SMG4: The Power Crystal (Episode)

Chapter 4 - Slumber Party

When the group had made it back to the Showgrounds, all of them were relieved to see their beloved giant blue castle again.
Once Saiko had handed the crystal back to SMG4, everything outside had went dark again. But thankfully they actually had somewhere to stay this time.
"Slumber party time!" Boopkins called out with an excited squeal.
SMG4 nodded. That would be the best idea, since it was already dark, and some of his friends lived far away from the Showgrounds.
"Okay, but lets lay out some ground rules," Once SMG4 and the others had stepped inside of the castle, SMG4 stood in front of everybody and displayed the gem in his palm. "Nobody. NOBODY, is prohibited to touch this crystal for ANY REASON. It holds too much power, and who knows what it could do if we let it take control of us."
Everybody nodded an agreement.
"Are you sure that's why you don't want us touching it?" SMG3 stepped forward. "Or are you just jealous that you don't have a special power like we do?"
SMG4 grimaced uncomfortably.
Meggy kicked SMG3's knee. "Says the guy who tried to kill us all a couple minutes ago!"
SMG3 lifted his head. "I did not!" He objected with a spat. "I was just kidding!"
Meggy groaned and rolled her eyes. "Right."
"Well jealous or not, SMG4 has every right to be..." Tari approached her friend and tilted her head. She turned back to face the group. "It isn't fair that we all get a power and he doesn't."
SMG4 could feel shame weigh him down like a bunch of bricks. "I'm not jealous...!" He lied. "I'm so thankful that all of my friends have a special power that they can all cherish and be proud of."
"SMG4..."
"So what if I don't have super strength? Or the power to control the weather? Or to become massive in size? Or even the power to make money appear? All that matters is that I still have the bestest of friends that I could always rely on with my life, no matter what."
Everybody stared back at him with expressions of pity.
"You are all special in your very own ways."
"Aw... SMG4..." Meggy slowly approached her friend. "You're special too," She comforted. "We're sure that you'll find your power soon!" Meggy reassured.
Everybody in the group nodded besides SMG3.
"Like hell he will," SMG3 spat. "He's already special. He doesn't need to be any more special than he already is!"
"Thank you?" SMG4 raised an eyebrow, bewildered.
SMG3 snorted by his rival's compliment and turned his back away from everybody. "If anybody needs me, I'll be outside, daydreaming about how much of an idiot and Mary Sue SMG4 is! Not like he's already successful enough!" With that last sentence, SMG3 walked out of the castle and slammed the door behind him.
SMG4 blinked a confusion and pity.
"Don't listen to him," Meggy growled. "He's just being a stuck up brat because he isn't allowed to get the power he once had."
SMG4 stared down at the crystal. "I guess..."
"How about we all get ourselves a nice cup of hot chocolate? It'll definitely soothe tension." Luigi suggested with a happy but nervous expression.
Everybody immediately lit up and cheered as they headed towards the kitchen. Except SMG4, who just stood in place in the middle of the living room with the crystal in his hands.

Am I actually special?
-

An hour had passed, and everybody was chatting about their special powers.
Tari and Luigi were paired up together, talking about their love for nature and how their powers could possibly help improve the environment. Mario slid into the conversation and told them that he would cause mischief and convince the government to make the ecosystem out of spaghetti.
SMG4 turned and saw that Meggy, Saiko and Melony were chatting about their own powers. Melony wasn't as much in the conversation as Meggy and Saiko, since she didn't really want to bring up her power. Her power was the only one that came with pain as well, so it made sense. And SMG4 couldn't entirely blame her for not wanting to bring it up as a subject. But SMG4 still felt envious! He'd rather have a power that came with pain than have no power at all.
He was about to join in on the conversation, but he stopped himself. Their was no point.
Walking away, he accidently stumbled upon Boopkins and Bob, who were happily chatting with each other. SMG4 couldn't possibly guess about what.
"Oh, hey SMG4!" Boopkins greeted with a chipper tone. "Wanna join us?"
"Yeah, me and Boopkins were just talking about all of the women I'll be reeling in with my new power!"
SMG4 scowled. "I told you guys that the crystal is dangerous! Nobody is getting their hands on it."
Bob frowned. "Aww, come on man. My power isn't even dangerous!"
"Dangerous or not, this crystal is bad news. As soon as the sun rises tomorrow morning, we'll be talking it right back to where it belongs."
   "But wasn't the cavern destroyed...?" Boopkins tilted his head.
   "I've done some research," SMG4 explained. "Apparently the cavern can rebuild itself." He looked back at the duo. "So when it reconstructs, we'll be taking it back."
   "But what if it doesn't reconstruct...?"
   "What if it does?"
Bob was the one who narrowed his eyes. "You're no fun."
Boopkins shook his frown away and smiled again, changing the subject. "I still can't believe that my super power is super strength! Can't you believe that, SMG4?" Boopkins was too oblivious to notice SMG4's eye twitch agitatedly. "Not at all." He gritted his teeth. "Good for you."
Boopkins beamed. "Thanks! Say Bob... maybe if we somehow got our powers without the crystal, what do you think we would do?"
"I'm getting me them bitches!" Bob exclaimed. "And I'll own a mansion and become a famous rapper, and—"
Boopkins frowned.
Bob awkwardly coughed. "Kidding."
"Maybe we'll all be famous! And we'll all gain love and fame, and people would look up to us like super heroes!"
From the corner of his eye, SMG4 thought that he saw SMG3's figure near the entrance. He saw his ears perk up. Was he eavesdropping on them?
"We already gain love and fame," SMG4 reminded. "It's not new."
"But imagine how people would look at us if we told them we had super powers!" Boopkins persisted. "We'd be the talk of the town! No; the talk of the world!"
SMG4 held back an agitated sneer. "GrEaT."
"Come on, Bob! Let's go share our idea to the others!"
As the two got up and ran towards their friends, SMG4 let out a long sigh and walked the opposite direction. Their was no point in joining them. He didn't have a special power to talk about.
-

Another hour had passed. Everybody was huddled together in the living room, some lying on their sleeping bags, while others were on the couch or on the spare mattresses that SMG4 had lying around for some time.
Lifting his head up from his sleeping bag, SMG4 saw that some of the crew were already asleep. Boopkins and Luigi being some of them.
The hot chocolate previously must of knocked them out cold. Or the fact that it was past midnight.
SMG3 was back inside of the castle. His body was turned away from SMG4. Of course.
Why was he being so cold towards me? Why give me the cold shoulder? At least you have something to be proud of.
Scoffing, SMG4 also turned his body away from his friend. Give me that attitude, I'll give you it right back.
"Ugh, that guy is a real piece of work!" SMG4 heard Meggy's voice come from beside him. "Sulking over a bit of power. What's his problem?"
SMG4's eyes darkened. "I don't know. He's... kinda always like that about power?"
"Not that severe, he isn't." Meggy sneered. "Why is that power so important to him anyway? I thought he was done with the villain bullshit."
"With SMG3, you don't know with him," SMG4 replied, letting out a long sigh. "He could go from being a nuisance to your friend in a heartbeat."
"Yeah, well I'm sick of it!" Meggy snapped. "I am so tired of him treating you like garbage! It isn't fair on your part."
"I can't entirely blame him, though," SMG4 objected softly. "He's kind of always been my shadow. So getting all of that power, that rush... it must of made him feel like he was finally worth something."
Meggy's face shifted to a look of guilt for a moment. "Yeah, but... that still doesn't give him the right to treat you the way he does." Meggy argued. "It was pretty shitty of him to mock you for not having a power."
"So what?" It accidently came out as a snap. "Who cares if I don't have a power? It's not like I'm useless!" Am I...?
Meggy looked taken aback. "What? No! Of course you're not! That's not what I'm saying, it's just..." She was silent for a few moments. But then she dipped her head. "You're right," She agreed. "You are what brought us all here together, SMG4. And I think that's the best power of all." She lied her head back down onto her pillow. "Get some sleep, SMG4. Big day tomorrow." She stifled a yawn.
SMG4 forced a smile. "Goodnight Meggy."
Meggy returned the smile. "Goodnight SMG4! Have a good sleep." Turning her head away, she softly began to snore.
SMG4 didn't bring himself to fall asleep though. He stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
He suddenly found himself glancing over at the crystal, that was safely stored inside of a cabinet inside of a glass cage.
He sighed. Maybe I do have a power... maybe I'm just not looking hard enough.