The Survivors were indeed in this safe underground. The cave, supported with torsade pillars of a dozen meters, was illuminated with a night-sky ceiling, the kind of black night in pure nature. The place was dark purple. It was cold, but the little Yoshis, Goombas or Toads' running was enough heat. There were also firecamps near evacuation pipes. Groups of inhabitants, mostly from the Mushroom Kingdom, were talking between races, found sporadically in the safe. Beyond a freezing lake and under the little waterfall, behind a hole in the curving wall, were hiding cute children, told this was a game or a simulation of danger. The teens wanting, for any reason, to tell them the hard truth, were reprimanded. The mourning ones were said to be tired, what was true for some. The others, in need of psychological assistance, were gathered in a dimmed room of about 50 rustic beds. Nurses and doctors were awfully needed. Among those was a very little Toadette, different from the others. Weird looks were a first to be honest. The problem came from another Toadette, wanting to "steal" her boyfriend and using this crisis surely to spread rumours. A classic. Yet, she couldn't believe it, everyone fell for it. Either her opponent was very persuasive, or popular, or people really were becoming idiots.
That 24 years-old woman was called Toadletoe. From "Toad" and "mistletoe," her parents had said. She was wearing a red mushroom hat with white dots and a white nurse hat on top. She was in her white nurse uniform too, though she wore golden oval earrings and black derbies. She's have the face of a male Toad, if it wasn't for her reddish ponytails.
She was the Toadette that, during a walk, noticed noises from short of breath people coming from the entrance. She happily found Mario, Princess Daisy, Yoshi and a living cap. They were in a bad state, especially for Yoshi, so she called doctors, what was a bad idea because the kingdom rushed towards their re-found hope. Even Toadsworth couldn't hold himself from clinging on Mario's leg. And when he asked where was Princess Peach…the bent of the head made it clear. "She's dead."
Okay, that made it even clearer.
Yoshi was unconscious but had very high chances to survive, even if his tongue had been ripped off. They didn't know, however, why he had only one extra-life left. The Princess mentioned she never heard the enemy killing him, or else his tongue would have been restored. Toadletoe couldn't believe he ate only one green mushroom or died several times in one month.
They were told the Heroes' story so far. Which was horrible, let's be honest, and meaningless. Mario had had the sudden idea to go get help from the Star Sprites or the Star Spirits, or any superior magic above them, but hey, not possible. Starlow went to hug him – even if she didn't have arms – and cry in his shoulder, and while Mario's T-shirt mopped all liquid coming from her face, she told him they were dead too. Ten days ago, Luigi had come in his innocent face to ask for help against Tatanga, and the Stars had found his heart pure, a "diamond-shaped heart" like the Star Gate had declared years ago. Obviously they didn't analyse it. They gave away every drop of their power, and then his smile crisped maniacally. He had giggled at how easy and stupid it had been. He just had to finish them.
One day or two passed before another event. Toadletoe had been given the stupid order to take care of Luigi's hated dog, Polterpup. She had lost him again. "Polty polty, where are you, bad doggy?!" A howl was echoing around the cave, and the angry Toads indicated the lake. Indeed, he was barking there, over the waterfall. She called him, presenting dog treats, the idiot wouldn't move! She had to follow the tiny slippery space between the stone and the icy water. "Make that damn dog shut up!" "Oh YOU shut up!" Toadletoe retorted. She nearly fell trying to grab it, it was a ghost dog and had decided not to move. Well, in fact, he ran through the wall. "Great." Toadletoe sighed facepalming. But seconds after, he came back and barked again. "What?" Toadletoe asked. Polterpup went to bite her uniform and try to drag her through the wall. "Stop, stop you, you…" she laughed at this stupid scene of her squirming against a wall and…pfff… She had more force however and pulled out. "What? What is it? I can't go through you know!"
He disappeared to bring her a green scarf. That meant someone was behind this wall. Suddenly, Toadletoe had regained her serious and composure.
"You want me to go save him, don't you? That's a good doggy. But you would be even better if, you know, you used your power to drag him through the wall like you did for the scarf. Come on, save them." She managed to make the dog understand after ten minutes of non-discouragement, ignoring the people taking her for a fool. Finally she saw a hand, then a head – Luigi – and the dog fell in the lake. Toadletoe caught a glimpse of all the work to be done to save him. The dark red colouring it brought to the clear water, horrifying families, was… Who knows how many times he'd died. He was in need of treatment right away.
She ran at the nearest side of the blood lake to pull out the heavy body with the help of his dog. He kept whining to his master. Toadletoe was too small to carry him so she asked a Yoshi for help. He…refused?
"What the..! Help me! He's fucking dying, won't you try to help me?!"
The insolent dared to answer: "That's what he gets for killing our people."
"Well he won't anymore, just…."
But then the crowd gathered.
"Let him die!"
"No!"
The dog growling.
"He will just create more problems if you save him!"
"Better save many instead of that killer!"
"Holy fuck – you forget all laws now that we're in a crisis?! Mario never killed Bowser even if he turned us into blocks and ruined our economy until -"
"Mario killed those who wanted to kill. Bowser never did."
"You could just end his agony right now…"
"He doesn't deserve to live."
"I'm a doctor and I tell you to fucking help me save him! Impartiali-"
"Never!"
"DAMN IT, ALL OF YOU!" She had enough. "YOU BASTARDS, WE SAVE YOU YET WON'T LET US DO OUR JOB!" She just wanted to leave, but people were surrounding her, taken aback by the insult. No way to go. "IT'S MARIO'S BROTHER FOR GOD'S SAKE!"
"Wow wow, calm down…" Some Toads and Koopas laughed at her rage. The cruel ones dared. "You animal."
"I'M AN ANIMAL?! LET ME GO!"
Toadletoe did want Mr.L to wake up so he could hurt them. But he was losing so much blood…
"Grab her!"
Some Koopas and Shy Guys rushed, those hands, too strong, those detestable hands that viciously took Luigi away from her.
"LEAVE ME!"
She had barely found this human and they already – they dared to steal him away to – to PLAY with his BLEEDING BODY!
"STOP THIS!" She roared in a harsh voice, but her rage was being controlled by those animals! No use rattling! This people that she had helped, the ones that survived were those throwing Luigi's body using Polterpup as the bull, poor bull that couldn't grab his master out of those filthy hands!
"ENOUGH!"
"I SAID ENOUGH!"
Suddenly the crowd froze. Toadletoe calmed a bit. No way!…she was relieved. Everyone knew this voice. Mario had come at the laughing mass. Toadletoe was laid down, and she was trying to calm her crying. She acted strong, but maybe this had been an assault…she was a bit shocked, the unceasing hiccups as evidence. However she wanted to laugh at the faces looking down, ashamed like they had to be. A Yoshi came to show Luigi's corpse in front of Mario. Mario glared with a mix of disbelief, controlled stir, shock, deep hurt. It didn't dare to look back, bowed to lay down his brother with all his tensed delicacy, and him given, it backed away with hast. Princess Daisy came too, and although her face stayed emotionless, her eyes wouldn't turn away from Luigi's fractured bones. Until Mario lift him and followed Todletoe, when she called Peach's police to decide a hard reprimand.
That had been something.
Hopefully the doctors were more fair and impartial. Though they blamed Toadletoe for losing her patience and above all, putting someone's life at risk provoking the others, she didn't care.
It was sad the situation in hospitals was complicated here.
There was no block, and in the rush, nobody had brought enough power-ups. As a result, they couldn't heal somebody using a mushroom. There were doctors for sicknesses. When they took Mr.L's case, they drained the excess of blood, disinfected large wounds and wished he'd sleep, because they'd have to operate him without aesthetic. The flesh of his lower back and various parts of his arms or hands had been strewn with bones bites. His left leg had necrosis, no wonder when you see the femur through the thigh. It did give nausea to the nurse, seeing purple and black flesh all the way to the toes, secreting water, pus, rotten blood. The odour was horrible, like if you smelled death. Ultimately, the operation was planned for three days later.
During that time, Yoshi's state degraded too. At the doctors' surprise, his body was mutating and rotting. After asking the travellers whatever would cause this, they concluded Yoshi had been hit by the radiation from the Sarasaland Kingdom. A disease for now incurable. He was dying…
Those lives at their hands. Without any way to communicate. Toadetoe was a nurse, that shouldn't touch her; but at the same time, Yoshi was the cuteness and innocence incarnated, and Mr.L called her curiosity. She felt something important had to been done with him, since he was Tatanga's ally. The events repeating in her head told her something was fishy. Why would Mr.L and Tatanga ally, why wouldn't they both compete to win Daisy's heart? Why did Mr.L put his life in this danger to help the Heroes, and why wouldn't Tatanga stop the attack? How did they become…crazy? What was this story of alternate universes? For what end? The operation was crucial in this sense.
The evening before the operation, after saying good night to her boyfriend Toadlump, the surgeon Toad wearing a black cap with white dots, she decided to "visit" Luigi. Some dim lamps lightened the narrow corridors with red flames and shadows. The 24th room, corridor 7, white curtain at the right, had been a small bedroom with lots of books, where another curtain led to a mini stone bathroom. No one would go to watch the body. The fabric slipped swiftly over her hand as she stretched her arm, blind in the gloominess. Toadletoe felt a presence, a shadow, what was stupid because Mr.L was unconscious. She ignored her pitiful fear and set up her lamp torch, then stood up at his side. The soft light hardened the features of his face, masked with a respiratory. Behind her were the rhythmic sounds of breathes. Aside of that, this place was silent, but a silence that she appreciated and for that, would call calm. It was different from the silence in the big cave. She felt some peace. Toadletoe sighed deeply.
It was confusing. The way Mr.L's face and expression matched exactly those of Luigi. After all, Mario said they had been the same person. According to Paper Mario – she wondered where the Paper World book was – Mr.L had acquired his own personality, so they should be treated separately. This was only appearance, and the real Mr.L would be revealed in the mind.
Would they both feel the pain if the surgeons operated him? A thought flashed before her eyes. Better find out now. She walked to the injured leg's side and, straightening herself, grasped it through the blankets. It started to feel wet – blood – but the body didn't react at all. That must be okay.
Why am I concerned for him?! She couldn't repress a feeling in her heart. You remember that story of a monkey that committed suicide after that trauma: the trauma of suffering silently under the surgeons' hands, because the aesthetic didn't work enough, but the tranquilizer did. What tells you Mr.L won't get his revenge on us after that torture? You perfectly know that if he can't move now, it doesn't mean at all he didn't feel it. He will suffer!
Then what do you want me to do? I can't cancel the operation. I can't communicate with him.
There has to be a way.
There had to be a way.
"There has to be a way."
She gave a look back at the face, and for seconds imagined those eyes being opened and contracting out of agony, thickly shadowed, if they cut his leg directly. A way to communicate, without the intervention of the body. She couldn't use telepathy, and could his brain even respond? It had to anyway…or she'd have to communicate with his very soul. There was a way, but it was forbidden: you kill the body, and the moment the soul is detached - for a fraction of a second – you interrupt the reincarnation – provided the person had an extra life – and you can talk to the boo. She hadn't the right to do that, and anyway, she didn't have the power nor the material, nor the skill. No, there has to be another way.
She paced around the room, snapping her fingers to concentrate and help any idea to get out. She felt that she knew the solution but couldn't fully remember or comprehend the concept. She frowned, angry or frustrated, refusing to let go. A way to access the mind; Toadletoe read a magazine one day about…about…Pi'illow Island. Satisfaction popped in her head as she stopped and focused her eyes at the floor. What were they saying about that re-found ancient people? That they could access…they could access to dreams! You could go to the Dream World even if they were turned into stones, as their souls were trapped there, but alive.
She burst out of the room, took a sprint. God bless – there was a Pi'illow there, the best! "Dreambert!" she called. She found the group of Heroes and the ancient that said: "Prince Dreambert, young woman. Don't forget to be polite, especially in front of a Prince!" She didn't care. "Could –"she gasped, "Could you come please? It, it's really important." They looked at each other, confused, but assumed it was for some information. The Prince flew next to the woman that nearly ran. She waited to get in the room where no one could hear to ask:
"So, ya have to get me into Mr.L's mind."
Dreambert opened her mouth –
"Please don't argue. I don't want to explain, all you have to know, is that this is for your friend's sake and…sanity. Just tell me. You have this power."
Indeed, since Zeekeeper had given some of his powers to Dreambert, he could access to the Dream Deep, where soon enough, Toadletoe landed carefully.
It was soft…so fragile, this place…It seemed like it had been destroyed once. It was kind of ruined. She walked to look around. She didn't have to find Mr.L, because this entire place was him. She was relieved that it had worked… She wanted to meet him…and here he was staying. He was sitting on the floor, but even there he was a bit taller than Toadletoe. She was unsure… And the creepy wide-open eyes, neutral face looking inside her soul, Mr.L gave her, made her shiver…
"…Ya didn't feel the pain when I touched you, did ya?"
There was a crack through his pupils, and he smiled a crisped maniac smirk.
"You did…"
She looked elsewhere.
"Sorry."
So the operation would hurt him.
"We're going to amputate your leg tomorrow."
It was sad that…
"…we don't have another option."
Mr.L laughed slightly.
"Ye̕s y͝o҉u ̵do̡.Y̶̛͟es͏͘҉ ̧y̢͢o̵u͏ ̸͟d҉͜o͜͞ :! Bư͝͞t ҉it̸́̕'҉̶s ̴̸͠s͝͞t̕͢͝ư̧p̴̡͡id҉̀ ̷͞t͡o ́́w͟a̵͜s͏t͢e͡҉̷ ̵̧͝t͏́h̴́a̧t͠ ̵̧c͠h̷̷a̢͟n̨c̡e͞.̧͟ I̙͉͌̕'͈͔͍̫̼ͮͦ͡l͖̤̣̭̜̠̽l͙͚͔͖̬̟͎ͧ̊́ ̱̞̻̳͎̼̬̬̟̒ͧ͂ͤ́ͫ̀̒ͤ̀͜͟ķ͕͙͕̖̭̖͛͐̏̊̀ͨ̈̃i̶̵͎̥̙͊ļ̣̠̪̃ͬ͂́͂ͭ͗ͮ̒͢ͅḻ̶̛̺̣͙͓ͭ́̉̀̄ͯ͗ͣ͂ ̧̛ͩ̔̾͏̹͇̫a̰͓̩̠̰̙͇̭̭ͪ͊͌͘͝l͈̰̔͌ͬ̀l̀̔͑͏̘͍͞ ̢̢̳̰̙̰͎̟̺̗́̎̃̃̑͊ͮo̷͎͙̰ͦ̐̇f̶͈͖̦͇̬̑̅͆ ͬ͐ͤ͒̉̑̀̍͏̨̥̥̟͕̟͍̥͢y̞͙̟̙̣̥̞͌̌͋͌͞͝o̜̮̖̳̗̠̒̾ͭ̂̋̏͢͝ͅű͇̭͒ͧͭ̔͑̏͢ ̧͖̲͙͚̙́̑͂ͦͪ̂ͩ͌ͬ͞a̴̛̮̙̳̻͖͎̫ͧ̀n̶̟̳̪͔͙̹ͯ̾ͨ͝y̲̞̫̔͑͌̀w̢̰̭͛̇̾̑̏̇͗͠͝a̵̴̡̻̭͑̃̾̅ͫͤ̿͂̚y̡ͨ͐ͦ͛̌҉̬̳͉̯͈̜.̸̡̣͖͖̖̟̝ͥ""
Toadletoe felt sad.
"As a nurse, I have to provide the best care for my patients. But I don't know what else to do. We don't have any mushroom."
Mr.L led his gaze go behind him. Yet all looks of the place were upon the Toadette.
"..̛.͢H̢eh̛҉ e̵h͜͠͏ ̨eh̀͢͝.̛"
Did he have a solution?
"K͏̴̴̡i̷͘͟l̡̀͡͠l͏̴ ̷̛̀͟͠m̶̵̸͢e͜ ̸̛̛̛ţ̴̛h́͘͟͢҉e҉҉͡n̵̛.̸̨͝ "
Wha…?...
"K̭̱̞̣͚̩ͦ̉͗̇̃̏̓ͤ͐̂̇̽́̚̚͘͟͜i̷͇͈̺̳̙̭ͣ͊̂ͫ͌͌̈́͆ͣ̎̑ͭ͌̊̀ͣ̀ͮ̏̕͟͝l̴̨̢͉͖͖̙̗̣͙̪͚̮̮̬ͭ̇͐ͧ̐̅̓͞l̙͉͓̝̠͍̜̖̗̹̖̝͔̻̟͇̯̤ͦͭ̎̿̊ͭͮ͗̄̈́̽͐̿ͦ͑̈͌̀ͅ ̮͉̤̳̜̜̩̭͚̺ͤ͛͐́͌ͯ͌̾̃́͝m̵ͥͮͧ̾͋ͣ͊ͥ́͒ͤ̏̒҉̨͠҉̦̺̭͙̣̤̟͉̯e̵̴̡̤̬̳̟̣͕̭̗̫̤̼͆ͭ̊͢͞.̴̨̢̧̪͖̤̮̩̤̲̪̣̈́̾̿̆̎̈ͦ̏̏ͥ̏̌͗ͯ͋͟"
…He was right. He had extra lives and… Before Dreambert find them…
The coloured portal closed at Toadletoe's arrival.
"Thanks Dreambert. You can leave now."
The Pi'illow flew off.
The dark room enlighten at the night table next to Luigi. Euthanasia was a hot debate in this Kingdom. Because you can revive someone with a 1-up. Why let someone mutilated and suffering if you could kill them? The body would be restored. You just have to do it quickly. But for now, this was forbidden; what would that bring, this unethical way of ending someone's suffering? If you accept that, bad decisions would follow, etc.
But, tell me, what decision was the best here? Torture Mr.L, or letting him die, or waste a 1-up?
Toadletoe had never done it before. Never had she killed somebody. She was a nurse! If only there was time to get prepared. Only one night, if she didn't sleep. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest. She went outside to take her breath. But…wait…that shouldn't be hard to do…after all… He'll be cured at the end. She would give surgeons more time to take care of other patients. Her that refused people wanting to kill him, she'd changed her mind. But this time, Mr.L asked for it. What was the act after all, how would she proceed?...
As everybody was sleeping – Mr.L was too – Toadletoe approached the body, anxiety in her face. In front of her was the bed. What would Mario think? And inexpressive Daisy? She took the jet-black gun, the green light emanating from it being Mr.L's signature. She held it in front of her, closing one eye, wincing, letting only one tear of shock dropping. She was trembling so much, yet she could – she could easily aim at Luigi's face.
BAM.
That was it. Toadletoe dropped the gun, plugged her ears and closed her eyes, breathing. The sound hadn't been that loud, but… Luigi was dead.
But when she opened her eyes…
That night, Toadletoe, had saved Mr.L from more insanity.
They looked at each other. And Toadletoe knew they were future friends.