Chapter 3

Mario

"And this Forest Spirit knows everything?" Mario was asking Eraf.

"Everything that happens in the forest." Eraf corrected him. "If one of those sacred jewels is around, she'll know about it, where it is, what it does... everything."

"She sounds smart."

"Of course she is. You don't get a title like 'Great Spirit of the Forest' for being stupid, you know."

"Alright, alright. I was just trying to compliment her."

"Don't try that on her. It won't work. If she doesn't like you, she won't talk to you. Simple as that. You can't sweet-talk her into anything. Trust me: I've seen people try."

"Is that the temple?" Mario asked, pointing at a large stone structure.

"Yup. Pretty, isn't it?"

"Yeah... pretty." Mario wouldn't have use 'pretty' to describe the temple. 'Decrepit' or 'Ruin' would have been his choice. The stone walls were crumbling, and it was covered in creepers and weeds. Insects gathered in their thouands nearby; many of which were larger than Eraf. "It's big, too. Where exactly would this spirit be?"

"In the shrine, which is in the basement." Eraf said, implying Mario was stupid. "She hides from trespassers there. If she senses danger, she'll send loads of creatures out to drive them away, or kill them." She said 'kill them' with some malice, and grinned wickedly at Mario.

"Then let's hope she likes me." Mario muttered. "How's my moustache?" He asked her.

"Gross, just like it was when you got here. You oughta shave it before you go in."

"Gross!?" Mario cried. "Shave?! No way!" He covered his moustache.

"Whatever." Eraf sighed.

Mario stop to take a breather at the top of the large stairs that lead to the temple door.

"Wow..." He gasped. "I can run across the Mushroom Kingdom, and fight Bowser afterward..." He breathed. "But hiking... I really can't do it..."

"You're so lame." Eraf moaned. "Can't even walk without collapsing."

"Hey! I can run for hours, you know!" Mario protested.

"You can't even walk, Chubby. How I am supposed to believe that you can run for hours?"

"I guess different rules apply here." Mario decided. "Seeing as this is a different world, and all." He looked up at the large stone doors. This 'Forest Spirit' was somewhere beyond them. "I take it this Link guy would have gone through all this?"

"Yeah, probably. But, I'd be using my magic to warp him to places, or at least as close as I can."

"Then, why didn't you do that with me?" Mario whined.

"I'm not wasting my magic on some Moblin." Eraf huffed.

"Moblin?" Mario wondered. Eraf sighed.

"Fat pig-things. Like you." She sniffed. Mario scowled. "Alright, enough rest." Eraf announced, clapping her hands. "Let's go. Time's a-wasting." Mario sighed, and got to his feet. "Open the door, big boy." Eraf told him. Mario pushed at the stone doors, but they wouldn't budge. "C'mon, weakling. Open, open!" Mario pushed again, but still the doors remained closed. "Pathetic."

"Maybe the Spirit doesn't want to see me?" Mario suggested.

"Everyone makes it through the doors." Eraf told him. "She can't sense you until you get inside."

"Oh."

"So, you're just weak." Eraf sat down on air. "So much for our last hope." She said miserably. Mario growled. Then, he leapt in the air, and kicked the doors in the middle. Instead of opening, they flew clean off, and hit the roof of the descending stairs with a loud crash, making Eraf jump and fall from her perch. "Wh-what the-?!" She stared at the hole where the doors once were. "So, you can't open them with all your strength and flab combined, but you can boot them clean off their hinges?!" She was clearly shocked. "And is it me, or did your foot get bigger?"

"One open door." Mario told her. "After you, milady." He bowed, and pointed his hand to the stairs. Eraf started to descend the stairs.

"By the way." She called back to him as he followed her. "These doors open out, not in."

"Then why didn't you say so??" Mario yelled, stepping over what was left of the giant stone doors.

"I wanted to watch you struggle." She replied indifferently. "And now... welcome to the main chamber." She announced. Mario caught up to her, and looked around. He gasped. The inside was definitely more beautiful than the outside. There was a small shrine in the centre, with large pillars housing torches around it, the light of which reflected astonishingly off the mirror mounted on the pedestal. Flowers decorated the chamber walls, and carvings of animals and birds covered the entire room. "The only room prettier than this is the real shrine." Eraf breathed happily. "If there's a place prettier than that, then I'd like to see it."

"It really is..." Mario couldn't think of a word to descrive just how beautiful the room was. "Incredible. And you say the real shrine's prettier than this??"

"Of course. The Spirit wouldn't decorate a fake shrine better than the real one, would she?"

"Guess not." Mario admitted. "I'm just having a hard time picturing anywhere being prettier than this." Eraf smiled at him. Her first real smile.

"Then you're in for a treat." She told him. "Come on, get to work. She hasn't sent an army at you, so she's letting you in. If you can solve the puzzles."

"Puzzles?"

"She won't let any old elf walk in. You've got to prove yourself by solving the puzzles, and defeating her guardians."

"Guardians? I've gotta fight?"

"Of course. Every Spirit's temple is the same. This place is the easiest, because the Forest Spirit is gentle and forgiving. You oughta see the Shadow Spirit's temple, or even the Sand Spirit's. She's really the Spirit Spirit, but she lives in a desert, so people call her the Sand Spirit. Chop chop, Chubby. There's puzzles to solve." Mario looked around. Nothing looked particularly puzzling in this room. "From the looks of things," Eraf was saying from somewhere across the room. "She's set it up so you have to activate some switches all over the temple. This floor tile here leads down." She pointed. "Oi! Here, look." Mario hurried over. It was a very large floor tile, located just behind the fake-shrine. "Normally, it's a lovely green colour, but right now, it's not. You'll have to find and activate the switches."

"Switches. Right." Mario thought back to when he had to rescue Peach. It was mostly stomping Goombas, throwing Bob-Ombs, and beating up bigger creatures to get Power Stars to open doors, or extra 'worlds'. But here, he had to solve a temple-wide puzzle just to get to see someone. He had to fight monsters, too, just to get a switch. This is gonna be a headache. He moaned.

"Four doors, big boy." Eraf said from above. "Four rooms. Four switches. In each of those doors, there'll be a puzzle, or some monsters, and a switch. Hit all four switches, and presto, you're on your way to the basement."

"And I'll meet the Forest Spirit?"

"Maybe. There might be another puzzle, or some more monsters. We'll have to see."

Link

Link sat on the grass, digging through the backpack Princess Daisy had given him. Yoshi sat on the grass nearby, snaring insects and small animals that came too close, and eating them. 'Too close' being some seven feet, as his tongue was abnormally long. Link stared at the odd flower Daisy had given him. It looked like a childs' picture of a flower. Thick green stalk, two large leaves, and an orange circle for a head. It even had small black eyes. It disturbed Link, but he kept it because Daisy had told him it would come in handy.

"How?" He had asked.

"When you need it, use it, and you'll see."

"And how would I use it?"

"How? Um... I'm not sure. We all just... use them. I've no idea how, we just do." And that was all the advice she had offered. A Fire Flower, she had called it. Link could only think of one reason why it would have such a name: whenever he stuck it into the ground, it regularly spat out small fireballs. They disappeared into smoke before they hit the ground, though, giving it no real use. He twizzled it round in his fingers, and watched as the beady eyes became swirls. Evidently it got dizzy. Yoshi let out a 'glork', and Link looked up. That 'Stud Luigi' had come back, with his friend Toad.

"Hey!" He called to Link. Link stuffed the Fire Flower and his food back into the backpack, and stood up. "Ready to talk yet?"

"Certainly." Link said. "How about the weather?"

"Don't patronise me." Luigi growled. "Where's my brother? And Peach?"

"Missing, from what I hear." Link replied. "And Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser."

"So, where has Bowser put Peach?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Probably because you were too busy kidnapping Mario. Where is he?"

"Again, I don't know." Link told him. Then, he dodged a punch from Luigi.

"Stop lying." Luigi hissed. Clearly, he was trying to stay calm. "I know you did something to him. What did you do?"

"Nothing." Link said honestly. "I've never seen him in my life." Again, Luigi tried to hit him.

"Luigi." Toad called to him. "I think he might be telling the truth."

"What makes you think that?" Luigi asked him.

"He's got a Yoshi, look."

"So? Yoshi's obey whoever they first see."

"But, they don't stay with bad guys. Remember when Bowser tried hatching a Yoshi army? They all ran away. They only stay with good guys." Toad explained.

"They only stay with Mario, and Mario's a human, like me and Peach. Maybe it's confused."

"I don't think so. Yoshi can tell if people are nice or not. I think we can trust him."

"...fine." Luigi growled. "You go ahead and trust him. I won't trust him until I find Mario and settle this." He stalked away.

"Luigi! Where're you going?"

"To find Mario." Luigi called back.

"Luigi!" Link called. Luigi stopped, and stared angrily at him. "I met Princess Daisy yesterday. She says she wants you to visit."

"Daisy said that?" Luigi asked. "Really? How can I trust you? I'll bet you kidnapped her, too."

"Trust me or not, it's your choice. But it's true. 'If you see that stud Luigi, can you ask him to visit, please?' That's what she said."

"Alright, I'll go there. But if it's a trap..." He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he turned away, and walked toward Sarasaland.

"Why aren't you going with him?" Link asked Toad.

"I'm the Princess' steward. Her rescue is my top priority. Luigi isn't about to rescue her any time soon. I figure you're going to try, seeing as you're going to her castle?"

"Yeah. Daisy asked me to. She said she'd try to find a warp pipe that can take me home in exchange."

"Then, I'll help you out. I know the Mushroom Kingdom well, and I know Mushroom Castle even better."

"How big is the castle?"

"The castle itself... is average." Toad said slowly. "But, the inside..." He trailed off.

"What? What about the inside?"

"Well, maybe you'll find out if you get there." Toad replied evasively. Link sighed, and gave up.

"Then, can you take me the safe way to the castle?"

"Safe way? Right now, Bowser's army is inside the castle grounds. There's no safe or dangerous way. We just have to look out for the odd Shy-Guy, maybe a few Monty Moles, perhaps even some stray Pokeys. If Lakitu's in a bad mood, then it'll be even more dangerous."

"What's with this Lakitu guy and his moods?"

"If he's in a good mood, he likes to help us. Like, giving us rides to high places, giving us advice or mushrooms. If he's in a bad mood, he tries to hurt us. He throws spiky shells us, usually with Koopas in, or he'll throw Bob-Ombs at us. Sometimes, he uses his rod to catch giant Cheep-Cheeps, and drop them on us."

"Cheep-Cheep?"

"A giant fish. They eat anything that goes near their mouth. They can live on land for a long time without needing water, and they can move quite well. Hopefully, it won't get that bad. It's not too far to Mushroom Castle, maybe two days at most. Lakitu was in a very good mood last time I saw him, and I don't think there's anything that's going to make him angry, so we should be okay." Toad sighed. "We should get moving. Knowing Bowser, he's got Peach either in her own dungeon, in the tower, or trapped in the walls."

"In the walls?"

"It's... a long story. I'll explain on the way there."

According to Toad, Mushroom Castle was a magical castle powered by the mysterious Power Stars. These star-shaped beings had almost infinite power. Someone who possesses even one of these stars would become far stronger, faster and smarter. The castle has over one hundred of these stars, all of which were most likely in Bowsers' possession. If so, he could have gained some magic of his own. He could then use it to transform Peach into a spirit, and trap her inside a wall, or just about anything. It had happened before: Bowser had trapped all of Peachs' attendants in the castle walls, and the Princess in the window of the tower. Mario had defeated many of Bowsers' underlings, and collected Power Stars from them, and a few secret stars. When Link asked about the secret stars, Toad explained that they were stars that the castle had hidden from Bowser, to prevent his power from becoming absolute. Mario then used the power of the stars to defeat Bowser three times, free Peach and her attendants, and restore the castle. Toad feared that Link may have to do the same; Bowser really wanted Peach's castle as his own.

"Then, whose is that castle?" Link asked, pointing. Directly south of Peach's beautiful castle, stood a dark and gloomy fortress.

"I've no idea." Toad admitted.

"Could it be Bowser's?"

"Most likely. It suits him, so I wouldn't say no just yet." He thought for a moment. "It wasn't there this morning. Only the Power Stars can make something like that appear, and Bowser has them, so it must be his." He closed his eyes for a while, as if trying to work something out. "I think we should hurry to the Princess' Castle." He said to Link. Fear was evident in his voice. "If she's not there, then we'll have to get to that castle, and fast." He never looked away from the new castle. He was perched atop Links' head, and Link was sat on Yoshi.

"Alright. Hurry, Yoshi." Link urged. A large blue eye stared at him. Yoshi then said 'Blorp' and set off at a run, nearly dismounting Link and Toad.