A/N: This one's a little shorter, but there's a lot of information covered. ERR!
Problems with saving: Where it says Mario's spirit was confused, and Mario could not respond, that is not the original text. I originally had three dots in italics, but FF wouldn't have it. So, just pretend they're there, and the words aren't.
CHAPTER 4: Ciao!
"Where are we going?" Timber asked as he got inside the cab, Luigi next to him.
"We're going to see a man named Merlon," Luigi said. "He should be able to help us with Mario." Merlon had helped Mario and Luigi many times, the last being with the Dark Prognosticus. The toad driving the cab took off at once towards the location Luigi had told him.
"What's that on your back?" Timber asked. Luigi reached back to feel a hose. He'd forgotten he'd had it on.
"Its my Poltergust. It sucks up ghosts."
The cab pulled up to the small house with the spinning top outside the castle's gates, and Luigi and Timber jumped out as soon as they could, grabbed their things and then knocked furiously on Merlon's door.
He knocked again after minutes of no response. "Merlon, it's Luigi! Something has happened to Mario. I need your help. He better not be in Flipside…"
The door swung open and a small bearded man stood in the doorframe. "Luigi! Good afternoon. What's all this nonsense I hear about something happening to Mario? Come in, come in… oh, who's this?"
Timber looked up at the man and said meekly, "Hi. I'm Timber." He continued walking and then sat down on a loveseat.
"He just lost his mother," Luigi whispered to Merlon.
"Oh, you must explain yourself, then Luigi. Tell me everything."
Luigi started from the beginning, with the plane ride to meeting Rofur and the Queen, and then to the diner. "Rofur said he'd poisoned Mario's drink. Later I learned he had done it because he was poor and had a litter on the way, and King Boo had offered him money. Suddenly Mario had gone emotionless… it was like looking at a brick wall. All he would do was stare at me. Then King Boo appeared and this purple misty looking thing came out of him and entered Mario. He became this different person, he said I'd always live in his shadow and then he threw a bomb in the diner and left with King Boo. We later learned from Rofur that King Boo is working with Bowser."
Merlon sat in silence until Luigi was finished. "I believe your brother has been possessed, although I doubt that comes as a shock to you. The first thing we must find out is who has possessed your brother. Whoever he's possessed by is willing to work with King Boo and Bowser and is either dead or willing to part his soul with his body for a long time. Possessions are not easy things to do, and it is often hard to find a willing soul, because if a soul possesses another one's body, then once it is pushed out of the host, the soul will die forever.
"The color of the soul, in this case, purple, often helps determine who the soul is. When the body is possessed the eyes will often change color and the body will have a glow around it. This glow and change in color fades after awhile. The color can either be the color of their hearts or the color of their attire at death. It often varies, no one really knows why, and there is no way to tell."
"What would purple mean in terms of heart?" Luigi asked.
"A purple soul would mean that the soul is kind-hearted and noble. For example, you and your brother's hearts could be considered to be purple. So I guess it's safe to say that the possessor was wearing purple at the time of his or her death."
"That's too many people to narrow it down," Luigi said. "A lot of mean guys want their revenge on me and my bro, and too many of them wear purple."
"I cannot help you with that, Luigi. You must figure that out on your own. It might be the only way that you can defeat your brother."
"What? I have to defeat my brother?!"
"Oh, you thought I meant you had to kill him! Of course not, the world isn't that cruel. Mario's soul is trapped in his body with another soul, that of the possessor. You must simply get the soul of Mario to hear you, and then eventually with the love you have for your brother he will triumph over the soul of the possessor, and take his body back. Recalling memories and good times you had with your brother will help. Now you must figure out where Bowser's lair is."
"Yes, he likes to move it around a lot. But right now I think he's in the dark lands. I need to find someone I can leave Timber with, though."
"I thought I was coming with you?" Timber asked. "You said I could go with you."
"Yes, for now, though," Luigi said. "That's because you snuck on the plane and I really had no choice but to take you with me. You can stay with Princess Peach at the castle, she'll want to hear about this anyway."
Timber, as much as he wanted to go with Luigi on his mission to the dark lands, respected him, and went with him, tail down, as they said goodbye to Merlon and headed over to the castle.
Mario ran through the forest alongside King Boo, focusing on the clown car up ahead that was nearing the ground. The trees gave way to hilly grass, and Mario stopped as Bowser's clown car got low enough for Mario and Boo to hop in.
"I arrive at the scene like a hero to the rescue," Mario exclaimed, jumping in.
Bowser laughed at Mario. "What would you prefer me to call you, my newest minion?" he laughed.
"I would prefer Mario," Mario said. "Since my own body is dead."
Mario's spirit was confused.
Mario, my friend, what is it?
You are dead?
You didn't catch that before. Tsk, tsk, for a hero such as yourself, you're not too smart. Now do you know who I am?
…No.
"I've waited for this for a long time, Mario. Finally, Mario is on my side!" Bowser said, lifting the clown car into the air.
"Finally, the three of us can rule the world!" King Boo exclaimed.
"Yes," Mario said, his yellow eyes slit. "The world is what I've always wanted. And now, the perfect world will be ours!"
No…
Figured it out, weak one?
It can't be you….
But I'm here. And so are you! Now we shall dance forever as one, me with the brains and you with the brawn. And your brother… both of us will take care of him so no one can get in the way of our perfect plan.
Please, stop, I beg you…
Since when does the great plumber Mario resort to begging? Given up the fight, have we? Too weak for the one you and your brother once defeated so easily… My how the tables have turned!
Not my brother… Please, I'd give anything for you not to hurt him…
Luigi is weak. He might be smart but he is weak. With your strength and my knowledge, he will go down easy. If I made it quick and painless, would that make you feel better?
Mario could not respond.
Fine then, slow and painful. Ha ha ha!
Mario's soul burned with hatred. Through his eyes he could not control, he saw the horizon of the dark lands up ahead, his two adversaries standing next to him.
And there was nothing he could do to stop anything.
"Luigi?" Peach asked when Luigi and Timber entered the castle. "I thought you and Mario were on vacation in Fang Kingdom."
"We were; but something happened to Mario," Luigi said. "Can we sit down somewhere? What I'm going to tell you is not light news."
"Oh… sure," Peach said, leading Timber and Luigi into a sitting room. They all sat down on the comfy couches, Timber curling up to sleep.
Luigi told her everything from the plane ride to his arrival back at the Mushroom Kingdom, ending with all the information that Merlon had told him. Peach looked sadly at Timber, then said to Luigi, "What are you going to do?"
"Well, I need to figure out who's possessed Mario. Someone who wore purple… for some reason, no one comes to mind."
"Didn't Merlon say that Mario needs to hear you and some of the memories you had to get his soul back? Mario, has his cell phone on him, right?"
"Right!" Luigi exclaimed, then whipped out his cell phone and dialed Mario's number. His heart raced with every ring, and finally Mario's voice came through.
"Greetings, Luigi! Mario's not here right now, but I would be willing to take a message." Mario wanted to scream at his brother for help. Luigi….!
"Who are you?!" Luigi demanded.
"Not so loud. The phone hurts my fragile ears. How about we meet somewhere, where we can talk this over, say, the dark lands?"
"Sounds good to me. Mario, do you remember the time when I rescued you from that mansion, and I was so happy to see you that I cried? You were so proud of me, bro."
Luigi! How could I forget…? You were so brave…
"I will have none of this!" Mario yelled. "Meet me in the dark lands, Luigi. I'll be waiting. Ciao!" Mario hung up.
Luigi swallowed hard. Ciao. But… wasn't he in the Underwhere? They'd ended his game! But that was the thing. He was dead… and Merlon had said that he would either be dead or willing to part with his body. He was dead alright.
Luigi curled his hands into fists, and then looked at the sleeping wolf cub. "Princess, I know this is a big favor to ask, but I need you to watch over Timber while I go to the dark lands. I need to get my things."
"Of course…" Peach said, but Luigi had already run out to the room and was beginning to tear open his suitcase, shoving all his necessary items into his backpack. He shouldered his backpack and then realized that his Poltergust was still on. He took it, off, and then after shoving it in his backpack and fashioning it so that the nozzle came out of the backpack, he put on the backpack.
Peach was now standing behind him. "If you ever need help, call me," she said. "And I promise I'll take care of Timber until you get back."
"Thanks, princess. I promise I'll find Mario and get him back. The Mushroom Kingdom needs both of its plumbers!"
A/N: The scenes with King Boo, Bowser and Mario are very cheesy, I know. But, seriously, has there ever been a Mario game that isn't cheesy?
People who've played Super Paper Mario (one of the best games ever!) should know by now who's possessed Mario.
