Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What was supposed to be a nice day for a hike in the forest had turned into a constant headache thanks to Mario's whining and complaining. Five minutes in and the Italian was throwing out the common excuses of

"Mario's feet hurt!"

"Mario is-a too tired! Someone carry him!"

"Mario's hungry! Can we go back to the castle?"

"Go on...without...Mario...*cough*"

This was all just because Mario hated getting his exercise and would rather watch TV or eat a plate of spaghetti than go outside. Smg4 was absolutely fed up already as he groaned and told his best friend "Mario, we've only been walking for five minutes." Meggy sighed and tried to convince him "Come on Mario. It's not that bad. It's good to get the fresh air in your lungs and look at nature."

"Pffff what is Mario? A caveman?"

To be honest, Smg4 wasn't sure about this either. It was nice to spend time with his friends, but he could be working on his latest video right now. Those memories of being chased around in the woods at night, only to find out the watermelon man was Melony's dad. And all those horror games Mario forced him to play where they would throw the classic situation of walking around in a spooky forest with nothing, but a flashlight.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Meggy suddenly stopped and said "Uh Smg4...has this mountain always been here?" The other two came up to see what she was looking at. There stood a giant mountain that looked oddly familiar, but Four couldn't remember from where. "I don't think so. It seems a little tall to be from around here." Mario approached the mountain and began kicking the base, screaming "Move you stupid rock!" You're blocking the way!" Meggy looked around and said "It's too wide to go around so I guess we'll have to climb it."

"Uggggg Mario doesn't want to!" Smg4 motioned "I second that. This thing could take hours to climb." Meggy didn't listen and started up. "Come on guys. Let's just check it out for a second. If it's too tall we can just head back." The boys watched her, still unsure as Four sighed. It wouldn't hurt to take a quick peek...right? He carefully followed Meggy behind with Mario's brain still stuck on a loading screen.

"Hey! Wait for Mario!" Both had already taken off. Didn't this seem a little weird? Climbing a strange mountain that didn't belong. Maybe they should have just booked it out of there, but these intrusive thoughts of Four were telling him to make his way up there. Mario tried to catch up with his friends, refusing to be left out. He then noticed a sign that was poking out of the ground on one of the cliffs and Mario stopped.

Mario's face began to melt into panic as he studied the message. The walls felt like they were closing in, until everything went back to normal and Mario shrugged. "Sorry Mr sign, but Mario doesn't like to read. Oh well." He continued on his merry way while the sign said "WARNING: Do not go into the cave at the top of Mt Ebott. Those who climb this mountain have never returned. I repeat, DO NOT GO INTO THE CAVE AT ALL COSTS!" Meggy and Four were almost to the top at a steady pace while Mario was racing to beat them.

He used the umping abilities he developed over the course of many games to quickly get to the top. "Hey! Don't leave Mario-" All of them were looking down a giant opening in the ground. "Ooooo look! A strange hole in the ground!" Meggy was curious, wondering "How far down do you think it goes?" It seemed foolish to test it. I mean there was some vines and small cliffs you could use to climb down a little. You'd have to be someone really stupid or gullible to even try to go down there. Then Mario got an idea. An awful idea. Mario got a wonderfully, awful idea.

"I don't know and I don't want to find out." Four then noticed that Mario was looking at him with a conniving grinch face. "Mario dares Smg4 to climb down that hole."

"WHAT!? NO! WHAT HAPPENS IF I FALL!?" Meggy nodded and said "He's right Red. That's not very safe." Mario didn't listen and began teasing Four to get him to go down. "You're being a whiny baby Smg4. Just climb down to that platform...unless you're too scared." Now this was Four's weakness. That and a million other things. But every time someone challenged or pressured him to do something, he never missed an opportunity to prove them wrong. "I'm not scared!"

Mario was not thinking of the dangers at all and continued with the banter. "Oh lookie Meggy! Smg4 is scared! He's too chicken to climb down!" Mario began mocking him by making chicken noises and laughing at him. "You're afraid of the dark! You're afraid of heights! You're afraid to go alone!"

"No..."

"Stop it Mario!"

Neither of them were paying attention to her as Four wasn't sure what to do. It was made pretty clear you would be stuck if you fell, but all Mario was asking him to do was jump down to a platform that was a few meters away. The teasing and laughter got the better of him as he told them "Fine! I'll prove it! Watch me!"

"What are you doing Smg4!?" Meggy questioned as he reasoned "I'm not going to let him call me chicken! Let me just get it over with and then we'll leave." Four grabbed a nearby vine and started climbing down. His friends watched him, Mario in excitement and Meggy in concern. Carefully he swung over to the ledge that was pointed out to him and he leaned his back up against the wall. A few minutes later, he called out "Alright! I did it! I'm coming up now!" Meggy breathed a sigh of relief as Four started heading back up.

All was going well until he felt a tug on his foot. "Huh?" He looked down and saw his foot caught in a vine on the ledge. He struggled, but it was really tangled and the plant had a strong grip. "Uh...timeout guys. I've got a problem here." Meggy bended over and saw the issue. She facepalmed and said "I knew this was a bad idea."

"Wut?" She pointed a finger in the Italian's face and said "Because of your stupid dare, Four is stuck!" Mario looked down, noticing Four tussling to pull the vine off. "Uh oh..." Meggy wanted to slap herself again, but consoled Four's nerves by telling him "Hang on Four! We'll find something to pull you up." They began tying vines together to make a rope. Four kept struggling when he thought he heard a snap. His eyes widened and he looked down to see the vine he was caught in was starting to break. "Hurry guys! I don't know how long this vine will last!"

"And...done!" The two of them thew the rope of vines down and called out "Grab this!" Four reached his hand out to grab the rope, but it was too late. The vine had snapped into pieces and Four lost his balance, sending him falling down the hole. "SMG4! NOOOOOOO!" Mario cried out, extending his arm. Meggy held her hands over her mouth in horror. They were speechless, tears fighting to get out.

Meggy's trembling hands clenched into fists as she swung around and yelled "MARIO YOU IDIOT! THIS IS ALL YOU FAULT! IF YOU HADN'T MADE THAT STUPID BET WITH HIM, THEN FOUR WOULD BE OKAY! BUT HE'S GONE NOW! HE'S GONE AND-" Mario took back the dumb things he said in great regret and said "Mario's so so sorry! He just meant it as a funny joke! He didn't mean to make Smg4 fall! Pinky swear!" Forcing Four to do something so stupid and reckless. How could he have done that to his best friend?

"Smg4 will be okie dokie right?" She sniffed and said "I don't know Mario." She carefully got up and said with a croaking voice "But maybe we can still save him. Let's go home right now and get out friends to form a rescue party." Mario definitely agreed to that plan, ready to fix this mess, but he still found himself just staring down the hole. Who knows what could be happening to Smg4 right now. Whatever it was, Four was going to be incredibly pissed once he got out. Meggy could sense Mario's deep worry and placed a hand on his shoulder. They started to head down the mountain as Meggy called out "Don't worry Smg4! We'll get you help! Just stay right there!"

...

"Ugh...what happened?"

Four opened his eyes as he felt a slim ray of light on his face. It took him a while to gain back his memories, but then it all came flooding back to him. Mario had dared him to jump down and he had stupidly agreed. God, what was he thinking? Why didn't he think this through? Sitting up, he felt something underneath him. A bed of beautiful golden flowers on a patch of grass. Is this why he didn't die? I mean, the fall was pretty far down. Four observed more of his surroundings and saw a hallway past the flowers. The added darkness made it a little creepy.

"Oh absolutely not! I'll take my chances climbing out of here instead!" Four instantly sprung out of the bed that had saved his life. Not even one bit of gratefulness. He was probably too blinded by sheer panic. Desperately, he tried grabbing onto the wall and scrambling his way up in hopes of escaping, but he kept slipping off. It wouldn't work anyway. The opening was way too far away for someone to climb their way to escape. His next option...screaming!

Hey began yelling as loud as he could "MARIO!? MEGGY!? ARE YOU THERE!?" No response. Maybe someone else nearby would hear him. He began calling out the names of his other friends, wishing anyone would answer and help him. "SMG3!? TARI!? SAIKO!? BOOPKINS!? BOB!? SOMEONE!? ANYONE!?" He kept screaming to the point that his voice became quite hoarse. Slowly he rested his head against the cold, cavernous wall and whimpered. He slid down to the ground and buried himself in his knees, whispering "Please...someone...help me..."

Suddenly...he heard...a voice?

Smg4 tilted his head up and glanced down the hallway, hearing someone mumbling. He couldn't quite make out who it was, but at least it could be someone who would help him. He stood up and forced himself to go through the dark hallway. As he got closer, the mumbling got louder.

"Finally...someone has finally fell down..."

"The final pure soul I need...."

At the end of the hall was a huge doorway that held a room with nothing, but a small patch of grass in the middle. Four peeked his head around to see an ominous figure standing on that little spot and worked up the courage to investigate. "Uh...hello?" He reached his hand out shakily to the person while he thought "Is this a bad idea?"

The guy looked behind him as he jumped back in surprise. Four pulled his arm back, but he still couldn't see the stranger clearly because of the lighting. "Who are you?" Finally, the person sighed and stepped out into the light, offering a warm smile. Four was suddenly taken aback as he instantly knew who this was.

"NILES!?"

Niles waved and said "Howdy new friend! I'm Niles! Niles the Meme Guardian! Well, actually an artificial one, but it's fine!" His smile looked a little fake when he said that last part. Smg4 was at a lost for words as he stuttered "B-But w-we defeated you! I thought you died!" Niles looked at him confused and said "You must be new here to the underground. Aren't you?"

"Um...I guess so?"

Niles made a playful shrug and said "You must be so confused." This time Four shot back in a more stern tone "Actually, I have no idea what the heck is going on here!" Niles thought to himself for a moment and told Four "Someone must teach you how things work around down here!" He looked around as if he was checking to see if anyone was there when he knew he was the only one. "I guess you're stuck with me! Ready?"

"NO!"

"Here we go!"

He snapped his fingers and Four suddenly felt a strange feeling inside him. He looked down and saw a heart that was glowing bright red in his body. "What the hell!? What did you do to me!?" Niles ignored his anger and pointed at it. "See that heart? That is your soul. The very culmination of your being!" Four looked at him in displeasure and rolled his eyes. "Yeah. No kidding Sherlock, but why is it glowing?"

Niles ignored him again and continued on. "Your soul starts off weak, but you can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV." Four started to ask him "What does L-" but Niles already knew what he was going to say and told him "What does LV stand for you ask? Why LOVE of course!" Four gave him a deer in headlights look when Niles inched closer to him, making things really awkward. "You want some LOVE don't you?" Four began to tense up. Was Niles seriously hitting on him or was he just having a weird dream because of the fall?

"Don't worry! I'll share some with you!" Niles gave him a playful wink and made a stance like a video game character posing. Okay...things were getting really freaky now. He then created a bunch of glowing balls that was most certainly meme energy. "Down here, LOVE is shared through these little round orbs." Was Niles playing him like a fool? Smg4 was a meme guardian too y'know.

Niles directed the spheres around him and instructed the blue eyed man "Move around! Get as many as you can!" Smg4 was beyond confused on why Niles would try to get him to interact with his meme energy, but he shrugged it off. Eh...why not? Hopefully it would transport him out of this hellhole. He reached out and touched one, but was immediately shocked by a course of pain. "OW!"

Niles started laughing and said "YOU IDIOT! In this world, it's kill or be killed!" Four became incredibly panicked when he saw Niles' eyes turn to red and he flashed an evil smile. Four tried to run back out the door, but multiple orbs blocked his path. "Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like this!?" The balls of evil energy closed in on Four, surrounding him until he was trapped with no way out. "DIE."

He laughed manically as the orbs drew closer and closer. Four couldn't bear to watch this and shut his eyes tight, screaming out "SOMEONE HELP!" The spheres were about to attack him when out of nowhere they just...disappeared? Niles tilted his head in confusion while Four opened one eye to see what happened.

Just then, another seeping ball of light came from behind Niles and knocked him into the wall. Four kept staring at the unconscious man before a girl emerged from the shadows. "What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent boy..." Smg4 whipped his eyes around when he recognized that voice. "Ah, do not be afraid sir. I am Melony, the caretaker of the Ruins." Four was instantly overjoyed that one of his friends had finally come to save him. He rushed up and threw his arms around her, crying "Melony! I'm so glad to see you!"

She warmly smiled at him and said "Of course. I pass through this place everyday to see if anyone has fallen down." He slowly let go as she told him "You are the first one to come here in a long time." Four's smile soon faded when he realized something. "How did you get down here?"

"What do you mean? I've lived her for ages! But that's besides the point. Come! I will guide you through the catacombs." Melony turned around and signaled him to follow her with a wavering hand. "This way." She went through another doorway in front of her as Four ran after her. "Wait!"

Little did Four know, this was the beginning of a long journey...

Chapter Text

Upon running through the doorway, he caught Melony heading up a staircase. "Melony ho-" Four immediately stopped as he was instantly hit with awe. A massive place with purple brick walls, red leaves, and a large entrance at the top of the stairs. He was definitely not in the Showgrounds anymore. Not even the Mushroom Kingdom. This was someplace completely different. Then something else caught his eye. A sparkling star by the stairs.

"Hey Melony...what is this?" She didn't answer and walked through the door. That was weird. Melony wasn't the type of person to just ignore her friends and leave while someone's talking to her. Smg4 started to head up the stairs since he didn't want to lose her, but then he felt like that star was pulling him towards it. He couldn't really describe it, but whatever it was, it seemed pretty important. Four cautiously approached it in case it would hurt him like those orbs did.

Carefully, he reached out and touched it for a chime noise to occur directly after. Four felt a feeling he never had before. Thinking about what challenges he had ahead with the hope to achieve his goals, a burning feeling to not give up sparked inside of him.

(The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling me with determination.)

Not only that, but the burn mark on his finger from Niles had healed up nicely. Four took a quick mental note to keep an eye out for these things and continued on. Observing the scenery as he went up the stairs, this place seemed pretty nice for a decaying setting. It was probably Melony who kept it so nice and neat since she was the caretaker. Smg4 entered the next room where she was waiting for him. "Welcome to your new home....uh"

"Smg4?"

"Welcome to your new home Smg4. Allow me to educate you in the operation of the RUINS."

She walked over some specific pressure plates that weren't highlighted and then flipped a switch, causing the door in front of them to open. "The RUINS are full of puzzles. You could come across a doorway or a compartment that might need a key to continue." Four studied the puzzle as Melony continued. "You will have to solve them to move from room to room. Please make yourself aware of them." At least Melony still retained the caring side of her, but something still felt off. Four couldn't quite put his finger on it. Obviously, he was now trapped in some strange world, but why did this place have copies of his friends?

He noticed a sign by the door and went up to read it. "Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road." Four smirked and said in his head "Nice try, but I'm certainly not brave or foolish enough for this." He ignored the sign, thinking it was just a cheap joke and up ahead was a bigger room with rivers, vines, and bridges. Melony told him "To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labeled the ones you need to flip." She then took off before Four could ask more about this place. "Something's definitely up with her." Another sign stood before him that said "Press [Z] to read signs."

What the heck? Was this a video game or something like the ones Mario got stuck in? Mario...Smg4 wondered how he and Meggy were doing. Hopefully finding help.

...

The crew was chilling in the game room and doing their normal activities. Smg3 was petting Eggdog, Saiko was tuning her guitar while Tari played on her switch, Bob and Boopkins were playing an arcade game, Melony was sleeping, and Luigi was watching TV. Their nice, peaceful day was ruined when the door flew open and they all looked over to see a frantic Meggy. "Guys! We've got a problem!" Before she could tell them what it was, Mario pushed her down and screamed "SMG4 IS GOOOONNNNEEEE!!!" Everyone's eyes widened as Tari asked "What!? How!? Is he okay?" Meggy got up and narrowed her eyes at Mario, who was looking the other way and whistling. Smg3 instantly got the message as he spoke in a cold tone "Mario...what did you do?"

...

"Stay on the path." What was up with these signs? This had to be some kind of sick joke or something. Four gathered his thoughts together as he walked down to where Melony was. "Is this a dream? Am I hallucinating? Or is Mario playing a prank on me?" He looked over to the side and saw a switch labeled with several yellow arrows and notes scribbled that were most definitely in Melony's handwriting. He went up and flipped it. Nothing happened. "Huh? I guess I have to flip another." He crossed over a bridge and saw two switches. One was heavily marked like the last switch and the other wasn't. Four got curious and pointed it out to Melony. "Uh Mel? What is this one for?" She shook her head and said "Oh don't worry about that one. You want to press the other switch."

"Okay then."

Four did as he was instructed and flipped the labeled switch when a loud bang shook the room and Four saw that the spikes blocking the exit were now gone. "Splendid! I am proud of you little one."

"I'm a grown man."

"Let us move to the next room." Melony did the same thing again, leaving right when Four was trying to have a conversation with her. He stood there with an unreadable face like his brain had just caught on fire and died. "What the actual heck?"

The next room wasn't nearly as big as the last, Melony pointing to a cardboard cutout in the corner. "As you are living in the UNDERGROUND with a pure soul, others might try and attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. Don't worry though! The process is simple."

Melony went into great detail about entering a FIGHT and striking up friendly conversation while doing so. When she finished, Four scratched his head and said "Okay...but how exactly does that work and what do you mean by the pure soul?" She giggled nervously and said "We can discuss that another time. For now, I want you to stall. I will come to resolve the problem in case you need help. Practice talking to him." She led him up to the cardboard cutout as Four recognized that face right away. "Marty!?"

He looked over to Melony, who signaled him with a wavering hand to go on. As Smg4 got closer, the bright glowing heart came back. "Does this only happen when I fight someone?" He remembered what Niles had said earlier (before trying to kill him) about that being his soul. He then felt kinda funny like his mind was absorbing information.

(Marty - ATK 0 DEF 0, A cardboard heart and beady eyes. When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie.)

What the? Was this his character information? Maybe this world really did work like a video game. But that still didn't explain why Four was trapped here. Melony pleasantly waited for Four to say something as he noticed Marty was still in front of him. "Oh right."

"Uh...hello Marty?"

"..."

Marty stood there absentmindedly. It seemed Four needed to say more.

"How's business been? Sorry we had to throw you and Mario in jail."

This didn't really seem much for conversation when he was the only one talking, but Melony seemed quite happy with him. "Ah, very good! You are very good!" A strange compliment for a simple conversation, but Melony was trying her best to help him out here and Four really did appreciate it. They moved on to the next room as Melony waved to Marty.

This next room had more vines covering the walls and a twisty path. This was probably the nicest ruins Four had ever seen. Melony threw her hands behind her back and said "There is another puzzle in this room...I wonder if you can solve it?" Four was still confused as he asked "What even is the point of all these-"

And....there she went again. Four huffed heavily and followed her down the path when a Koopa jumped out at him. Four was a little startled, but not incredibly frightened so the turtle waved his hands around and went "BLAHGARGBAH!!!" As his attempts to scare the man failed, he felt an intimidating presence behind him. He slowly turned to find Melony giving him a death stare which made him back up like a car with his pupils still shrunk. Melony's mood went back to normal as she pressed on. Four followed, ignoring what just happened back there and felt his mouth drop from seeing an entire floor made of spikes.

"How the heck are we supposed to cross this!? Do we swim around?" There was water surrounding the rim of the room, but Four was not willing to take that chance considering what had just happened 30 seconds ago. "This is the puzzle..." Melony said. How could she be so calm about this!? This wasn't a puzzle, it was a death trap! "Wait a minute..." Four thought as he turned to read a sign on the wall.

"The western room is the eastern room's blueprint." Ohhhh that made more sense. He just had to follow the path. Four studied the highlighted part of the west room and memorized it, heading back to Melony with a confident look on his face. "Don't worry Mel! I got it!" She didn't seem to believe that as she softly said "Here, take my hand for a moment." She grasped onto his hand, interlocking their fingers and stepping forth onto the first plate. "Wait!" Four called out, worried if she knew the pattern.

The spikes went down and Melony's foot came down on the now safe pressure plate. She walked straight and then turned as each spike in front of her departed, letting them pass through. Four felt ticked at her. "I thought I was supposed to solve it! Why does she treat me like a child!? I'm perfectly capable of figuring this out myself!"

When they made it to the other side, Melony told him "Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now." There she went again. Being overprotective of him like a mother with her son. Four never thought of Melony as the caring, motherly type figure to him. Unless...this really was a dream and he actually did think of her that way. Four laughed at that silly thought. This place was probably just messing with his head.

He went after Melony to a long hallway. She seemed quite hopeful at first, telling Four "You have done excellently this far Smg4." Her smile then faded as she said "However...I have a difficult request to ask of you."

"What?"

"...I would like you to walk to the end of this room by yourself." That was it? A simple stroll down the hall. Melony started walking away and muttered under her breath "Forgive me for this."

"Wait! Don't leave me by myself!" Four called out, but she was already gone. Four stared down the long hallway and sighed. "Stop being a baby Smg4! You've handled far worse than this!" He told himself as he put one foot in front of the other. He tried clearing his mind while he walked, but the stress of the situation started wearing down on him.

"Don't worry Four. This will all be over soon. Your friends will come soon to rescue you and then you will-"

"What if they don't!? Oh god, what if they never find me or won't even come looking for me! What if they think I'm dead! What if I am dead!? Is this all just some crazy nightmare!? Am I going to be stuck here forever!? Please just make it stop! Make it st-"

"Smg4? Are you okay?"

Melony's soothing voice made him recover from those awful thoughts as he looked up to see her examining his face, showing concern on her's. Four had realized that he was now at the end and was standing there menacingly which must have really freaked her out. "Don't worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. I'm sorry if I scared you." Even if Melony was still staying in character, she was actually expressing real worry for her friend. That made him feel a little better as he smiled and said "I'm fine. Just still a little shaken up."

Melony heaved a quick sigh of relief, thankful that he wasn't hurt. "Thank you for trusting me." She slowly retraced her arm and told him "However, there was an important reason for this exercise...to test your independence." Four crooked an eyebrow as she said "I must attend some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself." Four was perfectly fine with that. It's not like he wanted to run off anyway. He then noticed Melony's eyes widen as she must have had a plan. "I have an idea. I will give you a cellphone."

"Actually, I already have- WAIT THAT'S IT! HOW DID I NOT THINK OF THIS BEFORE!?" Four burst out in excitement and hope. If he had his phone the whole time, he could call someone to get him out! Quickly, he reached into his pocket and tussled around, but he couldn't feel anything except... Four quickly pulled out what he thought was his phone to discover that it was actually an old stick and a crusty looking bandage. "What!? How did this get in here? And where is my phone!?" He kept searching his pockets, but nothing. "I MUST HAVE DROPPED IT BACK WHERE I FELL! I HAVE TO GO GET IT!" He started running back when Melony grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Smg4, I know you want to get home, but you can't!" He stopped and looked back at her with tears in his eyes.

"This is your new home now and I will do all that I can to make you feel safe here okay?"

She slowly released his arm as he stood there, thinking about what she said. Melony pulled out a cellphone and told him "If you have a need for anything, just call." Four took the phone silently as it wasn't one of those modern phones he had, but an old fashioned one that all you could do with it was call. Melony headed off and said "Be good, alright?" Four nodded, not bothering to speak a word. Once she was gone, he walked over to the wall and collapsed down to his knees, sobbing his heart out. He was trying his best to hide it, but he had finally cracked. He couldn't bear to never see his friends again. Everything, the memories, the fun adventures, the funny jokes. Was it all for nothing?

Will I ever see them again or am I trapped forever?

Chapter Text

"YOU DID WHAT!?"

Mario could definitely tell by the upset expressions on their faces that he had really messed up. He had done a million stupid things in the past, but nothing compared to being the one responsible for losing his best friend.

"Mario...Mario's so sorry."

Meggy placed a hand on his shoulder and said to the others "I'm sure he didn't mean it guys, but maybe if we hurry, we can save him!" Saiko sprung up from the couch and said "Well then what are we waiting for!? Let's go get him!" Mario felt a little better when his friends gladly would help fix his mistakes until Smg3 asked "Get him? We don't even know where he is! For all we know he could be dead!" Mario felt his breathing speed up. "D-Die...?"

Boopkins tugged on Three's overalls and asked "That's not true right? Smg4 isn't really dead is he?" Meggy came over to comfort her Italian friend and said "Of course not! I'm sure he's fine Mario."

"BRUH YOU SAID HE DROPPED FROM LIKE OVER A 5000 FOOT DROP! HE'S DEFINITELY DED!"

Saiko slapped Bob hard as he rubbed his head and said "WHAT? THE IDIOT SAID IT HIMSELF." Mario felt even worse like he was having a panic attack while Meggy pulled him closer for comfort. "We'll save him Red. Don't worry." She was running out of things to say to comfort Mario so she directed her attention to Three and gestured him to help. He sighed and awkwardly patted Mario's back. "Uh....there there." He scratched his beard before turning back to Mario and said "How about this? I can use our meme connection to locate Four when we're up there."

Once he heard that, Mario lunged forward onto Three, knocking both of them into the ground as he cried happily into his chest "OH THANK YOU SMG3! MARIO'S SO HAPPY!" Three heard some snickering from his friends as he pushed Mario off and yelled "Get off me idiot! I'm only doing this for Four's sake."

Once the crew were all in agreement with the mission at hand, they all packed their bags with supplies and set out towards the mountain that Mario had said Four was now trapped in. As they ran out the door, Bob quickly called out "IF HE'S DEAD THEN I GET DIBS ON ALL HIS STUFF!!!"
...

Four sat patiently and waited for Melony. By now his heartbroken sobs had turned into quiet sniffles as he wiped his tearful eyes with his sleeve. He really was a crybaby wasn't he. "Heh...if Three was here right now, he'd be laughing at me." His weak smile turned into a frown as he thought about why he was crying in the first place. "I miss you guys so much...please save me..."

The seconds turned into minutes and the minutes turned into hours. Four desperately wanted to go searching for Melony, but his thoughts kept telling him "Don't bother. You don't know what else is out there. Just stay put as you were told." Eventually, Four felt a longing hunger rise up. It seemed barely noticeable at first, but as the time went by he felt more and more hungry. His stomach began to grumble and Four held his arms over his chest to ignore the gut wrenching sounds.

He was practically starving himself now. When would Melony come back? Did she even know where to find food? His stomach growled louder as Four finally gave in and stood up. Odds are that even if Melony came back, she wouldn't have any food on her.

"Guess I have to continue by myself..."

He walked down the path to the next room and wiped the last drops from his puffy eyes so nobody would see that he was crying. He looked around and noticed more of those red leaf piles and vines. Apparently, it was a common decor choice here. "Okay then...where to find some food?" He then heard his cellphone ring and noticed it was Melony calling. "About time..." He picked it up and a voice on the other side said "Hello? This is Melony."

"Hi Melony!" Four replied back in a chipper tone of voice.

"Listen...I'm sorry about what happened earlier. It's just hard for me to be stuck here without my friends."

"I understand. By the way, you haven't left the room have you?"

Four looked back to where he was told to wait and noticed how she had just called him when he only took a few steps out. "Uh....no?"

"Oh good. There are a few puzzles ahead that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try and solve them yourself. Be good, alright?"

"I will."

Melony clicked off and Four stood there, slowly lowering the phone with guilt. He felt bad for lying to Melony about this, but he just couldn't take it anymore. Besides, she wouldn't want him to starve to death. "Alright, first thing's first, let's find something to eat and then I'll try to find a way out of here. That cliff is way too steep so I guess I'll have to keep going if I want to escape."

Up ahead there was a familiar turtle that looked identical to the one that tried to scare him earlier. Four cautiously approached when it spun around and started talking in Koopa language, but thanks to his handy subtitles, it came out as "Excuse me pure one, but I have some advice for you about battling enemies."

Again with this "pure soul" speak. Is this how these guys addressed newcomers? "Uh...great! What is it?"

"If you ACT a certain way or FIGHT until you almost defeat them...They might not want to battle you anymore. If your opponent does not want to fight you, please use some MERCY pure one. Thanks!" Four raised an eyebrow as he said "Okayyyy...Also weren't you the Koopa trying to scare me earlier?" He tapped his chin and said "I don't recall, but there are lots of Koopas here in the ruins. Please SPARE my brothers and sisters."

Four smiled and said "Of course. I'm a very friendly guy." He patted the turtle's head and asked "Do you know where I can get a bite to eat?" The Koopa warmed up to him and pointed to a small room behind him. "There's some candy in there. I hope that helps pure one."

"Thanks...and you can just call me Smg4. Although, my friends call me Four." He scratched the back of his head as the Koopa said "You're welcome...Four." He gave the helpful turtle a farewell wave and went inside the tiny room.

Inside was a bowl sitting atop a pillar that was filled with different colored candies. Four's eyes instantly lit up as he couldn't wait to try one. A hastily scribbled message under it read "Take one." Four snickered as he said "Whoever wrote this has never met trick or treaters before."

He took a bright blue candy of his favorite color and unwrapped the covering, popping the sweet treat into his mouth. It was actually really good. The sweet sugar combined with the delicious flavor was like his own little slice of heaven. "Oh my god...this is...AMAZING!" He still felt quite hungry as one little piece of candy was not nearly enough to satisfy him. "Eh...nobody will mind if I take a few more." He excitedly grabbed a red one this time and ate it, gushing how he couldn't get over that sweet taste. "I can't believe I've gone my whole life without ever having these before!"

He took a yellow one, then a purple one, then a pink one. For some reason his mind kept telling him that he was being disgusting and how he should feel like the scum of the earth, but Four didn't care. He kept stuffing his mouth with candies until he grabbed too much too fast and the candy bowl spilled onto the floor. "Oops..." This hunger must have been a lot more unbearable than he thought. His stomach was no longer rumbling though. Four decided to put a few candies in his pocket for the road and went back to finding a way out.

He spotted another star in the pile of leaves. "I guess I was right. These things are important." The helpful Koopa said "That's a save point. If you die or get hurt, you can return back here." Remembering what he did last time, Four went over to see if what his new friend said was true. The crunching of the leaves with each step was satisfying. Four didn't really pay much attention to the scenery, probably because he was having a panic attack, but it certainly was amazing. "The ruins are really beautiful huh?" The Koopa said as Smg4 replied "Yeah...you're very lucky to live here." Four touched the save point and the same chime ringing sound echoed through his ears.

(Playfully crinkling through the leaves fills me with determination.)

It seemed like Four would have to leave his new friend behind, but then he wondered what other creatures might be ahead. "Hey uh...can I ask you something? Just how many people will I have to battle?" The turtle shrugged and said "Oh not that many. Like there's my friend Shy Guy right there!" He pointed behind Four as he curiously turned around as a frantic Shy Guy was cowering in fear.

Four's soul began to glow bright red again as he was now in a fight with this poor paranoid guy. The Koopa waved a flag and cheered Four on as he rolled his eyes and said "Guess that answers my question." Not long after, his mind once again absorbed the character information of this new opponent.

(Shy Guy - ATK 5 DEF 0, This enemy is way too much of a coward to fight...)

Now what should he do? Shy Guy hadn't done anything wrong to him in this universe and he looked kinda terrorized. "I should just talk to him like I did to Marty." He slowly crouched down and began to speak. "He-" Halfway through his first word, Shy Guy burst into tears and ran away. "Come back!" Four shouted as he reached a hand out to stop him, but it was too late. He felt bad for spooking him, but the Koopa said "It's okay! He gets scared real easy. We've tried boosting his confidence, but newcomers really freak him out."

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that. If I see him again, I'll check to see how he's doing." The Koopa smiled and said "Thanks Smg4! And I hope you find your friends!" Four waved goodbye and followed the path. "This place might not be so bad after all. I should try to make friends with all the folks. That way they might help me get out." It was a good idea. Even if Four could be a little stubborn, he loved making new friends and it would take his mind off the fear of losing his old ones.

He stumbled and almost fell when his thoughts were interrupted by a suspicious looking floor. There were hatch marks all along it, making Four think this could be a trap. "Okay...not a problem." He fidgeted with his hands as he tried to think of a way to cross to the other side. Jump over? Too far to reach. Scoot around the edge? Too wide. Call for help? Too pathetic. It seemed the only thing Four could do was try to cross and hope there was something safe underneath to break his fall. He took a gulp and shut his eyes as he carefully put one foot on the surface. Nothing happened. Four squinted his eyes open and breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, he let his guard down too soon and planted his other foot firmly down. That caused the floor to break under him as he fell and he landed in a soft pile of leaves.

"OOF!" He got up and looked down to see he was now below the path. He plucked a few leaves out of his hair and got up, noticing two doorways he could go through. "Huh?" He went to the one on the left and peaked through. It looked dark, but there was a sliver of light coming from the ceiling. Four ventured in for a closer look and climbed up, finding himself on the same side he entered. "So...if this leads to the side I was on, then the other must lead to the other side!" Four quickly dropped down and rushed to the right doorway. Just as he suspected, he was now on the correct side and still in one piece.

"Melony was right. There are a lot of puzzles here." Just as he said that, the phone rang again with the topic of discussion on the other end. "Hello? This is Melony." Four snickered and said "Hey Mel. What's up?" She suddenly sounded rather nervous when asking a random question. "For no reason in particular...which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch?"

"Um...they're both pretty good I guess, but I like the taste of cinnamon more."

"Oh I see. Thank you very much!"

"Uh are you good Melony? You seem kinda nervous?"

He didn't get an answer as Melony hung up before saying anything. "Melony? Why did she ask me that? Is she planning a surprise for me?" That certainly would explain her strange behavior on the call. It was a nice thought as Four giggled to himself, imagining Melony decked out in party gear and bringing out a cake with candles on it.

He entered the next room when the phone rang again. "Hello? This is Melony...again. You do not DISLIKE butterscotch do you?"

"No..? I told you I like both."

"Yes, I know what your preference is, but would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?"

What was with all these food interest questions? Was Melony actually planning a surprise for him?

"It's fine Melony really! I don't mind either one."

"Right, right. I understand. Thank you for being patient, by the way."

She signed off as Four stood there in bewilderment. "Is she really making me something? How sweet!" Melony could be a bit silly sometimes, but she was also one of the kindest people Four had ever met. He happily went on his way to see a rock in front of him and a sign on the wall. He went up and studied it as this one said "Three out of four grey rocks recommend you push them." What did that mean? Rocks can't talk, much less recommend stuff to you. Then again, these signs were a little far fetched, but they did speak the truth. Four went over to the rock and tapped it lightly. It didn't say a word. "Probably just some trollers." Four dismissed it and pushed the rock over to the pressure plate in front of it. In times like this, Four wished he exercised more. Even a simple rock was heavy to push a few inches.

The spikes went down and the path was clear. All of a sudden, another Koopa jumped out and landed on his face, startling him. Four began screaming and running around as the turtle just laughed and said "Weeeeeeee!" Finally, Four ripped him off his face and panted heavily as he entered another fight.

(Koopa - ATK 4 DEF 5, Life is difficult for this enemy.)

This Koopa seemed a little bit more rowdy than the others as he shouted "Surrender now pure one or face the wrath of the fearless Koopa!" Four put his hands up and said "Wait hold on! I don't want to hurt you!" He didn't listen and threw his shell at Four as it knocked him into the ground and his soul flickered for a few seconds. He held his head in pain as the Koopa approached. Four backed into the wall, trying to quickly think of a solution. He ran out of time as the Koopa lifted his shell and got ready to strike as Four covered his eyes and blurted out the first thing he could think of. "Ithinkyouhavereallyniceeyessopleasedonthurtme!"

The turtle's mean expression turned to happiness as he held his head and hearts floated around him as he said "Realllyyyy!?" Four opened one eye slowly and stuttered "Y-Yes?"

"Nobody has ever said that to me before! Thank you!" He offered out a hand to Four as he gladly took it and the small turtle helped him up. "You're welcome, but I better get go-" He started walking off when the Koopa stopped him and said "Wait wait! Give me another compliment!"

"What?"

"Pleasseee?"

He begged with desperate puppy eyes. Four sighed and mumbled "I like your...shell or whatever." The Koopa didn't really understand that all too well, but he was still flattered anyway. He blushed deeply and his foot bashfully kicked around. "Awww you're sweet." Four slowly backed away from him while saying "Well thanks for not killing me and all that so I'll just be on my way now." The Koopa happily waved "Byeeee!" As Four gave him an uncomfortable look while leaving.

"Well not everyone here is an improvement..."

After that awkward scene, Four rounded a corner to see another one of those fake floor coverings, but it covered up the whole room this time. "Are you freaking kidding me!? How do you expect me to get through THIS!?" He noticed a sign up ahead, right above a little patch of leaves. Maybe that would give him a clue? Four took a few dainty steps across the hatch-marked floor and so far it hadn't broke. He then tried taking a step to the right and instantly fell down below, once again on those crunching red lifesavers. "I've never been so grateful for so many leaves." He noticed they were scattered kinda out of the ordinary...sort of deliberately. Another sign was posted on the wall as Four read it out loud. "Please don't step on the leaves." A little too late for that.

"Hold on a second..." Four looked back at the leaves, then at the sign, then back to the leaves, the sign, and so on. It occurred to him that these leaves were set up like the flooring above and the parts not covered by leaves must be the way through, like a maze! Four immediately climbed back to the top and tried it again. "Let's see if I memorized this." He walked straight forward and took a step to the...left? Nope, he fell right into the leaves again. He picked himself up again and studied the solution another time. "Alright, let's try that again."

A while of this ensued as Four kept falling through the floor and trying again. It was really starting to get on his nerves that he couldn't remember a simple pattern. He kept going and going until Four stomped his foot hard and said "THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET OUT OF HERE IF I CAN'T EVEN SOLVE ONE LITTLE PUZZLE!?" He clutched his head and leaned on the wall, whispering "Guys...what do I do?" Four was at the verge of tears again as he just wanted this to stop. To be back at the castle, hanging out with his friends and making videos.

"What would they do?" He thought about that question for a second and observed the flooring once again. "Well...Mario would just run around in some random direction." Four got up from the wall and picked a spot to start at. "And Meggy would say to keep your head up and walk with confidence." He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and took one step forward. "Tari and Luigi would probably be careful of their surroundings." Four kept walking, but with a much slower pace. Rushing things would only complicate it more.

This was working! Four had still not fallen yet and made it over to the patch of leaves near the end. "You're doing good Four. Just got to make it over to the end." He looked to the sign next to him that said "Didn't you read the sign downstairs?"

"Ugh..." These signs were really testing his patience, but Four reminded himself that having beef with an inanimate object would be stupid. Now he could just continue on the path to the end, but Four felt lucky. There was enough distance for him to jump to the other side, but he wasn't Mario. Still he got a running start, took a leap of faith, and jumped, feeling the wind through his hair. That was a main character moment if he ever saw one. He safely landed on the other side, catching himself on his hands and knees and looking back. "I...I did it!" This feeling. Being able to make it through because of the desire to see the ones who cared for him. This really was the true power. The power of Determination.

Four felt proud of himself and bravely walked into the next room to be met with a pair of Goombas. They were chatting with each other, unknown to who just walked in. "Yeah, so I got to pick my son up from soccer practice this afternoon."

"Oh that's nice. My son plays a sport too."

"Really? What kind of sport?"

"Dodgeball."

The other says derpy eyes as he imagines a flashback of his kid being pummeled by balls. Four stares at them in confused silence until they turn and instantly go into high alert. "Hey! It's the pure soul!" One shouts. "Get him!" The other one responds as Four now enters a 2 to 1 fight.

(Goombas - ATK 6 DEF 0, Stereotypical: Curvaceously attractive, but lack of brains...)

Okay Four. Just do what you did beforehand they'll let you through. As the Goombas inched closer, he plastered a fake smile and said "Heh...you're some real hip mushrooms." The two raised their eyebrows as Four bushed embarrassedly. He was not the best at flirting. "Did you...just...ASUME OUR SPECIES!!!" The two m̶u̶s̶h̶r̶o̶o̶m̶s̶ Goombas took out guns as they began rapidly shooting and Four began running for his life. He tried to run away, but more spikes were blocking the path. "Oh come on! How many spikes does this place need!" A gunshot fired his way as he dodged it and ran into a corner, trapping himself. The Goombas came closer as Four squeaked out "Wait wait! I'll do whatever you want!" They stopped for a moment and asked "You'll do whatever we want?"

"Yes! Just please let me go!" The two of them nodded at the other and said "Dance for us!"

"What!?"

"That's right. Dance."

"Bro you've got to be kidding me..."

The Goombas readied their guns as Four got the message and awkwardly began swinging his hips. "I'm going! I'm going! See nananana!" The Goombas lowered their guns and began laughing as one even took out his phone. "HAHAHAHA! Oh I got to record this! My kids will love this!" Four groaned and said "Kill me." This was probably the most downright ridiculous thing he ever did, but at least the Goombas weren't trying to kill him. "Can I go now...?" They kept laughing and said "Oh yeah yeah." They ran off, cackling as Four erased that memory from his mind.

It seemed for this puzzle, he had to move all the rocks onto the pressure plates. Seemed simple enough, except that these rocks weighed like a thousand pounds! Four heaved the first one onto the plate, feeling tired already. He pushed the second one and began working up a sweat as he hunched over the rock, catching his breath. Just as Four stumbled over to the third rock, it backed away and spun around, catching Four off guard. "WHOA there, who ever said you could push me around!" He was wearing a warlock hat, held a magical staff, and had a scribbly drawing of a face. "Wizard Rock!?"

"Yes genius. Who else?"

"But how did you even get down here!?"

"Well since I've barely been used for videos anymore, I wanted to go on adventures on my own. I heard this story about a magical cave, but this place sucks. Doesn't live up to the hype."

"Oh well...can you move over. I'm trying to escape."

"Ha! Good luck with that! Even my magic doesn't work!"

Four sighed and said "Look just move alright. I don't need you to remind me that I'm trapped here."

"Fine, because you asked sooooo nicely." He inched over a little, but not far enough. "Uh...a little more."

"Ugh fine."

He then moved in the wrong direction as Four retorted with more annoyance "Forward! Just onto that pressure plate!" The Wizard Rock rolled his eyes and said "You could have just said that at the start." He scooted over to the pressure plate as Four huffed an aggressive "Thank you!" He was just about to walk over the bridge when the spikes came back up. "I meant until I cross!"

"Geez make up your mind."

Four gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath "You know what I mean." The Wizard Rock, feeling a little intimidated, slid back onto the pressure plate and waited until Four crossed this time. As he left, the Wizard Rock shouted from the other side "YOU'RE WELCOME!"

The next room was much smaller with another one of these stars, seemingly called save points. Off in the corner was a small, round table with cheese atop it. Not even the decency to put it on a plate. "How long has this been here?" Four looked at it in disgust as he daintily reached out and touched it. Something felt firm about it.

"What kind of cheese is this?" He pulled on it, but it was stuck to the table. Four jumped up on the table and put one foot on the cheese as he tugged on it with all his might, but nothing would make it come off. It was like super glue. Eventually, Four gave up and crossed his arms. "Whatever. It's not like I wanted some old stinky cheese anyway." He saved his progress and went back to the task at hand. Although, what was in that next room gave Four quite a shock.

Blocking his way, laying atop a pile of leaves was some kind of ghost. It wasn't a boo or another enemy from Mario games that Four had encountered so far. It was some guy with a white cloak and a curvy, transparent tail instead of feet underneath his rags. Four narrowed his eyes as something seemed familiar about this guy. He looked very similar to...

"BOB!?"

Four blinked in disbelief for a few seconds before being overcome by sheer joy and ran up to his old pal. "Bob! You're here! It's me Smg4!" The ghost's eyes were closed shut as he said out loud repeatedly "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ" Four's happiness slowly faded away as a perplexed expression stared back instead.

"What the-"

The ghost kept saying 'z' out loud repeatedly, pretending to sleep. He peeked one eye open and then immediately closed it. "ZZZZZZZZZ(IS HE GONE YET?)ZZZZZZZ" Four sighed and rolled his eyes once he understood what was happening. "Bob. I can hear you."

"ZZZZZZ(NO YOU DON'T.)ZZZZZZZZ"

"You're not even doing it right!"

"ZZZZZZZZZZZ"

Four facepalmed and said "Fine! If you're just going to be a jerk then I'll just get you out of the way myself!" He tried to push Bob with force, but his hands phased right through him. "GAH!" The ghost's eyes shot open as he flew up into the air and stared back at Four in anger. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!? I WAS JUST TRYING TO SLEEP IN PEACE!"

Four couldn't say anything as the look of terror in his eyes had brought him to a loss of words. "UH HELLO? BRO ARE YOU BRAINDEAD OR SOMETHING!?" All he could stutter out was "Y-You're a g-g-gh-ghost?"

"OH YEAH. PRETTY COOL HUH?" He demonstrated by clipping through the floor and coming out of the wall. "B-But how!? Did you fall down here too and die!?" Bob stared at him with a "WUT?" and slanted eyes before explaining "OH I'VE LIVED IN THE UNDERGROUND AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER."

"Which is..."

"5 YEARS? 100 YEARS? I DON'T KNOW. WE GHOSTS CAN LIVE AS LONG AS WE WANT." He laid back in the air while Four came down from his panicking. Even if Bob was a ghost, he was still Bob. He couldn't hurt Four even if he wanted to. "WAIT A MINUTE...YOU'RE THAT PURE SOUL THAT I WAS WARNED ABOUT!"

"Uh...no? You're thinking of some other guy."

"UH...THIS IS AWKWARD BUT I HAVE TO KILL YOU NOW."

(Bob - ATK 10 DEF 10, This guy doesn't seem to have an appropriate sense of humor...)

He took out his samurai sword hands and spun in a circle, hurdling towards Four. "AH!" The blue eyed man shut his eyes and held out a hand to stop him only for Bob to phase right through him. "I...I'm alive?" Four checked his body and sure enough there was no injures. Bob saw the lack of damage he caused and got annoyed. "HEY! THAT ONE DIDN'T COUNT! THIS TIME FOR REALSIES!" He kept spin dashing and throwing out all his moves on Four, but every time he would just pass through his body, giving the man nothing but a chill through his spine.

"URG! I FORGOT I WAS A GHOST! THESE TRANSPARENT SWORDS CAN'T DO CRAP!" He folded his arms as Four began laughing and said "You really are like him aren't you?" Bob started getting really pissed off and retorted "NO! DON'T YOU DARE LAUGH AT ME!" He noticed tears of joy slipping down Four's cheek as that gave him an idea. "AH HAH! YOU THOUGHT I DIDN'T REMEMBER MY ACID TEARS! WELL THINK AGAIN!"

Four put his hands up in innocence and said "Sorry sorry. You just make a really funny ghost." He gave Bob a patient smile when he said that and it made his anger slowly dissolve. "HEH...I DO? WHAT NO! I WON'T FALL FOR IT!" He began throwing non existing stuff while yelling "GO GO ACID TEARS!" Nothing happened as Four looked at Bob like he had AIDS or something. "GOD DANG IT! HOLD ON!" He began coughing violently as his eyes bulged out of his head.

"Uh..."

Drops of acid began to rain down as Four screamed and jumped out of the way. One drop burned his eye as he clutched it in pain. "HAHA! FEEL THE WRATH OF BOB BOBOWSKI!" Four thought to himself on how Bob started warming up to him, but still needed some convincing. "What if I told him a joke?"

"Hey Bob!"

"WHAT?"

"Why did the ghost go to the bar?"

"FOR BEER?"

"No. For the booos."

A rim shot played in the background as Bob snickered a little bit, but quickly covered it up and pretended like it didn't bother him. "I MEAN....BRO THAT'S LAME!" Four noticed Bob wasn't attacking anymore as his plan was working. "Look at this funny meme I found!" He showed Bob a cringey meme about boos as his eyes lit up and he ecstatically said "WAIT WAIT WAIT! LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING!" Four crooked his head as Bob made his acid tears appear again and they started flying upwards. All of a sudden they began forming a white top hat on top of his head. "I CALL IT LITTLE DAPPER BOB! DO YOU LIKE IT?" He awaited Four's answer as Four replied "Yeah Bob! It looks great!"

"OH GEE..." He floated down until he was hovering just a few inches above the ground and spoke to himself, unaware that Four could hear every word. "I USUALLY COME TO THE RUINS BECAUSE THERE'S NOBODY AROUND, BUT TODAY I MET SOMEBODY COOL..." Four cleared his throat and Bob spun around. "OH I'M RAMBLING AGAIN. I'LL GET OUT OF YOUR WAY NOW." He flew into the ceiling with nothing else to say as Four waved goodbye. So there were other replicas of his friends down here.

Now that was really shaping this adventure into something worthwhile...

Chapter Text

Is this place real or a dream? Fantasy or reality? Maybe a multiverse that trapped Smg4 in some kind of parallel reality. Four wasn't exactly sure about what he saw back there either. Was that ghost actually Bob or was he hallucinating? Probably the latter. In an attempt to make sure he was seeing this right, Four rubbed his eyes, but then felt a stinging pain coming from the right side.

It felt like some kind of cut on his face, but it was hard to tell just how big it was. That was until Four looked down at his polished reflection in the floor and saw a small burn mark covering his eye. Thank goodness it didn't do any major damage to his cornea or anything serious like that. He must have gotten it when Bob rained down his ambush of acid drops.

"Okay...not a problem. I can just ask Melony to fix it when I find her." Four encouraged himself to keep moving and ignore this minor injury, but after taking one step, he felt a throb of pain sinking into his skin. These acid drops were nothing to sneeze at. One touch and who knows how deep these things might go. Four winced and clutched the side of his face, trudging past the pile of leaves. It seemed with each passing second, the burning got stronger and stronger, slowing him down longer. Man what he would give for an ice pack right now.

"Look at how weak and pathetic you are."

There it was again. The same inner voice that echoed through his mind.

"You'll never make it back in this condition."

"But if I can just find Melony-"

"She can't do anything. Do something for yourself for once."

"But I-"

"You don't want to make your problem everyone else's do you?"

Four thought about that question for a while and let out a sigh of defeat. "No..." He never actually thought of himself as a burden to everyone, but maybe he was. Just a stupid, clumsy idiot that got himself stuck because of his own choices. If he had just taken Meggy's advice and walked back down then he would be safe. They would all be back at the castle and this whole mess would have never happened.

"But how do I fix this?" He pointed to his eye and looked around, expecting this ominous voice to answer back. No response. He huffed under his breath "Fine...I'll figure it out myself." He reached into his pockets to see if he had anything lying around and pulled out a few of those colorful wrapped candies from earlier. It was supposed to be a snack in case he got hungry again, but it also felt like this is what that voice wanted him to use to heal himself.

"I guess it's worth a shot...I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

He unwrapped one and quickly popped it into his mouth. After he swallowed it, something surprising happened. The burn mark on his eye began to grow smaller and the pain with it. Four couldn't tell what was happening so he ran back to that spot of polished marble and gazed upon his reflection. He couldn't believe it. The blemish was completely gone. "Wow..."

(You recovered 10 HP.)

A small candy fixing a burn mark? Now Four knew he was going crazy. This place had strange rules and he didn't understand any of them. But he was willing to give it a shot. While in his shocked state of awe and wonder, another delicious smell caught his attention. It appeared to be coming through the doorway just in front of him. Four still wasn't that hungry, but it would be a good idea to stock up on food. Who knows when he'd get out of here. If anyone could find him a burger, he'd love them forever.

This room was a lot smaller than the others, but still had arrangements of some cute little mushrooms that seemed to be used for tables. In front of them was a sign that said "Toadstool Bakery: All proceeds go to real Toads." As Four observed the environment, one of the Toads that this peculiar sign was talking about, lunged forward, almost giving poor Smg4 a heart attack.

"Helllooo! Welcome to the Toadstool Bakery!"

"Why does everyone keep doing that!? You're going to scare me to death!"

"Sorry, we just don't get a lot of customers around here. Usually just Toads." Four glanced over to the side where a few of his brethren were chatting at the tables. "I can see that."

"Anyway...What would you like? We have two items on the menu today!"

Four gave him a perplexed stare before mumbling "No wonder you don't get any customers..."

"What was that?"

"I said oh smother hue boned yet many sunders!"

The Toad blinked a few times and replied "Okkkayyyy...." Four adverted eye contact while smiling nervously and immediately changed the subject. "Now what do you have here?"

"Ah yes!" He pointed over to a mushroom perch and happily said "Our most popular dish is the Toadstool tea! Made from fresh herbal ingredients!" Four walked over and inspected the cup as it didn't exactly look like tea. More of a golden color to it. It didn't take long for Four to recognize the beverage and looked unimpressively back at the Toad. "This is apple juice isn't it?"

"Uh...no?"

Just as the Toad said that, another one came up with an empty cup and cheerfully replied "Hey! Thanks for the juice. Can I get a refill?" Toad spun around with anger in his eyes and stuffed the cup down his customer's throat. As he aggressively choked, Toad put back on a happy smile and said "Okay maybe it is apple juice, but it's the best apple juice in the underground!" Four sighed and said "Fine. How much?"

"18 Gold!"

"18 GOLD!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY!?"

The Toad shook his head and said "Well no money, no purchase." Four would not be easily swept into some downrun bakery that was highway robbery as he walked past the Toad, not even batting an eye. "Alright. See ya!"

Toad's eyes grew as large as saucers as he ran over towards the exit and blocked it, pleading "No wait! I need your business! I'll throw in a discount!" The blue eyed man stares suspiciously at Toad. "What kind of discount?"

"Uhhhhh...." He takes out a price sign and scribbles something on it. He swings it around which shows the number 8 crossed out and a 7 is written above it. "You get a $1 discount...!" Four frowns and starts flying away while in a t-pose. Toad scrambles around to find a solution. "Uh...and I'll throw in this Super 1-UP Mushroom for free!" He held up the common powerup that usually made you grow taller. Four's eyes then gleamed with excitement as he dropped back to the ground and excitedly searched his pockets. "Deal! Just hold on....I must have some change in here somewhere."

He then saw something shiny in one of his overall pockets as he pulled out a stack of gold. "Huh? Where did this come from?" Toad didn't hesitate and threw the food at him, collecting his payment and playing with it in the corner. "Ooo hoo hoo! Money money money!"

Four didn't fight it and put away the treats for later. Toad was just as rude as his above ground counterpart, but that did seem to be the only money he collected today. Four was glad he could help out a friend. Even Toads deserve to have a plentiful life. "Hope that helped!" Four called out with a little goodbye wave and set back out to the journey at hand.

The next room was the most lively one so far because there was a pair of Koopas lined up down a hallway with a sign next to them. How many god dang signs did this place need? Upon closer inspection, it wasn't one of those instructional signs that laid it out with a weird tone, but an advertisement for the bakery Four had just visited. There was a picture of that Toad he just talked to with the words "Did you miss it? Toadstool Bakery down and to the right. Come eat food made by Toads, for Toads, of Toads!" That last part made Four flinch with disgust. He thought it was just decoration, but were these things actually made from mushroom people. And did that made them cannibalistic? These sickening thoughts made Four throw up in his mouth a little.

That settled it. These items were only to be used as a last resort, for emergency purposes only. Moving past that disturbing scene, Four approached the Koopa near him with a friendly, but yet alert tactic. He didn't know if this was one of the helpful ones or the rascal kind. "Um...hi? Could you point me towards the exit of this place?"

Those convenient subtitles translated his Koopa talk to "Oh the caretaker keeps the exit at her house. If you keep following the path, you'll find it in no time." Another one said "Is it you? The pure soul!?"

Four was sick of this nickname by now as he said "Please just call me Smg4 or Four." That's what he preferred to go by since he surely wasn't any pure soul last time he checked. "I heard you are quite merciful...Four. Surely by now you know we wear a YELLOW name when you can SPARE us!" Four looked down at the turtle with curiosity.

"No I didn't...I never saw your names."

"Look at the text genius."

Four looked closely at the subtitles of the Koopa and his name was highlighted in a bold yellow. "I must be really blind to miss that." Four chuckled as the Koopa giggled a little and asked "What do you think of that?" Four couldn't help but give a warm smile as he patted the little guy's head and said "Very helpful. Thank you for telling me." The turtle tapped his chin in thought and said "It is rather helpful. Just remember, sparing is just saying you won't fight."

"Yeah. I think I got that."

The Koopa then leaned forward and whispered right in his ear "Maybe one day, you'll have to do it even if their name isn't yellow." Four was bewildered with no sense. "Why would I do that if they aren't-"

He then heard something and glanced to his right. A little mole raising his paws up like he was a cat or something. The Koopa he was talking to groaned and muttered "Oh not this guy again..." In cowardliness, he pushed Four forward and cried out in some attempt of motivation "He's your problem now!"

"OH YOU LITTLE-"

Four couldn't stay mad for long as the mole got angry and sharp claws sprouted out as the process began again with Four's flickering soul. Now it was time to test out this yellow name theory.

(Monty Mole - ATK 6 DEF 6, Don't pick on him. Family name: Jimmy.)

Now what would show him that Smg4 wanted to befriend him? That Koopa did say he might have to spare someone who doesn't have a yellow name so it could be worth a shot. Four put on his best innocent eyes, clasped his hands together, and said in this cringey shrill voice "Awww let's not fight! We should be frriieeeennndddsss!" He magically made the word Friendship appear all in rainbow while Monty just started at him with a "What the hell am I looking at" face.

"And as friends, we help each other so how about pointing me the way to the exit huhhhh little guy?"

That horrid display only deepened his anger as he pounced on Smg4 and scratched his face. "Are you picking on me!? I hate bullies!!! You rude little snipe!" Four screamed as the pain etched into his skin. Thank goodness this mole didn't have sharp enough claws to deeply cut the skin, but it still stung. "Ah! I'm sorry! I'm not trying to be mean! I just want to get out of here!" Monty was about to scratch him again, but after hearing what he said he said "Get out? Nobody can get out. We've all been trapped here for years."

Four's whole world was crushed when he heard what the mole said. His heart shattered for the 2nd time today as he began shaking. "N-No...there has to be a way out...there has to be!" The Koopa heard what was happening and lectured his friend. "Monty! Don't tell him that!" The mole just scoffed and said "Why not!? Everyone has accepted we're never getting out of here and he'll probably just end up like all the others!"

"O-Others...?"

Tears began welling up in his eyes again as they were just begging to get out. "Great! Now look what you've done Jimmy!"

"HEY! You know I hate that name!"

"Please tell me this is a joke..."

The Koopa sighed and said "Sorry, but he's telling the truth. I mean, you know the dangers of being in the underground with a pure soul right?"

"No...? S-Should I..."

Four could never had guessed what was brought to his information next.

"I'm afraid that those who come down here with a pure soul never return...and that means..."

The waterworks let loose as all the horror sinked into Four's face had collapsed into tears of despair. Monty and the Koopa shared a guilty look with each other as Four bawled "NO! IT CAN'T BE! I thought I was going to go home! To be safe and sound with my friends again, cracking jokes and making memes, but it was all a lie! I'm going to be trapped here forever and now I'm doomed to die! I HATE THIS PLACE! I HATE THAT IT'S ALWAYS MESSING WITH MY HEAD! I HATE THAT IT FELLS LIKE EVERYONE'S OUT TO GET ME! AND I HATE THAT NO MATTER HOW FRIENDLY I AM, IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE!"

It stayed silent for a moment as Four sobbed softly into his gloves. That poor little crying face of his made them feel sorry for taking his feelings so lightly. The Koopa gestured to Monty as he slowly walked forward as he rubbed his back. He heard the blue eyed man whispering "Nobody is coming to save me...are they?"

"Now I'm sure that's not true." Monty said in his best comforting voice.

Four didn't respond. Monty sat down next to him and said "I'm sorry I said you were stuck down here, but we've all been feeling the same way. I miss the grass and dirt from the surface world. And the sun? I would give anything to see that big ball of light rise in the sky just one more time."

Four slowly uncovered his hands from his face. Monty then looked around suspiciously and leaned closer. "I know I said that all the pure souls die down here, but you seem different than the others." He didn't appreciate that little comment and crossed his arms. "Yeah...thanks..."

"No really! There is one way you can escape from here." Four looked up with full attention as the Koopa got between them and said "Don't tell him that Monty! Nobody has ever done it before!"

"Done what?"

The Koopa let out another sigh and said "If you can make it to the castle and find the king, he might be able to let you out." Four's sadness began to melt away as he cried out of happiness "Really!?" Monty and the Koopa both nodded. "But I must warn you, to make it to the castle, you will have to traverse many more enemies and different lands." Monty helped pick Four up as he rested his head on his palm and said "Huh...alright. So I make it past these ruins, then I cross those other places, find the castle, and go see the king?" He counted the steps on his fingers to make sure he got all this. Both of them gave him a thumbs up as Monty bashful rubbed his head and said "Sorry I attacked you. I get made fun of a lot and we aren't really used to many friendly guys around here."

"I forgive you! And I promise not to pick on you." He held out his hand as Monty happily took it and told him "You're a cool guy... uhhh-"

"Smg4!"

"Smg4. I'm glad you are my friend."

Four couldn't help but show a cheesy smile as he said farewell to his pals. He took in a deep breath and confidently said "Okay! A much longer journey than I thought, but I can do this! For my friends!" He knew there wasn't much they could do from the surface and they were all counting on him to make it back.

Not more than two steps forward, he heard a squeaking sound and it made him jump right out of his skin. It sounded like it was coming from the wall? Four went over and squinted his eyes for a closer peak when he saw an ant sized Koopa in the wall and it appeared to be...waving at him. Probably. It was so microscopic that Four couldn't really tell what it was doing. "That's creepy..." He glided over to the next room, making sure not to take his eyes off that spot in the wall until he was far enough away, but then his phone rang again.

All the times we need her and she shows up for this!?

"Hello?"

"Hi? Need something Melony?"

"Oh no. I just realized it has been a while since I cleaned up."

Smg4 stares at his phone with a braindead expression.

"Ok...?"

"I was not expecting to have company so soon. There are probably a lot of things lying about here and there. You can pick them up, but don't carry more than you need."

What the heck was that supposed to mean? What things? And what was more than he needed? Four finally lifts the phone to his ear and mutters "Uh huh..."

"Someday you might see something you really like. You will want to leave room in your pockets for that."

She then clicked off as Four was getting really suspicious. He was just joking at first, but it did really sound like Melony did have something in store for him. All these personal questions and convenient phone calls. He shook his head as his face went back to normal and Four stuffed it back into his pocket, carrying on.

The scratches on his face really started to flare up as Four whined and placed a hand on his cheeks. "I...I need another candy..." He reached into his pockets and found something else when he pulled his hand back out. A stick and a bandage. When did he acquire these? At this point, he didn't care anymore. This place already threw plenty of weird occurrences at Four and he just wanted his suffering to end. He took the bandage and plastered it on his cheek, sighing in relief as he felt his health being restored again.

Getting back to the matter at hand, he noticed a bunch of fake floor coverings surrounded by vines with the exit blocked. A sign next to him said "There is just one switch." Four never thought he would say this, but did it anyway. "That...is probably the most normal sign down here so far." There were six of the faux floorings, each lined up into two neat rows of three. "The switch must be down one of these...but which one." He didn't see any clues or pathways that held the solution so it seemed like this puzzle was going to be a leap of faith.

Four started with the covering closest to him. He shut his eyes and let out a scream as he plopped down to the ground. "Ugh..I'm not going to get used to these landings." Brushing his silky, black bangs out of his face, he noticed something spotted poking out of the ground, but it was just the top of its head. "Hello? Do you need some help there?" He reached a hand out to touch his head, but it was so slimily that a wad of gunk got on Four's glove. "Ew! What is this!?"

Four waved his hand around as his green, slimy glove remained constant. The spotted creature slowly grew out of the ground and turned around, showing his jagged, sharp teeth. This wasn't any old plant, it was a piranha plant!

Aw crap, here we go again...cue flickering soul.

(Pete the Piranha - ATK 6 DEF 6, Serving size: 1 flower and 1 Piranha. Not monitored by the Mushroom Kingdom Military.)

"GET AWAY FROM ME MEAT LOVING FREAK!!!"

The plant slams Smg4 into the wall as he begins cowering. This time it was perfectly logical considering HE WAS NOW CORNERED IN A TINY ROOM! The piranha plant itself took up half of the space! "Don't do this! I mean, I don't like meat that much! I could live without it!" Pete looks him up and down, skeptical of his answer. "Prove it."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Prove you're a vegan like me and I'll let you leave."

"Um..." Four's brain buffered as he staggered around, looking for the way out of this. "Well...?" Pete crossed his leaves and huffed impatiently. "Uh...discuss plant based topics?" Pete was not convinced as he scoffed and said "Plants can't talk dummy." Four just stared at him with a "bruh" face. Like bro, you literally just talked.

"Then...how about you offer me some vegan food." Pete questionably asked him "Don't you have any on you?"

"I wouldn't know."

When Four said that sure fire, blow your cover line, Pete's eyes largeness as he let out a long "HMMMMMMMMMM" while inching closer to Four's face. He opened his mouth and spat out a carrot. "Eat it." Four looked down at it and said "From your mouth? Thanks but no thanks." Pete's eyebrows furrowed as Four immediately grabbed the carrot and stuffed it in his mouth. "See? We're all good. My buddy, chum, pal, amigo..." Pete still stared intently at him as Four felt beads of sweat run down his face.

They began shaking until it got enormously aggressive and Pete smiled. "Okely dokely! You're free to pass!" He then sunk back into the floor as Four stared at the ground for a few seconds and spat out the carrot. "That was disgusting...now I know how Mario feels." All those times his best friend would hate it when Meggy or Luigi served him a vegetable and Four could get the sensation of saying "Glad that's not me."

Those antics between him and his friends. God he really, truly missed them. They meant a lot to him and he was willing to endure anything to get back to them. He didn't see a lever in this room so he went through the tiny a** door and spawned back where he started.

Next up, he tried the flooring across from him. This time he took the landing more cautiously and slowly so he wouldn't get hurt this time. He felt bad for using up these healing items on pointless injuries like minor bruises and scrapes when regularly it only took a day for these things to heal. To Four's relief there was no enemies or complicated traps to leap out at him. He glanced over to the right and saw an old ribbon that had so much color drained from it that its original red was replaced by a pinkish grey. "Weird...who would leave this beat up piece of junk lying around." He picked it up and those freaky transmuting powers gave him information on this stupid bow. So this curse...power...whatever could also tell him things about inanimate objects as well.

("Faded Ribbon" - Armor DF 3, Enemies don't attack cute little girls)

"Hey! First off, I'm not a little girl. Second I am not wearing some stupid bow!" Four could be stubborn from time to time and this was definitely one of those times. He'd rather die than lose his dignity. I mean sure he fought like a girl and screamed like one too, but that didn't mean he wasn't a mature man. He told himself to ignore it and try another hole, but he couldn't stop staring at it. "Nope. Not falling for it." He crossed his arms and held his head high in a snooty like way, but every so often, he would peak his eye open to see if the ribbon was still there. It was.

I don't need it...

Sweat built up again and his body began to shake.

I definitely don't need it...

"..."

I don't need it...

Out of nowhere, a Goomba and a new enemy that looked like a Bomb-omb jumped out as Four finally caved in, eyes widened. "I NEED IT!" He dove for the ribbon and threw his hat to the side, replacing it with the ribbon.

(Bomb-omb - ATK 7 DEF 5, Explosive softie, but hangs with the wrong crowd.)

Four turned around, putting on his best innocent, baby girl face as the Goomba and Bomb-omb stopped in their tracks and not long after, they began gushing and gooing over how cute he looks.

"OOOHHHHMMMYYYYGOOOOSSSHHH!!!"

"LOOK HOW CUTE YOU ARE! I WANT TO SQUEEZE THOSE LITTLE BABY CHEEKS!!!"

Four feels uncomfortable but notices how the Bomb-omb turns away, blushing bashfully. It seemed like he wants to keep his distance. The Goomba is still all over him as he says "Thanks for not hurting me...but could you just give me some space." The Goomba pulls away, disappointed, but then took out his phone. "I've got to go tell my friends about this! It's even better than the dancing!" He runs away, giggling as Four sighs and goes to put his hat on, covering the ribbon. He doesn't notice the Bomb-omb now looking at him.

"You look so cute in that ribbon! Where'd you get it?"

Four shifts eyes and points to the spot a few feet away. "Here on the ground?" The bomb smiles with his eyes and says "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Four warms up and says "Yeah...something like that..." He then raises an eyebrow and wonders "If you don't mind me asking, why did you act so shy around the Goomba?"

"O-Oh...well..." The Bomb-omb swings his foot back and forth.

"I don't like to show my bubbly personality to my friends. I try to act tough around them so they think I'm strong just like them."

Four frowned and tried to help by giving the little guy some advice. "Don't worry about your friends. You should do what makes you happy no matter what anyone else says. What is something you've always wanted to do?"

The bomb's eyes light up as he excitedly exclaims "I always wanted to own a dog!" The air around them feels thick as Four just imagines the guy's future pet being blown up to smithereens. He raises a shaky thumbs up and gives a crooked smile. The Bomb-omb stands confidently and cheers "You're right! Who cares what those guys say! I'm gonna get myself a puppy!!!" He runs off, leaving Four in the dust. "At least he's happy..." Four moved onto the next hole which surprisingly, nothing was there. Just those scattered leaves that always broke his fall.

The others were the same until he came to the last two. "Alright. The switch must be in one of these." He jumped down the first and fell onto something, or should I say through something. He got up and quickly backed up when he saw Bob laying on his back without a care in the world. "Bob!? Did I hurt you!?" He rolled his eyes and said "I'M A GHOST DUMB***. WE CAN'T BE HURT OR KILLED."

"Oh..." Four felt flustered out of embarrassment as he asked "Then why are you just lying there?"

Bob's beady eyes crooked to the side.

"I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP!"

Confused sounds came out of Four's mouth as he watched Bob being dramatic.

"*Cough* *Cough* GO ON WITHOUT ME..."

"You know you can fly right?"

Now it was Bob's turn to feel foolish as he let out a small "OH..."

"..."

"..."

"SEE YA!"

He fades away, making the peace sign as Four mutters to himself "Typical Bob...even an idiot here." Guess that answered his question from earlier. He pops back up to the top and approaches the final hole. "This has got to be it." He jumps down, landing on his feet this time as he thankfully sees the lever on the wall and flips it, hearing the spikes go down from above him. He heads up and heads into the next room, crossing his fingers and thinking out loud. "Please let this be the end...please let this be the end...please let this be-" He opens his eyes and sees its another room that now has several colored switches.

"GOD DANGIT!"

He huffs furiously and trudges over to a sign that reads "The far door is not an exit. It simply marks a rotation in perspective." Four's brain catches on fire trying to make sense of the sentence when he sees the exit is already open. He doesn't think anything of it and dances on through until he sees the next doorway is blocked.

Four turns beet red and uses his gmod gun to spawn in a drill. He begins drilling away at the spikes, but they don't break. He then tries a hammer, a hammer, even a whole ladder. When none of those don't work, he tries just leaping over it, but the spikes then grow, repelling him back. Four is about to lose it as he takes in a breath and looks over to the sign in this room. "If you can read this, press the blue switch." Four scoffed and said "I'm not falling for this. You stupid signs have been messing with me this whole time!" He wanders over to a green switch and flips it, causing a hole to appear underneath him and he falls down to the second biggest pile of leaves. He spits them out of his mouth and grumbles "Shut up..."

Over the next 10 minutes, Four keeps falling through the floor, looking for this motherflippin switch, but he just keeps falling through the floor. Eventually, the only other place he hasn't looked is behind the pillar and just so happened that the blue switch was placed behind it. Four pulls it and the spikes go down as he stands there, mouth hanging open. "Oh for the love of memes..."

He facepalms himself and continues. Now these next 30 minutes were worse as Four kept second guessing the signs, leading him to keep falling hard. When he finally learned that the signs actually were trying to help this time and all the correct levers were behind the pillars, he was about ready to kill himself. The important part was that he made it through. Four never really noticed how much he hated puzzles until now.

There was a giant intersection with piles of vines and leaves. One way led upwards and the other way forward. Up ahead was another one of his Koopa pals, hanging out, waiting to give someone like him advice no doubt. Not that he didn't appreciate it though. He would be lost without his new friends to guide him through it. The Koopa was standing by what looked like a normal doorway that didn't show any signs of traps or tricks.

It didn't take long for the turtle to notice him staring and happily waved from the distance. Four realized how strange he looked from afar and went up to greet the little guy. "Hey...you. What's in there?" The Koopa looked between him and the door and cupped a hand around his mouth. "Just between you and me...I saw Melony come out of here just a little while ago."

Four's ears marveled at what he just heard. "What was she doing?" This time, the Koopa put a finger to his chin. "She was carrying some groceries. I didn't ask what they were for...We're all too intimidated to talk to her since she's the strongest being in the RUINS."

The blue eyed man knew of his melon turned friend from the surface and how normally she wouldn't hurt a fly. He told the poor turtle "Don't worry, Melony is my friend and she won't do you any harm. Try and talk to her. I bet you guys would be great friends." A big goofy smile appeared on his face as he jumped forward and hugged Four.

"Thank you Smg4! I'm glad we're friends!" The sudden contact startled him at first, but Four couldn't help but show comfort by wrapping his arms around the Koopa as well. As they finally parted, Four asked where Melony was and the Koopa pointed in the other direction. "Up there is her house. She guards the exit." Four was relieved to hear that as he said he would check it out as soon as he explored the next room.

The moment he stepped foot inside, Four was smacked with utter astonishment. A grand citywide view of purple buildings stood below as there was an entire hidden city. "Oh my god...I never knew this was down here." It would be so fun to check it out, but his curiosity slowly vanished when he was so close to the end of the ruins. He took a step back and was about to leave when something on the ground caught his eye.

A knife that was seemingly made out of plastic. It wasn't real enough to cause any serious damage, but the fact that it was still a weapon made a chill go down Four's spine. He couldn't possibly need that thing. Not when he had already made such good friends. Who was he to intimidate them like that.

"Pick it up."

"What!?"

"Did I stutter? Pick it up."

"No! I could hurt someone!"

"And why wouldn't you want to? These creatures are dangerous."

"No they're not! They're my friends!"

"We already have friends."

"And what would they think when I've been hurting innocent people!"

"Who says they have to know?"

That last sentence made Four lose his guard as he clutched the side of his head and fell to the floor.

"Pick. It. Up."

Four tried to steady his breathing as he let out a shaky sigh and said "Fine. But for defensive purposes ONLY."

His creaking, shaky hand reached out and grabbed the knife as the ominous voice backed off and Four could regain control again. He slipped the knife into his pocket and went back out from where he came.

"Good choice. You never know when you might need to defend yourself."

Four headed back out the way he came and passed by the same Koopa again as he gave a little farewell wave. "Byeeee!" But Four didn't answer. A dark shadow was covering his face as if he was in a trance.

His sense of self was regained when he heard more crunching sounds from under his shoes. Right. The leaves. Four then slammed against something as he rubbed his pounding head and saw it was a bare tree. Any plant life that might have grown from it was now on the floor underneath him. Four used the trunk for leverage as he picked himself back up. "What happened? I felt like I blacked out for a while there." Regaining his memories, he then heard a hurried voice from behind the tree.

"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would."

Four peered his head around the side of the tree to see Melony taking out her cellphone and dialing a number. When she heard the sounds of Four's phone nearby, she swiveled her head around to see the blue eyed man and rushed up in a panic. "How did you get here Smg4!?"

"I walked?"

She examined his face, asking in a motherly fashioned concern "Are you hurt?"

"Sorta.." Four muttered under his breath as he could still feel the scars and bruises on his face from earlier. Melony then stroked his back and said softly "There, there, I will heal you." The calming nature of Melony made Smg4 lose all focus of past events as it felt nice to be in a friend's arms. He had gone through so much crap today that a nice hug was just what he needed. He closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

A guilty expression took over Melony's face as she said "I shouldn't have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try and surprise you like this." Four's eyes launched open again as his suspicions from earlier were right. Melony was planning a surprise for him. "Wait. So that's what you were doing all this time?"

"Err..." Melony's teeth clenched. "Well, I suppose I can't hide it any longer." She got up and pointed to a little structure from where she came from. "Come along." Four followed and watched as she went inside. The sign above the door read "Melony's house." This is where she lived? If the exit was inside there, it must be tucked away well. Another save point was laid outside as Four touched it and headed into the home.

(Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the RUINS gives me determination.)

Here goes nothing. The end of the ruins...