The Traveling Gentleman

by KaptainKovee

A man by the name of Varren discovers a machine that can understand the concept of infinity. Through this machine, he travels through many different worlds, such as the Mushroom World, Hyrule, the Fire Emblem world, and even gets a chance to speak to the countries of planet Earth! However, the machine is not all he discovers. Join him as he finds out hidden secrets about himself

3. Time to Save the Princess

Varren starred at the scene that had displayed before him. Skeletons of anthropomorphic turtles were threatening the Super Mario Brothers? Did they have to go through this on a regular basis? My, how strange this planet was. Despite how strange thing seemed to be, the plumbers of red and green seemed to take it very seriously.

They had a reason to. In an instant, three of the four skeletons raced towards the Mario Brothers. Varren looked at the leader of them all to see that he was supposedly charging up some sort of magical attack. Time seemed to slow down to Varren as thoughts ran through his mind in a lightning speed. Their opponents were undead, which means that they can't be killed. However, they can be broken over time, after an excessive amount of battering the body. In time, the energy that holds the bones together will wear off, and they will become useless. However, that would take far too long. Ingenious to stall the Mario Brothers with such a tactic, but whoever planned this obviously didn't expect him to be there. He could use this to his advantage, but how? The Princess had been kidnapped, which means the Mario Bros. had to make their way to her destination as soon as possible. He figured that they knew where she'd be located, which means the only true problem happened to be the skeletons. He turned to the two plumbers. "Get out of here!" he shouted. "I'll hold them off!" Mario shook his head, unwilling to leave Varren to fight off all these foes singlehandedly. Varren glared at the red plumber. "If you want to save your Princess, then get out of here now!"

Mario stared at Varren, reluctant in leaving him behind. Luigi, however, wasn't so hesitant in the idea of running away from combat. He fled out of the castle before Mario even had a chance to turn around. The red plumber heard his younger brother slam the castle gates on his way out; he let out a sigh in frustration. "Luigi!" he shouted, running after his brother.

Quickly, the skeletons ran for the door, trying to stop the two plumbers from escaping. However, Varren was equally quick. He speedily ran in front of the door, barricading it for the brothers. "You will not attempt to follow them!" he ordered, as if leader of them.

"Hah!" the leader cackled, walking to the back of the horde of skeletons. "What makes you think you can make a difference in time for them? We'll beat you in a flash! It's a battle of four to one! You're done for if you try and take us all down on your own, given your strength!"

Varren knew what the creature said was true. He didn't stand a chance… he didn't have an idea as to how to combat a foe. "Before you kill me, I have a question to ask of you," he said, buying as much time as he could.

"Very well," the leader of the Dry Bone Squad said, folding his arms. "What is it?"

"What are you things… called, exactly?" the gentleman asked, tilting his head to the side. "Not to be rude, of course, but I'm actually new to this planet. I've never seen creatures like you before…"

The leader chuckled. "That's a stupid final question, but if you must know, we're called Dry Bones. We're magically held together by the wills of our spirits. There's no way you can kill us…" He took his wand from his shell to toss it up in the air. "These puny weaklings are held together by magic though; they don't have names." He caught the wand, then pointed it at Varren. "As for me, my name is Skull!"

Varren nodded slowly. "Quite the name…" Hesitantly, he braced himself. "My name's Varren…"

"Well, Varren," Skull said, putting his wand to the side, "it's been nice knowin' ya! Dry Bones, attack!" he commanded.

Acting on orders, the three Dry Bone minions mindlessly charged at Varren. His eyes widened, but he got in a defensive stance, ready to protect himself. Surprisingly, charging directly at him wasn't their goal. They split up into a circle, surrounding Varren. The gentleman looked at them cautiously, taking the possibilities of where they would attack him first. He soon got his answer. The Dry Bones in the middle of the circle rushed towards him, ripping off his own skeletal arm to use it as a weapon. Varren clenched his fists in preparation. 'Here we go!' The Dry Bones swung his weapon at Varren, who dodged by stepping back slightly. Varren punched at the Dry Bone's face. In turn, the skull knocked right off the minion's shoulders. Taking this opportunity, Varren kicked the body that remained in the dead center of the chest, making the skeleton collapse into a pile of bones. The other two came from both the left, as well as the right. The one from the left punched at Varren's jaw, but, acting on instinct, he quickly ducked under the attack. The other Dry Bones from the right grabbed hold of Varren's hand. The Dry Bones that had just attempted to punch Varren took this opening to grab Varren's left arm, while the other one began to clench onto Varren's entire right arm, rather than just his hand. He was being held down. What did they expect to accomplish? Varren soon found out. The pile of bones from when he knocked aside the first Dry Bones began to shake on the ground. Slowly, it formed back into a skeleton of an anthropomorphic turtle. It took off its own arm again, then ran towards Varren while he was being held down. Varren struggled, trying to break free from their grasps, but it was to no avail. The Dry Bones whacked Varren hard upside the head. For a moment, he lost awareness of his surroundings! He didn't think that something with no muscles could hit that hard. Desperate to fight back, Varren jumped up off of the ground, then held his feet in the air, using the other two Dry Bones as supports to hold him up. He doubled kicked at the attacker, sending his bones scattering across the area. The minions who were holding him up were unable to support his full weight; they crashed on the ground as well, simply falling apart. Varren blinked, looking at the piles of bones all around him. He never thought that it would be so easy...

Skull clapped his boney hands. "Well," he said, "I guess you're not as weak as you look. Not many people can take out all three Dry Bones at the same time…" He glared at the piles of bones. "Now that they're useless, I might as well tell you that getting all of them out at the same time is their weakness… it's a backfire of the spell that holds them together." Skull's gaze turned from the bones to Varren. "But hey, you didn't think that that was the last trick up my sleeve, didja?"

Varren was too exhausted to bother asking what his question was formally, so he simply asked, "What on earth are you babbling about now?"

Skull chuckled villainously, holding his arms up to the sky. "This is what I'm talkin' about, baby!" The wand in his shell began to glow, releasing magical energies throughout the room. The bones began shaking once more. Varren sighed in annoyance, assuming that they would simply get their forms back again. However, that wasn't the case. The piles of bones all surrounded Skull, twirling around him like a tornado. Varren tilted his head to the side in confusion, staring at the scene that was taking place in front of him. The bones surrounding Skull completely glued themselves onto him, giving him deadly skeleton armor. The three skulls of the Dry Bones morphed together, acting as a shield. The three ribcages formed together on Skull's head, acting as a helmet. Finally, the three arms all molded together to form a massive club. The rest of the remaining bones simply covered his body in protection. "Say hello to Super Skull!" he bellowed.

Varren stared at Skull in awe. How on earth was he supposed to defeat something as menacing as that? It seemed impossible! Skull had a shield, a weapon, armor, and what did Varren have? Nothing, that's what. Varren had absolutely nothing to defend himself with. Judging by the armor, Varren could tell that he was going to be much sturdier than the Dry Bones that had fallen before him only moments ago. He began to consider his options. He could go and flee the battle to return to the Mario Brothers, but then Skull would follow him, and that would only bring more trouble to the two plumbers. He could lead Skull into a trap of some sort, but what? Varren's eyes widened, a plan beginning to form in his mind in lightning speed. It would take a great amount of force to destroy Skull's body at this point, and Varren didn't have that kind of force, or at least, not by normal means. That meant that he would have to use his surroundings to his advantage. He looked up the stairs. Up. He needed to go upwards, to the top of the castle. The only thing that had enough force to destroy Skull in this situation was gravity, and by gummies he was going to use it. Quickly, Varren bolted upstairs.

Skull jumped upstairs as well, landing in front of the strategist. "Oh no you don't!" he shouted. "You can't run from me!" Varren zipped in between Skull's legs, going into a door. The room he was in was fairly big, but just in front of him was another set of stairs, which was exactly what he was looking for. Varren ran as quickly as he could upstairs. Skull broke through the wooden door chasing after Varren. "Get back here, you pathetic little coward!" he commanded. Skull jumped upwards, trying to land in front of Varren yet again. However, the clever gentleman simply stopped dead in his tracks. Skull landed in front of him with a thud. As soon as he made impact, there was a massive crack in the ground; Varren smirked, beginning to grow confident in his plan. Just as quickly as his smirk came, it left him. How on earth was he supposed to continue his way upstairs now? He had to think fast once more! Memories raced through his mind. The guide had said that gravity here was nothing compared to the gravity back in his homeland… therefore, he should be able to jump higher! Taking the idea in a heartbeat, Varren jumped over Skull, who turned around to face Varren once again. "Dammit, quit running!" the elite Dry Bones shouted. Varren chuckled, running up the next flight of stairs, arriving at the third and final floor of the castle. Skull, as predicted, jumped up the stairs, then landed in front of Varren. Once again, as soon as he made impact, a massive crack formed on the stone floor. This was the final flight; there was nowhere else to run. "Gotcha!" Skull shouted.

Varren was panting, completely out of breath. Still though, despite his exhaustion, he smirked cockily at Skull. "You sure about that?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Skull inquired, growing confused and frustrated. "There's nowhere else for you to run, and we both know that you can't take me on in a battle! You're done here, pal!"

In between breaths, Varren said, "Oh really?" He chuckled, his smirk enlarging into a grin. "Do you know where exactly 'here' is? This is the top floor, Skull."

"Yeah, what of it!?" the massive Dry Bones shouted, stomping on the ground angrily.

Varren shook his head, still smiling at Skull. "I'm not sure you do, so let me explain it to you. Skull, you're on the top floor of the castle. Gaining all of that armor on you really must've drastically increased your weight, not to mention the density of your new bones. Since this is the case, your weight is even further increased." Varren looked down at the ground, still panting. "You may not have known it, Skull, but these stone floors aren't as thick as you are. We're practically walking on glass, in fact."

Skull glared at Varren. "You're bluffing," he whispered coldly. "You couldn't possibly know that."

Varren's gaze traveled from the ground to Skull himself. "Quite the contrary, my friend, I actually noticed as much when you first jumped directly in front of me. The floors cracked under your weight." He looked up at the sky in thought. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't have said that we're basically walking on glass, because I'm much lighter than you are." He smirked, gazing into Skull's eyes confidently. "So really, you're the only one in danger here…" Skull's eyes widened. He looked down to his feet to see that there was a massive crack that spread all across the floor. He gazed at Varren in fear, shaking his head slowly as if to plead for mercy. Varren only met his fearful gaze with a confident smirk. "Well-Well-Well, look what it's come down to… It seems as if you've died long ago. What you said about how your wills bound your body and spirit together—I have a feeling that it was a lie… You're held together by magic just like them, aren't you? Well then… you should've already been dead long ago, isn't that the case, Skull?" Varren chuckled, folding his arms. "In which case… I'm giving you a proper burial…" The intellectual gentleman took in a deep breath of air, then let out a shout. His voice echoed throughout the room, the sound waves bouncing back and forth momentarily. The sound waves were all that was needed to do the finishing trick. The ground crumbled beneath Skull's feet, and he fell straight downward. The desperate skeleton attempted to grab hold of part of the tiny bit of the remaining floor, but that simply crumbled away as well, and he was sent plummeting down to the ground. He crashed through the second floor, then landed on the first, massive amounts of stone burying his now useless body.

Varren gazed down upon where Skull had landed. There was a cold look in his eyes. "You fool… even if someone had offered you the gift if immortality, you should never have taken up on it. You should've stayed dead… Everyone must die eventually. To try and avoid that is simply idiotic…" He let out a tsk, then walked downstairs to the first floor yet again. "Now to go and help out the Mario Brothers…" He opened the door that led outside. Calmly, he walked down the path that he came from. "If only I had my guide here… I'd ask her to-"

The blue projection of that same female appeared in front of Varren. "You called for me, master?"

Varren blinked. He looked around the area. "How on earth did you know…?"

"One does not simply leave the master unattended," the guide responded. "I am at your service."

Varren smirked at the guide's loyalty. "I'm very glad that you're always there for me! Well… I was wondering if you could be so kind as to locate the Super Mario Brothers for me. They're actually going to find the Princess of this kingdom… and I was going to help them in their quest."

"As you wish, master," she politely replied. "Locating the Mario Brothers—please wait…" Varren sighed, tapping his foot impatiently. The last thing he wanted to do was wait for some computer to load, but it seemed as if he had no choice. He wanted to save Princess Peach with Mario… it was a perfectly good opportunity for adventure! Suddenly, the guide spoke. "Location found. The Super Mario Brothers are positioned at Bowser's Castle, which is placed directly ahead of the Mushroom Kingdom."

Varren smiled at the guide. "Great, thank you for your help. I don't know what I'd do without you." With the information as to where the Mario Bros. were at hand, he broke off into a sprint, running outside of the Mushroom Kingdom. There was no time to lose! He ran passed the CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, which was still on the path where he'd left it, and he ran passed the entry gates. He didn't bother to stop there. He was panting furiously, but he was determined. He noticed that, the more he went into this direction, the more the finely cut green grass was beginning to die around him. He ignored the gloomy aura about this place, and he sprinted onwards. He saw a draw bridge that was opened, and below which was a moat of lava. He jolted across the bridge. In the distance, he saw what appeared to be a castle. There was a strange face surrounding the gate though. The closer her got, the easier it was to tell that the face stone face surrounding the gate looked like it was that of a dragon. Most certainly intimidating to him, but Varren didn't lose his determination. He couldn't take much more of this physically though. He felt like he was about to explode from the inside out. He slowed down, resting against a dead tree as he looked up at the gates which loomed high above his head. "My," he thought aloud, panting still, "such a morbid sense of fashion…"

Suddenly, a strange feeling shot through Varren's body. It wasn't a feeling of pain, but… it was a feeling of a strange desire. A want to move again… a want to go into the castle. It was as if something was beckoning him to go into this place… but why? After regaining his breath, Varren slowly walked to the castle. What could this feeling be…? He opened the doors to see there were many anthropomorphic turtles sprawled out across the ground, completely unconscious. Some of them were wearing armor, and even stranger, some of them had wings! Varren couldn't be puzzled by these new forms of life though… the calling was simply too great. Slowly, he marched onwards. In front of him was a staircase leading upwards. He walked up the stairs. Varren looked around the area to see that there was another opening to the left of him. He walked into the opening, on to the next room. To greet him were more unconscious figures… they looked sort of like mushrooms, but with feet and faces. Still though… that calling was too great for him to be fascinated by the new figures. He cautiously walked onwards, glancing around the area. In front of him was yet another open gate.

He walked through it, which led him to the room containing the Mario Brothers. They were both panting, out of breath. Varren could tell that they were beaten and bruised. Luigi was barely standing, and Mario's overall strap was torn. Varren's gaze traveled to the rest of the room. In a massive throne, a large, humanoid dragon, with a spikey green shell was tapping his pointy claws on the arms of his chair, his fiendish eyes sparkling with amusement. The beat wore a necklace, the main jewel of which was a blue crystal. He was smiling villainously, revealing his razor sharp teeth. "I never even dreamed it would be this easy!" bellowed the monster, his voice echoing across the room. "The mighty Super Mario Brothers defeated without even laying a finger on me! What a joke!" Suddenly, he noticed Varren had entered the room. "Hm?" The creature's gaze fell upon Varren as he stared at him in confusion. "Who are you?" Varren stared at the jewel on the beast's necklace. That was the source of the calling… the desire… He needed to have that necklace. His craving for it was psychologically unbearable! "Hey!" shouted the monster, "I asked you a question, punk!"

Varren shook his head, trying to snap himself out of the spell that crystal seemed to have put on him. "My name is Varren… I have come to help Mario and his younger brother in their quest to free the Princess! Now, if you don't mind, I have a question of my own. Would you care to hear it?"

The titanic beast rolled his eyes in annoyance. "This ain't a wedding party. You ask me the question, and I'll kill you afterwards, along with the Mario Bros."

Varren tilted his head to the side, staring at him. "What is your name? Would you happen to be Bowser, the Koopa King?"

The malevolent creature nodded his head. "Yeah, that's me."

Varren's eyes widened. This was Mario's arch enemy! He looked at Mario, who returned the gaze. By the looks of things, Mario and Luigi were losing pretty badly… this wasn't supposed to happen. It was obvious that Bowser had had some help from something or someone, but from where? Varren looked back at Bowser to see the necklace once again. That necklace… did it contain energy? Yes, yes, that had to be it! Bowser was abusing this newfound energy source to be rid of the Mario Brothers! Varren took in a deep breath. He had to act calm and natural. It was time for him to put his cunning to the test. He placed his hand on his chest as he gave a polite bow. "Greetings, Your Majesty. Please excuse me. I hadn't realized that I was speaking to you in such a tone. By all means, keep the Princess if you'd like. The Mario Bros. are powerless before you; there's nobody to stop you… She's all yours."

Mario looked at Varren in complete and utter shock. "Varren! What's-a wrong with you!?" he cried.

Varren glared at Mario with false annoyance. "Silence, you whelp! I'm addressing the King, not you…" Varren looked to Bowser once more. "My Liege," he said politely, "I would be more than honored if you were to take me by your side as your humble servant. I can promise you that I wouldn't let you down in the slightest. I'm a rather cunning mind, as well."

Bowser chuckled, smiling malevolently at Varren. "Now that's what I'd like to hear! Yeah, my kingdom could use a few smart people. Glad you could do the right thing and join me in my quest to take over the Mushroom Kingdom!"

Varren smiled, putting his hat back on his head. "So long as you're happy, Your Majesty, that's all that matters." Slowly, he walked over to Bowser. "Might I ask where you got that necklace from? You seem to be quite the fan of it…"

"Huh, oh this old thing?" said the massive Koopa King, taking the necklace in his hand to look at it. "Well, I found it in Cheap-Cheap Ocean. And when I say I, I mean my scouts. They brought it back to the castle and tried to keep it for themselves, the selfish jerks. So I ordered 'em to hand it over to me! Then I figured out that it had boatloads of magical powers in here! I actually used it to wipe those pesky plumbers off their feet in just a few simple waves of my hand."

Varren gazed deeply into the crystal on the necklace. The calling… the calling… It was getting stronger… He stared at the jewel, his mind scrambling away from the plan. All he could think about was the jewel. 'Such power…' he thought, staring at the jewel in a hypnotic state. To snap him out of it was the blue crystal itself! A massive wave of dark blue energy rocketed from the crystal directly into Varren; the gentleman was forced backwards. He landed flat on his back. Varren stared at the ceiling in shock. 'Well that wasn't part of the plan,' he thought, taken aback by what had just happened. What… had just happened? He didn't know… but for some reason, he felt stronger.

Bowser stared at Varren. "What did you do?" Beginning to panic, Bowser attempted to control the energy that was in the blue crystal once again, only to find that there was none left. It had all been converted into Varren. "What did you do!?" he repeated, slamming his fist on the arm of his throne in a fit of rage.

Varren smiled, standing up. "Well, in all honesty, I'm not quite sure what it is that I've done. However, I'm certainly sure that I rather enjoy the results. Oh, and, don't think about asking for the energy back, Lord Bowser. You'd have found in the future that I was never on your side to begin with anyways." Varren turned to Mario, offering him his hand. "Mario, come. Let's defeat your classical enemy."

Mario smiled, taking Varren's hand. "I knew that I could-a count on you. You really do have a heart of gold." Mario's smile faded, and he looked at Bowser with a determined gaze. "Let's-a go!"

Luigi sprung up to his feet, somehow gaining his strength back. "Just what I needed!" he exclaimed. Mario smirked at his younger brother's comment. Luigi took a step forward, adjusting his hat rightly. "Okie-dokie, Mario!"

Varren couldn't help but chuckle at their enthusiasm. Always so wholehearted, even in something like this. 'My,' he thought, 'that certainly takes dedication.' He looked at Bowser with newfound resolve, feeling the passionate aura the two siblings shared. He got in a fighting stance. "Come on, Koopa King!"

Bowser roared angrily, jolting up from his throne. He exhaled a massive beam of fire at the three of them. Mario and Luigi jumped out of the way in opposite directions. Time slowed down for Varren as he began to think of what he should do, and what he was going to do afterwards. He couldn't just jump straight down the middle, otherwise that would make him the main target. However, he had gained some sort of power when the energy that went into the crystal moved into him. Still though, this was the King of Koopas he was dealing with, not someone to be taken lightly. He needed to avoid being the center of attack. So then what should he do? Mario. Mario has taken care of Bowser time and time again; he obviously knows how to handle himself in this situation. Luigi, what about Luigi? Luigi was weakened from the battle when Varren first came in, but now he seems perfectly fine, leaving Mario as the weakest person in the room. While it's true that he had the most experience, he couldn't safely assure victory at his current level of strength. He needed backup.

Varren reached a conclusion. He jumped out of the way from the flames, over to where Mario had gone. The red plumber landed on the ground, then skidded off towards Bowser himself. Varren ran directly next to him, ready for protection. Luigi, on the other hand, was simply in a squatting position on the other side of the room. What on earth was he doing? He didn't have time to worry about that. Bowser was already in front of him, as well as Mario. The gargantuan king slashed his claws down upon Varren. "Betray me, will ya!?" To interrupt the Koopa's assault was Mario, sending a sock to the gut to the massive turtle. The wind was knocked out of Bowser, but that didn't stop him. He clenched at Mario's fist, readying to throw the red plumber. However, just before he had the chance, Luigi somehow rocketed himself forward. He was flying headfirst to Bowser, acting like a missile. The green plumber's temple connected fiercely with Bowser's jaw, and the mighty Koopa King was sent spiraling backwards. He crashed into the wall, then landed on the ground. He clenched the ground angrily, growling at the three of them. "You think that'll stop me, the King of all Koopas!?" he thundered. He crawled on all-fours like the true monster he was. He roared like a sea serpent as he exhaled another blast of fire in their direction.

Mario jumped in the way of the blast this time, rather than avoiding it. Varren stared at Mario in shock. Was he planning to take the hit for them? They could simply dodge! Out of nowhere, Mario summoned a yellow cape to his side. He flapped his cape to the side, and, as if effortlessly, the mighty blast that Bowser had conjured was directed back at him! Bowser's eyes widened. "Oh shi-" The mighty Koopa King was struck with his own massive ball of fire, slamming him against the wall once more. He wasn't on fire, but the sweat on his scales was steaming, just as the saliva in his mouth. Bowser collapsed on the ground, unable to stand again. "I'll get you pesky plumbers… ugh…" he closed his eyes, drifting into unconsciousness.

Varren blinked. He stared at Mario in astonishment. He truly was the expert in defeating Bowser. He walked over to Mario, smiling at him victoriously. "We've defeated him…" he mumbled quietly.

Mario smiled back at him, nodding. "Mhm!"

Suddenly, Varren realized that they'd never saved the Princess; his smile faded. He looked around the area worriedly. "Where's Princess Peach?"

As if to answer his question, a harp began to play. A hole quietly formed in the ceiling, fading into existence. Descending from the hole was none other than the Princess Herself, in all her majesty. She wasn't holding onto any rope, there were no strings, no trickery… she was slowly floating down to the ground, her eyes closed all the while, as if she was under some sort of spell. Her feet gently touched the ground. Princess Peach opened her soft blue eyes to give an equally soft gaze to Mario. She bent over slightly to give the red plumber a dazzling kiss on the cheek. Mario blushed just as dark of a red as his hat. Varren smiled at the two of them… it was nice to see two people in love with each other at such a great scale. The harp's music gently began to fade away. Mario picked up the Princess bridal style, holding her close.

Varren looked to Luigi, only to see that his gaze wasn't filled with adoration for the love in this couple, but with envy. He could guess why. Varren walked over to Luigi, placing a hand on his shoulder. "One day…" he promised the younger brother.

Luigi picked up the message that Varren was trying to communicate. He smiled, nodding his head. "Yeah… one of these-a days, I'll have a girlfriend too…"

Varren returned Luigi's smile, then looked back to Mario. "Well," he said, "I believe that my work on this world is quite finished. I should say thank you, Mario, and you too, Luigi, for giving me such an amazing adventure." He smiled at Princess Peach, tipping his fedora hat to her. "And, my lady, I especially thank you for inviting me to your castle to begin with. I've certainly have had quite the amazing time."

Peach looked at Varren pleadingly. "Oh, but do you have to go so soon? It hasn't even been an entire day since you've gotten here! Please, stay a bit longer. We'd be honored here in the Mushroom Kingdom to have you."

Varren smiled warmly at Peach's kindness. 'Such holiness… she reminds me of my sister…' The gentleman put his hat on his chest and gave a bow to the Princess. "A thousand thank you's, Your Majesty, but in all honesty, I really must be going. The only reason I came here was to defeat a source of evil… Something greater than Bowser, or anything this galaxy has ever seen."

Mario tipped his hat at Varren, smiling cheerily at him. "Hey, Varren, don't-a worry about that evil that you're worried about. I'm-a on your side! No evil has stood up to me for long! It's-a me, Mario!"

Varren chuckled lightly at the enthusiasm of the eldest Mario Brother. "Yes, yes, of course. If I ever need any backup, you'll be the first man I go to, Mario." He put his fedora back on to tip his own hat to Mario in return. "Thank you all for being so hospitable to me, everybody. It truly has been an honor getting to know you all. I will never forget you." With that, Varren began to walk out of the room.

"H-Hold on," Luigi called after him. Varren stopped in his tracks to turn half way around. He gazed at Luigi questioningly. Timidly, the green plumber said, "Before you go, I'd-a like you to help-a me out with my relationship problems… There's-a this girl who I've-a got my eye on… She's perfect, but-"

"Luigi," Varren interrupted. This time it was Luigi's turn to look at Varren in a questioning manner. The gentleman smiled at the younger Mario Bro. "I'm going to say a single word to you about your relationship problem… I want you to remember this word, and use it to motivate yourself when you're talking to this woman who you have feelings for… Understand?" Luigi nodded, listening intently. "Good… The word is… passion."

Luigi stared at Varren in confusion. "Passion?" he echoed.

Varren smiled at the green plumber. "You heard me right, Luigi… That's all I have to say about that matter." He turned back around to walk out of room, then he made his way out of the castle.

He walked down the path he'd come from, making for his destination: the CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN. 'I've truly gone on quite the remarkable adventure,' he thought to himself, smiling in accomplishment. 'I saved a damsel in distress, defeated an evil monster with my quick wits, slayed an evil beast… I can truly say that I've done quite enough in this world.' Varren got to his ship in seemingly no time at all. He smiled at the black saucer, putting his hand on it gently. 'This machine is what led me to this place… such a beautiful device.' The bottom bit of a fraction of the wall slid upwards, allowing Varren to walk inside. He smiled, returning to the CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN. When the wall went down again, his smile faded, and was replaced with a serious look. "Guide, come, I need you," he beckoned.

The familiar, female blue projection formed in front of Varren. "What do you desire of me, master?"

Varren gazed at the guide's projection coldly. "Tell me how you were able to detect that I needed you. How were you able to contact me when I wasn't anywhere near the ship?"

The guide responded emotionlessly, "Answer: from the short amount of time you've spent inside this ship, I've managed to gather your energetic identity. I was then able to contact you using the energy of the CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN. The energy that had been used has already come back by now; you don't need to worry, master."

"So you know my energetic identity, then?" He walked closer towards the projection, not letting it have any time to answer his question. "When the Koopa King Bowser was first attacking the Mario Brothers, he had a strange necklace, which had a blue crystal. The crystal's energy went into my energy stream; I absorbed it. Why did it do that? Why did I feel like the energy in that necklace belonged to me?"

"Identifying likely possibilities—please wait…" Varren let out a sigh. He folded his arms, gazing at the projection expectantly. It had an answer, he knew that this machine had an answer. It knew his energy identity… He just prayed that what the machine told him wasn't what he thought it was. "Most likely possibility found: bits and pieces of your energy have been scattered across the universe."

Varren blinked. 'But… Bowser had the strength to simply toss the Mario Brothers aside with the wave of his hand.' He couldn't do that… if he could, he would've used it during the fight with the Koopa King when he was helping Mario and Luigi defeat him and rescue the Princess from his grasp. "I… I suppose there's a lot to learn about myself," he mumbled quietly, staring at his hands as he flexed them.

"Shall we be off, master Varren?" the guide asked, ready to leave once again.

Slowly, Varren nodded, still somewhat taken aback by his newfound abilities. "Y-Yes, let's go. Take me as close as you can to this evil overlord named Darmaque in a single trip."

The projection vanished, but her voice could still be heard. "As you wish, master." The portion of the black hole that was kept within the container began to spin rapidly. Varren could feel the CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN begin to rise into the air, but only by just a bit. Outside the ship, another wormhole ripped its way open in midair. With the gateway to the next world being revealed, the black saucer zipped forward, on its way to the next destination.