A/N: #FlyEaglesFly
Anyways, there's going to be a lot of line breaks in this chapter as I'll be transitioning from one scene to another. Please bear with me that I'm going all over the place. However, this is a huge turning point as I'll be revealing the identities of the characters I've hinted in the past. This includes the villain's friend he wants to revive...
*NOTE: I realized I made an error back in Ch. 29, and I added two key words in there. It does sound trivial, but it's for a small correction. You can go back and figure out what I changed in there to get a clue on how it ties into this segment. Otherwise, it is explained in the PCN.
Disclaimer: I own Mario and Sonic, and that's a complete lie.
Chapter 47: Familiar Faces, Familiar Names
"WHOA!"
In the Dungeon Cells, Sonic, Tails, and Professor E. Gadd all heard muffled screams. Rotating their hands, they found the source when the walls opened up. Shadow, Silver, and Colombo fell into Sonic and Tails' prison. Charmy, Vector, and Espio landed in the professor's cell.
"Goodness gracious!" the elderly man shouted as he saw the Chaotix on the floor. "Are you gentlemen alright?"
"Hmph, depends on your definition of 'alright'. From our standpoint, it's terrible," Espio grunted.
"Ugh! Vector! Your tail is crushing me!" Charmy yelled.
"Don't blame me for falling on you! How was I supposed to know that was gonna happen?" he retorted.
"Well, that could've gotten worse," Silver pushed off the ground, barely getting up.
"Of course it got worse! That damn shadow guy still has the Chaos Emeralds, and he duped us for a fake moon piece that I couldn't care less about! If you ask me, it was a waste of our time!" Shadow fumed.
"Chillax, Shads," Sonic pulled the ebony hedgehog while Tails took care of Silver. Colombo shook his body when he got out of the dogpile.
"I told you not to call me that," he brushed off his shoulders and glared at him.
"What the heck happened to you guys?" Tails asked.
"It's a long story," Silver replied. "Plus, we didn't expect to run into you guys, especially here no less. Wait, you are the real Sonic and Tails, right?"
"Uh... we should be. What are you talking about?"
"And did you happen to find Luigi or Mario anywhere?" the professor enquired after helping the Chaotix.
"You guys won't believe it! We were fighting these knights, especially this huge one!" Charmy spread out his arms to emphasize. "Luigi took care of them, with our help, too!"
"But what happened to him?"
"And Mario?"
Colombo answered with a whine, making Tails and Sonic slightly concerned.
"It's bad. We didn't find Mario, and we were supporting Luigi to fight the Tough Possessor. However, we got tricked," Espio caught their attention.
"Tricked?" Sonic repeated through the hole in the wall that divided the cells.
"Looks like we have to explain everything," said Vector. "But quick disclaimer, it's serious business."
"Careful now," the character on the left told his partner.
"Don't worry, I got it," he replied, cautiously carrying a body.
"Just set him down here," their leader requested. Before they did, he removed the Poltergust from his back. He placed it beside the makeshift bed. Later, the woman approached her loved one. She soon saw the battered body.
"Oh, my... The poor thing."
"Now, now, dear. Let's not jump to conclusions. I'm sure he has a concussion, right?"
"Seems to be. We were able to use our limited magic you lent us to disable the giant knight that nearly terrorized him. (1) But we were too late to save him from Edge's torture while his friends got separated. We saw on him on the ground, passed out on the Terrace. I checked for a pulse, and thankfully there was one. It was slow, but present."
"Time's running out quickly though. It's already evening," the second minion stressed out.
The woman gazed at his broken appearance. Luigi was covered in burns and scars, his clothes were torn and scorched, and he was in another coma. There was a significant, black spot over his somewhat beating heart. It was very unfortunate to see how much he has suffered from the shadow's repetitive havoc.
"He's still got until Wednesday to fulfill the job though. I'm sure he'll come to sooner than later."
"But what if he doesn't wake up in time? What will become of him? What will happen to his friends and family? The end of all worlds may truly occur!"
The tall male turned to the woman. "Listen real close here. He will wake up. We will tell him what we know once he does. From there, he has to stop Edge. And I'm confident he'll handle the hardships."
"But what if he doesn't?"
"He will."
Tears started to form in the lady's eyes. "You did promise that everything will be fine. I'm not a pessimist, but the outlook seems bleak if he remains unconscious. We would fail him, the worlds, and ourselves."
Taking his lover by the hands, he interlocked fingers and stared deeply into her soft, watering eyes. He spoke sternly, but not in a rash manner. "Luigi is our only hope, yes. In fact, everyone's hope to stay alive. He'll need the help of his friends, but he also needs himself. Soon, he will have the necessary powers to overcome that bastard. However, it takes time, which is what he needs to recuperate. I promise, I'll do everything I can to help him. If there's anything to look forward to, it's Luigi. But we need to be patient."
The woman sighed, looking at the floor. She turned to Luigi a second time. "Then we have no choice. It's a waiting game from here on."
Her significant one calmly stroked her hair. "It'll all end soon."
"Hey, boss. We happened to find a key in his pocket. Do you think it has any significance?"
The man examined the key from his minion's hand. "That looks like a prison key. Hmm, I wonder… Duplimore, Duplicit. Take this key, and head to the Dungeon Cells in the basement."
"Why do you want us to go there?" Duplimore wondered.
"I have a good feeling Myster Edge imprisoned his friends down there. And this key might unlock the doors."
"If you say so," Duplicit shrugged.
"Oh, and before you do, I request a small favor." He whispered into Duplimore's ear.
"You got it, sir." The two assistants left the room, leaving the couple and the green plumber alone.
They turned back to the sleeping human. Watching anxiously, they held each other close, hoping for a miracle to occur as soon as possible. That miracle, was for the hero to wake up.
"You see, Luigi and Colombo first rescued me. Luigi told me that Mario and you two were going to find Silver around the time we freed Shadow," Vector explained.
"But we never went with them. Some ghosts kidnapped us and threw us here," told Tails.
"That's the thing! After Shadow joined the group, Luigi wanted us to go to the Ice Age Exhibit to find Silver. We saw his painting, but neither of you nor Mario was there."
"Luigi saved me and told me the gist," Silver entered the conversation. "As Vector said, the original plan was that Mario and you two were going to find my painting. But the Sonic and Tails that traveled with them were doppelgangers. Specifically, Edge's robots who transformed into you guys."
"We managed to save Charmy and Espio on the second floor. That was when we saw those duplicates out on the Terrace, with fake paintings of Silver and Espio."
"But why?" Sonic was bewildered.
"It was a fake out," Shadow muttered while leaning against the back wall. "The shadow's robots manipulated them as sabotage."
"Oh, come on, Shadow. You were a part of it, too," Charmy interrupted.
"Shut your trap, insect."
"Anyways," Silver continued, "they got away, but we all came across the Tough Possessor in a suit of armor. After the fight, we retrieved the last Dark Moon piece."
"But it was a complete phony," Espio reiterated their previous point. "We fought a fake ghost and got a counterfeit reward."
"Can't say I'm surprised," E. Gadd put a hand on his cheek, shaking his head. "Tough is known to make clones of himself. But I would've never thought he made a duplicate to actually fight you youngsters, all in the name of deception."
"To rub more salt into the wound, the shadow man came out of nowhere and sent all of us but Luigi down here," the crocodile added.
"What happened to Luigi?" Tails became more fearful than he was earlier.
"Who knows? Other than the fact that he got alienated from us, it's likely that he's in peril."
Sonic clenched his fists in anger. "Urgh... I'm getting so sick of that stupid, purple-faced jerk! If he does anything as bad or worse than the times he tortured Luigi, I'm gonna bury him into a grave and make him suffer through hell for all eternity!"
"Not like you have the strength to do that," huffed Shadow.
"I wasn't talking to you, idiot."
E. Gadd started pacing with dread. "Oh, boy... This has completely gone off the rails. And even though I'm an intelligent man, I can't figure out how to get out of here."
"I thought you were the one who owned all the mansions?" Charmy thought.
"Oh, heavens no. I only do research on the ghosts and the paranormal activities within the entire valley."
"Great. So we're basically stuck here until the Oblivion sucks us all up, huh?" Silver groaned.
"Not really."
The prisoners all turned their heads at the sudden voice. Everyone, excluding Shadow and Colombo, were astonished.
"Mario?! Luigi?!" Tails saw the brothers on the other side.
"Whew," Luigi sighed with relief. "I thought we lost them, Mario!"
"Don't worry, everyone. We're going to get you out of here."
"Grr... Ruff! Ruff!" Colombo showed his teeth at the Mario Bros.
"Easy, dude. It's just Mario and Luigi," Sonic spoke to the Polterpup.
"Hey, Luigi, what happened to the Poltergust 6000?" E. Gadd asked.
"Oh, um... Well, it's... somewhere else."
"Where?"
"Eh, I can't tell you right now."
"What do you mean?"
"Are you dolts going to stand there and play 'Twenty Questions', or are you going to help us escape?!" Shadow lost his patience.
"Sheesh, no need to sound hostile," Mario rolled his eyes. He pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked both of the prisons.
"Yay! We're finally free!" Charmy flew with excitement.
"Don't get so hyped up. We need to find the real Dark Moon piece," reminded Espio.
"Before we do though, we need to take you guys somewhere," Luigi told the party.
"Where to?" Vector asked.
"Just follow us," Mario gestured.
Colombo continued to growl at the plumbers.
"I guess we should follow them," Sonic shrugged.
"How do you know we can trust them?" Shadow crossed his arms.
"At this point, I'm unsure. Based on Colombo's response, something seems off. But I don't have a clue, so I'm just gonna do the next best thing."
"By following two portly, mustached men who probably have no idea where the hell they're going?"
"We're just wasting more time standing around here. Let's leave already," he started walking away. Tails went after him, followed by E. Gadd, Silver, and the Chaotix.
Colombo and Shadow were the last two to leave. They both had their doubts on the situation.
"Ngh..."
While the woman was making a dish, she heard groaning from nearby. She paused her cooking and saw Luigi beginning to stir.
Gasping, she went back to finish the food quickly in hopes of restoring his health. She prepared a Fruity Shroom with a pitcher of Gradual Syrup. Placing the food on a tray, she carried it over to a small table beside the bed.
"Luigi... Luigi, are you awake?" she carefully shook his shoulder.
He moaned some more, indicating he still felt pain. But his head and hands started moving slightly.
"How is he?" the woman heard someone from behind.
"You may be right. He seems to be waking up, sooner than later."
"Talk about a lucky twist of fate."
"Ooh..." The green clad Italian barely opened his eyelids. The two spectators caught a glimpse of his blue pupils. Seconds later, Luigi blinked repeatedly. His vision was blurry as he saw a dark ceiling. Tilting his head, he didn't see anything on his right. But to his left, he found something.
He squinted his eyes as his sight slowly returned to normal. By the time it was lucid, he saw two figures staring at him. He examined them very closely.
Luigi first perceived a woman. The individual wore a stunning dress, similar to Princess Peach's with a few exceptions. For one, the outfit was white. Her long, puffy sleeves reached her upper arms, exposing part of her shoulders. The top of her dress had a collar in rainbow colors. The bands were also vibrant, wrapped over the elbows with another around the waist, similar to the dark pink band from Peach's old dress design. Around her neck was a gold choker with a ruby pendant. Her cheeks featured small blushes of light red makeup. She had gorgeous, hazel eyes to complement her soft facial expression. The woman had long, white hair with two small bangs hanging above them. Lastly, there was a large, rainbow pin in the shape of a butterfly attached to the back of her head. (2)
To her right was a tall human being. The man had a dark face with a sky-blue mouth and eyes, as well as a monocle concealing his left one. He wore a white top hat and a white cape that later faded to blue towards the bottom. He had gloves, but surprisingly no signs of any arms. He held a scepter where the tip was shaped like a diamond. A big, red brooch rested below his neckline.
Luigi blinked twice before getting up in a sitting position. Even with low stamina and strength, he managed to exert through the pain. He remained like that for a while, wondering who these people were.
Then, something clicked in his brain.
"Wait a minute..."
The man looked so familiar. He shared several physical traits to a certain someone. More specifically, a former, yet unorthodox, antagonist who was driven by desolation rather than power. Only his eyes and mouth were red instead of azure.
As for the woman, she seemed completely new to him. Then, he recognized the decoration on her hair. It was shaped like a butterfly Pixl. It reminded him of...
Hold on.
...
...
...
Okay, moving forward.
"No way... It... It couldn't be..." he thought with disbelief. He started shaking his head.
"Luigi?"
That voice. That feminine voice. So graceful, soft, and most of all, memorable. Although he didn't know her that much on a personal level, there was no doubt that she was the same being he met in a previous adventure. Except she wasn't a human.
And the man, it was clear who he was.
It all made sense to him now. But he still couldn't believe his eyes.
"L-Lady Timpani? Count B-Blumiere?"
"Ugh... What happened? Where am I?"
He had a hard time opening his eyes after the hurtful sensation he had running in his head. Part of it was gone, but he still hurt like hell.
"Damn. Whatever hit me, that was a hard knock. Wait..." He soon remembered how Sonic and Tails, or whoever they were, made him unconscious back at the Ice Age Exhibit. Now, he found himself in some sort of eerie lab.
When he tried to rub his head, he couldn't. His arms were extended at the sides of his head. The wrists were trapped underneath a pair of metal fetters. Two more were over his legs. It was by then he realized he was restrained to a table. He also noticed several wires and sponge electrodes attached to his body from underneath his clothes.
"What the heck?"
Before he could continue his thoughts, a door bashed open from behind. He couldn't tell who it was since he could barely move his head. But the deep voice gave it away.
"Ah, Mario. How is my patient doing on this fine evening?"
Said plumber glared at the Shadow Spirit when he was in view. "Edge."
"Is something the matter?" he sarcastically questioned.
"Don't play games with me. What did you do to Sonic and Tails?"
"What makes you think that I did something to your furry pals?"
"Because I remember I got hit in the head by them. But I know that wasn't the real Sonic and Tails."
"Sigh, I guess I can't hide things forever. Yes, I sent my robots to disguise them as the hedgehog and the fox. Surprisingly, they executed my plan fairly well. And now, you're in my grasp once again."
"And let me guess, you're going to inflict the same kind of torture you dealt to my brother?"
"Oh, no... No, no, no... You see, it's much more entertaining to see your pathetic, green sibling to suffer through physical pain." Mario lowered his eyebrows at the monster. "As for you, this is much different than keeping you hostage in a prison cell. I have a completely different motive."
To say Mario was fearful was not true. However, he felt uncomfortable from the tone of his voice, indicating something twisted was about to happen.
"Pardon me for interrupting, but where exactly are you taking us?" E. Gadd was directly behind Mario and Luigi, who led the group into the Haunted Catacombs, located in the second sublevel of Treacherous Mansion.
"Just follow us this way," Mario waved his hand.
"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Espio became doubtful.
"Yeah. We're almost there," Luigi spoke.
"But where are we going?" Sonic wanted an answer but got frustrated when there wasn't a response.
The silence lingered for another minute until they reached the deepest section of the Catacombs. From there, the Mario Bros. stopped at a stony, underground staircase.
"That's weird. I don't think you've ever told me about this being underground, Luigi," the professor put a hand on his chin.
"Oh. Um, maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Perhaps it was bad memory?"
"Eh, I guess. This youngster isn't getting younger at all, right?" he pointed at himself.
"But he's getting crazier by the second," Charmy whispered, then received a nudge from Vector.
Another minute elapsed as everyone descended into the dark depths of the chamber. By the time they got to the bottom, Mario and Luigi paused in front of a wooden door.
"Okay. So this door leads us to our boss' headquarters."
"And before you jump to conclusions, we don't work for Edge."
"Hold on... Did you say 'your boss' headquarters'? You mean, you're clones?!" Shadow grunted.
"Hey, calm down back there!"
The black hedgehog marched his way to the front and grabbed the green man by the collar of his shirt, pinning him to the wall. "Listen here, Faker! We had to deal with so many damn duplicates that I can't even fucking think straight! You're not the real Luigi, and he isn't the real Mario, but I demand answers! Who do you work for, where the hell did you take us, and why did you bring us here?!"
"Jeez, Shads, that's like the first time you mentioned their names even though they're shams."
"Would you butt out?"
"I'm just saying!" Sonic held his arms out like he was shrugging.
"Listen, we're sorry we lied to you. If you give us a second, we'll show our true selves. But you gotta believe my partner. We are not on Edge's side."
"You know, I think they're being honest here. Let's give them some space," Tails suggested.
Shadow was ticked, but he let the Luigi clone loose. Everyone gave them a few seconds to recompose.
"Alright. Here's who we truly are."
Two puffs of smoke covered the brothers until they faded away. In their place, two small creatures with sheets stood in front of the party.
"AAHHH! GHOSTS!" Charmy squealed. He tried to hug Vector, but he planted his palm on the bee's face.
"Why, it's a pair of Duplighosts!" E. Gadd exclaimed.
"Duplighosts?" Tails and Sonic repeated.
"In a way, we're ghosts. But technically, you are correct," the former Mario clone said to Gadd. "We are Duplighosts. My name is Duplimore, and this is my partner, Duplicit." (3)
The other sheet creature nodded and continued their explanation. "We've been secretly following Luigi for progression purposes. We wanted to confirm that he was able to restore the Dark Moon pieces and have the ability to stop the Shadow Spirit."
"How do you even know all of this?" Silver asked.
"Our boss had a strong feeling that something dangerous was imminent. When he heard of news that a dark creature attacked Toad Town, on the night of Luigi's birthday, he took action. He hired us as spies to update the green man's progress. So in a way, Sonic and Tails," Duplimore eyed the Mobians, eliciting a surprised response, "we were following you and Mario on a few occasions."
"That's really odd, but I think it makes sense. Luigi did have suspicions that someone was following him. If it wasn't Edge, it must have been you two," Tails deduced.
"You're half-right. I was the one following. Duplicit manned the Treacherous Mansion searching for clues, ghosts, as well as the paintings of your now-rescued friends."
"Unfortunately, I couldn't do much but wait for his arrival since he was the only one able to free you," Duplicit reasoned. "However, I did uncover some terrible news, which I reported to our leader."
"Speaking of which, who is your boss?" Sonic inquired.
"We'll show you. Plus, we'll explain more when we head inside."
"B-But... How are you..." Luigi stammered as he hasn't fully grasped on what was in front of him.
"Luigi, it's been so long since we've last seen you," Timpani, once known as Tippi, spoke softly.
"I..."
Blumiere held out his vacant hand. "Before you say anything, please allow Timpani to offer you her cooking."
Timpani set the tray of food down in his lap. Luigi gave his thanks to her as he ate a piece of the Fruity Shroom.
"I also want to give my condolences to you." Luigi paused, confused at the Count. "First of all, I regret my previous decisions for brainwashing you as one of my former minions. It nearly costed your life, as well as millions upon millions who were as innocent as you. All because I lost hope of finding the woman of my life. It drove me insane. Thankfully, you, your brother, and many brave souls were able to tramp me to prevent the worlds from collapsing."
Luigi shuddered at that memory. From the time Nastasia put a spell on him to transform into Mr. L, to nearly ending off the heroes, and everything else that transpired before the two empowered their love to rid the Void and save all dimensions... It was something Luigi still felt guilty for since he was forced to fight Mario. But like his friends told him, it wasn't his fault. Yet, he internally took some of the blame.
"You're forgiven, Count Blumiere. I understood how tragic your past was. I'm more than happy that you're reunited with Timpani." Clearing his throat, he took a sip of the Gradual Syrup.
The top-hatted man gave a genuine smile. "Hmm... You know, that's one thing I admire about you. Your selflessness. Something I never possessed when I was in my evil phase."
"Nowadays, you're hardly egotistic. And I'm happy I chose the right man to be with until death do us part," Timpani gazed lovingly at him.
Blumiere gave a small peck on her cheek, to which she blushed.
"Ahem. Um, sorry to ruin your moment, but can I ask you something now?"
"Ah, yes. I almost forgot. Go ahead."
"Why are you two hiding here? In..." Luigi actually had no clue where they were.
"This is a secret underground lair of the Treacherous Mansion. It's just a hiding spot to stay on the low ever since we were supposedly 'deceased'," Timpani clarified.
"But more importantly, it was to hide in a place where we expected you to visit."
"Expected me to visit? What do you mean?"
"You better let me go right now, Edge," the red man demanded.
"And if I don't?"
"I swear to Grambi, I'll make sure you suffer the same way Luigi did from your tyranny."
The purple shadow snorted. "Like you could do that. And besides, you're currently in shackles, so what makes you think you can escape that easily?"
Mario was about to counter, but he was interrupted by two mechs entering the Underground Lab.
"Myster Edge! We brought the Tough Possessor with us!" Slimmer announced as the true, white ghost floated up to him.
"Welcome back, Tough. You did exceptional tricking that green idiot and his friends."
"Tricked? What are you talking about?"
"The boss ordered the ghost to duplicate himself and send the fake clone to fight your brother," Clawdio answered. "After he rescued the hedgehog's friends, they all fought him and succeeded. That didn't mean they truly won though."
"Exactly. With the real Tough Possessor with me, it's time to start the next part of my devious plan."
Tough glared at Mario, who mirrored his gaze, but towards the Shadow Spirit. However, he felt butterflies in his stomach. He was more uneasy than he was recently.
Before Blumiere or Timpani could respond to Luigi's question, the door opened to reveal some familiar faces.
"Bark! Bark!"
"Luigi!" Tails and Colombo zipped past the Duplighosts, delighted to see their friend alive.
Everyone else gathered around the bed. "Luigi! Great to see you after what happened!" Sonic smirked.
"Sonic? Tails? You're really here, right?" he asked for confirmation.
"Don't worry, lad. They're the real deal," E. Gadd reassured.
"I didn't anticipate you two to bring in that many guests," Blumiere told his helpers.
"Well, Edge did capture so many of them down there. At least we got everybody out from the key," Duplicit replied.
"You mean the key I found in the Dark Age Exhibit?" Luigi raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know. Probably."
"Who cares? We're just glad you're okay after Edge separated us!" said Vector.
"You're not hurt, are you?" Charmy asked.
"From what I see, you look a little banged up. But it seems like you pulled a fast recovery, which is good," Espio inspected.
"Much faster than the other times," Sonic added.
So many statements and questions came from his friends. But Luigi needed everyone to stop.
"Guys, wait. Who are you two?" he pointed at the Duplighosts. "And what's going on?"
"We'll tell you everything. But please, replenish yourself," Timpani referred to his food. He ate another piece of his Fruity Shroom.
"Luigi, this is Duplimore and Duplicit, our reliable servants who have been updating both your adventure and Edge's ploy."
"I have mainly been the one spying on you though," Duplimore told Luigi. "There were times I almost got caught. So if I made you suspicious, I apologize for that."
His eyes widened. "Wow. And all this time I thought I was going crazy."
"Not only that, but we had help from the Count to immobilize the suit of armor that could have killed you," murmured Duplicit.
"Oh, so it was you guys who helped us from the Terrace!" Silver understood.
"That's correct."
"It's too bad it transitioned into something negative. But I guess we appreciate your unpredictable assistance," Espio gave a nod.
"I'm glad that everyone seems to be okay now," Timpani felt grateful.
"But alas, we must address the elephant in the room," said the Count.
"I don't see an elephant," Charmy looked around the crowded room.
"It's a figure of speech," Shadow groaned at his innocence.
"What's wrong?" queried Tails.
"We didn't want this to happen, nor did we expect it in the first place. But, I had my suspicions since the attack at the Princess' castle," Blumiere shook his head.
"Expect what?" Luigi reiterated.
Clawdio closed a glass capsule with the Tough Possessor inside. He and Slimmer went over to the control panel, flipping switches, rotating a wheel mechanism, and pressing an array of buttons. The wires that were planted over Mario's body were attached to the container.
He struggled against the constraints. "Why are you hooking up Tough to me? What good would that do?"
Edge sinisterly grinned. "You know how the Possessors can take over things easily?"
"Yeah, so?"
"They usually take over nonliving things, with the exception of the Cheep Chomp your brother faced back in Vanilla Dome."
"And?"
"However, Possessors can't control human beings."
Mario started to realize what Edge was formulating. "Oh no..."
"Since the attack, we heard rumors that Edge was trying to steal the Chaos Emeralds from another world. I presume your animal friends are aware of this, correct?" Timpani asked them.
"Yeah, we knew that for a while," Sonic muttered.
"There was also speculation that he destroyed the Dark Moon, thus negatively influencing the ghosts who reside here."
"Indeed. Luigi has had his experience with that twice," E. Gadd reminisced.
"Because of this, we were terribly worried about the situation," Blumiere looked down.
"Is there something you know that we don't?" Vector wondered.
"Yes. There is," he admitted, as if he was shameful. "Other than Timpani, Luigi is the only one in the room who knows what happened back then. However, there is something extra I have to confess."
Everyone listened closely, especially the green-hatted plumber.
"I was the one who wielded the Dark Prognosticus, a gloomy book of prophecies that depicted nothing related to happiness. I followed a prophecy where I forced a marriage between the princess in pink and the ferocious king of Koopas."
"You're talking about Peach and Bowser, right?"
Blumiere nodded at Tails. "After the wedding, once they subjected to their vows, it created the Chaos Heart, the sole artifact that was responsible for the worlds to be destroyed. With the piece intact, it created the Void, an interdimensional hole that looms in the skies of all worlds until it encompasses everything. That would lead to the demise of those areas that were affected."
"Sounds like the Oblivion," Espio thought.
"That led to a quest where Mario, the man in red and the legendary protagonist as foretold in the Light Prognosticus, a book of prophecies to override the Dark, must collect the eight Pure Hearts with the support of three other heroes. The Purity Heart would be formed from these irreplaceable objects to counteract the Chaos Heart. And the heroes were the same two beings I forced to wed, plus the man in green himself. After they bested me, it all seemed to end."
Timpani placed a hand over the Count's heart. "But it didn't end there. From what it looked like, Blumiere was destined to die after his defeat. Yet the worlds were likely to be saved. That is, until..."
"Until what?" Silver asked for more.
Blumiere's right eye suddenly changed to a shade of red. "...Until he interfered."
"Who?" Charmy was curious.
Luigi mumbled something. At the same time, his face was written with vexation as he aimlessly stared at the half-eaten dish.
Everyone turned to him, with Sonic asking the question. "What did you say?"
He stared up, maintaining his frown as he dared to repeat the name. Once he did, Timpani and Blumiere slightly flinched.
"I'm going to induce this experiment so that the ghost can take over your body. Afterwards, I'll be adding a few more enhancements to make you stronger. Yes, stronger to my benefit."
"Your benefit? If you think I'm going to be your slave, you better think twice on what you're doing!"
Edge shot a lightning orb at Mario. The plumber winced, refusing to let out a cry of pain. The attack charred his left cheek.
"Don't think that you're going to escape from this. You will work for me as an act of ransom."
"Ransom?"
"I'm proposing a threat to make you fight against your clumsy brother."
Mario's eyes enlarged with fury. "WHAT?!"
"It's simple. Since I've been harassing him, there was basically no way for him to surrender under my reign."
"So all that torture was some kind of game? A sick game just to make him suffer?!"
"As I said earlier, it's entertainment to me." Mario scowled at him again. "Because of this though, I'm giving him a choice under these circumstances. He either gives up easily and I spare your life, despite you being possessed. Or, he'll have to brawl you before he has a chance to fight me."
Mario growled through his teeth. "Why are you doing this to Luigi?"
"Because, other than you, he's the meddling fool who killed my friend. After several gruesome years, I vowed to revive him as my plot for revenge. And the end goal is for both of us to rule a new dimension after destroying the old ones!"
"I know Luigi to death. He's a hero. Sure, he has some flaws, and he's not entirely perfect. But he's still a hero, especially in my eyes. What he is not, is a murderer."
"That's where you're wrong, Mustache. He dispatched my partner when he was close to ruling the universes. And your little brother had to ruin his would-to-be triumph."
"Who the hell are you talking about?"
It was clear that Mario wanted to know the truth. With a sadistic smile, Myster Edge leered at his glowering face.
"Does the name 'Dimentio' ring a bell?" (4)
END OF CHAPTER
'God damn it, TGN. Why are you stopping here?!' Let's have Myster Edge's last line linger there for a moment... There, that's why. Another cliffhanger moment. To be continued. Etc., etc.
Did you guess Blumiere and Timpani as the couple I featured in Ch. 38? Or the fact Edge's friend was Dimentio? If you didn't, I mentioned a small clue back in Ch. 29. See if you could find it there (now that I edited it). But if you guessed any or all of them correctly, congrats, here's a virtual cookie!
We'll delve deeper into the backstory in Ch. 48. This will include the 'extra' secret that only Blumiere and Timpani know. Hit the follow/favorite button to get the notification when it comes up, and please review so I know what you think of these revelations! And with that, this is TGN, signing off.
Post-Chapter Notes:
(1): This was the explanation for getting rid of the large knight near the end of Ch. 46. The fight wasn't going to matter since Luigi was facing a fake Possessor.
(2): At the end of Super Paper Mario, a silhouette of Timpani in her human form was shown after the credits. However, there was never a true depiction of her appearance. After searching on Google, I found a drawing from DeviantArt, which I thought was the best one. The original artist is Eniotna; I'm NOT the owner of this image. And that's where I got her physique for this story. (You can search for the picture to get a better idea of what she possibly looks like. The hazel eyes are made up though since it was a Paper Timpani drawing with the typical black ones the other characters have.)
(3): I've introduced Duplimore and Duplicit way back in Ch. 18 and 23, respectively. However, I never explained who they were exactly. In short, they're Duplighosts, hence their names. The origin of these creatures debuted in the first Paper Mario.
(4): All this time, I've been referring to Dimentio as Edge's dead partner. The error I made in Ch. 29 was when I described both of his eyes being yellow. However, Dimentio has different colored eyes: one yellow and one black. I added the latter detail to fix the mistake.