Raven twirled her spear happily. The shaft was made of sleek shining oak, and the pointed head glinted with magic. The tip was razor-sharp, and had almost cut Dimentio's head off.

"That is a pretty kick-ass weapon," commented Notch.

"I know, right?" grinned Raven. She examined the head, interested, then suddenly directed it at Dimentio's head and shot a golden ray of light at him. Yelping, he dodged the surprise attack. When he came up, the tips of his hat were blackened and smoking.

"Not funny," he grumbled.

"Soooo... when's Mr. Jumpsallthetime coming?" smirked Mr. L, who was leaning against the trunk of a tree, his arms folded.

"Mr. Whonow?" said Notch, frowning.

"Mario," supplied Dimentio.

"Ah," said Notch, grinning sheepishly. "Well, to be honest, he should be here now."

Raven continued to gaze at her spear, then suddenly spoke. "I'm gonna call him Golden Courage!"

"What," said L.

"GC for short," explained Raven.

"Who names their weapon?" demanded Notch.

Raven shrugged. "I knew a few people."

Mr. L interrupted their conversation. "Sorry to break up this mother's meeting, but the Portly Plumber of Pasta is coming."

Three other heads turned. There, true as day, was Mario Vyn, walking towards the foursome with a determined expression on his face.

He was not, however, alone.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF GRAMBI'S SOGGY LEFT BUTTOCK IS SHE DOING HERE?"

Daisy Sarasa was glaring at Mr. L, who was no longer leaning against a tree like no-one's business, but was straight-backed and angry, his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched and surrounded by electricity.

Raven laid her spear on L's shoulder. "Calm down, Elly."

"Don't you tell me to CALM FREAKING DOWN!" yelled Mr. L, throwing Golden Courage off of him. "That... that BITCH isn't going to be coming with us, no WAY!"

"Luigi is my boyfriend, you bastard!" snapped Daisy, who was already being restrained by Mario. "And just cuz you're some stupid, fake, cowardly parody of him doesn't mean you get to boss me around like no-one's sweet-ass business!"

"Who ARE you, anyway?" interrupted Notch, before the argument could get any more out of control.

"Meet Daisy Sarasa, princess of Sarasaland," introduced Dimentio with a sly little bow.

"I'm here to rescue my boyfriend!" announced Daisy grandly.

"Who is?" asked Notch.

"Luigi," supplied Mario tonelessly.

"This is pretty awesome!" grinned Raven. "We have six people on a grand quest to rescue the brothers of some of the greatest heroes of all time!"

Only Raven Avi Featherclaw could say those exact words without a hint of sarcasm, Mario thought.

"It's kinda like the Mane Six from My Little Pony," continued Raven, as they turned to return to the Castle, leaving Misery Forest behind. "I'm the weirdo in the group, so I'm Pinkie Pie! L's the arrogant flier, and so he's Rainbow Dash. Dimentio's the purple magician, so HE'S Twilight Sparkle. Which just leaves Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity! Mario's the hardworker, so he's AJ, Notch is kinda shy-ish around Toads and stuff, so he's Fluttershy, and Daisy is Rarity purely cuz she's the one left."

"I'm ready to bet that you didn't understand a word of that," smirked Mario to Notch. The latter shook his head.


Their pockets were filled with supplies, Notch had rounded up his pets, L was equipped with a few of his own invented weapons, Dimentio's magic was at its strongest, Daisy had borrowed an iron sword off Notch, Mario's Firebrand ability was working perfectly, and Raven had figured out how to control various elements with Golden Courage.

They were ready.

"So where's the first stop?" asked Raven, twirling GC as L strapped on a special custom belt.

"We're off to Peach's Castle," replied Mario, making a few smoke rings blow out of his index finger.

"To?" asked Raven, watching L slip a ray-gun into one of the holsters with a bored expression.

"To question her highness Princess Peach Toadstool like... like... um..." Dimentio frowned for a minute, then shrugged. "Oh, whatever. I'm too tired for similes."

"Course, Mr. Firefleabag just wants to check Toadstool out," smirked Mr. L, tipping his hat.

"Oh, shut up," snapped Mario, making Notch laugh.

"We going now?" said Daisy, folding her arms and fingering her new sword.

"Sure," chorused the others, and followed the tomboy princess out the door.


"Marching along the winding track, never scared, never looking back!"

"Marching along the winding track, away, away we go!"

"Marching along the winding track, on an adventure, defend and attack!"

"Marching along the winding track, we were scared long ago!"

The old Endontian folk song echoed down the hallway. Luigi and Herobrine stared straight ahead, their eyes blank. The latter's eyes glowed scarlet. A voice issued from the shadows, a voice like a snake's hiss that dripped with evil.

"What have you discovered?"

Herobrine bowed his head, his eyes casting shadows on the wall. "Master, there is nothing of interest to be noted in Peach's Castle. The Toad structures they call houses are flimsy and weak. Flint and steel, once broken from its standard icon-like state, can easily take care of them."

The voice chuckled. "Very good. Just what I wanted to hear. And, Luigi...?"

"The guards are weak and can easily be taken down," droned Luigi. "Master," he added hastily.

"As I surmised," hissed the voice. "You please me, Herobrine and Luigi. Feel free to roam around the Shadow Castle at your leisure."

At these words, the voice seemed to melt into nothing. The two younger brothers immediately dropped their poker-stiff act and turned to face each other as they exited.

"This is great!" exclaimed Herobrine happily, his eyes dulling to a light pink. "We have power!"

"YOU have power, at least," grumbled Luigi. "No-one's seen me except for some dunderhead guards."

"Don't worry," assured Herobrine, his eyes falling back into a scarlet. "I'm sure your time will come."

And at that, Luigi couldn't stop smiling.