As the world equalized, Mario found himself in a room with two sofas, music playing and sunlight glowing. Mario looked at the phonograph, it was resting atop a small cupboard. Nothing seemed broken, Bowser's Castle seemed to be in... tip top condition. Was he back, back to his own time? Mario turned around, the balcony where the older Daisy was standing was restored. No snow. No fire in the distance. No death and no destruction. He turned around, the floor was nicely carpeted, the lights were illuminating and welcoming. "I'm back," grinned Mario and he walked down the steps, almost wanting to just sit back and enjoy the serenity that masked the perversion of Bowser's Castle. He didn't have time to do that or think about alternate timelines or merging universes at the moment, though. His only priority was to rescue Luvbi, even if she was a temporal paradox that should never have been born.
He doubted Bowser's Castle really changed its design that much, the operating theatre would be not far. Mario began to run, he had to rush for it. He had to rescue her. Change the future and preserve his own past. Then he heard Luvbi's screams, the same ones he heard from the portal in the future... the same ones from when they were operating on her. "Luvbi!" yelled Mario and he kicked the double doors in front of him down with such force that they shattered in two when they hit the ground.
Doopliss and Dr. Crygor were in the oval operating room with her but must have been behind soundproof glass for neither noticed the plumber. "You two, upstairs!" Doopliss ordered two orderlies. "If she gets ornery, shock her!" They were torturing her to prep her for their operation. "She opens one portal and there will be no regrets!"
"Bowser!" roared Mario with such force that he could have sworn his voice phased through to Luvbi. Yet she kept screaming while the shaken Dooplis turned around and gave a demented smile. "What are you doing to her? Let her be!"
"Mario!" came the surprised response through the PA system of the castle, Bowser's voice ringing clear past all the static. Heading down the stairs, the plumber headed off to the side and followed the machines' wires into a side room that let him up to an observation deck. "What's the expression, a day late and a dollar short?" Taking one glance at Luvbi, Mario saw her thrashing around. There was still time. Two orderlies lay in wait, they were downed by his fire.
"Can't we give her something to quiet her down?" asked Dr. Crygor.
"No, Bowser says half the procedure is pain," denied Doopliss.
"When the body cries out, the spirit listens," agreed Crygor.
"Do you hear that screaming, Mario?" taunted Bowser. "You led her to temptation and that is the sound of your interference!"
Continuing to follow the wires, Mario fought and took down more orderlies. When it seemed like they were going to overwhelm him, he picked up a wrench from the side of a machine and heated it up in his hand, dropping it to the ground in such force that a blaze of fire spiralled but around him. Only he didn't feel the heat. Then there he found it, the generator. A single quivering scientist was at one. Throwing the man away, Mario pulled the lever's generator. The lights in the theatre flashed a sickly yellow.
"She is not your weapon!" Mario roared. "You'll destroy the timeline if you do this!"
"He's shut down one of the generators," panicked Crygor.
"Maybe not today," agreed Bowser, ignoring Mario's warning. "Trust me when I tell you, she will be!"
"We did not count on him shutting down a generator!" cried Doopliss.
Mario was already following the second set of wires, more and more orderlies tried to stop him. Without powers like his, though, they were nothing but cannon fodder designed to slow him down. There was no way that they were stopping him. Mario quickly turned off the other generator and prayed that he had made the right choice. With tears in his eyes, he looked through the window at the operating theatre.
"He's shut down the other generator," whimpered Crygor.
"Oh, no, not again," sighed Doopliss and he turned to the window, looking at Mario with an eternal hate.
Mario instead looked at Luvbi, she had gotten up, but the crystal was not there, but then it was. She had summoned it. A massive portal opened up and sucked in Doopliss, Crygor and the operating equipment. Looking at the portal, Mario felt akin to it and realized he knew it. Doopliss had come back once already, so Luvbi sent him to the world in between dimensions, that world that Mario passed through the first time went from New York City to Dinohattan. Mario was certain he'd be seeing Doopliss again at some point if the timeline didn't explode, but that was a worry for a different day.
The damage to the theatre was significant, but she was safe. "Luvbi, I'll be right there!" he shouted. Heading back down to the Operating Theatre, Mario helped raise her from the operating chair. She was wearing a corset, they had removed the dress... and there was a pump attached to her spine. Grabbing it, Mario pulled it out. She gasped, convulsed for a second but then equalized. Walking over, she grabbed her dress and fitted it on over the corset. Passing her the card from the future, all Mario could say was, "I think someone wanted you to have this."
"What is it?" she asked.
"Just read it."
She read for a second and then spoke. "Your dream of New York City burning... happens," she said. "It's me... I'm the one who..."
"She gave me a way past Gloomtail," Mario told her. "We can find an airship and we can get out of here."
"Mario..."
"Paris, Luvbi, remember! You wanted to go to…"
"We're not leaving."
"Why?"
"You saw what he turns me into."
"You're going to kill him?"
"Is this where you start moralizing?"
"I'm not going to let you kill him."
"What are you going to do to stop me?"
"Not a damn thing. I'm going to do it for you."
"His zeppelin's outside. Let's go."
"When did you learn that."
"I've been here for a while."
"How long?"
"Doesn't matter."
Piling into an elevator at the far end of the room, for the first time Mario really noticed how beautiful Bowser's Castle was. Not like the nightmarish house of horrors it would become in the future, Bowser's Castle truly was a work of art. Glorious architecture, magnificent paintings and beautiful statues. It was a shame really, that it was the nesting place of such evil. Even the elevator was glorious, red walls plated with gold. Magnificent, but villainous.
"This doesn't make any sense," said Luvbi and she pointed to the card. "Everything here is a cipher that I understand, except for this symbol. It's a cage. Did she say anything about it?"
"No."
Peeking on to the rooftops, they noticed that this room was now in disarray. Wind gusting in to it, Mario and Luvbi ran out and exited and she pointed it out for him: Bowser's Flagship. A giant and mighty vessel. "Oh Mario," said Bowser, where was his voice coming from. "You struggle against prophecy, like a stone loosed from a string. How thrilling the launch, how breathtaking the apex and how dreadful the descent... as gravity drags you to the inevitable." With every word, Bowser's voice become more reptilian, more monstrous.
Scouring the rooftops, they got a view of all of Delfino Isle right there. Above they could see the beautiful homes, shops and plazas built for the Koopas and then below Twilight Town and the Creepy Steeple for the Kremlings and Toads. The land of Piantas it was indeed. "Look at all this," implored Bowser, his words now guttural and fiery. "I built all this for you to lead. What has Mario ever done for you? To him you are but a means to an end."
The flagship was flying away, but a smaller airship detached full of troopers to try and stop them. Docking next to an already stationed airship, Mario easily took them down and boarded their ship.
"Do you think we can redeem what we've done?"
"Redeem? I don't see much use in that."
"Mario... are you afraid of God?"
"No, I'm afraid of you."
For a second it was like she had no idea how to respond to that, so as they flew, they did in silence.
"There it is, fly us under the flagship and we'll make our way up to him."
"Or, we can just fly to Dinohattan. We can fix the timeline."
"Drop me off if you want to, this isn't your problem, Mario."
"No, I'm not abandoning you." Pulling the lever, he and Luvbi began their ascent to the flagship and to destiny. As they neared, Luvbi pointed out the cables all around the flagship.
"Look at Mario, child," thundered Bowser's voice. Mario knew, that even with all of Luvbi's powers… with Bowser transformed… there was no way they could win easy. "There's something about him that you just can't put your finger on. Soon you'll understand the shadow I am, the shadow Antasma was, that Princess Shroob was and the man that he is."
Walking through the hold of the airship, Mario could hear the officers above him. They needed to get to the next level fast if they wanted to avoid the fight. There were several pods on the cables, if they could clear them then they could get to the next deck. There were about ten troopers guarding the cables' panel, all armed with nasty looking weapons. He had to take them by surprise. Jumping on one and smashing him down, Mario took the next two beside him with fireballs, punched the fourth and then ducked. They were firing at him now, thankfully Luvbi opened a portal beneath him and soon he was behind them and then they were all down.
Mario pulled the lever, grabbed Luvbi and rode the cables to the next deck. "I have seen the seeds of fire that will prepare the Sodom below for the coming of Kamek," Bowser spat his fire through the PA. "It will not be I who rides up that hill. That job... falls to Secondus. His responsibility falls to you, Luvbi."
What came next felt like it was out of a video game, as he traversed the barracks, more Koopas came out. Either Mario would stomp on them or fell them with fire. "On one side of our Kumo stands the Plumber," said Bowser, his voice more of a roar than a voice. "On the other stand the remnants of the heretical Shy Squad. Which one of you men will not gladly go to his reward to see her safely to her destiny? Rejoice! Rejoice! Death has no sting!" Soon they were at the next panel and ready to clear the next set of cables. In the distance, Mario could see... Shy Guys... approaching in airships of their own. He had already decimated the police's main forces, now he would have to either get to Bowser fast or fight off the skeleton of another small army.
The cables were clearing too slowly, the Shy Guys were boarding. Most of them Mario was able to knock off while they were boarding, some of them he had to stomp when they neared though. They had already boarded the third deck; the cables were clear. Bringing Luvbi up to the third deck, Mario shot a giant fireball at their airship, downing half of the Shy Guys right there. The other half were stunned and started firing randomly, not noticing Mario drop behind them and use a gust of flame to push them off right then and there. That problem was solved but he was sure there were more Shy Guys coming.
The door to engineering was closed off with a giant metal door, Mario kicked it down. This would take them to the upper part of the third deck. Bowser started talking again. "I may be the one who strikes you down, Mario, but you've always had a knack for self destruction. Who is to say you won't beat me to the punch?" Mario looked at Luvbi, almost begging her to let him handle it alone. There it was then, the final cable, they could ride it to the top, to Bowser. As they rode through the air, Bowser continued to talk. "You come to wipe your slate clean, Plumber - but time will walk backwards before you find redemption. Some sins cannot be forgiven."
Bowser's cabin was guarded by another metal door, Mario gently opened it this time. They entered a medium sized circular door, in the middle was the statue and underneath it a glowing multicoloured stone. Like the siphon back at Dinohattan...
"This is the Statue of Kamek," Luvbi identified the statue. "Underneath it... Shine Sprites?"
"I saw this there," Mario said. "Whenever you did something, I think the machine generated a response."
"Yes, I'll be right with you," came Bowser's reptilian voice through the intercom, interrupting them with a mild fright. The door behind the statue hissed as it depressurized, Luvbi walked ahead to it.
"Stand back, I'm ending this," Mario told her.
"Mario, no, this is between me and him."
"You are walking into a trap."
The door opened, and she walked in.
"I need to do this."
Inside was a small wooden path to a fountain, on the sides a garden and above them a mural of... family. Behind the fountain stood King Morton Koopa, very much human in form. For how long though? How long before he became a rampaging fire-breathing monster again?
"Come here child," beckoned Bowser, extending his hand to bring her closer to him. "Well come on, I won't bite." Mario cautiously walked behind Luvbi, ready to blast a fireball at any given moment. "My oh my, how long it has been."
"Tell me, the truth this time, what am I?" she asked, dredging up memories from the conversation so long ago. He grabbed her hand and brought into the water of the fountain.
"The Princess of the Koopahari. Look at you child, you're a mess," said Bowser. What was with this, holier than though attitude of his? What farce was he playing at? He began to wash Luvbi's hand of the blood stains below her fingers.
"Hey!" warned Mario "Let go of her!"
"Like I said back then, Daisy… Luvbi, everything I've done...," explained Bowser, "I've done to keep you safe."
"Safe from what?"
"The return of the king will sit down the throne and return the glory of the old world, drown in flames the glory of the human," recited Bowser. It was his favorite mantra. Mario felt like he'd heard it a million times too many since he'd gotten here. Mario stared at his silver haired rival with nothing but hatred. "But Kamek revealed to me something else: 'Beware the Plumber, Mario Segale, for he shall be a wall between her and destiny… for it was he who wronged Peach all those years ago'." What the hell? How did this monster know anything about Peach!
"Why?" asked Luvbi, but Bowser's attention was on him now. His red eyes were focused on him, as if he was everything and Bowser was nothing.
"Mario, I'm a fool," chuckled Bowser at his own admission. "I've sent mighty armies to stop you! I've rained fire on you from above! I did all of that to keep you from her when all I needed to do was tell her the truth." He pointed to Luvbi's head. "Ask him, child," said Bowser as he grabbed Luvbi's arm, his own hand turning scaly. "Ask him what happened to Peach! Ask Mario!" Bowser's eyes flared yellow and his hair started to redden.
"Let go of me," said Luvbi and she started to struggle.
"Ask the Plumber!"
In a snap, Mario grabbed Bowser by the neck and yelled at him. "She was my life you son of a bitch!" cried Mario. "And I abandoned her!" He smashed Bowser's neck on the fountain to a magnificent crack. He saw the transformation going more quickly, turning the arms King Koopa as they began to bulge out of his clothes. "You want me to tell, if it was worth it? Huh?" Mario smashed Bowser's head on the fountain. "Did I get what you wanted?" He smashed it again. "I'll tell you!" Again. "I'll tell you!" Again. He offered Bowser a brief reprieve to die on his own terms.
"It… is… told," choked Bowser.
"Nothing is told!" roared Mario and he dumped Bowser's head in the water. "We've missed each other our whole lives! You bring up Peach and you put it on me!"
"Mario, stop it!" Luvbi cried in vain. Mario did not stop, not then, for about five more seconds he went until Koopa stopped struggling. With that, Bowser's head slumped out of the fountain and his body fell to the cold hard rock lifeless as Mario turned to see Luvbi backed away with her hand to her mouth and a cold look in her eyes. She hardly felt it as at that moment, the bottleneck on the timeline was lifted. She was too lost in her woe to realize what it meant for her. "What did he mean? You tell me. What did he mean about Peach?"
"I don't know…," said Mario, or at least to his knowledge it was. "I... I... that was so long ago. I don't know."
"Your eyes are desperate," observed Luvbi.
"Luvbi, I swear to you," begged Mario. "I have no idea what he was talking about."
"You do. You just can't remember it."
"No," Mario shook his head. "I'll prove it to you. We'll do what we said first time, we'll destroy the Shine Sprites." She looked at him, unconvinced. "The answer's behind one of your portals, you just have to open it."
"Destroy the Shine Sprites?" Luvbi asked with incredulity. "How are we going to do that? It's the entire Statue of Kamek, Mario. How are we going to do that?"
"I don't know," Mario admitted. "But I'll think of something on the way."
And so, whether she knew it or not, Luvbi sent out the invite.