Chapter 5 - The Hunt Begins

Lauren poked her head out of the room that she and Julie were chatting in.
“Just so you know,” she said, “If you’re looking for Cackletta, she’s built a fortress near Stardust Valley. She’s kind of stupid. That’s probably where she is.”

“I guess we go there, then,” Mario said. “Which pipe is it again?”

“One,” I said. “Let’s go.”

Wario and Waluigi seemed eager to get to the bottom of this. Apparently, they had been spooked by the vision and wanted to see what’s up. I did, too. Why did Cackletta want to meet them? It just didn’t piece together.

It took about three minutes to make it to the Stardust Fields. Two of them were walking from the embassy to the pipe; one of them was getting up after being slammed through it. I made sure that I was the last one to go through it.

After brushing the purple dirt out of my eyes, the fortress was hard to miss. It was very wide, but not very tall. And it had an emblem of Cackletta’s head on it.

“Ooh,” Mario snickered sarcastically. “What a good hideout. Nobody would guess she’s here.” he opened the large doors and we all stepped inside.

The first room was dark. I was scared, but it seemed as if nobody else was. Waluigi seemed bored, actually. His arms were crossed, and he sighed occasionally. The room was empty, as well. I could have sworn the floor was hollow; our footsteps on it were extremely loud and echoing.

“This is boring,” Wario said. “What is it we’re looking for, again?”

“The Beanstar,” Mario replied lazily. “It’s gotta be around here somewhere. Cackletta isn’t the brightest of all witches…” he snickered slightly. “Remember, Luigi, when we got to play “Dogpile on the Beanstar” with Popple?” Mario likes to recollect.

“Mmhmm,” I replied, staring at the ceiling. “The fall wasn’t too pleasant, though…”

“No, I think that was fun.” Mario laughed. “Even after getting picked on by crabs.”

Wario snickered, and Mario shot him a nasty glare. It took me a second to realize that Wario’s dirty mind had interpreted that last statement as something, well, dirty.

“Yeah,” Mario sighed. “I doubt that Cackletta has changed much since last year.”

“Gee, I hope not.” Waluigi said sarcastically. “Anyway, what did she look like when she was alive?”

Mario put his finger to his chin thoughtfully. Did he really have to think hard to remember what she looked like? Or was a decent memory another “twin gene” that I inherited and Mario had not?

“Pretty similar as what we saw back at my castle,” I said, anguished. “Only…she didn’t have those fangs.”

“Yeah, I remember those.” Wario said, rather quickly. “You mean those weren’t there before?”

“Huh-uh,” Mario said, eyes widening suspiciously. “Cackletta didn’t have those before.”

“Her teeth were more round,” I said, trying as hard as possible to not make eye contact with Mario. I don’t know why.

“Round? Is that because she ate a lot? Was she fat?”

What odd questions for Wario to ask…

“No, she was in pretty good shape,” Mario said, a twisted grin forming on his face.

“Sounds intimidating,” Waluigi stated blandly.

“She’s a lot stronger than you think she is,” Mario said, that grin still wiped on his face. But he all of a sudden stopped moving and stared at the ground, eyes slightly narrowed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Peach is in trouble, “he said, looking up, and looking very serious.

“You mean you have sort of a mutual connection, and you get some kind of signal through your mind when she needs you?” Wario asked. “That’s pretty cool…”

“Nah,” Mario said, relaxing. “That sort of stuff only happens in really cheesy love stories. I put a homing device on myself, right here-“ and he pointed to his left side, “so whenever something happens to her, I know to come help.” he shrugged. “It happens so often that I figured I could use it.”

Waluigi laughed.

A bolt of lightning zapped suddenly from the middle of the floor, startling all four of us. Everyone except me, though, seemed happy for a little excitement. I knew a lot about lightning …you would too if you were able to shoot it out of your palms. That wasn’t lightning from a storm or wire.

“Luigi,” Mario said, smirking even wider and shaking his head slightly, “Don’t do that again, please.”

“It wasn’t me!” I wailed. “That came out of nowhere!”

“Nowhere, huh?” Wario said sarcastically. “How can that come out of nowh-“

Boom. The ground shook violently. Not again…!

Only, the room didn’t disappear this time. There was no funny pressure pulling on my head, no droning voices…

Boom.

“What’s going on!” I shrieked frantically. I was afraid to blink, in case I missed anything.

Five or six, I didn’t want to count, tentacle-looking vines burst through the floor. Two of them grabbed Wario and Mario by the waists, and in a split second, crashed them face forward into the floor. It gave in from the force, and collapsed. To my horror, both of them were out of sight; probably fell to the bottom floor below us. A funny ringing sounded in my ears.

“No!” I screamed, pleading desperately in my mind for them to still be alive. The band on my wrist became hot, and that all-too-familiar light shone again, morphing my clothes into robes.

My mind was racing wildly. Nasty thoughts of them both having their brains knocked out from the force of hitting the floor raced through it, and I tried my hardest to shake them away. I was comforted by the thought that Mario falls thousands of feet out of the sky and ends up alive.

Waluigi was whacking at the tentacles with the explosives he always carried with him. But at the sight of me, he paused and gaped.

“What?” I asked.

“What… what ARE you wearing?”

But I didn’t have time to respond. Soon, the tentacles had cornered him to the wall, and snatched him around the waist.

“What do we do now?” I wailed. Coils of the tentacles wrapped around my feet. I tried shocking them with electricity, but to no avail. They quickly made their way wrapping around my legs, then up to my stomach, pinning my arms to my sides, then finally stopped at my neck. They had done the same to Waluigi.

I spent the next ten seconds trying to figure out a plan. Other than just suspend us 6 feet in midair, the tentacles weren’t really doing anything. They weren’t spike- covered, they weren’t really restricting my breathing, and my only problem was that my electricity alone wasn’t enough to make them let me go.

“Well?” I barked at Waluigi, hoping he had a plan. I didn’t really have to shout, either. Then a strong jolt of pain shot through my entire body. The tentacles were now surging with some kind of energy that was more than obviously harmful to us.

“Ack!” Waluigi choked. I figured the same fate was coming to him. About every four seconds, that jolt of pain hit again, getting more intense each time.

“Waluigi!” I choked. “Bring out… ack…your explosives! If we both use our… ow… abilities at the same time…unk… we can beat them!” But to my horror, Waluigi just scowled at me.

“I… ow… am not going to… ack… work with you!” He snarled. I felt a strange sensation of fury eat at my insides.

“What?” I shrieked, out of anger and fear. “If you don’t… ow… do that, we’ll…ahh!… both die!” The tentacle around my left arm tightened its grip. I heard a loud tear, it had to be my shirt ripping.

“Not… ack… doing it!”

My brain took a second to absorb that sentence. He hated me so much, he would rather let himself die than just work with me once?

“You… ack!… are the absolute worst… oww… slimeball I’ve ever met!” I spat. I would have said something worse, but I didn’t want my last words to be obscene. My vision was becoming blurry and I was becoming tired. It became harder and harder by the second to keep my eyes open. I had to do something…

“Listen,” I said, my voice involuntarily becoming a plead, “We’re both going to… ahh!… be killed if you don’t just…unk… drop your pride for two seconds and… ack… use one of your explosives!”

Finally, my words had some effect on him. He turned his palm over and formed a bomb.

“Ready?” I panted. The tentacle around my chest tightened, and it was very hard to breathe now. I charged a ball of electricity. “One… ack… two…!” At the precise second, he dropped his explosive as I dropped my lightning. There was a brilliant flash… some sort of squealing… and I felt the tentacles loosen their grip on me, gradually falling apart until I fell six feet to the ground below. I landed face down, on my stomach. I was strong enough to lift my head a few inches to see Waluigi fall, and then see the monster ignite in a purple fire and disintegrate.

I took a few seconds to regain my strength, and then pushed myself up. Waluigi was standing already, his back to me. The furious feeling in my stomach just built, forcing my hands involuntarily into fists.

There was a large tear down my left sleeve as I had anticipated, and my cape was ripped into about seven shreds. The metal lightning bolts sewn on my side were chipped and scratched. I pushed my sweaty bangs out of my eyes, realizing from the crimson stains on my glove that it wasn’t sweat, but blood. My hair had a large amount of it from having my sharp crown cut into my head. How this happened, I’ll never be able to explain, because the monster’s tentacles hadn’t gone higher than my neck.

“Allright!” I exploded at Waluigi. “What do you have against me?” I stopped and panted for a second. “Are you still mad at me for beating you at a tennis match six years ago? How long are you going to make me pay for that! Make me pay with my life?!”

Waluigi turned around, his upper lip twitching obviously with anger. I held my open palm to the hole in the floor where the monster had disappeared.

“That!” I snarled, in a furious voice that I don’t think I’ve ever used. “You were about willing to die just so that you could see me go too?”

Waluigi’s eyes narrowed, nose wrinkled, and he seemed to be breathing quickly. He was just in as awful shape as I was. Clothes torn, bruised, slightly bloodstained… I realized that I looked awful, and quickly took the band off my wrist. With a flash, I was back to normal. Waluigi didn’t seem to notice that I had done anything.

“You want to know why I detest you?” he said, biting his lower lip. He looked really angry. I felt really angry. I’ve never felt so mad in my entire life. It was an unusual adrenaline feeling that I very rarely got. I had every right to be, though.

“Yes!” I spat, feeling my breathing rate rise, as well. My nose wrinkled involuntarily. We spent a second or two just glaring at each other.

“Fine!” He snapped. “I envy you, okay?”

All of the anger and fury drained from my head. I was a little surprised I didn’t see it as a puddle under my feet. My eyes narrowed in confusion, mouth dropped open slightly.

“What?”

“You heard me! I’m jealous of you!” He looked mad, but it seemed like he had wanted to say this for a long, long time. Almost like he had planned it as a speech.

“Why?” I whispered, no hint of fury in my voice at all. “You’re filthy rich…”

“Rich!” He said loudly, getting in my face. “Okay, one quality! I envy you! I envy your perfect fiancé and perfect athletic abilities! I envy your perfect family, perfect fame, eyes, personality and future! I’m jealous of your perfect life!” He took a breath.

“OKAY?”

I was dumbfounded. He didn’t really hate me? Well, I mean, he did, but it wasn’t for the reasons I thought? (Revenge, etc…)

“Really?” was all I could muster to say.

“Yeah.” He sighed, much calmer now. “Really.” And he did something I’ve never imagined he’d do… he smiled at me. It was weak and simply out of the corner of his mouth, but it was a smile nonetheless. My breathing slowed down considerably.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I…I don’t want to make you feel that way,”

“Ah, don’t get emotional, heart boy. Let’s just go find Mario and Wario.”

Heart boy?

“Okay,” I said, still looking at my feet. But he had already turned around and went through the double doors at the other side of the room. I sighed. I still wasn’t too fond of Waluigi, but I felt better knowing the truth, and didn’t despise him quite as much.

The next room was a lot different. It was filled with furniture and items, cozy-looking. Some room that Cackletta probably didn’t build. Still, I felt suspicious. Who in their right mind wouldn’t? Though after recent events, I wasn’t all sure that I was in my right mind.

“Keep your eyes peeled,” I warned, forming a lightning-bolt sword. I didn’t know I could do so, but I did… it was a magnificent sword as well. About half as long as I was, made entirely out of my electric power. Sweeeeeet.

A horrible pain shot down the mark on my chest, making me drop to my knees. As soon as it had come, it was gone…

“What?” Waluigi asked. “What, what’s wrong?”

“N…nothing.” I said, still clutching my chest. “Must have been heartburn or something…”

Waluigi eyed me as if he didn’t believe me, but looked away and opened a box.

“Woohoo!” He said suggestively. “Take a look inside this box! Heheheh.” He held up a magazine, and I clearly read the title, which made a drop of sweat fall off my forehead.

“Playboy?” I asked, voice breaking.

Flash.

My pulse had risen considerably, and that caused the gold band to react… again.

But Waluigi had his nose in the magazine. Dang, I wanted to, as well…

“No.” I told myself. “You’re loyal to Daisy. Only Daisy… only…”

Waluigi was whistling at the pages.

“You’re marrying Daisy…she’s going to be your wife… only Daisy….”

“Put that down,” I said, hoping I wouldn’t explode with excitement. “We have to find Cackletta… and Mario and Wario.” Waluigi scoffed.

“Come on,” he said. “Take a look at… WOOHOO!”

“Aww, maaaaan…” I moaned. “No, I can’t.” Waluigi laughed heartily.

“Fine, fine.” He steadily put the magazine back in the box.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?” came a squeaky voice behind us.

“Fawful!” I said aloud. The tiny ghost of the Toady hung in the air above us, giggling hysterically. He looked like an idiot, much more than usual.

“Who?” Waluigi asked. “This little thing?” I gulped. “Yeah.”

“Oh, please!” he scoffed. “This thing? It can’t hurt anyone!” Waluigi approached Fawful’s ghost and swished at it.

“You’re not so strong…”

“Waluigi, NO!”

But it was too late. Fawful fumed.

“That is all the mercy I will be giving you!” he snarled. “O Great Master has commanded me to be the commandee! And obey I will! Now you will feel the horrible agony of my horrible wrath!” And he raised his hand.

A funny warmth exploded from my Cackletta mark. It was glowing; I could see it through my clothes. Bewildered, I put my hand to it, and it immediately stopped.

“Wonderful!” Fawful chirped happily. “So you two fink-rats are the ones whom master will want to banish! I should have known.”

“What?” I gasped.

“Oh, yes, Master will not want to smell foul roses such as you for much longer. Master wants sweet revenge… dark revenge.” Fawful came up to me and slid his ghostly finger up under my chin, sending a chill down my spine, making me drop to my knees.

“Okay, good. Master will recognize you, king.” He said with a sarcastic sneer. He disappeared with a wisp of smoke, and some sort of relief dawned. I sighed and slowly stood up. My knees were shaky.

And for the first time, I realized that Fawful had been speaking with a rather french accent.

“Are you okay?” Was the first thing I asked once I found my voice. Woah… did I really just sound worried about Waluigi? My worst rival?

“Yeah, wonderful.” Waluigi said, seemingly a little angry. (How unusual!) “Why did that freak call you king, anyway?”

And for the first time, he noticed the tiny golden crown in my unruly hair.

“Woah,” he whispered.

“Well, yeah,” I said, surprised that he hadn’t figured it out. “Daisy’s a princess, right? When we get hitched…” I paused and broke eye contact with him, wishing I hadn’t said that, because I knew that Waluigi had some feelings for Daisy as well... and he had quite a tendency to get jealous. Ask how I know. “Well, she’ll be queen…”

“No way,” he whispered, eyes very small.

“But that doesn’t matter anymore.” I said quickly, wanting desperately to change the subject. “We have to find the staircase!” I quickly walked past him and to the door in the corner of the room. Waluigi didn’t follow me. I turned around.

“Come on,” I said. “You want to find Wario and Mario, or what?”

He just kept staring at me. I sighed in exasperation. I took the gold band that Lauren had given me off my wrist, and my normal clothes appeared.

“Okay, better?” I asked him, and put the band back on.

“Yeah, whatever.” But he didn’t sound agitated, to my surprise. I leaned my ear against the wall, listening for some sound.

“What are you doing?” Waluigi asked, in his normal “you’re extremely stupid” voice that he often used when talking to me.

“Trying to see if there’s anyone in this area.”

“Try using that door,” Waluigi said, pointing at the other side of the room.

“Good idea,” I mumbled, walking toward it. I put my hand on the handle to open the door.

“Ow!” I screamed, and let go of the handle. It was extremely hot, and it hurt to touch. Waluigi examined it as I tried to cool down my throbbing left hand. Flashbacks shot through my mind. The last time I had to wave my hand back to normal was when I obtained my lightning powers. While it was literally shocking after I touched the orb, I could see all the bones in my hand like an X-ray. That was pretty cool, I had to admit. I remember being momentarily distracted from the lightning bolts being absorbed by my fingers to examine the bones. I hadn’t ever seen anything like it.

Waluigi dropped an explosive and the wall blew up.

“Cackletta will murder us for ruining her lair,” I said, but not saying that as a warning.

“Oh, like she doesn’t always want to kill us anyway,” he said. I felt my pulse rise at that statement, and the gold band reacted to that. With another brilliant flash of light, I was back in my king’s robes. Waluigi laughed.

“How do you do that?” he asked, still snickering. “Whenever you get freaked out, that happens?”

“Yes,” I said irritably, pulling the band off. My clothes were back to normal, and I snapped the band back on. It was beginning to become annoying, but I kept my eyes open about the fact that I could immediately look more intimidating if an enemy came our way without us knowing.

Waluigi all of a sudden fall backwards, motionless.

“What’s going on?” I asked, in a panic. He didn’t seem to be breathing.

“Waluigi?!! What happened!”

In one swift movement, I felt a pair of hands attach themselves around my neck.

“AUUGGHH!!!”

With a flash of light, my robes were back. After the light subsided, I realized that the hands were from Waluigi. Only now, his eyes were open, and he was laughing.

“Sucker! Got you! Hahahaa…” he said and stood up. He wasn’t hurt at all!

“That…” I gasped, “That was not funny!”

“You are way too high-strung,” he said, slowly residing laughter. “You’re like a nervous cat.”

I scoffed. “Whatever.” I took the band off, and with another all-too-familiar flash of light, was normal again. I put the band back on.

“Don’t make me have a heart attack,” I said.

“You think I have the ability to do that?” he asked, interested, and seemingly blooming an idea. His eyes were wider, and his mouth was very small, forming an upside-down D shape.

“No!”

And with a flash of light, Waluigi had done it to me again; made my clothes morph.

“Hahahahahaha!” he cackled. “This is too much!”

“Errrgggghhhh…” I grumbled. I took the band off and slapped it back on.

“Well, whatever. Let’s go, now.” He went through the blown-open wall, and I followed him. To our luck, there was a staircase leading down. I was becoming nervous again, who knew what was beyond those stairs?

Flash.

“Hahahaha!” Waluigi laughed. I felt my face go red as I realized that once more, my clothes had changed. “You’re so jittery!” I took the band off and put it back on. But Waluigi was gone.

“Hey… where’d you…” I began, but felt a hand grab my shoulder. I turned around and made eye contact with a phantom, in a blood-drenched cloak.

“AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!”

Flash.

But I heard Waluigi’s hysterical laugher, and he pulled off the cloak, and I noticed that they were dripping with red paint, not blood.

“Stop it!” I growled, and pulled the band off in order to change back to normal.

“That’s-just-so-funny!” he choked, bending over with laughter.

I grumbled a little under my breath, and then went angrily down the staircase.

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