So… I honestly had no plans for this interlude until the day after I posted the previous one.

Siph: So that means you have a plan now?

-ish. I don't think there's anything for the Umbra and Bowser to discuss right now, and I have no more flashbacks to do yet. But then I realized I could pick up where Roy's and Ludwig's chapter left off.

Siph: So wait, are they going to add Roy to the call?

And subsequently everyone in Roy's group. And Lemmy's too, because might as well make it a family call.

That frustrated scream you heard in the distance was me trying to keep track of dialogue for… *pulls out calculator* … 8 Koopalings, 2 Toads, 2 plumbers, 1 princess, 7 Crystal Star holders, 1 girlfriend, 1 CEO, 2 fan characters, 1 Star Kid, 2 Magikoopas… 27 characters! Assuming I don't try giving Pom Pom or someone else on the Magikoopas' airships a word or two to say.

I don't have to give all of them a line this chapter, do I?

Siph: *holds hands up* Hey, don't look at me. That's all up to you, dude.

Disclaimer: That really doesn't make this decision any easier.

Chapter 54: Accelerated Conference

Ludwig wordlessly threw his airship into its highest speed, sending it hurtling away from the refugee armada.

"Ludwig, whatever you're planning, please be careful!" Kamek pleaded.

"Kamek, put Roy and Lemmy on the line," Ludwig ordered. "We need to catch everyone up before we arrive."

The wizard did not hesitate. "Understood."

Without even waiting a second, Ludwig addressed his brother, "Roy, can you hear me?"

There was a short pause.

The first voice on the new connections was not a Koopaling, but the small airship crew looked at each other when they recognized the speaker. "I swear that wasn't me."

Twink? Pauline mouthed.

Finally Roy spoke. "Yeah we hear ya Lud. And you're not gonna believe what's been happenin' over here."

"I think a lot of that's gonna go around soon," Wendy commented.

"Umm…" a very squeaky and high-pitched voice was heard. "Am I supposed to be hearing you guys too?"

"Yes, Lemmy," Kamek answered. "Ludwig had me include you as well."

All Koopalings in both absent groups practically yelled his name. "Kamek!"

"I've never heard that name said so happily before," the distinct voice of Luigi was heard.

"Roy!" Morton butted in. "You said we weren't gonna believe what's happening over there. What is it? What's going on? By the way you have no idea how happy I was to hear your voice. I know it hasn't even been a day yet but still and wait usually by this time you're telling me to shut up, are you feeling okay?"

"Oh my gosh, he actually stopped on his own," a very valley girl sounding voice spoke, which earned a chuckle from Mario and Peach.

A sharp intake of breath. "Morty, I'd bet good money that I'm way happier ta hear ya talkin' ta me again than you are." There was an unmistakable catch in Roy's voice.

"Okay, I think we'll learn more about that later," a young male voice interrupted, "but guys, King Dad's Umbra hates Bowser. It actually tried attacking him."

"WHAT?!" Ludwig screamed. "Larry, is he hurt?!"

"I'm here, Luddy!" Bowser Jr. answered his cry. "It only moved Larry and Roy's shadows, so it couldn't really do anything. But it can't move my shadow so we think I don't have it."

A grunt of pain was hurt.

"Iggy, what's wrong?" Lemmy asked.

"Did you come up with another theory on our Umbra, darling?" an older woman asked.

"Hey, I know that voice," Wendy said.

"Here, eat this," a very young boy offered.

"Hey, I know that voice," Roy said.

"Yeah, I got a new theory," a voice that must have belonged to Iggy responded to the question. "And the Umbra's predictable headaches confirmed I'm right. Mom has something to do with it."

"Ignatius!" Kamek scolded. "Junior is listening!"

"I already know about Mama, Kamek," the heir told him. "Larry told me."

"And Wendy saw the whole thing," Ludwig added.

"Oh thank the Stars! I told him too," Morton said. "He got suspicious about his birthday trips. I wonder who told him first?"

"Enough!" Ludwig sighed. "Larry, we too have deduced that the Umbra wants Bowser dead. We suspect that is its motivation for driving me away from him as some kind of misguided way of protecting him from myself. Which it turns out is actually playing into its hand."

"Does that mean you're not gonna avoid me anymore?"

"You will be by my side when I protect you from now on, beloved brother."

"Is no one gonna tell us what the heck an umbra is?" Pom Pom complained.

Kammy Koopa agreed, "You seem to know much more than we do, children. Controlling shadows? Clawdia's involvement? Enlighten your elders, won't you?"

"Hang on, I have some shorthand from Beldam written down in my Tattle Log," the valley girl answered. "Guys, please say something if I totally miss some stuff. A Goomba can only write so fast, you know."

"We have your back, Goombella," a gentler female voice assured her.

"So an Umbra is a person's worst day, personified, living in their heart. It gets stronger as its host feels negative emotions. Even a week Umbra can plant parts of itself in its reproductive cells to manifest in its host's offspring. Obviously this happened with the Koopalings, sans Bowser Jr. for some reason. Which we might now be attributing to the late Koopa Queen. These are called Penumbra, and the Umbra can see and hear everything its Penumbra's subhosts see. The stronger an Umbra gets, the more control it has over its host. Looks like it took Bowser's Umbra years, but it finally got enough power to hijack the guy's body."

"Lord Bowser is our attacker?!"

"No!" Bowser Jr. reprimanded the minion. "It's not my Papa! It's just… a thing that took over his body!"

"And Mom was helping him keep it at bay," Wendy commented, then gasped. "What if the Umbra is the reason she died laying Bowser's egg?"

Another pained grunt from Iggy. "Wendy is right!" he hissed.

Roy growled, "What, is the Dumbra giving Iggy migraines every time anyone within earshot gets warmer on his case?"

"Right on the money, dude." That young voice again.

Another new female voice. This one young. "It won't even let him think without attacking him. I guess that's why Iggy called it predictable, since now we know when we're asking the right questions."

"If it's powerful enough it can also plant penumbra into anyone it wants, right?" a new male voice. "So we might want to be careful once we do find him."

"Worry not, Koops." Yet another male voice, this one aged. "If it hasn't been able to control these lads, it won't be able to control anyone else."

"That's a relief," Kraig sighed. "I don't mean to sound narcissistic, but I know John wasn't the same when I moved out. I was honestly worried the Umbra might be able to use that day to plant something in him."

"Spiky John is on one of the other ships with us, Kraig," Kamek reassured him. "And with the way he sings your praises to his fellow soldiers, he is clearly proud of the doctor you've become. His bitterness over your absence ended relatively quickly."

"Spiky John?" Peach repeated. "I remember him from the 64th Annual Trivia Quiz. He didn't seem bitter at all."

"We can say hi on our way back," Blue Koopa interrupted. "We're getting off-topic."

"Blue is right," Pauline agreed. "Can we recap everything we have now?"

"PTSD incarnate, check," Pom Pom started. "Queen Clawdia kept it at bay and somehow kept it from infecting Bowser Jr. Umbra killed her for it. It's trying to kill Junior for it. It's controlling Lord Bowser but the most it can do through you is whisper suggestions in your ear, play with your shadows, and give poor Prince Iggy headaches, which it should really stop doing. It can spy on you all through your eyes, ears, and thoughts, so how are you going to plan for it?"

Ludwig shook his head and slowed the airship. He cursed. "We can't."

Roy repeated his curse. "By the Stars, how can we be so stupid?! Anything we think of, he'll already know!"

"And he's probably already at Morton's special meeting place in Peak Land, if that really was him in the airship that almost knocked the fleet out of the sky," Wendy observed.

"Oh heck no!" Morton began. "He already destroyed the carving I made with Mom. If he does anything to our secret spot, we're gonna have words!"

"How does one fight a foe who knows our strategies as we make them?" Another female voice Pauline didn't recognize.

"Mario?" Pauline asked. "What would you do?"

"Mamma Mia… I'm so sorry, I don't know," he answered.

"Of course you don't know," Roy replied, but somehow it didn't sound hostile. "You'd just fight, no questions asked. Wait!" He laughed. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Toadette asked. That voice Pauline recognized.

"Mom helped Pop fight his Umbra. We can do the same thing! We'll fight him too, together!"

"And I can help like Mama did!" Junior suggested.

"Yeah!" Larry cheered. "Mom and Dad were just two Koopas, but there's eight of us!"

Wendy leaned on Ludwig's shoulder. "With all of us sticking together, we can't lose!"

"It's not just the eight of you!" Toad pointed out.

"Right!" Peach agreed. "I promise you we'll all stand right by your side through it all. We'll be your Stars for you."

"We're totally gonna see this through to the end with you!" Goombella added.

Pauline leaned in and said with Blue and Kraig, smiling, "It's what Mario would do!"

"So it's not up for debate," Kamek concluded. "We wish you all the best of luck."

"I'll do my best to grant that wish," Twink said. "I just realized we forgot to tell you all, the Umbra found a way to cut off access to Star Haven. I'm the only Star who can hear your wishes."

"You're enough, Star Kid," Kammy Koopa assured him. "I still feel the effects of our encounter some nights."

"But with the Star Spirits gone —" another minion started.

"He's enough!" she finished.

"While we are wishing," Ludwig chuckled, "I would not mind if we could arrive at our mutual destination at the same time. With the way I was flying a few moments ago I'm almost there."

"We're at our exit in the tunnels," Morton told him. "It's just a matter of climbing out. Won't take long."

"And I know there's a cannon to Peak Land somewhere around here," Mario mentioned. "I've had to go there enough times that I'm pretty familiar. I just wish I could remember where exactly."

"You mean that one?" Twink said.

Peach giggled, "Good job, Twink."

"Stars are awesome," Bowser Jr. said.

"Kamek," Ludwig ordered, "you and the troops begin reparations of the castle."

"Yes, my dear prince," Kamek answered. "But pray tell, what will you all do?"

Ludwig, Lemmy, and Roy all answered at the same time.

"Whatever it takes."

Siph: So is this kind of a recap episode?

Yes, but it also gets everyone in-universe up to speed about everyone else. It has an actual purpose unlike most recap episodes.

Siph: True. Also, nice callback to chapter 4. I totally didn't wanna cry.

*hides wet tissues from the reader* Yep. Siph was stone-faced the whole time. Not a single tear was shed by my little Yoshi.

Siph: I still can't believe you actually gave all 28 characters a line in this chapter.

Neither can I. I considered not doing it, but then it just happened.

Happy New year, I guess?

Siph: By the way, I don't like that last line in the chapter.

Neither do I, Siph. Neither do I.

Siph: THEN WHY ARE YOU SMILING