StarlitDuck
It was probably just a bug. But it's no big deal. I think it was fixed.
LiamTheYoshi
Topmaniac isn't loud. The ALL CAPS BOLD TEXT was supposed to emphasize his robotic deep voice.
Also, you don't need to whisper. You're not the only one who's curious.
And no offense, but your rant about Sonic 06 is off topic. Can you please try not to go off topic when reviewing?
nintendoscript15
Well, it certainly is a terrifying experience. I would scream if I were in that situation.
I wanted to add some context to the block assembly, and I figured that would be the perfect way to give Aster powers.
FairyTalePrincess16
Huh… interesting. I'll be checking out this villain when you release the story.
As for Kamella, just wait and see!
Nataly Guardado
Yeah. Silver's pretty underrated. I don't understand why some people hate him. He's a psychokinetic hedgehog from a distant ruined future who travels to the past to protect his home time, and is a little naive but also adorkable. I don't see what's to hate about him.
Amethyst Goldenwind
As much as I'd love to utilize Aster's powers more, the Assembly Blocks only appear in TWO levels throughout the entire game!
We'll get to Alex later…
breath20k
Of course he's involved… What did you think I was gonna do with him? Just shoehorn him in for fanservice and have his character take a backseat throughout the whole story?
Chapter 16: Rolling in the Clouds
Mario and Aster returned to the Fountain, feeling as tranquil as the emptiness of space itself after the experience in Space Junk Galaxy.
"Ahh…" Mario sighed. "That was amazing, Aster! You and your cool powers were awesome, and the galaxy itself was the most peace I've had since the start of this adventure."
Aster nodded. "It's good to know that others feel the same about that place as I do. I love it so much that I hope to take Rosalina there, one day."
"When you spend enough time floating among the junk in space, your mind's worries are all sucked up by a brain induced black hole as you become one with the universe," Aster poetically describes.
"Speaking of worries..." Mario shed a tear and quickly swiped it away. "I'm still worried about my f-friends… I keep fearing the worst, and… and…"
Aster gave Mario a tissue.
"I'm sure they're okay, Mario. I was able to survive all these years in space. They won't be spending that long out there. We'll find them! I promise!" Aster vows. However that doesn't make the plumber feel any better, so the space hero comes up with an idea. "You know, you never actually told me about your friends. Maybe talking about them will make you feel better."
Mario wiped up his last tear. "I… I suppose I should. You are going to meet them eventually, so I might as well."
[BGM: Luma - Super Mario Galaxy]
Mario clears up his throat. "Starting with Luigi. He's my only sibling, being just a minute younger than me. We look very similar, only he wears green clothes, is a bit taller than me, can jump higher, and is less affected by friction when coming to a halt after running. He's also a lot more shy and cowardly than I am, and maybe a bit clumsy as well. But that's what I've always liked about him. The two of us have been close since the very beginning, and we've had our ups and downs throughout the years."
"When we first saved Princess Peach from Bowser, I got all the credit, whereas Luigi got little to none of it. Just about everyone in the kingdom knew my name, but Luigi would always be referred to by ridiculous nicknames like Green Mario, Green Guy, or Green 'Stache. But despite that, I never let him give up his self-esteem and I'd always tell him to keep fighting for what's right. Even when things seemed bleak, I'd never let go of my genuine love for him, and he'd always do the same. Heck, despite his cowardly nature, Luigi went through a haunted house just to save me! If that doesn't show how much of a good brother he is, nothing does! He's actually gotten a better reputation lately. He now has a girlfriend, and a fanbase of his own."
"Sounds like a nice guy," Aster complimented.
"Then there's Leah," Mario continued. "She's a friend of mine from another dimension where I'm apparently even more famous there than I am in this world, and have all my adventures get adapted into video games."
"What's a 'video game'?" Aster wondered, having never heard the term.
"That's not important right now. Anyways, I'll never forget the day we first met. Her father, Rocco, was helping me practice for a golf tournament when she showed up. Leah was very shy around me at first. She was only five at the time, but it wasn't long before she warmed up to me. She even reminded me of another friend I met on vacation. The one I mentioned earlier that Bowser Jr. ruined. But back to Leah, Luigi and I would come to visit her very often ever since, and we'd often play fun games together! Yesterday was the first time she ever visited me. But Bowser just HAD to ruin everything!"
"I see… You two must be quite close," commented Aster.
"Well, yes. But not nearly as close as I am with her little brother, Alex. His…" Mario shed a 'Star Bit' as he stuttered. "His story is actually kinda sad… When I first met him, h-he was diagnosed w-with A-AL leukemia."
Aster was more confused than an asteroid or comet that went loose from its belt.
"AL leu-what-ia?" he asked in his confusion.
"Acute lymphoblastic leukemia…" Mario carefully pronounced. "It's a cancer that affects a person's blood cells. It progresses very rapidly and… Alex was only 3 at the time… and he could've d-DIED from it!"
Aster put his hand to his mouth hearing just how morbid that sounded. "Oh Lord Grambi…"
"He went through chemotherapy for months. And his parents and sister were beginning to lose hope. Until I offered to donate part of my winning money from the golf tournament to the hospital just so he could afford said chemo."
"That's… very selfless of you…" Aster admitted. He was feeling down himself hearing this story.
"I couldn't just let him die! I wouldn't stand for it! And as lucky as he is, he managed to survive! Moving on to Alex himself, even when he had cancer, he was and still is a very sweet kid. He was super excited when he met me in person! I still remember his squeals of glee when he went to hug me. He even thought it was a dream for a moment."
"After he survived his cancer, Alex would later return the favor and take my place in a tennis tournament when I got severely injured in an event that… I'd rather not talk about. Later on, Alex would join me and Luigi on an adventure to find six magic mushrooms in order to break an evil ghostly spell that Bowser placed in order to kidnap Princess Peach. We wouldn't have done it without him, and… Luigi and I have come to consider him a 'third brother' of some sorts. I'm even starting to think of Leah as a sister as well."
[BGM end]
Upon finishing his story, Mario felt better, but now Aster was the one feeling upset to the plumber's surprise.
"Aster? Are you okay?"
[BGM: Sad Girl - Super Mario Galaxy]
"I'm…" He paused for a moment. "I'm fine. It's just… your story about Alex… He's very lucky to have survived that cancer. But back when the plague hit the Mushroom Kingdom, we didn't have this 'chemo-whatever stuff'. Because of that, nobody… NOBODY survived it! Once they got it, that was it! All one could do was slowly lay in bed, say their prayers, and say goodbye to their loved ones while they await the end of their games."
Mario felt bad for reminding him of that moment and gave him a hug.
"I'm sorry I reminded you of that moment…"
"It's not your fault. I just… h-have a hard time… l-letting go… Even after a thousand years… I could've prevented it! I-I could've finished that ship earlier and we'd all have gone to space together! My parents and Rosalina's mother wouldn't have caught that d-damn disease!" Aster cried with a hint of anger.
"Maybe then, they would've become immortal as well, and they'd still be here with us today. All I have to remember them by is looking into the Grambi constellation. I-If Alex had died… I bet y-you would've felt similarly… w-would you?"
Mario took a moment to think about this. An alternate timeline where Alex didn't survive ALL leukemia? God… it was horrible to think about! It was like thinking about a timeline where villains actually win against their heroes! In a way, Alex was the hero in that scenario while AL leukemia was the villain.
"Well… I would feel horrible no doubt. I'd likely even go into a depression thinking I had let him down. It would take a while… but I'd eventually get over it knowing that there are still plenty of other people in my life whom I can turn to. You've got Rosalina and the Lumas now that you're back with them. And… you've got me as well."
[BGM end]
"Th-Thanks… I guess." Aster couldn't find the energy to get up, though.
"How about you spend some time in here by yourself? I'll get the next star alone," Mario offered.
"But… But Mario-"
"Don't worry. I won't go back to Space Junk," Mario interrupts. "I'm just gonna go to one of the minor one star galaxies. They can't be that bad. Can they?"
Aster thought about this for a moment. He did need some time to himself to think things over, but a newbie putting himself in harm's way? Perhaps just one star alone wouldn't hurt. He did seem capable.
"Fine… But just ONE star! If you're not back within an hour, I'm coming after you! Understand?"
Mario cringed a little since Aster was sounding like his overprotective mother back in his teenage days. But Mario complied anyways.
"That's fine. I'll be back real soon."
[BGM: Unused World Map 1 - Super Mario Galaxy 2]
Mario concentrated and let the Pull Star pull him up. Two blurry galaxies came into view. One of which looked like some sort of golf course in the sky with vibrant green grass, holes that looked like they were for bowling balls rather than golf balls, and a three-bladed wind turbine stood tall near one of the holes.
Mario shed tears of joy given that golf was how he met Alex and Leah in the first place. He wished they were here to see it. Maybe he could tell them about it after they were rescued.
Looking to the other newly discovered galaxy, it didn't look nearly as interesting. It consisted of nothing but checkered green platforms. Both of the new galaxies were green, but this was a type of green that made Mario's cheeks turn green themselves. Luckily, the plumber saw the Starshroom heading towards that galaxy, relieving Mario that he wouldn't ever have to go there. So he aimed for the golf course galaxy and took a Launch Star there.
[BGM end]
Rolling Green Galaxy
[BGM: Title Music - Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]
Taking in the earth-like atmosphere, Mario took a deep breath as he felt the wind blowing through his air. Luma felt the wind from under the cap and came out, shivering.
"You okay, pal?" Mario asked.
"I'm fine… Where are we?" Luma looked around. The bright flew sky filled with fluffy clouds that looked close enough to touch being the first thing he saw.
"Hmm… Lush green grass, a wind turbine, flag at the end, blue skies, the wind flowing all over my body…" Mario listed. "I think we're In some sort of interstellar golf course. Man, Rocco would get a kick out of this place!"
"Who's Rocco?" Luma asked curiously.
"Oh, he's a friend of mine and is Alex and Leah's father," Mario responded. "He's an excellent golfer, having won't least three PGA Championships. Rocco helped me improve my golfing skills after they went a bit stale, and in return, I used the money I won from the Cheep Cheep Falls Open to pay for his son, Alex's chemotherapy. He suffered from cancer if you haven't heard."
"Oh, I've heard. Sounds like a cool guy! Though I wonder how he'd feel about his children being out there in space…"
"It's…" Mario paused. "...better he doesn't find out. I don't wanna put a pipe load of stress on him and his wife, Terry."
"Yeah, good call," Luma agreed.
Despite this being a golf course, there was no club or golf ball. Instead, there was a gold, translucent ball with a Power Star inside. Luma immediately noticed the trapped Star.
"Oh no! Mario, look! That poor Power Star is trapped inside that… big ball-thingy! Don't worry, little Star! I'LL SAVE YOU!"
[BGM end]
Luma puts up a heroic pose and repeatedly charges into the ball with the intent of breaking it. But he leaves not even a dent.
"I… don't think it works that way, Luma," Mario informed, disappointed the star creature. "Don't worry. We'll get it out! Maybe the sign next to it will be useful."
Mario examined the wooden sign just next to the Star Ball.
"Welcome to Rolling Green Galaxy! To retrieve the Star you desire, climb on top of this Star Ball, and roll it to the end of the course. Just try not to fall out of bounds! Hehehe!
-Topman General A. P."
Having no other options, Mario climbed up on top of the ball. He usually wasn't afraid of heights, but that subtle threat along with a difficulty to keep his balance were factors contributing to wracking his nerves. Luma was nervous just watching him.
"Umm… Mario?"
"Y-Y-Yes… Luma?" Mario stuttered.
"Just… take it slow… okay? I have a bad feeling about this..."
Mario softly nodded and slowly approached the hole in front, being careful not to slip and break a bone or two. He felt like he was performing a circus act with serious cases of stage fright.
Upon bumping into the stone ground surrounding the hole, Mario felt a lump slither down his throat as he made a little hop to get up on the platform and get the ball in the hole. For a few seconds the ball stood in the hole, idle.
"Huh… nothing's happ-" Luma was unpleasantly interrupted when Mario and the Star Ball were launched into the air.
[BGM: Star Ball 1 - Super Mario Galaxy]
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Luckily it didn't last long. Mario lost his calm and flailed his arms back and forth as he struggled to keep his balance. The poor plumber also had to keep his legs moving as the ball would just NOT STOP ROLLING!
After rolling down a funnel, the Ball rolled down a set of rails where Mario rolled up into a ball himself to keep from falling off. Mario then landed on flat green plains filled with holes and tons of Goombas. The plumber accidentally squished a few even though they weren't attacking him.
"HEY! Watch it, pal!" one of them called out.
"Sorry!" Mario hastily apologized.
After the plains, he crossed a bridge and came to an area which had hills decorated in beautiful flowers. Mario felt bad when he accidentally ran over them, especially when he knew a friend who loved flowers. Mario then dealt with one more fling into the air before finally reaching the end hole. It was on a tiny platform with the huge wind turbine Mario saw earlier, as well as the hole having a small green flag with a depiction of a golf course.
[BGM end]
The Star Ball shattered into pieces upon entering the hole, and the Star went on top of the flagpole. Mario was shaken up after that event.
"Are you okay, Mario?" Luma asked.
"I… I… I…" Mario was shivering from all that fright he had felt. The Mushroom Kingdom hero was expecting this to be a normal round of golf, only for this monstrosity of a challenge to happen. He legitimately felt like he was gonna die from that!
"Mario?"
"I… am… NEVER… DOING THAT… AGAIN!" Mario frustrating let out. Luma really felt sorry for him. "Is… Is this how aliens play golf on other planets?! If so, their ideas of it are screwed up, BIG TIME!"
Luma gave Mario a few moments to take a breather. Once he was done, Mario climbed up the pole and claimed his Star.
[BGM: Power Star get - Super Mario Galaxy]
YOU GOT A STAR!
"WAHOO!"
[BGM end]
Meanwhile in Hurry-Scurry Galaxy…
[BGM: Space Athletic - Super Mario Galaxy]
The Starshroom landed in the other minor galaxy. The one that Mario refused to go to. There wasn't much to this galaxy. In fact, it looked artificially made, given that it only consisted of a couple of metal platforms and several green tiles.
Captain Toad and his crew stepped out of the Starshroom. The Captain himself was feeling really confident about this.
"This doesn't look so bad! This'll be a piece of cake!" Toad exclaimed.
He proceeded to start walking. But the moment he stepped on the first green tile, he heard a loud noise that suddenly pitched lower.
"What was that noise?"
"CAPTAIN! LOOK DOWN!" Bob screamed.
Captain Toad looked down. To his very horror, the green platform he stood on was SHRINKING!
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Without hesitation, Toad ran across the Shrinking Tiles without even daring to look back. However, that meant the crew couldn't follow him, so the captain was on his own. This experience was especially terrifying considering the captain couldn't jump.
Using a Launch Star, the Captain landing on an angular planet completely made of Shrinking Tiles. A Black Hole was also in the center of this planet, just to amplify Toad's fears.
Toad ran across the planet and collected every music note on the planet. Luckily, he was able to do it with no problem, and the Black Hole was replaced with a Power Star.
"Thank Toadstools…" Toad sighed as he used the platform to fall right into the Star.
[BGM: Level Clear - Captain Toad Treasure Tracker]
YOU GOT A STAR!
"YAHOO!"
[BGM end]
Peach's Castle…
[BGM: Siege on Bowser's Castle - Paper Mario]
A koopatrol was walking through the foyer towards the front door when a Koopatrol came up to him.
"Hey, Jason! After our shift, you wanna watch the game on the princess's 50 inch flat screen TV? Man, we don't have a TV that big back at home! Can't wait!"
"The… game…?" 'Jason' asked, seemingly not knowing what this guy was talking about.
"Did you forget already? Tonight's football game! Boom Booms vs Eggrobos," the Koopatrol replied. "I'm personally cheering for the Eggrobos. They look so cool! What about you bud?"
"Oh, uh… Boom Booms… Yeah!" 'Jason' replied.
"Hmm… Opposite teams, eh? Well then, whoever's team loses has to go on bathroom duty tomorrow. I heard Bowser leaves behind the nastiest stench after leaving the bathroom! Even worse than that fat yellow guy, and that's SAYING something! PU!"
"Blech!" 'Jason' revolted. "Okay. Well, see you later!"
"Alright. Enjoy your shift!" The Koopatrol left. 'Jason' walked out the front door. Once he was outside and the coast was clear, he smirked and suddenly giggled in a girlish tone.
[BGM end]
"Teehee!" Peach giggled in her disguise. "Good thing I still have my Sneaky Parasol from last time. Those dumb guards didn't suspect a thing. Now, to get out of here."
Peach looked around the broken bridge for a way to safely escape. She noticed a stray Fire Flower just sitting there on the bridge. It looked lonely. Peach picked it up.
"Mario… He must've left this behind when Kamek blasted him…" Peach assumed. "Oh, thank you, Mario!"
She put it in her pocket for safe keeping. Then looked toward one of the airships chained to the castle. Luigi did use one to escape. Maybe she could do the same. It would especially be easy given her disguise. Just as Peach was about to climb the anchor, she heard the front door open.
"What are you doing out here?"
[BGM: Bowser Appears - Super Mario Galaxy]
Peach slowly turned her head toward Bowser, whose eyes were narrow, gazing at her with suspicion. The princess was frightened at first, but remembered her disguise and tried to stay calm.
"Um… Hello, Lord Bowser! Kamek assigned me to… check the anchors and make sure they're stable," Peach lied in a disguised voice. "We don't want them to lose their grip and have this castle float aimlessly in space."
Bowser crossed his arms in disbelief.
"Kamek doesn't give orders unless I give him permission to. And I have no such orders." Bowser slowly walked over to the disguised princess and sniffed her, making her uncomfortable.
"Umm… your rudeness? What are you… doing?" Peach asked as Bowser reached behind.
"Hmm… You smell too nice… Is that perfume?"
Peach could feel Bowser's suspicion rising just as rapidly as her heart rate.
"I… I went to the Princess's room earlier to… check on her…" she hesitantly lied. "And… I couldn't resist checking out her perfume! It was… really good!"
Bowser suddenly snatched Peach's Sneaky Parasol and she instantly reverted back to normal.
"Hey!"
"Bwahahahahaha!" Bowser guffawed. "Trying to escape using your little 'game show prize', huh? I gotta hand it to you, Princess. That WAS clever before, but I'm not as stupid as I used to be."
Bowser tossed the parasol off the castle. Peach helplessly reached out and watched as her prize she won a few years ago got sucked up by a nearby Black Hole.
"No!" Peach called out.
"You know, when I found out Mr. Hammer gave that thing to you after winning his game show, I was SUPER furious!" Bowser reminisced. "Because of his act of treason, I not only fired him, but I also executed him!"
"You WHAT?!" Peach cried at the thought of Bowser killing someone who might've secretly been trying to help her.
"Yup. Betraying my kingdom is one of the greatest offenses that someone can commit," Bowser explained. "And I have to honor those laws. Soon, said laws will be established throughout the whole universe. Anyone who opposes me will be put on death row! And that includes Mario and his pathetic little friends."
As Bowser spoke, Peach reached her hand behind her back.
"Don't you think that's a little harsh, Bowser?" Peach asked.
"Of course not! It's unforgivable!" Bowser retorted. "And if anyone tried to burn me out, I'd take them out within mere seconds."
[BGM end]
Peach put on a spiteful smirk.
"Oh, is that so? Then why don't we TURN UP THE HEAT?!"
[BGM: BOWSER! (Final Boss Part 1) - Super Princess Peach]
To Bowser's shock, Peach had suddenly transformed. Her pink dress turned as white as a wedding dress with red frills. Her golden hair was also tied back into a ponytail. Peach held out her hand, and a burning ball of flames ignited in it, somehow not burning her hand.
"IM-IM-IMPOSSIBLE! How did you get a Fire Flower?!" Bowser shouted.
Peach didn't answer and started to shoot fireballs at the Koopa king. He slowly backed away into the throne room.
"Peach, I don't want to fight my future empress! Stand down, now, OR ELSE!" Bowser ordered.
"Never! You're going to be sorry… FOR EVERYTHING!"
Peach kept shooting at him, only for Bowser to retreat into his shell.
"Haha! You're going to have to do better than that, Toadstool!" Bowser mocked with his typical cocky attitude.
"That's PRINCESS Toadstool to you, King Stupa Koopa!" Peach retorted.
"Hey! LiamTheYoshi called! He wants his insults back!" Bowser joked.
Peach charged up a super huge fireball that admittedly intimidated the king.
"Now, Peach. I didn't mean that! Let's not get too hasty, here!"
"NOPE! You already crossed the line! In fact, you crossed it a LONG TIME AGO!" Peach snapped. "Now… this… one's… for… MARIO!"
[BGM end]
Just as Bowser began to brace himself, a mysterious figure landed between the two of them, leaving both confused. The figure approached the princess from the shadows. He appeared to be some sort of cyborg with one of the hands replaced by an arm cannon, his hair and ears covered by metallic parts, one of the eyes being covered by a purple laser eye, with the other eye having turned white, and his feet being rocket boots. The cyborg's facial expression was cold and lifeless, giving out a chilling vibe. However, Peach examined this person and recognized him through his familiar face and the shirt.
"Alex…?" Peach hesitantly asked. But all of a sudden 'Alex' went into a combat pose and tackled the princess, making her lose her powerup.
"Ow! Alex, what are you-?! AAAAAAHHHHH!"
As 'Alex' beat the poor princess up, Bowser was astonished.
"Woah…"
Once Peach had received enough beatings, she fell down to the floor, unconscious. 'Alex' faced Bowser and took a bow.
[BGM: Tails Gets an Upgrade? - Sonic Lost World]
"Lord Bowser, my leader gives you his regards." The cyborg spoke in a voice that sounded like Alex, but with a voice modulation.
He then tapped a button on one of his arms and a projection of Topmaniac.
"Topmaniac, did you do this?" Bowser asked.
"WHY OF COURSE, KOOPA KING. THIS KID WAS A HARD EGG TO CRACK, SO WE DECIDED TO MAKE SOME MODIFICATIONS. INTRODUCING OUR NEWEST RECRUIT: GENERAL ALPHA PANDORA!"
Bowser smiled and nodded with pride.
"Well, I must say, you've done well! I already see the potential in this new recruit. Heck, the only thing that could make this better would be to see Mario struggle to fight his best friend!" Bowser exclaimed.
Kamek flew into the room on his magic broom.
"Hey Bowser, I got someone for the airships!" he announced. "You want me to bring her in?"
Bowser nodded. A larger magikoopa approached the king. She wore a purple robe and hat with red outlines, and wore makeup consisting of green lipstick and blue nail polish. Her glasses were the same as Kamek's.
"This is my cousin, Kamella," Kamek introduced. "She recently graduated from mage school and is willing to test her skills in Mario."
"It's an honor to meet you, King Bowser." Kamella bowed down.
"Perfect! This'll work greatly for us in the long run," Bowser said, feeling overly confident about this. "Now then, Ale- ERR! I mean, Alpha Pandora, take the princess and follow me. I have a special job for you."
A.P. nodded and picked up the still unconscious princess. Both went upstairs to the highest floor and opened up a star door where behind stood a seemingly endless set of stairs.
"Ah. I see. The good old 'Endless' Staircase illusion. Truly a classic, King Bowser." A. P. applauded, seemingly remembering Alex's past playing Super Mario 64.
A.P. tossed the mushroom monarch in.
"Well, yeah! It worked once before. And Mario ain't coming to save her any time soon. Let's see her escape outta this one…"
Peach awakened as Bowser sealed the door shut, leaving behind only a window for the princess to see Bowser through.
"'Morning Sunshine! I would get comfortable if I were you. Bwahahaha!" Bowser teased.
"Bowser, how could you?! How dare you do such a horrible thing to an innocent child?!" Peach called out.
"Hey, he was the one who offered to join me earlier. Of course I managed to bend the deal a bit to be more in my favor. Gwahahaha!"
Peach just growled.
"Now, don't you show that attitude, Toadstool! Let me give you a lesson on how we do things here. You start at the bottom, pay your dues, life here can be a dream come true!" Bowser explained. "But if you break our rules, step out of line, try to 'check out early'... well… you're just hurting yourself."
A portal opened up to take Bowser and A.P. to the second base.
"No, no no no! Bowser, don't leave me in here!" Peach begged.
"Yeah, yeah… Fool me once, fool me twice- blah blah blah. I'll check up on ya tomorrow morning. Later, Babygirl!" Bowser left through the portal. Just before A. P. could follow, he looked towards the desperate princess.
"Alex… don't do this… please! I know you're still in there!"
A.P. just stared at the princess with his lifeless eyes. For a split second, they turned back to their brown color, and Alex showed his sadness.
"Peac-" They quickly changed back, and Alex followed Bowser through the portal.
[BGM end]