Princess Peach And The 12 Elemental Keys

Chapter 2: The Great Frozen Desert

Terrus's smile faded. "But," He added. "I'm afraid that things aren't looking too good for Elementopia." "I know that." Peach replied. "I mean, that's why I'm here." Terrus was silent. "One question though," Peach began. "Why did the orb turn into a key?" Terrus raised an eyebrow, then he answered. "To be honest, I'm not sure, this hasn't happened before." "And will the other eleven Keepers produce keys as well?" Peach asked again. "That's a possibility." Terrus replied. "And in any case, you must not stay any longer, there's eleven of us still to find." Peach was teleported out of the temple, and this time, she ended up...somewhere. It was cold, it was dark, and there was an abundance of snow. "Could this be a glacier?" Peach wondered. She noticed that there were palm trees surrounding her. "No, I don't remember seeing palm trees in snowy areas, this must be a desert." But it was strange, to Peach, why would a desert be so cold it snows? When Peach looked into the dark sky, she started having a sinking feeling. In the spot where the sun would normally be was a large, black hole, hanging there as a reminder that something bad had happened. Peach turned away. "It's so creepy out here, I mustn't look at that hole!" She told herself. "Still, I can't just stand here, I have to get going."

This cold desert was vast and almost endless. What made it scarier more than the missing sun was the fact that not a single soul other than Peach could be seen within the vicinity. "Princess Peach," Peach got a fright when she heard the voice. "It's that voice again, what do you want?" She asked it. "I'm sure you've noticed that this desert doesn't look very desert-like, hm?" The voice asked. "Yes, and creepy!" Peach replied. "This place, Sweltering Desert, has been frozen over by the powers Kori, The Keeper of Ice." The voice explained. "Those who took her have also managed to remove the Sun from the sky, causing this darkness." "Where do I go from here?" Peach asked the voice. "Just keep going." It told her, before disappearing into silence. "Peach didn't know where to go, she went in the opposite direction of where the black hole in the sky was, and hoped it would lead her somewhere... After all, somewhere is better than nowhere, right? Peach had been wandering the snowy desert like a lost soul, with no signs that any one lived here. "I need to have a rest, I'm getting too overwhelmed." Peach sat down under a palm tree, which turned out to be beside a frozen oasis. She looked into the sky, there wasn't a star up there. "Am I doing the right thing?" Peach wondered, reflecting on her current decisions. She stayed by the oasis for a while before getting back up and wiping the snow and the underlying sand off her dress. She continued to wander the snowy hills that should have been sand dunes, but then she saw something unusual over one of the dunes. Peach could see a faint glow down below, could it be civilisation? She made her way down the ice dune and started making her way towards the light like a moth. The light lead to an oasis town, but it was rather quiet and empty. "I swear I can feel eyes on me." Peach thought, glancing from side to side. The doors of the homes were ever-so-slightly opened and led on to darkness. The further she went, Peach could swear she was being watched through the silent houses and marketplaces. In the far corner of the town was a huge, luxurious palace, with large, blue bulbous roofs embellished with gold. There were fountains flanking the palace but they had been frozen over. Standing on each side of the door were two Goomba guards with long, sharp spears. When Peach made her way to the front doors of the palace, the guards crossed their spears over the door, stopping Peach from going any further. "Halt!" The left guard commanded. "State your purpose, madam!" The right guard chimed in. "I'm lost," Peach told the guards. "I'm in need of help." The guards looked at one another. "Pharaoh Goomkhamun lies beyond these doors." The doors of the palace opened and the guards led Peach inside. In the very centre of the palace there was a large throne, on which sat a Goomba wearing a serpent headdress, a white robe with gold decorations and a blue belt. This, Peach thought, had to be Goomkhamun. "Now," Goomkhamun began. "Who do we have here?" The guards stepped aside to reveal Peach. "Ah, who are we?" Goomkhamun asked Peach. "I am Princess Peach of The Mushroom Kingdom." Peach replied, curtsying. Goomkhamun raised an eyebrow. "What has you here, Princess?" He asked Peach. "I'm here to rescue The Keepers of The Elements." She replied. Goomkhamun looked down at his feet. "Guards, please leave." He told the guards, they left the room. "I'm grateful, Princess Peach, for your assistance." Goomkhamun said to Peach. "Why?" She asked. "It is because of the snow?" Goomkhamun looked at Peach, seriously. "This town, Goombexandria, and Sweltering Desert have been draped in snow and ice for some time, there hasn't been any sunlight either." Goomkhamun explained. "All that was left of the Sun was that dreaded black hole that looms up there, and no one in town has ever stepped outside since the snow hit." Peach was shocked upon hearing that. "I'm concerned for the wellbeing of my people," Goomkhamun continued. "And I do not want them hiding away in their homes forever, I refuse to allow that." Peach went over everything Goomkhamun had said. "Goomkhamun," She told the Goomba pharaoh. "I believe that the reason for the snow is because of the Keepers's powers being abused. That's why I'm here, to undo everything caused by the Keepers's powers. Would you like to come with me?" Goomkhamun hesitated. "As much as it pains me to leave my people behind," He answered. "I recognise that staying put inside my palace is not going to get rid of the snow, so yes, I will be going with you." "But, Your Majesty-" The guards tried to protest. "Silence," Goomkhamun told the guards, "You both watch over Goombexandria until I return, do I make myself clear?" He asked them. "Yes, Your Majesty." They replied. Peach and Goomkhamun made their way to the entrance of Goombexandria and back into the desert. Peach suddenly felt that feeling of dread before she met Goomkhamun, they felt the warm light of Goombexandria grow weaker as they went further into the desert. Goomkhamun returned to his more serious disposition. "Is something wrong, Goomkhamun?" Peach asked him. "I remember there being ruins somewhere out here." He replied. "I cannot recall where, exactly, though." They continued their trek in silence. Some time later, they spotted five stone stumps sticking out of the snow, the surrounding land was flat and devoid of dunes. Peach looked at them, weirdly. "Princess," Goomkhamun said. "I think this is where the ruins are." Peach then looked at him weirdly. "Here, let me try something." Goomkhamun stood in the middle of the five stumps and started reciting something in a language Peach couldn't decipher. The five stumps started glowing, and something started rising out of the snow. The stubs revealed themselves to be ruins of a building, a temple, Peach decided. "But how are you going to get down, Goomkhamun?" Goomkhamun jumped from the roof and Peach closed her eyes, tightly. Goomkhamun was safe. "Come with me, Princess." He said as he entered the ruins, Peach followed. There were very few walls inside the ruins, and almost all of them had inscriptions on them that couldn't be read...by Peach of course. Goomkhamun studied the inscriptions on the wall for some time, knowingly nodding, occasionally. "What does it say, Goomkhamun?" Peach asked. "It says: "between four palm trees and six high sand dunes, sits a great temple of sublime fortune." At least, that's what I think it means." He replied. "A great temple between four palm trees and six sand dunes..." Peach repeated. The two left the ruins and continued their travels through the cold desert again. Some more time later, Peach noticed that the paths between the dunes were getting narrower. "I feel like the dunes are closing in on us." Peach told Goomkhamun. "It feels that way," Goomkhamun. "It's like the dunes are trying to keep us away from something." After a while, the path led to a wide space surrounded by six high dunes. In the middle of the snowy space were four palm trees standing in a square formation, far from each other, and in the middle of the palm tree formation was a stone triangle. "We've got another one." Goomkhamun sighed. He recited the same spell he used to get the ruins to rise. This time, what rose out of the ground was a pyramid-shaped, stone structure, the palm trees flanking each corner of the building. Peach looked at the building, the black hole hung behind it. "Somewhere, deep within that temple, may lie the answers to why the desert has frozen over." Goomkhamun said, coldly. Peach and the Goomba pharaoh entered the temple. The first room had ancient art and hieroglyphics on the walls, as well as torches. "Nothing suspicious here, but the atmosphere is still cold." Goomkhamun said. "We need to keep going." Peach told him. They walked further into the temple to a room with two doorways. "Let's go this way." Peach said, going towards the left doorway. "Princess, come back!" Goomkhamun exclaimed. He followed her into the doorway, which led them both to...the room with two doorways. "How?" Peach asked herself. "What a pair of fools~" A voice said, this voice sounded different from the voice Peach had been hearing throughout her adventure, it sounded male and ghastly. "Who was that?" Peach and Goomkhamun asked themselves as they made their way through the right doorway. They went through a hallway riddled with hieroglyphics to another room with three doorways. Peach looked through the left doorway, which led to a room full of fire, and the right led to a spike-filled room. "I think it's best to go through the middle doorway." Peach told Goomkhamun. They entered another hallway which led to a huge pair of doors. They opened the door to an empty room full of hieroglyphics, more ancient art, and artefacts strewn across the floor. There was a skylight above them, and standing at the very back of the room was a large chest. Appearing in a flurry of snowflakes and cold wind was Larry Koopa, who was wearing a choker with a light blue orb. "My, my, Princess Peach, what a surprise." He said, smugly. "Larry..." Peach breathed. "You must have frozen over the desert, admit it!" Larry put his hands on his hips. "I did, actually." He replied. "How could you?!" Goomkhamun asked, angrily. "Do you even realise what you've done, people are hiding in their homes because of you!" Larry removed his wand. "I don't have all day, y'know." He replied. "It's time you both meet your icy fate." Larry aimed his wand at the two and an icy blast flew towards Peach and Goomkhamun. They both dodged. Peach ran full speed towards Larry, hoping to get the orb from his choker. He jumped into the air, causing Peach to miss. "Pitiful, you can't stop me." Larry taunted. Goomkhamun suddenly started reciting another spell. "What are you saying!?" Larry demanded, Goomkhamun didn't answer. Suddenly, Peach felt power surging through her body, she was invincible. "Hey! Larry!" She told Larry. She charged straight at him. Even after firing icy shots at her, Peach was still following him. "Get away from me!" He screamed. Peach lunged at Larry, grabbing the light blue orb from his choker. He felt lightheaded, too. "Princess Peach," The voice said, Goomkhamun looked around, confused. "Do what you have done last time and chant 'O Kori, Keeper of Ice, awaken and undo this turmoil'." Peach recited the chant. Suddenly, the chest opened, and a bright disk arose from it. "Could it be?" Peach asked. The disk flew through the skylight and seemed to disappear, but then everything got brighter outside. "Follow me, Princess." Goomkhamun instructed. They made their way out of the temple, only to be greeted by daylight, heat, and sand dunes. "That's more like it." Goomkhamun smiled. "Princess Peach, thank you." Peach smiled, too. "You're welcome, Goomkhamun." "Now, I must tend back to my people, they're waiting for me." Goomkhamun made his way back to Goombexandria, leaving Peach alone.

She noticed that the orb turned into a light blue key. "Now, lift the key and chant 'Blizzard Zircon Key, guide me to The Temple of The Keepers'." Peach chanted again and disappeared in a light blue light. She was teleported back to the temple and the key inserted itself under the first one. Above the circle right of Terrus's, a light blue outline appeared. It took the form of a young woman with fluffy, bluish-white hair, wearing a pale blue dress with a fluffy trim and fur cuffs. This was Kori, The Keeper of Ice.