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

64

The Dream Lab is in total chaos when Luigi comes through the pipe.

"I need assistance, asap!"

"Something's wrong, this isn't working!"

He sees Mario ask someone, "Everything okay here?", then upon seeing Luigi, rushes over, "Thank the stars."

"What's happening?" Luigi asks.

"The place is a wreck, we need you." Mario says in a rush, grabbing Luigi's arm and pulling him towards the conference room.

"Come on, we're almost out of time!" Mario says hurriedly, so Luigi starts running alongside him, and the moment they get inside, he hears,

"SURPRISE!"

Luigi takes in the balloons, cake, and everyone starting to sing 'Happy Birthday', and after they're done, he points and asks, "Is that supposed to be a bed?"

"Are you serious?" Mario demands. "That's all you have to say?"

"Sorry!" Luigi says to everyone else. "I can't really be surprised. At all. Sorry."

"Should've known." Pauline sighs.

"Hey, don't sweat it." Mario's already waving it off. "One of these days, trust me, you'll never see it coming."

"Take your best shot." Luigi says jokingly.

"Can we dig into this ice cream cake or what already?" Spike asks, right as their Dreamwalking alert goes off.

"Mm, yes. This will have to wait. Off we go." Snoozemore instructs, as everyone leaves the room to their stations.

"Elara." Pauline tells the team as she shows the team Elara's picture on the screen. "Lead researcher in creating new Power-Ups in the Mushroom Kingdom. She was petrified in her house last night. Authorities believe she did it to herself."

"Are we positive on that?" Spike asks.

"She left a note." Snoozemore explains, and the note pulls up on the screen.

Pauline reads, "'If it's been 24 hours, cremate my body immediately and send my ashes to my family. This is all I need.'"

"Unfortunately that is going to have to wait." Snoozemore says. "We've been told to find out why she petrified herself."

"We're waking up someone who worked with magical fungi and was petrified under suspicious circumstances?" Spike asks incredulously. "Am I the only one who sees the problem with this?"

"Every sample we're asked to wake up has been thoroughly vetted beforehand to ensure the safety of everyone in the Dream Lab." Snoozemore assures him. "Elara is safe."

"Then why would she petrify herself?" Mario can't make sense of it. "Was she doing her research by illegal means?"

"That would be why we're investigating her." Snoozemore replies. "When the authorities found her, her petrified statue was in her bathtub and soaking wet from the shower's cold water. The thermostat was also below freezing temperature."

"Any hints to what she was working on?" Mario asks.

"That's the funny thing, she never wrote anything down." Pauline says. "She had an eidetic memory."

"Then what're we waiting for? Let's walk through her 4K dreamscape." Luigi says, and the team wastes no time leaving the room.

"Well?" Spike demands as the sample is being loaded into the glass box.

"Well what?" Luigi plays dumb, knowing damn well what.

"Well, what did you say to Destiny when she proposed?" Spike pushes excitedly.

"I said I'd think about it." Luigi says honestly.

"Right, of course, that's smart." Spike says sarcastically. "Who in the right mind would say yes to marrying the one woman on the planet that's in love with all of you? Fine, what do you think about marrying her?"

"I have no idea." Again, Luigi doesn't lie. "But long as you keep your mouth shut, please keep it that way." At Spike's phony outrage look, Luigi insists, "No one else knows Destiny proposed.", then suddenly, he winces.

"Hey, why the long face?" Spike asks.

Luigi smiles, but it's awkward and tight as he taps his earpiece, making them look over at Mario's station, where Mario and Pauline are staring at them in shock.

"Um...permission to turn your birthday party into an engagement party?" Mario asks awkwardly.

"Not yet." Luigi says.

"Okay." Mario swears he has no idea how he keeps from yelling or screaming. "Just...no more whispered confessions on the open channel. Be a man and tell me to my face."

Pauline pats Mario's shoulder in sympathy and walks away, while Mario tries to focus back on the task at hand.

"Welcome back, Agent Clark." Snoozemore greets as they take their viewing spot above the lab.

"Aw, and here I thought you were starting to like me." Clark jokes as she joins him.

"And I'm guessing you're not authorized to tell me where our boss sent you?" Snoozemore asks.

"Good guess." Clark replies, and at Snoozemore's nod in resignation, she adds, "Not so fun being lied to, is it?"

"Mm, no." Snoozemore agrees.

"And with that, I'm gone." Clark walks away. "Save me a piece of cake."

"Dim the lights." Mario orders. "Monitors?"

"Check."

"Biofeedback?"

"Check."

"Sleep Quality?"

"Check."

"Healing Pods?"

"Check."

"Communications?"

"We're good!" Pauline gives a thumbs up.

"Starlow?"

"Check."

"Luig—nope, not doing that." Mario shakes his head. "I can hear you loud and clear. Inducing REM sleep in 3...2...1...GO!"