The Temple of the Sun
00:00
Not much had happened since Peach, Luigi and Toadsworth had last ventured down the stairs. There had been no further visit from King Shroude, and they hadn't found out any more information about the Sun Souls. Currently they were trying to find some way to pass the time, but it wasn't working very well.
"Oh, I can't stand it any longer," Peach finally fumed, standing up quickly. "I can't stand just sitting up here and not knowing what's going on, when Mario could be in danger for all we know!"
"Now… Peach, we shouldn't go down those stairs unless we absolutely have to," Luigi said timidly. "We could get in big trouble if we're caught. We have to stay safe."
Peach rolled her eyes. "Oh, Luigi… if we do nothing but stay up here, then we'll never find out where the next Sun Soul is and no one will be safe!" She marched over to the clock. "Now come on, you two! I'm through with waiting!"
"It's no use, lad… she's always like this," Toadsworth muttered to Luigi as they walked after her. "I can't get her to stay put no matter what I do. It's a wonder she doesn't get kidnapped even more often."
Peach opened up the stairway under the clock, and once again, the group made their way slowly down to the lower floor of the Temple. They arrived in the ornate gold and green hallway, and looking around, they saw that it was empty.
"Princess Peach, if you don't mind my asking… what exactly is our plan?" asked Luigi. It was clear from the look on his face that he didn't like being down here one bit.
Peach just shrugged. "We do what we always do, Luigi… we look around for clues! Now let's go!"
So they walked quietly down the hallway, with Peach taking the lead as she pulled open every door on each side and glanced into every room. Unfortunately, all of them were empty.
"I knew this was a bad idea," Luigi whimpered. "We're not going to find anything, and we're going to get caught, and – "
"Oh, my! What's this room?"
Peach had just pulled open the door to the large room where King Shroude had last held his meeting with the Darkstriders. Luigi recognized the place instantly; this was the room he'd had to infiltrate. This time, however, the windows were dark and the room was almost completely impossible to see.
"This place is beautiful," Peach breathed. Even without the light, she could make out the vaulting ceiling, the red carpet, and the altar at the far end. "I wonder what sort of things are in here?"
"Princess, this is highly unadvisable," Toadsworth snapped as Peach walked down the carpet, gazing around at the room. "Clearly there's nothing in here. We should leave before it's too late."
"Toadsworth, I'm just looking around," she assured him. "What's the harm in that? After all, there could be an important clue hidden somewhere in here!"
Toadsworth and Luigi reluctantly decided she wouldn't be swayed. And so all three of them wandered up the red carpet, glancing around nervously before they finally arrived at the altar.
"We really shouldn't be in here… what if we get caught?" Luigi protested.
"We're not going to be caught, Luigi. All we have to do is – "
"My lord? You summoned us?"
Everyone jumped in complete horror upon hearing the familiar voice coming from the entrance.
Peach spun around in a panic. "What do we do?" she whispered loudly.
"Hide!" Luigi hissed, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her under the altar. Toadsworth, unfortunately, wasn't quick enough, and found himself looking around frantically before three figures suddenly appeared in the doorway.
"My lord, is that you?" asked Jaff, squinting in the darkness. It was really impossible to see.
Toadsworth's mind was racing. "I… uh…"
He cleared his throat. "Uh, yes, it's me," he said loudly, trying to impersonate Shroude's voice. "What do you want?"
Luigi's eyes widened in disbelief as Peach smacked herself in the forehead. "We're doomed," she muttered.
"Er… my lord, I'm afraid we come with bad news," Jaff sighed, preparing himself for a verbal lashing as he and the others took a few steps into the room. "Mario defeated that ringmaster. He has the fourth Sun Soul."
From where she was hiding, Peach's heart leapt in excitement. Toadsworth was obviously excited as well, but caught himself before he broke character.
"Oh… well, yes, that is unfortunate…"
"But it was his fault, not ours!" Pell insisted. "Please, my lord, we've done everything you told us to… don't punish us for this!"
Toadsworth blinked rapidly. "What? Oh… no, no, that's quite all right, chaps – er, minions."
All three Darkstriders looked stunned. "Are… are you certain, my lord?" asked Jaff.
"Oh, yes. We shall apprehend that no-good Mario next time, I'm sure."
Peach and Luigi had to try very hard not to burst out giggling. Toadsworth was enjoying himself a little too much.
"…So then, does that mean we should go guard the next Sun Soul now?" Nobb asked once he realized they weren't going to be punished. "Mario'll probably get over there in no time – OW!"
"Just how thick are you?" hissed Jaff, who had just cut him off with a smack to the head. "You want us to go back to that nightmarish place? We barely made it out of there with our lives the first time!"
Toadsworth was intrigued. "Er… uh… remind me again, where did you hide the next Sun Soul?" he ventured.
Jaff turned to him. "The Poisoned Factory, my lord… the one at the source of the Trickleback River," he replied. "But you must have heard of that place… nothing could possibly survive there long. We hid the Sun Soul there as a last resort."
"Yeah! No matter what, there's no way Mario could get through there with his life," Pell agreed with a shudder. "Even we were creeped out by that place."
Peach and Luigi glanced at each other. Toadsworth pondered this for a moment, then quickly cleared his throat.
"Erm, well… very good, then," he decided. "If that's the truth, I suppose there's no point in going after Mario, now is there?"
Pell's eyes lit up. "You mean it?"
"Oh yes. As a matter of fact, I strictly forbid you from going over there. Erm – yes. It certainly won't do to have you all in danger."
The Darkstriders all looked relieved. "You are too kind, my lord," Jaff said graciously. "If that is the case, we will return to the more pressing matter. You wish us to continue testing King Bowser, correct?"
"What?" Toadsworth said dumbly before he noticed Peach giving him a frantic gesture. "Oh, I mean – yes, of course. King Bowser."
"I assure you, he will meet your requirements perfectly," said Jaff. "We'll see to him right now."
"Uh, yes, very good," Toadsworth agreed. The Darkstriders immediately stepped back and were enveloped in a cloud of smoke, disappearing without another word.
Once a tense moment had passed and they realized they were alone again, Peach and Luigi quietly stood up as Toadsworth turned to face them smugly.
"Well, I say, I didn't realize I was so good at impressions," he chortled.
"Yes, Toadsworth, that's wonderful," Peach said somewhat hastily. "Now let's get out of here quickly, before we're found out!"
"That's what I said before!" Luigi said fretfully. The three of them raced out of the room as quickly as they could, with Peach pulling Toadsworth along as their minds raced with the information they had just learned.
The minute they had gone, an enormous pillar of black smoke suddenly rose up out of the floor and King Shroude appeared in the room.
When he realized he was alone, he frowned deeply. "Jaff! Pell! Nobb!" he snapped, looking around impatiently. "I summoned them for a meeting in here! Where are they?"
He stomped the floor with his scepter. "DARKSTRIDERS!"
There was absolutely no reply.
Shroude sighed and massaged his temple. "Minions…" he grumbled.
––
"Well, I do say that was a most productive excursion," Toadsworth said proudly as the trio returned to the top of the stairs. "Master Mario will be quite pleased to know where the next Sun Soul is."
Luigi frowned. "Yeah… doesn't sound as fun as a circus," he remarked. "A factory in the middle of some river? Princess Peach, do you know anything about that?"
"Well, I've read all about Trickleback River," Peach assured them. "It's the largest body of water in Chronoside… it's where the entire country gets its water from. But I've never heard anything about a factory…"
"It sure sounded dangerous, though," Luigi went on faintly. "Even those blue guys didn't like talking about it… I sure hope Mario knows what he's getting into."
"Oh, don't worry, Luigi," Peach sighed, trying to be optimistic. "Mario's made it this far already. I'm sure… whatever's in that factory, he'll take care of it."
Luigi and Toadsworth could only gaze glumly at her, hoping she was right. She put on an encouraging expression for them, but it didn't seem to be working.
She didn't know why, but suddenly she was having trouble believing her own words… what could possibly be going on in that factory to frighten even the Darkstriders?
Something told Peach that Mario's quest was about to get much, much more difficult.
––
––
Soluna Town
12:00 Noon
Inside one of the many shops in Soluna Town, the two Toads who ran the place were jovially going about their business, humming to themselves as they dusted the counter and stocked the shelves.
This was obviously too good to last.
"GRAW! All right, pipsqueaks, open up!" Bowser shouted as he literally ripped the door off its hinges and flung it away. "The great Bowser is hungry, so fork over your good stuff!"
"What the – AAAAAAHHH! WHAT IS THAT THING?" shrieked one of the Toads. "I must be seeing things! I knew I had too many Mushrooms!"
"Oh, whatever. You nerds are no help," Bowser sniffed as both Toads frantically dived behind the counter. "Now let's see, what have we got in here? I'm famished!"
"King Bowser! What do you think you're doing?"
Just as he was about to start raiding the shelves, Bowser froze in place, then reluctantly turned around to find himself looking down at the Darkstriders. Jaff was glaring up at him.
"Oh, it's you three again," he muttered. "Whaddaya mean, what am I doing? I can do whatever I want around here! Haven't you ever heard of diplomatic immunity?"
"King Bowser, if you please," Jaff said impatiently. "We've come to administer to you the second test. In case you forgot, we still haven't deemed you worthy of fighting Mario just yet."
Bowser looked highly insulted. "You're joking, right?" he said, folding his arms. "C'mon! I'm Bowser! The king of the ring! The supreme awesome guy!"
"Well, if that's true, then passing these tests should be no problem for you at all," Jaff replied with a glimmer in his eye. "Now do accept our conditions or don't you?"
Bowser glowered at him. "Oh, fine," he muttered. "This better all be worth it when I finally get to pummel Mario."
"Perfect," said Jaff. "Your test begins – right now!"
Then, to Bowser's complete shock, the backdrop of the store around them suddenly fell away piece by piece. Within moments they were all on the set of a game show. Bowser was standing behind a podium, and so were Pell and Nobb.
"What in the – " Bowser whipped his head around. "…Why does this seem vaguely familiar?"
Pell was freaking out. "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?"
"King Shroude had better appreciate this… this is incredibly degrading," muttered Jaff, who was standing in front of them and wearing a big gaudy bowtie for some reason. "Oh, I mean – welcome, one and all, to this year's edition of everyone's favorite game show: Know Your Chronoside! We have a special guest today, ladies and gentlemen, so put your hands together for the one, the only, King Bowser Koopa!"
An unseen audience started cheering wildly. Bowser grinned smugly as he waved and bowed, not even questioning the impossibility of all this.
"All right, gentlemen, here is your first question," said Jaff, pulling out a cue card. "Which is better, Day or Night?"
Bowser blinked. "What? What kinda dumb question is that?"
"King Bowser, please follow the rules! You must buzz in your answer!" Jaff snapped.
"Oh, sorry." Bowser slammed his buzzer. "What kinda dumb question is that?"
A loud buzzing noise sounded as the unseen audience started booing. Bowser looked stunned.
"I'm afraid the correct answer was 'Night', King Bowser," Jaff said sternly. "Remember, to pass this test, you must answer three of the five questions. Now, moving on: What is the goal of our supreme leader, King Shroude?"
Nobb slammed his buzzer. "Throw an ice cream party?"
The buzzing noise sounded again as Jaff stared at him incredulously. "Nobb! What are you talking about?"
"I'm sorry! It's all the excitement! I can't think straight!"
"Oh, for the love of – " Bowser rolled his eyes and slammed his buzzer. "He wants to get rid of Daytime, or something like that!"
A pleasant ding sounded as Jaff nodded. "Very good, King Bowser! You are correct! Now, your next question: Who is the most hated foe of King Shroude who must be eliminated at all costs?"
"Oh, I got this one," Bowser chuckled, slamming his buzzer. "It's Mario!"
The ding sounded again, and the audience cheered wildly as Bowser started flexing for them.
"Another correct answer, King Bowser," Jaff said in approval. "The stakes are rising, gentlemen. It's anyone's game. Now, question number four: What mystical relics must Mario be prevented from ever obtaining?"
Nobb slammed his buzzer. "The Ice Cream Sundaes of Power?"
The buzzing noise sounded as Jaff smacked himself in the forehead. "What is wrong with you, Nobb? What is it with you and ice cream?"
"I'm sorry, all right? I'm hungry!"
Pell slammed his buzzer. "The Sun Souls!"
The dinging noise sounded as Pell shook his fists in the air and the audience cheered.
"Well, King Bowser, it all comes down to this," Jaff said in a serious voice. "You must answer this question correctly in order to pass the test."
"Yeah? Bring it, baby!" Bowser sneered, pounding on his podium.
"Your final question…" Jaff dramatically pulled out the cue card. "Who is the supreme ruler of Chronoside, who will reign glorious over us all for all eternity?"
Nobb slammed his buzzer. "Sorry, I'm not answering – I just gotta ask, can we please break for lunch? I'm starving!"
Jaff's eye twitched dangerously. "THAT'S IT, NOBB! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!" he roared, throwing his microphone at Nobb and hitting him in the head.
Bowser shook his head. "Well, better give these guys what they want – just think of beating up Mario. It'll all pay off."
He slammed his buzzer. "King Shroude?"
The dinging noise sounded, and confetti suddenly fell from the ceiling as the audience burst into insane applause.
"That is correct! Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this year's Know Your Chronoside: King Bowser!"
"WOO! YEAH! I am awesome! You love me! You dig me!" Bowser sang, doing a victory dance. He was so caught up in it that he failed to notice the game show stage disappearing around them as the backdrop of the store rose back up into place.
"What the – " He saw what had happened and blinked. "Aw, darn it."
"That was the single most humiliating experience of my life. None of this ever leaves this building," Jaff hissed, ripping off his bowtie. "All right, then, King Bowser, you have passed the second test. Congratulations. We will return here to administer the next test before long."
Bowser frowned. "What? Oh, come on! That wasn't enough? What else do I gotta do to please you guys?"
"King Shroude will inform us when he deems you worthy," Jeff replied curtly. "Wait for our return. Pell, Nobb, let's go."
"Yeah, yeah, go do whatever," Bowser grumbled as the Darkstriders backed away and disappeared into black smoke. "What do I care. I can keep myself entertained until then."
Muttering to himself, he stomped out of the store, but not before swiping a Super Shroom off one of the shelves for good measure.
The two Toad shopkeepers, who had witnessed this entire spectacle, slowly rose up from behind the counter, looking fearfully at each other.
"Yeah… I definitely had too many Mushrooms," said the first one.
––––
A/N: Eh, not much to say about this one. Basically just waiting for Chapter 5 to start at this point. :P Sorry you guys had to wait so long for a boring update.
