A/N: Just so everyone understands about the year's thing. I figured Mario was around the age of 30 at the beginning of this story. So since he's been in the Dream Lands, these are years that have passed. But obviously they haven't in the real world. So Mario was 30 years old when he entered the Dream Lands. Now when I say 'Years Passed' that's how much older he's got so for instance in this chapter the years passed since he was 30 have been 55, which makes him 85. Hope that's not too confusing sorry to add this note a little late in the story but hopefully it clears it up for you all.

Chapter 21: Next Stop: Shattered Dreams.

-Dream Lands –

Years Passed: 55

Old man Mario peeled open his eyes when a warm hand touched his shoulder. "Hunny, don't you fall asleep out her; you know you'll catch the sun and burn easily." Her voice brought a smile to his face. For all the heartache there had been she remained the standing strong point in his life.

Today was a special day in Mario's life, not only was it his 85th birthday, but it was also the day he gave in to his quest to get home. Mario and Petal decided they would visit the place he had arrived and lay some flowers into the sand in memory of his brother and his lost family.

For Mario it was a bitter pill to swallow, he had long believed he would be reunited with his brother, but now the reality of it was that was never going to happen. So instead of spending his remaining years searching for path he still hadn't found, he decided the time had come for him to let go.

"Mario, I think he's had enough, if you push him to the brink you'll never get anything out of him!" Elder Luigi said as he walked up beside King Mario, observing Mario in his dream world.

King Mario was in a time bubble, a point in time where time itself stopped completely for the person inside. The only time for the person inside the bubble was what travelled inside his mind. From here he could see Mario still stood just inside the entrance to the Dream Lands, his hand still bound with the chains, his inmate uniform still his only clothing. His eyes were closed tight, as for him in there time had stopped, he wasn't aging, he was moving he wasn't breathing he was like a statue. Everything Mario saw was all in his mind; everything was a dream, a mixture of dreams from all the people who had visited the Dream Lands. But if left in Dream Lands too long, the person inside his mind would grow old and die. Yet their soul would be forever trapped between Dream Land and afterlife, the real body of the person would turn to stone and shatter, the sand covering any sign they were ever there. Nobody under the rule of King Mario had ever returned from the Dream Lands.

King Mario watched as Mario's cold stone form began to slowly turn to stone. It wasn't a rapid pace, so far only his feet and legs were stone. "Not yet… I want to CRUSH him for ever thinking he could win over me!" King Mario roared and folded his arms across his chest.

Elder Luigi nodded slowly, he wasn't going to argue with him.

Mario took his wife's hand and helped her from the horse drawn carriage. It was just the two of them as it had been when it all started. His walking stick in hand, Mario let his wife Petal link her arm under his and they both gingerly made their way over to around about the place they thought Mario had come from.

Everything had changed so much since Mario had been there, people and even buildings had come and gone and it was hard time to actually believe he was letting go of everything that once meant more to him the anything.

Holding a bouquet of flowers in his hands, Mario let go of Petal and made his way even further towards the desert ahead of him. Nothing but sand for miles and miles. Mario stopped and rested the walking stick down on the ground, moving in a few steps he stared out into the desert, the wind ripping through few hairs on his head.

His outward appearance hadn't changed much, he still looked like Mario; just a lot older. As he stared a gale force wind came around him and he felt a small pull on his heart, his chest tightened and he bent over holding his chest.

He could feel his knees giving way and fell down on to one knee. "Petal…" He called out in agony, turning his head back he could no longer see her, there were no buildings, no town, no carriage nothing.

"Petal?" He called out louder, nothing replied; no answer. Looking down as another wave of pain hit him, he began to shake, his hands were turning grey and hard as stone. His whole body was turning into a solid rock.

"What the…?" He was about to say when he heard a noise ahead of him, a wall of fire 50ft high and as long as the eye could see came towards him, it was travelling at a speed which meant Mario had no chance of running, holding his hands out as if to try and stop the wall of fire, he felt the blast hit at an unbelievable force, the fire burnt his skin alive, it was the most painful thing Mario had ever felt, he was burning alive unable to move.

He screamed as the past years of his life here began to flash before his eyes, images of all the good things began to turn bad; everything he thought had happened was all revealed a lie. He saw Petal her face turning into that of the devil as his hands reached out to grab Mario and pull him towards him.

Then suddenly he was gone, beyond gone, the fire was burning him still, there was a loud screaming noise that blasted through his ears, people crying for their life death filled his vision, he saw his brothers painful death at the hands of Bowser, he saw Peach and Daisy hurt and enslaved to Bowser, at Bowser's side two people stood Elder Luigi and King Mario.

Both were smirking with all the evil they had in them, their eyes were pure red, Mushroom Kingdom had turned into a desert wasteland and there was nothing but death as far as the eyes could see.

Mario felt his heart as it was ripped from his chest, the people of the Kingdom cried out for him to be their saviour. But Mario couldn't move, he was an old man, he was an old man, he was an old man….

Then silence, Mario forever entrapped in his own mind a hand reached in and grabbed his shoulder pulling him back into the alternate universe. King Mario threw him to the ground, his form collapsing, his eyes red raw as if the fire had really hit him. His eyes stared out and his emotion was blank. He was a puppet nothing more.

Elder Luigi walked across to King Mario and after a moment staring at Mario on the ground, he turned to King Mario and looked him in the eyes. "That was too close! Next time we throw someone in the Dream Lands I get to decide when they come out!" He growled.

King Mario laughed in his face and turned. "Grab him and follow me." King Mario ordered and made his way towards his horse. Climbing atop it he waited for Elder Luigi to throw Mario's form on the black horses back and for Elder Luigi to climb atop it.

After a short ride, they arrived outside the cells and Elder Luigi slowed his horse looking to King Mario. "You're throwing him in the cells?" He asked. King Mario nodded. "But why?" Elder Luigi asked.

Star could just see through the small hole in the wall, in the darkness it was the only light he had. Though in his mourning for Mario, he was suddenly relieved. "He's alive! I knew it!" Star said wiping a stray tear from his cheek. His form held back in the darkness as the doors to the cells swung open and forced a loud bang to echo through the cells.

"Because he needs to readjust to the atmosphere, he needs to begin breathing again. Just in case you hadn't noticed that he wasn't actually breathing at all." King Mario laughed as Elder Luigi lugged Mario down the hall, opening the cell and throwing him inside.

"If he doesn't start breathing he's of no use to me." King Mario stopped laughing and became very serious. "Well if you'd took him out earlier we wouldn't have this problem in fact if you had took him out the Dream Lands when I wanted you to we could be in the Mushroom Kingdom already." Elder Luigi said slamming the door to the cell and raising his hand to lock it. When it did the two evil brothers made their way out of the cells and the door once again slammed shut.

Star watched through the hole in the wall as the two horses disappeared into the sand storms. Quickly standing he ran over to the bars and gripped them. "Mario!" He shouted. "Mario you have to wake up now!" He tried, but no response.

"If you don't wake up then you're done for! Mario it's just a dream; wake up Mario please! I'm your nephew!" Star cried out.