-Chapter 26-
Rough Seas Ahead
Bowser's Castle
Mary Pat and Iggy regarded Phanto nervously.
"Gotta say, it's nice to see you in person, Mary Pat," he chuckled darkly. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Phanto!" Iggy shouted. "What in Jaydes' name do you think you're doing?!"
"Just grabbing a quick snack. Haven't eaten all day."
"So you decided to feed on one of our soldiers!?"
"That was an accident! We bumped into each other, he freaked out, one thing led to another, and...Yes, yes I did." Phanto gave a euphoric sigh. "Tasty, tasty, beautiful fear…" He licked his "lips" with his grotesque, monstrous tongue.
Iggy took a step back, beginning to sweat.
"What's the matter? Are you...scared?" Phanto took a deep sniff. "Yes. Yes, you are. Goooood..."
Phanto's eyes began to glow.
"Hey! Creepo!"
"Hm?" Phanto turned to look at MP, who glared at him defiantly.
"Back off," MP ordered.
Phanto just looked at MP curiously. "You...You aren't afraid of me?"
"I have nothing to fear while under Bowser's protection."
Iggy blinked a bit at that, hearing the slight monotone to her words.
"Is that so?"
Phanto suddenly leaned in close. His eyes glowed as he gazed into MP's own. She glared right back, the red in her eyes shimmering.
"I told you...to back. OFF!"
Suddenly, MP punched Phanto in the face, knocking him back. The creature let out a pained grunt, gaping in shock.
You...how...?"
"King Bowser and the Koopalings are the ones I can trust. I must protect them from all threats. Especially creeps who attack their own men like you."
Phanto processed this before slowly rising, laughing evilly.
"Ahhh...so that's it. I see… That's unfortunate. I was hoping to taste the delicious fear of an outworlder once again. Ah well...I can wait. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to...prepare. So long...Mary Pat."
Mips gave him a glare as he left before turning to Iggy.
"You okay?"
'Yeah… Yeah...I'm good." Iggy removed his glasses, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Damn Mips, are you crazy? Standing up to Phanto like that?"
"I have nothing to fear while under Bowser's protection." Said in the same monotone as before without a single word changed.
"Uhhh...right. Just... promise me you'll be careful around him. There's something not right about him."
MP nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Now, you said you wanted to look over the Soot?"
"Oh right!" Iggy eyed MP suspiciously before snapping back to attention. "Let's...get started."
Meanwhile…
Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Toad were being spun around in the cyclone whipped up by the Warp Whistle.
"How long have we been spinning?!" Toad cried.
"Too long!" Luigi cried.
"Yoshi no feel good…" Yoshi moaned.
Finally, the cyclone petered out, depositing them on a small island.
"Ohhhh…" Mario groaned, rubbing his head. "Uncle Tony...I don't wanna ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl..."
"Dizzy!" Luigi stumbled around. "IIIIII'M dizzy!"
"Snap out of it, you two!" Toad yelled, slapping them both. They yelped in pain, rubbing their cheeks before shaking their heads to clear it.
"Thanks," Mario told him. "I needed that."
With that, they took in their surroundings. The island was covered in Warp Pipes, all of them bearing signs reading which area of the Mushroom World they were connected to.
"Whoa…" Mario let out. "Look at this place."
"This must be the Pipe Hub Pharaoh Bes mentioned," Luigi mused.
"Which one pukey pipe?" Yoshi asked queasily. "Yoshi..."
He gagged, his cheeks puffing out before he ran off hurriedly. They all cringed, looking away as Yoshi shoved his head into one pipe, retching violently.
"Oh, that's real nice," Toad deadpanned.
"Can you blame him?" Luigi shot back. "We just got spun around for what felt like three days!"
"Felt like weeks to me." Mario clutched his stomach, groaning. "Anyone got a Pepto Bismol?"
"Here you go." A hand held out a small cup with the familiar pink liquid.
"Oh, thanks," Mario took it without looking, drinking the cup and sighing before his eyes widened. "Wait a minute…"
He turned around, seeing a human man with black hair, donned in a red polo shirt and tan pants, as well as a brown cowboy hat and brown shoes.
"Howdy." The man tipped his hat.
"Uhhhh...hello?" Mario waved awkwardly.
"Hey-o." Luigi tipped his hat in response.
"Welcome to Pipe Hub Island, youngsters," the man greeted."Name's Sonny, how can I help you?"
"Oh! Sonny!" Toad perked. "Just who we're looking for! We need the pipe to the Seaside Kingdom."
"Seaside, Seaside…" Sonny hissed through his teeth. "Normally I'd be more than happy to point the way. However, I'm afraid that area is a bit... dangerous at the moment."
"Lemme guess, it's under attack by the Koopas?" Luigi asked.
"Righty-ho, Mr. Green. Specifically, it's under attack by - believe it or not - Princess Wendy O. Koopa."
"Let me also guess; she ousted the local lord, turned him into some kinda animal, and is now running the place," Mario added.
"That she did..." Sonny motioned for them to follow him.
"Yoshi, c'mon!" Mario called as they followed.
"Coming!"
Yoshi hobbled after the others, clutching his stomach. Meanwhile, back at the pipe he puked into, a soggy Shy Guy stuck his head out, looking even more depressed.
"I'm saaaaaad now..."
-X-
Sonny led them to a pipe marked "Sea Side," which had been sealed off with a large Brick Block.
"It started not too long ago," Sonny explained. "I received an emergency message from King Delphinius to lock the pipe until further notice. I haven't gotten word from him or his daughter since. So, I've just been keeping it shut."
"Well, we're on a mission from Princess Peach to help those kingdoms," Mario displayed the P-Wing. "So if you could kindly open it up."
Sonny's jaw dropped. "A P-Wing!? Well razz my berries! (1) Why didn't you pull that out earlier?!"
"We'd been tossed around in that Warp Whistle tornado," Mario replied. "Was still trying to get my head on straight."
"Fair enough." Sonny was about to open the pipe but stopped. "Oh yeah! One last thing!"
Sonny headed over to a chest next to the pipe, opening it up to pull out several folded sheets of green. He passed them out to the quartet. Mario unfolded one, revealing it to be a full-body frog suit, complete with big white eyes on the top.
"What the..." he let out.
"Is this...a frog costume?" Luigi questioned.
"What are we supposed to do with these?" Toad asked.
"That, my friends, is a Frog Suit. Fresh from Tadpole Pond. Whoever wears it gets the powers of a frog. Jumping higher, swimming faster, breathing underwater, the whole shebang."
"That's perfect!"
Mario immediately put his suit on, the costume turning red to match his cap and shirt as he did. It covered his entire body save his face, which poked out of the opening intended for the frog's mouth, and his hands. He took a step before stumbling, dropping to all fours.
"Right," Sonny rubbed the back of his neck. "Forgot to mention that it makes it a bit harder to move on land. Sorry about that, champ."
The others put theirs on before falling over. A few moments passed before they managed to adjust, finding themselves on all fours. Luigi and Yoshi's suits remained green, while Toad's had turned blue, the head swollen in the shape of his mushroom cap.
"Alright, so... you mind opening the pipe?" Mario requested.
"Can do." Sonny removed a small blue switch with a large P on it from his pocket, slamming his fist on it. The block clogging the pipe vanished.
"Thanks for the help, Sonny," Mario said gratefully.
"Just be careful. Wendy has more than a few tricks up her sleeve."
"Nothing we can't handle." Mario boasted before jumping down the pipe. Sonny watched as the others followed, before sighing.
"Pride comes before a fall, my red friend."
Seaside Kingdom
Mario and the others were shot out of the pipe, dropping into the ocean with a giant splash. A few moments passed before they darted up, Mario springing out like a dolphin.
"Wow, these suits work like a charm!" he exclaimed.
"Yoshi feel like goggle fish from Soda Lake!" Yoshi remarked.
"Okay, this is actually kinda cool!" Toad remarked.
"Hey guys!" Luigi called. "You gotta see this!"
Luigi pointed at the water and dove under, the group following.
"Whoa…" Mario let out.
The quartet found themselves staring at a beautiful undersea scene, brightly colored rocks, shells, corals, and fish everywhere.
"This is amazing…" Toad remarked
"Yeah..." Mario agreed, watching as a school of fish swam overhead. When this is over, we should totally come here on vacation sometime."
"Agreed!" Luigi declared.
At that moment, a red fish with a round body, a yellow mohawk-shaped dorsal fin, white pectoral fins, and a yellow tail fin swam over the group, eying Luigi curiously.
"Oh!" Luigi smiled. "Hello there!"
Luigi reached out to touch the fish, only for it to slap his hand away with his tail fin.
"Ow! What the-?!"
"Hands off, buddy," the fish warned.
"Oh…" Luigi chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't mean any-"
"Yeah, in the future, ask for permission and respect a Cheep Cheep's boundaries before you try touching them, eh?" With that, the Cheep Cheep swam off, leaving Luigi looking flustered.
"Guess the fish have strict boundaries here," Mario mused.
"That, and Luigi keeps forgetting that animals can talk here," Toad added.
"Right…" Luigi sighed.
"Where we go now?" Yoshi asked.
"Good question..." Mario turned to Toad. "Any ideas, Toad?"
"How should I know?" Toad shrugged. "I've never been here."
"Maybe we could find a boat and ask for directions?" Luigi pointed upward. "Look, there's one!"
Luigi swam up to it… only to frantically swim back down. "Swim for it!"
All of them watched him, confused.
"Just what did he see?" Mario asked.
"Why are you just standing...floating there!?" Luigi shouted. "Swim for your lives!"
"Luigi, what is going-?!" Mario began.
"Swim now, gab later! GET MOVING!"
"Not until you tell us what-" At that moment, a cannon lowered from the boat, bearing the Koopa Troop's insignia.
"Mamma Mia!" Mario exclaimed.
"Okay, swimming!" Toad cried.
As they took off, the cannon fired out what appeared to be Koopas in miniature submarines. The leader of the Koopas has a distinctive blue shell and a maniacal grin.
"Ohhhhhh yeah…" he remarked. "This was worth it. Just like he said it would be! He said to me, 'Hey buddy, you wanna be a bad guy?' I say, 'Yeah, baby, I wanna be BAD'! I say, 'SURFS UP, SPACE PONIES! I'M MAKING GRAVY WITHOUT THE LUMPS!'"
He laughed hysterically.
"Oi, Scott," a second Koopa spoke up. "cool it, will ya?"
"Oh shove it!"
"I'm just saying, no need to get carried away."
"Mind your own business, Greg. Now, no more talking! We came here to blow the Super Mario Brothers to Kingdom Come! And that's exactly what I'm gonna do!"
"But Scott... I thought we were leaving them for-"
"I SAID NO MORE TALKING!" Scott declared, cutting Greg off.
"Okay, okay, no talking."
"Good! Now..." Just then, a cannon emerged from Scott's mini-sub. "One all-expense paid ticket to Kingdom Come, via AIR KOOPA! We know you have many options to choose from, so thank you for flying with us!"
Scott pressed a button, firing a series of mini-torpedoes. The group turned, seeing them approach.
"Oh, shiitake." Toad cursed.
"Spread out!" Mario yelled.
The quartet scattered, causing the torpedoes to pursue them in different directions. Luigi kept swimming before finally diving down, hoping to avoid the torpedo, only for it to follow him.
"Yikes!" Luigi rapidly began swimming, darting around rocks and coral reefs in an effort to shake the torpedo.
"Alright, I should be fine. There's a lotta stuff in the way. It's gotta hit something..." The torpedo weaved around the obstacles effortlessly. "Oh, come on!"
"That's right, keep running away, Mr. Greenjeans!" Scott gloated. "You're gonna wish you'd worn brown instead!" He laughed maniacally.
As Luigi tried to think of a solution, a dolphin chirp reached his ears. He perked, looking to see a blue-skinned dolphin with yellow goggles waving a flipper at him. The dolphin swam toward him, grabbing the attention of the torpedo. Luigi watched as the torpedo chased after the dolphin.
"Did... did that dolphin just draw the torpedo?" he asked.
"Did that dolphin just draw away the torpedo?!" Scott roared before narrowing his eyes. "Wait, where's it goin'? It looks like it's heading towards..."
The dolphin pulled up, just in time for the torpedo to hit a rock formation. Scott's jaw dropped as he realized the rock formation happened to be right above him... and was now falling.
"Awww, fu-" The rocks landed on Scott's mini-sub, sending him hurtling toward the ocean floor.
" FOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUL! " the crazed blue Koopa screamed as he sank. The dolphin snickered before heading back over to Luigi.
"Why thank you… King Delphinius," the dolphin perked at that.
"Wasn't too hard to figure out. You're not the first bespelled monarch to help us out of a jam." Luigi perked at that. "Oh no... Mario! Toad! Yoshi! They're still being chased!"
The dolphin squeaked before turning around. He waved his tail, motioning for Luigi to grab on. The plumber grabbed his dorsal fin as they took off.
-X-
Meanwhile, Mario and Toad were still being chased by the torpedoes.
"Mamma Mia...what's up with these things!?" Mario demanded.
"They're gonna kill us!" Toad replied. "That's what's-!" Another dolphin squeal reached their ears. "Eh?!"
Luigi came darting through the water atop the dolphin.
"Luigi!" Mario cried.
"Bro! I'm-a coming!"
Luigi and the dolphin split, allowing the torpedoes to go after them. They proceed to lure them toward the other mini-subs. The Koopa pilots had just enough time to retreat into their shells before the torpedoes hit them, blowing up the subs and sending them floating to the surface.
"Well, that could've gone worse," Greg remarked.
"It could've gone better!" another Koopa retorted.
-X-
Luigi looked around. "Alright, where's Yoshi?"
"HELP!" He turned to see Yoshi swimming frantically around in circles, a torpedo chasing him. "Go away shiny, black, nut thingy! Go away!"
Eventually, Yoshi whirled around, lashing out with his tongue and snagging the torpedo.
"Down the hatch!" he declared before swallowing it, immediately producing an egg.
It began shaking and glowing. Immediately, Yoshi darted away mere seconds before it exploded, the blast sending him spiraling through the water. The dolphin darted in, catching and righting the dinosaur.
"Whoa!" Yoshi smiled. "Thank you, blue fish."
The dolphin swam off with Yoshi, bringing him back to the others.
"Guys, allow me to introduce you to King Delphinius." Luigi declared.
Mario raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? How can you tell?"
"He bailed us out of that torpedo bit. So far, every animal smart enough to help us like that has been a transfigured royal. It's not that hard to put together, Bro."
Mario nodded. "Yeah, that's a good point. Well made."
Toad perked. "Hang on. Sonny mentioned that Delphinius had a daughter. Did Wendy transmogrify her too?"
Delphinius shook his head, motioning for them to follow him and swimming off.
"Yoshi not like that…" Yoshi remarked.
"Me neither," Mario agreed.
-X-
After swimming for a bit, the group surfaces at a nearby pier, to the surprise of several tourists and beachgoers.
"What?" Mario demanded. "You never see a guy in a frog costume before?"
A dolphin squeal caught his attention. Mario turned to see Delphinius swimming near a newspaper vendor.
"Hmmm…" Mario hopped over.
"Can I… help you, sir?" the vendor asked.
"Uhhh…" Mario looked around before something caught his eye. "What the…?!"
He gaped at the front page in shock and horror.
"What's wrong, Mari-" Luigi gasped. "Ooooh my gosh!"
Toad gasped in shock, looking at what the front page read.
Royal Rebellion Routed. Princess Marina to Be Executed for Treason.
"Wendy's gonna kill her!" Luigi cried.
The dolphin screeched in terror.
"That's not gonna happen," Mario turned to the vendor. "Where did the Koopa Troop take the princess?"
"Last I heard, she and the rest of the resistance are being transported on her ship to the capital!"
"Directions, man!" Mario yelled. "Do we look like we know this joint?!"
"I-it's on Isola (2) Island in the east!"
"Thank you," Mario nodded. "C'mon, let's go!"
"Right!" They jumped back in the water.
"Come on, Luigi, we gotta move!" Mario cried.
"Mario, you're not seriously thinking of swimming all the way there, are you!?" Luigi demanded.
"You have a better idea, bro?"
"I just-"
"Bro, we have the frog suits, and time is literally of the essence. C'mon!"
Luigi sighed. "Alright. Let's-a go."
Meanwhile, onboard a Koopa Troopship, Wendy stood before a young woman around Mary Pat's age, with long blue hair and matching eyes. She wore a blue dress with a matching brooch, shoes, and bracelets, and was glaring at the female Koopaling defiantly despite being bound hand and foot.
"You put up a good fight, Princess Marina... but this outcome was inevitable," Wendy remarked.
"If you're expecting me to grovel, Wendy, you can forget it." Marina spat.
"Nothing like that. I just need you to answer a few questions..." Wendy turned serious. "Where's the magic wand?"
"Somewhere that the Dark Lands will never find it."
Wendy's eyes narrowed. "I'm trying to be reasonable here, Marina. You can either tell me where the wand is... or the local sea monsters will have a snack fit for a princess."
Marina smirked. "Then you will never find the wand. Only I know where it is, and ending my game will ensure it remains hidden."
Wendy sighed. "I didn't wanna do this, if only to be practical. But if you aren't going to cooperate, you leave me no choice."
She snapped her fingers. A group of Spikes entered, dragging along an older Cheep-Cheep with orange hair, lips, and tail.
Oi! the Cheep Cheep snapped in Japanese. Put me down this instant! This is no way to treat a lady!
Marina gasped in horror. "S-Sushie-san!"
"H-Hime-sama!" Sushie was cut off when the goons held a knife to her.
"We caught her swimming off to the Lake Kingdom," Wendy replied. "She didn't get far."
Marina started struggling viciously. "Damn you, let her go! She has a family!"
Wendy shrugged. "So do I, so do you. Everyone has a family. And right now, only two of us are going home to theirs. Which one depends on you. So, what's it gonna be, Marina?"
"Marina-sama, don't tell them anything!" Sushie cried.
"Tell me where the wand is, or I'll have Gabo turn Sushie into her namesake," Wendy warned.
"I've been practicing!" Gabo boasted.
Marina looked conflicted as Wendy made a tick-tock sound.
"Hime-sama, don't," Sushie pleaded.
"Gabo, how does the rice look?" Wendy asked.
Gabo opened up a barrel, cringing. "Ehhh… not good. We'll have to have sashimi instead."
"Sashimie…" Wendy smirked. "Isn't that your daughter's name, Fishy?"
"You leave my daughter out of this, you slimy majo (3)!" Sushie shrieked.
"Now is that any way to address the ruler of this Zone?"
Gabo cleared his throat. "Wrong story, ma'am (4)."
"Not the point." Wendy turned to Marina. "Now, you have until the count of three before Gabo guts Sushie like, well, a fish."
Gabo rested the blade at the bottom of Sushie's belly, applying the slightest pressure. Marina began to sweat.
"One… two… th-"
"OKAY!" Marina screamed, slumping. "Okay… you win."
Wendy motioned for her to continue.
"I had the wand hidden on Ile (5) Island, northwest of here. It's buried beneath the old Toad House."
"Thank you," Wendy said with a smile. "Gabo, put her back in the tank."
"Awww..." Gabo sagged in disappointment.
"Hold on!" Marine cried out. "I did as you asked, you said you'd let her go!"
"No, I said I wouldn't end her game," Wendy smugly corrected. "Do try to keep up, Marina."
Marina glared viciously at the Koopa Princess, tears streaming down her face.
"You...You slimy turtle! I-!"
Marina's curse was cut short by a red and white striped ring appearing around her head, which shrunk until it was caught in her mouth, gagging her.
"Now, now," Wendy said as she held up a wand of her own, the jewel still glowing. "No need for name calling."
With Marina silenced, Wendy turned her to her soldiers.
"Send our men to Ile Island! Find that wand!" she ordered.
"Yes, Princess Wendy!"
As Wendy and her troops headed for the door, she took one last look at Marina; grinning in smug satisfaction at the sight of the Seaside Princess' defeated state.
"Bye-bye, Princess..."
Marina watched as Wendy slammed the door behind her, leaving her alone in darkness.
Author's Note:
(1): 1950s slang. It means "excite or impress me."
(2): Italian for "island."
(3): Japanese for "witch."
(4): Bit of a gag here. One of us mistakenly put "Zone" instead of "kingdom" because we'd been working on Tales of Sonic quite a bit lately, and we decided to take that and run with it. Not like Mario has much of a fourth wall nowadays anyway.
(5): French for "island."
Well, it appears Seaside has landed in some hot water (no pun intended). Can Mario save the day and send Wendy packing? And what the flip is up with Mary Pat?
Marina is the property of Legend-tony980 on DeviantArt, used with his permission. Sushie is from Paper Mario, natch, and Sonny from Mario Golf 64.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Sonny - Kevin Shinick (Dad of the Nuclear Family in Justice League Action, Bruce Banner in Avengers Assemble, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the 2017 Spider-Man cartoon)
* Sushie - Takayo Fischer (Kairi Tanaga in Batman Beyond, Chu-hui in Teen Titans 2003, Gillian Hewley in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Li & Lo in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Mistress Ching in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End)
* Gabo - Dave Wasson (The Henchman in The Cuphead Show, Max in Oh Yeah! Cartoons)
* Marina - Cherami Leigh (Asuna from Sword Art Online, Makoto Niijima from Persona 5, Ilia Amitola from RWBY, Road Kamelot from D. Gray-man, Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon's Viz Media dub, Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail, Patty Thompson from Soul Eater, Kazari Uiharu from A Certain Magical Index/Scientific Railgun, Shana from Shakugan no Shana, Rottytops from Shantae, Rhea from Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Please R&R. Until next time!