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

36

"Okay, inducing REM sleep in, 3...Luigi?" Mario says next to the Ultibed. "Don't forget we're only looking for Luna's hidden stash. 2...Luna's subconscious is more than likely going to be loaded with seemingly unrelated things. 1...and we have liftoff!"

In seconds, Luigi is promptly dropped into Luna's dreams, but immediately, he understands this isn't gonna be the same walk in the park as the others, as he moves closer to Luna's mobile shop, pulled by a Chain Chomp with floral garlands decorating the chain.

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"Mario, what's going on?" Luigi asks as Mario joins him, clutching his head. "This is...crazy."

"Talk to me. What're you seeing?" Mario pushes.

Luigi points, "I see her shop, but I'm seeing words from her newsletter flying around. What do we do?"

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"Oof, yeah, this is gonna get annoying real quick." Mario agrees as the words appear for him too.

He thinks, then gets an idea, "Okay, Weegee? Close your eyes for me, and don't open them, no matter what you hear, until I say, got it?"

Luigi wants to argue, but with the words giving him a serious headache, he nods and does as he's asked.

He hears, "Starlow?"

" Go for Starlow. "

"There's too many words in here. Give us some wind?"

Luigi nearly opens his eyes at that, but in the next instant, he feels something tickle his nose, and before he can stop it, he's sneezing, and then he has to open them, demanding, "What the hell—" until he sees all the words being blown away.

When they clear, Luigi finds himself inside the mobile tea shop.

"Much better." Mario says, following him in.

"Are you kidding?" Luigi demands, feeling...not right. "Something feels really, really wrong."

" Luigi's limbic system is going haywire. Paranoia is setting in. "

"Shit." Luigi whispers, as many different customers flash before his eyes.

Toad with a backpack.

Someone with a spiked armband.

" Mario, Luigi's in trouble. We think Luna's trying to wake herself up. "

Smashed pocketwatch.

A castle made of blocks.

"Talk to me." Mario begs, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No." Luigi shakes his head. "I'm experiencing them all at the same time."

" Luigi's spiraling. "

"Okay, Weegee?" Mario puts both hands on Luigi's face, making him look at him. "We're gonna take a step back and remember what we know to be real."

"I'm walking through a petrified tinhatter's dreams, working in a secret laboratory in the basement of some old castle ruins." Luigi snaps flatly. "Please, feel free to add if you think it'll make it stop! "

"Okay, okay." Mario nods, stroking Luigi's cheeks to ground him. "Forget real, we're gonna do something incredibly stupid. We're gonna will ourselves into Luna's house. Finish the quote. 'The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven out of hell.'"

"What? I don't know that!" Luigi protests, trying to pull away, but Mario won't let him.

"Yes you do. I know you do. Finish the quote and let that ground you." Mario presses their foreheads together, whispering, "Come on, Lu. Finish it with me. The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven out of hell.'"

Luigi nods and closes his eyes, grabbing Mario's hands on his face.

"'The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven out of hell.'"

"'And a hell out of heaven'" Luigi finds his mouth saying, and sure enough, when he opens his eyes, they've moved.

"Did it work?" Mario asks, as Luigi pats his hands, a silent gesture to release him, and so Mario does.

"It did." Luigi confirms as he looks around. "Except we didn't go anywhere. Luna lives inside her shop."

"Remind me to never go there again." They hear Pauline say in their earpieces.

"Please stay focused." Snoozemore chides. " Find that woman's secrets. "

"They're right." Mario walks around. "Any miniature lockers or secret basements?"

"Nothing..." Luigi trails off, as he watches Luna mess with something. "Hold on, I think she's gonna do something."

"Well tell me so I can see it too!" Mario says.

But Luigi doesn't get the chance, as right as he sees it, the dreamscape starts to disappear.

"Shit." Mario swears, then dashes to the portal and jumps through.

Upon feeling the pinch, Luigi sits up immediately as he looks at the team.

"Un-fucking-believable." Luigi seethes.

As Mario, Luigi and Clark approach the now impounded mobile tea shop, Mario has to ask, "Why are we going through here again?"

"Trust me." Luigi says, moving faster as he walks inside.

When he sees the cabinet, he opens it, rooting through the bottles, before finding the right one.

Mario grabs his arm, "Okay, you need to learn to read labels so you can see it's pois--"

Luigi promptly drops it in an empty spot in the cupboard, watching as the back opens up, revealing quite an impressive collection.

"No fucking way." Mario says in awe.

"I'm guessing this is what's called old technology here?" Clark asks.

"You'd be right." Luigi looks through some of it. "No one can hack into it, either. And she was meticulous too."

"Luna might've been crazy, but she wasn't stupid." Mario agrees.

"And it's all dated, too." Luigi notes, pulling something out. "Jackpot. I'd bet anything this is what she was gonna put in her newsletter.", but then, he hears what sounds like beeping. "Shit."

"What?" Mario demands, but once he hears it, along with the sparks, he grabs Luigi's arm and yells, "We need to go, now!"

The three waste no time, and they only barely make it out right as the shop goes up in flames.

"Wonderful." Clark mutters as she turns to look.

The three all share a look as they collect themselves, but say nothing else.