Luigi and Pierre waited patiently for the others to get back. Despite being in such a strange place, Prince Luigi didn't feel all that afraid anymore. He had never been in a house as small as Pierre's before, but it didn't feel cramped. Just a little cluttered with all the items scattered throughout. Pierre spent some time explaining his favorite books to Luigi, as well as what some of the items on the walls meant to him. There was a vase of fake flowers. Currently, the flowers were all deep blue, though Pierre claimed to change them out and replace them with purple ones every so often. When Luigi gently traced his fingers over the petals, he could tell that they were plastic and not genuine. He didn't ask about this out loud, but he could assume that Pierre was the kind of guy who would get upset over flowers dying.

"In your world, can you see the moon?" Pierre asked.

"Hmm?" Luigi hummed, setting down a random hat he had picked up from the shelf. He was just about to ask about it before his thoughts were interrupted.

"You're the Prince of Sarasaland. In your world, can you see the moon, or the stars?"

"The stars," Luigi answered. "And... sometimes the moon. It depends on the time of month. It's not always full, though. Sometimes, it looks like a small smile in the sky."

Pierre nodded, his blue eyes wide with fascination.

"I remember the moon," he trailed off. "We can't see it in Flopside. Or Flipside, for that matter. No stars, too. But I remember it."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Pierre smiled. He stood up, gesturing to the moon and stars that had been painted on his ceiling and blue and white paint. "These aren't nearly as beautiful, but the artwork helps me to remember. I loved the moon so much when I was little. At first, I thought it was a hole in the dark sky, something that someone was shining a big flashlight through so they could share the light with people like me. I thought that someday, I could reach up and grab it once I was tall enough. I used to think that one day, I'd be able to stand on top of the world."

Luigi couldn't help but quietly laugh.

There was a time he too thought silly things about the sky. He used to think the stars were fireflies that flew too high and got stuck.

"There was always this faint blue glow that surrounded the moon," Pierre continued. "To my village, it was always full, so the glow around it looked like a halo. Most of the other ancients didn't notice it so much, but I did. I've always believed that there must be no fighting on the moon because there are no people there."

"Sounds beautiful... and a little lonely," Luigi admitted.

"Oh, it is. But... I think that's the price that needs to be paid for peace," Pierre trailed off. "You know, sometimes the moon would glow other colors, too. Sometimes, it would be more of a golden color. I could never tell if the golden glow was more comforting or haunting, because it almost felt like the sun in those moments, but it wasn't the sun. Oh, there are marks on the moon, too. So, it's not unscathed. It's got scars, like us!"

He let out a breath, then lowered his gaze from the painted night sky on his ceiling.

"If... if the countess wins, if the world is too bright, no one will ever see the moon and the stars again. You can never tell what's hiding up there until it's dark enough for us to see their light."

Luigi nodded, then sat down across from Pierre, folding his hands in his lap.

"I can tell how important this is. Peach is the best of the best," the prince stated. "If anyone can stop this countess, it's her."

Pierre nodded, then shook his head, as if he was shaking away the brief wave of sorrow and fear that washed over him.

"You're right! Now are you hungry, Your Highness? I didn't even offer you anything, how silly of me! There's a bakery just down the street, why don't we go there? They serve the finest croissants you'll ever taste. Your name is Luigi, so you're French, right?"

"Italian, actually," Luigi chuckled.

"Ah, well I'm French," Pierre chimed. "You can probably tell. Heh, I have trouble hiding my accent sometimes."

"Same here," Luigi smiled. "And croissants sound wonderful."

Pierre nodded and quickly stood up, holding his hand out to the prince. This time, Luigi was prepared for the freezing feel that rushed through him when he took it. He wondered if it hurt, being that cold.

He also thought about what Pierre said about the moon and the stars. Yes, dark was usually presented as evil in the story of dark vs. light, but a world without the moon and the stars...? Luigi loved the night sky too much to ever say goodbye to it.

It was nice to meet someone who felt the same way.

Someday, he was going to go to the moon. Someday, he was going to experience the weightless feeling of being in space. When he was little, he dreamed of building rocket ships and flying away from all his responsibilities. It was a selfish dream, a childish one even. But he still wasn't ready to let go of it. Not yet.

. . .

"You know, I hate to admit it, but getting to fight Prince Mario was a little fun," King Boo smirked as everyone arrived back in Flopside, another Chaos Heart fragment in tow. "I think that was probably the highlight of my year."

"Stop it!" Prince Mario spat, still exhausted and tired from what happened. He wasn't used to walking and adventuring this much, let alone doing it after being hypnotized. Or brainwashed. He still could hardly understand what happened with that girl with the pink hair.

Whatever it was, he hoped he'd never have to see her again. He didn't understand her. When she helped him escape the castle he thought she was a good guy, but a real good guy wouldn't make him fight Peach, right? What was her deal?

"Never," King Boo teased. "So, Fairyboy, what do we do with the heart thingy now?"

King Boo nodded at the heart fragment Peach was holding. It seemed to sparkly slightly, and looked mighty expensive, too. A part of him wanted to keep it and replace the current gem in his crown.

"We give it to Pierre," Bleck answered. "He's the ancient in charge of all this! You'll know who he is because of the red cloak he wears!"

"Red cloak? What, is he going to sacrifice the heart to the void?" King Boo asked. "Is he a cultist?"

"You people need to stop calling him that," Bleck breathed, slightly annoyed. "Ancients just dress like that. It's not a cult. And if it was, it wouldn't be a very effective one, because he's the only member."

"Sounds like we're going through an induction process," King Boo noted. "Are you sure this isn't all some clever ruse to rope us into a—"

"I'm positive," Bleck interrupted. "We don't sacrifice Chaos Heart fragments. We need to put it where it belongs so we can find more."

"Wait, more?" King Boo asked.

"I know, I was ticked too," Mario huffed, crossing his arms.

"Ughhhhh, but this is so exhausting!" King Boo complained, suddenly acting like an immature child. He too wasn't used to all this adventuring. The role of the villain was a fairly easy one, he just had to do the kidnapping and wait. This was a whole other level of effort. "I mean, one adventure was fun, but I don't know if I can take much more. I might die again."

"You've barely even been doing anything," Peach giggled. "Don't tell me you're already tired! You've been floating for most of the journey. And you're a ghost, can ghosts even get tired?"

"Well, not physically, but listening to the prince complain about me has been very energy-draining," King Boo yawned. 

"Oh, how mature," Prince Mario snapped.

"Guys, quit fighting," Bleck begged. "We need to find Pierre and let him know we found another heart fragment!"

Mario rolled his eyes and groaned, still slightly ticked that Pierre was making him go on this whole journey. "Ah, right. That dude..." Mario mumbled.

"Hey, you will treat that dude with respect," Bleck stated. "He's an ancient."

"Is he? Because he acts like a man-child," Mario shrugged.

"Wh–hey!! What did I just say?" Bleck scolded. "Treat him with respect! He's been nothing but helpful! Without him, we'd all be doomed!"

Mario was about to argue back when the elevator dinged, appearing at the top of the tower.

Pierre stepped out, with Prince Luigi following closely behind him. Both were holding croissants and seemed to be in the middle of a casual conversation.

"And this is the top of Flopside Tower," Pierre started when he suddenly spotted the heroes. "Oh, hey guys!"

The ancient waved excitedly. His hood was down again, so everyone could see his bright, cheery, practically glowing smile. Even though he was speaking, it was clear that there was still food in his mouth from the way his voice was slightly muffled and his cheeks puffed out.

"Whoa, who the heck is that?" King Boo asked.

"That's Pierre..." Bleck trailed, sounding almost bored. "I just told you, he's the guy in charge..."

"That I am!" Pierre chimed as he quickly rushed over and bowed, nearly tripping as he did so. "I see you've found another hero! Wonderful, wonderful! It is such a pleasure to meet you, great ghost king. Would you like the rest of my croissant? We didn't get any extras, but I'm full so you can have it! Consider it a thank you for joining!"

King Boo briefly eyed the croissant Pierre was holding out to him, then used his finger to push it away, slightly disturbed. "Um... I'm fine, thank you."

"Oh, right, sorry, some people don't like to share food, I always forget," Pierre beamed. "More for me!"

He took another bite and started chewing, still glowing with excited energy. Peach didn't know it was possible to be filled with so much joy. He seemed extra happy now, maybe the croissants were just that good.

"Umm... Pierre. Hood." Bleck quietly reminded.

The ancient jumped slightly and quickly put his hood back up.

"Right, right, right, right, right! Heh... forgot about that! I took it down to eat! Here, let me put that heart away for you!" Pierre chimed. He pulled out his gloves and put them on, then gently reached down and took the heart fragment from Peach. "Oh, and I have the Prince of Sarasaland here, with me! It is my understanding that you know him, yes?"

"Luigi?" Mario asked, looking around Pierre. Surely enough, there his brother was, timidly looking to the side.

Luigi had been so excited to see his friends before, but now he felt a brief pang of worry. Maybe it was just his social anxiety getting to him.

"You guys talk it out, I'll go put this away," Pierre chimed. They all watched as he rushed to the elevator, pressing the button about seventeen times as he waited for the doors to open for him. Once they did, he eagerly got in, then turned and waved back at the heroes as the doors closed.

Luigi wanted to tell him to wait, but didn't find the courage to speak up until he was already gone.

The prince of Sarasaland remained still, finishing off his croissant. It was super buttery, but delicious as well. He couldn't remember the last time he had one. Pierre was nice, too. He gave him a brief tour of Flopside, and from the way everyone in town interacted with the ancient, it was clear he was very loved and trusted.

"What are you doing here?" Peach asked. "I mean, I'm so glad to see that you're alright! But who's in charge of your kingdom without you there?"

"I, um..." Luigi trailed off, fidgeting with his hands. "I got kidnapped. But then I broke out! And... got kidnapped by someone else. But Pierre saved me! And... it's my understanding that you're all on an adventure now...?"

"We are," Mario huffed, crossing his arms. "You'd hate it, Luigi. There's so much walking and fighting. A girl hypnotized me!"

"Ah..." Luigi awkwardly breathed. "Well... while Pierre and I were eating... he said that you guys needed more heroes to help...?"

"Oh, we talked about it!" Peach smiled. "Don't worry, Your Majesty! We've got it all taken care of. We're going to find Daisy to fill that fourth slot! She's got to be somewhere!"

"Oh..."

"Yeah, you're lucky," Mario said. "You can go home and just continue life as normal. We have this handled."

Luigi nodded to himself.

It looked like he was too late...

But this was fine. He would be bad at adventuring anyway. Besides, Daisy was way more qualified than he could ever be. She was a real hero. He'd just slow everyone down.

"I... um... I'll go, then," Luigi said, his voice shaking slightly. "I just... wanted to make sure you were all alright."

"We'll be okay, bro," Mario said. "I mean, yes, it's hard and scary, but Peach is here, so I have nothing to really fear. Besides, some parts of this are almost fun."

Luigi nodded. He was sure they were...

"Um... I'll go back and take care of our kingdoms, then," Luigi said, giving a short wave. "That's where I belong. You guys have fun."

"Stay safe, Your Highness!" Peach beamed, waving politely. "Don't worry, we'll take care of all of this!"

He gave a short wave back, then turned away, hugging himself and stepping back into the elevator.

Once he was carried to the bottom of the tower, he walked down the streets, just trying to put as much distance between himself and everyone else. 

He wasn't going to cry. He wasn't going to let anyone see him cry.

This was for the best, anyway. The idea of adventure terrified him. He'd probably hate it.

But... he could have loved it, too.

Once he made it to the edge of town, where no one was around, he allowed a few raindrops to fall from his eyes again. He grasped his umbrella, holding it to himself.

His umbrella, his friend.

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

Luigi shook his head, refusing to respond. He pressed his eyes closed as a deep and heavy weight seemed to swell from within him.

"L..."

"Leave me alone," Luigi begged, his voice breaking slightly.

"But I can help," Dimentio said, his voice smooth.

Luigi fell silent, his shoulders shaking just slightly.

"Don't you want to be part of this?" Dimentio asked.

Luigi sniffled slightly, then opened his eyes. The jester was standing just a few feet in front of him, his arm outstretched. 

There was something small in the palm of his hand. It shimmered slightly.

"Don't you want to be part of the story, Prince L?" the jester smiled.