So, here we go again- I should probably apologize for taking so long to type this up. Originally, I was trying to work on a different project for NaNoWriMo, but that's obviously not going to be done by the end of the month, so I'm back with more SPM nonsense!

Beta read by the fabulous Goodnight Little Everything. (Thanks to her for putting up with my nonsense, in addition to everything in the story.)

What a dilemma our heroes faced! The fourth hero was, indeed, kind Luigi…but another problem reared its ugly head—how would one work with someone who believes himself to be their enemy? Whatever the case, Count Bleck's minion, Mr. L, was not going to be completing his mission any time soon.

Chapter 2

Where There's a Will…

Merlon sighed and cast a glance across the room; he'd grown weary of the never-ending (and, to be truthful, somewhat bizarre) threats that his- ahem- visitor kept spouting… it wasn't exactly the "right" thing to do, but the magician had used a handy little trick to keep Mr. L quiet, and under control.

In other words, the younger Mario brother was unconscious.

It had been a nightmare, convincing Peach and Mario to continue on with their journey; Bowser really didn't care one way or another, he just wanted to get things done and go home. But, with a close companion in such an unnerving state, the aforementioned heroes were reluctant to simply leave Flipside; they'd debated furiously with Merlon, but eventually relented. The multiverse was in danger and, with or without the fourth hero, the Void would destroy everything if no action was taken—there simply wasn't any time to lose.

Wearily, Merlon had seen the trio off, promising for the fifth or sixth time that he would keep an eye on Luigi and try to figure out what was going on with the 'Mr. L' persona… but he'd made little to no progress on that second point, and the first might have been rendered moot after knocking the supposed minion out.

Shaking his head, the shaman opened the Light Prognosticus up for what felt like the thousandth time, and began scanning the pages for some explanation, or anything that seemed relevant… and, again, he was lured to a very familiar passage.

Though the trials to reform the Purity Heart are many, and the twisted road is treacherous, victory is still out of reach if the stage lacks one key character. One individual will decide whether it is the Light or Dark Prognosticus which rings true: the man in green. As the host to a power as fickle as chaos, his decision cannot be anticipated, though his hand can be forced. It is not the heart's decision, but the actions carried out; chaos recognizes no sentiment. The path followed- whether or not it is the one chosen- will determine the fate of all worlds.

Somewhat irked, Merlon snapped the book shut—something he usually wouldn't even entertain the thought of doing—and closed his eyes. They were doomed if he didn't figure out what to do, but, by the same stroke, he couldn't find a solution if he didn't know the source of the ailment. Clearly something was muddling Luigi's thoughts, but how so? Was something preventing him from thinking clearly, or had his entire personality been altered? Was every move he made planned by someone further up in Bleck's army, or was he- for lack of a better analogy- on autopilot? Even with a topic as- seemingly- confined as mind control, there were still a million possibilities to consider.

The most important, doubtlessly, was: Was Mr. L truly a puppet, or were these buried desires that had been brought to the surface and then acted upon?

The shaman took a deep breath and slowly let it go, trying to gather his thoughts… but, as had been the case so many times, was interrupted just a moment later. This time, the culprits were the three he'd bid a temporary farewell to quite some time ago. More specifically, it was a certain red capped hero.

"We found someone who might be able to help us!" He substituted for a greeting, far more enthusiastically than the magician would've expected. Oddly, Mario didn't seem surprised by the fact that his sibling had been rendered unconscious, though he did look vaguely disappointed. Merlon chose not to question this fact, as Peach picked up where her companion had left off.

"We just dealt with a group of people—well, Cragnons, I suppose—who were being manipulated by the Floro Sapien king. I hope he's not upset about being beaten, otherwise…"

While Bowser didn't appear to be paying the conversation any attention at all, Mario only seemed to dismiss the last part of what Peach had said—probably due to how eager he was to have his brother back.

Merlon sighed, casting a glance at 'Mr. L' for what seemed to be the hundredth time that hour. "I suppose that there aren't many other possibilities… I trust that you will continue the search for the Pure Hearts once you've completed this task? Though there are four heroes prophesized, fate works in strange ways—you cannot predict how a foretold event will come to pass, just that the Prognosticus will lead the way."

It was a minor miracle that the Floro-sapiens let them through the caverns again—that was something that the heroes hadn't really thought about: they defeated King Croacus and ended up battling through the Floro Caverns… there was really no reason for the Floro-sapiens to trust them. But, for whatever reason, the sentient plants let them through with minimal fuss—though several looked at Bowser strangely as they passed, each earning an irked growl from the Koopa King.

His temperament was much better this time around, though it probably had to do with the fact that he wasn't being insulted or challenged to a duel every thirty seconds… And that led right back to the ever-fearsome minion that he was carrying like a sack of potatoes.

'Mr. L' was still unconscious (earlier, Mario had suspected that it was Merlon's doing… and now he was absolutely certain of that fact), and that definitely made for an easier journey. Well, quieter, at least—it was hard to have an easy expedition when Bowser was within five miles of the party. That was just the way that the koopa was, though: always one to act (and insult) before he thought. Needless to say, it came back to bite him quite often, but he'd been much better about refraining from certain…comments when Peach was around, giving him looks that would make even the elder Princess Shroob pause for thought.

It was a major relief to have Peach around, actually—not only because it would be much harder to kidnap someone who was within arm's reach of her perpetual-savior, but also because she provided a much-needed voice of reason. As nice as Tippi was, she didn't know the heroes, which made it hard for her to understand why Bowser would do something stupid out of the blue, why Peach would roll her eyes and mutter about pastries, or why Mario was constantly commenting on how things usually worked "on these sorts of adventures."

…it also made it impossible for the pixl to comprehend why this mission was so important to the red-clad man, beyond finding the prophesized 'fourth hero'.

Frowning, Mario glanced back to where Bowser was glaring at a passing Floro-sapien. What in the world could have caused his shy, clumsy, well meaning little brother to work for Count Bleck? Obviously something had been done to Luigi, but if Bleck had that sort of power, why hadn't he used it to keep their group from being any threat whatsoever? Mario sighed. This wasn't making any sense, right now—it was best to focus on getting to Croacus… which, he realized, was going to be rather easy, since they were passing the portraits of former rulers.

Warily, he opened the door to Croacus's room—would the Floro-sapiens really allow for this? It couldn't be that easy, could it?

"Ooo-wee-oooo, hello there!"

…Apparently yes, yes it could.

"It's safe to approach," Croacus added. "The clean water has healed me. I'm completely sane, now."

"Mostly," muttered a Floro-sapien who had been on his way to exit the room at the same time.

"Come for another battle, mmmmm? I'm afraid I am in NO shape for it." Croacus practically sang, watching the heroes enter the room properly. "Ah, I see you've brought a FRIEND with you. That is an interesting way to do so, but who am I to judge? I have only leaves, after all~"

Mario sighed, he'd been hoping that- just maybe- Croacus would be less… out there, once he was in his right mind. That hope had just been dashed.

"We were wondering if you might do us a favor," Peach began, half turning to look in Bowser's general direction. "You know a bit about mind control, don't you? We think our friend has been brainwashed, and you're the only person we know who might be able to help."

The giant flower blinked, and then- without warning- raised his blossom to look at the cave's ceiling.

Flabbergasted, the three heroes exchanged bemused glances, and Bowser had just opened his mouth to say something when Croacus meandered back to reality.

"Indeed he IS—just a puppet whose strings need to be SNAPPED, mmmm?" The king paused for a moment, then continued, "I really MUST meet the one responsible— this is QUALITY work."

Sensing the odd looks he was receiving, the flower tilted his blossom to one side questioningly. "Ooooo-weeee-oooo, can't a sapien admire a peer's beauuuuu-tiiiiiful handiwork?"

"I think I speak for all of us when I say 'no.'" Mario sighed, shaking his head as if to clear it of the bizarre scene he'd found himself in.

The king shifted his leaves in a motion that vaguely resembled a shrug, before getting back on topic, "Very well. I suppose you have TWO options—I could give you a floro sprout to OVERPOWER the brainwashing—"

"No!" Mario promptly protested, followed shortly by Peach.

Croacus paused, smiling slightly, "I SEE. Then I must do THIS, mmmmmm?"

Without any further counsel, the flower flung one of his leaves in Bowser's direction. The foliage narrowly missed the koopa's head as it soared through the air, hitching slightly, before arcing and dutifully returning to its owner.

Bowser, of course, had something to say about the decision. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT ABOUT?"

If the tone bothered Croacus, he certainly didn't show it…though it was more likely that the flower hadn't connected the dots, which meant that it couldn't bother him. Instead of reacting in anger, the king responded as cheerfully as ever, "I did PRECISELY as you asked. Floro sprouts can CONTROL minds, but I CONTROL the floro sprouts, mmmmmm. Unless the sprout dies, there is only ONE way to release the controlled—and LUCKY you, it just so happens to work in almost every scenarioooo."

"So…he's going to be himself again?" Mario finally asked, watching the flower carefully for any more sudden moves.

Croacus hesitated, looking uncharacteristically pensive, before readopting his former—rather clueless- demeanor. "INDEED he WILL. Now we're even, mmmmmmm?"

After a beat of silence, the red-capped hero nodded, smiling. "Yeah, we're even."

Peach inclined her head gratefully, and turned to follow Bowser as he tromped out of the room, grumbling about something indistinct. In fact, after Mario thanked Croacus and left the room, Tippi was the only one present to witness the frown that crossed the king's blossom.

"Indeed he will," the flower echoed to himself, failing to notice the pixl's presence, "but even then, I must ask myself just WHAT could tie a mortal so closely that even my leaves could not free him. True, I wish to meet the one who crafted such a skillful bond… but I am curious to know what that indistinct power may stem from, and who would attract the attention of such a force…"

Croacus sighed, "I wonder if my 'old friend' would know anything about these happenings."

Stunned- both by the words being spoken and the fact that Croacus appeared to have been putting up a façade, acting like a royal fool- Tippi quietly fluttered out the doors to rejoin the others, evading the king's attention.

As she did this, though, she failed to hear the flower's last subtle musing.

"Dimentio, my companion, have you gotten yourself into some grand conflict?"

END OF
CHAPTER