"OH CRAP! OH CRAP OH CRAP OH DIDDLY SNAP!" Todd panicked as he ran around the clearing. Luigi had been gone for too long, and he wasn't sure if he was even okay or not. The Toad began to panic, not knowing what to do. He was on a strange mountain in a strange place, with about two days' worth of supplies, and no idea on where to go. This was supposed to be a quick trip to the desert outpost, find the inn and then do whatever it was that they needed to do. Luigi wasn't supposed to be attacked by a buzzard and then fall off a cliff!

"OH CRAP OH CRAP OH DIDDLY SNAP!"

"What seems to be the problem?" A voice said behind Todd. The orange-capped Toad turned around to see a man wearing a sandy brown cloak and dark blue eyes. Todd couldn't see much else about the man. His face was hidden by the cloak.

"U-um, Ooohh...Well...I..."

"Calm down." The man said gently, putting a hand on the boy's Mushroom cap. "Just tell me what happened." Taking a deep breath, Todd exhaled slowly.

"W-well, me and a friend of mine were heading for Dry Dry Outpost, a desert town that's supposed to be at the end of this trail. B-but we were attacked!"

"Attacked you say?" The man asked, a small tone of worry creeping into his voice.

"Yeah! A big black buzzard attacked us, thinking we knew where some guy named Mario was. We tried not to fight, but he said that Mario had tricked him before, and that he wouldn't fall for another trick! And then! And Then!" Todd began to panic again, the cloaked man telling him to take another deep breath. Slowing down again, Todd thanked the man. "And then, Luigi threw me into that small cave over there and was taken away by the buzzard! But, he shot lightning from his hand and shocked the bird! Which was cool! But then he fell!" A look of awe shone in his eyes for a moment before they returned to their panicked state. "And now I don't know what to do!"

The man watched the Toad's panic-stricken state before he looked towards the cliff. Walking over to it, the man peered down, looking at the very long drop down. Todd watched in confusion as the man looked to the sky, quiet, before turning around.

"Tell you what, you seem to be in a tight spot, and so I'll help you out." He said, Todd imagining the man smiling underneath the cloak. "You said your friend's name was Luigi, right?" The Toad nodded. "Then I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Do you know him mister?" Todd asked as he began to follow the stranger. He imagined a small smirk appearing on the man's face.

"Yeah, you could say that. Luigi has a way of finding a way out of things on his own, so I'm sure he's fine."

"HEEEEELP!" Luigi screamed, hobbling at an inhuman speed away from the rampaging Loki. "WHY IS HE SO DAMN FAAAHAAHAAHAAAST!?" The man cried in misery.

"LOKI IS VILLAGE CHIEF! OF COURSE LOKI STRONG!" The chieftain roared, leaping high into the air. Luigi looked up before squawking as Loki fell towards him, the shockwave of the large man landing next to him sending Luigi flying away. Finally coming to a stop, Luigi looked up to see Loki slowly stand up before flashing the spear towards his big nose. "Loki will not back down easily!"

"But I don't even really wanna fight!" Luigi panicked as he tried unsuccessfully to fight with the Keyblade. His foot kept sending shockwaves of pain up his leg every time he put more weight on it than he should have. Add in the fact that the only weapon that Luigi had ever really used in battle was a hammer; Luigi was at a huge disadvantage, merely swatting at Loki's spear with his un-orthodox weapon. Once again, Luigi speedily began to hobble away from the man. The chieftain snorted as he started after Luigi again, running much like a gorilla would.

"You are COWARD SKINNY MAN!" Loki roared, Luigi's eyes widening. The plumber slowed to a halt, his eyes wide as he stared at the ground. Luigi mumbled something incoherent, Loki's face not showing whether he heard him or not. "You are coward skinny man...you no have courage." Loki readied his spear for the final blow, but before he began to charge again, Luigi burst out laughing.

"HAHAHAHA! YOU'RE RIGHT! YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! I AM A COWARD!" He laughed before spinning around, a mile-wide grin on his face. "So what the hell am I doing fighting? I've always been a coward, so when in the world did I start to think I was my brother?" Luigi grinned, Loki staring at him in confusion. "I'm a coward, so I should start thinking like one!" Luigi's hand burst to life as electricity crackled around his arm. The plumber slammed his hand onto the ground, the burst of energy creating a cloud of dust. The villagers tried to see what was going on, the dust having surrounded the entire arena. Luigi pushed himself upright on his crutch, creating fireballs in both hands and pushing off of the wooden crutch before launching the fireballs, the recoil pushing him out of the smokescreen. Spinning around, Luigi grasped onto one of the tall columns, the Keyblade being held by his belt. Pulling himself up, Luigi looked down as the smokescreen he created vanished, Loki looking around for his enemy.

"Up there Chieftain!" A villager shouted, Loki looking up and spotting Luigi.

"If there's anything I've learned from my brother, it's that I'm not him. I can't handle intense fighting too well, and especially not with a broken ankle, so the only thing I can do is think like a coward, which is my specialty!" Luigi shouted as he raised a hand to the sky, storm clouds being pulled to the arena. "So call me a cheap shot, a coward, whatever!" Luigi grinned as electricity crackled around his hand. "I'm a coward, and a coward's specialty is running away!" Luigi swung his hand down, a bolt of lightning hitting his tower. With a flash of light and a deafening explosion, the tower imploded into hundreds of pieces, debris falling down and pelting the audience. When the smoke dissipated, Luigi was nowhere to be found.

Diana walked out to the battlefield, noticing the crutch lying on the ground, two burn marks sizzling just above it. Picking it up, she looked to the sky, wondering if she would ever see him again.

"Whew, didn't think it would work..." Luigi sighed as he looked down at his fluffy ride. "Good thing I studied up on you guys." Luigi smiled as he pat the moving cloud. The cloud smiled back at Luigi as it continued on its journey towards the dessert. Luigi looked back to the village in the distance, wondering if they were still looking for him. Looking towards the horizon, his mind wandered back to his time at the library, a few weeks before the catastrophe of the Heartless.

"How in the world do they even GET those stupid clouds anyway?" Luigi grumbled as he rubbed his lump-riddled head, behind him an unconscious Lakitu and his cloud floating away. He had heard of Lakitu's still 'paying off' their cloud, so did that mean that you had to buy them? He had once gotten on a magic carpet, but those were both expensive and horrible to drive, yet the Lakitu's seemed to have good control over their clouds. It made Luigi wonder how he could get one of those for himself. And after asking around for a 'cloud shop' and getting laughed at, Luigi found himself at the Toad Town public library. There he had found a book on Lakitu and, more importantly, their clouds.

"Just like thunderstorms, clouds are attracted by heat in the air, but thunder clouds are attracted to points of electrical current. It's why cities have more storms than farms out in the country." Luigi lifted up his hand. "If I channel electricity to my hand, I can gather storm clouds, and you clouds are attracted as well." Luigi looked down at his ride. "Though you were a little out of the way, and it REALLY hurt to jump, you were the only one big enough for me that wouldn't electrocute me the moment I touched you." Luigi sighed. "But enough rambling," Luigi sat up before pushing what looked like a gas pedal, the cloud suddenly speeding up. "I've got to get to Dry Dry Outpost. It's probably where Todd was heading. I just hope he didn't freeze up in the mountains." Looking at his injured ankle, Luigi sighed. "I still can't believe I lost the map..."

A strange vibration made the plumber jolt before realizing it was the Keyblade. Pulling it up from its resting position on the cloud, Luigi felt his hand twitch left. Blinking, Luigi slowed the cloud to a stop. He felt his hand continue to twitch to the left, and, turning the cloud, Luigi felt the pull stop. He then felt as if his hand was suddenly pulling him forward towards a mountain base. Luigi turned around to see the dessert off in the distance, the winds blowing harshly. Looking back at his pulled hand, he debated upon going after Todd or following the Keyblade.

"He could be in trouble..." Luigi pulled back towards the dessert, but as he began to move towards the sands, his resolve to go after Todd began to diminish, as if he were being pulled towards the other direction. The closer he got to the dessert, the more he felt the desire to turn around, and as he began to feel the heat of the sun more clearly, he clenched his eyes tightly. Why was he being pulled that way?

WHY?

"DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!" Luigi cursed, spinning the cloud around and going back the way he came.

Luigi pressed the pedal further, driving the cloud faster and faster the way he had been moments before. A wave of relief flowed through him, as if he was being rewarded by going in this direction. The closer he got, the greater the feeling of content he felt. Why was he feeling like this? Why did he feel so relieved just going towards the source of this strange energy?

Luigi blinked, slowing the cloud down again. He looked down in front of him to see a forested shrine of sorts, with a glow emanating inside. Luigi lowered the cloud, and just as he finished grabbed his gear and slowly stepped out, he watched as the cloud disappear in a loud puff of smoke, nothing remaining. Blinking, Luigi turned back to the shrine, thankful that he had grabbed his stuff when he did. Moss and tree roots covered the entrance, and the top of the shrine was hidden by tree branches. A star was engraved at the front of the shrine, along with some strange runes. Slowly hobbling into the shrine, Luigi found an altar at the far end of the building, light streaming in from numerous holes in the old shrine. Luigi's eyes widened as a stream of light illuminated an old piece of paper in front of the altar.

"THE MAP!" Luigi hobbled rapidly towards the paper, picking it up and kissing it repeatedly. "YES YES YES! MY LUCK IS FINALLY CHANGING! HAHAHA!" He leapt into the air, only to land on his injured foot.

"GYAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The shout caused numerous birds to flee from the shrine in fear, one particular head turning towards the source in curiosity.

"Stupid idea..." Luigi whined as he gently rubbed his splintered foot, leaning against the altar. Looking at the injury, Luigi noticed the clothes Rosalina had made herself. He was lucky to get his clothing back. Granted he hadn't lost his pants, and he could always buy new shoes when he got back to town, but the flannel shirt was custom made by Rosalina herself! Luigi blushed in embarrassment as he remembered what Polari had told him.

"Yeesh! And I almost lost them only three days after I got it..." Luigi exhaled slowly. The plumber stood up, careful of his ankle, before he felt something pulse lightly behind him. Turning around, Luigi found a strange crystal diamond floating above the altar. Funny, how hadn't he noticed that in the first place? Looking at it in curiosity, Luigi felt a sort of calm emanating from it. His eyes widened as he recognized it as the feeling that had been pulling him here. Hardly even aware of it, Luigi raised a hand and picked up the diamond, inspecting it at a closer view. A green sphere glowed inside of it, and Luigi could have sworn he saw leaves swirling inside of the sphere.

Suddenly, the diamond began floating above his hands before shattering, a blinding light making Luigi shield his eyes. When he regained his sight, Luigi found the room to be quiet, the sphere nowhere to be found. Luigi turned around, wondering if it went out the door. Walking outside, Luigi found the forest to be quiet and welcoming, a warm breeze blowing against his face. He noticed a pair of birds watching him and a squirrel staring at him from a tree. Blinking, Luigi looked down to notice the splinter on his leg was gone.

"My leg...it...it didn't hurt. Even though I walked out here..." Taking a deep breath, Luigi closed his eyes. Strange, he felt calm all of a sudden. As if nothing was wrong in the world. A gust of wind rushed around Luigi, and when he opened his eyes, he saw nothing but yellow and blue. Blinking, Luigi looked around to find himself in the dessert, still feeling surprisingly cool.

And then, the feeling faded away.

A burst of heat struck Luigi's face, causing the plumber to wrinkle his nose and turn his head, the feeling of tranquility disappearing. Shaking his head, Luigi remembered what his mission was. Glaring into the distance, he caught sight of a small town. "I've got to get to the Desert Flower Inn! That's where I'll find Todd!" Luigi said as he began running towards the town, somehow full of energy. However, instead of running heroically towards the town like he had dreamt of doing for years, he ended up flopping on his face.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON TODAY!?" Luigi shouted to the sky, waving his arms and legs frantically, very much like a little child. Grumbling, the irate plumber shook the sand off of his face before rubbing his nose. "What did I trip on anyway?" Luigi turned around, only for his face to pale. A Koopa skull lay staring at him, tiny yellow eyes weakly staring at him inside of black sockets.

"Please...help...me..."

"AAAIIIIIIEEEE!" Luigi screamed, jumping up into the air.

"Wait...please...help me...I've been...cursed..."

"C-c-cursed?" Luigi shivered. He suddenly started looking around frantically. Curses usually related to ghosts, and ghosts were one of the many things Luigi couldn't stand. Right next to rainy days after putting the clothes out to dry.

"Please...can you...heal me?" Luigi looked down to the skeleton sadly. He didn't have any healing abilities, save for using first-aid. And he doubted a Mushroom would help, considering the skull kind of didn't have a stomach...or a mouth for that matter.

"I'm sorry, but I don't really think I can help you..." Luigi squatted in front of the Koopa head. Strange, despite being a freaky little head, he actually seemed pretty nice. Luigi plopped down next to the skull, picking it up and looking at it. What could he do anyway? And, come to think of it...

"Where's the rest of you? You're not really just a head, are you?"

"No...the desert...swallowed me..."

"Oh...Sorry, I don't think I can do anything-

NOT TRUE LUIGI!

"WAAAH!" Luigi screamed, tossing the head into the air. "Ack!" The plumber dove for the skeletal head, catching it before skidding on the sand. Shaking the sand off once more, Luigi looked around to try and find the source of the voice. His eyes finally caught a light shimmer below his chin and, pulling out the leather pouch, found it glowing. Luigi plopped out the shard before a transparent Eldstar appeared before him.

"Eldstar?" Luigi blinked, barely able to see the Star Spirit because of the bright sands of the dessert.

Yes Luigi, it is I. We Star Spirits were holding council when we felt a shift of power. Did you by chance encounter a strange gem?

"Uh...yeah. It had this little sphere inside..."

Luigi, you have just found a magical prism!

"A what?"

An ancient relic used in days of old. It bestows a unique and powerful ability to the one who picks it up. No one knows exactly how many there are, but as you grow stronger, so do they. Now let me ask you, did you notice anything about the sphere inside the prism?

Luigi put a hand to his chin in thought. "Ummm...it was green?" He spoke the words hesitantly.

Hmm...That means you have found a nature spell. And judging from the feeling of energy resonating from you, I can already tell that it's a healing spell! Luigi! You have found Cure!

"Cure? Oh!" Luigi's eyes widened as realization hit him. He spun around to see the Koopa head staring at the star spirit in shock. Was there really a star floating in the dessert? He suddenly caught Luigi's stare however and turned to him instead. Luigi stood up, suddenly feeling a strange power buzzing around inside of him. Pulling the Keyblade out from its resting place in his belt, he raised it towards the sky. Closing his eyes, Luigi felt a dark presence next to him. Locking onto hit, he felt a strange energy flow to the tip of the Keyblade.

"CURE!" The plumber shouted, snapping his eyes open.

The skeletal head began floating up before spinning around, a gust of wind shielding him from sight. When the wind died down, a full Dry Bones was staring back at him, looking down to see he had a body again. Sort of.

"Looks like my Cure isn't strong enough to break the curse..." Luigi sighed.

"Hey! You gave me a body back! That's one step up from where I was a moment ago. Thanks!" Luigi looked at the Dry Bones and smiled.

"No problem. Thanks Eldsta- oh...he's gone." Luigi found the transparent Star Spirit nowhere to be found. "Oh well. I'm sure I'll see him again soon." The young man shrugged as he replaced the Shard back into the pouch around his neck. He turned back to the Skeleton and smiled. "I know this is kinda weird to ask now, but...what's your name?"

"Ah!" The Dry Bones began to chuckle. "I actually forgot about that."

The two shared a small chuckle, laughing at the awkwardness of the situation. "My name's Parch. Always wondered why I was given this name, but I guess it sort of makes sense now." He said looking at the gloved hands floating away from his body. It felt like he had arms, yet he didn't. "I ended up running out of water, so I guess I was cursed by the desert."

"What were you doing out here anyway Parch?" The Dry Bones' eyes shifted downwards.

"I was trying to go after bandits."

"Those blue guys that are always stealing your money?" Luigi asked crossing his arms. Parch shook his head.

"No no. REAL bandits. They stole from my parent's shop, so..."

"You chased after them, not realizing what might happen..." Luigi sighed, immediately thinking of Mario. The aura of gloom that shrouded Parch was kind of hard to miss at this point.

"But what are YOU doing out here Luigi?" The Dry Bones asked, quickly trying to change the subject.

"Hmm?" Luigi looked up, trying to remember what he WAS doing out in the desert. "Urk!" His eyes shrank as he finally remembered. "OH CRAP! TODD!" Luigi turned and saw the faint outline of Dry Dry Outpost. "OH MAN, I TOTALLY GOT CAUGHT UP IN THIS! I FORGOT ALL ABOUT HIM! AGAIN!" Luigi suddenly started running towards the town, waving back to Parch. "LATER PARCH!" The Dry Bones stared after Luigi for a moment before looking down to his gloves. Clenching it, he glared at Luigi's back.

"Oh crap, oh crap oh crap! I can't believe I forgot about him! How could I forget about a tiny little toad who probably got lost in the mountains! If I can't find him in the town, I'm heading back for the mountains! Even if I have to face...*gulp*...Loki again..." The plumber paled as he picked up his speed, waves of sand being blasted up into the air as he ran. "PLEASE LET HIM BE IN THE TOWN!" He cried pathetically.

"Luigi!" A faint voice said behind the supersonic plumber. Luigi turned around to see Parch sliding on his back, much like a hammer bro would after scoring a goal in soccer.

"Parch?" Luigi raised an eyebrow, still running at the same speedy pace, his legs seemingly having been transformed into the shape of a rapidly spinning ball.

"I'm coming with you! You helped me, so the least I can do is help you!" Luigi smiled at the Dry Bones, nodding.

"All right! Welcome aboard!" Luigi smiled as he gave the skeleton a thumb's up.