Princess Toady: He's shown in Chapter 103 right before Bleck gets on the teleporter back to Mushroom City. He gets there 'off screen' after he escapes the hospital in Chapter 100.
Adventuring Group: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, DK, Dixie, Goombella, Kooper, Parakarry, Lakilester, Koopie, Flurrie, Spike/Paper-Yoshi, Vivian, Boshi, Bowser, Larry, Wario, Pauline, Mona, Jojora, Starlow, Luvbi, Kody
Imprisoned in Mirror-Crystal Palace: Koops, Bombette
Hospital group: Toadette, Bleck/Blumiere, Tippi/Timpani, Toadsworth, Fly Guy, Toadessa, Toado, Dr. Nokano, Morton, Lemmy, Ludwig, Bowser Jr., E. Gadd, Clawdia, Katia, Kenneth, Toodles
Mushroom Corps.: Arfur, Toadari (Arfur's boss)
Island group: Tatanga, Beldam, Roy, Doopliss, Dimentio, Mimi, Diddy, Fire Bro/Konnor
Moon: TEC
Blackstone Tower: Grodus
Fort Koopington: Rosalina, Monty Mole
Elsewhere: Tadano
ST. TOADOFSKY'S HOSPITAL
Toadette, Tippi, Toadsworth, Dr. Nokano, Morton, Lemmy, Ludwig, Bowser Jr., E. Gadd, and Toodles ran back up to the first floor from the basement to see what the frantic screams were all about.
"WHAT'S GOING ON!? SOMEONE TELL ME RIGHT NOW!" Dr. Nokano yelled as he darted toward the lobby, where it looked like most of the chaos was happening.
"EWW, THIS IS DISGUSTING! Do you see this!?" Katia shrieked, looking as if she was going to vomit, and pointed to the ground. Nokano looked down and jumped in fright when he saw what was at least 20 dead, bloody, and battered rats all over the lobby floor. Some of them looked stomped on with their guts falling out, others looked like they were scratched or stabbed then bled to death.
"What in the world!? How the hell did all these rats just show up here!?" Nokano asked as the rest of his group showed up and shrieked at the disgusting site.
"Holy shit! Do we have a rat infestation problem or something!?" Ludwig yelped.
"Obviously not anymore, considering some loon just killed all of them and displayed their work to traumatize everyone even further!" Morton replied, wide-eyed at the disgusting mess as Lemmy looked to Clawdia and her family who were grossed out and gossiping to each other amongst many others surrounding the other.
"Clawdia, what the hell happened here? Did a bunch of rats just scurry into the lobby and you guys had to kill them, or…?" Lemmy asked in total confusion.
"There was some toad kid carrying a box full of those dead rats, and he just threw them all over the place! Then he ran off towards the courtyard, I think!" Clawdia explained the situation. Everyone else looked very freaked out at this.
"ONE OF THE DEAD RATS GOT INTO MY HAIR! THAT LITTLE BOY IS FUCKED UP!" cried a toad woman, who was running her hands through her hair to make sure every piece of that dead rat was out.
"Some kind of safe haven this place is supposed to be. First we got psychotic koopas, then a psychotic alien, then a psychotic kid throwing dead rats everywhere. Fucking ridiculous," Kenneth angrily spat.
"You know, those kinds of comments are getting REALLY old. Enough! We're doing our damn hardest and if you don't like it, then the exit is right there!" Nokano shut Kenneth down, who just gave him a death glare and rolled his eyes.
"What the hell, though? Why would some stupid kid just do THAT!? Was he trying to pull off a prank?" Junior exclaimed.
"You have to be seriously sick in the head to pull off a prank at a time like this! Especially one so gross and disturbing!" Toadette said.
"Dead rats in a box...little toad boy...oh! It was probably the same toad boy that was with Tadano in that junk room! I think his name is Toado. There was a box in there with a ton of rats that almost got me, that's where it came from!" Tippi put the pieces together.
"Goodness! So, this Toado kills all the rats and just...THROWS them all over the place for the fun of it? Okay, I think it's time we send some people in this place to the mental institution!" Toodles shouted in disgust.
"Toado was the one who let Tadano out of his cell, right? So, what, is he trying to be the main source of chaos now that Tadano is gone!?" Lemmy theorized.
"Who knows anymore, but all I know is, it looks like we're gonna have to go on another wild goose chase to find this kid and contain him from doing anything dangerous. This is just unbelievably exhausting…" Toadsworth sighed, rubbing his head in pure frustration and fatigue.
"Oh! So, not only did that psychotic kid kill a bunch of rats and threw them everywhere, he was also the one who let the alien twin out of his cell? What worthless security you guys got going on here," Kenneth criticized further.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Morton screamed at him, drawing all attention to him. "Like Dr. Nokano said, if you don't like being here, then don't let the door hit your ass on the way out! You try handling this shit and see how easy it is to constantly make sure everything is okay at every fucking second of the day! FUCK!"
"Morton...please calm down...you're causing a scene. I know you're angry, but behaving like this isn't going to get us anywhere!" Clawdia pleaded, which only annoyed Morton even more.
"Quit talking to me like you're my actual mother! You're not, you abandoned us for this prick, so you don't get a say in anything we do!" Morton yelled with fire in his eyes, hurting Clawdia to her core.
"Probably better that they don't consider you their mom. Would hate to have to keep an eye on them constantly, since they act like angsty little children!" Katia came to her mom's defense. This ended up pissing ALL the koopalings off.
"Excuse you!? You're the fucking byproduct of an extramarital affair! You are the LAST person to ever say anything about our family, besides your father!" Ludwig screeched, making some others in the crowd gasp at that cruel reveal. Katia's face turned incredibly red as she clenched her fists.
"Let's go. You've said enough, Katia. Far more than enough! Bowser's family isn't worth our breath...which is what I already told you, anyways!" Kenneth scolded.
"Uhh, how in the world did all this family drama just come in?" Toodles asked, feeling awkward and confused from that intense fight.
"EVERYONE, ENOUGH! We'll clean up the rat mess here, but for now...DISPERSE! This conversation is over. Get back to whatever you were doing, we got it taken care of!" Nokano commanded. The crowd slowly broke away from the tragic scene.
"Dad, I was actually defending you too, you know! They shouldn't be saying such stupid crap like that! I don't know why you got mad at me for!" Katia cried.
"Your mother and I will handle those miscreants whenever necessary. Stay out of it, because all you'll end up doing is just escalate the situation. I mean, mouthing off at them like that? Really? You think you're a grown adult, but you're not! Far from it!" Kenneth scolded further and forcibly pulled Katia out of the scene. Clawdia was teary-eyed as she stared at the group.
"I know what I've done was inhumane, you guys. I know it was traumatizing for the whole family. But, I still have a right to feel like I'm your mother and want to care for you. I did give birth to you and raised you for some amount of time after all," Clawdia said while choking up.
"And we have a right to not accept that after all the shit you pulled. As far as I'm concerned, you're just a woman who just happened to give birth to us. What a joke," Morton coldly spoke then walked off with Ludwig and Lemmy following. Clawdia sighed as tears rolled down her cheeks and walked off the opposite direction.
"Are you gonna go talk to him?" Toadette whispered to Junior.
"Not right now. He needs to cool off. I get why they're angry, but a part of me still cares for mom and wants to know her more for some reason. I have a right to feel like that too, but I don't know if they understand that," Junior responded then exhaled greatly, glad that high tension was now done with.
"Um...okay...back to the topic at hand here!" Tippi called out. "I'll go find Toado. I know what he looks like and I'll talk him down. I want you guys to stay with Bleck, or at least be nearby his room in case that kid tries anything. We're NOT letting this get out of hand this time around."
"I'll go with you, because you shouldn't be alone in handling this. A kid suffering from severe trauma can be much more dangerous and unpredictable than what most people realize," E. Gadd stated.
"You say it like you've experienced this kind of situation before?" Toadette pointed out. E. Gadd leered at her a little, then adjusted his glasses.
"Let's get a move on, Tippi."
Toado walked towards the graveyard and saw Toadessa sitting by Toadiana's grave.
"Toadessa? Why are you out here?" he asked, startling her. Toadessa turned around and stared at him wide-eyed.
"Oh, Toado! I...um, was just walking around and wanted to sit down. It gets really noisy in that place, so I just wanted to come out here because it was quiet and peaceful," Toadessa explained.
"You'd rather be out here with all the dead people?" Toado asked in an odd manner, making Toadessa snicker nervously.
"Well, it's not like you can SEE the dead people. I dunno, it doesn't freak me out that much," Toadessa said with a shrug.
"Oh...yeah...so many graves...all these people died because we wanted to be the good guys," Toado said as if he was in a trance, scanning the area.
"What!? Why do you keep saying stuff like that, Toado?" Toadessa asked in an offended manner.
"Because if we had just joined the bad guys, so many people would be alive right now! My parents would be alive! Toadiana and Toady would still be alive! We won't have to see so many people die!" Toado yelled and started to cry. Toadessa couldn't even begin to believe the insanity he was spewing.
"TOADO, STOP! You don't know if our friends or your parents would still be alive if we joined the bad guys! They would make us do so many horrible things and we would probably be treated like slaves! You don't wanna live like that, do you!?" she tried to make it all make sense for the poor boy.
"Well...uhh...I'm tired of feeling sad and weak! Those bad guys are tough and, uhh, apathetic! I'm tired of crying and I'm tired of being scared! The only way to fix that is to be like the bad guys! They keep attacking us anyways and it's never going to stop! NEVER EVER EVER!" Toado raised his voice while getting red in the face. Toadessa started becoming scared.
"Toado, please calm down! I know you're going through a really awful time right now with your parents being gone and dealing with all this, but you can't think like that! You're not one of the bad guys, so stop thinking that you need to be one!" she stated.
"Easy for you to say...you still have your parents…" Toado said while crossing his arms and kicking the dirt on the gravespot.
"Come on, that's not fair. I'm trying to help you...and I know that I don't know what it feels like to lose my parents, but that doesn't mean you should become one of the bad guys," Toadessa was reaching her wits end with how irrational Toado was behaving, but she truly wanted to make him stray from going to the dark side.
Toado sighed in frustration and took out something from his pocket. He threw the thing towards Toadessa and when she saw what it was, she screamed and stood up.
It was a dead rat with its guts hanging out.
"EWW, TOADO! Why do you have a dead rat with you!? That's so gross!" Toadessa shrilled.
"Because I killed it. It...it was actually kind of fun. Hearing that rat squeal when I crushed it reeeaaallly slowly with my foot...and then it POPPED! Its blood and guts just squirted out...it was pretty cool...it didn't even put up a fight…" Toado said as he chuckled, now nearly petrifying Toadessa who saw the maniacal expression on the boy's face.
"Oh my gosh...Toado, you need help! You're not acting right! I need to take you to that floor with all the mental patients, they'll help you there!" Toadessa pleaded and grabbed his hand, but Toado pulled away his hand and then pushed her to the grass.
"NO! I DON'T NEED HELP! I WANNA BE BAD! I'M TIRED OF BEING SCARED AND A LITTLE WUSS ALL THE TIME!" Toado screamed in pure rage.
"AAAAHHHHH! GET AWAY FROM ME! SOMEONE HELP!" Toadessa screamed and darted into the woods with Toado chasing after her.
MIRROR-SHIVER REGION
The gang reached the bottom of the mountain and into Shiver Snowfield. Nothing too out of the ordinary was seen by the group on the way down...everything looked nearly identical to the Shiver Mountain from their world. But, the senses of dread, discomfort, and even paranoia were still lingering in everyone's minds.
"Alright, we made it to Shiver Snowfield. Since everything in this world is reversed...the path to Shiver City and that lake would be...facing the entrance to the mountain...going to our right," Mario instructed, pointing towards the right where everyone saw the same forest path they took to get to Starborn Valley in their world.
"As much as I, like, want to see what has changed in this world compared to ours, we shouldn't waste any time and just focus on the objective at hand," Goombella commented.
"Yeah, but...uhh, is it just me or does anyone else feel like THIS is the Underworld!?" Lakilester nervously spoke, bringing attention to the topic the Crystal Queen brought up. "I don't know why my body feels so on edge right now, but I just feel like some freaky monster is just gonna pop up from the snow and try to rip us apart!"
"Oh no, don't say that! Who knows what kind of different monsters are in this world!? That's gonna make all of us totally on edge!" Starlow yelped.
"Guys, come on, don't go there with your minds. Let's just get this Star Stone crap done so we can get Koops and Bombette back, then we can get the crystal gem, and then leave. Let's not make this any harder than it needs to be," Daisy stated, trying to keep her calm with the others gradually freaking out more and more. The group began walking into the forest path.
"Hey! There's something else I wanna say regarding the Crystal Queen. Something weird that I also caught when she was talking to us," Spike spoke, capturing everyone's attention. "She said that Koops and Bombette are with the others when we asked her where they were. I'm assuming those 'others' are the Shiver City people her underlings captured...yet she acted like she had no idea what was even going on when we brought that up to her. She says that she had no clue her underlings were even doing that. So, I mean, if she knows where the others are, then wouldn't that also imply that she has to know that her underlings ARE kidnapping the Shiver City people!?"
"Well, that just means that she's a horrible liar who can't keep her story straight. I don't think it needs to go any deeper than that," Luigi bluntly replied.
"Maybe. But for someone who has technically lived for hundreds of years and thinks of herself as a ruler...I dunno, literally EVERYTHING about that bitch and everything she was saying is just completely off! I feel like there's so many pieces to this story that we're not getting here!" Spike exclaimed.
"I know what you mean, but I'm sure we'll uncover more answers as we go along. As much as I want to believe that this is going to be straightforward with getting the Star Stone and saving Koops, Bombette, and the gem...it probably won't be, based on our past experiences. There's always a couple more things that happen that throw us off our game!" Dixie said with clear stress in her voice.
"Guys, come on, don't get too into your heads right now. We'll deal with any problems that come our way. We've done it before," DK assured.
"So, she said that, uhh, Rinot Pajouro lives in a cabin by the lake. So as soon as we reach the lake, we'll just circle around the lake until we see any sign of the cabin," Peach instructed.
"I still can't get over that name. Rinot Pajouro...for a koopa troopa? I've never heard such a weird name before! I wonder if it's just because he's a warlock so he feels like he has to go under an alias," Larry theorized.
"I don't want this to come off as rude and I'm not meaning to anyways, but your family has names that are also pretty unlike any average koopa troopa," Pauline pointed out.
"Yeah, but we were named like that because we are a royal family. Our ancestors wanted unique names for each koopa troopa that was born into the royal family. But, even with all that, I've never heard of the first name 'Rinot' or anything close to that from anyone in our family tree. Right, dad?" Larry said.
"Yes, but I suppose it's possible this Rinot could also be from another royal family. Hmm...I've actually never considered the possibility of there being another koopa royal family, but that topic of discussion never came up before in my family," Bowser responded, thinking deeply into this subject.
The gang reached the edge of the forest, which is where the lake was. The lake was still frozen over, but they all noticed a hole in the ice that immediately gave them all a sense of familiarity.
"Woah, check out that hole! Did our 'mirror versions' do that as well, like when Dixie and I fell through the ice?" Kody pointed out.
"Probably, but we can't get deterred by that right now. Does anyone see a cabin in the distance from here?" Mona asked. Everyone scanned the area from their positions, but it looks like nothing was seen.
"Well, let's get to circling the lake then, and let's be quick about this!" Peach instructed again, and so the group began the trek around the lake. Spike looked back at the hole in the ice and the feeling of dread and discomfort amplified within his body.
The group walked for a few minutes, scanning the vicinity, but suddenly stopped when they heard the sound of something fly just above them.
"WOAH! Did you guys see that!? That was huge!" Kooper shouted.
"What, what was it!? What did you see!?" Luvbi shrieked.
"It looked like a humongous bat! I mean, I couldn't tell for sure because it was flying so fast, but it was definitely huge!" Kooper explained, looking everywhere to see if he can see it again.
"A huge bat? I don't remember seeing that kind of enemy here in the Shiver Region!" Parakarry yelled and began panicking.
"Sweetie, remember! You're in the Mirror World version of the Shiver Region, things aren't gonna be exactly the same in here!" Jojora recalled.
"HOLY SHIT, IT'S RIGHT THERE! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?" Lakilester screeched, pointing to a somewhat faraway tree. Everyone looked to where he was pointing and saw the huge bat that was perched upon a branch. It looked like it was triple the size of a Swoopula with discolored, green-ish skin. The bat made a godawful, ear-piercing screech and suddenly flew towards the group.
"I GOT IT, I'LL BLAST A HOLE IN ITS HEAD!" Boshi screamed as he cocked his gun and aimed it at the bat. He pulled the trigger, putting a clear hole in its body, but that didn't stop it nor even slow it down. No one else had time to attack as panic mode immediately set in, so the group scattered and screamed as the huge bat rammed into Mona, pushing her to the ground. The bat got on top of her and dug its fangs into her neck.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! NOOOOOOO! GET IT OFF OF ME!" Mona screamed for her life, as her whole neck shot in pain.
"NO, MONAAAAAAA!" Wario roared and was about to attack it, but something completely out of the blue was thrown and struck into the back of the bat.
The bat made another high pitched screech as everyone quickly realized it was a sword made out of ice. A hooded figure ran into the scene, jumped onto the bat, took the sword out, and stuck the sword into the back of its head.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden act, staring in awe at the cloaked figure that saved their friend. Wario and Koopie dragged Mona away from the bat's body and helped her stand up.
"Are you okay? Ooh...that wound in your neck is kinda big!" Koopie pointed out in concern.
"Ugh, I think so. My whole neck just really hurts...hey!" Mona groaned then looked to the hooded figure as she pressed her hand against the wound as it was still bleeding out a little. "You there, thanks for saving me! Who are you? Can you reveal yourself?"
The hooded figure tilted their head as if they couldn't understand the question. They spoke in a raspy voice, "Why do you ask that? You were just here not too long ago! You know who I am!"
Everyone else looked incredibly confused by his answer.
"What the hell are you talking about? We literally just met you!" Wario yelled.
"Yes you have! Are you playing mind games with me!? I told you before not to fuck with me! I don't trust people very easily for a reason!" the masculine-sounding figure yelled.
"Well, that sounds more like a personal issue, if you ask me!" Boshi snarkily commented.
"I think you're the one playing mind games here. You rescued our friend from that mutant bat, but now you're acting all aggressive and accusing us of something that we know we didn't do. What gives!?" Luvbi stated.
Mario realized what was really going on here. "Wait! You met the...uhh…'mirror versions' of us. Us here are from our own world, we came here through a door in the mountain behind the Crystal Palace. I guess here, in your world, our world would be considered the Mirror World to you guys. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?"
The hooded figure was silent for a moment. Everyone was nervously waiting for some kind of response.
"Oh my god…" the figure said in a shocked manner.
"Uhh, is that a good 'oh my god' or a bad 'oh my god'?" Vivian asked.
"You all...no...no!" the figure yelled in distress.
"What's the matter? We're not evil! We're not here to cause havoc or anything, dear! We just need your help with something!" Flurrie pleaded.
"NOOOO!" the figure screamed and snapped his fingers. This caused a white flash to appear from him, momentarily blinding everyone.
"AGH, WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR!?" Kooper screamed, cringing from the sharp brightness.
"HE'S GETTING AWAY, GET HIM!" Bowser screamed, immediately seeing the figure dart into the woods as his eyes adjusted back to normal. The group took a few seconds to make sure their eyesight was ok then chased after him.
"WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY FOR!? WE NEED YOUR HELP! WE DIDN'T COME TO HURT YOU!" Daisy screamed.
"STAY AWAY!" the hooded figure yelled, then reached out his right hand as he kept running. A white sphere formed from his palm and blasted towards the group. It hit the ground and caused a sudden whirlwind of the leaves and sticks to fly everywhere towards them. Everyone screamed as they shielded their eyes, with some falling over. DK angrily growled, having enough of this, and climbed into the trees and swung from branch to branch to avoid the spells he was casting. Parakarry somewhat followed suit as he flew into the air and zoomed towards the hooded figure.
Everyone else regained their composure and then continued to chase after the person. The figure was way ahead of them now and too far away to physically be caught...but then they noticed something else in the distance.
A cabin.
DK kept swinging from the branches until he thought he got close enough to the person, then leaped from the branch, and successfully rammed into the person's back, knocking them down and having DK on top of them.
"Stop fighting us! You're Rinot Pajouro, aren't you!? We need your goddamn help! Listen to us!" DK yelled as he tussled with the person, trying to flip them over so he could unhood the figure and see who it is.
"NO! I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY!" the figure screeched, and then they pounded the earth with their left fist. DK was suddenly flung backwards and the ape rammed into Yoshi, knocking the both of them down.
"OH NO!" Koopie yelled and moved DK off of Yoshi and helped him get up, while Peach helped get Yoshi up.
The figure got back up and ran to the cabin. They flung the front door open, only to find Parakarry standing in the doorway.
"NEGATE!" the mailman yelled, touching the figure quickly, and they both fell to the floor, both in a temporarily weakened state.
"Ugh...you fucker! I see you have magic too, but I betcha it ain't as powerful as mine!" the figure spat as they dragged themselves into the cabin.
"Ergh...you're right, it's probably not, but who gives a crap!? We're not some evil people that are trying to kill you down! Let us talk to you! PLEASE!" Parakarry pleaded as he struggled to stand himself up. The rest of the gang finally reached the cabin.
"Parakarry, how'd you get in here so fast!? That was awesome!" Jojora cheered and kissed him.
"Hehe...I have my moments! No, but, uhh, I kind of crashed through his living room window and ran to the door before he got here. Sorry man!" Parakarry awkwardly explained.
"You are Rinot Pajouro, yes? Please...hear us out. We mean no harm. We desperately need your help to save our two friends who are imprisoned in the Crystal Palace, along with getting the Crystal Gem!" Mario explained with urgency as the hooded figure dragged himself further into his house and managed to barely stand himself up.
"Ugh...but you are all from the Mirror World...a dimension that's inverted from this one, just like the Underworld! It's only logical that you'd be wicked doers, just like the Crystal Queen, who is ALSO from the Mirror World!" Rinot tiredly spoke while the gang examined his cabin. It seemed normal for the most part, but saw numerous spell books and mythology books that looked to be based in dark magic located on a bookshelf to their right, along with some charms scattered about.
"Well, uhh, we can see why you would think that. The Crystal Queen is definitely a wicked bitch, but we're not anything like that! Swear! We are from the Mirror World, but that doesn't mean we are evil!" Boshi spoke with a little bit of delicacy.
"Not only that, but if all of us were actually evil...you'd be dead by now. Trust me, we could easily make that happen, but we won't do that, because that's not who we are," Bowser stated.
Rinot sighed deeply and made a gulp. "That doesn't necessarily make me feel better...but at the same time, I'm not getting any sinister energy from you all...but that could also be because you ARE from another dimension which may fuck with my magic…"
Daisy huffed impatiently. "Listen, Rinot! We're not here to cause trouble! We just need your help and then we'll be out of your way. PLEASE! You're the only person that can help us!"
Rinot sighed again and was about to remove the hood from his long robe, but decided not to. "Fine. I'll bite. You said you needed help getting your two friends out of the Crystal Palace along with getting this Crystal Gem. I'm gonna need the backstory to this."
"Long story short, in our world, we need 9 gems to unlock a mystical weapon called the Crystal Star Rod in order to destroy Tatanga because he's taking over our world. One of the gems is located in the Crystal Palace, in our world, but when we got the gem, the Crystal Queen somehow ended up taking it. So, we went all the way to the end of the palace and into the cave that led us to the Mirror World. Our two friends, Koops and Bombette, got captured by the Duplighosts somehow on our way to the cave.
When we reached the palace in this world, we ran into the Crystal Queen. She told us that she wants the Star Stone because it'll protect her palace from the war between Tatanga and Dimentio that's going on here and she'll also close the door separating this world and our world, because right now, her creatures are invading Shiver City in our world, and she's doing that in case she can't get her palace protected with all her creatures living in it.
So...what it all boils down to...is that we need the Star Stone. Give it to us, we'll get our friends and the gem, and we'll be out of your hair. Deal?" Yoshi summarized the whole ordeal.
Rinot was silent for a second, but then snickered and shook his head. "Are you fucking serious now? You come over here expecting me to believe that you're not evil, and yet here you are, being sent to me by the Crystal Queen, one of the most cruel people to ever exist!? I don't know how much of a fool you think I am, but you sure as hell got entangled with the wrong person! Now, leave before I get really mad!"
"HEY! It's not like we have any other choice in the matter! Our hands are tied! Apart from saving our friends, we're doing this so we can also save OUR world from Tatanga taking over!" Peach angrily yelled.
"Rinot, there's something else you haven't thought of: in this world, there's a war between Tatanga and Dimentio happening. I don't know how much of their war has destroyed this world already, but it's not too late for you to take action. You can give us that Star Stone, we'll take it to the palace, and we'll destroy the Crystal Queen and her creatures. You can then have the Shiver City and Starborn Valley people take refuge in the palace since it'll be completely protected, until the war is done.
Or...you know, use that magic of yours to do some incredible things with the Star Stone. Amplify its effects and have it protect the whole region, if possible! Do something crazy good with it so at least there will be SOME people that will for sure make it through this chaos! I can tell you're not evil. You may be into the dark arts...but...there's something about you that doesn't strike me as sinister, and I'm sure my friends feel the same way!" DK spoke with encouragement, hoping to lighten the intense predicament.
Rinot took another minute to respond as he slowly crossed his arms. "Hmmm. I gotta ask now...what exactly did the Crystal Queen say to you all about me?"
"She said that you're some young, evil koopa warlock who likes to cause havoc in her palace. I think that was about it," Starlow said.
Rinot snickered again. "Of course she would say that. How she managed to obtain a small army of creatures to do her bidding, I'll never know."
"But, is it true? You going in there and causing havoc? She also said she tried to bombard you one time, but you ended up killing a couple of her creatures," Luigi added.
"What? She never did such a thing! But yes, I have gone in there more than once to try to destroy the palace, because what she's doing to our region is just awful. She makes it seem like I'm some demonic psychopath, when that couldn't be far from the truth. Just because someone dabbles in the dark arts, doesn't mean they are an evil being who's hellbent on making everyone miserable! The dark arts are just, generally speaking, more powerful and get things done quicker!" Rinot exclaimed frustratingly.
Goombella caught something in his speech. "Wait, what is she doing to this region? Please tell us, because we're still in the dark about, like, soooo many things about her!"
Rinot tilted his head again and uncrossed his arms. "Wait. Hold on here. Do you...do you all know the history of the Crystal Palace and the Crystal Queen?"
The gang looked at each other with discomfort because of how concerned his voice sounded.
"There's a man named Merle from our world that gave us the whole backstory, along with the whole Mirror World stuff. Why?" Vivian asked.
A slight gasp was heard from the hooded koopa. "Merle! Heh...you wanna talk about evil warlocks!? That man is just as batshit insane as the Queen is, probably moreso!"
"Woah! So, Merle in this world is an evil warlock? Tell us more!" Kody shrieked.
"Well, there are two things. First off...the Crystal Queen has this whole region brainwashed. Ever since the World War of Tatanga and Dimentio had begun, the Crystal Queen has made herself known to everyone in the region, promising protection from the war in a new dimension called the Mirror World, a world that's exactly like this one, just with everything inverted. She's proclaimed that she's been in this Mirror World before and is planning to enter there and bring everyone who wants to come, but under one condition: they worship her as her Queen. This whole event happened two days ago, and during that speech, she said she was gonna give everyone three days to prepare for the move, so sometime tomorrow is when the big move will happen. Somehow, she got practically everyone to agree to that ridiculous request, but I think it's only because everyone's desperate to be safe from the war, since so many places have been destroyed, and the Shiver Region is one of the few places left entirely intact in the kingdom," Rinot explained the situation. Some of the gang looked a little perplexed at this.
"What the hell? That's not what she told us! She said she was giving her creatures three days to move to the Crystal Palace in our world, and then she'll close the door. She's also doing a subtle takeover of Shiver City and capturing those residents and putting them in the Crystal Palace in this world!" Dixie recalled.
"Goddamn. So, everyone is being duped then! Yep, that sounds like something the Crystal Queen would do. It's pathetic to watch," Rinot scoffed.
"Rinot...what parts of the Mushroom Kingdom have been destroyed? And do you know of any other destroyed places outside the kingdom?" Peach asked with a worried tone.
Rinot noticed her worriedness and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her, since he knew she was the princess of the kingdom in both her world and this world, and he could tell she still cared even though this wasn't her world. "The whole Mushroom City metropolitan area is gone, and that includes Toad Town. Moonview City region is gone too, along with some cities in the center of the kingdom. Uhh...the Chai City region in Sarasaland is also gone, and some isolated spots throughout the rest of the world that I can't recall right now."
"Woah. That's horrible to hear! That's actually even worse than our world right now. Damn...tragic…" Kooper spoke upsettingly.
"And, uhh, you're not even worried that the war will actually hit here?" Luvbi pointed out.
"A little, but I can't see why we'd be attacked by them anytime soon. The Shiver Region is a lot more isolated than people realize. It's mostly a barren, frozen wasteland and the only people that want to live here are people who truly love the cold...or people who want to truly be isolated from the urban life," Rinot answered cryptically.
"Wow...okay. So, what's the second thing concerning Merle in this world?" Mario got back onto the topic at hand.
"Well, as I kinda said before, he's the evil warlock in this situation, not me. He was banned from ever entering Starborn Valley, because some of the people there caught him sacrificing a Star Kid to whatever kind of god or demon he was worshipping. Thankfully, the Star Kid was still alive when they found them, but the village people drove Merle out of there and now he lives in some isolated cabin right next to Shiver Mountain. No one dares to go near him because he's deeper into the dark arts than I am.
And there's another thing...I mentioned the Underworld to you guys. I take it you guys passed by that frozen lake on the way here. Did you guys notice a hole in the ice?" Rinot explained further and asked, which put everyone on edge a little more now.
"Yeah, we did. Why? Is that the entrance to the Underworld!?" Jojora asked in surprise.
"Yes...well, one of them. With enough black magic combined with superior mental strength, one can create an entrance to the Underworld. That big bat that attacked you guys? That was from the Underworld. Creatures from that realm have been slowly coming into this area and messing things up. I'm positive that it was either Merle or the Crystal Queen, or both that opened up that entryway. I'm pretty sure they're doing this so that this region will be taken over and wrecked by the creatures of the Underworld...which is also the main reason why the Queen and her dumb creatures are escaping this world and going into your world. She's going to leave behind a disaster in her wake. Her leaving this region because of the war is a flimsy excuse at best," Rinot answered, providing more disgust and horror to everyone.
"Holy crap. So that has to be the real reason why she's doing all this. Man, she's not that good of a liar like she thinks she is!" Boshi exclaimed.
"There was something just like that in our world in about the same spot on the frozen lake! Any idea why that is?" Lakilester pointed out.
"Huh. Can't really think of why that could happen...I mean, did you guys see any abnormal creatures in your world?" Rinot asked. Everyone shook their heads. "That's odd. Hmm...well...okay. I think that's enough talking because I know you guys are in a rush. So, okay! Here's the deal: I'll give you guys the Star Stone, but I need you to do me a favor first."
A few groans were heard at this.
"Another favor? Ugh...this is beyond hectic!" Koopie grumbled.
"Look, I need to know that I can trust you guys. I definitely don't think any of you are sinister or have bad intentions, but my guard is still up. In Shiver City, there is a rare herb called the Rainbow Herb. It's a giant flower with, as you can probably guess, petals of each color of the rainbow. It's being sold in a shop next to Mayor Penguin's house at a ridiculously high price. I can't go in there myself because the person that sells those herbs is a fucking lunatic and I've tried to talk them down to a lower price, but they give me attitude and eventually ended up banning me because, I guess, they got tired of me negotiating with them.
So...you guys aren't from this world. You have nothing to lose by stealing that Rainbow Herb and giving it to me. Not saying you have to kill the owner of the shop, hell, you probably won't even need to hurt them...but I need that herb. It's an herb that contains ultra purity that, combined with a certain magic, can close 'hell holes' like the one that's open in the frozen lake. I've been reading about the infamous Rainbow Herbs in books related to magic and spells...there are only a few like it in the world. Their power is beyond almost anything we can imagine. So! Do we have a deal?" Rinot proposed. Everyone else looked dismayed at this since they'd be committing a crime for this person.
"You...you want us to steal a goddamn herb...and risk us causing a shitstorm in Shiver City...are we ever going to catch a break!?" Dixie groaned as she tugged at her hair.
"What? It's for a good cause. You'd be saving people's lives here! So, again, do we have a deal!?" Rinot asked with a slight chuckle.
Mario looked irritated at this and sighed in frustration. "Yes. We have a deal. We'll get you the Rainbow Herb, and you will give us the Star Stone. No strings attached!"
"It's a deal then. No strings! Good luck, but I'm sure you guys won't need it cause you have such a large group and a lot of you seem really strong, but also be careful. Those creatures from the Underworld, they're not like the creatures that you see around the Crystal Palace. They're much more vicious and frightening," Rinot said with both encouragement and precaution. Wario stepped forward immediately.
"Hold on! Rinot, quick question. In our world, I got bit by a Frost Piranha. It must've had some kind of weird, icy venom because I felt the inside of my arms becoming frozen, and I feel like it's spreading to my chest now! Do you think you can fix this?" Wario asked. This piqued Rinot's interest.
"Ice venom...frost a Frost Piranha...huh! Never heard of such a thing happening before. Show me where you were bit," Rinot demanded as he stepped forward towards Wario. Wario extended out his left arm and turned it so he could see the bite sight. It was still pulsating and the purple-ish hue had gotten bigger than when the gang saw it in the palace. Rinot then felt his arm and gasped.
"Holy crap! Your arm is freezing. It's like I'm touching ice. What in the world...hmm...I think I know of a spell that could get rid of this, but I'll do it when you guys get back with the Rainbow Herb!" Rinot stated.
"Uhh, you can't just do it now!? What if he freezes over completely!?" Spike yelled.
"Well, all the more reason for you guys to hurry up and get me that Rainbow Herb! I'm not messing around here!" Rinot spoke firmly, not budging from his deal.
"Fine. We'll make this quick as we can. Let's go guys," Luigi said in annoyance.
"WAIT! One more thing I really gotta ask. Rinot, are you from a royal family perchance?" Larry asked with urgency.
Rinot tilted his head again. "Uhh, no. Why would you ask that?"
"Because, well, your name: Rinot Pajouro. It's so...how do I put it...unlike a name for a koopa troopa. Usually koopa troopas from higher status or from royal families have unique names from the common koopas, but yours is unlike anything I've ever heard before," Larry pointed out. Rinot stood in silence yet again for a moment, but this time it was different. It was as if Rinot got caught red-handed with something.
"I...my parents just wanted me to stand out from the crowd and have a name that's unheard of. They wanted me to be the special kid. That's it. Now go! The clock is ticking!" Rinot hurriedly commanded.
The gang began their trek towards Shiver City, going back the way they came originally to Rinot's cabin.
"Mona, dear, are you okay? You're kind of stumbling in your walk," Flurrie pointed out to her, who seemed to be woozy and kept rubbing the spot on her neck where she was bit.
"Yeah, I think I'm okay, my neck just really hurts from that stupid bat. God, those fangs were sharp...a few seconds longer and I may have died!" Mona exclaimed with fright.
"Err, yeah, let's not go to that place, Mona. You're alive, and that's all that matters," Pauline assured her, trying to stray from the uncomfortable topic at hand.
"I know, but...not only does my wound hurt, but it feels so weird! I can feel it pulsating and...I don't know. Okay, you're right. Let's not go there," Mona said, becoming a little stressed now but also trying to stray from that topic.
"Mona...that wound looks similar to mine. It's all purple-y and veiny, and pulsating. I wonder if that Frost Piranha was also from the Underworld!?" Wario said with fear as he lightly touched her wound, feeling the throbbiness.
"Oh man! You think that giant bat injected some kind of venom in her too then!?" Kody yelped.
"Please don't say that. I don't wanna think anything like that right now! I don't even feel anything weird running through my neck or body, besides this pain. Let's just drop this please. We need to be strictly focused on getting this damn Rainbow Herb!" Mona demanded, but everyone could easily see the fear in her eyes.
As the gang continued to walk towards Shiver City, sounds of running steps were heard behind the group. Everyone turned around to find a little boy Bumpty, who looked frightened.
"Can you guys help me!? There was this giant spider in the forest chasing after me! I've never seen one so huge! It was bigger than me! I ran away, but it disappeared...but I don't know where it went, and I'm scared to go home all by myself!" the kid cried in despair. The gang sympathized for the poor boy but was also creeped by the mention of a giant spider.
"Hey, it's okay! We're heading to Shiver City anyways, so you can come with us along the way!" Yoshi kindly assured, trying to cheer the kid up.
"A-Are you sure? I don't want to be in your way or anything…" the kid replied while nervously twiddling his hands.
"Not at all! You'll be safe with us. You don't need to be afraid anymore!" Starlow cheerily responded.
"Hey, kid. How big was that spider that chased you? Was it my size?" Bowser asked curiously.
"Um, I think so. Yeah, around your size!" he answered. Everyone looked a little wide-eyed at this.
"What the hell...must be another damn creature from the Underworld!" Bowser said.
"If we run into it, we'll destroy it easily. At least we know now what to expect, so we won't be caught off guard like last time!" Daisy declared.
"The...Underworld?" the boy spoke with a confused expression.
"Oh! Uhh, just rambling about some nonsense. C'mon, let's get to Shiver City, kid!" Bowser veered from that conversation, hoping to not freak the kid out any further.
The kid stood there and started to snicker. "Hehe...Underworld...hehehehehehe...hehe...ha...hahahaha!"
"Uhh, what's so funny!?" Vivian shrieked, getting weirded out by his sudden laughter. Everyone immediately got a bad feeling in their gut.
"Hahahahahahaaaaaa! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" the kid laughed so loud that it started to pierce everyone's hearing. Everyone cringed and cried at the loudness and then the unexpected happened.
The kid's laughter became incredibly deep and out from his mouth came a fuzzy, black leg. Then another one. And another. And yet another. Another leg. Then the last one came out of the boy's mouth, and soon emerged the main body of a gigantic spider almost the size of Bowser. The boy's body flopped to the ground as if it was just a costume the spider was wearing. Everyone gasped and stared at the scene in pure horror. When they thought they'd truly seen it all...they were wrong.
"WH-WH-WHAT THE FUCK!? THIS IS...UHH...RUN FOR IT!" Lakilester screamed as his whole body shook with fear.
"NO, WE'RE GONNA FIGHT THIS OFF NO MATTER HOW SCARY IT IS! COME ON!" Mario roared with determination. The giant spider lunged at the group, but not before someone remembered a vital move that would help give them success.
"TIMESLOW!" Daisy screamed the second the spider made its leap towards the group. She grunted in pain from the effect and fell to the ground.
But, the move didn't work. The spider crashed into the group, knocking down Luvbi, Dixie, Kooper, Kody, Larry, and Wario while everyone else shrieked and scattered.
"WHAT THE HELL!? WHY DIDN'T THE MOVE WORK!?" Pauline screeched, seeing that the spider was still moving about in regular motion.
"AGGHH...GET IT OFF OF ME! OH GOD!" Luvbi cried as one of the spider's legs was on her chest, making it nearly impossible for her to breathe.
"AAGGGHHHHH! ITS DIGGING INTO MY FUCKING CHEST!" Kody screamed in agony.
Peach and Bowser went in on the spider. Peach swung her spiked club onto its body, hurting it and making it squeal. Bowser swiped his claws onto the body as well and another high-pitched squeal was heard, then the spider made another lunge at Bowser. The spider attached itself to Bowser's body and bit into his chest. The Koopa King let out a loud roar of pain as he backed up against a tree.
"DAAAAAAD! NOOOOOOOO!" Larry saw the awful site and immediately jumped up from the ground, then darted to the scene. Larry tugged on one of the spider's legs, hoping to rip it off with his super strength that he copied from DK, but the spider was barely even budging. Spike came in to help as Larry had one of the legs extended still, Spike swung his spiked club down onto the leg a couple of times, separating the leg, making the spider squeal again, and having black ooze drip out of its wound. DK ran over there immediately after and used all his might to rip another leg off of the spider, making more black ooze come out.
The spider finally fell off of Bowser and the koopa king gave a grimace of pain and let out another roar. He then cocked his gun and shot the spider in the center of its body. The spider slowly stopped moving. Mario wanted to make sure of its defeat so he ran to the body and slammed a big, sharp rock he managed to find onto the spider's body a few times until it had completely stopped moving altogether. Everyone else couldn't help but notice more black ooze coming from the spider's wounds.
"Holy shit...is everyone alright!? That was fucking scary! I seriously didn't see that coming!" Parakarry exclaimed, still processing what the hell just occurred.
"I...owww….can't breathe...my chest hurts so much…" Kody struggled to speak his words as he coughed and held his chest tightly.
"Hey, it'll be okay. The pain will subside and you'll be able to breathe again! Just take it easy," Koopie assured to calm his nerves.
"God, it feels like I just got stabbed without ACTUALLY being stabbed!" Luvbi spat, also holding her chest in pain.
"That was certainly another creature from the Underworld. I think it's safe to say that this may be beyond anything we've ever dealt with so far!" Flurrie pointed out in fear.
"Yeah, the way that thing just came out of that kid, and...UGH! So disgusting and terrifying!" Jojora yelled with a shiver down her spine.
"Dad...are you okay? I don't see you bleeding...but that spider could've infected you with its venom!" Larry said in immense worry as his eyes welled up.
"Agh! Trust me, son, I've suffered worse. I'll be okay. Don't think about if I'm infected right now, we gotta keep pressing forward!" Bowser urged as he tried to calm his nerves.
"Ugh...why the hell didn't my ability work? I mean, I felt my energy drain, but the spider didn't slow down!" Daisy said as Peach helped her off the ground.
"Maybe it's immune to that magic because it's from the Underworld?" Goombella guessed.
"Bowser...your wound looks exactly like Mona's and Wario's…" Luigi pointed out, striking more fear and worry into the others.
"Oh god! NO! Okay, we need to find the herb fast and get it back to Rinot, s-so we can get rid of the venom! PLEASE!" Larry erratically yelled as tears fell down his cheek.
"OH MY GOD!" Vivian screamed, drawing attention towards her now. Everyone looked to see what she screamed at and...the horror struck again.
Chills went down everyone's spines. Some had their heart skip a beat. Some dropped their jaws at the impossibility of what they saw. Some gasped at the uncanniness of seeing something that only existed in urban legends or simply inside their heads. Some were simply frozen, speechless from a situation that no one in the world knew how to comprehend.
They knew about this. They expected to experience it eventually. But, no one knew of the bizzarity and terror that would come with seeing their own selves in person, in the flesh.
Standing before the group was another version of everyone in that group. The 'mirror versions' of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, DK, Dixie, Goombella, Kooper, Parakarry, Lakilester, Koopie, Flurrie, Spike, Vivian, Boshi, Bowser, Larry, Wario, Pauline, Mona, Jojora, Starlow, Luvbi, and Kody...all stood there, facing the original group, looking as if they were ready to attack them. All of them looked pissed off and worn out.
Seconds went by without a sound from anyone. No one knew what to say or do. This was nothing like seeing their own reflections in the mirror. These people were actual 'copies' of the gang, standing there in true flesh and bone. As real as they were.
"What...wh-what is...you all…" Mario tried to speak but was simply at a loss for words. His mind had the hardest time processing this event because it just made no logical sense to physically see a 'clone' of one's self in the real world.
The Mirror-Mario took one step forward, got out a handgun, and aimed it at Mario.
"Don't move a fucking muscle."
MIRROR-CRYSTAL PALACE
The cloaked wizard stood before the prisoners, enjoying seeing the fear on their faces from his presence.
"You're-you're Merle from this world! I take it you're involved with the Crystal Queen's plans of taking over the region!?" Bombette howled, immediately sensing that this guy was up to no good.
"Gee, how'd you guessssssss? Hahaha!" Merle confirmed with a confident laugh, freaking out the others. "Welcome to the Mirror World, my petrified acquaintances! You came at the perfect time. In less than 12 hours, the door to the world you two came from will be closed PERMANENTLY! You'll be stuck here until you either die of starvation, die of the current war at hand, or die at the hands of some of the most vicious creatures you'll ever get the displeasure of witnessing!"
"YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET AWAY WITH THIS, YOU BASTARD! YOUR QUEEN'S FILTHY CREATURES MURDERED MY HUSBAND! I'M PREGNANT WITH OUR 3 KIDS! I'LL MAKE SURE YOU DIE HORRIBLY!" Penelopuin screamed while crying still.
"Pregnant with 3 kids? Okay? Don't pretend like I'm supposed to suddenly care about your well-being all because you decided to get knocked up, crazy lady!" Merle spat and laughed at her misery.
"Why are you even doing all this!? How did you even get the door dividing our worlds open!? I mean, uhh, I'm assuming it was either you or the queen that did that!" Koops yelled.
"And what do you mean by 'die of the current war at hand'? Since you assholes captured us, you may as well explain to us EVERYTHING!" Bombette angrily demanded.
"Fine. It's simple: the world is predicted to be wiped out by the war happening in this world. An alien by the name of Tatanga is trying to take over the world...only for a plot twist to occur, where his previously ally, a jester by the name of Dimentio, blindsided him and is trying to do the same thing for himself! Countries and kingdoms are getting ruined as we speak! There's little hope of survival, so I took it upon myself to muster up every inch of myself that could handle the craziest amount of black magic I could sustain and...VOILA! The door to your world opened, and thus, the 72 hour countdown began.
The Crystal Queen is slowly taking over the region in your world, capturing those residents and bringing them here to deal with the war or the vicious creatures that will surely invade this area themselves. This area is, to put it quite bluntly, FUCKED! Hahaha! We'll be making our mark in your world, and the Crystal Queen will finally get what was rightfully supposed to be hers all those centuries ago!" Merle explained with scary enthusiasm.
"A war between Tatanga and Dimentio...wow. That's almost the same thing with what's going on in our world! Hey, you know, if you capture or kill us AND our friends, then you're gonna suffer the same fate in our world! There'll be no one to get all the gems, get the Crystal Star Rod, and destroy Tatanga!" Koops pointed out.
"Hahaha. I'm not worried about that. You see...it's funny that you mention your friends. Just now, the Crystal Queen sent your friends on a quest to fetch the Star Stone. She made up this sob story about how the Star Stone will protect the palace from the war because of its mystical magic of yore and blabbity blah blah...and that she'll give you two back to your friends and close the door forever if they get her the Star Stone.
BUT! Of course, she lied. Well, perhaps not COMPLETELY...but your friends were manipulated to get the very thing that'll make ourselves AND the palace in your world completely invincible from everyone and everything! She'll be the supreme ruler of the Shiver Region, like she was supposed to be from the start, and we'll dominate the lands, her and I together! And you all will be stuck here till your deaths!" Merle answered joyously, basking in everyone's pain and despair.
"No no no...oh god, I seriously hope our friends see right through this trick you guys are pulling! They're smart and strong, they've been through hell and back, they're not gonna just let all this happen so easily!" Bombette said for the hope of her group coming through in the end.
"Smart and strong...hell and back...ohhhh my dear! You can only keep going through hell for so long until hell goes through you. Makes you dumb and weak. Paranoid and helpless," Merle scoffed at Bombette's attempt to intimidate him.
"Goodness, you are just AWFUL! Doing this to so many innocent people! Why do you have to cause such violence for everyone? What purpose does it serve you and this forsaken queen!?" Herringway yelled.
"Does it matter? HAHAHAAAAA! I mean, really...when you get down to the core of it...does it REALLY have to matter why anyone does anything? Not everything needs a lifetime of explanations!" Merle scoffed again.
"Wait a second here. Why would we be killed by the vicious creatures here? They seemed pretty easy to kill! Our friends did that to quite a few of them in our world!" Koops pointed out.
"Mmmmm. My dear koopa...you thought I was talking about the Clubbas, Swoopulas, and Duplighosts in this palace...but those weren't the vicious I was referring to. You see, there exists another world, or dimension, in addition to the Mirror World. I'm sure you've heard of it before: it's called The Underworld.
See, I used that same black magic to open the door as I did to open a portal to The Underworld. I did it in a place where the entrance could be more discreet. Right in that frozen lake just outside Shiver City! Creatures beyond anything you've ever seen or imagined lurk in there...a world where pure chaos reigns constantly...you think your world was hell? Hehe. Not even close. Slowly, but surely, creatures from that portal will invade this area and cause havoc for the residents, thus making this world into nothing but a wasteland for the maniacs to run amok," Merle revealed, shooting more fear into everyone.
"The-The Underworld!? Oh my god...just when I thought it couldn't get any worse!" Koops cried.
"Y-You're not gonna win! Even with all this stupid magic crap you've done, you're gonna be stopped and taken down! It's only a matter of time!" Perrie yelled.
"Yeah! And do you really think the Crystal Queen of all people is going to run the show with you!? Koops and I heard her story from when she was still alive, she's nothing but a selfish bitch who is just looking out for herself! And it doesn't seem like dying humbled her either!" Bombette added.
"I know what you're trying to do, but it's not going to work. This is happening, whether you like it or not. There's not gonna be a happy ending where everyone defeats the bad guys and the story continues. There's not gonna be a scenario where all the good guys get out alive. You can be optimistic all you like, you can pretend that this will go your way since you've been 'through it all' before...but save yourselves the energy and just accept defeat. Make it easier on your state of mind before you go," Merle spoke in a more serious manner, as if he was giving out some therapeutic advice.
Penelopuin walked to the front of the cells and gripped the bars tightly. "You son of a bitch. You had my husband killed, and who knows how many others. I'm a firm believer in karma...and I believe that you're gonna pay for this in the most brutal way possible."
Merle smirked at her cold threat. "Damn. Look at you. So brave and hard. But, let me tell you something, baby momma: I'll believe it when I fucking see it. In other words...never going to happen, so keep dreaming. After all...it's the only thing you've got until your day comes."
Merle then left the room of cells, leaving everyone in there to wallow in fear, anger, and sadness. Koops and Bombette felt completely useless. The only thing they could do was just pray that their friends were going to solve this mess.
FORT KOOPINGTON
Rosalina was finishing up telling her story of how things began for her in Mushroom City all the way to now.
"...and so I was exiled from St. Toadofsky's hospital because my friends made a vote on it. Most of them weren't comfortable with me being there because of all the damage that I've caused along with murdering Diddy Kong, who was the boyfriend of a woman named Dixie Kong, and the nephew of one of my closest friends ever, Donkey Kong. I don't blame them one bit for exiling me, though. They saw a side of me that was so scary and unforgettable. They also had to think about everyone else's safety in that hospital. So many of those people would NOT be comfortable with me hanging around there either. So, I chose to go here. At least I'll be in a place that's peaceful and picturesque while dealing with my demons. It's the only good thing I can think of for myself.
So, that brings us to where we are now. Me telling you the story of everything that's happened since that day I woke up in that weird room in Mushroom Corporations. Please...take a moment to let it all soak in. I know it was a lot, and I know so much of it makes no sense, but it was everything that I went through with my friends to now. We've been through practically a million things in such a short amount of time," Rosalina completed her story and explanation. She checked the clock behind Monty to see how for long she was talking. It had to have been nearly an hour, although it felt so much longer than that given all the craziness she went through.
Monty indeed sat there and took it all in. He didn't look scared, nor confused, but rather intrigued, if not perhaps a little sympathetic too. Rosalina wasn't sure if this was a bad sign because she would think any other person would be freaked out by her story of woe and chaos.
"Gee willikers. My my my! Heh. Well, that's certainly a wild story that would make for a good sci-fi movie, or perhaps an action-fantasy with a hint of horror. Goodness…" Monty said, obviously bewildered but definitely not in a state of shock as he adjusted himself in his chair.
"I feel like that's a big understatement there," Rosalina chuckled nervously. Monty leaned in a little towards her.
"Rosalina...look at me. I can tell just by listening to the way you talk and the vibe you give off that you are a gentle, caring, and giving soul. I am so, SO sorry you went through all that with your friends and with your boyfriend dying. From the story you told me...I can't blame you exactly for what you did. You were heartbroken and torn down by some evil bastard who made you go down such a dark path. You were exploited! You had powers no one could ever imagine having and that was totally used against you!
I'm so glad you came completely clean to me, Rosalina. I know we barely know each other, but please just trust that you can trust me! I'm loyal to the end for everyone in my circle!" Monty spoke with such genuine, upbeat, heartfelt sincerity that it really warmed Rosalina's heart.
"Oh...thank you so much, Monty. You don't know how much it means to me that you're okay with me," Rosalina was brought to tears and gave a huge sigh of relief that Monty wasn't at all responding in a negative manner to her story.
"Of course! And Rosalina...also remember that you are sooo strong and brave for going through all that mess! I mean, really, the fact that you're still standing tall after dealing with obstacle after obstacle and the drama between your friends, that's impressive! So many other people would go insane from dealing with that! And, well, you're clearly not insane, so be proud of yourself!" Monty cheerily encouraged.
"Yeah, I suppose I shouldn't be TOO hard on myself. But, Monty, are you really not even frightened by the fact that I turned all 'wicked' for a while, killed one of my friends, and nearly killed everyone else? I mean, I know I told you that I absolutely didn't mean to do that, but still...I hurt people. I let the black magics take over me. That doesn't bother you?" Rosalina questioned, secretly wondering to herself that his reaction may be too good to be true.
"Well, I'll admit it that it is a little scary that you did all that, but I can easily tell that that isn't you. The real you! The true you! Plus...the world really needs more people who are kind and helpful to one another, especially to people who've been through the worst of the worst. I think that's why Tatanga is trying to destroy the world, because he's been hurt and is using that pain to project onto the world," Monty answered, which relieved Rosalina even more.
The space princess couldn't help but smile at this genuinely feel-good conversation they were having. "Thank you. That really means a lot! And yes, I agree, the world really needs more of people bringing each other up...providing more love and care…" she then started to cry as her emotions were everywhere once again. She thought of her friends and Waluigi and how much she loved and cared for them. Monty handed her a tissue to wipe her tears.
"I try to look at the glass half full whenever I can. I truly believe that good will always prevail in the end. Trust me...I know exactly how you're feeling, Rosalina. When my fiancee ran away, I was in a dark place and none of my friends tried to help me out of it. I had to do it all myself. But...when I did, I was angry at the world, since no one helped me. No one! My family did their best to help, but they live in Sarasaland, so all they could do was just give me a call. But, it wasn't enough for me.
However! I then decided that I also couldn't live with being angry at everyone. Trying to do the same to other people with what had been done to me. It wasn't fair to them. All it was gonna do was just spread the misery disease to others and not fix the root issue: Me! So, I went back to the old me and brought kindness and love to the world around me. It was a rough journey, but it made me so much stronger and secure in the end!" Monty told his story to relate to Rosalina.
The princess smiled at his comeback tale, but noticed something weird about it. "That's great, Monty! But, umm, I thought you said your fiancee committed suicide, not ran away?"
Suddenly, the mood changed. Monty looked as if he just said something he shouldn't have. His eyes widened and his hands were shaking a little.
"Umm...oh, yeah, th-that's what I meant was that she committed suicide. Yeah. Not run away. Duh! I-I mean it's kind of like she ran away, but not really...just, uhh...suicide. Yeah," Monty very awkwardly corrected himself as he nervously giggled and looked everywhere else but at Rosalina. She knew something was off immediately.
"Monty, are you telling me the whole truth about your fiancee?" she asked upfront, wanting no transparency if she was gonna have a friendship with this man. Monty took quite a bit of time to respond.
"Of-of course I am! Why would I lie about something so horrible!? That's-that's not me! Not me at all!" Monty raised his voice, clearly becoming more nervous.
"Monty...calm down. It's okay. I didn't mean to upset you by saying that. It's just that, you can talk to me about anything as well, just like I've been talking to you about my stuff. You don't need to hold back with me!" Rosalina assured him, hoping to get him to relax, because she knew that this was going down a bizarre route.
"I know, I know. I just...uhh...oh! That's right! Look at the time! I completely forgot I have company coming over soon, so, uhh, I need you to go please!" Monty exclaimed, not at all seeming any less nervous.
"Um, okay? But Monty...what is going on here? What just happened? This just took a sudden turn and you're starting to scare me a little!" Rosalina asked.
"Nothing's happening! Nothing! It's completely fine, I promise! I just need you to go because the person coming over, uhh, is super private and shy and whatnot. I'll talk to you later!" Monty hurriedly spoke, rushed over to the door, and opened it for her to exit. Rosalina stood up, looked at him in disappointment and frustration, then walked out, not wanting to start a fight.
Rosalina walked down the steps as she heard the door slam. She wasn't dumb. She knew something wasn't right with how abruptly Monty changed his mood. She was upset and a little mad at how cold he became. The one time she was able to make a nice friend and now it looks like it may crumble apart.
But, she didn't want to give up. She wanted to figure out why he reacted the way he did. If this man needed help, perhaps she could be of assistance in some way. But she needed to know more about Monty and his late fiancee if she wanted to figure out this confusing situation.
EoC.
Next chapter is only going to feature the hospital group and the Mirror World group. When things couldn't possibly become even more strange and dangerous at the hospital...they absolutely do when an incident occurs that puts everyone on edge more than they already are. Mario's group faces something they've never even thought of dealing with previously: their own selves, in flesh and blood, which only leads to more questions revolving around the Crystal Queen, Merle, Rinot Pajouro, and the Underworld, but also leads to more discoveries about how the Mirror World works.
I also wanna put this out here right now: I'm extending the Crystal Palace/Mirror World arc by one more chapter. It was originally going to be 11 chapters total for the arc, but I'm now realizing that I'm setting up A LOT of stuff that needs to be paid off or answered, so in order to not cram in so much info all at once, I'm making an additional chapter for this arc, so there will be 12 chapters total. For reference, the current arc starts at Chapter 104. And this isn't gonna be like the Sonic Arc where, like, a million sub-plots are happening at the same time with the characters, so this arc will be much less of a clusterfuck. The next chapter will be uploaded on or before Sunday, February 28. Thanks for reading!
