breath20k

Yeah. Very nice.

LiamTheYoshi

I feel that Vivian seeing Mario as a father figure is way more than Aqua thinking the same during A Sprite of Light.

mariobroultimate

I didn't intend to reference Super Mario 64 DS; Mario ripped Doopliss's cap off because he was angry. As for Vivian, you know she wanted to hug Mario so badly when they got to know each other. But then again, she thought Mario as Fabio was a stranger.

MarioFan2867

Thank you! While I do like the original game's plotline, I prefer to change some stuff up to suit my liking.

Chapter 33: The Treasure's True Nature

The time is now 9:15 PM. At Grodus's lair, he was talking with a blue X-Naut.

"Are you sure about this? Speak up, X-Naut!" Grodus ordered the X-Naut.

"Yes, sir. Quite sure," the X-Naut replied. "I pored over all our research of the Thousand-Year Door. And it appears the sealing power has definitely been weakening, as Beldam said."

"Finally, the treasure of legend... The ancient power of darkness will soon be ours! Listen, and listen well!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Keep giving the Crystal Star search top priority!" Grodus declared. "Of course, that also includes the elimination of Mario and Luigi! Those meddling scums..."

"Got it, sir!" With that, the X-Naut left the lair.

"Soon I will have the power that has slept for a millennium... So very soon!" Grodus said. "And when that glorious day dawns, I'll throw the world into the depths of terror! No one can stop me now. All will kneel before the X-Naut regime! And then I, Grodus, will build a new world! A perfect, ideal world... Yes. A world made by me, about me, and for me! GAAACKACKACKACKACK!"

Meanwhile, TEC had just signaled for Peach to come into his office again.

"TEC? Did you call me?" Peach asked after stepping inside. "What do you want me to do now?"

"I... I am conflicted," TEC hesitated.

"Why? What's wrong, TEC? You don't sound fine," Peach pointed out. She had a concerned look on her face.

"Which is more important? Carrying out an order or protecting a critical person? I exist for the purpose of a certain person. I wish to exist for the purpose of another... I do not know what to do... Really."

"What do you mean?" Peach asked.

"No... No, never mind. Please forget my musings," TEC said. "I do not know why...but it makes me feel unpleasant if I make you worry. Well, in any case... Allow me to let you in on something."

"Okay..." Peach said with confusion. "I hope it's important."

"It is. I am not supposed to say this, but I will do it anyway." TEC stopped himself to think for a moment. "Those Crystal Stars that you mentioned earlier, Grodus is using seven of them to conquer the world and open the Thousand-Year Door."

"What 'Thousand-Year Door'?" Peach asked.

"I am getting there," TEC answered. "What is behind the Thousand-Year Door is a legendary treasure that few know about. The treasure is a 1,000-year-old demon's soul that Grodus will bring to life pretty soon. The demon's soul has been sealed for a very long time, and all evil will break loose if it is brought to life. The only way to seal it again, if Grodus's plan succeeds, is to use the Crystal Stars."

Peach stood in shock, thinking TEC might be in trouble soon. "TEC... You... Was it okay for you to tell me such things?"

"I just had to, Princess Peach," TEC replied. "But now I feel better. If you would like, you can use my communicator to send Mario and Luigi a message."

"All right, then," Peach sighed. I can't believe he told me all that.

Peach typed another group text to the Mario Bros, which TEC sent immediately.

"The message has been sent. That is all for now. Please go back to your room."

Again, Peach didn't say anything as she walked back to the holding room.

"Goodbye, Princess Peach."

"I can't believe it was a fake Mario all that time..." Dour said, having been told about Doopliss. "So we were all fooled..."

"Exactly. And listen, I would never show bad table manners during a meal," Mario said. "Doopliss is apparently a childish brat."

"I see... Please forgive me, guys..."

"It's not your fault," Luigi reassured Dour. "Doopliss was the only guilty one. No one had anything to do with it."

"Thank you," Dour thanked the group. "But seriously, you've brought a shining ray of light to our dim little town! We all thank you for that!"

"Any time, sir," Mario replied. "Well, we gotta go now. There are other errands for us to run."

"I'm sure there are. Please come back to visit anytime you like!"

Mario winked at Dour before leading Luigi and Vivian down the brownstone Warp Pipe to Rogueport Sewers.

"Where to?" Vivian asked after they exited the pipe's room. Before Mario could answer, his phone and Luigi's phone received another text.

"It's Princess Peach, the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom," Mario said after seeing who sent the group text.

"Oh my goodness! A text from a princess?" Vivian gasped. "How nice of her!"

Luigi decided to read the text this time, "Mario and Luigi, I've finally learned what the legendary treasure is. It is the spirit of a demon! The X-Nauts plan to revive this thousand-year-old monster and use its power to take over the world! They're collecting the Crystal Stars so they can open the Thousand-Year Door and find this demon's spirit. But the only thing that can keep it locked away is the Crystal Stars themselves! You must not let them get the Crystal Stars! You must put a stop to their horrible plans! I'm counting on you, Mario and Luigi, as always!"

"An...ancient demon's spirit?" Luigi wondered. "Sounds creepy."

"Yeah. I hope we don't get possessed if we see it up close," Vivian remarked.

"All right-y. Wait until you see what the Thousand-Year Door is like," Mario told Vivian. Within minutes, everyone made it to the room with the Thousand-Year Door. Vivian became mesmerized at the sight of the door.

"It's so beautiful..." Vivian said. "Look at the design!"

While Vivian stared at the Thousand-Year Door, Mario stood on the Crystal Star platform's pedestal and took out the red Crystal Star.

"Now watch this," Mario said. He held the Crystal Star in front, turning on the cyan light display. Then, the Crystal Star floated to the bottom right open star and the Magical Map rose out of Mario's overalls pocket, glowing white.

Star-shaped glitter also appeared within the glow. A thin cyan circle faded in and lowered until it touched the Magical Map. The room then brightened up, causing everyone to shield their eyes.

Three seconds later, a star-shaped orb exploded outward and a bang sounded across the room with a final white flash. The room darkened to its normal state and the cyan lights disappeared along with the Crystal Star. The Magical Map dropped into Mario's hands again.

Below Rogueport was a tropical island with palm trees and a rock with a skull emblem on it. A shiny blue star also appeared in front of the island.

"Looks like the next Crystal Star is in the middle of the sea!" Vivian pointed out. "But what is that island?"

"Be patient, Viv," Mario said. "Let's talk to Professor Frankly first."

"Don't forget about Princess Peach's text," Luigi chimed in.

It's now 9:30 PM. Inside Professor Frankly's office, the professor was sleeping on his desk, two of his books already opened up.

Mario stepped up and tapped Professor Frankly on his back.

"Professor?" Mario whispered. "Wake up."

Professor Frankly suddenly woke up, having been startled by Mario's voice.

"WHUZZAH?! Who came in?!"

"Calm down. It's us."

Professor Frankly sighed with relief having got his bearings back. "Oh my God. I forgot I was sleeping the whole time. What time is it?"

Mario looked at his phone's clock. "9:31."

"That's late! No one usually visits me at this hour," Professor Frankly said. "But since you and Luigi are here, we might as well talk."

"Okay. We just got a red Crystal Star from Twilight Town and Princess Peach texted us after we came back," Mario explained.

"She said the legendary treasure is actually the spirit of an ancient demon. And the X-Nauts want to use the power of the Crystal Stars to resurrect it," Luigi added in.

"What?! That was what Princess Peach texted you?!" Professor Frankly cried.

"She did," Mario answered.

"How bone-chilling... Sadly, it does seem to be consistent with what I've uncovered... Was it before I dozed off?"

"What did you find?" Vivian asked.

"I'm getting there..." Professor Frankly started but stopped because he hadn't met Vivian yet. "What's your name?"

"Vivian."

"Let me remember what I found, Vivian." Professor Frankly took a minute to figure out what he discovered earlier in the night. "Oh yes. It's rather long, so you'd best listen well."

"Okey-dokey," Mario replied.

"The great cataclysm that I read about in that book may well refer to this demon... It says that a monster destroyed a large town that once stood on in this very area. It also says that the seven Crystal Stars were actually created by this monster. And that this thing used the power of the Crystal Stars to try to control the world."

Mario, Luigi, and Vivian stood in awe at Professor Frankly's story.

"According to this book, the demon was defeated in the end by four heroes. But only the beast's physical form was destroyed," Professor Frankly explained. "Its spirit could not be eradicated. So, the heroes used the Crystal Stars, which they had stolen from the demon. And they cast the evil beast into the depths of a vast maze and sealed the exit. From this, I gather that the Crystal Stars cannot distinguish good from evil. So, if they're all united, they could either seal away or resurrect the demon. It seems that who wields the Crystal Stars determines if they're used for evil or good."

"Does that mean we should stop finding the Crystal Stars?" Luigi asked. "I mean, if we found all seven, they'll still be stolen for evil purposes."

"Yeah. What if they have to be destroyed?" Mario questioned.

"That was my first thought too, but further research suggests we can't do that," Professor Frankly replied. "There's a slight possibility that the Thousand-Year Door is weakening. It seems the Crystal Stars hold the power to seal the beast for a thousand years. So, once a thousand years pass, the power to keep the door sealed shut will fail. And unfortunately, this year may be the thousandth year. The fact that those goons want the stars now may be a coincidence... But maybe not. In other words, we must be ready for the demon's return, even if the X-Nauts fail."

"So, I guess we'd better find the remaining three, then," Mario said. "It's the only way, right?"

"Yes."

Mario gave Luigi the Magical Map, who gave it to Professor Frankly.

"Vivian wants to know about the island on the bottom of the map," Luigi requested.

"Hrmm... That island right there is what's called Keelhaul Key," Professor Frankly said. "I'm none too familiar with the place, but I've heard countless unsavory rumors. You know, the usual stuff... Vengeful spirits full of hatred, evil curses, things like that..."

Mario took the Magical Map back and stowed it in his overalls pocket.

"I'm sure the sea salts down by the harbor know more," Professor Frankly stated. "But it's already night out and you should get some rest before you ask them."

"That's what we were thinking," Luigi agreed, letting out a yawn.

"What's the Star Spell the red Crystal Star gave us?" Mario asked. He and Luigi showed their right arms, which now showed a faint purple dot beneath the pink dot.

"Hm. I see you now have five Star Power units," Professor Frankly pointed out. "The Ruby Star you got from Twilight Town has granted you the Art Attack. The first thing you say is 'Circdraw Plode!' That'll spawn a special crayon in your hand. Use that to draw circles in the air and push them toward any enemies in your way. Kinda like magic blasts. Use that spell only if necessary; it costs four Star Power units."

"All right-y. Good night, Professor," Mario said as he left the office. Vivian and Luigi also said good night to Professor Frankly.

The Mario Bros and Vivian made a beeline to the Inn and went upstairs to the third floor. Toadsworth had reserved a room for Mario and Luigi ahead of time.

Just as Mario and Luigi started getting ready for bed, Vivian stood still and looked at the ground sad.

"What's wrong, Viv...?" Mario asked with sympathy.

"Do I have to sleep on the floor?" Vivian asked in a depressed tone of voice. "Those two beds are for you and Luigi..."

Mario laid his hand on Vivian's shoulder. "Don't be sad. You can sleep in Luigi's bed. I'll have him sleep on the pull-out bed." Mario pointed to the couch next to the window.

"Thank you, Mario." Vivian smiled, knowing that Mario's treating her way better than Beldam and Marilyn did.

After getting their nightclothes on, Luigi prepped the sofa sleeper for himself while Mario tucked Vivian into bed.

"If you can't sleep, don't be afraid to wake me up," Mario said softly. "I'll help you in any way I can."

"Okay."

Mario lightly kissed Vivian on her forehead. "Buonanotte, Vivian. (Good night, Vivian.) Sleep well."

"Good night, Daddy..."

Luigi observed Mario saying good night to Vivian and remembered back in Isle Delfino when Aqua slept with Mario after having a nightmare.

It's like Mario is a father. Luigi shed a tear thinking of that memory.