Well, I'm back already! I'm pretty hyped to get this story up and running, so I hope you enjoy this next chapter. This time, I'm gonna say please review at the top, because I'm pretty sad I've got zero reviews on anything I've written so far. The Mario archive is a pretty desolate, lonely place when you're starting out. Anyway, time to go on with the story!

Ch. 2: Good Samaritans

"Sooooo… remind me why we're sleeping in a bush with this evil murderer who just so happens to be injured again? Seriously, we can't be here!" I hissed. "He's alive, and he's found his bloodthirsty dinosaur steed, so therefore the thing can carry him. Our work here is done, he'll be fine!" I hissed, trying to shake the saliva from the inside of my shell. The red man was sleeping, and so was the dinosaur.

"Well, what are our other options?" Simon pressed, and I tried to think of something. We couldn't go back to the boss or we'd be dead, and we could never survive alone in the world. The red man might not be the only foe out there, and for one Koopa and Goomba that's a lot. At least in the boss' castle we had a roof over our heads.

"I guess you're right," I sighed. "The boss would rather deep-fry us in lava than take us back under his roof after what we did." Si grinned.

"Now we're talking! Anyway, you know when the red man screamed at his steed and he spat you out? What if he understands him?" Now that's getting somewhere. He looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Maybe so, and then we could properly communicate. You know, the minute he gets his leg fixed he's probably going to end both our lives, right?"

"Not if we help him!"

I never thought of that. "Well, that's an idea! But I'm sorta tired now, so see you in the morning. Okay?" He nods and leans back against a fallen log. I tuck my head into my (still slightly soggy) shell and try to drift off. His last thought was, 'I wonder what my ancestors would think of me now?'

"Jay, I'm proud of what you did,' called a deep, respectable voice. I looked up at hearing my name and tried to find the source.

"Who are you? Why are you proud? What did I do?" I yelled back. If this is a dream, then it could be a thousand different Koopas and I'd never be able to tell.

"You defied all the things your mother told you, and you displayed an act of extreme kindness to the most unlikely of people. But I'm not here to congratulate you. I'm here to deliver a warning."

"What is it? And who exactly is this?" I panicked, backing slowly away.

"Jay, you have a role to play in what is to come, and it is not standing on the sidelines. The coin has landed on its side." His tone was grave and mysterious.

"W-what do you mean by that?" I cried, standing up and glancing around.

"Two different sides, two different points of view have crossed over, and your act of kindness is to blame. You and the red man, Simon and the steed will need to work together to tie up the loose ends and repair the broken world." I broke the world?!

"No. No, no, this can't be right. Can it? I'm just a Koopa! An ordinary Koopa, born in the boss' castle, who broke the red man's leg then saved his life! Isn't that what anyone would have done?"

"No, Jay. Any Koopa would have not hesitated to kill him, or bring him to the boss. You and Simon are not like anyone I've ever seen, and I know that if I had crippled him half as badly as they said I did I would still be alive today. But I let him live, and he killed me."

"Wait… you're my great-great-great-whatever grandfather? You… didn't kill the red man?!"

"No. I was like you… I believed he would spare me if I let him live; I struck him once in the stomach, and he sent me flying off the edge. But as he wasn't seen for a long time after, they thought I must have killed the wretch. Sadly, he had a few extra lives back then." I took it all in.

"You crippled him ten times worse than I ever did, and you survived almost being eaten by the steed. You are the one who accomplished it all, and you could have handed him in to avenge your family's deaths but you spared him. He never spared a life when he rampaged around the world, but you did. And that's what makes you different. This is your time now, Jay Koopa. Be the one to repair the broken world. Wake up, and live life!"

My vision swam into focus as I regained consciousness, still heeding the cryptic message of my ancestor. This was a lot to comprehend. The birds were chirping away in the branches above us, trying to ward off the intruders in their leafy fortress.

I pushed my head and limbs out of my red shell and yawned loudly enough to wake my Goomba companion. He opened his eyes slowly, then all at once, his bushy eyebrows bobbing around as he stretched. The red man was still asleep and, thankfully, so was the dinosaur. He was blowing some rather large bubbles in his sleep, and I looked away.

"Imma go get breakfast," I yawned, "but this time, no eggs!" I picked up my dragging feet and pushed my head out the bush, checking the area. Nobody in sight save for a couple of birds entering and leaving the hedgerow. I sighed with relief and stepped into the open pathway. The sun on my shell felt warm and comforting as I trudged off to find any edibles.

I plucked a few fruits from trees and scraped a Goomba carcass off the ground. I presumed it was what the red man ate. I also grabbed a mushroom or two to bring back with me, then set off back to the section of bush where I left the red man.

A few minutes later, Simon and I were tucking into fruits while the red man went for mushrooms. The carcass sat neglected on the ground until the dinosaur swallowed it whole. His long tongue then proceeded to nick some of our fruit before he lay off us and burped, satisfied. He then shot a wary glance at the pair of us and curled around the red man protectively. I slapped a palm to my forehead.

"Umm… yeah… as we probably made clear, we aren't here to hurt anyone!" Simon piped up, and I shook my head quickly and purposefully.

"Nope! Definitely not! I mean, why would we… ohmygodthatmouthwasaterrifyingexperience," I yelped, backing away. Simon shook his head.

"I don't trust Koopas," he stated simply, turning his back.

"What about me?" Simon grinned hopefully.

"Not you either."

"Anyway…" I gave a slight cough, "we only wanted to help you, and that's why we got the red man-"

"He's not 'red man'!" snarled the dinosaur, interrupting me and causing me to tremble.

"Oh… sorry. We got your friend into the bush and tried to help, then Simon here found your egg, and then you attacked us…"

"Hmm… I think I can live with that for now. The name's Yoshi. Still, I'm keeping a close eye on you two!" he muttered as he trudged away.

"Well, we've sort of succeeded in befriending the steed," I hissed, "but if he isn't the red man, who is he?" Simon shrugged.

"I think he is the red man," he said, "but he has a name. That's why the ste- sorry, Yoshi – was a little mad."

"Should we ask?"

"…I wouldn't risk it."

The hours slipped quickly by, and Yoshi seemed to be trusting the two a bit more. At midday, he retreated and snuggled down in the dust by Mario's head. Not moving really sucked, and the plumber wasn't enjoying it. He was on his last life, and the mushrooms the Koopa had brought back hadn't been 1-Ups. He sighed and rubbed the sleeping dinosaur's head.

If only he could speak Koopa, he could understand and talk with the mysterious pair who'd saved him. But for now he could only sit and wait. For what, he didn't know, but he was certain the Koopa knew what he was doing.

At least he hoped so.

"I have no fricking idea what we're doing!" I yelled, awaking Yoshi who frowned. Simon sighed.

"Oh, great. By the way, Mario wants to know what you're thinking of doing, but now I've heard that I'm afraid he'll be a bit disappointed," the dino grumbled before laying his head back down.

"Wait, Mari-whatsit?" Simon blurted, and Yoshi growled.

"Mario! The 'red man' guy you keep talking about like he's some sort of murderer!"

"Umm… he sort of is one."

"He only kills Koopas and Goombas, they're not really important!" he said. I exchanged a glance with Simon.

"…Next time, remember who your audience is," I smirked, "or shut your green scaly mouth!"

Yoshi was taken aback. "I don't really care if you stand up to me, because I can just eat you here and now. After all, I only had a squished Goomba for breakfast, and you guys are seriously getting on my nerves! And do bear in mind that Koopas and Goombas are some of the most insignificant and hated things on the planet," he finished with a smirk. I gasped.

"Now, Yoshi. What makes you so much better than us, eh?" I challenged, frowning dangerously. He grinned and cleared his throat.

"My parents are pure-bred Green Yoshis of Yoshi's Island, descended from the First Green Yoshi. Our species is sentient, and we don't take orders from anyone but true friends," he stated proudly, puffing out his chest a bit. I growled.

"My ancestor was the first Red Koopa and the first Koopa to ever stand up to Mario. You were there, weren't you, Yoshi?" I hissed, looming up closer to his face.

"Oh, that old wretch? He went down without much of a fight. Just as weak as all the others, but with a little more bravery and a lot more suicidal tendencies." That was the final straw. I leapt for the dinosaur's throat, gripping him tightly and not letting go. Simon backed away, and the red man – sorry, Mario – gasped.

"My species is loyal and serves one master. At least that's what they say. My grandfather could have ended Mario's life but he spared it, and that's all the chance you needed to end him. He could have killed you! And I'm going to finish the job he left unfinished!" I yelled murderously, and Yoshi struggled under my grip. Once he was exhausted, I tucked my head fast into my shell and rammed him as hard as I did to break Mario's leg. Yoshi crumpled on the ground and, out of nowhere, eggshell surrounded him. He was an egg again.

I made for the egg to crush it, but Mario grabbed my arm. I thrashed to get free, but he dragged me further and further away… then Simon pushed the egg to him. At once the red mist lifted and I was sat there, breathing heavily, on the dusty floor. I took a look at Mario cradling Yoshi's egg… and blacked out.

"Why did you do it?" asked a voice I knew all too well by now.

"He… insulted you. Told me you were a wretch. He killed you, so I killed him! Damn those eggs and curse the name of 1-Up Mushrooms!" I raged, beating my fist against the ground. Dream-like mist swirled up where I whacked the floor.

"If somebody insults your heritage, don't make a big deal out of it!" he laughed.

"Aren't you mad he said that about you?" I asked quizzically.

"No. Because when the red man fought me, he rode the steed and was armed with fireballs terrible. He burnt my red shell to a crisp, and as I crawled away the steed swallowed me whole. I died in his digestive juices, having the life sucked out of my body. But it was the loss of my shell which made me saddest."

"Why the shell?" I questioned. He chuckled.

"When I was as young as you were and even before that, I was teased for my red shell. And I know you were teased for yours, weren't you?" he asked. I nodded tensely.

"It's the green strip," I sighed. "My brothers and sisters and cousins would laugh at my green strip." I looked sadly at the band of green running across my ordinarily-red shell. "They would say I wasn't a pure-bred. That I wasn't worthy of being called a Red Koopa."

"And that's why we're both different. And there's never anything wrong with being different," he whispered, and something rounded and hard skidded out of the shadows and stopped in front of my nose. It was a Koopa shell, adorned with a bright green strip.

Muffled sounds and voices, one of them incomprehensible, drifted through the darkness and disrupted my dream. I stirred, shifting around, before opening my eyes to the noises of the other three crammed into the bush – Yoshi was one of them. I seethed in hatred, my blood boiling, but I found I couldn't quite move.

"O-oh hi!" Simon squeaked. "Yeah… Yoshi sort of suggested to Mario that he tied you down. And I'm pretty sure that Mario likes Yoshi an awful lot." I sighed, and the dinosaur grinned smugly.

"Soooo…. I'm tied to the floor until Yoshi says otherwise?" I frowned.

"Yep!" confirmed my friend. It's gonna be a long day.

Three Hours Later

"Hey, Jay! Good news! According to Yoshi, Mario says you can come back now!" Finally! The scent of cooked mushrooms has been torturing my nose for the past half an hour, and the rest was just watching them do boring stuff in the bush. I think I fell asleep at some point, too.

"About time!" I grumbled. "You gonna get me outta here or what?"

"Well… Mario can't move, Yoshi refuses to do it because he's a jerk, and I don't have fingers."

If I could move my arms, I would facepalm right now.

Three More Hours Later

After Yoshi and Simon had fallen asleep, I and Mario were the only ones left awake. I was definitely getting a friction burn from these surprisingly tough tree roots, and my wrists were sore.

Mario used his remaining functional leg and two arms to heave himself away from where he lay down and towards where I was tied. Grabbing the roots and heaving them out of the ground, he untied the knots and I rubbed my sore wrists frantically to stop the stinging. I shot him a grateful glance, and he smiled. The killer from the fairy-tales wasn't so bad after all.

I sat up and stared off out the gaps in the leaves. A million stars lit up the sky outside, and for once wished I could stay out here forever.

The sound of something dragging through dust caught my attention, and when I turned around the word 'hello' was scrawled across the floor in clumsy letters. This was the same way of writing we used! I replied; 'This is weird'. For some reason he burst out laughing.

Mario regained his composure and quickly wrote, 'I don't know your name'. After reading it, the Koopa replied.

'My name is Jay'. That's all he wrote. Mario didn't know Koopas had names, but apparently so.

'The Goomba?' he asked.

'Simon'. That was a strange name. He thought back a couple years when he met a drunk Toad outside of a bar named Simon and laughed at the memory. Jay looked confused.

'It's nothing' he wrote, and Jay smiled.

The Morning

"Wow, I'm starving… by the way, thanks for cooking mushrooms right next to me while I was tied to the floor. You can thank Mario for getting me out of there, but I didn't get any damn food!" I growled, glaring at Yoshi. He grinned innocently and went back to eating. He'd brought back many different foods, for which I was grateful.

First, he squealed something in Mario's language to him and handed over some mushrooms. Then he gave Simon a few fruits, and finally gulped all the rest down himself.

"H-hey, what about me?" I argued, frowning at my lack of a good meal.

"That's what you get for assaulting me yesterday," he smirked. "Next time I'll eat you."

"But you tied me down for six hours at least! Surely that's punishment enough!" I protested.

"Oh, yeah! Whoops, too late! Dear me, I seem to have eaten it all. Here, have it back!" He proceeded to make a series of retching noises.

"Nononono! No, don't do that! That's gross! I'm going to find my own food!" I gagged, fleeing out the door as fast as I could go.

After a few minutes of wandering and eating whatever I could scavenge, I headed on back. Simon was waiting eagerly by the door.

"Ooh, that was a nice meal. Sure are a lot of good fruits down that way!" I grinned sarcastically, waving an arm casually towards the direction I came from and patting my belly. Actually, I had quite a meagre portion of out-of-date mushrooms, but I didn't tell Yoshi that. My stomach hurt quite a bit after eating those, and my hunger wasn't satisfied. I veered close to Simon's ear and whispered, "I'm never eating those mushrooms again!" He laughed.

"Oh! I did save you some from last night!" he yelped.

"Why the hell didn't you say so?!" I yelled, following him, drooling like a rabid Chomp. He used his foot to dig up a section of the ground and pulled out three mushrooms with his mouth, handing them over. I devoured them like a cannibal, trying not to make a massive fool of myself as well as cramming food down my throat.

"…I take it the mushrooms down that way weren't so good after all?" he squeaked meekly.

I just shook my head and ripped the cap off the third mushroom.

"I think the Chomps have fond something!" cried a Hammer Bro. holding the chains of multiple Chomps.

"Well?" asked his companion, a Boomerang Bro.

"There's definitely the scent of Koopa here… but it's not their blood…" he began.

"Go on?" replied the Boomerang Bro.

"Instead there's some sort of red sticky stuff that looks like no blood I've seen before," he continued, "and there's a trail of it into the bush." He looked at his companion.

"What else?"

"Well, it appears the Koopa has stuck around. And if that blood belongs to who I think, that Koopa's gonna be in a heck of a lot of trouble." He folded his arms, and the two hammers in each of his hands thudded against the back of his shell.

"Wait, so we're gonna hand them in? What's our evidence?"

"This is!" He scooped up a fleck of the red substance from the ground. "We can tell the boss, and he'll punish them for treason."

"This… is the red man's?!"

"I don't know, but it can't be much else."

"Ssh! I hear voices!" hissed Simon, and everyone ducked low. If we were discovered, it was bad news for all of us.

"Sounds like Benny and Cam. They're trackers, probably looking for where the red man disappeared!" I replied, still in a whisper. Yoshi was heaving Mario up and onto his back, ready to leave.

As the voices faded into the distance, I poked my head out of the bush. They had gone, and nothing was in sight save for the usual landscape. I beckoned everyone forward, and then we made a break for it.

The sun was low over the serene, hilly landscape, and we moved at a good pace. It was official: we were on the run.

Oh, if only my mother could see me now!

Here we are! By the way, I actually really like Yoshi. Probably too much. But I just thought if some strange Koopa and Goomba happened to be 'threatening' his friend, he'd act like a bit of a jerk.

Anyway. I'd like to just mention my best friend for helping with this chapter's description and details. She hangs out on the Pokémon archives and, despite the fact I had an account longer than her, she got me into writing fics and not just reading what other people did. Just a thank you, briefly, to PokeThatPokemon for also mentioning me in her profile!

Well, I'm done here. Thanks a lot, readers! Potato out!