~Serenity's POV~

We walked through the rubble of the Treacherous Mansion, my heels clicking against the pavement. The place still had its normal exhibits that the professor put together. I have to say, the final exhibit on the Terrace got me intrigued.

It was of Luigi, holding a vacuum on his back while sucking in King Boo. I smirked, turning over to him as he was staring at the portrait as well. He blushed.

"I didn't know he commissioned that," He said, making me giggle as I continued to look ahead. All that was left of the Moonlight Tower was its castle counterpart, still tall and covered in the rubble of the once great building.

"So, how do we-?" Ivy began to ask when I let my hand glow a dark purple. I threw it around the five of us and before I knew it, we were in front of the Moonlight Tower Castle. I stared in awe. Its gothic structure didn't feel dark, especially since the building was built out of white stone brick. And old spruce wood doors dressed the front.

"We're so close," I said, feeling a hand on my shoulder. I looked over to see Laika, smiling with excitement. I smiled right back before looking at the building again.

"How did I not see this rubble during my first adventure here?" Luigi spoke as I started walking inside.

"You were tunnel-visioned on saving your brother," Lupin said. "We all don't notice things when the family is involved."

"Yeah," Ivy agreed.

Luigi had told us the tale of his adventure in Evershade Valley. I have to say, for a guy who is afraid of ghosts, he sure has me fooled. He's been friendly with almost any of the ghosts he's seen here so far. And Elvin seemed nice.

"Oh, what a lovely young lady you are, Serenity," He had said to me. Now that I thought back, I was nice to him as well. I was showing the side that I once was before my mother returned.

Was I going soft?

I shook the thought out of my head as my friends followed me inside the building. We looked around, hoping to find the wand in good time. But from the looks of it, it wasn't going to be that easy. Though, nothing like this is.

We walked through the corridor, where the Moonlight Tower was according to the map I saw. There wasn't much furniture in this building and any we saw was all tattered and torn. Nothing worth mentioning.

We walking through the threshold, over debris and rubble. I did my best to be careful, but as the big clutz that I am, I tripped, heading straight for a big rock when Luigi caught me in his arms.

"Careful where you're walking," He said, making me grin as we stood up straight.

"Thanks," I said, patting his cheek before heading off to look some more.

"So, you and Luigi," Laika whispered as she walked up to me. I looked at her from the corner of my eye, smirking as my way of saying what she was thinking was true. "I knew it! You two-"

"Yes, but we don't need to dwell on it," I said. "Let's focus on the wand." She nodded, going her own way with a giggle. I just rolled my eyes before they landed on a mural on the only wall that was still up.

I stared as my memory went wild with the last mural I saw in the tome. There were three symbols: a star, a cross, and a crescent moon. This mural had all three in a circle with a tiara in the center of it. And under that was more Italian.

"Qui giace la bacchetta, solo uno di pura luce può recuperarla," I read out loud, making me look at my friends. They all stared at me. "Translated, it means-"

"Here lies the wand, only one of pure light can retrieve it," Luigi finished for me, making me smirk at him.

"Sì," I turned back to the mural, catching a glimpse of Luigi's face. He seemed shocked to hear me know Italian.

"Okay, this is where the wand is," Laika said. "But only someone with pure light can retrieve it."

"Ivy?" Lupin said, making me look at my friends again.

"Don't look at me! Just because I'm a sorceress doesn't mean powers have pure light," Ivy declared.

"Lupin and I are werewolves. We don't have pure light," Laika spoke up.

"And my powers have been tainted thanks to my brother's shadow," Luigi said before looking at me. "But it doesn't look like it's been here for a while."

"My thoughts exactly," I sighed. "It's not here. I would have sensed it."

"But, this is the only other place it was supposed to be in," Lupin said. "What are we going to tell your mom?"

"We'll tell her it doesn't exist," I said. "It was always just a myth, to begin with. She'll be disappointed, but understanding."

"You sure about that?" Luigi asked. "From Mario and Peach's stories, the Shadow Queen isn't very-"

"No, she's not," I said. "But what choice do we have now? The wand is gone. So let's go."

"If it's okay with you, Serenity," Lupin began, "I'd like to keep searching, just to see if there are any clues as to who took it before us."

"Be my guest, Lupin. Laika, you'll stay, no doubt?" I asked, getting a nod from Laika in return. Ivy even nodded, saying she was going to help out as well. "Very well. Luigi, let's go...unless you want to stay."

"I think I'm good. I don't like being in Evershade Valley longer than I already have been," He answered. "We'll meet you three back at camp."

"Ay-ay, green boy," Laika said, saluting him as he groaned and disappeared in a puff of smoke. I giggled.

"If you find anything, tell Luigi. I need to think," I said before disappearing as well.

(SONG: "If Only" - Descendants)

I reappeared in front of my mother's castle, thinking of whether this was a good idea, telling my mother it never existed after years of searching. I didn't know what to do.

SERENITY: A million thoughts/in my head/should I let my heart keep listening?/Cause up till now/I've walked the line./Nothing lost/but something missing./I can't/decide/what's wrong/what's right./Which way/should I go?/If only I knew what my/heart was telling me./Don't know what I'm feeling./Is this just a dream?/Ah-oh, yeah./If only I could read the/signs in front of me./I could find the way to/who I'm meant to be./Ah-oh/if only./If only.../If only...

I walked through the garden, trying to clear my head.

SERENITY: Every step/every word/with every hour/I'm falling in/to something new/something brave/to someone I/I have never been./I can't/decide/what's wrong/what's right/which way/should I go?!/If only I knew what my/heart was telling me./Don't know what I'm feeling/is this just a dream?!/Ah-oh, yeah./If only I could read the/signs in front of me/I could find the way to/who I'm meant to be!/Ah-oh/if only...YEAH!

Smoke surrounded me like a snake, almost like a dream.

SERENITY: Am I/crazy?/Maybe/we could happen!/Yeah./Will you/still be/with me/when the magic's all run-out?/If only I knew what my/heart was telling me./Don't know what I'm feeling/is this just a dream?!/Ah-oh!/If only I could read the/signs in front of me./I could find a way to/who I'm meant to be!/Ah-oh/if only, YEAH!/If only, YEAH!/If only, YEAH!/If only...If only...If only...

(End of the song)

"Princess Serenity," I looked to my right, seeing one of my mother's goons standing there, waiting for me by the door. My smoke calmed down. "Your mother requests your presence." I sighed.

"I'll be right there," I said.

"Now!" And then he left. I sighed stiffly, frustrated that she didn't give me time to think. Then again...she never gave me time to think. I walked into the castle and up to her study, opening the door and bolting in.

"Alright, what is it that you-?" I trailed off as I saw mother standing there, anger in her eyes as she clutched onto...oh, no...the Moonlight Rod.

"You found it," I said shocked.

"Yes...I found out certain things on the side," Mother said. "I also learned only a pure light was able to retrieve it."

"That's right," I returned. "But how..."

"But just now, I heard you say that you'd tell me that it doesn't exist," I gulped down fear. "That it was all a myth in the beginning."

"I-I can explain," I began to say when...

"Then while you're at it, explain to me why Mario's brother is now hanging around you and your friends?" I went to speak again. "You know he's off-limits!"


~Lupin's POV~

I dug through rubble and debris, trying to see if I could find any sort of clue as to who got to the wand before us. Laika was off in the distance, looking around the mural, while Ivy searched the entrance.

Eventually, my sight caught something. I did a double-take, thinking that my eyes were playing tricks on me when the gleam of the dark moon made it brighter than it originally was.

A golden hair strand.

I gently picked it up and held it to the light. Definitely a golden blond, and it was a clean break.

"Guys!" I called, getting Laika and Ivy to look at me. "I found something."

"I did, too," Laika said, walking forward with Ivy. "You first."

"I found a blond hair," I said.

"Okay, the only blonds I know of are Rosalina and Peach," Ivy said.

"This is golden, not the pale that Rosalina has," I returned.

"Then, there's only one person who took the wand," Laika said, holding up a swatch of fabric, pink in color. It looked to be torn off of a gown.

"Princess Peach?" I asked. "Why would she-?" Ivy gasped as I looked at her, her blue eyes glowing a translucent white before going back. "What?"

"The Shadow Queen brainwashed her!" She yelled. "She made Peach do this because she knew the princess had a pure light!"

"But, that would mean-" Laika began to say when...

"The Shadow Queen already got the wand!"


~Serenity's POV~

I stared at my mother with confusion. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You know what I'm talking about!" Mother yelled in return. "You're in love with that Green Mario!"

"His name is Luigi! And he's a part of this tribe now! So what's the big deal?!"

"I can't have the brother of the man who defeated me in this family," Mother said. "He'll tarnish the name."

"You're being ridiculous, mom!" I yelled with a wave of my hand.

"I can tell when you love someone, Serenity," Mother said. "And unfortunately, I can see it on his face as well."

My eyes went wide. Did mother just say that Luigi loved me in return? Did I just hear that the man I fell in love with felt the same? I couldn't contain my grin as I thought of the possibility of spending the rest of my life with him.

"I knew it!" I shook my head, ridding myself of my thoughts and looking back at my mother. "That grin on your face...you do love him!"

"So what?! I'm 22! I don't have to do what you want anymore!"

"He's already messed with your head," Mother said, gripping the Moonlight Rod in her hand. "I can't stand to let this happen."

Before the question could even leave my mouth, I felt a few pairs of hands grab me and hold me back. I squirmed and struggled as they held my wrists and tied them together with a coil of rope.

"Oh," I began, "you know how I feel about being tied up," I smirked as my elbows got tied together as well. "And you know I can just use my powers to break free, right?"

"Yes," Mother said simply, smirking as I was tossed to the couch. I looked at the broots that were tying me up, watching as they tied my ankles together, as well as my knees.

But something caught my attention. I stared, squinting my eyes a bit, before finally seeing a slight purplish glow to the ropes.

My eyes widened. Enchanted. My mother enchanted the ropes.

I was frantically trying to use my powers to break free, snapping my fingers...but they weren't working. Instead, they grew tighter, making me yell out in pain.

"You son of a-" I was gagged with a strip of silver duct tape before I got to finish that statement.

"I'm sorry, darling," Mother began, making me look at her, "but I can't let you stop me from what I must do now." I squirmed and mumbled, trying to break free. "I must make darkness the true ruler of the world. But to do that...that boyfriend of yours must go."

I screamed into my gag as I struggled, only to find myself falling off the couch and landing on the wooden floor with a loud thud. I groaned in pain.

"Have fun struggling, dear," Mother said. "For you'll be like this for quite some time. I don't think you'll oppose that, right?" And with a puff of smoke...mother and her goons disappeared from my line of sight.

Luigi...no...


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