Chapter 15: Visions

He stood upon a large hill, overlooking the barren wasteland that had once been the Mushroom Kingdom. The skies were a dark, smoky gray, the sun obscured by an enormous tornado of smoke billowing up from far off in the distant northern horizon, past a large mountain range. Their jagged, pointed peaks vanished into the clouds, and a bright red flashing followed by the faint sound of thunder could be seen lighting up the skies behind them. The air was deadly silent, aside from the thunder's occasional cracking. Ashes rained down from the heavens, burying the dead, brown landscape in a thin layer of dark gray.

Mallow could feel the small trickle of tears that had started to drip down his face drying as the thick, humid wind blew ashes into his face. He quickly rubbed his eyes as he looked on at the once beautiful kingdom before him, desolate and dead. The entire land was littered with the bodies of dead Toads, Koopas, and many other creatures, a majority of which appeared to be weapons with translucent skin. The once beautiful Toad Town was almost completely unrecognizable, the buildings, trees, and other structures had burnt completely to the ground, the only remnants being large heaps of charred black, buried in piles of soot.

Mallow looked on at the very large structure of blackened stones in the center of the kingdom that had once been Princess Peach's castle. A wave of despair fell over him at that sight. He didn't have to see with his own eyes proof of what he knew was the truth in his heart.

Everyone is dead. He thought in despair. Everyone in the entire kingdom is dead. There's nothing left…

He felt a few raindrops start to fall, and looked up at the sky as the rain started to pour harder. Likewise, tears were streaming down his face, the obvious cause of the rainstorm. He fell to his knees and screamed.

"WHY!?" He shouted at the sky, pounding his fist into the ground. "How did this happen?!"

He closed his eyes for a few moments, the tears still pouring down his face. When he opened them, he was surprised to find himself in the throne room of a large castle. He looked around, and felt his body go numb as he gazed upon hundreds of twisted, charred bodies littering the ground around him. The entire throne room was dead silence, and although the castle was unfamiliar to him, the feeling of sadness only deepened in his heart.

Many of the walls around him had enormous holes that appeared to have been blasted through them. The once great castle had been ravaged and largely destroyed, the walls and once beautiful tapestries now almost completely unrecognizable, covered in a sickening palette of dark gray ash and a deep, crimson red. Although the structure was still standing, the tall ceiling high above had mostly collapsed. Large chunks of the stone ceiling and the support beams had fallen to the floor, and as Mallow looked up, he could see that same dark, gray sky above.

Mallow looked straight ahead of him above a small staircase, leading to a great, elaborately designed throne. It was made of a hard stone, and intricate flower designs had been carved into it. As he slowly ascended the staircase, he tilted his head and stared at the deceased body of a young woman lying at the foot of the throne. She wore a bright yellow dress, torn and tattered, with a teal, flower shaped brooch pinned to her chest. She had beautiful, long brown hair and her golden crown lay beside her on the floor. Her innocent blue eyes stared, cold and blank into his soul, and Mallow had to avert his own eyes as he looked into them.

She must have been the princess… Mallow thought sadly. She looked so young, and… familiar.

He turned his head as he noticed another dead figure on the floor a mere few feet from the young princess. It was an ugly, almost otherworldly creature with purple skin. Its black clothing and cape were also torn, its hard eyes staring lifelessly back into his own.

What happened here? Mallow once again asked himself. He was at a complete loss of words at this point, and shook his head sadly. It was overwhelming to see so much death, so much destruction. What kind of great catastrophe had occurred here?

Mallow once again closed his eyes, and after opening them found himself standing on a small beach. He looked behind him, and saw a vast ocean stretching as far as the eye could see off into the distant horizon. A dim, red, ominous sky stretched out above him, off into the sunset to the west, and those same dark, smoky clouds seemed to be moving in from the north, billowing as if from an enormous fire that refused to go out. A harsh, chilly wind blew his magenta colored hair into his eyes, and as he looked to the right of him, a green warp pipe protruded from the ground and he saw a small, wooden sign that simply read, "Welcome to Yoshi's Island!" at the foot of it.

"Yoshi's Island?" He said aloud. "I haven't been here in…"

Mallow's words died in his mouth as he, for the first time, truly saw what was before him. The great tropical paradise that was once Yoshi's Island had been decimated. The once beautiful jungle, rich with fruit trees, small Yoshi huts, bright colors, and alive with beautiful music, was now a barren wasteland. Not a single tree remained standing, and all of the now dead, rotting wood appeared to be infested with insects. The worst were what appeared to be thousands of dead Yoshis littering the entire island as far as he could see. The despair was too much for Mallow to bare, and he broke down again. Soon, heavy rain began to fall, but Mallow didn't care about getting wet. His heart ached for them.

"Even the Yoshis weren't safe…" He murmured through sobs of despair.

Mallow had been to Yoshi's Island many years ago, on his adventure with Mario, and had met many Yoshis in his lifetime. They were perhaps some of the most innocent and light-hearted creatures he had ever encountered. To see them meet such a terrible end was just unfair, and cruel for him to have to witness. He closed his eyes as the tears ran down his face.

"No MORE!" He shouted. "I don't want to see any more!"

He opened his eyes again, and found himself standing on a large, stone bridge. He felt sweat start to pour down his face, the smell of smoke overwhelming as it filled his lungs, and he coughed loudly in response. Like at the Mushroom Kingdom before, ashes rained down from the sky. He flinched as an explosion rocked the area, causing him to almost lose his balance and fall, and his eyes went wide as he saw the cause of the explosion; an enormous volcano was overflowing with lava, a long stream of it running down from its peak.

A volcano? That must be what is causing all of those gray clouds. It's so hot… He thought, rubbing the tears from his eyes. Now where am I?

He stared, mouth agape as he stood before an enormous stone castle. A large, stone likeness of a head stared directly back at him, and Mallow knew almost instantly where he was.

"Bowser's Castle?" He said aloud.

He looked around, and for the first time noticed that he was on a large stone bridge, suspended over an enormous pool of hot, boiling lava. He looked behind him, and saw a plethora of creatures, all members of the Koopa Troop, dead. Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Shy Guys, Lakitus, and many more lay on the ground in large heaps. Again, Mallow spotted hundreds, possibly thousands more of those weapon-like translucent creatures, dead and twisted like the rest of the bodies sprawled out throughout Bowser's kingdom. They littered the ground from the bridge he stood on, all the way up to the high mountain passes that eventually led to the Mushroom Kingdom. A great battle had taken place here, and it looked like neither side had been victorious.

After walking along the bridge for a moment towards the entrance of the great castle before him, Mallow stopped dead in his tracks, gasping at the sight in front of him.

At the entrance of the enormous, steel doors of his castle, right underneath the large, stone head that was Bowser's likeness, Bowser's own head, mounted on a spike embedded into the ground stared back at him. The Koopa King's eyes had been gauged out, and streams of dry blood ran down his long, scaly snout from empty black holes. Mallow wrenched at the sight, emptying the contents of his belly onto the stone of the bridge. Beside their father, all eight of his children's heads, on spikes, all wore an expression of absolute terror. It seemed that in one fell swoop, the entire Koopa reign had come to an end.

Not even Bowser deserved this. He thought, feeling sick. And those poor children…

Mallow could not take it anymore, and wanted to scream. Why was he cursed to have to see this? What could have been so terrible that even Bowser and the Koopas met such a horrific fate? And those weapon creatures… They had been both here at Bowser's Kingdom and in the Mushroom Kingdom. What were they, and where did they come from? They looked almost familiar, but different. Had they been the cause of all of this?

"NO MORE!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "I don't want to see any more! I want to go HOME!"

He closed his eyes again as he screamed, and when he opened them, was shocked to find himself back in his room, at the castle in Nimbus Land.

He laid in his soft, pillowy bed, rubbing his eyes as he stared up at his ceiling. His body covered in sweat, he removed the covers and sat up, frantically looking around his room. A long, red velvet carpet stretched the length of the large room. His desk, percussion set, dresser, and all of the rest of his furniture and belongings appeared to be untouched, and on the door, he saw his long, magenta cape and golden crown hanging from a peg where he had left them. The whole room appeared to be exactly how he had left it, and all was silent. Mallow took a long, deep breath, and sighed.

"I'm back, I'm home." He sighed in relief. "What a horrible nightmare…"

He quickly stood up and ran to the door, grabbing his royal cape and crown. He put them on and opened the door to a grand hallway.

A dream. He thought. It was only a dream. It felt so real though, so horrible. How can I…

As Mallow entered the hallway, closing the door behind him, he shrieked in horror as he saw the entire hallway littered with bodies. At least twenty of the castle's servants had been slaughtered, their blood spilling on to the deep crimson carpet that stretched the length of the long hall. The cloud-like people had all had their throats cut, and their fine, richly decorated clothing were torn and stained as their bodies festered in pools of blood.

Mallow was absolutely paralyzed with shock and despair, the tears now completely uncontrollable and gushing down his face. He fell to his knees trying to control himself, and for a long while, just knelt there, absolutely helpless. It had not been a dream, it was all real. The visions he had seen before had been absolutely horrific, but this was by far the worst of them all. He knew and loved all of these people, and to see his loyal subjects, his friends come to such a horrifying end was unbearable. What had happened? And why had he not been here when his people had been so brutally slaughtered?

It's hopeless… He thought helplessly. It's all gone, everyone I know and love is dead, even my people, my family, my…

As if the realization had just punched him in the face, Mallow jumped up in a flash and ran down the hallway as fast as he could. He carefully dodged the many bodies sprawled out along the hallway, and ran towards the main chamber of the castle; the throne room.

He threw the large, intricately designed doors open with all of his strength, busting through them. As he ran up the grand staircase to the two thrones at the top, he stopped instantly, and once again fell to his knees, burying his face into his hands. His worst fears had come to pass, and he cried harder than he had ever in his life as he tried to process in his mind the horror he had just witnessed.

On each of their respective thrones, both of his parents sat covered in blood. Both had large spears impaled through their chests, and their throats had been slit wide open. His father's wide, almost portly face, that jolly smile beneath those long, bushy mustaches that always brought a smile to Mallow's own face, now displayed a look of sheer terror as his father's blank, dead stare pierced through Mallow's soul. His beautiful, loving, kind mother shared the same look of horror on her once soft, loving face. Her long, beautiful green gown now completely soaked in a dark crimson dripped blood onto the tile floor.

"D.. d… d… Dad…. M… m… m… Mom…" Mallow murmured between panicked, laborious gasps. His whole body trembled violently as the overwhelming feeling of despair and loss overtook him then, and he collapsed on the floor in a heap, his body going into shock.

"For the last time, Twink. I am not a doctor." Luigi protested, crossing his arms as he shook his head.

Twink shrugged, and gave Luigi his most winning smile. Mario's green clad younger brother was very humble, and touchy. Twink was genuinely grateful for all of the help that Luigi had been, and that he would soon be, he hoped.

"Okay, okay." He replied, shrugging. "You're not a doctor. Then, what do you do, anyway?"

Luigi started for a moment, and gave him a curious look. He appeared to be very contemplative, as if searching for an answer within himself. Finally, he sighed and just shook his head.

"I'm just a plumber." He said in a rather melancholy tone. "A simple plumber who can't seem to catch a break."

Twink tilted his head sideways, and gave Luigi a curious look, genuinely confused. That timid humility once again showing through in Luigi's expression, something that Twink never would have expected from Mario's brother. Mario had been renowned far and wide, even as far as the Star Road for all of the great deeds he had done. He saved the Star Road twice, defeated Bowser and saved Princess Peach more times than you could shake a wand at, and was allegedly even a doctor! Sure, Twink had never heard of Luigi until their encounter just a short while ago, but there was no way Twink was going to buy that Luigi was just a simple plumber.

"Hmmm… Well," Twink began, clearing his throat. "If you're just a simple plumber, then why would you offer to help me, a Star Spirit, in such an impossibly difficult task? This problem can't be fixed with a simple wrench and hammer, and if we fail, it could mean the end of everything! I have only just met you, but from what you have shown me so far, you're far more than a plumber, Dr. Luigi!"

Luigi once again shook his head in frustration at the doctor comment, but gave Twink a small smile from beneath those thick, bushy mustaches. He tilted his green hat and nodded at Twink.

"Thank you Twink, but I'm really not a doctor." Luigi replied humbly, rolling his eyes. "Truth be told, I don't know why I'm offering to help. I hate adventures, but…"

Luigi's words drifted off as he turned and took a few steps to the shoreline of the river, and Twink followed, flapping his wings vigorously as he floated along in the air behind Luigi. He saw the Paratroopa face that was now his own in the reflection of the smooth, crystal water and smiled as that shifting rainbow of colors on his shell sparkled in the evening sunlight. It was late afternoon now, and the sun was close to setting. Twink looked over at Luigi who appeared to be staring intently at his own reflection. The green clad plumber stood there, silent for a few moments, and then finally turned his gaze to Twink. He wore a very somber expression, and after a few brief seconds, averted his eyes to the river.

"The truth is, even I'm not sure who I am anymore, Twink." He whispered. "It's hard being Mario's younger brother. Everything I do, everyone I meet, everything even remotely related to me is always a comparison of him. I love him, he's my brother, and I'll always be there for him, but…"

Luigi sighed heavily and turned back to Twink, now with a determined look.

"I can't just be, "Mario's younger brother" anymore. I want to be something more, to make my own path, my own destiny. It's true, Mario's done amazing and wonderful things, but I can't just be his sidekick anymore. I need a chance to do something, even small to set me apart from him. Just once, I wish, even just once would make me happy."

Twink started at the sudden frankness in Luigi's words and the seriousness of his tone. It all made sense now. The reason for Luigi's humble, almost timid nature, and why Twink had never really known about him until today. Being Mario's younger brother, of course Luigi would be cast into the shadow of his older brother's limelight, even if that were never Mario's intentions. Twink could tell just from the look in Luigi's soft, blue eyes that he loved his brother dearly, but now after hearing it from Luigi's perspective, he could tell that it bothered him. Twink also could not help but notice the slight tone of envy that Luigi's words carried.

"So that's why you decided to help me." Twink replied, nodding.

"Well, not totally, Twink." Luigi replied. "You seem like a good fellow, and Mario and I have talked at great length about the Star Road. It's not lost on me how important of a role it plays in granting wishes either. Maybe if we can sort this mess out, my wish will come true."

Twink smiled back and nodded in agreement, although he couldn't help but feel a slight heaviness in his heart. He had seen the Star Road destroyed, completely decimated by Smithy's hand, and wondered if any wishes would ever come true again. He thought of the Star Road, ?!, and the lost Star Rod, and he couldn't help but frown.

"What's wrong, Twink?" Luigi asked with a worried expression.

"Luigi, there's something you should know that makes our plight even more urgent." Twink began. "You see…"

Suddenly, Twink was cut off as the cloud creature, still resting against the tree a few yards away, started to moan in agony. Aside from the creature's slight stirring a few hours ago, it had yet to wake up from its unconscious state. Twink and Luigi exchanged a quick glance, and the pair rushed over to see what was happening. The creature started to shake, and Twink felt a sense of urgency take over him.

"What's happening, Luigi?!" He exclaimed frantically.

"I don't know! Quickly, grab me my bag!" Luigi shouted.

Twink quickly flew over and grabbed Luigi's bag, handing it to him. Luigi shuffled through it for a moment and produced a few mushrooms, as well as some type of herb. As he mixed the ingredients together quickly, he motioned for Twink who stared, wide-eyed at the creature who was now trembling violently.

"Hold down his arms!" Luigi shouted urgently. "I'm going to administer more medicine."

"Alright, I got him." Twink replied, hovering over the creature's body as he grabbed both arms with his clawed fingers, trying to be careful not to dig into its soft, puffy skin.

"Is he going to be okay, Dr. Luigi?" Twink asked with a worried expression.

"I don't know, Twink." Luigi replied with a frown. "I don't know…"

Mallow groaned as he slowly rolled over onto his back and stared blankly at a black, starry sky. He laid there for what felt like days, watching the tiny pinpricks of light sparkle in the night. Occasionally, he would spot a shooting star for half a second, appearing out of nowhere and then vanishing almost instantly. His eyes followed a constellation of stars to a small, blue planet, his gaze moving north in the hope of spotting a small cluster of stars above it. Those stars, the Star Road were the bastion of his prayers, his dreams and his wishes.

But they were gone.

Mallow slowly, reluctantly, raised a hand to his soft, fluffy face, and could feel the trails of dried tears that had streamed down them. He was out of tears to shed, his heart unbelievably heavy, his will broken. What he had witnessed was beyond a nightmare, worse than his deepest, darkest fears. Everyone he knew, admired and loved were dead. His kingdom, his world annihilated, cast into the darkest shadow. How did this happen? Where had he been and why had he missed it? And most importantly, why was he cursed to be the sole barer of this burden? To see the aftermath of all of this destruction first hand?

Oh, Mom. Dad. He thought in deep anguish. I'm so sorry…

He tried to cry, to shout, but he felt nothing, only blankness. He was beyond even the deepest despair he could possibly muster. He wished he were dead so he did not have to feel this pain anymore. He closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to open them again, in fear of what horror he would encounter when he opened them. After a few moments that felt like hours, he could hear a faint, low voice that sounded like weeping.

"Oh, no… Oh, ho ho…" The voice whimpered. "Why?"

Mallow's eyes shot open in an instant at the sound of the voice, and as he came to, a realization hit him that he was now sitting up, in a large, elaborately decorated gray stone throne. Small gems of all colors were encrusted inside of it, and a huge mushroom carved in gold hung above him atop of the throne. The cushions he sat upon were of a soft, red velvet material, luxurious and comfortable, like sitting on a cloud. As he looked around the room, he saw that he was in the largest throne room he had ever seen. A long, red carpet stretched the length of the great room atop a black and white tiled floor from the throne to two large, blue colored steel doors. They were encrusted with two enormous, golden stars. Many paintings, richly decorated in golden frames depicting Toads, and a young woman in a pink dress and crown decorated the walls, and a massive, elegant crystalline chandelier hung high above throne. It illuminated the entire throne room, and all of the rich décor sparkled at the light's touch.

"Princess Toadstool's castle…" Mallow whispered in pure bewilderment. "But… it was destroyed…."

Mallow looked around the room, bewildered and completely flabbergasted at the sight before him. He had been here over ten years ago, but the sight of the throne room of Princess Toadstool's castle never ceased to amaze him. He was delighted to see it, seemingly untouched and in good order, but something didn't feel right.

He turned his gaze to a large, glass window to the right of him, and noticed that it was pitch black outside. He quickly got up and ran over to it immediately affixing his gaze outside. It was the courtyard, and royal gardens, rich with greenery and a large, gray fountain stood about twenty yards from the window, depicting Princess Peach in her full royal regalia.

How did… Mallow thought, still confused. Was it all a dream…?

"Whyyyy…. Noooo…." The voice suddenly whimpered again from behind the large, blue steel doors.

Mallow immediately turned his gaze from the window and felt a chill go down his spine. Somebody was behind those doors, and alive. He ran to the doors as fast as he could, grabbing both handles and with all of his strength, threw them open. A long, dimly lit corridor was before him, and kneeling on the ground, just a few yards ahead of him, he saw the back of a short, somewhat portly man, clad in red and blue. His head hung low, he appeared to be weeping, almost hyperventilating in distress. Although from behind he was a bit difficult to recognize in the dimly lit hall, Mallow knew instantly who it was.

"Mario?" Mallow said quizzically.

Mario started at the sound of Mallow's voice, and quickly turned his head. Mallow couldn't quite make out the expression on the plumber's face in the dim light, but could just barely see the silhouette of his large nose, thick mustaches and cap. Mario knelt there, frozen in place as he stared back at him. After about a minute the plumber finally spoke up.

"Who is it?!" He exclaimed in a heavy, almost raspy voice thick with sorrow. "Haven't you done enough?! Leave me alone!"

Mallow jumped at the tone in his voice and took a few steps forward. He waved his large, puffy hand as he moved into the light of one of the torches hanging on the stone wall of the corridor. He tried to give his friend his best smile as he spoke up.

"Mario!" He exclaimed. "It's me, Mallow. I know it's been a long time since our adventure, but don't you remember me? I'm Prince Mallow, of Nimbus Land."

Mario still knelt there, frozen in place, but after a while, he tilted his head and nodded.

"Mallow…" He whispered faintly.

"Yes, Mallow!" Mallow replied. "I know I might look different, but remember? You helped me find my real paren…" Mallow's words trailed off for a second and he had to clear his throat before he continued. "We looked for the seven stars together, with Bowser, Geno, and Princess Peach. We…"

Suddenly, Mario burst into tears again, his tortured sobs echoing through the corridor. Still facing away from Mallow, he stood up, and knelt down to pick up something. His head hanging low. After what felt like an eternity, Mallow thought he saw Mario nod, and the plumber spoke up.

"Mallow, yes, I remember now." He said between tears. "It's been years. I'm sorry but I didn't recognize you. You've grown a lot taller and your hair is longer."

"Mario, what's wrong?" Mallow said hesitantly. "You sound absolutely…"

Mallow's words died in his mouth as Mario turned and stepped into the light. In his arms, the limp, lifeless body of Princess Peach laid torn and tattered, her once soft, innocent blue eyes piercing blankly back at his. Mallow jumped at their gaze, literally falling backwards as he hit the floor.

"I… I… I couldn't save her…" Mario whimpered between sobs. His face was a pale, almost ghostly white, his expression the saddest Mallow had ever seen. Long streams of tears poured down his face, dripping off of his thick, dark mustache. "Oh, the stars forgive me, I couldn't save her. Oh ho ho… My love, my life…"

Mario fell to his knees again, burying his face into her soft, pink dress as his crying became almost completely uncontrollable. Mallow sat up, and just stared at his friend, and soon, tears started to pour down his own face. Never in his life did he ever think that he would see is friend, who was normally so confident, fearless, and joyful in so much pain, so emotionally broken. Mallow felt that despair in his heart again, as the realization hit him that his nightmare was not over, that everything he had seen was just getting worse, and he wanted to scream.

The pair sat there for a long time without saying anything, the only break in the silence Mario's soft whimpering. After what seemed like eternity, Mallow finally stood and spoke up.

"Mario, what happened?" He finally blurted out.

After a few minutes, Mario finally lifted his head, and his piercing gaze made Mallow shiver. The plumber now wore an expression of absolute terror as the word left his mouth.

"Smithy." He said in horror.

Mallow felt a shockwave go through him, and fell to one knee as he tried to regain is breath, trying to process what Mario had just said. He took a few long deep breaths, and paused. Everything made sense now. The destruction, those weapon creatures, The Star Road, and now this. Smithy had returned, and exacted his revenge. It seemed impossible to Mallow, having seen, first hand, Smithy destroyed in the basement of that horrible factory all those years ago, but it made perfect sense. He had somehow been resurrected, and had struck their world at full force, destroying and killing everything.

"MWA HA HA HA HA!" A voice suddenly boomed from behind him.

Mallow jumped at the sudden outburst and quickly turned around. He screamed in terror, a bolt of fear jolting through him as he saw the dark, menacing figure before him. Standing in the large doorway to the throne room, an enormously large, metallic being with a huge, round head and dark, sinister crimson eyes gazed down at him, laughing maniacally. Its body was shaped like a large, metallic box with two long, steel chains attaching its massive hands to its body. In its right hand, it clutched a large, metal hammer, in the other, a tiny blue rod with a bright star that made up its head. Mallow noticed that encrusted into the creature's metallic body, seven small orbs glowed in a rainbow of colors.

"SMITHY!" Mallow shouted frantically. He quickly turned his gaze back to Mario, who was still holding Princess Peach in his arms, crying.

"Mario!" He shouted. "We must fight! Smithy can't get away with this!"

Mario's sobbing only grew worse as Smithy laughed even harder. Still shaken with fear, Mallow shook his head and took a deep breath. He could not allow Smithy to get away with this, and he would not run or cry any longer. He had defeated Smithy once, and now, more than ever, could not let him get away with all of the pain and destruction the dreadful creature had caused. For everyone he had known and loved, for the world, his parents, Mario, the princess, he would fight.

"SHOCKER!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. Suddenly, an enormous bolt of lightning crashed through the ceiling and struck Smithy dead on. A brilliant white flash of light illuminated the entire area, and Smithy shouted. Mallow did not relent then, and quickly followed it with another magic spell. He took another deep breath, and screamed.

"SNOWY!" He shouted.

A blizzard started to pick up out of nowhere, obscuring everything in a thick cloud of white snow. The wind picked up faster and faster, until the entire room started to shake. Suddenly, a giant snowman crashed down through the giant hole in the ceiling that the lightning bolt had caused, the snowman completely burying Smithy. It looked down at Mallow with small, beady black eyes, blinked a few times, and then exploded, causing snow to fly everywhere.

As the blizzard subsided, Mallow took to a battle stance, ready for a fight. However, as the snow cleared, he looked on in shock as Smithy only continued to stand there laughing at him, appearing to be completely unaffected by his attacks. Suddenly, Smithy ceased his mad, unrelenting laughter and stared daggers at Mallow. His wide mouth now grinning, it bared razor sharp, pointed teeth. He pointed the small, star-shaped rod at Mallow that was now glowing an intense white at its head, and Mallow felt panic go through him as his body started to ascend into the air. He struggled in vain to try and free himself from the invisible grip, but found that the more he struggled, the more tight of a grasp it held on him.

He was dragged through the air, now completely immobilized by whatever magic spell Smithy had trapped him in, and now felt sheer panic and terror as he hovered, mere inches from the horrifying, metallic creature's face. Smithy's dark, crimson eyes pierced right through him, and he was paralyzed by both by the spell and fear.

"So." Smithy boomed in that deep, mechanical voice. "The cloud child still lives. How wonderful that I can witness his pain and suffering with my own eyes."

Mallow was beyond terrified, but with all of the courage he could muster, stared defiantly back at Smithy.

"You won't get away with this!" Mallow shouted angrily. "We defeated you once, and you will fall again! Right, Mario?"

Smithy just started laughing again, waving that small rod in his hand. Mallow was suddenly turned back around towards Mario, and saw the plumber's face still buried in the princess, weeping in sorrow. The plumber looked up at Mallow and shook his head.

"It's no use, Mallow." Mario said despairingly. "It's over, the Master Smithy cannot be stopped."

Master Smithy? Mallow thought. Oh, Mario… What has he done to you…

"As you can see, my little pet is quite overtaken with grief." Smithy chortled. "He wants death, but I will not grant him such a generous wish. He shall remain here, for all eternity with her. Well, what was her anyway. You on the other hand…"

Suddenly, Mallow's body was turned back towards Smithy, his horrible, insane eyes staring death at him. Mallow screamed as Smithy's laughter echoed down the dark corridor.

"You are the last of the five wretched fools who tried to defeat me all of those years ago." He said in a dark tone. "Your kingdom in the clouds, your people, your king and queen. How did you like the feeling of losing everything around you all at once? Everyone you ever loved, everything you ever worked for, gone in a flash?"

Smithy's laughter became an insane, distorted, tormenting shriek. Mallow once again broke down, the tears now gushing down his face. His sorrow was overwhelming, and his will broken. Rain started to fall down heavily through the hole in the ceiling, and thunder crashed loudly high above. The torrential downpour soaked Mallow down to his boots, and Smithy's laughter boomed even louder with each crash of thunder.

"Your tears taste like sweet, sweet vindication." Smithy said finally. He stared darkly at Mallow, who tried to avert his eyes, but found that an invisible force was now forcing them open. He tried with all of his strength to struggle free from Smithy's relentless grasp, but it was no use. He screamed in sheer terror as he watched Smithy slowly start to raise that enormous, steel hammer into the air high above him. The creature's insane laughter was the very manifestation of fear and death itself.

"Now, DIE young cloud prince! MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Smithy boomed as he brought the hammer down at what seemed like blinding speed.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mallow screamed as the enormous hammer struck home. He saw his entire life flash before him in an instant, then blackness as the world shifted.

As Twink held the cloud-like creature's long, puffy arms down, Luigi, as carefully as he could, started to pour some of the green brew that he had concocted from his bag down its throat. Its body trembled violently, and just as the very last bit of the brew emptied from the bowl, suddenly the entire contents were spewed back up, shooting back into Luigi's face. He stumbled backwards, tripping on a rock, and fell on his behind.

"YUCK!" He shouted, his face now covered in the slimy brew.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A voice suddenly screamed. Luigi bolted back up to his feet and ran to the creature, who was now thrashing around. Twink tried desperately to hold on to its arms, but the cloud-like being swung its arms violently, flinging Twink off of it into the air.

"Woah!" Twink shouted as he tried to regain control of his ascent. Fortunately for him, he was able to redirect his trajectory, and flew back quickly to Luigi.

"He's stronger than he looks." Twink said with a nod. "What do we do, Dr. Luigi? Ech! I know that green is your color, but that slimy mush on your face definitely doesn't suit you."

Luigi shook his head and sighed. He pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket, wiping the disgusting mush from his face, and turned to Twink.

"Astute observation," Luigi said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Come on, we have to…"

Suddenly, the creature jolted up to its feet, its eyes wide as it started to look around frantically in all directions. Luigi and Twink shared a look, nodding to each other.

"Wh… WHERE AM I NOW!?" The creature screamed, causing Luigi to nearly jump out of his boots.

"NO MORE! I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY MOOOOOOOORE!" It screamed in agony.

Suddenly, bolts of lighting started to rain down from the sky, and Luigi jumped, ducking behind a tree. He waved for Twink who was trying desperately to dodge the bolts in midair. Twink managed to get behind the tree to where Luigi was, and sighed in relief.

"I thought I was going to get my wings clipped for a second there." Twink sighed. "Is that cloud what's causing all of this lightning?"

"Well, it is a cloud." Luigi retorted.

A loud crack of thunder immediately proceeded Luigi's words, and the pair jumped at the sound. Suddenly, the lightning ceased, and soft rain began to fall.

"Odd weather we're having, huh Dr. Luigi?" Twink grinned.

Luigi sighed heavily at that, and shook his head in frustration.

"For the very last time Twink, I. Am. Not. A. Doctor." Luigi retorted in aggravation.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Twink replied, shrugging. He pointed a clawed finger at the cloud. "Hey, is that cloud creature crying?"

Luigi peaked his head around the tree and saw that the cloud-like being now sat at the base of the tree it had been resting under, crying hysterically. Luigi frowned, and gave Twink a questioning glance. The two exchanged looks and nodded as they slowly creeped out from behind the tree. The cloud creature's face was buried in its large hands, and Luigi could see tears-or perhaps rain-dripping through its fingers. Cautiously the pair approached the creature, and after a moment, Luigi took a deep breath and cleared his throat. The cloud jumped up in an instant, and Luigi put on his best smile.

"Hey, are you okay?" He said in a warm, friendly tone.

"Yeah, you were out of it for a long time." Twink added.

The creature slowly regained its composure, rubbing its big, lightly colored blue eyes, and running its large fingers through its magenta colored hair. As the creature's tears stifled, Luigi couldn't help but notice that the rain too had stopped, as if the cloud's tears had been what caused the downpour. The creature stared curiously at Luigi, shifting its gaze to Twink for a few moments, and then back to Luigi. It examined him up and down, and then finally with a confused look tilted its large, puffy head.

"Mario?" It muttered in a soft voice. "But, you were just at the castle and… you look… different."

Luigi jumped at that, and shook his head in frustration. First Twink, and now this creature was mistaking him for his brother. It seemed as if everyone he encountered today knew his biggest pet peeve, and were purposely exploiting it to get a rise out of him. Luigi knew that obviously was not the case, and that he and Mario did resemble each other a lot, but it annoyed him nevertheless.

"No, I'm not Mario." He sighed. "I'm Luigi, his younger brother."

"Luigi?" The cloud repeated with a confused expression. "I never knew that Mario had a younger brother…"

Luigi sighed heavily again at that, pressing his palm against his face.

"And who are you?" Mallow asked curiously, regarding Twink. "Why is Mario's brother hanging around a Paratroopa?"

Twink started at that and scratched his head as he floated through the air.

"I'm not a… that is… erm…" Twink stumbled. "The name's Twink. Luigi and I just met a few hours ago, in that small forest over there."

Twink pointed towards a small thicket of trees to the east that the dirt road ran through, where he and Luigi had initially met just a few hours ago.

"Twink here found you." Luigi said taking a step towards the creature. "I happened to be passing through the forest, when he called for help. Luckily he found me, or you might have been in some serious trouble."

"Found me?" The cloud repeated, confused.

"That's right." Twink replied with a nod. "You were floating along the Midas River here, unconscious. I happened to have… err… dropped in, and spotted you. Luckily, I was able to get help quickly, and Dr. Luigi here was able to save you."

"Dr. Luigi?" The creature said curiously.

Luigi sighed heavily again at that, and shook his head.

"I'm not a…. no. You know what?" Luigi said throwing his hands up in the air. "Yes, I'm Dr. Luigi."

Twink laughed at that, and Luigi felt his face getting hot. He wanted to kick the Paratroopa's shell across the river at that point, but resisted the urge. The cloud creature gave the pair a curious look, and shook its head.

"More importantly, who are you?" Luigi asked. "When I examined you, it looked like you had been struck pretty hard in the face. What happened?"

"And why were you floating down the Midas River?" Twink added.

The creature looked conflicted, and took a few steps back from the pair. It closed its eyes for a few moments, and Luigi noticed it start to shiver before it reluctantly opened one, and then the second soon after. It repeated this a few times, and then appeared to sigh heavily in relief.

"It was all a dream then…" The creature said softly in a more relaxed tone. "Thank the stars it was only a dream…."

Luigi exchanged a confused look with Twink and the pair shrugged. This creature was definitely strange, but Luigi couldn't help but feel sorry for it. It had obviously endured quite an ordeal, and he could not help but feel guilty as he wondered if he had perhaps given it too much medicine.

Some doctor I am… He thought.

"A dream?" Twink asked curiously. "What dream? You've been out for hours, as far as we know."

Luigi nodded in response and the cloud creature gave them a small smile.

"I'm sorry," It said apologetically. "I haven't even thanked you for helping me. My name is Mallow. Prince Mallow of Nimbus Land. Thank you both for everything. Twink, is it?"

Twink nodded.

"Thank you for pulling me out of the river." Mallow said. "And Dr. Luigi, Mario's brother. Thank you for fixing me up."

"Please, just call me Luigi." Luigi replied with a frown. "Just Luigi will do, and you're welcome."

The two shook hands, as did Twink and Mallow.

"Nimbus Land, eh?" Luigi said suddenly. "I can't say I have ever heard of it. You're the prince of Nimbus Land?"

"Yes, that is correct." Mallow replied "Prince Mallow Nimbus. My father and mother…"

Mallow paused for a few moments, took a deep breath, and once again closed his eyes. He opened them again as he exhaled an enormous sigh of relief.

"…They are king and queen. I'm honestly not too surprised you haven't heard of my kingdom. It resides high up in the clouds. Although I am surprised Mario never mentioned me, or Nimbus Land to you before."

"How do you know my brother anyway, Mallow?" Luigi asked curiously. Luigi could not say he was all that surprised that Mallow knew Mario, but he had assumed it was just by his reputation. There were a number of adventures that Mario had kept Luigi completely in the dark from however, so Luigi was sure there were a lot of people and places that Mario just never talked about.

"I owe a lot to your brother, Luigi." Mallow began. "Up until a little over ten years ago, I lived with my grandpa, Frogfucious, at Tadpole Pond. He wasn't my real grandfather though, and when I was a baby, he had discovered me floating down this very river in a basket. He took me in to raise amongst the tadpoles, and taught me many things. For a long time, I believed I was a tadpole."

Twink laughed at that and shook his head.

"But you look nothing like a Tadpole!" He exclaimed with a grin.

"Sometimes, people will believe anything about themselves just to fit in, Twink." Mallow replied. "Anyway, about ten years ago, I had come to the Mushroom Kingdom and ran into Mario. We had a few adventures together, and when we both ventured back to my home, my grandpa told me the truth about my past."

Mallow regarded Luigi, and smiled.

"Your brother graciously allowed me to accompany him on his journey to collect the seven star pieces of the Star Road, and it was while we were hunting for them that we discovered my home of birth, Nimbus Land."

Twink jumped at that, and gazed, wide-eyed at Luigi.

"D… Did you say, the Star Road? The one that grants wishes?" Twink stumbled.

"Yes," Mallow replied, nodding. "Anyway, Nimbus Land had been taken over by some wicked woman named Valentina and this fat bird named Dodo who…"

Mallow's eyes also went wide at that moment, as if a realization just smacked him in the face.

"It was her!" He exclaimed. "I remember now, that must be how I ended up in the river!"

"Who?" Twink asked.

"How?" Luigi added.

"Valentina." Mallow said with a determined, almost angry expression. "Her and Dodo! I was resting at my favorite spot, a small hill right along the very edge of the clouds, when Dodo knocked me off of the edge! I must have fallen and landed in the river!"

"Wait, so I'm confused." Twink said with a confused expression. "The same people who took over Nimbus Land threw you into the river?"

"Yes!" Mallow exclaimed. "Mario and I kicked them out of Nimbus Land ten years ago, but they must have returned to try and reclaim it! I need to get back home, and…"

Mallow's words trailed off, and Luigi thought he could see a deep despair in the cloud prince's eyes.

"Oh no…" Mallow whispered solemnly. "That means that the Star Road… It's true then. This must be the beginning of it…"

"Of what?" Luigi asked. He raised an eyebrow and adjusted his hat. Nothing was making sense, and Luigi once again found himself overwhelmed with frustration. Mallow's words seemed almost cryptic, and he was growing tired of all of the beating around the bush. He reflected briefly on this morning, when he had initially set out on his little journey to visit Daisy, and he frowned. He wondered what she was doing right now, and wished he could see her. She somehow always knew how to cheer him up, even when he was at his lowest.

The cloud prince just stood there for a few moments, his eyes closed without saying a word.

"Of what, Mallow?!" Luigi repeated.

Mallow took a long, deep breath and exhaled. He opened his eyes, giving Luigi and Twink a very serious yet disparaging look.

"The End…" He whispered solemnly.