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Episode 5: The Real Bad Guys

�Who�s there?� roared Bowser.

�Funny you should ask,� replied the high-pitched voice. �I�m surprised you don�t recognize me because it was my displeasure to share a body with you for a few months!�

The figure stepped into the light and its identity was revealed to the group: Cackletta.

�Displeasure?� fumed Bowser. �Without me you were weak, pathetic and hopeless. Just like you are now!�

�I would disagree, my friend,� said Cackletta in a mocking tone and zapping Bowser with a painful lightning-bolt attack. �You were right about that before, but the new Cackletta will finish you useless piece of crap off for good!�

�Oh yeah?� Bowser roared. �It�s on now!�

Bowser breathed a wave of flames at Cackletta, which she easily dodged. She responded by shocking him with another lightning assault, but he turned around and used his shell to deflect the blow right back at Cackletta, toppling her to the ground.

�Minions attack,� she screeched, before leaping up into the air and summoning more lightning bolts, each aimed for a member of the group. Samus began purifying the dark possessed posse by firing shots from her Light Beam, each shot releasing the soul of a Mushroom Kingdom resident. Mario and Luigi jumped into the fray and were instantly greeted by a barrage of fireballs aimed right at them.

�Fink-rats,� screeched another high-pitched voice from behind a bush. Mario and Luigi dodged the attack and then set fire to the bush. Fawful, the person behind the bush, activated his headgear and flew out of the bush before it caught fire. The Mario Bros. backed up a bit, gaining some ground on their foe. �Stand and fight,� coughed Fawful.

�We�ll-a fight alright-a!� replied Mario, shooting some fireballs at Fawful before jumping at him.

�We�ll-a do it-a standing up, too-a!� added Luigi, tossing some more fireballs at his foe.

�Look out!� screamed Cackletta.

�NO!� shouted Fawful, too distracted by the fireballs to notice Mario jumping at him. The attack connected perfectly and sent Fawful flying into the bushes, knocking him out cold.

Samus continued to shoot Cackletta�s minions, purifying them before they had a chance to strike. The rest of the group rounded on Cackletta, who was outnumbered 6-to-1. She proved to be a deadly foe, however, as she had knocked out Bowser, Ganondorf, Link and Yoshi, within ten seconds. The Mario Bros. turned to face her now, looking really determined and unafraid.

�Tenacious little boys are you?� cackled Cackletta (what a sentence!). �Playtime�s over. Time for the heavy artillery!�

Cackletta began to hurl several lightning bolts and fireballs at the Mario Bros., all of which they dodged. She also began using a mysterious shadow technique to slow to make her enemies feel heavier, thus slowing them down. Luigi was struck by this move and then knocked out by a lightning bolt. Mario, while launching a volley of fireballs, jumped at Cackletta. This technique proved effective and Cackletta was too distracted by one aspect of the move to avoid the other. The jump caused major damage to the evil witch and sent her flying into the bush where Fawful had fallen.

Samus was just about done purifying all the bad guys. They didn�t remember a thing, however. Samus just told them that they hadn�t gotten enough sleep and to go home.

�Ready to go Mario?� asked Samus, feeling a little exhausted.

�Yes-a,� he replied. �But-a, I don�t-a think they are-a,� he added, pointing to his fallen comrades.

�No problem,� said Samus. �We can put them in my gunship until they wake up. In the meantime, let�s get some shut-eye ourselves.�

�There�s-a no need-a,� Mario replied. �I�ve-a got some-a 1-UP shrooms in my-a pocket. They-a can eat those-a.�

�Yeah, good idea,� said Samus. �Besides, we�ve got to get to Grodus as soon as possible.

�Hands up, you�re surrounded!� screeched another high-pitched female voice.

�What�s with all these high-pitched female voices?� asked Samus.

�I dunno-a,� Mario replied.

�Stay where you are!� shouted the voice. As she stepped into the light, her identity was revealed: Beldam of the Shadow Sirens. She was accompanied by her 2 sisters Marilyn and Vivian, and the ghost, Doopliss.

�What do you want?� asked Samus, raising her gun. �We don�t want any trouble.�

�Ah, of course,� cackled Beldam. �But WE do!�

�Samus-a,� whispered Mario. �You-a stash them in-a the ship-a and start-a it up-a. I�ll-a hold them off-a until we can escape-a.�

Without any warning, the Shadow Sirens stormed into battle. Beldam began to shoot ice at Mario. Marilyn commenced attacking with lightning. Vivian used her fire techniques. Doopliss transformed into Mario and leaped at the plumber, but Mario was too quick for him, rolling out of the way and kicking him into Vivian and Marilyn.

Beldam launched another ice shot at Mario which he countered with a fireball. Marilyn was on her feet again and she unleashed a thunderbolt attack more powerful than Mario had ever seen, striking several trees and causing them to fall towards Mario. The plumber quickly dodged them and leapt at Marilyn, delivering a hard punch in the face that knocked her out cold. He swept up Vivian and Doopliss in his Mario Tornado attack and smashed them into the unconscious Marilyn. Beldam began to attack yet again, but before any of her blows could connect with Mario, he had grabbed her and put his hands around her neck, threatening to choke her.

�Who-a sent you?� queried Mario.

�It�s none of your business,� Beldam hissed.

�Who sent you?� asked Mario, his grip tightening.

�I�ll never tell,� she hissed again.

�Who sent you?� he asked again, raising his other hand brandishing a fireball.

�Grodus,� she answered finally, wriggling free of Mario�s grip and sinking into the shadows. She reappeared again next to Mario.

�You could�ve gotten away-a,� pointed out Mario. �What-a do you want-a?�

�Is everything alright Mario?� asked Samus. �The ship�s loaded up and ready to go.�

�In-a a minute, Samus-a,� Mario replied.

�Well done Mario,� sneered Beldam. �You really live up to your reputation. You beat everyone Grodus sent for you: Cackletta, Fawful, Doopliss, me and my sisters.�

�Piece of cake-a,� said Mario, cracking his knuckles. �Wait-a. Grodus-a sent you all-a?�

�Yes, you fool, now you�re beginning to catch on.�

�But why-a would he-a ally with Cackletta?�

�She�s returned to a state of weakness after you defeated her. So Grodus used his technology to restore her to her full powers in exchange for promising service to him. You see, after you defeated her, she had so little life force left that she did not have a body of her own. She could only possess other people and share a body with them. When she came across Bowser, Cackletta possessed him and became Bowletta.

�After you vanquished Bowletta, Cackletta was expelled from Bowser and became weak again. She crawled to my master, Grodus, for help. And you know the rest. She helped him carry out his most ingenious scheme yet, free of charge.�

�So, who cares-a?� What does-a this has to do-a with-a me?�

�Nothing at all,� shrieked a cold voice from behind Beldam. �She was stalling for time to allow me to recover. You have served your purpose, Beldam. Now I shall kill him and the rest of his friends.�

Cackletta was back on her feet, fully recovered and raring to go once again. On the other hand, Mario was tired from the battle he had just fought. He was panting furiously just standing still. His opponent stared at him before making the first move, hurling a lightning bolt right at him. Mario took the hit and was lying on the ground before her, apparently out cold.

�What�s the matter Mario? Feeling a little out of shape?� taunted Cackletta. �You really ought to take some more vitamins.� She stooped over to his motionless body, drawing a knife. �Well, I can�t say it was nice knowing you,� she said, ready to stab him in the chest. Before she could do so, however, Mario had punched her in the face, grabbed the knife and was on his feet once again, ready to battle his foe. �No way,� hissed Cackletta. �You won�t come quietly?� she asked. �Don�t worry, I can change that.�

�Oh really?� asked Samus, emerging from her ship and firing a Sunburst Charge Combo that nailed Cackletta square in the chest. A piercing scream hit the night. It was so loud, it could be heard miles away. Cackletta was in such intense pain, she might�ve died from it.

�Your dark heart won�t be able to take all that light energy!� shouted Samus. �You�re too weak now. Eventually, you�re going to�� But no one knew what Cackletta was going to do, because she was cut off by a dark burst of energy colliding with her visor.

�Die!� shouted Beldam, tossing more globs of dark energy at Samus, immobilizing her.

�Mario,� shouted Samus. �I can�t see. You gotta take down Beldam and wipe off my visor so we can take off.�

�I don�t think so,� said Beldam, freezing Mario�s foot to the ground. �You�re not going anywhere! Now Mario, I will kill you and do what Cackletta herself could not. She will be so pleased with me and I will be honored above all her other minions.�

�That is-a, IF she survives-a,� said Mario in a questioning tone. �That-a blast might�ve finished- her off-a,� he gasped. �But-a there�s one-a way you can-a save her.�

�Yeah,� said Samus. �We have an antidote for this sort of injury in my ship. Unfreeze us, and I can get it for you.�

�You jest,� coughed Beldam. �You expect me to believe that you�d let me have the antidote. As soon as I free you, you�ll run away.�

�I guess you don�t want to save your master,� taunted Samus. �She�ll be dead within moments. You better hurry up and let us get that antidote for you.�

�I�I�I�..I can�t do that,� Beldam spat. �I guess I�ll have to take pleasure in killing you, because she�s dead and I don�t trust you in getting me that antidote.� Beldam removed the knife from Mario�s hand and began to sharpen it on a nearby tree trunk.

�So long Mario,� she cackled as the knife plunged into the plumber�s chest.

�NO!� bellowed a deep voice. �That honor will be mine and mine only.� Bowser, apparently conscious, stepped out of the shadows, removed the knife from Beldam�s hand
and tossed her into the disintegrating Cackletta. Both were sucked into the vortex of light energy the Sunburst had created and were howling in pain. Bowser freed Mario and Samus and took a look around the forest for signs of movement. Then the three headed for Samus�s ship.

�So long fools,� laughed Bowser as the trio entered the ship.

�Next stop: The Moon,� stated Samus.

�Oh, but we haven�t finished our duel,� shrieked Cackletta, somehow recovered again. Samus kicked the ship into hyper-speed and began to fly towards the Moon. Several lightning bolts and fireballs struck the sides of the ship. Luckily, not much damage was caused and the ship kept flying. Samus activated the ships lasers and began shooting at Cackletta and Beldam, but Cackletta drew the ship in by manipulating gravity with her shadow technique, making the ship feel several tons heavier. With no other choice but to get out and fight, that�s what everyone did. The group had eaten their recovery mushrooms and was ready to rumble. �So good of you to come,� said Cackletta with a smirk. �It should be fun.�

Last time.........
Mario, Luigi and Link were rescued from the explosion in Bowser's castle by Samus Aran. After this, they went to track down an old ally to join forces with them and in the process, they form a loose alliance with villains Bowser and Ganondorf. But after the two cannot call off their own minions, the group realizes that a greater threat lies in the shadows.