Super Mario Continuance (REITERATED)

Chapter 22: Heavenly Day

"Riba, follow me!" Mario's voice called out to Riba. Riba slowly came to. He was in a clearing in a forest, at about day time. Mario was there, pulling him along towards the exit to the forest. For some reason... he was in a suit that looked like a tanooki? There was a little hole for his face to show through. And a striped tail straying behind.

"Mario, you're back!" Riba cried. He smiled wide. "I thought I'd never see you again!" Riba felt tears wash the blood and dirt on his face away, and drop to the ground with ripples. He laughed through it all, in pure bliss. It was so funny, he couldn't stop laughing. Finally! He was back with Mario by his side!

"Of course you'd see me again, Riba," Mario replied. "Why wouldn't you?"

"Never mind..." Riba laughed. "I'm just so glad you're here."

"I'm glad you're here too, Riba," Mario agreed. Then, they came to a stop outside their farmhouse. They could hear chickens clucking. Were they going for a round of eggs?

"Hey, Riba!" Len exclaimed in a Western accent, sitting down and collecting painted eggs coming up from a chicken's mouth. It floated into her basket as if it were in space. "The ol' cluckers certainly be laying up a---" Len said something unintelligible. "---yestermorrow, if I do say so me!"

"Len?" Riba chuckled. He felt tired. His voice came out as a bunch of yawns changing in pitch and volume, that one could hear actual letters in if they listened to them closely. "What are you doing here?" Riba snickered. He fell over laughing.

"Hey bro!" Luigi's voice exclaimed. Riba opened his eyes despite never having closed them, and saw Luciano looking over him.

"Luciano?" Riba asked. "Hi!" Riba loved everything in that moment. Perhaps he had treated Luciano poorly in his lifetime.

"Don't fall asleep now, we're almost there!" Luciano exclaimed. Riba laughed in response. "It's up here! Let's get going!"

Riba and Luciano ran up the hill, and saw the ocean. It appeared like a glass pane. "It's beautiful," Riba gasped. He turned to Luciano and giggled. "Have I ever told you how much I care about you? You're a good man, Luciano."

"You're a good man too, Riba!" Luciano replied.

Riba started laughing until he couldn't breathe. But it didn't hurt. Nothing could hurt him here. He laughed, and laughed, and laughed. He jumped off the cliff and plugged his ears so water wouldn't rush through his nose. He splashed against the water, and it broke open like a window.

He fell sideways and into a chair. It spun around. He was in his farmhouse. Mario was there, with a cup of coffee. "It's raining," Mario stated. Riba looked outside, but only saw Len staring in on him with a blank expression. It was sunny. Not a cloud in the sky. "I heard that it always rains in this area. No one has ever told me where this place exactly was. Rumors say it eats people alive."

"What are you---?" Riba chuckled.

"I didn't come to this place---" Mario's voice cut out into a loud BEEEEEEEP. A black rectangle covered his mouth. Riba looked back to the window. Len was gone.

"Mario, how do you feel about me?" Riba asked. His voice solemn and nervous.

Mario shook his head very fast to gather his bearings, and looked back at Riba. His gaze seemed... off somehow. He was now in a white wedding dress and veil with a blue brooch on the chest. But his face hadn't changed any. His face... his head had disconnected from his body, and was flying around the room like an airplane. Mmmmm, mmmmm... Riba's mind imagined airplane sounds.

"Well I love you. Of course I do," Mario stated, his head dancing around Riba. He was calm and collected. As if it was at least the fifth time he'd said something of the sort.

"You love me?" Riba asked, smiling. The room around him turned pitch black. Riba did not notice. "I love you too."

"I'm-a-so-happy!" Mario exclaimed. His body was now gone, leaving only his head. "Where are we going on our first date? I know a very good place!"

"What is it?" Riba asked.

"Come to Abor's Cave," Mario answered. "Don't forget. It's just outside of Evangeline!"

"I won't," Riba said, smiling. "I promise."

"Riba!" Marie's voice shouted. Riba felt a slap to the face, and he was back. His eyes opened, and he felt himself on a soft bed. His glasses nearly fell off.

"Marie, don't slap him!" Rosa scolded.

"Marie?" Riba asked, frantically. "Where am I? Where's Mario? What's going on?!" He looked around. All the residents of Aduraice Mansion that hadn't passed on that he had found were surrounding him. Even the ones he thought he didn't save, namely Alfred and Leo. Rosa was back to her normal look, brown hair and all. Riba tried to get up. But felt pain rocket through his body.

"Don't try to move!" Marie cried. Riba realized he was all bandaged up.

"Riba, are you okay?" Effigy asked, pushing her way to the front of the crowd.

"I'll be fine," Riba grunted, trying to get up. But he fell down again. Had it been a dream? Mario wasn't back. Len wasn't back. Eggs don't come out of chicken's mouths. Riba felt his head hurt.

"Riba," Alfred sighed. "I'm sorry for what I tried to do. I wasn't thinking right. Rosa talked me out of trying to kill you when we were freed from Effigy's spell."

"That's okay," Riba groaned. Something about his dream stuck out to him. Mario had told him to go somewhere. Could the Mario in his dream have been an emissary from fate? Riba tried to remember. Dreams are surprisingly hard to remember once you wake up. That's right! Abor's Cave! It was apparently right outside of Evangeline, so someone was bound to have heard of it. "Hey, has anyone ever heard of Abor's Cave?" Everybody gasped, and took steps backward.

"Abor's Cave..." Mercy repeated, her voice shaking.

"Mommy, what's Abor's Cave?" Effigy asked Rosa.

"Abor's Cave is where the devil worshippers- witches- live!" Rosa nearly screamed. It's named after the demon, Abor. Who laid waste to a town where the Mushroom Kingdom would come to be. Riba, how do you know that place?"

Riba felt a pain in his chest. He undid the buttoning around his chest area, and made the bloodstone on his chest apparent. "Agh..." Riba grunted. He inhaled through his teeth. Everybody stepped back more. "Mario said it to me in my dream. I think it might be important." Riba then realized everyone was staring at his gemstone. "Ah... I guess I should have said this first. My apologies. Abor and I... we are one and the same."

Everybody gasped but Marie. "Honestly, I was kind of expecting it," she said, brushing it off. She walked up to Riba and picked up his hand in hers. "Just know that... despite this, I'm still your friend. Nothing will change that."

"Thank you, Marie," Riba hissed. He was writhing in pain, not only from his wounds but also his gemstone. Soon, the pain went away. He had healed. The bandages were torn loose from his body in a flash of his gemstone. Like knives had cut them away. He got up off the bed. Marie rushed to his side, thinking of catching him if he fell. He shooed her away gently.

"What's next?" Marie asked.

"What's next?" Riba replied, brushing himself off and taking an empowering stance. "Well, we're going to save my daughters. Then, it's off to Abor's Cave. Who knows? Maybe we'll pick up Alice along the way."