RECAP:

With Iggy's analysis and Peach's contributions, the group was able to determine that the slime - which covered the arm bands that Junior discovered – belonged to one of the Broodals. Even though they had just now arrived at the realization that Bowser and Rosalina had been captured, much of the overall mystery still remained unclear.

Despite Bowser's best efforts to help him remember his past, Mario admitted that his memory still had not returned. It appeared as though the pair had reached a dead-end. That is, until a mysterious waitress by the name of Leanna in a diner named The Comatose gave them vague instructions to seek out an abandoned building at the edge of town; stealing Mario's vile to use as a bargaining piece. Reluctantly, the duo agreed and departed into the unknown.

Contemno, Eris, and Topper met with the other members of the mage's council: Grodus, Tatanga, Wart, and a mysterious woman. Contemno warned his accomplices of the lingering threat posed by Mario and company, but the mage's own abilities and authority were called into question instead. Contemno vowed to recruit Mario to his side and destroy Bowser no matter the cost.

Junior's bitter resentment towards Peach came back in full throttle as he peeled back the layers of his everlasting grudge towards her for imprisoning Bowser for 10 years. Despite the princess's honesty and best efforts to make peace, Junior ultimately refused to forgive Peach for what she had done. Thus, the rift between the two remained.

Merlon exited his newly crafted training room and gently closed the door behind him. He turned to find Junior waiting out in the hallway. The Koopa Prince was perched up against the wall with his arms crossed. He was staring at the wall nearby, but he appeared to be deep in contemplation.

"Greetings, Prince Junior," Merlon greeted.

"I need to start my training," Junior replied rather bluntly when he turned to him.

"Have you finished reviewing the-"

"Yeah, I finished the book. I'm ready to get started."

"I see…," said Merlon with an exhaustive sigh. "While I admire your motivation, I must admit that I envy your youth."

"Huh?"

"I am not as young as I used to be. Back in my prime, I could've surely trained an entire class all at once..."

"What're you saying? You can't do it?"

"Not at all. But I must confess I have exhausted the majority of my power today already. I fear I will not be of as much benefit to you if we begin your training now. I suggest we begin our lesson first thing tomorrow."

Junior clenched his fists. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath to reign in whatever irrational outburst had been perched on his tongue.

"Fine, I understand. We'll do it tomorrow," Junior agreed as he turned to walk away.

"If I may, I sense that there is more to your desire to begin training than just eagerness alone," said Merlon.

"What do you mean?"

"I sense that you are trying to avoid something. Your mind seems quite troubled. Perhaps there is something you can share with me?" Junior froze. His mouth cracked open slightly to begin a response and his hand rose in a half-hearted gesture to reach out for help.

"No, it's nothing," he stopped himself, shoving his arm back down to his side. Merlon didn't appear to be convinced, but the wizard said nothing more as he stood by and watched Junior anxiously meander away.

Peach was surprised to find the Koopalings and Toad still seated at the table when she returned to the basement. It was as if they hadn't moved since she left. Iggy was stationed in front of a white board; furiously stroking and sketching away as he muttered to himself indistinctly. The entire board was littered with notes, drawings, equations, and diagrams.

"How did it go?" Larry asked. Peach shook her head solemnly.

"Not well, I'm afraid. I told him the honest truth, but he just can't find it in himself to forgive me," said Peach. "Not that I really blame him after everything he's been through."

"Don't sweat it, princess," said Roy. "He'll come around. Just give him some time."

"But how long do you think that might take? Contemno is still out there wreaking havoc on the world and we don't have time to just sit here," said Peach.

"Yeah well, I don't think we should be doing anything until our bratty leader can learn to play well with others," Toad inserted. Suddenly, the room fell eerily silent as they watched Junior descend the stairs and quietly take his seat at the table; cupping his hands together in a dignified manner. He seemed unwilling to make eye contact with any of them at first.

"Hey…you alright, small fry?" Larry asked. Surprisingly, it was Peach whom Junior looked at first. They exchanged neutral expressions with one another; deprived of any real emotion.

"I'll be fine," Junior answered quietly. "Sorry about earlier. I just wanna stop Contemno and find out what happened to my dad. That's what's most important right now. We need to get back out there soon, so what's the plan, Iggy?"

Roy was pleasantly surprised by how mature Junior was trying to present himself at the moment, even if his quick turnaround was a bit abrupt. Despite his previous outburst, the Koopa Prince had collected himself again rather quickly. Perhaps there really was some semblance of growth in him after all…

"Well, you're certainly right, Junior. But, let's not be hasty," said Iggy. "We're not exactly armed and prepped for combat just yet anyway. It would be unwise for us to go out picking a fight in our current state. I'm sure Merlon's exhausted from all of his magic teaching today. So while he rests a bit, I think we should focus on strategizing in the meantime."

"Big surprise, the nerd wants to talk strategy," Toad taunted. Iggy shot him a slight glare, cleared his throat, and then continued.

"Now then, we did some theorizing while you two were away having your…umm…'conversation,' and I think we may have a lead on what Contemno's been doing behind the scenes up until now."

"Really?" Peach asked as she perked up a bit.

"I dunno where he got this 'we' stuff. It's mostly been Iggs throwing numbers and science jargon at us while I was tryin' to keep Larry from drooling," said Roy. "But maybe you can make sense of what Iggy's trying to get at."

"Maybe indeed, as this does relate more directly to you than any of us, Peach," said Iggy.

"Oh…well, alright. What did you come up with Iggy?" Peach inquired.

Excitedly, the Koopaling rushed over towards his whiteboard, snatched up his pointing stick, twirled it in his fingers, and began his lecture by pointing at a list of names written in marker. The board read: Kammy, Junior, Koopalings, Peach, Toadsworth, Bowser, and Rosalina.

"Here we have a list of all the people we know of who were attacked either by Contemno himself or one of his followers," Iggy began. "Now-"

"Sorry, Iggy. I don't mean to interrupt," Peach started. "But you might want to add Mario's name to that list." She went on to relay to the group about Mario's role in the situation up until the arrival of the package containing his burned cap and the threatening letter. "I'm certain Contemno is responsible for whatever happened to Mario." The princess felt a sudden, strange urge to look over at Junior.

Perhaps she realized that this was yet another piece of vital information that she had unintentionally kept hidden from the rest of the group until now. She was certain Junior's reaction would be nothing short of volatile, so the princess winced slightly in anticipation of another violent outburst.

Yet, Junior wasn't even looking at her. He didn't visibly acknowledge her statement just now in the slightest. It was as if he hadn't heard what she just said, though Peach was sure that was impossible. The Koopa Prince kept a calm composure as his hands remained cupped together and he kept his attention on Iggy. The display was off-putting to Peach, though not entirely unwelcome.

"Hmmm…I see," Iggy replied as he added Mario's name to the list. "I was wondering where he's been while all of this has been happening. Alright, now we have a more up-to-date list of Contemno's known targets. I ask you all this, what is the commonality?"

"The…what?" a puzzled Toad replied.

"You know, the link. Basically, what do all of the people on this list have in common? There's obviously a pattern here."

"You asked us that before, and none of us knew. Just say the answer, Iggs," Roy stated bluntly as he crossed his arms.

"Uggghh, fine," Iggy agreed reluctantly; annoyed that his sibling was sucking any semblance of fun out of this lecture. "The commonality is that they're all associated with the Kingdom Council."

"Huh? Wait, we aren't members," Larry denied. "Neither is Mario or Junior, and Kammy certainly wasn't part of it either."

"True, but all of the other names you just listed were loyal to the council in one way or another when the attacks happened."

"What do you mean?" Junior asked.

"Peach, Bowser, and Rosalina are all current members of the Kingdom Council. Toadsworth was as well up until his death." Iggy explained. "They were all attacked, and there's practically zero chance that that was just all one big coincidence. I'd argue it isn't a stretch to conclude that Contemno has some sort of grievance with the council as a whole."

"I'd say that's a fair assumption," Peach agreed with a nod. "But Toadsworth stepping in to defend me was also probably part of the reason Contemno didn't hesitate to kill him."

"Exactly. That's the idea. It's all about loyalty. Toadsworth was loyal to you and was dedicated to protecting you, Peach. Then there's Mario." Iggy began to pace around the room as he continued. "As Peach just explained, Mario was conducting his own investigation at the council's request. He's loyal not just to his wife or the council, but to the whole kingdom. It's no surprise Contemno would orchestrate an attack against Mario to keep him from snooping around where he wasn't supposed to. Not to mention the fact that Mario is the Mushroom Kingdom's established defender. If anyone wants to stage any sort of attack on the kingdom, it would just make sense to try and remove Mario from the equation first."

The statement was received with collective nods, prompting the Koopaling to continue.

"Now, here's where the rest of us come in. Think back to the night Contemno attacked our castle. Recall that he was originally looking to strike Bowser down and steal the latter's castle for himself. Kammy most likely stepped in and fought Contemno in order to defend the castle out of loyalty towards Bowser."

"That sounds about right…," Roy affirmed.

"But when Contemno learned that Bowser wasn't there, he attacked Junior instead. Why?" The terrors of that night were still fresh in the minds of each of the Koopas present. Contemno's haunting words echoed in each of their memories.

"How about it then?" Contemno provoked. "Care to demonstrate just how far the apple truly falls from the tree?"

"It's because Junior is Bowser's son; the Koopa Prince; the heir to the throne," Iggy answered. "Junior may not have been on the council yet, but he was next in line to take Bowser's seat after Bowser retired. Plus, who could be more loyal at heart to Bowser than his own son? Furthermore, if Contemno wanted to seize control of the Koopa throne in particular for some reason, ending the royal bloodline by taking Junior out would make it pretty easy." Junior gulped, but said nothing.

"What about us?" Larry asked. "Where do we fit into this?" Iggy turned to him.

"Us?" he repeated. "We just stood in Contemno's way to protect Junior. We're loyal to him as his teachers and guardians, after all. I'm sure Contemno had no issue targeting us since we were keeping him away from Junior."

"So, what I'm understanding from all of this is that Contemno is attacking the Kingdom Council and anyone who is loyal to its members," Peach surmised as she placed a finger under her chin. "He is most likely doing it because he's seeking political power for some reason."

"You got it," Iggy confirmed, though the princess's persistent frown concerned him.

"But, surely there is so much more to it than that," Peach argued. "From what I've come to understand about Contemno based on my previous encounters with him, he has a deep personal stake in this whole mess. He can't be doing all of this simply to take over the world and nothing more."

"What're you getting at?" Junior probed.

"When I first met Contemno 10 years ago, he wanted to kill Bowser specifically. But Bowser wasn't part of the council at the time. In fact, the Kingdom Council didn't exist yet. Instead, Contemno claimed it was because Bowser 'stole his kingdom from him.'"

"Well, that's not too surprising, if I'm being honest," Iggy replied. "Bowser has invaded a lot of territories besides the Mushroom Kingdom over the years. The only part that doesn't add up though, is that very few of Bowser's attempts were actually successful."

"Sounds to me like we just need to figure out what kingdom Contemno came from," Roy suggested. "Junior, you know your dad better than anyone else. Do you have any idea which kingdom he might've conquered that Contemno might be from?" Junior frowned and shook his head.

"No," he denied. "It's like Iggy said. Dad doesn't exactly have the best track record of conquering kingdoms. If he actually managed to secure one for good, I'd probably know about it. Maybe this was from before my time."

"Or maybe we're looking at this all wrong," Larry countered. Everyone turned to him. "Contemno wears a mask, right? So we have no idea who he is. If we can figure out his true identity or what he actually looks like, figuring out where he's from should be no problem."

"You make that sound easy," Junior argued. "Contemno's not just gonna take off his mask and tell us where he's from."

"Junior's right," Iggy agreed. "I think we're getting a bit side-tracked. Let's step back from Contemno specifically for now and get back to the list."

"There was something else about it you wanted to mention, right?" asked Roy. Iggy nodded.

Mario and Bowser strolled down street after street; block after block; cutting through alleys along the way. The rain poured on endlessly as they traversed this concrete maze. Mario's eyes had been glued to the miniature map Leanna gave them on the back of the diner check. The ink was beginning to bleed and the directions blurred as the paper gradually became soaked from the rain.

At the top of a hill, Bowser caught his first glimpse of a towering stone wall in the distance. It wrapped itself around the town for miles and stretched high up into the sky. This massive wall seemed to be cradling the city within its boundaries.

"What's that?" Mario asked as he examined the wall as well.

"No idea," Bowser replied with a shrug. Mario glanced at his map for the umpteenth time.

"It says we should go left once we've reached the outer wall at the edge of town. This must be it."

"Wonder why this place would need something like this built around it. Kinda makes this city feel like a prison."

"If that's the case, I can see why Contemno would choose this city to build his base. He loves making people feel like prisoners after all…"

Mario and Bowser followed the street up to the base of the wall; which only seemed to grow exponentially larger as they got closer to it. As the pair prepared for the upcoming turn, Mario clenched his chest tightly in his hand and groaned loudly. Bowser stopped and looked back at him.

"What's up? You alright?" he asked.

"I don't…ugghh…" Mario moaned as he kneeled over. Bowser helped him back up to his feet and led him over to a nearby bench.

"Maybe it was the burger," Bowser suggested.

"No, I don't feel sick. But there's this...burning in my chest," said Mario. He coughed a few times as well.

"In your chest, huh? This ever happened to you before?"

"No, not until just now. It's the strangest thing." Bowser peered over Mario's shoulder at the opening in the wall where entrance and exit out of the city was prominently marked with a large toll booth and chain link fence. By squinting a bit, the Koopa King was able to peek out into the world beyond the city walls. There appeared to be little more than fog lingering in the darkness. Determining this city's exact location appeared to still be as impossible as ever.

Bowser was yanked back into the present moment when Mario's cough worsened.

"Well, you better not be getting sick on me," said Bowser. "C'mon, let's find that building already. Sitting here in the rain isn't gonna help." He helped Mario up onto his feet, and led the way further along the outskirts of the city.

"This list on its own might not tell us much about Contemno's master plan at the moment," said Iggy. "But we might very well be able to predict who his next targets will be. Peach, who are the remaining members of the Kingdom Council?"

"Well, let's see," the princess began. "There's Pauline, Cappy, and Daisy." Iggy scribbled each of their names under a separate list.

"Okay, and when was the last time you heard from any of them?" Iggy probed.

"Pauline was with me at the time when Contemno attacked my castle. Luigi and Yoshi were there as well. I don't have the slightest idea what could've happened to any of them. They could've been captured, or they might have escaped somehow, which would still label them as targets." The Koopaling added the latter two names to the new list.

"Alright, we'll stick a pin in that for now and come back to it later." Iggy created a third column on the white board and wrote Peach's Castle. "And the others?"

"I haven't seen or heard from Cappy since the last Kingdom Council meeting where we agreed to allow Bowser to conduct his own investigation."

"Hmmm…that's not good. We need to figure out what's going on with him. Cappy's from where exactly?"

"Bonneton, the Cap Kingdom," Peach answered. Iggy scribbled down the name accordingly.

"Finally, what about Daisy?" Iggy continued.

"Come to think of it, it's been even longer since I've heard from her. Daisy wasn't even present at the last council meeting. I've tried contacting her, but I've gotten no response."

"Any idea as to why that might be?"

"Honestly, no. The last thing she talked about was…" Peach gasped suddenly, which caught everyone's attention. "Sarasaland! She was giving us reports about the climate changes!"

"So what?" Roy commented.

"No, you don't understand. Daisy was discussing how her kingdom has been experiencing record-low temperatures and heavy snow storms," Peach explained.

"And?" Junior inserted.

"Sarasaland is a desert kingdom. Snow in that region is absolutely unheard of. It hasn't snowed there in hundreds of years. The fact that it's been supposedly happening now is completely unprecedented."

"Snow and ice in a desert, huh?" said Iggy. "Surely that's something that could only be accomplished with magic."

"Then Contemno might have attacked her a long time ago! We're too late!" Larry panicked.

"How does this guy get around so fast!?" Roy added.

"Now, now," Iggy stopped his siblings. "Let's not panic here. We know that Contemno has accomplices so this might've been part of some coordinated assault."

"So what are we supposed to do then!?" Toad exclaimed. "If he already got to both Daisy and Pauline, he probably got Cappy too! There's nobody left to save!" Out of nowhere, Junior smacked Toad on the back of the head.

"Keep your stupid blue vest on!" Junior countered as he stood up. The rest of the room looked to him. "Iggy, you said before that we're pretty much declaring war against Contemno at this point, right?" Iggy nodded.

"Yeah, he did…," Larry affirmed.

"Well then, we can't give up just because Contemno was a few steps ahead of us. We're not out yet. Know why?" the Koopa Prince proceeded to point at Peach, who was slightly unsettled by this. "We've still got her, and I'm still here too. I know I'm not technically king yet. But I'm the best we've got while my dad's MIA. If Contemno is wanting to take down the whole council and everyone who has anything to do with it, then he's still got work to do. So do we."

"Junior's right," Iggy agreed. "Things might look bleak for the others at the moment, but we don't know for sure yet what happened to them. There might still be time for us to do something. At the very least, these are good places to start looking for more clues. I think we should begin our investigation in Sarasaland and see if we can contact Princess Daisy."

The Koopaling scurried over to his desk and fished around in one of the drawers; snatching up a large scroll of parchment paper. Iggy unrolled the paper on the table in front of them. It was a large map of some kind.

"Now then, Peach," Iggy began once more. "Shows us where Sarasaland is located." Peach eyeballed the map for a minute or so, then pointed to a large sum of land on the far west side of the map.

"It should be about here," the princess answered. Iggy traced the map with his claw across a lengthy body of water and stopped when he reached the Mushroom Kingdom. The rest of the group was now huddled closely together around the map as well.

"But that's nearly halfway across the world from here!" Larry commented. "How does Daisy manage to show up for your meetings every week?"

"Daisy…has her methods. Although, she has forbidden me from telling anyone how she does it."

"You really think now's a good time to be keepin' secrets? When her life's on the line?" Roy asked. Peach sighed.

"I know, you're right. It would be a breach of her trust to tell you, but I won't be helping her at all if I don't."

"What's her secret, Peach?" Iggy probed.

"There's a warp pipe that she uses to travel between here and Sarasaland in mere seconds. There's only one of its kind."

"That's perfect! We can use it to get to Sarasaland in no time! So, where is it?" Larry asked.

"That's the problem. Daisy is so insistent on traveling in secrecy for some reason that even my word wasn't truly enough for her. She's never told me where the secret pipe is, so I don't have the slightest idea." Roy slapped his palm to his head.

"Sheesh, what a pain. Now what are we supposed to do?" he wondered.

"Roy, I said not to panic. We'll just have to find some other way to get to Sarasaland," said Iggy.

"I guess we could…sail there," Larry suggested. Junior shook his head.

"That'll take days, maybe even weeks if the weather's bad. We need to get there now." His eyes lit up suddenly. "I know! Let's teleport there!"

"…Huh?" Iggy responded. Puzzled looks were plastered across everyone's faces.

"The same way Ludwig got us all out of the castle the night Contemno attacked. I'll bet Merlon can just teleport all of us over to Sarasaland instantly."

"I'm not sure that's the best idea…," Peach objected hesitantly. "In the book Merlon assigned to me, there was a section that discussed teleportation in great detail."

"And? What did it say?" Iggy asked.

"As it turns out, teleportation is one of the most powerful forms of spiritual magic in existence," the princess explained. "It involves using physical magic to manipulate your own body in such a way so as to physically tear yourself out of existence in one place and reconstruct yourself entirely from scratch in another."

"Eww…sounds painful," Toad commented.

"The mental magic and concentration alone required to teleport yourself anywhere is almost unimaginable. But when you think about having to perform it on multiple people at once and the distance we're talking about traveling here, all of that just multiplies the difficulty of a successful execution of the spell exponentially."

"That must be why Ludwig, Wendy, Morton, and Lemmy weren't with us when we escaped from the castle…," said Roy. "Maybe something went wrong and Ludwig wasn't able to get all of us out to the same place."

"Suffice to say, teleportation is an incredibly complicated process and I'm sure even an experienced user like Merlon would have trouble pulling it off in his prime."

"I may not know much about magic," said Iggy. "But even if we were somehow able to pull this idea off, there's a huge logistical problem I see with it. We currently have no idea what is going on in Sarasaland right now. For all we know, we could be blindly warping right into a warzone. Assuming Merlon wouldn't be there with us, we would be stranded and have no way to get out of there if things go south."

"Alright, alright, I get it," said Junior. "It was a bad idea, geez."

"It's not that it was bad, per se. It's just…," Peach started.

"Anybody else got any bright ideas for how to get there?" Junior asked. The room fell silent. Iggy cupped his chin in his hand.

"Hmm…well, there is one other thing we could try," the Koopaling began. "But this also comes with its own risk."

"At this point, anything we do is gonna be risky. What're you thinkin', Iggs?" Roy inquired.

"We could fly to Sarasaland."

"Fly?" Larry repeated.

"We could head back to Bowser's castle, get one of the old airships up and running again, and use that to fly to our destination. I can't imagine the trip would take more than a day by air travel."

"Have you forgotten the part where Contemno invaded our castle?" asked Roy.

"No. Hence the 'risk' I mentioned. But compared to the other options we've come up with so far, this one comes with significantly less risk," said Iggy.

"I don't see how going straight back to the place where Contemno murdered Kammy and almost slaughtered the rest of us too is less of a risk," said Larry.

"Last time Contemno caught us by surprise. Now we've got the element of surprise on our side since he won't expect us to come back so soon. Plus, we already know the layout of the castle so we know exactly where to find the airship. Best case scenario is we sneak in and out without Contemno ever knowing we were there."

"If you do run into trouble, you at least won't be alone this time," Peach added. "You can count on me to back you up."

"We don't even need to fight Contemno in order to pull this off. In fact, I'd say we should avoid confrontation at all costs if we can help it. All we have to do is start with a little bit of reconnaissance to get a lay of the land, secure an infiltration route to the ship hangar, and I'll get the ship airborne from there. We'll bust out before Contemno even knows we broke in."

"I don't know about this…," said Larry.

"Well we gotta try!" Junior exclaimed. "We can't just sit here hiding in Merlon's basement for the rest of our lives!"

"Plus, if I can get into my lab back home for a few minutes, I can pick up some equipment and prototypes I'm missing. I've been working on some stuff that could really help us out," Iggy reasoned.

"Really? Like what?" Larry asked.

"If we live that long, I'll tell you all about it," Iggy replied with a wink.

"Alright, so we're doin' this then?" Roy asked. "We're going back to the castle so Iggy can grab his gear, and we steal one of the airships. From there, we'll fly straight to Sarasaland, yeah?" The group collectively nodded.

"But what about my magic training?" Junior asked. "I haven't had a chance to work with Merlon at all yet…" Iggy placed his hand on Junior's shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry, Junior. There's no rush," he assured. "Well...I mean, there kinda is! But there's a right way to do this. You just focus on learning as much as you can from Merlon. As soon as you feel ready, just say the word and we'll head out." Iggy scanned the room. "The rest of us should prepare in the meantime. Rest, train, pack, do whatever you need to do so we'll all be ready to move out when the time comes."

With nods of unanimous agreement, the meeting's attendees disbursed to begin their preparations.

Bowser and Mario hadn't the slightest idea what they were looking for. The map suggested that they had reached their destination, but reality offered little reassurance that they were in the right place.

"This can't really be it, can it?" Mario asked. Bowser squinted and scanned the grand, mansion-esque estate in front of them. Peering through the iron bars of a rust-ridden fence and beyond a winding, unkempt yard of overgrown weeds and dead grass revealed an eerie abandoned house sitting nearby.

The house was several stories high, but it was littered with broken windows on each floor and peeling paint everywhere. There wasn't a shred of light to be found anywhere within the structure. At the end of the yard near the rotting wooden porch sat the remains of some sort of sign, though the sign itself was missing; its message lost with time.

"Well, she said it was an abandoned building," Bowser argued.

"Yeah, but a house?" Mario wondered. "I mean, we don't even know what the heck we're looking for."

"Gotta start somewhere," Bowser declared as he handed Mario the map.

"I assume you've got a plan to get us in there?"

"Naturally." Bowser cracked his knuckles, then stepped several paces back near the street and wound his arm in a circle several times. After a brief pause, Bowser charged forward towards the gate and punched the bars with all his might. Likely through a combination of the structure's deteriorated state and Bowser's sheer strength, the Koopa King plowed through the yard's line of defense effortlessly. He shook the dust and rust off his hand and motioned for Mario to follow him up to the house.

After braving the moist, unstable steps leading up to the entrance, the pair was surprised to find that the front door was unlocked. They cautiously entered the shadowy abyss within.

"I don't suppose you got a flashlight in the coat of your's, do ya?" Bowser asked.

"No," Mario denied. "Never exactly crossed my mind that we'd ever come to a place like this."

"Here," said Bowser as he picked up a wooden stick from amongst the debris that was littered across the cold, dusty floor. Inhaling deeply, Bowser spewed a small stream of fire and lit the stick ablaze; introducing a humble light to the darkness that otherwise engulfed him.

"What kind of house is this?" Mario wondered.

"Too big to be the home of some average joe-schmoe family," Bowser theorized as his eyes swallowed the interior. "Might've been wealthy at least. Would need to be in order to afford a place as big as this."

"Since when do you know about architecture?"

"I've got royal blood and I've lived in castles my whole life, Mario. I think I know a thing or two about what a home says about the family that lives in it."

"I guess that makes sense," Mario agreed with a shrug and a head scratch. He walked over to the furniture arranged in the corner of the room. There was more than one couch and coffee table with multiple end tables scattered all about. "Is it just me, or does this seem like a lot of space for just one family?"

"No, you may be right. Even if they had a bunch of kids, this does seem like a bit much." Mario brushed the dust off a few magazines that were scattered across the coffee table.

"It almost…looks like a waiting room," he commented.

"No way!" Bowser exclaimed. He raced over towards the wall.

"What's wrong?" Mario asked.

"This painting…" The plumber followed Bowser's attention over to a small framed abstract painting hanging on the wall.

"What about it?"

"It's hideous! I mean, the colors are bland, the shading is amateur, and I have no idea what it's even supposed to be!" Mario shook his head in disbelief.

"What, so now you're an art critic too?"

"Hang on…I've seen this painting before."

"You have?"

"Yeah…I'd definitely remember seeing a painting this ugly." Mario and Bowser's eyes met.

"You don't mean…," Mario began. Bowser nodded.

"I've been to this house before. No doubt about it. I remember seeing this painting when I was sitting here waiting for…something."

Bowser crossed back over into the main foyer and spotted a large wooden desk under a thick layer of dust. Mario wasn't far behind him.

"Now why would a home have a huge desk like this in the foyer?" Mario inquired. Bowser snooped around behind the desk and picked something up.

"Because it's not an ordinary house," the Koopa King answered. He tossed over a manila folder for Mario to catch. There was a large logo printed across it that read Second Wind Orphanage.

"An orphanage?" Mario read aloud. "An orphanage...that you've been to. Wait a second. Bowser, you knew your parents, right? You grew up with them?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Bowser answered as continued digging around behind the desk; popping his head up every now and then to speak.

"Okay...and you told me before when you were locked up in Contemno's place that you have a kid."

"Yeah, that's right. His name's Junior. What of it?"

"Well, you didn't tell me Junior was adopted."

"…What? No he's not! Don't be ridiculous. Junior's mine. My wife and I had him biologically."

"Then why would you ever come to an orphanage?" Bowser combed the contents of the file cabinet and pulled out seven more manila folders. He placed them on the desk for Mario to see.

"Simple. Do you remember those generals in my army that I told you about at the diner? The Koopalings?"

"Yeah."

"This is where they came from. I adopted them." Mario's eyes widened slightly.

"…Really? Here? You're positive?" Bowser nodded.

"Even if I wasn't, their files are all here." Mario picked one of the files up off the desk and began examining its contents.

Each file was dedicated to a specific child. The files were labeled as follows: Roy, Ludwig, Iggy, Wendy, Morton, Lemmy, and Larry, respectively. They were surprisingly light on content with only a few medical records that were most certainly outdated by now, a page titled Official Release of Custody, and a photo of each child inside. The black-and-white photos of each child were grainy, and they had each most likely grown and changed drastically in appearance by now. The children in these photos only looked to be a few years old. The third page was littered with legal jargon, but Mario gathered that these documents were proof that Bowser had in fact adopted these kids. They contained his signature and everything.

"But why? I mean, you already had a kid and I'm sure you and your wife were happy with him. So why would you go out and adopt seven more?"

"It wasn't for pleasure. After my wife passed, my priorities changed," Bowser answered. "It was around that time that I picked up my princess-kidnapping and kingdom-conquering habits. I needed generals to lead my army, and Junior was much too young at the time to be trusted with such a responsibility, much less expected to understand it. I mean, the kid was barely potty-trained at the time," Bowser described with a chuckle. "Anyway, I adopted the Koopalings because they were young and impressionable, though still slightly older than my boy. I knew I could mold them to be the soldiers I needed. In return, I gave them a roof over their heads, three square meals a day, and a sense of belonging."

"That's…messed up. I mean, creating child soldiers? I'm sure losing someone is hard but, to think that you would go to such extremes…," Mario commented.

"It's not all that unexpected if you really knew me and the life I've lived. Cruelty in the family came with the territory." Mario suddenly recalled Contemno's words from that horrible day in the lab.

"I know about it, Bowser. All of it. I know how weak and useless your father made you feel as a child and adolescent. He treated you like trash. He never believed you would live up to the family name."

Mario vividly remembered Bowser's broken cries of pure anguish as Contemno stabbed him with each new needle.

"King Morton wounded your heart, Bowser. But somewhere down the road, once you finished weeping and wallowing in your pathetic self-pity, you decided you'd had enough. You never wanted to let anyone see you in such a sorry state. More importantly, you never wanted anyone to have this much power over you ever again."

But the physical torture was nothing compared to the apparent truth in the mage's words.

"You act vicious because you can't handle the way you truly feel! You're ashamed of the frightened, sad, and utterly unloved little child that forever dwells within you. As time passed, you have only struggled more and more to keep your weak, sensitive self in check!"

"Hey, what's up?" Bowser called out suddenly, snapping Mario back into reality.

"H-huh?" Mario stuttered.

"You zoned out there for a second. You alright? Feeling sick again?"

"Bowser…are we just not going to talk about that?"

"About what?"

"The other day in the lab. All of those things Contemno said about you…" Bowser tightly clutched the file in his hands and sharply turned away from Mario.

"There's nothing to talk about," the Koopa King denied.

"Bowser, I was there in the room too. I heard all of it. He knew your weak points. All of them. He knew just where to strike you."

"He was just blowing smoke. The guy didn't know what he was talking about."

"I don't think so. I think Contemno knew exactly what he was talking about." Bowser didn't respond. "Look, I don't blame you for not wanting to talk about it. But that stuff he said was cruel. It hurt you. I saw it; the way you were crying and-"

"Shut up," Bowser warned him.

"Bowser, it's okay. I'm not judging you," Mario assured, though the menacing glare he was receiving from Bowser didn't suggest the latter believed him.

"Then why are you bringing this up now?"

"I guess I just…well, I want to make sure you're okay."

"…Okay? Okay? After everything I've been through, you really think I'd be okay!?"

"Well, if you're not, then I want to help! Please, just tell me-"

Out of nowhere, Bowser set the torch aside, snatched Mario up off the ground, and shoved him against the wall nearby; choking him.

"Shut your goddamn mouth. Do you hear me?" Bowser threatened. Mario coughed and gasped for air. "If you really think I'm gonna talk about anything in my past with you, you're dead wrong."

"Bowser…stop…I-" Mario choked.

"We're enemies," Bowser growled in a deep, low tone that Mario didn't know he could reach. The sheer death in his eyes was a horrifying sight. "You don't need to remember that, because I do. After our entire history together, you are the last person on this earth I will ever open up to!" Mario swung his foot and kicked Bowser right under his chin; releasing the Koopa King's grip. Mario knew this was a mistake, but it was too late to stop now.

Angry, Bowser charged towards Mario, picked him up by his shirt, and threw him across the room. The plumber landed directly on top of the coffee table in the waiting room. As he slowly recovered from the impact, Bowser raced towards him once again. The Koopa King slammed his fists down with all his might.

Mario rolled out of the way and hit the floor just in time as the coffee table was shattered into pieces. The dust cloud that formed from the impact impaired the vision of both combatants. They erupted into minor coughing fits, but fought on regardless.

Mario and Bowser exchanged blow after blow. Bowser slugged Mario across the face, Mario kicked Bowser in the gut. Bowser pinned Mario up against the wall and pummeled away furiously. In retaliation, Mario butted heads with Bowser when the latter leaned in; causing the Koopa King to stumble back a few feet. Mario and Bowser slowly circled the room and glared at one another from a distance.

"Bowser, I'm not your enemy!" Mario exclaimed.

"Yes you are! Memory or not, it doesn't change everything you've done in the past!" Bowser exclaimed.

"But I'm not that person anymore! I can't be if I don't remember it! I've changed, just like you!"

"People don't change! They just want other people to believe that! Peach thinks she changed me, but in the end I'm still my old, terrible self!"

"No you're not! You're different now!"

"How would you know!?"

"Because you trusted me before!" Bowser froze in his tracks.

"…What?"

"You trusted me to help you escape from Contemno. We've made it this far together. So tell me what's changed. Why is right now any different!?"

"It's…because…," Bowser began. "I don't want to trust you…"

"Why not?" Mario replied.

"B-because!"

"Because why!?"

"Because I just don't! I didn't ask for any of this!"

"Any of what!?"

"I NEVER WANTED TO CHANGE!" Bowser confessed at last. Mario grew silent to let the Koopa King continue. "Peach forced me to against my will. I liked the way I used to feel. I felt powerful. I felt like no one could touch me; no one could ever hurt me again. Then she took that away from me; my dignity, the respect from my minions and my son; my very will to live..."

"Bowser…"

"You want me to be real? Fine! Let's get real! Growing up, I had nothing! My parents made me believe I would never amount to anything! They made me wish I'd never been born! Then I met Celia...and...and I-I guess I just thought things would be different with her! I thought I'd finally found my place in the world! But then she left me all alone, just like everyone always does! Big shocker, I know!"

Mario couldn't find any words to offer. All he could do was stay put and listen from a distance.

"So there I was! I was left to raise my toddler son all by myself! I was scared and...angry! It wasn't fair! Life was never fair to me! So I decided to hell with all of it! I was going to make this damn cursed world respect me or die trying! I was going to carve out my own legacy! One that I could actually be proud of, and I would tear down anyone who stood in my way!"

"What did you really want to get out of that?" Mario asked calmly. Bowser took a deep breath as his temper gradually subsided.

"I...wanted to marry Peach. I wanted to be loved again, and for Junior to still have a mother. I wanted my family back; the one I rightfully earned. I thought that was the only way I could ever be happy again. But in the time after my wife died, I grew to love the sense of power I found. Man, what a rush!"

Suddenly, Bowser fell back and collapsed against the wall. Mario's heart was screaming at him to rush over and help Bowser, but his survival instincts forced him to keep his distance.

"But it was never meant to last. I truly was never meant to be happy, and it was all thanks to you, Mario. You could never just let me have my happily ever after. That's why I will always hate you."

Mario clenched his fists, then released them almost instantly as his anger dissipated in a flash. Anger and violence would get him nowhere. He knew that deep down.

"I'm sorry…," Mario whispered.

"What?" asked Bowser. Mario shut his eyes and sighed.

"I wish I could remember what I did to you, but I can't." His solemn blue eyes met Bowser's. "All I can say to you now is that I'm sorry that I hurt you, Bowser. I don't want to hurt you anymore. Not when you've lived your entire life carrying so much hurt." The plumbed examined his gloves. "I wish I knew what that felt like. I wish I could understand your pain."

"No you don't."

"Bowser, don't tell me what I-"

"The sheer hell that I've lived through, I wouldn't wish that on anyone," Bowser finished.

"Do you...honestly mean that?" Bowser nodded. Mario chuckled, which surprised him. "You know what the saddest part is then?"

"What?"

"You can change. You want to deep down. In fact, you probably already have. But you just won't let yourself believe that it's possible." Bowser's eyes widened a bit.

"What are you talking about?"

"What you just said right now. You wouldn't want anyone to hurt the way you did. If that's how you truly feel, you can't be all that bad, right?"

"I…," Bowser started.

"It was your parents who started this. They were the ones who messed you up from the very beginning. There's no way you could have just been born as bad as you say you are. I think you were born to be just as nice as anyone else. But your parents failed you. Even so, no matter how much you think you've changed for the worst, I don't believe you ever did."

"Why's that?"

"Because I think those kind feelings were in you all along. Over time, they just got buried under all the hurt you've had to carry. But then Peach helped you find those feelings again. I think Peach just helped you be the person you forgot you could be. All that pain has blinded you, Bowser." The Koopa King could feel his eyes beginning to water, but he quickly wiped them with his arm.

"No, that's not…I mean, that can't be true!" Bowser exclaimed.

"Why not?"

"All I know is how to be bad. That's all that I am. There's no way I could've ever been…"

"Maybe you just needed a little reminder of who you could actually be." Mario slowly walked over to Bowser and extended his hand. The Koopa King stared at him reluctantly.

"It's too late for me to change…"

"No it's not."

"I can't ever be…"

"Yes you can."

"Why would you of all people ever believe in me?"

"Because I'm not the Mario you remember. Maybe he would've judged you for being vulnerable deep down, but I can't. I can only judge you based off of the few days that I've known you."

"Then…what do you think of me?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with you; no reason for me to hate you or not trust you. I think you always had the potential to be good. Your wife probably saw that in you too. So did Peach. But I think you just need a little help remembering that yourself every now and then." Bowser took a deep breath.

"Assuming that anything you're saying right now is true…what do I do now?" Bowser asked. Mario extended his hand out once more.

"Let's start over. You and me. Let's forget the people we were in the past. Let's start with a clean slate. From here on out, let's be friends. Real ones. We're gonna need each other if we're ever gonna stop Contemno, right?" Bowser smirked slightly at this. He carefully took Mario's hand and stood up.

"Yeah…I guess that makes sense. So…partners?" Mario smiled back at him.

"Partners."