Chapter 2 A Modest Proposal

Iggy tapped his pencil on his desk at an alarming rate. He had his hand on his chin, and his eyes were staring at nothing in particular.

"Hmm," he said. "Hmm hmm hmm." He was oblivious to the peeping of the chicks that were in his incubator and the fact that there were servants bustling about in the hallway. When Larry came into the room, he was only barely aware of it. Larry took a seat on Iggy's bed and stared at the lanky genius.

"Whatcha thinking about?" asked the blue haired Koopaling.

Iggy continued tapping his pencil against the desk. "I am considering the idea that was proposed at breakfast."

Larry blinked. "You mean the interdimensional Mario Kart race?"

"Mmhm. I believe that it sounds like a very interesting idea, to say the least."

Larry's eyes grew wide, his mouth widened into a grin. "That's awesome!" He jumped off the bed and rushed over to his brother. "You really think that we'll be able to do it?"

"Well, yes, I do. I am just having trouble deciding how and when."

Larry smiled and laid his hands on the desk. "We don't have to worry about the when. We can do it tomorrow! I want to put the pedal to the metal as soon as possible!"

Iggy chuckled. "You really are invested in this ideation." He sighed. "Unfortunately, I would not place my bets on Mario willingly handing over the ray gun. After all, he was put through the wringer when it came to retrieving it."

Larry snickered. "Yeah, dealing with alternate versions of us is not a fun experience!" He leaned in a little closer. "But, then again, he is often willing to set aside his biases to have Mario Kart races. Heck, he even invited us to the last one. Besides, the Mushroom and Koopa Kingdoms did settle on a peace agreement recently."

"True," Iggy said. He stopped tapping his pencil and turned toward Larry. "I suppose, then, asking him if he wishes to do this would be a sensible option."

Larry's eyes lit up. "Heck yeah! It sure would beat stealing the ray gun!"

Iggy chuckled. "Yes, that is true." With that, he got up from the desk and made his way over toward the doorway. "I believe asking him in person would be the best choice, as you yourself have said that you wish to hold this race sooner rather than later."

Larry grinned. "Okay! Then let's a go!"

…

The Mushroom Kingdom had always had a distinct scent to Iggy. It smelt of freshly mown lawn, strawberries baked into a pie, and chocolate chip cookies, all at one time. As Iggy and Larry rode in their Koopa Clown Copters high above the ground, he couldn't help but bask in the scent. He also couldn't help but admire the shiny green grass and the colorful hills. Why couldn't his species have decided to live here as opposed to the gray, dreadful region of the Koopa Kingdom?

Ah well. That was not what was important right now. He and Larry continued forward. They both knew the way to Peach's Castle. How could they not? Considering that they had kidnapped Peach multiple times, the route to her castle was more or less seared into their brains. Iggy was not surprised in the least when he spotted the white and pink structure.

"Do you think Mario will be there?" Larry asked.

Iggy smirked. "Will Mario be residing in the building where the love of his life lives? Please."

With that, the two of them landed right outside the castle. When they got out of their Clown Copters, Larry shook and grinned like an excited toddler. He bounced toward the entrance in a way that wasn't too dissimilar to the way that Lemmy made his way around. As always, the castle was completely unguarded, which Iggy found moronic as well as ironic.

They entered the castle. Even though Iggy had been in this building multiple times, he still couldn't help but admire its feng shui and architecture. The white walls and the pink carpet, coupled with the natural lighting of the windows, provided the place with a very down to Earth and special vibe. Iggy couldn't help but grin.

"Iggy, look!" Larry said. He pointed toward Mario, who was talking with the Princess as she sat on her throne. Iggy's grin grew brighter.

"See? I told you! I do have some semblance of an inkling regarding what I am communicating!"

Larry rolled his eyes. He then ran toward the plumber and the Princess, his eyes so bright they could be mistaken for miniature suns.

"Mario! Peach! We're so glad to see you!"

Mario and Peach ceased with their conversation and turned toward Larry. They stared at him for a minute, blinking their eyes out. Then, Mario's eyebrows scrunched up, and the Princess gasped as her eyes grew wide.

"What are you doing here?" asked Mario. "How did you get in?"

Iggy took a step forward. "The entrance was completely unguarded; it wasn't exactly difficult."

Mario turned toward the Princess and crossed his arms. "Seriously, Peachy? You still haven't gotten some guards?"

Peach chuckled. "I've been busy with other things."

"More like procrastinating," Mario sharply exhaled. He turned toward the Koopalings. "Now, because of that, I'm gonna have to defend you from getting kidnapped once again."

Iggy blinked. "Kidnapped? Mario, have you forgotten about the peace treaty between our two Kingdoms? We are not here to kidnap the Princess!"

Mario's brow softened. "No, I've remembered the peace treaty." He took a step forward. "So, if you aren't here to kidnap Peachy, then why are you here?"

Both Iggy and Larry smiled.

"We have a proposal for you," said Iggy.

"Yeah! It's only the best and most amazing idea ever! We know for a fact that you're gonna love it!"

Mario raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

With that, the Koopas got to explaining their idea. As they did, Mario's facial features became less hardened. Peach's eyes twinkled like the stars.

"Hmm," Mario said once Iggy and Larry had finished. "That sounds…"

"That sounds like an incredible idea!" Peach exclaimed as she clasped her hands together. "Not only does it sound like a lot of fun, but it can also strengthen the bond we have between our two kingdoms."

"Exactly!" Iggy said. "On top of which, it could potentially be very educational. I mean, how much do you two know about other dimensions."

"Surprisingly not a lot," Mario said. He took a step forward. "Well, since Peach likes the idea and we have had Mario Kart races in the past, I see no reason why we can't try this out."

Larry fist pumped. "Yes! Thanks, Mario!"

"I promise you will not regret this!" said Iggy.

Mario's brow scrunched up. "I'd better not."