Chapter 35: When The Line Has Been Crossed

Everyone was screaming, running for their lives as I tried to push myself through the thickened crowd. I was trying to make my way to the site of the light bomb's impact, praying deep down that some people managed to survive the destruction of Peach's Castle. "Oh god…Please Mario, please have reacted in time…You must have gotten most of them out…Mario…Hold on please…" I kept my concerned thoughts to myself, but at the same time I thought back to just a few minutes when the aftermath of the impact began. I was frozen stiff in place in front of E. Gadd's lab, the smoke from the center of the blast zone providing a grim message of things to come. The Professor had joined me at my side not long afterwards, and as he looked into the horizon he only had one thing to say.

"They couldn't be dead…Mario has survived through worse…I…I know he has…" E. Gadd had little hope in Mario's survival at the time, and that only strove to push me into action, breaking through my fear struck expression and charging forward without any further regard for my own life. E. Gadd gave me a warning out of concern, but it was only as loud as a gentle breeze and barely touched my eardrums….Eventually, after shuffling through many Toads I made it to the statue of Alex, taking a brief pause and glaring at it furiously as I said quietly to myself "Where the hell are you, I know that you can't ignore something of THIS magnitude…"

But alas, I knew I would never see my original amidst this chaos, for his selfish agenda had consumed him completely. I just kept running, moving through the blue metal gates that had been left slightly ajar by the prior explosion, and upon breeching the walls I stopped in place and saw a horrible sight beyond the broken bridge and debris covered river. All that was left of the castle was a ring of bright-red fire, and the top tower where the mosaic painting of the Princess has been shattered with glass spread across the ground. Through this ring though I see two figures, their bodies resting near the ground so closely that is impossible to tell who they both are from this far away.

With my heart pounding rapidly and as hard as a rhythmic drummer, I ran forward, leaping over the river and forgoing my flight in favor of jumping on top of the fallen pillar and running until I'm near the edge of the ring of fire, leaping into the scorched landscape as the structure crumbles and pounds the ground with rocky debris only a few seconds later. I land on the ground, rolling forward after tripping and suffering no damage from the scalding floor due to the return of my fire powers and proceeding to force myself up and look out towards the center of the impact zone, where I find to my great relief that it is Mario and Peach who are kneeling down against the ground, the plumber's arms wrapped around the Princess' body to keep her protected while he himself has been put in his Star Spirits empowered form.

I could hear Peach sobbing loudly in Mario's chest, the plumber himself trying his hardest not to cry as he comforts her. I rush over to them, my footsteps alerting Mario of my presence but causing him to welcome me not with a sigh of relief but with a right arm thrust my way with a fireball ready to be launched. It takes a moment of pause for him to recognize me and dispel the flames, and he says in a somber tone "Mew…What…What's going on here? What is that alien doing?!" He was furious and tearful in his inquiry, and while I knew the answer to his question I didn't want to tell him that this was indirectly my fault because I had no clue as to what I even did to break the rules of Mr. Reality's game.

So after kneeling down and staring for a moment at Peach's battered and bruised clothing and skin, I turned to Mario and said to him "He has gone insane, that's what is happening Mario! But that's not important right now…What happened to you two? And where is everyone else?" Peach couldn't answer me, for her mind and body were too distracted weeping, so Mario turned towards me with his eyebrows slanted, already giving a grim omen in regards to the second question. "I…After that alien began talking, a chill crept down my spine, and I feared that something bad was about to happen…So I changed into my Star Spirit form and yelled out for everyone to evacuate, but then the flash of light came and…And I grabbed Peach and protected her with all of my might…And everyone else…All the Toads, Toadsworth…They…They all…"

Mario couldn't bring himself to say the last words, but the implications were clear enough. All those innocents Toads, Peach's most loyal retainer and possible father figure…They all perished in the explosion brought on by Mr. Reality misguided attack…All because I apparently "cheated" at his game…No. I wasn't about to stand there and riddle myself with guilt. This wasn't my fault in the slightest. That alien came to this world, made many innocents endure the changes brought on by his sick little game, and now he thinks he can just get away with mass murder based on a flimsy justification?! "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" I declared angrily with a firm grip of my fists, with Mario and Peach looking towards me with a gaze that showed little understanding for what lead to this outburst of mine.

I took a few calm steps forward, swinging my firmed fists back and forth like a man on the hunt, my eyes burning his a furious intensity as I stared up at the floating citadel. With each step, the fire crackled five times, and from the intensity of those flames I swung my right fingers out and called forth my sword. I didn't even wait for the thing to materialize fully. The moment the red trigger was in range, I pulled it without saying the phrase. The transformation, the process of me being wrapped in flames and their dispersal, takes three seconds. I am now fifteen feet away from Mario and Peach, as an approximation. With my samurai armor clad in glowing crimson, I plant my diamond-encrusted katana into the ground in front of me, a miniature ring of fire spreading around my body as I fold my hands in front of my chest and shift them around in various directions and forms, creating multiple hand signs while slowly chanting something.

Shockwaves of fire reverberate from the soles of my shoes, spanning multiple feet of land and just nearly grazing around the sides of Mario and Peach's bodies as they make their way to the edge of the bigger ring of fire. Eventually, the fire spread across the ground pulsates brightly, and the blade of my sword becomes bathed in a crimson spread of fire. I finish the final hand sign and with my mental prowess I pull the sword from the ground, having it rise high above my head where it proceeds to spin around multiple times, creating a suction force that drags in all the flames in the area as it moves towards the center of the ring.

Eventually swirling into an upside-down funnel with a pointed top, the fires rise high above the area, encapsulating all three of us in a protective field of energy as my swords pushes through the tip and causes the flames to burst into a massive, phoenix-like shape that is much larger than the entire citadel in scale. The pressure from the energy I'm using in this attack pushes downward from the eye of the spiral that connects the being to the roof of the ring, but I bear against it and keep focused on my target even if it was obscured by the flames. "This attack is fueled by the vengeance of all those you have merciful slain here today, reality bender! As it comes down upon you, I hope the agony you are forced to endure is tenfold that experienced by those you have tormented. Now take this! Millennium Nova Phoenix!"

With its wings spread out wide, the flaming bird dives down upon its prey, engulfing the citadel and the rocky isle below it in one fell swoop. The only way I was able to know of this was because of my mental connection to the flames, which persisted until the bird died all the way out, its duty now completed as it ends things off with a widespread, cataclysmic explosion. The wind from it blows away the ring of fire and sends my sword back into the grasp of my awaiting right hand. With the smoke from the detonation still present I waited in anticipation for it to clear so I could enjoy the nothingness that would now be there. But something felt odd about this scenario, especially since no debris was falling onto the ground.

"Don't tell me…" I groaned in an annoyed tone of voice prematurely, since these type of omens never end well when it happens to either side. The silence surely wasn't helping matters, I had to admit. As the smoke dissipated, the citadel still floated precariously in the air, undamaged as the gleam of a prismatic barrier shown around the structure. My attack, for all the setting up I had to do for it, did nothing more than show me the existence of this obstructive force. Needless to say, I was both shocked and pissed off at the same time, that mixture of emotions proving volatile to my safety as I leaped into the air in a burst of fury with my eyes obscured by the shadow of my hair and my katana swung behind my back with the handle in the grasp of both hands.

I went to the center of the barrier and swung my sword hard against it, my attack being nullified and my body being forced to skid back across the air in recoil. I don't give up though, and after bracing myself mid-flight I charge again and swing, repeating the process over and over again in the same spot rapidly until the thirtieth attempt, at which point I fall back and begin to pant slowly with a cold sweat trickling down my face. "Damn it…A barrier made entirely out of prismatic light…Figures that something like this would be up…Or that reality bender made it just to fit with the theme of the temple itself."

No matter what was the reasoning behind its existence, the barrier was durable, and it was going to take a lot more than what I had to even put a dent into it. "Come on Mew, you can do this, just stay focused…" I thought to myself, taking a deep breath in to pull myself together before flying back a few feet and taking a nice long look at the barrier. "You know, its times like this I really wish I had darkness powers…That would probably help me break through the light." As I murmured to myself, a large, holographic screen appeared on the entire front side of the barrier. Mr. Reality stares down at me through it, his expression looking bored as he sits down on a glowing throne and taps his fingers against his glass dome.

"What do you think you are doing?" He asked, mocking my attempts at breaking through the barrier in a dull tone of voice. I snarled at his presence, but instead of acknowledge my rather justified yet ill-tempered behavior he says to me "You do know that you aren't going to get through via sheer aggression, right? The only way you shall pierce this barrier is by being submissive and surrendering yourself to me peacefully." "Yeah, well dealing with things peacefully isn't exactly an option after you just wiped out an entire castle and nearly everyone that lived in it!" I yelled out to him in bitter rage, to which the alien responds to by moving his hands away from his helmet and resting it against the arm of the throne with his only brow raised in curiosity.

"Why do you see me as the villain here? Last I checked, YOU were the one who cheated in my game, and you saw what happened firsthand the last time you cheated, only this time around I have definitive proof that you broke the rules willing and that this was not an error on my part. So for every life I take…Well, that's simply blood on YOUR hands, not mine. But its not like I am being unreasonable here child, all you have to do to cleanse that blood is willingly offer yourself to me, and accept my punishment for your felony. I truly believe that my solution would prevent further bloodshed, but in the end the decision is only yours to make."

I believed him as far as the last few words went, in that he would not use his powers to force me to make a choice, but as for everything else…Well, I needed to take a moment to think about all of that. He claimed I had willingly broken the rules, but the fact that I was still confused about this whole "rule breaking" thing in the first place disproved that, not like the alien would listen if I tried to use that as a counter-argument. But he is right about one thing, even with this uncertainty regarding the rule breaking and all, the fact that I was the true target of the reality bender's ire meant that any collateral damage is partially blood on my hands along with his own, especially if I kept things up the way they were going now.

I am then reminded of what the Reaper said, "By allowing this interloper to live, you have doomed many lives…And I will assure you that I shall take great pleasure in reaping each and every one of them, knowing full well that each one is a mark of failure on your own, ripe, neck…" In other words, he knew that something like this was going to happen, which in turn meant that allowing Alex to live was the catalyst that started off this chain of events. But…How? How did allowing Alex to live cause Mr. Reality to assume that I willingly broke the rules? He said that I broke the rules to clear the final temple, which means that it was something I did while fighting Mario and Bowser.

Come to think about it, I still don't have an explanation as to how I was able to change forms when in most other temples I was restricted to the form I had regained in the one prior to the one I was in. In hindsight, it wouldn't have been wrong to assume that the reality bender was giving me a fair chance in combat against the two of them, especially since Mario had access to all of his suits, but considering the accusations now I knew that my theory would be wrong. So what did changed between the Frozen Palace and the Ignitor Cave? …It was then that it dawned on me. I glanced towards my right hip, where in the pockets of my long pants the Time Stone laid still.

"So that must be it…" I whispered to myself as many thoughts swirled through my head simultaneously. The only major difference was that I had acquired the Time Stone after Alex departed. It then got me thinking about what I had heard many times before. Alex wasn't affected by Mr. Reality's powers despite the fact that he logically should have been, hence why the Reaper had to be sent to eliminate him, and up until just recently he was in possession of the Time Stone. So could that mean that the Time Stone's powers are stronger than that of the reality bender's, and in turn the relic unknowingly provided Alex with a barrier that stopped all of the alien's attempts to affect him? If that's the case, then that means that the same rules likely applied to me, hence why I was freed of the restriction of using only one form in the Ignitor Cave.

But now the question remained…Did Mr. Reality know about this or not? There was no way of knowing, and I was not about to reveal the relic's existence to him on the off chance he didn't, because perhaps the Time Stone was the ace in the hole I needed to finally beat him once and for all. So with another glance back over at the view screen, I said to the alien without any regrets or second thoughts "I refuse to submit to you." His response is not one of defiance of my wishes, but rather he leans his body forward slightly and says to me calmly "And why is that? On what faith do you believe you stand a chance against me?"

I stayed silent, because if I opened my mouth for even a second there was always a chance I would accidentally let slip the truth about the Time Stone. With a firm glance, the alien notes my silence and continues speaking on his own. "Let me tell you something…Do you not understand what I can do? Everything is my domain, from the matter that composes your body to the very phenomena that govern the cosmos. I have full reign over it all, which makes your defiance of my rules all the more perplexing…Either way, this is what I wish for you to understand…There is nothing you can do to stop me through physical means, for I will heal all wounds. You can't seal me away, for I can just break free. And you can't obliterate me in one blow for I will just stop you before it even hits. I control it all, and all is under my will. Again, I ask of you…For what reason do you believe that you stand a chance against me?"

"…You want to know why I have confidence in my belief that I will best you? Because I have something worth fighting for. Let me sum things up from the beginning for you…Through this journey, I've seen the fallout from a betrayal of trust, I've seen what happens to a hero when they lose sight of their goals, and I myself experienced the pain of not knowing just what one's purpose in life is. But throughout all that I also realized something else…I'm not just carrying the burden of my own life on both of my shoulders, but everyone else's lives as well. And you don't have to be burdened just by lives, but by promises as well. And let me tell you, I have plenty of promises I have to see through to the end, and the only way I can be responsible about those promises is if I defeat you thoroughly. This is why I have to be confident, even if the situations I face are declared to be impossible to conquer…Because if I fail, I don't just fail myself, but many others as well!"

"….Hahahahaha!" After my confident declaration, the alien stayed silent for a few seconds, bursting into rambunctious laughter as he swung his head back and forth, unable to contain himself as he continued on for what seems to be forever. He then lifts his head up and stares at me with a grin on his face before telling me. "So you have confidence…I will admit that I'm glad to see that you aren't just being a fool, but there is yet another truth you have chosen to ignore. For all those burdens you carry, you are but one man facing an insurmountable obstacle, and beyond it lies a being who cannot be bested by even an entire galaxy full of beings. The odds do not bode well for you, child."

"Then perhaps we can help even them up a bit!" A voice yells out from afar, the echoes of their sound and the roar of engines causing me to turn around while the reality bender looks up to see what is going on. Riding through the sky is a massive battleship whose deck length rivals that of the citadel, its glass dome housing a command center while the bulk of the ship is covered in massive laser cannons. Surrounding the battleship are a high amount of Doomships, each one piloted by different members of Bowser's army. Finally, the rest of the heroes save for Mario and Alpha were flying close to the front of the deck in their Star Spirit empowered forms.

"Guys…" I murmured, surprised and yet deeply overwhelmed by everyone's appearance, but before I could call out to them Mr. Reality got the first word in. "This isn't your fight, esteemed Commander…" The Commander, who likely was standing in the central command dome, spoke calmly through the intercom to rebuttal the alien's comment. "So let me get this straight…After you came here without any permission, spread that 'Midnight Channel' across the realm, forced us to fight the Elemental Overlord, made him take part in your twisted game, and blow up Peach's Castle along with a plethora of her loyal subjects…You seriously have the gall to claim that this is none of our business? Sorry, you pissed off an entire planet full of battle ready people, and some of us have even thrown aside our past differences to work together and help the Elemental Overlord take you down for good!"

"And just how do you plan to do that?" Mr. Reality responds with a slight bit of amusement in his voice, unknowingly sealing his fate. For if there was one thing I was certain about, reality bender or not, if there is one thing you shouldn't do, is to take Alpha lightly. "Heh, why don't I show you? Captain Florence, you have my orders…Fire it up!" The Commander gives a command to his Yoshi subordinate, as I can only imagine the casual wave of the Goomba's hand and the nod the Yoshi gave in response. After a few seconds of silence a loud siren fills the skies, followed by a panel opening up on the deck of the gigantic battleship.

A medium-sized silver device slowly pulls itself out of the hole made and the sirens begin to die down. With a rounded barrel that has a five antennae sticking out of the front of it in a star-like pattern, the rings connected to it start to glow various colors, a signal to the Commander that the device is powering-up. "FIRE!" Alpha yells out, the sound of a button being pounded down inside the ship as the device positions itself so the shot will be fired directly below me. The tip of the center antenna starts losing its color until it has become entirely pitch black, the rings following suit as sparks start breaking out through the cracks in the barrel.

I could feel the pressure exuding from the tip as the blast charges up to its fullest level of power, and a demonic looking bullet thrusts out at a speed exceeding that of light itself, giving me not even a second to turn around as it impacts the front of the body and shatters outward, creating a distorted, widespread black and violet gap that tears apart the light in the barrier with relative ease. But the collision of forces both light and dark causes both parts to begin to overtake one another, cancelling each other out bit by bit and leaving only a clear gap through the barrier for me to enter through.

However, before the darkness has run its course, a series of glowing yellow eyes make their appearance known on the surface. In a matter of seconds, hundreds upon hundreds of shadowy creatures both big and small swarm out of the collapsing portal, making their way into the mortal world and flying abundantly around the area in hopes of causing mayhem. I recognized the creatures as the Heartless, a species spawn from the Realm of Darkness whose sole purpose is the consume the hearts of living beings. Needless to say, the connection between the portal and Alpha was something I'd have to question later, but for now the most important thing was to combat these creatures before they got too out of control. As I gripped my blade in hand, a tense chill crept up my spine as a Heartless snuck up behind me, only inches away from consuming my body in its blackened grasp.

As I turned around ready to best the creature in hopefully a single stroke, I'm saved entirely out of the blue thanks to an uppercut by Mario, who is still the yellow and silver garb of the Star Spirits. The creature is instantly destroyed in a glorious of dark fog, and Mario stops in place with his body in a battle position while the Heartless continue to fly around only to be dealt with by the rest of the Star Spirit empowered heroes. I watch in awe as they take them down one at a time without breaking their stride, and thought I could truly have continued watching this spectacle for a while, Mario quickly swung his arm out to the side and grabbed my attention with his voice.

"I got Peach to a safer location…Now, I don't know what Alpha was thinking in using his dimensional portal like that, but what I do know is that he provided you with an opening through the barrier and you don't have much time before its sealed up!" He was right too. The hole in the barrier was closing up, and I only had fifteen seconds before it would be too small for my body to fit through. So with a quick, thankful nod of the head as I passed by Mario, I flew towards the hole at great speeds, swerving past all the Heartless as they flung themselves at the heroes in hopes of nabbing their hearts.

I make it in at just the last second, of course, and with the hole sealed behind me all that remained as far as my infiltration of the citadel went was for me to enter the tunnel in the rock formation in front of me. But before I did so, I turned around and looked at the M.S.I. battleship as it withdrew its smoldering dimensional ripping weapon and floated perfectly in the air despite the chaos around it. Mr. Reality calls out to the Commander, telling him, "Very well…You want to make this more trouble than its worth? Then I shall at least give you the honor of a more fair fight…For you see, this citadel of the Elemental Overlord's is not just a temple that holds the power of light itself, but it is also a technologically advanced fortress that was once used in many wars to combat the forces of darkness!"

With a snap of the fingers and a disappearance of the view screen following his bold declaration, the sky is suddenly filled with a hundred laser beams coming from both fortresses, and the crimson ones being fired from the M.S.I. Battleship pounds against the front of the citadel, threatening my safety unless I was to get out of there immediately. After a few more seconds of observation I saw the Doomships firing at the Citadel as well, only their ships aren't durable enough to survive more than one shot from the silver beams of light before they incinerate and fall to the ground. All the while the heroes keep fighting against all the Heartless, making certain that none of them break through a specified perimeter to harm the citizens of the planet…"Good luck guys, I'll make sure to finish the reality bender off before any of you have to sacrifice your lives for me…" With that solemn message, I turn around and rush towards the tunnel, preparing both mind and body to combat the alien responsible for all of this planet's recent troubles…

Next Time: The Machine Man and the Jester