Adventuring Group: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, DK, Dixie, Toadette, Goombella, Kooper, Parakarry, Spike/Paper-Yoshi, Vivian, Bowser, Larry, Bowser Jr., Wario, Pauline, Mona, Starlow, Grodus, Lord Crump, Boshi
Hospital group: Bleck/Blumiere, Tippi/Timpani, Toadsworth, Fly Guy, Toado, Morton, Lemmy, Ludwig, Kody, E. Gadd, Clawdia, Katia, Kenneth, Toodles, Petey Piranha, Rosalina, Monty Mole, Mimi
Mushroom Corps.: Toadari, Tadano, Paraklyde
Island group: Tatanga, Beldam, Roy, Doopliss, Dimentio, Diddy, Fire Bro/Konnor
Moon: TEC
The group returned back through the portal that led them to the mystical Crystal Star Rod and were right back in the forest trail leading to the now gone Blackstone Tower. Mario couldn't help but keep staring in awe at the wondrous item, beyond relieved that they finally achieved the item that would secure their victory.
"Aaaaand we're back! Oh…back to the bodies…" Fly Guy cheered, but then his expression sank upon seeing the bodies of Jojora, Lakilester, Bombette, Luvbi, and Koops again on the ground.
"We're not leaving them here! Please! We need to take them with us back to the hospital so they can get a proper burial like the others!" Starlow pleaded, tearing up again upon seeing Luvbi.
"Of course, Starlow. No way we're leaving them here. Come on guys, let's grab a body and get going back to the ambulance," DK said, sadness and grief sinking quickly back in for everyone as they were immediately reminded that their five friends were dead.
"Soooo…I know this is a long shot, but there's no way the Crystal Star Rod can even revive dead people, right?" Toadette asked, predicting in her mind what the answer would be.
"No. Even with the world's most powerful weapon…that is not something you can use the rod to reverse. If someone passes, then that's it. You cannot reverse the order of death as that's violating the most natural law of the universe. That is the exception to what the Crystal Star Rod can do," Rosalina answered sadly, not surprising anyone.
"Yeah, I figured as much. Just goes to show you that even the most powerful things have their limits," Toadette commented disappointedly.
"So, Mario, what's the plan after this? We go back to the hospital, bury them, then…?" Mona questioned.
"Yes, back to the hospital, give them a burial, we rally up any of the others there who want to help us take down Mushroom Corporations, then we go there and destroy the place…then it's off to Tatanga," Mario answered firmly.
"That's right. I almost forgot about Mushroom Corporations, how they were using us the whole time for their own twisted shit. The Crystal Star Rod should make that quick and easy!" Dixie recalled in disgust.
"Yes, it should, but we also shouldn't get too cocky even with the rod in tow. Mushroom Corporations and Tatanga still have a massive supply of weapons that could be used to hurt us and lower our defenses. We don't wanna just assume that we can roll on in there and take the whole place down in seconds," Rosalina pointed out in caution.
"Exactly. So, we should treat this as if it's any of the other missions we've done previously," Daisy added.
Mario fumbled with the Crystal Star Rod, taking in its radiance and obtaining a thirst for using its power. He smiled a little and said, "You know…I'm pretty sure with this item, I can just warp all of us back to the hospital with the bodies, so we can save time on walking this trail all the way back, then driving back to the hospital."
"Oh! That's right. Well, give it a shot! But what would you say to make it do it warp us though?" Just, uhh, 'I wish we were back at St. Toadofsky's Hospital' I guess?" Spike presumed.
"Not even that, I'm pretty sure you can just think of your wish and it'll do its job. Go on, Mario! Try it!" Goombella urged, excited to see this work.
"WAIT!" Rosalina shouted, startling everyone else. "Mario…warp us to the beginning of the forest trail. There's someone waiting there who I want you all to meet first. Someone who drove me and Fly Guy from the hospital…someone who really helped me heal when I was at Fort Koopington." Everyone looked at her with piqued interest now.
"Ohhhh, hehehe yeah, THAT guy! He's soooo weird but very kind!" Fly Guy commented.
"He couldn't possibly be weirder than you!" Pauline scoffed.
"Mmm. Close. I'm number 1 weirdest, he's number 2!" Fly Guy responded with a shrug.
"Okay…" Mario whispered and closed his eyes, visualizing the start of the forest trail. He waved the rod in the air and suddenly felt a surge of energy flow through him. He opened up his eyes and yelped, immediately realizing that he and his friends were back at the start of the forest trail, next to two ambulances and a clearly spooked Monty Mole who was standing outside and leaning against one of them.
"WOAH! WHAT IN THE FREAKIN'...o-oh! Hi! Rosalina! Fly Guy! And…friends! Hi! Wow! Uhh, you all just popped up…out of thin air?" Monty awkwardly stammered.
Rosalina smiled at him. "Everyone, this is Monty. He's the one who I bonded with in Fort Koopington. He really wants to help us out with the remainder of this journey."
"Nice to meet you, Monty!" Peach cheerily spoke, extending her hand out. "Any friend of Rosalina's, especially one who's helped her out a lot, is a friend of ours!"
Monty couldn't help but blush and grin cheesily and shook her hand. "W-Wow! I'm shaking hands with the princess! And…uhh…y-yeah, heh, hi everyone! Yeah, my name's Monty. I know, so original. Heh." The others waved and smiled at him.
"Monty man! We got the final gem AND the Crystal Star Rod! Look how crystal-y it is! So crystal that it could turn YOU into a crystal!" Fly Guy cheerily pointed out.
"OH! SWEET! That's awesome! I'm so happy for you guys! So…" Monty was about to continue until he realized some of them were carrying deceased bodies that were definitely their friends. "...Oh. Um…I see…you've also lost some people…oh gosh, I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to not notice that and act all giddy b-because that's totally inappropriate and-and-"
"Hey! Monty! It's okay. It's a pleasure to meet you. We were just about to go back to the hospital and bury our friends since there's no way in hell we're leaving them out here," Daisy assured and explained the sad situation.
"Oh…okay. Good. I mean, not good that your friends are gone obviously, but good that you're gonna bury them! Wait, that still sounds weird. Uhh, right. I'll drive you guys back! Hop on in!" Monty nervously responded, unsure of how to properly act in this situation. He then was about to get back into the ambulance, but Mario stopped him.
"Hold on there. We don't need to drive back. I got something that'll get us there quicker," Mario said with a slight smirk. He then closed his eyes and waved the rod then yelled, "TAKE US BACK TO THE HOSPITAL!"
A flash was seen. Then a split second later, everyone was back at the graveyard behind the hospital…including the two ambulances.
"WOAH! WHAT THE FLIPPITY FLACK!? Uhh…you did that…with the rod, right!? Like, that was supposed to happen!?" Monty screeched in total surprise, nearly falling over onto the grass.
"Yep. Ooh. Except for the ambulances. Didn't plan on having those come with us," Mario pointed out awkwardly to the two ambulances just simply parked out onto the grass near them.
"Alright…well, we're here. There's a couple of shovels left behind here. Let's start digging," Bowser said, grabbing a shovel, and beginning the process and a couple others joined in as everyone else mourned and comforted each other over their five deceased friends.
Yoshi saw Birdo's grave and tears immediately came to his eyes as he felt his heart shatter once more. All the memories came flooding back in an instant…along with what went down in his room at the tower. Him seeing her die again, even if it was just a false thing conjured up by the 'evil' in that place, fucked majorly with his head and it made him wanna die himself so he wouldn't have to mentally relieve those horrific images.
Mario saw this, feeling deeply for his friend, then looked to Boshi who was also witnessing Yoshi crying. Boshi was clearly choking up and sniffling, but the pain he was feeling was nowhere near what Yoshi had. It angered Mario that Boshi was back as if he hadn't left the group at all. He didn't like leaving him down there in the Underworld…but he also didn't want him back with the group, especially with Yoshi. Boshi didn't deserve that.
Mario stomped on over to Boshi and said to his face, "Alright, Boshi. It's time for you to go."
Boshi was taken aback and looked confused. "Huh? What? Mario…"
"We got you out of the Underworld. You're safe now…but you're not welcome in this group after all the shit you pulled. You need to leave," Mario stated, drawing attention to the two. Yoshi wiped his eyes and turned his head towards them.
Boshi had a look of disapproval upon his face and was hoping someone would object…but everyone else's expressions said it clearly as well: he needed to go.
"So…that's it then? Oooookay…I'll just find somewhere in the hospital to hide out then where you won't see my face anymore. Sucks, but I get it, I guess…" Boshi responded somberly with a shrug.
"No no," Yoshi yelped and then stomped towards Boshi with a livid expression. Luigi went towards Yoshi in case a fight was gonna start. Yoshi stopped in his tracks next to Mario and angrily spoke to Boshi, "You're not staying in the hospital. You're leaving entirely. I don't care where you go or how you get there, but you are not welcome in this group. Do you understand me!? You haven't changed one bit, Boshi, from when you were doing drugs and living on the streets up until now…you destroy everything in your path! YOU ARE FUCKING LUCKY WE FOUND YOU IN THAT FUCKING UNDERWORLD AND SAVED YOUR PATHETIC ASS! YOU DIDN'T DESERVE TO COME BACK AT ALL!"
"Yoshi…hey…breathe…" Daisy whispered into his ear, her and Luigi holding him back as they saw the dino was turning red in the face and was visibly shaking.
Boshi's eyes watered up, his expression being a mix of pure hurt and anger. He didn't know how to respond to him at that moment. But he knew Yoshi's anger and pain were justified. He knew he screwed up massively. He knew he was extremely lucky to be saved from that hell.
"I…okay…I'll…be gone then…I just…let me just get some things inside for the road…i-if that's fine…" Boshi replied, trying his absolute hardest not to break down crying right then and there. His own heart broke as well. For losing Birdo…and for losing Yoshi, the one person in his life who actually felt like family.
"Yeah. Go on," Mario responded quickly, gesturing towards the hospital. Boshi sighed, still trying his hardest to not let those tears fall out and then walked back through the woods to the hospital.
"Yoshi? Hey, he's gone now. You're okay," Luigi assured, hoping his rage would simmer since Boshi left, but seemingly not as Yoshi pulled away from him and Daisy and he went back to Birdo's grave and sat in front of it.
"Just let him be. He needs time and space to be with Birdo. But I'm glad Boshi left…that'll help things, even just a little bit," Peach said softly, feeling the utmost sympathy for Yoshi.
"Yeah. I know how that is…" Bowser commented, looking to Wendy's and Iggy's graves and teared up himself. "Um…right. Back to digging. Larry and Junior, why don't you two go into the hospital and get the others to come out here. That way they'll know we're back and we can tell them what happened."
The koopa kids nodded, sniffling a little due to Yoshi's situation and seeing their siblings' graves again, then they headed off.
Goombella sobbed a little at the situation, then she saw Koops' body again and then saw Vivian near him, crying over his body. Goombella began to hyperventilate and sob further.
"I…I can't…be here…oh gosh…" she said while choking up and ran to the woods. Vivian saw this from her periphery and wiped her eyes, turning to the woods.
"G-Goombella! Hey!" Vivian yelled and went after her. Spike saw this and knew what Goombella running away was all about. It wasn't just about grieving Koops.
"Damn. This shit may just get heavier to deal with," Spike commented, looking out at Vivian chasing down Goombella.
"What do you mean by that, Spike? Uhh…shouldn't we go after Goombella!?" Dixie confusedly asked.
"I…um…I'll go check on them. And I meant…" Spike paused, spacing out, still remembering his room and his attack playing out in images in his mind. Dixie noticed this and touched his shoulder.
"Spike…hey. We're gonna be okay! We got the Crystal Star Rod. It's almost over! We just need to hang on a little longer. I know you can do that," Dixie said in encouragement, seeing the pain and helplessness in the dino's eyes. Spike returned to the present as another tear rolled down his cheek and looked at her.
"Um. Yeah. Right. Almost over. Um…I-I'll just go and, you know, check on them," Spike nervously responded, wanting badly to talk about what he experienced but was terrified at saying it outloud. He walked off into the woods as Dixie felt for him, knowing he was deeply affected by the tower.
Goombella leaned against a tree and cried her eyes out, feeling beyond sad for Koops, but also having a level of guilt from being intimate with him when she knew Vivian was pining over him as well. It made her sick to her stomach. She was so scared of potentially losing Vivian too…and that'd be yet another friend gone from her life.
"Goombella! Hey…hey. Please don't isolate yourself. Please!" Vivian yelled as she ran up to the goomba gal and hugged her, crying with her. Goombella wanted to pull away, thinking she didn't deserve that hug.
"I…I'm so sorry, Vivian…like…I-I'm so ashamed…" Goombella cried, ready to let the truth out as much as it was paining her. Vivian pulled away in confusion.
"Huh? What do you mean you're ashamed? I-I don't understand. Ashamed about what?" the shadow siren asked, wondering if Goombella was simply just not making sense due to her high emotional state. Goombella slowly turned to her and tried to slow her crying.
"Oh god, Viv…y-you're not gonna look at me the same after I t-tell you…about Koops…" Goombella stammered, feeling she was just gonna collapse from all the heavy, intense emotions going through her body.
Vivian looked even more confused now. "What? About Koops? Goombella…I-I have no idea what you're talking about! Please tell me what you mean! You're really scaring me now!"
Goombella couldn't look Vivian in the eyes as she revealed to her, "I…Koops and I were out in the graveyard after we got back from the Shiver Region. He was mourning over Koopie. He was so distraught, Viv…and I cared so much about Koops and how badly he was hurting. I-I wanted to make his pain go away! We got close to each other and…a-and just…kissed."
Goombella paused, still not wanting to look at Vivian. The shadow siren was very taken aback by this.
"Kissed!? Uhhh…okay…" Vivian replied, clueless on what exactly to say to that. It did hurt her heart a little more though upon hearing they kissed since she's liked Koops for a while, despite him and her not ending things on such a great note during their very short-lived romance.
"Well…and then…we kissed again and…w-went into the woods and…did it…" Goombella continued, startling Vivian greatly since she thought their kissing was the end of it. But no. Vivian's jaw dropped. The jump from them kissing to them getting intimate threw her completely off.
"You…y-you two…had sex!? Just like that!?" Vivian stammered, feeling a mix of confusion, sympathy, frustration, and disgust.
Goombella nodded, slowly looking to the shadow siren now and saw her unbelievably shocked expression. Goombella sighed and closed her eyes as more tears fell out, "Y-Yeah. It all happened so fast, Viv. We just wanted to make each feel better in that moment…aaaahhh god, I'm SO SORRY! We were so messed up a-and…there's no excuse, I just feel so bad and I don't wanna lose you!" Goombella cried more now and hugged Vivian.
The shadow siren was still processing this rather unexpected surprise. She didn't hug her back, but she didn't want to break away from the hug either. Viv's mix of heavy emotions made her unable to really think this whole revelation through. She knew that grief made people do irrational and strange things, but she didn't think it would lead to her own friends getting intimate together, especially when one of them she had feelings for.
"Umm…I…Goombella, let's just get back to the others. I…I need time to-to think about all of this. It's a lot. All of this is a lot. Too much," Vivian said, trying to remain as stoic as possible because she truly didn't want to say anything harsh out of pure emotional impulse response that she'd regret, but also didn't want to pretend like she was okay with that reveal.
Goombella pulled away a little and looked at her, clearly saddened by Viv's response, but knew it was out of her hands now. "Okay…yeah. Let's go back."
Spike spied on the two and saw everything go down the way it did. He felt for the both of them, knowing that there's not a chance in hell that that was easy to bear. He knew this conversation was going to happen. The only positive part about this is that it happened sooner rather than later…albeit maybe later would've been a better choice as the grief was still very fresh.
Meanwhile, back at the graveyard, Parakarry dead-stares at a few of the others making a grave for Jojora. He was still as can be. Kooper slowly approached him, knowing that he was hurting badly.
"Parakarry…hey. Man, I-I'm so fucking sorry about Jojora. And the rest of our friends…but especially Jojora, because I know you still had feelings for her," Kooper said sympathetically, putting his hand on the mailman's left shoulder, tearing up at his pain along with seeing Bombette, Koops, and Lakilester's graves being prepared. It hit him deep and hard that he was never going to see his buddies ever again. Most of his tight friend circle was gone forever. It was a cruel situation that seemed to be endless.
Parakarry nudged Kooper's hand off and turned to him a little. "Are you really sorry? I mean…you did tell me to break up with Jojora."
Kooper couldn't believe what he just said. It took him almost a minute to process that. "Wha…what? Parakarry…no no. Dude, we were just giving you advice about that! We were looking out for you."
"But if you hadn't given me that 'advice,' we'd at least still be together when she…I…I wouldn't have regretted what I did if I just didn't listen to you! Now I'll never get to tell her how I really feel, Kooper! Because I jumped to a fucking conclusion all because of YOU!" Parakarry yelled in his face, turning red, then stormed off to the hospital, pushing Kooper aside. Kooper stood there, frozen in shock and more pain. Pauline saw all this and walked over to her.
"Kooper? Hey! He didn't mean any of that. Don't take that to heart!" she advised.
He glanced at her then shook his head while letting out more tears. "Easier said than done. I need to be alone." He then walked off into the fields.
Starlow sniffled upon seeing Luvbi again. She looked away, unable to bear the sight of her now deceased best friend and was gonna walk away from the burial, but she accidentally bumped into Toadette.
"Oh! T-Toadette…I'm so sorry…didn't mean to…" Starlow wept.
"It's okay. Hey…I know you were so close with Luvbi. Want me to go back with you into the hospital?" Toadette comfortingly asked. Starlow smiled a little at her warmth.
"Y-Yeah, I think I would like that. I-I just can't be here right now and see her be put into the ground…I-I can't do it…" Starlow said while closing her eyes tightly and shuddering from the heartbreak.
"Of course. You don't need to be here to see this if you don't feel like it. Come on, let's go inside," Toadette assured and validated her feelings, and the pair began to walk back.
"I-It's just that, that Luvbi was my closest friend ever, Toadette. I'm never gonna have someone like that ever again! She's the only one I told my deepest secrets to…she…oh god…she's the only one who knows about the man who…" Starlow spoke through her weeping but then froze when she flashed back to her experience in her room with the older man in the woods.
"Huh? The man who…what?" Toadette asked confusedly, noting the look of terror upon the star sprite's face.
Starlow realized she was about to let out the horror she re-experienced in the tower and felt herself get into a panic. She felt her stomach rise and her chest heavy. "O-Oh, I meant…I…gosh, I'm so sorry, I-I can't speak about…it has to do with what I saw in the tower and…ugh…"
"Hey, Starlow, it's okay! You don't need to tell me anything you don't want to. Really," Toadette assured kindly. Her warmth made Starlow feel just the tiniest bit better in that moment. Toadette continued, "I, uhh, also kinda feel the way you do. About my brother, Toad. Being in that awful place made me realize I'll never have anyone like him again either. It was nice to see him again…even if it was 'fake'...but, um, Star, we'll find people to be close to us like that again. It won't be the same, obviously, but we'll find it."
Starlow nodded a little and glanced at her, eyes still watery but slightly less distressed and asked her, "Yeah. Maybe. Will…um…you…be…my friend? Toadette? I mean…oh! Sorry. Sorry! That's too much right now. I'm so sorry!"
"Star, it's okay! Don't be sorry. I'd love to be your friend. Really! And I can get you to know Dixie better too, since she's my close friend," Toadette suggested with an uplifting smile. Starlow nodded again, really feeling like having this talk with Toadette had helped her emotional state.
Mario looked at Koops' body, feeling a wave of guilt hit him, unable to feel partly responsible for his death. He remembers the battle, the part where Koops was slashed and Mario tried to drag him away to safety. But his efforts were for nothing. Koops still died. Almost the same way that Koops' father, Koopley, had 'died' when he, Koops, and Goombella took on Hooktail's Castle years ago.
"Mario?" Peach quietly spoke, walking up to him and touching his shoulder. "You've been staring at Koops for, uhh, quite a bit now…"
"I…man…if I had just been quicker…he'd still be here, Peach…or…no. No! If I had gone in a different direction than when I was dragging him he'd be alive, be-because…the…the dragon was coming in from the left, so I…I should've…pulled him directly back instead of going rightward…or…no…fuck, maybe he was coming from the right then!? Do you remember!?" Mario rambled and choked up, gripping his hat, trying to make sense of what he should've done.
"Mario, please stop! Don't do that to yourself. You can't go there. You did what you could, and I know Koops knows that! We all know that! Don't go into that spiral, please…" Peach sympathized with his guilt, but couldn't bear to witness him circle into guilt, especially now.
"I just…god, Peach, he was SO close too. He'd be here seeing us get the star rod and he'd be so happy and relieved and-and he'd talk about seeing his dad after this and telling him the stories and…oh, NO! His dad! Oh god, Peach, his dad is gonna be devastated when he hears about Koops! DAMNIT!" Mario cried further and angrily threw his hat to the ground. Peach hugged him as they both cried together, the weight of having to tell Koops' dad the awful news hitting Mario as well.
Grodus slowly walked up to Mario and Peach with Crump in tow and said, "Hey, Mario. Can we talk real quick please? Or, um, in a little while if you prefer that?"
Mario wiped his eyes and huffed, not exactly wanting to talk with Grodus at that moment, but figured it'd also be a distraction from him spiraling heavy into guilt. Mario replied to him, "Uh, yeah. Sure. Fine. What's up?"
"So…can I ask you a question that might be…err, probably inappropriate given the current circumstances?" Grodus asked with a hint of nervousness.
Mario sneered at him and crossed his arms, already not liking where this was going, but obliged. "Oh boy. Fine. Yeah, I guess. What is it?"
"I was wondering if you two would wanna make a quick visit to see TEC? See him before he…dies," Grodus came out with it. Mario and Peach were quickly taken aback by that left-field question, along with Crump.
"WOAH WOAH, WHAT THE!? TEC's gonna die!? Grodus, you didn't tell me that!" Crump yelped, totally thrown off by that insane reveal.
"Huh!? TEC's gonna die!? What do you mean by that!? How exactly is he gonna die?" Peach questioned, striking her heart a little since she remembers her bonding with TEC when Grodus captured her in the X-Naut Fortress all those years ago.
"It's…egh…" Grodus struggled to answer, the weight of TEC's impending death finally coming down upon him since he was so focused on finding Crump and getting out of that tower. "It's a self-destruct type of thing. TEC is going to detach the entire fortress from the moon and make an impact onto Tatanga's island."
Some of the others heard this and were also taken aback from this more shocking and confusing reveal.
"The…what!? Hold on now. Grodus, that just sounds so insane that…I don't even know how any of us are supposed to respond to that!" Luigi said, having a hard time processing that.
"What in the hell!? I didn't even know TEC could do THAT! Grodus, TEC just straight up told you he was gonna do that? Just…detach and destroy himself on Tatanga's island? Why!? He didn't mention anything like that to me when I was up there!" Crump shouted in total disbelief. Grodus looked away in slight embarrassment and worry, not wanting to tell him the whole story right then and there.
"It's…it's what he told me when I was up there. I promised him I would bring you back to see him one last time…" he replied without looking at Crump, then looked to Peach and continued, "...and I also promised him that I would try to get you to visit and say goodbye to him, Peach. You too, Mario. Since you both made a connection with him and made him feel something more than just my servant."
Mario was even more bewildered by his words that just kept seeming more and more crazy by the second, whereas Peach had a look of both determination and upset.
"Grodus…you're…absolutely serious right now, aren't you? Like…heh…seriously. You want this to happen now? I…you know…I still don't fully trust you…" Mario responded with a nervous chuckle, scratching his head, wanting to go off on him but knew it wouldn't help anything.
"Oh my. If TEC really is gonna do this and be gone forever…then maybe we should try to visit? It WILL be the last time, Mario. Besides, you have the Crystal Star Rod. If Grodus tries to pull anything…remember, you have that," Peach pointed out, making the situation seem slightly less crazy since they had an escape option in case things went south.
"Exactly, Mario. You have the legendary Crystal Star Road. I am NOT playing you. I'd be an idiot to do so knowing you have the world's most powerful weapon right there in your hands. You can use that rod to transport us to the X-Naut Fortress so we can speak to TEC. We'll make it a short visit! Because I know we have other things to get done, so…please, Mario. Hell, 5 minutes of your time will do! TEC would really appreciate it before he goes," Grodus urged and pleaded. Mario sighed in slight annoyance, but then he glanced at the star rod. He knew Grodus and Peach had a point. He could do anything with this weapon now. Plus…the thought of TEC imminently dying without him and Peach saying goodbye and not taking that opportunity made him feel a little guilty and crude.
Mario was about to respond to Grodus, but Mona chimed in.
"HOLD ON HERE! Are we forgetting the fact that Tatanga's island has a damn magical barrier all around it!? Does TEC know that? How is he supposed to destroy the island with that barrier in the way!? It would be all for nothing in the end!" Mona shouted in protest, making another point that made Mario begin to reconsider everything now.
"Unless…" Pauline spoke, looking as if she just realized something, "...you're banking on us using the Crystal Star Rod to take down that barrier so TEC can destroy the island with ease? Am I right in assuming that?"
Grodus nodded and said, "Partially. I know you guys are wanting to destroy this Mushroom Corporations place first, and that's fine. If we make it to Tatanga's island in time for TEC to make an actual impact, then yes, we can use that rod to destroy the barrier and thus, the island will easily be destroyed by the X-Naut Fortress colliding into it. If we don't make it there in time, then Tatanga will be simply distracted by the impending collision onto the barrier, thus slowing down his plans. Guys, it's a win-win situation either way. Only loss here is losing TEC…but there's no point in him continuing to live in that desolate fortress if it's never going to be used again."
Crump perked up further at that. "What!? Never going to be used again? Grodus…seriously, I don't understand where all of this is coming from. I feel like there's a whole lot you didn't fill me in on!"
Grodus sighed at Crump, still not looking at him. "I'll tell you all about it later. Okay?"
"Well, I've got an idea about all of this…whatever this is," Bowser spoke tiredly, walking towards them with the shovel in hand. "Mario, if you're gonna visit TEC then I suggest you do it now while everyone else is making their way over here to the graveyard. If you're really gonna be gone for just 5 minutes, then it's the perfect opportunity to say your goodbyes then come back so we can get started on taking down Mushroom Corporations immediately. The Crystal Star Rod can warp you there and back. Boom. Done deal. But act now! Time is more crucial than ever at this point!"
Mario took in everyone's words then huffed in frustration, disliking that this just sprung up out of nowhere in the midst of more of his friends dying and the gang being so close to finishing all this chaos. But he knew he would regret not getting to say goodbye to TEC if he didn't take this opportunity, especially for Peach since she was more connected to him.
Mario leered at Grodus with an impatient expression, arms still crossed, then hesitantly spoke, "Fine. But we're only there for 5 minutes and not a second longer. You understand me?"
Grodus nodded eagerly. Peach smiled a little, but also felt sorrowful for TEC, knowing that he'll no longer exist very soon. Crump seemed indifferent at that moment.
"Alright. Let's do this then! See you all shortly!" Peach said and held Mario's hand as he began waving the Crystal Star Rod in his other hand.
Mario closed his eyes and visualized the X-Naut Fortress as he spoke, "Crystal Star Rod, please take me, Peach, Grodus, and Crump to the X-Naut Fortress! NOW!"
A bright flash shone from the Crystal Star Rod, engulfing the four, then it disappeared instantly, warping them to the fortress.
"Alright, well, that is that. 5 minutes they'll be back. Let's keep digging the graves…" DK suggested, nothing else they could do now.
"Hey. What do you think about all that right there?" Wario whispered to Daisy and Luigi.
"What? Mario and Peach going with Grodus and Crump to the same fortress where those two conjured up an evil master plan to raise a shadow demon unto the world so they could rule? Yeah, not weird at all!" Daisy responded annoyedly with a hint of sarcasm.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't feel like Grodus and Crump are untrustworthy this time around. They'd have to be pretty damn dumb to keep putting on an act like this now that we've got the Crystal Star Rod. They know they'll get destroyed if they try anything, so…I'm honestly not too worried," Luigi admitted, feeling weird saying that about Grodus and Crump since, although him and the two never interacted before when the Crystal Stars quest was happening in Rogueport, he knew of the stories that Mario and the others had told him.
"I don't get any bad auras from them either. I really think they're genuine. I know it feels weird having them fight on our side, but they could be of great help in the final battle," Rosalina added. The three glanced at her, not knowing what to really say to her since it still felt awkward having her around after what happened last time. Rosalina could feel their apprehensiveness and it made her feel a little unwelcomed, but she knew the process wasn't going to be easy for everyone and would take more time.
"So, wait, what is this about a Mushroom Corporations? You guys are destroying a company before destroying Tatanga? Huh!? I totally missed a whole segment within the overarching story there!" Monty yelped in confusion.
"Ohhhhh yeah, I'll tell give ya the brief rundown of that side plot, it's suuuuper crazy and it involves mad scientists with a thirst for ultimate power and new world order with advanced AI capabilities!" Fly Guy dramatically exclaimed, provoking horror into the mole.
"Woah! More evil, power-hungry villains to defeat!? Man, does the rabbit hole of villains hellbent on world domination ever end!?" Monty shrieked.
"Nope! It's like one of those never-ending soap operas you see on daytime TV!" Fly Guy cheerily commented.
Rosalina suddenly made a loud gasp, startling the others. She turned to the hospital, her face in clear fear.
"Rosalina!? What's wrong!? WHAT IS IT!?" Mona shouted, seeing the fearful expression and immediately knowing something was up.
"In the hospital…something's happening! Oh…NO! WE NEED TO GO IN THERE!" Rosalina cried, now putting the fear and panic into everyone else.
7:10 PM
The door opened to Toado's solitary confinement room. The light shone in and Toado slowly raised his head in a slight daze, a little relieved to see the door finally open after hours of laying in that damned room, but also irritable that he was stuck like this. He knew it was proper punishment for nearly killing Toadessa and helping out with Tadano's insane plans. But also hated the punishment. He was bored beyond belief and felt like has slowly going stir crazy, being all by himself in that containment room for hours on end.
"Hey, kid. It's dinner time. Follow me to the cafeteria. And stay close…you know the drill," said the toad worker.
"Yeah. Nice to be out of this stupid room. How much longer am I gonna be locked in here!?" Toado annoyedly and groggily asked as stood up, giving the worker a dirty look while he slowly made his way out of the room and into the hallway.
"Uhh…I'll let you know soon," responded the worker, unsure of what the decision should be.
Toado walked with the worker down as some of the other staff gave the kid concerned looks and whispers were heard. Toado knew they were quietly gossiping about him, but he didn't care. He's lost all care. He felt devoid of any strong emotion, like he was slowly becoming a shell of his previous brighter self. Losing his parents was one thing, but him being treated like a prisoner and freakshow did it in.
Toado and the worker made it down to the busy and bustling cafeteria as the sounds of various staff and non-staff volunteers were helping to board up the shattered open windows from the previous hospital invasion. Toado passed along Morton, Ludwig, Lemmy, and Kody who were sitting at a table eating near the entrance. The four koopas spotted the kid walking by to get in line for food. The boys made disgruntled expressions at Toado's appearance, and Ludwig couldn't help but say something.
"Wow, look who's back from being locked away in his padded cell! Just a little taste of what being in an insane asylum is like, kiddo!" Ludwig spat. Toado shot an angry glare at him as he kept walking forward.
"DUDE! Was that really necessary!?" Lemmy yelled, thwacking Ludwig in the shoulder.
"Yes it was! I don't care if he's just a little kid. That fucker helped Tadano do a bunch of crazy shit and almost killed that other girl. Pretty sure we've all reached the point where we hold no sympathy towards anyone who does stuff like that anymore," Ludwig spat, rubbing his shoulder.
"That is true, but still, let's hold off on comments like that, because we can't risk aggravating the wrong kind of people. You know? Especially in these times when everyone's so fragile and on edge after so much crap," Morton advised.
"I feel like that's such an honest take on modern day society. Like…you saying that could literally apply to a time where the apocalypse isn't happening, ya know, with everyone being more sensitive and shit," Ludwig commented obnoxiously. The other three looked at him confusedly and annoyedly.
"What? You, uhh, really wanna talk about how sensitive society is now? Yeeaaaahhh, because how dare people react to other people saying awful things about something!" Kody responded sarcastically with a chuckle.
"I don't mean now as in literally right now, just in general, outside of apocalypse times. You know I have a point!" Ludwig stated while rolling his eyes a little.
"Errr…sure. But why do you keep calling this the 'apocalypse'!? We're almost done here! They just need to get one more gem and then bam! That's it! No more apocalypse! Easy way out to destroy Tatanga! Oh, and…uhh…the new world order agency too," Lemmy countered. Ludwig sighed at him frustratedly as if he just missed a point.
"Because, Lem, I can't set our expectations too high after everything that's happened. Until the second Tatanga and…'others' are killed, we're still in the apocalypse. I know that's depressing as hell, but guess what, that's how things have been since Tatanga started this mess!" Ludwig clarified.
"True. Very fucking depressing…you know what? I vote we do family therapy after this! We're gonna need it if we want things to be stable once everything's settled!" Morton suggested, putting it out there that they've gone through so much madness in such a short time.
"I second that. I think we're doing good at keeping it together right now, but I really think all the trauma is really gonna hit us once all this is done. Ludwig?" Lemmy commented in agreement, then looked to Ludwig, who seemed neutral about the matter.
"Eh. I mean…I get why you'd want that, but I also think going to therapy is gonna let out a loooooot of stuff that we've been keeping inside for years now. Like, it'll probably change our whole family dynamic moreso than it's already changed now. Don't know if you guys are gonna be ready for that onslaught!" he pointed out.
"Really? I mean, yeah, it won't be easy facing all that head on, but in the long run, I think it'll do us good. Guess we'll see what dad, Larry, and Junior think about that when they get back," Morton said with a shrug.
"I'll definitely want therapy. Seeing my brother die…I've had nightmares of him dying ever since then. I'm surprised that I manage to sleep part of the night still. Then me shooting that koopatrol…yeah, he was a bastard, but that was still fucked up to see…" Kody added with a hint of terror, staring into space, getting flashes in his head of the two aforementioned events. The three koopalings looked at each other awkwardly, realizing now that maybe it wasn't the best idea to get Kody, a 15 year old kid, to kill that koopatrol in the basement.
A few tables away, Toadsworth, Toodles, E. Gadd, Mimi, Bleck, and Tippi were also sitting and eating dinner, taking in the food and drinks in silence. Tippi noticed, however, that E. Gadd was barely touching his food.
"E. Gadd? Is something the matter?" she asked, bringing attention to the professor. He glanced at her, then looked to the side with a sad sigh.
"I just feel so duped. Here we are, trying to do a good thing for our people…and we get taken down by some corporate crummies with their own world-dominating agenda. This is what our world has come to. If it isn't villainous monsters trying to rule the world in the traditional way, then it's top secret government-like organizations wanting to rule the world from right under our feet. It's disgusting and beyond invasive. I'd rather be dealing with ghosts again!" E. Gadd spoke with angst and discomfort, his voice trembling a little.
"Ain't that the truth, old boy!" Toadsworth co-signed while sipping his tea and shaking his head. "It's like a competition for who can do the most damage and gain the most control of our world. Started with Bowser, then the Shadow Queen nonsense with Grodus and his army, then Dimentio, then so many others in between…and now Tatanga and the corporations. It's like a deadly cycle. Whatever happened to just letting people live? Why mess with the natural order of the world?"
"It's called being 'power-hungry' my dear. When you have someone who has such a strong desire for that power, and they have the resources and wealth to execute a deadly plan…you get people like Tatanga and the people who Arfur worked for. Not just that, but the more resources and wealth one has, the more unstoppable and invincible they think they are. I should know…I was married to someone like that," Toodles chimed in while sipping tea and nearly chuckled at the ridiculousness of it all.
"You were!? I mean…you were married to someone like Tatanga!?" Mimi asked with a horrified expression.
"Well, not 'ruling the world' type of person, moreso someone who thought they could sleep around and think that money would solve any problem. I mean, it certainly solves many problems…but definitely not all," Toodles clarified.
"From someone who tried to destroy all dimensions long ago…" Bleck spoke a little nervously, realizing he could sort of relate to the topic at hand. All eyes turned to him and he continued, "It's something that goes deeper than just being hungry for that power and control. The core of why you're hungry for that in the first place. Something happened to these people when they were younger that made them want to lash out at the world as a way to 'fix' the trauma that they experienced. Obviously, that doesn't excuse their present day actions, but it explains a lot when you know of someone's backstory. It all starts from when they were young, because that part of someone's life, that's the part that really forms who you'll become when you're an adult."
"Mmm. That got pretty deep and psychological there!" Toodles commented with a chuckle.
Mimi and Tippi looked to Bleck then at each other, knowing Bleck's backstory of losing Tippi when he was younger and his parents refusing to let them be together, among other abusive things they did to him.
"Yeah. You both are definitely right about that. When you get to be as old as me, you see some stuff you can never unsee, and know stuff you can never unknow. I could easily be a mad scientist villain who uses my technology and inventions to destroy the world. But I won't, of course, because you know…there's this thing called 'self-control' and mental stability. A lot of people don't have that!" E. Gadd partly joked with a chuckle himself.
"Are you implying you also dealt with some craziness when you were younger?" Mimi asked with a smirk at his joking.
E. Gadd's expression turned serious as he looked away, as if deep in thought. Mimi caught this and felt embarrassed for what she said.
"Ooh…sorry. Didn't mean to, uhh, bring up anything. Was moreso of a rhetorical question," she retracted.
"Let's just talk about something else, guys. The mood is already heavy enough with Tatanga's impending domination lingering over us," Tippi suggested.
Some more minutes passed by. Morton, Ludwig, Lemmy, and Kody finished up their dinner and were about to throw their plates, until Petey came running over frantically.
"Hey, guys! You, uhh, really should come to the lobby. There's something you need to see!" Petey yelped, startling the koopas.
"What? Oh…no…Petey…dude, don't say that. Now we're gonna think the worst!" Ludwig shouted, feeling his anxiety rise already.
"Just…just come with me! Please! It's urgent!" Petey urged, not knowing what to say to ease their worries.
"Fine. Take the lead," Morton grumbled and they followed him out of the cafeteria and into the lobby. The koopas immediately saw what Petey was referring to: it was Katia, who had stumbled into the lobby from the outside, clearly out of breath and visibly shaking. The koopas were shocked and confused and even a little annoyed at seeing her once again.
"Ohhhh you've gotta be fucking kidding me…" Ludwig groaned under his breath, not wanting to deal with more exhausting family drama.
"What the hell!? Katia, what are you doing back here!?" Morton yelled as he and the koopas ran to her.
"Ugh…I…I got into a big fight with my dad!" Katia revealed while sobbing a little. The koopas weren't too surprised at this, given how Kenneth acted, but they did feel a little sorry for her. She continued, "W-We were walking and I kept asking if we should sleep in one of the abandoned stores overnight since it was getting dark a-and we kept stopping for breaks which was slowing us down, and my dad just…he exploded at me! Told me to shut up and that I'm giving him a headache with all my complaining! I told him to shut up and stop being so mean to me, a-and he just kept screaming and calling me names and threatened to hit me, telling me to get over it…I…I told him I hate him and wish he was dead and I ran back here…I'm so fucking tired…"
The four koopas looked at her in sympathy and horror from her story.
"Holy crap! Your dad's a total monster! Well, I mean, we knew that already, but come on, starting a fight on your way to a safeplace!? Your dad needs major therapy!" Kody exclaimed.
"Big understatement there. God, I'm so thirsty, I need water!" Katia yelled and ran over to the cafeteria with the koopas following behind her closely.
"Hey, Katia, you can drink my water bottle. I didn't open it at all," Lemmy offered, running over to their table and handing her the water bottle. She swiped it and started gulping down the water.
"So…what's the plan here then!? Your mom and dad are no doubt gonna come back for you! And we're gonna have to deal with their bullshit all over again…" Morton pointed out in annoyance.
"I'm gonna tell them that I'm staying here. I-I just can't do it with them anymore! I'm so tired of fighting with my dad a-and my stupid mom not doing anything about it! I'M SICK OF THEM!" Katia yelled while sobbing still, drawing some looks to her.
"Katia, seriously!? You're only 14 years old, you can't just stay here all by yourself without your parents! Yeah, they may be shitty, but there's no way in hell they're just gonna let you stay here in the middle of a fucking apocalypse!" Ludwig exclaimed, shocked at her outrageous rebellion.
"And all three of you can't stay here either: too much drama among everything else we've got going on! Don't let your dad get the best of you and just keep it in until you get to your lakehouse!" Lemmy advised.
"What!? NO! That's horrible advice! I'm tired of him yelling at me over the smallest things! I'M DONE!" Katia angrily yelled in Lemmy's face, scaring him a little, drawing more attention.
"Katia, please quiet down! Here, let's talk about this in the courtyard, okay!?" Morton demanded, desperately not wanting to make a scene.
"Tally ho! Is everything okay here?" Toadsworth announced as he walked on over with Toodles, Tippi, Bleck, Mimi, and E. Gadd.
"WOAH! Katia!? What are you doing back here!? I thought you left with your family!?" Tippi yelped in surprise.
"Yeah, we all thought that…" Kody commented in annoyance.
"She ran back here because her and her dad got into a huge fight. We need to figure something out because we can NOT be dealing with this crap again!" Morton quickly explained.
"Oh wonderful, spreading obnoxious family drama back at the hospital, as if we haven't gotten enough other dramas going on. Can you and your parents please take this soap opera elsewhere for once!?" Toodles impatiently asked towards Katia, who looked more and more furious by the mixed reactions she was getting from her plight.
"THERE YOU ARE!" a familiar voice was heard yelling in the lobby. Everyone turned to the cafeteria entry and in came storming Kenneth with Clawdia right behind him.
"Yep. There they are. Perfectly on cue!" Petey joked.
"Great to see you two again as well…" Lemmy groaned sarcastically.
"WHAT IN THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING RUNNING AWAY FROM US LIKE THAT!? HUH!?" Kenneth screamed so loud, drawing even more attention and now whispers towards the group. "DO YOU NOT REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS IT WAS FOR YOU TO JUST RUN AWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ABANDONED CITY!?"
"Kenneth, back up! Can we also please take this outside!? Everyone's staring!" Morton demanded, getting closer to Katia in case Kenneth were to try anything crazy.
"Ohhh…Katia…you can't just…ah…run off on your own! You had us SO scared! You could've gotten lost or hurt!" Clawdia yelled, nearly stumbling into the cafeteria, exhausted and panting from chasing after her daughter.
"MOM, YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO DEFEND ME WHEN DAD WAS YELLING AT ME! YOU'RE JUST AS HORRIBLE AS HIM!" Katia angrily screamed, her face turning red. Clawdia looked horrified by her harsh words.
"KATIA! One more goddamn word out of your mouth, or so help me god…you have pushed me to my last fucking limit!" Kenneth responded in near equal anger, also turning red.
"So help you god what!? You're gonna lay a hand on her!? Fucking hell, no wonder why she ran away, having to live with you two as her parents must be a NIGHTMARE!" Ludwig spat, further angering Kenneth and further horrifying Clawdia.
"YOU LISTEN HERE, YOU LITTLE-" Kenneth screamed but was cut off by Toadsworth suddenly interrupting.
"ENOUGH OF THIS!" the middle-aged toad yelled, surprising some since he's usually quiet and soft-spoken. "Like Morton said, this needs to be settled outside! This is drawing too much attention from others here, and we don't need another fiasco weighing everyone down! Let's go to the courtyard so you all can talk this out! NOW!"
"ATTENTION EVERYOOOONE!" yelled a bob-omb doctor, who had stood on top of one of the lunch tables in the center of the cafeteria as a bunch of staff workers entered the cafeteria and went over to his table. Everyone turned to him. E. Gadd immediately recognized the bob-omb doctor: it was the same guy who interrogated him about the anonymous note sent to one of the staff about him supposedly knowing about Dr. Nokano's 'disappearance.'
"Wait a second…he's not…no…he wouldn't…" E. Gadd nervously whispered, fearing that the doctor may announce Nokano's 'disappearance' to everyone, as that's what the nurse who found Nokano's body told E. Gadd that that might end up happening.
The bob-omb doctor began his speech as soon as he saw everyone quiet down and look to him, "There's something important I need to address. What I'm about to say may get you all in a panic, but rest assured, as of yet, nothing dangerous is going on here in this hospital as we speak. What I'm here for is to let you all know that the director of this hospital, Dr. Nokano, the noki man who I'm sure a lot of you have seen about, has gone missing."
Gasps and murmurs were heard amongst the crowd, many people clearly fearing the worst immediately due to what they've had to experience thus far.
E. Gadd's fears were confirmed as well. His heart sank. Some of the others in the group looked to the professor in shock and concern.
"Well…shit! That just means it's only a matter of time before the truth gets exposed! E. Gadd, what the hell should we do now!?" Petey quietly and frantically asked.
"I…oh god…I-I don't know…" E. Gadd replied, trying his damndest not to get himself into a sheer panic, thinking of every possible solution that could get him and his friends out of this predicament as cleanly as possible.
The bob-omb doctor continued his speech, "We urge you all to keep a lookout for any clues on his whereabouts. If you have even the smallest tip that could help us in our search, please reach out to any staff member. Thank you."
As the crowd gossiped and freaked out further, Larry and Bowser Jr. entered the cafeteria, and immediately were confused by the scene of people murmuring hastily amongst one another.
"Woah! Uhhh, what is going on in here!? Should we be worried!?" Larry yelped. The sound of his voice made the other koopalings jump in surprise. They turned around and were ecstatic to see their brothers. They all ran in for a group hug.
"HEY! You made it out safely! We're so happy to see you!" Lemmy cheered.
"Yeah…couldn't be happier to see you guys too," Junior responded, teary-eyed from the joy of seeing the rest of his family still alive.
"Uhhh, I take it dad is alive too!?" Morton asked, noticing the obvious right then and there.
"Yeah, he's with the others at the graveyard. We, uhh, had some more people die…" Junior responded upsettingly.
"Damn! Okay, well, let's get the hell out of this cafeteria before we're sucked back into Clawdia's chaotic family dramafest. Hooo, that's a WILD story in and of itself!" Ludwig exclaimed, making Larry and Junior look to see Clawdia, Kenneth, and Katia very clearly angrily murmuring amongst themselves.
"Who the hell is that!?" Bleck shouted, turning some eyes towards him. He pointed to a short figure wearing a black hoodie that somewhat stood out among the crowd that was walking to the table that the bob-omb doctor was standing on while carrying a familiar-looking rod type of object. The figure suddenly charged up to the table and pushed the doctor off to the floor, stunning the crowd and making them scream in fright.
"WHAT THE FUCK!? Hey, what did you do that for, you jackass!?" Petey roared in protest as Boshi walked in to see what was going on as well.
The figure stood on the table as they removed their hoodie…revealing it to be Tatanga. Everyone else immediately screeched in horror and shock at this unexpected surprise. Quickly, Tatanga had pointed his scepter to the exit doors, and the doors immediately shut and locked themselves. More screams were heard as people began running to the door and tried to barge it open.
"Oh my god! H-He's actually here! Why!? Did he follow me here!?" Mimi shrieked.
"Doesn't matter! I'm going to- AH!" Bleck was about to wreck Tatanga, but was zapped to the floor by Tatanga's scepter, rendering him useless.
"BLUMIERE! OH MY GOD!" Tippi screamed, coming to his aide.
"Don't even try it, magician freak! Now…AHEM! LISTEEEEEEEEN!" Tatanga roared, drawing attention back to him and quieting the crowd down a little. "Hello everyone. Great seeing you all again! New hospital, same miserable people, huh? Haha. Just wanted to drop by and let you all know that my weapon is nearly complete. The world is about to fall under my control and destruction. Unfortunately, you guys here won't be able to witness any of that…
…because I'm going to start off the show by killing all of you in this room. LET'S PARTY!"
Everyone was struck with more horror from that treacherous speech. Then, six koopas that were standing behind the table, took out guns that they hid in their shells and began firing away at everyone in the room. Three of the koopas were firing sub-machine guns whereas the other three had flamethrowers. Bullets and screams filled the air as everyone scrambled to escape while various objects and people were being set on fire. A crowd built up at the exit doors, everyone banging and pushing on it as hard as they could while others tried to escape via the windows that were boarded up with wood after the previous attack on the hospital. A woman toad got pushed down to the floor from the frantic crowd and she was trampled on repeatedly, slowly killing her.
Meanwhile, the koopalings ducked to the floor in sheer panic, everything happening so fast.
"AH! WHAT THE FUCK DO WE DO!? THIS IS INSAAAAANE!" Ludwig screamed.
"I'M GONNA HAVE TO ATTACK THEM! I STILL HAVE DK'S STRENGTH COPIED IN ME, SO I GOTTA DO THIS! THE REST OF YOU, TRY TO ESCAPE THROUGH THE WINDOWS! NO ARGUING ABOUT THIS!" Larry commanded and the brothers, plus Kody, reluctantly nodded as bodies began to pile on the floor with blood splattering everywhere and people running around on fire.
"BLECK, GET UP! WE GOTTA GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! BLEEEEEEEEEEECK!" Mimi screamed in terror.
"Ohhh…what the…he…ohhhh…fuck…I feel…drained…he must've drained my magics…" Bleck groaned, observing the horrific scene of people dying and scrambling and screaming right in front of him.
"Oh no! Bleck, please get up! We gotta escape NOW! We need to try the windows!" Tippi cried, nudging her lover to get up.
"E. GADD! Don't you have anything to help with this!? PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING!" Toodles frantically yelled, also ducking with the others as people continuously bumped and tripped over them.
"I…I….ohhhh goodness, I-I don't! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO FUCKING DO!" E. Gadd shakily yelled, hyperventilating a little, everything happening so fast and disastrously.
"WE JUST NEED TO TRY TO ESCAPE! LOOK, THEY'RE GETTING THE BOARDS OFF OF THE WINDOWS! WE GOTTA TRY TO GO FOR THERE!" Toadsworth yelled, pointing to the people who were taking the boards off of the shattered open windows. Unfortunately, the efforts to get them off were for naught as the bullets seemed to be flying towards the people trying to break them off. One by one by one…people were getting shot everywhere on their body as they attempted to make out their only escape.
Larry carefully made his way through the crowd towards Tatanga and the koopas, hoping to the stars he didn't get shot or set on fire. His heart raced a million miles a minute while his body sweated profusely, knowing he could potentially die at any given second.
He made it as close as he could to the group and had to take his chance to attack. He leapt at one of the koopas who was facing away from him for a split second and lunged at him. The koopa screamed helplessly as the two fell to the floor. Larry swiped the sub-machine gun as quick as he could and shot the koopa in the head. The other two sub-machine wielding koopas noticed this and turned to him to shoot, but Boshi came in at the nick of time and did a ground pound on one of the koopas via from a flutterjump. The koopa was knocked unconscious to the ground as he also swiped the sub-machine gun and shot the koopa. The other remaining gun-wielding koopa then turned to Boshi, seeing he was a closer target and shot at him. Boshi tried to dodge, but one of the bullets hit his shoulder.
"AAAAAHHHHH! FUUUUCK! YOU BASTARD!" Boshi roared, falling to the floor, also being trampled on a little, and dropping the gun. It was kicked away from the people running about.
However, with this distraction, Larry shot the remaining gun-wielding koopa in the head as well. Unfortunately, Tatanga eventually caught notice of this and made a loud screech as he pointed his scepter at Larry, making him drop the gun and he floated into the air, grasping for breath as if he was being strangled by an invisible force.
"Risk taker, eh!? This is what you get for trying to be a hero! RAH!" Tatanga yelled and waved the scepter forward, an invisible force shoving Larry into the wall, hitting the entire back of his body and head.
"AH! Oh my god…ohhhhh…" Larry yelped, feeling the immense pain shooting all throughout his body. Tatanga magically brought Larry's body forward and shoved him back into the wall again. Larry cried out again, his head feeling the mass pain and feeling the ringing now. But before Tatanga could do it again, he was hit in the shoulder with a glass bottle from none other than Ludwig, shattering upon impact.
"OW! GRRRRRRRRR AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHH!" Tatanga roared, turning towards Ludwig who was now running across the room with Kody, Lemmy, and Junior over to the far right boarded up window which seemed to be nearly removed by other people pulling it open with all their might. Tatanga pointed his scepter at one of the tables, moved his scepter up which magically made the table move up off the ground, and then he threw the table all the way over to where the koopalings ran to.
"SHIT! LOOK OUT!" Kody screamed, pushing Lemmy and Ludwig forward as the table slammed onto the ground, crushing a few people and also crushed Kody's leg.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH! OH MY GOD!" Kody screamed, feeling the heavy pain on his left lower thigh.
"KODY! LUDWIG, HELP ME MOVE THE TABLE OFF HIM!" Lemmy screeched in a panic, him and his brother attempting to move the table off the poor boy.
"AAGGH! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAAAYYY!" Kenneth screamed, pushing past the people and heading toward the boarded up windows, gripping tightly onto Clawdia and Katia, practically dragging them.
"KENNETH! AAAHHH! WE GOTTA GET TO THE WINDOW AT THE END!" Clawdia cried, being bumped into constantly along with her ears ringing from all the screaming. She frantically cried further as she saw more and more people being set on fire and running around everywhere, thus setting more things and people on fire.
"I KNOW, CLAWD! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO DO!?" Kenneth screamed in pure stress, literally pushing people out of his way to get over there faster.
"Aaaaaahhhh! Mom, dad, please don't let go! I'M SO SCARED! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Katia screamed while crying.
"Honey, i-it'll be alright! JUST HOLD ON AS BEST AS YOU CAN, PLEASE!" Clawdia responded, in extreme distress from seeing her daughter so sad.
"Let's turn this up a notch, shall we!?" Tatanga cackled then shot a sphere blast from his scepter to the ceiling, destroying a large part of it, dumping pounds of debris onto a few people. He then magically made a few electrical wires float out from the broken ceiling hole, and then he whipped the electrical wires at various people. He whipped two of them at the crowd still banging and pushing on the exit doors, zapping and jolting them. The people screamed further and fell to the floor, either being paralyzed or incredibly hurt from the jolts and whipping, or the voltage being so strong that it killed them within a couple of jolts. Tatanga whipped a third electrical wire towards an unlucky Kenneth.
"AH! FUUUUCK! OHHHHHH!" Kenneth screamed, being jolted and whipped from the wire repeatedly, letting go of Clawdia and Katia. The mother and daughter were struck with terror upon seeing Kenneth zapped numerous times from the wire, being thrown around everywhere as well.
"OH NOOOOO! KENNEEEEETH!" Clawdia cried, knowing that that was gonna be the end of him.
Kenneth was zapped further until he accidentally tripped into a fire. He screamed and roared further, his whole body quickly setting aflame as he ran around in circles, eventually falling to the ground and stopped moving.
"DADDYYYYYYY! NOOOOOO! OH MY GOD!" Katia screamed in agony, feeling her heart shatter, as did Clawdia's.
"Oh! That was your dad!? Man, geez, where are my manners? I'll let you join him!" Tatanga said mockingly, then he waved his scepter at the glass pieces on the floor from the glass bottle that broke on him earlier. The glass pieces floated in the air, then they flew towards Katia, impaling her everywhere on her body, flinging her against the wall.
"OH MY- NOOOOOOOOO! KATIAAAAAAAA! NO NO NO NO NOOOOOO!" Clawdia cried, collapsing to her knees as her daughter slowly slid down the wall, barely moving as blood trickled down her whole body from the 8 glass wounds: 5 of them hitting her torso, one in her neck, and the last two in her left and right leg.
"Agh…mom…g…go…" Katia uttered, blood coming out of her mouth a little.
"N-N-No, Katia! I'm not leaving you here! I just…I CAN GET YOU OUT! THERE'S STILL TIME!" Clawdia pleaded in desperation, nearly immobilized by the horror of seeing her daughter impaled and dying.
"You need to…go…p…lease…" Katia softly responded, then she slowly closed her eyes and her body collapsed to the floor. Clawdia cried out again, holding her daughter, feeling her heart break a million times over in that moment. She felt her world crash, losing her husband and daughter at the same time.
"OVER THERE! They got the boards open! We need to go FAST!" Toodles yelled, pointing to the far right now open window, seeing people begin to escape through there. Her, Toadsworth, E. Gadd, Bleck, Mimi, Tippi, and Petey all headed for the escape, with Bleck barely standing with Mimi dragging him with her.
"Aaaagghh…oh my god…no…this is…NO!" Bleck weakly cried, staring at something somewhat afar that made him nearly freeze.
He saw a clock on the wall with flames underneath and smoke forming. It read 7:57PM. It was the same clock he saw in his vision a while ago. This was what was happening in the vision.
"Bleck, what's wrong!? Why are you yelling like that!?" Mimi shrieked in confusion.
"Th-this was in my vision…this is going to get destroyed…." Bleck quietly responded, attempting to snap out of his terrorized state.
The fire spread throughout the room and the smoke became denser and thicker. This activated the water sprinklers and the whole room quickly became soaked.
"AH! Water!? Well, looks like we're gonna have to do something about that! HEY, BLECK! How does it feel to be drained of your magic!? I did the same thing to your buddy, Dimentio! HAHAHAHAAAAA!" Tatanga mockingly yelled, making Bleck freeze again, staring at him in pure rage, especially since Tatanga knew that he and Dimentio were sworn enemies. "So now that you're useless, I get the pleasure of zapping you to death with the water FIRST!"
Tippi also froze when she heard this. She needed her lover protected at all costs…even if it meant doing something drastic in the heat of the moment.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed and zoomed as fast as she possibly could into Tatanga's face, just as he was about to send one of the electrical wires at Bleck. She flew into and hit his nose, making him nearly fall off the table.
"OHHH! WHAT THE FUCK!? RAAAAAGGGHHH, YOU PIXELATED LITTLE BITCH!" Tatanga screamed, holding his nose as he felt it starting to bleed. He used his scepter to quickly send one of the electrical wires at Tippi, zapping her and sending her to the watery ground. She cried and then saw her life flash before her eyes as he sent the wire down to zap her again.
Memories of her being a human being again and living the life she and her dearest Blumiere had always wanted flooded her mind as her life faded away. She remembered being in utmost bliss when she and Blumiere were reunited and turned back to humans again after Mario and friends saved all the dimensions from Dimentio's fury. She remembered feeling her life being complete with him. That all the struggles were worth it as it had led them back to each other to live in peace.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! TIMPANIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Bleck screamed, feeling his heart shatter when he saw his beloved die right before his eyes. All the hopes of being back together in their human forms and continuing their life together as they've always wanted…those hopes vanished within an instant.
"Oh my god, no! Tippiiiii! TIMPANI!" Mimi cried, nearly falling to her knees at the horrific sight of her closest friend having her life electrocuted away.
"GRAAAAHHHH! ENOOOOUUUUUGH!" Petey roared, mustering up all his rage and focus as quick as he could, then grabbed a nearby table and threw it at Tatanga while he was distracted with Tippi.
"OHHHH!" Tatanga yelped, falling to the wet floor, being hit in the chest from the table. He coughed up some blood as his fellow koopas came to his aid.
"Ohhhhhhh….fffuuuuuuck….aaaahhh…" Tatanga moaned, feeling like he was about to slip into unconsciousness from the sudden and massive pain.
"SIR, SIR! WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO!? TATANGA!?" frantically yelled one of the koopas.
"I…I got it…" he struggled to speak and waved his scepter. Suddenly, he and the three koopas quickly floated into the air.
"BLECK, COME ON! WE STILL NEED TO GET OUT! WE NEED YOU ALIVE! TIPPI WOULD WANT THAT!" Toadsworth yelled, reaching the open window. Bleck cried his heart out but he understood what needed to be done still. Him and the others began to slip out the window.
"GOT IT! You good to walk!? Wanna hold on to me!?" Morton asked as he and his brother got the table off of Kody's leg.
"Yes, please! Ahhhhh…oh god…my leg is freakin' indented, dude!" Kody cried, seeing the skin on his thigh 'pushed in' a little and bleeding.
Ludwig pulled Kody with him to the window and helped him through it, then Junior got out, then Morton, then Lemmy, then Ludwig was about to get out…until Toado came running to him and pushed him aside so he could get out first.
"AH! HEY, WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR!?" Ludwig yelled, scrambling to get up off the wet floor.
"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR CALLING ME NAMES, YOU JERK!" Toado screamed in his face and then kicked him in the stomach.
"AAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHH! FUCKING HELL! YOU SON OF A BIIIITCH!" Ludwig cried, gripping his chest, coughing up a little blood too.
Toado then climbed up to get out of the window…but he was pulled back inside and landed on the floor by none other than Larry. Toado shrieked when he saw the koopaling stand over him, putting his foot on top of his chest so he wouldn't move easily.
"I don't care if you're just a kid…you don't fuck with my brother like that," Larry angrily stated, looking deep into his frightened little eyes. Toado screamed and squirmed to get away, but Larry pushed his foot down harder on his chest, making it harder for Toado to breathe.
The second Larry saw Ludwig get to the window and climb up out of it, he darted to the window himself and made a leap, gripping onto the sill as he landed and got outside.
The second Larry did this as well, Tatanga waved his scepter again and all the exposed electrical wires shot to the wet floor and electrocuted Toado and everyone else still stuck in there. Their bodies jolted vigorously and slowly began to char and turn a little black, then they fell to the floor, now lifeless.
E. Gadd, Toadsworth, Toodles, Mimi, Bleck, Petey, Kody, Morton, Lemmy, Junior, Larry and Ludwig, among a small group of other people, hurriedly made their distance from the cafeteria, witnessing the smoke coming out and hearing the sounds of people screaming in raw pain from being electrocuted.
"Did you guys see that!? That fucking kid, Toado, nearly killed me! He pushed me out of the way. If it hadn't been for Larry…fuck, man…" Ludwig yelled in both relief from being alive, but terror that that kid was crazy enough to try to get him killed while everyone was escaping.
"You did great, Larry! Thanks for saving him!" Lemmy cried and hugged him, then Junior, Morton, and Ludwig joined the hug. Larry cried a little, extremely overwhelmed and saddened from the treacherous act Tatanga committed.
"That piece of shit. Tatanga…he really started this off with a bang…ooooh…" E. Gadd said with bubbling rage from witnessing more people die at the hands of him.
"What the hell are we supposed to do now!? The water is now all zappy and it looks like the flames aren't dying down!" Toodles frantically pointed out.
"Uummm…w-we have the Crystal Star Rod now…that'll help…" Junior answered upsettingly. The others immediately perked up at this.
"WHAT!? YOU GUYS GOT THE CRYSTAL STAR ROD!? WELL, WHERE ON EARTH IS IT!?" E. Gadd loudly and frantically asked.
"Mario has it! They're all at the graveyard, w-we lost some of our people so we stopped there first to bury them. My dad sent me and Junior to find you guys while they were burying the bodies…then…that happened in there…it happened so fast, I-I don't think there's any way Mario could've known and stopped it!" Larry explained.
"Well, what in the bloody hell are we doing just standing here then!? We need to find Mario and get him to use that star rod to fix all this! And since Tatanga is here, this'll be a good chance to kill him so we don't have to go to his damn island!" Toadsworth demanded.
"It's too late…I saw Tatanga disappear!" Boshi called out as he emerged from the bushes with a weeping Clawdia. The dino continued, "I almost went back in there to see if I could do anything to hurt him more and maybe buy enough time for Mario to get here with the rod so he could help…but then I saw he electrocuted everyone and then used that damn scepter of his to disappear with his minions. So…we lost more people. Fucking brilliant…"
"I don't believe it. Just when things were looking up for us…this happens…" Mimi said and covered her mouth while breaking down into tears yet again along with Bleck, so heartbroken over his beloved that he couldn't even form any words. Toodles knelt down to him and touched his shoulder, feeling for him deeply.
"Clawdia? Uhh, where is…Katia and Kenneth?" Junior asked, fearing the worst.
"H-H-H-He…he…oh god…HE KILLED THE BOTH OF THEM! OH MY GOD THAT BASTARD TOOK MY LOVES AWAY F-F-FROM ME! OHHHHHHHHH!" Clawdia screamed and fell to the grass, crying her eyes out into the earth. Despite their rough history, the koopalings felt deeply for her as well. Even though no one could stand Kenneth and were iffy about Katia, they were saddened by the loss as well, and seeing Clawdia so understandably wrecked over it made the emotions heavier too.
"M-Mama…I-I'm so sorry…really…" Junior sobbed, going over to her and hugging her. Clawdia hugged him back tightly, crying into his shoulder now.
Boshi felt everyone's sadness and pain, but knew something had to be done still, even if it means pushing past the bleakness and misery of the moment. "Um…look, guys, I'm the quickest one here. I'll find Mario and the rest, see what they can do about the cafeteria situation. You all stay out here just in case the fires become worse!" he instructed. The others nodded and then he booked it back into the lobby.
Once he got in there, he saw a group of people backing away from the door per Rosalina's requests as water was leaking out from underneath the doors. It looked like she was about to open it herself.
"WAIT! ROSALINA!" Boshi shouted, running over to her. She looked over to him, surprised to see him right then and there. He continued, "The water's electrocuted! Me and some of the others were just in there and we escaped, but he flooded the ground and zapped it with wires from the ceiling! The fire's spreading in there too!"
Rosalina looked horrified from hearing that reveal. She then faced the door again and swung her arms outward, disintegrating the double doors, and revealing a pile of dead and fried bodies falling out onto the floor. The others in the lobby witnessing this had screamed in horror and shock, another disaster befallen upon them and withering their hopes further away.
"DISSIPAAAAAAATE!" Rosalina roared, and the fires blew out and the electricity from the wires shut off. Silence now, just smoke floating and slowly disappearing.
"Rosalina…where the hell is Mario with his Crystal Star Rod!?" Boshi asked, noticing the obvious.
"He's…he's with Grodus and Crump on the moon saying goodbye to their old friend TEC. This was completely horrible timing," Rosalina miserably revealed.
EoC.
Next chapter, Mario, Peach, Grodus, and Crump say their goodbyes to TEC while Grodus and Crump reveal what they endured when they went into their rooms at Blackstone Tower, and the infiltration of Mushroom Corporations begins with a bloody showdown and kidnappings. Next chapter will be uploaded on or before Sunday, June 25. Thanks for reading!