POV: Skully & his friends have been dealing with Meta's attack on the castle, but something goes horribly wrong... What happens you might ask? Well, for one, SMG4 went completely unhinged and locked himself away from his friends at one point, to which a small rescue team was sent in to extract him out of there as the castle they once lived in was being attacked by a gigantic tentacle monster. Blowing up the moat causes the castle to sink below the earth, sending the monster to the depths of hell where it came from.

A day later, two brave misfits, Zirax and Skully got together to try and save Peach from the castle after realizing she's been trapped inside, they were not successful as they found her body in Meta's hands as he stared at the two in a menacing manner.

Meta: You all could've just left..yet you stayed, and for what? To save a lost soul from being another one for the collection?..

Zirax growls at his response, clenching his fist as he points at Meta with an angry tone.

Zirax: You've crossed the line Meta..give up, you and your little side kick mean nothing to us now.

The glitch merely just chuckled in response to this threat as he toys with a ball of static in his hand.

Meta: I don't think so, this doesn't end until you and everyone else perishes under my control! You might as well surrender that gauntlet of yours and I'll make sure your death is quick and painless..or who knows?..maybe you'll be a loyal ally to me..

Zirax: Death seems more plausible than being anywhere associated with you Meta..

M3GGY: We will not submit to you Zirax..not while we still have ground left to stand on.

Zirax: The ground remains shifty on your part then..

He sends a blast to the duo, launching them toward the ruins below, to where they both landed in the rubble. Skully finds Peach's crown and picks it up off the ground.

Meta: Augh!..Are you alright M3GGY?

M3GGY: Yes, I am..

The duo get up and turn their attention to the teleporting Zirax and Skully.

Zirax: You're just as lost as the other souls you've taken..both of you..

Skully: Stand down, you've got a whole army on you..now, submit..and we won't hurt you if you come with us peacefully..

M3GGY squints and turns to Meta for his answer, Meta stood there and proceeded to clench his fist.

Meta: How about..I take YOUR LIFE!

He charges at Skully, only for him to suffer the consequences of his own actions as Zirax acted fast and blasted the glitch away from Skully and into a wall. Zirax walks up to Meta with a Hardrive in hand, ready to end this once and for all.

Meta: What's this?..

Zirax: Something to contain you once we're both done here..

He puts up his fists, Meta laughed it off and does the same.

Meta: Your victory is non-existent with me here..play your cards carefully..

Zirax slashes at Meta and gets his eye, Meta stumbles back and retaliated with a brick to the face.

Meta: Hard luck..isn't it?

Zirax steps back to spit out some blood, wiping his lip before speaking.

Zirax: Save your puns..I lack the need to laugh nowadays..

Meta: Eh, no wonder you're so boring! Never smile every once in a while..

Zirax ignores this and sends a neon wall his way, Meta's eyes widen as he teleported past it and kicks Zirax to the ground. Meta charges up multiple glitch orbs, Zirax was quick to react and gets behind cover of some fallen rubble, once he heard no more orbs being thrown, he jumps out of hiding and shoots a bronze disk toward Meta, hitting his face and stunning him.

Meta: AUGH-

He looks around to see where he went, only then to see him charging toward him.

Meta: Oh no you don't porcupine..

He shoots another glitch orb toward him, only then to have it sliced in half by Zirax's blade that shot out of his gauntlet and into Meta's chest, wounding him.

Meta: Heh..still being petty over the history we both had Zi?..

Zirax: No, not anymore..I'm just here to make sure monsters like you remain contained or eliminated..

Zirax then uses the hard drive on his gauntlet before gesturing the glitch to come at him.

Zirax: Well..what are you waiting for..? Are you afraid of being wiped off the real world again?..

Meta's temper was slim to none as he charges toward him at the speed of light, but is stopped by the gauntlet as Zirax releases a command that immobilized Meta in the process, after this, he was sucked toward the gauntlet and into the plugged in hard drive, imprisoned once again.

Zirax: Hm..filthy virus..

He takes the drive out and stores it in his pocket. He turns his attention to M3GGY, she was fighting Skully, as they both wrestled for the scythe, M3GGY kicks Skully in the groin to make him let go.

Skully: Ow!..Damn!

He stumbles back and tries to recover as fast as he could, seeing M3GGY raise the scythe over her head.

M3GGY: If only you were on our side..you would've been more useful to us..

Skully: Sorry..but I'm an ally to my own team and family...it's clear Meta didn't program you the concept of one..

M3GGY takes a step back, offended a bit, but regained her composure and goes to slam the scythe down, but is stopped by a laser to the back, making her shriek and drop to the ground. Skully gets back up and grabs his scythe in his hands again, looking down at M3GGY.

M3GGY: You wouldn't dare strike me down Skully..I know your type..

Skully: Yea..you're lucky I give second chances..

M3GGY smirks a little, her eyes dart at him and Zirax.

Zirax: It's time we shut you down..

He shoots an EMP beam at M3GGY, disabling her software. Skully nods and picks her up in his arms.

Skully: Well, that went well..for the most part.

Zirax: Right, well..let's dispose of her..

Skully: Wait..

Zirax stops and looks at Skully in disarray.

Zirax: For what?

Skully: I don't know if we can do that..

Zirax shakes his head in disapproval.

Zirax: Skully..she tried to kill us!

Skully: I know, I know..but she's lost, deranged, and Meta made sure of it..what if we just keep her alive for now, I'll surprise you!

Zirax: Surprise me? I hardly think so Skully. I'm rarely surprised at anything nowadays. Perhaps the only thing I was surprised by recently is when Mario got hemorrhoids.

Skully cringes at that and shakes his head.

Skully: Ew! Okay! Too much information buddy..just..you trust me, right?..

Zirax looks him in the eyes and sighs.

Zirax: Of course I do Skully, it's her that I don't..

Skully: Well, I'll tell you what..if she wants to be evil and try to kill us, you have free permission to slap me across the face..

Zirax:..And what would that prove?

Skully: That I was wrong, and you were right! Duh.

Zirax rolled his eyes.

Zirax: If you say so..let's just head back..

The two make their way out of the castle's pit, climbing out carefully and avoiding a cave in.

Zirax: So..any ideas on how we tell them that Peach is dead?

Skully looks away for a moment and looks back up, continuing to climb.

Skully: I'm not too sure how to lay the news out for them..but they gotta know either way.

Zirax: Yeah, that I don't disagree with you on..

They go back to climbing out the pit and make it to the top.

Skully: Well, we made it. Time to head back.

Zirax: Right.

He typed away on his gauntlet, activating the GPS.

Zirax: Home is a few miles north of this mess..come.

The duo go back to the other castle, staying quiet about what had happened to Peach, Meta and M3GGY for a short while.

———

A hooded man arrives at the castle, in search of something unholy...

The Red Cross.

Looking around the ruins and the dead monster, he passes by all of them and senses the aura of the cross in a secret room, breaking a hole through the false wall, he makes his way inside and finds exactly what he was looking for as the cross itself was still mounted to the wall behind a glass case.

Negative: There it is...

Negative stared in awe at the cross, now getting close to it to admire it some more. His demeanor seemed more excited to finally get ahold of this dangerous item.

Negative: Tis says no vessel is ever found upon the surface of thy blood cross..and I am sure to put that through the test..to live a life with all the powers of the darkness on my side..heh..

He goes and opens the glass case and takes the cross out before storing it in his pocket before exiting the room, he levitated out of the massive hole in the ground that was once the Mushroom Kingdom and opened a portal back home to the Negative Realm.

Negative: So long, Fungus World..lay and rot as you should have all those years ago..

He says with a cold smile before closing off the portal and into his home.

———

Meanwhile...

Back over with Zirax and Skully, they make it back to their home.

Zirax: Well, we are here..safe and sound, for the most part..

Skully: Let's go on ahead and tell them about Peach, better to rip the bandaid off quickly..

Zirax nods in approval, sighing out of pity for the fallen princess.

Zirax: Yes...that must be done, now or never..

Skully then heads inside, greeting everyone.

Skully: Hey everyone!

SMG4 and the others look over from watching their movie and greeted Skully and Zirax.

SMG4: Skully! Welcome back bud! How was the fight?

Skully: We pulled through thankfully! Meta's contained, and..M3GGY's in my arms as you can see, unconscious, but don't panic! I believe she can change!

Mario: Should've left the thot to rust!

Mario said, not too fond of having an enemy be on his side. Skully rolled his eyes in response.

Skully: Okay..? Uh, look, I know some of you might disapprove of this, but I believe in second chances!

Meggy: No you're alright! I honestly agree..I mean, look at 3.

SMG3: Hey! What about me- oh..right! Heh..yeah..

Everyone let out a little chuckle at 3's insecurity.

Beta: Damn! Feelin insecure aren't ya?

SMG3 scoffs at Beta's teasing, crossing his arms.

SMG3: Pft! No! I'm not insecure!

Beta: Uh huh..sure..

SMG3: I'm not!

Zirax: Alright, alright..that's enough from the both of you..we have some bad news and we wish to get it off our chests..

Beth: Oh no..what happened?..

Saiko: Yeah, lay it on us.

They seemed eager to know what happened, but their moods changed from that to shock and sadness upon seeing Skully bring out the crown.

Meggy: Oh god..Peach..

Skully: We found Peach, she's um..dead.

Boopkins: Aww...that's not good! That was real mean of Meta! He's a monster for that!

Zirax: Yes..you are correct..he's just an irredeemable monster of the web..and Peach wasn't safe from him..

Luigi: Oh no! Not Peach!!

He says, crying his eyes out, Percy comforted him.

Percy: Don't worry..she's in a better place of cloud kingdom above..

Mario: Eh..she was a bitch. No fucks given.

Saiko then elbows Mario.

Saiko: She gave you sanctuary and sacrificed so much for you Mario! The least you could do is be grateful she even let you stay in the castle from all your stupid antics you pulled over the years!

Mario: But she was a bitch, I saved her ass countless times from Gay Bowser and she repays me with cake? Mario expected more..

Skully: Mario, it's not just about the cakes..she let you stay in the castle each time out of gratitude..

Mario: Eh, okie dokie.

Beta:..Just go eat your spaghetti fatass.

Mario: Fuck-a you!

He flips off Beta before going to the kitchen, Beta then throws a pineapple at Mario, to which it followed him on a small string and hit Mario.

Mario: AUGHH-

Tari: S-So..now what..?

Skully: Well, M3GGY should be awake soon..I'll have her strapped and detained for safety reasons..and later on, we can have a memorial set up for Peach?

Meggy: I'll help you with that, and to be honest..that sounds sweet, I'm sure she'll appreciate that!

Skully: Glad you think so Meggy.

Meggy: Of course, now c'mon, let's get her restrained.

She said getting up and helping him out with her cybernetic clone.

Zirax: Well, whilst they're doing that, what movie have you been watching?..

Tari: The Super Mario Movie..

Zirax: Ah..a good film..which part did you make it to?

Boopkins: We made it to the part where Luigi was captured by Bowser! He's scary in this!

He shuttered, Zirax hums in response.

Zirax: So I see..well then, after the two get done, we might as well join you then..

Saiko: There's plenty of popcorn!

Zirax: Good..Mario didn't stick his..

Luigi: No, no..he didn't..

Zirax: Good..

He was relieved about that very much, before he sat down, he went to his computer room and places the Hardrive in his safe, locking it and hiding the key in a basket of vegetables and textbooks about computers and the history of technology.

Zirax: That'll keep the pesky plumber from releasing him again..hopefully..

He shakes his head after all the stuff he and the others had gone through, heading back to the living room to meet up with the others once more.

———

Back with Negative...

Negative Droid 1: Ah, sir! You're finally back! I send my best greetings to you. Now, that you're back, Zero is in need of a meeting with your presence there tomorrow.

Negative: Tell Zero I'll be there..and I'm bringing a powerful weapon to help with this final push, now that the Mushroom Kingdom has currently fallen..

Negative Droid 1: Will do sire!

He saluted Negative and was off on his way to tell the other droids. Negative nodded slowly and turns back to the cult room to see what this cross does, so he does a chant and held the cross up in the air with his mage powers, it levitated there for a moment, making a hum emit from the artifact.

Negative: Huh..strange, I've never seen this sort of behavior of an artifact before..maybe it's cursed..what spirits could be contained inside this thing?..why not find out..perhaps they might prove to be useful to me one day...

He chuckled to himself and continues his chant, then the cross glowed brighter and brighter before then sparking. A red aura escapes the cross and shoots directly into Negative's chest, making him stumble and dispatch his ritual, he clenched his chest and breathed heavily, holding his head as he felt nauseous and unstable...

Negative: W-What is happening to me!??!

He falls to his knees and growls some more, trying to fight off this curse.

Freedom..it's so, delicious to roam without limits...

Thank you for freeing us..

We repay with gratitude, of course..

The payment being, permanent darkness binding you of course...your freedom choice is forfeited...

———

A negative droid overhears some strange sounds, curious and armed for anything, it opens the door carefully.

Negative Droid: Who's there?

It aims its laser rifle around, but spots Negative on his knees, facing away from him. Upon seeing Negative, the droid eases up and wanders closer to him.

Negative Droid: Are you alright sir? You had me worried for a moment.

Negative didn't reply, the droid got a bit worried again and places a hand on its leader.

Negative Droid: Sir?...

Then Negative turns around to reveal himself to the droid, leaving the robot in horror.

Tremble, as we corrupt the world's power!

The screen fades to black as an evil laugh echoed through the misty air.

~~~~~~

MrRibbones presents...

Based on Mario Madness...