14

"LUIGI! PLEASE WAKE UP!" Mario shouted. Luigi had been unconscious for almost two hours and Mario was sobbing. He knew that his brother was still alive because he was still breathing, but Mario was afraid that the poison gas caused major brain damage and that there would be no hope of carrying on with their journey. Mario somehow knew that Luigi's idea would backfire, but now he was regretting not listening to his own instincts. His brother was intoxicated and there was nothing he could do to help him regain his consciousness. He had to wait it out, even if it took longer than it already has. But Mario was beginning to grow impatient.

"DAMN IT, LUIGI! WAKE UP!" he shouted.

Still no response.

"I KNOW YOU'RE STILL ALIVE!"

As if Luigi were faking his state of unconsciousness, he immediately woke up and saw Mario looking down at him. Mario smiled when Luigi opened his eyes.

"Mario?" Luigi said. "Is that you?"

"Luigi!" Mario cried. "Thank god you're still alive!"

"What happened?" Luigi asked.

"You were wandering through poisonous gas!" Mario said. "It knocked you out for a good two hours!"

Luigi's eyes widened.

"TWO HOURS?!" Luigi said. "WE NEED TO FIND THAT STAR!"

"I know!" Mario said. "I didn't want to leave you behind! I need your help! You need my help too."

"Thanks, bro." Luigi said. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't saved me. I probably would've ended up dying in that hazy maze! I can't thank you enough."

"I'm always there for you, Luigi." Mario said. "Remember that."

"Oh, I will." Luigi said. "I just need to stop passing out so much!"

After Luigi was fully 'reawakened', he and Mario both continued down the small cave that was connected to the hazy cave and the heavily trapped cave that Mario emerged from. It was dark, but not as dark as it had been, because the brothers have been accustomed to it for hours. They were growing sick of the underground environment and wished that they were above ground enjoying the morning sunshine. They wished they were wearing dry, clean clothes and safe inside a new home. But they were almost to their first goal and there was no turning back now.

"You wouldn't believe the hell I had to go through to get where I am now." Mario said as he started telling his story to Luigi.

"Really? What happened?" Luigi asked.

Mario explained in gruesome detail the trials he endured. He told Luigi about the deadly spikes and various other traps that threatened his very existence as he struggled to keep up with the fast pace. Luigi could not believe it.

"You actually performed a wall jump?!" Luigi asked. "I'm impressed!"

"Yeah." Mario said. "Too bad the other members at the Toad Town gym weren't there to witness it! Man, they would've been thrilled!"

"More thrilled than the time you did that marathon?" Luigi said.

"Probably." Mario replied. "Either that or I would've been hired as a stunt performer at Toad Town Studios for upcoming film releases!"

"You really think so?" Luigi said doubtfully.

"I don't know." Mario said.

The brothers laughed. Then Luigi changed the subject.

"Why would the builders of this place fill it with such dangerous traps?" Luigi asked.

"I guess they were determined to make sure that no one would ever abuse the power of the stars again, like what the Shadow Queen did." Mario said. "That's the only thing I could really think of."

"I was thinking the same thing." Luigi said. "If that's the case, then Bowser really has the guts to get past them!"

"Well, look at us!" Mario said. "Look how far we made it! I don't think anyone else would have the athletic capabilities to dodge huge blades and spikes."

"Not even Lord Crump?" Luigi asked.

"I hope he doesn't have the star!" Mario said. "If he does, then we'll have to chase him if we can find him. I don't know about you, but I'm already sick of chasing people that we hate."

"I couldn't agree more, brother." Luigi said. "We really got ourselves into a bunch of shit this time, didn't we?"

"At least it's for a good cause." Mario said. "That is, if we survive."

The brothers gulped at the thought of it as they walked down the lonely rocky corridors that snaked beneath the earth. If the builders of this labyrinth really wanted the star to be locked away, they would have had to make the labyrinth huge. The brothers realized this and were convinced that the stars were meant to stay out of evil's grasp.

"How big is this place?" Mario asked.

"I haven't the slight thought." Luigi said. "It's already larger than we anticipated!"

"Come to think of it, I think this tunnel leads to another large cavern up ahead!" Mario said. "Follow me."

Luigi cautiously followed his brother to the end of the tunnel where it in fact did lead to a larger cavern – a MUCH larger cavern. The brothers looked around in awe. The cavern was about hundred feet wide and almost a hundred feet at its highest. Most of the walls were covered with large diamond formations that glowed under faint beams of sunlight that penetrated through small holes in the rocky ceiling. The light was then refracted into brilliant rainbows that dotted the cavern with vibrant color. Mario and Luigi were lost for words.

"Wow!" Mario said. "This place is huge!"

"And beautiful!" Luigi added. "Those miners should have never given up their operations here! Just think how much money those large diamonds would be worth! They would've made fortunes!"

"Those could easily beat the world record!" Mario said. "And to think that they've been hidden for centuries, right under our noses!"

At the center of the cavern was a giant pillar of rock that stood almost two-thirds of the way up to the top of the huge cavern. At the very top, where the light from a hole in the ceiling hit in just the right spot, something started to glow.

"Look!" Luigi said, pointing up towards the light. "There's something at the top!"

The brothers looked up and saw that the object was on top of a small pedestal that rested itself perfectly upright at the very top of the giant rocky structure. More importantly, the object that was resting on the pedestal had five points. Mario smiled.

"Luigi." Mario said.

"Yes, brother?" Luigi asked.

"I think we hit the jackpot!"

Hey, everyone!

Looks like Lord Crump isn't going to win this competition. Mario and Luigi have finally found the first Crystal Star and also discovered some of the largest diamonds in the world on top of that! What a valuable discovery! I bet the brothers wish they would've brought a camera with them!

Now that the brothers have found what they were looking for, their next puzzle is to figure out how to get to the top of the cavern. How are they going to do it? The answer will be revealed in the next chapter. Until then, I have to work on some school work, but it shouldn't be too long before I update again. See you later ;)

saturn95