite of the feisty fighter, his magic machine gun pointed with pin-point decision.
“This ends NOW, Jinx. I'll kill you now, if don't stop the rock!"
Jinx turned his head slightly, and met Kamek's gaze with only one hallow eye. "It doesn't matter. Life form X MUST be brought to our planet or none will know the true salvation of The All Mind."
Kamek trembled, and steadied the aim of his gun. "THIS IS MADNESS!" he shouted, trying to hold back tears. "If this meteor isn't stopped now, it will COMPLETELY DESTROY Booster Hill!"
A smirk spread across Jinx's face. "Good riddance."
In an explosion of emotion, Kamek open fired. Geometric shapes blasted from the tip of the machine gun and rocketed towards Jinx really, really fast, but he stopped them by punching them.
"You can't stop me," Jinx grinned mercilessly.
"NOT UNLESS I STOP YOU FIRST!"
"NO!"
Kamek did a twirling backflip and shot his machine gun at Jinx continuously.
"Very well then." Jinx muttered, looking down. "If you will not stop trying to stop me, then I will have to stop YOU. Behold the true power of the All Mind!"
Dodging another burst of artillery from Kamek, two giant insect wings sprouted from Jinx’s back. His skin became hard and black and covered with spikes and claws, his eyes and Mohawk became evil, his cape turned to blood red, and chainsaws erupted from his hands.
"No! Jinx! Don't listen to Lifeform X! It is evil!"
"It is not evil!" Jinx roared in a demonic voice while covered in The Darkness. "IT IS THE WAY OF TRUE PEACE."
"No it's not!"
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE STUPID!" Jinx swooped down and began shooting a lot of chainsaws out of his hands at Kamek.
Kamek dodged out of the way and returned fire, but Jinx punched Kamek in the face. Quickly raising his gun to guard his face from the chainsaws, Jinx slowly began sawing through the gun with his revving chainsaw hands.
"You can't do this! This isn't part of The Prophecy!
"Or maybe," Jinx snarled as his chainsaw hands slowly inched towards Kamek's face, "this was part of The Prophecy all along."
Kamek's eyes widened at the sudden realization, but at that instant, the meteor smashed into Booster Hill with a massive explosion. As the vaporizing blast obliterated the meteor and Booster Hill, Kamek shed a single tear for all of the beetles who would be wiped out in the catastrophe. In a blinding flash of light, Jinx and Kamek were destroyed utterly.
As the dust settled,
there was nothing left but the resonating growl of Lifeform X. With a terrifying
howl, the monstrous monstrosity rose from the pit to unveil the monster
known as the All Mind.
*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*-*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*
"Welcome to the new stage of history."
Toadsworth's eyes opened as he found himself in a dark room. In front of him was a chair illuminated by three flashlights, with a monkey sitting in it. Ukiki grinned maniacally as he smoothed back his incredible pompadour.
"Where am I?"
"You are inside… the DARKNESS ROOM."
The lights turned on. Ukiki turned them off.
"The darkness…" Toadsworth groaned as he shoved aside his sniper rifle and throwing knives. "Where is it coming from?"
"Your heart," Ukkiki answered. "It is becoming dark. Soon, it will not be light."
"NO!"
"Yes."
"NOOOOO!"
"Yes. Wallow in your despair."
Toadsworth leapt to his feet without hesitation and aimed one of his throwing knives at Poochy's head. "Let me out of here, Ukkiki," Toadsworth threatened, "or Poochy gets killed by one of my throwing knives."
"No."
Toadsworth threw the knife and Poochy died in five seconds.
"Okay, now let me out of here."
"No."
"Fine then." Toadsworth sulked as he sat down in a beanbag chair. He glared at Ukiki defiantly. "Tell me what you want from me."
"Oh, nothing much," Ukkiki started. "We just want to know where you're hiding Red Ninjakoopa."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I'm through with words," Ukkiki snarled as he pulled out the Inferno Gauntlet. "After I punch you lot with this Inferno Gauntlet, you will tell me or you will die from the punches. But you will probably tell me first. I will show you the GREATEST NIGHTMARE with this Inferno Gauntlet."
"Wh-where did you get that?"
"Let's just say that Red Goomba wasn't so successful in finding it," Ukkiki giggled. "And by that, I mean he got shot with forty-nine bullets."
"That's forty-nine bullets too many, Ukiki," Toadsworth said grimly. "You'll pay for each one of those bullets with your LIFE."
Toadsworth began firing the sniper rifle from two feet away. Ukiki used the Inferno Gauntlet to fly in the airm and dodged the bullets. Toadsworth then revealed his trump card: his rocket launcher leg.
"Be gone, you scum!"
Toadsworth shot eight rockets at Ukiki, but they all missed and made big holes in the wall. Taking this opportunity, the old Toad leapt through one of the holes and shot sixteen rockets in midair. Ukiki destroyed those rockets with mind bullets.
"With mind bullets?!"
"That's telekinesis, Toadsworth."
"How ‘bout the power… to move you?" a third voice asked.
Ukiki whirled to find eleven machetes flying at him at a really super fast speed. He ducked, but one of them tore off his arm.
"OW! GEEZ!"
Jr. Troopa landed on his feet gracefully, with his purple cape billowing in the wind. He held his magic power staff to his chest, and floating around his body were thirty machetes.
"Well then," Jr. Troopa announced dramatically, "let us dance."
Ukiki was enraged and so mad. "SWORDS ARE NOT TOYS!"
With all of his rage and anger, Ukiki began to charge up his Inferno Gauntlet with super powerful energy. He roared really loudly and leapt into the air.
"WATCH OUT, TOADSWORTH!" Jr. Troopa screamed. "IT'S THE INFERNO PUNCH!"
"Okay."
Ukiki let out a bellowing roar of anger. "INFERNO PUUUUUNCH!!!"
Jr. Troopa opened the door to the Darkness Room and opened up the door to Dark Chaos Space. Ukiki got sucked out really fast, but Toadsworth and Jr. Troopa didn't. The Inferno Punch exploded in a tremendous light. You could see it in space.
"Ha ha. Not even the Inferno Punch stands a change against Dark Chaos Space," Jr. Troopa chuckled.
"Ha ha. That's ironic."
Little did both of them know that in Dark Chaos Space, a figure was soaring on rocket boots. He went over to where Ukiki was floating around, all dead and stuff. The figure yanked the Inferno Gauntlet from the dead monkey's claws and cackled.
"SOON! SOON, EVERYTHING WILL BE COMPLETE!" Big Lantern Ghost screeched as he flew off into the depths of Dark Chaos Space.
*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*-*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*
Three figures sat together on the Flower Fields Subway. One was wearing a tight hoodie and his identity was unknown. A Nimbian sat across from him with a giant golden statue of Wart next to him. The third figure was Eldstar, asleep on some newspapers next to the hooded figure.
The two glanced at each other a whole lot of times as the subway made its trek through the dark, wet tunnels underneath the Mushroom Kingdom. Eldstar coughed a bit and rolled over on his makeshift bed.
"Lovely weather," Garro commented, looking out the window, despite the darkness of the subway.
"Indeed…" the figure replied, tightening up his hoodie.
The subway hit a bump and the figure dropped his present. It lay there alone in the middle of the subway, waiting for someone to pick it up.
"You dropped somethin'," Garro said shrewdly.
The figure stood up and leaned over to grab his gift, but as he bent over, two drops of water fell from his hood. He glanced up and saw Garro grimacing.
"I've got you now!"
He grabbed his Wart statue and the crown opened up to reveal the nozzle of a bazooka.
"Oh my goodness!" the figure shouted, pulling out an uzi and throwing off his hoodie.
"I've been looking for you, Crystal King," Garro said, puffing a cigar that came seemingly out of nowhere.
"I don't want any business with you, Garro," the icy king said, pointing his gun directly at Garro's forehead.
"That's too bad," Garro said, frowning. "Because you have some now!"
Garro shot around four shots from his bazooka. Crystal King jumped over the resulting explosion and fired his uzi randomly in the air, causing a pipe to land next to Garro.
"GRRRRRR!" Garro growled in anger. He fired eight missiles towards Crystal King, who was running down the side of the cart to avoid them. He did three backflips while throwing ninja stars, knocking the statue out of Garro's hands!
"I have you!" Crystal King laughed, firing his uzi randomly around the subway. Garro dove under the bullets and grabbed his weapon, ducking for cover behind a leather seat.
Eldstar started stirring from the noise, but went back to sleep because he was pretty tired.
Crystal King was ducking behind another seat, reloading his uzi. He wondered if Garro was approaching, because he didn't know, because he wasn't looking. He peaked over the seat.
Only Eldstar was in the cart.
"What the?!" Crystal King gasped.
The roof above him exploded as a rain of bazooka rockets fell directly onto Crystal King. He quickly rolled out of the way at the last minute, firing his uzi upwards. He heard cackling from the hole in the roof the bazooka made, so he jumped up on top of the subway.
Garro smirked as his opponent stood before him. "Trying to halt The Prophecy, are we?"
"The Prophecy is all wrong!" Crystal King shouted with tears in his eyes. "It's not too late to stop it!"
"The Prophecy is NOT stoppable, you idiot!" Garro yelled, firing three rockets into the air. "Gooper Blooper was a doubter as well, which is why he got what was coming to him."
"He died!" Crystal King said.
"I know!" Garro laughed. "And now you will too!"
"Not if I shoot you in the head first!" the Duplighost growled, pointing his gun forward with his finger on the trigger.
Suddenly, he had a rapier sticking out of his back. He dropped the gun and turned around to view his murderer. "You… you monsters!" He dropped dead in front of Eldstar.
"Those poor souls," the star said, frowning. "They think they can stop The Prophecy, but they can't, because The Prophecy is unstoppable!"
"What's in the present?" Garro asked, putting away his Wart bazooka.
Eldstar opened the gift. "It's… a note!"
"We'll read this later…" Garro said, looking ahead. "We've got some unfinished business with Goombaria…"
*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*-*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*
"Clear the way! Move it!" shouted a frantic Bootler, quickly wheeling an occupied stretcher through the crowded hallways of DADist Hospital East. "MAKE WAY!"
Patients and doctors dove out of the way so as not to get in the way of the ghost. Bootler turned three corners and went up an elevator and turned a fourth corner and then bumped into Boshi.
"Ow!" Bootler said. "Boshi, get out of the way!"
"What?" Boshi said.
"Get out of the way!"
"Oh."
Boshi got out of the way and Bootler continued wheeling the new patient into the Emergency Room.
"Oh my gosh!" Dr. The Angry Sun shouted, rising from his computer. "What happened?!"
Bootler fought to hold back tears. "It was so sudden… Apparently Flurrie had something to do with it…"
"Flurrie!" the sun spat, clenching his fists. "She will pay for all this!"
"What's going on?!" shouted two more doctors simultaneously, running into the room.
"It's bad, it's real bad," Dr. The Angry Sun explained. "His pulse is dropping and his statistics are pretty bad. He's unconscious at the moment, and if we don't operate soon, he may fall into cardiac arrest… forever!"
The two new physicians gasped. The shorter, more Italian of the two, stepped forward. "Let's operate-a on-a him now!"
"Right you are, Dr. Mario," said Dr. Topper, putting on latex gloves. "We have to hurry, there's little time to be wasted."
Dr. The Angry Sun pulled the covers from the patient's face. Tatanga lay motionless, his eyes wide open, with a sense of fear filling both of them.
"Give me-a the scalpel-a!" Dr. Mario demanded, tossing multicolored pills down Tatanga's throat. Dr. Topper gave Mario the scalpel.
Beads of sweat forming on Mario's forehead, he slowly made an incision across the alien's forensic artery. The only chance they had was to bypass his neumatonic system and place an artificial tube in the center of his heart. The doctor worked carefully, his two companions and Bootler standing by, their hearts seeming to beat the seconds as they passed.
"This is terrible…" Bootler said, remembering all the times Tatanga had been there for him. "He didn't deserve this. Nobody deserves this."
"Do you think," Doctor Topper began, ",this could be a sign of The Prophecy?"
With that dreaded word that had cursed his family for generations, Dr. The Angry Sun lost it. He roared and leapt for the ignorant Dr. Topper, who caught on fire because Dr. The Angry Sun is made of fire and is very hot to the touch.
"NO-A!!!" Dr. Mario screamed, pulling back the angry sun. However, it was too late. Dr. Topper had given his last autopsy. He was gone. Dr. The Angry Sun had killed him accidentally.
The three stood there in panic, unsure what to do. Tatanga's condition worsened. Dr. The Angry Sun broke down.
"No!" he cried. "NO!!! I've killed my best friend!" He turned to his cohorts. "I… I don't deserve to be a surgeon… I must go into isolation…"
"Don't talk-a like that-a!" Dr. Mario cried. "You must help people-a-a!"
"I can't help people…" the sun replied. "I'm… useless! USELESS!" He flew out the window to Desert Land.
Bootler and Dr.
Mario turned to Tatanga. His heart monitor continued to make the occasional
beep, but the sight was far from relieving. Tatanga had fallen into a coma.
The surgery was a failure.
Chapter Eight: Awakening of the Millennium Lineage
Backflipping through the rippling painting, MIPS dropped down into a dark room with his cloak billowing after him. The only light in this darkened hall came from the shadows emanating from the Nightmare Scepter that MIPS wielded.
"So," boomed a malevolent voice from beyond the inky black shadowy pitch darkness, "once again we meet for the first time."
"Wise Wisterwood," spat MIPS. "I should have known."
At once MIPS saw the calculated face of Wise Wisterwood staring down at him. This had all been part of his plan.
"You can't stop the Brotherhood of Nightmares," MIPS warned. "We WILL find SANCTUARY, and then it will be too late."
Wise Wisterwood looked to the side, out the window overlooking Bob-omb Battlefield. "Tall, Tall Mountain is burning," he said. "It is only a matter of time before Fahr Outpost joins us."
"Do you think I'm afraid?!" MIPS stomped forward. "Because I am not afraid OR scared. You think ANYTHING can stop my ambition? The ministry is on our side and the Nightmare Scepter will obey only ME!"
Wise Wisterwood could only laugh, the irony was too much.
"THIS IS NOT A JOKE, WISTERWOOD!" MIPS slammed his fist into a stone column and shattered it completely. "I have come to put a stop to you, and reclaim the AEON relics."
Wisterwood's chuckle slowly subsided. "They are useless without the Forbidden Radiance. Did you know that? Hinopio made sure of that."
MIPS could only grin smugly. Wisterwood had no way of knowing what had happened to Hinopio.
"Tell me, Wise Wisterwood, what do you hope to achieve? Once the Chaos Door has been opened, there will be no turning back."
"The Prophecy was NOT mistranslated. I don't want to believe in it any more than you do, but the Chosen One has been found and there is no point in trying to deny it.”
MIPS turned to the window. "You are a fool to trust your fate to Il Piantissimo. He will never achieve CONTACT."
"Even so, he has gained control of the Zohar Engine. I will not desert my oldest and dearest friend."
"I will make sure he receives an invitation to your funeral," MIPS chortled. "Did you know, my wooden friend, that The LAMBS have already infiltrated Tubular? The Special Stage has been lost while you all have been wasting your time hunting down the Apocalypse Cloak."
"I know that."
"WHAT?!" MIPS shouted. "Why do you continue then? It's hopeless!"
"Because," Wise Wisterwood explained, "I know something that you do not.
MIPS was becoming sick and tired of Wisterwood's insipid prattle. "And what, pray tell, is that?"
"The true purpose of the Seventeen Arch-Angels of the Prophecy."
MIPS's eyes widened and he couldn't stop freaking out.
*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*-*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*
"The Don will see youse now."
Koopie Koo holstered her dual chain guns as the door to the Rogueport Syndicate's office closed with an ominous thunk. Stepping forward past the armed Pianta thugs, she saw Frankie within the absolute pitch darkness with his sunglasses shining brightly.
"It has been too long," mumbled the mob boss. "I wish we could have met again on a happier occasion." He was stroking a white cat and also eating a bowl of spaghetti. "As it stands, however, the war of the two kingdoms has made everyone very sad and not happy. It is a miserable state of affairs that requires me to request the services of Koopie Koo, 'The Blood Hands'."
Koopie Koo grimaced. "Cut the hogwash!" she rasped. "Who am I putting on ice today?"
Frankie growled and slammed his fist into the desk. "The doof killed my FRANCESCA! I won't ever forget that scummy dirtwad as long as I live!"
Koopie Koo raised an eyebrow. "You want me to take out the Rawk Hawk?"
Standing up, Frankie peered out through the Venetian blinds of his office between mouthfuls of spaghetti. "These are dark times we're living in," he explained. "I'm not going to believe in any Prophecy that intends to let a murderer like him go free. It's against the LAW, and I won't abide law breaking."
"But The Prophecy...!"
"SHUT UP!" screamed Frankie, "I DON'T CARE! I am calling in every favor you owe the syndicate. If you refuse, I will see to it that Luigi never makes it to the Eternal Star stage."
"..."
Frankie took out a Fire Flower from his waistcoat. He slammed it down on the desk and slid it over to Koopie Koo.
"The Beanbeans are trying to ascend to SANCTUARY."
Koopie Koo hesitated. "They don't understand what it really is."
Frankie frowned and adjusted his shimmering glasses.
"Kill Rawk Hawk and maybe I'll help you."
Koopie Koo accepted the Fire Flower and left the office at once.
As she left the item shop, the plaza was rocked by an explosion and someone threw a car at Koopie Koo.
"OH YEAAAAAH! Looks like SOMEONE is gonna get RAWK'D!"
Koopie Koo leapt into the air and ran across the hurled car as it hurtled towards the brick wall. Swan-diving off the end bumper, she whipped out her chain guns and hailed bullets toward Rawk Hawk. He backflipped out of the way and punched Koopie in the face and sent her tumbling back.
She spit out a bloody tooth as she pulled herself off the pavement. "You're not leaving this street alive, Hawk. Give up now and I won't make you suffer."
"NO WAY, JOSE!!!"
Koopie Koo opened fired again, only to have the shots deflected as Rawk Hawk used a slab of concrete as a shield. Yanking a lamppost clean from the street, he swiped at Koopie Koo, narrowly missing as she weaved in and out of the attacks.
"SLAMMA JAMMA!!!" Rawk Hawk shouted as he hurled the lamppost at his opponent like a javelin. Koopie Koo's chain guns brought it down, and suddenly she whipped her trench coat open wide and sent fourteen throwing knives speeding towards Rawk Hawk. They sank deep into his chest, making him howl in pain.
"OHHH! WHO'S gonna pay for that? YOU'RE gonna pay for that. OH YEAAAAAH!"
"Bring it on, tubby!" Koopie hissed.
Suddenly, through the smoke and glowing embers of the smoldering plaza, they saw upon the rooftops the spectral image of Big Lantern Ghost's spirit from beyond the grave.
"It is time," he said.
*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*-*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*
Goombario readied his ninety-shot bazooka menacingly. "I'm warning you," he growled. "This baby can shoot ninety times."
"Ha!"
Kylie Koopa spit out her chewing tobacco and lit four cigars while finishing her cigarette. She then began swinging her chainsaw nunchucks.
"You need to finish her," Captain Syrup said urgently to her Goomba lover. "She's one of the Masters of the Lost Covenant."
Goombario now knew the full urgency of the situation. Everything was on the line now. The Prophecy, the Chaos Door, even the Cataclysm Sanctuary were at stake. But most importantly, the soul of their beloved companion was at risk. If he lost now, Sluggy the Unshaven would be sent to the Omega Realm.
"I can't lose now, Kylie Koopa," Goombario said solemnly. "If I lose now, that would really, really stink."
"But there's no way you can win, you fool!" Kylie cackled. "Remember Roger the Potted Ghost?"
"Uh… No, actually. I don't know who that is."
"Well, I killed him."
"Ah. Okay."
Kylie then leapt into the air and screamed for no reason. She landed on her feet. Then she did a triple backflip and a quadruple somersault. She landed on her feet again. Then she threw a chainsaw at Goombario.
"You'll have to do better than that, Kylie!" Goombario scoffed.
"You don't understand, you simpleton! That's a CHAOS CHAINSAW!"
"NO!"
Goombario stared at the whirling chainsaw in horror. It was black, black as the notes of the Dark Sonata itself.
"GOOMBARIO!" Captain Syrup screamed.
"What?"
"DODGE IT!"
But it was way too late. The Chaos Chainsaw sliced off Goombario's right arm. Blood spurted everywhere as Goombario collapsed on the ground, convulsing in pain.
"Goombario, are you all right?!"
"Nope."
"HA HA HA HA HA!!!" Kylie chuckled lightly. "Now you see what you're dealing with. Chaos can accomplish anything!"
Goombario staggered to his feet, but collapsed on the ground and vomited violently. The pain was overwhelming. He tried to get up again, but instead threw up eighty times. But he NEEDED to stop throwing up and being gross. He NEEDED to get up. Sluggy was waiting for them. Goombario clenched his teeth together and stood.
"You… could never… understand… Kylie."
"What?!"
"Have you ever flown in a dream?" Goombario whispered. "That tingling feeling turns me into a hero who rescues my friends from monsters. Monsters like YOU."
"Your self-righteousness is pitiful!" Kylie snarled.
"You've joined the side of darkness, Kylie," Goombario spoke in a louder and stronger voice. "But you see, we are the guards of beautiful nature! We'll never stop our big adventure ‘til the glorious day of the final victory!"
Kylie's eyes widened in horrific realization. "You…you met… HIM?!"
"That's right," Captain Syrup answered. "We are the disciples of Mr. Zingo, Chief Prosecutor of the Land of Lost Dreams."
"I thought that was a myth!"
"It wasn't."
"Oh."
"I'm the winner among all the brave players of dreamland!" Goombario shouted spectacularly.
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Kylie shrieked. "I DON'T! SERIOUSLY!"
"NOW!" Goombario bellowed. "I'M GOING TO PUSH THE LIMITS OF MY ABILITIES!"
"NOOOOO!!!"
"ULTIMATE ATTACK!" Goombario announced. "POWERFUL JUMP!"
Goombario leapt and dropkicked Kylie in the face. It broke every bone in her face. Kylie crumpled on the ground, clutching her face.
"Owwwww."
In celebration of their foe's defeat, Goombario and Captain Syrup decided to make out for a half hour. After that, Goombario walked over to Kylie, who was still clutching her broken, bleeding face.
"Now do you feel what I have suffered?" Goombario whispered as he wept silently. "Now do you see the life I have led?"
"Ah, how beauty shines in the warrior who is trying his best!" a mocking, evil voice rang out.
Goombario looked up immediately. Those pre-pubescent squeaks filled him with dread, not just because they were really irritating, but because he recognized that voice.
"No…"
Kooper floated down from the skies with his Chaos Scythe in hand. He looked upon his former friend without a flicker of recognition.
"Why, Kooper? WHY?!"
"Haven't you realized the truth yet?!" Kooper laughed. "All of your friends have betrayed you. Look! Behind you! SOMEONE'S WATCHING YOU."
Goombario turned frantically and saw Sluggy the Unshaven watching him. Sluggy was in a dark cloak and his eyes were red like the color of evil.
"He was part of Organization Enigma this whole time," Kooper explained.
"SLUGGY?! WHY?! WHYYYY?!"
"In the end," Kooper chuckled softly as he pointed at Sluggy, "he will be the last man standing."
Sluggy grabbed his plasma rifle and aimed straight at Goombario's head. He grinned wickedly. "Hey! You can't beat me! Wow!"
Goombario choked back a sob as he leaned on Captain Syrup in despair. The despairs and sufferings of his long, weary life were collapsing upon him, and he realized one last thing before his untimely death.
There were no Keys to the Chaos Door. Belome had lied.
*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*-*\\~//*//~\\*\\~//*
Parakarry woke up on a cold, wet, stone floor. The lighting was poor, but he could make out chains hanging from the roof. He felt a swelling in his chest and coughed seven times. He couldn't manage to stand up.
His forehead felt wet, so he felt it with his hand. It was covered in blood. Slowly, Parakarry began to recall where he was, and an immense fear began to grow inside him.
"Let me out of here!" he yelled, crawling to the steel door and banging on it. "Anybody! HELP!" Tears filled his eyes and he continued to bellow at the top of his lungs, but nobody heard his cries. He slumped in the corner and cried. All hope was lost, it seemed.
“My my, are we upset?" came a voice from the other side of the door.
Parakarry now regretted making such a fuss, and did not respond.
A loud series of clangs and jingles came from the other side of the door. Parakarry's heart began to beat faster, and he looked for some place to hide. There was none, for it was a very small room without much in it.
The door swung open and a shadowy figure stepped in. Parakarry could not make out his features in the poor light, but he knew who it was, although he certainly wished he didn't.
"Please, I beg of you," Parakarry pleaded helplessly. "You have to stop all this! The Rope of Fear cannot be underestimated!"
"You know it won't work," chuckled the figure as he lit a cigar. "We couldn't stop this thing now if we wanted to. Please, try to look on the bright side of things; there could be something amazing behind the door."
"It's… probably evil!" Parakarry said. "We can't take that chance!"
The figure laughed louder now, with smoke drifting from his lungs into the postman's helpless face.
"There's still a chance… Doopliss can stop this, just find him and-"
"Doopliss?" growled the figure, who threw the cigar violently into the wall, where it exploded. "Doopliss can't save you now. Doopliss is dead. I watched him die myself, along with that disgusting slob, Megasmilax."
The words rang through Parakarry's head like a thousand and seven banshees. It couldn't be true. Parakarry's jaw dropped, and the little bit of hope that he had left disappeared. Doopliss couldn't be gone. He wouldn't let himself believe it.
"Twink will never let you get away with this…" Parakarrry said, tears filling his eyes.
"I find it interesting," chuckled the figure, "that you put so much faith in Twink."
"What are you talking about?" Parakarry growled. "Twink is my friend!"
"Oh, some friend he is. Who do you think gave us the location of the Goblet of Eternal Blizzard in the first place?"
"You… don't mean…"
"Twink wanted you dead from the beginning," chuckled the figure. "He told us how much you trusted him and we laughed about it last Wednesday."
"TWINK!" Parakarry roared. "YOU TRAITOR! TRAITOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRR!"
"Now you realize," the figure said, lighting a new cigar, "yhat we hold all the cards." He pulled out a rusty knife.
"No, please!" Parakarry yelled. "I… I can help you! I'll join your side!"
"Sorry, bub," the figure said, stepping closer. "You had your chance. Now you lose."
"You are DOOMING US ALL!" the Paratroopa cried, managing to rise to his feet and back away from the figure. "THE PROPHECY HAS WARNED AGAINST THIS VERY EVENT! THIS. CAN'T. HAPPEN!"
"Silence!" roared the figure, jabbing the knife into Parakarry's right arm. The postman yelped as he felt his arm become warm with blood. The pain was overwhelming, and he fell to his knees before the figure.
"I've been waiting for this my whole life," the figure said, smiling.
In one flash of lightning, the horrifying face of Chaos Yellow Ninjakoopa was imprinted in Parakarry's mind as he let out one final bloodcurdling scream.