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Description
The Temple of the Sun
00:00

Peach sighed drearily to herself, her chin resting in her hands as she sat on the Aeon Clock with Luigi and Toadsworth. It had gotten to that inevitable point of every kidnapping where she was actually bored.

"I wonder how long it's been now. How long we've been held up in here," she finally spoke up. "I wonder how long before we'll be able to see the outside world again."

"Oh, Princess Peach, don't worry so much," said Luigi, trying to be encouraging. "You know Mario's working as hard as he can to get us out of here, right?"

Peach smiled weakly. "Oh, of course you're right, Luigi. I… I just wish we had more information. If only we knew how Mario is doing. I wonder if he's found that third Sun Soul yet."

"If he has, then I guess it's up to us to find out where the next one is, isn't it?" the green plumber remarked.

"Yes, and I do believe there's only one way to find out for sure," Toadsworth agreed, quickly standing up. "Perhaps it's time we took another little excursion down the stairs, wouldn't you say? I daresay it has gotten frightfully dull up here."

Peach beamed. "That's a wonderful idea, Toadsworth! For once, we actually agree on something."

Toadsworth decided to ignore her remark. Instead, the three of them stood together and pushed on the Aeon Clock as hard as they could, in the same place Peach had kicked it before. It worked like a charm; the clock immediately split down the middle, and its halves rotated away from each other, uncovering the staircase leading down to the lower floor.

"Well, here goes nothing," said Peach. "Just remember to be careful, you two. We were almost caught last time."

And so the three of them sneaked down the dark stairwell as quietly and cautiously as they could, not making a sound. When they reached the bottom floor, they all silently grouped together and peered into the hallway on the other side… but this time, there was no one there.

"Hmm… well, I suppose further exploring is in order," Toadsworth sighed.

"Maybe the three of us should split up," Peach decided. "We'll all look around, and if any of us finds anything useful, we'll tell the others about it."

"Oh… do we have to?" Luigi whimpered. He was clearly not very keen on the idea of being alone in a place like this.

"Come on, Luigi, it'll be fine," Peach assured him. "Mario's being brave out there for us, so we have to be brave for him."

Luigi put on a determined look. "Oh… all right. When you put it that way…"

So they walked down the shining golden corridor – Luigi made a conscious effort not to scuff up the dark green carpet – and when they noticed a series of doors lining both of the walls, all three of them opened a different one.

After Peach and Toadsworth had gone, Luigi swallowed hard, bracing himself, and turned the knob in front of him. The door opened easily, and he walked through, cautiously shutting it behind him…

"What is this?"

Luigi shrieked and spun around, backing against the door. He was in a dark, ornately decorated room that was mostly taken up by a large table – and glaring at him was none other than Rizz, the green Darkstrider.

"I – I – I – "

"What do you think you're doing down here, prisoner?" Rizz snarled at him, grabbing his throat with a clawed hand and slamming him against the door. "And choose your words carefully, or they may be your last!"

"Aw, Rizz, don't hurt him," came a voice from somewhere in the room. "He's kinda cute."

"I'm liking that 'stache of his," agreed a second voice.

Very cautiously, Luigi peered over Rizz's shoulder and realized that there were two more green, female Darkstriders standing in the room with them, both regarding him in interest.

Rizz glared at them impatiently. "Be serious, both of you! We have an intruder here! If King Shroude gets word of this atrocity, he'll have our heads!"

"Oh, but we don't have to worry about him," one of the other two assured her. "Don't you remember? King Shroude said the one in green was harmless."

"Hmph…" Rizz muttered in reluctant agreement, releasing her grip on Luigi as she pondered this.

Luigi, on the other hand, was furious. "What are you talking about! I am not harmless!" he fumed, stomping his foot. "I'm the great Luigi! And you – you're going to tell me everything you know about the Sun Souls, right now! Or I'll use my Super Jump on you!"

All three Darkstriders stared at him for a moment – and then Rizz's two companions burst out laughing.

"Oh, real funny!" the first one snickered. "Like we'd tell you anything about the Sun Souls! Come on, we're not stupid!"

Rizz, on the other hand, was suddenly looking thoughtful. "Be quiet, both of you," she ordered, and the other two obediently fell silent. Then she turned back to Luigi.

"You want to know about the Sun Souls?" she repeated.

Luigi was caught somewhat off guard. "Uh… that's right," he agreed, trying to sound assertive. "I need to find out where the next one is being held. And you're not stopping me."

"Well, isn't that a coincidence," Rizz sneered. "Because there's something I'd like to know as well. Perhaps we can help each other out. You see, there's an… important matter that has come to my attention recently."

"Rizz, what're you doing?" whispered one of the other Darkstriders.

"And by the way, my name is Rizz; King Shroude's most loyal and cunning servant," she went on. "And these are my two associates, Sall and Bess."

"Heya there, cutie," Sall piped up excitedly, waving at Luigi. Rizz smacked her.

"Now listen," she said sternly. "I'm sure at this point you've already met three certain… acquaintances of ours. Jaff, Pell, and Nobb."

Luigi was getting very confused. He had no idea where this was going. "Um, yeah…"

"Then you know that they're all complete buffoons," Rizz spat. "King Shroude was a fool to entrust them with any part of his plan. And yet they were the ones who were chosen to hide the Sun Souls!" She bristled in disgust. "They are not deserving of such an honor. I've made it my duty to prove to our king that we are his greatest servants, not those three imbeciles."

"Uh, okay…"

"I thought after their defeat at Mt. Tourmaline, they'd disgraced themselves beyond redemption," Rizz sighed, beginning to pace back and forth. "And yet… they're planning something. Something they believe will win our king's eternal favor. I must know what it is, and put a stop to it in any way I can."

Luigi was getting nervous. "Uh… I'm sorry, Ms. Rizz. But I don't get what this has to do with me."

"Well, I'm getting to that," she growled dangerously at him. "As we speak, those three are having a conference with our king, which I am not allowed to attend. What I need is for you to infiltrate that meeting, and find out what they're discussing. Then report back to me immediately." She folded her arms. "I am in a generous mood… if you do this for me, I may tell you the location of the fourth Sun Soul."

Luigi's eyes widened. "Really? You – you'd do that?"

"This is a limited-time offer," Rizz added threateningly. "They're meeting in the room right across the hall. Go there now, before I change my mind."

"Oh – right! You got it!" Luigi agreed, hastily turning around and running out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

"Rizz! What're you thinking?" Bess cried once they were alone. "Why would you tell that guy where the Sun Soul is? I mean, he's that Mario guy's brother, right?"

"Yes, and what does he think he's going to do with that information?" Rizz replied with a malicious grin. "He can't even leave the Temple! He and the princess are in no position to help Mario at all… and besides, hiding the Sun Souls was Jaff's idea. And there is nothing I desire more than to see Jaff's plans fail."

––

Luigi crept nervously across the hall, approaching the door on the other side. Sure enough, he could clearly make out familiar voices coming from the other side, and they did not sound friendly.

He gulped. Why on earth was Rizz making him do this? She probably just didn't want to risk getting in trouble herself.

Very reluctantly, and more silently than he'd though possible, Luigi pulled open the door a tiny crack and peered inside.

King Shroude, as well as Jaff and his associates, were standing in an enormous room with a vaulting ceiling and shining windows. On the far end of the room was what looked to be a large altar of some kind, and there was a red carpet leading up to it. This certainly did look like a room you would find within a temple.

"Now Jaff, I hope this meeting of yours is worth my time," Shroude said humorlessly. "As I'm sure you've heard, Mario has somehow managed to find yet another of the Sun Souls. I am not in the best of moods at the moment."

Luigi stifled a smile. He knew his big bro would come through.

"Trust us, my lord, you will want to hear this," Jaff replied dutifully. "As you requested, we have obtained information on the newcomer in Chronoside – the self-titled 'King of the Koopas', as it would seem. After meeting with him, we have decided… he is the one you've been looking for."

Shroude bristled. "That is an audacious claim, Jaff. What makes you so certain?"

"We have seen his strength," Jaff insisted. "He is mighty and powerful, likely more so than anyone else in this land. Furthermore, he is dull and foolish, and could easily be swayed to our cause. And… he, too, has a grudge against Mario."

For once, the Master of Night looked to be at a loss for words.

"You're sure of all of this?" he asked.

"Completely sure. He wants nothing more than to eliminate Mario, just as we do."

Shroude folded his arms, thinking this matter over very seriously. "You know how critical it is that our treasure be properly guarded," he informed his minions. "Mario must be kept from obtaining it at any cost. The one I choose to guard it is of utmost importance."

He turned away from Jaff and the others. "We will test this King of the Koopas," he decided. "If he proves worthy, he will have the honor of being my most crucial servant. And once you've done that… go and protect that next Sun Soul, Jaff. Mario will not humiliate our efforts again."

The Darkstriders perked up in excitement. "It will be done, my lord!" Jaff declared loyally. "We will seek him out even now! You will not be disappointed!"

Shroude nodded in approval, and the Darkstriders immediately vanished from the room in three puffs of smoke… and Luigi, completely stunned, withdrew from the room before he was noticed.

––

"So? What did you find out?" Rizz demanded once Luigi was back in her room.

"Well… it was really crazy, actually. They were talking about this guy Bowser – Mario and I know him really well," Luigi began uneasily. He wasn't sure how much of this he should be telling her, but it was the only way to find out where the Sun Soul was. "And… well, it sounds like they want to use him to guard something. A treasure, they said."

Rizz's eyes grew very wide. "Is that so," she said in a soft voice, looking stunned. After a moment, she turned around and began quietly conferring with her two associates.

"Do you… do you know what treasure they were talking about?" Luigi ventured.

"That is no business of yours," Rizz replied shortly. "Now, then… you've done well, Luigi, and I thank you. This is very useful information."

"Okay… well, now you have to hold up your end of the deal. You have to tell me where the Sun Soul is."

"Yes, of course," Rizz growled impatiently. "I honestly have no idea what that fool Jaff was thinking, but he decided to hide the Meridiem Soul amongst a group of traveling performers. I believe they're known as the Starshine Circus."

"The next Sun Soul's in a circus?" Luigi repeated.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Rizz snapped at him. "Now, Luigi, I suggest you leave this place immediately. Our business here is complete, and this is a dangerous place for one such as you."

Luigi immediately noticed the threat in her voice. "Oh… right, right. I'll go." He reached for the doorknob, then briefly hesitated and turned back around. "And, um… thanks."

Rizz did nothing but glare at him. Feeling his face flush, Luigi pulled the door open and slipped out as quickly as he could.

––

––

Soluna Town
12:00 Noon

Bowser was grumbling impatiently to himself, leaning against the wall of a back alley with his arms folded. This was just about the only place in town he could go without people seeing him and freaking out, and he was starting to get awfully bored of it.

"Where the heck are those blue weirdos?" he muttered to himself. "They should know better than to keep me waiting! Or do they not know a great and mighty king when they see one?"

No sooner had he spoken than he heard the familiar sound of billowing smoke coming from behind him. He turned around in time to see Jaff, Pell and Nobb marching up to him.

"About time!" Bowser huffed angrily. "Where were you freaks, anyway? I've got places to go and things to do, you know! I haven't got all day!" He started looking around. "And speaking of all day," he went on, "what the heck's up with the sun around this place, anyway? It's like it's never nighttime around here!"

"You ask too many questions, King Bowser," Jaff replied sternly. "If you are deemed worthy, you will be completely informed of our lord's intentions. In the meantime, we have another task for you."

Bowser rolled his eyes. "Oh, what an honor. I can hardly believe it."

"We have conferred with our lord, and he has agreed to allow us to test your worthiness," Jaff went on. "If you pass these tests, you will be granted the opportunity to lay waste to Mario, our shared foe, once and for all."

That seemed to get Bowser's interest.

"Ha ha! Now we're talking!" he said enthusiastically, growing a wicked grin. "Why didn't you say so in the first place? If you can give me some way to pummel Mario, I'll do whatever you ask!"

The Darkstriders all grinned at each other. "Yeah, we figured you'd say that," said Nobb.

"So, when do we start?" Bowser asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together. "When's the first test, huh?"

"Right now," said Jaff, snapping his fingers.

"What the – " Bowser leapt back in shock as a gigantic plume of smoke billowed up directly in front of him, and an enormous troll of a Darkstrider materialized out of it. It didn't appear to be very intelligent at all, but on the other hand, it was also holding a very pointy mace.

"What the heck is this?" the Koopa King demanded. Instead of responding, the oversized Darkstrider let out a primal roar, holding its mace high above its head and charging directly at Bowser.

"You're kidding, right?" Bowser scoffed, unleashing a fire blast from his mouth and barbequing the Darkstrider before it had even gotten close. It staggered backwards, looking burned and badly shaken up, as Bowser laughed tauntingly.

"Ha! That all you got?"

He quickly got his answer. The Darkstrider steadied itself, then gathered its strength and swung its mace at Bowser, striking the unsuspecting Koopa across the face.

"YEOW! What the – oh, fine! You wanna play rough? Let's dance, baby!"

The Darkstrider wound up its mace again, but this time Bowser retaliated by swiping at it with his claws. Howling in frustration, the Darkstrider bashed Bowser over the head as hard as it could, causing stars to erupt before the Koopa King's eyes. Shaking his head to clear it, Bowser ducked down and headbutted the Darkstrider in the stomach, sending it crashing into a wall.

The two of them duked it out like that for several more minutes while Jaff, Pell and Nobb watched the whole thing in eager anticipation. Every time the Darkstrider tried to swing its mace, Bowser would swipe it away with his hands or lock it with his horns. However, the Darkstrider was also using the mace to its defensive advantage, blocking off Bowser whenever he tried to land a hit.

Finally, it became clear that Bowser and his fire breath had the advantage. As the dizzy and weakened Darkstrider came charging at him one last time, Bowser responded by flame-broiling it at point-blank range with a devastating fire blast. Then, just for the added effect, he jumped on its head and flattened it to the ground as easily as though he were stomping a Goomba.

"Ha! How d'you like that?" Bowser gloated down at it. To his surprise, the defeated Darkstrider suddenly exploded in a mass of black smoke that rose up into the air and faded away. Bowser found himself standing on top of nothing.

"Excellent, King Bowser," Jaff said with approval in his voice. "You have passed the first test."

"Ha, you kiddin'? That was easy!" Bowser replied proudly, folding his arms. "Why don't you come back when you've got a real test for me, huh? At this rate I'll be wailing on Mario in no time flat."

"We'll see about that," said Jaff, his expression betraying nothing. "We will inform our lord of your progress, and soon we will return to you with the next test. Until then, wait for us here."

Bowser blinked in surprise. "Hey, wait – " he started to protest, but the Darkstriders had already raised up their arms and vanished into black smoke.

"Wait a minute! How soon is soon?" Bowser shouted at the empty air. "How long do I gotta wait here? Guys? …Guys?"

He grumbled to himself. "Just terrific."

Description
The Temple of the Sun
00:00

Peach sighed drearily to herself, her chin resting in her hands as she sat on the Aeon Clock with Luigi and Toadsworth. It had gotten to that inevitable point of every kidnapping where she was actually bored.

"I wonder how long it's been now. How long we've been held up in here," she finally spoke up. "I wonder how long before we'll be able to see the outside world again."

"Oh, Princess Peach, don't worry so much," said Luigi, trying to be encouraging. "You know Mario's working as hard as he can to get us out of here, right?"

Peach smiled weakly. "Oh, of course you're right, Luigi. I… I just wish we had more information. If only we knew how Mario is doing. I wonder if he's found that third Sun Soul yet."

"If he has, then I guess it's up to us to find out where the next one is, isn't it?" the green plumber remarked.

"Yes, and I do believe there's only one way to find out for sure," Toadsworth agreed, quickly standing up. "Perhaps it's time we took another little excursion down the stairs, wouldn't you say? I daresay it has gotten frightfully dull up here."

Peach beamed. "That's a wonderful idea, Toadsworth! For once, we actually agree on something."

Toadsworth decided to ignore her remark. Instead, the three of them stood together and pushed on the Aeon Clock as hard as they could, in the same place Peach had kicked it before. It worked like a charm; the clock immediately split down the middle, and its halves rotated away from each other, uncovering the staircase leading down to the lower floor.

"Well, here goes nothing," said Peach. "Just remember to be careful, you two. We were almost caught last time."

And so the three of them sneaked down the dark stairwell as quietly and cautiously as they could, not making a sound. When they reached the bottom floor, they all silently grouped together and peered into the hallway on the other side… but this time, there was no one there.

"Hmm… well, I suppose further exploring is in order," Toadsworth sighed.

"Maybe the three of us should split up," Peach decided. "We'll all look around, and if any of us finds anything useful, we'll tell the others about it."

"Oh… do we have to?" Luigi whimpered. He was clearly not very keen on the idea of being alone in a place like this.

"Come on, Luigi, it'll be fine," Peach assured him. "Mario's being brave out there for us, so we have to be brave for him."

Luigi put on a determined look. "Oh… all right. When you put it that way…"

So they walked down the shining golden corridor – Luigi made a conscious effort not to scuff up the dark green carpet – and when they noticed a series of doors lining both of the walls, all three of them opened a different one.

After Peach and Toadsworth had gone, Luigi swallowed hard, bracing himself, and turned the knob in front of him. The door opened easily, and he walked through, cautiously shutting it behind him…

"What is this?"

Luigi shrieked and spun around, backing against the door. He was in a dark, ornately decorated room that was mostly taken up by a large table – and glaring at him was none other than Rizz, the green Darkstrider.

"I – I – I – "

"What do you think you're doing down here, prisoner?" Rizz snarled at him, grabbing his throat with a clawed hand and slamming him against the door. "And choose your words carefully, or they may be your last!"

"Aw, Rizz, don't hurt him," came a voice from somewhere in the room. "He's kinda cute."

"I'm liking that 'stache of his," agreed a second voice.

Very cautiously, Luigi peered over Rizz's shoulder and realized that there were two more green, female Darkstriders standing in the room with them, both regarding him in interest.

Rizz glared at them impatiently. "Be serious, both of you! We have an intruder here! If King Shroude gets word of this atrocity, he'll have our heads!"

"Oh, but we don't have to worry about him," one of the other two assured her. "Don't you remember? King Shroude said the one in green was harmless."

"Hmph…" Rizz muttered in reluctant agreement, releasing her grip on Luigi as she pondered this.

Luigi, on the other hand, was furious. "What are you talking about! I am not harmless!" he fumed, stomping his foot. "I'm the great Luigi! And you – you're going to tell me everything you know about the Sun Souls, right now! Or I'll use my Super Jump on you!"

All three Darkstriders stared at him for a moment – and then Rizz's two companions burst out laughing.

"Oh, real funny!" the first one snickered. "Like we'd tell you anything about the Sun Souls! Come on, we're not stupid!"

Rizz, on the other hand, was suddenly looking thoughtful. "Be quiet, both of you," she ordered, and the other two obediently fell silent. Then she turned back to Luigi.

"You want to know about the Sun Souls?" she repeated.

Luigi was caught somewhat off guard. "Uh… that's right," he agreed, trying to sound assertive. "I need to find out where the next one is being held. And you're not stopping me."

"Well, isn't that a coincidence," Rizz sneered. "Because there's something I'd like to know as well. Perhaps we can help each other out. You see, there's an… important matter that has come to my attention recently."

"Rizz, what're you doing?" whispered one of the other Darkstriders.

"And by the way, my name is Rizz; King Shroude's most loyal and cunning servant," she went on. "And these are my two associates, Sall and Bess."

"Heya there, cutie," Sall piped up excitedly, waving at Luigi. Rizz smacked her.

"Now listen," she said sternly. "I'm sure at this point you've already met three certain… acquaintances of ours. Jaff, Pell, and Nobb."

Luigi was getting very confused. He had no idea where this was going. "Um, yeah…"

"Then you know that they're all complete buffoons," Rizz spat. "King Shroude was a fool to entrust them with any part of his plan. And yet they were the ones who were chosen to hide the Sun Souls!" She bristled in disgust. "They are not deserving of such an honor. I've made it my duty to prove to our king that we are his greatest servants, not those three imbeciles."

"Uh, okay…"

"I thought after their defeat at Mt. Tourmaline, they'd disgraced themselves beyond redemption," Rizz sighed, beginning to pace back and forth. "And yet… they're planning something. Something they believe will win our king's eternal favor. I must know what it is, and put a stop to it in any way I can."

Luigi was getting nervous. "Uh… I'm sorry, Ms. Rizz. But I don't get what this has to do with me."

"Well, I'm getting to that," she growled dangerously at him. "As we speak, those three are having a conference with our king, which I am not allowed to attend. What I need is for you to infiltrate that meeting, and find out what they're discussing. Then report back to me immediately." She folded her arms. "I am in a generous mood… if you do this for me, I may tell you the location of the fourth Sun Soul."

Luigi's eyes widened. "Really? You – you'd do that?"

"This is a limited-time offer," Rizz added threateningly. "They're meeting in the room right across the hall. Go there now, before I change my mind."

"Oh – right! You got it!" Luigi agreed, hastily turning around and running out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

"Rizz! What're you thinking?" Bess cried once they were alone. "Why would you tell that guy where the Sun Soul is? I mean, he's that Mario guy's brother, right?"

"Yes, and what does he think he's going to do with that information?" Rizz replied with a malicious grin. "He can't even leave the Temple! He and the princess are in no position to help Mario at all… and besides, hiding the Sun Souls was Jaff's idea. And there is nothing I desire more than to see Jaff's plans fail."

––

Luigi crept nervously across the hall, approaching the door on the other side. Sure enough, he could clearly make out familiar voices coming from the other side, and they did not sound friendly.

He gulped. Why on earth was Rizz making him do this? She probably just didn't want to risk getting in trouble herself.

Very reluctantly, and more silently than he'd though possible, Luigi pulled open the door a tiny crack and peered inside.

King Shroude, as well as Jaff and his associates, were standing in an enormous room with a vaulting ceiling and shining windows. On the far end of the room was what looked to be a large altar of some kind, and there was a red carpet leading up to it. This certainly did look like a room you would find within a temple.

"Now Jaff, I hope this meeting of yours is worth my time," Shroude said humorlessly. "As I'm sure you've heard, Mario has somehow managed to find yet another of the Sun Souls. I am not in the best of moods at the moment."

Luigi stifled a smile. He knew his big bro would come through.

"Trust us, my lord, you will want to hear this," Jaff replied dutifully. "As you requested, we have obtained information on the newcomer in Chronoside – the self-titled 'King of the Koopas', as it would seem. After meeting with him, we have decided… he is the one you've been looking for."

Shroude bristled. "That is an audacious claim, Jaff. What makes you so certain?"

"We have seen his strength," Jaff insisted. "He is mighty and powerful, likely more so than anyone else in this land. Furthermore, he is dull and foolish, and could easily be swayed to our cause. And… he, too, has a grudge against Mario."

For once, the Master of Night looked to be at a loss for words.

"You're sure of all of this?" he asked.

"Completely sure. He wants nothing more than to eliminate Mario, just as we do."

Shroude folded his arms, thinking this matter over very seriously. "You know how critical it is that our treasure be properly guarded," he informed his minions. "Mario must be kept from obtaining it at any cost. The one I choose to guard it is of utmost importance."

He turned away from Jaff and the others. "We will test this King of the Koopas," he decided. "If he proves worthy, he will have the honor of being my most crucial servant. And once you've done that… go and protect that next Sun Soul, Jaff. Mario will not humiliate our efforts again."

The Darkstriders perked up in excitement. "It will be done, my lord!" Jaff declared loyally. "We will seek him out even now! You will not be disappointed!"

Shroude nodded in approval, and the Darkstriders immediately vanished from the room in three puffs of smoke… and Luigi, completely stunned, withdrew from the room before he was noticed.

––

"So? What did you find out?" Rizz demanded once Luigi was back in her room.

"Well… it was really crazy, actually. They were talking about this guy Bowser – Mario and I know him really well," Luigi began uneasily. He wasn't sure how much of this he should be telling her, but it was the only way to find out where the Sun Soul was. "And… well, it sounds like they want to use him to guard something. A treasure, they said."

Rizz's eyes grew very wide. "Is that so," she said in a soft voice, looking stunned. After a moment, she turned around and began quietly conferring with her two associates.

"Do you… do you know what treasure they were talking about?" Luigi ventured.

"That is no business of yours," Rizz replied shortly. "Now, then… you've done well, Luigi, and I thank you. This is very useful information."

"Okay… well, now you have to hold up your end of the deal. You have to tell me where the Sun Soul is."

"Yes, of course," Rizz growled impatiently. "I honestly have no idea what that fool Jaff was thinking, but he decided to hide the Meridiem Soul amongst a group of traveling performers. I believe they're known as the Starshine Circus."

"The next Sun Soul's in a circus?" Luigi repeated.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Rizz snapped at him. "Now, Luigi, I suggest you leave this place immediately. Our business here is complete, and this is a dangerous place for one such as you."

Luigi immediately noticed the threat in her voice. "Oh… right, right. I'll go." He reached for the doorknob, then briefly hesitated and turned back around. "And, um… thanks."

Rizz did nothing but glare at him. Feeling his face flush, Luigi pulled the door open and slipped out as quickly as he could.

––

––

Soluna Town
12:00 Noon

Bowser was grumbling impatiently to himself, leaning against the wall of a back alley with his arms folded. This was just about the only place in town he could go without people seeing him and freaking out, and he was starting to get awfully bored of it.

"Where the heck are those blue weirdos?" he muttered to himself. "They should know better than to keep me waiting! Or do they not know a great and mighty king when they see one?"

No sooner had he spoken than he heard the familiar sound of billowing smoke coming from behind him. He turned around in time to see Jaff, Pell and Nobb marching up to him.

"About time!" Bowser huffed angrily. "Where were you freaks, anyway? I've got places to go and things to do, you know! I haven't got all day!" He started looking around. "And speaking of all day," he went on, "what the heck's up with the sun around this place, anyway? It's like it's never nighttime around here!"

"You ask too many questions, King Bowser," Jaff replied sternly. "If you are deemed worthy, you will be completely informed of our lord's intentions. In the meantime, we have another task for you."

Bowser rolled his eyes. "Oh, what an honor. I can hardly believe it."

"We have conferred with our lord, and he has agreed to allow us to test your worthiness," Jaff went on. "If you pass these tests, you will be granted the opportunity to lay waste to Mario, our shared foe, once and for all."

That seemed to get Bowser's interest.

"Ha ha! Now we're talking!" he said enthusiastically, growing a wicked grin. "Why didn't you say so in the first place? If you can give me some way to pummel Mario, I'll do whatever you ask!"

The Darkstriders all grinned at each other. "Yeah, we figured you'd say that," said Nobb.

"So, when do we start?" Bowser asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together. "When's the first test, huh?"

"Right now," said Jaff, snapping his fingers.

"What the – " Bowser leapt back in shock as a gigantic plume of smoke billowed up directly in front of him, and an enormous troll of a Darkstrider materialized out of it. It didn't appear to be very intelligent at all, but on the other hand, it was also holding a very pointy mace.

"What the heck is this?" the Koopa King demanded. Instead of responding, the oversized Darkstrider let out a primal roar, holding its mace high above its head and charging directly at Bowser.

"You're kidding, right?" Bowser scoffed, unleashing a fire blast from his mouth and barbequing the Darkstrider before it had even gotten close. It staggered backwards, looking burned and badly shaken up, as Bowser laughed tauntingly.

"Ha! That all you got?"

He quickly got his answer. The Darkstrider steadied itself, then gathered its strength and swung its mace at Bowser, striking the unsuspecting Koopa across the face.

"YEOW! What the – oh, fine! You wanna play rough? Let's dance, baby!"

The Darkstrider wound up its mace again, but this time Bowser retaliated by swiping at it with his claws. Howling in frustration, the Darkstrider bashed Bowser over the head as hard as it could, causing stars to erupt before the Koopa King's eyes. Shaking his head to clear it, Bowser ducked down and headbutted the Darkstrider in the stomach, sending it crashing into a wall.

The two of them duked it out like that for several more minutes while Jaff, Pell and Nobb watched the whole thing in eager anticipation. Every time the Darkstrider tried to swing its mace, Bowser would swipe it away with his hands or lock it with his horns. However, the Darkstrider was also using the mace to its defensive advantage, blocking off Bowser whenever he tried to land a hit.

Finally, it became clear that Bowser and his fire breath had the advantage. As the dizzy and weakened Darkstrider came charging at him one last time, Bowser responded by flame-broiling it at point-blank range with a devastating fire blast. Then, just for the added effect, he jumped on its head and flattened it to the ground as easily as though he were stomping a Goomba.

"Ha! How d'you like that?" Bowser gloated down at it. To his surprise, the defeated Darkstrider suddenly exploded in a mass of black smoke that rose up into the air and faded away. Bowser found himself standing on top of nothing.

"Excellent, King Bowser," Jaff said with approval in his voice. "You have passed the first test."

"Ha, you kiddin'? That was easy!" Bowser replied proudly, folding his arms. "Why don't you come back when you've got a real test for me, huh? At this rate I'll be wailing on Mario in no time flat."

"We'll see about that," said Jaff, his expression betraying nothing. "We will inform our lord of your progress, and soon we will return to you with the next test. Until then, wait for us here."

Bowser blinked in surprise. "Hey, wait – " he started to protest, but the Darkstriders had already raised up their arms and vanished into black smoke.

"Wait a minute! How soon is soon?" Bowser shouted at the empty air. "How long do I gotta wait here? Guys? …Guys?"

He grumbled to himself. "Just terrific."