(http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn84/shadowmarioguy/smb6banner.png)
It's finally time for Mario's ultimate showdown with the darkness! No longer holding back any mercy on the Mushroom Kingdom, Lord Shade has unleashed a full-scale invasion with the darkest of intentions. Mario was warned to avoid Lord Shade no matter what, but now he and his friends have no choice but to pit themselves against the most feared villain in all of the universe!
*Ahem* Anyway, you should read the character bios and fanfic summaries if you're new to the series. Otherwise, you probably won't understand what's going on. :P
Fanfic Summaries:
Super Mario Bros. 1: Legend of the Evil Demon- Bowser and King Boo have a scheme to summon a demon that was sealed away in the Shadow Shrine, using the power of the Shadow Keys. They let the Mario Bros. do all of their work for them, by kidnapping Peach and telling them they had to find the keys in order for them to not kill the princess. They obtain all of the keys, but as they are at the front of the Shadow Shrine, Mario is able to defeat the duo and avoid the summoning of the demon.
Super Mario Bros. 2: Sunshine Adventure- Nothing here is really that important except the fact that Bowser is working on a new invention. Basically Mario returns to Isle Delfino and is framed once again by Bowser and Jr. But Mario proves his innocence and defeats Bowser. Bowser exits and claims he will be working on a new invention.
Super Mario Bros. 3: The Ultimate Killer- All you have to know is mysterious characters have made a metal copy of Mario. He goes around worlds, conquering them. Mario faces him many times, and in the final battle he wins, but at the cost of his own life.
Super Mario Bros. 4: The Double Agent- Evil has gone amok in the MK again, but Mario's not around to stop it. The demon Mario was trying to stop in SMB1 has been unleashed. In a desperate struggle, Mario's friends try to save the world, but to no avail. Through some strange events, Mario is granted another chance at life. Mario returns, and equipped with a new technique called the Iceball, he makes short work of the demon, Chaos. But Mario is framed by another copy of himself, and things are once again in an uproar. Mario proves his innocence and defeats the ultimate tag team of Nightmare, the fake Mario, and his old enemy who has come back to life, Metal Mario.
Super Mario Bros. 5: Rise of the Darkness (This summary is the longest and also the most important): Everyone is now at ease, now that Mario has once again become the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. It isn't long before Bowser decides to attack again, but Mario soon thwarts his plan to steal the Star Rod. Their victory is cut short when a strange band of warriors arrive moments later. This group of warriors, known as the Shadow Shrowds, travel from planet to planet, recruiting its strongest inhabitants and conquering everyone and everything else. Lord Shade, the head of the Shadow Shrowds, has recruited Grodus, Wart, Princess Shroob, and Cackletta already. They quickly defeat Mario and steal the Star Rod that Bowser left behind, as well as Mushroom Castle's most precious artifact, the Power Star. Feeling responsible for this threat, Mario goes off alone to face this menace with nothing to help him but a Max Mushroom. Mario defeats the deadly tag team of Grodus and Wart, and stumbles upon the Shadow Starship, the Shadow Shrowds main base of operations.
He is able to pummel Princess Shroob, but Cackletta soon possesses him just as she did with Bowser in M&L: SS. Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and E. Gadd follow the trail Mario left behind and come to his aid.
After a long and tiring battle with an army of Sol Warriors (warriors that were recruited from a distant planet), Mario crosses the bridge that leads to Lord Shade just before it collapses. With no way to cross, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and E. Gadd have no choice but to head back to Mushroom Castle. Mario faces Lord Shade's right hand man, Mace, and narrowly escapes defeat. But Mace begs for Mario to forgive him, and tells him that he only wanted to test Mario's strength. Mario trusts Mace and gives him his only Max Mushroom, and the two head back to face Lord Shade as a team. Lord Shade reveals his plan to fire the starship's Annihilator Beam at the Earth to reveal its core. Once the core is exposed, he will drain the energy from the core to resurrect the Dark Castle, where Lord Shade will govern over the entire universe. Lord Shade is also collecting the four Oracles of Power: The Star Rod, Power Star, Shadow Rod, and Z Star.
He fires the Annihilator Beam, but Mace quickly redirects the beam so that it barely skims the edge of the planet. Shade quickly kills Mace and comments on how the beam still took out a large enough chunk of the planet to drain some of its core. With his dying breath, Mace explains why he wanted to help Mario defeat Shade. Mace was once a Sol Warrior, until Lord Shade came to their planet to recruit all of the Sol. Mace's father defended him with his life, but soon met his end at the hands of Lord Shade. Since then, Mace has worked with Shade only so he could turn on him when the time was right. He then tells Mario that he has the 'Capacity of Elements' and should seek out the Thunder Palace. Before he can explain anything further to the confused Mario, his time expires and he passes away. Lord Shade decides he has more important business to attend to and leaves Mario alone on the starship... which is about to crash!
Character Bios:
Mario
(http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k292/conker8989/mario.jpg)
What can I say? You know who he is! There is once again trouble in the Mushroom Kingdom, and it's up to Mario to stop it. He now has the Iceball abiltiy, which closely rivals the Fireball ability, except with ice. He now has enhanced speed and power, but his true limitations are unknown. As far as personality goes, Mario's good to go! When he first entered the Mushroom Kingdom, he didn't care deeply about it or even suspect himself to be it's true hero. Now, his personality has undergone a huge change. He truly cares for his new friends, and he'll do anything to protect his kingdom. To an extent, Mario always wants a fair fight. He is hesitant to kill his foes. Bowser still being alive is a perfect example of this.
Luigi:
(http://www.freewebs.com/superzambezi/Luigi.jpg)
Luigi is Mario's younger brother. Luigi deeply respects his brother, and often worries about him. Luigi can be a bit cowardly sometimes, but deep down he is very courageous and heroic. Luigi can't stand the thought of anything bad happening to Mario. His mentor is the Master, who hopes to give Luigi the power and support to be one of the Mushroom Kingdom's most famous heroes.
Wario:
(http://www.gamingclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/happywario.jpg)
Wario is a hefty man who holds a grudge against Mario. Wario is extremely greedy; if he had to choose between his life or cash, he would be a dead man. Despite his weight, Wario is very strong and can give quite a punch. He worked for E. Gadd to help stop Chaos, but he was only doing it for the money. Then, he and Waluigi decided to form a temporary alliance with the Mario Bros. to save the kingdom. But Wario only wants to help so he can become more famous than his rival.
Waluigi:
(http://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/c/c9/WaluigiMP8a.PNG/250px-WaluigiMP8a.PNG)
Waluigi is almost the complete opposite of his plump brother, Wario. Waluigi is tall and skinny, and looks very sinister. Waluigi loves to cause mischief, although he was forced to work with Mario and Luigi in an attempt to become as famous as the Mario Bros. Wario and Waluigi only have one thing in common; strength. Waluigi is a bit sarcastic at times and smarter than his brother. Oh, and he's not quite as arrogant, eighter.
Appears in Chapter 4:[spoiler]Glaive
(http://www.zeldawiki.org/images/thumb/4/40/Darknut.png/250px-Darknut.png)
When Mario and Luigi bump into some trouble, Glaive comes out of seemingly nowhere to rescue them. Even though he wears thick armor, he can move about freely as if he was as light as a feather. He has also been seen using various ninja weapons, such as the kunai, shuriken, and the very common sword. Although Glaive is against the Shadow Shrowds, it is unclear what his motives are or where he has come from. It seems that the only reason he even saved the Mario Bros. in the first place is so that they could help him destroy Lord Shade. He has, however, proved that he is pretty clever by coming up with a plan to save the Wario Bros. But one question stands above all: Who exatly is Glaive?
[/spoiler]
Princess Peach:
(http://myhaven.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/peach.jpg)
Peach is the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. Time and time again she has been kidnapped by Bowser. She has hidden feelings for Mario, who is always there for her. Princess Peach is sincere and caring, but can also react strongly to being tricked.
E. Gadd:
(http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/images/mailbag20030415_lm_gadd.jpg)
This small, wrinkly old man has been inventing things for as long as anyone can remember! Fate would soon have it that he would eventually get mixed in with the Mario Bros.! He made his debut in Luigi's Mansion by providing Luigi with ghost hunting equipment to save Mario from King Boo. Next, although he did not make direct contact with Mario, one of his inventions were used to thwart Bowser in Super Mario Sunshine. Ever since, E. Gadd has got dragged into many of Mario's battles and adventures. He is constantly coming up with new gadgets to help Mario and his friends, and he always takes pride in his work. Though he's small and defenseless, his technology and intellect are both a big help to Mario and his friends.
Mario Jr. and Luigi Jr.:
(http://www.rpgfan.com/pics/ml2/art-001.jpg)
Although the picture shows them as babies, picture them being a little older. Mario Jr. is now eight and Luigi Jr. is five. They are both Mario's children, but Mario forced them to move to Yoshi Island when Bowser attacked the kingdom for the first time. Ever since then, they have stayed there, waiting for Mario to return for them. Mario refuses to bring them back until he defeats the Shadow Shrowds and their leader, Lord Shade.
Skulleon:
(http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/zelda/images/7/7b/Stalfos_%28Ocarina_of_Time%29.png)
Although he looks fierce in the above picture, he is actually on the side of good. I guess you could say the picture depicts him battling an evil foe. He is really the Ice God, and looks over the Ice Orb. When Mario fights with Metal Mario back in SMB3, Skulleon notices that Mario has much hidden power locked away. When Mario dies, Skulleon takes Mario under his wing and helps him become stronger. At the end of Mario's many trials, Mario earns the right to touch the Ice Orb, giving him the powers of ice. Through a sequence of strange events, Mario is given life once again. Skulleon warns Mario to stay away from Lord Shade, but Mario challenges Shade anyway. As a god, Skulleon can speak to anyone he wants using his mind, no matter how far away that person may be. He is always watching over Mario and his friends.
Appears in Chapter 5:[spoiler]Raiden
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y78/TeenBowser/f97b0ada.jpg)
This is the Thunder God, Raiden! He watches over the Thunder Orb, and is even more strict than Skulleon. As you might of guessed, he wields the element of thunder. When Mario first requested to learn from him, Raiden turned him down. But Raiden soon learned that Mario already knew the elements of fire and ice. Not only that, but it is considered impossible for one to contain more than one element within their body, with the only known exception being Grambi, the very ruler of the Overthere. Puzzled at Mario's abilities, Raiden agrees to let Mario touch the Thunder Orb- after he goes through some bone-breaking trials![/spoiler]
Appears in Chapter 22:[spoiler]Grambi
(http://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/6/60/SuperPaperMario_character_artwork4.jpg/200px-SuperPaperMario_character_artwork4.jpg)
He may look like an old geezer, but he's really the king of the Overthere. He possesses the Capacity of Elements, meaning he can wield Fire, Ice, and Thunder. Grambi first appeared in Super Paper Mario, when Mario and his friends were sent to the Underwhere by one of Count Bleck's minions. They met Grambi's wife, Queen Jaydes, who allowed them to pass into the Overthere to search for a Pure Heart if they agreed to bring their daughter, Luvbi, back to Grambi. A monster by the name of Bonechill had attacked Grambi, and Mario was forced to stop him. Afterward, it was revealed that Grambi had turned the Pure Heart into a living being to hide it from evil years ago, and this person was Luvbi. Knowing that it was her destiny to help stop Count Bleck, Luvbi became a Pure Heart once more. Grambi eyes reflect great sadness. Was the loss of his daughter the only tragedy locked away in his past?
[/spoiler]
Bowser:
(http://www.smashbros.com/en_uk/characters/images/bowser/bowser.jpg)
Mario's rival, Bowser has been beaten for the last time (so he says). He is constantly trying to come up with a plan to not only kidnap Peach and beat Mario, but conquer the kingdom as well. Bowser is very evil, although he is also very ignorant. He bosses Kammy around and takes all the credit. He is one of the biggest threats to the Mushroom Kingdom, but Lord Shade just might change that...
Velno:
(http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3909/velnomd2.png)
Velno is a hideous beast that came from the sewers of Brooklyn. He intends to drain the life out of everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom, thus making him more powerful. He is about eight feet tall, and his skin is blue with shades of green running down his arms and legs. Velno's head is deformed and looks like the head of a fly. Not only is he revolting, but he is fast too. Even Mario had trouble keeping up with him. Luckily, he was destroyed by Wario, Waluigi, and Luigi. He still might be referred to though, so it's a good idea to know who he is.
Lord Shade:
(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa206/link2370/shade.png)
Although there is not much known about him, Shade has one goal and will do anything to achieve it: Rule the world! Shade is the perfect name for him because he is a bit of a 'shady' character. (no pun intended ) He leads a group called the Shadow Shrowds, an elite fighting force that contains warriors from around the universe. Now, he has set his sights on the Mushroom Kingdom. What secrets do he and his minions hold within?
Other Important Info:
Mario's Childhood Story- This is the story that Mario tells Goombario on their journey to stop Bowser and King Boo in SMB1.
"Once, a kind and powerful man lived in a place called Brooklyn. He had two sons, both that took after their father. For many days, the man and his children lived in peace. But one day, the man took his children to a strange place underground. He told them, "You both are destined for great things. Don't be sad that we must part; this is what I must do. Someday, you will understand. Someday... You will take my place..."
Those were his final words to his infant sons before dropping them into a strange pipe. They ended up in a strange kingdom, called the Mushroom Kingdom. They lived all alone, until a beautiful stork picked them up. "Poor babies, you must be terribly lonely. I will take you somewhere safe." The stork flew across the kingdom, hoping to find the parents of the babies.
Meanwhile, the young Bowser and his faithful servant, Kamek, foresaw that these boys would cause them much trouble in the future. "Bring me those babies!" Bowser commanded, and Kamek set out to find them. It wasn't long before she found the stork that carried them, and she attacked. She captured young Luigi, but the stork dropped the poor Mario down onto Yoshi Island. Determined to save his brother, the baby Mario teamed up with many brave Yoshi until they finally rescued him.
For three years, Mario and Luigi lived with the Yoshi. But Kamek continued to try and kidnap the poor babies, so the Yoshi did what was best. They sent him back in the pipe from which they came, and they grew up as normal children in Brooklyn. Memories of their father would always return to them, but they could never find him. Days passed, and the boys became adults.
They became plumbers, and began to work on the sewers below the area. And do you know what they found? They found a pipe! After investigating it, they fell in, and found themselves in the Mushroom Kingdom once again. Ever since, Mario and Luigi have lived to save to kingdom and thwart the evil Bowser."
Velno's Revelations- The passage from SMB5 in which Velno reveals information about his entire existence.
Velno paused and thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose I could answer that for you as a last request. Long ago, Lord Shade had traveled to the planet earth. There, he planned to conquer it and become its king. But, as you know, Shade is a very impatient man. He's not going to just go out himself and start killing everyone. Everything has to be planned out for him. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of an army back then. That's where I came into the picture.
"While he didn't have much of an army, he had some of the universe's best scientists on his side. Even then, Shade had already conquered many planets. From these planets, he collected as many great scientists as he could. If they failed to cooperate, Lord Shade would mercilessly annihilate them. He forced his most intelligent workers to begin project V.E.L.N.O., or Vicious Energy Lacking Nasty Organism.
"By mutating a simple human, they were eventually able to create me. I was designed to be naturally strong, but I could absorb the energy of others by eating them if necessary. As soon as I could think for myself, I got out of there as fast as I could. Shade ordered his men to search for me; it wouldn't have been too hard to find me because they had inserted a special chip inside of me so that they would always know my location. Luckily, their radar lost track of me when I escaped into the sewers.
"They searched for me, but I was also designed to be an expert at escaping from dangers that were beyond my strength to overcome. No matter how hard they tried, they could not find me. But after their next discovery, they no longer needed me. While looking for me, Shade stumbled upon a pipe that led to the Mushroom Kingdom. A quick scan of the area showed that there was a being of unimaginable power in the kingdom. Lord Shade forgot all about me and immediately left to find this creature."
Peach was exploding with questions. "But who was it? What happened next? Why wasn't the Mushroom Kingdom destroyed by him then?"
Velno smiled mysteriously. "Those are all questions only Shade can answer. But think of it this way, this is like a mirrored version of earth. The Mushroom Kingdom is like a parallel dimension. The pipe in earth's sewers led to this dimension, but there must be ways to get back."
"Then we should look for them!" Peach exclaimed, trying to change the subject.
"There's nothing worth looking for," Velno replied grimly. "As a going away present, Lord Shade turned the rest of earth into a wasteland. There's no one left, and he intends to do the same with this kingdom. Shade may have left me behind, but I'll take energy from anyone I can find. And one day, I will kill Shade with my bare hands."
Peach's eyes nearly popped out of her head after she had a stunning realization. "If the earth and the Mushroom Kingdom are dimensions parallel to each other, then Flipside and Flopside must be in between them!"
Velno nodded in agreement. "That's why it was so easy to get Wart, Grodus, and Shadoo to join his army. All he had to do was open a gateway to the Underwhere, or the realm of the dead, and pull them right into Flipside, where he took them back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Anyway, I'm sure this is all pretty shocking to you. It's too bad you won't live long enough to give your friends this information!"
MK Map- This map shows some of the basic areas in the Mushroom Kingdom. (I'm probably going to update with a much nicer map once SMB7 starts.
(http://aycu14.webshots.com/image/27013/2003220991726992454_rs.jpg)
Prologue: The Crash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAJ-gNH8oyk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAJ-gNH8oyk)
"Goodbye, mighty hero!" Lord Shade exclaimed as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Mario, now alone in a malfunctioning starship high above the earth, had to think of a way out of this mess.
"Shoot!" Mario cursed. "This ship is going to crash in a few minutes! What do I do?!" His mind was racing. He dashed toward the exit of the control room, which was locked securely to prevent Mario from escaping during his confrontation with Lord Shade. "This door has got to go!" He fiercely bashed the door in with a good punch. He sprinted into the main hallway of the ship's third floor and began frantically searching for the elevator to the second floor. He noticed the strange markings on the wall, and remembered what everyone had told him earlier.
"Oh, I almost forgot! E. Gadd looked at some of the starship's artwork, and he said he wanted us to find a book that belonged to the Shadow Shrowd's so he could find out what the pictures mean," Luigi explained."As if I didn't have enough to do already!" Mario snapped. He stumbled upon the rusty elevator that led to the second floor. "Maybe I can find a library on this floor!" He blindly darted down the second floor, busting down doors left and right. Not a single library to be found! At last, Mario spotted an entertainment room with a TV and a short stack of books. "Please... Let there be a book with some good info!"
He leaped over a coffee table and flipped through one of the books. "How to take over the world?!" He threw the book down and checked another one. "How to look good in armor?! No... How to clean a bloody dagger... No... Aha! Shadow Shrowd Mythology!"
CRASH
A large chunk of the ceiling collapsed. "Darn! This place is going to explode before it even hits the ground!"
WARNING: ENGAGE YOUR SHADOW BARRIERS! EMERGENCY SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE WILL ACTIVATE IN T-MINUS FORTY SECONDS!"No! It looks like Shade left me a little present! I have to get to the control room and shut down that self-destruct sequence!" Mario shouted as he exited the room and dashed madly down the hall, the book cradled close to his body as the walls around him started to cave in.
Mario! It's Skulleon! Didn't I warn you to stay away from Lord Shade?! You should be thankful you're okay!Mario rolled out of the way of a colossal boulder. "I'm not exactly what you would call 'okay'. Shade chickened out on me and left the starship to explode in my face! And you should really learn to start talking to people physically. Talking to you telepathically still creeps me out!" The entire ship seemed to tilt sideways. Determined to make it out alive, he began climbing his way to the elevator room.
He abandoned his starship?! That can only mean one thing... The Dark Castle will soon rise! Mario, get out of there! We need to evacuate your friends right away! If Lord Shade is attacking the Mushroom Kingdom, you will all die!"Don' you think I'm trying to get out of here?!" Mario screamed as he finally made it to the elevator that led to the third floor. He punched the button that activated the elevator. It didn't budge. "NO! C'mon, go up! Go up! This whole starship is tilted! I can't say I'm surprised!"
10...9...8...7...6...5..."Oh no!!" Mario shrieked. "I'm doomed! Unless..." He turned around and made a dash for the hallway.
BOOM
CRASH
The starship exploded moments before crash landing into Mushroom Fields.
E. Gadd, Luigi, Peach, Wario, and Waluigi glared at the laptop that stood before him. They had been able to watch Mario's entire battle with Mace, and knew how he had turned out to be working for Shade so that he could team up with Mario and overthrow Lord Shade. They were all fired up when Mario and Mace challenged Shade in a final battle, only for Shade to kill Mace with one blow and leave Mario on the starship before the battle even began. After Shade had vanished, the screen on the laptop went fuzzy.
"What a rip off!" Wario complained. "You hacked the starship's security cameras so we could watch Mario kick some butt! You're telling me that there's some kind of interference?!"
E. Gadd sighed. "Yes, for the last time: Something happened to the starship! We have no way of knowing what happened."
Peach wiped a tear from her eye. "Mario..."
Toadsworth rushed into the room. "Your highness, I have terrible news! Tough looking soldiers in dark armor are approaching the castle! In addition, an enormous vehicle that appears to be some sort of ship has just crashed in Mushroom Fields!"
http://www.freewebs.com/link2370/attack.mid (http://www.freewebs.com/link2370/attack.mid)
"What?!" Luigi thundered. He darted over to the window and looked outside. He saw hundreds- maybe thousands- of armored warriors that resembled the ones they fought in the starship. And they were heading straight for them! "We have to get out of here, and fast! I know what we're up against!"
Wario chuckled to himself. "No way! I'm gonna bash in those Shadow Shrowd's faces just like last time!"
"You're not afraid of them, are you?" Waluigi taunted.
"As a matter of fact, I am," Luigi replied.
E. Gadd wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. "Very well... If you two are willing to fight them, go ahead. Luigi, Peach, and I will find safety. If we run into any trouble, Luigi will protect us.
Right, Luigi?" He nudged Luigi with his elbow. "Let's get as many Toads as we can into the Secret Chambers!"
"Bwahahahahaha!" Wario cackled. "It's finally time for the great Wario Brothers to get some recognition! Picture this: The brave and heroic Wario Brothers defend their loyal fans while they escape to safety! Perfect!"
"I thought we were thieves," Waluigi whispered to him.
"Oh yeah... And we secretly steal stuff when no one is looking! Wait... I wasn't supposed to say that out loud... uh... Let's go beat the stuffing out of those Stupid Shrowds!"
That was a great start. It just jumped right into the action. :P But school is coming, and I'll be online less and less. I'm not very active here, anyway. :P
Chapter 1: The Fallen
"You ready?" Waluigi asked his brother, trembling before the mass of warriors that were approaching them.
Wario stood firmly in front of the castle gates. "Are you kidding me? You remember what happened last time! They're total chumps!"
http://boomp3.com/listen/bifkdod/busted (http://boomp3.com/listen/bifkdod/busted)
Waluigi squinted at the well equipped mob of Shadow Shrowds. "Wario, do you notice anything different about these 'chumps'?" In fact, there was something very different about the oncoming army. For one, only about a third of them were Sol Warriors, the tall armored soldiers equipped with sharp daggers they had encountered in the Shadow Starship. Another third was made up of both male and female fighters that seemed to be made up entirely of purple wires. The final third was split up into four different classes of troops: red ones were tall and seemed to be in charge of the other three colors, blue ones were also quite tall and appeared feminine, yellow ones were about Mario's height and had two sharp horns on their heads, and green ones were short and stocky.
Wario nodded. "Yeah, they're different. They were probably running low on the guys we beat earlier, so they had to send whoever they could find. They're getting desperate."
Wario, Waluigi! What do you think you're doing?!Wario stopped dead in his tracks. "Waluigi, did you say something?"
Waluigi shook his head.
No! It's me, Skulleon! I was the one responsible for helping Mario become as strong as he is today. I thought I warned him to avoid Lord Shade! If he has set his sights on the Mushroom Kingdom, than there is absolutely nothing you can do! You must flee, before it is too late!
Wario scratched his head. "Hmm... This voice in my head is really starting to bum me out! I'm not running from these losers!"
Listen, Wario! Never, I repeat, NEVER anger Lord Shade! You've already gotten in his way too many times. His patience is running thin! One more incident might be all it takes for him to finally snap! And then his rage and terror will follow you for the remainder of your life- which won't be much longer at that point!"Too late!" Wario snapped. "Here they come!"
Wario charged at the mob, his fists flying wildly in front of him. Waluigi rushed in after him, though he wasn't quite as confident as his brother. For a few minutes, the battle seemed to be tipped in the Wario Brothers' favor. But even as Wario and Waluigi sent countless warriors flying, more of them kept piling into the fight. As the brawl dragged on, it seemed to become harder and harder to knock the Shadow Shrowds out of the fight.
"I can't keep this up!" Waluigi bawled over the roar of the attacking Shadow Shrowds.
"Are you kidding me?! This is easy!" Wario boasted, though he was equally as tired.
The brigade of warriors suddenly seemed three times as huge. In one swift move, the Wario Bros. vanished, engulfed by the mass of Shadow Shrowds.
http://boomp3.com/m/3677ee280cdf/in-the-darkness (http://boomp3.com/m/3677ee280cdf/in-the-darkness)
Luigi, E. Gadd, Peach, and hundreds of Toads stood motionless in the Secret Chambers. They were packed tightly together, but their fear of being detected prevented them from fussing amongst one another. The Secret Chambers were located behind a tall stone door in the library that blended flawlessly with the marble décor. To top it off, the door was blocked off by a genuine bookshelf that made it next to impossible to detect the chambers. Luckily, they had just enough time to seal the Secret Chambers shut.
The Secret Chambers were a small, unused network of paths that used to allow one to navigate to any place in the castle. When Bowser first attacked the kingdom, it was decided that any entrance to this network should be removed except for one cleverly hidden door. Most of the complex was cemented shut afterward to reduce chances of an attacking enemy discovering it by plowing through the walls. All that remained were two rooms connected by a hallway. Each consisted of worn tiling, a rusted chandelier with candles that provided minimal light, and a small window that was almost undetectable from the castle's exterior.
Luigi peered out of the window. "It looks like they got Wario and Waluigi. That means... we're next."
"No, they won't find us here," Peach whispered. "No one ever has. The problem is, it takes so long to set up. First, we have to get everyone in. Then, we have to position the bookshelf just right so that it hides the door. Finally, we have to close it as gently as possible so we don't alert the intruder."
E. Gadd marveled at the ancient room. "This is amazing... To think that the castle defenses were able to come up with such a room... genius!"
"Shh!!"
Footsteps were heard outside of the room. Everyone was dead silent. Slowly, the footsteps got closer. THUMP. THUMP. Everyone could hear the steady marching of an approaching Shadow Shrowd.
"I thought I heard someone whispering over hear. It must've been my imagination. Where is everyone? Maybe they were prepared for us and evacuated the building. Lord Shade will have my head if I don't find out where they went to. It doesn't really matter now. Anyone who sets foot on the Mushroom Kingdom now might as well be considered dead. I don't know why Lord Shade wants to make sure everyone here is dead, but I'm in no position to wonder. Those meddling refugees can hide all they want, but they'll have to come out sometime. And then we'll get them! Heh, heh, heh!"
The Sol Warrior walked away, laughing. Luigi let out a sigh of relief. "If what that guy said is true, then we're all in grave danger. You all need to stay here."
"Luigi, what are you planning?" Peach inquired.
"If Wario and Waluigi were beaten by Lord Shade's minions, then I won't do very well against them either. We need Mario. I know it's a long shot, but what if Mario was in that ship that just crashed in Mushroom Fields- and survived? It won't be long before he's detected, and then he'll be killed. I need to find out if he'd dead or not, and bring him back here. If by some miracle he did survive, then he won't be able to find us here anyway! If I bring him back, we can make some kind of plan!" Luigi exclaimed.
E. Gadd was less than optimistic. "I don't mean to sound harsh, but no one could have survived if they were in a ship that crashed from outer space. The radiation, speed, velocity, and angle of the sun would all be too much for him to handle if-" He looked at all of the puzzled expressions aimed directly at him. "In other words, Mario would die if the starship just fell from the sky without any warning."
Luigi shook his head. "There are too many 'ifs', professor. I have to try."
"Are you sure? You seem a bit out of character," Peach informed him.
"I have to. As terrified as I am, I'm going to have to try and make it to the crash site. If he's not there, I might as well check at our house. He could have gone home to take cover and lay low for a while."
Chapter 2: Luigi's Escape
http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/media/music/StarForce/ost_sf_rnr12/1-20%20-%20RnR1%20-%20Theme%20of%20FM-Alien.mp3 (http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/media/music/StarForce/ost_sf_rnr12/1-20%20-%20RnR1%20-%20Theme%20of%20FM-Alien.mp3)
"Lord Shade, you'll be pleased to hear that we've captured two of the four meddlers that interfered with our plans earlier," a lone Sol Warrior announced with a bow.
Lord Shade was seated on the very throne that Princess Peach sat on before the attack. In hours, the castle had been redecorated into a makeshift dungeon for the Shadow Shrowds. "Who were they?!" Lord Shade barked impatiently.
The Sol Warrior pulled out a scroll containing more information on the captives. "I believe their names are Wario and Waluigi, sir."
Lord Shade stroked his chin. "Excellent... Mario can be presumed dead, and that only leaves that coward, Luigi. I demand a report on Luigi's location within one hour!"
"One hour?!" the Sol Warrior boomed in outrage. Before he could question Shade's demands further, a beam shot out from Shade's finger and sliced through the Sol Warrior's chest.
"Hmph, useless minion," Lord Shade muttered to himself.
Instantly, a new Sol Warrior replaced the previous one with a bow. "Lord Shade, I assure you that you will receive confirmation on Luigi's status within one hour."
Lord Shade chuckled dryly to himself. "That's more like it. With my army of Sol Warriors, Wire Frames, and Alloys, no one can stand up to me!"
[End Music]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmyu03-EebE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmyu03-EebE)
"So, how exactly are you planning to get out of here?" Peach whispered to Luigi.
Luigi thought for a moment. "That's a good question. Hmm... What would Mario do? He'd probably shoot a giant Fireball into the fray, creating a bunch of smoke that would blind the Shadow Shrowds. Then, he'd make a break for the exit or fight them head on. But I'm not like that. I can't take on the whole army." He carefully opened the secret door that led to the library. "There's no one there! I better go."
"Be careful," E. Gadd instructed him.
Luigi nodded and headed out into the library. He carefully sealed the hidden door and crept out into the hallway. Night had fallen, so the castle was pitch black. Luigi groped his way through the darkness until he saw a flashlight beam emerge from a door. He ducked under a table as the light slowly came closer and closer. Luigi sighed. The flashlight guard passed him.
I'm going to need a new approach. Those guards can see in the dark with their flashlights, while I can barely walk without worrying about hitting a wall. Someone could easily sneak up behind me.Another Shadow Shrowd walked past him.
Maybe I'll learn something if I follow him... Luigi crawled out from under the table and silently trailed the clueless guard. They went down mindboggling combinations of hallways, up and down flights of stairs, and even in and out of rooms! But cowardice was Luigi's specialty; there was no way the sentry would have spotted him- until another guard began following their path of movement. Luigi was trapped. He was stuck in between the two of them, inches away from touching the trailing guard's flashlight, but also mere centimeters away from bumping into the sentry at the front.
Minutes seemed like hours as Luigi paced himself so that neither of the two Shadow Shrowds detected him. At last, the guard in front stopped. Luigi's heart jumped up into his throat. Slowly, the guard turned around. Impulsively, Luigi dove to his right. It turned out that there was an open window right next to him, and he had just thrown himself out of it to avoid detection. The Shadow Shrowd in front chuckled to himself. "I knew someone was following me. It was you, all along!" he joked with the sentry behind him.
Luigi landed on top of some thick bushes beside the castle. He could get to Mushroom Fields easily enough from here, but every path he could think of was now thick with patrolling Shadow Shrowds.
Wait... What about the pipe that leads to our house? If I can duck between houses in Toad Town, I can reach the pipe!
Mario hung from a tall tree branch in Forever Forest, watching the swarm of guards that covered Mushroom Fields like a blanket. "Lord Shade sure wasn't lying when he said that he sent his army here for a full-scale invasion. It's a good thing he hasn't set up sentries in Forever Forest." He dropped down from the tree and wiped off beads of sweat from his forehead. "I'm still in shock from almost crashing."
Mario remembered how he had narrowly escaped death:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAJ-gNH8oyk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAJ-gNH8oyk)
"Don' you think I'm trying to get out of here?!" Mario screamed as he finally made it to the elevator that led to the third floor. He punched the button that activated the elevator. It didn't budge. "NO! C'mon, go up! Go up! This whole starship is tilted! I can't say I'm surprised!"
10...9...8...7...6...5...
"Oh no!!" Mario shrieked. "I'm doomed! Unless..." He turned around and made a dash for the hallway. "That warning... I remember it perfectly: WARNING: ENGAGE YOUR SHADOW BARRIERS! EMERGENCY SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE WILL ACTIVATE IN T-MINUS FORTY SECONDS! The self destruct sequence must be used as a last resort to purge the starship of any enemies Shade couldn't beat. But to ensure none of the Shadow Shrowds get hurt when the ship explodes, they are all equipped with Shadow Barriers that shield them from the blast, while the intruders are killed! If I can just find a Shadow Barrier-"
He saw a Sol Warrior lying on the ground, dead. Quickly, Mario searched the Sol Warriors pockets. "C'mon... Found it! At least, I hope!" He removed the circular object from the corpses pocket and pressed a button. Instantly, a blue barrier surrounded Mario.
BOOM
CRASH
The starship exploded moments before crash landing into Mushroom Fields. Mario stepped out of the wreck untouched and made a dash for Forever Forest. Just as Shade had warned him, guards had already begun patrolling the area. But Mario was too quick, and managed to lose them by scaling a tall tree and hiding.[End Music]
"That was close... At least I was able to keep a clear head through it all. But something is still bothering me. That last part of Mace's speech before he died..."
"After years of waiting, I stumbled upon you. Ever since our first encounter in Mushroom Castle, I've been studying you and your great power. Each time you were faced with a challenge, you rose up to it and succeeded. Although my time is limited, I need you... to beat Shade. I've waited for years for someone to help me overthrow Lord Shade, only to be killed at the last second. But this experience has opened my eyes... you will beat Shade! You possess the Capacity of Elements! Somehow, you must seek out the Thunder Palace nestled deep within Forever Forest, and learn under the Thunder God. Only then can you match Lord Shade's godly powers. I've already seen one race of people become slaves to him; don't let it happen to... your race as well... Defeat him, for me... for my people... for the universe...""Is there really a palace deep within Forever Forest that's been right under my nose this entire time? Does it have a connection with Skulleon, the Ice God, and his Ice Palace? And what did he mean by the Capacity of Elements? Something tells me that this is all connected somehow..."
Wow, this sure has taken a pretty big turn. I really thought the final showdown would be at the ending of SMB5, but I've learned that things are never as they seem, especially in your fanfictions. I'm glad Luigi has decided to be brave for a change. :P
Chapter 3: The Draining Begins
Draining Theme (http://"http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/media/music/StarForce/ost_sf_rnr12/1-20%20-%20RnR1%20-%20Theme%20of%20FM-Alien.mp3")
"Sergeant, any word on the locations of Mario or Luigi?" Lord Shade called from across the throne room. Instantly, a Sol Warrior with the word 'Sergeant' engraved on his chest plate in the ancient Shadow Shrowd language appeared before Shade.
"Our scouts have just finished searching the wrecked Shadow Starship. In its current state, it is unfixable. As for Mario, he was nowhere to be found. Either the explosion eradicated his body, or-"
"Or what?" Lord Shade cut him off in a biting tone. Not a trace of patience could be detected in his voice.
Large beads of sweat began to drip from the sergeant's face. "Or he... got away," Sergeant finished hesitantly. Lord Shade stood up from his throne. Sergeant staggered backward in fear, his entire body trembling. "I... don't mean to... upset you..." Shade slowly approached the sergeant, his eyes gleaming with disgust.
"You mean to tell me that you are unsure of Mario's location? I wanted you to tell me where Mario and Luigi were- and if they were alive or not! I don't care about what could have happened! I want to know what did happen, you blithering idiot!" Lord Shade howled as he struck Sergeant down with a solid blow. "This is your last chance! That one hour I gave to you incompetent Sol Warriors has almost expired! Find Mario and Luigi within the next twenty minutes, or I'll send in the Alloy Team!"
"Err... I'll do my best, sir!" Sergeant saluted. Man, Lord Shade sure has been ruthless lately. Every since that Mario guy attacked us, Shade's been killing soldiers even if they make the tiniest error. He's going to kill us all eventually! But then again, will he really need us?
Lord Shade returned to his seat. "So, did you have anything else you needed to tell me?" He impatiently rapped his hands on the arms of his throne.
"Yes. Preparations for the draining are complete," Sergeant replied with a bow. I need to get on Shade's good side.
Lord Shade's eyes bulged. "Already?! Marvelous! Begin the draining process at once!"
"There is one thing I'd also like to report to you. The Dark Castle's required energy capacity is almost full, so we should only need a miniscule amount of power from the planet's core."
Shade stroked his chin. "Ah... So we won't be draining enough energy from the core to destroy the planet?"
Sergeant shook his head. "No. We'll only be taking a small amount of energy from the core, so the planet will not be affected by the draining. Is this a problem?"
"Not at all," Shade chuckled to himself. "Heh, heh, heh... I'll get the pleasure of destroying those meddling pests. I'd much rather kill them with my own hands. And then I will take care of this pesky planet!"
"I take it you won't be recruiting any new allies from the planet?" Sergeant inquired.
"No... The only people worth recruiting have been thorns in my side for far too long. Besides, people on this planet have always seemed to give me trouble. First him, and then Mario," Shade explained with an evil glint in his eye.
"Him, sir?" Sergeant parroted.
"That's none of your concern!" Lord Shade growled. "But I do wonder... Mario reminds me so much of him. But he's already dead... Anyhow, that is enough questions for now! Execute the Dark Atmosphere and deploy the Core Drain Mechanism!"
Sergeant nodded and pulled out a complex rectangular remote. It had mindboggling amounts of buttons and switches, but the sergeant's eyes were only on the latch beside the buttons. He lifted up the latch, revealing two more buttons with 'DANGER' imprinted in bold on each of them. He pushed the one on the left first. Several shockwaves scattered out from the now overtaken Mushroom Castle. The sky flashed several bright different colors, before it finally changed to dull shades of red and black.
"Ah... the Dark Atmosphere has been set..." Lord Shade whispered. "Now no one can get on or off of the planet until it is turned off, and the draining process will be unhindered by the sun's ultraviolet rays."
"Should I begin the draining now?" Sergeant asked, cautious not to upset his master.
"Yes."
Sergeant pressed the second button. A colossal circular mechanism materialized above the castle. It had a round top with a tough, metal underside. The peculiar contraption hovered about the kingdom, casting an enormous shadow below it. At last, it came to the area where the 'Annihilator Beam' had struck the planet. The area had a much lower elevation than the rest of the planet, due to the beam cutting down most of the land that used to occupy the region. Suddenly, the device stopped. Some of the metal on the underside of the gizmo folded away from the center, revealing a circular opening in the center. A tube made up of extremely resistant material emerged from the cavity and dipped into the magma that flowed within the planet beneath its crust. For a few minutes, the device sucked up the boiling hot magma into the Core Draining Mechanism, where the magma would be stripped of its energy and disposed of. Once this process was done, the energy was added to the extensive collection of core energy gathered from other planets.
A wide grin planted itself on Lord Shade's face. "The Dark Castle is ready to rise."
[End Music]
Mario wandered aimlessly through Forever Forest, looking for the slightest indication of a palace. He stared up at the dark red sky. "What in the world could have happened? The sky changed color! Does Lord Shade have anything to do with this? I need to-" Mario bit his lip as he heard footsteps in the immediate vicinity. He ducked into a cluster of underbrush and listened attentively to the slow and unsure steps.
At last, the figure came within Mario's sight. The sky was no longer bright and blue, making it almost as if it was night all of the time. Mario squinted, trying to make out who was meandering through Forever Forest. The figure turned around and approached Mario's hiding spot. Mario's became frantic. Darn it! He's got me! Whoever it is, they must have heard me! A pair of gloved hands poked through the bushes. Mario stood up, ready to fight.
"Mario! It's you!"
"Luigi? What are you doing here?" Mario questioned.
"I was looking for you, bro," Luigi replied. "But how did you get of that starship before it crashed?"
Mario recalled the events as they had unfolded on the Shadow Starship. "Well... after you left the starship, I took on Lord Shade's most trusted servant, Mace. I eventually managed to defeat him, but he told me that he was after Shade too, and he only wanted to fight me to see if I was strong enough to help him. For some reason, I believed him and gave him my only Max Mushroom. Now at full strength, he stayed true to his word and we set off to beat Lord Shade together. However, Shade caught us by surprise and delivered a life-threatening blow to Mace. With his dying breath, Mace told me about how he had stayed loyal to Shade his whole life so he could get back at him for killing his family.
"Before I could even attempt to take on Shade, he left with the Star Rod and Power Star and set the starship on a collision course with the planet! Remembering E. Gadd's request to find a book about ancient Shadow Shrowd history, I searched for a book as the starship fell to its doom. I soon found one on the bottom floor and began heading back to control room at the top. The problem was, the darn elevator stopped working! I was fresh out of ideas, until a voice warned all Shadow Shrowds to equip their Shadow Barriers because the ship was entering its self-destruct sequence. I figured that they would activate the self-destruct feature when they couldn't beat an intruder that was on the ship. All of the Shadow Shrowds would have special devices called Shadow Barriers, while the intruder would be destroyed. All I had to do was find a Shadow Barrier, and I was shielded from the blast and the crash. I'm here looking for some kind of palace."
Luigi's jaw dropped. "That's a pretty crazy story, bro! But I've got a story for you, too. The castle's been taken over by Lord Shade and his minions!"
"No! Is everyone okay?"
Luigi nodded. "Yup, they're all hiding safely in the Secret Chambers. I came looking for you."
"Wow, that's pretty brave of you. Any particular reason why?" Mario chuckled to himself.
"I was worried about you," Luigi persisted. "You're the only one who can help us!"
Mario hung his head. "No, I can't help. I'm sorry. I-"
"What?!" Luigi thundered. "You can't give up on us now!"
Mario put his hand on Luigi's shoulder. "You didn't even give me the chance to finish! I gave it everything I had to beat Mace. When we challenged Lord Shade, he took out Mace with one blow. I know I'm strong, but I don't see how I can be that much stronger than Mace was."
Luigi looked up at the darkened sky as if the answer was floating among the clouds. "If what you're saying is true, shouldn't we evacuate the kingdom?"
Mario shook his head. "No, that's not it. Right now, I can't win against Shade. But I can get stronger. Remember when Metal Mario first attacked the kingdom? Well, Skulleon contacted me before I challenged Metal Mario for the last time. He told me that I had a lot of power deep inside of me, and that I would release some of it once I cared about my friends more than anything else in the world. He also told me that I'd die in the fight. Eventually, I did stop caring about myself. That's when I gained the upper hand against Metal Mario. And then, I died. Skulleon helped me master this new power, and gave me the Iceball ability. However, Skulleon told me that I'd only unleash some of my hidden strength when my love for my friends was its strongest. It's just a theory, but I think I can unlock more of it by paying a visit to the Thunder Palace."
"That's a good idea, bro!" Luigi agreed in excitement. "I can still remember the time you came back with the Iceball ability. We all struggled against Chaos, but you beat him in seconds. If you can pull of something like that again, Lord Shade won't know what hit him!"
"Want to come help me look for the Thunder Palace?" Mario inquired.
Luigi shrugged. "Everyone else is safe at the castle, so why not?"
The two of them began traversing through the endless forest. Mario was deep in thought. Why do I have so much power inside of me? What exactly am I?
More detail? Awesome! I felt like I was reading a novel! Whoa! Judging by that chapter, it looks like things are about to get more dramatic. I can't wait! ;) Oh, and I check for new chapters just about every day now. School has started, but that's not going to stop me. :P
So far, the story is off to a good start. I only noticed a speilling mistake in the biographies, so that's a big improvement. ;)
I like how your story is set in the Mario universe, but you introduced a lot of original characters and storylines. When you do that, we can't really predict what the characters are going to do, especially Shade.
I think that I have an idea of who He is, though. :D
This caught my eye, I think I'll read more into it when I have time.
Wow, two more readers? Thanks, guys. Expect a deep plotline to pursue this fanfic. ;) Oh, and a new chapter will be up in a sec.
Chapter 4: Enter Glaive
"So, not even Wario or Waluigi could beat them?" Mario inquired as the two brothers rambled up and down the many dirt paths of Forever Forest. "But then again, they
were up against an entire army."
"Yeah," Luigi replied, "and the army wasn't limited to just Sol Warriors." He paused and observed Mario's confused expression. "I'm not sure, but I think there were also Wire Frames and Alloys. There may have been other creatures from all over the galaxy, too."
"That's all we need," Mario muttered. "Oh, by the way, I found a book on ancient Shadow Shrowd mythology. Here you go." Mario pulled out a large book from his pocket and handed it to Luigi. "Give this to E. Gadd when you see him." Suddenly, he stopped and ducked beneath some shrubs. He gestured for Luigi to take cover beside him. "Shh!"
"Speaking of Lord Shade's army, here they are now," Luigi whispered as he kneeled next to his brother. "Now they're even infiltrating Forever Forest."
Mario poked his head out from the underbrush for a brief moment. "It doesn't look like there are that many. He must be sending 'replaceable' minions. We can take these guys." Before Luigi could object, Mario sprang out of the bushes and tackled one of the three goons. In seconds, he had annihilated the first guard. One male Wire Frame as well as a Red Alloy remained. Mario charged at the Alloy, but the element of surprise was no longer on his side. He delivered a painful blow to the Alloy's jaw, sending him flying onto the ground. The Alloy didn't get up.
"You're dumber than you look to attack us," the Wire Frame snickered, pulling out a walkie-talkie.
Mario stepped forward, his fists clenched. "Oh yeah?"
"I wouldn't take another step forward if I were you. Because if you even move an inch, I'll call for reinforcements, and they'll have the forest surrounded in seconds. At that point, not even a snake could slither out of here without alarming one of our guards. If you come with me, I'll bring you to our dungeon. It's better than be slaughtered be hundreds of warriors, take my word for it. But you're Mario, aren't you? I must admit, I'm surprised you found a way to escape the crash. However, it'll just lead to an added bonus for me. Lord Shade will surely promote me!"
Mario didn't budge. He knew what he was up against.
Luigi! This is your chance! Why can't you attack him and knock that device out of his hand?!Luigi watched on in horror.
Sorry, bro! I'm just too scared! After what happened to Wario and Waluigi... Brr... I can't even think about it!"Did you kill Wario and Waluigi, then?" Mario asked.
"Hmph. Let's just say you'll be seeing them soon- if you decide to come back to the dungeon with me," the Wire Frame answered with a sly grin. "Now come with me right now, or I'll call for help anyway."
So he's keeping them locked up. Bad move. Mario was stuck. He was waiting for Luigi to muster up some courage and attack. At that precise moment, Mario would snatch the walkie-talkie and smash it into pieces. Somehow, deep down, he knew Luigi wouldn't join the fight. He didn't have to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kFYvSrxSGw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kFYvSrxSGw)
As the Wire Frame taunted Mario by waving the walkie-talkie in front of his face, a shuriken came out of seemingly nowhere and struck the device, knocking it out of the Wire Frame's hand. He looked around, clueless as to where it had come from. Before he could react, a warrior in black armor carrying a sword and shield dropped down weightlessly onto the ground and rushed forward at the Wire Frame. In one swift motion, he stabbed the Wire Frame through the chest and removed his blade, now coated red with blood. He stomped on the walkie-talkie and sheathed his sword. It was as if the Wire Frame had never existed.
Mario stared at the corpse beside the figure with his jaw dropped. "Who-"
"Am I?" the stranger interrupted. "So, this is who we have to depend on to save us all from the 'scary' Lord Shade? A fool who can fall to his knees at the hands of a simple hostage situation and a cowardly weakling who sits by and waits for his brother to do something useful!"
Luigi stood up from behind the bushes. "How did you know I was here?"
"Unlike you, I've been under strict training. See this armor I'm wearing? I can move as silently and swiftly as a ninja even with all of this on. I came from far away to this kingdom, to finally defeat Lord Shade! I am Glaive, the forgotten warrior!" he bellowed with pride.
"So, you think you're stronger than me?" Mario challenged. "I'll have you know that I-"
"You received special training from Skulleon, the Ice God. I know. Right now, you're probably searching for an entrance to the Thunder Palace. Am I right?" Glaive inquired.
"How do you know so much about me?" Mario questioned, completely mystified.
"It's easy, if you
are who I think you are. But that's not why I helped you. In fact, I wouldn't have felt any remorse if I didn't do anything. I'm going to need all of the help I can get to defeat Lord Shade, especially now. If you knew anything about the enemy, you'd know that Shade has already got his hands on the Z Star. And the Shadow Rod is currently on its way to being hand-delivered to him, just as soon as his minions bring it back from the Underwhere. I've come up with a plan. Mario, you must find the Thunder Palace while Luigi and I try and free the Wario Bros. Then, we'll attack Lord Shade head-on. With Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and me, we should be able to get the job done. As soon as you take care of your business in the Thunder Palace, come and join us," Glaive explained.
"How can I trust you?" Mario asked skeptically. "How do I know you won't kill my brother just like you killed that guard?"
"The truth is, you don't know," Glaive replied nonchalantly. "But it's really your only option. By now, Lord Shade has noticed that the three guards he sent here haven't responded. He knows that they've been beaten by someone, so he's probably sent a good amount of sentries to capture whoever was here. In other words, we can't dawdle here for long."
Mario turned to Luigi. "Can you do it, bro?"
Luigi nodded slowly. "I have to make it up to you for letting you down. Good luck with finding that palace, or whatever!"
"Don't be all beaten up when I get there!" Mario called to them as he dashed deeper into Forever Forest.
"So, how are we going to save Wario and Waluigi?" Luigi inquired, half-expecting Glaive to turn on him.
Without turning his head to look at Luigi, Glaive replied, "We're going to have to get creative. Tell me, who is going to enter Mushroom Castle within the next fifteen minutes, besides us?"
Luigi thought for a moment. "Is this a trick question? Hmm..."
"Lord Shade's minions, that's who! I told you that Shade's minions are going to return with the Shadow Rod!" Glaive snapped. "We're going to have to sneak in with the group delivering the Shadow Rod. You'll have to sneak away from the group after we get inside and free the Wario Bros. Meanwhile, I'll stick with them until we get to Shade. When they all let their guard down, I'll jump out, grab the Z Star, and attack Shade. I should be able to hold him off until you arrive with Wario and Waluigi. And then when Mario comes, Shade won't know what hit him!"
"Yeah, I was um... going to suggest that," Luigi mumbled, awed at the idea.
"What are you waiting for? We have to get to the castle right away!"
[End Music]
http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/media/music/StarForce/ost_sf_rnr12/1-20%20-%20RnR1%20-%20Theme%20of%20FM-Alien.mp3 (http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/media/music/StarForce/ost_sf_rnr12/1-20%20-%20RnR1%20-%20Theme%20of%20FM-Alien.mp3)
"The Dark Castle has been resurrected, my lord!" Sergeant exclaimed with delight. "The Vortex is beginning to open, and the Dark Castle is at its center!"
Lord Shade nodded in approval. "Finally... I can leave this wretched castle and sit upon the throne meant for the Lord of the Universe! What about the guards you sent to Forever Forest? Have they responded?"
"No, sire," Sergeant answered hastily.
Lord Shade grinned. "We've found our little troublemakers. And to think I was about to kill you. Heh, heh, heh."
Sergeant forced himself to laugh nervously. "Heh, yeah..."
Shade stopped chuckling. "This is no laughing matter. Your hour has expired. I do not see Luigi before me, and we still don't know if Mario's dead."
"What are you sa-" Lord Shade leapt from his throne and sliced through Sergeant's chest with his blade. Instead of having a right arm, Shade had a beam sword extending from just past his elbow.
"Colonel!" Shade thundered. "Come here at once!"
In the blink of an eye, a Sol Warrior with the word 'Colonel' engraved on his chest plate in the ancient Shadow Shrowd language appeared before him. "You called?"
Lord Shade seated himself on his throne once again. "Sergeant isn't exactly feeling himself today." He glanced at the corpse that lay lifelessly on the ground before him. "Could you take his place?"
Colonel bowed. "Of course."
Another one? How many of us is he going to kill? What is he trying to do?"Good. I need you to make preparations to transport everyone in the castle to the Dark Castle," Lord Shade commanded sternly.
"Ah, the Dark Castle has already risen. What about the prisoners?"
"Kill them all."
Luigi and Glaive sprinted through Mushroom Fields, strategically avoiding areas that were heavily guarded. However, they noticed that most of the sentries were heading toward Forever Forest. But they were too late. Luigi stopped and stared at the sky.
"What is it?" Glaive asked. "I already know that the sky is red. If you're not going to-" He too saw what Luigi had seen. A small purple vortex appeared up in the sky. Suddenly, an earsplitting crackling noise erupted from within the void as it began to expand across the horizon until it nearly covered the sky. As if it was a portal to another dimension, a colossal fortress could be seen in the center of the vortex.
Chapter 5: Raiden's Palace
Mario gaped at the enormous palace that towered above him, yet was cleverly camouflaged by tree branches, bushes, and shrubs. He managed to let three words escape his lips. "I...found...it..." He slowly approached the temple's entrance. Taking one last deep breath, he stepped inside. Everything went black.
Elemental God Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs)
Mario awoke standing atop of a cloud on the sky, expanding as far as he could see in all directions. Before him stood a throne intricately designed with vivid shades of yellow and black. Seated on this throne was tall, bulky man covered in bronze armor. On his face was a silver helmet with two horns pointing upward. In his right hand, he wielded a colossal double-sided axe that looked extremely powerful- and heavy. The man stood upright. "I am Raiden, the Thunder God."
"Thunder God?" Mario parroted.
I wonder if he knows Skulleon... "Um, where exactly am I?"
"You stepped into the Thunder Palace, and were brought to this sacred haven in the Overthere. I used to live in the palace back in the Mushroom Kingdom, but now I reside up here," Raiden replied.
Mario scratched his head. "Um... Well, we're kind of having a crisis down in our kingdom. I need your help to save everyone."
"Impossible!" Raiden exclaimed. "It is beyond my power to change the fate of another world. There are three worlds in existence. The Underwhere is a place where everyone goes when there game ends, or whenever they die. However, if you were a good enough person while you were alive, Queen Jaydes, the ruler of the Underwhere, will allow you to pass on to the Overthere. And of course, there is your world. It is possible to travel between worlds, but you cannot perform any specific tasks in a world other than your own."
Mario sighed. "But I helped ward off Bonechill when he attacked the Overthere! By your logic, I shouldn't have been able to do that!"
"No, you were given permission by Queen Jaydes to visit the Overthere, meaning you were technically a resident of the Overthere until you returned to your own world. In other words, your world is the only world that I can do nothing to help. When you die, you become a resident of the Underwhere. With Jaydes's permission, you can become an inhabitant of the Overthere. But there's no circumstance where you can go from the Overthere or the Underwhere to your world, unless you already lived there in the first place," Raiden explained. "That's why you could leave now without any conflict."
"Why don't you teach me how to use thunder, then?" Mario inquired.
Raiden's eyes bulged. "You're asking for
my training? No one can just waltz into my palace unannounced and expect me to just give them the Thunder Element! Now leave! You've already wasted enough of my time!"
Mario turned around. "I guess that was kind of rude of me. Maybe I can go back with Skulleon and train with him some more..." This got Raiden's attention.
Just then, a Fireball struck the cloud they were on, and a small fire erupted. "That darned Fire God! Hasn't he learned to keep his flames under control yet?" Raiden cursed. "Now what?"
"Hold on a sec, I'll get it," Mario told him nonchalantly. He created a small Iceball in his hand and froze the flames in a block of ice. "There, now I'll be on my way. Sorry for bothering you."
"Wait a minute!" Raiden thundered. "What did you just do?!"
Mario shrugged. "You mean the Iceball? That's just a trick Skulleon taught me. I can do this, too." He melted the ice with a Fireball until it was just a puddle.
Raiden's jaw dropped. "Just like that? 'Oh, that's just a little trick Skulleon taught me.' Do you have any idea what you just
did?! There are three elemental gods: The Fire God, The Ice God, and The Thunder God. Each possesses an orb that gives you the ability to generate the element it represents at will. The catch is, you can only master one element. No one in all three worlds can contain another element unless they get rid of the one they already have first! How can you generate a Fireball
and an Iceball?!"
Mario thought for a moment. "I don't know... At first I could only use Fireballs when I got a Fire Flower. Then, after I started fighting Smithy and his gang to repair Star Road, it came naturally to me. And then, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi started picking up on the technique too. We can all do it. After I died in the fight with Metal Mario, Skulleon took me to his palace and gave me the Iceball ability."
"This is... perplexing..." Raiden murmured. "The only other person that can use more than one element is Grambi, the king of the Overthere."
"I don't know if this means anything, but one of Lord Shade's minions told me to come here because I had some kind of 'Capacity of Elements'."
Raiden threw his axe to the ground in disbelief. "Lord Shade?! Capacity of Elements?! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?! Some ancient Overthere prophecy states that someone will eventually come here bearing the Capacity of Elements, or the ability to contain all three elements within his body! You must be the one! But... are you planning to take on Lord Shade?"
Mario nodded. "You bet I am!"
"Fool! Lord Shade is probably the most dangerous threat ever spawned! The way you are now, Lord Shade could easily chew you up and spit you out!" Raiden cried.
"That's why I'm here. I was hoping you could teach me how to use the Thunderball. I'll be a lot stronger, and then I'll be able to win!" Mario shouted with determination.
"It's too early to tell, but maybe you will be strong enough to beat him after my training. Do you think you can handle it?"
Mario nodded.
"Good. Let the teachings of the lost art of thunder be hewn in your mind!"
[End Music]
Stealth Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmyu03-EebE)
"Alright, let's review the plan one more time," Glaive whispered, crouched down behind some thick shrubs. He peeked through the underbrush and saw four Sol Warriors marching toward Mushroom Castle. One was carrying the Shadow Rod, while the other three formed a constantly rotating triangle around him, so that no one would be able to sneak up on them.
Luigi was quivering uncontrollably. "How are we supposed to sneak in with them? I don't want to get caught!"
"See this armor I'm wearing?" Glaive asked in a biting tone, disgusted with Luigi's cowardice. "It's identical to the armor worn by those Sol Warriors. If I can switch places with one of them, they won't suspect a thing. Meanwhile, you should deliberately position yourself in our path. Make sure that I'm the first one to spot you, or the plan is a bust. I'll pretend to capture you and proceed to the castle with you as a prisoner. I'll lock you in the dungeon, secretly give you a key to your cell, and head to Lord Shade with the other three Sol Warriors. Then, you'll have to free Wario and Waluigi while I catch Lord Shade by surprise."
"Why do
I have to get caught?" Luigi whined.
"Do you look like a Shadow Shrowd? I didn't think so! It has to be you! You're the only person I have to work with!" Glaive growled.
"Fine," Luigi muttered. "I'll try..."
"Make sure I'm the first person to see you," Glaive reminded him. "Now go!"
Luigi dashed into the distance toward Mushroom Castle. Glaive reached into his pocket.
This has to be timed perfectly. He pulled out his sharpest kunai. Aiming the tip at one of the guards revolving around the Shadow Rod, he tossed it as hard as he could. Instantly, he began sprinting toward the sentry's position, not waiting to see if the kunai struck him. It pierced the guard's back, causing him to collapse onto the ground. By then, Glaive had already made it to the fallen sentry's location. He grabbed the corpse and tossed it as far as he could, just before he came into the other guard's vision. They didn't suspect a thing.
The group marched onward, slowly circling the Sol Warrior carrying the Shadow Rod. At last, Luigi came into Glaive's view. "A trespasser! I'll get him!" He dashed forward and seized Luigi's arm. He dragged him back to the other three sentries. "Good thing I spotted him. Let's get him to the dungeon before we deliver the Shadow Rod to the almighty Lord Shade." They nodded. Everything was going according to plan.
At last, they arrived at Mushroom Castle. They went below the castle into the dungeons, where Glaive locked Luigi in one of the cells. "Enjoy your stay, fool. Lord Shade will be pleased to hear that you've been captured." He turned his back to Luigi, pulled a key out of his pocket, and dropped it inside of Luigi's cell. "Well, let's get this to Lord Shade."
"Yeah, I can't wait to see what kind of reward he gives us!" one of the guard's exclaimed.
Glaive followed them back upstairs into the castle.
They'll get a reward, all right. Luigi picked up the key and used it to unlock his cell.
"I can't believe that actually worked," Luigi chuckled. He raced down the corridor filled wall-to-wall with cells. It didn't take long for Luigi to hear Wario complaining, so finding the Wario Brothers' cell was a cinch. "Looks like I'm saving you two, this time."
"Luigi, let us out of here! I'm hungry!" Wario moaned. "And with all of these people captured, no one will be around to guard their loot! Get us out of here!"
Luigi placed the key in the keyhole and turned it.
CLICK. The cell door swung open, and Wario exited hastily. "Listen, the whole kingdom is crawling with Shadow Shrowds. We need to take out Lord Shade right now, or we won't stand a chance!"
Wario clenched his fists. "
That's what I'm talkin about! It's time to bash some skulls!"
Waluigi rolled his eyes. "So, how did you manage to get in here? I doubt you could think of a plan by yourself to free us."
"Here's the scoop: Mario managed to survive the Shadow Starship's crash, and he went into Forever Forest to look for some kind of palace where he could get stronger. By sheer luck, I bumped into him. Before long, we encountered a strange warrior who called himself Glaive. Mario went to the palace while Glaive and I came here to try and rescue you two. He thinks that if we all team up, we can stop Lord Shade. Heck, he even came up with the plan to save you guys," Luigi explained.
Just then, a Sol Warrior entered the corridor. Wario, Waluigi, and Luigi dashed into the cell. The Sol Warrior walked down the hallway, examining each cell. Finally, he stopped inside of the cell that they were hiding in. "Hmm... I'm supposed to execute all of the prisoners, and- Hey! How did you unlock your cell door?!"
Chapter 6: No Match for Shade
Before anyone knew it, Wario had tackled the Sol Warrior to the ground. Luigi and Waluigi watched in awe as they struggled, until Wario delivered the final blow. "That chump almost reported us," Wario sighed.
"Quick thinking, Wario," Luigi complimented him. "Just make sure you don't try something reckless like that against Lord Shade."
Waluigi frowned. "Speaking of which, do any of you know how to get to Lord Shade from here? This castle is like a giant maze, and it's crawling with guards."
"Glaive told me to memorize the path we took to get from the entrance to my cell, and I already know the way to the throne room," Luigi answered. "I really don't want to fight him... But I've let my bro down too many times before! I have to do
something! But first, let's make sure that anyone trapped down here knows that everyone else is in the Secret Chambers."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs)
"You're speed is pathetic!" Raiden growled in disappointment. He had set up an entire obstacle course that required Mario to break all twenty targets, all while leaping over pits, dodging Raiden's occasional Thunderballs, and battling Goombas. The course itself wasn't difficult; it was the time Raiden expected it to be done in. "Thirty-two seconds?! I could beat that time if I was blindfolded, strapped to a chair, and had all of my limbs cut off!"
Mario collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. "How... can you... expect me... to go... any faster?" Mario asked between breaths.
"How can I
NOT expect you to go faster?!" Raiden thundered. "Try concentrating! You're too focused on individual goals! In your mind, each individual target is a separate goal, and each requires a great deal of effort! And while all of this is running through your head, you're thinking about beating Lord Shade! Am I right?!"
Mario nodded.
"That's what I thought. Try merging everything into one goal: to hit every last target on the course. In order to accomplish this, you must rhythmically and strategically traverse from target to target in such a way that you conserve energy- and time. As soon as you start to do this, you'll notice that it becomes a habit in everything you do, and the skill of efficiency will be yours. How does this relate to fighting? Let me give you an example. Let's say I'm about to punch you. Your natural instinct would be to dodge my punch or to counter it. In the state you're in now, you'd have to ponder which maneuver to perform, the perfect time and place to strike, and how not to let yourself open after responding to my punch. Would you really do that? By now, I'm sure you've realized that you can't. You have to act on impulse. Well, after my training, you
will be able to do that. In an instant, you'll be able to instinctively decide what kind of approach is best in many situations." Raiden observed Mario's confused expression. "Basically, you need to focus on one big goal instead of many small goals. Now try again!"
Mario sprinted onto the course again, this time taking Raiden's advice. It was tough, but Mario started planning out his path around the course as he shattered the targets. At last, he tumbled onto the ground beside Raiden. "How was that?"
"Again!" Raiden barked.
Mario complied and darted back toward the renewed targets. He finished again. "Any better?"
"Again!"
Having exerted all of his energy, Mario fell to his knees. Seconds later, he pulled himself up and tried again. After finishing, he gave Raiden a questioning look. "Again!"
Mario complied. For several hours, he redid the same course over and over. The only word spoken between either of them for three hours was, "Again!" Mario's determination was unbreakable. No matter how many times he started over, he took it without complaint. At last, Raiden gestured for Mario to come to him.
"How... did... I... do?" Mario inquired, gasping for air.
Raiden gave Mario an I-told-you-so grin. "Twenty seconds. Not bad, but you can still cut that time in half."
Mario's eyes bugged out of his head. "Ten seconds?"
"Ten seconds is the time you'll need to get to pass my course and touch the Thunder Orb. Have you ever heard the simile, 'as fast as lighting'?" Raiden chuckled. "As a reward for your improvement, I'll let you sleep in my real palace. Tomorrow, we'll continue your training."
"No!" Mario refused. "My friends need my help! I need to finish my training
now!"
"Enough! My training is far too extensive to be completed in one day. Tomorrow we will resume where we left off."
"Oh, alright," Mario sighed. "I can't feel my legs, anyway."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmyu03-EebE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmyu03-EebE)
The three Sol Warriors and the undercover Glaive wasted no time in getting the Shadow Rod to Lord Shade. Without stopping for a break, they marched to the Royal Stairway, which led up to the throne room. In his mind, Glaive replayed his own take of what the battle would be like over and over again.
Right now, no one suspects me as any kind of threat. I've got the complete element of surprise on my side. All I have to do is nab the Shadow Rod and use it against Shade. Once those plumbers come to my aid, we'll have this battle won.Seconds seemed like hours as they trudged up the seemingly endless stairwell. What's worse was that Glaive and two other Sol Warriors had to circle around the one carrying the Shadow Rod as they went up in order to ensure that no one could sneak up on them. How could they know that one of their 'guards' was actually Glaive?
At last, they reached the top. It was an enormous corridor in both width and height. Gusts of wind and red sparks of electricity whirled around the room, all from Lord Shade. He sat impatiently upon his throne, rapping his fingers against the armrests. Instantly, the wind and electricity faded away as Lord Shade stood up. "Have you at last brought me the Shadow Rod?"
"Yes, my lord," the Sol Warrior carrying the Shadow Rod replied with a bow.
"What are you waiting for? Bring it to me, fool!" Lord Shade snapped. "Don't you realize that when you hand the Shadow Rod to me, any chance those rebellious fools had of beating me will vanish?!" He took out the three Oracles of Power already in his possession: the Star Rod, Power Star, and Z Star.
The Sol Warrior hastily approached Lord Shade with the Shadow Rod. "Yes, of course, sir."
Glaive eyed the Shadow Rod.
Now's my chance! Or is it? No... I've got to wait... The right moment hasn't presented itself yet."Here you are, my lord," the guard said as he began to hand the Shadow Rod to Lord Shade. Suddenly, it vanished. "What?! Where'd it go?!" The Sol Warrior looked up at Shade, who had no trouble seeing Glaive's swift thievery. Standing about ten feet from Lord Shade was Glaive, the Shadow Rod cradled in his arms.
"Idiot! You let him steal the Shadow Rod!" Lord Shade exploded.
"I'm sorry sir, I-" Before he could finish his apology, Shade sliced through him as if he was a giant stick of butter.
Lord Shade turned to Glaive. "Not bad. My minion would have never seen such a quick theft coming. I, on the other hand, saw your movement as if you were in slow motion. Excellent posture, by the way. Even with all of that armor on, you landed in a way that not even the slightest sound was made."
"Enough of the flattery, Shade. I'm here to destroy you," Glaive spat with disgust. "You'll pay for what you've done to me, I swear it!" He pointed the Shadow Rod at Shade.
"That's not a very fair fight. Are you sure?" Lord Shade inquired with a faint grin.
"Not fair for you!" Glaive exclaimed as he rushed at Shade. He quickly drew a long blade and slashed at the mighty tyrant. Lord Shade knocked the blade from his hand with his own blade and gave Glaive a swift knee in the gut, piercing his armor. Glaive fell to the ground, clutching his chest. Lord Shade took a few steps back before kicking Glaive like a football, sending him flying into a wall. He walked toward the fallen warrior and scooped up the Shadow Rod from his lifeless hands.
"Was that it?" Lord Shade taunted as he walked back toward the other three Oracles of Power, which he had left on his throne.
"Wait just a minute!" Wario challenged as he, Waluigi, and a trembling Luigi emerged at the top of the stairway.
Luigi pointed at the Power Star, Star Rod, and Z Star on Shade's throne. "We can't let Shade get back to the other three Oracles of Power! If he has all four of them at one time, he could go on a rampage!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2fPQ6YmwAE&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2fPQ6YmwAE&feature=related)
"So, what are you going to do to stop me?" Lord Shade inquired, waving the Shadow Rod.
"Why don't I show you?!" Wario howled as he charged toward Shade.
Waluigi sighed. "What an idiot!" He ran into the fray after him.
Luigi glared at Glaive's lifeless body. "Uh... I guess I'd rather die fighting with them than die fighting Shade alone!" He followed after them.
Wario threw Lord Shade a powerful hook, but Shade caught his fist and tossed him up into the air. Waluigi tossed some purple Fireballs at him as he ran full speed into the battle. Shade deflected the Fireballs with his sword and gave Waluigi a solid blow across the face, knocking him to the ground. Luigi tripped over Waluigi and fell right in front of Shade. "Eeek!" He crawled through Shade's legs and attacked him from behind. Shade whirled around and sliced at him with his blade, but Luigi ducked and the sword passed above him. As Wario began to plummet back down to the ground, Shade pointed his blade at the ceiling, intending for Wario to fall right onto his blade.
"Bro!" Waluigi screamed as he jumped and shoved Wario as hard as he could, sending Wario flying out of the way of Shade's sword. Enraged, Shade smashed Waluigi's head as hard as he could with his fists, knocking Waluigi out cold and out of the brawl. Luigi jumped at Shade, who merely knocked Luigi onto his back. Shade then stomped on Luigi's chest, causing him to yelp out in pain before losing consciousness. Wario forced himself up and challenged Lord Shade in one final rush. Shade easily dodged his attack and shoved him down the Royal Staircase. Once he finally hit the bottom, he angrily began to wobble back up. He reached the top faster than any overweight man could, just before collapsing from exhaustion. Wario, too, was finished.
"Is that all?! I hate to break it to you, but I've only absorbed the energy from three Oracles of Power! I have yet to use the energy from the Shadow Rod!" Lord Shade bellowed in triumph. Just then, Glaive leapt at him from behind with his sword raised. Shade nonchalantly turned around and knocked him backward. "Not comfortable with the idea of dying yet, are you? I can understand that. After all, you went through so much trouble to come up with that plan!"
Glaive's eyes bulged. "What? You... knew? Why didn't... you... stop us?"
Lord Shade laughed. "I wanted to get all of you fools in one spot, that's all. Now I can eliminate every last one of you in one shot!"
It was Glaive's turn to laugh. "I'm afraid not. There's still one person who is willing to stop you."
Lord Shade's eyebrows narrowed. "What do you mean? Explain yourself!"
Glaive snickered even more. "You'll... find out... yourself... Tell me... when I see you in hell!"
"I guess you'll say anything when you're about to die. Very well then, I'll annihilate you all with the power of the Z Star!" He picked up the Z Star and held it high above his head. "Now, Z Star, destroy these rebellious pests!"
Chapter 7: Training With Gods
The Z Star began to glow a dark purple as tremors began to shake the entire room. Lord Shade could only laugh as the solid stone walls of the castle began to dissolve at the raw power emitting from the Z Star. "Soon you will all be giant piles of ash, and then no one will stand in my way!"
Luigi struggled to stand up, but failed. "It's over... If he can take on all of at the same time... not even Mario can beat him..."
Waluigi rubbed his eyes. "Am I really seeing this? This whole castle is starting to distort!"
"That's right! You and this entire castle will be eradicated! I-"
THWACKRescue Theme (http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/media/music/BattleNetwork/ost_exe_exe4-5/2-42%20-%20EXE%205%20-%20You're%20not%20alone!.mp3)
A tall, skeleton-like being in steak armor delivered a powerful blow to Shade, knocking him to the ground. Before Lord Shade could pull himself up, the mysterious warrior pulled out a long sword forged from bones and sliced through the Z Star. Shade was furious. "What have you done?!" The Z Star began to glow before floating out of Shade's hands, through the ceiling, and up above the castle. By the time it stopped, it looked like a tiny dot among the blood-red sky. Shade watched in horror as it split into three shards. But it wasn't what you'd expect to see when something broke apart. The force of the energy built up inside of the Z Star send the shards flying in different directions all across the kingdom.
"You'll pay for that, Skulleon!" Lord Shade cursed. "You shouldn't have interfered!"
Luigi, Waluigi, Wario, and Glaive assembled beside Skulleon. "Are you the one who helped my bro get stronger after he died? And the one who guided us in bringing him back?" Luigi inquired.
Skulleon nodded without taking his eyes off of Lord Shade. "You never learn, do you? Now all you've managed to do is make the gods of Overthere angrier!"
Lord Shade grinned. His anger disappeared without a trace. "How are you these days, Skulleon? I heard that the Fire God died recently, and that means that the bridge to Grambi's Palace cannot be used. To enter his palace you need to bring the Fire Orb, Ice Orb, and Thunder Orb to the pedestal in front of his palace. No Fire God means no Fire Orb; it's simple. But you already know this."
Skulleon clenched his fists. "For your information, we've got a new Fire God in training!"
"Ah, so I will get a shot at killing him, after all," Lord Shade taunted. "I'll pay him back in spades for what he did to me!"
Skulleon shook his head. "No, you can't! Grambi is too old to fight you! You mustn't! Besides, I've got a feeling you'll fight someone even stronger than Grambi soon enough!"
Shade stroked his chin.
Hmm... Who could this mystery man be? Is it the same person Glaive was referring to? It can't be him, because he's dead. I'm sure of that. But who is left? Anyone else that had a chance of stopping me is already dead! That rat Mario died in the crash! Or did he? I never did receive confirmation of his demise...Skulleon stepped forward. "I'd really like to teach you a lesson! But I know that I don't stand a chance."
Lord Shade frowned. "No. That will not do. We will fight here and now." He rushed forward at Skulleon.
"Oh no!" Skulleon quickly grabbed the four heroes beside him and vanished as suddenly as he appeared.
The five of them reappeared beside the Ice Palace in the Overthere. Luigi sighed. "That was close... Thank you for saving us."
Skulleon shook his head. "No. I did not save you. No one can be saved from that monster. I really wish Mario had not interfered with Lord Shade's plan. Now his rage will follow him- and you- to the ends of the universe. Luckily, I managed to delay his plans by slicing up the Z Star. He may have the Dark Castle, but we still might have a chance if he doesn't have the Z Star. Of course, when you fought him he was only powered up by three Oracles of Power, anyway. But with the Z Star on our side, perhaps we could sneak another Oracle of Power from him. If we had a perfect strategy, we could eventually get a hold of all four. Then we'd stand a chance. But once he has all four of them together, we can never get the energy that he stole from them back until he is destroyed."
Glaive Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kFYvSrxSGw)
Glaive began to chuckle. "Pfft... Don't think Lord Shade is that dumb. He would never let his guard down, especially if it involved his precious Oracles of Power. What we can think about, though, is finding those three shards before Shade does."
"Ah, I just remembered! I had a Giga Star stored away for an emergency such as this. If you use it, you could probably gain a severe advantage of Lord Shade! Here you go!" Skulleon pulled out a giant star glowing with every color of the rainbow and handed it to Glaive.
Glaive turned the star over in his palms, carefully observing it. After a few seconds, he dropped it to the ground. With a groan of disgust, he stomped on the Giga Star, shattering it to pieces. "Were you serious? What an enigma!"
"What was that for?!" Skulleon thundered.
"Why would I use a disgraceful item such as that? I'd rather die fighting him than use that pathetic excuse for an 'advantage'!" Glaive spat with disgust. "I will kill Lord Shade with my own hands! What I could use, though, is some training. Would you care to give us the same training you gave Mario?"
Skulleon thought for a moment. "Hmm... I guess I could, aside from teaching you the element of Ice. You'll become as strong as Mario was when he left this palace, but you lack the Capacity of Elements and cannot hold more than one element. You, Glaive, could learn the element, though. You don't seem to have any elements in your body at the moment."
"Thanks, but no thanks," Glaive declined. "I don't need your silly ice sculpture tricks. I need to get stronger."
"I'm in!" Wario bellowed. "I could afford to be as strong as Mario! He may be on my side, but we're still rivals!"
Luigi joined him. "I need to make sure Wario doesn't abuse his power, so I'll go too."
Waluigi sighed. "I guess that means I need to go as well. Whatever."
Elemental Palace Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs)
"Enough!" Raiden bellowed as Mario hit the final target. "You've done enough for today."
Mario collapsed onto the ground. "What... was my... time?"
Raiden shook his head. "Fifteen seconds. You are still too slow to be worthy of touching the Thunder Orb."
"How fast can you do it?" Mario inquired, pushing himself up from the ground.
"Twelve seconds," Raiden replied nonchalantly.
Mario struggled to his feet. "Twelve seconds? So why do I have to finish in ten seconds if you can only do it in twelve?! That's ridiculous!"
Raiden nodded. "That's right. In order to complete your training and defeat Lord Shade, you'll need to become even stronger than me. Even if I could help you, I would provide little resistance against Shade. But you're different. Skulleon saw something in you that no one else has, and we're all going to have to trust him and see what happens. We've always done our best to keep as many people away from Lord Shade as possible, but it looks like we're running out of options. If you can pass my trials, you will be that much closer to beating Lord Shade."
"Then at least let me try a few more times," Mario pleaded. "Please, I've got to beat Lord Shade. He's going to slaughter everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom if I don't!"
Raiden sighed. "Alright, you can keep going."
Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi collapsed from exhaustion. "Are you sure Mario did all of this?" Wario complained. "We've done nothing but run around in circles! I'm starvin!"
Glaive glared at the three of them in disgust. "You are all truly a bunch of weaklings. I'll bet Mario's training is at least five times as hard as this. You should stop thinking about yourself and actually try! Skulleon is probably thinking about how weak you are right now, and how you don't stand a chance against Lord Shade!"
Luigi turned to Skulleon. "That reminds me! It seemed like you and Lord Shade knew each other pretty well. I wanted to know how you knew him and maybe even Shade's back-story."
"Not now. It's far too long of a tale to tell right now. Ask the Thunder God or me about him one day when Mario is with you, so we can tell the story once and only once," Skulleon explained, almost in a whisper.
I don't think they're ready to hear the full story yet. If I ever have to tell them about Lord Shade, I'll only tell them what they need to know. Nothing further. It would break their hearts. Glaive and the Wario Bros. probably wouldn't care, but Mario and Luigi actually care about others.
Lord Shade Theme (http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/media/music/StarForce/ost_sf_rnr12/1-20%20-%20RnR1%20-%20Theme%20of%20FM-Alien.mp3)
"Sol Warrior number 1937, has everyone else made it into the Dark Castle?" Lord Shade barked impatiently.
The flustered Sol Warrior nodded. "Yes, I think... err... All of the Shadow Shrowds assigned to posts in the Dark Castle have arrived. The rest of them are patrolling the kingdom."
"Excellent," Shade muttered to himself. The Sol Warrior stared at his master's blank face. Clearly, Lord Shade's mind was on other matters.
"Are you pleased with your new base of operations?" the Sol Warrior inquired, attempting to strike a conversation. "I think it's much roomier than that cramped starship." He looked around, taking in all of the castle's breathtaking features. The throne room was a vast, circular dome in the top-center sector of the castle. This room, as well as every single other room, was painted black with streams of gold and silver outlining doors, windows, and other objects of importance. Thousands of golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, row by row, lighting up the entire room with a blood-red glow. The throne room itself was at least one football field long, and three basketball courts wide. But it was by no means a place to enjoy sports. And where was the Dark Castle, exactly? In the very vortex that clouded the kingdom's horizon, the castle waited for anyone bold enough to challenge the Shadow Shrowds.
Lord Shade cleared his throat. "Stop gazing at the castle and make yourself useful! I want you to contact the Alloy Team immediately! Tell them I need a certain 'favor' that only they can handle."
"The Alloy Team?! Is that- I mean, yes! Of course! The Alloy Team! Superb idea, your highness!"
Lord Shade grinned to himself.
Perfect. The Alloy Team is a highly trained squad of four Alloys ten times more powerful than an Alloy you'd run into in a Cruel Brawl. I hope those rebels have enjoyed their attempts to stop me, because any chance they had of repelling the Shadow Shrowds has vanished without a trace! But I can't help but wonder who this mystery hero is... Surely they're not referring to him. That would be absurd. I remember that day as clearly as yesterday:"No! You can't do this! I've got to stop you!"
"Stop me?! How do you plan on stopping me?!"
"I will, somehow! You'll see! One day, my actions will directly lead to your own death, you freak!"
"Me? A freak? I'll tell you who the real freak is! The one who sealed me and the rest of the Tribe of Darkness up! Well, no more! I'm done with that silly book, the Dark Prognosticus! I'm on to much bigger things! Goodbye, you fool!"
"NO!"
Chapter 8: Search for the Shards
The Mushroom Kingdom had once been bursting with life and prosperity. It was a wonderful time, when its citizens didn't have a single care in the world. They had always counted on Mario to save the day, and he always did, up until now. The darkened sky of the kingdom loomed above everyone like a giant cloud of depression that had filled up with everyone's gloom and broke into a storm of sadness that rained upon its desperate citizens. Almost all of the Mushroom Kingdom residents had made it into the Secret Chambers, but there were a dozen or two that weren't so lucky. Lord Shade hadn't discovered them yet, but it was only a matter of time before he decided to destroy the planet, anyway. While the kingdom's unlikely band of heroes prepared for the battles that awaited them, two days had come and gone. Two long and painful days of watching and waiting has passed, with no sign of hope for any of them, except for one. One of them did stay positive. Princess Peach. She knew that Mario had made a silent vow to come back to them alive before he took on the Shadow Shrowds. Even though she wasn't aware that Mario had escaped the starship's crash, she knew in her heart that he was alive. It was her hope that kept everyone else alive.
"That was probably the hardest two days of my life," Wario sighed. "But it was worth it, because now I'm as strong as Mario! Now everyone can start giving the glamorous Wario Brothers the attention they deserve! I'll be rich!"
"You four did an excellent job. Just keep in mind that Mario was just as strong as you are right now when he was beaten by Lord Shade," Skulleon reminded them. Don't expect to stand any more of a chance against him than you did before. On the bright side, most of his minions should be much easier to beat. Try your luck at finding the three shards of the Z Star. If you're lucky, Mario might show up to help you.
Luigi stared into the dim, gloomy horizon.
Where are you, bro? Waluigi waved his hand in front of Luigi's face. "Hey, Luigi! Snap out of it!"
Luigi blinked and turned to Waluigi. "Huh? Oh, I was just thinking, that's all. Let's start looking for those shards."
Glaive stepped forward, his fists clenched. "Oh, sure! Go right ahead and find all three shards, because I'm sure we know where they all are! Why don't we just sign a peace treaty with the Shadow Shrowds, while we're at it?!" he boomed in both sarcasm and rage. "We don't have any idea where to start looking, and we could be ambushed by one of Shade's goons if we're not careful."
"Have a little hope," Skulleon chuckled. "I know exactly where they all are."
Glaive whirled around to face Skulleon. "Why didn't you say so? Tell us, now!"
"You could've at least said please," Skulleon muttered. "I live up in the clouds, so I see just about everything in the Mushroom Kingdom, and that includes where the shards are. Now, where was the first one again?"
Bowser's Rage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blaUgqRY0Ic)
"Ugh, I can't believe I lost to Mario AGAIN! That no-good plumber always finds some way to beat me! It's sickening! How can a tiny plumber like him beat an enormous, good-looking Koopa like me? It's just not right!" Bowser roared as he finally stomped back to his castle. He had been grabbed by the tail and thrown out of Mushroom Castle after his most recent attack. It had taken him quite a while to find his way back to his castle.
Kammy, of course, was by his side. "Don't worry, your grumpiness! I believe Mario has been taking lessons from gods of the Overthere. That's probably why he was able to beat you even after you stole the Star Rod. He didn't even need the Star Spirits."
"It's not fair. I should be taught by the gods, so I can show everyone how weak Mario really is!" Bowser groaned. "And why do these stupid idiots in armor keep attacking me?!" A Sol Warrior spotted Bowser and charged at him. Before he could reach the mighty Koopa King, Bowser had burnt him to a crisp with his fiery breath. "Those morons are really starting to bug me, especially- Huh? What's that?"
"What?" Kammy inquired. "Another soldier?"
Bowser shook his head and pointed at a glowing object sticking out of the ground. "No, that!" He picked it up. "Hmm... It looks sort of familiar..."
Kammy's face brightened. "That looks like the Z Star! But it looks like someone broke it apart..."
"That's it! Gather up the entire Koopa Clan! We're going after the other pieces to this baby, and then we'll kidnap the princess!" Bowser cackled. "It's perfect!"
"I think the shards are attracted to each other. That means that we'll start to feel the shard we have pulling itself toward another shard when we approach it. So all we really need to do is walk around a bit! Let's get going!"
[End Music]
Graveyard Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWTkd9Uskzo&feature=related)
Wario, Luigi, Glaive, and Waluigi materialized in a colossal graveyard. Luigi grimaced as his feet sank into the brown, soggy soil. Hundreds upon thousands over tombstones lined old forgotten graveyard. Occasional strikes of lightning illuminated the pale red sky that hovered above them like a cloud of loneliness. Luigi shivered. "Let's get out of here! It's creepy!"
Waluigi looked around. "For once, I gotta agree with the coward. Where are we? The only place that even slightly resembles this place is Boo Mansion, and I don't see any mansion here."
"Bah, I'm not scared," Wario boasted. "You two can stay behind and let the real men handle this."
Glaive picked up a handful of dirt and carefully observed it. After a minute or two of feeling its texture, he held the soil to his nose and inhaled. "It smells of blood and corpses. Just as I thought it would. We're in the Soulless Realm, no doubt about it. It's the section of the kingdom directly above the Underwhere. I've heard that the gloom and hatred that compose the Underwhere are so powerful that they've leaked up into this area, sealing it away in a realm of its own. This is where restless souls of countless beings rest for eternity. And deep within this realm is the Z Palace. If Mushroom Castle is considered the good castle of the kingdom, then the Z Palace would have to be considered the bad. Though you may not have realized this, the four Oracles of Power have a direct negative and positive link. The positives are the Star Rod, which resides at the very top of the kingdom in Star Haven, and the Power Star, which normally rests in Mushroom Castle. The negative version of the Star Rod, the Shadow Rod, resides at the very bottom of the kingdom, or the gate between this kingdom and the Underwhere. The negative version of the Power Star, the Z Star, rests in the Z Palace at the strongest source of hatred in the kingdom. When all four of them are brought together, the owner becomes nearly invincible."
"So, how do we get out of here?" Luigi asked impatiently. "Something just isn't right. I feel like I'm being watched."
Glaive nodded. "You are. By the thousands of restless souls beneath us."
"What?!" Luigi thundered as he toppled onto his back and began screaming wildly. "Get me out of here! I don't want to be here! Get me out! Get me out! Get me out!" Suddenly, a decrepit hand half covered with rotten flesh emerged from the soil and grabbed Luigi's leg. That hand was followed by three more, each grabbing a corresponding limb. "Ew! Gross! Help me!" Luigi burst into tears of fright as he was pulled down into the ground.
"Watch out!" Glaive snapped as he swiftly drew his sword and sliced the hands that had attempted to drag Luigi into the Underwhere. "I forgot to mention that the restless souls I talked about earlier aren't exactly happy about the situation they're in. They like nothing more than causing their pain to others. So watch out!"
Luigi hopped back to his feet, his face damp with tears. "Get me out of here! Please! I don't like it here! Why did Skulleon warp us to this place?!"
"Shuddap, you crybaby!" Wario bellowed angrily. "None of us like it here!"
"No, he has a point..." Glaive defended thoughtfully. "Why did Skulleon warp us to this place? My guess is that one of the shards is here. Maybe the shard was attracted to its home and flew as close to it as possible. It must be around here somewhere, but where?"
"Don't we at least get a map or something?" Waluigi inquired. "Isn't searching this whole graveyard a little... time consuming?"
Glaive grinned. "Can't you handle it? Just look at Wario. You don't hear him complaining."
Wario glanced back and forth nervously. "Actually, you wouldn't happen to know how to get out of here, would you?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. First off, we need to find the Z Star shard. Any ideas-" Abruptly, a scream rang out from the distance that made even Glaive jump. But it wasn't the scream of a person. It was the type of howl that you would only hear from the most terrifying creatures.
"Okay, at least we know that we won't be looking in that direction," Luigi sighed.
Glaive smiled. "On the contrary. That's the direction we'll look in first."
[End Music]
Alloy Team (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q62HRO6m0I)
"My lord, the Alloy Team has arrived," a Sol Warrior informed Lord Shade. "They're looking pretty tough, too."
"Let them in," Lord Shade barked.
Without any further conversation, four warriors dashed into the room. The first to arrive was a short, stocky, and circular fighter colored entirely in green. Next, an average sized yellow soldier with two sharp horns on his head entered and stood beside his green ally. Third, a tall, cobalt blue female warrior sauntered in and took a bow. Finally, the leader of the group emerged and stood beside his comrades. He was the most muscular out of the group, and was even taller than the blue Alloy. After saluting Lord Shade, he spoke up. "Lord Shade, to what do we owe the privilege of being in your presence of greatness?"
"Enough sweet-talk, Red," Shade growled. "Have you heard of the Z Star?" The four of them nodded. "Good. It's been split into three shards. Find these three shards, or someone will have to find your corpses. Got it?"
"Of course," they complied in unison.
[End Music]
"Come on, Mario! You've been going at it for the past twelve hours! I haven't even been timing you!" Raiden groaned. "I think it's time for you to get some rest."
Mario shook his head. "Remember how you stopped timing me because you knew I wouldn't get it for at least another few weeks? Watch this!"
Raiden sighed. "You expect me to believe that you can get a time better than ten seconds. It took me years to gain my speed, and you think you can become faster than me in just a few days?"
"C'mon! Please?" Mario begged. "If I don't get it under ten seconds, I'll stop until tomorrow. How does that grab you?"
"Fine. Go ahead."
As Raiden began to keep track of Mario's time, he thought to himself about how nice it would be to finally get some rest. He had been watching Mario for twelve hours now, and he really wanted to go to sleep. Mario finished. He asked the same question he had asked so many times before: "What was my time?"
Raiden's eyes bugged out of his head. He tried to make sense of the results of Mario's test. Two words escaped his lips. "Eight... seconds..."
Chapter 9: Lost Soul
Graveyard Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWTkd9Uskzo&feature=related)
"I- I'm not going over t- there..." Luigi protested weakly, his face pale. "P- Please, let me o- out of here..."
SHRIEK!Glaive slowly approached the direction that the cry rang out from. He signaled for the others to follow him. Skeptically, Wario and Waluigi joined him. "Wait for me!" Luigi cried as he sprinted to catch up to them.
They walked down the dark and gloomy graveyard, their feet soaked with wet soil that smelled of blood. After a few minutes of trudging forward, they came to a metal gate bolted to a wooden fence that surrounded the next area. Luckily, the gate was entirely covered with rust, and the fence was rotting to the ground. With one swift yank, Glaive removed the gate from their path. He looked around. "It looks like we're in a garden of some sort. An old garden." Tall, leafless bushes and shrubs were positioned to form some sort of labyrinth.
"It's just a bunch of weeds," Wario muttered. "I can bash through these."
Glaive thought for a moment. "Anyone could bash through these shrubs. So why are they here? There
must be some kind of reason behind the maze-like appearance."
"Bwahaha!" Wario cackled. "You think with your brain while I'm busy thinking with my fists!" He smashed through the bushes with his fists and charged forward. Before he took another step, he plummeted downward into the ground. "Waaaah!"
Waluigi ran forward. "What happened?! How can you fall through solid ground?!"
Glaive reached his hand out to touch the ground Wario had fallen through. It passed right through the soil as if there was nothing there. "It's some kind of... illusion..."
Waluigi stared at the patch of soil his brother had just slipped into. "Where is he?!"
Glaive shrugged. "He's probably hit the Underwhere by now. But judging by his weight, it might take him a bit longer to sink down that fair. I'll bet that he's slowly drifting down the path between here and the Underwhere."
"How do we get him out?!"
"Hmm... I don't think it's possible... Unless we can find someplace here that leads down, Wario is now a permanent resident of the Underwhere. I warned him that there might be something up, and he didn't listen."
Waluigi's eyes did not shift from the dirt. "What if I jumped down after him?"
"Then you'd go to the Underwhere too," Glaive answered.
"If that's true, why would we bother looking for another way down?" Waluigi inquired.
Glaive sighed. "I don't think you understand what this 'maze' is all about. What Wario stepped on was real, solid ground. But below that solid ground was a high concentration of spiritual energy, the type of energy that converts matter into transparent figures. Basically, it turns you into a ghost. The spiritual energy must be leaking up into the areas above, turning anything that passes over it into a spirit. Once you're a ghost, anything you touch- or anything that touches you- will pass right through you. When Wario was exposed to the spiritual energy, he passed through the ground and is probably now heading straight for the Underwhere. Those crafty spirits trapped here must have set up this maze to cause the same pain they've suffered to anyone who tries to conquer this maze."
Waluigi scratched his head. "You know way too much... Besides, what does that have to do with finding another way down below the soil?"
"If you went the same way as your brother, you'd also become a ghost and suffer the same fate as him. Well, maybe there's some kind of stairway leading down toward the Underwhere. If we took the stairway, we wouldn't become ghosts and we'd be able to return safely. The only problem is, we still wouldn't be able to touch Wario if he's a ghost, let alone grab him and pull him back to the surface."
Waluigi glanced back at where Luigi had just been standing. "Hey, where did Luigi go?"
Suddenly alarmed, Glaive scanned the area for any signs of Luigi. "He's gone! He must have been pulled down under the soil! Or maybe he tried to get through the maze and ended up just like Wario! That fool!"
"Now what? We might be better off looking for the shard and worrying about them later," Waluigi sighed. "We can always use the Star Rod to-"
"I've got it!" Glaive exclaimed. "The Z Star is the only thing that can reverse the effects of the Soulless Realm! If we found the shard, it would probably be enough to turn a ghost back to a real, live person!"
Waluigi's face brightened. "So all we need to do now is find the shard and a passage that leads underground! Then we can get out of this place!""
Glaive nodded. "First off, we'll need to find a way to get through this labyrinth. Keep in mind that there will probably be many different areas just like the one Wario fell into throughout the entire maze. Watch out."
Waluigi solemnly stepped forward into the maze. "Let's get going."
Luigi briskly weaved through the gravestones toward the area Skulleon had teleported them to. "Sorry guys, but I need to get out of here. But where's the exit?" He stopped at a patch of dirt that seemed very familiar to him. "This is where we started. This has to be the exit!" He observed the decapitated hands that earlier tried to pull him into oblivion before Glaive intervened. "Gross! This is definitely the place! Maybe this isn't the gate to the Soulless Realm... Maybe this is just the spot Skulleon decided to bring us to! That would mean the exit could be anywhere!"
RUSTLE
Luigi whirled around. "Who's there?!"
A bright, circular soul emerged from a cluster of underbrush. "Boo!" The thirteen inch tall, basketball sized spirit let off a translucent blue glow as it spooked the unsuspecting plumber.
Luigi let out a shrill cry as he fell onto his back, wailing and kicking his legs as if he were an infant. When he realized that the ghost meant him no harm, he recovered from his fear and angrily leaped to his feet. "What are you trying to do?! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
The spirit danced around in the air with glee. "Gotcha! I just couldn't help it! We rarely have any company in the Soulless Realm, so we still need to work on our social skills a bit. Sorry to spook you, but it was worth it!"
Luigi scratched his head. "Well, I guess I can forgive you. So, what exactly are you? You're a little different from all of the other spirits I've seen here."
"How so?"
"You're kind of friendly, for starters. And you're... well... circular... And you can talk in complete sentences..."
The spirit laughed. "I never really thought about it that way. I've always considered myself different because I'm only half of a soul. I'm Oni."
Luigi's eyes bulged. "What happened to the other half?"
"Not too long ago, an impact shook the kingdom and split me into two halves. I've been unable to return to my former self ever since. If only I could find my other half, I'd be complete again," Oni explained. "So, what are you doing all alone in the Soulless Realm? You don't seem like the kind of person that would hang around in a place like this."
Tough question. Could Luigi trust Oni? He was going to try. "I came here with three other friends. One of them fell in some kind of maze and I left before I ended up the same way."
Oni frowned. "That's no way to treat your friends. I'd be glad to help you find them and rescue the one that fell into the labyrinth. But first, why did you and your friends come to this realm?"
Luigi thought before answering. "Do you have any sort of idea what has been going on outside of this realm?"
Oni shook his head. "I used to. As soon as I was split into two, my powers have been severely limited."
"I guess I'll start from the beginning then," Luigi replied.
Mario Jr. and Luigi Jr. hopped off of the boat that the Yoshi Tribe had crafted for them. They had finally made it to Toad Town Port. They had spent over a year at Yoshi Island. Mario had sent them there to protect them until he had taken care of all of the villains that were trying to kidnap Peach or otherwise rule the world. Of course, at that time Mario had no idea that the Shadow Shrowds even existed. Regardless, the two children had finally returned to the central area of the kingdom. Mario Jr., now eight years of age, observed the dark red sky. "The sky randomly turned red while we were sailing over here, and it hasn't gone back since. Maybe the sky is different colors depending on where you are..."
Luigi Jr., only five years old, gazed up at the sky. "I like blue better."
"Hey, it's Mario and his green brother!" a Sol Warrior shouted. Three armored guards suddenly turned their attention to the two brothers.
"They think
we're the Mario Brothers!" Mario Jr. exclaimed. "Of course, technically we are considering our last name is Mario."
"Those guys look mean!" Luigi Jr. cried. "What do we do?!"
Mario Jr. thought for a moment as he watched the three guards charge at them with their swords raised. "I never knew the people here were so mean!"
"Do you think we can beat them?" Luigi Jr. inquired.
Mario Jr. nodded. "These guys shouldn't be a problem, especially after all of the things we learned on Yoshi Island."
Luigi Jr. sidestepped out of the way of a Sol Warrior's massive blade and countered with a piercing kick to the chest. With a loud groan, the sentry fell onto his back with a THUD. Mario Jr. took a great hop onto an approaching soldier's head. Enraged, the guard attempted to swat the young plumber off with a swing of his sword. Just before the swing connected, Mario Jr. jumped off of the fighter's head and drove his feet into the final warrior's head, temporarily stunning him. The second Sol Warrior, whom Mario Jr. had used as a stepping stool to kick the third guard, rushed at the unaware Mario Jr. with his blade raised. In one final swing he sliced at Mario Jr., who sidestepped out of the way at the last moment, causing the sword to unintentionally plunge into the head of the dazed guard. Fed up with being beaten by a child, the second Sol Warrior sliced again at Mario Jr., who back-flipped behind him in mid-swing while Luigi Jr. also approached him from behind. In one decisive blow, both Mario Jr. and Luigi Jr. punched the guard from behind in perfect unison, ending the battle.
"That was... easy," Mario Jr. sighed. "I guess all of that time we spent on Yoshi Island really helped. Let's go pay a visit to Mushroom Castle. We can probably find out where dad is from there."
Chapter 10: King-Sized Target
"You mean Lord Shade is after the Mushroom Kingdom?!" Oni thundered as Luigi finished explaining their entire encounter with the Shadow Shrowds. "Will he ever be satisfied?!"
Luigi's eyes bugged. "You know Lord Shade, too?! I thought it was odd that Skulleon knew who he was, but this is a little too much! How do you know him?"
Oni's Past (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd2BAKPJE6I&feature=related)
Oni grew serious. "I once knew him. The two of us were the best of friends. We had our differences, but it didn't matter to us. We thought nothing could ever shatter our friendship. We lived our entire life together. Shade was always there for me as we grew up, and I did my best to do the same. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. You see, we had very different heritages. Because of this, our parents were completely against our friendship. When we were just children, they didn't see any harm in allowing us to be acquainted. However, as we aged into our teens, our parents had to intervene.
"I'll never forget that fateful day. We were just talking with each other about old times and how great of a friendship we had. That was when our parents tore us apart. Without warning, we were forced to return home with our respective parents and were told we would never see each other again. I'm sure we could have waited it out and thought of some kind of plan, but Shade was too heartbroken to wait any longer. In an explosion of rage, he stole the forbidden book of his tribe, the Dark Prognosticus, and... and..." Oni burst into tears.
Luigi attempted to pat Oni on the back, or at least wherever a circular spirit's back would be, but his hand passed right through him. "You really had it rough, didn't you? I never knew Lord Shade actually had such a sad tale behind all of his destruction, or that he had the Dark Prognosticus."
Oni shook his head, still pouring out tears. "Not... anymore..." he managed between wails of sadness.
Luigi sat on the ground, puzzled. "Hmm... There must be more to Shade than I thought. And there must be even more of a story to him than what Oni has already told me. What happened to the Dark Prognosticus? How does Skulleon know him? Is he related to Count Bleck? How did Oni end up here? It doesn't look like I'm going to get any more information from Oni. I better change the subject."
Graveyard Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWTkd9Uskzo&feature=related)
Oni's tears dried. "I'm sorry. I just can't help but think that I'm responsible for Shade's evil deeds. If I never existed, Shade would have never been thrown into despair."
"That's not true," Luigi replied with a reassuring smile. "Shade chose to be evil on his own, and we need to stop him."
Oni nodded. "You're right. Let's go look for my other half so we can get that shard and help your friends."
"What in the world happened here?" Mario Jr. wondered aloud, staring at the castle's wrecked structure. From the outside, it had looked fairly normal. However, the castle's interior was completely demolished. "I don't remember much about the castle, but I know it looked better than this."
Luigi Jr. tapped a large crack in the wall, causing half of the wall to cave in. He fell backward, nearly avoiding the crash. "The walls aren't very sturdy, either."
Mario Jr. rolled his eyes. "Really? I couldn't tell by the huge cracks," he remarked with heavy sarcasm.
"Do you think Bowser attacked again?" Luigi Jr. inquired as they entered the library. Most of the bookshelves had been thrown onto the ground during the siege on the castle. Luigi Jr. approached a few bookshelves in the corner that were untouched by the devastation that had swept over Mushroom Castle and studied the selection of books. As he flipped through the pages of several different books, many dust particles began to rise.
Mario Jr. sneezed. "This place is deserted. Where did everyone go?"
Luigi Jr. shrugged. "Maybe they all went out for lunch... At least we have a shelf full of books to keep us busy while we wait for them to come back. There are even some books that are at my reading level! I can't wait until I can read as well as you, bro."
Mario Jr. smiled. "You'll learn. Since we have some time to kill, now would be a good time to practice." With that, they sat down beside the bookshelf and began to read silently. They lost track of everything else that was happening around them as they became enveloped in their books. Although they were unaware of exactly how much time had passed, they knew it was at least a couple of hours.
Luigi Jr. looked out of the window. "Bro, why hasn't it gotten any brighter out? It's been dark and gloomy outside ever since we got here!"
Mario Jr. scratched his head. "That is strange!" Both of them paused and waited silently for something to happen. Mario Jr. put his head to the wall. "Do you hear... whispers?"
Luigi Jr. put his head against the wall beside his brother's. "Uh-huh. Who do you think it is? And how did they get stuck in the wall?"
"I don't know," Mario Jr. replied, "but we're about to find out!" Abruptly, he jumped to his feet and shoved the bookshelf to the side, causing it to crash beside the other fallen shelves. He searched the wall until he found a small depression that represented some sort of handle. After pulling it, pushing it, and pounding on it, he finally figured out the he needed to slide it. He gripped the crevice and pushed to the left with all of his might. After a few seconds of effort, part of the wall slid to the side, revealing a hidden room.
Peach and the Toads immediately turned their attention to their visitors. "Mario? Luigi? Is that you?" Peach asked hoarsely.
"You're the second person to mistake us for the Mario Brothers," Mario Jr. answered cheerfully, "but you're close enough. We're his sons."
Peach ran through the mass of Toads to meet them. "You two sure have grown. I'm glad to see you've finally come back. But I almost wish you hadn't."
Luigi Jr. frowned. "Why not?"
Peach began to sob. "Our kingdom is at the mercy of the Shadow Shrowds. They're a merciless military of warriors that go from planet to planet, conquering everything in their path. We're next. I'm not sure how much time we have left before they exterminate the planet, but there is still hope."
One of the Toads stepped forward. "Not that rubbish again! The starship Mario was on crashed! He's dead! I don't know about you, but I've finally gotten over the fact that Mario is dead. We need to be realistic here. Our only hope was Luigi, and he hasn't returned in over a week. He's gone. They're all gone!"
"No," Peach persisted. "I remember something Luigi told me a long time ago. It was a dream he had. Just about everything he described about the dream has come to pass, all except for the final part:
I dreamt that the world was cold and dark. All you could hear were the occasional screams in the background. It was a world where evil and wicked ruled, and that anyone who opposed them were killed. Everyone had to hide, and if they were found, they would be brutally murdered on the spot. But there was a blotch of light! It was just one tiny spot in the darkness. And I swear on my life that that blob of light was Mario. I was not afraid... Many survivors were hidden in a beat up area, guarding you and the two babies. Yet you were not afraid... You knew that the light would somehow overcome the dark...
"That's what he said. That was just after the last time I saw Mario. Just about everything in his dream matches what is happening now. All we can do is hope that Mario is still alive; because if he is, you can rest assure that he won't stop fighting until our kingdom is safe."
"Gwaha ha ha!" Bowser chuckled as he stomped out of the deserted Vista Hill. Behind him, a few hundred troops marched confidently toward their goal. "When I find the other Z Star shards, I'll be unstoppable!" With one final cackle, he hopped into the pipe that led to Mushroom Fields. When he emerged, he stared blankly at the sky. "Kammy, what time is it?"
With a wave of her hands, a clock materialized in her hands. "Hmm... One o'clock P.M."
Bowser's eyes were glued to the sky. "Shouldn't the sky be... uh... bluer?"
In a puff of purple smoke, the clock vanished. "The sky is always red in Vista Hill, but never in the main areas of the Mushroom Kingdom. What could've happened?"
"Halt!"
Alloy Team (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q62HRO6m0I)
The Alloy Team stood firmly before Bowser and his troops. "That is one of the Z Star shards. It is under the ownership of Lord Shade. Hand it over," Red barked.
Bowser held the shard close to his body. "No! It's mine! Go find your own!"
Red frowned. "It belongs to Lord Shade. Give it here!"
"You and what army?!" Bowser challenged. "Get lost. In case you haven't noticed, I've got a totally awesome army standing behind me. They're not just standing there to make me look good, you know. After all, why would I need to look better than I already do?"
Blue stepped forward. "Get over yourself! You have to be the ugliest turtle I've ever looked at!" She turned to her team. "We can take them, Red. It doesn't look like he's going to hand it over."
"That's it!" Bowser roared. "I'm a Koopa, not a turtle! No one insults me like that! Troops, attack!"
Red sighed. "Very well. Let's show them what we're all about!"
The four Alloys rushed forward to attack the charging army. Bowser escaped to the rear of the battle, letting his troops do all of the fighting. Green stomped on an entire row of Goombas, crushing them beneath him without touching the ground once. Yellow rushed at a Koopatrol and pierced through its steel armor with the horns one his head, just as a bull would. Blue slapped a Goomba across the face, sending it tumbling into another Goomba, which in turn hit another Goomba, starting a massive chain that closely resembled a pinball game. Red took on several troops at once, relying on his elite combat skills. One of his favorite maneuvers was to stomp on a Koopa, forcing it into its shell, and then tossing that shell into the fray. In no time at all, the battlefield was littered with flattened Goombas and smashed Koopa shells.
"Have you reconsidered surrendering the shard?" Red inquired, his eyebrows raised. "Or do you need to join your troops on the ground?"
"Never!" Bowser snapped defiantly. "I'll have you know that the battle has yet to begin!"
Red clenched his fists. "So, you're finally going to fight us?"
"Of course not," Bowser replied with a nervous grin. "Kammy! Fight them! Now!"
Before another word could be spoken, Bowser and Kammy were on the ground, groaning in pain. Red pried the shard from Bowser's hands. "The Shadow Shrowds thank your kind donation." He saluted them. The four of them turned and walked off toward their next destination: Forever Forest.
"That was easy," Blue stated, purposely loud enough so that Bowser could hear her. "If the other two shards are this easy to find, we shouldn't have any problems at all."
Chapter 11: Two Pieces of a Puzzle
Graveyard Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWTkd9Uskzo&feature=related)
"So, where should we look first?" Luigi inquired, brushing the soggy dirt off of his overalls with a grimace.
"This way," Oni began floating toward where Waluigi and Glaive were. "It's somewhere in that direction."
Luigi shook his head emphatically. "No way! My friends and I heard a scream coming from over there! It could be dangerous!"
Ignoring Luigi, Oni moved even faster. "I'm picking up... Some kind of dark energy... It must be Hades."
"Hades?!" Luigi parroted in fear. "Sounds scary! Who is he?!"
Oni stifled a chuckle. "Hades? Oh, let's just say he's my 'unfriendly' competition."
"Is he scary?"
Oni nodded nonchalantly. "Everything here is scary. Either you help me beat Hades, or you'll be stuck here forever. I control the gateway that leads out of this realm, or at least I used to. Now that I'm only half of my former self, I don't have the power to open up a gateway to the Mushroom Kingdom. The only other person who has the strength to open a path out of here is Lord Shade, but that's another story entirely. We'll need to find Ino, my other half, who has probably been captured by Hades."
Luigi almost cried. "I don't want to fight a monster! I want to go home!"
"Why don't you get your friends to help us?" Oni suggested. "We could use some help."
Luigi's face lit up. "Good idea! They won't mind fighting him at all. Let's go look for them."
Luigi described the area he last saw Waluigi and Glaive in. Almost instantly, Oni knew the exact area Luigi was talking about. "That's Hade's little maze. He set it up to keep away trespassers. If your friends tried to get through unguided, they've likely suffered the same fate as your greedy friend. Either way, we'll have to get through the maze to reach Hade. So-"
"Eeek!"
The scream had caused Luigi to jump to a height that would have made even Mario jealous. Luigi let out a cry even louder than the one the preceded his. Oni was alarmed. "That's Ino! We have to get going!"
Reluctantly, Luigi followed Oni a little further until they reached the familiar torn apart gate that led into Hade's territory. Not a sound. "Glaive? Waluigi?" Luigi called softly. "Guys! Where are you?"
"They probably fell," Oni speculated. "I'm the only one that knows the way through this maze besides Hades. I've tried rescuing Ino before, and each time I had to pass through this labyrinth. But I was never able to beat Hades. I'm sure you can help me."
"I'll try," Luigi whimpered.
With that, Oni began making his way to Hades. "Follow me."
Skeptically, Luigi trailed his new ally through the maze. For each step that he took, Luigi grimaced. He was worried that he would make a mistake and fall to his doom. But he soon gained confidence in Oni as they traveled through a mindboggling combination of paths toward their goal.
Elemental God (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs)
Dawn arrived for Mario and Raiden in the Overthere. In the Thunder Palace's guest room, Mario awoke. "I slept like a baby," he said with yawn. He rolled off of his plush, exquisite bed and admired the room's beauty. His feet sank into the soft, cushiony golden carpet. Although it was only the size of a standard household room, the guest room made up for its size with its opulence. The walls were covered from floor-to-ceiling with intricate golden designs that shined under the sun's warm glow. From the ceiling hung four marvelous chandeliers, each with sixteen candles lit with a golden flame. "I didn't notice how nice this place was yesterday. I guess I was too worn out to care." He began to stretch. After some push ups, sit ups, and other mild aerobics, Mario stood up. "This place is even more luxurious than Mushroom Castle! I wonder who designed it."
He exited the room with a tall door that matched the room's vivid décor. "Raiden!" Mario called. "I'm ready to see the Thunder Orb!" He dashed down a series of opulent corridors decorated similarly to the guest room and exited the palace. Outside stood Raiden, his arms crossed.
"What were you doing in there?" Raiden inquired, obviously not pleased.
"Sleeping," Mario answered nonchalantly. "How long have you been waiting for me?"
"Try two hours," Raiden replied gruffly. "You were sleeping that entire time?"
Mario nodded.
"I'll never understand you humans," Raiden sighed. "It's hard to believe fate could rely on such a lazy man. But we have other matters to discuss. It's the Thunder Orb. You've proven that you're worthy to touch it, but I still need to warn you. Thus far, you're body has accepted the elements of Ice and Fire with little difficulty. Although you possess the Capacity of Elements, there is still a chance that your body will not be able to handle a third element. I fear that you may die if you attempt to gain the Thunderball ability."
"Do I really need the element anyway?" Mario asked. "I've already become a lot faster. I could probably beat Shade without it."
Raiden's face displayed great urgency. "That's the next thing I wanted to talk about. Grambi, the ruler of Overthere, just sent me a message. He told me that even though you've become a lot stronger, Lord Shade would have the advantage. If you were this strong when you confronted Lord Shade earlier, it would be a simple task to have picked him apart. But while you were training under me, Lord Shade obtained the remaining two Oracles of Power. Thanks to your friends and some help from Skulleon, Shade has only three. The Z Star was split into three shards and scattered across the kingdom. As we speak, your friends are looking for those shards. Even with three Oracles of Power, Shade is stronger than you are."
"Darn him!" Mario cursed. "It doesn't matter! I have to try!"
Raiden shook his head. "You didn't let me finish. Grambi wants to give you lessons. If you trained with Grambi, there's a very good chance you'd be ready to take on Shade."
Mario groaned. "More training?"
"There's a catch," Raiden continued. "Grambi is only interested in training you when you have mastered all three elements. That means you'd have to risk gaining the Thunderball ability."
Mario thought for a moment. "Hmm... If I tried to fight him now, I'd die anyway. So I guess I might as well try. What do I do?"
Raiden pointed at a pedestal forged from solid gold. Atop of this pedestal was a plush, red pillow. And resting on top of this pillow was an orb the size of a baseball that emitted sparks of electricity. "Touch it."
Mario approached the Thunder Orb. "Here I go..." He reached out his hand and placed it on the orb.
BZZZERP!!
Graveyard Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWTkd9Uskzo&feature=related)
"Okay Luigi, Hades is at the end of this path," Oni whispered.
Luigi was shaking feverishly. "I'm feeling kind of... sick. Can we go?"
"We can't turn back now! You can beat him!" Oni reassured him.
Luigi gulped and stepped forward. "Come out Hades! Give-"
A bulky, fifteen-foot-tall mummy wrapped in bandages from head to toe stepped forward. The ground shook with each step he took. The only parts of his body that were visible were the two piercing red eyes that were now staring Luigi down.
"I mean, uh... Sorry for the intrusion. Would you mind if I took Ino for a little while to see a friend?" Luigi asked politely, his face pale with fear.
Hades took another step toward Luigi, causing the ground to tremor.
Luigi backed up. "I mean... We just stopped by the say hello, but now we really have to be going! See ya! Bye!" He turned around and made a sprint for the exit. Before he could get anywhere, Hades scooped Luigi up and held him in his closed fist.
"You're not going anywhere!" Hades grumbled in a low voice.
"Put him down!" Oni screamed. "And let Ino go while you're at it!"
Behind Hades stood a small cage that contained a being identical to Oni, except it was red. "Oni! Help me!" Ino pleaded.
Luigi broke free of Hade's grasp and delivered a powerful kick to Hade's face that sent him tumbling onto the ground. Luigi dashed behind Hades, picked up the cage that imprisoned Ino, and brought it to Oni. "That wasn't so bad."
"Look!"
Hades Attacks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr9E8pFh_S8)
Hades pulled himself back up and began chasing after them. "Let's get out of here!" Luigi cried. "He's too strong!"
"It's not his strength," Oni told Luigi as they ran full speed away from Hades, who pursued them at an unusually fast rate. "He's already dead, so there's not much else we can do to him. Hades is pretty much immortal."
Luigi dove out of the way as Hades slammed his fast on the spot where Luigi just stood, leaving a huge crater. "So... how... do... we win?" Luigi asked between breaths as they ran blindly through the maze Hade had set up to prevent intruders.
"I'm... not... sure," Oni replied.
Ino squirmed in his tiny cage. "I'm just surprised you can run down the right paths without even thinking about it! You must have spent a lot of time memorizing the right way through this place!"
"We need to lose him! Now!"
Chapter 12: Escape from Soulless Realm
Escape from Hades (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99imxHnbmqE)
Oni and Luigi dashed blindly through the maze with the cage that held Ino captive. Hades eagerly chased after them, causing the ground to shake with each step he took. "Come back! You can't run forever!"
"He's... right..." Luigi informed Oni between breaths. "We need... to hide..."
As they began to lose Hades, they turned right at a fork in the maze and hid behind some dead shrubs that concealed a dead end. "We need to open Ino's cage," Oni whispered. "It's sealed shut with Black Magic. It must have been cursed by Hades. I'll work on opening it."
"Yikes!" Luigi shrieked as he leaped out of the way of a giant, mummified fist. "He found us!"
Oni began to glow with White Magic. "Good idea! You distract him while I free Ino!"
"Gee, thanks!" Luigi called back as Hades began to pursue him. "I have no idea where I'm going, so I've got to improvise. This should do the trick!" He whirled around and shot a Fireball right in the mummy's face. Because Hades was covered in flammable bandages, he immediately began to catch on fire. As Hades roared in agony, Luigi made his escape. Everything in the maze looked the same. It was all dead hedges and wet soil for almost a mile. Gotta find a place to hide. I'll bet Hades isn't too happy right now.
"I'm coming for you, you coward! You're going to regret that!" Hades screamed from a distance. Luigi knew he would catch up with him soon. Without a second thought, Luigi threw his hands onto the ground and began wildly thrusting dirt into the air. By the time he dug a decent-sized hole, his fingers were starting to bleed. As the furious stomps of Hades grew closer, Luigi threw himself into the hole and piled the dirt over him. Ordinarily, Luigi wouldn't ever want to touch the disgusting dirt with his hands, but the situation was serious.
This is gross! I hope Hades falls for it! Luigi listened as hard as he could, but all he heard was the sound of his heart beating. Time seemed to stand still as he waited for something- anything- to happen. Luigi didn't know how long he had been waiting, but eventually he felt the dirt press down against his face. Hades was above him. Seconds later, Luigi felt the weight above him rise and disappear completely. He popped out of the dirt to see that Hades had run right past him. He turned around to sneak back toward Oni.
Hades stopped. "That coward wasn't that fast. Something's not right..." He sniffed the air around him. "I smell fear." He turned around. "Stop running away! The stench of the living is far too malodorous for you to hide from me! I can smell where you are no matter where you may hide!"
Luigi's mind was racing. Now what?! He sprinted down the familiar path that led toward the entrance to the maze, miraculously avoiding the traps. Hmm... I have one last idea... With a few well placed Fireballs, Luigi burnt down a long row of dead shrubs. As he had found out earlier, anyone that steps on the area of soil where the bushes are growing from will fall right through. With the bushes gone, it looked like any other patch of soil in the realm. Luigi stood firmly on the opposite side of where the bushes used to be.
"I've got you!" Hades shouted triumphantly as he dashed toward Luigi. Just as he was about to stomp on the plumber, he fell right through the ground before him. It happened just as Luigi had planned.
Luigi jumped for joy. "It worked! The same thing happened to Wario. It's kind of sad that his own maze would cause his defeat." The battle now over, Luigi began to make his way to Oni.
Graveyard Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWTkd9Uskzo&feature=related)
Ino stood outside of his cage beside Oni. "How'd it go?" Oni asked.
"I won," Luigi boasted. "It wasn't so hard. What do we do now?"
Ino and Oni floated side by side. "Watch this!" They began to swirl around in a circular motion, creating a vortex of red and blue in between them. In a flash of blinding light, they seemed to be sucked into the vortex, leaving a single being when the light faded away. No longer were two childish fairies floating before Luigi. One elderly man stood in their place.
"Who are you?" Luigi inquired, almost frightened.
"I'm Inoni," the man replied. "I am the ruler of the Soulless Realm." Inoni was about five feet tall, with a mop of grey hair that matched his bushy grey beard. His hairy face framed two small, beady, black eyes that seemed heavily weighed with despair. Around his hunched back and covering his entire body was a dark orange cloak. Inoni held a golden staff that also served as a cane, tipped with a fine sapphire that reminded Luigi of his brother's eyes.
"You look kind of sad," Luigi told him. "I thought you'd be happy to be reunited with your other half."
Inoni paused for a long while before responding. "True, I do receive many benefits from this form. But now that I have both of my missing pieces, I have twice the stress that I did before. You see, an old fellow that has experienced as much as I have cannot easily manage to be happy. My best- and only- friend betrayed me. He became so angry at the world that not even our friendship mattered anymore. Even after I tried to help him one last time, he took advantage of me. I've been stuck guarding this place from anyone similar to him ever since."
"You're not making much sense," Luigi responded, puzzled. "What did he do to get you stuck here? What do you mean by 'guarding' this place? What's worth guarding here?"
Inoni took a few minutes to gather his thoughts. At last, he spoke up. "There is much for you to learn about Shade's past. What I have told you is but one piece of a puzzle that will eventually be solved. But we need to focus on the task at hand. We must find the Z Star shard. Now that I am whole, I can track it down with ease."
"Okay, can you lead me to it?"
"Just follow me."
Violent shocks emitted from the Thunder Orb and ricocheted throughout Mario's entire body. He fell to his knees, his hand still desperately holding on to the orb. Mario refused to let go, no matter how great the pain was. If he failed now, how would he ever become strong enough to defeat Lord Shade? "Must... hold... on..."
"You're doing it, Mario! Just don't let go! You'll be stronger in no time!" Raiden encouraged him.
Mario held on for dear life. One of his hands was clasped onto the orb, while the other hand held his arm in place so the shocks didn't remove his hand from the Thunder Orb. "Just... a little... more..." Instantly, the sparks ceased. One final shockwave sent Mario flying backward. He landed beside Raiden.
Raiden gave him a nod of approval. "Good job. You've mastered the element of Thunder."
Mario aimed his hand at a cloud in the distance. After focusing for a few seconds, a ball of electricity shot out of his hand and vaporized the cloud. Mario grinned. "It worked!"
"Astounding," Raiden whispered to himself. "I didn't think he'd pull that one off."
Mario's grin widened. "Time to really test it out." Before Raiden could take cover, Mario unleashed a barrage of Thunderballs that flew in all directions, hitting clouds that expanded across the sky with extreme accuracy.
"Okay, okay!" Raiden bellowed. "It looks like you're training is over."
"This is the spot," Inoni informed Luigi, tapping a patch of soil with his staff. "The shard is right below us."
Luigi glared at his hands. They were still sore from the digging he did before. "Err... I'm not sure I-"
"Just sit tight," Inoni commanded as he raised his index finger. His fingernail seemed to glow for a few seconds before the soil began to rise from the ground. The dirt that buried the shard hovered above their heads. Inoni gestured for Luigi to retrieve the shard. Luigi complied.
"That's pretty cool," Luigi complemented as he jumped into the hole. "Hey! You were right! It is here!" He began to climb out of the hole, but he found it to be more of a challenge than he thought. With one hand clutching the shard, Luigi attempted to pull himself up with the other. Fed up, he took a great leap out of the hole that sent dirt in all directions.
"Agh!" Inoni shouted as the wet soil flew into his eyes. He lost control of his telekinesis, causing the dirt floating above them to plop onto Luigi's head.
"Ew!" Luigi cried. "Thanks a lot, Inoni!" The two of them laughed. "So how are we going to save everyone?"
Inoni grabbed the shard out of Luigi's hands. "With this, I should be able to open a portal to the void between here and the Underwhere." The shard began to glow. A small vortex opened beside them. "This shard should be able to help your friends become solid again."
"How do we get back up?" Luigi asked, still not convinced that Inoni could help.
"There's an old stairway that leads from the Underwhere to this realm. We can use that," Inoni answered. "We just need to make sure we grab onto the stairway before we fall too far. Of course, the stairway won't do any good for your friends until we solidify them again. Coming?" He jumped into the portal. Skeptically, Luigi followed. Seconds later, they materialized in a deep pit that never seemed to end. As they plummeted, Inoni revealed the rest of his plan. "We can use the shard to actually pull them up toward us, like some sort of magnet. Then I'll turn them back into living beings, and then we'll grab onto the stairway. From there, we can finally get out of here!" With a spark of the Z Star shard, Waluigi, Wario, and Glaive floated up toward them at an impressive speed. Inoni quickly aimed the shard at the three ghosts. Three beams shot out and struck them, causing them to become flesh-and-blood beings again.
"What's going on?!" Glaive thundered in amazement. "How did you just do all of that?!"
"I'll tell you later! Grab onto those stairs over there if you want to live!" Inoni instructed them. "And make it snappy!"
They did what they were told without question. They swam through the air toward a staircase that spiraled around the perimeter of the pit. At last, all five of them landed. Wario sighed. "What just happened?"
Luigi grinned. "We just saved your butts! It looks like the great 'Wario Brothers' need a hand every once in a while."
"It'll take more than a hand to save you from me!"
Hades Attack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr9E8pFh_S8)
Hades rushed up the staircase, madly trying to catch up with them. "I'm already dead! You only slowed me down! I'm still solid enough to climb this staircase to wring your necks!"
"He's insane!" Luigi yelped in fear. "He can't be beaten! We have to run!"
Glaive stood his ground. "I'll never run from someone like him!"
"He's already dead! You can't harm him!" Inoni persisted. "We must retreat!"
Chapter 13: Race for the Shard
Hades Attack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr9E8pFh_S8)
Glaive, Luigi, Waluigi, Wario, and Inoni sprinted full speed up the winding staircase that led back into the Soulless Realm. Behind them, Hades was hot on their tails. Every few seconds he would try and knock them into the pit with a large sweep of one of his enormous arms. Luckily, the fleeing five ducked, dove, and jumped when necessary to avoid certain doom. Glaive whirled around and tossed a shuriken at Hades, with no effect.
"Your weapons can't harm me, nor can your punches! I am immortal!" Hades cackled maniacally. "Soon you will be no more alive than I am, after I'm done pounding you into a pulp!"
"It's no use," Inoni warned Glaive. "All we can do is run." And they did just that. It was a close shave, but the five of them made it out seconds before Hades. But they didn't stop. They still needed to escape from the Soulless Realm.
Luigi turned around to see that they had gotten enough distance between themselves and Hades to rest. "How do we get out of here, Inoni?"
Inoni handed Luigi the Z Star shard. "As the guardian of this realm, I can open a gateway for people to enter or leave. That is what I will do."
"But you'll be stuck here with Hades," Luigi objected.
Inoni chuckled lightly to himself. "That nut has been trying to get my job for years, but he hasn't succeeded once. I usually deal with him myself anyway." With that, he clasped his hands together. After a few moments, he slowly pulled them apart, causing a great crackling noise to erupt from beside him. A bolt of lightning struck the area where the sound originated, and a strange portal was formed. "Go ahead."
Hades could be seen running toward them. "I'm not finished with you yet!"
Waluigi sighed. "I've had enough of this place. I'm out of here." He leaped into the portal. Wario joined his brother without objection.
"I want a full explanation of what just happened when we get back," Glaive demanded gruffly before joining his two comrades.
Just as Luigi was about to jump after them, Inoni stopped him. "Good luck. Tell Mario that he will be in my prayers. Explain to him exactly who I am, and what my relation to Shade is. I feel he has the right to know about Lord Shade, considering he has the best shot at defeating him. Also, tell him not to think of Shade as my friend, and that I want him to kill Shade just as much as everyone else does. Otherwise, he might hold back. Please take care."
Luigi was shocked. "How do you know... about my brother? You seem to know as much about my situation as I do."
Inoni nodded. "Books, lips, and minds are all alike. They're easy to read if you know how."
"Alright," Luigi replied. "I'll tell him." He jumped into the portal.
[End Music]
The four of them materialized in Mushroom Castle's courtyard. Luigi looked around. "I never knew such a creepy place could be accessed from Peach's Castle." They emerged from a gateway that closely resembled the one that led to Flower Fields. "I think I can find the Secret Chambers from here. We should see if Peach is okay."
"That's everything that's happened so far," Peach concluded. "At least, that's what Luigi told me. Interesting, huh?"
"I want Dad..." Mario Jr. mumbled. "He can save us. I know he can."
"There's no way Daddy died in some stupid crash!" Luigi Jr. bawled. "Daddy is the strongest person in the whole world!" Everyone couldn't help but sob at the boys' faith in their father. It was almost an emotional moment.
Footsteps. Footsteps were approaching the chambers, which they had forgotten to seal shut in their excitement over the return of the children. They all huddled closely together, ready to face whatever was coming for them together. "Hey, they're still alive!"
"Uncle Luigi!" Luigi Jr. cried out in joy as he ran to embrace him. "I missed you!" Mario Jr. joined his brother beside Luigi, bombarding him with questions and telling him how much they missed him.
"So, did you find out if Mario is alive?" Peach asked hopefully.
Luigi hung his head. "Peach, you really shouldn't get your hopes up when it comes to things like these."
The room became quiet. It was as if their last shred of hope had just died away.
Luigi chuckled to himself and continued. "But, since Mario's practically Houdini's long lost cousin when it comes to escaping dangerous situations, Mario is perfectly fine! Right now, he's training to stop Lord Shade!"
They all cheered. "Don't scare me like that," Peach scolded good-heartedly. Glaive, Waluigi, and Wario joined in. It was a blissful moment. It seemed as though all of their troubles had melted away. That was before Skulleon contacted them.
"Luigi, can you hear me?"
"Yeah, what's up?" Luigi asked. "Still using telepathy, I see."
"Something terrible has happened! Lord Shade has brought in the Alloy Team! They're a band of Alloys so strong that they could thrash the type of Alloys you'd face in a Cruel Brawl. And they're after the Z Star shards. They have one, and you have one, and the last one is in Forever Forest. They're on their way to Forever Forest as we speak, and if they get the last shard, they'll come after you next! You must head to Forever Forest immediately, retrieve the final shard, and find a safe place to hide!"
"Guys! This is important!" Luigi exclaimed. "Lord Shade hired some kind of team to collect the shards. I think they were called the Alloy Team, and they already have a shard. They're going to Forever Forest to find the last one!"
Glaive's eyes widened. "Did you just say the 'Alloy Team'? They're some of the most feared mercenary groups in all of history! Thousands of civilizations have fallen at the hands of the Alloy Team! Many have disappeared without a trace, with no evidence as to why the madness had begun in the first place. But I know who it really was. It was them. The Alloy Team has been a valuable part of Lord Shade's army for years."
Luigi was confused. "But I thought Shade recruited the Alloys here in the Mushroom Kingdom. How could they have been part of his army for years?"
"How do you think Alloys were created? Lord Shade made them, and then he sent some over to the Mushroom Kingdom to conquer it. They did the same with Metal Mario, correct?"
Waluigi eyed Glaive. Who is this guy? He knows so much about Lord Shade, but we know nothing about him except that he hates Shade.
Wario stepped forward. "I say we stop running around and fight those morons head on! After all, Skulleon's training made us a lot stronger!"
Glaive shook his head emphatically. "No. This isn't the time to think about fighting. This is a battle we can't win. We have to get that shard as soon as possible, and then lay low for a while."
Luigi started for the door. "What are we waiting for? We need to get to Forever Forest now!"
Mario Jr. and Luigi Jr. began to whine. "Can we come?"
Luigi thought for a moment. "Right now, we're not trying to beat the Alloy Team. We're trying to outrun them, and avoid them at all costs. The less people attempting to get the shard, the better our chances are of getting out of there alive. So I'm going to have to tell you two to sit out, just this last time. After we beat Shade, you can start coming with us on our adventures."
"Okay," the boys groaned in unison.
Luigi stroked his chin. "Hmm... there was something else... Oh yeah! Bro managed to get this book from the starship." He removed a rugged, almost decapitated book from his pocket and handed it to E. Gadd. "See what you can find out. We'll try to be back soon."
Shadow Shrowd Theme (http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/media/music/StarForce/ost_sf_rnr12/1-20%20-%20RnR1%20-%20Theme%20of%20FM-Alien.mp3)
"Lord Shade," Red said with a bow. "We thought we'd stop by before heading to Forever Forest. I'd just like to inform you that we have found the first shard. Would you like to hold on to it?"
Lord Shade shook his head. "No. I want you to present the shards to me as a complete set. What I do want, however, is to know why you are wasting time kissing up to me when you could be searching for the other two shards!"
The Alloy Team bowed. "Of course, sir. We'll go right away." They turned and left for Forever Forest.
Lord Shade stroked his chin. "Hmm... I have so much to think about. Who are the remaining meddlers that are standing in my way? Could they be those runts that tried to stop me at Mushroom Castle? Who is the person they think will defeat me? What will happen to the shards? I have a complex radar that tells me exactly where every Oracle of Power is, easily pointing out the location of the three shards. One of them was just in the Soulless Realm, but it just moved out to Mushroom Castle, and now it's very close to Forever Forest. I can't help but think... Inoni..."
Luigi, Glaive, Wario, and Waluigi dashed through Forever Forest, frantically searching for the shard. "Where is it?!" Luigi cried. "We need to find it, right now!"
Waluigi and Wario literally tore apart every shrub they encountered, looking for the Z Star shard. Wario's approach was the most... aggressive. Bushes soared through the air as Wario plowed down countless paths. Finally, a strange object flew up above them. Glaive leaped up and caught it, and his eyes glowed.
"It's the shard! We found-"
They heard whispers. "I heard something over there. Let's check it out."
"Let's get out of here! Now!" Glaive whispered with urgency. Instantly, the four of them put all of their effort into retreating. Never had they run so fast, or so hard. It was as if their fear was the fuel that kept them going.
Their retreat did not escape the Alloy Team's eyes. "So, they found the shard?" Yellow asked. Let's just kill them from here. Our Metal Beam should do the trick."
Red shook his head. "No... One of them is... Glaive! We couldn't just kill him off like that! We need to make him suffer! Let's catch up with them."
"Go!" Glaive barked. "Faster! Hurry!"
Alloy Team (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q62HRO6m0I)
A blur of red, blue, green, and yellow rushed past them. "Hey, Glaive. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Red sneered.
Glaive eyes reflected pure terror. Luigi had never seen Glaive fear anything up until now. Glaive's mind was racing. We can't win... Can we?
"We still have hope," Waluigi stated, hoping to raise their spirits.
"Bah!" Glaive spat. "From this point forward, hope is just a distant memory."
It's been a long time since I've replied. I've been so busy with school that I haven't even read any new chapters lately, until today. I just read from Chapter 8 up through Chapter 13, and it looks like you've outdone yourself. It seems like there's so much backstory behind some of your characters that has yet to be revealed. I can't wait to see how everything turns out. And it looks like Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Glaive have their hands full with the Alloy Team. :P
Quote from: TeChNiCaL DiFfIcUlTiEs on November 21, 2008, 05:55:34 PM
It's been a long time since I've replied. I've been so busy with school that I haven't even read any new chapters lately, until today. I just read from Chapter 8 up through Chapter 13, and it looks like you've outdone yourself. It seems like there's so much backstory behind some of your characters that has yet to be revealed. I can't wait to see how everything turns out. And it looks like Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Glaive have their hands full with the Alloy Team. :P
It's nice to hear from you again. I've been pretty busy lately too, actually. I think it's time I finally posted a new chapter, so hold tight. ;)
Chapter 14: Front Lines
Alloy Team (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q62HRO6m0I)
"How have you been, Glaive? Are you enjoying your little rebellion?" Red laughed, clearly not worried. "It's been so long since we've spoken to each other. I was starting to think you were dead somewhere deep in space."
"I just needed to get away from your beloved 'leader' for a while. I see you've been too busy kissing the ground Shade walks on to have gotten any stronger," Glaive shot back. "You're just as arrogant as before."
Blue frowned. "I think you, of all people, know that we have a reason to brag. We've never lost a fight. I never thought you'd be smack-talking us, even though you know what we can do."
"He always thought he was better than us!" Yellow spat. "We didn't pay attention to his cocky attitude because we were on the same side. Did you ever think we'd be after you?"
"Same side?" Luigi parroted. "What do you mean?"
"Do you live in a cave?" Green snapped impatiently. "Ever since Lord Shade came to be, there have only been two sides- two kinds of people- in the entire universe: Those who obey Lord Shade and those who do not."
"You used to obey Shade?" Waluigi whispered, puzzled.
Glaive shuddered. "Yeah. That's a story for later, though. I'm picking at their only weakness, and that's their pride."
"Huddle up, guys!" Red barked. The other three complied, and they formed a circle to discuss a plan of attack.
Luigi approached Glaive. "I want you to be honest with me. Do you think we have a shot at winning?"
Glaive glanced at their foes as they giggled and laughed as they discussed their plan. He knew what they were talking about. They were already focused on how they would kill him. "I think we have a very small chance. If we let the battle drag on, they'll annihilate us. Each member of the team has his or her own unique abilities, making each of them deadly in a different way. But if we attack in a sudden burst and end the battle quickly, we might win. They know me pretty well, but they don't know about my training with Skulleon. That gives us a slight element of surprise. How we utilize it will determine the outcome of this fight."
Wario clenched his fists. "Why can't we just bash those wimps?!"
"Because you'll be the one to get bashed," Glaive replied gravely.
Red coughed. "Alright, we have made up our minds. We'll take turns fighting you. Green will go first. You can all fight him at once if you want."
[End Music]
Waluigi's face brightened. "That's great! We can gang up on each of them, one at a time, and win! This'll be easy!" His eyebrows narrowed. "What's the catch?"
Glaive chuckled to himself. "The catch is that each one of them is strong enough to take us all out at once. Red knows that, so he doesn't mind. He doesn't know about my new strength, though. The three of you should stay back. Don't jump in unless I tell you to. If I can take out Green quickly, I'll move on to Yellow." He stepped forward. "Okay, Red! I'm ready!"
With Red's approval, Green stepped forward. Green seemed to bounce up and down with glee. "I haven't massacred anyone in a long time! Killing you should be a delight!"
Alloy Battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfv8G3-vj8E&feature=related)
"Try and stay alive as long as possible!" Green requested, still bouncing happily in place.
"I should say the same to you!" Glaive cried as he took off, sprinting at full speed toward Green. Green gasped as he saw a silver blur rushing toward him at amazing speeds. His eyes boggled as he watched the blur dart back and forth with extreme agility, all while making its way toward him.
"You were never this fast!" Green squealed in fear as a powerful elbow jammed itself into his stomach. Green stumbled back, clutching his chest in pain. Glaive charged forward after him and released a fierce uppercut that sent the green blob soaring into the air like a volleyball. As Green soared in the air, his opponent took a great leap into the air to catch up to him. In midair, Glaive began viciously pounding on Green, not taking a moment to rest. As they reached the peak of their ascent, Glaive turned around and performed a bicycle kick that hit Green with extreme accuracy. With an earsplitting groan of agony, Green was sent plummeting down to the ground. But Glaive wasn't done yet.
"A quick death would be too good for you!" Glaive declared as he withdrew a shuriken and hurled it at the tumbling Alloy. It struck Green with as much force as the attacks that had preceded it. Green smashed into the ground with a sickening CRASH, sending many clouds of dirt to rise from the ground. "It was fun while it lasted!" While Glaive slowly descended from his enormous jump, he began to formulate a dark orb of energy in his hand. As the ball slowly began to grow, it became a deep purple color, with equally purple sparks emitting from it. "And to top it all off, I'll throw in my Darkness Sphere!" He landed beside his three allies and hurled the orb at the severely wounded Green. It collided with its target, and a gargantuan blue shockwave shook the ground as debris and heavy clouds filled the battleground.
Red shielded his face as smoke billowed past him. "Green!" he called desperately into the unknown. Until the ashes cleared, they would have no way of knowing if Green was alive or not.
"He's done for!" Luigi cheered, moments before coughing up a mouthful of dirt. "He could've been a little less destructive, though."
Glaive stood firmly in the middle of the rising smoke, breathing heavily. I may have overdone it a little bit. At least I took care of one of them. Now I need to do the same for the other three.
"Keep it up!" Waluigi shouted with a wave of his fist. "Only three more!"
"Yeah!" Wario bellowed. "That was awesome! Did you see that destruction?! Do it again! Bash some skulls! Rip their heads off!"
Blue sighed. "What a repulsive man! I'd like to teach him a thing or two... Hey! The smoke's clearing!"
The ash that had covered the entire area moments ago had now thinned. Glaive stood ready to take on his next opponent. Yellow stepped forward. "You'll pay for that!"
"Hey, Blue," Red whispered while Yellow and Glaive prepared to battle. "Shouldn't you jump into action, now? You've built up enough suspense."
Blue rolled her eyes. "You're right. The look on Glaive's face will be priceless!"
Elemental God Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs)
"Remember Mario, the Thunderball technique is very different from the Fireball and Iceball," Raiden explained. "The Fireball and Iceball are pure elements drawn from within your body in the form of a ball. However, the Thunderball is raw electricity in its most primal form encased in an expandable nonconductive shell. The electricity you must harness for the attack is so powerful that you cannot touch it, which is why the shell surrounds it. When it hits the target, the shell will break and release the electricity. Because the shell is expandable, you are not limited to just a Super and Ultra Thunderball. You can put as much electricity into the attack as you want. Unfortunately, it will drain your body's elemental energy if you put too much into it. If you're still not satisfied with the Thunderball's size after your body is completely drained, or if you need a recharge, it is possible to actually absorb electricity from your surroundings. But only use this method if you are desperate. Do you understand?"
Mario nodded.
Raiden patted Mario on the back. "You have learned everything I can teach you. It is time for you to journey higher into the Overthere and seek further training from Grambi."
Mario frowned. "But before I go, I sort of made a promise to meet my friends. I know I already broke it, but I guess it'd be better to seek them out now and see how they're doing. Maybe I'll bring them here for some extra training."
"Actually, I received word from Skulleon that all four of them have completed the training program you went through after you died. Had you not just learned under me, they would be as strong as you right now. I'm sure they can handle my training. But hurry back, and make sure you've already said your goodbyes," Raiden explained. "From here on out, it only gets tougher. Remember that well."
Mario grinned. "I can't wait to see how much stronger I really am! Can you tell me where everyone is?"
Raiden shut his eyes. "Hmm... They are just outside of Forever Forest, and they are in some sort of battle."
Mario's eyes widened. "You could tell all of that just by closing your eyes?!"
"I am the Thunder Guardian," Raiden replied with a hint of sarcasm. "I'm don't just guard over little rainclouds, you know."
"Okay, I'll be on my way now. I'll bring everyone back here. You've really helped," Mario thanked him. "Can you bring me to Forever Forest?"
Raiden extended his hand and fired a bolt of electricity out of his palm. Instantly, Mario vanished. "Good luck, Mario. You'll need it."
Alloy Offensive (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q62HRO6m0I)
Blue raised her fingertip, causing a small blue spark to fire into the air. It began to pick up speed until no one could trace where the spark would hit. But every member of the Alloy Team knew its target.
"You're really out of your league. I hope you don't let your victory get to your head," Yellow lectured him.
"So, do you think you can do any better?" Glaive asked his opponent, still struggling to catch his breath. "What mistake did Green make when he decided to fight me?" Glaive was about to answer by telling them Green had been too confident for his own good, but something stopped him. His jaw dropped.
"Why don't you ask Green that question?" Yellow taunted the awestruck Glaive.
Green walked out of some of the still thinning haze, virtually untouched. He brushed himself off. "Luckily, Blue can heal anyone she chooses to. Just in case we run into an unexpected situation, like the one I experienced just now, Blue can simply heal all of our wounds."
Glaive began to quake with fear. "I forgot... all about... that trick..."
Green grinned as he slowly approached Glaive. "Now that I know not to hold back, it's time to resume our little fight."
Glaive drew his sword. "No... I can't give up! If I attack Blue, they'll all jump at me. I need to thrash Green, and then quickly take out Blue while she prepares to heal him. But do I have the strength to beat him again?"
Green began to bounce up and down with joy. "Now I get to show you my special technique!"
Ugh. My computer just caught a really bad virus, and my computer's hard drive had to be cleared fix it. Luckily, I copied my SMB6 Word Document onto a CD before I wiped the hard drive. Now I just need to wait for my dad to reinstall Microsoft Word. Until then, I can't open up the document to post the next chapter I typed up.
Chapter 15: Fast as Lightning
Alloy Battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfv8G3-vj8E&feature=related)
"You'll love this!" Green exclaimed with glee as he curled himself up into a ball. A blue aura surrounded him as sparks began emitting from his roly-poly body. And then, before Glaive's astonished eyes, Green began to grow until he became at least eight feet in diameter.
Glaive knew he couldn't handle another round with Green. "That's your technique?!" he shouted with false mockery. "I can stand a game of catch!"
"Then try and catch this!" Green invited as he flung himself at Glaive at a surprisingly fast speed. The best way anyone could describe it was as one of Sonic the Hedgehog's spin-dashes. As the colossal green orb was about to plow him over, Glaive dove to the side, barely avoiding being crushed.
Glaive scrambled to his feet. "He's quicker than I thought he'd be." He turned around to see Green rolling straight for him. Knowing that he could not dodge in time, he held his hands out in front of him and stood firmly in the ball's path. He was going to attempt to 'catch' Green.
"Bad idea," Green muttered to himself as he realized what Glaive was attempting. He struck Glaive with deadly force, sending him flying backward into a tree. He rebounded off of the tree and hit the ground face-first. Without even stopping to see if Glaive was alive, Green hurled himself at the injured warrior.
Luigi grimaced. "Glaive! Watch out!"
Unable to get up in time, Glaive was plowed by Green yet again, flinging him up several feet into the air. Green unrolled himself back into his normal- but still enormously tall- form. Recreating the maneuver Glaive had pulled on him before, Green took a great hop into the air. "How does it feel to be on the other end of the punches?!" Green taunted before smashing his fists on Glaive's midsection. As Glaive landed from his agonizing descent, Green curled himself into a ball in midair. "I call this move, 'The Cannonball'! Tell me how you like it, if you're not dead afterward!"
"We've got to do something!" Luigi cried. "He's going to kill Glaive!"
"You're right," Waluigi agreed. "If we don't stop him from killing Glaive, we'll be next!"
Wario shook his head. "Glaive told us not to jump in unless he told us too. I'll stay right here."
Luigi sighed. "He can't exactly ask us to help him if he's unconscious! Let's go, Waluigi!"
Waluigi nodded. "Distract Green! I'll get Glaive to safety!"
Luigi stopped dead in his tracks. "Uh... Can we switch roles?"
"Fine," Waluigi complied. "You're better at running anyway."
From hundreds of feet in the air, Green zipped downward like a meteor, and his target was Glaive. When he was a mere thirty feet above his intended target, Luigi and Waluigi sprang into action. Waluigi stood beside Glaive, aimed carefully, and shot an Ultra Fireball at Green. He nailed his target with miraculous accuracy, causing Green to uncurl and greatly slow his descent. Meanwhile, Luigi came to the rescue by pulling Glaive to his feet and dragging him out of the ominous shadow that marked the spot Green would fall in.
CRASH
Green fell onto his back, surprised not to hear a CRUNCH from under him. Then he saw why. "You moved him out of the way! You'll pay for that!"
"Ungh... Why..." Glaive groaned. It turned out he had been conscious the entire time, but unable to move. Now he had finally recovered some of his energy. "Why did you help me?!" He pushed Luigi to the ground. "Did I ask you to step in?! I'd rather die than accept your help!" But before he could face Green, he fell onto his back, exhausted.
"Fools! You'll all die for that!" Green cursed.
Alloy Offensive (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy3ABZRc37k&feature=related)
Green attempted to smash Waluigi with one of his hulking fists, but the purple plumber swiftly leapt out of the way. In midair, Waluigi scored a powerful kick across Green's face. "Come on, Luigi! This guy isn't so tough! Join in on some of the fun!"
Luigi shrugged. "I'll try..." He ran at Green from behind and released a barrage of Smash Attacks that sent the poor green blob flat on his face in the dirt. "Hey, this is easy!"
Green rolled to his feet. "Darn... I'm exhausted... Hey Blue! I could use some healing!"
"No problem," Blue replied with a grin. She flicked a spark from her finger at Green, instantly healing all of his wounds.
"That's better!" Green exclaimed. Before another word could be said, Green landed a powerful blow across Waluigi's face. Waluigi staggered backward a few steps before falling onto the ground, out cold and with blood leaking from his lip. Luigi pounced at him from behind, but Green whirled around and dealt a bone-breaking punch to his chest while he was still airborne. Luigi landed on the ground with his hands clutching his stomach. The wind had been knocked out of him, along with any will he had left to fight.
"Bwa ha ha!" Wario cackled. "And now, it's up to me, the true leader of the group! It's time for the great Wario to save the day!" He charged straight at the gargantuan titan, determined to do some serious damage. Even though Green had been perfectly prepared for Wario's attack, the headstrong plumber managed to score a punch in Green's midsection. Green never expected such a fat man to run at such a great speed. With a laugh of triumph, Wario followed his punch with a series of blows to Green's chest that would have left any other creature in agony. However, Wario was not the only one who enjoyed the advantages of being overweight. Green had quite a bit of weight as well, which actually nullified most of the punches Wario had thrown.
"Too bad!" Green roared as he countered by bouncing Wario backward with his enormous belly. "These are the fools that have been in Shade's way this entire time?"
"Just grab the shards so we can get back to Lord Shade," Red barked. "Blue did have to heal you twice before you finally beat them."
Glaive struggled to his feet. "You'll never get these shards... until you pry them from my hands!"
"You're still alive?" Green questioned in amazement. "Well, I can fix that. Prying those shards from your hands should be easy, especially when you're dead." He slowly approached Glaive, his fists clenched. Glaive prepared for the worst. This would be the final punch. Green's fist reared back, and then jerked toward Glaive's head with one ambition- to end his life. Glaive winced as he felt a rush of wind blowing as Green's fist drew near.
Just in Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWCZ2LlBK0s&feature=related&fmt=18)
Glaive looked up to see why Green's punch had not done him in. There, standing between Glaive and Green, blocking the punch that had been intended to end Glaive's life, stood Mario.
"Mario... It's about time you showed up," Glaive chuckled wearily.
"Better late than never," Mario replied with a grin. "It looks like you guys could use some help." He let go of Green's fist and walked toward the fallen Luigi. "How are you feeling, bro?" He gently slapped his brother's face a few times until he regained consciousness.
"Is it really you, bro?" Luigi asked in astonishment. A teardrop streamed down his face. "I'm sorry... We couldn't even beat one of them..."
Mario patted Luigi on the back. "Don't worry about it. If he wasn't healed, you would have beaten him for sure. But you don't have to fight anymore. I'll take on all four of them."
Glaive whirled around to face Mario. "Does he really plan to fight them all? Do we even dare to hope that such a feat is possible? How strong has he gotten?"
Mario approached Waluigi. "It looks like you took a pretty rough beating. I can tell you fought bravely. I'll take over from here." Lastly, he walked over to Wario. "Even you fought with everything you had. It would have been enough if they didn't have someone to restore their health. It's time for me to take a stab at these guys."
"Who is this guy?" Red whispered to Blue. "I didn't even see him block that punch. It's like he came out of nowhere!"
Mario turned away from his friends to face Green. "Are you sure you want to fight me alone? Don't you want to gang up on me?" Instead of responding, Green curled up into a ball and launched himself at Mario. After a few seconds of rolling, Green stopped dead in his tracks.
"What? Where'd he go? Did I pass him?" Green pondered as he looked around. Mario was nowhere to be found. "Did I squash him?" But before he could check, he felt a sharp pain in his back. With a moan of pain, Green fell flat onto the ground. He didn't move a muscle. Behind him stood Mario with his elbow raised.
"He's fast," Blue informed Red. "What should we do?"
"He's all show," Red answered, unimpressed. "I've dealt with his kind before. Give Green another shot at him. I'm sure this new challenger just has some beginner's luck, just like Glaive did."
Alloy Offensive (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te2vQzGBVjM&feature=related)
Blue nodded and released a glint of blue light from her fingertip, instantly mending all of Green's wounds. Green scrambled to his feet. "That was a cheap shot! Hitting someone from behind is a pretty dirty way to fight! You may be fast, but how will you fair against 'The Cannonball'?!" With that, he took a great leap into the air and once again coiled up into his spherical form.
"Watch out, bro!" Luigi warned him. "He almost killed Glaive with that attack!" To his surprise, Mario simply grinned and held out his hands above his head. "If you try to block it, you'll die! Glaive tried to catch Green, and he got hammered!"
Glaive's eyes were glued to the battlefield. You're doing well so far, but don't let it get to your head. I hope you know what you're doing, because trying to catch him while he's falling at that speed is folly.
At last, Green collided with Mario's outstretched hand. But instead of smashing Mario to pieces, he stopped moving completely. With extreme difficulty, Mario had caught Green! "You're... heavy..." Mario complained as he struggled under his opponent's weight. "I better... get rid... of you... before you... crush me..." With all of his might, he thrust his hands upward, tossing Green several feet into the air. Mario took a few steps backward and lobbed a Thunderball up into the air. It struck Green, shocking him violently and sending him tumbling to the ground in a heap. When his lifeless body hit the ground, Mario could still see smoke rising from Green's electrified body.
Red's eyes bulged. "Not again!"
Mario smiled from ear to ear. "Will I be fighting Yellow next, or do you still want me to pummel Green some more?"
Red's face reflected pure hatred. "He's made a fool of us for the last time! Blue, we'll give Green one last chance!" In seconds, Green was back on his feet and madder than ever. "That's enough fooling around, you dope! If you don't finish him this time, you're off the team!"
Green yelped with fear. "What?! No! I still have a trick up my sleeve! He'll be dead soon enough!"
Chapter 16: Mario Strikes Back
Alloy Offensive (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te2vQzGBVjM&feature=related)
Mario stood pensively before Green, ready to fight at any moment. How am I going to beat him if Blue just keeps healing him? The only thing that comes to mind is freezing him with an Iceball.
"You think I'm big now?" Green taunted gleefully. "You haven't seen anything yet!"
Mario gulped. "I'll bet my problem is about to get much... bigger..."
A blue aura surrounded Green, and sparks began firing out of his body in all directions. Mario staggered backward in astonishment as Green's size increased at least twentyfold. The roly-poly Alloy had grown to a size so large that one of his toes was the size of Mario. "Now what are you going to do?" Green challenged, laughing maniacally.
Mario shielded his ears. Green's voice seemed to be louder than a violent thunderstorm. He looked up at the colossal Alloy's head, a sight almost too far above the clouds for him to even see. "I'll still win! Do your worst!"
"Ah ha ha!" Green cackled, causing the earth around him to rumble. "And just how do you plan to win? My finger is bigger than you!" He threw a punch at Mario, who leaped to the side just before the enormous fist slammed onto the soil he just stood on.
"Increasing your size won't help you!" Mario warned him. "It'll just make you easier to hit!"
"Is he crazy?!" Luigi thundered. "He's too big! We have to run!"
Glaive stared blankly at the towering Green. Now we'll see if you really are who I think you are.
Mario dove out of the way of another hulking fist. Instead of waiting for Green to pull his hand from the ground, Mario jumped onto his fist and sprinted up Green's arm toward his head. The racing plumber ducked, weaved, and dove out of the way of Green's other arm, which was constantly trying to knock him off. When he finally reached the top, Mario hopped off of the tyrant's shoulder so that he was right in front of his face in midair. Time seemed to move in slow motion as Mario tossed a wave of Iceballs that all struck Green in the face.
"Gah! Cold!" Green screamed as Mario landed safely on Green's other arm. Just as Mario breathed a sigh of relief, the ice on Green's face melted into a thin stream of water.
Mario was unsure of what his next move would be. He's too big to be frozen by an Iceball! I don't even think an Ultra Iceball could get the job done!
Red rolled his eyes. "Even as a giant, Green is still getting hit! He's disgraced us for long enough! Help him out, Blue!"
"What kind of help did you have in mind?" Blue inquired.
"Our red friend seems to know a few ice tricks. Show him how to do them properly."
Blue nodded and stepped into the battle. With a snap of her fingers, she began to glow an intense, chilling blue color. It seemed as if a snowstorm had surrounded her and covered her in a thick sheet of ice. "I guess it's time to cool our unwelcome guest down."
This did not escape Glaive's eyes. "In addition to healing, she also has complete control over ice. However, her powers are much more deadly than the ones you'd receive from Skulleon."
Meanwhile, Mario raced down Green's arms and legs while avoiding the usual attempts to knock him off. At last, he reached solid ground, only to catch a glimpse of a light blue beam before being covered in a thick sheet of ice. Mario struggled to break free. "Gotta...escape..."
"You can still talk? I'll have to make the ice's grip tighter!" Blue cackled as the ice holding Mario captive tensed its grasp.
Mario attempted to create a Fireball to melt the deadly ice. He was shocked to find that his body had been numbed by the bitterly cold ice. Now what? I can't even create a Fireball!
"Now for the kill!" Blue cried as she prepared to squeeze the life out of Mario.
Mario Strikes Back (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z984D3-Cs_I&feature=related)
"Hey bro, look out!" Luigi exclaimed as he hurled a green Fireball at him. Instantly, all of the ice surrounding him melted away.
"I owe you one, bro!" Mario thanked him. That's it!
Blue fired another beam at Mario, who dodged it. "That was just luck! Next time that coward won't be able to help you!" she cackled merrily.
Mario immediately began scaling Green once again. "Then just try and hit me again, and we'll see what happens!" Seconds later, Blue shot another ray of ice at him. Mario easily dodged, and the beam instead hit Green's leg. He leaped from leg to leg, arm to arm, up and down Green's back, and up to Green's head, all the while evading Blue's frantic and repetitive ice beams. At last, when the barrage stopped, Mario stoop triumphantly atop Green's head. Green had completely frozen over! "See? I couldn't freeze him, but you could!"
"You tricked me!" Blue cursed. "But I'll just heal him again!" She fired a blue spark from her finger at Green.
Mario threw his head back and laughed. "You can heal his wounds all you want; being frozen has nothing to do with injuries!"
"Ingenious..." Glaive whispered. "Not only is he strong and fast, but he's also clever."
Mario climbed down from the colossal ice statue and quickly unleashed a Super Fireball at the unsuspecting Blue. "And you're a lot more vulnerable to fire when you're powered up by ice!" he added.
"Eeek! How could you?! I've never felt this kind of pain before!" Blue whined in anguish as she was engulfed in flames. But before she was burnt to death, Mario cancelled his attack with an Iceball. Still severely injured, she collapsed onto the ground.
"Good," Mario said aloud with a nod. "I don't want to kill them; I just want to stop them. Deep down, they could be just like Mace was: innocent pawns in Lord Shade's twisted game."
Yellow stepped forward, his fists clenched. "I've had it with you! Who do you think you are?!"
Mario grinned. "I'm Mario. I'm sure Lord Shade has told you all about me," he remarked slyly.
"You bet," Yellow replied. "He thought that you died in the starship's crash. I'm sure he'll give me a raise if I bring you back to him."
"You can try," Mario taunted. "But you'll have to be quicker than those other two."
"Are you kidding me? I'm the second fastest person on the team, right behind Red!" Yellow boasted with pride. "Just watch!" In moments, he had vanished from everyone's sight and reappeared behind Mario. With one final laugh, Yellow thrust his head forward with his horns aimed at his target. When he was inches away from piercing Mario's skin, Yellow felt himself being lifted. What's more, his attack had been stopped. He looked up to see that Mario had grabbed him by the horn and raised him above his head.
"Relying on speed isn't very smart, unless you're sure that no one is faster than you," Mario lectured in his best imitation of Raiden's voice, a wide grin plastered across his face. "At least, that's what Raiden told me." With that, he used Yellow's horns to slam the Alloy face-first into the ground.
Red glared at Yellow's lifeless body. He's not moving... I guess I'll have to take care of things. At least this idiot didn't kill them. After Blue recovers, which shouldn't take longer than a few weeks, she can heal Green and Yellow. And all I have to do is beat a plumber. Still, I should be cautious.
[End Music]
All eyes were on Mario, who stood firmly with his gaze locked on the final Alloy, Red. Glaive was speechless. How? The skill Mario just demonstrated doesn't even compare to when we first met! He was strong back then, but not this strong! I don't understand!
Luigi stood by Wario and Waluigi, helping them to their feet. Get him, bro.
Glaive's eyes widened. It was something that Mario had said to Yellow:
"Relying on speed isn't very smart, unless you're sure that no one is faster than you. At least, that's what Raiden told me."
"That must be it," Glaive concluded. "Raiden... He must be the Thunder God. Mario mentioned something about learning the Thunderball under the guidance of some kind of god. This must all be the result of his training. Astounding..."
"It looks like Yellow was holding onto the shard you collected earlier," Mario observed, talking directly to Red. He reached down toward the unconscious Yellow and pulled up the third Z Star shard."
"What?!" Red thundered. "Give that back!"
"Hey Glaive, catch!" Mario exclaimed as he tossed the shard to his mysterious ally. "Now that you have all three, it's up to you to keep them safe."
Shade's Anger (http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/media/music/StarForce/ost_sf_rnr12/1-20%20-%20RnR1%20-%20Theme%20of%20FM-Alien.mp3)
"Grr... What's taking the Alloy Team so long?!" Shade roared, his shout of impatience echoing throughout the castle. "That's it!" He stood up from his throne. Slowly, he approached a Sol Warrior guarding his post. Without warning, Shade grabbed him by the neck and raised him up above his head. "You! I want a status report on the Alloy Team's progress immediately!"
"They... haven't... sent us... a report... yet..." the warrior informed him while struggling to break free.
"Really?" Shade pondered, instantly releasing the Sol Warrior. His attitude had suddenly seemed to change from furious and impatient to kindhearted and optimistic. "Oh well. I guess we'll never know. We can wait for a while."
"Lord Shade? Are you feeling okay?"
In one swift maneuver, Shade grabbed the warrior's head and slashed it clean off of his shoulders. A waterfall of blood streamed down the corpse as it fell to the ground. The severed head flew into the air and landed beside Lord Shade. "Fool. We have no room for ignorance in this organization. General?"
A Sol Warrior in white armor stepped forward and saluted him. "Yes, my lord?"
"We're going to launch a full-scale assault on our rebellious pests. Send every troop in the entire army to the southern area of Mushroom Fields. We are going to retrieve those shards at all costs."
Chapter 17: The Mighty Tyrant
Alloy Team (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q62HRO6m0I)
"You've defeated my entire squadron. Impressive," Red complemented.
"Your next," Mario replied sternly. "I assume you won't be leaving without a fight."
Red nodded. "That's right. Actually, I have a little proposition for you. Why don't we head out toward the center area of Mushroom Fields and fight there, just the two of us? That way, your friends and my teammates won't get in the way. We can settle things the way true warriors should."
Mario grinned. "Sounds good. Let's go." He turned to Luigi. "I guess he doesn't want you to interfere. Don't worry about me; I'll be fine. Just don't let those shards fall into the wrong hands."
"Be careful," Luigi warned him. "But from what I've seen so far, I should be saying that to Red."
"Are you done saying your goodbyes yet?" Red groaned. "Follow me whenever you're ready." With that, he dashed off into the horizon.
Mario shrugged. "He's not very patient, is he?" He gave his brother one final nod and sprinted after the Alloy Team's esteemed leader.
The two of them stopped in the exact center of Mushroom Fields. "This is the place," Red informed his opponent. "No one will bother us here."
Mario glanced back and forth. They were standing in a flat plain that went on for miles. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Why did he want us to fight here? I'm sure it wasn't solely to prevent Luigi from jumping in. If he's confident that he can beat me in a one-on-one fight, why would he worry about Luigi?
Mario vs. Red (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvzZq9D7pqg&feature=related)
Without warning, Red fired an energy ring at Mario, who promptly dodged it by rolling to the side. Mario breathed a sigh of relief. "Those rings are pretty fast. Good thing I saw it coming." He looked up to see a barrage of rings identical to the previous one hurling toward him. Mario ducked and weaved through a storm of Red's energy discs until he finally made it to the source, Red himself. Before he could be struck by any of the oncoming rings, Mario landed a right hook flat across Red's face, instantly ending the barrage.
Red fell onto his back. "You're pretty good. But it'll take a little more effort to beat me!" He sprang to his feet and threw a punch at Mario, who sidestepped the attack and scored a powerful kick to Red's chest. Once again, Red crumpled onto the ground.
"I don't understand why you're still trying to beat me. You saw what I did to your teammates, and you haven't proved that you're any stronger than me. Why can't you just give up?" Mario inquired. "Mace turned out to be innocent. Deep down, I think you're innocent too. Can't you see that Lord Shade is just using you? He's much stronger than anyone else enlisted in his army, and he knows it. The only reason the Shadow Shrowds even exist is because of Shade's desire for power. He knows how immensely powerful he is, but that means nothing to him unless he has power over others. I saw it, and Mace saw it, but why can't you?"
Red struggled to his feet. "Interesting speech... It's too bad... I could care less. Alloys were created by Lord Shade. Whether you like it or not, we were programmed to do his bidding. Even if he is using me, it is my primary instinct to follow his orders. Moreover, I have no reason to give up. You've fallen right into my trap."
Alloy Unison (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN2eQ8RGIbQ&feature=related)
"Alloy Rainbow Armor!" Red shrieked.
Green immediately shrank back to his former size and thawed out of his frozen imprisonment. Blue and Yellow rose from the ground. The three fallen Alloys shattered into thousands of complex mechanical pieces, which zoomed directly toward Red.
"What's happening?" Mario cried as the scrap parts of the defeated Alloys began to merge with Red.
"I'm about to show you our true form!" Red cackled. Seconds later, lights of all different colors began shooting out of his body in all directions. "You should feel honored! I've never had to use this technique before!" When the light died down, Mario saw a warrior that closely resembled Red. However, he was about twice as large, and he had shades of green, blue, and yellow running down his body in addition to the classic red.
Mario clenched his fists. "Fine! If you're so bent on fighting, I won't waste any more time talking!" He dashed over to Red and threw his hardest punch directly at his upper torso.
BONG
"Ow!" Mario screamed. "His armor is four times as thick! There's no way I can pierce through that!"
"Not only that, but I can now use the moves of all of my teammates!" Red boasted. "For example, I have Yellow's speed."
In the blink of an eye, Mario looked up to see Red towering over him. He swiftly dove out of the way of one of Red's enlarged fists. Before he could catch his breath, Mario found himself leaping out of the way of an ice beam. Knowing that he couldn't beat Red up close, he turned around and ran. "I need to get some distance between us," Mario told himself. Now I know the real reason he brought me here. He didn't want a one-on-one fight at all. He wanted to bring me away from Luigi and the others, and then merge with his teammates. Red could have combined with them before, but then Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Glaive would have helped me.
"Running won't do any good!" Red warned him as he began to pursue the retreating plumber. "But I don't blame you. There isn't any conceivable way that you could ever pierce my armor!"
"Since punches and kicks won't work, why don't I try a Fireball?" Mario stopped and turned around and began to gather energy for an Ultra Fireball. Red, running full speed at him, struggled to stop so he could defend himself. Because of his enlarged size, Red was unable to stop the momentum he had gathered and ran right into Mario's Ultra Fireball.
ZWERB
The Ultra Fireball was nullified as soon as it touched Red's armor. "My new armor is too powerful for your tiny mind to fathom! I am Red, the leader of the notorious Alloy Team! What did you expect? The four of us were designed by the tag team of Lord Shade's brilliant imagination and his scientists' outstanding biotechnology! We were created as four individuals who could merge into one ultimate machine when necessary!"
Mario was running low on ideas. Now what? I could try putting most of my energy into an extra-large Thunderball, but then I'll be too worn out to fight Shade. I have to pierce that armor somehow!
[End Music]
"It appears we have company," Red informed him. "I didn't call for backup. Why did he send his troops?"
Mario froze as he saw thousands of soldiers- Alloys, Wire Frames, Sol Warriors, even some of Bowser's troops- charging into battle. "Are they all after... me?"
Red shook his head. The army didn't even glance at them as they rushed toward their destination. "They're after a much bigger prize."
Mario gasped. "They're going after the Z Star shards. If Shade gets the Z Star, there's no telling what could happen!"
"It looks like Lord Shade really wants those shards," Red chuckled. "By the looks of it, he sent every single warrior enlisted in the Shadow Shrowds after them. There's no way your friends could ward off that many of them."
"They'll never survive that kind of an assault!" Mario cried. "I have to help them! Can't this fight wait?"
Red grinned. "Actually, I was just about to suggest the same thing. The Shadow Shrowds have only served to make Lord Shade feel like he had power over others. Now that he's found the Oracles of Power, he has an even better way to have control over others. He can control their fear. Once he has those, he will be impossible to defeat. He will take charge of the universe, and rule it single-handedly from within the Dark Castle. And from there... Anyway, my point is that Shade doesn't care about me or any other Shadow Shrowd. Therefore, his orders mean nothing to me."
Mario's face brightened. "You'll help me?"
Red's grin widened. "Let's go take on an entire army."
The Mighty Tyrant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B17NhwxNDdw)
Luigi was suddenly alarmed. "Whoa... Why is it so dark all of the sudden?"
Glaive glanced up. "Don't look now, but the Dark Castle is floating right above our heads! It looks like Shade is going to be making an unexpected appearance!"
"Look over there!" Wario thundered. "It looks like there's an entire army charging straight at us!"
"What do we do?" Waluigi inquired, struck with fear. "We can't take on a fleet that huge! And with Shade about to attack, what can we do?!"
"Keep your cool!" Glaive ordered. "We'll do exactly what Mario would do: improvise. Mario entrusted us with the shards, and we can't let him down! Don't forget that Shade will become near-invincible if he walks away from here with the Z Star."
The Shadow Shrowds instantly began a ruthless assault as they swarmed the foursome like bees. Wario went all-out, bashing Sol Warriors left and right. He almost looked like a professional wrestler, pile-driving anyone to come near him. Waluigi constantly scattered Fireballs in all directions, keeping most of the incoming attackers at bay. Any fighter lucky enough to make it past Waluigi's furious barrage was quickly disposed of in hand-to-hand combat. Luigi's approach was a combination of Wario and Waluigi's strategies, except he wasn't as skilled in bashing skulls as Wario. Glaive was dishing out some serious pain, slicing countless warriors in two with his deadly blade. In mere minutes, the battlefield was littered with the corpses of fallen Shadow Shrowds. However, even with all of the deaths, at least ninety percent of them were still alive.
Meanwhile, Mario and Red had just jumped into the fight. The soldiers recognized Mario immediately, and sent half of their troops to keep Mario busy while the other half worked on obtaining the shards. "There's so many of them!" Mario screamed, but it was impossible to hear over the yelling of the crowd. Just as he was about to withdraw, he saw a familiar silhouette looming over where Luigi was fighting. With all of his might, he cried into the abyss of warriors:
"LORD SHADE!!"
Filled with motivation, Mario barreled through the endless mass of ruthless soldiers. Never had Mario been filled with such fiery determination. He charged straight through the crowd, his mind set on reaching his friends before Shade.
Lord Shade landed beside Glaive. "Did you miss me, Glaive?" He shot a purple sphere of energy at Glaive, knocking him onto the ground and sending the three shards flying upward. Shade swiftly leapt into the air and caught them. They began to glow as they merged, forming the Z Star once again.
"Give those back!" Luigi demanded as he tossed a green Fireball at him. But Lord Shade had already teleported away.
He reappeared beside the entrance to the Dark Castle. "It's over, fools! You lose! With all four Oracles of Power in my grasp, I am now the single proprietor of the entire universe! Now taste a sample of my power!" Lord Shade fired an enormous red ball of energy that was large enough to cover the entire Mushroom Field.
Mario fell to his knees. "No! I was too late!"
Chapter 18: Goodbyes
Without another word, Lord Shade hurled the colossal ball of energy at Mushroom Field. All of the Shadow Shrowds instantly ceased attacking. One look at Shade's energy sphere sent them scattering in all directions. Mario gazed up at the sky, too stunned to react. "I can't stop that..."
"Get down!" Glaive screamed, but his voice could not overcome those of the thousands of soldiers surrounding him.
"I don't wanna die!" Luigi wailed. "Somebody save me!"
BZZERPThere was an enormous explosion that covered all of Mushroom Field. Flames shot out in all directions as a massive fire spread across the kingdom. In the northern sector of the fields, the survivors breathed a sigh of relief.
Death of an Army (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIbjd62yeNo)
"We didn't die?" Luigi inquired. Glaive, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Mario looked up to see who had rescued them. Before them stood Red, who was severely damaged.
"Red... You saved us..." Mario said, a tear streaming down his face. "Why?"
Red fell onto the ground in a heap. Sparks of electricity covered his entire body. "Lord Shade... He controlled me the same why he controlled everyone else... I needed to keep you alive... You are the ones who will defeat him... Besides, I let myself be manipulated by a maniac. I deserved... to die... He killed Mace... and now he has killed me... Don't let it happen to... anyone else... After all, you are... the Mushroom Hero..."
Mario fell to his knees. "No... Red, wake up! You can't be dead!"
Glaive put a hand on Mario's shoulder. "He shielded us from the blast. There's no way he could have lived after being hit by that. In fact, we were the only survivors. Shade was satisfied with the Oracles of Power, and no longer had any use for his army. He killed them all."
Mario hammered the ground with his fists. "I let it happen again! Someone who had no choice but to follow Lord Shade was killed! I've got to stop him!" He stood up and glared at the Dark Castle, which still hovered above him. "Do you hear me, Lord Shade?! I'm coming for you!!"
Luigi began to tremble. "But now he has all four Oracles of Power! He'll be unstoppable!"
"No, not necessarily," Mario argued, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Why don't we pay a visit to Raiden, the Thunder God? He can make you as strong as I am right now. Plus, Raiden told me I still had more training to do with Grambi, the ruler of the Overthere. After all of that, we'll be ready for another round with Lord Shade. How about it?"
"Yeah! Then I can bash that weakling's skull in!" Wario bellowed with excitement. "Let's get going! Think of how famous we'll be!"
"But we should check on everyone at the castle, first," Mario suggested, pretending to ignore Wario. "I want to make sure everyone is safe." Everyone nodded in agreement.
[End Music]
E. Gadd's Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50uUuVyq5m4)
"I've done it!" E. Gadd cried out in triumph, startling everyone around him. "Oops... Sorry to startle you. But thanks to my scientific genius, I've deciphered most of the ancient Shadow Shrowd language in the book that Luigi gave me. It's filled with plenty of interesting details, but most importantly I figured out what the hieroglyphics Mario saw on the Shadow Starship mean. It's a repeating pattern of three different pictures. I'll read them to you in just a moment."
"It looks like you're as sharp as ever," a familiar voice commented, causing everyone hidden in the room to shriek in fear.
Peach thought for a moment. "That voice... It's him!"
Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Glaive entered the room. "Everyone's still okay!" Luigi cheered.
"Good," Waluigi sighed. "If they're safe now, they shouldn't have to worry about hiding anymore."
"Why not?" Peach inquired.
"All of the Shadow Shrowds are dead," Glaive answered nonchalantly. "Now we just need to kill Lord Shade."
"Dad! It's you!" Mario Jr. exclaimed, rushing through the crowd to embrace him. "I knew you'd come to save us!"
Luigi Jr. joined his brother beside Mario. "Peach kept telling us that you'd be here! Everyone thought she was going crazy, but we believed her!"
Mario was puzzled. "How did you get here? Yoshi Island is pretty far from here."
But Mario didn't get his answer until his offspring had finished hugging him. "We built a boat."
"Wow, you two really learned a lot on Yoshi Island." Mario turned to E. Gadd. "Anyway, what did you find out about those pictures?"
E. Gadd pulled out an incredibly stylish laptop. Digital images of the hieroglyphics were displayed on the screen, with the meaning below each picture. "Have a look."
(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa206/link2370/carving1.jpg)
A tyrant's rise,
a hero's fall.
A terrible being
slaughtered them all.
One hero rose,
both powerful and sane,
but his efforts were proved
to be in vain.
(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa206/link2370/carving2.png)
With no one to stop him,
the tyrant rose.
The life of this world
had come to a close.
The tyrant was not satisfied
with killing just one race.
He proceeded to exterminate others
at a dreadful pace.
(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa206/link2370/carving3.png)
Many more heroes
rose and fell.
None were left alive
to tell the tale.
The tyrant believed
he would never fall.
However, there is one more hero
who must rise up and defeat them all.
"Pretty amazing, huh?" E. Gadd boasted. "It took a while to decipher, but I was determined to finish before Luigi got back."
"I think we knew most of that already," Mario informed him. "It was basically three poems describing how evil Lord Shade is. But that first hero
did catch my interest. He must have done something pretty special to get his own poem, while all the other heroes have to share the third one."
E. Gadd flipped through various pages of the book. "Well, it does imply that this first hero
almost won."
Mario scratched his head. "That's weird... I wonder what went wrong. And it's even more interesting that someone was able to hold his own against Shade. But then again, it was probably one of Shade's earliest battles. Back then, he must have been a lot weaker. Through years and years of destroying planets, Lord Shade must have gained a lot of experience. Not to mention he has all four Oracles of Power."
"I don't follow any of this," Wario groaned. "I'll stick with my picture books. You nerds can stare at a stupid book all day if you want, but I'm going after Shade."
"Actually, Wario's right," Mario agreed. "Well, sort of. Instead of thinking about who Shade is, we should be focusing on destroying him. I think we're finished here, so we might as well visit Raiden."
"Wait!" E. Gadd shouted. "I have one more thing for you! Think of it as a going-away present." He pulled out a mechanical belt with a red button on it. "I call this the Gadd Insta-belt 6000! Whenever you press the button, whoever is wearing the belt is instantly teleported to a preset area."
"We don't need a teleportation device. We're perfectly capable of walking," Glaive refused.
E. Gadd shook his head emphatically. "No, that's not what it's for at all! The belt can only take you to one specific location, with the default area being this castle. Whenever you press the button, you'll be brought back here. It's not used to get you from one place to another without walking; it's used to get out of danger quickly. Let's say you ran into danger against Lord Shade. I'm guessing he wouldn't give you the chance to retreat from his castle. All you have to do is wrap the belt around everyone, press the button, and presto! You'll be back here!"
Mario's face brightened. "That's great! But I'd like to change the default location. How do I do it?"
"First, you must go to the place you want to be your default location. Then, flip the switch on the belt from 'teleport' to 'set default'. Finally, press the red button and the belt will lock on to the location's exact coordinates. Just switch it back to teleport and you can return to the spot with the press of a button," E. Gadd explained.
Mario nodded. "Thanks for everything."
"Alright, let's go!" Glaive urged him.
Sadness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GZsYqJi6T4)
"You guys go on without me. I have to finish saying goodbye, first," Mario told them. His allies complied and left for Forever Forest. Mario approached Princess Peach.
"Good luck, Mario," Peach told him. "This has been so dreadful. I've wondered for a while when this would finally end. Please, finish Lord Shade."
"I'll do my best," Mario replied. "Everyone's counting on me. Just make sure that you don't get kidnapped by Bowser again." A faint smile could be detected on his face, but he was really struggling to hold back his tears.
"Don't talk like you won't be coming back!" Peach cried, tears streaming down her face. "Promise me! Promise me you'll come back!"
"Whether it is tomorrow, or years from now, you'll see me again. I promise." Mario turned and left.
Chapter 19: Raiden Revisited
Elemental Guardian Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs)
Raiden sighed, watching the events in the Mushroom Kingdom unfold. "Oh, I just don't know. Things are looking awfully bleak. Lord Shade is practically invincible now that he has all four Oracles of Power. We need a miracle."
"I'm back!" Mario called joyfully as he emerged from the teleportation device that was linked to the Mushroom Kingdom. "I brought a couple of friends, if you don't mind."
Luigi's eyes widened with fear when he saw Raiden. "We... wouldn't want to... impose..." He jabbed his brother in the side. "Are you sure he's friendly?"
Mario nodded. "Skulleon is basically a living skeleton, so what did you think one of his buddies would look like? A princess?"
"Well... okay. It's not like I'm afraid of him or anything," Luigi said with a nervous cough. He turned to Raiden. "Uh... We came to... uh... well... ask for..." Large beads of sweat began to stream down his face. "We... wanted you... to... well... maybe... if you could... possibly... if it's not an inconvenience..."
"We want you to give us the same lessons you gave Mario!" Wario demanded, not an ounce of respect in his tone.
"I was going to ask him that..." Luigi muttered. "But it might have been in a more polite way..."
Raiden folded his arms. "Unfortunately, now is not the time for politeness. Polite warriors are not going to defeat Lord Shade. As much as I'd like to give the chubby one a lesson on proper respect, there is no time. Why exactly have you brought these weaker beings, Mario?"
"I was hoping you could train them," Mario replied bluntly.
Raiden frowned. "Hmm... Even the chubby one? Are you sure they're ready?"
"They can do it. I know they can," Mario answered with confidence. "They may not have the Capacity of Elements, but they do have an intense hatred for Lord Shade. Could you make them as strong as I am?"
Raiden pondered silently for a moment. "Hmm... Mario, you have shown me great displays of courage and determination. You truly are the Mushroom Hero. If you have such confidence in these lesser beings, it is surly for good reason. I will train them." Everyone cheered except for Glaive, who merely grinned.
"There's just one thing that I can't figure out," Mario informed them. "Raiden was the second person to call me the 'Mushroom Hero'. What does that mean?"
Raiden stared blankly at the clouds above them. "If I told you, you probably wouldn't understand. You should ask Grambi. He... well... it's best if you ask him face-to-face. But I'm sure I can tell you a lot more about Lord Shade. I'm sure that's what you've all been eager to hear about."
Luigi's eyes widened. "Oh yeah! I forgot! Inoni told me about his childhood, and he wanted me to tell Mario!"
"Inoni?!" Raiden questioned skeptically. "He's alive?!"
Luigi nodded. "Uh-huh. Why wouldn't he be?"
"Never mind that! Tell me what Inoni had to say!" Raiden demanded.
"Alright," Luigi complied, frightened by Raiden's sudden anger:
Oni grew serious. "I once knew him. The two of us were the best of friends. We had our differences, but it didn't matter to us. We thought nothing could ever shatter our friendship. We lived our entire life together. Shade was always there for me as we grew up, and I did my best to do the same. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. You see, we had very different heritages. Because of this, our parents were completely against our friendship. When we were just children, they didn't see any harm in allowing us to be acquainted. However, as we aged into our teens, our parents had to intervene.
"I'll never forget that fateful day. We were just talking with each other about old times and how great of a friendship we had. That was when our parents tore us apart. Without warning, we were forced to return home with our respective parents and were told we would never see each other again. I'm sure we could have waited it out and thought of some kind of plan, but Shade was too heartbroken to wait any longer. In an explosion of rage, he stole the forbidden book of his tribe, the Dark Prognosticus, and... and..." Oni burst into tears.
"And that's it," Luigi concluded. "At the time, he had been split into two different beings. I ended up helping him reunite with his other half." Everyone hung there heads, utterly depressed by Luigi's story.
"Amazing," Raiden whispered. "You really did speak to Inoni, didn't you? That information is about as accurate as it could be. But there's still... so much more..."
"Well, spit it out!" Wario thundered. "We don't have all day!"
Lord Shade's Checkered Past (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUVrk_2MT_o)
Raiden closed his eyes, recalling the events as they had unfolded. "It's been so many years... Lord Shade's story goes something like this:
"The world used to be a very different place than what it is today. Today, three worlds exist: the Overthere, the Underwhere, and your world- usually referred to as the Universe. But many centuries ago, only one world existed. It was a vast kingdom filled with many wondrous and unique tribes. It was in this kingdom that the friendship between Lord Shade and Inoni took place. Their lives happened just as Luigi explained, but after Inoni's story was cut off by his tears... that is where this tale truly darkens.
"Shade was thrown into despair, and the only thing that could ease his pain was his tribe's forbidden book, the Dark Prognosticus. He quickly became the most powerful man in existence. Before everyone's very eyes, he slaughtered his parents, along with Inoni's parents. But Inoni knew that one more person had died that day, and that was his old friend. The kind and friendly Shade was replaced with the cold and merciless Lord Shade. In a final act of rage, Shade opened the Void and attempted to suck the entire world into oblivion.
"Fortunately, Zeus- the wise ruler of this kingdom- did not give up. He summoned the three most powerful men in all of the land, the three Elemental Gods. Working together, the four of them began to blot out the darkness. Skulleon and I immediately put our effort into sealing the Void. The Fire God, Ember, fought Lord Shade with all of her might to prevent him from interfering with Zeus's work. Determined to prevent another catastrophe such as this one, Zeus put all of his might into splitting the kingdom into three parts. One would be the Overthere, where those who have proven themselves to be pure and benevolent would reside. Another would be the Underwhere, where those that are not accepted into the Overthere lurk. To decide which world one would go to, the Universe was created. Everyone would start life in this world, and live for nearly one hundred years. This life would give those in the Overthere enough time to decide who would go to the Overthere, and who would be sealed away in the Underwhere.
"Those who were accepted into the Overthere would enjoy eternal life in a kingdom similar to the one that existed before it was split into three. This system of three worlds would ensure that only peaceful citizens would live in the Overthere, and someone such as Lord Shade would never pollute their world again. Ember fought long and hard to keep Shade busy, and she was eventually killed. By this time, Zeus had finished splitting the kingdom into three. Lord Shade and his tribe were sealed in the Underwhere. Feeling partly responsible for Shade's outburst, Inoni chose to go to the Underwhere along with them. To commend him for his honorable decision, Zeus gave him the duty of being the ruler of the Underwhere. He could weigh others' sins and decide if they were worthy to live in the Overthere. The Overthere was still pending for a king, and it was decided that those who lived in the Universe should choose their own leader. Zeus was to be in charge of all three worlds.
"For a time, this new system brought peace to the Overthere. The Universe slowly became more and more civilized as years passed. But things were brewing in the Underwhere. Zeus had not confiscated the Dark Prognosticus. For centuries, Lord Shade studied its secrets. He grew steadily stronger until he had become even more powerful than the book's dark magic. Meanwhile, Inoni had a child whom he named Jaydes. She was a brilliant girl, who possessed a strong sense of justice. As Inoni raised his daughter to take his place someday, he had no idea what Shade was planning. Since Lord Shade and his tribe were put in the Underwhere by Zeus, they never actually died. This meant that if they could find a way to the Universe, they would be allowed to live there. As impossible as it seemed, Shade was determined to have his revenge. Lord Shade returned the Dark Prognosticus to his tribe, feeling that he had outgrown it. At last, it was time to escape.
"Inevitably, Lord Shade attacked. In a terrible battle, Shade opened one final Void, threatening to end all worlds if Inoni did not give him permission to pass into the Overthere. Shade believed that his power gave him the right to rule the Overthere. Inoni agreed, and teleported him away in a puff of white smoke. The Void's size had been reduced significantly, but it was not gone. It still had enough capacity for one more person, and then it would finally close. Feeling responsible for Shade once again, Inoni threw himself into the Void, saving his daughter and the rest of the Underwhere. From then on, Jaydes took over her father's job and passed judgment on those who wished to travel to the Overthere.
"But it was Inoni who had the last laugh! Lord Shade was not teleported to the Overthere! Instead, he awoke on a deserted planet at the edge of the Universe! He realized that he had been tricked, and channeled his rage into destroying planets. If he could not rule the Overthere, then he would rule this new world! By gaining control of the Universe, Shade hoped to prove to the gods of the Overthere that he was fit to rule. And that is why Lord Shade created the Shadow Shrowds. He wanted to show that he had power over others. But what he really did was guarantee his eternal life in the Underwhere."
Elemental Guardian Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs)
"I really thought the Void had done Inoni in. It looks like he found a way to escape," Raiden concluded.
"That's a lot to take in," Mario breathed. "To think Lord Shade used to be a normal person..."
"Don't let that make you feel sorry for him!" Raiden barked. "Inoni tried to negotiate with him while he was staying in the Underwhere! But Shade was bent on having his revenge!"
Mario clenched his fists. "If you think I'll hold back, you're sadly mistaking. It's not my fault Lord Shade turned into a jerk. He's the reason our world was split into three. We might all be living in a paradise right now if it weren't for him!"
"I'm glad I finally know about his past," Glaive mumbled. "To be honest, it wouldn't feel right killing someone I knew nothing about. Now that I know what made him who he is, I can murder him without regrets."
Wario scratched his head. "Yeah... I completely understood that story! Uh... Let's go bash him back into that Underthere place!"
"Very noble, but it's the Underwhere," Mario corrected him with a sarcastic grin.
"Whatever," Waluigi grumbled. "I'm ready to start that training whenever Raiden is."
"Even I'm feeling excited about this!" Luigi exclaimed. Well... Not really...
Chapter 20: Armageddon
"Such spirited warriors!" Raiden exclaimed, eager to begin. "Now that I have told you about Lord Shade, it's time to begin my training course. Move out!" He pointed toward the same obstacle course Mario had been through, and everyone rushed to conquer it. All except for Mario.
"What about me?" Mario inquired. "Didn't you say something about Grambi giving me private lessons?"
Raiden grinned. "Yes, I did. He's up there." He pointed up at a cloud that hovered miles above their heads. "I'm sure you remember how high up Grambi lives. The only problem is that Overthere Stair is only accessible through the Underwhere, and you have no way of getting there unless you're dead. Luckily, each of the three Elemental Gods has a pedestal that can warp people to Grambi's castle. But to use them, you need all three Elemental Orbs."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Mario asked. "Can't you just zap me to Grambi's castle?"
Raiden shook his head. "All you have to do is find all three Elemental Orbs, which are in the possession of each Elemental God. I'll give you my Thunder Orb, and then you can go after the other two gods."
"But I don't have time to go on a big adventure!" Mario complained. "I need to help them beat Lord Shade!"
"Let's assume they're all as strong as you now that they've begun my training. To be honest, the five of you wouldn't stand much of a chance," Raiden whispered, careful not to be heard by the other four. "I wasn't going to tell you this, but those four are just going to be a distraction. Based on the size of the vortex surrounding the Dark Castle, Lord Shade will destroy this planet in exactly two days."
"What?!" Mario thundered. "Two days?!"
Raiden nodded. "I'll spend these two days training them to their limits, and then they'll challenge Shade at the last minute. Hopefully, they'll keep him busy until you show up."
"But... you can't use my friends just as a distraction," Mario persisted. "It's not fair... They'll die..."
Raiden put his hand on Mario's shoulder. "This is our only hope. If a few of them have to die to save the millions of others in the Mushroom Kingdom, so be it. But I wouldn't count them out. Maybe they'll beat Lord Shade without you, or maybe you'll arrive before anyone is hurt. We'll never know until it's over."
"Okay," Mario finally agreed. "I'll make sure Lord Shade doesn't even get the chance to hurt my friends. Where's the Thunder Orb?"
"Over there," Raiden informed him, pointing at an important-looking pedestal. Sitting upon it was a yellow, translucent sphere with sparks constantly emitting from it. Mario cautiously picked up the orb, half-expecting it to shock him. However, unlike the first time he touched it, Mario was not overcome with an agonizing pain. Raiden could tell what Mario was thinking just by looking at him. "It didn't shock you because you have already mastered the Thunderball."
Mario nodded. "But before I go, I still have a few questions. First off, where can I find an entrance to the Ice Palace?"
Raiden thought before answering. "Hmm... Skulleon chose not to have a gateway to his palace from the Mushroom Kingdom, but there still may be a way to reach him. Recently, Skulleon visited the kingdom to save your friends in their first battle with Lord Shade. Since there isn't a gateway from his palace to the Mushroom Kingdom, the only way he could have reached your friends is if he used teleportation. Well, teleportation is kind of like making your own gateway from one place to another, usually in the form of a portal or vortex. After a portal is created, it should stay intact for at least a few days. This is why teleportation is mostly avoided. You see, an ordinary human could accidentally wander into the Overthere. But it was an emergency, and Skulleon had to act."
"If I go to Mushroom Castle and find the portal Skulleon made, I can get to the Ice Palace?" Mario inquired.
"Most likely," Raiden replied with doubt in his voice. "Is that all you needed to know?"
Mario stared off into the distance. "You said that the Fire God died in the battle with Lord Shade. So... how am I supposed to find the Fire Palace?"
Raiden gave Mario a funny look. "Easy. All you have to do is find the new Fire God."
"You never told me there was a new Fire God," Mario complained. "That would have helped. Where can I find him?"
Raiden shrugged. "I'm not sure. I remember Skulleon telling me something about a new Fire God, and how you got your Fireball ability from him."
"But I never visited a Fire God," Mario protested.
"At the time you received your powers, the Fire God didn't even know who he was. Chances are, you got your powers on accident. You probably obtained an unstable version of the Fireball ability, and accidentally passed it on to all of your friends without even knowing it. That would explain how you, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi can all throw Fireballs at will. As for finding where this god is located, you'll just have to think about who you met around the time you learned to manipulate fire. I remember Skulleon saying that he knows you pretty well."
"I'll give it some thought," Mario sighed as he pocketed the Thunder Orb. "For now, I'll focus on visiting Skulleon. But before I go..." He took out the Gadd Insta-belt 6000 and set the default location to the spot he was standing in. "I'll tell the other gods to meet you here. It might come in handy to have them around."
Lord Shade's Theme (http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/media/music/StarForce/ost_sf_rnr12/1-20%20-%20RnR1%20-%20Theme%20of%20FM-Alien.mp3)
Lord Shade sat back on his throne, reflecting on how he had gained his amazing powers. "No one in the entire universe will be able to stop me, now that I have absorbed the energy from the Oracles of Power. I must admit, being the strongest person alive is going to be a tad boring. This planet will be toast in two days. Where should I go next? It's been so long since I first arrived on this planet years ago; destroying any other planet won't feel as good as eliminating this one. Hmm... Perhaps ruling this universe will finally show that I am fit to rule all three worlds... Before I get rid of this pathetic world, I hope those pesky fools try and stop me once more. It will make a fantastic conclusion to my stay in this world! And when they lose, I'll unleash my own spin on the Void- the Vortex- and annihilate everyone! Come to me, my rebellious pests! I'm waiting for you!"
Elemental God Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs)
"Wow... The Ice Palace is the same as it was when I was killed by Metal Mario. It's just as cold, too," Mario whispered with a shiver.
"I knew you'd come," a voice told him. A tall, bony warrior that resembled a live skeleton stepped out of an enormous palace structured by blocks of ice. "It's been a while, huh?"
"I could never forget that voice, Skulleon. You're always contacting me through telepathy," Mario remarked with a grin. "I usually have trouble getting your voice out of my head."
"Well, enough about my voice," Skulleon muttered, slightly irritated. "We have more important matters to discuss. Raiden told me you would come. I warned you to stay away from Lord Shade at all costs. Trying to drive him away from the kingdom was a mistake, but it's too late now. If you can somehow beat him, the universe will be rid of him for good. Mario, I want you to take the Ice Orb."
Mario nodded. "By the way, I thought it would be a good idea to have you and the Fire God meet at the Thunder Palace."
"That's a good idea. I think the three of us can construct a Universal Television if we work together."
Mario looked confused. "A Universal Television?"
"It's a lot like the television you have in the Mushroom Kingdom, except we can use it to watch what is happening in any part of the universe," Raiden explained. "It's like a giant flat-screen T.V., and we can watch your battle with Shade from the palace."
From that exact moment, forty-six hours had passed. Raiden had brought the best out of Luigi, Waluigi, Wario, and Glaive. They were now as strong as Mario, or even a tad bit stronger. Skulleon arrived on the second day to give them extra practice, and to see them off to the Dark Castle. Mario wandered about the Mushroom Kingdom, trying to learn more about the Fire God. He also got some well deserved rest after fighting the Alloy Team. Now he was ready to continue his search. As the renewed Mario set out on his new adventure, his friends prepared to face their toughest foe yet.
"You have passed my tests of speed, skill, and endurance. I commend you. You are all truly brave warriors," Raiden congratulated them. "I have the utmost confidence that you can put up a good fight against Lord Shade."
"Do your best, and remember to leave with the Gadd Insta-belt 6000 if things get dicey," Skulleon added. "Be mindful and courageous. Remember that Mario will arrive to lend a helping hand." The four warriors nodded.
"We're ready to go to the Dark Castle," Glaive spoke up. He hadn't uttered a single word since their training began.
Raiden nodded. "Very well. Good luck." He snapped his fingers, and a cluster of clouds instantly merged into a larger, thicker cloud. "There's no way you could reach the Dark Castle from the Mushroom Kingdom. It's better off if you let this cloud guide you. It'll take you straight to the castle. So hop on when you're ready."
Departing For Dark Castle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPPdRk22L2E)
"Alright, let's go," Waluigi urged them. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel a lot stronger than before. There's no way Lord Shade can beat us if we work together!"
Glaive grinned, and everyone else cheered. With that, the four challengers boarded the cloud. Instantly, it began floating toward the Dark Castle, which was barely visible along the horizon.
"Do it," Raiden whispered.
"You must win," Skulleon muttered to himself.
"We'll win for sure!" Luigi cheered excitedly. I hope...
"I'm gonna bash that dork's skull in as soon as I see him!" Wario screamed in anticipation. "DO YOU HEAR THAT SHADE?! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"
Glaive simply crossed his arms and remained silent, although a faint smirk could be detected on his face. At last, we'll settle things. Too bad these poor fools don't know what they're up against.
Dark Castle Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRlm2IVuF04&feature=PlayList&p=620F6C831C4A3F4C&index=45)
"We're here," Waluigi whispered as the cloud stopped at the entrance to Dark Castle. "We're really here."
"Those designs... they're the same ones E. Gadd showed us on his laptop," Luigi observed, pointing to the carvings on the colossal double-doors that led inside.
Glaive stepped forward. "I'm coming for you, Lord Shade." He pushed the door open, and the four of them walked inside. The interior was painted black with streams of gold and silver outlining doors and other objects of importance. Thousands of golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, row by row, lighting up the entire room with a blood-red glow. In front of them stood a mammoth stairway which led upward so high that none of them could see what was at the top. Not a word was spoken as the heroes marched solemnly up the endless stairway. On either side of the stairway were statues of various gods and monsters, with doors placed in between them. Minutes seemed like hours as they trudged upward to face their final foe.
"This... is it..." Glaive gasped as they arrived at the top. It's so... familiar... In front of them was a door identical to the door that led them inside. "Alright, if anyone wants to back out, they better do it now. Once we walk inside, we can't walk out unless we win or use that disgraceful belt that Mario left us. If we have no other choice, we can use it. But we need to assume that this is for keeps. Does anyone want to back out?"
The four of them exchanged glances, and suddenly all faced Luigi. Beads of sweat were dripping down his neck. Instead of speaking, Luigi's eyebrows narrowed as he placed his hand on the door and shoved it open. They all stepped inside. But who would walk out?
Chapter 21: The Beginning of the End
Luigi, Glaive, Wario, and Waluigi stepped into the throne room. They marveled at the enormous throne room, easily a football field long and three basketball courts wide. Otherwise, the features of this room were much like the previous. The room was painted entirely black, except for streams of silver and gold outlining doors, windows, and furniture. The same blood-red glow as before was given off by thousands of chandeliers hanging several yards above their heads. Luigi could faintly see a fountain in the center of the room, and two sets of stairways leading up to a balcony-like area that bordered the perimeter of the room. At the other side of the room Lord Shade sat in his throne, eyeing his visitors. Abruptly, he got up and began to approach the foursome.
The Invincible Lord Shade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuXuv5Hvxqw)
"I've waited a long time for you to show," Lord Shade informed them with an evil glint in his eye. "It just wouldn't be fun eliminating this world before a final battle. Although you three aren't very strong, it's evident that you are the best this kingdom has to offer."
"Aren't very strong?!" Wario parroted, fuming with anger. "I'll show you..."
"Cool it or he'll kill you first," Waluigi whispered. "We need to attack him as a team."
"I see you're gravely underestimating us," Glaive shot back. "That will be your undoing. You don't have your facts straight at all." He still thinks Mario is dead, too. If we can't surprise him with our new power, he'll definitely be surprised when Mario shows up.
"I see Glaive has teamed up with these pests," Lord Shade observed. "I didn't recognize you back in Mushroom Castle. I would have probably killed you if I noticed sooner. Don't think for a second I forgot what you did."
"Aw, he remembers me," Glaive mocked in a sarcastic tone. "Good, because I'm through with you!"
"Would you mind telling me how you know Shade?" Luigi inquired. "I feel like I'm missing something."
Glaive shook his head. "Not now. We don't need to make Shade any angrier than he already is."
Lord Shade took a step forward, and the four heroes took a step back. "Now, which one of you should I annihilate first? Hmm..." He looked at Glaive. "How about you, Glaive?" His eyes shifted to Luigi, causing him to quake in fear. "Or what about you, you sniveling coward?" He glanced at Waluigi. "Maybe I'll start with this snobby toothpick..." He turned to Wario. "Or how about you, chubby? Hmm... No matter who I choose, the end result will be the same. Why don't I-"
"How DARE you call me chubby!" Wario screamed in rage as he charged directly at Lord Shade.
[End Music]
"Who could the Fire God be?" Mario pondered as he paced and forth at his bedside. "Let's see... I first learned to use a Fireball around the time I went up against Smithy. I think it was just as I was helping Mallow get his money back from that thief, Croco. It couldn't be Croco... So who..." A thought jumped into his head. "Mallow! He must have accidentally given me the ability to manipulate fire! If he really is the Fire God, I need to get to Nimbus Land right away!"
Elemental God Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs)
"It looks like the battle has already begun," Skulleon sighed. "Without the Fire God, we can't even construct a Universal Television to see what's happening."
Raiden was staring below the clouds at the Mushroom Kingdom. "Come on Mario... We need that Fire God! Most of all, your friends need you!"
"By the way, did Grambi really offer to give Mario lessons?" Skulleon asked. "That is probably the greatest honor anyone can ever receive!"
Raiden nodded. "Mario is the Mushroom Hero. He is the one that must banish Lord Shade from the kingdom. His other friends will only be a distraction, I'm afraid."
"Speaking of his friends, who is Glaive? I know Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi very well, but I know almost nothing about Glaive. He wants Lord Shade dead, but why?"
Raiden shrugged. "We'll find out in due time."
Nimbus Land (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15l_vvlC5zU)
"It hasn't changed a bit," Mario whispered to himself as he reached the top of a tall vine that led up to Nimbus Land. It was a village at the very top of the Mushroom Kingdom, which featured a castle and a hot spring. All of this was resting on top of a cloud, thus giving the land its name. "I can still remember the time I helped Mallow find out that he was actually the prince of Nimbus Land. I wonder-"
"It's Mario!" a cloud-like creature cried, rushing to embrace him. He was only half Mario's size, and had a belt wrapped around blue and white pants. Atop of his head was a single pink curl. "Haven't you heard?"
"Hey, Mallow! What haven't I heard?"
"I'm the Fire God's descendant, and I'm supposed to take her place. I know all about what Lord Shade has done, but you'll stop him! I know you will!" Mallow shouted with joy.
"You bet!" Mario bellowed with confidence. "You should meet Skulleon and Raiden at the Thunder Palace so you can watch me fight him." He pointed off into the distance. "You should know where that is, right? Anyway, I had something to ask you. Do you have the Fire Orb?"
Mallow nodded. "Yup. I'm training to learn how to throw Fireballs just like you! I'm supposed to look after the Fire Orb, and make sure it stays in the right hands."
"Can I borrow it?" Mario requested. "I need it to get to Grambi so he can help become strong enough to defeat Lord Shade."
Mallow's eyes bulged. "You're going to see Grambi!? If he requested an audience with you, it must be important. Of course you can borrow it!" He instantly removed it from his pocket and handed it to Mario. "Besides, I haven't built a pedestal for it anyway. Just keep it safe for me until you get back. And make sure that you drive Shade out of this kingdom for good!"
"This is great!" Mario thanked him. "I promise I'll do the best I can. But for now, I need to find Grambi. Raiden said all three gods should have a gateway to Grambi. Do you have one?"
Mallow pointed at a smaller, nearby cloud with a stone platform resting on top of it. On the platform were three spherical depressions that were meant to hold the Elemental Orbs. "We didn't bother to secure it because no one could use it unless they had all three orbs. If it was ever stolen, the thief wouldn't be able to use it anyway."
Mario approached the platform. "That makes sense. Well, I'd better get going." He placed each of the orbs in a corresponding depression. There was a flash of blinding light, followed by rainbow sparks emitting from the platform. The sparks began increase in size until they formed a colossal bridge that extended into the sky.
Lord Shade Battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfv8G3-vj8E&feature=related)
"How DARE you call me fat!" Wario cried as he sent his fist hurling toward Lord Shade's head.
THWACK
Wario's blow connected, sending Lord Shade staggering backward. Wario uttered an earsplitting battle cry and rushed after his opponent. Without further warning, the hefty plumber unleashed a rain of blows directed at Shade. Waluigi, Glaive, and Luigi watched in astonishment as Wario pummeled the most feared tyrant in the universe.
"Enough!" Lord Shade howled in fury, his eyes glowing red with hatred. He cut off Wario's assault with a powerful kick to the ribs, knocking him onto his back. "Did you really think you had that much of an advantage? It's impossible to say how, but you've become much stronger than you were when we first fought. It caught me off guard, but I assure you it won't happen again."
Waluigi charged forward. "We'll see about that!" He thrust his foot at Shade as if he was kicking a soccer ball. Lord Shade easily sidestepped the kick, causing Waluigi to pass right by him. Glaive leaped up into the air and threw a wave of shuriken at the tyrant.
"You can't defeat me with those silly toys!" Lord Shade taunted as he deflected them with a swing of his sword. "Try these instead!" He extended his arm toward Glaive, and an invisible shockwave erupted from his arm and struck the airborne warrior. Glaive fell to the ground with a THUD.
Luigi jumped into the fray. "How about a Fireball?!" Charging his flames into a ball, he hurled an Ultra Fireball at Lord Shade.
"Tsk. You never learn, do you?" Lord Shade muttered in disgust. "A direct Fireball won't do you any good." Using his blade yet again, Shade deflected the Ultra Fireball back at Luigi.
"Yikes!" Luigi shrieked as he prepared to be eliminated by his own attack. Moments before impact, Wario got onto his feet and cancelled out the blast with a Fireball of his own.
Lord Shade whirled around to see Waluigi rushing at him from behind. "Trying to sneak up on me, eh? It won't do you any good!" With a slash of his sword, a red beam fired out of the blade and directly at Waluigi.
"Watch out!" Wario warned him.
"Don't worry!" Waluigi called back as he sidestepped the beam, but continued to run at Lord Shade.
"There's plenty more where that came from!" Lord Shade hissed as he began to rapidly slash his sword, sending a barrage of energy waves at his charging enemy. "By the way, each of those beams is as sharp as my blade!"
Luigi covered his eyes. "He's going to be sliced into tiny pieces!"
Glaive's eyes widened. "There's no way he can get out of the way in time! It looks like we have to prepare for our first casualty!"
Chapter 22: Out with a Bang
Grambi's Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGjvbpnxUWg&feature=related)
"Ugh. Why couldn't Grambi live a little closer to the ground?" Mario groaned as he reached the other end of the bridge. He took a moment to rest and take in the palace's various features. It was similar to last time. On a solid cloud, the enormous castle built of pure marble towered above all who could admire it. The two double doors that led inside were open. In fact, the palace had not physically changed at all. But Mario could feel a strong sense of gloom pervading the air he breathed. "Why do I feel... sad?"
A short man with yellow skin stepped out of the palace. His body could not be seen at all, due to Grambi's colossal white beard that concealed most of his features. Covering even more of his body were his white, bushy eyebrows, each extending at least one foot from his head. "Ah, welcome. It's about time you arrived, Mushroom Hero."
Mario gasped. He had seen those eyes before. Even before the first time he met Grambi on his quest to stop Count Bleck, Mario had seen those eyes once before. "They're filled with... sorrow and misery. You must have seen terrible things in your lifetime."
Grambi nodded. "I was once a human, like you. When I died, Zeus decided that I was fit to rule the Overthere. I married Queen Jaydes, and I've been here ever since. You have quite an interesting story to tell too, don't you? Ah, but you don't know even half of your story. The true purpose of your existence dates back to even before your birth. It goes back to your father."
"My father?!" Mario parroted. "Do you know where he is?"
"I'm sure you know he left you when you were just a baby," Grambi assumed. "You probably don't know that by leaving you, he saved your life."
Mario couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How do you know so much about me? What can you tell me?!"
Grambi sighed. "I'll start from the beginning. Well, about fifty years ago, Zeus could feel a great cataclysm approaching the Universe. What he predicted actually turned out to be Lord Shade's uprising. To try and prepare for it, Zeus created the Hero bloodline. Your father was the first of these. He was born just as any child would be, except he was blessed with a gift of outstanding powers. Your father grew to be a normal man, not knowing of his unusual power. Eventually, when he reached his adulthood, he discovered a small portion of his power. He soon came to realize that he had much more hidden away.
"He knew there was no way he could master all of his immense power in one lifetime. So he took twenty-five percent of it for himself, and the rest was passed onto his son. That was you. You have seventy-five percent of the power Zeus gave to your bloodline! Each time you fought a powerful foe, or trained with an Elemental God, you gradually released more of it. Now that you are training under me, it is time to master all of it."
"What about Luigi, my brother?" Mario asked with curiosity. "What power was he given?"
"It is said that the younger sibling of a Hero possesses the equal potential of power the first-born child does. However, there are a few differences. First and foremost, the power will be harder to bring out for your brother, which would require intensive training far more brutal then what you will go through. In addition, the younger sibling- in your case, Luigi- would not possess the Capacity of Elements. Finally, the second-born child's power is not purified at birth. The choice to be good or evil is theirs to make. If he or she should choose to be tainted with evil, the effect could be deadly."
The Invincible Lord Shade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuXuv5Hvxqw)
Waluigi dove to the right as the beams zoomed toward him, each as sharp as Shade's sword. Wario, Luigi, and Glaive shut their eyes as they prepared for a brutal finish.
SLASH
SCRAPE
Everyone opened their eyes simultaneously, each of them filled with shock. Waluigi was lying on the ground face-first with a deep gash running down each of his arms. He had avoided most of Shade's blasts! Waluigi struggled to push himself to his feet, but his arms began to bleed and he instantly fell back down.
"It looks like my aim is better than I thought," Lord Shade boasted. "A slice like that is as rare as a seven-ten split in bowling. Each of your arms is slashed to the point where you will bleed to death if you try to move them. But you can't avoid using your arms forever!"
Waluigi rolled onto his feet, avoiding the use of his arms. "We'll see..." He fell to his knees. "I'll get you... somehow..."
"It looks like he's out of the fight," Glaive whispered. "We need to stick together. He's going to attack."
"Which of you will be next?" Lord Shade inquired, half-expecting Wario to rush at him again. "No volunteers? I must have gotten under your skin. The chubby one was more than willing to fight me before. Do you want a turn Glaive? Or how about the green coward, who has been shivering since I first saw him?"
The three heroes took a step back. "Let's attack him all at once," Luigi suggested, hoping to avoid being targeted by Shade."
"You saw how that turned out the last time we tried it. Waluigi lost the use of his arms. I think we'd buy more time if we stayed put," Glaive refused.
Lord Shade began to chuckle. "I've made my decision. I have some unfinished business to settle, so I think I'll start with Chubby!"
"Bring it on!" Wario challenged as he clenched his fists, ready to fight. Before he could throw a punch, Lord Shade had vanished and reappeared in front of him. Wario instantly hurled his fists at his opponent, but it was too late. Lord Shade's sword had already plunged into his chest before his fists went anywhere. Wario let out one final scream before his life faded away.
Luigi and Glaive froze as Wario's blood spilled onto the floor, their mouths agape. "This can't be happening..." Luigi muttered. "This can't be happening..."
Training With Grambi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L2AQhce3WQ)
"Mario, the first step of your training is to hit me!" Grambi commanded. "I may look old, but I've still got it!"
Mario clenched his fists. "Okay, if that's all I have to do..." He rushed at Grambi and threw a powerful right hook. Oddly enough, Grambi vanished just as Mario's fist collided with his body. "Where'd he go?"
"Over here," Grambi barked from behind him. He flicked his wrist, and a Thunderball launched from his body and struck Mario, shocking him until he fell to the ground.
"You're fast," Mario complemented as he rolled to his feet, rubbing a bruise on his back. "And you have the Capacity of Elements, too. But how can you fare against an Ultra Fireball?" Without warning, he shot a mammoth Ultra Fireball directly at Grambi, who merely deflected it with his finger. Mario was awestruck. "Why don't you fight Lord Shade? You're much stronger than me!"
"To be blunt, Lord Shade is much stronger than me," Grambi responded grimly. "To beat Shade, you'll first need to be able to beat me. As you are now, your Elemental Energy is far too weak to be useful. What you call an Ultra Fireball I'd call a regular Fireball. If you want to have more control over your elemental abilities, you should try these." Four rings materialized in his hand. "I call them Elemental Rings. They'll latch onto your arms and legs. From that point until you take them off, they'll feed off of your Elemental Energy. Elemental Energy will then become similar to oxygen- you need it to live. If you can't supply the rings with more energy, you'll die. The strain on you should either kill you, or help you tremendously."
"Wait a minute, that doesn't sound very safe!" Mario objected. Grambi tossed the rings, and they instantly wrapped around each of Mario's limbs.
"Now, try to hit me again!" Grambi demanded.
Mario stared blankly at Dark Castle, which was faintly visible along the horizon. I'm never going to make it out of here alive.
Wario's Death (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIbjd62yeNo)
"Such a pathetic waste," Lord Shade muttered as he ripped Wario off of his sword and tossed him to the ground. In seconds, his corpse was surrounded by a pool of blood.
"Bro!" Waluigi cried, instantly rushing to Wario's side despite his injuries. "Wake up! You're not dead! You can't be dead! It's not true! This isn't happening!" He shook Wario feverishly. "Get up! Stop fooling around!" Tears began to stream down his cheeks. "It's not funny! I know you're alive! Get up..." He tried to listen to Wario's heartbeat. He heard nothing. "He's gone... No... You weren't... supposed to die... you big jerk! Now what am I supposed to do after we beat Shade?"
"You shouldn't get so worked up over a piece of trash like him," Shade snickered. "He was hardly worth my time."
Waluigi charged at Lord Shade, only to be backhanded back onto the ground. Blood began to stream out of his wounds. He fell onto his hands and knees. "No... I can't let you down... bro..."
Lord Shade turned to Luigi and Glaive. "It looks like it's just the three of us, now."
"What's taking Mario so long?!" Luigi shrieked. "We're all gonna be slaughtered!"
"Now isn't the time to be a coward," Glaive reprimanded him.
Lord Shade now stood right in front of Luigi and Glaive. "Let's see... Should I kill the coward or the traitor?"
Waluigi wept silently behind his brother. "I have to... make it up... to you... Wherever you are... I'll be joining you soon... This one's for you, Wario..."
Rage Unleashed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z984D3-Cs_I)
Waluigi stood up and began to charge a purple Fireball. "Lord Shade! You're going to pay for killing my brother!" The Fireball had now grown to a size even larger than an Ultra Fireball. "To avenge Wario's death, have this special gift!" With all of his might, Waluigi hurled the gigantic Fireball at Shade, blood erupting from his gashed arms all the while.
"Get down!" Glaive screamed as he and Luigi dove out of the blast's range.
"He was already beaten!" Lord Shade roared. "There's no way he could have created a Fireball that large!" Without enough time to dodge, Shade took the blast head on. It collided with him in a massive explosion of flames that shot out in every direction.
Exhausting all of his energy into one final blast, it could be said that Waluigi went out with a bang.
Chapter 23: Demon of Flames
Training With Grambi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L2AQhce3WQ)
As the battle with Lord Shade reached deadly proportions, Mario continued to spar with Grambi. "Hmm... You've become much stronger since we started," Grambi observed as he gave his opponent a powerful right hook that sent him staggering backwards. "That punch would have knocked you out when we started. This time, it just gave you a small bruise. You've proved your endurance. Now, let's see how you well you do against Elemental Attacks." He snapped his fingers, and a bolt of lightning materialized above Mario's head.
"Too slow!" Mario taunted, diving to the side to avoid the attack.
Grambi nodded. "Good. Now I'll check your speed." He warped behind Mario and threw a series of punches and kicks, all of which the plumber dodged. Grambi ended the combo with a final jab, which Mario evaded.
"Not good enough!" Mario bellowed as he retaliated with a sweep-kick that knocked Grambi onto his back.
Grambi pulled himself up. "Impressive. Believe it or not, you've surpassed me. Although it may not seem like it now, you'll see the true effects of your training when you remove the Elemental Rings. When you take them off, I'd say you'll be about three-fifths as strong as Lord Shade."
"What?!" Mario thundered. "Just how strong is Shade?!"
"Near invincible," Grambi replied grimly. "Fighting him now wouldn't be a guaranteed victory. But I have nothing left to teach you. All you really needed was to spar with someone that was stronger than you. There is nothing left for you to learn... unless..."
"Unless what?" Mario inquired. "What are you hiding?"
Grambi hung his head. "I could never put you through that... On the other hand..."
"This is desperate! Let me do whatever it is you're talking about! Please! I'll die against Shade anyway, so you don't need to worry about my life!"
"Very well... Dimension C is our last hope," Grambi muttered. "It's the homeland of Culex, one of the strongest beings in all three worlds. He isn't quite as strong as Lord Shade, but he'll be tough to beat. Not to mention the dimensions various side-effects. Time will seem to move in slow motion. A minute here will seem like an hour in that horrible dimension. The demonic energy floating amongst that dimension will seem to pull you down, making it feel like you weigh twice as much. This energy will also enter any cuts or wounds you have, amplifying the pain tenfold. And... the only way to escape... is to defeat Culex."
"No sweat. I defeated Culex in Monstro Town a while ago," Mario boasted.
"Yes, he did pay a visit to your world," Grambi admitted. "But you'll notice several differences if you fight him in Dimension C. First, you'll have all of the deadly side-effects wearing you down. If that's not enough, Culex's power is strongest when he is in his own dimension. In your world, his strength was greatly reduced. Do you still want to go?"
Beads of sweat began to drip down Mario's face. "And if I don't win... I can't come back?"
Grambi shook his head. "In the unlikely even Culex spares your life, you will not be able to return."
"I'll win," Mario assured him. "Take me there."
With a flick of his wrist, Grambi opened a small portal beside them. "I won't stop you. But it's unlikely that you'll ever return."
The Invincible Lord Shade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuXuv5Hvxqw)
The smoke from Waluigi's final attack began to fade away. Luigi and Glaive breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a close one," Luigi whispered. "I almost had to fight... But Waluigi's gone..."
"We have more pressing matters at hand!" Glaive screamed. "If you think that attack finished off Lord Shade, you're sadly mistaken!"
Lord Shade walked out of the giant mass of dust and smoke. "That was quite an attack... I haven't experienced an assault of that caliber in years. It's too bad I'm familiar with that technique. By forcing your Life Energy into an attack, you can do quite a bit of damage. Unfortunately, your friend hardly had any Life Energy left. Not to mention his aim was off, but that was probably because of those gashes in his arms."
"I can't believe they died for nothing!" Luigi shrieked.
"And now... it's down to just the three of us," Lord Shade announced with an evil glint in his eyes. "Should I tear you apart simultaneously, or one at a time?"
"Uhh... Neither?" Luigi answered, quavering in fear.
"It might be a good time to get out of here. Get out that stupid belt," Glaive barked. "It's our only way out."
"Right," Luigi affirmed with a nod. He pulled the belt out of his pocket and began to wrap it around himself and Glaive.
Suddenly, a grey blur rushed past them and the Gadd Insta-belt 6000 vanished. "Did you really think I'd let you escape so easily? You won't be leaving here unless you can defeat me!" Lord Shade hissed between clenched teeth. On the other side of the room, Shade stood with the belt held smugly in his hand.
Glaive's Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kFYvSrxSGw)
"Oh, shut up!" Glaive spat. "You think you're so tough now that you have the Oracles of Power, but you forgot one thing. This castle is quite dark; perhaps dark enough for me to remove my armor!"
"What? I thought armor was supposed to protect you! Why would you take it off?" Luigi objected.
"My kingdom has a curse bestowed upon it," Glaive explained. "All of its residents cannot bear to see the light of day. The kingdom has been nothing but a dark shadow for as long as I can remember. I was enlisted in Shade's army, but I would be required to visit planets with light. That's why I devised this armor. It completely blocks out all light, preventing it from frying my skin. It took a ridiculous amount of training to be able to move around quickly while wearing this clunky armor. This castle is dark enough for me to live without my armor on. Imagine how fast I'll be with nothing weighing me down!"
"I wouldn't get your hopes up," Lord Shade sneered. "He won't be fast enough to keep up with me."
"We'll see," Glaive retorted as he removed his helmet and threw it onto the ground, revealing his face for the first time. To everyone's surprise, he almost looked like an ordinary person. His skin was fair, and his dark brown eyes held back all signs of fear and sadness. He had jet black hair that spiked up at the top, while his bangs hung down over his forehead and eyebrows. As he stripped his armor off, his clothes became visible. He wore a white t-shirt that seemed to be made of durable fabric, and baggy black pants that appeared to be created for fighting. Tied to his waist was a sheathed katana, which Glaive gripped as soon as he had removed all of his armor.
"So, this is the real you?" Lord Shade asked. "Not even I have seen you in this form."
"I never knew Glaive looked so much like a human," Luigi gasped. "And I never knew he used to work for Shade, either. What made you leave his army?"
"It's a long story," Glaive replied. "Now, it's time I told you the other reason I wear this armor. I used to be known as the Demon of Flames. I was born with the unusual ability to manipulate the very flames of Hell. The only problem is that I have trouble controlling my powers. My armor helped restrain my abilities, but now it looks like I have no choice but to use them."
"Demon of Flames?" Shade parroted. "You've got to be joking."
Demon of Flames (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBugPsBGTdE)
"You wish!" Glaive shot back as a wave of purple flames erupted from his palms. Lord Shade quickly stepped to the side, narrowly escaping the blaze. Glaive gestured toward Shade, and the inferno quickly darted in Shade's direction. "You can't hide from my flames, Shade! I can force those flames to go after you again and again, even if you continue to dodge them!"
"Perhaps he wasn't bluffing," Shade mumbled as he warped to another side of the room, avoiding the wave of flames yet again. "I could do this for hours! Your pathetic flames won't even touch me!"
"I'd expect nothing less from you," Glaive said with a grin. "But I've got plenty of attacks to try out!" He rushed at Lord Shade, who was occupied with dodging his persistent flames. Glaive's hand began to burn up as it was surrounded with a ring of purple inferno.
Lord Shade rolled his eyes. "You must really think I'm new to fighting. A Flaming Punch won't work on me."
"Then you won't mind if I try!" Glaive cried as he threw a devastating Flaming Punch at his foe. When Shade effortlessly dodged it, Glaive merely grinned. Lord Shade whirled around to see a tower of flames rushing toward him. The Flaming Punch was only a distraction!
"You tricked me!" Lord Shade cursed.
"The flames are too close for you to dodge them! You've lost!" Glaive declared.
Lord Shade swiftly slashed at the wall of fire, instantly vaporizing it. "Not quite. You did catch me by surprise, though. You've proven to be stronger than the others, but not quite strong enough. You shouldn't have betrayed me."
"Shut up!" Glaive snapped as he drew his katana. "I'll show you!" He sliced at Shade, who effortlessly caught the blade between his index and middle fingers. By applying a small amount of pressure, Lord Shade snapped the katana in half, rendering it useless.
Luigi watched the battle from the balcony at the top of the room. "Not even Glaive can stop him... Mario, where are you?"
Glaive stared at his shattered blade, his eyes wide with terror. "No... I can still beat you!" He threw his katana to the ground and began to blindly fire towers of flames at Lord Shade. "You're mine!"
Lord Shade sighed and began to slash at the thousands of flames targeted at him. Whatever his sword didn't vaporize was dodged with a simple sidestep. Glaive has become frantic. He's lost his calm and cool attitude. Soon, he'll meet his end.
Luigi gasped. "Lord Shade isn't even fighting back! Glaive is just tiring himself out! And when Glaive finally runs out of energy, he'll be at Shade's mercy."
The story seems good so far. (Even though it looks like it's almost done. :P) You made a few spelling mistakes here and there, but everyone does that sometimes.
I just think some of the decisions were made kind of fast, though. Like how Red didn't care about the speech Mario gave him and then decided to team up with him after a few minutes.
It's pretty good, and I'll look forward to seeing how it ends. ;)
Quote from: Retronintendodude7 on February 02, 2009, 09:10:03 PM
The story seems good so far. (Even though it looks like it's almost done. :P) You made a few spelling mistakes here and there, but everyone does that sometimes.
I just think some of the decisions were made kind of fast, though. Like how Red didn't care about the speech Mario gave him and then decided to team up with him after a few minutes.
It's pretty good, and I'll look forward to seeing how it ends. ;)
Wow, you read through that pretty quickly. :P About the whole Red thing, there's actually a somewhat deeper meaning to his decision. He wanted to be important to Lord Shade, and when Mario gave his speech Red still thought that Shade felt his army was important. If he had betrayed Shade at that moment, he'd be hurting something that he thought was special to his leader. When Shade sent his entire army though, Red quickly realized that Shade had found something else important to him- the Oracles of Power. So since Shade's army was no longer important to him, Red had no reason to regret betraying Lord Shade. I hope that made sense. :P
Regardless, thanks for commenting and reading through all of that. :)
Chapter 24: Impending Doom
Culex Battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyrDdmaTudo&feature=related)
Deep in Dimension C, Mario and Culex brawled. It was a vast, empty void with occasional rocks and boulders protruding from the ground. All that could be seen in the background was a swirling purple vortex. "Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea!" Mario cursed as he dodged a wave of ice that swept past him. "Culex is a lot tougher than before!"
"It was foolish of you to challenge me in this dimension!" Culex roared as he unleashed a sea of flames at the helpless plumber. "You'll never survive this battle!"
"Watch me!" Mario retorted as he ducked behind a boulder to avoid Culex's attack. Once the fire died down, he popped out and tossed an extra-large Thunderball at Culex.
Culex only laughed and surrounded himself in a whirlwind, deflecting the Thunderball on impact. "I scoff at your pathetic attacks!" Several tornadoes spawned from the one surrounding Culex and began to assault Mario. The rock Mario had taken cover behind was shattered to mere pebbles, and the plumber was hurled into the air. With a snap of his fingers, a bolt of lightning shocked the airborne Mario. He cried out in pain and fell lifelessly to the ground.
THUD
The Invincible Lord Shade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuXuv5Hvxqw)
Glaive's fire ceased. The warrior staggered backward in exhaustion. "I think I... overdid it... just a bit..."
"You could have done a lot more with the power you just wasted," Lord Shade criticized him as he walked out of a large cluster of smoke and ash virtually unharmed. "If you hadn't left, maybe I could have taught you to control that power. But it's too late for that. You chose your stupid race of people along with this pathetic universe over me. You were playing with the winning team, Glaive, and you deserted it."
Glaive's eyes widened with fear as Lord Shade's words pierced through him like thousands of tiny daggers. "No... Everything he's saying... is true..."
Lord Shade began to approach Glaive. "You were a great second-in-command while you were still around. Mace, your successor, betrayed me as well. All of my life I've been turned on. My own parents, Inoni, you, and then Mace all went against me. I soon realized that to trust in others is to put your life out in the open for anyone to take. That's why I eliminated my very own army. Each and every one of them would have jumped at the chance to overthrow me. The only thing that you can trust in is your own strength. With the Oracles of Power, I know my trust is safely tucked away where no one can get at it."
"Oh my..." Skulleon gasped. "Glaive has been a cutthroat warrior for most of his life. But he has never suffered the same kind of pain he is about to go through. His life will end, just as he feared, at the hands of Shade."
Raiden clenched his teeth. "It's... awful... The Wario Bros. have been done in, and now Glaive is about to die! Can we really trust Luigi with this entire battle?"
"Hold on Luigi!" Mallow cried. "You can't give in!"
Lord Shade's Wrath (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2SUErXVgMU)
"Your life as a warrior has come to an end! Now you'll learn what I do to traitors!" Lord Shade hissed, a red aura glowing around him. Glaive only staggered backward in fear, beads of sweat dripping down his face. Shade landed a flawless punch right on Glaive's cheek, sending him onto his backside. Lord Shade swiped at his former ally with his sword, but Glaive moved back just enough to avoid a fatal wound. However, there was still a fairly deep cut stretching vertically from the bottom of his neck to his waist. Shade threw yet another solid punch; this time directly at Glaive's wound.
"Ack! Augg!" Glaive screamed in agony as blood spurted from his gashes. Shade only chuckled menacingly and knocked his foe to the ground with a roundhouse kick.
"The price of betrayal will be... YOUR LIFE!" Lord Shade howled as he repeatedly stomped on Glaive's wound as hard as he could. Shade only chuckled when he saw drops of blood flying from Glaive's chest. "Now do you see what your actions have caused?!"
"Damn it!" Glaive cursed as he pulled a shuriken out from a concealed pocket in his pants and desperately hurled it at Shade.
"Your attempts to escape are fruitless! My wrath will follow you to the ends of the universe!" Shade snarled, catching the shuriken and crushing it in his hand. "Now DIE!" Without another moment of hesitation, Lord Shade thrust his blade into Glaive's open wound, sending blood gushing outward in all directions. Tears began to stream down Glaive's bloodstained cheeks.
Luigi watched the one-sided battle in horror. "Glaive isn't even fighting back! He knows he can't win! I have to escape!"
"ACK!"
Luigi paused. "No... What am I thinking? All my life, I've done nothing but run away. Everyone must be ashamed of me for deserting them so many times. Even now, as Glaive is about to die, all I can think of is escaping. How many times have my friends needed me? How many times have I let them down? If only... If only I had my brother's courage... Then he wouldn't need to come save us... I have to be strong... I need to fight... I... need... to..."
Luigi Strikes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z984D3-Cs_I)
Luigi let out a chilling battle cry as he leapt down from the balcony and made a wild dash at Lord Shade.
THWACK
Luigi gave the unsuspecting Shade the hardest right hook he had ever thrown. Lord Shade's sword was dislodged from Glaive's chest, and the tyrant tumbled onto the ground beside him. "I'm tired of you!" Luigi shrieked as he tackled Lord Shade and began to wildly throw punches at his vulnerable opponent.
"Get off of me!" Shade roared as he pushed Luigi to the ground. "You cowardly fool!"
Luigi rolled onto his feet and formed two Ultra Fireballs- one in each of his hands. "Could a coward do this?!" he inquired as he launched two enormous green Fireballs at Lord Shade.
"Maybe... he... isn't such... a coward... after all..." Glaive murmured, blood still trickling from his cut.
Lord Shade's Wrath (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2SUErXVgMU)
Lord Shade pushed himself to his feet. "You attacked me from behind... just as a coward would!"
"I'm tired of you hurting my friends!" Luigi screeched as he dashed at Shade once again.
"We've been through this," Lord Shade sighed. "You can't possibly defeat me! Darkness will overcome the universe!" By rapidly slashing his sword, Shade created several beams of light identical to the ones he used against Waluigi. Luigi carefully weaved past countless rays that could have easily ended his life. Once he was close enough, Luigi dove at him, hoping to tackle him to the ground. Lord Shade quickly countered by extending his fist toward him, sending out an invisible shockwave that knocked Luigi onto his back. The blood-red aura surrounding Shade grew more intense. "Your impudence will now come to an end!" Violent winds began to emit from the tyrant's body.
"He's relentless!" Luigi thundered as he was tossed into the air by the powerful gusts of air.
"It's time I ended this with one of my favor techniques!" Lord Shade announced proudly, his eyes gleaming red with hatred. "I call it the 'Storm of Anguish'!"
Luigi tried to fight against the winds, but to no avail. "Wait a minute! I can't touch the ground if the winds keep pushing me up!"
"Exactly!" Lord Shade exclaimed in pure delight. "While in the air, your ability to dodge is severely hindered! That's the beauty of this attack!" That being said, he fired a golden ray of static electricity from his palm. Luigi tried to swim against the brutal gusts of air that held him in place, but could only cry out in agony as he was violently shocked. Unable to touch the ground, Luigi hung in the air, smoke beginning to rise from his electrified body.
"No!" Luigi bellowed defiantly. "I've got to... break free... I can't handle that attack again..."
"You would have been better off running like the true coward you are!" Lord Shade taunted him as he blasted yet another beam of electricity at the helpless plumber. Luigi screamed out in absolute anguish as his lifeless body was tossed about the wind currents. Shade, seeing that his opponent could no longer defend himself, ended the storm. Luigi fell onto the ground in a heap with a sickening THUD.
"Oh no!" Grambi exclaimed. "I can tell that Luigi is going through terrible pain! The Wario Brothers are dead and Glaive is mortally wounded, so our entire existence is resting on that poor boy! I should have never sent Mario to Dimension C! If he hasn't returned already, he's not going to come back! That overambitious fool is dead! With him gone, all we have left is Luigi!"
The Invincible Lord Shade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuXuv5Hvxqw)
"This is always my favorite part," Lord Shade informed his opponents. "This is the part where my enemies are too injured to defend themselves. That way, I can use them as punching bags for as long as I want! And when I finally get bored, I'll suck this miserable planet into the Vortex!"
Luigi groaned in pain. Mario... Help... us... He attempted to get up, only to find that he couldn't even move his fingers.
"I'll start with Glaive," Lord Shade declared, walking over to the barely conscious warrior. "It appears that I missed your vital organs and only landed major hits on your lower chest. No matter; it will only give you more time to suffer before you bleed to death." He picked up Glaive by his throat and began to asphyxiate his former assistant. While Shade held him up with one hand, he began to slash at his wound with his blade. After opening the gash even further, he threw Glaive to the ground. "You should die soon. You've lost too much blood."
"This is awful," Luigi whimpered, unable to cry because he had already lost all of his tears. We're all going to die...
Lord Shade turned to Luigi, a wicked grin plastered on his face. "Now that Glaive is out of the picture, it's just us. Before we begin, I have a question I'd like to ask you. What color is your blood?" He waited for Luigi's response. "Oh, I forgot that you were too weak to talk," Lord Shade told him, his voice heavily coated with sarcasm and a lust for blood. "I guess there's only one other way to find the answer to my question. I'll have to slice you open and find out!"
Chapter 25: A Light in the Shadows
Tears began to stream down Grambi's wrinkled cheeks. "How could I have been so heartless? I sent Mario to his doom... And now, all that his friends can do is sit around and wait for Lord Shade to kill them. I'm sorry it had to end this way... The Universe was created to help us decide who should live in the Overthere and who would be banished to the Underwhere. Soon the Universe's entire population will be eradicated, and all will be lost..." As Grambi continued to sob, the reality of their defeat had finally sunk in. Suddenly, something struck him. "What was that?"
Amazing Power (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW1MYl7lU-w)
"It felt like a massive surge of energy! But who could-" Grambi's speculation was cut off when he saw the universe's last hope standing before him. "How did you..."
Mario stood beside a recently opened portal, a blue aura radiating from his body. His clothes were ragged and torn, which was likely the result of brutal training. "How are they doing?" Mario inquired, a firm confidence pervading his tone.
Grambi began to tremble. Not only has he survived, but he's so much more powerful than before... If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was an entirely different person. He's so... confident... "They're... dying..." Grambi answered, referring to the four heroes that had challenged Shade.
Mario stepped forward, and the blue aura surrounding him expanded. "I'll take over from here. They did well to keep Shade busy for this long." He glanced at the Dark Castle. "It looks like the Vortex is growing. I'd better hurry."
Grambi stopped him. "Wait! How did you beat Culex?" he boomed in astonishment. "You were no match for him when you entered Dimension C!"
Mario sighed. "Culex got careless. I remember what happened when I first got there. Culex had me beat in every way possible."
"You are no match for me!" Culex boasted. "Though I'd enjoy killing you now, you're the first person to challenge me for quite some time. I'm not sure I want to give up on fighting you yet! I'll give you some time to get used to this dimension, and then you can fight me again. You should feel honored to be spared by me. Usually I get carried away and finish off my prey with one strike."
"He wanted a good challenge," Mario explained, unable to hide that he wanted to be fighting Shade instead of talking with Grambi. "So I set out on my own and started to put myself through rigorous challenges in preparation for our next battle. The next time we fought, I removed my Elemental Rings. I finally managed to get used to the dimension's bizarre side-effects, which made defeating Culex easy. He let me escape the dimension after I promised to spare his life. Now that I'm out if broad daylight, I feel refreshed. I'm used to weighing twice as much, and aching every time I received a small cut. I'm free. I can feel something. Some new power is surging through my blood. I'm ready for Shade."
"Outstanding," Grambi gasped in amazement. "Do you need transportation to take you to the Dark Castle?"
"No," Mario replied stoically. "I'll get there myself." He took a few steps back. The plumber took a deep breathe and ran full speed at the edge of the cloud that kept Grambi's palace afloat. "Yahoo!" he bellowed in anticipation as he took a great leap off of the cloud and into the horizon.
Departing for Dark Castle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPPdRk22L2E)
"He's the one..." Grambi muttered in bewilderment. "The final hero of the three poems..."
The light blue aura that encircled Mario was clearly visible in the blood-red sky. Peach gazed at it from one of Mushroom Castle's windows. "Mario... We're going to be okay, aren't we?"
Below Grambi's castle, the Elemental Gods had taken notice to the blue light in the sky. "What an awesome power!" Skulleon exclaimed. "It must be Mario!"
"Get him, Mario!" Mallow cheered. "If anyone can beat Shade, it's him!"
Even Inoni could faintly see the ray of light among the shadows. "Defeat him, Mario. Don't hold back because you think he can change his ways. This is one battle that will be fought to the end."
Mario landed on a balcony protruding from the Dark Castle's right wall. "It's time to finally put an end to this." He opened up a window and climbed in.
[End Music]
Lord Shade continued his merciless assault on the two defenseless heroes. "It's just about time for me to kill you," Lord Shade announced. "It's time I found out the color of your blood, Luigi." He slowly walked over to the helpless plumber and raised his sword high above his head. "Say goodnight."
Mario's Arrival (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGvAU3MDKRE)
"Wait just a minute, Lord Shade!" a familiar voice screamed from the other side of the room.
Shade whirled around. "What?! Who's there?!" Instead of receiving an answer, a red blur rushed past him. "What was that?" Lord Shade turned to face Luigi again, only to see another red blur and that Luigi had vanished. There, twenty feet away from Shade, Luigi was on the ground with Mario kneeling beside him. "He's fast."
"Your fight with my brother is over," Mario stated firmly, his fists clenched. "Are you okay, bro?"
Tears began to stream down Luigi's cheeks. "Bro... You came... I knew you would..."
"Of course I came," Mario replied softly. "I'm always there for you, bro. I'll finish the fight that you started." Mario glanced at Wario's corpse, and then Waluigi's dead body. He stood up and glared at Lord Shade. "You have no shame! You've killed so many people! Mace, Red, your entire army, Wario, Waluigi, and countless other innocent people have been slaughtered for your own personal gain! Enough is enough!"
"You... I could've sworn that you died in my starship's explosion," Lord Shade informed him, recalling the events on the ship.
"I almost died, but I used one of those nifty Shadow Barriers to survive the explosion," Mario explained, grinning from ear to ear. "You should have killed me then, because I've returned to beat you."
"You're going to beat me?!" Lord Shade cackled. "Take a good look at your friends! I defeated all four of them with ease. If you're planning to fight me alone, you'll die in seconds!"
Mario walked over to Glaive, who was still bleeding from his battle with Shade. "Even Glaive was no match for him... It looks like Luigi was the only survivor..."
Glaive's Plea (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK1nXV96004)
Glaive's eyes fluttered open, and he reached out for Mario's leg. "Please... Mario... you must listen to me..."
"You're alive!" Mario exclaimed in surprise. "Don't talk, please. Just rest for now."
"No... you've got to hear this..." Glaive pleaded, his face damp with tears. "My world has a curse bestowed upon that does not allow us to be touched by light. Lord Shade came to my kingdom when I was just a boy. He told me that if I joined his army, he would lift the curse from my world. Naturally, I agreed. I became a cold-blooded killer to save my kingdom. It would have been a worthy sacrifice if my people could live in happiness. But years passed, and murder became part of who I was. It would feel like nothing to destroy entire planets and slaughter civilizations.
"One day, something hit me. It was just after I finished invading the Sol Warrior's planet and defeated Mace. I began to reflect over what I had done. Over a decade had passed, and Shade had not yet fulfilled his promise. I noticed that Shade promised Mace the safety of his parents and his people if he joined the Shadow Shrowds. But he killed Mace's parents and enslaved his people as soon as Mace agreed to join us. I realized what Lord Shade truly was. He found what was close to your heart and used it against you. He'd say anything to get a strong warrior to join his forces.
"I was stunned. The facts were in front of my face for all those years. It was then that I left the Shadow Shrowds without warning. I swore revenge on Lord Shade for what he did to me. He changed me into who he wanted me to be. I didn't get a chance at anything else... Please... Don't let him change anyone else... Mario, beat Shade for the future that could have been. I cannot carry out my final wish to defeat him, so I have to depend on you... I beg of you, put an end to Shade. Do it for all of the people that Shade corrupted... Do it for all of the people that were killed just to give Shade more power... Please..." Glaive's eyes shut as he slipped into unconsciousness, his face soaked with tears of sorrow.
Mushroom Hero (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyNa6Lu6_Q4)
"Glaive...' Mario murmured in empathy. "You've been holding back your sorrow for most of your life. I'm glad you finally opened up to someone else."
"His sorrow proves that he is weak!" Lord Shade spat in disgust. "I'm glad he finally decided to shut up!"
Mario felt Glaive's pulse. "He... might make it..." He hauled Glaive onto his shoulders and carried him over to Luigi. With great care, Mario placed the badly wounded warrior beside his fallen brother. "Sit here for a sec. I have something I need to do." He whirled around to see Shade standing behind him, just beginning to execute a powerful slash with his blade. Mario swiftly leapt to the right to dodge it and retaliated by trying to punch the tyrant. Lord Shade barely evaded the blow and countered with a roundhouse kick that sent Mario flying toward the window he entered the castle from.
"You may have gained some skill, but not enough to defeat the mightiest tyrant in the universe!" Lord Shade hissed, an evil glint twinkling in his eye.
Mario quickly regained his momentum by performing a back-flip and wall-jumping off of the wall. He landed beside Luigi, unharmed. "Not bad."
"Impressive," Lord Shade commended him, "but you'll have to be able to do more than take a punch."
Mario only chuckled to himself. "I'm having second thoughts about the 'mightiest tyrant in the universe'."
Lord Shade's eyes bulged out of his head. Sweat began to trickle down the back of his neck. There, in Mario's hands, was the Gadd Insta-belt 6000 that Shade had stolen from Luigi. "How did he take it from me? I didn't even see him grab it! He must have swiped it during our little scuffle. Is that why I was able to hit him? He was focused on retrieving the belt all along!"
Mario wrapped the belt around Glaive and Luigi. "You guys get some rest. I expect to see you guys in good health when I get back." He pressed the red button on the front of the belt, and the two heroes vanished in a flash of light. He turned to face Lord Shade. "Your reign of terror is over, Shade! Here and now, I'm going to dethrone you!"
And so... the battle for the universe began.
Chapter 26: Mario vs. Shade
Mario vs. Shade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NYPXEF8n_M)
Who is that man? Lord Shade pondered to himself. He reminds me so much of Him, but I know for a fact that he's dead! Everything about Mario... It gives me that same image in my head over and over again! I must find out Mario's true identity. I must find out where he came from and how he has such powers. Powers so similar to that of Anthony's...
Lord Shade's thoughts were cut off as Mario charged straight at him. Mario leapt up above Shade and performed a ground-pound that sent him hurling downward toward Shade's head. Shade quickly sidestepped the unique attack and slashed at the grounded plumber. Mario executed a backward somersault to dodge the slice and propelled himself to his feet.
"Ow..." Mario groaned, rubbing his sore posterior. "I have to learn to make sure I hit my target when I try that."
"Don't mock me!" Lord Shade hissed, slicing at the air in front of him. Red beams of energy shot from his sword and propelled themselves toward Mario. The frantic plumber dove to the side, narrowly evading beams that could cut through his skin like butter. He breathed a sigh of relief, only to see the rays spinning around to strike at him a second time. "I thought I'd put a homing function on my sword's beams!" Shade cackled triumphantly. "There is no escape!"
Mario crouched, wrapping his arms around his knees. "It's been a while since I used this." He began to give off an intense white light as his body collected energy. "Super Jump!" he cried as he launched himself up into the air just before Shade's beams converged at the spot he was just sitting in. As Mario hung up in the air, he prepared his next attack on Shade. But the energy rays made another sharp turn and rushed up into the air to end the plumber's life.
"You're helpless while airborne!" Lord Shade sneered, greatly anticipating a brutal death.
"Not quite!" Mario retorted, scattering Iceballs at the approaching beams. The rays froze on impact, and Mario effortlessly crushed them in his hands. He landed safely on the ground, and saw Shade standing directly behind him with his blade raised. Mario whirled around and took a quick step backward, only suffering a minor cut on his nose. Shade had put all of his force into the slash, expecting to cut Mario in two. As a result, his blade slammed into the ground, creating a violent tremor as his sword became wedged in the floor. Mario hurled himself at Lord Shade, throwing a wild assortment of powerful punches and kicks. Shade tore his blade from the ground and struggled to defend himself from the endless assault.
"He won't give up!" Shade cursed, struggling to block all of Mario's attacks with only one hand. His other hand was replaced by a sword, rendering it useless for shielding against blows.
"Hya!" Mario cried as he threw one final punch, his fist engulfed in flames.
THWAM!
The punch connected with Shade's skull, sending him tumbling backward onto the cold, stone floor. Shade pulled himself to his feet. What has happened? His power has grown to unbelievable heights!
"There's more where that came from!" Mario announced as he dove at the tyrant for another Flaming Punch.
Lord Shade threw himself backward, narrowly escaping the punch's range. Mario, now hanging in the air in front of Shade, was completely defenseless until he touched the ground. Shade took this opportunity to nail the plumber with a powerful left hook. The punch struck him in the gut, knocking him to the ground with a THUD. Shade raised his blade and prepared to stab the downed plumber. Mario nimbly rolled out of the way of the stab and caught Shade's sword between his left thumb and forefinger. He gave the blade a sharp tug, causing Lord Shade to tumble forward directly into Mario's right fist. He jumped to his feet and unleashed a relentless assault on the stunned Lord Shade.
"I hate you!" Shade hissed with a scowl, realizing that he only had one arm to block with and was at Mario's mercy once again. Gathering up energy into his sword, Shade ended Mario's chain of blows with a slash of his sword. Mario's attack instantly ceased as he dove to the floor to avoid the blade. Lord Shade then fired a purple energy sphere from his hand at the vulnerable plumber. "I have you now!"
"We'll see about that!" Mario shot back as he responded by tossing a Thunderball at the energy sphere. Electric sparks surrounded Shade's attack as it began to crackle and sizzle. Finally, the sphere turned entirely yellow and turned around to hit Lord Shade, who backhanded it as if it were nothing. The sphere began to disintegrate as soon as it touched Shade's hand, eventually dissolving in midair.
At this point, Lord Shade had begun to lose his breath. Lord Shade and Mario stood silently, eyes locked, in a tension-filled standoff. How did he get so strong? Lord Shade pondered. It's inconceivable! The first time we fought, he was no match for me. Was he toying with me, or has he really gained all of that power in such a short amount of time? That stare... He has that same effrontery in his eyes as... Him... He can even keep up with my strength... I must know his identity!"Give up!" Mario commanded Shade, who had slowly begun to lose his advantage. "With one arm, you can never hope to block all of my punches and kicks. You know you can't win, so give up."
Lord Shade's frown quickly curled into a wicked smile. "If you think I'm beaten, you are sadly mistaken. But before we continue, I must know something. Is Mario truly your real name? Is it an alias of some sort?"
Mario shook his head. "No. Why would I lie about my name?"
"Surely that isn't the truth! What is your true name?!" Lord Shade pried angrily, his eyes flashing red. "Is it Anthony?!"
Mario's eyes widened. "No... But Anthony was... my father's name..."
Shade's wrath vanished into thin air. "Your father, you say? That explains it! Your father must have passed down the majority of his power to you!"
Mario thought back to what Grambi had told him about his father:
Grambi sighed. "I'll start from the beginning. Well, about fifty years ago, Zeus could feel a great cataclysm approaching the Universe. What he predicted actually turned out to be Lord Shade's uprising. To try and prepare for it, Zeus created the Hero bloodline. Your father was the first of these. He was born just as any child would be, except he was blessed with a gift of outstanding powers. Your father grew to be a normal man, not knowing of his unusual power. Eventually, when he reached his adulthood, he discovered a small portion of his power. He soon came to realize that he had much more hidden away.
"He knew there was no way he could master all of his immense power in one lifetime. So he took twenty-five percent of it for himself, and the rest was passed onto his son. That was you. You have seventy-five percent of the power Zeus gave to your bloodline! Each time you fought a powerful foe, or trained with an Elemental God, you gradually released more of it. Now that you are training under me, it is time to master all of it."
"What about Luigi, my brother?" Mario asked with curiosity. "What power was he given?"
"It is said that the younger sibling of a Hero possesses the equal potential of power the first-born child does. However, there are a few differences. First and foremost, the power will be harder to bring out for your brother, which would require intensive training far more brutal then what you will go through. In addition, the younger sibling- in your case, Luigi- would not possess the Capacity of Elements. Finally, the second-born child's power is not purified at birth. The choice to be good or evil is theirs to make. If he or she should choose to be tainted with evil, the effect could be deadly."
"What do you know about my father?!" Mario demanded, clenching his fists.
Lord Shade's Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq3-FeTEdxo&feature=related)
"Oh, I know plenty about your father," Lord Shade snickered. "You've always been searching for him. He abandoned you as a child, am I right? Hah! You don't know the full story! Sure, Grambi and the Elemental Gods told you what they wanted you to know! But they didn't tell you that your father is dead!"
Mario's face reflected pure shock. He didn't want to believe it, but he could feel it. Whenever Mario had mentioned Shade's past, Grambi and the Elemental Gods had been careful not to say too much. "No... It's not true..."
"I'll tell you the story right from the beginning. Well, after Inoni forced me out of the Underwhere and into this pathetic universe, I began to immediately conquer any planet within my grasp. While I expanded my empire, I slowly collected powerful warriors to help me with my plans. I also accumulated quite a few scientists who came in handy later on. I heard rumors about a planet called earth, and how it had a gateway to a parallel dimension. In this dimension, there were objects called the Oracles of Power. I made it my personal objective to obtain these objects.
"I set out for planet earth, but I had no idea what was waiting for me there. A quick scan of the planet showed that there was a being that possessed powers equivalent to my own, perhaps even stronger. Keep in mind that my empire had just begun at that point, and I was rather weak back then. Not only that, but no one in my army was fit to handle such a warrior. I immediately opened project V.E.L.N.O., hoping that Velno could aid me with my work. I was wrong. As soon as Velno could think for himself, he left. I tried to pursue him, but to no avail. I took out my anger on the feeble earthlings.
"That was a mistake I regret to this day. The being my radars had detected before I began my conquest of planet earth arrived and challenged me. That being was your father. Even though he had given you three quarters of his power before he sent you away, he was still a tough foe to beat. Anthony defeated me with ease. But he refused to kill me. I can still remember his words. "Leave this planet now, and put your army to rest. I don't want to take your life, but I will if I must. Go, and never return." Once I realized he didn't want to kill me, it was easy to manipulate his feelings and turn the tables on him. I soon had him on the ground, unable to fight back. "No! You can't do this! I've got to stop you!"
"Stop me?! How do you plan on stopping me?!"
"I will, somehow! You'll see! One day, my actions will directly lead to your own death, you freak!"
"Me? A freak? I'll tell you who the real freak is! The one who sealed me and the rest of the Tribe of Darkness up! Well, no more! I'm done with that silly book, the Dark Prognosticus! I'm on to much bigger things! Goodbye, you fool!"
"NO!"
"Yes, it was the end of your father. I obliterated the rest of that miserable world, though I didn't have enough power to destroy the planet. I assume the world was eventually rebuilt and returned to normal. But that isn't the end of my tale. I learned that Velno escaped into the earth's parallel dimension, the Mushroom Kingdom. Once I traced his signal, it was easy to get into the kingdom myself. My radars tracked another being of immense power, even stronger than Anthony. I can only assume it was you. Unfortunately, the battle with Anthony left me hardly enough energy to fend for myself. I swore that I would return someday with an enormous army to obtain the Oracles of Power. And I did just that. For the next twenty years or so I built up my armed forces. I recruited Glaive, who betrayed me. He was replaced by Mace. Everything happened as you know it did.
"I finally decided it was time to attack the Mushroom Kingdom, so I sent a Metal Mario to do the job. In case you wanted to know, I got the structure for Metal Mario's body from your father before I killed him. He was so strong that I took some DNA samples from his remains before I left for the Mushroom Kingdom and had my scientists piece a clone together. Sure enough, he was defeated by you. You know everything that happened after that. I decided to visit this kingdom myself after I saw that Metal Mario had been defeated, and you've been fighting for quite some time to try and stop me."
Mario began to quiver with anger. "So... It was you that took my father away from me? I swear... I'm going to make you regret killing him!"
Chapter 27: Tricks and Techniques
Elemental God Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs)
Raiden, Skulleon, and Mallow let out a great sigh. They had been watching the decisive battle through the Universal Television. "It seems that Mario is holding his own against Shade," Skulleon gasped. "I never would have guessed he'd ever become that strong."
Mallow grinned. "I would have. He's so cool! Mario's gonna win!"
Raiden shrugged. "From what I can see, Mario has the advantage. In a battle with Shade, though, it's never safe to get too comfortable. I fear that Lord Shade may be holding back."
"Why would he do that?" Mallow inquired, his eyebrows raised. "What would he gain?"
"The kind of power we're talking about can immensely reduce a person's life-span when used. Despite his awesome strength, Shade is still a mortal being," Raiden explained. "If he used his full potential, he'd die at a younger age. I suspect he understands this, and won't fight with all of his power unless he has no other choice."
"Give up, Lord Shade! With only one hand, you'll never block all of my attacks!" Mario declared with his fists clenched. "Killing you won't bring my father back, so I'll give you a chance to get out of here."
The Invincible Lord Shade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuXuv5Hvxqw)
Lord Shade grinned from ear to ear. "You're telling me to give up? Allow me to let you in on a little secret. Think back to when you fought Metal Mario. Think of one of his special abilities; the one I'm thinking of was one that he used quite often. He was able to morph his hands into weapons such as guns and swords. It's obvious that he didn't get that ability from you. In fact, he got it from me! I possess the ability to change my right arm into the weapon of my choice. All I had to do was tell the scientists working on Metal Mario to scan my ability and integrate it into his structure. I typically keep my right arm in the shape of a sword. I'm usually too quick for my opponents, so I can easily slice them into pieces to finish the fight quickly. I see that you're different. On that note, I will fight you using two hands!" The sword attached to his right arm melted into a strange gray liquid. It streamed up and down his arm for a moment, and then began to mold into the shape of a hand. To complete the transformation, the liquid solidified into a perfect arm that was identical to Shade's left one. "Impressed?"
"It looks like the real fight is about to begin," Mario said with a gulp. At least I have some tricks up my sleeve.
"Now I can start to use some of my favorite techniques," Lord Shade chuckled with anticipation. "You know, I think this is the first time I've actually looked forward to a fight. It's time to see if you can fill your father's shoes!"
Thrilling Battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DadeT5vfs6A)
Lord Shade extended his arm, and a purple energy sphere erupted from his palm. Mario, knowing that this was merely a distraction, did not attempt to dodge it. Instead, he gathered up energy for a Fireball in his fist and gave the sphere a solid Flaming Punch, sending it hurling upward into the ceiling. Mario saw Lord Shade coming at him from behind and slammed a Fireball into the ground beside him. Smoke and ash billowed up from the ground as Shade stopped dead in his tracks. He scanned his surroundings for the plumber, but only saw cinders and debris. "Where are you?!" the tyrant hissed into the unknown. He began to blindly fire red energy beams from his eyes, hoping he might hit the cleverly hidden Mario.
"Yikes!" Mario cried as he dove out of the way of the skin-piercing beams. I'd better be more careful. He may have blinded Shade, but he had also done so to himself. How can I find him? Wait a minute... Those beams are coming from Shade, so all I have to do is follow them back to him!
"You can't hide forever!" Lord Shade screamed, firing twice as many beams as before. His eyes widened as Mario emerged from the smoke, ready to attack. Without a moment's hesitation, Shade flicked his wrist. A purple ring launched from Lord Shade's arm and attached itself to Mario's left arm. As if he had weighed a ton, Mario fell flat on his face.
"What did you do?!" Mario demanded as he pulled himself to his feet. He found it especially hard to pull his left arm up.
"Once those rings attach to one of your limbs, it will feel like it weighs a thousand pounds! Now you have nowhere to run!" Shade cackled, his eyes gleaming with a lust for bloodshed. He extended both of his palms toward the plumber, and dozens of identical rings flung themselves at Mario.
Mario attempted to tear the ring from his arm, but to no avail. "What are these things made- Uh oh..." He used the momentum that the extra weight gave him to roll out of the other rings' range. After missing their target, the rings collapsed onto the ground like thousands of dumbbells.
"STAY STILL!" Lord Shade howled, unleashing another wave of rings.
"Never!" Mario called back defiantly. He turned to roll out of the way again, but realized that there was a solid wall behind him. There was no way out. He was trapped. With nothing else to try, Mario jumped straight into the fray. He knew that the rings attached to limbs, so he used his chest to shield himself from most of them.
CRASH
The room shook as Mario landed, a ring clinging to each of his legs and his left arm. He now weighed a total of three thousand pounds, not to mention whatever he normally weighed on his own. "I can't... budge..." Mario muttered to himself as he struggled to get up.
"It's time to put an end to this," Lord Shade declared, his hand once again transforming into a sword. "You've improved, but I can't say I'm ready to be defeated by a plumber. With all of that weight, it'll be impossible for you to move. The only way to get rid of those rings is to cut them, but you don't have a sword, do you? There's no way I'll accidentally cut those rings off, either, so don't try anything funny. It'll just make your death more painful."
Mario thrashed violently about, rigorously trying to break free of the weights' grasp. It was no use. Three thousand pounds was too much for even the mightiest of heroes. Mario's mind was racing. What can I do? He's going to cut me into pieces, and I won't even get a chance to fight back!
"So long, Mushroom Hero!" Lord Shade squealed in delight as he unleashed a mighty slash that could slice solid steel to pieces.
Heroic Comeback (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z984D3-Cs_I&feature=related)
"WHAT?!" Lord Shade thundered in pure rage.
Mario had blocked the tyrant's blade with a sword of his own. More specifically, he had blocked it with a Flaming Sword. "I bet you weren't expecting that!" Mario chuckled triumphantly. "I'll explain. Leading up to this battle, I've been doing some preparation in Dimension C. In addition to getting stronger, I made it a personal objective to extend my Elemental Energy to new heights. One of the new techniques I taught myself was to manipulate the Fire Element to create a solid, tangible weapon. The result was the Flaming Sword." He swiftly sliced the rings that restricted him off. Several loud THUDs filled the room as the weights fell to the ground.
"Why didn't you use that to cut the rings off in the first place?" Lord Shade inquired suspiciously.
Mario blushed. "Well, to be honest, I forgot about it. When you said only a sword could cut the rings off, I eventually started to think about swords. Then, BAM! I remembered! I guess I owe you one for not finishing me off right away."
"Shut up!" the tyrant snapped angrily. "All you've managed to prove is that you're a lucky fool, not a clever warrior!" He channeled his rage into his swordsmanship as he slashed vigorously at the wily plumber. Mario skillfully matched Lord Shade's slices blow for blow. Flaming sparks shot in all directions as the swords of fire and electricity collided.
"Hya!" Mario cried as he ended the scuffle by parrying one of Shade's slashes and landing a powerful blow to his head.
Shade staggered backward for several moments before finally regaining his balance. He silently wiped blood from a gash on his cheek and grinned. "That sword of yours is made of energy, not metal. No matter how hard you swing it, it won't change the fact that it's meant to be used as a club. It isn't meant to slice or stab people, like mine. Of course, my sword is designed perfectly. It's a standard beam sword, making it practically unbreakable, with all of the benefits of a metal sword. It can slice through anything."
It was Mario's turn to grin. "I have no intentions of killing anybody. If I can prevent my opponent from fighting me, the battle is over. I'd much rather pummel you until you can't fight anymore than kill you. I'd be no different from a monster like you if I didn't consider my opponent's life when fighting. If only you could understand that..."
"Your stupid morals sicken me!" Lord Shade spat in disgust. "In a fight, there are two kinds of people: the winner and the loser. I don't care what has to be done to determine who is who. Whatever I have to do to win a fight, I'll do it."
"Of course," Mario replied with a hint of sadness. "That's what you did against my father. You begged for your life to catch him off guard!"
The Invincible Lord Shade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuXuv5Hvxqw)
"Your father died a fool's death," Lord Shade denounced bitterly. "However, I'm not interested in your father. I'd much rather focus on putting an end to this battle. Allow me to show you the attack that left your brother helpless, the Storm of Anguish!" His entire body began to glow red as violent winds emitted from his body.
"How can he be generating all of that wind?" Mario wondered aloud, alarmed that he was being raised up to the ceiling by the powerful gusts of air. "I can't move! The wind is holding me in place!"
Sparks of electricity began to gather in Shade's hand. "Let's see you get out of this one! I held back against your brother, but this bolt of electricity has enough power behind it to annihilate an entire city!"
"No! Why can't you fight me seriously instead of hiding behind cheap tricks?!" Mario screamed as he struggled to break free from Shade's windy grasp.
"In case you haven't noticed, I don't like to play fair!" Lord Shade answered, thrusting his palm toward the susceptible plumber. A golden bolt of lightning erupted from his outstretched hand and zoomed into the air currents to end Mario's life.
Mario was frantic. I've got to think of something! It's just regular electricity, so there has to be something I can do!
BZZERP
Blinding lights pervaded the room as sparks of electricity scattered in all directions. Lord Shade smiled victoriously. "It's over! The plumber has been defeated!"
Chapter 28: Mario's Defeat?
Heroic Comeback (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z984D3-Cs_I&feature=related)
"Guess again!" Mario bellowed after the light from Shade's attack had finally died away.
"How did you evade the lightning bolt?!" Lord Shade demanded, shaking his head in disbelief. He noticed that Mario was holding his shoes in front of him as if they were a shield. "Don't tell me-"
Mario grinned. "Well, I needed a way to defend myself. Rubber doesn't conduct electricity, so I used the rubber soles in my shoes to absorb your attack. I pulled my shoes off and blocked the bolt with less than a second to spare."
"Very resourceful," Lord Shade replied bitterly, his sword molding back into a hand. "You're the first person to ever find a way out of those two techniques. It's too bad I didn't learn them until after I fought with your father. Maybe I wouldn't have had to beg for my life if I was more experienced back then."
Mario slipped his shoes back on to his feet. "Shade, you're still not treating me like a threat. You're assuming that the tricks you used to slaughter millions of weaker beings will work on me. If you don't stop underestimating me, you'll soon be begging for your life once again." He took a few steps backward and bumped into a fountain. Even though a decisive battle was being fought there, it was still a luxurious throne room. He reached back and casually dipped his left hand in the water.
"You? A threat?!" Lord Shade cackled. "The only reason you're breathing right now is because I haven't decided to kill you yet. I had plenty of chances in the past, but I spared you each time. Still, you do make an interesting point. It's time for me to stop being so merciful and finish you off for good!"
"You're dropping your guard again!" Mario informed him as he rushed forward at the tyrant. He flung himself at Lord Shade and punched him with his wet left hand that had been dipped in the fountain. Oddly enough, the blow was targeted at Shade's right forearm. The water on Mario's hand soaked onto Shade's arm and solidified into ice instantly. Mario's left hand was frozen to Shade's right arm, rendering both limbs useless!
"What did you do that for?!" Shade thundered, trying to shake Mario off of him.
Instead of answering, Mario began a vicious combo of punches aimed directly at Shade's head. Lord Shade was right-handed, making it difficult to defend himself with only his left hand. On the other hand, Mario's weaker left hand was restricted, allowing him to direct a destructive rain of blows on the tyrant's face with his stronger hand.
"Let go, NOW!" Lord Shade hissed, struggling to break his right hand free. An aura of flames surrounded him as his eyes began to gleam red with hatred. The blaze melted the sheet of ice restraining him instantly, and he quickly dove backward to escape Mario's range.
The Invincible Lord Shade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuXuv5Hvxqw)
"Don't EVER do that again!" Shade admonished through clenched teeth. "Learn your place, you impudent fool! How dare you!"
"Stop whining and fight!" Mario shot back. "This whole time you've been bragging about how strong you are. I let myself slip a few times, but for the most part you're the one who's been taking a beating. Why don't you learn your place?"
Lord Shade clenched his fists, struggling not to succumb to his rage. "Such insolence..." Suddenly, his anger seemed to melt away. His frown was replaced by a wicked smile. "So... Am I not a challenge for you anymore? We'll have to fix that. I must admit, I'm not using quite as much power right now as I could be. You see, the Oracles of Power hold the balance of good and evil in this world. To absorb all of that energy into one body is nearly impossible, and would risk the complete annihilation of the person's body. I knew this, and only took a portion of the oracles' power. I see, once again, that you aren't to be taken lightly. It seems I have to take all of the energy that they have to offer."
"You'd be killed!" Mario warned him. "Don't do it!"
Lord Shade only chuckled to himself as he approached a curtain at the edge of the room. He pulled back the blind, revealing the Star Rod, Power Star, Shadow Rod, and Z Star. He began to chant words in another language. Mario only assumed it was in some kind of Ancient Shadow Shrowd tongue. The Oracles of Power began to shine with a splendiferous light. Shade eagerly grabbed them, and the light slowly faded from the oracles. Seconds later, the same brilliant light engulfed Lord Shade.
"No!" Mario screamed as he dashed at the power-hungry lord. "It's too much!"
An earsplitting roar erupted from Lord Shade's body as shockwaves scattered in all directions. It was like an earthquake, except the tremors came from everywhere instead of just the ground. The walls, the ceiling, the ground, and even the very air that the two of them were breathing exploded into thousands of violent ripples that could make even a deaf man cover his ears in agony.
[End Music]
Luigi and Glaive materialized beside the three Elemental Gods. "Luigi!" Mallow gasped as he rushed to the fallen warriors. He placed his hands above Luigi, causing a strange cloud to form. The grey cloud began to produce sparkling blue rain that splashed onto the plumber's lifeless body. Slowly, all of Luigi's wounds began to vanish. The cloud faded away, and Luigi sat up in shock.
"I'm alive!" he shouted with glee. "I thought that I was a goner! Wait a minute... who are you?"
"I'm Mallow," the prince of Nimbus Land replied happily. "You are Luigi, right?" He waited for a nod of approval. "Mario told me about you. You're the one he always leaves behind to look after the house, right?"
Luigi sighed. "Not anymore... I helped him a lot on these past few adventures! Anyway, I think Mario told me about you too. Nice to meet you. Could you heal Glaive, too? He looks pretty-"
"AAGH!" Glaive cried, shielding himself from the sunlight. "Can't... last..."
Raiden snapped his fingers, and Glaive was surrounded with a new set of armor identical to the kind he used to wear. "I almost forgot about his sensitivity to sunlight," Raiden admitted sheepishly. "He was a few seconds away from death."
Mallow repeated the same process to heal Glaive. "What happened?!" Glaive demanded. "Where's Shade?!"
Skulleon pointed to the Universal Television. "All we can do right now is watch. The last time I checked, Mario was doing fine. Let's-"
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted from nowhere and knocked the five of them onto their backs. "Oh no!" Skulleon yelped, his eyes wide with terror. "Lord Shade has taken all of the energy that the Oracles of Power have to offer. We are all doomed..."
Shade's Full Power (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiFT3hVrBzE)
"This is the power that even gods fear!" Lord Shade exclaimed in triumph, his body glowing with a radiant purple light. "I have obtained ultimate power! My life may have been shortened, but I can still kill you and prove that I am meant to rule all worlds before I die! There is no way you can hope to beat me in this form!"
Sweat trickled down the back of Mario's neck. "I don't... think I can... stop him..."
"Now you will know your place!" Shade cried as he raised his arm, generating a powerful gust of wind that knocked Mario onto his back. He flicked one of his fingers at Mario. A tiny snippet of air launched at Mario and nailed him in the chest, leaving a tiny bruise behind.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Mario cursed. "He hurt me by flicking his finger? I better attack now before he gets serious!" He charged at Lord Shade with his fists raised. Shade saw Mario coming, but did nothing to defend himself. Mario charged up a Fireball in his hands and executed a combo of Flaming Punches that would have burnt any foe to a crisp. He desperately punched at the tyrant with all of his might. It felt like punching a solid wall.
"Are you done yet?" Shade asked with a yawn, his face not registering one ounce of pain. "Good. It's my turn." Lord Shade's aura grew larger. A sudden, unidentifiable force sent Mario flying backward onto the ground.
Mario pulled himself to his feet. "Not good. I hit him with everything I had."
"Weakling," Lord Shade whispered, slowly approaching Mario.
Mario staggered backwards. "This is worse than anything I've ever seen. I need to stop him now. If I could just seal him in a tomb of ice, this could all end. I have to put every drop of the Ice Element I have into one attack." He cupped his hands together and began to form an Iceball. He desperately tried to gather his energy before Shade reached him.
"Good idea," Shade snickered, beginning to pick up his pace. "Let's see if it works."
"I don't care if I never fire an Iceball again. Please, let this work!" Mario shrieked as if he was praying to the gods. The Ultra Iceball grew to enormous proportions as the ground around Mario began to freeze. The room grew cold, and even Lord Shade's fiery glare seemed to have cooled off. "Please! Let this work!"
"It's time to see the true strength of the Hero bloodline!" Lord Shade howled as Mario unleashed the Ultra Iceball. The blast hit him dead on, without any resistance on Shade's part. Ice shards scattered across the room as Mario's eyes gleamed with hope.
"It's over," Mario breathed as he fell to his hands and knees. He stared at the colossal ice cube that contained Lord Shade. "What a monster..." His eyes widened with terror as steam began to emit from the ice.
"I... will..."
Mario struggled to his feet. "No... He can't..."
"I... will... never... die!!" Lord Shade bellowed as he was surrounded with flames. It was a manifestation of the fire of hatred burning in the tyrant's heart, and the melting ice expressed the tears that would be shed over the trials that stood ahead of Mario. The water soon evaporated and vanished without a trace.
Mario grinned. It wasn't the grin of someone who had heard a funny joke, or who was having a wonderful day. It was a smirk that solely belonged to Mario. It was the same smile that Mario flashed every so often when he encountered an impossible challenge. Despite the desperation of the battle that decided the fate of the universe, Mario couldn't help but grin wryly.
Chapter 29: A World of Hope
Shade's Full Power (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiFT3hVrBzE)
"Great... Now what?" Mario whispered to himself. Large beads of sweat trickled down the back of his neck as he caught his breath. "That Iceball should have finished him..."
Lord Shade slowly raised his right arm, and Mario staggered backward in fright. "You're a bit jittery, aren't you? My ear had a slight itch that needed to be scratched. Now that I think about it, though, I have more power in my index finger than you do in your entire body. My new power has opened up thousands of new doorways. I have an abyss of painful deaths to choose for you. I'll take my time and think about which would make you suffer the most."
Mario gasped as Shade vanished into thin air. He glanced wildly about, trying to calculate where the tyrant would strike from. Where is he? One slash is all it would take to end my life... He dove forward, feeling powerful gust of wind behind him as Lord Shade's sword skimmed the back of his left shoulder. Mario rolled to his feet and leaped up toward the ceiling. As he ascended, he tossed an array of Fireballs onto the battlefield without even bothering to aim. Hoping the Fireballs had distracted Shade, Mario grabbed onto a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. He scrambled to the top and held his breath. How long could he hide?
"Trying to hide? I thought you were better than that," Lord Shade whispered in mock lecture, standing atop of another chandelier a few feet away from Mario. He sliced the chains holding Mario's chandelier to the ceiling.
Mario dove off of the chandelier and landed safely on the ground moments before it crashed beside him. He fell to his hands and knees. Breathing heavily, Mario considered his next move. He's... unstoppable... What if... No... I have to stay positive!
"Hiding is useless," Lord Shade stated as he landed in front of Mario. "I can hear your breathing and smell your fear. It's strange, the emotion of fear. You've never seemed afraid of me before. I've gotten under your skin somehow. Perhaps you weren't scared because you didn't see the depths of my power."
Mario remained on his hands and knees. That's not it... It's that same thought... What if...
"Are you even listening to me? Allow me to clean out your ears!" Lord Shade howled as he executed a deadly uppercut that sent Mario flying into the throne room's wall. Without any resistance, Mario smacked into the wall and fell to the ground with a THUD.
Mario pulled himself to his feet and wiped a thin stream of blood from his chin. His eyes were wide with fear. "What if... I can't dethrone him? What if I can't avenge all of the people he killed? What if I can't save the universe from his wrath? If I lose, so does everyone else..."
Elemental God Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9sjF3gnVs)
"What's wrong?" Luigi asked worriedly, watching his brother's battle on the Universal Television. "What happened?"
"Shade took all of the energy from the Oracles of Power," Skulleon replied grimly. "Mario isn't the least bit familiar with this kind of power. It looks as though I was right all along... There is no man in the Universe that can take Lord Shade down. Mario isn't even fighting back anymore. He must be afraid of Shade's dreadful power."
"That's not what's bothering Mario," Glaive informed them matter-of-factly. "He put all of this pressure on himself, and now he can't take it. He's worried about what will happen if he loses. He would fail to avenge the innocent lives Shade took away and leave the Universe unprotected from Shade's wrath. That's why I fight for myself. That fool put the weight of the world on his shoulders."
"He still has a chance, right?" Mallow inquired hopefully. Instead of getting a response, everyone else hung their heads.
Mario in Peril (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0lg0baJtYM)
"Oh no! Look!" Luigi screamed, pointing at the television. "It's Mario! He's dying!"
Lord Shade picked Mario up by the throat with one hand. Shade began to mercilessly pound him with his free hand. "WHY... WON'T... YOU... FIGHT... BACK!" the tyrant hissed between punches, his final blow knocking Mario from his grasp and onto the ground. Shade approached the fallen Mario, who was sprawled lifelessly on his back. He picked Mario up by his overalls and dashed at a nearby wall. With a hateful cry, Shade smashed him face-first into the wall. He ripped his prey from the Mario-shaped depression in the wall and tossed him to the floor like a piece of garbage. He placed his foot on the plumber's chest. "Wake... UP!" he screamed, applying a great amount of pressure with his foot.
"It's... hopeless..." Mario moaned in a dazed voice. It was as if he was in a trance.
"I can feel your ribs beginning to crack! Is this going to be the end already? I was hoping I could torture you some more, but I suppose I won't get anything more from a weakling like you," Lord Shade sighed. "Too bad. It'll all be over soon."
"It's... hopeless..." Mario repeated mechanically, his voice barely audible.
"Mario! Snap out of it!" Raiden cried, wildly swinging his axe.
"It's awful! He doesn't know what to do!" Luigi bawled. "What can we do?"
Glaive thought for a moment. "Fighting Shade ourselves is pointless. No, we need some kind of plan to help Mario... Wait a minute... I think I might have an idea! Skulleon, you can speak telepathically to other people, right?" He hesitated for a nod of approval. "How strong is your telepathy? Can you open a telepathic link between two or more people?"
"I should be able to," Skulleon answered with a hint of uncertainty. "I haven't tried it in a while, though. Laws of Divine Intervention don't allow me to speak with people of your world very often. What kind of plan do you have in mind?"
"You'll see. If I've learned anything about Mario, this will definitely work."
Hope (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M7kG20fcXw)
"You really are a simple-minded fool. Of course it's hopeless," Lord Shade sneered. "What did you think would happen when you fought with me? Fighting me has only been an exercise in futility." He began to apply more pressure to Mario's chest with his foot. "This castle will become your cemetery."
Mario stopped breathing. His eyes shut. His heart seemed to stop beating. It's hopeless... I failed them all... Mace and Glaive begged me to defeat Lord Shade, but I couldn't do it. Shade is going to suck the entire Mushroom Kingdom into the Vortex. The entire Universe will come to an end... I've only been in the Mushroom Kingdom for a few years, but I've come to love it even more than Brooklyn. Now I have to say goodbye to it... I have to die, and let all of those innocent people down...
"Spare me. Quit being so dramatic and stop whining. I can't believe I was counting on you to stop Shade in my place."
Mario found himself in a hazy white void that looked nothing like the Dark Castle. "I must be losing it. That sounded like... Glaive!"
Glaive appeared and walked toward him. "Luigi and I made a full recovery, thanks to you. I begged and even shed tears in front of you. If you lose, then I'll have made a complete fool out of myself for nothing. Get killed by Shade and I'll pull you back from the dead just to beat you into the ground."
"He's so strong..." Mario defended. "There's no way I can win."
"Use your head. The strongest fighter doesn't always win," Glaive replied unsympathetically.
"By the way... How are you talking to me?" Mario inquired, looking around. "This definitely isn't the Dark Castle."
"Well, I was getting to that," Glaive answered with a grin. "I have someone who wants to talk to you." Glaive faded away, and Skulleon appeared in his place.
"Skulleon!" Mario bellowed happily. "You did this, didn't you? You're using your telepathic powers!"
"It was Glaive's idea," Skulleon admitted. "It looked like you could use some motivation. So I set up a telepathic link between you and everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom. All right, everyone! Mario can hear you!" Skulleon vanished into thin air. Mario's eyes widened as thousands of Toads began to pop out of nowhere.
"Come on Mario! You can do it!"
"Beat him for all of us!"
"You're Super Mario! You can do anything!"
"They're all here..." Mario gasped. Suddenly, Peach, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Mario Jr., and Luigi Jr. all materialized beside him.
"Come on, Daddy! You can win!" Mario Jr. and Luigi Jr. cheered simultaneously.
"You've got this, bro," Luigi said with a nod. "Don't let Shade get under your skin."
"Knock that jerk's block off!" Wario screamed, shaking his fists at Mario. "If it was me out there, I'd rip the chump's head off!"
"Of course. That's why you're dead now," Waluigi snickered. "Your arrogance got you killed."
Peach stepped forward. "Mario, you have to come back. You promised."
"GO GET HIM, MARIO!" everyone thundered in perfect unison.
Mario couldn't help but smile. "Everyone's still supporting me. All this time I've been an idiot. I was too busy wallowing in my own despair to try and stop Lord Shade. I'm going to get back out there and beat Lord Shade or die trying! For the future of the Mushroom Kingdom, and every one of its residents! For Peach, to whom I promised I would return! For everyone that cares about me, I've got to win!"
Everything went black. Mario opened his eyes and found himself lying on the ground of the Dark Castle with Shade towering over him, crushing him to death with his foot. A sudden rush of adrenaline engulfed Mario's body as he grabbed the tyrant's foot and hurled him to the other side of the room. Mario leaped to his feet, eager to continue the fight. I know that I'm still no match for him. But Glaive pointed out something that I can't get out of my head. It's not always the strongest fighter who wins. One of my new techniques just might be able to put Lord Shade down for the count.
This makes for a great read, even if I only do read it in bits.
Shadow, have you considered posting outside of this board?
Quote from: Lord Layton on March 13, 2009, 05:12:53 PM
This makes for a great read, even if I only do read it in bits.
Shadow, have you considered posting outside of this board?
Thanks. :) I've been pretty busy with school and have only really had the time to occasionally visit and post a chapter. I'm starting to get a break, though, and will probably start increasing my activity. ;)
Chapter 30: Mario's Final Tactic
"Remember Mario, the Thunderball technique is very different from the Fireball and Iceball," Raiden explained. "The Fireball and Iceball are pure elements drawn from within your body in the form of a ball. However, the Thunderball is raw electricity in its most primal form encased in an expandable nonconductive shell. The electricity you must harness for the attack is so powerful that you cannot touch it, which is why the shell surrounds it. When it hits the target, the shell will break and release the electricity. Because the shell is expandable, you are not limited to just a Super and Ultra Thunderball. You can put as much electricity into the attack as you want. Unfortunately, it will drain your body's elemental energy if you put too much into it. If you're still not satisfied with the Thunderball's size after your body is completely drained, or if you need a recharge, it is possible to actually absorb electricity from your surroundings. But only use this method if you are desperate. Do you understand?"
"Alright, it's time I tried one last move," Mario announced readily. "I hope it works..." He opened his right palm and hurled a Thunderball at Lord Shade.
"I hope this isn't the best you can do," Lord Shade sneered as he effortlessly sidestepped the Thunderball.
Mario instantly closed his right palm, and the Thunderball stopped dead in its tracks. It worked! I learned how to have complete control over my Thunderballs' paths of motion. Lord Shade would notice if I started to gather energy into a Thunderball just before firing it at him. But he would never expect me to add energy to one that I already threw! I can keep that Thunderball hovering up out of Shade's line of sight and send it hurling at him from behind as soon as it's strong enough to kill him. If what Raiden says is true, I can add energy from my surroundings to that Thunderball.
"What are you smiling about?" Shade inquired, slowly approaching him. "In case you've forgotten, you're about to die."
Cheering Mario On (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYC08FTb-q4v)
"I'm going to need every drop of electricity in the Mushroom Kingdom," Mario muttered to himself. "I just need some time..."
The world outside had begun to grow dark and cold. The blood-red sky had rusted to a reddish-brown color, still shielding the planet from the bright blue sky and any possible precipitation. The temperature had dropped to a level far below zero, and it would soon be too cold for life to be sustained. Peach and the castle staff remained in Mushroom Castle, staring solemnly up at the gloomy sky. "I hope Mario got our message," Peach whispered.
"Of course he did," Mario Jr. replied confidently. "Now he's going to beat that monster and save us. He has to!"
"Look up at the sky!" Luigi Jr. screamed, pointing his finger at a nearby window. In seconds, everyone had clustered up against the window to look outside. Their eyes widened as they saw thousands of golden sparks filling the sky, making their way towards a castle in the distance. "That's where Daddy's fighting!"
"It's a miracle!" E. Gadd gasped. "Look at all of that! It looks like some kind of electricity!"
"We need to cheer Mario on!" Peach exclaimed suddenly.
"But he can't hear us anymore!" a Toad protested. "That Skulleon dude turned off the telepathic link thingy!"
"We need to cheer him on!" Peach repeated, this time even louder. "If we shout loud enough, he'll hear us!"
"YOU CAN DO IT, MARIO!"
Inoni glanced up at the sky and noticed tiny golden dots sparkling in the red sky. "Is that all coming from... Mario? Impossible! If that is all being gathered in one place, he might actually be able to stop Shade! Go, Mario! Beat him once and for all!"
Lights in the kingdom began to flicker on and off. Many residents had finally returned to their homes, only to find that their electricity wasn't working quite right...
"What's going on?!" Rawk Hawk thundered as he dramatically leaped on-stage for his next big fight. "I heard that Gonzales was going to take Shade down, so I figured I'd get back to what I'm best at- bashing skulls in! But NO! Now the power is out!"
Jolene walked briskly up to Rawk Hawk and adjusted her glasses. "Mr. Hawk, sir, you might want to see this." The entire audience followed the two of them outside of the Glitz Pit. They all gasped in amazement as they saw the mist of static electricity slowly drifting toward Dark Castle. "Mario's in trouble... I can feel it..." Jolene whispered, trying to maintain a business-like tone.
"What?! Gonzales could lose!" Rawk Hawk bellowed with rage. "How many times do I have to tell that jerk that the only person I'll ever let myself be beat by is him?! If he lost to Shade, that would mean that there's another person out there that's stronger than me! Don't just stand there like a bunch of idiots! Let's give Gonzales the biggest shout-out he's ever heard!"
"LET'S GO, GONZALES!"
Bowser sat up and looked around. "Ugh... My head hurts... What happened?" He brushed some dirt out from between the spikes of his shell. "Mario's in trouble... Somehow I can feel it. If that jerk gets beaten by anyone else but me, I'll... Well... I'll kidnap the princess! He'd never see that coming! YOU'D BETTER WIN, MARIO!"
"Is that all coming from Mario?" Skulleon gasped as electric sparks filled the sky. "He must be collecting all of the electricity in the kingdom into one ball! A force like that could eliminate us all! We have to stop him!"
Raiden shook his head. "That won't be necessary. Mario will only do what he needs to do. Nothing more."
"Do you hear that?" Luigi inquired, shielding his ears. "It sounds like everyone in the entire kingdom is cheering him on! DO IT, BRO!"
"Everyone.... They're still rooting for me..." Mario breathed in amazement. I just hope that I can gather enough electricity before Shade decides to attack.
Struggle For Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gmt9S8SH-c)
Lord Shade stepped forward. "I think I've given you enough time to hear some words of encouragement. It's time we ended this little game. I'm starting to lose my patience with you. If you don't attack me soon, you'll force me to make the first move. I guarantee you that the pain will be unlike anything you've ever experienced before. If I cease to enjoy fighting you, I'll simply eliminate you. Keep that in mind."
Mario took a few steps backward. No! I'm not ready! If I fight him, I'll lose my concentration and the Thunderball will be lost. He stared at the Thunderball that hovered silently behind Lord Shade, close enough to the ceiling so that Shade would not notice it if he turned around. The Thunderball had grown to the size of what Mario would consider an Ultra Thunderball. It's still not strong enough... Drawing all of the electricity in the kingdom is taking longer than I thought it would.
Lord Shade glared at Mario with cold, piercing eyes. What is he doing? Is he taking a break? No... He seems to have regained his confidence, but he's also hesitant to attack me. I find it strange... I can see eagerness in his eyes. However, it's as if his feet are glued to the floor. It's just as if he's trying to restrain himself, like he wants to fight me but he can't for some reason.
"Come on..." Mario muttered to himself. It looks like Shade is starting to grow impatient. Of all my battles... all of the fights I've been through... this is the greatest threat I've ever faced. My father fought and died against Shade, but he left behind his legacy. I understand now that my purpose is to protect this kingdom with all of my power, just as my father would have.
Lord Shade grinned wickedly. No matter. I don't care what he's thinking. I'll just attack him and see how he reacts. He aimlessly tossed a purple energy sphere at Mario, intentionally missing him. Mario flinched and raised one arm to block the attack, but did not attempt to jump out of the way. "Just what do you think you're doing? If I actually tried to hit you, that blast would have killed you."
Mario did not respond. Oh no! If he starts assaulting me, I won't be able to fight back! If I do, I'll lose the Thunderball!
Lord Shade slowly approached Mario until they stood only inches apart. After staring each other down for several minutes, Shade broke the silence by punching Mario dead in the face. The plumber staggered backward and fell onto his back. He clutched his bloody nose as he struggled to his feet. "Why won't you defend yourself?" Lord Shade inquired angrily, clenching his fists.
"Don't worry... Shade..." Mario replied hoarsely, a faint grin spread across his face. "Your patience will be rewarded soon enough..." He began to chuckle mockingly at the tyrant that towered above him.
"You insolent fool!" Shade hissed as he performed a swift roundhouse kick to Mario's chest. Blood splattered from the plumber's mouth. Mario was sent hurling into the wall, but he did not release his grip. Through all of the pain, Mario held on. Shade grabbed him by the throat and held him against the wall, mercilessly beating him with his other hand.
"Mario's not going to make it!" Raiden cried, angrily smashing his axe into the ground.
Skulleon stared hopefully at the horizon, waiting for more electric sparks to rush into Dark Castle to power up Mario's Thunderball. "We have everything we need to beat Shade... Everything except for time..."
"Bro... You have to hold on a just little longer..." Luigi whispered.
After viciously beating Mario into the wall, Shade tore him out and smashed him face-first into the ground. "This is where your life ends. Say goodbye!" Lord Shade howled as he began to morph his hand into a sword. Mario watched in horror as the blade drew closer and closer to his neck. He closed his eyes, waiting for the stab to end his life. He waited for that strange feeling he had only experienced once before- the feeling of death. Seconds later, Mario opened his eyes to see why his throat had not yet been pierced. His question was soon answered. Lord Shade was staring up at the ceiling. He was staring at Mario's enormous, unfinished Thunderball. He was staring at the Universe's last hope for survival.
Chapter 31: Shocking Conclusion?
Struggle for Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gmt9S8SH-c)
Lord Shade glared up at the Thunderball, his eyes glowing red with hatred. "So... That's why you weren't attacking me. You were preparing this final blast. That Thunderball you fired earlier was never supposed to hit me. You kept it out of my sight, slowly feeding it more and more energy. Very clever. I see that you're still lethal even when you are inches away from death!"
"It's not... too late... I can still toss it at you... Leave this planet... and I'll spare you," Mario bluffed, his hoarse voice barely audible.
"No, I don't think I will," Shade replied with a pompous laugh. "So go ahead! Hit me with your Thunderball!"
Mario smashed his fists on the ground. Darn it... He knows that it isn't strong enough to kill him... I need more time!
"It's too bad I can't destroy your precious Thunderball," Lord Shade continued. "If I broke that shell containing the electricity, it would explode in my face and risk destroying my new castle. However, the Thunderball will vanish completely if I kill you!" He stabbed his sword at Mario, who swiftly rolled out of the way and onto his feet.
"I need some kind of distraction!" Mario shouted to himself as he sprinted out of Shade's range. I used up the Ice Element when I tried to freeze Shade, and I spent all of the Thunder Element trying to power up my Thunderball. It looks like I'll have to stick with Fireballs.
"Lord Shade saw the Thunderball!" Luigi cried. "Now he won't waste any time killing Mario! Come on, Bro! Think of something!"
"It looks like we're relying entirely on Mario's imagination," Glaive observed. "History shows that Mario can work well under pressure, but this is by far the longest battle he's ever been in. He has put all of his skills to the breaking point. It's amazing that his body hasn't just snapped in half from all of the pressure he's been putting on it."
"He's the Mushroom Hero," Raiden argued, clutching his axe. "From what I've seen, he can handle anything."
"I hope you're right," Skulleon sighed. "Wait... Here's an idea! Raiden, you're the Thunder God. Can't you surrender the Elemental Energy in your body to Mario's Thunderball? You have the Thunder Element surging through your body. I'm sure it would give the attack quite a boost!"
"Good idea! It might take a few minutes to get to Mario, but it will definitely give that Thunderball some kick!"
Mario scattered Fireballs in all directions as he dashed blindly out of Lord Shade's reach. He emerged from a thick cloud of smoke and ash. Hoping he had escaped for the time being, Mario sat down and caught his breath. I'm so close... I can't lose now! Not after everything I've been through!
"I thought I told you that hiding was useless," Lord Shade sneered as he stepped out of the smog. "Maybe I just need to jog your memory." He stabbed the ground with his blade, which had begun to emit a reddish glow. "Look out below!" the tyrant squealed merrily. Before Mario could react, a bolt of electricity sprang from the ground and struck him.
BZZERP!
Mario was sent flying across the room, his body shaking feverishly from the shock. Smoke began to emit from his electrified body as he fell to the ground with a THUD. He forced himself into a kneeling position before slowly rising to his feet. With a flash of his desperate grin, Mario gritted his teeth and prepared to endure even more pain. Just a few more minutes... If I can endure this pain for just a few more minutes...
"Your fortitude is admirable," Lord Shade commended him with an arrogant smile. "I don't think I've ever continued a fight with someone for this long, except maybe with your father."
"Yeah, it runs in the family," Mario replied wearily, still maintaining a faint smile. "We just don't know when to die."
Lord Shade began to approach Mario, a red aura emitting from his body. "Still, I'd like to know what you're trying to pull. I know all about your tactics, yet you're still trying to hold on. Fire the blasted thing already! It's not strong enough to kill me! It wasn't before, it isn't now, and it never will be!"
He doesn't know that I've been charging it up with electricity from around the kingdom, thought Mario. When he observed it before, he saw that it wasn't powerful enough to kill him. He won't bother to check and see if the attack got any stronger, which means I still have the element of surprise on my side!
"Are you even listening?!" Lord Shade hissed through clenched teeth, the aura around him growing larger.
Mario looked Shade dead in the eye. After a long moment of silent tension, Mario began to laugh dryly. "You'll see," he answered, then continued to chuckle at the figure that towered above him.
"Such blatant insolence is intolerable!" Lord Shade cried as he launched a purple sphere of energy from his left palm. Mario tumbled backward into the fountain that highlighted the center of the room. A few seconds later, he emerged from the two-feet-deep pool of water in a sitting position.
Mario coughed up several mouthfuls of water before regaining his breath. "You may be strong, Lord Shade, but you don't have much of a sense of humor," he remarked slyly.
"Oh?" Lord Shade inquired with mock curiosity. "Forgive me. You won't have to deal with my bland personality for long. I've just decided that I no longer have any interest in fighting you. Goodbye." A red energy ball materialized in his hand.
Shade held it close to Mario's face, causing his eyes to widen with fear. That energy sphere could disintegrate my entire body in seconds... It's really over, isn't it?
"Any last requests?" Lord Shade taunted him as he held the ball closer to Mario's head. "Surely you want something. Maybe you're too tired to talk. Come on, I'm trying to show you my sense of humor! Just two words! That's all I'm asking. Humor me." He began to cackle maniacally.
Mario grinned. "Turn around."
Hero Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5Bks9USF0&feature=related)
With great effort, Mario made a wide sweeping gesture with his right hand. "I'd better take cover!"
Lord Shade whirled around to see a mammoth Thunderball hurling directly towards him. "What is this mockery?! How did that Thunderball get so powerful? The last time I checked, it was nowhere near that strong!"
"You underestimated the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom! Your arrogance has led to your demise! Goodbye, Lord Shade!" Mario bellowed triumphantly as he dove out of his Thunderball's range.
"How could I have miscalculated this much?!" Lord Shade screamed as the enormous Thunderball engulfed him and collided with the floor, causing the outer shell to explode and releasing all of the energy inside simultaneously.
There was a colossal explosion that sent shockwaves to every corner of the planet. Everyone across the globe felt the impact of the blast that had defeated the mighty tyrant known as Lord Shade.
"He did it!" Raiden howled in triumph.
"I knew you'd pull through, Bro," Luigi whispered.
Glaive folded his arms and sighed. "It's about time."
Skulleon grinned. "Thatta boy."
"He's the coolest!" Mallow cheered. "I knew he'd win from the start!"
Mario fell onto his back, grinning from ear to ear. He had done the impossible. The plague that had filled the Universe for years was now gone. "I... can't... believe... I did it..." The air was thickly covered with electric sparks, and a bright yellow haze filled the room. Mario struggled to his feet and groped at the unknown until he found a wall. He made his way around the room, sticking close to the wall until he found the door that led out of the throne room. He reached for the door knob. It was time to go home.
Invincible (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO7OiXpMLL8)
A red beam fired out from the haze and pierced Mario's left arm. Mario fell onto his back, screaming out in agony. A fierce wind began to blow from the opposite side of the room, blowing the mist away. There, standing unharmed in the center of the room, was Lord Shade. His eyes were glowing red with intense hatred, and the aura around him began to swirl and take the shape of a twister.
"DAMN YOU!" Lord Shade cursed, shockwaves emitting from his body and sending large chunks of the floor up into the air.
"There's no way... you could have lived through that..." Mario groaned, clutching his bleeding arm.
"True," Lord Shade admitted. "It turns out that the Dark Castle has a mind of its own. It has the natural instinct to protect its owner at all costs. When your attack struck me, I didn't live through it at all. In fact, I was very much dead. My wonderful castle brought me back to life, and it will continue to do so for all eternity! You can never destroy me!"
"I'll destroy the castle!" Mario retorted, pulling himself to his feet.
Lord Shade shook his head. "In your condition? Not a chance! Even if you could, you would never go through with it! This castle is surrounded by a Vortex! The only thing preventing you from being sucked in is this very castle! Destroy it, and you will spend all eternity in the Vortex!"
"It'd be worth it to seal you away with me!" Mario spat in disgust.
"Wrong again!" Lord Shade cackled. "The Vortex is my creation. I am unaffected by the suction of the Vortex! You would only seal your own fate if you destroyed the castle! You can't kill me without destroying the castle, and you can't destroy the castle without destroying yourself! You're welcome to sacrifice yourself in order to get rid of the castle, but I'll still live on! No matter what you do, you've lost!"
Chapter 32: Hour of Desperation
Lord Shade's Full Power (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiFT3hVrBzE)
"Accepting your defeat and dying quickly would have been much less painful," Lord Shade hissed through clenched teeth. "Your resistance is about to lead you to your greatest pain. The agony you will suffer... is beyond words. Soon you will wish that you had not defied me."
Mario clutched the fatal wound on his left arm. Lord Shade's attack had pierced a hole directly through his arm, and blood had begun to stream out. It looks like he's recovered from every single injury I gave him in this entire struggle. By hitting him with the Thunderball, I gave Lord Shade the chance to be revived with all of his wounds healed. I may not have a plan, but I still made a promise to everyone in the kingdom that I would defeat Lord Shade. I have to at least die knowing that I was still attempting to fulfill that promise.
"I tend to avoid using the techniques that you are about to see. They typically make my battles too one-sided, and it can bore me very quickly. However, I think I can make an exception just this once," Lord Shade informed him, speaking loudly as if to break Mario from his deep thoughts.
Misery (http://www.esnips.com/doc/d619a5c9-87a5-457e-ba44-edfa6c194952/Super-Mario-Bros.-6:-Misery)
Mario flashed his desperate smile. "It looks like I have no other choice. I'm pretty sure that I barely enough Life Energy to stay alive, let alone fight. So it looks like I'll just have to improvise... Even if I die, then everyone will know that I tried my best. The chances of me walking out of this alive are slim, so I want you all to listen up. I know that you're watching my fight through the Universal Television, guys. I need you to get everyone in the kingdom someplace safe if I die. If I fail to beat Shade, I'm leaving Luigi in charge. You may be a coward, Bro, but you have the potential to be just as strong as I am. And Grambi, I know you're watching me from your palace in the sky. Save a nice place for me in the Overthere, okay?"
"Who's he talking to?" Lord Shade inquired, scanning the room. "He must have gone insane. Too bad."
Mario was engulfed in an aura of flames as he began to undergo a wild transformation. His hat and shirt faded to white, and his overalls became a bright red hue. "All I have left is the Element of Fire, and I'm going to make the most of it!" He rushed at Lord Shade and began to throw a wild assortment of punches and kicks, all of which Shade managed to block.
"What's he doing?" Luigi inquired, tears beginning to trickle down his cheeks. "What does he mean?"
Skulleon hung his head. "Mario couldn't fight anymore because he was almost all out of Life Energy. If he used up anymore, he wouldn't have any to live on. Instead of keeping his cool and thinking of a plan, Mario converted his Fire Elemental Energy into Life Energy. The flames have taken over his body, and as soon as they burn out..."
"As soon as they burn out?" Luigi parroted, though he knew how the sentence would be finished.
"As soon as Mario's short burst of energy wears out, he will die," Glaive finished without a drop of sadness or emotion. Though he could mask his feelings well, everyone knew that Glaive was hurting on the inside. "He'll have nothing left except for a few drops of Life Energy, which will run out shortly. After that, it's over."
Mario desperately punched and kicked at the tyrant, but every single one of his blows was effortlessly blocked. Lord Shade ended the assault by kneeing Mario in the chest, sending him onto his back several feet across the room.
"Now, about those techniques I mentioned earlier," Lord Shade began eagerly. "Let's try out the first one, shall we?"
Lord Shade's Wrath (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2SUErXVgMU)
Shade clasped his hands together and shut his eyes. As Mario struggled to his feet, Shade began to mutter words in another language. Not wanting to give him the chance to use one of his powerful attacks, Mario rushed forward at him and prepared to strike. Moments before Mario reached his target, a splendiferous ray of light flashing every color of the rainbow launched out of Shade's hand and struck him.
"Shrink!" Lord Shade cried as he made various gestures with his hands. Mario was surrounded with a rainbow-colored aura. Slowly, he began to shrink down to the size of an ant. Mario gasped as he saw Lord Shade towering above him. With one scoop of his hand, Shade picked up the pint-sized hero.
"What did you do to me?!" Mario screamed, his voice barely audible due to his reduced size.
"It's an old shrinking spell I learned," Lord Shade replied with a chuckle. His grip on Mario tightened, causing Mario to shriek out in pain. "Is that enough pain for you?! Are you still trying to fulfill that silly promise?!"
Mario's howls of agony were his only response. Trying desperately to break free, Mario created a Fireball to burn Shade's hand.
"Why you?!" Lord Shade cursed as he shook his burned hand. "That's it! No more games!" His grip loosened, and he held Mario between his left thumb and index finger. "This technique has always fascinated me. It has many diverse effects on the victim. I'd like to see if your bones are still as tough." With his other hand, Shade grabbed Mario's right arm and began to twist and squeeze. Mario let out a shrill cry of pure anguish as his flaming aura vanished, and his clothes returned to their normal colors. "How does it feel to be so helpless, knowing that you're about to let all of your friends down?!"
"No! It can't end like this!" Grambi cried desperately. "He needs something! One final push might either kill him, or save his life! I have to get to Skulleon right away!"
CRACK!
Lord Shade cackled maniacally as he tossed the miniature Mario to the ground. The plumber's size returned to normal. "I've broken your right arm, and pierced your left. Now, what's next?"
Mario remained sprawled on his back, his eyes barely open. His body was quaking fiercely from his wounds and lack of energy.
"I know that you only have a few minutes left to live, but I can at least make those minutes the most miserable ones of your life!" Lord Shade sneered. He walked up to the defenseless plumber and exchanged his left hand for his sword. "For the crimes committed against Lord Shade- ruler of the Universe and commander of the Shadow Shrowds- I hereby sentence you to death!" With a bloodthirsty howl, Shade stabbed Mario's lower chest. Mario's eyes widened as he felt the blade pierce his chest and stab into the ground below him. Finally, his eyes shut and Shade viciously ripped his sword out. Mario remained still.
Sadness (http://www.esnips.com/doc/5158c328-944b-400f-9c97-9887ab407b64/Super-Mario-Bros.-6:-Sadness)
"No..." Luigi whispered in disbelief, tears streaming down his face. "No... Bro... You can't be gone... You were everything to me..."
"I'm sorry. I truly am," Skulleon said softly. "I know how badly you wanted him to win."
"He can't be dead..." Raiden muttered. "Mario never dies... What did we ever do to deserve this?"
Glaive fell to his knees. "Not... Mario..."
"Hmph. The only thing good I can say about him is that he can really take a punch. Too bad. He died a fool's death, just like his father," Shade murmured as he walked away from the fallen plumber. "Goodbye, Mario. You died attempting to fulfill your promise, just as you wished. Now your kingdom will cease to exist. If you'll excuse me, I have a Vortex to expand."
"Just... where do you... think you're going?" came Mario's voice from behind the tyrant. Shade whirled around to see Mario limping toward him, clutching the wound on his chest. "I'm not going to let you win... Didn't you hear me before? I won't give up... not until I fulfill my promise... I'm going to fight to the bitter end... I don't care how much pain I go through... The worst pain of all is letting my friends down..." He flashed his desperate grin and continued to stagger directly towards Lord Shade.
"Get back on the ground, fool!" Shade thundered as he grabbed Mario by the throat and slammed him into floor. "How is it that you care so much about these weaklings that you are willing to die for them?!"
With great effort, Mario tried to push himself back up. A pool of blood had been formed below him. "Because it's my duty! I'm the Mushroom Hero, and I first accepted that responsibility when I defeated Metal Mario! I realized that I truly care about these people, and I'll never give up on them!"
"I'm beginning to find your fortitude to be highly irritable. I actually tried to kill you with that last attack," Lord Shade mumbled, clearly aggravated by Mario's endurance. "But I have time to spare. Come at me again, if you wish. Keep in mind that it will probably be the last attack of your life."
Fierce Determination (http://www.esnips.com/doc/50b5eeba-adf2-4951-a113-a5ad44fcd318/Super-Mario-Bros.-6:-Fierce-Determination)
Mario lifted himself to his feet and flung himself at Lord Shade. With a flick of his wrist, a bolt of lighting sent Mario onto his back. Shade grinned, thinking Mario had finally passed away. Instead, the plumber pulled himself up again. "Tell me!" Shade pried. "Why do you continue to fight?!"
Once again, Mario stood up. "It's simple... If you really want to know, I'll tell you. It's because I'm not a weakling, like you! You always run away from your problems, hoping to ease your pain by spreading it to others! You encountered an obstacle, but you fled from it and took it out on innocent people! When your friendship with Inoni was forbidden, you didn't try to come up with a solution. You resorted to violence! Right now, beating you is my obstacle. Do you see me running away and wreaking havoc in the Mushroom Kingdom? No! I have to be strong to fulfill my promises and overcome you! I need to show you that there is another way besides inflicting pain on others! If you put all of your heart into a problem, you can overcome it!"
"Silence, fool! How dare you call me weak!" Lord Shade bellowed as he swung his sword, creating a violent tornado. Mario was instantly caught in the whirlwind without a hint of resistance. "That's what I call the Ten Times Tornado! It pushes air into any open wound, causing ten times the original pain! Its force is impossible to stop! You'll die in just a few short seconds!"
"Oh, dear," Skulleon sighed with dread. "Mario proved his determination, but he'll soon pass away under the stress of Shade's attack."
"Not if he hears the truth!" Grambi shouted as he materialized beside Skulleon. "I need you to allow me to speak to Mario!"
The kingdom's sky was now such a dark shade of red that it appeared black. Minimal sunlight was reaching the now frigid land, and life in the kingdom would soon fade away. Trees had become barren, and any grassland in existence was replaced with barren wastelands of solid brown dirt. A frosty wind blew across the kingdom, and it was soon realized that the Thunderball had failed. Even Peach assumed that the worst had happened.
"ACK!" Mario screamed in agony as blood spurted out of his wounds, tears trickling down his bruised face. I... guess... this is it... This is... how it ends... I tried my best...
"Mario? Can you hear me? It's Grambi! I must tell you something further... about your father. I never told you this, because I... I didn't want to distract you. There are a few pieces to the puzzle that you missed. Why do I have the Capacity of Elements when only the Mushroom Hero can possess it? Why did Raiden tell you that the best person to ask about the Mushroom Hero was me? The answer is simple... It is because I was the first of the Hero bloodline. I am your father... I couldn't bear to tell you. Long ago, when I sensed that Shade was coming to Earth, I quickly sent you and Luigi to the Mushroom Kingdom so that you both would be safe. When I died, my acts were recognized and I became the ruler of the Overthere. From up above, I could always watch over my sons... After your adventure trying to save your baby brother with the aid of the Yoshi Tribe, you were sent home to Brooklyn. By then, it had recovered and completely forgot about Shade's attack. Please, my son, you must survive. I sacrificed most of my power and my life to give you this chance to fight Shade. Don't let it go to waste... I implore you... Defeat Shade..."
Tri-Elemental Form (http://www.esnips.com/doc/ebb0b02d-4d83-4216-bf1e-a50e9e2ce87c/Super-Mario-Bros.-6:-Tri-Elemental-Form)
A blue aura surrounded Mario, and the tornado captivating him instantly vanished. "You took my father away from me... You killed my friends..." Mario's fists were clenched, and his eyes widened. His body was shivering all over; welling up with a feeling not even he could describe. "And now I find... that there is still a way for me to see my father again... The only thing standing in my way... is you... I swear... I'm going to beat you... For my friends... For the Universe... For my father!" Mario let out a chilling battle cry as violent tremors began to emit from his body. The aura surrounding him took the shape of a colossal phoenix and began to flash every color of the rainbow. The three Elemental Orbs rose from the pedestal that had created a bridge to Grambi's Palace and raced at full speed to Dark Castle. They fired out beams of energy, each beam's color corresponding to its element. The rays were absorbed into Mario's body, causing him and his clothes to flash random colors. Instantly, all of Mario's pain was gone. His body shined with a radiant brilliance as if he had picked up a Starman.
Grambi gasped. "Could it be? Has he really been chosen to master the Tri-Elemental form? Could that even be possible? I was expecting the shock to give Mario a shot at beating Shade, but this... This is an entirely new development..."
Chapter 33: Breakdown of a Tyrant
Tri-Elemental Form (http://www.esnips.com/doc/ebb0b02d-4d83-4216-bf1e-a50e9e2ce87c/Super-Mario-Bros.-6:-Tri-Elemental-Form)
A chilling wind blew across the land as the sky became pitch black. The Vortex surrounding Dark Castle had grown to immense proportions and now filled the horizon as Peach gazed out into the distance. The Toads taking refuge in the castle alongside her were now huddled together in large clumps, hoping to keep each other warm. Peach squinted out into the bleak new world that was to become their grave and gasped. Hovering in the darkness, close enough to see but far too distant to grasp, was a speck of light. Gleaming in the shadows of the doomed planet, a light shone out for all who cried for peace.
"What is this? I've never seen anything like this before?" Lord Shade muttered to himself. "Not only has he freed himself from my attack, but he's also become stronger."
As the tremors from his radical transformation let up, Mario walked out of the several clouds of dust and smog virtually unharmed. He gave Shade a piercing and defiant glare, the most menacing one the tyrant had ever seen. "I'm going to give you one final chance. Take shelter in the darkest corner of the universe, and never come back," Mario admonished through clenched teeth.
"No, I simply cannot do that. I am the mightiest in the universe. I run from no one," Lord Shade hissed menacingly. "Now, let's continue where we left off."
"Fine; have it your way!" Mario howled as he dashed toward Shade, leaving a trail of sparkling lights behind him. Before Lord Shade could throw a punch, Mario's fist sank into his lower chest. Shade sliced at his assailant, only to find that he had vanished. Now hovering in the air behind Shade, Mario gave him a roundhouse kick to the back of the head. The tyrant staggered forward and fell onto his hands and knees. He sprang to his feet, only to see Mario towering above him. A powerful elbow came down on Shade's back, and he fell flat on the ground almost instantly.
With great effort, Lord Shade was able to get back on his feet. His entire body was quaking- not with fear, but anger. His rage had taken over. "You meaningless piece of trash... Know your place!"
"I know my place well enough, Shade!" Mario spat bitterly. "Why can't you get to know yours? On the outside, you're a pretty tough opponent to beat. However, on the inside, you're just a spineless coward who can't face the truth. But I've spent enough time trying to get you to realize what you are. It's time I showed you how it feels to be hunted!"
Lord Shade exchanged his sword for his right arm. No one talks to me like that...
In the blink of an eye, Mario disappeared into thin air. When Lord Shade spotted him, he was already inches away. "This one's for Wario!" Mario cried as he unleashed a bone-shattering uppercut on Shade's jaw that sent him soaring into the air. The enraged plumber took a great leap into the air and locked his hands together. "This one is for Waluigi!" he bellowed as he smashed his fists into Shade's skull, sending him plummeting down to the ground. Mario landed seconds before the tyrant, and connected a deadly smash attack with Shade's chest moments before he crashed. "That one was for Glaive!" Shade was now rocketing straight toward the solid stone wall. Mario pursued him at top speed. "And this one is for all of the people you used for your own selfish desires!" Mario let out a bloodcurdling scream as he slammed Lord Shade into the wall and began mercilessly pummeling on him.
Mushroom Hero (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyNa6Lu6_Q4)
"Look at Mario go!" Luigi exclaimed cheerfully. "He's unstoppable now!"
"His power is impressive, but where did it come from? I don't remember anyone ever using that technique- not even Grambi," Raiden muttered. "I don't know why it's bothering me so much... but that transformation isn't one that is caused by being part of the Hero bloodline. It's something else... but what?"
Grambi squinted at the Universal Television. As everyone cheered Mario on, his face remained dismal. "This transformation... The Tri-Elemental Form... Where have I heard of it before? Perhaps it's just mindless speculation... Regardless, I do hope Mario ends the fight soon. Otherwise, I fear this may turn out just as it did before..."
Glaive's eyes bulged. Could it be? Is he the one?
Mario ripped Lord Shade out of the wall and tossed him to the ground. "I want you to admit defeat. I want you to tell me that you surrender, and that it's all over."
Lord Shade's fiercely wounded body began to glow a purple hue, and all of his injuries vanished without a trace. Shade got back on his feet. "Don't act like you're in control. You may be stronger, but you still face the same dilemma as before. You can't destroy me, and you can't destroy the castle."
Mario grinned. "I'm grateful that your castle can heal all of your wounds. I'll be able to torture you for all eternity, and you'll pray for death to come. But the Dark Castle will always bring you back, and you'll have to endure even more pain until the process repeats itself. The only way I'll let you out of this is if you give up. The most painful injury you can receive is one that targets your pride."
"I can endure an eternity of pain. I already have," Lord Shade replied bitterly. He cupped his hands together and fired a colossal red energy sphere at Mario. "But sooner or later, you're going to drop your guard!"
Mario didn't even attempt to dodge it. The ball expanded across the entire room, sucking chandeliers and pieces of furniture into it as it zoomed toward its target. It struck Mario without a hint of resistance, and exploded into thousands of tiny shockwaves that echoed through the castle. Smoke billowed in all directions as large chunks of the ceiling began to fall down.
"I got him! The cocky fool didn't even see it coming!" Lord Shade cackled triumphantly.
"Was that supposed to finish me?" Mario retorted from within the smoke and debris. He emerged from the clouds of ash beside Shade.
Lord Shade staggered backward, trembling in disbelief. "No... How did this happen? What happened to you?"
Mario grinned from ear to ear. "Someone answered my plea... Someone gave me the strength I needed to beat you. Just as I told you before: If you put all of your heart into a problem, you can solve it. I won't run away from my problems, and I won't desert my friends. I'm the Mushroom Hero, and it's my duty to protect the kingdom from your kind!"
Breakdown of a Tyrant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR3z7ciNHG4)
Inoni gasped. "That feeling... I can practically taste someone's despair in the air... It's that same feeling I had all those years ago... Lord Shade is growing desperate. Mario! Why are you hesitating!? You could have beaten him ten times in by now! You must never back him into a corner! Shade will never change, so don't try to reform him!"
"This can't be!" Lord Shade shrieked. "No! I am the strongest in the universe! I am the sole proprietor of all planets! You're just a tiny speck of dirt in my empire!" Electric sparks began to erupt from his body as he surrounded himself with a brilliant yellow aura. "No! I refuse to believe it! I cannot be beaten!" He extended his palms toward Mario, sending thousands of electric sparks directly at him.
Mario raised his right arm, and a wall of ice rose from the ground to block the bolts of electricity. "Give up, Shade! That's all that I'm asking you to do!"
"How can this be happening to me?! I am mightiest in not only the entire universe, but in all three worlds! It is my destiny to take Zeus's place and rule over every world! This isn't possible! Why does this have to happen now?! Why must this man oppose me?!" Tremors began to shake the room as Shade's anger grew to dangerous heights.
He's going insane, Mario thought. "It's so unfortunate that you haven't realized your weakness until now. You've been masking your weakness with all of this power and leadership, but all it took was one man to find out what's truly underneath: a sensitive coward who can't accept the truth!"
"How dare you!" Shade howled, modifying his arm into a blade. "Compared to me, you're nothing!" He dashed at Mario and began wildly slashing at him, blinded by his rage.
Mario effortlessly dodged the slow but powerful slices. "You're not going to beat me, Shade! Why can't you accept it?! You aren't the mighty tyrant I once thought you were! You're just a selfish man who wants to get what he wants by beating on people weaker than him! You're no different from a school bully who wants attention and recognition!"
"I'm going to tear you apart!" Shade hissed, his eyes gleaming red with pure hatred.
"You're still not listening!" Mario screamed as he gave Shade a bone-shattering right hook to the gut, instantly ending Shade's assault.
The tyrant crumpled onto his knees, clutching his wound as he struggled to contain his frustration. He began to cough up several mouthfuls of blood. Shade lost what little leadership he had left as thin, watery blood streamed out of his mouth. No longer was he the ruler of the universe.
"I can't watch!" Luigi shrieked, shielding his eyes.
"It's... indescribable!" Skulleon exclaimed. "Ever since his reign of terror began, Lord Shade was always the strongest. He was able to have everything he could wrap his icy fingers around. When he came to the Mushroom Kingdom, he found that his job wouldn't be so easy. Now that Mario has become stronger than him, the shock is too great for him to bear. Shade is having a complete breakdown now that he knows he can't win. In the end, he will not gain control of all worlds."
Grambi's stare remained fixed on the Universal Television. "No... This is just how it happened last time! This is exactly what happened when I fought with Shade! When Shade was desperate and had nowhere else to turn, he used my only weakness and defeated me! Mario has Lord Shade backed into a corner, and I fear that the same fate awaits him! Mario must kill him now, or all is lost!"
After somewhat recovering from the fatal blow Mario had given him, Shade got on his hands and knees. "I... I'm sorry... Please forgive me... Please let me go! I'll do anything! I'll leave... just as you asked! I'll go into seclusion in the darkest corner of the universe... and never return! Just please... spare me..."
This is great. I finally got a break from school to read this, and wow! The whole battle between Mario and Shade is just amazing! Keep up the good work! ;)
Chapter 34: End of Dark Castle... and Mario?
A Tyrant's Plea (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR3z7ciNHG4)
Mario's eyes widened. "You're... giving up?"
"Yes... please... forgive me..." Shade pleaded, bowing down to Mario. "I apologize for all that I've done... I now see that I am wrong..."
"Then get out of my face!" Mario spat with disgust. "You're blessed with outstanding luck, Shade. I want you to leave, and crawl out into the deepest reaches of space. Stay there forever, and never commit a single crime again. If you ever become thirsty for blood, then feast upon your own." Mario turned around and began to walk away. "I'm no longer in charge of when your life ends. Only you can decide." He approached the exit to the throne room, leaving behind a furious Lord Shade.
"No, Mario! It's a trap!" Grambi exclaimed. "The same thing happened to me in Brooklyn, and I chose the same path that you have! Lord Shade's apology is only a ploy to catch you off guard! He's using his trump card- messing with your emotions!"
Lord Shade began to chuckle lightly. He's fallen into the same trap as his father did. He may be strong, but he's not very smart to turn his back on someone like me! "Sentiments are for the weak! Look at how easily you've lost control of the situation!" He stood up and launched a jet black energy sphere from his hands. "Sphere of the Abyss!"
Mario whirled around just as the colossal black ball was about to strike him. Unable to defend himself in time, the Sphere of the Abyss sucked Mario right in with its powerful force. Instead of exploding as the normal energy ball would, it pulled Mario inside of it. He felt as though he was being drawn into a pool of black water that blocked out every last ounce of light. He floated around in an abyss of darkness for what seemed like an eternity, until he suddenly began to feel the energy that made up the sphere enter his body.
Misery (http://www.esnips.com/doc/d619a5c9-87a5-457e-ba44-edfa6c194952/Super-Mario-Bros.-6:-Misery)
"The Sphere of the Abyss draws you in and forces all of its darkness into your body! The darkness alone is harmless- until it finds some trace of corruption inside of you! Once found, it is amplified by several measures until you are consumed by evil, and then you will die! Of course, you have nothing to worry about if you are pure of heart! But can you really prevent yourself from feeling even a drop of hatred towards me?"
Mario drifted in the darkness, unable to see a single bit of light. It was as if he had gone blind. He groped at the nothingness all around him, trying to find a way out. As he felt the darkness pooling into his body, he knew that the end was growing closer. He began to feel a deep pain growing inside of his heart. Surely the process Shade had explained was beginning. He was slowly becoming filled with corruption. I let him get to me... I didn't want to kill him... But he betrayed my trust and killed me instead... Why does the world have to be this way? Why do people like me try to do good deeds, yet all we get in return is corruption and evil? Can't the world receive the era of peace that it deserves? Mario clutched his heart. The pain is growing... I'll be dead soon... It's strange, though... I'm not feeling any more evil or dark... I only feel more sadness... Wait a minute... The pain isn't coming from the darkness being absorbed into my body... I'm feeling pain because I'm about to let my friends down... No... I can't lose my will to survive... I need to break free... I... need... to...
Tri-Elemental Form (http://www.esnips.com/doc/ebb0b02d-4d83-4216-bf1e-a50e9e2ce87c/Super-Mario-Bros.-6:-Tri-Elemental-Form)
"You fool! That's what you get for relying on your emotions! The only true necessity in the world is power!" Lord Shade cackled. "Now join your father in the afterlife! I'll be ruling over all three worlds soon enough!"
The dark orb that contained Mario was beginning to shrink. When it was completely gone, it meant that all of the darkness had been absorbed, and that the victim was more than likely dead. Faster and faster, the Sphere of the Abyss died down. At last, it vanished completely. There, standing in the center of where the sphere used to be, was Mario. A yellow aura surrounded the rainbow-colored plumber as he gave Shade a cold stare.
"What? You aren't dead?!" Lord Shade cried. "That's impossible! To survive, you would have to be pure of heart! You would have had to be free of all traces of hatred! How could that be?!"
"I don't hate you, I pity you," Mario replied bitterly. "Now let me show you what I'm going to do with all of the darkness I have in my body right now." He cupped his hands together and shot a gigantic trio of energy waves, each representing a different element.
Lord Shade crumpled backward as he stared at the annihilator beams. "You can't... You can't kill me!"
"He's converting all of the darkness Shade put inside of him into Elemental Energy and using it to power a Tri-Elemental Blast! It is said to be the strongest energy wave that can be wielded! There's no way Shade could survive a blast of that magnitude!" Grambi cheered. "Somehow, Mario has overcome the attack that ended my life: the Sphere of the Abyss!"
The Tri-Elemental Blast consumed Lord Shade in a ray of splendiferous light. The beam continued its rampage and pierced the exact center of the throne room, which was where the core of the Dark Castle was nestled. Without it, the castle would wither away into dust within a few minutes. Mario had found a way to rid himself of Shade while keeping the castle intact long enough to give him a chance to escape!
A Tyrant's Plea (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR3z7ciNHG4)
An earsplitting roar erupted from the shattered core of the castle. Several earthquakes began to shake the battered throne room. "This place is falling apart! I need to make sure that Shade is dead before I leave!" Mario screamed over the thunderous rumbling. He sprinted toward the disintegrated core of the castle and began to scan the area. Peering through the thick black smog that pervaded the room, Mario spotted something. Though near death and covered in blood, Lord Shade was lying on the ground nearby. Only his upper torso, right arm, and head remained intact. Mario guessed that the rest of his body had been fried by the blast. "He'll die if I leave him here. It looks like I managed to win after all. Now I need to get out of here!"
"No... p... lease... don't... go... Help... me..." Shade begged, hardly able to speak. "For... give... me..."
Mario stopped dead in his tracks and faced Shade. He still had a decision to make. Could he really help someone who had already betrayed him once before? On the other hand, could he leave behind someone as injured as Shade? Could someone so close to death still be lying? Mario was frozen. What should he do?
"Mario! Get out of there!" Grambi screamed. "You don't have time for this! Shade is only doing the only thing he can to beat you! He knows that you'll struggle to figure out what you should do. He only wants to slow you down so that you are sucked into the Vortex!"
Mario and Shade's eyes locked. Tension filled the air as Mario debated over the dilemma that could take away both of their lives. Could he justify leaving a helpless person behind by saying that he was corrupted? Mario gritted his teeth as he looked deeper into Shade's eyes. "You've killed so many people, yet you have the nerve to beg for your own life!"
"P... p... p... lease... I... am... sorry... I... wi...sh... you... no f...urther... harm..."
Mario extended his palm and shot an Ultra Fireball at the vulnerable tyrant. In a burst of violent flames, Shade slowly burned away. "You would have turned on me! I could see it in your eyes! You've been corrupted from the inside out. I was wrong about you. You're not a man with a broken heart. You've changed from a man into a monster. There's no one left inside of you to save."
As Lord Shade's entire body melted away, he uttered his final words. "You were wise to have killed me, but it's too late for you now! You and your people are the ones that truly plague this universe! You were too busy fighting amongst each other to be prepared to face me. If it wasn't for you, your people would have met a cruel fate! However, someday, I know that someone who shares my beliefs will bring your world to an end! Too bad you'll never see it, because you'll be too busy in the Vortex! Enjoy your stay, because I'll be busy laughing at you safely from the Underwhere the entire time!"
Before Shade could say another word, his body was reduced to nothing but ashes. Mario turned away and made a dash for the exit. He ripped the door open and sprinted madly down the stairs. Unable to see more than five feet from his face, Mario waited for the moment that he would slam face first into the mammoth door that led out of the castle. He waited for the moment in which he could embrace the cold and crispy air of the outside world. That moment never came.
CRASH!
BOOM!
Lord Shade's Defeat (http://www.esnips.com/doc/00ccaa0e-2f0c-4cee-a425-76ac7a0e3bd7/Super-Mario-Bros.-6:-Lord-Shades-Defeat)
As if some magic light switch had just been flipped, the world was suddenly overflowing with sunlight and warmth. The barrier that shielded them from the calm, blue sky shattered instantly as the Dark Castle sunk into the Vortex, which soon vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Peach gazed at the sky. "Mario! You did it!"
All of the Toads in the castle let out an enormous cry of joy. "MARIO SAVED US!"
Inoni smiled. "Mario finally put an end to Shade. Now I can live without any further regrets."
"We're free," Luigi whispered, almost in disbelief. "We're free! Bro did it!"
"He sure did," Glaive agreed. "I think I'm finally beginning to respect him in a new way. I feel like I can relate to him, for some reason."
"Grambi, is there any way that Shade could have survived?" Skulleon inquired. "Is it really safe to assume that he's dead?"
Grambi nodded solemnly. "Lord Shade is dead. Mario's Fireball made sure of that. Even if he survived, he'd die in the Vortex from his injuries."
"Then why do you look so serious?" Mallow asked, puzzled. "Mario won!"
Grambi sighed. "That's just it. Shade is dead, but did Mario really win? I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but did any of you see Mario jump out of the castle in time? I sure didn't! Either he was sucked into the Vortex, or the explosion sent him flying in some direction. If he's in the Vortex, he's as good as gone. And if he fell from such a height in his fatigued condition, he would certainly die. The chances of his survival are slim."
Epilogue: Wait For Eternity
Grambi shuddered at the thought of Mario's death. "It's just awful... I don't know which possibility is worse... Either he died or he was trapped within the Vortex."
"No! Mario made it out alive!" Luigi proclaimed sternly. "I know he survived. I just
know it..."
"Well, it would help if we knew exactly what the Vortex was," Glaive stated matter-of-factly, his arms crossed. "Maybe there's some way Mario could escape the Vortex if he was trapped inside."
"The Vortex is a modified version of the Void that Count Bleck summoned," Grambi explained. "Having studied the Dark Prognosticus for years, Lord Shade had the book practically memorized. Not only was he able to create a Void, he could create other twisted catastrophes through experimentation. The Vortex was created based on Shade's belief that there were things more torturous than death. As a child, he lived in a single, united world filled with discrimination. His forbidden friendship with Inoni is a prime example. This led Shade to the theory that a life filled with pain and agony is in fact worse than death itself.
"With that in mind, he created the Vortex. Instead of tearing apart whatever had been sucked in, it contains its victims for all eternity. It is an endless ocean of nothingness, with streams and rivers of emptiness flowing throughout the entire fabrics of all three worlds. Once caught inside, you will be pulled along by this current, experiencing occasional rips in the time-space continuum that lead out of the Vortex. However, you'll have no idea where you are. You could be anywhere in the Universe, Overthere, or Underwhere. In the unlikely even that you even identify one of these rips and manage to get to it before you are pulled away, you could end up somewhere in space. You would have no way back into the Vortex, and would die of instant asphyxiation. The chances of ending up in the Mushroom Kingdom are almost nonexistent."
"Wouldn't you eventually die of malnutrition if you stayed inside of the Vortex?" Glaive inquired suspiciously. "This sounds half-baked to me. I thought Shade created the Vortex to force someone into an eternity of pain. What's the point if you'd die in a week or so due to the lack of food and water?"
Grambi shook his head. "The Vortex will constantly provide your body with enough nutrients to survive. Any sort of illness is instantly cured, and all mortal wounds would heal in seconds. This renders suicide useless. You simply cannot die once trapped in the Vortex."
"What do we do now?" Luigi inquired, teardrops beginning to roll down his cheeks. "I wanted Bro to beat Shade, but not if we have to live without him... What am I going to tell everyone?"
"Wait a minute!" Mallow exclaimed. "Why don't we use the Star Rod to bring Mario here?"
"Won't work," Skulleon replied swiftly. "During his conflict with Metal Mario, the Star Rod was used to heal Mario's fatal wounds. Once someone has been impacted strongly by the Star Rod's magic, the Star Rod can no longer have any affect on that person's life. That's why we couldn't use it to bring Mario back to life when he died in his final battle against Metal Mario. Instead, we had to send Luigi and the others on a wild adventure to bring him back. However, the Wario Bros. can be brought back with the Star Rod's magic. We should at least give them another chance at life."
"I don't think we can. At least not yet," Grambi sighed, his gaze fixed upon the area where the Dark Castle once was. "The Star Rod, Power Star, Shadow Rod, and Z Star were all sucked into the Vortex. Lord Shade's death may have restored their power, but we can't even get to them! However, the Oracles of Power have a natural instinct to return to their resting place. They should instinctively find a proper wormhole in the Vortex and escape to their corresponding residence. In a few days, the Star Rod will be back in Star Haven. We can bring them back to life then."
"I think we need to get going. I'm really going to have trouble breaking the news to Peach..." Luigi said somberly, his tone close to a whisper.
Grambi nodded. "I'll tell you when the Star Rod is back, and I'll also let you know if Mario turns up in the Overthere. At least you'll know if he's dead or not. But before you go, I have something to tell you. I told Mario telepathically during his battle with Shade, and I've been debating over whether or not I should tell you as well. I've decided that you have the right to know. After all, you are... my son..."
Luigi was informed of the history of Anthony Mario, now known as Grambi. It was a tearful reunion, on Luigi's part anyway. Grambi had to have Glaive pull Luigi off of him several times, and Grambi's chin soon became sore from Luigi constantly grabbing his beard. At last, Luigi finally calmed down and prepared to leave. Surprisingly enough, Luigi was the only one who was unaware of Grambi's identity. Glaive claimed to have known this fact for several years, most likely due to his past relationship with the Shadow Shrowds.
Lord Shade's Defeat (http://www.esnips.com/doc/00ccaa0e-2f0c-4cee-a425-76ac7a0e3bd7/Super-Mario-Bros.-6:-Lord-Shades-Defeat)
As Glaive turned toward the exit to the Thunder Palace, Luigi stopped him. "Glaive, where are you going to go? I'm sure Peach would let you stay at the castle. If not, you could always, stay with me."
Glaive thought for a moment, and then shuddered. "No... I think I'd rather take my armor off and slowly disintegrate in the sunlight than stay with you. I will stay in this kingdom for a little while longer, though. Not that I care about any of you. I set three goals for myself in life: to see Lord Shade dead, to be stronger than Lord Shade, and to lift the curse from my kingdom. I saw Shade die by Mario's hands, so that's one goal down. I'm going to continue my training, but I'll never know if I have truly surpassed Shade. That's why I need Mario. He's the closest benchmark to Shade that I've got. If I can become stronger than Mario, I'll know that I have also become more powerful than Shade. If Mario should return one day, I
will defeat him. From this point on, Mario is my new rival. Until then, I've got nothing to do but become stronger. If your world is ever in danger again, I've got your back. But it'll be for my own reasons."
"But Glaive!" Luigi protested. "Where will you stay?"
"Hmph. While you stay in your warm and cozy homes, I'll be busy roughing it out somewhere. You'll all soon grow weak in these times of peace. You weren't ready for Shade, and I want to make sure at least one of us is ready for whatever might come next," Glaive explained. "Keep an eye out for Mario." For the first time since anyone had met him, his eyes sparkled. He gave Luigi a firm nod, and then exited the palace.
"I can tell something about Glaive has changed," Luigi affirmed. "He may seem tough with that cocky attitude of his, but I can tell he's going to enjoy this era of peace. We should all do the same. Goodbye Skulleon, Raiden, Mallow, and Dad! I'm sure we'll meet again some day!"
"Remember," Grambi reminded him, "we'll always be watching over you."
"Right," Luigi replied with a nod. "I'll keep that in mind when I'm using the bathroom. See ya!" With one final chuckle, he turned around and dashed for the exit. When he emerged in the Mushroom Kingdom and saw a fresh, blue sky, he couldn't contain his tears of joy. "Finally, a blue sky! I've missed those! Thank you, Bro! This is all thanks to you! You wouldn't want us to grieve over your disappearance. You would want us to embrace the freedom that you fought so hard to give us. I'll continue my training with the Master, and I won't be such a coward the next time I see you!" With that, he ran off to Mushroom Castle, wildly flapping his arms and skipping with joy. Lord Shade's reign of terror was finally over.
"What do you mean?! How could Mario be gone?" Peach shrieked in disbelief, her face damp with tears. "He promised me that he'd come back! How could he leave us?"
"Don't worry. I know he'll come back some day. Somehow, I know," Luigi whispered hopefully, staring longingly at the horizon. "I think you'll understand when I tell you the full story."
Everyone crowded around Luigi. "Well, Mario was busy training with Grambi while the Wario Bros. and I fought Shade. Glaive, one of Shade's former minions, had also teamed up with us earlier. We quickly found out that we were no match for him, and he began to crush us one by one. The Wario Bros. fought with everything they had, but Waluigi was soon mortally wounded and out of the fight. Lord Shade killed Wario with ease, which threw Waluigi into a fit of rage. Even though he was seconds away from death, Waluigi put everything he had into taking Shade down. It just wasn't enough.
"I would've been more than happy to help, but my darned shoelaces were all knotted up! So Glaive battled Shade in my place while I attempted to fix my shoes. Just as he was about to die, I finally managed to tie my shoes in a perfect fashion. With all of my might, I began to furiously give Shade the beating of his life! It was amazing! But then... Shade tricked me and was easily able to pound me into the ground. Things weren't looking too good, until Mario showed up! He fought head to head with the most feared tyrant in the entire universe like it was nothing! At one point, he even had the upper hand! In a downright dirty maneuver, Shade stole all of the energy from the Oracles of Power to become even stronger. Mario was no match for the powered up tyrant, and quickly lost the will to fight.
"That's when Skulleon contacted the whole kingdom and let you speak to Mario telepathically. It gave Mario the motivation he needed to continue the fight, and he quickly came up with a plan. He powered up a Thunderball with electricity from all across the kingdom and launched it at Shade. We all believed that Shade had truly been killed, but the Dark Castle revived him. It turned out that whenever Shade died, the Dark Castle would just resurrect him again! However, if Mario destroyed the castle, he'd be sucked into the Vortex.
"When all seemed lost, Grambi telepathically informed Mario of his father's true identity. Powered by the will to see his father once again, Mario went through a radical transformation! This gave him the power he needed to finish Shade once and for all! By destroying the core of the castle and Shade at the same time, Mario overcame the dilemma that prevented him from permanently destroying the evil tyrant. But with his last breaths, Shade tried to convince Mario to forgive him and help him escape. Mario eventually realized that it was a trap, but Shade's plea kept Mario in the castle long enough to prevent him from escaping. We still don't know if he died in the explosion or was sucked into the Vortex."
Wait for Eternity (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GZsYqJi6T4)
Two days had passed since the world had been freed from Lord Shade's tyrannical grasp. All of the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom gathered at Mushroom Castle, where a meeting was to be held. Luigi gently pushed his way through the crowd, carefully cradling the Star Rod close to his chest. He jogged up the Royal Staircase to join Peach at the head of the crowd. The room grew silent.
Luigi brushed several drops of sweat from his forehead. "I just visited Grambi. Just as he predicted, the Oracles of Power are making their way back to where they belong. The Star Rod had already made to Star Haven, so I picked it up," he explained wearily. "Even the Elemental Orbs are safe with their respective Elemental Guardian. He also told me that Mario hasn't appeared in the Overthere. That means that Mario must have been sucked into the Vortex, which means that he is alive."
Peach nodded solemnly. "But was Shade right? Can life be worse than death? Mario will have to suffer in the Vortex, when he could have lived peacefully in the Overthere during his afterlife. Would he have been better off dying?"
Luigi shook his head. "The way I see it, Shade was wrong. There isn't a greater gift in the world than life. So even if it is miserable, it's still a gift. Besides, there's a chance Mario could find his way back to us. But enough of that. We came here to restore the lives of Wario and Waluigi, as well as anyone else who wasn't lucky enough to escape from Shade's army." He held the Star Rod out in front of him. "Great and powerful Star Rod, many lives have been lost because of Lord Shade's assault. Please give every innocent person that died because of his attack another chance at life." The Star Rod began to glow, and soon the room was lit up with a bright yellow light. Wario and Waluigi appeared beside them at the head of the crowd, and everyone cheered.
"It looks like we finally did become heroes," Waluigi sighed. "What happened? Did we win?" He turned to Wario, only to see that he had vanished. Sure enough, Wario was in the center of the crowd, performing various assortments of victory dances and throwing bags of gold coins into the air.
"Alright, everyone. We're going to go to Star Summit at nine o'clock sharp each and every night, where we'll look to the sky and take some time to admire Mario," Peach announced. "We'll always remember Mario for what he has done, and how he fought for our freedom."
On that note, they all made their way to Star Summit. The stayed for hours, staring up at the falling stars. Not a single soul could ever forget Mario, and how he had taken down the mightiest tyrant in the universe. Each and every night, they did the same. They would always gather and stare up at the sky, just after dinner, and wait for their hero to return to them.
The End
(Find out what happens in SMB7: The Demonic Trials)
Outstanding! That was an amazing ending to an epic fight. Yet it still leaves you wanting more, because you want to know what happened to Mario. The entire backstory behind Shade and his minions are pieced together well, and all fit together perfectly. I can't wait for part 7. :)