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

69

"Wait, Elara petrified herself, right?" Luigi says suddenly.

"Right." Mario agrees. "She thought it would keep the spores contained around her body."

"It worked." Luigi says, rubbing his temples, trying to concentrate. "Because she didn't turn contagious until she was put in the lab. The lab should've caught it."

"So this is our fault?" Mario asks, not liking that thought at all.

"It only happened when she was in the glass box." Luigi keeps going.

"Which we keep at a perfect 98.6...degrees." Mario's eyes widen. "The heat made the spores active."

"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."

The flash makes Luigi realize, "She was soaked in ice cold water and turned the thermostat to below freezing to activate the antidote?"

"She thought the cold air would speed up the process." Mario's following now. "And then she petrified herself to save herself."

"How cold can we get it in here?" Luigi asks, standing up.

"Just cold enough, all we need is the antidote from Elara's lab." Mario replies, standing up as well.

Right as Luigi grabs him and squeezes him tight. "You brilliant, brilliant bastard!" then pulls back. "Let's turn the lab into the Arctic Circle.", and pulls out his phone.

"Who could you possibly be calling right now?" Mario asks.

"Clark?" Luigi says into his phone. "It's me. No, no cake. We actually need a really big favor from you."

"I am seconds away from jumping on the Ultibed and curling up under the covers." Spike whines as he shivers, arms wrapped around himself.

"Warming up would make us all contagious again." Snoozemore reminds him.

"With the temperature this low, when the antidote is brought in, we should all make a full recovery." Luigi tells the group. "In the meantime, it should slow the contagion down."

"How are you anyway, Spike?" Mario asks.

"Me? I'm fine." Spike shrugs.

"How are you not coughing up a lung?" Pauline demands.

"Big buff guy like me doesn't go down easy like this little guy over here." Spike grins, pointing at Mario, who's not amused.

"Watch it." He warns.

Luigi's phone rings, so he answers, "Clark?", then tells the group, "She made it. She got the antidote from Elara's lab."

" I'm going through the Warp Zone now. " Clark says over the phone, right when alarms start blaring in the lab.

"Oh dear..." Snoozemore winces.

"What, what's wrong?" Spike demands.

"The Warp Zone detected the serum." Pauline replies.

"And it can't recognize Clarks bringing it here to kill the poisonous spores." Mario types frantically. "And now the computer's locked us out too. Clark needs to get the fuck out of there before--"

"Before what?" Spike shouts.

"Before the Warp Zone pulls the pipes out of all the worlds and cuts off Clark's path to the lab." Snoozemore says harshly.

"I hate this place!" Spike yells in frustration.

"She's literally got one minute." Mario says in a panic.

"Clark! Can you still hear me?" Luigi says into his phone. "In less than a minute, the stream you're taking to the lab is gonna disappear and you're gonna be stuck in a free fall with no way out."

" Great... "

In a flash, Luigi dashes off, prompting Mario to ask, "Weegee?", then seeing what he's about to do, chases after him, "Weegee!"

When he sees Luigi grab the pipe with both hands, Mario joins in, as they both struggle to stop the pipe from retreating.

"It's too heavy." Mario realizes.

"We need to hold it as long as we can." Luigi says.

But when they feel it pull another inch, they both share a look, then look back and shout, "SPIKE!"

In no time, Spike's joined them and has even pulled the pipe back up an inch or two as he helps them hold the pipe up.

When they see Clark's head pop up, she shoves the bag at them. "Take it. Hurry!"

"Nuh uh." Luigi grabs her and pulls her away. "I'm not adding another person's blood to my hands, not today, not ever."

He shoves the bag at the medic and pulls Clark aside, handing her a trashcan just in time as she throws up in it, then nearly keels over before Mario comes over and keeps them both steady.

"I'll start treating everyone right away." The medic promises.

"Treat the most contagious first!" Snoozemore calls.

"Mm, yes. Lovely to see you again, Clark." Snoozemore smiles.

"I asked you to save me some cake, I didn't think I'd have to die for it." Clark jokes, eyes watery from puking.

"You won't." Snoozemore says good-naturedly.

"And we're clear." The medic tells Snoozemore once they're all in plastic jumpsuits. "Everything's been thoroughly examined. The cold killed it."

"And the team?" Snoozemore asks.

"Everyone's been stripped, and the protocol was a success." The medic assures him as the team comes out, also dressed in plastic jumpsuits.

"So was the antidote." Luigi reminds them.

"It's all clean." The medic declares. "The contagion is gone. You're all free to go."

There's a collective cheer, before Mario asks, "So what do we do now?"

"I suggest we take some much needed time off." Snoozemore says.

The group hugs, before they all huddle around the pipe.

"Clark? Thanks." Luigi praises. "You really saved our asses."

Then to the group, "Here's to more birthdays like this!", smiling at the collective groan before jumping through the pipe.