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

"WILL YOU LET GO OF ME ALREADY!?" Katia screamed as she pulled her wrist away from her dad as hard as she could. Kenneth stared her down at her sudden bold move.

"Keep your goddamn voice down. Once again, always wanting to make a fucking scene for everyone to watch! You know...I'm starting to regret coming to this hospital," he spat, then looked around him to make sure no one was paying close attention.

"Dad, why do you always have to be so mean to me!? It just feels like everything I do, you always have a problem with or-or you try to put me down! It feels like you don't actually love me sometimes!" Katia cried, now gaining attention from passerbyers.

"I told you to quit making a scene! We'll talk about this in private, okay!? You are being overdramatic and hysterical, learn to control your damn emotions for once!" Kenneth continued to scold and tried to drag her with him again to get away from the public eye, but she pulled away and jumped backwards.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! I HATE YOU! I WISH I WAS NEVER FUCKING BORN!" Katia screamed while bursting into tears and ran the opposite direction, almost bumping into her mother.

"Oh, Katia! What's wrong? What's going on here!?" Clawdia asked as she wiped her own tears, having sobbed from the altercation with her sons briefly ago.

"ASK HIM! I'M DONE WITH EVERYTHING!" her daughter screamed through her crying and ran off. Clawdia was even more distraught now as many people stopped in their tracks to witness this spectacle.

"Honey...what the hell was that all about!? What were you two fighting about now!?" Clawdia demanded to know and quickly limped down the hallway with him to get away from the spotlight.

"I'm tired of her thinking she's grown and knows what to do, especially when it comes to handling those koopalings! It was a bad idea staying here with all of them under the same roof!" Kenneth protested.

"Dear, we didn't know they were all going to be here when we arrived! It was the only place nearby that had the best refuge for us: shelter, food, water, and aid on standby. What more could we have asked for!?" Clawdia tried to reason with him.

"We have all that at the lakehouse, which is where I told you we should've gone in the first place! Not only that, but the lakehouse is more isolated than this place is! Just look at the state of this place! It keeps getting attacked by neurotic koopas and is filled with people who belong to a MENTAL hospital, not a regular one! Yeah, sure, we had no car to get there, but I'd rather walk miles to get there than be here with all this craziness," Kenneth explained frustratedly.

"Please calm down. I truly believe it isn't a coincidence that we came here all the while Bowser and the kids were all here. This was the time to tie up loose ends! They deserve it for the hell that I put them through! Better now than never!" Clawdia urged.

"I don't care about some stupid loose ends, and neither should you. Bowser brought that crap all onto himself, and you know it. Let him and his kids self-destruct, because it's literally not our problem. They made that pretty clear as well when they keep telling you off, Clawd. You said what you had to say, so move the hell on now!" Kenneth stated, not at all having any kind of care for her ex-husband and his family as clear as day, which kind of hurt her with how cold he was being about the situation.

"Don't tell me to 'move the hell on,' Ken. Don't you dare go there. I refuse to with all of them being in this space and the guilt and memories haunting me. Especially since Bowser Jr. is the only one out of all of them that seem to still want a relationship with me! I'm not gonna let that go. He's still my son. I have a right to want that," Clawdia stated right back, standing firm for her position on the matter. Kenneth shook his head and snickered.

"Fine. Have a relationship with him. Talk about mother-son things. But don't say I didn't warn you about the mess that that family always gets themselves into. They're gonna drag you right down with them and they won't give a fuck when they see you at the bottom," he said sternly. Clawdia was getting increasingly peeved at how he was just looking at the situation from only one angle.

"You know what...no...let's just drop this. But, about Katia...I wanna know, what is it with you two and always fighting and arguing? It's something that I never understood! You two just like to pick at each other till the other blows up!" Clawdia changed the topic.

"I've already told you: she thinks she's grown, but she's not, and she keeps making a fool of herself, so I put a stop to it. I don't have to remind you of the time Katia told my sister, who I may remind you is a crazy drug addict, that it was okay for her to stay a few days at our house since my sis broke up with her ex-boyfriend, who was also a crazy drug addict. All without our permission! I don't want that shit in our home. I don't want to be dragged into other people's misery and drama. Let them sink themselves," Kenneth explained harshly.

"Okay, fine, that may have been a poor decision on her end, but you also have to remember that your sister was with an abusive man and, well, not just that, but VERY manipulative too! She told us he'd give her loads of coins and more drugs to stay with him and keep silent about everything!" Clawdia said in defense.

"I don't care. My sister got herself into that situation, and that is that. That's just one of MANY things that Katia has done where she thinks she runs things. Do I need to go down the list?" Kenneth asked with a raised brow, looking ready to absolutely defend his stance. Clawdia sighed in frustration.

"Just...find our daughter! Now! Who knows where she ran off to, but do it QUICK!" Clawdia demanded.

"She's not gonna go far. She never does when she 'runs away.' That's another thing she needs to stop: to quit putting on an act to gain sympathy. It's getting old," Kenneth brushed off her worry but walked back to go look for her anyways. Clawdia made another sigh as her eyes welled up yet again. She was at a loss for what to do.


"HEEEEELP!" Toadessa screamed as she frantically ran into the woods and looked back to see how far Toado was from her. The little toad boy darted as quick as he could to catch up to her, having a look of pure determination and rage upon his face.

"STOP RUNNING AWAY! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE IT!" Toado roared, running on a pure adrenaline rush.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!" Toadessa cried as she faced forward again, only to trip over part of a tree trunk. She fell to the grass and rolled over on her back, quickly screaming in terror again when she saw the boy run over and wrapped his hands around her neck.

"TOA...DO...PLEASE...AGH…" Toadessa could barely let out words since her airway was constricted by his grip. She tried to scratch and slap him in his face with her free hands, but he pulled his neck away.

"I'M BAD! DON'T YOU SEE!? THE BAD GUYS ALWAYS WIN! IF YOU JUST UNDERSTOOD, WE COULD'VE BEEN ALIVE TOGETHER!" Toado erratically screamed as he also pounded her head against the grass.

"STOP...I...UGH...NO…" Toadessa uttered more words the best she could as a couple of tears rolled down her cheek, knowing that it was too late for help to arrive now. She slowly stopped moving about as her arms dropped to the grass, her eyes closed, and her breathing had ceased.

Toado removed his hands from her neck when he realized she had finally perished. He stared wide-eyed in awe at the lifeless body laying below him. He was in absolute shock at what he had just done. Not in horror, though. Not in fear. Not in terror. Just pure shock. He couldn't believe how easy it was to take a living being's life like that. How, in a split second, she had ceased to live.

He then slowly smiled at the outcome. Then it turned into a giggle, then a full out laugh. The act was exhilarating for him and made him feel powerful and unstoppable.

But, right before Toadessa had died, Katia had ran into the woods aimlessly, still crying her eyes out. She slowed down as she approached a tree and caught her breath between choking up.

"Damnit...I hate my fucking life! Sometimes I wish I was just dead!" Katia crief to herself as she wiped her eyes with her arm. She then heard voices nearby. The voices sounded intense, as if there was a tussle happening.

She followed where she thought they were coming from, curious to see what was happening. She wiped her eyes again and then almost screamed and fell backwards when she saw the terrifying sight of Toado strangling Toadessa. She couldn't believe it. She stood there petrified, processing the situation. This was really happening: a little kid strangling another little kid.

Then she saw him burst into laughter about his godawful deed. She still stood there frozen, still processing the fact that this psychotic boy was practically celebrating taking the life of another kid. Why, she wondered? For what kind of reason was there to kill a kid and laugh about it!?

Toado quickly stopped his laughing when he spotted Katia from the corner of his eye. Their eyes locked, and it put even more fear into Katia.

"Wha...wha...y-you…" Katia tried to speak and still make sense of things, but her body remained frozen.

"You saw me. You...know what I did...heh...look at me. I'm one of the bad guys now! I killed her! I'm invincible now! I'm not gonna die!" Toado spoke, slowly becoming more excited and hysterical again.

"WH-WH-WH-WHAT!? TH-THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY...WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!? WHYYY!?" Katia screamed.

"The bad guys always win, don't you know? They always win...being good does nothing...nothing...NOTHIIING!" Toado suddenly screamed and ran after her.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MEEEEE!" Katia screamed and ran for her life back to the hospital. The adrenaline kicked in and her only focus was getting back alive now.

Meanwhile, Tippi and E. Gadd stepped out into the entrance of the courtyard, starting their search for Toado.

"We'll search around this area first. See if he's hiding anywhere out here," E. Gadd spoke as he scanned the vicinity. "This would be the perfect area to cause trouble inside the hospital, then run out here into the woods or to that cemetery to hide from the fallout, then come back when it's died down."

"That makes sense. But...he could've also escaped into the city to look for Tadano. Those two really seemed to bond over trauma. God…" Tippi said with disgust.

"True! However, searching part of the city would be our last resort...well, that is, if we even wanna go down that route. Too many places he could hide over there. Plus, Clawdia said she saw him run out this way. At least out here, it's a little easier to search," E. Gadd said.

"Hey, look at that person over there!" Tippi squeaked, motioning towards E. Gadd's center-left. "She's running really fast...and looks scared!? Wait, is that, uhh...what's her name...Katia? Bowser's ex-wife's daughter?"

"Yes, I think that's her name. When on earth did she get out here? I could've sworn she was just inside!" E. Gadd pointed out.

"Oh! I think that was that lady that ran past us a few minutes ago. It looks like her. But, why does she look so scared!?" Tippi became nervous and floated over to the grounds. "HEY! KATIA! What's the matter!?"

Katia came to a quick stop and caught her breath again. Tippi saw her expression and knew she had seen something horrifying.

"What are you running from? Don't be afraid to tell us!" E. Gadd asked.

"Ahh...you guys, there's a fucking kid murderer out here! I saw him strangle this little girl! Then he chased after me, but I don't know where he went because I don't see him anymore!" Katia explained as she took huge breaths and attempted to calm herself down. Tippi gasped greatly at this, whereas E. Gadd looked angered.

"Oh my god! DAMNIT! Did the toad boy have green spots on his mushroom!? Looks like he's 11 or 12 and has blonde hair!?" Tippi asked, crushed that another person is dead.

"Yes, that's him! Who the fuck is he!? Where are his parents!?" Katia screamed and sobbed.

"His name is Toado, and his parents are dead," E. Gadd spoke as he began to quickly walk over to the woods. "Go to your parents, Katia, we'll take care of things from here."

"Wait, are you guys gonna kill him too!? I don't see any weapons on you!" Katia asked.

"Don't worry, we've got this handled. Now go back inside! You need to be with your own parents!" Tippi urged and then followed E. Gadd. Katia just stared at them hopelessly as the two approached the woods.

"Kinda don't wanna be around my parents either…" she whispered to herself as she started sobbing again.

E. Gadd entered the woods and observed the surrounding area quickly to make sure he can catch the kid in time and not get caught off guard.

"E. Gadd!" Tippi whispered as she caught up to him. "What do you have in mind to stop Toado? Are we actually going to kill him or just capture him and lock him up like we did with Tadano and Kody?"

"It's going to be hard because he's just a little boy...but we're gonna have to kill him. Anyone who kills someone around here, no matter their age, needs to die so we can make sure everyone here is protected no matter what!" E. Gadd spoke with a little resistance because he truly didn't want to kill someone so young, but he also knew it had to be done for the greater good.

"Right. I agree with that sentiment. Just wanted to make sure that you and I were on the same page," Tippi confirmed.

"Hmm...so, Katia says Toado was chasing after her after she discovered him killing a girl. Yet, Toado was nowhere to be seen as soon as she left the woods…" E. Gadd pointed out.

"He probably knew he was in big trouble so he ran off to hide in some part of the woods, or he's trying to hide in the city so he's going the roundabout way through the woods to get there," Tippi said.

"Yes, makes sense. Well...let's go find this girl's body so we can get some people out here to take her to the cemetery and notify her parents first," E. Gadd said and continued forward. Tippi followed him and still looked everywhere possible because she was very much on edge.

"Oh! Over there! I see something!" E. Gadd pointed towards the left and walked a little faster. Tippi became more nervous, not wanting to see the dead body of a little girl.

E. Gadd got closer to the thing he saw and suddenly shrieked, which made Tippi shriek.

"What, what!? What is it!?" she yelled.

"SHE'S ALIVE!" E. Gadd shouted in shock. The pair saw the little toad girl cough and slowly stand herself up.

"Oh my god, he didn't actually kill you! Are you okay!? What did he do to you!?" Tippi cheered in immense relief while flying over to her.

"Oh! Agh...he strangled me...I played dead because I didn't know what else to do...I'm glad I'm alive, but where is he!?" Toadessa said as she held her neck in pain and kept coughing.

"We're glad you're alive too! And that was smart of you to play dead, but we don't know where he went!" Tippi said.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY!" a boy's cry was suddenly heard. E. Gadd shrieked again and turned around to see Toado crying his eyes out.

"Toado. You are VERY lucky that she's alive right now!" E. Gadd scolded with anger.

"I-I know, I'm so so soooooo sorry! I don't know what I'm doing! Please help me! Pleeeaaaaase!" Toado continued crying.

E. Gadd's angry expression softened into a neutral one. "It's okay, kid. Don't cry. Come here...give me a hug." Toado nodded and walked over to him.

"Wait, E. Gadd, what are you doing!? Stay away!" Tippi yelled, thinking it was a horrible idea to be close to that kid.

"It's okay. Don't be afraid. Come here," E. Gadd spoke in such a warm and welcoming tone that it drew the kid closer to him.

"Don't let him touch you! He's insane! Please get away!" Toadessa cried.

Toado embraced E. Gadd and cried into his chest. Tippi and Toadessa were terrified now.

"E. Gadd...please...get away…" Tippi spoke, petrified for what unpredictable the boy could do next.

"There there. It's all gonna be okay!" E. Gadd assured for the broken boy.

He then quickly reached into his pockets to grab something, then jabbed the boy with the object. Toado immediately fell to the ground unconscious.


About an hour had passed since the incident. Tippi, E. Gadd, Toadsworth, Toodles, Toadette, Bowser Jr., Morton, Ludwig, and Lemmy were in Bleck's patient room once again, sitting in dead silence, pondering the horror that had occurred prior just outside. Dr. Nokano walked in and broke the silence.

"Hello everyone. Letting you all know that the Toado boy is in solitary confinement on the fourth floor in the mental ward. I would have him transferred over to the Mushroom Kingdom Mental Institution, which isn't too far from here, but they are refusing to take anyone in at the moment as they've had numerous staff die from when Tatanga was causing destruction and are unable to take on more than they can handle at the moment, so this is the next best option," Nokano explained.

"Hmm, okay then. And that girl...Toadessa? How is she?" Morton asked.

"She's okay. No major damage was done to her throat so she'll be alright. Her parents were told about what happened and they were, understandably, devastated and angry about the situation. Someone will be watching the door to the confinement room 24/7 just in case Toado, by some odd miracle, tries to escape," Nokano answered.

"Well, I'm just glad someone came out of this alive for once. Shines a little more light into our predicament," Bleck said with hope.

"But the fact that it nearly happened at all is just horrible and sad…" Toadette sighed upsettingly.

"Was it really the right thing to just electrocute him unconscious with your taser, Elvin? The kid has turned into a psychopath! I thought we were done letting people like that live around here?" Toodles questioned his motives.

"I've thought about killing him...I really did, Toodles. BUT! I truly believe Toado is a special case. He lost his parents, witnessed many people get killed, and was manipulated by Tadano to believe that the bad guys are the winners here. Plus, Toadessa didn't die. Had she died, I would've absolutely done it. But...the kid has a chance to turn things around in his life. He's still young to get the help and growth he needs," E. Gadd explained his case.

"Hmm. Well, I personally don't agree with your decision. I don't care if he's just a child and has been through trauma, someone like that doesn't deserve to be around the rest of us who are just trying to make it to the next moment!" Toodles stood her ground on her stance. E. Gadd nodded understandingly, realizing that his choice wasn't going to be universally loved.

"And that, my dear wealthy woman, is your opinion and I greatly respect that. It's times like this where I wish the situation was truly black-and-white so the decisions can be made easier...but unfortunately, that's not how the world works most of the time," E. Gadd said in a professional manner.

"I don't agree with the choice to keep him alive either, but if he's staying in solitary confinement under constant supervision, then that's the next best thing we can do," Morton said with a shrug.

"So...what is there to do now? Any thoughts?" Toadsworth asked.

"Nothing much more we can really do until some other awful event occurs here, or until those guys get back from their mission, which is when we'll tell them what we know about Arfur and his company," Bleck answered.

"Have we thought about what we're gonna do about Mushroom Corporations yet? Do we have any ideas on that end?" Ludwig asked.

"I've been thinking deeply about it, and I've got a couple of plans brewing, but I really wanna wait until the others get back so we can collaborate on this. I'm definitely leaning towards taking them down before the Crystal Star Rod is obtained!" E. Gadd declared.

"But how will we do that when they've got high security and weapons? We'll be completely dominated with ease!" Toadsworth questioned.

"I wouldn't worry too much about the how, Toadsworth. Trust me on this. The plans I've got in this noggin of my head might seem insane, but I've a gut feeling they'll work," E. Gadd assured with a confident smile.

"Well, the most successful kinds of plans tend to gear towards the 'insane' side, so I'm excited to hear it," Lemmy said with hope.

"Sounds sweet! Can I join the heist with you guys!?" Fly Guy cheered as he came out of the bathroom in the patient room, surprising everybody.

"WHAT THE HELL!? You were in there this whole time!?" Morton shrieked.

"Uhh, duh, of course I was! I listened to every word you guys were saying, and so, I am requesting that I join the attack on this sociopathic government organization so we can finally build a goddamn utopia without any interference from the privileged dogs!" Fly Guy exclaimed boldly. Everyone else just stared blankly at him.

"Wow. So, how many loose cannons in this hospital does that make now? 30?" Toodles said in annoyance.

"Uhh...yeah...I mean...I don't see why you couldn't join?" Toadette shrugged.

"Wait, how did you even get into the bathroom without me noticing anyways!?" Bleck asked, more confused than ever now.

"SIMPLE! I tried looking for you guys to ask to join, so I came in here like an hour ago, saw that no one was in here, and that you were asleep, Bleck. But I also really had to use the bathroom so I went in and did my business, then you guys came in not too long ago, and so I decided to eavesdrop! Now here I am! It all synchronized so perfectly!" Fly Guy explained with joy, which added even more weirdness to the situation.

"What!? I only fell asleep for a few minutes! How...nevermind, I don't want to know anything more," Bleck grunted with discomfort.

"Aaaand on that note, I'm gonna go see how Katia is doing, because I don't think she knows that Toadessa is alive," Junior changed the topic.

"Really, Junior? Still trying with that miserable family?" Morton huffed.

"I just want to be friendly with them! Is that so bad? Once all this is done, we probably won't ever see them again anyways," Junior defended himself, upset that his three brothers looked disappointed and annoyed at him.

"Whatever, man. Do what you want. You're your own person. But don't come crying to us if they fuck you over or push you away like Clawdia did. You wanna talk about REAL sociopaths? That family is the true definition of one. Especially her husband! Yeah, good fucking luck with that!" Morton yelled as he got red in the face, thinking back to their interaction earlier.

"Fine. I'll deal with it if it happens. You coming, Toadette? We can get something to eat afterwards," Junior sighed, not wanting to get into it with Morton about this topic.

"Yeah, I'll come. I'm not hungry for anything, though," Toadette said as she led the way out.

"You sure? I don't think you've had anything to eat all day!" Junior pointed out.

"E. Gadd, I must ask you...are you going to tell us about that project you worked on with Mushroom Corporations? The curiosity is killing me now!" Toadsworth brought that topic back up, putting all eyes on him.

E. Gadd adjusted his glasses and made a sigh as he looked down. "I will...but only when Mario gets back. I want everyone to hear about my time with that company. I will only say the story once...and never again after that.


MIRROR-SHIVER REGION

Mirror-Mario pointing his gun at Mario put all the more terror into him and his friends. Were these simply the evil counterparts to the real people? Is that why they looked ready to kill?

Mario put his hands up and managed to speak from his fear. "W-Wait a second here! Why are you aiming that at me!? What's going on here!? We're not your enemies!"

"P-Please don't hurt us, we mean no harm! I...uhh...oh god, this is sooo weird seeing myself in person!" Peach awkwardly spoke as her whole body felt trembly from seeing her mirror-version. Mirror-Peach looked as if she was trying not to laugh at Peach's dismay.

"Please put the gun down," DK spoke in a professional manner. "Like Princess Peach said, we mean no harm. We're just in this world to save our friends who are trapped in the Crystal Palace and to get the gem needed for our world, which the Crystal Queen has."

"I'm gonna call bullshit on that one," Mirror-Mario stated, still having the gun pointed at Mario's head. Mario felt it weird hearing his own voice that wasn't from his own body, which made the predicament even more jarring and creepy. "Versions of us that come from a different world...you really expect us to believe that you have good intentions? That you're not here to try and take over this land or perhaps even destroy it like Tatanga and Dimentio are? I'm not buying it. We prepared for you all coming here, because we know you're just here to ruin things and fuck our plans up to prevent us from saving our own world."

That speech threw the real-world gang for a loop. No one knew why they were thinking that about them.

"WHAT!? Okay, can you tell us why the hell you would even think that!? We're just here to save our own world! We have the exact same goal you guys do! Tatanga is also taking over OUR world and we need the crystal gem in order to obtain this thing called the Crystal Star Rod which will destroy Tatanga and his team with ease! You gotta believe us!" Dixie pleaded with urgency.

"Like we would just trust you to snatch the Crystal Gem from the queen for you guys to use for your own doing!?" Mirror-Dixie mocked. "We don't trust you all because we don't want whatever is in your world to come into ours. We have enough monsters in this world as it is. You all came into OUR world, you know the way to get in, so how exactly can we trust that you won't go and tell others about this? What if you tell the wrong person and our world gets invaded by a whole other army?"

"Seriously!? Are you guys hearing yourselves!? WHY would we do that when we just want to save our own world, and that's it!? Nothing more, nothing less! Literally the only reason why we came into this world is because the Crystal Queen stole the Crystal Gem and took it with her into here! We just want to get it back and to save Koops and Bombette, then we'll be out of here!" Daisy yelled with an attempt to reason with their counterparts.

"Koops and Bombette!?" Mirror-Goombella shrieked with a surprised expression. "You have a Koops and Bombette too? Where are they!?"

"They are trapped in the Crystal Palace. The only way we can get them out is if we get the Star Stone from Rinot Pajouro, then she'll free them and give us the Crystal Gem. But, we talked with Rinot and he wants us to go find this Rainbow Herb in town to give to him, then he'll give us the Star Stone," Parakarry answered.

"Rinot Pajouro, huh? So you're doing his bidding...and you expect us to believe that you all aren't our evil counterparts!? Haha!" Mirror-Bowser laughed.

"HEY! Don't pretend like we have any choice in the matter! We're just doing what we can to save our friends and destroy Tatanga! You'd do the same thing too if you were in our shoes!" Bowser spat.

"Speaking of Koops and Bombette, uhh, where are your guys' Koops and Bombette? I don't see them here with us!" Kooper pointed out.

"They're in the Underworld," Mirror-Daisy answered as she stepped forward with a serious expression. "You see that open spot in the frozen lake there? That right there is a portal to the Underworld. Our Koops saw...or….THOUGHT he saw his dad standing on the ice when we were on our way back from the palace. He ran over to his dad and Bombette had chased after him, telling him that she thought it was a trick, but as soon as he got REALLY close to his dad, the spot beneath the two broke through and some kind of black light shot out from the lake. Bombette almost escaped but I guess that event scared her and made her slip on the ice and into that open spot as well.

Those two were just sucked into that portal...and now none of us know what to do to get them out. We don't know what will happen to us if we go in there, but I imagine it can't be pretty. Then we have the problem with some monsters from that portal coming into our world and making things worse. That damn Rinot is foiling our plans to get things done! He has the Silver Mystic Star Stone that we need in order to combine all 9 Star Stones into one giant star, which will have the power to easily topple Tatanga and Dimentio and save our world! And he's also the one who opened up that portal to the Underworld with his black magic!"

Mirror-Daisy's explanation made the heroes look at each other in confusion since that was the opposite of what they were told.

"Uhh...hold on now. We were told by Rinot that it was actually Merle or the Crystal Queen, or maybe both, that used black magic to open up that portal to the Underworld. He also told us that the Crystal Queen opened up a way into OUR dimension and that she has everyone in this region convinced that they'll be safe if they leave with her tomorrow to go into our world to escape the war. So, it sounds to me like we're all being told different things by the same people!" Jojora pointed out, hoping it would make their mirror counterparts see that they aren't the bad guys in this scenario.

"And what were you guys doing at Rinot's cabin anyways? When we went there, he thought all of us were you all! He asked us why we came back to him again!" Lakilester recalled.

"We were there because the Crystal Queen told us that Rinot had the Mystic Star. We thought it was in her palace, but we searched and couldn't find anything, but we found the Crystal Queen and she told us that Rinot wreaked havoc in her palace recently and took the Mystic Star from her and told us where he lived. We tried to bargain with him for the star, but he just blew up on us, and made us leave. We left to go get weapons to try and convince him this time to give it to us, and if not, then there'll be some hell to pay!" Mirror-Koopie proudly spoke, getting out a dagger from her pocket.

"And what a lovely coincidence that we ran into you all after we got our weapons! Looks like Rinot isn't the only sucker we gotta go through to get what we want," Mirror-Kooper boasted as he walked to Mirror-Koopie, put his arm around her and kissed her on the cheek. Kooper, Koopie, Goombella, and Vivian had a mix of disgust and horror at that sight.

"What...what the fuck!?" Koopie quietly shrieked, being the most frazzled out of the four at this bizzarity. Her whole body started shaking and memories of her getting into the altercation of Koops over the cheating with Kooper immediately flooded into her head, along with memories of seeing Koops' meltdowns over it.

"Yeah. We've been through everything you could imagine, and there's not a chance in hell we're not letting some clones from another dimension take us down, no matter how weird this is!" Mirror-Luigi added, trying to sound confident as he grabbed ahold of Mirror-Daisy's hand, who smirked proudly at him. Daisy's heart broke seeing this, since it appeared that they were still together in this dimension, which is something she so badly wanted again. Luigi stood frozen in horror at that sight. The image of seeing his counterpart being with Daisy really messed with his head and sent chills down his spine. His eyes welled up and tears began to fall.

"Everyone, please, listen to me. Please tell us what on earth is going on here. I feel like you guys know a lot more about what's happening in this area than you're letting on. Please...give us an explanation. I promise you, solemnly swear, we are NOT here to hurt you. I know this is an illogical and uncomfortable situation...but we are not your enemies! Please, just tell us what exactly is happening in this place! I'm getting the feeling that we're ALL being played here!" Mario pleaded, hoping to come off as sincere as possible.

Mirror-Mario looked as if he was holding in laughter from how desperate Mario sounded. "You sound so pathetic right now. And to think that YOU are my counterpart...well...hmm...fine. We'll bite. BUT! One condition: All of you, get on your knees, and drop any weapons you have on you!"

The heroes were blindsided by this sudden demand, once again looking at each other with fear and confusion.

"Uhh I don't fucking think so! We're not gonna be suddenly defenseless just to accommodate you jackasses!" Boshi spat.

"OOH! I see my counterpart has a mouth on him! Sit down, bitch! Or else I'll make you eat this bullet!" Mirror-Boshi yelled as he got out his pistol.

"YOU KNOW WHAT, LISTEN HERE YOU MOTHERFU-" Boshi began to scream but stopped himself when a few of the people in his group shot him a glare. He knew what that look meant and he knew he had to just roll with it so the situation didn't escalate. "...Nevermind. Fine. I'll get on my fucking knees...and drop my damn weapon…"

Everyone else followed suit as Mirror-Mario still had his gun pointed at his counterpart, along with a few others in the mirror-group getting out various weapons.

"Please don't hurt us. This doesn't have to go that far!" Starlow pleaded.

"Stop with the whining!" Mirror-Starlow angrily shouted. "Look at yourself, so scared and so vulnerable! You look like you're about to cry! Well...I suppose not everything is supposed to be exactly the same in a mirror dimension."

Starlow looked at her mirror counterpart in total surprise. She seemed so cold and stern, a far cry from how Starlow was in her world.

"Okay, everyone. I'll tell you what's exactly been going on here. I think I can speak for my group that it looks like we can POTENTIALLY put some trust in you guys, but we're not willing to jump in that deep just yet. I'm sure you guys can understand...we've been through some of the most horrible shit that no one should ever have to go through. We've lost so many friends and have been deceived so many times that we're done playing nice to anyone we meet," Mirror-Mario spoke with some of his group nodding in agreement.

"We can relate! Totally! We've been through, like, the worst of the worst as well! Witnessed so many people die! Been hurt and lied to! We get it. We get why you guys are doing this. But, like, as Mario said...we are not your enemies," Goombella co-signed on his statement.

"I don't think you're our enemies either. But, we refuse to play it completely safe for right now. So...alright then. Here's our story," Mirror-Mario began to explain the whole deal from his and his group's side of things.

"Mushroom City, which is where the whole thing with Tatanga began, was destroyed by Tatanga and his goons bombing everywhere they could. Many people managed to escape but too many were killed. A large group of us decided to head to the Shiver Region because it's more isolated and there wouldn't be much danger there as we all tried to plan how we're going to take down Tatanga. We all took refuge at a place called St. Toadelia's Hospital, which is the kingdom's largest hospital, so we were taken in with ease. Merle's brother, Merlon, was with us and he had a massive vision come to him.

His vision showed him something called the legendary Mystic Eternal Star. It's a star that's been used once before to stop an apocalypse that occurred in this world many centuries ago. After the apocalypse was dealt with, the Mystic Eternal Star was broken into 9 pieces. Some were spread throughout this world, some were put into entirely different worlds. Merlon used his powers to guide us from one star piece to the next. A top-tier government organization not too far away from here by the name of Fireflower Corporations helped us travel to these locations via these spaceships called arwings. That company is a whole other story in itself...but we'll fast-forward to our quest for the 8th star piece which was, of course, in the Crystal Palace this whole time...well, SUPPOSED to be in the Crystal Palace, that is," Mirror-Mario started the story.

"Oh! Is Merlon in your world still alive?" Peach asked.

"Yes, but he's very weak right now. No one knows why. His magic still kind of works, but he's been bedridden shortly after we got to the hospital," Mirror-Peach answered.

"Very odd! Do you all think that Merle has something to do with it?" Flurrie asked.

"Hmmm...perhaps. The thought crossed my mind a couple times, but there's not enough proof to go off of for that. But, back to the story…before Merlon told us where the location of the 8th star piece was, the Crystal Queen made herself known to everyone in the region and proposed an escape plan from the world war two days ago..." Mirror-Mario continued with the story that would explain everything they've been through up to this point.


MIRROR-SHIVER CITY

There was an enormous crowd forming in the center of the city, all facing the Crystal Queen.

"PLEASE GATHER AROUND! THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT AN ESCAPE PLAN FROM THE ONGOING WAR! LISTEN TO ME CAREFULLY IF YOU WANT TO BE SAVED!" the Crystal Queen shouted to the heavens.

"What the hell is this!? Who is that woman? Is she a duplighost!?" Mirror-Pauline questioned.

"That's the fabled Crystal Queen who resides in the Crystal Palace, and yes, she is a duplighost, well, err she's a ghost duplighost if that makes any sense!" Mirror-Toadsworth informed. "Not many people have met her, but if they do, they are scared off because she protects that palace like it's her own child."

"That's an understatement. I remember trying to get her to loan me her palace to use as a fortress when I was trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom all those years ago, but she threw a bitch fit and had her lip-injected Clubba mutants chase me out of there!" Mirror-Bowser recalled, still not completely over being turned away so easily.

"I'm curious to see what she has to say. This should be interesting," Mirror-Mario said as he crossed his arms.

"How the hell does one even have an escape plan from this anyways!? Don't these people already know that we're actually on a mission to get the 9 star pieces so we can destroy Tatanga and Dimentio!? That's THE escape plan right there!" Mirror-Kooper yelled in frustration.

"Well, we're about to find out how believable of a 'plan' she has, sweetie. I'm not saving my breath for it though," Koopie said with a sigh and hung her head against Kooper's shoulders as the two held hands.

"Hello everyone. If you don't know who I am, I am the infamous Crystal Queen that lives in the Crystal Palace on top of Shiver Mountain. I'm sure the rumors you've heard about me are not quite delightful, but I am just simply very protective of my palace along with my minions that inhabit it with me. However...I want to put it out there that I am not from this dimension. I come from another dimension that's very similar to this one!" the Crystal Queen began her speech. Those last two sentences achieved a wide range of reactions from the crowd: from snickers to shocked gossip to eyes rolling in disbelief.

"I knew it. This was gonna be some kind of cult bullshit to rile everyone up because we're in desperate times. So stupid!" Mirror-Wario spat.

"What the hell does her being from another dimension have anything to do with what's happening now anyways? I don't understand where this is heading to," Mirror-Bombette added.

"I understand that what I just said sounds completely insane. And, truth be told, I feel like it is definitely insane as well...but it is a method that I truly feel like will save us all, because I deeply fear that the world war that is occuring right now will end up eventually wiping everything out that we love. Our homes, our families, friends, and lovers...everything that we knew and loved will be gone within a blink of an eye due to this despicable war between two horrid power-hungry foes. This region may have evaded all the damage that's been done so far, but I feel like it's only a matter of time before this place gets hit. It's inescapable and let's not pretend like it isn't!

Now, as I said, I came from another dimension. I was thrust into this dimension by my husband, who was referred to as the Crystal King, many centuries ago. We lived in a palace just like the one on Shiver Mountain. The Crystal King found a cave within the mountain at the back of our palace that led to the palace here. He wanted to show me this impossible path, only for him to trap me in this dimension as the door that was in the cave, the door that connected these two caves, was sealed somehow by him. I couldn't open the door no matter how hard I tried and no matter what method I used.

So...I had no choice but to stay in the palace and adapt to this new dimension I was led to. I eventually died of starvation but, as you can see, my ghost still remains here. I quickly realized that this dimension is a 'mirror dimension' to the one I was in previously. I say this because everything is almost exactly the same as it was in my original dimension; the palace was located at the same place, the towns below the mountain were the same, I saw the same people that were in my original world...I hope you're starting to get it now. Again, it all sounds completely insane, I know...but here's where I can provide help for you all.

This morning, I managed to open that door again. I don't know how or why it opened after all these centuries of it being closed shut...but it's opened. I managed to explore a little bit of what used to be my actual palace and the area around it, and it looks like the coast is clear. No war happening there unlike here. Exactly the same environment as is here. We will ALL be safe there! I'll be able to return to my true, beloved palace and you all will be alive with your loved ones.

Perhaps this is why I, as a ghost, have been unable to move onto the afterlife. I was meant to show you all the way out in these troubling times and take back what was supposed to be mine. Now, with all that being said, I'm only keeping the door open for three days. I don't want anything that's in this world to get into the other world, and vice versa, because I think that would ultimately defeat the purpose of finding safety. I'm giving you all three days to prepare for the move and make a decision. I know I sprung this upon you all with such a hasty and heavy decision...but this is for the best. If you wish to go to the Mirror World, the way there is up Shiver Mountain, through my palace, out the back and into a cave," the Crystal Queen spoke firmly. Silence fell amongst the crowd for almost a minute, then the same mix of reactions from before was heard.

"Uhh...so...we're all calling bullshit on this one, right? I mean, this is pretty beyond crazy! Sounds like she should be the queen of an insane asylum instead!" Mirror-Boshi exclaimed.

"I want to call BS on this, but...I can't help but shake the feeling that she's being legitimate about this. I mean, I've also read about the Crystal Queen, and no one knows about her true origins. No one knows how she got to be the queen. Her parents were poor, working-class citizens, so how the hell did she get to be so lucky to become a queen all of a sudden AND own a palace!?" Mirror-Mona pointed out.

"Wow! That IS very strange. Perhaps she's secretly a witch and used magic to make herself into a queen? Or got someone to do it for her?" Mirror-Luvbi guessed.

"I'm thinking the same as you, but this all sounds ridiculous. Going into another world or dimension won't guarantee anyone's safety. I'm going to fix this!" Mirror-Mario huffed and ran up to where the Crystal Queen was standing.

"Oh! You are Mister Super Mario! Fancy meeting you here on such a special occasion!" the Crystal Queen shrieked, seeming to be starstricken as well.

"Right, well, uhh, I also want to announce something since you're talking about this, if that's okay?" Mirror-Mario asked, not exactly comfortable being next to her.

"Oh, go ahead! The floor is yours for whatever you want to say!" she happily obliged.

Mirror-Mario turned to face the crowd. "Hello everyone! So, I'm gonna be blunt about this, and say that everything the Crystal Queen said just sounds, well, crazy. There's no need to go into a whole other 'world' or 'dimension' to seek safety from the war going on. For those that don't know, my friends and I are collecting 9 star pieces to form the Mystic Eternal Star. This is the item that's written in our history books that had been used to save the world from an apocalypse much like this one centuries ago. We've gotten 7 out of 9 pieces, so we are very close! As soon as we get the 9th piece, it'll be a quick battle to end Tatanga and Dimentio!"

"Oh, and not only that…" Mirror-Peach spoke as she walked up there to the plumber's side. "...but really, hiding out in another dimension? For the rest of your lives!? If the Crystal Queen really is telling the truth about there being this weird mirror world, why would you go in there not knowing what's really in that world? Just trust us that we will end this war and all will go back to normal soon!"

"Soon!? How soon is soon!?" yelled a koopa woman. "This war has been going on for almost a month now! People and places are being wiped out as we speak! I heard about that shooting at St. Toadelia's Hospital that went on yesterday too, so many people there died, and you guys weren't able to stop that from happening either, even though you've got a big group of people who are strong! What's the big deal with that!?"

After the woman said that, some nods and shouts of agreement were seen and heard. Peach and Mario stood there in surprise and anguish since they weren't expecting a response like that, and especially since they just dealt with witnessing so many people die the day before at the hospital due to the hands of numerous koopatrols attempting to take over the place.

"That...we were blindsided by that. We aren't perfect people. We did our best to kill those bastards as quickly as we could, but there was so much happening and, unfortunately, we can't protect everyone. But, we're doing our best here! A lot of you know me and my friends. We've saved the world from crap like this before. Well, maybe not to this extreme, but we've come through everytime. Just have a little faith in us!" Mirror-Mario urged. A lot of the people in the crowd didn't look convinced.

A middle-aged toad man raised his hand and said, "Excuse me, I don't wanna sound rude Mister Mario, not sure if you know me but my name is Toadoro and...my wife died in that shootout yesterday at St. Toadelia's Hospital. I was nearly shot in the leg but I managed to escape. Another incident at that hospital involved my daughter dying as well last week. She had an awful nightmare of some man on fire chasing after her, so she ran from the room we were sleeping in, ended up going into the bathroom, and ended up slipping and bashing her head into a mirror and then onto a sink. I-I know that my daughter's death isn't anyone's fault at all, but there have been so many other freak accidents that happened there that...umm...m-maybe it is better to escape into the mirror world, like the queen says? Who's to say that the war won't wipe US out before you get all those star pieces? Who's to say more of those koopatrols won't come and try to kill more of us off, or even try to invade this city?

It's just all too horrible to deal with...maybe it's the grief talking...maybe I just wanna die myself so I could be with my family...but maybe the queen has a point that escaping into that world would be the best option in order to live? After all...haven't you guys gone into other dimensions to get some of those star pieces? Didn't those places seem safe as well? What would make the dimension that the queen is from any different?"

The man's story broke many of the people's hearts and more nods were seen. The princess and plumber were stuck for a response yet again.

"None of us could believe how the queen's speech seemed to have an impact on the people there. Probably not all of them, but I would say enough to make us feel like we weren't doing enough. The thought was put into everyone's heads about escaping into this mirror world. The influence was then solidified when that Toadoro man visited the palace that same day and later on came back and made an announcement to Shiver City that the queen was for sure telling the truth about there being a cave to another world.

So, of course, people were excited, but very nervous about this. A few people began the move into the Mirror World, but of course, my group and I still weren't buying it. We still weren't sure what to expect from a place called the 'Mirror World.' Yes, we've been in other dimensions like Toadoro pointed out, but nothing like a mirror dimension, where everything is supposedly very similar to this world. But I knew there had to be a catch than another world just simply being a 'mirror' of things from this world. Things got even weirder when, the following day, Merlon told us that the 8th star piece was located in the Crystal Palace. I spoke to him privately because this was just getting weirder..."

OUTSKIRTS OF MIRROR-SHIVER CITY - ST. TOADELIA'S HOSPITAL

"Merlon, you're absolutely positive that the 8th star piece is in the Crystal Palace? I ask that because I just find it weird that the Crystal Queen comes out with this news about suggesting to everyone that they go through her palace to get to the Mirror World so they can be safe from the war, then you say that the star piece is in there so we have to go get it while all this is going on. It's too much of a coincidence for me to NOT believe something more is going on here," Mirror-Mario asked with heavy concern as he sat next to Merlon's hospital bed. The old wizard smiled and almost was going to laugh, but ended up coughing.

"Hoo...oh, Mario, I feel like you should know by now that there are most definitely no coincidences in this adventure. The Crystal Queen was not lying when she told everyone her story of the Mirror World...there are zillions of dimensions out there, and I've visited only a small handful of them. But, my main concern is the Crystal Queen herself. She probably knows something of the star piece considering it's located in her palace of all places. But I've got this gut feeling she's planning something alongside the move to the Mirror World. And it's a bad feeling. I just wish I weren't so weak and frail that I could use my magic to figure out what is truly going on. Alas...this seems to be my fate.

With each star piece you and your friends retrieve, it seems like I grow weaker and sicker. Perhaps that in itself is just a coincidence, or perhaps my time in this world will be completed once you finish your end goal. After all...we all have a time limit in this world. Some shorter than others. Perhaps my true purpose in life was to help you all save the world from an apocalypse, so the world can survive, re-build, and go forth into the years ahead. That...heh...that, my friend, would be an honorable death," the wizard spoke with his voice dry and croaked. The plumber gave a sympathetic smile as his eyes became watery.

"Merlon...I don't want you to die, though. You've helped me and my friends out on so many occasions. If anything like this ever happens again, I don't know what we would do without you. So many of us are dying still...I don't wanna lose any more. I'm tired of losing more!" he choked up.

"Do not cry for me. Please do not. While I appreciate everything you say, you will most certainly thrive once I leave this world. It's set in stone for you to succeed, Mario. Yes, there will be perils along the way, but it's also not a coincidence that you came into this world from your Earth at a time when the Mushroom World needed you the most, from all those times when Bowser kidnapped the princess, to saving the world from the Shadow Queen covering the planet in darkness, and everything in between," Mirror-Merlon said with clear hope in his voice, which cheered him up a little.

"Emotions were high and our minds were all over the place. As I said, we just got done dealing with a shooting at the hospital we were staying at. The fact that we were getting so acclimated to death really makes me sick when I think about it. But, we decided not to question and overthink this part of our mission, so we went onward to begin the journey to the Crystal Palace."

Mirror-Mario stood in front of the group outside the hospital and spoke, "Okay. Are we all ready? Remember, we're just taking a trek to the palace. There's not gonna be any room to park our arwings pretty much anywhere over there, so we just gotta be diligent and patient!"

"I think we're all ready to go. Really glad that, this time, we don't have far to go to get the star piece!" Mirror-Spike praised.

"Junior, are you really staying behind this time around? Final chance to come with me and dad!" Mirror-Larry asked to his fragile-seeming brother who stood close to Toadette.

"Yeah, I'm gonna stay behind. Me overdosing on those pills and almost dying just, um, really makes me want to take a step back just this once. If that's okay?" Junior shyly spoke.

"Of course it is, son. I completely respect your decision. Just promise me that you'll stick around your brothers AND your mom the whole time Larry and I are gone?" Mirror-Bowser asked with a warm tone.

"Yeah, I promise. I won't be out of their sight, dad," Junior said with a smile, thankful that he understood his plight.

"I know you already know this, but PLEASE be careful you two. I know you two are strong men, but I don't know what I'd do if I lost any more of my family...god, I'm not used to having Iggy and Wendy never being around anymore!" Mirror-Clawdia said as she broke into tears and limped over to hug her koopa king husband, who then also cried a little, then they kissed.

"I promise you that we'll be careful. We'll be back before you know it!" he assured through his sobbing, then kissed her again.

Meanwhile, Mirror-Kenneth saw this from afar and stared at the scene with jealousy and disgust.

"I just don't get it. Clawdia separates from Bowser, gets with me not too long after, we have a kid together...and then she decides to break things off with me so she can get back with that mentally unstable koopa? That should be me with her. Not him. She came to me for a reason all those years ago," he said with anger in his voice.

"Dad, you need to calm down. Clawdia belongs with Bowser and I guess they really patched things up after they got back together. Didn't they get remarried too? You should just move on to someone else!" Mirror-Katia said.

"What an idiotic thing to say. What kind of moron takes back a woman who only wants her to be a housewife so she can spread the royal koopa family lineage or whatever dumb family tree they got going on!?" Mirror-Kenneth growled.

"Well, you don't gotta be so mean about it! You know, I'm starting to think that we didn't come here just to be safe from the war! You're trying to get her back, aren't you!?" Mirror-Katia yelled in realization. Her father shot her a deadly glare.

"Shut your mouth. Now. Quit speaking like you know everything. You're not an adult, so stop acting like one!" he shut her down as he got red in the face.

"Hey Toadette, you staying behind too?" Mirror-Dixie asked.

"Yeah, I wanna stay with Junior and help him feel better. I really want a break from adventuring, especially after Toad…and Fire Bro..." Mirror-Toadette sniffled.

"That's okay! Don't feel bad about staying back. I've thought about it too after my sister dying and Diddy being captured, but I also feel like I gotta go on for them in spirit, ya know?" Mirror-Dixie got a little emotional as well.

"Yeah. Plus...I just feel really messed with as well from Fire Bro. I can't believe I really thought I was falling in love with him, only for him to mess with my head and be a traitor to us all…I felt so sorry for him too…" Mirror-Toadette said as he hung her head in shame.

"Don't beat yourself up over that. He manipulated you for his own gain. He'll get what's coming to him, I can promise you that!" the chimp gal tried to cheer her up.

"Let's go, guys. I'm ready to walk, come on!" Mirror-Yoshi hurriedly spoke with an attitude as he walked ahead of the group. His cousin ran up beside him.

"Woah woah, Yosh! Slow down! Take it easy there! I know, shit's easier said than done, but don't start alienating yourself now," Mirror-Boshi advised.

"I'm not, Bosh, I just wanna get my mind off the pain from losing Birdo. I couldn't even sleep last night and the night before...man! I know this sounds bad, but I really wish I could just get high so the pain can stop and I can just feel okay for one minute!" Mirror-Yoshi crumbled into tears.

"Don't go there, Yosh. Don't think about that. You did the whole cocaine crap after your mom passed away, and I'm not letting you do the same now. You are stronger than that. You hear me!? Don't let that take over your mind!" Mirror-Boshi demanded, feeling for him and giving him a side hug.

"I know, I know, but what am I supposed to keep my mind occupied with then? How am I supposed to just live my life without someone who's been in it everyday for so many years!?" the dino cried further.

"I wish I had the answer to that, cus. All we gotta do is just carry on and be strong for our loved ones. I guess that's what it really boils down too," Mirror-Boshi replied, on the verge of tears himself.

"ARFUR!" the princess called out as the group began to leave. "The meeting with your boss is still happening when we're done with the 8th star piece, yes?"

"Uhh, yes. It's all confirmed to go. I'll bring you to him when you get back," Mirror-Arfur responded nervously.

"Good! Because, as princess of this kingdom, I would hate for your boss to try to pull out any tricks from up his sleeve. I'm a total pacifist, as I'm sure you know, but if it has to come down to the claws coming out...then I'll make it happen," Mirror-Peach spoke with an upbeat yet underlying menacing tone.

"Uhh, right, but, um, h-he won't do that, I promise!" Mirror-Arfur gulped.

"We embarked to Shiver City, some of us having weapons on hand, prepared for pretty much anything to pop out and get the best of us at this point. But, we were stopped by the mayor to have a meeting at his house. This was when things truly began to get very strange…"

"So, a blizzard happened here last night? So we can't go up to the palace right now!?" Mirror-DK asked in shock.

"Oh yes, late last night but only for a few hours. We have our men clearing the path for you all as we speak so the road to the palace will be less treacherous! As soon as they are done, I'll be notified and you'll be on your way!" Mirror-Mayor Penguin clarified.

"Oh! Well, we appreciate that, but really, I think we'll be fine making our way around it because we really don't wanna lose much time…" Mirror-Mario spoke with a hint of impatience.

"Are you guys sure you don't wanna wait for them to get done? It certainly wouldn't be detrimental for you all to pace yourselves so you don't get burned out from your quest!" Mirror-Penelopuin urged.

"My wife is right! There's nothing wrong with slowing things down. Here, guys, sit. The wife will make some breakfast for all of us. Besides...I really want to discuss this whole Mirror World stuff and the Crystal Queen. It's really putting me on edge!" the Mayor also urged.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to just sit and chat for a little bit. And you do have a point about not burning out on the quest, it would put us at a great disadvantage if we were to just keep going in head on constantly!" Mirror-Flurrie heartily agreed.

"Now that's the spirit! Go on, take your seats, and I'll be making us some apple-flavored pancakes with the ever popular mushroom-flavored bacon!" Mirror-Penelopuin cheered then ran to the kitchen.

"Sounds yummy! They ain't got food like that at the hospital!" Mirror-Kody exclaimed.

"Yeah...I suppose that's okay. Alright, can't say no to a homemade breakfast! So, Mayor, whatcha wanna discuss about the Crystal Queen?" Mario obliged as he and the rest sat down at the dinner table.

"Well, I wanna put it out there that it's definitely safe to say that going to another dimension isn't the easiest answer to deal with what's happening. Ever since Toadoro told everyone that the Crystal Queen was indeed telling the truth, there's been a slow influx of people steadily heading over to the palace to go into that dimension. But, I think a lot of people aren't thinking this through, nor are they having much faith in you guys.

For one, how do we really know that this Mirror World is actually safe to even be in? We're just taking someone's word for it that it is. And how would we explain to the people there about where we came from? How would we live and start over? Secondly, as you said yesterday, Mario, you're all on the path to stopping this war, and I truly doubt that the war will wipe us out as well before you get everything you need. It just makes me think that people's hopes are indeed getting very bleak, even when it comes to our heroes who we all know who are risking their lives to save millions," he spoke with a little bit of fear.

"I think that's the thing that's weighing on all our minds right now. I also think that the shooting that happened at the hospital two days ago really has made people even more upset, impatient, and just needing to take out their grief onto us. Can't completely blame them, but I think it's one of those situations where we're in desperate times, so people are taking desperate measures to just stay alive," Mirror-Daisy explained and added to his observation.

"True, but how desperate can one be to escape into a whole other world? Yes, I know it's scary dealing with a world war, but dealing with the unknown from a different world seems just as scary!" the mayor questioned that aspect of some people's mentalities during this troubling time.

"We talked about that, and talked about our loved ones dying...and as weird as it sounds, it was a little nice being distracted for a short while from everything else going on. We haven't had that kind of connection in a while. But then the mirror thing happened. At that house, we all couldn't help but notice that staring into those mirrors brought a really creepy feeling into our bodies. It was like staring at another person, face-to-face. It was like the glass dividing us and our reflections wasn't actually there…"

"Love the white decor, fits in perfectly with the area!" Pauline complimented as she walked into one of the rooms of the Mayor's mansion with Kooper and Vivian. She walked into the view of a mirror in the corner, seeing only herself in the frame.

"Hey guys, um, is it kind of odd to set up a bedroom for a child, even though Penelopuin isn't pregnant yet? I hope that doesn't sound offensive, and I felt so bad for her and the mayor when they told us they keep trying for a child but they just recently had their third miscarriage," Mirror-Vivian spoke as she walked up to the crib. The shadow siren couldn't help but smile with joy as she saw a tiny plushie bear in the crib.

"I don't see anything wrong with preparing for it way in advance. They have the room for it. But it is heartbreaking to see it like this, being so hopeful about wanting kids yet life gets in the way. I hope that doesn't happen to me and Koopie...we both want kids, but I'm afraid of things like miscarriages and potentially a kid of ours having the same mental illness that my brother, Konnor, has. My uncle, Kooplin has a similar mental illness that Konnor has...but, I suppose we'll deal with it when or if that time comes, but that crap keeps me up at night sometimes," Mirror-Kooper ranted a little.

"Oh, that's fair to be concerned about that. What about you Pauline, since we're on the subject, do you want kids, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked.

"Kids...I do, but I'm not ready for that responsibility yet. I don't know if I ever will be," Mirror-Pauline responded as she kept looking in the mirror, getting a little teary-eyed.

As the two kept talking to each other, she stepped a little closer to the mirror, having a creeping feeling in her gut about what she was seeing before her. She suddenly spoke as she heard parts of their conversation, "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."

"Maybe. I suppose there's always those kinds of outliers. Makes me think if Tatanga and his group have any mental illnesses?" Mirror-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," Mirror-Vivian advised.

"Sorry, wasn't trying to assume and stereotype, and-" the koopa 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?" Mirror-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…"

"It was the strangest thing. Looking back on it, we now know why those mirrors seemed so off-putting and surreal. It was because the door separating our world and yours was opened, which caused a dimensional bleed, throwing things out of order, causing the other world in our world to 'come alive' via mirrors and possibly other things...it was something that was never supposed to happen...but it did."

Bowser and Goombella were almost finished having a heartfelt conversation about him losing his kids, and her losing her mother in a tragic car accident.

"So...umm...Bowser, what I'm saying is...even though our situations aren't, like, exactly the same...you're doing the best that you can. We ALL see it. You could've easily become like my dad and just let life go by...but you haven't. You're taking charge and you're still looking out for your kids. That takes SO much courage and honor considering what you're going through right now. And no, you don't deserve any of this crap. We all have seen the changes you've made, Bowser. You're a good person at heart! Don't get down on yourself...please don't, because if you keep doing that...you're gonna end up like my dad, and you don't wanna be there. Trust me...you don't," Mirror-Goombella spoke from the heart while getting emotional and teary-eyed throughout.

He took in her speech with surprise. He didn't think that Goombella of all people would open up to him like that. It brought him to tears again, feeling horrible that Goombella had to go through something just as traumatic, especially at such a young age. He looked at the small mirror hanging beside the door leading to the outside of the house and took a good look at himself. He looked like a disaster, but started to not feel like one as he really took in Goombella's words.

"Thank you for telling me all that, Goombella. You...you didn't have to, but...thank you," the koopa king said as he still stared in the mirror.

"You're welcome. And just remember, Bowser...like, you were made to be a king for a reason! You're powerful and fearless! Just use those traits for good. I know you thought for a long time that being 'good' is equal to being weak and cowardly...but it's not. My friends prove that it's not," she added with a smile as a tear rolled down her cheek. She excused herself and left as she felt a crying session come on.

"Yeah...I was meant to be a king for a reason…" Bowser repeated as he still stared into the mirror, smiling just the tiniest bit now. But, the smile went away as an unnerving feeling grew in his stomach as he kept staring into the mirror.

"Then things came to a head when the 'accident' in the mansion happened with the Mayor. It happened right after we had a long meeting about Fireflower Corporations and about Kody, who we brought in from the group of koopatrols that did the shooting at the hospital. He revealed that he was forced to go along with that group or be killed when this all started, and he helped us during that shootout by killing one of the koopatrols. We were discussing how we weren't sure to trust him or not, but ultimately agreed that we most likely should.

Then the scream happened from Penelopuin. Then that's how we knew about the accident, and how things would only unravel further from that point onward."

The group frantically ran downstairs the second they heard the frightened scream. They all ran to the living room and shrieked at the sight of the Mayor laying on the floor with blood coming from the back of his head with a broken Vodka bottle next to him.

"HOLY SHIT! What happened here!?" Mirror-Wario yelled in horror at the scene.

"I-I think he had a stroke! He was drinking Vodka and all of a sudden stopped moving, then he fell down backwards and-and hit his head on the counter and he dr-dropped the bottle and...and…" Penelopuin hysterically explained through her tears and began hyperventilating.

"Oh no, this is horrible! Penelopuin, you have to call for an ambulance this instant! We'll watch the body!" Mirror-Goombella advised.

"So, she did just that. Seconds later, the police and medics showed up and it was quickly determined that he indeed died of a stroke due to high blood pressure that the Mayor neglected to take care of often. It was a horrible thing to witness, especially at, what seemed like, our darkest and most crucial times, and he was a great friend too...but we had to keep moving forward for the sake of time. And so we did.

The snow was cleared to give us a clean path to the mountain. When we reached the entrance to Shiver Mountain, we were greeted by someone who we didn't expect nor hoped to run into…"

"HEEHEEEEE!" a voice was heard shrieking as a familiar wizard appeared from a puff of smoke at the mountain entrance. It was Merle.

"Oh! Merle...what is it that you want? Came here to slow us down?" Mirror-Luigi asked annoyedly.

"And what if that's what I came here for? What are you possibly going to do about it!?" Mirror-Merle playfully mocked.

"Well, we're going to kick your ass and then throw you in the frozen lake if you don't move it!" Mirror-Larry threatened.

"Pah. Always gotta be the aggressors, eh? Whatever! I just came here to see if you guys actually believe what the Crystal Queen says about the Mirror World! So...do you!?" the wizard eagerly asked.

"Why? What's it to you? We're not planning on going in there anyways!" Mirror-Lakilester said.

"Just answer the damn question! Do you believe what she says or not?" he asked impatiently this time.

Mirror-Mario sighed with impatience as well. "No, we don't believe everything she says. We believe that there is a mirror world, but we don't believe that it's as safe and sound as she's making it seem. Why!?"

"I see! Well...you SHOULD believe her, and I'm going to tell you why. You know I'm all out for myself and don't like helping people...but I'm willing to make an exception this time around considering the dire situation at hand with the war between those two buffoons!" Mirror-Merle explained in a more serious tone, which did pique everyone's interest a little.

"See, Merle isn't someone you wanna be around. He's known for causing trouble and using his powers for bad. He's the outcast in Merlon's family line. He got banished from Starborn Valley for performing black magic onto some of the star kids. But, this time around, he was a little useful with what he told us.

He told us the story of the Mirror World and how the Crystal Queen ended up getting here. The story was written down in a diary from his great great great great great grandfather, Merleon, who had personally met with the Crystal Queen and her 'Mirror World' counterpart, whose name was Kooplinia, and along with the Crystal King's counterpart, whose name was Kooprik. Her origin story was shocking to say the least...we all had no idea that that was really how the Crystal Queen came to be in this world. After all of this time, for centuries, something like this was lying right underneath everyone's noses. I've been to the palace before with some of us in our group when Bowser was trying to use it for his base of operations to take over the world, so the place was already familiar to some of us, which helped navigating through it.

Now, I think the reason why Merle told us that story in the first place was to solidify the Crystal Queen's plea on escaping into the Mirror World. He even called the place the 'Mirrorcle World' since he found it to be a miracle that this escape came to be at a time where everything was at stake. She's lived there before, she knows that it isn't some dangerous dimension filled with all kinds of beasts and unfamiliar landscapes. It kind of softened our stances on the idea of moving into a new world, but of course, we were still all for ending the war for ourselves so no one would have to do that. Merle also told us about the mirrors in our world now 'coming to life,' since the door dividing the mirror worlds is now open. What he said made no sense at first, but looking back on it now...it does. Sort of.

After Merle told us the story, he let us be to continue forward, surprisingly. We all thought he had something else up his sleeve to try and throw us off our game, but no. But we were still very much aware of our surroundings. The trek up the mountain was pretty easy, only dealing with an enemy here and there, but we fought through naturally. Then we reached the top right before we entered the palace which is where things got weird again…"

"Hey, wait a second! Is this a giant mirror wall right here?" Mirror-Kody asked, pointing to a mirror wall that extended from the building to the cave. Everyone looked to where he was pointing and indeed saw their own reflections.

"Uhh, it kind of is. There's actually a way around it, though. There's a way inside the palace that leads back out 'behind' this mirror into a cave, but not the same cave we were just in," Mirror-Bombette informed.

"Am I the only one that's creeped out by seeing our reflections right now? Like, I've obviously stared into mirrors before, but man...this just feels different this time!" Mirror-Lakilester pointed out the clear tension.

"Well, remember what Merle said about the mirrors? That there's something 'off about our reflection? Yeah...that's what's happening right now. It's just weird that we can't put it into words how bizarre this feels! I mean, it's just a mirror and our reflections! How could it be so different this time compared to any other time?" Mirror-Flurrie yelled, trying to rationalize the discomforting feeling of just staring into a giant mirror.

Bowser stepped forward, looking closer at his reflection. He noted that his movements in the mirror were just slightly quicker compared to his realtime movements, as if his reflection moved ever so slightly quicker than him.

Bowser peered closely to his reflection and put his right hand up to touch the mirror, and pressed his whole hand against it. He jumped back a little, scaring everyone else.

"What, dad? Why'd you jump like that!?" Mirror-Larry asked in fright.

"I...it felt like I was touching my own hand! Like there was no mirror there...what in the fuck is all this…" he said in horror, bewildered by the uncanniness of what's going on. He still stared into the mirror and put his hand up again, but this time put it on his right face cheek. Bowser made a gasp of horror and then dug his claws into his cheek, creating cuts before he forced his hand away. Everyone shrieked again.

"BOWSER! Why'd you do that for!?" Mirror-Vivian yelped.

"I-I didn't! It felt like someone was moving my hand and-and...I don't understand what the fuck's going on!" he screeched, holding his cheek to prevent blood from drizzling down his face and looked back in the mirror. His heart was racing and his whole body became on edge.

"Okay, enough of this stupid mirror, and let's get inside already!" Mirror-Koopie demanded and the gang ran on into the palace.

"We still don't know why our reflections were making us do things we wouldn't do. I don't think you all would've gone so far out of your way to hurt yourselves, so that makes this layer of the mystery that much more mysterious. But the most mysterious part is up next, when we finally get inside the palace. Merlon told us where he thinks the location of the star piece is, so went in to the first room and then..."

"...where the hell do we even go to find the gem!? Merle said in his vision that it's sealed in the master bedroom on a second floor...but last time we were here, there WERE no bedrooms or even staircases! The whole layout is completely different from what he's saying!" Mirror-Lakilester dramatically pointed out.

"Just because it's different, doesn't mean we won't be able to find it. Merlon said the stairs were on the left hand side, so...about here?" Mirror-Mario said, walking to the midpoint between the two doors on the right wall.

"So...should I start tearing these walls down then?" Mirror-Bowser asked as he cracked his knuckles.

Mario felt the wall and knocked on it a few times. He made a surprised expression. "This wall is hollow! Try it!"

The koopa king walked up to the wall and punched it as hard as he could. His hand went through, surprising everyone else.

"Shit, you're right! There's something back here!" he yelled in excitement. He continued punching the wall to break it down, with DK and Larry joining in on the destruction of the wall.

"Aaaggh...god, my arm feels hurts like hell after beating the crap out of that piranha plant!" Mirror-Wario cried, rubbing his arm tightly.

"Deep breaths, Wario. Deep breaths. The pain will go away soon, okay? Just be lucky that it didn't bite you!" Mirror-Mona tried to assure him.

"I know, Mona. But I keep thinking about what would happen if it did for some reason. I keep thinking if it bit me...I'd be poisoned and...nevermind. Fuck. I gotta think of something else!" Mirror-Wario cried further.

The three finished destroying the wall and it revealed a staircase!

"YES! Let's go get this gem, guys!" Mirror-Larry cheered and the group quickly went up the stairs, feeling victorious. The group quickly ran upstairs where everything then became dark.

"I can't see a thing! Anyone got a lighter or something of the sort?" Mirror-Luvbi cried.

"I'll use my fire to light the way!" Mirror-Bowser said and breathed his flames, lighting up the vicinity. The area was dirty and dilapidated, and his flames showed, on the left wall, two small bedroom doors, spread apart, with a layer of ice in the middle of the doors, covering what was presumably the master bedroom.

"That's it right there! Bowser, use your flames again to melt the ice!" Mirror-Daisy commanded.

He walked to where he remembered seeing the ice and used his fire breath again on it. The ice melted very slowly so he had to do it a few times until the ice eventually melted into water. Everyone briefly cheered at this success and entered the master bedroom.

"Wait!" Mirror-Mario shouted, stopping everyone from going into the room. "Bowser...use your fire again. We don't know what's in here exactly."

The koopa king nodded and breathed his flames again, lighting up the vicinity. They saw a bunch of old, rotted blankets in the corner of the room, along with heaps of dust and dirt all over the floor and a tall mirror laying face down on the floor.

"Ugh, it's so gross in here. But, where is the gem then? Did anyone see it?" Mirror-Pauline asked.

"There's nothing in here! Didn't Merlon say that, in his vision, the star piece was in the master bedroom up the stairs from the first room on the left from this first room!?" Daisy recalled as she began to lose hope.

"Yeah...but...no. No! There's gotta be a catch here, and I'm betting it's got something to do with the Crystal Queen. She lives here after all, so, let's go find her and see what this is all about!" Mirror-Mario declared.

"Yeah, something's gotta be up! This may be a trap too!" Mirror-Yoshi added.

"I think this whole palace could be a trap! There's no way we have to get the star piece all the while the Crystal Queen opened the door to a Mirror World! There's gotta be more to it!" Mirror-Goombella yelled with a hint of fear.

"Well...just because it SEEMS like a trap, doesn't mean it is! Maybe we're finally given something more straightforward for once?" Mirror-Boshi guessed.

"Yeeaahh...not chancing it. The minute we think everything's going smoothly, everything ends up going to hell. It's very hard to think positive in these dark times!" Mirror-Dixie addressed that matter.

"Yeah, clearly! I had no idea this was all going to be THIS miserable and depressing!" Mirror-Luvbi exclaimed.

The gang went back down the stairs, still on edge about something bad potentially happening since the star piece did seem pretty easy to obtain at first. Some of them looked back at the mirror wall, and there were shrieks again.

"What the hell!? Do you guys see this!?" Daisy yelled as she walked towards the mirror wall. Everyone looked closely and widened their eyes in horror when they saw something even more out of the ordinary.

Daisy was suddenly holding out her left hand. In the reflection of the mirror wall, the 'Daisy' that was supposed to be holding the gem in her right hand (from the perspective of looking at the mirror), was holding a blue gem. The Daisy in this world was holding out her hand as if she was holding the gem already, but nothing was there!

"What the fuck!? How does THAT work!?" Mirror-Lakilester yelped.

"Uhh, what are we supposed to do about this now!? Anyone!? HELLO!?" Mirror-Koops yelled out for some ideas, already getting into panic mode, but no one knew what to say.

"There is definitely some weird crap going on with these mirrors! Should we try to break them!?" Mirror-Bowser yelled.

"I told you, these aren't actual mirrors! Those are just Duplighosts behind some window type of thing fucking with us, guys! Let's just keep moving along, because they're succeeding in distracting us and slowing us down!" Mirror-Kooper frustratedly urged, but this didn't work as Daisy walked forward closer to the 'mirror.'

"Daisy, what are you doing? Come on, just forget about it and let's get a move on!" Mirror-DK also urged.

"I-I can't! I don't know how I'm walking forward, it's like I'm being forced!" Daisy cried, now only inches away from the 'mirror.'

"Forced? What the- that doesn't make any...wait. Dad! The same thing happened to you!" Mirror-Larry connected the dots and realized what was happening.

Daisy started speaking random words out of nowhere.

"Daisy? What are you saying? What's happening!?" Mirror-Peach cried, becoming incredibly scared now.

"Into me you see, bring the gem through to me. When the worlds collide, only us will survive," Daisy spoke as if she was in a trance. The gem suddenly lifted from the hands of Daisy in the mirror, glowed brightly, and moved 'from the mirror' and was then placed into the hand of the Daisy in this world. Everyone shrieked and gasped at this phenomenon. Daisy screamed and fell backwards on the floor, as did the reflection. The gem in the mirror fell onto her stomach, then suddenly disappeared in a flash.

"WHERE'D IT GO!? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!" Mirror-Bombette screamed.

"Daisy, what happened!? What were you saying!?" Mirror-Peach asked as she helped her up off the floor.

"I-I don't know! It's like something was forcing me to speak that weird language! I couldn't control it!" Mirror-Daisy cried.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaaa!" laughed a distant, feminine voice.

"Woah! Tell me you guys heard that!?" Mirror-Kody shrieked.

"Yeah...is that...the Crystal Queen!?" Mirror-Spike gasped.

"WOAH! LOOK AT THAT!" Mirror-Koopie suddenly screamed, pointing to the mirror. Everyone else looked and dropped their jaws when they saw their reflections run to the end of the room.

"WHAT THE FUCK!? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!?" Mirror-Bombette screeched.

"That was the moment when we knew things were going to be just as hard, dangerous, and scary like before. We tried and tried to keep our hopes up for something to go just a little bit easier for once, for something to be not as chaotic as the worlds before...but everytime we do, there's another thing that happens that proves to us that it won't be the case. This is how the journey works now. All pain with little gain.

We didn't know what else to do so we ran to 'keep up' with our reflections. We discovered shortly after that the 'walls' in the palace were indeed mirrors, not simply glass where the Duplighosts can copy our every move. We have no idea how the glass in the palace turned into mirrors, but we knew that the Crystal Queen had something to do with it, just like with that gem that came through the mirror that Daisy on the other side was holding. The Crystal Queen was the key to solving this puzzle.

More weird things happened. Spike nearly shot Luvbi with his gun, even though he says he felt 'forced' to, much like Bowser and Daisy. A room where there was a walkway over an abyss where we fought off three clubbas seemed normal at first, but then…"

As the group crossed the walkway over the abyss, Mirror-Starlow made a gasp and shook her head. She made a quiet snicker and looked over her right shoulder while making an evil grin and let out a great exhale. She faced her reflection in the mirror, and her reflection screamed and nearly fell forward. A few seconds after that, Mirror-Starlow also screamed and nearly fell forward. Luckily, DK caught her in time and pushed her back against the mirror wall.

"What's wrong!? Why did you scream!?" Mirror-DK asked.

"The-the mirror! J-Just get me off this path! I felt something weird come over me and-and...let's just hurry!" Starlow cried and hurried behind the others to get onto the larger space. She fell to the floor and hyperventilated with Luvbi and Koops coming to her side to calm her down.

"Starlow said she felt something weird come over her. Was she possessed by the Crystal Queen? Was the mirror taking a life of its own and negatively influencing the environment? I'm still not sure...it's hard to trust or figure out anything concretely now. We kept going and dealing with more Duplighosts that impersonated Bombette and Koops, but we got through them easily since those impersonations were just so laughably terrible.

We finally reached the big room right before the hallway where it leads to the outside, where the cave to the Mirror World is, the world where you guys are from. The Crystal Queen was there, as if she was waiting for us, almost. I say 'almost' because she was in a hysterical state. We had an interesting talk…"

The group entered the big room and saw the Crystal Queen in the corner, crying and hyperventilating. Everyone ran over to her.

"Hey, what's going on with you!? And can you tell us what the hell is going on in this palace!?" Mirror-Luigi asked with a bit of concern.

"I-I'm so sorry! I screwed up!" she whimpered and tried to stand herself up. "I was just trying to help everyone, not just myself...but I caused a problem!"

Everyone began to worry after she said this and was confused as to what was making her so emotional.

"What's wrong, dearie? What's the problem that you supposedly caused?" Mirror-Flurrie asked.

"Umm...so, in the Mirror World, there's another one of each person in this world that exists in THAT world. I met my counterpart when I was trapped here, and I met the Crystal King's counterpart too. Both had personalities way different than mine and the Crystal King's...and the same applies to you all too.

There's a group that are the counterparts to you all going through the palace in the Mirror World as I speak. I've been following them for a little while today and the things they've discussed amongst each other is so horrible! They're looking for the same star piece you all are because they're dealing with Tatanga taking over their world in their dimension as well! They're gonna use it to form a weapon that will destroy him! They even said they'll destroy everything in this dimension if they have to in order to get that star piece so they can save their planet.

And to make matters worse...a young, evil koopa warlock by the name of Rinot Pajouro ransacked my palace earlier today! He came in and started fights with my creatures and stole the Star Stone, which protects this palace...also known as the star piece you're all looking for!" the Crystal Queen frantically explained. Everyone looked shocked to hear this treacherous news.

"WHAT!? So, uhh, our counterparts are coming to wreck everything in their path...AND this koopa warlock stole the star piece, so now we gotta track him down!?" Mirror-Parakarry yelled, still in shock at the whole thing.

"Yes! I'm so sorry to you all! I truly didn't want this chaos to happen! I really wanted to save, not just myself and my creatures, but others who wanted to escape the war! I thought I was doing a good thing...then this mess happens…" she continued to sob in defeat. Some of them started to feel a little sorry for her.

"Damnit. Can you tell us where this Rinot Pajouro is at then? We NEED that star piece ASAP! I know it protects this palace, but it's for the greater good in the end! We'll return the star piece, or I guess the Star Stone, back to you when we're done ending the war!" Mirror-Kooper pleaded.

"O-Okay. I believe you. Rinot Pajouro lives in a cabin next to that lake in the forest just outside of Shiver City. If me and my creatures go there, he'll surely destroy us! But with you all, he probably won't, because you're regular citizens. It'd be easier for you to get the Star Stone than me!" she informed as she slowly stopped her sobbing.

"Okay, we'll go find him. But, I have to ask! Was that you who did that to me earlier in the first room? The whole thing with that gem from the mirror!?" Mirror-Daisy asked, still freaked out from that situation.

"Yes, that was me. In the palace from my original world, there is a gem there that protects the palace and makes it indestructible, much like the Star Stone does here. Those people were taking it for whatever reason, so I jumped on the opportunity to use a magic spell I know to make that gem come to me through that dimension! I had to possess you, Daisy, in order to make it work, and I'm sorry for doing that...but I shan't let those people win with whatever evil games they're trying to play! And I'm also hoping that the gem protects this palace like the Star Stone does, but I'm not sure if it will because it's from another dimension…" she explained as she got out the crystal gem, showing it to everyone. Its radiant beauty astounded everyone.

"Wow! That's so pretty!" Mirror-Pauline cheered, but tried to focus on the main topic at hand. "But, um, okay. We'll track down this Rinot Pajouro and get this crap situated. But, we really wanna know something: what the hell is up with the mirrors in this place? Why do our reflections move when we don't?"

"Oh, it has to do with the door dividing both worlds being opened, causing many things to become unbalanced in both worlds. I'll explain more later when you retrieve the Star Stone, which I know you will! Now go before your counterparts get here! I'm closing the door as soon as it hits midnight, because I still want other people to go in, in case they make up their minds! I'll try to slow your counterparts down! You must hurry!" the Crystal Queen urged with desperation.

"So now, we were on a wild goose chase, and it looked like we were the ones being chased as well: from you guys. We still weren't sure whether to completely believe the Crystal Queen, but I'm sure a part of us knew there was some truth to everything she was saying. After all...it was really the only kind of lead we got.

So we went back down the mountain to track down Rinot Pajouro to get the Star Stone...only for things to somehow become even stranger. Like they weren't strange enough already!"

The group came across the frozen lake with a small hole near the middle of it, from traversing through the forest to find Rinot's cabin.

"Okay, here's the lake. So, let's circle around it till we see any sign of Rinot's cabin!" Mirror-Peach commanded, and so the group began walking along the side of the lake.

Suddenly, from the corner of their eyes, they saw a person pop up from the hole in the ice. Everyone immediately turned their heads and this person made someone in the group's heart and jaw drop.

"WHAT THE HELL!? DAD!?" Mirror-Koops shrieked, processing this incomprehensible situation. His dad was seen getting out of the hole and standing on the ice.

"Oh...son! Hey, what a total coincidence! I fell in the ice here, but I'm okay! Well, I hope so at least! Haha," he heartily laughed.

"Oh, dad! What are you doing all the way here!? I thought you were still in Petalburg!" Mirror-Koops shouted as he immediately ran onto the ice to go hug on him.

"WAIT, KOOPS, STOP! DON'T RUN OVER THERE!" Mirror-Bombette screamed as she chased after him.

"KOOPS, GET BACK HERE! IT'S A TRICK! THERE'S NO WAY THAT'S YOUR DAD!" Mirror-Mario screamed and ran onto the ice as well along with Goombella.

"Dad, I've missed you so much! But how did you get all the way over here!?" Mirror-Koops asked as he got closer to him.

"Well well, it was actually an easy journey! You see all I had to was…" his dad began to explain but stopped. Koops stopped running, almost falling onto the ice, when he got very close to him.

"All you had to do was what? What!?" he excitedly asked.

"...THIS!" his 'dad' suddenly yelled, grabbed Koops' arms and pulled him into the hole. It all happened in a split second that it threw everyone completely off guard and made them yell out in horror.

"AAHHHH! KOOOOOPS!" Mirror-Bombette screamed, as she wasn't that far away from the scene. More of the ice broke, so she fell into the waters and got sucked into the hole.

"SHIT! GET BACK, GO!" Mirror-Mario screeched as he and Mirror-Goombella stopped in their tracks and attempted to keep their balance as they ran back to land while more of the ice cracked.

"Oh no, poor Koops and Bombette! We have to go in there and save them somehow!" Mirror-Vivian cried as the two managed to get onto land safely.

"It's too late for that unfortunately!" said an unfamiliar and raspy voice very near to everyone. The group jumped in fright and turned around to see a short, hooded figure come from behind the tree and walked to them.

"Why do you say that!? And who the fuck are you!?" Mirror-Boshi demanded to know.

"The name is Rinot. And I say that about your two friends because that right there, in that lake, was an entrance to the Underworld. A world where, well, is a place that is exactly how it sounds: malicious, dark, and sinister," he revealed, causing more shock to the group.

"UNDERWORLD!? WHAT!? So there's a Mirror World and now an Underworld!? This has to be a joke, right!?" Mirror-Jojora scoffed.

"Sounds like it, but it's not. That hole showed up there yesterday and I witnessed a few uncanny and scary creatures that were clearly not of this world come from that hole in the lake. And I know it's The Underworld because I've seen creatures of that caliber when I used to live in Toad Town and began exploring the magics. There's a place called Blackstone Castle just outside Mushroom City and Toad Town that has a portal to The Underworld as well. I've heard the rumors, wanted to see it myself, and...well...let's just say that bizarre-looking creatures weren't the only frightening things I've seen," he explained. Everyone else looked creeped out by this.

"Wow! So, who made these portals to The Underworld then!?" Mirror-Starlow asked.

"Well, the one in Blackstone Castle is a whole other story, but thankfully, that castle somehow manages to self-contain all the atrocities that The Underworld brings out. But the portal here...no clue. My guess would be the Crystal Queen or Merle. Or both!" he answered.

"Or you!? The Crystal Queen told us you ransacked her palace and stole her Star Stone, which is actually the 8th star piece that WE need to save the world! So, can we have that please!?" Mirror-Mona asked in frustration.

The hooded koopa laughed at her. "HAHA! Really? You think I have the power to create a portal to The Underworld!? Come on...I'm at an intermediate level at best! It takes a massive amount of power, energy, and strength to create a portal of that caliber, but thankfully much less so to close it. But no, I won't give the Star Stone or Star Piece or whatchamacallit to you...at least, not that easily!"

"Why, though? Don't you want this world to be saved? Don't you want us to succeed in wiping out the war so things can go back to normal? I don't understand why you're making this difficult on us!" Mirror-Luigi cried with urgency.

"Of course I want the world to be saved. I grew up in this region alone for half of my life! But, with this portal being opened...this region will go down quicker than you realize. So, I need you guys to do me a favor. There's an herb store in Shiver City selling this thing called the Rainbow Herb, a true rarity since only a few of its kind exist in the world. I can't go in that store because the manager is an asshole and he's rallied a lot of the Shiver City residents to throw me out if they see me step in. If you have the coins for it, buy the Rainbow Herb. But if not, then steal it, beg for it, do whatever you can to get it, because I need it to perform a spell to close the portal to The Underworld. It's the only thing powerful and pure enough that will seal something that deadly!" Rinot offered his plea.

"Why should we trust you anything you have to say after you blatantly told us that you ransacked the Crystal Queen's palace, stole the Star Stone, and won't give it to us even though you know damn well that this is a life or death situation!?" Mirror-DK angrily pointed out.

"Yeah! And take off your hood, so you can show us who you really are! Don't be a coward!" Mirror-Spike added.

"Nope. Get me that herb and I'll reveal myself to you all and you'll get your Star Stone. The clock is ticking! Better make your decision now! Oh, and don't even think of trying to gun me down! I can make myself vanish in a flash before you even pull that trigger!" the warlock snickered playfully, irritating everyone else even further.

"We trusted that creep even less than the Crystal Queen because of how cocky and crude he was. But, what choice did we have? Our hands were tied, so we had to go along with the decision to get this Rainbow Herb.

So, as we were heading out...that was when you all came into the forest. We spied on you all. Followed your every move from when you walked in till that fight with that giant spider thing from The Underworld. We wanted to study you, see if you truly were evil, or if you were just in here to fuck things up for us, get what you needed, and leave our world in dismay.

And here we are now."


Mirror-Mario's story was now caught up with the present. Everyone did their best to process all of that insanity.

"Umm...uhh...well, I knew it!" Luvbi nervously spoke. "The Crystal Queen lied to you! She IS playing both sides! We only came in here because she took our gem! We don't want your damn Star Stone, it's not needed for our world!"

"YEAH! Not only that, but the Crystal Queen is having her creatures take over Shiver City by kidnapping the residents slowly and imprisoning them somewhere in the palace in this world! They even killed the Mayor from our world!" Yoshi added.

The mirror counterparts looked at each other with intrigue but also with subtle confusion.

Mirror-Luigi began to speak. "Hmm. Well, if that's actually the case, then-"

"OH MY GOD!" Mirror-Vivian suddenly screamed and pointed towards the lake. Everyone turned their heads to see what freaked her out so much and gasped when they saw Koops climb from the now bigger hole in the frozen lake onto the ice.

"It's Koops! Is it another trick, though!?" Mirror-Peach shrieked.

"All of you, stay on the ground! Don't move!" Mirror-Parakarry commanded as he and Mirror-Jojora floated over to Koops and helped him get onto land quicker. Mirror-Goombella and a few of the other mirror counterparts ran over to him.

"KOOPS! YOU'RE OKAY! OH GOD, I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE ALIVE!" Mirror-Goombella cried in joy and kissed him on the lips. This action threw some of the original world characters totally off guard.

"What the hell? I'm...I'm with Koops in this world!?" Goombella said in immense shock. Koopie covered her mouth, looking disgusted at the scene. Vivian looked away, feeling extremely awkward from that.

"Koops, you gotta tell us what happened to you in there! Where's Bombette? Is she alive too!?" Mirror-DK asked.

"Aaaaagghhh...it-it was s-s-s-s-so scary and d-d-dark and...umm...ooh...we were f-f-fighting off this y-y-yellow star creature with a mustache and Bombette told me to run...I didn't w-w-want to, but she kept telling me to...so...uhh...I d-d-did and I jumped into the lake and I felt myself getting s-s-swept in by something...now I'm here...I-I-I'm so sorry, guys, I sh-shouldn't have left her!" Mirror-Koops cried.

"Don't be sorry, Koops. It was a survival instinct. But with you being alive...I think this changes everything, doesn't it, Mario?" Mirror-Bowser asked as he slowly formed a smirk.

"Indeed it does," Mario affirmed then turned to the original world counterparts. "All of you! You're going into The Underworld to save our Bombette! In return, we will get the Rainbow Herb for Rinot and we'll figure out how to handle the Crystal Queen!"

This made the original world counterparts completely stunned in terror. They weren't expecting that to happen of all things!

"WHAT!? YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND IF YOU THINK THAT ANY OF US ARE GOING INTO THAT FUCKING HELLHOLE!" Boshi screamed in protest.

"No no no no noooo please! There has to be another way! Don't do this to us PLEASE!" Starlow cried and began to panic.

"There is no other way. Now get on the frozen lake! If our Koops got out alive, then so can you all! We just want you to find Bombette and get her back here! Koops, I take it the lake in The Underworld is identical to this one where you made your escape?" Mirror-Daisy to make sure the original world counterparts know the escape route.

"Y-Yes...Bombette and I couldn't find it at first because we were, umm, 'spat out' kinda far from the lake and g-g-got lost...but that's the way out…" Mirror-Koops answered while still shivering greatly.

"Well, there you have it! You guys know where to find your way out! Now get onto the ice and head towards the hole! There's no time to waste!" Mirror-Mona commanded.

"NOW WAIT JUST A FUCKING SECOND HERE! What happens if we find Bombette in there and it turns out that she's dead!? What the hell is the plan then!?" Wario angrily pointed out.

"Well, just bring her body back to us so we know that you at least tried to look for her! Now go! You're wasting time just standing here arguing with us!" Mirror-Pauline demanded.

"Holy...holy shit. You guys are being absolutely, completely serious about this, aren't you!? Like, this isn't some kind of morbid prank, right!? This is really going to happen!?" Spike spoke with terror in his voice, unable to process this mortifying event.

"How many times or ways are we going to tell you YES? This is 100% for real and we're not taking 'no' for an answer! Now go! Do your part of the bargain and we'll do ours! Show us that you're truly not up to no good! Show us that you're not our evil counterparts!" Mirror-Mario laid it down on them firmly.

"BUT, THIS IS THE FUCKING UNDERWORLD WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE! It's a place that's supposed to be so terrifying and dangerous, a place that we've NEVER dealt with before, and believe me when I say that we've dealt with a lot of scary and catastrophic places! This isn't going to be anything like the areas we've been to! How do you expect us to just easily find Bombette in a place like that!?" Dixie cried to put some sense into their heads.

"Guys…" Mario sighed as he began to walk on the ice. "We have to do this. We're backed into a corner we can't get out of. Plus...think about it. If it were our friends that were trapped in a hell dimension and we had an opportunity to save them, we would take it with no question. Additionally, we gotta do this to save OUR Bombette and Koops, and OUR world as well."

Him saying that made everyone just the tiniest bit calmer. But they were all still completely on edge, terrified, panicked, praying in their minds that this will all be okay, and angry about the situation they were forced into. But, they had to do it. For their friends. For their world. For this world.

They all stepped onto the ice and headed towards the hole near the center. The ice cracked as some held each other's hands, preparing for the worst. They all kept walking until they all surrounded the hole. The ice collapsed beneath them and down they went, swept into the world below.

EoC.

Sorry that I'm a little late on this chapter! This ended up being much more detailed and longer than I planned for it to be.

Next chapter, someone attempts to pay a surprise visit to Toado and causes more paranoia among the hospital guests which results in casualties, the group adjusts to being in The Underworld as they attempt to find Mirror-Bombette through the terrors that lurk in that place, Koops and Bombette try to devise a way out from their cell, and Doopliss and Beldam find themselves caught in the middle between Tatanga's and Dimentio's schemes, and as always, much more! Next chapter will be uploaded on April 6, which will be the 8th year anniversary of the creation of this fic! Thanks for reading!