I hope you all enjoyed the Mario movie. I know I did, especially the song Bowser sings. Anyway, here's the next chapter.Thanks to Worldnotesongs88 for favoriting and following this story!

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

Chapter 18: Battles and Cheap Shots

Moments earlier

Rosalina shivered as Peach and Mario shared a hug. Today was the day. The day of reckoning. She had foreseen all of this: Mario's return, his willingness to turn himself in, etc. Unfortunately, that did not guarantee the good future everyone was fighting for. Sure, it might've been if Junior was king, but he wasn't, and who came after was a thought that scared her. It was a different Koopa, probably a brother of sorts, she assumed, but just the fact that Junior was replaced by someone else scared her. It was the very reason why they were fighting to change the future. That was why having Mario turn himself in would only make things worse. She couldn't let him do it. "Rosalina?" She snapped out of her thoughts. Peach stared at her with curious eyes. "Rosalina, I called your name three times."

"I'm sorry, Peach. I'm just out of it is all."

"I get it. We're all worried. But don't worry. We're gonna survive this. We have a plan, and if things do go south, then we'll fight, even if I don't want to. Come on. Everyone's waiting." She walked away. Rosalina sighed. If it were only that easy. Well, she had to have faith, regardless. That was all that mattered at the moment. She joined the others in front of the army as another army slowly approached them inch-by-inch as her worry grew more. She couldn't stop shaking her limbs. A cold hand touched hers. Peach sent her a smile. "It'll be OK." She nodded. It was a bit unusual to show this amount of anxiety, but her friends were with her, and the Stars, too. They both would make a way out of this. A Koopa with blue hair parted in a V shape hopped off the ship he was riding. Rosalina gasped. It was the Koopa she saw in her vision.

"Hello," he said with a smile. Everyone exchanged glances.

"I don't understand," Peach said. "Where's Junior?"

"That's to no surprise. Well, due to certain… circumstances, a change in leadership was required. But don't let that fool you. Despite our differences, know this. Today, the Mushroom Kingdom will face its retribution! That I, Lord Ludwig von Koopa, guarantee!" And that confirmed Rosalina's suspicions. It wasn't about Mario, but rather the Mushroom Kingdom. All the more reason why Mario couldn't surrender. Said plumber stepped forward. "Well, well, well," Ludwig said, "The Mushroom Kingdom's rising star graces us with his presence! And to think you've gone into hiding for so many days. I didn't think you'd have the balls to prove me wrong, and yet here you are."

"Look," Mario began, "We don't have to fight. I know I did terrible things and made everyone furious with me, but I was wrong and I'm sorry. I'm-a here to turn myself in. I'm willing to sacrifice my life in place of everyone else's. Nobody else has to suffer for my mistakes. Just take me instead." Ludwig remained in silence for a while, but Rosalina couldn't hold her anxiety in any longer. If she did, then the world was doomed. It was now or never.

"Very well. I-"

"No!" All eyes turned to her as she was now the center of attention.

"'No'?"

"Don't do it," she said to Mario in a low voice. "Please don't do it!"

"What?!" the plumber hissed. "What do you mean?! I'm trying to save my kingdom from my mistakes! What do you mean no?!"

"Was this part of the vision?" Peach asked.

"Yes." She glanced at Mario. "If you go with him, you're putting everyone in danger." She wearingly glanced at Ludwig. "I don't trust him. One month ago, Junior was king, and now he suddenly takes the reins? No. You can't trust him."

Peach nodded. "I can understand. Who knows what other tricks he might have up his sleeve. I'm afraid Rosalina's right. He may accept your offer, but who knows what else he could do."

"Ahem." The three turned to Ludwig, who had crossed arms. "Are you done chatting so I can give my verdict?"

"You promise to leave my people alone if I go with you, right?" Mario quivered a little. Rosalina could tell he still had his sight on the original plan, but he was exercising more caution, but the Koopa could very well lie.

"I am a Koopa of my word. I wouldn't lie to you. You know you are the most wanted criminal of Dark Land. Why wouldn't I seize this opportunity?"

"Because you are lying."

He glared at Peach. "What?"

"You said that the Mushroom Kingdom would face its retribution. Not Mario, but the Mushroom Kingdom. You're after everyone here, so don't you dare lie to us!"

Then there was silence as everyone awaited his response. Most would expect him to snarl or order his troops to attack. That was a normal response many would expect, but again, to many's surprise, the Koopaling bursted out laughing as he facepalmed himself. He was definitely full of surprises, wasn't he? "Oh my," he said after he regained his breathing. "I guess I'm really that transparent, aren't I?" He glanced at Rosalina. "Well, you've got quite the intellect. It's true that I want Mario, but it seems I underestimated everyone's intelligence. But no matter, I've come for one purpose only. To destroy all those who helped a hand in Lord Bowser's death, so you might've read me like a book, but that doesn't mean you'll win in the end. Troops, attack everyone, but capture Mario! He is to remain alive!" Ludwig's army charged forward as they yelled cries of fury. The two armies crashed into each other as the battlefield evolved into a mesh of yells and explosions amongst all the throwing of fists and weapons. Amongst it all, Rosalina tried her best to stay calm. Two Hammer Bros threw hammers at her, but she blocked them with a barrier and blasted them away. The explosions rang around her as she flew away unexpectedly from one blast. She glanced at the airships, who were firing said projectiles. She had to stop them for the Mushroom Kingdom to have any chance of survival. But could she do it by herself? Well, maybe, at the extent of her magic and energy, yes, she could possibly pull some sort of Hail Mary and maybe destroy all the ships at once, but by the count, there were at least 10-20 ships, a lot more than she could handle at once. But she didn't have to destroy all of them. It just needed to be enough to give them a winning chance, even if the Stars showed her what would happen if she did. Even if she somehow didn't end up making it. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time for doubting her abilities, the same speech she gave Peach. She was gonna make sure everyone survives this. She flew towards them.

Peach jumped back as she dodged a flurry of projectiles. It was barely a minute into the battle and things had already gone hectic for the princess. It was all a whirlwind to her as all she could do was dodge. She could barely find any openings because of how fast Ludwig's troops were. She rolled as a sword threatened to slice her in half, barely missing her tied-up hair. She panted, the hyperventilation starting to set in. It was hard to stay calm and conjure her magic with everything happening at once. "Someone's scared," a Magikoopa sneered. "No wonder you barely put up a fight!" He was about to charge at her when a green blur rushed past Peach's vision as the figure smacked them with their tail.

She gasped. "Yoshi!"

"Grab on!" he said. She did, and the dinosaur took off, though Peach was more prepared for his neck-breaking speed as he charged away from the crowd while dodging the explosions that rained from above. Eventually, they got away from the action as the two caught their breath. "You OK, Peach?"

"I suppose," she said. "I'm just a little overwhelmed. It's a lot happening at once and I don't think I was prepared for this as I thought."

"Hey." He grabbed her hand. "We're gonna win. You saved me with that power of yours for a reason. You don't have to be scared anymore. And you know what? I'm scared, but that's not gonna stop me because I'm gonna fight for what's right. And you should, too. For our kingdom!" He ran to the fight. Peach smiled. He still had that same spirit, which was a good thing. There was a need for people like him in this world, people that instilled hope in others. Peach gazed at the battlefield to just get a glimpse; she didn't want to charge in headfirst without some sort of plan. Right now, things were looking pretty bleak. The number of lifeless bodies made her cringe. That was commonplace in war, but it was a rare sight for her to see. She couldn't tell whose troops they were a part of, but that gave her some insight on what she had to do: conserve her numbers. She glanced at the airships that fired from above as the fighting continued from below. Ludwig had entered the battlefield with an advantage in terms of those airships, so she had to draw fire away from them. She closed her eyes. Time to conjure up that power. Energy swirled throughout her body as a small pink light encased her hands. Yes. Now it was time to get to work. She ran back inside to see a small scuffle of soldiers fighting each other. She leaped in the air. "Heart Magic: Frenzy Kiss!" She launched heart-shaped projectiles at her enemies. They exploded upon impact, blasting them away. The Toads ran to her.

"Princess!" one said. "You're OK!"

"Yes. Now you need to draw everyone away from the enemy's line of fire. Until we come up with some sort of plan to deal with those, we need to stay away from those."

"I saw a blonde woman fly to them!" Peach gulped. Rosalina? Was she planning on destroying them by herself? Well, hopefully she will end up OK in the end. Regardless, they had to keep pushing forward.

"OK. Let's move!" She and the others ran amidst the fighting and knocked enemy soldiers back one-by-one. "We need to get everyone out of here and regroup elsewhere!" she yelled among the chaos. Her soldiers ran as two Koopa Troopas charged at them. Peach growled and kicked them back. She was also taught how to fight without magic since she couldn't rely on it all the time, and it was a great asset to have. As the retreating continued, someone screamed as their cries echoed through the air. Peach stopped as she gazed at Mario, who was being beaten up by Ludwig, his face filled with joy. She growled and ran to punch him in the face. He staggered back.

"Peach?"

"You need to get out of here, Mario. It's too dangerous. Rosalina is somehow taking care of the airships and I'm getting the troops to regroup elsewhere out of the airships' range. You need to join them."

"What?! And leave you in the crossfire?! No way! You'll-"

"I don't care what happens to me! You don't deserve to die! It's not right! Go!"

"But-"

"GO!" Mario hesitated a bit more, but one hardened glare from her was enough to convey her message as he sighed and ran away even though he didn't want to, but he couldn't be captured. Peach wouldn't allow that.

"That was pathetic." She reverted her gaze at Ludwig. "And quite cheap, too."

"What can I say?" she said. "That's what you get for attacking my kingdom. You're not gonna take any more lives, not under my watch." She took a fighting stance, her magic at the ready.

Ludwig stroked his chin. "How interesting. You're deciding to play hero for once, and you also think you can take me on. How foolish. Why not surrender? You know you can't win against me, not even with that pathetic power of yours. Facing me is your own demise which I'll happily grant." Peach stayed silent. Yes, he was partially right; she was a bit over her league compared to him, but she had to try. If she could make him surrender, this war could be over. Nobody else would have to die. Ludwig was practically offering a challenge to her, and she was gonna accept no questions asked for her people's sake. "Well, it makes no difference," the Koopa continued. "Either way, I had plans to snuff you and your little resistance out before Mario's death. Might as well complete part one." He leapt in the air, sending volleys of blasts towards Peach as she rolled. Before she could react, he flew through the air and punched her in the stomach. She rolled along the ground, struggling to sit up. So much power. So much fury. How was he so fast? Well, she knew what she was getting herself into, but geez. Well, he wanted her dead, so why would he have any reason to hold back? Ludwig teleported to her and shook his head. "Already down for the count? And that was barely a third of my power. I expected much more from the Mushroom Kingdom's next mightiest hero, but it seems I expected too much. Whatever, that-"

"Shut up." Peach stood up, a snarl on her face. "I never wanted any of this, to have any of our soldiers die. You could've just taken Mario and be done with it! Instead, you decided to throw my entire kingdom in jeopardy! I know many horrible things have happened, but I just want us to live in peace! Please! Just call the war off! There are other ways to settle this!"

"Don't play the sympathy card with me. You knew very well you were in jeopardy from the moment Mario gave the final blow. You wanna stop me? Well, you've done nothing but throw useless words at people to see what sticks and that's it. I bet you haven't landed a single shot on my soldiers because you're too weak to do anything! You're too soft! Well, blood will be shed in Bowser's name! The Mushroom Kingdom will become the ultimate sacrifice for him, starting with you! Explosion Magic: Bomb Rock Assault!" He jumped, his arms pulsating with energy as he slammed them down as Peach dodged, the ground erupting. She rolled and used her magic to propel herself forward from her feet and kicked him back. He slowed his speed and charged at her like a lion, but Peach was more than ready. She ran and tried to punch him, but he ducked and blasted her in the back with his wand. She rolled. "There's one difference between you and me, one I bet you don't even realize," Ludwig said as she sat up. "Unlike me, who uses a wand as an extension of my magic, you use yours directly through your body, and that uses more energy than a wand. Surely, you're already feeling the effects, right? You become slower, more predictable. And if you still don't understand, then class is in session!" His body glowed a light blue aura as his body began to split into duplicates of himself. "Transformation Magic: Clones of the Unwithered Soul!" His clones laughed, creating an echoey effect. "It takes much energy to create this, but I hope you've taken some notes, student, because your lesson begins now!" His clones sent more blasts at her as she ran. She couldn't tell which one was the real Ludwig because all she could do was block and dodge. Block and dodge. She was stuck in a perpetual cycle of defense with no way out and end in sight. All she could do is numb the pain as best as she could, but even then, it still wasn't enough when she was facing a throttle of many different attacks at different angles, just too many factors to take in. It was very overwhelming; the speed and ferociousness of each attack hit like a Banzai Bill.

Ludwig sent her tumbling with one more attack before his clones disappeared. Peach huffed as she struggled to stand let alone even breathe, and it was an amusing sight to him as he laughed maniacally. "You're pathetic! You thought you could stand toe-to-toe with me, and you can't even back up your own words! You made things all too easy for me!" He regained his breathing. "Well, regardless, as much as it was fun taunting you, I do have a task to finish, so no more games. Farewell." He closed his eyes. "Explosive Magic: Ominous Ball of Destruction." An energy ball formed from his wand and slowly grew, and Peach was too exhausted to move. Ludwig had made her exhaust most of her magic from all his attacks and she could barely stand. What was the point of even trying to fight back? She was granted a power that practically became useless, just like she always was her whole life, always putting the burden on other people to solve her problems she couldn't herself because she was too powerless. Ludwig was using this to mock her, to destroy and degrade her morality, and it worked. She shook her head as the tears came. She truly hadn't changed. She truly was nothing more than a weak damsel-in-distress. She waited for the ending to come. She accepted this was the end of the road and waited… but it never came. The wind gusted as something rushed past her. She didn't even notice until moments later, but Mario had delivered a blow to the face. He stood in front of her, her knight in shining armor like he always was, but his attitude reminded her of the olden days. "Really?! What's with all these cheap shots today?!" He glared at Mario. "You! I've had it with your interference, Mario! You always ruin everything!"

"Well, it is my specialty," the plumber said with a shrug. He glanced at Peach. "Hey, you OK?"

"Mario!" She squeezed him in a hug, never feeling more relieved to see him.

"I'm here."

"But you really shouldn't be! It's too dangerous! You could be captured and-"

"Shh." He touched her lip, silencing her. "I managed to get everyone away from the airships as I could, but you're in more danger. You can't face him on your own. Look at you. You have bruises all over. I won't see you hurt anymore. You don't have to do all this by yourself. You have your friends. Rely on others than yourself."

"Ahem." They looked at Ludwig. "I'm right here. You don't have to ignore me."

"Oh, we knew you were there," Mario said sardonically. "But as you could tell, I was having an important conversation."

"Like I appreciate your sass, plumber," Ludwig hissed. "Regardless, I guess it's up to me since my troops failed at the simplest of tasks. No matter, they will get their discipline later. I have a task at hand, and since you voluntarily returned into my hands, I'll be capturing you myself, but the princess's death comes first. She leads the kingdom, so once she's dead, the morality of her kingdom crumbles like dominos. It's common sense really, so step aside." Mario didn't move a muscle. "As expected. Well, I can always make you myself, even if it means leaving you crippled, then so be it!" He leaped at the plumber, but Mario rolled and punched him from behind. He pulled out a Power-up from his pocket, transforming into his Tanooki form and swiping his tail at the Koopaling. Peach watched as their fight continued. Moments ago, she thought of herself as worthless and she was at her end, but Mario had saved her, just like it always has been, but throughout her journey, she thought she was going to save others instead of the other way around, but everyone's words echoed in her head.

"You saved me with that power of yours for a reason. You don't have to be scared anymore. And you know what? I'm scared, but that's not gonna stop me because I'm gonna fight for what's right. For our kingdom!"

"You don't have to do all this by yourself. You have your friends. Rely on others than yourself."

She sighed. They were right. All this time, she wanted to save others because she thought she was a burden, but she was wrong. Her friends were with her every step of the way. She didn't have to face this alone. Sure, it was a struggle, but she had to remember that her friends were also her power; she couldn't rely on her own anymore. Sure, she had changed, but it wasn't in the most beneficial way. Now, she could still save others, but it was about sharing the burden rather than relying on oneself. She glanced at the current state of the battle of the two. Mario continuously swiped his tails at Ludwig as he dodged. He grabbed his tail mid-swipe and slammed him into the ground, though it wasn't enough to dissipate the Power-up. "Always so predictable," he said. "Well, time to-" Peach charged forward and punched him in the back. He rolled along the ground.

"Mario!" She helped him on his feet.

"I'm-a OK."

"Where'd you get the Power-up?"

"It's a spare from a Toad." He glanced at Ludwig as he stood up.

"Got any plan of stopping him?" Peach asked.

"You wanna join in?" She nodded. "But you're injured. He did a number on you."

"I know." She clenched her fist. "But I'm not gonna back down. Neither of us can do this alone. We shouldn't bear this alone, so let me help."

Mario was silent for a bit. He nodded. "OK. Here's the plan. Can you do any long-range attacks?" She nodded. "Good. I'll be the melee fighter. You be the support and blast him with something when you find an opening. I'll try to create as many openings as possible!" He charged at the Koopaling as he swiped his tail. Ludwig reared back and whirled in his shell, forcing the Tanooki plumber back before charging at him with a ram and punch combo. Mario surged backwards.

"Mario!" Peach sent out three blasts from her arms. Ludwig was quick to deflect them with a barrier he summoned and socked her in the face. She flew towards Mario and crashed into each other.

Ludwig laughed. "You two suck at working together! Shame you don't have any chemistry between each other. Well, inexperience does that to you." As they began to stand up, a crashing sound followed by an explosion shook the ground as the two were sent flying. Peach gazed at a ship now set ablaze, but it was a surprise that most of his fleet survived save the one that crashed. But what set her nerves on edge was when she glanced at Ludwig, he was smiling. He wasn't angry that many of his troops died in that explosion, but he seemed satisfied, in a sense. It was like he expected that to happen. "I believe that is a nice segway into the next lesson," he said. "Lesson number two: never underestimate your enemy's intelligence. When I took over as king, I wanted things to go perfectly. Knowledge is power as the saying goes. Knowing that, I wanted every single piece of said knowledge that was going into this battle should the enemy have some sort of ace up their sleeve. And an ace you certainly did have in the form of that magical girl, the one who had seen through my bluff earlier." Peach gulped. "When Kamek told me of her abilities during their little scuffle at the Koopa Village, I had a suspicion about her. I've seen her in a bit of action myself, though I never had the chance to face her. Though this is all conjecture, I'm willing to bet she played a huge role in the current state of the war. Isn't that right, Peach? I know first-hand how dangerous magic can be. So, sacrifice was necessary for the greater good, and it seemed she bought my trap. I highly doubt a great being as herself would survive such a phenomenon." Peach hyperventilated. No. Rosalina couldn't be dead. Sure, she wasn't invincible, but still! She saw the vision! She must've seen this coming!

"No! You monster!"

"I've been called worse. Regardless, surely you must understand my lessons, my student. You were always destined to-" Peach screamed and ran at him despite Mario's protests. Ludwig shook his head. "Bad move. Explosion Magic: Explosive Balls of Demonic Fury." Before Peach could react, three indigo blasts flew into her, exploding upon impact as she flew into a brick wall, rolling as she screamed, her body jostling from the impact. She struggled to stand and started to feel numbness in her arms and limbs. Her eyesight blurred as she could barely hear Mario's weeping cries. Eventually, everything gave out as her world faded to black.

Talk about an ambiguous ending, huh? Well, this is where we divert from the original and cover new material not found in the original, so I'll hope you'll stick with me to the end. Next time, after the brutal battle of Toad Town, Ludwig quickly takes control of the kingdom as the full extension of his past comes to light in Chapter 19: What's Past is Prologue.