7
"Look up at the sky, Luigi." Mario said, pointing up to the bright and colorful aurora display, which was now displaying hints of bright green. The brothers looked up at the beautiful spectacle in wonder as they stood in the cold snow. The bright curtains of ionized air made the white-snowcapped mountains glow different colors, which gave the scenery a magical feel to it. The brothers had never seen anything like it in their entire lives.
"That is amazing!" Luigi said, as his eyes remained transfixed on the starry sky above. "I never knew how beautiful this would be. Sure, we learned about in school, but we never got to experience it, because we're too far south." Both of the brothers paused to enjoy the scenery.
"I think we've seen a lot more in the past few days than anyone could ever imagine ever seeing in their lifetime." Mario said. "Actually, I know this for a fact..."
Mario paused for a moment, and then let out a huge sigh. Luigi could sense that something was bothering his older brother.
"What seems to be bothering you, big bro?" Luigi asked.
"It's about the vision of our parents." Mario said. "I wish they could've stayed with us for the remainder of this journey. I simply don't understand why they had to leave when they did."
"You know what I think?" Luigi asked.
"No, what?" Mario asked.
"I think that our parents have been with us the whole time this journey has taken place. After all, why have we been so lucky in escaping death countless times? And why else would they help us attain of the keys back in Sarasaland?"
"They've been with us our whole lives, Luigi!" Mario said. "You should know that! Besides, they're the reason you never committed suicide, you even said so yourself!"
"That was before I ever met Daisy!" Luigi said. "But yes, I didn't want to let them down and end my life because of my depression..." Luigi paused. "I just wanted to make them proud."
"Come on, Luigi. Let's get to that outpost and see what kind of surprises Bowser has to offer."
"I don't know if I want to. I think I've seen enough." Luigi said.
"Luigi! Remember what I've told you?! The princesses are in trouble and we're the only ones that can save them. My god, I feel like I've been redundantly repeating this the whole time we've been on this journey!" Mario was frustrated. "As long as we can still walk on our feet and breathe, we aren't stopping until the very end."
The brothers continued their trek through the cold snow up huge and treacherous icy cliffs. The colorful aurora continued changing shape and color above their heads as it guided their dark path up the side of the mountain. The colorful shades of red, green, blue, orange, and purple in the sky reminded Luigi of the times when him and his brother would use to wander around all of the Toad Town suburbs during Christmas time and admire the sparkling and colorful lights of people's houses. They also used to slide across the icy lake under the stars with other kids, after which they would sit inside next to their foster parents' fireplace and enjoy a nice refreshing cup of hot chocolate with bits of peppermint mixed in from ground up candy canes. He also remembered watching the snowfall from his bedroom window with Mario while waiting for Santa Clause on Christmas Eve to bring them their presents and how they would used to sneak downstairs to see what was inside their stockings. Then there were those priceless moments that he and his brother shared by the Christmas tree while opening their gifts, and the laughs that they shared. Those were magical times indeed, but all of it seemed like distant memories to him now as Luigi brought himself back to reality and followed his brother to the top of the mountain, where they suspected to encounter some of Bowser's deadly cronies.
As they continued, the wind started to pick up again and another bank of clouds started rolling across the sky. The already freezing air was starting to become even colder as light snow began to fall from the sky. Both Mario and Luigi could feel their sideburns and their eyebrows stick solid to their faces with thick ice. Even with the little bit of sleep that the brothers received while flying inside Bowser's airship, they were still immensely fatigued. But time was running short, and the brothers had no choice but to keep going to do whatever they could to save their world. Mario took out both the Diamond and Ruby Stars from the rucksack and noticed that their brightness had become slightly brighter since their adventure back in the desert. It was definitely a sign of the coming dangers in less than two weeks he knew, and they still had five more to find. How are we going to find the other stars in time?! Mario thought to himself as he had already done many times already, especially since he was aware of a dark cloud hurtling towards Earth. Suddenly, he heard his brother calling him from the top of the hill.
"Mario! Come see this!" Luigi shouted. "You're not going to believe how big this outpost is!"
Mario walked up to where his brother stood and looked out into a large icy basin that was illuminated by lights out in the distance. The brothers could see many buildings, as well as an airship pad and many searchlights that scanned the outpost for any suspicious activity.
"Damn!" Mario said. "This place is more secure than I thought! Somehow we have to find a way to sneak into the base without being seen. If they see us, we'll be dead for sure! If there is another dig site here, we should see about heading there."
"I was already thinking about doing that." Luigi said. "Somehow, I knew there was something suspicious about that airship they flew over us earlier."
"What makes you say that?" Mario asked.
"I think Bowser followed us here." Luigi replied. "From what we've seen already, I know for sure that he's capable of technology that a lot people back home would only dream of having."
"Let's save your prediction for when we get to the bottom of the hill." Mario said. "Come on, Luigi. Let's go!"
"I hope my prediction is wrong..." Luigi replied as they cautiously walked downward. "The last thing I need is for Bowser to try and slice my throat again."
Hey, everyone! Sorry it's been such a long time! I've been on vacation in Seattle for over two and a half weeks, so I have been able to write any more chapters during that time. I did, however, finish my custom timeline for the Mario Brothers under my profile page with all of the events which lead up to my other story (which I have neglected to work on!) The Return of A Fallen Hero. For those of you who might be waiting for me to update on that, I'll try to get back to it as soon as possible. The great news is that I'm back to write; therefore I can finally get on with telling this story. Once again, I'm sorry for not being around for such a long time. I'll try to keep you guys updated on any other times I might not be able to update for a long time from now on...
Mario and Luigi are climbing the mountain that will take them to Bowser's snowy outpost. They are shocked to find that the whole facility is under intense security and begin to suspect that Bowser had followed them from Sarasaland. As snow starts creeping its way back over the snowy landscape, the brothers decide to make their way down into the basin to search for yet another archaeological dig that was rumored by Mark (the penguin) to exist there. Will they be able to find it?
As usual, I'll be seeing you guys the next time I update, but this time I won't keep you guys waiting for over a month ;) It's so great to be back!
saturn95