Chapter 26 I'll Rescue Her
Hearing those words coming from the great watcher of the Cosmos made Luigi feel a little sick. The fact that he had been in the Castle less than twenty minutes prior, and Peach had been there only contributed to the feeling of nausea. He exchanged a look with his brother before looking back at Rosalina, shaking and quaking so much that she appeared just a few seconds away from tumbling like a domino.
It was Daisy who was the first one to speak and question Rosalina about the information she had just relayed to the group. "What do you mean Peach has been kidnapped? How did it happen?"
Rosalina raised herself so that she stood up at her full height. Even still, she trembled like she was in the middle of experiencing an earthquake only she could feel. "It…it all happened so fast!" She put her hand to her forehead, her breaths coming out shallow and raspy. "Peach and I were in the Castle, just finishing participating in a Mario Kart race." She looked Luigi right in the eyes. "I suspect that Mario leaving was what prompted the perpetrator to strike."
Luigi's nausea got worse. He tried telling himself that he couldn't have known, that this was pure coincidence more than anything else. Still, even with that reassurance, his guilt skyrocketed into the stratosphere. It was only Mario putting his hand on his shoulder and gently squeezing that prevented Luigi from emptying the contents of his brother's stomach.
"We made our way toward the throne room," Rosalina continued, "when I noticed a very strange gas filling the room. It…it was purple, and really thick. It…it made me feel woozy and…tired…" she shook her head as a yawn escaped from her mouth. "I could just barely stay awake long enough to see Bowser come into the throne room, hoist Peach over his shoulder, and make his exit." She sucked some air through her teeth. "It was awful! I'm lucky that he didn't take me too."
Mario smirked. "Bowser's only interest is Peach. He doesn't care about any other people, at least not enough to kidnap them."
E Gadd shook his head. "Tsk tsk tsk, an unfortunate thing for him to do in this situation, as that has left a witness to his horrible antics."
"Hey, I never said Bowser was the sharpest tool in the shed," Mario replied. "Just the most determined."
Rosalina took in a deep breath, looking like she would explode as she did. Thankfully, the fright in her features faded away as she let the breath back out into the atmosphere. "I think it goes without saying that we need to go rescue her." She looked between the two brothers. "Mario, Luigi, I don't have much in terms of combat oriented superpowers. But I will help in anyway I…"
She stopped. She blinked, doing a double take as she looked from Mario to Luigi. Mario, Luigi, Mario, Luigi. Her jaw dropped a little. She raised her hand to point at them, but just as quickly lowered her arm as her tongue tripped over what were supposed to be words. "Y…y…you…"
Mario's brow furrowed. "What's wrong, Rosalina?"
"Y…y…" It wasn't until she had taken another breath in that the Lady of the Shooting Stars was able to speak. "Your auras!"
Luigi's heart sank, the reason behind Rosalina's confusion all at once becoming very clear to him. "They're swapped, aren't they?"
"Yes!" Rosalina shot Mario a wide eyed expression. "Luigi, you have the light red luster your brother usually has!" She looked between the two of them, fishing for answers to quell the confusion that looked like it was going to cause her to get into the feeble position. "I don't…I don't understand…"
"Then perhaps it is time we explain things to you," E Gadd said. He took a step toward Rosalina, displaying a type of reverence but also looking at her with a serious frown. "A few nights ago, Fortune's Comet passed over the Mushroom Kingdom. Luigi made a wish on the shooting star, completely unaware of its mystical and powerful properties. The wish caused the minds of the brothers to be transferred from their own bodies into the bodies of another."
Rosalina blinked. "So…" she looked at Luigi. "So…that means that you are…?"
"Yes," Luigi said, wearing the type of serious face he felt was appropriate for this ground breaking revelation of Rose's. "I'm Luigi. And he?" He pointed toward his brother. "He is Mario."
Rosalina gawked at the two of them, not moving any part of her body but her head for the better part of three minutes. "That…" she put her hand to her forehead again, looking like she was developing some sort of splitting headache. "Well…that would explain the change in your auras…"
Luigi nodded. He watched her wrestle with this new information, feeling as though her confusion was exactly the same as the confusion he and Mario felt when they woke up swapped. Because of this, he didn't know if talking to her was necessarily the best idea, as it looked like this was something she needed space to work through on her own. But then again…this was a body swap. Body swap scenarios, by their very nature, weren't something one person could work on all by themselves. This sort of scenario involved multiple people, people who needed to work together and be there for each other in order for to full grasp and fully overcome the problem.
So, in that sense, Luigi was actually kind of thankful that Mario spoke up. "I know; it's an odd scenario." He looked back over toward Luigi. "The two of us can tell you that from experience."
Rosalina looked up at them, the confusion still there but now far more less pronounced. "You…this happened to you because you wished on Fortune's Comet."
Luigi felt his stomach churn, as that question reminded him of the fact that this was technically all his fault. "I'm…I'm afraid so…"
Rosalina's eyes grew even wider, now looking like some worthy rivals to the biggest star in the universe. "But…but Fortune's Comet only travels across the sky of this planet…"
"Once every century," Mario said with a frown. "Yeah, we're aware of that."
"Which is why we could really use your help, Rose," Luigi said. He stepped toward her, wearing an expression that he hoped painted the situation as one that they desperately needed to fix. "You are acquainted with a luma who can change the course of the Prankster Comets. We need you to take us to them so they can reverse the path of Fortune's Comet." He furrowed his brow. "Preferably, we need to do that as soon as possible."
Rosalina looked between the two Mario brothers again, her confusion now replaced by a very strong bout of determination. "If that is what you two require of me, then I'll gladly do it." She smiled at them. "You have helped me multiple times throughout your own journeys across the vast universe; it is only fitting that I return the favor. Even in the smallest way."
Luigi grinned. Yes, yes, that was exactly what he wanted to hear! The joy that would come about from him and Mario return to their regular old lives was so close that he could taste it, and BOY did it taste good! He looked into Mario's borrowed face, noticing that his brother looked as if he was going to sing the hallelujah chorus at the top of his lungs. Luigi didn't blame him; he felt ready to do the exact same thing if the situation called for it.
tUnfortunately, the giddiness in Luigi's mind was broken when Daisy spoke up, and did so with a very disappointed tone. "Wait. What about Peach? We need to worry about freeing her!"
Luigi's heart sank as he gasped. "Oh, you're right!" His heart pounded in his ears, creating a very strong and horrific rhythm in his mouth. "What are we gonna do!" He looked into Mario's eyes again, sweat forming all over his body as he sought an answer from his brother. "We can't do both things at the same time!"
"No…" Mario replied. "But we can split up. There are two of us Luigi, and there are two things that need to be accomplished." His expression looked as grim as the Grim Reaper himself. "I'll take care of rescuing Peach. You go with Rosalina to find that luma."
Luigi nodded. "That sounds reasonable." That was a good plan, one that would accomplish both things that were required. Sure, did Luigi like the idea of separating from his brother in this way, carrying out a task that really required the attention of both of them? No. He wanted to do something like this with Mario, as he felt that both of them going up into space to get the help of the luma was something both of them needed to do. Of course, Bowser hadn't been one to care about what both of the brother's needed, so unfortunately, the two of them had no choice but to separate.
Although, as Luigi thought about it, a desire built up in his mind. It grew stronger with each passing second, reaching its peak as Mario went up to speak to Rosalina again. "Wait."
Everyone present looked over at Luigi. Mario and Rosalina had furrowed brows looking at him, while E Gadd and Daisy had raised eyebrows. Luigi took a deep breath as he looked at his brother, trying his best to wear a determined face.
"Mario, I want to be the one to rescue Peach this time."
Mario's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. "You do? But…but…" he approached him, now looking like a worried, over protective older brother. "But that's dangerous, Lou! You know how vicious Bowser can be! Sure, you've fought him before, but you never did it all by yourself!" Mario took Luigi's hand. "I've fought Bowser alone, so I know what to expect in a mission like this. I should be the one to rescue Peach."
For a split second, Luigi felt happy that his brother was thinking about his safety in this way, that he was taking the time to be considerate towards Luigi's well being. However, that faded away quickly, being replaced with a determination similar to what had appeared on Rosalina's face less than five minutes prior.
"I know," he said to his brother. "I know it's not going to be an easy task." He smiled. "But I want to do it. You risk your life all the time in order to save Peach. So, in a sense, you deserve a break from that sort of level of craziness." He pressed his lips together. "Besides, I'm you. Mario is supposed to be the one to rescue the Princess. It's only fitting."
Mario raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "That's not a good excuse…"
"It might not be, but its the truth." Luigi leaned toward him, now so close that he could see the pores on Mario's (or rather, his own) face. "I want to do it Mario. I feel that I am more than capable."
Mario hesitated. "I…I guess that's a true…" he shook his head. "But still, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you go on such a dangerous mission all by yourself…"
"I'll go with him."
Both brothers blinked. Luigi turned toward Daisy, questioning whether he had heard things right. "Daisy…are you sure…?"
"Yes." Daisy looked as serious as the Blorbs, yet at the same time, she had a genuine quality in her eyes that is very difficult to replicate or fake. "Peach is my best friend. I always feel kinda bad when she gets kidnapped all the darn time, so I think it would be a good thing for me to aid in rescuing her at least once." She smiled. "Besides, I want to be there for Luigi in anyway I can, and if that involves punching the Koopa King in the face, then I'm all for it."
Luigi's heart melted right then and there. "Daisy…!" He practically turned into a mushy gushy puddle of attraction as he went up and gave her a hug. "That's so sweet! Thank you!"
"Anytime, Weegee. Consider it a way to make up for the dates that you and I didn't get a chance to go on ourselves." She lifted her head and looked at Mario when she said that, clearly displaying a sort of ire towards him.
Mario squirmed a little looking at her, but eventually cleared his throat and put the determined face back on. "Alright then. If you two are determined to do this, then I guess I can't stop you. However, I won't leave you two completely unarmed." He looked over at E Gadd. "Elvin, do you think you can give the two of them some machines that'll help them on the mission?"
"That seems doable; yes," E Gadd replied.
"Okay." Mario nodded and looked back at Rosalina. "I guess…it's settled then…"
