Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story.
BGM: Shhwonk Fortress (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door)
The trio came out of the Warp Pipe, landing right into the water. "Eugh!" Sora groaned. "Not what I was hoping to land in…"
"Well, it could be a lot worse." Luigi said as they looked both ways. "Okay, where do we go first?"
"We split up." Mario said. "Cover more ground that way."
"Sounds good to me." Luigi said and turned to the eastern side. "Alright, so you and I go right and Sora can take the left!" He said, but heard nothing. "…Bro?" He turned his head and saw Mario walking off with Sora.
"See you on the other side, Luigi!" Sora waved.
"Ack!" Luigi yelped. "…Ooooh, fine, guess I'll go alone." He said as he brought out his flashlight as he wandered ahead. "Not that I don't mind being alone, but I wouldn't mind some company every now and then." He mumbled to himself as he walked through the water.
As he walked… he felt a presence lurking through the shadows. He immediately shivered when something jumped past him. "Who's there?!" He asked, turning his light into the darkness but saw nothing. "Mmmph…" He shook his head. I'm just imagining things… He thought as he continued to walk ahead but couldn't help but feel as if someone was watching him… or something.
As soon as Luigi got into the next room, he immediately found a Moon Stone. "A Moon Stone…? How odd." He said as he picked it up… but as he examined it, he immediately remembered seeing an engraving at Petal Meadows that had the exact same shape as the Moon Stone. "Aha! I wondered if that spot was important." He said.
"…Eee… ork…"
"Huh?" Luigi turned his head.
"…Eeee… York…"
Luigi closed his eyes. That kinda sounds like…
"Meeeeeyork! Meeeeeeeyork!"
"…Oh no." Luigi paled.
With Mario and Sora…
"…Okay, is it just me, or are we being watched?" Sora asked.
"You too?" Mario asked. "I thought it was just me."
"Oh good, I'm not going crazy then." Sora chuckled as they walked onto a platform and spotted a Sun Stone lying on top of it.
"A Sun Stone…" Mario wondered aloud, picking it up. "…Hmm…"
"You think it has something to do with those things back at Petal Meadows?"
"I was thinking the same thing." Mario nodded.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"Luigi?!" Sora turned his head as he and Mario went running through the water, but halfway there, they were greeted by a golden Fuzzy and some of his friends.
"Oh no…" Mario groaned.
"Meeeeyork! Meeeeeyork! Hey, what's the big idea coming into OUR home?"
"You know these things?" Sora asked.
"Fuzzies… and all you need to know is that they're blood sucking parasites." Mario explained before activating his Fire Brand.
"Oh, joy… so they're land leeches." Sora said, readying his Ultima… when suddenly bolts of lightning struck the Golden Fuzzy and some of his brethren. Mario and Sora would see Luigi approaching them, dusting his shoulders while kicking a Fuzzy off of his shoe.
"Hey, you okay?" Mario asked.
"Yeah, I'm alright… I love Fuzzies dropping on top of my head."
"That's a negative." Sora sweatdropped.
Luigi sighed. "Let's just get out of here before more show up." He said as they crawled into the Warp Pipe.
"Meeeyoooowch… I wasn't even ready…" The Gold Fuzzy groaned.
End BGM
"We got what we needed!" Mario said.
"Yeah, let's go!" Sora grinned as they took off back to Petal Meadows… but as they crossed through Petalburg…
"Um… hi… uh… excuse me a sec…" A voice mumbled as they saw Koops approaching them. "So uh… hi…"
"Hey, you're that guy from before, right?" Sora asked.
"Yeah." Koops nodded. "So… I… I need to ask a favor…"
"Oh?" Mario wondered.
"The thing is… well… um… OH PLEASE TAKE ME WITH YOU TO FIGHT HOOKTAIL, I'M BEGGING YOU!"
"Whoa! Where'd this come from?!" Luigi said in surprise.
Koops sighed. "Well… I've been trying to be brave for a long time but I've just been so… cowardly. And yet, I've seen you three brave through Shhwonk Fortress, so it got me thinking… I need to work up the courage to ask them… and well, here we are."
"Well, hey, I'm cool with it… but what's the occasion?" Mario asked.
"Well… the thing is, my dad went off to fight Hooktail a long time ago, but that was several years ago. I want to avenge him… if that's alright."
Mario smiled. "Well sure, we can take down the dragon and avenge your old man!"
"Yeah, I'm sure fighting Hooktail won't be that bad!" Sora agreed.
"Well, as long as none of us becomes his dinner, we'll be fine." Luigi said with a nod.
Koops smiled. "Thank you… now, let's head on over to-"
"Hey! Where are you going?" A voice asked as the quad turned to see a female Koopa approaching them.
"Oh! Koopie Koo… uh… hi! How much did you hear?"
"Just enough." She said. "Look, Koops… you know you don't have what it takes to fight Hooktail of all things!"
"I know that, but perhaps these three gentleman with me will help me become… braver."
"You hardly even KNOW them! They don't look trustworthy!"
"What are you talking about? They braved Shhwonk Fortress! Plus, do they look like bad people to you?"
"I don't know… but looks can be deceiving!"
"I'm going with them, Koopie Koo… and I'm going to defeat Hooktail. You can't change my mind about this."
"UUUUUGH! FINE! Go and be a stubborn Koopa! Just don't come crying to me when you get kidnapped and then get eaten by Hooktail! They could be in league with it!"
"Geez, lady… would you chill out?" Sora asked.
"SHUT UP!" Koopie Koo yelled before glaring at Koops. "You… are the most stubborn Koopa I've ever met." She said and then walked off with a hmph… but then stopped walking. "…Just come back alive, alright? I love you." She said and took off running.
"Big sister?" Luigi asked once she was out of earshot.
"Nah, protective girlfriend."
"Ooooh…"
"Yeah, but she means well. Now then, let's go!" Koops said as they took off for Hooktail Castle, and once they placed the stones in place and the Mario Bros swung their hammers down on the ! Switches to reveal a Warp Pipe, and then they hopped inside and walked into the castle.
"Hooooly cooooow!" Sora exclaimed as they saw the entrance to Hooktail's Castle, complete with lightning flashing in the sky.
"Dang, that's a castle." Luigi said.
"Yup, I believe it puts Bowser's to shame." Mario said, folding his arms smugly.
"…You DO know he'll kill you for that, right?"
"Exactly." Mario said.
Koops gulped. "Le-let's just go in." He said as they walked inside.
BGM: Hooktail Castle (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door)
"Helloooo! Echooooo!" Sora yelled out as they waled in, as he heard his voice bouncing off the walls. "Heh, always wanted to do that."
"Good for you, I guess." Koops said as they walked ahead while taking out a few Paratroopas and a Koopa as they went into the next room to come into a room filled with a lot of Dull Bones.
"Yeesh… creepy." Luigi shuddered as they walked through the cells.
"Wah! Hey!" Koops yelled, pointing to a corpse. "That's my dad! I know those shoes anywhere!" He said as they walked up to it. "Dad… oh no… he didn't make it…" He whispered as he closed his eyes, a tear ran down his cheek. "We'll avenge you, dad… Hooktail won't last much longer."
"Hello, what's this?" Sora wondered, picking up a note. "Hmm… mmm… oh… huh? …Ooooh…"
"What is it?" Mario asked.
Sora cleared his throat. "To those who are reading this, I have already passed on. I, like many brave warriors before, have attempted to bravely fight Hooktail, but alas… he was on his last legs when he decided to trick me while my guard was down. He will do anything to win… and that's when he fatally wounded me. As I am writing… my vision is blurring as we speak. I will take a few moments left of my life to talk to my son. Kolorado, if you are reading this-"
"HUH?!" Koops yelled in surprise.
"-Then you must know the secret to fighting Hooktail. Its weakness is crickets… I'm not sure why it has to be crickets, but it's the only way for you to know should you be brave enough to fight the massive beast. Farewell…"
Koops' face turned red. "Eh… whoooops… this is awkward…"
"I'd say that's more of an honest mistake." Mario said.
"So uh… what about that red guy over there?" Luigi wondered as they walked over to the Red Bones and examined it.
Pause BGM
"Whoooo are yooooou! Leave nooooow or you will be nothing but booooooones!" Red Bones declared when suddenly, several Dull Bones rained from the ceiling.
BGM: Monster House (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX)
"Wah! What's going on?!" Luigi yelped.
"I'm not sure but we'll have to power through!" Mario said as Sora quickly summoned the Ultima as he slashed through the Dull Bones with relative ease before Airstepping to the Red Bones and grabbing a hold of him before throwing him to the side, then held him in place with Graviga and then the Mario Bros hammered it into the ground where Koops did Power Shell to finish it off.
End BGM
Resume Hooktail Castle BGM
"That was easy." Sora said, watching the Dull Bones disperse as they walked through the castle, knocking around any Dull Bones that would try to attack them as they worked their way toward the stairs and climbed the stairs where they would see a lock… and Sora would unlock it with his Keyblade.
"Dang, wish I had a Key Sword thing that unlocks doors at will." Koops said.
"It's called a Keyblade." Sora grinned as they walked through the door, where they would then see a lift but also saw another door as they walked through the door and found themselves in a dungeon-like room.
"You think there's anything in here?" Luigi asked.
"There might be." Mario responded as they took out a Spiky Goomba and a Paratroopa as they made their way to the other side and saw a ! Switch, and once Koops had hit it, they saw the cell opening up… and then shutting a few seconds later.
"Oooh, that's tricky timing…" Koops said.
"Hit it again." Sora requested as Koops nodded and hit the ! Switch, then he aimed his hand at it and used Stopga.
"A stop spell?!" Luigi said in surprise.
"Pretty neat, huh?" Sora grinned as they walked underneath the cell and walked into the next room where they saw another black chest.
"Uh oh…" The Bros and Sora said in unison.
"Uh oh? What's uh oh?" Koops wondered.
"Hey hey! I hear voices!" The voice said from the chest. "Good, I could use the company. Hey listen, I could use a favor. Someone threw me into this chest and locked me up… and then they threw away the key! Who does that? So anyway, I was hoping you'd-"
"Free you and then you'd curse us?" Sora spoke up. "Yeah, we met someone similar to this black chest and "cursed" us."
"Whoa whoa whooooooa! What makes you think I will do something like that? I'm not like that other guy, promise! Just get me out of here!"
The three of them looked at each other, rolled their eyes as Sora aimed his Keyblade at the chest to unlock it.
"Whoa! That was easy! Now then…. WEHEHEHEHEHEHE! FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLS!"
Pause BGM
BGM: Curse of the Black Chest (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door)
"Wah!" Koops yelped as they were surrounded in a dark void.
"I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW DUMB YOU ARE! YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T-"
"I'll see your three and raise you a four."
*record scratch*
"HUH?!" The demon looked at the trio in confusion as they were playing cards… even Koops looked confused.
BGM: Have a Nice Talk (Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story plus Bowser Jr's Journey)
"Alright, all in!" Sora said, pushing in some poker chips.
"Oh, how brave of you…" Luigi mused. "But that might just cost you!"
"Whoa whoa WHOA, what are you doing?"
"Not taking you seriously." Mario said.
"But… I had a whole speech prepared and everything!"
"Yeah yeah, just get to the part where we're cursed. Can't you see we're busy?" Sora asked.
"Royal flush!" Luigi said with a smug grin.
"Aaagh!" Sora and Mario exclaimed in surprise.
"…Uuuugh, fiiiiine…" The demon groaned, flashing all three of them. "You're now wearing blue for all eternity. Have fun being blue for all eternity or whatever…" He said, disappearing while grumbling.
End BGM
"Oh hey, Wisdom Form!" Sora grinned.
"So, we don't need Ice Flowers anymore? This feels weird…" Luigi said with Mario nodding, then the trio dismissed their "curses" as Luigi packed up the poker table and put it in his pocket.
"…I'm… not sure what just happened." Koops sweatdropped.
"They're all bark and no bite, no worries." Sora said as they walked out of the dungeon, with the Stopga spell disappearing and slammed right behind them.
Resume Hooktail Castle BGM
They would then hop onto a lift, with Mario hitting a switch to make the platform rise to the top and then walked through a door as they would walk across the path while jumping across gaps, though the last one they would crawl through the window and went back in after taking a few steps outside, then they went into the next room where they took out a few Dull Bones and hit another switch to rise up from the ground.
"I wonder what's in here?" Koops wondered as they opened up the door to discover a treasure room… and saw a thief in the midst of stealing said treasure.
"Oh?" The thief turned her head. "My, I wasn't expecting to be caught in my little heist~"
Pause BGM
BGM: Ms Mowz's Theme (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door)
"Hmm? Who are you?" Mario asked.
"Oh, I go by many names… the mouse thief, the Phantom Thief wannabe, the mouse from the shadows… but you darlings can call me Ms Mowz~" She said, winking at all four of them.
"Oh… uh…!" Koops blushed. "Sorry, I'm taken…"
"I think Daisy'll kill you if she saw that." Luigi shuddered.
"Um… no thanks, I'm good." Mario blushed.
"Uh… HARD pass!" Sora blushed.
"Hmhmhmhmm~ Cute." Ms. Mowz giggled. "I will take my leave for now… but I do wonder if you know about the secret to the beast in this castle… until we meet again, darlings!" She said and then hopped off the ledge, but not before blowing them a kiss where the four instinctively dodged said kiss.
End BGM
Resume Hooktail Castle BGM
"Well, that was… eventful." Koops blushed.
"You said it." Sora nodded and then spotted a closed treasure chest. "Hello… she missed one." He said as he walked over and opened it up, revealing a Shine Sprite.
"What's a Shine Sprite doing all the way out here?" Mario wondered in surprise.
"Guess you missed one?" Luigi shrugged.
"Hmm… I'll save it for later." Sora said, putting the Shine Sprite in his pocket as they walked through the castle, taking out any Dull Bones or Paratroopa in the way, then they climbed more stairs and found themselves outside, seeing the final tower in front of them.
"Well, looks like this is it." Mario said. "You ready?"
"Ready!" Sora nodded.
"Yeah, for my father!" Koops said.
"Let's-a… go…" Luigi said unenthusiastically as they made their way to the top of the tower while taking care of any enemy that got in their way, and once they reached the doors… all of them looked at each other and with a nod, they walked right in.
End BGM
"Who dares to enter my domain?" A voice demanded as they saw the massive dragon before them as Hooktail roared before them.
"Yipe…" Luigi paled.
"Hooktail! We've come to…" Koops gulped. "Destroy you!"
"Ah… so you are the little morsels I've seen from before!" Hooktail smirked. "I didn't pay you much mind, but now that you walked your way into my lair, I will have you for appetizers before I go back to that little village! Ahahahaha!"
"We will see about that!" Mario declared.
"Uh… how's about you snack on something more healthy… like fruits and vegetables?" Luigi suggested.
"They don't sate my appetite… besides, Koopas and humans make wonderful protein." Hooktail smirked, causing Luigi to lose all color.
"Meep…"
"Alright, enough fooling around! Let's knock this dragon down!" Sora declared.
"How cute! You think you can stop me? We'll see about that once you GET IN MY BELLY!" Hooktail roared.
BGM: Boss - Hooktail (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door)
Hooktail breathed fire at the group, but they would roll around to avoid the flames as Mario jumped up into the air and hammered Hooktail on the snout, only for the dragon to headbutt him away as he would stomp on Luigi, but he dove for cover and then fired electricity at it.
"Take THIS!" Sora yelled, unleashing a Blizzaga but Hooktail shrugged it off as he bit down on Sora, but he jumped away in time as Koops slammed into Hooktail's foot.
"Alright, you think we oughta exploit it?" Luigi asked.
"Wouldn't hurt to try!" Mario said.
"Criiiicket! Criiiiicket!" Sora called out. "…Sorry, we don't have crickets at my world."
"Chirp chirp chirp! …No wait, that's a bird…" Koops sweatdropped.
"DELELELELELE WHOOOOOP!" Luigi yelled… which caused the trio to look at him weird.
End BGM
"…What?" Luigi shrugged.
"What, pray tell… are you doing?" Hooktail asked.
"Uh… trying to mimic a cricket? You're allergic to them, aren't you?" Sora asked.
"Oh no! Crickets! Whatever shall I do! Oooooh, it wounds me that you found my weakness! Oooh, I feel sick just thinking about them! Oh, the dragonmanity!"
"…We're doomed." Luigi groaned.
"I spent months in therapy over a bad case of crickets! And you are trying to exploit that?! Who goes and exploits someone's weaknesses after they've been in therapy! And you call ME the monster?!" Hooktail snarled.
"We're so doomed."
Hooktail smirked. "I have an alternative." It smirked and then suddenly started glowing a rainbow-like aura. "POWER UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!"
BGM: The Encounter - Metal Charge - (Kingdom Hearts III)
"…Well, THIS didn't go as planned!" Koops exclaimed.
"We are so mega ultra omega doomed!" Luigi paled.
"Not with that attitude! We still got a chance!" Sora said, summoning his Ultima as Hooktail slammed its feet into the ground, making powerful shockwaves that nearly knocked them all to the ground as Mario quickly shot out a stream of fire from his hands, hitting Hooktail directly where the latter would spit out a poison breath attack at Koops and Luigi, but they dove out of the way.
Luigi's hat and overalls went blue. "Have some of this!" He said, shooting out frozen bolts of lightning at Hooktail, striking it head on… but Hooktail's scales suddenly turned blue as Hooktail then shot out an icy breath attack. "Wah!" He yelped as he jumped out of the way as Hooktail lunged for Luigi and attempted to bite down on the plumber, but Sora Airstepped toward Luigi and pushed him to the ground, where Sora would hold his feet and hands in place to try to keep Hooktail's mouth from closing.
Hooktail smirked, where Sora would see the throat glowing with energy as Sora immediately used Stopga on it, and then jumped back where he used Triple Firaga and a Thundaga spell as he landed on the ground, then Stopga dissipated once Mario had used a fiery hammer attack.
Hooktail snarled, the scales suddenly turning yellow as it started firing bolts of lightning at them as Koops would use a Power Shell on Hooktail's foot, only for it to kick him away as Mario did a few jumps and then hammered Hooktail on the snout after Hooktail breathed out an electrical storm on Sora and Luigi, then it would headbutt Mario away and blasted him head on with an electrical shot.
"Hahaha! I haven't even broken a sweat! What can you do to stop me?" Hooktail demanded as Sora closed his eyes and immediately went into his Valor Form, summoning both Oathkeeper and Oblivion as he rushed over and slashed wildly at Hooktail as he jumped back before using both Triple Firaga and Blizzaga attacks.
Luigi would activate his Thunder Hand, manipulating it to his hammer as he zipped on over and hammered Hooktail… or at least he would have hadn't Hooktail seen him coming, and before Luigi knew it, Hooktail chomped down, completely engulfing him into his mouth and swallowed him.
"LUIGI!" The three yelled.
"Hahahaha! That's one down… three remain!" Hooktail smirked. "Your friend was quite minty."
A tear ran down Mario's cheek as he clenched his fists. "HEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He yelled, engulfing himself in flames as he rushed over to Hooktail.
End BGM
Meanwhile, inside Hooktail…
"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Splash!
"Ooogh…" Luigi groaned, shaking it off. "…Oh great, now look what you've done, Luigi… you got yourself get eaten!"
"…Oh? I haven't heard a voice in a long time…"
"Huh?!" Luigi turned his head to see a Koopa emerging from his shell.
"Hello there! What's your name? Don't worry, I don't bite!"
"Uh… my name's… Luigi." He said as he climbed up, away from Hooktail's stomach acid. "And yours?"
"Koopley! Nice to meet ya… well, it would be nice, but… given the circumstances… hahaha!" Koopley chuckled.
"So, what are you doing in Hooktail's stomach?"
"Oh, I came here to slay the dragon ten years ago, but alas… the darn beast swallowed me up before I finished it off!"
"Ten years?! How have you not dissolved?"
"Sheer willpower and determination. Plus, I'm on this little bulge that's protected from the acid, so there's that too!"
"Ah, I see." Luigi nodded.
"So, you came to slay Hooktail too? Did it trick ya?"
"More like bad luck." Luigi sighed. "I didn't come alone though… my brother, Mario and a friend named Sora came to help out, along with this Koopa Kid named Koops."
Koopley's eyes widened. "Koops, you say? That boy's my son!"
"What?! Oh boy, he's gonna be shocked to see you alive! …If we ever get out of here."
"Indeed."
"So… how have you not gone insane for all these years?"
"Oh, this little thing kept me company." Koopley said, pulling out the Diamond Star from his shell. "Not sure what it's for, but it's sparkly."
Luigi let out a gasp. "That's the Crystal Star we've been looking for!"
"Oh, is that right? Well, here you go then!" Koopley said, handing it over. "I've felt some immense power from it but I could never seem to firmly grasp the power. I wonder why?"
"No idea…" Luigi shrugged before looking at the Crystal Star, and then it started glowing where Luigi felt a surge of power flowing through him.
Outside…
"HAHAHAHA! You three cannot stop me!" Hooktail laughed, the scales turning back to its original color while looking down at a frightened Koops, a determined Sora and an angry Mario. "If your friend couldn't stop me, then what chance do you have?"
"We'll think of something!" Sora said.
"Rrrgh! Hooktail! Your reign of terror will come to an end, you miserable-" He then started cussing Hooktail out in Italian.
"Uh… you know what he's saying?" Sora asked.
"Probably something horrible." Koops responded.
"Ha! I do not know what you just said, but those will be the last words you have ever heard!" Hooktail roared and lunged at the three… before coming to a complete stop. "…Uuurgh…"
"Huh?" Sora wondered.
"My stomach… why do I feel… like I'm about to burst?" Hooktail wondered.
BGM: Luigi's Theme (Mario Strikers Charged)
In an instant, diamond spikes shot through Hooktail's entire body, ripping through its skin and scales as Hooktail let out a surprised roar of agony as the spikes then shot out electricity before they disappeared, and then Luigi and Koopley shot out of the hole, the former's eyes glowing with electricity as he threw the DIamond Star at Hooktail… before it was completely covered into a diamond prison.
Luigi and Koopley landed on the ground, the former then fired a massive bolt of electricity at the diamond covered dragon… and then the diamond prison shattered along with Hooktail itself.
End BGM
"Whoa!" The three exclaimed as Luigi's eyes turned back to normal as he turned around and smiled.
"Heya!" Luigi smiled.
"Luigi!" Mario happily hugged his brother as Luigi hugged him back… before Mario caught a whiff of him and pushed him away. "Eugh! You smell like dragon guts…"
"Yeah… I know!" Luigi sighed. "Please tell you have a shower in your home."
"We do." Koops nodded.
"Hoo-wee! That's one way to slay a dragon!" Koopley said proudly.
"…Dad… is it really you?" Koops asked in a whisper.
"Hmm? Oh hello there, son!" Koopley waved as Koops hugged him… and just like how Mario caught a whiff of Luigi's scent, so did Koops, pushing his father away. "Aww, son, there's no need to fret… it's just a bad case of BO."
"Yeah… a dragon's body odor!" Koops groaned before smiling. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alive… how did you…"
"Kept myself cozy in my shell all these years. Had that Crystal Star with me to keep me company from going insane. Little did I know it had that kind of power! Hoo, had I known, I'd have gored Hooktail a long time ago! Heheheh… oh well, live and learn!"
"Well… I guess all's well that end's well." Sora said as they all started laughing. "…Though, I can't help but wonder if we missed Peach and Kairi somehow…"
"Oh, I'm sure we'll find them." Mario said, all of them unaware of an X-Naut watching this from a door.
"Oh… oh crud…" The X-Naut groaned as he backed up. "This is a major problem. I need to inform Grodus right away!" He said as he took off running.
Yeah, THAT just happened!