A/N: Sorry for this belated chapter, but I've had a head for Chaos on Earth recently. The next chapter for that should be out by Friday maybe.

Guest

The villains actually are winning at the moment, because Mario's going crazy! Luigi still seems perfectly normal. Mario rant was awesome, and that saying about the car on the Banana peal was hilarious, because in Mario's world, that could just have happened the day before! And now Don pianta's hear...

Anyway, I'll look forward to the next chapter!

Yeah, I'll have the occasional reference to past chapters at some point. Here's hoping Mario and Luigi will get out of here soon...

Mario and Luigi stared dumbfoundedly at Don Pianta who had just fallen through their roof.

"...What just happened?" Luigi asked in confusion.

Don Pianta stood up, seemingly uninjured. "What just happened is a pirate captain shot me into yer home. And I t'ink it's got an invisible wall 'round the whole place."

"Wait a minute..." thought Mario. "If you made a hole in the roof, did you make a hole in the force field as well? Luigi, boost me up."

"I don't know if this is gonna work, but okay."

Luigi grunted as Mario climbed into his shoulders. He tried to boost Mario through the hole, but sure enough, the invisible force field had closed up over the hole in the roof. Luigi put Mario down afterward.

"Well, looks like we're not getting out any time soon..." Luigi groaned as a troll face appeared on the screen, followed by Sir Grodus.

"I see you have finally learned that there truly is no escaping for either of you," he stated in his robotic voice.

"So what's the point of keeping us here?" demanded Luigi.

"As you may have figured out, I am attempting to deprive you of your sanity. Once you are completely insane, we will dispose of you. Then the world will be ripe for the taking."

"You monster," Mario growled.

"Oh, but this wasn't my plan," Grodus clarified. "It was Bowser's. All I did was set up the force field."

"I demand to speak to Bowser," Mario said.

"As you wish," Grodus nodded before the TV faded to static. A moment later, Bowser appeared on the screen.

"Is this plan ingenious or what?" guffawed the Koopa king. "I get to make a huge alliance and rob you of your sanity, all in one move! Are you crazy yet?"

"This plan doesn't make sense," Luigi pointed out. "You're not a psychological villain."

"Until today," smirked Bowser as he crossed his arms. "But you just said it doesn't make sense. Therefore it's..."

"...illogical..." finished Mario.

"Exactly!"

"Are you going to let us out?" Mario asked.

"What? No!" laughed Bowser. "At least, not until you're insane enough to become the enemy of the Mushroom Kingdom!"

"...That will never happen," Mario retorted.

"Oh really?" Bowser sneered. "Given time, it'll be obvious that you aren't going back to the light side any time soon. Then I can conquer the Mushroom Kingdom without any hindrance!"

"But the kingdom still has other heroes!" countered Luigi. "Remember the time Peach beat you single-handedly?"

"That was just a fluke!" Bowser dismissed. "When I say 'without any hindrance', I really mean it! Now let's just roll the next tape, okay?"

With that, the screen's image cut to static, then to the title:

"Armless and Dangerous"

"Armless and Dangerous?" repeated Mario. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Bleheheheh! BLECK!"

"Count Bleck?!" Luigi was shocked.

"Indeed, it is Count Bleck who speaks. Today's topic is on why some characters do not possess arms, the likes of which include Count Bleck."

"And why is this important?" Mario asked.

"Do not interrupt Count Bleck. One of the most notable specimens that lack arms include Goombas."

Two Goombas were shown inside Castle Bleck.

"Gary, why did you have to turn on everything you've ever known?" lamented one of the Goombas.

"Hail Bleck!" Gary said militantly.

"This was in the past. Why are they showing it now?" Luigi wondered.

"I'm still here, ya know," Don Pianta reminded the plumbers.

"That's nice, dismissed Count Bleck. Other armless specimens include Bob-ombs, Thwomps, Wigglers... Count Bleck does not know where to end this list."

"What's the point?" Mario nearly yelled.

Count Bleck raised his arms, and a small void spun Mario in place before vanishing, causing the plumber to collapse on the floor. Don Pianta looked confused, and Luigi was surprised.

"Pay attention, admonished Count Bleck for the second time. Now Count Bleck has decided to end the list here, but he will expand on how the armless ones live their day-to-day lives."

"Snorefest intensifies," deadpanned Luigi. Count Bleck chose to ignore him.

"Take this sporting event, exemplified Count Bleck. This Goomba is holding a microphone. Count Bleck challenges you to reveal how this can happen within the realm of logic."

"Uhh... it can't?" guessed Don Pianta.

"Invisible arms," Luigi added his own two cents.

"Count Bleck says incorrect! There are absolutely no arms whatsoever. Yet this Goomba is still holding the microphone. Can the hero of red explain, asked Count Bleck?"

Mario could feel himself becoming insane, and the screen's edges began glowing. He tried not to answer.

Suddenly the image of Count Bleck and the Goomba was replaced by that of Nastasia. The screen's edges immediately stopped glowing.

"Um, so, you still with us?" Nastasia asked.

"Unfortunately," Mario replied.

"'K, so we got ion touch with two plumbers named Wario and Waluigi. Uh, they're going to try and get you out of there. So sit tight, 'K?"

"That won't be a problem..." Luigi deadpanned just as Nastasia remembered something.

"Uh, was that the Count I saw earlier?" she asked out of the blue.

"Uh... yeah, it was," Mario answered.

"I need to go speak to him right now. So, you know, I kinda missed him, so, uh, maybe he can help you out of this situation, so just hang in there, 'K?"

"Wait! Didn't Count Bleck try to make us watch illogical stuff just now?" countered Mario in vain, as the TV faded to black before Nastasia could answer.

Luigi shook his head. "Better not to question things, you know?"

Don Pianta stood up. "Wait, what am I even doin' here?" he asked. "I didn't play no important part in this chapter!" With that, he simply walked out the door. Mario started to become mad.

"How can he leave while we're trapped here?" he fumed as the TV's edges glowed again.

"Mario, you seriously need to calm down," Luigi softly responded. "I think that the more the TV glows, the more power Bowser gets."

"And you would be right," came Bowser's sudden voice.

What Mario and Luigi saw next shocked them to the core.