RECAP:

After taking time to prepare, Junior's group was at last ready to mount an assault on Daisy's palace. They executed the first phase of their plan effortlessly. But their luck would not last once the group split up.

The ground caved in under Roy's feet, and he found himself trapped in a dungeon with no immediate way out. Iggy was injured during a scuffle, leaving Larry to fend off an ever-growing opposition of Shy Guys. Goombella and Kooper ended up in a similar predicament as they too were cornered by the palace's guards. Finally, Junior and Peach encountered a menacing soldier calling himself Tatanga.

With the threat of the ice monster looming and Daisy still nowhere to be found, freeing Sarasaland of the endless winter seemed to be growing more impossible by the minute.

Tatanga fired off the first round. An army of bullets rocketed across the air.

"Look out!" Peach exclaimed as she shoved Junior out of the way and summoned her parasol. She managed to block the shots seconds before they reached their target.

Tatanga fired another round at Peach. She bent her knees in an attempt to hold her ground as best she could, despite the slippery terrain of the ice floor beneath her feet. The princess's parasol deflected the bullets, but they managed to push Peach back an inch or so, to her shock. Just how strong were these bullets, and what were they made of?

Junior sprinted across the room towards Tatanga. But he immediately zeroed in on Junior and fired at him. The Koopa Prince dove out of the line of fire and slid on his chest. The ice only gave him momentum as his trajectory was now fixed on the wall ahead. Tatanga continued to fire at Junior, but the latter was too fast for the bullets to keep up with.

Junior managed to turn so his feet would touch the wall first. Upon making contact, Junior used the wall to launch himself forward while sliding along the ground towards his opponent like an Olympic swimmer.

Meanwhile, Peach jumped high into the air and prepared her own assault on Tatanga.

"Oh don't worry. I didn't forget about you!" Tatanga said as he suddenly turned to her. Twirling his rifle, Tatanga swatted Peach away by clobbering her with the butt of his weapon. She flew backwards and slid across the room.

Junior was right on top of him now. But Tatanga lifted his leg and shoved his boot down right on top of Junior's shell; stopping him in his tracks completely and pinning him in place.

"Are you always this predictable, kid?" Tatanga taunted with a menacing grin.

"What do you think?" Junior barked back. His brush transformed into an axe as he swung it. Tatanga leaped back to avoid it, but this at least forced him to release his hold over Junior.

Peach rushed towards Tatanga once more, but the goblin turned to her and blocked her parasol with his rifle. He lunged forward and grabbed her arm. An electric pulse radiated from his glove and sent a shock across Peach's entire body; forcing her to fall to her knees in a gesture of involuntary submission.

As Junior was standing up, Tatanga spun his rifle once more and fired several shots in a row at him. Panicking, Junior retreated into his shell. The bullets bounced off the solid exterior, but the sheer number of them pushed his shell sliding back into a bookshelf against the wall.

As Junior was emerging from his shelter, the structure came down directly on top of him. The icy coating around the bookshelf shattered, and the enormous wooden structure and large leather books that had all been perfectly preserved within it crushed Junior under their combined magnificent weight. Junior pulled and pushed in every direction he could think of but couldn't get free. He was trapped and Tatanga was free to stroll towards him like a true predator.

"C'mon! Don't tell me that's really all you got! You chumps are makin' this too easy!" Tatanga exclaimed. "How the hell did Contemno ever have trouble squashing you bugs, huh?"

Peach struggled to rise to her feet, and the shocks ultimately kept her in her knelt stance. She reached out her hand, but was powerless to help Junior.

The Koopa Prince looked up and for a brief moment, he saw Contemno approaching him in Tatanga's place.

This was just like before.

Back at the castle. Here he was again; cowering in his shell until he was cornered. Back then, he only survived because he had Ludwig and his siblings to back him up. This time, it was just him and Peach, and she was just as powerless to do anything as he was.

How was he supposed to get out of trouble this time?

Goombella and Kooper fought the Shy Guys off with everything they had. But for every one they knocked out, two more came bustling into the room; obviously being drawn by all of the commotion. Goombella could only user her Headbonk move so many times before her vision started to blur and Kooper found himself running out of steam as well.

The pair was backed into a corner by an assortment of spears. Just as they were about to reluctantly surrender, Larry charged through the doorway with both pistols blazing. He fired several shots to stun and draw the Shy Guys away. As the crowd pursued him instead, the Koopaling blasted the support chains suspending the chandelier above them; sending it crashing down on top of the troops.

"I'm done playing around with you freaks!" Larry exclaimed in a rage. "Time for the checkmate!" He twirled his pistols as light radiated from the etchings across the sleek metallic surface. Larry proceeded to leap high into the air, crossed his arms at the wrist in an "x" pose and pulled the triggers.

A dazzling vortex of cyan bullets rained down across the room. Each Shy Guy was engulfed in a miniature explosion; leaving only their lifeless bodies sprawled out across the floor. Only two Shy Guys remained and ran towards Larry to stop him as he landed.

"SUBMISSION SHOT!" Larry shouted. His pistols fired twin cylinders of light that pierced right through the pair of Shy Guys; robbing them of their consciousness.

Iggy entered the room just as the attack finished. Goombella and Kooper took a shared, heavy sigh relief.

"Thanks, Larry! Phew…I thought we were goners," Goombella admitted.

"No kidding! We owe you one!" said Kooper; flashing him a thumbs-up.

"Don't mention it," Larry replied. "I just hope that was the last of them."

"It would seem our stealth approach didn't quite pan out the way we'd hoped…," Iggy lamented as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Who cares? As long as we can save our friends and the kingdom, that's all that matters," Kooper argued.

"Have you met up with any of the others yet?" Goombella inquired.

"No, not yet. I'm not sure where Junior, Peach, or Roy are," Iggy answered. "But if we ran into this much opposition ourselves, I can only imagine they found trouble too. We should try to find the others first before we head for the throne room."

"Alright, well let's move together as a group then," Kooper suggested.

"No, that's too inefficient, and we've used up too much time as it is. We should split up to cover more grou-"

Suddenly, Larry reached forward and grabbed Iggy's injured forearm.

"NO! NO MORE SPLITTING UP!" he objected; shocking everyone with his anger. "That's only gotten us into danger so far! From here on out, we move together as a team, got it!?"

"OW! Larry, what the hell has gotten into you!?" Iggy retorted.

"I…I just have a bad feeling about this! That's all!"

"About what?" Goombella asked. Larry met her eyes and sighed.

"Before we got in here, I practically begged Roy not to go in alone," the Koopaling confessed. "But he wouldn't listen. Let's face it, this hasn't worked out at all how we thought it would. The palace has been on high alert ever since we reached those stupid towers. That's how the Shy Guys keep finding us so easily. We had trouble even moving in smaller groups. I just have a bad feeling Roy could be in serious danger on his own."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Iggy replied.

"Truth is, I can't. I don't have proof or anything like that," Larry admitted. "All I know is, we got away from Contemno with Ludwig's help. We escaped from our own castle when we worked together as a team in order to run away. We tried it your way this time, Iggy, but it didn't work. I'm sick of us always being on the run and playing defense. The only way we're gonna take back this palace is if we start hitting back and hitting them hard," he explained, pounding his fist into the palm of his other hand to emphasize his point.

Iggy crossed his arms and closed his eyes to ponder this, then chuckled.

"Something funny about that, big bro?"

"That sounds like something Junior might say," said Iggy. "He's definitely been rubbing off on you. No doubt about it."

"Well, I'm sure he would probably say the same thing. We need to stick together and go on the offensive starting right now!" Larry proposed.

Together…, Goombella and Kooper both pondered to themselves.

They looked at one another; peering deeply into their eyes in the hopes that one of them had come to their own conclusion.

Kooper remembered his talk with Roy. Goombella remembered her's with Peach.

Look, if Goombella's really that special to ya…well…you gotta hold onto her. Don't let her get away, trust me. Don't make the same mistake I did, Roy had said.

Goombella, when you love someone, there's much more to it than just wanting to protect them. You have to trust that his love for you will give him the strength he needs to come back to you safely, Peach had told her.

"Goombella, I-," Kooper started.

"Kooper-," Goombella interrupted.

They both stopped as their words collided with one another. Curiosity flickered in Kooper's eyes. Goombella's cheeks filled with color once again.

Kooper paused and pondered if now was the time for him to finish his thought from before. Should he tell her how he feels? Right here and now? Or would his declaration of love just confuse or distract her when their lives were still in danger?

Goombella wondered if this would always happen to her whenever she was around him from now on.

"L-ladies first!" said Kooper.

"N-no! It's okay! You go!" Goombella argued; simply unwilling to make the next move.

"I…"

"…Yes?"

"I…it's just that I…I really…"

"C'mon, spit it out already!"

"I…really care about you! Like, a lot! I wanna do whatever it takes to keep you safe so…I'm with Larry on this one. I say we need to stick together as a group!"

Goombella was silent. This wasn't quite the romantic confession she had been secretly hoping for. Did Kooper change his mind at the last second, or had she simply misinterpreted things?

The Goomba snapped back into focus when she found Kooper staring at her with anticipation. He was waiting for her to say something. Perhaps this was as good as it was gonna get…for now anyway.

"Y-yeah, I agree 100%," Goombella answered woodenly.

If there was any chance that Kooper was still keeping some cards close to his chest, she felt compelled to do the same for the time being. All she could hope was that they would find time later to each come forward with the passions burning in their hearts. But they both had to survive until then. Of that much Goombella was certain.

"Alright then. It's unanimous," Iggy admitted with a sigh of resignation. Larry was the first to make his way towards the door.

"C'mon. Let's go find the others."

Roy and Merlon sat alone on the dusty, wooden floor of the training room; surrounded by a circle of candles. Roy found it difficult to relax, and not just because his legs weren't used to being uncomfortably bent the way they were in this criss-cross sitting position. There was a certain tension in the air, and the Koopaling was certain he himself was the one creating it.

"You are quite different from the others," said Merlon.

"I could take that a lotta different ways," Roy replied coldly. Merlon simply chuckled at this. Roy wasn't sure how he felt about his teacher not taking the situation as seriously as him. One of them had to be in the wrong mindset. But who was it?

"Yes, I suppose you could. But I hope you will accept it as a compliment instead of something meant to demean."

"So, what's this training about?" Roy asked; slicing right through the formalities.

"Just like with the others, I sense a great power sleeping within you. I was first exposed to it when you arrived on my doorstep," the mage explained.

"Yeah well, I ain't exactly new to magic," said Roy. "Unlike Junior, my other siblings and I have all been doin' some of it here and there for years."

"All the more reason you needn't be so tense. Your training with me will not be quite so demanding. In fact, I was hoping we could simply talk for a little while." Roy's eyebrows poked up from behind his shades.

"…Talk? About what?"

"Tell me what makes you strong," Merlon answered rather bluntly.

"…Strong?"

"It is not a coincidence that your area of magical expertise lies primarily in physical magic. You have a physique that promotes stability, endurance, durability, and protection."

"What're you gettin' at, Merlon?"

"Roy, you have the power to protect and uplift those important to you. You are the foundation; the balance. In the journey that lies ahead, your power will stand as the cornerstone of the group's success," Merlon explained. Roy was silent as he pondered this for a moment.

"Ya think so? Huh...I guess that might make some sense…," the Koopaling accepted slowly.

"It will only be true if you believe it to be so. You must understand and feel it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Tell me Roy, where was your desire for inner strength born?" Roy grimaced at this, and Merlon noticed it almost immediately. The two sat in silence.

"…Gettin' right down to it, huh?" the Koopaling deflected hoarsely.

"I understand your hesitation, Roy. I sense that a certain…intimate encounter has taken residency inside your heart."

"I…guess you could say that."

"It must be difficult for you to discuss it, much less with someone who has yet to earn your full trust."

"Is it that obvious, or are you just readin' my mind right now?"

"Does that really matter to you?" Merlon retorted rather bluntly.

"…W-well…I mean I-" Roy stuttered.

"You needn't feel threatened by me, Roy. This is a safe place. There is no one else here. You will not be judged for what you feel. I am not trying to frame you as problematic or as someone who needs to be 'fixed.' I only wish to help you get stronger."

"Yeah, yeah. I know all that already. It's just…I ain't exactly the best at openin' up about myself. Nobody ever really asked me to before so I don't have much experience doin' it."

"There is nothing wrong with that. No one is particularly good at being vulnerable. If I may be so bold as to venture a guess about you, do you like to work out?"

"Yeah, I do. But what's that got to do with anythin'?"

"The only way for your muscles to go stronger is to exercise and practice pushing them past their natural limits, yes?" Roy nodded. "Think of talking about yourself as an exercise. It will only get easier if you do it enough times to get used to it."

Roy placed a claw to his chin to think about this. Meanwhile, Merlon kept silent to let him think. Several minutes passed. Eventually, Roy gripped his knees in his hands and sighed.

"Alright, I'll talk," Roy declared. Merlon gave him an encouraging nod. "There...was a girl I cared about once. A long time ago. She was hurting, and I just wanted to keep her safe; just like I did for all the others." He pushed up his glasses with his hand and rubbed at this eye. "But…she slipped away. There was nothin' I coulda done about it 'neither. I just...don't ever wanna lose someone like that again."

"Good. Very good, Roy. Turn this painful memory into one of power. Allow it to inspire you instead of doing you harm. Who do you wish to protect from meeting this same fate?"

"Who else? My family of course! My bros…and…"

Merlon stayed silent to let Roy finish.

"Junior most of all."

"Why Prince Bowser Jr. in particular?"

"Well, that kid's been through too much already. He…he just needs to feel safe for once. I guess I...really wanna make him feel safe…"

"An admirable goal. But you must not allow it to blind you," said Merlon.

"Whaddya mean?" Roy asked.

"I don't mean this to sound negative, but your goal is not unique. It's quite common actually for your type."

"…My 'type?'" Roy echoed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your ability to protect others must stem from your protection of yourself first and foremost. To fully achieve this, your own will must first be un-bendable; your own foundation un-shakeable; your spirit invulnerable."

"Yeah, yeah. Gotta put out my own fires before I can do that for someone else's. I get it."

"Careful. There is a difference between comprehension and action, Roy. How will you transform your understanding into result?"

"If I knew that, why would I be sitting her talkin' to ya right now?" Merlon couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Why indeed. This will not take long at all, it seems. I do not need to tell you that you excel in physical magic. Your ability to manipulate not only the world around you but your own body as well are leagues above that of your siblings." Roy nodded.

"Right. So what's my physical magic got to do with me protectin' myself?"

"You see, there is a dangerous mental trap that even the strongest physical magic users can fall victim to."

"What kind of trap?"

"Though your eyes are powerful tools indeed, you must not allow your mind to deem all they perceive as reality."

"Don't always trust what I see. Is that it?"

"Yes, but in this case, I mean to imply that you must not deem yourself incapable of overcoming a situation simply because it 'looks' hopeless."

"Go on…"

"Physical magic is quite wondrous in that it allows you to manipulate not only your own body, but bend the world around you. To make the most of such a gift, you must get creative. You must see opportunity where others cannot. You must keep your mind open to endless possibility and always challenge the limits of your understanding."

"Ya lost me…"

"Fear not. I trust that the meaning behind my words will become clear to you soon enough."

Roy inhaled from his nostrils, then exhaled from his mouth.

"Get creative, huh?" the Koopaling said aloud. "See opportunity where others cannot…endless possibility and…challenge the limits. But what does it all mean?"

Roy opened his eyes. It took a few moments for them to fully adjust to his surroundings as they came back into focus. He stood up and glared at the towering mound of snow in front of him; the upper level taunting him as it remained just out of reach.

"I give! What am I supposed to be seeing here, Merlon!?" Roy called out knowing full well he wouldn't get a response. "How am I supposed to get up there, huh!? Only thing I got to work with here is all this stupid sn-"

Electricity coursed through Roy's brain. His chest felt empty as if his heart suddenly stopped and the air had been sucked right from his lungs.

"That's it….," he realized. "THAT'S IT!"

The Koopaling stepped a few paces away, stuck his arm straight out towards the snow, and slowly uncurled his claws as if to reach forward and grab it. He gritted his teeth as his eyes zeroed in on the snow. His entire arm vibrated with numbness and each of his claws twitched.

This was it. The moment. It had arrived at last. Roy was certain. Merlon's words still echoed in his mind.

"Physical magic is quite wondrous in that it allows you to manipulate not only your own body, but bend the world around you."

He even remembered Ludwig's words from watching him teach Junior about physical magic.

"For us Koopas, our physical prowess comes to life as a result of the natural energy within ourselves gathering and concentrating in one area of the body and fueling the movement."

"C'mon arm…work with me here…," Roy muttered. His biceps were burning; his neck drenched in sweat. Any semblance of cold that had encapsulated him previously had completely evaporated within seconds.

At last, he took a chance. Roy lifted his arm up slightly. In response, a portion of the snow leaped off the ground as though it were tied by an invisible leash. The corner of Roy's mouth curled up into a smile. He twitched his arm again and again in a rhythmic motion, and every time the snow copied his direction without fail. Roy couldn't help but laugh with giddy triumph.

"AH-HA! There it is! Now we're cookin' with gas!"

Roy immediately hopped forward onto one knee and swept his arms up in a crescent motion. The entire mound of snow pulsed like a wave in an ocean. He repeated this several more times and allowed his confidence to blossom. After a few attempts, Roy managed to push the entire slope of snow back and re-shape it into a flat, perpendicular wall that still housed the upper level above him.

Roy quickly thrusted both of his arms out and above his head. As he uncurled his fingers, portions of snow all across the wall began to vibrate. The Koopaling quickly closed his fists and sharply retracted his arms to his sides. In response, sharp, triangular branches of molded snow emerged from the wall.

The Koopaling took a running start. Armed with blind faith, he leaped towards the wall, reached out, and grabbed hold of one of the branches. It held firm and supported his weight perfectly. Although it was made entirely of snow, it was as solid as ice.

Capitalizing on this, Roy swung his legs back and forth in a pendulum movement as he garnered momentum and speed. When the time felt right, he released his grip on the branch, flew upward and grabbed hold of the second branch. He was now suspended a few feet off the ground.

This was definitely working. But he wasn't out of the woods just yet. Roy repeated his trapeze work several more times. He flung himself one final time up and over the top of the cliff. He rolled a few feet and uncurled himself gradually. Standing up, Roy glanced back behind him.

He made it. He was now standing on the upper level that seemed so unattainable not too long ago. And he'd used snow of all things to get here.

This was the true strength of physical magic that Merlon was alluding to. Of that, there could be no doubt. Just as there was no question for Roy that as long as he had physical magic, he would protect and support himself and his family against just about anything.

Feeling ready to leave his conquered trial behind, Roy turned and proceeded into the room just ahead. There wasn't much to be found in this area of the dungeon either, as it turned out.

That is…with one exception: the crystal humanoid statue in the center of the empty space.

The Koopaling approached it to get a better look. His jaw dropped.

"No way…is that…?"

Inside was a person suspended in a solid shell of ice. A woman, in fact. But not just any woman.

It was Daisy.

She dawned a golden dress, gloves, and a crown. Her long, brown hair stood perfectly still. Her attire was nearly identical to Peach's aside from the colors. Seeing her eyes closed, she appeared to be in more of a simple trance than a panic; as though she were peacefully sleeping. It looked to Roy like she was simply waiting patiently for someone to free her from her glass prison of slumber.

"So…this is where you've been all this time…," said Roy; examining her perfectly preserved body slowly from head to toe several times. "That bastard had ya encased in ice and stowed you away down in the basement, huh?"

He placed his palm flat on the surface of the shell. It was reminiscent of the mud Petey Piranha had used to trap Iggy during their encounter with the beast back in the forest. Substitute the mud for ice and you'd be hard-pressed to think the two substances were any different.

With careful precision and intense concentration, Roy managed to dig his claws into the hard exterior of the ice itself and tear open cracks in the surface as he slowly moved his fingers. Within seconds, the Koopaling was able to pry the shell in half and create an opening large enough for Daisy to escape through. A gust of freezing fog poured out of the crack in a hurry.

Stepping back, Roy reached out his arms in anticipation to catch Daisy's lifeless body. But to his surprise, she instantly sprung to life after being exposed to fresh air for only a few seconds.

"YAAAAAHOOOO!" the princess bellowed as she vaulted through the ice shell. She somersaulted in the air directly over Roy's head and stuck the landing a few paces behind him.

"Well, well! Look who decided to finally show up! I told you it was just a matter of time before you'd come crawling back to me!" Daisy exclaimed without turning around.

"…Huh?" Roy muttered.

"I bet you think that treating me like some damsel in distress will make you look like a big tough hero in shining armor, huh? Well don't get any ideas, pal!"

"Uhhh...say what?"

Daisy raised her arms and flailed them around madly as she rambled on.

"Don't play dumb, no matter how cute it makes you look! That won't work on me this time!"

Just who in the world was she talking to, and when was she planning to turn around for that matter?

"Look, I'm willing to overlook our little misunderstanding, but ONLY if you'll admit you're just as crazy about me as I am for you. So just man up for once and say it, will ya!?"

"Lady, you've got the wrong-" Roy started. He stopped himself when Daisy finally turned to acknowledge him. Her face morphed into a rather unsettling combination of shock, disgust, and embarrassment upon seeing the true face of her rescuer.

"What the-!?" Daisy muttered. Her head jerked around madly; her eyes darting to all corners of the room in rapid succession. "How…what are…when did you-" she continued as her mind simply couldn't settle on what question to ask first. "Hold on...I know you, don't I?" Roy shrugged at this. "Yeah…I do. You're one of Bowser's kids. Roy, right?"

…Okay, so maybe she's not as much of an airhead as she looks, the Koopaling thought to himself.

"Yup, that's me," he confirmed.

"Hi, I'm Daisy!" she blurted out randomly. Roy froze at this.

"Uhhh...yeah, I know that already. You're Peach's friend and the ruler of Sarasaland." Electricity sparked across Daisy's face.

"Huh? Oh! S-Sorry! I know you know! That's just…an old habit of mine! Ignore it!" the princess defended quickly.

"O…kay…?"

"Who were you talkin' to just now, by the way?"

"Huh?"

"The way you were talkin' when you woke up, it sounded like you thought you were bein' rescued by someone specific," Roy clarified. "Who?"

"Oh, n-nothing! No one special!" Daisy defended woodenly as her entire face went red. Neither one of them was satisfied with that response, but Roy didn't honestly care enough to press her further on it.

"So, what're you doing all the way out here?" Daisy asked in a hurry to change the subject. "You looking to carry on your family's old business by kidnapping a princess too?"

"No, it's a long story. But we heard you were in trouble and decided to come help you out."

"'We?'"

"The group I'm with. I'll take you back to them."

"Ohhhh gotcha. Got any snacks?"

"Not with us…no."

"That's lame. Cuz let me tell you, there's nothing like being trapped inside an iceberg to work up an appetite!"

"Sure…I'll bet," said Roy.

What on earth did Peach see in this woman? How are they actually friends? Roy couldn't even begin to figure it out.

Roy and Daisy made their way to the opposite end of the room. There appeared to be a small opening in the ceiling that surely lead to the next floor up. But reaching it was going to be difficult.

Roy's mind was already buzzing with ideas of using portions of the walls to make platforms the two of them could hop on. But after having the floor cave in on him before, he was admittedly worried about just how stable the foundation of this palace was. Pulling one wrong stone out of place might very well bring the entire building down on top of them.

"Got any ideas for how we're getting out of here?" Daisy asked.

"I'm workin' on it," said Roy. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "Hold on, isn't this your palace? Shouldn't you know how to get around here and where the secret passages are?" Daisy looked almost insulted at this comment.

"Duhh! Of course I do! I just wanted to see what you could come up with on your own first." Roy stowed his annoyance behind his clenched teeth as best he could.

"This isn't a game, you know! People's lives are in danger! Hell, the whole world could be in danger at this point for all we know!"

"Sheesh, relax. Ya don't need to be such a grouch about it," Daisy bit back.

"How are you not freaking out about any of this?" Daisy's eyes lunged right into Roy's and she smirked.

"Because I already know we'll win. You've got the MVP in your corner now!" The princess flexed her arm in front of Roy and a peculiar item caught his attention.

Daisy was sporting a wristband of some sort with a large white circle on top. The circle's center was filled with a brown texture that resembled soil. With her other hand, Daisy pressed two of her fingers to her lips, then placed them on top of the wristband's brown center.

The device began to glow. White panels emerged around the circle and formed the shape of flower petals. Suddenly, a Piranha Plant miraculously sprouted out of the brown center and grew in size.

There was a real, genuine, living Piranha Plant coming out of Daisy's wrist! Roy caught his jaw seconds before it dropped.

"Morning, Chomper! You ready to get to work?" she asked. The Piranha Plant smiled and licked its lips a few times.

"What're you-" Roy began. Without warning, Daisy locked their arms together.

"Hang on tight!" she warned.

The Piranha Plant on her wrist lunged high into the air and bit down onto a large icicle hanging from the ceiling. It retracted its root and whisked Daisy and Roy up into the air. The plant released its bite at the height of the momentum and propelled the duo through a hole in the wall that Roy hadn't even noticed existed until he was already halfway through it.

No.

It wasn't going to end like this. It wasn't going to play out the same way.

Junior simply refused to accept that.

He wasn't the same person he was the night Contemno attacked his castle. He had learned and grown since then. He was meant to become stronger; to become so much more than anyone currently thought of him.

Now, it was time to step up and prove it.

Junior tightly clutched the handle of his paintbrush and swiped it in the air in front of him him. In the blink of an eye, he swatted Tatanga's rifle aside; seconds before it fired. Subconsciously, he then directed all of his strength and energy down into his lower back and pushed the bookshelf straight up; leaving just enough room for Junior to slip out from underneath it.

The edge of his paintbrush transformed into a hammer and Junior furiously clobbered Tatanga over and over. After taking a few hits, the goblin managed to block the rest of Junior's attacks with the barrel, the magazine floor plate, and the butt of the rifle. The force sent Tatanga back a few paces, but not enough to make him lose his balance.

Now that's more like it, he thought to himself. Show me a good time, kid.

Junior didn't let up. He continued to slug away at Tatanga. The Koopa Prince twirled his weapon and transformed the hammer into a cane. He wrapped it around the goblin's ankle to try and trip him up, but it didn't work. Tatanga was either too heavy or too strong. His stance was too firm.

"Hey now, no playin' dirty!" Tatanga exclaimed as he back-handed Junior across the face and sent him flying back a few feet.

By this point, Peach had fully recovered and was now sprinting straight for Tatanga. He turned and fired another round at her. Peach opened her parasol to shield herself and kept running forward. The princess rammed straight into Tatanga and shoved him across the room.

They were nearing the wall now, and Peach was just about to pin him up against it. Tatanga released his grip and dropped his gun, but still Peach was pushing him towards the wall without relent. The goblin punched the face of the parasol and forced it into an angle facing away from him, jumped, and then kicked off the wall behind him.

While Peach was re-gathering her bearings, Tatanga landed beside her, pulled out his pocket knife and swung it at her. The princess barely managed to block it with the staff of her parasol. Their eyes met.

"Ya got spunk, little lady! I'll give ya that," he said. "Unfortunately for you, spunk don't win fights!"

"Your big mouth won't do you any favors either!" Junior interjected. A click rang through the air. Peach and Tatanga turned to him. Junior had gotten hold of the goblin's rifle and was pointing it straight at him. Tatanga stepped away from his clash with Peach and raised his arms above his head. To the Koopa Prince's fear however, he smirked at this.

"Eaaasy now, tiger. That ain't a toy. You're gonna hurt someone with that," he warned in a voice laced with more belittlement than any semblance of actual fear.

"Duh, that's the idea!" Junior bit back angrily.

"You even got a clue how it works? I doubt a sheltered little prince like you has ever fired a gun in your life."

"Shut up! I know all I need to! I pull this trigger, and I'll shut you up for good!"

"Junior, put the gun down," Peach advised with fear in her voice.

"Why the hell would I do that!?"

"Listen to your mommy, Peewee. You got no idea what you're messin' around with," Tatanga warned.

"I told you to shut up! And drop your knife while you're at it!" Junior ordered. Tatanga's fingers twitched and the knife hit the iced floor with a clink.

"Junior, you don't need to go this far. Just put it down," Peach asked again, with slightly more desperation.

"Yes I do! I'm ending this fight, and I'll do it by putting one right between his eyes!" Whatever amusement Tatanga was getting from this deadlock faded fast and was quickly replaced with actual annoyance.

"Last warning, you tubby brat. Put my gun down right now before I take it from you," Tatanga threatened. "Then you'll be sorry you ever put your filthy, fat little mitts on it!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Junior roared as he fired a warning shot at the ceiling. Peach winced at the weapon's boom, but Tatanga remained perfectly still. "I'm sick of this! I'm so sick of all of you!"

The memories came flooding back in a violent rush.

"You're going to be our leader soon so you need to be firm and unshakable; like a rock over the ocean," said Wendy. "It means that you're bound to have enemies who will want nothing more than to tear you down and get to your kingdom. They could use your weight and your appearance as a weakness to get inside your head if you're not careful."

"You're nothing but a spoiled brat!" Bowser howled. "You always have been!"

"…'Watching' me?" Junior repeated. "I'm not a baby, Ludwig!"

"Oh really? You certainly could have fooled me with how immature you've been acting lately."

"Consider this a sporting chance, my boy," Contemno elaborated. "An opportunity to avenge your beloved teacher, defend your subjects, and perhaps most important of all…," the mage hunched over until his mask was inches away from Junior's face. "A moment of glory to show Daddy that you aren't such a failure after all."

"Nice pajamas, little prince," Eris mocked. "I was wondering where you were. Finally decided to wake up from our nap, did we?"

"Oh-ho! The pet speaks, and he's a chatty one at that!" Tatanga taunted.

Brat…little…pet…baby…tubby…immature…failure…I'm so sick of all of this. I'm gonna make them all sorry…, Junior thought to himself. They're all gonna wish they never looked down on me. I'm not fat. I'm not a baby anymore. I'm a king, dammit! They'll see! THEY'LL ALL SEE! I''L MAKE THEM REGRET THEY EVER SAID ANY OF THAT TO ME!

"Junior, stop! Please!" Peach called out to him.

"No! I'm so sick of everyone treating me like I'm just a baby or a stupid kid and acting like I can't do anything for myself!" Junior exclaimed.

"Too bad. Accept it. Cuz that's all that you are," Tatanga replied flatly. "I know all about you from Contemno and Eris."

"You don't know jack about me!" Junior retorted. "You're nothing but a lousy, one-off tool who fell off the face of the earth decades ago! What gives you the right to stand here now and lecture me about who I am!? I doubt you even knew I existed up until now!"

"Yell and cry about me all you want, kid," Tatanga replied coolly. "It won't change the fact that you're nothing but Bowser's miserable little hellspawn. You'll never be anything more than that. Just a pitiful, sad little shadow. And you know it's true. I see it in the tears in your eyes. Face it. You're just a stupid little kid who's in way over his head. You really think pointin' a gun and yellin' at me's gonna change any of that!?"

"Enough!" Peach exclaimed suddenly as she summoned and drove her golf club directly into Tatanga's chest; forcing the air out of his lungs.

Seething with anger, Junior's claw jammed back the trigger as he fired madly at Tatanga. Noticing this in time, the alien stepped away from Peach and slid forward along the ice across the room. He counted on the fact that Junior had no control over his aim and managed to continue sliding just outside of the line of fire until he was right on top of him.

The gun ceased as it exhausted the last of its ammo. Junior panicked. Tatanga sprang up and tackled Junior; wrestling him to the ground. Junior fought and struggled, but the goblin pinned him down hard.

"By the way, I didn't appreciate that 'tool' comment you made just now, you snot-nosed pest!" Tatanga said with satisfaction. "I oughta bend you over my knee right now and spank your sorry bottom for bein' so damn disrespectful! Give you the kind of discipline your daddy obviously never had the balls to! Ironic, considerin' who he is!"

Junior chomped down on Tatanga's wrist, forcing him to retreat far enough off for Junior to kick him back with both legs. The goblin staggered and was again blind-sided as Peach delivered another mighty blow to his chest with her golf club. The princess then followed up with a strike directly over his head. This one in particular left him in a daze as he nursed his injury.

Meanwhile, Junior stood up, retrieved his paint brush, and dashed over to join them as it transformed once more.

Peach tried to stop what came next. But panic set in, and she stepped out of the way at the last second.

An almighty jolt of pain stopped Tatanga in his tracks. He looked down and took witness as Junior had stabbed him directly through the chest with a sword and stood hunched over as if to make sure it pierced through his flesh.

Silence overtook the bedroom. Peach stood by; mortified by what he had done. She needed time both to keep herself from throwing up, and to process that this was just how far Junior was willing to go. Meanwhile, Junior silently relished in his savagery for as long as he could before he slowly retracted his blood-spattered weapon.

"Tell me something, Tatanga," said Junior. "How's it feel to lose to a sheltered, tubby, snot-nosed, baby turtle brat?" The words came out slowly; almost as if he savored each one in a sick and twisted way.

A minute passed. Peach was horrified when her mind jumped to the conclusion that Tatanga might already be dead and thus, unable to speak.

"Sure…alright…fine. Whatever. Ya got me," Tatanga conceited. "Can't say I expected ya to go that far."

The fear Junior desperately sought to relish in was still surprisingly absent, however. Tatanga then coughed up a hardy amount of blood.

"But…if could die that easily, Contemno would never have brought me back."

"…Brought you back?" Peach repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I'm part of his inner circle for a reason," Tatanga simply stated. In his final effort, he extended one arm each out at Junior and Peach. An electric wave pulsed out of his gloves, and they retreated backward to avoid it. "Midbus ain't worth the effort anyway. So I'll let you clean up his mess."

"Midbus…is that the guy you came here to see? That's the ice monster?" Junior interrogated. But he already knew it was meaningless to press Tatanga further. The goblin pressed a button on his wrist. The force field barricading the door disappeared as the projection device was shut off remotely.

"I'll remember this…," said Tatanga. He threw something down at his boots and a cloud of smoke suddenly filled the room.

When it faded, Junior and Peach were left alone. With the force field gone, the pair was free to leave. But they were in no hurry to. There was too much to process about what had just happened.

Tatanga had escaped, but shockingly, he left his rifle behind. Although, without any ammo, it wasn't much more than a large paperweight now as far as Junior was concerned.

Peach approached him slowly, but stopped when she saw the Koopa Prince fish out an item from his pocket: it was the white bandanna from his childhood. So, he still carried it with him. Even now.

Her heart sank however, as Junior carelessly used the precious cloth as a mere rag to clean his sword of the blood that stained it. The bandanna was utterly marred and dyed an ugly brownish red color.

"I…thought that was important to you," Peach said as she searched Junior's distant eyes. His eyebrows narrowed, and his head turned mechanically; his gaze shifting from the red rag and not to her, but to his sword.

"Not anymore," Junior replied simply. "How can I expect anyone to treat me like anything other than a kid if I can't let go of the past?"

"Junior…are you alright?" They both were ashamed of the question she'd just asked. She knew Junior too well to know that after what he'd just been through, "alright" was the very last thing Junior could possibly be feeling at that moment. The princess prepared herself to take his chilling silence in her stride.

"No, I'm not," Junior replied; showing a surprising openness to talk to her. "I won't be alright until everyone stops treating me like a child."

"Junior, you know that we-"

"I know you and the others still think of me as a kid too. Doesn't matter if you won't say it to my face. But it's not your fault."

"What do you mean?" Peach asked.

"I've lived in the past for too long. I didn't pass my coronation when I was supposed to because I was too afraid to grow up. I spent all my time sulking and feeling sorry for myself and waiting for Dad to come home from his meetings every night to take care of me. When really, I should've been working on myself all this time."

"Well, it's never too late to change," Peach offered. "And we've told you that we-"

"I know. You guys are here for me. I got that already from our last heart-to-heart," Junior stopped her rather bluntly. "But this is something I need to do on my own. It's time I stopped kidding around and actually put in the work."

He turned and pointed his sword at Peach. She jumped a bit at this; still almost reeling from watching the Koopa Prince actually go so far as to violently stab Tatanga in a blind rage.

"If I'm ever gonna get everyone to see me as anything more than Bowser's baby son, I need to stop messing around. I'm gonna show the world that I'm a true king, and that thinking of me as anything less than that, is a fatal mistake." His sword transformed back into a paint brush, and Junior casually returned it to its holster. Walking towards the room's exit, he crumpled the soiled bandanna up into a wad and carelessly tossed it over his shoulder.

Peach wasted no time in retrieving it. Not just because her proper nature would not accept such blatant littering. But also because she knew how precious this cloth was to Junior. Even though he was still in too much of a frustrated state to recognize that himself.

But there was one other reason Peach kept the bloody bandanna and stuffed it into her bag as she followed Junior out into the hall. It carried remnants of Tatanga's blood all over it. If anyone could put this thing to good use and help them eventually track that monster down again, it was Iggy.