Travel West to the Pyramid Town

Location: Spade Casino, Desert Hill

Yoshi shrugged and let his arms fall to his sides as he let out a loud sigh. The pilot doogan walks in around this time, speaking to both Daisy and the paragoomba.

"Mr. Bago, your highness. How do you do this afternoon?"

Yoshi does a double take. "WHAT?! Noon!? How long have we been in this stranger's desert casino?"

Daisy lightheartedly replies, "Stranger? Him? Nah, he's the owner of Birabuto Fair. Oh, and we've been here since our crash."

Daisy laughs as Yoshi thinks, 'Don't you mean, your crash?'

"You see, my green friend, I opened this joint some time after Mario freed us from the chunky guy there," says Bago, pointing at Morton Jr. with his wing, "Business grew, so I expanded to Sarasaland and…"

"Watch it, chump!" interrupts the Koopaling, obviously offended, "I ain't fat, just big boned. And dat happen long ago."

"Hey, Morty, my man, I ain't holding no grudges, I'm just stating the facts. The rest of the kingdom, on the other hand… Yeah, they won't welcome you wit' open arms, t' say the least."

That comment silenced Morton, who just stares at the control in his claws. Daisy walks over to him and gave him a warm hug.

"It's okay, Morty. As long as I'm here, you're good and safe."

"That is wishful thinking, your highness, but 'fraid good intentions won't get you anywhere here," replied Bago, who tilts his head down while closing his eyes. "The citizens of Desert Hill don't easily let go of grudges an' prefer t' be isolated from the world. Say this new railroad built a while back with the help of the Bob-ombs Bruce an' Bombette, which happens to end right here, at my doorstep… Many opposed the idea, an' every once in a while, they picket right outside my door. They kinda scare away my customers. An' I'm sure it's due to the resentment lingering from the old Koopa invasion."

"So I ain't welcome, chump?" inquired Morton Jr.

"'Fraid not, my man. An' if y'all seen together, you could be charged of kidnapping Princess Daisy." He looks at Yoshi. "Remember, Dino Boy, as an outsider, you won't be welcome either. You'll be suspicious as well."

"That's peachy," Yoshi replies sarcastically, "But we need to go over to the… um, lake in the west. What do you suggest, then?" He crosses his arms, but later uncrossed them due to his injured left arm.

"Simple. Cross the desert. A few days west is an outpost near a pyramid. Hear they're havin' some sort of costume party. Once there, try to blend in. After that, I don't know. Do whatever you want."

"And our pilot?" asks Daisy.

The doogan finally interjects. "That's why I came here, your highness. I am fixing it in Mr. Bago's jet garage. I fear it will take me all week to fix it. This is as far as I can…"

"Take your time, my man," interrupts the white clad Paragoomba, "She has some guards with her. And use what ya need, on the house."

Daisy gets a dreamy sparkle in her eyes and clasped her hands. "Really, you mean it?"

"Yesh, ma'am. I mean, Birabuto is the second largest fair I own, an' your chancellor is a good bud of mine. Why not?"

Daisy hugs the paragoomba so tightly that his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. "Thank yoooouu!" She lets go and he slowly glides to the floor as he gasped for air. She points at her two companions. "Now Yoshi, Morty, and I will go. We'll be back in a few."

The doogan pilot tilts his hat. "Be careful, your highness. I will have it ready by the time you return."

Bago walks with them to entrance of his casino, which wasn't opened yet for customers. He hands them some desert outfits endemic to the region and bids them farewell. Before Daisy and the other two start heading out, the pilot runs up to them and hands them Stuffwell 2.0.

…

Location: Derest Hill, Pyramid near the ruins of a Koopa fortress; Angry Sun's quicksand area

Yoshi, Daisy, and Morton Jr. journey west to the famous pyramid landmark near some fortress ruins. Night falls soon, so they look for a place to rest near the pyramid, but as per usual, Morton Jr. rambles in his sleep, making it hard for Yoshi to catch some Z's. Morning breaks, and a few hours in, the desert heat is hot enough made it seem like it was noon already.

Yoshi is an insomniac, slowly treading ahead of Morton Jr. and Daisy. Daisy and Morton slept like a piranha plant with a snot bubble, and are full of energy that morning. Since both are used to desert heat, they take off their desert apparel and have a blast making noise. Morton is beat boxing, and Daisy "raps".

"My name is Daisy. It rhymes with lazy, it also rhymes with crazy, it rhymes with… Shtacy!"

Morton excitedly taps her shoulder. "Yeah, that's it, that's it! We'll write that down later! My turn!"

Yoshi's head creaks as he slowly turns at the others, sending back a crazed, bloodshot gaze. "You both have been rapping for the past two hours! You both suck!"

"But we're bored!" complains Daisy, pouting at Yoshi, and soon after, looks at the dark skinned Koopaling.

Morton rowdily adds, "Yeah, chump!"

Yoshi covered his ears. "And you Morton, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! I'm going bonkers hearing your voice! You haven't zipped it for the entire trip and…!"

Yoshi's stomach grumbles. He falls to his knees and sticks his tongue out after tilting his head backwards. "Uh… food."

Morton grasps his belly as he lets out a raspy laugh. "Ha, ha! Good luck with that, chump! All you'll ever find is spiky plant things, dried pasta, dried 'shrooms, dried sock, dried fish, dried dry bones, and…"

Daisy shoots Morton a 'derpy' look; both pull out a bag out of nowhere.

"CHEESE PUFFS!" yells Daisy.

Both rip open their bags and begin to manically chug down the puffy, orange content, but were ignored by the hungry, green dinosaur. The desert heat is getting to Yoshi, and the arid environment is causing him severe hallucinations about a land of food.

'Hmm… Oh yes, the spongy angel food cake I'm sinking into, the fluffy cotton candy floating up above, winking, wanting to be eaten by me. The dancing, gummy palm trees, the chocolate stones, the red, hot cheesepuff flying at me from a distance.'

That "flaming hot cheesepuff" slowly appears to fly closer to Yoshi, who was holding his arms toward it. Suddenly, He found himself sunk halfway into the pastry ground, and little by little, the cheesepuff was turning evil. Yoshi is still in a trance.

"Strange, I can't move… Why is it getting hot all of a sudden? I'm… sinking?'

Yoshi snaps out of the mirage, and finds he's is sinking into quicksand. He frantically tries to escape a sandy slush of death, but only sinking faster. When he was about to be swallowed and only his hand was sticking outside, he gets pulled out by Morton, who is safely standing along with Daisy on the sinking sand. The tanned Koopaling tosses him onto stable sand.

Yoshi is thick in sludge as he gasps for air. "Blahh! That's nasty stuff! Hey! Why aren't you two sinking?"

Daisy shrugs while Morton begins a rant. "Well, chump, maybe you heavy, but then, I weigh like Roy, but I'm not sinking, and Daisy isn't either, but you did, and you a gween donkay, so maybe it hates you, or 'cause we lived in the desert, or maybe…"

Yoshi coughs out more quicksand, and rolls his eyes when realizes Morton wasn't going to shut up. Suddenly, the heat begins to rise amidst Morton's rambling, so Yoshi peeks behind the overgrown Koopaling, and soon after, his jaw hits the floor. Yoshi realized that the hot cheesepuff is actually the Angry Sun, who patrolled the area since, well, forever.

Yoshi waves about his arms, and points toward the incoming, bloodshot sun, since no sound came out of his dry throat. Oblivious to the danger, Daisy and Morton Jr. inquire his unorthodox actions.

Daisy asks, "Are you playing Charades? Ooh, I love Charades!"

Yoshi shakes his head.

Morton Jr. looks at Daisy as he rubs his chin. "Maybe the chump wants some cheese puffs?"

Yoshi angrily nose whacks Morton in his stomach, which causes the Koopaling to release a sickly, green fart, which was very loud, even for an open place like the desert, and caused a violent sand storm behind him. Unbeknownst to the trio, the Angry Sun was about to burn the Koopaling, but is stopped dead in its tracks due to being blasted directly in the face by the rancid, flatulence of cheese puff aroma.

Daisy falls on the sand laughing and flailing her arms and legs, with Morton joining in as well, feeling no shame whatsoever. Yoshi covers his sensitive nose, and gives in to the laughter.

After the laughter and sand storm die down, the three continue forward to the next stop. Yoshi was too thirsty to walk, so Morton Jr. carried him the rest of the way. For once, Yoshi was not annoyed, and actually enjoyed Morton's constant retelling of the cosmic fart (as the Koopaling called it), and before long, the three finally arrived at the new oasis town, where they will rest before reaching their final destination.

-o-

The trio will meet a special character later. Next time: Ludwig and Lemmy's travels in a concurrent timeline. Until then…