Chapter 9 Animal People

Iggy looked around the strange city that rested before him. He remembered when he rushed through this city on his go kart, weaving around the colorful buildings like they weren't even there. This was certainly a very big and very expensive city. Surely that meant that it would take a while until the group found the place where Wendy was being imprisoned. Realizing this, Iggy started to feel a little sick.

"Oh my developer, how are we going to find her?" he asked out loud.

Mario, who heard this, surprisingly didn't give him a snide expression and a snarky remark. Instead, he just looked at the city with a worried expression. "I don't know. This city is pretty big."

Peach nodded. "It is." She put on a smile. "But I wouldn't worry about it. We'll find her eventually! We just have to look for some clues!"

Iggy perked up upon hearing about this. Clues. Hmm. Perhaps looking for clues really was the best option. He did not want to call her after all, as since she was in a jail cell, her phone could easily be confiscated if any of the police heard it.

"That is a very sensical suggestion, your highness." He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Guys! Let us search the city for any clues of Wendy's whereabouts!"

The others looked back and nodded to show their agreement. After taking a little bit of time to discuss the options, they decided that they would split up into teams. A majority of the Koopalings decided to go with Bowser. Ludwig, on the other hand, volunteered to fly around the city, as that would make searching for clues that much faster. Iggy himself decided to go with Mario and the Princess, despite the former's hesitance.

Once the parties split up, Iggy led his party south. When they got to the square, Iggy's mouth dropped open. One thing that immediately caught his attention were the anthropomorphic animals. There were a variety of different mammals, ranging from giraffes and hippos to tiny little shrews. They bustled around the square, talking to one another, wearing clothes, and entering shops.

Iggy's mouth curved into a smile. "Oh my goodness! This is amazing!" He turned toward the plumber and the Princess. "Do you not see this? These creatures are absolutely incredible!"

Mario leaned forward in order to get a better look at the animals. He nodded his head and pursed his lips. "Yeah. It is quite something."

Peach laughed. "They are so cute!" She looked down when she saw a hamster dressed in a floral pattern suit, with their nose buried in a mini magazine, walk right past her. She smiled and picked up the creature. "You are just so adorable, aren't you?"

The mouse groaned. "Come on! You know it's not proper etiquette to pick up a…." They looked up from their magazine, and their breath caught right in the middle of their throat. "Rodent." They stared at the Princess, then at Mario, then at Iggy. They began to hyperventilate. "Monsters! Monsters!"

Their shrill shrieks were heard by the other animal people in the square. They turned around. Some of them screamed when they saw the trio. Others (most notably some of the larger ones) just stared at them in confusion, seemingly trying to figure out which species they belonged to. However, there was no denying that their presence was causing some form of chaos.

"Guys!" Mario said as he stepped forward. "Mis amicos! Calm down! We are not monsters!"

The animals just continued to run. Their screams echoed throughout the square. Some of them were so taken aback and so frightened that they ran right into lamp posts or into store doors.

Iggy sighed. "This is quite inconvenient for us, if I do say so myself." He put his hand to his chin. "Now that I think about it, would it not be more helpful and aid us in our mission if we ask these people if there was a police station nearby?"

Mario nodded. "That does sound like a good idea." His face fell and he crossed his arms. "There's only one problem. We can't get these creatures to calm down!"

"Mario's right," said Peach as she set the screaming hamster down on the ground, allowing them to scurry away. "They won't be any help to us in the state of mind that they're currently in."

Iggy's heart sank. They were right, both of them. Oh, why did their appearances have to be so unorthodox to interdimensional creatures.

Thankfully, right at that moment, Iggy got a phone call, which helped to distract him from his gloomy thoughts. He took his phone out and put it on speaker so that both of his party members could hear it. "Greetings to you, Ludwig; did you make any progress in your search?"

"Actually, yes; I have. I managed to locate Wendy's go-kart."

Iggy's heart pumped, his lips curved into a smile. "You did? Oh, that is wonderful!" He leaned in closer to the phone. "Is there anything else there that might be an indication as to the direction she was taken?"

Ludwig paused. "Hmmm." If Iggy theorized correctly, his oldest brother was probably scanning the area for any more clues. "Yes, actually! There are tread marks!"

"Tread marks?" came Roy's voice from the other line, indicating to Iggy that Ludwig had also contacted the other search party at the same time. A very wise and very smart decision, if Iggy were to speak factually.

"Yeah. They stretch far down the road. Do you think it's possible that they were created by the police car that took her in?"

Iggy let out a giddy giggle. "Oh, I believe it is more than possible! I believe that it is downright probable!"

"Okay," said Ludwig. "So what is our next course of action?"

"Yeah, that is a good question," came Bowser's voice. "What should our next course of action be?"

"Iggy, you're the brainy one here, can you tell us?" asked Larry.

Iggy sighed, hating being put on the spot. His mind races to form a plan, which he thought of within no time at all. "Okay, here is what I think would be the best way to accomplish this. Ludwig?"

"Mm?"

"You follow the tread marks down to the police station where Wendy is being held. You have powers, you can easily get in, get her out, and bring her back to the portal."

"What about me?" asked Bowser with a pouty voice. "I have flame breath!"

"And I have power ups," Mario added.

Iggy shook his head and groaned. "Look, you guys asked me what our next course of action should be, and I am telling you what our next course of action should be! Now Ludwig, are you happy with this plan?"

Ludwig paused. "I believe it makes the most sense. After all, I am arguably the most powerful one in this group."

Bowser and Roy let out audible guffaws. "Yeah, you were right about that point being arguable," said Bowser.

Iggy rolled his eyes, his frustration building up to the th degree. He looked around at the screaming animals. "Look, it would be best if one of us did this so as to not frighten the citizens of this world! Okay? Am I making sense?"

"Yes, Iggy, you're making sense," said Ludwig. "I'll have Wendy out in a jiffy."

"Thank you," said Iggy. With that he hung up the phone and turned toward Mario and Peach. "Come on, you two; let us start making our way back to the portal."

Mario snickered. "Are you alright? Your left eye is twitching."

Iggy sighed. "So it often is when I have to deal with my family."