Chapter 2: Waking Reunions

"…ario…...Mario…" a sweet voice whispered. Mario slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on a bed in an unfamiliar house. To his side was a lady in a white dress. In her hair was a butterfly ribbon of some sort. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake," smiled the woman. Mario attempted to sit up, but he felt an incredible pain once he tried. "Don't worry Mario," assured the lady, "Blumiere will be back with the medicine in a little bit." The name the lady just mentioned caused Mario to perk up. The gears in Mario's brain began spinning rapidly. He realized whose house he was lying in. "It has been a long time Mario," stated Lady Timpani, "I still have no idea how you ended up here, but I am really glad to see you." Tears formed in Mario's eyes as he reached for Timpani's hand. Timpani cupped Mario's hand and smiled, "I missed you too." Timpani turned her head as the door to the bedroom opened. Mario's eyes widened as he saw the previous wielder of the Chaos Heart. He was holding some sort of bottle. As Blumiere walked over to the bed, he removed his top hat.

"I made the remedy you requested," informed Blumiere, "Ah, Mario, you're awake. Don't worry, this will help with your condition." Blumiere handed Timpani the bottle and pulled up a chair to sit next to his wife.

"Here, drink this," told Timpani as she held the bottle up to Mario's mouth. The plumber was barely able to sip the drink, but as soon the liquid contacted his tongue, he felt his pain melt away. Mario was now able to take the bottle from Timpani's hand and drink the rest of the remedy. Mario sat up and looked at the couple sitting next to him. Blumiere and Timpani smiled because of their friend's improved condition.

"So Mario," asked Blumiere, "I do appreciate seeing you, but how in the worlds did you end up in this dimension?" Mario sighed. The whole night had gone so well up until the last minutes of it. The hero put his hands together. Thankfully, his wedding band was still on his finger. He started to explain the last minutes of the night.

"Dimentio!" squealed Timpani, "He survived!"

"That traitor always finds a way to get the last laugh," grumbled Blumiere.

"This is awful," peeped Timpani, "Now all of the worlds are in massive trouble."

"I've got a few questions," stated Blumiere. Mario nodded. "Why were the four teams of heroes wide awake in the middle of the night?" Mario rubbed his wedding ring and chuckled. Timpani looked down and noticed the gold band.

"Oh my goodness!" exclaimed Timpani, "Who's the lucky lady? Is it Peach? Grambi, please let it be Peach!" Mario smiled and nodded yes.

"Isn't that a spectacle," chuckled Blumiere, "Congratulations."

"Is that why the four heroes were up at such a late hour?" asked Timpani, "Because you invited all of your friends to your wedding?" Mario nodded again.

"I'm very happy for you Mario," smiled Blumiere, "But according to your account, you were all blasted by the Chaos Rod. Why aren't you corrupted?" Mario scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders. He realized that perhaps his attempt to shield Peach also shielded his spirit.

"Darling," explained Timpani, "Love between Mario and Peach probably protected him."

"That does make a lot of sense," responded Blumiere, "It seems that you need to get back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Right, Mario?" Mario again shook his head.

"If the worlds are in trouble, then we're coming with you!" proclaimed Timpani.

"We helped banish the Chaos Heart before, so this should not be a problem," added Blumiere. Mario put his hand on his chin and thought for a moment.

"Please!" begged Timpani, "It's the least we can do for you bringing us back together." Mario smiled and nodded at his old friend,

"Excellent," chuckled Blumiere as he put his top hat back on.

"Now I'm going to try and do my best impression of Link," Timpani cleared her throat, "Blumiere and Timpani have joined the Party! We fight as a team. Our basic attack is Spear Spike and we can also tattle on enemies! Mario chuckled.

"That swordsman sure was an interesting character," remarked Blumiere. Mario slid off the bed and stood next to his new partners. They walked through the house. It was a quaint house, but it was home to Blumiere and Timpani. The trio stepped outside of the house. As they did, Mario's jaw dropped. It was a beautiful sight. The magnum opus of the world was a massive tree in the distance. Timpani giggled when she noticed how in awe Mario was.

"I guess you like the view," smiled Timpani. Mario gathered his composure and asked how they were going to get back to the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Well," thought Blumiere, "My wife and I don't travel between dimensions all that often, but when we do, we go to that tree. That tree happens to be in the direct center of the world, so it has peculiar properties which allow us to travel to other worlds."

"We don't exactly have the need to go anywhere," explained Timpani, "The last time I can remember traveling was going to the Bitlands to buy Tiptron for Peach. It was a bizarre experience buying a copy of what I used to look like from a person who kidnapped me. I sure hope that Peach liked it." Mario explained how happy Peach was, which made Timpani grin. The three continued conversing as they got closer and closer to the massive tree.

"So Mario," asked Blumiere, "How are Nastasia, Mimi, and O'Chunks doing?" Mario proceeded to tell how O'Chunks moved to Flipside, Nastasia moved to Flopside, and how Mimi got an actual job as a maid in Merlee's Mansion. "That's great to hear!" paused Blumiere, "I'm glad that they're all doing well." Eventually, the three arrived at the base of the giant tree.

"So, Sweetheart," pondered Timpani, "Can't Dimentio see when we travel through dimensions?" Blumiere double took as his wife asked the question.

"I had not considered that possibility my dear," choked Blumiere, "I am just now realizing how much risk there is to inter-dimensional traveling with that psychopath on the loose." Blumiere started pacing back and forth.

"This is quite the predicament," stated Timpani. Mario put his hand on his chin.

"I might be able to assist you with you travel problem," boomed a voice from above. Mario, Timpani, and Blumiere stopped what they were doing and looked up. Similar to what had happened in the Yold Ruins a spirit began descending from above. This spirit wore pink robes and looked very similar to Merlee and Merluvlee.

"Oh my goodness," gasped Timpani, "You're Sage Merlimbis!"

"Correct," smiled the spirit.

"Excuse me, who now?" wondered Blumiere.

"I am the creator of the Pure Hearts," explained Merlimbis, "This is the dimension I retired in after I created them. The Dark Prognostics took many minds to find a possible solution." Blumiere coughed, mostly to avoid eye contact. "Anyways, I overheard your problem with Dimentio. I have a way for you to travel without him noticing."

"How is that?" questioned Timpani.

"Dimentio is a being of pure evil. His heart is dark and cold. Love is the key to traveling without being noticed. His heart does not understand," told Merlimbis.

"We know that Dimentio is evil," objected Blumiere, "Could you explain what the love has to do with traveling."

"Certainly," smiled Merlimbis, "I can help channel the love in your hearts to travel to any one world. The spot in the world has to be full of love in order to be traveled to."

"But we've never been to the Mushroom Kingdom," sighed Blumiere and Timpani. Mario stepped forward.

"But he has," chuckled Merlimbis, "Okay hero, start think about a place that fills your heart with love." The ancient sage began saying something in an unfamiliar language. Mario put his hands on his chest and closed his eyes. A particular spot was pictured in his minds. Three boxes appeared around the trio.

"Good luck," told Merlimbis as she snapped here ghostly fingers. Mario, Timpani and Blumiere were teleporting somewhere in the Mushroom Kingdom.