Chapter 7 Mushroom Kingdom Ahoy!

All of the Koopalings gathered on the deck of the airship. As they looked down upon Peach's Castle, all seven of them had the exact same expression on all of their faces: a worried one. Some of them even exchanged looks with one another as the airship dropped lower and lower towards their destination. Ludwig had a feeling they were all thinking the same thing: that this could get really messy, really fast. Especially since…

"Bowser, have you contacted Peach about this beforehand?" Ludwig asked as he turned toward his father.

Bowser laughed. "Why would I need to? There's no way she won't take you guys!"

Ludwig gave him a raised eyebrow before shaking his head and looking back at the castle. The brazen lack of any sort of common sense… honestly, Ludwig had expected more from Bowser. Maybe foolishly, but still, he had expected more.

Before long, the pilots dropped both the anchor and the rope ladder. While still wearing the worried expressions, the Koopalings made their way over and started to descend one by one. Ludwig decided to go last, and as he descended, he noticed the doors to the castle opening up. Peach, Mario, and Luigi (huh, it had been a hot minute since Ludwig saw the latter) came running out. All three of them stared at the airship in fright, with Mario looking ready to fight and defend his princess if the situation called for it. If it wasn't for Luigi standing right there to cajole him, he probably would've.

Once Ludwig's feet touched the ground, he let out a sigh and looked over at the princess and the plumbers. His mind raced for the right thing to say, the right way to explain that they came and peace and that they needn't be afraid. Before he could, however, Bowser Jr. ran toward Peach. It was obvious from his expression that he had been held back from seeing Peach for just a minute too long, and now he couldn't contain himself.

"Mama Peach!" the prince ran toward her, wrapping his arms around her. Peach initially gawked, but just as quickly regained her footing.

"Hello, Junior," she said. She slowly patted him on the shoulder. "It's… it's nice to see you. On such short notice, no less…"

Junior chuckled. It was at this point where the other Koopalings made their way toward the trio. Ludwig, however, stood very still, watching this all unfold while biting his lip.

The Marios looked at the Koopalings, studying them like a crime scene. It took about a full minute, but both of them gawked as recognition flashed across their faces.

"Larry?" Luigi asked, his eyes wide. "Morton? Lemmy?" The Koopalings all nodded, which just made Luigi do a double take. "How… why… what…?"

"Why are you guys human?" Mario asked, his voice more incredulous than shocked.

"Uh…" Roy hesitated before chuckling. "Well, that's kind of a long story…"

"Yep!" Bowser exclaimed, his voice carrying around the courtyard as he dropped down from the ladder. "An extremely long story, not to mention a dangerous one." He had a furrowed brow, something he hardly ever wore. "And… well, we are in need of your help. Badly in need of your help!"

The Mario brothers exchanged looks as Peach dealt with the overly affectionate Junior. Mario opened his mouth to say something, but to Ludwig's shock, it was actually Luigi who took a step forward and made his voice known.

"What is it?" There was an uncertainty in his voice, and he trembled as he looked at the Koopalings in their human forms. While Ludwig had expected such an action, it still made his stomach squirm. The way that Peach and Mario shared in that uncertainty didn't give Ludwig high hopes for everything working out.

Bowser sucked some air through his teeth. "It's… it's complicated." He looked at his children, like he was ready to hold each and everyone of them tightly to his chest. "If it's okay with you, I think we need to discuss this in full. If it's okay with you, that is."

Peach studied the Koopalings and Bowser herself. She had a furrowed brow, something that made Ludwig feel a little more confident in getting their help. However, the way Mario looked at them almost canceled that out entirely. He didn't look hateful per say, but he did look… distrustful and cautious.

Despite that, Peach eventually nodded. "Okay." She looked right at Bowser. "Come into the castle and we'll discuss this."

…

Mario had to admit, as he sat at the table listening to Bowser talk, that he wasn't as welcoming as he supposed he should've been. The second he saw the airship in the sky… well, he got scared. REALLY scared, which was strange because there really wasn't anything to warrant it. The Mushroom and Koopa Kingdoms had established a peace treaty after all, a peace treaty that Bowser had admittedly done a good job of adhering to (which was probably the biggest shock Mario's system had ever received). But even still, watching as the airship flew toward them made him panic a little bit. What if Bowser had finally decided to break the treaty and kidnap Peach again? The mere thought of that made Mario stick closer to Peach than ever before. He almost didn't even let her go outside, suggesting that perhaps only he and Luigi should go confront the Koopa King. He had relented due to Peach's confidence that it was all going to be okay, but even still, he stuck to her like glue while standing in the castle courtyard. And while he had done a good job at hiding it, he had been sweating bullets when he, the princess, and his brother all watched the ladder be lowered out of the airship.

But what was probably the most shocking to the Mushroom Kingdom's Hero was seeing the Koopalings in human form. That sight made it clear to Mario that this time was different from what he had expected. They weren't here to kidnap Peach after all, a realization that made Mario relax a little. Call it a feeling in his gut, call it some kind of hope. He knew that they weren't here to cause trouble, which made him the most relieved he had ever been.

So, as he sat here listening to Bowser regale his tale, he listened intently. The whole thing made it clear that this was a serious subject. This wasn't just because of what Bowser said, but also the way he said it. He kept looking at his transformed kids as they all sat around the one table in the war room, and Mario noticed several instances where Bowser's voice broke. Yes. Broke. This threw Mario off so much because Bowser would never… never do anything that showed his vulnerability like that (at least in front of Mario). While it didn't exactly make Mario feel bad for the Koopa King, it did at the very least show that things were dire. Mario even shuddered when both Bowser and Ludwig told them about the Shadow Seeker.

When Bowser finished, Mario looked among the Koopalings. Like Bowser's breaking voice, the looks that they gave him really threw Mario for a loop. They looked frightened. Desperate, was the way Mario supposed he could describe their mental state. It shook him, shook him in a way that was really new for him. He looked at Peach and Luigi, on some level hoping that they would have a levelheaded way of looking at this predicament.

"Hmm," Peach said, leaning forward while wearing a furrowed brow. "This sounds…"

"This sounds awful!" Luigi exclaimed from his seat next to Mario. He stood up, shaking and sweating his skin off. "A demon? That sounds super dangerous!" His gaze traveled between everyone present. "I've heard stories about demons. They have a kind of power that no mortal being can hope to match. They can kill you! Painfully! They can kill you and eat your soul in order to increase their own power beyond any reachable level!" He looked at the Koopas, his eyes filled with fright. "You guys are lucky to be alive!"

Lemmy shook at that statement. "I… I suppose we are." He rubbed his shivering arms.

Wendy seemed to share that opinion. "Y… yeah." Her eyes grew wide. "Oh my gosh!" She shuddered, curling up into a little ball as she sat in her chair. "I have friends back home." Her shaking only got worse. "If anything were to happen to any of them…"

"Nothing is going to happen, Wendy," Bowser said. The cheerful, jovial (as well as delusional) energy that he usually possessed was completely gone. "That's why you guys are here after all; to be protected and ensured."

Iggy looked at the Koopa King. "That is true, but even with that taken into consideration, there are still many people who are in danger here! You yourself said that even you can't fight against a demon."

That sentence made Mario do a double-take. And as if the voice breaking wasn't enough to throw Mario off, now Bowser grew misty-eyed. "I know."

Nobody said a word. The Koopalings and Bowser Jr. looked scared out of their minds, and Bowser looked at all of them with a somber look. If Mario didn't know any better, he would assume that this was their final goodbye. This was the last time they would ever see each other in person. While Mario didn't know for certain that might be the case, the mere possibility really hit him. A lot of different emotions piled on top of him as he grappled with the reality of the situation. He felt surprised, surprised that Bowser wasn't even trying to play down the severity of everything while simultaneously building himself up. He felt shocked, shocked that the great Koopa King himself was so uncertain about everything. He felt sad. Yes, really. There were a million emotions he thought he would feel in relation to Bowser and the Koopalings, but sad?

"Well," Bowser said, his voice unbearably quiet. He looked at Mario and Luigi. "Will you guys please watch over my kids? For me?"

Mario felt a pang. He hung his head, unsure if he could really give Bowser a response. While he did feel sympathetic towards him in this particular instance, there was quite a bit of baggage that prevented him from saying yes immediately. He thought back to all those rescue missions he had to go on. He thought about the Toads' faces during Bowser's attacks, how outright horrifying it was to look upon them in such high-strung emotional states. Was it very unheroic of him to hold a grudge against Bowser, after things had already been sorted out? Yes. Did Mario realize that? Yes. Did that self-awareness make this whole situation any easier to handle?

Not in the slightest.

"We… we…" Luigi looked like he was about to say yes. Even Peach looked ready to say yes to helping the Koopas. However, one look at Mario made them pause. Their eyes rested on him in the most daunting way ever.

Because of this, he pushed his chair back and stood up. "If you don't mind, Bowser, I think the three of us need some time to discuss this amongst ourselves."

Bowser didn't protest, only nodded. His stomach churning, he turned away from Bowser and pulled Peach and Luigi into the other room. Once the door closed, Mario took off his cap and sighed.

"This…" while putting his cap back on, he looked at the other two. "I don't know what to do here."

Luigi took a step forward. "I personally think we should help them. Sure, it is risky, but in all honesty? If what Bowser said is true, then this whole thing is extremely serious."

"Indeed," Peach chimed in once Luigi paused. Her eyes glittered with sympathy as she looked at the door to the room they just exited. "And I think what he's saying is true! Did you see how he acted? Did you hear how he talked?"

Mario bit his lip. "I… I did." He wiped his eyes. "But… but this is Bowser. This is the guy who was willing to do unspeakable things." His gaze traveled between both of them. "We know this firsthand."

"We… we do." Peach nodded, directed her gaze down toward the ground.

"But why should that matter?" Luigi said. "If we don't help him in this scenario, then we could all be in danger! You heard what he said; there's a demon on the loose. Can you imagine what would happen if that demon decided to set its sights here?" He stood proud and tall. "If anything, I think letting the Koopalings stay here is the least that we should be doing!"

Mario raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying? That we provide military aid to him?"

"That might be necessary," Peach said. "I mean, we need to fight off against that demon. We can't have it here, as it does sound pretty powerful." She frowned. "And I have this gut feeling that turning the Koopalings into humans is the least that its capable of. And if it were to come here, come here and hurt all of my Toads…"

Mario's heart sank. "You're right." He paused, pinching his brow as he groaned. "But this is Bowser. I know I shouldn't, but… but I still have my doubts. I mean, he turned me into a koopa at one point…"

Luigi took a step forward, placing his hands on Mario's shoulders. "Bro," he said, his tone serious. "Don't you think this shows you how scared the Koopa family is now? Think about it; you were cursed by Kamek. They were cursed by something far more powerful, and like you, they don't know for certain if they'll be able to turn back." He looked Mario right in the eye. "Don't you think they are as scared as you were? Don't you think that providing them help is the right thing to do because of that?"

Mario's heart skipped a beat. He stood, frozen for a minute, as he thought about what Luigi said. With careful movements, he pulled himself out of arm's length of Luigi.

"You're..." He still wasn't sure if he should trust anything that Bowser said. But even still… he thought back to his time as a Koopa. He needed help back then, and few people were willing to give it to him. The fact that he could provide assistance to people going through something similar… sure, they were his arch enemies. But it was the right thing to do. Mario had suffered a lot while under his Koopa curse. He didn't want anyone to experience something similar.

So, he took a deep breath. "You're right. You're absolutely right." He turned back toward the door, ready to give the news to Bowser. He still had a churning stomach, but that didn't matter. He was going to do this.

It was the right thing to do.