WARNING: There is a section in the middle of this chapter that contains heavy/triggering content. There will be another 'WARNING' in bold text just like this one before the section begins.

Blackstone Tower: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, DK, Dixie, Toadette, Goombella, Koops, Kooper, Parakarry, Spike/Paper-Yoshi, Vivian, Bowser, Larry, Bowser Jr., Wario, Pauline, Mona, Starlow, Luvbi, Grodus

Hospital group: Bleck/Blumiere, Tippi/Timpani, Toadsworth, Fly Guy, Toado, Morton, Lemmy, Ludwig, Kody, E. Gadd, Clawdia, Katia, Kenneth, Toodles, Petey Piranha

Mushroom Corps.: Toadari (Arfur's boss), Tadano

Island group: Tatanga, Beldam, Roy, Doopliss, Dimentio, Mimi, Diddy, Fire Bro/Konnor

Moon: TEC

Fort Koopington: Rosalina, Monty Mole

FORT KOOPINGTON

It was in the late afternoon as Rosalina and Monty came back to his house after having lunch at a cafe right on the seaside.

"Thanks for taking me to that cafe and paying for lunch! I've never done that before. Eating practically right on the sea. It was so nice. This whole town is so nice! So much quaintness and picturesque scenery…so many giant, green parks with rolling hills to hike upon and sightsee…it's isolated, yet perfect for a slower and more relaxed life. I can see why you love it here now, Monty. Why you refuse to leave, even after everything. Why it's the perfect place to get away from one's past," Rosalina spoke in enchantment while walking to the living room.

"I'm glad you fell in love with it, Rosalina! Yesterday and today was pretty much the entire tour of the grand town of Fort Koopington! You were right about everything you just said…well…except for the 'escaping one's past' part just a little bit, though…" Monty replied enthusiastically, but then sounded a little sad towards the end. Rosalina caught this and felt ashamed.

"Oh! Right. I'm so sorry, Monty. I shouldn't have said it like that. I-I was trying to speak in a general sense, not universally. I'm really sorry!" she sputtered.

"It's okay. No…you are right about that part too. There's just always an exception to everything, unfortunately. Montara was that exception to getting away from the past. Maybe Toadaska too. Even though I've got a very emotional past in this town as well…I also had a very loving and meaningful past here too. Which is why I don't think I could ever leave Fort Koopington for long. Not too long," Monty responded with an understanding smile as his eyes became a little watery. Rosalina nodded in agreement.

"That makes sense. But, um, Monty…I had a thought while we were out and about in town. About my friends. You were right that it's too soon for us to be reunited. However, I think I know of a spell that allows me to check on their status. I didn't even think about it until earlier today…when…when we were at the cafe, and…I saw this girl run up to a group of girls and hug them all and she was so cheery. I remember hearing her words…she said she hadn't seen them in so long and that she checks their social media statuses but it's never the same as connecting in person.

That's what triggered the thought that I can check on them without connecting in person. It'll be hard and emotional to see them but not be physically there…but it's the best I can do. I just NEED to know how they are and what's going on, Monty. I have to. It's the only way that it'll give me true ease right now," Rosalina revealed insistently. Monty looked a little taken aback but also nodded.

"Right. Of course! It's only natural! I get it. Completely get it. What do you need to do for the spell then? Just a chant?" Monty asked.

"Pretty much. I will need total silence though. I will also need to go lay on the bed, since I need to be totally relaxed for this," Rosalina responded and urgently headed for her bedroom. Monty followed her in and he closed the window to ensure the silence she needed. Rosalina laid on her bed, inhaled deeply, then exhaled greatly as she relaxed her body and closed her eyes. Monty stood in the corner and watched the scene eagerly.

"Ooooh…stars, with friendship still alive and forever connecting our hearts, guide my vision so I can see and feel we're not apart. Knowing their state is a must and a need, so bring the power to me and fulfill your deed!" Rosalina chanted with her eyes closed. She inhaled deeply again and then another great exhale.

"Rosalina, do you see anything? Anything coming to you?" Monty whispered.

"Sssshhh….silence…" Rosalina whispered back. Monty covered his mouth in embarrassment.

Rosalina saw a glimmer of light. The light then faded and was replaced with a perspective of a tall, wooden building with black mist pulsating from it. Rosalina gasped, feeling the overwhelming and discomforting energy it was giving off. Then, flashes of her friends screaming and in massive pain and distress rang through her mind. The screams were so loud and agonizing that Rosalina cried out and held her head.

"WOAH! ROSALINA, WHAT'S WRONG!? WHAT'S HAPPENING!? WHAT SHOULD I DO!?" Monty shrieked, observing her flailing about on the bed.

"What…what is happening!? WHAT IS THIS PLACE!? WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MY FRIENDS!?" Rosalina yelled and ran into the building. She opened the doors and the second she stepped inside, she fell into an abyss. Rosalina screamed helplessly as she quite literally felt herself being sucked into a void.

Then she landed on a soft surface in a cemetery on the outskirts of a woods. The world turned to a sunset light as she felt herself stuck to what felt like mud. She scrambled to get herself up, but she saw something from the corner of her eye that made her freeze.

"Well well well, my dear Rosalina, welcome to the house of the dead. Your feeble attempt to come in and see how your friends are faring was quite applaudable…but, alas, fell through on the account of your powers not being strong enough to counteract the wicked darkness and trickery that lay within these walls. Unless…well…hehe…you were to go back to being Dark Rosalina, of course!" the pale man spoke tauntingly while walking over to her.

"NO! This is all just a trick! I'm not physically here! TAKE ME BACK!" Rosalina yelled, but nothing happened. She was still trapped in this strange, frightening place.

The pale man then morphed into Vesper the raccoon, who was now full on laughing at her.

"Woooooow! You really thought it'd be that easy!? Man, you are DUMB! Do you have any idea what place you just entered!? This is a place where all your awful memories and traumas are stored…the most important life events that truly shapes who you were, are, and will become! But…ohhhhh man! I don't think you're ready for YOUR trip down memory lane, HAHAHAHA!" Vesper mocked and cackled, striking terror and shock into Rosalina.

"A-A place where memories and traumas are stored!? That's where my friends are at!? That…that has to be where the final gem is then!" Rosalina spoke as she was still processing this insanity.

Vesper then morphed into Grunty the witch, who then circled around Rosalina. Grunty spoke, "No spell in this hell house can set you free! Once you're in, you are trapped, don't you see? The only escape is to fight the traumas and horrors of your past, but with so much tragedy and fear they face, will anyone last?"

"Wait! But, I don't understand! How can someone fight the traumas of their past!? What exactly do they need to do!? Will they be given the gem if they succeed!?" Rosalina frantically asked.

Grunty now morphed into Ganondorf who crouched down to Rosalina, giving her a creepy smirk and spoke, "Come on now, you know that's not a question that can be easily answered. But I suppose I'll help you out: what would YOU do if you had to reface everything traumatic that happened in your life all over again? Would you react exactly the same? Try a different method? Or just go batshit insane and hope for the best?

Maybe for your case, though…perhaps…the best escape would be your dark magic. BUT WAIT! I'm sure you remember what happened last time you tried black magic! Right!? Haha. How could you not, blondie? Such a sad solution, though…the best way out for you is also the most dangerous and self-destructive. Guess that's what happens when you're born with the magics! You were both blessed and cursed. But…OH MAN! Seems like you're feeling that it's more of a curse. I mean, look at your state of mind right now. Drowning in misery. Begging to come up from the depths and reach the light…but that darkness will drag you down every time."

"YOU'RE WRONG! THIS IS JUST…LET ME OUT! STARS, HEAR MY PLEA AND-" Rosalina cried and was about to chant a spell to escape this mess, but was cut off by Ganondorf morphing into the Red Koopa Brother and yelling in her face.

"OH, WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!? So dramatic and so pathetic! Ohhhh man, imagine if you were actually here! In person…face to face with your demons…no way you'd survive. You're forever marked by the tragedy that is your past, present, and future. Maybe that pale dude was right? Maybe you should've just embraced the darkness that lingers within you and permanently took on the black magics? Shit, you might become a destroyer of all things, but at least you wouldn't deal with all this pain! I'm surprised you haven't even tried to off yourself yet. Wow. I mean…I know I would. Having to live with that pain every damn day. Seriously, how are you not suicidal? Or at least batshit insane!? Well…you probably think you'd be your own person. That you'd grow from this. That you'd become stronger than ever. I get why you think that…and why you hope that'd be the endgame for you. But, let me tell you something…" he mocked and snickered throughout, then morphed into King Boo.

He continued on, still taunting her right in her face, "...you'll never become that. The woman you wish to be. You'll always be a slave to the dark and wicked and chaotic. The temptation will be there until the day you die. Heeheehee! Doesn't that sound wondrously depressing? But ohhhhh…noooo…don't start crying now, my fair lady…because if you do, you're not gonna wanna stop. That sinking feeling you have…the grief and despair swallowing you from the inside…it's such a comforting feeling, isn't it? As odd as that sounds. You hit rock bottom. It takes too much strength to climb out of there. Do you even have anymore strength left for that? Talk about the ultimate burnout if that's the case! Heeheehee…the more you try to get out, the more painful it becomes…you don't wanna get caught up in that once again, do you?"

Rosalina looked away and held back her tears while speaking, "I-I know what you're doing here. You're not gonna get me to break. I may have been through tragedy after tragedy…but I AM strong. This is just a test you're doing. That's all there is to this. A pathetic and desperate test!"

King Boo backed away from her with a leery look, then morphed into Dimentio, who crossed his arms, shook his head, and spoke, "You still don't get it…like a little kid who can't understand university level English. You really think this is all about you being tested? Huh. You wistful woman…trying so hard to look on the brighter side of things that are already covered in pure darkness and dread. None of this was ever about you being tested. It was never about right. It was never about wrong…."

Dimentio faded away. Then a noise of dirt being moved about was heard. Rosalina darted her head to her left and jumped in fright when she saw dirt rise from a gravestone that was labeled 'R.I.P ROSALINA - OUR MYSTICAL LADY WHO SUCCUMBED TO THE BLACK MAGICS.'

Out of the dirt popped out Dark Rosalina, making the true Rosalina jump again.

"...it was always about power. Who could destroy the most. Who could control the most. But you already knew that, didn't you? Didn't you!? DIDN'T YOU!? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Dark Rosalina screeched at the top of her lungs. Rosalina covered her ears and cried from the high-pitched noise.

Monty saw Rosalina flailing about on the bed while she cried a little. The mole began to panic.

"OH NO! Rosalina, what's going on with you!? What do I do!? WHAT SHOULD I DO!? AHHH! I DON'T KNOW!" Monty screamed and shook her by the shoulders in hopes of waking her up. He yelled in her ear, "ROSALINA, YOU NEED TO COME BACK! WAKE UP! GET OUT OF THERE!"

"You frail, little girl. You need to wake up to your destiny and realize that the lust for power is something you can never overcome! Wake up to it already! WAKE UP! WAAAAAAKE UUUUUUPPPP!" Dark Rosalina screeched again, making the true Rosalina cower and cover her ears.

"NOOOO! STOP IT! STOOOOOOP! I WANT OUT! GET ME THE HELL OOOOUUUUUT!" Rosalina screamed.

"AUGH!"

Rosalina opened her eyes and stopped moving. She was back in the bedroom with Monty, who looked scared out of his mind.

"R-Rosalina!? You're back! I think? Wait, you're not possessed, are you? What just happened here!? What did I miss!? WHAT DID YOU SEE!?" Monty frantically questioned.

"M-My friends…aaawwwggghh…my…head…god! That place…I-I don't understand! I couldn't get a read on it and…oh my god…why is my head throbbing!?" Rosalina groaned, holding her pain as she sat up.

"Woah! So, what about your friends? And, uhh, do you want me to get you some Ibuprofen!? Would that even help!? What do you need me to do, Rosalina!? Tell me and I'll do it!" Monty yelled, still feeling frantic.

"Monty…please calm down…that's not helping…ugh…y-yeah, I'll try the Ibuprofen. As for my friends…they're stuck somewhere…I-I can't use my magic to figure out their location…" Rosalina cried as she got off the bed, still holding her head, and then Monty led her to the kitchen.

"Oh, that's horrible! What are you gonna do then!? How will you find them!?" Monty shrieked while getting the Ibuprofen from the cabinet.

"I…umm…I have an idea. So, I can't transport there, obviously…but I know of some people who will know where they went to. St. Toadofsky's Hospital. Some people there will know their whereabouts. I have to find them, Monty. I know they're in big trouble and they could use my aid," Rosalina revealed as she took the Ibuprofen with a glass of water.

"Right! Good! That's a smart plan. So…uhh…I gotta ask…if it's okay to ask…what did you see in your mind? You seemed so scared! It was scaring ME!" Monty questioned.

Rosalina put the glass down and heavily sighed as a couple of tears fell. "It's too complicated to explain. I mean…let's just say that my demons from the past were taunting me and…that's exactly what they're doing to my friends in this strange place. They're fighting their past traumas. That's…that's unlike anything we've ever faced before. I already know we'll lose a few of them. So, I should go now before it gets to be too late!"

"WAIT! Rosalina, I'm coming with you! Please take me! You don't need to do this on your own!" Monty pleaded. Rosalina huffed and shook her head.

"Monty…it's…it's really best you don't come. Please. I don't wanna rip you away from your home. You belong in this beautiful and peaceful place. You deserve it! If you die…Monty…" she spoke in slight protest, but Monty then also shook his head.

"Rosalina. Come on! We've already had this conversation. If I'm gonna go out dying, it may as well be me contributing to save the world! Plus, I don't wanna let our bond go! So, I'm going and that's final. I'm an adult and can make my own choices. I know the risks and dangers. But I still wanna go. So…take us to wherever you need to go!" he affirmed proudly. Rosalina couldn't help but smile a little at his determination, knowing that he was right in that he was an adult and could make the tough choice to help save everyone.

"Alright then. Just stay close to me at all times then! Off to St. Toadofsky's Hospital we go!"


BLACKSTONE TOWER

Daisy opened a door leading into her bedroom from her castle. She saw her kid self on the bed speaking with her parents. Daisy gasped in immense surprise and held her chest, quickly tearing up from seeing her parents.

"Honey, there's no need to be scared, okay? Remember, you're a princess, princesses are fearless and strong! They can take on anyone and anything!" her mom assured a shaken kid Daisy.

"But mom! I swear, I saw something in my closet last night! I was soooo scared that I couldn't sleep. I didn't know what to do!" kid Daisy cried.

"Oh, honey, remember what I told you earlier? It was just a bad dream. Sometimes we get those, but I promise you that it doesn't mean anything!" her mom assured further.

"Hold on a second, dear, I'm gonna try something…" her father whispered into her mother's ear. The father scooched close to Daisy and asked her, "Daisy, sweetie, what exactly did you think you saw?"

"A…um…tall man…with long arms…he was staring at me the entire time…I was sooo scared and couldn't move! I didn't know what to do, so, um, I just…stared at it…hoping it would go away…" kid Daisy nervously explained.

Her father looked over to her closet. He snickered and walked on over to the closet.

"Ah…there's the problem. Your sweater is the longest thing in this closet…it's also jet black. And the way the hood is positioned makes it look like the back of someone's head. Here, I'll move the sweater to the far side of the closet, that way, it's out of your sight and I'll also close the door. Though, how come you kept the door open if you didn't wanna see it?" her father said while re-positioning the sweater.

"I-I thought I closed it! The door must not close all the way or something like that…" kid Daisy yelled in slight relief.

"Hmmm. Yeah…you're right. That's odd. Look here, you have to really push on the door so it closes all the way. I'll look into that tomorrow!" her father confirmed her statement as he played with the door.

"But see, sweetie? You have nothing to worry about! But…if you DO get scared again, just remember this: you are a princess. You are powerful, in control, and fearless. You were born into this family for a reason. Our blood of pure power, control, and fearlessness runs within your veins. You will be just fine! You will get through ANYTHING that comes your way! Okay? Always remember that. You are a Sarasa lady," her mother said encouragingly, making kid Daisy smile brightly.

"Thanks, mom…and dad…I love you guys!" kid Daisy cheered as her eyes welled up. Adult Daisy, seeing this, also had her eyes well up, this memory tugging at her heart, especially due to seeing her parents 'in person' again, who she hadn't talked to in so long due to always being away from home to be with Luigi and her other friends in the Mushroom Kingdom.

The room suddenly went dark, which startled Daisy. Door creaking sounds were heard coming from Daisy's right. Daisy caught her breath and slowly looked to her right, seeing the closet door slowly creak open through the darkness as her eyes quickly adjusted. She backed away a little as a chill went down her spine.

She saw something slowly move out of the closet. From what she could see, it was a tall, lanky figure with long arms and legs. Daisy shrieked and bolted out of the bedroom…only to end up in her own bedroom again somehow. But this time, it was daylight and a familiar figure was seen cackling at a scared, slightly younger adult Daisy on her bed. She knew right then and there what was going on.

Daisy was cowering on her bed, sobbing, as Tatanga taunted her with his expressions.

"You're pathetic. Getting all upset like a useless wimp, calling out for your mommy and daddy, aren't you supposed to be a princess!? Princesses are supposed to be tough and able to stand up for themselves, right? How can you even call yourself one when you've done absolutely NOTHING to stop me or escape? You're not fit to run a whole kingdom, my lady. But don't worry, I'll show you the ropes once I'm able to marry you and make you my queen. Speaking of that, the wedding is being set up right now as we speak. All the citizens that are under my control will attend and will see us be officially crowned king and queen of Sarasaland. Doesn't that just sound so heavenly to you?" Tatanga scolded her like some bully.

"Just…stop it! PLEASE! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!? WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU!? I don't…*sniff* understand…you don't have to be evil! There's no reason for this! It isn't fair to me nor to anyone else!" Daisy whimpered, covering her face in her sheets.

"Fair? Fair!? YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT FUCKING FAIR, DAISY!? All my fucking life, everything that has happened to me was the opposite of fair! My mom left me without even saying goodbye! She didn't give a fuck about me, she didn't care how I would feel! My dad clearly didn't want me either because he's called me a burden multiple times, ESPECIALLY since he would be the only one to take care of me! Then you have my brother…ho ho…isn't he the nutty one? He was always abusive to me, making me his punching bag, the bastard even stabbed me once! Thankfully, the idiot is in a mental institution in that hellhole of a city. In fact…the thought hasn't even occurred to me that I should really just blow that place apart. I mean, come on, who really has time to deal with a bunch of mindfucked people that sees things that aren't there or have random violent outbreaks? No one, duh! And those bullies…those damn bullies…they tore me down till I felt like I was nothing but a waste of existence. They called me every name in the book…they left their marks on me…heh, I can still hear and see them, shouting…giving me those dirty looks…pushing me…so you know what I did to solve the problem? I killed them. Slowly, but surely. It was so satisfying, watching their lives fade away as they cry and beg for mercy! Hahaha! I dare say that it was even hilarious! Now they knew what it felt like. They knew what I went through…and they paid the price for it. Same with my dad, he didn't give a shit about me, he sometimes pretended like I didn't exist, so therefore, I gave him that kind of karma back in return, by 'wiping' him away from existence! So interesting how things come full circle, isn't it?" Tatanga ranted, snickering every now and then, and also smiled the entire way, proving how sadistic he truly was.

"Oh my god, you're…DISGUSTING! I-I'm sorry that happened to you, but that doesn't give you the right to kill those innocent people! This has gone way too far! Revenge doesn't solve anything, Tatanga! Please…just…stop this…it isn't worth it!" Daisy pleaded, almost throwing up in her mouth because of what he said, and the fact that he acted proud of it certainly didn't help.

"It's not just about revenge, you idiot! It's also about power and control. Once I become king, the next step is to take over the world. When that happens, all power and control will be mine, and that way, I can make it so that nothing bad will ever happen to me and I can have things go my way for once. Besides, I've come this far, I've made it across so many boundaries that I've even managed to impress myself! Why the hell should I stop now? Seriously, I've already destroyed so much, so tell me, what's the point of stopping when I'm so much closer to achieving my goal?" Tatanga spat.

"I-It's not all about you, Tatanga! Think of how many people you've killed! Those same people have families and friends they love and care about! Don't you have anyone that you love or care about!?" Daisy asked. Tatanga suddenly gulped at this, making a somewhat concerned expression.

"There was one girl…but…she was killed…" he whispered, staring into space. He and Daisy noticed the immediate mood change and they both thought it was weird. Tatanga shook his head a bit and looked back at Daisy. "B-but, that's another reason why I need power and control! If I had those…I could've prevented her death…I could've prevented lots of things…ugh, but, I don't expect you to understand, Daisy. You're just some perfect little stuck up prude princess who had a wealthy and easy life, so don't you dare try to lecture me on what is right and wrong for me."

"Is-is that what you really think of me? Wow…you…you don't know me at all, Tatanga. It's not right of you to just assume that about me…" Daisy sighed, knowing that there's no way he'll listen to reason.

"Oh, shut up. I've met your type plenty of times. You can't fool me anymore. I'm done being deceived," Tatanga rolled his eyes and then smacked her. Daisy screeched and started sobbing again into her covers.

"Stop fucking crying already! It's what you get for thinking that you could fuck with my head, bitch!" Tatanga swore and grabbed her by the hair.

Daisy felt herself being physically grabbed by Tatanga all over again. She cried a little and did feel scared…but only for a moment. She regained her composure, gritted her teeth, and grabbed Tatanga hard by the wrist.

"What do you think you're doing!? Let go of me, you broad!" Tatanga barked, angrily glaring into Daisy's eyes but this didn't phase her.

"Wanna know something about power and control? It doesn't have to be used for evil purposes. Yeah, I'm a princess. I may have grown up luckier than almost everyone else in this world, but I also know how to stand up for myself and take care of my circle of friends. No wonder you're so fucking miserable, Tatanga. You had no friends. You had a fucked up family. I AM sorry for that…but my sympathy ends at the line where you used that anger to take it out on the whole world. You're gonna get yourself killed and all of this would've been for NOTHING!" Daisy fiercely shouted, staring right back at him as the alien turned more and more red and his body started to shake.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME! IT'S PEOPLE LIKE YOU WITH YOUR FUCKING PERFECT LIVES WHO THINK THEY KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR EVERYONE!" Tatanga screamed at the top of his lungs and then punched her in the face with his other hand. Daisy shrieked, falling to the floor, and immediately held her nose. Daisy reacted quickly, though, as she got up and rammed into Tatanga, slamming him into the wall. She then punched him back in the face and kicked him in the groin, sending him to the floor groaning in pain.

"OOOOOOH! Grah…you don't understand…having everything you've ever wanted handed to you…support from everyone in your life…you'll never understand…" Tatanga cried, defeatedly leaning against the wall, staring angrily at the princess.

"Oh shut up. You know damn well that it's never that black-and-white. Plus…who the hell says I WANT to understand you in the first place!?" Daisy stated, then grabbed him, pulled him up, and shoved him out the window, sending him meters to the earth below.

Daisy let out a sigh of relief and backed away from the window, but she saw something dark from the corner of her eye. She darted her head to her left and jumped when she saw a tall, dark figure creep out from her closet. She backed away and ran out her bedroom door, which would've led out to the hallway…but instead led out into the lobby of St. Toadofsky's Hospital. Daisy shrieked at this unexpected change and accidentally tripped over herself and landed on the floor. She looked up and screamed when she saw another familiar face.

"P-Princess Daisy…please…end me…" Toadoro said, the man who had lost his wife and daughter, the man who had been beaten physically, emotionally, and mentally…the man who Daisy didn't want to kill, but ended up doing so completely by accident.

Daisy froze. The world drowned out again. The hurt and anguish in his face set her right back to that time when the koopatrols invaded the hospital and caused mass destruction.

"I don't wanna live like this anymore…I have nothing left…and I'm in so much pain…please, Princess Daisy…end me…" Toadoro cried while sliding a handgun to her.

"No…I…I can't…I mean…god, NO! THIS IS ALL FAKE! This place is just screwing with my head…that's all it is…screwing with my head…screwing with my head…" Daisy yelled while choking up, then closed her eyes, hoping this would all go away since she knew this wasn't actually happening…as much as it felt like it was.

After a minute of keeping her eyes closed and chanting to herself that this was just her head being messed with, she slowly opened her eyes and gasped when she saw Toadoro on the ground, a bullet hole in his head. Daisy dropped her jaw in absolute horror, upon seeing that and the fact that the handgun was in her hand.

"WHA…NO! NOOOOOO! I DIDN'T FUCKING SHOOT HIM! I NEVER WANTED TO…I…OH MY GOD…" Daisy screamed and backed away from the gruesome sight. She backed up against the wall and saw Luigi from the corner of her eye on her left. She looked at him in surprise and he looked at her with a sad expression.

"I knew you couldn't be relied on. You're a selfish princess who just constantly complains about what she can't have. That's why I broke up with you. That's why I got back with you out of guilt! I don't love you anymore, Daisy! I DON'T! THAT'S WHY I WANTED YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU COULDN'T TAKE THE FUCKING HINT!" Luigi screamed in her face as bullets were heard in the background, scaring her further.

"NO NO NOOOOOO! THAT'S ALL A FUCKING LIE! JUST STOP IT! I WANT THE FUCK OUT OF HEEEERE!" Daisy screamed and ran off to the lobby exit doors.

She didn't exit outside, where she thought she'd end up. But rather…she ended up in a room with gray walls and dull features. A room that just gave off a high-tech vibe. She took in the setting and stood there in confusion. This room looked and felt familiar to her somehow, despite it looking like an empty gray room.

"Figured out where you are yet?" said an ominous, feminine-like voice from behind her. Daisy yelped and quickly turned around to find the haunting black shadow figure entering the room. Daisy backed away.

"Who the fuck are you!? What is it you want from me!?" Daisy cried.

"You really haven't figured THAT out yet, either? Wow…thought you had the brains to figure out this messy puzzle…" responded the shadow figure, who then made a noise that sounded like a snap of the fingers. In an instant, the shadow figure turned into another Daisy. The true Daisy shrieked and backed away further.

"WHAT THE! W-Why are you…me!? This doesn't make any sense!" Daisy yelled.

"Well…I suppose it's hard to digest so much all at once. Let me explain something to you: do you recognize where you are yet? Come on…you've been here before…only one time, but…it has to come to you any second now…" the other Daisy said as she eyed her true self up and down.

"What!? I don't…wait…hold on here…is this the room I woke up in!? I mean, the room where we first met Kylie and…it turned out me and the other 11 were actually secretly drugged and taken here when Tatanga first hit?" Daisy said in realization.

"There you go. You got it. We're back where it all started. The room where your life changed dramatically. The beginning where your life was no longer going to be the same. This was the starting point of the world you knew, and what you knew about yourself, began to slowly crash all around you. The 'you' right now…it's the 'you' that's been beaten down and fucked with, time and time again. The 'me' you see right before you…I represent the old you. The one before the world went to chaos. The one where I lived life relatively normally as a princess in my own space. Where I was always protected and didn't need to go on these manic adventures to witness people die and get involved in a war," the other Daisy responded with a smirk.

"What!? But that doesn't make any sense! How could you represent the old me!? I…I saw…'you' in my closet when I was a kid…you were that shadow then…how!?" true Daisy perplexedly asked.

The other Daisy laughed at her. "Quit being so dense. There was never a shadow figure in your closet. You just made all that up in your head. You saw something that was never there. Talk about delusional…but maybe…it would've been better if there was? To keep you afraid.

Sweet Daisy…you were never the fearless princess that your parents told you you were. You had to become that after Tatanga kidnapped you the first time. But don't you wish that never happened? You would've never been subjected to the horrors of this world. You would've been kept like a child, all in your own bubble…"

The other Daisy then turned into child Daisy. True Daisy gasped again, choking up a little at seeing her younger, innocent self again.

"Don't you wanna be like me, again, Daisy? We could stay like this forever and ever! We'll have other people fight our battles and be safe from everything. We don't need to put ourselves out there, to just get hurt and be so emotional about all the madness. There's still time to escape. Just come with me…" child Daisy kindly and eagerly spoke, reaching out her hand to Daisy for her to take. Daisy seeing her child self struck her chords as childhood memories flooded back to her of her being in her own circle and having the advantages that the average person wished they had. Also just being happy and carefree again.

"I…I might be tired of all the shit I've seen and gone through…and I can't lie…it IS a tempting thing to go back…but I can't. I won't. I have my friends and I grew so much closer to them than I ever have before. I would fight and die for them. I'm also so much stronger and courageous than I ever could've possibly imagined.

And you wanna know something? That's something I never had as a child. Yeah, I may have had the protection and upper hand in life. But I didn't have any friends as a kid, and I got scared so easily. I relied on other people to make the changes in the world. So, I love who I've become. I'm an entirely different person! You…as a younger me…if only you knew how powerful you'd become as an adult. The journey was worth it to become the person I am now," Daisy explained caringly to her child self. Kid Daisy listened intently, but then made an angry expression.

"No…NO! YOU'RE LYING! I DON'T WANNA GO THROUGH ALL THAT! I WANNA STAY LIKE THIS FOREVER! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME SUFFER LIKE YOU DID!" Kid Daisy screamed then shoved true Daisy to the floor. Kid Daisy then bit hard into true Daisy's neck, making her scream loudly in pain.

"FUUUUUUUUCK! TIMESLOOOOOOOW!" Daisy screamed, gripping her younger self's hair and pulling her head away. She quickly noticed that time wasn't slowing down and her body wasn't aching like it always has been when she used the ability. Kid Daisy laughed at her and faced her as blood ran down from her lips to her chin.

"Hehehehe…that won't work here…you can't stop me from not becoming you! JUST LET ME BE INNOCEEEEENT!" Kid Daisy screamed in her face.

"NO, I WON'T! EVEN IF IT MEANS I HAVE TO KILL YOU!" Daisy screamed back and gripped her child self by the neck now. Kid Daisy struggled greatly as she flailed vigorously, but Daisy managed her strength and held her child self against the wall now. Kid Daisy slowly stopped moving as true Daisy couldn't help but feel odd and disgusted at the sight of her killing her younger self. She knew it technically wasn't actual outright murder…but it was still extremely jarring and repulsive for her.

Daisy slowly let go of her child self, now dead. She cried a little, feeling the emotional weight of all her childhood memories come more to light, making the tiniest part of her wish for her innocent, kid days back when everything seemed more simple and carefree.

But this is where she was now. She refused to deny the true reality she had been facing and will continue to face.

An unlocking mechanism was heard from the door behind her. Daisy wiped her eyes and headed to the door. She opened it and entered a wooden and dimly-lit hallway. Daisy closes the door and then leaned against it, still processing the killing of her child self.


Wario entered his door and found himself in his childhood bedroom. He stopped in his tracks, frozen at the sight of seeing his child self and Waluigi's child self talking to their parents.

"Waaaaait! Why don't I get the Bomberman video game too!? I did better on my grades this time!" kid Wario cried.

"Wario, we already told you that getting C's on your report card is not enough! You continue to just not try hard enough and it's so frustrating!" his father yelled.

"Yeah, honey, I've noticed that you keep slacking off from studying and doing your homework. You're watching too much TV and keep snagging too much junk food from the kitchen. So, we're gonna have to actually take your games away until you get those grades up! You've forced our hand!" his mom revealed disappointingly.

"NOOOO! B-But…I just….I just don't get the school work! It's so hard! I always ask for help, but I don't think my teacher likes me!" kid Wario wailed and cried further.

"That's because you're always disrupting the class by cutting the teacher off and picking on other kids! The teacher tells us EVERYTHING, son. I don't know why you think school is the best place to just go and do whatever you please. That's definitely not how we raised you!" his dad responded.

"I don't understand why you can't be more like your brother! He's more quiet, does what he's told, and puts in more effort that gets him better results. You could learn a thing or two from Waluigi," his mom cried, gesturing constantly to Waluigi, who had felt awkward that he was shifted into this conversation. The parents left the room while shaking their heads.

"I'm sorry about that, Wario…that was pretty mean of them to gang up on you like that…" kid Waluigi said in sympathy.

"Whatever. I'm never good enough for anyone. I hate my life! I'd be better off dead!" kid Wario cried and slumped to the floor.

"HEY! Don't say that! Come on…hey, you know what? I've got an idea! I can use my allowance to buy you the Bomberman video game after school tomorrow! What do you say?" kid Waluigi kindly offered. Wario glanced at him in surprise and comfort, but then looked away depressingly.

"You don't need to do that. Just forget about it. I wanna be alone now…" kid Wario grumbled and crossed his arms.

"I wanna do it, though! Mom and dad don't know what they're talking about; that teacher IS so rude to you for no reason! It's so stupid. School is stupid! Let me buy you that videogame, Wario. If I need to, I'll even steal a few coins from mom's purse to make sure I have enough," kid Waluigi snickered with his little scheme, making Wario snicker a little too.

"Well…thanks. That's nice of you. Buy me some garlic chips as well? If you have the money of course," kid Wario obliged.

"Of course. I know you love munching on those whenever you get the chance! Haha," kid Waluigi cheered and the two laughed heartily.

True Wario smiled and cried a little at the bittersweet memory. Waluigi was always the one person in his life who stayed true to him. Sure, they had their arguments and incessant bickering, but they had each other's backs through it all.

Wario blinked and he was in a different location now, startling him greatly. He was in the backlot of his high school, being picked on by a group of boys.

"FESS UP, FATASS! I know it was you who stole my money!" said a large boy who pushed teen Wario up against the wall.

"Agh! And so what if it was me!? You've been against me since the first day I got here FOR NO FUCKING REASON!" Wario angrily yelled.

"Because I knew you'd be an annoying, ugly little pain in the ass! All you do is bitch at the teachers and stuff yourself with fatty food! No wonder why your parents sent you to this boarding school, they probably couldn't handle your fat, bitchy self anymore! You were probably giving them headaches from all your whining!" spat another boy, who then laughed at him. Wario became livid and turned red at that vicious insult.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT ME OR MY FUCKING FAMILY! I HOPE YOU GO DROP FUCKING DEAD!" Wario roared. This set the other boys off who then beat him down.

True Wario had felt the pain from that vicious beating. He remembers getting a broken, bloody nose, a swollen eye, and both his legs being bruised. The pain hit him all too well, like he was right back in that same spot before, beaten and humiliated by boys who knew about his poor familial situation.

Wario tried his best to catch his breath and withstand the brutal pain. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the sickening faces of the boys who took pleasure in beating him up. Then the noises of yelling and scuffling faded away. Wario felt hurt badly still, but noticed the weird silence now. He slowly opened his eyes, and then immediately shrieked when he saw that he was sitting in a chair with a panel of buttons in front of him in an all too familiar dimly-lit room. His legs were tied to the chair along with his right arm. His left arm was free. It was the same room when he was captured in back in Sonic's world where he was forced to press buttons to torture Goombella or he'd be shot.

"No! NO! NO NO NO NO NOOOOO! FUCK YOU! GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!" Wario screamed in a panic.

"Nice! You know where you're at. Not as slow as I thought!" 'Goombella' said as she walked into the light with a wicked smirk upon her face.

"Please…I don't wanna be back here too…fucking let me go! I don't wanna do this!" Wario cried.

"What makes you think you have a choice in this matter!? You already know the rules of this game. This time around…I get revenge, and the target this time around is your precious Mona. Unless you wanna make the target yourself now? I mean…up to you if you wanna be selfless now. Oh! And by the way…this gun actually has bullets in it. I'm not doing a 'fakeout' like that wimp, Shadow the Hedgehog, did to you!" 'Goombella' teased as she got out a handgun and turned on the TV in front of Wario, showing a helpless Mona in a cell. Wario cried further and shook his head.

"Pleeeeeaaase…this…I…I-I know this isn't actually real! I'm just in my head right now…or-or some other weird dimension that that fucking tower of terror led me to!" Wario protested as he moved about in his chair, trying to loosen the ropes.

"Ohhhhh give me a damn break. Like…you really think this isn't real? All of this is happening right in front of your eyes! Come on…don't drag this out. Make a choice. You. Or her. You have 5 seconds!" 'Goombella' demanded, aiming the gun at his left leg. Wario couldn't believe he was really sitting right back where he suffered the most trauma he had ever experienced, apart from seeing Waluigi's dead body.

"I…n…no…I can't…I…just…I'd rather just fucking die…" Wario whispered while choking up.

"What? Giving up that easily!? Wow, you're making this no fun at all! Do I need to give you some alcohol for you to make a decision? After all…hehe…that's the drug you rely on these days to get you through life. How pathetic. I can only imagine what your brother would think, wasting away the rest of your days getting drunk and being even more of a useless, whiny fatso!" 'Goombella' spat and snickered. Wario looked away from her as his sadness quickly turned into anger from hearing those words.

"You…you know what? You're right. Give me some alcohol. Any kind. I wanna die drinking it all away. Fuck this game. I want the alcohol! NOW!" Wario demanded. 'Goombella' looked surprised yet impressed by this sudden decision.

"Interesting! Ask and you shall receive…and lookie here! A bottle of Vodka just for you. I know you were eyeing it back at the Mayor's mansion in Shiver City. Drink up!" Goombella cheerily spoke as she handed him the Vodka bottle. He snatched it with his left hand and guzzled some of it down.

"Wooooaaahhhh! Hehehe," 'Goombella' chuckled at him taking a swig of the bottle. She continued, "This might actually be more entertaining, watching you drink yourself away. But you still need to choose between you and your over-achiever girlfriend. Otherwise, it'd be just no fun, so-"

She was suddenly interrupted by Wario spitting the Vodka into her face. Goombella screamed in pure disgust, but before she could do anything else, he then threw the bottle at her face, smashing it into pieces and knocking her to the ground.

"OWWWWWWWWWWWWW! YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! OH MY GOD, I CAN'T SEE! I WILL FUCKING TEAR YOU APART!" 'Goombella' shrilled as Wario pushed his body backwards with all his might, taking the chair down to the ground and breaking it apart, freeing his right arm and legs with the loosening of the rope. Wario scrambled to get up as Goombella scrambled to reach for her gun which slid away a little when she fell to the floor. Wario kicked her body, then snatched the gun and shot her in the head.

The noise of the bullet rang in Wario's head, making him cringe and cover his ears. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, then opened them to find he was in yet another familiar location…with Waluigi lying below him. Wario's heart nearly stopped as he couldn't help but collapse to his knees upon seeing his brother lie there, seeming alive but just barely. They were back in the outskirts of the woods, on the outside of the hospital.

"Wario…hey brother…I guess this is your chance…to come with me…or go back to that dreaded world…" Waluigi weakly spoke. Wario held his hand and felt himself wanting to cry again.

"Hey…I, uhh, take it you mean to die? Is that right?" he asked.

"Of course. You're doing it already, Wario, anyways…you know…with your drinking. That's dangerous stuff you're getting yourself into right there. Makes it seem like you're ready to give up and be with me," Waluigi pointed out. Wario looked away in disgust as tears fell down his cheeks once more.

"That's not tr…I mean…fuck…you're right. I want to kill myself. But I'm so scared to go through with it. And…you know…I have my friends back in that world…and Mona…" Wario admitted, smiling just the tiniest bit at the end of his sentence there.

"Well, brother…the choice is yours. Be with them. Or be with me. If you choose to be with them…then quit the drinking. Quit the self-loathing. You got that shit from mom and dad. Unlearn it. I know, easier said than done. But don't let the past break you, because you've been letting it for so long now, even before I died," Waluigi advised. Wario nodded a little in agreement, smiling a little more as tears fell onto Waluigi now.

"Yeah. Man…wish someone would've told me adulthood would be this damn hard and exhausting. And I'm not even counting the world destruction in all that!" Wario exclaimed with a light snicker at the end.

"Yeah. We definitely weren't prepared properly for adulthood…but hey. We made it work somehow, didn't we? We made bank and had a little fun causing a little chaos here and there. But I think you're past that phase now, bro. Now's the time for a new chapter. You know what to do," Waluigi recalled with a heartily smile too. Wario cried a little more, nodding again and standing up.

"I love you, Waluigi. I'm so tempted to go with you, but…going back to that other world…you know, the fucked up world we grew up in that's always at threat of being ruined and whatnot…that's the right choice for me. No matter how much it sucks," Wario stated, then began to slowly walk to the hospital.

"Love you too, Wario. I'll always be around…so don't ever think I'm gone forever."

Wario entered the door 'leading' back into the hospital. However, it led into a dimly-lit wood hallway. Wario exhaled greatly and collapsed to his knees again, breaking down into more tears, deeply affected by his past and seeing his brother one last time.


Parakarry entered an office room that he quickly recognized. It was his post office's main office room. The paratroopa saw his slightly younger self talking with his boss.

"Congrats on being here for 3 years, Parakarry! Hard to believe it's been that long already! You became accustomed so quickly and I just knew there was something special about you when you first joined us," heartily spoke a toad sitting at a desk across from him. Parakarry smiled brightly and nodded.

"Thank you, Toadrick! And I plan on being here for many years more because I really am passionate about this job. Flying to so many places delivering letters, meeting so many cool people, making a living wage…it's all I ever wanted to have in this crazy, capitalistic world!" Parakarry cheered and laughed.

"Of course, of course! You know…keep up the progress, and once you reach 10 years, you may be where I'm at now. Higher pay, bossing people around, more vacation days…keep that in the back of your mind as you continue here!" Toadrick said in encouragement with another hearty laugh. Parakarry smiled meekly.

"Hehe…well…bossing people around…don't know if I'd want that much control…" Parakarry shyly responded.

"Hey. All up to you! It's your life, so live how you want it. Now then…here's your route for today. Go get 'em like you always do!" Toadrick said and passed to Parakarry a document showing him the route for the day to deliver the letters. Parakarry opened the paper and his facial expression immediately changed to one of fear. His boss noticed this.

"Parakarry? Is something the matter?" Toadrick asked in concern.

"Umm…one of my stops… the house at 777 Rainbow Road…uhh…everytime I go there…there's always some kind of commotion going on…Toadrick, do you remember that one time I delivered a letter to that house…and…and the father stepped out and started screaming at me because he thought I was the police? That was so weird and random. There's something bizarre happening there. I swear, I hear a little kid cry everytime I go there too…" Parakarry explained worriedly. Toadrick looked at him frustratedly and sighed.

"Yes, I do remember that. But I also told you before that you're gonna get the occasional batshit insane house. Don't let it get to you. Just deliver the letter and be gone from there. Don't take that personal matter into your hands. That isn't your job," Toadrick suggested. Parakarry nodded and quickly left the room.

True Parakarry saw this scene and he could feel the anxiety creep up on him. He knew exactly where this was going. He did great at putting the tragic incident away in the back of his mind…until now.

Parakarry blinked and he was outside the 777 Rainbow Road house. He shrieked and stepped back.

"WHA! NO! NO NO NOOOOO! Oh god…ohhhhhh god, please, I don't wanna see this!" Parakarry cried and went into panic mode. He saw his slightly younger self reluctantly walk onto the property to deliver the letter into their mailbox.

Parakarry floated above the steps leading to the porch, when suddenly, he heard a noise of glass breaking and a little boy screaming at the top of his lungs. Parakarry jumped in fright.

"WHA! Okay, what the hell is going on in there!?" Parakarry shrieked and wanted to knock on the door to see if everything was alright. He wanted to help out however he could.

He slowly approached the door, feeling nervous as hell about doing this, but the door suddenly swung open, startling Parakarry again. He saw a young toad boy looking terrified and frantic.

"H-HELP ME! PLEASE! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" the boy cried for mercy. Parakarry saw that he had bruises on his neck and arms.

"Oh my god! What's going on in there!? Tell me what's happening!" Parakarry demanded so he could help the little kid.

Then, a larger toad man came into view and pushed the little boy aside and glared at Parakarry.

"Uhhh…sir…is everything okay!?" Parakarry stammered, intimidated by the man's threatening and unkempt appearance.

"Don't worry about it! The kid is always causing trouble in this fucking house and tries to play the victim! Mind your business!" yelled the dad and slammed the door shut. A few seconds later, the father was heard yelling and more sounds of stuff being dropped and thrown on the floor were heard along with the little boy crying.

"What the fuck…that poor kid must be getting beaten!" Parakarry whispered.

True Parakarry cringed and cried a little, unable to get the flood of the remainder of the tragic memory from washing over him.

The scene changed again back to Toadrick's office. Parakarry walked into the office, seeming frantic.

"Boss! You remember that house on Rainbow Road I told you about? I'm pretty sure the boy in that house is getting beaten by his dad! I saw the bruises on him a-and he seemed so scared and he asked me for help! Who do I call for that? The police? Or Child Protective Services? Or would I need actual proof that he's getting beaten!?" Parakarry asked in pure concern. Toadrick sighed and shook his head.

"Parakarry, I told you to just stay out of their affairs! Getting emotionally involved will just put a damper in your job! Let people deal with their own crap. Plus, yeah, unless you actually SAW the kid getting beat, then that's even more reason to stay out of it. It's not your place to be some random kid's hero!" Toadrick criticized.

"But…oh…okay…you're right. I can't get emotionally involved in other people's affairs. My job is just to deliver letters…that's it…" Parakarry backed down from his stance.

"There you go. Parakarry…you've done a superb job in the 3 years you've been here. I'm telling you right now, if you get yourself involved in this, it WILL get in the way of your job. So please, don't do it," Toadrick intensely suggested.

Parakarry grabbed his face in pure stress and began to cry further, knowing exactly what's coming next.

3 days later, Parakarry turned on the morning news in his apartment and made coffee. An announcement on the news grabbed his attention.

"This is Toadana Melton reporting for Channel 64 News. This just in, a tragic report of a boy, aged 12, was murdered by his own father was just told a mere few hours ago to the police by their next door neighbor on Rainbow Road. Police quickly came upon the scene just a few minutes after the call was made and the father was arrested immediately. No official statement has been made yet by the father for why he had committed such an unforgivable act to his own son, and police are still investigating the case as there's definitely more to be found out for how and why this even happened in the first place. More to come in 10," said the new reporter lady.

Parakarry froze in horror at what he heard. He dropped his coffee mug and it shattered upon hitting the floor. Time stopped. A young life was taken away too soon from the world. A little boy had died because of his own negligence.

He could've done something. He should've done something. But he did nothing.

"YOU DID NOTHING!" yelled a boy from behind Parakarry, startling him. Parakarry was right back in that spot, feeling all the horror and guilt and sadness all over again. It made him sick to his stomach.

Parakarry slowly turned around to find the same little toad boy standing in the kitchen, holding a butcher knife, giving Parakarry the death glare.

"Oh…no…oh g-god! I…I-I'm so sorry…I just…I…I made a mistake…I-I know I should've gotten involved s-somehow and…ohhhhhh..kid…please…I'M SO SORRY!" Parakarry shrilled and dropped to his knees.

"Sorry won't bring me back! Anything would've helped me! BUT YOU DID NOTHING! My father was horrible to me…he took all his anger out on me! I was a punching bag to him! Until one day, he hit me so hard I…that was it. You…you wanted to be selfish and worry about yourself! YOU SHOULD BE IN MY PLACE!" the boy screamed angrily.

"NO NO NO PLEEEEAAASE! I really am truly so fucking deeply sorry for not doing a thing! A-And I know it's not gonna bring you back! I know that! And…kid…I am so sorry your own father was so horrible to you. No child deserves that from their own parent. You truly deserved a better life than the one you were given. I…umm…I-I could've given you a better life if I had just made that call. But I didn't and…ohhhhhh…I'll regret that forever. I know I will. It's the one thing I wish I could undo.

But p-please…don't kill me. Please! I still wanna help my friends save our world. And…I'm beginning to fall for someone…I've never felt this way about someone before…I…um…I-I broke up with her, but after I escape here…IF I escape here, I wanna get back together with her and try again. I want that so bad. Kid, please…I haven't really lived until recently. Doing what I'm doing now with my friends has given me the biggest change in my life that I never realized how much I wanted until now. I've grown so much closer to more people and have become stronger. I'm becoming the man I always wanted to be! So, please…don't do this. Don't. Let me help make things in the world right. That's all I ask for. I'm not a bad person!" Parakarry cried and pleaded for his life straight from the heart. The boy lowered his knife and walked over to him.

"You. Help make the world right. You promise?" asked the boy.

"Yes. I promise. It's the thing I want most," he replied sincerely.

"Okay. If you wanna escape here…you need to kill me. It's the only way out," the boy instructed while putting the knife in Parakarry's hand.

"What!? But why!? No…no…kid, please…don't do that…please…oh god…I-I can't…" Parakarry objected, shaking up even more from that horrid request.

"You have to do it. It won't let you leave until you do it. So go. Go! Before it's too late!" the boy demanded.

Parakarry absolutely didn't want to do the heinous deed…but he also knew deep down there truly wasn't any other choice. He wanted to escape and be back with his friends. And if this was the only way to do it…then he had to.

Parakarry closed his eyes. He made a forward thrust with the knife. The boy screeched very briefly. Then silence followed his body dropping to the floor.

Parakarry dropped the knife, crying more from what he had to do. He fell to the floor and wailed uncontrollably.

After a minute of wallowing and feeling the lowest he's ever felt, a loud unlocking mechanism sound was heard. This startled him as he looked toward the direction of the noise. There was a door that he had never seen in his apartment before. He felt compelled to walk to it. He opened it and walked out into a dimly-lit wooden hallway.

He knew he was out. But he still felt the emotional torture eating him up inside greatly. He fell to the floor in a near catatonic state.


Toadette entered the door and found herself in a living room where she saw her child self and Toad's child self playing with toys on the floor. Toadette gasped and her eyes welled up in pure joy from seeing this playful, innocent memory.

"Are you gonna destroy my playhouse with your dragon!?" whimpered a child Toadette as she set up her own toy pink dreamhouse complete with tiny dolls and furniture.

"Nuh uh! The dragon is gonna protect the dreamhouse from the evil villain! See? It'll sit on the roof of the dreamhouse, that way, it'll set fire to any villains who dare try to sneak in!" child Toad said defensively, setting the green stuffed animal dragon on top of the dreamhouse.

"Aww, that's so nice! Thanks. Mister Dragon will protect our home so that we can live forever!" child Toadette excitedly declared.

"Let's call Mister Dragon…uhh…Yoshi! He looks like Yoshi, so I shall name him Yoshi!" Toad proudly declared, making Toadette giggle.

"Yoshi? Well, okay! Yeah, he does look like Yoshi…I guess that's what Yoshi would look like if he was a dragon instead of a dinosaur!" child Toadette cheered.

"Yeah! Oh, and who's in the dreamhouse? A bunch of your girl dolls?" child Toad curiously asked.

"Yep! But I also have one boy doll…lookie! That's you! By the fireplace! The other dolls are supposed to be me, mom, and Princess Peach!" child Toadette pointed out, with Toad seeing a tiny plastic generic-looking toad doll with blush on his cheeks.

"My cheeks aren't that red! But cool! What about daddy, though?" child Toad asked.

"Errr…oh! I have another doll…but it's a girl…just pretend she's a boy and that'll be dad!" child Toadette laughed, which made Toad laugh as well.

Toadette smiled and teared up at this heartfelt memory, wishing so badly that the clock could turn back to these innocent times.

Toadette blinked and then the setting changed slightly. She was still in her living room with Toad, sitting on the couch. A few cops were in there alongside Toadsworth. Toadette gasped a little, recognizing what was going on.

"Toadsworth! What's going on!? Where are our mommy and daddy!?" child Toad shouted. Toadsworth looked visibly upset and slowly walked to the pair.

"Hey, kids…umm…your mother and father are…well….hrrmm…I'm gonna have to take you in temporarily. You'll be living with me for the time being," Toadsworth answered while choking up a little. Toad and Toadette looked very confused.

"Huh!? Why!? What's going on!? Tell us where mommy and daddy are!" Toadette demanded.

"Oh god…Toad and Toadette…um…I'm afraid…your mother and father are gone. They were crossing the street and…and…ended by a reckless driver…" Toadsworth revealed and began to cry, feeling so much for them.

Everything froze for Toadette. Stillness.

Toadette cried as if she heard the tragic news for the very first time. Although she was only six years old when the news struck, she understood what had happened and it hit her deep.

Toadette cried into her hands and looked up briefly only to find the setting changed again, this time to one of an outskirts of a familiar-looking woods. She jumped in fright and screamed in terror when she saw the body of her brother hanging by his neck from a rope on a tree branch.

"Look at that. Everyone around you just dies!" said a familiar voice from behind her. She turned around and saw Dark Rosalina walk from the hospital over to her.

"WH-WHOA! STAY AWAY FROM ME! I-I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING!" Toadette screamed, backing up against the tree.

"You really don't see it? It's your own little personal hell. Your brother there…yikes. Guess fate just didn't want him to make it to the end of your little heroic quest!" Dark Rosalina taunted.

"What is that supposed to mean!? Like, he was destined to die!? You're disgusting!" Toadette angrily yelled.

"Depends on how you wanna look at it," Dark Rosalina spoke matter-of-factly, unphased by Toadette's anger. "But, you know, Toadette…you can join him. End the pain and anguish for yourself. I mean, it's only logical…because, after all…you attempted it on yourself!"

Toadette was repulsed by that suggestion and began backing away into the actual woods. "Sh-shut up! I will never do that to myself! Toad wouldn't want that for me! I…I only did it because…b-because…"

"Because you couldn't handle the pain and anguish?" Dark Rosalina finished her sentence then snickered a little. "Come on, Toadette. There's no shame in wanting to escape from it. After all…so much death follows you. First your parents, then your friends…now your brother. Wow. So much loss! It's okay if you can't handle it anymore. No one would blame you for ending yourself, especially because that's the world you live in now. Violence. Despair. Tragedy. Grief. Loss. Who'd wanna live in a world like that?"

"PLEASE JUST STOP! I WON'T KILL MYSELF! I-I CAN'T!" Toadette screamed and turned around to run away but she saw Dixie walking towards her, which startled her.

"Toadette, you should kill yourself. Why do you think I've been such a horrible friend to you? Because I know you don't deserve to live a happy life. You're cursed! All you do is whine and act all useless when the going gets tough! You'd be doing yourself a favor anyways, because once you end yourself, you'll be reunited with your family in whatever kind of afterlife is out there. So…do it. Don't make yourself any more miserable in this world than you already are!" 'Dixie' harshly stated.

"NO! Y-Y-YOU'RE NOT DIXIE! STOP DOING THIS! JUST LEAVE ME ALOOOONE!" Toadette cried and ran in the other direction, but stopped again when she saw Bowser Jr. now walking towards her.

"She's right. Toadette, look at us. You and I aren't meant to last forever. We're just two miserable kids looking for any kind of escape from this awful world. If you were to end yourself, I would join you. I almost did the last time you attempted it. We're just not meant to suffer through these constant tragedies that we're forced to keep on experiencing. It's too much! We're just kids, Toadette! If this is what it's like at our age…imagine how much more brutal the world will get when we're older!" 'Junior' exclaimed.

"Y-You're not real either! PLEASE STOP TELLING ME TO KILL MYSELF! PLEASE…just…please let me out of here! I WANNA LEAVE HERE! I WANNA GOOOOOOO!" Toadette screamed and backed away from him. She suddenly stopped when she felt her head bump into something light. She turned around and saw a noose hanging from a tree branch.

"You wanna go? Okay. Well…there's your ticket out of here, sweetie. End the crying and suffering. Do it. This is your chance. Escape this crazy, sick world! You're too good for a world so deranged and dark!" Dark Rosalina yelled.

"N-No…no…that…that can't be the only way out of here! NO! There has to be another way!" Toadette objected.

"There is no other way! This is the true escape! Just put your head through the noose and I promise, it won't take too long for it to end!" 'Dixie' demanded.

"And like I said, Toadette…if it helps comfort you…I'll do it with you too. We can make a suicide pact! What do you say?" 'Bowser Jr.' suggested.

"No! NO! THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY OUT! THERE HAS TO BEEEEEE! I WON'T KILL MYSELF! I WOOOOON'T!" Toadette screamed at the top of her lungs and bolted into the woods. She kept running and running and running…until after a few minutes, she came to a slow and caught her breath. She leaned against a tree and coughed a bit from the endurance she put her body through.

"Running away is one option, I suppose!" said a familiar boy's voice. Toadette froze for a second, recognizing that voice. She quickly turned around and froze again when she saw Toad, smiling at her.

"Hey sis. I know you're trying to get out of here. I'm glad you're choosing not to kill yourself…that's the cowardly way out. But, if you wanna build your strength and become tough like our other friends, you gotta face what's coming. Easier said than done, of course. But you're still just a kid. The only personal tragedy you've ever faced is our parents dying…and, well, me dying too. Oh, and the apocalypse of course!" Toad kindly spoke and advised to a stunned Toadette.

"What…Toad? Is that really you? I mean, your spirit? Or am I still being messed with!?" Toadette shrieked in awe.

"Yes, it's really me. I can't stay for too long because of this ugly energy that's all around this atrocious place. But I mainly came here to tell you that you need to fight. Running away isn't an option. If you wanna be bold and powerful, you need to face your fears head on! Don't be afraid to fight back!" Toad urged.

"Let her run away. It's her choice!" spoke Dark Rosalina from behind her, startling Toadette again. She turned around to find the black magic witch smirking and snickering at her. She continued, "She's her own person, you little brat. You can't control what she does. If she ends up running away and killing herself, then let it be. This is how the world works now. Welcome to the life of a hero! YOU ASKED FOR THIS!"

Toadette became mad at her insultive rambling and had had enough. She grabbed a nearby, medium-sized rock and threw it at Dark Rosalina's face, knocking her to the grass.

"OHH! WHAT THE FUCK!? YOU LITTLE SHIT! A FUCKING ROCK!? OHHH YOU'VE DONE IT NOW! I AM GOING TO-" Dark Rosalina roared but was cut off by Toadette running over to her and repeatedly smashing the rock into her face several times, getting blood splattered all over her clothes. Toadette then threw the rock to the side, disgusted at the bashed in remains of Dark Rosalina's face, and fell backwards onto the grass.

"Wow, sis! See? That wasn't so hard! You made it seem effortless!" Toad giggled, impressed at her courage.

"Wow…I-I don't even know what came over me…I just…did it. I got tired of her crap and just…did it," Toadette said in shock at her sudden action.

"Yeah. When it comes to this stuff, you can't think too much. You just gotta do it. And that's exactly what you did! Keep it up, sis. I know you've got this!" Toad said with encouragement. Toadette smiled a little and stood up to face him again.

"Toad…are you with mom and dad? How are they doing?" Toadette asked.

"I am! They're doing great, sis. We're all watching over you and the rest of our friends and cheering you on! We want you to thrive and be brave! And…oh! Crap! Yeah, sorry sis, but I gotta get going now. It's taking up SO much energy to just be in here, that I should head out now before I bring something awful with me," Toad responded with a sympathetic smile.

"Okay. I understand. Just…I love you. And mom and dad. I know you know that. But I just wanted to say it!" Toadette said while tearing up again.

"For sure. Love you too, sis. We believe in you! Always and forever! You just need to believe in yourself too!" Toad cheered and then faded away.

Toadette nodded and let out a couple tears, not wanting her brother to go away already. She felt safer with him there. But she knew he was right about everything.

She then heard a sound of a door unlocking. This made her jump and she turned around to find a door indented into a large tree. She walked over to it, opened it and entered a wooden hallway that was dimly-lit.

"Hello? Guys!? Is anyone…oh! HEY! Over here!"


WARNING: THIS SECTION OF THE CHAPTER MAY MAKE READERS DISTURBED AND EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE. VERY EMOTIONALLY DISTRESSING CONTENT BELOW. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Spike entered a locker room, one that he knew was the major league locker room in the Glitz Pit where he fought.

"Oh no…no…no no fucking NO! GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Spike screamed, turning around to go back the way he came in, but the door he came through disappeared.

"WHAT THE!? Fuuuuuuuck…oh man…I know where this shit is gonna go…" Spike cried in fear.

He saw himself enter the locker room, after having just won a match. He was sweaty and worn out, but felt accomplished from his win.

"Hey man. Nice job beating the Koopinator! Just gotta deal with good ol' Rawk Hawk and then you'll become the champion of the Glitz Pit!" said Hamma, a hammer brother who walked into the locker room with his brothers, Bamma and Flare.

"Aw yeah! Beating the Chicken Man should be a piece of cake, you know, especially considering Mario and I already kicked his ass once before. That champion's belt is as good as mine!" Spike laughed as he dried his head off with a towel.

"Right…yeah…should you really be getting that cocky, though? Kind of gives off a very arrogant or holier than thou vibe, you know?" Bamma pointed out as he and the brothers walked over to him.

"You telling me to humble myself? Pfff! Let me soak this win in, man! I feel on top of the world with how fast I've gone up in the rankings ever since I decided to register myself as a solo fighter! I have a right to be at least a little bit cocky!" Spike laughed further, which visibly ticked off the three brothers.

"Yeeeaaaahhh…that's the thing. You rose up the ranks VERY quickly. Quicker than when you and your crew came here the first time. And that's only because you have the advantage over everyone else here!" Flare said with a hint of anger.

"Eh? Do I detect jealousy? Hehe. What is this so-called 'advantage' you speak of? Please tell me!" Spike mocked. The three brothers got closer to him.

"You went on that adventure with your little crew to save the world from the Shadow Queen. By going on that adventure, it made you toughen up WAY more than anyone else could ever dream of," Hamma pointed out.

"And that puts you at an advantage over us. Not only that, but you're already accustomed to all the rules and what to expect because you went through the entire process from rank 20 to the number 1 spot! And now you're doing it again! No one in the history of the Glitz Pit has ever done that!" Bamma continued, becoming more aggressive in his demeanor.

Spike realized how intense this was getting. "Okay, I don't know what your guys' deal is, but back the fuck up! It's called making history! So what if I'm the first person to ever do it!? I don't make the rules! Maybe the person you should be going to is Jolene then if you're that bothered by it! She's the one who officiates the rules of this fucking place!"

"Our deal is this: you're taking the champion's spot with an advantage no one else has. That doesn't make you better than us! That makes you LUCKIER than us! There are many of us here who have trained and fought for YEARS and you just come in and swoop through everyone like it's a breeze!" Flare clarified as he cracked his fists.

Spike was feeling a little intimidated at this point. "Okay, guys, seriously, back the hell away from me or we're gonna have a serious problem here! And maybe you shouldn't be hating on me, but rather, hating the system if that's how you're gonna be!"

"Oh, we're gonna have a problem alright! TAKE HIM TO THE BATHROOM!" Hamma commanded and punched Spike in the face, knocking him to the floor, then Bamma and Flare quickly grabbed him by the arms and dragged him to the bathroom.

"AGH! WHAT THE FUCK!? LET GO OF ME! YOU BASTARDS! I'M CALLING THE COPS!" Spike roared while kicking about as they dragged him into the bathroom. Hamma locked the door and the chaos began.

True Spike was in the bathroom scene now, gripping at his hair and face, knowing exactly what was about to go down.

"NO! OH GOD, PLEASE NO! I-I CAN'T SEE THIS! FUCK YOU FOR MAKING ME SEE THIS! AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Spike screamed in terror, as the memories of this tragic event, memories that he had suppressed and did his best to forget about had came right back.

Bamma and Flare threw Spike at the mirror in front of the sink, shattering part of it when he hit the back of his head against it, and getting a few small glass shards stuck.

"OWWW! OH MY GOD! YOU FUCKERS!" Spike screamed as he fell to the floor, feeling the shards poke into the back of his head.

"Aww, look at that! You're bleeding! Here, let's wash you off!" Hamma mocked and grabbed Spike by the hair and dragged him to the toilet. He then shoved Spike's head into the toilet water as the poor dino continued scrambling about but Bamma and Flare held him down too to ensure he wouldn't escape so easily.

Spike screamed under the nasty toilet water, losing his breath as the seconds went by. The brothers then pulled him out, but Flare then smacked him continuously.

"HAHA! A bitch slap for a little bitch like you!" Flare cackled in enjoyment as he smacked Spike a few more times. Then the brothers threw him to the floor and Hamma got on top of him, getting his hammer out.

"I think you'll like this the most! Hehehe…" Hamma snickered as he lifted Spike's legs up and inserted the handle end of the hammer into Spike.

"AAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH! STOOOOOOOP! OH MY GOD! FUUUUUUUCK!" Spike screamed at the top of his lungs, feeling the heavy, intrusive pain in his lower body. Spike used all his might and kicked Hamma's face, sending him backwards into the wall.

True Spike couldn't help but witness the terrifying and disgusting scene. It happened all over again. He saw the torture they put him through…how they violated his body. This sent Spike into such a rage that he exploded.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH! FUCKING ROT IN HEEEEEELLLLLL!" True Spike screamed so loud that he strained his vocal chords and the adrenaline kicked in for him.

He grabbed Hamma by the head and smashed his face into the remainder of the mirror. Then, Spike grabbed a shard off the floor and stabbed it in his neck. Spike then bolted for Bamma, grabbed him by the neck, dragged him to the toilet, shoved his face in the water, and stabbed the back of his neck several times with another glass shard while simultaneously bashing his head in the inside of the bowl while also drowning him at the same time. As soon as Bamma stopped moving, Spike then bolted for Flare, grabbing Hamma's hammer and bashed Flare in the face with it, knocking him to the floor. Spike yelled in pure rage as he smashed Flare's face in a total of 13 times until Spike began to feel exhausted by all the energy he put in to fight his foes from the past. He dropped the hammer and fell to the floor, coming down from the adrenaline rush.

"Ohhh…fuck…those…fuckers…I didn't…fucking deserve that shit…" True Spike said to himself out of breath and started to cry from having to witness that godawful scene. It was all fresh again. He had went to great lengths to move past it…but now he had to do it all over again.

"Hey. Spike. Over here," Spike from the past whispered to him as he dragged himself to sit against the wall, looking defeated. True Spike sat up and looked to him.

"Hey. You're gonna be okay! I-I stopped them! I killed them. They won't hurt you anymore. They were just jealous. It was all out of jealousy and spite…" True Spike said through his sobbing.

"I know. But you know what really happened. The guards caught them before they could do anything worse and they were arrested. Obviously, they deserved death. But our system won't allow that. They fucked with my psyche and they get to live on, satisfied with what they did to me. Those sick bastards…a spot in Hell is reserved just for them," Past Spike said in an exhausted manner.

"I know. But I'm glad I killed them in this world. Or dimension. Reality. Whatever we're fucking calling it here I guess," True Spike said with a shrug while wiping his eyes.

"I'm glad too. But, Spike…also…you're here for another reason too. You told the police you were simply attacked. But it went further than that," Past Spike said.

"Huh? What do you mean by that? I WAS attacked! Probably would've been killed if the guards didn't show up in time!" True Spike yelled in confusion.

"I know you were attacked. But, Spike…you were also raped. What Hamma did to you was rape. That's why I said it went further than that. You didn't realize it before, but now you do," Past Spike pointed out. True Spike looked horrified again, but also still confused.

"Wh-what!? Rape!? No! Rape is when someone forces themselves on you to have sex! Th-that wasn't rape!" True Spike shouted.

"Spike…it was. The definition of rape is unwanted sexual contact. He forced that hammer in you. What he did was unwanted sexual contact, even if he used an object and even if it was just a little bit in…and even if you are a guy. It still counts as unwanted sexual contact," Past Spike clarified.

True Spike froze when he heard that. He never thought about it like that previously. Hearing it like that now, though…it hit him all over again. He felt disgusted and used. He felt so angry but also miserable about that event.

His body shook and his breath shortened. Flashes of Hamma forcing himself onto him flooded his mind right then and there. He felt so terrified and grossed out that he puked all over the floor.

"Oh…ohhhhh…fuuuu…that…that's what happened…to me…my…god…" Spike dry-heaved and hyperventilated. He was then startled by an unlocking mechanism sound that came from the bathroom door.

"Go." whispered past Spike. True Spike looked back to where Past Spike was originally, but he was no longer there now.

Spike stood up slowly in a daze, still feeling sick and disturbed. He held onto the wall and dragged himself to the door, opened it, and went out into a wooden, dimly-lit hallway.

He barely took the time to take in this new setting since he collapsed to the floor and puked again.


Koops walked into an art classroom. He knew this was his classroom from Greens Middle School. Class was in session, it looked like. He recognized everyone in there…including a teen Boshi who was a grade higher than him.

Teen Koops was in the back, finishing up a watercolor painting.

"And what the heck is THAT supposed to be!?" Teen Boshi obnoxiously asked, hanging his arm on Koops' shoulder.

"It's supposed to be my house with my dad and mom. I, um, know I'm not the best painter, but I gave it my all!" Teen Koops responded, annoyedly.

"Really? Your all!? HA! My first guess for that drawing was going to be an insane asylum! And by the way, why'd you draw your mom and dad looking oh so happy? Aren't they divorcing? I overheard you talking to the teacher about that a few days ago!" Teen Boshi mocked and snickered. Teen Koops could feel his blood boil at his passive-aggressiveness.

The bell rang for class dismissal. Teen Koops felt something splash onto his leg. He looked down and saw that it was some black watercolor paint.

"WHOOPS! So sorry, dude! I accidentally knocked that shit over! See ya!" Teen Boshi yelled in obvious fake concern and rushed out of the classroom. A few other classmates saw this and giggled at Koops.

That was it. Koops had had it with Boshi's nonsense. It was crap like this that Boshi had done to him that had reached the boiling point.

Teen Koops stormed out of the classroom and caught up to Boshi who was trying to flirt with some koopa girl. Teen Boshi caught Koops in the corner of his eye, glanced over to him and was about to say something, but was caught off guard by a hard shove.

Boshi rolled down the stairs, shouting in pain as a crowd of kids gathered around and witnessed the scene in pure shock.

True Koops stood at the top of the staircase, stunned and horrified at the cruel act he just performed. He then looked all around and saw many kids surrounding him, giving him dirty, shameful looks. Koops began to sweat and shake.

"I…I…I'm so sorry…he…h-he just made me so mad…and…I just…I couldn't take it…" Koops stammered.

"And that's why I cheated on you, Koops," spoke a familiar voice, which made Koops freeze in more shock. He turned around and widened his eyes when he saw Koopie move through the crowd of kids towards him.

"Wha…wait! KOOPIE!? Is that really you!? No! Um…no…can't be..clearly…" Koops stammered in disbelief, trying his hardest to process this craziness.

"I knew right from the start that you were mentally unwell. That you had a rage within you that was just itching to come out. I tried my best to help you…I felt sorry for you since you had such a hard life…until I just couldn't take it anymore and wanted an escape. That's when I got with Kooper," Koopie continued, staring deep into his eyes and stopping her tracks only a foot away from him. Koops felt his heart shatter all over again.

"S…Stop. STOP THIS! WHOEVER IS DOING THIS, PLEASE STOP IT! YOU DON'T MEAN ANY OF THAT!" Koops wailed and sobbed.

"Keep telling yourself that. Back in the world outside of here…I only told you a version of the truth that wasn't as cruel as the raw, real truth. If I had told you the real truth…you would've killed yourself. Hell, you may still end up doing that!" Koopie spat and walked off towards a classroom door.

"NO! SHUT UP! I'LL NEVER FUCKING KILL MYSELF! AND WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?" Koops screamed in anger.

"Follow me and find out…if you dare!" Koopie said teasingly and entered the door. Koops bolted after her, needing to know how all of this was working. He entered the door and instead of coming into what he thought would be a classroom, he came into a hotel room that looked exactly like the one in Clearwater Hotel from Sonic's world.

"What the…Koopie!? HELLO!?" Koops shrieked and walked forward while feeling more confused than ever now. The bed came into his view and he screamed in fright when he saw Koopie and Kooper making love on the bed.

"OH! Koops…hehe…well well! Isn't this an unfortunate encounter?" Kooper said mockingly while Koopie snickered at him.

Koops dropped his jaw and felt his blood boil again. "WHA…WHY!? WHYYYYYYY!? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!?"

"Does it matter why? All that matters is that I stole her from you, Koops! Yeah, I wanted to take over your life. I'm the better you! More confident, better looking, tougher, and wiser. I don't feel bad for ruining you, Koops. I never did," Kooper viciously spoke with a grotesque smirk on his face the whole time. Koops saw red and began to shake uncontrollably.

"YOU…YOU….FUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU!" Koops exploded and charged at the bed. Everything suddenly went black for Koops.

What seemed like a few seconds later, the blackness faded and the room came into Koops' view. The koopa felt lightheaded, but quickly realized that the hotel room was a little different now.

The room was now a mess. The bed was torn apart. The TV was smashed. The lamp was broken. A drawer was thrown across the room. And…Kooper and Koopie were laying on the floor, both dead with hand marks on their necks.

"Wh-what the fuck!? Did I…do that!?" Koops shrieked in terror.

"OH MY GOD! KOOPS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" yelled another familiar voice. Koops looked up and saw it was Vivian, who came into the room and looked horrified from the scene. Koops froze and was speechless once again.

"WHA…no…Viv…th-this wasn't me! I-I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED! I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!" Koops screamed and cried, feeling himself spiraling into madness and despair.

"Stay away from me, you monster! I'm glad we never became a thing!" Vivian cried and ran out the door. Koops chased after her, wanting to explain and figure out what the hell is happening and how to get out of it.

He entered through the door and came into another unrelated room. It was a hospital room that looked like one from St. Toadofsky's. Koops was given another shock when he saw Vivian talking with his dad.

"DAD!? WHY ARE YOU HERE!? UHHHH…I…god, please, ENOUGH OF THIS! PLEEEEEEASE STOP THIIIIIS!" Koops screamed in tears, pulling at his skin.

"Son! My goodness…look at you! Such a mess. Is this really the person you've become after you moved to the Mushroom Kingdom? And then you joined yet another adventure to save the world…good god. This really brings out the worst in you, you know!" his father, Koopley, scolded.

"I told you! Koops has gone insane! He's not well anymore! He killed Kooper and Koopie, who knows what he'll do next!?" Vivian cried.

"STOP SAYING THAT BULLSHIT!" Koops screamed, unable to control his crying now. "Please…dad…listen to me…so much has happened a-and I don't know how I'm supposed to handle o-or process it, and I just….I JUST NEED YOU, OKAY!? I don't know what to do anymore!"

"No. No…man…look at who I've raised. How unstable you sound! I failed at raising a decent son! What the hell is wrong with me!? I can't even look at you!" Koopley said in disgust and walked towards the window.

"WHAT!? Dad, that's…wait, what are you doing!? DAD, STOP! YOU'RE GONNA FALL OUT THE WINDOW!" Koops yelped, realizing his dad was not stopping his walking. Koopley reached the window and pushed himself out of it, prompting Koops to dart towards the window in a last second attempt to save him.

"NOOOOO! DAAAAAAD!" Koops screamed, but tripped over his feet and ended up falling out the window a whole story down to the concrete of the parking lot.

"OHHHHHHH! FUUUUUUUUUCK! AAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!" Koops screamed in raw pain, feeling most of it in his leg as he landed on that first.

"Awww, poor little baby! Guess you know how it feels to fall down too, eh? You're a fucking wuss," Boshi laughed while walking over to him. Koops cringed through the pain and glared at the purple dino.

"Uggggghhhhh…fuck…you…" Koops said while gritting his teeth.

"Karma's a bitch, ain't it? Taking your anger out on the world like that…and then it comes back to you tenfold. No wonder why you're so miserable. You can't stop taking shit so personally! You're too sensitive and emotional! You were born to be a LOSER!" Boshi spat, making Koops forget about the sharp pain briefly so he could end this torment.

Koops grabbed Boshi by his right leg and pulled it, dropping him to the ground. Koops then crawled on top of Boshi and punched him in the face several times while letting out a vengeful roar. Koops then shoved his thumbs into Boshi's eyesockets, which made the purple dino scream at the top of his lungs as blood eventually bursted out with his thumbs going deeper. Boshi slowly stopped moving, and that was when Koops got off of him and took a giant exhale as he laid on the ground, exhausted both physically and emotionally.

An unlocking sound was heard, startling Koops. It came from the hospital's entrance door. Koops wanted out of this hell, so he hoped the door would lead the way out. He dragged himself over to the door, his leg still hurting like hell, and brought himself to the door. He opened it, dragged himself into a wooden, dimly-lit hallway, and closed the door.

He fell to the floor and still tried to catch his breath. The insanity and emotional rollercoaster he just experienced made him burst into crying again, especially with seeing his 'dad' in whatever kind of screwed up place that was supposed to be.


"What…sayest thou!?" shrieked a past Luvbi as true Luvbi walked into a room located in her home of The Overthere where she found her past self, her father, her mother, and a blue pixelated dragon named Bonechill.

"The Pure Heart was hidden away ingeniously to keep it away from evil sorts like me…Grambi…your father…changed the Pure Heart into a Nimbi…that he called his own daughter!" Bonechill yelled in a revealing fashion.

Past Luvbi was in pure shock but also in disbelief at what supposed nonsense the dragon was spewing. Luvbi tried to laugh it off, saying, "Haha…th-that is just silly…my mother and father…"

"Oh, priceless! You really think Grambi pays an ounce of attention to you out of love!?" Bonechill saw right through her.

True Luvbi saw the conversation unfolding, knowing what was happening. She remembers the shock and betrayal of hearing the reveal that she was actually a mystical item called the Pure Heart that was used to help save all dimensions some years ago. She was turned into the Nimbi she is now in order to perfectly conceal the mystical item from evil. She also cringed a little at how she talked back then, as she adopted a more modern-like language after this event occurred and went out into the world to live a more 'normal' life.

"FATHER! SAYEST SOMETHING!" past Luvbi yelled, turning to her defeated-looking father.

"L-Luvbi…oooohhh…" her father uttered weakly, clearly in pain.

Then she saw her mother charge into the room, startling both past and true Luvbi.

"I've been listening to everything. Luvbi…that monster is correct. You are a Pure Heart, and you are not actually our daughter. And alas…I'm afraid it's too late to save our dimension now. Count Bleck won. All the other dimensions are being corroded away as I speak. We were too late! WE FAILED!" her mother, Jaydes, announced and cried.

True Luvbi was confused by this. "What the!? That's not how this happened! Mother didn't come in here until after the damned dragon was killed! And where are Mario and his friends!? What's going on here!?"

"Hehehehe…well…this took an even worse turn for you folks, didn't it? Ending the last minutes of your lives on such a despairing note! What a way to go!" Bonechill cackled in their misery.

"MOTHER! ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SERIOUS IN THIS MOMENT!? I…I'M TRULY NOT A NIMBI!? Why has such a secret been kept from me all of this time!? And…are you absolutely certain we're too late!?" past Luvbi screeched.

"Yes, dear. That is the truth. You're not a true Nimbi. And you're not our daughter. I think this marks the end of all that we know in this world. The dimensions fading. The secret being revealed. Bonechill being here in his mercilessness. There's nowhere left to go. This is the end," her father, Grambi, said in true defeat. Past and True Luvbi were beyond stunned, letting out quite a few tears.

"NO! NO NO NO! I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS! THIS CAN'T BE THE END, IT JUST CAN'T BE! YOU'RE GIVING UP TOO SOON! IF I'M TRULY THE LAST PURE HEART, THEN…THEN TURN ME BACK INTO ONE! THAT WAY EVERYTHING CAN STILL BE SAVED!" past Luvbi pleaded desperately, but Jaydes and Grambia shook their heads.

"It's too late. We're finished for. Bonechill…take her. We can't dare to see her be corroded by Count Bleck's heinous misdeeds. It'll be far too much to bear witness to because she's been a part of our lives for so long…even if she was never our true daughter," Jaydes spoke while choking up, further stunning and horrifying both Luvbis.

"WHAT!? HAVE YOU GONE COMPLETELY MAD!? Y-YOU'RE SACRIFICING ME TO THIS PUTRID BEAST!? DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!?" past Luvbi screamed for dear life.

"Let's go, dear…her fate at the hands of the dragon is surely better than being caught in the corrosion of all dimensions…" Grambi spoke in a sad tone as he and Jaydes quickly left the room and then shut and locked the door.

"WHAT ON EARTH!? THAT'S NOT HOW THIS HAPPENED! HOW DO I GET OUT OF THIS FORSAKEN HELLHOLE!?" true Luvbi shrilled and looked for an alternative way out…but she stopped when she realized her past self had vanished and Bonechill was looking right at her with a smirk upon his face.

"Hehehehehe…it's you and me now. Look at that, your life was a lie this entire time, and now it's gonna come to an end in the most tragic way possible," Bonechill spoke in excitement.

Luvbi backed away, not knowing what to do in that moment. "No no…NO! This isn't how it happened! YOU WERE KILLED! THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!"

"Does it have to? RAAAAGGGH!" Bonechill suddenly screamed and charged for Luvbi. She screamed and flew out of the way, but Bonechill's tail hit Luvbi on her side, making her fall to the ground.

"AGH! STOP THIS THIS INSTANT! THIS IS A FALSE MEMORY!" Luvbi screamed and darted to the only door that was in this grand room, which was the same one Grambi and Jaydes exited, and bolted for it. Once she reached the door, she banged and pulled on it as hard as she could.

"You're not in a memory anymore, little girl! YOU'RE IN YOUR OWN HELL!" Bonechill roared then charged for her again. Luvbi thought quickly.

As he got close enough, Luvbi dashed out of the way, narrowly dodging his body and he ended up crashing into the door, breaking it open completely. Her plan worked!

"YES! Time to get out of this dreadful place! Are the others going through the same thing too!?" Luvbi said and rushed on over to the exit.

As soon as she got out of the room, she saw the rest of the Overthere realm, which gave her relief….but only for a second. Because Bonechill barged into her body and knocked her into the outside wall, hitting the back of her head against it along with her back, and then fell to the ground.

"OHHHHH! Ahhhhhhh…oh…you…bastard…" Luvbi groaned in pain while Bonechill laughed at her.

"Hehehehe. Call me whatever you want, not gonna change your fate, little one," Bonechill spat and floated towards her.

"Aaagghh…can't even move…but…you know what? Go ahead. Kill me," Luvbi said in an accepting tone. Bonechill looked surprised at this turn.

"Beg your pardon!? You're really just gonna let me do it?" he asked.

"I mean…I remember a time when I wasn't alive. I was a Pure Heart. I…remember being a Pure Heart…somewhat. When I was turned into that Pure Heart…I remember not feeling afraid. I remember still being a part of the world. My energy was everywhere. And you know what? There…there never was an actual 'me.' Because, even in this form, I'm mostly just empty space. The Pure Heart…in all its magic and mysticism…was also mostly empty space. There was never a point in time where 'I' began…or where the Pure Heart began…nor where 'I' and the Pure Heart ended…I and the Pure Heart just was, and…and always will be even after I'm gone. Life before I existed…I don't remember how I came to be before I came into this world…and I won't remember when I exit this world…and that's okay.

So…yeah. Do it. Because when I go, I'll just be a drop of water returning back to the ocean. I'm not afraid of not existing. Because everything that has ever existed in this universe…every person, animal, plant, stars, and galaxies…it'll all still be a part of everything going forward until time stops. That's something I thought about when I went on this adventure…I saw so much death…but also…so much magic and other worlds, that…that there's no way it's truly the end for anyone. Because no one ever ends," Luvbi spoke while staring into the sunset skies as she saw her vision fading a little, feeling the throbbing pain in the back of her head.

"Hmm! How thoughtful and articulate of you. Very deep. Still…won't stop me from devouring you whole. Glad that you accept your fate, though. Some people go out resisting and screaming till the very end. Not the best way to leave this world!" Bonechill commented, then opened his mouth to devour her whole.

Luvbi's vision faded to black as she saw the dragon head right for her. A memory flashed before her eyes.

"Hey, you're Starlow, correct?" Luvbi asked, entering a cafe and seeing Starlow playing on her phone at a table. Starlow perked up and brightly smiled at her and waved.

"OH! Yes, hi! Starlow I am! Luvbi you are! Nice to meet you in person!" the star sprite cheered. Luvbi chuckled nervously at her and went to sit down at the table.

"Nice to meet you in person too. I, uhh, I've never done anything of this sort ever before, so…apologies if I'm coming off as very shy or distant," Luvbi admitted.

"Hey, that's no worries! I know you mentioned that before when we were talking online. I understand it's nerve-wracking, I've been there before too. So! How about I order you an iced coffee? I'm getting the mushroom-caramel espresso! You?" Starlow eagerly responded. Luvbi felt a little more relaxed after seeing how bubbly and kind Starlow was.

"Oh! Uhh, thank you! And actually, I love the mushroom-caramel espresso too!" Luvbi excitedly added. Starlow perked up even more after hearing that.

"SWEET! Wow, another thing in common! First the Spyro games, then us liking Boo Biscuits, our love of Toadaylor Swift, and now the espresso…wow! I can only imagine what else there is we both like!" Starlow heartily laughed, along with Luvbi a little.

"Hehe. Well, um, can't forget us fighting with Mario and his friends on separate occasions! When you messaged me about that, I was simply blown away that I was talking with another person who interacted with them!" Luvbi recalled.

"OHHHH! How could I forget that!? Yeah! You'll have to tell more about that story, I bet it's as crazy as mine is!" Starlow laughed further, then went to go order the coffees.

"Crazy…yeah…don't think that describes the veracity of what happened…" Luvbi whispered.

SOME TIME LATER…

Luvbi and Starlow exited the cafe and walked down the street, still conversing about.

"Soooo the way you described The Overthere…uhh…like, it sounds like, ya know, Heaven? The same Heaven in religious books, I think? Does that sound about right?" Starlow questioned.

"Hmm. Well…The Overthere is about as close as you can get to a 'Heaven' without actually dying. So…technically yes," Luvbi answered. Starlow looked at her in total awe.

"Wowie! So amazing! So why come live in Mushroom City when it seems like you have everything you need up there then? If you don't mind me asking!" Starlow asked.

"Because after Mario and his friends saved The Overthere, and then all dimensions, and I got turned back into a Nimbi…I realized that there is so much more to our world than just where I was at. That I wanted to experience the world outside my own world. So, I begged my mother and father to let me live amongst the regular folk and experience what THAT kind of life is like and open my mind to new things. They obliged and helped set me up with a place here in the city. Then I taught myself how to use the Internet and many things led to another which led me to Facebook and us chatting…and now here we are! 'Twas quite the process!" Luvbi explained.

"Aw, that's so cool of you to take the initiative to be on your own! Really, that's so impressive and makes me respect you a whole lot! I mean, I already respected you in the first place, so I wasn't trying to imply I had no respect for you at all…but, uhh, yeah! Well, I'm glad you went out of your way to do that because now we meet and…we made a new friend! Huzzah!" Starlow complimented and cheered, giving Luvbi a small sidehug. Luvbi laughed at her happy-go-luckiness and sidehugged her back, feeling truly happy for herself that she did indeed take that initiative to be in this unfamiliar world and connect with someone whom she felt at home with.

"Yeah! A friend…we are friends."


"So, I'll get to be king just like you, dad!?"

Bowser heard a youthful voice as he walked through the doorway. The second he saw where he was walking into, he gasped and his heart nearly stopped.

He had entered his castle, but this castle was many years ago as he also saw his child self talking with his parents in the foyer.

"WHAT IN THE…mom…dad…" Bowser whispered, immediately tearing up at the sight of seeing his parents once again, who had died of old age some years ago.

"One day, son! One day. You'll be in my spot, ruling our part of the Mushroom Kingdom, which I unofficially name 'The Koopa Kingdom'! See, our species was also the advantageous one over the others, son. We have natural abilities to get us out of danger but also to fight back when necessary. It's the power of the mighty shell, I tell you! Haha," his father heartily replied.

"But! Dear, listen…when you become king in the far, faaaar future…don't let that power go to your head. Don't abuse it. Use it for spreading good out into the world. Your grandfather nearly went down that path…" his mother added to the conversation with an undertone of worry.

"Grandfather? What do you mean? He abused power?" child Bowser asked curiously. Bowser's father rolled his eyes a little.

"Ooookay, let's not get into that story now. Grandfather just had a…uhh…bit of an ego problem when it came to being king. That's all," his father said with a hint of annoyance.

"All I'm saying is, dear…when you become king, you're gonna be such a strong man full of wisdom and courage. I can already see it now! You'll take charge of whatever needs to get done and you'll look out for others and give a helping hand in whichever way you can. You have it in you. It's in your blood! The royal family koopa blood," his mother spoke with purity and encouragement that made both child and adult Bowser smile greatly.

"AND! When you're a king, you'll hopefully have a big family and keep the bloodline going as long as possible. And start it younger than we did! It's what we wanted for us. But…unfortunately, medical issues are a beast of its own," his father added sadly with a glance towards Bowser's mom.

"Right, well, let's not get into THAT story now either! Alright, son, it's time for lunch! Off into the dining hall!" his mother hurriedly spoke and child Bowser merrily ran off with his parents.

Seeing this memory brought him so much nostalgia and deep-cutting emotions. He remembered the days of being a little kid, of when he looked up so much to mom and dad and dreamt constantly about becoming a king and doing whatever the hell he could whenever the hell he could. But he also dreamt of having a big, perfect family in order to fulfill his father's desires, although Bowser himself wanted that so much too. And he got his wish. But, of course, not in the way he had hoped it could've gone.

Bowser walked after his child self and his parents. He entered a door which would've led to the dining hall…but instead led to Bowser's bedroom. Bowser saw himself now as an adult, where he was crying hysterically and Kammy Koopa was there trying to console and talk to him.

"I-I JUST CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE THIS! Kammy…she…god…all of this time…h-how did I not see it!? So many lies and secrets a-and now…FUCK! Now my kids don't have a fucking mother! I refuse to let her be a mother to my kids! SHE DOESN'T FUCKING DESERVE IT!" Bowser screamed in raw anger.

"I know. What a traitorous wench! To destroy your life like that…disgusting. And I thought some of your workers were bottom of the barrel foul! God, Bowser…saying 'I'm sorry' doesn't describe the amount of pain you're in. I can…hmm…I can…try to find a spell that'll take away the pain for you? If you'd like?" Kammy said, wanting to lend a helping hand however she could.

Bowser shook his head while wiping his nose. "No. I…ugh…as much as I want to erase the pain…no…I can't. But, good god…this fucking year has just been a nightmare. First mom passed…then dad passed shortly after…now this shit. Fuck! FUCK! This was never supposed to have happened. Ever. Everything is ruined now. I'm a fucking single dad and a laughing stock of the Mushroom Kingdom now because everyone refuses to take me seriously."

"Screw what those people think, Bowser! Screw them! You are a goddamn KING. It's in your blood! You have massive strength and persuasion! All of that isn't there for just no reason!" Kammy said in encouragement, putting her hand on his shoulder, feeling deeply for him.

Bowser looked at her and nodded a little as he sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Yeah. Yeah…a king. But who the hell ever thought a king would go through THIS? That just doesn't happen to kings. It's unthinkable!"

"Bowser…what happened tonight doesn't take away from who you really are. This is ALL on her. She made the decision to be a traitor and leave her life that was set up for her to be easy and comforting. You WILL come back from this. I know it hurts like hell right now…but you're gonna come back on top stronger than ever. And I'll be there to help with whatever you wanna do!" Kammy pointed out in full support, making Bowser feel the tiniest bit better.

"Yeah…it's…it's all on her…yeah. Heh. Hehe…all on her. Not me. You know what? Wanna…wanna know something I've thought about doing every now and then but never went through with it because I thought it was insane?" Bowser chuckled as his tone changed to a more sinister one as he stared into space. Kammy looked intrigued by this.

"Ooh, yes? What is this 'insane' you've thought about doing? Feel free to spill it all!" Kammy encouraged.

"A takeover. Total chaos to the kingdom. Messing with the princess. How an airhead like her gets to run a kingdom, yet be respected and loved by everyone and have such a perfect life is…bullshit. I mean…I have an army and resources to make it happen…" Bowser explained as he slowly grew a smirk. Kammy became even more intrigued.

"Ooh! Chaos. I like that word. And you know what, Bowser? That's just perfect. Channel your anger and pain into this. After all…the people of the kingdom wanna think you're a laughing stock? Well…let's give them something to laugh about, shall we?" the koopa witch said in excitement.

True Bowser witnessed the scene and it made his stomach turn. He remembered that this had happened right after Clawdia dropped the news that she was cheating on him and left him.

"God…how desperate I was to take out my anger and pain on everyone…I was fucking sick. Get me out of here!" Bowser said in disgust, although he teared up again seeing the sight of Kammy once more. He went back out the way he came in, but made another gasp when he saw that he was no longer in his castle, but rather, a small graveyard. There were 12 tombstones in the graveyard, and Bowser could clearly see that each tombstone had his kids' names engraved on 8 of them, the other one had Kammy's name engraved on it, the other 2 had his parents' names engraved on them, and the final one had Bowser's name engraved, along with a hole right beneath his tombstone.

"WHAT!? WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?" Bowser yelled, lost at the absurdity of what was happening. He turned back to hopefully exit the way he came in, but the door was gone. All that was left was a black void.

He turned back around and looked at the tombstones in horror. He quickly noticed that his tombstone was the only one with an open grave.

"No…no no no no noooo! The rest of my kids aren't gone…WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS!? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?" Bowser roared, hearing his voice echo into the void. He walked forward slowly to his tombstone, extremely discomforted also with the eerie silence that permeated the area.

He then saw someone walk to him from the blackness. It was two people! He squinted his eyes a little, then he felt his heart sank when he realized who the two people were.

Clawdia and Kenneth.

"Are you fucking serious! What do you want!?" Bowser yelled, those two being the last people he'd ever want to see.

The pair approached him and leaned against his tombstone. Clawdia spoke, "Bowser…do you not see what you've done? All the pain you've caused? That's why you're here. All you ever did was cause so much destruction around you. And our kids had to pay the consequences of your actions."

Bowser was taken aback from those atrocious words. His blood immediately began to boil. Bowser yelled, "I beg your fucking pardon!? You are the LAST person to ever tell ME about causing destruction! This all started with you! I raised my kids alone and you drove me insane, wondering constantly about what I did wrong and why everything happened the way it did. You did that to me! NO ONE ELSE!"

"But there's this thing called responsibility and self-control. Just look at how that affected your children. Take a look!" Kenneth said, gesturing to behind Bowser. The koopa king turned around and jumped when he saw his kids standing at their own respective tombstones, looking pale white.

"WHA…oh my god…guys!? What is this…" Bowser gasped, feeling nearly speechless.

"What do you think this is, dad!? We're dead…and it's all because of you. Remember the time you smacked me and you hit me so hard I fell over and bashed my head into the table? I never woke up after that. You did that," Morton spoke harshly. Bowser dropped his jaw at that accusation.

"WHAT!? MORTON, THAT'S NOT WHAT…"

Suddenly, a 'flashback' came to Bowser of he and Morton arguing about Roy and Bowser got so mad he smacked Morton and it caused Morton to fall over and hit the front of his head at the corner of a table. He fell to the floor, immobile.

"WAIT…HOW…hold on here, th-that's not what happened! Why am I remembering it that way!? Morton, I-I smacked you but…but that was it! AND I'M SORRY FOR THAT! I NEVER SHOULD'VE LAID A HAND ON YOU!" Bowser cried, feeling like he was going insane now.

"Or what about the time you screamed at me for bringing mom back into our lives? I was just trying to do the right thing, but you made me feel like dirt, dad! You made me feel so horrible I cried and killed myself!" Bowser Jr. yelled and sobbed.

Bowser was in even more shock now. "WHAT!? JUNIOR, THAT'S NOT WHAT-"

Then, another 'flashback' came to Bowser. It was of him screaming at Junior right after he saw Clawdia for the first time in years. Then the flashback cut to him walking back to St. Toadofsky's hospital with Mario and Yoshi and then him seeing Junior's dead, broken body on the ground in front of the entrance, indicating that he jumped from the roof.

"OH…OH MY GOD…WHO'S DOING THIS TO ME!? THAT'S NOT WHAT FUCKING HAPPENED! STOP THIIIIIIS! STOP FUCKING WITH MY MIIIIND!" Bowser roared and fell to his knees, crying uncontrollably now.

"And we can't forget about the hospital raid. You did NOTHING to save Wendy and I! You let them take us away! You're big and strong and menacing…how could you just let that happen!?" Iggy wailed.

"I…stop…please…I-I did everything I could! There was so much happening! And I was just…I'M SORRY, OKAY!? I DID THE BEST THAT I COULD!" Bowser yelled in pure agony, crying into his hands now.

"Really? Your best!? I joined Tatanga because of you, dad! You didn't do shit to stop everyone else in the family from bullying me! You kept brushing it under the rug or turning a blind eye! THAT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT! A FATHER IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK OUT FOR HIS SON! And now…look at me. Tatanga killed me because he didn't believe I was fighting on his side now. This could've been prevented, dad. All you had to do was just put a stop to the bullying and actually showed you care," Roy resentfully spoke, making Bowser fell all the more worse about himself.

"R-Roy…I…you're right…I'm so sorry…I…fuuuck….I should've done something to stop it, but I was…I WAS BEING A HORRIBLE FATHER! I KNOW! I COULD'VE DONE BETTER! I SHOULD'VE! ROY…please..forgive me…" the koopa king let the rest of his body fall to the ground, feeling the absolute torment of his past weighing on him heavily now.

"Then you have the rest of us. We were killed in the war of us versus Tatanga. Just why, dad!? All you had to do was keep your business to yourself all those years ago and quit being so power-hungry! If you had quit letting your anger and pain dictate your path in life, we'd still be alive! We wouldn't have been as fucked in the head as we were!" Larry shouted.

"PLEASE…JUST STOP IT! I KNOW I FUCKED UP! I CAN'T TAKE IT BACK! I WISH I COULD! JUST…please…stop it…please, I'm begging you!" Bowser pleaded desperately for mercy, feeling intense emotions of guilt, shame, anger, and despair.

"That's why I left you, Bowser. I knew exactly the kind of person you'd become, so I had to leave for my own safety. And I was right! Look at the disaster you've made. You have no one to blame but yourself!" Clawdia added salt to the wound.

"I SAID STOP IT! THIS IS MORE THAN ENOUGH NOW!" Bowser screamed while clenching his fists, digging his nails into his palms.

"Clawdia was always meant to be with me, Bowser. This is the life she wanted to live, not a monotonous life of playing one kind of role and being stuck in some medieval castle. Just face the truth, Bowser. You're a magnet for all kinds of danger! It's beyond me that you survived over your kids!" Kenneth viciously spat…and that did it for Bowser.

"I SAID FUCKING STOOOOOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" the koopa king exploded and charged for Clawdia and Kenneth. He clawed Kenneth's neck and swiped Clawdia's chest.

"OHHHH! Oh my…B…Bowser…you…killer…" Clawdia yelped and fell to the ground level with her beloved gurgling on his blood and fading away.

Bowser saw the heinous act he committed and backed away in horror. He then felt himself nearly fall backwards, but he stopped himself, turned around, and saw that he almost fell in the hole.

"You shouldn't have stopped yourself," said a familiar voice. Bowser turned to his right and saw Mario walk towards him.

"MARIO! Wha-what the fuck do you want!? Why are you here!? WHY IS ALL OF THIS HAPPENING!?" Bowser yelled demandingly.

"Simple: to get you to see the kind of cruel, sadistic being that you have been and will always be. Get into the hole, Bowser. You've done enough in this world. Everyone is sick of you," Mario answered, grabbing Bowser's wrist and motioning to the hole.

"YOU…SHUT UP! I…I'm not like that anymore! I know I fucked up, b-but I'm trying to be and do better!" Bowser sobbed, feeling the strength in Mario's hand as he was dragged a little more towards the hole.

"A fuck up? I wouldn't call all the messes you've made just fuck ups. You have a history of evil deeds that are marked upon you permanently. Get into the damn hole! You don't deserve to live!" Mario yelled louder and more aggressively.

"LET FUCKING GO OF ME! I CAN CHANGE! I'M TRYING TO GET BETTER SO MY KIDS CAN LIVE BETTER LIVES! THEY DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE MISERABLY ALL BECAUSE OF WHAT I DID!" Bowser roared.

"You're right, they don't deserve to live like that! BECAUSE YOU DON'T DESERVE THEM! NOW GET INTO THE FUCKING HOLE YOU MONSTER!" Mario screamed into his face.

"NO! I WILL MAKE THINGS RIGHT! GRRRAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Bowser used his strength to pull Mario away from and into the hole. Mario screamed, falling many feet below, his screams eventually fading into the abyss.

Bowser looked up to see his children were gone. Bowser sat down exhaustively and slowed his crying.

"Yeah…yeah. I know why I'm here. To face my past sins and fears. But I can't let that shit get to me. I won't. I need to live for my kids. They need a father. Yeah…a part of me wants to fucking die…but I'm not letting that part win," Bowser said to himself, but also said it to the 'tower' since he knew this house of terrors was alive in some way, shape, or form.

An unlocking mechanism was heard behind him. He turned around while wiping his eyes and saw a door in the black void. He walked over to it, opened it, and went on in.

"Well…so this is what the place looks like beyond the entrance, huh? Alright. Time to find the others and get the hell out of this nightmare building. Because I'm this fucking close to spiraling and just…I can't…why did that happen..."

EoC.

Sorry for the late update, I was overworked like crazy in my job during all of August, so I've been losing the will to write and come up with ideas for a little bit there due to exhaustion, but it's slowing down now so things are back to normal. Next chapter marks the midpoint of this arc! Next chapter will focus solely on the hero group as they find each other and form into groups to explore this mysterious and terrifying tower. One group encounters a familiar being along with facing the possibility of venturing back into the Underworld, another group discovers more of the history of the tower, and the final group is being hunted down by the being that inhabits the tower. Next chapter will be uploaded on or before Sunday, October 23. Thanks for reading!