The monster roared in wrath as he dragged himself towards the pedestal. Wasting no time, I threw electricity at the monster, hitting its shoulder. He saw me and, instead of the slow walk it was doing, launched himself at me. I created a small force field around me, and the energy coursed through the monster as it landed on it. I closed the force field, and used a blast of my power to throw it against the room on the opposite room of Wendy, causing the monster to smash into the wall. I watched Wendy shudder at the sound of another monster roaring, and I approached her.

"Ignore them as best as you can." I said to her. "No monster will hurt you; that's what we're here for. Focus on the monster you are fighting with."

She nodded, and recomposed herself. One monster breathed ice across the battle field, and the only person that was hit was Peasley. Managed to gather fire, I blasted the ground, freeing the prince. He dodged the monster's attack, and sliced though the monster's skin with his sword, causing thick red blood to flow from it. The prince turned, thanked me, and resumed his battle. I turned to the monster I was fighting earlier, and tried to dodge his attack to no avail. His giant hand snatched me, and I was lifted off the ground. I couldn't lift my arms, so the only thing I could do was summon all of my fire in my hands, burning the monster's flesh and causing him to drop me. I did something that resembled a backflip, making my blades collide with the beast's chin. He screamed in fury as he hit the ground. I electrocuted him for good measure, and was about to turn and fight the next monster when Rose was launched in the air. I chased after her, and caught her before her face met ice.

I set her down, and she thanked me, focusing her white magic. I stood my ground as another monster (probably the one that was fighting Rose) charged at me. I caused my flames to explode in the monster's face as he got too close to us. It was sent flying back into the monster I had knocked into the ground earlier. I watched as white energy caressed me as well as Waluigi and Peasley. The white power didn't touch Wendy for fear that it would distract her. Once Rose was done healing the party, she thanked me again for protecting her, and she resumed her fight with the monster that went after her.

I watched as Peasley gracefully landed on the ground after making a grave wound within the brute. It charged at him, and Peasley shouted 'heads up' at us. All at once, we all shielded our eyes (Wendy closed hers tighter) as the prince flipped his hair, causing a blinding white light to fill the battlefield. A few seconds passed, and I opened my eyes, and watched as Peasley leaped into action once again.

"Wa…Waluigi." Wendy spoke softly. "Are….are you still alive?"

I took Waluigi's place as he approached her. "Yes I am."

"Is…everyone alright?"

"Yes; don't worry about us. We'll be fine. Just focus on your job."

She nodded, and tears filled her eyes.

"Remember what Eugene told you!" I screamed as I dodged an attack. "Keep your chin up and your eyes dry."

Wendy started crying, and Rose broke away from the fighting. She gently casted a wind spell towards Wendy and her tears slowed down. Getting an idea, I let my electricity flow from my fingers, and it slithered like a snake towards her. It slowly wrapped around her, letting the energy fill her but not shock her. Waluigi gently used his flames to wrap around her arms, and he made it take the shape of a heart on her chest. She smiled, rolling her neck and kept it lifted up. Waluigi's flames dried her face from her tears, and she tanked all of us. Peasley said 'heads up' again and flipped his hair. The light wasn't as bright as last time, but it still reassured Wendy that we were there for her. She thanked all of us, and went back to her duties with newfound purpose.

Before we could face the demons again, the ground started to tremble violently under us. The monsters retreated back into their coffins without another word or sound. The tremors continued long after the monsters retreated and we all fell to the ground (minus Wendy) after losing our balance. Peasley tried to stand, but he landed on the ground again. The quakes got worse, and my hands felt colder than usual. Concerned, I looked down.

Water was on the ground.

"Guys…" I said my voice layered with fear. "I think…I think we have to go."

"We can't leave Wendy!" Rose shouted.

I faced her. "The Temple is sinking into the sea! We will drown if we don't move now!"

The Dark Ice shattered, and reassembled itself around Wendy, imprisoning her with its power. Peasley screamed that this was the last trial for Wendy to go through.

"Don't say that, Luigi!" Waluigi screamed at me. "You know her fears…"

Shit. I had forgotten.

The water continued to fill the room, and the torches were put out at the first touch of the icy waters. Luma sat on my head, and illuminated the room so we could see. In little time, the waters had reached the edge of the platform, and Wendy jerked slightly, feeling the water's touch. I watched her face be consumed with fear.

"Waluigi!" I screamed at him. "The Dark Ice is trying to make Wendy give up! It knows her true fear and is using it against her."

Transferring his power, Waluigi parted the water around Wendy, telling her that everything was alright. She nodded (her head was the only thing free), and focused on her task. Luma flew away to warn the others of the situation, but unfortunately leaving us all in the dark. The only light that was visible was the occasional spark from the Dark Ice. Slowly, all three of us swam to the pedestal, pulling ourselves out of the icy waters but being careful not to scare Wendy.

The walls of water increased in height, and was soon over our heads. Luma flew back, and squeezed in the little space between the ceiling and the water. He peeped that everyone on the boat knew of the situation, and were afraid for us. I told Luma to go back, but he didn't move. He sat on my hat, illuminating the area.

"Luma." I scolded. "Do as you are told."

"No." he backfired. "Luma stay with Mama."

"Please." I whispered. "Go back with Uncle Mar-Mar."

"But…but Mama stay here. Mama drown." He whispered to not scare Wendy.

"Baby, I need you to protect Flower and Uncle Mar-Mar for me. You can transform into a Star and be a Star for someone else who deserves it."

"No." tears were building in his eyes. "Luma Mama's Star. Mama's Star forever and ever and ever."

"Do as you are told, Luma." Peasley whispered. "Be there for Red Head Pirate and Mr. Pirate Man as well."

"But…but…" Luma flew to my chest, crying softly.

"Please." I fought not to cry. "Go. Mama love Luma."

"Luma…Luma love Mama."

He kissed my nose and I kissed the top of his head as he flew away, leaving us in the dark once again. I turned to Rose, and said that she should follow Luma. She almost fired at me, but I countered before she could speak, saying it was what her sister would want to do. Tears filled her eyes, and nodded, telling me to protect her sister with everything I had. I held her for a few seconds, and Rose charged into the wall of water, swimming out of the trap. Peasley told me the he was doing the same, and that I should as well.

"No." I whispered. "Waluigi…"

"They will die together if this doesn't work." The prince snapped at me. "We need to go; Waluigi can't protect us all. It will allow him to decrease the area he is preventing the water to touch, saving him energy."

He had a good argument, so I nodded. I walked to Waluigi, and he nodded. I thanked him for everything that he had done, and Peasley and I charged into the waters. It literally felt like running into an ice block; the water was extremely cold, and it took Peasley and me a few seconds to recollect ourselves before we swam for the exit. Peasley flipped his hair a little, showing us the way to go with the light. We clawed through the waters until we broke surface. We treaded for a bit until Rose used her power to throw us onto the ship. Fiamo embraced Peasley, the fear of his prince's death overwhelming him. I chattered my teeth for a little bit before I felt Luma give me a towel.

"Where's Waluigi?" Brian asked.

We stayed silent, answering his question.

I looked out to sea again, and the location of the Temple of Diamonds was no longer seen. The entire Temple was submerged under the water. There was a slight moment of silence, and it was broken when Rose tried to swallow back a sob. I turned, and she was fighting so hard not to cry. I got Brian's attention, and he held Rose against him. She held him back, burying her face into his shoulder as she tried not to cry. It didn't last long. Big tears swelled in her eyes when she looked at Brian, and he gently brushed them away with his thumb. As soon as he did, about three more tears fell from her eyes, and Rose closed her eyes.

"Not again." She whispered. "Please…not again."

Brian held her hands tight as she softly sobbed, tilting her head down. A single tear fell from her face and onto Brian's foot. He rested her head on his chest and held her against him. He closed his eyes, and a single tear of his own slid down his face as he kissed the top of her head lightly. They stayed like that for a few minutes, and she shifted her position, resting the side of her head on his chest and standing closer to him.

There was a thick moment of silence. Suddenly, the water's surface exploded, and both Wendy and Waluigi were propelled into the air and landed on the deck. Wendy coughed up water on the deck as Rose knelt down to her and got her wet winter coat off. As soon as the coat was off, Wendy coughed up a stream of water, choking in the process. I gave her my towel and Mario used his flames to warm her up and dry her off. Waluigi dried himself off and made sure Wendy was alright. With a little struggle, she stood up and faced us all. She gently lifted her hand, and white snow traveled through her fingers. With a little more effort, the snow had turned into a purple so dark it looked black. She let her hand fall to her side, diminishing the power in the process.

"I am really proud of you, Wendy." Eugene said as Rose embraced her sister. "Not many people can gain control of the dark arts."

"The Ice Illusion spoke to me." Wendy responded. "I could hear it as the waters crashed around us. It warned me that I only had one shot to get the seal spell correct and lock away Bonechill. He warned me that if I succeeded, then there would be no harm done, but if I failed, the darkness would possess me and possibly destroy me; making me into the new Dark Ice beacon. Since the Temple was destroyed, the dark Ice would melt, and I would perish."

"This is definitely something we cannot take lightly." Peasley responded. "We all need to make sure we are 100% confident in each other as well as ourselves. Not only would Wendy die from this, but life as we know it would be utterly destroyed."

Too many thoughts were running through my mind at that moment. I couldn't comprehend what anyone was saying. Silently, I walked into the boat and down the stairs into the crew's sleeping quarters. The actual crew wasn't there; they were frozen in Toad Town. I curled into a ball in one of the cots and sobbed in fear. I was so terrified that we wouldn't succeed…and we would just have to watch the world slowly dissolve in ice. My sobbing grew to soft wails. They would have been louder, but I didn't want to scare or alarm anyone. I think I cried for about an hour before I felt a hand rest on my head. I sniffed, and made no attempt of figuring out who it was.

"Why are you crying?" Peasley asked softly after a few minutes.

I sat up, and saw not only Peasley, but Fiamo as well. Both of them looked genuinely concerned for me, and I averted my eyes. Fiamo knelt down and held my hands, asking softly if I needed to talk to someone. I shook my head as I bit my tongue to not cry out loud. Fiamo stayed with me as Peasley went back upstairs. A few minutes passed, and I looked up to see everyone come downstairs.

"Shouldn't…shouldn't someone watch the deck?" I stuttered.

"We are already in Beanbean docks." Brian explained.

Daisy sat down next to me, and took one of my hands. I looked up, and noticed that everyone was sitting in what looked like a poor attempt at a circle. I laughed lightly, and Fiamo sat on the other side of me. We waited for a few seconds, and I sighed.

"Well, let's get the ball rolling, shall we?" Fiamo stated. "Well, one of my biggest fears is that I won't get to see Peasley again after this. I'll have to go back to the Teacup after all of this terror is over."

"No matter how far apart we are, I will still love you." Peasley answered kissing his hand. Fiamo nodded, and Peasley went next. "There is a tradition in Beanbean that runs through the Royal Family. This tradition is that a prince must go to each kingdom and prove their loyalty and alliance to that Royal Family in order to be recognized as a possible ruler for Beanbean. My time is coming for this mission, and it terrifies me."

"Do you have to do this on your own?" Fiamo asked. "I would be a body guard for you if I am allowed to join."

Peasley nodded. "I would be honored to have you guard me."

"Luma worried about Mama." He squeaked from Mario's shoulder. "But Luma know Mama be okay in end. Mama stronger than Mama think."

I smiled. Mario and Peach had the same fear; not being able to restore peace in the Mushroom Kingdom after all of this is over. Eugene's biggest fear is what to do after the ice melts, and Peasley offered him to study more of the Dark Arts at the Academy there, and he nodded, accepting the offer. Wendy was afraid that she wouldn't be able to control the new Dark Ice ability, but everyone told her that she could since she already had the power of ice. Brian was worried about the well-being of his crew while Rose wanted Brian to stay for a few days after this was all over. Waluigi told Daisy to go next; that he had a lot to sort out in his head. She explained that she had been away from her Kingdom for too long, and feared that it was time for her to restore peace from when Tatanga attacked years ago.

"I worry and fear a lot." Waluigi said facing me. "I know I talked to you about this earlier, Luigi, but I feel that more people than just you need to know this. Wendy and I have been dating for about half a year, but a lot of people tell me that the relationship won't work; that Wendy is using me." I watched Wendy's eyes grow in rage. "I know that she isn't; what do I have that she wants? I want nothing from her either other than her love. My fear is that people will go out of their way to try and ruin the relationship we built over the small time we have been dating."

"Well, if they do; just let me know." Rose answered first. "I'll teach them a lesson or two about messing with my sister and her happiness with you."

"As I mentioned before, I am quite shocked that this happened for you, Waluigi." I answered trying to not break in tears. "Not the mortified, confused 'what in the world does she see in him' shock; more if the 'pleasant surprise' shock. Knowing your…previous relationships… I feared that you would have given up. Not only did you prove me wrong and everyone else wrong; you also made a lot of people envious of what you two share as not only friends, but as a couple. Personally, I don't think you should stress over it. It probably will happen. Just remember where your heart is; in Doctor Wendy's care."

A few moments of silence passed.

"Thank you, Luigi." Wendy whispered. "I'm glad you feel that way."

"He basically spoke for all of us." Daisy added holding my hand tighter.

"Luigi?" I faced Fiamo as he spoke my name. "Is there something you need to say?"

I nodded, and took a deep breath. "I feel that I am overthinking everything and stating the obvious, but my biggest fear is that this…this nightmare will never end. I feel like I am the only one not confident in myself about this fight. It scared me so bad; I haven't been able to rest for the past few nights because of this fear. Nightmares of Dimentio's laugh echo all through the night and make me wake up in a cold sweat. The first look of Bonechill we got is an image that was ingrained in my mind; it is worse than Fawful's smile. I know that some people are strong enough to live through the fight. Their magic will aid them. Brian's courage will get him through it as well as Fiamo's precise aim. But…but I don't feel strong. I don't feel confident in myself. I am afraid that I'll be the sole reason this doesn't work out."

I stopped, fighting with every fiber in my being not to cry. I was thrown for a loop when Eugene stood up, and embraced me. I didn't hold him back or push him away; I really didn't know what to do. He faced me, and knelt down to my height when I sat back down.

"I know how lost you feel." He spoke softly. "You shouldn't feel this way; you have all of us to help you. You have an amazing relationship with your brother and with everyone here. To be honest, I don't think I would be here with you if it weren't for you and Luma. I know the feeling of being afraid of screwing up everything. I felt that the entire time I was working with Dimentio. When he told me that I did screw up, and that I was no longer part of the plot, I had no idea what to do. I was left in Boo Woods to make a decision for myself, and I was completely lost. Luma told me that I had more purpose than serving 'Clown Man' as he put it; that there was so much more for me to do. I'm glad I listened to him and you. Luigi, you are a hell of a lot stronger than you think you are. Sure, it won't come at first, but when it comes to the safety of the people you care for, you can do amazing things. I have mental proof, and I am sure somewhere there is video proof. Never doubt yourself; it will blind you of the very things that could save you."

I was at a complete loss of what to say. Eugene sat down again, and I could barely make a sound. After a minute, I mentioned that I had no idea of the impact I made on him, and he responded that that was the kind of power I possess for the people I care for the most. We decided the next thing we should do is to get some well-deserved sleep, for Mario mentioned that the big fight could happen as early as tomorrow morning. We gathered our things, and traveled from the docks to the Castle. As soon as we got there, everyone went to their own rooms.

"Eugene." I stopped him. "Thank you for everything."

He shrugged. "Let's just say that it was my way of repaying you. Get some sleep; you deserve it tonight…we all do."