dbot: Hey, thanks for binging and good luck to you...because you got plenty more to go and take in all the insanity, LOL!
Fanfic Guest: Hey, thanks SO much for your detailed reviews! I really appreciate your criticisms and appraisals! Yeah, it's safe to say that the beginning of this story is WAAYYYYY different than to how the story is now, LOL. I made so many damn changes to this story around the beginning, that it really wasn't until the Rusty Bucket Bay arc that I feel like I was really starting to make things consistent. I have a bad habit of changing my mind so often, and it definitely shows a lot more in the early parts to this story, which is also why the early parts are so much more cartoon-y and comical compared to now.
By the way, the 'monster' that you mentioned when you critiqued Bleck's story in the Wet-Dry World arc, that monster actually DOES appear later on (well, KIND OF). It's mentioned in Chapter 86 (and a little bit in this chapter), but I'm not sure if you've reached that point yet. I also wanna say that I agree that the constant cheating of characters was just redundant, which is why I'm kind of not proud of how I wrote the Sonic arc and Pokemon arc because there were so many damn love triangles going on (it actually reached a point where I actually dropped a 'love square' that was supposed to happen in the Pokemon arc, or perhaps the Zelda arc, because I feel like it was going to be overboard at that point, especially since I already planned for a couple more love triangles to happen). But, again, thanks for being so in depth about my story!
Adventuring Group: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, DK, Dixie, Goombella, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, Lakilester, Koops, Koopie, Flurrie, Spike/Paper-Yoshi, Vivian, Boshi, Bowser, Larry, Wario, Pauline, Mona, Jojora, Starlow, Luvbi, Kody
Hospital group: Toadette, Bleck/Blumiere, Tippi/Timpani, Toadsworth, Fly Guy, Toadessa, Toado, Dr. Nokano, Morton, Lemmy, Ludwig, Bowser Jr., Tadano, E. Gadd, Clawdia, Katia, Kenneth, Toodles
Mushroom Corps.: Arfur, Arfur's boss
Island group: Tatanga, Beldam, Roy, Doopliss, Dimentio, Mimi, Diddy, Fire Bro/Konnor
Moon: TEC
Traveling to Blackstone Tower: Grodus
Fort Koopington: Rosalina, Monty Mole
ST. TOADOFSKY'S HOSPITAL
Bleck and Tippi frantically ran back up on the first floor. They stopped in their tracks and looked all around them for Tadano, but no luck. Everyone on the floor was either talking amongst each other or eating.
"Blumiere, what are we gonna do!? He could be anywhere in this hospital! Or, even worse, he could've escaped the hospital itself and gone to who knows where!" Tippi cried.
"I...I have no clue...uhh…" Bleck was in complete panic mode but kept it together on the outside. He had to think of what the next step was to do here. He had to be smart and play it cool. Freaking out and asking everyone he could where Tadano was would just cause gossip and panic to spread like wildfire. That was the last thing these people needed.
"Blumiere!? Are you okay!?" Tippi cried.
"Y-yes, I'm fine," he replied while deep in thought. "I got it. We need to find the Koopalings. They can help us."
"What? Why them for?" Tippi asked as Bleck started to head for the stairwell.
"Because we need to inform anyone who is a part of the group that knows about this. The Koopalings are tough and can take Tadano down if need be if they find him. We'll then find Toadette, Toadsworth, Dr. Nokano, and E. Gadd and let them know too," Bleck stated while quickly stomping up the stairs, determined to get this dealt with ASAP.
"Okay, I see. But, what do we do if we find him then? Do we...um...you know, kill him?" Tippi asked.
"No. Not that soon, at least. But, if we have to beat the information out of him, then we will," Bleck answered and the pair exited onto the second floor. They went down the hallway and into a room on the right that he remembers the family sleeping in. He saw Ludwig, Lemmy, and Morton on the floor playing cards.
"There you guys are!" Bleck called out, which immediately grabbed the three's attention. Bleck shut the door to prevent anyone else from hearing what they were about to discuss. "Where's Bowser Jr.?"
"Uhh, he's hanging around outside with Toadette. Why? What's going on now!?" Morton asked, fearing the worst.
"Okay. What I'm about to tell you three...do NOT tell it to anyone else nor do I want you to panic. I'm gonna tell this to a few other people, but apart from that, this has to stay between us. Understand?" Bleck instructed very seriously. The three looked nervous and nodded at him.
"Oh boy, what is it!? Are we under attack again?" Lemmy asked.
"No. Well...not exactly. Someone let Tadano out of his cell. Now, Tadano is either hiding out somewhere in this hospital, or he escaped and is somewhere in the city," Bleck revealed. The three koopas made an expression of horror.
"WHAT!? Who the fuck would just let him out though!?" Ludwig shrieked.
"That's exactly what we're wondering. We don't know who let him out OR why, but we need to see if he's hiding out somewhere here in the hospital. He could be up to no good, he's very unpredictable," Tippi replied shakily.
"Man...it's always some crazy shit happening in this place, isn't it? Alright, we'll try looking for him. Lemmy, you do the first and fourth floor, I'll do second and fifth floor, and Ludwig, you do third and sixth floor!" Morton commanded.
"No no! Search while sticking together. Please...it'll be much safer that way. We'll do some searching ourselves along with the others that we'll tell," Bleck urged.
"Um...okay? You really think this guy is as dangerous as Fire Bro?" Lemmy asked.
"Possibly. Tadano has never hurt anyone as far as we know, but we can't play it safe. Not after all that we've been through!" Tippi declared.
"Indeed. When I find and tell Bowser Jr. about this, I'll make sure he joins you guys. It's better that the family sticks together during this time," Bleck added. Morton raised his brow slightly.
"Wow. You're being quite protective of us, making sure that we're all together," he observed.
Bleck lowered his head and then nodded a little. "Before you all went outside to see your father, brother, and the rest of your friends goodbye...your father came to me and asked if I could watch over you all and made sure you stayed together as much as possible. He wanted me to be the one to do it because I'm the strongest person here as of right now, so of course, I said yes. He told me that if another of his kids die, that he may die of a broken heart himself. So, I won't let that happen. If you wanna be annoyed by that, then go ahead, but that's the plan for us until he gets back."
The three were quiet for a moment, looking a little sad in the face.
"Oh...okay. We get it. We'll do whatever you tell us to!" Lemmy complied, with Ludwig nodding and Morton just crossing his arms, now looking unsure.
"Good. Now, go in a group, and search every inch of this hospital. Do not ask ANYONE if they've seen Tadano or anything like that, because the last thing we need is panic to spread among these people yet again," Bleck instructed.
"And, if you DO find him, do not kill him. Try to get him back into the cell, or just knock him out if you're able to," Tippi added.
"Along with that...demand that he tells you who let him out. Because that means we have another potentially dangerous person running around here too, which is another damn issue we'll have to deal with!" Bleck angrily huffed.
"Well, what about Fire Bro? I know he escaped the hospital when those koopatrols came here, but he could've easily snuck back in and let Tadano out for whatever reason!" Morton theorized.
Bleck paused for a minute, knowing already that Fire Bro was on Tatanga's island, so there's no way it could've been him, but he wasn't sure if he should tell them about his little quest yet.
"N-no. It wasn't Fire Bro. Guard on this place has been heavy since the shooting and Fire Bro was last seen running from the courtyard into the fields, so...it wasn't him," Bleck stated.
Morton looked at him a little suspiciously, leering his eyes now.
"Hmm. Okay. C'mon guys, let's get searching for this maniac," was all Morton said in response.
Toadette and Bowser Jr. were laying in the fields of the courtyard, staring up at the somewhat cloudy sky.
"That one over there, to the left...that looks like a fire hydrant," Bowser Jr. said while pointing. Toadette giggled at his word choice.
"Really? Looks more like a tree. Now, THAT one, down a little...that could be a fire hydrant, but looks more like a...hmm...oh, look at that, it's changing a little! Now it kind of looks like a bow!" Toadette pointed out cheerily. Junior's expression slowly turned to sad.
"A bow...Wendy…" the koopa kid started to choke up.
"Oh no! I'm sorry, Junior, I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay! You don't need to apologize. Being with you has been really helpful. It's so hard trying not to cry and be all down in the dumps...but being with you makes it a little easier," Junior shyly admitted.
Toadette blushed and smiled brightly at him. "I feel the same! I don't know if you and Toad had ever talked before, but I'm pretty sure you two would've gotten along great. I swear, if my brother was never here the whole time, I don't know if I could've stayed totally sane. He was really my rock throughout the whole adventure...and he had to be taken away from me…"
Junior was silent for a moment since he knew that Toadette was getting choked up now as well.
"Can I tell you something about your brother, Toadette?" he kindly and softly asked. Toadette turned her head to him while wiping her eyes.
"S-Sure, what is it?" she responded, knowing that it wouldn't be bad based on how he asked.
"The day of the shooting, before those guys came in and ruined everything, Toad and I had a really good talk. He said that he approved of the relationship between us and that it's really helping you. You have no idea how ecstatic I was to hear him say that! I was so worried about what he thought about me...and us...but looks like I was worrying over nothing," Junior happily revealed, but still shed a tear. Toadette gasped a little but then made a teary smile as well.
"That's so amazing to hear, Junior. My brother knew that this was going to be good for me too...and it is. Really feels like he's also watching over us…" she exclaimed with a couple tears also falling from her eyes as well, but they were more joyful tears.
"Yeah, for sure!" Junior chuckled, then gave her a quick peck on the cheeks. Toadette blushed and giggled at this, then gave him a quick peck on his cheek in return, which made them both giggle now.
"Hehe! Hey...I'm gonna go get some Koopa Tea from the cafeteria. Want me to bring you some?" he asked.
"Sure! Haven't had that stuff in a long time. I heard it's good for the immune system," Toadette replied vibrantly.
"Cool. Be right back!" Junior cheered then jumped up and merrily walked back into the hospital. Toadette giggled again and turned her head back towards the sky. She felt so content and comforted, that it gave her the tiniest bit of hope that this is what the adventure's worth living through.
Toadette closed her eyes as she basked in the warm sunlight. She heard footsteps coming her way, so she opened her eyes back up and turned her head to the left.
"Back already? Did they not have-"
She stopped talking when she got up and saw who it was that walked to her. It wasn't Junior.
It was Tadano.
"OH!" she shrieked in fright. "T-Tadano...they let you out!"
"Yeah…" he replied in a sad manner. "Can I sit here? I miss the outside…"
"Um...o-okay…" Toadette had a bad feeling in her gut about this. Something just seemed incredibly off. "So, uhh, I take it that Bleck let you out, right?"
Tadano plopped down on the grass and just blankly stared into the fields. He looked like he was about to cry.
"Tadano…? What's wrong?" Toadette asked, getting real nervous now.
"Toadette...have you ever wanted to just stop...existing?" Tadano spoke, still staring into the fields. Toadette's heart sank when he said that.
"Wh-wh-what!? Why do you say that for!?" she yelped. She had just tried to kill herself very recently, so it triggered some anxiety within her.
"I just...I do these things...and say these things...then I immediately regret them...it builds up and up overtime to where I feel like my brain will explode. So then I have to ask myself…'why do I do this?' And, so, I think I know the answer to that...it's because I have no one. No one to come home to. No one to be with. No one to understand me.
So then I also ask myself...who am I then without anyone? I was left in some asylum by my own family...never had any friends...and now...everyone hates me...so...I'm basically no one...but...because I'm no one...that means I have nothing left to lose now…" Tadano spoke in a slow and odd manner, still staring out.
"Oh...uhh, you don't have to feel like that, Tadano. We can be here for you! You've got plenty of people here that can support you. We know you've been through so much. You just have to try to believe that it'll be okay," Toadette said in an attempt to cheer him up, but still felt weird about him.
That was when Tadano slowly turned his head and looked to Toadette. She got even more creeped out, because his eyes just looked like they were dead. Lifeless. Soulless.
"Toadette...if I were to kill myself...would you join me?"
She gasped and scooched away from him. Her heart immediately began racing.
"Wh-wh-what did you just say!? Tadano…" she started to panic.
"It's one of two solutions I can think of. Killing myself...but it'd be easier to have you do it with me! It'd make me feel less alone. And I can just tell from you, that you wanna do it too. You've lost your brother, who was your other half essentially...since he's gone...who are you now? No one. Just like me. All the more reason to do it with me.
The other solution is...to go absolutely manic. The world is fucked as we know it. Might as well go crazy before it ends, huh?" Tadano snickered at some parts, but then choked up at others. Toadette couldn't believe the insanity he was spewing, and she was also offended at the mention of suicide.
"H-How can you sit there and say that!? Th-that I'm no one without my brother!? I don't understand why you're saying all this, Tadano, but you better stop! I'M NOT KILLING MYSELF! THE ONLY REASON WHY I TRIED IS BECAUSE I'M TIRED OF MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY DYING AND I THOUGHT THERE WAS NO OTHER SOLUTION!" Toadette screamed as she began to cry, and then stood up to go leave.
"And you think there is a solution that isn't killing yourself? You...you say that you'd rather deal with all this constant drama and pain!?" Tadano asked with a shocked expression.
"What I'm saying is to leave me the hell alone!" Toadette screamed again while running back into the hospital.
As soon as Toadette got into the interior, she ran into Junior, almost knocking the both of them down.
"WOAH! Toadette, what's up!? You looked scared!" Junior shrieked.
"I-It's Tadano! He was let out and he sat down with me a-and he...he...was talking so weird and he wanted to kill himself and he wanted me to join him too and he called me nothing because Toad died and I just didn't know what to say or do so I just ran away from him!" Toadette sobbed uncontrollably with her whole body shaking, and then cried into Junior's shoulder.
"What the hell...that's so messed up! But, wait, WHY is he out!? I had no idea Bleck was gonna let him out! You would think he would talk to some of us about it first!" Junior exclaimed.
"I-I don't know...um, but...I have a feeling it wasn't Bleck who let him out. That doesn't seem like him to just let Tadano out without telling us first…" Toadette said while controlling her crying.
Junior looked a little scared at this. "Woah...um...where is he!? I'm gonna go talk to him!" he then immediately stormed to the outside, now pissed off, and viewed the vicinity. "Toadette, where is he!?"
"H-He was just over there, in the fields! That's where he was last! I don't see him out here at all!" Toadette started panicking again.
"Oh no...uhh...okay, we gotta go look for Tadano! Who knows what the hell he's up to!" Junior yelled and started to head back inside, until Fly Guy stopped him.
"WAIT! What is this about Tadano!? Is he on the loose!? Are we all under attack again!?" Fly Guy shrieked.
Junior froze. "Uhhhhhh...no! I mean, yes! I mean, uhh, we got it under control! Just don't panic, okay!?"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN DON'T PANIC!? I THOUGHT THAT ALIEN WEIRDO WAS LOCKED UP!? WHY IS HE OUT!?" Fly Guy screamed in horror.
"I-I-I-I don't know, ju-just please calm down and we'll take care of it!" Junior was now beginning to panic since this guy was already panicking to the extreme.
"HOW CAN I CALM DOWN IF THAT CREATURE IS LOOSE SOMEWHERE IN THE HOSPITAL LOOKING FOR HIS NEXT PREY!? FUCK! WE'RE ALL IN DANGER AGAIN! EVERYONE, TATANGA'S TWIN BROTHER IS OUT ON THE LOOSE AND IS GOING TO CAUSE A SHITSTORM!" Fly Guy loudly announced to everyone in the vicinity. Everyone that heard this immediately started freaking out, panicking, and gossiping.
Junior was just shocked at all this. He regretted even opening his mouth, because now people are going to be fearing for their lives once again. "Oh crap, what have I done!?"
Kenneth and Katia were at a table in the corner of the cafeteria, having some brunch.
"I can't believe Clawdia actually went out and said goodbye to Bowser. She needs to quit pretending to care for him. She left him for a good reason, so she needs to drop the act. Not even the other kids are buying it," Kenneth sternly said while aggressively stabbing his pancake with his fork to try and cut pieces off.
"Well, what else do you expect mom to do? Be rude about it? Plus, he just lost two of his kids! She has to be sympathetic to him. Those were her kids too…" Katia tried to get him to understand her mom's perspective.
Kenneth gave her a dirty look as he ate the pancake piece. "The minute she left Bowser for me, those were no longer her kids. She chose to leave that life. And, to be quite frank, Bowser losing two of his kids is karma for all the times he put this kingdom through hell. Yes, it's sad, but he'll get through it. He's a big guy who always presents himself as rough and merciless."
"Ouch. Don't you think that's really harsh to say it like that? I mean, I know it's Bowser and all, but still, I could tell that he really cares about his kids!" Katia cringed at his coldness.
Kenneth shot her another dirty look. "Don't you start with that crap too. I saw the way you yelled at his kids. If I hadn't pulled you away, you would've smacked one of them."
"Well, yeah, but that's only because they pissed me off! That doesn't mean I hate them, though. I mean...I can't say I like them, either, it's just...it still feels weird that they're my half-biological siblings! I can't believe I'm half-related to the kids of King Bowser Koopa. It doesn't even feel real to me," Katia exclaimed.
"Good. It should feel that way, because you are to not associate with that family at all when me or Clawdia aren't around, you understand? Those kids learn a lot of toxic behavior from their dad, and I don't want you around that," Kenneth demanded. Katia sneered at him, then snickered a little.
"Wow. You say it as if you don't have toxic behavior yourself!" she teased. Her dad immediately got red in the face.
"Katia...I mean it. Don't test me. I will make a scene in front of this whole goddamn cafeteria if I have to. Do NOT hang around his family. Do I make myself clear!?" he raised his voice.
Katia noticeably got a little scared, but also rolled her eyes. "Fine. Crystal clear. Whatever."
"Good. Besides...I saw that koopa kid with the rainbow hair check you out the entire time when we were all in the room yesterday when Clawdia was telling her story," Kenneth said.
"What do you mean by 'checking me out'? And that kid with the rainbow hair is Lemmy, I think," Katia responded with a raised brow.
"He was looking at your body the whole time we were in there. He was practically drooling over you. I saw it from the corner of my eye! Absolutely disgusting. Though, with that kind of hair, let's hope that the kid is actually just a queer instead," Kenneth added.
"Hey! That's kind of offensive to say, don't you think?" Katia said in disgust.
"No. I'd rather deal with some queer kid being around us over someone who has incestuous feelings for you. I'm telling you, that family is way beyond screwed up. Who knows what they've done to their other sister when she was still alive? Or, hell, how about between brothers!?" Kenneth ranted a bit also in disgust.
"Okay, eww, dad! Just stop talking about this. You're making me have my mind go there. So gross," Katia shouted, who now also got goosebumps from the disturbing topic.
"I'm just giving you the reality of who those people really are. I still don't buy that Bowser's completely changed and is done taking over the kingdom and kidnapping the princess. No one has that big of a change in such a short span of time," Kenneth stated firmly.
"Maybe they can change in a short time. It could happen...some people can totally surprise you!"
SHIVER CITY
12:23 PM
"I-I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! MY HUSBAND IS DEAD! OH MY GOD…" Penelopuin cried her heart out and fell to her knees.
"Holy shit! But, wait a second, what makes you think that one of us did this!?" Wario shrieked.
"BECAUSE YOU ALL SHOW UP, AND THEN NOT TOO LONG AFTER, MY HUSBAND IS MURDERED! THAT'S NOT A COINCIDENCE!" Penelopuin screamed angrily as she struggled to stand back up.
"Okay okay, we can see how you'd think that based off of the timing, but come on! WHY would any of us do this!? We have no reason to kill him!" Goombella screeched, trying to get her to see things more rationally.
"How the hell should I know!? I don't know the majority of you and what you're like! Stay here, all of you! I'm calling the police!" Penelopuin angrily demanded and ran to the dining room.
"God, this is so fucked up! Was this an accident!? If it was an accident, now's the time to speak up because this will impede our progress to get the gem!" Daisy commanded, looking at everyone in the group.
"How on earth could this have been an accident!? LOOK AT HIM! The bottle is stuck into his body! This was complete murder!" Luvbi pointed out.
"I know, I just...I'm trying to make sense of this! I honestly can't see any of us killing him! Unless he was trying to kill one of us first!? But...I also doubt THAT!" Daisy frantically spoke.
"I doubt that too. Something is REALLY off here. We all show up, then a few hours later...the Mayor is killed? Then you have Penelopuin...this smells like a setup, if you ask me!" Larry exclaimed.
Mario walked on over to the Mayor's body and carefully examined him.
"Mario, what are you doing? Don't touch the body, you'll leave fingerprints!" Yoshi yelped..
"I'm not touching him. I just...hmm…" Mario closely looked to the Mayor. There was no doubt that he was dead. But, it all just seemed so bizarre in the way that it happened. The plumber turned around and spoke, "Kooper. Bombette. Parakarry. Lakilester. Do you remember when we came to Shiver City when we needed to get the final Star Spirit? Do you remember that, not too long after we came, we all thought the Mayor was dead and I was blamed for it, even though he just ended up slipping and hitting his head?"
The four nodded immediately. Bombette spoke, "Oh yeah, how could we not? That was totally absurd the way that it happened! Back then, I knew IMMEDIATELY that something was way off, and I'm having that same feeling now!"
"Yeah. So, whatcha saying then? We're dealing with a 'copycat' killer? I mean...there's only a few people outside of our group that actually witnessed how it happened! The way the Mayor was killed is almost identical to how he slipped and fell!" Lakilester added.
"If we're dealing with a 'copycat' killer...or however you wanna put it...what is the point of killing the Mayor in almost the exact same way that he 'died' the last time you guys came here?" Jojora questioned.
"I have no idea. But, I feel in my gut that this is some kind of set up. Let's be real, none of us did this, and there's no way that the Mayor would attack anyone that would result in one of us killing him in self-defense," Mario said then his expression turned into when he realized that they were all being tricked once again.
"Hey, where's Pauline? She was just right next to me! PAULINE!?" Mona called out for her.
REWIND THREE HOURS…
9:37 AM
The Mayor and his wife led the group over to his house, which actually looked more like a mansion now, compared to the last time Mario and his partners were here. The house was expanded leftward and upward, adding a second floor and extra rooms to the house.
"WOAH! Nice work! Looks completely different to when we were last here! Why the change, though?" Kooper asked in surprise.
"Thank you! It's a project of mine that was just finished recently. We expanded our house because we decided that the wife and I truly want to begin a family. We're getting up there in age, so we had to start ASAP if we're gonna use our energy to raise a bunch of rascals!" The Mayor enthusiastically explained.
"And we're just about there! I'm 3 months pregnant with twins!" Penelopuin cheerily added.
"WOW! Congratulations to the both of you! I'm glad something good is still happening with all this mess," Koopie said.
"Thank you, but, uhh, not twins, dear. Triplets. And I thought you were 4 months, not 3?" The Mayor questioned. Penelopuin gasped and got really red.
"OH! That's right, triplets! And yes, I am 4 months, not 3. Hehehe...I suppose I'm still processing all of this very slowly, because I feel like all of this is happening so fast! So many changes have happened!" Penelopuin chuckled anxiously.
"Damn! Triplets...you guys are gonna have your hands full. But still, congrats. That's exciting! What are their genders?" Pauline asked.
"We're finding that out in a few weeks. But yes, I'm actually more excited than nervous! We made sure each kid gets their own room, and we're also in the process of hiring a maid, so the maid will have her own room too," The Mayor cheered as he unlocked the front door and went in with everyone else following suit. The dining room was expanded as well.
"Feels a little weird to be back here. Remember, Mayor, when we came here for the Star Spirit, Kalmar, but we found you unconscious on the floor in the living room, but everyone thought you were dead? Haha, those were some crazy times!" Parakarry reminisced and chuckled.
"True, but we're in even crazier times now. Who'da thought we'd be dealing with so much more violence and warfare?" Bombette added.
"Ooh, how could I forget about that? Looking back on that memory, I laugh a little, but I also try not to think of it too much because it could've easily had me hospitalized!" The Mayor exclaimed and sighed, as he added chairs to the long dining table. "Now then...everyone, take a seat! Penelopuin will make you all some breakfast...our favorite, apple-flavored waffles with a side of mushroom flavored bacon!"
"Oh! Thank you, but I don't know if we can stay for too long…" Peach said.
"It's our pleasure! Now, sit sit! I'll get breakfast going, and I know how to make it very quick, while the Mayor tells you all about the gem in the Crystal Palace!" Penelopuin demanded then ran off into the kitchen. Everyone complied and sat where they could.
"Okay. So, I know you're all in a bit of a hurry, so I'll try to make this quick, but at the same time, we just had an awful blizzard here that lasted for almost two days. It just stopped last night, so the path to the Crystal Palace via the Shiver Snowfield is still blocked. We have some of our guys out there right there clearing the way right now, so it shouldn't be too long before they're done," The Mayor informed.
"It's not a problem. We could just fly our arwings to the entrance of Shiver Mountain," Mario stated.
"Ooh...Mr. Mario, don't be too hasty now. Avalanches in that area are becoming quite common. I'd hate for an avalanche to come and destroy your flying machines. Plus, I'm sure you remember the mountain itself being pretty narrow. Very little room to park all of your flying machines on there!" The Mayor advised. Mario looked a little annoyed at this, but he nodded understandingly.
"Yeah, you're right. We just gotta be patient, I suppose. So, the gem in the Crystal Palace...it exists? How come we didn't hear about this gem the last time I was here with my partners?" Mario asked.
"Yes, the gem exists in the Crystal Palace. Of course, it's the crystal gem. However...the legend of this gem goes back even before the Crystal King, the same one that a few of you here defeated a while back. This gem was one of the 9 gems that was sealed away somewhere in the Crystal Palace because it contained power that would unlock the legendary Crystal Star Rod, the world's most powerful weapon ever created. Very few even know of this item's existence. I only know of it because the story was passed down through generations in my family. My great great great great great GREAT grandfather was involved in the sealing of the gem, and that story was only told to a few select people within our family tree," The Mayor began.
"Wow, that's pretty cool. Do you know where exactly the gem in the Crystal Palace is?" Koops asked.
"Unfortunately, I do not. The exact location was kept secret from my ancestors, because it was that important to be kept a secret. Not even the Crystal King knew of its whereabouts. But...it's in there somewhere. That place has a whole bunch of history and mysteries surrounding it, more than what so many people realize. I wouldn't dare go up to that place, even though I know that the Crystal King no longer inhabits it. It just gives me goosebumps even thinking about it," The Mayor revealed, slightly disappointing everyone.
"Well, I can't blame ya. Those Duplighosts and Swoopulas freaked me the hell out!" Lakilester exclaimed.
"Those are the least of my worries when it comes to the palace itself. By the way, since you're all clearly on a mission to get these 9 gems, how many do you have so far?" The Mayor asked.
"We have seven, so two more to go!" DK answered.
"Excellent! Nearly there. But, I can't help but get the sense that you all have gone through hell and back with getting the other gems. The look on all your faces just says it all. You all have looks of exhaustion...of worry...or of sadness. Do I dare ask what exactly happened to you all? Is it as simple as just losing your loved ones, or is it more than that?" The Mayor asked with complete concern, looking at them all. Everyone else looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
"More than that...I mean, all of us here HAVE lost at least one person that was close to us, but the shit that we went through among all that...it's just horrible and takes a great toll on us," Daisy said.
"Yeah. I lost my sister a couple of days ago. Tatanga's koopatrols invaded the hospital we're all staying at and killed so many people...the hospital's still standing, but so many of our people died…" Dixie added, choking up a little.
"And that certainly isn't the first time they invaded either. A different hospital we were staying at previously, they did the same thing. Shot up the whole place and killed some of our friends...so vicious and apathetic for the blood that they spill…" Flurrie continued while shaking her head in disgust.
"I lost my brother," Wario spoke while looking down. The Mayor immediately turned towards him. "Not in any invasion attack, but from someone we were taking one of the gems from. I saw his dead body...but I didn't wanna believe he was dead. I couldn't. My brother, Waluigi, has been with me my entire life and someone just took that away from me in an instant. It's so weird and awful. Sometimes I still think he's hanging around, but then I eventually remember...that's right, he was murdered. And he's never coming back. I would do anything to bring him back…" Wario was now on the verge of tears as Mona held his hand in sympathy and Vivian gave him a side hug from her chair.
"My goodness. My deepest condolences, Wario, and to everyone else, of course! That is indeed pure hell," The Mayor stated in horror.
"I lost my fiancee, Birdo. She was shot by someone in our group who decided to betray us for who-knows-what reason. It's been two days since she's been gone. Still doesn't feel real...but my heart hurts so much still…" Yoshi added, also on the verge of tears.
"Oh no! Not Birdo, I remember meeting her a couple times. Such a beautiful lady! Again, my deepest condolences to you, Yoshi. This is nothing but torture to you all, but pure entertainment for those guys," The Mayor exclaimed in disgust. He then looked to Bowser who was also looking down and clearly spacing out. "King Bowser Koopa...I see you have one of your kids here...did you lose some of your family as well?"
Bowser looked to him slowly. He wanted to burst into tears at the mention of that, but kept it together the best he could. "Y-Y-Yes. Two of my kids...Ig...Iggy and Wendy...those fuckers hung them up from a tree...put them on a fucking display for the whole goddamn world to see...as if we went back in time to the Medieval Ages. One of my other sons, Roy, decided to join Tatanga and his gang, so he's a lost cause. I also lost my partner-in-crime of many years, Kammy Koopa. She held the family together whenever I couldn't. My other sons are back at the hospital...before I left to come here, I told a man named Count Bleck who has magic powers to keep a very close watch on my sons. He's the strongest person there and I can't bear to lose any more of my kids, so I asked him to protect them at all costs.
I thought about staying there myself...but Larry here...he's a real warrior. I didn't want him to go alone. Plus, I wanna help this group get these next two items and, not to toot my own horn, but I'm the strongest person here. This group needs me like I need them. I never thought I would ever consider these people a second family to me...but I do now. If it weren't for these people being so supportive and caring for me...I don't know how I would've made it through. Despite my past, these people have done everything to help me and...I'm just so damn thankful. Once this is all done and over...I'm done with causing havoc for the kingdom forever. Never thought it'd be this cruel until I experienced it for myself."
Everyone smiled at Bowser's heartfelt speech. The emotion in his voice signified to the others that he was being 100% serious. Larry patted his dad on the shoulder, almost tearing up himself.
"I see...also very sorry for your loss, Bowser. Goodness...to lose your own kids...the ones you gave life to...that's the worst nightmare I could ever think of. However, I am glad you are fighting on the right side, and I'm glad that this wonderful group of people have been so helpful and kind to you. I believe it's a sign that you guys will prevail!" The Mayor cheered. Everyone brightened up their expressions and nodded at him.
"Breakfast is ready! Lots of food coming in, but don't be too greedy!" Penelopuin announced from the kitchen.
"Excellent! Let us all feast and get this day started on a positive note, shall we?" The Mayor exclaimed brightly. Everyone nodded again and cheered a little when they saw the delicious food being brought to the table.
10:35 AM
The gang had begun to wrap up their eating.
"Whew! Thank you so much for the delicious food, you two! I am completely stuffed for the next six hours!" Starlow cheerily laughed, along with a few others.
"Not a problem! It's our pleasure...after all, you all are saving the world, so it's a nice treat from us to you. Now then! I still haven't received a call from the Bumpties that are clearing the path to Shiver Mountain, but I'm sure it'll be pretty soon. So, until then, feel free to explore my newly expanded house and hang around! We have a guest room where, if some of you want to rest up before you head off, you are absolutely allowed to do that," The Mayor merrily offered.
"We appreciate it! I certainly don't see anything wrong with taking some downtime before we head back into an inevitable warzone!" Flurrie said tiredly, rubbing her belly from the food.
"Yeah, true. We can afford to kill a couple hours before the palace," Mario nodded with a small smile.
"Excellent. I know time is still at stake for you all...but always remember that there's nothing wrong with taking a break now and then. It's always best to not overdo it, otherwise your body and mind will collapse from exhaustion before you know it!" The Mayor happily advised.
10:42 AM
"Wow. I didn't think that snow could look so cool! This is my first time ever experiencing it," Kody said in excitement while looking out the windows in the living room.
"Really? You've never been anywhere up north of the Mushroom Kingdom?" Larry asked while walking up to him.
"Nope, never! My parents hated the snow, so we never went anywhere that got super cold and snowy in the winter. This is really nice, though. Such a gorgeous town too!" Kody complimented.
"Yeah, for sure. By the way, Kody…" Larry's tone got a little more serious. "I have to ask you something. Were you with Morton, Lemmy, and Ludwig last night?"
Kody looked caught off guard for a split second there. "Oh. Those three. Yeah, I was. Why?"
"What time did you guys go to bed? And, um, what were you guys doing last night?" Larry questioned further, studying Kody's facial expressions and body language carefully.
"We were in the cafeteria munchin' on sweets till we got sleepy. I think we all went to bed a little bit after 11. Again, why?" Kody responded, narrowing his eyes now.
"Just wondering. Because I woke up at 11 to use the bathroom and get some water, and you guys weren't in the room with my dad and I, and his gun was missing. I spent about a half-hour searching for you guys, including in the cafeteria, and then when I got back to the room, you guys were all there, fast asleep and my dad's gun was back where it was," Larry responded, also narrowing his eyes, because he knew in his gut that something was up.
"Huh. That's really weird! But, no, bro! We must've just missed each other on our way to bed and you going out to search for us. I don't know what to say about your dad's gun being missing and then showing up again. I didn't even know he had one on him! Is it with him now!? Did he take it!?" Kody became a little panicky towards the end there.
"Hmm. I guess so. But yeah, he took the gun with him here. I guess I just remembered it wrong. Sorry, didn't mean to interrogate you like that. I was just kind of worried because I know Morton has a habit of getting others into some shady stuff," Larry said with a disappointed sigh.
"It's all good, bro. I get why you'd be concerned, but nah, everything was alright with them last night. They treat me like another brother! Hope that's not creepy?" Kody nervously chuckled.
Larry couldn't help but cringe a little, but kept it subtle. "N-no. Not at all. But, uhh, ok but...Morton wasn't digging into your situation about your family like he did last time, did he? I know that was very inappropriate and made you feel awkward."
"Nope. The subject never came up last night," Kody replied.
"Good. I'm glad he wasn't being intrusive about it, especially since it's not an easy thing to talk about, you know, with those assholes killing your whole family and dealing with that loss," Larry said.
"Yeah...it's not easy...I feel like I may as well have killed them too, though…" Kody sighed and shook his head.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Larry questioned.
"What?" Kody asked in confusion, which made Larry confused now.
"You said that you may as well have killed them too. Why do you say that?" Larry reiterated.
Kody shifted his eyes and looked incredibly nervous. "Umm...w-well, I just, uhh, feel like I could've saved them when th-those guys came and stuff…"
"Oh...well, you can't beat yourself up for that! You're only 15, Kody. You can't take on people like the koopatrols. You can't let it consume you," Larry advised, but couldn't help but get even more suspicious now.
"That's true. I'm trying my best not to...but I wonder if things had been different if I just stayed at home..." Kody ranted briefly, but then made a shocked expression when he realized what he just said. Larry caught this.
"Huh!? What do you mean by, 'if you had just stayed at home!?'" he asked.
"I, uhh, meant that I, uhh, I wonder if it'd be different if I just...you know...tried to fight those guys off when I was at home...y-you know...when those koopatrols raided my house and killed my family?" Kody recorrected, now looking even more nervous.
Larry tilted his head, even more confused now. "Kody...did you not see your family die? Were you not at home when it happened? If that's the case, are you SURE they're all actually dead, if you haven't seen their bodies?"
"I did see them die! There was blood everywhere! I just don't like talking about it, okay!? Please drop this, man. It's giving me anxiety!" Kody raised his voice and got even more panicky.
"Okay, okay. Sorry. Won't be brought up again. I promise," Larry backed off, but still felt that something was WAY off here. The way Kody immediately got so shaken up along with his words not adding up was just too odd to not take note of.
10:50 AM
Wario was staring in awe at the wide collection of alcoholic bottles sitting on a shelf in the dining room. It was giving him the craving of just downing another one right then and there.
"I promise you, we're not alcoholics!" The Mayor chuckled, startling Wario. "We just like to collect these items, and every now and then, take a few drinks."
"OH! Oh no, I wasn't thinking that at all. I was just thinking to myself...man, what I would do for another drink right now. Helps numb the pain a little bit," Wario said with a depressing sigh.
"Hmm! I see. Want a little bit of the Vodka? It's pretty popular to drink this in social situations in cold regions like this and Fahr Outpost, for some reason!" The Mayor heartily offered.
"Sure. I'll take a gla-"
"ACTUALLY!" Mona suddenly butted in. "It's best that he doesn't. Wario here has been using alcohol to cope with his brother's death along with everything else happening. He needs to stay away from it otherwise I'm afraid it'll spiral him into an addiction." Wario gave her a dirty look while crossing his arms.
"Oh! I see...I'm sorry. If that's the case, then Wario, my good fellow...don't let yourself fall into that rabbit hole. I know alcohol makes things a little easier, but that's only a temporary fix. You'll kill yourself slowly overtime with it. You have to fight the temptation!" The Mayor exclaimed, then walked off into the dining room.
"REALLY!? What the hell was that all about!?" Wario yelled.
"What? I was just looking out for you! You're drinking for all the wrong reasons, Wario. Waluigi wouldn't want you destroying yourself like this!" Mona yelled back, hurt from Wario from being angry at her just for her caring about him.
"Well, what else am I gonna do to quit feeling like this!? Huh!? TELL ME, SINCE YOU'RE SO DAMN SMART!" Wario got in her face, getting redder and angrier.
"Stop. You better back off now, Wario. Please...all I'm doing is trying to save you. I know, it hurts like hell, but please...drinking is the LAST thing you should be doing to cope with it. Like the Mayor said, alcohol is only a temporary fix to a problem that requires better things to handle it with like therapy. And even then...I wouldn't consider it a 'temporary fix' since all alcohol does is impair you and make you useless!" Mona explained as considerate as she could, hoping this would get him to calm down.
"Well, in case you haven't bothered to notice...we're not in ANY position to be able to get therapy anytime soon, so until then, if you can't find a better solution, then I'm drinking until we get going to the damn palace!" Wario demanded and turned around to go to the alcohol, but Mona grabbed him, turned him back around, and kissed him on the lips. Wario pulled back in shock, and Mona looked a little shocked too.
"Woah...okay, sorry, that just, uhh, kinda came out of nowhere...but I just didn't know what else to do to make you stop!" she awkwardly broke the silence between the two. Wario still stood there in shock.
"Uhh, Wario? Please say something! Don't make this any more awkward than I already have made it!" Mona freaked out a little, since Wario was just dead silent at her sudden action.
"Umm...I'm...uhh...gonna go outside to get some fresh air…" Wario finally spoke, still looking shocked as hell, then proceeded to go out the front door. Mona pulled at her hair in frustration and grunted.
"Goddamnit! What the hell did I just do!? I'm usually good at thinking these things through, but not this time apparently!" Mona ranted to herself. She then saw DK in the corner of her eye staring at her. She jumped a little when she faced him. "OH! DK! Did you, uhh, see all that?"
"You kissing Wario? Yeah, I did," the ape bluntly responded.
"...Shit. Please don't judge me. I just didn't know how else to stop him from drinking more alcohol," Mona replied in embarrassment.
"No judgment here, don't worry. I'm sure he liked it," DK said with a smile. Mona then laughed a little, then laughed harder with DK joining in at that bizarre situation she just created.
11:01 AM
"Daaaaamn, nice guest room! Feels like we're in a five star hotel right now!" Boshi hollered in awe at the exquisiteness of the guest room with its gorgeous wall paintings, top-tier chandelier, and designer dressers and shelves. The blue dino then hopped his back onto the bed, soaking in the softness and comfort of it. "Ohhhhhh...fuck, I'm so tempted to just fall asleep right now, HAHA!"
"Bosh, can we talk real quick!?" Yoshi loudly asked as he quickly walked up to him. "Get off the bed like that."
"Why!? The Mayor dude said we can rest if we wanted to! Don't get all uptight now!" Boshi pouted and sat upright.
"Okay, you NEED to stop being so loud and obnoxious. It's going to get annoying real fast with everyone and it may end up getting us in trouble!" Yoshi exclaimed in frustration.
"What, just because I made that comment about this place maybe being a hardcore patriarchal environment!? Not my fault the Mayor's wife decided to make some bizarro joke! Plus, that was the ONLY 'bad' thing I've said so far. C'mon, Yosh. Don't be like one of those helicopter parents!" Boshi groaned in annoyance.
"I'm not, just...PLEASE tone it down. I know you like the spotlight on yourself whenever you can, but you gotta hold it back, since what you say could get us into danger or cause a fight within our group," Yoshi pleaded. Boshi narrowed his eyes at him and scoffed a little.
"Didn't you tell me that you were going to keep away from me? That you preferred to not be around me for a while? Why are you going back on that now?" he questioned. Yoshi looked caught off guard from that.
"Uhh...well...y-yeah, I did say that, but...well, the only reason why I came to you is to tell you to tone it down...which I already have done that...so...therefore, goodbye!" Yoshi awkwardly responded and immediately got up to leave, but stopped in surprise when he saw Dixie in the doorway.
"Everything okay in here?" she asked with her arms crossed.
"Yep! I was just leaving because Yoshi doesn't like me. He also likes to let me get in trouble, and yet, loves to play the role of a helicopter parent!" Boshi chuckled with a wink. Yoshi immediately got nervous, wondering if he's referring to that secret he told him where Dixie planted cocaine in his car and called the cops on him.
"Um, what? Ever thought that he doesn't like you because you're obnoxious as hell and don't know when to quit running your mouth?" Dixie spat.
"Maaaaaaaan, I'm just JOKING! Some of you people have no sense of humor! It's gotta be exhausting getting through this mission while being serious all the time! Nothing wrong with stupidly messing around here and there!" Boshi chuckled again while trying to crack his knuckles.
"Please just go. You're giving me a headache," Dixie demanded.
"Ah, that's one of my special talents!" Boshi cheered with another chuckle and merrily walked out the room. Dixie flipped him the bird as he walked away.
"All I was doing was just telling him to tone it down. He likes to put on a show constantly, for whatever reason," Yoshi sighed, scratching at his head in irritation.
"Yeeeaaahhh...I am REALLY shocked that you invited him to come along with us. Why is that exactly?" Dixie asked.
"Because...ugh...kinda hard to explain. But, we actually had a nice talk yesterday and he really wanted to come along with us, so I told him that, as long as he tones down his intense personality, it should be okay. I wanted to give him a chance, because let's face it, Boshi IS really tough and doesn't take shit from anyone, so he could be really useful, plus I didn't think it'd be right shunning him out when he really wanted to join," Yoshi explained himself, but was really urging to spill out the real secret.
"Hmm. I suppose that's fair...Boshi IS really tough and has experience dealing with those gangbangers where he's from. Just wish he wasn't such an ass all time, though. But, anyways, enough about Boshi. How are you feeling?" Dixie changed the subject.
"With what?" Yoshi asked, trying not to be in a different place mentally.
"With...you know...Birdo…"
"Oh...yeah. I'm hanging in there the best that I can. Didn't get much sleep last night again either. I woke up expecting to see her right next to me...I don't think that's gonna change for a while…" Yoshi said while choking up a bit. He really didn't want to burst into tears again, so he switched it around. "Uhh, how about you? With Tiny...and also Diddy!"
"Same, pretty much. I'm more angry than anything, but I'm also doing my best to keep it together. What really sucks is that...Tiny told me the night before all that stuff went down...she wanted to come along with us for the mission. If she hadn't been killed, she'd be here right now with us! I know I have you guys and all, but...it just feels so lonely and cold without my sister and boyfriend. I'm so sick of losing people," Dixie also managed to get choked up.
"Yeah. I hope to the stars that we don't lose any more people...I'm tired of crying and feeling hurt and stressed…" Yoshi began sobbing a little, as his mind went back to that secret yet again. "Umm, D-Dixie, I really have to tell you someth-"
"What the hell!?" Dixie yelped.
"What!?" Yoshi also yelped.
Dixie peered out into the hallway. "I saw Penelopuin from the corner of my eye in the hallway. She was walking really slow towards this room, and when I turned my head, she jumped and ran back! What do you think that was all about!?"
"Oh! Um, you think she was trying to eavesdrop!?" Yoshi asked.
"Not sure. But...that was kind of creepy. Honestly...the second Penelopuin opened her mouth, something about her just didn't sit right with me. I hope I'm not being paranoid, but, she just seems 'off' to me for some reason," Dixie answered, now looking a little scared. Yoshi gulped and backed down from talking to her about the secret, making himself feel worse now.
11:11 AM
"Hey Koops, think fast!" Lakilester cheered. Koops turned to the direction of his voice, only to be met with a snowball thrown to his right shoulder.
"Oh! Hey, what was that for!?" the koopa shrieked, completely startled. He was outside on the right-hand side of the house with Lakilester and Spike.
"What? I'm just trying to get a little fun in! I don't wanna be constantly mopey, honestly, and the weather out here feels so fresh!" Lakilester cheered again as he made another snowball.
"Yeah, true. Being down all the time gets pretty draining!" Spike added as he laid in the snow and stretched out his arms and legs. "Hey, look! I'm making the world's smallest snow angel, haha!"
Koops laughed a little and got onto the snow to do it too. "Wooooo! So cold...but so nice! Hehe. Makes me wanna visit the snow more often."
"It never snows in Petalburg, Koops?" Spike asked.
"Nope. Just sun during the Spring, Summer, and Fall...then rain during the Winter. I've only visited the snow once, and that was in Mount Brrr, way up north of the kingdom by Hollijolli Village. My dad rented a cabin for him, me, and Koopie to stay at for a few days. Ended in disaster because I ended up getting a cold, my dad got frostbite from falling into a nearby pond, and Koopie tried to go skiing but ended up crashing into a tree," Koops replied so nonchalantly, also making a snow angel now.
"WOW. That's some rotten luck you guys had! But man...falling into icy waters...that's gotta be one of the worst ways to go out, you know!?" Spike cringed just at the thought of it.
"Yeah...at least with bullets, it's usually over instantaneously…" Lakilester added, now going deep into thought about his dear Lakilulu dying from a bullet to the head.
"Uhhh...Lakilester! Throw the snowball at me, let's see if I can catch it perfectly!" Spike noticed the shift in his mood and tried to get him back to reality.
"Huh? Oh, sure! Here it comes!" Lakilester snapped back and threw the snowball at him. Spike tried to catch it, but it ended up falling apart in his hand, and the pieces of snow splattered all over his face. Koops and Lakilester laughed at this.
"AW MAN! I got snow up my nostrils!" Spike cried, wiping it all off him.
"Hehehe...hey! Is that person spying on us?" Koops' tone suddenly changed when he saw what looked like a short koopa hiding behind a tree far behind the house.
Lakilester turned around and gasped when he saw the person, immediately recognizing them. "NO FUCKING WAY! Is that Jr. Troopa!?"
When he said this, the person noticeably shrieked and ran off towards the right.
"HEY! JR. TROOPA, GET BACK HERE! YOU BETTER NOT BE CAUSING TROUBLE AGAIN!" Lakilester screamed and darted after him.
"WAIT! Lakilester! Goddamnit!" Spike yelled as he got himself up and chased after him with Koops.
"Uhh, who is this Jr. Troopa!?" Koops asked.
"Remember the stories we told you guys about our quest to save the Star Spirits a long time ago? He's the little bastard that always caused trouble for us! The little shit-for-brains looks like he hasn't even grown an inch since we last saw him!" Lakilester answered as he got closer to him.
"Oh, that's right, I remember! Is he a midget or something, or did he drink from the fountain of youth?" Koops questioned.
"Uhh...what?" Spike was confused by his odd questioning.
"He's a man trapped in a child' body! PAHAHAHA! Sucks to be him! OH SHIT, HE'S GOING INTO THE FOREST NOW!" Lakilester shouted, then swerved into the snowy forest on the left, with Koops and Spike still in tow.
"Oh, I just thought it was weird that some kid doesn't grow at all in the years since you've seen him!" Koops clarified, getting a little nervous now since they're running through a forest, and he's never been too fond of forests.
"Ah. Hey, Lakilester, didn't you say that Jr. Troopa used magic at one point? Maybe he cursed himself to remain a kid forever! I wonder how miserable you gotta be to do THAT!?" Spike theorized and then laughed at that idea.
"FUCK! I can't see him anymore! WHERE ARE YOU, AND WHY WERE YOU SPYING ON US!?" Lakilester roared, now getting angrier.
"Uhh, we should probably just forget about this and head back! We shouldn't go too far from the house!" Koops yelled, getting even more nervous now.
"LAKILESTER, STOP! RIGHT NOW!" Spike yelled as loud as he could.
The lakitu followed his command, but then realized why he had him stop. He was a few feet away from a small hill that sloped down into a frozen-over lake.
"Woah. Where the hell did he go!? I wonder if he still has those magic powers and made himself invisible or something…" Lakilester said.
"Umm, wh-who knows, but uhh...we should probably just get back. We don't wanna end up getting lost and getting into trouble," Koops suggested as he got pretty panicky at the sight of the frozen lake.
"That IS pretty weird how he just disappeared. Wait...do you guys see that?" Spike asked, pointing to a specific spot in the frozen lake towards the right.
"Uhh...what exactly did you see, cause I don't see a thing!" Lakilester exclaimed.
"It was over there!" Spike replied and walked down a tiny path that led more safely onto the frozen lake.
"W-w-wait, be careful! You don't know how unstable that ice could be!" Koops shrieked.
Spike made no response as he leaned in closer to the ice, seeing his reflection, but also seeing into the water.
"Spike…? What is it? Did that damn kid hide himself in there somehow!?" Lakilester grunted.
The dino still made no response, but he did look a little disturbed.
"Hey. What did you see exactly?" Koops asked. Both him and Lakilester were now getting really freaked out by Spike's expressions and him not responding.
After another minute of Spike staring into the water, he shook his head and headed back up. "No. Nevermind, sorry. I thought I saw...nevermind. I'm going fucking crazy. Let's get back now."
"HEY! What did you think you saw!? You can't just leave us hanging like that!" Lakilester demanded to know.
"Yeah, you kinda scared me there! Tell us!" Koops added.
Spike looked back at the ice, keeping his disturbed expression. "I thought I saw a body in there, and not just that...uhh...crap...how the hell do I explain this? When I looked through the water...it looked so clear, and it looked like...uhh...there was another end to it."
"Huh? Another end? What the hell do you mean by that!?" Lakilester asked in total confusion.
"I mean...like, it looked as if you could swim down to the bottom...and then pop up on another side," Spike tried to clarify further, but he could tell it wasn't working because the other two still looked beyond perplexed.
"Uhhh...you mean, like...literally swimming from one side of the planet...to the other!? Or, no, like a...tunnel?" Koops guessed.
"I...I guess that's the best way to put it...maybe almost like a mirror, actually? I dunno, like I said, the water looks SO clear, but, like I also said, I think I'm just going crazy. I think my head got too much of a rush being in this cold and chasing after that kid. C'mon guys, we really should get back now," Spike stated, feeling all kinds of odd and uneasiness from what he thought he saw.
11:20 AM
Pauline, Kooper, and Vivian checked out one of the rooms that was clearly meant for one of the kids. It was snow-white all over, painted with stars on the walls, a white crib in the dead center of the room, a white dresser, and a giant mirror in the corner.
"Love the white decor, fits in perfectly with the area!" Pauline complimented as she walked towards the mirror.
"Man, they're gonna have triplets! They're gonna have their hands full when they come. I mean, one kid is hard enough work already, I can't imagine three all at once," Kooper ranted.
"Yeah...but do you guys think it was weird how Penelopuin thought it was twins they were having? If I was a mother, I definitely wouldn't forget that I'd be having triplets," Vivian pointed out.
"Yeah, that was pretty strange, but I wouldn't put it past it being just, like, pregnancy hormones or something. I think she's a little bit of a ditz too, I remember her being kinda like that last time I was here with Mario and the gang when we were getting the Star Spirits," Kooper noted.
"Hmm, I suppose so. Speaking of kids...do you guys want kids when you get older, if you don't mind me asking?" Vivian asked as she smiled in joy from seeing a tiny plushie bear in the crib.
"Kids...I do, but I'm not ready for that responsibility yet. I don't know if I ever will be," Pauline replied as she kept looking in the mirror, tearing up a little at the thought of bearing a child and finding a man that will want to be with her.
"No, I don't want kids," Kooper harshly responded. "Mainly because of my brother, Konnor. He has a mental illness that somehow was inherited through my family's bloodline and I don't want to risk passing that off to my children. A person who's that dangerous shouldn't be allowed to exist."
"Wow! Well, just because Konnor had it, doesn't mean any of your children will have it too, Kooper. Plus, is there anyone in your family that is actually similar to your brother?" Vivian tried to rationalize it for him.
"I'm still not taking that risk, Vivian. My parents were completely heartbroken when they found out that they tried to kill me, they went into a severe depression because of it, and were totally careless about raising me after that. That's why I left my home shortly after I graduated high school to Koopa Village, because I couldn't stand to be around them anymore. We don't keep in contact that much these days, though I still care for them.
As for who has it in my family...my uncle, Kooplin, has something similar to Konnor. He has Antisocial Personality Disorder, diagnosed. Has been in and out of therapy and medications for years now. He lies constantly and tries to cause drama within the family for no reason, along with stealing money and items from our house and my grandparents' house. His behavior is very similar to Konnor's, except Konnor is a lot more conniving, intelligent, and violent. Not saying Konnor HAS Antisocial Personality Disorder...but he has some kind of mental illness. He has to," Kooper explained with a hint of anger since he was still livid at what his brother had done to his friends.
"Or maybe he just is, you know, not a good person at his core. I don't think every malevolent person has a mental illness, and not every person who has a mental illness is malevolent," Pauline responded, not taking her eyes off the mirror, now looking at it closer with a curious expression.
"Maybe. I suppose there's always those kinds of outliers. Makes me think if Tatanga and his group have any mental illnesses?" Kooper asked with a shrug.
"Well, let's not also assume that anyone with a mental illness is also a bad person, and that not every bad person has a mental illness. That creates a really bad stigma for those people who are truly good but need help mentally," Vivian advised.
"Sorry, wasn't trying to assume and stereotype, and-" Kooper stopped himself when he saw Pauline looking very closely in the mirror. "Uhh, what are you doing, Pauline?"
"Uhhhh...either I'm going crazy or my reflection didn't move at the same speed I did," Pauline said, now looking freaked out, still staring into the mirror. She waved her hand slowly in front of her, watching the speeds of her actual hand and the one in the reflection.
"Huh!? Uhh, what are you saying exactly?" Vivian asked.
"It's just...I dunno, I probably am going crazy, but when I look at this mirror...I get this awful feeling in my gut. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's like discomfort...but also it feels like I can just enter this mirror and it'll take me to another world…" Pauline responded in disgust.
"Uhhh...that's pretty descriptive...do you need to lie down, Pauline?" Kooper asked, concerned for her now.
Pauline saw something in the corner of her eye to her left, outside the window. She looked over and saw Penelopuin and a few other Bumpties who all looked like they were arguing.
"Wonder what's going on out there!?" Pauline said, pointing to what's going on outside the window, which brought Vivian and Kooper over there.
"Woah! That looks pretty intense!" Kooper observed. The Bumpties and Penelopuin kept pointing back at the house as they were still yelling at each other.
"I wonder what they're talking about? Should we try to open the window?" Vivian asked.
Pauline tried to find where she could open it, but then she saw Penelopuin and the Bumpties shoot intense glares into the window. Pauline shrieked, which made Vivian and Kooper shrieked, and they all moved away from the window, out of sight.
"WOAH! Okay...THAT was even more intense!" Pauline yelled.
"Okay, I'm getting a pretty bad feeling about this! Did you see their faces, Kooper!?" Vivian asked in fright.
"Yeah, they looked like they were about to freakin' murder someone!" Kooper exclaimed.
Pauline slowly peeked back through the window. They were all gone.
"Damn! They all left! I'm getting a bad feeling about this as well," Pauline shouted as she became very nervous.
"What should we do about this? Any ideas!? That definitely looked like they were up to no good!" Kooper yelled.
"I-I'm gonna go investigate this and find Penelopuin. If this ends up being something bad, then we gotta beat them to the punch. You two stay here in case they come back!" Pauline commanded and marched out the room.
"WAIT! You sure it's a good idea to go by yourself!?" Vivian shouted in even more fright and worry now.
11:33 AM
Luigi heads to the bathroom near the guest room. He opens it, goes on in...only for Daisy to rush on in there before he can close it.
"HEY! What do you think you're doing!?" Luigi yelled as Daisy slammed the door shut and locked it.
"We are going to have a talk, whether you like it or not! I can't do this with you anymore, Luigi!" she yelled.
"Oh, for crying out loud, NO! We're not doing this here, not now!" Luigi yelled back while rolling his eyes.
"WELL, TOO BAD! We're talking this out RIGHT NOW!" Daisy shut him down, now getting red in the face. "Luigi, how much longer are we going to keep doing this!? We can't just keep ignoring each other and then fighting all the time! We're supposed to be a couple and work through things together! I know that what happened to you back at the hospital isn't easy to handle, but this isn't the way to go about it!"
"Well then, since you clearly know everything, what IS the right way to go about it then!? Look, I just wanna be left the hell alone, okay!? I'm tired of moping around and being all depressed and crying everytime those fuckers come and kill our friends! I'm angry! I'M FUCKING PISSED OFF! Yet, nobody seems to be understanding about it because you guys wanna downplay it for whatever reason!" Luigi shouted and swore. Daisy held back her tears from his unusual rage.
"I get it, okay!? I get being angry! I get wanting to be alone! I get feeling that way because I'm so tired of losing people too! There are times when I just wanna go off and be alone too, but I know I shouldn't because dwelling in those thoughts all by myself isn't healthy! The past two nights I couldn't sleep AT ALL because of what's going on between us and then those koopatrols coming in, a-a-and me shooting that toad...GOD, IT MAKES ME SO SICK! But, it's easier handling it together as a couple!
By you doing this nonsense...you're letting those guys win, Luigi. They wanted us to be ripped apart and fight like this because of the trauma. You're letting them have the power over you. You can't let it get to you, okay? Just quit pushing me away! PLEASE!" Daisy pleaded and grabbed him by the shoulders as she started to sob. Luigi didn't look moved by her speech at all.
"You're really gonna call my anger nonsense? Really!? And I'm not letting it get to me, Daisy. I'm channeling my anger and using it to focus strictly on the mission and kill any of these bastards that get in my way. I'm not changing that about me now. I'm tired of being weak and cowardly. I'm tired of crying. I'm tired of this shit. Why do you find that so hard to understand!?" Luigi questioned further.
"I wasn't calling your anger nonsense! I was referring to you pushing me away! And you're not weak and cowardly, Luigi! Just because those assholes told you you were, doesn't mean it's true! Look, you're acting almost the same way as you did after we took down King Boo at your manson, remember? You even told me yourself when we were in Goldenrod City that the reason you became so cold was because King Boo made you feel like you were weak and cowardly, and so you became closed off to not feel like that anymore! Remember that!? Remember how I told you that you don't need to put up a front anymore!? That you've done so many things that are brave and strong!?" Daisy tried to lift his spirits by recalling that time, but it looked like Luigi still wasn't having it.
"That was different back then. That was before we went through all this chaos and before so many of our friends were killed! You can't compare them, Daisy. This is who I want to be now, so you're just gonna have to get over it!" Luigi spat.
"WELL, WHAT IF I DON'T WANNA GET OVER IT!? I refuse to accept the way you're being now, Luigi! It's not right! I'm your goddamn girlfriend! Doesn't that count for something!?" Daisy screamed and sobbed further. Luigi breathed in, then sighed heavily.
"You know what...we're done," he stated. Daisy froze when she heard those words.
"W-wait just a second. What do you mean by 'done'!? You mean you wanna break up!?" she stammered in total disbelief that this was actually happening right now.
"Yes. I'm done doing this with you. I want to be left alone," Luigi reiterated coldly. It struck Daisy right in the heart. She never thought a day would come to this.
"Y-You don't mean that! Stop saying that! Just...please just-"
"I've made my decision, NOW GO! I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!" Luigi yelled who was now tearing up a bit.
"...F...Fine...if you want me to go away...then I will…" Daisy spoke as her mouth quivered greatly. She felt her heart breaking and she also wanted to just run away and never look back then and there. She couldn't believe that this is what her world was crashing down into. She exited the bathroom and shut the door.
"Daisy!" Koopie shouted, startling the princess.
"WHAT? Oh...Koopie! What is it!?" Daisy shrieked while wiping away her tears and tried to calm herself down.
"Is everything okay? I heard a bunch of yelling in there!" Koopie pointed out.
"Oh, um, yeah, Luigi and I had a fight, b-but we're okay now. I-It was just a misunderstanding!" Daisy stammered again as she tried to control her breathing.
"Oh...you sure? It sounded pretty intense!" Koopie clearly wasn't buying it, but it just made Daisy more upset.
"I said we're okay, okay!? There's nothing to worry about! I...I'm gonna go outside for some air!" Daisy yelled and then frantically ran out of the hall and towards the dining room.
"Geez...excuse me for being concerned…" Koopie commented.
11:40 AM
Mario and Peach were checking out another of the kids' rooms, which was also snow white in color and theme. Mario was noticeably antsy, tapping his fingers against his legs and pacing around somewhat quickly.
"Aww, this is too adorable! They've already got plushies and dolls up for the babies when they arrive. Once Penelopuin gives birth, we should visit and see the babies!" Peach merrily suggested as she looked into the crib.
"Sure, sounds like a fun idea," Mario quickly replied, still pacing and being antsy.
"Mario, what's wrong? You look so on edge!" Peach pointed out.
"I just feel weird just being here, standing around when we should be out there on our way to the palace. I'm trying not to be impatient, but it's also hard not to be!" Mario frantically spoke.
"Oh! Well, you heard the Mayor, Mario...he's getting people to clear the way to the palace. I'm sure it won't be much longer!" Peach tried to settle him down.
"Maybe...uhh...actually, I've got an idea," Mario said then quickly walked out of the room. Peach grunted in annoyance and ran after him.
"Okay, what's the idea!? Mario, just take a breath for one minute please!" the princess pleaded.
"I'm fine, Peach. I just really need to check out something," Mario stated as he made his way down to the living room, then to the dining room, then to the kitchen. Mario knocked on the kitchen door as he saw the Mayor at a counter on his laptop.
"OH! Hello, Mario and Peach! Is everything okay?" The Mayor asked.
"Yeah yeah, I just wanted to know if you have any updates about the snow being cleared for the palace!?" Mario asked.
"Why, yes I do, actually! Just got a text from one of my workers, they're nearly done with it! Should be no more than a half-hour till we can get you guys going!" The Mayor happily informed.
"Good. And, uhh, another thing I wanna ask...would it be okay if I borrow your laptop for a while? There's something on there I really need to check," Mario asked. Peach looked confused at this, since she thought that question kind of came from the left field.
"Oh, sure you can! I actually have a backup laptop you can use. It's in a black bag near the dining table. You gonna update people on social media about the situation?" The Mayor asked, now intrigued.
"Uhh, yeah! Something like that!" Mario said while shifting his eyes. "Thanks, though. I promise I won't be on it for long."
"Not a problem. And the second I hear when they're done clearing the snow, I'll let you all know!" The Mayor said.
"Yes, thank you! Much appreciated!" Peach happily said and ran out the kitchen behind Mario. The plumber grabbed the laptop from the bag.
"This is perfect. C'mon, follow me. I have an idea!" Mario commanded and rushed back the way that they came.
"Um, what exactly is this idea!? You're making me worried now!" Peach shrilled, now getting impatient with her lover. The two ran back upstairs into the same kids' room they were just in. Mario shut the door, opened up the laptop, and powered it on.
"Mario, PLEASE tell me what you're doing! You're making me really worried right now!" Peach demanded.
"Do you remember that video we saw of me and Pauline being experimented on in that video Banjo gave me on the flashdrive? Do you also remember me saying that Banjo said he explored what he called...uhh...I think the Dark Web or Deep Web?" Mario recalled.
"Oh! Yes, I remember that. Why? What are you going to do exactly?" Peach asked.
"I've got an idea to explore the Dark Web or Deep Web myself and see what else is on there. I wanna see if Mushroom Corporations has any more videos on there that could incriminate them and expose some secrets they're hiding," Mario answered as he loaded up the browser.
"Ah, okay...but you sure that's a good idea? I mean, from what I remember, that place seems like it has a lot of scary stuff on it," Peach asked.
"C'mon, Peach...we've seen some shit ourselves doing this mission. I doubt what'll be on there will be any worse than the stuff we've experienced," Mario pointed out as he sat down on a chair.
"Oh, that's true...we've seen a lot of horrible stuff...more than I ever wanted to see in my whole life…" Peach admitted in disgust.
"I'm looking up to see how to get into this Dark or Deep Web...apparently you gotta access certain channels to get into it," Mario said as he was searching quickly through Google for it.
Peach paced around the room while Mario did his thing on the laptop. She walked over to a mirror in the corner of the room and made sure she looked presentable still. She couldn't help but notice how clean the mirror was, completely spotless. But, something just seemed off about it. The mirror was so clean and clear, that it didn't even look like she was staring into a mirror...it looked like she was staring at another her in person.
A great feeling of discomfort ran down the princess' body. She tried to rationalize it in her head that this was just a mirror she was staring at and that she was just overthinking it all...but still, she just couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was just REALLY off about this mirror. It was so unexplainable and even nonsensical and illogical...but the feeling of dread and discomfort remained no matter how hard Peach tried to discard it.
"I'M IN!" Mario shouted in success, startling the princess.
"Oh! Already!?" Peach yelped, taking her attention off the mirror thankfully.
"Errr, I think? I had to download something called a Tor browser to get in…" Mario answered with a perplexed expression.
"Oh...um, any weird stuff on there so far?" Peach asked as she approached him.
"I...woah! I just clicked on the Search button without typing anything, and I was brought to a page filled with ads, I think. Hmm...woah, a lot of them are selling black market type of drugs!" Mario exclaimed.
"Oh god! Just, um, see if you can just search what you were trying to look for so you don't have to go through all that!" Peach said in disgust.
"I'm trying to find the damn search bar here...oh!" Mario yelped and covered his mouth suddenly.
"What!? What'd you see!?" Peach shrieked.
"Nothing! It was nothing! Okay, I'm getting out of this page!" Mario responded in panic. Peach could see Mario was visibly disgusted.
"Mario, what was it!? What else are you seeing!?" Peach cried, only imagining the worst at this point.
"Peach...you don't wanna know. I take back what I said earlier about us seeing it all...fuck. That was just horrible and cruel...to do that to a child!?" Mario shook his head as he looked like he was going to vomit.
"Uhh, okay maybe this isn't a good idea! Maybe you should just get off there! We're probably gonna be heading out any second anyways!" Peach pleaded. "And what happened to the child you saw on there!? Are there, like, children on there being...uhh...what's the word, exploited or abused or something!?"
"Peach, I...wait. I think I got it now! I searched for 'Mushroom Corporations' and two links popped. They're both incredibly long…" Mario said as he clicked the first link. Peach nervously walked over to see what he was seeing.
The page loaded to a blank page with a large-ish video directly in the middle with black text in caps on top of it saying "MUSHROOM CORPORATIONS - MARIO - BLOOD EXPERIMENT."
"Oh! Is this the same video we saw back at the hospital?" Peach questioned.
"Looks like it, but we'll check just in case…" Mario said as he clicked on the video to play it. They watched the first minute, then Mario skimmed through the rest, realizing that it was indeed the same video they saw.
"Hmm, okay. There was another link on the previous page, so we'll see what that is," Mario said in slight disappointment. He clicked back, then clicked on the second link. It was the same format as the other first link, but the text this time said "MUSHROOM CORPORATIONS - THE INSIDE LOOK."
"Inside look, huh? This sounds a little interesting," Peach said. Mario clicked on the video to play it. It showed a familiar man in an office facing the camera.
"Hello...this is Professor Fungi again. Not too long ago, I recorded a few videos discussing the subject of the male koopa, Kris, whom we had injected with the infamous Super Mario's blood. The company enlisted a bounty hunter who goes by the generic name of Fire Bro to track him down. The thing is, though...the person they enlisted comes from a mental institution. They ran an intensive background on the guy and he changed his identity from the name of Konnor Korpus to the fire brother species, going by the aforementioned commoner name of Fire Bro.
I know for a 100% fact that I'm going to be terminated from this job. My actions and plans with Kris put the company in danger, and I overheard the big boss mentioning to another employee about my termination. It's only a matter of time before I'm let go and put on their blacklist...which means there is now a target on my back from now until the day I die. So, this video is going to expose everything that this wretched company is about. I've reached the point where I don't care what this place does to me because I'm tired of watching this company let the Mushroom Kingdom succumb into chaos and crime, and using innocent people for the sake of 'research.'
So...here's the scoop. Less than three years from now, an alien by the name of Tatanga will inflict war and chaos unto the world. From the details that the psychic, Merlon, gave me, it's going to be the biggest 'world war-like' event that we have ever seen in modern day history. We are to kidnap twelve people on the night that Tatanga strikes the Mushroom Kingdom. Those twelve people are Princess Peach, Princess Daisy of Sarasaland, Donkey Kong, Dixie Kong, Toad and Toadette Toadlinsky, Luigi Mario, Yoshi and Birdo Pucha, Goombella Goomino, Waluigi Wario, and Rosalina Star. I was able to figure out why Mushroom Corporations needed these twelve people on the night that Tatanga strikes.
The twelve people share a bloodline that connects to the ancient protectors of the 9 gems that protect the legendary Crystal Star Rod. This was confirmed by Merlon who performed a very intense, ritualistic spell to gain more insight on why the stars showed him these 12 specific people to be protected when Tatanga would strike. I was there when Merlon performed the spell, along with the big boss and a few other employees. It was scary...I heard voices all around me and Merlon's eyes turned black for a bit. Dark magic was definitely involved in this! But, moving along now…
From what Merlon told us...these twelve connect to the protectors of the 9 gems from generations ago. The 'fabled' heroes of the world who wielded such incredible magical powers in the 17th century were not actually just 'fables' after all. Then again, should any of us be surprised? We've seen all kinds of magical and odd things happen around this world. There are plenty of people who exist in this world who perform magic and do spells and such, thankfully, most of them do it for good, though I'm quite surprised no one has tried to perform dark magic and unleash hell on the world as of yet...but again, I'm getting off topic now.
Birdo Pucha, the fiancee of Yoshi Pucha, is the descendant of Aqua, the hero that controls water. Princess Peach and Princess Daisy, who are cousins, are both descendants of Plata, the hero that controls the weather. Goombella Goomino is the descendant of Dayaman, the hero that controls the lands and the earth. Toad and Toadette Toadlinsky, who are both siblings, are descendants of Emery, the hero that controls nature. Dixie Kong is the descendant of Sonow, the hero that controls ice and cold climates. Donkey Kong is the descendant of Rakd, the hero that controls the darkness and shadows of our world. Waluigi Wario is the descendant of Zarp, the hero that controls electricity, along with his brother, Wario. Luigi Mario is the descendant of Hess, the hero who controls fire and heat. And, lastly...Yoshi Pucha, the fiance of Birdo Pucha, is the descendant of Parle, the hero who controls the flow of time.
This discovery brought upon a few questions though: Why is Waluigi involved in being taken to Mushroom Corporations for protection, and not his brother, Wario? And the same goes for Luigi: Why him and not also Mario? Why did the stars not show those two being involved in this, if they are supposedly also connected to the heroes who put their magical powers in the gems to protect the Crystal Star Rod? Also...what happens exactly if any of these people are killed when Tatanga begins his war?
I did quite a lot of digging on the fabled heroes to see if I can find some reasonable answer as to why this was all coming up in Merlon's spell...but, unsurprisingly, didn't find much that I already knew. A few of the species that the fabled heroes were, are different from the species that the heroes today are now, though that can simply be explained due to intermixing of species. For example, Aqua is depicted as a koopa, though Birdo is a sub-species of dinosaurs...though, this isn't really that surprising since the bloodlines between Koopas and Dinosaurs in this world are not that far apart and share common ancestry dating further back before the 10th century. Another example is Sonow and Rakd, who are depicted as human beings with ape-like features, such as pointy heads, longer feet and more hair on the body than the average human, and accentuated brow bones. The ones that are depicted as 'pure human beings' are Plata, Zarp, and Hess. Hess is the only one out of the three that was described to open a portal to a world that was unlike any of the other worlds that the gems were stored at. Based on the descriptions...I believe this world to be Planet Earth, where Mario and Luigi are from. So...perhaps it isn't truly a coincidence that those two are back in our world then, is it?" he spoke. Peach and Mario were blown away by this revelation.
"What the!? So, this guy is saying that I have a mystical hero as an ancestor!?" Peach shrieked.
"Apparently so...this is just getting weirder by the second!" Mario said while shaking his head, getting a headache from even more crazy and new info that was being thrown out there.
Professor Fungi continued. "I hope I'm able to find answers to these questions very soon...but alas, all else I can say right now is that this company is purely looking out for itself. When all goes to hell...this company will be the last thing standing because it's prepared for it and will only be protecting itself. And if I were to take a guess as to why those 12 are needed...for cloning. We're already in the process of successfully making clones out of objects, and now we're working on people. The thing is, though...this company has been just capturing people without their permission. They do intensive research and spying on these people before they make the decision to snatch them from their homes, bring them here to run tests and perform experiments on. Usually, though, they'll grab homeless people because they think they won't be missed if something goes wrong...but it's still just as screwed up.
Now then...I'm gonna take this camera and show you something. The room next door...I'm gonna show you how invasive and nasty these experiments can get. It's something straight out of a horror movie!" Professor Fungi proclaimed, then grabbed the camera, but then he gasped and pointed the camera to the door he was just about to walk out of. Loud stomping was heard beyond the door that sounded like they were getting closer.
"Oh no...I recognize those footsteps...the way they clank on the floor...this may very well be the end of me!" Professor Fungi started panicking and backed away from the door.
"Uhhh, are we about to see him get killed!?" Peach began panicking as well.
"I-I don't know!" Mario yelped, wide-eyed at this action.
"Listen closely. If this is somehow able to get out to anyone outside of this company...please heed my words. Mushroom Corporations is NOT the company you want to get yourself involved in. It's highly advanced and has created things that most people think wouldn't even have been created until decades in the future. But, part of the reason WHY they've gotten this far is because they've done so many things that are considered 'illegal' in this country, some of which I already told you!" Professor Fungi quickly spoke, now clearly fearing for his life. The doorknob shook and Professor Fungi made a shriek.
"Oh god...this is it...I don't regret anything that I've done, though…" Fungi spoke as the camera still pointed to the door. The door slammed open. Mario and Peach screamed at who they saw.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD!? NO! TH-THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! HOW COULD IT BE…" Peach screamed in horror.
"You've gotta be kidding me. My god...I think this means we have another traitor on our hands!" Mario exclaimed, who quickly became furious at this discovery.
TATANGA'S ISLAND
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Dimentio sighed greatly when he heard that noise. He knew it was Tatanga, and he knew why he came to his room. He had to get this overwith, though. He had to clear his name somehow.
Dimentio slowly opened the door and saw Tatanga there, looking very pissed off.
"We need to talk. Now," the alien demanded and walked straight on in, pushing past the jester. Dimentio sighed again and shut the door.
"Yes, you're right, we do need to talk," Dimentio said upsettingly and turned around to face him.
"Want me to start, or do you wanna take the lead!?" he angrily asked.
"Tatanga...god, have you looked at yourself lately? You have dark circles and bags under your eyes! Have you not been sleeping!?" Dimentio said in worry, looking at how drained the alien appeared.
"Don't change the subject! Why the hell did Bleck say all that stuff back there, about you stealing the Star Rod and planning to betray me!? I wouldn't have believed him if he wasn't so damn detailed about the whole thing!" Tatanga yelled, gripping his scepter tight.
Dimentio's mouth quivered a little. "Tatanga...please, you need to calm down...I can explain EVERYTHING...just calm yourself…"
"HOW THE FUCK CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN I HAVE A POTENTIAL BETRAYER ON MY TEAM!? I have done so much for you all, I planned for you all to rule with me...and this is what I get...someone who wants to fuck me over and take everything that I have for themselves…" Tatanga started sobbing a little, truly upset and hurt at this situation.
"Tatanga...I now know why Bleck said everything that he said, and why he said it. He's a lot more clever than I originally gave him credit for, like an obnoxious high school bully who gets straight A's! What he said to you about the Star Rod...half of it was the truth," Dimentio began.
"Half of it? So, which half is the truth and which half isn't!?" Tatanga asked in surprise.
"The part where he said that the Star Rod was stolen from Star Haven, and that the place was ambushed. Bleck is smart...he was using ME as the scapegoat for that incident, because he knew it would cause a great rift between you and I! When in reality, I'm not the one that did that. Somehow, Bleck went to Star Haven, got the info from the Star Spirits about what happened, then pinned it on me so our relationship would crumble and distract you from your plans!" Dimentio continued as he got more emotional about the subject.
"What the hell...okay...so, who was the one that ambushed Star Haven and stole the Star Rod then!? And how do you even know about that event, anyways!?" Tatanga questioned.
"The person who has the Star Rod is Roy," Dimentio answered. Tatanga gasped a little and widened his eyes.
"What the…? Okay, HOW!? Explain to me right now, because that doesn't make any sense about Roy being the one who ambushed Star Haven, stole the Star Rod, and plans to betray me!" Tatanga shrilled, getting more irritable by the second.
"Okay, here's the story. Do you know of what happened in Star Haven some years ago? King Bowser and his witch pal, Kammy Koopa, raided Star Haven and stole the Star Rod, in hopes of taking over the Mushroom Kingdom with it. Of course, Mario beat them and everything was okay...but now...Bowser and his kids are doing the same thing, kind of.
A few days ago, I caught Roy playing around with the Star Rod in his room. I asked Roy how the hell he got that and what he was planning on doing with it. I told him I was going to kill him if he didn't explain! So, he did...he told me the story of how him and his family went to Star Haven, pulled the same tactics they did last time to get the Star Rod, and left the place in a wreck. This all happened shortly after everyone was released from the tower we imprisoned everyone in. Bowser wanted to take you down, then use your plans and weapons and hideout to take over from there so HE could finally destroy the kingdom and take over the world like he always dreamed of doing!
He made a very elaborate plan, though. The plan was to have Roy join our team, and make up some sob story about how horrible his family was treating him and how miserable his life is, so we would feel sorry for him and let him join. Then, have him be as loyal as possible until when your plan begins executing and then...BAM! That's when he plans to use his Star Rod to kill you and take over from there. With the Star Rod, combined with everything this fortress has...your weapon, your scepter, all the koopatrols, this fortress, Doopliss, Beldam...him and his family would rule the world effortlessly.
With all that being said, he wanted me to join him. He was VERY convincing because he kept praising my magical abilities and intelligence to aid in their plans of world domination. He even said that he could use the Star Rod to make me even more powerful than I already am! That it could grant me abilities I never even dreamed of having! He was incredibly enticing...and yet, in my head...I thought this guy was nuts. But, in person, I told him I would join him...but I made a plan to betray him towards the end, right before you execute your plan, Tatanga, that way he could see my 'loyalty' and be convinced that I was on his side the whole time, thus producing an act of betrayal towards HIS betrayal!
I was going to tell you about this, Tatanga. I truly was. I was just waiting for when it became very close for when our plans would begin because, as I said, I had to get Roy to believe that I was with him. That whole family is insane, I tell you! But, I'll admit...the plan was very intricately thought out...but still...I apologize, Tatanga, for this mess. Bleck knew the truth of who really wrecked Star Haven and stole the Star Rod, yet, he chose to blame me for it because his grudge against me has never faded away. He wants to destroy me however he can, so he made a lie and said that I was the one who was planning to betray you...but in actuality, it's Roy. He's been a damn mole this entire time, right under our noses.
Not only that, but Roy's in love with Mimi! I caught him talking to her a few times at her cell. He's planning on releasing her whenever he gets the chance! Do you remember when you caught them both in his room? Yeah, Mimi wasn't trying to get him to escape this place...Roy was trying to convince HER to join him in his betrayal plan! That whole thing of him yelling at her and dragging her to the cell was all an act to convince you that he's on our side! Oh, and wanna know what else was an act!? That day when Bowser came to the island and tried to destroy us! Roy pushed me as I was about to release an energy ball to destroy Bowser, so I lost control, which made Bowser knock me out with Kammy Koopa's wand! That's why he was able to get away so easily! That whole thing was an act to keep up appearances of Bowser being upset that his son joined us! They went so far to do it that Bowser risked his own life!
That's why I said that that family is insane, Tatanga. They're incredibly smart, though...it's probably their most elaborate and conniving plan to date. But now is as good of a time to tell you that all of this is Roy's doing, and somewhat Bleck's since he lied about who raided Star Haven. I do apologize for not telling you about it sooner, though...I thought I was doing the right thing...perhaps I really wasn't…" Dimentio explained everything as he ended up sobbing a little towards the end. Tatanga was just in shock the entire time.
"Holy hell...Dimentio…" the alien whispered as he clearly looked deep in thought and paced a little around the room.
"I know...it's so much to take in...so...what do you wanna do now, Tatanga? If you wanna punish me for keeping this secret from you, then I would understand. I just thought I was doing the right thing…" Dimentio said while still sobbing and choking up.
Tatanga still paced a little and was still thinking deeply. Dimentio saw that he still looked shocked from his story.
"Tatanga…? Please...say something...anything!" Dimentio cried.
The alien slowly faced him with an intense look. "The Star Rod...do you know where Roy hides it?"
The jester shrugged. "Somewhere in his room. Not sure where exactly."
The alien then quickly walked out of his room, and stomped to Roy's door. He kicked it open and began combing through it. Dimentio followed and saw him ransacking through Roy's dresser. He smiled a little, thinking that Tatanga may actually believe him.
"FUCK! Not anywhere in there…" Tatanga yelled, then checked under the bed. He went deep under and shrieked when he saw the object. It was laying on the boards of the underside of the bed, barely visible to the eye.
"I GOT IT!" he yelled. Dimentio's smile grew bigger.
"OH! Wow...so...uhh, Tatanga? What do we do now?" Dimentio asked.
"First off...I wanna thank you, Dimentio, for being honest with me. I get why you did what you did. It's very honorable and loyal of you to do that," Tatanga complimented as he stared at the glowing Star Rod the entire time. Dimentio grinned at this.
"Of course! This means everything to me. And about Roy…?" he asked.
Tatanga slowly faced the jester and smirked. "We're going to completely ruin him. Follow me."
Fire Bro stared at the weapon that loomed before him in the working area. It was massive and unnerving...but still very impressive and exciting.
"Wow. This could take out half the planet! Damn, Tatanga...you really outdid yourself this time around…" he chuckled. He went back into the storage room to grab a koopatrol outfit. He took off his Fire Bro attire and put on the koopatrol one.
"Ah! Cool...all fitted in. Now...let's have some fun!" Konnor cheered.
EOC.
Next chapter, the mystery of who killed the Mayor and why is solved...but of course, it only leads to chaos. Along with that, Mario informs the group of what Bleck discovered when he went to Tatanga's island plus he reveals to the group the 'potential traitor' that him and Peach saw on the video, the search for Tadano and the person who let him out continues at the hospital but Tippi has an inkling of who it could be, Grodus makes it to Blackstone Tower but realizes that the place is not at all what he expected to be, and as always, much more!
By the way, the story about the heroes is also talked about in Chapter 48 for a refresher on their origins, because I know that I posted that chapter years ago, LOL. I also fixed the formatting of when Kylie tells the story of the heroes, because it was originally one huge wall of text...don't ask me why it took me so long to fix that. 0_0 Next chapter will be uploaded on or before Monday, September 28! Thanks for reading!
