Chapter 10: The Truth Revealed Part Three.

Luigi watched as long as he could as Mario disappeared in the sand storm that seemed to be happening all around them. From what Luigi could make out they were on some kind of planet that was dark constantly, nature was cruel, nothing flourished with beauty here.

The air was thick and Luigi found it hard to breathe and keep up with the guy that was dragging him by the collar. Looking around as they entered a small town, he saw men and women dressed clad in black. No-one here was revealed, there was no facial features to separate them, they were all the same.

Elder Luigi moved Luigi to walk ahead of him as he pushed him on. "Just keep you're head down, don't say anything and don't look at anyone and you'll be fine." He said, his voice finally revealed and sounding deep, almost too deep. Luigi complied, he wondered though where this guy was taking him, he didn't think he could bear to see his brother killed.

They moved over towards a building and Luigi stumbled up the steps as he was almost thrown inside and onto the wooden floor. The building had o name, but once he was inside it smelt like rotten apples.

Getting to his feet quickly, Luigi observed the old wooden surroundings. It was abandoned yet the place was clean, more or less. Elder Luigi walked past him and stopped as he rounded the bar, pointing to the seats he looked to Luigi

"Sit." He said simply and commandingly. Luigi hadn't the bottle to disagree and slowly walked over, sitting down on the bar stool and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Your not at all like I imagined you to be Luigi." Elder Luigi smiled and began to pull a bottle from a shelf followed by two shot glasses.

"I-I'm not?" He stuttered, not looking at him, but looking towards the door which rattled in the wind strongly. He thought though any minuet it would blow open and he'd be sucked out into it.

Walking over, Elder Luigi sat the two glasses down hard on the bar, causing Luigi to instantly look at him. "No your not, your so…" He searched for the right words. "So… Weak." He laughed a little and opened the bottle top, pouring the dark brownish coloured liquid into the two separate glasses.

"I-I'm not Mario." Luigi said, pushing the glass Elder Luigi had placed in front of him away.

"I never said you were, I just expected you to be stronger is all. I've heard so much about you, I was disappointed when I went to Peach's castle to find you weren't about. But once I took a look at Mario I knew you had to be similar in stature to him."

"Mario and I are b-brothers, b-but I guess you knew that." Luigi tried to not stutter, but the more he tried the worse it got, though this guy knew he was already scared out of his wits, he seemed to know a lot about him anyway.

"Yes I did." He said simply. "Do you want to know who I am?" He asked, recieveing a very small nod from Luigi.

"I'm you alternate self, my name is Elder Luigi. I live in a world that's completely opposite to yours. Whenever something good happens to you, something bad happens to me. Though I think our looks must have gotten confused, after all I'm the good looking one." He let his head fall back as he laughed.

Luigi stared at him for a moment, he was finding it hard to believe a word the man was saying. "Where's my brother?" Luigi said in an even tone, tired almost. Elder Luigi stopped laughing instantly and sighed heavily. Taking Luigi's still full glass, he downed the drink and walked across to a pale of water, putting the two empty glasses inside, he turned back to Luigi.

"Mario's in a lot of trouble Luigi." He said his face down and sombre. Luigi looked to him worried, "what do you mean?" Elder Luigi walked further towards him and leaned on the bar.

"Luigi, Mario has been brought here to serve the King, King Mario."

"King Mario?" Luigi asked "was he the one in white?"

"Yes, and he's also my brother by blood. Just like you two. You see Luigi, King Mario isn't like the Mario you know. He's evil, corrupted by one thing, power." Elder Luigi began, but seeing the confused look on Luigi's face he made his way around the bar and over to Luigi's side. "Watch." He said simply moving his hand up from his side. As it did so a powerful light began to fill the room, glasses started to shake and the door rattled even harder, then it died slowly before it finally stopped.

Luigi was physically shaking, his whole body was numb from fear. How could that man do such a thing, how could his whole body create that much power. Elder Luigi watched his counterpart for a little while before taking a seat next to him and leaning both arms on the bar before him.

"Luigi I'm not afraid of anything. In fact I'm stronger than Mario, but don't let him know that I told you." He smiled, pausing and allowing Luigi to turn his head and look to him. "You're worried about Mario aren't you?" He said slowly, Elder Luigi was in some way trying to convince Luigi to be his friend, though he knew that making friends with him was the last thing on his mind right now.

"Mario has been brought here to serve a purpose for the King. I know theres a power stronger than any other down in the secret caves, where he's taken Mario. I don't really know what the whole story is behind the waterfall he's showing to Mario, but I have an idea its got something to do with a sacrifice, maybe. King Mario told me that I should bring your brother here so that he could make the sacrifice and gain the power that will finally let the lost souls here go free and will free me and King Mario from our entrapment here. But I don't believe it." He finished turning his head to look in the dusty mirror that hung broken and cracked over the back wall.

"So he wants my brother to sacrifice himself to save the people here?" Luigi started, standing up suddenly "I have to get to Mario before its too late!" He said commandingly and walked towards the door. As he did though, he felt a force pulling him back, it was as if his body was being remote controlled. Turning he looked to Elder Luigi who had his hand outstretched towards him, his palm showing.

Luigi sighed and walked back over to the chair in defeat. Sitting down rather harshly he stared at Elder Luigi for sometime before his words came to him. "Your telling me all these things but if you know me so well, you know Mario is the most important thing in the world to me. Why wont you let me go to him?" He asked. Elder Luigi smiled cocking his head to look at Luigi.

"Luigi, you wouldn't stand a chance against the King. One guy tried to fight back and he's now on death row." Elder Luigi laughed at the replaying in his mind. Luigi thought about the guy back in the cell as soon as he said those words.

"The guy in the cell?" Luigi said shifting in his seat a little. Elder Luigi nodded and sat back folding is arms across his chest and staring out into space. "The guy tried to stop the King and me from coming to get you. Well it wasn't just him, there were two others. The three of them came at us, guns a blazing. The king saw them first, the first two a boy named 'Jack' and a girl named 'Sky' managed to over throw me partially because we all fell through time shift. The king managed to stab the third in the ribs with a pocket knife. His name is 'Star.'"

"And that poor kid is facing death row for what? Trying to help me and my brother?" Luigi asked, if this guy was semi good why wasn't he doing anything about it.

"Hey I don't make the rules Luigi, King Mario does that all on his own." Elder Luigi said pushing the barstool back a little and raising his legs up to rest his boots on the bar. Luigi felt something inside him twang when he said that. It was as if those words rang true for him and Mario.

"I know what you mean…" Luigi trailed leaning his arms on the bar and staring down at the dusty wood. Elder Luigi looked to him confused "I thought Mario was a good guy?" He asked. Luigi looked to him and nodded "he is." Luigi said simply.

Elder Luigi paused a moment before standing up. "Coming on Luigi lets get out of this joint and get some food. I'm starved." Luigi let out a small hint of a smile, he sounded just like Mario.

Standing up Luigi stopped and looked to him. "You know I-I cant let you kill Star. He's a friend, well sort of." Luigi said slowly, not moving his eyes away, even when the guy looked to him, his eyes feeling like they were burning a fire in his soul.

"Well I think he's more than that to Mario…" Elder Luigi said low, he didn't think Luigi had heard, but he did. "What do you mean?" Luigi asked walking over. Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, Elder Luigi grinned and opened the door.

"Come Luigi, we still have a lot to discuss." He said as he stepped out into the street covering his eyes a little. The sand storms had died a little and as they walked it was a lot easier to look around.

Luigi followed him step for step, keeping out of the way of any passers by. Not only was he scared stiff, he was taking heed of Elder Luigi's earlier warnings. They soon arrived at their location, an open food stand with seats. There were a few already sat there, but as Elder Luigi approached they moved off quickly.

"What you want?" The man asked as the two sat to the bar. Elder Luigi was just about to speak when a voice cried in the distance and he lowly spoke "oh no…" He mumbled. Luigi heard it too.

Running Mario saw the exit of the tunnel and managed to jump the guards coming at him on his way out. Across in the distance, over the sand storms he could see a small town. He just knew Luigi had to be there, running as hard as he could, Mario got closer, but Elder Mario was closing in on him.

"Luigi don't let them take your blood!!" Mario shouted and Luigi heard his name being called from where he was sat, turning he stood and saw Mario running towards him, the man in white closing in on Mario with every step.

"Mario!!" Luigi shouted as loud as he could, putting one foot in front of the other he was about to run to Mario when Elder Luigi grabbed his arms holding him back

"No Luigi!! You try and help him and he'll hurt you too!" Elder Luigi shouted over the noise of a powerful beam building. Luigi struggled like hell but he couldn't break free of Elder Luigi, he could only watch the scene unfold before him.

Mario ran but as he did he heard a beam building and slowed to look over his shoulder, he saw Elder Mario almost on top of him, running like hell Mario looked over his shoulder as the noise of a building electrical charge got louder and louder until it finally exploded behind him. Mario felt the burning on his back and felt his body being engulfed in a ball of fire. Screaming as loud as he could he outstretched his arms and fell invisible into the light.

"MARIO!!" Luigi cried out sobbing. "NOO!!" He shouted and then stopped slowly as the light faded and Mario's body was being held in mid air, the silence of everyone was deadly in itself. Luigi watched as Mario's body slowly lowered and Elder Mario lowered his hand smiling.

Covering his head again he nodded to the guards who picked up Mario's body. Elder Luigi still gripped hold of Luigi as the tears rolled down his cheeks. "He's not dead Luigi I promise." Elder Luigi whispered behind him.

The guards held Mario's body between two of them and made their way back towards the cells. Luigi quickly turned and looked at his captor "I want to go with him!" Elder Luigi shook his head slowly.

"I'll take you there, but not yet; it'll look too suspicious. If my brother knows I'm on your side he'll kill me…"