As he closed his eyes, Mario drew his hands back into a two fists, and they instantly ignited with raging flames. He brought his hands forward and swung them in a hypnotic fashion, creating a thick smog. With a loud battle cry, Mario charged towards Popple at full speed. A loud smash was heard, and flames spit up from the cloud. Popple cried out and flew into the pool, creating a giant ripple.
When the smoke cleared, Mario stood facing Ludwig, clenching his hat in his mouth. Without thinking, Ludwig charged towards Mario while viciously spouting giant waves of fire. The flamethrowers caught on the walls, engulfing the room, twisting it into a burning inferno. With a vengeful glint in his eye, Ludwig shouldered Mario in the face, and the plumber's head flew back. The prince ended up behind Mario, halting and huffing. When he turned back to scope the damage, he saw Mario's brown hair dance upward as the plumber cocked his head back forward. Instantly, Mario crouched down and back flipped, landing on Ludwig's head and smashing his head against the searing hot steel.
When the weight of Mario shoved Ludwig face into the heated ground, Karma awoke to a start, clenching her face and screaming. It felt like a Thwomp had just landed on her, crushing her skull. When the pain subsided, she jolted up. Flames were eating away at the castle's black interior! As smoke bound her lungs, she ran to Doopliss, who was blissfully snoring the danger away. She whipped him up, snapping him into a groggy state. He yawned as she dropped him, but the flames felt hot, giving him pins and needles. He took notice of the fire and jumped back, unknowing of the reason. He quickly turned himself in Karma's direction, but she was gone, running towards Ludwig, who was a huddled mass on the ground!
Instantly, Karma fell to Ludwig's side and set him on his back gingerly. She looked at his face, which was bloody from the attack. The prince wiped the blood off his face quickly and stumbled onto his knees, out of her grasp. She, too, stood up and growled ferociously, awaiting the attacker to show. Ludwig explained that it was Mario, so she eased up with a confident gleam in her eyes. Ludwig looked around, waiting for him to show his face once again. When Ludwig finally dropped his guard, something shot out of the flames and grabbed him by the hair! He let out a scream of pain, and Karma turned around to see Luigi wrestle him to the ground! She closed her eyes and gripped her head with her razor sharp claws, stumbling around.
Ludwig was obviously in terrible pain, because Karma was screeching and howling as she took damage. She turned around to lash out at Luigi, but it seemed that Doopliss beat her to it! The sheet's foot was connected with Luigi's jaw, knocking him off balance. Doopliss successfully shoved off his face and back flipped into the pool, making a mad dash for Popple's waterlogged body, while Luigi was submerged into the wall of fire.
Ludwig picked himself up and ran to Karma's side, and fixed his posture so his right leg stood behind him while his left extended out in front of him. His left arm was bended near his face so he was well guarded, as his right arm was outstretched behind him. Karma studied him, and then drew back into a stance of her own. Her legs were split apart, about shoulder width, and bent in a ninety-degree angle. Her arms were at waist-length and cocked back, ready to pierce a throat. They awaited a strike from any direction, so they shuffled around, back to back. Suddenly, the flames near them grew tenfold, and encircled them! While their guard was down, Mario emerged from the ring of fire and launched forward, knocking Ludwig down! Karma's head turned in her Met's direction as the two wrestled, and just as she was about to help, she too was knocked over, this time by Luigi!
As Ludwig and Karma battled the ferocious Brothers, Doopliss swam toward Popple's half-dead body. As he approached it, he noticed Popple's body was smothered in a burn from Mario's uppercut. He paddled closer and gripped Popple by the shirt and pulled for dear life. In short time, Popple awoke, coughing and spluttering water. Doopliss threw him ashore and started jumping on his stomach. In a few seconds, Popple regained full consciousness and rolled out from under Doopliss. The first thing he saw was the raging flames that had engulfed the mysterious castle. He then lay eyes on the lone cylinder of flames. When a bit of the fiery inferno opened, he glimpsed a purple shell covered in dry blood on green skins. Instantly, Popple grabbed Doopliss by the party hat and went on a collision course for the fire!
Inside the dome of flames, Ludwig forced Mario to the ground, as did Karma to Luigi. Ludwig threw a punch that made Mario's head bounce repeatedly off the heated ground, making him cry out. Luigi took notice of this, and was filled with incomparable anger! He flipped Karma off him, and while she was in midair, he kicked her in the stomach, making her body do many painful-looking twists. She screamed as she hit the ground, making Ludwig weaker. He lost his focus and gripped his head, feeling Karma's pain and cursing repeatedly. Taking advantage, Mario was about to shove Ludwig off him when something burst out of the fire wall. It was Popple and Doopliss seeking bloodthirsty revenge!
Popple landed and dragged Mario out from underneath Ludwig in a flash, and grabbed the hat back! Doopliss jumped in as a copy of Popple and kicked Luigi's legs out, tripping him face-first. Popple and the fake Popple ran up to each other, and with acrobatic-like synchronization, ran up into the air, using each other's shoes as grips! With their feet, they shoved off each other and acted like bullets, rocketing towards the Bros! They both made direct hits, blowing the Marios out of the dome of fire.
The two teammates ran to Karma and Ludwig, who were on the brink of unconsciousness. They helped them up and snapped them back into reality, after which they all drew back into their own stances and ran as fast as they could towards the fire. They escaped the walls and made a run for the exit, when Popple was tripped by Mario! All three of them turned around to see Mario holding Popple by the back of his sweater and placing his hat back on his head! Karma automatically dashed forward and threw punches so fast that no eye could follow. Mario easily dodged these attacks as well as the flailing Popple's strikes. Mario then countered with a well-placed kick on the hybrid's snout, making her double back. He then said he was going to end this, and threw Popple into the flames of the castle! The Shadow Thief cried out as he was defeated by the hands of Mario! Mario then cut through the pool and clambered the stairs with Luigi, who was waiting at the base of the staircase.
All three of the thieves ran over to their lead bandit, who was ablaze in the fire! Ludwig pulled him out, put out the fire, and held his body. He was motionless as his blank face oozed blood. He had no pulse, no movement, no breathing, no nothing. He was... dead. Ludwig was wide-eyed. He never actually thought Popple would... die. He lay him on the ground, and knelt down in respect. Doopliss understood what happened, took his hat off, and knelt as well. Karma fell to her knees next to Ludwig. For the next few minutes, everyone was silent.
Finally, Ludwig rose and looked at what happened. The fires burned on with an unforgiving blaze, and the Marios had probably escaped. He turned to Doopliss and Karma, who were just getting up now. He looked at Popple's closed eyes, and felt fire stir in his stomach. He couldn't quite comprehend what had happened, but he knew Popple was dead. He thought of how Mario effortlessly threw Popple into the fires, without the slightest bit of mercy. Yet Popple had shown them compassion by sparing their lives. It… was sickening. He knew Popple must have one last thing before put to eternal rest: Revenge.
Ludwig, Karma, and Doopliss brought Popple's deceased corpse near the indoor moat, just to make sure he didn't catch aflame. They all stared as Ludwig rested Popple on the ground. He’d truly left them... And this time, he wasn't coming back. By then, Doopliss had started to sob quietly. This set Karma off, as she started to cry as well. Ludwig embraced her, but didn't take his eyes off Popple. He knew deep down that the Shadow Thief wouldn't want them to mourn. He would want them to finish the mission.
The three left Popple behind, ascending the staircase for the final time. Every step they took, it seemed like it grew colder and colder. A skeptical look crossed Doopliss' face as they reached the end of the first staircase. He peered out a window, only to see the storm had grown at least ten times worse than their first visit! Doopliss turned back, only to see his two partners trotting up the second staircase. He followed up behind quickly, eager to avenge Popple.
Finally, when they reached the end of the second staircase, Ludwig and Karma donned their raincoats. Doopliss folded himself up and stuffed himself inside Karma's coat pocket, aware of the high speed winds outside. The two Mets proceeded to open the doors, but they seemed to be welded down by the Marios' pyrotechnics. After loosing one of his own, Ludwig determined he’d come too far to be stopped by a reinforced door. With a swift kick, he knocked down both doors clean off their hinges. Karma walked out first, tempting the storm to kill her. Ludwig followed up next to her. Thunder clapped as they made their way down the outdoor catwalk.
They came to the gap from the Bill Blaster explosion, and jumped over it, this time effortlessly. Karma tried to open the doors, but Mario and Luigi had taken care to weld it shut. She walked back a few steps, and then ran forward at full speed, ramming the door. It fell to the ground with a loud thud, revealing the inner chamber. Inside, Mario and Luigi stood, awaiting them. Lightning streaked the skies, illuminating Karma and Ludwig's bodies. The both of them advanced inside, where Doopliss emerged from Karma's coat. Mario and Luigi both pulled out a couple of Mix Flowers and held them at the ready. The three thieves were about to reap Popple's revenge. It was his last deed left undone, so his friends were about to complete it.
The three slowly advanced forward, each step making the Marios step back a bit. After about twenty paces, Mario sprang into action by running forward. When in range of attack, he side flipped into the air and aimed his Mix Flower towards the trio! A blast of fire shot back and Mario was sent flying high into the air, while a giant ball of fire raced towards the vengeful bandits.
Each one of them jolted to a wall, avoiding the blast and the thick wall of smog. There stood Karma and Doopliss on the left wall, and Ludwig to the right. When all was quiet and motionless, Mario dropped from the darkness above and rolled forward, knocking Ludwig over! The prince threw himself into a back flip and luckily landed on his feet, staggering for footing. He lashed out a claw, slashing Mario in the face, and then followed up with a dropkick. Mario's neck was pinned under Ludwig's right leg as he started to crush the plumber's air supply!
When it seemed Ludwig had everything under control, Luigi appeared out of the smoke and shot Doopliss in the back of his head with the Mix Flower! When Luigi was cocking his arm back for a punch, he felt his hat torn off his head and his hair grabbed. In a flash, his head was forcefully pulled up and brought to eye level with Karma. She threw his body to the ground, but while it was falling, she threw herself underneath him and kicked him in the stomach!
Luigi flew back about ten feet and clenched his abdomen, his eyes almost popping out of his head. Karma had fallen and smashed her head, leaving her in limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness. Doopliss helped himself up, and he was smitten with anger after seeing Karma's body. He ran to Luigi at full speeds, and rammed into his face! Luigi doubled over, blood spilling on his mustache from his gaping mouth. The plumber kicked up and landed in front of Doopliss. Doopliss tried to shuffle back, but it was too late, for Luigi had already gripped his neck and choked him! Doopliss kicked around the thin air, and then passed out from oxygen loss. Luigi’s smile would've killed him; it was a malicious and merciless sneer.
As her vision came back into play, Karma saw Luigi wind up for his final strike on Doopliss. She tried her best to get up, but her body said no. She screamed, but still she wouldn't move. Finally, she mustered enough strength to roll forward and use her paw to gain balance. Luigi raised his hand and brought his fingers together, about to silence Doopliss forever. Her pupils shrank as she felt herself be propelled forward while her hands cocked back. While she was running Luigi brought his hand down extremely quickly to the Duplighost's neck, making the decisive blow. Doopliss' body swayed to one side as his mouth opened, but emitted no sound. Seeing this enraged Karma and she jumped onto Luigi, burying her claws deep into his throat. Luigi dropped Doopliss' limp body and fell over, blood pouring from the newly-developed wounds. Yet Karma wouldn't stop. She dug her razor-sharp nails in deeper, making Luigi cough several times before his eyes watered in pure pain. When she saw fit, she stuck her foot on his back and pushed off, running her claws through more skin before really letting go.
Karma saw Luigi stagger around and fall abruptly, rubbing the large amounts of blood from his throat. Karma looked at her paws, which were painted over with Luigi's blood. A few dabs of her green hands protruded from under the red substance. It was warm and fresh, and it felt good. The blood seemed to reflect on her own face, somewhat as a mirror. Much to her displeasure, though, the blood crept up the beginning of her fragile forearms. Not only had she attacked him for Popple, it was like she’d attacked him for the entire Silverleaf Yoshi Tribe back on Cookie Mountain!
As she turned to Doopliss, she wiped the blood on her sides, not wanting to stain her friend. He was alive, since he was breathing. Luigi hadn't preformed the technique correctly, but he had knocked Doopliss pretty hard. She put her blood-streaked hand on his neck, feeling around for his pulse. Just as she found it, she felt herself being pulled back by her hair. She turned her face to see Luigi!
When Ludwig was about to finish Mario, the plumber rolled out from under him and started furiously striking at his entire body! Ludwig easily dodged these shots without breaking a sweat, and when Mario let his guard down, he rushed forward and swept his legs. The plumber plummeted to the ground with an unforgiving thud and cried out. Instantly, Ludwig lifted his foot to deliver swift defeat, but his adversary had foreseen this. Mario rolled back and swerved into the air with a high jump, and recklessly shot down at Ludwig, crashing into him! Ludwig cried out as one of his ribs broke, and he fell.
He looked up while trying to sooth his chest as Mario walked up to him. Mario lifted himself slowly and grabbed him by the shell, escorting him to a window. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed as Mario dangled Ludwig over the window, shaking him threateningly. Ludwig told him to do his worst, but Mario merely scoffed. He said he was going to do much more than that.
Luigi had pinned Karma to the ground while she fought back with all her strength. She got her feet on his stomach once again, and was about to push him off when she felt something funny. She started to glow a bluish green and screamed! Luigi got off her, fearing this was some kind of attack. But it was exactly the opposite. Karma felt her chest blast with pain and she clenched it, feeling for her rib. It was intact, but it wasn't... At least it didn't feel that way. Luigi stepped back a bit more, each passing moment his confidence dropping.
She opened her eyes a bit and searched the room. When her eyes fell on Mario, she saw him dangling Ludwig over the edge of the window! She instantly put her paws on the ground and attempted to get up, but once again, she didn't have enough strength! Karma flailed her arms around and cried, trying to get up. When she realized her efforts were futile, she clenched her hands together and pounded the ground in defeat. Karma whimpered as Mario draped Ludwig out of the window, and slipped his fingers. She felt herself let go and scream as the blue-green color around her died and she quickly flashed a golden brown. Mario dropped Ludwig into the unknown.
As the plumber turned around, Luigi ran to his side and looked out the window. Ludwig was dead... There was no way he could've survived that fall. As he turned around to confirm Ludwig's death, lightning covered the room in a white light. When the light dimmed, Luigi was on the ground, knocked out. Mario drew back in fear and looked in all directions, awaiting this new threat. Again, lightning illuminated the room, and when it cleared, Mario was hatless! He flung himself around to see a big silhouette, and a smaller one holding his hat. He couldn't see who they were, so he demanded them to show themselves. The two of them reluctantly agreed to his demands and stepped into the light.
Doopliss awoke and steadily got to his feet. He saw Karma lying on the ground next to him, so he rushed to her aid. He felt for a pulse, and got one only so slightly. Her breathing was spaced to only a few huffs every 30 seconds, and she was covered in blood. Doopliss looked around to find the cause of this, and saw Mario! He was about to rush up and kill him by surprise when he saw something that almost shocked his own life out of him. Mario was facing Ludwig and Popple!
Mario gasped as he saw the two stand in front of him. Didn't he kill them?! Mario took a few steps back, and was about to say something when Popple interjected. He challenged Mario to see who could win the hat. The Shadow Thief threw the hat on the ground, as Mario scrambled to get it. The second he grabbed it, Ludwig told him he would start. They would finish. And with that, the two disappeared into the darkness.
Mario gripped the hat, waiting for either of them to strike. When his back was turned, a kick was delivered to Mario that was hard enough that he twirled in the air! When he hit the ground, he got up to face his attacker, and nobody was there. He realized he’d dropped the hat. He ran up to get it, when once again he was kicked from behind. Mario somersaulted repeatedly until he hit the black bricks, stunning him. When he regained sight, he saw once again that the attacker had fled, and the hat wasn't there anymore! He ran up to its original location, but was tripped! Mario skidded on his face across the ground and flipped onto his back. Mario looked above him to see the faint image of Ludwig and Popple dissipate into the darkness. He shuffled about, and when he turned around, he saw the hat on the ground, next to his feet! Mario grabbed the hat and miserly held it to his chest for dear life. He walked backwards into the shadows, and when he turned around, all he saw was a paw swipe his face, leaving him with four distinct slices across his face. He cried out and grabbed his face, dropping the hat. When he realized he’d done so, he went down to grab it, but was knocked over by the front of his legs! His face smashed into the unforgiving steel, knocking him flat out. Behind him, Popple slid down, gripping the hat in one hand.
Ludwig emerged from the shadows behind Karma, where Doopliss stood awestruck. Before he could say anything, Ludwig helped Karma up. Although she was out cold, a small smile found its way to Karma's lips when she felt the warmth of Ludwig. The prince sighed in relief, and Doopliss merely threw his sheet hands over his head in confusion. Popple walked up to them, and Doopliss started to poke at him. Popple looked at him with a skeptical look, and Doopliss wondered aloud why he wasn't dead. Popple merely smirked and said that DAD said congratulations.