This took me a while, but I finally finished this chapter! I also decided to make some changes in my profile so that you could catch a glimpse of how my future Mario & Luigi remakes will be named. ;)
Anyways, enjoy! ;)
Chapter 16: A Test of Happiness
The heroes walked on the Star Road and reached the Gateway to the Star Shrine. This Gateway was composed by many colorful buildings connected by the main chamber through roads made of Star Dust. Above the buildings were large yellow star platforms just like the main chamber. The heroes arrived at the main chamber and they spotted a closed gate shaped like a star up ahead.
"That over there is the gate leading to the Shrine as I told you early." Veronica told.
"Man…that is the most starry-looking door I have ever seen." Sonic said. "Also, no pun intended."
"You don't say?" Young Sonic questioned sarcastically as they walked straight to the door.
As soon as they were close enough, the gate suddenly grew eyes and a mouth.
"Whoa! The gate is alive?" Luigi said surprised.
"Yep. It has a mind of its own; it is the one who decides who will pass and who won't." Veronica explained.
"Golly…"
"Pilgrims and wanderers… What is it you seek in this sanctified place?" the Star Gate spoke. "Beyond this gate lies the sacred castle of our ruler, the keeper of light. Those judged unworthy or without purpose will not be allowed to enter."
"We're here so that-…"
"Stop." The Star Gate interrupted Mario. "No words of explanation will be necessary. All that I require is an appraisal of your worth. Such is the entry key."
"Huh?" the four adult boys raised an eyebrow.
"I will analyze all of you one by one to see if you're worthy enough to pass. Stand before me. Speak no words. Open your hearts."
The heroes nodded and stood before the Star Gate, who closed its eyes and began to analyze one by one, starting with Mario: "Red man of mustache… You are true and courageous. Your heart is filled with virtue and concern for your brother. I do recommend you watch your diet, however, for it is also filled with much alfredo sauce. You should especially cut down on carbonara, though it will be hard, for that is very tasty. If you curb your appetite, do some light cardio work, and continue to ward your brother. You will no doubt grow to be a figure of immense popularity, yet not grow an immense belly. I deem you most worthy to pass this gate, and recommend puttanesca; that stuff is great."
"All right." Mario nodded.
"Gee, who would expect that someone commented on your overweight?" Sonic smirked. "And isn't it ironic that it said about Italian food?"
"Sheesh, it's not my fault for that; that stuff that I eat taste good, you know." Mario rolled his eyes.
"Speaking of which…" the Star Gate looked at Sonic. "Royal blue hedgehog… You are a snarky speedy hedgehog who is addicted to action. You always love to keep moving, not even wanting to stop, and like red man of mustache, your heart is also filled with virtue and concern for your fox friend. On the other side, you seem to keep your weight balanced thanks to calorie burning for those chilidogs you eat by running every day. However, I recommend being careful to not exaggerate yourself with your cocky attitude; doing things without patience can be very risky sometimes. I can also see that you have aquaphobia, but as long as you can outrun the water, that's not as bad as it sounds. So try to think more about what exactly you're doing before going into action. But gosh, I wouldn't let you pass if it wasn't for your sense of humor. Your funny jokes make everyone laugh. So you're also worthy to pass, and make sure you keep up with your good jokes; they're hilarious."
"Heh, you got it!" Sonic winked while giving thumbs up.
"Now it's your turn…" the Star Gate looked at Tails. "Ah… Yellow twin-tailed fox… You are a kind-hearted and optimistic fellow who loves inventions and helping your friends. You are also very loyal to the blue hedgehog, treating each other like real brothers. You always dream of flying high and trying your best to be just like your best friend ever since you first met. What I would recommend is to not get yourself into too much trouble; your best friend is very overprotective for you, and he would always blame himself if he fails to protect you. Remember, your best friend will never forgive himself if this does happen. Because of that, you're pretty much treated like a simple sidekick, who just loves to go along on adventures, assist the others and even suffers from astraphobia. So be strong, and you'll be as popular as your best friend. Since I'll be giving you another chance, you are free to go too."
"Really? Thanks!" Tails beamed.
"And who do we have here?" the Star Gate noticed Veronica. "Oh, Veronica! It's been forever since you were born. Because she's already a close relevant to the stars, she's free to pass." The Star Gate next looked at the kids. "As for the little ones, I know their hearts are innocent, so they may pass unhindered."
"Yay! Thank you!" Young Tails chirped.
"And now…you." The Star Gate looked at Luigi, who was curious to know what it will say to him. "Green man of mustache… You… Um…good luck out there."
"What?" everyone except Luigi tilted their heads in confusion.
"Wait, what are you talking about?! Please tell me!" Luigi begged.
"What's that? You crave more?" the Star Gate asked. Luigi immediately nodded. "I could be more direct, but everyone would hear. Are you sure you wish for this to be? The secrets of your heart would be revealed. That odd…incident. And that other thing as well."
"Oh, no way!" Luigi shook his head.
"Then I shall whisper…"
Luigi then walked to the Star Gate and it whispers some things to him that the others could only interpret by the man in green's reactions:
"Uh-huh… Oh… Okay… Wait… Huh?!... What?!... Seriously?... No!... No way!... That can't be true!" his jaw dropped at what the Star Gate said to him.
"I'm getting a feeling that the gate just told bad things to him." Tails stated.
Once the Star Gate finished, Luigi walked back to the group while crestfallen, which got Tails worried.
"Uh, how was it?" he asked.
"Terrible." Luigi replied saddened.
The Star Gate turned its attention to the heroes and said:
"This means that most of you are worthy of admittance. However, the green man of mustache is questionable. His heart is muddled with…certain questionable things."
"WHAT?!" the group gasped.
"Who knows what trials the road ahead may bring? You may found yourselves tested like never before. Yet, the green man of mustache weeps and worries like a child, fearful. It is…embarrassing. I cannot allow one who so bemoans his fate to pass through the gate and meet the princess. It is most unfortunate, but you may not proceed."
Shocked, the Mario Brothers began babbling at the same time to reason with the Star Gate, until it interrupted them:
"Please calm yourselves. I will summarize your position if you are calm." The brothers then calmed down and listened to the Star Gate as it continues: "There are…three options open to you at this time."
"Seriously?" both Mario and Luigi replied in surprise.
"The first is to give up and return home to a dinner of healthy pasta puttanesca. The second is to leave the green man of mustache behind and proceed without him. The third is to summon and strike the Aurora Block, whatever how you do it. Which of these three roads you choose to follow is up to you. Your hearts are your guides. By your looks, you might be wondering: what is this ominous Aurora Block? Prepare for enlightenment. It's a rare block. Its presence has long been celebrated by denizens of the Star Realm. That is an important thing, for if you are able to summon the Aurora Block and strike it… I will acknowledge the green man of mustache's courage and cooperative spirit. Then your entire company shall be judged worthy and allowed free passage into the realm. Fare you well." The Star Gate's eyes and mouth disappears.
"Well, you're all thinking what I'm thinking, right?" Tails asked.
"Yes! We're going to find a way to summon the Aurora Block so that Luigi could pass too!" Mario said. "As you would know, I'll never leave my brother behind no matter what."
"I knew you would say that! That actually made me feel better." Luigi smiled.
"Veronica, do you have any clues about the Aurora Block?" Sonic asked her.
"I'm not sure, but we might find some clues by just exploring around the Gateway." Veronica answered. "You all noticed there are multiple paths for us, right? We should go there and see!"
They all nodded and split up: the Marios went to the upper-left area, the Luigis went to the bottom-left one, the Sonics went to the bottom-right one, the Tailses went to the upper-right one, and Veronica went to the upper one by herself.
With Mario and his younger self…
The area they were in had an orange-checkered pattern, orange, pink and purple platforms and wide gaps. Above them, there was a large star platform.
"I still can't believe that the Star Gate refused to let Luigi pass. But even that, I don't care what it just said; we're going to summon that Aurora Block." Mario said to himself with determination, unknown that Baby Mario was listening.
"You must really care for him, right?" he guessed.
"Of course! I never in my life left him alone. But even if we're separated, we're still complete."
"I can see that!"
They stumbled upon Wonder Thwacks and a Piranha Planet before hopping on the transparent colorful platforms. They then came upon the wide gaps and saw a blue pipe at the other side.
"Those gaps are way too wide for a normal jump…" Mario pointed out.
"But not for a Spin Jump!" Baby Mario exclaimed.
"That's right! You're a genius! Stay in front of me; I'm about to do a Spin Jump by myself and ram into you."
Mario and Baby Mario used the Baby Spin ability to reach the other side and went into the pipe, taking them to the large star platform above. There was nothing but the same enemies plus a Skellokey patrolling it, except there were two sets of orbs placed at the bottom-right corner of the edge. The Marios went next to the edge and saw an ivory block with a deep pink star in it hovering above their heads. It was a Laser Block.
Mario decided to hit it, and eventually, the two orbs sent out a red laser and a magenta laser. Both lasers seemed incomplete, though, since they were too short.
"I think we're done for now. Let's head back into the pipe." Mario said and they both went in.
With Luigi and his younger self…
The area they were in had sets of short orange-tinted platforms with star patterns. Handfakes and Fly Guys are the enemies patrolling this area.
"Aw, you don't have to feel so down. All we have to do is to make that block appear and you're in with us!" Baby Luigi tried to cheer his older self up.
"I know, but I still feel bad about what the Star Gate told me…" Luigi lamented.
"What exactly did it tell you?"
"Do you really want to know?"
Baby Luigi nodded. Luigi then told everything the Star Gate told him, and this made Baby Luigi gasp in shock:
"Golly! That's horrible!"
"Yeah, I know and… WATCH OUT!" Luigi dragged his younger self out of the way because the Fly Guy dropped a bomb at where the Luigis used to be. "That was close…"
"I can see a blue warp pipe up there!" Baby Luigi pointed.
"Really? Then we should go there!"
The Luigis hopped on the platforms until they reached the purple one where the blue pipe was. They went in, and arrived on another large star platform. This one had a bright green structure with a star-shaped opening on both sides that were a bit too high. And just like the previous star platform, this one also had two orbs at the edge, but they were placed on the upper-right corner.
"That opening is too high to reach… I guess I'll have to toss you up there." Luigi told his younger self.
"That place looks dark… I don't like dark places…" Baby Luigi shuddered.
"Well, there is an Adult Shine Block here, so I'll light the area inside."
"Okey."
Luigi then did a Baby Toss to send Baby Luigi to the entrance. Once his infant self was inside, Luigi hit the Adult Shine Block, and a Small Shine Block showed up above Baby Luigi. He hit it, and the whole room lit up.
"That's much better!" Baby Luigi exclaimed.
He navigated around the room until he reached the exit, where he found a Laser Block waiting for him outside. Once hit, the two orbs sent out a green laser and a yellow laser, both still incomplete.
With Sonic and his younger self…
The area they were in was a mirrored version of the area both Luigis went to, except that, the layout of the platforms were different.
"How come that Star Gate rejected Luigi? He seemed like a big jerk for me." Sonic said in a sternly tone.
"I agree with you, me. What if it was just wasting our time?" Young Sonic threw in.
"Well, we can't be sure for that right now, so let's just focus on obtaining the Aurora Block so that we could get the Cobalt Shard."
The Sonics hopped on the platforms until they reached the blue pipe above. They were now on another large star platform, but they had to first fight against a Piranha Planet before they could reach the Laser Block.
Once it was beaten, the adult Sonic ran under the Laser Block and hit it, and the two orbs sent out a blue laser and a magenta laser. With another magenta laser present, the lasers from each opposite side jointed together into a long straight magenta laser.
With Tails and his younger self…
The area they were in was a mirrored version of the area both Marios went to, but once again, the layout of the platforms were different.
"Was the Star Gate lying or something? I knew Luigi for a long time ever since we were kids! Luigi might be a scaredy cat, but not all the time!" Tails growled under his breath.
"You don't have to be so mad, me. Maybe once we summon the Aurora Block, the Star Gate will let Luigi pass." Young Tails said in a soft tone.
"*sigh* alright."
"There's a pipe right above, but it's too high. Could lend me a hand just like you did when we were inside Yoob?"
"Sure, hold on."
Tails grabbed Young Tails' hands and flew with him all the way up to the top of the purple platform where the blue pipe was. The large star platform they were on had another green structure that only Young Tails could enter since the entrance was very small, plus a single purple exclamation point block next to the structure.
"Wait, before you head in, let me hit this block first." Tails told him and hit the purple block. With that, the twelve stars printed on the floor showed a pattern: the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth and eleventh stars were lit, while the rest weren't. "Hey! Younger me! Remember this pattern! It might do something!"
"Okay!" Young Tails nodded and memorized the star patterns before going inside the structure. Inside, he saw twelve blocks positioned in the same way as the printed stars, and when Young Tails hit one of them, it would lit up. "That's it! I'll strike the blocks that correspond to the star pattern I just saw earlier!" he concluded.
With that, he hit the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth and eleventh blocks to light them up, leaving the other ones unlit. Eventually, a Laser Block showed up at the outside above Tails' head. He hits it and the two orbs sent out a red laser and a yellow laser. Both lasers from opposite sides jointed together. Now the only lasers remaining to joint were the green and blue lasers.
With Veronica…
She flew by a large star chamber with clear green fences decorated with stars and light blue star columns, and found a blue pipe at the end of another large star-shaped chamber, taking her to the final large star platform at the upper part of the area.
There were clear glass pipes on the star platform and Wonder Thwacks patrolling it.
"I'll make sure they won't get in my way so that I can hit that Laser Block." Veronica said as she froze the Wonder Thwacks in place. "I can see that everybody else has finished most of the lasers, so that only leaves my turn it seems." She spoke to herself as she hit the Laser Block.
Eventually, the two orbs at the edge sent out a green laser and a blue laser. With all of the lasers jointed, something began to materialize in the middle. It glowed in a rainbow color before finally revealing the object: it was a block sharing the same colors as the lasers.
"It's the Aurora Block!" Veronica exclaimed as the block flew back to the Star Gate's chamber. "I better warn this to everyone!"
Later, once Veronica regrouped everyone to the Star Gate, they saw the Aurora Block hovering at the chamber's middle. The Star Gate grew eyes and a mouth again and spoke:
"Yes, that is it. Impressive. That is the Aurora Block. You have done well to summon it. Now, green man of mustache. Strike the block so that I may witness your deed and deem you worthy despite your flaws."
Luigi nodded and he went under the block to strike it. But suddenly, just as his fist was reaching the block, it moved away from him on its own, causing big question marks to appear above everyone's heads.
"What the-?" Luigi's eyes widened as he walked after the block and attempted to strike it again, but the same thing happened and it moved away again. "Okay, what?" he was confused; why was the Aurora Block moving away?
"No. No. No. That will not do." The Star Gate said in a serious tone. "Your insincerity sickens me. Approach me this instant." Luigi did a small gulp as he walked towards the Star Gate. "Are you listening to me, green man of mustache? For you should listen well. It was not due to your efforts alone that the block was brought here, was it? Who is responsible for this achievement? Hm? Who is it that made this possible? Was it your friends? The kids? Or was it you?" it asked while glaring at him.
"Uh…" Luigi thought long and hard on this. "M-My friends…?" he answered nervously.
"LIAR!" the Star Gate suddenly yelled at him, causing him to jump in surprise. "The correct answer is EVERYONE! What else could it be? Hmph. How could you fail to know the correct answer? It is inconceivable to me. It is deplorable."
"B-But you didn't even mention this option!" Luigi protested.
"YOU LIE!" the Star Gate yelled at him again. "It is this very tendency to falsify and edit facts that gets you in trouble. Surely you realize your progress is a testament to teamwork? That it is a group effort? I know you do, and yet you refuse to pick the correct answer! And then you lie! I am appalled."
"Oh, come on…" Luigi lamented.
"If you continue thusly…YOUR FATE IS SEALED. You shall spend your days in loneliness. Mark my words!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHY?!" Luigi kneeled on the floor and bursts into tears.
The rest of the group became so heartbroken by those harsh words the Star Gate said to Luigi that they glared at the gate furiously.
"Spending his days in loneliness?! THAT'S SO HURTFUL!" Tails yelled in anger.
"How could you say those things to my own brother?!" Mario growled. "He's the one telling the truth. You're the one who's lying."
"I beg your pardon? You imply that I am lying?" the Star Gate questioned.
"You are! Luigi has done nothing wrong! Just because he's a coward doesn't mean he acts like that all the time! Plus, he saved me from a haunted mansion once by himself!"
"You're wrong. He needed help from a certain professor in order to rescue you. He didn't do it by himself."
"Well that's because he relies on his friends in order to feel safe and strong!" Sonic explained while angered.
"This is true. None of our lives is complete without the assist from our friends. Everyone needs to have trustful friends to stay safe and strong." Veronica agreed while crossing her arms.
"And this is for upsetting older me!" Baby Luigi stormed as he walks towards the Star Gate's left door while bringing out his hammer and whacks it with all of his strength; he was very angry.
"So you're saying that Luigi has done nothing wrong and that he feels safe and strong when his friends are close?" the Star Gate asked.
"YEAH!" the group shouted.
"Incredible…" just then, the Star Gate closed its eyes and had some tears falling down. "All of you… You are truly…AMAZING." A big smile showed on its face.
"HUH?!" the group shouted in shock with their eyes widened.
"You all care for him so much." The Star Gate replied with a soft tone, confusing the group. It then calls Luigi: "Come, green man of mustache, you need weep no more. Rise and face me. This was all merely a test of my devising."
"What…?" Luigi wiped off his tears and stood up.
"Everyone… For the sake of your good friend, you went to summon the Aurora Block. You endured hardships and supported red man of mustache's sibling. Your feelings for green man of mustache are genuine. What grand friends you are to him. I am quite moved."
Everyone smiled, looking at Luigi, who smiled softly at all of his friends. In addition, what made him smile more was that he saw Baby Luigi hugging on his leg.
"Green man of mustache…" the Star Gate continued. "For all that I have forced you to endure, forgive me. You see, I know the truth. Your heart is like a gemstone; multi-faceted and beautiful. I see how it sparkles. There are places that need polishing, but you are vital to your companions. After all, that's what Veronica said about having friends at your side. You must march bravely on. You have my undying support."
"Okey, I'll do it." Luigi nodded.
"You may all pass. I will not hinder you."
"All right!" the whole group cheered.
"Now, green man of mustache… Please strike the block with all of your new-found grace."
Luigi walked under the Aurora Block again and this time, he succeeded in hitting it.
"Yes. A fine jump." The Star Gate commented. "Oh, and by the way, the Aurora Block… It can alter its shape to match the size of the heart of the one who strikes it."
"Wait wha-?" but before Luigi was able to finish, the only thing he remember seeing was that he was suddenly crushed by the Aurora Block that just became HUGE.
"Luigi!" Mario cried out.
Once the huge Aurora Block rose up, it revealed that Luigi was now flat as a pancake.
"Whoa…" Sonic's eyes widened.
"O—kay?" Tails blinked.
"Hahahahahaha!" the babies laughed.
"I got a Pancake Luigi!" Baby Mario picked up the crushed Luigi.
"Well, without further delay, let the gate be opened. Up ahead is our highness's castle. She should be waiting for you inside. May the road ahead bring you all much happiness." The Star Gate finished as it became lifeless before opening up its doors.
"Remind me to not trust talking star gates ever again..." Sonic sweatdropped as his younger self nodded in agreement.
Veronica used her Reversing Time magic on Luigi to revert him back to his normal state. She then asked the group: "Ready to meet the princess's castle?" they all nodded. "All right, let's go."
They followed Veronica to the set of star-shaped steps leading to the Shrine's entrance.
To be continued…
Just like what I did with Yoob's Belly, I made everyone split up in order to summon the Aurora Block. And speaking of that, I decided to make that part where you had to connect the colorful lasers to reveal the entrance of the Star Shrine as how to obtain the Aurora Block so that my story makes much more sense.
Also, remember back at chapter 10 where I told about another song that beats Gritzy Desert's song? That song is this one: the Star Shrine's theme! It is my favorite song from this game. I just love listening to it because of how magical it sounds. But I think this song fits more at the next part of the area that is about to show up in the next chapter. :)
Just to let you know, the princess of the Star Realm is another OC who was already seen in one of my near recent stories. Until the next chapter! Please review.