Hey there! Something I realized I should post, now that Chapter 7 of Fallen Wishes has been out for a while, some concept art!!!
Chapter 7 is one of the few Chapters that actually has concept art! More concept art will be posted in the future as most of the last few Chapters release, should I hopefully remember :>
[Artwork under cut]
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Concept 1: The Puppet Trio (Dec 2025)
Starting off with something small, the Puppet Trio!
Fun fact actually, the individual Trio members didn’t originally have unique puppet designs! From what I recall, they were all meant to be wooden puppets rather than just Goomp. They also didn’t originally have unique names until these designs were made
Puppet Goomp, as said, is a wooden puppet, with a design that was heavily inspired by the Puppet from FNAF. Corporal Springlock is a mechanical puppet, in similar vein to an animatronic. And Sergeant Strings is made of stitches and fabric patches
Also, for those who notice it… when I made these, I had traced over their official artwork, as I didn’t feel like trying to figure out how a draw a Koopa from the front
The placement of Pridezar’s insignia on each puppet also holds some significance! :]
———
Puppet Goomp: A wooden puppet inspired by the Puppet from FNAF. Has Pridezar’s insignia on his foot to represent the Trio stepping on their deal with him after not getting what they wanted
Corporal Springlock: A puppet with spring joints resembling a mecha-Koopa. Has his insignia on his helmet/head to make a joke towards his obsession with head honcho chairs in the story
Sergeant Strings: A puppet made of rags and fabric, with a cracked porcelain mask. His insignia is on his mask to represent him having overseen the Trio’s operation of treason as sergeant
~~~
Concept 2: Apollo Mario and Artemis Luigi (Jun 2025)
The Apollo Mario and Artemis Luigi fight was one of the earliest concepts for Chapter 7, from what I recall… I don’t remember exactly how it came to be, but I had really wanted a segment in the story where the Bros. fought each other, which eventually lead to this. Perhaps I was quite “Greek Mythology pilled” around the time I had the idea, I don’t know
The fight itself also wasn’t nearly as in depth as it is in the final version of the Chapter… it originally just focused on the Bros. shooting arrows at each other. It was also originally meant to be the final boss of the Chapter, where, after both Bros. took turns fighting the other, both Mario and Luigi would have to fight Pridezar from the stage (still in costume) as if it were a Cuphead boss. This idea was eventually scrapped during Chapter 7’s proper production, being replaced with the current version of Pridezar’s fight, with the Apollo and Artemis fight being a separate phase altogether
This particular concept was also meant to be a Stellar Bonds reference (for those unaware, SB is another M&L project, highly recommend checking it out!), with the Star and Moon motifs on the Bros.
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Concept 3: Curtain Call/Final Slash (Feb 2026)
As many will notice in the fic, the Finisher for Pridezar’s fight is quite different compared to most others. Rather than being a blast of Star Magic, it’s instead a “Trio Attack” kind of Finisher, where the Bros. and Cosmo get their own unique swords. These are what each of the swords look like :>
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Concept 4: Sunburst Cosmo [V.1 and V.2] (Nov-Dec 2025)
In the later half of Chapter 7, Cosmo acquires a new form that will garner for Chapter 7 onward! This form is known as (among the dev team) Sunburst Cosmo!
The philosophy behind his design is Cosmo not only overcoming his Darkness, but also embracing it, hence the darker highlights within the design still showing themselves amidst the lighter areas
One of my co-writers, @luigiman64, helped me a lot with the first version of this design, before I had gone back to it to tweak and change some things, making both the design itself and color palette more concise and organized, while still retaining it’s design philosophy
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Concept 5: Cosmo’s Confrontation (Apr 2025)
The original and earliest version of Cosmo’s talk with Eldstar from the end of Chapter 7. This had originally started as a one-off drawing I made before I eventually made it into a small comic. I had actually made this while at school one day… I was really gushing about it when I had finished it :]
While the scene in the Chapter itself isn’t the exact same, I had kept this comic in mind and took notes from it while writing the final version of the scene for the fic, such as Cosmo removing his helmet, which I had really wanted to implement into the final scene. It felt too good for me not to include it :>
Mario and Luigi tread through the barren yet mysterious lands of Meanbeam Plains to find their last Ztar Spirit… only for them and many others to be the puppets of a grand show they have no clue of.
~~~
A story created by my mind and built with @luigiman64, @blueshidx and I’s cooking, Mario & Luigi: Fallen Wishes! Very happy to bring this work to life alongside them.
Certain characters and settings belong to Nintendo, Intelligent Systems, and AlphaDream. I do not take credit for any of what doesn’t belong to me.
— Act 1 ~ Burden of Fights and Fate —
The quartet of heroes travelled down the glittering path, slowly making it down to the base of Rickety Rock Ridge. As they passed down, the clouds in the sky had begun to part, revealing the sky underneath.
They all reveled at the sight… the sun glaring through the clouds toward them, it’s light and warmth just barely reaching their faces.
To the Bros., the thought was greatly exhilarating. They were so close to freeing the Kingdom, being able to face Nox once all the Star Spirits were freed. Everything within the Kingdom and Star Realm could go back to how it was… everyone could get their wishes, their peace…
…Despite that excitement though, Junior couldn’t help but be absorbed in his thoughts. Ludwig turned to him with concern, noticing the turmoil in Junior’s eyes.
“…Something is amiss, Junior, I can tell.” Ludwig said. “What’s on your mind?”
Junior was silent as he struggled to get the words out, before finally being able to speak. “…It’s papa…” He said.
“…What about him?” Ludwig asked.
“…Seeing him all corrupted and stuff… I hate it.” Junior said. “I wanna… I don’t know, do something about that! I feel like I can’t just… leave him like that. I wanna fix it!”
Ludwig nodded. “I’d like to step in as well… but, I can’t think of way we could help.” He said.
“We can’t just sit on it though!” Junior said. “It’s my papa, and I’m tired of seeing him like that!”
“I understand, Junior, I do…” Ludwig said, sighing. “But I fear we can’t do much right now… I would be glad to help, but… we can’t, not now.”
Junior wanted to argue… but he only fell silent. They had no plan, nothing. They could only stand idly by… and wait. The thought made Junior’s blood boil.
The quartet then slowed as they reached end of the glittering road, stepping upon the Ridge’s base. They didn’t stop their walk though, continuing to tread forward amidst the rocky mountain base.
They walked ahead for a while, slowly but surely taking notice of the plain hills in the distance. The rocky surface was replaced with dead, dark green grass that crunched underneath the quartet’s feet.
Wind gently blew across the heroes faces as they stared out into the barren fields that Sunbeam Plains had become. Amidst the field though… a few small weapons could be seen strewn around, appearing like they belonged in the hands of smaller creatures… what happened here?
“…These Plains… they feel all too familiar…” Cosmo suddenly said from the aether. “This is where it started…”
“…Well, uh…” Junior began as the Bros. turned to face him. “It’s been, uhm… really weird. Uh… thanks for all the help.”
“Yes, we wouldn’t have gotten as far as we did without your assistance.” Ludwig said. “Deciding to join your side, even if it was only for a short time, was one of the greatest decisions we had ever made. We are both eternally grateful.”
The Bros. nodded at that… they were just as thankful for them as they were. The Koopas helped cover a lot of ground in ways they couldn’t. They were of great help.
“You aren’t safe from me, next time we meet! Hope you know that!” Junior said, pointing toward Mario. “This was temporary! You hear me!? TEMPORARY!!!”
“Junior. Now is not the time for that.” Ludwig said. “We must be taking our leave. Perhaps the Spirits are awaiting our call.”
“…Oh, yeah! HEEEEYYY!!!” Junior called out into the air. “WE’RE READY TO BE PICKED UP!!”
“Not like that!” Ludwig argued.
“That one bow-tie wearing Star said to holler, so I’m hollering!” Junior said.
“…I am certain that was just an expression.” Ludwig said.
“…You know, I did say that.” An affirming voice said from nowhere. “You can’t blame him! Although, you are right.”
Just behind Junior and Ludwig appeared Klevar and Mamar, who both looked down upon the young Koopas with smiles as the Koopas looked back up at them.
“You said you’re ready, yes?” Klevar asked. “The other Minions are waiting for you back at Bowser’s Castle, for the Commander and Dark Star have fled from the Dark Lands! They’ve headed back to the Princess’ Castle.”
“Wait, really!?” Junior said. “Ha! Of course that dumb Commander wouldn’t stay there for long!”
“Yes… it is not her turf to control.” Ludwig said affirmatively.
…With Commander Nox and the Dark Star now back at the Castle, the Bros. knew exactly where they’d need to go once the Plains were freed. They’d be waiting for them, no doubt.
“Say your final goodbyes, if you must.” Mamar then said to the Koopa children. “Take all the time you need!”
Both Junior and Ludwig then turned to the brothers, who only looked back with genuine care in their eyes.
“…Bye, Mario. Bye, Luigi.” Junior said softly, waving a hand at them.
“We won’t forget your efforts and assistance.” Ludwig said, also waving.
“If that’s it, then we’re off!” Klevar said. “Safe travels, Mario and Luigi!”
“Be careful out there, you two! We aren’t certain of what’s in these plains… or what Eldstar is planning.” Mamar then paused. “…Oh, that poor man…”
“Oh, yes! Remain vigilant!” Klevar said. “We’re all depending on you! Best of luck!”
At that, the Spirits and Koopa children disappeared, leaving the Bros. alone amidst their silence… it was odd. It was just them now, with the fate of the Kingdom, Star Realm, and everyone’s wishes on their shoulders. The weight was heavy, but all they could do now was soldier on, heading deeper into the barren plains.
~~~
The further the Bros. went into the Plains, the darker and creepier they seemed to become. No enemies lurked around… all they saw was what was left behind.
The deeper they went, the more weapons they saw strewn about. Some even glittered with the golden residue left on them. Others had a more tarnished glow, showing how the liquid had dried over time.
The more they investigated, the more they realized what had transpired here…
“…I remember it…” Cosmo suddenly said. “The terror that transpired here… I remember it all…”
…Star Warriors.
Many Star Warriors had met their end here, it seemed. Many allies Cosmo knew… and witnessed the horrible, tragic deaths of. The horror he felt… the Bros. could barely process it.
As the Bros. continued their journey through the Plains… a voice could suddenly be heard in the distance.
“…Hello!? Are you… still here…?” The weak voice called out. “We… need help!”
The Bros.’ heads swiveled to where the voice had come from. They looked out… but seemed to find nothing.
“Hey!” The voice suddenly called from behind.
Both brothers turned back, jumping where they stood, to see a pair of Star Sprites clad in silver helmets, just like the one Cosmo wore. They stared weakly at the Bros., a look only a suffering soul would give.
“Excuse us… but…” One Sprite asked. “Have you seen Cosmo? We are looking for him.”
…The Bros. were shocked that anyone was still here. The Plains had become a barren war zone with seemingly no one around… but, lo and behold, they stood corrected.
Despite that, though… where were they to begin?
“Please! We must find him!” The other Sprite begged. “He knows where our healing stations are… he can take us to them!” The Sprite then begin to ferociously cough, spitting up golden blood that fell to the dead grass.
The Bros. took a pause… they were in awe, and yet deeply perplexed. They had no idea where to start. How do you tell someone that their closest ally is gone? That his soul is tethered to two mortal men? …That he, to their dismay, can’t do much to help…?
One of the Sprites then sighed. “…I see… perhaps it was a mistake to depend on him…”
Mario and Luigi both gasped. Never did they expect such harsh words to come from one of Cosmo’s own allies.
“Yes… it seems he’s failed us.” The other Sprite said. “No wonder these men don’t know of his whereabouts! That coward’s hidden away and ran, I bet!”
The brothers only listened and watched in horror… what were they on about?
The Sprites then turned to both brothers… an odd glint in their eyes telling the Bros. that something had changed in them.
…These weren’t the same Sprites that had approached them…
“…Let us ask you this…” One Sprite said in a cold tone. “…How has Cosmo been of value to you?”
The Bros. wasted no time in explaining all they could… how Cosmo had helped them. How, without him, they wouldn’t be here…
“Bah! Lies!” The other Sprite argued. “He just makes you think that! What do you see in that failure of a soldier!? He’s done nothing but doom us all! Doom his comrades! Doom the Star Spirits! Doom the Star Realm!”
“Nothing can erase his failures! Nothing!” The other Sprite said. “He deserves not to be coddled!”
“He must be shamed!” The other Sprite added.
“Smited even!” The other Sprite doubled down. “No one will mourn him!”
…The Bros. were in deep shock as they slowly backed away… they then felt a strong guilt cross their hearts. A feeling that wasn’t their own. As the Sprites cursed Cosmo’s name, they quickly ran away, heading farther into the tainted Plains.
As they ran, more Sprites appeared, yelling out against their former comrade.
“He’s a coward!” One Sprite yelled.
“He’s doomed as all!” Another Sprite cried.
“The Spirits have fallen… and the Dark Star has returned… it’s all HIS FAULT!!!” Another Sprite shrieked.
Mario and Luigi both sped up, wanting to get away from the horrid yelling. It was overbearing, overwhelming… all of these things they knew weren’t true…
And, amidst it all… Cosmo was deathly quiet.
'HIS FAULT!!!'
'HIS FAULT!!!'
'HIS FAULT!!!'
These words echoed in the Bros. heads, sounding like gongs within their minds. These words, and the feelings that weren’t theirs… it was like torture, and it wasn’t even meant to target them.
“…It’s all… my fault…” Cosmo said, his voice breaking. “It’s all… my fault…”
The Bros. tried to reassure Cosmo with their own thoughts… all of these words were lies, they knew that… they just needed Cosmo to understand that too.
“…N-no… I deserve no sympathy! No pity!!” Cosmo cried. “…I’m a failure of a Warrior! …You don’t need me!! YOU DON’T NEED ME!!!”
Suddenly, the voices went away… replaced by eerie, defeating silence.
The Bros. looked around, taking notice of their surroundings. There was nothing but void around them. Complete, unbridled Darkness… no sound, no wind…
…Only nothing…
…
…?
…!?
“…I’ve found you…” A voice suddenly said from nowhere.
The Bros. then felt their arms and legs being pulled deeper into the void they were surrounded by. Thin strings restraining them and rushing them to a plain they had no knowledge of.
“Now… the show can truly begin…” The same voice threatened as he coldly chuckled into the void.
———
— Intermission 1 ~ Falling Stars —
It was quiet within the Manor. No one spoke, and the Shroobs were elsewhere. The Spirits were spread out around the lobby while Kamek attempted to coddle the ever silent Toadsworth. The silence was starting to become irritating… making the quiet tension in the room even more apparent…
“…So… how has everyone been?” Kamek said, hoping to ease the tension in the air.
The Spirits were silent… where to begin…?
“…Our apologies, but…” Kalmar began. “It’s been so tough for us all… it’s quite difficult to find a starting point…”
“Hm… perhaps getting all of that out might ease you all?” Kamek suggested. “One by one.”
“Ah… hm…” Skolar started… he seemed hesitant to speak. “Oh, why must this be so grating…?”
“Hey!” Another new voice suddenly called out. “How about some Shroom Tea to calm you down?” The figure asked as he held up a glass toward the lavender Star.
“…Why, certainly. That would be of great help, thank you.” Skolar said, reaching down to grab that glass. Just before he could drink any tea, though… he stopped for a moment, looking down.
Four Toads; Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green, stood within the Manor’s lobby. Each of them bore explorers outfits and backpacks, bearing genuine looks of glee as they looked up to Skolar… except for the Yellow Toad, who seemed to be nodding off.
“What—!? How—!? Where—!?” Skolar stammered.
“Oh! Sorry! We didn’t introduce ourselves first!” The Red Toad said. “I’m Captain Toad! And this is my Toad Brigade!”
“We thought we’d stop by and try to earn some extra coin!” The Green Toad said. “Can’t get enough of it!”
“…And, uh… forgive our intrusion, but the door was unlocked when we showed up.” The Blue Toad added. “Were we interrupting something?”
“…Got anywhere to sleep…?” The Yellow Toad suddenly asked.
Skolar was in complete shock for a moment, before turning to the others in the lobby. “…Would one of you care to explain who left the front door unlocked?” He asked, before eyeing Muskular. “…It was you, wasn’t it?”
“What!?” Muskular retorted. “Don’t look at me, lad! Klevar and Mamar were the last ones to leave!”
“Excuse you!? Don’t point this at me!” Mamar retorted.
“But… we didn’t even come through the door?” Klevar reiterated. “We didn’t use it at all, we appeared back here once we were done bringing the Koopa children back to the Dark Lands.”
“…Oh, right… sorry.” Muskular apologized. “Me head’s in a bit of a frenzy.”
“Serves you right, young man.” Mamar said to herself.
“…And that’s why you all must talk it out.” Kamek then added. “Get all of that out of your systems.”
“Yes, Kamek is right.” Misstar agreed. “How about we lay this to rest… and get to the matter at hand?”
“Sure… but, first…” Klevar began, before looking down to the Toad Captain. “Do you have any more of that tea?”
“Oh! Sure!” Captain Toad said before rummaging through his bag and pulling out another glass for Klevar to take, which he gently grabbed from the Toad’s hand.
Silence befell the room again, before Kalmar turned to Skolar. “You were saying something?”
Skolar then nodded, fiddling with the tea glass in his hands. “…To be consumed by dark magic… it’s sickening…” He said. “I had never felt so unlike myself. So… blinded by greed. I only cared for myself, and not even my own student… even if he had been tainted by the Darkness as well, I’m certain he feels the same.”
Klevar quietly nodded. “I’ve never been so distressed over my own actions… I’ve never been so lazy, so unproductive!” He said. “I can barely imagine the thought!”
“…At least you didn’t almost get someone killed.” Mamar quietly added. The others looked to her… Muskular and Kalmar appearing the most shocked.
“That horrible magic turned me into some… love obsessed siren! I almost dragged Mario into the beach’s ocean depths!” Mamar cried. “I almost can’t believe I did it… used my songs for evil. It’s disgusting!”
Kalmar recoiled a bit… which Mamar seemed to notice rather quickly. Muskular also backed away a bit, seeming on edge.
“…What’s on your mind, sugar?” Mamar asked Kalmar. “We’re all admitting things here. Whatever you did couldn’t have been that bad, right?”
“Ah… I…” Kalmar seemed horrified to even say a word. “What I had done… to so many people… to Toads, the Koopa King’s own troops… other Stars… I can’t!”
The others only watched as he backed away from Mamar, appearing incredibly distressed. Silence fell upon the lobby once more before Misstar hovered forward.
“…How about I go next, Mamar?” Misstar asked. “He doesn’t seem like he’s ready.”
“…Oh, alright. Go ahead.” Mamar said.
“I felt so… hollow before. Like a piece of myself had been missing.” Misstar said. “While the Darkness had me, I obsessed over those who had what I wanted… passion. Fires that burned unlike no other, and Mario’s was perfect… I had captured him, intending to keep him until he died… oh, the horror I must’ve caused him. I feel horrible… I hope he and his brother are okay…”
“…Aye, I most definitely feel the same.” Muskular said. “I ain’t never felt so… powerful before then. I had all the strength I could’ve imagined, unhealthily wild! I can’t believe that Darkness had taken me! Pulled me down into the depths of me own head… enough to kill the red man’s younger brother.”
The other Spirits gasped, causing Muskular to recoil. Kalmar also appeared more upset than he already had.
“…Did you… actually do that?” Klevar asked.
Muskular seemed like he didn’t want to admit it, before eventually nodding. “I remember it. The poor lad could barely breathe… he had red stainin' his clothes. And then, I struck 'em in his chest… his brother saw it all. Thank the Haven he’s fairin' fine now, but…”
“…It doesn’t erase what you did.” Skolar added.
“…I-I did… so much worse…” Kalmar suddenly said, causing the other Spirits to look to him. “…So many… perished, by my hand…”
“What?” Mamar questioned.
“…I was a cook.” Kalmar said. “But, my recipes… they… oh, it makes me sick.”
“…They didn’t, did they, honey?” Mamar asked.
“…I hate to say it aloud…” Kalmar said. “And the brothers and Koopa children… they ate them. The horrid creations I made.”
The other Spirits fell quiet, as did everyone else in the room. All of them had done something to be ashamed of, even if not all of them had blood on their hands… even if it wasn’t truly them that did these actions…
“Hm… forgive me, it seems it wasn’t the wisest choice to do this… but,” Kamek began. “Dark magic makes you do terrible things. Go against others you care about, hurt people…” As he silenced, Toadsworth trembled where he sat…
“Yeah! We did some messed up stuff too!” The Green Toad added.
“I had trapped Mario in a room and was gonna K.O. him!” The Blue Toad blurted. “And the Yellow Toad here, he was an unruly mummy King!” He gestured to the Yellow Toad, who was now asleep on the floor.
“What seems to matter to the brothers, though,” Kamek started. “Is that you all are back to your usual selves. None of what you did was truly you doing it, they know that… but, for us, it doesn’t change the fact that it happened at all.”
…The Spirits seemed to understand… but, the guilt nagged at them. The confrontation was too much to handle. After all they had done to the brothers…
But, this wasn’t all of what was within their own collective rabbit hole…
———
— Act 2 ~ The Dawn of Untold Truths —
…Nothing but void and silence enveloped the Bros. As they slowly felt consciousness return to them, their ears began to ring…
Before the sound of a loud, blaring buzzer brought them to their senses. The same kind of buzzer you hear once the curtains of a stage begin to rise.
Both brothers quickly rose with a start, quickly turning to look at one another, before starting to look around them… where were they…?
Their surroundings were almost entirely black, for no light lit where they stood. They rose to their feet and clung to each other as they started to walk forward.
The Bros. shoes clacked against a hard surface that neither could see. The faint shadows of curtains and random objects placed about were just barely visible… it almost felt like they were on some kind of movie set.
They walked for what felt like miles. Taking many turns, entirely uncertain of where they were going. All they had was each other, and their guts.
…If only Cosmo could help them…
At that, a thought crossed the Bros. minds… where was Cosmo? He hadn’t said a word since they awoke in this odd realm. He hadn’t appeared before them either.
The longer they thought, expecting an answer… it never came.
The longer they sought an answer from their dear guide and battle partner… the more they felt as if his soul was barely even bound to theirs…
“Mario! Luigi!” An unknown, elderly voice called. “Oh, thank the Haven I’ve finally found you!”
The Bros. immediately stopped in their tracks and turned back… seeing something they didn’t expect in the slightest.
Eldstar, the wise leader of the Star Spirits, hovered behind them. A soft golden glow emanated from him, just barely lighting up where the Bros. stood… how was he here? Wasn’t he still tainted?
Amidst their confusion though… the same unknown guilt from before suddenly made itself known again…
“Forgive my sudden intrusion, dear brothers, but we must hurry!” Eldstar said. “Follow me!” He then hovered away, expecting the Bros. to be right behind him.
…But the Bros. didn’t follow. They stood in place, knowing that this had to be some trick. They knew Eldstar was still in need of saving. If not, they wouldn’t be here.
As they stood, wanting to head a different way, a golden aura suddenly enveloped them both, dragging them to where Eldstar had gone… they were being forcibly moved.
They tried to escape the Star’s grasp, wriggling amidst the magical aura that surrounded them, but to no avail… Wherever they were going didn’t seem good.
After a fairly long drag through the odd realm, the Bros. finally stopped moving and were let go. They stood in more void for only a moment, before suddenly being met with Eldstar again… along with the other six Spirits?
“…Dear brothers, we must ask of you…” Eldstar began. “Why are you working alongside such a coward of a Warrior?”
The Bros. were in shock at that. Whatever this was, they knew it was fake… and yet, something within them told them it was still real…
“Never did we ever expect you to be cohorts with such a… poor excuse of a soldier.” Skolar said.
“Yes… we expected better of you!” Klevar added.
“The fate of the world is on your shoulders, and you pick him to be your guide?” Misstar butted in. “Oh, what a poor choice!”
…Both brothers stood utterly confused at such rancid words. That’s not how it went…
“It’s quite unfortunate, really.” Kalmar said.
“Aye, agreed!” Muskular said with a firm nod. “Choosin' such a cowardly, dastardly barnacle… ye have only cursed yerselves! Death be knocking at yer door now, lads!”
“I ain’t never seen heroes like you both be so careless!” Mamar said. “To work with a traitor that’s doomed us all… I can’t believe you!”
“Despite your heroics… we have no other choice.” Eldstar said. “For the crimes you three have committed, you shall be smited…”
The Bros.’ faces went white at that. They had to remind themselves that none of this was real… but still, the same guilt from before…
“…I cannot… wait anymore…” The Bros. barely heard Cosmo say… he sounded like he was far away, barely even present. “Please… stop this… please! PLEASE!!”
As the Spirits gathered around, as if preparing to go all out on the Bros. A bright white light enveloped the Spirits as the brothers slowly backed away, feeling the guilt coat their entire bodies.
“Get me away from this! …away from you…” Cosmo said… referring to the Bros. “You don’t… need me! Not anymore! …I’ve been nothing… but a hinderance to you! I am not needed anymore… I NEVER WAS!!!”
Before the Spirits could continue, the light around them suddenly disappeared… and Cosmo stopped talking… the Bros. felt oddly hollow now, more-so then before. Like something was missing…
…Where had Cosmo gone…?
“…How pleasant.” A voice said from nowhere. “Everything’s going how I want it to… just as planned.”
The Bros. quickly turned their heads around to find the voice… realizing it was the same one they heard before being brought to this odd realm.
“It appears I’ve gone a bit too fast for you.” The voice said. “There is still much I must show you, after all… a lot of which only I can see.” He then chuckled.
…The Bros. pondered what that could’ve meant… they felt like they knew all they needed… but, what of Cosmo…?
“That, and much more… I shall show you.” The voice said. “Just watch…”
A bright spotlight then shown onto the Bros.’ faces… before coalescing into some kind of vision…?
*~~*~~*
…Since the Dawn of Time, Light and Darkness have existed in tandem. Despite this, however, the Rulers of these Ancient Forces have been at odds for many an age… ever since war had first came upon the Star Realm’s glittering ground.
The Dark Star, Lord of Darkness and malice incarnate, sought to be rid of hope and wishes as part of his everlasting and unwavering will. He felt powerless to usurp the Light that constantly outshone the Darkness… and believed the only solution was a brutal war.
Many fought and died to protect the Star Realm on that fateful day. Many civilians were captured, killed, or tainted by the Darkness. And the Star Spirits, preachers of hope and granters of wishes, were forced to witness it all… and soon be captured by the Dark Star’s army.
The Spirits, alongside many soldiers and civilians, were taken to the Shadow Realm… the barren and dark home of the Ztars. Everyone was to remain imprisoned until they were to meet their end at the hands of the Dark Star’s Troops, or perish on their own. The Star Spirits, though… the Master of Darkness had a special punishment for them.
Each of the Seven Spirits, along with their treasured Star Rod that had also been stolen amidst the battle carnage, were to be contained under the highest surveillance, and have their power syphoned away to be converted into Dark Energy. Fuel to be used for the Ztar’s own gain.
All seemed hopeless for the Spirits and the Star Realm… before a small band of Star Warriors teamed together to free their friends and family, along with the Spirits. Once freed, each Star escaped back the Star Realm, leaving the Dark Star unfulfilled in his mission, and the Shadow Realm forever in rage over their loss.
Even long after the war did fear within the Star Realm still reign. Many Stars continued to live in fear, and mourn the losses the Realm faced that day… but, the worst of it all, the dread of the Seven.
The horrors the Spirits faced during the war and within the Shadow Realm was unlike anything they had ever witnessed. They were forced to watch many of their own people die. They were dragged away into a realm of Darkness. They were imprisoned, and had their power syphoned away from them, tortured for hours… while they were still awake.
They all wanted to believe it was some sick nightmare. They wanted to let the past go, just as every Star did… but they wanted these memories gone. Never to be acknowledged or remembered, and forever remain within the Sands of Time.
Over time, as the tragedies of the war had been left behind, the Spirits had left any thought of the war to ruin… no mourning the lost, no further training for their troops lest another attack were to occur… any mention of what had transpired was snuffed out amongst the Spirits. Despite this, though… their dreams were still full of Darkness, no matter how much they’d shove it aside.
…Then, once the Dark Star had finally perished at the hands of two human brothers and a Koopa King, the Star Realm cheered with glee. During the very night of the Dark Star’s demise, the sky had shone brighter than it ever had before. The war was over, and the Spirits felt that they could finally be at peace…
No one would invade their lands again. They wouldn’t have to watch anymore Stars perish. They could continue to preach their word. They could continue to grant mortals’ wishes. They could forget it ever happened at all…
Oh… how blissfully ignorant they were.
Little did the Spirits know that another force lurked about in the shadows. The Dark Star’s second in command sought to enact revenge against the mortals who had taken her Master’s life… and take the Star Realm along with them.
Only a singular year after the Dark Star had perished, a large troop of Ztars suddenly invaded the Star Realm, and were also heading toward the Mushroom Kingdom within the mortal lands… the Spirits' worst fear had come to life once again.
The Spirits rushed as many Star Warriors out of the Realm as they could, ordering every possible Star both in and outside of the Realm to fight against the troops as they invaded and began heading to the Mushroom Kingdom… as the Warriors departed, everyone could only ponder who was summoning these troops.
It seemed as if something had completely slipped their minds, hidden away as part of the horrors of the war… or rather, someone.
As the invasion progressed outside the Spirits’ Star Sanctuary, while they hid away from their fears, hoping for it all to go away… Commander Nox finally rained Hell upon the seven Spirits.
She crashed down upon the Sanctuary like lightning, using all the Ztar Magic she could muster to taint not only the Star Rod… but also the Spirits themselves. As the Darkness enveloped the Seven, they all lost themselves to the sins buried deep within their souls, becoming husks of the benevolent Gods they once were, and turning into harbingers of Darkness to serve under the Commander for all eternity.
…Only then, did the Seven become known as… the Ztar Spirits.
~~~
After only a few seconds longer did the Dark Magic finally dissipate. As Nox relaxed, loosening the grip on her trident, she looked around.
The Star Sanctuary was covered in cracks and holes from her crashing inside. In the place where she hovered, the Star Rod had completely transformed. The seven, now-corrupted Star Spirits hovered above their crystal pedestals, seemingly unconscious. The Commander grumbled, the grip on her trident tightening again as she began to focus.
“…Ztar Spirits, tainted creatures of the Dark…” Nox started. “AWAKEN!!!”
With a smack of her trident against the former Star Rod’s pedestal, the Seven all awoke with a start. They each slowly gathered their bearings, taking good looks at themselves.
They each resembled colored humanoids, all of them wearing different attires to match with the people they had become.
“…Oh, my…” The cerulean Spirit of Lust, Mamust, gasped. She looked down at her mermaid tail, which moved about softly as she got a look at herself. “How… endearing. It’s perfect! Surely many will come flocking to me over my beauty!”
“Hm… peculiar…” The golden Spirit of Greed, Alskol, said as he stared at his hands. He checked himself out, before glaring to the book-reading Spirit at the pedestal in front of him.
“…What are you looking at?” The azure Spirit of Sloth, Klevoth, asked with snark. “Mind your business over there. I’m trying to read.”
Alskol then scoffed. “Oh! How rude of you!” He said.
“…You act like I care.” Klevoth said back. Alskol only fumed at that.
Over by her pedestal, the emerald Spirit of Envy known as Ms. Enztar hovered, completely silent as she investigated her hands as they crept out from under her robe. She then turned over to one of the other Spirits ahead… she grumbled a bit, already feeling jealous of the man she looked at.
The tangerine Spirit of Gluttony, Kaglut, took notice of Ms. Enztar’s glare, despite her face begin hidden by a hood. “Ah, mademoiselle, why must you glare at me?” He asked. “Perhaps you are hungry? I can prepare something nice for you once I find the time.”
“What makes you think that?” The crimson Spirit of Wrath, Muskuwrath, asked. “You think maybe she’s jealous?”
“…Oh, of who?” Kaglut asked, aggravated.
“Of me! Why wouldn’t she?” Muskuwrath asked. “I’ve got passion in me like no other!”
“Yes… a barbaric passion at that…” Kaglut said under his breath.
“…Perhaps, she dares to take a gander at me?” The mauve Spirit of Pride, Pridezar, interjected. “Who wouldn’t want to be like me?” Kaglut only sighed at that.
“Everyone! Stop with the yapping!” Nox suddenly commanded. “I have orders for all of you, and I need everyone to pay attention!”
The seven Spirits immediately turned their heads to face Nox, each with different glints in their eyes. Some of genuine care and respect, while others held slight annoyance…
“You all will be given an area within the Mushroom Kingdom to rule.” Nox commanded. “You will reign over these lands, and their people… and if you find the brothers and Koopa King… bring them to me. Alive.”
Pridezar’s singular eye raised at the mention of the Koopa King… with his profound knowledge of others after having watched over mortals and celestials alike for eons as a Star, he knew of the King and his own Minion troop… along with a certain trio of Minions that could be of use…
“Commander… may I interject?” Pridezar asked.
Nox swiveled her head to stare at the prideful Spirit, enraged that he’d gotten in the way. “What? Speak!”
“…I have quite the massive intuition, you know. I know of all there is to know about the Mushroom Kingdom and its inhabitants. Perhaps, it would be best to not vanquish the Koopa King and his troops?” Pridezar suggested.
The Commander seemed furious at such a suggestion. “What are you talking about!? He and the brothers KILLED my Master!” She yelled. “If I’m not sparing the brothers, why spare him?”
“Because he and his Minions could be of great use to you, Commander.” Pridezar said. “…And I have the perfect plan in mind. There is a particular Minion trio within his troop that strongly desires to usurp their King. If I can take advantage of that… the Koopa King and his Minions could be yours for the taking. The more Minions you have, the easier it will be to take siege of the Dark Lands, and soon the entire Kingdom, yes?”
…Nox wanted to argue, but she soon realized she couldn’t. The more Minions she had, the better. If Pridezar, the one with the vast knowledge inherited from his old benevolent self, had such a plan in mind… she feared she couldn’t risk saying no.
“…Fine. But I require more of that little plan of yours.” Nox said.
“Gladly, Commander.” Pridezar said with a haughty huff.
~~~
The plan was simple. Gather the Trio to the Darkness, take one of the Minions’ own, and have them strike once the Minion troop and Koopa King least expected it… and, as Pridezar knew, the plan had worked perfectly.
Those Minions were incredibly easy to manipulate, having been wronged by others in the troop over time. It was perfect. They were able to simply drag one of the seven Koopalings and corrupt him… eventually bringing Darkness upon Bowser’s Castle. To hear the dismay within the Koopa King’s Castle was music to Pridezar’s ears.
As the prideful Spirit had begun his voyage to the tainted Sunbeam Plains though… something new and unprecedented crossed his eye.
~~~
Never in his entire life did Cosmo believe he’d fight in such a war. He knew being a Star Warrior would mean bloodshed… but he never thought it would be so sudden. He felt like he had no time to catch his breath.
As he fought, he saw many perish at the hands of the Ztar troops. He would rush to help… only to see his allies and friends be stabbed or shot. It was an utter nightmare.
It wasn’t long before the number of Star Warriors began to drastically dwindle. With the Darkness spreading evermore through the Plains, the grass became dead and the flowers around the field began to wilt. The grassy fields almost appeared black with the lack of light from the darkness of the cloud-covered night sky.
Cosmo struggled to concentrate as Ztar troops surrounded the fields. He did all he felt he could, but seemed to constantly fail, being so close and yet so far from saving those he held dear to him.
…As he continued his arduous fight, clashing with another troop, he began thinking of her. The one close friend he had before becoming a Warrior, and before she became a Representative… where was she now? Was she still okay? Alive…?
He then started to think of the Spirits… and how they had gone quiet since he and the other Warriors departed for the Kingdom. Any prayers or calls to them were never answered… he could only fear the worst as he fought.
Amidst his tragic thoughts, he heard a sound echoing in the wind… a horrid cackling. As he tried to locate the source of the sound, he began to realize where it may be coming from… Princess Peach’s Castle. She must’ve been in danger. The threat that brought these troops here must’ve been there… whoever they were.
'…It can be her, can it? I shudder to think… I must depart at once!'
…He thought then… perhaps he could face the threat himself. Avenge his comrades by defeating this villain. He felt obligated to do so, the desire to fight for his comrades bringing him forward.
~~~
Pridezar saw him. The small Star Warrior hovering over to the Princess’ Castle, beaming with light and warmth. He only chuckled to himself as he watched him hover away… eventually catching eye of the two brothers the Commander had asked for along Toad Town’s central path.
…Only then did Pridezar begin putting things together. The Commander was strong, it was very likely no one would survive a fight with her, or her troops within the Castle… but, those brothers…
He recalled many tales of how the brothers had triumphed over their foes, never backing down and never failing… in case something were to happen that he couldn’t see, he had to make sure it was accounted for. He had to make sure that he was always two steps ahead. No one could be ahead of him.
…He needed more intel on them, in case they were to somehow able make it out of the Commander’s clutches.
Pridezar was swift, fleeing the Plains and heading back to the Dark Lands. He scouted around for anything he could take the form of… spotting little alien servants within the chef Spirit’s Manor.
The mauve Spirit quickly shifted his form, into that of a one-eyed Shroob bearing an eyepatch, and showed himself to the Manor’s owner… and he let him in.
For what felt like many an age, Pridezar waited to possibly catch the brothers when they least expected it… and then, the time arose.
Kaglut had lead the brothers and their small posse into the Manor, setting them up for a grand feast of their own. As the brother in red sat himself down, and Pridezar passed by… he got a good, long look at him. Staring deep into his soul…
There. He sensed it.
The same Star Warrior he spotted not that long ago. But something was different about him. His aura, his Light, had felt more faint that it had before… Pridezar could sense the turmoil hidden within the Sprite. Something no one in the brothers’ group seemed to catch onto.
…That mistake would be their downfall.
Pridezar continued to watch them go through the Manor and Gloomcano, gathering whatever intel he could… the alien cult deep underground, the Minions being held in cells, the Elite Trio betraying him over material possessions, the near death of the man in red… the return of the Dark Star.
Once gathering what he needed, Pridezar fled, laughing as he congratulated himself. Back in his usual form, within the Plains… he began his wait.
'Soon… victory shall be mine to take. And mine alone! Hah!'
*~~*~~*
“…And now, you are here. Having fallen right into my clutches… I’m certain you believe my plan is full proof, correct?” Pridezar said, his tone ever prideful. “That Sprite is quite weak willed… I can’t believe he’s even still with you.”
…The Bros. were reeling. All of what they learned… it all made sense to them now. They thought they knew everything, and yet… poor Cosmo…
“…Stop… please…” Cosmo begged from the Bros. heads, his voice faint… the Bros. could feel his presence fading.
Pridezar chuckled. “I’ve never seen a Sprite so cowardly… lying to both of you for so long. For what?” He asked. “To protect himself? Because he’s afraid? Is that truly the mark of a Star Warrior?”
“…I-I couldn’t… I can’t…” Cosmo said, his voice sounding even more faint.
“What kind of Warrior trembles in the face of the Star Spirits? A cowardly one, precisely.” Pridezar said… he was just going on and on now. He knew what he was doing… and it was working. “No strength to face them as they’ve been saved… not that you saved them in the first place.”
“Despite your attempts to fight for others, you’ve been unable to save your friends, your comrades, your Starlow… and soon, these brothers.” Pridezar mocked. “…When are you going to stop letting your own people die?”
“…I…I…” Cosmo stammered. “…I’m sorry…”
Only then did the Bros. feel something change within their souls… they felt around their hearts, feeling horror cross them.
…They could no longer feel Cosmo’s presence.
At the Bros.’ silence, Pridezar only laughed, his cackling echoing all throughout the odd room they stood in… before bright spotlights suddenly came on, lighting up where they stood… a large theatre stage.
And just before them both, a lanky figure with purple skin appeared. He wore odd Shakespearean attire and his long mauve hair gently blew as if a fan was blowing it to the side. Pridezar himself stood, back to the empty audience seats as he laughed.
“What a spectacle! Marvelous performance, I must say!” Pridezar congratulated, albeit a bit sarcastically. “But not nearly as brilliant as my own!”
The Bros.’ brows furrowed at such a comment. The Spirit’s ego and attitude made their heads hurt.
“I’ve never seen such an unfortunate sight, two ill-minded brothers bent on proving that such a failure of a soldier has worth amongst them?” Pridezar mocked. “Oh! I almost pity you.”
Did he really think he’d get anywhere by mocking them? He was simply tooting his own horn, rubbing it in that he won. The Bros. wouldn’t fall for such pettiness… they needed to find out how to get Cosmo back…
“It’s especially saddening to see you go out this way… but, at least I get to try out my new puppets!” Pridezar said. “Behold!”
With a raise of Pridezar’s hands, the curtains behind the Bros. rose, revealing three shadows behind it, only for the spotlights to shine down upon them… the Elite Trio had become puppets!?
“They might have failed me once…” Pridezar began. “But with my strings at the helm, surely they shall have the upper hand against you! Hah!”
As the Bros. looked upon the Elite Puppets, they noticed glowing hands hovering above the Trio, each one holding marionette crossbar with strings attached to the puppet’s limbs. There also appeared to be small insignia of Pridezar on his left foot.
“…Hail the Great Pridezar!” Puppet Goomp, cheered. He resembled a wooden puppet with tear marks painted onto his face. He lacked eyes and his gaping sad mouth was carved into his head.
“…For the King…!” Sergeant Strings said. He appeared to made of some kind of patched cloth, each patch being green, blue, or red. Pridezar’s insignia was plastered onto his porcelain mask.
“…F-f-f-for the Head Honcho, Pridezar!” Corporal Springlock hailed as sparks flew off of his mechanical body. He nearly appeared like a Mecha-Koopa, albeit more of an animatronic than a manufactured toy. His arms were barely attached to his body, being held together by exposed springs. The Ztar Spirit’s insignia could also be seen painted onto his helmet.
As the puppets moved forward, the hands above them following their every move, the Bros. took on their battle stances once more. They still had to fight… even without Cosmo.
“Fare thee well, imbecilic brothers!” Pridezar said with a dramatic wave of his hand. “May these fools show you the errors of your ways! …Oh, how ironic! Fools fighting fools to bring foolish errors to the surface! How creative of me! Hah!” Pridezar then laughed to himself as he disappeared in a cloud of lavender smoke, just as the Elite Puppets began their moves.
As the battle then started, Puppet Goomp rushed to Corporal Springlock as he got into his shell, the Goomba now standing on top of it. The shell then rushed toward Mario, who began to take notice of the hands above the puppets… the hand above Puppet Goomp moved forward slightly… he was going to jump off the shell to hit the man in red.
Just as Goomp jumped off the shell, and tried to head butt Mario. Before Mario could react at all, however, Puppet Goomp had overshot his attack, landing on the ground. It appeared that the Bros. wouldn’t have to worry about countering if he constantly missed.
Corporal Springlock then went around both Bros., who leaped over his shell, as he went for another spin, hitting the knocked-down Goomp and bringing him back to his spot on the field as Paraplonk made his way back, finally exiting his shell.
“What was that!?” Sergeant Strings yelled. “How could you mess that up!?”
“…I-I just overshot it a little…” Puppet Goomp replied.
“A little!? I refuse to believe that.” Sergeant Strings said back. “Springlock! Let’s show him how to attack, the right way!”
“Y-y-yes, sir!” Corporal Springlock said with a quick nod as a compartment on his shell popped open. Sergeant Strings rushed to him as he pulled out two red batteries and stuck them into Springlock’s back. The battery compartment shut closed, and the Corporal began to shake as electricity bounced off of him.
The inane mecha-puppet then flew up into the air and shot toward Mario like a bullet. The man in red had no time to defend himself, quickly getting whacked in the face by Corporal Springlock. Once the attack concluded, the Corporal made his way back to his spot on the field, the battery compartment once again opening and allowing the batteries inside to fall out and bounce off the field like used ammo shells.
“See?” Sergeant Strings mocked as he turned to Goomp. “That’s how you do it, soldier!” Goomp only turned away, his constantly saddened eye sockets squinting in embarrassment.
Over on the Bros.’ side, Mario rubbed his now-aching nose. Luigi looked to him with concern, making Mario look back at him with a reassuring gaze… he’d be fine.
“Now, men, let’s see you beat me!” Sergeant Strings declared in a haughty tone.
The Sergeant then pulled out his Magikoopa wand, bringing it up to the air as it hovered around and brightly glowed. As Sergeant Strings’ spell was casted, the wand broke apart into four grey segmented pieces still hovering above the battle ground, just as a cloud of smoke covered the stage.
Once the smoke cleared, clones of the Sergeant began rushing toward both Bros. The Bros. rushed to jump over each clone, struggling to find the real one. The clones seemed to all turn invisible once approaching the Bros., eventually running away… and whenever they were to jump on the clones, a segment of the wand above would light back up, that can’t be good for the Bros.
As the Bros. continued to struggle though, they noticed that only one clone still bore the hovering hand and strings above the battle field… it was obvious that that very Sergeant was their target. They waited through the fakes, being sure not to jump on them as they passed, until Mario was finally able to stop the right Sergeant, bringing him down and causing the other clones to disappear, thus ending the attack as he retreated his spot and collected his wand.
“Drat! How could you have figured that out!?” Sergeant Strings huffed.
“…N-no matter now…” Puppet Goomp began. “Let’s see what they’ve got!”
Mario and Luigi then glared to each other… perhaps their elemental attacks shall be of use. They wasted no time in using their Fire and Thunder on the Trio; Mario being able to hit them all with his fire, and Luigi dealing extra damage to Sergeant Strings with his thunder… despite Cosmo being essentially absent from them, their moves still packed quite the punch, especially against these easy-to-damage puppets.
The Trio then slowly rose, recovering from the strong attacks little by little. Puppet Goomp then stared into the Bros. eyes with his empty sockets, as if attempting to threaten them.
“…I’m not scared of you!” Puppet Goomp declared. “…If anything, you should be afraid of me!”
At that, the stage lights began to flicker, before then shutting off. The battle ground became eerily dark and quiet… before two red and green music boxes appeared in front of the Bros, and a line of sheet music materialized in the air. Feeling as if there was nothing else to do, the Bros. began to crank their music boxes.
…The song was smoothly played by both Bros., each going one after the other every other line… until Mario flubbed up by playing the wrong note. Both Bros. then heard a mischievous child-like giggle… followed by Puppet Goomp suddenly appearing under a spotlight, having moved up to them by a few inches.
The Bros.’ hearts sank at this sight a little, making them play just a little bit faster. As they played, they could feel as if the puppet was slowly inching toward them… even if they couldn’t see him amidst the darkness. The song then began to reach its end as a large music note appeared before the Bros., moving itself ahead as the lights came back on and the large note moved Puppet Goomp back to his spot on the field.
“Huh!? But—! …Aw, man.” Puppet Goomp said as he sadly sighed.
Sergeant Strings couldn’t help but groan at the Private, before scooting over to Corporal Springlock and placing more batteries inside the compartment in his shell, although the batteries were green this time.
Springlock flew into the air once more, shooting toward Luigi the same way he had with Mario… Luigi was ready though, quickly pulling out his hammer and smacking Corporal Springlock away, back to his spot on the field.
Sergeant Strings then grumbled where he stood as Corporal Springlock recovered and the batteries in his back fell out, staring at the Bros. with death daggers.
“Come on now, men! We can’t keep screwing up like this!” Sergeant Strings yelled as he started his attack. He wasted no time in bringing his wand up and casting his spell again, summoning more copies toward the Bros.
The Bros. were swift, being sure to find and attack the right copy… eventually finding Sergeant Strings amidst the crowd, Luigi jumping on him and causing the Sergeant to fall back to his post, causing him to rage where he stood as the Bros. began their attacks, hitting them with the elementals, significantly weakening the puppets.
“Ughh… ready yourselves, men!” Sergeant Strings commanded. “We’re on our last legs!”
“…O-okay!” Puppet Goomp said as he straightened.
“Y-yeah! Let’s take ‘em o-o-out!” Corporal Springlock declared as more sparks flew off of him.
The lights then shut off again, and the same music boxes and line of sheet music appears. The Bros. didn’t hesitate in playing the music just as they had before, not missing a beat… eventually causing the same large music note to appear and shove Puppet Goomp back to his spot on the field.
Sergeant Strings grumbled as he once again rushed to Corporal Springlock, shoving red and green batteries into Springlock’s back. Springlock flew into the air again and charged toward the Bros., flying right between them, only for both Bros. to use their hammers against him, knocking him back to the enemy’s spot.
Sergeant Strings then writhed where he stood, immediately starting his attack in a rush. More clones appeared… although they seemed to be moving just a little bit faster than before. The Bros. found themselves messing up more than before.
Mario jumped on a fake first, then Luigi… then Mario again, then Luigi again… causing the Magikoopa wand above to be fully put back together. The wand then began to charge up its magic. Once at its peak, the wand blasted its magic toward the Bros., directly hitting them.
“HAH!! TAKE THAT!!!” Sergeant Strings laughed.
The Bros. slowly recovered and looked to each other, nodding as they got up and began their attacks. Both Bros. went off on the Trio, not daring to mess up or miss. Once their attacks had concluded, the Trio appeared extremely winded… especially Puppet Goomp, who then collapsed onto the ground.
Corporal Springlock then rushed away, dragging out a tall chair from back and sitting Puppet Goomp in it. After only a few moments, Puppet Goomp was quickly healed and revitalized, jumping back onto his feet. As he arose from the chair, Springlock approached and dragged the chair back to its place backstage. The Bros. looked on, tensing up slightly… they needed another strategy…
“S-see? That’s the power of teamwork!” Puppet Goomp said. “Unless you down us all at once, it’ll be curtains for you!”
“WHAT IS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD, PRIVATE!?” Sergeant Strings yelled as he rushed to the wooden puppet and smacked him on the back of his head. “It’ll be curtains for us if you keep spouting out our strategy like that!!”
“…T-t-that’s not very head honcho-like of you, man!” Corporal Springlock said.
“…Sorry, sir…” Puppet Goomp said meekly.
That was it, the Bros. needed to down them all at once… surely that wouldn’t be too hard.
“Don’t get cocky now, plumbers!” Sergeant Strings said with a point to the Bros. “I’ve got some tricks up my patches! You aren’t gonna be ready for this!”
The Sergeant then brought out his wand once more and waved it around… summoning a small pocket-sized Chain Chomp within a capsule… it took a moment for the brothers to recognize it, an item from a previous adventure.
“Alright, men! We all go in on our damage! Work together!” Sergeant Strings commanded. “Do not mess this up!”
The Sergeant then threw the Pocket Chomp up into the air, letting it take its form from a cloud of smoke. The Trio then ran off, taking their positions as the Chain Chomp made its way to Mario.
Puppet Goomp was in front of the Chain Chomp quickly approaching Mario with his stubby feet. As he approached, Goomp leaped into the air and attempted to bonk his head onto Mario, only for the man in red to guard. Goomp bounced away, but the other two Trio members still followed.
Corporal Springlock was atop the Chain Chomp’s head, riding upon it. Sergeant Strings was at the back, holding his arm out. As he reached Mario, he attempted to slap him, only for Mario to guard again.
As the Chain Chomp passed, Mario looked over to Luigi… they needed to counter it somehow, and as the Chain Chomp approached the man in green, he already had an idea.
Goomp ran to Luigi, wanting to head bonk him as he had with Mario. Luigi then quickly pulled out his hammer and hit the wooden puppet with it, knocking back toward the Chain Chomp, promptly disorienting it. Both Sergeant Strings and Corporal Springlock fell of the Chomp as it ran off the stage. The Trio then retreated to their spots on the field.
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?” Sergeant Strings yelled. “Goomp! What’s wrong with you, soldier!?”
“…N-nothing! That green guy hit me!” Puppet Goomp retorted.
“A-and you hitting us knocked u-us down!” Corporal Springlock said.
“But it wasn’t my fault!?” Puppet Goomp retorted again.
As the Trio continued to fight amongst the each other, the Bros. began their next elemental onslaught on them. As their turns ended, the Trio recoiled… they were growing weaker and weaker by the minute, they needed to be fast… lest they face Pridezar’s wrath.
Sergeant Strings waved the Magikoopa wand once again, summoning a small canon… another attack the Bros. could recognize. The Sergeant threw the cannon to the ground, only then rushing to it and sliding within its opening. The other two Trio members quickly followed suit without a word.
The cannon then reeled and launched the Trio up into the air… after a few moments, the Trio began its descent onto Mario, who swiftly pulled out his hammer. He had just enough time to whack the Trio back to their spots on the field as they descended to him. First the Sergeant, then Corporal Springlock, and finally Puppet Goomp.
The Trio all collided with each other as they were smacked away, struggling to get back to their feet. The scuffle was like that of an ugly cat fight.
“GET BACK TO YOUR FEET, MEN!!” Sergeant Strings commanded. “Now!! Get off of me!”
“I-I-I’m t-trying!” Corporal Springlock whined.
“OW!! You’re stepping in my eye sockets!” Puppet Goomp yelled.
As the Bros. attacked once more, the Trio was still caught in their scuffle… but the Bros.’ Fire and Thunder seemed to help the get out of it as Sergeant Strings weakly waved his Magikoopa wand again.
Once the wand’s magic coalesced, another familiar attack appeared… a kind of door or window, which the Sergeant immediately chucked into the air. The hinges to the doors on the window then swung open, allowing the Trio to hop inside. At that, the Bros. immediately readied their hammers.
The door would appear and disappear in a constant cycle, and each time one or more of the Trio members were to appear, they’d counter with their hammers. They didn’t miss a single beat nor take a single hit from the Trio. After awhile, the attack finally ended, and the Trio returned to their spots, visibly winded… so much so, that they couldn’t even argue amongst themselves.
Mario and Luigi attacked once more… and began to really see the wear and tear on the Puppet Trio. Burn marks, cracks, and torn seams were strewn around their bodies… but it seemed they still had a bit more fight in them.
“We can’t lose… not now, not ever!” Sergeant Strings said as he waved the Magikoopa wand again. “Keep your chins up, men!”
Out from the wand’s magic appeared a small basket full of pastries… Luigi recognized it immediately, swiftly starting to feel a tad peckish… Mario then glared to him with a raised eyebrow. Wasn’t he the one telling him to calm down during the Manor’s banquet? Luigi then side-eyed Mario… that was different, he swore it.
Sergeant Strings looked to the basket, then toward the other two puppets… his eyes latching onto Puppet Goomp, who immediately tensed up. The Sergeant then sighed with regret.
“…Forgive me for what I am about to do, soldier.” Sergeant Strings said.
The Sergeant then rushed to Puppet Goomp as he opened the latch on the basket and began shoving the pastries down Goomp’s throat. Luigi looked on, a tad disappointed, while Mario still gave him a slight side eye.
As more of the pastries were thrown into Puppet Goomp’s mouth, he began to bloat up like a balloon, until he had simply eaten so much, that he suddenly appeared way bigger than the other two Trio members.
Sergeant Strings and Corporal Springlock then tried to pick wooden Goomba up, albeit with much effort and strain, before finally chucking him toward the Bros., who quickly readied their hammers and smacked Goomp back, causing him to collide with the other Trio members. The Sergeant and Corporal then fell to the floor as Goomp bounced away, before shrinking back to normal size and meeting back with the others, eventually falling to the ground himself.
With the Trio noticeably weakened, perhaps they could finally free them… but what were they to do without Cosmo?
The Bros. scattered a little for a solution… then noticing the hovering hands and puppet strings above their heads. Perhaps if they broke those, they’d be freed, even without Cosmo’s help? …There was only way to be certain. Mario and Luigi then glared to each other, deciding to do something different this time around.
They grabbed each other’s hands and began to spin in place, bringing Fire and Thunder to their hands as they spun and sped up. Their power just barely glittered like the night sky as they charged up their attack.
The Puppet Trio then slowly got to their feet, noticing the brothers preparing their final attack.
The Trio then huddled close together before reeling back slightly, as if getting ready to charge forward…
“3…” Sergeant Strings began.
“2…” Corporal Springlock continued.
“1!!!” Puppet Goomp ended.
“GET ELITE!!!” The three Trio members said altogether as they rushed forward…
…But before they could even dare to land a single hit on the Bros., the brothers charged forward, promptly Breslin the puppet strings above their heads, and making the world around them go white…
…After awhile, the light around them cleared. The Bros. then slowly awoke and got to their feet, helping each other up before looking forward… and seeing the Elite Trio, converted back to their usual selves… they were still able to free, thankfully enough.
…However…
They still needed Cosmo back…
Not only did they need him… They missed him…
After a few moments of silence, a small music note suddenly hovered out from Private Goomp… as if it had been embedded inside him. No wonder a whole aspect of his gimmick was music.
The music note then hovered over to Mario, which he slowly took and held in his hands, before triumphantly holding it up.
~ You got a new Bros. Attack! Superstar Symphony! ~
Once Mario had tucked the new attack away, the Elite Trio began to wake, rolling over onto their backs and heaving.
“…Wh… what happened…?” Private Goomp asked.
“…Don’t… remember a thing…” Corporal Paraplonk said.
“…Dizzy…” Sergeant Guy groaned meekly.
As they recovered, the Bros. slowly approached and looked down at them, offering to help… but they were quick to back away as they regained focus.
The Bros. were swift to explain themselves and help jog their memory… which the Trio was slowly regaining everything as they recounted it all…
“…Oh. Yeah…” Private Goomp recalled. “The stuff with Pridezar… and everything going dark…”
“Affirmative. That did happen…” Sergeant Guy said.
“Yeah… it did…” Corporal Paraplonk added.
…Silence then filled the stage the group stood on. Both parties awaited a word from the other… before Private Goomp suddenly jumped forward to the Bros.
“OH, PLEASE, PLEASE, DON’T LET PRIDEZAR FIND US!!!” Private Goomp wept. “We’ll do anything! Well, uh… j-join you! Yeah! On your adventure! Against Nox!”
“Huh!?” Corporal Paraplonk yelped.
“…You seriously want us to rep Mario?” Sergeant Guy asked in a bewildered whisper. “What are you thinking!?”
“…No! We aren’t gonna rep him!” Private Goomp said in a barely quieted tone. “This is just to get Pridezar off our tails! You don’t wanna get beat up by him, do you? They can beat him up for us! No work from us involved, at all! Once they’re taking care of Pridezar, we leave them and bail!”
…Private Goomp acted like the Bros. were deaf, like they couldn’t hear his plan at all. Even then… perhaps they could help them get to Pridezar. Even if their alliance wasn’t genuine like the others were, perhaps it could get them somewhere. Maybe the Trio could be of some help in the actual fight… maybe… hopefully…
The Private then turned to the Bros., a fake smile plastered onto his face. “So, uh… what do you say? Can we join you? Pleeeease?”
“We’ll help as much as we can, sirs!” Sergeant Guy said as he sprung up and stuck himself next to Private Goomp.
“Pleeease? …With a cherry on top?” Corporal Paraplonk said as he and the other Trio members stared at the Bros. with baby eyes.
…Both Bros. then sighed, eventually nodding with slightly uncertain smiles peering behind their mustaches. The Elite Trio then beamed with semi-fake glee, looking upon the Bros. with joy.
“We won’t fail you, Mario Bros.!” Private Goomp said. “Come on! We can help you find Pridezar!”
The Trio then hopped off the stage while the Bros. followed close behind, exiting the large auditorium they noticed they were in with the Elite Trio. As they left, though… the brothers felt as if they were being watched…
———
— Intermission 2 ~ The Unwavering Minion Spirit —
None of the Minions could emphasize enough just how happy they were to be back within their King’s Castle… even without him being there. Many of the Minions wandered through the Castle’s tattered halls, spotting others hiding away within the depths of the walls, left untouched from the Darkness that had rained down upon them several hours prior.
As the Minions all took in their home, the Captains walked through one of the vacant halls not too far from the Ceremony Hall… Captain Goomba recognized it rather quickly.
“…Oh, yeah… this hallway…” Captain Goomba said with a quivering voice.
“What’s up, Cap?” Captain Boo asked, looking down to his fellow Captain with concern. The others then did the same.
“…I don’t think I’ll ever forget the fear I felt running through here, when Lord Bowser and all of us were ambushed…” Captain Goomba lamented. “I heard a lot screaming, fighting… it was scary… terrifying…”
“Well, look on the bright side!” Captain Koopa Troopa started. “We’re all safe now… no more screaming, fighting, people dying—!”
“You’re pushing it.” Captain Shy Guy butted in, noticing Captain Goomba growing more and more tense as the Koopa Captain went on.
As the Quartet continued down the hall, something caught Captain Boo’s eyes… one of the bathrooms, the same one he and Captain Goomba had hid in… with the door slightly cracked open. Had it been like that before?
The Boo Captain hovered away from the others and peeked through the door, the creaking sound it made catching the other Captains’ attention. The others then approached as Captain Boo investigated from the door.
“Oh! Hey, Cap!” Captain Koopa Troopa started, looking to the Goomba Captain. “Remember when we were talking about how Boos… Y’know…”
“…Huh? What?” Captain Boo had to stop in his tracks for a moment.
“Oh yeah, that! Captain Goomba started, before soon noticing Captain Boo’s concern. “I mean… it’s valid, I guess.”
“Huh!?” Captain Boo questioned, sounding concerned. Captain Shy Guy only sighed.
“…Boo P—!” Captain Koopa Troopa began, before Captain Shy Guy cut him off.
“Shut up.” Captain Shy Guy said bluntly. “I could not be more serious with you right now.”
“You’re fine, I don’t care, just don’t bring it up again.” Captain Shy Guy said, only for the Koopa Captain to nod in silence.
…As the odd mood died down, Captain Boo then slowly opened the bathroom door further.
One of the first things they see is a broken mirror, with a pile of glass still left on the ground… Captain Boo, for some odd reason, felt cold at the sight… despite the fact that he’s a ghost.
“…That wasn’t like that when I was in here…” Captain Boo said worriedly.
Captain Goomba then scoffed. “What kind of Minion would disrespect anything within Lord Bowser’s own walls!? A lot of money went into these bathrooms!”
“Uh, Cap…” Captain Shy Guy began as he turned to face the wall at the far end of the bathroom. “What is that?”
The Captains then all turned forward, noticing an odd Goomba-shaped hole in the wall… what made it stand out, however, was the protruding flag shape at the top of the hole’s silhouette.
“…Oh, yeah. Forgot that was there.” Captain Boo said.
Captain Goomba then felt his blood run cold. “…U-uhm… surely there’s another Goomba around here that wears a flag on their head, right? Heh… heheheh…”
“Yeah. Keep telling yourself that, Cap.” Captain Shy Guy said, not sounding surprised in the slightest.
“Hey! Captain Guys!” Larry said as he slammed the bathroom door open. The Captains were quick to turn back. “Get into the Castle foyer, Junior and Ludwig are back! …And get out of the bathroom, it’s weird.”
“Yes, sir, Master Larry!” Captain Goomba said as the Koopaling left. The Goomba Captain then motioned to the others to follow him out and head to the foyer.
…The walk took a bit, but the Captains had arrived to the Castle foyer, seeing the Koopalings and other Minions welcoming Junior and Ludwig back home. Captain Goomba was quick to rush ahead while the other Captains trailed behind.
“Master Ludwig! Lord Junior!” Captain Goomba welcomed with glee. “We’re all so glad to see you’re both back here safe and sound!”
“Us as well, Captain Goomba.” Ludwig said. “And hello to you too.”
“…Hey.” Junior said flatly… it seemed like something heavy was on his mind.
“…Lord Junior?” Captain Goomba questioned. The other Minions and Koopalings also appeared quite concerned.
“…Junior? Are you doing alright?” Ludwig asked, brows furrowing a bit.
“I’m fine.” Junior responded, turning away.
“…It sure doesn’t look it, kiddo.” Roy butted in.
“You sure you’re okay?” Larry added.
“…SMALL BOWSER LOOK UPSET…” Morton also added. “WHY?”
Junior still seemed hesitant to speak… before Ludwig gently placed a hand on Junior’s shoulder.
“You don’t need to be scared of us, Junior.” Ludwig said. “Whatever it is, you can tell us. Now more than ever must we all assist each other when necessary, especially now that we’re all together again.”
…Junior’s lip began to quiver a bit as he sniffled. “…I-it’s papa…” He said quietly, but loud enough for the others to hear.
The others were quiet, while Ludwig only hummed… not only were a lot of Minions still missing, but Bowser was still away with Nox and the Dark Star. Still corrupted by the Commander’s magic, nothing like the brutish yet commendable leader he was to all of them.
…And yet, according to the Star Spirits, all they could do was wait. Wait until the final Spirit was freed. Wait until Mario and Luigi were on their way to take down Nox. There was nothing they could do… not now.
Or so they thought.
The more Junior had thought about his papa, the more bitter and angry he became with the Commander. He took away one of the many things he cared about, the very papa he cared about… and he couldn’t stand it anymore.
Perhaps… there was something they could do. No need to wait anymore. Just their strength… and pure, unbridled Minion Spirit.
Junior then straightened up, looking toward his closest family and the other Minions straight on. “I’ve got an idea for how we can save my papa.” He said.
The others were immediately brought to shock… some appeared confused, while others seemed more excited.
“Wait! Hear me out!” Junior said as he stepped forward. “We raid Peach’s Castle, take out that dumb Commander’s forces, find my dad, and Ludwig can use his Star Magic to save him! No more waiting on Mario and Luigi! We can handle this ourselves! Who’s with me!?” He then raised a balled fist upward.
It didn’t take long for the other Minions and Koopalings to cheer in agreement. The foyer then rumbled with determined howls in the name of their Koopa King.
“Yeah! That’s our Prince!” Captain Goomba began. “FOR LORD BOWSER!!!”
“They’re gonna be in for real clobbering!” Iggy added. “BAHAHAHA!!!”
“Yeah! We’ll show 'em what for!” Lemmy butted in.
…Despite the many cheers, however… there were a few outliers…
“Wait! Stop! STOP!!” Ludwig yelled into the air, quickly causing the cheering to cease. He then turned to Junior. “I understand you want to save Lord Bowser, but… you know we can’t go in there without a plan. It’s a suicide mission.”
“Took the words right out of my mouth.” Captain Shy Guy blurted, glaring over to Captain Goomba, who only grimaced as he looked away.
“B-but, Ludwig—!” Junior tried to say, before he was cut off.
“Junior, listen,” Ludwig said. “The last thing we need… the last I need, is you getting yourself hurt… or killed.” He stated. “We don’t know what Nox’s forces are likel.”
“But they’ve already been spread thin, right!?” Junior argued. “Mario and Luigi got nearly all of those Ztar Spirits taken care of! We got all of us and other Minions still here! That stupid Nox lady’s DESPERATE! She doesn’t have anything against us! And have you seen the security of Peach’a Castle!? You know how easy it is to bypass!”
…Despite Ludwig’s immense thinking, he couldn’t necessarily argue with Junior… except maybe that last part. Who knows how Nox’s magic had affected the Princess’ guard? …But, perhaps, he was being too cautious. They were still Toads after all. Perhaps, maybe, they’d have a fighting chance…
Ludwig then sighed, looking straight into Junior’s eyes. “…Fine. You’ve got me.” He said. “But I am not letting you go in without a proper plan.”
“You sure about that, Ludwig?” Wendy butted in.
“I am quite sure, Wendy, yes.” Ludwig said. “…Despite my best arguments, Junior has won me over. We are going to try and do this. All of us.”
Wendy then giggled. “Hehe. No, not all of us.” She said. “I’m not going.”
“Awww, come on, Wendy!” Junior added. “What about dad!?”
“I’m not getting myself killed because you’re that desperate!” Wendy said. “Just let me stay here!”
“…Pleeeeeeeeeeease?” Junior asked. He went up to Wendy and looked her in the eyes like he was a small toddler… the more Wendy looked, the more indecisive she became.
After a few moments, Wendy eventually sighed. “Fine. I’m going.”
“…Wow.” Captain Boo said.
“…Who knew Lord Junior could trick even Wendy?” Captain Koopa Troopa added. “She’s a tough nut to crack!”
“EVEN MORTON SURPRISED.” Morton said, with a touch of genuine shock… Ludwig only glared to him.
“…How many IQ points did you gain after being with those Star Spirits? Wait, no, I’m getting off track.” Ludwig said. He then looked to the rest of the Minions. “I feel it would be best for us all to come to a consensus together. We must all be in agreement… and be certain that our plan is perfect before heading off.”
The Minions all agreed… then looked to Junior for a final word.
“What are we waiting for!?” He said. “Let’s get to it!”
…A lot of work went into their battle prep. Coming up with a proper strategy. Making sure every weapon was sharpened and readied. Being sure everyone was both mentally and physically ready…
As final preparations were made, everyone loaded themselves into whatever airships were still left by the docks, ready for their raid against the vile Commander.
“…Everybody ready!? Good!” Junior announced from the frontmost airship. “CHAAAAARGE!!!” He declared as he pointed to the sky.
The small fleet of airships then quickly hovered into the sky, over on their way to the Mushroom Kingdom’s center. Junior lead with confidence, just as his dear papa taught him, with a large grin glued to his face.
His Spirit was unmatched, as was the case with the other Minions. No matter what, they’d fight for Lord Bowser… even if they were to die trying.
———
— Act 3 ~ Brothers’ Opening Night —
The farther the Bros. walked as the Elite Trio led them, the larger this other world within the Plains seemed to be… had Pridezar really made this place himself? It was so unlike any other area they’d seen throughout the tainted Kingdom. It appeared that the prideful Spirit really wanted to stand out amongst the others.
“…We’ve gotta be going… somewhere!” Private Goomp said, looking back to the Bros. “We just gotta keep going down this path!” The other Trio members nodded assuringly to the brothers before they all turned forward again.
…The Bros. felt pits form in their stomachs at that. They weren’t getting nor going anywhere. They couldn’t even tell where they were going, it was as if they’d been walking in circles.
If only they had Cosmo to guide them… whether he would’ve known the way or not, he would’ve tried his hardest to help, just as he always had. He had such gusto, despite his loss against Nox… despite his own guilt and doubt eating him up from the inside when neither of the Bros. had fully noticed.
The more they loomed over it, the more hollow and empty they felt. There was something missing within them. Something that they had grown so used to… they missed it.
Mario and Luigi needed it, if they were to save not only their home and friends, but also the Star Realm, and everyone’s wishes and hope.
…But how were they to do that…?
As the Bros. pondered, and the Elite Trio 'tried' to lead ahead… a sudden and loud rumbling shook the hallway they stood in. The sound was like that of thunder, reverberating in the air and making the walls quake.
“Did you truly believe you could just save those worthless Minion vermin and go on without me catching up!? What insanity!” Pridezar said as his voice echoed through the air.
The brothers took on a fighting stance at that, while the Trio only hurried and huddled behind them.
“Worry not, the ridiculous and idiotic lot of you…” Pridezar began. “…I have something special planned for you all! Hahahaha!!”
Once the voice had went away, the sound of something rushing toward the group caught their attention… they looked back, only to see large and shadowy hands approach them from the other side of the hallway.
“…AHHH!!!” Private Goomp yelled. “C-come on, we gotta go!” He said, only referring to the other Trio members as he hurried off, leaving the Bros. to eat his dust.
“Affirmative! Retreat!” Sergeant Guy yelped as he ran forward.
“Right behind you!” Corporal Paraplonk said as he trailed behind the others.
The Bros. then followed close behind the Trio, despite them not hesitating to leave them in the dirt. It didn’t take much effort for the Bros. to pass them as they ran, with the shadow arms just behind them both.
“Hey! That’s not fair!” Private Goomp said as he and the other Elite Trio members were snagged and dragged away into the darkness of the hallway.
The Bros. continued to hurry away while the hands quickly approached… before one of them grabbed Mario by the leg and began to drag him away.
“Luigi!!!” Mario called out as he was being pulled away.
Luigi then swiveled back and snagged Mario by the arm as he attempted to wrestle him out of the arm’s grip. He tugged and pulled, but Mario wasn’t getting broken free. Both Bros. were slowly being dragged back into the shadows as Luigi’s feet skidded against the ground… until he eventually slipped, causing both brothers to be pulled into the seemingly infinite void behind them…
~~~
…Every day, the God of the Sun known as Apollo appears from the edge of the horizon, bringing warm light upon the mortal world. The people bask in his glory as the sun beams down, granting them life and will. Everyone walks and plays… until the Sun’s God’s light fizzles away, as dusk appears.
As Apollo flees to the west side of the Sky, his dearest brother and fellow God of the Moon, Artemis, hovers forth. The serenity of the moonlight announces itself to the people, signaling to them all that the world must rest. Everyone and everything heads to sleep… awaiting the Sun’s arrival once more.
This cycle remains as eternal and constant, never-ending and unwavering… until, the Sun and Moon began to ponder… why can’t they have more time? More time for people to bathe and walk in the Sun’s light. More time for people to rest after a long day’s work…
Over time, the Siblings began to try and usurp each other… it started with little things. Extra time in the sky, playfully competing with each other… until they started hogging the Sky completely.
Some days started becoming longer, as did some nights. Many became disoriented as the cycle of Night and Day fell apart… as calamity slowly built up, and jealousy and rage consumed the Siblings.
Eventually, these emotions had culminated and exploded, the Siblings have lost control of them.
Many looked up to the Sky on that fateful median hour, the sky faintly separated by Day and Night, Apollo and Artemis staring each other down… before a sudden wave of battle rained down from the Sky and upon the mortal lands.
~~~
As Pridezar’s story concluded, the Bros. sudden awoke. They quickly caught sight of each other… both of them were in togas. Mario wore a red cape and golden bracelets and armor on his wrists and legs. Luigi had leather accessories and boots, with a blue moon-shaped buckle on the belt he now wore.
…They also took notice of what sat upon their heads; Mario with a golden Star and Luigi with an azure Moon.
“Mario! Luigi!!” Someone from the audience yelled. “HELP!!!”
The Bros. looked away into the large audience space, noticing three seats in the front filled up. The Elite Trio sat, tied to the seats with Pridezar’s strings. The Bros. were in shock, desiring to break them free, before a different voice rang through the air.
“No longer will you be bound by just my script!” Pridezar announced from nowhere. “Your actions shall be MINE to control! As they should have been from the very beginning! Hahaha!!!”
At that, paper thin strings came down from the infinite space above the group, attaching themselves to the Elite Trio again. But rather than turning them to puppets as they slumped and stiffened, they garnered togas of their own. They were then dragged to the back of the stage floor, as more of Pridezar’s strings came down, latching themselves onto Mario’s limbs.
Both brothers then tried to break Mario free… before he pushed Luigi away, writhing in pain as Pridezar’s strings took hold of his mind.
Luigi’s mind raced as Mario lost himself, before coming to a horrible realization… if they were to be bound by Pridezar’s word, they had to fight each other. That was one of the last things the poor Moon God wanted, to fight his own brother…
The Man of the Moon could only watch as Mario’s body convulsed, before limping, becoming still and stiff… until Mario suddenly awoke once more, his eyes a deep blood red. He then dashed into the air and summoned large fire gauntlets to his hands. A pit formed in Luigi’s stomach at the sight.
Luigi’s mind scrambled, desperately turning to the Elite Trio… taking notice of their actions. Their faces remained dead and emotionless as they moved. Paraplonk got gauntlets similar to Mario’s as he dashed to the floor, and Goomp and Sergeant Guy dashed out of the way.
As the Trio had depicted, Mario then dashed forward to Luigi, who then slid out his way. A large impact crater had formed in the floor where Luigi once stood. Mario sat for a moment, before looking back to Luigi with fury and flying back into the air… Luigi immediately understood.
Mario was relentless toward his brother. Luigi kept dodging… wishing he had a way to break Mario free. The Sun God kept attacking, wanting to hit Luigi, but it appeared the Moon God was just too fast for him. After one final attempt with the gauntlets, Mario stopped. He stared Luigi down as both brothers recoiled… before Mario started to growl, catching Luigi off guard.
The enraged Sun God focused as a bright red light enveloped his body. Mario’s form then began to change, growing in size and changing silhouette completely… that into a three-headed Hellhound. The light coalesced, and the Cerberus Mario had become stared at his brother with death daggers, threatening to tear him limb from limb.
Luigi, panicking, looked over to the Trio again… Private Goomp was on top of Corporal Paraplonk, and Sergeant Guy now had a shield, which he was using to keep the other two at bay. After a slight struggle, Sergeant Guy pushed the other Trio members away.
The Moon God pondered, looking to his hands, trying to focus… eventually conjuring a bright blue shield of his own. At that, the Cerberus lunged forward to Luigi, who immediately guarded. The Hellhound had thrown all of its strength onto the shield, which Luigi held at bay, despite the massive struggle. The Cerberus pushed, trying to knock the Moon God down, but to no avail. It clawed, bit, and thrashed… but nothing seemed to work amidst the struggle.
The bout was long, but Luigi eventually garnered the footing to push his brother away. The force of the push was so strong, that it knocked Mario backward, causing him to lose his Hellhound form and appeared back in his human one.
…As Mario laid there, tired and breathless, the stage rumbled… Pridezar was growing more and more agitated as his vision fell apart.
“No! Get up!” Pridezar yelled. “Your special attack! Use it!! NOW!!!”
Mario then slowly got up, Luigi putting his shield away as he did, looking upon Luigi with the same fury he had never seen in his brother before. He then leapt into the air once more, summoning a bow and arrow colored like fire. As he threatened to shoot, Luigi looked to the Trio again.
Goomp was still on top of Paraplonk, who was shooting arrows around. Sergeant Guy was using his wand to make lightning attacks to counter against the arrows… Luigi understood quite quickly.
Mario then began firing an onslaught of fire arrows onto Luigi, only for him to counter using large blasts of Thunder. Despite his counters, he did still miss a bit, getting burned each time an arrow hit him.
After a while, Mario’s attacks seemed to slow… he was getting tired, losing focus and proper aim. Only after a few more arrows did Mario finally collapse, falling from the air and onto the ground. Luigi winced as he landed, but slowly approached his brother. Using a strong blast of lightning to break the strings attached to Mario’s limbs.
The strings vaporized as the lightning around them faded away, and Mario slowly awoke… Luigi helped him to his feet, and gently patted his back. Mario held Luigi close, happy that he was okay, despite his injuries.
The stage then rumbled again as more strings came down, this time latching onto Luigi. Mario rushed to aid to him, but failed as Luigi lost himself to Pridezar’s strings just as he had.
Luigi’s body convulsed and limped… until his head shot up toward Mario’s gaze with a sudden, unyielding anger. He dashed into the air, just as Mario had… and began to sing. The lullaby echoed throughout, bouncing off the theatre walls. Mario could feel himself starting to fall asleep. In a rush to keep himself awake, his eyes wandered, glaring toward the Elite Trio…
Private Goomp and Sergeant Guy were singing, while Corporal Paraplonk had conjured a fireball within his hand, which he was using to burn his arm to keep him awake as he nodded off… Mario was hesitant, but he had to do it.
As Mario began to nod off, nearly slipping to the floor, he made a fireball within his hand and brought it to his harm. It burned and stung, the pain of it traveling up his arm and into three rest of his body. He kept at it until Luigi’s song grew louder… until he eventually, finally, stopped. He grumbled to himself as Mario stared him down from below on the stage floor… Luigi seemed to take that stare as a threat.
Luigi stayed in the air, waving his hands and summoning a bright blue Poltergust. He then began to spin around like a small tornado, picking up random items from around the theatre and backstage… Mario then looked to the Trio for an answer.
Paraplonk enacted sucking up objects with a Poltergust, while Goomp and Sergeant Guy run and jumped around, avoiding the projectiles. As Mario looked on, Luigi began doing as Paraplonk imitated. Many objects were strewn around the field, even random enemies. Some Mushrooms were also chucked around as well, giving Mario the option to heal if he ever got hit.
After a while, Luigi seemed to tucker himself out, wheezing as he recovered. The stage then quaked once, but eat stronger than before. The shaking alerted the men, bringing Luigi back into focus as Mario looked up, focusing on his dear brother.
Luigi still hovered in the air, focusing hard as bright blue aura enveloped him. Mario tensed up a bit, but still stayed strong, ready for anything. He watched Luigi’s form grow and shift into that of an owl… the light then coalesced, revealing Luigi’s new owl form. It was huge, but surprisingly still fit within the room.
Mario glanced to the Trio, noticing Paraplonk hovering in the air, flailing about as a small arrow-like feathers appeared and spread around. Goomp and Sergeant Guy jumped around a bit, until Paraplonk prepared one large final arrow, eventually shooting it down, only for the other two to counter with a punch…
Luigi then began flailing around, his feathers being shot around like arrows. They were way faster than the strewn around objects from before, but Mario still managed. As Mario stood underneath Luigi, his brother charged the final arrow, shooting down to Mario… who quickly summoned his fire gauntlets and punched the projectile right back at Luigi. The blast knocked him out, bringing Luigi back to his usual form.
The Moon God landed to the floor with a hard thud, tired and weak. Mario rushed to him, using his fire to be rid of the strings that trapped him. The strings burned away, and Luigi slowly awoke. As he did, he noticed his worried brother in front of him, only then jumping up to tightly hug him.
“Mario!!” Luigi cried as he wrapped his arms around his brother.
“Luigi!!” Mario cried back, hugging his brother and gently patting his back.
At that, the stage quaked again… magic covered the brothers for a moment, getting rid of the costumes they were forced into. They were back in their undershirts and overalls. Just a ways away, the Elite Trio had also been freed from their strings. Perhaps Pridezar was backing off…
“…Ughh… what happened…?” Private Goomp whined. “My head hurts… again…”
“Why does it always… gotta be us…?” Corporal Paraplonk asked.
“…I have no answer…” Sergeant Guy responded with strain.
Pridezar then grumbled from nowhere, making the group tense up again as the stage quaked once more. “I have HAD it with you! My perfect show, RUINED!!! All because of YOU!!!” He yelled. “My work shall not be sullied by some foolish brothers and measly servants! I shall show you NO MERCY!!!”
More strings then appeared, tightly wrapping the Bros. and Trio up as they were pulled into the void above the stage…
~~~
…Everything seemed quiet and dark. Silence had plagued wherever the Bros. had been dragged to. The silence was chilling, the darkness was concerning… until bright spotlights suddenly shown down, illuminating where the Bros. now lay.
The Bros. looked around a bit, seeing nothing but void. They noticed the Elite Trio was nowhere to be found, as if they’d vanished, or were hiding somewhere.
“Hahaha!!!” Pridezar laughed from nowhere. “Now, everything shall truly be by my rules!”
The prideful Spirit then appeared before the Bros. taking a bow as Mario and Luigi stiffened, taking on their fighting stances.
Pridezar chuckled a bit as he looked to the Bros. “No one but me can truly have the upper hand in my design!” He said. “Try all you want… I will truly enjoy it! Haha!! …Why don’t you go first?”
How awfully bold of him… but it didn’t seem too far-fetched, with how boastful the Spirit acted. Perhaps he was failing to see just how hard the Bros. would whack him around the field.
Mario went first, realizing he had his new Bros. Attack tucked away in his pocket. All he and his brother could do was see just how it worked. He pulled the glimmering music note out from his pocket and into the air. It then dissipated, coating the Bros. in its magic. Once the magic coalesced, a bass guitar appeared in Mario’s arms, while a flute appeared in Luigi’s.
A music scale then appeared above their heads, red and green music notes appearing in a pattern. Mario first, then Luigi, sometimes more than once or twice. As each note from the scales above was played correctly, the notes became projectiles that shot their way to Pridezar… but they didn’t do any damage, they only bounced of him while the Spirit stared at the Bros. with a cocky glint in his eyes. The Bros. looked on, confused, as the attack ended and their instruments disappeared.
“Hahahahaha!!! Foolish, ignorant brothers! You fell for it! How pathetic!” Pridezar said. “This is my show now, and I’m the main character! Oh, how the plot protects me so! Attack me all you wish, you CAN’T hurt me! Hahahaha!!!”
…The Bros. were stunned, they should’ve realized he’d pull some stunt like that. But what were they to do if they couldn’t hurt him? Using Bros. Attacks against an enemy they couldn’t hurt was a waste of energy, they couldn’t risk wasting items… they were at a massive disadvantage, and were uncertain of what to do.
Without much to do, Luigi threw a Syrup Mario’s way… he didn’t really need it, but he took and drank it anyway. Pridezar only chuckled, before starting his attack up.
A music scale appeared above the Bros. heads, just as with the Bros. Attack they’d done. Music notes, some higher and on a major scale with other lower notes on a minor scale. Before Pridezar could act though, he snapped his fingers… and the Bros. suddenly froze up.
Pridezar chuckled again. “Avoiding my performance are we? How disrespectful!” He said. “You will stay and enjoy my work for as long as I please!”
The boastful Spirit then began to sing, the major notes hitting Mario and the minor ones hitting Luigi. Since they couldn’t move, they were forced to take the hits, which hit surprisingly hard. Once the attacked stopped, they still were frozen.
“How was that? Spectacular, no? I’d would assume your answer is quite positive, as it should be.” Pridezar said. “Just stay put for a little longer, the show’s only just started! Hahahaha!!!”
Pridezar’s next attack then started as he signaled two spotlights to be above the Bros. The lights then flashed, stunning the Bros. and causing them to get dizzy. Pridezar laughed, very much enjoying his extremely biased show.
The Spirit then sung again, inflicting more and more damage on the Bros. They could feel their energy draining as they took more hits. Pridezar didn’t stop as the Bros. remained dizzy and frozen, until their energy had been run dry. The effects Pridezar inflicted then went away as the Bros. fainted on the spot.
“Hahahahahaha!!!” Pridezar laughed manically. “I have achieved what no other Spirit could! Just as I suspected! No one but me, along with the Dark Star and Commander, shall revel in this victory for Darkness! HAHAHAHA!!!”
…A fair distance away, the Elie Trio had hid in the void they were all stuck in, watching the horrid fight play out… they stayed, frozen in place, until Private Goomp stepped forward.
“…Hey! Why don’t we try and attack him?” Goomp suggested, looking back to the other Trio members. “All while we can! While he’s distracted!”
“Are you nuts!?” Corporal Paraplonk yelped.
“Are you sure that that’s a good idea, man?” Sergeant Guy asked, extremely perplexed.
“I bet he doesn’t know we’re here! He doesn’t know we’ve been hiding this whole time!” Private Goomp said. “Plus! We take him out… we can get all the credit! And get what we for from Bowser!”
“…Hm. Affirmative, now you’re speaking some sense.” Sergeant Guy said. “We can get what we deserved from the start!”
“HEAD HONCHO CHAIRS!!!” Paraplonk yelled.
“Yeah! That’s the spirit!” Goomp said. “Come on! Let’s go make a name for ourselves!”
The Elite Trio then rushed forward as Pridezar ceased his laughing, charging up to attack him while he was still turned away from them.
“GET ELITE!!!” The Trio members all yelled at once as they approached Pridezar… only for the Spirit to summon the shadow hands from before and smack them away, knocking them out.
“Fools! I already knew of your presence!” Pridezar said. “All of you just so pitiful… and the fate of the world has been entrusted unto you? How brazen! With you foul pests gone, Darkness shall reign supreme over this land for the rest of time! Hahahahaha!!!”
Pridezar’s laugh echoed through the void of his own making, all while the Bros. and Elite Trio stayed knocked down…
~~~
The Bros. slowly awoke, gradually taking in their surroundings… a similar void to the last one they’d been in, albeit darker, and quieter… where were they? No one else was around…
They helped each other up, still looking around as they began to walk aimlessly through the new void. They started to grow concerned… had they died? What of the Trio? If there was no one else to free Eldstar and the Plains…
…They were done for… everything they’d done, all of who they’d saved… it was for naught, and their home and the Star Realm was doomed to fall. Despite their dread, however, they soldiered on. They couldn’t give up… and they needed to find a way out of here…
As they walked, a thought crossed the Bros. mind… Cosmo. Perhaps he was here somewhere? They weren’t sure. Their hope in finding Cosmo was fleeting… but still there…
It was as if he was still there…
…?
…!
The further they walked ahead, the stronger a sudden presence in their souls became… they kept walking ahead, gradually speeding up, hope leaping them through every step.
Cosmo was here, and the Bros. had to find him.
~~~
…Cosmo had hoped for his battle to be over. That he could pass on. Mario and Luigi wouldn’t have to carry him around like the burden he was. He could rot in the Underwhere, where he belonged…
He almost doesn’t want to leave them… but he feels it’s what he must do… he’s a failure, he’s a burden, he’s done nothing but ruin everything…
“…It’s all your fault!” A disembodied voice said. “You deserve no pity!”
“May the Stars show you no mercy!” Another voice said.
“You deserve to rot away!” A third voice said. “Forgotten to time! No one shall remember you!”
…These voices echoed in Cosmo’s head, constant reminders of his faults. Reminders of the burden he is, the catalyst he was… for the Bros., for the Spirits, for his comrades… for Starlow…
“…It’s all… my fault…” Cosmo repeated, frozen where he stood, stuck between his fleeting desire to stay and his ever-growing want to leave and be forgotten…
From where he hovered, dark hands grabbed at him, pulling him down and trying to drag him down into the abyss below him. He could feel the Darkness encroaching him, taking over his heart…
…Only then did a bright light from ahead suddenly cloud his vision. His eyes shot open, revealing blasts of fire and thunder from not too far ahead of him. The hands around him dissipated, and Cosmo fell to the ground, stunned. As he recovered, he looked up… Mario and Luigi stood before him, the older brother holding out a hand.
“…Why are you here…?” Cosmo said meekly. “Why did you save me…? Am I not just a burden to you?” He then buried his face in the ground.
Both Bros. firmly disagreed, shaking their heads. They gathered their words, trying their hardest to get Cosmo out of the fog within his head… he then got up, hovering into the air before them. Had he come back to his senses? The Bros. could only hope so.
Cosmo stared back at the Bros. with tired eyes. “…You shouldn’t be here. You can’t be here… you’re not real.” He backed away. “…You’re not real! You are but demons! You’re just like those voices! Leave me be! Let me pass on!! I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE!!!”
Cosmo then flew away, deeper into the void ahead, with the Bros. chasing behind him… they had to show him. Tell him just how useful he’d been to them. They wouldn’t be here without his help. They wouldn’t have gotten this far without his help…
As they ran ahead, shadow hands hovered, grabbing Cosmo and attempting to drag him down. The Bros. clasped onto the arms, trying to keep Cosmo away from the ground… only for all three of them to be dragged down into the void below.
Both Bros. struggled, using the arms as leverage to reach Cosmo. After an arduous travel deep into the void, Mario grabbed Cosmo’s hand while Luigi held onto him. Mario held Cosmo close as they swam back up and away from the hands… only for more of the hands suddenly show, grabbing both Bros. and wrestling Cosmo out of Mario’s grip.
The hands clasped against Mario and Luigi’s necks, slowly suffocating them… Cosmo, not too far away, looked on weakly at the struggling brothers…
'They aren’t real… they don’t care about me…'
'…I am nothing to them… I don’t matter…'
'…I never mattered…'
…As Cosmo’s eyes shut again, his life began flashing before him… his time in training, his time in the Star Realm, his time with her… when Nox’s invasion began, him fighting her troops, watching his friends die… fighting Nox… dying…
His hopeless attempt at reviving the Bros… all the time they’d spent with each other… all of his hiding, cowardice, and fear…
He couldn’t show them, he never did, and now they know… just how much of liar he is. How much of a failure he is. This is how he spends his last moments. In despair, futility…
…Despite all of that, however… a faint thought crossed his mind.
Mario and Luigi aren’t known for simply throwing others away because of something they did wrong. Despite their relationship with Bowser, they still choose to keep him around.
If they do that with Bowser… why wouldn’t they treat him the same…?
Despite all he’d done, how he failed… the Bros. still stood by him. Showed their compassion toward him, whether they knew of what he’d done or not. Their love for him never wavered…
At that, another thought appeared…
…The Mario and Luigi stuck with him were real. The real brothers, who had likely perished in battle… he wasn’t there to help them. The ones who’d been there for him since the start. The ones that wouldn’t be here… if not for him.
He’s the reason they’d been alive for so long… that the Commander’s plans are slowly being unraveled.
Mario and Luigi had come to him to pull him out from the Darkness that had festered within him, show him just how much he meant to them… he felt guilty for not seeing it before… but he knew he couldn’t let that control him, not anymore.
He had to be strong… for everyone and everything he held dear to him, just Mario and Luigi had been for him.
Be the Light he’d always been for them… be the Light they needed to him to be. Be the Light everyone counted on.
'…No… I can’t! I mustn’t give up…!'
'…Mario, Luigi… I must repay you for all you’ve done for me! I cannot let you die here, not now! …Not ever! For as long as I stay bound to you… I shall stay as your guiding Light!'
A bright golden glow then surrounded Cosmo’s form, allowing him to break free from the hands. He then zipped to the Bros., his light freeing them as well, using as much strength as he could to bring the Bros. back up to the void above
As the Bros. were dragged out from the void sea, they suddenly awoke, taking notice of the light that was carrying them up… the light then strengthened, completely blocking their view…
~~~
Pridezar still stood alone, laughing… he was simply too immersed in his victory. He had defeated the brothers and their failure of a soldier. He felt it all too right to revel in his accomplishment.
“Haha!! …It truly is nice to know that you’ve won.” Pridezar said, glaring to the limp bodies of the Bros. before him. “And all because of your own prowess! Ha!”
At that, a bright light suddenly covered the brothers, who both hovered into the air. Pridezar then froze, uncertain as to what was happening. He had no words as he watched the light around them coalesce, and the Bros. returned to their feet.
Before Pridezar could speak any word, another smaller light appeared before the brothers, which then spread outward to reveal Cosmo, back from the depths of near death and Pridezar’s illusions… but he appeared different.
Cosmo bore golden armor that was decorated with violet highlights. A bright flame colored yellow and mauve had taken the spot of the Star that was once upon his head. And, within his raised hand, a sword had appeared. Cosmo then pointed the sword Pridezar’s way, threatening him with the stern yet confident gaze of a warrior.
“What!? How!? Impossible!!” Pridezar stammered. “You’re not supposed to be here! None of you are! …You deserve to rot for all you’ve wrought, Sprite!” He then glared to Cosmo, who only glared back.
“Your tricks work on me no longer, foul Spirit!” Cosmo declared. “For as long as my soul stays bound to the mortal world, and these brothers, I shall be here to protect it! The Darkness will fall, and Light shall rise again!”
The Bros. were astonished by Cosmo’s courage and bravery… the true mark of a Star Warrior. Pridezar, however, writhed in anguish over his perfect performance being ruined once again.
The Spirit then grumbled. “Fine! If that’s how it must be, then so be it! …Perhaps I don’t need a script or plot armor to take you down!” Pridezar said. “You will pay for ruining my show! The Commander and Dark Star will have you SLAIN!!!”
Cosmo then looked down to the brothers. “Mario! Luigi! I will stay beside you as you fight Pridezar.” He said. “…I am uncertain of what he means by plot armor, but it seems to have been destroyed! Give him everything you’ve got!”
The Bros. nodded to Cosmo firmly, feel burning and thunderous passion and confidence flowing through them. Mario then goes first, wanting to properly use his new musical Bros. Attack against the Spirit.
As the Attack commenced, a tuba and violin were brought to Mario and Luigi’s hands. The colored notes above were played with perfection, each note hitting Pridezar like a bullet. Luigi then used his elemental Bros. Attack on the Spirit, hitting him hard… perhaps with Cosmo’s powers and confidence heightened, their power had been buffed as well.
Pridezar recovered rather quickly, staring the Bros. down with his singular eye. “Ugh! You meddlesome pair! Perhaps new attacks shall suffice for you! …Why don’t we start small, and work our way up? Ha!”
With a snap of Pridezar’s fingers, a small puppet appeared… a very well crafted miniature puppet of Mamust. The puppet then brought her arms up with a forward swing, summoning a large tidal wave before the Bros.
“Mario! Luigi!” Cosmo called. “Jump!”
The Bros. wasted no time in jumping upward, Cosmo helping them stay in the air for a bit longer as the wave crashed down upon the floor. Once it subsided, the Bros. leapt back down and Mamust puppet vanished. Pridezar writhed in anger… perhaps a tad jealous of their ability to dodge where he couldn’t, as if he hadn’t been doing the same before.
“How rude! Why must you hate my performance this way? Woe is me!!” Pridezar said dramatically.
“Indeed!” Cosmo agreed. “You only humor us with your pitiful act!”
Mario and Luigi nodded in agreement with Cosmo, only then wasting no time in attacking again, their attacks still hitting Pridezar quite hard. He stumbled slightly while still keeping a firm gaze to the Bros., and especially Cosmo.
Pridezar practically growled at the Bros. with fury, staring them down like a feral dog. “If that’s how you want to play, then so be it! Have at you!”
The Spirit snapped his fingers again, summoning a small puppet of Alskol. The puppet laughed; a high-pitched, maniacal one… the laugh appeared as green text above the puppet’s head. The puppet then fired a blast from his hands, aimed straight for Luigi, who promptly jumped over it. Pridezar scowled as the puppet disappeared.
“This is outrageous!!” Pridezar yelled. “I shall rule this day, no matter how long it must take! You all will KNOW the wrath of Darkness absolute!”
“We shall never falter to the likes of you!” Cosmo declared. “Our wills are strong and our hearts are pure, unmatched by your power! Mario, Luigi! Show this Spirit the way of the Stars!”
The Bros. attacked once more… it seemed that the more they hit Pridezar, the stronger their attacks became. He was growing weaker and weaker by the minute, but that didn’t deter him. He snapped his fingers again, summoning a puppet of Klevoth, who hovered in the air while reading a book.
“Heal me, my puppet!” Pridezar declared. “Allow me to unveil my absolute power on these foul Light bringers!”
The Klevoth puppet only looked back, rolling his eyes as he continued reading before disappearing. Pridezar was stunned and embarrassed, while the Bros. and Cosmo had to hold back laughter.
“DO NOT DARE MAKE A MOCKERY OF ME!!!” Pridezar screamed. “I am more superior than ALL OF YOU! I WILL prove myself this day!”
“All you have proven to us is that you’re a terrible, egotistical playwright!” Cosmo said. “Not even your own illusions wish to help you!” The Bros. looked to Cosmo, surprised at his words… perhaps he’d taken notes from someone on how to clap back.
“HUSH UP!!!” Pridezar yelled back. “DO NOT SPIT UPON MY NAME!!! I am the great Pridezar, and you shall FEAR ME!!!”
Mario and Luigi took this chance to attack while Pridezar was stuck in his own head… he didn’t seem too far off from being defeated. He snapped his fingers again, summoning a puppet of Ms. Enztar… a small shiver went up Mario’s spine.
“Perhaps this shall take you out?” Pridezar said, glaring to Mario.
The puppet then unveiled itself from underneath her robe and charged for Mario with the ice drill on her body. Despite his quiet fear, Mario didn’t waver, jumping over the puppet as it skidded to a stop behind him and disappeared.
“…I thought for sure… no matter!” Pridezar said. “This battle is not over yet!”
“That doesn’t mean your end isn’t near!” Cosmo said. “It shall be cold and swift! The end of your reign draws near, foul Spirit!”
The Bros. attacked once more, taking notice of Pridezar falling to his knees. Despite his anguish, he still got back up, albeit with quivering legs. With a shaking hand, his fingers snapped again. A puppet of Kaglut appeared, bringing an average sized pan to his hands… and chucking it toward Mario, who deflected it with his hammer. The puppet then disappeared while Pridezar huffed.
“Why must the Universe TORMENT ME!?” Pridezar yelled. “MY ILLUSION of that hack fails to succeed!? Why!?”
“The odds are not in your favor, and they never will be!” Cosmo said. “Light shall always triumph over Darkness!”
As the Bros. attacked again, it seemed the only thing keeping Pridezar up was his unwavering ego, which was being chipped away further and further as the fight went on. With another snap of Pridezar’s fingers, a mini Muskuwrath appeared… Luigi felt his chest tighten.
“HIT THEM!!!” Pridezar yelled with a firm point of his finger.
The puppet then rushed to Luigi, ready to throw a powerful punch his way. Luigi then swallowed his fear, jumping atop the puppet as it approached, breaking it and causing it to vanish. Pridezar then began to tug at his hair, as if wanting to pull it out.
As Pridezar raged about, the Bros. attacked him again… once he recovered, it seemed like steam was going to start coming out of his head from how enraged he looked.
“I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!!! You have done nothing but TARNISH my name and RUIN my shows!” Pridezar screeched. “You shall PAY for your transgressions against me!!! For the rest time, you WILL perform MY WAY!!!”
Pridezar then threw his hands towards the Bros. and clutching his fists, causing the same thin puppet strings from before to snare them like spider web. The longer they stayed captive, the more damage they took.
“Mario! Luigi!” Cosmo called. “Allow me to free you from your bindings!”
Cosmo then rushed to both Bros., almost appearing as a blur, slashing his sword against the strings, breaking them all off in clusters bit by bit. After a slight struggle, the Bros. were freed. As Pridezar writhed, the Bros. attacked once more… Pridezar seemed to fit to burst with rage.
“NO! NO, NO, NO, NO!!!” Pridezar screamed. “IT WILL NOT END LIKE THIS!!! I WILL NOT LET IT!!! TODAY IS WHERE YOU ALL DIE!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!”
Pridezar then raised his arms, summoning a large film reel with 'The End' plastered on it. He then threw it to the Bros., who pulled out their hammers as the reel descended toward Mario. Mario hit it first, then it went to Luigi, who hit it back. With each hit, the reel was propelled higher and higher into the air. As it fell down toward both of them, they smacked the reel at the same time, slamming it back Pridezar’s way and hitting him right on the head, causing him to collapse to the ground in a massive daze.
“…Ughhh… this will not… be my end…” Pridezar stammered as his head spun.
“Mario! Luigi! Now is our chance!” Cosmo said. “Follow my lead! Raise your weapons as I raise mine!”
The Bros. lift their hammers as Cosmo lifts his sword, which begins to brightly glow. As the light coalesced, his sword became longer and thinner, baring the same complementary color palette as his armor. A similar light appeared for the Bros.’ hammers as well, turning them both into fiery and thunderous swords of their own.
“Mario! You go first! Luigi shall follow in your stead.” Cosmo said. “Then I shall deliver the final blow upon Pridezar! Now, charge!!!”
Mario wasted no time in jumping forward, lifting his sword above his head and crashing down upon Pridezar with it… who, despite his weakened state, attempted to guard. Luigi then followed, adding extra power and weight to the attack. As the Bros. held Pridezar down, Cosmo hovered into the air, holding his sword up…
“…F-fools!! None of you… understand what you are dealing with!!” Pridezar said. “Even if I fall, the reign of Darkness will still come crashing down upon you! Nothing can stop the reckoning of the Dark Star!”
“You say that, as if Mario and Luigi haven’t already triumphed over him once!” Cosmo said. “We shall take him and Commander Nox down, no matter what they throw at us!”
Cosmo then swung down, now above the Bros. Pridezar struggled to keep himself up as the power of the attack began to triumph over him.
“May our Light reign absolute… this is your final act!!!” Cosmo declared as he and the others pushed Pridezar down.
Once the attack had reached its peak, the trio of Light crashed down upon Pridezar, swiftly taking him out in one final slash, causing the world to go blindingly white…
…After awhile, the white light and ear ringing cleared, leaving the Bros. knocked out for a moment. They helped each other up as they slowly awoke, realizing they were still in the same void… but in front of them lay a golden Star, lying on its face, still unconscious… Eldstar had been freed.
The Bros. soon realized though, Cosmo had disappeared again… they looked around further, noticing the Elite Trio behind them, getting each other off the ground. They were glad to see them okay, but… what of Cosmo?
“…Hmm… Mario, Luigi. Greetings.” An old, calm voice said from behind the Bros. turned heads. They turned back to face him, the wise elder of the Stars, Eldstar.
Eldstar’s gaze was firm yet welcoming. He seemed glad the Bros. and Trio were faring well. “I assume you need no introduction. I am very glad to finally be free… and that you both are safe.” He said.
Before he continue speaking further, the void around them began to quake. Eldstar’s gaze shifted slightly as the Bros. began to worry.
“Oh, dear… without my tainted soul, this realm can no longer exist…” Eldstar said. “Mario, Luigi! Gather the Trio here and follow me! I know the way out!”
Both Bros. nodded toward the elder. Mario then turned to the Elite Trio and called out to them. As they ran ahead, the Trio gradually caught up. Eldstar led them all through the crumbling realm… but the Bros. quickly noticed the Trio trying to run ahead of them. The group all took notice of a bright light just up ahead, the way to leave. As the Trio left first in front of them, the Bros. and Eldstar quickly leapt forward from behind, blinding the Bros. for a moment…
…Once they came to, the Bros. and Star Spirit were back in the Plains. Clouds still partly covered the late afternoon sky, but Light had returned to Sunbeam Plains. The grass was a bright green, and the flowers littered around blew gently in the soft breeze… the Bros. soon noticed, though, that the Elite Trio had left…
“…The Trio will fare well on their own. They can go ahead.” Eldstar said before turning back to face the Bros. “Moreover, there is an important matter I would like to discuss.”
The Bros. assumed it was something about moving forward with their plans against Nox and the Dark Star, but something in Eldstar’s gaze told them otherwise.
“…Not with you, but with someone else.” Eldstar said. “May he show himself?”
…Cosmo… Cosmo still wasn’t there.
After a long, quiet moment… Cosmo appeared before Eldstar. He didn’t appear nearly as confident as he had before, like a crumpled tissue. His face was melancholic and guilty as he looked to face Eldstar in the eyes.
Cosmo then sighed, struggling slightly to find the right words. “…I am sorry, Eldstar… for not showing myself sooner.” He said. “It has been… very difficult to look you and the other Spirits in the eyes. Despite how far I’ve come… I cannot help but still feel guilty…”
Eldstar only nodded… the silence made Cosmo tense up further, but he knew he couldn’t stay silent forever.
“I stand before you as a specter, bound to two mortal brothers. I had perished in battle to defeat the Commander and avenge my comrades… but… I failed…” Cosmo said. “If I couldn’t defend the Star Realm, or avenge my fallen comrades… then…”
…Cosmo hesitated for a moment, before reaching up and removing his helmet. The Bros. stood shocked, while Eldstar only raised his eyebrows…
“…I-I do not deserve to be a Star Warrior…” Cosmo said. “If it shall be so, I will relinquish my duties… a-and…” …He seemed unable to continue as tears formed in his eyes.
“…I’ve heard enough, you need not continue.” Eldstar said.
Cosmo seemed perplexed… he was awaiting the worst. He stiffened, waiting for Eldstar to continue…
“You do not need to apologize for anything, Cosmo.” Eldstar said calmly.
The Star Warrior froze and his eyes widened… he almost couldn’t believe what he heard. He almost wanted to speak, but stayed silent as Eldstar continued.
“You are a fantastic Warrior… in all of my years, I have never seen a Star Warrior with as much bravery and courage as you.” Eldstar said. “Despite your defeat, you stood strong. You have been a great help to these brothers. Without your help, they only would’ve gotten so far… no offense to either of you.” He glared to the Bros.
The Bros. nodded at that, no offense taken… mostly. Luigi seemed a tad upset while Mario stood complacent.
Eldstar then looked back to Cosmo. “Words cannot express just how proud I am of you, Cosmo. I am certain the other Spirits would feel the same.” He said. “You need not feel guilty, for there is no need. You may have hidden away… but you recognize your faults. You are before me, not as a fallen soldier, but as an ever-rising warrior. May your Light forever shine, never wavering… that is my word, dear Cosmo. Cherish and embrace it, you have earned it.”
…Cosmo was stunned. The uncertainty within his face faded into a small, crooked smile.
“Yer doin’ great, lad!” A pirate-y voice from above called.
The group looked up, seeing six Stars hover their way… the other Star Spirits had arrived, likely having taken notice the freed Plains from the Dark Lands. They hovered before Eldstar, each with bright smiles on their faces.
“…Ah, hello, honorable Star Spirits!” Cosmo said. “It is a great pleasure to meet you!” The Bros. nodded in agreement.
“Yes, agreed… it has been quite awhile.” Eldstar said gladly. “I am elated to see that you all are safe and unharmed.”
“Aye, us as well!” Muskular said. He then looked to Cosmo. “We heard Eldstar’s word, lad! We’re all proud of ye! Put yer helmet back on!”
“…Yes, sir!” Cosmo said proudly with a smile. He then put his helm back on his head. “Whatever shall be commanded me, I shall see to it!”
“Aye, lad, that’s the spirit!” Muskular said with a bright, reassuring smile.
“We would add more to Eldstar’s word… but I feel he’s already taken the words out of our mouths!” Klevar said with a gleeful chuckle.
“It truly does seem so…” Skolar added.
“The Stars shine down upon you with vigor, Cosmo.” Kalmar said. “Just as they do with the brothers.”
Eldstar nodded. “…We are now closer than ever before to defeating Commander Nox and the Dark Star.” He said. “We must discuss our options further… but, before we leave…”
The elder then raised his arms, bringing his magic up to the air… a golden barrier formed around the Plains, protecting it from further harm inflicted by Nox and the Dark Star.
“Now that our business is done here…” Eldstar said. “Follow us to… ah… where your home used to be. We shall discuss more there. The Toad Brigade, along with Kamek and Toadsworth, shall meet us there.”
“We, along with Kamek at first, tried to get them to come along with us, but…” Misstar started. “They said they’d go on their own. The Toad Brigade implored that they’d meet us there soon.”
“I sure do hope they’re alright.” Mamar added. “Those Toads don’t seem the most… aware of their surroundings.”
“You don’t have to word it like that…” Misstar said quietly.
Silenced engulfed the group for a moment, before Eldstar cleared his throat. “Now then, follow us.” He said. The Spirits hovered ahead, while the Bros. and Cosmo followed close behind.
~~~
The walk wasn’t too long, but the group of heroes and Stars had found their way back to where the Bros. home used to be, the pile of rubble caused by the cannonball that hit all that time ago still left there… the Bros. grimaced, what would their landlord think? Cosmo’s expression fell as he sympathized with the Bros.
“…Oh, my…” Misstar said.
“Hm… the finances needed to repair such…” Skolar started.
“…Devastating…” Klevar added.
“Eldstar, I must ask…” Kalmar began, looking to Eldstar. “Why pick here to discuss further matters against the Commander and Dark Star? I appear to be lost.”
The elder then hummed, glaring to the Bros. “I felt that, as a way to repay you for all you’ve done for us, that we could fix your home?” He asked. “It’ll take a bit of energy from us, but I am certain that none of you would mind?” He then looked to the other Spirits, awaiting their word.
“Oh! Of course!” Misstar said. “Why wouldn’t we?”
“We wouldn’t want to leave our saviors with a destroyed home!” Klevar said.
“Yes, it’s only right.” Skolar added.
“Aye, agreed!” Muskular agreed. “A captain is incomplete without his ship! Ho ho!”
“Last thing the brothers need after such a long adventure is an upset landlord.” Mamar added. Kalmar agreed with a hum and nod.
Eldstar nodded happily. “I am glad we could all come to a consensus.” He then turned to the brothers. “Consider this a gift from us to you, dear brothers… everyone! Lend me a hand!”
Eldstar raised his arms upward, with the others following suit. The pieces of rubble left around were lifted into the air, glowing brightly as they were placed back together. Whatever wasn’t there was remade and replaced from the inside out. After a few moments, the light around the new home coalesced, revealing the Bros. repaired home. As the light went away, a barrier had also formed around their land as means to protect it further.
The Bros. beamed with glee… no longer did they have to worry about their home being lost.
“Everything should be back in order inside, just as it was when you had left it last.” Eldstar said. “We, along with the Toad Brigade and the elder men, will reside here while you head off, as we shall be waiting for the Princess’ Castle to be freed... and for those harbingers of Darkness to finally be slain.”
“…What of the Minions?” Kalmar asked. “Perhaps they would like to be present for the final battle after all that has happened to them, no? Maybe cheer the brothers on from the frontlines?”
“I can attempt to see how they are faring…” Eldstar said as he closed his eyes… “They should be…”
…As he looked ahead, his brows furrowed. His eyes then opened, wide with deep concern and fear. “…O-oh, my Stars… Mario! Luigi! You must make haste to the Castle! Something is amiss there.”
“What!?” Misstar yelped.
“Are the Minions alright!?” Kalmar asked.
“…I shall explain more to the other Spirits once you both leave, but know that the matter is extremely delicate. It is best to not waste too much time and have you see it for yourselves.” Eldstar said to the Bros.
“Whatever is it, we can handle it, Eldstar! You need not worry.” Cosmo said as the Bros. nodded in agreement.
Eldstar nodded firmly. “Before you leave, however, I must bestow another gift.” He said. “All three of you must use it with care, for it will greatly increase your chances against the forces of Darkness.”
The elder star held his arms up, handing Luigi a a small Star made up of three puzzle pieces; one red, another green, and the third one yellow.
~ You’ve got a new Bros. Attack! Rising Star! ~
“Once more, use it well! Now, you must be off! Be swift!” Eldstar said. “We shall cheer you on from afar, we are all counting on you!”
Cosmo flew ahead while the Bros. followed right behind him. The Spirits wished them all farewell as they fled… just as the sound Magikoopa magic tore through the air behind them.
“I cannot believe I had to do that!” Kamek said, holding a quivering Toadsworth. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you all to lead us!”
“I didn’t know we’d get lost like that!” Captain Toad said. “I could’ve sworn we were going the right way…”
“Perhaps you should’ve given the map to me, Captain…” The Blue Toad said.
“No, to me!” The Green Toad butted in. “I could’ve helped us find a way to get more coin AND get us here!”
“I think getting here at all was way more important than getting money!” The Blue Toad retorted.
As the two Toads argued, the Yellow Toad had begun to nod off. Captain Toad then noticed the Spirits ahead, garnering a smile as he approached them. “Oh, hi! What’d we miss?”
The Spirits grimaced as chaos unfolded around them… this stay was going to be long…
~~~
The Bros. and Cosmo hurried ahead, their unwavering will and passion guiding them forward. As they approached though… the smell of gunpowder and smoke slid past their noses. They could only wonder what Eldstar had foreseen… until they skidded to a stop, appearing before Peach’s Castle with shock in their eyes…
“…Oh, no… what happened here…?” Cosmo asked in a horrified whisper.
The trio began walking through the path ahead to the Castle, seeing the carnage that had happened here… unconscious Minions were strewn around, along with their weapons. Smoke and fog had flooded around the area, making it hard to see the full extent of the carnage around them… just what had the Minions been doing here? Were Junior and the Koopalings okay? What of the Captains? …and where had the Elite Trio gone?
They seemed powerless to do anything about it, however… they had bigger issues to take care of, and they were inside that very Castle… and were likely the reason behind the carnage that had transpired here.
The trio of heroes then raced forth to the tainted Castle gates… it seemed their final battle was finally approaching from beyond the horizon…
Bc FW is gaining a liiiittle bit more traction on here than it usually does, here’s the Discord for those who are interested! Includes development updates, sneak peeks, and live reads of new Chapters!
The Hero Quartet must reach the top of Rage Rock Ridge, the highest mountain top in all of the tainted Kingdom, to face the next Ztar Spirit. May only the mighty reach the Crimson Knight up at the summit.
~~~
A story created by my mind and built with @luigiman64, @blueshidx and I’s cooking, Mario & Luigi: Fallen Wishes! Very happy to bring this work to life alongside them.
Certain characters and settings belong to Nintendo, Intelligent Systems, and AlphaDream. I do not take credit for any of what doesn’t belong to me.
The bridge down to Rickety Rock Ridge’s base wobbled with every step the group took. Everyone kept their gazes forward and hands tight on the bridge’s ropes… all while Luigi shook in his spot as he walked.
If he or the others were to fall, the result would only be fatal. The fog that covered the waters below sent shivers up Luigi’s spine. He tried not to think about it too much as kept his focus on Mario, who was just in front of him.
“Tread carefully, Luigi.” Ludwig said, noticing Luigi’s slight lack of focus.
“Yeah! You’re not helping by shaking so much!” Junior added.
Mario then turned back to Junior, appearing puzzled… and Junior wasn’t helping by sassing his brother. Junior only huffed and kept his gaze off of Mario as the red plumber brought his attention back to the walkway in front of him.
It wasn’t too long before the group had reached the bridge’s end, jumping from one of the last few boards to reach the ground. Everyone walked forward amidst the pale red fog that surrounded them as they began to wander the mountain’s base.
The hard gravel stones barely crunched from underneath their feet, it was like stepping on coals. The ground also bore a similar red color as the fog, with a tinge of brownish orange embedded in the red stones and dirt.
The group then looked up… but couldn’t see much past the mountain’s lower end. The thick fog blocked any chance of seeing any higher.
“…Do we really gotta climb that?” Junior asked.
“The only way we can go to progress is up, Junior.” Ludwig said. “There’s no way around it.”
Junior groaned. Ludwig only sighed in response. The Bros. then turned their heads left, spotting a path that lead upward… it was true, their only way was up.
As Junior settled on his fate, the Koopa kids followed close behind the Bros. Just as they began walking along the trail, a glint of bright red light caught Luigi’s eyes.
The group stopped as Luigi stared at the mountain wall… a message was engraving itself within the mountain.
To those who dare to bare thy might,
Shall be prepared for many a plight,
And best beware the Crimson Knight
The group stared at the jagged engraving, pondering its meaning, before Cosmo suddenly made his presence known, appearing beside the Bros.
“…I would expect such perils from a mountain climb… but what of this 'Crimson Knight'…?” Cosmo pondered, before a realization suddenly came to him. “Ah! Muskular!”
The group turned back, wanting more info… the Bros. also seemed to notice how tiredly Cosmo appeared, his appearance before them now slightly faded, but the Bros. had no time to ask anything before the Sprite began to speak.
“Muskular is admired by many for his courage and strength, and many a sailor aspire for his navigation of the seas. Such a Spirit is also quite acquainted with keeping one’s health the highest priority.” Cosmo explained… he then appeared to shudder for a moment. “I can only fear how Nox’s magic has corrupted his heart… we must make haste! Surely he has perched himself upon the mountain’s summit.”
Ludwig nodded. “I see… with such a strong Spirit, we haven’t a moment to waste.” He said. “…I also feel it’s plausible we should find a way to get Luigi’s Thunderhand back as soon as possible.”
Luigi nodded at that, seeming excited… it was always fun and exhilarating to mess around with such power, a touch of chaos that he actually liked. He followed the others close behind as Cosmo disappeared and the ground began travelling upward.
…As they began their ascent though, Luigi felt as if some unseen eyes were watching him… another shiver went up his spine for only a moment as he ascended with the others.
~~~
The climb up the mountain was long… as to be expected. No walk up such a steep slope is easy. The grouped stayed fairly close, the Bros. taking on any enemies as they ascended while the Koopas helped with gathering items.
As the group walked, they took notice in some of the scenery. A few small spears and swords were strewn around, stuck in the ground or walls… the Bros. then began to notice Cosmo’s eerie silence again.
The group continued their ascent, seeing just how high up they were. They peered over the dark clouds, seeing the sun nearing the westward sky. The sight was a beauty, a breath of fresh air for the heroes… before they suddenly stopped, noticing their path past the midway point of the mountain was blocked by a pair of… anchors?
“Aw, man! Come on!” Junior said, crossing his arms. “Something’s always gotta hold us up, huh!?”
“This could be a time of respite, Junior.” Ludwig pointed out. “The brothers could heal up.”
Junior then scoffed. “…I guess.” He said.
The Bros. took their time to relax for a moment, as did Ludwig and Junior. As the Koopas talked of their home and missing brother, Mario and Luigi both shared their items amongst each other… they’d talk about their lives then, but what was there to talk about?
Their home and friends were in jeopardy. Two of the world’s overseers and wish-granters were still lost to Darkness. One of the worst beings they had ever faced was back from the dead… and Luigi still didn’t have his Thunderhand back. Both Bros. sighed over the circumstances they were in, but they knew they couldn’t let that get them down.
…Luigi then began to ponder to himself, how come he and his Bro just couldn’t use their elemental abilities on their own? It would’ve saved a lot of time, especially with the circumstances they were in. He recalls what Misstar had mentioned about their powers back at Ice-Shine Island, but only now had it crossed him, now that the circumstances of the world somewhat rested in that back of his mind… what did she mean?
'…Hm… it appears those powers have gone unused for quite some time… you can’t use them on your own accord. I am to believe that another force is assisting you with the use of these powers.'
“…To answer your question, Luigi,” Cosmo then began for both Bros. to hear. “Your elemental powers had never gotten used again after your Beanbean Kingdom venture, yes?”
The Bros. nod at that… there was never really a time or place to use them again.
“The powers of Firebrand and Thunderhand are very special, very unlike most Power-Ups. Abilities handed down from the Star Realm to the mortal lands, forever guarded by the Spirits of Fire and Thunder.” Cosmo explained. “If these powers are to go unused for a long period of time, their connection to the bearer weakens, bringing upon the inability to use the power on one’s own merit. These powers, much like any force of Light, must be handled delicately and with care. Otherwise, its luster and power will fade.”
…What Cosmo said felt true. The elemental powers were unlike anything they’d seen before. To have these powers felt like a blessing from the Stars.
“Because these powers were not only granted by, but created by creatures of the Stars, only those of the Star Realm can assist in rekindling the bearer’s abilities if they are to dissipate… unless one was to get a surge of these powers through physical contact with Fire or Thunder, a method only used in truly dire situations.” Cosmo said. “For the longest time, only I could temporarily rekindle your powers via your Finishers, for I lack the power to truly surge your powers as a Star Sprite... But now, we can fully bring your powers back!”
“Oh, yeah!” Luigi said triumphantly… just thinking about getting to use his powers on his own again excited him. Mario smiled at that.
“…And yet…” Cosmo continued, seemingly not realizing he was speaking. “…Will I still be of use to you…?”
…The Bros. paused at that… why—!?
A rumbling sound then knocked the Bros. and Koopas out of their thoughts and rest as they rose to their feet and looked upward… once they all stood, the rumbling had stopped.
“W-what was that!?” Junior asked in panic.
“…Perhaps the mountain grows weary of us.” Ludwig said. “We’ve rested enough for now… but how do we pass the gate here?”
The group then noticed a bright red light flashing along the wall above the anchor gate… another engraving.
Face thy fears and advance thy fist
Do not dare hold back or resist
Bend and break, eye the gory
To pass the Grand Gate of Glory
“…Hm. I wonder…” Ludwig said to himself as he and the others turned to the left and right of where they stood. Two paths branched outward to the other sides of the mountain.
The farther they looked out, the more apparent the shapes of the mountain sides had become… they were shaped like flexing biceps.
“We have two choices.” Ludwig said before turning to the Bros. “Mario! Luigi! Which way should we go first?”
“And make it quick!” Junior added.
The Bros. thought about it for only a moment, before both pointed left… Ludwig nodded as he and Junior turned to the direction at which they pointed.
“We have nothing left to lose right now. Onward!” Ludwig said as went forward with the others following behind.
“…My legs are already starting to hurt again…” Junior said as the walk continued.
~~~
The group continued down the mountain’s left side, the Bros. fighting a few enemies as they passed. The way was far more clear, for there was little fog blocking their way forth.
As they continued down the path however… a loud sound made its presence known. Snoring…?
“…You hear that too right?” Junior asked.
“Perhaps someone fell asleep during an escapade up the mountain.” Ludwig considered. “…But who would take a rest here of all places? When Darkness is afoot?”
As the group waded forward, the Bros. tried to think of the possibilities of who could’ve also been here, before the sound began to have a sort of familiarity to it… the sound of a Toad peacefully sleeping…
“Oh! Finally, some customers!” A Toad voice suddenly called out. “Hi, Mario! Hi, Luigi!”
The Bros. and Koopas turned their heads to the right to notice a pair of faces they thought they wouldn’t cross again. Captain Toad, alongside the always tired Yellow Toad of the Toad Brigade, sat in front of a small wooden stand. A few items and pieces of gear were strewn about… why would they have a shop here? There was no Starlight barrier to keep them guarded.
Mario and Luigi stepped forward to the shop with the Koopa kids close behind, looking upon the gear and items they had. The Koopas though looked more confused than anything.
“Why are you here?” Ludwig asked. “We thought you wanted to stay within Doop Doop Dunes.”
“We did, for a little bit! We found all sorts of good stuff there!” Captain Toad said. “After that, we headed elsewhere… and I picked here!”
Ludwig and Junior seemed completely thrown off. “…Hm.” Ludwig only hummed in response.
“…Of course you picked here…” Junior said under his breath.
“I thought Rickety Rock Ridge would have some good stuff too! So we went up and up and up… before, uh…” The Captain then paused. “We got 'thrown off course', you could say.”
“What do you mean?” Ludwig asked.
“…O-oh, it was scary. 'Ol Yeller here, he started to lag behind, and he fell asleep. Me and the others went back to try and wake him up, but then…” Captain Toad paused again. “He found us…”
“He was HUGE!! Had two pairs of arms, bronze armor…” Captain Toad explained. “His skin was all red, too! And—!”
“Huh?” The Yellow Toad then began, suddenly waking up. “…Oh, hey… Mario, Luigi.”
“How come no one ever says hey to us!?” Junior yelled, although the two Toads seemed to ignore it.
“…How about we stop talking about how we got here for little while?” Captain Toad asked, wanting to change the subject as a small bead of sweat went down his head. “Mario! Luigi! Wanna buy something?”
The Bros. wasted no time in buying some more items and new gear for themselves. What they bought was some of the best gear they’d seen their entire venture. As they emptied their wallets a bit, they couldn’t help but remember the red man Captain Toad mentioned… perhaps that was their next Ztar Spirit.
Captain Toad scuffled through the coins the Bros. handed him and the Yellow Toad, looking up to the Bros. with a big smile on his face as the Yellow Toad began to nod off.
“Thanks! Maybe come back some other time!” Captain Toad said. “I’ve even got some Shroom Tea to heal you up if you want! It’ll quench ya!”
The Bros. nod at that. They’d surely be back for that later if needed. They then headed forward with Junior and Ludwig following them along… they then began to wonder where the other two Brigade members were…
The lands the group walked through felt barren, the wind gently blowing forward. As they treaded farther, they noticed something tall appear amidst the faint fog.
A large spire-like structure pointed upward to the stars. The group has reached the end of the trail before them, staring upon the large bicep-shaped tower in awe.
“Wow!” Junior exclaimed. “…Hey, look! There’s a way inside the tower!” He said as he pointed forward, a large entrance embedded in the wall.
“Yes, perhaps that is where we… 'bend and break, eye the gory', as the inscription said.” Ludwig pointed out. “Mario, Luigi! Head forth!”
The Bros. only nod as they begin to walk forward. As they stand before the entrance though, the ground below them began to rumble. The group stopped in their tracks as three rocky Pokeys protruded out from the ground; the fire red rubies, ocean blue sapphires, and forest green emeralds just barely shone amidst the faint light of the sun above.
Ludwig then seemed to notice an odd glint in the eyes of the Pokeys. “…It seems they’re mainly after the brothers.” He said. “We shall let them do the fighting.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Junior said. “Gives us some time to rest!”
The Koopas backed away as the Pokeys begun their first attacks on the Bros. The first of the trio, the one embedded with rubies, smacked itself down upon the ground, creating a red shock wave that propelled itself toward the Bros. They promptly jumped as the sapphire Pokey did the same.
As the emerald Pokey slammed down and created its own shock wave, Mario was just a little too late on his jump, causing only him to get hit. Luigi gasped and looked to his side, staring wide-eyed at his injured brother, who slowly rose to his feet.
…Mario could immediately tell what the attack did to him. He felt slower, like he was weakened or tired. Luigi then looked up at the Pokeys, analyzing them closely… maybe the stones in their bodies meant something. Luigi turned to Mario and nodded to his brother, signaling what he found to him. Mario quickly understood as he nodded back.
The man in red immediately took in an herb to heal himself, allowing Luigi to start his attack. None of his other attacks would do much, the P-Ballon could make him pop due to the crystal spikes, and he had a feeling that the Ice Flower wouldn’t do much against creatures at such a high altitude, where it was colder… the Boo Shroom was their best bet.
Luigi inhaled the Boo Shroom in his pocket, and let Mario do his thing as the giant Boo Luigi charges the laser blast from his mouth, sending it toward Mario, who spun with his hammer in hand in front of the emerald Pokey as Luigi’s blast fell down. Mario’s hammer perfectly struck the blast, sending it the Pokey’s way.
As Mario made his way back to his spot on the field, the now non-Boo Luigi sighed to himself… he needed something new in his arsenal.
The three Pokeys begin their attacks, with the ruby Pokey removing its head and sitting in front of the rest of its body. The body swings back like a baseball bat, as if preparing to hit its head toward the Bros. The body then strikes forward, aiming its head toward Mario, who quickly takes out his hammer and smacks the head away back to the body. The segments separate and fall to ground, promptly weakening the ruby Pokey.
The other two Pokeys preform the same attacks as before, but succeed not as the Bros. perfectly dodge. Mario begins his attack by using Super Blazer Bros. directed at the all three Pokeys. The damage from the attack seems to mostly affect the weakened ruby Pokey, whose body begins to crumble and break apart, defeating it.
Only two more Pokey’s were left… this wouldn’t take long. Luigi then used the Boo Shroom once more, dealing a good amount of damage to the remaining Pokeys.
The sapphire Pokey removed its head and aimed with it’s body, seemingly going for Luigi, who has his hammer at the ready… as the Pokey body descended though, it missed the head, making Luigi throw his hammer down too early. At that, the Pokey swung again, its head striking Luigi straight in the chest.
Luigi’s intuition was proven right as he watched the sapphire Pokey head retreat to its body. He felt weakened, like some invisible shield around him had broken. He shook off the pain of his weakened state as he rose to his feet and the emerald Pokey preformed the same attack, Luigi being able to properly hit the head back at the body and separate the segments.
Mario begun his attack once more, not holding back with his elemental abilities. Luigi did the same with the Boo Shroom. Only after Luigi’s attack did the emerald Pokey crumble. There was now only one left.
The final sapphire Pokey attacked, using its head as a projectile to strike one of the Bros., Mario struck the head with his hammer, taking apart the last of their foes.
Both Bros. then gave it their all against the sapphire Pokey, eventually defeating it and causing it to crumble. Luigi’s weakened state faded away as the battle ended, and the brothers shared their victory amongst each other.
“Good work, brothers!” Ludwig said. “With the threat of the way, we should be able to enter the tower. Go on, now!”
Junior then rose to his feet and dusted himself off. “Yeah, we’ve gotten enough time to rest up. Now, go! Don’t keep us waiting!”
The Bros. nodded as they quickly healed up and headed inside the tower, the Koopas staying close behind them as they treaded forward… for none of them knew what was ahead…
Any light from outside was suddenly dimmed as the group walked forward. Small torches alit with bright red flames showed the way ahead… along with the faint sounds of cheering.
“I get it! You’ve been waitin' a LONG time for this!” A booming voice announced from ahead amidst the cheering. “Believe me when I say it’s gonna be a fight worth watching!”
…The voice was familiar to each of the heroes, especially Junior and Ludwig.
“Hey!” Junior began. “You think that’s Roy…?”
Ludwig confidently hummed. “No voice can be as loud as his… except maybe Iggy or Morton.” He said. “It must be him.”
The cheers only got louder as the group progressed further down the long hall before them, eventually stumbling upon an entrance to the sounds source.
“Come on!” A deep, gruff voice from ahead then called out. “Get on with it already!”
“This stupid cheering is driving me nuts!” Another high-pitched, snarky voice commented.
The other two voices felt extremely familiar to the Bros. as the quartet finally entered another room, noticing it’s similarity to a Roman colosseum. The colosseum was dimly lit by old lamps and torches hung up on the ceiling, which had a large gong-like bell attached to its center. Lined around the walls of the room were rows upon rows of seats, each being sat upon by an enemy or Mountain inhabitant.
And, just in the center of the room from underneath a bright red spotlight, Roy stood. He wore a red-striped wrestling referee attire, along shoulder pads reminiscent of Bowzer’s. The ends of his red-tinted sunglasses were as sharp as the spiked bracelets on his wrists.
“A fight of the century is upon us! Blood will spill! Bones will break!” Roy declared. “The exact kinda fight I KNOW you wanna see!”
“It appears we were correct, Junior.” Ludwig said.
“Why don’t we just face him now and get it over with?” Junior then asked in a harsh whisper. “That’s what the weird poem on the wall said!”
“…I fear now is not the time.” Ludwig responded… he then smirked a tad. It seemed he actually wanted to see how this would play out.
“GET. ON. WITH IT!!” The familiar snarky voice from the other side of the ring then yelled.
“Yeah! I’m getting tired of just standing here!” The other voice ahead complained.
“At one side of the arena! Some of the most terrifying forces the Commander has to offer!” Roy yelled. “Bowzer and Ztarlow!!!”
Bright red spotlights from above shone upon the dark generals, who both basked in the light. The quartet of heroes stood shocked… it had been awhile since the Bros. had seen them last.
Junior then faltered a little at the sight of his corrupted father again… remembering his gaze from their escape from the Dark Lands. Ludwig then took notice of this, gently patting Junior’s shoulder.
“And, on the other side of the ring!” Roy declared. “The stupid punks who aimlessly throw their fists into the Darkness! Mario and Luigi, alongside their Koopa kid duo!”
Another few spotlights then brought the heroes into view, causing Ztarlow and Bowzer to tense up at the sight of them. They snarled and bore their sharp teeth at the simple glance of their faces.
“YOU!!!” Ztarlow yelled. “I’ve just been ITCHING for a fight with you punks again!”
“MARIO! GREEN STACHE!” Bowzer growled. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to trample you since you screwed up my precious time with the Princess!? WAY TOO LONG!!!”
The Bros. quickly enter a battle stance, before Junior and Ludwig step forward.
“WAIT!!” Junior yelled out. “How’d you even get here?”
“…Yes, last I remember, Lord Bowser’s Clown Car was destroyed…” Ludwig recalled.
Bowzer seemed to relax for a moment, trying to recall the matter himself, now crossing his arms and tapping his foot in thought while Ztarlow still writhed.“…Well, uhh…”
———
Bowzer and Ztarlow rushed through the Castle, hurrying to carry out the Dark Star’s inane command. They knew they couldn’t let him or the Commander down.
“Let’s take my Clown Car!” Bowzer said hastily. “It’ll get us to the Mountain faster! Come on, you slow Star!”
“Wait!” Ztarlow called out as she suddenly stopped hovering alongside the Koopa. “You moron! Didn’t your Clown Car get destroyed when you fell into Lava Lands awhile back? It’s still being fixed! And who are you calling SLOW STAR!?”
Bowzer turned back and snarled toward the Sprite. “YOU KNOW WHAT I—! …Oh, wait.” He quickly realized she was right. “…Dang.”
“Yeah, exactly.” Ztarlow said. “If anything, you’re the slow one. You’re a turtle!”
“I’ll SHOW YOU SLOW WHEN I—!” Bowzer clapped back.
“When you what!?” Ztarlow argued. “Tell me!”
“WHEN I PUNT YOU INTO THE DIRT, THAT’S WHAT!!” Bowzer retorted.
“I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!!!” Ztarlow yelled back.
Both fumed at each other for a moment… before remembering their task at hand. They both cooled down, albeit barely. The tension was still very much present.
“…Well, what are we gonna do then, smart guy?” Ztarlow asked with sass. “How are we gonna get to the Ridge?”
Bowzer was silent as he put a hand to his chin, deep in his shallow pool of thought… before a lightbulb seemed to go off in his head. He turned to Ztarlow with a grin on his face.
“…What are you looking at me for?” Ztarlow asked.
~~~
“Hngh! Ugh!!” Ztarlow groaned as she carried Bowzer with her fists of fury through the sky above the Ridge. “Why… are you so… heavy?”
“Why are you so weak?” Bowzer asked. “I’m not that burly!”
“…I doubt that…” Ztarlow said. “You’ve been eating… Kaglut’s dishes, haven’t you!? Don’t you… even know what’s… in those!?”
Bowzer scoffed. “Not that I care.” He said. “It’s good food!”
“…I think it’s better I… don’t tell you…” Ztarlow groaned again as she struggled to carry Bowzer across. She could feel her grip on him loosening.
“Hey! Quit whining!” Bowzer grumbled. “And can’t you go faster!?”
“Can’t you be… quieter!?” Ztarlow retorted. “Ughh!!”
Bowzer grumbled again under his breath. “Stupid Sprite… too small and puny to carry me around.”
…Something seemed to snap inside Ztarlow at that. “…You wanna… repeat that?”
“Oh, surprised you heard that.” Bowzer said with snark.
“Insult me… one more time.” Ztarlow threatened. “I dare you.”
Bowzer chuckled at that, accepting the challenge. “I’m kinda surprised you dragged us out so far. Didn’t think you had it in you, little pipsqueak.” He said while Ztarlow remained silent. “Even a biddybud could do better than you right now! BWAHAHAHA!!!”
…He didn’t even notice Ztarlow’s grip beginning to slack once more.
“I bet your punches couldn’t even hurt a Goomba!” Bowzer cackled at that. “No wonder Mario and Green Stache took you out so quickly! Two times over!”
Ztarlow’s grip had now slacked to where she was simply holding onto Bowzer by his claws.
“Can’t believe the Commander picked you to be a general in the first place! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Bowzer laughed.
“Oops.” Ztarlow then said. “My hands slipped.”
“…Huh?” Bowzer asked himself as he looked up at Ztarlow, who no longer held onto his hands. “…Crud…”
Bowzer then began to plummet down to the Ridge, falling through multiple clouds and layers of fog, eventually reaching the ground with a hard thud.
“YOU BIG DIRTBAG!!!” Ztarlow shrieked as she descended, now hovering beside the barely conscious Bowzer. “YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!!! AND I MEAN ALL OF IT!!!” She then began punching Bowzer’s arms with her fists while the Koopa tried to fend her off.
“You asked for it!!” Bowzer argued.
“YOU THINK I MEANT IT LITERALLY!?” Ztarlow yelled. “You’re as dense as a bag of rocks!!”
“AND YOU’RE AS DUMB AS ONE!!” Bowzer retorted back.
…Just above them both, a large figure hovered. The figure had bright red skin and was adorned in bronze armor…
“…Heh. They’d be fun to watch…” The figure said.
———
“…And then we were dragged here—!” Bowzer said, before Ztarlow snapped out of her rage toward the Bros. and cut him off.
“YOU OAF!!! Why would you tell them that!?” Ztarlow asked. “THEY’RE THE ENEMIES!!!”
“They—!” Bowzer then groaned, realizing his own blunder.
“Alright! Enough with the yappin'!” Roy boomed. “GET TO IT!! START FIGHTING!!!”
“Mario! Luigi!” Ludwig called. “Remain headstrong for us all!”
“Yeah! Kick some butt!” Junior said. “…But, maybe take it easy on my Dad.”
With the sound of the large gong sounding from above the colosseum floor, the fight could truly begin.
“Let’s see you remember this!” Ztarlow taunted. She then turned into a small violet reticle, shooting small Ztars the Bros. way.
…It had been a long time since they’d seen an attack like this, but the Bros. managed, despite getting a hit a few times.
“I knew it! You’ve lost your luster! HAH!!” Ztarlow quipped.
Bowzer then grumbled a bit, as if he wanted to try and usurp his battle partner… especially after what she did on their way to the Ridge.
“Yeah, like that did much of anything, puny gum ball!” Bowzer quipped back at Ztarlow. “They’re about to understand the TRUE power behind the Ztar Rod! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!”
Bowzer then reels back as he tries to inhale the Bros. into his maw, all while charging up a magic blast with the Ztar Rod. Both Bros. begin to flee as the force of the pull slowly pulls them back. They escape just in time as Bowzer propels the blast forward, only for it to miss.
“WHAT!? How!?” Bowzer yelled as the Bros. returned to their spots on the ring.
“Oh, good work, you meathead!” Ztarlow insulted. “At least my attack did something!”
“SHUT UP!! It could’ve worked!” Bowzer retorted.
“Really, now? Could it?” Ztarlow argued.
“HEY!” Roy then shouted as he got between the two generals. “Stop fighting with each other, and FIGHT THE GUYS IN FRONT OF YOU!!”
“…Yes, sir.” Bowzer said quietly.
“Fine.” Ztarlow begrudgingly obliged. “Not that we can do anything now.”
She was right, for it was the Bros. time to attack. Mario instantly used his elemental attack on the generals, which seemed to do a good number on them… the Star Power within must’ve begun to weaken them.
Luigi then pulled out the Boo Shroom, the blast from his own maw doing also doing good damage. It was possible that this fight wouldn’t take long.
Ztarlow snarled at the Bros. as she and Bowzer recovered from their attacks. “You will NOT beat me! Not again!” She said. “LET IT BLOW!!!”
A strong gust of wind then began to move the Bros. forward. They tried to tread against the wind, barely moving ahead. As the wind subsided, Mario felt fine… but Luigi could tell he had been poisoned.
The Ztar Sprite glared at Mario, noticing her attack had no affect on him. “Bowzer! Do something! Make sure it’s actually useful!”
Bowzer grumbled at that, but chose not to respond. “Prepare to get burned, chumps!”
The Koopa then raised the Ztar Rod again, allowing it to charge up a magical blast as Bowzer began shooting fireballs the Bros. way. Eventually, the Rod glowed a bright red, which Mario took notice of just in time as the blast of magic headed straight for him. With only a single smack of his hammer did the blast disappear.
“What!? Come on!!” Bowzer yelled.
“What’s wrong with you!?” Ztarlow screamed. “You’ve had that Rod this entire time, and you can’t even use it right! Have you been practicing any of your spells at all?”
Bowzer stammered at that. “Yeah! …Sometimes!” He said.
Mario took his chance to hand Luigi an herb, rejuvenating his brother. Luigi then initiated his own Boo Shroom on the general pair, slowly but surely bringing them down.
“This fight’s looking real good, folks!” Roy declared. “I think our generals are gonna need something stronger if they wanna take down Red and Greenie!”
“What!? You’re saying I’m WEAK!?” Ztarlow yelled Roy’s way. “I’ll show you weak when I pile-drive you into the dirt!!”
“My magic is league’s above anything else!” Bowzer quipped. “Who’re you calling weak?”
Roy then seemed aggravated at the two generals. “That ain’t what I—! Oh, just get back to fighting! The audience didn’t come here to see you yap!”
…The generals cooled it a bit at that, eventually putting their attention back on the Bros. “You’re really gonna make me pull out my big guns early, aren’t you?” Ztarlow began. “I bet you aren’t ready for THIS!!”
Ztarlow then rose into the air, summoning her fury fists and bringing her left one upward. She then threw her fist down toward Luigi, who brought his hammer out in preparation to strike… only for Ztarlow to swipe her fist upward, making Luigi bring his hammer down too early.
Luigi stared upward in confusion, noticing Ztarlow’s sly smirk. “Oops. How clumsy of me!” She said sarcastically, before bringing the same fist down again. Luigi wasn’t able to react as Ztarlow’s fingers wrapped around his body. Luigi could hear the sound of his body getting crunched from the Sprite’s strong grip.
“How does that feel!? Huh!?” Ztarlow taunted. “TAKE THIS!!!”
She then threw her hand up and chucked Luigi toward Mario, causing them both to strongly hit the ground. Both Bros. recoiled as they slowly rose to their feet, hearing the crowd react to their blunder.
“Ooooh! You see it here, folks!” Roy said. “It seems the pesky plumbers are startin' to meet their match! Hah!”
“Come on, Mario! Come on, Luigi!” Junior cheered from behind the Bros.
“You can’t give up now!” Ludwig cheered.
“…You must win this battle! Remain headstrong, just as you always have!” Cosmo then suddenly said… the Bros. were almost startled by him. It had been a bit since he’d last spoken…
“Enough with the chatter!” Bowzer said. “Let’s try this again!”
Bowzer then tried to vacuum the Bros. up again, leaving them to flee from the force with as much strength as they could muster. The magic blast from the Ztar Rod charged up, and Bowzer struck forth toward the Bros., only for his attack to miss again… he had no words for his screw up.
“At least do something new with your attacks!” Ztarlow quipped. Bowzer didn’t have a reply to that, as he went entirely silent, save for a bit of angry grumbling.
The Bros. took it upon themselves to attack with everything they had, using the same attacks they had before… if they kept this up, the generals would be down in no time.
“…I do not have the power to free them now.” Cosmo then said, sounding somewhat blunt. “I’m sorry.”
…He sounded so tired. It was so unlike Cosmo…
Ztarlow gritted her teeth at the Bros., seeing how they were usurping her and Bowzer. She then swiveled the entirety of her body toward the dark mage. “Bowzer! Use your magic to power me up!”
“Huh?” Bowzer responded. “Why would I do that, after how’ve been treating me this whole time!?”
“Don’t give me that! You’ve done the exact same!” Ztarlow quipped back. “You wanna win, right? You don’t wanna go back to the Dark Star and the Commander empty handed, right? THEN BOOST ME!!!”
…Bowzer thought over his options quickly. Ztarlow was right, neither of them could afford to go back to them without the Bros. in tow. “…Fine.” He said. “But for only a bit!”
“That should be enough time! NOW GET ON WITH IT!!!” Ztarlow commanded.
With no hesitation, Bowzer waved the Ztar Rod above Ztarlow, seeing its magic trickle down onto her. She quickly began to feel the magic of the Rod boosting her power.
“Yeah! That’s it!” Ztarlow said with a smirk. “These brothers are going DOWN!!!”
Once again, Ztarlow became a reticle, shooting small Ztars at the Bros. Only this time had the speed of the shooting increased. And whenever one of the Bros. were to be hit, the attack would hit like a truck.
“HAHAHAHA!!! How does that feel!?” Ztarlow mocked. “Now you know what it feels like to get beat into the ground!”
The Bros. took their chances to heal up a bit… they had gotten close to losing, which they couldn’t afford. They had to be extra careful next time Ztarlow attacked.
The generals seemed confident in themselves now, looking to the Bros. with vile grins on their faces.
“We’ve got you in our sights now!” Bowzer quipped. “Prepare to face your doom!”
“Can you handle what we’re made of!?” Ztarlow questioned. “Hah!”
Bowzer then entered his shell and sat himself in front of Ztarlow, who used her fists to smack Bowzer toward the Bros. Both brothers deflected with their hammers for as long as they could, before the Koopa shell was headed straight for them both. They both struck the shell with their hammers, sending Bowzer right back to Ztarlow.
Both generals returned to the field, slightly dizzy, before quickly shaking it off.
“You’ll pay for that!” Ztarlow yelled as she rose into the air again and threw one of fists down toward Mario, who only deflected with his hammer.
“I power you up, and this what you do!?” Bowzer asked.
“Don’t act like you didn’t mess up either!” Ztarlow said back with rage.
The Bros. then attacked them both as normal… they were starting to get a bit tired, which especially became apparent as Bowzer’s spell on Ztarlow wore off.
“…No! Not now!!” Ztarlow cried.
“And you said it’d be enough!” Bowzer said.
Ztarlow had no way to retort as she manically grumbled amidst her rage. “…Forget it! Just boost me again!!”
“Really?” Bowzer asked, uncertain of such a decision.
“DID I STUTTER!?” Ztarlow asked. “BOOST ME!!!”
“Alright! Cool it!” Bowzer said as he waved the Ztar Rod over her again.
The spell had a different effect on Ztarlow, as she seemed to grow in size, being noticeably larger than Bowzer and the Bros.
“Now THIS is more like it!!” Ztarlow said with a slight cackle. “C’mere, you punks!”
The Bros. only fled as Ztarlow began chasing them around the field, using her enlarged fists to punch the Bros. from their respective sides, only for them to jump over them.
“Oooohh!! COME ON!!!” Ztarlow yelled in anger.
Ztarlow then attempted to drive both of her fists into the ground, getting them stuck as the Bros. jumped above them and ground pounded down upon both hands, causing the Sprite to recoil as the magic affect wore off and brought her to normal size.
“NOOOO!! I could’ve gotten them!!!” Ztarlow shrieked. Bowzer had no response.
The Bros. then attacked the generals once again, noticing how their tiredness was starting to affect them.
“Hey! I’ve got an idea!” Bowzer said as he summoned a piece of glass in the center of the field. “Use that laser thing you got to shoot Mario! That’ll get him down!”
Ztarlow seemed noticeably hesitant, wanting to use Bowzer’s magic again… before reluctantly accepting. “…I guess.”
Ztarlow then began to charge a beam of dark energy, aiming it toward Mario… he’d have to be quick to deflect the attack, or he’d be a goner.
…An idea then crossed the red man’s mind as he waited for Ztarlow to shoot her laser, forming a fireball in his hand… and just before she fired, he threw the fireball toward Bowzer’s way.
“Hey!! What the—!? No fair!!” Bowzer cried.
The Ztar Rod then glowed, casting a spell on the glass pane, turning it into a mirror, which caused Ztarlow’s laser to go right to him instead of Mario. Bowzer fell to the ground and recoiled as he slowly recovered.
“Really!? REALLY!?” Ztarlow exclaimed. “I’m never going with your ideas again! Let me handle this!”
Ztarlow attempted to use her grab attack on Luigi again, hoping to mess him up again by tricking him… but he saw right through it, being able to properly hit her even after her fake out.
The brothers then went off again with their fire and Boo lasers. They seemed to be getting close to the end of their fight.
“…Dang… they’re beating us up good.” Bowzer said as he slowly got up and rubbed his head.
“They won’t once I beat them up again!” Ztarlow said. “Power me up!”
…Bowzer didn’t feel like arguing back as he used his magic on Ztarlow once again. But instead of her becoming larger… she had shrunken down to the size of a fly.
“HUH!? What is this!?” Ztarlow yelled, despite how squeaky her voice had now become.
“I-I don’t know!! I don’t get it either—!” Bowzer tried to argue back, before Ztarlow got up into his face.
“YOU BETTER HAVE AN ANSWER!!!” Ztarlow demanded.
“I don’t—!” Bowzer tried again to excuse himself, but Ztarlow wasn’t having it.
“GRRAAAAAAAAGGHHH!!!” Ztarlow shrieked, before pouncing upon Bowzer like a tiny angry cat… it seemed the fight had concluded here.
The Bros. quietly celebrated amongst themselves, watching the chaos in front of them unfold.
“I see everything now! You’re NEVER been practicing YOUR OWN SPELLS!!!” Ztarlow chastised as she hit and punched Bowzer to no end. Despite how small her punches were, they still hit very hard.
“Yeah, I have— OW!! Quit it!” Bowzer yelped as he tried to swat Ztarlow away with the Ztar Rod.
The Koopa children then approached the Bros., who still watched the chaos before them as the cheering in the colosseum only got louder.
“…Perhaps we should go.” Ludwig said. “Before the fighting somehow gets us involved.”
“Yeah.” Junior agreed. “Don’t know how I feel about watching my Dad act like this anymore.”
The Bros. only silently nodded as they and the Koopa children tried to move back and rush out… before Roy stepped forward in attempt to get the battle back on track.
“Hey! HEY!!” Roy called out. “What’d I tell you punks!? Fight what’s in front of you!!!”
The calling didn’t seem to work as the bout between the two generals continued… after a few more swings, Ztarlow eventually collided with the Ztar Rod, causing her to suddenly revert back to her usual size. She stared back at Bowzer with fire in her eyes as he tried to back away.
“…We can talk about this, right?” Bowzer tried to defend himself. “No hard feelings, nothing! Just talk!”
“I’ll show you talk!” Ztarlow said.
With one of her own fury fists and the last bit of energy she could muster, she aimed down for Bowzer’s… 'Center of Darkness', hitting him square in the spot where it’d hurt the most. Bowzer shrieked as he clutched where Ztarlow had hit him, falling to the ground.
“…How’s that, huh? That’ll show you to… cost us a fight!” Ztarlow said weakly as she plopped down to the ground, winded.
“…S-shut up already…” Bowzer said with strain.
“Oh… he’s gonna need an Ice Flower for that…” Ludwig then said.
“Nah, maybe a Penguin Suit.” Junior suggested.
Roy then groaned as the colosseum quieted. He then looked to the Bros., unenthusiastically raising a hand. “…First win goes to, Mario and Luigi.” He said bluntly.
Rather than being met with cheers, the audience boo’d them. Some even through spike balls and weapons of their own at them, causing them and the Koopas to hurry their way out of the colosseum.
“Don’t think you’ve won just yet though!” Roy called out to the heroes as they ran through the entrance hall. “More’s waiting for ya!!”
The quartet then dashed past the entrance to the colosseum, now running back to the anchor gate… all while Roy’s words echoed in their heads.
~~~
Mario was just ahead while Luigi was slightly behind him. Junior and Ludwig could barely keep with them, for their smaller legs were holding them back a bit.
“Hey, Mario! Hey, Luigi!” Captain Toad called to them with a wave from his spot within he and the sleeping Yellow Toad’s shop stand. “You wanna maybe buy some—!”
The Toad Captain was met with no response as the quarter rushed past the shop. He frowned and slowly brought his hand down. “…Oh. Okay then.”
Just past the shop was where the group had taken a rest not too long prior to the fight in the colosseum. They all stared at the anchor gate blocking their way forward, noticing that the anchor on the left had disappeared, leaving only broken metal chunks where it once stood.
“…Hm. As I suspected.” Ludwig said. “Those colosseum fights are the key to unlocking the gate.”
“I get it… but where’s the other colosseum?” Junior asked.
“Likely on the second side of the mountain, on the other path we haven’t taken.” Ludwig said, eyeing the path on the right side of where they stood. He then turned to face the Bros. “Mario, Luigi, how about we take a rest before heading forward?”
Both Bros. nodded at that… they could use a small break. They and the Koopa kids sat down, the Bros. sharing items amongst each other while the children spoke to one another just a few inches away.
The Bros. then began to recollect what happened during their fight. Fighting Bowser was something they were used to by now. Despite his new form, it didn’t feel odd at all… but now that they thought about it again, the thought of fighting Starlow set them on edge.
They can’t back down, especially not now, now that they’re so close… but a certain feeling inside them was nagging at them. A slight hesitation, wavering yet returning for the first time in what felt like months.
“…I hate to see her like that.” Cosmo suddenly said. “I wonder if she remembers me still. It feels as if it’s been ages since I’ve been able to properly meet with her… I had been so busy…”
…Remembers him…?
Amidst the Bros. quiet thought, Junior and Ludwig conversed amongst each other, Junior fiddling with his thumbs while he and Ludwig spoke.
“…I can tell you aren’t feeling well. It’s about Lord Bowser, yes?” Ludwig asked.
Junior grumbled to himself as he averted eye contact from Ludwig. “I hate seeing him like that! Dad’s scary, and that’s a good thing! …But not when it’s like this, y’know? That’s not my papa…”
Ludwig hummed. “I understand. He’s like a father to me as well… although, we aren’t related by blood.” He said.
“…You’re like a brother to me. All of you Koopalings are like family to me.” Junior said suddenly. “…This whole situation sucks! I hate it!” He then smacked his fists into the bright red dirt.
Ludwig then silently smiled, taking notice of Junior’s compassion. “…We’ve come extremely far, especially with the brothers’ help.” He then said. “While it may hurt, we can’t back down now.”
“…Yeah!” Junior said with a smile. He then got to his feet and pointed upward to the sky. “You hear that, Nox!? We’re gonna straighten you out and drag you through the dirt!!!”
Just after Junior finished speaking, deep red Bullet Bills charged the quartet’s way, barely missing the four of them by mere inches.
“An ambush!” Ludwig said as he got to his feet. “Mario! Luigi! It seems we’ve rested enough, we must flee!”
The Bros. wasted no time in getting to their feet and hurrying away while more Bullet Bills followed them down the right path of the Ridge. After a bit of running, the Bullets eventually stopped, allowing the quartet to slow down. Mario and Luigi both sighed in relief, as did the Koopas.
“…Where do you think… that came from?” Junior asked Ludwig.
“…Not entirely sure.” Ludwig said. “Lord Bowser did recently install Bullet Bill canons up higher on this Mountain, but their movement seemed to be from a singular canon rather than multiple...”
Amidst Ludwig’s thought, he was suddenly interrupted by a loud, raspy voice not too far ahead.
“Yo! Mario! Luigi!” The voice called. “You wanna buy something?”
The Bros. and Koopa children looked over to spot the Green and Blue Toads of the Toad Brigade, standing before a shop of their own. The Green Toad ecstatically waved to the quartet as they approached, while the Blue Toad seemed bored out of his mind.
“We’ve got items for days! Looking to buy some?” The Green Toad asked.
“You don’t have to do all of that.” The Blue Toad said bluntly.
“Yeah I do!” The Green Toad retorted. “My tactics worked, didn’t they?”
“I— ugh…” The Blue Toad groaned, for he had no argument, as he was technically right.
“Anyway! What’cha looking for?” The Green Toad asked again.
The group took a good look at the catalog of items they had… the Bros. taking notice of a Golden Mushroom sitting in the back of their stock.
“Woah!” Junior said. “You found that Golden Mushroom in the Dunes?”
“Dang straight!” The Green Toad said. “We’ve had it here in case someone was looking to buy it! It’s got great replenishing qualities, way more than a normal Mushroom!”
The Bros. immediately caught on at that, willing to buy the Golden Shroom. They look to the Green Toad, wanting to know how much it costs.
“Uh… 5,000 Coins! Cough ‘em up!” The Green Toad said. The Blue Toad appeared like he wanted to argue with him for a moment, before stopping himself… it seemed like he wouldn’t get anywhere by arguing with him.
The Bros. were a tad shocked at that price, as it would burn a small hole in their wallets… but they couldn’t let down such an item, and were willing to bite the bullet. They looked to the Koopa kids, and reluctantly decided they’d all split the price amongst each other. Mario then took the Mushroom and stuffed it in his pocket.
“All good, yeah? Come back if you need anything!” The Green Toad said.
The Bros. nodded as they and the Koopa children headed away from the shop onward to the next colosseum.
“Perhaps you should really hold onto that Mushroom, Mario.” Ludwig said. “With its qualities, it’s best to hold onto it for when you truly need it.” Mario then firmly nodded at that. He wouldn’t let an item like that go to waste. “Also, you owe me. With interest.” Ludwig mentioned. Mario only rolled his eyes at that, then responding with another firm nod.
The quartet walked ahead amidst the fog, beginning to notice a structure similar to the colosseum on the left side of the Ridge. A bicep tower, reaching up into the darkness-ridden heavens.
“Go on already!” Junior then demanded. “We’ve used up enough time!”
As the Bros. treaded forward, the booming sound of thunder from above stopped them in their tracks. Before the entrance to the colosseum appeared two LakiThunders from amidst the blinding light. The tainted enemies had sharper, deep red shades. And the clouds they sat within were angrier and darker, much like storm clouds. Junior then grumbled at the disturbance as the Bros. next fight began.
The left Lakithunder leaned back, aiming its cloud at the Bros. Its enraged cloud crackled and boomed, until it launched an attack straight for Mario, who immediately jumped over the attack with precision.
The other LakiThunder then removed its shades and threw them toward the Bros., causing it to soar through the air like a boomerang. The Bros. times themselves accordingly, perfectly dodging the attack.
…Luigi would use his Boo Shroom, as he had before… but Mario realized here his Super Blazer Bros. wouldn’t work, as these enemies were airborne. Perhaps the Bubble Flower would work as a good substitute.
As both Bros. inhaled their own Bubble Flowers, they summoned a load of bubbles to trap their enemies in, which both end up in their own respective bubbles. The Bros. ascend to the air and slowly go back down, stomping upon the bubbles below them, until finally reaching their main targets, both of them stomping upon their target’s bubbles. The attack actually seemed to do a good bit of damage as well… enemies based around lightning and a water-based attack don’t go well.
After Luigi initiated his Boo Shroom attack, and the Bros. made it back to their spots on the field, the LakiThunders began their next attacks.
The right LakiThunder threw his hands upward, charging up blasts of thunder within his palms. Once charged up enough, the enemy shot the blasts to the Bros., only for them both to jump over the attack.
The left LakiThunder only did the same charged up cloud attack the right one had done before, this time aimed at Luigi, who jumped right over the attack… it seemed these enemies would be easier to defeat than the Crystal Pokeys.
The Bros. went on with their next round, doing noticeable damage to the enemies with their bubbles and Boo beam.
The two LakiThunders then threw their shade boomerangs toward the Bros, one going before the other. Luigi dodged first one fine, but Mario had tripped by the boomerang directed at him, being just a tad late on his jump. Luigi’s eyes widened over Mario’s sudden fall.
Luigi rushed to Mario’s aid, throwing an herb his direction for his brother to take, resulting in Luigi losing his chance to attack as Mario got to his feet and the LakiThunder’s began their round.
The LakiThunder duo both tried the boomerang move again, expecting one brother to fumble again… or both of them to fail. Mario focused hard, as did Luigi, just as the boomerangs approached them both. Once the weapons were just in front of them, they both jumped with perfect timing.
Both Bros. were able to attack now, going forth with their trusty Bros. Attacks. And as if the glory of luck was shining down upon them, both LakiThunder’s were taken down, disappearing into vapor and they fled, allowing the Bros. to once again relish in their victory.
“Fantastic job, brothers!” Ludwig said. “Now we can—!”
“Move on! Yeah, yeah, we get it!” Junior said, sounding irritated. “Come on, Mario and Luigi!”
Both Bros. nodded as they headed forward to the entrance of the second colosseum, once again hearing the distant cheers of the crowd, along with Roy’s booming voice.
“Just because those punks won once, doesn’t mean they’ll win again!” Roy said. “…We’ve got something special prepared for them.”
…Roy’s tone was about as chilling as the icy winds of Ice-Shine Island. What could he have meant?
“…Hm. I wonder how this next will go.” Ludwig pondered to himself.
“I’m gonna hope I don’t have to see papa like that again.” Junior said, intending it to be kept to himself.
The quartet entered the colosseum, which looked about identical to the first. Roy stood in center under a spotlight, looking to the unknowing crowd as they anticipated this fight’s warriors.
“SHALL THIS WAIT BE ANY LONGER!?” An echoing, deep voice complained from ahead. “MY SISTER AND I GROW IMPATIENT…”
…The Bros. paused at those words. The voice from beyond felt… familiar. Too familiar. The very sound sent shivers up their spines…
“…What was that…?” Junior asked.
“…I am… completely uncertain…” Ludwig responded.
“Ah, you won’t have to wait long!” Roy finally responded to the unknown voice as he then directed himself to the audience. “You knuckleheads are in for a real treat! In the first corner, we’ve got… Mario and Luigi!”
Another spotlight rained down upon the Bros. and Koopas, making them visible to the now booing crowd.
“We’ll show you to boo us again!” Junior threatened.
“Junior, hush!” Ludwig chastised.
“…And in the second corner… Princesses from another world, the twin Shroob Princesses!” Roy announced.
…Mario and Luigi felt their minds completely break… did they hear him correctly?
The other spotlight revealed one of the Bros.’ worst nightmares. The two Shroob Princesses, both the youngest and the elder, stood before them. No longer were they dead, nor being held in Bowser’s freezer. They were here, possibly dragged to the Ridge by the same figure who brought the Toad Brigade and the Dark Order duo here… just staring at the sisters made the Bros. feel lightheaded.
The alien Princesses were some of the worst threats they had ever encountered, even if the tragedy they saw them commit didn’t happen in their own timeline. Luigi shivered and quaked in his boots just thinking about it.
Mario was having the same thoughts… along with the memories of being the sacrifice for the Shroob cult within the Gloomcano. Almost dying, burning alive…
“…I… I can still remember what it felt like…” Cosmo said in horror. “…The burning… the terror…”
“Mario? Luigi?” Ludwig questioned. “Are you both alright?”
“Yeah! What’s gotten into you!?” Junior asked.
“Awww. Look at the little punk babies being wimps!” Roy mocked.
While the younger Shroob Princess snarled in incomprehensible gibberish the Bros. didn’t know a lick of, the eldest of the two stared at the Bros. with malice and rage.
“I YEARN FOR VIOLENCE… AGAINST THOSE WHO GO AGAINST THE WILL OF HIS DARKNESS.” Elder Princess Shroob said. “YOU WILL BE SMITED!! DESTROY!!!”
“Ooooohh! Would ya look at that!” Roy said. “We’ve got ourselves a battle that’s brewin’… but I got one more surprise for you chumps!”
With a snap of Roy’s fingers, a panel on the ground next to him suddenly opened, allowing another panel to slide up, revealing Bowzer and Ztarlow, who were both bandaged and laying on the ground.
“…Ughhh… what do you want?” Ztarlow asked Roy as she glared his way.
“Yeah… can’t you see we’re busy?” Bowzer said.
“Hey, big guy,” Roy began. “I’m gonna need that Ztar Rod of yours.”
“…Huh?” Bowzer questioned.
The dark mage had no time to retort or react as the Ztar Rod was suddenly snatched from his weak grasp. Roy then turned to the Shroob Princess as he raised the Rod into the air.
“Alright, magic stick! Do your stuff!” Roy declared as he waved it around, shooting a beam of dark magic the Princess’ way.
“…Hey… WHAT!?” Bowzer yelled as he slowly turned to Roy. “WHAT’RE YOU DOING WITH THAT!?”
“Whatever I need to make this more interesting!” Roy said. “The audience wants something big… so I’m giving ‘em big!”
Roy then lowered the Ztar Rod, allowing himself and everyone else to watch as their forms merged into one, morphing and becoming larger by the second.
The Bros. stood frozen in their spots for only a moment, Luigi shaking in silence where he stood, before Mario threw himself back into a fairly clear mindset. He then ran forward, charging a large fireball within his hands and jumping upward, preparing to utilize his Blazing Finisher against the Princesses… he couldn’t stand to look at them, especially not like this, whatever they were becoming.
Before Mario could come back down though, a Bullet Bill struck him right in the chest. The fireball in his hands faded away as he fell back down to the ground with a hard thud. Luigi and the Koopa children rushed to him as he struggled to get up.
“Mario! Are you alright?” Ludwig questioned.
Luigi then helped Mario to his feet, while the Koopas stood at his side. The quartet then looked up to the Shroob monster before them… they were uncertain of how to proceed.
They all then look to Roy, who held a smoking Bullet Bill canon upon his shoulder. “Nuh-uh! No one’s stoppin' this live show!”
As Roy silenced, the dark magic around the monstrous beast faded away, revealing what the alien Princesses had become. Multiple arms and tentacles, along with multiple red eyes on the spots of its shroom head. Despite its larger form, it still bore a slightly torn hot pink gown. It then let out a booming roar, shaking the entire Ridge from the inside and out.
“I call it, Shroobzilla!” Roy declared.
“ARE YOU INSANE!?” Bowzer yelled.
“No! I just like to see crazy stuff happen to stupid knuckleheads!” Roy said as he chucked the Ztar Rod back to Bowzer. “And guess what, you and the little gumball get front row seats!” Bowzer’s mouth was agape at that while Ztarlow still writhed on the floor, being in slight shock.
“…Hey!” Junior called out to the others, who still stood in uncertainty. “How are Mario and Luigi gonna fight THAT!?”
“Junior, perhaps we must bring back an old tactic… do you still have any robot blueprints on you?” Ludwig asked.
“…Yeah, why— oh!” Junior said. He then began digging through his bib, eventually stumbling upon a mech blueprint that had drills for hands. “Mario! Luigi! Look!”
The Bros. shook themselves out of shock and turned to face Junior, looking at his blueprints and realizing what they must do. Fight giant with giant. The Bros. nodded to the Koopas, agreeing with their plan.
“We shall waste no time! You must win this battle!” Ludwig said as he summoned more Star Magic to his wand and waved it around, encasing the Bros. and mech blueprint in a golden aura as they ascended to the air.
Two clown cars were summoned under the Bros. as the mech itself was built around them. This second mech was more refined than the first, having a slimmer yet stronger building. Red and green streaks of paint coated the indigo shell of the mech. And at the hands were large platinum drills.
“Get ‘em, Bros.!” Junior called from the ground below.
“Make sure they know the fury that is the Bro Engine: Mach Two!!” Ludwig rallied on.
“FOOLISH LIGHT BRINGERS…” Shroobzilla said. “YOU WILL PERISH!!!”
“Ah, now this is more like it!” Roy said. “LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!” Roy yelled into the air as the gong on the colosseum’s roof sounded off, allowing the fight to begin.
Shroobzilla immediately began by forming a shield around itself… the Bros. felt a strong familiarity with such a move.
“WE KNOW NOT OF DEFEAT.” Shroobzilla mocked… what were the Bros. to do?
“Mario! Luigi!” Junior called from below. “You’ve got drills for hands! Use ‘em!”
The Bro Engine looked down at its drill hands, then to the shield. They quickly had an idea of what they could do to take the shield down.
Mario lifted the arm on his side up, and attempted to pierce the shield. Luigi did the exact same action immediately after his brother. They both began piercing the shield consecutively, getting faster and faster as they acted, eventually using both of their drill hands to stab through the shield… but it appeared they had only cracked it.
“WE LAUGH AT YOU, PATHETIC THINGS!!” Shroobzilla once again mocked. “DESTROY!!!”
From its multiple arms, the alien creature summoned large violet Stars to its hands, chucking them at the Bros. in quick succession. The Bros. were quick to dodge, using their drill hands to break them apart as they approached. This didn’t go on for long, for the Shroobzilla seemed to tire itself out.
“Aw, come on!” Roy complained. “It ain’t fun when you punks are winning!”
The Bros. ignored the insult as they took it upon themselves to pierce the shield again, constantly attempting to break it with the drill hands. Once the multi-hit finisher to the attack finished, the shield shattered apart and dissipated into the air. The crowd only gasped in disbelief, while Roy seemed to appearing distraught, as if he was losing some big bet.
“…NO!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?” The alien creature yelled. “YOU SHALL PAY FOR SUCH A TRANSGRESSION!”
Shroobzilla then aimed its tentacles toward different parts of the Bro Engine, aiming to hit it where it was most vulnerable. The Bros. took action by piercing the tentacles whenever they approached, reacting quickly to each move and being sure not to miss.
“…Why couldn’t we have gotten the growing treatment?” Ztarlow suddenly asked. “We would’ve won!”
“…Yeah! She’s got a point!” Bowzer oddly agreed.
“NO ONE ASKED YOU!!!” Roy yelled to the generals. He then looked up to Shroobzilla. “Hey! Quit slackin’ and WIN THIS THING!!”
“AS SAID, WE KNOW NOT OF DEFEAT.” Shroobzilla said. “THEY SHALL TASTE OUR WRATH!! DESTROY!!!”
The Bros. then began to think of their next move, for they couldn’t just use the same attack over and over… Luigi, from within the Engine, had an idea.
Luigi then turned to the small microphone within his side of the mech, speaking to Mario on the other end… Mario seemed to like what Luigi had in mind as he hummed in agreement with his brother.
The Engine then leaped into the air, and flew back down with its drill hands piercing the ground. The Bro Engine travels through the ground, eventually popping back up and attacking the Shroobzilla from below, dealing a good lot of damage. Roy grumbled to himself as he watched the Bros.’ mech silently relish in its victory.
“'They shall taste our wrath!'… yeah, when Lava Bubbles start swimmin' in water!” Roy said to himself. “This is so bogus!”
The Shroobzilla grumbled to itself as it began its next attack, a gurgling sound that would make any stomach churn. “YOU DEFY US… YOU SICKEN US!! DESTROY!! DESTROY!!!”
Just as the monster silenced, it spread its tentacles outward and began to spin them around. Some were spinning near the Engine’s knees, while others spun toward its head.
The Engine continuously ducked and jumped, eventually thinking the attack had ended… before getting tripped up by one of the lower tentacles, causing the mech to fall down to its side with a hard thud as the colosseum audience roared.
“Ooh! Man, come on! Get up!” Junior called while Ludwig only shook his head with his eyes shut.
“HAHAHAHA!!! Look at them fail!” Ztarlow mocked.
“Yeah! That’s what I like to see!” Roy said. “Keep at it!”
The Bro Engine slowly found its footing again, stumbling a slight bit as it regained its balance. It wasted no time with attacking, as it once again used its digging move upon the horrid creature.
Shroobzilla’s confidence seemed to be booming, despite its slightly weakened state. It did the same as it had before, sliding its tentacles above and below the Engine. This time, the Bros. were certain not to slip up, now being able to perfectly dodge the attack.
“Huh!? What!?” Roy yelled.
“You underestimate them, Roy!” Ludwig called from where he and Junior stood. “They learn fast!”
Roy only stared at Ludwig with death daggers as the Bros. started their round… perhaps they could switch things up a bit. Mario spoke to Luigi through the mic on his side, giving his brother a new attack idea, something Luigi simply couldn’t turn down.
The Bros. then began to spin in place, quickly speeding up as if they were charging up their move. Once fully charged, the Engine was practically alit with power. The Engine then charged for Shroobzilla, smacking it with its drill hands, until the spinning began to slow and stop. The Engine moved back to its spot on the battleground, taking notice of how weak the creature looked.
“YOU… FOUL LIGHT BRINGERS… SHALL NOT TEST US!!” Shroobzilla said.
Shroobzilla then raised its clawed hands forming a large energy ball within their palms. The monster then chucked it at the Engine like a tennis ball, causing the Engine to deflect the attack by guarding. This motion continued, until the Bro Engine spun around to bring the energy ball back to them, making them recoil as the ball dissipated.
“COME ON!!! You’re so close!” Roy said, visibly agitated.
“Avenge us, Shroobzilla!” Bowzer called from where he sat.
“For the Commander! For the Dark Star!” Ztarlow called.
“Mario! Luigi!” Junior called out to the Bros. “Don’t back down!”
“Precisely! Keep your minds clear and sharp!” Ludwig also called.
“…Mario! Luigi!” Cosmo called from the aether. “You must win this… please…”
The Bros. used their spin move once again, dealing a very noticeable amount of damage to the monster. Shroobzilla huffed, it’s breath a vibrant violet smoke. “FOOLISH, BOTH OF YOU!!” It said. “ONLY NOW SHALL WE DISPLAY TO YOU… THE PERILS OF THE DARKNESS’ FURY!! DESTROY!! DESTROY!!! DESTROY!!!”
Shroobzilla then raised its claws arms up again, summoning another energy ball… although this one was way bigger, able to wipe the Bros. out if they don’t dodge in time.
Once the energy ball was fully charged, the monster threw it the Bros. way, so fast that the Bros. almost didn’t catch it. The Engine held onto the ball with firm control, keeping it as far away from them as possible. Tension rung all through the colosseum as the Bro Engine held onto it… before finally chucking it back Shroobzilla’s way.
The energy ball immediately collided with the alien monster, causing a bright white light to fill the colosseum.
…It wasn’t long before the light had faded, and the Bro Engine had been disintegrated. The Bros. had fallen to the ground, their faces planted in the dirt and debris. Everyone in the colosseum then slowly awoke, quickly taking notice of Shroobzilla’s absence.
“WHAT!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?” Roy questioned. “They could’ve won! They could’ve gotten it, but NO! Those punks just had to lose!”
“But HOW!?” Ztarlow questioned.
“Yeah… they should’ve—!” Bowzer began.
“For Ztars’ sake, SHUT IT!!!” Roy said.
As the Bros. got each other to their feet, they headed to the Koopas to help them up.
“Ughhh… did you win?” Junior asked, only for Mario to nod in response.
“Splendid work, both of you.” Ludwig said. “Another victory is in our hands!” Both Bros. firmly agreed at that, all while the audience boo’d them.
“HEY!!! What’re you punks celebratin' for!? You RUINED my show!!” Roy said. “The big guy’s gonna have my head for this!!”
“Whoever that ‘big guy' is can suck a Yoshi egg!” Junior said. “I bet he wouldn’t stand a chance against Mario and Luigi!”
“…Heh. You ain’t seeing him yet, little man.” Roy said. “Just you wait!! I’ve got more for ya!” He then pulled out his Bullet Bill canon, relentlessly shooting at the quartet, making them flee.
As the heroes exited the colosseum, they stopped by the Blue and Green Toad’s shop, taking that Shroom Tea Captain Toad spoke of, along with buying a few spare items before heading back to the anchor gate.
They had a strong feeling they knew what was next.
~~~
The quartet of heroes stopped just before the anchor gate, noticing the second anchor had also been broken apart, its chunks and pieces strewn about the ground.
“All we must do now is head forward.” Ludwig said. “And considering what Roy had declared as we fled… we mustn’t back down.”
The Bros. only nodded back to Ludwig. They’d come this far, and did as the odd inscription said, but it appeared there was one more challenge for them waiting ahead.
Mario walked ahead with Luigi trailing close behind. Junior and Ludwig kept up with Mario’s pace, certain of what was upcoming.
The hallway they passed through was dark, barely alit with any light… before a few more torches came into view, lighting the way forward.
“COME ON!! I ain’t got all day!” Roy’s voice beckoned.
“As I thought. He’s waiting for us.” Ludwig said. “Prepare yourself, Junior.”
“You act like I’m not ready! I’m always ready!” Junior said.
Ludwig smiled at that. “That’s nice to hear.”
The sound of a cheering audience once again caught the group’s attention as they stood just before another entry way. At the rim of entrance was an emblem that resembled Roy’s own face. The quartet stayed silent as they walked past the entrance and into another colosseum.
The deep red walls of the colosseum barely shone against the light of torches, and the arena seemed much larger than before. A spotlight shone on Roy, who stood firm and proud.
“Took ya long enough!” Roy said. “You ready, punks?”
The Bros. stood idly by, knowing this wasn’t their fight to take on. Roy grumbled a bit as he awaited a response.
“What? Have ya gone chicken?” Roy mocked.
“No. It is not them you shall fight.” Ludwig said. “Junior and I shall take you on.”
“Yeah! We can take you!” Junior said.
Roy seemed confused at that.. before a smirk appeared upon his lips.
“Tell ya what. You beat me, you go on ahead to the big guy!” Roy said. “And if you don’t… those brothers get it.”
…Junior and Ludwig looked back to the Bros. at that, wanting their approval, only to see them nod. They had high hopes for them. If they had gotten as far as they had, now facing the last Koopaling they needed to save, then surely they could take Roy out and win that bet.
The Koopas turned to face Roy, who still smirked their way. “Deal!” They both said.
Roy only chuckled at that as he then looked to the audience. “You all are in for a great show today!” He declared. “But this time, it ain’t the brothers I’m looking at… in the first corner, the Koopa duo, Bowser Jr. and Ludwig!”
A spotlight quickly appeared under the two Koopas, leaving the Bros. just barely out of the light’s reach.
“And, in the next corner, the man who runs this shindig…” Roy said, as he then brought his hands to his red stripped referee attire and tore it off, revealing bright red armor underneath. “ME!!! HAHAHA!!!”
The audience roared at the announcement, while Junior and Ludwig readied themselves. The Bros. then took a few steps back, being sure to stay out of their way amidst the fight.
“This win’s mine, punks!!” Roy declared. “You ain’t ready for ME!! I’ll BEAT YOU BOTH TO DUST!!!” Just as his words concluded, the gong on the colosseum roof had rung.
Roy pulled out his wand, summoning a large Bullet Bill from under him, which he now sat upon. Various other canons appeared at the sides of the colosseum. Roy charges forward to the Koopas, only for them to dodge.
“I ain’t playing around with the Bullet Bills anymore!” Roy called out from up in the air. “Come and catch me, punks!”
Junior and Ludwig then began running around the colosseum as the Bullets came after them, Roy occasionally getting in their way.
“How do we catch him!? He’s too fast!” Junior called out to Ludwig.
“Hm… perhaps we shall use the Bullet Bills to our advantage!” Ludwig said. “Grab my hand and follow me!”
Junior wasted no time in following Ludwig, quickly taking notice of the Bullets charging after them. The young Koopa grew hesitant as Ludwig closely watched Roy’s movement, eventually seeing him charge for them again.
“You sure about this, Ludwig!?” Junior asked.
“Trust me on this, Junior!” Ludwig said.
Ludwig readied his Star Magic at the end of his wand as Roy approached, quickly swerving away as Roy almost collided with him and Junior. The Bullets from behind the Koopas knocked Roy off course and caused him to hit the ground. Ludwig wasted no time in hitting Roy with a blast of Star Magic, doing clear damage to the tough Koopaling.
Roy then slowly got to his feet, recoiling as he shook himself out of the fog in his head. “Lousy cheaters! You ain’t got NOTHING on me!” He said as he then went inside his shell, revving like a motorcycle engine.
The armored Koopaling then blasted forward like a speeding car, smacking the wall as Junior and Ludwig fled. Roy stayed glued to the wall for a moment, giving the Koopa duo time to plan out their next move.
“I’ve got an idea!” Junior suddenly blurted. “How about I knock him around on my own? Then, right when I knock him down, you go in!”
“…Not bad. I will await my time to strike!” Ludwig said he treaded to where the Bros. stood to stay out of Junior and Roy’s path.
Junior entered his shell and revved up, charging toward Roy like a bull as Roy approached again. Their shells clashed against one another, creating small sparks that flew into the air.
This bout continued for awhile, the audience loudly cheering each time the two shells clashed or cornered each other into walls.
“You ain’t got the guts, kid!” Roy said from inside his shell as he and Junior clashed again. “Don’t ya know what you’ve thrown yourself into!?”
“Yeah I do! I’m big and strong, just as my papa says!” Junior retorted. “You don’t know what I’m capable of!”
Then, with one strong push forward, Roy was suddenly knocked back, his body exiting his shell as he fell backward.
“Ludwig! Come on!” Junior called out.
Ludwig didn’t hesitate as he hurried to Roy and slashed his wand through the air, causing the Star Magic within it to fly towards Roy, promptly hitting him.
Roy quickly got to his feet once he recovered, fury bubbling in his eyes behind his shades. “NO!!! I AIN’T LOSING, NOT ANYMORE!!! How about I finally show you the BIG GUNS!?”
With a wave of Roy’s wand, said wand suddenly transformed into a Banzai Bill, which Roy now sat upon. The cannons alongside the colosseum walls had turned orange and blue…
“You ain’t never gonna reach me once I got up to the roof!” Roy said. “Once this Banzai Bill hits the ground, you punks are DEAD!!! HAHAHAHA!!!”
Just as Roy began his ascent, orange and blue Bullet Bills hovered their way. The orange ones followed Junior while the blue ones followed Ludwig. Both of them tried their best to flee, despite the faster and swifter Bullet Bills.
“If he’s going up to the roof, how are we gonna catch him before he comes back down?” Junior asked Ludwig as he ran. “And he’s getting up there FAST!”
“We do what we did the first time.” Ludwig said. “Although I feel we’ll have to be extremely careful on our way up…”
“You mean like, parkour? I love parkour!” Junior said with a smirk. “I’m down for it!”
“Alright. You take the orange bullets, I take the blue ones.” Ludwig said.
“Gotcha!” Junior said back.
Both then leapt upward, falling upon the soaring bullets and slowly making their way up to the roof as Roy sped up. The crowd watched in anticipation as Roy crept up to the roof… noticing how far Junior and Ludwig were from him.
“Ludwig… I don’t think we can catch up to him!” Junior said from his orange Bill.
“…No! We haven’t lost yet!” Ludwig replied back from the blue Bill he stood on
“How!? He’s gonna pass us before we even reach the roof!” Junior retorted. “What could we possibly do!?”
Ludwig then glared to Junior with certain eyes. “I’m going to throw you up to Roy once he begins descending. I need you to hit him and throw him off course!”
“Huh!? Throw ME!?” Junior said. “Are you crazy!?”
“You mustn’t doubt me, Junior!” Ludwig replied. “Trust me!”
…Junior only pondered it for a moment, before eventually nodding to Ludwig, who only nodded back.
Once he was close enough, Ludwig leapt from his Bullet Bill and hovered to Junior. He barely landed atop Junior’s Bullet, before quickly grabbing the Prince and chucking him upward… just as Roy began his descent down.
The crowd roared in suspense as Junior made his way to the quickly descending Roy… just as Junior collided with Roy’s face, throwing the Koopaling off, and messing with the Banzai Bills trajectory. As Roy then fell through the air, the Banzai Bill reverted back to his wand.
“NO!! This ain’t the end of me!” Roy said. “You don’t know what you’re messing wi—!”
Before Roy could even finish his sentence, his body collided with the ground stomach first. His face was planted in the dirt on the colosseum floor, only for his head to be further pushed down by Junior landing on it.
“Thanks for the catch, Roy!” Junior said slyly, only to get an agitated grunt in response.
As the Bullet Bills began to lessen, Ludwig descended to the colosseum floor, waving his wand and sending one final blast Roy’s way. As the magic enveloped Roy, Ludwig fluttered through the air and landed next to Junior. The Bros. quickly approached them as Roy slowly reverted back to his usual self.
Once the magic had dissipated, Roy slowly awoke, sitting up and rubbing his head. “…Ughh… what happened?” Roy questioned as he then looked up to the Koopas and Bros. “…Lil Junior? Ludwig? What’re you doin’ here? And what’s with the red and green dirtbags!?”
“…It’s a lot to explain… But we are in an alliance with the brothers. We of the Koopa Troop can’t work alone; the Dark Lands go down, the Kingdom goes down with it.” Ludwig explained. “They’ve helped us get here, and save the Kingdom. All for Lord Bowser and the Minions.”
“Yeah! Glad to have you back!” Junior said. “Now all we got left is… papa…”
Roy looked to the brothers, a confused glint in his eyes hidden by his shades. He then looked to Junior and Ludwig in slight suspicion before sighing. “…Can’t argue against doing it for the big guy.” He said before eyeing the Bros. “But I’m onto ya, punks.”
The Bros. felt a slight shiver go up their spines that. They then nodded to the ferocious Koopaling.
“We best head away from here… the audience’s constant booing is not doing well for me.” Ludwig said. “Surely after this we shall reach the Ridge’s summit and find the brother’s next Spirit!”
As if fate had struck the group of heroes, a strong and loud rumbling came from above, as if a storm was coming. As the rumbling subsided, the sound of a roof being punched and broken apart… the roof…
Everyone in the colosseum looked up at the roof, noticing it cracking and small pieces of rock breaking off of it. The group of heroes quickly moved out of the way as it gave in, bringing dust and debris to the arena floor.
A large dust cloud blocked the heroes’ vision… until it eventually cleared; revealing a large, hulking figure amongst the debris.
The figure’s skin was a bright red, clad in bronze armor. The crimson ponytail upon its head flickered like a forest fire. Its cape blew slightly amidst the impact of its collision… just how Captain Toad had described him.
The armored figure then looked up to the heroes with a burning desire in his eyes that quickly became apparent… the desire to kill. He slowly stood up, revealing his second pair of muscular arms under his first one. Even from far away, he towered over every person in the arena.
“HAHAHAHAHAAA!!!” The figure bellowed. “Ahh! It feels good to do that!” He said as he cracked his knuckles, eventually staring down the hero quartet and Roy.
“…Perhaps… brothers,” Ludwig began. “This is your next Ztar Spirit!”
“There is no denying a thing, puny Koopa!” The Spirit mocked. “…You’ve all found your way into my trap! And my little lackey seems to have… failed me.”
“I’ll show you little, punk!” Roy said, immediately getting to his feet before Junior and Ludwig pulled him down.
“Roy, no!” Junior said.
“This Spirit is not to be tested!” Ludwig chastised.
The Spirit then seemed to eye the Bros., who both took on a fighting stance. He only laughed at them.
“Hah! How pitiful of ye!” The Spirit said. “Even with my lackey gone… you’re all still gonna be mince meat! No one can weaken me! HAHAHAHAHAAA!!!”
“…It seems with this Ztar Spirit’s weakened state, Muskular’s sailor soul is starting to show through… Mario! Luigi!” Cosmo suddenly called from the aether. “Free him from the Darkness!”
The Bros. stood firm, ready to fight again, while the Koopas walked back.
The Spirit chuckled. “…I know the Commander wanted me to just knock you around and bring you to her… but…” He started. “I think I’m gonna have some fun with you scallywags… especially you, Greenie.”
With only a single swift move of his hand; a large, spiked hammer appeared in the Spirit’s top left hand. He then wasted no time in leaping to the air and coming back down, creating a large shock wave in the ground and sending the heroes flying.
In a blink of an eye; Junior, Ludwig, and Roy were all knocked out, colliding with the arena floor as the Spirit threw their limp bodies down. Only the Bros. remained.
Luigi quickly glanced over to Mario, who glared back to him… and the man in green only watched as the Spirit punched Mario right across his face, knocking him out and sending him to the ground.
…Luigi was in complete shock. He didn’t know how to proceed.
Just before he hit the floor, expecting to be unconscious as well… one of the Spirit’s hands clutched onto the collar of Luigi’s undershirt, keeping his head inches away from the floor.
The Spirit stared into Luigi’s quivering soul. Luigi only stared back into the Spirits unwavering crimson eyes.
“Lights out, Greenie.” The Spirit said, before colliding his own head with Luigi’s.
~~~
…The sound of cheering slowly made itself noticeable to Luigi’s ears. It felt as if he was a robot being turned on for the first time in years.
His eyes then slowly opened, revealing a cloudy sky above, along with a cheering audience circling him. Luigi slowly rose, rubbing his now aching head, noticing he was sitting upon stone. As he rose to his feet, he realized where he was.
The summit of Rage Rock Ridge. It seemed not much different to the other colosseums, although he was now outside, standing upon the tainted Mushroom Kingdom’s highest peak.
“Luigi!!!” A familiar voice then called out.
Luigi then swiveled his head at the voice, gasping at what he saw. Mario, along with the Koopa children, were all trapped in a cage at the far end of the arena, which sat on a small pedestal. Each of them looked to him like trapped animals, wanting to be freed.
“Mario!!!” Luigi yelled back, wanting to go to him and free them, before a booming voice suddenly erupted through the air.
“I know we’ve all been waiting for this! Me especially!” The voice announced. “Wait no longer, this fight’s gonna make your blood BOIL!!”
Luigi shivered in place, feeling he’d be obliterated if he moved another inch… but Mario…
“In the first corner, the lean in green guy himself that no one remembers, Luigi!” The voice announced.
Luigi’s heart hurt at that comment as the audience boo’d… a lot of people knew him, remembered him, loved him…
“And in the next corner, the raging embodiment of destruction and wrath…” At that, the sky crackled with unyielding lightning as Luigi’s challenger collided to the ground. “ME!!! Muskuwrath, the Crimson Knight! HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!”
Luigi gasped in his place as the audience roared, falling to the ground. The same figure who knocked he and the others down in only seconds. As he sat there, Muskuwrath eyeing him as he approached, he felt a sudden chill go up his spine.
“LUIGI!!!” Luigi heard Mario call out again… along with the faint sounds of him trying to break free from the cage he and the others were stuck in.
“You’ve got guts, Greenie.” Muskuwrath said, looking down upon Luigi. “…But you ain’t got the guts to take me.”
Luigi was silent as he slowly rose to his feet… before Muskuwrath punched him right in the stomach, sending him to one of the arena’s walls.
Amidst Mario’s struggle to escape the cage, the Koopa children watched Luigi recoil and slowly get up.
“Come on, Luigi!” Junior called.
“You can take such a foe, surely!” Ludwig said.
“Beat that punk to a pulp! …I guess.” Roy called out.
Luigi had only stood for a few moments before another shockwave sent him to the air, keeping him suspended just long enough for Muskuwrath to hit him multiple times as he fell.
He was punched and kicked in every place the deadly Spirit could reach. He slowly felt his bones give, hearing them crack. He could barely breathe, barely move, barely blink…
…And Mario only watched, alongside his fellow captives. He stopped struggling and watched as his brother got tossed through the air like a rag doll. He felt his heart ache as he stared onward toward his brother.
Eventually, after many hits, Muskuwrath stopped. He let Luigi fall to the ground. Luigi’s body limped to the arena floor, barely even conscious. He couldn’t get up due to his broken, bruised, and bloodied body.
“Luigi!!!” Mario called out. “LUIGI!!!”
Mario could barely see Luigi’s face from where he stood. His head faced the cage, only allowing him to see the top of his hat. He noticed Luigi trying to turn his head to look to him… but he couldn’t. Mario felt tears forming in his eyes then as he and the others called out to him.
Luigi then stared upward, noticing Muskuwrath’s blurry silhouette in the cloudy sky above him. He hovered there, staying in his spot as if he was wanting Luigi to writhe further.
“Hey, Greenie…” Muskuwrath said with a sinister smile. “How are you doin' down there? …From beyond the grave?”
…Luigi could feel Cosmo’s horror within his own head. Spine chills that weren’t his own…
After only a moment longer, Muskuwrath’s figure came charging downward back to the ground, his hammer being summoned to his hands as he descended. Luigi had barely any time to watch…
Then, in a split second, as if no time had passed at all… Luigi felt something metallic and sharp pierce his heart.
He held his breath as time seemed to slow. His vision blurred and colors faded into nothing. His ears had began to ring as silence started to overtake him. Any calls to him had now fallen quiet…
“…I… I can’t feel a heartbeat…” Cosmo said in horror… although, this time, only Mario could hear it.
Mario and the others were silent… before Mario felt an unyielding anger cloud his mind. All that he felt then was rage. Grief for the brother he held dear to him. He began to pry at the cage’s bars, desperately crying out to his brother. His hands began to burn, fire being brought to them, but it did nothing to the bars as he struggled to break out.
Muskuwrath then pulled his hammer out of the ground, the spike that had impaled Luigi keeping him suspended upon it. The Spirit looked upon Luigi’s limp body, a feeling of joy crossing his mind.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!! Puny little shrimp! Just as I thought!” Muskuwrath mocked. “…Now your brother gets to watch me finish you off.”
Mario was only further enraged by that. The Koopa children watched as he struggled further, still calling out to Luigi.
Muskwrath held his hammer upward as he walked to edge of the colosseum, to the one entry ways onto the summit. He held his hammer over the edge, staring upon the limp Luigi with glee, just barely hearing Mario call out to his brother.
“I enjoyed our time, Greenie. But, even good fights must end.” Muskuwrath said. “…And trash like you needs to be thrown out.”
With no hesitation, Muskuwrath pulled his arm back and threw it forward, causing Luigi’s body to get thrown off the hammer and begin his plummet to Ridge’s base.
“LUIGI!!!” Mario yelled out, tears streaming down his face.
Muskwrath then turned back and walked to Mario and the Koopas within the cage. To Mario, it felt like the longest moment of his life. He was at a complete loss… he didn’t know what to think or do. For what felt like the first time ever, his mind was blank. The Koopas only stared, recovering from what they had just seen as Muskwrath slowly approached.
~~~
…Away from the arena, Luigi’s limp body still fell. There was no feeling, mentally or physically, that Luigi himself felt… Cosmo felt alone, unable to feel Luigi’s presence within the man’s own head.
“…To feel what it felt like again… to be pinned like that, slowly dying at the hands of my foe…” Cosmo said. “I never thought I’d feel like that again… why must I be bound to this…?”
Words that only Cosmo himself could hear. A burden that only he bore… all while the wind blew against Luigi’s body, all while his dear friend fell to his absolute end.
…The clouds in the sky then rumbled, brewing like a cauldron, threatening to strike as lightning danced along the sky… before suddenly erupting downward, encasing the mountain… and striking Luigi just before he was to meet the ground.
Luigi’s body was suspended in the air, the top of his hat barely glazing the Ridge’s base…
“…Luigi…?” Cosmo asked… it was if he could just barely feel the man’s presence.
…Only then did Luigi’s eyes shoot open; a sudden, invigorating passion empowering him…
~~~
Muskwrath put his hammer away and smacked a hand onto the cage Mario and the Koopas were held in, looking to Mario with knowing eyes as the man in red slowly looked up at him.
“How was that, Red?” Muskuwrath asked. “Quite the spectacle, no?”
Mario’s eyes widened at that. How dare he mock his own brother, treating his actions as if they meant nothing to him? Mario’s grip on the bars tightened as they glowed a bright orange… his Firebrand was still doing nothing against the bars.
“Aw, don’t be like that! Can’t believe you actually care about him at all…” Muskuwrath said. That comment only made Mario more enraged.
“But now that he’s out of the way…” Muskuwrath said he looked down to Mario with joyous fury. “I’m gonna have fun painting the town red with your blood. HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!”
Mario only writhed within his confinement as Muskwrath laughed. The Koopas kept their distance amidst their silent fear.
…But, the moment was swiftly interrupted by a sudden blue blur punching Muskwrath right in the jaw and sending him flying to one of the arenas walls.
The group within the cage only stared, soon taking notice of the figure’s silhouette as it turned to face them.
“…Luigi!! Luigi!!!” Mario cried.
Luigi was now alive again, his eyes glowing an azure blue. His injuries also seemed to be healed. Mario and the others were ecstatic to see him okay.
“HEY!!! What gives, Greenie!?” Muskuwrath called out as he got up and summoned his hammer. “You’re supposed to be DEAD!!!”
Muskuwrath then charged for Luigi, only for the man in green to grab the end of his hammer and throw him into the arena’s field. He then brought his hands to the cage and created a blast of thunder that blew the cage to bits. Once the blast had cleared, Mario immediately got to his feet and jumped down from the small pedestal, tightly wrapping his arms around his brother, who did the same back.
Once the blue light faded from Luigi’s eyes though, he began to feel weak again, falling to his knees before Mario, who held him up. Luigi’s breath was shallow and hoarse as his eyelids drooped.
As Mario scrambled in his head, Ludwig quickly brought him back to reality. “Mario! The Golden Mushroom in your pocket!”
Mario immediately remembered the golden item then, fishing through his pocket and handing it to Luigi, who quickly swallowed it whole. The man in green was then swiftly brought back to peak health as he and Mario stood up. Luigi then held out a hand and smiled as a ball of thunder materialized within his palm.
~ Luigi’s Thunderhand has been rekindled! Cosmic Thunder can now be used independently! ~
~ You’ve also got a new Bros. Attack! Super Cosmic Bros.! ~
From where he lay on the field, Muskuwrath slowly rose to his feet, staring the Bros. down as they once again got into their fighting stances.
“…Heh… I never lose a fight, you know.” Muskuwrath said. “Wanna bet that I can tear your insides out and nail them to the Mountain?”
…Despite the madly unorthodox and insane threat, the Bros. still stood strong. The Koopa children backed away a bit, still standing upon the pedestal where the cage had been.
“Do not back down, Mario and Luigi!” Ludwig said.
“Yeah! Beat him up!” Junior cheered alongside him.
“Uh… give that knucklehead what for!” Roy butted in… although cheering on the brothers still felt odd to him.
“A deal’s a deal, plumbers!” Muskuwrath said. “And I don’t back out of deals! But how about we fight somewhere more… up high?”
The Bros. begin to ponder what he meant. How could they go any higher than here? At that, a strong gust of wind blew in their faces. They looked up, now seeing a giant airship above the arena. They had only a second to react before Muskuwrath snapped his fingers, sending himself and the brothers onto the airship floor. LakiThunders appeared at the sides, holding cameras so that the audience below could watch.
“Now this is how I like it! Haha!” Muskuwrath said. “Now, your journey to stand above the Darkness ends here, plumbers!!”
A clap of thunder sounded off through the skies, initiating what would hopefully be the Bros. last round upon Rage Rock Ridge.
Without a word, Muskuwrath lifted his hammer with his upper pair of arms, eventually smacking it back down to create shockwaves along the ground. He hit the floor repeatedly, only for the Bros. to jump over each wave. Muskuwrath soon stopped, heaving a bit as his hammer rested on the ground.
“…Seems I started off too easy for ye…” Muskuwrath said with a tinge of pirate’s tongue. “But, I’ve gotta play fair for these fights. Let’s see what you brothers got!”
The Bros. wasted no time in using Mario’s elemental attack on the Spirit. To their surprise, it did way more damage than they thought it’d do against such a foe. As both Bros. returned to the their spots, Mario eyed Luigi… just what could his Super Cosmic Bros. do?
Luigi jumped over to Mario, who caught him by his legs. Luigi raised his arms upward as the clouds from above slowly descended. Small charges of green energy appeared from the clouds, which then turned blue as they began to strike the ground. Mario moved at every which way, moving to the green blasts as they changed color and the lightning hit the ground. As Mario moved about, Luigi caught each strike once it fell.
The more lightning that Luigi caught, the larger the lightning ball in his hands had become. Once fully charged, Mario positioned Luigi in his grip like a rocket launcher, allowing Luigi to then launch himself off of Mario and shoot toward Muskuwrath like a missile, the lightning blast in his hands encasing Muskuwrath and causing him to recoil as Luigi returned to his spot on the field.
Muskuwrath slowly recovered, coughing as he eyed the Bros. with malicious intent. “…Ohhh… feisty ones, aren’t you?” He said. “I’m gonna LIKE this!!”
The wrathful Spirit then eyed Mario, suddenly charging toward him with his hammer close in hand as he pelted Mario with the weapon. The man in red was suspended in the air as Muskuwrath smacked him around just as he had with Luigi. He then sent Mario back to the ground with a final swing of his hammer, causing Mario to get stuck in the airship’s floor.
“You’re all alone, Greenie!” Muskuwrath said. “Unless you got the strength to get him out!”
Luigi immediately took that as a bet as he raced to Mario and began tugging at his legs in attempt to pull him out. After many tugs, Mario was successfully pulled out the wooden boards. Both retreated to their spots as Muskuwrath began his next attack.
“Hey, Red!” Muskuwrath called out. “You want another beat down?”
In a blink of an eye, Muskuwrath charged for Mario with one of his upper hands pointed toward him. He then grabbed Mario by the neck and began to choke him.
“MARIO!!!” Luigi yelled out.
“How does that feel, Red?” Muskuwrath asked. “Now you know what your brother felt like!”
Mario then quickly pulled out his hammer and tried to smack Muskuwrath away… but it seemed like his head was made of tungsten. He wasn’t backing away easily. Only after many hits did he finally back off and let Mario go. Muskuwrath recoiled away while Mario rubbed his now aching neck.
“…You won’t beat me, not that easily!” Muskuwrath said. “But don’t you back down now! GIMME ALL YOU GOT!!!”
The Bros. did as commanded, and didn’t hold back as they used their elemental attacks on the Spirit. Despite the amount of damage done, Muskuwrath still stood proud and unwavering before the brothers.
“I’m a brick wall compared to you both!” Muskuwrath mocked. “I can hit like a truck too! Just watch!”
Muskuwrath then charged for Luigi, throwing a clenched fist forward as if he was preparing to punch him. Luigi readied his hammer as the Spirit approached… only for him to suddenly teleport away. Luigi stood confused, uncertain of how to proceed.
“LUIGI!!!” Mario called out.
Luigi turned back, only to be met with Muskuwrath now behind him, all four of his arms raised. The Spirit then brought his arms down, each one consecutively striking Luigi like cannonballs. Luigi was immediately dizzied by that as Muskuwrath went back to his spot on the field.
“Call that round 2!” Muskuwrath said. “And payback for not dying earlier. HAHA!!”
Mario then threw an herb Luigi’s way, who caught it in his mouth and swallowed it, which brought Luigi out of his daze. Once he had shaken the dizziness off, he and Mario utilized Super Cosmic Bros. on the Spirit again, ending their attack off as Muskuwrath prepared to charge again… this time, toward Mario.
Mario held his hammer out, waiting for Muskuwrath to strike as he prepared to punch him as he had Luigi. Just before he approached though, the Spirit had vanished… just as Mario was expecting.
The man in red turned back, hammer at the ready, being met with Muskuwrath’s gaze as he slammed his hammer down before the Spirit could hit him, sending Muskuwrath backward as he then teleported back to the his spot on the field.
“It isn’t as fun when you’re beating me, you know!” Muskuwrath said… he was slowly but surely being worn down.
The Bros. then began their round, getting to use their Elemental attacks again. This time, it actually seemed like Muskuwrath was getting weaker.
Muskuwrath huffed as he recoiled, giving the Bros. a furious glare. “I… never lose… I WON’T LOSE!!!”
The Spirit then began to spin with his hammer in hand, becoming that a mini tornado as the Bros. ran away. The Spirit only followed behind, pulling chunks of wood and debris up from the ground, which were chucked the Bros. way. They jumped and dodged with precision, eventually throwing small blasts of Fire and Thunder Muskuwrath’s way, disorienting him bit by bit, until his spinning began to slow as he became dizzy, allowing the Bros. to get away and get back to their battle spots.
“Ughhh… why… where…” Muskuwrath mumbled amidst his dizziness. “Brothers…”
The Bros. used this chance to attack further, bringing Muskuwrath even farther down. He then shook his dizziness off, now staring at the Bros. with death daggers.
“…You ain’t got nothing on me! NOTHING!!!” Muskuwrath said, his eyes now glowing a bright red. “I’LL PULVERIZE YOU INTO THE GROUND!!!”
Muskuwrath lifted his arms, creating a large rock within his hands. He then threw it to Luigi, who countered it away with his hammer. Muskuwrath did the same back. This movement went on for awhile, before Luigi charged his hammer up with thunder, sending it back Muskuwrath’s way and promptly hitting him.
The Bros. then attacked again, showing Muskuwrath no mercy as he had with them. As their attacks ended, and Muskuwrath slowly got back to his senses, he growled and sneered at the Bros. with maximum fury.
“I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YE!!!” Muskuwrath yelled. “I’ll drag your lifeless husks to death’s door before you can even dare to BLINK!!! HRAAAAAAAGHHH!!!”
Muskuwrath then charges forward, trying his hardest to bring the Bros. down. But, regardless of how many times he attempts to hit them, the Bros. constantly dodge, as if they had learned and now knew his moves.
The Spirit then moved behind the Bros., forming a barrier of rock around his hammer, preparing to strike them both. As he strikes his hammer down though… both Bros. vanish.
“…Huh!? What!?” Muskuwrath exclaimed. He then looked forward…
Both Bros. were ahead of him, charging up their Stellar Finisher as Muskuwrath stared at them, stunned. The Spirit had no time to react as the Bros. leapt upward, and unleashed their ultimate power onto the corrupted Spirit, engulfing the Ridge in a bright white light…
…After what felt like an eternity, the light around the Ridge dissipated, and the sky above had cleared. The Bros. slowly awoke, as did the Koopa children… the brothers then notice they were off of the airship and now back on the Ridge’s summit. The arena, along with its audience, had disappeared… perhaps the audience was transported back along the Ridge.
Just ahead of the brothers, lying flat on its face, was a bright blue Star bearing a sailor hat. The Bros. slowly crept up to it as the Spirit, Muskular, began to awaken on his own, slowly rising into the air.
“…Arghhh… me head’s churnin'…” Muskular said as he slowly regained his bearings, shaking off his dizziness before giving the Bros. a hearty glare. “…Oh! Ahoy, lads! How fair ye? Nothin' hurtin'?”
The Bros. shake their heads at that, then giving Muskular a glare that asked the same.
“That’s great to hear! And, aye, I be fine!” Muskular said. “Me head’s a bit foggy, but I’ll be alright! Ho ho!”
Mario and Luigi both smiled at Muskular’s positivity and charisma… it was what they needed, especially after the fight they just had.
“Mario! Luigi!” Ludwig called as he and the other two Koopas headed to them. “Glad to see you both are safe.”
“Would’ve been nice to see you beat up that guy though.” Junior said. “He was a jerk!”
“…Aye, right... Sorry for the ruckus, lads. I wasn’t meself. Especially to ye, Luigi…” Muskular said, eyeing the Bros. with guilt. “That’s what Ztar Magic can do to ye. Taint yer heart with the brewin' malice of the deepest seas...”
The Bros. nodded at that… Luigi, despite what had transpired, seemed fine with the Spirit. Dark Magic is not kind to one’s soul, he knew that.
“I appreciate yer kindness. Ye both are highly noble!” Muskular said. “Just as noble as we hope ye to be… I wonder how the other Spirits are fairin'…”
“Muskular!” A calm, not too distant voice from behind called. “Thank the Haven you’re alright!”
The hearty Spirit didn’t hesitate to look back, seeing five other Stars approach the Ridge’s summit. The previous five Spirits hovered with haste over to their fellow friend, seeing him now freed from the Darkness.
“Ah! Ahoy, me hearties!” Muskular said as the Spirits approached. “How fair ye? It feels as if it’s been a millennium since I saw ye last…”
“We are fine…” Kalmar said. “Once I had taken notice of a bright light from outside the Dark Lands, I knew the brothers had rescued you. I gathered the others, and we all rushed to see you once more.”
“It feels great to see you as well, Muskular!” Klevar butted in. “…We’ve never been separated this long…”
“Yes, precisely.” Skolar said. “The last time I can recall such a thing occurring… I shudder to think…”
“Now is not the time to dwell on that!” Misstar said. “Mario! Luigi! There is still one more Spirit you must save!”
“Hm…” Skolar hummed with a nod. “Eldstar.”
“He should be in the land ahead, Sunbeam Plains!” Mamar said. “You haven’t got a moment to lose! You’ve both come so far, you can’t hold back now!”
“Aye, Mamar’s right!” Muskular said. “Be strong, just as ye had for all of us!”
“We will make a path to help you tread down the Ridge.” Kalmar said. “And take these Koopa children back to the Dark Lands with us.”
“…Actually… can we go with Mario and Luigi?” Junior asked. “Just to, y’know… chill with them for awhile longer, say bye. Roy can go with you though!”
“Oh, I see.” Mamar said. “Goodbyes are always hard… we’ll show when you need us!”
“Give us a holler, pray to the Stars, we’ll be there!” Klevar added.
“Yeah, don’t think I wanna stay with these chump plumbers anymore.” Roy said. “…Even if they’re kinda doin' us a service.”
“It is settled then. We will take Roy back with us.” Kalmar said. “You both let us know when you need to taken back to the Dark Lands.”
“And, Muskular… aren’t you forgetting something?” Skolar asked.
“Huh? …Oh, aye! We can’t leave the Ridge without protection!” Muskular said.
Muskular raised his arms, creating a barrier around Rickety Rock Ridge… to think almost every area in the Mushroom Kingdom had been freed from Nox’s reign was exhilarating.
“Now, we shall prepare your route to the Mountain base… be safe on your way down!” Kalmar said.
The six Spirits then joined together, forming a glittering pathway down to the Ridge’s base. The quartet wasted no time in heading off as the Spirits wished them good luck and farewell, eventually heading away themselves with Roy in tow.
~~~
Commander Nox waited in the foyer to Bowser’s Castle, awaiting the return of Bowzer and Ztarlow… with each passing minute, she grew more impatient.
After only a few moments more did the front gate creep open, revealing the two generals, who weakly waddled their way in. Nox had no words.
“…What!? What happened to you!? Where are the brothers!?” Nox demanded.
“…They, um… they got away, Commander.” Bowzer said.
“They got us good, too… and the Ztar Spirit’s Koopaling booted us out.” Ztarlow said. “And… the Ridge was taken back as we departed…”
…Nox felt as if her head could explode. So much had been lost, all due to the duo’s incompetence. Her and her Master were so close to losing everything… she had about had it.
“…All my Master asks is something simple… any Minion with enough competence could do it!” Nox said. “But, Shadows forbid, you do ANYTHING right!! …Once I get him here, your fates are at my Master’s mercy. Wait here.”
The Commander then turned a heel, going off to find the Dark Star… all while the generals waited in silence and shame.
~~~
The Dark Star stood in one of the Castle’s many bathrooms, staring at his own reflection in one of the mirrors… he didn’t fully feel like himself, even though his body was his. He felt lost… he hated that.
Not only that… but the chances of he and Nox finally taking the Mushroom Kingdom had begun teetering on the edge of destruction.
“…Having the doubtings, yes?” Fawful said from within the Dark Star’s head. “The Darkness’ plan of Darkness is crumbling before the Dark Star of oh-so masterful havings, yes?”
“…Leave me be, you fool.” The Dark Star said.
“Have the thinkings, oh-so great Dark Star! Your silly little plan of Darkness conquerings is falling apart like a flimsy tower of stupid blocks that is stupid!” Fawful said. “You are having the losings of the control havings… all because of Fawful!”
“No… my body is my own.” The Dark Star said. “It was never yours, and it never will be.”
“But you are full of forgettings!” Fawful said. “Fawful can take your mind just as Fawful pleases! Have the plan thwartings that the Dark Star never has the seeings of! And Fawful will have the victories as the Dark Star has the cryings like a baby of stupid!”
The Dark Star could feel his head starting to hurt. “…N-no! I AM in control! I WILL be in control…! I-I have to be… for my people… for her…”
“Awww! Fawful laughs at you! Dark Star full of pathetic havings like a child full of the silly embarrassment havings!” Fawful mocked. “The Furious Age of Fawful… has the findings to YOU!!!”
The Dark Star’s head began to pound as Fawful tried to sneak his way into his headspace again. He tightly clutched his head, huffing. “…No! NO!!! You will not take me… YOU WILL NOT HAVE ME!!!”
“The Dark Power of Darkness that was promised to Fawful… it will be Fawful’s! You will have the losings!” Fawful said. “I HAVE FURY!!!”
“…No… GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!! ” The Dark Star yelled as he then reeled a fist back and punched the mirror in front of him, causing glass to go everywhere.
“…I am the Master of Darkness Incarnate!” The Dark Star said as he huffed. “I shall not be controlled by some mere BUG!!!”
…The Dark Star then recoiled as he felt Fawful leaving him alone, his chortling echoing in his mind… the air felt calm, yet extremely cold.
“Master! Are you alright!?” Nox called from outside.
The Dark Star’s eyes widened at Nox’s sudden call. He felt disappointed in himself… he couldn’t hide from her, not anymore. “…Come in.” He said as he unlocked the door.
Nox quickly let herself in and looked upon the shaken the Dark Star, then eyed the broken mirror. “Master… what happened in here…?”
The Lord of Darkness then sighed. “…My apologies, Nox. I almost lost myself, again… to that foul bug.” He said. “I do not know how long my body will stay stable for… I feel like I’m falling apart… I’m certain the barrier outside is weakening with my waning power…”
The Commander’s heart stopped for a moment as she took a long pause. She felt guilt cross her heart as she looked back to her Master. “…What are we to do…?”
“…For now… we must leave this place. Recoup, and make our way back to the Kingdom’s center.” The Dark Star said. “I have a plan in mind… how to fix my body and power… and something to be rid of those brothers for good.”
“…What is your plan, Master?” Nox asked.
“I shall explain the rest later once my mind is more clear… but, Eradication Zero… Our last chance…” The Dark Star said coldly.
Nox’s eyes went wide at that. “But… Master!” She retorted. “What about all we’ve worked for!? We’ve both done too much to back out now!”
“What matters to me is that I’ll have myself…” The Dark Star said, before looking up to Nox and grabbing her hand. “…And I’ll still have you. Without the brothers in our way, not even the Star Spirits will be able to stop us.”
…With much hesitation, Nox eventually nodded. “I will round up the Minions and Dark Order. Once gathered, we will depart immediately.” She said.
The Dark Star nodded. “I shall return to the throne.” He said. “Let me know when we are ready to depart.”
Nox nodded back. “Let me bring you back to the throne…” She said as she then escorted the Dark Star out of the bathroom.
With a plan this serious, Bowzer and Ztarlow’s punishment could wait.
~~~
The Minions waited in the Manoir Glouton’s foyer, awaiting the return of the Star Spirits. Kamek was with Toadsworth, sitting upon one of the foyer’s cushions, while the old Toad remained asleep. The room was entirely quiet amidst the Minions’ boredom.
“…I’m boooooored.” Lemmy complained.
“MORTON BRAIN… BECOME NUMB…” Morton said.
“How much longer do we have to wait?” Wendy asked. “I’m starting to go insane being stuck here.”
“It hasn’t been that long, Wendy!” Larry said. “It shouldn’t be much longer either, they can fly!”
A small knock on the Manor’s door immediately alerted Kamek, who rushed over to let in the returning guests.
“Ah! Roy!” Kamek said. “Great to have you back, but… where is Ludwig and the young Prince?” He asked, looking to the Spirits as he lets the Stars and Roy inside.
“They wanted to stay with those chumps some more… to say bye.” Roy said.
“They’ll let us know when they need to come back.” Kalmar said. “…And, apologies to drop this conversation so quickly, but we have some important news to share.” This quickly caught the attention of the others in the foyer.
“Commander Nox and the Dark Star have fled Bowser’s Castle!” Klevar said. “The barrier around the Castle has also disappeared… don’t worry, we’ve put a new barrier in its place for you!”
“With their airship’s trajectory, it is presumed they are heading back to the Princess’ Castle.” Skolar added. “With the dark harbingers gone, you all can return to your King’s Castle.”
“Yay! We can finally go back home!” Lemmy cheered.
“But what about Lord Bowser!? He’s still missing!” Captain Goomba asked.
“I fear that is something to worry about when the brothers have freed the last Star Spirit, Eldstar.” Kalmar said.
“But… okay.” Captain Goomba reluctantly agreed… although, he felt he couldn’t fully push the desire to save his King away.
“You all are permitted to go back to your home.” Misstar said. “We’ll stay here and keep an eye on the Princess’ advisor.”
“…P-PRINCESS!? Where is she!? Where is the Princess!?” Toadsworth said, now suddenly awake.
The Spirits recoiled a bit… the Princess having been away for so long seemed to make his mind deteriorate.
“I’ll stay as well. The Minions should be fine on their own.” Kamek said. “Just to help you keep an eye on the old Toad.”
“Excuse me… what are we still waiting for?” Wendy asked. “Let’s just get back to the Castle already.” Even if nothing was directed at her, Mamar was still displeased by Wendy’s tone.
“Yeah, I’m already sick of being in here… let’s go.” Roy said.
The Minions then departed from the Manor, the Spirits bidding them farewell… while Toadsworth began calling out for the Princess, Kamek trying his hardest to calm him down.
~~~
…With a hard thud, the Elite Trio finally landed from their fall within Meanbeam Plains. The Dark Star’s arrows hit extremely hard, to their surprise.
“…Ughhhh… you all okay?” Private Goomp asked as he slowly rose.
“…Affirmative… but my head hurts…” Sergeant Guy confirmed.
“…I’m fine… but, where did we land?” Corporal Paraplonk asked.
The Trio looked around as the cold wind blew. The Plains were extremely barren, littered with weapons that had gone long unused…
“…Pitiful. How extremely pitiful.” A deep yet suave voice said from behind the trio. The Trio then turned back, each member gasping in unison.
Just behind them, the ever so prideful Pridezar towered over them. His dark purple skin almost looked black against the lack of light within the Plains. His long hair and the feathers upon his hat blew gently in the wind. Despite his odd Shakespearean attire, he still made his presence known with the singular red eye upon the lavender mask that only covered half of his face.
“U-uh—! Heyyyy… what was your name again?” Private Goomp asked.
“Fool! Incompetent, incompetent FOOL!!” Pridezar yelled. “You lack that much comprehension, that you can’t even remember the name of ME!! How dare you!?”
“I-it’s just been a bit, sir—!” Sergeant Guy started.
“I care not for your excuses!” Pridezar said. “You foil me… over CHAIRS!?”
“You never gave them to us!” Corporal Paraplonk added.
…Pridezar then relaxed a bit, bringng a hand to his face. “…Just because this part failed… doesn’t mean the show is over just yet…”
“What… huh…?” Private Goomp asked as he and the others quivered.
“You fail to see what only I can… for shame.” Pridezar said. “Despite your failures, and your insignificant lives… I still have plans for all of you…”
With a snap of Pridezar’s fingers, thin puppet strings came down upon the Elite Trio, suddenly bringing the world to black…
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