Chapter 7 Those Sharp Eyes

Consciousness returning to Luigi was anything but pleasant. The first thing that he was aware of was this foul odor, one reminiscent of the scent of a wet dog. It attacked his nostrils, making him cringe. Or, at least it would've made him cringe if he could feel his face. The next thing that became apparent to him was chattering going around on all sides of him. People behind him, people in front of him, people on both of his sides, even people above him. He had no idea how that was even possible, but it filled him with dread.

He only grew more appalled and frightened when he felt something tight around his body. He couldn't move his arms. He couldn't move his legs. He couldn't do anything, at most just being able to turn his head. And even then, he had a gag in his mouth, so he couldn't call out for help. As he turned his head left and right, the sound of the people talking around him grew louder. It threatened to consume him, threatened to silence even his own thoughts.

Finally, Luigi was able to open his eyes at long last. When he looked upward, he didn't see the sky, but rather, a ceiling. A cave ceiling to be exact, hanging about forty feet above him and sporting some stalactites that could probably kill him if lodged in his heart. Starting to sweat, Luigi lifted his head as much as he could. He looked to be in an arena of sorts, an underground arena that was lit up by torches situated on the walls of the cave. What's more, he had an audience. About twenty people different people were in here. THat number might not sound like a lot, but given their looks, it might as well have been a thousand of them. They looked down at him, jeering at him, laughing at him. It was like Luigi was the punchline to a wicked, incredibly obscene inside joke they all shared.

"MMM!" Luigi struggled, as if moving around could somehow break the thick ropes that tied him down and burrowed into his skin. His sweating fit got even worse, and he couldn't help but enter a crying fit as well. So much was happening, and yet he couldn't describe or define any of it. It felt like he was in a dream. He WANTED this to be a dream. It would make sense if it was; the last conscious memory he had was of him being up in the middle of the night in his own house.

"MY PACK!"

That voice had to be the strongest and most threatening female voice that Luigi had ever heard. Still crying like he had lost a limb, he turned his head to the left to see a woman. Luigi had to do a double take when he saw her. He would've gasped if he didn't have the gag in his mouth. That hair, that dress… this was the same woman who had followed him a few days ago!

"Thank you all for coming." The lady turned toward Luigi. While the look she had given him while they were on the street hadn't been friendly, THIS one burned with hatred. She looked like she wanted to pulverize him, like she wanted to squash him like a bug. Luigi felt an iciness growing in his mind and heart, one that could only be created by terror.

"You all know exactly why we're here tonight." The lady took slow and careful steps towards Luigi. It was then that Luigi noticed she had something in her hand. Thanks to the shadows cast around her, he couldn't quite make out what it was. This just left his imagination to fill in the blanks, and said imagination could only reach toward the worst and most deadly extremes.

"For years, we have watched the Mario brothers," the woman said, her voice booming and commanding while also being slimy and snakelike. "We have seen their trials, seen their triumphs. Everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom loves them. How then would they react if they saw one of their most beloved heroes turn against them?" The woman sneered. "How would they react to seeing someone that they adore turn on them? Take the form of… a monster?"

M…m… monster? With one more step closer to him, Luigi could finally see what the woman was holding. It was the strange mushroom he and Daisy had encountered in the forest, the same one that they had brought to E Gadd. How… how in the world could the woman have it?

"Such delicious questions will not be left unanswered for much longer." The lady stuck her long, sharp fingernail in between Luigi and his gag. Grinning wickedly, she raised the gag up and snapped it half through sheer force. Luigi gasped. His eyes bulged as he looked at her. Her silvery blue eyes stared down at him with malice. Her bright red lips cringed in what could only be disgust.

"What… lady, what's going on?" Luigi was covered in sweat. He shook and started hyperventilating. "Whatever is happening here must be some sort of misunderstanding!" His sweating got worse. Ice filled his veins. "Please, will you please just let me go and let me live my life?"

The woman's upper lip curled at that question. He could see her teeth showing through.

"What… large teeth you have…" The woman ran a fingernail down the side of his face, eventually reaching his chin. He squeaked when she did this. "What sharp nails you have."

The woman's face was darker than death itself. She held the mysterious mushroom over Luigi, close enough so he could smell its horrendous odor. "Eat it."

"Uh… I don't… want to…"
"EAT IT!" The entire arena gasped when she said that. Fire burned in her eyes, her teeth looked even more threatening as she cast her shadow over the poor plumber. "EAT IT NOW!"

Luigi tried not to let this bother him. He had faced Bowser before, after all, so he knew what it was like to go toe to toe against a powerful enemy. If he could withstand the Koopa King, he could withstand this woman. No matter how much she screamed at him, no matter how much rage her eyes showed, he would not give in. He would not eat the mushroom.

"Ma'am, please, can't we just talk about this? Whatever issue you have of me, I'm sure that we'll be able to…"

Before he even knew what was going on, the woman shoved the mushroom right into his mouth. His eyes widened and every last inch of his body rejected this mushroom and its flavor. All of his hairs stood on end. He wanted to spit the mushroom out, but the woman shoved her hand right over top of his mouth. She pressed down on him, and much to Luigi's horror, she held her other hand over his nose. If she plugged it, he would have no source of air.

"Eat the mushroom or you die, plumber?"

Luigi trembled. This lady looked forward to following through with that threat, didn't she? She would gladly destroy every last inch of him and gain pleasure out of the act. Luigi whimpered. He looked at her nails again. They weren't so different from the stalactites. Sharp. Glimmering. Dangerous.

Without anymore words of protest, Luigi chewed the mushroom and swallowed. Now, Luigi had used many types of power-ups before, more than he could count. He knew what happened when he did; the power-up activation noise would ring out, his outfit and/or body would change. He knew what to expect when he ingested a power-up.

None of the things he had come to expect happened here. His form didn't change, nor did he hear the noise. But even still… he felt different. Something inside him had changed. He had an enhanced sense of smell, not a single sound or movement went unnoticed by his ears. Yes, something inside him had changed. But what was it exactly?

The woman snickered and smirked. "Excellent." She removed her hand from his face, which brought the smallest iota of relief. She turned toward the people who she had addressed as her "pack." "This is the end of an era. The Mario brothers have brought good to the Mushroom Kingdom, its people, and its princess." She turned back to him. "Now their legacy will be forever tarnished."

Luigi stared into her eyes. If someone were to put the silver pupils to the side for a second, if these eyes belonged to anyone else, they would be beautiful. They would be stunning. But because they were on the face of this enemy, this person who Luigi held nothing but terror toward, they were anything but beautiful. They were full of madness, full of glee derived from his suffering. This was not a woman who he wanted to know. Just being in her presence made him feel as though he was entering a downward spiral.

"Who are you?" Luigi asked, his voice weak.

The woman smirked again. She made her way back over to the plumber and placed her hand on his cheeks. Her touch was so cold. How could the touch of a living person be this cold?

"I am someone who you should fear, Luigi Mario." She leaned close to his forehead, making him tense up. He mentally prepared himself for her to attack… only for her to kiss him on the forehead. Not necessarily a threatening act, but it still created a monolith of confusion and horror. What was he dealing with? Who was this woman? What did she want with him? Nothing about this made sense, and he didn't even know if he wanted it to. If he received the answers to the questions flitting about in his head, would he be satisfied or horrified?

The woman pulled away. Luigi stared into her eyes, looked upon her smile. He whimpered again, an action that brought satisfaction to this… creature. She turned around, her high heels clinking against the stone as she pointed to two people, two Toads in the audience.

"You two. Take Luigi to the chamber." She paused. "Do it quickly."

The Toads nodded, and together they went up to Luigi. Luigi expected them to untie him and perhaps put shackles around his wrists and ankles, but no. They LIFTED the altar he was tied to, hoisting on their backs like it was just a normal crate. How was that even possible? Luigi knew a lot about Toads and had interacted with quite a few of them. He had NEVER met a Toad with THIS much raw strength!

The two Toads took him toward a passageway that led away from the arena in the open cavern. As Luigi was taken away, he could hear the sounds of the people who had been watching him and the woman. It kinda sounded like they were cheering. They were HAPPY to have seen what happened to him. They LIKED that he went through torture. Yes, that was what happened in there; Luigi had been TORTURED. He had been tortured, and these people were HAPPY about that?

"Oh, sweet Mama Mia." His shivering got worse the further he and the Toads went into the passageway. There was next to no light in this part of the… hideout (for lack of a better word). There was just darkness, darkness and the occasional squeak of a rat scurrying around the walls. Luigi's stomach churned. He was close to passing out.

Finally, he and the Toads got to the "chamber." This place thankfully had more light coming in than the hallway thanks to the presence of more torches, but did that reall matter? Light or no light, he was still trapped in a strange place with people who probably wanted him dead. He shook as the Toads lowered the altar down on the ground. They untied him, but the action brought him no joy whatsoever. He only felt anxiety, which got even stronger when he was fully free and able to sit up. He looked down at the Toads, tempted to ask them some questions about his current whereabouts. He opened his mouth, and the smallest sliver of a noise escaped from his throat, but… that meant nothing. The Toads exited the room and locked the door without even making eye contact with him.

"Ohh…" Luigi shivered, every part of him feeling cold and horrified. "What is going on here?"