"Maaaaan…stupid Merlon. He could have at LEAST let me eat a little more…" Luigi grumbled as he walked the path to Star Summit, his stomach growling. Luigi turned his head, looking at the town in the distance. He could still see the smoke.
He was unconscious for all of that? How in the world had he NOT been flattened to a pancake? Luigi sighed before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small leather pouch. It was a pouch he had made years ago, thinking it would be used for something important. Of course, he had never found anything to really PUT in it, but this little shard fixed that problem right away. He had always kept the pouch on him, but until today, it really had no use, more of a decoration than anything else. Opening it up, Luigi saw the blue crystal he had found from before lay resting inside. He sat on a small rock, resting his sore feet before plopping the crystal onto his open hand. Luigi gazed at the shard curiously, wondering what it was.
Part of a jewel? No duh.
Was it a special treasure? Worth millions?
Or was it a key of some sort? Mario had told him about a jewel that he was given that helped find a lost temple in the desert. Maybe it was like that?
Or better yet, maybe it was a clue to where Mario and the princess were...or maybe the perpetrator left it behind in the hopes of him finding it?
...HAHAHAHAHAA! YEAH RIGHT!
Whoever had attacked Toad Town was obviously a strategist, as the kind of plan that was employed obviously wasn't a flashy 'raid'.
His stomach growling once more, Luigi sighed. This was getting him nowhere. He was still hungry, and the thought of him not eating for three days made him feel even hungrier than before. Looking up to the sky, Luigi noticed an apple tree next to him. Eyes wide and giddy with excitement, Luigi quickly clambered up the tree. Had he any onlookers; they would have thought him a monkey. Luigi plopped down onto a high branch before plucking a juicy red apple from a nearby branch. Happily biting into it, Luigi momentarily forgot his troubles. The only thing that he cared about was the sweet tasting apple he was currently biting into. Continuing to eat, Luigi pulled out the pouched and plopped the shard into his open palm. It looked really pretty, the way it sparkled. Plucking another apple, Luigi noticed the shard began to shine. Stopping his momentary feast, Luigi looked at the shard only for his apple to get sucked into the crystal.
"WOAH!" Luigi jumped, dropping the shard in shock. Realizing what he had just done, he dove after the shard before his eyes went wide, the ground coming closer and closer.
WHAM!
Luigi hit the ground hard, his legs sticking straight up into the air before gravity pulled his feet down over his head. The plumber tried to sit up, his head spinning. He shook his head before looking over to the shard a few feet away and noticed a few more apples had fallen, only for them all to be sucked into the shard in a flash of light. Luigi carefully crawled over to the shard and began poking at it, expecting to be sucked into it as well. He sat there for a few moments in silence, nothing happening. Finally, having grown bored of waiting, Luigi picked up the shard and stared at it for a moment before scrubbing his eyes with his arm. Had that really just happened? He looked around to find only a few apples lying in the middle of the road. Shaking his head, he put the shard back into the leather pouch before pocketing it and continuing his journey, snatching a few more apples along the way.
The tall plumber soon reached the start of a mountain trail that he knew lead to Star Summit. He slowly started walking up, noticing the stars falling down all around him. Having been here numerous times before, Luigi knew what was at the top; a beautiful scene where stars glistened brilliantly in the dark sky. No matter what time of day it was, Star Summit always remained dark, a magical power allowing the stars to glisten even brighter than usual. But as Luigi came close to the top, he noticed that the sky did not turn dark as it usually did.
Increasing his pace, Luigi quickly found himself at the top of the summit, his eyes wide. Light streamed over the platform Mario had said the Star Spirits spoke to him at. But what caused Luigi to gasp was the enormous crack that started from the center of the platform and extended to the outer rim. Luigi carefully walked over to the crack, placing a hand on it. The Key-like weapon in his other hand pulsed, a glow emanating from the key-chain.
The ground suddenly began to shake, causing Luigi to freak out and begin running away from the platform. The shaking stopped however, and Luigi carefully looked back at the platform, halting in his retreat. He slowly walked back to the platform, watching for anything suspicious. Nothing happening, Luigi began to wonder if it was his imagination, not noticing a giant shadow appear behind him. A cold chill ran down the plumber's spine and Luigi thought he felt a cold hand run along the back of his neck. A musty, black air seemed to converge around the summit, running along the edge of his skin. He felt heavy, and the weapon in his hand throbbed. He didn't like this feeling. Another cold chill ran down his spine, and he thought he heard a sort of clanking sound behind him. Luigi slowly began to turn around, only to look up and pale.
"IT'S ENORMOUS!" The tall plumber shouted in terror.
A large grey moving contraption stared back at him, two small points on its sides that seemed to be arms and a spinning blade beneath it, somehow allowing it to hover. Luigi tried to run back down the hill, only for two giant laser beams to blast in front of and behind him. Luigi turned to the giant enemy and swallowed, readying the blade.
"Oh man...oh man oh man oh man! Where in the world did this thing come from!?" Two more laser beams blasted out from the contraption's arms and Luigi turned sideways, thin enough to dodge the shots. "EEEP!" Running back over to the center, Luigi skid to a halt in front of the broken platform. An echo of laughter resonated around the summit, yet when he glanced around, the only thing that he saw was the contraption in front of him which started to glow and OH MY GOD!
"YIPE!" Luigi jumped to the side, a giant laser beam shooting from the contraption's chest. He held his hands over his head, rocks pelting him from the backlash of the blast. The plumber turned to his previous position to see the path the beam had taken; trees were on fire and a big hole was dug into the earth where the blast had hit. The spiral path that he had taken to reach the summit was now almost flat, the pathway destroyed. Luigi swallowed once more before glaring at the contraption. If he didn't stop it, the whole mountain would go down! And this was his favorite star-gazing spot! "I swear, if you fire that thing ONE MORE TIME I'm going to-
'KRSSZHHH!' Another dual laser beam erupted from the machine.
"STOP FIRING THAT STUPID THING ALREADY!" Luigi shouted as he jumped out of the way, smacking the mechanical being with the blade, snapping off one of its arms. "Huh?" Luigi blinked, staring at the arm on the ground. "It came off..." Luigi stated before the arm began evaporating into a black flame, the wind whisking it away.
Nothing remained of it.
Luigi looked down towards the ground, his face covered by his hair. The tall plumber began shaking, an evil laughter beginning to erupt from the man in green. Leaping into the air, Luigi lashed at the other arm only for the contraption to dodge. Luigi continued to lash wildly at the machine-like creature, missing each time. Fuming, Luigi jumped at it with everything he had, only for the edge of the mountain to suddenly come into view.
"WAH!" Luigi flailed, trying to regain his balance as he wobbled on the edge of the summit. The contraption rushed at Luigi who started flailing even wilder, knowing he was going to fall. "I DON'T WANNA LOOK LIKE A TOAD! I LIKE MY HEIGHT!" Luigi screamed as the contraption tackled him, the two beginning to tumble down the summit. Luigi screamed, noticing that the contraption was falling next to him. He quickly slammed the blade into the ground, effectively pushing himself away from the mountain as the contraption threw its spinning blade at him. The plumber flipped around, landing on top of the monster before jumping back up the mountain. Using the momentum from his first jump, he began to leap off of small rock ledges protruding from the mountainside. Just as he was reaching the top, he chanced a look back down. Luigi's eyes shrank as the contraption's chest began glowing again. Fearing another blast, Luigi did the only thing he could think of.
He threw the weapon at it.
The mushroom-like key spun rapidly, cutting through the laser beam and slicing right through the metal monster. Latching onto the edge of the summit, Luigi clambered up before breathing hysterically on his back. Something caught his eye as he looked to the sky, only for him to realize it was the blade. Like a boomerang, it had come back to him! However, Luigi's reflexes weren't that great, so instead of catching it, the blade sunk into the ground mere inches above his head. His face pale, Luigi passed out, not noticing the enormous heart that floated up to the sky before disappearing in a flash of light.
A cloaked figure entered a small dessert town, numerous Bandits, Toads, Koopas and Mousers wandering about. Continuing on through the town, he came upon a small building where a blue Mouser stood outside. The figure leaned against the door, his face hidden from view when he suddenly began shifting through his cloak, silently pulling out a yellow, spherical object. He discreetly handed it to the Mouser, the creature nodding before handing the object back to the cloaked figure. He sidestepped, allowing the figure to enter the building. Taking a quick right, the figure knocked three times on a wall. A hidden door suddenly appeared and, walking outside again, the figure saw a pile of barrels, tents and other equipment that was needed to survive in the dessert. The figure climbed the pile and began to move over the rooftops, quickly coming upon another door. Opening the door, he walked inside before quickly closing it behind him.
"Traveler, what brings you to this place? Only friends of Moustafa are allowed entrance to this house." A cloaked green Mouser said, lying on an ornately decorated sofa. The figure smiled before pulling out the yellow object and tossing it to the green mouse sitting on the comfortable couch. Catching it easily, the Mouser smiled. "You are a friend of Moustafa, for you bring that which he loves most." The mouser looked up, discarding his tan cloak, revealing the ruler of Dry Dry Outpost. "Friend, Moustafa welcomes you, for you have brought him a lemon! Tell me, what is it you need to know?" The figure smiled, pulling back his hood. Moustafa began to smile as the figure's hands fell to his sides.
"I have many questions Moustafa." The man grinned, his smile lightly pushing up his mustache.
Luigi awoke to find himself in a strange place. Ballroom music filtered into the room, lightly bouncing off of the walls and into his tired ears. He felt lighter than usual, and felt an atmosphere of relaxation. Sitting up, he looked around to find himself on an ornate bed with purple sheets and fluffy pillows. Was he in heaven? He didn't remember having a bed this nice. Luigi stretched before turning to find a window. Maybe he was still alive? After all, did heaven even HAVE windows? Luigi walked to the window to see a beautiful sight.
The sun gleaming in the horizon, reflecting off the surface of the planet.
...wait...WHAT?!
"AAH!" Luigi gawked, staring out the window in horror. "That's it! I'm dead! Three days unconscious, I knew I was going to die! No way I would still be alive!" Luigi shouted, slapping a hand to his face. A quiet coughing sound caught Luigi's attention. Turning around, he came face to face with a Brown star creature. "AAAAAHHH!"
MASTER LUIGI! PLEASE CALM YOURSELF! IT IS MOST UNFITTING FOR A GENTLEMAN LIKE YOURSELF TO BE SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS!" Luigi stared at the brown star before rubbing his eyes and looking back at it.
"P-polari?" The Elder Luma bowed to the plumber. "Did you die too?"
"I DID NOT!" The Brown Elder Luma fumed in irritation. "AND YOU ARE NOT DEAD YOU NINCOMPOOP! YOU ARE-
"On the Comet Observatory." Another voice said walking into the room. "Polari, it is unfitting for you to be screaming at the top of your lungs. Do try to compose yourself." Polari lowered his head/body in embarrassment as a blush seared across Luigi's face. "Welcome back Luigi. It's nice to see you again." Rosalina smiled to the bashful hero. Luigi smiled happily, hearts beginning to float around the love-struck plumber. Rosalina picked up a familiar-looking weapon by the door and examined it for a moment before handing it back to Luigi. "Here, I believe this is yours." Luigi snapped out of his daze before taking the 1-Up Mushroom looking weapon. "I'm sure you have lots of questions, so please follow me."
"To the end of the world..." Luigi mumbled, hearts re-appearing around him the moment Rosalina's hand touched his.
"What was that?"
"N-nothing!" Luigi smiled brightly, sweat rolling down the sides of his face. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Rosalina watched him for a moment, curious as to what he had said before letting it go.
Luigi followed the Princess of the Cosmos across the Observatory, passing by numerous familiar landscapes. The Kitchen, where he had invented a cupcake snack made with Star Bits. He found out the hard way that Lumas explode when they get happy enough. Of course, they would quickly reappear before asking for more, which had made him laugh for a good while. Then there was the Terrace and the Fountain. He didn't like those games of Hide-and-Seek those Luma kids played. No matter how many times he was 'it', he always found himself under a fountain. He still enjoyed their company though.
Then there was the Garage, where he had made a few nightlights powered by the Observatory's Power Stars. Rosalina never thought she'd have a good night's sleep until after that. Who would have thought that she was just as scared of the dark as the Lumas?
Luigi was soon led to a large room with a round table. Funny, he didn't remember this place the last time he was on the Observatory...must have been a new addition. Entering the room, Luigi found a sight he wasn't quite prepared for. He knew that Merlon said he would be talking with the stars, but he figured it would be a few Star Messengers like Twink.
He wasn't expecting the entire Star Council.
Eldstar,
Mamar,
Skolar,
Muskular,
Misstar,
Klevar,
And finally, Kalmar.
Luigi suddenly felt very nervous as every pair of eyes turned to him. If it were the Lumas, Luigi wouldn't have had a problem, as they would pester and play with him when he wasn't out looking for green Power Stars. No, the eyes that were watching him were the eyes of the sacred Star Spirits.
Being led to a chair, Luigi felt like shrinking into himself. Why in the world was he here? Meeting Rosalina wasn't so bad, but the Star Spirits were another story. Sitting in front of so many Star Spirits, he couldn't help but remember the numerous times he had wished to be a hero like Mario. Then he met Twink and learned why his and Bowser's wishes never came true.
'Selfish wishes will never be granted by the honorable Star Spirits.' Twink had said.
Luigi squirmed once again as Eldstar, the oldest and wisest star of them all, turned to him.
"Welcome Luigi. I'm sure you have many questions." Luigi felt as if he had touched a mini Mushroom and was now like a tiny little penny sitting in a big chair. He was so nervous that he couldn't remember any of the questions that had plagued his mind not long ago.
"Um..." Luigi desperately racked his brain for any questions, looking around for any ideas. He finally noticed the weapon next to him. Picking it up, Luigi placed it on the large table, pushing it forward a little bit. "Wh-what is this?" He hesitantly asked. The weapon suddenly rose up, glowing lightly before landing in the middle of the table.
"This, young Luigi, is what's known as a Keyblade." Eldstar said. "A weapon forged from one's heart. It is a very powerful weapon of the light that few can manage to materialize."
"But...I didn't materialize it. It was already made." Luigi said, turning back to Eldstar. The wise star raised a white, fuzzy eyebrow, prompting him to explain. Twiddling his fingers, Luigi took a deep breath before explaining where he found it.
"The Keyblade Graveyard..." Skolar said fixing his glasses.
"Graveyard?" Luigi thought about the desolate, grey area. "Come to think of it...a lot of the weapons...er, Keyblades...were grey and rusted. And whenever I tried to pick one up, it turned to dust or exploded." Luigi said recalling the numerous times he tried to pick up a weapon. Klevar nodded.
"Of course. Not just anybody can USE a Keyblade. Most have had contact with a Keyblade wielder before they can even use one."
"But...I've never met a Keyblade wielder before..." Luigi said, puzzled over the matter.
"There are still some who have obtained the power of the Keyblade through other means. Close contact with the dead is one such way, though it is not exactly a smart way of doing so." Eldstar said. Luigi turned to the wise star before his eyes widened.
"The UnderWhere!" He said, shocked. While visiting Flipside, Mario, Peach and Bowser had all said they found Luigi in the UnderWhere, though none of them had gotten any Game Over's . He couldn't remember why in the world he was there, but they had all made it out fine. "But...does that mean that Mario, Princess Peach and Bowser can all use the Keyblade as well?" Eldstar closed his eyes, pondering the question.
"It is possible. None truly know how to obtain the Keyblade, but connecting the ways all of those who have obtained the weapon lead to possibilities. Of course, not just anyone will obtain it just because they have brushed close to death. Many Wielders of the Keyblade wield the weapon because it is their destiny. And so it seems that your destiny too is to wield this weapon of light."
Luigi stared at the weapon, confused at the recent events that had transpired. Why doesn't Mario have the Keyblade? Does he? What about Peach and Bowser?
A scene suddenly flashed before Luigi's eyes.
A person was sitting against a tree, shrouded in a colorless cloak. The figure looked up and smiled at him, beckoning the plumber to come closer.
"Luigi!"
"AH!" Luigi gasped as he looked up, finding himself back at the round table. Rosalina stood next to him, her delicate hand on his shoulder.
"What happened?" She asked, worried. Luigi blinked a few times before shaking his head.
"N-nothing...it was nothing..." He took a few breaths before standing up. "Um...excuse me..." He quickly walked out of the room, heading for the restroom. Splashing water onto his face, Luigi sighed. What in the world was that? That person...he didn't ever remember seeing him before. And where was he? The scene was so fuzzy he couldn't see anything other than the person. Taking another deep breath, Luigi dried his face before walking back to the room with the round table. Upon entering the room, he saw Rosalina watching him worriedly. He smiled uneasily as he sat down, the nervousness creeping up his spine not helping the matter. Looking around, Luigi found all eyes were back on him. The plumber began squirming again under all the attention.
"Any other questions Luigi?" Eldstar said turning his attention back to the tall man. Luigi racked his brain for any other questions he had. He was supposed to come here for a specific reason, but with all that had happened lately, he couldn't think straight. He began looking around again before he felt something shift in his pocket. His eyes widened as he finally remembered the main reason he had come to Star Summit.
"That's right!" Luigi shouted as he pounded his fist into his open hand. "After I woke up from the Keyblade Graveyard, Toad Town was a wreck! Princess Peach's castle was even worse, and when I got there, I found this..." He fished into his pocket, pulling out the leather pouch. Opening it up, he revealed the bright blue shard he had found in Peach's room. "I found this in the princess' room. I don't know what it is...but I was hoping you would know...and where Mario and Peach were. And what attacked the town!" The shard floated from his hand to the center of the table, everyone looking at it in curiosity.
"You said you found this in Peach's room?" Rosalina said glaring at Luigi, the Star Spirits watching the shard very carefully. The plumber flushed as he realized that what he said probably sounded really perverse and invasive, but he quickly spun the conversation back towards seriousness.
"Yeah, and the room was a mess. It looked like Mario fought something there, but it beat him soundlessly. And Bowser wasn't the one who did it; otherwise there would have been claw marks everywhere." Luigi explained. The Star Spirits watched the piece carefully.
"Is there anything else?" Skolar asked Luigi. The plumber crossed his arms in thought.
"Umm...the shard ate a bunch of apples?" Luigi stated, confused himself.
The silence could have killed a Space Bunny.
"It WHAT!?"
Luigi held onto his chair tightly, the force of the Star Spirits (+1)'s shout pushing his chair back a few feet.
"Uh...it ate some apples...I hadn't really eaten for about three days, and I found an apple tree along the way...but, when I was looking at it...it took my apple..." Luigi felt like shrinking again from all the incredulous staring.
"Are you sure you weren't just delusional from not eating?" Mamar said, still shocked over what Luigi had said.
"Umm...I hope so?"
Silenced reigned the room, Luigi fidgeting under Mamar, Misstar and Muskular's incredulous stares until Klevar spoke up.
"He was not delusional. Though it IS incredulous. This shard is from Princess Peach's Royal Brooch!" Klevar gawked, Skolar nodding his head in amazed agreement.
"Wait...what?" The group asked in unison, turning to the three wisest Star Spirits.
"Yes. This is a shard from Princess Peach's Brooch, the one she has on her person at all times. Why it has shattered, however, we do not know." Skolar said. Luigi was about to say something when his stomach suddenly growled loudly. The plumber's face flushed in embarrassment, everyone in the room beginning to chuckle.
"You said it was almost three days since you last ate, didn't you?" Rosalina giggled. "Come on. I'll bring you to the kitchen. You can get something to eat there." The blonde princess said standing up from her seat.
"B-but..." Luigi stumbled, turning back to the Star Spirits. Kalmar, the gentlest Star Spirit, nodded in understanding.
"Go on Luigi. We would like to discuss what to do next. Also, would you please leave the shard here? We'd like to try and figure out a way to track the other shards. No doubt finding all of them will prove useful to figuring out what attacked Mario and the princess." Luigi hesitated for a moment before Rosalina took his hand, leading him out of the room.
In a dark and dreary place, a small figure sat hugging its legs. The floor glowed dimly, giving very little light to the area. Pink high-heels lay next to the figure, the floor being made of a sort of crystal. The figure reached a gloved hand to its chest, revealing an ornate brooch with a hole in it. The hole looked like it would hold a large gem, but it had been removed. A small gurgling sound emanated from the figure, signaling its hunger.
A small gleam of light suddenly caught the figure's attention, causing it to look up. A small red apple fell to the ground and rolled in front of the sitting figure, and as it crawled over to the apple, it stared at it in confusion. Getting pelted in the head with something, the figure noticed it was yet another apple. Soon, numerous apples began falling all around the figure. Taking a small bite out of the nearest apple, the figure's spirits rose slightly, a small glow emanating from its chest. The glow revealed the pink-clad figure to have blonde hair and a golden crown. Princess Peach, hungry from sitting in the dreary place, happily ate away at the apples.
"These apples remind me of something...but what is it?" She stared at the apples around her for a moment, wondering why she felt such joy and happiness with them. As she ate more and more of the rich red fruit, she felt more and more of her strength return. She held the last red apple in her delicate hands, a small feeling of warmth emanating from it. She held it close to her chest, taking in the feeling of warmth and security that came from it. "This warmth...it's nice..." She said quietly, keeping the last apple as her hunger had been satisfied for the moment.