Mario and Bowser: Frenemies Forever (Redux)

Ouroboros 3 (Chapter 19)

Disclaimer: Mario belongs to Nintendo.

Author note: Double upload, go.

Wait, if four is our global arc number, where's the last Ouroboros? Don't be confused. This is the new Ouroboros 3. I changed the naming scheme up with much significance. See the bottom note. Anything I implied before about hard to write chapters goes out the window here as I reveal more, resolve some of the smaller conflicts so the larger ones can ascend, and have fun keeping it 'Mario.'

Content warning: Some horror elements

The hour was up. Boiling over, the boo battered the metal mail receptacle into pieces with their nigh indestructible green Bowser racket. This scared off their messenger, made the supporters flee the park, and made Parakarry somewhere weep, but they didn't care. Had Luigi forgotten after Mario 'crowned' him the next big hero, or stopped caring about Boo's aspirations to refold Toad Town into something better- a place all enemies would face retribution, regardless of the species they were on the outside? With a low growl settling in their throat, they jabbed some digits, 'Mario's new number' as the bottom of the message stated. Waiting for the line to pick up, the shattered bricks and debris of the park scattered around Booigi II wiggled and rocked, as if their vitriol radiated physically.

"-Kon'nichiwa futatabi kyūban. Hahaha.."

Booigi rechecked the number.

"Ah hem. Yes, Sararīman-sama, it's Kinopio-Kun again. Let's cut to the chase. No less than five-hundred coins an hour with the paid quarterly vacations and commission for each post with the hashtag-"

The message ignited in flames, the ashes scattering from Boo's tight grip. "Why are you making business deals with Mario's phone? Are you with him? Don't lie. I. Can. Find. Out."

"...Look, Peach is sweet and kind. I enjoyed my stay at the castle despite the spotty wifi and that disaster, but yeah, I'm taking my portfolio and-"

"Ahhhg! -Answer the question!"

Kinopio snorted. "I am blogging about your rampage, Boo. Check it out sometime. 128 billion followers gave the post a like."

Booigi's eye twitched. "How many would your funeral get?"

The boo phased their arm though the screen to the other side, clenching the neck of the toad who was at that moment, miles away relaxing in some La-Z-Boy chair somewhere in Southern Mushroom Kingdom. Frost blasted over his body, freezing solid the tears streaming down his blackening out eyes, as if peering into The Underchomp itself. The young lime green toad saw the flesh on his hands, squeezing the armrest crack off, like ice, revealing his bone and sinew frosted over in crystals. It began to roll up his arms reaching beyond his elbow.

"-Now, fuzakeru na!"

Booigi served the interdimensional hold with a chuckle. In Toad Town a tank was rolling by the street over with a giant Kettle Thing tied to the roof, not yet converted to a sticker. The boo began to follow, on the hunt, until it crossed down Starman Lane, close to a particular location. Booigi had slowly come around to the fact that they had trigger points around the city, places where the 'wimp' Boo threatened to surface, which could not be permitted, not when the other half of the duality held the strength needed to become important and rid the world of evil. They wouldn't be like their wicked cousin, who was punishment without order. They had a purpose now. It was order. Then punishment.

…

Back South, the toad gulped for air, swinging his completely normal, not even chilled to the touch hands up to his face to examine. With a crash a bunch of toads poured in where they found Kinopio trembling. This rinky dink little home was a single room and housed everything they owned, including the princess's treasures, mashed against the corners so Kinopio could stretch out in this chair and recover. Toadette assumed his cry was the hardheaded influencer trying to stand or to walk against doctor's orders, but found nothing wrong that he didn't leave MK East with, though there were claw marks though his armrest fabric and his lap area was dripping wet.

Bucken-Berry slapped the fear status effect out of him. Before anyone could question him, there was commotion outdoors from visitors in the shanty town. Everyone was overwhelmed, nearly knocked off their feet, by an aura of 'crotchetiness and moldy cheese'. This was marked the third bizarre happening since the departing of the Mario brothers and Mr. Toad, the previous one being that time when a pink jewel in a crate spontaneously glimmered, followed by a mild earthquake.

"Oh daddy-kins! I.. I only hope.. I can make you proud!" sobbed the koopaling princess under the dark green sky. Allowing his heart to open up a smidgen, Roy snuggled her and Junior with a red scarf to his runny nose, and Morton sniffling alike with his large arms.

Wendy had held on so stoically before, leading the pack to reconvene safely when the majority couldn't think that straight, most attributing her success to experience with dramatic frenemies, her high grades in home economics, and perhaps the fact that she might have been cut out to be a KT leader all along. Other members of the troop, 500ish as meticulously counted by their lead sentry, observed sorrowfully on the rocky elevations of Giant Land. An abandoned orange Mushroom House up there held their captives as Wendy saw fit, so many tended to their wounds closer to wilderness where some got reported on by natives. It was prudent they officially establish new leadership and now.

A teenager holding his queasy stomach, waved to a kid he recognized from Badlands High as he reentered Camp Bowser. Jade was accompanied by Wendy's old friends and all repelled from him, traumatized. Larry pulled his long hair white back, forgetting momentarily he was a freak as evidenced by his reflection in a pond. Wendy was the same, apparent in her eyelashes and brows, except she avoided the questioning and ostracism by such being easily missed.

To be defeated like this wasn't new. Even losing their castle. Even losing hordes of minions. It was the other 'happenings'. Wendy gave him a soul calcifying death stare and he knew he couldn't confess to anyone, Overhearing his siblings however, a sense of duty to his father became the angler reeling him closer anyway.

"-So we've chosen Wendy O.? I mean Luddy and Lemmy aren't here and Junior is, umm, yeah still a kindergartener." Morton threw out there, unnaturally pithily. Junior, under all that elected to keep kneading the scarf again and again.

"Yes.." minions droned. Wendy clasped her hands, giggling.

Larry cautiously stepped up. "Yo, what are we doing? I don't think dad is dead and even if he was you ain't gonna convince me that Junior would pick Wendy as his placeholder!"

Roy shook his head. Without his glasses, Larry could see his reddened eyes. "Dem Skyland punks swept everything into da bottomless pit. If nobodies seen dad, gramps, or granny, we ain't never gonna and Wendy, I hate ta say it, while we fell flat, she was on fire."

On fire? More like on.. Whatever allows you to control a planet splitting obelisk!

Wendy lurched closer. "And I adore thy- I mean I looooove MY precious Bowser Jr.! Of course he'd pick me." She nudged him, hissing 'PICK ME' through her teeth.

"Seriously sis?" Larry rolled his eyes. "You've locked Junior in the doghouse tons of times."

"It's okay Larry.. I.. pick her.." Junior squeaked, lip quivering.

Wendy pointed a manicured finger. "Away with him. He'll betray us like our beloved Daddy-kins! ..Plus his hair is fugly.. "

Larry was shoved off the rocks, landing in sticks and twigs and a spiny minion for good measure. At least he was not dunked in that torrential river that ran through the kingdom like the first time he ran his mouth. He sat with his head low.

The calloused yellow claw of a middle aged lakitu on a blindingly bright cloud tapped him. A torn up balaclava was balled in his other. Sporting a white rarely seen mustache in a short military style, he also had heavy bags under his shifty eyes,

"Prince Lawrence, something's funky with my numbers. When we all marched here I had five hundred. Now I'm missing one. It might be Boss."

Larry clung to himself. "... I can't go on."

"I will transport you." Thwomp #3 with an appearance of quartz swung him onto his square head.

Local ninja kids from the Dojo waited at Tayce T's shop, where the bus left them and where they knew their targets would make rounds. Here came the armed King's guards on the sidewalk. They stood innocently until they were close and then revealed their lit bob-ombs. The bomb baddies in cohorts with the kids leaped at the guards, blasting the trio off their feet. Then however came a tank for backup. It swiveled around and fired back. One of the kids shot through the window and collided with a glass case of delectable sweets, scattering it all over the cakes and pies. The famous Toad Town cook dropped her bowl and slapped a bill in their face. They were paying for that.

Yoshi spun a beige, worn by previous fingers knob to the frequency of the nearest control tower. This was Sonny's or 'Emerson' as the name embroidered in the back of his shirt stated, last instruction the console before he typed 'G.G.' and went limp.

"Mayday! My pilot is incapacitated and I am untrained! Souls on board: 3! Copy? Copy?" Yoshi held the red button down till his thumb went white. No one acknowledged.

"La la la. No one in sight just as I planned.." sung a raspyish muffled sounding person in the control tower. ~A screech of metal. "...Oh uh welcome back N. Everything's A-ok here!"

"I did not expect to see you in the office… Step aside, Spy Guy. Who is constantly tapping with that whirlwind noise?-"

"Lost the remote, sir.."

"Heheh.."

"Nevermind Andrew in that body cast, sir…His next dose of 'morphine' is on the way."

"-Well, I dislike everything about the situation here and down South. Their guest doctor caught my attention because-" ~A worn in chair was plopped on. "Ahhh. Better… As I was saying he- Why is Anti-Guy on surveillance parachuting in like that?"

"Anti?" Yoshi repeated, stringing something together.

The airplane dipped in a mini stall, clearing dark purple ridges so narrowly, Yoshi could count the insects trapped on a scuttlebug's web hanging from the trees. Surprising himself that he remembered, he lowered the nose following the declining terrain to regather speed, enough to pull out of that ridge cut and continue the journey. The engines were stuck at thirty percent, not helping tame the trills of the wounded bird. He knew he had to land, just not here in the place of Mushroomite pilrgamy, the Star Hills in two halfs, indigo trees torn from their roots lining the canyon down to deep in the Earth. Rapidly approaching was Toad Town, equally unsuitable terrain to land.

Yoshi was mentally hurled back to the whirlpool, funneling down to his doom until his gaze settled on a note he'd scribbled on what technical details to announce on the radio. The engine temperatures, flaps setting, and souls on board. Not two, three. In the Overthere Poochy would gun him down with a disappointed look, maybe even go on a hunger strike for giving up so soon. The ray of a new plan cut through the darkness. Beyond Toad Town, into Southern Mushroom Kingdom where the sun set, there would be flat land and sparse developments for his best shot. The gleam he was known for sporting during a kart race returned, more fierce than ever before.

The rainbow haired koopaling was mesmerized, his brother glowing brighter than the stars in the backdrop while he flipped through his lexicon. Lemmy took a green crayon and scrawled another minute hand on his hand drawn watch. He'd been at it for thirty minutes to little surprise, the commander infamous for delving into literature and musical composition sheets while surrounded by rowdy plumber-hating mooks, undeterred by their fleets' tendency to get shot down or explode randomly. By comparison, this intergalactic tractor beam was-

"-Um. Luddy?!"

Ludwig Von Koopa was unperturbed by his form twisting, warping, and stretching. "- For the sake of my theory, please track my absence.. F. .we.l.l .f..o..r.n.o. .t.r.. .d . . .n.t..."

Ignitus Delta rocketed onward with some earpod thingies, oblivious to Ludwig's dissipation. Virtually alone, Lemmy shuddered at the black holes, clusters of poisonous gas, meteor showers, and angry suns. The speckled stars in the distance morphed into threatening streaks and lines from their speed, like the universe shredding itself. Lemmy pleaded that they slow down while Iggy bobbed his head. At at loss, Lemmy updated his watch with another crayon line that came out all squiggly. He felt a push, like they were going warp speed. His hair flew backwards, eyelids peeled back, and his cheeks puffed open. What. The. Heck. No, he needed a stronger word for once. He'd brave the soap later.

-Phew. His taste buds were safe. A second later they slowed before some black mist. As Iggy made computer beeps, circling the unidentified galaxy, the tractor beam graced the outer edge, where the mist snaked onto and dissolved it. Lemmy plunged onto a ghastly planetoid of pathos with a caliginous atmosphere, tombstones abound, and giant bones jutting from the ground.

After he was done screaming his head off Lemmy realized he'd landed on something soft, fresh soil that didn't match the terrain elsewhere. Across from that mound was another of damp sand with palm branches, beach umbrellas, and travel brochures mixed in. Adjacent to that one- He swallowed the lump in his throat and investigated, suddenly respecting his father's decision to not haul the koopalings along for that centennial Star Festival invasion that involved outer space. As he hoped he was imagining, the mound had their unique Darklandian soil in it. He picked out the old stove of Bowser Castle, the extra large refrigerator half buried, and at the surface, a sealed copy of Princess Parlor on PS4.

There was one more pile of something. He pressed onwards beyond a thick column of bones. They were corpses thirty or forty bodies high, many mutilated with puncture wounds deep, entrails hanging out and ripped away appendages. As he nauseatingly studied he recognized: a line cook, a shy guy: messenger #2, a koopa troopa: 15th infantry, and so on, along with strangers, vacationers from their tropical outerwear, now deceased and collectively draining blood and other fluids rolling down hill in a darkened goo. Lemmy avoided it by accident on his way there.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"It's just dead people, Sumeet. How did you make it through police ac- Oh...Similar voices. Sup."

The person hammered down a wooden sign. The letters, previously drifting around, arranged themselves into: 'Doom Star Galaxy- Work in Progress'.

Lemmy fell backwards. "..H-how?"

Zoo Diddley shrugged. "I dunno how they're gonna pull it off either. Do space contractors even exist? Z.A.S. better not expect ME to do, not cause I've learned how to do- " While holding his temple waved his other half served arm upwards. Lemmy became suspended in the air.

"Zoo, I don't know how this is happening but I'm sorry! Luddy's sorry too! He didn't mean to hurt you or cause any of this weird stuff to happen!"

"Hmmmm," Zoo went for an overly long time. "I knew that, hehe."

He let him drop onto and crack a solid tombstone inscribed to a 'Gill Toad'. Lemmy hallucinated goonies flying around as he tried to stand again. Another thing, the gravity felt.. Heavy. "I meant, how could you do this?"

"I didn't!" Zoo breathed out, calming down. "Bro, they dropped here like that. Can I make people's brains leak out of their nose? Yeah. And does it sometimes coat the sidewalk and streets in this pinkish red color that I kinda like and I tricked my brother into painting in a special portrait with an actual sample of it? Yeah, but here the deal bucko, I'm not THAT sloppy. I do leave bodies intact. I mean, duh!"

Lemmy covered his mouth, gagging.

"Never fear, citizen! " 'Sumeet' Snufit, or professionally Snifit Patrol, ran over with the lights on his helmet flashing. He dropped a huge green anti-nausea mega-vitamin bigger than Lemmy's head in his arms. "Take that with plenty of water, young man. Murders, pretending to be a reporter, fleeing arrest in another dimension? That Zoo Diddley so menacing it almost makes me sick too."

Lemmy blinked at him, brain catching up. "Thanks I guess? My brother was looking for you and I think-" He added to himself, "I know how to get him to notice senpai." He tapped around on his phone. One minute later, a cyborg shot through the clouds, landing with a tremendous thud. A stringy purple spiny piranha plant was clinched between his teeth 'romantically'.

"Lemmy-sama, where's the hot Gearmo chick that wants to check me out?!" The ocular sensors found no babes. He deflated, then perked back up grooving. Fed up, Lemmy yanked those earpods out. This was when he found that they belonged to Sam and Slam.

"Hey! Whoa!" Iggy eyed the place as if for the first time. "~99 errors reported in-. Excuse that. Where's Luddy-sama?"

"-Your tractor beam made him invisible as a side effect and hoarse, so he won't say much right now… Isn't this officer your target?".

Snifit Patrol shook his hand. "Hello. How did that confrontation with your friends go?"

Iggy's smile dropped quickly. "Hi. Um. Can we converse about that matter on the way home?"

He projected from his open palm a new hologram in the shape of a Biddybuggy, built 'extra strength' so that the atmosphere wouldn't affect its integrity and red, so logically faster. While they were getting in, buckling up at the officer's discretion, Lemmy located their straggler. Zoo had crept off to the opposite end of the plantoid, juggling some femurs in the air with telekinesis…

"You have the gall to come over here still? You're alright, Ian."

Lemmy paused half way. "I do jump through rings of fire on the regular," replied dryly.

"Haha… I'm not ready to go yet, bro. Just move on. And don't listen to those."

"These earphones?"

"Specifically the recording on your bother's phone that those are paired to."

~BREAKING NEWS! Massive earthquake results in multi- Kingdom damages and unwelcome appearance of Koopa Troop in Giant Land per reports. For a recap on afternoon coverage: Mushroom King representative Saul T. was murdered by vigilante Boo E. Diddley, sparking violence in Toad Town; One of the sixty Mushroom Flu victims have been cured, Mr. Toad; Portions of Sirena Beach under black goo; Sky Land residents, post Bowser invasion, seen on the ground for the first time in centuries~

"-Doll, what I tell you bout writing scattered synopses?" Steve dropped the drafts back on the desk of Jessie the receptionist and more accurately as of now, fill-in editor. "And again you didn't emphasize the MARIO!" The bullet bill flew away.

"Yes sir," she muttered, tapping the backspace. At this point she'd normally prop a vase to block his line of sight to her from his office, but that had broken during the quake.

While continuously do work she was inadequately trained for, counting her blessings, things were calm, the Mushroom Press too boring for the street fights between the King's guards and Boo poofing in and out of scenes, freezing or thrashing on them with that unbelievably powerful tennis racket. With other reporters on the field getting pressure washed by the guard's endless supply of water based thing stickers or caught in crossfire, she got to enjoy being the only- She spoke too soon. In came a koopa that mystifyingly left no salutations, on tuck in herself in her cubicle down the hall.

The redheaded human hid herself with a newspaper at what came next. Like a micro-goomba infestation, there remained a few guards in every pocket of the city, as seen now when one ran in, huffing and puffing. He was mildly weasley, otherwise identical to others. A B-Dasher screeched on brakes outside, making him sprint beyond the desk to the back and corner himself at the big board of phone numbers. The driver of that kart, a more stout guard barged in and menacingly closed in on him, a mix of anger and agony etched all over her ruddy features.

"Did you really think you were gonna walk about with this-" She held out a dog tag. "And expect me to not find out Benedict drowned?"

He fell to his knees. "Tried to save him, eh. I dragged his body onto the shore, alone, and nobody helped or listened! A sargent noticed he was cold and marked his name off on some list."

She stood there for a second, then dropped with him and cried. Jessie battled between letting them have that moment and the unfortunate reality that they might attract trouble somehow. With a small burst of fortitude she slid away from her desk and stepped closer.

"Excuse me… Hi, I, um the Press isn't open for customers right now and I gotta ask, umm-"

The male rose first. "I understand, miss." He unabashedly snapped a photo at their board with numbers of local eateries, shops, Mario's old number and 'Peach Castle', both marked through with a sticky note stating, 'Don't call the castle please. It's cursed we think- Steve.'

"What are you doing?" the other guard asked.

"I know we're supposed to serve the King and think Mario is bad, and that the princess has too many non-toad freaks running around undermining her rule, but I don't care. If Ben was nothing to them and he slaved everyday for the King, trying to do everything right, the rest of us degenerates will be nothing too when that boo grounds us to paste! Bridget, I quit."

"… Jon, you weren't a dick for once, haha. Me too. I'll move in with Trevor, maybe, and use my guitar to record custom Attack FX badges till I'm on my feet again. Sometimes I still like to shoot stuff though, I wonder if that'll be an issue in this district."

Wide eyed, Jessie backed away and into Kylie Koopa holding a cold mug of coffee.

"What in tarnation?" She slung the receptionist out of the way. "I heard it all. I don't know if I trust you folks, you seemed to hate Mario awfully convincingly, but if you've turned a new leaf you'd better NOT leave -" Kylie paused at a bunk noise. Jessie's wild orange hair spread over his desk where she'd fainted. "... For now. Since Jess is taking a 'power nap', would y'all consider helping me out? Just for a lil project. I could use some serious extra hands."

Kylie flushed, waiting as the two guards gave an uncertain glance at each other.

The lakitu hovering ten feet over the ground lowered his binoculars. "I've identified 364 distinct types of flora here, Stone. Why don't they ever use a weed whacker?"

"Because they value the ecosystem in Giant Land, J.D. What species? Explain please the colors shapes.."

"I…" He struggled with something. "-N-not a botanist, chump. Just a surveyor."

"I see that after you moved from Toad Town, you developed that remarkable memorization talent to make up for your face blindness."

"Don't scream that to the heavens! I'm 20/20 for sure and I DO see people. Just gotta take note of em and hope they aren't being stupid and wearing a different hat than usual or something."

"Yes, prosopagnosia as I said. That you could not decipher who I was until I shed all pretense in voice makes it conclusive. You did not think it was literal?"

Sentry #11 wailed on Thwomp #3 with the only weapon he had left on him, a thick branch.

"Quit already!" Larry backtracked on them angrily. If they were fighting off giant natives wanting to brawl, it was those two belligerent yet oddly acquainted minions distracting each other. "Yo, forgot the point of us wandering around ? Hush and help me search for- Hold on.." He put his ear to the forest floor. Raising his head, the teen's face broadened. "I know this freakin' beat! ...Okay, I take it back. Bless y'all for never shutting your trap. I thought this guy bailed on me!"

A blue fancy convertible kart with oversized chrome spinning rims drove through some brush, the driver rolling back the heavy bass. "Whazup, DJ L4rry? Nice highlights matching your white-out crew. That's dope."

The lakitu and thwomp gaped at the unknown purple creature with tiny eyes, yellow lips and large circular ears that were black and pink in the center. He wore business attire except for branded headphones hanging around his neck.

Larry sighed at his window. "Say, some crap went down since that message. We can't find my dad nowhere and we gotta before nightfall, Dr. Greg, or-"

"Doctor?" Thwomp #3 asked.

Larry twisted around, annoyed. "Just his stage name. Why?"

"I am recalling an acquaintance of an acquaintance, The Voice of the Forest, a community leader who would know where anyone is, and he is near."

Larry imagined some kind of spirit or sagely figure- just what he needed.

"I don't like rockhead's look. He's plotting something, Lawrence. Watch out!" Sentry 11 warned, barging forward . "If that doctor's an ally to this traitor I busted, he'd be an enemy to us, just sayin!"

Thwomp #3 body slammed him while Larry asked anyway, "Dr. Greg, could you bring us there?"

"Straight up." Dr. Greg, flipped up the cover over the 'nitro boost' button.

"Just roll up, like, really slow. I don't know who to trust anymore.."

Parakarry depleted the last facial tissue from the box, despising such blatant disregard for the mail system from those citizens who raided the Hot Foot Locker for tennis rackets and set out to destroy the boxes so that the guards couldn't write off to Poshley Heights for back up. He didn't consider himself on the King's side, not when he was privy to his inner workings, but there was room for collaboration, even if they didn't realize it. MK East was heavily fortified, holding most of the Mushroom Flu victims with no cure in sight. (The method that Mr. Toad was cured not publicly released.) This made their helipad, not being used for anything else, his unofficial safe spot. It was decent up there, a breezy, and a great view. He'd seen a low plane fly over. Now he was seeing more of the Booigi clan with rackets coming in. A shoot out broke out in the parking lot. Parakarry voluntarily moved away from the edge. As much as he wanted to confront Boo, to implore about what S.G. did to them, he knew inwardly it wouldn't be civil. They were like a different person from reports and the city couldn't lose it's only mailman.

On ground level, a toad grandma weaved around the young Mushroomites losing the game of rock, racket, super scope blast, to slip in, whacking against the automatic door. Correcting her crooked shaded glasses, she took heed of the sign stating they were off and pushed inside the hospital. It was as remembered remarkably, the lobby, the paths down the two wings, the receptionist desk, as disarrayed as she left it. She folded her walker and sat astutely near two staff with badges that indicated they were in a particular sector speaking low.

"I swear they're moving, Fred."

"Can't be. It's a coma."

With a start, the granny spoke up, steely and authoritatively. "Lock every patient door. Immediately, before they violently coma walk."

The Crazee Dayzee and Cobrat turned to her incredulously.

"Give it a go, sonny," she urged, remembering to sound geriatric. "You could say I was a nurse back in the day.."

The rush of acceleration, the breeze in their face, maybe the heart of one of the pair doing funny things as indicated by that persistently beeping monitor- they'd accidentally stumbled into a picturesque view of the deepest most green and rural parts of Giant Land, channeling the magic and wonder of the 3D maps Peach once kept in her library.

"Wish I brought my camera!"

"Wish I brought.." The caped-toad turned to the kitsune-plumber and back. "Nevermind. I have it."

…

"Dododo-dododo do. Do. Do. Do.."

"Stop!"

"How about, 'Doo doo doo doo'..

"We don't need background music, Toad!"

*Deep toad sigh* "…Finally the page refreshed. Yeah, we weren't imagining quote 'Bowser Freaks' here in Giant Land," Toad shut off Kinopio's phone. "Sky Land is clean."

"And Mario thought Jr. Troopa was just showing off when he said he wanted to secure a fortress on foot!" Luigi teased. "He probably has all the intel at ground zero for Bowser."

His brother in a tanooki suit folded his arms, half bemused, half salty. He was embarrassed enough when he'd lost track of his new phone. "I'll be a ukiki's uncle.. Wrong animal I know. Shut up, but I see the smoke signal from Jackson." It couldn't be missed, a square sector of cut trees for some structure. "Ready?"

Luigi nodded eagerly. "Definitely! Why cling to the numerical kingdom by kingdom 'find out the princess is in another castle' shtick when the internet and those intrepid reporters can update us on the dime. As for-"

He nudged Toad, who was scratching the back of his neck, off in his own world. The tennis catastrophe canceled a haircut appointment, so in a rare moment Luigi got to see his short often shaved off platinum hair, given a blondish sheen by the sun. "Earth to Mr. Toad K. Toad.. Shoot Jr. Troopa a text that we're on the way."

Toad hesitated with his finger over the application. "S-sure.. So I still need to drop by Sky Land. There's no snack machines I can reach in Giant Land, and maybe also for diplomatic stuff I want out of the way before Peach has to deal with it."

Relieved, Luigi rubbed his shoulder where the yellow and blue super cape was tied. The staid tone that unnerved him before he saw now as a gentle reminder that his goofy friend held valid responsibility and deserved to be taken seriously. Sky Land's peace state was the better place for Toad anyway over whatever was brewing in Giant Land. Luigi made remarkably good time on this adventure anyway upon rolling up a sleeve and checking his watch. "Godspeed."

The two brothers delved into the forest before, upon closer inspection, some guys home. Then everything shook. A trap door opened up where a mechanical gloved hand emerged. It hovered over the stunned twins, found them unplumber like to certain degree, and then flicked them off the ground. Hurling across the kingdom, accepting their fate, they questioned what Jr. Troopa's definition of 'securing' was.

…

…

The great elevation of the caped-toad was no detriment to his jaw hitting the ground. A stunning blue star filled sky draped Sky Land, invoking historical sketches of the territory. The temperature dropped the closer Toad drew observing the village. There were homes, towers, even onyx outdoors monuments. Driving out Bowser and returning his kingdom to its designated land at the same time in one afternoon didn't match the King Ed Toad knew in passing, but he hadn't daydreamed. The Skylandian's only battle scars were some cracks in foundations here and there and that expansive long bottleless trench. They weren't bothered by that, rather him. Maybe. They kept pointing up and screaming. What, was something in his teeth? Then he heard a ton of wing flaps, spinning as a swarm of Heavy Para-beetles collided with him, flinging the toad out of the sky. Golden leaves exploded everywhere from the super bell tree he bunked on the way down.

…

An innkeeper was tipped off about a return of those 'beige looters'. They brushed off the leaves with a rake. Toad uncrumpled himself, grateful he chose the hardier of the flight power ups. If only he made use of the rear view mirrors attachment… *Another deep toad sigh*

The innkeeper, a light blue caramel skinned toad dutifully kneeled. "Earl of Mushroom Kingdom, my apologies for the delay in assisting you! Hey Ciri, alert our King!"

Toad mistook that for a voice command, until another toad 'Ciri' leaped out of the inn and hustled away. With a closer view at their villa, there were candle holders instead of electric lines and poles, nothing motorized, and simplistic single story designs over all. The onyx structures in abstract shapes were considerably older, he suspected. Good thing he listened to his gut and relied on pen and paper for his plan.

Toad coughed up a few leaves. "Nice place, but you didn't have to drag Ed out for me. Have him check this out somewhere comfortable." He revealed a proper decree, on official stock and lacking tall tales. "It's some promises I'll make sure my kingdom keeps for once.." Like he'd promised himself when waking from the MF coma, that he would not stray from Luigi's side. Now he had, for a worthy cause he prayed, but impossible to determine currently.

The mildly daunted villager accepted the message. "-Thank you. Um, Earl, we are also in generous spirits."

"Really?"

"If not for the awesome and dynamic power of our sacred Pillar of Understanding, which we have lost it appears, our king would not have been victorious. Here is one of his inventions."

They pressed a short bronze telescope into Toad's hand. Something unreadable was etched into the design.

"-With it we determined our enemies were limping around in Giant Land, the ones not slain by their own sword," they added enigmatically.

Genuinely intrigued, Toad rose it to his left eye and swiveled towards the forest of the neighboring kingdom. There was a flicker of something u..n..fa.t.h.o.m..a..b.l..e. Everything muted around Toad. Lowering the telescope, he couldn't speak, recounting what that silence meant too late. The world went sideways from his vantage with many pairs of villager feet rushing over.

To be continued:

Authors note: Next time, what you've been waiting for. I hope.

I have updated the naming scheme of some previous chapters to align with the (Super) Mario Kart naming conventions. After all, this all started with a kart race. (This becomes a bookend in 2016's Frenemies Forever Org.) Might that happen here too? You'll have to see.

-Lemmy's name 'Ian' is from.. Well I shouldn't have to explain the musician connection.

-Emerson, Sonny's name is from Emerson Lake & Palmer, as if it's not obvious enough from other references I've snuck in that I'm a music nerd..

-Vrlrdyi Scope is like that Tower name. It was meant to be 'Cosmos' I think with the keys shifted. I might have cheated a bit? I can't remember honestly.

Split from previous: 9/18, 9/20, (new) 9/25, 9/27- 9/28, 10/1, 10/2- 10/5, 10/7, 10/8- 10/10, 10/13, 10/14, 10/15- 10/18