.
Trials Continued
"Land ho!" one of the pirates called loudly, startling everyone in the cabins awake. Waluigi fell from his bunk. Mario shot up and bumped his head on Luigi's. Wario continued to snore away. Luigi sleepily opened an eye, yawned, sat up, and stretched.
"Land? Land!" Waluigi cried out in glee, leaping up from the floor.
"Mama Mia," Mario dazedly said, rubbing his head.
Waluigi frowned at a still-sleeping Wario, then viciously stomped on him. "Wario, get up!" he snapped.
"What?!" Wario bellowed as he sat bolt upright, furious at being woken up. Waluigi didn't even flinch. Luigi, though, cried out in terror and dove into Mario's bunk, hiding under his brother's blankets at his brother's feet while shivering.
"Land, stupid! We're coming up on land!" Waluigi shot back.
"Land? Diamond City!" Wario exclaimed excitedly. He burst into evil laughter, then jumped up. He and Waluigi ran out the door, slamming it behind them.
Mario watched after them blankly, then looked down at the shivering lump at his feet. He frowned at it, unimpressed. "Luigi," he said.
"Oh no," Luigi protested, afraid to come out. Mario growled in frustration, then yanked off the covers. Luigi cried out in terror and looked around for Wario. He relaxed when he saw neither of his cousins was there.
"Come on. Let's-a go," Mario said.
"Okay," Luigi replied, nodding.
SMB
The Mario bros joined the Wicked slash Wario bros, Daisy, and Mona at the bow. "We're almost there!" Mona excitedly said, jumping up in glee. She cried out at the sudden pain that shot through her head as she landed, and held said head in her hands.
"Stop that nonsense!" Wario sharply said. "I can't-a have my employees maimed." She gave him a sheepish grin. He blinked at her then turned quickly away refusing to acknowledge how cute he thought that was. Cute was bad. Cute disgusted him.
As the ship pulled into port, the group raced from it. Waluigi and Wario fell to the ground and began kissing it. "Well it's been a pleasure havin' ye aboard me hardy's, but I'm a feared we've got to be goin'," Syrup called to them using pirate slang. "It's my turn to lure the Kremlings away, so expect Jonathan to show up soon to pick you up for the next stretch of the journey."
"Good riddance!" Waluigi called back.
"I'll miss you too my love. Until next time!" Syrup replied.
"I'm-a not your love!" Waluigi protested vehemently. The ship sailed away, Syrup laughing.
"Your love's-a gonna die if we don't-a get going soon," Luigi solemnly said.
Waluigi's furious expression vanished. He looked at Luigi nervously, then turned away shifting a bit. "She's-a not my love," he replied.
"Let's-a go. Before we see Ashley, we should find Mack's warehouse hideout and see if the Smithy Gang left anything behind that helps us. Like this map," Wario said with a grin and a greedy spark in his eyes as he held the map up and waved it around.
"Agreed," Mario said.
Immediately the group made their way toward the Smithy Gang's hideout in Diamond City. As they walked, Daisy, Mario, and Luigi surveyed their surroundings in fascination. None of them had ever been here before. Wario, Waluigi, and Mona were indifferent. Soon enough they saw an old, run-down warehouse come into view. Upon reaching it, the six exchanged looks silently, checking to see if the others were ready for confrontation. Nodding at one another, they stepped inside and peered around. All that greeted them were a bunch of rats and bats scurrying everywhere, which prompted Luigi to yelp and leap into Mario's arms.
"Aww, aren't they cute? I love animals," Mona said.
"Sure. They're-a adorable," Waluigi sarcastically replied.
"Mack, Bowyer, Yaridovich, where are you?! Come out and fight like men!" Wario bellowed. It was silent. You could hear a pin drop.
"I don't-a think anyone's-a here," Luigi said, climbing out of his brother's arms.
"No kidding," Waluigi sneered. Suddenly the door slammed shut behind them leaving them in pitch blackness and freezing them in place. They huddled quickly together, getting back to back, and looked around nervously.
"Do you really think you can stop this?"
They gasped at the ethereal voice they couldn't immediately identify. It whispered from seemingly all around them.
"M-M-Mario?" Luigi nervously said. Mario clenched a fist, keeping quiet.
All at once they heard a ferocious roar! Terrified, the six spun around and looked up at the higher level. A giant figure leapt from the roof beams, landing on a platform above them! Mona screamed, covering her mouth. "What is that?!" Daisy freaked. Waluigi cried out in fear, crouching down and pulling his hat over his face. Wario could only gawk, eyes wide. The creature rising before them sported a piranha plant tail and three heads, one a Goomba, one a Koopa, and one a Dry Bones.
"It's-a a Mushroomcore!" Luigi exclaimed.
All at once the Mushroomcore pounced at Wario and Waluigi with a furious roar. Wario grinned, caught it around a neck, swung it around, and tossed it across the room. Waluigi looked up in disbelief. "Wahahaha, it's-a Wario time!" Wario said, punching his fists together. It suddenly recovered and surged at them again, bringing its tail down at Mario and Luigi. They gasped, diving out of the way. The tail struck the ground and the six were left gaping at the crater it left.
Quickly Daisy faced the beast, gripped the sword Syrup had given her, and went at it, striking the tail as hard as she could and cutting deep. The Mushroomcore roared in agony and swung at her. She gasped, quickly racing out of the way.
"How are we supposed to beat this?" Mona asked in fear.
"We fight until it doesn't-a get back up," Mario replied. He leapt up and dodged another strike by the Mushroomcore's tail. The goomba head went at Mona. She screamed and drew the weapon Crygor had given her, shooting. The goomba roared in pain, head flying backward before snapping back into place. Meanwhile, the Koopa head turned to Daisy and Wario and lunged. Wario grabbed Daisy around the waist, tossed her to the side, then dove forward and rolled under the creature.
"Wario? You actually saved me?" Daisy said in disbelief.
"Meh," he replied, shrugging. Immediately he went for the tail, grabbing it and beginning to spin the creature around like Mario did to Bowser. Everyone moved away. He let it go and it crashed into the metal stairs, roaring in pain. Quickly, though, it leapt back up with a roar and the dry bones head went at Luigi.
Luigi jumped up and landed on it, then slid down its neck and onto the back. It began to roar and try to throw the green plumber. Luigi, though, held fast. The others watched in wide-eyed disbelief. Except for Waluigi. Waluigi watched with suspicion darkening his eyes. "Waluigi, tos me something!" Luigi barked.
"Whatever you say, Mr. Leanandgreen!" Waluigi called back. Mario started, turning to him in shock. "Everyone say hi to Mr. L," Waluigi flatly confirmed. Wario looked suddenly unsettled.
"I'm sorry, what?!" Daisy demanded.
Waluigi kicked open a box and pulled out a length of thin rope that looked like it could be used as a whip. Quickly he tossed it to Mr. L. Mr. L snatched it from the air and struck the beast violently. It roared in agony, but Mr. L kept striking until it fell to the floor in surrender, panting heavily. Quickly Luigi forced his normal self out. The instant he was him again, he gasped and tossed the rope away like it had burned him. He looked nervously over at the others. "Sorry," he defeatedly said.
"I mean, at least you saved us," Mona lamely offered, looking concerned.
"This Mushroomcore might be able to bring us to the Generals," Mario noted, looking it over.
"There's-a no way in heck that thing belonged to the Generals. Not when it showed up after the creepy whispering," Waluigi said.
"Well we can't-a leave it in Diamond City," Mario said. There was a sound like wind and they gasped, looking back. Like dust, the Mushroomcore crumbled away and vanished. They stared at where it had been, eyes wide.
"Suicide pact?" Waluigi offered again.
"Oh shut up," Wario replied.
"You were never meant to get so far."
They gasped, looking up in terror to try and find the source of the whispering voice. Slowly their eyes widened. High above them, something like a dark, swirling void churned, gradually growing and starting to take on the appearance of a woman. This woman, though, was definitely, definitely not the Cosmic Spirit.
"G-g-g-g-guys?" Luigi tightly asked in terror. The others could only gape, and cold sweats broke out on every brow. Uncertainly, they backed towards the door. The figure chuckled, then suddenly hissed and vanished into nothingness as the lights blazed so brightly it almost blinded them. They covered their eyes with their arms in alarm, then heard the door behind them unlock and gasped, quickly turning.
"Wh-who was that?" Daisy said.
Mario looked nervously back up at where the form had been. "I-I think it might have been Jaydes," he said.
"Jaydes? The one who's-a supposed to be on our side?" Wario flatly asked, sounding unimpressed.
"The one who called Tabuu brother. The one who may be as interested in seeing him return as Dharkon is," Daisy said like it was obvious.
"The one who holds Dimentio in her realm. Dimentio who's-a her nephew. Dimentio who's-a Rosalina's brother and doesn't-a want to see her hurt," Mario rebutted.
"The one who wants to be reunited with her and the rest of his family, most of which are already down there," Daisy said.
"The Underwhere isn't-a gonna be enough. Not for Dimentio," Mario said.
"So then who's-a side is Jaydes on?" Wario demanded.
"I don't-a know," Mario replied hopelessly.
"One thing's for sure. We're starting to turn heads, and I'm not sure the heads we're turning are the ones we want to turn," Daisy solemnly said.
"So what do we do?" Luigi asked.
"Keep pressing on until we can't-a press on anymore," Mario replied.
"We need to see Ashley. If she finds something important, it could sway everything for us," Mona said.
"Lead the way, Mona," Daisy replied. Mona nodded and did so.
SMB
"She's gone?!" Mona demanded of Red, shocked. The little familiar shrank back.
"She-she went to see her mentor!" he blurted.
"Her mentor? What are you talking about?" Mona asked.
"The-the magikoopa!" Red said. "The one she met when she went on an adventure with you guys."
"Kamek?" Mario asked, eyes wide.
"No! The other! Tabby or something?" Red said.
"Kammy," Mario said. "Where is she then?"
"I'd guess the Darklands?" Red said.
"If she ends up a damsel in distress, we leave her there," Wario said, picking his nose.
"Ashley a damsel in distress? I don't think so, boss," Mona said.
"Rosalina, a demigoddess over three thousand years old, was KOd by a shard from a jewel. A fifteen-year-old wannabe witch is peanuts to Bowser's full force," Waluigi said. He turned to Red. "Can you contact her?" he demanded.
"Well, yes, but she doesn't really like to be interrupted," Red uncertainly replied.
"Tell her to teleport her backside back here or she's-a fired," Wario said.
"Yes sir," Red defeatedly said. He opened a portal quickly and Ashley appeared in it looking unimpressed. Kammy was cackling in the background as Kamek flew around in terror, fleeing from a fire entity.
"What?" Ashley asked.
"Wario here to see you, Ash. He says if you don't teleport back right now, you're fired. They need you for something to do with a book," Red said.
Ashley let out a long-suffering sigh and closed the portal. "Is she coming or not?" Wario asked.
The next second there was a poof and Ashley appeared. Not alone though. A smug-looking Kammy Koopa was with her. "A fruitful day of training, my dear, though you do need to work a little more on your control of particularly big beasties. We'll let Kamek clear up the mess for now," Kammy cooed.
Ashley nodded then looked at Wario. "What?" she asked.
"Shadow Queen's book. Look for a clue," Wario said.
"And get myself hit with a curse like Luigi? I'm not dying for your quest, Wario," Ashley replied.
"Ashley, this quest is bigger than Wario. You heard what might be happening," Mario solemnly said.
Ashley shifted a bit. "I'll be right here, dear," Kammy reassured with a smile, patting the girl's hair.
Ashley frowned at her a bit but didn't get offended by the contact. Sighing, she reached out her hands for the book. Mona handed it over. Ashley opened it up and began to skim it. "I don't understand most of this," she finally said.
Kammy peered over her shoulder. "Little wonder. It's written in an extinct language very few are familiar with. Even I'm not well versed in it," the magikoopa said.
"I can read some of this, but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to tell you," Ashley said, starting to pace as she read. "Hmm..." She went to a bookshelf and skimmed the titles before pulling one out and opening it. "This might help with some of it. The language is similar to the one in the book, so it probably had a common root, or the newer one evolved from the older one. This might take some time for me to decipher, and what I decipher probably won't be much."
"It's-a better than nothing," Luigi said, looking at Mario with a shrug. "Maybe we'll-a have time to get to Keelhaul Key and grab the shard while we wait."
"When did Kammy begin mentoring you?" Mario warily asked Ashley.
"Not long after I went with you on your little adventure," she replied. "Don't worry. She's not doing it for Bowser's gain. I couldn't be bothered helping him anyway. His eldest son is insufferable."
"Do we want to know?" Daisy asked.
"No," Ashley replied.
"Guess it's off to the sea again then," Daisy said, looking at the others.
"Let's-a go. Ashley, contact us when you've-a found something that might help us with Rosalina," Mario said.
"Mmm hmm," she replied, not even looking their way. They all exchanged glances and left.
SMB
It was a few hours before Jonathan's ship finally drew up to the docks. It wasn't exactly in the best shape. "Aye, the Kremlings put up a fight they did," Jonathan, clearly tired said.
"Jonathan, if you don't-a think you can do a trip to Keelhaul Key right now, we can wait," Mario said in concern. "You can rest and repair the ship."
"There's no time for rest, Mario. Not in this race," Jonathan solemnly said, shaking his head. "Get on board. We head out immediately." Worriedly, the group boarded.
"It might be too dangerous. We were attacked by a Bloopken and pirates with Syrup," Mario said.
"Then sure as the wind blows you're catching the sort of attention you don't want," Jonathan said. "Rest assured they won't be your last trials. It's best we be ready for anything."
"I don't-a want to put you in more danger than you have to be in," Mario said.
"If it comes down to me or the world, Mario, who will you pick? Who would anyone pick?" Jonathan asked. Mario shifted uncomfortably. Jonathan nodded at him, patted his shoulder once, then walked away to go to the helm. He began barking orders to his crew to set sail. Mario bowed his head.
"It won't come to that, Mario," Mona said in concern.
"I hope you're-a right," Mario replied.
SMB
Jonathan's ship sailed fast and nimble across the sea, beelining for Keelhaul Key. It was gravely silent all around. This ship had no cabins. It was built purely for speed with mild defense on the side, so it seemed that for this stretch of the journey, the pirates were relying on pace over power. Outrun the enemy rather than outgun them.
"I'm worried about Rosalina. She can't have much time left. What if we're too late to save her?" Mona asked Wario, watching out over the bow.
"Easy come easy go," Wario replied flatly. Mona frowned at him. "What? If we're-a too late, we're-a too late. There's-a nothing we can do."
"I hate that you're right," Mona said, looking ahead again worriedly. Wario glanced at her, then sighed. "Professor Crygor or Luigi's pal E. Gadd might have a teleportation device you can use to get back if you want to," he said. Mona was quiet. "We're-a gonna fix this," Wario grumbled, glancing away from her again.
Mona smiled a bit. "I believe you," she said.
"Good, 'cause I don't," Wario flatly replied. She winced a bit at that, but she probably should have seen it coming.
Suddenly a blast echoed nearby and the ship was shaken violently at a powerful impact! Mona screamed, catching the railing before falling. So did Wario. They gasped, looking quickly over with eyes wide. A black ship was sailing out of hiding, and their eyes widened in alarm. "The Smithy Gang!" Mona cried, eyes wide.
Wario cursed. "They've-a been waiting for us. They must know we know where a piece of the jewel is. Come on!" He raced from the bow, aiming to join his cousins and Jonathan Jones in the middle of the ship. The crew was scrambling to recover, shouting in alarm.
"Is that who I think it is?!" Waluigi demanded with eyes wide, looking at the dark ship closing in on them more rapidly than it had any right to.
"It can't-a be anyone else. It's-a moving faster than any ship naturally could!" Mario exclaimed in alarm.
"Then there's-a no outrunning it?!" Luigi demanded in fear.
"There's not out-fighting it either if they have even a single shard in their hands. You saw what they did to Rosalina!" Daisy exclaimed, looking at the others in alarm. The ship was struck again, a canon ball hitting the deck between them. They shouted in pain as they were scattered and sent flying. Luigi and Waluigi hit the railing of the ship and shouted in terror as it gave in, sending them plummeting toward the ocean!
Mario and Daisy slid back against the opposite railing and staggered up. They looked over at the ship gaping. Wario and Mona hit the cabin and shook their heads. They looked up and gasped. Water was spewing from the hole in the deck. Wario shouted in alarm and raced down below deck before throwing his bulk over the hole in the bottom as a makeshift plug. Mona raced after him and started, jaw-dropping. "I'm-a out of the fight until they plug this some other way. Don't-a let the Smithy freaks win," Wario bitterly said, firmly planting himself in place with a disgusted scowl.
"I'll let the others know," Mona agreed, darting back up to the deck. She looked over at Mario and Daisy. "Guys, Wario's acting as a plug for the hole in the ship! We're down his power!"
"We can't-a afford to be down his power, Mona!" Mario exclaimed in alarm.
"We can't afford to drown either!" Mona replied.
"Wait. Where are Luigi and Waluigi?!" Daisy asked in alarm, looking around. Mario and Mona gasped, turning quickly around to search.
"Luigi? Luigi!" Mario shouted in fear. He began to run, searching for his brother.
"Mario, back here!" Jonathan shouted from the poop deck. Mario looked over and raced towards his friend. He jumped nimbly up the steps and ran to Jonathan's side, looking over the edge. He gasped. Luigi and Waluigi were hanging off the back of the ship by Waluigi's vines looking terrified. Something was forming behind them, the water starting to swirl, and it wasn't long before the boat began to move backward. Mario's lips slowly parted in horror as the whirlpool grew larger and larger, soon catching the Smithy Gang's ship as well. He heard outraged shouts from the enemy vessel echo across the whirlpool as they began to dance around one another. Not far from the whirlpool, something rose in the water. A six-headed beast that seemed to be dwelling in perfect harmony with the whirlpool. Viciously it roared, lifting its heads to the sky.
"The pool has teeth!" Waluigi freaked, pointing at the whirlpool.
"Scylla and Charybdis, Scylla and Charybdis, Scylla and Charybdis!" Luigi kept chanting in terror, voice panicked.
"Will you shut up?!" Waluigi exclaimed. Suddenly the six-headed monster, Scylla, surged forth and snapped at them as the ship was pulled passed its location. Waluigi cried out, lifting his legs out of reach as the pool kept pulling them away. The Smithy Gang's ship soon passed close and wasn't so lucky. The beast rammed one of its heads into it and the entire vessel shook, ropes beginning to snap and planks cracking. "I hate this game!" Waluigi said.
"Waluigi, Luigi, hold on! We'll-a figure this out!" Mario said in alarm.
"Somehow I seriously doubt it!" Waluigi shouted back. Mario hated to admit it, but his cousin might be right this time. As they passed the Mushroom Kingdom's equivalent of Scylla, it snapped at the two again. They screamed.
"Swing you sorry son of a goomba!" Luigi desperately blurted. He and Waluigi began trying to swing with Waluigi's vines.
"Just get them to lift you up!" Mario insisted.
"I can't-a focus!" Waluigi wailed, clinging to the vine. He gasped, noticing it starting to fray. "Luigi?" he said nervously.
Luigi looked up and gasped, then cried out in terror. "We're-a gonna die!" he wailed.
"So, you wanna be torn apart by Scylla or shredded by Charybdis?" Waluigi dryly asked.
"Either way it's-a gonna be terrifying and painful!" Luigi replied. "Cuz, you've-a gotta focus! Think of Rosalina! We need to live to save her! And you! And the world! Waluigi, raise the vine, please! Get a grip!"
"Where do you get off telling me to get a grip?!" Waluigi snapped.
"Waweegie!" Luigi begged. He yelped as the vine gave a bit. Then they passed by Scylla, and nothing was saving them this round. They cried out in terror as the beast bit the vine, snapping it and sending them plummeting toward the sea.
"Weegie, Waweegie!" Mario cried, reaching fruitlessly after them. They splashed down into the pool and immediately disappeared under the water. Suddenly Jonathan dove over the edge. Mario gasped. "Jon!" he exclaimed. Jonathan dove down into the sea and immediately took on his natural Adaro form. He began to swim toward the two drowning cousins. They stared up at him in wide-eyed terror as they were dragged towards the gaping mouth of what appeared to be a massive, massive Cheepcheep. Jonathan gritted his teeth and seized them both before swimming with the whirlpool and slowly managing to break free of the suction. Desperately he dodged Scylla's snapping heads and got under the ship of the Generals so that the beast would be focused on them, not him, Luigi, and Waluigi. He broke out of the pool and breached the surface with the two cousins, who coughed and gasped for air and looked back with gasps at the ship going down.
"Mario, Wario, Daisy, Mona!" Luigi cried, reaching out to it. Suddenly Jonathan's crew began to dive overboard as well. They saw the pirates seize Mario, Daisy, and Mona and hit the water. They gaped as Jonathan's men took on Adaro forms as well and began mimicking what he had done.
"Where's-a Wario?!" Waluigi demanded in alarm. Jonathan let them both go, now that they were free of the whirlpool's suction, and dove right back in. The others were brought to Waluigi and Luigi. Mario hugged his brother right. Daisy practically threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him square on the lips. He made a muffled sound and went beet red. Waluigi and Mona continued to gape in horror as Jonathan's ship was sucked into the mouth of the beast.
"No," Mona breathed. "No, Wario!" She tried to swim towards it again, but Waluigi held her back quickly. Suddenly Jonathan broke the surface with Wario, who was hacking his lungs out. "Wario!" Mona exclaimed, swimming to him and throwing her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest.
"Clingy employee," Wario bit. Nonetheless, he wrapped an arm around her. Waluigi was visibly relieved. Jonathan looked back, then turned to them again. "Keelhaul Key, all of ye!" he ordered his men. Each one took a human in hand and obeyed their leader's orders, quickly swimming away from Scylla and Charybdis as the Smithy Gang at last put to use the power of the shard to try and save themselves. By the time they were free, though, their targets would be long gone. At least that was the plan.
SMB
They reached Keelhaul Key in the dead of night utterly exhausted and borderline hypothermic. The Adaro had done what they could to try and keep them well on the long swim, but it clearly hadn't been enough. "Wh-wh-why didn't we take the Odyssey?" Daisy asked, teeth chattering.
"Because it's-a a lot easier for the powers that be to zap an airship out of the air than it is for them to sink a ship without it being obvious they're-a interfering," Waluigi replied. "More likely to kill the person they wanna kill too."
"They're-a not that petty, cuz," Luigi said, wringing out his hat.
"Luigi, look at the position we're-a in and tell me that with a straight face," Waluigi bluntly replied, frowning at his relative.
"We got where we wanted to be! And lost the Smithy Gang too!" Luigi argued.
"Great. So Scylla and Charybdis weren't-a meant to kill us like the Bloopen and the pirates were. Reassuring," Waluigi sarcastically replied.
"Be at least a little grateful why don't-a you?!" Luigi demanded, narrowing his eyes. "You really wanna tick off the deities more than you already have."
"Oh, this is not on me!" Waluigi shouted, turning on him sharply and storming towards him before stopping just short of him.
"Guys, enough!" Daisy sharply said. "We're where we need to be. That's what matters. Now all we need to do is get to Pirate Cove and Cortez."
"Then what, Daisy?! Hitch a ride with the Adaro all the way back to Diamond City? We'd-a die of exposure before we got halfway, or get screwed over by the Smithy Gang again!" Waluigi barked.
"Cortez has a ship," Mario said, panting. "If the Smithy Gang wants to play with the powers that be, we will too. If I can convince Cortez to take us, we'll-a have a legendary ship all our own to face them with. A ghost ship! It would basically be indestructible." Waluigi, Daisy, and Luigi went quiet, sulking.
Mario sighed and turned to Jonathan. "Grazie, Jon. I owe you everything for this," he said.
"Twere me pleasure, Mario," Jonathan replied, smiling a bit.
Mario nodded and turned to the others. "Now let's-a get to Cortez." Though the others grumbled about it, they fell into line. Time was of the essence, after all.
SMB
They wandered in the dark, cold and miserable. Mona was lagging behind, arms wrapped tight around her body. Eventually, she shuddered and stopped, clenching her teeth and closing her eyes tight. Softly she whimpered. Wario, hearing this, paused and looked warily back. An uncomfortable feeling he really, really didn't like churned inside him and he walked back. "What's-a the matter?" he asked.
"I-I don't feel well," she said. "My head. It hurts so much. My whole body does."
Wario felt that uncomfortable churning again when he realized she'd never even fully healed from her last injury. Now she'd been in at two more fights on top of the long trip by Adaro. There was no way her body could take this level of punishment. She was nowhere near used to it. He didn't think, just moved to her and picked her up in his arms. The fact she didn't squeal in delight and instead only rested her head against his chest had him freaking out in ways he hadn't figured he was able to. He looked towards the others. "Mona needs to go back!" he called.
They paused, looking helplessly over. "How?" Mario asked, for the first time in a long time sounding completely lost as to what to do.
Wario was quiet as he realized the grim reality. She couldn't go back. They had no way of getting her back. She was stuck with them. He looked down at her. "You should have stayed with Ashley," he murmured to her.
"I'm sorry," she replied.
"Maybe Cortez can help her. Somehow," Luigi said. He doubted it, but there was hope or despair, and they really, really couldn't afford any more despair right now. "It's-a all we can do, cuz. We can't go back so we have to go forward."
"Whatever. Let's-a just move it," Wario said. They nodded and continued.
SMB
It was one-thirty in the morning by the time they entered Cortez's cave. They made their way down into the bowels almost dead on their feet. The Adaro one by one left them, diving into various tidal pools to bed down for the night. Jonathan stuck by them for as long as he could before slipping into the pool just outside Cortez's chambers. The humans kept soldiering on and entered. Cortez lifted his head warily, eyes narrowed, and recognized them. He started, lifting himself up. "Mario," he said in a measure of concern.
"Don't-a ask," Mario said. "We need the shard, we need a ship, we need something that can heal someone, and we need to sleep."
"I will give you silks for bedding and all else you request that is in my power to give. The shard and healing items, though... I am not sure I have any of the latter, and it would take a very, very convincing argument for me to hand you the shard," he said.
"The Smithy Gang has one already they can follow to other pieces. They're-a not going to stop. We have to beat them to them, Cortez. We have to stop them. This is our only chance. If they come here to face you with even a fraction of the power of a deity, there's-a gonna be nothing you can do to stop them," Mario said.
Cortez watched them silently. "I would keep it with me, but I will accompany you on my ship and for the duration of your adventure as long as I can," he said. "It seems you will need all the help you can get. What of the goddess?"
"Turned mortal or semi-mortal by the power of the stupid shard and dying up in her Observatory!" Waluigi blurted in despair, pointing up. "Then I'm-a following shortly after!"
Cortez nodded. "Rest. All of you. We will discuss matters further in the morning."
"Grazie, Cortez," Mario exhaustedly said. Cortez gathered bolts of silk with his tail and gave them over. The group made their beds on the ground and passed out the second their heads were down.
SMB
They didn't awaken until noon the next day. When they finally did, they were still groggy. Not all of them had woken up, actually. Mona was pale, shivering, and unconscious, lips tinged blue. Wario gazed down at her holding his head in his hands not knowing what to do. Mario sighed and approached, wrapping Mona in all the silk he could. "Just let her sleep. She'll-a be fine," he said to Wario. Wario didn't move. Just kept watching her.
"I sense the Smithy Gang. They are near," Cortez said.
"Then they're-a honing in on the shard," Mario said. "We have to go as soon as possible. Can you bring Jonathan Jones and the Adaro on your ship too?"
"The additional crew will be most welcome, Senor," Cortez replied. He looked to Mona. "The girl will not last if we set immediately to hunting treasure. She needs someplace safe, dry, and warm."
"The Observatory would be her best bet," Daisy said. "Peach is up there. She trained as a nurse for a while. Mario talked her into giving it a shot and she ended up really liking it."
"We need a way to teleport her then, and Diamond City is further away than the Mushroom Kingdom from here," Mario said.
"E. Gadd might have something," Luigi said.
"We can't-a afford to waste more time," Waluigi argued.
Mario pulled out the map of possible locations they'd gotten from the Kremlings, skimming it. "There might be a shard not far from the Mushroom Kingdom," he said. Cortez slithered towards them, gold doubloons falling from his skeletal form, and peered at the map over Mario's shoulder. He looked back and plunged the tip of his tail deep into his hoard before pulling something out. They all gasped in awe when he brought the object he sought out.
"My stars..." Daisy said in wonder. "It-it's the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. I can feel the darkness from here." Cortez moved the gem over the map and a few separate locations lit up. The one in the Mushroom Kingdom wasn't among them. Mario's heart sank.
"There are shards you can get to through the Mushroom Kingdom," Cortez reassured. "There will be time to leave your friend with this Professor that was mentioned."
Mario nodded. Cortez tucked the shard under his hat. "We must leave this place."
"Then let's-a go," Mario said.
SMB
She Smithy Gang in their black ship looked stunned when they saw the ghost one burst forth from the depths of Pirate Cove, soaring over the water with the skeletal captain at the bow and his crew of skeletons and Adaro at work. They opened fire without hesitation, but no damage the ship sustained phased it. It was already dead. Swift as well. Swifter than the black ship. The Smithy Gang couldn't channel enough power to keep up, and quickly Cortez left the gang behind, cutting across the sea for the mainland. All in all, it was an intimidating sight.
The ship made good time, arriving at the Mushroom Kingdom in only hours. Cortez didn't pull into a port. Instead, he anchored off the shore close to where he had been told E. Gadd resided. The Adaro brought the heroes to the land and placed them on the sand before returning to Cortez's ship. The group waved to Cortez and the others. Soon enough they would return. They just had to make sure Mona would be okay.
It wasn't long before E. Gadd's shack, or workshop, came into view. E. Gadd was sitting outside of it sipping tea. "Professor!" Luigi called, jogging ahead and hailing him.
Gadd looked up curiously. On seeing the young man, his face brightened. "Luigi! My young apprentice, there you are."
"It's-a been a while, Professor," Luigi said, stopping in front of the man with a smile.
"I know. I've been waiting for you to show up. Strange happenings you know. Interesting readings from the foothills in the next kingdom over," he said.
Luigi's smile fell. "It's-a probably what we've-a been searching for," he said.
"Which is...?" Gadd fished. Luigi hesitated, not sure how much he should share, but he trusted this man with everything he was at this point. "A shard of the Black Jewel," he quietly confessed, folding his hands behind his back sheepishly and not meeting his mentor's eyes.
E. Gadd was quiet for a beat. "Th-the Black Jewel? As in the mythical Black Jewel?" he asked.
"Si," Luigi said. "Wario shattered it a long time ago and the shards were spread out. Now we're-a in a race to keep them out of the hands of some really, really bad guys, so it's-a been a time."
"You shouldn't play with forces beyond your understanding," E. Gadd seriously warned. Luigi gave him a dubious look. "Don't give me that look. Ghosts are not beyond your understanding. Not like this is," E. Gadd said.
"Well too bad. It's-a happening," Waluigi said, catching up. He was followed shortly after by the others.
Luigi winced a bit, looking back at them, then turned to the professor awkwardly. "Um, P-Professor, meet Waluigi and his brother Wario," Luigi said.
"Ah yes, you've told me about your cousins," Gadd said.
"He has?" Waluigi incredulously asked.
"Oh, all the time," Gadd said. "I'm one of the only ones he's ever even mentioned you to."
"I don't-a know whether we should be flattered or not," Wario flatly said, looking suspiciously at his little cousin. Luigi grinned nervously.
"I know all about you. Your relationship with one another, your talents... He's spoken of Mona, Rosalina, and Daisy too. I knew of Mona through Crygor though. Only in passing of course. I know of Daisy too, through Peach." Gadd smiled at Daisy. "Luigi speaks very, very highly of you my dear."
"Professor!" Luigi exclaimed. Daisy blushed and beamed at her beau.
"Oh come now Luigi, there's nothing wrong with it," the Professor said. "He seems to like Mona well enough, and Rosalina he speaks very respectfully and fondly of. He's informed me she's in quite a predicament." The old man saw Waluigi trying to look at anything but him and raised an eyebrow, but ultimately let it go. He focused on the others once more and put on a smile. "He always speaks excitedly and affectionately of Mario and the adventures they go on together. As for you two, Wario and Waluigi… Well, he likes the former far more than he does the latter. He even speaks of Wario with some warmth. He, it seems, is a constant in his life. Predictable and in a twisted sort of way reliable."
"Predictable? Constant?" Wario demanded.
"He hardly means it as an insult, my boy. It's just that he always knows where you're going to be and what you're going to be up to. He knows that's never going to change, and he's relieved for it," E. Gadd said. He looked to Waluigi and frowned a bit. "He has quite a lot to say about you."
"Yeah? Well I've-a got a lot to say about him too," Waluigi grumbled. Luigi was bright red at this point, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
"Dropping the subject," Mario quickly intervened, "We've-a come to you, Professor, to ask you if you have a teleportation device handy. Mona is hurt and sick. She needs to be sent somewhere safe where she can be taken care of."
"And I'm going with her," Daisy said.
"Huh?" Luigi said, turning to her in shock.
"Peach is gonna need help with two wounded people under her care," Daisy said. "Believe me, I'd love to stick with you guys, but I'll be of more use up there than I'll be to you while you're treasure-hunting for shards of the Black Jewel. Don't worry. If you need help, I'll be down in a flash. Promise."
"I'll have a teleportation machine up and running in a few minutes," Gadd assured as he hustled away to dig through his shack. They waited for the sounds of crashing and moving to stop, then waited a bit more for him to reappear. "Here we go," Gadd said, handing a device over to them.
"Could you have made more noise?" Waluigi wryly asked.
"Never mind him, Professor. He's got his problems," Daisy said, looking coldly at Waluigi. Waluigi sneered at her.
"It's quite all right my dear, quite all right," Gadd replied. "Let's get started, shall we?"
SMB
In only a few moments, with Mona and Wario's help, the teleportation device had been adjusted and repaired. Now it sat active on the ground. "Do we have to wait for it to fully charge up?" Mona asked weakly.
"Yes, but it will only take a few minutes. Enough time for you all to say goodbye to each other," E. Gadd confirmed.
"Yeah. Goodbye," Luigi said in a quiet tone, head bowed.
Daisy gave him a curious and worried look. There was just something in his tone that put her on guard and gave her a sense something was off. Like, worse off than it already was. "Sweetie, is something bothering you?" she apprehensively asked. He looked her right in the eyes but said nothing. She felt suddenly small beneath his steady glare. This wasn't what Luigi usually did. Usually, he just blushed and looked away. Why was he acting like this? Why was it unnerving her? "Well?" she pressed.
"No. Nothing," he replied.
She detected a lie in his words and decided to try for reassurance. "Whatever you saw, whatever you're afraid of, it won't happen," she said. "Not if you four can help it. I know you."
"I hope you're-a right," he said. "But if we have to face the Smithy Gang powered by the shards of the Black Jewel... I'm-a afraid of what's-a gonna happen.
"Nothing. You'll find a way out of it," Daisy said.
"I'm-a not sure we will this time," he said. She shifted a bit. He turned to her, hesitated briefly, then suddenly embraced her, catching her off guard. After a moment, she returned the hug. "Arrivadarcci, Daisy," he said gently. She felt suddenly nervous and didn't know why. Everything would be alright! It always was! It had to be...
SMB
"When you get back to the observatory, get Princess Peach to make sure you're-a okay. I can't-a have my employees hurt," Wario said gruffly to Mona.
She grinned at him tiredly. "Okay boss," she said.
"Good, because if I don't-a come back, you're-a in charge of Wario Ware," he said.
Her grin instantly vanished and she paled a bit. "If-if you don't come back? Err, Boss, you're gonna come back. You always do. You always will," she said, suddenly feeling incredibly uneasy about leaving him.
"No, I always have come back. Saying I always will come back is stupid," Wario replied in an unintentionally insightful moment, though he seemed oblivious to his insightfulness.
Mona stiffened, eyes bulging in disbelief. This was Wario! This was the man who always boasted he was the best. Boasted that nothing could ever beat him. Boasted that nothing would be too much for him. He always came back and carried himself like he always would. Why, then, was he suddenly implying in so many words that he'd always expected that sooner or later he wouldn't return from an adventure? Had he always thought that? As she watched him, she realized with a chill that very, very likely he had.
"W-Wario…" Mona began. She trailed off, then suddenly burst into tears.
Mona's outburst rattled Wario. His eyes went from impersonal to concerned in a moment. What had he said? What was wrong with her? Hadn't she known that one day he wouldn't come back? Didn't everyone know? Maybe he should talk to Waluigi about it. "Mona?" he asked reaching tentatively towards her shoulder. He was shocked when she launched herself into his arms.
"You're going to come back! You'll always come back! Tell me you'll come back!" she demanded.
He held her back in disbelief. He could only blink and hold the sobbing girl. "I-I'll-a come back," he replied in shock.
SMB
Waluigi watched the sorry scene in disgust, eyes bitter and hard. He was grumbling to himself in Italian, and Mario, next to him, didn't care to listen hard enough to catch what he was saying. He did, though, look concernedly over at him. Waluigi stopped grumbling, watching the goodbyes coldly, then suddenly turned and stormed towards the woods. Mario, startled, watched after him. He looked back at Wario and Luigi and figured they'd be fine, but something was bothering his little cousin and he didn't want Waluigi to be alone. Not with everything going on right now. He began to follow his relative into the woods.
Waluigi walked silently through the forest. For no particular reason, he stopped and looked up at the sky. He leaned back against a tree, then sank down against it with a deep sigh. "We'll find a way to help her Waluigi," he heard someone say. Mario, he realized immediately.
"I don't think we can," he replied.
"Maye a one-up mushroom," Mario said.
"Probably only temporary at this point," Waluigi replied. "She's mortally wounded, Mario. She's only lived as long as she had because of the magic on the Observatory."
"You're being pessimistic. There's a way we all walk out of this alive," Mario said, placing a hand on his little cousin's shoulder.
Waluigi shook his head and groaned. "How did this even happen?" he asked.
"It doesn't matter how it happened. As long as we fix it," Mario replied.
"I'm a jinx," Waluigi flatly said.
"Waweegie, this wasn't your fault," Mario said.
"Oh no? I get screwed over and suddenly Rosalina's mortally wounded and we're facing down the heart of an Eldrich god," Waluigi flatly said.
"It's not the only Eldrich abomination I've faced," Mario replied flatly.
"You don't think I'm bad luck?" Waluigi quietly asked, sounding almost vulnerable. "Pretty sure Wario and Luigi do. Why else wouldn't Wario bring me with him on adventures?"
Mario moved around him and knelt in front of his cousin. "Together, we're unstoppable. The four of us, Waluigi, not three. You complete us and we wouldn't even have gotten as far as we did during the Shattered Memories incident, or this one for that matter, without you," Mario said. "Look, I know me and you don't always get along, but we're family. Blood is thicker than water and well, you can love someone but not like them. I love you, little cousin. Even if I don't always like you, and I'm gonna be right here with you until the end, okay?"
Waluigi was stunned by the words and even a bit touched by the confession, but quickly recovered himself. "If blood is thicker than water, why don't you love Wario?" he flatly asked.
"Wario's a special case," Mario dryly replied. "Him I hate flat out, family or not. There's no love lost between us at all."
Waluigi smirked a bit. "Sure, cuz. Sure," he said. The smirk slowly fell and he looked up at the sky again. "I-I want her to live. I need her to live."
Mario nodded. "I know," he solemnly replied. "She will."
"Somehow I doubt it," Waluigi said, wrapping his arms around his knees and looking away from his cousin. He grimaced and rubbed his shoulder. With an annoyed sigh, he pulled out his pill bottle and took two of the glycerin pills, swallowing them dry. Mario grimaced. It was beyond him how his cousin managed to do that without gagging or choking. "I'm gonna die, aren't I?" Waluigi asked.
"No," Mario immediately replied. "Not if we can help it."
He stood up and offered a hand to his relative. Waluigi eyed it suspiciously but soon took it. Mario pulled him to his feet. "Let's get back to the others. We'll push on tomorrow. The more shards we can keep away from the Smithy Gang, the better." Waluigi nodded and followed Mario back to E. Gadd's shack.
SMB
Wario, Luigi, and E. Gadd watched solemnly as Mona and Daisy disappeared through the teleporter and it closed up behind them. It sputtered and died. "Humph, finicky thing, isn't it?" E. Gadd said. "I'll work on it tomorrow." He turned to them and smiled. "I'll go set up some rooms for you four. You can't very well travel through the forest to the mountains in the dead of night my boys." With that, the old man shuffled off. Luigi smiled after him, then looked around. He frowned in some confusion. "Hey, where's Waluigi and Mario?" he asked Wario.
Wario started and searched curiously, but then shrugged it off. "Eh, who cares? They'll be back," he said.
"Maybe we should go look for them?" Luigi asked more than stated, fixing his big cousin with wide, worried eyes. Luigi was as pathetic as Waluigi, Wario figured. Neither were leaders, always following their brothers around, but then again, Wario didn't really mind that Waluigi tagged along.
"They're fine," Wario said, brushing it off. He glanced over at Luigi and considered something for a moment. "Hey Lulu..." he began.
"Wario," Luigi whined at him, looking dismayed at the childhood nickname.
"Suck it up," Wario bit. "You know one day I'm not gonna come back from an adventure, right? 'Cause Mona didn't figure it."
There was a beat. "But-but you always boast you'll come back from everything," Luigi quietly said. "That nothing will beat you, that you'll always come home. Everyone's just always assumed you would."
Wario stared at him in disbelief. Luigi was visibly distressed, and that puzzled him to no end. "A one in a billion chance is still a chance," Wario replied in an increasingly frequent insightful moment. "I'm just waiting for the day my number's up. Why are you so bugged by it?" he finally asked.
"If you might not always come back, that means Mario might not either. It means even though you know that's a risk, you still don't take Waluigi along, which means maybe Mario is doing the same. It means you're both keeping us out of your adventures despite knowing we could up your chances because what? Reasons? Adrenaline? Glory?" Luigi asked, increasingly upset.
Wario was quiet, staring at him as he mulled this question over. "Torch has to be passed to someone," he finally said with a shrug. Luigi looked like he'd just been struck in the gut, and for just a second Wario regretted opening his mouth.
"W-Wario…" Luigi began, but couldn't say anything more. He was still recovering from the shock of what he'd just heard.
After a moment of silence, in which Wario waited for Luigi to digest his sudden admission, he finally asked, "What did E. Gadd mean when he told us you said I was constant, predictable, and reliable, and you were relieved about it?"
Luigi started and flushed in embarrassment. Quickly he looked away. "Nothing," he replied vaguely.
"Talk or I pile drive you into the ground," Wario threatened in a growl.
Luigi winced and turned helplessly to him again. "It-it means you'll always be you, no matter what happens. It means I'll always know where to find you. It means that-that even if something really, really, really bad happens and Mario and Waluigi just-just suddenly aren't there anymore, you'll still be. Won't you? And-and I would find you because-because you're Wario. You're constant. You'll always love treasure, you'll always live in your castle, you'll always return there... You'll still be."
"Of course I'll be! If I'm not dead too," Wario flatly replied.
"Exactly! If one day the Mushroom Kingdom or Diamond City are suddenly plunged into war and darkness, or if the four of us are ever separated because of some dark force, then cuz, I-I'd give anything to find you... If me and Mario found one another again, you and Waluigi would be the first ones we searched for whether we hate you or not because finding you would mean returning to some degree of normalcy! It would mean hope. It would mean that maybe there's still a chance because-because together we can beat anything!" Luigi said. "It's hard to explain what I mean, and I hope we never have to find out, but blood is thicker than water, and I-I love you, Wario, even though I don't like you very much if that makes sense."
Wario stared at his little cousin in shock. After a long moment, he said, "Let's just hope things never get that dark then."
"They're pretty dark now," Luigi glumly said.
"Only if Waluigi's dream comes true, and we all know that's not gonna happen, right?" Wario replied menacingly, challenging Luigi. He was shocked, though, when Luigi suddenly hugged him with a smile on his face. Wario stood still, totally stunned. After a moment, he awkwardly patted his cousin's back and pushed him back. "Get off me, Lulu," he said, sounding bemused. "I see Mario and Waluigi coming back."
Luigi turned around. Sure enough, Waluigi and Mario were approaching. Soon the four of them were back together. "Are we staying here for the night?" Mario asked.
"Si," Luigi said, nodding.
"Good. I need a rest after the Scylla Charybdis incident and everything else," Waluigi grumbled. Luigi shuddered, silently agreeing. Tomorrow they would make it to a shard, then hopefully more after. From there... He didn't even want to think about it right now.