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Enjoy!

Chapter Fifty-Five

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to

Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving

me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!

I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,

but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this

story to make it more interesting.

I also don't own anything related to Naruto if you see me throw a little of that in, too

This was a part of the palace Roy hadn't even known about. It was like a basement or something. He walked with his father down the winding staircase and felt Callian and his son on their heels.

"What's down here?" Roy asked.

"You'll see," Bowser told him as if he were withholding some great surprise.

Roy looked over at his father, trying to gather clues from his appearance but it was hard to see in the dark. The only thing he could make out was what could be a smirk or a smile and of course all that red hair.

He was left in suspense for a few minutes as they walked with only the sound of his and his father's footsteps echoing off the walls. He glanced back at Munson and decided he would ignore the boy from now on.

If he's here he ain't with my sister, was Roy's logic.

The party stopped when Bowser did at a room on the left. The door was half opened already so all it took was the Dark King nudging his foot against the wood to widen the gap. Roy looked over his shoulder and frowned at what was inside.

"Who are they?" He asked.

Bowser said, "Those are the girls from the warehouse. Don't you recognize them?"

Roy had never been inside the warehouse long enough to recognize anyone. He looked at the girls and young women lying around on cots and small beds, some rubbing their eyes and some asleep (or he hoped they were asleep). He felt great concern for them.

"Why are they in here?" He asked his father.

Bowser shrugged and said, "We didn't really know what to do with them."

"They need a doctor." Roy insisted.

"Then we'll get them the best one." Bowser promised, then shot a meaningful look over at Callian.

The League leader glowered at him, Bowser narrowed his own eyes and jerked his head in the direction of the room pointedly, and Callian-though indignant-fell off from the group to enter the room, dragging his son right behind him.

"He ain't gonna' hurt them, is he?" Roy asked, still staring at the door after it'd been shut.

Bowser shook his head and said, "No. Come on."

They reached the ground floor and from there took a left and then a right and walked straight ahead. There were cells down here, though mostly all of them were empty. That is if you didn't count the rodents. Bowser stopped at one of them and reached into his pocket for a single key, then unlocked the barred door and slammed it open. He looked back at his son with a definite grin and approached the person on the floor.

"Rise and shine," The fallen king called out, then kicked the person in the side. "Come on, get up."

They ignored him and Roy stood by the bars, watching and wincing when his father grabbed the person by their black hair and yanked them up, then jerked on their arm and turned them around. That was when Roy recognized him. It was understandable since, with his back turned and without his uniform (or any other clothes besides a thin pair of pants), the agent didn't exactly look like himself. He tugged himself free from Bowser's grip but he already had his hands tied in front of him at the wrists so he couldn't get far. Bowser gripped his shoulder with a bit of heat behind his palm and forced the man to kneel.

"Is this the one you told me about?" Bowser asked, testing out the name, "Nicky Carrow?"

Roy watched the sole twin turn his head away and nodded at his father. He was in a shock to see the volatile slaver so forcefully humbled and quiet. Nicky didn't have a gag, he was choosing to be silent behind a set jaw and hardened red eyes. Bowser saw Roy nod and grinned widely.

"Ah, that's good. It would have been embarrassing if I'd have gotten the wrong one," He remarked as if this was funny.

"What's he doing here?" Roy asked, still not moving from the cell's entrance.

Bowser said, "I brought him here so you could deal with him."

"What?" Roy frowned.

Nicky reacted violently to that, twisting and turning his body and trying to get Bowser off of him.

He spat angrily, "My father may have sold out but I'm not a coward like him!"

Bowser clutched the back of the slaver's neck and said, "Your father was wise, boy. You should follow his lead."

"Never!" Nicky snarled. "Go ahead and torch me if you want but you can't make me take orders from you!" And he glared over at Roy like that same sentiment extended to him as well.

Roy was silent, looking from Nicky to his father. This was really taking him by surprise.

Bowser said, "Rex, as king you have both the freedom and obligation to punish those who do wrong."

Roy was shaking his head. This just felt wrong to him.

The Dark King changed gears and said, "Think about what he did to the other king. He killed him, remember?"

Roy glanced down with a hard scowl, his emotions overwhelming him. He did remember that but still. This didn't feel right.

Bowser further provoked him with, "Think about what he's done to you. You told me he's tried to kill you. Doesn't that make you mad?"

"Yeah, but…" Roy trailed.

He hated Nicky Carrow. Really, he did. But this didn't feel like the right way to go about the situation.

Roy thought, If I get him back, how is that making me any better than him? I already might have killed his brother. I think I should just leave it alone.

He backed up and Bowser rolled his eyes and released Nicky, who just sat on his heels and bowed his head angrily. Bowser went over to his son and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," He said gently, earning the boy's attention. Bowser stated, "I know you're upset right now. I get it. He's done a lot to you. I know the King was a father figure to you and to have that taken away…" Here Bowser gave a respectable pause.

Roy blinked and looked off to the side.

Bowser said, "It's not right what he's done to you. What they've all done to you. But now is your chance to do something about it."

Roy didn't look enthusiastic about that at all.

"In some situations," Bowser explained, "It's more than appropriate to exact revenge."

Roy looked from his father to Nicky Carrow. His father unnerved him. That light in his eyes, eager and amused, wasn't natural. Bowser frowned when Roy continued to stand there, going back and forth in his mind on whether he should take this opportunity to act or not.

They were soon joined by Callian and his lethargic son and, seeing them, Roy made up his mind. He moved away from his father and headed for the door.

"I don't want no part of this, yo."

Bowser felt frustration stir deep inside him. He was then prompted to pull a card he knew would get the boy to react.

Very casually he remarked, "You're showing him a lot of mercy, Rex. I can bet he didn't show any to that girl."

Roy stopped and looked down at where his hand was about to make contact with the cell door. He tried to ignore that, but, unbidden, thoughts of what the Carrow had done to Eriana filled his mind. Bowser saw him hesitate and grinned, and Roy shut his eyes and grabbed the door. Bowser tossed a glance at Callian and the sorcerer moved towards Nicky.

"You probably wouldn't be so lenient if you knew what he did to her." Bowser surmised, then looked at Callian and jerked his head towards his son.

Callian moved from Nicky Carrow, whom he'd touched, and came up to Roy. The teenager was still warring with himself and didn't see the sorcerer come up behind him. Part of him wanted to act, for he cared so much for Eriana and he'd not been able to get the thoughts of her abuse out of his head since she first told him about it. But part of him, the part that was currently winning, was telling him that he'd shed enough blood and that he should just walk away.

"Ah!" Roy cried out when Callian put his hand on the back of his head.

Bowser gave his ally a warning look and Callian rolled his eyes. Roy gripped the bars with both hands and felt blinded by the rapidly transpiring events that flashed in his mind's eye.

He saw things he wished he hadn't. The things Bowser was talking about, the things Nicky had done to Eriana. He saw her crying, the sound muffled by a hand across her mouth. She was standing with small, open cuts all on her body; Nicky was dragging his tongue and a knife all over her while his twin brother held her arms behind her back. Roy jerked away from Callian with a loud roar somewhat akin to the noises his father would make and the boy glared hatefully at Callian.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Roy growled, his breaths coming in short and fast.

His head was spinning and his stomach was turning like he was about to be sick. He felt so disgusted and the images just wouldn't go away.

"Why the fuck would you show me that?!" The young king shouted. "That's! That's fucking SICK!"

"It is." Bowser said calmly in an attempt to pass the same feelings off on his son. He said, "I wanted you to see that so that you'd know some people are pure evil," He glanced at Nicky, "and they don't deserve an ounce of compassion."

Roy looked at his father, his mouth open in a twisted expression of bewilderment, and then at Nicky Carrow who stared at him full on, his red eyes bare of any trace of remorse. In fact, that expression on his face was a little smug. Roy shook his head and balled his fists.

"Look at him," Bowser sneered to Roy. "Does he even look the least bit sorry for what he did to that poor girl?"

"That 'poor girl' is a whore!" Nicky smirked, then lost all the color in his face when Roy narrowed his eyes and sent hot pink energy to his fists.

Bowser crossed his arms and smirked, waiting for a reaction. Roy glared at Nicky, his heart pounding and his body shaking with anger. He curled and flexed his fingers, he shut his eyes and gnashed his teeth and rolled his head back, trying to reign in his rage. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to lose control.

Bowser could see him calming down and told him, "Don't hold back, Rex—"

"What the fuck do you want me to do?!" Roy yelled and whipped his head over to his father. He thrusted his arms at Nicky and said, "He can't even defend himself! You want me to just slaughter him?"

Bowser suggested lightly, "I can untie him if that's what you want."

Roy shook his head and said, "I want to get out of here 'cause this is some real fucked up shit. You brought me down here just to watch me kill somebody?! Like what the fuck, yo?!" Roy held his head and shook it and rushed to the door, saying, "Do what you want, man, I'm out."

He slammed the bars of the cell open and, after his own fashion, formed a portal and rushed through it.

Callian snorted and shook his head.

Bowser ignored him. He was staring at where Roy had disappeared from with his head tilted. This was not the way he expected things to pan out and unexpected things pissed him off. He closed his eyes and tried to figure out where to go from here.

Maybe it was a little much, Bowser conceded, showing him that. If I've alienated him from me too badly I'll have to find a way to reel him back in.

"The boy's got potential," Callian broke the silence in the room, "but he's got a weak heart, too." He came over to Bowser and said, "You need to do something about that if you want him to be loyal to you."

Bowser frowned and glanced over at where Munson was standing near the cell doors looking whiter than usual. If possible, the young immortal feared Koopa's heir more than he did before.

"You're one to talk," He told his ally.

Callian frowned and said, "Yeah, I know my boy's soft but I bet you one thing, he won't be betraying me any time soon."

"How do you know that?" Bowser asked, skeptical for he, too, had noticed Munson's mutinous attitude.

Callian replied, "I bound him to me. I could do the same for you and your boy if you want."

Bowser gave Callian a look and asked, "Now where's the fun in that?" He stared at where Roy once stood and murmured, "There's a monster in that boy and I intend to bring it out."

Callian grunted.

"And unlike you," Bowser smirked, "I prefer to do these things the old fashioned way."

"You mean the fallible, time-consuming way." Callian corrected.

"What's life without challenges, Cal?"

Bowser then turned and smiled broadly at Nicky Carrow.

Either Peasley worked well under pressure or he'd underestimated himself because in less than a day he was back at the palace with the mirrors. It was close to nightfall by then and I'd just gotten up from sleep. That's all I'd been doing off and on all day because I was no fool, I didn't know when I'd get the chance to sleep this well again. Daisy was taking a different approach to this break; she'd pop in and out the room. I had no clue where she was going or what she was up to but that was on her. Such a busybody, that little woman.

Now she and I and Peasley sat on the bed with three compact mirrors between us. They looked identical, all gold and bejeweled and beautiful. I picked one up and felt it was a comfortable weight. It was easy to unclasp and, once opened, I saw two of my own reflections before me.

"So how does it work?" I asked.

Peasley picked one up and opened it and in a flash I saw his face in one of the mirrors. I blinked and looked up at him and then saw Daisy's face in the other mirror after she'd opened hers.

"That easy, huh?" I said. "What if we need to talk but the other person has theirs in their pocket or something?"

Daisy touched her fingers to her scar and nonverbally reminded me of the way she planned on signaling me and vice-versa.

Peasley said, "Once you open one mirror, the others vibrate until you touch them."

"Like a cell phone," Daisy smiled.

Peasley gazed at her quizzically.

I said, "It's a portable telephone. Er, never mind. It's something from the other world."

Peasley nodded and said, "Well that's what it does. Let's try to keep in touch every day, okay?"

"No promises." Daisy said coolly. "But I'll try."

Peasley had something else with him. He brought out the black leather map and pulled Daisy's chain from around his neck.

"Here's the map," Peasley gave that to me. "King Boo did alter it so you'll be able to travel anywhere you press and hold your finger to. Oh, and you already know you have to tap an area to get a more specific map of that particular location, don't you?"

"Yeah," I said, glad for the upgrade. One last time I turned to Daisy and tried, "You know, we could all just use this to keep up with Bowser. You don't have to actually get in there with him."

Daisy just gave me a look and reached for her locket. She held it in her hands and watched it closely.

"It's…quivering?" She frowned, letting it slide onto the bed.

Peasley nodded and said, "That would be the king. He's inside of it and will remain so for a few days at the most. He's asked me to tell you to please move quickly because his own kingdom is without its ruler."

"Oh, right." It dawned on me.

Peasley said, "Well he did cast an illusion of himself to stand in for him at the estate. But that's only temporary."

"I understand," Daisy said. "We'll leave out tonight."

Peasley blinked and said, "Well I don't quite think the matter's that urgent—"

"No, no." Daisy insisted. "It's fine. We can go and get the troops, then test out the device by returning here to restock our supplies, then go back to Arid City to confront the snake."

I frowned but nodded and said, "Yeah, sounds good."

Peasley looked between us and said, "Alright. If you're sure." He stood and said, "I'll be in touch and I'll let you know as soon as I can about the stakes."

"Good," Daisy said, standing as well.

She hugged him and he told her the same thing about being careful, to which she replied that she would though I wasn't convinced. Peasley then nodded at me and said his goodbyes and I rubbed my face. I knew it was a good idea to get as much rest as possible because here we were, on the move again.

A/N: I know it's short but I hope you all enjoyed it anyway.

As you can see Bowser's little experiment backfired so maybe there's hope for Roy after all...or not. Who knows?

Things are falling into place with this new plan of our resident good guys so perhaps things will pan out in their favor, now that they're more prepared. We'll see.

Until next time!

~DG~