A town had appeared before our heroes. As they crossed the bridge, they couldn't tell exactly what kind of town it was, but they could tell it had probably been there for a long time. What would they find here? Where was the Pure Heart? What had happened when Bowser entered the town? Our heroes entered, having a deep feeling that
something was about to happen...
The town seemed normal. There were no destroyed buildings, panicking people, or flaming grass. And, there was no Bowser around to be causing any of these things. The air around the town, while still somewhat dry, was more humid than that of the desert and mountains, and several clumps of grass were growing among the grayish-tan dirt. "Where's Bowser?" wondered Peach. "Did he not come here?"
"Let's ask around town," suggested Nastasia. "We might be able to find out where he is."
As they came closer to the buildings, they could observe citizens that looked remarkably like the people of Flipside and Flopside. When they reached the space between the first two buildings, though, they were surprised in a whole new way. A person who looked almost exactly like Merlon, except for the red cloak and different designs, was standing there! "Are you the heroes that Bowser said would come here?"
Our heroes said nothing for a few seconds, but Tippi finally answered, "Yes, I suppose we are."
"Then you're the heroes of the Light Prognosticus? In that case, let's not stand out here. You may come to my house. I will explain everything there. I think I will be able to inform you of a few things." The group followed him to one of the houses. Once they were comfortable, the wizard continued. "I would like to introduce myself. My name is Merlrock. I am a descendent of the Ancients, just like the Merlon you know. You are the heroes searching for the Pure Hearts, correct?"
"That's right," agreed O'Chunks.
"And you've already collected them before?"
"Four of us," explained Luigi. "Well, not four of us standing here, but three standing here and...Bowser."
"That's what I thought. Hmm...where should I start? I guess I should tell you this is one of the dimensions the Ancients settled in. That is why the people here look the way they do."
"I guessed that," explained Mario. "We've recently been to another dimension of this sort."
"Oh, you have, now?" Merlrock looked inquisitive. "How about this, then: you explain to me everything that's happened to you on this adventure. Bowser gave me some of the details, so since I know plenty about the time of the Ancients, I may be able to answer some of the questions you might have."
Our heroes described everything that had occured from Dimentio's hypnosis of Bleck until now, from fighting the tentacled Monster Blooper to freeing the prisoners of the X Faction to the evening when Bowser decided he was quitting. And for some background information, they threw in all the details of their previous quest as well.
"You truly are the heroes, aren't you? I know much of the Light Prognosticus, so that is how I knew who you all were. Knowing Bowser, he might not always be a reliable source of information, but I guess he was telling the truth. Before we go on, something strikes me as familiar about the fourth dimension you visited. You said you met a sentient rag doll named Kara?"
"That's correct," stated Luigi. "She was kind of-"
"I assume you know that the Ancients created many Pixls and used the method to create other sorts of beings as well."
"Yes," answered Mario.
"I have heard from a girl in this town that her great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother had an Animaul, as you call them, that she was great friends with. Perhaps the Kara you met in that dimension is the same Animaul that once befriended a girl in this very town?"
Our heroes suddenly realized why the landscape had seemed familiar. "This is it!" exclaimed Luigi. "Kara told us she was friends with a girl in another dimension and that there was a bridge on the edge of their town that lead into an area inhabited by monsters and a volcano. This is the dimension she previously lived in!"
"They once crossed the bridge to find out what was on the other side," added Peach. "When we're done with this adventure, we've got to tell her we know what's there. And beyond."
"The Animaul invasion you mentioned..." continued Merlrock. "It was caused by Dimentio, correct?"
"Yes," answered Tippi.
"So Dimentio revealed to you the past of the shape-shifter Mimi?"
"Yeah, after a crackpot story about the Ancients," replied Mimi. "Do you know how he knoews all this stuff?"
Merlrock assumed a contemplative pose. "I am afraid I do not know the source of his knowledge. I have never heard of a person called Dimentio until now, so I don't think he was around in the time of the Ancients. But I brought him up because I may be able to tell you something about him. You explained that he has a plan to reactivate the Chaos Heart?"
"Yes," answered Tippi. She was growing tired of having to answer Merlrock's obvious questions.
"And he's trying to end the games of Count Bleck's former minions?"
"Yes..."
"Hmm...I think I might know what is going on here. Do you know exactly what the Chaos Heart is?"
"It's an artifact that contains a tremendous amount of destructive energy. That's what I gather, anyway."
"That is correct. I am well knowledgable in ancient artifacts such as that. The Chaos Heart was deactivated after you and Bleck wed, correct?"
"Yes. Well, I thought it had been destroyed, but I guess it somehow still exists if Dimentio's planning to reactivate it."
"That Chaos Heart was called into existence by the union of Peach and Bowser, as predicted in the Dark Prognosticus, but I don't believe there is a way to fully destroy it. Even if it is deavtivated, it can be reactivated again."
"So how does Dimentio plan to do this? We don't know why he hasn't done it already."
"Hmm...well, heroes, consider this. What did O'Chunks do in his past?"
"He ate a device someone was going to use to create a Pixl."
"That means he has plenty of power stored inside him, right?"
"I guess, if you think about it that way."
"And Nastasia found an orb that granted her the powers of hypnosis?"
"Yes!"
"That means she contains power as well. And Mimi..."
"Her blood glows," noted Mario. "I noticed it a while ago."
"You did?" asked Mimi. "When?"
"When we crashed in the rock tunnel, I saw a drop of your blood while you were unconcious. But I didn't ask you about it."
"Yes. Since Mimi is a special kind of Pixl, she has a strange kind of blood. I'm not sure exactly what its main function is, but it allows her body to heal itself unnaturally quickly."
"Morris's blood is blue," added Mimi. "It's even more potent than mine. But what does this have to with the Chaos Heart?"
"Well, think about it. All three of the minions have large amounts of power stored in their bodies. If they were killed, that energy would be released..."
In a flash, our heroes understood why Dimentio aimed to kill Bleck's minions and how he planned to reactivate the Chaos Heart. Tippi finished, "...and the combined power from the Pixl device, the orb, and Mimi's blood just might be enough to reactivate the Chaos Heart!"
"It all makes sense now," reflected Luigi. "Well, actually, it doesn't. We've just figured out Dimentio's plan. We don't know how he knows these things. We have the how, but not the why."
"Yeah," agreed Mario. "Remember the Light Prognosticus? Dimentio will reveal his deepest secret once we collect all of the-" He paused. Nastasia was shaking. "What's wrong, Nastasia?"
"Well...well, you know that passage in the Light Prognosticus we were talking about? Only one out of Mimi, Morris, and Margaret will live after the Chaos Heart reemerges? If the Chaos Heart reemerges...then Dimentio
will kill us!"
Everyone froze. "Dimentio
will succed with his plan?" squeaked Mimi after a few moments of silence. "To kill us? That means
I'm not the one that will survive?"
"It sounds unfortunate..." sighed Merlrock, "but we must continue to hope for the best. Just do your best, heroes. Since you're the heroes of the Light Prognosticus, you'll surely be able to succeed in one way or another."
"Wait," began Mimi. "Can you tell us anything about the Amtakan person I mentioned earlier?"
"The name sounded familiar, but I don't think I've heard about anyone with that name before. Not many details about the Tribe of Darkness are known."
"Is what Dimentio said true? About the Tribe of Darkness?"
"The person who founded it did steal it after the Pixl Uprising, but I'm not sure if he truly stole it to prevent another such incident from happening again. The Tribe of Darkness was a shady group. I don't know the true motive that person had."
"One more question," continued Mario. "What are those giant glass corkscrews in the mountains? And the things that look like plants?"
"We once placed lights in them so they'd glow at night. Remember how Count Bleck destroyed his own dimension after stealing the Dark Prognosticus? Most of the dimension was obliterated, but some people managed to escape. We planned for them to use this town as a refuge, so we created the glowing glass formations to guide them to the town."
"I see. That makes sense. So the lights were removed when they were no longer needed."
"Is that all you need to know?"
"Oh, one more thing," stated Peach. "Do you know where Bowser is now? We can't let him find the rest of the Pure Hearts before we do."
"Ah, yes, I had almost forgotten about that. I'm afraid he's left the town. He asked to go through the passage between the two close mountains on the other side of town, and I assume that's where he believed the Pure Heart was. The passage between them leads to an area where some of our dangerous experiments was tested. We normally don't allow anyone to go there, but Bowser was...persuasive, if you know what I mean."
"We have to go there and find him," announced Mario.
"I'm afraid that's going to be impossible. We gave Bowser the key to unlock the gate that blocks the exit. Once he unlocked the door, he went to the nearby volcano and tossed the key into the crater. I assume he didn't want the rest of you to follow him."
"The volcano!" exclaimed O'Chunks. "'Ey, I'm not too fond o' places like that."
"
Is the Pure Heart in the area beyond the town?" asked Mario. "How close is it, Tippi?"
"It's quite close. Too close, I think, to be in the volcano. It's probably in the area Bowser went to. We'll have to somehow get that key if we want the Pure Heart."
"You will descend into the volcano?" asked Merlrock. "It's not as dangerous as you might think, actually. The volcano has been dormant for several years. Burning lava still exists inside it, but there is plenty of solid ground to stand on, and you don't have to worry about the volcano erupting."
"Then let's do it," proclaimed Mario.
"Go into the volcano!?" exclaimed Luigi. "Are you sure about this?"
"Positive. It's not like it's going to erupt or anything. We just need to find the key and get back out. I've been inside a volcano before, so it won't be anything I haven't already seen."
"Well...OK, I guess. But we'd better be careful."
"Wait," halted Merlrock. "I just remembered, I have one last thing to give you. It's an old hammer I've had for a while. It isn't exactly top-quality, but I'm afraid it's the most I can do." He handed Mario the large wooden hammer.
"Thanks! I've used these things before, so I know the basics. Even if it isn't the best, I can still smash pretty much anything with it."
"You're welcome. I'll wish you luck, hereoes of prophecy," announced Merlrock. "You can accomplish this task. Just set your mind to it."
The mountains in the direction of the volcano were less steep than the ones at the other side of town, so the group could traverse them fairly easily. They faced more of the vicious bat creatures and almost impaled their feet on the glass "plants" several times. It took several minutes, but they eventually reached the peak of the volcano. Tippi looked down into the crater. "Just as Merlrock said. This doesn't look dangerous. Let's go." Our heroes jumped into the hole, landing in an enclosed area of solidified lava. The lava wasn't hot enough to hurt the heroes, but it was still rather warm.
"We've got to be careful as we go further down," cautioned Mario. "The place will only get hotter."
"Speaking of going down," noticed Peach, "shouldn't the key be right here? Bowser threw it into the crater."
Nastasia looked around. "I don't see it anywhere. Wait a minute...maybe it was carried further into the volcano by that lava stream?" She pointed, and our heroes observed a small river of magma heading down a path deeper into the volcano's belly.
"But it couldn't have landed there. It would have fallen somewhere in the center of this room. Wait...maybe Bowser jumped
into the crater and tossed the key into the river of magma? Just so we wouldn't find it?"
"That seems like the most likely explanation." Mario sighed. "Well, I guess our only choice is to proceed. Come on."
Our heroes treaded down a passageway next to the lava flow. Creatures such as Red Spike Tops had settled into the volcano, as well as orange versions of the monster bats that were camoflagued against the glowing walls of the volcano, putting Mario's new hammer to good use. The passageway ended with a tunnel going down. Our heroes jumped into it, careful to avoid the magma falls, and landed in a large chamber. The falls emptied into a large pool of lava that continued to flow deeper into the volcano. Several rock platforms formed a path between our heroes and the other side of the chamber. "This'll be easy, 'ey?" asked O'Chunks.
"Wait." Mario jumped onto the first platform, testing it. It began to sink into the lava under his weight. He jumped back to safety, and the platform rose. "These platforms will sink when we step on them. We should go across one at a time." Mario began jumping across them. He was about to jump to one of the platforms when a Lava Bubble suddenly sprouted from the lava in front of him, plummeting back into the pool in a few seconds. "And watch out for those, guys!"
Once Mario had reached the other side, the others joined him one at a time, once again following the example Mario had showed them. Another passageway, riddled with Red Spike Tops hanging from the ceiling, continued from the other side. At the end of this passageway, our heroes discovered a moderate-sized room. There was another field of lava next to them with a small moving platform that could carry them to the other side. On the safe ground opposite where our heroes were standing, a single ? Block hovered. Our heroes again jumped onto the platform one at a time, being carried to the other side. Mario hit the ? Block, and a Fire Flower appeared. "Gee, it's been a while since I've seen one of these." He collected it. His hat and shirt suddenly switched to white, and his overalls turned red.
"You look cool in that outfit," admired Mimi, "but what use does a Fire Flower have in a volcano?"
"Well, let's see." At the right side of the chamber, Mario could see a cracked wall. "This rock looks weak. I could probably break it with some fireballs." He blasted the wall with a few fireballs, and it cracked open, revealing another passageway. Our heroes walked down this tunnel, dodging more enemies and traps, although Mario was hit and lost his Fire Flower ability.
The path ended at a dead end. "What now?" asked Luigi.
"I'll see if there's anything in 3D." Mario flipped, and steps on the wall became visible. Mario climbed the staircase into another room. There were lots of Firebars in this room that could still hurt him in 3D, so he flipped back into 2D to be safe and jumped among the firebars, expertly dodging them. Mario avoided lava traps and Lava Bubbles in this room as well. It was then he realized he was traveling in an exact remake of World 1-4 in the original Super Mario Bros., except without Bowser. On the bridge where Bowser should have stood, Mario found a blue switch instead of an axe. He hit it. Nothing visibly happened, but Mario was certain a new path had opened for the others. He backtracked through the volcano-style World 1-4, dodging firebars and Lava Bubbles again. When he reached the beginning of the area, he flipped into 3D again and jumped down into the corridor where the others were waiting. Flipping back to 2D, he explained that he had found a switch that had apparently opened this passage in the floor. The group of six descended further into the volcano, landing in yet another corridor, this one going to the left.
"How long's this 'ere lava river?" wondered O'Chunks. It had been visible down the path ever since our heroes entered the volcano.
"I don't know," began Mario, "but we've got to keep following it if we want to find Bowser."
The corridor made a turn back to the right, eventually leading into another large room. The lava river widened here, forming a large lake of firey magma our heroes couldn't get across. A huge magma-fall blocked access to the other side. "How do we get across?" asked Tippi.
"We need to find out some way to shut off the falls," reasoned Luigi. He looked up. "Hey, let's see what happens if I hit this block." Luigi Super Jumped a Brick Block. It shattered, dropping a red trampoline. "Time for Luigi to see some action!" Before anyone could stop him, he took the trampoline to a high ledge. After some more enemy dodging, he found the source of the lava falls.
If I can block that river somehow, I can probably stop the falls... Luigi noticed some conveniently placed pushable blocks in the area. He pushed them, one by one, over the lava river. With the blocks preventing it from flowing into the falls, this magma river was forced to flow in a different direction. Luigi returned to the group. "The falls are gone, but how do we get across?"
"I know." Peach floated across the river and hit a switch on the other side, creating a bridge that allowed the others to cross as well. After exiting this room and winding through another downward corridor, our heroes found what seemed to be the bottommost chamber of the volcano's interior. The lava river emptied out into a lake, where the lava collected and remained still.
"There's the key!" joyfully uttered Nastasia. It had drifted all the way into the innermost depths of the volcano, now floating in the middle of the magma lake. It was moderate-sized, glowing bright yellow.
"How do we get it?" worried Mario. "It's in the lava."
"Hmm..." Mimi thought. "Maybe if I attach myself to the ceiling, I could reach down and grab the key without getting myself fried."
"I guess you can try. Be careful."
Mimi transformed into a giant spider and pulled herself up to the ceiling. Slowly, she extended one of her legs toward the key. Once making contact, she quickly pulled her leg up and claimed the key. Moving back to safe ground, she dropped the key. "So you probably need me to get out of this place?"
"Probably. But be careful. The lava is even harder to avoid going up."
Our heroes backtracked through all of the volcano interior, having Mimi climb up the vertical chambers when nessecary. They reversed their course through corridors, over lava lakes, and enemy-infested rooms. They finally emerged back in the room they had entered when they had jumped into the crater. "Mimi, you'll have to help us one last time," noted Luigi. Mimi helped the others exit the crater and reverted to her normal form once they were all safely out.
"So now we go back to the town and unlock that gate," mused Tippi. A thought hit her. "I hope Bowser hasn't already found the Pure Heart!"
"Whether he has or not," pointed out Peach, "him going into the area where dangerous experiments were tested can't be a good thing. I'm sure that's where the Pure Heart is, so we've got to get there fast."
Our heroes headed back to the town, continually dodging enemies and sharp glass formations. They eventually arrived back at the edge of town. "So we head to the far side of town?" reviewed Luigi.
"That's right," answered Mario. "And we put this key in the gate. Merlrock said some dangerous experiments were tested there. What kind of experiements are they, though?"
"Hopefully nothing that would benefit Bowser," hoped Nastasia.
The heroes finally reached the huge, silver gate. Mario inserted the key, and the gate's two halves split, revealing a pathway between the two mountains. "Let's go!" announced Mario. The walk between the mountains was rather uneventful, but the mountains soon ended and our heroes found themselves standing before a vast, wide-open plain. For the most part, it was barren, although clumps of grass sprouted up every now and then, much like in the town.
"There isn't much of anything here," pointed out Peach. "Where are Bowser and the Pure Heart?"
"The Pure Heart is very, very close," revealed Tippi. "It's got to be here. Let's just proceed, and hope nothing goes wrong."
Our heroes walked out into the open plain. Before they got very far, though, a voice startled them. "Thought you'd just walk up and take the Pure Heart? Bwa ha ha ha!" Our heroes looked, and none other than Bowser was standing next to them. "Honestly, I'm amazed you managed to find this place. You chased down that key I threw into the volcano just so you could get here? You fools! Once I find the Pure Heart, it will be mine, and I'll save the world and all that crud. And
you'll be all but forgotten!"
"What?" asked Tippi. "You haven't found the Pure Heart? After all the hours since we entered the town?"
"Nope. Why? It's not like I can sense where it is like you can. But mark my words, I'll be finding it soon. Now go away and let the Koopa King save the universe."
"Come on, Bowser!" wailed Mimi. "You don't really think you can just do this by yourself, do you?"
"Oh, it's you again. That little green freak. Well, I'll have you know that I
can do this by myself. And I don't even need a super mustache to do it. Watch, I'll get rid of you all right now!" Bowser suddenly aimed a huge yellow blast of fire at the group. They all jumped to side, slightly singed.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Mario. "That's not the fire-breathing I remember!"
"Of course it isn't. I found this cool little device in this plain. I didn't know what else to do with it, so I ate it...and now look at me! I've got powers that can eradicate you all!" Bowser raised his arm, and a lightning bolt came crashing down on Mario. He staggered, injured. "And that's not all. Wait 'till you see what else I've got. All dimensions will bow before the great Bowser, King of the Koopas! BWA HA HA HA HA!!!"
MINIBOSS
Bowser
Bowser leaped into the air far above our heroes. "He's Ground Pounding!" exclaimed Mario. Even though he had been injured, he summoned the energy to move away from Bowser's shadow. Bowser landed on the ground with a loud crash.
"You little heroes think you can beat me?" Bowser spun around and expelled more fiery breath, shielding himself with the fire.
"I'll pound a bit o' sense into 'im!" O'Chunks jumped into the air and landed directly on Bowser.
"Get off me, tubby!" Bowser and O'Chunks became entagled in a wrestling match.
"Hey, break it up!" Luigi Super Jumped horizontally into the mess, seperating the two fighters. Without warning, Bowser then jumped through the air and aimed for Luigi. Luigi quickly dove to the side while Bowser crashed down next to him.
Mario figured it was time to use his new weapon in battle. Having recovered from the intial shock (literally) of the lightning bolt, he crept up to Bowser and delivered a well-placed hammer strike. "Gah! You and your hammers!" Bowser stood up. "But I've got something even better!" He held up his hand, and a black spiked ball materialized in his palm. He hurled it into the air, and it came crashing down on Mimi.
"AAAHH!!!" Mimi fell to the ground, in obvious pain.
"Mimi! You OK?" Nastasia rushed to help her fellow minion.
"I'll be fine in a few minutes. Can you shield me? I mean..."
Meanwhile, Mario had been delivering more hammer blows while avoiding Bowser's flames. "Gah! How do you keep doing that? Well, I did expect you to get a few good hits in. But you'll never be able to stand up to
this!" Bowser again rasied his hand, and a glowing circle of energy extended outwards from him. Mario jumped the wave, but it hit Peach, throwing her back.
"You're hurting Peach!" accused Mario. "You don't care about your 'lovely wife' anymore?"
Please say no..."Oh, I don't need to worry about that. Once I become the greatest hero of all the universes, Peach will like me anyway."
"Hero, my foot!" Luigi readied his Super Jump and nailed Bowser's stomach, knocking him over. Mario then responded with a Ground Pound of his own.
"Ouch!" Bowser pulled himself back up. "But all of your efforts are in vain! Take this!" Bowser used his newfound power to heal a considerable amount of his health. "What now?"
"This!" A sharp red stone richocheted on the right side of Bowser's head.
"You little..." Bowser aimed a fire blast for Mimi, but she quickly jumped the assault and aimed another Rubee for Bowser. "That does it!" He ran for Mimi, but Mario took advantage of Bowser's distraction and performed another hammer strike. Bowser's replenished health was probably negated by now.
"Not so high and mighty now, are you?" taunted Mario.
"We'll see about that!" Bowser pounded the ground again, creating a shockwave along the ground. He repeated the maneuver several times, forcing our heroes to repeatedly jump over the waves. Bowser took advantage of our heroes' preoccupation with dodging the shockwaves and nailed O'Chunks with a spinning energy punch. O'Chunks flew a few feet, harmed somewhat.
"Catch it, Luigi!" Luigi was on the opposite side of Bowser from where Mario was standing. Mario tossed his hammer at Bowser's head with pinpoint accuracy. As the hammer bounced, Luigi caught it and delivered his own hammer swing.
"Aghh..." Bowser was nearly defeated. But his energy wasn't gone just yet. He produced more spiky balls, aiming them into the air and causing them to crash all around. Some of our heroes were hit, but Luigi, holding Mario's hammer, came up with a plan. He stood at the point where of the maces was going to land and smashed it with the hammer. It bounced toward Bowser, nailing him perfectly and putting him out of commission.