Traveler's Log 022: Cosmic Clone Craziness

Stars: 26

Mario

As the Starshroom flew slowly towards Starship Mario, we sat trying to recover from our battles in the Spooky Snowy Galaxy. In the meantime, we just chatted about various subjects while sitting inside the Starshroom, such as our home galaxies.

"I see…" Crystal said, strangely not seeming to be as cold and distant as she previously had been. I noticed she had been like that after they left me behind to get the Star; something during the Boss Battle probably made her like that. "So that's what the place where you come from is like. Sounds like a very interesting place."

"Even more epic for you," Ray replied. "I mean, come on. An entire city millions of kilometers wide underneath a glacier? That's pretty awesome, you gotta admit."

Crystal smiled at the compliment. "But it's a miracle we have the geysers. Otherwise, we'd probably freeze to death under all that ice. Anyway, Mario and Luigi, you two have gone through some interesting adventures. And the person you're trying to fight now is, in fact, your archnemesis. Sounds like you've been hardened specifically for the task you have at hand."

"But that doesn't mean we've gotten any better at withstanding pain. Man, that mission was tough," I groaned, grabbing a Super Mushroom and eating it to recover all my injuries which I obtained from fighting about 9001 ghosts. "At least we don't have to go to that Galaxy again…"

"Actually, I think you will be going to that Galaxy again," the Green Toad replied. "We found a Comet Medal during our search…"

"YOU FOUND WHAT?" I screamed, immediately realizing what this would mean. "F*bleep*!"

Luigi shrugged helplessly, then grabbed a Super Mushroom of his own. "We can't do much about it. Let's rest as much as we can while we wait for it to appear."

"Okaeri nasai! (Welcome back!)" Terra greeted us as we used the Warp Pad to leave the Starshroom. "How did it go?"

"Quite well," Crystal replied with a gentle smile, which made Terra stare at her for a long moment with a look of disbelief n her face. (Try to take a guess why.)

At this moment, Professor E. Gadd walked up to Luigi. Gadd was a short, balding man, with only a tiny amount of hair on his head, and glasses with swirls on their lenses. (Makes you really wonder how he sees!) "Ah, Luigi, you're back! I trust the Poltergust 5000 has helped you a lot?"

"Yeah, we got a lot of ghosts," Luigi replied with a smile. The two were old friends. "Unfortunately, none would really fit with your portrait collection."

"Oh, it's just fine!" the Professor replied. "Portraits aren't what I came for out here! We can't let Bowser destroy the universe again, can we?"

"We can't," Luigi agreed. "And with Poltergust 5000, now we have a better chance of doing it!"

"Hey, what about F.L.U.D.D.?" I complained. "Are you saying he doesn't compare to that silly vacuum?"

"The Poltergust isn't just a silly vacuum!" exclaimed Gadd. "But wait…F.L.U.D.D.? Is that really you?"

"Yes, it's me, Professer Gadd," F.L.U.D.D. replied. "Have you been keeping well?"

"Of course! I've invented even more amazing machines since you last saw me. But anyway, nice to see my inventions are being put to good use!" the Professor replied cheerfully. I stared in surprise, having only JUST realized he was F.L.U.D.D.'s inventor.

At this moment, Aeron suddenly soared through the air, landing next to us. "Back," he declared, holding up a Star in his right hand. "Have another Star for you."

"When were you even gone?" Ray demanded. "I swear, if you had been with us when we went to the Spooky Snowy Galaxy, we would've had so much easier of a time it would barely make sense!"

"Why?" Axel asked, grabbing on the ear of Starship Mario above the Warp Pad and sitting on it. "What did you encounter there that you'd need us for?"

"We met a strange being called Frozen Fitzgerald," Crystal replied. "He was talking about the World of Darkness throughout the fight. Do either of you know what that is?"

"I think I know what that is," Aeron replied, "but it's really the least of your concern now. The world he speaks of is a terrifying place which is home to terrifying beasts. Long story short, Bowser really wouldn't want to utilize anything from there, unless he's emo."

"O…k…" I replied. "Anyway, Ray, Crystal, are you guys alright? You look fried from fighting that Frozen Fitzgerald guy! I really don't think you'll be able to recover before the comet comes!"

"We'll help them get better," a Luma promised. "But I agree with you that they won't be ready to help us get Stars for a while."

"My leg is healed; I could help you," Terra offered. "Ano…but what if the Comet doesn't appear for days? No one ever said how long it would take to appear, right?"

"Well, that's true," Luigi replied. "The amount of time it takes for a Comet to appear is uncertain. So let's hope it doesn't-"

"Wait," Crystal suddenly held up her hand. "Don't you hear a high-pitched whining?" We listened hard, and found in fact we could hear it, although I didn't hear it until a full minute after she had mentioned it.

Then Ray noticed something. "Hey, is it just me, or is a purple light shining on us? And I'm pretty sure the aurora's pink." Sure enough, there was a purple shine of light on us.

Then with a roar, a bright purple Prankster Comet flew past Starship Mario, stardust trailing it, and blazed into the Spooky Snowy Galaxy, where it began to circle over and over. "Well, that was highly improbable," Luigi commented with surprise.

"ARGH WHY DID IT HAVE TO APPEAR SO SOON?" I screamed, throwing my hands into the air in frustration. "Well, let's go."

"You know you could just wait a few days," yawned the Yellow Toad, who liked to sleep a lot. "No one ever said you had to get every Star the moment you saw it."

"Well that depends. Would you like it if Bowser got it first?" I replied, glaring at him. The Toad immediately shut up, knowing how bad that would be. "C'mon, let's get to the Starshroom," I muttered, stalking towards the Warp Pad.

As the Starshroom gently landed in the snowy grounds, I saw several floating purple coins with star-shaped designs on them. "Don't tell me it's that Comet," I groaned, face-palming myself.

"Sorry Mario, but it really does seem to be the Purple Comet," replied the Blue Toad. "But you have us, so it shouldn't be that hard!"

"Right, whatever," Aeron replied, dropping off the Starshroom and landing in the snow. As he stood up, he took note of the shattered window on the 3rd and topmost floor. "So this is Crystal, Ray and Luigi's handiwork. What a fine job they did." I took careful note of the sarcasm he used there.

"Wow, I wonder why they bothered doing it," I muttered to myself. "Anyway, Toad Brigade! Start looking for Purple Coins!"

"On it," replied the Green Toad, and the Toad Brigade rushed off to the gardens to grab 10 Purple Coins. However, then Venus Ice Traps burst from the ground and unleashed icy energy, forcing the Toad Brigade to fall back. "Ack!" shouted the Green Toad, jumping away from a blast of ice. "Didn't see that coming…Okay, I'll defeat them with the Super Le-"

"No! We can't risk using those so soon!" interrupted the Blue Toad. "Use your pickaxe instead!"

"Are you crazy? I wouldn't want to break my pickaxe just for that!" argued the Green Toad. "I'll use the Metal Block instead!" He held up a green cube with several white squares around the edges, and jumped to break it open, causing bright green energy to course over his body. Then the Green Toad's body turned to metal! He ran at the Venus Ice Traps, and they tried to freeze him, but he was only smashed a few inches back and kept running. The Green Toad let out a battle cry and smashed his foot into the Venus Fire Traps, killing them. "Nothing to it!" the Green Toad bragged, grabbing the Purple Coins. (Purple Coins: 6/100)

"Interesting energy in that block," Aeron commented, walking along the garden path so casually it barely made sense. But then, this WAS Aeron, after all. He walked up to a shed and opened the door. "Hey, guys! I found some Purple Coins!" He walked out with 5 Purple Coins. (Purple Coins: 11/100)

"Great!" Luigi declared, walking the other way through the forest. But then he walked out with a frown. "There don't appear to be any Purple Coins in there…"

"Luigi, you have a flashlight. Let's use that to look around with it," I suggested. I grabbed Luigi's flashlight and looked around a bit with it. Immediately, I noticed several odd patterns in the ground. "Terra, unearth that place," I ordered. Terra looked puzzled, but raised her hands and caused the earth to rise up, bringing 2 Purple Coins out of the snow. (Purple Coins: 13/100)

"Okay, time to do something to make Eddie jealous. Aeron, do you have the camera?" Axel asked. Aeron muttered something under his breath and pulled it out. "Okay, here I go!" Axel shouted, jumping to a windowsill and pushing off the wall, then grabbing the bit of roof which hung over the entrance and clambered up it. He jumped once more and grabbed onto the edge of the roof, pulling himself onto the roof of the mansion, and slid off a moment later with 6 Purple Coins in hand. (Purple Coins: 19/100) "You got that all on tape, right?" Axel asked.

"Yep," Aeron replied. "But was that really necessary? We can't have you breaking your bones now."

"So? Can't we make a few memories last?" Axel complained. Aeron muttered something else vile and went back to searching for Purple Coins.

"But where else could we search?" the Blue Toad Wondered, adjusting his glasses and gazing around briefly. Then he noticed 3 Purple Coins tangled in the branches of some trees. "There are some Purple Coins up there! Quick, get them!" he shouted, jumping to the tree and skillfully climbing up it, grabbing each of the Purple Coins. (Purple Coins: 22/100)

"Ano…shouldn't we check the Mansion?" Terra suggested. She went up to the massive door and pulled it open, walking inside. "Axel, Mario, Luigi, may you please come with me?"

"Sure," Axel replied, and we started walking after her.

We found ourselves in the foyer at once. Terra looked around at the walls and ceiling with amazement…and terror. "Those designs…are they monsters? They look frightening…"

"They're just stone, ignore them," Axel replied, walking over to a closet and looking inside for Purple Coins but finding none. "I don't think you need your poncho here; there's no snow or wind or anything."

"So I should take it off?" Terra asked, but I didn't let Axel answer due to impatience. :3

"Okay, let's start looking for the Purple Coins!" I declared, running off into a hallway. As I ran, I heard Axel mutter something about me and "Leeroy Jenkins II," but I completely ignored it.

"What rooms have we not entered?" Luigi wondered, looking around. "I wish we had a map of the mansion or something…be right back, guys. I'll have the Toad Brigade do an X-ray scan of the mansion so we have a map." He walked back the way we came, leaving us to try to find the Purple Coins ourselves.

"There's a room here!" Terra suggested, peeking inside. Immediately she shrieked and slammed the door, then curled up into a ball and placed both hands over her nose.

"What? What happened?" I asked as we ran over.

"That was the toilet…" Terra groaned, not even daring to take her hands off her nose. Axel and I looked at each other with completely disgusted looks before continuing to walk down the hallway.

I looked into another room. It looked to be a kitchen, but strangely, food sat on the counter and island, as if it had just been prepared. "This is weird…" I muttered. A bit suspiciously, I opened the microwave to see if there were Purple Coins inside, to no avail. "Well, that was a stupid thought," I muttered, slammiong the microwave shut. "Axel, where else do you think we should look?"

Axel looked suspiciously at a cupboard and opened it, and found 2 Purple Coins inside, amongst some stacks of plates. "Here are some," he declared, pulling out the Coins. (Purple Coins: 24/100)

Terra pulled some more Purple Coins out of a dishwasher. (Purple Coins: 27/100) "Perhaps there are more Purple Coins in the cupboards!" she decided when she saw Axel take them out. She then went up to a cupboard and opened it…ignoring the fact that the Purple Coins were far too wide to fit in it.

"Uh….Terra? You know that the Purple Coins wouldn't fit in there, right?" Axel asked, sweatdropping.

"Wait, they wouldn't?" Terra checked by attempting to push one of the Purple Coins she had in her hand into the cup board. It didn't work. "Oh."

I groaned and facepalmed myself, then looked inside the refrigerator. "I wonder if there are any here?" I asked myself, and looked at each of the shelves. "Nope, it's just plates of food," I muttered, beginning to close the fridge, but then Axel's hand reached out and grabbed two "plates." He dumped the contents of them into the trash can and rinsed them off, revealing that they were actually Purple Coins. (Purple Coins: 29/100) "DAW HOW DID I NOT NOTICE THAT?" I groaned.

"Because you're stupid," Axel replied. He carefully looked at the plates that were laid out, but quickly deduced that there were no Purple Coins among them. "Aw, come on," he grumbled.

"Oh, there's some corn here!" Terra noticed a plate. "Maybe we should take it back for Ray-"

"No," Axel replied. Terra looked at him in surprise. "He'd kill us all," Axel said flatly.

Suddenly, a large Boo appeared and began to laugh. "Don't just go wasting the food! Why not have a bite? Actually, make that a MOUTHFUL-or even better, 10 mouthfuls!" With a whoosh, the Boo began to pick up plates and throw them at us.

Axel stared with absolute disgust at all the food flying at him before wheeling through it and cutting it all with his katana. "This is just really dumb," he muttered. "Take this! Getsu Taiho!" He raised his hand and pointed at the Boo, launching a flurry of tiny silver blasts, which didn't smash the Boo back much, but the sheer number of blasts overwhelmed the Boo, destroying him.

Terra slowly peeked over the counter. "Is he gone?" she asked, not even daring to get near the Purple Coins that marked what had happened to the Boo.

"Yep, I killed him," Axel replied, grabbing the Purple Coins. (Purple Coins: 32/100) "He won't bother us anymore." We searched the kitchen one last time, but found nothing. "Frick," Axel grumbled. "Oh well, let's search in a different place."

We walked out of the kitchen and headed through the hallways to the next few rooms. "These Purple Coins are annoying to find," Axel grumbled. "Hope Luigi hurries up with the map…" At this moment, we found the door to a library…which was covered with ice, books, and the smashed remnants of several tables and shelves. "HOLY CRAP WHAT HAPPENED HERE?" Axel shouted.

"I guess maybe Crystal was fighting," I replied, carefully maneuvering through the debris. "Hey, there are some Purple Coins under this table!" (Purple Coins: 37/100) "Terra, Axel, you guys see any more?"

Terra checked the shelves, at one point pulling out a book and looking in it, before putting it behind her with a disappointed look. I figured she probably couldn't read the language it was in. Then she pulled another book away and tried to look in it…and found a Purple Coin right behind it! "Found one!" she called, waving it. (Purple Coins: 38/100)

"Great!" Axel praised. "But I don't think there are any more here…" He checked a box of books, but came empty handed. "I think it's time we moved on, guys," he told us.

We left the library and found another hallway leading to a room full of random assorted musical instruments, such as a piano, a xylophone, a cello, a harp, three saxophones and some drums. Terra gazed at the instruments with some interest before laying a finger on one of the piano's keys. "Hey, are you sure it's alright to do that?" I asked. "Those instruments may be explosive or something!"

"I'm no piano player, Mario," Terra replied with a sheepish smile. "It's not like my pushing one key will summon ghosts or something…" She pressed…and suddenly, a loud high C rang out, causing all of us to scream and jump back from the piano in fright, as a song began to play loudly from all the instruments, as if the high C was the cue for a concert to begin. "N-never mind," Terra said shakily, guiltily rubbing the side of her head. "I guess that really wasn't a good idea…"

Suddenly, the saxophones began to blast out notes…no, literally musical notes which sent flying out at us! "HOLY CRAP!" I shouted, ducking as an eighth note went flying over my head. The xylophone began to bang out notes as well, sending its own musical notes at Axel, who had to jump fast in order to dodge, but a quarter note still clubbed him in the side of the face. The strings on the harp and the cello began to move, and then blades of air slashed past us. All in all, a really bizarre picture.

Axel narrowed his eyes at each of the instruments, then suddenly put a hand on Shiruba-Getsu and yanked it out of his sheath, the blade already whirling into silver blue light which spiraled around his hands. "Rule over the Midnight Heavens, Shiruba-Getsu!" he shouted as it completed its transformation, then jumped at the saxophones and cleaved horizontally.

Just before he struck, we could see the ghosts playing the instruments illuminated in the darkness. "So those were ghosts?" Terra asked, relieved while the ghosts screamed as Axel slashed them to pieces.

But Axel wasn't finished yet. He whirled around and crossed his arms, all the hexagons on Shiruba-Getsu's gauntlets outlining themselves with silver blue. "Getsuga Tensho (Moon Fang Heaven's Slasher)!" he shouted, his wrists flying out and launching twin crescent-shaped blasts at the drums, xylophones, and harp, slashing the ghosts playing them. Axel dropped to the ground, rolled underneath a bad music attack, and slashed another ghost to pieces…not to mention the cello, too. "Oops, I killed an innocent cello," Axel muttered, facepalming himself.

"Never mind the cello, at least we're alive," I replied. "But I wonder if the piano is safe to get near…" Cautiously, I began to walk towards it. As if on cue, the piano suddenly began to open and close its lid, rocking and bucking. It had sharp teeth under its lid! "OMG!" I shouted, jumping away in horror.

Terra jumped over the Mad Piano, raising her hand, and an emerald spike quickly hurled itself at the piano, impaling it. "It won't bother us anymore," Terra declared, mopping her face. She casually walked behind the piano, still trying to lash out at us but unable to because of the emerald spike, and grabbed 3 Purple Coins. (Purple Coins: 41/100)

It was at this point that Luigi suddenly walked in. "What's all the noise for?" he asked, then saw all the destroyed instruments. "O_o"

"You don't want to know," I replied. "So, you got the map?"

"Yeah," Luigi replied, holding up a small circular device. He pressed a button, and a hologram of the entire map popped up, allowing us to see what rooms had been entered. "I checked all the rooms that we've gone into last time, and most of them had no Purple Coins. A few did, though." He held up the Poltergust 5000 and ejected 9 Purple Coins from it. (Purple Coins: 50/100) "The Toads are searching hard for more outside. So, where to now?"

"We'll go to this room, then," I said, pointing at the map. So we walked over to another room with an old fashioned movie projector on it, as well as a blank white screen and two speakers. "Wonder what movie is on?" I asked, pressing the button on the projector.

Immediately, a movie came on that showed a bunch of ghosts, and a few Purple Coins. (I was too bored to remember the plot.) "Is this 3D?" Terra wondered. "Those ghosts look real…"

"Yeah, you're right," Luigi agreed. "Those ghosts almost seem like they're popping out of the screen and coming towards us-HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!" In a flash, the Poltergust was on, and the ghosts screamed as they were pulled "off the screen" and into the vacuum. "I can't believe I fell for a trick which I avoided last time," Luigi muttered, facepalming himself. "The coins are probably real, too." He vacuumed the coins up from the screen. (Purple Coins: 55/100)

"Well, that was an epic movie," Axel muttered sarcastically as we walked back into the foyer. "So, now what? How about I keep checking down here while you guys look upstairs?"

"Alright then, Axel, we'll leave it to you! Come on, let's start checking upstairs!" I shouted, running up the stairs with Terra and Luigi in tow.

However, in the middle of the stairs, three ghosts-one blue, one orange, and one pink-popped out from the walls, laughing sinisterly. Terra screamed in surprise and hid behind me. "Stay back!" I shouted, bending over to point F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzle at them. "I have a gun, and I'm not afraid to use it!"

"What gu-" Terra began, but was interrupted by the ghosts laughing and lunging at us.

"NOW, F.L.U.D.D.!" I shouted. Immediately, I pushed the buttons on F.L.U.D.D.'s handles, and he unleashed three quick jets of water which smashed the ghosts backward into the wall. Luigi raised the Poltergust 5000, and quickly vacuumed them up. But five more ghosts swirled up from behind us and blasted Luigi away. "Terra, strike them with an emerald or something!" I shouted.

"Hai!" Terra replied, and waved her hands, causing emerald shards to appear out of thin air and fly at the ghosts, impaling them and killing-no wait, they're already dead-destroying them. "So that's why you didn't want to come back…" Terra commented. "I didn't think there would be so many ghosts here."

Terra, Luigi and I reached the top of the stairs, and my eyes fell immediately across the open door to the ballroom where Frozen Fitzgerald had apparently been fought. That WOULD be the perfect place for a lot of Purple Coins…but I decided not to go there quite yet. "Alright, so this door was locked when I came here," I muttered to myself, testing the four keys Crystal gave me. The Mist Valley key opened it, and I threw open the door to a bedroom.

The bedroom was designed very lavishly, with most of the furniture made out of a soft silk. Soft pink and orange colors streaked through the walls in flowing designs. Considering the colors of the Mist Valley key, it made perfect sense. "Cool! There are Purple Coins here!" I shouted, jumping onto the bed and ricocheting off to the ceiling, grabbing 3 Purple Coins. (Purple Coins: 58/100)

Terra opened a wardrobe and looked inside, then noticed a dress in the Mist Valley colors and pulled it out briefly. "This is a nice dress…" she commented.

"Focus on it later!" Luigi ordered, causing Terra to jump in surprise. "For now, look for the Purple Coins!" He gazed at a TV in the room, then turned on his vacuum, sucking a Purple Coin out of it. (Purple Coins: 59/100) "What is it with movies and Purple Coins, anyway?" he wondered to himself.

"We'll never know," Terra replied, shrugging. She looked in some boxes in the wardrobe and pulled out two more Purple Coins. (61/100) "Is this everything?"

"Yeah, looks like it," Luigi replied. "Let's go." We exited to go to another Bedroom, but this time we found no Purple Coins. "This process is annoying," Luigi grumbled. "Mario, are you sure we shouldn't go to the Ballroom yet?"

"Yeah, I'm sure!" I replied firmly. "Hey, cool, there's a recreation room here!" We looked inside, and there was a pool table, a dartboard, and a chess set…all of which were being played by themselves.

"That looks a bit suspicious," Luigi commented, watching the cue ball fly and hit three balls…all of which went flying off the table and began to bounce off the walls, ignoring the laws of gravity. "WTF?" Luigi screamed and dropped to the floor before the balls could hit him. Then the balls continued to ricochet until they reached their original position. "Okay, that does it!" Luigi growled, and he raised his flashlight, pressing a button and activating strobe function, sending rapidly flashing light through the room and causing all the invisible ghosts around the room to scream and shield their eyes. Terra and I had to cover our eyes, too; strobe lights are pretty painful. Anyway, Luigi vacuumed all the ghosts up in an instant.

"That was some HARDCORE billiards," I commented, opening some boxes and chess sets and finding 6 more Purple Coins. (Purple Coins: 67/100) "Okay, Terra, Luigi and I will head upstairs to the Ballroom! Can you finish up on this floor?"

"I'll try," Terra replied, looking into a drawer and digging around in it a little.

Luigi and I burst into the ballroom…which looked completely busted. Immediately, we could see 12 Purple Coins among the broken chairs and tables, 3 behind a piano which strangely was unharmed, and 5 on the chandelier which glinted in the moonlight beautifully. But in the center of the room, dark blue bolts of shadow flickered around dangerously. "What the heck is that?" I asked.

But Luigi wasn't listening. He was raising his flashlight and shining it around. "No ghosts," he finally declared, putting it down. "This should be easy, provided you don't hurt yourself on the debris. It's pretty sharp…" His voice trailed off when he noticed the small flashes of blue lightning. "Oh god…has it not completely disappeared?"

"What are you talking about, Luigi? Spill it right now!" I shouted, balling my fists. I swear, if he was hiding anything else he did from me…

"Frozen Fitzgerald created a portal to the World of Darkness here," Luigi replied. "It's still open, from the looks of it, but barely. Don't go near that thing, or else you'll get sucked into a place which is probably going to be Hell…or worse."

"Okay…so what should we do about it?" I asked. But I wasn't able to get an answer before chaos began.

Suddenly, from out of the intersecting bolts of shadow, globs of purple goo went flying out and splattered all over us. "EW GROSS!" Luigi shouted, recoiling in horror. The goo oozed to the ground, and we watched as two pools of goo appeared at our feet…before they suddenly rose from the ground in spheres, slowly duplicating and sticking together. "Wait…" Luigi gasped. "Don't tell me these are…"

Then, more goo spiraled to the larger clumps in the room. "RUN!" I shouted, remembering it was gathering right where we were standing. Luigi and I ran in different directions, the clumps beginning to follow us after a small period of time. And then the clumps finally took solid form…into tiny, hatless versions of Luigi and me! "Just as I thought! The Cosmic Clones!" I shouted, grabbing onto the edge of a table and jumping over it, though I caught my foot on the table and slammed into the ground, but quickly picked myself up and kept running. The Cosmic Clone followed, completely imitating the moves I just did, right down to catching his foot on the table in the exact same place and crashing into the floor in the exact same way.

"To think they were hiding in the World of Darkness like that!" Luigi growled. "But what were they doing there?" He ran over to several Purple Coins, hurled himself above the rubble, and grabbed them. (Purple Coins: 71/100) "Never mind, we can find out later! Call the others or something!"

At this moment, F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzle turned by itself. "Don't worry, Mario! I'll stop them myself!" Ignoring my shout that it was useless, F.L.U.D.D. fired a stream of water at my Cosmic Clone…which passed through it entirely. "What? What is that thing? It won't be hit by my attack?" F.L.U.D.D. was stunned.

"Cosmic Clones can't be hurt by anything we do!" I replied, jumping onto a chair and lunging at a Purple Coin in the air. (Purple Coins: 72/100) But in the process, I kicked the chair away. My Cosmic Clone jumped after me…and sprang off the space where the chair had been a moment ago, despite the fact that nothing was there anymore. "These things don't let us rest at all!"

It was at this moment that Terra walked into the ballroom. "Mario, Luigi, I've finished searching the second fl-" She stopped when she saw the Cosmic Clones chasing us, and stared for a long moment, completely dumbstruck. "Uh…why are you guys playing Follow the Leader?"

"We're not playing!" I shouted, as Luigi ran in one direction and I ran in another. I jumped over a table and grabbed a Purple Coin. (Purple Coins: 73/100) Luigi began to climb over the same table, but suddenly my Clone jumped and clubbed Luigi in the side of the head with its foot.

Luigi let out a yelp and fell off the table, onto the ground. Then Luigi's Clone began to climb onto the table, and suddenly flew back like Luigi had…while the real Luigi was getting up! "ARGH!" Luigi shouted, flying backward as the Clone struck him. He tried to get up again, but then the Clone began to get up and imitated him flying backwards, striking Luigi again! "THIS ISN'T FAIR!" Luigi complained.

Terra was so dumbfounded by what she just saw that she didn't know what to say. Finally, she told us, "Run around near the walls. I can collect the coins easier that way." So we did, and Terra gathered the Coins one by one. (Purple Coins: 79/100) Then she began to slowly walk towards the piano, eying it suspiciously …and bolting away with a scream as the piano displayed its teeth. Luigi quickly ran in and swiped the Purple Coins before the piano could make another move. (Purple Coins: 82/100)

"Here goes!" I shouted. "I'm pop flying!" (I have no idea why the heck I said that O_o) I jumped onto a table, then lunged at the wall and pushed off, landing on the chandelier. I reached over and grabbed all 5 Purple Coins before my Clone caught up and sent me flying off. (Purple Coins: 87/100) "Ow…" I groaned as I got up (but I made sure to get out of the way before my Clone could hit me). "Hey, wait, what the heck?"

Outside the shattered window were 5 Purple Coins! I wracked my brains trying to find out how we missed them while running to avoid the Cosmic Clone. Finally Terra guessed, "They must have been placed in a way such that it was impossible to see them from the ground. But did Aeron find out?"

"I'll get them!" I shouted, jumping out the window. "F.L.U.D.D., change nozzles!" F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzle glowed blue and morphed into two shorter blasters pointing downward, and they began to shoot water towards the ground, propelling me in the air towards the Purple Coins. "Yes! I've got them!" I exclaimed.

"Mario, we have a problem! We're running out of water!" I suddenly heard F.L.U.D.D. shout, and I knew perfectly what that meant.

Gradually, I found myself beginning to plummet. "OH CRAP!" I shouted, reaching up towards the Purple Coins. "Must…get…coins…"

Luigi long jumped out the window. "Don't worry, Mario!" he shouted. "I'll get them!" But then, as he approached me, my Cosmic Clone was right in his path! "IMPOSSIBLE!" Luigi shouted, bumping into the Cosmic Clone and falling towards the ground.

In a flash, Aeron (who we had completely forgot was here) sprang off the roof of the Starshroom, jumped off my head, and grabbed all 5 Purple Coins. (Purple Coins: 92/100) "Can't believe I didn't notice them," he muttered as he dropped to the ground.

I began to pull myself upward. "Dangit, Aeron, why did you have to-HUAL!" I didn't get to finish, because my Cosmic Clone quickly caught up.

Axel walked out of the mansion. "Hey, I found 4 more Purple Coins!" he shouted…and then saw Luigi and I pretty much in an infinite loop of pain because the Cosmic Clones were RIGHT ON TOP OF US. "O_o…what happened upstairs?" he wondered. (Purple Coins: 96/100)

"Actually, we found 4 out here," Aeron replied. "So we have all 100 Purple Coins! (Purple Coins: 100/100) "Mario, Luigi, let's get you out of that infinite loop." He raised his hand, and green energy began to pull in around it. "Shinsei Bakuha!" Two quick green bullets flew from his hand, blasting Luigi and I far away from the Clones. "Alright, everyone, pull out your Purple Coins!" Aeron shouted.

Terra walked out of the mansion, Luigi and I ran around a bit more from the Cosmic Clones, and then we finally put all 100 Purple Coins on top of each other. They fused into one Purple Coin, and the star shaped design began to glow…there were two loud screams and a lot of purple goo from our Cosmic Clones, and a Power Star flew out of the now hollow Purple Coin!

"That was SO not worth it," I groaned. "Let's just…get the Star…and get out of here…"

WE GOT A STAR!

While we were flying back to Starship Mario, though, there was a bright streak of light, and a comet surged past us to a distant galaxy. "What the-? When did we get another Comet Medal?" I wondered.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," Aeron replied, sweating a little and scratching the back of his head. "While we were in the Snowy Summit Galaxy, I also obtained a Comet Medal."

"FFFFUUUUUUUUUU-"

The rest of this conversation has been omitted due to excessive bad language and spilled blood. Most of the bad language and spilled blood were thanks to the author, who started beating us up while screaming at us to stop ruining his "Fan Service." Oh yes, Ray and Crystal rejoin the group.

"Well, here we are again," Luigi declared as the Starshroom landed on the snow covered ground of a mountain valley. (How do we have to go through this Galaxy AGAIN? -_-) "But it doesn't look like there are any Purple Coins or whatever…"

"And you're sure there aren't any traps?" Crystal asked, tossing a stone and trying to hear the reverberating sound, but then a gust of wind blew up, drowning out the shark crack of stone on stone. "At the bottom of this mountain, the winds are the worst. It's hard for me to hear clearly with it."

"You can probably hear better than we can," Ray shouted over the wind. "I can barely hear myself!"

"These are not good conditions to be under," Axel complained, watching the snow swirl around us. "From the looks of it, the weather got worse while we were away. In addition, there's no guarantee a Star will be where we saw it last. And who knows what weird challenge will await us this time?"

"Well, Lumas, can you detect where the Star's coming from?" I asked.

Immediately, my Luma popped out and began to probe for the Star. "The snow's too thick; it's messing with my senses," he complained. "But I think I feel it coming from there!" He pointed at the vast mountain. "Somewhere inside there!"

Aeron strode away. "I'll get above the clouds and try sensing for it," he called, somehow managing to make himself heard over the intense winds. Then, with another gust, he was flying into the air, away from us into the spiraling snow!

"Wait, he can fly too? Where do you guys' powers end?" I shouted.

"Aeron's basic powers are wind and thunder," Axel replied, also walking away. "It's wind that allows him to do this. But enough said. Let's get moving."

"That path Mario, Axel and I used last time will be too hard to navigate in this weather…" Terra decided, "so we should head the way Luigi did last time."

"Icy paths aren't too bad for me," Crystal replied, shrugging, "so I'll take this route like I did when I came here." She turned to walk towards the path Terra had just said wasn't a good idea. "This mountain is huge. It'd be a good idea if we split up to look for it in several different places."

"In that case, Luigi and I will go with Crystal," Axel declared. "The Toad Brigade will go off over to that path…" He pointed towards a hidden trail which we didn't notice up the side of the mountain, too small for humans. "Mario, Ray and Terra will go through that valley. The steep mountains surrounding it will mean there's less wind and snow, so it'll be easier for you to see and move. Okay! Let's go!"

"Right! Here we go!" I declared, running off in the endless stream of snow in the air, towards the valley. Terra and Ray began to follow as well.

However, Terra looked back to see how Axel, Crystal and Luigi were doing…and then spotted something. "Wait, what are those purple spheres in the air? They're gathering together…and following us!" A bit terrified, she ran ahead of us. "Guys, look out! Behind you!"

"Huh?" Ray and I looked back to see the huge clump of purple goo. "OH CRAP! SO THIS IS WHAT THE COMET'S DOING!" I shouted.

And then from the mass of goo, the Cosmic Clone reappeared, screaming (in a rather high-pitched voice) "LET'S GO! :D"

"What is that?" Ray wondered, a bit freaked out. "It looks like a chibi Mario!" He tried firing a laser at it, but it passed right through the clone. "That's just…FREAKY!" Ray commented. "But at least there's only one…"

"Wait, why is there more goo in the air?" Terra wondered, as suddenly more purple goo clumped to form a second Cosmic Clone, and a third after it! More and more appeared, until 10 Cosmic Clones were following me! "10 Clones?" Terra gasped.

"Hey, at least you're not the one they're chasing!" I retorted. Each Clone was following every single action I did, and running everywhere I had been. "But keep running! If they catch up, it'll pretty much be Hell for us to move around without hitting one!"

"I'll just trip this one!" Ray declared, sticking out his foot in front of a Clone. It touched him…and Ray went flying. "OW! What the heck?"

"They hurt anyone they touch!" Terra realized. "But…what if they don't have anywhere to go?" As I landed and ran away, Terra thrust out her hand, and a giant chasm appeared in the ground where I had been. I yelled and ran as fast as I could, trying to keep ahead of the crumbling rock. But then the Clone landed where I had been when Terra began to create the fissure…and continued to run on the air! "Bakana…" Terra breathed in dismay, watching the Clones continue their pursuit.

"Stop it! You guys are just hurting yourselves if you try to stop them! They can't be stopped unless we find the Star!" I shouted. "Come on! Follow me!" We ran through the valley, the Clones hot on our heels. "Is there any way to get away from them?" I wondered.

"They'll keep chasing you," Ray retorted. "But we can escape easily. Terra?" Terra nodded and threw out her hand, and rocks began to protrude out of the walls, allowing Ray and Terra to run up them and keep away from the Clones. However, the winds began to pick up, and the two began to slow, hindered by the strong gusts and now the snow whipping in front of them. "Turn it into a tunnel!" Ray shouted.

"Hai!" Terra replied, thrusting her hand out again. This time, the walls curved up next to and over them, providing cover from the weather.

"Well, they're safe," I muttered, "but I'm still being chased." I rounded a corner, dropped off a short ledge, and continued running. Suddenly, there was a rumble, and from above frozen rocks and snow began to fall towards me! "An avalanche!" I shouted, continuing to run. "I'll have to long jump to get away!" But no matter how many times I long jumped, it still didn't seem like I could get away. And I didn't have enough time to put on my penguin suit… "Crap, what do I do?" I wondered.

It was at that moment that I suddenly noticed an Ice Flower growing nearby! "Yes! That'll save me!" I shouted, grabbing it. Light blue pollen covered me and turned me transparent, and I immediately began to skate across the snow, my slippery feet sliding over the ice nicely. The boulders crashed a few feet behind me, but the shockwave sent me tumbling head over heels. The Clones sailed through the boulders unharmed, and I had to quickly get to my feet before they could hit me AGAIN.

Terra and Ray jumped out of the tunnel at that moment, as it exploded behind them in dust and bits of rock-probably because of the avalanche. Terra screamed and fell face-first into the snow, but Ray rolled and got to his feet immediately. "Mario, are they sti-" Ray's voice trailed off when he saw the Clones sliding out of the boulders. "Oh, come on…" He picked up Terra and ran away with me. "Will they ever stop chasing us? I mean, do they get tired or anything?"

"If I get tired, sure," I replied. "But in that case, I wouldn't be able to continue, so considering I am the most awesome, would you really want that?"

"Yes," Ray replied automatically. (What the heck is wrong with him? D:)

At this point, we reached the large hole in the ground which the Starshroom created by crashing before. "There's the path up!" I shouted, pointing at the zigzagging trail up the mountain. "We're almost there. If I can just keep running to the top-"

"We don't have enough energy to run from them that far!" Terra cut off my words, swinging her arm to the side. Pillars of rock burst up underneath our feet, and as we jumped off, continuing forward, Terra created another one, even higher, and I sprang up the pillars quickly with my awesomeness, reaching the cave which we hid in during the blizzard in no time. And there was the Star! "Yes! We got it!" I shouted, running towards the Star.

"Mario, wait-" Terra began, only just entering the cave.

WE GOT A STAR!

From the cave all the way to Starship Mario, it wasn't until I reached the Starship that I noticed something… "Hey, where are the others?" I suddenly wondered, looking around.

"Wait, WHAT?" Lubba toppled over when he heard this. "YOU LEFT EVERYONE BEHIND? WHAT THE HECK, CAPTAIN!"

"But they were too slow!" I argued. "So it's not my fault…right?"

"Urgh, never mind…" Lubba muttered, face-palming himself. "I don't think I can argue with this guy…"

At that moment, there were two bright flashes of light, and then Terra and Ray were standing on the Starship. Their Lumas flashed and disappeared into Terra's bracelets/Ray's jacket. "Good thing we had the Lumas' power and help," Terra sighed.

I wasn't paying attention to them until I heard heavy footsteps approaching me quickly, and then suddenly I was yanked backwards and spun around to look at an unusually angry Ray. "Okay, what the heck, Mario! Just what were you thinking now?"

"Wh-what? Ray, what are you saying?" I protested, not understanding.

Ray wasn't angry normally, but now he was blowing off a heck lot of steam. "You left us behind with all the Cosmic Clones entering the cavern even after Terra made those rock pillars which helped you get up to the Star! How selfish can you get, Mario?"

"Hey, we need to get Stars so this thing can travel and we can stop Bowser, remember?" I protested. "I'm just putting our goals first!"

"EXACTLY!" Ray raged, grabbing me by the shoulders. "So you're saying as long as Bowser is defeated, we're expendable? Are you calling us your tools?"

"Ray, Mario, please stop!" Terra held up her hands to push us apart, but we ignored her.

"Ray, what would you prefer, you dying or the universe?" I hollered. "You're putting your own existence in front of your friends'?"

"The Sunstrikers don't do it like, 'We will sacrifice our friends for our dreams!'" Ray yelled in my face. "What we say is, 'We will put our own lives on the line for our dreams!' Don't you get it? If Terra and I were trapped in a death-trap which only one could escape from, I wouldn't kick her in the face and let her fall as I escaped! Even if it meant both our deaths, I'd still try to save the both of us!"

"But this is the universe we're talking about right now!" I protested. "So-"

"I don't care if it's all of existence, I'm not going to have my life turned into a stepping stone to save it!" Ray shouted. "Do you get that?"

"Kimi-tachi…YAMERO! (You guys…STOP!)" Terra shouted, and she shoved us both apart violently with an earthquake. Both of us staggered from the blow, and when we got up, the rage and sorrow in Terra's eyes was even more staggering. "Please don't fight!" Terra begged. "I don't want to see you two fighting! You're both my friends…" Both Ray and I began to argue, but we were cut short when we noticed tears streaming down Terra's face, and she then ran off. Neither of us knew what to do…

An awkward silence passed between us. Finally, Ray just walked off, leaving me alone on the deck. I stood there for several eternal minutes, wondering what just happened in our group.