//------------------------------// // Changeling, Clones, and Chases // Story: Super Mario Galaxy: Equestrian Stars // by warpd //------------------------------// It is said that Luigi is far braver than most give him credit for. This was made evident by the tears as they flew behind him, the shrilled scream, and squeaky shoes that repeatedly hammered the ground. It takes a very brave man to run away from his fears with little regard to his dignity. Luigi was that man who bravely ran away. He also had a pony being toted over his head. “Luigi! We did a cool pose and everything, so why are you running away?” Lyra wiggled her hooves in the air as the plumber’s hands gripped around her barrel. She looked up to see the insidious grin of the changeling empress as she raised a wicked scythe of a limb. “Jump left! Jump left!” He didn’t hesitate as he bounced over a cosmic clone of himself. All Luigi heard was the short cry of pain where he was moments ago, followed by his grunt as he landed on a rising platform. “How do we get out of here?” “How do we get out of here?” “How do we get out of here?” “Yes, how do you get out?” The changeling laughed as hundreds of Luigi cosmic clones echoed the question. The blue floating island turned a dull dead green as it fell apart under his feet. Some of the Cosmic Lyras bounced up with them, charging their own fire spells. Luigi sprung off to a vertical wall, kicked off it into a short screw, planted both shoes on another vertical rising wall launched himself to a ledge, and grabbed it with one hand to fling himself over in a triple roll. Luigi landed perfectly on his feet, until his cargo kicked out of his hands and he landed on his rump. Lyra was no longer a lime green. “My stomach. Why won’t the spinning stop. Warn a mare next time. Uge.” “Ow.” Luigi rubbed his lower back. “I’m-a sorry.” “First of all, don’t carry me.” Lyra pointed at him as her normal color returned. “I can take care of myself.” “You can jump all the way up here without-a a problem?” Luigi pointed over the ledge. Lyra peeked over at the five story tall height and simply shook her head. “We can’t stay here long. These platforms disappear quickly.” “She controls them.” Lyra heaved slowly. “That drippy bluey bouncy sticky stuff.” He raised an eyebrow. “Splatter Matter.” “Right! We need to steal some to get out of here.” Lyra scooched away from the ledge as the platform started to melt away into nothing. “Time to run!” Thin spindly claws wrapped over the edge leaving behind ravenous scratches. “Are you two trying to hide up here?” “Go, go, go!” Lyra crash landed on Luigi’s shoulders and wrapped her legs around his head. His high pitch scream was her only vocal confirmation as Luigi sprinted away. They heard the buzzing of oversized wings as the empress lifted up in the air. “Seems my little game is leaving you a little bored. The floor is now dark matter, that’s a classic for little ones. Don’t fall now, I wouldn’t want the game to end too quickly.” Far below them, dark oozing matter bubbled to life ready to consume anything that would touch it. It already claimed a few victims from the shadow clones. Luigi jumped up to the next land mass as the previous one vanished. “Looking at our options, without that-a Splatter Matter we have maybe five minutes. With her destroying the platforms we are quickly losing ground, and none of them go up to the hole in the ceiling.” “I could get us up there if we get some Splatter Matter.” Lyra ducked her head as a fire ball whizzed overhead. “They are getting better at shooting those!” Lyra’s piggyback ride nodded desperately as he jumped on to a slippery ice slide and started to skate down. It lowered their elevation and brought them closer to the dark matter below them. “Hold on-a tight! This is gonna be a big jump!” “I hope you know what you are doing!” Lyra squealed as her mane and tail danced from the increase speed. Luigi didn’t answer as he short hopped a twirl. The second jump only increased the momentum until they hit the rising slope at the bottom. “I want off this crazy ride.” Seconds before slipping off the ledge, Luigi leaped up. They soared higher, higher, and higher. Lyra had a distinct feeling that this was what a pegasus felt like when they took off. There was some appeal to it. Luigi grabbed the ledge of the floating island closest to the top, but still too far to escape. “I’m ok,” Lyra repeated to herself over and over. “Then please loosen your-a grip around my head.” Luigi asked as he pulled up to safety. “I feel my-a head swimming.” The mare let go and landed with a heavy thud. “Ok, need to catch my breath.” Breath captured. “What’s the plan?” “That bug queen knows we are-a here.” Luigi panted. “We are going to drop a surprise on her. We sneak by and steal some of the splatter matter she has on her.” Lyra peaked to see the changeling rapidly gaining altitude to catch up with them. “What’s the surprise--?!” Luigi landed on her back. “Hey! What do you think you are doing!?” “We are going to build a big-a fireball.” Luigi pointed at her horn. “Charge up your fire-a spell. Bro and I do this together.” The Empress rose up, undeterred by the land masses shattered on her and any cosmic clones bounced off her. Her toys made an impressive leap to the very top of the boundaries. Any closer to the top and they could escape, but she wasn’t about to make that mistake. “It is all downhill from here. There is no where you can escape to.” She leaned back with a razor shard limb and dug into the foundations of the duo’s hiding spot. “Here I co...me? Oh dear.” “Eat-a spicy meatball!” Luigi held up a large fireball. Sparks flew off angrily as he threw it straight down at her as the platform shattered from her claws. Claws crossed as the fireball plowed into the Changeling Empress. Sharp teeth scraped against each other as she forced her wings to beat harder against the attack. Muscles tensed as she threw her claws out slashing the fireball away. The blazing hot spell shot up through the hole in the ceiling exploding a few seconds later. “Clever trick, but it will do nothing for you.” The Empress growled as she looked around for her toys. Her horn glowed green for a moment before she looked down. “There you are, from the highest point to the lowest. What did you hope to accomplish with such theatrics?” Under the watch of numerous soulless eyes from clones and a cruel monster, Lyra’s grin was almost from ear to ear. “How about beating you at your own game!” “You!” The Empress snarled out a roar when she noticed the splatter matter in the unicorn’s magical grasp. The momentary loss of composure was quickly replaced by her confident demeanor. “You actually got your little hooves on splatter matter. If you plan on escaping with just that, I’m afraid you are fooling yourself.” “Oh yeah! We got your secret weapon on our side now.” Lyra demonstrated as she painted a small planetoid into existence. The changeling smiled. “Your only hope to escape is right behind me, how do you plan to get past a thousand clones and ME!? I have mastered the use of splatter matter in over a millennium while you have just learned about it a few moments ago. Your best attack was merely an inconvenience for me. By all means, struggle some more. You will fall.” Poor choice of words would have been the Changeling Empress’ next thought if she had any. When a spaceship plays chicken with you, things start to get fuzzy afterwards. It was an audible thunk sound that echoed in the chamber when the mushroom shaped spaceship crashed on top of the changeling’s head. Stars danced around her head as she started to fall. “Lyra!!!” Bon Bon opened the top hatch and yelled down to her sister. “Get your minty tail up here now! Luigi, you almost fried us with your fireball.” Luigi sighed as Lyra gave him a quick pat on the back. “Don’t worry. I know it wasn’t your fault. Also, there is a giant falling bug queen right above our heads. It’s time to do what you do best.” “Jump?” “Run away.” Lyra smiled as she created a slope with some splatter matter and ran. Luigi drooped a moment before hustling after her. The Changeling Empress crashed behind them, all the dark matter evaporated before she could be consumed. “Too close.” Her wings flared as she got back up, rubbing her sore noggin. “Playtime is now over.” An aqua flash sparked behind Luigi and Lyra as they ran up their own splatter matter slopes. Lyra glanced briefly, only for Luigi to pull her back completely. Her yelp was overshadowed by the large spike that drilled where she was a few moments ago. “Ok, we should have been gone yesterday. Luigi, you are faster than me. You carry me and I’ll make our path out of here.” “Okie dokie!” Luigi nodded as he allowed himself to be piggybacked once again. He dashed off just as claws sliced apart the platform. Fireballs from clones rained down on them as they closed in. “Why!? Why do-a things get-a worse when everything was going our way.” “Just keep running and jumping. I’ll tell you when we are safe.” Lyra created a wall that blocked several clones from catching them. “In fact, you need to run faster! She’s gaining on us.” “I see! I see!” Luigi’s legs blurred as claws and teeth grasped after him. “I also see fire raining down on us, dark energy copies of me trying to destroy us, and spikes ripping up what little running room we have left!” “Well you don’t have to yell at me.” Lyra huffed. “Oh hey, I can create objects with this splatter matter stuff just like she can,” Lyra said as she had just materialized a rubber ball that bounced off the Changeling Empress’ head. “Spring! Please make-a spring.” Luigi pointed ahead as the surrounding army converged on them like a swarm. “One that will let us-a go really high up.” “One super fast spring coming up.” A lime green spring with a lyre picture on top. “Express Lyra Heartstrings, now boarding. Up, up, and away!” Luigi short hopped on to the board, then shot up like a bullet. The spring immediately dissolved as a cosmic clone tried to mimic him. The Changeling growled as she created portals for her clones. “Mere tricks.” As soon as Luigi landed on a higher platform, clones of Lyras and Luigi rained down. Momentum saved him from any hesitation as they flew past the storm. “A sling star! That will keep us going.” “Sure.” Lyra smiled. “What’s a sling star?” He pointed directly at what Bon Bon, who was holding it like she was ready to throw it like a baseball player. “One of those.” Luigi was partially wrong, Bon Bon threw it like a ninja star straight into his noggin. “Oh. Gotcha. Thanks Bonny.” Lyra concentrated as she made duplicates. “I thought she was trying to help us,” Luigi whimpered as stars spun around his head. “She is. Sling stars coming right up!” One sling star, lead to another. Each was far too quick for the Changeling Empress to catch up, despite her spitting fire and rage. Until finally. “Home base! We win.” “This isn’t a game, Lyra.” Bon Bon pulled her sister up. “That monster is trying to hurt you.” “Luigi was protecting me, and he did a very good job.” Lyra dragged Luigi up behind her. “Anypony got a plan for that big bug?” “I have found pest control works well with a hard stomp.” Zecora pointed to the splatter matter. “Perhaps turnabout will send her back to her swamp.” “Whatever you decide, you better do it quickly,” Time Tuner yelled as he shifted the ship to fly straight up. They rocketed out of the crumbling hole with the crew holding on tightly. Luigi heaved air into his poor lungs. “Fire didn’t a-work. She slashed it away, and I don’t have my hammer.” “If you want hammer time, I’ll set the appointment.” Lyra concentrated on the splatter matter and a hammer popped into existence in Luigi’s hands. Time Turner stopped the ship 60 meters above the hole. “I’m sure a second concussion would do wonders for our nasty friend. Going down in three.” Luigi yelped as he reared the hammer over his head, he remembered that his brother was very effective with oversized hammers. “Bigger!” Lyra’s horn glowed as the hammer doubled in size. “Two.” “Bigger!” Quadrupled in size as Lyra grinned. “One.” “Bigger!” The ponies gulped as the massive mallet eclipsed them, blocking the sun from view. Luigi strained when he realized something important. “I think it may be-a too big n-whoa whoa whoa mama mia!” “Geronimo!” Turner yelled as the ship plunged towards the ground. An abyssal clone Lyra scurried out of the cave maw before her mistress and its fellow clones. If it had a snarky mind, it would have asked its mistress if she wanted two lumps for her drink. A more philosophical abomination Lyra clone would have mused if there was a greater evil that would take it to a horrific place to terrorize normal fleshlings for eternity. A paradise for its deep empty being, but sadly it didn’t have a mind, so the sight of a hammer eclipsing the sun and ready to impact the world didn’t phase its formless noggin. The cosmic Luigi clone right behind it seemed to share some traits of its squishy non-dark matter counterpart with trembling knees and a pitiful scream. The changeling monarch ripped through the entrance of the cavernous chamber. “Your interference has cost you your liv--oh sweet creator, I’m in for a pounding.” The swamp jumped from the impact as if tectonic plates shifted like during the days of creation. The ponies covered their ears and winced as the changeling queen disappeared under the hammer back into the underground cave. Luigi’s grip finally gave away and the hammer followed the creature and her minions. “Wow, I think we just made a new fault line. The swamp is actually pouring over that hive.” Vinyl Scratch whistled as she watched the cursed swamp seep into the cave. “That’ll put that monster down for a good while.” “That was-a too close.” Luigi rubbed his wrists. “Not sure how Mario does that so often.” “Aw, you did just fine.” Lyra wrapped an encouraging foreleg around Luigi’s shoulders. “I mean sure you ran and screamed a little bit, complained the whole time, and closed your eyes. In fact, I think I still have tear stains on my coat, but you did beat her.” “Yes, yes. That is all fine. Back into the ship,” Turner said as he shifted it into gear. “I’m sure the other group needs our help. After this trap, I fear what other encounters this world has in store.”