Mario and Bowser's New Frenemy Adventure
The Power of Friendship
Author note: Now with less errors
Bowser's airship approached the Southern hospital to a welcoming party of Booigi, Emery, her baddie friends, the remaining members of the Dry Bonez Thugz and the Seaworthy Switchblades, the staff and volunteers of the hospital, and lastly Birdley perched on the roof.
"Welcome to Southside, partners!" Jr. Troopa waved the ship down and it descended 'gracefully' on top of their nearby shed house, flatting the wooden structure completely.
Probabilly nodded his head that way. "Don't get yer britches in a bunch. I can fix it right up."
Bowser was the first off board, mostly because everyone forced him to be. Rain poured on his head and he was just generally soggy all over, giving the very best first impression.
"I am King Bowser, ya know me. By the way, you are my new slave labor force!" he said with a toothy grin until Peach and Mario step off very unhappily with that statement.
Vick the ptooie kept staring. "Y'all ain't them sheet freaks are ya?"
The blue Noki 'Laki' punched Vick in the side with his good arm. "He means we heard you guys were in Sarasaland and that place got… you know. Its all over the news."
"Dears.." Peach held her parasol with nervous tension. "-Just know we're safe now."
"Yeah and don't worry about the koopas. We banded together for a cure and now we're going to deliver it." Mario noticed their allies were 'interesting' consisting of rednecks, random weirdos, and thugs but helping hands were helping hands and he wouldn't judge.
"Buddy! How did you get here?" Luigi asked upon seeing Boo.
Their eyes locked and Booigi instantly dissolved into a more familiar shivering blithering form. "L-luigi?! I don't even now how I got here!" They ran up to hug the green plumber tightly, weeping into his blue overalls. Luigi reciprocated though he didn't really get it.
Mario, Bowser, the Koopalings, Junior, Peach, Daisy, Toad, Toadsworth, Dr. Toadley, his intern, Yoshi, Toadette, Thomas, the MKDCU, Alagold, Buckenberry and lastly Luigi and Boo piled up at the front porch of the hospital where Dr. Mario gape at the approaching party.
"Long time no see to all of you!" Dr. Mario turned to Jr. Troopa beside him. "I mean, forget a few extra volunteers showing up. You sent the whole gosh darn cavalry!"
The teenager dropped his unsent letters to the wet porch with a sheepish look. "Wasn't me and honestly" he said in a hushed normal accent, "I'm scared to go in there again. I've seen what they can do to you and I'd rather fly across the ocean in one go or go back to boot camp before I run in that place."
Mario and pals lightly chuckled among each other. The plumber went ahead. "Don't worry. I'm sure it can't be that bad...OH MY-" Peeking through a sliver between boards, Mario's moustache went limp and his knees buckled. Bowser tore off a wooden board to let everyone rushing up clearly see the disarray within.
"One coma walking patient is knocking down walls. Another is screaming and wailing like a crazed animal. One is swinging a chair around. Another is gnawing on the leg of another. A yoshi is destroying everything in sight," Morton commentated before being slapped and forced to shut up. Either way their excitement plummeted faster than a thwomp falling off of Mt. Rugged's peak.
Among the murmuring and confusion that ensued Bowser pulled Mario aside. "I know that's a hot mess in there, but if something's gonna get done, it'll be cause of us and not these other losers. This is still about OUR rivalry still, or frenemyship, or whatever still right?"
Ludwig squeezed between them and scoffed. "-Am I not worthy of assisting? I am feeling audacious!"
Bowser groaned, observing the constantly jiggling door knob. "Hold the door or something."
Toad surprised Mario by coming up. "Homeboy, whatever you decide I'm for it. I've already died once today technically, Dr. Toadley told me."
Peach gasped.
"Sorry I didn't mention it princess, I should have TOAD you all. Get it?" Toad smiled cheesily.
Iggy barged up to the front. "I have a death machine in the airship that could help with this!"
"Iggy!? Come back- Oh never mind. Everyone execute formation: balino!" Ludwig command, trying to get all the attention again. He meant to say 'impetus' however so
Lemmy, Morton, and Junior promptly got in a military style line and march their tails instead right to the outhouse.
"Do I have landmines saved? Yes I do."
Mary nudged Dr. Toadley's side while smiling in a forced way. "No you don't..."
James and his squad came up. "Youse just give us the signal."
"So what will it be?" Bowser turn to Mario. "There ain't no save blocks here. Now or nothing."
Mario's eyes shift to his rival with a sly smile. "See you in the Overthere."
Bowser was for a moment caught off guard but then he also flash him the 'grin'. "You too, plumber breath!"
Ludwig pulled open the door, allowing a crew that now only consisted of Mario, Bowser, Ludwig, Iggy (holding a black tube), Toad, Peach, Daisy, Toadsworth, Dr. Toadley, Mary, Buckenberry, Daisy, the MKDCU, Dr. Mario, a few straggling baddies and bikers, a couple nurses and volunteers that weren't beaten too badly, and Birdley (if immediately perching on the ceiling fan counted) to CHARGE!
...
It was an odd feeling to know you were supposed to be dead coming from someone who had narrowly escaped with their life in many a time during adventures, but that was the boat Captain Toad was in… That one and Bowser's airship. Just then he was startled by Alagold plopped down on the bench across from him.
"Don't mind me, Bro. I was uh, seeing things." Alagold rested rather abruptly on the table.
Captain Toad ducked down as more entered the docked vessel, Yoshi, Luigi, Boo, and a few koopalings.
Yoshi grabbed a seat. "You guys try to wake up Millennium Star. I'm really tired all a sudden."
Boo inched closer to Luigi when loud thunder boomed. "But what if that star person never wakes up?"
Luigi gulped.
"Well, I saved this from the castle." Toadette held up a rusty pot. "I can bang on it for noise. I would have had more but a certain front door guard bailed on us to join his uncle in the downtown."
"It's fine, Toadette. There's enough of us to do this, we just have to be loud and annoying."
Larry glared at Luigi. "Is that a diss at us?"
"Yeah, I am NOT loud or annoying!" Wendy covered her mouth quickly.
Roy barged ahead. "Let's get to not working already!" And so they all went upstairs aside from Yoshi who napped. Thinking the coast was clear, Captain Toad got up.
"-I say! I could have stayed in the tussle for a little longer!" an elderly voice said.
"Please chill out. You didn't even make it inside before you slipped and fell and the Princess would worry if you stayed anyway. Set next to, er, Stan over there!" Toad motioned to Captain Toad who had no choice now but to wish he was invisible.
Toadsworth sat next to Alagold with a somewhat juvenile huff of annoyance while holding an ice pack to his bruised face. "Master Toad, take this will you? I was always meant to be a gift." He dug in his small knapsack and pulled out an old book labeled 'IV', the same one that was laying next to Toad when he passed out and the same book Russ observed before going mad. It was slightly water damaged but still even had the bookmark firmly in place.
"Oh, uh, okay." Toad grabbed 'IV', giving it a once over.
"It is a nice little read if you are in for a brain twist. It is from an ancient explorer 'Zheng Koopa' and all that but unfinished! It just seemed important, so I took it before the castle flooded over," the old mushroom explained.
Toad smiled to be polite. "Thanks Toadsworth." He leaned in on Captain Toad's side. "By the way, relax. I get that it was an accident, homeboy. I'll even send ya the good stuff before you get probation," he said conspiratorially.
"Pardon?" Toadsworth questioned.
"Nothing, old man. I gotta go."
"Mr. Toad," Captain Toad spoke up when the thought crossed his mind. "Your book. I explored some old ruins once. I think that might have been written shortly after old world Sarasaland collapsed on itself-"
"Like what happened to Mario and Peach? Uh huh? So does this have clues or something? Tell me." He shoved the book under Captain Toad's nose."
"'Delimited by the natural and bestowed potential by..the unshakable shadow shed by its origin'.." Captain Toad read before stopping to lean back sadly. "Sir, I'm not sure I get it."
"Ah. That makes two of us!" Toadsworth said.
"But this could be important," Toad stressed, beating the table. "….Y'all know any puzzle specialists for this book thing?"
Captain Toad leaned up abruptly. "Sir, that is highly specific but in fact I do!"
Deep below Toad Town Spy Guy handed over an updated census of the capital city. There were exactly one hundred residents left, all tucked away somewhere and undetectable to all but the most savvy discoverer.
"I see there are three more than last time."
"Yes sir. It was very unusual, like a ball of lightning."
The paper was sat down. "Does this have something to do with the void?"
"What void?"
Agent N handed over a photograph. "This was the last image taken from our satellite."
Spy Guy lifted it closer to his face then spun it upside down, trying and failing to find any meaning behind the completely black image. "Umm, what is this?"
"That's above the clouds right now!" Agent N replied like that was a dumb question. "I'm afraid we'll have to-" Someone knocked with a thud sound.
Spy Guy pushed open the box flap, exposing the Super Spy HQ's 'office' for what it was, a single large cardboard box located in a Shy Guy's Toybox Blue Station.
"Where's Kylie?" Geno asked.
Without a word, Spy Guy blew a dart designed to instantly debilitate any living thing at Geno.
"What a way to introduce yourself, Charles." Unharmed, Geno flicked if off and it bounced on the floor. "So again, where is she?"
Agent N, a slim orange yoshi undistinguished from any other aside from the very nice suit he wore, crawled out of the box. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"Don't worry about me Jeremy, just know that I caught Zoo and Jeletro for you guys and I need to speak to Kylie. I know she's here."
Agent N glanced at Spy Guy.
"Never mind, here she is." Geno spun around as the indoors train came rolled up to the station stop, whistle blowing. Kylie Koopa was right in the caboose looking straight ahead as she squeezed an effigy of Zoo in her hands in a creepy manner.
Geno's smile faltered. "Are you alright?"
Her head slowly craned his way. "Where are they?"
The star warrior snapped his fingers, making his Shooting Star car and its passengers miraculously appear behind him. Seating the back seats were Jelectro and Zoo suspended inside of a thick yellow crystal. Zoo's eyes dart over to them all and Jelectro's expression changed ever so slightly, indicating that they were both still conscious.
"Wonderful." Kylie rubbed her hands together.
"Send them to the cells," Agent N ordered before turning inquisitively back to Geno. "So you don't even have a name? We've never had an uh, infiltrator quite like you..."
"I'm not from around, call me Geno," Geno answered as Spy Guy prepared to take the prisoners away. "It would be hard to pronounce anyway. Just know I follow a higher authority and I'm on a criminal investigation of my own I guess you can say. That boo is using a bell that connected to a real villain in the sky. A Dark Star."
Kylie stopped drooling at Zoo and Bond. "Right.. right right right. Where will they be held?" She asked flatly.
"In an ultra secure cage where Agent 0064's public interference yesterday will be thoroughly investigated. If that boo really is the train station killer from this morning, that will be taken care of also." He clapped two times an a shifty eyed secret agent came from a backroom riding a go cart styled like a cutesy little train.
"Agent 0069 reporting."
"Get out of that thing," Agent N snapped. "Why haven't Agent 0088 and M reported back yet? They were supposed to be the ones bringing Agent 0064."
The bandit shrugged as Geno gave a start.
"Them?! Jelectro and Zoo were in their car and there were bodies in the trunk!" Geno explained.
Agent N pulled a radio up. "Interrogate the prisoners now. Show no mercy," he hissed.
Kylie heard the whole thing and began to laugh under her breath. Geno instead went back outside to get himself together. Rain made his blue clothing soggy as he pondered. He'd investigated the portal above to find that it was in reality a remote projection of concentrated dark matter, inanimate in every way, a killer that was neither live nor dead. He didn't get it, where was the dark star mastermind hiding? How did Zoo become the keeper of a destruction summoning bell? Why did that noki agent risk so much to shelter Zoo? That wasn't even touching the fact that he was supposed to be on house arrest at the moment. A great cowboy cop he was not..
He tried to enter the HQ again 20 minutes later to find something disturbing. Two things actually. He could feel another star being near, but the other thing:
He couldn't get back in the building...
Dr. Topper sneezed, almost dropping his hot tea. With that close call he knocked on the office door of Dr. Toad. "Drew, come out. I won't bite." His cellular shopper rung and he tucked the folders he held under his arm to answer. "Hello?"
"Hello? Doc, this is Toad the castle adviser. We just needed some help with this thing called a 'book'."
"Oh wow! What do you need?" Dr. Topper asked attentively, eager to be charitable.
"I'm not good with big words, but here I go." As Toad read out loud the entire page, three more people were entering the airship.
Daisy jerked away from the nurse. "-But I've only been stabbed twice. Com'on!"
"Sorry, but that's not normal," Emery said, backing away.
"Looks normal to me," Sebastian said.
Yoshi grimaced when he noticed the two sharp wooden planks that impaled Daisy on her arm and leg. Daisy only ignored them and went upstairs.
Back at the hospital, Dr. Topper was listening so intently he didn't notice Dr. Toad in the open doorway tapping a foot impatiently and staring holes in him.
"Associate, who is that?!" the toad doctor bark.
Dr. Topper raised one finger up in a 'just a moment' gesture.
A stage act in play for millennium past of actors a facsimile of their roles and those scorned..
Delimited by the natural and bestowed potential by..the unshakable shadow shed by its origin'..
"Okay so while it's as old as you say, it doesn't sound like a riddle, at least not intentionally. I'd even venture that the author wanted people to understand. That first part means that the stars watch over us like a stage play working out, however the text referred to someone making a crude copy of these 'actors' or people. The last verse about being limited, that thing is tied to the power of its owner but it can only be gotten rid of 'shed' by taking it back where it came from." Dr. Topper paused. "What object are we talking about?"
On the other end back at the airship, Emery over heard the call, recognizing Topper's voice and finding familiar the topic. Overcome with guilt she dashed out. Sebastian tapped her on the shoulder in passing.
"Where are you going?" He asked. "Believe it or not, I'm also a Boo hunter. Didn't you work with that celebrity on something like this?"
Emery froze with one foot out the door, turning back towards her former classmate. "Kylie isn't a celebrity and we were talking about bells, not boos!"
Yoshi leaned his head up, blinking twice in recognition of Emery. "Miss? I'm sorry for offending you yesterday, I know it seems forever ago, but if you know something you need to tell us."
Emery took a deep breath and step back in as several eyes laid upon her. "Kylie was researching this stuff. Me and her aren't so tight anymore but maybe mention it anyway."
Toad pick the phone up. "Doc, you heard that?"
At the Special World Hospital Dr. Topper nodded, still ignoring an increasingly annoyed Dr. Toad. "Sure. She even stopped here for some reason earlier and made me catch a head cold standing in the rain. I'll see if I can reach her." He dropped his folder in Dr. Toad's hands and left, confusing the toad doctor until he opened it up and found many drawings from Dr. Topper's classroom saying to 'Get well soon', all addressed to his father Lou Diddley. Dr. Toad might have stood in the door way for five minutes after.
Back in the South, everyone was somewhat overwhelmed by the info dump except for Toadsworth.
"I say! Have we opened, what you call, a can of worms?" he ventured.
Agent N approached Bond's cell.
"Anti Guy, you can step back."
The assassin took one more glance at Bond and then got lost, moving away from the sturdy cage. Agent N stooped to Bond's level for a moment.
"-Mon ami." Bond jolted Agent N out of his thoughts. "You are correct, I have not rebelled, joined Bowser, or have been replaced by a doppelganger."
Agent N stood up straight and cleared his throat. He quickly check that they were indeed alone in the room. "Then why did you do it?"
Bond slid his broken and lopsided glasses up. "Let me and Zoo go first."
"Ha ha ha. No. You left your vacation after my first call to you, correct?"
Bond nodded. "I did leave to check on your niece but after many twist and turns I had to refocus. This is bigger than even us. You have to let us go."
"Hmm. I'll think about it."
Bond gripped the bars harder. "Think?"
"You are in an alliance with Zoo. You know what he does to people."
"It's more complected than you think-"
"I doubt it. It's annoying enough listening to you like this at home so I won't do it here. Bye bye." And leaving Bond speechless, Agent N left to check in on the rest of the circus animals that were his agents.
Back in the Blue Station, a thwomp slowly step back in horror at whatever was going on in the Pink Station ahead. The bandit Agent 0069 ran screaming from there while holding his mask tight to his face. Agent N briskly entered to investigate, finding Zoo's eyes meeting his immediately. The pink station had a playful look with pink painted walls and stuff teddy bears and building blocks for decoration, all covered with splotches of fresh blood. Agent N tried to back out before he felt a stabbing pain in his stomach. He fell to the ground and lost his lunch while Zoo cackled.
"Listen up. Bring Kylie to me or you'll cough up more than that," Zoo hissed, dropping the laughing act in an instant. "Get up. Now!"
Agent N dragged himself up. Zoo was locked in their special nigh impenetrable and anti teleportation jail cells, but it didn't work against mind power apparently. Meeting back at the entrance area where his 'office' was were the whole team and a stationary train with Kylie still in it.
"Zoo.. wants.. to.. see.. you!" Agent N collapsed on the floor with rumpled soiled clothes. The other agents glared at him.
Spy Guy glared. "You can't send her to him!"
"Is it still bleeding? It's still bleeding!" Agent 0069 whimpered while Agent Maria tended to his wounds, which were unfortunately for him bleeding eye sockets.
"He is right, Monsieur," the French woman said sternly. The pink shelled Noki, Maria, put down the gauze and stood up to an approval of the remaining agents, 999, Anti Guy, Toad, and W.
"Yeah, we're reporting this to HQ," a fat masked human, Agent W warned.
Agent N got in his face, inches away from the humans bulbous nose. "We ARE HQ."
"Of this region yeah, but not the planet. Money talks and we're so poor we have to rent this amusement park," Agent Toad quip.
"That is enough!" Agent N turned to Kylie. "Little miss reporter, if you wish to mix yourself with our affairs, you will obey me. Don't even think of trying to blackmail us with your Koopa Kronicle."
"Koopa… Kronicle?" Kylie mumbled while her old fashioned analog phone. While her mind was too clouded to recognize the caller id, it wasn't too much to be eager to learn new information. "Hello?"
"Kylie? Neato, I knew phone books weren't obsolete just yet. This is Dr. Topper and I've been speaking with some of your friends about something you were researching. I know when you visited me at my day job you mentioned a Zoo being here-?"
"ZOO?!" Kylie put it on speaker phone, which let everyone hear the call with the echo like acoustics of the room.
"Yeah him! Wow, love that enthusiasm! I never knew him, but I got a hint to check his profile. Yeah, he had a bell or something and there's this book your other friends have implying that the bell is doing something with the sky. You'd better look into this, I don't know how bad it is from way out in Special World where I'm at, but it sounds serious. I-"
"N-nothing else about Zoo?" Kylie asked, sweaty and deranged.
"Hmm. No. I can only do so much from here. You're the reporter, am I right? Take care."
The call hung up and everything was silent before Kylie toot the whistle on the train.
"DIDN'T YOU HEAR? ZOO IS CAUSING THE PORTAL AND BOND KNEW THIS. DESTROY THEM BOTH NOW!" She threw the train into a hard reverse to go where Bond was being held. The agents scrambled to catch up, and Anti Guy and Agent W got hit and dragged along. When Kylie careened into Bond's room, his cage was empty. Kylie jumped off and rushed the cage along with Agent N.
After a quick look Agent N spun around, eyes flaring dangerously. "Who had the keys?"
"Ouch...I gave them to… her!" Agent W used the one arm that wasn't broken to point to Maria.
The female noki only crossed her arms. "Maybe so, oui?"
Agent N towered over her, shaking in agitation. "Why would you do that?!"
Maria turned her head and said nothing.
"Spy Guy. Take care of her!"
Spy Guy froze. "..Agent I-"
"Do it!" He pointed at her and at his call, a dart was shot at the noki. She hardly had time to realize what had just happened when the venom from the dart spread through her body. She pass away right then on colorful tiled flooring, agents around her all in shock while she herself regretted nothing. Bond, a close friend and partner back in the day did not deserve what her agency was trying to do. That, and she just knew somehow that her death would not be in vain.
Agent N looked up from her body like he couldn't believe what had just happened. "Did anyone check on Zoo?" he eventually asked, voice wavering.
"He's also gone," Agent Toad answered, checking his time slip for when his next break would be.
"Find them both. They are maximum level threats at this point." Agent N hesitated only for a moment before hitting a switch that sealed all of the doors electronically but also using some sort of force field he didn't even understand, per strict protocol. No more entry or exiting now. Understanding this, all of the agents gulped.
Next up: You get a double feature.. kind of. 'Burning the Bridges...'
Author note: The minimalist chapter header is on purpose. Here's an arbitrary 'Mario and co. belong to Nintendo' disclaimer.
References:
-Not a remake of Chapter 19 from Frenemies Forever.
9/2/18, 9/16/18, 9/18, 20, 23, 25, 10/6, 10/12, 11/4, 11/5, 11/11/18, 11/14/18, 12/9