Brighton: Queen Sunstar doesn't own the Mario brothers, only the story unfolding below and some of the characters such as Belmoth, Solance, and Lunella. Onward to the next chapter of the story!
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Chapter Nine: Reunion
"Where am I? This is not Forever Forest." Wario looked around. He swam over to an island and crawled up onto it. There was a yellow tile on it. The tile was old, and had rotted through in its center. Wario touched it, and the tile took off, with Wario hanging on for dear life. The tile stopped, and Wario managed to fly up and onto it. His backside crashed through the center of the tile, and it went flying backward to the island it started on. Before Wario could move, the tile shot forward again. When it stopped this time, Wario went flying across the lake and rolled to a stop at the edge of a field.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Uh oh. Ahhhhhhhhhhh! I am too young and gorgeous to die! Oof! Oww. Mario and Waluigi rode those things? They oughta put warning signs up!" Wario stood, and saw a piece of paper tacked to a fence. It read, Warning! Tiles move at breakneck speeds!
"Oh great now I see it." Wario said out loud.
Something growled behind him. He turned, and screamed. It was a large fire snake. It growled again.
"Ayeeee! Not one of you weirdoes!" Wario screamed.
He waddled as fast as he could. The snake gained on him. He could feel the things hot breath on his back. Then he remembered that fire snakes despised water with a vengeance. Wario turned, and saw the lake behind the snake.
"Take this!" Wario formed a rock in his hand and threw it at the fire snakes head. It hissed as the rock hit home. Quickly, Wario waddled around the snake and hurried back to the water. He lifted a rock from the ground, and heaved it at the snake. It charged at him again.
"Where is Waluigi when you need him?" Wario muttered.
He lifted another rock. This one was hollow in the middle, and Wario carefully dipped it into the lake. He turned, and dumped it on the snake. Steam hissed, and the snake roared in pain. It died as its fire was put out. Suddenly, there was a glow. Where the snake once lay, stood Sandstone, the Uni Yoshi.
"Wario, good job. Here is your reward." Sandstone handed Wario a Shadow Key, and a yoshi egg. Wario glowed for a second.
"What just happened?" Wario asked.
"Your power got a little stronger, and you learned a new move called Rock Slide. The egg is one of Starstone's eggs. She clutched four eggs recently, and now we know why. Take care of the egg, and when it hatches, you will understand." Sandstone said.
"Wait, if Starstone laid four eggs, are these eggs going to hatch into the new Hallowed Ones?" Wario asked.
"The Hallowed Ones will never die. You have been given your new partner." Sandstone touched her horn to Warios forehead, and Dream traveled him to Forever Forest.
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Waluigi landed in an undignified position in Mushroom way.
"This isn't Forever Forest." He said out loud, looking around. He heard a giggle behind him, and turned around. He saw a goomba, with a clown nose on. It grinned evilly, and shape shifted right before his eyes into none other then Geno.
"Remember when you were me?" the doll chuckled.
"Yes, I remember. I met Mario, and discovered he was one of my brothers." Waluigi said.
"Remember your worst fear?" Geno advanced forward.
"I have no fear. I overcame those childhood fears by growing up." Waluigi was sweating.
"I am you. I know you inside out. We never overcame one fear in particular, this fear formed after we met our brothers." Geno said. Waluigi gulped, and pulled on the collar of his shirt. His back hit a tree. The doll continued its slow advance.
"You are afraid, very afraid, of losing them again, of losing your parents, of losing the love of your life…" the doll whispered, his voice becoming low and menacing.
"You keep Violet out of this!" Waluigi sputtered, forming a ball of water in his hands. He threw it at Geno.
"uh uh," Geno put his hand up, and stopped the attack in its tracks. Waluigi sweat dropped.
"What do you want from me?" Waluigi asked.
"Once you realize your fears, I'll go away…" Geno whispered.
"Alright! I admit! I have fears! I am terrified of losing the ones I love! Happy now?" Waluigi screamed.
"finally." Geno shape shifted again, this time into Windstone, a parayoshi. Windstone applauded.
"I was beginning to wonder if you would never admit to your fears. Here is the shadow key, and your egg." Windstone said.
Waluigi felt the familiar feeling of new power coursing through him.
"I have learned a new move called tsunami wave." He said, taking the egg and the key from the blue yoshi with large silver wings.
"The egg contains your new partner." Windstone said, "Climb on, I will take you to Forever Forest."
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Mario felt as if he had been walking forever. He finally stopped walking, and decided to camp for the night. It wasn't long before he was asleep.
Mario dreamed he was fighting Bowser, but for some reason, he was losing the fight. Bowsers hot fiery breath seamed to be everywhere at once.
"Why am I losing for? I have never lost!" Mario dove out of the way of another stream of fire, but it caught his pant leg on fire. Mario beat out the flames quickly.
"You are fighting scared, Mario." Bowser taunted.
"I am not afraid of you, you overgrown, over stuffed, excuse for a lizard!" Mario shot back.
"Why you little!" Bowser threw himself on top of Mario. He moved so fast that Mario couldn't get out of the way in time and got trapped under Bowsers huge body.
"Losing some weight wouldn't kill you, turkey butt!" Mario gasped, squirming around, trying to wiggle out from under Bowser.
"What did you call me?" Bowser wrapped his claws around Mario's neck, and squeezed.
"Urk! Can't breathe!" Mario gasped. Black spots appeared in his vision.
"Who is winning now, Mario?" Bowser taunted.
Mario's eyes widened. He realized what was keeping him from winning the fight.
"I am not afraid to lose to you!" Mario choked out.
Using strength he didn't know he had, Mario managed to get his hands and knees under himself. He managed to get up onto his knees and get his hands around Bowsers neck, and he threw him over his shoulders, into the wall.
"Looks like I lose again! Go wake up. Firestone is waiting for you." Bowser stood, and lumbered off. Mario woke up gasping.
"About time! I was beginning to think you let your fear win after all." Firestone said.
"I didn't know I was afraid to lose to Bowser." Mario said, massaging his neck.
"You were afraid to lose, period. It would have been the same if Starstone used Brighton, instead of Bowser, or Smithy. Here is the key, and here is your egg. The egg contains your future partner, and you have learned wildfire tsunami." Firestone said.
Windstone and Sandstone appeared as Starstone walked up to them. Wario, and Waluigi handed over their shadow keys, and were ecstatic about finally being together again. Starstone got things settled down.
"I bet you are curious about the shadow keys. They are needed for a reason. It is time I tell you everything. Lowser escaped from the dimension I had originally locked him in, and I need those keys purified by Brighton in order to lock Lowser back up. This time, I am doing it right. Lowser can't be destroyed until the Dark one is destroyed. Brightsun and Brightstar did well in driving him out of Koopalin. The eggs you three received, are my recent clutch. There is a forth one, which has been given to Brightsun. Take care of them. They are important in your quest. There is a key in Skyland, and one in Starworld." Starstone explained.
"We need to save Twila in order for Brighton to be saved. Then Lowser can be locked back up, and Fate can finally vanquish Belmoth." Mario said.
"That is basically what you need to do. We will see you in Starworld." Starstone said, winking out with Firestone in tow. Sandstone dream traveled, and Windstone opened his wings and ghosted out.
"Lets get some sleep, bros. We have a long road ahead of us, yet." Mario said.
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Queen Sunstar: Thus ends chapter nine. Chapter Ten, Endurance, is next. This chapter focuses on Brightsun as he runs Skyland and learns several important lessons about being the ruler of a country. Also in this chapter, the next shadow key is found, and Grodus returns for another fight with the Mario Bros. Luigi will return. He is currently Brightsun. (Waits) Twila, we are waiting.
Twila: Not until you apologize!
Queen Sunstar: Okay fine, I am sorry for snapping at you last chapter.
Twila: Thank you! Don't forget to review, now!