I've Got the Strangest Feeling This Isn't Our First Time Around

5

He's falling.

Or he thinks he's falling, because that's the only way he can think to describe why his body is flailing around like a fish and why his heart is pounding rapidly when his feet never seem to reach solid ground.

And then he does, but that doesn't stop the pounding heart, even as he tries to take in his surroundings.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" a voice cuts through his panic, and in seconds, Mario's in front of him, grabbing him. "Calm down. Right now."

"What is this place?" Luigi demands.

"I don't know. I told you. I can't see anything until you describe it for me. We're looking for some sort of clue as to where he sent the last two Bob-Omb squadrons."

"Forget that! I'm freezing!" Luigi tries to explain as he pushes Mario away to wrap his arms around himself. "I think I'm gonna pass out."

"Starlow?" Mario taps his ear.

"She says no changes. Normal body temperature."

"Hey!" Mario grabs him again. "You're not freezing."

"I'm not?" Luigi asks, as he begins to hyperventilate.

"Now he's going into serious shock. "

"Damnit, I told Snoozemore the test serves a purpose, and this is it!" Mario yells in frustration. "I'm leaving and waking him up."

" Mm, no. " Snoozemore is suddenly heard over the comm link. "Luigi isn't Bowser. We need to find those Bob-Omb squadrons. "

Now Mario gets desperate, grabbing Luigi's face and forcing him to look right at him.

"Luigi, you need to calm down, or you're gonna have to wake up."

"I thought you said you'd be doing that!" Luigi manages to say through his hyperventilating.

"Only if you don't want to trap a living being inside your subconscious."

"And if I'm willing to risk it?"

"You could, but your subconscious will send something to attack me trying to get me out, and without you here to tell me what it is, I'll die. Not to mention the damage it will do to your psyche."

But seeing it's not working, Mario gets up in his face and orders yet again,

"You need. To calm. Down!"

Now Luigi's able to see what looks like two turtles moving around, like they're in two separate scenes.

" That's it, wake him up! "

"Pauline?" Luigi says in surprise. "I can hear you?"

"The other earpiece, remember?" Mario explains.

"Then on behalf of both of us, shut up! " Luigi snaps, despite his panic.

"Okay, Luigi, look at me. I'm right here." Mario backs up some, keeping one hand on his neck to ground him as he presses his forehead with Luigi's. "The panic is making your body spastic and skewing the connection. I'm sorry, but if you don't want us to wake you up, you need to calm down. Please."

Luigi doesn't know what does it, all he knows is with the hand on his neck and the surprisingly supportive words, he finds himself nodding against Mario's forehead, even taking it a step further as he grabs Mario's arms and squeezes them, and when he feels Mario's hands cup his cheeks, he closes his eyes and obeys, feeling as the panic slowly subsides, until suddenly, the surroundings turn into technicolor.