Downfall of the Mushroom Kingdom

by geddiknight

As it feels like the worst is behind her, Now-Queen Peach resumes rule of the Mushroom Kingdom. Sadly, due to the costs of having upheld the Ultimate DoubleDash Tournament, everything seems to only be getting worse. With Rates of Violence reaching new highs and rates of approval dropping by the day, can Queen Peach handle her self-inflicted destruction? (Now rated M)

8. More Sightings and More Movements

Downfall of the Mushroom Kingdom

More Sightings and More Movements

We'll be resuming straight from the previous chapter with a few looks at other parts of the lands here. Rewinding potentially ahead. Note that there are a lot of people enduring a lot all over the same time period. Things will begin to converge somewhat in the future.

March 12, Evening

Yagpar, Southeast Wuhu Mainland

(In the Narrator's Perspective):

Having set the wanted humans free, Iker Koopasi had endured the past twenty-four hours with a feeling of shame crippling the back of his mind. Ever since he dropped the pair of them off at Cheep Cheep Beach, more warnings and advertisements of the humans issued as bounties appeared everywhere he went. The channels for TV about the east were all about them, with it being one of their main headlines. As someone from Wuhu where this doesn't directly affect them, having any connection with them could still be a problem.

"You're not going to tell them anything, are you?" One of Iker's colleagues spoke to him across the room while he was watching the television on the current sports channel.

"Nope." He remained bold on the outside, showing confidence in his answer. "They merely slipped under the radar." He resumed watching the television, seeing some results from the football matches that took place in the Kingdom today. Filled with frustration after seeing the team he supports underperform massively today, he switched channels and got to a news channel. What he saw now was a video from someone's phone sent in to the news company playing on the TV.

"Is that...?" The colleague also paid attention to the video playing, pointing at it and gasping.

"Both of them..." Iker grinned, seeing the colleague look back at him. "Don't look at me. They're Cheep Cheep's problem now."

"Yeah, well-." The colleague heard movements of other people rushing into their room. Iker noticed a few others show up unannounced.

"There's a visitor at the main desk, he said he wants to speak with you." They all looked back at him. Iker had no idea who it was, so remained on the seat rather surprised.

"Who? Any names? You can at least provide a name."

"She didn't disclose her name; all we know is that it's a human." Iker jumped straight up from his seat and brushed past his colleagues.

"Human... That can't be good. We've just dealt with two." The colleagues all walked behind him, feeling slightly nervous on their way back to the front desk of the main room. There, they saw the cloaked figure standing alone in the centre of the room. All he knew from what he heard from his colleagues was that she was a girl, but from what else he saw, he immediately knew who it was. Beneath the thick cloak covering most of her, he noticed high heel shoes. He knew only one who wore such tall black shoes.

"I'm here for Rose." The girl spoke, in a voice so familiar that it actually frightened Iker. "I know she is here."

"Rose... she isn't here. I'm sorry." He stuttered back. "She's been taken back to the Beanbean Kingdom to be kept in the hands of Éclair. It was her fault to be wondering about causing trouble."

"Are you telling me, that what was promised to me was once in your hands and now isn't?" The colleagues felt defensive, noticing that the cloaked woman was now sounding threatening.

"Don't engage, boys and girls." Iker warned them. "If we proceed I know this girl could take all of us at once and still come out on top. Please... leave us the room. I've got this handled." He dismissed the many colleagues in the room, though they were unsure whether to obey his order or not. Some of them still looked afraid of the cloaked woman, and had their security weapons ready to draw. The woman didn't move at all, remaining tall before them.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." He nodded once again, affirming to them his move. Once everyone had left the room, including those behind the desk, he nodded once again at the cloaked woman.

"You know that I am merciful, so I will allow you to explain your failures to me." She noticed that Iker was already shivering on the spot. His confidence had completely disappeared once his colleagues had left the room. He knew that there were no cameras in the room, and that nobody was watching them from anywhere else in the headquarters building.

"My... G-goddess." Iker fell to his knees. "There was a distraction. There were other humans in town at the time."

"Other humans?" Her deep, husky voice went into his ears, making him more nervous.

"The blonde menace in the east, and... the star-queen. The one of the cosmos. Enrique and Rosalina." Iker leaned down as the cloaked figure opened her arm out and beckoned him over with one of her fingers, all had sharp dark nails.

"You think I care about the squabbles and the antics that go on with such insignificant people? You failed to bring me the girl that belongs to me."

"My..."

"Princess Rose is mine for the torment!" The woman raised her voice as Iker crawled right before her legs. "Don't you understand? She's mine, and she answers only to me. You merely exist in this plane just to help out with that."

"Rose... She's been escorted to the Beanbean Kingdom."

"Do you think I would involve myself with the likes of Éclair?" The cloaked figure dragged Iker across the floor a few feet towards her legs. The Koopa tried to crawl a little closer to her tall black heels, but was put a little further back. "Was that a kiss I was expecting? You're well past a chance at that!"

"I'm... sorry, I will try to get her back for you." Iker looked up, finally glancing up against her robes. Almost a glimpse of her face, half covered with the robes from the nose downwards. He almost managed to get a sight of her grey eyes. She beckoned him up again, distracting his eyes to look at her fingers. Iker leaned in towards her hand. The cloaked figure turned her beckoning fingers into a wrap around the Koopa's neck. She lifted him up a little more from the ground, starting to choke him.

"You have two days, and you bring her right back to this very room. Do I make myself clear?" She tried to get an answer out of Iker, but he could barely say anything while still being gripped at by the neck. Her sharp nails picked at his skin. She shook him a little more to get anything out of him. "What was that?"

"Y-yes- G- Goddess." She let go of Iker's neck and lowered him down to the floor.

"Do not fail me again, worthless turtle... or your pleasure will be your end." Iker slowly got up, watching the cloaked figure turn around and dash out of the room from the main entrance to the building, clicking on the ground with the sound of her black shoes. The Koopa cleaned himself up and signalled everyone else to come back to him.

"Is everything okay?" One of the colleagues asked immediately upon arriving. "Who was that?"

"Did they come for Enrique or Rosalina?" Another questioned.

"They want Rose..." Iker said back to them. "Éclair's got her own personal guard. While she's been nothing but an over-privileged nuisance, both she and Éclair are still targets nowadays."

"We've sent her off to the Beanbean Kingdom though, right?" Another colleague recalled.

"I told her that. We've got to be more careful, forgive me if I had anything to do with it. Yesterday was a tough day considering we've had problems given to us freely by the east."

"Fuck them." A few of the colleagues said.

"Exactly." Iker smiled. "We answer only to ourselves, and our people, and Éclair. In. That. Order." He nodded. "Back to our jobs now. We've had enough of the outside world for one night."

...

Iker went back into his office, closing the door shut behind him. The television was still on, still on the news channel. There was a lot mentioned about Enrique's and Rosalina's appearance in Cheep Cheep Beach, fuelling him with stress. By now, the east must have heard about it and started sending more of their forces westward. Knowing that the two were here of all places at one point, they were likely here because they were hiding from someone or some people.

(In the Iker's Perspective):

I'm such a fucking idiot. How could I forget so much about my greater being's demands? For the sake of what I'm put up with now, I can't even distract her name. She is the one that I'm supposed to be answering to, not fucking... Enrique some stupid Earth-man who's been a nuisance to the Mushroom Kingdom! All be it, he's caused a lot of entertainment for us, and it was funny seeing him drive a kart, but still, he's got ten or so other friends just like them and if I've heard nothing about any of them on the news then they're probably hiding too. Everything I have heard about any of them over the past few years leading up to this point, I bet they were all together at once and all involved in something so catastrophic that it could have been as bad as what happened in the Mushroom Kingdom on that night. What if they were the ones responsible for the massacre on the Rainbow Road race track and are fleeing because of it? No... How could Enrique have gotten here so quickly? He was literally here yesterday afternoon. Twelve hours at least, to get to Yagpar, from Mushroom City. Train? He'd be spotted. Car? Spotted, all over the news. I've got to play this back. There's no way he could possibly get here so quickly just by sneaking his way. The surveillance in the east and in Delfino is too big!

"-And now another important highlight of today's news: Two participants of Bowser's Ultimate Grand Prix trial which ended just yesterday after the catastrophic events of Rainbow Road have been sighted and filmed on the streets of Cheep Cheep Beach, both showing intentions of violence. A video sent in to us by a resident of the town whose name will not be shared will be shown to you all, but caution, some viewers may find this video distressing." I rewound back several minutes of footage on the TV to be able to view this video recording again. Here, I saw both Enrique and Rosalina pushing a female Koopa to the floor and then running off together. The footage holder tries to run after them but then the footage stops.

"Witnesses at the scene said that the two stole a car and drove it out of the town heading on to the northwest highway W23. Local operatives at Cheep Cheep Beach, Hillin Village and Twin Peaks say they are on the look for the vehicle that was stolen. So far, there have been no sightings since." So I at least know that they're still on the run. They managed to last a day without my influence and made it on the news. Great, well, they're no longer my problem... Unless? Rose... I have two days, but the Beanbean Kingdom is so far! I have to go now. For my Goddess, I must satisfy her need for this person. A royalty in her hands should reward me with so much. I've got to go after her. (*)

EARLIER IN THE DAY...

"AAAAH!"

"Oh my. Moroq, you're awake again. You've got to stop having these dreams man. I'm trying to get you to recovery as quickly as I can."

"Fergus... I'm sorry." Moroq found himself inside a wheelbarrow being carried along by Fergus. He had no idea where he was, but it looked like it was mid-morning the day after the day he last remembered experiencing. His body was aching everywhere and he didn't feel strong enough to pull himself up from inside the wheelbarrow. "Where are we? This looks nothing like the Westfells." He was able to peek around from the wheelbarrow, seeing nothing but hills and grass. The sky was clear besides a few clouds, and the air was rather cooler than usual.

"We're in the south now, boss." Fergus replied with a bright mood. "You can't imagine how much effort Rufus and I put in to get you out of the Westfells."

"Rufus? Hey, what?" Moroq tried to get out of the wheelbarrow a second time, getting himself in a better position this time. He remained inside but wasn't lying down anymore. "What happened? How did we end up here?" He kept peering around the grassy hills, wondering where he was roughly. Still, he had no idea.

"I hope you're aware enough to acknowledge this, but you're not all there in the head. Lynne took you out, and tried to usurp leadership of the Westfellers. I had to take you out of there to get you to a place where you can receive treatment and a diagnosis. I've got no idea what it is you have, but it's not fit for leadership." Fergus kept heaving Moroq along, going down a slope on the path. It was all he stuck to ever since he left the place...

Recalling last night before his very eyes as he walked along the empty path, he remembered what it was like when he arrived at Castelia yesterday evening. Everywhere was so different to usual, panic across every street. Volunteer groups assembled large vehicles to help evacuate worried citizens from the increasing control of Hostile forces. While this wasn't exactly a bad thing for Fergus given his reputation with the others in the past, it was the only way he could get Moroq down to the south with ease to seek treatment. He wasn't happy with how he had to pretend to be someone he wasn't just so he could be allowed access to the south. As Moroq was still unconscious for as long as he could to ensure he wasn't aware of being taken south, it was difficult for Fergus to get him on to the transport.

"Last call for the fifth bus to Donut Fort! Seven seats remaining!" Fergus overheard a Koopa volunteer speak through a microphone at one of the car parks on the edge of Castelia. This was roughly when he had parked the car to try and find a way to take himself and Moroq across the mountains. He knew that simply driving in that car with just the two of them through the tunnels would lead to a suspicious look made by them, and having to be inspected. Hopefully, a volunteer transport would do the job.

"Please!" Fergus called out to the volunteers standing before the bus area. "Me and my friend! He is wounded, and needs help getting on." They came to his aid. Not just Koopas, but Toads were also here working together, ready to help anyone no matter what species they were.

"Help the man on board, mind his shell!" One of the volunteers called back as he helped lift Moroq from the car and across to the buses. "Do you have any identification?" Fergus paused awkwardly.

"Not anymore, we were attacked on our way here from Dekharr. The entire place and Aypyidaw have been ruined! We couldn't keep everything."

"Come along quick." The volunteer ignored it. "We'll sort it out later."

"Take him to the back." Fergus heard another volunteer speak to the others carrying Moroq's body. He followed the volunteers up onto the bus and walked with them all the way to the back where they placed Moroq across a few seats.

"Careful with him." He warned the volunteers as they placed his body down. "Thank you."

Everywhere beyond Castelia was also very different.

"Just so you know, this bus goes non-stop until it reaches the other side of the mountains. We will then make a stop at Tunnel Pass, Vox, Nozebit, and then Donut Fort Town."

"Thanks, we'll need help at the first stop. It should be enough for us."

"So... I slept the entire way from Castelia to... wherever we are now?" Moroq wondered, looking forward at Fergus as he was still towing him along the hills.

"Sleep might be an overstatement. I kept you dozy as much as I could with my newly-learned magic. I just didn't want you to have another episode and start screaming randomly in the bus. We probably would have been kicked out otherwise." Fergus continued. "It was very stressful mind you. All these worried Koopas shivering and remaining silent on the hours-upon-hours long bus journey through the forests and hostile towns and then through the tunnel. We got off at the first stop which was very close to the mountains. Thankfully, we were all inspected as one when we crossed the border. No armoured Toads and Brigadiers came down to the end of the bus. One wheelbarrow later and here we are, a few hours in to the next day's sunrise." Moroq sighed, eventually coming to the wish to get out of the wheelbarrow. Fergus reacted, seeing him shake about in it and eventually make it a lot lighter to tow along.

"We don't need that anymore." Moroq stated. "We can resume on foot."

"We?" Fergus grinned a few seconds before noticing Moroq's legs beginning to shake. He began to feel more uneasy, going back down onto the ground, feeling very weak.

"Is that you doing that to me?" Moroq questioned, getting a headshake back in response. "What's happening to me?"

"I don't know. We've got to get ourselves to a hospital and find a place to eat." Fergus held the wheelbarrow up again, insisting to Moroq that he should climb back in and remain inside. "Some glass shattered on your legs and your head might be a little bruised but nothing should be wrong with your legs. Get inside the wheelbarrow anyway. It's better to save your legs for later."

"What about you?" Moroq wondered. "Aren't your muscles going to hurt from carrying me around all day?"

"I'm not using my muscles."

"Oh, right." He realised. "Okay, I'll get back inside." Fergus lowered the wheelbarrow a little to allow Moroq to crawl and climb back inside.

"I wish I could tell you what the problem with you is, but I can't. It's led to only disaster back at home. As I said, Lynne's probably taken the authority. I hope everything is okay with Rufus. He tried to help me get you to the south, but Dave pulled him back."

"Fuck... Dave could have killed him. What's happened with everyone else? All the close friends?"

"Well, Rufus sided with us. Dave didn't. He's basically become Lynne's big pet dog now. Everyone else... I don't really know. The girls went to Khibel's football match." The two eventually became within the vicinity of a nearby town, hopefully one with a hospital or at least a place with a doctor. Fergus wasn't sure which town this was; all he remembered was sticking to a woodland path which kept going eastwards at sunrise. Ever since, he crossed woods, grasslands, fields and hills, turning southwards only in the past hour. They were still high up compared to the rest of the town. The two could see the mountain slopes in the distance to the north, and down some more hills they saw the town to the south.

"We are in the Mushroom Kingdom, right?" Moroq said to Fergus as he stopped before the hill path started to dip downwards. "Where are all the mushrooms?"

"I think so." He replied. "Maybe the Kingdom isn't all mushrooms, just a small bit of mushrooms followed by thousands of miles of rural greenery. It's better that way as we see back at home."

"I could certainly use some mushrooms right now. I'm getting hungry." Moroq grinned as Fergus began moving slowly down the path. "Careful with your footing by the way."

"I've got it, don't worry." The two descended the hill and proceeded towards the town. It wasn't very big, but it looked big enough to house a hospital. Hopefully there would be one somewhere here.

As Moroq remained in the wheelbarrow being towed by Fergus, he watched the horizon go higher in his vision. Going steeper down the hill made him feel more anxious. He kept his eyes on Fergus, seeing him go down the hill quickly. The wheelbarrow started accelerating, so fast that it knocked Fergus over. Moroq panicked, expecting the wheelbarrow to start spinning after losing its weight. Instead, it remained rolling against the floor. He turned around in panic and noticed that Fergus had vanished. The wheelbarrow began to accelerate down the path and head straight into the town, getting faster even after getting down the hill.

"What the fuck is going on?" He cried to himself he kept going even faster, going straight onto a road, skipping traffic. He tried to get out, but his legs weren't helping him anymore. He felt a huge force of strength push him back down into the wheelbarrow. Moroq began to scream as soon as he saw a car on another road turn towards him at a junction. As the car was about to hit him, his vision changed completely. Instead of seeing a car, he saw Fergus again, knocking him out.

"Not again..." Fergus groaned to himself. He wasn't even halfway down the hill yet and Moroq had another episode. The Koopa was now unconscious again inside the wheelbarrow, making Fergus have to journey into the town alone and without any other interactions.

Bzzzzzt!

Before heaving the wheelbarrow down the hill again, he heard a buzzing noise coming from Moroq's shell. He still had his phone on him. Fergus quickly picked through his shell and managed to reach for the phone. Ata of the Takharim was calling him.

"Hello?" Fergus answered the phone.

"Yo, it's Ata- wait, who's this?" The Takharim on the other end of the phone was already sceptical from hearing just one word.

"Fergus." He replied with as few words as possible.

"Oh, you're Moroq's friend, right? Is he around?"

"No..." Fergus replied awkwardly. "We've had a bit of trouble back at home. Moroq's with me, but not... awake." He looked back at the wheelbarrow, holding onto it so it doesn't topple over on the hillside.

"Oh, is everything alright? I had a few things to say to him but if he's not around... or awake, I'm going to assume there's danger. Did the Zarkans flip sides? The Dargovi finally do something?"

"No." He giggled. "It was domestic problems. Moroq's developed a sickness and it has shown signs of weakness. We've had a bit of a leadership issue and it turned violent. Moroq and I are out of town, out of... country I guess."

"What do you mean?" Fergus felt compelled to talk to Ata more, realising the amount of trust he had in him and the other Takharim. Though he didn't see him for lots of time, the hours spent with him proved to him that they were good allies to have.

"We're on the other side... we're in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Fergus, what the fuck are you doing there? If the Patrol find out about you, they're going to kill both of you!"

"It's okay. We got across pretty easily; displaced citizens on a bus to immigrate to safety, except... we're only here to find a cure for Moroq's problem. I was hoping to find a hospital around here, but I can't seem to get any luck in this first town. It's going to be tough me towing him around everywhere to the nearest big town." Fergus started to bring Moroq down the hill toward the nearest buildings of the town. First, he had to get across a highway road on the outskirts that went along the edge of the Kingdom, after that, he was in the bounds of the town.

Fergus went on to learn that this town was called Urquaia, a small residential town in the northern edges of the Mushroom Kingdom. It was part of the kingdom's northeastern ring, a group of cities connected by a series of train routes in a circle with a line connecting a few cities in between. Unfortunately, there were no obvious signs for a hospital anywhere nearby, so he felt the need to ask the nearest citizen walking down the road.

"Excuse me sir." He came across a Toad pedestrian. "Do you happen to know where the nearest doctors' or hospital is?" The Toad looked back at him rather freakishly.

"Yes... It's..." He stopped and approached the wheelbarrow, getting a closer look at it. "Is that a dead body?" The Toad's eyes widened.

"No, it's an unconscious body. It's my friend, and I'm trying to-." The Toad had already made a run for it.

"I'm calling the Brigade!" He yelled as Fergus watched him run down the street. "Help, HELP!" The Toad kept wailing in the street, grabbing the attention of a few others. Fergus stood on the spot, hesitating to use any sort of magic against the Toad. A few other citizens on the streets started to notice Fergus, seeing him magically pick up Moroq's body and make a run into an alleyway.

"Fuck." He noticed a dead-end to the alley. Fortunately, the wall at the end of it was quite low. Not low enough to reach and climb over, but easy to jump across with a little bit of knowledge. "Sorry Moroq." Fergus launched his body over the wall with enough force to have it land just on top before it would slide over.

"Stay back!" The Toads approached Fergus down the alley, slowing their speed upon noticing signs of magic being used. They were just as anxious as he was, with both him and the people not wanting to create violence. "The police are coming. It's better you do nothing or you'll make it worse." Fergus ignored the Toads, despite their words, and jumped up with free-magical force over the wall. As he saw the other side, he gulped, seeing some Toads pick up Moroq's body and cornering him on the other side.

"There he is!" Another Toad called out.

"Get him!" They rushed towards him, pushing him on to the ground.

"Stop!" Fergus tried to resist, but ended up being pinned down quickly. He was afraid of what he could do, so he decided to eventually give in and remain on the floor. "Okay, okay! Get off of me!" The Toads kept talking amongst themselves as well as throwing spiteful remarks towards Fergus. They kept him pinned down as the police arrived, ready to take him first and then Moroq's body. As the police arrived to grab Fergus off of the Toad's, he noticed Moroq's body looking unusual. It started moving, twitching, making quiet anxious noises.

"He's moving." One Toad pointed out.

"He's alive?" Another said.

"Of course he's alive!" Fergus shouted as they all became distracted by him.

"Get off me..." They began to hear Moroq speak more loudly. "Get off me! GET OFF ME!" He aggressively got out of the Toad restraints and dropped to the floor, finally opening his eyes again. Everyone stopped and stared at him as he tried to get himself up from the floor. "What happened...?" He slowly turned around and noticed Fergus being held by several police officers of the Toad Brigade. "...What have I done...?" He was panting, breathing heavily around everybody he looked at. Even a tear shed for his eyes.

"It's okay." Fergus smiled back to Moroq. "There are no hostiles here. We're in the Mushroom Kingdom now." The two still got taken in with the police, but the Toads surrounding them quietened down and changed their opinion on them. Both Koopas were speechless until they got into one of the police vans. They had no idea what the people of the town were like before this, but being arrested was certainly not on either of their minds.

"What's going to happen now?" Moroq asked Fergus as the police van drove off. "I'm not a fan of this mess you've put us in."

"Will you shut up for a minute please?" Fergus raised his voice back at him immediately, almost frightening him. "How are you tell me that it was me who got us in to this mess. I'm trying to find a hospital for your sick illness. You should be thanking me, otherwise, those Hostiles back up in the north would have finished you off like a chain chomp on a strikers pitch!" Moroq noticed Fergus look towards the front of the police van, seeing a small hatch that separated the front drivers from them in the back.

"The wars... it's too much for us. I can't believe they just plundered us immediately after." Moroq said back to Fergus, confusing him at first.

"They've fucked with your brain. We need to get help for you. We never should have stayed up there." Fergus raised his voice slightly, hoping to be heard by the drivers.

There was no engagement between them and the drivers, and despite their efforts to try and get their attention by raising their voices about pretending to be innocents from the Résethal area, they remained inside the police car for the entire journey. Moroq was shaking as the vehicle stopped, relying only on Fergus and his magic to find a way to escape this. The two were taken to a very large building on the edge of town where they would be put into a room for questioning. Already, arrests were made so differently around here, and neither of the two liked it. One of the hallways they were cuffed and escorted to had a label that read 'Hostile Convicts', and already the two were seen as them.

"Why are you two taking us here? We're not-."

"Shut up." One of the Toad Brigade soldiers that took over the escorting silenced Fergus. "This is marked for all seekers." The two were led into an empty room where a few Toad Brigade workers followed them in. Fergus and Moroq were given seats in the back of the room, and the workers sat opposite them, papers at the ready. They waited in silence for two minutes before one last Brigade soldier arrived into the room. A few more left so there ended up being three. One sat in the middle, another on the left with a tablet, and a third with paper and a pen.

"You've got to be kidding me." Fergus moaned again. "This, all this, because somebody thought I killed him?"

"Oh yeah, how did that happen?" Moroq looked back at Fergus.

"Excuse me while I explain myself. This is all a big misunderstanding." He gave a sincere look back at the Brigade soldiers, who leaned slightly back when Fergus leaned in. "Why do we as northerners fleeing have to be subject to being arrested? My friend over here has been in shock ever since two days ago after his life was put on the line after hostile Koopas ransacked our town! He's sleep deprived and has something else that's far worse and that I don't understand about. He needs urgent help and the best you can do is to incarcerate us?"

"We apologise for the inconvenience, but it is our new protocol." One of the Toad Brigade soldiers replied with a monotone, but firm tone. "Anyone from the north could exhibit hostile behaviours, or have any connection with a greater threat, so we cannot make exceptions." Fergus remained on his seat, angered at the situation. He slouched, showing no signs of enthusiasm to engage with the Toad Brigade soldiers in the room as they readied themselves up through whispering amongst themselves to ask more questions.

"Could you please start us off by providing your names and your towns of residence, as well as your house address." One of the Toads readied up another with a sheet of paper and a pen to write on, while another move towards a different part of the room with a tablet and a connecting keyboard to type with.

"You want our residence? It's been burned down! The hostile Koopas... they're a vicious, merciless, ruthless bunch who don't care if you're innocent anymore. We should have known." Fergus kept up with doing all the talking. While he was confronting the Brigade soldiers all by himself, Moroq idly looked around in the room, hungry, and trying to stay awake and focused so he wouldn't fall into another trance-turned-nightmare. "But for our names... I'm Fergus, and this is, funnily enough, also Fergus. You can call me Ferg though." Fergus lightly nudged Moroq under the seat, making him more attentive to him and listen.

"Right..." The main Brigade soldier looked at the others, indicating them to note everything down. "So I take it you're not related?"

"Neighbours." Moroq stated. "We lost both our houses, and our families, the little we had up there." His vision became ambient with fire and flames in his peripheral parts; the view ahead turning greyscale. This wasn't quite a nightmare just yet, but he wasn't scared enough to react to it anyway. Seeing this new change of vision in his mind, Moroq stared plainly into nothingness. Luckily, Fergus resumed the talking with the Brigade officers, further explaining to them the effects a so-called disaster in the north caused on Moroq's mind.

"You see, it's an illness I think he has, but it's not quite impacting his health... physically." He managed to just about overhear Fergus negotiating with the Brigade officers while all he could see now was the fire and flames of Aypyidaw, indirectly caused by him.

All the dead bodies of Red Martyrs lay before him. Now he was fully in a memory, this time however, it wasn't filled to the brim with unpredictable scares and intolerable frights. Though, everything around him was deeply saddening, as a walk out of the courtyard in Aypyidaw led him to parts of the town that he did not visit that night, creating either fake memories or unexplored visions that were impossible to recall naturally. A lucid daydream in the broken city; it was almost like he was visiting the places that were made up by Fergus. Two destroyed houses burnt down by flames lit up by rioting hostile Karbûti. Maybe there were deserters from Aypyidaw that lived in these areas, but maybe they didn't make it like Fergus made up them to. Regardless, seeing the sight of burning buildings and now innocent Aypyidaw citizens being burned alive became too much for Moroq to witness, so he tried to shake it off.

Fergus and the Brigade officers were attracted to these movements made by Moroq, further proving Fergus' explanation of him.

"Hey, hey, Fergus, back to reality." He knocked Moroq's face and body until he flinched and got rid of the visions he was having. A light episode, but still frightening to have it in a room full of Toads.

"Yes... sorry." Moroq shook his head several times and then looked back at the Brigade soldiers. "Can I get help now?"

"We're sorry for wasting your time. We just had to be sure with everything." The main Toad apologised.

"It's okay. We're just a bit hungry, war-torn, displaced, you know... the like." Fergus replied rather patronisingly.

"We just want to ask one thing. Witnesses said that you used magic to get yourself and... Fergus? over the wall, so is it true that you are skilled with it?"

"Yes..."

"Were you not able to use it against the hostile-?"

"What kind of question is that?" Fergus jumped out of his seat in anger. "They have guns, man! Of course I tried, but I didn't want to die, damn it!"

"I suppose..." The Brigade leader replied quietly. "...They have guns, you have your wand, but they have guns. Could we perhaps, see your wand?"

"See my wand what do you mean- oh... right." Fergus realised at that point why the Toad was asking that question. His pulse began to accelerate, and for bad reasons. He slowly reached into his shell, knowing that there was nothing in there, and pretended to act like something was missing. He delved into his shell, feeling all parts of it. "It's... gone, where did you put it? Did you steal it from me?"

"The witnesses said there was no use of a wand when asked." The Brigade spoke softly and quietly, with the other two Toads putting their objects down. "No wand involved in magic means you're a murderer, an acolyte of dark and dangerous sorcery." The Toads began to arm themselves and started pointing ranged weapons towards specifically Fergus. Moroq slowly moved aside initially, looking back at him.

"There's been a complete misunderstanding... I don't know what you're talking about. Murderer? Sorcery?"

"Easy now." The lead Brigade soldier slowly approached him. "Arms up where we can see them, held together too." The Toad frowned upon seeing Moroq get up from his chair to stand in front of Fergus, defending him.

"You've clearly made a mistake. This Koopa wouldn't hurt a fly. He's done everything that he can to help save me." While Moroq remained strong in confrontation, his vision began to blur again. He couldn't hear the response from the Toads clearly, and tried to act upon it, but soon, everything in front of his vision changed completely. Now was a very bad time to have one of these episodes. He was now genuinely frightened, unsure what to do. He tried calling out to Fergus, but he had no idea where he was. Every action became without any feel, like he had lost a few of his senses. Moroq's mind was all that remained, full of fear and fright.

...

"AAAH!" His conscience must have gone for quite some time, as he woke up in the middle of a field, again completely in the middle of nowhere. This time, he felt quite a bit of pain. He had been bleeding from his leg, and had a few bruises across his arms, but luckily his chest and his face remained intact. His shell was a little damaged, but enough for him to keep hold of. Moroq tried getting up, his legs a little stronger than when he was in the wheelbarrow but weaker than when he was in the prison room. All he could see were tall plants and crops being grown, as well as a few bodies that lay ahead in the distance, all dead and bled out on the floor. All of the bodies resembled Toad Brigade soldiers, including the leader a little further out of the field.

"Fergus?" He panicked, peeking above the crops in the field, searching for his friend. "Fergus!" He finally noticed him, lying on the floor on the opposite side of the field. Moroq rushed over to him and inspected him. He too was bleeding, and a lot worse than his own leg. A small pile of bullets was seen next to some soil just on Fergus' left, but the blood was still bleeding from his body.

"Fergus... No, no, no... Come on, do some magic on yourself. Heal up, anything!" Moroq shook his body, trying to help him stay awake.

"I'm... a fool." Fergus whispered against the field.

"You're no fool. You're a hero, my hero! Get up, you can fix this!" Moroq kept shaking him, hoping he would do something about it, but then he realised: if he could do something, he would have done it already."

"I don't know the magic..." He replied softly. "So much knowledge, so little time..." He leaned back, dozing away.

"Come on, wake up man." Moroq started tearing. "We'll get through this. You and me. We're going to win this war and prove that we were right all along." He gripped on to Fergus' hand, trying to keep his body upright.

"War... It doesn't show who's right, it shows who's left." He coughed. "I'm sorry... You're on your own." He took a few more blocked-nose breaths then eventually stopped. The grip the two had on each other's arms began to weaken, and in about thirty seconds of silence and more tear-shedding, Fergus' body began to feel cold. Moroq would go on to let out his longest ever 'no', getting louder and more aggravated as it went along until he was almost shouting at the end. He wiped the tears from his eyes and quickly searched both his and Fergus' shells. There was nothing new to obtain from either, except for a bloodied knife found in his own shell. Even small bits of gut could be seen from the tip of it, and he had no idea how it happened. Now that he stood up on the edge of the field, he was able to look across and see even a police car that had been burning a few metres from the edge on the other side. The bodies piled up around that area, only providing him the information that over there was where they came from. Moroq was hungry, thirsty, emotionally damaged, mentally unstable, and clueless as to where he was, yet his first instinct now was where to go next.

There was no life in sight. All he saw beyond the field was paths going in all directions that Moroq believed to just be patches of dirt in the grass plains. Given that there was a destroyed police car on the other side of the field. He knew that there would be more to come. He had to leave immediately. While walking just a few metres from the field, he noticed something very strange. The sun was low, expected to reach the horizon in about an hour. That to him meant that it was the early evening. He had been out for almost an entire day, knowing that it was the morning when he was originally arrested. He still had no idea where to go, but from distancing away from the field and looking in respect to where the sun was, southeast was still the way to go it seemed. His body was still aching and his leg was still injured from earlier. Crippled, his journey was a slow one and with no confirmed destination. He felt that if this persisted, then it would get to a point where he would feel so insane that he wouldn't be able to distinguish reality from a nightmare he could have just walking down the paths. He was also very hungry. No food all day.

More time passed, and surprisingly he wasn't feeling anything unusual beside his injuries. Eventually, the path he stuck to got wider and more catered and paved. Trees became less abundant, and the vision ahead looked clearer. The sky was only getting darker however, and when the light started to fade in the sky, his worries began to fuel his mind with anxiety and stress...

...That was until he came across one of the most surprising and astonishing buildings he had ever seen in his ventures in the south: a stadium. About a hundred metres away was the outside of it, and over there he could see civilisation. Citizens were walking around on the other side of a chain-link fence that marked the bounds of the town the stadium must be in. There were Toads, but also many Koopas in the distance. He was soon close enough that he could begin shouting for attention. His mind was weary, unsure of what to do. To ask for help but risk your identity being exposed, or to find a way around the fences and get hands on any food he could find.

"HELP!" He shouted. He was definitely too mentally worn out to try anything new on his own. A mix of regular citizens and security guards heard his voice and turned their heads towards him. Some rushed to the fence, seeing Moroq approach it. The security guards immediately ran towards the edge of the fence boundaries, going all the way round to reach him. They were all shocked to notice the wounds and injuries Moroq had all over his body, but now that he was here, they felt that they could save him.

"Oh my goodness. Are you okay?" He overheard the Toads and Koopas mutter to each other as they approached him, able to understand some of what they were saying.

"Help me please." Moroq wailed before falling to his knees and then eventually the floor.

"Fear not, friendly Koopa!" A Toad security guard eventually reached him, helping him up. "We're here to help. Don't worry if you don't feel strong enough to talk. We'll get you to aid." They surrounded him and picked him up with a little less force than how the Toads in the other town grabbed him.

"Try not to move, it might hurt you more if you move." Another Toad handled his body gently, getting him onto a board that they could carry him on.

"Trafficking..." Moroq uttered under his breath before closing his eyes to rest, giving the security guards a hint.

"Get back to the entrance." One of the Toads commanded two others, leaving the rest to deal with Moroq on the board. "We'll get this one back to the infirmary. Send word to the chief, Mushroom City may want to hear about this one too." Moroq hated to hear the end of that, but he couldn't care enough at this point in time.

"Food..." He also whispered to the guards.

"He's hungry, perhaps thirsty too. We'll need to get him some water once he's in the truck." The guards were gentle but quick in getting him around the fence and into the stadium's car park where a few police cars and a couple of ambulances were parked. With his eyes slightly open, Moroq was able to see the sheer size of this stadium. It was huge, none like he had ever seen before. It looked very modern, a giant compared to even Wario Colosseum (and the above stadium now known as Bluchest Stadium). When being taken into an ambulance truck, he was immediately given a flask of water, to which he downed as quickly as he could.

"Easy there. Woah." The Toad nurse operating in the ambulance took it from him once he was done with it, placing it aside. She was sitting with him along with two others in the back as it drove off, heading quickly out of the car park of the stadium.

"Is he able to speak to us now?" Another one of the nurses nearby asked, hoping to see Moroq perk up. "Mind his wounds." She said to the first nurse trying to move his body for him to be more comfortable.

"My voice is fine." Moroq croaked, coughing a few times. The nurses gave him another flask of water.

"Would you like us to remove your shell?" The main nurse asked, moving around in the ambulance. "It might help with your wounds and be easier for us to assess them. We'll be able to take good care of you until we transfer you to the High Hill Hospital." They all noticed Moroq trying to lean his head up while on the board.

"Stay lying down, it's okay. We'll treat you right." He admired the honesty and the respect he already had for the Toad nurses. He remained on his back, slowly moving his shell up so that he could take it off.

"Thank you." He praised the nurses for assisting him on its removal. "Where are we?" Two of them looked at each other in surprise.

"We're in Westerfield, Ulontis; part of one of the largest towns in the Mushroom Kingdom. Are you not from around here?" One of the two nurses in front of him said back.

"His accent shows it." The closest nurse looked straight into his eyes, grabbing a temporary bandage to place above his leg wound. "We need to minimise any continuous blood-loss, while it looks dry down there it's not closed. The last thing we want is an interior clot." Moroq noticed that the nurse closest to him had a name tag. They all did, but only hers was readable. This nurse in particular was called 'Ayetta'. "So, your accent... you're a northern fellow? It's terrible what's happened up there. I've heard it on the news."

"Yep, awful, awful stuff, but the Brigade and Patrol are keeping good watch. I heard they're shutting borders soon. They've already sealed the west tunnels and stopped all train services." The second nurse in front of him added on.

"Yeah... So I take it you're a victim?

"We're almost outside." Moroq decided to say nothing, knowing that he was going to be carried out soon.

"Let's be quick." Ayetta told the other two. "The more time we waste the worse it will get for him." The ambulance stopped outside the hospital's back entrance. Moroq could hear various doors opening and closing, with the drivers in the front running around to help deliver him out from the back. The two Koopa drivers held the board out from the front and the two other nurses carried the board out from the back. Ayetta stood beside him, moving at the pace of the others, clearing the way for him. All the noise and rushing about was too much of a bother for Moroq to handle while awake. As he was still tired, he decided to close his eyes and try his best to ignore it.

...

Moroq woke up again, wrapped in a hospital duvet and in the comfort of his own ward. There were other beds in the room, but they were all empty. Only his shell was on top of the bed opposite.

"Aren't you lucky?" He heard a familiar voice to his left. It was Ayetta from earlier, sitting right beside him. "This entire room is yours. Most of our take-ins here are the elderly, and even then, it's not so many." Moroq tried to sit up straight, happy to speak with Ayetta. "Your leg's been cleaned and wrapped with soft cotton plastering. Your bruises were cleaned as well. It's amazing how nothing else was found inside your wounds, especially your leg wound." She smiled at him from the seat to his left.

"Did I do anything crazy when we got here?" Moroq whispered over to Ayetta, who was initially confused at him.

"I... don't know what you mean." She awkwardly looked around the room. "You were sleepy upon arrival, but then you got all panicky when you were being cleaned. After that, you fell asleep randomly just before we took you into here. Why do you ask?"

"Because..." He paused briefly. "...I'm not just wounded physically, but I've got something wrong up in my mind as well, so I've been told. When we arrived, I fell asleep. The next thing I remember is waking up just now. Nothing else that happened was anything I remembered." Moroq looked back to straight ahead, closing his eyes and feeling dozy in the bed again.

"Well, that's going be a bit of an issue because eventually you're going to be asked about how you ended up in your physical state anyway. Hopefully you remember all of that, right?" She looked at him, and all she got back was a light head shake. "Damn... Well, do you remember at least something?" Moroq looked back to the bed opposite him.

"It's best I wait until I'm actually asked about it, but you can come with me, right?"

"Of course." Ayetta smiled. "I've been tasked to look after you while you recover here. It will be my duty."

"What will happen now?"

"The Toilets are just around the corner. If you need anything, I can provide you some snacks, but my best guess is you should get some sleep. Hopefully you will be able to remember this in the morning, because that's when we'll take you in for a recount on how this all happened." Moroq nodded and looked back to the bed, slowly closing his eyes...

EARLIER IN THE DAY, AGAIN...

New Donk City, Far North Delfino

Very agitated due to delays and cancellations of trains as well as a phone out of charge, Pauline finally arrived back in New Donk City. Everywhere looked very different. While the high-rise, Earth-like modern buildings looked the same, the streets down below seemed very different. There were significantly less people walking in the streets this morning, and a lot of things that operated on the pavements were gone. Most office buildings operated as normal, but the western side of the city was looking the most desolate. Getting her governed security back to escort her, Pauline rushed through the streets to the White Hat district, the westernmost precinct area. The only people that filled the area were armed Brigade and Patrol soldiers, along with a few Koopas that looked like they were victims of the Aypyidaw massacre that fled through the tunnels. Among the many workers in the precinct, she recognised three in red that stood out from the rest. Three familiar faces, a Toad, a human, and a Koopa. The three major Red Martyrs that were invited down south for the race evening. Archbarn, Muji and Eoréc respectively.

"Could someone please tell me what is going on here?" Pauline demanded, clenching her fists. "Someone get me my work clothes. I'm going to have to change in a car in order to sort this out in orderly fashion!" She was still in her dress that she came down to the Mushroom Kingdom in. Ever since the incidents of Rainbow Road, she only managed to change back into her dress which she originally used for the night's ceremony. No time to get back into her work clothes. "Muji! You! You've got some explaining to do, someone please update me on everything!"

"He's in a call right now, Ma'am, but I'm sure afterwards he'd be willing to help you." Eoréc intervened. His face was dirty and gritty. She had no idea how he must have spent this morning.

"Gosh, you need to wash yourself. Did they not have baths in Aypyidaw?" She awkwardly joked. He sighed back, but eventually smiled.

"We did. I'll have to head to a Patrol barracks soon." The two stood and waited for Muji, seeing him a few metres away facing away from them and on the phone.
"We're working with the Brigade as well as we can to make sure the borders are safe. I understand this might not be much to you, but any information we get, we will forward it to you." The two overheard Muji talking and watched him hang up the phone quickly. He turned around and smiled at Pauline, greeting her with a hug. To her, he was looking surprisingly clean given how Eoréc was.

"We're all deeply sorry we've had to come in to the town and intervene in such a way." Muji first apologised to Pauline, escorting her further into the precinct towards the edges of the city. Her guards remained a distance behind her, joining up with some Brigade soldiers. "Have you heard about the state of the capital of the Mushroom Kingdom?" He asked her.

"No, what's happened? Not again, surely?"

"Peach has taken leave, given charge to Mario, Luigi and Daisy. I was just on the phone to Luigi. He's totally incompetent at managing everything. I'm telling you if she's gone for too long then everyone's just going to walk over them. Their governing isn't going to work." Muji led Pauline and Eoréc across the precinct to where they could see Archbarn. He was talking with another Koopa, one wearing significantly less red. There were so many other refugees in the area but Archbarn decided to speak to only this one.

"I don't want to get into the macro aspects about everything happening there, but as long as the people are protected from what's on the other side of these mountains then there shouldn't be much for us to worry about. With enough financing leaking from the tickets that the lands fed them, they should be able to dish out money in a better manner." Pauline said back to Muji and Eoréc.

"The tournament fucked up the economy. That's why Wuhu's thriving and everywhere else in the south isn't. Nobody over there cares about the tournament." Eoréc added.

"Who's that Koopa Archbarn's talking with over there?" Pauline stopped, pointing to them.

"He said he was called Curley Morgins, but he's marked as suspicious as he doesn't show genuine feelings of being a victim of a war-infested land. He also showed up on his own. Archbarn's trying to get anything he can out of him but the Koopa's already had his cover blown." Muji explained as they approached them more closely.

"So he's a Hostile?" Pauline assumed, speaking loud enough for the two to overhear her.

"I'm not. I've been trying to tell you that since I got here." They all looked at Archbarn, who still wouldn't believe him. "I've tried saying all I can but there's just no way."

"What do you mean?" Eoréc asked him. "You showed up inside closed tunnels all on your own, almost completely unscathed."

"You... you! You sent me back there! I remember you!" Curley moved away from Archbarn and got close with Eoréc. "You don't remember me saying that you got the wrong person back in Delfino? I was just a racketeer in Blockfort. You got me mixed up with that other Koopa. I forgot his name, but he was with Kylie!" Eoréc then looked back to Muji and Archbarn after being shouted at by Curley willingly.

"I asked him about Moroq, since Tori told us about that name. He said he knew nothing, and didn't even know it was a name. He thought I said more rock." Archbarn said back to them.

"We can at least question him more about what he saw up there." Muji wondered.

"That's the part I was sceptical about. It sounded like he made up what he saw." Archbarn looked back at Curley seeing him awkwardly standing on the side of their interior circle. "Get him inside." He got the attention of two Brigade soldiers and gestured at them to take Curley away. "Make sure you take away his phone if he has one."

Pauline had another look around the city's outskirts. Being followed by Muji and Eoréc still, she took them both towards the train tracks that went westward from the New Donk City train station. These were also near the border tunnels to the north and had a chain fence get lowered down to close it. "All tunnels on this side must be closed, right? How are South Mountain Village... and the slopes? Mozortavo?" She stood firmly and looked up the cliff-face that was the southern slopes of the mountain range. There was one path that ascended the mountains in a zigzag, but it looked completely empty.

"All tunnels from South Mountain Village are closed, including the train tracks. They always have been. As for Mozortavo..." Eoréc phased, stopping his sentence there.

"Forgive Eoréc. Every time that town is mentioned he goes in a little trance."

"Shut up." He slapped Muji. "It wasn't my fault."

"It doesn't matter." Muji laughed, yet Pauline was still confused. "We're not really a council anymore. You have nobody to be sorry to for that. They did it themselves."

She frowned, demanding an answer. "What are you two talking about?" She didn't like how they were joking around even times like this, especially in her own city currently being used as a training ground for Brigade soldiers and ex-Red Martyrs, the little of them there were.

"Eoréc was working with Tori, another member of the council, on returning some Koopas to the south where they'd move on from hostile influence. He was in charge of getting them to their new place in Rymat. He said goodbye to them in Mozortavo thinking they'd get the transfer train... and what do they do? They go the other way and back to the north, disappearing beyond Dekharr." Muji leaned in to Pauline's face, staring at her eyes closely. "There are two platforms in Mozortavo, and he literally got the same train back, except Eoréc got off at Aypyidaw." Pauline looked back at Eoréc, who was looking very embarrassed. He tried to look away to divert the attention elsewhere, but everywhere he could see ahead of him was full of people occupying things to do.

"You should be thankful someone as stupid as you was given such an honour as to being invited to watch the final race. Because of that, you're still alive." Pauline smirked at him, embarrassing him even more. "Now would be a great time to be smart." She then looked back at Muji. "You and your new crew are going to be here all the time now, right?" He frowned and then nodded back at her. He knew that would give her a lot of stress, but it would be in her best interest to leave. He didn't want to tell her that just yet, since they're yet to know what will happen next in regards to the Hostile Koopas.

"Muji!" He heard his voice be called by Archbarn. Back at the precinct, the Toad was waving back at him, beckoning him over. "Inside the barracks. We've found a lead."

"From Curley?" He called back. "What did you find?" The three returned to him, forming another circle and now speaking more quietly.

"It was on his phone. We charged it up and found the name Moroq saved under his contacts." Archbarn led them all into a giant building full of scaffolding, connecting to many others with many floors.

"So he is a Hostile?" Pauline raised her voice, standing in front of the three.

"We also found a lot on his phone about his life in Blockfort, so he's not quite an original one; he's more of a Mac if you know what I mean." Archbarn responded, mainly directing his response at the other members of the council. "For you, Pauline, he's a radicalised Koopa. We can get more from him, but he's not execute-worthy." The four followed the guards all the way to the room where Curley was kept. His phone was placed on the side, not to be touched. Curley was cuffed and loudly talking nonsense. "We've also got a problem on our hands, there has indeed been a Hostile Koopa sent back to Delfino Capital prison and about three weeks into a four week sentencing."

"We've got to inform them about their mixed-up case then. We'll need to carry out the same sentence for Curley, but factor in everything he can give us. Since he's ours, we can use his knowledge to our advantage." While Eoréc remained in the room to try and get Curley to stop whining and shouting, Muji walked with Archbarn out of the room and around to a different room separated by a thin glass wall to the other. Pauline also followed, trying to listen in and understand as much about the case as she could.

"What are we going to do about the eastern tunnels? There's the Sigurk tunnel still open with refugees and volunteer helpers coming back with innocents, and I'm guessing the Zephenwood tunnel's still open. I'm not overly fond about what could happen with that latter tunnel. Any Vurduresan is an evil Vurduresan and they could be in those buses and coaches coming back to Nutusa. How do you think Bowser would fill if Koopa City started filling up with more Koopas... oh. Still, it's bad."

"When, if, Peach comes back, we'll have to close them then. Hopefully the Brigade and Patrol are up to standard with the routine checks. They should be able to distinguish an evildoer with an innocent refugee; we've given them all the clues." Muji said back to Archbarn, shortly before he felt a buzz from inside his clothes pockets. "Excuse me, I'm getting a call." He got his phone out of his pocket and had a look at the screen before answering the phone. It was just a random phone number, with no saved contact assigned to it. He walked a few steps away from Archbarn and Pauline and picked up the phone. "Hello?" The two others watched him on the phone. "Sure, just give me a few seconds." He lowered the phone and made an expression to get their attention.

"Who is it?" Archbarn asked.

"It's Tom." He whispered back, signalling the two to be quiet as they approached. "What could I do for you, are you safe?" He said back through the phone.

Pauline wasn't sure what to make of it. Only originally knowing that him and all of his friends had vanished from the sight in Toad Town, knowing that one of them are still around gave her lots of thoughts and mixed feelings. He would definitely be wanted by the Mushroom Kingdom still, but she didn't want that to be the case. As eager as she was on the inside wanting to speak to him over the phone, she felt that it was best if she never engaged in conversation with him, as it may end up jeopardising his location in the future.

"Pauline could you-."

"I'm not telling anyone. I promise." She interrupted Archbarn, who eventually gave in to letting her stay in the room. He turned back to Muji and nodded at him, to which Muji put the phone on loud speaker.

"Err... It's difficult. I'm never safe with how every single town is looking right now." She recognised the voice. It definitely was Tom.

"What was yesterday like? I heard about the teleporting. The whole Kingdom's got a bounty on all of your heads." Muji asked him back quietly, accommodating for the loud speaker output.

"Dangerous. I don't like this new life I'm going to end up living. Getting my way through the lands without any fast transport or even any town access is feeling very hellish to me right now." They all heard him well and noticed an odd tone change to his voice. He sounded more timid than usual and also out of breath, a bad sign to see in the morning.

"Where are you? I'm currently in Donk City. You'll be happy to know that Peach isn't currently in the Mushroom Kingdom. She said she needed some time away from ruling, so I'm guessing she's gone to spend a few days on Earth." Muji noticed an intended pause of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Are you expecting me to trust you? I bet you've got Brigade soldiers at the ready to come and hunt us down." Muji sighed and looked back at the other two. Both were very silent, hesitating to speak.

"I'm going to tell you a truth here. I'm inside a room with only Archbarn and Pauline, both have been hearing you in this phone call. Only us and maybe Eoréc will-."

"Not Eoréc." She interrupted him. "It's not that he's not to be trusted, it's just he might make a mistake and let it out."

"Hi Pauline." Tom said over the phone.

"Hi." She replied awkwardly.

"Eoréc might be leaving the room opposite. I'll occupy him." Archbarn patted Muji and walked out of the room quickly. Tom overheard everything and refused to say anything more.

"Now it's just me and Pauline. I promise you." Muji spoke again to the phone. "Everything that you say we can help you with."

"...I think I'm in Bedlam. One of its districts. I gotta tell you, this place certainly lives up to its archaic meaning. This place is scary, and yeah, I'm calling from a phone booth. Sachi- Sachiko? Sachiko Road. Yeah, Sachiko Road. What should we do?"

"Wait, what? We? Who else are you with?" Pauline remained silent.

"Just Toby. I haven't seen anyone else since we ended up in the woods. Have you heard word from anyone else out of us?"

"I can't say that we have. I'm sorry to tell you that." Muji now saw Archbarn with Eoréc back inside the room opposite, sitting at table with Curley on the other side, most likely questioning him. "I'm going to try and get to you. I'll be coming alone."

"You don't want me to come too?" Tom overheard Pauline talking back to Muji.

"No, you need to be here. You'll motivate the border-guards... or something, we just need you to keep on governing. Maybe send word to your people that we've got the situation handled."

"Alright." She lowered her voice, looking back at the room opposite as well.

"I'll be coming alone, and arriving discreetly. We'll meet near the phone booth, but not get close to each other until we're out of the city. I too have no idea how many Brigade or police are at the town, but I'm going to assume it's non-zero. Private bounties are probably a thing too, so watch out for spies." Muji indicated to Pauline to get her out of the room. He wanted to be on his own once the call was over. He could overhear shouting going on in the other room, both the voices of Archbarn and Curley were taking turns to be the loudest in the room. Muji sighed, not wanting to bear any of this at all. Even Pauline felt anxious seeing how heated the room got from the outside.

"I don't want to be here any longer." She got a little upset, looking away from the room separated only by the door left ajar. Muji heard her as he got out of the room, ending the call with Tom just before. She looked back at him and was unsure what to do. "Is this what's going to happen? You guys and the Toad Brigade are going to do this with every new Koopa you find from the other side of the mountains and turn this once grand business city into a glorified prison?" Muji froze, seeing tears go down her cheeks. "I guess I'll just have to suck it up like everyone else and get my proper clothes on." He walked over to her and followed her out of the area where the guards weren't so near and took her into a different, empty room.

"No... Not for long at least." He tried to cheer her up, massaging her shoulders and looking back into her eyes. "With the tunnels closed, all there'll be are a few groups of Patrol soldiers watching and guarding those spaces. We won't have any more of these recently-made barracks set up once this quietens down. At best we'll try and set up a camp in between where the two exits meet each other on this side of the mountain range and establish something there. Everything else will be fine." She still wasn't amused by his words. Her emotions couldn't be easily manipulated just by some reassurance.

"But my people will be in danger. How can they live, work, thrive in this place if there's a risk just beyond the tunnels?" She moaned and groaned, even with the reassurance. Muji couldn't think of much else to say, and his motivation to motivate her was thinning.

"This isn't what you are to think about right now. Maybe you need some time. Go back home and I'll reach out to you once I've picked up Tom. Can you do that for me, at least? I mean, look what I have lost. All my works, all my efforts, all my friends on the other side, gone in the night. Neodjan was right. We never should have come down to watch the race." He remained in the room for a few more seconds, shaking his head in sorrow. Pauline was left in the quiet room alone, with Muji closing the door to it behind him on his exit. All she had on her was her phone and the pile of clothes that was her mayoral work suit. Her hat was tattered, creases were everywhere. Looks like the Brigade soldiers in the area and her governor workers made a terrible job at keeping Pauline well-managed.

"Mario... please..." She said to herself. "Now might be a good time to save me. Please, don't fall for Peach again..."

March 12, 2015 – Noon

The 'town' of Bedlam, Far North Wuhu

One of the great mysteries of the Mushroom Kingdom and its nearby lands was how such a desolate town came to be and how it took its name. Once a small outpost for the human residents to the lands now becomes quieter and quieter by the years. While it is still on the map to many and connected on the lands' unified railway system, the streets were almost always empty, even in busy rush hours. An almost vacant local council, an almost-always bottom division football team and no teams in other major sports that the lands partake in, Tom had no idea what to expect from this place upon arriving here with Toby. Their first instinct was to stay off the main roads. Make sure that nobody would notice them. Although this was the Wuhu Kingdom after all, they didn't know it at first. This part of the lands was one where none of them and their friends had even spent a lot of time in. Fortunately, they were able to spy a working phone booth in which Tom used to contact Muji. The town itself wasn't looking that all bad. The buildings were a mixture of classic-cultural Wuhu housing and near-modern style, but nature seemed to be left unmaintained as the years go by. Many houses had ivy vines growing all over them, and that didn't even distinguish if the house was occupied or not. So far, the two had encountered one person walking from his house to the main part of the town. Instead of following, the two played it safe and remained on Sachiko Road, a residential street on the southern side and on the edge of town. Just beyond was a giant forest that the two had recently come out of this morning.

Eventually, the two heard noise of a car. Muji was finally here, about two hours after they hanged up the call. Both Tom and Toby were hungry, and the two said almost nothing to each other in the time spent waiting. March the twelfth was another cloudy day up here. Not too hot, not too cold, and thankfully no rain. Even in the two hours spent waiting and walking around the area, nobody showed up to the road either.

"That's got to be him." Toby pointed out, finally showing a bit of excitement.

"I should have asked him to bring food and water. I'm surprised none of us have been sick from drinking lake water these past twenty-four hours or so." Tom added, trying to stand up straight upon seeing his arrival. His legs were shaking a bit and his skin was a little sensitive, but he was able to walk all the way to where Muji parked the car.

"Get inside, quickly." Muji lowered down his window and called out to the others. He didn't even get out to greet them. The two accompanied him with Tom taking the front passenger seat and Toby getting into the back. He drove off almost immediately after Toby closed the back door, doing a quick three-point turn around the road to get out of Bedlam without being seen... even though nobody was paying notice to him.

"I suppose you don't have any food on you?" Tom grinned, doing up his seatbelt.

"Nope." Muji replied back monotonously. The two others were slightly shocked to see him rake up the speed quickly after getting off of Sachiko Road and towards the nearest flat straightaway. "Did you two take a look at the red of Bedlam?"

"No." Toby replied anxiously.

"Good." Muji smiled. "It's as I then thought, completely empty. A ghost-town. Maybe I was wrong and that there are no Brigade Toads there." The town was in fact tiny, and also not too far from the foothills of the mountain range. It was one of the few that spanned between New Donk City and Norgalith Port on the end of the range.

"Isn't Bedlam like near where the Electrodrome is?" Toby wondered, leaning in to see the view ahead and to talk with Muji better while he kept the car straight on the highway.

"Near where it was. The entire town where it was in got evacuated." Muji said back, leaving Toby full of more curiosity.

"Oh, I forgot about that." He rubbed his forehead. "Was it about all that Rhonaward stuff?"

"Zane..." Muji smiled and chuckled. "It would have been a whole lot easier if it was his doing, but he only lied for the attention and his stupid schematics for New Years' Day. Zane would never kill that many and injure that many. Yes, the fright on Wuhu Island was his doing, but that catastrophe at the Electrodrome? That wasn't him."

"What are you trying to say? Do you know who did it?"

"It was the Dargovi. All of us up in headquarters knew it was. That's why it never made national news, only local news. It was the most devastating catastrophe that had happened in recent years in these southern lands, even worse than Rainbow Road in Mushroom City. The Wuhu Kingdom in its strength managed to see to the losses, offering housing to all those living there in towns such as Rymat, Kerolt, Norgalith, Bedlam, that sort of area, but as usual, nobody wanted to move to fucking Bedlam."

"So it's like nobody wants to live in Bedlam for the sake of not wanting to live in Bedlam."

"Exactly, the place isn't that bad, even nowadays. The Hostiles did their attack on the Wuhu Kingdom and learned that they're not the threat to them. Ever since then though, they've shut borders with the north from South Mountain Village. That's why the tunnels from there have always been closed."

While Toby and Muji were continuously talking to each other on the journey eastward back to New Donk City, Tom was zoned out looking out the left window, seeing the trees go by.

All he was thinking about was the dark nights spent in the woods. Ever since the teleportation happened, he found himself in the forests of north Wuhu. Not knowing it at the time, he thought he was completely lost after realising that he was on his own at first. Nobody was nearby for about the first five minutes. He could remember shouting people's names out in the middle of the forest and everything looking black with a hinge of blue seeing the moon's light reflecting up in the sky. The first night of March 10 to March 11 was the scariest for him. The moon was full and he actually heard other sounds than his own. These weren't good noises though, they were howls. Thankfully he didn't encounter any, but the first few moments of ending up here were the most frightening.

"Tom?" He remembered hearing Toby's voice from further into the woods. He was across a lake, and beyond the moon's reflection on the lake, everywhere became dark. Toby made his way around it to meet with him, but unfortunately he was the only person he ended up finding that night. They were both frightened and scared, having no idea where they were. At least they had each other. Two great friends and a surprising pairing working together go get their footing back. They found a small cave underneath a giant tree where they stayed the night in, but the next day was even worse. While they had the assistance of light, everywhere they walked through was thick dense forest just like everywhere else that is rural in the Wuhu lands. Though he didn't know this, the forests they travelled through in the north were almost identical to the forests that Enrique and his band trekked through in the south, only a little less jungle-y. The ongoing thoughts he had for most of the day was where to get food, where they could be, and where everyone else could be. Sadly, even meeting up with Muji, he wasn't able to find an answer to the last thought.

The second night was actually the best part of their time spent in the green wilderness. With the day being spent journeying in a random direction, finding adequate food to eat from plant choices, bashing blocks in an attempt to find a super leaf or at least anything useful, and finding freshwater lakes to drink from, resting was going to be easy. They found another place to relax and sleep underneath another giant tree. It was only until the morning after did they find Bedlam and it was only after seeing the Sachiko Road sign where it read out Bedlam did they know where they were. Accounting for all the dangers he had on his 36-hour trip in the green wilderness, it was actually the existence of question blocks in the woods they trekked through that worried him the most. There was little knowledge he had on them, but what he did know is that if he did see any, then that would be a bad thing.

"One thing about yesterday, we saw question blocks on our journey. Is that a bad thing?" He asked Muji after hearing nobody speak for some time.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just that you're in an area that nobody's really been to recently. I guess it could mean that you are lost. Maybe you were then. The forests south of the northern Wuhu towns are huge and empty of civilisation." Muji replied, telling him more useful information about the land that they were now in. "You don't really want to be in the Wuhu forests, ever. They're huge and it's easy to get lost in. I can only hope that your displaced friends are not in them." Tom sighed and looked back out of the window. His thoughts immediately went elsewhere, trying not to worry about it all. The three reached a road sign on the left, showing nearby towns and their distances. Rymat was getting close, and South Mountain Village looked to be at least twenty more minutes away. There were then higher distances displayed for towns called Paflaghuvin, Kerolt, Dormator, Mozortavo, and lastly Aypyidaw. Tom only knew about three of those towns, but he assumed that the other two were just towns also in the northeastern part of the Wuhu Kingdom. Another minute passed and they saw another road sign. This didn't have writing and numbers but instead an actual sign showing tracks and a train. Lights also appeared ahead, flicking on and off. There was a gate lowered down and a train crossing sign. Muji slowed down the car and waited for the noise to get closer to them. A train would come to pass, coming from their left.

"That train coming from Bedlam?" Toby asked.

"Yeah, heading to Rymat most likely. We're almost there, but we're going to stay on the highway road." Muji replied, seeing the train speed by. After a few more seconds, the barrier gate opened up, allowing them to drive through.

"I wonder if the trains have taken any lives here." Tom spoke, looking down the tracks as they drove past.

"Probably not many." Muji thought. "I'd expect very little, since the Wuhu citizens are on average smarter than those in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Why might that be?" Toby asked again.

"No Princess Peach, no Bowser. Nobody to mush up their brains. That's my guess." Muji grinned, keeping his eyes on the road as it started to curve leftwards. They eventually got to an empty junction with the road going straight ahead but also with a turn to the right, presumably heading towards Rymat.

"What was it you said about Peach again, over the phone? Something about taking a break?" Tom looked back at Muji.

"I think..." He paused for a few seconds. "...That she's gone and spent a couple days on Earth, maybe to take her mind off the stress of governing a failed state." Tom looked down after hearing Muji, rubbing his neck and flicking the top of his shirt a few times, feeling a sense of missing something. That was certainly something taken from him while being a captive in Mushroom City a few days prior to the events of Rainbow Road. That necklace meant almost everything to him, and even Muji seemed to notice.

"I have a feeling she didn't go to Brooklyn." He groaned with a bit of frustration. Muji even eyed over to him upon hearing that.

"You think she went to England?" Said Toby.

"There's a chance..." He replied softly.

"She'd be more at peace in England." Muji stated. "That town you bound that portal to, much quieter than the big city of Brooklyn. I wouldn't doubt that she brought a lot of gold coins with her either. She could set up her own bank account and start selling gold to the British government. They'd make her a billionaire with not even half the amount of coins her castle's got."

"Oh shit." Toby gasped. "I never really thought about that."

"Who knows what she's really up to on Earth. She could be on a fat spending spree. She could be sorting out new plans for the future. She could be on her own undercover mission out there, OR she could be gone permanently, though that's the last thing I'd expect her to do."

"Jack got his old business thriving through that method." Tom turned back to Toby. "Turn coins into tons of money, get funding equipment from earth then send it back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Basically, the cost of living here is ridiculous compared to Earth."

"People like us..." Muji spoke over the two. "We can easily exploit life here, but none of choose to. I'm so glad none of us do because if we did then that could lead to a lot of selfish desires."

"I bet your experience has taught you so many good things. I mean, the Red Martyrs must be forever in debt to your wisdom and assistance you've provided from the first day there." Muji went silent. Eventually, they got to another junction with a road going to the left, heading towards South Mountain Village.

"Are we not heading back to Aypyidaw?" Tom asked Muji. He still said nothing back.

"Nah, didn't he say that the tunnels were closed? We'll have to go round to Donk City to get through, right?" Toby responded, sadly not providing the correct answer to which Muji knew. He sighed while driving, worrying Tom slightly.

"I forgot you guys haven't heard about anything since Rainbow Road."

"Is everything okay, Muji?" Tom looked at him again, concerned deeply. He noticed the man begin to shiver a little, feeling anxious and stressful.

"Aypyidaw's fallen. It was taken over while we were gone. I still don't know if they knew that we weren't there or because it was at the same time as the final race or simply pure coincidence, but the Hostile Koopas overran it. Most borders on this end of the range have been closed, and we've heard nothing back from anybody else from Aypyidaw. I've been inclined to believe that they're all either dead or missing in Résethal."

"Oh, fuck..." Toby became speechless, just like Tom. Neither of them knew what to say, with Toby not initially believing it at first. "Are you serious?"

"As far as I know, the only three living that were part of the council are me, Archbarn, and Eoréc. It is a reach for me to include Ledro, but we know what happened to him." Muji's voice changed, he became weary and teary while driving, worrying Tom. "It's why we were in New Donk City. It's kind of where we've set up the defence at the border."

"I'm so sorry." Tom felt anxious but insisting on helping him out. "Let me take the wheel." Muji immediately slowed the car down to a stop on the empty highway. He got out of the car quickly and started walking around the front side of it. Tom also got out of the car and the two exchanged seats. "Toby and I... we didn't know obviously, so we don't really know what to say."

"We could have made a difference. The three of us. I'm going to sound like I'm boasting but I'm being brutally honest when I say that the three of us together could have more impact than everyone else combined. The Red Martyrs must have lacked proper leadership up there when they assaulted the walls. We never should have taken the invitation to watch a stupid race in the sky! I'm sorry." He started panting, rubbing the back of his head and looking out of the window.

"It's okay man." Toby tried to comfort him. "We have no idea what could have happened. It could have been the worst possible outcome and you would have died there with them. At least we're still alive. That's what currently matters right now."

"I don't know how to think about it, because I've realised something right now." Muji got more visibly upset, shocking Tom as he never saw this side of him. "I could have been with them yes, and we would have all died as Martyrs protecting the people... but at the same time, Peach was... racing? We were meant to be the shield that protects the people of the southern lands and the time Peach invites us down for leisurely affairs, everything goes!" He got louder and louder with his frustration as well.

"I know Peach is a bitch, but what you've done for the south will never be forgotten." Tom said back while keeping the speed up on the drive. They then went under a small bridge where the train tracks to South Mountain Village were at this crossing.

"Is it bad in me that I often feel that she might be playing both sides?" Tom and Toby both stuttered, unsure what to say.

"It's not... necessarily bad that you might be thinking that, but... surely not, right?" After five seconds, one of them finally replied, and it was Tom.

"Does Peach ever go beyond the mountains to the other side?" Toby asked Muji, though he wasn't quite listening to him.

"HOW COULD THEY GET ALL THOSE WEAPONS?"

...

Tom hit the brakes and brought the car to a quick stop in the highway just before it started to curve to the right. Everyone was silent in the car, even Muji.

"What?" He muttered with a high pitch.

"I know it's a reach, but it's been like that since the beginning. It's been almost twenty years and the way the Koopas up there develop guns is almost like Earth's leading scientific research. We've never risked the danger of getting a closer look at some parts of the hostile lands but, you don't expect Koopas to be that leaning towards weapon development, would you?" He was still breathing heavily, wanting to get out of the car for a bit to get some air. He opened the car door and took a stretch, then immediately going back into an enclosed tuck position of a position beside the car. "I always hated your stance of not fully caring about anything up here. Maybe it was me feeling jealous."

"I don't think either of us is not caring right now. I mean look where we are." Tom tried to get him back into the car but it looked like he didn't want to move anywhere. All the guilt he saw right now in Muji's emotions was contained for far too long.

"I cannot let it go for nought." He cried a little, whimpering in front of the other two. An old man sobbing on the street, a sight nobody thought they would ever see from him. "I cannot let my fallen friends die in vain, not after how vile that... that." He slouched to his knees. Memories flashed before his eyes, seeing how he had to essentially raise her through her youth as she didn't have the parents after the war to do the job for her. All it led him to believe was either that the power got to Peach too dearly, or that he was a failure. Toby was speechless. Only Tom could think of something to say let alone say it to Muji. He got out of the car, leaving it on the road, and walked over to comfort Muji. Seeing him down on the ground sitting with his legs crossed made him feel almost heartbroken.

"With every new day comes an opportunity to be more informed with knowledge. Yes, it is very tragic what happened, hell, Toby and I still can't believe it. My point is, something as big as this could make a huge step in the pacing of life in these lands. Do they all just return back to their home knowing they've got the land they've always wanted without noisome neighbours on their doorstep? Or is their desire more insatiable, and if they won't stop at Aypyidaw, then it might be a good time to throttle full force back at them before... New Donk City is next?"

"Nobody has such power." Muji sighed. "Nobody but Peach, and even then... how many innocent lives would be lost? How much land space would become waste? I don't mean it in the destruction sense, but all those towns full of half-empty neighbourhoods because they've all been cleared out of hostiles. Sorrow and sadness will be everywhere if that happens."

"Sorrow and sadness is everywhere, regardless of what happens. You all swore to protect the south, so they're the ones that matters. Don't do it for Peach, but for the people... or... don't do it at all." Muji looked back up at Tom, feeling slightly offended for the first second of realising what he said, but then taking it in and having a thought about it changed the way he reacted.

"You cannot negotiate with them. If you left them alone they'll eventually want to take over all the lands. They have no end-goal, it keeps on going." He looked back to the floor, shaking his head and sighing. "We cannot just do nothing about it. Their deaths were not the answer because they're not going to stop at just Aypyidaw. I know what you mean though. To be honest, the fact that the city has fallen just shows how severe it has become. They've been dormant for all these years and only twice did they impose such great threats. 2010 with their alliance with Boom and Pom, and 2015."

"Well what we should at least do is find a way to uncover the secret behind their weapons so you say. You don't know how they got so much, so we've got to find how they get them to begin with." While Tom replied back to Muji, he kept an eye on Toby in the car. He was looking anxious and awkward, trying to keep a straight face while looking out of the window on the other side of the car. "Come on, let's get back to New Donk City, and there we'll figure out what to do next." While Tom began to feel very assistive for Muji in helping him find justice for this, he realised that he was getting carried away about other important matters of his own. None of his friends were anywhere to be seen or heard of at least, except for Toby. Both of them weren't that excited for going to New Donk City, especially if there are lots of Toad Brigade soldiers operating there. Hopefully Pauline would be able to assist them though, what she can do they don't exactly know yet.

When getting back into the car, Tom noticed another distressing thing: Toby's look. His arms were crossed and his face was pale. Every time the two exchanged eye contact in the car, Toby shook his head without saying anything. He could tell what he was worried about, but he couldn't really say anything to solve his sorrows. For now, all he could do was wait with him until they arrived back to New Donk City. Muji was behind the wheel again, being the one to take them all the way back. Before they got there though, he remembered to be cautious and to stay out of the sights of any Toad Brigade members.

...

More of the day went by as they arrived. Muji remained on a side road, getting out his phone ready to call Pauline hoping she wouldn't be occupied with anything. They were quite a distance from the high-rise buildings of New Donk City, but the tunnels and the roads leading to it were in sight. The tunnels were so great in size that the three could tell they were closed from how far they were from them.

"So is this where we'll be staying for the next couple of days?" Toby wondered, leaning in to the front seats as Muji got out of the car. Tom remained inside, staring ahead at the sights.

"It's better than the woods, though I'm not too sure if it's the best for us. Hopefully we won't have any company." The two could faintly hear Muji on the phone with Pauline. He told the two to stay in the car at first and now started walking further away from them.

"I don't trust Pauline." Toby leaned back onto his seat, wiping off the sweat from his face.

"She's all we've got at the moment mate. Her, him." Tom pointed towards Muji. "And Archbarn."

"I don't trust Archbarn either. I barely know the guy... I don't think I've ever had a conversation with him actually. Every time I heard about him he was just work, work, work, and he's another Toad like the rest of them. What makes him so special?" Tom also sighed in frustration, not sure what to do. He kept repeatedly breathing out through his nose, venting stress without saying a word, only moving his hands in the front seat and shuffling about. He looked over and noticed Muji was still far away after a few minutes. He wasn't looking too great either. Visibly upset, gesturing in denial and seemingly looking like bargaining for a better resolution. Tom tried reading what was going on and his first thought was bad news. He looked away back at the mountain slopes, looking towards the heavily guarded tunnel entrance, pondering in his thoughts. Behind him, Toby was now lying down in the back seats, not only upset but bored out of his mind.

"We can't even go home to Brooklyn. They've probably got the pipe under full surveillance and protection." He sobbed, rolling over and taking off his jacket.

"We're gonna need new phones." Tom finally said something after a few minutes of silence.

"No kidding. We'll need to reach out for everyone else too." Toby's face was now against the surface of the seat he was originally sitting on.

"I don't know about 'we'." Tom indirectly made him get up from the seats and sit up straight in surprise.

"What do you mean?" He said.

"If you've got a crush on Pauline, you'll be in luck. I'm going to do exactly what's on Muji's thoughts... and find out what's with all these Koopas with all these guns and shit." Tom slowly pulled the handle to open the car door. He undid his seatbelt and slowly moved his legs out by the moving door.

"Tom, you don't know what it's like on the other side of those mountains. You'll be an idiot to go across alone!" Toby opened up his door. "That's why I'm coming with you." Tom looked back with surprise yet slightly proud as well. He gave Toby back a slight half-smile before turning to Muji again. Toby waited by the side of the car and watched him walk over to Muji while he was still on the phone to Pauline.

"Hand over the phone." He asked monotonously yet with some intimidation. "Let me speak to her."

"Muji, I'm not going to have the entirety of the western precinct be used to accommodate for your council's failure!" He overheard the phone and saw Muji lower his arm as he turned around to look back at Tom. "Muji, don't you dare start ignoring me! Muji!" He offered Tom the phone quickly, allowing him to answer back to Pauline as quickly as he could.

"Hey."

"T-Tom? Oh my goodness you're alive. I'm so sorry everything's a mess right now. You have to persuade Muji not to let the Brigade have authority over my city!"

"Pauline..." Tom spoke with a soft tone. "You're going to have to listen to me."

"Uhh... Sure... Yes, I'm listening."

"I will allow you to layoff all the Brigade Toads operating in the city, in exchange for one request. I will see to Muji that they all depart and abandon the tunnel to make a unified blockade where the Donk City entrance meets with the South Mountain Village entrance on the rails. I will also see to it that they collapse both the road tunnels so the only way to get through is from the South Mountain Village tunnels. What I want in exchange though is the following: I need a new phone, two phones, updated to the modern Muhu Delfethal broadband. I need a few weeks worth of easy-to-eat rations that you should be able to get from Brigade and Patrol. Lastly, I need weapons, and LOTS of ammunition. I do not ask for any means of surrendering, bypassing what orders the Brigade want on me, and I do not ask for Free Passage. I don't care about the law of the Mushroom Kingdom right now. We're in a space that hasn't got a lot of strictness when it comes to this, so now, as a governor of Donk City, can you do this for me?"

There was a brief period of silence on the other end, but eventually they got something back. Muji was startled by Tom's words unsure what to say back to him.

"I can provide the phones and the food. I suppose you'll want water too. As for the weapons, I'll try and get back to Archbarn. Maybe he'll be able to help you out on that one." There was noticeably less panic in her voice now that she was speaking to Tom, and it seemed like she would obey his wishes. Toby now also came over to them wanting to hear what was being said.

"Thank you Pauline. I'm afraid we won't be able to see you, but Muji will come round soon enough to collect everything." He offered the phone back to him, seeing as Pauline must have put him on hold.

"What do you plan to do with all these weapons and rations and phones?" Muji asked Tom, slowly walking back to the car after taking his phone back.

"I want to get an answer to your thoughts' question: how do they get all their guns?" He and Toby also walked back to the car, but neither of them opened up the doors to get back inside.

"So you want me to go back to the barracks, get everything you need, bring it back into the car, meet you here again and then take you to the other tunnels? Then after that, disband everything here and move inwards?" As Muji was speaking, Tom was repeatedly nodding. Toby began to understand everything as well, nodding to the last few things.

"We'll need to exchange numbers with the phones, add important people like Archbarn, you, Pauline... maybe Eoréc as a last resort kind of thing."

"Eoréc will be serious when it comes to these matters. Trust me."

"...Well other than that... yeah. That's about it really." Tom and Toby waited on the side. "Just bring us lots of water."

Muji lowered the car's window and offered his hand out to shake Tom's. "Be careful scouting the unknown." He smiled. "I'll bring you more than what you need in the car, and you can take what you want from it on your journey."

Tom and Toby smiled back at him. "We can always count on you." Tom said.

The two watched Muji drive off back into New Donk City, going round a building out of sight. They would go on to wait about an hour before he returned with a trunk-load of supplies and weapons. Before they made their embarking to South Mountain Village, Muji handed over two unused phones to them, all synced with the latest updates and hooked onto the networks. Muji had also called both phones, allowing them to save his number on them. Upon arriving before the closed tunnels, they went round to the boot of the car and opened it up. Backpacks were handed to both of them where they could carry around lights and torches, sleeping mats, flasks for water, packets of rations, and ammunition, lots and lots of ammunition. A selection of guns and knives were also present beneath everything else as they were the last things to be chosen. Tom and Toby had a look at all the things they could take with them and eventually decided on a fair few of them to bring along. They had a selection of a few handguns, some rifles, some automatics and even a sniper rifle. Toby was crazed at how even the Toad Patrol had access to such an arsenal of weapons. With their choices set in stone and a lot of other food consumed to keep up their health, both of them readied themselves up and headed towards the tunnel entrance. Most of it was blocked up with barricades, but to the side, there was a small hatch that the two could open to get through.

"Please, for Pauline's sake, extend this out to the junction." Tom said to Muji just as he was about to enter through the hatch.

"We will." Muji replied. "It should be easy. Close this, open it up further along, and blast the Donk City side. That will make her happy."

"Good." He started following Toby through the hatch.

"One last thing." Muji called for their attention. "I've just sent you both a text of phone numbers corresponding to a lot of important people. If you ever need help, text or call once you're out the other side."

"Thank you once again." He gave Muji one last nod as he went through the hatch.

"Good luck." Muji called out one last time as the two ventured into the darkness of the tunnels. For now, everything was quiet. Hopefully the journey to the other side would be easy...

EOC: Nice. It seems that sticking to a 20 day / 3 week publishing and uploading cycle is feasible. With the amount I intend to do in this second story, it will certainly take less than however many years it took for me to write Fighting in the Streets from when I officially started continuing in 2017 to when I finished in late 2021. Actually, it's about the same.
The main difference between the style of this story and the previous one is there are fewer chapters but subsequently way more words per chapter. I was going to do around 12,000 per chapter but already the average has gone over 16,000. Better for you all I guess! I don't mind!

See you next chapter!