Mario and Luigi: Darkness In Light

Chapter 12: For The Taking

When Mario, Luigi, and Peach made it to the town, they gasped as they saw most of the houses were on fire as the toads were running away in fear as more of them were hugging their knees crying. By the looks of how much fire there was, they all immediately knew who was behind it. Mario'a hands clenched into fists and he ran up ahead.

"Mario! Wait!" Luigi and Peach followed him. Mario then began to push his way through the crowd of Toads running in the opposite direction, and he gasped seeing a huge cannonball heading towards them. Mario yelled as he blasted multiple fireballs at it and it drove it off course and it exploded. He then saw multiple bullet bills being fired at them. He then looked back at Luigi, who was trying to make his way through the crowd, and an idea came to his mind.

"Luigi!" Luigi looked over at Mario who had a confident smirk on his face. "Thunderhand!"

"R-Right!" Luigi charged up multiple thunderbolts in his hands, and he yelled as he blasted them all at the bullet bills causing some of them to explode, and the others to be driven off course. However, they all saw multiple paratroopers and goombas come towards them. Mario blasted multiple dark fireballs at them, and to his surprise, they all split into more of them as they hit them. Mario gasped as he looked down as his hands as they radiated dark flames.

"I told you, Mario. Darkness can make you invincible. It can make you powerful. I told you this before."

"What are you talking about?" Mario asked confused. but gasped as a paragoomba almost hit him from behind, but he ducked out of the way, and blasted another fireball at it.

"Oh, you wouldn't remember. But it will really spark your interest if you use it instead of concealing it."

"Mario!"

Mario quickly turned around, and he saw Peach was cornered by the wall of a house as Luigi tried to make his way over to her, but there were too many in the way.

"Peach! Luigi!" Mario exclaimed worriedly.

"If you really want to save them...use it."

"I'm not listening to you.."

"You have to. You don't have much of a choice. You think darkness is your enemy...think again."

"Shut. up."

"Fine. Watch your friends get taken away from you. After all...you're the real coward in this world. The one who made his brother be in his shadow for decades. The one who refuses to even accept his fate. The one...who brought pain upon him without even realizing it."

"SHUT UP!!" Mario put both his hands on the ground, as a fiery aura surrounded him, and he yelled as he punched the ground as it released a huge force as the enemies got blown away as Luigi and peach struggled to stay on their feet. Mario then fell to his hands and knees as he was breathing heavily.

"I'm not wrong, Mario. Don't make this harder than it should be."

"Mario!" Luigi and Peach both ran over to him as they knelt down beside him.

"I'm...fine." He held onto Luigi as he stood up, and Luigi made sure he didn't lose his balance.

"What was that power?" Peach asked in shock. "How did you do that, Mario?"

"I don't know.." He looked down at his hands. "Salem was saying these things to me, telling me that you and Luigi would get taken away from me, and it just...happened. L-Look I can explain it later! Right now we need to make sure he doesn't-"