With Big Shells and Wings

Summary: Just when Black is considering leaving Trowzer's army for good, a tragedy occurs that compels him and his brothers to stay; Kooper begins to wonder if what they're doing on Yoshi's Island is even remotely helpful; Larry finally figures out what he must do to lead the rest of Bowser's troops to safety.

Run Turtle Junk (Part 11)

Croco stopped sprinting so he could lean beside a column and catch his breath. The purple crocodile put his hands on his knees and began to pant heavily, his chest inflating with each breath he took. The three crooks trailing behind him had also stopped to get their breath back; all four henchmen were exhausted from running around the castle placing their traps. However, Croco had a new plan in store for him and his three crooks. Upon seeing all the devastation around the castle, the reptile realized that he was fighting a losing battle. The reptile wasn't in league with Bowser; he was just helping him out so he could get paid. But the crocodile had his money now, so there was no point in staying in the castle waiting to die.

"So…we'll rest here and then—"

Croco shook his head and interrupted the crook. "We're done helping Bowser. It's time to get the hell outta here."

One of the crooks blinked. "But I thought we were hired to assist Bowser as much as we can?"

Croco scoffed. "We've helped out enough. 'Sides, there's no way his army's gonna win; there's no point in staying here to get killed. We already got our coins, so let's make like a banana and split!"

The same crook blinked. "Did you really just say that?"

"Shut up; you know it was clever," Croco retorted.

The crooks and crocodile waited until they got their breath back before they finally started to walk towards the double-doors leading to the exit on the bottom floor. It was a long way to the exit, but as long as Croco and his crooks hid from Trowzer's men, they'd be fine. Unfortunately, as Croco and the crooks got close to the doors, they shook.

"(Censored). Hide!" shouted Croco.

"You don't know—"

"I'm telling you, whoever's behind that door ain't friendly! Now get your ass behind some cover!"

The crooks saw the doors shake again and decided to listen to their boss, so the trio of thieves all hid behind Bowser pedestals or stone columns and waited for the doors to burst open. Once Trowzer kicked the door in, the panting koopa slowly walked inside the chamber, almost limping as he moved around. The rest of his troops walked inside, many of whom were just as tired or wounded as Trowzer. The giant koopa wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that he sprained or dislocated something when he fell down the stairs.

"ALL RIGHT!" shouted Trowzer. "WE'RE TAKING ANOTHER SHORT BREAK!"

Croco sighed and shut his eyes. "Of course you are," he said quietly.

The blue-shelled koopa grunted when he sat down on a table, still breathing heavily. The rest of the army poured into the room, taking up much space so they could sit down and relax. Trowzer wasn't sure how much time they wasted after the incident on the stairs, but something told him that they were far behind. The behemoth didn't even want to rest now, but he physically couldn't keep going without stopping or keeling over. All the white magikoopas were going around healing soldiers with their magic while others were scarfing down any supplies that would raise their health. Shannon sat beside Trowzer and was about to eat an ultra shroom when Trowzer reached over and snatched it from his hands. The koopa stuffed the shroom into his mouth and began to chew on it noisily.

"Uh—sir, that was mine!"

Trowzer glared at him evilly and growled. He opened his mouth wide and spat messily into his right hand. The koopa blinked and held his hand in front of Shannon's face, which contained several chunks of the half-chewed ultra shroom covered in slimy drool.

"My mistake. Here you go."

Shannon looked at the gross chewed-up pieces of the shroom and groaned quietly. "Um…you can have it."

"Thank you," said Trowzer, before putting the half-chewed shroom back in his mouth.

Like a majority of the troops in the area, Green and Red were busy checking their ammo and taking a small break. Beside them was Ilnyash, who miraculously survived getting blasted in the chest by Kammy Koopa. But it left a huge red mark on his chest.

"Jesus…do either of you guys have ointment or…somethin'?"

"No. It's just a slight burn; you'll deal with it," said Green.

"A 'slight' burn? Do you see how red my chest is?"

"At least you didn't get shot. Stop complaining."

As Green and Ilnyash were talking, Black stormed into the chamber. After he heard the commotion upstairs, Black decided to follow Mel so he could check on his brothers. The ninjakoopa panted a few times before he spotted his brothers standing beside a pedestal.

"Oh, thank God! You guys are all right!"

Green shrugged. "We didn't come this far to get killed now. I thought bitch…Shannon told you to stay downstairs?"

Black exhaled. "I don't care about him. I don't care about these jobs we gotta do for Trowzer; I don't care about this mission. Let's just…let's just leave guys."

Red raised an eyebrow. "You mean, like just turn around and walk out the front door?"

"Yes! Why not?! We can't keep doing this; we're losing our (censored) minds!"

"Are we losing our minds, or are you losing your mind?" asked Red.

Black stared at Red. "What does that mean?"

"I mean that you two don't seem too keen on being Trowzer's friends."

"It's kind of hard to befriend someone whose breath smells like dragon poop," joked Green.

"This isn't funny, Green! Don't either of you care about what we've been doing all night?! Don't you care that we've turned against our friends, that's we're killing people we used to work with just because they chose the wrong side?!"

Green sighed heavily. "…Yes. Of course it bothers me."

"Seriously?" Red shrugged. "Doesn't seem to bother me."

"Yes it does and you know it! You're just bottling it in and you're going through Stockholm Syndrome!"

"Or maybe I've come to realize how much of an idiot Bowser really is and that we were right to join Trowzer. This isn't about friends and enemies; this is about who lives and who dies, who wins and who loses. With all the stupid things Bowser has done in the past, are you really that surprised that someone smarter than him is overthrowing his empire?"

Black slowly backed away from Red and chuckled quietly. "So…so that's it? Your friends don't matter, Red? Is that it? All that matters is who wins and who loses? What about your family, Red?! Do we matter to you at all?!"

Ilnyash groaned. "Lower your voice; I don't need a migraine on top of this burn wound."

"DOES IT MATTER TO ANYONE AT ALL?! DO ANY OF YOU CARE WHAT YOU'VE SPENT THE LAST FEW HOURS DOING?!" hollered Black.

Ilnyash huffed. "Thanks for listening."

Black ignored him. "Is everyone happy? Huh? Is everyone who used to side with Bowser happy with yourselves right now?! Are you happy that your minds have been corrupted by all these cold-blooded killers and that monster sitting on that table over there?!"

Trowzer blinked. "Now that was uncalled for. There's no need to call Shannon a monster."

Shannon looked up at Trowzer, ready to protest. Trowzer looked back down at Shannon with an evil glare. Unsurprisingly, Shannon looked away from the giant koopa and kept his mouth shut.

"You're all killing your friends—some of you are probably killing your own family! Don't you even care?!" asked Black.

A koopatrol scoffed. "Gee, sounds like someone's on his period."

Black walked up to the koopatrol and got in his face. "You shut the (censored) up. At least I still have a conscience; at least I still care about what I'm doing! What about you, Kenny? Where was your conscience when you slashed your sister's throat? Where was your conscience when you shot your brother in the back of the neck?!"

The koopatrol frowned. "They didn't give me—"

"Bull(censored)! You had the option to let them live and you slaughtered them like animals, like rabid chain chomps!"

"That-that's not true. They—"

"Shut up! I saw the look on your face; you enjoyed killing them. You took pleasure in killing your own siblings!"

Kenny's voice began to break. "I didn't—"

"SHUT UP! You killed your own brother and sister! They're dead because of you, Kenny!"

Green could see that the koopatrol had realized what he had done. He looked like he was about to cry or have a breakdown in front of everyone. Green walked over to Black and tried to calm him down.

"Black—"

Black shook Green's arm away when he grabbed him by the shoulder. The ninjakoopa panted as he walked around the chamber.

"Is this what we do now: just run around killing people and blowing (censored) up?!"

Mel jumped into the conversation. "Black, we just talked about this. If you and your brothers want to leave, the door is right there."

Black scoffed. "Why? So you can shoot us in the back? If we leave this army now, then we're your enemy! And we all know that no one in this army shows even a shred of mercy!"

Croco and his crooks peeked behind the cover they were hiding behind. Croco gestured for one of the crooks to run over and hide beside him behind a column.

"The door's right over there, boss! We can sneak outta here while that ninjakoopa has 'em all distracted!"

Croco nodded and responded quietly. "We have to wait. We'll keep using cover and get closer and closer to the exit. Hopefully all the troops standing near the door will be drawn away."

As Croco and his crooks began to head for the exit, jumping from cover to cover, Black kept talking.

"So what happens next? What-what do we do after your brother's dead, Trowzer?"

The koopa shrugged. "We take over the world of course. But we do it my way, the right way."

"And what's right in your book? Torturing people physically and psychologically? Making them hurt others they don't want to harm?"

A nasty grin showed up on Trowzer's face. "…You killed someone, didn't you?"

Black shut his mouth. The demented koopa got off the table and laughed as he walked over towards Black.

"Yeah, yeah, you did. I bet this was your first time you really killed someone too, wasn't it? No wonder why you're so upset. …How'd you do it, hmm? Did you blow his brains out?"

Black started to back away when Trowzer got closer to him. "Stop…"

Trowzer took out a knife and put the blade at Black's throat. "Or maybe you crept behind him and slit his throat. All that blood gushing out of his neck, splashing all over the floor—"

"Stop it!"

"Sir, Black and his brothers aren't used to these kinds of missions. Perhaps it is best if they stay put while the rest of us go on ahead?"

"I'm sorry, Drazzik. I wasn't aware that you were commanding this army."

The Fire Bro. shut his mouth. Croco and his crooks crept towards a column not far from the door. They were almost home free.

"Now Black, I know you think of me as a 'monster,' but that's fine. You don't know what it's like to actually kill people for a living. But don't worry! Stick with me, and you and your brothers will get it right in no time at all! Trust me when I tell you that it gets easier."

Black shoved Trowzer's hand and knife away and backed up. "I don't want it to get easier."

"Then what do you want?"

"I just want all this to stop! I-I want to live in peace with my brothers and I want everyone who used to work with Bowser to realize what they've done, what they're still doing!"

"Black, you know we can't just walk outta here. You said so yourself," said Red.

"So what then? We just continue working for all these heartless bastards and waltz around murdering our friends? What would Yellow say, Red?!"

"Yellow's dead, Black! He wouldn't say anything; he can't anymore!"

That obviously hit Black hard, as he stopped talking immediately and whimpered quietly. Green couldn't help but watch as Black forced himself not to cry. Even if he wasn't as distraught as Black, he knew his brother had a right to be upset. Green hadn't even killed anyone; he had a chance to gun down Larry and chose to spare him. As Green walked over ready to comfort Black, Barry started to snicker.

"Oh boo-hoo, the whittle-old ninjakoopa is sad that his dear old brother ain't alive to wipe his tears away!"

Harry blinked and looked at his brother, as though he was about to say "did you really just say that to him?" Green growled and walked over to the blue Yoshi. Before Harry could do it, Green punched the dinosaur in the nose, causing him to shout and fall to the floor. The ninjakoopa kicked Barry in the nose before getting on top of him and using his head as a punching bag. Harry backed away and grinned, happy that someone was finally giving his brother a beating he deserved months, probably years ago. As Barry's face was getting bruised and bloodied, Barry managed to grab Green's left fist. He grunted and held it, preventing Green from punching him in the eye.

"Harry! A little help here?!"

"Sorry, bro. This is what happens when you run your mouth."

Everyone just watched as Green kept beating the crap out of Barry. Even Trowzer seemed to be entertained, almost as if Green's anger delighted him. When Green's knuckles began to hurt, the ninjakoopa took out his handgun and put it against Barry's face.

"Open your mouth. OPEN IT!"

Green punched Barry in the gut, causing him to scream. Green quickly placed the barrel of the gun in the Yoshi's mouth, causing him to let out muffled protests. Harry frowned and quickly placed his gun at the back of Green's head. Some of Bowser's former troops pointed their weapons at Harry; the next thing Trowzer knew, at least twenty koopas were pointing their guns at someone.

"Hey, hey, HEY! THAT'S ENOUGH!" he shouted.

Harry exhaled. "What my brother said was inappropriate. He deserved to get the beating he just took. But despite how hot-headed Barry is, he's still my brother and I care about him, just like how you care about Black and Red. You kill him, I kill you."

Green huffed. "Your brother needs to watch his (censored) mouth."

"He's working on that—and failing miserably. But what he said ain't worth getting shot over. Now get off him and take your gun out his mouth before I put a bullet in the back of your head."

Green stared at the wounded blue Yoshi before he exhaled deeply and removed the gun. Harry slowly lowered his handgun, and the rest of the reptiles with their guns pointed at Harry or Green relaxed. Green got off the blue dinosaur, and Barry grunted as he got back to his feet.

"C'mon, Croco! Let's go! The door's right there!" said a crook.

"Not yet! We'll leave when most of 'em enter the next corridor!"

"…What if one of us is a distraction?" asked another crook.

"What?"

The crook sighed. "I'm gonna try something…when I give the signal, you guys run for the door, got it?"

"What signal? What do you plan on doing?"

"Just don't forget about me, all right?"

"Forget about you?! What the hell do you plan on doing?!"

Meanwhile, Trowzer was rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Y'know, I think we've all been sitting here too long. Break time's over! Everybody get up—"

Seconds later, one of the crooks jumped from his hiding spot and started charging towards the army. He let out a fierce battle cry before holding up two handguns and firing at everyone in Trowzer's gang. In the confusion, Kenny was hit in the forehead, and Drazzik was nearly shot in his good eye. Croco and the remaining two crooks could see that this was the signal and dashed for the door. However, the other troops noticed what Croco and his gang was doing and tried to fire at him as well, pinning them down. The crook trying to hit Trowzer rolled across the floor before lifting his guns and firing erratically, still screaming. Trowzer ducked and rolled towards cover while a dark koopatrol was shot in the face. The crook turned to his right and began to shoot at the koopas standing or sitting near the wall. Ilnyash hid in his shell while Green and Black hit the floor. Red grunted and moved backwards, as though someone had just punched him in the chest. His left eye twitched; Red noticed that something wet was dripping down his abdomen. Feeling a bit woozy, Red coughed and stepped backwards towards a Bowser pedestal.

"Red?" asked Green.

The ninjakoopa pressed his shell against the pedestal before he started to let out labored breaths. Red slowly slid down and sat on the floor. The crook had shot him in the chest, and blood was oozing out of his wound.

"RED!"

Ilnyash came out of his shell and swore when he saw the wounded ninjakoopa sitting beside the Bowser pedestal. Green and the koopatrol both rushed over to his body, checking to see how bad his wound was. A few inches to the right and Red would've been hit in the heart.

(Censored) man! Are you all right?!"

"No," said Red weakly, unable to tell Ilnyash that he just asked a stupid question.

Black looked at his dying brother before glancing over at the koopatrols who had Croco and his crooks pinned down. The crook who had shot his brother was still running around the chamber shooting guards and hiding behind any cover he could find. Black had zoned out in the midst of everything, unsure of what he should do. He didn't know whether or not he should save his brother or just leave. The door was right there; he and Green could grab the wounded ninjakoopa and sprint their way to freedom. It all seemed so simple. But when Black looked at Red and saw how much blood he was losing, the rage that had been building up inside him came out. Before Black even knew what he was doing, the ninjakoopa was snatching a pistol off the floor and walking over to where the crook was hiding and shooting Trowzer's men. He lifted the handgun and started to fire. The crook noticed Black and returned fire as soon as he could. Black kept walking forward and shooting, determined to kill the guy who just shot his older brother. When Black was close enough, he ended up hitting the crook twice in the chest. Before he could hide or do anything else, Black emptied the rest of his clip on the hooded robber, hitting him no less than six times.

Black was still squeezing the trigger by the time the crook's body hit the floor. The gun clicked multiple times, indicating that the gun was empty. But he still kept squeezing it, too angry to do anything else. Croco and his crooks were still pinned down, so the crocodile did the only thing he could right now.

"Okay, okay, okay! Stop shooting now; we're coming out!"

Croco's loud voice snapped Black out of his trance. He whimpered slightly as he looked at the dead crook, realizing that he just killed another person simply because he chose the wrong side. Black slammed the gun to the floor before he rushed over to assist Green and Ilnyash. While they were helping Red, Trowzer, Drazzik, and a few other soldiers had their guns pointed at Croco and his two crooks. They slowly came out of hiding and walked towards the middle of the chamber. Croco, surprisingly, seemed calm about the situation and started to grin.

"You got me. Is this the part where we get on our knees and beg for our lives?"

Before Trowzer could answer, Black shouted out, "Can someone please help us?!" Much to Black's surprise, the only people in the room who bothered helping were those who used to be in Bowser's army. Everyone allied with Trowzer just stood by and watched.

"What—why isn't anyone helping us?! Red's dying!" shouted Shelley.

Green put pressure on Red's wound by pressing Red's bandanna against his chest. The ninjakoopa was struggling to keep his eyes open; he was about to pass out.

"SOMEBODY (CENSORED) HELP US!" shouted Black.

A white magikoopa began to walk towards Black and the others, but Trowzer put his hand on his chest and held him back. He grinned and slowly walked towards the ninjakoopa.

"Why would I help you? I thought I was just a monster?"

"Please…he's our brother, Trowzer," Black whined.

"Forget about what Black said! Just get someone here to help us! We're not all medics, y'know!" said Shelley.

"See, Black? You're a hypocrite. Just a few minutes ago you were so pleased to call us monsters and cold-blooded murderers who get off on torturing and killing people. Now you expect us to assist you, after everything you said to us? Why should we help you, Black?" asked Mel.

"I…he's our brother, Mel," said Black quietly.

Red suddenly stopped breathing and shut his eyes. "Oh my God, he stopped breathing!" said Shelley.

Green and Black started to panic, still unsure of what to do. They didn't know if CPR would work considering that the bullet was still in his chest; pressing down near it could make things worse. Croco glanced at Black and his brothers and shrugged.

"Seems like you guys are a bit busy. We'll just leave you in peace."

Croco couldn't even take one step before Trowzer fired beside his feet. The purple crocodile huffed and stopped walking.

"Damn…I was hoping that'd work."

Trowzer glanced at three white magikoopas and gestured for all of them to help Red. Mel raised an eyebrow, wondering why his leader had a change of heart.

"Sir? Did you change your mind?"

"Not exactly; we'll deal with it later. As for this little snake—"

"Hey, I'm a crocodile. Get it straight," interrupted Croco.

"Yes, of course. So I take it you're the guy who gave Team Beta so much trouble earlier?"

Croco chuckled and started to walk up to Trowzer. "Yeah, me and my guys were the ones who blew up your boys. We set up all those bulky bob-ombs and killed your men and we ain't afraid to stand right here and tell you about it."

Shannon pointed his gun at the reptile. "Good. Then we should have no problem blowing your brains out now!"

Croco scratched his chin. "Hmm, yes…yes, you could do that. Frankly, I wouldn't blame you if you did. But is that really the smart choice here?"

"I lost half of my squadron because of you and your team. Give us one good reason why we shouldn't kill you and your thugs back there," said Mel.

Croco snickered. "Surely you know of the infamous Croco! The expert on bombs and thievery? I mean, Bowser gave me and my crew a couple of big bob-ombs and a few decent places to put 'em and look what happened: my guys and I alone slaughtered half your team! Now think about that for a moment; a guy like me is smart enough to kill that many people in just one attack. I'm sure your army could use a demolitions expert."

Shannon scoffed. "Typical. The coward is using his mouth to save him."

"If I recall Shannon, you do that all the time," said Mel.

Croco ignored them. "I'm not being a coward. I'm just smart enough to know when surrendering is the best option I have left."

Trowzer walked up to Croco and looked down at the reptile. The purple creature looked back up at Trowzer, and the two creatures kept grinning at each other. Trowzer growled to himself and sighed.

"Pretty bold of you to come out and admit that to us. You got balls, Croco; I'll give you that much. But tell me, how can I trust you if you join my army? How do I know you still aren't with Bowser?"

"Pfft! (Censored) him. We were just about to leave until that dead idiot over there blew our cover and came out shooting. I don't have a side here, Trowzer. I never did. I just go where the wind takes me…or coins, in this case."

"See, Trowzer? He just told us we shouldn't trust him; he's only in it for the money! Why should—"

"Shannon, shut up. Everyone lower your guns!"

Everyone in the room who had their guns pointed at Croco and the crooks put their weapons down. Trowzer chuckled to himself, still grinning.

"I like you, Croco. You almost remind me of myself: you're smart, bold, and flexible when it comes to planning your dastardly deeds. But you're not trustworthy, which means I'm gonna have to keep a close eye on you until you make me trust you. I'm sure you can find a way to pay us back for all those soldiers you killed?"

Croco shrugged. "Of course. And then it'll just be water under the bridge, right?"

Trowzer nodded. "Right. So I'll let you and your two thugs live. …But if I were you, it'd be best not to try and double-cross me."

Croco grinned and showed off all his teeth before saying, "No promises."

Trowzer smirked before he walked over to where the magikoopas were helping out Red.

"Is he gonna be fine?"

"Not if we don't hurry up and get the proper medical tools. We're gonna have to take him downstairs and heal him there."

Trowzer nodded. "Do it."

The white magikoopas all hauled Red's body off the floor and walked outside the chamber so they could head downstairs. Green was leaning next to a pedestal and Black was on his knees, practically broken. Trowzer smiled and patted Black on the shoulder.

"Cheer up, boys! Your brother's gonna be fine! I'm sure of it."

"…I guess," said Black quietly.

"You see? I am capable of showing mercy and compassion."

Green sighed heavily. "Why do I feel like there's a 'but' coming on?"

Trowzer grinned and looked at Green. "You must be the smart one in your family. Yes, you're right; I do require a favor from you. And when I say 'you,' I mean all three of you. This is a big deal here; I didn't have to save your brother, especially after what you said to me and my army, Black."

"Just tell us what this favor is."

Trowzer scratched his chin. "I'll think of something in the future. Don't worry about it now. Just hope that your brother pulls through."

"What if we don't want to do this…favor?" asked Black.

"Then I see no reason why I should let Red live."

"What if he lives, but we decide not to do this unknown favor after you tell us what it is?" asked Green.

"Then I guess I'll have to kill your brother, won't I?"

Black and Green looked at Trowzer with wide eyes. The sadistic koopa laughed evilly before he crouched down so he and Black were staring at each other eye to eye.

"Oh dear. I bet you weren't expecting that, were you? You see, now you can't leave. …Well, no, I suppose you can. But if you do, then I see no reason why I shouldn't hunt you all down like dogs and kill you once I find you."

Trowzer laughed evilly again. "You're trapped with us. You and your brothers are part of this army until I say otherwise. And there's not a goddamn thing you can do about it without facing repercussions."

Trowzer stared at the shocked look on Black's face before he stood up and patted the ninjakoopa on the shoulder.

"Cheer up guys! Now we'll have more time to get to know each other!"

Green stared at Trowzer with scorn as he turned around and began to walk away. The ninjakoopa slowly made a fist with his right hand before he slammed it against the wall.

"That son of a bitch! I can't believe we—" Green sighed and rubbed his forehead. "…Guess you were right about him, Black. Maybe we should've just left the second we found out what Trowzer planned to do tonight. …Black?"

Black was still on his knees, breathing quietly and looking down at the floor. Green nudged his shoulder, but Black acted like he didn't feel anything. The guy felt so limp that Green thought Black might fall over.

"C'mon, Black. Say something."

"Th…" Black shut his eyes and slowly shook his head. "There's no hope for us anymore, is there?"

Green didn't say anything. A tired and emotionally-mangled Black stood up and turned around to face Green. Green had never seen Black like this before. His brother looked like he had given up on everything in life.

"There's just…there's nothing left, Green…nothing…"

Black turned around and sluggishly walked over to rejoin Trowzer's gang, leaving Green to wonder about the future, about what "favor" Trowzer planned on making them do. But more importantly, Green wondered what Black would do if this pain and senseless madness continued.


Kooper and Geno weren't doing much better than the Koopa Bros. Both of them had been upset over what happened with Bosley and Eddard, and with Hooktail gone and the Mario Bros. no longer with them, they seemed rather lonely on Yoshi's Island. Both of them were following Tallard, the leader of the group of Yoshi rebels they rescued. No one had said a thing since Hooktail had left. Kooper couldn't help but mull over everything that had happened. Hundreds, maybe thousands of Yoshis had been killed for reasons they still didn't understand. The blue-shelled koopa looked all around his settings and noticed that several trees had been charred by Dracolin. Some of the branches still hung onto what was left of some trees, but now they were just tiny pieces of kindling. Kooper and the rebels had spotted several bodies as they made their way to the hut beside one of the beaches. Kooper was so used to the stench and the revolting sight that he didn't even gag or retch. It was almost as if seeing a pile of dead dinosaurs was normal for him now.

The group walked for several more minutes before they finally arrived to the beach. Other rebels were located there and guarding the area. Tallard, not in much of a mood for talking, walked up into the enormous hut and opened the door. Kooper, Geno, and all the other rebels followed him inside.

"We'll rest here for a while, make a new set of plans in the morning. We'll sleep in shifts so everyone gets a fair amount of rest. Denny, Carla and I will take watch outside while the rest of you can sleep or do whatever. Just don't wander off."

Everyone agreed without protest. One of the Yoshis threw himself on a bed the second Tallard and the others left the hut. A few other Yoshis decided to get some sleep too, but a couple of them were too nervous or alert to pass out now, so they spent their time looking out the windows for intruders. Kooper sat down on the floor beside the bed, as opposed to actually resting on the comfortable mattress.

"Don't you wanna sleep on the bed instead?" asked a green Yoshi.

Kooper shook his head. "Don't matter to me."

The Yoshi shrugged. "Your loss."

The green Yoshi flopped on the bed instead of Kooper and sighed deeply before he shut his eyes and went to sleep. Geno walked over to Kooper and noticed that he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

"You sure you don't want to sleep on a bed?"

"I don't…" Kooper exhaled and shook his head. "What are we doing here?"

"We're resting until dawn."

"No, what are we doing here, on this island?"

"We're trying to stop Trowzer's goons from taking over the island. You know that."

Kooper scoffed. "Like we're any help. What have we done in the past few hours that have gotten us remotely closer to stopping this invasion?"

"For starters, we've disposed of Dracolin."

"Hooktail did that, not us. And she killed him only after he burned down a village and crushed a child to death."

"Well…we've freed a handful of rebels, and now they're assisting us in the assault against these shady koopas."

"And how long will it be until they end up dead or recaptured? We're focusing all our time and resources on the small things, Geno. We can't keep spending our time running around rescuing rebels who will only help us out a little bit."

"But the more rebels we rescue, the stronger our numbers will be, and the easier it'll be to take out these shady koopas."

"It's not about numbers. It's about experience and skill—those koopas have made it pretty clear that they're professionals when it comes to handling the weapons we've seen. …Maybe we made a mistake, Geno. Maybe we shouldn't have split up back at Bowser's castle. If the Mario Bros. were here, I'm sure they'd figure out what to do."

"I'm sure they're handling Trowzer just fine. You can't think like this, Kooper. You have to believe that we're going to win; thinking negatively is what causes failure. Sure, we might not have the same resources and weapons as these shady koopas, but you, me, Mario, his brother—we've all been through worse than this. Just stay positive, Kooper, and we'll be fine."

"Do you honestly believe that? Look at this situation realistically instead of positively. Unless we find a decent amount of help soon, do you think we stand a chance at taking this island back? Or are you just telling me all this to try and make me feel better?"

Geno didn't have an answer for that. He just stared at Kooper, unsure of what he should say. The doll thought about lying to the turtle, but realistically, the chances of them retaking the island was diminutive. Kooper got tired of waiting for an answer, so he sighed heavily and leaned back against the wall.

"Thought so."

"Look, Kooper—"

"Geno, I'm tired. I know you're trying to help and you want me to feel better…but I just don't wanna hear it now."

Kooper started to shut his eyelids and breathed slowly. "I need some rest, Geno. Wake me up if something important happens."

Geno didn't want to argue with the blue-shelled reptile, so he just nodded and said, "Okay." Kooper finally closed his eyes and began to nod off, hoping that everything would be better in the morning.


"Kooper? Hey, Kooper! Wake up!"

The koopa slowly opened his eyes and saw a big black nose and two eyes in front of him. He mumbled to himself before he noticed that it wasn't so dark anymore. Dawn had arrived, and although clouds filled the sky, it was much brighter outside.

"Wake up!"

Kooper shut his eyes and groaned. "Yeah, yeah, I'm up. What is it Denny?"

"You need to get a weapon now. Don't panic—just, just listen to me. They found us."

Kooper was wide awake now. "What?!"

"I-I don't know how, but they did! I was just walking through the forest—I know Tallard told me not to wander off, but there's these juicy melons that only grow on certain trees—"

"Just shut up and tell me what happened!"

"Right, sorry. Uh, so I was looking for these melons and I saw two shady koopas hiding in a bush. When I started to move away from 'em so I wouldn't get caught, I saw more of them walking towards us; they were hiding in the trees. I think we're surrounded, actually."

Kooper quickly got up and ran over to one of the windows. He and Geno looked outside and noticed that several shady koopas armed to the teeth were advancing towards the large hut.

"Oh, (censored)," said Kooper.


Everyone had to stop. They couldn't keep running. Roy, Larry, and Murray were dragging their feet across the floor, but even they were tired. The whole army could barely stand, let alone run away from Towzer's goons. Roy stopped walking and turned around to look at the army, all of whom was too busy sitting down catching their breath or splayed out all over the floor.

"Come on! We're…we're getting closer to the exit! Just…just a little further!" said a tired Roy.

Kammy Koopa exhaled; she was lying on the floor. "Some of us…can't go any further. We can't keep running like…like this."

"We have to, Kammy! Everytime we stop in a room, Trowzer's gang finds us and kills off a portion of this army! It's like a broken record; we can't keep stopping anymore!" said Wendy.

Kammy Koopa panted again. "You do not understand: some of us physically can't go on! Do…do you wanna carry us to the exit?"

"If that's what we gotta do."

"That'll slow us down, sis. You know that," said Junior.

"We could always…you know, leave some of them here—"

"Shut up, Roy! We're not leaving the weak here to let them get killed!"

"Not all of us are too banged up anyways! I only got shot in the arm!" said Tutankoopa.

"So what do you propose we do then, Wendy? Let all the slow and wounded drag us down so the rest of us who can still run get slaughtered?"

"You are such an asshole, Roy!"

"Guys, we have to figure out—"

"SHUT UP!" bellowed Larry.

Everyone in the oversized chamber stopped talking. Larry rubbed his forehead. "I need to see you guys for a moment."

Roy, Murray, Junior, and Wendy stood in front of Larry as he stood near a corner in the chamber. The blue-haired koopaling breathed heavily before he exhaled deeply and made his decision.

"Roy's right. Someone has to stay behind to distract Trowzer's forces. If we keep going this slowly, they'll catch up and kill all of us. But if someone stays behind and distracts them for a while, it might give you all time to escape."

"You can't be serious," said Wendy.

Larry nodded. "I am. …That's why I'm staying here."

Everyone went silent and stared at Larry with wide eyes. Junior slowly began to shake his head.

"No…no, you-you're not doing that. You know what Trowzer will probably do—"

"I know."

"Let us stay with you, Larry! You don't have to do this—"

"Goddamnit, Larry! Do not pick tonight to be a hero!" snarled Roy.

"This is pointless, Larry! Trowzer will kill you in a matter of seconds and then they'll catch up to us anyway!" said Murray.

"No, he won't. The secret exit out of this castle is behind a door that looks no different than these walls here. There's a gold and platinum chain hanging from the ceiling a few chambers away from here. All you gotta do is tug that chain down and the door will slide open. The second it closes after you walk inside, you'll all be hidden behind what looks like a wall. So unless Trowzer goes crazy and tries to demolish the castle walls, you guys should be fine."

"But what about you, Larry?! How are you—"

"I know where the exit is. I'll just…hold Trowzer back for as long as I can, and then after he's finished with me, I'll regroup with you guys. Hopefully Trowzer will bring his whole army with him to take down Bowser and won't leave any of them in the same room with the secret exit."

"…This is suicide, Larry," said Murray softly.

Larry smiled. "You told me I need to step up. You told me that there might be a situation where I have to choose to save—"

"That," Murray stammered. "I-I didn't mean like this, Larry! I didn't mean right now!"

"Now's the perfect time, Murray. When else—"

Roy grabbed Larry by the throat and slammed him to the wall. "You son of a bitch! You don't get to decide when you live and die! You're not gonna stay here so you can get killed! If you die, I'll…I'll kill you! Do you hear me?!"

Roy let go of Larry's neck. The koopaling coughed a few times and laughed. "That's funny…you'll kill me if I die?"

"Larry, please. I know I've been mad at you about my wife, but this isn't the way to deal with that!" said Murray.

"This isn't just about her, Murray. It…" Larry sighed and remembered what someone told him not too long ago. "Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice in order to protect someone or something you care about most. If I stay behind, then at least the rest of you will live."

Junior's eyes started to water. "Stop talking like that."

"Like what?"

"Like we're never gonna see you again!" shouted Wendy.

Larry sighed. "I'll be okay…really. You guys just need to get everyone out here."

"At least let us stay with you, fight alongside you!" protested Roy.

"You can't do that. We don't know where Lemmy, Morton, or Ludwig is. At least one of you needs to survive to keep this empire going, in case Dad can't defeat Trowzer by himself. You know he's not coming with us; this is personal to him. He needs to stay. But you guys still have a chance. And I'm telling you right now that you need to get out of here."

"Larry—"

"I'm not arguing with you about this anymore. We don't have time. Get all the troops ready so you guys can leave."

"…If you're not back in a half-hour or an hour, we're coming back for you," said Junior.

"I could be dead by then."

"We don't care, Larry! We're not leaving your body here for those butchers to rip apart!"

Larry huffed. "Fine…I guess that's fair. Just be careful you don't get caught if you have to come back for me."

"But you're going to come back, Larry. You're coming back," stated Roy.

"Of course…right."

There was a brief silence that went on longer than it should. Suddenly, Wendy and Junior both rushed towards Larry and hugged him tightly. The blue-haired koopaling grunted as he almost had the breath squeezed out of him. Junior sniffled as a tear ran down his face, and Wendy noticed that she was struggling to hold her tears back too. Murray shook his head and sighed before he stood in the middle of the chamber and addressed the army. While he was busy shouting for everyone to get up and head for the secret exit, Wendy and Junior finished hugging Larry and backed away. But Roy just stared at him with an ugly frown on his face. Larry grinned.

"What? No hug for your little brother?"

Roy's definition of "hugging" was to punch Larry in the nose and knock him down. The burly and unhygienic koopaling breathed heavily before he shouted at Larry.

"YOU COME BACK! You…you come back, Larry!"

Larry rubbed his nose and huffed. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

No one said goodbye; that would just imply that they knew he wouldn't be coming back. So Roy, Junior and Wendy looked at Larry for a brief moment before they slowly moved backwards and joined the army. Everyone was still sluggishly dragging their feet across the floor—some of them even had to be carried out the chamber. But it didn't matter now. All Larry needed to do was distract Trowzer long enough for them to be free. A few soldiers wondered why Larry wasn't doing anything, but the koopaling just smirked and said he'll catch up after getting his breath back. About four minutes later, everyone in the chamber was gone, and the thick metal doors slammed shut. …Well, everyone was gone except Tutankoopa, General Guy, and the Boomerang Bro. Henson. Larry looked at the three of them and sighed deeply.

"Did Murray tell you?"

"We're not idiots, Larry. I know what you're doing. I'm a general after all; I know when a soldier plans on sacrificing his or herself for the greater good. Besides, I can see it in your eyes…you need to do this, don't you?" asked General Guy.

Larry nodded. "Yes."

"Then we're staying with you," said Tutankoopa.

"I don't have time to argue—"

"I told you that I'd be standing alongside you the moment we bash Trowzer's head in. Why wait? Now seems like the perfect opportunity for that to happen," said Henson.

"You need our help anyway, Larry. You wouldn't be able to hold off Trowzer for more than a few minutes without us," said Tutankoopa.

Larry slowly walked away from the wall. "I suppose you're right."

General Guy, Tutankoopa, and Henson began to take positions in the chamber while Larry stood a few feet away from the door his brothers and sister just walked through. He stared at the door for a very long time, his mind flooding with all the memories he had of them when he was younger, all the obnoxious pranks they played on each other. It filled him with a deep sense of nostalgia and sadness. It seemed like forever since he and Lemmy were tossing water balloons filled with oil out of a moving plane onto a bunch of koopas filming a "typical" day in Bowser's life. He felt like laughing at the memory, but instead, he just started to tear up. Larry sighed and whined softly before he started to cry silently to himself. Henson was busy walking around the chamber when he headed over to Larry again and snickered.

"Guess it's time for us to show Trowzer what we're made of, eh, Larry?"

Henson heard Larry sob quietly as he had his head down.

"Larry?"

Henson stood beside Larry as he lifted his head. His face was covered in tears. Henson breathed heavily and suddenly lost his cocky attitude.

"We're not getting out of here alive, are we?"

Larry just shook his head and answered quietly.

"No."