Count Green

Episode 7: Masquerade

The sun was setting on another day at the Gloomy Manor...and another day of Luigi still a "blood-thirsty monster" (as said by WaLuigi). But it was another night of getting somewhat closer to the counter spell for them.

"Damn it!" Rita yelled. Or not. "Still no readings on where my mom hid her spellbook!"

"I'm sure it'll turn up soon," Mario exclaimed with a smile, making Rita grin at him in return.

After the fight with that werewolf that Aurore created, Rita and Mario had been getting along just fine. They realized they had more in common than they thought they would and some differences that put them apart from each other. And it probably wasn't that much of a shocker that Rita was starting to see the red hero in a new light. Though, it wasn't to the point where she was crushing on him hardcore, just enough to know what it felt like to be in love.

Peach was the one to see this from a mile away, though she was occupied with reading to figure out a cure for Luigi. But she still saw it. She still saw the budding romance form slowly, and when it bloomed into a rose...she'll be there to witness it.

Speaking of Peach, she was out in the living room, reading a book to get any new ideas of how to save Luigi from this curse. A cup of red wine was sitting beside her on the coffee table, and her gaze was so focused on the book that the sound of the doorbell made her jump with a start.

"Good grief," She said with a sigh before marking her place in the book and setting it on the couch before standing up. She walked to the front door and opened it, seeing a man with messy black hair and bright red eyes staring at her. She gulped at the sight, feeling the fear spread through her veins.

He looked her up and down, gaining an uneasy grin to form on Peach's face. He glared for a moment before handing her a strapped stack of envelopes. She hesitated, but took them, confused.

He then left.

Peach stared for a moment, closing the door slowly before looking down at the envelopes. There were five total, and after unstrapping them, she noticed each one had their names on them. Her envelope was at the very bottom of the pile.

"What's going on?" Luigi asked as he walked in, only to have Peach hand him his envelope. He took it confused and opened it. He pulled out a fancy sheet of paper, with a transparent ruby cover the center. "'You are cordially invited to a Masquerade Ball at Dark Moon Castle tonight. We hope to see you there.'"

"Dark Moon Castle?" Peach asked, just finishing her invite. "I don't remember you telling me about that place."

"That's because I never saw it when I was here helping the Professor," Luigi returned. "Something about this doesn't feel right."

"Come on, Luigi. It's a party. We've all been working hard recently. We could use a break."

"But we need to stay focused, Peach. Who knows how much longer I have until this is forever!" Peach gave him a look, telling him he was being rediculous. Luigi was being stubborn, crossing his arms as if he was saying they weren't going. But seeing Peach's blue eyes clouded with stress, he caved.

"Fine," He sighed out. "Give the others their invites and then get ready."

"Yes! Thank you, Luigi," Peach said, grabbing the other envelopes and kissing Luigi's cheek before racing off. Luigi blushed at that gesture, watching her race down the hall of knights to the foyer.

"Sure thing, Peach," He said, grinning now. "Anything to make you happy."

The night came quick, leaving Luigi a nervous ball of anxiety. What if this was a trap? What if something bad was going to happen? What if...?

"Luigi, dear," Vanessa spoke up, making Luigi look at his aunt. She was dressed in a beautiful silver gown with white gloves that stopped just after her elbows and a silver tiara. "Relax. This should be fun."

"Wait, you're coming, Zia?" Luigi asked surprised.

"Yeah. But I'm only coming because I want to check out the library in this castle. Maybe there will be something about how to cure you."

"Good idea and good luck," Luigi sighed as he fixed his tie. "Anyway, where's Peach?"

"She just told me to head out without her," Nadia said, walking in with her royal blue gown cascading down her frame. A black eye mask was covering her eyes. "She's still getting ready."

"Oh...okay," Luigi was disappointed at this, but understood. She usually took ages to get ready anyway, so it wasn't that new.

"What about Rita and Mario?" Vanessa asked.

"They're not going," Nadia said. "They'd rather stay here."

"Okay. Well, let's get going then," Vanessa sighed as she walked out of the Gloomy Manor, Nadia right behind her. Luigi looked at the entrance hall and sighed as well.

"Stay safe, guys," He whispered before racing after his aunt and sister.

Dark Moon Castle, a gothic structure with a crescent moon symbol on the top tier. Walking through the threshold, Luigi took one last deep breath, fixing his Phantom of the Opera mask as he made his way to the ballroom. It wasn't exactly packed, but it wasn't small either. It was filled with other individuals, wearing masks and gowns. Only one, however, wasn't wearing a mask.

A woman, with black hair up in a ponytail and a gold tiara on her forehead while wearing a form-fitting red gown with a slit down one side stood by the throne. Her red eyes scanning the area.

"Oh, crap," Nadia spoke, making Luigi look at her.

"What?" He asked, Vanessa's attention being grabbed by this as well.

"That's her. That's Aurore." Luigi's gaze snapped back to the woman at the throne, now holding a glass of red liquid. He could only guess what that really was.

"How do you know this?" Vanessa asked.

"I sort of threatened her to stay away from Luigi when I first got here," Nadia answered walking further into the room.

"We should go," Luigi said.

"No, it's fine," Nadia said, looking at him with her once blue eyes glowing gold. "She'll be dealing with two dragons if she messes with you again. Everything will be fine." Her eyes calmed down back to blue and a smirk formed as she saw someone enter the room. "Besides...she finally showed up.

Luigi turned around and stared in shock and awe. Peach had just walked into the ballroom, wearing white mask over her eyes and a beautiful black dress that had one sleeve. It sparkled and flowed as she walked in. She was messing with her curls while looking around for her friends.

(SONG: "Perfect Harmony" - Julie and the Phantoms) [Semi-lyric change]

The green-clad plumber immediately started walking over to her, which caught her attention.

LUIGI: Stepped/into my world./Bittersweet love story 'bout a girl./Shook me to the core/heart of angel/I've never seen before.

PEACH: Here in front of me/shinning so much brighter/than I have ever seen./Life can be so mean./But when he goes/I know he doesn't leave.

BOTH: The truth is finally breaking through/two worlds collide when I'm with you./Our voices rise and soar so high/we come to life when we're/in perfect harmony!/Whoa-oh-oh/whoa-oh-oh-oh!/Perfect harmony./Whoa-oh-oh/whoa-oh-oh-oh!/Perfect harmony!

LUIGI: You set me free

PEACH: You and me together/it's more than chemistry

BOTH: Love me as I am/I want your music/here inside my hands./We say we're friends/we play pretend./You're more to me/we're everything./Our voices rise and soar so high/we come to life when we're/in perfect harmony!/Whoa-oh-oh/whoa-oh-oh-oh!/Perfect harmony./Whoa-oh-oh/whoa-oh-oh-oh!/Perfect harmony!

PEACH: I feel your rhythm in my heart!/Yeah-eh-yeah-eh-yeah!

LUIGI: You are my brightest burning star!/Whoa-oh-whoa-oh!

PEACH: I never knew love so real!

LUIGI: So real!

BOTH: We're heaven on earth/melody and words/when we are together we're/in perfect harmony!/Whoa-oh-oh/whoa-oh-oh-oh!/Perfect harmony./Whoa-oh-oh/whoa-oh-oh-oh!

PEACH: We say we're friends!

LUIGI: We play pretend!

PEACH: You're more to me

LUIGI: We create...!

BOTH: Perfect harmony.

(End of the song)

Anger boiled over in Aurore's veins as she watched the two dance together, eyes glowing in anger as she stared.

"Relax, Aurore," A voice spoke, making the wicked woman look over at the same exact man that delivered the invites to Luigi and his friens. "Any moment now, he will fall in love with you. After all, he doesn't have much time left to make his own decisions."

"Especially without that jewel," She said, messing with her red ruby necklace. "Perhaps we make sure he never finds his, Fang."

Rita sat in the living room, reading a book to kill some time while Luigi, Nadia, and Vanessa were at this party they were invited to.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rita jumped at the sound of Mario's voice, seeing him at the doorway. "I thought you went to the party with the others."

"I thought the same thing with you," Rita mentioned, closing her book. She was only on page two and it wasn't really that interesting. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not one for parties," Mario returned, leaning against the doorframe. "I guess you could say I'm a bit of a loner."

"You don't seem like that with me," Rita smiled.

"Well, that's because I don't mind company on occasion," They both laughed as a thought came to Rita's mind.

"Where's WaLuigi? I thought he wanted to help Luigi with his problem." She asked, getting a groan from Mario.

"He went back to the Mushroom Kingdom," He answered. "He said Wario needed help with something and that he'd be back...eventually."

"Why am I not suprised at hearing that?" Rita sighed. She did start liking WaLuigi, but if he was going to go off and never return (like her mother did on occasion), then she needed to let go. Besides, she sort of could see why Peach liked Mario at one point in her life.

"Trust me, I'm not surprised either," Mario said in return. "Why didn't you go to the party?"

"I guess I'm the same way as you," She said. "Don't like crowds much." Almost instantly, something came to her mind that made her eyes widen. "Oh, I'm such an idiot."

"What?"

"Dark Moon Castle has a library," Rita looked at Mario again. "And how much you want to bet that one of the books there is my mom's spellbook?"

An hour passed at the party. Vanessa was watching Luigi and Peach hang out together, laughing and having a good time. Nadia was next to her, keeping her golden eyes on Aurore. This made Vanessa giggle before putting a calming hand on the Mario Sister's shoulder. This action calmed her down.

"You keep an eye out for anything that Aurore might do," Vanessa said. "I'm heading to the library."

"On it," Nadia said, making her eyes glow again as she stared at Aurore. Vanessa just chuckled as she headed out of the room. She followed the halls, hearing laughter here and there as she finally found the library. She walked in and closed the door behind her. But turning around gave her a bit of a shock.

"Rita?" The young woman looked up from a book, defeat in her red eyes. "I thought you stayed back at the Gloomy Manor."

"I did," She said. "Or...we did." As if on cue, Mario came rushing in from one of the aisles. "But I remembered the library and thought that maybe my mom's spellbook would be here."

"And?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm reading it right now."

"Oh, I was wondering what you found! Well? What's it say?" Mario asked with hope.

"She covered her bases," Rita sighed, slamming the book shut. "She didn't write a counter spell."

"But you said you need to write a counter spell if you accidentally curse the wrong person," Mario said.

"You're supposed to, yes. But apparently, my mother likes to break the rules," Rita sighed again as she leaned back in her seat, playing with one of her black pigtails. "There goes the only chance of ever saving Luigi."

"Not quite," Mario retorted while looking at the pile before him. A book stood out, with a big red ruby on the cover. No words, just the photo. He slowly took it from the pile and flipped through it for a moment, making Rita look on with anticipation. Vanessa just stood there, confused.

"Care to share what you found, Mario?" She asked.

"Absolutely," He said with a smile. "I might have just found a way to cure him."

After a moment, Peach and Nadia start to catch up with each other. It had been a while since they spoke and hung out. So, Nadia warned Luigi to keep an eye out for Aurore, telling him to be alert. He said he would be and let the girls go catch up.

"Now's my chance," Aurore spoke, smoothing out her gown over her flat stomach. "How do I look, Fang?"

"Like a queen," Fang answered with a grin. She grinned back and grabbed a glass of red wine. Well, everyone at the party thought she was drinking wine.

"Here goes nothing," She eventually stepped off the pedastal for the throne and walked up to Luigi, heels clicking against the tile flooring. Luigi didn't even seem to pay mind to her as he was drinking his own glass of red liquid.

"Hello," Aurore spoke, making Luigi look at her. "I don't think I've seen you around here before. You new to Evershade Valley?"

"I've been once before," Luigi answered, keeping his nerves in check. "But I guess you could say I live here now."

"Well, welcome," Aurore spoke, touching his arm. He knew what she was up to. "If you want, I-"

"I'm sorry," He said. "You seem like a fair woman...but I'm in love with someone else. Sorry." And he walked away.

Aurore stared in shock as anger boiled up in her veins for the second time that night. Fang had come over at that point, after seeing the outcome of Aurore's attempts at flirting with the green-clad hero.

"Well, that worked out swimmingly," He joked, sipping his "wine".

"What do I have to do to get him to love me?" Aurore wondered, seeing Luigi's gaze on Peach. It was almsot as if a lightbulb lit up in her mind. "Wait...he said he was in love with another girl. Peach is that other girl."

"Yeah...and?" Fang asked confused.

"He wouldn't have much of a choice if that goody goody princess...was gone," A wicked smile formed on Aurore's black painted lips, the spell she'll use in mind.

Midnight struck and it was finally time for the party to be over. So, Luigi, Peach, and Nadia went back to the Gloomy Manor, laughing and saying how much fun it was to go.

"See, Luigi? Nothing bad happened!" Peach exclaimed, getting an amused scoff from Luigi.

"Yeah, you were right," He said, smiling at her. "I guess it did take my mind away from my troubles."

"I'm glad to hear that," Nadia spoke up as Rita, Mario, and Vanessa came rushing in.

"Guys!" Rita yelled. "Mario and I found out something!"

"You mean Mario, Vanessa, and I?" Vanessa spoke, crossing her arms.

"Of course, sorry," Rita spoke quickly. "We decided to go to the party, but instead of the ballroom, we went to the library."

"Did you find anything to change me back?" Luigi asked, red eyes with worry.

"We think we have," Vanessa said, her smile fading. "But we might have found the time limit we have to turn you back."

"Time limit?" Peach asked worried.

"One year," Rita spoke. "I read that in my mother's spellbook. It said the curse would last one year where the victim could make his own decisions, but once the year is up...it's permanant."

"What?!" Luigi yelled with fear.

"But this is where what Mario found," Rita spoke, nodding to Mario to explain more.

"I took this book from the Dark Moon Castle library," Mario showed the book with the red ruby on the cover. "It said that if the victim of Aurore's vampire curse finds their respective bloodstone, the year limit won't be inaffect and they can live a life as both vampire and human."

"That's not exactly what I want, Mario," Luigi exclaimed.

"But it would buy us some more time, Luigi," Vanessa retorted. "The year anniversary of you being cursed like this is coming up in a couple of months. If we find this bloodstone the book talks about, we'll have more time to find the official cure to change you back to full human."

Luigi sighed, looking at his friends as hope was in their eyes. In away, this did seem doable. Two months. Only two months to be a vampire left if and/or when they find this bloodstone. Two months until he's human again. There was hope in that. And Luigi wanted to hold onto that hope tightly. He looked at his friends, smiling.

"Where do we start looking?"