Wow, this chapter took so much longer than I wanted, and I am so sorry. Thank you for your patience.
To make up for that, I made sure that it was extra long! Because, you know, you guys needed that. Right? Totally. Words rule.
…Don't look at me like that, I guilt myself enough.
Anyway! Read ahead for the latest chapter! And enjoy!
...
[Junior]
Below Papa's castle and at the end of a dark, stone hall, I run ahead to the hangar. I stop and watch as Roy and Morton carry crates to the Airship. Groaning, I run again at them, and they stop as they hear me approach.
"What do you two think you're doing?!" My hands are already turning into fists.
"Uh, well," starts Morton. "Let's see…carrying crates." He looks around before smiling at me, but I'm still angry.
"Morton, I already know that!" I'm this close to yelling. "Why are you loading crates onto my Dad's Airship?!"
"Look, Prince Junior," butt in Roy, "we need to go for a little—"
"I'm not an idiot, Roy!" I fold my arms together and glare at him. "You're going to the Mountains, and you guys already sent troops there to continue attacking it!"
"That would be correct." We all turn to watch Ludwig step from the Airship's ramp, with Wendy and Larry standing back on board behind him.
"Why? We already captured it, and we have troops there to keep our hold on it!"
"Because, Prince Junior," mockingly continues Ludwig, "our goal is no longer to just make sure that we maintain the Mountains as our territory." He narrows his eyes and makes a fist. "It's to ensure that we crush Peach and her little band of fools once and for all."
"Are you kidding me?!" My arms fly up in the air. "We can't do that! Mario's not going to like that one bit, and Papa told us not to go after them!"
"That is no longer an option, Junior." Ludwig shakes his head, and I still feel like he's making fun of me by how he's looking down on me. "We need to stop them because they've already reclaimed five territories from us. If we allow them any more quarter, then we'll be facing the usual invasion forces at this castle in no time."
"But—"
"Prince Junior, we're just trying to keep Mario here too." Roy's better to talk to than Ludwig, and he's not acting like as much of a jerk. "If Peach gets here, she'll fight to get Mario back. And she'll go after King Bowser over it." He adjusts his sunglasses and frowns more. "You don't want them to do that, do you?"
"No, but—"
"Then our actions are in line with your desires." Ludwig waves to Wendy and Larry, who turn back and disappear on the ship.
"Stop it! They're not the same, Ludwig!" I stomp my foot down, but that doesn't seem to bother the Koopalings. "I want Papa to take control of the Mushroom Kingdom too, but we can't just do this!" I grab my scarf and tug tightly on it. "Are you planning on using the Toads too?"
"Yes." Ludwig doesn't even try to hide it. "We will force Peach into fighting us for those Toads, and we will crush her forces. Once she's defeated, this kingdom will be ours."
"You can't do that," I argue again.
"We really have to, Prince Junior," starts Morton. "You're still young, so you don't understand it, not entirely. My siblings and I have had to grow up in a kingdom that's ruled under Peach's tyranny. She and the rest of her family set up laws that forced most of us out into these dark lands." Morton looks angry, but he's not directing at me. "I'm sick of my family having to live in fear of whatever Peach decides for our kind. She tolerates Koopas one day, but will be outright evil to them on the next day." He shakes his head and slams his fist, which makes me jump. "I'm not standing for that anymore!"
"Well, I think I get that," I try to tell him, "but we can't just have you guys go over there—"
"Everything is already in motion," interrupts Ludwig. The Airship behind him begins to vibrate and make whooshing noises. "This Airship is leaving and we're going to the Mountains. You are to remain here, where you will be safe, until we return victorious."
"When my Dad hears about this, he'll be furious!"
"Perhaps I'll need to remedy that," mumbles Ludwig, and I watch him pull out his wand.
For a minute, I raise my fists and take a step back, ready to fight. But Roy bats Ludwig's wand down, puts down his crate, and steps between us.
"Back off, Ludwig!"
"Roy, I am your brother," Ludwig growls.
"And he's the Koopa Prince," snarls Roy.
"It won't hurt him; I just need to clear his head."
"No, Ludwig." Roy raises his fists. "We're not doing this, not to the kid."
"Please, Ludwig, he's right."
Morton puts down his crate and lays his hand on Ludwig's shoulder. He looks even more annoyed at Morton, but doesn't move. Morton looks…calm, somehow.
"Junior already knows that we have the Toads, and there's no erasing that without complications." Morton shakes his head. "Just leave him to go back inside the castle. King Bowser can't stop us at this point, and we'll make him proud by winning this."
"That's wrong, Morton!"
He looks at me and frowns, but turns back to Ludwig, who's still annoyed.
"This isn't what we're here for," continues Morton. "I'm fighting Peach, not Koopas."
"Ditto on that," agrees Roy.
"…Fine." Ludwig lowers his wand completely and shakes his head at me. "You just don't understand the sacrifices that we need to make these days. Not even King Bowser truly understands anymore." He turns away and walks back onto the ship. "But it doesn't matter. We'll fix this. We'll fix everything."
"You're not fixing anything!"
Before I can run after him, Roy blocks my way. Morton picks up their crates and heads back up after Ludwig.
"Roy, come on, you can't do this," I try again.
"Kid, I have to. Koopalings stick together." He smiles at me. "But trust us: we really want what's best for the Koopa Kingdom. And we'll make sure that we get it done." He quickly rubs my head and turns away from me. "Don't worry, Prince Junior! We'll make you and King Bowser proud."
After that, the Airship begins to move and flies from the hangar. I want to argue again as it flies away, and I want to run on board to stop the Koopalings. This can't be the right way, but I'm not sure of what else to do.
And before I can think of anything else, the Airship is already gone.
[Afterwards]
"Held up by the kid, huh?"
Larry folds his arms as Ludwig, Morton, and Roy enter the main cabin. Morton sighs, shakes his head, and joins Lemmy, watching the journey through the sky. Ludwig scowls at Larry, but then turns it on Roy, who shrugs.
"We're not getting ourselves into deeper problems than we're already in." Roy lifts his sunglasses and pinches his brow. "King Bowser's already livid with us over enough stuff, and now this."
"You do realize that we act independently from Bowser plenty of times, right?"
The larger Koopaling turns to Wendy, who spins around in her chair as she files her nails. Past his claw, Roy glowers at her, as she glances over her nails.
"Didn't you want to keep working with him?"
"Yes, and I do so love a good romance to follow." She reaches over to the desk before her and runs her nails across the pages of a book. "That doesn't change the fact that I don't need his blessings to do as I see fit. And I do see this as a necessary move."
"Didn't we all agree to this?" Ludwig folds his arms. "This is for the good of our people, for the kingdom. The sooner that we deal with Peach—"
"The sooner we can get everyone to fall back in favor with Bowser," piped up Lemmy. "That was the point of keeping those other lackeys from the games alive!"
"Stopping Peach doesn't see to fixing everything." Larry runs a hand through his spiky, ice blue hair. "There's no way that clears up everyone from looking unfavorably on Bowser's…tryst and a half."
"Oh please; it's beyond that, and you know it."
"Fine, but my point stands, Wendy."
"We're not looking to fix everything," interrupts Ludwig. "We're looking to get started on making real changes. It's for his own good, but more importantly, the good of the whole kingdom."
"Taking down the beloved political figurehead sounds like a good way to make ourselves the public enemies number one," counters Morton.
"Ditto." Roy lowers his hand and glances around at the two shelves of books, and then turns to the cabins maps of the Mushroom Kingdom. "We're only getting everyone to hate us, and that goes for both sides of this war."
"If we can play this right, it won't end that way."
"And do you have a real counter to Princess Peach?" Roy folds his arms and turns back to Ludwig. "Can you really take her on, with that super powered scepter?"
"I have strategies."
"Damn it, Ludwig!" Morton spins around, teeth clenched. "You told me that you were sure of this!"
"I am sure."
"Strategies are plans, Ludwig! Plans put into practice don't always work!"
"They've got you there," chimed in Wendy. "You assured all of us that we could take on Peach and her friends."
"We can, and we will," reaffirms Ludwig. "This is doable, I promise."
"No, it's not." Morton slams a fist into his hand, arms shaking. "You're putting our family at risk again, because you're too busy trying to solve too many damn problems at once."
"You're better off when you're silent muscle," mutters Ludwig.
"I'm better off when my brother isn't dragging us down with him!"
"The Toads are leverage for a reason," explains Ludwig. Digging through his hair, he shakes his head. "Just trust me on this, ok?"
"Pretty sure playing with Peach's emotions is a bad idea," reasons Wendy. "Have I taught you nothing as a sister?"
"Guys, there's no going backwards from this," cuts in Larry. "We made this choice, and we have to see it through. Peach and her friends are going to reach us, but we're going to be ready. This is going to work, one way or another."
"There, see?" Ludwig smirks. "You should all have Larry's optimism."
"That's just our youngest brother following his oldest brother, as usual," teased Lemmy. "He always needs some kind of role model to look after, be it you, Bowser, or any of us, when he's low on options."
"Watch it, half-pint!"
"Oh, come on. I'm older, and I'm not that much shorter!"
"That doesn't mean you can just—"
"Ok, ok, enough," calls out Morton. "Larry's right, and we're committed to this. Let's just do it together, all right?"
"Yeah, we're lucky that we still have troops to bring with us," grumbles Roy.
The cabin door opens again, and the Koopalings turn as Iggy walks in. He grins to his siblings, and adjusts his glasses. Ludwig steps forward to him.
"Well?"
"Their cages are prepared and ready to go," reports Iggy. "Who would have thought my little scheme for a prank would turn into something more…terrifyingly ingenious?"
"Is it really that impressive?"
"Probably not to any of you," decides Iggy. "But to Peach? It'll do the trick."
"Good. We're not looking for grandiose; just whatever gets the job done."
"Right." Iggy nods and glances out the window. "How long until we get there?"
"Not long."
"Good," murmurs Roy. "Then excuse me as I go hit something for a bit."
Placing his sunglasses back over his blue eyes, Roy turns and walks out. Morton takes a second before following him. Wendy returns to checking her nails before reading the book before her.
"Want to play ball, Iggy?" Lemmy pulls out a yellow one with stars on it. "Might as well, right?"
"See?" Larry folds his arms. "You're so childish, and yet you want to go on about how much older you are than me."
"Hey, it's good to lighten up once in a while," counters Lemmy.
"Well…I could use something a little more relaxing." Iggy smirks. "Sure, let's go. Just…let's not play in the open air. Or you'll lose another ball."
"Yeah, but I've got plenty!"
Shaking his head, Iggy follows Lemmy out of the cabin as well. Rolling his eyes, Larry walks over to the maps to study them, as Ludwig turns back to the window, and quietly watches the ship's travels.
[Luigi]
The hike just getting to the vast, craggy brown and gray Mountains was filled with tension, even in moments of silence. Gazing ahead, I studied the other, taller mountains behind the first one we approached. Even still, as I glanced up the first one, I could barely see its summit.
Staring at the stony trails and plateaus before us, Peach continued to lead the way, with Daisy and Toadette right behind her. Birdo, who had been whispering to Yoshi the whole way over, kept nudging him, obviously concerned with what he was upset over. My shoulders slumped, knowing it was my fault.
"Luigi?" I jolted up and turned to Pauline. The entire way, I hadn't even paid attention to her outfit change, with her now wearing a red jacket, boots, gloves, and black pants to match her backpack. "Is everything ok? Well, obviously not, since you and your friends are still not communicating very well, but—"
"We'll manage, Pauline."
"Right, well…I still think your princesses are crazy for wanting to wear their dresses here." Pauline twirled some strands of her brown hair around her finger. I blinked and looked again at Peach and Daisy, also wearing better clothes suited for mountains. "Can you imagine them running on sand or through forests in heels?"
"Uh…they already did that?"
"What?! How?!"
"People in this kingdom have more resilience to natural environments, so—"
"No. That's not…nope." Pauline shook her head. "That's just insanity. I know you guys have a kingdom to save, but geez, even you and Mario shouldn't run around in the same shoes all the time for that."
"To be fair, we don't exactly worry about changing clothes while we're rescuing someone's life on top of the kingdom's."
"Ah, well…point made and taken." She folded her arms and smirked. "Though, we had enough time for you to change for this part of the adventure, so—"
"Pauline, these do double as boots, you know."
"Ok, ok."
Giggling a little, Pauline continued after the others, pausing to wait for me as I forced myself after her. Passing some rocky outcrop as I trekked up the dirt path, my feet began to sting with each step. The others turned around a bend as I glanced out over the end, looking down as we started to climb above the trees.
"He what?!"
Wincing, I looked up at Yoshi, who had likely just told Birdo about everything. Barely looking at her, I flinched, catching a very dark glare. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that Yoshi was the one who had to hold her back.
"Uh…what happened there?" Pauline folded her arms again, leaning to me and pointing at Birdo. "Seems like he just got very angry with you, which…I thought Peach was."
"Actually, 'she' got angry.'"
"Huh?"
"Birdo, she's a…well, she." I pointed at Yoshi. "He's a male."
"Oh. Wait, I don't…she sounds like a…but, she, right?" I nodded at Pauline's questioning. "Ok, got it. Phew, glad you ran that by me first. Otherwise, gosh, that probably would've been embarrassing on my part."
"Um—"
"Yes, it would have, no matter how often that happens for her." Pauline sighed. "But, now, what's up with the two dinosaurs? Peach is super angry because of Mario, Daisy and Toadette are aligned with her on that, which trickles down to disliking you, but the dinosaurs—"
"Yoshi likes me."
"Aw."
"He has a crush on me."
"Oh. Ooh." Pauline blinked at Yoshi, then tilted her head and turned back to me. "Well, what about you?"
"He didn't exactly pick the best time to tell me." I shook my head. "My brother's kidnapped, has his own relationship issues to wrestle with, which could ultimately lead me to getting a literal monster-in-law, along—"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down there," cautioned Pauline. "Mario moves fast into relationships, but when we were dating, marriage wasn't even on the table, and we went for a while."
"Right, sorry." I sighed. "Still, Peach had just threatened our lives, and on top of everything, we're literally at war, so I…I don't know what to think right now." I turned to her. "Should I—?"
"Enemies ahead!"
At Toadette's call, we turned, and along stone plateaus above us, Stone Spikes waited atop them, spiked rock balls lifted and ready to be thrown. Peach raised her Royal Scepter.
"W-wait, Peach—"
She didn't even think of listening to me. Fireballs launched from her rod, and blasted each Spike, with their weapons crashing down over their heads. Cries of pain rang out, and I looked away from the first one before me, writhing in pain under its stony spiked ball.
"Princess Peach, that was harsh!" Pauline stepped forward. "Those are Mushroom Kingdom citizens as well, aren't they?"
"Not mine," snapped Peach, lowering her wand. "So long as they threaten us, they're enemies. Simple as that."
"But—"
"Would you rather I bottle up my aggression, same as my council and retainers desire?" Pauline shook her head and Peach nodded. "Good."
"It's not about you bottling your aggression though." Peach narrowed her eyes on Pauline, and I walked up behind her, not sure if I needed to cover her mouth or take a hit for her. "You're a just and kind ruler, Peach. Even on the battlefield, you shouldn't act totally merciless. It's out of character for your kingdom's perception of you."
"Out here, none of those people can see me." Peach turned away. "This is where I need to be strong." Her grip tightened on the golden rod. "I need to show Bowser's forces that they can't just walk all over us, like I've let them believe for years. They can't just kidnap my Toads and expect no retribution from me."
"Your anger is valid, and your reasoning for your actions is fair, but—"
"Just leave it alone, Pauline." Peach walked ahead along the path. "You're not the first to try stopping me from this."
Before Pauline could protest further, Peach stormed ahead, walking past the Spikes that squirmed on the ledges above. Daisy and Toadette glanced at one another before silently following her.
Shaking my head, I marched on, behind everyone else, no longer hearing much protest from the Spikes. We've had to fight off plenty of monsters before, and I've done so earlier without any problems. But…now…
As soon as I stepped clear of the ledges, Peach brushed past me, bumping into my arm. I opened my mouth to snap at her, but instead watched as she raised her scepter, launched heavy bursts of air, and blasted off the boulders atop our enemies.
Spinning the Royal Scepter, Peach raised it higher, as a dusting of pink drifted from the wand's heart-shaped head. Gasps sounded as the Spikes squirmed and rolled around, still breathing.
"See? That feels better, right?"
"No, it feels foolish."
She glared at me for a moment before turning back to lead everyone onward once again. I shrugged to Pauline, who deflated a bit from Peach's harsh words, and we continued on.
Scaling up the mountainside, we came to a patch of land surrounded by rocky columns. Birdo spat an egg into her hands, and glanced around, as Daisy twisted her Regal Rings on her fingers.
After a few seconds passed, crumbling sounded and Monty Moles emerged from atop each stone pillar. Twelve surrounded us as we gazed above us, and the moles raised stones to throw.
Birdo flung her egg first, striking the one nearest to her. The Monty Mole fell over backwards, and the stone dropped.
One stone soared near me, and I jumped back from it. Another flew at Pauline, who yelped as it neared.
A green and white egg smashed into the rock, and knocked it away from Pauline. She and I turned as Yoshi stared quietly at us, grasping another egg. He gasped as another stone smashed it from his hand, and he shook it quickly, wincing.
I glanced over as Toadette ducked behind Peach, who murmured to her rod. Daisy had crystallized gloves over her hands, and punched away at as many rocks as she could reach, with bits bouncing off of Toadette and Peach.
Turning, I managed to watch as one flew right at my head. Grasping my cap, I pulled it over my face as the rock hit. Soreness spread my forehead, and I imagine a bump already started to form.
Lifting my cap, I rubbed it, and checked for open cuts as well. No blood on the glove. Good.
My eyes wandered to Yoshi, who had another egg in his hand. He hesitated to look at me, and another stone smashed his egg again. He cried out and grasped his hand, as Birdo slid in front of him and spat an egg at another Monty Mole.
She missed, however, and it took off a chunk of the column that the mole stood atop. The boulder fell and slammed next to Toadette, who shrieked and clutched tightly to Peach's dress.
"Does anyone have any plans?" Pauline backed toward me, wincing at fragments that flew up near her face.
Abruptly, the ground rumbled beneath us as a stone tent rose up and enclosed us within it. We slowed our retaliations, turning as Peach lowered her wand.
"Good thinking, Peach," complimented Daisy, flexing her hands. She smirked at the crystal casings around them, a bit…proud, I think.
"Well, it's a nice defense," relented Birdo. "But, do you mind telling us how we're supposed to move on while trapped in here? Preferably without getting bombarded by more rocks."
"Considering that we take the constant risk of keeping you around," retorted Peach, "I'd imagine that this is nothing comparatively."
"Excuse me?!"
Smirking, Peach crouched down and had her rod touch the ground. A bright blue pulse crawled from the scepter, passed Peach, then the rest of us, and slowly disappeared outside of the rocky tent around us.
Once it was out of sight, Peach lifted her wand, and the earth around us rumbled. Toadette wobbled and fell over, while I struggled to keep myself from doing the same.
Another minute went by until the quake finally ended. With another wave of the Royal Scepter, the stones around us returned to the earth.
Each of the pillars from the area before had crumbled, and left the Monty Moles groaning from the rubble around and atop them.
With a roll of her shoulders, Peach patted Toadette, stood up, and took the path before her to proceed. Birdo, however, huffed and walked in front of her, forcing Peach to stop.
"Move," ordered Peach.
"No, you're going to run that one by me again," snapped Birdo. "What was that crap about me being a risk?"
"Like you wouldn't know?" Peach rolled her eyes. "Don't act like you haven't played for the villains before, Birdo."
"This again?!" Birdo clenched her fists, and her arms shook. "I'm helping you fight Bowser's army, you spoiled brat! I've done nothing but help out you and your twisted idea of a rescue party this whole time."
"To satisfy your own gain, I'm certain."
"As if no one else here does that?! Luigi's only helping to get his brother back, for starters!" Ouch.
"At least he's actually bothering for someone else's sake," defended Peach, to my surprise. "You, on the other hand, are most definitely in this for yourself and your benefit alone."
"How dare you!"
"Am I wrong?"
Just a moment of hesitation from Birdo was all Peach needed, and she laughed. Pulling back her hand, Birdo readied to swing, but Yoshi grabbed it.
"She may have started for personal reasons, but she's here to help regardless," defended Yoshi. "You should be happy with extra help."
"And you'd better shut your mouth where matters don't concern you," spat back Peach. "After all, you're looking to have relief for your island's famine, right?"
"But…before, you told me—"
"That I penalize your people over your actions," recalled Peach. "Perhaps I might change my mind on that matter, should you continue to falter in your cooperation."
Though his mouth opened to argue, Yoshi quickly shut it and lowered his head. Birdo let her arm fall from his weight and glared at Peach.
"You're undeniably despicable, Peach."
"Maybe, but I do what I need to ensure my kingdom's future."
Walking around the two, Peach coldly continued onward. Toadette lowered her head and hurried after Peach, while Daisy stared at her arms. Flexing them, her eyes widened when the crystals didn't react. Annoyed, she growled and slammed her fists together, shattering them. Shaking her hands, Daisy glanced at me before following Peach as well.
Moving forward, I walked to Yoshi, only to have Birdo step between us.
"Don't. You've done your damage already."
Darkly, she glowered at me and turned Yoshi away. My shoulders lowered and I watched as no one looked back before disappearing around the next bend.
"Yikes." I watched as Pauline slid next to me. "I was going to talk about how I was ineffective for that battle, but I think that's the least of our concerns."
"Just stay close to us," I cautioned, although that might not even be sound advice at this point.
Still, she nodded, and we strode ahead after the others. It didn't take long for us to catch up, and we watched as Peach, Toadette, and Daisy had started to climb scree. The trail vanished near the slope, but there were no other ways to go.
Gazing out from the ridge, I stared at the treetops from below. We had already climbed above them by a bit. Taking too long, I shuddered and faltered, while Pauline steadied me.
"Hey, come on, no fainting on me," she teased. "I need your help around here, remember?"
"S-sorry, you're right."
Bending down and sliding off her pack, Pauline dug into it as Yoshi and Birdo climbed up the scree next. Shifting my attention from everyone back to Pauline, I watched as she pulled out a gray staff. She then pulled it open and I stared at what looked like a cane.
"Um…do you need that?"
"Sure do!" She placed it down beside her and pushed herself up from the ground. "This is a walking stick that I brought specifically for rougher climbing, like here."
"Oh. That was pretty smart."
"Right? I figured that I'd be the only one struggling to scale this thing, so I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't fall too far back." She used the pole to lift her backpack up, and put it back on. "Ready?"
"Actually, I kind of wish I brought one of those myself."
"Luigi, you can jump like Mario. Those kind of acrobatics are support all on their own."
"Yeah, but we still need our own support," I countered. "After all, we need to vault from the ground in order to jump, and trampolines to jump higher."
"Hmm. I didn't think of that." She scratched behind her head. "Do you want to use this with me?"
"No, I think I can manage."
We started our ascension, and I stumbled over my first few steps. Holding out my arms, I rebalanced myself, and more steadily scaled the rocky debris. Pauline climbed slowly beside me at first, but gained a bit of a boost, able to push herself up with her cane.
As we climbed, I scanned the top of the slope, waiting for some enemy to drop boulders on us. Peach must have had the same idea, and I noticed that her scepter was raised ahead of her, glowing a bit. Still, I didn't notice anything come at us.
Reaching the top, Pauline helped pull me up as we finally reached leveled ground. I turned and watched a boomerang fly straight at me.
Quickly, Pauline smacked it away with her pole, and I watched it fly away from me, hitting the mountain and falling down the slope.
We turned back as Daisy punched down another boomerang, her hands encased in crystals again. Toadette scrambled and grabbed Peach's scepter, which had been knocked from her hands.
Yoshi and Birdo launched eggs ahead, hitting two Boomerang Bros. A third retaliated and knocked both dinosaurs back with another boomerang.
With that, I charged forward and jumped into the air, as a boomerang flew out at me. A heavy smack rang out and down I went.
For a moment, I just watched the sky, as the boomerang whizzed back over me. Peach gasped, and I watched the boomerang fly by again, with a clank that sounded a bit behind me.
Just as I pressed against the ground to get up, a red and blue blur jumped over me. My eyes widened and I quickly rolled around.
Mario…or, a much smaller version of him, rushed forward with two large mallets. He battered the three Boomerang Bros. before us, each faltering back with raised eyebrows.
Forcing myself up, I leapt forward again, stomping down on the first Boomerang Bro. He yelped and collapsed to the ground.
Daisy rushed forward and punched the second Boomerang Bro. into the mountain wall. She spun about and blocked the third's boomerang.
An egg soared over and collided with the last Boomerang Bro.'s head, knocking him to the ground. For extra measure, I watched Toadette jump forward and stomp on him, making sure that he'd stay down.
Shaking my head, I turned back to the little Mario that swung its mallets around. Squinting, I noticed a yellow wind-up mechanism on his back. Pauline walked over as it shut down, dropping the mallets.
"Thought this little Mini Mario might come in handy." She smiled and picked up the toy Mario, placing him back in her bag. "It made for a great distraction, wouldn't you guys agree?"
"Not bad, Pauline," I complimented.
Daisy smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. No one else commented, and Peach lead the way forward again. I frowned as Pauline placed the mallets back into her bag as well, apparently undeterred.
As I waited for her, Pauline tossed the bag back over her back and smiled to me.
"Are you ok?"
"Me? Fine," I lied.
"Hm." She twirled a strand of her hair around one finger and nodded as we started to walk onward. "You know, you seemed to come alive once you saw Mario."
"You mean Mini Mario?"
"Right, yeah." She paused as we stared off from the Mountains, gazing at the vale further below, along with a lake in the distance. "Wow, that's higher than I'm comfortable with already! So, uh, you're sure that you're fine, Luigi?" She ruffled the cap over my head. "I'm kind of like the sister you never had, right?"
"Sort of." I shook my head. "Really, I am fine."
"Ok, if you think so."
Nodding, we continued after the others. Reaching the peak of the first mountain, Peach and Toadette already ventured over the bridge connecting the pike of the first mountain to the second. Yoshi and Birdo followed, with Daisy after them, as Pauline and I brought up the rear. We paused as we stood before the wooden bridge, studying the ropes on it.
"Wow, rickety wooden bridge over an abyss we just climbed up." Pauline whistled as she stared down immediately. "Yeah…nothing bad could possibly happen here, right?"
"Now you're just jinxing us."
We laughed as Pauline stepped onto the bridge. It swayed a bit in a light breeze, and she quickly stopped. Waiting a moment, she continued forward, more carefully now. Waiting a moment, I followed her, and my heart skipped a beat from the creak of the plank below me. Refusing to even look down, I stepped forward, tightly gripping the ropes on the side of the bridge. In spite of Pauline's comments, the ropes were firm and sturdy.
Reaching the mountain on the other side, I turned to Pauline and shrugged, as she stared quietly back across the bridge.
"Honestly, how did nothing happen? Didn't you expect it to rip, or for some enemy to come and cut it on us?"
"Well, yeah, but I'm just paranoid." I shrugged again. "It was pretty unlikely, if Bowser's forces have no idea that we're here."
"But…they had to know we were here, if they already have troops attacking us, don't they?"
Almost as if on cue, four Fire Bros. rushed out from a cavern further along the trail. One spat a fireball, which Peach quickly countered with a fireball of her own. Pauline, however, turned and walked away.
"Where are you going?"
"Hiding behind that boulder over there." I glanced in the direction that she pointed, to a round rock down the path.
"But we've got enemies to fight!"
"Correction: you have enemies to fight. I'd like to not die." Pauline shook her head as I glanced at Yoshi throwing an egg before returning my attention to her. "Look, stones and boomerangs are one thing, and I can actually handle myself against those. But fireballs, those I can't handle." She shrugged. "I have my limits, you know."
While I opened my mouth to protest, I couldn't really think of a fair argument. Toadette walked beside me and placed her hands on her hips.
"You know, I'm not built for fighting myself, Miss Pauline, but I still try to help out when I can."
"Right, but that's fine for you," defended Pauline. "You actually have a tolerance to the difficult adversities that this place presents you guys. Heck, a good portion of the population here can jump higher than I thought physically possible." She waved from behind the boulder. "Just let me know when you guys finish them off, ok?"
"Let's be reasonable," cut in Birdo. "She's the weakest of us here, and we didn't really expect her to do that much."
"See? That works." Pauline nodded. "Harsh, but accurate. Good luck!"
Exchanging my worried expression with Toadette's skeptical one, we pivoted back to Peach firing a magical flame at the Fire Bros. Each member of the quartet dodged, but one fell back from an egg that Yoshi threw at him.
Birdo spat out an egg as well, but missed as a Fire Bro. slid under it. He spat out a fireball at her, and she winced.
Ducking down, I tackled her to the ground, as the fireball sailed overhead. I watched it fly back across the bridge, as Birdo pushed herself back up, shooting a glare at me. Turning back, we saw another fireball soar at Daisy, who had just spun away from the first one.
Daisy, however, punched the ground and tossed up a plate of earth, blocking the fire. Some embers flew off and caught onto her shirt, which she scrambled to pat out.
Toadette ran forward, sliding beneath a fireball. She jumped up to stomp down onto a Fire Bro., but was quickly barraged by two more flames.
A pink fireball crashed between the opposing bursts of fire, however, and Toadette safely fell back to the ground.
Jabbing her Royal Scepter forward again, Peach waved it in a circle. She then raised it again, pointing at a ledge above the Fire Bros.
One stone fell and bounced off the furthest Fire Bro.'s helmet. Two more cracked down beside it as a landside crashed down around three of the Fire Bros.
The fourth whirled around to watch the other three buried by stones. They groaned beneath the rubble as the remaining Fire Bro. shakily pivoted back to us.
Tossing up an egg, Birdo quickly launched it forward, slamming it into the Fire Bro.'s face and knocking him to the ground. We waited a moment as his head tilted away.
Pauline peeked out from behind her boulder before returning to us. She blinked at the four, felled Fire Bros. before she smiled.
"There you go. You guys did great. Just a little more teamwork, and that'd be perfect!"
No one seemed to even acknowledge Pauline, as Peach strolled past the mound of rubble and into the cavern of the mountain, leading the rest. Pauline sighed as she walked alongside me, and we continued after them.
"If this trip wasn't exhausting enough, the attitudes make it that much worse," she decided. "How long have you guys been like this?"
"Since we came back, before recruiting you."
"Wow." Pauline dragged her hand through her hair as we entered the cave. "Uh, I know that hasn't been too long, but that's already more than enough for me."
Inside, we stared across the cave, with a light in the distance that lead out…and the space below us filled with water. Along the way were some stones, established as the next part of our path.
The first, however, would force us to wade through the pool to get to it.
Peach walked down a slight hill that lead into the water, and entered slowly, shivering a bit. Toadette followed her in, and the water practically rose up to her chest after wading out a bit.
The rest of us waited a moment, and I glanced around at everyone's unsteady faces. Daisy had walked forward to climb in, and I stepped beside her.
"Something seems a little too quiet in here," she murmured to me, and I nodded.
Still, I stepped forward, but paused as Daisy walked alongside me. Staring down at her arms, I blinked, fixated on her crystal-encased arms.
"Is that…permanent now?"
"What? No, I just want to keep them up for any upcoming enemies." She smirked. "Besides, it's either this, a big water bubble shield that we don't need, or me using flower powers." Her grin grew. "You tell me which of those sounds most powerful."
"Power isn't all that we need though."
"Why not? It's been working well for Peach!"
Before I could argue that point, I stumbled forward, and she grabbed me to keep me from falling into the pool. I blinked, and shook my head. The first stepping-stone was closer already.
Glancing back, I watched Pauline following us out, while Yoshi and Birdo held hands before entering the water.
"Oh, P-Peach!"
Whirling back around, I spotted Toadette quivering, Peach tightening her grip on the wand, and both frozen in place. Squinting ahead, I spotted Cheep Cheep jumping around in the water, swimming quickly at us. Below the surface, I faintly sighted something boney, likely Fish Bones.
"Everyone, move!"
Daisy and I quickly followed Peach's order, splashing through the steadily rising water. Toadette had started swimming by this point, racing forward after Peach, with the water now up to her chest.
She shrieked as a Cheep Cheep jumped from the water near her. Peach quickly blasted it back with a fireball, knocking the fish back into the water.
Scrambling for the rock, Peach threw herself up on the stone, and quickly grabbed at a panting Toadette.
More Fish Bones sped beneath the water at us, as Daisy and I forced ourselves forward through the pool. One undead fish began to swim right at me.
Jumping forward, Daisy slammed down hard against the Bone Fish, and I heard it shatter even below the water.
Paddling ahead, I climbed onto the rock with Peach and Toadette, with the former jumping ahead onto the next stone. Daisy reached to climb up, and I grabbed for her arm.
Unfortunately for me, the crystallized limb was stronger than I, and in a moment, I went below the water.
I squeezed my eyes shut, as bubbles obscured my remaining vision. Before I had closed them, I watched as a Fish Bone swam at me.
Pressure formed against my back, and I grabbed at my throat. Abruptly, I was pulled upward, and snatched my hat before it slipped from my head.
Gasping, I was tossed away, and rolled across the rock. Daisy panted, and shook her head, as I pushed myself up on my elbows and knees.
Glancing up, a Cheep Cheep bounced from the water, but Toadette jumped up and stomped it onto the rock. She kicked it away from my vision, and a splash sounded as Toadette ran out of my sight.
Shaking my head, I fell over, but forced myself up again. Lifting my head, I gazed back out at Pauline, who tried her best to hurry through the water.
"Watch out!"
My breathless shout would do her no good, as another Cheep Cheep jumped from the water and tackled her down. The fish barreled at her again, and she couldn't even rise above the pool to scream.
Suddenly, a bubble formed around her, and slowly rose from the water. It drifted toward us on the stone. I shook my head and blinked, turning to watch Daisy sway her hands to guide the bubble closer.
The Cheep Cheep jumped up again, still trying to break in, but only bounced off of the bubble. It dropped back into the water and swam away.
"Great work, Daisy!"
Toadette applauded as the bubble sailed over the stone, and slowly opened. Pauline dropped down, harder than she expected, and she yelped from the drop, wincing at the landing. Her curvy brown hair was weighed down, soaked from being pushed under, and she wrung it out a bit, pushing strands from her face.
Daisy crouched down beside her, and I managed to crawl over to her. Pauline coughed a bit, still panting for air.
"Thank you," she managed in between her gasps for air, and Daisy winked.
"P-Princess Peach, wait a minute!"
Blinking, I glanced at Toadette, who was looking ahead now. Whirling around, I watched as Peach raised her rod, and quickly brought it down to the stone she stood on, as a Cheep Cheep flew over her and crashed back into the pool.
Faintly, a blue light pulsed from her rock and across the water around us. It rippled past Yoshi and Birdo, who flung eggs at the fishes that assaulted them, and to the ends of the water's edges.
For a moment, nothing happened…until a crackle rang out. My eyes widened as I watched ice forming around the edges of the water, and quickly began racing back to us.
"Yoshi! Birdo! Move it!"
Both dinosaurs gasped, ducking from a leaping Cheep Cheep. Racing through the water, they rushed as the pool rapidly froze behind them.
Leaping up as they kicked their legs, Birdo and Yoshi flopped onto the rock, but slid back. I forced myself forward and snatched at Yoshi's arms, dragging him up and onto the rock.
Falling back, I slipped and Yoshi crashed on top of me. A groan escaped me, and I clutched my head. Opening my eyes more, I spotted Yoshi blush before pushing up and away from me.
Sighing, I then quickly gasped and rolled around to force myself up. "Birdo!"
Staring at the frozen water before me, I scanned my immediate line of vision, and my heart sank. Tilting my head a bit, I spotted her ribbon, and whirled my head to catch Daisy patting Birdo's back, as Birdo shook her head.
Slamming her hands onto the stone, Birdo forced herself up. She glared, stormed past me, and to the end of the rock.
"Peach! What were you even thinking?!" Birdo coughed a moment, interrupting her yelling, though she soon recovered. "Yoshi and I weren't even out of the water yet!"
"And yet, you two made it all the same." Peach shook her head. "I'm sorry, but if I hadn't, we would never even be able to safely cross."
"You nearly froze us alive!"
"Not quite."
Another coughing fit stopped Birdo from arguing further, and Peach simply turned ahead to keep moving, jumping across to the next rock. By the fifth stone, however, she dropped down to her knees.
"Princess Peach!"
Toadette quickly leapt across the stones, hurrying to Peach's side to help her up. Daisy started after her, and jumped to the second stone, stumbling a bit before hopping over to the third.
Taking a minute to watch Yoshi as he patted Birdo's back, he slowly glanced back at me. Smiling a bit, he turned back to Birdo, rubbing her as she worked at controlling her breathing again.
Spinning around, I stumbled to Pauline, who helped herself back up from the ground. Shaking and shivering, she struggled a smile for me and walked over to the edge of the rock.
Jumping ahead, she failed to get enough distance and dropped onto the ice. Gasping and slipping, she flailed as I hopped down beside her, helping her steady her balance as we both slid about.
Chills rushed up and down my body and I trembled as we slid forward. Helping Pauline onto the second rock, I shook and pulled myself on after her, with Yoshi and Birdo jumping right over as I made it up.
Abruptly, a thud sounded and I listened to for the slightest crack. The four of us exchanged unnerved faces as we walked to the end of the rock, and peered down at Cheep Cheep and Fish Bones swimming up to the frozen surface, tackling it. Barely, the ice started to crack.
"Let's keep moving," insisted Yoshi, and I practically jumped at hearing his voice again.
Pivoting back around, we checked ahead as Daisy had taken the lead, turning back and waiting for Peach and Toadette to cross the seventh stone.
Staggering across the rocks, sometimes falling to the ice below, the rest of us chased after the princesses and Toadette, slipping and shivering as we went. Thuds and crackling crashed below us, and just the unclear sight of angry fish propelled us forward.
Reaching the end of the cave, I heard some ice shatter further back within. Climbing up the ledge and stepping back onto solid land, my heart hammered as I turned back. Birdo crossed last as she pulled up and out of my sight, while I stared back inside the cavern once more as ice chunks flew up.
Twisting around, I stepped forward with the others, as we regrouped. Peach had given the Royal Scepter to Toadette, and struggled to stand up straight. Daisy smacked her arms together, with only bits of crystals chipped away.
"Hey, Peach, are you going to be ok?"
She turned to Pauline, who brushed back more of her hair from her face, the rest of her wet strands straightened to the back. Huffing, Peach nodded, though crouched down a bit closer to the ground.
Growling into a yell, Daisy slammed her arms together, and shards of crystals flew away from her. She gripped her arms and softly groaned, wincing as she gently rubbed herself.
"Maybe we should take a minute to rest," I suggested, as Birdo and Yoshi sat down for a moment.
"W-we can't though," protested Toadette. "The Toads are still in danger—"
"It won't do them any good if we can't even reach the summit in one piece."
Paused, Toadette stared quietly at me before slowly nodding. She helped Peach down to the ground to sit, as Daisy plopped down beside them.
With a sigh, I walked aside, stepping closer to the next bridge that waited for us, one with chains and metal planks. The wind howled and it swayed more than the wooden bridge back from the first mountain.
"How are you holding up?"
My shoulders dropped as I turned back to Pauline, who folded her arms together as she shivered. Raising my cap, I brushed at my soggy hair before pulling it back down, and exhaled again.
"Like everyone else, I'll live. How about you?"
"Same, just probably traumatized for the next time I want to go for a swim." She shrugged. "I'll get over it."
"Ha, yeah." I smirked. "You're not alone on that one."
"That's somewhat more comforting than it should be," joked Pauline, and we laughed a little. Sighing, she picked a few strands of her hair and rubbed it between her fingers. "About before, when I sent out Mini Mario, you were a lot more active."
"Well, I guess my brother motivates me more than I realize," I attempted to down play.
"Luigi, tell me the truth." She frowned. "You're worried about him. Don't tell me that you aren't, because that's how I feel, which means you're a wreck."
"You're…not wrong."
"Then talk." She unfolded her arms and placed her waterlogged glove on my damp shoulder. "Please, Luigi. You're not alone either."
"…Talking doesn't really do much, if we both already know that I'm anxious over my brother's wellbeing." I shook my head. "It's just…well, I don't know how he is. Bowser took him back, and the last thing that he yelled was that I could get him back later." My head and eyes lowered. "That was back when we were in Seaside, which seems so long ago now. I just…I don't know what to think."
"If you want my advice, just try remembering how resilient Mario is," reminded Pauline. "He can take all kinds of hell that comes his way and throw it right back. Mario's no pushover, and I'm sure he's holding up fine, even as a prison of war." She paused, and then smacked her head. "Sorry, Luigi, that was careless."
"Not at all, Pauline. You care a lot." I smile. "You've been through a lot more in one day than you've probably ever been through, and instead of mentally recovering, you're helping me cope."
"To be fair, talking with you helps me get my mind off of how ridiculously unreal this whole trip has been so far," admitted Pauline, and we laughed again. As we stopped, she patted my shoulder again. "Also, you might not like it, but…if Mario is in love with Bowser, and it's mutual, then maybe Bowser will go soft on him."
"They left with Mario tied up in his Clown Car."
"His what?"
"A person ship that can haul Bowser and a victim around."
"Oh."
We stood quietly as the wind wailed again, and listened to the chains of the bridge rattle. Pauline's shoulders dropped as I glanced back up at her, and I sighed.
"Before that happened, before Seaside, I did…Mario and I talked." She raised an eyebrow, but I let my eyes drift back to the ground, focusing on my damp body and drenched pants. "Well, more like I grilled him on answers about his…relationship."
"Cornered him?"
"To put it lightly."
"Ouch."
"Yeah, all aboard the guilt train." Tears formed in my eyes, but I brushed them away. "Anyway, by the way that Mario spoke about it, Bowser had been trying to care for him, and that their feelings were mutual." I dug my hands into my hair, pushing up on my cap. "And Bowser's son was fiercely defensive over their relationship as well, so—"
"Bowser has a son? Oh gosh, he does, doesn't he? I forgot! Pretty sure that there were toy models of him lying around my office."
"Uh, yeah, Bowser Junior." I lifted my head up, raising my eyebrow as she raised her own. "That's…kind of not the important part?"
"How is it not? That means he has a soft spot, besides Mario, and that's cute!"
"…Um…"
"Wow, wait, that's actually totally not helping." Pauline chuckled a bit before shaking her head. "Sorry. Continue."
"Right, so, it is mutual, and that would mean that Bowser probably wouldn't want to hurt Mario." I roughly tugged my cap down. "He should be fine there, and what you brought up is true, but I just…I'm still scared. Who knows what he's been through since I last saw him?"
"Probably a lot by this point," determined Pauline. "That doesn't mean anything, though, and we both know that Mario doesn't give up easily, if ever." Her hands rested on my shoulders, but I refused to look up. "I can't tell you with certainty, but I have faith that Mario will be fine. We just have to get Bowser to…well…" She pulled her hands away and hesitated. "Actually…I'm not sure how this works going forward, especially if they both love each other."
"Yep. I don't think anyone does."
"So, you've got that to deal with, on top of a certain little dinosaur that has feelings for you too." I lowered my eyes as I lifted my head to meet her smirk. "Sorry, I know that I shouldn't bring that up—"
"It's just a lot to juggle on top of that." I gazed past her, back at Yoshi as he chatted with Birdo. He glanced over at me and smiled a bit, while Birdo turned back and narrowed her eyes. "Plus, I have his very good friend and possible alternate love interest angry with me."
"Huh?" Pauline turned around to look at the pair. "Oh, Birdo? She's into him?"
"Yes, and I know that he likes her, but I don't think…well, I'm not sure, actually." I furrowed my brow. "M-maybe he likes her back, but wanted to choose me first?"
"…That's not really how it works, Luigi." Pauline pivoted back to me with a grin. "He's more into you than he is her. And, in spite of everything, he couldn't hold back telling you about it."
"Part of me wishes he had."
"And the other part?"
"…I…don't know."
"Well, if you take too long, I wouldn't blame Yoshi for moving on with Birdo." Pauline giggled. "They actually do seem cute together, to be honest."
"Kind of." I fixated on the pair, as they resumed their chattering. "Still, I don't think that she's angry at me just for being his preferred love interest."
"Nope, she's probably furious that Yoshi chose you, and you shot him down."
"But I didn't! I mean, I…I told him that I wasn't sure yet, but I—"
"Are you two dating now?"
"No?"
"Then that's enough rejection for her to get enraged over." Pauline folded her arms behind her head. "I bet it's something that she would have killed for."
"Please don't put that thought into my mind."
"Ha, sorry!" Pauline laughed a bit, but shook it off. "Honestly, I'm sure she'll get over her jealousy. Birdo's just…you know, protective."
"Is that what you'd call it?"
"Well, you had to correct me on her pronouns, so…how should she act with her quieter friend?"
"True."
"You've got a lot to juggle, Luigi, that much is certain." Pauline rested her hands on my shoulders. "But, you're not alone, in both regards. After all, everyone here has something that they're struggling to deal with, on top of rescuing this kingdom from the bad guys."
"…Actually…that's another thing that's…I'm not sure."
"You're sure unsure!"
"Tell me about it." I chuckled and shook my head. "See, Mario also brought up our actions against the enemies that Bowser sends after us, and I…well, it's starting to make me question what we're doing."
"What, you think Peach is the bad one?"
"N-no. Well, right now, she's…" I lowered my head again, fixating on the craggy earth. "It's just, I don't know if Bowser's henchmen are as much of monsters as we think they are. They look vicious, and they attack relentlessly, as you've witnessed first hand, but…there are two sides to every war, right?"
Her eyes widened a bit as I looked back up, and she nodded. Folding her arms, she thought for a moment and tapped a finger against her cheek.
"We need to get moving," announced Peach. "We've taken far too much time as it is."
Everyone else stood up and walked over to the bridge, and Peach grasped to the chains on both sides. Carefully, she inched her way onto the bridge, and then proceeded across. Toadette followed, grabbing at the lower chains and pulling herself along. Yoshi walked to follow, glancing at me again before making his way across, with Birdo quickly in tow.
Pauline smiled to me as she started to make her way across, and I moved to follow her, but stopped. Turning, I looked at Daisy, who held her arms together.
"Are you—?"
"Fine." She blinked. "I mean, yeah, I'm going."
Shifting my attention from the bridge and back to her, I walked over to Daisy and held out my hands. She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head at me as I met her eyes.
"Give me your hands."
"Why?"
"Daisy…just let me see."
Puffing out her cheek, she grumbled before lifting her arms. Her gloves and sleeves were torn up, and there were scratches on her skin. No blood, but no good either.
"Has that ever happened before?" I struggled to keep my tone calm.
"Not really, or…not recently." She looked away, across the bridge. "Not since I practiced when I was younger, anyway. But…it hurts."
"It should."
"Thanks."
"Come on, I don't mean it like—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know." She sighed. "I thought that Pauline was playing lookout for you, and that you'd be more caught up in her than anyone else."
"Really Daisy?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "I've always got time for you."
"And that I should know too." She nodded. "Hey, it's sore, but I can do this."
"Can you?"
"Honestly, I have to." She turned back to me and frowned. "Otherwise, I'm just an open target. One of Bowser's troops could kidnap me, or…worse, even." Her shoulders dropped. "I may be a princess, but I don't think Bowser cares as much for my value."
"Doesn't matter if he does, because we care," I affirmed. "You and I can cross this bridge together, ok?"
"How?"
"Holding on the chains might take too much, but you can hold onto me," I offered. "Doing that will let you keep your hands closer together, and it won't hurt nearly as much as gripping cold metal."
"Are you sure you can handle that?"
"If I can handle more than half of what my brother goes through, then yes, I think I can help you cross a bridge."
"Ok, tough guy," she teased. "Just know that I'm counting on you!"
We laughed a bit and walked back to the bridge. Pauline was at least half way across by this point and I grasped the frozen chains. Shivering a bit, I glanced back at Daisy, who still hesitated.
"You have nothing to fear," I assured her.
"How'd you…?" She sighed. "That stupid illusion room was right. I am a coward."
"You? Spunky, tomboy Princess Daisy?" I smirked. "I thought I saw you punching the stuffing out of some enemies back there. Must have been some other, tougher princess."
"Hey, I may be winded, but I could take you on right now!"
"Ah, there she is."
Catching her grin as she flicked my shoulder, I waited for her to wrap her arms beneath my overall straps and chest. Slowly, I shuffled forward, and Daisy inched along behind me.
Wind bellowed and rushed by, shaking the bridge. Tightening my hold, my hands shuddered from the chills, almost numb from the grip already.
As the wind eased up, we walked forward again. Still, I winced from the sharp pain in my hands.
"Daisy? I need a minute to let go."
"What?!"
"Trust me, I'll keep us balanced." I bit my lip as my hands continued to numb. "It's better if I do that now than wait to get blown off."
"Uh…ok, go for it."
Releasing my grip, I let my hands hover over the chains. The air was still cold, but it was better than holding what might as well have been ice.
Clenching my hands into fists, I rubbed my fingers around as I slowly carried forward, with Daisy in tow. We made it over a quarter across before the wind rushed through again.
Quickly, I grabbed onto the chains and held tightly. The bridge swayed with the chilly wind, and my teeth chattered. Daisy clamped harder onto me, and we slowed our movement.
Slowly, the wind died down again, and I carefully released my grip.
"We're going to need to speed this up," I advised. "Are you ready?"
"Follow the leader, got it. You worry about you, I'll keep up."
Lowering my head a bit, I pulled us forward, a little quicker now. Daisy stumbled a bit behind me at first, but she quickly fell in sync with my quicker pace.
Focusing my attention across, I watched as Pauline walked upward and onto the mountain. She turned back and her hands went up to her mouth, as she and the others watched Daisy and I.
More than halfway there, the wind surged again, and I grabbed back onto the bridge. It still pained me, but less than before, and I held on while continuing to walk. Though slower, we still managed our way ahead, bit by bit.
Once the wind calmed again, Daisy and I hurried the rest of the way across, and her hands slipped away from me. The wind kicked up again, just before we finished getting across. My hands slipped from the chains and I wobbled.
An arm wrapped around me, and I glanced back at Daisy, who grasped the bridge with her free hand. The wind blew as I steadied myself and grabbed back onto the chains as well.
Finally, as we stopped getting tossed around, Daisy and I finished crossing. Pauline let out a breath that she had held and pulled us further onto the land.
"Guys, I'm so sorry, I didn't even think to—"
"No worries," assured Daisy, as she patted my back. "Luigi had it handled."
"We both did," I corrected, and Daisy smiled to me.
Turning, Yoshi and Birdo lowered their shoulders as well, while Toadette brushed her head. Peach studied Daisy, her eyes wider than usual, but then calmed her face and spun away, marching ahead again.
Climbing up the trail, we slowed as we reached a chasm. Peach stopped and stared down, shaking her head, and then looked back at the land before her.
"It shouldn't be too hard of a jump for most of us," I observed, and she turned to look at me, brow furrowed. "You can still whip up a little magic to float, right? You have that, I can jump, Daisy should be able to manage, Yoshi and Birdo can flutter, so really, all we need to worry about is Toadette and Pauline. So, for them, we can—"
Walking away from me, Peach went over to Toadette, and took back her Royal Scepter. Returning to my side, she pointed ahead at the land across from us.
Yanking back her wand, a long chain of earth surged forward, and collided onto our side. I fumbled a bit and tried to steady myself with my arms, as Peach tugged me backward. I staggered back a bit, and steadied myself, while catching her eye me.
"Um…thank you?"
"…You're welcome." She stepped forward onto her newly formed bridge of stone, but stopped. "Thank you, for…helping Daisy."
"Of course. I always help my friends."
"…Hm."
With that, Peach continued across, and I hesitated before following her. I turned back for a moment, watching as Daisy last crossed with Pauline, and nodded as I turned forward again.
Continuing on and around another bend, we approached a fork in the road, and slowed to a stop as Peach and I shifted our attention back and forth between the two paths. Toadette hurried forward and joined us, but quickly spun to Peach.
"Princess, which way?"
"…I'm…"
"Peach?"
She scrunched up her face. "…I don't recall."
"No, Peach, please!" Toadette clasped her hands together, begging. "Princess Peach, you have to remember which way! If you don't…I failed them." She sank to the ground, and tears slipped from her eyes. "Oh my Stars, this is all my fault…I should have never left the Toads, how could I—?"
"Toadette, stop." Peach crouched down and placed her hands on Toadette's shoulders. "You are not responsible for what happened to them. It was my decision. I sent them there, and it…it's my fault. I failed those Toads. I…I'm the one who failed."
"…Peach—"
"Not now, Luigi." She stroked Toadette's cheeks, brushing away the tears as Toadette sniffled. "We'll figure this out, Toadette, I promise. I will get your friends back safely, and I will fix my mistake."
"It w-wasn't yours, P-Peach," sobbed Toadette. "W-we shouldn't have—have been caught."
"Hush…I should have properly planned it out." Peach shushed Toadette and rocked her softly in a light hug. "I promise you, I won't let you down. I won't let them down either."
Still, Toadette sobbed, struggling to control herself. Lifting my head, I watched as Pauline dug into her pocket, and pulled out a compass. She pointed it down the path on the left, and shook her head. Peach and Toadette looked up as she pointed to the right path and smiled with a nod.
"This way is north," she instructed. "I'm guessing that's the right direction for where we're going, isn't it?"
"…Y…yes it is."
"Cool! Compasses are handy even here, then!" Pauline patted Peach's shoulder, as Peach's mouth dropped open a bit. "Come on, then! Let's keep going!"
Cheerfully, Pauline led us onward, strolling ahead. Peach turned her attention to me, as I shrugged, and followed after Pauline.
While we continued our stride forward, however, I heard something flapping. Turning to the outside edge of the mountain, I watched as the blur of a Paratroopa grabbed Pauline's bag. She shrieked as the Paratroopa carried her away from us.
"Help! Help!"
Dashing forward, I chased after the two, and was led to another opening. Rexes stood by, while Hammer Bros. and Koopa Troopas emerged from behind boulders.
Skidding to a halt, I glared ahead at them as the Paratroopa descended to a higher plateau, and perched down, dropping Pauline below it.
Yoshi jumped forward, lobbing an egg at a Rex as it charged at us. Slamming it, the Rex sank backwards.
Peach twirled her Royal Scepter around, spinning it and whipping it away from her. A gust of wind billowed up around several Koopas and Rexes, scattering them around and knocking them into the surrounding mountainsides.
Birdo spat out egg after egg, knocking down one Hammer Bro. and deflecting another's hammer.
Daisy closed her hands together, and the Regal Rings softly lit up. Petals flurried up between them and fluttered down from the air.
Jabbing her hands forward, Daisy's petals soared forward and sliced at two Hammer Bros. and a Rex, forcing the three back.
A barrage of hammers flew out from behind Pauline, however, and everyone was forced to redirect their attacks against the flood of tools.
Toadette and I nodded to one another as we charged ahead, evading the last few hammers as best as we could. Jumping up, I slammed down on a Rex, crushing it down and flattening its body.
While it scurried around and rushed away from me, a Koopa Shell flew by and knocked the Rex back to its original size, just before it slammed into a wall. The Koopa popped from the shell, groaned, and collapsed alongside the Rex.
Waving to a cheering Toadette, we paused and backpedaled as Hammer Bros. slid down from slopes around Pauline, tossing hammers at us once again.
One Koopa Troopa jumped up and into its shell, sliding forward and knocking into Yoshi as he threw an egg. Daisy yelped as it crashed into her back, and she fell over from the force.
Several petals escaped from her hands and flew out, slicing at Peach, who fumbled with her rod. A fireball whizzed out at Birdo, who ducked down, barely avoiding her bow being singed.
"Seriously, Peach?!"
"Oh please, that was an accident."
"Yoshi, what was that?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to."
"Luigi, we have to do something," urged Toadette, as I jolted and turned back to her.
"Uh…w-well…we don't really…you and I can't—"
"If we can't, then we're doomed!"
"That's not helping." I groaned. "What would Mario do…?"
Lowering my head, I scratched at it as the arguing continued. More hammers flew from above, and Peach quickly forced a wall of earth up to block the barrage. Chunks of stone broke off and pelted us as we crouched down.
"Well, Peach?" Birdo folded her arms. "You're the leader. Do something."
"I just did!"
"Something that we actually save us!"
"Yoshi, just launch another few eggs out," instructed Daisy.
"Not while I can't see," argued Yoshi. "I could hit Pauline!"
"What do we do?!" Toadette threw her arms up. "Are we seriously being bested by these guys? We're better than this!"
"Luigi, do you have any ideas?" I turned to Yoshi, who winced as bits of rocks rained down over him.
"Um…"
A hammer burst through barrier and I gasped, pushing back toward the others. Another crashed by the other end, and Birdo scooted inward as well.
"Guys, come on!" I perked up at Pauline's yelling. "I know you're going through a rough patch right now, but please!" She muffled a few other words, and I heard the Paratroopa yelp. "I really, really don't want to get kidnapped again, especially not like this! Please work together, please save me!"
"We're trying to work together," snapped Birdo. "What does she think we're doing, trying to get ourselves killed?!"
"She's panicking, and not thinking clearly," reasoned Peach. "I've been there too many times before."
"So has Pauline, and she's right," I countered. "We're not really working together."
"How are we not?"
"Just because we fight for the same side doesn't mean we're going through this as a collective unit." I tightened my fists, flinching as another hammer broke through the wall. "Yoshi, I'm sorry about before. Birdo, I didn't mean to upset him, and I really didn't mean to upset you either. Peach, I know you can't forgive me still, but I'm really here, right now, working with you."
Each of the three stared at me, widened eyes and raised eyebrows. Another hammer broke through and they squeezed inward.
"Can we save the apologies for later, please?" Daisy winced as pebbles poured over her. "Let's just beat these guys, rescue Pauline, and end this fight already!"
"Wait, maybe…everyone. Hold still a moment." Peach raised her Royal Scepter up.
"What are you doing?"
"Maybe I've…been fighting too much…" Peach cupped her hand around the wand. "It's been too long, and I've forgotten…but not anymore."
Whispering an incantation as the barrier continued to collapse around us, a soft pink light drifted from Peach's scepter and sparkled around us.
Breathing in a fresh rush of air, I flexed my hands and gazed down at them. My muscles eased as my shoulders lowered, and I brushed beneath my cap before tightening it back on.
Glancing at Daisy's arms, I watched as her scratches faded under the pink light. She exhaled and stretched, pushing herself up. The rest of us quickly joined her.
"There." Peach smiled and nodded. "Everyone feeling better?" We exchanged nods with one another. "Great. Because I want to hit something again."
Thrusting her rod forward, the remaining stones from the wall flew out and slammed into the Koopas and Rexes on the ground, crashing into walls with them.
Spiraling around, Daisy closed her hands together and rapidly rolled them together. Under the glow of the Regal Rings, she raised her arms, and gazed behind Pauline. Pillars of flower petals scattered out, as Hammer Bros. leapt from behind their hiding positions.
Birdo spat eggs out at each one that popped up, knocking them down from the ledges and to the ground. Each one that dropped, Toadette and I rushed forward, stomping on them to keep them down.
The Paratroopa jumped up and reached for Pauline, but gasped as a long red tongue wrapped around him. Horrified, he turned back to Yoshi, who pulled him back. Flapping his wings, the Paratroopa resisted as Yoshi retracted his tongue.
Cupping my hands, I launched Toadette up, and she twirled around. Stepping down on its shell, Toadette kicked off of the Paratroopa, knocking its wings off as Yoshi released his grip.
The felled Troopa hit the ground and moaned. He looked up as Peach jabbed her Royal Scepter at him.
"Do yourself a favor or two," she instructed. "One: never, ever kidnap my friends. Two, crawl into your shell and don't come out for a while. And three: leave this place once we walk away, as this is your last chance for mercy. Is that clear?"
"N…not happening," the Troopa managed.
"You leave me no choice."
Pulling back her rod, Peach nodded. As the Troopa tried to push himself back up, Toadette stomped down, forcing him back to the ground. He gasped out before collapsing completely.
Turning away, I jumped up by Pauline, and held out my hand. Smiling, she grabbed onto it, and I lifted her back up.
"So, uh…no mercy for the wicked?"
"Nope, not when they've got one of us," called Birdo. Everyone turned to her. "…What? Oh come on, don't look at me like that. I'm not famous yet."
"Maybe not," determined Toadette, "but keep up that kind of talk, and you'll get there in no time!"
"Please, stop, this is getting too sappy," complained Birdo, blushing a bit as she turned away. "…But do go on, praise me more."
"Well, nothing like a rousing teamwork speech, huh?" Pauline grinned and folded her arms. "See? I can prove my worth!"
"Actually, it was mostly Peach's little healing spell that kicked us back to life," admitted Daisy.
"…Oh."
"But you helped," I chimed in. "You helped motivate us to work together!"
"That was kind of you, really," mumbled Yoshi, scratching his nose.
"Um…"
"Well, I created the hostage situation for you guys to fight together, so how about that?"
"Uh…sure, if you really want credit for that."
"Why not? I can play damsel well enough," joked Pauline. Quickly frowning, she added, "If it happens again, though, I'm hurting whoever takes me away, because I've honestly had it for a while now."
"Yeah, I know the feeling," agreed Peach.
"Ok, ok, we did great, now let's keep going," urged Toadette. "We still have Toads to rescue!"
"Right, let's go."
Together, we scrambled up another slope of scree, and surged up to the summit of the last mountain. Well, we climbed to the base of it, as we gazed into the grotto that led to the Mountains Fortress, and up to the pike of the peak.
"Are we ready? Let's…"
My thoughts left me as I gazed out to the sky, some distance away from the Mountains. Everyone else stepped beside me and stared out at the distant shape of a wooden ship, sailing across the sky and in our direction. Part of me expected the cannons to fire already, if they were in range.
Narrowing my eyes, I glowered at the approaching Airship.
...
Gasp! Cliffhangers! Oh, how I missed them so! …What, didn't you miss them too?
Anyway, hooray, tension between the Koopalings and Junior, alongside tension between the heroes! Look at all of these lovely divisions and squabbles, how precious!
Poor little Junior; he tried his best to stop the Koopalings from going against his father's wishes. But, they're very stubborn, especially if Ludwig's being adamant with his views. Roy tried to vouch for both sides, but didn't seem to do well by anyone's book, unfortunately. Oddly, it's Morton who seemed to keep some peace, while Wendy and Larry backed their decision for different reasons. Lemmy, meanwhile, instigated, and Iggy…is up to something for the Koopalings. Hmm.
But, enough on that! Let's get into the heroes! Ooh, so much drama, so much fun!
Poor Luigi struggled to get on top of everything that's been hitting him lately, as he failed to keep it from really getting to him. Though not terribly so, it did shake him up a bit in this chapter. Luckily, he managed to find his own perseverance to pull through. Oh, and he had a little help from newcomer Pauline!
As she is a normal human, Pauline isn't quite suited for combat. Still, she doesn't let this stop her, dressing up for the region, insisting on the princesses to do the same, and even holding her own in demanding trials! If anything, she's just a little more capable than what she should be, so…that's actually a tall order for her to face! And yet she did, somehow! Thanks to a little help from a walking stick and a toy, yeah! …Pauline's great, ok? She brings out people's humanity and, uh, stuff. And I had to reference the Mario vs Donkey Kong series, because that helped bring Pauline back to life after being gone for so long. And who didn't want to see Mini Mario bonk an enemy? Totally on all of our minds, I know.
Dragging the heroes through a long climb was enjoyable too, and I did attempt to make it different from Star Hill, since, well, we were just there with Bowser and Mario last time. Mountains, mountains, and more mountains…maybe I should actually travel to one sometime. Ahaha, like I could afford that! …Um…
So, the Mountains are a pretty hazardous region, based on the climate and terrain itself. To the ill prepared folk, it's easy to stumble and slide the whole way back down, or otherwise drop and fall to a terrible, unfortunate demise. Crazy! Oh, and nasty local moles can be jerks around there too, especially if they work for the Koopa Troop. Which…most do, so, yeah. Extra challenges. The fortunate thing is that Peach had Toads scout ahead around the area, creating bridges to make the travel across the top easier, which…well, Mario originally helped to clear away the bad guys that infested it. And while it makes some parts easier, it doesn't help too much to have a metal bridge right after a cavern of a freezing cold water pool. Especially if you're attacked by angry fish, dunked into the water, and forced to shiver as you traverse the heavy winds of a high mountainous region. Hooray!
Birdo might have been a bit prickly this chapter, because…well, reasons listed. She's just trying to be famous, poor dinosaur. Still, she did help out, and managed to hold her own against even Peach, who did not make things easy. Both of them learned a little more in cooperating with others though, especially Peach, who is drifting between a righteous leader and a solo act. Hmm.
Besides Luigi, Daisy exposed a little bit of her softer side as well, and that was nice to get at. Oh, and it was nice to give her a section with Luigi as well, because they are a nice pair, whether it's romantic or platonic. Poor Yoshi was really quiet for a good part of it, still wallowing in despair from Luigi's reaction his confession. Can't blame him, given all that's going on, but Yoshi's still moody. Meanwhile, Toadette proves that Luigi isn't the only one on the guilt train, still forlorn over what happened with the Toads rescue attempt. This, however, revealed Peach's own misgivings, guilt, self-doubt, and helped her show that compassion that she's been missing! Peach does care about her Toads, after all.
Plenty of fun stuff that I can go on about, but I should probably cut it off here. After all, we've got oh so much more to explore in the next two chapters, which will continue this little arc on the Mountains! …Though…I wonder how that Airship will come into play…I guess we'll see!
In the time that I haven't posted, and if you haven't seen me flaunting it around enough, this fanfic has now been added to the Recommended Fanfics on the TVTropes website! My very first fanfic rec, hooray! A very, very big thank you again to N8han11, who recommended it on there! Oh, and there's a Spanish translation of this story being posted currently as well, by gemini-in-tauro, so thanks for that too!
And thank you to all of my readers that continue to support this fanfic as well! Because of you guys, this story is still doing well with filters, as it's in the Top 40 for Reviews, Top 30 for Favorites, and ranked 7th for the Most Followed Fanfics on the Mario archive! Very exciting stuff for sure, so thank you all once again!
Even though it's doing really well at standing out, I do hope you guys will still continue to provide me with feedback! That's the best way to help this story stay strong, as it helps me improve my writing abilities, which are getting a little sloppy lately. It doesn't help that I work a lot, but that's no excuse. So, please, continue to send in reviews or messages! Comments, criticisms, and questions are all welcome! And you're likely to bring up stuff that I might forget about addressing, so please help me with that too!
Wow, that went on for too long. My apologies. Anyway, the next chapter will continue this current arc, so look forward to that! But, have no fear, as we will return to Bowsario dramatic loveliness upon this arc's conclusion. That's all for now, though. Thank you all so much again for your continued patience, and for still reading this as well!