Chapter Two Part Three :: Perilous Plot Twists

COMFORT CRUISE, NIGHT TWO

Mario and Christopher ran inside immediately. Bella was at her table, searching frantically for her diamond necklace. Everyone around her seemed to be completely confused and baffled. Nobody had even seen someone take her necklace.

"What happened?" said Mario upon reaching their table.

"I don't know," said Jennifer. "One moment everything was fine, and the next, Bella was freaking out over her precious necklace." A handful of Toad security guards came into the restaurant.

"Alright, nobody leaves the room until we figure out what happened here," said one of the larger guards. "We're on lockdown."

"Lockdown?" said Violet, nervously.

"Dear heavens," said Toadsworth. "This is not good. Not good at all."

"Come, Mario and Luigi," said Christopher. "Let's make our way to the kitchen. I've got a feeling our perpetrator isn't going to stick around the scene of the crime."

"I'm coming too," said Jennifer, leaving Toadsworth and Violet at the table. They entered the kitchen through the swinging door, and what they saw was not what they were expecting. A trail of blue footprints began where they stood. The trail led them to a stairwell, and they went down it. It went quite the ways downwards, the air getting warmer and warmer as they descended. The trail of blue footprints faded away as the heat increased.

"It's getting really hot in here," said Jennifer. "...I don't think this is normal." Upon reaching the bottom, they came into a large, hot room with a boiler in the center. It was very dark in the room, apart from the light coming from the boiler. There was an exhaust pipe for the steam to escape coming out from the top, but no steam was escaping.

"I'm beginning to suspect that we may be in danger," said Christopher, pointing towards the exhaust pipe. It was gradually expanding as a bulge in the center.

"It's gonna explode!" yelled Jennifer. They ran back towards the stairwell door and started their way up the stairs. The bulge was huge now. Suddenly, a great crash boomed throughout the boiler room, echoing intensely up the stairwell and knocking them off their feet. Christopher kept on running up the stairs, but Mario, Luigi and Jennifer stopped and went back down to see what had happened. They made their way back into the boiler room. A giant, gaping hole was in the wall where the boiler once was. Now it was a hot, metal heap of bent metal with steam emanating from it. An obliterated potato was splattered about the ceiling above the exhaust pipe.

"This explains why the perpetrator stole those potatoes," said Christopher. "They needed something to clog the exhaust pipe to make their escape. That still doesn't explain the blue goop, though." The hole in the wall led to another room with a lifeboat in a small pool filled with water. At the other end was an opening straight to the ocean.

"This looks like where they release the boats from," said Jennifer. "Hey...I think that's the lifeboat me and Violet saw was missing earlier!" Suddenly, the lifeboat began floating towards the opening to the ocean at the opposite end of the room. Small waves lapped against the side, seemingly by themselves.

"How is that boat moving?" said Luigi. A faint, barely visible outline of a figure could be seen in the boat. It had a blueish tinge to it.

"I think I know," said Mario, rummaging through his pockets. He pulled out the Lightning Flower they had been given from Goomley several days ago. "I think it's time for some field testing."

Mario used the Lightning Flower and felt a strange, tickling sensation throughout his entire body. Tiny pricks of static popped up around the surface of his skin, forming arcs to the ground from every direction. The light from the arcs lit up the room with their flashes, causing a luminous display from the reflections in the water. The outline of the figure in the lifeboat could be seen more clearly now. Mario thrust his hand outward to send a lightning charge towards the water surrounding the lifeboat. A thunderous crash boomed throughout the room and spread out in every direction in the water surrounding the boat, splintering the wood and sending the figure into the water. Blue liquid suddenly became visible as it came into contact with the cold, salty water.

"I knew it!" exclaimed Christopher. "Antony is the perpetrator!" They seized him from the water and brought him up back onto the cold, metal floor. He was splotched with the same blue goop as before. "I knew it was you from the moment I saw you. The story you gave us about the boot flying into your room was too far-fetched to be true. You staged the accident to ease suspicion and run my investigation off course, but it backfired. You can't fool The Great Toad Detective. This case," he paused for dramatic effect, "is closed." Christopher pulled a pair of handcuffs from his detective bag to everyone's surprise and cuffed Antony's wrists.

"But how did he steal Bella's necklace without anyone noticing?" asked Mario.

"I didn't steal it!" said Antony. Everyone ignored him.

"I'm sure there's a very complicated answer, but I'll have to go over my notes, and—"

"I think I know the answer to that question," said Jennifer. "The blue goop on his body allows him to be invisible, but only at much higher temperatures. As soon as his body cools down, the goop becomes blue again. It's why we could suddenly see him when he plunged into the water."

"I was...just about to say that," said Christopher, embarrassed. "Now then. Hand over the necklace, you've been caught."

"I don't have the necklace!" he said again. "I told you I didn't steal it, there's someone else—"

"Don't ruin the surprise..." said a mysterious voice. A cloud of darkness came into existence over the water. The cloud swirled around and gradually formed into a cape, surrounding a slender, dark figure. His eyes were the only hint of brightness that could be seen.

"Who are you?" said Jennifer, angrily. The figure ignored her and adjusted his gaze towards Mario.

"Ah, you must be the Mario I've been told of," said the figure. "Please, allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Invidus, soon-to-be ruler of your world and mine."

"What have you done with the necklace?" said Christopher.

"Necklace? I don't have any idea what you're talking about. Shut up, I'm trying to talk with Mario, here." He raised his arm, the cloak rising upwards and a force field appeared around Christopher, silencing him.

"This isn't the person I was talking about..." said Antony, nervously.

"Enough!" boomed Invidus. "This petty talk ends here. After hearing so much about how this Mario person from that pretentious princess and how he was going to vanquish me and finally seeing him, I think I'll almost feel bad for ending his life..." he said sarcastically.

"The princess!" gasped Jennifer.

"What have you done with Princess Peach?" demanded Mario.

"That is for me to know, and you to ponder worthlessly as I finish you." He rose up both arms, causing his cape to swirl around him and form back into a dark, grey cloud. Sparks of lightning shot out in all directions, hitting the surface of the water and sending it splashing up at them. A lightning bolt shot out towards the group. They jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding it. Mario and Luigi went into battle stances to face Invidus, who was still hovering over the water. Luigi jumped towards him, but Invidus dodged his attack effortlessly, gliding over a few feet sending Luigi splashing into the water.

"Hah!" said Invidus. "You can't even touch me, this is going to be even easier than I thought." He repeated the same attack as before, this time directed only at Mario. He rolled out of the way, only to recover to a whole barrage of lightning bolts sent straight towards him. This isn't working, he thought. I can't get to him fast enough...wait, that's it! Mario pulled out the pocketwatch as quickly as possible, looking into it just as he did before. The hands ticked by, slower and slower, until they stopped ticking. He remembered what Sophos said, about not staying in Constus Temporas, or frozen time, for too long. I have to do this quickly, he thought. Invidus was motionless, frozen in the air with an evil look in his eyes directed at where Mario was before he used the pocketwatch. The hands were at 5:00 – nearly half of the power was gone. At 12:00 he would be stuck forever in Constus Temporus. He jumped up towards Invidus and latched onto his cape of darkness. He almost didn't make it. The cape barely moved as he grabbed it, rippling in slow motion. Invidus began to descend downwards, towards the water with Mario hanging onto his cape. The clock read 8:00. The water was still a couple of feet away. The clock was at 10:00. A few more inches. The clock was at 11:45. They were in the water, and Mario stopped Constus Temporas.

"Luigi!" yelled Mario at the top of his lungs, "Use the lightning flower NOW!" Luigi seemed awestruck. Suddenly, Mario was in the water with Invidus. He instinctively pulled out his lightning flower and used it on the water near Mario and Invidus. Mario was already looking back at the pocket watch and re-entered Constus Temporas. The clock read only 11:40 – he needed to get out of the water before it reached 12:00. Mario put his hands on top of Invidus, and pushed with all of his might, jumping out of the water for a brief second. He glanced at the pocketwatch again, exiting Constus Temporus. The lightning from Luigi's hand shot forth towards Invidus. His eyes widened, and he was struck by the bolt of lightning in the chest. He let out a thunderous cry of pain, Mario splashing into the water moments after. Invidus rose out of the water. It didn't work, thought Mario.

"Don't...think...cough...that I won't be back to finish you," said Invidus. His cape swirled around once again, morphing into a dark, ominous cloud and swirling away into nothingness. They had won the battle.

"Mario!" exclaimed Jennifer. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he responded as he got out of the water. "Good job bro," he said to Luigi.

"No problem-o!" he said with a smile. Christopher was huddled against the back side of the room, with Antony.

"W-w-what was that?" asked Christopher.

"I think he was a being from...the other world," said Jennifer.

"Could he be the one who...destroyed the gate?" said Luigi.

"We can't be sure, but I'm sure we'll be seeing him again."

"Well, whoever that was, I would like to know where the missing diamond necklace is if Antony doesn't have it!"

"I was trying to tell you – the person who stole the diamond necklace is the chef, Oliver McCormick!" Everyone gasped.

"Well, where is he then? And why were you coated in the invisible goop, about to escape on a lifeboat? It sounds to me like you're the perpetrator," said Christopher, crossing his arms.

"I know, but..." he paused, "...I had to. He told me to pose as him in the lifeboat and distract anybody who went after him, or he'd toss me overboard the first chance he got."

"Then where is he now?"

"I don't know."

The group made their way back up the stairs and onto the main deck to come across several security guards around a mess of blue goop on the deck. They pushed their way through the surrounding crowd into the middle to see none other than Oliver McCormick cuffed around the wrists, covered in the blue goop. One of the guards had the diamond necklace. Oliver was muttering to himself.

"Stupid flower, I would have gotten away if she hadn't of-"

"Give it a rest, bub," said one of the guards. "Crime doesn't pay."

"That's right, that'll teach you to mess with the Queen of Beauty," said Bella, who had her necklace returned to her by the guard. Toadsworth and Violet joined the group. Violet had splotches of the blue goop all over her.

"What happened to you?" said Jennifer.

"Well, me and Toadsworth were in the restaurant when you left. I had to use the restroom, so a guard let me go. When I went in, I saw the window open by itself and blue footprints appear on the wall below it. At that point, instinct took over, and I sung a lullaby. The thief fell to the floor with a thud and I told the guards."

"Wow, way to go, Violet!" said Jennifer. "You're the hero!" Mario and Luigi eyed each other at the irony of the statement. Meanwhile, the guards were talking to each other and going over Oliver's background.

"So you're telling me his papers aren't official?" said one of the guards.

"Indeed, sir. He's not even a chef. His last real job was a dishwasher in a junky cafe. Quite the elaborate scheme, I'd say."

"I knew it!" exclaimed Bella. Everyone seemed surprised. "Ever since the argument on the blimp about the Spicy Mushroom!" Nobody paid much attention to her.

"And I would have gotten away with it," said Oliver, "if it weren't for that meddlesome flower..." The guards dragged Oliver off, the crowd of bystanders following them trying to snap pictures and get a view of the criminal.

"Well, I suppose that's that," said Christopher. "Another mystery has been solved by The Great Toad Detective! You've got great potential, Mario. Maybe one day you'll be as good at solving problems as me, but until that day, I wish you good luck." Mario simply nodded.

Author's Note: This chapter is longer than I expected it to be! Looks like it'll end up being a four-parter (I still need to decide on who will be the next partner - there are lots of choices I'm still thinking about). I think I'm getting better at embellishing details and taking things at a slower pace.