Chapter 10: A Magic Pen and a Confused Koopa
Luigi studied the symbol on the back of the boy's hand carefully. The three intertwining circles forming a strange triple Venn diagram seemed to ripple with power as the boy's fist clenched tighter.
"It sure looks like it could be a Star Cure symbol," said Starlow.
"By Thurius, it is a Star Cure symbol," said Luigi.
"There's that name again!" Starlow exclaimed, "Why do you keep saying Thurius?"
"Who's Thurius?" asked Luigi. He looked at the boy as though expecting an answer. Starlow just stared for a few seconds.
"I don't know any Thurius," said the boy, "Never heard the name either."
"I wasn't going to ask you that," said Luigi, "You said you could get us to Chlorus right?"
"Yes," said the boy, huffing again, "She's a good friend of mine who lives in the Hidden Forest. And there's a big reason it's called that."
"It's hidden?" Starlow guessed.
"Very well too," said the boy, "If we'll be travelling together for a while, you may as well know my name, even though I don't fully trust you. I am Peter."
"My name is Starlow," said Starlow cheerfully.
"I am Luigi," Luigi said softly.
"Good, now that that's done, we can start moving," said Peter, "Follow me closely. These woods are infested with Koopas." Luigi didn't like the sound of that. They would probably end up fighting every second of the way. And as it happened, he was right. The second they hit the next clearing, they were ambushed by a whole group of Fire Bros. Almost immediately, the bros. set the forest on fire and then turned their attention on the small group of heroes. Luigi readied a jolt to stun them all but something Peter did caught him off guard. Peter had pointed the pen he had been holding above the treetops and now seemed to be trying to draw something in the air.
The Fire Bros. struck again but Luigi somersaulted under their fire and fired the jolt of electricity. The whole group was stunned and paralyzed just as Luigi had intended. Suddenly, the area became dark. Luigi looked up and gasped. Above them was a storm cloud that looked like it had come out of a child's drawing book and it actually poured rain all over the forest. The Fire Bros. fled at the sight of the rain storm, knowing that they couldn't win under the current conditions.
"That was awesome!" Starlow cried, "How did you do that?" Peter pointed the pen at the cloud and the whole storm stopped. All of the colors it had created vanished into the pen's tip.
"This pen is magical," said Peter, "I received it from… my second mother."
"You had two mothers?" asked Luigi, "What happened to the first?"
"Never knew her," said Peter, flipping the pen in his hand and glaring at Luigi, "It's a touchy subject."
"Sorry," said Luigi.
"Let's get moving again," said Peter, "I have a few questions for you as well."
"Right," said Luigi. They began moving through the forest again, keeping lookout for any Koopas.
"So you have Phasmophobia too right?" asked Peter.
"Yes," said Luigi, "You never said you had it."
"Well I do," said Peter, "I know everything about ghosts so I know how to handle them if they ever come around."
"You're a nature lover?" asked Luigi observing Peter's shirt.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," said Peter, "I think Chlorus rubbed off on me. The grove she lives in is astounding." He paused at a large tree to look up. Luigi and Starlow looked up as well. The branches of the tree were amazing, as was its height. It was at least hundreds of feet tall and it had at least ten different kinds of fruits hanging on its branches in different colors and varieties.
"You don't see these much anymore," said Peter, "The Great Fruitfuls. They produce more fruit than any other species. Unfortunately, I only know of five still in existence in this world."
"Only five?" asked Starlow.
"Most have been cut down for their fruit," said Peter, "Others just to clear land for towns. I hate towns."
"Makes sense," said Luigi. He was starting to like this kid. It was like having his own son around; minus the intense maturity of course. As they moved on, the forest became darker. Luigi became nervous again that they were headed into the Boo Woods but Peter reassured him.
"That is the one wood I will never explore and never lead anyone into," said Peter. He cracked a small smile as he said it, the first one Luigi had ever seen out of him in the short time they had travelled together.
"I feel a powerful presence up ahead," said Starlow.
"One last question before we get to this presence," said Peter, "Where did you get those electrical powers?" Luigi took a moment before answering in a long story. He explained from the point where he got the Thunderhand, to when Starlow sent him to Sarasaland, to the point he was at now. That was just long enough to reach the entrance to the darkest part of the woods.
"What's in there?" Luigi asked. Peter didn't answer. He seemed to be contemplating Luigi's story.
"Peter?" asked Luigi.
"Oh," said Peter, snapping out of his thoughts, "I don't really know. The creature that lives here changes every time. I know them all though so we should be fine." He dashed into the clearing and Luigi followed with Starlow, hoping that Peter knew what he was doing.
The monster that was waiting for them was an enormous bird with beautiful feathers and a piercing, yellow glare. Its talons were like swords; all ten of them, and it made any other bird ashamed of its strength or size. This thing was at least ten stories high. Luigi was surprised that he hadn't seen it from farther away.
"What the heck is that thing?" asked Starlow.
"Her name is Pheona," said Peter, "She's a Phoenix."
"A really evil looking Phoenix," said Starlow backing up. Luigi grabbed her.
"Peter has it under control," said Luigi, "Don't worry about it."
"That's the last thing I expected to hear from you," said Starlow, who apparently still hadn't adjusted to Luigi's new style. Luigi, in truth, was actually quite scared on the inside for leaving his fate to an eight year old boy. Peter simply walked up to the enormous bird.
"Pheona, I have come to reenter the Labyrinth leading to the Hidden Forest," said Peter, "Please allow passage for three." Pheona gave a screech in return.
"Uh… can you understand that thing?" asked Starlow.
"Yeah," said Peter who had suddenly turned pale, "But that time I couldn't understand her which is very, very, very bad!" Pheona roared and spread her talons at the three of them. Peter panicked and hid behind a rock which the Phoenix easily sliced in half. Luigi ran for the monstrous bird's backside but he was caught underneath her huge body as she flew up to get a better look at her victims. She saw him below her and screamed a bloodthirsty cry. But suddenly, a lightning bolt came from nowhere and struck her, surging through her body and out through her talons. She fell to the ground unconscious, much to Peter and Starlow's amazement, both of whom were cowering behind fallen trees. Luigi had drawn his dagger underneath the Phoenix and summoned a lightning bolt to it, catching Pheona in the middle.
"H-how did you…" Peter was unable to finish. Luigi put his dagger within his cloak.
"As I said before," said Luigi, "I am the Green Thunder, controller of electricity. Can we still enter this labyrinth that will take us to the Hidden Forest?"
"Uh… yes," said Peter still dumbfounded at how much energy Luigi must have unleashed. They all walked towards the ruins that Pheona had been guarding. There was a small hole in the front wall leading down into the earth.
"So this is the entrance to the labyrinth?" asked Starlow.
"Exactly," said Peter, looking back at Pheona's unconscious body, "May I ask you one more question before we go in?"
"Yes, what is it?" asked Luigi.
"How did you unleash so much energy in a single shot?" asked Peter.
"It takes years of practice," said Luigi, "The Thunderhand makes it easier on me so I don't use too much energy. Without it, I must limit how much electricity I can use. But with this…" He produced the Power Star from his cloak.
"This allows me unlimited energy no matter how much electricity I use," said Luigi.
"So you've been using that this whole time?" asked Starlow.
"Yes," said Luigi, "Ever since it was healed."
"Hey, there's one of those in the labyrinth!" Peter suddenly realized.
"Really?" asked Luigi.
"Yeah, I saw it once but I left it alone," said Peter, "But I know where it was because I know the labyrinth like the back of my hand; literally." At first, the two of them didn't understand what he meant until Luigi remembered what was on the back of Peter's hand.
"It's shaped like the symbol isn't it," said Luigi.
"You've got it," said Peter. And on that note they charged down into the darkness of the maze.
Kamek sat upon the roof of the ruins. He had been yelled at by Bowser twice already for losing the cloaked figure and was still baffled by his identity. He'd been so bored and confused he'd turned the Phoenix evil for fun. He couldn't be the child that he was with because then there would have to be two of that child. It didn't make any sense! The child had Phasmophobia and the cloaked figure had the same, but yet here they were walking into a labyrinth together with a Star Sprite as though they were two separate people, which probably meant they were.
"But who else do I know that has Phasmophobia?" he asked himself. He decided to consult the Bowser Book, the book had written but Bowser had come up with. It contained information and secrets on every enemy Bowser had come to know, and had a top 10 section for his most hated or dangerous. Surely that would have information on an enemy with Phasmophobia! He summoned the book to him immediately. He gave a crooked smile as he looked at it. It was extremely thick and Kamek loved reading.
"Time to get started," Kamek said to himself.
A/N: Luigi, Starlow, and Peter have completed the first leg of the journey to get to the Hidden Forest where Chlorus resides, but they will make a quick pit stop in the labyrinth to find the Power Star hidden there. Is this one drained as well? And will Kamek ever stop being so clueless and just discover that the cloaked figure is Luigi? My first attempt ever at uploading two chapters in one day. I'm always afraid that the second one isn't going to be written as well as the first for some reason.
The only reference here is actually a reference to one of my fictionpress stories, Do You Believe in Random? The pen Peter uses is similar to the one that one of my characters uses in the story, able to create things from thin air.
I do not own Mario. All Mario characters, places, and ideas belong to Nintendo.