Chapter 6-2: Under the stars
The pipe led the group to the marina where Tatanga was first found. Before they headed out, they had to plan on what they would use to go to Iceland.
"Tatanga, can we use your ship to bring us there?" Larry asked.
"Sorry, kid, when we fought against the dragon, I forced the engine too much and it expired shortly after we met Kraig. My ship is at a garage in Skyland City. I hope you thought of something else to get to Iceland." The alien replied.
"Let's go to my bike. It must still be around here."
They wandered through the marina which was back in business. Many ships were parked for reparation and lakitus hovered around on clouds. They saw Larry's bike next to a kiosk with a sign that read "Pawn Shop" on it. A lakitu was standing behind the kiosk. They went to see the shopkeeper.
"Welcome, tourists, may I interest you in some of my wares?" The shopkeeper proposed.
"I'm here to get my bike back." The punk told him.
"I'm sorry but you'll have to buy it first." The lakitu crookedly grinned.
"Really? It's his bike and…" Starlow started.
"Let me handle that, Starlow. You have the keys with the bike?" The koopaling said.
"Yes, I have them right here." The lakitu answered.
The lakitu brought up some keys out of his kiosk. Clearly, Larry could tell they were not the bike's key. They were just ordinary keys, certainly to someone's house, the lakitu's house. The bike's key had the logo of the bike's manufacturer on their head.
"I doubt these keys will work. Unless you start the engine with them, I'm not interested in it." Larry pointed out.
The lakitu started sweating. He put the keys on the kiosk.
"King Larry, what a surprise to see you there! What brings you here?"
The group looked behind them and saw a council member from Skyland. He was at the marina to ensure that at least a few ships would be ready for travelling.
"I need to go to Iceland. I was planning to use my bike but someone is trying to sell it to me?" The punk explained.
"Wait! You're a king!? Please, take the bike free of charge!" The shopkeeper said while bringing the bike to them.
Obviously, he had to push it because he did not actually have the keys to start the engine.
"Please, don't punish me!" The shopkeeper begged to Larry.
"It's your council's job to judge you, not mine. I'm king of my own land." The punk said.
Larry took the belted cushion out of his bike's seat and wore it. He hopped on his bike while Tatanga got on holding his back and Starlow entered his sidepack.
"Be careful in there. We haven't received any news from Iceland for days. I fear that the situation there might be worse than anywhere else." The council member warned.
The group nodded and left the marina, heading out to Iceland. They reached the border between Skyland and their destination. A lakitu was stationed there but no one from Iceland was present. There, a gas station stood on the side of Skyland. They parked the bike right next to the building and entered it.
"What are we looking for, kid?" Tatanga asked.
"I wanna get a car battery before we head out into Iceland. I wanna make sure I can start the engine anytime. The harsh conditions there will quickly drain the bike's battery." Larry replied.
Unlike the other gas station Larry visited (Chapter 2-2), this one was already visited by many scavengers so barely anything was left. The group went in the garage next to the station and found a car that was being fixed before the incident. The car was in no condition to be used due to its absent hood and missing lights. A battery was plugged after the engine. Larry unplugged the car's battery and pulled it out of the car. Starlow brought some popsicles she found in one of the freezers. Since their trip to Sandland, she got hooked to these cold treats. They took a break and each ate a Popsicle. This time, the star sprite was taking her time to eat it to not get another brain freeze. The bat humanoid, having already eaten that kind of treat many times, did the same.
"Tell me, kids, how long have you been with each other?" Tatanga asked.
"It must've been at least a week." Larry said.
"Yeah and the first time we saw each other, it was really awkward. I was looking for him because the stars told me to seek him. I was supposed to meet him in a prison cell in the Grassland Fortress but he wasn't there and I had no idea where he could be. So, I went to the Mushroom Castle to see Princess Peach to see if she knew where I could find him and, coincidentally, it just so happened that he was there. When I first met him, he just finished taking a shower but good thing he was wearing a towel." Starlow explained.
"Wait. You were meant to meet me at the Grassland Fortress after the incident?" Larry asked.
"Yes, this was part of the stars' plan to restore the world. Something must've foiled it and forced you to be evacuated."
(Whoops! Maybe I shouldn't have broken free by myself.) The punk thought.
"Well, that escalated quickly." Tatanga concluded.
After eating their Popsicle, the group left the garage and put the battery inside the bike's seat. They drove for a few more hours into the snowy plains. Iceland shared many common traits with both Grassland and Woodland. Half of its landscape was plains full of snow like Grassland during winter while the other half was filled with frozen forests like Woodland in its coldest season. Just like post-incident Sandland, there were little to no signs of cry creatures. Thought, this was because civilisations in Iceland were more concentrated at specific places rather than being spread accross the land. They drove for a few more hours. The sun was setting much faster than anywhere else, an anomaly no scientist could explain since Iceland was in the same time zone as the rest of Amarioca. They also passed by some of the landmarks in the land such as Sherbet Land and Mount Wario. They finally reached the outpost the contact might have been talking about earlier just before the sun completely vanished behind the snowy plains. The outpost was built much differently compared to the one in Sandland and the other one in Woodland. It had a garage to not let any vehicles out in the cold. It also had a hot spring next to it for people that wanted to take a hot bath after a cold day. The group headed inside the garage and parked the bike there. Larry plugged the battery after the bike's engine. They entered inside the outpost. Much like the other ones, one room was filled with many beds to allow travellers to rest. Another room was dedicated to the kitchen and one last room had a fireplace with many armchairs and couches. They went in the living room and sat down on a couch.
"Hey, kid, I heard some stuff about your dad having passed away. A lot of people talk about it as if it'll have an impact on everyone. Was your dad that popular?" Tatanga asked.
"Well, my dad was the Koopa King after all." Larry answered.
"Wait, you mean your dad was Bowser!? My, it's been a long time I haven't heard that name! I used to visit him many times years ago. I often went to his castle to play tennis with him."
"You played tennis with him at his castle?"
The punk suddenly realized something.
"Now I replace you in my memories. Why you seemed familiar to me wasn't because of a video game. That was because I saw you at the castle years ago and Bowser even presented you to me. Yes, I remember that's when I started playing tennis."
"I used to visit him a lot until he once vanished during months. What happened to him?"
"He said he had a business meeting in Obeanie. Not many people know what happened to him there. One of the few people that knew what happened to him was Popple who stumbled across him. At that time, he had no memory of what he was doing or who he was."
"That green burglar at the castle met him years ago?"
"I know. I thought it was farfetched but he actually knew Bowser. He even knew about me and my siblings as well as Junior way before he met any of us."
Though Popple also knew about Clawdia, Larry chose not to bring it up.
"Bowser has a new kid? Isn't it becoming too much for him? Nevermind that. Before I sidetrack too much, you still didn't explain how he lost his memory that day." Tatanga pointed out.
"I can explain." Starlow brought up.
The two humanoids looked at the star sprite.
"After I was created, the stars gave me my first mission to stop an assassination attempt on Bowser. He was heading to Obeanie via an airship. I tried to warn him about the whole thing but I was too late. When I arrived at his ship, another ship was already fighting it. Two individuals tried to kill him but Bowser fell off his ship into somewhere in Obeanie. The fall and impact must have caused the memory loss. The two assassins after him were Cakletta, a powerful witch who once used to rule over Obeanie until she was chased out and Queen Bean took her place, and Fawful, her personal advisor whose loyalty would remain to her instead of the crown. Shortly after the failed attempt, Cackletta and Fawful were arrested for betrayal and attempted murder against royalty. While Cackletta was executed, Fawful managed to escape to plan another assassination attempt. This time, Bowser was heading back to Amarioca and I managed to get to him to tell about the next assassination attempt. He did not believe me until Fawful got on the ship. A heated fight broke between Bowser and Fawful until Fawful fell overboard into the ocean. No one was ever able to find him. The stars declared him as deceased but, somehow, I still…"
Someone knocked on the door of the outpost's entrance. Tatanga got excited.
"That must be my contact." The alien declared.
The group stood up from the couch and headed to the door. Tatanga opened the door and they were presented to a human girl. The girl was very tall, perhaps the same height as Bowser. She was wearing a turquoise robe with sleeves that reached her hands her platinum blond hair covered her right eye while a silver crown rested on them. A star with small oval black eyes accompanied her. People who met her for the first time would usually mistake her with Peach for sharing similar facial traits. Tatanga started trembling. Larry noticed that he tried to smile at the girl but could not keep his smile straight. Love stroke him and did not miss its target at all. The small bat humanoid started stuttering.
"Good evening, strangers. I am looking for the Ice World. Do you know where I can find it?" The girl asked.
Neither Larry nor Starlow knew what she was talking about. Maybe Tatanga knew something about it but he was stuttering too much to speak. The punk gently hit the alien's side with his elbow but he was too absorbed to react to it.
"Will you excuse me? I need to bring him back on the World." Larry said to the girl.
He proceeded to slap the alien into the face. Tatanga finally snapped out of it.
"Ah yes, the Ice World, take a left right after the Comet Observatory then head straight. After a few lightyears, turn right before the Gateway Galaxy and you should arrive at the Ice World." Tatanga said.
"That is correct. You must be my contact. My name is Rosalina." The girl greeted.
"I am Tatanga. I'm pleased to meet you."
Oddly enough, Tatanga did not have his showy attitude like when he introduced himself to Larry. He was much tamer and less arrogant. The punk already met Rosalina a few times before the incident. He first saw her in karting competitions then in the Olympics. At the Olympics, she was participating in the rhythmic gymnastics events.
"We have much to discuss but we need to be left alone." Rosalina said to the koopaling.
"I get it. I'll go take a walk outside. I won't be that far. I'll just hang around the snowmen. Then, I'll rest in the hot spring." Larry told to her.
The punk left the outpost and went for a walk. Many snowmen were built next to the outpost. They were witnesses of the everchanging world. Some of them must have dated from centuries ago, or even millennials. He walked between them until he saw one particular snowman. It was around the same height as Larry and was wearing a scarf. He went checking it and saw his name carved on it.
"After all those years, it's still standing." He whispered.
"What's the deal about that snowman?"
Larry looked behind him and saw Starlow. She followed him because she too was not allowed to hear what the two others had to discuss either.
"Oh, I made this snowman ten years ago on my first trip here. It also reminds me when…" Larry replied.
He looked back at the snowman and sat down in the snow. He closed his eyes.
Iceland was the first land Bowser brought his koopalings on their very first vacation trip. The vacation project would go as follow: Iceland, Skyland, Sandland, Grassland, Sealand, Woodland and Pipeland. The family stopped at the outpost after having visited the Iceland City. It was late in the night and Larry, wearing a scarf and mittens, was rolling a snowball on the ground. He put it among a few snowmen. He rolled two other snowballs, both smaller than the first one. He put the snowball on top of each other to make his snowman. It was quite small but he could not make a bigger one due to his short size at the time. He went inside the outpost to find objects he could use to decorate his snowman. He found a carrot and some pebbles. He went back outside and put the carrot on the top snowball. With the pebbles, he made eyes, a smiling mouth and, with the last three pebbles he had, he put them on the middle snowball to act as buttons for a shirt. He wore off his scarf and put it on the snowman. After he made his snowman, he looked around and saw his brother Lemmy who was lying in the snow and starring at the sky.
"Hey, Lemmy, what are you doing?" Larry cheerfully asked.
"Larry, why do things change?" Lemmy randomly asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Why is Iggy sad all of a sudden?"
"I don't know."
Lemmy was the first person to notice Iggy had a problem. He could not however find a way to make him happy long enough. All his efforts were in vain. Lemmy stood up and looked at his little brother.
"Of course you don't know, Larry! You're stupid!" He insulted.
"Lemmy, I don't know what Iggy has but…" Larry started.
"I DON'T WANT THINGS TO CHANGE!" The small koopaling shouted.
Lemmy ran away, crying, toward the outpost. It was clear that he had his own problem just like Larry's other siblings. The punk did not know what to do. His little brother should realize that sometimes things change. Larry had no idea how he would explain this to Lemmy.
"Come in, Larry! It's getting late! We have hot cocoa inside!" Bowser's voice yelled.
Larry looked at the outpost and saw an imposing shadowy silhouette in the doorframe filled with light. The punk went to the door.
"Regardless of the change, Lemmy never wanted to accept it. It took so long that Junior was born." Larry concluded.
"Did Junior's birth finally made him accept changes?" Starlow asked.
"I don't remember exactly if that was what changed him."
They went back to the outpost and headed toward the hot spring. Larry removed his clothes and shell and went in the spring. Starlow, on the other hand, went back inside. Footsteps could be heard shortly after. The punk looked around. Tatanga was in a swimming suit and entered the spring.
"So, kid, now that I met my contact, I have nothing else to do here." He announced.
"Good for you but I still have some stuff to do." Larry replied.
"What kind of stuff?"
"I need to get the green wand and I have to check on one of my siblings. Are you planning to return to the Mushroom Castle?"
"It'll depend if Rosalina wants to follow you or not. Right now, we only talked about a future meeting to schedule with the royalties of the Mario World."
"Don't you think it's too early to schedule another big day after what happened during the first one?"
"Yeah, I thought about it too. Don't worry, kid. First, we must get rid of that Riley guy to make sure he won't try anything against us."
"I heard he has a ship orbiting around the Mario World."
"It'll be too risky to attempt a direct assault on his ship. For now, we just need to prepare for the worst. Also, why are you gathering those magical gizmos?"
"Starlow told me that we can restore the world if we gather all the royal artifacts together. I only have two wands left and the Star Pendant to get."
They kept talking for a little while until they got tired and got off the hot spring. They dried themselves with towels found inside the outpost. Larry only put his underwear back and brought his shell and the rest of his clothes next to a bed. Starlow joined him back and lied down on a table near his bed. Before the punk went to sleep, he overheard a conversation between Rosalina and Tatanga.
"You know, when I just arrived here, you acted all strange. Are you sure you are comfortable to be with me?" Rosalina's voice asked.
"Off course I am! I haven't seen someone as pretty as you before. Even Daisy isn't that cute." Tatanga's voice answered.
"I have heard many things about you and how you kidnapped her."
"Woah! That was a long time ago. I changed, I swear."
"I do not doubt it. It was many years ago after all. Though, I thought you were taller."
"Kids like to make things up to make villains scarier."
"Well, I find you more adorable like that."
The size difference between Rosalina and Tatanga was ridiculous. Rosalina could hold the alien in her arms and pretend that he was a big bat plush. Larry closed his eyes and fell asleep.
The group woke the next day. Larry combed his hairs and joined the others for breakfast where they had toasts. They spoke to each other to know about their current plan.
"We were planning to go to the Mushroom Kingdom to meet Princess Peach, Larry. Will you come back with us?" Rosalina said.
"I can't. I need to go to Iceland City to check on my brother Lemmy then I must retrieve the green wand." Larry replied.
"I that case, I will come with you." The girl proposed.
"But you just said that you'll leave us!" Starlow reminded her.
"I know but the city is in ruins." The woman announced.
"What's the situation there? A city in ruins doesn't mean much when all the other cities are in ruins." Larry pointed out.
"There were no survivors." Rosalina announced.
The rest of the group was shocked.
"I only walked down the streets and no one was there. Many broken bones lied down in the streets." The girl continued.
"If you only went in the streets, maybe there are at least a few people who survived that must be in one of the buildings or the Iceland Palace. Those broken bones prove it. I need to see it from my own eyes." Larry said.
The group came to an agreement. They would go to Iceland City to find some survivors and retrieve the green wand. They left the outpost. Larry got back on his bike and Starlow went in his sidepack. Rosalina had a ship and Tatanga joined her in the ship. They headed toward Iceland city.