RECAP:
While preparing for the mission at-hand, the group took a moment of rest to tie up some loose ends and strengthen their resolves. Kooper and Goombella each explored their deeper feelings for one another. But whether or not they would act upon such feelings remained to be seen.
Roy and Peach worked through their conflict of trust and in the end, Roy managed to persuade Peach to use her powers to try and heal Kooper's shell injury so the Koopa could join the group on their mission.
The attempt was a success. Accompanied by a fully rested Junior, the gang decided to storm the palace in smaller groups to secure the throne, rescue their friends, and free Sarasaland from the never-ending winter.
Meanwhile, Tatanga set his sites on the desert kingdom as well with a score of his own to settle.
At dawn the following day, the radiant morning light of the sun was lost to Sarasaland yet again, which was still cocooned in its eternal winter. The fog had completely eclipsed the sky in a sheet of white as the group stood atop the inn and looked onward at the palace ahead.
Junior was securing his paint brush inside the holster attached to the leather belt he'd fastened around his waist and shell when Peach approached him.
"What is it?" Junior asked, not even giving her the chance to initiate the conversation first this time. She took a deep breath before speaking.
"Look, we still have our differences, and I don't think either of us would've exactly chosen this pairing if given the choice," said Peach.
"Probably not," Junior agreed simply, returning his attention to his task.
"That said, our mission should come first above everything else right now. We can't let our personal feelings get in the way of what needs to get done today."
"I agree."
Silence lingered in the air for a moment. Truth be told, Peach hadn't expected this conversation to be quite so straightforward. She expected Junior to push back the way he usually did with her.
"Is that all?" Junior asked.
"Well…yes, I suppose," Peach started. "I probably shouldn't question it, but I really thought you'd be objecting much more right now to the idea of pairing up with me if I'm being honest." Junior looked away.
"Guess I can't blame you for thinking that…" said the Koopa Prince. "But we're at least on the same page about the mission. Arguing about it is only gonna slow us down. It's not gonna save Daisy and Kolorado, it's not gonna beat that ice monster, and it's not gonna get rid of this snowstorm."
"All fair points," Peach agreed this time.
"But, don't think I've forgotten what you did for me the other night either." Peach's heart began to race at this. She scratched the back of her neck.
"I mean, you are my teammate after all, and I wish to make myself useful to our cause," she explained. Junior didn't answer.
A small gust of wind blew between them. She wasn't sure if Junior had heard her, and was prepared to repeat herself when he looked her straight in the eyes.
"You ever heard of the Koopa Code of Honor, Peach?" Junior asked.
"Ummm…," Peach hesitated.
"It's something my dad taught me a long time ago. I guess it's like an ancient tradition in our kingdom or something," Junior described. "It says that anybody who shows you kindness, even an enemy, is owed one act of kindness in response."
"I see."
"I was surprised Dad knew or even cared about something like that. I can't think of a time he would've ever needed to show anyone kindness. But I guess he hasn't exactly done much to earn an act of kindness either…," Junior rambled. "Sounds pretty ridiculous, right?"
Peach almost didn't answer. She was debating whether it was right or not to tell Junior that she was actually already aware of this code. In fact, she had learned it from Bowser himself so many years ago.
Somehow, it wasn't surprising for her to learn now that Bowser never told Junior about their one fateful moment they shared in that dark corridor together under the moonlight all those years ago. Not that she had any intention of revealing that secret herself to Junior now.
"I…can't say that I was aware of such a code in your kingdom," the princess lied. "But why are you bringing this up now?" Junior stepped forward and was now staring straight at her.
"You saved my life the other night. If that was your act of kindness, then I owe you one in return," Junior answered.
"And…what is your act?" Junior smirked and brought a fist into the air between them.
"Just stick with me, got it? I'll make sure you get through this alive."
The grin he flashed with his teeth was warm and familiar. She'd been in this moment before. An image flashed through her mind.
Leave it to me.
Yes, that was it. That was the last time she'd seen Bowser. And that was the last thing he'd said to her before departing with Rosalina on his own quest.
Junior's promising smile now filled Peach with more confidence than ever before. Whether Bowser was still alive or not, his spirit lived on in his son. He and Junior were one in the same. Junior was carrying on Bowser's legacy right now, whether he realized it or not. It remained to be seen if Junior would follow in his father's footsteps or carve out his own path. But Peach was sure that today, the Koopa Prince would take the next grand step of many down the road towards his destiny.
The group moved swiftly through the cover of the fog. The buildings were close enough to traverse across the rooftops with ease. In the corner of his eye, Junior noticed a group of Shy Guys armed with spears patrolling the city streets below. If one even glanced up for long enough, they would surely be spotted. This motivated him to keep his steps as light as possible; hoping the snow would muffle any sound that still remained.
Larry and Roy were running side-by-side and leaping across the small building gaps in perfect sync. As usual, not being able to see his brother's eyes under those mysterious sunglasses meant Larry had no idea how Roy was feeling at this moment or what he was thinking. The only thing he could make out was his brother's focus as the latter stared straight ahead at all times; never once glancing at him.
Since the fog greatly obscured the team's vision, there was no way to tell for sure just how far they were from their destination by now, but Larry was certain they had to be getting close. If he was going to say what was on his mind, it was likely now or never.
"Roy…listen," he started.
"Hmm? What's up, Larry?" Roy replied.
"You don't have to be a team of your own. There's no rule saying we can't have a team of three. You could come with Iggy and me."
Roy smiled at this. If the wind weren't blaring against their faces, Larry was sure he would've heard his brother laugh a little.
"Don't worry, little bro. I'll be fine by myself. You just worry about keeping yourself and Iggy safe, alright?"
"But…we don't know what's waiting for us in there. What if you run into trouble and need back-up?"
"We didn't know what to expect when we broke into our own castle, and we still made it out of there alive," Roy argued.
"Yeah, barely. We would've been dead if it hadn't been for Junior."
"Sure, and we've got him with us this time too. Plus Goombella and Kooper. Peach said they each went on an adventure with Mario so they can hold their own in a pinch."
"But I'm not worried about them. They've got each other. I'm worried about you."
"Heh, that ain't a surprise. Seems like you're always worried about someone; usually Junior. Try worrying about yourself for a change."
"But-" Larry looked up to see that Roy was now staring back at him as they continued sprinting.
"I'll see ya on the inside," Roy promised.
Meanwhile, Goombella and Kooper were dashing side-by-side with the others. Kooper's heart was racing, but not just from the cardio. There was something on his mind, and he was willing himself to just say it. But the words were stuck in his throat.
"H-hey, Goombella…," the Koopa began. It was as good a place to start as any.
"Yeah? What is it, Kooper?" she responded.
"I dunno what's gonna happen to us in there. But there's something I need you to know, and I might not get another chance to say it later," he prefaced.
The ball was rolling now. There was no stopping. No going back. He had to tell her now. There was no other choice.
"I…"
"Hold that thought," Goombella stopped him as she skidded to a halt. "We're here."
Kooper's concentration shattered into pieces as he nearly tripped from his own abrupt stop. Peach and the Koopalings had stopped as well. The group stood at the edge of the last building in town. The palace was just ahead, but it was still nearly impossible to make out from the fog.
"You ready, Junior?" Iggy prompted.
"Yeah," Junior affirmed. He stepped forward and dawned his blindfold. Kneeling over, Junior placed his hand flat on the icy rooftop and was completely still for a few seconds. Everyone else waited in silent anticipation.
"How's it look?" Goombella asked.
"You were right. There are a bunch of them stationed down out front. The top of the wall's clear, but I don't know for how long. Let's make this quick," he explained as he removed the blindfold.
"Alright, Roy. You're up," Iggy instructed. The Koopaling approached the edge of the roof and cracked his knuckles.
"No sweat," he said. After a sharp breath, Roy clapped his hands together and slammed them down in front of him. The impact created a large square peg that protruded out of the ground slightly. Junior and Peach approached first and stepped onto it.
"Wait," said Peach as she summoned her golf club. She tossed it to Iggy. "You need this more than me. Be careful in there." Iggy nodded.
"This is it, gang. Remember the formation. Get those guard towers under control and head inside as quickly as possible. Be smart and stick together," he reminded. Everyone nodded in unison at this order.
Roy pounded his fists into the ground. This caused the peg to shoot up high into the air at an angle. The momentum launched Peach and Junior directly into the fog ahead.
Goombella and Kooper followed the same process, then Larry and Iggy. Larry and Roy's eyes met one last time before the fog sucked the former away; leaving Roy to shrink and vanish from sight almost instantaneously.
A minute later, Roy launched himself into the white abyss just ahead.
Upon landing, Junior scanned the area briefly, and motioned for Peach to follow him as they took off down the path to the right. The top of the wall was extremely narrow and only allowed enough room for the pair to move single-file across the grand circumference.
Moments later, they nearly collided with a Piranha Plant and two Shy Guys at the guard tower several paces ahead of them and coming up fast. Junior halted, knelt down, and allowed Peach to springboard off of his shell. She summoned her parasol with a clap and struck one of the Shy Guys; sending him careening off the side of the wall.
As expected, Larry and Iggy rushed up from behind and leaped over their heads. Their own tower was still further ahead, and they trusted their comrades to handle this post. Larry and Junior's eyes met, as did Peach and Iggy's. Larry winked and Junior smirked, while Iggy and Peach exchanged nods.
As Larry and Iggy disappeared into the fog ahead, Junior reached for his brush just in time to clash with the remaining Shy Guy's spear. His brush transformed into a whip and wrapped itself around the tip of the spear. Junior then yanked the spear clean out of the Shy Guy's hands and chucked it off into the snowstorm. The Koopa Prince then twirled his brush as it changed into a mallet. He sent the Shy Guy flying off after his lost weapon with one blow.
Peach deflected an ice blast from the Piranha Plant. Junior approached from behind her and cupped his hands together. His nostrils flared and his cheeks puffed out slightly. Before Peach could process what he was up to, Junior quickly shot several bullets of fire from his lips. They pelted the Piranha Plant, who shriveled into a pile of ash from the concentrated onslaught. Two more Shy Guys approached from opposite sides and cornered them. Junior and Peach exchanged blows with their respective opponents and quickly overpowered them; forcing them over the edge.
Peach and Junior stood on the elevated platform and peered over the wall; unable to get a clear look at the courtyard below that Iggy had described. Junior paused and wondered how the others were doing so far. He quickly yanked his wandering mind back into the moment.
"Down there, right?" Junior asked.
"Yes," Peach affirmed.
"Guess this is our stop then." Peach opened her parasol and motioned for Junior to grab onto it with her. After taking a moment to prepare themselves mentally for the next phase, they simultaneously jumped and let the parasol gently carry them into the interior of the ice fortress.
Goombella and Kooper reached the Piranha Plants at the guard tower just ahead and shoved them up against the walls; clearing a temporary path for Roy to charge straight through from behind and press onward. He gave them a thumbs-up before disappearing along the path beyond the guard tower.
Four Shy Guys attacked, but Kooper retreated into his shell. Goombella hopped on top of it and leaped higher into the air. As she returned to Earth, she stunned each of the Shy Guys in rapid succession with her signature Headbonk technique. While they were dazed, Kooper knocked them away and off the tower with a Power Shell maneuver like a bowling ball earning a strike.
Losing control from the icy surface, Kooper couldn't stop in time before his shell became wedged between the fangs of a Piranha Plant.
"Let him go, you stupid weed!" Goombella threatened. She charged forward and rammed the Piranha Plant's root head-on with her helmet. The blow caused the plant to spit the shell out. The other two plants prepared to lunge forward in attack.
Goombella quickly pulled a Fire Flower out from her bag and planted it. Sprouting out from the snow, the flower launched a barrage of miniature fireballs and torched all three of the Piranha Plants into soot.
Taking a moment to catch their breath, Goombella and Kooper set their sights on the white abyss waiting over the edge of the wall.
"Ready?" Kooper asked.
"Let's do this," Goombella agreed. She hopped aboard his shoulders and the two leapt over the edge of the wall to the castle below.
The Piranha Plants at the next tower spewed chunks of ice at their approaching intruders. Larry countered each one with shots from his pistols.
"Careful. Those ones are Frost Piranhas. One touch from their ice shots will freeze you instantly," Iggy warned. Larry twirled one of his pistols and transformed it into his signature shield; blocking the incoming spears from the Shy Guys.
"'Frost' Piranhas with deadly 'ice' attacks? Who saw that coming?" Larry joked.
"Save the sarcasm for later, will ya?" Iggy scolded him.
While Larry had the Shy Guys distracted, Iggy dashed around them and slid along the ice. With one low sweep of his golf club, he tripped the Shy Guys off their feet. Larry took aim with his remaining pistol and blasted each of the Shy Guys; sending them soaring off the wall.
The Frost Piranhas suddenly burrowed into the snow in the blink of an eye.
"Woah, where'd they go!?" Larry panicked.
Without warning, the plants resurfaced just as quickly. Only now, they were right on top of their targets. Lunging forward, one of the Frost Piranhas sunk its icy fangs into Iggy's arm. The other blew a cloud of fog at Larry.
With his free hand, Iggy clobbered the Piranha Plant with his golf club and pulled his injured arm free. Larry used his shield to take cover from the fog. He charged forward and rammed the plant with all his might to stagger it. Taking a step back, Larry then fired shots from his pistol to stun each of the Piranha Plants and tossed his shield like a frisbee. It severed each of the plants from their roots effortlessly as the heads disintegrated into snowflakes instantly.
Larry's weapons disappeared as he approached Iggy, who was nursing his bite mark and wrapping a bandage around it.
"You okay?" Larry asked.
"Yeah, I should be," Iggy affirmed. "Frost Piranha bites aren't lethal. But if what Goombella told me is true, I'll probably come down with a nasty cold before this is all over."
"Hmph, wasn't it you who warned us we should be careful?"
"Oh hush. I'm sure deep down you didn't honestly expect all of us to make it through this unscathed either." Larry shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "My arm's pretty limp. I won't be able to fight as well from here on out so I'm gonna need you to take the lead, Larry. At least for a little while until I can get some feeling back. Can you handle it?"
"Heh, of course. Just leave it to me!" Larry declared with a wink. Larry approached the side of the wall overlooking the palace to examine their next destination. Iggy turned to follow him, but stopped in his tracks. Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
The Koopaling craned his neck upward to the sky as he squinted. The fog make it difficult to make out, but there was definitely something up there.
A big, black object of some kind. He wasn't sure of it at first, but after his eyes adjusted, he couldn't be more certain. Whatever that thing was, it was moving and it was getting bigger.
No…it was getting closer. It was headed straight for them!
Iggy froze in place. He couldn't will any nerve in his entire body to move. It could've been a side effect from the bite, or just plain fear. The sheer cold wasn't helping, but Iggy was too fixated on the flying object. It was too mesmerizing.
What was that? A ship? It was certainly moving faster than anything he'd ever seen. As the ship drew closer, there was a crackling boom that trailed behind it. The ship flew at such a dangerous velocity that it was violently tearing through the air.
The ship still wasn't close enough yet for Iggy to panic and think it was going to crash right on top of him. But it wouldn't be long at this rate. Closer…closer…and closer it flew. The crackling grew louder and louder.
The ship was now just barely obscured by the fog when it sharply arched and changed directions before Iggy could make out its pilot. The ship flew across the sky over the palace; just barely out of sight.
"Yo, earth to Iggs! Come in, Iggy!" Larry called out.
"Hmm? W-what?" Iggy chirped as he snapped back into focus.
"You zoned out there for a minute. Everything okay?"
Iggy was dumbfounded. Did Larry not hear or see the aircraft just now? It couldn't have been a figment of his own imagination, could it? Regardless, the answers to such questions would have to wait. They had more pressing matters at-hand.
"Yes, I'm fine, Larry. It's nothing," Iggy assured as his voice jumped back down to its normal pitch. "Now then, the courtyard should be around here somewhere. We just need to find a safe way down."
"If you honestly expected safety, you came to the wrong ice palace, big bro!" Larry joked. He clapped and summoned his shield once more. Larry then snatched Iggy's wrist in one hand and sprinted along the path a few feet.
"H-hey! What're you-" Iggy started. Without warning, Larry vaulted over the side of the wall with Iggy in tow and slid down the face of the inner wall into the foggy abyss at an angle atop his shield; which was acting as a makeshift snowboard.
At the last remaining guard tower, Roy was surrounded by Piranha Plants and Shy Guys. The Koopaling clapped and pounded the ground at his feet; sending a seismic wave in all directions. The Piranha Plants were collectively scooped up by the attack and tossed over the wall, but the Shy Guys jumped over it effortlessly as if it were a jump rope. They charged towards Roy for a group attack.
As they approached, Roy reached out and snatched up a spear in each arm; taking minor stabs to his forearms from the remaining ones in the process. The Koopaling then twirled in place; spinning the Shy Guys in a circle as they clutched their spears for dear life. They were so absorbed by the chaos that they didn't even notice as they collided with the other Shy Guys remaining on the ground. Collectively, the guards scattered out in a mess around Roy. He clapped and created springboards from the snow-covered stone floor beneath him to launch each of the Shy Guys off the tower consecutively.
Alone, Roy stood atop the wall and savored his victory for a moment. It was short-lived however. Thanks to the layer of snow that had coated the walkway, Roy had failed to notice all of his bending of the earth left the already moist ground directly beneath his feet incredibly unstable.
The cracks widened and seconds later, the floor caved in; taking Roy down with it.
Junior and Peach touched down gracefully in the courtyard blanketed by snow. The coast seemed to be clear, so they hurried across the open expanse to the palace entrance, marked by twin French doors; each small rectangular glass pane was coated with thick ice. Peach attempted to peer inside them without success, then tried the handle. To her surprise, the door was unlocked. Creaking slightly as she opened it slowly, the princess motioned for Junior to follow her swiftly inside.
Junior and Peach found themselves in one of what they were certain was many guest bedrooms throughout the palace. It seemed the ice curse was not only affecting the kingdom outside, but the palace interior as well.
All of the furniture in the room was frozen solid and gave off a reflective, crystallized sheen. From the chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling above them, to the bed, chairs, ottomans, rugs, dressers, towering bookshelf, and vanity desk. Peach and Junior's distorted reflections were projected back at them from all around. The pair felt vaguely as if they were in a carnival house of mirrors, or as though everything in the room were made of glass and would shatter into pieces from the slightest touch.
They jumped at the sound of a muffled, yet still audible crash coming from the other side of one of the walls. The booming thuds dissipated before long, and a gentle sizzle followed; likely either rubble or snow trailing behind whatever just caused the racket.
"What on earth was that?" Peach wondered.
"Who knows? C'mon, we can't stay here. We need to find the throne room and meet up with the others," Junior reminded as he approached the bedroom's remaining set of double doors. He could only assume this exit would lead out into the hallway Iggy and Goombella mentioned.
"What if that was one of the others just now? They might need our help."
"If it is and they're in trouble, they're gonna have to get out of it on their own. We all knew what to expect going into this mission." Peach didn't like the brutal honesty of Junior's answer, despite its truths.
"Yes…I suppose you're right," she agreed reluctantly. "Make sure the coast is clear first." Gently twisting the knob, Junior poked his head through and scanned the crystal hallway. He glanced back at her and nodded.
"Let's move."
The courtyard landing hadn't gone quite as gracefully for Goombella and Kooper as they'd expected. It took several minutes before they finally managed to pry themselves out from the frosty hedges they'd landed face-first in.
"You alright?" Kooper asked.
"Aside from these branches scratching me…well, everywhere, I'm fine," Goombella answered.
The pair made their way up to the palace entrance at the other end of the courtyard. Kooper anxiously jiggled the doorknob.
"Locked. Now what?" he asked, throwing his hands up in frustration.
"There's gotta be another way in. Gimme a minute to think." Goombella scanned the pure white yard around them, then turned back to face the building. Her eyes climbed up the wall until they stopped at a point of interest.
"There. That window. That's our way in," the Goomba declared. Kooper stared at it skeptically.
"What idiot leaves a window open in the middle of a snowstorm!?" He protested.
"Call it a hunch, but I'd say it was the enormous ice monster who took up residence in Princess Daisy's palace. Probably likes it pretty cold"
"Oh…heh, right. Good point, I guess," Kooper replied, blushing slightly. "But that thing's puny. No way am I gonna fit through there."
"No, but I might. Just hoist me up to it and I'll take care of the rest," said Goombella. Kooper knelt down and cupped his hands together.
"Ready," he said. Goombella hopped off of Kooper's hands and dove through the window above them.
This time, she managed to land on her feet. Facing the door, Goombella leaped straight up into the air once more and kicked the lock mechanism above the door into the "unlocked" position. Outside, Kooper responded to the loud click and tried the doorknob once more and was met with success.
"Nice work," he praised as he met up with Goombella inside.
"Thanks," she said with a smile. "Now, let's look around and see if we can figure out which room this is. That way, I'll know exactly how far we are from the throne room." She hurried over to the bookshelf against the wall as if the small collection of literature might hold a clue. Their eerie glass-like appearance made her hesitant to touch any of them out of fear they would shatter into pieces.
Truth be told, Goombella didn't actually think these books would say anything about the palace. It was simply her first instinct to find books when she was faced with a problem, even if said books had nothing to do with the problem at hand. Reading just helped her brain warm up to do the real work. Kooper joined her and stared at the leather spines skeptically.
"Uhh…I don't think 'Pride and Piranha Plants', 'To Kill a Magikoopa', or even 'Where the Red Coins Float' are gonna help us much," he said.
The two froze at the sound of several muffled crashing and tumbling sounds, followed by a distant thud. It sounded as though some kind of structure inside the wall had collapsed.
"What the heck was that!?" Goombella asked.
"Maybe we should go take a look," Kooper suggested.
"Too late…" Confused by his partner's comment, Kooper turned around to find a pair of Shy Guys standing in the doorway staring straight back at them.
Iggy and Larry landed, but didn't have time to rest as several more Shy Guys were stationed at the opposite end of the courtyard. Larry summoned his pistols and charged forward to meet them.
The Shy Guys jumped and dodged his shots, but Larry was persistent. As the distance between them was closed, Larry quickly dove through the snow feet-first like a baseball player nearing the home plate. The collision tossed one of the Shy Guys into the air. Larry hopped to his feet, jumped, and delivered a round-house kick; sending the Shy Guy hurdling across the yard and into the frosty hedges at the other side. Snow poured down and buried it seconds after it landed.
As the other Shy Guy stood motionless in awe, this gave Iggy the chance he needed to clobber him with Peach's golf club. He had to use his left arm and had the Shy Guy not been distracted, Iggy surmised he likely wouldn't have had the prep time he needed to concentrate on this single, important attack. The Shy Guy flew and landed near its partner, where he was also buried by a layer of snow.
"That won't stop them for long. Let's go," Iggy advised. Larry nodded. The two sprinted towards the double doors behind them and locked them once inside.
Iggy hobbled over towards a chair nearby and plopped down into it; rubbing his arm.
"You gonna be okay like that?" Larry asked. "Maybe you should stay here until this is all over."
"What are you nuts? No way. I'll be fine. I just…need a minute," said Iggy. Larry crossed his arms and kicked at the rug beneath his foot.
"Too bad Peach isn't here. That healing power of her's could probably patch that arm right up."
"Well, she isn't. Don't worry, we'll make due. We just have to be smart about this going forward." One look at his younger brother's body language was all Iggy needed to see he wasn't convinced. "Relax, Larry. We'll make it through this."
"How can you be so sure?" Larry asked. Suddenly, the doors leading into the hallway and the courtyard were all shattered simultaneously as the Shy Guys invaded the room for each side. Larry turned to Iggy, who only had a smile to offer him.
"Because I trust you," said Iggy. Larry summoned his pistols again and wasted no time firing at the Shy Guys once more.
Roy slowly stirred awake. His entire body had gone numb. It was difficult, but not impossible for him to move. He wasn't sure if it was the impact from his fall, or being buried under freezing cold snow for who knows how long while he was unconscious, but the Koopaling felt crushed by an all-powerful pain. He felt as though every bone in his body was broken, even though he knew deep down that was impossible. His shell had to have cushioned his fall even just slightly.
After several attempts, Roy managed to sit up at last and brush the snow and rubble off himself. He looked straight up and saw a series of gaping holes in the ceiling and upper floors above him; all perfectly aligned. Roy was in too much of a daze to even think about how far he had just fallen or even how it happened exactly. The real question was where he had landed.
Roy combatted his aches and pains with deep breaths and slowly rolled over onto his hands and knees. Suddenly being a one-man team didn't seem like such a good idea in retrospect. Unfortunately, it was far too late for him to have second thoughts about it now.
Roy was on his own. If he didn't want to freeze to death down at the bottom of this whole, he would have to find the strength to get up and find a way out.
After a few minutes of struggling, Roy managed to pull himself out of the snow and stand up. He took in the eerie scenery around him. The entire room was blanketed in shadow, save for the spotlight of the overcast day pouring in from the ceiling above where he fell. Even as Roy's eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, there was little for him to find.
The room was completely barren. There was no furniture in sight; nothing attached to the walls or ceiling. What kind of room was this? What could it possibly be used for?
Then again, this was a royal palace and Daisy was royalty, right? Maybe Roy had fallen all the way down into some sort of underground dungeon? Was Daisy even the kind of princess to hold prisoners? Peach certainly wasn't. That much he knew for sure. But what about her friend?
It was at that moment that Roy realized he didn't know much about Daisy at all. He had only ever seen her on the racetrack whenever Mario held kart tournaments. But the two never said so much as two words to each other. The Koopaling surmised this would inevitably change now. Finding her was the reason they were here in the first place.
Roy wandered aimlessly around the room for…something; another lost soul, a way out, anything. After stumbling around for several minutes, Roy ducked under a fallen wooden beam and emerged in the room's second half. It was identical to the one he'd fallen into. However, there appeared to be an upper level just out of reach. Roy approached the sloping hill of snow in front of him. He tried to climb it, but immediately slipped and slid back down.
He tried again, but slid once more. There was nothing firm to grip onto. It was nothing but a large mound of soft, ever-shifting snow. Just how was he supposed to get out of here now? Roy dug his claws into the snow over and over again, but the result was the same.
He was stuck down in this pit and would freeze to death unless he could somehow find a way to climb out.
The sheer cold was already weaving a spider web of fear and paranoia in Roy's mind. What if there was no way out? What if no one ever found him down here? He shouldn't have gone off on his own like this. That was such a stupid thing to do, and now he was paying for it. Larry tried to warn him, but he hadn't listened. What was he thinking? Putting on a brave face for his little brother like that. A lot of good that did, seeing where he was now.
Was this really as far as he was meant to go? Roy gritted his teeth and slapped himself.
Get it together! This ain't the time for quitter talk! There's just gotta be a way up there, and I'm gonna find it…, Roy told himself.
The Koopaling thought back to his training with Merlon and immediately took a seat on the ground; crossing his legs and cupping his claws together.
Calm down, Roy told his mind. Think this through.
Meditate. That was all he could do right now. Surely the answer would come to him. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Junior and Peach sprinted down the winding hallway until Junior stopped in his tracks and thrust his arm out; signaling Peach to do the same. Their backsides embraced the wall nearby as they froze in place and listened. What started out as one pair of footsteps echoing through the halls suddenly multiplied. As the shadows rounded the corner, Junior was the first to realize it wasn't just one or two Shy Guys approaching them.
It was at least a dozen. An entire troupe of them, and they were all running this way.
But why? Why were they suddenly on high alert? Did the guards from the towers come back to warn their buddies? Did they hear that crash too? Regardless, the palace seemed to now be on high alert. The enemy knew they were here. Getting to that throne room didn't seem so easy anymore.
Junior gripped his brush, but Peach caught his wrist and shook her head; silently urging him to stand down. The Koopa Prince spotted a door in front of them and cranked his head towards it. The pair sprinted into the nearby room and shut the door behind them; anxiously waiting for the thunderous stampede of footsteps to fade.
Junior and Peach permitted themselves to breathe again once they were sure the Shy Guys were gone. But their peace was short-lived.
A circular plate from the ceiling came crashing down with booming intent and smashed into pieces when it reached the floor behind them. From the gaping hole in the ceiling above them, a figure dove in and landed on its feet.
The figure uncurled and towered over them. A silhouette of light glimmered off of his smooth, black, military uniform. A purple goblin-like creature with sharp teeth cleaned and polished a menacing-looking Swiss army knife before returning it to a holster on his utility belt.
The goblin turned to face Junior and Peach. He stopped in his tracks, but there was no surprise or fear on his face.
In fact, he straightened his back, folded his arms, shoved his hip out to the side, and flashed a smirk of ominous excitement at them.
"Well, well. What have we here?" the creature said.
"Who…who are you?" Peach ordered, but this did little to instill intimidation in their mysterious acquaintance. The goblin's eyes darted straight at Peach's crown.
"I take it you're royalty, little missy?"
"…What if I am?"
"Then you of all people should know that it's bad social etiquette to demand someone else to give their name before first offering them your own," the goblin man said, sounding more amused than annoyed.
Although Peach tried her hardest to never judge people by their appearance, she was confident deep down that whomever this man was, he had no qualification to be lecturing her about manners or proper social etiquette whatsoever. In spite of her fear, this was a smaller challenge that she was at least somewhat prepared to meet him at.
"True, but what about cutting a hole in the ceiling of an antique royal palace that's hundreds of years old and just barging in unannounced? I'd hardly call that appropriate societal behavior," Peach submitted. The goblin laughed hardily at this. He wasn't fazed by Peach in the slightest, which only served to worsen her fear. In fact, he seemed to be viewing this exchange to be more like flirting, which disgusted her.
"Hehe…ya got me there, sweet-cheeks. But it's a stretch to label my arrival here as 'unannounced.' You see, I happen to have business with the palace's new ruler. So I suggest you and your pet turtle there step aside. I have work to do." Junior scowled at this comment, but couldn't bring himself to move or say anything back.
"'New ruler'?" Peach repeated, not daring to leave the monster's gaze. "What are you talking about? You know who's responsible for this mess?"
"Yeah, I do. And it's downright adorable how you think that's any of your business though," the goblin teased. "You're pretty easy on the eyes, so I'm willin' to let you walk away right now. But keep poking that dainty little nose of your's in where it doesn't belong and we'll see how long my generous offer stands."
Mustering his courage together, Junior whipped out his brush from its leather holster and pointed it straight at the goblin.
"Who says you're the only one here who has important business with this so-called 'new ruler,' huh?" Junior objected. "Maybe you should think about staying out of our way!" The goblin raised an eyebrow at this.
"Oh-ho! The pet speaks, and he's a chatty one at that!" the goblin taunted. He reached down and pulled a small, metallic device from his utility belt. The goblin chucked the object over their heads. It slid along the floor a few inches before activating.
Suddenly a dome of green light burst out of the device and encompassed the entire room.
What!? A force field!? Junior thought to himself. He turned back in time to see the goblin pluck out a rifle from the holster on his back and take aim.
"You really wanna know who I am? Alright, fine! I'll give you a hardy introduction you won't soon forget," declared the goblin. "I am the mighty Tatanga, and in about five seconds, you're gonna wish you never crossed me!"
Author's Note:
Thank you as always for your patience everyone as I continue to work on crafting my story. I can assure you that I haven't lost any passion for writing Son of Bowser. Despite the many challenges I'm facing during an excruciatingly difficult period of my life, writing is thankfully the one thing I feel I still have control over, and I want nothing more than to see this story through to the end. I don't want to give too much away. But what I can say is that this story is FAR from over.
I also wanted to take a moment to give credit where it's due. In case you missed it, the "Koopa Code of Honor" and the "night in the hallway" that are mentioned in this chapter are actually meant to be references to another Mario story called "Not a Monster," written by the talented Cyndi. I HIGHLY recommend you all go give it a read here on this site as that story was ultimately what inspired me to start writing Mario fanfiction to begin with. These were ideas that Cyndi came up with first and I claim no ownership of them whatsoever. I just wanted to pay tribute to the Mario story that inspired the one you're reading now. So please give Cyndi's work the attention it rightfully deserves!