The Next Clue
It had been at least a couple of hours since Mario and Peach have spoken to each other since their awakening. Neither of them had anything to say to each other, since there was nothing to do except stand in the same place until they somehow get away. At that point, the possibility of escape was beginning to look impossible and they were beginning to lose hope for survival in the long term. Mario's thoughts were still focused on his brother and his whereabouts. For years, him and Luigi have both suspected themselves of having a special ability to sense each other's pain and they would often joke about it when they were younger, claiming that it was the very reason they were still alive after their infant episode on Yoshi's Island. But now, it was no laughing matter. Mario had the unnerving feeling in his gut that something was going horribly wrong with Luigi, but he had no idea what it might be. He could feel a horrible pain in his left arm, almost as if someone had shot him in that very spot, something that had been going on ever since he awakened. There were no cuts or bruises in his left arm either, at least that was what he thought since the chains and ropes limited his movement and scope of vision. His limited memory of the night before also put a constraint on him, though he was able to remember bits and pieces of the fight he had with Luigi. Even so, no matter how hard he tried, he did not recall any major wounds in that particular part of his body. The thought of Luigi getting hurt made Mario shiver. What if he was shot and left for dead? What if somebody killed him? Would it have been the same person that kidnapped and left us here, wherever we're at? Oh god…I've never been so scared in my life! Even the encounters I've had with Bowser weren't this foreboding…
From what Mario could tell, Peach had fallen back asleep after the first hour even though she was wide awake. Her seemingly countless instances of being kidnapped by Bowser in the past have made her immune to the initial panic one might experience in her current situation. In other words, being kidnapped was nothing new to her. The only difference this time around was that Mario could not save her, since he was there with her and tied to the same stone column she was bounded to. This time, she was experiencing a new kind of panic, the same that was being experienced by Mario but to a greater extent. She had the same fears for Luigi, as well as her cousin Daisy, and also feared the possible state of her kingdom in the not-so-distant future if she failed to return to her castle. She knew that things were bound to become chaotic, possibly catastrophic, if the Mushroom Kingdom's government did not resume its usual operations. Peach had feared the worst for the Mushroom Kingdom before, but not as much as she was now. The thought of Luigi all by himself trying to figure where they were was heart-sinking. At least he got to meet Daisy. But even that was beginning to have a toll on Peach. Mario had already shown his darker side and it hurt her to think that Mario would get so violent with his brother. But then again, he did show regret for what had happened and wished that he did not drink so much that night. Maybe Mario still was a good person, but it was too soon for Peach to make quick assumptions. As much as she wanted to believe that Mario was the man of her dreams, she wanted to be sure that everything that happened between him and Luigi only happened due to his excessive alcohol consumption.
"Mario? Are you alright back there?" Peach asked. "It's been awfully quiet these past couple of hours. Are you even awake?"
"Yeah, I'm alright." Mario replied. "I'm just trying to deal with a full bladder right now…I don't know if I can hold it any longer."
"All of that beer from last night is catching up to you, I take it." Peach said.
"Yeah." he replied as his stomach started to make strange noises. "I need something to eat too. I'm hungry."
"Tell me about it." Peach replied. "My head is starting to hurt because of my hunger. It wouldn't hurt if I had something to drink either."
"Please don't say that…" Mario said in desperation. "I seriously can't hold it that much longer! I really don't feel like pissing my pants anytime soon."
"I'm sorry, Mario." Peach said. "I'll just keep my mouth shut."
"You can talk. Just bring up any words that are synonymous with water or any kind of liquid!" Mario replied.
"I'll try." Peach replied.
Just then, both of them heard a strange noise coming from somewhere in the ancient room. It was hard to tell where it was coming from, since the noise was echoing around them. It almost sounded like footsteps, and it seemed to be getting closer to them.
"What is that?" Peach asked.
"I don't know…" Mario said. "Whatever it is, it seems to be getting closer to us."
"I'm scared, Mario."
"Trust me, I am too. The only thing we can do is try to remain calm."
"Is someone afraid of a little noise?" echoed a strangely familiar voice. Mario looked to his right and Peach looked to her left to see who the person was. They were both shocked at who they saw.
"Oh my god! It can't be!" Peach cried.
"Luigi?!" Mario asked. "What the hell?!"
"Actually, you've mistaken me, for I am not the person you claim to be your brother. However, in case you were wondering, I am the person that is responsible for kidnapping you and taking you here."
"Then, who are you?!" Peach asked. "You look like Luigi, you sound like Luigi. No one else can pull off Luigi but Luigi, so you must be Luigi!"
"Wrong again, princess!" the person said. "I am Luigi's shadow figure, also known as Mr. L. I was reanimated by Luigi after he and your lover got into a bit of a conundrum, if you will."
"Reanimated? What do you mean?" Peach asked.
"That can't be possible!" Mario shouted. "I thought I destroyed you forever! You were only the result of Luigi getting hypnotized by Count Bleck, and now you're back as your own person?! That's impossible!"
"Oh, but it is possible, Mario." Mr. L. said. "If Luigi never took that amulet from its final resting place in that tomb you two discovered in Sarasaland, then you would have been safe at home after that argument, and I would have never had a second chance at living."
"You and Luigi found a tomb?" Peach asked curiously.
"Wait…" Mario replied in a surprised tone. "Luigi…he did what?"
"Oh! I'm sorry. Were you not aware that Luigi took the amulet even after you told him not to take it?" Mr. L. sneered. "Well that's too bad…It just so happened that Luigi triggered an ancient prophecy forecasting the end of the world which, to my understanding, will take place in less than five days if Luigi does not perform the ancient cleansing ceremony underneath the Great Pyramid of Birabuto! Also, if he fails this task, Luigi will die on the spot and I will replace him!"
Mr. L. turned his attention to Peach. "The funny part is that Luigi only took the amulet because he wanted to impress you, princess. He was jealous of Mario because he was getting more attention from you than him, and because you two had already formed a loving relationship. From the moment you and Mario exchanged bits and pieces of your DNA, he became increasingly resentful to him, which ultimately triggered the amulet, hence bringing me to life and bringing forth the prophecy. Now the whole world is going to end thanks to this pathetic love-hate relationship between the three of you. Not only that, but you and Mario won't even see the Luigi you know and love ever again! See how nicely that works out?"
"YOU MONSTER!" Peach shouted.
"You can call me anything you want, princess, but it doesn't reflect the truth of the situation." Mr. L. said. "I had nothing to do with Luigi finding the amulet. I am merely the result of his own selfish actions as well as the pending permanence of Luigi's personality if he fails to find the hidden basement below the Great Pyramid of Birabuto. But let's not forget that you and Mario are also responsible for letting this happen. You are just as guilty for causing Luigi to become so jealous and resentful towards his brother as Mario himself is for taking all of the credit for Luigi's actions in defeating Bowser. As far as I'm concerned, you should have never come in between Mario and Luigi. Their brotherhood would still have been very strong and they never would have had to fight over you."
"Stop putting all of the blame on her!" Mario shouted. "It's not her fault that Luigi and I get mad at each other! We wouldn't be brothers if that were the case! Bowser would still be alive terrorizing the Mushroom Kingdom if we never met her!"
Mr. L. walked up to Mario and slapped him right across the face.
"Wise guy, huh? I can already see a strong resemblance between you and your brother." Mr. L. stated. "While you may be slightly stronger than him, you are not as sexy as your brother."
"I beg your pardon?!" Mario asked. "You think my brother is sexy?! What the f*#% is wrong with you?! What have you done to him?!"
"I haven't done anything to him, you brat!" Mr. L. yelled. "At least not yet."
"I swear, if you try to go near him and do horrible things to him, you will be sorry!"
"Just be lucky I haven't raped princess over here…"
Mr. L. turned his attention back to the princess.
"Stay away from me!" Peach yelled.
"Don't be so negative, princess." Mr. L. said. "It's not like I'm trying to hurt you…"
"You stay the hell away from her!" Mario yelled.
"Perhaps another time…"
"F*#% you." Peach replied.
Mr. L. walked back to Mario, who was already getting furious.
"Where is my brother?!" Mario asked. "Tell me now!"
"Are you sure you don't want to empty your bladder first?" Mr. L. asked. "You look awfully uncomfortable."
"You think?!"
"There's a reason why I never tied those ropes and chains around your groin areas." Mr. L. said as he walked over to another stone column in the room. Mario was unsure what was going on until Mr. L. returned a metal bucket in his hands.
"What's that for?" Mario asked.
"What do you think?" Mr. L. asked as he loosed the ropes and chains just enough to get to the straps of Mario's overalls. He pulled the straps over Mario's arms until his overalls fell down to reveal his boxers. Even though Mario was able to move his arms around, he and Peach were still unable to escape from his trap despite their temporary relaxed movement constraint.
"Pull down your boxers." Mr. L. said harshly as he put the metal bucket near Mario's crotch. He did as he was told and allowed himself to relax a little before he finally started to relieve himself in the bucket. As great as it was emptying his bladder, Mario continued to glare at Mr. L. with pure hatred. The only thing he wanted to do was escape from his prison and kill him for what he did to him and Peach and also for the suffrage he was putting on his brother, wherever he was at. At the same time, he was still trying to cope with all of the information that Mr. L. had already given him regarding his brother. How could he keep the amulet a secret from me? Why didn't we realize that the amulet was capable of causing such chaos when we found it? Why couldn't Luigi just leave it that box? Why? There's no way he'll be able to find that basement in time! Why did I have to take all of the credit from him? Why? Why?
"You done yet?" Mr. L. asked.
Mario said nothing.
"You know, I must say that you are not as large as your brother when it comes to what's 'down there.' Close, but not quite."
"Too much information!" Peach said from behind the column.
"Stop looking at my dick you freak!" Mario said. "Besides, how would you even know such a thing?!"
"Luigi and I have the same physical characteristics, of course." Mr. L. sneered. "The only difference is that I possess all of his negative personality traits and nothing what you consider to be positive."
"I can see that, but you still didn't answer my question! Where the hell is my brother?!"
"I'm not telling you until you run dry." Mr. L. replied. "Man, what the hell did you drink?!"
"Beer." Mario replied.
"Well, that could explain the unusually foul odor I'm smelling from the bucket."
"Why do you care?" Mario asked as he finished up.
"I don't."
Mr. L. took the bucket away and pulled Mario's overall straps back over his shoulders and retightened the ropes and chains before taking the bucket back over to where he got it from. He walked back over to Mario.
"To answer your question Mario, Luigi is currently in Sarasaland evading the authorities because they think he was the one that was responsible for you and Peach's sudden disappearance. Not only that, but his girlfriend by the name of Daisy is also wanted for the same crime simply because she's helping him escape. The police mistook me as Luigi because of the many similarities we share. Isn't that wonderful?"
"You framed him?!" Mario said. "Oh, just you wait until I get my hands on you! You will be dead in a heartbeat!"
"It gets even better." Mr. L. replied with a smirk. "Until Luigi accomplishes his goal, I will be immortal and there's nothing that can be done to stop me until then. Besides, if I do end up dying, it won't be in your hands. Luigi is the one that has to kill me if he wants to regain control over his life. It goes back to the ancient Sarasalandian myth surrounding the amulet that is in your brother's possession. I would tell you more, but I must get going. I have important things to attend to. See ya! MWAHAHAHA!"
"Now hold on just one second!" Peach said. "What was the purpose of you kidnapping us?"
"That, you will find out in time." Mr. L. replied. "I must leave now!"
"YOU BASTARD!" Mario shouted. "I hope you rot in hell, Mr. L.! You will pay for what you've done!"
Mr. L. just laughed as he made his way out of the room in a blinding flash of light. Mario and Peach were once again the only ones in the room.
"Damn him!" Mario said out loud.
Later that Evening…
Sunset was fast-approaching over the Sarasalandian landscape as the train continued rolling its tracks as it made its way over hillsides and past jagged mountains while descending towards a small coastal town by the ocean. There was no question that train had arrived on schedule, since it had already been a while since the train crossed over the border into Muda. The cherry blossoms and pine trees that once dotted the landscape earlier in the day have since been replaced with more tropical varieties of plants and trees with more distinct and vibrant colors. With the sun low in the sky, the sky displayed a much more tropical mango-hued cast along the horizon than the rosy pink sunrise witnessed by Luigi and Daisy in Chai. The small patches of clouds that hung in the sky casted brilliant shades of orange and pink while the sky overhead was beginning to turn a darker blue. Luigi and Daisy found themselves inside the same cargo boxcar with their arms wrapped around each other ever since King Richard decided to try and blast them off the roof of the train with his helicopter. They were happy to enjoy the peace and quiet without the interference from King Richard, his ninja guards and the Sarasalandian police. Even though there have been no other threats from the authorities, they decided it would be smarter to stay in their hiding place wait out the rest of the journey until the train came to a complete stop. Luigi and Daisy also took small naps from time to time to catch up on their sleep, but the constant fear of getting caught again kept them awake. They could only hope that once they arrived at their destination that the police force was not waiting for them upon their arrival.
"We should be safer here." Daisy said. "People in this part of the country usually don't hear about anything on the news as often as anywhere else. Muda is what you would call a tropical paradise."
"Really?" Luigi asked.
"Yeah. You'll see when we climb out of the train." Daisy replied. "It is absolutely gorgeous!"
"I believe you." Luigi said. "I've seen plenty of pictures of this area."
"Trust me, you'll never want to look at the pictures again after you see it in person. It is simply amazing one can see in this part of Sarasaland."
Luigi smiled and Daisy smiled back as they wrapped their arms around each other once again. Daisy closed her eyes and went to sleep for a little bit longer. Luigi tried to go back to sleep, but he was finding it very hard to do so. He kept glancing towards Daisy and the way her face looked in the little bit of light that was inside the boxcar. Even though it was hard to see anything in the dark, Luigi was still entranced by the Sarasalandian princess. He loved her so much and she loved him back in same manner. The words she said to him earlier were still ringing through his head like lovely-sounding wind chimes and it was all he could think about and nothing else. Still, Luigi was aware that there were other things that he needed to do, but he chose not to think about them at the moment. He closed his eyes and was about to drift off into another short nap when the mysterious voice suddenly returned out of nowhere. Luigi's eyes were open once again.
Well done, Luigi! You have solved the first riddle!
That's good to hear! Luigi thought. I was beginning to think that I was going the wrong way for the past hour.
I also see that you have reacquired the amulet from King Richard. Very good! Nicely done!
Yeah. You can thank Queen Lilian for that! If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be on this train right now.
Well, in any case, here is another riddle for you. Are you ready for it?
Yes, of course! Luigi thought. Where do I have to go from here? Will I have to go far?
Not really. The female voice said. From here, you must seek the ancient ruins that lie scattered near the coastal town which you are headed towards now. Two of the gemstones are hidden beyond the secret catacombs that lie beneath.
I should be able to figure that one out pretty easily. Luigi thought.
Yes, it's not too difficult to figure out, if you know where to look. But I must warn you that you will need to get some rest and nutrition before you begin your exploration of the ruins. You will need your strength to survive the hazards that await you.
So these catacombs of which you speak. Does anyone else know about them? Are they easily accessible?
That you must figure out on your own. Remember, I am not here to walk you through every single leg of your journey. Doing that would defeat the purpose of it. You must rediscover and replenish who you are to secure a bright future for yourself and those who are closest to you. That includes your friend next to you right now. She is already greatly benefitting from your presence.
As am I with her. Luigi thought back. I have a question to ask you.
What is it, Luigi?
Do you think me and Daisy were meant to be together?
I don't see why that wouldn't be the case. The voice replied. But that's not up to me to decide. I think you should follow your gut and go with what you think is right. Do what makes not only you happy, but also what gives her enjoyment. Even though I'm clearly not supposed to be your fortune teller, I can predict with almost complete certainty that things will go very well between you two.
Really?
Well, look at you guys right now. You two have grown attached to each other, that's all I can say.
You're right. Luigi thought. We were definitely made for each other. I just wish her father wasn't so mean to her.
I think with time, her father will eventually come around to his senses and realize his mistakes.
After what I did to his army of ninjas, I doubt it.
You never know what can happen from now until then. But until you can definitively prove that King Richard is what his name seems to suggest, don't assume things about him even though it may seem obvious. People have the tendency to surprise other people in many ways, one of which involves changing the opinions of themselves by others through unexpected turning-point events. I'm sure King Richard wasn't always like this. Why else would he have raised such a fine and lovely woman as Daisy?
That's true. Luigi thought.
Well, I should probably leave you now. Good luck!
Thanks.
Mario and Peach finally know who their kidnapper is and have learned a lot about Luigi's condition, though not so much about his whereabouts. Mario was also shocked to learn that Luigi took the amulet from the box in the tomb even though he told him to leave it behind, and that it was very reason why everything made a turn for the worse.
Meanwhile, Luigi and Daisy are now making their way through Muda to a coastal town where ancient ruins are scattered according to the voice in Luigi's head. Luigi now must access the catacombs that lie beneath these ruins to find two of the colored gemstones used to access the basement of the Great Pyramid of Birabuto. What will happen next? Find out in the next chapter, and don't forget to review! See you then ;)
saturn95