-Chapter 43-

Thus Always to Tyrants

In the dungeons beneath Totahmet's pyramid, Mario and MP walked around their cell, checking for any weak spots as E. Gadd ranted and raved.

"If their police brutality and neglect of due process wasn't bad enough, they didn't give us our Miranda rights! They're supposed to say, 'You have the right to remain silent!' Nobody said I have the right to remain silent!"

"Professor!" MP snapped, clearly on the edge of her sanity. "You have the right to remain silent! You just don't have the capacity."

"Shows what you know!"

"SILENCE!"

The trio froze as booming footsteps entered the dungeon, looking on nervously as they found themselves staring down the ferocious form of King Totahmet.

"King Totahmet, I know you're in there somewhere," Mario insisted. "Tatanga is messing with your head. You know this isn't right. You'd never betray Daisy."

Totahmet just chuckled. "Is that what you think?"

Mario blinked in confusion.

"It's true, I supported that foolish girl in the past..."

"But it chipped away at you," MP mused, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "You got tired of her antics. And when Tatanga showed up…" She looked up. "Everything boiled over."

Totahmet nodded. "Her strength and resolve are admirable, I'll admit as such. But she refuses diplomacy, or opportunities to compromise. Her every solution is violence. Her father should have placed a more... competent leader in her position."

"Thought as much," MP said.

"And who, pray tell, would this more competent leader be?" E. Gadd asked. "Yourself?"

Totahmet grinned. "Exactly. We Shphinxes are the embodiment of power and wisdom, and none are more powerful or wiser than I."

"Well, if this is how you treat your guests, I'd hate to see how you treat your subjects," Mario said flatly.

MP turned to him. "Mario, don't forget these guys got Blue Hooded. They aren't themselves right now."

"I know...I still don't like it though."

"Stop that whispering!" The group flinched. "Now, I've heard great things about you, Super Mario. How you single-handedly crippled the Koopa Kingdom's empire, defeating Bowser not once, but twice. "

Mario looked up at him. "If you know who I am, then you know what I can do. Unlock this cell and let me get to Tatanga... or your luck may turn bad."

"Not just yet. The only thing that will make me unlock your cell is if you swear your undying loyalty to my kingdom and crush my enemies beneath your boots."

Mips snorted hard at that as Mario tapped his chin in thought.

"Mmm… let me think about that- no!"

Totahmet growled as Mario went on. "Tatanga is the threat here. Let me out so we can stop him."

"You dare try to order me?" Totahmet snarled. "I will not be dictated to. I will not be threatened. I am the morning and the evening star. I am Totahmet, Pharaoh of Piraput!"

He let out a fiery roar. Mario remained unintimidated.

"Wow... you oughta do something about that breath."

Totahmet scoffed. "Joke while you can. But if you will not swear loyalty to me voluntarily... I have other ways."

Mario cocked an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean by that?"

Totahmet grins maliciously. "Guards! Bring forth the prisoner!"

A door opened up and two guards dragged in a captive Koopa. He was in utterly appalling condition, looking like he'd been beaten within an inch of his life. Seeing the groaning Koopa, both Mario and Mips grew concerned and serious.

"Egads!" E. Gadd let out, covering his mouth in horror.

"Shocked?" Totahmet grabbed the Koopa by the chin, forcing their head up. "This little Koopa attempted to defy me as well. He's been especially stubborn, but I think I'm getting close to finally breaking him. Isn't that right, Koopa?"

The Koopa muttered something, far too quiet for anyone to hear.

"What was that?" Totahmet leaned in, trying to hear. "Speak louder."

The Koopa groaned, then raised their voice slightly. "N...Never...join...you..."

Totahmet slammed a massive paw on him.

"Hey!" Mario shouted. "Leave him alone!"

Totahmet ignored him. "Everyone has a breaking point, Koopa. One way or another, we'll find yours." He looked at Mario. "And if you refuse to join me willingly, prepare to follow his example."

He began violently stomping on the Koopa, eliciting pained screams each time.

"Stop it!" MP cried. "Leave him alone!"

Totahmet ignored her and kept crushing the Koopa. After the last smash, the Koopa let out a weak grunt, lying limp. Totahmet prodded him with his paw a few times before sighing.

"Blast it, I went overboard again." Mario and MP were unnerved by his casual tone as he looked up. "Guards! Get me a 1-Up!"

The guards came back with a 1-Up Mushroom and fed it to the Koopa, who let out a sharp gasp and sat up.

"It appears your game ended," Totahmet mused.

"Seemed like the thing to do in that scenario…" the Koopa let out, dazed but ironically in better condition than before.

"And now he's too disoriented. Take him back to his cell!"

"Hey!" MP cried as the guards lifted the Koopa. "Koopa! Listen to me! Bowser is on his way! He'll protect you!"

The Koopa let out a weak smile, only to get his butt scorched by Totahmet as they left. With that, the Pharaoh turned back to the Marios.

"Anyway, I believe I've made my point."

"Yeah, you've made it alright," Mario spat. "That you're psychotic, and for your sake, I hope this bout of homicidal tendencies is only because of Tatanga."

"I'll give you time to reconsider my generous proposal, Mario. But I suggest you change your mind by sundown... or else."

Totahmet walked off, chuckling darkly.

"Not happening, Pharaoh Freakshow!" Mario shot back, narrowly avoiding a fireball.

"Well…" E. Gadd began. "It appears we're in a tough spot."

"If nothing else, at least Luigi and Daisy are still free," Mario pointed out. "Hopefully, they're on their way."

Meanwhile…

The Road Pop blazed through the desert at insane speeds.

"WOOOOOHOOHOOHOOHOOOOOOOO! YEAH!" Daisy cheered. "This is awesome!"

" Here he comes / Here comes Speed Racer… " ROB sang. " He's a demon on wheels / He's a demon and he's gonna be chasin' after someone. "

Daisy was having the time of her life, while Luigi was leaning out the window, torn between blind fear and motion sickness

"ARE WE ALMOST THERE?!" Luigi shrieked.

"I dunno!" Daisy replied. "Haven't been here in a while!"

"According to my Gadd Science Inc. Map-O-Matic, our estimated time of arrival should be..."

A ding sounded. ROB suddenly stopped the car, jerking Luigi and Daisy back into their seats.

"Now."

Daisy looked up to see the outside walls of the capital city. With a shaky hand, Luigi unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, and fell out of the car in a boneless heap

"Ohhhhh...mamma mia..." he managed. "My head...my stomach...my chest..."

"Yeesh," Daisy rolled her eyes. "Lighten up, string bean."

Luigi clutched his chest. "Oh no! I think I'm having a heart attack! How old do you have to be to have a heart attack!?"

"In regular or pansy years?" Daisy questioned, only to get a look from Luigi and ROB. "Okay, sorry. But seriously, you're overreacting. Breathe."

Luigi breathed slowly, in and out, managing to compose himself.

"Good. Now, we need to save your brother and sister."

"And the professor," ROB chimed in.

"Right, him too. Which means getting into the royal palace."

"I get the feeling that's easier said than done." Luigi looked over the city. Guards were patrolling the streets and towers, with Shphinxes in the sky.

"Eh, we can take 'em," Daisy rotated her arm, grinning eagerly. She prepared to walk toward the city, only for Luigi to grab her arm, pulling her behind a rock.

"Hey! What's the big idea, Lu...!?"

"Shhh..." Luigi pointed to something. "Over there."

Daisy looked to where he was pointing, seeing a manhole cover nearby.

"We can sneak in through there," Luigi replied. "Go through the sewer tunnels."

"The sewers!?" Daisy exclaimed. "Are you nuts!?"

"We need to lay low, and this is our best option."

"But it's dark! And smelly! And full of...rats!"

"No worries." ROB's eyes glowed, producing a scented air freshener, which Daisy slowly took.

"Right… Let's a-go!" Luigi hopped in. Daisy looked down before sighing and hopping after him. As soon as she stood up, she gagged.

"This actually isn't that bad," Luigi mused. "You want a real stench, the Taco Havana once had a backed-up pipe in the bathrooms. Now that reeked."

"I don't know what a Taco Havana is and I don't think I want to!"

"A taco restaurant."

"Whatever, you're a plumber. You work in sewers and with toilets for a living. Of course, this doesn't gross you out."

Luigi raised an eyebrow. "Y'know, considering how tough and raring for a fight you always are, I would think a little smell wouldn't bug you."

"Well, yeah! You can't punch a smell! You can't fight a smell! All you can do is get away or try not to..."

She retched, putting a hand over her mouth.

"Ah, so there is some Princess in you. In any event, here's my tip: breathe through your mouth for a while."

"I am…" Daisy heaved. "I can taste it. I'm gonna need like twenty showers after this is over."

Luigi sighed.

"Let's just focus on finding a way to the palace." He looked around, seeing the various tunnels leading in every direction. "This... might be a problem."

ROB dropped down at that. "Fortunately, I have a solution."

His optics went out of focus for a moment before an antenna popped out of his head. "Gadd-ar online."

"Are you... tracking someone?" Daisy asked.

"Quiet, please." ROB focused. "This way!"

He zipped off. Luigi and Daisy shrugged before following.

"Hmmm… Scanning...scanning..."

"Sooooo..." Daisy began "While the robot does...whatever it's doing… Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Did you really beat Bowser?"

Luigi nodded. "Yeah, we did. Me and Mario together. Twice. We blasted him into his lava moat the first time."

Daisy let out an impressed whistle. "Wow…."

"The second time, Mario tricked him into smashing through his own floor."

Daisy scoffed. "That's why you don't use Brick Blocks in everyday construction, they suuuuuck."

"Yeah," Luigi chuckled.

"Still...I can't believe someone actually managed to take him down. The man who almost single-handedly took over the world."

"Well, it wasn't easy. Heck, the first time, I was scared out of my mind. And I think part of that was because he'd grown rusty."

"Hey, easy or not, you actually did it. But, yeah, I can see where you're coming from. If you'd faced Bowser at his peak, things might have turned out differently."

"The first time…" Luigi shook his head. "I'll just say it, it was pure luck. The second time, we were running on pure spite. I'll be honest...it scared me."

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "Why? Bowser's pure evil. If anyone's deserving of spite, it's him." She clenched her fists, which shook with suppressed anger. "Him and his entire blasted turtle tribe."

Luigi looked at Daisy worriedly. "Uhhhh...Daisy?"

Daisy snapped back to reality. "Sorry, just...thinking. What were we talking about?"

"Well..."

"Done!" ROB declared, getting their attention. "I've located our friends."

Luigi and Daisy turned to him as he pointed upward. "We are directly below wherever it is Totahmet is holding them."

They looked up, seeing the sandstone above.

"Yeah…" Daisy began. "But unless you have a Bob-omb or something similar, we're not getting to them."

"Deploying Gyro." A spinner popped out of ROB's front, producing a spinning top-like device. ROB placed his hands on it, revving it up. "I suggest you get to a safe distance."

The gyro began to blink red.

"That means move!" Luigi cried.

He grabbed Daisy, yanking her out of the way as ROB's eyes glowed and the gyro revved even louder…

-X-

In the Cell…

Mario perked up slightly.

"What the... Mips, you hear that?"

MP shook her head. "Hear what?"

They both fell silent as they heard whirring beneath their feet, followed by a beeping noise that kept getting faster. Thinking fast, Mario grabbed his sister, pulling her away as a spinning top burst through the floor. Mario shielded his sister from the rubble thrown up by the burst.

"Hm!?" E. Gadd snapped awake, looking around. "What in blazes!?"

"What the heck was that?" Mario questioned as the trio gathered around the hole, looking down curiously into the darkness… when ROB's head suddenly popped up like a periscope.

"Hello."

MP and Mario cried out, falling back.

"ROB!" E. Gadd cried.

"Professor," the robot greeted.

"Thank Grambi you found us!"

"One moment." ROB's head descended. A moment passed before he jetted up into the cell with Luigi and Daisy in tow.

"AIR!" Daisy cried.

"Mario!" Luigi cried happily. "Mips!"

"LU!" They rushed to hug their brother.

"How'd you find us?' Mario questioned.

"Fortunately, the professor had a tracking chip implanted in the back of his neck for just such an occasion." ROB reported.

"Oh yes, I totally forgot about that." E. Gadd rubbed the back of his neck. "I wondered why it was so darn itchy."

Mips facepalmed, sighing. "Whatever. We need to find my suit. Then, I need to go help someone."

"You know, if you had simply let me look over and upgrade the suit, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with," E. Gadd said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, shut it!" MP snapped. "I need my suit and my bag, then I need to give Totahmet the cognitive recalibration he's due."

Daisy grinned. "Now you're talking my language!"

"Where would they have them?" Luigi asked.

"Hey, Professor, think ROB can locate the suit?" Mario asked.

Gadd chuckled. "Can he locate the suit? ROB?"

"Searching area for Koopatech signals…" ROB's antenna stuck out as his head rotated. "Signal found."

Daisy held up a hand. "Only problem: how do we get outta here?"

Hearing footsteps approach, Mario looked down at the hole, getting an idea.

"Everyone, down into the hole!" he ordered.

"Back into the sewer?" Daisy objected. "Are you kidding?! I'm not-!"

MP casually spun her around, shoving her in with a quick boot to the rear before hopping down herself.

-X-

A Shphinx guard approached the cell, looking around to see nothing but a giant hole

"What in the name of...?" He ran over, unlocked the cell, and ran in. "No, no, no! The prisoners have escaped! How could this...!?"

He looked down the hole. A moment of silence followed before Daisy sprang out.

"SURPRISE!" she shouted as she tackled the guard. While she was beating on him, the others climbed back out, MP grabbing the fallen keys.

"I'll take these."

As the others came out, they watched Daisy finish pounding the guard unconscious.

"Whew!" she wiped her brow. "Bad kitty."

"Feel better?" Mario asked.

"Yeah… Yeah, I do."

"I don't," MP glared down the hall. "Not yet."

Her expression reminded the brothers of her time as Blue Hood.

"Mips..." Mario began.

MP turned to ROB. "ROB, can you take me to my gear?"

"Affirmative."

"Good." She picked up the robot. "Then let's go."

"Oh, okay."

At his direction, MP went down a hall into a makeshift trophy room. There, mounted on a display, was the Soopa Suit and her messenger bag

"Bingo."

She set ROB down, then grabbed her stuff, suiting up. After sliding her helmet on, she threw the bag over her shoulder.

"Now then, I need to do a bit more jailbreaking."

-X-

In another cell, the battered Koopa from earlier perked at the sound of footsteps approaching. MP appeared at the door. Seeing the Koopa's state, she scowled before grabbing the bars, ripping the door clean off of its hinges.

"Hey." She walked in, removing her helmet. "It's alright. I'm a friend."

She set the helmet down, carefully picking him up. The Koopa let out a groan.

"I know it hurts. ROB, Any healing mushrooms?"

"Dispensing." ROB dispensed a healing mushroom, which MP took.

"Eat this, then I'll slip you into my magic satchel."

The Koopa took it, slowly chewing and swallowing. As he felt it take effect, he looked into her eyes.

"Watch your back," he warned. "Sarasaland isn't a good place to be a Koopa. Especially with that new bill."

MP was confused but just nodded. She could worry about that later.

"You just rest, okay?" She gently tucked his limbs into his shell. "When Bowser gets here, he'll take you back with him."

"Thank...you."

MP stuck the Koopa in her bag. As she closed the flap, she let out a breath, putting her helmet back on.

"Are there any other Koopa down here, ROB?"

"Detecting several signatures."

"Right, let's see how many shells this bag can hold."

Meanwhile...

Mario, Luigi, Daisy, and E. Gadd fought their way past the Piraput army. Daisy led the charge, fighting through various guards.

"CHARGE!" Daisy proclaimed.

Daisy punched and kicked every guard she came across. She seemed to be taking the bulk of them out in a single blow.

"At this rate, there's not gonna be much left for us," Mario mused.

"I'm more worried about when we reach Totahmet," Luigi perked, seeing Stingwings fly in. "Daisy, look out!"

He threw Superballs at them. The Superballs beaned them in the faces before bouncing off, hitting other enemies.

"Whoa!" Daisy exclaimed. "Thanks for the save."

"Nice work, Bro!" Mario complimented, giving a thumbs up.

"Thanks," Luigi grinned. "It's all in the wrist."

Just then, a loud roar rang out. They all turned to see a horde of Shphinxes approach.

"Uh-oh…" Mario gasped. "He's sending out the big guns!"

The Shphinxes prepared to attack...

"Oh no you don't!" E. Gadd pulled out his Poltergust, aiming. "Back! Back, giant, flying cat-things! I have a vacuum cleaner and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Several of them yowled like actual cats, hissing and batting at the Poltergust.

"Fools!"

The Shphinxes and heroes turn to see Totahmet fly in.

"What are you idiots hissing about!? Why...!?" He saw the heroes. "YOU!?"

"Game over, Totahmet!" Daisy declared. "We're shutting your little world domination scheme down now!"

"Well, well, the fighter princess has come for a fight. Why am I not surprised?

"And I'm gonna win too!" Daisy pumped her fists.

"You win?" Totahmet scoffed. "Utterly laughable! You and your little friends may have defeated my soldiers, but you'll never defeat me and my elite Shphinx guard! Or did you forget about what happened in Central?"

"No…" Daisy cracked her knuckles. "Which is why I'm gonna kick your ass. For Peach!"

"Why do you care? You don't even like her!"

"She's my sister, that's why! And I'm gonna get you back for what you did to her!" Daisy declared before catching herself. "Err...I mean, get back at Tatanga for what he made you do to her!"

"You're welcome to try, girl. Now..." He spread his wings, roaring. "Face me, humans! So that I may send you to your doom in the Duat!"

Daisy cracked her knuckles, then shifted her head from side to side, cracking her neck.

"Meatba…sorry, Mario," she corrected. "You and Luigi handle the guard. Totahmet's mine."

"Daisy, are you nuts!?" Luigi demanded.

"Just trust me!" she ordered as she rushed at Totahmet.

"But Daisy…!" Luigi tried to stop her, only to feel a hand on his shoulder.

"You heard her, bro."

"Mario!?" Luigi demanded.

"She's got this," he reassured. "So, let's watch her back."

Luigi grimaced as he let out an anxious hum before letting out a sigh. He wasn't fully satisfied, but Mario's confident grin put his mind at ease.

"Alright, let's-a go," he replied, just as a squad of Shphinx guards lunged at him and Mario.

The brothers lept backward, narrowly avoiding several large, heavy paws and scimitar-sharp claws swinging and swiping at them. Just as they were about to stage a counterattack, however, the Shphinxes in the back fired off several fireballs from their mouths, forcing them to duck to evade.

"Right, that's gonna get annoying." Mario sighed. "Where's a Power Up when you need it?"

"Well, I got this." Luigi conjured several superballs and chucked them at the Shphinxes, beaning several of them in the nose. Unfortunately, this did little other than annoy the monstrous felines, prompting them to open their mouths in preparation for a massive fire breath attack.

"Uhoh..." The Bros let out, right as the squad unleashed an enormous beam of flame.

"Evasive action!" Mario cried out as he and Luigi dived to the side, allowing the beam to harmlessly pass by them… and through the back wall.

"Mamma mia…" Mario let out as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "That was close…"

Relieved as he was though, he knew they couldn't dodge forever; they needed to get on the offensive. But how?

"Come on, there's gotta be something we can use!" Mario threw his head up in frustration, allowing him to notice something odd about the castle's masonry: a section of sandstone near one of the higher windows, one that was colored a bright yellow… like the storage blocks Peach and Toad brought over for the housewarming party right before their adventure in Subcon.

"A block!" he cried out ecstatically. "Lu! Can you hit that block?"

Luigi nodded. "I can try!"

He readied another Superball, intending to strike the block, but caught a glimpse of another fire blast heading toward him, forcing him to frantically get out of the way to avoid being barbecued and causing the ball to be thrown radically off-course. The Bros watched as the ball ricocheted around the castle, occasionally having to duck to avoid being struck by it. Fortunately, it eventually managed to hit its intended target, forcing it to eject its precious contents: a Superball Flower.

"Yes!" Mario declared as he ran over to grab it.

"No!" one of the Shphinxes cried out as he launched another fire blast to stop him.

"Mario, look out!" Luigi cried out as the fireball rapidly approached his brother before exploding upon contact with him.

"Mario!"

"Ha!" the Shphinx cackled. "Foolish human! That's what you get for messing with the all-powerful Shph…" Only to be cut off by a Superball beaning him square in the center of his face, knocking him out, to the shock and horror of his comrades.

"That all you got?"

The remaining Shphinx turned to the site of the explosion, staring in dumbfounded shock as a lone figure walked out of the flames. It was Mario, his outfit transformed by the Superball Flower's power, casually throwing one of the eponymous projectiles up and down in his hand. They quickly got over this, however, and were back on the offensive; preparing another barrage of fireballs.

"Luigi!" Mario called out.

Luigi nodded. "On it!"

Mario and Luigi began summoning as many superballs as they could, throwing them every which way and at every enemy they could see. Pretty soon, the entire area was covered in bouncy, rubber balls of doom flying everywhere at ridiculous speeds. Speeds none of the Shphinxes could keep up with.

"Aw crap! They're everywhere!" one of them shouted right before he got beaned in the face.

"Dangit, I can't keep track of them all!" shouted another as one struck him in the eye.

"Idiots!" shouted a third. "Just burn them up! They're just rubber…!" Only for one to blindside him in the back of the head.

Despite the Shphinxes' best efforts, none of them were able to mount a counter-offensive due to the sheer number of superballs bouncing about, and pretty soon, they were all conked out and covered in bruises.

"Okay, that's enough!" Mario called out, prompting him and Luigi to stop.

"Mamma mia…" Luigi let out as he looked over their battered enemies. "These little things pack a wallop."

"I mean, they're hard, rubber bouncy balls," Mario pointed out. "Remember when we gave Aunt Marie a black eye when we were playing with that ball we won at the arcade?"

"Oh yeah…" Luigi shuddered in horror. "I thought Pa was gonna pop a blood vessel."

"I thought Ma was gonna flay us alive…" Mario added, equally afraid and shuddering.

"What say we get to fighting the cat monsters, eh?"

"Good idea."

-X-

Meanwhile…

In another section of the castle halls, Professor E. Gadd was dealing with a Shphinx squadron of his own. Like the Bros, the winged felines had him on the ropes, jumping, hopping, and dodging fireball after fireball as fast as his wrinkled body would allow him.

"Ahh! Eek! Ooh! Ahh! Ohh! Egads!"

Which wasn't very well.

"Just give it up, old man!" the head of the squadron shouted. "If you do, we'll try to make this as painless as possible."

"You should learn to respect your elders!" Gadd snapped. "I may be an old, wrinkled, arthritis-ridden, gout-addled, near-sighted borderline senile fogey, but I..." He paused, his temper beginning to die down. "I… I…" Along with his train of thought. "What was I saying?"

The Shphinxes exchanged deadpan looks as the diminutive doctor scratched his chin in thought. Seeing their opportunity, the leader raised one of his forepaws, the shadow right over E. Gadd's body. Then, with a malicious grin, he swung down…

"Hey!"

Only to recoil and roar in pain as his paw was shot right in the pads with an electron beam, saving E. Gadd and snapping him out of his trance.

"Er, wha!? What was that!?" he cried out as he looked around for the source of the commotion.

"Sorry, I'm late." MP walked into the room, adjusting the strap of her bag while lowering her Zapper, ROB right behind her. "Had a lot of cages to smash."

"You're late?" E. Gadd asked, checking his watch. "Ooh…blasted thing is two days slow!"

MP watched in deadpan silence as the professor irritably shook his timepiece.

"Riiiiiight…" she let out.

"Professor…" ROB piped up. "The Shphinxes?"

"Oh, yes!" E. Gadd cried out. "I can deal with this blasted thing later, for now…" He readied his Poltergust, cocking it like a shotgun. "Let's go Bob Barker on these pussycats!"

MP raised a hand, making to ask how in the world he knew who that was, only to shake her head and stop.

"Y'know what, forget it." She then proceeded to fire her Zapper at the Shphinxes. Unfortunately, she was only able to take down two, allowing the rest to unleash a barrage of fireballs.

"Miss Mario, you must dodge," ROB suggested.

"Don't need to, ROB," she said. "Watch this."

To ROB's non-apparent shock, MP simply turned her shell back to the fireballs, not even the least bit worried as they struck her dead center…and didn't leave a scratch.

"Whaaaaa!?" the Shphinxes all let out.

"Surprised?" MP looked over her shoulder with a cocky grin. "Iggy Koopa's Special Koopa Soopa Soot! Makes me fireproof, blastproof, and ouchproof!"

"Huh…so you are," one of the Shphinx replied before grinning evilly. "But he's not."

MP perked right as a loud FWOOSH! sound greeted her ears.

"Professor! Look out!" she called out.

"Eh?" E. Gadd turned to see a large fireball flying right toward him. "Egads!"

"Hahaha!" the Shphinx cackled. "Game over, you old…!"

Only for E. Gadd to suck the fireball up with the Poltergust, along with his would-be destroyer's confidence.

"...geezer?" he finished awkwardly.

"Now I remember!" A sinister grin crawled over E. Gadd's face. "I may be an old fogey, but I'm the greatest inventor in all the Mushroom World! Now…"

He pressed some buttons on the Poltergust. "Let's see how you like being toasted!"

He aimed at the Shphinxes, the hose of the Poltergust glowing brightly. Then, with the flip of a switch, he launched the fire back at them.

The Shphinxes yowled and roared in pain as the fire struck them, leaving them charred and sooty. They blinked awkwardly for a few seconds before letting out a weak cough, then collapsed in a heap, unconscious.

"Ohohoho!" E. Gadd chortled. "Seventy-something years and I still got it."

"Whoa," Mips let out, whistling in surprise. "That's one heck of a vacuum, old man."

"The Professor's Poltergust is designed to contain ghosts and other undead monsters," ROB explained. "Ergo, it is built to be highly durable and extremely powerful."

"Darn right!" E. Gadd declared. "Who's an old geezer now!?" He paused for a moment. "Well…me, of course… but I still whupped your keisters!" E. Gadd threw his arms in the air in jubilation… "HuzzaaaAGH!"

Only to freeze in place as his shoulders seized up, leaving his arms stuck over his head. MP winced as sickening cracks came from his body, which remained completely still, save for an odd twitch.

"Maybe you should sit the rest of this out?" she offered.

"Egh… an excellent suggestion," E. Gadd concurred. "ROB! Initiate chiropractor mode!"

As MP sighed in exasperation, she felt something tugging at her sleeve. Looking down, she noticed the yellow, scaly hand of a Koopa sticking out of her bag.

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked, to which the hand replied by pointing further ahead, where Daisy and Totahmet were currently locked in a stalemate. Despite Totahmet's massive size and powerful flames, Daisy's smaller size and athleticism allowed her to run circles around him and his attacks. Unfortunately, Totahmet's relentlessness and overwhelming power prevented her from getting close enough to land a blow. To make matters worse, Daisy was beginning to run out of steam, evidenced by her copious sweating and labored breathing; whereas the pharaoh still had plenty of energy to burn. Behind her mask, MP grimaced.

"Damn it…this is bad."

The hand retreated into her bag before a blue, winged shell with spikes popped out into her grasp. She looked at the shell, then up at the fight, having an idea of what the Koopa wanted her to do.

"Are you sure?"

Another hand popped out of the shell, giving a thumbs up before popping back in.

"Alright..."

She got into a pitcher's stance, wound her hand back, and then threw the shell as hard as she could right at Totamet.

"Give it up, Daisy!" Totahmet ordered. "You can't win this!"

"Just... just watch me!" Daisy panted.

"I am, you're getting tired, sloppy. Not the least bit surprising. After all, you've never faced me at my full power!"

Daisy grimaced. "Huh… so that explains why it felt like a warm-up."

At that very moment, the blue shell came flying in, spinning around and catching their attention. Daisy gaped, seeing what it was.

"A blue Spiny Shell?! Well…" she cleared her throat. "I'm just gonna run for my life now, Totahmet. See ya later!"

She waved before running for cover, leaving Totahmet confused.

"Spiny...?" Just then, a high-pitched, beeping siren greeted the Shphinx pharaoh's ears, prompting him to look over his shoulder, where he saw the spiny, blue shell flying right for him.

"Oh no..."

Time seemed to slow down as the shell hit Totahmet square in the jaw. As his face contorted in pain, he saw through his one, good eye streams of light radiating from the shell. Realizing what was happening, he closed his eyes and braced for impact as the shell released a burst of blue energy. Totahmet stumbled about but remained standing. However, the blast from the shell had left him severely disoriented and, more importantly, vulnerable.

"Daisy!" MP cried. "NOW!"

"On it!"

Daisy rushed forward, sprinting toward her brainwashed ally at breakneck speeds. Totahmet had just enough time to see her leap at him and get him in the jaw with a jumping kick.

"Sorry, Totahmet." She landed, then lept into the air above him. "But someone needs to beat the crazy out of you!"

At the highest point of her jump, Daisy broke into a spin, falling upon Totahmet like a meteor as she bonked him on the head with a spinning axe kick. The pharaoh's eyes went blank as he let out a pained yowl and a large bump rose from his noggin. Finally, the Shphinx fell over on his side; stars spinning around his head. Daisy landed gracefully, holding out her hand and catching the Blue Spiny Shell as it finally touched down.

"Aww yeah! Looks like the cat just got..." She paused. "Got… Ugh...dangit! I can't think of a good zinger!"

She went to smash the shell in frustration, but MP was quick to take it from her.

"Thanks for your help," she said to the Koopa before tucking it back into her bag.

"Daisy!" Luigi called out as the others ran over to her. "Daisy, are you okay?"

Daisy nodded. "Yeah... I'm good. Your sis blindsided Totahmet with, get this, a Blue Shell!"

"Just got some help from some friends," MP replied with a shrug.

"What's the big deal about a Blue Shell?" Mario asked.

"Well..."

Before Daisy could explain, she was cut off by a low groaning sound. Totahmet had pulled himself up from his stupor.

"Mummy…" the monstrous monarch let out, his eyes half-lidded. "I don't wanna go to school today…"

"Totahmet!" Daisy ran to check on him.

"Wait!" Mario shouted, pulling her back by her hand. He walked over to Totahmet himself, then carefully lifted the Shphinx's eyelids, one at a time.

"Big and brown," he reported. "No purple to be found."

"Oh, thank Grambi!" Daisy sighed in relief before joining Mario at the king's side. "Totahmet? Can you hear me?"

"Uuuugh...Princess...Daisy...?" he asked groggily, before clutching his head in pain. "Ooogh…my head… did my advisors attempt to mummify me alive again?"

"Actually... you were brainwashed by Tatanga and I bashed you in the head to snap you out of it."

"Ta...tanga...?" Totahmet's eyes suddenly went wide in recollection. "Oh, Brighton… The Summit."

"Yeah…" Mario nodded. "The one where you and the rest of the rulers turned on Daisy."

"Yeah! What gives!?" the princess demanded. "I thought we were friends!"

"We are...Princess…" Totahmet let out. "But you… you can be so… obstinate… so stubborn… And I…" He winced as he gingerly rubbed where Daisy had struck him. "Ugh...blast it...I can't think straight with this migraine.

"So, I was right," MP mused.

"Eh?" Daisy raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Remember what I was trying to figure out earlier before you stormed off? Tatanga's powers aren't brainwashing. It's more like... enhancement."

"Enhancement?"

"Like…" MP hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain it. Eventually, she turned to the Pharaoh. "Totahmet. You get annoyed with Daisy's antics, right?"

Totahmet hesitated, then sighed. "Yes."

"WHAT?!" Daisy screeched.

"Your fighting prowess and drive to protect Sarasaland are admirable, Princess, but… you are not the amazing ruler you think you are. I could tell you why, but… We don't have the time, and even if we did, you wouldn't believe me. So… I'm afraid the only way for you to see the error of your ways...is to see it with your own eyes."

"Totahmet..." Daisy whispered, looking betrayed, hurt, and confused all at once.

"This is what I meant," Mips spoke up. "Tatanga is enhancing the negative emotions and thoughts we normally keep bottled up. Everything those rulers said back in the meeting, even Totahmet's plans here.. they're stuff they've repressed for one reason or another."

"As interesting as that is, we need to focus on freeing the rest of the rulers," Mario cut in. "Every second we spend here, they're left free to tear each other apart for Tatanga." He turned to Totahmet. "Where's the next closest kingdom?"

"Muda," Daisy said. "Zamasu's territory."

"Ahh yes… that will be a good place to show you the truth." Totahmet rose to his feet, shaking his head. "I wish you all luck. I must stay here and clean up the mess I made." He winced. "Right after I visit the royal nurse."

"Real quick," MP cut in. "Before you go, can you tell me about any recent bills that were passed? Anything involving Koopas?"

Totahmet shook his head. "I'm afraid my brain is still a bit scrambled… both from Tatanga's spell and Daisy's breaking of it. I apologize."

MP nodded. "It's okay. But just to let you know, I broke all your Koopa prisoners out. I'm taking them with me and I highly doubt any of them will be returning to your lands."

Daisy perked, surprised.

"Good…" Totahmet nodded. "Set them free… They... didn't deserve… what I did."

"What?!" Daisy objected. "They're Koopas! Bowser's minions!"

She stiffened, seeing everyone glaring at her in response. If MP's look could kill, she would be dead.

"They're people," MP spat. "And they were citizens of your kingdom. And one of the prisoners specifically told me that it's not safe to be a Koopa in Sarasaland. Care to explain, Daisy?"

"What?"

"Forget it. Like you'd know." MP scoffed, adjusting her bag strap. "Let's get back to the sub."

Mips walked off, leaving Daisy confused.

"Seriously, what's her deal?" she scoffed. "Koopa-loving weirdo..."

"Hey," Mario cut in. "That 'Koopa-loving weirdo' is our sister. Talk any trash about her again around us, and princess or not, you're gonna regret it."

He walked past her, bumping her hard with his shoulder as he did.

"Seriously?" Daisy sighed before storming off. "Freakin'..."

Luigi watched her, looking concerned.

"Oh boy…"

Meanwhile...

In the Muda Kingdom Castle, General Tatanga and King Zamasu sat on the balcony, overlooking the ocean as they ate lunch. Zamasu floated in his royal fishbowl as he watched Tatanga pick up a whole fish. The alien stuck the whole thing in his mouth, the tail sticking out. Then, he pulled it out by the tail, leaving only the bones.

"Mmm! King Zamasu, these Troisson are positively delicious!" he declared ecstatically. "I could sit here and eat them all day! So, I think I will."

He then proceeded to cram more fish in his mouth, much to the sea dragon's disgust.

"Yes...well… Try not to eat too much," Zamasu requested. "You've already gone through half of my stock."

"Eh, you can always have those Bubblers catch more," Tatanga replied dismissively as he pulled more fishbones from his teeth. "That's their job, right?"

The Kaiuchuuan dropped the bones on his plate, still covered in clobber and bits of meat and scales. Zamasu ground his fangs as smoke billowed from his nostrils, the water in his bowl beginning to bubble. He hadn't seen such abhorrent table manners and wanton gluttony since he had the displeasure of having dinner with - and witnessing the death of - Lord Corpulius Luggs (Wafer… thin… mint…) . He wanted nothing more than to reduce the general to ashes; but for the sake of finally bringing Muda and the rest of Sarasaland to order, he controlled his temper, focusing on the purpose of the meeting.

"General Tatanga…" he grits out. "Didn't you say you had vital information for me regarding the other kingdoms?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me." Tatanga cleared his throat as he set down the bone he'd been gnawing on. "I..."

"King Zamasu! General Tatanga!"

The two of them turned to see a seahorse-like creature suddenly leap from the water and onto the balcony.

"Sirs, big news! Princess Daisy...! She's just defeated Pharaoh Totahmet!"

"What?!" Tatanga shouted.

"So...the brat princess finally shows her face again," Zamasu spat. "Those cursed Mario Brothers… they must have helped her. No way she could have defeated Totahmet on her own."

Tatanga shrugged. "Never heard of 'em."

"They helped repel your invasion the other day? They were there when we chased Daisy out of the summit?'

Tatanga perked, nodding. "Oh yes, the red and green men. They didn't look so tough."

"Appearances can be deceiving, General. They defeated King Bowser, the ruler of the Dark Lands. Not once, but twice."

"Bowser's a chump," Tatanga said dismissively.

"King Zamasu, we should warn you," the messenger said. "Now that they're done with the Pharaoh, there's a strong chance the Mario Bros. and Daisy will be coming here next."

"Then send word to the soldiers," Zamasu ordered. "Increase the patrols in the city and surrounding towns and shore up our defenses, land and sea. And no matter what, make sure they do NOT meet up with the Bubblers."

"Yes sir!" the messenger saluted before jumping back in the water.

"There, that should buy us some time." Zamasu put his fins together, his face scrunching up in thought. "Now...what else can we…?"

Before he could even think of thinking of a plan, Zamasu stiffened. He smelled something. A smelly smell. A smelly kind of smell. The kind of smelly smell that smelled…smelly.

"Good lord!" he shouted, covering his snout. "What in Nep-Enut's name is that!?"

"Probably whatever's turning the water purple," Tatanga offered, giving Zamasu pause.

"Purple?"

Zamasu and Tatanga rolled and walked over to the edge of the balcony and nearly gasped as they looked over the edge. Or rather, Tatanga gasped. Zamasu merely sighed in annoyance.

"Oh wonderful… a Dry Spell washed in." He let out a groan as he sunk to the bottom of his bowl, irritably blowing bubbles.

"I'm guessing that's that curse thing everybody keeps talking about?" Tatanga asked, earning a nod from the sea dragon.

"Bad enough I have to deal with Daisy and the rest of her ilk, now this?"He sighed, annoyed. "Of all the rotten, lousy…"

Just then, Zamasu paused, an idea popping into his head.

"Rotten, lousy…" he grinned devilishly as he turned to his guest. "General Tatanga, would you kindly…dispose of what's left of your meal?"

Tatanga turned to the plate of fishbones on the table, a devilish grin of his own coming over his face.

"As you wish, Your Highness."

Tatanga returned to the table and grabbed the plate of fishbones, casually chucking it into the ocean below.

"Perfect…" Zamasu smirked. "Now, come with me, General. We have much to discuss…"

"Sure thing…"

As the two went back into the castle, something strange was happening in the oceans far below them. Something was swimming below the surface of the discolored waters… several somethings. What they were, none could tell. Save for the rapid, muffled sound of chattering teeth …and several pairs of glowing, red eyes.

Author's Note:

Well, it seems Daisy has a chip on her shoulder regarding Koopas. Wonder why? Stay tuned...

Next chapter, we cut to the Dark Lands for a Paper Mario-style Bowser intermission. And then, Team Mario braves the depths of the Muda Kingdom.

Please R&R. Until next time!