#i love trying to analyze the cosmic parts of the mario games

[legobiwan]

More SM: RPG/SPM nonsense

The Bleck crew and Mario RPG gang are having a scuffle before they figure they're not on opposite sides (at least not to start with) - this takes place during the events of SM:RPG. The Bleck crew is looking for Culex (see THIS post for more information). The Mario gang's objectives remain the same - defeat Smithy - except that Luigi is along for the ride.

Luigi is creeping up on Dimentio on the far edge of this whole little confrontation as Dimentio, characteristically, is floating above the ground, noshing on his invisible tub of popcorn

Now, let’s assume Luigi is hot off his first ghost mission with E. Gadd and has specters-on-the-brain, meaning he associates floating beings with no visible means of lift (remember, the man is an engineer) with ghosts

But! Even better! The Poltergust (at least in its first iteration) has a subfunction in the strobe setting that illuminates the “heartbeat” of any ghost or undead being

And Luigi swears he sees the shadow of a heartbeat emanating from Dimentio’s chest and tries to suck Dimentio into the Poltergust

Of course, Dimentio is having none of this and snaps his fingers, trapping Luigi in a box (oh, the foreshadowing!)

Luigi panics, banging on the box walls, calling for his brother

“What an interesting little machine you have there,” Dimentio purrs, sauntering over to the wall of the translucent prison. “And who might you be, my quivering friend?”

Luigi only answers by yelling for his brother again ("Maario!! Help!")

Meanwhile, the fighting between the others has come to an uneasy truce, that is, until Mario sees Luigi trapped in a box.

“What did you do to my brother?” Mario yells, reaching into his sidebag for his last-ditch fright bomb. O’Chunks manages to catch this out of the corner of his eye, picking up Mario by the collar as he sprints forward.

“Where do ya think you’re goin, laddie?” O’Chunks asks, Mario dangling from his grip. In a fair fight, Mario would have a chance, but he’s sore, tired, and injured.

“Let my brother go, you clown!”

Dimentio puts his hand to his chest with a dramatic movement (of course he does, bastard man). “Such grievous insult delivered by such a small form. Ah, but your cheeks grow as rosy as your cherry-hued outfit, your flailing like that of a blindfolded octopus, lost in a labyrinthine tangle of seaweed.”

At this point, Mallow’s jaw drops open as he stares at Dimentio, utterly confused. “What?” is all he can muster.

Behind Dimentio comes the click-click of a weapon engaging. A moment later, two wooden fingers appear at Dimentio’s temple. “The man said to let his brother go,” Geno says, deadly serious.

Dimentio pauses, then laughs, turning to greet a stone-faced Geno with a wide smile. Geno makes no movement except to motion with his hand towards a terrified and still-trapped Luigi.

“Very well.” Dimentio responds, smiling, giving a lazy snap of his fingers, the box dissolving into nothing.

Luigi is trembling, gripping onto the Poltergust for dear life. Mario, of course, comes rushing over, asking his brother if he’s alright, checking him for injuries, muttering how he should never have brought his brother on this trip and basically mother henning him to death

This out of the way, the groups make their preliminary, if wary, introductions 

After Mario is distracted by something else, Dimentio sidles up to Luigi. “My most sincere apologies for my earlier actions. I did not mean to frighten you so.”

Geno is definitely watching from behind the bushes, creeping towards them as he DOES NOT trust Dimentio one iota

Luigi laughs nervously, telling Dimentio it’s fine (even though it most certainly wasn’t fine).

“I must ask, however,” Dimentio continues after a drawn-out, awkward silence (a silence Dimentio definitely was enjoying), “what you intent was with your…” Dimentio tilts his head in curiosity. “Vacuum device?”

Luigi hiccups. “Yeah, this. Well…it catches ghosts.”

Dimentio is surprised. Now Geno is lurking about a foot away from both of them. “Ghosts!” Dimentio exclaims. “Have you reason to carry such a machine with you at all times? Are the undead that common in this world?”

Luigi frowns. “No. Well, actually, yes. I mean, not here - not so far, at least. But…I have. In the past.”

Dimentio studies Luigi intently. “And you believed I was a paranormal presence. Thus the somewhat half-hearted attempt at reducing me to a bit of shag carpet.”

“You were floating,” Luigi shrugs.

“And that is the sole qualification to be a ghost? I dare say the undead have certainly loosened their requirements in recent years if that is the case.”

Now Geno is at Luigi’s side. Dimentio spares a brief, neutral look in his direction.

“That and I could kind of see your heartbeat,” Luigi mumbles, staring at the ground, embarrassed.

And now Dimentio is truly taken aback. “My…heartbeat?”

“Yeah. The Poltergust,” Luigi holds up the nozzle, “I mean, this machine. It’s…it’s a long, technical explanation. But there’s a function in it where it exposes the “heart” of a ghost, some kind of dark matter gravitational lensing.” Sees both Dimentio and Geno staring at him with a blank, confused expression. “Anyway, it’s not really a heart, of course, not the way we think of it. More like…a ghost’s connection to the living plane? In as much as they have the ability to take on a distinct form and manipulate matter.”

“Stardust recomposed into half matter,” Geno murmurs, looking disturbed by this information. “And when you’ve taken your captive, what then?”

“Depends,” Luigi answers. “The Professor - uh, the man who gave me this - has a container he uses to study the more dangerous specimens. Others he’s pressed into artwork. A kind of memorial.” Luigi looks off to the side. “Or prison,” he finishes, lamely.

“Wishes ripped from the fabric of the cosmos,” Geno says to himself, looking a bit ill.

“Does this machine illuminate all beings or just the dead?”

Luigi shakes his head. “Only ghosts. And I guess other undead or half-undead things. I haven’t really tried it out on anything else.”

“Hm,” Dimentio hums. “May I ask you to point your contraption in my direction again? Without, of course, the vacuum function.”

Luigi scrunches his face in confusion but does as he’s told. A moment later, hovering over Dimentio’s chest is the half image of a deep violet heart. Luigi's eyes go wide. “Are you dead?”

Dimentio gives a false smile and a bow. “No, only a magician. Master of dimensions and pleaser of crowds.”

“But,” Luigi protests, but before he can get the thought out, Dimentio lifts a hand, Luigi stiffening, Geno readying his finger guns. But all Dimentio does is give a tiny flick of his fingers, deactivating the Poltergust.

“And now? What do you see?”

Luigi stares hard at Dimentio’s chest, his jaw locking in place. His eyes go moon-wide, his gaze fixated on an invisible target above where the jester’s heart would lie.

“N- nothing,” Luigi finally grits, his voice breaking. “I don’t see..I have to go.” And Luigi skitters away, terrified because he absolutely saw something, the exact same thing he saw when the Poltergust was on and he doesn’t want to consider the implications of that.

Dimentio and Geno are no fools and know the man is lying. There’s something off about Luigi. Dimentio, of course, is thinking in terms of the Chaos Heart, weaving plans upon plans. Geno is disturbed by what dark magics could be at work, not only with the Poltergust, but with this seemingly innocuous man. A man who is his friend’s - his best friend’s, if he were allowed to have something like that - brother.

“You’re not dead.” Geno finally addresses Dimentio. “But nor are you fully alive.” 

Dimentio just smiles, floating upwards. “Nor are you.” Geno stiffens at that, but Dimentio just waves, “Ciao, my little wooden friend.”