Super Mario Bros. 6: The Mighty Tyrant

[shadowmarioguy]

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



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:



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:



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:



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



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:



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:



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.:



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:



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



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



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:



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:



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:



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.

[shadowmarioguy]

Prologue: The Crash

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

"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!"

[TeChNiCaL DiFfIcUlTiEs]

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

[shadowmarioguy]

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

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

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."

[shadowmarioguy]

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

"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

"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

"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..."

[TeChNiCaL DiFfIcUlTiEs]

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

[shadowmarioguy]

Chapter 3: The Draining Begins


Draining Theme


"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?

[TeChNiCaL DiFfIcUlTiEs]

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

[Retronintendodude7]

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

[Macawmoses]

This caught my eye, I think I'll read more into it when I have time.

[shadowmarioguy]

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.

[shadowmarioguy]

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

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

"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.

[shadowmarioguy]

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

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

"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?!"

[shadowmarioguy]

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

"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

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

"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!"

[shadowmarioguy]

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-"

THWACK

Rescue Theme

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

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

"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

"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!"