A/N: This is unrelated to the story, but is anyone else getting supremely ticked off by all these "I Heart Vampires" ads? I for one DO NOT HEART VAMPIRES!!!
––––
The Temple of the Sun
00:00
Things had not been going well for King Shroude's top-priority prisoner. Try as she might, Peach was unable to devise a way to escape the Temple of the Sun, nor was she able to uncover any information that would be useful to anyone. All she knew about was the Sun Soul on top of Mt. Tourmaline, and what was she supposed to do about that?
"Princess, I insist you relax for a moment!" said Toadsworth as she was pacing back and forth in agitation. "You won't be any help to Master Mario if you wear yourself out like this."
Peach spun around to glare at him. "You want me to relax?" she shrilled. "Have you noticed our situation, Toadsworth? We're being held prisoner by some madman, with absolutely no way out of this mess! We can't even tell Mario where we are!"
"And I didn't like the sound of what he wanted to do to Peach," added Luigi. "I mean, he wants her for something big. And that can't be good."
Peach moaned, sitting down on the Aeon Clock. "Why is it always me?" she lamented. "Why am I always the one the villains need for their megalomaniacal plans? I mean, couldn't Daisy get kidnapped just once?"
Luigi instantly started blushing. "Princess Peach! How can you say something like that?!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Luigi," Peach muttered. "It's just… I'm so sick and tired of this. Every time we think we've saved the world, somebody else comes along to muck things up."
After a moment, she suddenly stood up and turned to face the Aeon Clock. "That King Shroude has gone too far!!" she raged. "He honestly thinks he can get rid of Day?! And he thinks I'm going to help him do it? Why if he were here right now, I'd give him a piece of my mind!!"
Unable to contain her frustration any longer, she clenched her fists and kicked the enormous clock as hard as she could.
She was not expecting an enormous crack to form across it, splitting the entire thing in half.
"Princess! You broke it!!" Luigi cried.
Peach gasped, hands flying to her mouth. "I-I didn't mean to!" she insisted, starting to panic. "I mean – I didn't think I was that strong…"
As they got a closer look, though, they realized that the crack was supposed to be there. In fact, it had always been there. The Aeon Clock was made up of two halves, and Peach had just managed to split them apart.
And then, suddenly, the two halves started moving even further apart, seemingly of their own accord. They both rotated on hidden axes until the space that they had been covering up before was completely unveiled.
Peach, Luigi and Toadsworth all cautiously approached it and peered down into the blackness.
"It… it's a staircase," Peach realized.
"So then… this place we're in… this isn't the whole temple?" Luigi marveled. "There's more! This is just one room!"
Peach jumped to attention. "Come on, you two! Let's investigate!"
"Princess! Are you not the least bit concerned for your own safety?!" Toadsworth exclaimed, grabbing her by the arm before she could go charging down the stairs. "We haven't the slightest idea what's down there!"
"Whatever it is, it has to be better than up here," Peach replied firmly, shirking him off. "Besides, do you want to get out of here or not? We could find a way to escape!"
"I'm with the princess on this one," Luigi agreed. "Just… somebody else go down first."
And so all three of them traveled ever so cautiously down the long flight of stairs, heading to the lower floor of the Temple. They spent a good portion of the trip in near-perfect darkness, leaving Luigi to whimper nervously with every descending step.
"If we get caught, we're done for," he muttered.
"He won't do anything to us. He wouldn't," Peach reassured him… though she wasn't sure if that was true. She had a feeling Luigi was more expendable than she was.
Finally, they saw a faint light coming from a doorway at the bottom of the stairs. And much to their surprise, they could hear voices as well.
Luigi jerked to a stop. "Th-that's him!!" he cried, recognizing the voice of King Shroude. "Oh man, I knew this was a bad plan!!"
"Oh, get a hold of yourself, old bean!" Toadsworth snapped, standing in the green plumber's way before he could go fleeing back up the stairs. "If you continue with that racket we're sure to be caught! Now just calm down and – "
At that moment, both of them noticed that Peach had reached the very bottom of the stairs and was peering into the doorway.
"Peach!!" they both whispered loudly, scrambling down after her and attempting to drag her away.
"Shh!!" Peach whipped around and put a finger to her lips, then silently gestured to them to look into the doorway with her. Ever so cautiously, the three of them craned their heads around to see what was on the other side.
It was a long, ornate hallway with a magnificent carpet and shining golden walls. There weren't any other doors to be seen, but standing just a few yards away from them was King Shroude himself, and he was glaring down at the familiar figures of Jaff, Pell, and Nobb. The three Darkstriders looked like they had seen better days.
"So let me get this straight," the Master of Night said sternly. "Not only did the monster of Mt. Tourmaline not get rid of Mario, it decided to take its anger out on you instead? No doubt due to some fumbling of your own?"
"Our most humble apologies, my lord," Jaff muttered, nursing several visible injuries. "Our plan wasn't as infallible as we thought." He sagely decided to leave out the part about how they'd also been beaten up by a six-year-old Clubba.
"And I suppose this means Mario has found the second Sun Soul as well," Shroude sighed deeply. "Simply spectacular. I hope you realize what a disappointment you three are."
Peach, Luigi and Toadsworth all stared at each other in shock. Had they heard right? Mario had actually found the second Sun Soul? But how had he known where to look?
"Give us another chance, my lord!" Pell pleaded. "We won't rest until we've put a stop to Mario's meddling! Just give us the word!"
"Now that he's found the Morning Soul, he'll surely be going after the Sunhigh Soul in Mustard Mines next!" Jaff agreed. "We can head him off there with no problem!"
Shroude's anger seemed temporarily abated when he heard Jaff's words. "Hmm… Mustard Mines, you say?" he mused, stroking his chin. "That's where you hid the third one?"
"Mario doesn't stand a chance of finding it… but we'll go after him just the same!" Jaff insisted, desperate to get back in their king's good graces.
"That won't be necessary," Shroude immediately decided. Much to everyone's surprise, he was suddenly wearing a smug grin. "From what I've heard, that place is having some serious problems of its own. We'll see just how Mario likes it over there. Frankly, I doubt he'll make it even without our interference."
The three Darkstriders looked at each other in uncertainty.
"Is it really smart to let Mario get off like that without us watching 'im?" asked Nobb.
"Clearly it's no less smart than leaving you three to deal with him," Shroude replied sharply, causing his minions to wince. "Need I remind you that's twice now you've lost to him? I'm starting to think Mario is too important a case to be left with all of you."
The Darkstriders looked horrified. They had to do something to prove they were still useful! The incident on Mt. Tourmaline couldn't possibly have been a complete failure.
"We did learn something interesting, my lord," Jaff ventured. "Apparently Mario and those friends of his have become targets of some mercenary."
"Mercenary? Who?"
"She's some weirdo Crazee Dayzee lady!" Pell chimed in. "And she commands a gang of very powerful Putrid Piranhas."
"Mario beat her, of course, but we still don't know what her motives are," Jaff continued. "She's after the Sun Souls too, but nobody knows why!"
"Well, that is interesting," Shroude agreed, folding his arms thoughtfully. "I wonder, just how badly does she want the Sun Souls? That would determine whether we have a new ally or a new target on our hands. If she can't be negotiated with, we'll have no choice but to eliminate the competition."
Jaff quickly brightened up. "So you trust us now?"
"I never said that."
The Darkstriders all wilted.
All of a sudden, a thick cloud of black smoke came rising up from the floor behind Shroude and the Darkstriders – the signature sign of the arrival of one of their kind. Surprised, Peach and the others leaned over and watched in interest as a fourth Darkstrider suddenly appeared, marching dutifully over to Shroude. Jaff, Pell and Nobb did not look at all happy to see the newcomer.
"My lord! I come with important news," she announced – for this one was definitely female. Not only that, but she was about an inch taller than Jaff, and instead of blue, her skin was dark green. "We've just gotten word of two new arrivals in Chronoside. Somehow they were able to get past your barrier surrounding the land."
Shroude looked astonished. "Just what are you saying, Rizz?!" he demanded. "My powers made it so Chronoside has been completely quartered off! No one leaves or enters! How is this possible?"
"We're not sure, my lord," Rizz replied. "One of them was a Magikoopa, though, so that may have had something to do with it. Their spells have effects we haven't fully studied yet."
"Hmph. Fine. Who was the other one? And where are they now?"
"The other one was a very large Koopa… and a strange-looking one at that," the female Darkstrider reported, making a conscious effort to keep her posture perfect as she spoke. "From what we've heard, he's none too bright. Anyway, our report says they're both currently in Soluna Town, but…"
"But what?"
"Well… they're in two different halves of Soluna Town, if you know what I mean," Rizz tried to explain. "That lumbering oaf of a Koopa is in the accursed Daytime world, and the old hag of a Magikoopa is in our world."
Peach immediately ducked out of the doorway, facing Luigi and Toadsworth urgently.
"You two! She – she's talking about Bowser and Kammy, isn't she?"
"What are they doing here?" Luigi wondered.
"Very well," Shroude decided. "Thank you for that valuable information, Rizz. Excellent work as always."
"I am not worthy, my lord."
The other Darkstriders glared at her, and she gave them a very smug smirk.
"Jaff, Pell, Nobb," Shroude went on, "let's leave Mario to his fruitless quest in Mustard Mines. If the three of you really want to be useful, I have a better job for you. Go and find these two newcomers of ours and find out who they are, and what they're doing here."
"It will be done, my lord!" Jaff declared loyally, but it didn't seem to move Shroude at all.
"Very good. All of you are dismissed."
All four Darkstriders nodded, and all at once four puffs of black smoke rose up and engulfed them. When it had cleared, they had all vanished.
"This has given me quite a bit to think about," Shroude mused to himself now that he was alone. "But how does Mario continuously find out where to go? Surely those three aren't incompetent enough to let slip something as important as that…"
He glowered. "No… it must have been the princess. Somehow she's been communicating with him," he growled. "I suppose the blame for this latest failure falls partially on me as well… I've been feeding information to our enemies. A mistake I won't make again."
Suddenly, he became aware of a strange feeling. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at something, and he jerked his head up and spun around.
He wasn't alone.
"Who's there?!" he bellowed. "Who are you?!"
Peach, Luigi and Toadsworth had already fled all the way back up the stairs.
––
"That was too close," Luigi moaned as Peach frantically pushed the two halves of the clock back together, covering their escape.
"But this is good news, you two!" she insisted, flushing with excitement. "Somehow, Mario found out where the second Sun Soul was, and he's found it! And now – now we know where the third one is too!"
"Pardon me, princess, but I thought we already agreed that doesn't help our situation one bit," Toadsworth reminded her. "Mario's the one who needs that information, not us."
"I know, I know. But think about it, both of you. Somehow – somehow, Mario found out where to go, didn't he? And us three are the only ones who knew."
She folded her hands. "I think, somehow, us finding out where the Sun Souls are is helping Mario. I… I can't explain it, but I think we need to keep finding out where the next ones are. That's how we're going to help him."
"You're not making any sense, Princess," Luigi said cautiously.
"I don't understand it myself. But it's the only explanation I can think of."
She looked between the two of them, and for the first time in a long time, she dared to smile.
"Mario will find that next Sun Soul… I know he will," she said firmly. "As long as he's still out there, there will always be reason for us to carry on. There will always be hope."
––
––
Soluna Town
12:00 Noon
Not everyone was currently feeling as optimistic as Peach.
"WHO THE HECK IS THAT GUY?!?"
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
The crowd of busy people in the town square was rapidly parting and fleeing to make room for a certain huge, lumbering Koopa who was staggering up the street.
"What the heck is going on here?" Bowser grumbled to himself, quickly getting annoyed by the screams filling his ears. He was feeling incredibly dizzy and disoriented, and he couldn't say at all how he had gotten here. The last thing he could remember was flying into those enormous black clouds with Kammy…Where was Kammy, anyway?
"Would somebody please tell me where this place is?!" he shouted at the panicking citizens. "And stop screaming like that! You're gonna give me a migraine! Seriously, SHUT UP!!!"
Bowser unleashed his impatience and fury in the form of a fiery blast from his mouth, which incinerated several shirts that had been hanging from a clothesline and set a few streetside kiosks on fire.
"NOOOO!! My spices!!" wailed a Lakitu merchant wearing a fez.
"Man… everywhere I go, it's always the same thing," Bowser grumbled to himself as the last few remaining citizens ran and hid. "Why am I so terrifying? I mean, I know my sheer awesomeness can be pretty intimidating, but is it really that bad?"
There were three people standing in the street who weren't scared of Bowser in the least. Jaff, Pell and Nobb were crouching in the shadow of a nearby building, regarding the Koopa King closely.
"Man, I hate goin' to this Daytime world," Nobb complained, rubbing his forehead. "All this sun is givin' me a headache."
"Quit complaining, both of you!" Jaff hissed. "This is the one King Shroude wanted us to find! Let's hurry up and get him, and we'll minimize the time we have to spend in this accursed place."
"Well, at least this way I can look for those stupid Mario Brothers without any interference," Bowser finally decided. "And my sweet little Peach, too! I bet she'll be so happy to see her chubby hubby! But where could they be, anyway?"
What Bowser didn't realize, of course, was that Peach was currently no further away than the opposite side of town. If he'd managed to make his way over there, he would have found her, and things would have gone from bad to worse for our heroes.
But he didn't, so this happened instead.
"Excuse me!" came a commanding voice from near the ground.
Confused, Bowser turned around and looked down, finding himself staring at three dark blue imps.
"Huh? Who are you three supposed to be? Mutated Gloombas?" he demanded. "Look, I'm in the middle of something important right now, so kindly move before I crush you."
"Excuse me!" repeated the one in the center, not budging an inch. "By order of King Shroude, ruler of Chronoside, we've been asked to ascertain the meaning of your arrival here. Who are you, and what is your business here?"
Bowser looked incredulous. "Why would I tell you that, Bluey?" he snapped. "Now get outta my way, shrimps! I have a princess to look for! And an old hag, if I'm in the mood."
"The Magikoopa who arrived here with you," Jaff interpreted. "Well, she's not here. She's currently in our half of the world. It would seem that since the two of you arrived after our lord seized control of this place, you haven't been split like everyone else. Trust me, we'll be finding your companion and speaking with her soon enough."
"…Umm… what?!"
It was no secret that Bowser wasn't the smartest Koopa around. Things like a world and all the people in it being split into mirror halves was something slightly outside his comprehension. Whenever he ran into a situation like this, he always dealt with it the same way: brute force.
"All right, you guys aren't making a whiff of sense," he growled, forcefully shoving the Darkstriders out of the way. "I don't have any more time to waste here! I have to find me a princess and trounce me a Mario!"
The Darkstriders' ears all pricked up at once.
"Did you say Mario?" Jaff repeated.
"Yeah, what of it?" Bowser sniffed, already stomping away.
The Darkstriders hastily exchanged glances with each other before their leader spoke up again. "Mario has recently become a personal target of our lord," he called after Bowser. "He's been interfering in our plans, and we don't approve of it. We would appreciate any help at all in getting rid of him."
Bowser slowly drew to a stop. After standing where he was for a moment, he turned back around to face the Darkstriders.
"You freaks wanna get rid of Mario too?" he asked, sounding intrigued.
Jaff nodded, a wicked smile spreading across his face as a plan began to formulate in his mind.
"Sir," he said, "we have a proposition for you."