Enjoy :)

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 :)

Chapter Thirty-Six

It took us two days to get it; Peasley's letter. If what he said on the parchment was true and he'd sent a dedicated courier from his palace to the one in the Mushroom Kingdom on the same morning as the one we departed, then it took two days for it to reach us here in Brooklyn. The system of correspondence that he and Daisy had worked out relied heavily on the one that was already in place between me and my brother. It wasn't the fastest or the best, but it was better than nothing at all. So far the only news we received was that Peasley had successfully gotten through to us.

And that was how it would go, I guessed. Daisy and I followed up with our jobs and fell back into the routine of working and spending time in our apartment. There wasn't much excitement anymore. Oh, there was one happy detail I came home to find after my first day back at work.

Terry had been fired.

When he returned to his palace, tired and dismayed, it was late. Ludwig arrived at the front doors on horseback, saddled with nothing but his own disappointment. The twenty-year-old climbed from his steed and fixed his midnight colored cloak about his shoulders. He appeared as a wraith with the hooded thing on as he flew from Bean Kingdom back to his own. Teleporting would have been faster, but using his magic had become taxing again so he only did it sparingly.

Koopa guards collected his horse and took it to the stables around the back of the palace while two others flanked the navy-haired king back into the throne room. Ludwig didn't bother checking on his siblings. He would do that in a moment. For now, he contented himself to sit lazily on the grand seat above the dais. The Koopas bowed before him and then stood at the ready a few feet away.

Well I guess I can write those two off, Ludwig thought with regards to Luigi and Daisy. He knew that the evidence of harboring the late king's subconscious mind would be quite easy to see in the older male, were it the case. Ludwig didn't need to question Luigi; one glance told him the plumber was blissfully unaffected. He did have to question the girl, however; he'd honestly believed it would lie with her.

The old bastard was obsessed with her, it would only make sense if his desire would latch onto her, Ludwig reasoned.

But it hadn't. By the looks of it, the girl was also clean of the late king's influence. It was hellish just to be near her, and the whole time Ludwig wanted to touch more than just her hand. But he'd contained himself for dignity's sake and for the sake of garnering all he'd need to know. Now his investigation was complete and he had no other lead to go on.

Except.

So violently Ludwig jumped to the edge of his seat, his hands gripping the arms of the throne that his two Koopa guards gazed sharply at him, alert. Ludwig's scowl was slow but deep as he realized his gross oversight.

Of course, he chided himself, why didn't I think of that sooner?

He knew it would only be a matter of time before this would happen, and yet when it did he felt an uncharacteristic surge of emotion rise within him. Mischief and mayhem, that's what usually caused the arousal of his pleasure and happiness, but the sight of the fledgling adult on his doorstep was now stirring up those feelings. After removing the henge over his Victorian estate, the king stepped outside to greet his guest.

"Why have you come here?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

The would-be adult asked in turn, "Why did you undo my curse?"

"It wasn't a curse." King Boo explained. "It was a binding sort of spell that wove Ludwig's magic over your own. All I did was untie the knot."

"Why?" Iggy wanted to know.

He looked small in the cloak that was not his own, borrowed from his eldest brother in the hopes of helping him blend into the night through which he'd stolen to get to this very place. He'd pestered both Roy and Wendy until they both eventually caved; Roy gave him a map he'd previously used and Wendy told him about its invisibility and its location near a deep wood. His sister had told him to be careful and his brother had wished him luck, though Iggy suspected Roy was being sarcastic.

No matter, Iggy thought, I'm here and that's all that counts.

He stared determinedly up at the long-haired king and waited for his answer. Was it somewhere in his face? Because that's where King Boo was searching most avidly, looking for something Iggy had no clue of. Iggy shivered, dressed still in his pajamas under the light and dragging cloak. He pushed some of his limp green hair away from his forehead. It was hanging and the wind had blown it askew as he ran, teleported twice, and ran to get here.

"It wasn't right." King Boo answered at last. "What Ludwig had done to you was wrong."

"A lot he does is wrong." Iggy remarked. "But you must know that, right?"

"He wasn't always this way." King Boo then spoke.

"How long have you known him?" Iggy asked through teeth that now threatened to start chattering.

"For quite some time." The immortal answered.

Iggy opened his mouth to speak further but King Boo held up a hand to stop him. He could see the young person shivering and that bothered him.

"Come." He stated. "I know you want answers and I promise to tell you as much as I can, but the majority of what you seek, you'll have to find on your own."

"Get up."

When that spoken command didn't rouse the boy, Ludwig gripped the sheets over the prince's bed and yanked them backwards. The biting chill startled the child, making Bowser Junior draw his knees up in a fetal position and shiver.

"Get up," Ludwig ordered again.

Bowser Junior just blinked tiredly at him and turned onto his side. He reached for his blankets to bring them over his cold body once more but Ludwig, having run out of patience, took hold of the tiny child's arm and dragged him from the bed.

"No!" Junior immediately shouted, "Let go! I don't want to go with you!"

Ludwig ignored him and forced the boy to stand barefoot on the icy wooden floor. Junior struggled to get away from him and get back in bed, which only provoked Ludwig to ire once more. He was very close to solving his dilemma, and he'd be damned if he let the small prince stand in his way.

"Stop fighting me!" He barked.

"NO!" Junior yelled, "My Daddy says no!"

Ludwig stilled and then crouched to the child's height, holding him fast by the shoulders.

"What else does he say?" Ludwig wanted to know. "What else?"

Junior tried to put his thumb in his mouth but Ludwig was having none of it. He tightened his grip enough to make tears spring to Junior's eyes and then shook the child roughly.

"Tell me!" He demanded, "What does your father say?!"

Frightened, Junior's face crumpled and he started to cry.

Ludwig rolled his eyes and sneered in disgust, opting to stand and head to the throne room, pulling the child by the wrist behind him. Junior just cried and scratched at Ludwig's hand, trying to free himself. Beyond the throne room Ludwig went, hurrying to the right and down the stairs and to the immediate left where a cramped room was. The carpet was familiar to Junior's bare feet, and he quieted, his cries lessening to soft sobs.

"Why we goin' down here?" He asked in his choked voice.

Ludwig ignored him yet again and faced the bound creature against the opposite wall. He let go of Junior's bruising wrist and shut the door behind him. He'd had time to locate the incantation he'd need to end his suffering, after about three days of searching King Boo's nearly limitless library, that is. Then he'd had to locate the old king's active mind. He could have kicked himself for not realizing it had been with Junior this entire time. Ludwig glanced at the boy, who was walking hesitantly over towards his chained father.

"Get over here." He commanded.

"Leave me alone!" Junior yelled back at him.

With a noise of impatience Ludwig jerked the child by the front of his shirt and held onto his already sore arm. Junior started to cry again.

"Be still!" Ludwig snapped at him, then fumbled in his pants pocket.

He pulled out a slim parchment scroll he'd unearthed deep in King Boo's library. It would tell him exactly what to say to get rid of his problems once and for all. He shot his hand over towards one of the torches hanging on the wall, giving some light to the dank-smelling room.

Ludwig made the scroll levitate and bound Junior with his magic so that the boy would be completely still. Once that was done, he stood between father and son with two fingers on Junior's temple and two more on the same spot of his sire's hanging head. Loudly, clearly, he began to chant. Junior made small, whimpering sounds of pain. Ludwig could imagine the process of extracting something from the child's mind was not a pleasant experience but he hardly cared. He chanted and when Junior's cries became louder, he spoke even louder still.

Ludwig could feel something being transferred, something from Junior's body to his and then over to the late king's. As soon as the thing had passed over, Ludwig let his magic over the child recede. Junior collapsed, unconscious. For a moment, all was silent in the room. Ludwig went over to the fallen child, wondering if the incantation had been successful.

"Get up." Ludwig demanded of the boy.

Junior was unresponsive.

Ludwig nudged the child's stomach with the toe of his boot and turned the boy onto his back. So serene was his still face. Ludwig thought about bending over and feeling for a pulse but then something happened that made his skin crawl.

He laughed.

Not Junior. No, the sound that filled the small room was deep and full and malevolent. It was a striking chuckle that could only belong to him. The Dark King.

Ludwig turned around and faced the creature who was still laughing. Along with the sinister sound, there was the noise of heavy chains moving as the king adjusted his position as much as he was allowed. The being sat with his legs spread, his arms plastered against the wall behind him, and his head thrown back.

"So you finally figured it out." The voice, hoarse from disuse, spoke in a sneer. "About damn time."

Ludwig ignored him, too, and began chanting again. He put his index and middle finger on his own temple, then did the same with the fallen king. He tried to return the subconscious to the being he was touching but it didn't work. He could feel the presence leave his mind, transfer to the other being, and then, as if it hit a brick wall, it ricocheted back to his own head and made him wince. Ludwig frowned, but tried again. The subconscious just returned to him again. And again.

Ludwig anticipated the stream of mental energy's return and latched onto it with unseen vectors, guiding it back towards the king's mind. With his eyes shut and his concentration peaking, Ludwig tried to force the subconscious to penetrate the king's mind and stay there. The results were devastating.

To his knees Ludwig was forced as the brunt of the pain swept over his head. His head, there was so much pressure there, not to mention behind his eyes. It felt as if they were about to swell and burst. He gritted his teeth and felt his sweaty palms become caked with the soot from the ground below them. Shaking and furious, Ludwig glared at the smirking king.

"What are you doing?" He hissed.

"Nothing." Came the smug reply. "But you should know that it won't work."

"What?" Ludwig frowned.

"That's not the right spell. Dumbass." The king smirked. "And even if you did have the right one, it would only work if the vessel, that would be me, is willing to receive, which I am not."

"What?" Ludwig spoke again in angry confusion.

"I thought you knew all this." The Dark King drawled, then coughed and sneered, "I guess I overestimated your intelligence; wouldn't be the first time."

"I was smart enough to take you down." Ludwig retorted bitingly.

Bowser's lunge was constricted to a violent jerk as he snarled like some kind of wild animal. Ludwig took a wary step backwards in the face of his rage.

"You insolent piece of shit!" The king roared. "You can't take down the Mighty Dark King!"

"And yet you're powerless and in chains." Ludwig spat. "How the Mighty have fallen."

Bowser's mouth curled downward when he said, "You think you're so clever but the truth is, you can't do anything right."

Ludwig's eyes narrowed. "Yes I can!"

"Oh yeah? Then why the hell am I awake?" He smirked. "You had to have messed up the first spell and now that it's come back to bite you in the ass, you think you can just come down here and unload on me."

Ludwig was a bit mystified by the late king's accuracy, especially considering the fact that he'd been in a sort of coma for the past few months. Bowser continued to speak in his slow, almost slurred speech.

"You think I'm gonna' let you saddle me with the burden of my own consciousness, doomed to live out my end chained up in the bowels of my own palace while you go out cavorting with my power?" The king spoke derisively.

Ludwig tried yet again to recite the incantation, shutting out the Dark King's words.

Bowser laughed weakly at his attempt and asked, "Hasn't anyone ever told you about having your cake and trying to eat it, too? You can't do it!"

"Don't tell me what I can't do!" Ludwig shouted, losing both his composure and concentration.

"You shouldn't even be able to think right now." Ludwig scowled. "Not without your subconscious mind."

"The body cannot function without the mind in whatever state," Bowser informed him. "Part of my active mind and subconscious mind was still with me, even after you'd forced me into a coma. You'd know that if you would have taken the time to do some research instead of half-assing it. But no, you think you know everything."

"Don't act like you know anything about me!" Ludwig yelled in offense.

"I know all about you," Bowser claimed, "Or did you forget? I know that you're still as arrogant as always, and that arrogance is what kept you from doing the smart thing and training under me as my apprentice, my protege. I could have taught you to rule, maybe I would've even passed down my title to you one day."

Ludwig was remarkably silent.

That unhealthy exhalation Bowser emitted could've almost passed for a sigh.

"But no," He said. "You got the bright idea to try and wield a sword you couldn't possibly control-"

"I can control it," Ludwig spoke evenly, "Just as soon as I'm rid of your influence."

"Yes," Bowser smirked. "My subconscious. It's driving you crazy, isn't it?"

Ludwig didn't answer.

"Good." The king chuckled. "It's no less than you deserve."

"Take it back!" Ludwig shouted. "It's yours, so take it!"

"Why should I?" Bowser drawled, then coughed again. "So you can run around playing king?"

"I am king!"

"LIES!" Bowser thundered. "You're nothing but a deceitful little bastard basking in the fruits of my labor."

"Oh, boo hoo. Do you want a fucking medal?" Ludwig snapped, at his wits end. "I don't care that it's yours, you were the one foolish enough to get yourself killed, or nearly killed, so now your kingdom and your power is mine. So stop being difficult and just take it back!"

To his disappointment, Bowser just smirked and asked, "Is that supposed to persuade me?"

Ludwig could see he was getting nowhere, so he decided to change his approach. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then calmed himself. When he spoke again, his voice was level.

"Your will won't be so strong once you've had a few days to starve and dehydrate and wallow in your own shit." He stated.

"You're threatening me now?" Bowser's ragged voice held a note of amusement. "I'm the Dark King: I've been through worst. I can last as long as I need to. The question is, can you?"

Ludwig almost responded but decided not to humor him. Instead he promptly stepped over Junior's prone body and slammed the door behind him.

Today I worked late but without a certain someone there anymore, it was much less of a bother. I got into my apartment and hung my keys on the door, then saw Daisy sitting on the couch with a piece of paper on her lap. She looked weary. Neither of us had been quite right since we got back to Brooklyn. It was like we were both biting our nails, biding our time, just waiting for something to happen. With each letter we received, which was two by now, I held my breath for some horrible news of death or destruction by the hands of the young ex-enforcer.

"We got another one." She said.

"A letter." I stated more than asked.

"Yes," She nodded. "It's short. Peasley says my kingdom is relatively safe for now. He says Ludwig has been preoccupied with scouting for magicians from all over."

"Why's that?" I asked sinking down onto the couch next to her.

"Apparently there's something wrong with him." Daisy told me. "He's got some kind of illness."

"Mental illness?" I predicted.

She shook her head and said, "Peasley didn't go into detail. Here, you can read it if you'd like."

I took the letter from her hands and skimmed over it. I garnered the same things she'd told me. Ludwig was looking for magicians, which was saying something. He was one of the best sorcerers around, so if he couldn't solve whatever was afflicting him, it must be serious. I had no idea what this meant for Daisy's kingdom, or for us for that matter.

"I'm kind of worried about him." Daisy admitted.

I said, "I am, too, but he did do this to himself. Nobody told him to take on this much responsibility, or to kill the Dark King."

"Somebody had to do it." Daisy remarked flatly.

I couldn't argue with that.

For the first time in a while, Iggy was content. He sat cross-legged in front of the fireplace in King Boo's sitting room with nothing on his mind. No training sessions and no Ludwig breathing down his neck. It was relaxing. He didn't know it, but standing in the doorway watching him was the king himself. With a blanket draped over his arm and a cup of hot white chocolate in his hands, King Boo observed the boy. He was struck with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. He remembered all the times he'd walk in on Ludwig lying sprawled on his belly in front of the fire, laboring of giant tomes that he could barely carry. He glanced at the big burgundy chair and remembered a small Ludwig sitting with his feet tucked into the side and about a dozen scrolls all over his lap, practicing his incantations. King Boo stifled the emotion and stepped into the room.

"I know you said you weren't hungry," He spoke upon entering, "But I brought you something warm to drink."

Iggy smiled at the king and accepted the drink. The royal then draped the blanket over the boy's lanky shoulders and took a seat in the worn burgundy chair. Iggy scooted up to King Boo's feet and sipped at his chocolate. There was cinnamon sprinkled atop the whipped cream. He felt very special then at the thought that the king may have made it by hand just for him.

"Thanks for this," Iggy said, "It's good."

"You're very welcome," King Boo smiled, though sadly. "Now. Where should I begin?"

"Do you know where my siblings and I were born?" Iggy asked eagerly. "Or where we come from?"

"No," Boo told him. "My knowledge is limited to your time as Bowser's minions."

"What?!" Iggy cried, startled.

"By that exclamation, I assume Ludwig didn't tell you that you'd all spent the better part of your childhood in service to the late Dark King?" King Boo chanced.

"No." Iggy shook his head. "Ludwig doesn't tell us anything. All I can remember personally is the time we'd spent in the bunker."

King Boo sighed and said, "Well I must warn you, you may not like what I'm about to tell you."

"I don't care," Iggy said at once. "I have to know."

A/N: This wrote itself, I like when that happens. As you can see, we're getting to the part of the story where things are going to be a little more somber. Hope you don't mind.

As usual, I'd love to hear what you thought of this latest installment as I nurse yet another headache of mine. Oh well.

Until next chapter!

~DymondGold~