Outskirts of Toad Town

The Ink Bubble containing Peach dispelled upon everyone Inkporting out of the castle. She landed awkwardly, and looked up at her captors.

"Mama Mia!" She found herself saying upon landing. When she looked up, she was greeted with the sight of the Nderu clansmen staring down at her. "Is this Haru's doing? Did… Did Empress Malkia sanction this?" Peach asked in a trembling voice. She remembered how well Prince Haru Anmin had taken Peach's decision to break their betrothal and send him back to the Elven Territories.

That is, not well out at all. Zume and Auri's eyes focused as they looked down at the Princess. When Bowser kidnapped her, he ensured his troops had always treated her with great care and luxury. She had no idea how the Elven Territories handled its prisoners; she had never seen them actually take any. Not to mention that Lugato Nderu was known as the 'Slayer of Ten Thousand'; Peach had no idea how Malkia's one and only Vassal-King earned that nickname, but she got the distinct impression that it wasn't because he let that many people escape him.

And now his younger siblings approached her. Zume and Auri, with their eyes focused and their faces not frozen in their absent-minded grins, very much looked as though they fit in with the rest of the Nderu Clan. Zume especially was actually more handsome than Lugo, and was approaching Choto, Reiji and Merefu in terms of looks.

But Peach couldn't quite prepare herself for the moment Zume and then Auri grabbed her face. "Oh!" Peach exclaimed upon feeling their hands on her face. Auri and Zume began to play with and squish her cheeks, laughing like babies as they did so. Peach looked around at the rest of the clan members as the two of them did so, not quite knowing what to make of her situation and Lugo's two younger siblings.

That is, beyond the fact that Zume and Auri were indeed cognitively disabled. They normally did not talk, and generally acted like toddlers, but this merely confirmed everything Princess Peach suspected. Their laughs were as endearing as the laughter of small children, and Peach held up her hands to indicate that it was 'her turn'.

She then proceeded to play back, and as soon as her hands touched their faces Zume and Auri smiled exactly like a baby would upon the adults playing their game. "Squishy! Squishy! Squishy!" Peach cooed as she squished Zume and Auri's cheeks in turn, their laughs in response making her almost forget that she was supposed to be a kidnap victim.

The key word was 'almost', because in the next moment Lugo Inkported to their hiding spot, a clear indication to Peach that he had indeed escaped the Mario Bros. and the Toad Brigade.

"I see you're getting well acquainted with my younger siblings." Lugo said, causing Peach to stiffen up at the sound of his voice. Zume simply held her face and turned her to face Lugo, which was strangely calming considering her situation. "I… I'm sorry for how abruptly I ended things with Prince Haru." Peach said, her trembling fear now downgraded to merely a seizing, subtle, yet chilling fear as Zume held her face.

Lugo simply stared at her for a few moments. The rest of the Nderu Clan all looked to one another, before looking back to their clan head glaring at the Princess. "Hmph… If you say so…" Lugo said darkly, before taking a breath. "Peach, I am a man of courtesy as well as power. And so, I extend it to you; return to Nderulae with us quietly and with as little subversion or underhanded tactics as possible." Lugo said.

"You will be treated as if you were the lady of the castle if you do." Peach swore she heard Lugo add, but pointedly it was not his voice that had spoken.

Zume let go of Peach's face. Upon doing so, the silence became deafening as the other members of the Nderu Clan awaited her answer. Peach sighed. "Okay. Just please don't manhandle me." She requested. Lugo seemed to consider it for a moment, before answering.

"Deka." Lugo finally said. "You're in charge of the Princess's welfare. She is not to be treated as a prisoner." Lugo said, and then waited for a few seconds. His eyebrows raised at whatever he was thinking. Peach was about to say something, when Lugo suddenly turned to Peach and continued. "I can't exactly say what will happen, but Prince Haru will have to just accept that you will not be turned over to him. We will not be delivering you to him, so you don't have to worry about that." He reassured.

That, however, just reintroduced some mystery into the situation. "So what are you going to do with me?" Peach asked. Lugo seemed to consider his answer for a few seconds yet again. "Well, what we're going to do with you…" Lugo stopped short, before what Peach noticed was just a flicker of defiance flashed across his face. He then wore an expression of… defeat? Once again, it was just for a moment "... Shall be determined once we return to Nderulae Castle." Lugo finally said.

Before Peach could ask any further questions, the Nderu Clan's air fleet arrived. Lugo indicated that it was time for them to depart. Peach boarded the flagship, as the rest of Lugo's clan followed.

Peach's Castle, as Princess Peach boarded the Nderu Flagship

"Real smooth, Mario." Waluigi sarcastically and very angrily said, flexing his abs and legs and making sure nothing was bruised or broken. "We could have rescued the Princess if you had just waited!" Waluigi berated.

"I a-suggest you lower your voice while talking to me!" Mario aggressively said. Wario jumped in front of Mario before he could get too close to Waluigi. Although Waluigi was the tallest of the Mario Bros at 6'6", there was no contesting the 320-pound Wario's strength. Even Mario took a step back in the face of Wario's unrelenting brute strength.

"Mario, you fool!" Wario berated. "When Luigi stopped to let things take their course, why didn't you take the damned hint?" At the mention of the second Mario brother, Mario instantly rediscovers his courage. Or else just simply allowed his desire to one-up Luigi to override all other thoughts and considerations.

"Because unlike Luigi, I am not a weak little faggot who just sits there while his lady is kidnapped by some pompous trust fund kid!" Mario said, standing his full height as he spoke from the gut. He would have looked comically short even to the 5'10" Wario, if only he also wasn't 210 pounds of mass muscle. Wario would out-wrestle and overpower Mario, but unless and until that happened Mario's punches would stagger and topple even the strongest of Jumpman's sons.

"This isn't the time to be fighting amongst ourselves." Luigi said calmly, and Mario likely would have rounded on him had that not prompted the Toads to speak up. "Our princess gets taken further and further away the more we bicker." Torrence didn't actually put any emphasis on those words, but that may as well have been all Mario heard.

He immediately redirected his attention right back to the matter at hand. "That guy. Peach called him Lugo. And he also mentioned that her former fiance Prince Haru had sent him." Mario said calmly. It was impressive how quickly he calmed himself to focus on what truly mattered to him. Luigi simply stepped back upon seeing the gears in Mario's head turning.

"As such-" Waluigi started, before Luigi put a hand on his and Wario's shoulders. "Give Mario a few moments." Luigi said. Wario hesitated, but then caught Waluigi's cue. That is, he saw Waluigi complying with Luigi's suggestion.

"Prince Haru Anmin… That means Peach is likely going to be taken to the Elven Territories." Mario said, his fists lighting with Fire Energy. He smirked, all kinds of evil thoughts forming in his mind. "He takes the thing I love most? I'll wipe out his entire clan! His kingdom! I will end the Nderus and the Anmins slowly and in pain for touching my Peaches" Mario declared.

Wario and Waluigi looked at Luigi, who still remained calm and continued to do absolutely nothing about the fact that Mario's wrath was escalating. Vernen proceeded to speak up. "So, I doubt that we can just warp into Nderulae or any other Elven Vassal Territory without alerting the entire Elven Armed Forces. Not to mention even the Changeling Kingdoms are going to see what's going on and just might decide they don't want what the Elves are having."

Wario turned to Luigi. "What's the plan here, Luigi?" Wario asked as silently as he could. Luigi said nothing, as Mario continued.

"If that's the case, then we will just have to get tricky." Mario smirked, as he looked directly at Luigi and Waluigi. "You two think you're-a so smart? Just watch how a real man saves the damsel in distress and outplays the bitch-asses who kidnapped her." Mario said, before turning back to the Toad Brigade.

"Does anyone here have a problem with my orders?" He asked, pointing his fiery fist at the Toad Brigade. All except Torrence stepped back, but the moment he saw the stern look on Luigi's face, he too relented. "That's what I a-thought." Mario said.

"There will be direct invasions, and the Nderus and Anmins are going to find out that the Mushroom Kingdom is not afraid of a head-on battle. Nor are we afraid to play dirty." Mario said with a smirk. "They like-a their sneak attacks and their ambushes? Let's-a show them what we know about surprise attacks. More importantly, let's-a show their allies just what-a happens when you try to tell my Princess Peach what to do!"

The Toads seemed uncomfortable at Mario's vision, but Luigi pointedly remained impassive and silent. "But… How are we supposed to pull off these strings of surprise attacks?" Yvan asked. Mario gestured all around himself. "This entire castle. Since Lugo and his clan love to use ink and paint, we'll-a show them how much we appreciate art. By empowering the framed photos right here in the castle to take us anywhere we want them to… As well as recall us back here if shit goes a-sideways." Mario said.

It was definitely well-thought out, everyone had to admit. At this, Luigi finally steps forwards.

"Well? Where do we start, Mario?" Luigi asked. Mario glowered at him. "Well, Luigi, I will decide where and how to start. And when I a-do, Wario, Waluigi, and I, with maybe the support of the Toad peons, will handle this." Mario said as calmly as he could. However, it was only a matter of time before he lost his cool. As shown by Mario squaring up to Luigi.

"But you!" Mario's anger burst forward at this moment. "You can stay here, make sure the portraits work right and make sure everyone knows not to question my orders? But beyond that? Your input and especially your opinions of my orders NOT FUCKING REQUIRED! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Mario rabidly bellowed up at his taller brother. The fire on his fists turned from orange to crayon red and became pure Nuclear Energy; Mario was well and truly ready to kill Luigi if he so much as looked at him wrong.

Luigi took a step back and gave a gesture of relentation and acquiescence. Mario continued to glare at Luigi, true and real anger in his eyes, for a few moments longer before turning and leading everyone into the Inner Sanctum of the castle.