breath20k
That's what the last chapter was about: Vivian redeeming herself.
LiamTheYoshi
But when will Mario and Vivian encounter Beldam and Marilyn again? That's the question.
mariobroultimate
Vivian doesn't know whether Beldam and Marilyn are her sisters or not, but she's forced to believe they are.
Mario bros fan4ever
It's way too early to feature the Red Star.
...
Chapter 32: What's His Name?
Meanwhile, the Mario impostor caught up with Luigi and Jeremy, who were waiting south of the shop.
"There you are, Mario! Where were you?" Luigi asked.
"Oh, I was just taking care of personal business," the impostor answered. "Sorry I kept you waiting."
"The mayor wants us to come to his house," Jeremy said. "Some villager said he's got a reward for us."
"Yay! Woohoo! I love rewards!" the impostor cheered, jumping for joy.
"Hey. Easy there, bro. Don't get too overexcited," Luigi said.
Jeremy led Luigi and the Mario impostor toward Dour's house and knocked on the front door. A few seconds later, Dour opened the door and his eyes widened.
"Well, if it isn't the heroes of Twilight Town!" Dour beamed. "Come on in, you three! I've got something special for you."
Everyone walked inside and noticed a rotisserie chicken with a variety of sides on the kitchen table.
"You made dinner for us?" Jeremy asked.
"Of course! After all, you deserve a well-needed meal after the hard work you did."
Jeremy, Luigi, and the Mario impostor sat down at the table while Dour prepared three cups of water. The impostor licked his lips and grabbed his utensils.
How did Mario get so excited? Luigi wondered. He doesn't usually act this way.
"I'm going for the drumsticks first! They're the yummiest part!" the impostor said happily.
"Don't eat both in one go," Jeremy warned the impostor. He didn't have any suspicions just yet. "You gotta leave enough chicken to share with us."
"But I'm so, so hungry! I wanna eat!"
Luigi tried to lay his hand on the impostor's shoulder to calm him down, but the impostor flinched immediately.
"Don't touch me!"
"Calm down, Mario. It's only a simple dinner."
"Okay, Jeremy, Luigi, and Mario. Let's say grace before we eat," Dour said as he took his seat. "Bow your heads."
Everyone but the impostor bowed their heads.
While Dour said grace, the impostor bore an angry grin on his face and snickered silently. It's working! You so fell for it, Slicks!
...
At the same time Jeremy, Luigi, and the Mario impostor entered Dour's house for dinner, the real Mario and Vivian were already on their way to Creepy Steeple.
"I couldn't think of a good name," Mario explained. He was telling the story of how he was unable to guess the impostor's real name. "But I don't want to say what my guess was."
"Why?" Vivian asked.
"Because I don't want to," Mario answered. "It's my business only."
"Whatever you say," Vivian sighed.
Both speed-walked toward Creepy Steeple and arrived at the entrance in only 15 minutes.
"Whoa... That's a scary church..." Vivian murmured.
"It sure is. I haven't been here before and I'm already feeling goosebumps," Mario lied. He knew he went to the steeple already, but he kept his promise of acting like someone else until then.
Vivian noticed a well to her right and approached it. "What's down this hole?"
Mario looked down the well and shrugged. "The only way to find out is jumph down it."
Vivian entered the well first with Mario following behind. They ended up in a small room with a red and yellow trampoline and an open doorway in front. However, the next area had a bunch of Buzzy Beetles walking about.
"I don't have time to fight these guys," Mario said.
Suddenly, Vivian dragged Mario into the floor; Mario barely let out a scream. All that was left was a shadowy black circle on the floor, which moved up a long staircase and stopped at a wood door. Both Vivian and Mario rose out of the floor again.
"What the hell was that?!" Mario demanded. "Why did you drag me under?!"
"I was trying to protect you," Vivian answered. "You know how some people have the ability to become invisible? I have a similar ability, but it's more of becoming a flat shadow."
"Well, don't do it without warning me!" Mario said with irritation. "You literally made my heart jumph out my mouth!"
"I'm sorry, Fabio," Vivian apologized.
The next room had two treasure boxes and a green parrot sitting on an elevated perch.
"Oh, look at the cute little parrot!" Vivian squealed. "It's so adorable!"
"Skrawk!" the parrot cawed upon hearing Vivian. "Good morning! Good morning! Pretty bird! Pretty bird!"
"Don't mind us, bird," Mario whispered. "We're just going to get what's in those treasure chests and leave."
Mario tiptoed toward the chests while looking away from the parrot. Vivian stayed behind for now.
When he was just behind the parrot's perch, Mario gestured for Vivian to come over. Vivian eyeballed the parrot turning around and hid Mario in her shadow.
The parrot expected to see someone in the room with it, but no one else was present. Well, for the parrot, of course.
"Skrawk? What happened to those weirdos who were just here? Aw, whatever..." the parrot said. "It was almost nice to have some company... I mean, no matter how important it is that no one knows his real name... Locking me up in here just because I know it... No way to treat a parrot! I really want a cracker or two... Doopliss, you're a big meanie. When's the feeding time, huh?"
Having heard what may be the Duplighost's name, Mario and Vivian reappeared.
"Thank you, bird!" Mario thanked the parrot, who turned to see him and Vivian.
"Skra-WAAAAAAAAAAK?! Uh... Pretty bird! Pretty bird!" the parrot cawed. It noticed the open door ahead and flew off.
Then, Mario opened the first chest, which contained a white key. The other one had a small potion tube labeled "P". Mario's eyes widened at the sight of the label.
"Does that mean it...?" Mario started. But he didn't finish his sentence and drank the potion. He puckered his face at the potion's taste.
"That didn't taste good, did it?" Vivian asked.
"No. It was sour," Mario answered. "But that name 'Doopliss'..." Suddenly, he realized he could pronounce the letter "P" again. "Hey! I can say the letter 'P' again!"
"That's great! All that's left is your name, body, and voice," Vivian remarked. She and Mario immediately left the room and went back to the well's trampoline, which they used to return to the surface.
"I guess we should go back to Twilight Town," Mario said. "Hopefully, the impostor will be there."
...
The Mario impostor exited Dour's house with chicken remnants in his mustache and ketchup on either corner of his mouth. His gloves were tainted with grease.
"That hit the spot!" the impostor said. Luigi and Jeremy left the house too; the latter had a disappointed look on his face.
"I can't believe how rude you were at the table!" Jeremy scolded the impostor. "All you left for each of us was the fatty skin!"
"Jeremy, cut him a break," Luigi told Jeremy. "He just hasn't had any food since this morning. I'm sure he didn't mean to act like that."
"But I thought more of him!" Jeremy complained. "I thought he was nice like you, Ibáñez!"
Suddenly, the impostor ran off, having heard Jeremy complain about him.
"Bro! Wait!" Luigi cried. "We can talk about this! He-"
Luigi stopped himself since he knew the impostor couldn't hear him. He let out a sigh as he turned to Jeremy.
"Was it something I said?" Jeremy asked.
...
At the same time the impostor left Luigi and Jeremy alone again, Mario and Vivian arrived at Twilight Town again.
"Where are you now?" Mario asked.
Right on cue, the impostor approached the duo, satisfied that his plan was working.
"Hey, what's up, Slick? Been waiting for you! I would've done this back in town, but that wouldn't have looked very good, would it?" the impostor stated.
"So, you're the one who stole Fabio's body, name, and voice?" Vivian asked. "How could you-"
"Can the chatter!" the impostor said. "Now, here's the deal: you get your chance, then I'll stomp you! If you guess my real name, then you get your body and name back. So...hit me, baby, one more time!"
Very well, Britney, Mario smirked, knowing he'll beat the impostor. "Your name? Doopliss! BAM!" He flung his fist down at the ground.
Doopliss's jaw dropped. "Wha- What did you just say?!"
"I just said your name, Doopliss!" Mario replied. "Now give me my real self back!"
But Doopliss only shook his head no in disbelief.
"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? HOW? HOW? HOW? HOW? HOW?" Doopliss exclaimed. "I don't feel good!"
Doopliss ran back the way he came, flailing his arms.
...
"Okay. I'll apologize to him," Jeremy said. "I just hope he learns next time."
"He will. Don't worry," Luigi reassured Jeremy.
"Guys! To the church! Now!" Doopliss called out.
"Why?" Luigi asked.
"Don't ask! Just come with me!"
Luigi and Jeremy wasted no time and followed Doopliss quickly. They didn't notice Mario and Vivian standing at the entrance.
The duo gazed at Jeremy, Luigi, and Doopliss running ahead.
"They must be heading for the church!" Mario said. "Let's follow them!"
But Vivian stood with a puzzled look on her face. "Those men... They look familiar..."
"What is it?" Mario asked.
"Uh... Nothing. It's just me."
Mario and Vivian started toward Creepy Steeple again, running as fast as they could. Eventually, they reached the church, barely noticing the front door slam shut.
"They went inside!" Mario exclaimed. He flung the front door open and went for the staircase to his left. But he found the door to Doopliss's lounge locked again.
Luckily, Mario had the white key to unlock it. He and Vivian ran toward the trampoline that they used to enter the lounge. There, they found Doopliss, Jeremy, and Luigi standing next to the sofa.
"Hey! You again, huh?" Doopliss said. "You're pretty stubborn to follow me all the way here!"
"Who is that guy?" Jeremy whispered to Luigi, having seen Mario in his other body.
"I don't know," Luigi answered.
"Let's just put an end to this, shall we?" Doopliss asked. "I'm tired of all this cat-and-mouse stuff!"
Luigi also became confused at Mario's other body but noticed Vivian alongside him. Vivian? What is she doing here?
"Me too!" Jeremy agreed. "They're both going down, González!"
But just before the battle could commence, Mario held his hands out.
"Wait! Stop! There's no need to fight!" Mario shouted, stopping everyone in their tracks. "We just came here to talk!"
"But you're stalling us from getting the Crystal Star!" Jeremy argued.
"Huh? What's a Crystal Star?" Doopliss lied.
"Bro, you know what a Crystal Star is. Don't be dim," Luigi said.
"No, I'm not stalling anybody!" Mario told Jeremy. "The guy with you is not M-"
Suddenly, Mario got electrocuted from trying to say his name. Vivian gasped as he fell to his knees.
"Wow. You must've fried your brain," Doopliss remarked. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, Jesus..." Mario groaned, holding his head. "I forgot..."
"What are you trying to say?" Luigi asked as Mario stood up.
Mario took a few seconds to gather his thoughts. "Look, who you're standing with is not me. It may look like it, but you're wrong. Remember when we fought up in this lounge earlier? That person swapped bodies with me and turned me into a completely different guy."
Doopliss frowned, not wanting Mario to reveal his plan.
"And how are we supposed to believe that?" Luigi questioned.
"That doesn't matter! You have to believe it!" Mario said. "I was cursed right as you left and-"
"Shut up!" Doopliss yelled. He charged Mario and tackled him to the ground. The others could only watch as both fought each other. "Don't talk about me!"
Mario punched Doopliss in the face, knocking him back a bit. "I don't wanna be this random person anymore!" he yelled. "I wanna get the Crystal Stars and move on!"
"What's wrong with them?" Jeremy asked with confusion. "This is getting weird."
Mario pinned Doopliss, who was getting scared at Mario's rage.
"You've made my life a living hell! I'm sick of what you put me through!"
"Please! Let me go!" Doopliss pleaded. "I'll give you your-"
But Mario uppercutted Doopliss up the chin and grabbed his cap.
"No! Don't touch my cap!"
"IT'S MY CAP! THAT KEEPS ME FROM LOSING MYSELF!"
Doopliss tried to pry Mario's hand off his cap, but Mario kept tugging at it as hard as he could. The struggle kept going until the cap started to rip off Doopliss's head, emitting purple smoke.
Doopliss screamed with pain while Mario screamed even louder. The smoke emission increased as Doopliss's eyes glowed red. Before everyone knew it, Mario managed to rip the cap completely, encasing him and Doopliss in a purple explosion.
The resultant smoke stayed in the air for a brief moment and cleared to reveal Mario on his back and Doopliss up against the back wall. Doopliss was back in his Duplighost form while Mario was back to his old self again.
Luigi, Jeremy, and Vivian had braced themselves prior to the explosion and opened their eyes to see the aftermath.
"Eh?" "What happened?" Luigi and Jeremy wondered, respectively. Mario slowly stood up and stared at Doopliss. The latter picked himself up too.
"Doopliss. I don't want to see you again," Mario said with tranquil fury. "Get out."
"You killjoy..." Doopliss moaned. "I can't believe you foiled-"
"GET OUT!" Mario screamed at the top of his lungs.
Doopliss immediately jumped out the window, disappearing for now. Mario started to tear up, relieved that everything was over.
"Okay. Can someone explain what this whole setup was?" Jeremy asked. "I seriously don't get it."
Vivian stood in shock and began to realize who was really with her all along.
"You... Are you...?"
Mario turned to Vivian, who was also tearing up.
"Y-yeah... It... I-it's-a me..." Mario paused, wondering if it was okay to say his name. He didn't want to get electrocuted again. "Uh... M-Mario..."
Vivian finally went and hugged Mario tight, crying very hard. Mario returned the hug, feeling just as emotional as she was.
"I-I'm sorry, M-Mario...!" Vivian cried. "I didn't m-mean to f-fight you...!"
Mario initially didn't say anything, his emotions preventing him from talking. "V-Viv... I'm s-sorry too...! I shouldn't h-have h-hurt you back there...!"
"Let's give them their space," Luigi said to Jeremy, who nodded. Both quickly left the lounge as Vivian and Mario dropped to their knees, still entwined in each other's arms.
"N-non piangere, p-piccola... (Don't cry, baby...)" Mario said softly in Italian. "I w-won't do anything a-again..."
"Th-thank you..." Vivian replied between sobs. "D-Daddy..."
Mario melted into Vivian's arms, hearing her call him "Daddy". He felt like he was holding close the daughter he never had.