SMG4 Movie: WESTERN SPAGHETTI (IF MEGGY WAS THE VILLAIN...) (Novel)

Chapter 2: Western Spaghetti

~ 9:00 A.M. ~

   "So tell me a bit about yourselves."
Shroomy, Tari and Mario were on their way to Western Spaghetti.
But in the meantime, Shroomy decided to brighten up the moods of the two travelers. Especially himself.
   "Well... we're not from around here." Tari began.
   "Is that so?" Curiosity prodded Shroomy like an annoying splinter. "Then where are you from?" 
   "Well me and my friends; we all came from the Showgrounds."
Shroomy nodded, signaling to Tari that he was paying attention to what she was saying, though his eyes were glued forward at all times. "And where are the Showgrounds, hm?"
   "Near the Mushroom Kingdom. That's where Mario lives."
   "I see. And where do you live?"
   "I live in Onett."
   "I see." Shroomy repeated. "That's quite interesting."
Tari leaned forwards. "And what about you? Where do you live?"
Shroomy paused and thought out what to say. "I live in the Outskirts of Western Spaghetti. Not inside of the barrier, thank god."
   "So around here then?" Tari asked curiously.
Shroomy shook his head. "No. I live all the way on the other side."
Tari stared over at Shroomy, a mixture of guilt and confusion present in her gaze. "Then how do you get home? The only way you would be able to get across is..."
Shroomy heaved before Tari could even finish her sentence. "Yup. I have to cross Western Spaghetti itself."
The three remained in a long awkward silence after that.

Around five minutes had passed, and Tari had finally decided to end the silence, her curiosity becoming unbearable. "So... Shroomy... about Meggy the Gargantua..."
Shroomy's head had almost immediately jerked towards hers. "What about her?!"
Tari gulped by Shroomy's sudden aggression. "I'm... curious."
Shroomy stared over at Tari as if she had five heads. But then he came back to his senses and let out another sigh. "What do you want to know?"
   "Have you ever... actually seen her? Like... in person?"
Shroomy's breath hitched. "I have."
   "Is... is it true? Is Meggy actually... a giant?"
Shroomy hesitated.
It seemed that he really wanted to say something to Tari, something entirely different. But instead, he held his tongue.
   "From what I saw, she takes the appearance of a ten foot tall woman." Shroomy gulped. "But their had been some rumors goin' around, I'm not sure if they're true or not, nobody there has really told me so, but... they've been saying that Meggy the Gargantua has something called Gigantism. Which is how and why one of their folk..."Shroomy trailed off.
   "What... what does that mean?" Tari whimpered. A part of her had regretted asking that question.
Shroomy was just as anxious. "It... it means that she can grow at will."
Tari almost immediately shook her head in objection. "No, no theirs no way that's humanely possible!"
Shroomy didn't reply. After all, how could he?
   "Mario, are you hearing this?!"
Suddenly, the two heard rustling in the wagon's storage. A second later, Mario's head popped out, a large potato in his mouth.
   "Hey, get out of that!" Shroomy snapped.
   "Aww, but Mario's hungry!" He snapped. Pointing towards Tari, he continued. "It's her fault! She wouldn't let Mario eat a very delicious spiky flower!"
Tari's eyes narrowed. "He's talking about a cactus. Don't mind him."
Shroomy's eyebrows furrowed. "A cactus?"
Turning back to look at Mario, Shroomy continued to scold him. "If you're hungry, stop at the Saloon when we get there. Those potatoes are as valuable as silver and gold! We can't risk losing any more."
Mario's only reply was a jumble of words that neither of them could make out.
   "Aw Mario... we're almost there. Just try to control your composure for just a while longer, okay?"
   "It's easy for you to say." Mario had murmured that under his breath, crawling out of the cart and sitting back in his original seat, crossing his arms in vexation.
Tari had almost felt bad for him. Even feeling a little guilty herself.
I really wish I knew where we were... things would be so much easier...
 Snapping out of her thoughts, Tari had realized that she and the others were getting closer to their destination. In the distance, Tari could just make out a small town that laid out among the sandy environment. Turning to look back at Shroomy, Tari could see his expression darken, which was a clear, subtle sign that her thoughts were correct.
 They were about to head into Western Spaghetti. They left their weapons back with the other six, so they were practically weaponless. Not to mention uneducated of where they were even at.
What were they thinking?
   "Western Spaghetti hasn't been the same since Meggy the Gargantua arrived..."
Slightly shocked, Tari turned her head back towards Shroomy, blinking. "What do you mean?"
Shroomy sat silently for a few moments. He sighed. "Not my story to tell. If you really want to learn more about Meggy the Gargantua, that's a topic you should bring up with the Sheriff there."
   "The Sheriff?" Tari was getting more anxious than curious at this point. If Meggy the Gargantua was such a menace to the town... why wasn't the Sheriff themselves doing anything about it? Wasn't that what they were supposed to do?
   "I know what you're thinking," Shroomy turned to look back at her. He suddenly stopped the entire wagon, the horses coming to a halt. "The Sheriff there; Swagmaster69696969... believe me, he has tried everything in his power to try to stop Meggy and Wren... but he can't. He'd be playin' with fire and walking on ice every time he tried to fight back." He swallowed. "The townsfolk of Western Spaghetti had also tried to fight back... but as I mentioned before, Meggy is a gargantua. It's like ants trying to battle an elephant. And you know damn well of how that'll end up. Their... their was this one time..."
 Shroomy looked out into the distance, over towards the town. His eyes flashed, as if a horrible memory had just crossed his mind.
   "Wha... what's wrong?" Tari cracked. "Are you okay?"
   "It... it was horrible..."
   "What?! What was horrible!?"
Shroomy shook his head. "Theirs one thing that's certain..." He paused. "Meggy the Gargantua is unredeemable. She is a pure monster at heart. She will not stop until your blood is on her hands." Shroomy's voice began to shake. "She kills folk for her own entertainment. Not because she has grudges, or because they piss her off... well," Shroomy shrugged awkwardly. "She kills them for those reasons too, but... she will not hesitate to kill anybody, you hear?" Shroomy grasped onto Tari's shoulders. "You guys have no idea what you're getting yourselves into..."
His eyes flashed again. "Y-you guys still have a chance at life... y-you don't have to go... you can come back with us, I don't have to drop you off..."
 Tari was shaking. Her eyes were welling up with tears. "M..mario....?"
Mario turned to look over at her, still clearly pissed about earlier.
   "I-I don't think I want to go to Western Spaghetti anymore..."
Mario's pissed expression had immediately shifted to a look of concern and worry.
He was clearly not paying full attention to what Shroomy had said, but he still looked worried and concerned for his friend's sake. "...Are you okay?"
Tari didn't reply.
   "You don't have to go... we can turn back..." Shroomy repeated, clearly wanting to leave there just as bad.
   "I'm sorry Mario... but I think we should--"