Chapter 6: Trial by Fire
4:17 PM; Outside the Hotfoot Volcano
"Never been here before," said Mario. "How about you two?"
"Never even heard of this dump," said Wario. "Some city, I don't even see a bank!"
"He said that was 10,000 years ago," said Waluigi. "I doubt that the city survived that long. Chances are, in 10,000 years, the Mushroom Kingdom will be gone."
"If we keep wasting time, the Mushroom Kingdom will barely last 10,000 seconds," said Luigi. "What's the test this time?"
"Let's worry about finding the temple first," said Mario, "and let's do it quick. I don't want you two mischief makers slowing us down!"
"Hey! Being a jerk about our past is my job!" complained Wario. "You're supposed to be the goodie-two-shoes!"
"How's this, then? You'd better not call me a jerk, or else I'll show you what I'm going to do to Titaniboo!" Mario shouted. "Got that, thief?"
"Oh! That's it! You do not want to call me a thief!" said Wario. "Come on! What's the matter, plumber? Having trouble with your girlfriend?"
Luigi and Waluigi stepped back, then Luigi said, "I'll bet you fifty coins Mario wins!"
"Sixty!" said Waluigi.
"Seventy-five!" said Luigi.
"100!" Waluigi raised the bet.
"Deal!" Luigi said, and the two rivals shook hands. The Podoboos sighed, knowing that this delay was only going to make things worse.
Mario punched Wario, hurting all four of them.
"I forgot about that," said Luigi. "Maybe we should try and break up the fight."
"And get between those two? Yeah right!" Waluigi laughed. "I'd rather fight a million Boos by myself unarmed than try to get between them!" Wario hit Mario with his Quadramasher, sending Mario into a tree. "Yeouch!" shouted Waluigi. "Then again, those thorns do hurt... On the other hand, maybe we should try to stop them before we find out if the curse makes us die at the same time as each other."
"Agreed," said Luigi. "I'll take Mario, you take Wario!"
The two of them got in between Mario's firebrand and Wario's charge smash, sending the two of them into each other.
"Then again, maybe we should just stick to the bet," said Luigi. "Not like it would be any less painful being involved!"
"Not like staying out of it would be any less painful either," Waluigi argued.
"Never thought I'd be saying this to you, but good point!" Luigi agreed.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Waluigi asked. "Are you saying I'm an idiot?"
"Of course not," Luigi said. "I'm not saying it. It would be redundent to do so, because in goes without saying!"
"That's it! I'm dropping the hammer, litterally!" Waluigi shouted as he pulled out his Quadramasher.
"Come on, stick figure!" Luigi mocked.
"EVERYONE, STOP THIS NOW!" shouted Red. "You four are supposed to be working together, in case you forgot!"
Mario dropped his hammer and took a moment to cool off before he replied, then he spoke in an angry tone. "You're right, I let my aggression get the better of me. Come on, let's get this over with!"
"You could be a bit nicer about it," said Green. "You are supposed to be heroes, after all."
"I'm sorry, you're right. I'm just a bit..." Mario paused to think of a good word for what he was trying to say, "...confused by this. I'm not used to having to fight Peach."
"Yet you didn't seem to have any trouble fighting our dark halves. Why should her dark half be any different?" asked Yellow.
"How did you know about that?" asked Wario. "You weren't there."
"We took the trials before, and we know what you went through," said Purple.
"We're doomed. There is no way that they are going to pass the trial of-" Red started as he was interrupted.
"We are not to speak of that one!" Green said. "They will have to pass it on their own, and we will go there last. By then, hopefully they'll be able to do it."
"Do what?" asked Luigi.
"Let's focus on the Trial of Courage for now," said Yellow, trying to change the subject, "for they must pass that one right now."
"Yes, let's focus on that. It's only two hours to sunset, and we need to get to the Temple of Unity alive!" said Purple. "Or at least these four need to be alive."
"Agreed. Mario, are you ready to open the path?" Red asked.
"I don't see the door, where is it?" Mario asked.
"Just pound your Quadramasher on the ground, we're not at the door quite yet," Red explained. "My friends can follow us a bit further still."
Mario did as Red told him, and a brief earthquake started.
"Are you sure you didn't grab my Quadramasher by mistake?" asked Luigi.
The quake stopped, and a path into the
volcano opened in the ground a few feet in front of the volcano.
"Shall we continue?" asked Red. "We've
only got a little bit more sunlight."
The path started out as a long spiralling stair case (I've used those a lot in this story, haven't I?) When it stopped, there was a long, zigzagging path suspended by stalagmites and stalactites leading to the door, which could be seen only faintly through the heavy smoke and steam. Hundreds of feet below, an ocean of lava was visible, as well as some hopeful Blarggs that waited for someone to use the natural bridge and fall prey to it's trecherous path.
"How are we supposed to do this?" Wario asked. "I'd rather just skip right to fighting Titaniboo."
"Trust me, no you don't," said Yellow. "You haven't faced his power to the extent that we have, and I wish that none will ever have to after you reimprison him."
"Don't you mean if?" asked Waluigi. "I'm not trying to be a pestimist, but..."
"You're doing an excellent job of it nonetheless!" joked Luigi. "I say we should go one at a time, not letting another go until the first has crossed."
"Fine. Since I have to open this door, I'll go first," agreed Mario.
Mario carefully crossed, watching his every step, and hoping no one would sneeze. After a few minutes, he was at the door. "I do not want to do that again!" Mario sighed, then realized something. "Oh great! That's the only way back!" Mario opened the door, which looked the same as the door to the first temple, except instead of a mountain being engraved on it, it had a fireball.
The others passed one at a time, Waluigi following after Mario, then Luigi, and finally Wario. The four Podoboos flew in front of the door, and Red continued into it.
"Good luck!" said Purple. "And please, don't get yourself killed."
"It's a bit too late for that," said Red.
"I was talking to those four!" said Purple. "And what do you mean a bit too late? We died almost ten-thousand years ago!"
The doors then shut, cutting their conversation short.
5:27 PM; Inside the Fire Temple
The Fire Temple had six doors, if one counted the entrance. The room they were in had four walls, and four of the doors were in the corners. The door they had entered through had been built into a wall, and the last door was opposite the one they had come in through. To either side of each door was a torch, and in the center of the room was a large net, through which one could see the ocean of lava below.
"Each of you go into one of the corners," said Red. "There will be a small hole in the floor in front of each of the doors. As long as all four Quadramshers remain inside of those holes, the four doors can be opened. Inside, what you will see depends on you. You must go in unarmed, but never unprepared. Understood?"
"Whatever you say, hothead!" Wario mocked.
"I happen to be quite level-headed, thank you," said Red. "Each of you must enter one of the doors, it doesn't matter who goes in which one. Just don't test the net, I'm sure it will collapse at the slightest touch after being exposed to decay for so long."
The four of them did as they were told, and each of the four doors opened.
"Before you go, let me warn you that you will have started the test as soon as you close the door," Red said. "I will wait here for you to return."
"Nothing can scare me!" Wario shouted as he entered his room. "See you after I've made this test look like child's play!"
Not afraid? Funny, thought Red.
Seems
that all who take this test don't realize how untrue that is until they've
stared fear in the face... Oh well, they'll do that soon enough.
Inside, Mario found that his room was empty, a square chamber with nothing inside but a torch in each corner. He stepped into the middle to look around, but when he reached the center, before he could look around, the torches went out.
Then, the next thing he knew, he was in Bowser's castle. Mario, confused, decided to look around. He then found that Bowser was inside a throne room, decorated with huge statues of the egomaniac Koopa. In the corner of the room, Peach was tied up.
"This is the trial?" Mario asked. "This
will be over with in no time!"
Wario, however, found himself in front of Diamond City Bank. He smiled, and rushed inside to smell the dough. "I don't know how I got here, and I don't care! This test rules!" Wario shouted.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Wario, the CEO, founder, and sole stockholder of WarioWare Inc?" asked a seemingly random man in a business suit.
"Who wants to know?" asked Wario.
"I'll take that as a yes!" said the man. "And we at the IRS have been searching for you for quite some time now! You have a lot to answer for, and we'll start with those unpaid taxes!"
"IRS? The Mushroom Kingdom doesn't have an IRS!" Wario said in a worried manner. "Besides... I've kept all my money matters legal and up to date!"
"We'll decide that!" said the IRS agent. "And by the way, Diamond City isn't part of the Mushroom Kingdom, it's part of Sarasaland."
"I knew I should have just invested in GtGC, SBCR, and PnPr," said Wario.
"Out of curiosity, what are those?" the IRS agent asked.
"Grate Guy Casino, Sirena Beach Casino Resort, and Pianta Parlor," said Wario. "I like to gamble."
"Well, you shouldn't have tried to gamble with the law, 'cause we always get our man," said the IRS agent. "Follow me, and no funny business, got it, buster?"
"Where are you taking me?"
"You're coming downtown."
"I'm not going to jail! You can't, I've got to save the entire planet from an ancient evil Boo!"
"Like I haven't heard that one before!
We'll let the judge decide what to do with you!"
Luigi was in Bowser's castle as well, and it looked the same way for him as it did for Mario, except Peach wasn't there at all. Luigi cautiously approached the throne room, only to be greeted by Bowser. (What? Who were you expecting, the Easter Bunny?)
"Hello, meat!" Bowser snarled. "You ever feel sorry for a Thanksgiving turkey?"
"Not really. I mean, it is just a bird," Luigi answered nervously.
"Well last time I checked, chicken is poultry too!" Bowser said as he charged towards Luigi.
"I'm not afraid of you. Your IQ is superior only to Morton's!"
"You're going to pay for that!" shouted
Bowser.
Speaking of Morton, Waluigi saw Morton in a jail cell. After looking around, Waluigi realized he too was in a cell, one directly across from Morton. Other then the two of them, Waluigi couldn't see or hear anybody. "Is the test supposed to be about breaking out of jail?" Waluigi asked. "That's a strange thing to test heroes on."
"Hey! Hi! Hello! Howdy! Greetings! Salutations! Welcome! Salve!" Morton said. "My name is Morton Koopa Junior, but you can just call me Morton, or Mr. Koopa, or Junior, or Morton Junior, or Mr. Koopa Junior, or Mr. Junior, or Mr. Morton Koopa Junior, or...
Two hours later...
"...or you could always call me Loud Mouth Koopa, which is my nickname. I don't know how I got that nickname, it's kind of a strange name if you ask me. Do you know why I got that name?" Morton paused for a second, and then, before Waluigi could think of an insulting comeback, which, for Waluigi, takes almost no time at all, Morton continued, "I like to talk, bet you didn't know that. Talking is fun, enjoyable, likable, entertaining, and makes for an excellent hobby. I bet no one can find a better way to make me happy than letting me talk. Chatting on the Internet or writing a letter is okay, but my lungs get kind of bored, and I like to exercise my jaw. Did you know that the jaw is the most commonly moved bone in the body? I'll bet I know all kinds of things that you don't. I'll bet you can't name one thing that I don't know!"
Waluigi had both his fists shoved into his ears the whole time, but wasn't able to block out any of the noise. "When to shut up," Waluigi replied.
"Oh, that's an easy one! The best time
to shut up is never, at the end of forever, during the thirty-second of
December, at thirteen o'clock! Shutting up is for losers, wimps, airheads,
weaklings, and idiots! Shutting up is like trying to light a candle with
a nuclear bomb, like..."
Mario made quick work of the Koopa King, and then proceeded to untie the princess. After doing so, the castle disappeared, turning to ruins. Peach's eyes were glowing red, and she was wearing the necklace the Shadow Queen had given to her. The sky was dark, though sun was in the center of the sky. The moon was in plain sight, the edge of it seeming to touch the Sun.
"You think that your illusions scare me? I'm a hero! And nothing you can do will frighten me!" he shouted, and then smiled, expecting that to be the way to pass the test. "Why is nothing happening? I said I'm not afraid! Why am I still here?"
Dark Peach had no idea what he was talking about, and so she simply attacked him with her frying pan. Mario, not sure if it would affect him in reality or not, dodged, just to be on the safe side. He threw a fireball at Dark Peach, and he noticed that the sun had been completely blocked by the moon, with the exception of the coronasphere (the outermost layer of the sun, which can only be seen by the naked eye during a solar eclipse).
"Not afraid?" Titaniboo laughed. "I'll change that! For I am the mightiest of all Boos, scarier then Big Boo, more horrifying then Boolossus, I am the Titan of Terror: Titaniboo!"
"You don't frighten me in the least!"
Mario said. "Bring it on, I'd be happy to put you back in your grave!"
The bank Wario was in suddenly started to dissapear as Wario found himself in a courtroom.
"We of the Sarasaland Supreme Court are gathered here today to try the innocence of one man in the case of Sarasaland Supreme Court vs. Wario," said Princess Daisy, who was the judge. "Wario, you are charged with robbery, grand theft auto, fradulant bank accounts, fleeing from SIRS agents-"
"SIRS? I thought it was IRS," said Wario.
"They're the Sarasa Internal Revenue Service, now let me continue!" Daisy shouted. "Fleeing from SIRS agents, speaking out of turn-"
"That's not a crime!" Wario shouted. "It may be rude, but it's no crime!"
"-on multiple attempts," Daisy continued. "A record breaking 78,392 unpaid parking tickets-"
"What?!" shouted Wario. "I was in a kart race!"
"They were for your motorcycle, you idiot!" said Daisy, "And lastly, cussing in an E-rated game! How do you plead?"
"Don't we need to do the oath first?" Wario asked. "I've always wanted to lie under oath."
Everyone in the court room gasped.
"Very well, the prosecuter shall go first," Daisy said as she pointed to the prosecution, which consisted of Mario, Luigi, and Peach. "Do you three swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?"
"I do," said each of them in turn.
"And does the defense do the same?" Daisy asked.
"Where's my lawyer?" Wario asked. "I'll just buy the best lawyer in this pitiful place."
"You can't do that!" Daisy said. "Until this case is resolved, all your assets are frozen. However, that means the court must provide one for you... Mario, would you do the honors?"
"Okie-dokie!" he agreed.
"What?! He can't be my defense, he's the lead prosecutor!" Wario shouted.
"Stop speaking out of turn or I'll hold
you in contempt!" shouted Daisy as she pounded the gavel. Wario grumbled,
but did as she said anyway.
Bowser quickly let out a burst of flames at Luigi, narrowly missing the plumber. "Okay, now I'm scared," said Luigi.
The castle dissappeared, and Luigi was back in the square chamber. "It can't be," Luigi said. "I let everybody down... I've failed."
Luigi walked back into the central room, where he sat down to wait for everyone else. "How did things go?" asked Red. "Done already? That was record timing!"
"I'd rather not talk about it," Luigi
said. "Not that we'll be able to talk for much longer."
"And so, you see, that's my life story! Now, enough about me, I'll bet you want to hear all about the rest of my family!" Morton said. "Unfortunately, they aren't here. I know! I'll just tell their life stories for them!"
Waluigi was banging on the bars, hoping to find a way out. He was losing his sanity, and still there seemed to be no stop to Morton's monologues. Waluigi was desparate for a way out. "Why did it have to be the one thing I'm afraid of?" Waluigi asked.
Just as had happened to Luigi, the jail cell disapeared, and he was back in the center of the square room. "Did I fail? But Waluigi number one!" Waluigi said sorrowfully.
Waluigi, unlike Luigi, wasn't ready
to go outside to admit his defeat just yet.
"So, now that all of that time has been wasted, how do you plead, Wario?" asked Daisy with a long sigh.
"Depends, which charge?" he asked.
"Let's start with the biggest accusation on the list, namely, grand theft of a castle that Peach gave to Mario as a birthday present."
"Innocent, that island was mine!" Wario said. "She built that castle on my land! I had the rights to it!"
"We'll open with the defense," Daisy said.
"I call Wario to the stand," Mario said.
"What? I'm your client!" shouted Wario. "You can't question me!"
"The defense rests!" said Mario.
"Thank you. Now, the prosecution will now present their case!" said Daisy.
"For our first witness," Mario said, "I'd like to call Princess Peach Toadstool to the stand."
She got up there and smiled.
"Peach, is it not true that you have possessed the deed to the alleged land on which the said castle was built?"
"That is correct," she agreed.
"And therefore, anything built with your consent is yours to do with, correct?"
"Yes, continue," Peach agreed.
"Therefore, when Wario took the said castle, he did, indeed, steal it. Am I not mistaken?"
"No, that pretty much sums it up," Peach said.
"I've no further questions, your honor," Mario said.
"Would the defense like to cross-examine the witness?" Daisy asked.
"Yes I would!" shouted Wario.
"My client wishes to plead insanity," Mario said. "As you can see, he believes that he is the lawyer, and not the accused. He obviously is in need of serious help."
"Say what?" Wario screamed. "As if this wasn't frightening enough, and now I'm going to an asylum!"
"Actually, no," Daisy said. "We don't have any asylums in Sarasaland, so I sentence you to spend the remainder of your lifetime in the hands of a capable doctor."
"But there are no doctors in the Mushroom Kingdom or Sarasaland!" said Wario.
"Actually, there is one," Mario said while pointing to himself.
"No! Anything but that, Your Honor! I beg of you! Being one of Mario's patients is my worst fear!" Wario said. The court room started to fade.
"What happened?" Wario asked. "I can't lose!" Wario stomped around and shouted random insults at the room.
After a while, Wario finally walked
out of the room to find Luigi sitting by the entry door. "What are you
looking at you wimp?" he shouted at Luigi, who was ignoring him. At that
time, Waluigi walked out into the room as well, meaning only Mario remained.
"You're as good as dead, Mario! Why don't you just admit it? You're shaking in your boots, and you've got to face every Boo in the universe, not to mention my wife, as well as your princess!" Titaniboo chuckled.
"You're right, and I've just figured this out," Mario said.
"Impossible, there's no way you could have figured out a way to defeat me! In case you didn't notice the solar eclipse, I'm now invincible!" Titaniboo said, laughing all the while.
"Not that, I've figured out this trial. It's not about facing your fears, it's about admiting them, because no hero, no matter how brave they think they are, can ever conquer their fears if they pretend that they don't exist. I admit, I'm afraid of you, and of Dark Peach, but that doesn't mean I'll let either of you win. I won't let my fears stop me, but I will admit, I do have them."
The room changed back to normal in the same manner as it did for the other three. He immediately went out the door and saw the other three frowning. "Did we do something wrong?" Mario asked. "I thought I had the puzzle figured out."
The final door opened up, revealing the statue. "It appears you all passed," said Red. "Congratulations."
"We all passed?" Luigi asked. "But I was afraid."
"You admitted you were afraid, which means you can now learn not to be," Red explained. "Before one can combat their fears, they must acknowledge they exist."
"I guess that kind of makes sense, in an obscure and confusing kind of way," said Luigi.
"We must hurry, only an hour remains before sunset," Red reminded them.
"Okie-dokie!" agreed Mario as he went into the final door.
"Hackackackack!" laughed an unfamiliar voice. "Not vad for a plumair!"
At that time, Vincent van Gore revealed himself, with a canvas in hand.
"Now you chall zee my magnificaint works een action!" van Gore said as he picked up his brush and painted a familiar face. "I have done eet again! Voila!"
Vincent van Gore left things at that and flew off, revealing on his canvas, the ghost of Cackletta.
"Eyahahaha!" she cackled, "Mario and- where's your brother?"
"Don't you think you should worry about me right now?" Mario asked.
"Where am I?" Cackletta asked herself while scratching her head. "I remember that I was about to kill you and your brother, then I saw lightning, then fire, and lastly, a hammer. After that, I can't remember anything. Where's Fawful? And why aren't my feet touching the ground?"
"Luigi and I killed you," Mario explained. "He used the Thunderhand to weaken your attacks, I used the Firebrand to lower your defense, and then we attacked you with a barrage of three consecutive Chopper Bros. attacks. And as for your feet, well, ghosts don't usually walk."
"Ghosts? What do my feet have to do with ghosts?" she asked. "And if you killed me then how in the world am I talking to you? I'm a witch, but I'm not immortal, you fool!"
"Fine, if you aren't a ghost, then this should have no effect on you!" said Mario as he pulled out his Poltergust 3002.
"What is tha- hey! What are you doing to me?" Cackletta asked as she was being pulled into the modified vacuum cleaner, "Enough of this! You will pay dearly for that!"
Suddenly, a spinning saw-like blade of electricity was shot from her fingers and raced on the ground towards Mario. Mario hit it back to her with his Quadramasher, and she blew it back towards him. This repeated on for a while. (What? This is supposed to be a spoof of Four Swords, I had to make at least one fight like this!) On and on this continued for about five minutes, until, finally, Cackletta missed, and was stunned.
Mario sucked her up, did his trademark peace sign pose, and then took the statue. He exited the room and showed the statue to everyone.
"We must hurry, we don't have even an hour before sunset!" Red reminded them.
"Let's get going, then!" said Mario.
7:18 PM; 1 mile north of Bowser's Castle
The group was about twenty-six miles away from the Temple of Unity. The sun had set, and the Boos had begun their onslaught.
"Wait a mineet! Thees ees not how ve should do thees! Allow me, you untalented swines!" shouted van Gore as he revealed himself. "I vill force you to become one of uz, and zen show you gust how eet feels to be locked in zee paintings forevair!"
"But you weren't trapped in the painting forever," said Wario. "Otherwise you couldn't hace gotten out!"
"Quieet, you fooleesh eediot!" van Gore yelled. "And vatch a true mastair at vork! Thees will be zee most amazing, unique, and astonisheeng work of art any of you fools have evair zeen!"
"Don't let him finish his painting!" shouted Luigi. "If he makes a new ghost, there's no telling how powerful it will be!"
"What's with all the shouting?" Waluigi asked. "We're all right here."
"Protect me, you untalented swines!" yelled van Gore. "Zee art must not be deesturbed!"
"In case you forget, we are in charge of you!" said some of the Boos. "In case you forget, the only two higher then us are the Shadow Queen, and of course, Master Titaniboo himself!"
"I shall change zat in a matter of mere momeents! Just allow me to create zees mastairpiece, and we shall have a new ally, far more powairful zen eithair of us!"
"Fine, we'll do it!" said Boolosus, who was separated at the time.
"I'll try to make that artificial sun again!" said Mario. "Maybe we can use it to protect us!"
"Not on our afterlife!" shouted Boolosus as he rushed towards Mario. In addition, a swarm of normal Boos was attacking the rest of the heroes.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" asked Red. "I hate to see them fight like this and not be able to do anything!"
"Maybe we can, I remember seeing something completely different when they took the Trial of Light," Green explained. "Perhaps we can combine ourselves somehow."
"And how do we do that?" asked Yellow. "It's not like we can just ask the Boos to tell us."
"Then we'll just try to figure it our on our own," decided Purple. "Not like any harm can come from trying, can it?"
"Eet eez complete! Zee greateest mastairpiece of all time eez finally a reality!" shouted Vincent van Gore. "Now we shall make our leave, Monsieur Bolosees!"
"Let us put it this way," Boolosus said as he recombined. "You are a small, pathetic, starving artist, and we are a strong, powerful, and higher-ranking group of Boos! Unless you want us to unleash our wrath on you as well as our enemies, we suggest that you learn your place! Do we make ourselves clear, or do we need to demonstrate for you?"
"I vor one, do not wish to be here ven my mastairpiece awakens, but if you inseest, zen by all means, stay and zee Gargantuan Boo-omb in all hees splendor!" said van Gore. "But ve warned, he eez not able to prevent his exploseen from hurting spectairs any more then he eez capable of stopping eet from hurting heemself!"
"Boo-omb? Wait a minute, are you saying you just created a Bob-omb?" laughed Boolosus. "That's your masterpiece? If that's all, then there's no way that it will- wait, what in the netherworld does 'gargantuan' mean?"
"It means huge, you eediot!" said van Gore. "And thees eez much more zen merely a huge Bob-omb! Eet eez a Boo-omb, which is mush more powairful, and should also take care of zose annoying Podoboos zat are protecteeng zee plumairs!"
"Well then we're outta here!" shouted Boolosus as he and van Gore fled.
"Who dares to anger the great Gargantuan Boo-omb?" asked Boo-omb as it started to form away from the canvas. "You will now feel the full power of a true Boo! You fools will soon see me in the afterlife!"
The Boo-omb looked just like a giant Boo with a wick on top that looked just like that of a Bob-omb. The Boo-omb himself was fifty feet tall by the time he was fully formed. Immediately, the wick was lit.
"There's no way we can outrun that thing!" shouted Luigi. "And there's no way we can stop it from blowing up!"
"Try using the Poltergusts!' Mario shouted.
They all did so, but to no avail. Boo-omb started a count down, "Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five..."
"We're dead," said Waluigi. "There's no winning, and I need to decide what I want on my gravestone... in three seconds!"
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" said a Boo from out of nowhere. It was James Boo, and behind him were Bow, Bootler, and Vivian. (I couldn't think of any other hero Boos, okay?) They each touched one of the heroes and allowed them to survive the explosion. The explosion still hurt them, but the damage was minimal compared to what it could have been, and they were all happy just to be alive.
"Thanks everybody," Mario said. "I was afraid we wouldn't survive that one, and I don't get that feeling often!"
"Who's this guy?" asked Waluigi, pointing to Bootler. "And why did he just save me?"
"Good evening, sir. My name is Bootler, and I am Lady Bow's personal butler and only remaining staff member at her mansion."
"Did you say mansion?" asked Wario, as he looked at Vivian. "There wouldn't happen to be any treasure there, would there?"
"I'm not Bow, she is," explained Vivian as she pointed to Bow, who was protecting Luigi. "And what does that matter right now?"
"So where's the rest of the resistance?" asked Luigi.
"We are the rest of the resistance, all that ever was the resistance," explained James Boo. "And it's quite a prediciment we're in. However, it won't take them long to realize you four survived; we'll explain everything to you once you're all safe."
"But ghosts can't go in the Temple of Unity," Mario explained.
"They can if we let them," said Red. "If it kept out all ghosts, we couldn't have sealed Titaniboo in there, or go in there ourselves."
"Good point," said Luigi. "Then let's hurry!"
By about eleven, the twelve of them were back at the Temple of Unity, all tired and exhausted. Mario didn't even bother to place the statue, they decided they could do that in the morning...