Author's Notes: Hey there! Sorry for the late update. I would've submitted this chapter earlier but the crappy internet connection thought otherwise. But here's chapter 7 you've been waiting for! Please Read and Review!


Chapter 7

"Theories"

It's morning already and Mario and Luigi are still asleep in one of the Peach's castle guest bedrooms. They, along with Starlow, had been convinced to stay in the castle for the night by Princess Peach. It was a friendly gesture and the two brothers had gladly accepted the offer.

The room was as big as a five-star hotel room and as grand, as well. Two green beds were spaced parallel to each other on the left side of the room. A lava lamp sat on a mahogany desk placed between the two beds. A cabinet was on the far right corner of the room and a tall mirror stood beside it. A ceiling light that provided a warm light during the dark hung from the pink ceiling. The walls were also colored pink but with yellows and reds here and there. On the opposite side of the door was a tall window with red curtains still closed.

A bright ray of light filtered through the slit in the curtain hitting Mario straight in the eyes. This forced the plumber to get up and start the day. He opened the curtains to fully welcome the new day. He smiled as the bright, warm light bathed him and the room behind him.

Unlike Mario, Luigi didn't want to wake up just yet. He frowned in his sleep and pulled the thick covers over his head. Mario couldn't blame him. They had been up all night dancing, eating, and partying to their hearts. They stopped an hour or two after midnight just as the party ended. It's about 7am by now, granting only a few hours of sleep.

Mario had to admit he still wanted to go back to bed and sleep some more, but he forced himself not to. He already awoke and sleeping again would just waste precious hours of the awaiting day ahead. Besides, it wouldn't be long until breakfast.

As if on cue, Mario heard a bell chiming from downstairs, inviting anyone who heard it for breakfast. Luigi didn't miss it and he sprang to life all of a sudden. He sat up too quick though, and he launched himself off the bed and entangled himself in the sheets. Luigi hit the crimson floor face-first with a loud thump.

Mario chuckled a little before looking his little brother over. He laughed upon seeing his little brother wrapped in his sheets like a mummy. Luigi rolled over before squirming in an attempt to loosen and free himself from his fabric cocoon but it only made it worse.

"Good morning, Luigi." Mario greeted his brother with an amused grin. "Need any help?"

"Hunh? Oh! Good morning, Mario! Um… Can you?..." Luigi looked up at his older brother sheepishly then looking back at the tangled mess he was.

Mario chuckled before helping him disentangle the sheets. He helped his brother up and the two proceeded to go to the dining hall where they knew breakfast would be served.

There, they saw a long red table with all sorts of breakfast meals on it. There were all sorts of pastries ranging from loaves of bread, toast, and cinnamon rolls to glazed donuts to layered cakes. Meat weren't far behind as there were bacon, ham, and sausages that were still steaming. Scrambled eggs, waffles, and pancakes were also served on the table.

All the warm scents of food wafted into the brothers' noses and they were beckoned forward. They struggled and forced themselves not to drool. They were in Peach's castle and drooling in it wasn't very respectful. Instead, they raced towards the table where piles of food awaited them, eager to get it all in their craving mouths.

The other people present beat them to the table, though. They saw Princess Peach on her chair which was north of the table opposite the dining hall entrance. Toadsworth sat beside the princess on the right side of the table. Toadbert, the resident brainiac of the castle, sat beside Toadsworth. Starlow floated beside the princess on the left side of the table. The other seats were already occupied by Toads, but they still reserved two seats beside Starlow for the two brothers.

They took their seats and they took any food they can reach on their plates. They tried their best to eat with table manners, of course. They are renowned heroes of the Mushroom kingdom, after all. They needed to set a good example and show their worth and respectability in the castle.

The other royals had already left the castle earlier to resume their duties. They had a good time during the party and they wished events like this would happen more often. But their people needed their esteemed leaders and they couldn't ignore that. Daisy had also left a while ago because of another issue in Sarasaland whatever it may be.

The festive mood still lingered in the castle even if it was slowly fading away by the minute. There was still a happy and peaceful air in the inhabitants of the Mushroom kingdom. Even though the main party ended, the kingdom would still rejoice upon knowing their princess is now a year older and more experienced.

Mario had just finished his waffles when Starlow nudged him with her foot.

Mario ignored her thinking that her foot just accidentally hit his forearm. He proceeded to eat his bacon before Starlow hit again. He dismissed and ignored it, assuming Starlow would've already figured out she was accidentally bumping him.

Starlow hit again, this time more forcefully and this finally grabbed Mario's full attention.

"What?" Mario asked irritably at the star sprite for interrupting his meal.

"Sorry Mario. I just needed to grab your unwavering attention." Starlow rolled her eyes before whispering to make sure no one would hear. "Do you remember last night? Y'know… the cold feeling only we felt?"

"Yeah, I remember." Mario lost his irritation and he now looked thoughtful.

"Do you think the Dark Star was responsible for that?"

"Maybe. He has a lot of dark and similar nightmarish powers. I don't know anyone else that could do that. But then he's still under the Toad Town Caves and I doubt he could do that from all the way down there." Mario whispered back.

"True. But the Dark Star is unpredictable. We haven't seen all of his tricks yet and he might even have learned new ones."

"The Dark Star doesn't look like he has his powers for now. At least that's what we think."

"We only presume he doesn't because he said he doesn't. If you know what I mean, you'd understand."

Luigi heard Mario and Starlow's debate and decided to join in on the conversation. "But it didn't seem to show control over its powers. I think he's telling the truth and not trying to fool us. He tried to attack us but it didn't work."

Starlow frowned. "We can't trust him."

"I didn't say I trust him. I just don't think he's very capable for now."

"Look, why don't we just ask the Dark Star after breakfast. I'm sure we can get answers from him somehow... " Mario suggested to his two debating friends.

They nodded in agreement before finishing their breakfast. It didn't seem so appealing now that the subject of the ancient relic was brought up.

An hour or two later, they asked permission from Princess Peach to visit the Dark Star. She had forced them to promise not to push the ancient relic too much. They reluctantly agreed on that and were given passes to the Dark Star's prison chamber.

The passes were for security measures. Only the princess was allowed to have them, but she was still allowed to hand them to her most trusted allies and friends. As of now, only Mario, Luigi, Starlow, and Princess Peach had one.

Mario, Luigi, and Starlow exited the castle through the main gate. They crossed the bridge that connected directly to Toad Town. Upon arriving they proceeded to enter the center plaza where a fountain with Princess Peach's statue was situated. They followed the edge of the plaza and arrived at large yellow pipe that led to the Toad Town caves.

There were a lot of people that roamed the plaza, but none of them bothered to enter the caves. They were scared or didn't dare to enter mostly because there were guards that prevented any intruders from going down further into the cave or they believed there were monsters that roamed the place. There never were monsters under the caves, but at least the belief helped to keep the people away from there. They didn't need to risk the residents of being alerted of the Dark Star just beneath their feet. They had enough problems for now.

The trio entered the piped and they submerged into the depths of the cave. Upon reaching the end of the pipe, they were brought to a humanized side of the caves where bricks and chiselled stone made up the walls, floor, and ceiling. Water dripped through the cracks and crevices of the walls and ceiling nourishing the moss that covered most of the area. Lights and lanterns could be found here and there but they weren't enough to illuminate the whole place.

It looked gloomy in here compared to the above world.

They saw a tired and bored guard that walked past a cavern. They immediately felt sympathy for the guard. They knew the guards had to stay down here for possibly the most of their lives just so the Dark Star wouldn't be bothering anyone else. It was vexing to think about, but it was still an act of loyalty for the princess.

The guard the passed by looked like he was on patrol duty until he spotted them.

"Oh! Mario and Luigi! And… Starlow, right?" What brings you guys here?" The guard brightened up as he greeted the two brothers and star sprite.

"We just want to see the Dark Star." Mario exclaimed before showing the guard their passes.

"Right this way!"

The guard escorted them to a darker region of the cave where the Dar Star is.

Later, they arrived at the chamber entrance and were met by two guards that bowed and saluted them in greeting. The two guards halted them asking them for their passes. Mario showed the passes again before they were allowed to pass through and enter the chamber.

They saw the Dark Star glaring at them with the piercing and glowing red eyes. He was held in place by rods of electricity that came from four energy orbs situated on their respective pillars. The electricity illuminated the room faintly with a warm orange light.

As they moved in closer the Dark Star growled warning them to keep their distance. Even though they knew the ancient relic wouldn't be able to do anything about it, they respected his space. They complied and took a step back.

The ancient relic kept on glaring at them and the trio stared back defiantly. His eyes glowed a little brighter demanding a reason for their presence. The trio averted their gaze and looked at each other debating mentally on what to ask the dark relic.

"Did you do it? Did you make us suddenly feel cold last night?" Starlow asked the dark being.

The dark relic frowned in confusion as to why he was suspected of something he didn't do. His eyes glowed brighter demanding an explanation.

"You're the only one that could possibly influence a cold aura. We felt it during the party. We think it was you who caused it." Starlow explained.

The ancient relic's eyes glowed brighter and harsher at being accused. "You are accusing me of something I didn't do. I am imprisoned here unable to move or escape. The dark power does not seem to do as I meant it to, making me unable to perform any of my dark abilities."

"I don't believe you."

"Does this force field not render me immobile?" The Dark Star referred to the pillars that held the orbs that produced the energy that held him in place. "If I had the dark power to obey my whim, wouldn't I have already destroyed the pillars and escape? How about you? Do you have any evidence or valid reason?" The ancient relic snapped back.

Mario and Luigi tensed a little even if they knew they wouldn't fight. They sensed the growing tension in the chamber and Starlow certainly wasn't helping to calm the situation down.

Starlow heaved a sigh in defeat upon realizing she haven't had much of a reason to accuse the Dark Star. He was still to be suspicious with, but it was wrong to hold someone responsible for something they may or may not have done.

"Sorry…" Starlow muttered as she stared at the floor in shame. She shook her head and looked back up at the ancient relic. "You still have the possibility to actually be responsible though. You really are one we know that can possibly do that. Well, maybe Antasma or Shadow Queen did have dark powers like you did, but they're gone. You came back and now you're the only one we know capable of having dark powers."

The Dark Star pondered this for a bit.

…(Scuro's POV)…

There were others who have the ability to harness the darkness? There were according to the star sprite, but that isn't the problem for now. They are supposedly gone and no one would be able to challenge my reign over darkness. But ever since the dark power seemingly disobeys me just makes me question my worth.

The star sprite accused me of something that really does seem suspicious of me. It surprised me. If someone managed to influence a cold aura and maybe even possibly control dark power, then that means I have a rival. I never had rivals, only enemies. From what I've known about rivals, their desires were only for the purpose of surpassing similar capabilities of others. I would rather have enemies than rivals.

Enemies were less annoying and easier to deal with.

The trio had explained their experience to me indirectly. They had felt cold and experienced a sudden drop in temperature. It was not natural, but it was easy to dismiss. I knew better.

I had a small degree of influence on the cold before the dark power misbehaved. The cold is associated with the darkness in its own way. The cold is felt when fear, hopelessness, and sorrow strikes. The darkness manifests the same traits. They both make it heavier to carry and easier to lose connections to the world.

Somehow, their query vaguely reminds me of something. I'm not very sure if the two thoughts are connected. I suppose it is my turn to ask questions.

"What did you feel?"

The trio blinked in surprise at my sudden question. They had thoughtful expressions as they tried to explain how they felt with words. The green plumber finally answered.

"It felt cold."

"I mean to hear a more detailed description." I said dryly. The green one gave me a sheepish grin while fumbling with his fingers.

"I mean, I felt my blood run cold. It felt like my hands and feet froze over!"

"Me too. Maybe it was out of nervousness, I guess?" The red plumber exclaimed.

They described their experience like the odd feeling I felt. I didn't feel the cold, but I still felt the nervousness and fear. It was nearly what I also felt during the nightmare. Is the nightmare somehow connected? Should I tell them about it? They might be able to help for the main cause…

"I felt it."

The trio looked shock and confused. Their expressions demanded an answer like how my eyes glowed in need for an immediate explanation.

"I…" I hesitated before closing my eyes and shaking the reluctance off. I forced the words out and willed myself to cooperate with them. "I had a dream… a nightmare."

"Do you want to tell us about it?" The star sprite asked quizzically.

"Yes…" I hesitated again before I closed my eyes in concentration. "I-I was in a void; a dimension where nothing existed. I encountered something there… It was a huge dark being about the size of your princess's castle. It had long arms and shorter feet. Large black spikes bristled its elbows, back, and head. It had one glowing eye and a large mouth that held large, forward-pointing, crooked teeth… it spoke to me, saying that I wasn't who I thought I was and that I had no more control over the darkness. It also said it wouldn't be contained for so long."

I made sure not to tell what it said about me failing millennia ago. I still wasn't sure about telling that, and it didn't seem to matter now. Besides, I wouldn't want to acknowledge another failure by my own hands.

The trio fell silent as they pondered what I told them. They tried their best to connect the dots and understand it as best as they could. My answers held what they wanted, but they needed to know what it meant first. Fortunately, they weren't as stupid as I thought they were.

"So… Do you think this dark being you dreamt of was responsible for this?" The star sprite asked me with newfound understanding.

"I am not sure… I do not even think dreams hold much truth in them."

"True. But it seems awfully suspicious for a dream."

I have to admit, it really is suspicious. It was too realistic to be a simple play of the mind.

"Do you guys think something big is about to play?" The green one asked to no one in particular.

The red one adjusted his cap with a confident smirk. "Then we'll be there to stop it!"

I soften at the scene, admittedly. I never knew people had… colourful aspects. I never would have thought that I would appreciate uniqueness. I had only known people to be intelligent yet simple creatures but not special in any kind of way. This odd bunch made me think twice.

I had concluded the red one to be dauntless and confident giving him a heroic ambience. The green one seems gentler and more energetic making him a younger version of the red one. The star sprite is feisty and loud making her a spitfire. I had never stopped and studied them during our first encounter. I never got to know what makes them so special…

"Why're you looking at us like that?" The star sprite asked me with an amused grin.

"What?" I gave her a venomous glare.

"You were smiling. It was brief, but… you were smiling."

I was never one to smile. I never even had a mouth. Maybe it showed in my eyes? Was I happy about something? Maybe it was just the realization that people were special and that they were unique in their own way. I don't know how that would make me happy, but it makes me feel… unique.

I knew there was no one else that could possibly copy or surpass me. I was egoistic that way. But having to realize that there's more to others than just the outside helped me consider myself in the same way. Thinking deeper into it… what is inside me?

"Um, hello?"

I was cut off of my own thoughts when the star sprite spoke. For once, I wasn't annoyed at her. I was thankful for her having to cut in at the right moment. I would've been consumed more by my own thoughts and unravel disturbing thoughts along the way. It was hard cycle to of thoughts to escape, but at least the star sprite spared me of that. The questions could wait later.

"Did you hear my question?"

I look at the star sprite in confusion. I suppose I had been delving into my thoughts a little too deep this time.

The star sprite repeated what she said. "I said, do you think you're going to be involved in this? I know that we aren't sure that this dream might mean something more, but… it doesn't hurt to be sure, right?"

The nightmare was suspicious yet it never held much reality. We never know if it was just a figment of my own deep thoughts or a manifestation of something more. If this would lead to another catastrophic event, I would already be involved in this. I was the one who had the dream. Perhaps the dream was telling something that was meant for me.

"I already am involved." I confirmed the star sprite's question.

"Well…" The star sprite trailed off before shaking her head of a disturbing thought. "Never mind…" She dismissed.

The star sprite turned to her two companions. She made a gesture and they nodded. She looked back at me and said, "We'll be back soon. Tomorrow maybe… We're going to have to talk about stuff until we know more about this."

I nodded in agreement and the trio exited the chamber finally leaving me in my peace. I really hope the answers would reveal themselves, but I wouldn't be risking to ask myself new questions. I had enough of them for now, and I wouldn't want to bother myself for thinking too much.

I had guessed that the answers would reveal themselves quite soon. I already have a piece of the puzzle, and I'm just waiting for the other pieces to finally make out the big picture. It turns out, that next piece would reveal itself earlier than I thought.