Disclaimer: Mario's Nintendo's property, not mine.

Chapter 15: Let the Uprising Begin

Kamek sighed, twinging his fingers as he waited for everyone else to arrive. Junior paced back and forth. "Where the heck is everyone?! I don't have all day!"

"They'll come, Your Maliciousness. I'm certain of it."

"Yeah, well, they sure are taking their sweet time! I have matters that need to be talked about now!"

"We're here." Ludwig and the others entered the room.

"Finally! What took you so long?! I've been waiting for forever!"

Ludwig fought to control his anger as he gritted his teeth. "I've been busy gathering everyone. It only took a few minutes."

"Yeah, well, it was a few minutes too long! When I call a meeting, I'd expect everyone to be there instantly! No more excuses! Now take your freaking seats!" Everyone took their seats as Junior roamed the room. "Now, I've said it once and I'll say it again. What the heck happened?! This was the second time we lost! What the heck?! Anybody want to explain because I don't understand! I changed plans so this wouldn't happen again, and yet it did, so somebody better explain what happened!" Everyone stayed silent, and Kamek didn't blame them. Anyone who spoke up would be punished, and no one wanted to take that risk, but not speaking also had its own set of consequences. "I'm not waiting forever! Someone better speak up in five, four, three, two-"

"It be my fault." Everyone glanced at Morton.

"Oh, really?" Junior said. He marched over to him. "Care to explain what happened?"

"T-They were..."

"Speak up!"

"The princess and some dinosaur try to destroy fleet, but Morton had them. He almost killed them, but it not Morton's fault!"

"And why not?"

"Because princess had weird power! It came out of nowhere and hurt Morton! He tried and he sorry!"

"Pathetic." Junior punched him. He fell to the ground. "How truly pathetic. I thought Papa taught you better."

"Morton sorry! Please don't hurt him!"

"Oh, I think I will. You admitted it was your fault we lost, so you deserve to be punished."

He was about to strike him once more when Ludwig grabbed his raised arm. "Don't you dare," he hissed, his voice filled with maliciousness.

"You dare interfere with my rule?!"

"I will not have you hurt my brother. Don't you freaking dare."

"Or what?"

Kamek launched out of his seat and shoved the two apart. He couldn't afford for a fight to break out now. Sure, everyone was angry, and for good reason, but fighting wasn't the right way to settle this. "No," he said to Ludwig.

"He threatened to hurt my brother! He deserves a broken arm because of that!"

"We can settle this in a different way," the Magikoopa whispered in his ear.

"No! He-"

"That's enough!" They glanced at Junior. "You know what?! I'm done! You're all nothing but dead weight to me! You're all officially fired from being my generals! I can't stand the looks of your faces! Get the hell out of my room now!"

One-by-one, the Koopalings, Wario Bros, and Kamek walked out of the room with Junior slamming the doors behind him followed by screams of outrage.

"Pathetic," Ludwig growled. "Come, Koopalings. Let's leave that wench to wallow in his own self-pity. He's not worth our time if we're not worth his." He glanced back and snorted. "Bitch."

Kamek sighed as he gazed at the ever-expanding landscape below. He couldn't believe what happened. He and the others were officially stripped of their ranks, meaning he was ranked as low as a Goomba. A freaking Goomba! He sighed. For all his life, he was the advisor to the throne. His race has been for generations, but now that Bowser was gone, everything changed, and it was all thanks to that blasted plumber. He wanted Mario to pay for all the harm he did, but all his power was seemingly stripped away in seconds. What could he do if he was nothing more than an ordinary minion in Junior's eyes? He couldn't overthrow him. Well, even if he did have all the power in the world, he still wouldn't do it because of the devastating side-effects it would cause. The amount of people wanting to seize that power, especially if they hated their ruler, would grow exponentially. He sighed. What was he gonna do now? "Hey." Wario and Waluigi joined him. "I take it you're down in the dumps, too," Wario said. "Well, that Junior just irked my nerves! We sacrificed our freedom, everything, for Bowser's sake, and this is how we're treated?! Like trash?! To heck with him! I oughta give him a piece of my mind! I'll beat him up so bad that he-"

"Just shut up!" Wario reared back from Kamek. "I'm tired and stressed as is. I don't need you shoving your problems in my face!"

There were a couple moments of silence between them as Kamek slouched his shoulders against the ship. "How about we give him some space?" Waluigi said. "I know you're irked about what happened. We all are, but he doesn't deserve having us rub our frustrations everywhere."

"You're OK. I didn't mean to snap."

Wario shook his head. "No. It's my fault. I'm just not a people person. It's hard for me to pick up other's emotions when I'm so focused on myself. I'm sorry, Kamek. I should've realized." Kamek smiled. He appreciated that Wario was trying to improve beyond his boundaries of selfishness. He wasn't completely what he said he was. "All I'll say is that whatever happens, we're with you all the way. I know you were Bowser's right-hand man in a sense, so you deserve our support."

Kamek nodded. "Thank you." They stared in silence as the ship continued its course towards Bowser's Castle. Maybe the Stars would provide a way out of this mess, or else the Koopa Kingdom was doomed under Junior's leadership.

A couple hours later, all the ships landed in the hangar, but Kamek dared not look at Junior as he walked off. He didn't deserve to be acknowledged by his eyes. As they walked off, Ludwig coaxed them from afar. As they walked to him, he began to growl. "No. I meant only Kamek, not you two."

"Hey!" Wario said. "What do you got against us for?"

"It's quite simple. I know who you are. You're nothing but greedy scumbags waiting to ditch and betray us at your own leisure. I can't allow that for my plans. Leave at once."

"Hey!"

"Wario, calm down!" Wario's breaths calmed down as Waluigi soothed him. "It's OK." He glanced at Ludwig. "I don't understand. We decide to sacrifice everything in Bowser's name, and everyone's treating us like trash. I know we're greedy, but please let us help you."

"We are not having this conversation! Kamek, come with me now!"

"What's with all this commotion?" A Goomba with a red flag on his head walked to them.

"This isn't any of your business, Goomba," Ludwig hissed. "Now run along, unless you want to be beaten to a pulp."

"You sure are cocky, aren't ya? Well, you seem to be forgetting that you were demoted. You all were, meaning I'm officially a rank above you all. I will not have fellow minions soliciting in the hangar, especially since a fight was about to break out. Just stop the commotion and head back inside." He walked away.

"Who was that?" Wario said.

Ludwig sighed. "Captain Goomba. He is part of a quartet of captains that lead their specific race. We were a rank above them since they listened to our orders, but now look at us. See, this is why I can't trust you, and it's because of things like that! And if you have a problem with it, then head back to your dumb kingdom for all I care, because I don't trust you!"

"No," Kamek said. "They stay."

"But I just said-"

"They stay because I trust them." Wario and Waluigi exchanged glances. "Now, I don't know what you have planned, but you're gonna need as much support as you can. They're our allies, not enemies. You trust me, yes?"

"Of course."

"Then learn to trust them."

Ludwig sighed. He was still angry with how the recent meeting went down. He was letting his emotions do the talking, which was why he snapped at them, but with what he had planned, there was a reason for and against their inclusion. For one, they could easily spill the beans, but Bowser trusted them for a reason beyond money. It was the reason on why they decided to stick around even after Bowser's death, so perhaps it was best to let them in, but still, he had to remain cautious. "You know what? Fine. Listen up, you bozos. What I have planned could get you killed. Understand me? Killed. We're up against a temperamental king who has an entire army under his belt. If you tell anyone what I have planned, you're done for. Is that understood?" They nodded with worried glances. "Good. Now come."

Captain Goomba glanced at them as they left. Something told him to stay given the commotion was strange, but what should he do? Ever since the Cackletta incident, he gained a mutual respect of the Koopalings, but ever since he and the rest of his brigade got promoted, Lord Junior set very high expectations of them, something the Goomba was a bit scared of if he failed just like them. Did he want to become just like them or have a worse fate? No, but that would mean sacrifices would have to be made so he didn't receive the same fate or worse, so even though he was very sorry with how the Koopalings and Kamek were treated and wanted to support them, he just couldn't.

He ran in his room. "Lord Junior!"

"What?!" He jumped out of his bed. "Have you ever learned to knock?! Come on!"

"Ludwig! He, Kamek, and the other dudes are planning something!"

"What? Be more specific!"

"They didn't say!"

"And you didn't think to capture them?!"

"I was by myself. I'm sorry, Lord Junior." Junior growled. Ludwig was planning something? It wasn't a surprise given he wasn't a general now, but with Kamek and the Wario Brothers? He didn't need something like this to happen. He got out of his bed. "Lord Junior?" Captain Goomba said. "Where are you going?"

"Get the rest of your dumb captains together. We have some traitors to catch." He walked out of the room with a snarl on his face.

The Koopalings were in the basement of the castle where Ludwig told them to wait for his arrival as he had to retrieve Kamek, but the minutes started to slowly tick by and the Koopaling was nowhere to be seen, so Lemmy decided to helm the wheel and provide some entertainment, much to the delight of Larry, but others were unamused.

Iggy decided to keep his mind busy by building new things from the objects found in the room. Iggy was always fascinated by the ways of the world, and when he wasn't battling Mario, he was always experimenting with some sort of thing to discover something new about the planet he lived on. He wanted to challenge himself, so keeping his mind thinking was one way to challenge his creativity.

Wendy was busy filing her nails. She was one that cared about everything that had to do with her appearance like what she should wear during the day and stuff like that. It was hard fitting in with the rest of her siblings, but that didn't stop her from treating herself because she knew no one would understand. But did she think about what they thought of her? No, because their opinion of her was irrelevant in her eyes.

Then there was Roy, who was leaning against the wall as he drummed his claws. Being the gruff Koopa he was, he was often impatient, especially when things weren't going his way, and as such he often put his needs before everyone else's. There was the brawn side of him, which made him one of the most fearsome Koopas in Dark Land, though he paled in comparison to Bowser.

Even with all the events that transpired, there was something about Lemmy's cheerful personality that had a way of making people smile, and with all the doom and gloom of the world, there was always a need for someone to brighten the scene, and Lemmy was that Koopa to accomplish that task. "So," he said, "For my final act, I'm gonna juggle three balls while doing backflips at the same time!" He tossed his ball in the air and with a twirl of his wand, the ball split into three balls. He juggled them as he flipped in the air, at one point using his feet to juggle them as he twirled in the air. He landed on the ground and caught all three balls. "Ta da!"

"Bravo!" Larry said, clapping.

"That's it." Roy stood up. "I'm leaving."

Wendy scoffed. "Roy, didn't you hear Ludwig? He said-"

"I don't care what he said! We've been waiting for too long! I mean, we've been demoted from our ranks and here we are playing games and thinking this is all a joke! Well, newsflash, it's not! We don't have time for games! We need to take down Junior now, and if you think I'm gonna sit on my ass while Ludwig takes his freaking time, you're wrong! I'll crush Junior if I have to on my own if you all are too scared to do something about it!"

"No." Ludwig entered the room. "As nice as that sounds, violence is not the answer."

"Then you tell me, Mr. Tardy Pants, because I'm done with him! You don't know how long I've wanted to rant about that squirt! If you think I'm not gonna march over into his room and sock his damn face off, then you're weaker than I thought!"

"We will do no such thing." Kamek entered the room with the Wario Bros behind him. "I am angry as you are, but Ludwig has called us to this meeting, and if you want us to get caught, then go ahead, but just remember who we're exactly facing. Junior is more temperamental than you think, so we must do everything we can to exercise caution throughout all this."

Roy smirked. "Wait. Even you're against him? How surprising."

"I wasn't given a choice. Now, Ludwig, you said you have a solution to this problem?"

"I do," Ludwig said. "Now, let me reiterate what has happened in the last couple days. Recently, we fought Peach and her forces twice in two different locations and we lost both times. And instead of refusing to acknowledge the fault as part of his own and adjust accordingly, Junior blamed us to the point where he stripped us of our ranks. Now, who knows what Junior will do next, but time is not on our side. However, I may have a solution, but everyone must swear secrecy to me. Does everyone understand?" They nodded. "Good. Now, this might sound very controversial, but we all know that we need someone to replace Junior, someone who's experienced and wise enough to lead us to the greatness that was under Lord Bowser's leadership. I propose we throw a coup and make me the new king."

The room was filled with numerous gasps. "What?!" Roy growled. "Who said you could become king? Why am I not deserving of such a title?! That's bullcrap!"

"This country would die under your leadership," Wendy retorted. "It should be me!" Everyone's voices overlapped each other as arguments broke out.

"SHUT UP!" Ludwig yelled. The voices died down. "See? This is exactly why I said I should become king! Do you all want to become like Junior himself?!"

"That isn't the problem," Iggy said. "It's more along the fact that you only considered yourself as worthy as king. Sure, we all have our own flaws, but who's to say we can't learn? It's very selfish of you to declare yourself as king and expect us to blindly accept that reality."

"That's why I said it was controversial. I didn't expect everyone to agree with me but let me give some evidence. We know we're orphans. We were adopted by Lord Bowser to become generals of his armies when the kidnappings of Peach escalated. He all taught us very important lessons about being a leader, but who was the one person who kept us all together?" There was a pause. "Me, because you all trust me. I took charge because I was the oldest and wisest at the time, and I still am. That isn't my ego talking; those are facts." Everyone stayed silent, though Roy snorted at the fact, but he didn't retort. "The only reason why I say I become king is because you guys are either too brash or too young to understand how vital this role is. This isn't just about yourselves. It's about making decisions that affect everyone, and right now, Junior's doing the exact opposite. You saw what happened to Kamek during the first meeting. He was literally torn down for something that didn't match what Junior wanted. Being king means being selfless. That's what it means to be king." Kamek gazed at him. Was this the miracle he was hoping for? Was Ludwig truly the answer to all this? "Right now," he continued, "We don't have any other options. Violence and protesting either won't work or aren't long-term solutions, which is something we need desperately. I can't do this alone. Will each and every one of you support me in becoming king? I may have insulted you, but I truly believe this is the best way to go forward."

Larry nodded. "I'm down."

Lemmy hopped on his ball. "So am I!"

"As am I," Iggy said. "Based on a psychological standpoint, Junior's mind hasn't matured enough to handle all the stress he's juggling now. All that plus the trauma of Bowser's death definitely has some devastating long-term consequences, so I am all for it 100%."

Morton sighed. "It be my fault we here in first place. He tried his best, but we still lost! Morton sorry for everything!"

"Look at me." Morton sat up. "I understand that you blame yourself but trust me when I say that things will get better. I will make things better. Can you stay strong for me?"

He nodded. "Ludwig right. Junior just a meanie. Morton want make things better, so he support you."

The others took a bit more time. Wendy scoffed. "You know what? Fine. I'll be a good sister and support you only because Junior's a brat. Nothing else."

Roy was more hesitant. "You realize we don't have any other option," Ludwig said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to accept it. I'd rather blow his face off."

"If you really want to if this doesn't work out, then you can. Does that sound fair?"

Roy scoffed. "Like I need your permission to do what I do best, but fine. If your plan goes down in flames, then I'll be the one to give him a piece of my mind and fist."

"Thank you."

"You got us, too," Wario said, wrapping his arm around Waluigi's neck. "You may not trust us, but we got your back, regardless. All in Bowser's name!"

"Good." Now there was one final obstacle. "Kamek, I know things have been the worst for you. You were torn down left-and-right by Junior, and you're also very loyal to the throne, but I especially need your support. You were and can still be the second-in-command. There are things I don't know about being king, so will you support me?"

He was really tugging on the Magikoopa's heartstrings, but Ludwig wasn't wrong about everything. He was right about what it meant to be king, and he had the right personality and mind to lead the people, but there was one thing that stopped Kamek from being 100% on board with Ludwig. He had given examples of why he should be king, but that was different from showing it. Sure, he had seen the Koopaling ever since he was adopted and put straight into his former role, but there was a lot more at stake for a king than a general. Ludwig himself addressed that at one point, but should Kamek just freely give him the role because he said so? This was a double-edged sword because he wanted things to change, but straight-up giving him the role just felt wrong. But his heart wanted to, despite all that his mind protested. Perhaps he needed to come up with a solution to get the best of both worlds and make sure he wasn't backing the wrong horse, even if it meant more lying, which he hopefully wasn't doing in the end, but the situation called for it. "I will."

"Good. I thank everyone for taking the first step in making Dark Land great again. Now, we need to start to sway the numbers to our side, so here's what we're gonna do."

Mushroom Plains

Mario sighed as he stared at Peach's Castle. A couple hours had passed since the encounter at the Rock-Candy Mines, but even with the revelation that hit him there, he still wasn't ready to head back. He couldn't face anybody since they all thought of him as a traitor, murderer, and worst of all, like Bowser himself. The walk through Toad Town itself was proof of that as many Toads barred their doors and dared not show their faces at him. He just wanted to live a stress-free life, but Luigi was against his wishes. His eyes wandered. "Hey," Luigi said, taking his hand, "You've made it this far. You can keep going."

"No, Weegee! I… I can't! How can I go back when everyone hates me?! You saw the Toads! I can't go back!"

"I am not giving you a choice! You've done enough running. Now, get in!" As he shoved him, he caught sight of Peach as she was working with Rosalina, but strangely enough, there was something about her that emitted a different aura than he was used to. She looked more focused as she, from what it looked like, practiced some sort of new power. The war without a doubt caused something in her to change, and it reminded Mario of why he loved her in the first place. But perhaps it was never meant to be, and it was all his fault. He hated having to be reminded of something that was so close, and yet at the same time, so far from his grasp. Perhaps it was best to leave altogether. She looked like she didn't need him after all. "Hey," Luigi said. "Go talk to her." Mario didn't move. Luigi sighed and approached Peach. "Heya."

She stopped her magic and ran to hug him. "Luigi! You're back!"

"Yep. So, you've been holding down the fort pretty well?"

"Yeah. We managed to win the first two battles, but it's not over yet. Junior's gonna attack Toad Town in two months, so we must be ready by then." He nodded. "Where's Mario? Did you bring him back?" He stepped to the side to see the plumber gaze at the ground. "Mario!" She hugged him. "You came back!" She glanced at his expressionless face. "Mario? What's wrong?" He stayed silent. "Mario, please! Say something!"

He scoffed. "What's there to say?"

"What?"

"Look at me! I'm a monster! I'm a murderer! Everyone hates me!"

"Mario, that's not true!"

"See, this is why I never wanted to come back! Anytime that people see me, all they see is Bowser! I… I…"

Peach slapped him, causing the others to rear back. She rarely wasn't someone to snap like that, but that was just a sign of how rock-hardened she's grown throughout the war. "Shut up," she hissed. "I don't want to hear it."

"But it's-"

"Just shut it and let me speak!" Mario whimpered but didn't say anything. She sighed. "Yes, I hate everything you've done. You couldn't keep your anger in check and you flat-out killed your arch nemesis and thrust a war onto the entire kingdom. You even had the audacity to say you were doing it for everyone and yet you wouldn't even acknowledge your own selfishness! So yes, I hate everything you've done, but I don't hate you."

The plumber scoffed. "You're just contradicting yourself."

"No. I hate your actions, but I don't hate you as a person. I mean, you were a hero. You gave hundreds of organisms hope with every smile you flashed on your face. You were a symbol and never cracked under the pressure, but everything changed once when you developed feelings for me. When Bowser became a third wheel in our relationship, you started acting out aggressively towards him, even going as far as threatening to kill him, which you did indeed do. Bowser has fallen in the lava aplenty beforehand, but you did it with full intent of murder, and it's all because of our relationship. I also blame myself. I should've known you were still going through the motions, even during Bowser's break. He was never truly gone. He still plagued your mind, and I didn't think once to ask how you truly were." She touched his cheek. "But you can change. You can still be the beacon of light the Mushroom Kingdom needs. But you have to accept what has been done and learn to move on. You are not a villain, Mario. You can still be a hero."

Mario didn't say anything. How could he change? Could he truly be capable of change? Peach was right. Everyone was. All he wanted to do was protect Peach, but he twisted his mindset in such a selfish manner that it might've changed his mentality permanently. His previous actions would be a hindrance on his current mindset because it would replay in his mind over-and-over like a tape recorder. He could never flash that same smile because not just because of his own thoughts, but everyone else who hated him. Words sometimes left scars, and he never forgot what he was called: despicable, pathetic, like Bowser, a villain. The list went on. He shook his head. No. He would always be a shadow of his former self, outcast by others who remained selfless in their actions. Peach herself was more worthy of a hero than he was. He scoffed. "'Hero.' That word means nothing to me anymore." He began to walk away.

"So that's it?! You're just gonna walk away after everything you've done?!"

"The truth is obvious to me. I can never be who I was. My mind and people's thoughts will plague me at every step. I'm sorry, Peach. I'm not the hero I once was." Luigi grabbed his hand. "Bro-"

"I don't care what you say, but I won't have you ignore every person who's crying out for your name. I'm willing to bet there are people who are weeping because the hero they once loved has lost their way! There are people out there who's cries you are ignoring because they've been so scared of what's been happening! I don't know the full extent of what's happened, but I know because you left, I'm willing to bet there are a dime a dozen people who will be so happy to see you smile again! They hate seeing their hero once made of light completely eclipsed in darkness! They need you back! I need you back!" Luigi fell on his knees. "Please, Mario! Don't go!"

His speech had managed to gather a crowd of many anxious eyes gazing at him, and Mario could see the anger, but also sadness from deep within their eyes. Some like Yoshi even outwardly expressed their emotions by sharing tears with others. That was when it hit Mario. He could see the rift he caused in the people he once loved. Luigi's words emanated the same emotions of how they felt. Mario sighed. How could he do this? He didn't hurt just Bowser, he hurt every single person he once touched. How could a hero like himself taint that word so much it affected his people like a wildfire, burning their hopes and dreams of a bright future? No. He couldn't run away. He didn't know how, but he was gonna rewrite history. He was gonna tell the story of how he was a true hero by fixing the mistakes he caused. "OK." Luigi glanced at him. "Oh, come now," Mario said, smiling as he wiped the tears off his face. "No need to cry anymore." As he pulled him into a hug, the crowd cheered as they celebrated the return of their hero.

"Thank you so much!" Luigi said amidst the cheering. Mario underestimated how much of a feeling grace felt. He was gonna set things right for sure.

Thanks for reading. Next time, conflict breaks out as Ludwig and Junior battle to see who becomes king in Chapter 16: The Duel for Kingship.