Doopliss climbed back into the house through the broken window, and sighed. Nice? He’d try. He brushed the glass aside with a broomstick, and collected it with the dustpan. He'd actually done something a little less evil than normal! He was happy for a second, but then saw his three partners laughing softly, but loud enough so he could hear. He looked around, making sure Mario was still playing video games. He shuffled over to the window and dumped the dustpan full of glass on his partners. Well, maybe he wasn't all that nice.
After putting the broom away, he stuck a board in front of the busted window to drown out the glass-covered bandit's curses and to prevent bugs from coming in. He looked at his glove and pulled up his sleeve, and he gasped in horror. Luigi had taken a lot of damage during the fight, and had many slices and bruises to show! There were at least fifteen cuts and ten bruises on his arms from being constricted by Naval Piranha! He pulled his sleeve down, grimacing. Mario called for Luigi, so Doopliss sprang into action.
As he entered the room, Mario threw a controller at Doopliss. He gave Mario a look that was a cross between confusion and glee. Mario quizzically took off his hat and wiped sweat off his head. While playing Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, he’d made it to Level 78 in The Pit of 100 Trials. Mario told Luigi to hold off the enemies while he went to get a Super Soda. Doopliss gave Mario a nervous look while he eyed the unguarded hat continuously.
Mario retreated to the kitchen, and Doopliss sat on the couch, next to the hat. He inched closer to it, and eventually grabbed it. Hallelujah music sang inside his head, and amid the chorus he thought that thievery beats ME time by a longshot! Mario asked Luigi how he was holding up, and a record skipped in his mind. He dropped the hat onto the floor, only to come back into focus and see the Mario inside the Pit of 100 Trials was in Danger, his health dropped to two! Doopliss gasped and saw Mario's full health meter. Its maximum strength was usually at 60! Doopliss cycled to the item block and saw Mario was devoid of anything to save him! He was nerve-racked, and tried to fight off the two White Piders and the three Piranha Plants, but was still too new to Luigi's body. He killed one Pider, but one of the Piranha Plants took out a Mr. Mini and shrunk Mario! The other two charged up their attack power each to ten! Doopliss was sweating a pool, and asked Mario how much health did he used to have. Mario replied that he’d had 60 because he used his last Ultra Shroom! Doopliss' eyes got big and he cycled through the commands quickly, not noticing the X-Naut throw a rock at him! His health was now in Peril, and Doopliss swore quietly.
Mario cracked open the Super Soda and gulped it down. He looked at the board Luigi had put up to cover the window, and sighed. He could've at least put up a screen. Mario retrieved a window screen and started to push the board aside. Meanwhile, Karma, Popple, and Ludwig heard the board move, and the real Luigi looked up and sighed with relief. Ludwig looked at Luigi angrily and punched him in the face, knocking him out cold. Popple saw Mario's mustache appear as he struggled to push the board aside, so he shoved their three heads into the bushes, while he ducked under as well. Mario peered his head outside and scanned the area. He looked down, and saw a black hat resting on a bush. He grabbed and eyed it suspiciously. The red plumber shrugged and threw it in the trash.
As Mario set up the screen, Popple had a quiet fit. His favorite hat! Gone into the trash! It was probably covered in cheese or something knowing the Mario Bros! Popple continued to ramble on, cursing quietly and slapping Luigi hard so he awoke. He punched him again and Luigi got a good one planted right on his eye. He was knocked out once again, and the Shadow Thief continued with his silent rage. Ludwig bit his lip to stop his laugh when he noticed Popple only had a few strands of hair. Karma covered Popple's mouth as he was about to loudly say something unfit for print. He bit her hand, and Ludwig instinctively covered the hybrid's mouth to muffle the equally nasty words.
Mario finished with the window, and fell back to the living room. He saw Luigi fiddling with the controller, and looked at the TV screen. To his horror, his health was in Peril, and a Piranha Plant was going in for the charge against Mario! As he let out a bite, Mario jumped onto Doopliss and pressed the A button, performing the Action Command. The bite was minor, but it caused more than enough damage to kill the Mr. Minified Mario. Thankfully, Mario had a Life Shroom, so he came back to life. But there was another Pider and a duo of Piranha Plants! He shoved Luigi away and took the controller, blocking the Pider's attack. The first Piranha Plant's attack took 6 HP away, leaving Mario with 4 HP left, dropping him back into the Danger zone! The last Piranha's attack was charged, so it would inflict 13 damage! Mario prayed to God that he could do something, and the Piranha's attack came. Luckily, Mario was wearing a Close Call badge, so the Piranha's super breath attack missed! Mario swiftly defeated the enemies after losing the Mr. Mini effects, and put the game on pause.
Mario looked at Luigi with a confused gaze. Was he sick? His little brother normally wasn't like this. He asked Luigi, but he was fine. He noticed Luigi was clenching his hat, but grabbed it and easily slipped it out of his brother's weak grip. It was a very strange day, as far as strange days went. This morning, Luigi had been acting normal, but during their walk, it was as if he wasn't himself...
Later that day, Doopliss had been quiet, so Mario's suspicions were lowered. The older brother had made a lasagna that was very delectable, and they ate it in a hurry. In secrecy, Ludwig watched from the window, longing for food. Even that plumbscumb's grub was good enough, and that chocolate salad started to give him indigestion. Doopliss decided to gain Mario's trust once again by playing him in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Mario agreed, and the two started up the GameCube.
For the fight, Mario chose himself, and to make sure he thought he was Luigi, Doopliss picked the little bro. They duked it out, but in the end, Mario won with a couple good hits. Doopliss congratulated him, and looked at the clock. It was around 10:00, so he convinced Mario to turn in. As they pulled open their bedsheets, Doopliss told Mario he was going to the kitchen to get a drink. Mario nodded as he nestled into bed.
Doopliss moved the screen off the window and went inside the bush. He saw Popple and Ludwig asleep, but Karma seemed to be awake. She was indulged in a Scribble, and did seem to be enjoying it. Doopliss walked over to her and got the hybrid's attention. She was startled by him and accidentally stumbled into her diary. She dropped the Hiptop and it landed next to Doopliss. He read it and started to cry while he held in his laughs. Karma got mad and snatched the computer away, closing her private journal. Doopliss changed back into his normal form and awoke Ludwig and Popple from their slumber. The time for action was now, since Mario was asleep. The fame, glory, money, and power were only a few steps away!
It was the dead of night, and almost time for the hatnapping. Karma, Ludwig, Doopliss, and Popple stood awaiting for Mario to fall asleep. Their hostage, Luigi, was out cold, bound and gagged. Ludwig asked everyone if they were ready. Karma and Popple said they were, and the Shadow Thief explained what they would be doing for the two hardest steps in their plan, steps five and six.
First, Karma was "The Muscle". Because her physical strength was so great, she was given the task of blocking the pipe to Toad Town. No funny business would occur if she was successful. After she completed that, she had to go and barricade the doors and windows silently, so Mario would have no chance of escape. Finally, when Doopliss slipped the hat and the thieves made their getaway, she'd have to cover them. There was a chance they'd be spotted in Toad Town, and she was the best fighter of the whole group.
Second, Ludwig was "The Eye". He'd have go inside the house before Karma barricaded it and plant a camera in Mario's room. Then, after uploading it into Karma's Hiptop, they'd be able to get a clear image of Mario's room. That way, they'd be able to tell when Mario fell asleep. When he did fall asleep, then Ludwig would have to move the bedroom barricade away quietly and snatch the camera back, so there would be little to no evidence.
Third, Doopliss would be "The Claw". Since he possesses the ability to transform into anything he sees, Doopliss would have to wait for something small to come outside. When it did, he would scan it and clamber into the hole. Once inside, Doopliss would climb next to Mario and swipe his hat carefully. After he did so, he would pass the hat off and escape through the hole.
Fourth and most importantly, Popple would be "The Shadow". This was the start of step six. He would lead the group out through the warp pipe after Karma removed the barricade, and would guide them through Toad Town. He would lead the retreat to the Universal Pipe Dig, and use the finished path to escape from there. Underground, the path was still closed off to the public, so he would have to remain stealthy and lead them back to Dark Land.
Now that the lecture was over and done with, the fifth step was being put into action. Before anything happened, Ludwig stopped them all and handed out walkie-talkies and black ninja suits. He had smuggled them out of Larry's room after they dried off from the pool, and considered them useful for this endeavor. The prince also suggested that they only use their code names, for someone might accidentally tap in on their conversations and discover them. The four bandits nodded and donned their suits, set to pull the job off.
Setting the plan in motion, "The Eye" picked the lock on the front door and slowly made his way inside and tiptoed into the kitchen. He stood in the shadows of the refrigerator and placed the camera in full view of Mario. He put his walkie-talkie on and made sure everyone was in sync. He completed his mission, and "The Eye" sidled out of the house carefully.
"The Muscle" then followed up by barricading the doors with boulders from the forest outside. For the windows, she lined them with duct tape, and for the warp pipe leading out, she had "The Eye" use his fire breath to weld the pipe closed. She then prepared her Hiptop to wirelessly link to "The Eye's" camera. After a few tries of linking to the low signal strength, "The Muscle" was successful, giving them full awareness of Mario's condition.
For a few minutes, Mario sat awake, tossing and turning. But just then, Mario asked Luigi why it was taking so long for him to get a drink! "The Eye", "The Shadow", and "The Claw" panicked, but "The Muscle" kept a cool head. Quickly she remembered that the window in the kitchen was nothing but a screen, so she ran over. The three bandits stared at "The Muscle" as she impersonated Luigi's voice, telling Mario he was reading a book. Luckily, Mario believed her impression and confirmed. "The Muscle" pulled out her handheld computer to check on the mustachioed plumber, sighing in relief when she saw him rest his head on the pillow. The other three sighed as well, and congratulated her on a job well done. After a few more minutes of waiting, Mario snored, telling them he had finally fallen asleep, letting "The Claw" go to work.
"The Claw" saw that the area was thick with bugs, so a frog wouldn’t be too far behind. He scavenged the ground, and after a good five minutes, found a large bullfrog. "The Shadow" held the frog as "The Claw" underwent his transformation process. After he scanned the amphibian, "The Eye" set it free into the woods. "The Claw" had changed its shape to that of a frog, and he said he was ready to roll. "The Shadow" lifted the "The Claw" and brought him to the hole that had been drilled earlier.
"The Claw" darted inside and plopped onto Mario's bed. He saw where Mario's body was, hidden underneath the sheet, so he made sure to evade it. "The Claw" called the team outside on his walkie-talkie and asked for a visual. "The Muscle" viewed her Hiptop and zoomed in. She saw "The Claw" sitting near Mario's ankles, so she told him to head westward. "The Claw" nodded, and hopped to the left, when "The Eye" and "The Shadow" peered at the handheld. "The Shadow" told his sheet friend to be aware of Mario's body, for it might shift around. "The Claw" responded that he was fine, and Mario's condition was normal. "The Eye" told him to remain vigilant, as "The Claw" darted for Mario's head. They all remained in a five by five, aware that Mario might awake at any second. "The Claw" reached Mario's neck, when Mario changed positions! He flipped his body over and muttered something about raviolis, while "The Claw" radioed "The Muscle" of this problem.
"The Muscle" was baffled, and asked "The Shadow" if they should abort and wait for another opportunity, but "The Shadow" insisted they press on. "The Eye" then wondered aloud to his partners. Would "The Claw" have enough physical strength to move the hat in his frog form? Mario's head was already clamping one side of the hat as he slept, so maybe the pressure was too great for such a small body. "The Shadow" was having second thoughts about the frog getting the hat now, and was about to have him abort until tomorrow. However, the shape-shifting sheet had different plans. He had busted a window, threw ice cubes at a burning Koopa, doused a kitchen with a hose, tried to survive The Pit of 100 Trials, and acted NICE. There was no way he was backing down now.
Knowing he would never be able to lift the hat off Mario's head in his frog form, "The Claw" changed back to normal. He noticed Mario stirring, so he hid behind the bunk bed, hoping he wouldn't awaken. The mustachioed man switched his position on the bed and yawned, returning to his sleep. "The Claw" wiped the sweat off his head as his walkie-talkie buzzed. "The Eye" told him to abort, but "The Claw" refused. "The Eye" broke their transmission and told "The Shadow". He merely nodded, having faith in his freaky companion. "The Muscle" buzzed "The Claw" and told him to advance forward slowly. The spy did so, creeping towards Mario ever so quietly. "The Claw" was soon up to his face, and took out a pair of tweezers. "The Eye" coached him slowly, as "The Claw" reached downward with the pinchers. Without awaking Mario, "The Claw" successfully clamped the hat's rim, then, with professional care, started slipping that hat from Mario's head. As he did this, a bead of sweat trickled down his nose. He tried to catch it with his tongue, but he missed and the sweat traveled down his cheek. It dripped off his sheet face and hit Mario on the nose! Mario opened his eyes and saw Doopliss holding his hat and staring straight at him in a ninja suit. Both of them screamed, and Mario jumped out of bed, entering a rather aggressive stance.
The three bandits outside gasped as they peered at the Hiptop. They were caught! Karma called Doopliss and told him backup was on the way, as they shoved the boulder blocking the door away. Popple complained that Karma could've found lighter boulders, but Karma told him to shut up as she pushed with all her might. Ludwig called Doopliss on his walkie-talkie as he shoved the rock, telling him to flee. They were almost done moving the rock, when someone came up from behind and knocked Popple out with a rock. Karma and Ludwig spun around to see Luigi had escaped from the ropes and had a Fire Flower! Ludwig told Karma to aid Doopliss inside while he took care of Luigi. Karma nodded and slipped inside, leaving Ludwig to deal with the furious plumber.
Inside Mario's room, Doopliss furiously dodged attacks while gripping Mario's hat for dear life. Mario attacked Doopliss with everything he had, desperate not to lose his good luck charm. Doopliss copied Mario's abilities and stole his body, though he remained in the black ninja suit. Mario was about to jump up, but was distracted when the door was busted down. He looked over to see Karma lunge at him and cage him in a headlock. She told Doopliss to flee while she battled Mario. Doopliss turned back into his original form and nodded, running outside. After he was out safely, Karma let Mario out of the hold, fighting him one-on-one. Mario pulled back into a crane stance, trying to psych her out, but Karma just ran forward, knocking him so hard that he rolled into the wall while airborne. He slid down the wall, but at the last second, pushed off and kicked Karma in the face. She doubled back, now with a bloody nose. The hybrid jumped into the air, pretending to attack from up top. But she landed on the ground quickly and instinctively somersaulted over to Mario and drop-kicked him. Mario smashed onto the ground, but rolled backwards, getting up on guard. He charged at Karma, but then angled off when she dropped her guard and got a hold on her shell. While trying to get out, she remembered Morton talking about the Sarasaland battle, and he told her about when they’d shoved their spikes into Naval's vines. Without thinking, she jolted backwards violently, stabbing Mario in the chest with a spike. It wasn't fatal, but it was a bad flesh wound. Mario fell over, clenching his chest, and howled in pain. Karma smirked and spat in his face while he tried to stand, making him fall over again. She ran out of the bedroom, making her escape. Mario grabbed his nightstand, stumbled up, and looked at his chest. His overalls, shirt, and gloves were bloodstained, and he had a big gash. He stumbled into the kitchen, pursuing Karma.
Outside, Ludwig battled Luigi with Doopliss on the sidelines with the unconscious Popple. Karma emerged from the door with her shell bloodstained from Mario's chest. Luigi was trading blows with Ludwig, and there was no clear-cut winner. While they battled, Ludwig cried out, being hit by Luigi's fireball in the chest. He rubbed the burn, and continued fighting valiantly. Karma watched as they were equally matched, but came back into focus when she was tripped. Her head slammed against the wood, and she yelped in pain. It was Mario, and he had come back to finish her!
Ludwig felt a sharp jolt to the back of his head, and saw Karma's body being crushed by Mario's boot. He was instantly filled with deadly rage and swore as loud as he could, then spun around and kicked Luigi in the face, knocking him out flat. Mario saw what happened, but before he could retaliate, Ludwig had appeared and tackled him against the front door. He told Doopliss to bring Karma and Popple over to the pipe and undo the bond. Doopliss nodded, and brought the two over to the pipe, which had been welded shut by Kooky earlier.
Mario shoved Ludwig off him and went back into his stance, ready to beat the Koopa. But Ludwig was filled with such blind fury he slammed Mario's head into the house repeatedly. The plumber then fought back with a spin jump, and spiraled up for an uppercut. Ludwig was hit in the lip and received heavy damage, but his anger only fueled him. As he rocketed down to the earth, Mario's overalls were caught by Ludwig's claws, and the prince threw Mario into the forest. The plumber acted like a bullet and smashed into a tree, knocking him flat out while Ludwig ran to Doopliss' aid. He coughed up a flame and undid the tight hold of the metals on the pipe's mouth. Doopliss hoisted Popple on his shoulder, as Ludwig did to Karma. The two looked back, and saw Luigi stir. Doopliss then felt Popple awake, and the Shadow Thief jumped off Doopliss, ready to fight. He shuffled around in all directions, and when he lay eyes on Luigi, he got into a fighter's stance. Luigi did the same, and Popple spat onto the dirt. The Bean whispered to his partners to get to Pleasant Path safely, and meet him at the castle where they saw Mario. Doopliss and Ludwig tried to argue, but Popple had to fight. His pride as a Shadow Thief was at stake! Ludwig and Doopliss sighed in unison, but agreed to leave. They headed down the pipe, leaving Popple with Luigi to deal with…