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

12

Luigi's gone deaf.

That's the first thing he feels when he finally wakes up in the dream world.

"Trippy..." he mutters before he feels a hand grab him.

"Talk to me, Weeg." Mario says. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere really, really loud!" Luigi shouts over the music, making Mario wince.

"Remember, I can't hear anything until you tell me. The only one who can hear it is you."

"Right, right..." Luigi nods, but the surroundings are extremely blurry, making it hard to pinpoint anything.

"Look around. What do you see?" Mario urges, but Luigi shakes his head.

"I can't." he says. "It's somewhere with a lot of people dancing, and I'm feeling really...off."

"That's the silver stars."

"You're walking through somewhere she got the drugs." Mario clarifies.

"Okay, so let's find somewhere further away." Luigi grabs Mario's arm and tries to stumble away.

"Not so fast, Speedy." He hears Pauline say. "This is her most recent trauma."

"Shit." Mario winces. "The drugs won't let us go anywhere else. Should we wake you up?"

"Nuh uh." Luigi shakes his head. "I'm here now, I'll do it."

He starts looking around again, trying to ignore the flashing lights and ear deafening music.

"Okay, so I think I'm at the rave, because there's a bunch of people dancing. I think I saw flash of neon lights from a dirty window."

"We're in Shroom City!" Mario identifies, wincing once the loud environment reaches his ears too.

"See that guy over there?" Luigi points, and as Mario follows his finger, he nods.

"Uh huh. We got a lurker, Pauline." Mario confirms.

"And him." Luigi points to someone in the crowd. "Does Alexis know him?"

Mario looks, and shrugs, "Maybe?"

"Wait, now Alexis is trying to get him to leave." Luigi narrates, prompting Mario to watch too.

But the longer the scene plays out, the more frustrated Luigi gets.

"They're talking, but I can't hear what they're saying."

Then he screams, prompting Mario to grab him, "What, what's wrong?"

"Black holes." Luigi says, closing his eyes in an attempt to get away from them. "Everyone's getting sucked away into a black hole."

"His vitals are elevating dangerously."

Mario's eyes widen in fear, "Pauline, does Luigi need to wake up and close the dream portal?"

"Leave him and get out of there. Now!"

"Okay, Lu?" Mario puts a hand on Luigi's face. "You earned a new pair of shoes if you can calm down for me."

Luigi grabs Alexis' arm, and more flashes dance across his vision.

Someone taking pictures.

A bag full of vials.

One opening and being shoved down Alexis' throat.

Luigi feels his body go tense, unable to determine if it's his real body or his dream body.

"Okay, that's it. Wake me up." Luigi concedes.

"Remember--"

"Just go." Luigi snaps. "Get out of here and wake me up."

"Back in a pinch." Mario jokes.

"Booo." Luigi objects halfheartedly as he watches Mario jump through the portal, and a moment or two later, feels the sharp pinch in his arm before he wakes up fully.

After he reorients himself, he looks at the team, gathered around the bed, and says.

"I owe Alexis an apology." Luigi says. "She's not a druggie at all. Someone poured silver stars down her throat to shut her up."