Lemmy took in a deep breath, standing at the peak of Mount Stone. He stared longingly down at the town of Floria below. The mountains weren't kind, but they were the only place where they could stay.

It wasn't like the rest of this world wanted them around…

They had been ostracized everywhere they went. They were targets. This world was under Marie's constant influence and it was clear that all she wanted for them was misery.

He shuddered, the strong winds chilling the jade ring on his right hand, turning the verdant stone to ice. He clenched his fist, feeling the ring tighten on his finger.

Wait…

He exhaled sharply, raising his hand in front of his face. The ring-Marie's final gift to Lemmy before her disappearance-had never done anything like this before. Lemmy bit his lip.

There was no doubt in his mind.

Marie was up to something...something she wanted him to know about...

Bowser Jr. walked next to his father as they passed through the streets of an unsuspecting Toad Town, a crowd of guards behind them. Unlike all the other times, though, they weren't here to cause trouble. If these Toads knew that, they likely wouldn't be cowering in fear as the Koopa King and his entourage passed by. Of course, knowing how Toads were, they'd probably be cowering anyway.

As they passed through the gates to Princess Peach's castle, Junior spotted Mario and Luigi waiting for them near the castle doors. Bowser nodded to them, not saying a word.

"You'd better have a good explanation for what's going on," Mario said through grit teeth. He didn't seem as hostile as he did worried, though. There was also a tired tone in his voice, which matched the dark bags underneath his eyes.

"You didn't have any trouble in town, did you?" Luigi piped up. Bowser shook his head. Mario then turned to open the doors, gesturing for Bowser and the others to follow him as he led them into the castle. Bowser entered directly after Mario, followed by Junior, then the guards, then Luigi at the back.

"It's been a madhouse here ever since he showed up," Mario said, "I haven't even been able to get any sleep. Too paranoid for it."

Bowser let out a low grunt of acknowledgement. Mario, likely figuring he was being ignored, sighed, not saying anything more. Things stayed silent until the group finally reached the throne room. The princess was seated on her throne in the center of the room surrounded by guards on all sides. Junior had never seen this many guards on duty before, even with how often he'd accompany Bowser to kidnap her. It was, admittedly, unsettling to him.

Just then, the princess stood, crossing the room to stand in front of Bowser. Bowser didn't react, instead only staring blankly at her.

"Thank you for coming all the way out here at my behest," Peach greeted him, "I'm glad you could see that this wasn't just our problem."

"He went crazy," Bowser began, his voice still low, "I don't know how it happened, but he went crazy."

"You really don't know how he got this way?" Peach asked.

"No," Bowser replied. There was a moment of silence.

"How could you not know?" Mario asked, "He's your son, isn't he?"

"Mario, ple-"

"That's what I thought too," Bowser interrupted the princess, "After what he's done, though, I'm not even sure he thinks so anymore."

Junior grit his teeth. He knew exactly what Bowser was talking about.

"As far as I'm concerned," Bowser continued, "Roy's gone. What we're dealing with now isn't Roy. It's a monster."

"Well, that monster's been murdering the innocent citizens of Toad Town and it needs to stop."

"Mario," Peach scolded, placing a hand on Mario's shoulder, "I know you want to help, but leave the diplomatic matters to me for now. You're in no shape for it at the moment."

Mario scoffed, shutting his eyes and massaging the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

"What we're trying to say," Peach continued, "is that we need to subdue him soon. We can't have anyone else falling victim to him."

"I've practically been through the Underwhere and back over the past few months," Bowser groaned, "I don't need to be doing this again."

"I wish things weren't like this," Peach said, "but we need to resolve this matter before things get worse."

Junior bit his lip. He had no idea what had caused Roy to snap like this, but he'd seen the consequences. He remembered Lemmy leading him through the castle halls to his father's secret wing only to find Ludwig's corpse behind the door. After that, Roy had appeared and threatened both of them with death. Lemmy distracted Roy for just long enough for Junior to run and try to get help. He honestly thought he'd left Lemmy for dead then, but Roy had decided to run away instead. In time, Junior learned that Roy had also killed Iggy, Morton, and Wendy. Lemmy died a few months later while conducting a dangerous experiment in hopes of reviving his siblings. No one knew where Larry was either, although it was entirely likely he was also killed by Roy. Lemmy never mentioned him, though, which Junior always found odd.

For the longest time, it seemed as if Roy had simply disappeared to never return. Then, one day, a chain of murders was reported in Toad Town. Eventually, someone was finally able to spot the culprit: Roy. Junior had followed the news with his father, but the call from Princess Peach to come to the Mushroom Kingdom came as a complete surprise.

"Can I say something?" Junior asked, stepping forward to stand next to his father.

"Yes?" Princess Peach responded curiously.

"I do remember some things I heard Roy say when Lemmy and I saw him," Junior said, "He was saying something about some kind of parasite that tells him to kill people. Lemmy told him he was lying, but there was something that didn't really seem right about it."

"What?" Bowser interrupted, turning to Junior, "Why did you never tell me about this?"

"It never seemed important," Junior admitted.

"He's not mentally stable," the princess mused aloud, "That could be either a blessing or a curse, but it means we might be able to rehabilitate him if we can capture him alive."

"If we catch him, I want him executed," Bowser retorted, "He's not my son anymore."

"But we can-!"

"No buts," Bowser snapped, "I don't want him coming back to my castle just to try to murder me and my only remaining son. I want him dead."

Peach sighed, staring down at the floor.

"All right," Peach replied solemnly, "I'll send out the order. If Roy's captured, he's to be brought back here to be executed."

Lemmy raced down the snowy mountain, his vision clouded by his own foggy breaths. If Marie really was on the move again, he had to get the jump on her. They had to get the jump on her.

The ring continued to tighten, nearly cutting off circulation in his finger. A pit started to form in his stomach.

This wasn't looking good.

Junior huddled in his covers, staring out into the night through the window. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sleep. Maybe it was the fact that he was currently sleeping in a room in one of Peach's towers and the location was too unfamiliar to him, but that didn't seem like it was the case. No, it was more likely the fact that he was scared to death of Roy. He knew that Roy was lurking around in the town just outside the castle and that fact alone was enough to leave him terrified. He kept trying to tell himself that Peach's guards would take care of things, but even that didn't help. After all, he'd seen firsthand how incompetent those guards could be.

Just then, he thought he heard a suspicious sound. He immediately sat up, clutching his chest and trembling. After a moment of silence, he exhaled deeply, trying to relax himself. He decided he was being too paranoid and lay back down, shutting his eyes and willing himself to sleep.

"It seems I've made a terrible mistake."

Junior shot back up, letting out a shrill scream. After a moment, the door to his room burst open and two Toad guards appeared, brandishing spears. When they turned on the lights, though, Junior found he was still alone in the room. No one was there.

"S-sorry," Junior apologized. The guards sighed, turning the lights back off and closing the door. Junior also sighed, flopping back down onto his pillow. He had to be hearing things.

...but, if that was so, why did it sound so clear? He swore he heard a female's voice laced with an oddly sweet British accent that sent a chill down his spine. He couldn't have imagined that voice. There was no way.

"Is someone there?" Junior called out, being careful not to alert the guards again.

"Of course," the same voice trilled back, startling Junior once again. He didn't scream this time, though.

"Wh-who are you?" he asked hesitantly.

"You're scared of him, aren't you?"

Junior froze, caught off guard by the voice's sudden question.

"Do you mean...?"

"Roy," she replied. Junior shuddered. When he did, he heard the voice giggle from the darkness.

"H-hold on," Junior stuttered, his thoughts wandering back to earlier, "You said you made a terrible mistake. What was that?"

"Well," the voice answered, "That mistake was not including you in all the fun."

Junior tensed up. He quickly reached for the lamp and switched it on, but, when the room was flooded with light, he once again found himself alone. He shakily placed his hand against his head and stared down at his covers. Was he really hallucinating all this?

"You're not going to see me like that."

Junior yelped, clutching his covers tightly. His gaze frantically darted around the room, but there was still no one there.

"Wh-where are you?!" Junior shouted. The voice giggled again. He quickly scrambled out of bed, backing up against the door.

"Where are you going?" the voice crooned, "Didn't you want to know who I am?"

Junior stopped, his hand mere inches from grasping the doorknob. He then lowered his hand, taking a deep breath to try to calm himself down.

"Who are you?" Junior asked again, his voice still wavering.

"Some might call me an instigator," the voice replied, "Some call me a nuisance. Some call me a demon. Others still...a parasite."

Junior's breath hitched. His eyes widened significantly and his muscles locked up. The voice laughed, causing Junior's blood to run cold.

"Look at you!" she jeered, "You look as if you've seen a ghost!"

Junior couldn't find the words to say. He shakily fumbled for the doorknob, hitting it with the sides of his hand a few times before finally grabbing it.

"Don't think I don't know," the voice cooed, "I've been watching you, you know."

Junior turned the knob, but, with his back still pressed against the door, he couldn't actually open it. He was too scared to move, though, so he was left frantically wringing the knob. He then felt something looming over him.

"You're next."

Junior screamed as he felt something brush against his face. The voice laughed loudly, the sound echoing throughout the room until Junior felt his heart couldn't take it. He was then shoved to the ground as the door was flung open.

"What's going on in here?!"

Junior shook, curled up on the floor. The voice was gone, or so he assumed. He was still utterly terrified, though. He tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't form coherent words, so he could only stutter and stammer in the face of Princess Peach's guards. If he wasn't so petrified, he would have been humiliated.

"You're next."

These words still lingered in his mind. They were a warning. He wasn't safe.

Roy was coming for him.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Lemmy affirmed, clenching his fists, "Marie's planning something. I just know it."

"And this is your own crazy hunch talking?"

"I swear!" Lemmy retorted, "I'm absolutely certain about this! You have to believe me!"

A sigh. Lemmy pursed his lips, anxiously awaiting a reply.

"We can't risk too much here," came the response, "You can take one other person to Dystopia to check this out. No one else."

"I promise," Lemmy assured, "I'm not crazy."

"..."

Lemmy let out a shaky breath. It was going to be a delicate operation for sure and he'd have to choose who to bring with him very carefully.

He couldn't risk messing up everything he'd worked for now.

A/N: It's really been four years, huh? Well, Nostri's finally here! I'm so glad to finally be getting this out and I really hope you guys enjoy the conclusion to this epic! Cheers!