A/N: Yup. I'm back. I was struck by a sudden bout of writer's block but I'm okay now...I hope. Anyhow, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot, and the Legendary Sorceresses of Destruction.

Chapter 4: The Magical Stone and a Journey to Antonia

Mario and the Wicked Brothers ran back to Merlon's house at top speed. They were done getting ready, and were eager to find the location of the first sorceress. They reached his house, and were uneasy to find that it was extremely quiet. Not even the birds were chirping. Everything seemed out of place on the outside, and suddenly, Mario, Wario, and Waluigi were struck with equal feelings of dread.

Mario raised a trembling hand and knocked on the door. Nothing. Nobody answered.

"You don't suppose he took off do ya?" asked Waluigi, glancing around.

"No, he knew we were coming back," said Mario in a shaky voice. He knocked again. "Merlon? Open the door!" he exclaimed, panicking a bit. Still, there was no answer.

"Stand aside!" growled Wario. He took a few steps back, and then charged into the door, busting it open. They stepped inside, and gasped at what they saw.

Merlon lay in a bloody heap on the floor. Scrawled across the wall in a crude fashion, was a message. They stepped closer and were shocked to discover that it was written in Merlon's blood. The message read: Nice try. Better luck next time.

"THIS IS JUST PERFECT!" roared Wario. "NOW WE HAVE TO AVENGE HIM TOO! AND WE'LL NEVER FIND THOSE OTHER SORCERESSES!" He grumbled, "Geez, you'd think that a sorcerer would be able to protect himself but no. Stupid weaklings, everybody's becoming soft…"

Mario looked in shock at Merlon's lifeless mangled body. Now he had yet another reason to hate Belladonna. He clenched his fist, vowing to kill her himself at any cost.

"Hey, what's this?" asked Waluigi. The hem of Merlon's robe was glowing faintly. Wario ceased grumbling, stepped over, tore it open, and pulled out a stone that seemed to be flashing multiple colours. Attached to it was a note.

Wario read it aloud. "To the ones who find this stone. I'm not sure of its purpose. All I know is it is not mine to possess. In a vision, I saw that the rightful owners would find it over my corpse. Use it well, for I think it may hold the key to the fate of this world. Merlon."

"What is it?" asked Mario, taking it from Wario, looking at it closely. It fit perfectly in his palm, and felt warm to the touch.

"How am I suppose to know?" shot Wario, irritated.

"Well, I think that it belongs to me," said Waluigi, rubbing his hands together in greed. "I mean, it was me who found it."

"Not a chance! It's mine!"

"Well-"

"Can you both stop bickering for once and help me out instead of thinking of yourselves!" yelled Mario. Once again, the Wicked Brothers stared at him. He was behaving strangely. "We have to figure out how to use it. It's obviously magical, and it may be able to help us."

"We don't have time to figure how it works! We need to find the sorceresses!"

All of a sudden, as in answer to the statement, the stone started hovering. It went to rest in the middle of the room. Just then, it glowed a dark purple. Then, a map image shot out if it, as though it were some kind of projector. The map was that of the Mushroom Kingdom, and the neighboring kingdom of Antonia. Then, smack in the middle of the Antonian Desert, was a purple "X", matching the glow of the stone.

"It's a marked location," said Mario in awe. "Could that be where we could find the first sorceress?"

Wario pulled out a map of Antonia. He looked at the projected image, and then made a mark on the map. The image from the stone disappeared the moment Wario did that. It fell to the floor, and resumed it's flashing of colours.

"So, are we headed to Antonia then?" asked Mario.

"Do we have any other choice?" shot back Waluigi.

"It's worth a shot," said Wario.

"Let's bring the stone along with us. Who knows what else it can do?" said Mario.

"All right Captain Obvious," said Wario scathingly.

"Come on then!" said Waluigi.

"Wait!"

"What now!"

"We can't just leave Merlon like this!"

"Fine! We'll tell the funeral parlor before we go!"

"I'll go."

"All right then. Hurry!"

Waluigi ran off to the funeral parlor. He came back ten minutes later. "The arrangements have been made. Let's go."

Mario sighed, taking one last look at Merlon's body. Then, he joined the Wicked Brothers as they began their journey to the Kingdom of Antonia.

So, chapter 4 is done. Sorry it's so danged short, but there you go.