Kranos459: I'm not sure where you got the idea that you'd have to wait a year for the next update? My updates have been approximately once a month for the last few years now lol. Besides, I'm way too close to the end of this story to just leave it on an indefinite hiatus, because there's only 8 more chapters left after this one.

Mushroom Corporations Group: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, DK, Dixie, Toadette, Goombella, Kooper, Parakarry, Spike/Paper-Yoshi, Vivian, Bowser, Larry, Wario, Pauline, Mona, Starlow, Grodus, Lord Crump, Boshi, Bleck/Blumiere, Fly Guy, Kody, E. Gadd, Rosalina, Monty Mole, Mimi, Toadari, Tadano, Paraklyde

Hospital group: Toadsworth, Bowser Jr., Morton, Lemmy, Ludwig, Clawdia, Toodles

Island group: Tatanga, Beldam, Roy, Doopliss, Dimentio, Diddy, Fire Bro/Konnor

Moon: TEC

ST. TOADOFSKY'S HOSPITAL

"This is it," Toadsworth spoke, revealing to the goomba doctor the hidden room in the basement where the group conducted their secret meetings.

"Wait…what the? This room has been here this entire time!? How the hell did you guys discover this room!?" shrieked the goomba in total bewilderment.

"Dr. Nokano showed this room to E. Gadd while the others were off to the Shiver Region, and then those two showed it to us. We've been having secret meetings in here ever since, because Mushroom Corporations are spying on us…they're not on our side. E. Gadd worked with them in the past and explained the whole story of their villainous tactics. Toadari, the big bad boss of Mushroom Corporations, has a henchman named Paraklyde. This Paraklyde came to the hospital and murdered Dr. Nokano and tried to pin the blame on E. Gadd. He's the one who sent that note. That company is not our ally," Toadsworth summarized straightforwardly. The goomba doctor was put into further shock as he backed up against the wall, processing all the madness.

"W…WHAT!? I'm sorry, the…Mushroom Corporations…they're ALSO our enemy!? WHAT THE HELL!? And…someone named Paraklyde…Nokano was murdered by him…but…I mean, if that's even true, then why!? Why kill an innocent man!?" the goomba doctor stumbled on his words in a mix of confusion, anger, and surprise.

"It's simple, dear: to stir up chaos. Rile up the crowds again. Get people to go against each other. They're as sick as Tatanga…and that's where our friends are heading right now first. Mushroom Corporations. A company like that can't stand after knowing everything we know about them. The experiments they've tested on people, like cloning and altering one's DNA. Arfur was also sent by Toadari to kill Spike not too long ago…but Spike did him in. He had no choice but to.

Doctor…this company is sick and the man who runs it is even sicker. It needs to be destroyed before the world is truly saved. That's why it'll be easy to do with that dazzling Crystal Star Rod they have now. That company has too much power and resources to be still left standing after everything we've witnessed with them. They need to go," Toodles added urgently, staring him directly in the eye the entire time to add to the seriousness of what they were trying to convey.

"What the hell, guys…so…you've been planning all this under our noses for who knows how long…wow. I just…don't even know what to fucking say right now! Why the hell couldn't one of you have told us this right after Nokano died!? Why was that kept a secret!? Our own hospital director was murdered…and you guys kept that from us…holy shit…" the goomba doctor shouted moreso in anger now, but was still visibly processing everything.

"You must understand that we kept it from you to prevent word from getting out and getting everyone else all stirred up and losing their minds over it, which I'm sure you know damn well that that would've happened. It was a 'damned if we do, damned if we don't' kind of situation. We went with the best and safest option that we thought of at the time. You might not like that, doc, but this is the kind of world that we now have to adapt to with making risky choices constantly. I certainly hope we get that world back eventually…but with how much destruction and loss that has happened…I unfortunately doubt it, even if the world is saved and everything is restored. Those are the things you never forget," Toadsworth stated adamantly, defending the group's choice with passion. Toodles smirked a little at him, impressed by his vigor, then looked back at the goomba who seemed to soften his expression.

"Right. Yeah. You're right…word would've spread and people would've lost their shit…damn. Heh. Wow, I didn't even think about it like that, that you guys have to make such hard decisions and that not many people are gonna like any of them. Guess that comes with trying to save the world, huh? I wonder how Mario handles that, since he does it so often…" the goomba said a little more understandably, coming around to their way of thinking.

"I don't know how he handles it either, but he's a powerhouse for taking all that on constantly. Hell, all of them are! Now, doctor, we request that you keep this a secret please. At least until everything's done. The last thing we need right now is for people to go awol about this, especially right when we're so close to the finish line. Do we have an understanding?" Toodles propositioned, still keeping her smirk.

The goomba nodded then said, "I'll keep it a secret. I promise. I mean…I'm still taking all of this in, but I won't say a word. I trust your guys' judgment."

"Thank you. That really means a lot to us!" Toadsworth responded sincerely with a warm smile.

"Not a problem. I should get going now, staff is gonna wonder where I am and start a manhunt!" he joked then exited the room.

Toodles let out a great exhale of relief. "Wow! That got a little intense. But I'm glad he's gonna keep it a secret. Or so he says. Guess we'll find out soon enough if people begin to riot and leave for some other place that has way less resources and protection than here."

Toadsworth chuckled at her and got closer to her. "Charming way with words you got there. Your gallows sense of humor is oddly a little refreshing."

Toodles couldn't help but smile at him and blush a little. "Gallows sense of humor, huh? First time anyone has ever described me like that. I suppose that makes you pretty unique."

Toadsworth chuckled again as he noticed her get closer to him too. "Probably because what you and I have is unique. Remember when I told you that I wanted to be more than friends?"

"How could I not remember? That conversation happened not even an hour ago," Toodles teased, making Toadsworth laugh heartily now.

"Haha! True, true. Well…I surely meant it. I don't see any harm in at least trying to go down that route. Would you agree?" he asked, feeling his heart race from the closeness and chemistry between them now.

"100%!" Toodles responded happily then the two kissed. They held and embraced each other as they passionately and slowly continued kissing, feeling a moment of bliss amidst the turmoil.

"I saw them head out this way," Lemmy said, leading the way out to the courtyard, referring to Bowser Jr. and Clawdia. The three remaining koopalings wanted to comfort Clawdia however they could in this heartbreaking time.

"Uhh…no sign of them. Maybe the graveyard? I mean…if I just lost more of my family…I'd be there too," Morton suggested as the three went down the stairs, scanning the vicinity.

"Yeah, definitely there. Plus, it's kinda peaceful there too. Far away from the people and the city streets…it's actually a little nice to have that there," Ludwig added then the three went onward to the graveyard.

"Have we thought about what we're gonna do with Clawdia after things are done? Or…is that jumping the gun right now?" Lemmy nervously asked, unsure if it's even the right time to be asking that.

"What do you mean exactly?" Morton asked.

"Like…are we still gonna keep in contact with her often? You know, to make sure she's okay? Plus, I'm sure Junior will still want to see her. I dunno. How awkward would that be for the rest of us? How would dad feel about that?" Lemmy clarified and questioned, boggled from how much of a gray area they were in right now in regards to Clawdia.

"We really shouldn't focus on that right now. Let's just try to help her however we can at this time. We'll discuss all that after Tatanga is gone. Let's just keep it in the back of our minds in the meantime," Ludwig advised firmly. Lemmy nodded understandingly while Morton made an indifferent expression.

The three reached the graveyard and saw Clawdia laying down in between Wendy's and Iggy's graves, facing the evening, starry sky. Bowser Jr. was sitting next to her, staring off into the distance, as still as a statue.

"Hey guys. What are you doing out here?" Lemmy asked caringly.

"Just wanted to be away from the commotion. It's nice and quiet out here. And our family is out here," Junior responded in a monotone voice, still staring into space.

"Uhh, heh, yeah, we were just talking about that on our way here. How peaceful it is over here," Morton responded, trying to make a light conversation.

"I…I want to take it all back…" Clawdia spoke softly, sounding as if she was choking up. "All the lies and sneaking around and cheating…th-this is karma for what I did to you guys back then. That's why I'm still here…and they're not. I have to live with that…I can literally feel my heart breaking…god, I just wanna turn back time and undo everything!"

"Clawdia, stop. This isn't 'karma' working here. Your husband and daughter died because of some psychotic piece of shit who doesn't know how to handle his own emotions. It has nothing to do with your past actions," Ludwig said bluntly.

"Have you boys ever….um…actually thought about that though? What life would be like if I hadn't done what I did?" Clawdia asked, feeling like she was unable to move as her reminiscing on the past added to the emotional weight and pain.

Morton wasn't sure how to properly respond to any of this. He didn't know if there was even a right thing to say or do in this particular situation, given the history with Clawdia.

"Um…sometimes?" Lemmy nervously responded. Junior looked at him, expecting him to elaborate. Lemmy continued shakily, "I'll sometimes think that…um…maybe…our lives would've been…you know…more, uhh, stable if…you know…"

"I think about it sometimes too," Junior added, looking back into the distance. "How happier dad may have been. How we wouldn't be where we are now. Maybe. I mean, it's hard to know for sure, obviously…but yeah. Sometimes I think about that. Keeps me up at night sometimes."

Morton looked at Clawdia and truly felt for her. It's the most he's felt for her since they were reunited. He saw the pain in her eyes and how her grief struck her body frozen. He realized in his heart there was no right way he could help out this situation…only to help her process everything.

"But there's no use in going over 'what ifs' now, Clawdia. What's done has been done. We just gotta focus on carrying onward. Okay? We'll help however we can. But thinking about those 'what ifs' might just make it worse," Morton spoke delicately, hoping his choice of words wouldn't hurt her more but rather make her realize it's senseless going down that rabbit hole.

"Yeah…suppose you're right…" Clawdia responded, her voice completely choked up as she slowly sat herself up and stared off into the distance. She then spoke, "We should all go inside now. It isn't safe to be out here in the dark, so far away from the hospital."

"Yeah. Come on. Let's go. We can go rest in one of the rooms," Ludwig said firmly, being the one most hesitant in helping out.

Clawdia slowly stood up and walked slowly amongst her kids to the hospital. Junior walked right next to her and held her hand.

"It's all gonna be okay eventually. Okay? We'll be there to help you however we can," Junior affirmed kindly. Clawdia stopped in her tracks and looked slowly at him, freaking him out a little.

"That's…that's not true, is it?" Clawdia muttered.

"Huh!? What do you mean?" Junior asked confusedly. The other three stopped as well to see what was going on.

"If Tatanga is beaten and the world is saved…I'll have no one. My husband and daughter are gone. Bowser can't stand me. The rest of you can barely even look at me as it is. My parents disowned me and refuse to take me back. I have nowhere to go. I may as well just…not exist anymore," Clawdia spoke defeatedly and with a hint of anger. The others were stunned by her words, but had an inkling of understanding where she was coming from in her quagmire of deep, emotional heartbreak.

"No! NO! I'm not gonna lose you too! PLEASE!" Junior pleaded and cried. "We've lost so many as it is…I don't know what I'll do if I lost you too…mom. Please don't go. W-We'll figure something out! Right, guys!?"

The other three were very clearly unsure of what to say. Their expressions said it all, especially being put on the spot like that.

"Um…of course! We'll try to figure something out. Yeah. Clawdia, like Junior said, we've lost so many already and I'd hate to see you go too. That's…not what Wendy and Iggy would want," Lemmy spoke with some hesitancy. Ludwig turned to Lemmy with a mix of confusion and irritation while Morton just nodded a little awkwardly.

Clawdia didn't seem convinced by their choice of words, but nevertheless, she responded, "Okay. Glad to hear that. Let's just…go on in and rest. I'm so exhausted from crying…"

Clawdia and Junior kept moving onward, while Morton and Ludwig exchanged expressions of concern and frustration. Perhaps the time to start figuring out what they were gonna do with Clawdia post-Tatanga would have to start sooner than they hoped.


MUSHROOM CORPORATIONS - 6TH FLOOR

"Toadari. Can't say this is a surprise seeing you right here," Mario said with a hint of fear, backing up close to Peach.

"I should say the same about you. I see you found my gun!" Toadari said with a snicker, gesturing to Mario's left hand, gripping the handgun tightly. "Found anything else in there? Like…say…something to do with a machine?"

"Toadari, you KNOW what you're doing is wrong. Not just taking over the world with your scientific bullcrap, but also…getting rid of us. You kill us, there's gonna be no one left to protect the world! What happens if you and your company are thriving and someone like Tatanga attempts to destroy the world again? You'll need us to take that person down. Even if you have the Crystal Star Rod…I wouldn't get too cocky with it!" Peach advised, getting close behind Mario.

Toadari looked flabbergasted at what she was saying. "I'm sorry…heh…Princess fucking Peach…you're really going with the 'coexist' option there? Is…is that what you're really hinting at right now!? Don't lie to yourself. You know it's not going to go that way. You found out so much stuff about us that it made you go insane and turn against us. I don't understand why, though. We've been helping you since the start. You may not like the way we execute some things…but overall, we've been a giant help from the beginning. You all wouldn't have gotten as far as you have without us. Ever think that maybe the reason you're distrusting of us is simply because, throughout your adventures getting the gems, you've encountered other heinous and traitorous people that you've become paranoid and skeptical of others around you? Hmmm!?"

"You're right. It's not gonna go that way. But here's where you're wrong: the proof is right there that you guys have kept dark secrets and lied to us about so many things. Using our bodies without our consent for experimentation. Not defending us in times of major attacks. Arfur being a double agent. Paraklyde killing Dr. Nokano for god knows what kind of sick reason. Everything about Fire Bro. Your plan to dominate the world with specific clones and heavy surveillance. Don't play dumb, Toadari. At least Tatanga is upfront about who he is and what he's gonna do. You, on the other hand, are a horrible actor," Mario spat angrily, but his harsh words didn't seem to phase Toadari that much.

"Hmm. I see. You know, Mario…I'd choose your next words VERY carefully, considering…you know…I've got the Crystal Star Rod and you don't! Hehe. Bet you didn't see that coming down in the lobby, now did you? Thought you could come here and raid us easily with this rod. You should've known that we'd have some tricks up our sleeves here. Your cockiness fucked you over in the end, wouldn't you say?" Toadari taunted, pointing the tip of the rod in his face. Mario and Peach became more and more nervous than they'd wanna express. They were defenseless against him, the only thing that could be quick to use was the gun, but that felt too easy.

"So, you're saying you'll kill us then, huh? But…no. No no no! You don't wanna kill us. At least not yet. Because you would've done it already if that was the case!" Peach spoke with realization. Toadari looked impressed.

"Well, look at that. Blondie figured it out. Well, sort of! I'll be straight up about it, you're too valuable to kill. I want to know every single little thing about you guys and have you help contribute to our cause. Imagine creating a superbeing based on your guys' blood and DNA! You, Mario…the blood and DNA of a superhero with amazing abilities. You, Princess Peach…the blood and DNA of high royalty. It's too good to let go of.

However…push me to my limit…and I WILL pull the trigger. So the choice is yours now. Come with me and help our cause. Or be killed by the same item you worked so tirelessly to obtain. Either way, your ending will be tragic. All that hard work and trauma aaaalllll for nothing," Toadari offered tauntingly with a conniving and rage-inducing smile. Mario's blood boiled after hearing that. He had to think of something fast.

"I see. So that's how it's gonna be. Take me then. Let Peach go…and just take me. Please," Mario stated, reaching his hand out to Toadari. The CEO looked a little surprised yet impressed again by this.

"Mario, NO! You're not going with him alone!" Peach pleated and cried.

"Really!? Aww, how romantic. But you know I just can't let you go, Peach. You know that damn well," Toadari refused to oblige.

"Yeah…you're right…this is all pointless…" Mario said in a sudden shift to a depressing tone. He grabbed the handgun and got it out of his pocket. Toadari gasped a little and was prepared to attack.

"Don't you fucking think about it! Unless you want your death to come now!?" Toadari yelled.

"Peach…run," Mario softly said then aimed the gun at his own foot and shot himself in his left foot.

Peach and Toadari were completely taken aback by this sudden and unexpected move by him. Mario roared out, feeling the pain shoot from his foot to the rest of his body within seconds, and then fell forward, knocking down Toadari to the floor in his fall.

Peach was so shocked and confused and horrified that she stood frozen for a second, trying to process what in the hell just happened. But then she ran. She heard his word 'run' and realized quickly it's what she needed to do. She bolted down the hallway as fast as she possibly could, heading for the elevator. She got in and mashed the 3rd floor button multiple times, panicking to the extreme about what on earth could happen next.

"AAAAAAGGGHHHHH! MARIO, WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?" Toadari screamed and pushed the plumber off of him, gripping the Crystal Star Rod tight. Mario laid on his back, staring at the ceiling, cringing and groaning in pure pain, not even feeling his left foot at all now.

Toadari got on top of Mario and rummaged through his pockets, pulling out the papers that were in the Machine folder of the locked office desk drawer.

"Where's the key!? WHERE IS IT!? You have all the papers for the machine, so I know you have the damn key!" Toadari yelled into Mario's face, who was still focused on the ceiling, feeling somewhat immobile from the sheer pain. Mario chuckled a little bit through the pain and said to him, "I don't have any key. Search me. I don't have it."

Toadari got a little more frantic and dug through Mario's pockets again. Nothing. He ran back into his office, still gripping the rod tight, and opened the now busted open drawer that contained the machine files and silver key. He looked in there and saw nothing. Toadari froze in fear for a few seconds, but then something dawned on him in the midst of his panic.

"Oh. Your little princess has it, doesn't she? Well…well played, I must admit…" Toadari whispered, again feeling slightly impressed, but his anger had now increased tenfold.

He then ran back into the hallway to finish dealing with Mario.

But he was gone. Just a small blood trail leading to the left, towards a door opposite the elevator. Toadari was bewildered by how quickly Mario made his move, but knew this little escape wouldn't last for long.

"You know…I gotta admit, Super Mario, that batshit insane move you just pulled reeeeeaaaaally threw me off. You're more calculated and cunning than I thought you were. Honestly…you'd make the perfect villain. You've got all the attributes for it! I'm surprised with all the journeys you've been on and all the craziness you've experienced that you haven't lost your mind yet. Or…perhaps you have and you're just simply good at hiding it!?" Toadari said, still having that impressed tone while casually walking over to the door. He gripped the doorknob, ready for action, and quickly pulled it open.

3RD FLOOR

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING SCENE MAY BE DISTURBING AND UNCOMFORTABLE FOR SOME PEOPLE. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

BEGIN SCENE

The toads dragged Starlow to the next room over, separating her from Pauline and Luigi. The poor star sprite screamed and flailed about, but the toads overpowered her easily. They took her into what looked like a small examination room. They took her to a chair, tied her hands to the arm rests and laid the back of the chair down so she'd be laying flat.

"PLEASE STOP THIS! IT'S NOT RIGHT WHAT YOU'RE DOING! YOU'RE REALLY GONNA DO SOMETHING SO DISGUSTING TO SOMEONE JUST BECAUSE YOU WANNA GET OFF!?" Starlow screeched and cried, praying desperately in her mind for a miracle to happen.

"Darling, do you think we care about any kind of morals we have at this point? Come on, with all the shit you've seen, you REALLY shouldn't be so shocked and upset at this point!" laughed one of the toads.

"Yeah! You're, like, the least jaded one out of your group! Don't know if that's a good or bad thing…BUT WHO CARES! Let's get down to business, shall we!?" excitedly yelled another toad, rubbing his hands together mischievously. Starlow felt her heart race as she began to sweat and panic further.

She then remembered something that popped in her head. It was a talk she had with Mirror-Starlow after they defeated the Crystal Queen. Her mirror counterpart told her that she had been gangraped, which is why her mirror counterpart was drastically different to herself in personality. Starlow realized that this was the event that was going to 'parallel' her mirror counterpart's event.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU! DON'T DO THIS! YOU'VE ALREADY DONE ENOUGH, JUST LEAVE ME BE!" Starlow cried for mercy and moved around in the chair, feeling the rope around her left wrist loosen just a little bit.

"Like hell we have! We've only just begun, my petite lady. Now then…I'm up first," said another toad eagerly and began to undo his pants while approaching the star sprite. Starlow tugged her left hand as much as he could, feeling it loosen a little more, but didn't think it was gonna be quick enough. She had to think of something that could stall for more time.

"W-WAIT! WAIT A SECOND! HOLD ON!" Starlow yelled, making the toad stop his undressing.

"What the fuck do you want now!?" he groaned.

"I…umm…so…" Starlow stumbled on her words, not knowing what the next step could be. But then she thought of something that could flip this script. It was going to be a huge risk, but she didn't know what else to do in this awful situation.

Starlow suddenly changed her demeanor and tone into a more serious and threatening one. She spoke, "So…you're really going to do this, huh? Violate me for your own pleasure…because you know you can't get any other woman to please you so you resort to assaulting innocent women. Then take me. Do it. I dare you."

The toads stood there confused and taken aback by the sudden and jarring change in her behavior.

"Uhh…hold up, what the hell just happened here? You really just…DARED us to do this!?" said one of the toads in complete confusion.

"Yeah. Because when you're on top of me, doing what you want to do to satisfy your sick needs…I want you to also think of all the innocent lives you're ruining and turning people into shells of their former selves. Think of that while you're assaulting me. Let it sink in all the way," Starlow replied, sticking to her serious and intense change of tone.

"Okay, what the fuck? Do you have a split personality or something, because one minute you were just screaming like a little bitch…and now…you're DARING us to assault you!? I…I don't even know how to respond to that!" said the toad who had begun to undress himself.

"Dude, it doesn't matter! She's just being a freak! Now come on and hurry this up, I wanna be next!" demanded the other toad impatiently.

"Heh. Hehehe! Yeah…little freak you are. Damn. We just uncovered a whole new side to the little, wimpy star chick, fellas!" chuckled the toad who continued undressing and then began to get on top of Starlow.

Starlow prepared for what seemed like the inevitable. She felt the rope on her left hand get even looser, but didn't think she stalled for enough time to get her hand out completely.

The toad got on top and had a devious and sickening smirk as he was about to do the heinous deed.

BANG!

REWIND…

END SCENE

In the laboratory room where Pauline and Luigi were being held in, a toad soldier came rushing into the room to talk to Paraklyde.

"Hey! HEEEEY! You're gonna wanna come out into the hallway and see this! Those idiots fell right into our trap! They're stuck in that black muck, haha! They're completely defenseless!" he squealed in excitement.

Paraklyde grinned mischievously. "Excellent. Once again, these 'heroes' prove their idiocy thinking they could just march in here and do whatever the hell they want. Take me to them!"

The two walked out into the hallway eagerly. Luig felt his heart sink from hearing those words, lessening his hope of him and his friends escaping.

Pauline rolled over on the ground to face Luigi, tired and battered. She groaned from the pain of even having to move. She spoke to him, choking up a little, "Luigi…hey…this all looks fucking bleak right now, doesn't it?"

Luigi nodded a little while also being on the verge of crying. Crying from the hopelessness of the situation, from Starlow being taken away and those toads doing god knows what to her, and from Pauline being beaten and cursed at.

"Well…you know…remember when we thought there's no way we'd get out of the hellholes we were in? Like…in that tower…the Shiver Region…you know…well…we're getting out of this one too. Somehow. Everything those bastards said to me…it's not gonna break me. I won't let it. I'm gonna do everything I can to help us get out of here, Luigi. That's a promise," Pauline explained with a struggling smile and a tear rolling down her cheek. Luigi nodded again and felt his tear roll down his cheek too.

"Luigi…if you can stand yourself up…there's a scalpel on top of the counter behind you. If you can get that down…and grab it…you'd be able to cut the ropes off of you…and free us…and Starlow…I would do it, but…ugh…I feel like that fucker broke my ribs when he kicked me…" Pauline instructed, wincing from the extreme pain the whole time.

Luigi widened his eyes in a glimmer of hope. He tried to stand himself up, but it was awkward and difficult due to his hands being tied behind his back and his ankles tied together. He got on his knees and pressed down on his feet to slowly make himself rise and was successful. He turned around and saw the scalpel Pauline had mentioned. Luigi turned around again and walked backwards, raising his arms in hopes of having just enough reach to snatch the scalpel with his fingers.

Success! He got it and flipped the scalpel around carefully and began to cut through the rope as quickly as he could. It took him a couple minutes since the angle was awkward to grasp and keep cutting at. He felt the ropes get looser and looser until it finally snapped.

Luigi yelped in relief and joy, removing the remains of the rope off of his wrists. He then ripped the tape off his mouth and gasped heavily for air, crying a little in the relief and new hope that had been forming again in him. He cut the rope off his legs next then ran over to Pauline.

"Excellent…see…told you we'd get out…" Pauline whispered with a faint smile.

"You're right, we ARE getting out! Them having the rod isn't gonna stop us! If that tower full of terrors didn't stop us, then this won't!" Luigi cheerily yelled, getting the ropes on her wrists cut off, then started cutting the ropes on her legs.

"Luigi…I'm so sorry for everything I've done…for brainwashing Mario and causing so much drama before…I don't think I've ever properly apologized for all that…" Pauline said with great sadness in her tone, letting out more tears from her eyes as she stared blankly to the ceiling.

"Pauline, don't! That's all in the past. We just gotta focus on helping out Starlow and finding the others! One step at a time," Luigi yelled, helping her stand up and put her arm over his shoulders.

"Check for weapons…anything we can use…" Pauline said, pointing to another countertop with various medical supplies. Luigi walked him and Pauline over there, putting the scalpel in his pocket, and then carefully grabbed what looked like a saw used to cut deep into skin tissue and bone.

"Alright, Pauline, you stand by the door. I'm gonna barge in there and go all out on those assholes and free Starlow. As soon as Starlow escapes, go with her to the hallway, and I'll try to meet you guys out there," Luigi stated, getting close with her to the door where Starlow was taken and prepared for battle.

"Okay…don't do more than you need to, though. Your brother and girlfriend need to see you alive too," Pauline advised. Luigi looked at her as if he had some epiphany or realized he had forgotten that he can't overdo it if he wants a bigger chance of surviving this and seeing Mario and Daisy again. Luigi knew that if he were to die, it would be the one thing that would absolutely wreck his brother and girlfriend forever. He didn't want that.

Just when he was about to burst through the door to save Starlow, though, the door going into the laboratory had bursted open, startling Luigi and Pauline.

REWIND AGAIN…

In the hallway, Paraklyde and the toad soldier rushed over to see the heroes stuck and helpless in the black goo that was engulfing their bodies.

"Well well well! You idiots fell right into our trap. If you hadn't, then, well, you would've wasted time searching through each room since we have EVERY room labeled as Lab C-3, in case you haven't noticed already, hehehe. Such a shame that this isn't ALL of you right here, but it'll do I suppose!" Paraklyde shouted mockingly with a victorious smirk.

"I…agh…wouldn't get too cocky…our friends will find you and end this…especially if we're gone…they'll be enraged," Rosalina weakly spoke, seething in fury as the goo crept up her body more, feeling unable to think of a spell that could rid of their condition.

"If by 'gone' you mean dead, then you're wrong. Only one that's dying is you…and Grodus. You're both too much of a liability to be kept alive. But that shouldn't surprise you, really," Paraklyde explained with a smirk. Grodus clenched his hands while looking straight into the paratroopa's eyes.

"You're Paraklyde…do you…oogh…remember me? From HAL Incorporated? I'm the robot you lied about," Grodus said angrily.

Paraklyde snickered and walked closer. "Of course I remember. I think it's pretty neat that we cross paths again. But, boy, Grodus, you've sure been through a lot since I last saw you: being chased out of HAL by our soldiers, creating a fortress on the moon and recruiting minions to do your dirty work, summoning an ancient demon and failing at taking over the world…and now you're here, working with your former enemies. Quite the tragic and miserable adventure you've been on, wouldn't you say!?"

"Fuck you. You're not gonna win this. You're as much of a snake now as you were back then," Grodus growled with his anger increasing, reaching over to Rosalina's hand and grabbing it tightly.

"Daisy…that…ahh…move you have…from Gekikara…use it! See if it works!" Yoshi recalled, cringing and weeping from the goop amassing his body up to his neck.

"Shit…that's right…uhh…time…sssslow…." Daisy weakly responded. A whooshing sound was heard and Paraklyde and the toad soldier started moving in slow motion. Daisy then screamed, feeling her body weaken further, proving that the ability worked…but it also allowed the goop to engulf her completely.

"Daisy!? DAISY! NOOOOOO! OH GOD!" Vivian screamed.

"H-HEY! What just happened here!? Why are they moving so slow!?" Crump shrieked, now confused mixed in with his panic.

"Long story…but Daisy has a magical ability to slow down time…" Dixie responded.

"Apparently not that long of a story!" Monty joked in the midst of his panic, tugging for dear life in hopes of getting out of the goop.

"Grodus…you know who Paraklyde is?" Spike asked in surprise at that whole interaction.

"Yeah. I'll explain the story later…but let's just say that I'm not too shocked that this is where Paraklyde ended up. But Rosalina, you gotta think of something, anything that can get us out! Use me to help! Even if you have to drain me," Grodus urged.

"Yes…I…ohhhhh…stars…get us out of this wreck…put us back on our trek…power us through…these dark times…aggghh…and make these wretched ones lose their minds…" Rosalina chanted with all her might and she got it finished just before the goop had completely engulfed her.

"Oh noooo! ROSALINAAAAA! W-Was she too late!? What are we gonna do if it doesn't work!?" Toadette cried.

"Ohhhh it worked, my pink friend! IT WORKED!" Fly Guy yelled from above the group, surprising them.

"Huh? Fly Guy!? What do you have in your hands there? And how do you know it worked!?" Yoshi asked.

"Look at the goop! It's disappearing into smithereeeeens! I don't know if that's actually the right usage of 'smithereens' in this situation, but oh well. OH…and lookie here, I found a bag full of medical tools we can totally use to ream these fuckers! Oh, and I also found a dusty old handgun. Should've checked to see if it has bullets in it though…oh well, I can test it on the hunky toad man there!" Fly Guy explained and then aimed it at the toad soldier and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit him in the head, knocking him down to the floor.

"WOAH! Uhh, nice!? You should 'test' the gun on the paratroopa to see if it still has any more bullets left in it!" Monty yelped awkwardly, unable to keep his eyes off the dead toad in front of him.

"Yeah, this shit is going away! I can feel it melting off of me!" Spike cheered.

"Wait, the 'Timeslow' effect is wearing off! LOOK!" Dixie shrieked, pointing to Paraklyde who was starting to move normally again.

The paratroopa almost fell backwards and shook his head, looking confused. "Wh-what the…what did you do!? How…oh…FUCK! NOOOO!" he screamed when he saw his soldier buddy down on the floor with a hole in his head.

"Hehe, you're about to join your little friend, you winged little BITCH!" Fly Guy shouted as he cocked the gun.

"FUUUUUCK!" Paraklyde screamed and flew down the hallway as fast as he could. Fly Guy chased after him and fired a shot, but just missed him by a few inches.

The elevator near the real Lab C-3 had opened up and Paraklyde took this opportunity to fly in and escape that way. However, he was surprised to see Peach in there, and the princess shrieked when she saw him, but had no time to react otherwise as the paratroopa shoved Peach out of the elevator and he jabbed the Basement button repeatedly.

Fly Guy came to a halt and pulled away the gun when he saw Peach stumble out of the elevator. "WHAT THE!? PEACH!?

"Ahhh! Uh, get him! HE'S IN THERE!" Peach yelled, seeing Fly Guy with the gun.

The elevator doors closed as Fly Guy got to the elevator and he fired a shot. The bullet hit the doors as it closed, not going through at all.

"FUUUUUCK! SO CLOOOOOSE!" Fly Guy roared then kicked the elevator door, then yelled again as he hurt his foot from kicking the steel door.

"PEACH! HEEEEY!" Yoshi yelled as he ran over to her with some of the others.

"Rosalina! HEY! You okay!? The goop is gone! Are you completely drained?" Grodus frantically asked, him and Crump holding her up as she stumbled a little on her feet and seemed faint.

"Yes…I…am…my magic will come back…I just…ugh…need some time…" Rosalina weakly responded.

"Right then! Hang on to me in the meantime. Let's go!" Crump stated, putting her arm over his shoulders and walked with her and the rest of the group towards Peach.

"Daisy, are you good to walk or do you need to hang on to me too?" Vivian asked, helping her stand up.

"Definitely gonna need a shoulder to hang on as well. I've got a love-hate relationship with that damn Timeslow ability-OH! Peach! She's down the hall! But without Mario…?" Daisy suddenly yelped, happy to see her fellow princess, but now worried for Mario's whereabouts.

"Hey hey! Where's Mario!? Not that we're not happy to see you alive, of course, but, uhh, yeah!" Monty pointed out.

Peach gripped her chest as she tried to calm herself while also choking up. "I-I didn't know what else to do…I ran! We were on the 6th floor a-and Mario was rummaging through Toadari's office and then…Toadari showed up! Mario and him got into a fight and Mario told me to run and…so I did…and he gave me this key…" she explained what had happened and then showed the big, silver key to everyone.

"Whoa! So, do you know what that goes to then? And…is Mario…dead?" Spike nervously asked.

"I don't know! Oh gosh, I DON'T KNOW! I shouldn't have left him, but I just…everything happened so fast! Mario shot himself in the foot and-and he fell onto Toadari and Toadari has the Star Rod and just…UGH! I FEEL SO STUPID!" Peach cried and tugged at her hair in immense stress. Toadette cried a little with her and hugged her.

"Uhh, WHAT!? Mario…shot himself in the foot? Are you talking literally or metaphorically here!?" Yoshi yelped confusedly.

"Literally. It was a strategy to confuse Toadari. I think it worked…but, um, this key I got…it's supposed to go to a machine. I remember E. Gadd talking about a machine in the basement. It's obviously important since it was in its own separate drawer in Toadari's office desk!" Peach revealed.

"Machine in the basement? What kind of machine are we talking about here!?" Crump asked.

"From what I remember, E. Gadd said there's a machine in the basement was able to do dimensional travel, or something to that effect. No wonder why the key was in its own separate drawer then," Vivian recalled.

"Hey guys? Um, look at the top of the elevator…Paraklyde went to the basement! Which is also where that machine is at," Toadette pointed out in fear. Everyone looked and saw the confirmation. The B letter at the top of the elevator was lit up.

"AHA! I FOUND THEEEEEM!" Fly Guy screamed and barged into one of the rooms, surprising everyone.

Fly Guy flew into the room Luigi and Pauline were captured in, startling them with his sudden presence.

"OH! Fly Guy!?" Luigi shrieked.

"Yes, it's me! The one and only! Where's Starlow!?" Fly Guy quickly said.

"In there…she needs help! They're gonna…" Pauline responded and saw that he had a gun in his hand. She then continued, "...go in there and kill them! HURRY!"

Fly Guy immediately zoomed into the room and burst open the door, startling the toad soldiers and Starlow. He aimed the gun at the toad on top of Starlow and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The bullet struck the toad's head and he fell onto the floor with blood splattering on the wall behind him. The other two toads shrieked and reacted as quickly as they could.

Fly Guy aimed at the other toad and pulled the trigger again, but only got him in the shoulder. The toad screamed and threw a bucket at Fly Guy, knocking him against the wall and making him drop the gun. The other toad dove to the floor to grab the gun, but Luigi came in the nick of time and stomped on his hand, then he flipped on the saw he had grabbed and sawed into the back of the toad's neck. The toad screamed bloody murder as the saw went deeper and deeper and blood came gushing out. Luigi then kicked the toad over on his back and sawed into the front of the toad's neck now. The toad quickly lost consciousness and stopped moving as a puddle of blood formed all around his body.

"LUIGI!" Pauline screamed, as the remaining toad pushed Pauline out of the way, hightailing it out of there.

The toad came out into the hallway, saw the others in surprise, then bolted to the stairwell. Yoshi sped after him and kicked him in the back to stop him and knock him to the floor. Yoshi turned him over on his back and punched him in the face repeatedly.

Everyone else caught up to the scene and stood over the bloodied and battered toad.

"Luigi…ohhhh my god, I'm so fucking glad you're alive!" Daisy tiredly said and hugged him tightly and Luigi hugged her back.

"You too, Dais. I never wanna be apart from you like that ever again!" Luigi cried.

"Pauline!? Oh god, look at you…I'm so sorry they did that to you!" Vivian shrieked, looking at how battered and how much pain she was in.

"Don't be. I'll get through it. I made a promise that I would kill them…and I'm going to fulfill that promise," Pauline angrily stated and swiped the handgun from Luigi.

"Wait, Pauline! HEY! You, sorry excuse of a toad! This key is for the machine, right!? What exactly does it unlock? Does it just turn the machine on?" Peach asked, showing him the silver key.

He chuckled and rolled his eyes, then said, "Why does it matter? You'll fucking kill me no matter what answer I give you."

"It actually does matter!" Pauline yelled, then shot him in the other shoulder, making him cry out further. "Because the more you fuck around with us, the more you'll suffer before your end. Now tell us what exactly does the key do for the machine!"

"AAAAAGGGHHH…fuck…y…the key…it…deactivates the machine permanently in case…shit went wrong with it…" the toad reluctantly revealed.

"Really? So…CRAP! Paraklyde heading to the basement means he's gonna use the machine to escape or maybe even bring some freaky creature from another dimension to destroy us! We gotta get there NOW!" Spike urgently yelled.

"Hold on," Starlow spoke and walked to the toad, a fire burning in her eyes. "People like you don't deserve to keep living on after all the destruction you bring onto others. I hope you rot."

"W-wow…good girl went bad in a matter of minutes…heh…hehehe…" the toad chuckled again, not even seeming frightened by his inevitable end.

Pauline smirked a little and handed the star sprite the gun. "Wanna do the honors, Star?"

"Absolutely. One last thing, toad boy…I didn't go 'bad.' I just know when enough is enough," Starlow stated then aimed the gun at his head.

Bang.

2ND FLOOR

"Hey, what's that noise? You guys hear that?" Mona asked, hearing some rumbling, thrashing, and yelling that sounded nearby as the group was about to leave the lab.

"Wait…it's coming from the closet! Are Kooper and Parakarry in there!? Because they're not out here!" Larry pointed out in fright.

"KOOPER? PARAKARRY? GUYS, WHAT'S GOING…oh my god! Someone, get the door open NOW!" Goombella shrieked after hearing a loud crash and a screech.

Inside the closet, Parakarry and Kooper rolled over each other while knocking various things onto the floor. Kooper was using all his might to keep Parakarry from stabbing him with the beaker shard.

"FUCKING STOP THIS ALREADY! KILLING ME ISN'T GOING TO HELP ANYTHING! YOU REALLY WANNA LOSE ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS!?" Kooper cried as he was now underneath holding the mailman's arm with a tight grip up, the shard inches away from his neck.

"I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! THERE'S NO POINT IN LIVING IF WE HAVE TO KEEP SUFFERING IN ALL THIS PAIN! I'M JUST DONE WITH EVERYTHIIIIING!" Parakarry angrily roared and started to cry.

As much as Kooper didn't want to hurt him to escape, he had no other choice at this point. He headbutted Parakarry and pushed him on his back to the floor, then kicked him in his side, making him cry out and drop the beaker shard and knocking over a box of old laptops. Kooper swiped the shard then put his foot on Parakarry's chest.

The door then busted open by Bowser kicking it and in came the rest of the group. The koopa king nearly dropped his jaw at the scene and yelled, "WOAH! WHAT IN THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN HERE!?"

"ASK HIM! He was about to fucking kill me! HE'S LOST IT!" Kooper yelled, providing further shock to the group.

"WAIT, WHAT!? Why the hell would you want to kill one of your own friends for!? Dude…if you're seriously going to try to kill him…you know what that means for you, right?" Boshi asked, alluding to his death since none of them would put up with that.

Parakarry began to cry more and looked away from them in shame. "You…you should just end me anyways! I'm tired of the fucking pain and losing people! That's why I came in here to fight Kooper…b-because I couldn't do it myself! I don't know how I'm supposed to keep living normally after everyone we've lost…even if we do save the damn world…"

"Parakarry….that's, like, why we have each other to rely on. You're never gonna be alone in this. We all know it's gonna be difficult as hell to continue living on after we beat Tatanga. But it's worth living for to see what life has to offer us after this part of our journey is done. But if you don't wanna get there by destroying yourself and trying to bring us down with you…then you'll lose us forever. Remember that," Goombella stated then exited the closet while shaking her head.

"Hey. I get it, you know? I lost my two kids forever plus potentially a third one, and I lost my friend of many, MANY years…plus dealing with all the shit from my ex-wife and her fucked up family now. I hate dealing with all the emotions that come with it. It's awful and sickening. But you know what? I stick through it all so I could be there for my kids in the future because I wanna see them grow and succeed and also so they have a father to rely on. And that's worth it to me. But like Goombella said…if you don't find anything worth it to continue living for…then, well, that's you digging your own grave quite literally," Bowser added bluntly but had a hint of softness and understanding to it. He also left the closer with the others beginning to leave as well.

"You know what to do, man. We can't make you choose. You're with us or you're not. But we're too close to the end for you to end it all right here," Wario also added, and stood by the door to make sure no attack was gonna happen as it was just now Kooper in there with Parakarry.

Kooper stared at Parakarry disapprovingly and angrily, and then he tossed the shard aside. He stepped off of Parakarry and slowly left the closet, then gave him one last look where his expression was a bit softer, now expressing more of a desire to have Parakarry not give in to the misery and chaos that were ever prevalent wherever they went in this journey.

Parakarry laid there on the floor for another minute, taking in their words and decided to not fall prey to that fear. He was still stricken with anger and loss, but he realized it was indeed too close to the end to make it all go away. Because all the experiences and growth would've been for nothing if he went the self-infliction route.

"Wow…that was suuuuper intense to see. One of your friends trying to kill another one of your friends. You all should keep an eye out on him now, if he broke once…he could easily do it again!" Tadano warned as the group went back out into the hallway.

"We've seen crazier. But honestly, you're really not the one to talk considering you caused unnecessary chaos at the hospital before you ended up in this place. Don't think we haven't got our eyes on you too, because we definitely do," Mona spat, holding her arm tightly that still felt like it was burning.

"Wow. Seriously? I just found out I have a life threatening condition, so maybe wanna go a little easy on me, huh!? And you wanna talk about unnecessary…" Tadano grunted in offense.

"Save the conflicts for later, everyone. We still have more of this place to destroy," Bleck ordered, kicking a door open to the next room.

"Hey, uhh, what is she talking about when she said you caused unnecessary chaos before you ended up here?" Mimi quietly asked the alien twin. Tadano noticeably cringed a little and frustratedly sighed.

"Ugh…your friends accused me of doing something to you when only I came back to the hospital, not with you, after we both went to Tatanga's island. They were SO adamant on me doing something that they locked me up in a cell in the basement…and then…well…I went pretty whacko and said and did some…stuff. There. That's all I'm gonna say!" he hesitantly explained. Mimi nearly stopped in her tracks upon hearing that.

"WHAT!? You guys just…locked him up because you assumed he had something to do with me not coming back!? Okay, that's going a little too far, don't you think!?" Mimi shouted.

"Can you blame us for thinking that? I mean, he didn't exactly act like the most trustworthy person to begin with…especially after we locked you up!" Wario clarified unashamedly.

"Well, I went super whacko because you locked me up, DUH! Not my finest moment, yes, but I had a right to be angry and extra whacko!" Tadano yelled while rolling his eyes.

"Goddamn! You are one lucky dude for these guys not chopping your head off when they had the opportunity to!" Boshi commented in surprise.

"Are we really having this conversation right now!? Save it for AFTER we're done with this shithole at the very least!" Bowser yelled, shutting the nonsense down.

"Boshi's lucky that his head didn't get chopped off after all that he did…" Larry whispered to Kody, who couldn't but snicker at that.

The next room was a computer lab. Kody excitedly rushed into the room, grabbed a monitor and threw it across the room, smashing into another monitor.

"Dayum, that felt good throwing that shit! C'mon, let's fuck this place up!" Kody squealed and so the gang did.

Wario grabbed a chair and swung against a couple monitors like a baseball bat. Larry grabbed a large printer and smashed it onto a table with more monitors on it, breaking it down to the ground and breaking the monitors in the process. Kooper and Mimi grabbed the projector screen on the side of the room and tore it to pieces. Mona ran over to a shelf containing books about computer usage and programming and pushed it to the ground. Parakarry knocked down all the pictures on the wall, all of them being professional photos of the Mushroom Corporations surrounding landscape and a couple of staff group photos. Goombella went to the main desk of the room and shoved all the various office supplies and the monitor off of there, and then took out a drawer containing various files and paperwork and threw it across the room, sending papers flying everywhere. Bowser set fire to the center of the room, electrocuting and exploding the monitors and setting ablaze the papers that were there. Boshi found a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in one of the drawers that was thrown, so he flicked the lighter on, lit up a cigarette to smoke it, then lit the actual pack of cigarettes and threw it at an office plant, lighting it ablaze quickly.

Tadano saw a plaque that was near the main desk and took it then read it outloud, "'Here at Mushroom Corps., we strive for nothing but beyond excellence. That's how we make change in the world.' Wow! Yeah, if by 'change' you mean taking over the world with your slavery ideology and using people as guinea pigs for non-consensual experiments, then sure! FUCKERS!" He then threw the plaque in the fire.

"Yeah. They see it as a 'change,' we see it as total authoritative control. Such a horrible hoax. Makes you wonder if there are any other companies like this one that are out there in the world…" Larry commented with a shudder.

"Looks like this room is officially thrashed. Onto the next one!" Bleck merrily stated and threw a magic blast at the center of the ceiling, making it crumble down into a large pile of debris and spreading the fire. Everyone exited the room quickly and Bleck slammed the door shut.

"E. Gadd? What are you looking at?" Goombella asked, noticing the professor was standing outside the next room over, simply staring into it.

"This…used to be my office. Well, I shared it with someone, but I did a lot of my work from in here…" E. Gadd answered, feeling more of the intense memories flood back into him. Everyone else walked to the room and saw what he was looking at. It was a small office space with scientific books littering the shelves, a whiteboard with various and advanced-looking equations writing on it that looked like a totally different language, and two desks with a computer and papers scattered about.

"What kind of work? Just computer work, I assume? Because it doesn't look like that big enough of a space to do, well, anything else!" Kooper pointed out.

E. Gadd slowly stepped inside and peered to the bookshelf. Everyone else noticed that he looked as if something had caught his eye.

"E. Gadd? Dude, are you okay!? You're kinda freaking us out now!" Kody yelped.

"There's a book on the shelf…I used to bring with me from my place to read in my downtime…it's…still here, surprisingly. I can't believe I forgot it…and I can't believe they kept it here…" E. Gadd said with a hint of excitement and shock.

Bleck couldn't help but notice something on the ceiling. He looked carefully at it then gasped. It was a small detonator with a screen on it that suddenly turned on and had the numbers '03' appear. Bleck's heart nearly stopped when he realized what it was.

Then it went to 02.

"SHIT! E. GADD, GET OUT! NOW!" Bleck screamed and magically shoved everyone backwards then did a magic pull to E. Gadd as the professor just managed to grab his book.

01.

Boom.

BASEMENT

"Who the hell are you!?" DK asked a little nervously, on guard in case this random toad were to suddenly be on the offense.

"My name is Toadona…I've been stuck here for a looooooooooooooong time…I've stopped counting the days. The company swooped me up from the street years ago and kept me in here to run all sorts of crazy experiments on me…do you…wanna see my scars!?" she revealed and pulled up her pullover to show him her arms. DK gasped a little, seeing all the black marks and bruises all over her arms. He even noticed some on her neck too.

"My god! So they torture you then. I hate to say it, but that doesn't surprise me!" DK exclaimed.

"By 'torture' you mean being used as a pet project for their experiments, yes. I've lost most of my hair because I've been injected with all kinds of chemical concoctions…just look at my mouth! A lot of my teeth have fallen out!" Toadona shouted and opened her mouth wide. DK widened his eyes at the sight of half of her teeth being gone and all there was now was exposed gum that actually looked a little infected too.

"Good god. Well…hey, my friends and I are shutting this place down so we can get you out of here! But first, uhh, you said this machine is used for warping between dimensions!?" DK recalled, gesturing to the giant machine on the opposite side of the room.

"Yesssss. They used a clone of me to test if the machine worked properly…and…it did…" Toadona cryptically clarified.

"A-A clone of you!? Well…well, yeah, that shouldn't surprise me either. I know about Mushroom Corporations and their cloning experiments. But they made one of you? So…where's your clone then?" DK asked.

"SHE NEVER CAME BACK!" Toadona suddenly yelled, making DK step back and ready to pounce at any second. "They sent a few workers to look for her…those people came back...but she didn't. Because she didn't want to be found. But…those…workers…they brought something back with them…something…that was nearly impossible to return to its original dimension…"

DK looked a little nervous now, wondering what the hell she could be alluding to. "Oh? So…what did they bring back with them?"

Toadona yelped and jumped as a loud 'ding!' noise was heard nearby. It sounded like a typical elevator noise upon reaching its destination. DK was startled a little too, and then he heard the sound of running footsteps come towards the room. DK grabbed Toadona and the pair hid behind a few wooden crates.

The door slammed open and in came rushing Paraklyde, heading straight to the machine. DK gasped again, immediately recognizing who he was.

"What the? That's Paraklyde! What the hell could he be doing down here!?" DK whispered in confusion.

"Ooooooooh…I know a panicked man when I see one…he's escaping…or…he's bringing that 'thing' here as a last resort to kill you and your friends!" Toadona responded with what sounded like a little excitement.

"What 'thing' are you talking about!? What could possibly be so horrible from another dimension that my friends and I haven't experienced already!?" DK annoyedly responded.

"LOOK! HE'S ABOUT TO GO IN! Gonna stop him!?" Toadona shouted, prompting DK to look back at the scene and saw Paraklyde input a few buttons and saw the chamber doors begin to open.

"SHIT!" DK yelped and booked it to the machine.

Paraklyde heard a noise behind him and turned his head to see DK charging at him. The paratroopa had no time to react as DK barged into him and sent him to the floor. DK then punched Paraklyde repeatedly in the face. Paraklyde screamed for mercy but then used his hands with all his might to rip off the fur from DK's arm. The ape roared in pain, then Paraklyde swiftly kicked him in the chest, sending him backwards. DK cringed and gripped his chest as he saw Toadona come running over to the scene frantically. He sat there confused at what was happening…but then he saw her get out a pocketknife, ready to attack him. DK rolled over as she indeed attempted to stab him.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" DK shouted in confusion.

"I have a better life here than I ever did on the street…I WON'T LET YOU TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!" Toadona erratically yelled then jumped to attack him yet again. DK kicked her in the legs, making her fall to the floor, while Paraklyde was heard laughing and DK saw him head to the machine chamber. DK grunted and bolted to the machine…but it was too late.

DK got there right when the doors closed. Paraklyde gave him a snide snick and waved him goodbye. DK angrily pounded on the glass, hoping to break it but the glass felt indestructible.

DK then saw another thing that could help. A control panel connected to the giant machine. He immediately got an idea that could be a last resort to stop this. He ran over to the control panel and began smashing it in repeatedly with his bare fists. He started making dents and breaking open a few buttons.

"Wait…NO! STOP! STOOOOOOOP! YOU FUCKING CRAZY MONKEY, ENOOOOOUUUUUUGH!" Paraklyde screamed in sudden panic.

"AAAAAAAGGGH!" Toadona screamed, running and then leapt onto DK's back and stabbed him in the upper back twice.

"AAHHHHH! DAMNIIIIIT!" DK cried and fell down, feeling the sharp pain run all over his back. He grabbed Toadona before she could make another stab and shoved her face into the control panel.

"Fuck! Oh god…I hope that didn't mess things up…" Paraklyde whispered to himself in worry.

DK heard a loud whirring, electronic noise come from the machine, which made him step backwards to see what was going on, gripping his stab wounds with his left hand, still in immense pain as he felt the blood trickle down his back. He then saw a bright, white glow come from the glass chamber where Paraklyde was. The ape saw the hint of terror in Paraklyde's face. DK knew things hadn't entirely worked in the paratroopa's favor.

The white glow got brighter and brighter as the electronic whirring noise got louder and louder. DK stepped back further, now a little afraid of what might happen.

The glow now got so bright and the noise got so loud that DK closed his eyes tight and covered his ears.

EoC.

Next chapter marks the end of the Mushroom Corporations Raid arc! So it'll only focus on the gang there. Next chapter, things go further haywire as the machine in the basement goes haywire itself, the group reunites to finish things once and for all…but unfortunately not everyone will make it to that finish line. Next chapter will be uploaded on or before Sunday, October 8. Thanks for reading!