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

42

"You can't blame yourself." Snoozemore tells Mario in the aftermath, where the man in red appears to be staring blankly at nothing.

"Watch me." Mario replies almost robotically.

"I put you through months of therapy over this." Snoozemore reminds him.

"You didn't walk through the dreams with him."

"Bowser got infected because he wouldn't wake up after you got out."

"You didn't see him." Now Mario does look at him.

"You screamed for him to fight it, and he didn't." Snoozemore says.

"I wouldn't leave him."

"He broke the rules." Snoozemore says firmly. "Feel sorry for yourself all you want, I don't care. But don't even think about bringing it into my Dream Lab."

"If I come back to the lab at all." Mario says bitterly.

"I know you will." Snoozemore says. "Because whether you like it or not, that's your technology, and as long as Luigi keeps using it to dreamwalk, he's your responsibility."

Clark and Luigi walk over just then, with Clark informing them, "We're done. Sorry it didn't turn out the way you hoped." She adds apologetically, to which Snoozemore replies, "We all are."

Mario stands up, "Grab the nightmare chunk we found. If we hurry, we can find him right as he reaches his castle, petrify him, and start the dreamwalking process."

"Mario--" Snoozemore starts, but Mario just turns a hard glare at him, "You shut up. You understand me?", and walks away, leaving Luigi with Snoozemore.

"Why did you reach out to Bowser?" Luigi demands suddenly.

"Mm?" Snoozemore says curiously.

"Before he opened fire, you got ahold of the other walkie talkie and said something to him that made him attack."

"Mm, no." Snoozemore shakes his head. "I didn't."

"Talking to the director again?" Luigi challenges.

"I didn't do it." Snoozemore insists.

"And I'm just supposed to believe that?" Luigi says, making it clear he doesn't, and when Snoozemore says nothing, starts to walk away, before Snoozemore stops him.

"We're not petrifying Bowser."

Luigi is aghast, "Why not? We need to know who else he recruited to join his side."

"We can't take the risk." Snoozemore explains.

"Are you worried about another attack, or that his dreams might let slip something about what we're really doing at the Dream Lab?"

"Do you truly believe attacking Bowser with a Nightmare Chunk and putting him in the glass coffin a few feet away from Mario while he walks through Bowser's dreams of him, with you, is going to solve anything?" Snoozemore challenges.

"He seems pretty convinced it will." Luigi says.

"He does now." Snoozemore corrects.

"Mario's tough. He can handle it." Luigi defends.

"No he can't." Snoozemore insists. "You saw with your own eyes how he reacted at thinking Bowser's corruption was his fault. Now you want to allow him to abandon his own beliefs so he can walk through Bowser's corrupted dreams?"

Snoozemore takes a step closer. "Mario's always cared too much. He can't push it away like you. Believe me."

"Believe you ?" Luigi repeats incredulously.

"Or don't." Snoozemore shrugs. "I can't control your feelings.", then leaves.

Back in the Dream Lab, Mario's standing by the glass coffin when Luigi approaches.

"Snoozemore talk to you?" Luigi asks tentatively.

"We're not chasing after Bowser, are we?" Mario asks in resignation.

Luigi shakes his head, than asks, "How are you holding up?"

Mario, however, shakes his head in disgust, "Can we just not?"

"Not what?"

"Ask how you're holding up when they know you're seconds away from a full-blown meltdown." Mario replies. "Happens all the time. Something tragic happens, and they ask how we're holding up. But when they think everything's fine, they don't ask at all."

"So I'm guessing you're not holding up at all." Luigi translates.

"And you'd be wrong." Mario says with a grin. "I'm holding up just fine. At least for the time being." At Luigi's surprised look, Mario adds, "Somewhere down the line, the grieving goggles will come off and I'll remember who Bowser really was, even before the accident, and then I won't be holding up at all. But that's just something I'll have to deal with as it comes. Because whether Bowser ever admits it or not, we did make a great team when we were on the same side, and he did trust me to keep him safe."

At Luigi's hurt look, Mario backpedals quickly, "I'm not guilt tripping you to trust me. I know that's gonna take time, but..." he takes a breath. "Do I wish I'd been smarter when me and Bowser first started working together so this would hurt less? Do I envy your ability to just pretend it's all a nightmare? Absolutely."

"You shouldn't." Luigi says softly, and they both just stand there, not saying a word, for a very long time.