A/N: Amazing! After the previous upload, Hidden Bravery has accumulated over 5000 hits! Thank you everyone for reading my story! It means a lot to me ever since I started writing on FFN. I also want to thank Steel Fairy, r u craZ, and Tiger of Darkness for their reviews. Once again, I appreciate the support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter of HB!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mario or Sonic. They are respectively owned by Nintendo and Sega.

Chapter 29: One Step at a Time

Location: Edge's HQ

A knock came from outside of Myster Edge's private lair. From the security camera, it caught Alpha and Clawdio standing there. The shadow figure unlocked his door to let his robot henchmen in. An irritated grunt came from him as he rotated his chair to face the two.

"Alpha. Clawdio. What business do you have to enlighten me with this time?"

Alpha stepped forward and bowed to his master. "Myster Edge, I received a distress call from one of our Greenies that the monkey prisoners have been freed by the green plumber and his friends."

Edge narrowed his eyes, forcing the robot to continue knowing that he had something else to remark.

"And, uh… I am also displeased to announce that the same guy… seized the Harsh Possessor and reclaimed the Dark Moon piece."

Clawdio shivered at the sight of Edge's glare. He and Alpha jumped when the villain smashed his scepter onto the floor, creating a loud boom.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

Alpha beeped and slowly spoke. "I said that…"

"IT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION, YOU IMBECILE! HOW DID THEY ESCAPE AND WIN AGAINST HIM?!"

"Again, I apologize for the bad news, sir," Alpha tried to ease the tension. "But there's still more time to fulfill your plan before you head to Star Hill."

"That's the same scenario for the past couple of days," Edge grumbled. He didn't yell that time, but his tone remained discouraged. "You see this scepter? It has the same five Emeralds in here, and I have yet to receive another one from you lazy pieces of machinery. I still haven't had a word from Slimmer, Rocco, or anyone else searching in Mobius on where the last two are. At this rate, that plumber will get those moon fragments back before I can even wreak havoc!"

"At least you have enough Dark Shards though," Clawdio spoke up for the first time. "So part of your goal has been finished."

"Shut it, Clawdio. Don't try to sugarcoat this as well. And besides, what the heck are you doing here away from your post?"

"Can I at least take a break? Standing around doing nothing in front the empty prison is literally a waste of my time."

"So is myself lounging here and waiting to get those damn Emeralds. Your point?"

"But, Myster Edge-"

"Can it, you un-handy whiner! The last time I saw you, both your claws got chewed up and were disabled. Maybe if you covered your shift efficiently, the prisoners who were held here wouldn't have escaped!"

"Hey, it's not my fault I couldn't detect invisible ghosts! Slimmer and I tried to catch the stupid pooch, but he got away. And Slimmer's clumsiness made my hands even worse! Yet you allowed him back on search duty!"

"I don't need to hear your sob story. Just return to your post, Clawdio."

Clawdio whispered an expletive to himself, directed towards Edge, but the shadow heard him bleep.

"You want to repeat that to me?"

"What? Uh, nothing sir!"

"That's what I thought. Now get out," he pointed at the door.

Clawdio shook his head and exited the headquarters. Alpha remained standing, unfazed by Edge's confrontation towards the orange mech.

"What are you going to do now, Master?"

"I interfered with him transporting during the last time. It seems less likely that will happen again. And furthermore, I consumed a lot of energy from the Chaos Emeralds to do that."

"You're still going at it with the physical abuse?"

"Don't interrupt me, Alpha."

"Sorry, sire."

"As I was saying, I'll personally deliver another round of torture the next time I come across his path. Chances are that he'll visit the Sparkling Waters next. I did send Overset to watch those prisoners."

"Okay. And what about the other Possessors?"

"Tough is still manning the large residence in Evershade, the Treacherous Mansion. As for Shrewd, I sent him to Mobius a while back." (1)

"That hedgehog's world?"

"Yes, you twit. They probably don't know at this point, but if it means for them to waste more time saving their buddies and recover the moon, it'll have to do until I get my hands on the final two Emeralds."

Afterwards, there was some awkward silence before Alpha concluded the meeting.

"Okay. Well, that's all I have to report, my liege. May I be excused?"

"Oh, yes. Carry on with your business."

Alpha bowed and left the dome hideout. Edge went back to his supercomputer and stared at a still image of Luigi on one of the monitors. On the screen to the right, there was another character there. He boasted a mischievous sneer with those lifeless, yellow and black eyes of his. Edge inhaled heavily and let out an exasperated breath.

"One day, you will return next to me. I will complete what you have failed before you were dead. It just takes one step at a time…"

Location: Boo Woods

Mario, Luigi, and the rest of the party flew past the Mushroom Kingdom to arrive at Boo Woods. The sun had set by the time they arrived while the large moon was in sight in the dark blue sky. They disembarked the helicopter on the other side of the pathway across from E. Gadd's bunker. The six of them got out and walked over to the entrance. Luigi was the last to leave and locked up the doors.

"Sure is a nice night, huh, guys?" Sonic started a conversation.

"I'd say so. Nice breeze, not too warm or cold, the moon looks beautiful as always," admired Amy.

Speaking of moons, Luigi immediately pulled out the Dark Moon piece he recovered from the Harsh Possessor. He stared at it while they approached the entrance.

Mario noticed that his brother was not paying attention to where he was going. "Luigi, look up."

Luigi didn't listen and he went face first into the wall to the right of the door. "Ooh!" he rubbed his nose.

Mario sighed as he knocked on the entrance. "You didn't hear me, did you?"

"Sorry, Mario. I was caught up on something else."

"What's that, Luigi?" asked Tails.

"You know how I said that I saw a vision of DK and Diddy on the last Dark Moon piece? Well, I was considering that maybe something new might pop on this one. It could show us where our other friends are held captive."

"That is a possibility. Have you got any signs?"

"Not yet," he shook his head.

The gang heard the door unlock without getting a response from the professor. He knew just from watching his security camera. They headed inside to meet him and Zephyr, waiting in the Storage Room.

"Oh-ho! You made it back here, lads! How was your jungle adventure?"

"Fairly well, E. Gadd. We managed to rescue DK and Diddy Kong from the Monkey Mines. And they helped us escape and stop the Harsh Possessor," explained Mario.

"Did they now? How terrific of those two to contribute in a boss battle. Now tell me, out of curiosity, what did Harsh possess this time?"

"He took over a single tree and caused so many of them to form into this humongous giant! It was at least twenty feet tall!" Amy shouted, throwing her hands up.

"Extraordinary! I never would have guessed anything like that! Especially after he possessed a staircase in the Tree House high above in the Haunted Towers."

"A staircase? You must be joking. How could a set of stairs be intimidating to anyone?" sassed Sonic.

"You're telling me," Luigi groaned. "I had to walk up probably fifty sets of stairs just to get up all the way to the top and fight Harsh. And if I choose a wrong one, I get sent all the way back down and fight a cheeky Greenie or whatever blocks my path."

"Oh, come on, Luigi. I fought so many robots and big machines from Egghead. Those are more threatening to take down. A possessed staircase couldn't be that bad."

"And I repeat. You're telling me. I'm not as brave as you or Mario, or anyone else in this room."

Mario eyed at his brother disapprovingly. He didn't like Luigi reprimanding himself on his low self-esteem. And he was the one to even do something against Harsh when he was chasing them in Kongo Jungle. Why was he doing this to himself? That was something Mario didn't have an answer to. Not only that, but he didn't comment on it.

"Oh, that's not true, my boy. I've seen you gone through many other experiences that are as dangerous or even life threatening than what you put with recently," E. Gadd tried to cheer him up.

"Such as?" Luigi pressed on.

"Oh… Um… There was that time you…"

Luigi frowned more than before. Mario closed his eyes and shook his head. Amy and Sonic stood there, not reacting to anything. Colombo whimpered to himself. Zephyr facepalmed. Tails tried to break up the awkward conversation.

"Uh, let's just get the Harsh Possessor and all those other ghosts down into the Vault, shall we?"

"Oh, yes. You're right, Tails. Hand me the Poltergust, please."

Luigi removed the vacuum off his back and handed it to E. Gadd. He attached the charger to regenerate the shields while placing the hose into the underground tunnel. A total of twenty ghosts, including the Harsh Possessor, descended into the Vault's canister, joining the other inhabitants.

"You may have used half of your Shriek Shields on this adventure compared to your trip to Vanilla Dome," E. Gadd pointed out the number '5' on the meter. "But maybe Zephyr and I can modify the 6000 overnight to add more. Because if there are even greater dangers that await, you'll have to defend yourselves more strategically than before."

"So, what's next?"

"Just like before, Sonic. We'll need to clean off the moon piece because of its corrupted presence. Luigi, could you hand it to me?" he lifted his hand.

Again, the green man did not listen as he was gazing at the object.

"Luigi, did you hear the professor or not?" Mario shook his shoulder.

He didn't reply to his question. "Mario, I think it's happening again."

Tails seem to catch on to what Luigi's referring to. "You mean another image is appearing on the fragment?"

"I believe so. It's glowing brightly and I feel so much power coming from it."

He didn't wait long until something came up in view. Everyone huddled around Luigi who held the piece out in front of them. They glanced at a visual of an abandoned cargo ship in the middle of Sparkling Waters, where one of the Dark Moon pieces was said to be held in. It zoomed in at one of the lower portholes. They widened their eyes when they saw who was inside.

"Hey! Egghead is in there!" said Sonic.

"He's with Orbot and Cubot," added Tails.

"And Yoshi, too!" Mario shouted.

"And there's Knuckles! Man, he looks so infuriated," Amy was shocked.

"He must be banging on that door for who knows how long. And by the looks of it, they can't escape. That's the knucklehead we know, alright," Sonic sighed, shaking his head.

"Based off this, we should go to Sparkling Waters next," deduced Luigi.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA… You said what now?"

Luigi turned to Sonic. "I said we should go to Sparkling Waters next." Then he realized what he said. "Oh…"

"Yeah, thanks, but no thanks. Since that involves going near a huge body of water, I'm not going to be part of that journey," Sonic narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Sonic, if this Dark Moon piece is foreshadowing something, then we got to head there next," Mario tried to reason with the stubborn hedgehog.

"Well why can't go find the one in that mansion in Evershade? Or another one at least?"

E. Gadd shifted his glasses before explaining. "There are three more parts left. One in Sparkling Waters, one in Evershade, and I still haven't found the last location. But as for the Treacherous Mansion, it's obscured by the thick, purple fog. All of that came from the Dark Moon being broken by Myster Edge. And it only goes away with every Dark Moon piece restored from its negative energy."

"But why can't we go there?" he grumbled.

"If my memory of the previous quest serves me right, that large residence is only accessible if the fog goes away when five Dark Moon pieces are reinstated. This would be our third, but that would only open up the Old Clockworks, the third area Luigi trekked through. (2) And you would need to find the missing one, even if it could take forever for you to search for it."

Sonic threw his hands up in frustration. "Aargh! This is bullshit!"

"Sonic, that's enough," warned Mario. "If you don't want to join us, you can stay behind with Princess Peach and the others in the castle. Or you can go on your own to find the other piece that's not in Evershade. But just saying, you'd probably be on your own. And if Edge or his minions catch you, they might steal your Chaos Emerald."

"Speaking of which, I think I want to join them. I would like to ask Peach if she knows a good spa around here. I could use a break after that big fight. So, I might not join you guys on the next journey," replied Amy.

"If that's what you prefer, Amy, we won't stop you."

"Oh, so you're gonna give her a free pass and not me?!"

"Sonic, I'm sure you'll be fine," Amy rolled her eyes. "Besides, Mario and the others will be with you."

"That's what you say, but I am NOT going near water whatsoever!"

She let out a small breath. "Fine. We're gonna have to do this the hard way."

"What hard way?"

Luigi got his question answered when Amy revealed her Piko Piko Hammer. Everyone sweat dropped and backed away from the pink hedgehog, including Sonic with an agitated look on his muzzle.

"Yeah, I'm gonna…" He didn't finish his sentence and dashed out of the lab.

"SONIC, YOU GET BACK HERE!" she waved her hammer angrily.

"Ugh, there they go again. This always happens between the two," muttered Tails.

"And usually Amy wins this fight, hands-down," sighed Mario.

"So, about that Dark Moon piece?" E. Gadd mentioned.

"Oh. Sorry, Professor." Luigi handed him the fragment.

"Thanks, sonny. Zephyr, if you would, please."

The Greenie nodded and brought up the Energy Suppressor. The old man placed the piece on the turntable and let the machine do its work. Mario, Luigi, Tails, and Colombo watched in awe until the object shined brightly from the cleanup. By then, the fog that hovered over the Old Clockworks in Evershade Valley vanished. Three of the mansions were now in view, while the rest were still concealed. Zephyr turned off the machine, returning it underneath the floor panel. The fragment was immediately transported to the Vault's safe, joining the first two they recovered.

"That's half of the Dark Moon pieces now. I can't believe how far we've come from all this," Luigi contemplated with disbelief.

"And all that's left is to retrieve the remaining ones from the other Possessors," E. Gadd chuckled.

"But there's also Edge and the other Emeralds as well. We can't let him get the two we have. And we have to rescue our friends, too. By the way, do you know if Blaze, Rouge, or anyone else who have found any hints on the others missing?" Mario directed at Tails.

"I almost forgot about them until you told me," he replied honestly. "Maybe I should give them a call. I'll be back in a minute." Tails left to speak in private, leaving the brothers, the scientist, and the ghosts remaining in the Storage Room.

"So how you boys feeling right now?" E. Gadd asked for assurance.

"I'm a bit famished." Mario took a Mushroom out of his pocket and consumed it. "Ah, that feels much better," he patted his stomach.

Luigi playfully rolled his eyes. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all. We might as well head on home soon. We got another long day ahead of us."

"You guys sure do. But despite how dire the situation is, I'm confident you will stop him from destroying the worlds. It just takes one step at a time."

"One step at a time…" Luigi repeated in his head.

"I guess we'll see you in the morning tomorrow. Come on, Luigi. We got to get the others and return the helicopter to the castle."

"Okay, Mario. See you, Professor. Bye, Zephyr."

"Bark! Bark!" Colombo yipped goodbye.

"Sleep well, youngsters!"

The three exited the lab and found Tails standing outside of the bunker.

"Oh, hey guys. I'm ready to go."

"Where's Sonic and Amy?" Luigi asked.

Tails sighed and pointed the two in the woods, Sonic running for his life and Amy following him on a blazing rampage.

"So, how about Blaze and the others?" Mario changed the subject.

"They're still back home on Mobius. They didn't have any luck on finding Shadow, Silver, or the Chaotix, unfortunately. Thankfully, they weren't captured by any of Edge's robots wandering around our home."

"How exactly did they get back there without the use of a Chaos Emerald anyway?" Luigi wondered.

"I bet Toadsworth loaned them a Power Star for the warp pipe when they returned to the castle last night," surmised Mario.

"Oh, yeah. That would make sense."

"Hey! Sonic, Amy!" Tails yelled at them.

"What, Tails?! If you can't tell, I'm still being chased by her, but in a very bad way!"

"Since when have the other times she chased him were considered 'not bad'?" whispered Mario.

Tails didn't bother to answer that. "Guys, we need to get back home! Can you stop wasting time?"

Sonic skidded to a stop, only for Amy to run into him and caused them to fall.

"OW!"

Mario, Luigi, and Colombo all cringed at the collision. Tails ran a hand through his bangs and groaned. He walked over to them and helped them back on their feet. They dusted themselves off and Amy put away her hammer.

"Sometimes you two are ridiculous," said the golden fox.

"Sonic, I told you before that you don't have to join us in Sparkling Waters," Mario reminded him.

"You know what? I've made my decision already. If Amy's staying at the castle tomorrow, I better go with you guys."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Amy snapped, summoning her weapon again.

"Amy, enough!" Tails pulled her back before she could strike Sonic, who was shielding his head with his hands.

"Okay, just to get things clear, Amy, you can stay with Peach, Daisy, and the Toads at the castle tomorrow if that's what you want. The rest of us will return here tomorrow morning so Luigi can pick up his Poltergust. Then, we'll set off for Sparkling Waters. Is everyone okay with that?"

Luigi, Tails, and Colombo agreed on Mario's clarification. Eventually, the hedgehogs concurred, Sonic reluctantly nodding his head.

"So it's settled. Now let's get the Mushroom Copter back to the castle. And then we can get a good night's sleep."

The six of them walked over to the chopper. Luigi yawned and stretched his arms, but at that time, he thought he heard some rustling in the bushes. He stopped to look behind.

"Is someone over there? Or am I delusional?"

"Luigi, come on!" Mario called him.

He shrugged and went inside the vehicle. They flew and left the spooky forest. Once they were out of sight, a figure popped out of the shrubs.

"Phew, that was close. I almost got caught," he murmured to himself. He then contacted someone on his communicator. "Duplicit. Progress report."

"Hey, Duplimore. I scoped out the Treacherous Mansion. Tons of ghouls here as usual. And all I see are dark, purple clouds outside. You can't even see the sky from here," he commented while looking out the front window. "How about you?"

"The green guy and his allies have left the vicinity. I presume they recovered another Dark Moon piece."

"You think so?"

"I'm almost positive on it."

"Alright then. Anything else to know?"

"Not yet. Actually, I retract my statement. They said they're heading to the Sparkling Waters tomorrow. So they still won't reach the Treacherous Mansion just yet."

"I see. Well, I guess I'll continuing searching around here. I'll also report that to the boss."

"Gotcha. I'll contact you again if I uncover anything else."

"Roger. Talk to you later."

Duplimore hung up the call and stared at the large, white moon above Boo Woods.

"It's all coming together, at least. Just one step at a time…"

END OF CHAPTER

Pretty cheesy to use the same line in three different scenarios, but there has been some important activity and questions to answer.

For Myster Edge, he's enraged by the fact that Luigi and his friends have stopped the Harsh Possessor. Not only that, but he was staring at a picture of someone who died, and his goal is for that character to 'return'. Who is he talking about?

For the heroes, they will set out to Sparkling Waters as their next destination, much to Sonic's discontent. If there's any good news out of this, half of the Dark Moon is recovered and Luigi didn't get harmed by Edge this time. But the villain plans to seek his revenge. How will things turn out in the water world?

And for the mysterious duo of Duplimore and Duplicit, they have some type of scheme stirring up, but you guys don't what it is. What are your theories on these characters' roles?

As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to review, follow/favorite, and I'll see you guys in Ch. 30! This is TGN, signing off.

Post-Chapter Notes:

(1): Remember how Professor E. Gadd only discovered four of the five missing Dark Moon fragments back in Ch. 18? Well, Myster Edge revealed the missing location which happens to be in Sonic's world. Where exactly won't be told just yet; nonetheless, our heroes won't know this until later.

(2): In Dark Moon, the fog disappears after a piece has been cleaned off. But going off from that game, it took five recovered fragments to uncover and access the final mansion. For that reason, the Treacherous Mansion will be the last region the heroes will travel to ultimately rebuild the Dark Moon.