Updated 11-04-2019. Thanks to Stardown for proofreading.
I had so much fun with this chapter, even more going through it again with a bunch of improvements.
Chapter 9: The Empress' New Groove
Luigi and Starlow landed safely on the ground within a few seconds. They found themselves in the unpleasant, thick forested nightmare that was Forever Forest. Its Dream World counterpart looked every bit as unnerving as it did, perhaps even more so due to the various pieces that floated above the ground. The moon exhumed a sinister aura and hung too low and close over the horizon; its light bright and oppressive against the creeping shrubbery that covered the forest. The Dream World's version promised to be more confusing and hostile.
"Hmm, not as 'dreamy' as I expected it to be," Luigi mused, surveying the area around him.
"Maybe it's just this forest?" Starlow suggested, hoping for a better change of scenery upon exiting. Mario always left out the scenery details, only reporting the various combat capabilities of things instead.
"That's inconsequential to us right now. We need to navigate our way to the castle and take that stone." Luigi adjusted his cap and marched forward. "I just hope the exit sequence is the same one as the real world."
"I sincerely doubt that," Starlow sighed. "Lead the way, Luigi!"
Time felt like it slowed to a crawl, even though it had barely been fifteen minutes. Howling was heard every now and then, which wasn't different from the real forest. Despite this, no one ever saw any wolves. General consensus was that some mischievous Boos were behind to keep visitors away.
Luigi snuck around quietly, avoiding the potential ire of several Piranha Plants and Fuzzies. He had no intention of finding out how they behaved within this dream cloud. Starlow, on the other hand, was actually walking for once rather than flying, at Luigi's behest. She insisted that she wanted to see the Dream World with her own eyes rather than from inside Luigi. Her light would have attracted unwanted attention, however, so Luigi lent her his cap to cover it.
"You know, I've been thinking—" The Star Sprite began in a whisper, breaking the silence."How come we didn't find a dream version of Mario?"
"I'm not sure," Luigi replied somewhat dismissively. "I always thought that the one sleeping gets a dream version of themselves. I think Mario killed him. He mentioned that it was the first thing he fought and it was under Antasma's control back then."
"Well, that shoots down that line of thought."
"You mean he had hoped he'd show up and help us? You don't think I can do this on my own, do you?"
"No, that's not it," Starlow simply said. "Even Mario needed your counterpart's help in this world. What if we run into a giant enemy?"
Luigi paused to think for a moment. "I suppose I haven't really thought of that." He ruffled the back of his head and started moving again. "We aren't here to fight. We're here for those stones Chakron mentioned. If the need to fight does present itself, I'm sure we'll figure something out. Besides, Mario came in here alone. I have you around."
"That is true I suppose. It still would have been great seeing Dreamy Luigi in action though," Starlow sighed. "The real deal is goo—"
Luigi suddenly grabbed his spherical friend and muffled her mouth with the crook of his right arm.
"Shh, I think we're being watched," Luigi whispered, creeping in a nearby brush as quietly as he could. He softened his grip on Starlow, allowing her some wiggle room.
"Is this going to become a habit? I don't like being manhandled!" Starlow complained.
"If you're going to keep running your mouth and not paying attention to our surrounding, then yes."
"Hmm. What do you think you're doing here?!" a somewhat grouchy voice shot from behind them. Starlow shot up to the air, letting out a shrill scream. Luigi, startled a bit, grit his teeth and quickly jumped after her and reeled her in.
"I thought I told you to be quiet."
"Sorry…" quaking in her boots, the Star Sprite let out a muffled apology through Luigi's arm.
Having composed themselves, the duo looked behind to see who snuck in on them. It was a small bearded and leaf covered individual that Luigi was somewhat familiar with, at least his real world counterpart.
"H-hey, Oaklie! Sorry we barged in here," Luigi stammered with slight nervousness, rubbing the back of his head.
"So you know of me, young man? Then you should know that this path is extremely dangerous. You should leave at once." The old man scolded, his expression as stern as ever.
"Can you guide us out? We can't see to find the exit." Starlow asked, still shaking from the surprise.
"This is the whole reason I was looking for him, Starlow," Luigi said matter-of-factly and released his grip on her. "Do you think you could help us out?
"Hmm… I don't normally do this but the situation outside the forest is unsettling." Oaklie stroked his bushy beard for a few seconds. "I'll agree to get you out, but you have to promise that you'll do something about the wicked Empress."
"Empress? This is still the Mushroom kingdom, right?" Luigi cocked his eyebrow and exchanged a quick glance with Starlow. "Did we miss something?"
"We can ask questions later, Luigi. We're going to the castle regardless of the situation."
"You got me there," Luigi shrugged, deciding to drop the matter. It's not like the Dream World made sense to being with. "I promise we'll do something about whatever is going on out there."
"Good!" Oaklie nodded in satisfaction. "Now close your eyes and I'll guide you to the entrance."
"Why can't you just do it with us watching?" Starlow complained. A great many pulled the same stunt and she couldn't really bite into the whole reason why. Everybody had some sort of flimsy excuse. However, it only resulted in getting her a whack from the leafy old man.
"Youngsters these days…"
"Forget it, Starlow. When has questioning that line of thinking helped us in any way," Luigi said and picked up Starlow. He then stood a few steps in front of Oaklie. "Ready when you are, Pops!"
The duo closed their eyes and waited for a few seconds. All they heard was the old man tapping the ground in a rhythmic fashion. The next thing they knew was the sound of ruffled leaves and a feeling similar to traversing a warp pipe.
A large tree spat Luigi and Starlow out from one of its branches, sending them hurling towards the ground head first. In a quick and graceful motion, Luigi pushed against the ground with his right arm and leaped forward, grabbing Starlow before she connected with the floor. He promptly took his hat back from her.
"Nice moves, Luigi!" the cheerful star sprite cheered, as Luigi landed back on his feet.
"All in a day's work." Luigi pulled his cap over his head with a triumphant smile. "I'm glad we're outta there. I still hate pipe travel though."
"You and me both! The Dream World isn't as fun as Mario claimed it was," Starlow said, freeing herself from Luigi to freely float on her own again.
"I think what he meant by fun was the mass amount of fighting involved, like always," the Green Thunder chuckled, images of Mario smashing through a dozen troops flashing through his head.
"Oh well, that's the kind of person he is." Starlow raised her pupils as to simulate a shrug. She then looked around the surrounding area, as if searching for something. "I think we're being watched, though."
"How come you hadn't noticed Oaklie then?" Luigi asked dismissively "And I thought I was paranoid. You need to relax."
As if in negative response to what he just said, two armored individuals approached them. They looked the same size and height as a Koopatrol but their heads were big and round for whatever reason and it didn't seem like the helmet had to do with that fact. They were both armed with sharp spears.
"I don't think 'relax' is a suitable word at the moment." Starlow rolled her eyes and floated behind Luigi.
"What are you two doing here past curfew?!" the guard on the right bellowed. His voice reverberated, as if it was two different people that spoke, one of a Toad and one of a Koopa. Rather than being intimidating, it invited more of a snicker to both Luigi and his partner. "In the name of Her Nastiness, you are hereby under arrest!"
"Arrest? We just got here!" Starlow yelled from behind Luigi. She wasn't going to stand for any nonsense and neither was Luigi.
"What is this even about?! We don't know about any curfew, but we sure know our rights!" Luigi glared at them and crossed his hands. Oaklie's words then came rushing to him.
This must be the mess he was talking about.
"You have no rights, no will, no lives; You will surrender and be taken captive where you will shall be judged, tried, and executed by her Malevolence!" The second guard laid down so simply as if it was a perfectly reasonable course of action.
When in doubt, smash your way out! Luigi remembered something Mario always told him. It seemed very fitting for the situation at hand.
I guess I have to do things his way.
Luigi steeled himself. "Well, if you want me, you'll have to drag me there." He grinned with confidence and cracked his about what Mario would do in such a situation, Luigi steeled himself. "If you want me, you'll have to drag me then."
The first guard was on Luigi in a flash, jabbing with his spear. Luigi ducked beneath and punched at the guard's chest. The guard jumped back, however, as the second one breathed fire at Luigi.
Luigi leaped into the air with a powerful jump. Yikes! Bigger heads and can breath fire? With one hand, he conjured multiple electric bolts and whipped him against his opponents. The thunder arrows shot downward, zipping through the air, but his enemies were ready for it: the first guard withdrew into its shell and the second one raised him as a shield. The jolts of lightning bounced off him, leaving them unharmed. With a quick motion, the second guard flung his partner at Luigi. Without warning, Luigi pulled on Starlow and used her to deflect the hard shell.
"Ouch!" Starlow winced a bit from the impact, but she didn't have time to voice her complaints as Luigi flung her higher up and used the airborne shell as a stepping stone to jump after her.
The guard rocketed doward, smashing into the floor whilst a flash of green light engulfed both Luigi and Starlow. Rays of light rained down the ground. The guards quickly withdrew inside their shells and spun in a circle at high speed, deflecting the bullets of light into their surroundings.
The barrage continued as the green light shone brighter. It shot into the ground, right in between the spinning soldiers. Jolts of electricity flew and raged about, knocking through their metal armor. One of the guards would up on his back close to Luigi's landing point.
Luigi pulled his fist out of the impact crater and, making sure he avoids the spikes on the shell, he swiftly kicked the shell violently in toward the other soldier.
The shell flew at high speed but Luigi dashed after it at such speed that he seemed like a mint green blur. Once the two shells smashed into one another, Luigi erected a brilliant wall of light that lifted them from beneath
The two guards smashed into each other, which was the moment Luigi was waiting for. He encased his fist in a surge of lightning and slammed them both, sending them plummeting towards a tree, lodging two holes in it. He pulled on it with his right arm, carefully positioning the two shells against one another.
Luigi stomped forward with his right leg, electricity flaring about and gathering at his left hand's palm. Still holding them with his right hand, Luigi pushed against them with the mass of lighting that he gathered.
A raging maelstrom roared and crackled, whipping up the winds around them. The light wall that Luigi erected shattered into pieces, unable to whistand the violent tempest. The two guards shot at light speed, ripping through multiple surrounding trees and finally getting lodged within the confines of one as their velocity dropped.
"How's that for judge, jury and executioner?" Luigi said, triumphantly crossing his arms. Having Starlow's powers proved to be far more useful than he anticipated it to be, fun even.
The guards didn't say a word. They struggled to remove themselves from the tree's trunk, so they simply spun inside it, felling what was left of it. They did not stop, however, as they continued to spin on their back, digging through the ground below them.
"Okay, I didn't see that one coming." Luigi kept his guard up. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to listen closely to the sound of their drilling.
Luigi's ears started ringing, and within an instant, the two shells emerged from the ground, aiming for his head. Luigi cracked as the two shells slammed into him. Pieces of his faces fell on the ground as the rest of his body followed suit. The chunks continued breaking down, eventually disintegrating into small sparks of light.
As the two guards landed and emerged from their shells, Luigi reappeared in a flash.
"So that's how you want to play, huh? Fine by me!" Luigi slammed the ground as hard as he could, bracing his entire body in an effort to concentrate his energy. With a quick flick of his right arm, a chain of light shot from his sleeve, binding the two soldiers tightly.
"But wait! There's more!" Luigi violently slammed his fists together, generating a violent spark of electricity and light that coursed through his entire body. He felt at his being being torn apart, shredded to smaller pieces. His body started vibrating at intense levels as the ground shook beneath.
In a flash, the two Koopa hybrids found themselves surrounded by ten Luigis, all bearing a determined glare. The green warriors all turned sideways and pointed at the two unfortunate guards.
"LIGHTNING INDIGNATION!" the ten of them shouted in unison, a thunderous battle cry that promised to send chills down the spines of most living beings. Ten beams of concentrated determination shot at them. The mass of electricity generated could have powered an entire city over a week. Instead, it was aimed at two villains that would take the full brunt of it.
The two Koopas' bodies twitched and spasmed as the mass of energy coursed through their bodies. There was no doubt they that left the world almost instantaneously.
Luigi and his copies converged and he was back to a singular entity. He released Starlow from his body and took a deep breath as she surveyed the area around them.
"Color me surprised, Luigi!" Starlow exclaimed. "I didn't know you could cause such destruction." The entrance to the forest was no more than charred remains, crevices and splintered wood.
"I might have taken Mario's advice a bit too literal. At least it's not the real forest," Luigi chuckled nervously as he scratched his head. "But seriously, your light powers are great!"
"You're telling me. I wasn't even sure if they were me."
"Technically, it's not you!" Luigi stated. "I'm the one conducting your powers, but they are still yours. You just can't use them."
"I think it has something to do with the Star Sprites regulations or something. I never really paid it much heed since I don't fight." Starlow "shrugged". "Maybe you could teach me?"
"Perhaps. We might need that in the future," Luigi said, rubbing his chin. "I think we should stay fused for the moment, however. Moving as one is safer and we won't need to fuse under duress like this time."
"Good point! It will also prevent you from using me as a shield."
"Heh. Sorry!" Luigi apologized sincerely. "It didn't hurt that much though, right?"
"Hmm, maybe. Let's just leave it at that. What about this so called Empress? And those guards?" Starlow turned Luigi's head towards the two charred guards that lay dead on the ground..
"Only one way to find out!" Luigi moved in towards one of them and removed its helmet.
Underneath was a pretty awkward sight: It was a toad's head but with Koopa eyes and skin instead of the mushroom cap.
"It seems like the organisms the Professor talked about are festering in the Dream World as well," Luigi concluded, removing the rest of the armor from the guard. "I had assumed we'd find something like this."
"Nevermind that! They were able to breathe fire!" Starlow added, having also noted the peculiarity. "I'm starting to think a higher authority is the culprit."
"I have a hunch, but I don't like where I'm going with it. We have to hurry up though. For all we know, this could be what's happening in the real world as well."
"Why are you undressing the rest of that corpse, Luigi?"
"Isn't it obvious? Time to go undercover," Luigi explained, pulling the helmet over his head. He then slipped into the Koopa shell, gauntlets and arm guards.
"A bit cramped, but will do," Luigi moved his arm in front of himself to see how much freedom of movement he had.
"You look kind of silly in that thing," Starlow laughed. "It's clearly not made for humans."
"As long as I look at least similar to them, that's all that I care about," Luigi said. "I could be silly in our fused form too for all I know."
"We can always find out later," Starlow said, trying to contain her eagerness at the thought. "Tally ho! Onward and upwards for now!"
"Sit tight and enjoy the ride, I guess." Luigi let out a half-suppressed laugh and absorbed Starlow. He then made for the castle.
And the fight scene is much more appealing to myself all of a sudden. Hope that's the same for you guys :)
NormanWhitesmith: My condolences. That sounds horrible but sadly there is no way around it. I got lucky because my wife was there. She is very skinny so the gas didn't affect her the way it did me.
Bowser is an entity that is on a whole another lever compared to someone like Vivian and Starlow, hence his power and attributes seep in a lot faster and are much more pronounced on peach. Also, not really a spoiler. The three main groups showcase a different level of "control" Peach Bowser, Mario Vivian, and Luigi = Starlow. The rest you can speculate until more is revealed :D Lmao at Larlow. Don't know why but it sounds funny.
Derick Lindsey: I apologize for not answering two chapters back. I saw your message in my email but when I got in here I didn't see it. Turns out I had to "moderate" the review. I'm fine and fully recovered. Thank you for your concern :) As for other partners, they will show up if they fit in the place the main chars are visiting. Some of them will actually have some semblance of plot significance. Only time will tell who will reign as number one :P With this chapter all three of them had a fight showcasing their abilities (well, except Mario who didn't use Vivian's powers in his fight against the Fawful guys.)
Anyway, hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading and come back for a very exciting and special Luigi battle next chapter ;D
