But the Fates Aren't Done With Me Yet
Chapter 5
Castle Bleck, 2007
(Uploaded on February 20, 2022)
Summary: The fifth of eleven scenes, covering the fall (and if it's worth risking at all).
Notes: This chapter is the second of two, encompassing the events of Super Paper Mario. Currently, Mario and co. are at the beginning of Chapter 8-4 ('Tippi and Count Bleck'), immediately following the conclusion of Luigi's duel with Dimentio.
If you haven't seen the Extra Scene added to the previous chapter yet, I highly recommend you do so.
A frigid wind blew through the dim and drafty corridors of Castle Bleck.
Bowser, Peach, and Luigi were gone; their destinies now left entirely up to chance. Of the four heroes who came in… Mario was the only one left.
It was up to him to stop the dark prophecy, whatever the cost may be. The fate of every world hung in the balance.
What thrilling conclusion awaited our hero?
Mario rushed to the count's inner sanctum, his mustache fluttering in the breeze…
April 30, 2007 – Time Unknown
Castle Bleck
Interior – Last Hallway
Footsteps echoed through the empty halls.
A bead of sweat went down the side of Mario's face.
Darkness surrounded him, literally and metaphorically.
The décor in Castle Bleck was so black, it almost transcended the senses.
The walls themselves looked less solid, more spacious than expected.
If he looked too closely… he might just find himself staring off into the abyss.
(Ha.
As if he hadn't already had to, in the wake of this last week.)
He breathed in and out.
Okay. Oooookay, he thought.
Stay calm now, Mario. Stay calm.
Let's… Let's take stock of everything.
I've got… eight Pure Hearts.
I'm staffed with… twelve Pixls.
I'm down…two party members. Maybe three.
And…
…
…well, I guess that's it. Aside from my inventory, anyway.
…
Come on, Luigi…
Almost religiously, he mentally checked his twin bond.
Unfortunately, it was still somewhat muted, thanks to whatever Count Bleck and his minions had done; his being free of being Mr. L hadn't seemed to do much for that. A part of Mario burned for how it was able to be corrupted, but—there wasn't much he could do about it. Not here.
Flashes of emotion could still leak through, though – and that much, at least, told him that Luigi was still up and fighting.
He swallowed. You can do this, Luigi. I know you can.
You've saved me before; come through for me when I needed it most.
Please, don't leave me behind, too.
…
The hallway was deathly quiet.
All the Pixls, as quirky as they were, had gone silent.
Mario continued to stiffly march onward, trailed by a wave of twelve of them.
He kept track of Luigi's senses.
He was winning, he guessed. Getting one up over Dimentio.
That was fine. That meant well.
There was a chance.
He'd come back to him. He always came back.
He'd come back.
He'd come back.
He'd come back.
He'd come back.
(But Peach and Bowser were supposed to come back, too.
Did she smile, knowing that she'd done all she could—and was proud of it?
Did he snarl, realizing that he wasn't enough—but choosing to rebel anyway?)
…
Finally… the crew reached the doors to Castle Bleck's inner sanctum.
Mario's breathing was becoming unsteady.
This is it.
The door to the last stretch. To the end of the line.
This adventure's 8-4.
…
I—I don't want to step through, but—
I have to.
Otherwise, we'll all…
…
…
…
"This is it, Mario," Thoreau said, completely serious. "This is what we've been gathered for. We can't turn back now."
"…right," the hero muttered. "Nothing else to it."
No matter what, I have to go.
It's my duty as the chosen hero to.
If this is to be my fate, then…
…every step forward is another step closer to victory.
So… things'll be alright. They have to be. They will.
Won't they?
Castle Bleck
Inner Sanctum – Entrance
The doors slowly creaked open.
Mario carefully crept through, as did all the Pixls.
The hall he emerged into was about as expected: drab, pitch-black, ominous in just about every way.
He was about to make a snarky comment about it when suddenly—
!
—he felt a burst of panic come from Luigi.
He froze.
Wha—!? Luigi!?
Before he could register what was happening, however, three things happened in quick succession.
The doors slammed shut—
The floor started rumbling—
And then…
THUD!
…
…a muffled crash echoed through the area.
…
…
…
…
…
Mario turned his head back, eyes widened in absolute dread.
"Bring it, beardo!" Bowser declared, glaring into O'Chunk's swirling eyes. "I'll take you on alone! I've got all the sweet stomping you need, right here!"
Peach let out a short breath.
"Bowser… are you sure about this?" she asked.
Mario frowned. "I know you're strong, but—now's not the time to do any posturing!"
Now's not the time to do anything except getting to the end, he thought. This isn't a game! Not in this moment!
Bowser, in response, just laughed.
"Bwahahaha! Don't you two worry," he replied. "I've had egg-salad sandwiches chunkier than this guy. Just sit back and watch me—I'm not the Scourge of the Mushroom Kingdom for nothing!"
Tippi lightly gasped. "Luigi…"
…
"…no…" Mario breathed.
"But… why'd you save us?" Bowser demanded.
"Because yeh spanked me, 'ey!" O'Chunks answered, even as his arms strained from holding up the collapsing ceiling. "Yeh earned the right teh pass. Now I'm making sure yeh do just that!"
Another tremor swept through the room, and his grip slipped ever so slightly.
"HURRRRGGGGG!"
Right at that moment, though… he was joined in his efforts by his recently-victorious rival.
His eyes widened. "Whuh!?"
"You've got more chunks in your brain than I thought," the Koopa King chuckled, "but that's fine by me. You've earned my respect, too!"
Luigi and Peach screamed. "Bowser!"
"Bowser, what are you doing!?" Mario cried.
His longtime nemesis leaned his head back. "Saving your butts, that's what! Now, hurry up and get the princess into the next room, Super Stupid Bros.! This is heavier than it looks!"
He leapt toward the door, hands frantically attempting to turn the knob.
"No…"
But it refused to budge, and the door refused to move—
"I like getting whatever I want, so I do whatever I need to do to get it," Mimi said. "You can't even take a walk without needing some to watch your every step! Now that's embarrassing!"
A vein throbbed on Peach's head. "Why you—!?"
She continued, "You talk a big game now, but if it wasn't for your little boyfriends there, you'd just be another cowering toddler. Why don't you just admit you don't have what it takes to be here?"
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRR…!"
Mario and Luigi stepped back. Peach was positively steaming now—any more anger, and she'd be lighting herself on fire.
Then… she let her expression melt into something calmer, yet colder.
"You… Very well, then," she said, voice dripping with malice. "If you so insist, I'll give you what you so richly deserve."
Luigi gulped. "P-Peach! You're—You're not really-a going to—!?"
"Stay out of this!" she snapped. "I am a princess, and she has thrown mud at my dignity! You two leave this to me! UNDERSTOOD!?"
"No…!"
—and then, as if to taunt him, its outlines proceeded to just disappear.
"No, no, no, no, NO!"
"What… am I doing…?" Peach muttered from behind the door. "I just… leapt into action without even thinking…"
Standing next to the locked exit, Mario cupped his hands around his mouth.
"PEACH! ARE YOU OKAY!?" he yelled. "WHAT'S GOING ON!?"
"I'm fine!" she shouted back. "It's just—"
"I don't want your stupid help!" Mimi yelled. "Just… Just leave me here! Save yourself!"
Peach grunted. "No, I can't do that! You may have been a very, very bad person, but that doesn't mean you should just be left to die! I've always done my best to help people in need, and you won't be an exception!"
"Peach… You…"
"I've got you! I've got you! I've—!"
RRRRRRRRRRR—!
"EEEEEEEEEEEK!"
Mario's grip tightened. "PEACH! PEACH!"
He banged his fist against the now-solid wall, screaming all the while.
But it was no use.
Dimentio harumphed. "Spit upon my offer, will you…? So be it. You have wasted my time. And for that, your game ends."
He leered toward Luigi.
"Now, as for who I'll fight… I think I'll start with the green buffoon there. The shag upon his lip will make a fine trophy."
"Shag!?" Luigi grit his teeth. "Buddy, this mustache is all LUIGI!"
Mario felt his stomach drop. He knew what his brother wanted to do now.
Say what you will about him… but he knew how to spot a pattern.
"Leave this one to me, bro! You run ahead! I can handle-a this guy!"
The entrance wasn't redrawn—
Mario shook his head. "No, Luigi! I can't! I'm not losing you too—I just got you back!"
"You've got worlds to save, bro! We don't have time! Get the Pixls and go!" He stood tall, in spite of his fears. "It has to be this way!"
The hero in red looked on uncertainly. "Bro…"
"Don't let Bowser and Peach's be sacrifices be for nothing—or mine, either. Okey-dokey?"
…
"Okey-dokey," Mario reluctantly agreed.
—and Luigi's life signs didn't reappear.
"NO! LUIGI! LUIGIIIIIIIIII!"
…
I—I…
Twelve Pixls watched as their hero in red dropped to his knees, back arching down and limbs going limp.
"…pard?" Slim said. "Ya… okay there?"
…
…
…
"D'ya… need me to go all sss-BWAMMO on the wall…?" Boomer chimed in.
…
…
…
"Hey, are you there?" Carrie asked worriedly. "Mario? We're getting a little worried here…"
…
"Ohhhh…"
The prismatic Pixl went over to the plumber, who laid unmoving in front of where the entrance used to be. Ducking beneath him, she transformed into a platform and wheeled him out, hoping to get him to snap out of it.
"Never fear, amore! The day is not lost yet, amore! " Fleep sang.
"Please, don't cry!" Dottie said. "Our fates haven't yet been sealed…!"
"We've still got plenty of girth left! C'mon!" Thudley relayed.
…
…
…
Luigi's… Luigi's gone.
My hero. My partner. My brother.
…I can't sense him anymore.
Just like that.
He, and Peach, and Bowser—my three closest companions—
They're—
They're—
Mario's eyes narrowed.
"Is that all?" he growled, staring Dimentio with barely-hidden irritation. "You came here just to taunt us? That's a low blow, even for you."
The plumber was tired as hell.
They lost a world; their Pure Heart was depowered—and now they had to deal with this harlequin again?
(Could they not catch a break to destress, if only for a few moments?)
"Hurry up and get to the point! This situation stinks enough without you getting in the way."
Dimentio smiled knowingly. "Ah ha ha—it really stinks, doesn't it? Yes, yes it does! But never fear. You can be satisfied with this consolation prize instead."
He snapped his fingers, and then—
They were boxed in.
Mario, Peach, Bowser—all three Heroes of Light were boxed in, stuck inside one of Dimentio's deadly magic squares.
Gasps and yelps rang through the cottage.
"No, you wouldn't…!"
"You're gonna kill us!?"
"What the hell!?" Mario exclaimed. "You—You're just—!? No! Stop! Don't you dare!"
"I do hope you'll find what you're looking for there. Ciao!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!"
…
…
"…ha… ha…"
Tears started rolling down Mario's cheeks.
This was just… too much for any one person to handle.
What am I… going to tell Toadsworth…? To tell Junior…?
…Mama? Papa?
…
Tippi looked over Mario, her fluttering noticeably having slowed down.
"So… it's just us left now, huh?" she whispered, though she was audible to everyone in the room. "Us, and the other Pixls. It… reminds me a bit of the time we first met."
…
…
…
"…I'm so sorry, Mario," she said. "I promised at the beginning that I'd help you find your friends."
…
"But… even though we did manage that… I couldn't stop them from falling after."
…
"And now… all of them are gone forever…"
…
"…I'm sorry."
"…don't be."
Tippi blinked. "Huh?"
("Oh, spaghetti," Cudge muttered. "Something's wrong…")
Mario was standing on shaky footing: his body was shifting left and right, as if he was a pendulum working with little momentum.
"You… You don't need to… apologize," he said, his voice disturbingly lacking its usual cadence. "It's… fine. Totally fine."
Twelve Pixls turned to him as one, concern evident in the few facial features they had.
"Uh…" Barry's spikes spun in place. "Would you… care to elaborate…?"
At last, Mario revealed his face to them—
—and it was very clearly one of extreme desperation.
"They're still alive," he suddenly claimed. "They're all still alive. They have to be. They must be."
…
"I—err—mmph." Thoreau was at a loss for words. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because we've made it through everything else before! Hell, we've already died before—it happened just last week! So why should this be the exception that breaks the rule!?"
Some kind of hysteria was clearly present in Mario's tone – his psyche, it seemed, was finally beginning to reach its absolute limit.
"Um," Dashell cut in, "I don't wanna spoil your mood, but that's no guarantee. Miracles are rare. Games don't un-end themselves. I wasn't there for when yours did, I guess—"
(Right, he hadn't been.
He'd only joined at the tail end, right before they'd charged into Castle Bleck.)
"We need to go into the Pit."
Luigi blinked.
Peach, Bowser, and Tippi did the same.
Mario was standing just ahead, his back turned from everyone.
"The… Pit?" Luigi repeated, uncertainty.
"The Pit of 100 Trials," Mario clarified. "The one here, in Flipside."
Peach knew what he was talking about. They'd passed by the entrance prior to the Bitlands.
('My friends and I went through one in Rogueport,' he had said. 'A whole gauntlet of enemies, one floor after another. It was pretty tough.')
"But why?" Peach asked. "Why now? You know we're running out of time to finish this."
"And do you think we're ready?"
Silence.
Mario leaned his head back.
"After what we just went through—after our failure—do you really think we're ready?" he asked them. "The seventh Pure Heart was voided. Then we were blown to kingdom come shortly after. We can't just keep charging in half-blind! Going into the heart of the storm, we need to be as prepared as we can get.
"And right now, down there is the best way we've got."
Dashell barged on. "—but you can't pin your hopes on that. Those boom booms said a lot. Anything could've happened. It could be happy. It could be sad. We'll probably never know. Never ever."
"But still!" Mario continued to insist. "We never saw them die. An earthquake just happened and the door wouldn't let us through. That doesn't actually mean anything!"
"I'm pretty sure it does. Brrrrrrrrrr!"
(It should've been alright. With their levels increased and all the original Pixls gathered, they should've had a better chance.
So why, why why why—?)
"The plumber, his heart roars, 'Uraaaah!'," Piccolo intoned—"but the sounds, they speak to an unbridled grief. One borne of many things."
Her irises landed squarely on the plumber's.
"You bare your heart to many, using kindness to push your resolve forward. It is a strength of yours, indeed—but for souls not yet hardened against the despair in the world, it can lead to anguish in the face of unexpected tragedy.
"The sacrifices you have seen… they wear on you. Do they not?"
The mania in Mario's eyes died down a little.
"Of—Of course they do," he said. "I couldn't stop them. All these sacrifices, all this heartbreak, we didn't have a choice but to take it!"
Thoreau let out a low hum.
He had been there for the first one, too.
('It would be so very dull if our hero's journey ended so easily,' he had said, right before doing that to Fracktail. 'No, instead, it ends… with magic!')
Mario grit his teeth.
"I didn't want to see people die because of me! I didn't want the people I care about to be caught in the crossfire!"
Mario combat rolled backward, landing on his feet with sweat dripping down his cheeks.
"Stop it, Luigi!" he cried. "I don't wanna fight you! Snap out of it!"
"Begging for mercy, eh? I ain't having it!"
His plea was answered by a bolt of lightning, forcing him to dodge.
Across the field, Peach and Bowser were struggling to keep up; their target was just too adept. Despite how lopsided this one-on-three fight should've been, Luigi—he's still Luigi, he's still Luigi, don't forget—was able to keep ahead of anything being thrown at him, not in the least helped by Mario's reluctance to even attack him.
"Stupid Green 'Stache—!"
"Get back here already, you—!"
The minion in black and shades of green eluded their attempts to grab him, launching forward to land a solid hit at Mario's gut.
"Uwah—!" Mario staggered back, barely able to keep himself upright.
"The Pure Heart is mine, you see? Mine!" Luigi declared. "And I'm not stopping 'til it's in my hands to take to the Count!"
He leered.
"Oh—and it's Mr. L, not Loo-Gives-a-Crap!"
"My brother was brainwashed, and I had to fight him! Peach and Bowser were kidnapped, and used to kickstart the apocalypse! I've had to watch people die and watch whole worlds die and watch all of us die and all this time, I've been trying to keep everything together, trying to make it through with at least everyone I loved intact—"
He sucked in air through his teeth.
"…but the universe doesn't want to grant me that. It's not gonna grant anyone that.
"And it's all because Count Bleck thinks his stupid sorrow is worth more than the rest of this Grambi-damn universe."
The Sammer's Kingdom was gone.
Its people, its society, its history—
All of it had been reduced to nothingness, never to return.
And in its place…
…
"No way…"
Mario's lungs felt constricted.
The world before him was as empty as can be. An endless expanse of white filled every square inch of his peripheral view, only sometimes disrupted by a toppled roof here and a jutted pillar there.
That was it.
All nothing.
Nothing nothing.
Nothing after nothing after nothing after nothing.
This was the truth. There was no denying it:
Everything else had ceased to exist.
…
How could this be what Count Bleck and his minions desired?
How could they ever think all this carnage would ever be worth it?
(Could ever be worth so many lives; so many moments still yet to be told?)
…
The plumber dropped to his knees.
"Oh, Stars… Oh, dear Stars…"
Peach was similarly horrified. "This… This is all that's left of that beautiful world…?"
"This is messed up," Bowser said. "I'm all for being evil, but… this is just overkill."
"…we have to stop Count Bleck," Tippi affirmed. "We can't let him do this to every world."
…
Every world.
Every. World.
To do that, to every square inch of existence…
To rip a hole in the fabric of reality's design, just to cast aside what can never be yours…
…
That's… just…
…
…
…
Aaaaaaaaaagh!
Tippi, who had been silent through most of Mario's tirade, finally spoke up.
"How… How are you so sure of that?" she asked.
"He said it himself, didn't he?" Mario said. "'Aside from Timpani, no treasure mattered in the least to me.'"
He clenched his fists.
"And for her—" for you "—he wants to bottom us all out. To him, none of the rest of us have a light visible to him at all. There's no going back from what he's done, but he doesn't care. He'll blacken his soul with our blood—and relish in it."
"D-Don't say that…" Tippi stammered. "He may be our enemy, and… isn't entirely in his right mind, but… deep down, I—I know there's still good in him…!"
Tippi… Timpani…
…don't delude yourself.
"…ha," Mario darkly chuckled. "If there ever was, it's not there anymore. And even if it wasn't… that'd just make things worse!"
He stepped forward, raising his voice with a long-held frustration.
"What he's doing goes far beyond the realm of simple grief or despair! He's dragging everyone into his temper tantrum, and there's literally no escape! The living, the dead; no one's being spared here!"
"…even here, huh?"
Mario stared at the bright Overthere sky, marred only by the Void swirling and growing—same as it had everywhere else.
He spoke with a bone-deep weariness. "I… I don't know what I even expected to see anymore."
"And I—I—I just can't! I can't deal with this! No one should ever have to! I can't, I can't, I can't—"
He choked back his sobs, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
"—but who else is left!? Yoshi!? DK!? Wario!? If only! I'm the only one who was chosen! And because of that, everyone in my wake is—"
dead.
…or they will be.
"Not everyone, though!" Tippi protested. "There's still me, and Merlon, and—and all the other worlds not yet gone!"
"That doesn't matter! Because it can't bring back what's already gone! Or have you forgotten how we got this Pure Heart in the first place!?"
He thrust out his hand, and let a depowered Pure Heart—faded and white—appear above it.
"This wasn't some mere relic! This wasn't a dungeon's secret treasure! This was a person! She was a person!
"She was Luvbi!"
…
"Wait, what!?" Dashell exclaimed.
Luvbi turned to the party.
"Mario… Princess… Bowser… Tippi…" she addressed them. "Takest good care of the real me. And… savest the world, yea? Such is my final wish—so if thou dost not do it, thou art most unkind!"
Bowser's heart hurt. (It was like he was watching Junior die.)
Peach's heart ached. (It was as if TEC was being shut down again.)
Luigi was choking. (Whatever was happening, he didn't want this.)
And Mario…
Mario could only hold in his distantly horrified tears and nod. "We—We will. Don't worry. We will."
"This is all that's left of her! Her sacrifice is the only reason we're here! It'd take a miracle to reverse it—and that's not something you can force!
"So that's why… that's why my friends have to be okay!" Mario pleaded. "I can't accept any other outcome! Because otherwise… Otherwise…"
He slumped.
"…what will I have left to go back to, when all is said and done?"
…
…
…
…
…
The Ancient-made Pixls found it hard to look away.
They wanted to comfort their friend. They really did.
But… they didn't have his frame of reference.
They couldn't.
(Thousands of years had made sure of that.)
So… what could they do?
What could they do, in the face of Mario's world falling apart around him…?
…
Boomer grimaced. "…ssss-crackle."
"Crud, pard…" Slim muttered.
"I…" Carrie glanced down. "I didn't…"
…
…
…
Tippi's whispers came loud and clear.
"…Blumiere's hurt you a lot, hasn't he?" she said.
Mario paused. "…mm-hm."
"…I'm sorry. This is… all my fault."
"No, it isn't," he replied. "His choices are his alone."
"Even so, it's… it's because of me he's doing this. I—I didn't want this to happen."
…but it didn't matter anymore. They both knew that.
…
"You're… not gonna give up, are you?"
Mario shook his head. "Everyone's-a counting on me. Everyone needs me to do this. Even if I'm gasping and drowning, even if I can't find any light—I have to swim."
I'm just not sure I'll like what's above the surface.
Once more, he flipped back around to face the sanctum.
"Count Bleck's not too far off now, right? Let's-a-go, then."
Wiping away his tears, he started off on his way.
The twelve Pixls followed, sharing furtive glances with one another.
Tippi and Thoreau moved to the front of the group.
"If… If you really believe that everyone's alright," the rainbow Pixl said, "then… I'll believe in them, too. If that's okay with you…"
"You're not alone in this. Alright?" Thoreau added. "We're with you until the end. Don't count us out!"
…
…
"…mmm."
The hero stayed silent.
"…"
"I… am so freaking tired."
Back at his house, Mario let loose a heavy sigh.
"I feel like I've run twenty marathons in the Dark Lands, all while meteors are falling from the sky."
"I almost just wanna call this off and go to sleep—"
"But even still…"
"…"
"…this is worth talking about. If for no one else, then for me."
He briefly looked off-camera at something, before returning toward the screen.
…
"This last month has… just been a rollercoaster, from start to finish."
"Lineland, Gloam Valley, the Bitlands, Squirpia Space—"
"The Land of the Cragnons, the Sammer's Kingdom, the Underwhere and the Overthere—"
"—and deep in the Void, of course… Castle Bleck."
"These were our stages, and we were the actors."
"There were no auditions given, and certainly no script readings."
"We stepped up to the play, and marched to their every beat—"
"And when the curtains finally fell, we were given-a no recompense for our suffering."
"…"
"Me, Luigi, Peach, Bowser… in the end, we did live through this mess. We came back much the same as when we exited—and life continues on, game-changing journey be damned."
The thrice-time averter of apocalypses stared at his lap for a few moments: eyes shadowed, lips trembling.
"I…"
"I hate this."
"I hate that this is the way it all ends!"
"I shouldn't be—I know it could've been so much worse—but I can't look back at this and say that we really came out all the better!"
"Collectively, we were nearly killed, actually killed, nearly drowned, brainwashed, and ping-ponged around. We failed to save a world, we nearly failed saving all worlds—"
"How—How is this fair!? This isn't like Rogueport!"
"We were thrown into the depths, chewed up, and tossed back out with our only reward being a truckload of trauma! I was separated from my friends thrice; thought they were all killed twice!"
"And after all of that, they expect me to go back to how I was before this…!?"
SLAM!
Two fists hit his desk at sudden velocity.
"No, that's wrong!"
"I can't look back! Not for anything! Try as I might, I can't get it out of my head! The Void, the sacrifices, the memories…!"
"It's just—It's just—!"
"…who's there? Mario?"
May 7, 2007 – Evening
Mario's House
First Floor – Living Room
Mario paused, and turned his head toward the new voice.
Another Pixl—the thirteenth such one known—had approached, fluttering in on rainbow-outlined wings. Metallic plating filled the empty spaces between, and two zigzagging antennae poked out the top of her 'head'.
It was no coincidence she looked a lot like Tippi.
"I heard someone raising their voice over here…" Tiptron said, her voice identically quiet and reserved. "I suppose it must have been you. Is something the matter…?"
…
Mario hesitated for perhaps a little longer than necessary.
She had been an impulse buy; a robotic recreation of a recently-lost friend. He didn't know why he had forked over 999 Coins for her—even at her best, she couldn't ever replace the hole Tippi had left.
And yet, her presence here…
…
"It's… nothing," he finally replied, face softening. "I'm just recording my thoughts on… everything that had happened last month. You don't have to worry."
"…are you sure?"
"Yeah. Trust me, Tip."
I'm not about to subject you to all I've been through.
Tiptron stayed in place for a bit, contemplating his answer.
"…okay. If you say so… I'll leave you alone, then."
Her concerns temporarily sated, she flitted away from the scene.
Mario stared in Tiptron's direction for a brief second.
Then, he sighed.
"Tippi…"
…
"…"
Shaking his head, he put his hands on the table.
Some level of calmness returned to his gait, however clouded by remembrance his eyes had become.
"…well, I guess I'll head off to bed," he said. "I've spent three weeks on this journey, and the week after cleaning up—if there's anyone who deserves a long sleep at this point, it's me."
"The rest of this year should be fairly tame, anyway. Long enough for me to try and do some forgetting."
"Like—no one would be stupid enough to start something after this, right?"
"No one would—I don't have to—"
He trailed off, not sure what else to say.
…
He lowered his head.
He muttered, "It'll have to end; this will be the end."
With that, he reached for the camera—
—and the connection cut off.
Don't make waves and stay in line… Everything will be fine…
I know that, canonically, Mario doesn't really have much of a personality. He's not supposed to; he's Nintendo's family-friendly mascot, first and foremost.
But that's not really an excuse for why he's so blasé at the beginning of Chapter 8-4.
Like, seriously. He's faced with the possibility that all of his friends are gone, that they might not come back from being lost in the Void… and his reaction, as quoted by Tippi, is:
'I know they're still alive.'
And then he just continues on without batting an eye.
…yeah, no, that's not gonna fly.
That attitude just reeks of denial, so I decided to milk that for all it was worth. This fic's whole schtick is Mario having an epic breakdown, and the latter half of Super Paper Mario is prime to let that happen. There's so much going on, I can't even begin to quantify it – so it's a good thing Mario's here to do so for me.
Thanks, Mario!
Also, the Pixls. Regardless of how little actual presence they have in SPM proper, they are still companions on Mario's journey. I don't really care for them personally, but that doesn't mean I'm going to leave them out of this.
And besides… for all that they're kooky and not really all there, I think they'd have the sense to at least try and comfort Mario while he's grappling with this kind of weight.
Sorry to all Count Bleck fans, by the way; Mario's not in the headspace to have a very high opinion of him. I know we all love him, and he is a tragic figure—but in the moment, all Mario's seeing is someone who wants to destroy his world and everyone he loves for extremely petty and selfish reasons (if by proxy). Sadly, only time will be able to soften that wound – and that definitely ain't happening for some time more.
Well, that's all for now! Next time, we dive into Super Mario Galaxy, at long last! See you then…
Extra Scene
The World is Your Stage (But the Acts Keep Changing)
Notes: This scene is set not long before the battle with Count Bleck, while the Heroes of Light are still scattered.
Elements are taken from stupidgek's Between Paper-Thin Lines on DeviantART.
"So, err… I didn't 'spect this 'ta happen," O'Chunks remarked, as he and Bowser lay stomach-first on the basement floor. "Yeh… feelin' alright, Bowser? We fell really far…"
…
"No, not really," Bowser groused. "These past few years have stunk like a Dry 'Shroom. I've lost my memory; been possessed by a witch; failed to find any Crystal Stars; gotten kicked out of my castle more than once—"
He growled.
"It sucks. It sucks a lot! I'm supposed to be the Big Bad here, but everything's conspiring to beat me down into the ground! Everything, and everyone!"
O'Chunks blinked. "…well, that don't sound very nice."
"It isn't! It's ridiculous!" the Koopa King exclaimed. "And now we have Count Bleck and his stupid schemes and his stupid stupid—!"
A fist came down to pound the floor. "ARRRRRGH! I am sick to death of getting caught up in other people's 'screw-over-the-world' schemes!"
…
"…it's gotten me thinking, though. If I'm ever gonna break out of this funk, I need to do something big. Reach for the stars. I'll make the whole universe see my power, just you wait."
A whistle came from O'Chunks' mouth.
"Reach for the stars, 'eh? Not a bad want 'ta me. Yeh got 'nuff chunks 'ta try. If it weren't fer the Count, I'd say yeh should go straight fer it."
Bowser laughed. "Bwahaha! Man, I think I might actually like you! Your spirit is exactly the kind of thing I like to see!"
He settled into a determined smirk.
"Trust me, though. This ain't the end. Me, Mario, the rest of us—we're definitely gonna make sure of that!"
After all, I can't make an empire without a universe—
—and it's not worth making an empire if I can't stomp Mario first.
"…you know, I just don't get you," Mimi said.
"What's there not to get?" Peach asked. "I wanted to save you, so I did. Simple as that!"
The shapeshifter shook her head. "No, it's not that simple! Most people would hold back on doing that for a stranger, let alone an enemy!"
"All the more to reach out, then," she replied. "I'd rather be kind than needlessly cruel."
As the two of them walked through the basement, Mimi found herself confused. She'd never believed in kindness before—to her, it was nothing more than a lie people told to comfort themselves.
And yet, Peach…
…
Why?
"You say that, but you've been given everything on a silver plate," Mimi said. "You're cute. You're a princess. You've got boys following you and gold in some vaults and—I've never had the same luxury. Not really."
She looked away.
"I never had anything. I always had to find my own happiness. I thought I could just close my heart and be selfish; create my 'perfect world' however I had to."
"…but that's not really what you wanted most, was it?" Peach finished.
…
Mimi's silence told enough.
"I've seen the results of people being both kind and cruel," the princess remarked. "I was kind to TEC, and he helped me get info to Mario. The Shroobs were cruel to everyone, and they fell because they couldn't understand how to be anything else.
"You're not like that. You can be better. You might not believe it, but… I'm willing to try and help you either way."
"…even after I helped with—and succeeded in—casting a world into the Void?"
"…yeah. Even after."
…
Mimi sniffed, guilt surfacing on her face. "You're really impossible…
"…but thank you anyway."
Luigi was alive, and Mario didn't know it.
Luigi was alive, and he had no clue how.
The man in green bit his lip.
One moment he was fighting Dimentio, the next he was found clocked out by Peach. On paper, it looked like he had lost, but…
…
"Ohhhhhhh…" he groaned. "I don't like the looks of this."
Now, Luigi wasn't blind. He knew his brother inside out. They grew up together; did almost everything together.
And it was those subtle idiosyncrasies that were all too clear to him.
Mario had been fraying for a good long while. Even before this whole mess had started.
For this adventure alone, it was only natural. No one could fight back the threat of an impending apocalypse without feeling something in their gut, at least.
But this hadn't been the first one. It hadn't even been the second.
This was Mario's third major calamity—
—and for all he knew, he was facing it alone.
Without any of his friends to act as his anchor.
(And that wasn't even getting to how silent their twin bond was still.)
…
Luigi remembered the Shadow Queen; the Princesses Shroob.
All the things they did that Mario couldn't stop, and the effects they still had on him even now.
…
This couldn't stand forever. Something had to give.
And Luigi was afraid it wouldn't be the bad guys, in the end.
Travelling with Bowser and Peach, he could only hope that they weren't too late to prevent the worst from happening.
Hold on, Mario… we're coming.
Our roles in this story aren't over yet.
As Luigi, Peach, and Bowser aren't the focal characters of this fic, there's not a whole lot of room for me to show off any of the Character Development they've themselves experienced over the years. And given what I have planned for the next few chapters, that's a real shame.
So, here's a little Extra Scene to remedy that! It's not a lot, but it's sure something.
…hmm, what exactly is Bowser planning here…?