Candela Monsoon: Thanks so much for the kind reviews and keeping up with it for so long! Yeah, I think I'll be able to finish this before the 10 year mark. Let me know when you're gonna start that story that was inspired by this, because it does sound super interesting!

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

Morton, Lemmy, Ludwig, Junior, Toadette, Clawdia, Katia, and Kenneth went down the stairs towards the main lobby to see what was going on with this supposed group that was going to leave the hospital. They reconnected with Tippi, E. Gadd, and Dr. Nokano along the way.

"Anything, Doctor!? We didn't find a single sign of Tadano in the courtyard!" Tippi frantically asked.

"I asked all the guards at the exits, and none of them had seen a thing. So, unless he managed to escape through a window above the first floor and somehow survived the fall, he's still in the damn hospital!" Dr. Nokano replied in frustration.

"Ugh, this is just horrible! But, on the plus side, he's only one person and I assume he's defenseless, so he shouldn't be that much of a threat, right!?" Clawdia pointed out, trying to ease the worries.

"I think that's a VERY small 'plus' there, mom. He could be setting booby traps up as we speak! Who knows what's going on in the head of a psychopath?" Katia questioned.

"Hate to admit it, but she's right. There are a million things he could be planning in his head right now. We gotta take him very seriously as a threat, as if he was an armed koopatrol like the ones who attacked the hospital," Ludwig said. Katia rolled her eyes at him hating to admit she was right.

"The thing that worries just as much is that, apparently, we've got people here forming a group to go to Rose City because their hospital and homeless shelter are taking people in now. A nurse told us that there was a riot in the lobby a little while ago over Tadano coming in and that Toadsworth and Fly Guy got hurt during the riot. People are losing their goddamn minds, but I don't fully blame them, but at the same time that's completely fucked up for them to hurt Toadsworth and Fly Guy," Morton explained to Tippi, E. Gadd, and Nokano.

"My goodness! That's awful! Are they okay!? How badly are they hurt!?" E. Gadd shrieked.

"The nurse said that Toadsworth hit the back of his head and it might need stitches, but it's nothing life-threatening, and same for Fly Guy. After we talk with these people to try to sort this stuff out, we're gonna go see them," Junior said.

"Wow! These people are seriously starting to go off the deep end! I mean, I certainly don't COMPLETELY blame them for being angry and wanting to leave...but still! This has gone far enough now!" Tippi declared in horror.

"Yes. The last thing we need in this hospital is for our people to start killing each other over this. We can't let any kind of crisis drive us all into insanity, that's just letting the villains win!" Nokano stated as he charged to the lobby in front of his group. They all saw a large group of about 30 or so by the front doors arguing amongst one another. Most of them immediately faced Nokano and the group when they reached a few feet away.

"Wow, look at all this. This'll be interesting to watch," Kenneth said with a smirk as he crossed his arms, ready to enjoy the show.

"What on earth is going on here!? What is this I hear about a riot and going to Rose City's hospital!?" Nokano demanded to know.

"Doctor, we are tired of the constant chaos here and always being so paranoid of what'll happen to us next! This place is a hotspot for so many things going wrong! We were told that this was supposed to be a safe haven and, in a way, it is...but how can this be considered 'safe' now when we still have so many people dying!? Plus, Mushroom City itself is no longer safe to be in. Those koopatrols that attacked us were out there for who knows how long, so who knows what else could be out there?" yelled a koopa woman in distress. Shouts and nods of agreement were seen and heard.

"I know you people are angry and scared about everything that's been happening here lately. I know that we keep being attacked and that people are still dying. Your worries are absolutely justified. But, you have to understand, this hospital is the biggest in the kingdom. We have the most amount of resources for people who have been hurt or even left homeless due to when Tatanga first struck! We are doing our very best to keep this hospital afloat for, not just during this mess, but for the future. I'm not letting this hospital go down without a fight, and if you all choose to leave and walk to Rose City, leaving yourselves more exposed out there than you are in here...then that is your choice, and I will not fight you on that," Nokano spoke professionally, which settled the tension a little bit.

"Yeah! We get it, guys. You may not think WE do, but we completely get it! But you don't have to go all ballistic and hurt our friends! That's just making things worse!" Lemmy cried.

"We take full responsibility for hurting the old toad gentleman. But, that other one...that crazy Fly Guy dude...HE was the one who went ballistic and started shouting about how the food was poisoned and it was making everyone go crazy. That guy needs to go into the mental ward as well!" said a toad guy.

"What!? He was talking about the food being poisoned? What the hell...uhh, okay, we'll talk to him about that and see what the hell was going through his head," Morton said with a cringed expression, not seeming sure if he was believing him. "But, back to the topic at hand, are you guys absolutely serious that you wanna walk all the way to Rose City? It's almost the evening! By the time you guys get even halfway there, it'll be dark!"

"There's a large group of us, we'll be fine!" stated a female toad who had Toadessa next to her. "Some of us have flashlights to light the way, and others of us have weapons we can use to fight off anything that comes our way. Look, you guys, after the incident in which my daughter was almost killed by that crazy little boy who DEFINITELY should've been killed and not locked up, I'm desperate to get myself, my husband, and my little girl out of here. I'm really scared to know what'll happen next to us! This place is a magnet for so many awful things!"

"Y-Yeah...sorry guys, but I'm just so scared of being here now, I don't think I can even sleep good anymore either if I'm still here!" Toadessa spoke in a sad manner.

"You know what?" Tippi loudly spoke, some heads turning to her. "That's...that's perfectly okay. You are your own people with your own opinions, so do what you wish. Our door is always open for you to come back, but I'm sure you won't need to since Rose City seems generally safer than here. Safe travels!" she then floated off, away from the lobby.

"Wow! If THAT wasn't the most passive aggressive 'farewell' I've ever heard…" Ludwig whispered to Junior.

"Yeah, that was a little...uhh...yeah, don't know the word for it. She's usually not like that, so I guess she's just exhausted from dealing with all the drama. Can't blame her though!" Junior replied.

"Do you guys even know the way to walk there? You're not walking alongside the freeway, are you?" Toadette asked.

"I printed out a map that shows a trail that goes into Mushroom Woods, all the way into the countryside, then the trail goes into Flowerfire Park at Rose City, then it's just another mile to the hospital. The map says it's a 6 hour walk, so we should be there a little before midnight!" said the female koopa.

"A 6 hour walk? And...you wanna do all that NOW? Good grief! Alright, well, have fun! Try to avoid the rattlesnakes, the black widows, and the savage bats if you can help it!" E. Gadd playfully spoke and walked off as well.


Tippi, E. Gadd, Toadette, Junior, Morton, Lemmy, Ludwig, and Dr. Nokano went to the patient room that Toadsworth and Fly Guy were being treated in. Toodles was in there, sitting next to Toadsworth's bed. Everyone looked surprised to see her there.

"Oh, hi Toodles! I take it you were there when the attack happened?" E. Gadd asked.

"Of course I was. Those maniacs out there just started fighting over the dumbest politics and poor Toadsworth here got hurt in the back of his head because of it! These people are turning into wild savages all because they can't get over their personal issues of not being able to sleep and whatnot. I suggested they loot some sleeping pills or morphine since, you know, we ARE in a hospital, but I guess the IQ of the people here are much lower than I previously thought!" Toodles obnoxiously ranted. "But anyways...I came with Toadsworth to make sure he was okay, and he will be, but he'll probably need stitching."

"Uhhh...right. Okay. That was nice of you to come with Toadsworth, though. Now what happened to Fly Guy?" Junior asked.

"I GOT PUNCHED IN THE GODDAMN NOSE!" Fly Guy shouted from his bed, startling everyone. "My nose was bleeding from being mega punched and I swear to god, it feels like it's broken! I don't even know WHY I got punched for, those jackasses started that riot! It's not my fault they're miserable beings!"

"Err, well, sorry that happened to you, both of you, out there. But, on the plus side...well, if there even IS a plus side to all this, those people who started the riot are leaving this hospital to go to another one in Rose City where they're accepting people from Mushroom City to stay for the time being," Nokano informed.

"Rose City!? Really? That incredibly middle class town? And...they're just gonna walk all the way over there right now, when the sun will be setting soon? That sounds like a horribly written joke!" Toodles scoffed at that.

"It really does sound like a joke, but it's for real. They're all leaving to go there as we speak. I say, let them go. It's their choice. Let them walk in the dark for 6 hours," Ludwig said with a playful shrug.

"I'm at the point right now where I just simply don't care anymore," Tippi spoke harshly, which is unusual for her manners. "If that's how they wanna be, then let them make their own choices. But, I don't think they realize that they won't have a whole bunch of powerful people defending the location in case hell breaks loose again. Not saying it will over there, but they won't have the kind of protection that this place has. THAT is what those people don't realize!"

"I am going to say an enthusiastic AMEN to that!" E. Gadd cheered. The others nodded and were a little taken back by how bold Tippi sounded there.

"Toadsworth...hey, how are you hanging in there?" Toadette kindly asked as she walked over to his bed.

"Hey hey...I'm hanging. I keep thinking how that nasty incident could've been so much worse for me. People die from hitting their heads in the wrong spots quite often...I guess I was one of the lucky ones, eh? Maybe I'm TOO lucky. First me falling down the stairs at my 60th birthday party, then me being whipped by those thorny branches when Rosalina went all dark and demonic, then being stabbed and losing a lot of blood when the koopatrol raid happened, and now this. I can only 'almost die' so many times before I'm actually done in!" Toadsworth spoke with a bit of a gallow humor mixed in.

"Oh, don't think that, you old coot! You're alive because you're alive, nothing more to it! And we're happy you're alive!" Lemmy playfully spoke with a snicker, making everyone else laugh.

"I suppose so...but don't call me an old coot ever again, you little whippersnapper!" Toadsworth teased back, making the others laugh again.

"Well, now that I see everything is relatively okay, I'm gonna go upstairs to check on that Toado kid and see if Tadano tried to tell him anything or if anyone saw something important. That damn alien is still most likely in this hospital, so hopefully we can discover a clue to his whereabouts," Dr. Nokano stated.

"I wanna come with you too, and speak with Toado. I spoke with him right before all that shit happened and I just wanna know what's going through his mind right now," Morton stated.

"Wait, you spoke to Toado!? Why would you do that for!?" Ludwig asked in surprise.

"To put him in check, to make sure he doesn't do anything like that ever again. I REALLY put it into his head and was very blunt about it. He's at an age where he still can learn to be better. If Toado was 10 years older, I don't think I would've even bothered to talk to him," Morton explained his decision. Everyone seemed to understand his perspective.

"Ohhhh man, if dad was here though, Mort...he'd be pissed beyond belief!" Lemmy pointed out.

"I know. Which is why we're not telling him," Morton stated, then looked at everyone in the room. "All of you in here...please keep this to yourselves. I don't need my dad to have another meltdown. It's bad enough that he's gotta stay here with his batshit insane ex-wife's family as it is."

The koopa woman from before entered the room. "Hello! Before I leave with my group to Rose City, I just really wanna say something!"

Some of the others gave her a smug look, especially Toodles.

"Came here to apologize on behalf of your loony little escape group for what you did!? Because that's the only thing you should say!" Toodles spat.

"No. Well, uhh, I mean, I AM deeply sorry that it happened that way. Truly! But, I just wanna say, despite how it appears, we do give a big thank you to you, Dr. Nokano, for taking us in during this time. We aren't ungrateful!" the koopa lady politely said. Nokano looked unsure of how to take this due to the current mess going on.

"Well...you're welcome. I did what I needed AND wanted to do for the sake of the city's residents. I'm the director of the kingdom's largest hospital, it would've been simply heartless of me to not do that for you all," the noki doctor stated in a professional manner.

"You should also be saying thank you to some of the other people in here. They, along with Mario's group, helped keep this hospital from being completely taken over or destroyed entirely. You can be mad all you want at the constant chaos happening, but without them...we'd ALL be dead by now," Toadsworth spoke in a harsh manner, giving the koopa lady a glare.

"Oh! Um, of course. Like I said...we aren't ungrateful. We just need to do what's best for our health and safety and move to a more secure location. That's just the root of our decision!" she replied a little nervously, feeling his clear frustration.

"We know that already! Thank you for telling us something you guys have implanted in our heads repeatedly!" Fly Guy yelled and headed out of the room. The koopa lady scowled at him.

"...And then you have THIS attitude right here! Okay, see, this is partly why our group was so pissed off, because our feelings are constantly being dismissed by people like the shy guy with the propeller stuck into his cranium, and also we're being verbally attacked for simply EXPRESSING our emotions and opinions! It just seems like-"

"I SAID THANK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Fly Guy spun around and screamed at her at the top of his lungs, stunning the vicinity into shock and silence.


Morton and Dr. Nokano went up to the fourth floor to see Toado and to see if there was anything more to discover about Tadano. They were walking down the hallway to go to Toado's room, when they were stopped by a toad nursing assistant.

"DOCTOR!" she yelled and approached the pair. "You need to have a look at this. It's a paper written from Tadano to Toado. He slipped it under Toado's door when he was here. We checked on Toado and that's how we got it."

Dr. Nokano gasped a little and took the paper, unfolding it. "Oh my! What could he possibly have to say!? Did you guys speak to Toado about what happened?"

"We tried to, but he refused to speak to us, and he was shaking all over. He seemed petrified from what he read in the letter. I read it myself, and...gave me the chills too!" she said with clear concern.

"Oh god. I almost DON'T want to know what the letter says, but this is crucial for what's happening now. Alright, Doctor...let's see what this shit says," Morton groaned a little, mentally preparing himself for whatever kind of craziness is written on that paper. Nokano read it outloud:

Dear Toado,

I was wrong. I don't know what I was doing when I told you that the bad guys always win. Wanna know why I was wrong? Because you aren't a bad guy. You're one of the good guys...which is why you're gonna die a horrible death just like everyone else has in that forsaken hospital.

If you're wondering why I have this kind of thinking, well, it stems from my childhood. Tatanga, my twin brother, is an awful, evil person. Yet, he's practically invincible. He's done all kinds of atrocious things and ruined other people's lives...but he's still here. He's been targeted so many times to be killed...BUT HE'S STILL HERE. And all the good guys die from his hands in the most disgusting and scariest ways. Why? Why does it have to be like that? Why? Why? Why? Whyyyyyyyy? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?

It's also why people like Bowser are still alive. He's wreaked havoc on the kingdom for so long now...and Mario and his weird friends take him in like they're best buddies? And Bowser, of all people, despite being one of the strongest people here, IS STILL ALIVE? He'll never be a good guy. He'll always be a bad guy at heart. It runs in their family. That's why he's alive. But, that's also why his two kids died...they haven't grown up to be fully corrupt like he has. Do you get what I'm saying now?

You're gonna die, Toado, and I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm telling you this now so you can prepare for the inevitable day that comes when it will be your time. If you truly wish to prove me wrong and still want to join me, I'll be in the public library on Portrogue Street, which is only 3 blocks down from the hospital. I'm starting to set up a 'camp' there for myself. It's been completely abandoned.

But if you choose to stay...then good luck with whatever time remaining you have left in your life. I hope your death will be a quick one so you won't suffer for too long, unlike everyone else that's died there.

"Holy sh...this is just disgusting! And completely psychotic! I can't believe this fucker talked about my dad, brother and sister like that and...OOOH this pisses me off!" Morton shouted, having a great mix of raging emotions.

"This is just...disturbing beyond words...okay, we NEED to talk Toado. NOW!" Nokano spoke as chills went down his spine but he had to shake it off as he stomped down the hallway to Toado's room. The doctor had the door unlocked and in he went along with Morton.

"TOADO! Did you read this entire letter!?" Nokano aggressively asked as the toad kid scooted himself away from the two and started sobbing.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! H-He's right, I'm going to diiieee! I deserve to die! That old man should've killed meeee!" Toado screeched.

"Don't say that! Don't believe a goddamn word that Tadano wrote on this paper! That guy is FULLY fucked in the head and he wants to corrupt your mind and make you go insane like he is!" Morton yelled to him.

"Toado, I know Tadano slipped this under the door, but did you hear him say anything at all to you beyond the door?" Nokano frantically asked.

"N-no...he just slipped the paper...I-I'm so sorry for everything! I just want my mama and dad back!" Toado cried further. The other two truly felt for him.

"Damn. I...I don't even know what to say at this point. That alien is the biggest fool ever to come in here and do this. Risk his life all to send some pointless letter to a kid! It's pathetic and senseless!" Nokano spat, crumbling up the paper.

"Tadano mentioned that he was hiding in the public library in that letter, though. If he's not in the hospital, we can hunt him down there! He's definitely a huge fool for giving himself away like that!" Morton pointed out determinedly.

One of the male toad nurses ran to the room in a panic. "DOCTOR, DOCTOR! WE GOT HIM! WE FOUND THE ALIEN!"

Nokano and Morton turned around in immense surprise at this, whereas Toado looked up and wiped his eyes along with dropping his jaw.

"Really!? EXCELLENT! Show me to him right now!" Nokano demanded.


MIRROR-SHIVER REGION FOREST

"They're gonna be in there for a while," Mirror-Peach noted as she stared at the frozen lake with a now giant hole in the middle that led their counterparts to the underworld. "I think we should get that Rainbow Herb from Shiver City while we're waiting on them. I say only some of us should go just in case they get back before we do with the herb. I wanna go get it, so who wants to come with me?"

"What if they don't come back at all with Bombette? What if all of them die down there? What do we do next then?" Mirror-Vivian asked.

"We'll just have to continue our plans without our counterparts. We'll still have Rinot use his magic and the herb to cover up the portal leading to the underworld and we'll defeat the Crystal Queen and Merle and close that door leading to that other world," Mirror-Mario answered.

"I hope they do succeed, though," Mirror-Daisy said with a caring tone. "I want Bombette to be alive and back with us. Seeing our other selves was kind of scary but...kind of comforting? I mean, after they went into the Underworld, I felt a little bad for them and felt like I was missing them. It's hard to explain but, it felt like a part of me was ripped away when they went."

"I know exactly what you mean," Mirror-Mona confirmed her feelings. "Like it was some essence of ourselves that went into the Underworld. Which makes me really believe that our mirror selves aren't the bad guys at all."

"So, when they get back, hopefully with Bombette alive, we all charge towards the palace and take down the Crystal Queen however we can? Is that the plane we got right now?" Mirror-Bowser asked.

"Pretty much, but I think we should try to get Rinot to help us as well. He knows magic and uses it pretty well, so he'd be a great asset for the fight," Mirror-DK suggested.

"I like that idea, especially if Merle is gonna get involved and he's got pretty powerful magic too. We may have the numbers, but Merle has that demonic magic that he'll definitely use to help the queen with!" Mirror-Yoshi exclaimed.

"Which is why we certainly should get a move on and get the herb now! Who's all going to the city to get it, and who's staying here?" Mirror-Flurrie asked.


MIRROR-SHIVER CITY

The mirror versions of Peach, Pauline, Boshi, Bowser, DK, Dixie, Parakarry, Jojora, Starlow, Luvbi, and Wario went into the town to look for the mystical Rainbow Herb.

"So, logically, one would find a Rainbow Herb at a herb shop, which would be that place called 'Shiver Magic, Charms, Herbs Galore Store' at the opposite end of the city!" Mirror-Parakarry enthusiastically spoke.

"What is even the plan for when we arrive at the store? Are we planning to just, um, steal it and run off like a bunch of crazed bandits?" Mirror-Luvbi asked.

"That is exactly the plan! We ask the store owner to kindly give us the herb, and if not, then we'll fuck up the whole place..and THEN still steal the herb, then run off back to the lake!" Mirror-Bowser laid it all out with a little excitement.

"Wow. You say it like it's going to be that easy!" Mirror-Jojora snarkily replied.

"We're gonna have to make it that easy! We have no time to waste! We're on the world's biggest time crunch right now!" Bowser declared.

"Would it be considered a time crunch within a time crunch? Because we're trying to save this region as fast as possible while also saving our world as fast as possible...along with saving our alternates' world too! So, it's a time crunch within a time crunch within a time crunch!?" Mirror-Starlow pointed out in surprise.

"Okay, you're gonna make my brain hurt with that stuff now. Let's just get this overwith! We should be in and out no longer than 5 minutes!" Mirror-Pauline stated.

The group arrived at the store a few minutes later. It was a very old and rustic-looking shack type of building. They came into the main room and saw various herbs, potion-like containers, charms, and other 'magic' oddities scattered about with a male Bumpty sitting at the register.

"Hello! Welcome to the magical shop of magics! OH! It's the princess and her friends! What a treat to have you all here...but, umm, may I ask...what ARE you doing here?" the bumpty changed his tune from a very mixed reaction of seeing them in person.

"We are here for the Rainbow Herb! We need it now, it's urgent for us to get it and stop the Crystal Queen from causing any more trouble!" Mirror-Peach demanded.

"Eh!? What do you mean by that!? Are you talking about the other world she discovered? How is she causing trouble by that?" he questioned.

"It's a very long story. REEAAALLLY long. We just need that herb because, uhh, magic is involved and it'll help us take her down!" Mirror-Dixie added.

"Hmm. Okay then! I trust your guys' judgment. I'll give you the herb then!" the bumpty cheerily complied. Everyone gave a sigh of relief and smiled at this.

"Sweet! That was too easy. Thanks so much! You are our savior!" Mirror-Parakarry cheered.

"Of course! Now...that'll be 10,000 coins for the herb!" the bumpty suddenly revealed. The rejoicement was now gone.

"WHAT!? 10k coins for a...a simple herb!? Uhh, you do realize we NEED that herb to save everyone's asses, right!?" Mirror-Jojora argued.

"My dear, this isn't just some SIMPLE herb, this is an herb of pure magicality that is one of the most powerful things in this world that aids in greatly enhancing spells to the 10th degree!" he enthusiastically spoke in defense. The others began to look impatient.

"Uhh, yeah, we see that, but the world is depending on us to get that herb so we can do what we need to do to solve the crap that's happening here! So, you know, catch us a break this one time?" Mirror-Pauline asked in frustration now.

"I'm aware that the world is in need of your guys' help, but if the world ends up living through this, I want my store to be alive and profitable still! 10k coins, no other offer!" he affirmed his position on this issue.

"WOW. You're really gonna be that damn greedy over this shit!? If you don't give us that herb, the world's gonna fucking be destroyed and that INCLUDES your store! How the hell are you going to profit off of anything from beyond the grave!? Oh, that's right, YOU CAN'T!" Mirror-Boshi yelled.

"Ugh. Excuse me, Mister….uhh...store owner. As princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, I demand that you give us that herb for the sake of saving everyone and for future generations! That wouldn't look good on you for disobeying the princess, now would it!?" Mirror-Peach decided to get all snide and manipulative since it was time to do drastic measures now.

"Hmm. No, I suppose it wouldn't...which is why you, the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, can pay for the herb! 10k coins is not even a dent in your bank account! I don't mind taking checks as well!" he cluelessly kept this ever-frustrating situation prolonging.

"You...ugh...no, you don't understand! I don't have any coins or checks or even a debit or credit card on me right now because they're all at my castle...which I can't get to because it's in Toad Town, and it's dangerous to get to because almost everything around my castle is destroyed!" Mirror-Peach raised her voice.

"Oh my, that's quite an awful predicament! Well then...until any of you get me 10k coins, the Rainbow Herb stays right here!" he stated, provoking further impatience and anger among the gang.

"That's it! This calls for the backup plan!" Mirror-Bowser yelled, having more than enough now, and pulled out a gun and aimed it at the owner. "Give us the damn herb NOW! We don't have time for this crap!"

"WOAH! A-A gun!? Really!? You're gonna shoot me over this!? I mean...no...no way! You wouldn't do that! Princess Peach, there's no way in the world you'd let that happen!" the bumpty cried, but didn't seem too scared.

"I'm sorry, but it's gonna have to be like that because we NEED that herb! Hand it over or I'll let him pull the trigger!" Mirror-Peach demanded.

"Well, sorry to say this, but I'm gonna have to turn the tables on you now, because I just notified the police! They'll be here any minute now to sort this mess out!" the owner revealed. Everyone gave him strange looks.

"WHAT!? How could you have possibly notified the police!? You were standing there talking to us the whole time!" Mirror-Jojora angrily pointed out.

"There's a button underneath the counter here. When I press it, the police in this town are notified via some signal thing that goes to their system and they get here in less than 5 minutes! So, do you still wanna point that gun at me now?" the owner began to taunt them a little.

"OH SCREW THIS!" Mirror-Parakarry roared and flew to the back of the store and snatched what looked like the Rainbow Herb, then began to fly back out.

"HEY STOP, PUT THAT BACK BEFORE I...oh goddamnit, why the hell don't I have a weapon that can shoot down paratroopas!? I knew I should've saved up to buy a gun!" the owner yelled.

"What kind of store owner doesn't have a gun to protect himself and the building in case it gets robbed!? Moron!" Mirror-Wario spat and snagged a few crystals as the group began to flee...but then they were suddenly stopped by the police.

"HALT! What is going on here!?" yelled a police Bumpty.

"Oh damnit! Uhh...officer, nothing is going on here, we just really needed this herb here, but the owner was being a giant pain in the ass about it, but he finally gave it to us and so now we're just on our way out!" Mirror-Parakarry spoke rapidly and gripped tight to the herb.

"Wow. That was the worst coverup I've ever heard in my entire life," Mirror-Bowser whispered in defeat.

"THEY'RE LIARS! THEY STOLE THAT FROM ME! HANDLE THIS OFFICERS, PLEASE!" the owner screeched as he ran to the entrance.

"NO, YOU'RE THE FUCKING LIAR!" Mirror-Boshi suddenly screamed. "YOU WENT ALL PSYCHO IN THERE ALL BECAUSE WE WANTED THE DAMN HERB! YOU TOLD US THAT IF WE DIDN'T GET OUT, YOU WOULD KNOCK MY ASS OUT, DRAG ME TO THE BACKROOM, AND TRY TO FUCK THE SHIT OUT OF ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Everyone widened their eyes in total surprise at this random reveal.

"What...what in the actual...where the hell does he get this shit from…" Mirror-Dixie whispered.

"WH-WHAT!? I never said anything like that! Plus, I don't swing that way! Well...at least not with Yoshis…" said the owner in disgust.

"Uhhhh...okay, that's quite enough, we're gonna have to ask all of you to come with us this instant!" demanded another police Bumpty.

"NO! WE ARE OUT OF HERE!" Mirror-Bowser roared and released flames from his mouth. The flames didn't hit the police, but it blinded and scared them momentarily. DK ran to the policemen and knocked their heads into each other, knocking them out. Pauline kicked another policeman right where it hurts, then Jojora grabbed him, flew into the air, and threw him some feet away into some deep snow.

"NOW WE ARE LEAVING! THANKS FOR THE CRYSTALS!" Mirror-Wario yelled and ran at top speed with his group back towards the forest.

"Oh, okay, as if it wasn't enough to steal my precious herb, you also had to steal crystals! At least tell people where you got that stuff from! Good luck, I guess!?" the owner was angered and beyond confused by how out of control and odd that situation spun into.


MIRROR-CRYSTAL PALACE

"It's working! Ram into it again! One more time should do it!" Bombette cheered on the Albino Dino in the other cell who had rammed into the cell door with all his might three times already. The door and the bars on the door were noticeably coming a little loose.

"Agghh...ohhhh, I'm starting to feel the pain! These bars are seriously tough!" the dino cried.

"I know it sucks, but you got this! Just try it once more and if it doesn't come down still, then take a break!" Koops advised.

"Hoo...okay, okay. One more time! Focus…" the dino said and breathed in and out deeply. He gathered his strength and backed up against the wall to gain as much speed and moment to smash into the bars as hard as he could. He braced himself for the rough impact yet again. He charged with all his might and speed and BANG! Successfully knocked the cell door down. The prisoners in the cells all cheered at this victory.

"WOAH! YES! YOU DID IT! Great job!" Perrie hollered and clapped for him.

"Agh...woah! I-I'm feeling kinda dizzy now, but I did it! I DID IT! Haha. Cool!" the Albino Dino struggled to stand himself up and got a little hysterical.

"You did fantastic! Now, time to let us out and we'll be out of here!" Bombette yelled.

"Okay, but, uhh, what is the plan after we escape the cells!? Are we just gonna hide away in Starborn Valley or what?" the dino asked in concern.

"All of you should hide away in Starborn Valley in our world. Bombette and I are going to find our friends here in this world and take down the Crystal Queen and Merle," Koops responded.

"Is it even safe to go to Starborn Valley now that we know what's going on in Shiver City!? What if all that spreads to that village?" Penelopuin questioned.

"Oh! It should be safe there. Merle from our world is there along with Junior Troopa, who also knows magic. The village will definitely be protected by the both of them!" Koops assured.

"Uhh...Koops...I just remembered something," Bombette spoke in a worried tone. "Those fake police Bumpties from Shiver City were following us to Starborn Valley. I don't want to spark paranoia into anyone here, but there's a chance hell could've broken loose while we were here!" The other prisoners looked mortified at this revelation.

"Oh...oh crap! You're right, I forgot about that! Do we have another plan then!?" Koops shrieked.

"I know a place where we could hide out at on the Shiver Mountain!" Herringway proposed, drawing all eyes to him. "Bombette, the last time you came to the Shiver Mountain, do you remember going into that cave where Madam Merlar's spirit was? You know, where the Star Stone lay in our world?"

"Yeah, of course I remember! But...wait, are you thinking of hiding in there? It's blocked off by the ice staircase though!" Bombette pointed out.

"True! But, recently, I discovered that that ice staircase can be taken down if you remove the Star Stone from its place. I was thinking of removing the Star Stone so the staircase can go down and all of us here can just hole up in that cave until it's safe to come back into Shiver City! What does everyone think of that idea?" Herringway excitedly suggested. Expressions of intrigue were seen from the others along with some nods.

"Hmm. Yeah! Okay, that could work then! But, Herringway, there's only one way in and out of that cave. If you guys get cornered in there by the fake Bumpty police...that's it. You're done. And it wouldn't make sense for someone to put the Star Stone back in its place after you all hide, because the ice staircase would block you all from escaping the cave!" Bombette made another excellent and logical point.

"Oh wow. Yeah, that might not be the best idea then. There are too many risks involved with that!" Koops added.

"Also true. You make a good argument. But, what other plan do we have that can ensure all our safety? We've reached a crossroads here," Herringway said.

"Hey now. I know what ice staircase you're talking about. I'll be able to crack apart that ice by ramming into it like I did with the cell door if we do get stuck in there! I've done it before with ice. I think we should go with his plan!" the Albino Dino vouched for Herringway cheerily.

"Huh...well, okay then. It IS the safest plan that I can really think of anyways. Alright! Here's how we'll do it then: You, Albino Dino, ram these cell doors to free us. Koops and I will lead you all back into our world then down Shiver Mountain. I'll take the Star Stone out, the staircase will lower, and you guys will hide in Madam Merlar's cave. I'll put the Star Stone back in its place, the staircase will rise again and keep you all hidden away, and we'll come back here and find our friends. Does this sound good for everyone?" Bombette proposed the official plan and everyone shouted or nodded in agreement.

"Cool! Let's get this going then!" Koops shouted. The Albino Dino backed up and got more room this time to do his ram move. He charged at Koops and Bombette's cell door and managed to bash it open just once this time around. Everyone in there gave a great sigh of relief and exited. The Dino did it again with the other cell and also bashed the cell door open with just one ram attack.

"EXCELLENT! Now where do we go to get out? Or are we just gonna have to guess?" Perrie asked.

"We oooobviously gotta go through the door that'll take us to the World Mirror of the mountain where the shiver region collapses onto the cave where we gotta be in!" the Albino Dino spoke as if he was drunk and dizzily walked around as his head began to really hurt from all the ramming he was doing.

"Uhh, okay, someone PLEASE keep an eye on him! Just follow me and Koops, you guys!" Bombette commanded and led the way out through the only door in the room. She came into the room where there was a door on her left and a door straight ahead of her. But what shook her was the fact that the room was very reminiscent of a torture chamber as there were old, bloodied maces and swords, along with chains and a couple of cages, one of them containing a skeleton. It didn't help that the stench of death was quite prevalent.

"OH MY GOODNESS! This room is just...UGH! Oh god, I'm gonna puke just from the smell alone!" Penelopuin screamed and tried to stop herself from heaving.

"Holy shit. As if we didn't need any more proof that the Crystal Queen is one sadistic bitch!" Perrie yelled.

"We'll, uhh, go through this door here! Try to forget about this room, you guys, it's the least of our worries right now!" Bombette commanded and led the way through the door on the left. It was a narrow stairwell that led up. Everyone hurriedly walked up the narrow stairs, becoming more and more excited and relieved to be escaping from this hellhole.

Bombette reached the top first and opened another door. It led out into a room with a bridge against a mirror wall over a chasm that connected the platform she was on and another platform at the opposite end of the room.

"YES! We're back on the main floor of the palace! Okay, everyone, I think the way out is to our right! Please be careful crossing the bridge to the other side!" Bombette happily announced.

"Oh boy...crossing a dark abyss...exactly what we need at this moment in time!" cried the Albino Dino in fear.

"Hey, I'm scared of heights too! But it'll be okay, we're almost out of here. Just gotta be bold a little bit longer!" Koops kindly spoke with encouragement.

"GOODNESS ME! Is there a reason why our reflections aren't in the mirror!?" Herringway frighteningly pointed out, startling everyone else.

"Uhh...yeah...good question! I'm sure we'll get an answer for that later, but our main priority right now is escaping!" Bombette responded a little cluelessly. "Anyways...Koops, you lead the way. I'll bring up the rear and make sure everyone is accounted for," Bombette ordered. Koops nodded and led the way across the bridge, not seeming too nervous this time around and everyone followed him. Bombette went onto the bridge last as Koops made it all the way across and opened the door, peering inside to see that it was the room just before the tiny hallway that would lead to the outside where they could access the cave back into their original world.

"YES! Just a little further, guys! And- WOAH! BOMBETTE, BELOW YOU!" Koops suddenly screamed in horror, startling the others again. A hand reached from the abyss and gripped onto Bombette's leg. The bomb screamed in terror and fell onto the icy bridge and dug her hands for dear life into the bridge, creating scratch marks, cutting into her skin as she was dragged slowly off of the bridge.

"AAAAAAGGGH, FUCK! KOOPS, GO ON WITHOUT ME! NOOOOOW!" she roared.

"NO! BOMBETTE, I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT YOU! I WON'T LET YOU DIE!" Koops screamed in sheer panic.

"GODAMNIT, KOOPS! GOOOO! YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE ALL THESE PEOPLE ESCAAAAAAPE!" Bombette screamed again and was then pulled into the abyss as her screams echoed throughout the room.

"Oh no! No no no no! What should we do!? We might still be able to save her!" cried the Albino Dino.

"I...uhh...oh god...we...we have to go! She's right, I gotta make sure you all escape! F-Follow me NOW!" Koops yelled, being on the verge of crying. Everyone had to push forward to ensure no one else would fall into danger again.


UNDERWORLD

Mario, Mona, Spike, Starlow, Larry, Yoshi, Kody, Flurrie, Parakarry, and Dixie were in immense awe at the discovery of Kooplinia in the Underworld's Crystal Palace.

"Holy crap. You're seriously Kooplinia from the 17th century! But...HOW? You should be long dead by now! It's the 21st century in our world now!" Dixie pointed out.

Kooplinia opened her mouth in shock and slowly stood up. "Wh-what!? You must be lying! The 21st century...my goodness…but...I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised...I've stopped counting the days long ago. I assumed there was no point in doing so since I accepted that I'd be stuck here for an eternity.

But, this world...when I first came here, I thought I was in Hell. I mean, there's no other word to describe it! This has to be Hell. But...the more I think about it...perhaps this really isn't Hell? Well, the kind of Hell that's in religious books anyways. This place is scary and dreadful and hopeless...but I certainly feel like Hell would be worse than this. The worst kind of thing you could ever possibly imagine. All of you coming here from my world...I think that proves that this isn't Hell."

"Not lying at all. We can bring you back into that world with us, and help us defeat the Crystal Queen and Merle, who is a descendant of Merleon. We just need to find the rest of our friends who are, presumably, also stuck in this palace and then head out," Mario insisted.

Kooplinia's face lit up at this. "Wait a second! There has been an exit all this time!? Where!? How!?"

"It's a portal at the bottom of the lake in that forest! It was opened by either the Crystal Queen or Merle, or both, very recently. So, unfortunately, you wouldn't have been able to escape the entire time you were here, but now you can!" Starlow said upliftingly.

"Oh, excellent. Okay! Goodness, though...I can't imagine how vastly different the world would be now that it's the 21st century...that's scary in itself! I don't know how on earth I would acclimate to such an enormous change…" Kooplinia spoke with worry.

"Don't worry about that, we'll help you navigate around! But first things first, we gotta find our friends. You said you saw our friend, Bombette, the pink bomb girl, around here. Where was the last place you saw her?" Mona changed the subject so the objective can get solved.

"Hmm. I believe I saw her being chased by that atrocious star-looking creature and his pet snakes not too long ago. Yes, I saw it from the stairs! She was running for her life from those bastards, and she ran to the door at the end of the main hall...the door on the left side I believe. Haven't the faintest clue where she went after that, as I decided to hide in here after witnessing that debacle!" Kooplinia answered.

"A star-looking creature...WITH pet snakes!? Oh, that just sounds fun. Please say we don't have to beat them, and that we could just find our friends and ditch this whacky shithole!" Spike groaned, shaking from the mere mention of the snakes again.

"If it's looking to be difficult to beat these, uhh, 'monsters', then yes, we could just escape. We'll have to be as quick as we can though since we're at the top of the mountain!" Mario said.

"Oh, my dears, there is no defeating that wicked monstrosity! I've tried to kill him with anything I could find and use, but nothing works. He is truly invincible, and I'm afraid that is because he is a ruler of this cruel Underworld! He is powerful beyond means!" Kooplinia clarified with fright in her voice.

"Oh my! Well, I suppose we shouldn't be too surprised, we're in a vastly different hellish kind of world after all. But, enough chatting about! We must find Bombette and the rest of our friends before it's too late!" Flurrie demanded and the small group began to make their way downstairs.

"Yes, we NEED to do this fast! I'm seriously worried for my dad. He's very hurt and...we need to leave this damn Underworld so he can get helped in time!" Larry urged as he teared up.

"Hey, Kooplinia, the Crystal Queen told us that she killed your husband, Kooprik. Is that the truth?" Kody asked. The crystal-eyed koopa turned her head to him in horror.

"I...ugh...goodness, it wouldn't surprise me if she did! That cursed Crystal Queen and Merleon took me away when I told them that I didn't feel comfortable with them using black magic to get to the way back into her world! I knew something wasn't right. They were performing some sort of horrid ritual and I intervened and they...Merleon punched me in the face, and before I knew it, I was dragged into the snow by him and the Crystal Queen, then they threw me in that freezing lake and I was swept under and I thought I was going to drown. But no...I ended up here...I...I'd rather that they just have simply killed me...at least then I could be with my dear Kooprik…" Kooplinia explained as she started to choke up. Everyone else felt for her deeply, and also wondered if the Crystal Queen made yet another lie with killing Kooprik.

"Wow! Yeah, that is weird that they just sent you down here instead of just outright killing you. I wonder if there was a specific reason for that. And if she did indeed lie about Kooprik...then what the hell really happened to him?" Parakarry questioned.


"Peach, wake up! PLEASE WAKE UP!" Luigi yelled as he shook the princess by her shoulders. Peach slowly came to and held her head in pain.

"Ugh...wha...hey, where are we? Are we dead!?" she shrieked as she tried to stand up. She saw that there was DK, Luigi, Daisy, Bowser, Goombella, Koopie, Vivian, Kooper, Lakilester, Jojora, Luvbi, Boshi, Wario, and Pauline in the room, all looking freaked out. Peach looked down and saw that they were standing on a giant mirror floor. Their reflections on the floor were as clear as day and it eerily reminded them all of the reflections back in the regular Crystal Palace.

"I sure hope we're not dead! I recognize the room we're in...I think. It's the room with those rhino-looking things right before the outside. Of course...uhh...look at what's in place of those rhinos instead…" Kooper said and pointed to the obvious entities in the room. There were three White Clubbas in the room, facing everyone, holding their spiked clubs, staring at them menacingly. They noticed that there were slits in their mouths, cutting into their cheeks, exposing their flesh and teeth and making it seem like they had a very wide smile.

"Holy shit, they are fucking creepy! H-How did we even end up here anyways!? Where are the others!?" Wario cried.

"MARIO! ARE YOU NEARBY!? CAN YOU HEAR ME!?" Peach screamed. Daisy put her hand on Peach's mouth.

"PEACH! It's probably not the best idea to scream out like that. Who the hell knows what kind of other creatures are in this palace?" Daisy pointed out.

"I know, Daisy, but we have to find the others! I refuse to believe they're all dead!" Peach determinedly stated.

"Fuck...I'm really surprised that I didn't die...I feel so weak right now…" Bowser spoke in exhaustion as he tried to stand himself up but fell back down to the ground. Pauline walked over and checked his snakebite and spider wounds. They were a little bigger and were pulsating more.

"Damn! The wounds are getting worse, you guys! I don't know how much longer he has, but we gotta find the others ASAP, along with Bombette!" Pauline urged.

"Where do we even go to look for them!? They could be anywhere! Who knows how long it'll take, especially since this palace is different from the other two palaces we were in!" Koopie frustratedly pointed out and was on the verge of sobbing.

"No need to look."

Everyone was startled at the unfamiliar voice and turned their heads to the three clubbas.

"Bombette...she is...the pink bomb lady...correct?" asked one of the clubbas in a slow, odd, and monotone manner.

"Y-Yes, that's her. Where the hell is she!?" Lakilester nervously spoke, fearing for the worst.

"I shall...give her...to you…" said the same clubba.

"Give her to us? What do you mean by that!? Where is she exactly?" Luigi asked.

The clubba that spoke previously began to heave. He dropped to his knees and made disgusting noises of him vomiting...except, he wasn't 'vomiting' pure vomit, he was vomiting up a clear-ish liquid that looked like saliva. Everyone else backed away in terror at witnessing this grotesque event.

"No...no no no! Don't-don't fucking tell me...he's...he's puking Bombette out of his body!?" Boshi screeched, completely stunned at this impossible and illogical scenario. But, it was happening and it was for real.

The Clubba continued to heave until his mouth abnormally grew bigger and some of the others looked away in pure disgust. More saliva was coming out and legs were seen that immediately looked familiar. The rest of the body came out of the Clubba's mouth and there was Bombette, who rolled onto the ground, covered in saliva.

"Ho...holy...that was...h-how was that even possible!?" Goombella cried, nearly speechless at the revolting site.

"Bombette, are you alive!? HELLO?" Kooper loudly asked as he ran to her and kneeled, not wanting to touch her body due to her being covered in saliva.

"Ahhh...oh my god...am I...AH! K-Kooper! You guys! This isn't a dream, right!? I'm back at the palace!" Mirror-Bombette suddenly shrieked and stood up, noting that she was covered head to toe in the saliva.

"Yes, this is real! You're in the Crystal Palace of the Underworld! And, uhh...that, uhh, Clubba puked you out of his body! Did he just...uhh…'swallow' you!?" Vivian awkwardly asked.

"Ugh...this is so fucking gross! EWWWWW!" Mirror-Bombette cried as her body shook from the slimy, cold saliva. The others felt so bad for her, but some of them still couldn't bear to fully look at the grossness of it all. "Well...ugh, anyways...I was running away from that star monster guy after I told Koops to save himself. I kept running and running and running and I got up here because I figured I'd find some place to hide and sneak back down the mountain. I ran into the palace and just kept running for my life until I bumped into a Clubba...I guess that one there!" she pointed to the Clubba that puked her up, who just kept standing still like a statue with the other two Clubbas, then continued, "The Clubba grabbed ahold of me and said something...I don't remember what he said...then he opened his mouth wide like he was gonna devour me, which I guess he did...then everything went dark and I thought I died. Then, I somehow get vomited back here by that asshole and it's just….EWWGGH! I mean, I'm glad I'm alive, but that was seriously terrifying!"

"GOD! Never have I ever seen anything so obscure before! This is definitely nothing compared to The Underwhere. This is like a level below that!" Luvbi commented.

"Uhh...what was that about underwear?" Mirror-Bombette responded in confusion.

"Bombette!" Daisy shouted, getting the discussion back on track. "We're actually not your friends from your world. We're from the other world, the mirror world! Your friends wanted us to come down here and save you, so in turn, they can help us defeat the Crystal Queen and save our world's Shiver Region from being invaded by her!"

The bomb gal gasped a little and took a couple steps back. "What...no! This has gotta be a trick!"

"It's not! We're not the bad guys here, we swear! We can get you out of here, we just have to find the rest of our friends and then we'll leave through that portal in the lake!" Jojora hastily informed. Bombette still looked unsure about them.

"Uhh...oh...okay...I guess I'll have to trust you then, if it means getting out of this awful place. Let's go find your friends then right now!" she demanded. But, before anyone could even make a move, the three Clubbas pounded their spike clubs on the floor twice, causing everyone to be startled by the sudden noise. Then, the doors on the opposite side of the room swung open and everyone either gasped or shrieked at the thing they saw come through.

It was a star spirit that bared a striking resemblance to the mustachioed Kalmar, the one that was captured in the original world's Crystal Palace. The only difference is that he had a wide smile upon his face, a smile so wide that it looked uncanny and unnatural, as if his cheeks were slit into, much like the Clubbas. He had two snakes with him as well at his sides, both of them about as big as Bowser.

"Oh my god! Looks like Kalmar is really the boss of this palace!" Kooper yelled in horror.

"Hoohoohoo...haven't gotten this big amount of visitors in suuuuuuch a long time," 'Kalmar' spoke in a dry voice, sounding as if he was dehydrated. "You probably don't need me to tell you this...but welcome to the Underworld. A place much like the Mirror World...but everything is truly the opposite from the world above. The palace you're in...well...surely wouldn't be appropriate to call it the Crystal Palace, when nothing about it is 'crystal' at all. Should be called the Stone Palace. Hoohoohoo…"

"All we want is to find our friends and leave this place! Just let us go and there won't be any trouble!" DK announced. Kalmar snickered at him.

"Hoohoohoo...what a shame because I LOVE trouble. In fact, that's what this world is all about: trouble. Although...I suppose you're all used to 'trouble' by now. Your world is in trouble as we speak by a menacing alien who has struck worldwide fear and time is running out to stop him," 'Kalmar' said with a hint of enjoyment from their predicament.

"Oh! How do you know about our world?" Peach asked.

"Because I know everything. I am a Star Spirit after all...hoohoohoo...though, I'm certainly not like the Star Spirits that you all know about in your world," 'Kalmar' replied as his snakes slithered loudly.

"Uhh...so...is this Hell then? I mean, I know it's the Underworld, but this place is damn scary! Feels like it's Hell!" Lakilester asked.

"Hell...hmm...not the Hell that the majority of people think about. No no. The Underworld is much tame compared to the Hell that's been spoken of and described for centuries. But that doesn't make this place any less...obscure, I suppose...hoohoohoo…if you were to die here, you'd reincarnate as yourself again. Might sound pleasant, but the true misery lies in being stuck in a treacherous wasteland for all eternity where bliss is foreign to this world," 'Kalmar' explained.

"Well, I suppose that's reassuring...I think. Anyways, we're gonna go now! Thanks for the chat! SEE YA!" Boshi quickly spoke and tried to get everyone to leave, but the Clubbas pounded their spiked clubs twice again and a locking sound was heard from the door that they were gonna take to exit.

"Not so fast there. You won't get out of this that easily. You wanna leave this world...you have to do something for me," 'Kalmar' said, which struck fear into the others again.

"Wh-what do you want us to do? What do you need!?" Koopie asked.

"Sacrifice one of your own to stay here, and I'll let the rest of you leave."


The group with Kooplinia carefully crossed over a bridge that was above a pit of what looked like thousands of bones.

"God, look at all that. We're walking above so many dead animals and people right now!" Dixie exclaimed.

"Ooooh that's the last thing I wanna think about right now! And I hope this is the last time we'll EVER have to cross a bridge!" Starlow cried and started getting antsy.

"Kooplinia, I have to ask you, you've been here in this palace for so long, why stay all this time? Why not try to seek out a safer place in this Underworld, if there even is one?" Yoshi asked.

"Because it just reminds me of my old world, the world I used to live in. Kooprik and I were homeless for a time and we found shelter in that Crystal Palace that was originally abandoned in our world. We were there for a little while and it truly began to feel like a home for us. We were starting to feel happier...and then the Crystal Queen showed up and that's when it all fell apart…

So, I stay here because it's the closest thing I can get to be with my dear Kooprik. I was too scared to move beyond here, anyways. I'm truly afraid of what lies beyond this region of the Underworld. I've already seen enough scary monsters and bizarre things occur...I don't wanna know what else could possibly exist out there," Kooplinia replied as she choked up a little, which made the others deeply feel for her once again.

"That makes a lot of sense. I'm scared to know what the Underworld's version of Mushroom City is like too, along with what the 'copies' of us are like," Mona said with a chill running down her spine.

The group made it across the bridge and entered the next room, which was a smaller room that had nothing in it apart from a door on the opposite side...and a familiar character laying on the floor.

"Bombette!? Hey, Bombette! It's us!" Starlow cheered and ran over to her with the others quickly following.

"Is she alive? She's not moving and-" Flurrie stopped speaking when she quickly noticed something terribly off. "OH! She has no reflection on the floor! Don't get too close!"

"WHA?" Starlow shrieked and came to a halt as panic mode began to set in. 'Bombette' suddenly jumped and gave a high-pitched shrill as blood spewed from her mouth and got all over Starlow.

"AAAAHHHHHHH! OH MY GOD, IT BURNS! AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!" Starlow screamed for mercy and fell backwards while everyone jumped in fright at this. Mario ran over and was about to attack 'Bombette,' but she dashed out of the room.

"STARLOW! Shit! Uhh, do we have anything to wipe it off!?" Spike yelled.

"Use my shirt! I have a tank top on underneath so it's fine!" Kody offered his help as he took his white t-shirt off and threw it Spike. Starlow stared in horror at the reflective floor below her as she saw the blood cover most of her face.

"O-Oh my god...it's...it's exactly like when I saw my face back in the palace…" Starlow spoke, unable to take her eyes off of the putrid act that was done to her.

"STARLOW! Here, I'll wipe this crap off of you!" Spike said and used Kody's shirt to wipe off the blood as Starlow stood there petrified.

"Are you okay, Star? You said it burned, for a second there, I thought it might've been like an acid!" Mario asked.

"N-n-n-no, I'm fine...it was just super hot...umm...there was no way that was Bombette…" Starlow struggled to let out her words.

"Unless something took over her!? I know that was terrifying to experience, but we should move now to catch up with her!" Larry demanded. Everyone nodded at this and continued on to the next room.

It was a similar room to the previous one, except...there was what looked like Koops standing at the opposite end of the room in the doorway. Everyone quickly noticed that he had no reflection on the floor as well.

"Oh crap...uhh...what do we do!?" Kody asked.

"We try not to be scared of it. That's all we can do," Mario replied as he led the way. Everyone became increasingly nervous as they walked closer to 'Koops.'

"Koops...we know that that's not really you. At least, not OUR Koops, nor the Mirror World's Koops. You can't fool us. Try to stop us, and we'll destroy you with ease!" Mario stated as fearlessly as he could.

"Ohhhhhhhhh...I believe that...after all...the Underworld's Mario is as much of a powerful hero as the one from the worlds above," 'Koops' spoke with a husky voice.

"Is-is the Underworld's Mario in this palace as well?" Parakarry asked.

"Yes, he is. You're actually talking to him right now," 'Koops' responded. This made everyone stop in fear at that unexpected answer.

"What do you mean we're talking to you right now? Are you just an illusion of Koops?" Mona asked.

"Hmmhmm. If you want to call it an illusion…" 'Koops' responded as he slowly turned around. Everyone gasped in shock when they saw his face. Koops' eyes were noticeably cut out of his sockets and inside those sockets that clearly didn't belong to the actual Koops. These eyes were blue. Koops' eyes are black.

"What...what the fuck!? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" Spike shrieked.

"I told you, I'm Mario," he responded. He lifted his hands and put them on his neck, then what happened next horrified everyone even further. The head of 'Koops' was being lifted up as if it was a costume head and slowly the reveal of the Underworld's Mario was seen. Mario, the true Mario, was the most grossed out and terrified out of them all. The Underworld's Mario's eyes seemed so completely soulless and, worst of all, his cheeks were slit open, forming the appearance of an abnormally long smile.

"Wh-what in the...you...you're me in this world...wha...what happened to your face!?" Mario could barely speak at this disturbingness. It was something so much more creepy and discomforting than what he saw with his mirror version.

"Hmmhmm. Yes, it's a me. Mario from this world. What happened to my face? People told me I was too serious. That I changed too much. So, I did them a favor and gave myself a permanent smile. Everyone was so disgusted from that...but why? They wanted me to change, so I did. But they hated that. They coudn't make up their fucking minds. So I hid away and hated my appearance...so I killed my friend, Koops, and made myself become him. People will underestimate you when you're just a weak and meager koopa. No one will pay you any attention. Just the way I like it!" 'Mario' explained, further creeping everyone else out to no end.

"My god...this is just...I can't even put it into words!" Flurrie yelled.

"That's just fine. Besides...you're not here for me. You're here for the bomb lady and your other friends. Follow me and I'll take you to them. They're not far from here," 'Mario' said and slowly led the way. The others took a few seconds to get the courage to walk forward again. They were still digesting the impossibility and grossity of what they just witnessed, especially Mario. Mario was the most disturbed out of them all. That thing had his face, body, and voice...but the personality was so completely unlike Mario that it felt even more jarring than when he saw his mirror counterpart.

Underworld-Mario led the group forward another room down, then the next room they saw their friends standing before more disturbing-looking creatures.

"OH, DAD!" Larry yelled, almost breaking into tears and ran to him and hugged him.

"Oh son...I'm so glad you're okay…" Bowser tiredly spoke, barely hugging him back. Larry noticed this and pulled back.

"Dad, y-you're getting weaker aren't you!? God, your face is so pale!" he cried.

"Agh...I'm afraid so, son...but I refuse to die in this atrocious land...I'm holding on as much as I can," Bowser confirmed his fate, which made Larry choke up.

"OH, MARIO!" Peach cried and hugged him, along with Luigi and Daisy. "Where were you guys!? We were so worried and…"

"We were in the first room of the palace, the main hall, but we're all okay! And we found Kooplinia, guys! She's been here ever since the Crystal Queen was locked away in the Mirror World from Merle's story!" Mario announced, bringing attention to the clearly worn down koopa woman.

"Oh my goodness. A lot of you are dressed in...rather 'peculiar' clothing…" Kooplinia pointed out, feeling a little awkward, mostly directing that comment towards Daisy, Kooper, Koopie, Goombella, Vivian, Wario, and Pauline since they're dressed in a fashion completely opposite from her time.

"Huh!? How is that possible when she must've been sent here back in the 17th century!?" Goombella questioned.

"I can't die here. Well, I CAN, but I just get revived and killed constantly. That's how this world works," Kooplinia summarized.

"That's right. Kalmar said that. I thought he was just bullshitting us, but I guess it's actually true! Wow…" DK recalled.

"Kalmar!? As in...that thing over there with the snakes!?" Spike squealed in fear, pointing to the Star Spirit across the room.

"Yes, that is me. Although...I am certainly called by many other names, hoohoohoo…" 'Kalmar' spoke.

"Goddamn. He was the good Star Spirit in our world, but in this world, he's the polar opposite, looks like," Parakarry said.

"And...what about HIM!? The Mario lookalike! Why do his clothes look so much like Koops'!?" Koopie pointed to Underworld-Mario, who just stood there smirking at the whole group.

"That's kind of a long story that I don't think you wanna know about," Underworld-Mario snarkily answered.

"That's, egh, this Underworld's Mario. Obviously totally different from our Mario!" Mona said in disgust. Peach and Luigi couldn't help but just stare in pure discomfort at the grotesque Mario clone.

"We also found Bombette too! So, we're good to go!" Boshi said.

"Not so fast. Don't forget about our little bargain. Because I can assure you...you won't escape from here easily without it," 'Kalmar' said.

"Oh yeah? What's this bargain you speak of!?" Mario irritatedly asked.

"A sacrifice. Leave one of your own here and the rest of you can leave. If I'm gonna be ruling this place for all eternity, I'm gonna need a 'playtoy' to keep me entertained. I'm sure you know what I mean, Kooplinia!" 'Kalmar' teasingly spoke, which made Kooplinia want to gag.

"UGH! You are a filthy and vile creature! So sick in the head that you pleasure yourself to torturing me for all this time!" Kooplinia spat.

"Give me a break! We're not sacrificing one of our own. We'll take you on," Mario stated.

"Ohhhh shut the hell up," Underworld-Mario spoke, drawing all angry eyes to him. "This is the one time you shouldn't be a hero, you fool! You honestly think you can beat the ruler of this palace with his pets, his guards...AND me? Hmmhmm, you're just asking for a bloodbath.

Now, you're probably thinking to yourself 'Oh, whatever. If we get killed in this world, we'll be revived and try again anyways!' But the thing is...I know you guys are on a time crunch right now. The more time you waste, the more of a chance the Crystal Queen has to succeed in her plans. You're smarter than this, Mario. Don't play the hero part this time around."

No one was sure how to respond to that. They detested the way he said it, but at the same time, no one wanted to admit that he had a point. Time was running out and as much as they didn't want to leave one of their own in this godawful world...perhaps they truly had no other choice?

"Hoohoohoo! I can see it in your eyes. You want to make the sacrifice. You know we're right. Sacrifice one in order to save the majority. It'll be good for you all in the long run. And this is a deal that you won't get from any other 'ruler' in this world. So, make the choice," 'Kalmar' insisted.

Bowser got out his gun and weakly pointed it at Kalmar. "I got enough bullets in here to slow you and your ugly pets down. All of you...go. I'll take them on."

"DAD, NO! Please don't! Your family needs you!" Larry pleaded and sobbed.

"It has to be this way, son. I'm sorry. I'm dying and...there's no more time left to lose...this has to be done now!" Bowser demanded as he also began to tear up.

"Bowser...STOP," Boshi suddenly spoke. All eyes turned to him now. "It should be me that should stay here. No one else."

"Oh, Boshi, stop! You're one of the toughest people here, this group needs you! We're not changing the decision!" Bowser yelled.

"Wait, umm, so, are we actually all agreeing on Bowser being the one to stay?" Luvbi asked very nervously. Everyone looked to each other, not knowing what to say.

"NO! Because it should be me. It should be me! Guys...I'm a fucking wreck. I have no family, no friends, live in a shitty neighborhood, I've done so many stupid things that you all had to see...my life back in our world is pointless. Bowser, there's still a chance for you to live. You have kids who need you. Rinot might still be able to save you!" Boshi argued.

"Boshi, just stop! Don't go into being a pity partier! You may be annoying a lot of the time, but you make up for it in your strength!" Daisy spoke for his defense.

"That's besides the point," Boshi insisted on his choice as eyes welled up. "It should REALLY be me because...because...Yoshi, I've been lying to you about everything."

Yoshi looked totally taken aback from this. "What!? What do you mean by that!?"

"Everyone...I told Yoshi that, after Birdo's memory was wiped, I tried to get her to be against you all. I told her stories about how horribly you guys treated me in the past and that she shouldn't trust any of you...but everything I told her was all one-sided on my end. I exaggerated everything! I fucked with her mind when she was so vulnerable a-and didn't know a thing about anyone!" Boshi explained as he started to cry. Everyone slowly became horrified at the truth he was spilling out.

He continued, "Yoshi...I...I also lied to you when you asked me if I did anything further with Birdo after I told her all of those lies! I said 'no'...but I did! We made out in the closet! I wanted Birdo so bad and I just...Yoshi...I felt like you took her away from me a long time ago and I just wanted her so badly...she's the only woman who has ever understood me and I was so jealous that you get to have her that I...that I kissed her and had her all over me in the closet at the hospital!"

The horror and shock grew even more on everyone's faces at this revelation. Most horrified of all was Yoshi. Yoshi believed Boshi and gave him another chance, even after the stupid crap he pulled, but this was on a whole other level of messed up.

"And that's not it. I pressured Yoshi to tell me who it was that called the cops on me that one night I got arrested for having cocaine in my car. I was set up that night...some of you here know that night...he told me that it was you, Dixie! That you were going through a brief drug phase at the time and you planted that coke in my car and got me arrested for it! That...that...was so fucked up...but...I don't blame you for doing it...after all the stupid shit I've said and done...it's caught up to me now…" he broke further down crying.

Dixie was now just as horrified as Yoshi was. That was a deep, dark secret that she begged some of her friends to keep.

"What-what in the world am I listening to!? GOOD GRIEF! This is unbelievably sick!" Luvbi yelled.

"Th-that's why it should be me! Yoshi, I've been lying to you about everything...AGAIN! I haven't changed one bit! I can't hold it in anymore! It has to be me! NO ONE ELSE!" Boshi screamed as his whole body shook in fear and cried some more.

Yoshi looked completely stunned. Everyone else was afraid he would explode in rage, although who could blame him?

"Yoshi...hey...look at me...Yoshi! Please say something!" Mario yelled as he walked closer to him.

Yoshi didn't respond. Perhaps he couldn't respond. Boshi fucked with his head and used his girlfriend for his own selfish needs. The immense shock quickly turned into a massive rage as his blood began to boil.

"Hmmhmm! This took quite the turn! Man...you guys sure have quite the dark side to you too! Perhaps you're all not as different from your Underworld counterparts as you appear to be?" Underworld-Mario snickered, taking enjoyment from this horrible predicament.

"Umm...okay...I think we just need to...Yoshi? Wh-what are you doing!?" DK said, noticing that Yoshi began to walk to Bowser. The dino suddenly snatched the gun from Bowser, cocked it, and aimed it at Boshi. It happened so fast that everyone else had little time to react.

"WAIT, YOSHI!" Boshi screamed, having no time to move. It was too late.

Bang.

The sound of the gunshot echoed throughout the room as blood splattered everywhere. The bullet zipped through Boshi's torso and he fell to the floor. Some of the others screamed in total surprise from this sudden and horrific action.

Boshi felt immobilized as his eyes locked into the cracked ceiling above him and he heard the echoes of his group screaming slowly fading away as his own vision began to fade as well.

"You've made your choice. Now...leave before I change my mind," 'Kalmar' demanded and walked over to the slowly dying Boshi. "This is perfect timing for my snakes' afternoon meal. Dig in, my pets!"

Boshi saw the snakes come into his view. He knew this was the end for him. This was his hell now. He shed a couple more tears as everything turned to black.


The Mirror gang were still waiting at the lake for their original counterparts' return. The water suddenly started to bubble from where the opening in the ice was.

"OH! Look, it's gotta be them!" Mirror-Lakilester shouted and pointed to the waters.

"YES! Please have Bombette, please have Bombette!" Mirror-Kooper excitedly spoke.

Out from the waters shooted out the entire gang, who all landed on the shore. They all heavily coughed as they shivered from the icy waters.

"Oh, Bombette! They saved you! We're so happy you're okay!" Mirror-Flurrie rejoiced and so did the others.

"Ah...yeah...it was horrible down there...I REAAAALLY don't wanna talk about it just yet…" Mirror-Bombette said while shaking.

"Thank you guys so much for saving our friend! Are you all accounted for? Did you lose anyone?" Mirror-Mario asked as he helped Mario up, but Mario slapped his hand away and helped himself up.

"We...we lost Boshi…" Mario angrily spoke. The mirror counterparts gasped and looked saddened by the loss.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, you guys! Our deepest condolences!" Mirror-Starlow cried.

"Oh crap! Does that mean I'm doomed to die next!? That's how it works, right!?" Mirror-Boshi said in a panic.

"Oh man...that's so awful. I couldn't be more sorry that you guys lost one of your own down there," Mirror-Mario expressed his sorrow for them. Mario and the rest looked like they weren't gonna take any sympathy from them. They all looked livid.

"Um, well, to put things on the brighter side, we found the Rainbow Herb! Now we can get this all moving accordingly!" Mirror-Peach tried to lighten things up, but it didn't work.

"Give us back our weapons. Right now," Mario harshly demanded.

"Um, look, Mario...we ARE really sorry that you lost Boshi, but I think we should first do-"

"I SAID, GIVE US BACK OUR FUCKING WEAPONS, NOOOOW!" Mario roared into his counterpart's face.

EoC.

So sorry for being a little late on this! I had a minor case of writer's block for this chapter, plus it ended up being significantly longer than I anticipated it to. (I'm starting to notice that recurring theme for a lot of my chapters as of late, LOL). Because of this, Rosalina's plot will be moved to the beginning of the next chapter.

Next chapter, the showdown between the Crystal Queen and Merle vs. Mario and Mirror-Mario's gangs begins...but more surprises are revealed that make the battle even tougher to handle. Rinot Pajouro also attempts to remove the portal to the Underworld and heal Wario, Mona, and Bowser, but will they all make it in time before they succumb? Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be uploaded on or before Sunday, June 13.