Chapter 7 Disintegrating

Walking free was paradoxically the best and worst thing Jasper could do at this point. On the one hand, it felt so good to be out in the fresh air. The fact that he had more than just a dark and dingy dungeon cell, which provided little space to walk around and even less scenery to walk in was the most liberating fact that Jasper had been aware of in years. He felt like a new koopa. He felt as though he ruled the world, being out in the open in this manner.

At the same time, paranoia and anxiety filled his heart and head. He kept looking over his shoulder, whimpering every single time he did. He knew that, if word got back to Bowser that he had escaped, he would become a wanted fugitive. No one would help him, no one would give him food or a place to rest. All they would do was drag him by his feet back to Bowser and his horrible dungeon. This fact not only scared Jasper, but it terrified him.

And walking through Neo Bowser City right at this moment, Jasper felt more terrified than he had at any other part of his life. When the opportunity presented itself, he ducked into alleyways and kept to the shadows. He refused to walk in the middle of the road and refused to even make eye contact with anybody. Anytime someone did look at him, he felt as though every spotlight ever constructed was directed right at him.

Once again, Jasper's mind traveled back to Opal Flamewright. The emotions he felt regarding her could be identified as extreme, more than any emotion that he had felt in the two years of being in the dungeon and the nineteen years of being in actual prison. Those darn eggs she laid had been far more trouble than it was worth. They were now the reason why he had to keep as low a profile as possible. Who needed those eggs? Really, who needed them; they were probably the single worst thing that had ever occurred to Jasper.

With this thought in mind, Jasper stopped. He gritted his teeth thinking about those eggs, those horrible eggs. Not wanting to walk with these horrible blights on his mind, he took a seat on a bench on the sidewalk. Sure, was it out in the open? Yes. Did it leave him exposed in broad daylight, enough so that Bowser could easily find him if he decided to look? Yes. But right now, it was exactly what he needed. Even if the eggs and the babies that hatched from them weren't on his mind, Jasper had been walking for the better part of the last ten hours. Rest was more than a little necessary at this point.

So, he sat down with the most relieved sigh he could produce. Sitting here, not only did Jasper's aching feet get a chance to relax, but his mind also managed to relax as well. It also reminded him of the events that led him to this moment. The wish on the star, the gem being formed, the soldiers crumbling beneath him. The more time he spent thinking about these events, the more his heart pumped. He reached up to touch the jewel, hanging from his neck. He managed to smile at the feel of it. His mind raced at the memories of what it had allowed him to do. On some level, it didn't seem real. Was it all a dream?

Well, he was here right now instead of locked in Bowser's dungeon, so it clearly was real. Still, the whole scene with the guards, toppling like dominos because of the gem (a gem that had been formed out of material from Jasper's own body) made him feel… strange. He didn't know if he should feel happy or sad, scared or calm. Nothing about what had happened the night before added up. He didn't even know if this new gem he had was worth keeping around. Would a sane person have gotten rid of it by now?

He squeezed it, and a warmth spread through his fingertips. It felt like it had its own heartbeat, a pulse that told Jasper that everything was indeed alright. Squeezing it even tighter, he thought about when he wished on the shooting star. It almost seemed like fate itself wanted only the best for him. It almost seemed like the world was finally telling him that he had hope for a future, a chance to do amazing things. And it was about time. It was about time that things finally started changing for the better. It was about time that Jasper could discard his rotten past and leave it behind him once and for all.

But now, while still squeezing his new gem, he thought about the specific wish that he made. He had wished for power, and he had obviously gotten it. The gem was certainly a large source of power if what happened the night before was any indication. But now, Jasper had a question. How much power did he have exactly? What were the limits to what he could do? Were there limits to what he could do? Did this gem give him the ability to do anything he wanted, or were its abilities restricted to causing explosions?

At first, Jasper worried that that might be the case. But as he considered this, his worry vanished. No, based on the wording of his wish, he knew this gem was capable of doing more than that. It had to be. It would be the worst rip-off in history if it wasn't! But that raised the question; how exactly could he figure things out?

Grunting, Jasper directed his gaze away from the jewel for a second. He studied Neo Bowser City, taking in everything that he had missed while battling his paranoia. After taking things in, his eyes landed on a cafe directly across the street. He did a double take just as his stomach growled. He just now realized that he hadn't eaten anything since the meal Bowser delivered to him the night before, which he hadn't even finished because he had been so focused on his digging. He needed to get some calories in his body ASAP. The only problem was that he didn't have any money or a realistic way of getting any.

Jasper paused. He looked back down at his gem, glowing like a star. A smile grew on his face, and he chuckled. Perhaps now would be the best time for him to figure out the answers to his questions.

So, he stood up. Clearing his throat, he began a march down toward the cafe. The sound of the bell ringing overhead when he entered acted as an omen of some sort. It alerted everyone inside to his presence and told each and every one of them to be on their toes. Jasper Starfold was walking into the building now, and nobody stood even a sliver of a chance when it came to standing up to him.

Not even bothering to wait, he plowed through the line of people standing in front of the counter. Many of them gawked at him, with some going so far as to glare at him.

"Hey, wait your turn, buddy!" one said.

"Yeah, no need to be a prick!" said another.

Jasper just smirked. He pushed one more person (a goomba, specifically) out of the way, making the crash into a nearby table. When he got up to the counter, he leaned his hand against it in a way that he considered charming. He kept the smirk on his face as he looked into the eyes of the paratroopa barista, who gave him a look of absolute contempt.

"I would like a large mocha latte and a bacon, Yoshi egg, and cheese sandwich."

The barista glared at him, almost looking like she was going to punch him. "Well, I'll happily give you those things… when it's your turn to order."

"Yeah!" said the goomba who crashed into the table. "Get back in line, asshole!"

"Try to be courteous for a change, you egocentric jerk!"

Jasper frowned. He looked back at all the people, feeling negativity building up inside of him. He looked down at his gem. He noticed it glowing red again, which replaced the anger with glee. He put one hand to the gem, and he held the other out in front of him. A red light grew in the center of his palm, a light that made everyone else tremble.

"Uh… what are you doing?" asked a bob-omb.

Jasper chuckled just as a laser hit one of the patrons. The second it did, the poor sap disintegrated. No time for them to scream, no time for them to run, no time for them to do anything. All that was left of him were some very sparse ashes floating down to the ground. Everyone let out a collective gasp, staring at the place where the bob-omb once stood. They all looked back at Jasper before one of them screamed.

"RUN!"

The customers bolted toward the door, but that wasn't enough to deter Jasper. With his glee growing exponentially, he fired more lasers. They hit the people as they rushed toward the door, and like the bob-omb before them, they disintegrated. The silence that hung in the air once they were all gone was… oh, it was just so satisfying! Sure, was what Jasper did a little extreme? Yes, definitely. But he could do it, so, therefore, he did!

Chuckling to himself, he turned back to the barista. She trembled, shaking so much that she couldn't even flap her wings anymore. Her breathing sped up as she stood on the ground, her eyes as wide as planets.

"Now," Jasper said. He stepped closer to the counter, causing a little whimper to escape from her mouth. "About my order…"

"Um… yes. Yes, your order…" Still shaking, she slowly rose back into the air and started working on it. Jasper watched her as she prepared his latte, all while still wearing another smirk. He touched the gem again, noticing it was hotter than before. Honestly, the warmth it gave off was soothing, kind of calming.

Within no time at all, Jasper's order was all set. "Um… that'll be six coins," the barista said, her voice high and light as Jasper grabbed his food.

Jasper flashed her a glare. "I don't need to pay." His glare grew more concentrated, and the gem glowed red again.

The barista held her hands up in front of her. "Yes! Yes, of course! No need to pay; this order is completely on the house!"

Jasper smiled. "Thank you." He turned, about to leave the store, when something occurred to him. He turned back toward the barista. "Oh. I think it would be best if you don't tell anyone about this." More on instinct than anything else (not that that was the right word to use, as Jasper hadn't exactly done this before), he removed the gem from his neck and held it in front of the paratroopa. It glowed with a blue light this time, a sight that the barista couldn't pull her eyes away from. As she stared into the light, a glassy sheen appeared over her eyes. She even wobbled, visibly entering a daze-like state.

"You will forget all about what you just saw," Jasper spoke, the words flowing smoothly. "You didn't see anything unusual. I am just an ordinary customer, and you will treat me as such. You will not tell anyone about what you saw here either."

The second he finished saying that the gem stopped glowing. The barista did a double take, looking around the cafe for a second. The confusion in her eyes was very strongly pronounced like she was just waking up from a coma. When she looked back at Jasper, she did a double-take before smiling.

"Have a nice day, sir!"

"Thank you," Jasper responded. "You too."

With that, he exited the cafe. He stopped on the curb, trying to process everything that had just occurred. He looked down at his food, thanking his lucky stars that he was able to get it. He thought back to the sight of the people disintegrating. For a split second he felt bad, but just as quickly decided that it wasn't worth worrying about. He touched his gem once again, his joy reaching insurmountable levels.

"Little Buddy," he said, talking to the jewel like it was an actual person, "you and I are going to be best friends."

…

Larry stood in front of Bowser as he sat on his throne. Kamek stood beside him, and as Larry recounted the story of what happened when he wished on Fortune's Comet, both of them looked taken aback. Kamek stared at Larry with what appeared to be a worried face, all while Bowser looked like he was having trouble processing all of this new information. By the time Larry mentioned the new powers he had discovered, both of their jaws dropped. They couldn't take their eyes off the Koopaling to save their life, which filled Larry with joy more than anything else.

"So… yeah!" he said, finally finishing with his long explanation. He puffed out his chest, standing tall and proud. "I know it's unbelievable, but I think it's awesome! I never in a million years would've imagined that this would happen, but… oh, I'm just so happy that it did!"

Bowser and Kamek exchanged a look. "Uh…" Bowser hesitated, an action that struck Larry as odd considering he never did it. "Um…" he tapped his fingers against his armrest before turning back to Larry. He tried to smile but failed. "Are you… as long as this is something you want, and you are sure that this is something you want…"

"Oh, believe me, it is!" Larry said. "It definitely is!"

Kamek frowned. "I see." He took his glasses off to polish them. "Well, I suppose there are worse things for a young boy to want."

"Yeah," Bowser said with a nod. He bit his lip. "Just… all I would recommend is that you be careful from here on out. I know from raising Ludwig that superpowers aren't something to be taken lightly. You need to treat them with respect, and you can't just use them willy-nilly. Know what I mean?"

Larry sighed. "Yes, I do." He smiled. "But don't worry, I think I'll know how to treat them once I get used to them. There's no reason to worry!"

Kamek snorted. "That's what we said to each other before Ludwig destroyed Frostwall." He put his glasses back on and looked back at Larry. "Regardless… well, we are willing to trust you, Larry. Just be cautious okay."

Larry's spirits rose. "Thanks guys! You're the best!" With one more nod from his parental figures, Larry turned on his heel and left the throne room. Once he did, he tapped the side of his head in order to access the internet. The very first place he went was a walkthrough of Newer Super Mario Bros Wii, which he watched intently while walking back to his room. He was so absorbed by this video that he accidentally bumped into Roy as he made his way out of the common room.

"Whoops!" Larry said as he backed away. "Sorry, bro!"

Roy was silent, prompting Larry to pause the video, make the projection go away, and look at his older brother. His heart ached when he saw Roy's face; there was so much fear there. It looked like Roy was facing down a monster, and knew that this encounter wouldn't end with him walking away alive. And if Larry were to be frank, this fact made him feel considerably sad.

"Dude, are you okay?" He reached out to take Roy's hand before remembering how Roy had reacted to that earlier. As such, he stopped himself and pulled his hand back. "What's going on?"

Roy hesitated. His gaze traveled every which way as if he was trying to avoid looking at Larry at any cost. This made Larry feel bad; awful, actually. He bit his lip, hoping that Roy would talk to him. They were still brothers, despite what was happening right now.

"Uh…" Roy scratched his head. "I'm fine." Larry heard his breathing; it sounded shallow. "Just… just living life and… stuff." He lowered his head and started walking away without another word.

And honestly, this just made Larry even more sad. "Hey!" He followed after his brother. "Dude, what's up? Is everything okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Roy said, all without stopping.

"Roy!" This time, Larry didn't even care about the previous display, as he took hold of Roy's hand anyway. "Roy, come on! Why are you acting like this?" A pause hung in the air. "Please tell me, bro."

Roy stopped. He looked back at Larry with a questioning look. He took off his shades, looking into Larry's face. A tear formed in his eye, but he wiped it away before it could fall.

"Everything is fine, little bro. You're happy with your wish, so everything is just fine."

"Except it's not." Larry let go of Roy's hand. "You're freaked out about this, aren't you? You think me being a robot makes me dangerous now, don't you?"

"I… I don't know if I'd say that, but…" he thought about this before shaking his head and putting his glasses back on. "It's not worth worrying about, bro."

Larry felt a pang. "Except it is. You're freaked out around me, and I don't want that. You're my brother; you shouldn't have to be scared of me. I'll show you that there's no reason to freak out." He put his hand to his chin before smiling. "And I know exactly how to do it!"

Roy blinked. "You do? How?"

Larry's smile grew bigger. "Follow me."