Shards of Love: REDUX!
Shard III: Alliances
With the 'Big Three' alliance within reach, Peach and the Koopas must, at all costs, stop the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasalandian forces from reaching Jewelry Land and forming an alliance with King Fret.
Chapter XXVII
Integration
"Mom? Dad?" Peach repeated. Her missing parents stand before her, plain as day, but she cannot grasp onto that reality. How did they get to Jewelry Land? Better question: why are they here?
"Oh, Peach darling," the queen cooed as she approaches her daughter and hugs her. Peach remains too shocked to return the hug.
"I... I don't get it. Why did you leave? Why did you let me get arrested and be sent here?"
Queen Toadstool hesitates at the question before opening her mouth, "Peach-"
"I want answers, Mom! I want them now!" multiple emotions, from anger to confusion, course through the princess. Something about the situation rubs her the wrong way. If her parents stayed in the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach wouldn't have been arrested, and Mario wouldn't have usurped the throne. Killed toads would've returned to their families, living their lives under the peace the continent deserves.
The queen sighed, "Peach, darling. We were told by Mario to come here and forge an alliance with the Mushroom Kingdom."
"And why were you following Mario?! Shouldn't that be a red flag for you?!" Peach snapped, "Mom! Mario volunteers with us! He doesn't ever command!"
"We know now. Just before we reached Float Castle, we heard on the radio about your arrest, and how it was demanded by Mario. Then, Mario took full control. I couldn't have it anymore, so Fret and I have been planning a rush against Mario."
Peach's stance softens, "Oh..."
"I'm now negotiating with Fret here about going against Mario's control," the queen repeated, "We were too afraid to enact any strategy. Even with the fourth-largest military, Jewelry Land's no match to the Mushroom Kingdom or to Sarasaland. They're the two largest armies in the world; they'd clean us."
King Fret nods, "We're still working on ironing out an official alliance, but we're on a good track, especially if you have an army with you. Do you have an army with you? Or is it just you four?"
Bowser shrugs, "If my magikoopas and koopalings come, we'll have the Koopa Troop. But I don't know how they're doing."
"We heard reports from the TV about an uprising in Pipe Land involving the Koopa Troop, and also about an entire fleet of Koopan airships over the Onyx," the queen recalled, "They know about Mario, the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland. The question is: are they going as far as seeking an alliance here? Do they know we're here?"
"Sounds like my koopalings are in."
"We shall wait for them," Fret announced, "But for now, I want to go over our alliance. How again does Sarasaland fit into all this?"
"Birabuto supports Mario; we battled Totomesu back in the Dark Realm," Daisy mentioned, "Birabuto might be unstable after we got rid of Totomesu, but Muda and Easton's still going strong. Chai didn't want to join."
"Sarasaland infiltrated our land?" Fret growled, "No one invades my kingdom and gets away with it."
"Yes. The Dark Realm's float castle and Bowser's old castle are controlled by them," Daisy sighed, "I'm sorry for my kingdom, King. I was hoodwinked by Mario also."
Fret rubs his chin, "Well, this certainly escalated; in fact, it's to the point in which Jewelry Land cannot ignore the feud. I'll be willing to form an alliance, but I want to meet the current leaders of the Koopa Troop and I want to hear their points of view. We also need to come up with a plan on how we take on the Mushroom Kingdom."
Peach nods, "I think defending Pipe Land's the best way forward."
"Definitely. That's why my troops are patrolling Pipe Island, the Bridge, the Coast and the Land. We can't have the Pipe Maze fall into evil hands, or else Jewelry Land's doomed."
"It's the negative of an interconnected world, unfortunately," the queen bowed her head, "But the Koopa Troop presence brings hope."
"We cannot just hope; we must act," Fret protested, "For now, I'm continuing the troops' patrols, and I'm sending a group deeper into the Pipe Maze. If your group arrives here, I want to have a meeting with all the leaders ASAP."
Bowser nods, "If I know my Koopa Troop, they'll be here soon."
"Good. I'll have the servants prepare a feast tonight, and I'll have my commanders track any reported locations of the Koopa Troop. Hopefully that will lure them all here."
"Thanks," Bowser stated. Peach, Daisy and Luigi only nod.
"Surely. Now, I'll have a servant usher you to your rooms. Settle down for a bit; we'll keep watch on everything."
Peach nods. She can use a hot shower and a long nap right about now. Anything to get her mind away from realizing her parents were a step away from betraying their own daughter.
Hours after their contact with Kammy and Pipeus, Lemmy's army remains stationary at the Pipe Maze, fending the pipes from the intruding Mushroomers. The Pipelandians fight alongside him, each soldier revealing a zealous spirit they lacked during the three-way battles. The koopaling's proud of his beasts of war. Despite his concern over the Mushroom Kingdom's potential power, he feels they have adequate manpower to hold down the Maze.
Wendy accompanies him, similar thoughts in mind. She dreaded being under Lemmy's command, but during the mission's duration, she finds herself enjoying Lemmy's willingness to hear opposing viewpoints, unlike the headstrong attitudes of both Ludwig and Roy. Their egos would've destroyed the Darklandian army and prevented an alliance with the Pipelandians; maybe that's why Kamek grouped them together. Does Kamek know something they don't? Wendy shrugs at the possibility.
Near the duo, Iggy's doomship lands, and the koopaling shuts off the makeshift hospital wing's engines. He steps outside; despite battles surrounding him, he feels a peculiar serenity welling within him. They're one step closer towards dominating the Maze, although the Mushroom Kingdom's presumed control of the pipes themselves remains a reality. Unless Kammy and Pipeus fixed it.
"Any updates?" the scientist questioned Kammy after calling her on one of his magikoopa's wands. Not long after, Lemmy and Wendy join the call with their respective magikoopas.
"Whatever was overriding the Pipe Maze has been declared defunct or destroyed. Pipeus regained access to the pipes just moments ago. The Maze's pipes may need a few moments to sync back into Pipe Land's control," Kammy answered, "Master Lemuel, leave the armies there to defend the Maze. Let Pom Pom command them also. You three need to plan a strategy with the others in Jewelry Land. Also, I recommend getting your captains to move your doomships east across the Boletus, and we'll decommission the Canyon Heights warp pipe. The Mushroomers are picking up steam in Western Pipe Land, so we'll be closing all pipes west of the Boletus."
"Got it," Lemmy confirmed.
"Do we know if everyone will be there?" Iggy continued.
"Concerning the locations of everyone, I'm unsure, Master Ignatius. I did receive contact from Kamek, stating that he's flying just off the coast of Jewelry Land with Ludwig, Roy and Morton on board. I told him you'd all be there."
The pipes around him quake within seconds. Iggy stares at the pipes in confusion, having never observed the phenomenon.
"The pipes were shaking! Like, really bad! Like setting azidoazide azides on fire! Was that the syncing?"
"I believe so, Master Ignatius. The original locations to the Pipe Maze are now set. You, Miss Wendy and Master Lemuel should depart."
Iggy pockets his wand after Kammy shuts down the communication. He spots Lemmy and Wendy leaving their doomships, also unfazed by the conflicts around them. They enter the Pipe Maze's entrance pipe without hesitation.
The pipe's other side links to the Pipe Maze's beginning caverns, where pipes and destination signs litter the area. Four pipes—assumed to be the pipes to Metallic City, Ironforge, Electrocity and a boarded-up fourth zone—surround them, while a defunct pipe, appearing to lead to the Ninth Land, rests in the left corner before them. To their right, the koopalings notice five pipes, each displaying a string of letters above them: A-E, F-J, K-O, P-T, and U-Z.
Numerous soldiers—thankfully Pipelandian troops—patrol the Maze's caverns, each wanting to defend their Land's prized infrastructure. Expecting invaders, the soldiers flinch as the koopalings arrive; they were deemed safe before the soldiers relax and continue patrolling.
The koopalings head to the right and enter the F-J pipe. They appear on one of the Pipe Maze's islands saturated with pipes, each displaying their destination. The Sun shines down on them; from the heat, the humidity and the foliage around them, they must be in the tropical area of the Pipe Maze just south of the mainland. As before, Pipelandian soldiers patrol the pipe corridors.
"Okay... Fahr Outpost, Faire Square, Fiery Cavern, Flipside...," Wendy read the destinations as they walk past the pipes, "Float Castle I... Ugh, of course the pipe's dead."
"Figured, which is why we were thinking of using Jewelry Land's pipe. Think that was closed when Jewelry Land centralized their pipes on Pipe Island," Lemmy stated, "Pipeus really needs to add a pipe to the J section to make this faster. Or, at least move the entrance between the G and H pipes. I'm just glad Pipe Land added separate areas for the Giant Land, Grass Land and Ice Land city pipes. Even walking to those sucked."
"Right?! It's like I needed Chompy to survive that journey!" Iggy exclaimed, "Who walks this far?!"
"Doubt they'd allow chain chomps in here, Ig. They threw a fit about my ball once."
The trio continue walking, with Wendy reading the signs, many times out loud. They become alert as they pass the Isle Delfino pipe and enter Section J.
"Jade Jungle, Jazzafrazz Town—Jewelry Land!" Wendy announced before she jumps into the pipe.
Lemmy and Iggy exchange glances and shrug before they follow their sister. They end up on another island littered with warp pipes spawning from all directions. They would've thought they'd be lost in the Maze if Iggy didn't notice a bridge in the distance.
"There's Grand Bridge!" the scientist announced, "We're in Jewelry Land, at least!"
"Yup," Wendy shivered, "This place totally gives me the creeps! Strangely enough, I either have bad memories or no memories here."
"And how do we find the others? Grass Land and the Castle are way too far to walk. Grand Bridge itself is a day-long journey," Lemmy pointed out, "But Kammy said Kamek's coming."
"Um, y'know we're on Pipe Island, yeah?" Iggy informed, "... But looks like the Float Castle pipe is dead... Oh, looky, so is Grass Land's and Mushroom Land's."
"Your genius idea didn't work for long, didn't it?" Wendy sneered.
"Uh, no. It did," Iggy retaliated as he climbs into a pipe, "Because Crescent Coast's pipe works!"
Lemmy follows Iggy down the pipe, and Wendy joins the duo after emitting an exhausted sigh. She hates warp pipes, but at least she won't have to walk.
The koopalings reappear on a beach just outside the bustling Crescent City, where numerous vacationers play in the crisp waters or bathe in the Sun's endless rays. They too want to enjoy the scenery, if only they weren't involved in an international crisis.
"There, look!" Iggy points to the sky. Several floating brown dots expand as they approach the group, and within minutes, dozens upon dozens of airships hover above them. A rope ladder drops from the leading doomship; Iggy notices the leading airship to be Ludwig's.
Iggy grabs hold of the ladder and climbs up, with Wendy and Lemmy following his lead. He approaches the doomship's bottom hatch, where a pair of sledge brothers hoist him into the ship. The brothers pull Wendy and Lemmy into the doomship's safety before they pull up the ladder and close the hatch.
"Prince Ludwig and the others be in the cockpit," one sledge brother informed, "They be waiting for you."
Lemmy nods, "Thanks!"
They journey down the hall towards the doomship's bow and enter the cockpit, where Ludwig's piloting, Morton's doing a crossword puzzle on a stray newspaper of Ludwig's, and Roy's staring out the cockpit's starboard window with a stone-eyed stare and folded arms.
"Glad to see you're all in one piece," Iggy stated before focusing his attention among the three, "... And in one doomship."
"Yes, Ignatius. Ve've ran into quite a predicament during our journey across ze Onyx. Let us conclude zat Roy and Morton vere participating in Fate's baptism."
"And you went and rescued them!" Iggy exclaimed, "See, I told ya they'd grow on ya!"
Ludwig rolls his eyes, "Silence, and depart hence any consideration about my views towards my brozzers. I've had zem resuscitated for purely professional purposes."
"Of course he rescued us! You think I'd accept death that quick? I'd haunt his damn shell!" Morton replied, "Now, nerds, what's the genus of piranha plants?"
"Plumbumordere," Ludwig answered. Morton erases his former guess and writes the answer down before the eldest continues, "And how much of zat crossvord did you do on your own, Morton? Do you even possess knowledge of vhat a genus is? Aren't ze Science Dailypapers too superior for your level of intellect?"
"Shut it, geek. If I need you to speak, I'll ask you."
Ludwig smirks, "Anyvay, I assume ve're meeting at ze float castle. Ve should get zere vithin an hour or two."
"Do we even know Dad's there though?" Lemmy questioned.
Ludwig only shrugs at the question.
"Either way, I'm so glad I no longer have to lead!" the small koopaling continued, "I hope I don't have to again!"
"You did fine, dude," Wendy complimented, "We made progress in that Maze and we have Pipe Land on our side."
"Yeah, it wasn't bad, but," Lemmy plops down in the co-captain's chair, rests his feet on top the dashboard and leans in the chair with both hands behind his head, "The stress and the responsibilities. C'mon, I'm a clown, not a commander!"
From the window, Roy grunts at the response, although preferring to stare outside over bothering to strike a conversation with his siblings. Morton catches Roy's underlying attitude, and instead projects it onto Lemmy.
"No need to be such a wuss," the large koopaling looks up from his puzzle and sneers.
"But I feel like I wasn't meant to fight, yet the rest of you seem to love it, then you're rude to me because I don't."
"Well, duh," Morton added, "What did you expect, dude? We're evil. We just love being mean. That's literally the Koopaling motto for, like, the past decade, idiot."
"Hey, Valleygirl Morton! At least I don't sound like Wendy!"
Morton and Wendy both glare at the smirking Lemmy. "You better watch that mouth before I shut it for you," Morton seethed.
Not desiring a fight amongst his siblings—they all must be united at the end—Ludwig makes a hasty subject change, "Vhat's ze status of Pipe Land?"
"Well, we're making progress, but overall it's pretty grave news," Iggy shrugged, "Our troops are back there still, working alongside Pipeus, Kammy, Pom Pom and the captains."
"The pipes in the Pipe Maze are under our control also," Lemmy added, still lounging in the chair, "The pipes were hacked, but apparently something made the Mushroom Kingdom lose control."
The eldest nods, "Zat could be ze vork of Lawrence. I do wonder how he's faring in such an arduous location."
"I hope he's fine," Lemmy replied.
Iggy nodded, "Same."
"Everything will work out, dudes," Wendy stated, her tone genuine.
"Feh, I focus on actual issues," Morton snapped, "Like, what family of the order Testudine's most related to koopas? Why the hell is this newspaper so nerdy, Geek?"
"Tortoises, Morton," Ludwig groaned, "You could at least show concern for your brozzer."
"Make me," Morton shrugs before turning his attention back towards the newspaper.
"Aww, shut your traps," Roy turns towards the others and adds, "Larry's a spy. A damn good one, too. He ain't gonna get himself into messes, so stop whinin' about him. Dat's what Morty's sayin': Larry's a pro; he'll be fine."
Morton nods.
"He'll be fine. He'll be fine. Got it, punks?" the pink koopaling repeated as his focus returns toward the window—Ludwig senses Roy's attempting to remind himself more than his siblings, but the eldest brushes it off, "Don't ya worry."
Red, orange and yellow dance around Larry and E. Gadd, threatening to add the duo into its raging, smoke-saturated infernal. E. Gadd attempts to open the door to the hallway, but the knob proves too hot for his touch. Instead, Larry retreats into his shell and slams into the door, bursting it open.
The two dash out of the room, more worried about being caught by the fire than by the castle's occupiers. The guards long disbanded their duty stations, considering the risk of their lives a higher-elevated issue than the risk of compromised information destroyed by the flames anyway. Likewise, only the crackling fire echoes throughout the castle's halls. The smoke replaces any remaining scent of Peach and her existence, converting the heavenly castle into a sulphurous circle of hell.
The lingering soot and the thinning layer of fresh air require Larry and E. Gadd to crawl by the time they reach the second floor. From the obscured ceiling, burning beams batter the floor, complicating their situation. They feel the castle shifting with every move, as if every move caused an earthquake. It's only a matter of time before the entire thing collapses.
The fiery castle's power supply cuts out—initially good news as the duo pass the deactivated potentially booby-trapped hallway by the first-floor kitchen but proves a disaster when they descend into the dark cellar. With no light, they must feel for wood on the otherwise brick interior.
Larry and E. Gadd touch the cellar's walls as they walk on opposing sides, desperate to beat the tunnel before the fire devours them. They stumble over misplaced appliances before E. Gadd feels a peculiar object attached to the wall.
"Is this it, youngster?"
The koopaling, cautious about tripping in the dark, meanders towards the voice's source before putting his hand on the assumed position. A wood texture. He moves his hands around the object – it's X-shaped.
"This is it," Larry confirmed. He again retreats into his shell and damages the barrier before zooming inside. E. Gadd follows him in.
The tunnel's nothing to write home about. It was dark – at least the castle had flames as a light source, but the tunnels had nothing. From his touch, the "walls" consist of hardened dirt, while at parts, muddy ceilings cave in where even E. Gadd must crawl beneath the impacted zones. But, this proves better than being threatened by fire and baddies.
After about five minutes of journeying, Larry reaches into his shell and pulls out his wand. He waves it around, resulting in the tip generating light.
"I can use magic again," the koopaling noted, "Those pebbles... In fact, lemme contact Kamek."
The koopaling waves the wand again. Kamek's hologram appears on the wand's glowing tick, a relieved expression lighting his face.
"Master Lawrence! You're safe!"
Larry nodded, "I'm safe, but not for long. Something tells me we're all in trouble."
Kamek appears puzzled, "I assume as such, but from your expression, there might be more to the story, Master Lawrence?"
"I think so. I dunno," Larry replied, "Do you know about rocks that contain magical power? Like, little pebbles?"
Kameks eyes narrowed, "Did they expel dark steam?"
"Yes. I touched one, and it took me to all these visions. I had a few dealing with this weird crossed M thing on an altar, then being stamped on all of us, and then all of us looking like poor serfs."
Kamek remains silent, still processing the information.
"Then it tried to possess me, but I got rid of it," Larry figured he should remain silent about Peach's burning castle for the moment.
The magikoopa's deep in thought for another minute before nodding, "Those rocks are local to the Forest of Illusion in Dinosaur Land...," Kamek sighs, "Master Lawrence... Your six siblings and I are on the way to Float Castle. When we arrive, we will have an immediate meeting to discuss what you saw. At that time, I will summon you back. Thanks to you, I may have figured out the puzzle's entirety, and I will let the others know."
"Okay, just call me whenever," Larry accepted, "But wait-"
Before the koopaling finishes his sentence, Kamek's face disappears from the wand. Larry exhales as he illuminates the wand's tip again.
"Guess I have to wait until the meeting to hear about the in-depth magical explanations. Let's just go to your lab."
They continue venturing through the frigid, dingy tunnel, and avoid sudden cave-ins, pitfalls and massive cobwebs. A couple hours after they started their trek, the duo reach the tunnel's end: a cave plastered on a hill's side just outside Luigi's mansion; somehow this end of the tunnel went unnoticed by the Grasslandian authorities.
Larry shivers as he exits the cave—despite being back in the Sun, the surrounding scenery's frostiness far exceeds the tunnel's. Crows caw as they scavenge across the dead trees surrounding the boarded-up mansion. The ground, appearing charred, only boasts low-quality, unfertile dirt and a slew of disintegrating tombstones washed by acid rain. A cool, dirt-saturated gust of wind blows on him from the mansion; even the ground's soil smells of corrosion, decay and death. The ivy chokes any remaining life from the mansion's walls, providing the otherwise-black landscape with a green tinge; it eerily fits into the environment, garnishing it with uneasiness.
Unlike the mansion, a little hut across the path provides warmth and a lively atmosphere. The two characters enter and flip on the lights, exposing E. Gadd's laboratory. Machines hum throughout the makeshift workshop as their creator trudges past them, approaches a computer and boots it up.
"How do you live in this place?" Larry questioned, slight tremors from the mansion's ghastly essence still running through him.
"I always wanted to do ghost research," the professor replied as he uses his credentials to log onto the computer's Administrator profile, "Plus, no one wants to come here, so it gives me peace and quiet."
"Yeah, I see that..."
E. Gadd opens his email and logs into his account. He clicks on the text file and retrieves the Castle's Internet connection information. The professor highlights over the network's address, copies it and pastes it into a sniffing application.
"I'm spoofing the connection that was in the Control Room, so we should be getting info from here," E. Gadd grinned.
"And it'll work?" Larry questioned, "Even with the Castle burnt down?"
"Yes. It appears that this is the Internet connection of the military as a whole, not just the Castle. Because the connection itself wasn't destroyed, it can still be used and I can still access it."
"Smart," Larry nodded, "Well, glad I found ya, Prof. You made my job way easier."
"Anytime, youngster," E. Gadd smiled, "Consider it a debt payment towards you freeing me and towards my responsibility for creating the Ultra Scope."
"We'll talk about that Scope later," Larry decided, "Ludwig and Iggy can help us neutralize it."
"I just hope we're not too late."
The computer dings before a slew of codes appear on the sniffer. E. Gadd types in a couple lines of code, and the data transforms into multiple charts, maps and data. The professor stares at the map; nearly all of Pipe Land falls under the Mushroom Kingdom's Western front, save for Ironforge and a small enclave just west of the Boletus. Dark Land's also taken over fully. The Mushroom Kingdom's Eastern front pushes into Giant Land, while the Kingdom's Northern front rests just south of Sky Land's border. Water Land remains safe, while Ice Land and Sky Land remain neutral.
"Not looking good, young'un," E. Gadd grimaced, "The Koopas and Jewelry Land need to head out there ASAP."
"I agree, but we need a plan first. And I'll trust that Kamek and the others will plan and lead us to victory," Larry stated with confidence. But doubts sprout throughout his mind: those pebbles are truly bad news, but he doesn't know how they fit into anything or their potential powers.
But Larry couldn't brush off Kamek's reaction, as if the magikoopa knew all along. Is he part of this dethrone-the-koopas conspiracy, only pretending to be a good guy?
The koopaling shrugs. Kamek's either too loyal, or too good a sneak; Larry can't imagine Kamek in the know. His suggestion does make for a great plot for a spy thriller, or something he'd even do, but that's about it.