Ethros had managed to draw the remaining cosmic energy from deep within the core of the downed comet and was now using it to restore, if not completely regenerate it's body. Hovering above the temporarily victorious brother Ethros glared with a stern bitterness through the cloud of dirt at it's still standing opponents below.

"Prepare yourselves." Ethros demanded as the rocks, water and ash continued to rotate around it's body in an elemental band. "This battle ends now."

Mario and Luigi stood their ground with unbreakable determination. Mario formed a flickering, yellow fireball in the palm of his hand while Luigi summoned a green orb of lightning. Mario's power was noticeably weaker than Luigi's, but neither brother was phased by the hint of the dwindling strength.

"Let's go!" Mario demanded as he and Luigi defiantly refused to back down from the challenge.

Ethros spun around once and unleashed a shock wave of cosmic energy that stunned the brothers. Mario and Luigi dug in their heels and used their free hands to shield their eyes from the attack as they slid backward on the loose terrain.

"Fate has spoken!" Ethros declared as it unleashed another blast of its cosmic beam at the two heroes.

Dodging the beam Mario unleashed his fireball only to have it bounce away from Ethros without inflicting so much as a scratch thanks to the sturdy defense provided by circling stones.

"No good..." Mario admitted as he landed safely out of range of the attack. "My fire can't get through his shield!"

"Don't worry about it." Luigi landed next to Mario with his green lightning still in his palm. "You rest. Regain your strength while I wear it out!"

"Are you sure about-"

"Trust me." Luigi nodded sincerely.

"Alright." Mario put his hand on Luigi's shoulder. "This time, you lead!"


From the secluded secret chamber of the Castle the two combined tapestries and the scroll were being carefully studied by the keen eyes of Princess Peach and Toadsworth. The dim glow of the candle ebbed away as the wick burned away, centimeter by centimeter. A symbolically appropriate light for the duo to research by.

"Why does the star's shadow look so odd?" Peach wondered out loud as she stared at the peculiar detail of the two connected images. "There must be a reason behind it. Perhaps the shadow conceals another clue."

"Hmm..." Toadsworth re-lit his pipe and took a deep puff as he too focused on the images. "The prophecy does speak of light and darkness," he put his finger on the prophecy as written on the scroll. "I imagine the shadows would be important in the detailed imagery as it ties to the prophetic words."

"There must be a secret we've overlooked." Peach decided, her hope beginning to evidently fade as she spoke. "Mario. Luigi. Please, come back to us." Approaching the far wall where a large crack had formed and increasingly widened, Peach gazed out through the chamber, past the crumbling Toad Town and to the glowing peak of the Black Mountains. The light from the other side cast softly over her lovely face like the glow of a dying sunset. "We still need you. I need you!"


Emerald green lightning bolts bombarded Ethros as the star shaped entity relentlessly blasted at the two heroes with it's cosmic beams. Despite Luigi's best efforts his lightning was unable to inflict any damage upon Ethros as the foe's shield deflected any and all attacks without fail. The peak was scarred by fire and lightning, and large divots peppered the terrain as Ethros' energy tore up the natural landscape.

Ethros charged another beam and targeted the younger brother with a sense of self righteousness. "You are weak!" It declared as it honed in on Luigi, the various sized stones that surrounded its body shielding it from further attacks.

"Not as weak as you think!" Luigi retorted as he easily sidestepped the beams without breaking stride. "It'll take more than just you to stop us!"

"Right!" Mario agreed as he jumped up and over Ethros' head, landing on a large boulder floating above. With a single strong kick from his legs Mario forced the boulder to drop from it's orbit and crash against the top of Ethros' pointed head.

"GAH!" Ethros cried out in pain as the boulder struck it's target. A fracture appeared at the top of Ethros' head and ran downward between it's eyes.

"Nice one, bro!" Luigi complimented Mario's brilliant move.

"Thanks!" Mario landed beside his brother igniting a stronger orange fireball in the palm of hand. "Now, let's finish this!"

Nodding confidently Luigi formed an orb of electricity in his own palm and leapt boldly up into the air toward Ethros. Mario followed close behind with his fire primed and ready to strike at the attacking star.

Luigi's lightning found it's mark between Ethros' eyes. The surge of electricity wasn't able to inflict any damage due to Ethros' remaining shield, but the brightness of the attack was enough to temporarily blind and stun him.

"Go, Mario!" Luigi shouted as he cleared the jump over Ethros and landed behind the star, forming another ball of electricity.

Launching his fireball Mario's flames quickly engulfed the ash that encircled Ethros like a match dropped into oil. The shield that once protected Ethros was now harming it. Mario landed at Ethros' right side and attempted to form another fireball, but his lacking strength make the process slow and laborious.

"NO!" Ethros bellowed angrily as it spun around in attempt to blow out the flames. Coming to a stop Ethros glared at Mario with pure hatred in its scorched eyes. "You will all perish by my power!"

Mario leapt backward as Ethros charged and fired another cosmic beam. The powerful attack missed Mario by inches as Ethros became steadily more erratic and unpredictable with its movements.

"Mario!" Luigi's stomach knotted at how close Ethros' attacks had landed. "Keep moving, I got it from here!"

"No way, Weege!" Mario replied with defiance as he stood atop of a large boulder. "We started this together, and we're going to finish it together!"

Ethros turned its attention to Luigi and hovered ominously close to the green hero as it charged its cosmic beam once more. "Fool... I had gifted you with untapped power and you squander such a blessing into absolute nothingness. You are nothing without my power."

Luigi again sidestepped the attack and unleashed a powerful lightning bolt that consumed the swirling water droplets surrounding Ethros in green static. "All the power I need I already have!" Luigi retorted with a lingering anger in his voice. "And nothing, no one, can take that power away!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Mario agreed as he attacked Ethros with a fiery punch in its exposed back.

Ethros bellowed in pain and frustration as it began losing it's ability to hover. Inching closer to the ground both Mario and Luigi could see the damage inflicted they've inflicted on the star's body. The crack at the top of Ethros' head expanded wider and traveled downward further to the lower two points on it's body. The scorch marks from Mario's fire and the sparks from Luigi's lightning marred the otherwise brilliant shine from Ethros' natural aura. The shield that had surrounded Ethros had all but faded, leaving only a think veil of cosmic energy between it and the heroes.

Mario stood at Luigi's side and folded his arms together stubbornly. "This is your last chance Ethros. Surrender now, or we will be forced to destroy you."

Luigi quickly glanced at Mario and smirked a little. It seemed Mario had learned some degree of patience after all.

Ethros began chuckling in a low, almost guttural growl. "Bravo heroes. You have indeed fought well." A flash of cosmic energy surrounded Ethros as the dying star desperately summoned the last of it's energy to charge one final beam. "But the end draws nigh," the beam reached it's peak charge and cast an eerie rainbow hued glow over the brothers and the entire peak of Black Mountain. "soon, everything that you know and everything that you are will be destroyed."

...to be continued...