"Now, for those of you who unfamiliar with me, I was born and raised in beautiful, scenic Tadpole Pond down South in the Mushroom Kingdom."
The screen flickered and tracked Wart's movement as he tugged on his microphone cord to walk across the concert stage.
"Lovely place this time of year. Strong culture of music there, did you know that? A lot of big names came out of Tadpole Pond. Toadofsky, the poet Simon, and the late Amadeus Wolfgeist, for instance. I couldn't help but be enamored by all that history. I knew in my soul, before I even had legs, that I was hatched to follow in their footsteps. That's why, despite a debilitating vegetable allergy, I decided to leave home and chase my dreams. I scouted out a few other small-town souls with big dreams and put together the 8-bits. What is the 8-bits, you might be wondering? Why, it's the only music group you'll need for the rest of your life!"
Commander Reverie sighed at the monitor.
"He's been monologuing like this for the past twenty minutes," he said. "It stands to reason that he will, at some point, stop. And then the entire world will be brainwashed."
"For those of you just tuning in, you're probably wondering why a television screen made of nightmares appeared in your house or whatever. Hi! I'm Mamu Wart, producer and lead singer for a band so hot you won't believe your ears. I've rigged these monitors to stalk you wherever you go because you're not going to want to miss the show we're about to put on. Isn't that right folks?"
The mind controlled live studio audience roared with cheers and applause. Wart soaked up the adulation, bowing a few times and blowing kisses before gesturing for quiet.
"Ugh," Daisy said. "I wish we could turn this thing off."
Waluigi paced through the trophy room.
"We need to think of a plan and quick," Waluigi said.
Commander Reverie stood at the controls of the hulking Dream Machine looking worried. He had managed to open a portal from Subspace into this secluded corner of the Subcon palace using the Dream Machine. It was just Daisy, Wanda, Waluigi, the commander, and a smattering of the braver Subcon sprixies.
"We can use the Dream Machine to create a door to anywhere in the waking world," the commander said. "But there is nowhere safe to go. As far as I can tell, Wart is broadcasting EVERYWHERE. Now that the dream gems are scattered, I fear not even the Stars can save us."
"No one asked you, old man!" Waluigi said. "Just leave the planet if you aren't going to help us win this!"
"Be nice," Wanda said. "Your dad saved us from Subspace! That counts for something."
Daisy watched the monitor as Wart introduced his band mates one by one to the audience. She folded her arms as Dreamy Daisy mugged for the camera.
"Hi! I'm Dreamy Daisy! That's Deedee for short. I'm your new super pop star Goddess and I'd like to send my love out to all my simps and stans and admirers watching. Be sure to follow me on social media now while you still have free will in the matter. I look forward to your unconditional worship!"
"I don't sound like that, do I?" Daisy said. "What is she even supposed to be? My soul? What does that make ME?"
"An empty vessel," Reverie said. "A husk with no heart."
"Okay, that's rude," Daisy said.
"Alright, well it would be more accurate to say that she is your heart. An amalgamation of your passion and unconscious wishes. What is left after that is the will and your rational mind."
That might explain why Daisy felt like garbage. Normally she could always summon the will and drive to tackle any problem. Now she felt tired. Tired and empty. She knew how dire and important things were right now, but it took so much more effort to push herself to focus and act. It sucked.
"It sounds like it shouldn't even be possible for us to be separated like this," Daisy said.
"Wishes are the most powerful force in the universes," Wanda said. "They can bend the rules of reality. That's why the Stars are so careful about who gets to have wishes granted and why the Sundream Stone is so dangerous."
And now Wart was wielding that power. They would need something even stronger to beat him.
"…That laser thing I did in Subspace," Daisy said. "…Is there any way we can use that on Wart?"
Waluigi came to a halt.
"Sort of," he said. "We're in the Dream World, so it's possible for people to send you their dream power if their hearts are cheering for you. But Wart is wielding a wish. Even if every person in this room put all their faith into one person, I don't think it would be enough to punch through his defenses."
Daisy turned to the monitor and watched Wart chew the scenery in front of the entire global population.
"We've got a live broadcast to the biggest audience in history," she said.
The commander almost dropped his glasses. "You're right! If we can turn the audience against Wart and have them root for another person, that could generate enough dream power to counteract his wish!"
"Then it's a plan!" Waluigi said. "Let's get on stage and give them a show!"
Daisy grabbed his shoulder to stop him before he reached the door.
"No," she said.
"What do you mean, no?"
She swallowed. This was hard for her to admit but it was the truth and he needed to hear it.
"We can't be the ones to do this. We're a couple of nobodies. People are not going to get excited to see US. Odds are Wart will beat us before we rally anyone to cheer us on. We need a hero people already believe in. We need Mario."
Waluigi knocked her hand away. "Are you JOKING? After everything we've done, you want to go begging for his help NOW? We are SO CLOSE Daisy, we can pull this off! We can be heroes just like we planned!"
"No! No we can't! We can't keep doing this, Waluigi! There's way too much on the line! If we mess up again, everyone suffers! We have to bet on Mario right now! It's the only surefire thing we've got!"
"What about your crown?!" he said. "You can't just give up! You can win this, I know you can. If anyone can, it's YOU."
His eyes were heartbroken. He believed so much in her it hurt. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. Even if it meant giving up first place, this was the right thing to do.
"Maybe I'm just a soulless brain right now, but I see now Subspace was right about one thing. …I've been selfish. I need to put my ego aside and do what's right for everyone."
"So the Stars are right after all, is that it?" He was angry now. "Mario is the answer to everything? And we don't matter?!"
"It's not about the Stars!" she said, thrusting a finger at the image of Deedee on the monitor. "THAT thing is MY FAULT. I need to fix this." She let her eyes drop. "And I need your help. Please."
Waluigi stared in miserable silence at Daisy. A tremble ran up the sharp angles of his sweet face. He looked away.
"Fine," he said, before turning to his father. "Think you can find Mario with that thing, Pops?"
The commander was taken off guard. "I… yes. If we have a general idea of where Mario could be, I can use the Dream Machine to pinpoint his location and open a doorway."
"Good," Waluigi said. He gave Daisy an expectant look. "Call Peach and find out where that idiot is right now."
Daisy smiled. "Waluigi… thank you."
"Are we doing this or not!?" he said. "If I'm not getting any credit for this, I want it done with quick! C'mon! Let's hustle!"