FINALE

- Let There Be Light -

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...Mario held all seven Rainbow Relics out and urged everyone to take one so all of them could be placed at the same time. Everyone ran up and decided to take their pick.

The idea was very straightforward - each pedestal had a marking on them that indicated a specific body part. All they had to do was place their respective Relic upon the pedestal of the same body part. Within a matter of seconds, everyone was in their spot, ready to place their Relics upon the pedestal before them...
This was it. After 1,000 years, the Rainbow Relics were finally about to be put back in their post.
With this, The Rainbow would return, and the world would be safe from Grodus, the X-nauts, and all other alien beings forever...

And yet, as they all stood there, holding the Relics up, ready to place them down, they couldn't help but feel an aura of impending fear...
Slowly, the haunting messages of the dark poem written by the Shadow Queen and King came creeping back into their minds. Telling of their wicked plans concerning the Relics themselves, and how they would bring the world's end...
Could they really?
Could the Relics really fulfill the wishes of these evil beings?
Or was it still safe to place them now, thus providing the world protection forever?
If they were to know the answer to this foreboding question, all they could to do was put the Relics down...

DOO-DOO-DOO DO DOO-DOO-DOO DO DOOOOO DO!

Mario's Mailbox SP suddenly went off in his pocket. "What the-!" he said. "Someone IM'ing me now? Oh come on!"
He quickly took his SP out. "Hang on guys. We'll place the Relics in a sec. Lemme just tell this person that now's REALLY not a good time..."
He flipped the lid and read the message...

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TEC-XX: Mario! Don't place the Rainbow Relics! They'll cause the world to end!

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Mario read the message to himself. Could the message be true? But who had sent it? He didn't recognize the screen name...
"Hey!" he called out. "Does anyone know someone with the screen name TEC-XX?"
Peach suddenly lightened up. "TEC-XX? That was TEC's full name! TEC just IM'ed you? What's he saying?"
"TEC? Really?" asked Mario. "Well, he claims that if we place The Rainbow Relics, they really will cause the world's end. But how would TEC know?"

Mario typed in a reply...

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teh1337mario: TEC?
TEC-XX: Yes it's me! This is Mario, correct?

teh1337mario: Yeah TEC, it's me, Mario. What were you saying?

TEC-XX: Don't place the Rainbow Relics! They will end the world!

teh1337mario: How do you know that?
TEC-XX: It's not important how I know! But you must trust me! You do trust me, right Mario? Princess Peach, you trust me, do you not?

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Peach looked at the Crystal Ball in her hands. "Tell him yes, Mario. I know TEC... He wouldn't be telling us if he wasn't completely serious..."
Everyone else on the rooftop slowly backed away from the pedestals and held their Relics close. After hearing TEC's message, they were sure of it too - the Rainbow Relics would cause the world's end, and they shouldn't place the Relics after all.
Despite how much Mario wanted to know more about The Poem and how much he hoped that The Rainbow might come back to foil Grodus's plans, he found himself writing a reply to TEC's message.

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teh1337mario: Of course, TEC. We trust you...

TEC-XX: Thanks goodness. Now then, there's something else I had to tell you - Zanthir is the Shadow King.

--

Mario read the message and gawked. "What the-?!"
"What does TEC have to say to us now?" Bobbery asked.
Mario turned towards them all. "I really have NO clue how TEC got any of this information, but... he claims that Zanthir is the Shadow King!"
Goombella, Koops, and Verdugo all gasped the loudest, for they were the only ones of the group who had personally met Zanthir.
"What?!" Goombella asked. "But Zanthir was really nice to us! How could HE be the-?!"

The conversation was interrupted when the lift to the palace roof rose up, revealing Vivian, Parakarry, Reinus, and... Zanthir!
All of them looked at Zanthir suspiciously. Indeed, they seemed to see an evil glare in his eyes...
"Well, are you going to place the Rainbow Relics or what?" Zanthir asked.

Oh man, it was true! He wanted them to place the Relics so that the world could end! He really WAS the Shadow King, just like TEC said!
But what could they do about it? His guard was obviously down at the moment. Could they perhaps take this moment to their advantage?

Mario thought Vivian was the only one with the potential to truly stand up to the Shadow King, seeing as they were both Shadow beings. He beckoned for her to come over, even though she still seemed a little sad about having revealed the truth that she had used Mario to get the Crystal Stars.
Vivian reluctantly approached him. "Yes, Mario?" she asked.
Mario pulled her close and put his lips by her ear. He needed to tell her the truth... but what could he tell her to do about it?

"Vivian..." Mario whispered into her ear. "Believe me when I say this... Zanthir is the Shadow King."
Vivian gasped and turned to Zanthir in shock, but Mario held her firmly and kept her close.
"...The Shadow King's the one that's had you do his labor for 1,000 years, right?"
Vivian nodded slowly.
"...And he's also the one who reshaped the Rainbow Relics so they'd cause the world's end... Am I right?"
Vivian nodded again.
"...Kill him..."

Vivian moaned and shook her head slowly. "No..." she whispered back. "He's my King. I can't fight back, despite how much I might want to..."
"Don't worry. We're all here, and as long as we don't place the Relics, his guard will be down."
"But he's so much more powerful than me..."
"I know... If anything, at least try and prove to Reinus that Zanthir is the Shadow King. If Reinus knows, he can definitely help you kill him - Reinus is the King of the Gods, remember?"
"Yeah..." Vivian said softly, sounding a bit more convinced. "But Mario... If the Shadow King dies, we'll never know about the final verse of that poem... Isn't that one of the main reasons you considered placing the Relics?"
Mario sighed. "...That doesn't matter anymore. Just go and talk to your King. And do something about him, OK?"
Vivian was still a little shaky, but she finally nodded. "OK..."

Vivian turned around and looked at Zanthir with a stern expression, then began to float towards him slowly. Zanthir looked down at her as she approached with an odd grin. "Oh, Vivian! Do you not want to join your friends in the placing of the Rainbow Relics? You really should - I'm getting impatient!"
But Vivian didn't turn around. "So it's true..."
Zanthir looked down at her with suspicion. "What? What's true?"
"That you're the Shadow King," she replied. "My King..." She then kneeled down and put her hands on the ground as a sign of respect.

Zanthir gave a slight smile and looked like he was about to say something in reply, but then looked out of the corner of his eye, and saw Reinus eyeing the scene before him suspiciously. Zanthir suddenly became very nervous.
"V-Vivian," Zanthir reassured. "I don't know what you're talking about! Shadow King? Ha! What nonsense! For we all know I am Zanthir, the Earth God; Protector of the Rocks and Soil! I-isn't that right, Reinus?"
Reinus looked at Vivian, who was still kneeling. "Yeah... Vivian, what are you saying? Are you accusing our Earth God of being on the side of evil?"

Vivian shook her head. "Oh, no no no... I'm accusing my King of INHABITING the body of your Earth God!"
Zanthir was becoming more nervous by the second. "Reinus, she's clearly trying to trick us somehow!"
"Trick you?" Vivian asked innocently. "Oh goodness no... I'm not trying to trick you, My King. I just wish to serve you! So what would you like me to do now? Place the Rainbow Relics in their posts so they can bring the world's end? Just like you and our Queen wanted?"
Vivian then looked at the Crystal Ball and waved. "Hello My Queen! Isn't this a happy day? The world's gonna end!" She then turned back to Zanthir and asked, "Would it make both of you happy to have me do the honors?"
Zanthir was shaking like crazy now. "S-Silence Vivian! Silence I say!"

Vivian's sweet innocent face suddenly became an angry frown. "Well fuck you. I'm on Mario's side."
Zanthir's face suddenly flared with anger. "How DARE you speak to your King that way?!"

Everyone upon the roof gasped, and a long silence ensued. Zanthir bit his lip as though he'd just revealed a deadly secret.
And in fact, he had.
Reinus now looked at Zanthir not with suspicion, but with utter disbelief and fury. "It's true... I can't believe this, it's TRUE!! Zanthir... You're really...?"
Zanthir narrowed his eyes. "Don't you call me Zanthir..." he said. "Call me King!!"

And with that, Zanthir whipped around and blew a blast of dark matter out of his mouth straight at Reinus's heart.
But Reinus was totally ready for it. He held out his palm and absorbed all the blackness into it, creating a swirling black ball that then turned bright blue.
And then swung his arm around, and chucked the blue orb right back into Zanthir's mouth!

Zanthir seemed to explode on the inside, dizzying him and causing him to fall to the ground with a big thud. His big stony head lay there foe several seconds.
Until the black mist began to seep out of his mouth...
The mist began to take form, and shifted into the devilish shape of the Shadow King himself.
He then looked at Vivian. "You..." he muttered angrily. "You think you've won, but it's NOT over! The Relics will be placed, and your Queen shall have your body, and the world shall be mine!!"

Vivian heard what he said, but she didn't exactly listen. She wore a wicked smirk on her face as she began to store up humungous amounts of fire in her hands...
"These are MY fire powers..." she told herself. "If my queen could magnify them as much as she could, just imagine what I could do myself!"
Before the Shadow King could even make a move, she thrust her palms forward and a massive wave of fire spread across the rooftop, completely engulfing the Shadow King in flames! Everyone stared in awe at the fiery rage before them. It was massive! And Vivian had done this without the aid of the Shadow Queen's possession! Crazy!

When Vivian finally stopped for a breath and the flames disappeared, there lay the shadow form of the King, slowly burning away. As he did, black smog oozed up from his body. His physical form was dying...
Well, his shadow form was dying, anyway. Once the flames died out, he was a shadow being no more... But rather a human man. His features were sharp and handsome, yet very dark. He stood up and looked at his body in anger. Then looked at Vivian.
"My Shadow Form..." he said. "Gone... All because of YOU!!"
Vivian had been so weakened by the previous attack she'd just done that she couldn't fight back. The Shadow King walked up to her on his very human legs and stared down at her menacingly. "And now... I bestow upon you the very punishment that gave birth to me..."
Goombella's eyes suddenly shot open. "Oh no... VIVIAN! Don't let him touch you! He's gonna...!"

The Shadow King snapped his fingers loudly, interrupting Goombella, and Vivian suddenly felt a strange sensation in her lower region. She looked down and saw she was wearing underpants...
"No..." she cried. "No, please!"
The Shadow King merely laughed wickedly as he walked around Vivian's backside, held her head down with one hand...
And used the other to yank forcefully on Vivian's underwear.

Vivian couldn't even scream, and she began to cry tears of pain in mere seconds. "H-help...!!" was all she managed to choke.
Goombella began to cry too. "OOOH, TOMIC WEDGIE!!" she yelled out, while everyone tried to run to her aid. But the Shadow King merely stamped his foot, and everyone was sent flying back. This got him so riled up he pulled ever harder on Vivian's underwear. It was inevitable - he was going to 'Tomic Wedgie Vivian to death.
"I'm sorry honey..." he said quietly.
Vivian couldn't even reply. The pain multiplied by the second...

Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter blade filled the air, and everyone was surprised to see The Koopa Klown Car suddenly rise up and land on the palace roof. Grodus, Crump, Bowser and Doopliss were aboard.
"Alright!" Grodus said. "Where's the Shadow King and Queen? I have a score to settle with both of them!"
"Yeah, me too!" Crump exclaimed. "BUH HUH HUH!"
"And where's PEACH!?" Bowser yelled. "I STILL haven't kidnaped her this entire story!"
Doopliss then peeked over the edge of the Klown Car. "Vivian?" he asked.
He then saw her... suffering a terrible Atomic Wedgie from some weird guy!
Seeing Vivian in pain filled Doopliss to the brim with fury. "Hey YOU!!" he yelled. "Let Vivian go!!"

Doopliss leapt out of the Koopa Klown Car and sped towards the evil man. When the man saw Doopliss approaching, he stamped his foot, but his spell to blow Doopliss away didn't seem to work! He tried again, but Doopliss still advanced, screaming his head off!
Doopliss then jumped in the air and took the shape of a stone Thwomp, which crashed hard into the man's body, causing him to topple over and release Vivian. Vivian gasped in relief and fell to the ground. Doopliss reverted back to his true form, ran over to her, and helped her up. She looked at him through her still-teary eyes.
"Doopliss... Y-you saved me..."
"Yeah," he replied. "But you're still not safe! He'll be back to-"

The Shadow King had gotten up and was charging at Doopliss like a madman, screaming in rage! Doopliss stood his ground, ready to take any blow he had to for the woman he loved...

SMACK!!

A heavy blow to the Shadow King's face knocked him backwards and onto the ground! He tried to sit up, but a foot came down on his chest and held him down.
Mario's foot.
Mario held the Hammer close to the Shadow King's face. "We could've fought like men..." Mario said. "We could've taken turns... But I see no reason to give you that mercy anymore. Now die!"
And with that, Mario held his Hammer high...
And with all his strength, brought it down onto the Shadow King's human face.

The death was gruesome, but not for long. Seconds after Mario stepped off the body, it began to dissipate into a faint black mist...
Everyone understood - both his physical forms were destroyed, and he was now but an immortal spirit that floated the earth. Just like his wife in the Crystal Ball...

When the body was gone and the dark cloud was at its fullest, Reinus didn't even give it a chance. He held out his hand, trapping the Shadow King's spirit in his magic grip, and thrust it into the Crystal Ball with the Shadow Queen's spirit.
Then, just for good measure, he waved his hands around and cast a final spell upon the Crystal Ball. His spell caused it to become not a clear crystal ball, but a ball shaded light blue that sparkled with heavenly light. The dark spirits within seemed to try and break free, but they could not.

Reinus then walked over and picked up the Crystal Ball...
And held it high over his head.

Mario and all his friends cheered. Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Verdugo, Bobbery, Ms Mowz, Parakarry, Vivian and Doopliss... all let out their happiness at that moment. Grodus cheered too, for the Shadow King and Queen were now sealed away forever. In fact, for that brief moment, he seemed to completely forget that he was but a head with no body, and that killing Vivian had been one of his goals.
Bowser was confused. He still wanted to capture Peach, but now wasn't the time, so he cheered too.
Crump cheered just because everyone else was doin' it.

Reinus stared at the Crystal Ball intently, and watched the evil spirits frolic within. "The battle is won..." he announced. "I just hope these two live happily together in there..."
Reinus then looked down upon Mario and his friends. "However, the spell I've cast upon this Crystal Ball will not last forever. The spell will break and the spirits will be free again in 1,000 years!"
Mario and everyone gasped, then groaned in severe disappointment.
But Reinus suddenly smiled and laughed out loud. "HAHA! Naw, I'm just kiddin'! It'll last forever!"
This made everyone sigh in relief, and even laugh along with him.

"Although..." Reinus continued. "We probably SHOULD do something with this Crystal Ball... Banish it? Keep it as a trophy? I dunno! What do you guys think?" He stared at the Crystal Ball in his hand, with the two dark spirits shifting around within. He then proceeded to place it in his pocket. "Well, I think I have an idea of what I'd like to do with this, but that's for later."
He then looked down upon Mario and his friends, his expression serious. "You didn't place the Rainbow Relics..." he said. "You knew the Shadow King hoped to destroy the world with them... Do you by chance know what would've happened if you had set them?"
Verdugo shook his head. "Nope. According to our sources though, The Shadow King and Queen stole the Relics from their posts 1,000 years ago and reshaped them somehow so that when returned to their post, they would end the world... somehow."

"Reshaped, you say?" Reinus asked. He walked up to Bobbery and asked to look at the Red Hands of Friendship, which Bobbery handed to him. He then examined it closely. It didn't take long for him to realize something wasn't right.
"My goodness..." he said. "They ARE shaped differently than I remember!"
"How so?" Ms Mowz wondered.
"Well," Reinus explained, "It seems much of the crystal texture has been shaved off, so it's smaller than it should be... And look at this. If you look closely, you can see that the ring finger on both hands is wider than the thumbs!"
"So... What exactly would that mean, sir?" asked Bobbery.
Reinus did a quick sweep of all the Relics that they held, then looked at everyone. "If I'm not mistaking, then instead of firing their rays of color into the center of the sky to create The Rainbow, the Relics would've fired their rays over the side of the palace roof and straight down towards the Earth!"
"Would that have been a bad thing?" asked Koops.
"Yes..." Reinus shuddered at the thought. "Very bad..."

Mario looked down at the Green Feet of Strength in his hands. Upon closer inspection, the pinky toe was larger than it should've been. "Is there any way we can change the Relics back to normal so The Rainbow can return?"
Reinus thought for a second, and then smiled. "Yes..." he said. "But these Relics were made from all our powers. If we're to change them back, we'll need everyone..."
Without another word, Reinus whipped out his cell phone. He pushed a button and spoke into it.
"Attention all Gods and Goddesses of Earth. This is Reinus speaking. Urgent meeting atop The Palace of the Gods. Drop all your business and get to the palace rooftop as quickly as possible. The Rainbow's coming back!"
That was all he needed to say. He closed his phone, put it back in his pocket, and waited.
"So... What happens now?" Parakarry asked.
"Just wait..." Reinus replied.

Not a minute later, a magical flotilla of Gods and Goddesses began to arrive at the scene. They all rose up from the cloud cover over the Earth and made their way towards the palace rooftop. There were so many... Even a few Mario and his friends recognized. Yama, God of Lightning, Loki and Fyord, Gods of Fire and Ice, Marinu, God of Water... It amazed them all how many Gods there were! There were so many they couldn't fit anymore on the roof, so they had to float out alongside its perimeter.
"Yo Reinus!" Yama called out. "Did these guys really get ALL seven of the Rainbow Relics?"

"Indeed," Reinus said. "And they shall be placed momentarily. However, something must be done first - I'm sure you all remember the day The Rainbow disappeared 1,000 years ago. You see, the evil beings who stole them hoped to reshape them so that they would end up destroying the world, and it seems they got far enough in their plans as to actually reshape them... However, don't worry! If we combine our powers, we'll be able to revert the Relics back to their original shapes! C'mon everyone! It'll be just like that day we created the Rainbow Relics in the first place when the Earth began!"
There was a small celebration among the Gods and Goddesses at that moment. However, a Plant Goddess suddenly called out, "But Reinus, what about Zanthir? Is he OK?"

Reinus looked over at the fallen body of Zanthir. Ever since the Shadow King had been forced out of his body, he hadn't woken up. Reinus walked over to his side and bent down.
"Zanthir...?"
No reply.
"Zanthir, can you hear me?"
Still no reply.
Reinus spoke softly. "Zanthir, listen to me... I know you've suffered from an inferiority complex your entire life, but you must understand... You let your heart become so weak, and that's what allowed evil to find a way in... So please, be strong. Don't allow others to walk upon you. You have more power than you know. You're no mere dummy for your fellow Gods to abuse - you are a God yourself! You are Zanthir, The Earth God; Protector of the Rocks and Soil!"
Reinus's stirring words seemed to make Zanthir move slightly. By the time the speech was done, his eyes were open ever so slightly.
"Reinus?" he asked. "What the heck... I feel like I've been asleep for like, 1000 years..."
Reinus smiled. "And what a gift awaits your awakening! Come Zanthir! Join your fellow Gods as we restore the Rainbow Relics and bring the light of the Rainbow back into the sky!"
The Gods all cheered again, and Zanthir smiled.

"Very well everyone..." Reinus announced. "Let's do this thang!"
With that, he raised his arms high over his head, and the seven Rainbow Relics lifted up from the hands of their beholders and settled in midair above their respective pedestals.
Reinus did another spell-like maneuver, all seven began to glow brightly, illuminating the night sky with the seven colors of The Rainbow...
All the Gods and Goddesses raised their arms and closed their eyes, transferring their own respective power to the Relics in order to return them to their former shape...
After several seconds, a bright light suddenly flashed, and all the Gods returned to peace, except Reinus, who was still keeping the Relics aloft. The reshaping process was done, and now all that had to be done was to place the Relics down...

Reinus opened his eyes and looked down upon Mario and co. "Would you like to do the honors?" he asked.
Mario grinned and walked over to Peach. While standing beside her, he looked at his seven companions; Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Verdugo, Vivian, Bobbery, and Ms Mowz. "You guys go ahead," he said with a smile.
"Really?" Verdugo asked.
"Definitely. This wouldn't have been possible without you guys..."

And so, each of Mario's friends grabbed the Rainbow Relic they had once been holding, except for Vivian, who took Mario's place as the holder of the Feet of Strength. They all got ready.Once they were all in place, Reinus called out. "OK everyone! Count down with me!"
Mario, Peach, Parakarry, Doopliss, Grodus, Crump, Bowser, and all the Gods and Goddesses joined in the countdown...

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

And right when they would've said "0", Mario's friends placed the Rainbow Relics down.

Within seconds, they began to glow brightly.
Next, they began to shake. A small quiver at first, but eventually strong rumbling...
And just when no one could take the suspense anymore...
The seven Rainbow Relics all fired their powerful beams of color directly at the center of the sky! At the point of impact, they combined into a single fantastic beam of colors that shot across the sky, parting the dark clouds and filling the night sky with a wake of godly colors.

THE RAINBOW WAS BACK!

The Gods and Goddesses cheered now louder than ever! For the first time in 1,000 years - the Earth was safe from outside aliens once again!
"Now we won't have to worry about anymore X-naut invasions or anything like that anymore!" Reinus exclaimed.
Crump and Grodus then looked at one another. "Say," Crump said. "Boss, aren't WE X-nauts?"
All the celebration stopped immediately, and all the Gods and Goddesses suddenly gasped and looked down upon the two alien strangers standing upon their rooftop.
"Ogh..." Bowser moaned, slowly backing away from them.

"What's all this nonsense about 'No more X-nauts'," Grodus demanded.
"Well," explained Reinus. "In case you didn't know, the purpose of The Rainbow was, err... IS to protect the world's atmosphere from outside aliens, which would include X-nauts... Which would include you."
Grodus sputtered. "B-But... Crump and I are already within Earth's atmosphere! And we have to get back to the moon so that our plan to allow Bowser to kidnap Peach so TEC can help revive our base so we can take over the world can take effect!"
"Ooohh... Sorry," Reinus said. "But The Rainbow's magic kills any aliens on contact, so... I guess... I'm afraid you're stuck here!"
Grodus gasped. "Stuck HERE?! On Earth?!"
"Cool!" Crump exclaimed.
Mario then looked over at Bowser. "I guess THAT means there'll be no princess-kidnaping for you after all, Bowser!"
Bowser crossed his arms and growled. "Well THIS sucks..."

However, Goombella didn't seem to pay much attention to this scene. She was looking through the crowd of Gods, looking for one in particular...
And she gasped when she saw that one God almost right behind her.
With wide eyes, she approached him. He was a large man-like being with a mess of scraggly hair, dark skin, and wore a big pair of white boxers. Goombella stopped at his feet and looked up at him.
"Uber?" she asked.

The boxer-wearing guy looked down at her and smiled. "Yup, Uber's m' name. How are you, Goombella?"
Goombella was taken aback. "Y-you know my name?"
Uber laughed and looked at Mario's entire group. "Oh, of course! I know all of you guys! I tell ya, ya'll have been one heck of a project for me! I did manage to get all of you, isn't that right?"
Flurrie raised her hand. "Um, I do believe you forgot about me..."
Uber raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? How's your under region feel?"
Flurrie winced. "Ugh... surprisingly painful..."

Uber laughed again. "Ha! Knew it... Even the power of time travel can't negate the effects of the 'Tomic Wedgie..." he said to himself.

"Well what about me?" Goombella asked. "Answer me this, Uber - Why do I have the power to see...?"
Uber looked down at her. "Well, I'm afraid I don't know Goombella. It's just a little something we call destiny. It's something neither you nor I have any control over. I'm sorry, but that's the best answer I can give."
"But why Atomic Wedgies?" Goombella asked. "Why not something cool? Like lottery numbers?"
"I dunno," Uber replied with a laugh. "Maybe you're just weird!"
"Hey! That's mean!" she complained.

"Oh, alright. I'm sorry. Listen, just hear me out - no matter how big, or small, or weird, or stupid your gift may be, it's still a gift, and you should use it to its fullest!"
Goombella smiled. "Thanks. That was nice."
"Yup. But you still owe me!"
With that, Uber whipped around Goombella and gave her an Atomic Wedgie that left her in tears! Everyone else laughed, though.

The sight of The Rainbow filled Doopliss with such bliss, and seeing Vivian shine in its heavenly light made him love her ever more. He approached her, and when she looked at him, he smiled.
"I..." Doopliss said. He wasn't quite sure how to express his thoughts.
"You what?" Vivian asked sweetly.
"I love you," Doopliss finally managed to blurt out.

Vivian smiled for a second, then looked down sadly.
"What's wrong?" Doopliss asked.
Vivian looked up at him. "Doopliss...?"
"Yes Vivian?"
"I'm sorry..."
Doopliss was confused. "Sorry? For what?"
Vivian looked down in shame again. "I... I can't."
"You can't what? What's wrong?"
Vivian looked so apologetic. "I... I can never love you..."

The audience of Gods and Goddesses was shocked, but Doopliss was the most surprised of all. These words really struck him hard. "W-why not?" he stammered.
Vivian shook her head. "You're a nice guy Doopliss. Really, you are. But... every time I look at you, I just remember that horrible day... When you stole Mario's body and tried to kill us... Ugh, I know that was a long time ago, but... I can't control my feelings Doopliss. You've done so many horrible things that... I'm sorry, but they can never allow me to love you..."

She pulled her hat down over her face. "I'm so sorry..."

A tear rolled down Doopliss's cheek. He couldn't bear to look Vivian in the face. Her words just hurt him too much...
And they hurt because they were true. He understood Vivian's reasons completely. There was no way he could argue back, and that's what made her words so painful to hear...
But Doopliss finally looked back up at her.
"I understand Vivian. But still... Thank you. I could thank you for the rest of my life... For giving me something to love..."
Vivian looked up at him, and gave him a faint smile. "Don't get me wrong Doopliss... I DO love you. As a person, and as a friend..."
Hearing that made Doopliss surprisingly happy inside. "A... friend?"
"Yes Doopliss..." Vivian said softly. "A friend."

Doopliss's W-shaped mouth curved up into a big smile, as did Vivian's lips.
Vivian then lunged forward and gave Doopliss a big hug. He was startled at first, but then realized the total 1337ness of this moment and hugged her back. The audience cheered loudly once again!

After silence ensued again, Reinus took out the Crystal Ball and gazed into it. "Well..." he said. "Hopefully with The Rainbow back, this sort of thing may never happen again..."
Mario shook his head. "No Reinus... The Rainbow could've never prevented the birth of The Shadow King and Queen..."
"What was that?" asked Reinus, surprised.
"Don't you see?" continued Mario. "The threat of the Shadow Beings didn't come from outside... It came from within. The evil found in the hearts of the people living on this very Earth... THAT'S what gave birth to the Shadow King and Queen. And if it happened once, and it could definitely happen again."

Reinus looked down in shame. "You're right Mario... I should be the one taking care of this planet, and look what I've allowed to be born. I'm a failure as a King..."
But he then shook his head. "No... I WAS a failure as a King. From now on, my duties as Creator and Caretaker of this Earth are now top priority. I shall see to it that nothing like this ever happens again!" He looked down at Mario. "Mario... You and your friends have done so much for us... Is there anything we can do for you?"
Mario looked around, and nodded. "Yeah... We just wanna go home now."
Reinus smiled and nodded. "Very well. Again, thank you all so very much. May we meet again..."

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- 2 Months Later -

Mario sat on a beach chair on Morteva's sandy western shore. He sipped his Mortevan Mai Tai and looked around happily. Throwing a party in commemoration of The Rainbow's return had been a great idea. Along with all of his partners from the adventure, he'd also invited some old relatives and friends along, like Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Daisy, and others. Some newer friends came as well, such as Flavio, Pennington, Punio, Grubba... and even some friends from right there in Morteva, like Myagi (who was dueling with Grubba o.0) and even Tuka (OCHIKO!! XD).
Some villains came by too, including Grodus, Crump and Bowser. Others included General Guy, the Crystal King, and Fawful, who annoyed the crap out of everyone with his stupid speech.
Reinus and Zanthir, along with Loki, Fyord and Yama, had stopped down to play a game of stick bowling on the beach. Reinus used the Crystal Ball as his 'Lucky Ball', mainly cuz he liked watching the evil spirits of the Shadow King and Queen tumble around inside as he rolled it C:. Zanthir was happy too, for it was the first time any of the Gods had ever treated him with genuine respect.
Twink and all of Mario's past partners managed to drop by as well. However, they'd all since built their own identities as heroes and could afford little more than a quick, but heartfelt hello and congrats to Mario. The only exception was Parakarry, who stayed for the duration of the party.

Mario had gotten some questions about why he'd waited 2 months to throw this party, but he actually had a very good reason. In fact, the reason was walking up to him right now...
"Mario!" exclaimed Koops, who was holding a sleeping baby Koopa girl in his arms. Koopie Koo was walking with him. "Hi Mario! How are you?"
"I'm great!" Mario replied, lowering his sunglasses. "I can see you two are happy! How's the little girl?"
Koops and Koopie Koo looked at their child lovingly. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Koopie Koo asked.

"Yeah..." Koops said. "Her name's Koopessa. Koopie Koo's idea. I kinda wanted to name her Angel, but I can't argue with the mom, know what I mean?"
Koops then leaned in close and whispered to Mario. "But don't worry - the birth certificate isn't finalized yet!"
Koopie Koo heard though, and gave Koops a playful punch.
"Hey honey?" Koops asked his wife. "Can you take Koopessa for a little bit? I kinda wanna spend some time with Mario."
"Sure. See you in a little bit!" Koopie Koo said, taking the baby in her arms and walking down the beach.

Shortly after Koops sat down next to Mario, Verdugo came running up. "Hey Mario, guess what!"
"What?" Mario asked.
"My parents just called me! My REAL parents!!"
Mario spit up his drink and Koops gawked. "Seriously?!"
"Yeah!" Verdugo exclaimed. "They kept saying how worried they'd been when my egg got stolen from the island, and that they'd spent the last 8 months trying to track me down. And now they have, and they want me to go back home!"
"Oh really?" Mario said. "When?"
"After the party..." Verdugo said sadly. "I'm gonna take a ferry to Precious Island after the party's over, which I guess is my real home..."
"Aw, that's too bad, man," Koops said. "We'll miss you."
"Yeah, but you know what I told 'em?" Verdugo asked.
"What?" Mario asked.
"Well, they said they regretted never giving me a name, but then I told 'em that Mario already gave me a name - Verdugo, baby!"
Mario laughed and patted Verdugo on the head. "Heheh... It was pretty fun being your adopted father, Verdugo. I hope your real parents love you as much as I do."
Verdugo looked like he was about to cry right then, but he fought it. "Yeah, I hope so too!"

Flurrie and Ms Mowz walked up not a minute later. "Say Mario," Flurrie asked. "Do you know where Peach is?"
"Yeah," Mario replied. "She actually used the teleporter in Rogueport to go to the moon so she could see TEC. Heh... man, I love the girl, but I'll be damned if I lose her to some computer. Haha!"
Ms Mowz giggled. "Oh Mario, you needn't worry about that. Peach is just grateful to him, that's all. She still loves you all the same, and she always will!"
Verdugo raised an eyebrow. "Geez, you two are weird. It's like you can read people's minds or something..."
"Seriously," said Koops. "You two are freaky together. 'Flurrie and Ms Mowz...' sounds like a superchick duo to me."
Flurrie and Ms Mowz looked at each other and laughed, then sat down with the rest of them.

Goombella happened to walk by, and Mario called out to her. "Hey Goombella! Am I due for a 'Tomic Wedgie anytime soon?!"
Goombella gave him an annoyed looked and stuck her tongue out. "Be quiet Mario! That's NOT cool!"
"Well dearie, I was about to ask the same thing!" Flurrie joked.
Goombella was about to make a sassy comeback, but she just smiled and ran over to sit with the rest of them. "Don't worry - I promise to let you guys know if I ever see anything again. Besides, you have to embrace your gifts, ya know?"

Bobbery came tumbling out of a bush nearby. "What in blazes?!" he shouted. Everyone who was sitting looked over at him.
"What's the matter, Bobbery?" Ms Mowz wondered.
"I... I just spoke with the God of Death!" Bobbery said. "I asked about Scarlette..."
"Oh, what'd he say?" Goombella asked.
"He said she's so proud of me that I helped return The Rainbow to the sky, and that I'm no longer a drunken bum that blames myself for her death... Frankly, she's happy, and she hopes to see me very soon."

"You still seem like a drunken bum to me..." Koops said.
"And wait... When she says she wants to see you very soon," Mario began, "Doesn't that mean..."
"Oh, never you mind!" Bobbery said happily, sitting down by Flurrie. "Let's just enjoy the party and life while we're still alive, eh?"

At that moment, Grodus and Crump walked past. Grodus sported a new body, which looked somewhat like a 2-foot-tall metal stick figure, but at least it seemed to work. Mario stopped him. "Hey Grodus. How's life?"
Grodus looked at Mario, but didn't appear angry or hateful. "Oh, it's OK, I suppose. Crump did a surprisingly decent job building me a new body..."
"Yup!" Crump exclaimed. "It's great, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is!" Mario said. "But uh... Grodus, are you sure you're alright, considering... You know..."
Grodus looked up at the Rainbow in the sky, then sighed deeply. "It's OK. I suppose I can get used to life on Earth. I can never get back to the moon to take over the world now anyway, so... you know, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. However, it still bothers me that TEC allows Peach to use the teleporter and not me..."
"Well, TEC loves her!" Mario said. "Love's a great thing, Grodus. Makes people more willing to do nice things for you. Maybe if you learn a little about love yourself, TEC just might see fit to let you visit the moon again one day..."
Grodus looked up at The Rainbow again with a forlorn look. "Perhaps. But until then... Crump! Come with me to get a Magmalt Shake! I gotta say the food on Earth is pretty damn good."
"Yessir!" shouted Crump, running after his master.

"Say," Mario then asked. "Anyone know where Bowser is?"
"Oh, right over there old boy!" Bobbery said, motioning to the other side of the beach.
There was Bowser, being chased by Kammy Koopa, who was firing magic bolts at him from her wand.
"Your Wretchedness!" she shouted angrily. "How could you unfurl a princess-kidnaping plan without me?! You're terrible!!"
"Hey!" Bowser protested. "C'mon Kammy! Didn't you have a big enough role in that one KholdstareV story, The Verdict?! Why you gotta be so- OW OW OWWW!!"

Vivian and Doopliss sat on the far corner of the beach, and were playfully arguing as usual.
"Well she once cut my arm with a knife and poured battery acid on it!"
"Ouch... But that's nothing compared to the time she threw me in the oven on medium heat for 10 minutes!"
"Oh yeah? Well she once-!"
The argument stopped when Vivian saw a familiar, handsome face walking by. She gasped when she realized...
"Atlan??"

The guy looked down at her funny. "Huh? Do I know you?"
"Oh, well I..." Vivian looked at Doopliss, then up at the real Atlan. It was an awkward moment indeed.
"Hey," Atlan said, "I know I'm a pretty famous model and all, but that doesn't mean you chicks can just come up and talk to me like I'm your girlfriend... Especially not freaky shadow chicks like you!" And with that, he rolled his eyes and continued walking.
When he was far away enough, Doopliss turned to Vivian. "Heh... Told you he was a jerk!"

Vivian just laughed, but then turned around and happened to see Mario, sitting with all of her friends up on the beach.
"Hey Doopliss...?" she asked, "Can you wait here just a sec? I need to go talk to Mario..."
Doopliss laughed and nudged her. "Ohoho! I see... You're gonna confess your LOVE for Slick, mirite? MIRITE??"
Vivian giggled and shoved him off. "Oh, be quiet! I'll be right back, I promise!"

"OK," Doopliss replied with a smile, showing her off.

Vivian hurriedly floated up to where Mario and her friends were sitting. When Mario saw her coming, his face lit up. "Hey Vivian! Been wondering, how are your sisters?"
Vivian shrugged. "I don't know... To be honest, I wouldn't care if I never see them again. I just hope that wherever they are, they're not too upset that 1,000 years of hard work just went down the drain for them. Funny thing is, the same thing happened to me, and I've never been happier in my life! Hopefully Beldam and Marylin can find their Mario someday, too..."
Mario smiled again.

"And how's Doopliss, sweetie?" asked Ms Mowz.
"Oh, he's great!" Vivian said. "He and I are getting along really good, actually. I know a part of him is still really hurt, but his heart is healing. He and I are still real happy to be friends either way."
"Well, that's wonderful to hear," Flurrie said, looking down at Ms Mowz.

Mario then noticed Vivian holding the Map in her hand. "Oh hey, you still got that thing?"
Vivian looked down at it and began to open it up. "Oh, yeah! Listen, I know you all were interested in that last poem verse, but from my memory, there isn't any more after the verse the Shadow King wrote... but that's OK. Here's a final verse that I think might make you all feel better about that..."
Vivian then held out the paper for all to see. Indeed, after the rest of The Poem, there was a final verse written at the bottom...

Protector of the Sky
Once again shines high
Thanks to eight heroes of heart,
May they never drift apart...

"I wrote that..." Vivian said, her cheeks turning red.
These four lines of poetry were enough to almost make them all shed tears. Had Peach been there with them, she certainly would have.
"That was really nice," choked Mario. "Thanks Vivian."

Vivian then looked down, her face sad. "You know, something's been bothering me. You all claim that I have a heart, yet when I put my hand where it should be, I feel nothing... no beating or anything..."
Mario reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Aw Vivian, the heart is just an organ... A REAL heart isn't a physical thing. I won't go into detail, mainly cuz the concept is too deep to explain with words, but trust me Vivian... You have as big a heart as anyone I know."
Vivian was so touched by Mario's words that she placed her hand over her chest.
She then looked up at Mario...
And leapt forward, embracing him tightly.

"Yay! Group hug!!" Goombella shouted, snuggling up against Mario as well.
Flurrie and Ms Mowz looked at each other. "Aw... Group Hug!" They then joined in too.
Koops and Bobbery shrugged. "Group Hug!" they shouted, getting involved in the hug.
"Aw, why the heck not?!" Verdugo asked. "GROUP HUG!!" He then jumped on the pile himself.

And Mario and his friends hugged for a long time, under the heavenly light of The Rainbow, which would spread its love and protection across the sky for many years to come...

/\THE END/\