Luigi headed home. He had mulled it over after Mario beat Inky, but had made the decision. He left a note detailing the direness of the situation. At the back of his mind, he nursed the thought that the readers would be willing to give a hand, but he also nourished the concern that the woman most likely to read the note would come too. Luigi was not sexist at all. He did not want any harm to come to that particular girl. He cared too much.
"Sorry about the wait, Mario."
"That's beep, Luigi. Nana didn't quite track down Pinky nearly as beep, so she needed a couple minutes to get the equipment set up." Mario explained. He looked around at Nintendo. No matter what anyone said, this was his home. He would do anything to protect it.
"Say, Luigi…"
"Yeah?"
"Say Pinky has slipped out of wherever Nana hit her in the first beep."
"Yeah?"
"Where would she beep from there? What gaming universe would Nintendo really hurt from the beep of?"
"…Kirby?"
"Exactly! Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and Kirby are Nintendo's money-printers. The others are almost forgotten gems by beep."
"I dunno. You're putting an awful lot of trust in the fact that Pinky has left wherever Nana whacked her to…"
"Luigi. If you were to beep three ghosts at once, would they go much further than beep, beep and beep?" Mario pointed to three doors. The nearest doors to the royal palace were the money-printers. It made perfect sense that one should head to Kirby.
Nana turned.
"OK, I found them… wait, Mario? Luigi?" she asked. She did not find the plumbers, but she did attract the attention of a passing woman.
"You are looking for Luigi?" she asked. The voice sounded very familiar.
"Wait… Daisy?" Daisy flipped away her cowl.
"I was hoping no one would see me. I wanted to sneak into Pac-Man to go save Luigi's mother."
"Good thing I spotted you. Heading to Pac-Man at the present time is a complete and total waste."
"It is? What do I need to actually accomplish something?"
"You need Inky, Pinky and Clyde. Mario has Goomba Stomped Clyde and Inky, and they are under our control… Clyde voluntarily, and Inky is insane. Pinky is the last one left, and she is currently lurking is Super Mario, of all places. Surprising, right?"
"I suppose. Well… see you, Nana. If you see Luigi… never mind.
Mario came back home dusty and somewhat forlorn. He had been playing out Super Mario Land.
"Mario, I knew this was a bad idea." Peach said, looking down at his dusty wear. Mario shrugged.
"I agree, but it was of beep not my decision. There was a little interesting beep in Sarasaland, though," Mario replied. Looking around his shoulder was a timid little girl with orange hair. Luigi smiled.
"Hey there, little girl! Are you alright?" Luigi asked. The girl shyly stepped out from behind Mario. She took a few small steps towards Luigi, before tripping over her own feet and landing in Luigi's arms.
"S-s-s-sorry…" the girl said, shivering.
"That's alright, little girl."
"Luigi? Her name is Daisy."
"Daisy? Beautiful name."
"A-a-a-and you are L-l-l-luigi, right?"
"Yeah," Luigi shyly stated. Daisy was lying in his arms a little longer than someone who accidentally fell into someone else's arms should do. Daisy looked up into Luigi's eyes. Her eyes, sapphire blue, were far too easy to be lost in. Daisy let go of Luigi's chest, keeping her arms on his.
"Oh, wow…" Peach muttered.
"Beep…" Mario whispered.
Luigi sighed. Daisy checked her locks. Mario and Peach decided to slip to one of the newer games as a flimsy excuse to leave the two be.
"Hiyi!" Kirby called. He was in a target range, shooting stars at Waddle Dee-sized cardboard cut-outs. King Dedede, who was throwing the stars, Dedede Jumped down to the plumbers. Kirby, in a showcase of skill, inhaled a star and blind-threw it at a target.
"Hello, Kirby. Hello, Dedede. Would you beep where we could find Pinky?" Mario asked.
"Right here, hoof!" Dedede exhaled, patting Kirby.
"Not Pinky the derogatory name. Pinky the member of the Ghost Gang," Luigi explained.
"...Pinky? Never heard of her," Dedede thought.
"But Kirby thinks Meta-Knight might know! Kirby can take you to him!" Kirby cheered. Mario and Luigi looked at one another, and shrugged.
Daisy stepped into Super Mario. The hustle and bustle was much different to the one she was used to. Though, she lived in a humble hideout, only emerging for Nintendo's games where she pretended to be far more stuck-up than she really was, and for the rare occasions Luigi was alone and not sneaking away to Luigi's Mansion. She wasn't used to so many people surrounding her.
"Ook ook! Over here!" Donkey Kong called. Daisy waved, and extracted herself from the crowd. She slipped her head into Donkey Kong's fur, and Donkey Kong led her to a more private place.
"Hello, Donkey Kong. How are you?"
"Good. But what is Daisy doing back in Super Mario?"
"I'm looking for Pinky. Do you know what conditions she is concealed as?"
"She's attacking from Void in dimensions."
"The Void?"
"DK think mecha best suited there opposed to some of other options."
"Well… I'll take down that ghost, and return her to attack Blinky!"
"You are confident. But confidence not enough."
"Donkey Kong… what could possibly help?"
"DK will send son to help. Son will be great help." Donkey Kong gave a hearty monkey noise, and Diddy Kong clambered down.
"Hello, Daisy," Diddy said, smiling.
"Hello, Diddy. Shall we?" Daisy responded, all business.
"Luigi, are you sure you'll be OK in Luigi's Mansion?" Nana asked, as she had every time Luigi was going to sneak off.
"Yes, Nana. I'll be perfectly fine."
"Very well. The time is gone when I'd try to stop you."
Luigi left the house, only to bump into a small girl that looked vaguely familiar.
"S-s-s-sorry…" the girl whispered. The voice was somewhat familiar…
"Wait… do I know you?" Luigi asked. The girl knocked back her cowl.
"Luigi, was it? My name is Daisy," she said. Luigi was again entranced.
"How come I haven't seen you more often?" he asked.
"I prefer to stay out of the spotlight."
"I mean outgame. Surely you would have been big enough to be a more important Character."
"I've been living on the skirts of Nintendo."
"Why accept such a horrible existence?"
"It's not so horrible when I can see you…"
"Daisy?"
"Yes, Luigi. Will you accept my offer?"
"Sure thing, Daisy." Daisy soon had Luigi in a tight embrace.
Meta-Knight turned around in a swirl of his cape.
"Hm… Strangers. These are not from Pop Star, are they?" he asked, in a deep voice that seemed impossible for someone of the same species as Kirby.
"No! This is Yayio, and this is Leegee! They are looking for a big, scary ghost! Kirby is afraid of ghosts!" Kirby responded. It never ceased to amaze Mario and Luigi that the fourth-greatest representative of Nintendo could be so childish. He was only 21 years old…
"Hm… a ghost, you say? Pink, with a spiky bottom and big bug-eyes with square irises?" Meta-Knight asked.
"That's the one! Seen her?"
"…No."
"BEEP? Then how do you know what she looks like?"
"I gave that answer literally to see what your response would be. Pinky of the Ghost Gang resides in Dark Star."
"Dark Star has a very big, very scary ghost! But Kirby could make him go away!"
"Yes, Kirby. Yes you did. Now would you kindly direct these two to Dark Star and help them defeat Pinky?"
"Yes, Meta-Knight! Kirby will help!"
"You getter not get us beeped, or worse, beeped."
Daisy took forever searching for the Void between dimensions. Diddy followed behind, looking at her oddly. Finally, Daisy could take it no longer.
"What?"
"You do look cute, you know?"
"Thank you, but your princess is in another castle. Or in your case, up another tree."
"Who in Nintendo are you talking about?"
"Dixie Kong. Duh."
"You know better than anyone that Nintendo's pairings aren't the ones used outgame."
"…Oh, here's the Void!"
"Luigi, she did what?"
"Mom, I told you. Daisy is living in the skirts of Nintendo just to see me as I walk by."
"That's not what I meant."
"She told me that I liked her?"
"That part. Luigi, you are just a boy!"
"I'm not that young! I'm in a horror game, for crying out loud!"
"That has no effect on your age. It is up to me to determine when you are ready to have a girlfriend."
"Mom, you can't stop Daisy from liking me."
"True. But I do have some other options for keeping the two of you apart."
"Like what?"
"I'm not going to spoil the surprise."
"Mom, you cannot lay a finger on Daisy!"
"Whatcha gonna do?"
Luigi shook himself awake. Towards the faintest corners of his mind, he felt the rushes of old memories before, but the Dark Star seemed to latch onto those negatively-associated memories and bring them out to the forefront of his mind.
"Luigi, beep! We have to catch Pinky!"
"It's not my fault this dimension consists of all this nasty stuff that prevents focus!"
"Kirby… scared…"
"What's wrong with both of beep?"
"You don't feel it? Dark Star's power flooding through you? You saw a truly horrific sight in the Crash. Surely you must be reminded of it now?"
"I don't beep about the past, Luigi!"
"Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it."
"LUIGI! That's it! Go home, now! I can beep Pinky by myself!"
"…You know what, I will. But not because you told me to, but because I want to." And with that, Luigi turned on his heel and walked away.
"Kirby…"
"Kirby, shush! We have to defeat Pinky!"
Pinky had hijacked Zero-Two. Kirby inhaled a convenient Birdon, became Wing Kirby, and started flapping like crazy. Mario hopped on top of him, and began firing fireballs like crazy. First in the eye, then in the band aid atop his head, and then the vine at his base. Rinse and repeat. Upon Zero-Two's explosion, Pinky was expelled from it. Mario Goomba Stomped her, and she was knocked out of her little trance.
"Ready to take on Blinky?" she asked. No one had a response… as Mario deemed it too obvious and Kirby was off in dreamland.
Daisy and Diddy both walked into the Void.
"Hm… where's Pinky?" Daisy asked.
"Pinky is not here. She's not even in Super Mario."
"Huh?"
"I fed Donkey Kong and Nana a bunch of lies. Pinky hid in Kirby."
"…You wasted my time."
"Perhaps, but you no longer have any time," Diddy said, holding up the Peanut Popgun. "Pac-Man has a little agreement for me. Destroy Super Mario, and I get a piece of you."
"Diddy, how? Why?"
"Like I'm going to tell you. That's novice villain style. Now, quietly cross your wrists, and we won't have to resort to violence."
Diddy had made a mistake. He had picked the wrong girl to cower with the promise of force. Daisy kicked the Peanut Popgun out of his hand, and sent it spiralling away.
"Not bad, Daisy. Not bad at all…"
Daisy willed her programming to change, and her outfit changed from her normal dress to her sporting attire.
"Let's see whatcha got, Diddy!" she challenged. Diddy willed his own programming to change and… nothing.
"Well… I got nothing."
"Good. Because now I can do this!"
Luigi stormed down a random path, somehow knowing that his subconscious was directing him where he needed to go. As it happened, he was directed to the Void. From there, he saw Daisy and Diddy Kong fighting. He watched, entranced by Daisy's cute movements, before Daisy moved for the final blow. Luigi jumped down, and embraced her.
"Keep your hands off me!" Daisy said.
"Oh no… what did Peach do to you?"
"Peach went into Super Mario's code, and messed around a little. I don't know what it did."
"…Half-amnesia?"
"I believe it's called laser-guided amnesia. But I don't see what exactly happened."
"…Thanks for the Year of Luigi present, Peach. Really appreciated."
I decided to change my mind. The mysterious woman in the last chapter was originally going to help Peach directly... and then Nana happened, and she is now in the story. Of course, it was Princess Daisy.
Daisy and Diddy may have been new to this story, but take note of their characters they have picked up. If I dumped it in their debut, it's obviously important. Is that how it works?
Astute readers would note that this is at least the second time I have used the line 'Whatcha gonna do?' I feel those who do not know this reference should be enlightened, for curiosity's sake. I have been watching LuckySevenDX's LP of Jade Cocoon 2 (don't expect a story until after it's finished, if I ever write one), and Nico (who acts like Navi) spouts this all the time! It's stuck in my head!
Does Kirby have a good sign-out? Apparently, spending time on sign-out worthy material does not allow these cash cows to print money.
