Chronicles of the Stars 3: Epidemic

by WaryDeliverer

Summary:

Blood red skies, brown and dark clouds, moaning and groaning figures staggering through the dark. All is not well in the Mushroom World. Something dark has happened, and now it's a matter of surviving and finding a cure. With danger lurking on all sides, though, will they even have a chance to save their world, or will they fall?

Chapter 1: Kartastrophe

The Mushroom Kingdom was quiet. Shops were closed left, right, and center. Hardly anyone could be seen milling about on the streets. If they were out for any reason it was to buy medicine for themselves or loved ones. Sound trucks drove by blaring news about a mysterious outbreak that had become a pandemic. The hospitals were packed, overflowing even. Peach was at a loss. Most every world leader was at a loss, for that matter. It had only been a month since the Mario Kart race when this had all started.

Luigi stood under the brown sky, eyes closed. Suddenly he opened them and said, "So we meet again, Waluigi."

Waluigi's eyes opened slowly, revealing glowing purple, and he evilly chuckled. "Luigi, you're getting in over your head."

"Let's end this," Luigi challenged, leaning forward.

"Oh yeah!" Waluigi replied. Immediately the two sprang at one another and rolled across the ground fighting and spewing insults until suddenly they heard a car horn blare. They looked up from the battle and cried out in alarm, clinging to each other as the vehicle bore down on them. Fortunately, the car blew right past. All they felt was the gust of wind in its wake.

"Get off the road!" the driver shouted, shaking a fist at them as he drove down the hill. Luigi and Waluigi winced, then grimaced. The two suddenly noticed they were holding each other and let go in horror, brushing themselves off.

They got back onto their feet and looked out over the empty land, feeling the muggy air pressing down on them beneath a dusty and sickly looking, sky. Not even the clouds were smiling anymore, and that was saying something. They were, in fact, shades of red and brown. There wasn't a white cloud to be seen. In the distance stood the silhouette of the palace. Luigi frowned. They hadn't seen anyone from there since that Mario Kart race a little over a month ago. Daisy hadn't even visited yet, which was odd because though she had a kingdom to run herself, she made it a point to visit at least once every week. He couldn't understand it. Maybe her father had ordered her to stay in Sarasaland. But why would he do that? Rosalina hadn't made an appearance either, and Mona's absence from Wario Ware in Diamond City was definitely getting on Wario's nerves.

Waluigi began grumbling. Lately, he had been more restless, rebellious, quiet, and distant than usual, made worse by the oddities happening currently. The change was due to a couple of recent fights Waluigi had with Rosalina. A lot had happened at the race. Luigi remembered Rosalina sharply and mercilessly putting his purple-clad cousin in his place after Waluigi attempted to drown him in a water fountain. That had been the last somewhat normal day they'd had with anyone before things had gone downhill.

Currently, the Cap Bros were gathered at Mario's house. Normally that would never ever happen in a million years unless some dire, life-threatening situation manifested itself, but with so many strange things going on since the race… Well, it was a hint of normalcy in a world they hardly even knew anymore. Diamond City had been unusually quiet. So had Kong Island, Bean Kingdom, the Darklands, and any other lands they'd ever heard of. Reports were pouring in from across the globe, none of them good.

The sky began to darken. Luigi looked up at it, worried. It was getting darker and darker every day, and had the rusty-colored clouds started to take on a blood-red tinge? He didn't like or trust any of this. It frightened him and made everyone else uneasy. When animals began fleeing, you knew something was wrong, and pets had been going missing steadily. The wildlife was virtually nonexistent anymore. They heard a crow cawing darkly and looked up at an oak tree. Both younger men shuddered a bit at the haunting sight. That oak used to be the most beautiful tree in Toad Town. Now it was the single most terrifying thing around. The crow glared at them and they suddenly felt immensely uncomfortable. Were its eyes red? They'd come to learn quickly that red eyes were a sign of the virus, or whatever it was, that was spreading throughout the world.

Waluigi heard a growl from the woods and turned quickly. Slowly his lips parted as a large dog limped out of the trees, snarling and foaming at the mouth. It had gone missing yesterday. There had been posters posted everywhere asking if anyone had seen it. Luigi noticed it too and began shaking in his shoes. Suddenly the dog began to bark viciously and charged at them! "Wa!" Waluigi exclaimed in shock.

"Ya ha ha ha!" Luigi cried out in terror. The two turned tail and tore down the hill towards Mario and Luigi's place.

SMB

Mario and Wario stood outside of the Mario Bros' house working on Wario's bike and Mario's car. Mario was scratching the back of his head looking puzzled while Wario bent over the car's engine looking intent. Finally, the latter smiled, chuckled, did some quick work, then stood up straight, slammed down the lid, and wiped his hands on a cloth, a satisfied grin on his face. Mario blinked at the car, then stared blankly at his cousin in shock. He had to give his rival credit. When it came to mechanics and engineering, Wario lost his stupid persona really quick and in fact showed degrees of brilliance. His yellow-hatted rival may have played the idiot in most regards, but this type of work and treasure hunting was his element. When properly motivated, Wario really showed the true extent of his mental capacities.

Suddenly the two heard their brothers' screams and sharply looked in the direction of the voices, instantly alert. "Mario, Wario!" the two were crying out in terror as they raced towards them.

"What the...? What's going on here?" Wario demanded.

"It looks important," Mario replied.

"Mario!" Luigi exclaimed as he and Waluigi slid to a halt. "B-big dog, infected, foaming, chasing!"

"There it is!" Waluigi cried out, pointing back.

Mario and Wario quickly looked. Mario's eyes widened a bit. "Mama Mia!" he exclaimed. Sure enough, there, racing towards them, was a huge dog!

"What, now we can't even catch a break?" Wario demanded. The quartet braced themselves for impact when suddenly soldier toads swept in from nowhere, dropping a cage on the beast. The four cousins cried out in surprise. Wait, the military? They felt suddenly ill at ease. Peach never sent out the military, ever, unless the situation was truly dire. What did the princess know that they didn't?

"What's-a going on here?" Mario asked the soldiers.

"Princess's orders, Mario. By the way, a curfew is in effect in about ten minutes. Starting today, we soldiers have been given almost complete authority over the situation that's happening now."

"About time. Diamond City's-a been under the control of the military for a while already," Wario said.

"We know. The beans are reacting the same. So are the Yoshis and the Kongs. Sarasaland is under martial law as well," the toad declared gravely.

"M-m-martial law?" Luigi tightly asked.

"Within reason," the toad confirmed. "This outbreak… it's worse than you know. People are going crazy and attacking others, limping like-like they're in a trance. Like they're dead but not. No one's died, Mario, no one! They're just… semi-dead? If that makes sense."

"The undead," Waluigi eerily said, trying to freak out a now cowering Luigi. Luigi groaned and pulled his hat over his eyes, shrinking behind Mario. Mario shot Waluigi a warning look.

"The thing is spreading through bites, Mario, bites! They bite and scratch and claw until their victim is almost dead, then they stop and the person rises again as one of them," the toad said, shaking more and more. Which was sad considering he was a Colonel. "They show no mercy! None! Now anyone even thought to be infected needs to be quarantined. The ones who are already turned… We don't want to kill them, Mario, but if this keeps up, we might have to."

SMB

At this point, Wario looked nervous. He thought back to Diamond City and all his employees. Professor Crygor would have had the common sense to shut down the factory should anything really bad happen, he knew, but still… "Waluigi, we're-a going back to Diamond City," he said, turning to his brother.

"Wait, you're-a leaving?" Mario asked in surprise.

"Not a good idea. Roadblocks everywhere. You should stay together," the toad stated firmly. "It's like that in all the movies! If you separate, you pay for it."

"Oh please. What's-a gonna happen?" Waluigi demanded.

"But Waluigi, Wario…" Luigi began. The two ignored and hopped onto Wario's bike, Waluigi settling into the side cart.

"We need to go get Mona," Wario said. Waluigi grimaced and shrunk down. That meant possibly facing Rosalina, who Mona was pretty chummy with. It left an unsettling feeling in his stomach that he didn't like, and made him incredibly depressed. He didn't trust depression, especially after seeing its effects on his rival. In fact, the thought outright frightened him. Why didn't it terrify Luigi, he dryly wondered. It should. Anyway, suffice it to say he despised the notion of having to speak to the Cosmic Queen. They weren't on good terms since the Kart race.

"I wouldn't advise it," the toad said to the Wario Bros.

"Why not?" Wario demanded.

"Because the infection's spreading through Diamond City faster than you could believe," the toad timidly admitted. "This Mona you're looking for is probably already gone. The infection works fast. Tayce T., in Princess Toadstool's castle, hasn't woken up for days. Not since Toadsworth bit her and she fainted. She's been quarantined."

"Oh no," Luigi nervously said. Wario blinked in shock.

Mario looked uncomfortable. "Toadsworth turned? Mama Mia," he said. Thinking back now, though, at the race Toadsworth had mentioned being bitten by feral rats.

"That's not the worst. A luma envoy from the Observatory came down to see what was going on and got bitten. Before anyone could stop it, it retreated to the Observatory. We're afraid it might have infected the other lumas accidentally," the toad Colonel said. "I'm not sure if they can be infected, but if they can, well, no one's heard from Rosalina in a while."

"We're-a going home. Now," Wario stated, frowning at his cousins.

"Yeah!" Waluigi agreed. Mario looked ready to protest, but before he could, Wario started the bike and took off with Waluigi. All Mario and Luigi could do was watch helplessly after them.

SMB

"Once Wario and Waluigi were gone, Luigi looked nervously at Mario. "Bro, you think they'll-a be okay?" he asked.

"We need to worry about ourselves right now, Weegie," Mario replied.

"Peach is still in her castle and Daisy is still in Sarasaland," Luigi nervously said.

"There has to be a way to get in to see the Principessa," Mario said, looking at the Colonel of the Toad Army. "Maybe we can help." Besides, if anyone had tabs on their friends, it was probably her.

"I'm afraid not, Mario. Anyone trying to enter is supposed to be detained," the toad said.

"But we need to contact our friends! We have to see if they're-a all right," Luigi tightly replied.

"I can tell you the Bean Kingdom is done for. Everyone's gone. The military there collapsed not long ago. Same with the Darklands. There's... there's nothing left... Everyone's infected and the royal family disappeared into thin air," the Toad Colonel said.

"Typical of Bowser to run away during a crisis," Mario bitterly said.

"To be fair, he has eight kids to worry about protecting," Luigi defended.

"The Koopa Klan probably started this in the first place," Mario said.

"I don't-a think this is something even Bowser would do on purpose, bro," Luigi said. Mario bowed his head, turned without a word, and went back into the house. Luigi winced a bit and followed him, waving to the soldiers. Curfew was in effect in about five minutes anyway.

SMB

Luigi worriedly approached his brother. He knew this Mario all too well. The one who realized there was absolutely nothing he could do for anyone he loved anymore and felt helpless for it. "I can't believe how fast everything went to… well, you know," Mario said, looking out the window. "Right under our noses too… We didn't even notice. Now it's too late."

"Cheer up bro. It's never too late for the Mario brothers," Luigi replied, trying to be optimistic.

"Luigi, what are we supposed to do?" Mario asked.

Luigi shifted a bit and stared out the window at the darkening streets. They heard moaning and groaning in the distance and screams from a few houses down echoed by shots from the soldiers. He winced and hung his head. "Board up the windows and bolt the doors?" he lamely suggested. Mario dryly laughed and nodded. Quickly the two brothers went to do just that.

One Month Earlier

The car teetered precariously at the edge of the hill. Waluigi gaped down at the seemingly endless drop in horror. "Wario, wake up!" he desperately begged for the tenth time. He couldn't hold on much longer. Wario didn't move, unconscious in the front seat. Waluigi's fingers were slipping from the bumper. He gasped and looked down, then tried again to scramble up. This wasn't fair! One second they'd been driving, the next they were off-road. Before he'd even been able to react, he was sent rolling over the back of the car and off the edge. The laws of physics were fussy things, sure, but he had a pretty good grasp on them and still was having trouble figuring this one out. How had they gotten here anyway? Oh yeah. Mario and Luigi. He scowled at the thought.

"Faster, faster," Waluigi excitedly said to Wario. They had passed the Mario bros a lap back, but their cousins were still hot on their tails. If they could just keep ahead for the rest of the course, they would be golden and for once Mario and Luigi would lose! Wario laughed evilly and gassed it.

Just then, however, they heard Mario say, "Here we go!"

"Huh?" both he and Wario had said. They looked back and their eyes widened. Oh no. Their rivals had gotten an invincible star! The two cried out in terror as Mario and Luigi barrelled toward them. Mario came alongside them and turned his wheel sharply, slamming into their vehicle! It spun out of control, Wario and Waluigi screaming in terror as they saw the edge approaching.  They hit a bump and Wario slammed his head almost through the glass. "Wario!" Waluigi exclaimed as the car continued its spin, throwing Wario back against the seat unconscious. His brother's foot must have hit the brakes, though, because the car screeched to a stop part way over the edge while sliding and turning. The inertia, though, sent Waluigi flying over the back and toppling out. He shouted in alarm but managed to grab the bumper before falling to the road below. How he was supposed to get back up was anyone's guess, though.

"Wario! Wario, get up you tub of lard! Somebody help me!" Waluigi shouted, clinging onto the bumper for dear life. He couldn't hold it much longer! Crying out, he slipped and plunged toward the ground. "Curse you, Mario Bros!" he shouted as he fell.

Before he could end up a splat on the pavement, though, another kart whipped by and he found himself landing in its backseat instead. Honestly, he was shocked he wasn't a smear there instead. Two surprised screams echoed out and he sat up, groaning. "Waluigi!" he heard a familiar voice say.

"Oh no," he said, looking over. "Mona!" Which meant... He turned around and saw Mona's partner staring at him in surprise, then grinned wolfishly, eyes lighting up. "Regina Rosalina," he said, lifting his hat to her. She frowned a little and turned her attention back to the road, not even bothering to grace him with a response. He grimaced a bit. That figured. He really should have figured as much after their argumet a few days back. An argument that was no one's business but theirs, by the way. Wario and Mona knew, and that was about it. He put back on the hat before huffing and sittig up in the back with arms crossed.

"What happened? You just fell from the sky! You're lucky you're not roadkill," Mona said.

"If we don't-a stop to help Wario on our way around the track, he will be," Waluigi said, recalling the position of the car. It had slipped back further before he'd fallen. If it gave anymore ground, it would go over with Wario stuck inside.

"What?!" Mona asked, eyes widening in alarm.

"Mario and Luigi decided to play bumper cars, and they had invincibility," Waluigi said.

"If we stop, we lose," Mona nervously said.

"Mona, that lard bucket can take a hit, probably survive the drop too, but you want it on your conscience if he doesn't?" He was rewarded with Mona's terrified expression and Rosalina shifting uncomfortably. "Heh, face it. You're-a both too good for your own good."

SMB

The car came into sight and they pulled over. Every other racer zoomed by. "Hurry, we must move him to safety," Rosalina said, getting out of the car with Mona.

"I've-a got a better idea," Waluigi said, hopping into the driver's seat. "Let's-a pretend we're-a on a team. If I win, you win too and vice versa. You two get Wario out, I take your car and finish this race for all of us. Sound good? Okay, bye." They spun, startled, only to see him starting their car. Mona gasped. Rosalina frowned, raised her wand, and stopped the car dead in its tracks before Waluigi got far. He started, looking around, then scowled back at her.

"No wait, this might actually be a good idea. Go Waluigi, go! Win this for all of us!" Mona cheered. Rosalina looked at her friend in disbelief.

"I like her," Waluigi said, smirking again. Rosalina sighed, outvoted, and released the spell. He revved the engie loudly. "Everyone was cheating but me. This time I cheat too!" He tore off down the track and Rosalina shook her head before joining Mona in rescuing the still-unconscious Wario.

SMB

"We hit them pretty hard, bro. What if they're in trouble?" Luigi worriedly asked Mario.

"Weegie, we're losing to Ludwig Von Koopa and Iggy. We have more important things to think about than our rivals," Mario said. He wasn't happy about their placement in the race. They were old hats at this game and somehow still second place to two relatively new participants? Of course, even when Bowser had first started bringing them along they'd been pretty good. All of them.

"It's not the end of the world if we lose this one, Mario," Luigi argued, getting a bad feeling something had happened that wasn't supposed to have. Mario gave him an incredulous look and Luigi sighed deeply, letting it go. He hated when Mario got into these competitive moods.

All at once they heard evil laughter and gasped, turning around. Right behind them they saw Waluigi roaring up, passing the duo that was Wendy and Parakarry and still going like it was nothing!

"What? B-but how? We've lapped them twice!" Mario exclaimed.

"Mario, Wario's not there, and Waluigi's in Rosalina and Mona's car!" Luigi exclaimed.

Mario gassed it. There was no way they were losing a double dash to a single dasher. They gave it their all, but somehow Waluigi shot passed them. "He's cheating, he has to be!" Mario exclaimed. Luigi, lips tightly pursed as he glared after his cousin, was in full agreement. Waluigi practically flew passed Ludwig and Iggy and tore across the finish line to come in first place!

"Wahaha, look Rosa, I won it for us!" Waluigi boasted loudly, seeing Rosalina and Mona waiting at the finish line with Wario, who was still out like a light. At least the car was in one piece, he guessed. If it hadn't been, all Underwhere would have broken loose when Wario awoke. Probably no one would have left this track alive at that point. Wario babied his vehicles like no one's business.

"You cheated!" Mario exclaimed, pulling into second place with Luigi. They'd just barely managed to pass Ludwig and Iggy at the end, and the Koopalings were definitely not pleased with that.

"Well you almost killed us!"

"How?" Mario demanded.

"You almost sent us over the mountainside!"

"I told you we should have checked," Luigi said to Mario, visibly annoyed with his older brother.

"Exactly! I could have died! Luckily Rosalina and Mona were driving by," Waluigi said.

"Alright already! I get it. I'm-a sorry," Mario said. "I didn't-a think we had hit you so hard."

Wario groaned and sat groggily up. "What happened?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"Attempted murder," Waluigi replied.

"How were we supposed to know you'd-a almost go over the edge?!" Mario demanded.

"Over the edge?" Wario asked. Just then he remembered, started, and scowled. "Why you little…" he began.

Just then Toadsworth came up to them. "Congratulations Waluigi, you were first place!" the old Toad declared.

"He was what now?" Wario demanded.

"Waluigi for the win!" Waluigi exclaimed, cheering himself. "Gimme the trophy." Expectantly he held out his hands for it.

"Unfortunately, this was a double-dash race. You finished single," Toadsworth reluctantly said. "The um, the trophy goes to the Mario Bros."

"What?!" Wario and Waluigi screamed, looking ready to kill. Mario and Luigi had to hold them back from the poor old Toad. The whole of the Toad Brigade was helping too for that matter, as well as Yoshi and Birdo.

"I'm sorry, those are the rules!" Toadsworth defended in terror, scrambling away and darting out of sight.

"Oh yeah, we won!" Luigi exclaimed, jumping happily in the air.

Meanwhile, Iggy and Ludwig watched in silence. "Ooh, King Dad's not gonna be happy with us," Iggy remarked before giggling a bit insanely. "Oh well. Next time I have something special planned for them."

"Father is never happy vith us. It was a good race, brother. We did well," Ludwig replied, shrugging it off and shaking Iggy's hand.

Iggy smiled and shook back. "We'll win, just you wait and see. I have an invention in store that will 'blow' your mind. Literally," Iggy said, eyes dazzling madly.

Ludwig offered a smirk. "I vill meet you and the others in a little bit. I have things to attend to," he said.

"Don't be too late. Lord Bowser hates it when we're late," Iggy warned.

"Attention participants, we will now have our lunchtime intermission. Be sure to return to the starting line for the next race at one o'clock sharp. Feel free to pick new teams," an announcer said. The teams all stalked off, the Wario Bros grumbling bitterly.

SMB

Ludwig disappeared into the shadows, looking around to ensure no one was following him. "Kamek, Kammy!" he called.

"Yes, Prince Ludwig?" the two quickly replied, flying into sight.

"Is ze mushroom ready?" Ludwig asked.

"It certainly is, young master. Bowser will be most pleased," Kamek replied, doing flips on his broom.

"As well he should be. You worked very hard on it my dear," Kammy said to Ludwig.

"Given the mood he's in today, I doubt anything vould please him," Ludwig replied, taking it. "Wait, this doesn't seem right. It looks... off."

"We added a few touches of our own," Kammy said.

"Who authorized that?" Ludwig demanded.

"No one your Highness, but what's wrong with a little improvement?" Kamek asked.

"Improvement?!" Ludwig angrily shouted, smoke starting to come from his nostrils. The magikoopas stiffened. They knew those signs all too well. They were the same ones Bowser gave before blowing up. They'd insulted the young prince's pride, it seemed.

"Improvisation I mean, improvisation!" Kamek quickly covered.

"Fine," Ludwig coldly said, cooling down quite literally. "I vill bring this to father immediately."

"Yes my prince," the two said with grins, bowing. Ludwig left.

Grins vanishing, the two magikoopas exchanged panicked looks. "Kamella, we don't know the side effects of that cauldron's contents! It was Ashley's brew, not ours," Kamek urgently said.

"Idiot! Why did you drop it in her mixture in the first place? Quickly. We need to get rid of the potion before anything else goes wrong," Kammy said. Quickly the two flew off to fetch the cauldron. Collecting it, they looked around for a place to dispose of it and spotted an aqueduct. Swiftly they flew towards the water source.

"I'm sure nothing bad will happen. Certainly the mushroom didn't permeate the stuff enough that it would have any ill effects," Kamek said as they dumped Ashley's potion. He was trying to assure himself of that more than he was trying to assure her, though. As they poured, some of the potion splashed onto the ground unnoticed. A little mouse came up to it and began sniffing. Cautiously it began to drink. All at once it stiffened up, its eyes became glazed, and it began to behave almost rabidly. Spotting another mouse it slowly limped over to it and attacked, biting its fellow. The other squeaked in terror and pain. There was a brief struggle, but suddenly it too stiffened and went silent. Slowly it rose in a daze all its own and began to stagger after its fellow rodent, the both of them making for a mouse hole.

SMB

"All contestants, five minutes to report to the starting line!" the announcer said. The participants were milling around their own vehicles, most having met up with their regular double-dash partners. Bowser and his clan approached the starting line. "Now don't you kids embarrass me again," Bowser warned.

"Never, papa!" Bowser Junior said.

"Suck up," Larry bit.

"Shut up, Larry," Junior sneered.

"You've embarrassed me plenty of times, Junior," Bowser growled, obviously in a bad mood. "Now, which of you is on my team?"

"I am, I am! Aren't I?" Junior asked, obviously angry his father hadn't automatically chosen him. Bowser glared icily at the boy making Junior stiffen up a bit and shrink back nervously.

"I call dibs on Lemmy!" Larry exclaimed, leaping next to his brother.

"Great! Let's play," Lemmy excitedly agreed.

"Pah, me and Morten is gonna crush yous bums," Roy growled.

"All right, we'll p'own them all, we'll take the stage, no one will stand a chance against us, we'll rule the courts!" Morten babbled.

"Silence!" Iggy warned, eyes cold.

"Papa?" Junior questioned uncertainly. Bowser wasn't paying attention, instead surveying the other participants.

"You can be on my team if you want, Junior," Ludwig offered, shaking his head at his father. He recognized this expression all too well. Bowser wasn't in the mood to pick favorites right now. In fact, he was in the mood to kill something.

"What about me?" Wendy whined. "I don't wanna go with Daddykins. He'll just slow me down. Parakarry's okay, but I want someone better!"

"Come on sis, I'll show you how it's done," Iggy replied, smirking. "King dad can have Parakarry."

Bowser growled but didn't protest. "Are you all done now?" he testily asked.

"Father, before we go, I have something here that may ensure victory for you," Ludwig said, holding out the mysterious mushroom.

Bowser sharply glanced over at his eldest. Summing up the fungus, he reached out and took it from the boy's hand. "Tell me about it," he said. Ludwig smiled evilly.

SMB

"The next set of races is about to start. To refresh your memories, our human participants are Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Peach, Daisy, Mona, and Rosalina. From Kong Island, we welcome Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Funky Kong, Candy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Tiny Kong. Native to Toad Town is our very own Toad and Toadette. Coming from Yoshi's Island we have Yoshi and Birdo. Let's not forget our special guest stars King Boo, Petey Piranha, and Parakarry. Last, but most certainly not least, the royal Koopa family attending our regular Mario Kart extravaganza all together! Introducing King Bowser, Ludwig, Lemmy, Roy, Iggy, Wendy, Morton, Larry, and Bowser Junior!" the host of the event said, listing off the names of those participating. The whole area was filled with thunderous clapping.

Waluigi and Wario walked onto the next course, Waluigi grumbling as Wario insulted and belittled him. Brotherly love, the purple-clad man bitterly said to himself. He scoffed at the thought. "Wario, shut up," he said when Wario started heckling him about the last race. He didn't even care about that anymore. He was over it. The humiliating part was supposed to be done. He didn't need an extra helping of it.

"Hey boss, boss!" Mona suddenly called from behind. The two men paused and turned, curious.

"What?" Wario bluntly asked, already looking annoyed.

"I have a great idea. How about we team up?" Mona excitedly said.

"What?!" Waluigi demanded.

"I'm busy," Wario replied.

"You sure?" Mona asked, walking by him and swaying her hips. "Okay. Too bad. I was kind of looking forward to a race."

"Fine! Just one," Wario snapped. If it would get her off his back he would deal with it. He followed like a puppy as she giggled.

Waluigi face-palmed. "Idiot doesn't even know he's being baited," he grumbled to himself. He looked around. Okay, he needed a new partner, but where to get one? Wait. Rosalina was at her and Mona's kart looking for her partner. Waluigi grinned mischievously and headed towards her. "Mia Regina," he greeted, sauntering up to the woman smoothly, eyes glittering.

She started and frowned a little. "Waluigi," she coldly greeted.

"I see you're-a short a partner," Waluigi said. As if to confirm it, they heard Wario laugh and looked over. Mona was grinning, sitting on the back of his kart giggling along with him. Rosalina frowned a little. "Whaddaya say, goddess? I have no partner, you have no partner, let's-a team up." Rosalina glanced at him ponderously.

"Three minutes!" the announcer called.

Rosalina turned towards the starting line and nibbled her lower lip. Finally, she sighed and turned to him once more. "Alright. Put up our team name," Rosalina replied, getting into the car.

"Which is?" he asked.

"Whatever you'd like. I'll wait for you at the start. You may drive." Waluigi saluted, left, and soon after returned and got into the driver's seat looking extremely pleased with himself. She frowned a little. What had he done? The names flashed on the board and she started, blushing. Star-Crossed Lovers. He had named their team Star-Crossed Lovers! All eyes immediately turned to them in shock. Her blush deepened and she shot her new partner an accusing look, her eyes cold. He laughed.

"On your mark, get set, go!" the announcer said. Immediately Waluigi punched the gas, taking off. Other teams were quick to follow.

SMB

Mail Toad staggered towards Bank Toad looking ill. "Hey, what's wrong?" Bank Toad asked, noticing his friend's strange behaviour.

"I-I think something's up with the water here," Mail Toad replied. "I don't feel well."

"Maybe I should bring you home," Bank Toad said, concerned.

"Y-yeah, that would be good," Mail Toad replied.

Bank Toad looked around. It was a lot quieter than it had been earlier. A lot of other people were leaving too, clearly not feeling well. "Wow. Must be some sickness going around. The sooner we get you home the better." Quickly the duo left.

SMB

The racers tore around the track like mad. Bowser pulled out the mushroom Ludwig had given him. It was supposed to put the person it came in contact with into a sleep state. The working theory, Ludwig had said, was to use that state to hijack the person's brain and cause them to sleepwalk, completely under the influence of whoever was 'at the wheel', so to speak. Which meant he could make them drive right off the track if he wanted to, and keep them making mistakes like that until he'd secured victory. He switched with Parakarry, hopping into the back of their shared kart - the messenger Koopa was absolutely mortified at having to partner with him, let it be known - and threw the mushroom at King Boo and Petey Piranha, who were right behind him. It hit Petey, and Petey roared furiously as the spores erupted in his face. Bowser laughed wickedly.

As Petey was shaking his massive head to try and get rid of the spores, he suddenly stiffened up. King Boo looked over at him curiously. Suddenly Petey hissed, whirled, and snapped at his partner. King Boo flew out of the way, shocked, before becoming furious. "With an infuriated sound, he went at his companion. Their car crashed off the road as they got into a brawl, and the two leaped out, still fighting each other. Suddenly, though, Petey stopped and shook his head again, making a pained sound.

King Boo paused, frowning warily. "What was that?" he coldly asked when his companion seemed to recover.

"I don't know," the plant communicated through growls, roars, and whatnot. "The strange mushroom hit me and I lost control. I barely understood what I was doing."

"It had no effect on me," King Boo said.

"It had no lasting effect on me either once I shook off the spores, but something felt... wrong," Petey replied.

"Hmm... If Bowser is behind it, it's nothing good," King Boo said. "We should probably get off the track. If there are side effects, we might not realize them until later, so for our own sake, we need to disappear. At least until we figure out what happened."

"And whether we can get in on it," Petey growled, grinning a chilling, sharp-toothed grin. Subtly the duo returned to the starting line, returned their kart, and slipped away from the tournament.

SMB

The racers stood at the trophy ceremony for the last team challenge of the day. Waluigi and Luigi had partnered up for it and quickly rose to the top of the list. They were followed by a sulking Mario and Wario in second. Ludwig Von Koopa and Bowser Junior took the third-place position. The audience cheered, but you could barely tell. There weren't many of them anymore. Confused, the participants looked around. Where had everyone gone? As the ceremony ended and workers got to work closing out the day, the participants gathered together.

"Where did the crowd go?" Candy Kong 'ooked' in confusion.

"Princess, princess!" Toadsworth called, racing towards Peach. "Oh dear, we have some trouble I'm afraid. Terrible trouble."

"We're going to have some trouble here too," Daisy dryly said, jerking a thumb back towards Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi, all of whom were glaring daggers at each other.

"What is it Toadsworth?" Peach asked.

"It seems a mysterious outbreak has occurred. King Boo and Petey Piranha left about halfway through one of the races. Three-quarters of the audience has gone as well," Toadsworth nervously replied. "And for some reason, a blasted group of mice saw fit to attack me and some of the other workers. They bite hard. Humph, ungrateful creatures. Here we let them have the food scraps and they attempt a hostile takeover."

"That's weird," Mona said with a puzzled frown. "Why would mice act like that?"

"I'll deal with it tomorrow, Toadsworth. Right now let's all go to my castle for a victory party. All contestants are invited, even the Koopa clan!" Peach called out to the other racers.

"Of course princess," Toadsworth agreed.

SMB

The area cleared out until only Bowser and his children were left. Kammy and Kamek exchanged worried glances and flew out to them. Bowser seemed to be trying to puzzle something out. "When did King Boo and Petey Piranha leave exactly?" he asked, turning to the magikoopas.

"Um, shortly after you threw Prince Ludwig's mushroom at them, Your Snarliness," Kammy said.

"It failed to put them to sleep. Their going offroad wasn't due to you. We saw Petey Piranha suddenly turn on King Boo for some reason before coming back to his senses. That's what put them offroad," Kamek said.

Bowser's brow furrowed and he turned warily to his eldest, who suddenly looked nervous at being put on the spot. "Why didn't it work on them?" he darkly asked.

"Um, p-perhaps because Petey is a plant?" Ludwig said.

"Except it did affect him, just not correctly," Iggy pointed out.

Ludwig gave him a dirty look then turned uneasily to his father again. "M-maybe there vas an impurity!"

"Drop the accent!" Bowser snapped.

"Sir, I crafted it just like I told you I did! It was tested on some minions! It should have worked!" Ludwig insisted.

Kammy and Kamek exchanged uncertain looks, then turned to the royal family again. "Um…" Kamek nervously began.

All eyes went to the magikoopas. "Um? What's 'um'?" Bowser frigidly asked, fishing for more info.

"W-well you see Your Repulsiveness, the mushroom may or may not have accidentally been dropped into, uh, a witch's brew," Kamek nervously said.

"Oh, but we got rid of that brew immediately, your evilness! We poured the vile mixture into an aqueduct somewhere nearby," Kammy quickly covered.

"Aqueduct? Where? Here in the stadium?" Iggy asked, perking up a bit.

"You don't think…" Ludwig began, looking at his brother in shock.

"That they poured it into the stadium's waterworks? That's precisely what I think," Iggy confirmed, eyes lighting up in excitement and a grin starting to spread across his face. "If I'm right, this could be a particularly disturbing experiment to observe. Especially if the brew was tainted by the mushroom like the mushroom was tainted by the brew!"

"You figure the water could be messed up?" Roy asked.

"Oh yes," Iggy giddily said, clapping his hands in excitement.

"Why are you clapping? That doesn't sound good," Larry dryly said.

"What did the potion do?" Morton asked.

"We-we don't know," Kammy admitted. "It wasn't ours. Like we said, it was a witch's brew. We..."

"Ashley," Ludwig cut off darkly, sneering at the thought and clenching his fists. "You were giving an impromptu lesson to Ashley! What's so special about some human witch that you prefer teaching her to teaching me?! For years I've been on you to mentor me in mystic arts, but you were barely ever bothered to! Now you focus your attention on some-some human?!"

"She does, not me," Kamek said, throwing Kammy under the bus. Kammy started and scowled at him in annoyance.

"Human? What on earth is going on in my palace?!" Bowser demanded.

"Is that really important now if something's like, contaminating the water and making people act weird?" Wendy asked, stepping tentatively in to try and take the heat off Ludwig and the magikoopas. "I mean, if the brew was tainted then the water, and like, Petey suddenly turned on King Boo and people suddenly started leaving in waves, maybe sticking around isn't the best idea. At least until we know what's going on."

Bowser growled and looked over his brood protectively. "No one drinks the water here. When we get home we pack our things and we leave. We'll keep an eye on things from the safety of one of our fortresses until we figure this mess out. Do I make myself clear?" he said.

"Yes papa," they all answered.

"Ludwig, your palace in Skyland in the Cloud Kingdom would be best. Come on. We're leaving before anything else happens. Let Peachy have her party without us. We'll grab Boom Boom, Pom Pom, and your cousins on the way," Bowser said. Those cousins being the Koopa Kids.

Junior heard a squeak and looked down curiously. "Lookit! A mouse! Why does it have red eyes?" he asked.

The others quickly turned, eyes wide. It was about to bite Junior! Unaware of the danger it might mean, though, Junior kicked it away and laughed cruelly as it flew through the air. "Don't let anything bite you!" Bowser ordered sharply, heart rate slowing down a bit. Junior's proud smile vanished as he caught on. Quickly the family left.

SMB

"Come on Weegie, hurry up," Mario said in annoyance as he waited for his brother to join them outside the stadium.

"I'm-a coming," Luigi replied, exiting the room to join Daisy, Peach, and Mario. "Just let me get a drink."

He headed for the water fountain and bent down to take a sip. Just then, though, he felt someone shove his face into it. Luigi cried out in alarm and fought back. The attacker let him go laughing. Luigi wiped the water off his face and looked in disbelief at Waluigi. Wario was laughing now as well. "Enjoy the drink, Mr. Eyeballs?" Waluigi mocked.

"Yes," Luigi helplessly replied. He wouldn't play into Waluigi's hands.

"Good, then have another," Waluigi replied, about to pounce.

Just then, though, Rosalina floated between them, eyes glittering dangerously. "Enough," she said.

Waluigi, startled, stared at her in shock, then narrowed his eyes, going on the defensive. "I'm-a sorry, since when does my rivalry with Luigi concern you, mia regina?"

"You will address me as Your Highness," Rosalina replied sharply.

Waluigi's eyes widened, as did Wario's. "Excuse me?" Waluigi finally and coldly asked, tone poisonous.

"You will address me as Your Highness until you learn humility and respect," she answered.

"What happened between them?" Daisy whispered to Peach. Peach shrugged, just as clueless as Daisy and everyone else seemed to be, say for Wario and maybe Mona. "Hey, what happened between you two?" Daisy asked loudly.

"None of your business!" Waluigi snapped furiously, turning on her.

"Back off!" Luigi barked sharply, getting between his cousin and Daisy.

"That's-a enough! Let's-a just go to the party," Mario said, trying to break up the conflict before it started. Rosalina, however, wasn't inclined to let this go so easily.

"I will not tolerate your ill-treatment of others while I stand before you," the Queen said to Waluigi, ignoring Mario's plea.

Wario stepped in. "Since when did you start to care? Usually you just let it play out however it does."

"Not when he is acting out, out of spite for me."

"Not everything in my life revolves around you!" Waluigi retorted.

"You test my patience."

"Get used to it! I am what I am and nothing's-a gonna change that, least of all you."

"Have I asked you to change?"

"You haven't-a asked me for anything!"

"And what would you have me ask?"

"Forget it. It wouldn't-a make a difference either way. You do whatever the heck you're-a gonna do, 'Your Highness'."

"Do not pretend like you do not care," Rosalina said.

"What does it matter whether I care or not when you've-a already decided what's-a gonna happen?"

"You know I cannot..." She trailed off.

"Can't-a what?" Waluigi challenged. "Go ahead and say it, Rosa."

"Never mind. Walu, let's-a go," Wario said, putting a firm and protective hand on Waluigi's shoulder. Waluigi roughly shrugged it off, startling Wario.

"Hold your tongue, mortal," Rosalina warned, glaring at Waluigi.

"You sure a part of your mama wasn't-a left behind in you after the Black Jewel incident? You're-a getting really comfortable with power," Waluigi growled.

The Cosmic Queen held her ground, refusing to let his words hurt her. "This is not a question of power or of exercising authority. It is a warning. If you continue to drive away the people who care for you with your careless words, it will be to your own peril and you will build yourself a dark and lonely future indeed. Do not isolate those who love you because you cannot control your spite."

"Are you one to talk about not isolating those who love you?" Waluigi snapped.

"Everything I have done, everything I have decided to do, is for the protection of this universe," she coldly said. "All that you do is for the spite within you."

"If you want spite, mia regina, I'll-a give you spite," Waluigi shot viciously, furiously turning on his heel and storming off. Wario gaped after him, then shot Rosalina a scowl before following his brother. Mona, looking uncertain, stayed behind. Something told her it wasn't a good idea to catch a ride back with her boss and his brother right now.

"Seriously, what happened between you two?" Daisy demanded, turning to Rosalina. Rosalina closed her eyes, bowing her head.

"The date went that badly, huh?" Mona said.

"The what now?" Daisy exclaimed. Rosalina stared at Mona in open shock.

Mona winced a bit. "Sorry, it was just something Wario let slip is all. He came into the office yesterday in a bad mood. He seemed distracted, so I asked what was wrong and he said it was a bad date. I asked, well more demanded, to know who the date was, and he said it was Waluigi's bad date, not his. He mentioned you two had been toying with the whole courtship and dating thing and had gone on a couple already, but that this time it had gone way south because... because you told Waluigi you intended to leave? Maybe for good this time?"

"What?!" the others asked all together.

"You mean no more circling the earth with your comet?" Mario asked.

"Just letting it go back to its natural path?" Luigi worriedly added.

"Meaning it won't return for another hundred years?" Daisy said.

Rosalina looked down at the ground furiously, clutching her wand tight and choosing not to answer. "Maybe we should talk about this later. We don't need an answer yet. For now, we'll forget about Wario and Waluigi and join the party at my palace. Hopefully it will help us get our minds off all that," Peach gently said. "But for what it's worth, Rosy, we all love you here. Please reconsider this." Rosalina didn't answer, just floated off. Worried, Daisy, Peach, and Mona followed.

Mario and Luigi turned to one another. "That seemed weird," Luigi said.

"The audience and how they all just disappeared? I know. I heard people talking about some kind of food poisoning or sickness spreading. We should get to the bottom of it in case Bowser or someone else had anything to do with the outbreak," Mario said.

"Huh? Uh, bro, I was talking about Waluigi and Rosalina's argument," Luigi said.

"Oh. It's not really that strange. If Rosalina is planning to leave for good and she and Waluigi had just started experimenting with a relationship, it's understandable he'd be upset. Waluigi doesn't have a lot of people who genuinely care about him as is. Losing one who might not only care about him, but actually feel something more like love for him, is probably not going over well, and it's not like Rosalina would be having an easy time with it either. She's in an awkward place with the immortality versus morality issue. Either way, it's their problem to sort out, little brother. We have a bigger one right now. Like what's happening in the Mushroom Kingdom."

Luigi nodded in agreement. "Okay bro. Let's-a go!" His brother was right, after all, and having Mario lay it all out like that made it make more sense. Mario smiled and the two raced after the princesses and Mona.

Chapter 2: Gathering the Strings

Notes:

When the Kongs are speaking to each other, and Yoshi and Birdo are speaking to each other, it can be assumed they're communicating in their usual manners. The people around them just kind of understand what they're saying. At least Yoshi and Birdo. Not clear on whether the Kongs can speak the common tongue or not, so I'm just sort of handling it as I go along, leaning more towards the Mario Movie's approach to it.

Present

Peach sighed in frustration as she stared out her window at her quiet town, then turned to her desk. Blank sheets of paper were laid out there waiting for letters to be penned to her friends and acquaintances around the world. She dreaded it, since there would be so many, but resolved herself and went to her workstation, sitting and picking up a quill. It was for their safety, after all. She desperately hoped they were still alive and uninfected. She would invite them here where they would be close and protected. That would be best for everyone. They were stronger working together than they were working apart. She'd send letters to the Kongs, Yoshi and Birdo, Toad and Toadette, Wario and Waluigi, Rosalina, Mona, Pauline, Mario and Luigi of course, Bowser and his children, Profesor E. Gadd, Ashley, Jonathan Jones and Captain Syrup, various participants in their advetures in the Paper Dimention and elsewhere, and whoever else happened to cross her mind. There was of course no guarantee every letter would reach their destinations, but she hoped that most would. Not that all who received it would respond, but at least she would have tried!

She began writing the first letters. It was still so surreal. She couldn't believe how things could have possibly gone so very wrong. She knew it had begun the day of the Kart race, but she didn't know what had happened. What she'd known was that one minute everything had been going well, a few conflicts aside, and the next people were starting to leave en masse feeling sick. After that day, nothing had been normal. She sighed and tried to figure out where it had all gone wrong as she continued drafting up her letters.

Kong Country

Donkey Kong nervously read the letter he and the other Kongs had received. Candy, Diddy, Dixie, Funky, and Tiny were with him in his tree house as well, reading the message over his shoulder. "Too bad she didn't send this earlier," DK dismally said.

"Yeah. Maybe then the others would have still been here then," Diddy sadly agreed, crossing off more names from the list of Kongs he'd developed to keep track of who'd been lost and who was still okay. "DK, I think we're the only ones left. Us and Cranky, but he's disappeared completely!"

"Aw man. What should we do, dudes?" Funky asked.

"We answer Peach's letter. What else can we do?" Candy said.

"Candy's right. We can't hold out here much longer," Dixie said, peering out the curtains down at the forest floor where all their animal friends and fellow Kongs were knocking at the tree and trying to get up. They'd been able to keep them down so far, but it was only a matter of time.

"In the morning they'll calm down a little. Maybe we can leave then," Tiny said.

"But what about Cranky?" DK asked, looking down.

"We can't wait for him anymore, Donkey Kong. We can't risk searching either. If anyone can make it through this solo, though, it's him," Candy gently said, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"She's right. We don't have any other choice," Diddy agreed.

"Okay. Let's do it," Donkey Kong said.

Yoshi's Island

Yoshi and Birdo read over their letters, expressions tired. Birdo let out a series of low-pitched squeaks and growls which roughly translated into: "At least we know she's still alive."

"Yoshi," Yoshi agreed. He made a variety of sounds in return which translated into: "But what about the others she's sent the letters to? Birdo, we might be the only ones left."

"Then we go to her anyway. Better safe than sorry," Birdo said, taking Yoshi's arm. Quickly she pulled her companion away. The growls and groans of other Yoshis and Birdos were getting nearer, and they couldn't stay hidden in this little briar any longer. To remain here would be to corner themselves. Yoshi followed closely.

In a Forest

King Boo read over the message he'd ambushed from Parakarry. His jaw was set grimly. If his suspicions were correct about the nature of this disease, he and Petey Piranha had been the only two directly exposed to it without turning. He knew Petey hadn't turned because barring the plant's initial reaction to the mushroom spores, nothing else had happened to him. The plant was even here now, reading the letter with him.

Petey let out a series of growls, roars, and otherwise Piranha Plant-like noises. Luckily, King Boo understood that language. "This explains a lot," Petey Piranha said.

"It would make sense that a ghost and a plant wouldn't be affected," King Boo replied. Now ghost wasn't exactly the correct term to use when applying it to the Boo race, but they were pretty well the same thing. His people were just slightly different in appearance and personality, and had different weaknesses. "As long as we keep our heads down, nothing bad should happen to us. Let the Princess plead for the help of her friends. We aren't those friends," King Boo continued.

"Maybe not, but what if the infected decide to come after us as well?" Petey asked.

"Will it matter?" King Boo replied.

"Not in particular, unless they chopped me up and trapped you in a portrait via the machine you told me about. The one that belonged to E. Gadd," Petey Piranha replied. "I doubt they have the brain capacity to do either."

"We'll see how things play out," King Boo replied. Petey chuckled and hissed, nodding and bearing his teeth while licking his evil-looking lips and mouth.

Elsewhere

Parakarry, still recovering from his ill-fated encounter with King Boo and Petey Piranha, read over the message he had received curiously. He was more than a little surprised Peach had bothered to write to him. Flattered too. He hadn't known she'd even considered him a friend. Then again, she had written to Bowser and his children as well, and they certainly were no friends of Peach's. At least Bowser wasn't. He wasn't sure exactly what the princess thought of Bowser's children. He supposed she must be fond of them if she put up so little fight whenever Bowser kidnapped her. He had seen Peach in action, and the princess was far from as helpless as she pretended to be. His own belief was that she allowed herself to be kidnapped for the sole purpose of checking on how Bowser's brood was doing. He wasn't the only one who thought as much either.

Parakarry heard growls in the distance back in the town he'd just gotten out of the center of. He shivered. He couldn't deny he was terrified. Luckily for him, the only infected he had to worry about were other Paratroopas and the Lakitus. He could fly away from most of the others. Not that he thought himself untouchable, oh no, but still. He had an advantage many would kill for. Perhaps he would finish delivering his mail, then immediately answer Peach's summons. That would be in the best interests of self-preservation. Quickly he zoomed off. There was no time to be slow today.

Cloud Kingdom

Bowser read Peach's letter with a ponderous eye. He had to admit, he was genuinely touched that Peach was writing to him expressing her concern. Maybe a little hopeful too. He knew, though, that his safety was the farthest thing from her mind. Rather, he figured it was. It was his children she feared for. Good news for her, he agreed. There was no way in heaven or earth he was returning to the Darklands or leaving the safety of this secret castle until everything had blown over down below. He had eight kids for Pete's sake! Eight kids he had no intention of losing any time soon. He breathed fire on the note, burning it to a crisp and letting the ashes fall. Rising, he went to check on his offspring et al.

Sarasaland

Daisy read the letter in relief. At least the Mushroom Kingdom still had its Princess. Rather, at least the Princess still had a Kingdom to rule over. Daisy's eyes stung as she looked back toward Sarasaland. Their castle had been invaded. Her father had told her to run and had said he'd be right behind with some soldiers. He wasn't. None of them were. She continued to run though. Giving into despair wasn't an option. She tucked the letter away. It was her last beacon of hope. She didn't know if she'd make it to Peach's palace alive, it was so far away, but she had to try. She wouldn't be easy prey for these infected. One train was still running and evacuating people from the kingdom. That was her best bet. She made immediately for the station and hoped it was delayed long enough that she could catch it.

The Comet Observatory

Rosalina covered her face with a hand as she heard her children, her lumas, moaning and groaning and trying to get to her. When Polari had returned to the Observatory, he'd infected them all. He hadn't meant to. He'd thought the Observatory would be able to help him. He'd thought she'd be able to help him. She couldn't. Nothing could. Even Lubba was gone now. She had lost every last one of them say for one. A very special Apricot Luma that reminded her of the one she'd first met so long ago. She called it Luma as its name. Luma was now shivering against her looking terrified. She had to leave this place, she knew, and find a cure for her children.

Sniffing, she made for the fountain as quickly and silently as she could. She waved her hand over it to look down on the world below. The first image she saw was Daisy fleeing through a train being pursued by the infected. The Princess couldn't hope to outrun them forever. Poking from a pocket of Daisy's dress was a note. Rosalina had received a similar one, though she hadn't yet read it. She didn't need to though. She had surmised what was happening below already. Without a second thought, she teleported herself from the Observatory with Luma, hurrying to Daisy's rescue.

Sarasaland

Daisy raced through the train. She should have figured she wouldn't be so lucky as to get away from her kingdom this easy! Suddenly a brilliant flash of light appeared before her! The Infected screamed in pain, falling back. Daisy came to a stop with a cry, shielding her eyes and clenching her teeth. She squinted through the light and caught her breath, eyes widening as the glow faded. "Rosalina!" she exclaimed.

"Come. We must hurry away from here," the Cosmic Queen said, offering her hand.

"Heck yes!" Daisy replied, grinning gratefully at her friend and taking the woman's hand. "I'm glad you're still alive at least."

"The disease cannot affect me," Rosalina said. Waving her wand, the two were immediately teleported far away from Sarasaland and to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Toad Town

Mario and Luigi read the letter they had only just received. "Peach is still alive!" Mario cheered, grinning in relief.

"What about Daisy?" Luigi worriedly asked.

"If Daisy's still alive, we'll see her there, Weegie," Mario said. "Right now we need to gather as many survivors as possible. Peach has the right idea. United we might stand a chance."

"I guess," Luigi less enthusiastically replied. He would much rather stay here safe in his and Mario's house where he knew everything would be fine. Nervously he petted Polterpup. Polterpup whimpered, sensing his master's distress. The pup barked and leapt into Luigi's arms, licking him and making Luigi laugh. He'd missed the little guy. During the whole Darkness Rising adventure, the dog had been in an Underwhere pet spa getting pampered.

Mario watched them in amusement. He still couldn't believe Luigi had actually wanted to adopt the ghost dog, given what it was. Luigi had always been terrified of such things. He marveled at how far his brother had come since first meeting E. Gadd. Mario turned once more to the letter and all the names listed of people Peach had said she was writing to. Many were old friends of his from his Paper Adventures. How many were still 'alive' to receive the princess's letters, though, was another matter.

"Bro, are we going?" Luigi asked.

"Hmm? Oh, right. Si," Mario said, tucking the letter away. The two headed out, Polterpup in tow.

Elsewhere

Wario and Waluigi drove towards Diamond City. Suddenly Parakarry zipped in front of them and Wario cried out in alarm, hitting the breaks and sending Waluigi flying. Wario winced upon seeing his brother slide across the pavement but then shrugged. "Meh, he'll shake it off," he said to a horrified and alarmed Parakarry.

"Are you sure?" Parakarry asked. Waluigi was groaning and hardly moving.

"What do you want?" Wario demanded, not bothering to answer.

"Letter from Peach," Parakarry replied. Wario snatched it with a huff. Parakarry zoomed away, leaving Wario to read it over. Waluigi, mumbling about how his life sucked and how he hated everything, climbed painfully back into the side cart and began reading the note over Wario's shoulder.

"What is this junk?" Wario remarked, crumpling the paper.

"That 'junk' just gave us a sanctuary for when we're done in Diamond City," Waluigi replied.

"My castle is good enough," Wario boasted.

"That's one man's opinion," Waluigi grumbled, folding his arms crossly.

"What you say, Walu? You wanna walk the rest of the way?" Wario asked. Waluigi glared reproachfully at him and harrumphed, saying nothing. Instead, he settled back in the side cart sulking. "I thought so," Wario said. He began driving once more.

Peach's Castle

Peach looked over all her gathered guests. She felt her heart sinking as she counted up the ones missing. There were many, and among those missing were Rosalina, Daisy, Ashley, and Mona. Waluigi and Wario were nowhere to be seen either. Nor were Bowser or his children or any of the others she'd written to say for Parakarry. She hoped they were alright, all of them. "This was a good idea hiding out here," Candy remarked, looking around the palace. It was certainly big enough at least. And fortified.

"Totally. As long as, you know, the guards and servants don't get infected or escape quarantine," Funky agreed. The others grimaced at the thought of it. If that were to occur, they would be in for a world of trouble.

"It's good to see that so many of our allies are alive and well," Toadette remarked, looking around at the ragtag bunch in relief.

"Speaking of allies: Mario, Luigi, where are your counterparts?" Diddy asked.

Mario and Luigi grimaced a bit, looking at each other with uncertain expressions. Right. A lot of people to this day weren't even aware Wario and Waluigi were their cousins. Turning back to the others, Mario said, "We don't-a know."

"I saw them heading towards Diamond City. After that I can't tell you anything more," Parakarry said.

"Bowser and the Koopalings disappeared into thin air and we don't-a know where Mona, Ashley, Rosalina, or Daisy are either!" Luigi anxiously said. "I know Daisy was in Sarasaland, but I… I haven't-a heard from her since the party after the race."

The others began muttering. "Calm down everyone. I'm sure it'll be okay," Peach said.

"Yeah. Rosalina, Daisy, Wario, and Waluigi are probably on their way right now," Dixie backed hopefully. She had no clue who Mona or Ashley were.

"I wouldn't bet on it," Yoshi muttered to Birdo.

"They're long gone," Birdo agreed. Of course, not everyone necessarily understood what they were saying to each other, but they got the gist. Now all they could do was wait and hope for the best.

Diamond City

Waluigi and Wario drove through Diamond City keeping an eye out for any survivors. "Where are we going?" Waluigi asked.

"Wario Ware," Wario answered.

"Why would she be there of all places?" Waluigi asked.

"Because she knows it's gonna be the first place I look," Wario replied like it was obvious. Waluigi sighed and rolled his eyes. His brother may have played the part of a perfect idiot, but Wario actually had some semblance of a brain. He was a whiz at electronics, and if treasure was involved, his brother developed a level of guile he almost felt threatened by.

Wario pulled up to a stop in front of the factory. He fished around a moment then brought out a crowbar. The factory was dark so there would be no light to calm down the infected. Light slowed them. Dark invigorated them. Waluigi looked uncertainly around for something to grab as a defense for himself and nearly cursed. There was nothing that would be of any use to him. Dang it. "Just my luck going in unarmed," he complained.

"Here. Take this stupid," Wario said, handing him a lead pipe.

Waluigi blinked in surprise and took it. "Thanks bro."

Wario held his crowbar firmly in hand and climbed off the bike. Waluigi followed. Carefully they approached the doors to the factory. Wario silently counted down from three and kicked it open, brandishing his crowbar in a way that would stop any unexpected attacks from the infected. There was nothing. Waluigi came up next to him and the two exchanged looks, nodded to one another, and entered, brandishing their weapons determinedly.

"Mona!" Wario called out. "Mona!"

"Shut up, idiot. We don't wanna alert the infected. If there are any," Waluigi said.

Wario bit his tongue and called more softly, "Mona?!"

They heard a clattering sound and turned quickly. Something was rising slowly from a pile of boxes and growling, groaning, limping. It turned to them and they caught their breath. The eyes were almost dead! It screamed and raced at them determinedly. Waluigi cried out in alarm and swung the lead pipe, striking the infected powerfully in the head and knocking it to the ground. Hearts pounding, the two knelt to check on who it had been.

"J-just a common worker," Wario said, obviously relieved. They heard more growling and roaring and sharply looked up. Against the walls of a hallway, they saw the shadows of at least a dozen infected! "Not good," Wario said.

"Run!" Waluigi said, grabbing Wario's arm and pulling him away. The two fled from the small hoard, but the hoard wouldn't give up.

"We're gonna have to fight!" Wario said.

"We won't stand a chance!" Waluigi argued.

"We don't have anything to lose!" Wario insisted.

Waluigi cursed under his breath. His brother was right. "Fine," he agreed. The two slid to a stop and turned to face the hoard. The infected screamed at them, suddenly on top of the duo. Desperately Waluigi and Wario swung every which way they could. Waluigi really wished he had his vine powers ready. Wario, meanwhile, was pile-driving the enemy and charging through them, by some miracle managing to avoid getting bitten. The crowbar and lead pipe were getting a workout all their own. The two brothers regrouped when nine of the twelve infected were downed. The last three charged with screams. The brothers met each others' eyes and nodded. Together they attacked, and in seconds the rest were gone. They didn't stick around to see who the fallen had been. They had allies to find.

SMB

Wario and Waluigi entered the basement. "The basement. Always the worst possible place to go, right along with the attic," Waluigi grumbled.

"Not in Wario Ware. This one is designed to withstand a nuclear strike," Wario boasted. They approached a thick metal door. "Mona?" Wario called. "Mona!"

"Wario, boss, is it really you?" she hopefully called back.

"Of course it's-a me!" Wario replied. "You're-a still normal? Uninfected?"

"Yes, and so is Ashley! When everything went bad, we met up and made our way here to see if anyone else was still okay. We found a survivor in the city along the way. Her name is Pauline. She's from Brooklyn, New Donk! The mayor in fact," Mona said.

There was a beat. Wario and Waluigi stared at the door in disbelief then exchanged looks. "Pauline?" Waluigi quietly said. "The heck is she doing out of Brooklyn?"

"Bah! Who cares?" Wario said. He looked back at the door. "Where are the others?" he asked as Mona began unlocking the many locks on the door.

"Gone. All of them. So is… so is Red," Ashley replied, her voice quiet and actually sounding kind of sad. It was rare you heard any kind of emotion from her mouth besides sarcasm, boredom, and maybe on occasion a hint of anger.

"So where'd you find this Pauline?" Wario asked.

"At City Hall. She was here on some political business I guess," Mona said. "Ooh, she mentioned she knew Mario!"

"Oh yeah. They go way back," Waluigi dryly said.

"Wait, you know her too?" Mona asked, opening up the door and revealing the three occupants. Pauline started, eyes widening a bit on seeing them. It couldn't be missed how similar to their cousins they looked, after all. She'd noticed it from the first time she'd seen them at a Mushroom Kingdom event, but had never gotten the chance to talk to either of them.

"We know about her. I doubt she knows the first thing about us," Wario said, picking his nose. Pauline looked utterly disgusted.

"She's-a Mario's ex," Waluigi said.

"I-I'm sorry, and you two are...?" Pauline asked, confused.

"I'm-a Wario," Wario said.

"And I'm-a Waluigi," Waluigi said.

"We're-a the Mario Bros' dark reflections. We'll-a leave it at that," Wario said.

"And do you happen to know if Mario managed to hold out when all this went bad?" Pauline asked.

"Who knows, who cares? What, are you stalking him now?" Waluigi asked

Pauline started and frowned at the duo, a bit put out by their attitudes. "Actually, no. Mario and I parted on good terms. In fact, we parted close friends! He's even helped me out of a few predicaments since then," Pauline said coldly.

"Last we heard you were real broken up about Peach," Wario said.

"What? Where have you been hearing all this information? Yes, I was upset when he began pursuing the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. He and I were dating for a long time. We went through a lot together! Then the warp pipe incident happened and he was dragged from the Metro Kingdom to the Mushroom Kingdom, and just like that everything was over. The breakup hurt, seeing him with another woman hurt more, but I got over it. Look, I owe Mario everything. Any bad blood between me and him, or me and Peach for that matter, is history. When it's time to move on, it's time to move on," she said.

"How about we not talk about relationships right now?" Waluigi dryly said, looking momentarily depressed.

"Relationship drama?" Pauline sympathetically asked.

"We're-a not talking about it," Waluigi dryly said. "Last we knew, Mario and his loser bro were just fine. In fact, we were about to head back and join them. Come with us if you want. No guarantees they're-a still standing."

"Follow me," Wario said, heading up. The three women exchanged looks, then followed one after the other. Waluigi, in a moment of chivalry, took it upon himself to take up the rear.

SMB

They brought Pauline, Mona, and Ashley to Wario's castle. There Wario and Waluigi waited in the living room for the three women to return from showering. They'd been down in that bunker for almost a week, and to say they felt grungy would have been an understatement. Wario had multiple bathrooms, so there was plenty of room for them all to relax and take their time.

"So what's the plan?" Waluigi asked his brother.

"We send them to the Mushroom Kingdom in an armored car," Wario replied. "They follow the letter and go to Peach's castle. We stay here."

"Why are we staying here?" Waluigi incredulously asked.

"My defenses are the best," Wario replied.

"Then why are we sending Mona, Ashley, and Pauline away?" Waluigi demanded.

"Because they'll be out of the way when the defenses are breached," Wario replied.

"You realize you're contradicting yourself, right?" Waluigi asked.

"The Military in Diamond City is corrupt. I didn't say it would be zombies breaching our defenses," Wario replied.

"So you wanna just sit here until the military comes? Perfect," Waluigi sarcastically said.

"They'll try and steal my treasure!" Wario defended.

"So you wanna give them our lives instead?" Waluigi flatly asked.

Wario blinked at his brother then frowned, eyes narrowing. "Oh shut up," he said. "I don't need your voice of reason right now. I hate voices of reason. They always make sense. I hate sense."

"Fine, but you're the one breaking it to Mona that you're gonna play martyr for a bunch of gold while she escapes scott-free," Waluigi said, shrugging and leaning back in his easy chair. Wario shifted a bit and grimaced.

SMB

"No, I'm not leaving you!" Mona insisted, tears threatening her eyes as she, Ashley, and Pauline listened to Wario's plan.

"Will you not argue for once?!" Wario yelled, now highly annoyed. Pauline and Ashley were waiting impatiently in the armored car. Waluigi leaned against it, boredly watching the spat.

"No! Wario, what if something happens to you? I have to be here. You need me!" she insisted.

"It's-a only for a little while, Mona, I promise! Waluigi and I will follow as soon as we tie up some loose ends," Wario practically pled.

"But what if you don't come?" she asked, sniffling and wiping away a tear furiously, annoyed at herself for crying.

"It's-a me, Wario. Of course I'll-a come!" Wario shot, offended she'd think otherwise.

Mona bit her lower lip uncertainly and fearfully. She didn't want to go. "Mona, hurry up and leave them. Think about it. Has Wario ever let you down?" Ashley said.

"No," Mona admitted, bowing her head.

"So if Wario says he'll be back..." Ashley said.

"He'll be back," Mona begrudgingly said, crossing her arms and looking away from her boss.

"Exactly! Give me a timeframe and I'll-a be there," Wario insisted.

"I want you there by tomorrow night," Mona replied firmly.

"It's-a a deal," Wario agreed, shaking her hand. Maybe now she'd go. Suddenly Mona pecked him on the cheek, then went to the armored car. Pauline looked mildly disturbed at that, unsure of what to think about Mona kissing a freakish man who, along with his brother, knew an unsettling amount of information about her for some reason.

Wario blinked. Had Mona just kissed him? Bah, Mona and her annoying sentimentalities. Mona got into the vehicle and the three girls waved as they drove off to the Mushroom Kingdom. "What happened to staying to protect your treasure?" Waluigi bit as the girls vanished.

"I can't let her down now, can I?" Wario asked defensively. "She forced me to promise!"

"You've broken promises before," Waluigi retorted.

"This is different!" Wario insisted.

"How?" Waluigi demanded.

"It's her," Wario replied like it was the only answer he needed. He turned and walked off right after.

Waluigi rolled his eyes and followed his sibling. "Idiot. You don't even understand your own feelings," he grumbled.

"I know them just fine."

"Sure you do."

SMB

"I'm sorry, but how did those two strange men know so much about me?" Pauline asked as she drove the armored vehicle with Ashley and Mona.

"I'd guess through their counterparts," Ashley said, reading through her spell book.

"Who shares information that sensitive with doppelgangers or enemies?" Pauline asked.

"They're cousins," Ashley said.

"Ashley!" Mona exclaimed.

"It was gonna come out anyway," Ashley said, not even looking up.

Pauline was quiet for a beat. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

Mona sighed. "Mario and Luigi are Wario and Waluigi's cousins," she said. "If Wario and Waluigi didn't get the information from Mario and Luigi, they probably got it from newspapers or other family members, assuming you knew Mario's family."

"Mario never mentioned family very often and I never really pried. It was a sensitive topic for him," Pauline said, but it was clear she was being purposefully vague. "Still, I suppose that explains how those two knew so much about me."

"What do you know about their family?" Mona asked, genuinely curious. "They never really talk about it with us either."

"Then you can assume there's probably a reason for it. Don't pry too much, okay? If they want to open up to you someday, they will. Don't worry," Pauline said, smiling a bit. Mona nodded, accepting the council.

Later That Night

Waluigi silently slunk out of his bedroom and listened at Wario's door. It sounded like his brother was fast asleep. Waluigi bit his lower lip. This was stupid, he knew it was stupid. He'd be lucky to make it! People who went off alone always died. Why, then, was he doing this? No, bad Waluigi. It wasn't like this was some clichéd horror movie or anything like that. He hoped. He crept to where they kept the vehicles and looked suspiciously around. If even animals were susceptible, he had to be extra cautious. He peered out the garage window and frowned a bit at the snow on the ground. Just their luck. The weather was changing now? Perfect. He got into his car, started the vehicle up, turned on the radio, and listened to it quietly as he opened the garage in silent mode. He began driving out as carefully as he could, making sure to shut the garage behind him.

"On top of the infection, the Mushroom Kingdom is now suffering its biggest snowfall in decades. Stay tuned. We'll keep you posted on everything as best we can," the announcer said.

"Unless we go off the air," a nervous voice added.

"Quiet! Are you trying to panic our listeners?" the announcer hissed, doubtless trying to cover his mike.

Waluigi grimaced and shut it off. Oh, this was so stupid. He checked his bags. Fire flowers, ice flowers, various power mushrooms… check on everything. He was set. He had to be quick about this. Before Wario started to worry. All at once something slammed into his door roaring and screaming, trying to pry its way in. Waluigi screamed in terror and pounced desperately on the locks, then ensured all doors were tightly shut. The infected tried to break through the windows. He hit the gas and tore off, hoping the defenses at Wario's castle were enough to keep those things out and that he hadn't left his brother to his doom.

As he drove along, lost in his thoughts, he heard a cluck and a burp from behind. He started and jammed on the brakes before turning sharply around and practically throwing himself halfway over the seat. "What in the name of the Star Spirits?!" he demanded when he saw Wario looking up at him in surprise from the floor of the car, holding his beloved pet hen.

"Oopsie," Wario said.

"Wario, what are you doing here?" Waluigi asked, heart rate slowing immensely.

Wario, recovering himself, decided not to bother lying. Why try, after all, when he was caught anyway? Instead, he crawled over the back seat and into the passenger one. "Meh, when my beanpole brother starts sneaking out, I start thinking something's up. You're weird, but you aren't an idiot."

"But-but you were sleeping," Waluigi whined as Wario stroked his pet hen's feathers. The hen, conveniently named Hen, clucked quietly, relishing in her owner's touch.

"I was down in the kitchen," Wario replied.

"I heard you snoring!" Waluigi insisted.

"Your tape recorder. It comes in handy for traps," Wario said. Waluigi grumbled under his breath, but they couldn't stay in one place for long. Not in the middle of the city. He saw shadowy, menacing forms stumbling towards them in the dark and began to drive. "Where are you going?" Wario asked.

"Back to the Mushroom Kingdom," Waluigi replied, too exasperated to bother lying.

"Why?" Wario asked.

"I… I need to ask about a couple of people," Waluigi replied in a grumble.

"At least you haven't heard that they're gone yet," Wario said, turning to look out the window. He knew who Waluigi was talking about, after all. Daisiy and Rosalina.

Waluigi looked curiously over at his brother. Wario had been so serious since this had all started. It was weird. He'd rarely ever seen his brother like this. Maybe it had something to do with Professor Crygor and Wario's other main employees becoming infected. Wario never admitted it, but Waluigi knew his brother viewed them as close acquaintances if not outright friends. "Eh, the Stupid Mario Brothers will fix this," Waluigi said, watching the road again.

"Then why are you going after information on her?" Wario challenged in one of those increasingly more common insightful moments of his.

"Because I…" Waluigi began. He paused. "Because I might not get to again," he confessed quietly. "If we have to die, I'd rather it not be when we're on terms like this."

"Whatever. Drop me off at Mario's," Wario said.

"Mario will be at Peach's castle," Waluigi said.

"Not when he realizes so many of his friends are still missing. He gets involved. It's what he does," Wario said. "We can't stay in the Mushroom Kingdom long by the way. We still need to lock down my castle properly. Diamond City's not long for this world anymore."

"How do you know?" Waluigi asked

Wario looked down, considering his answer, then turned to his brother. "Because the Mayor is infected and like I said, the military is corrupt. When they take over, we'll be lucky if they don't blow the place up." Waluigi shuddered and said nothing. Who knew Diamond City better than Wario, after all? Wario had lived there for a long time. Rather, he'd lived on its outskirts in the woods in his castle for a long time.

Peach's Castle

In the palace, the assembled group waited tensely for the arrival of more of their friends. Luigi, staring out the window, suddenly gasped. "What is it Weegie?" Mario asked, immediately alerted.

"Mario, it's-a Mona!" Luigi exclaimed. "And she's-a with Ashley and Pauline!"

"Pauline?" Mario quickly asked, swiftly going to the window to look out. He felt his stomach clench on seeing his old lover. Ooh, this was going to be awkward. He'd seen her at races and parties and sport tournaments, yes, but it was always a bit uncomfortable for him when she and Peach were in close contact, even though Peach never really seemed to be concerned about it. He spotted Peach out of the corner of his eyes giving the order to let the three newcomers inside. It was late, after all, and soon the streets would be filled with the Infected. Mona, Pauline, and Ashley wouldn't stand a chance then.

The group greeted the three newcomers at the door and immediately barraged them with questions. As well as they could, the three arrivals detailed their ordeal. "And that's what happened," Pauline finished.

"Wario and Waluigi intend to stay there one more night and then come meet us," Ashley said. "They mentioned something about tying up loose ends in Diamond City, whatever they meant by that."

"They meant guarding Wario's treasure," Mario wryly said, rolling his eyes at the rash actions his cousins had taken.

"We should go to Diamond City and drag those two back here," Diddy said, annoyed at this news. It was just typical of Wario to do something so stupid. He'd have thought Waluigi had more sense though.

"We can't do a thing for Wario and Waluigi anymore," Candy said. "We need to stay put. It's safe here."

"Relatively speaking," Toadette uncertainly said. She couldn't shake the feeling, though, that something bad was going to happen if they just stayed in one place.

"Principessa, let me and Luigi go back home to wait for them. Even if it's-a only for one night," Mario said to Peach, taking her aside. Mona and Pauline were still nearby, but he wasn't too concerned about that. "We need to see if they'll-a come back."

"Yeah. They'll-a probably stop at our house and take our things if they think we're-a gone anyway," Luigi agreed. Peach and Mona knew, though, that that wasn't the reason Waluigi and Wario would stop there.

"Mario, it's too dangerous," Peach said. "If you two go back out there, you're in immense danger."

"We have to go," Mario said.

"They're-a our cousins," Luigi reluctantly agreed. In all honesty, neither he nor Mario could care less about Wario and Waluigi and vice versa, but it was a family honor and obligation thing. Besides, they needed each other. Right? Well, they really didn't, but still. Ugh, it was all so confusing.

"If I don't allow it, you'll leave anyway, won't you?" Peach solemnly said.

"Si," Mario confirmed with a rueful smile. Peach looked down. Mario winced a little and approached her. "We'll-a be fine, Peach," he said, taking her hands in his and kissing them tenderly. Pauline turned away awkwardly.

Peach sniffed and smiled softly, then bent, kissing Mario's nose. "All right," she said.

"Let's-a go, Luigi," Mario said, smiling at his brother.

"Okay," Luigi agreed. He whistled for Polterpup and followed his sibling out.

"Be safe, Mario," Peach quietly said.

"He'll be fine. He always is," Pauline assured. Peach smiled worriedly at her and nodded.

Chapter 3: Saving Daisy

Luigi stood awkwardly in the doorway of the kitchen where Mario was. In the distance, an emergency siren was blaring. "Bro?" he said.

Mario turned quickly, startled. Upon seeing Luigi, though, he relaxed. "Weegie, what's the matter?"

"Do you think…?" Luigi began. He trailed off.

"Our friends will be fine," Mario said.

"Our friends weren't the ones I was going to ask about."

"Wario and Waluigi?"

"Yeah. Bro, do you think our cousins will come back? I know the others will be fine in Peach's castle, at least for a while, but Wario and Waluigi… They're the ones I can't predict."

Mario considered the question carefully. "They'll come back, but they won't stay. Unless we can convince them not to go, they'll take off on their own soon after and try their luck solo," he said.

"And will we see them after that?" Luigi asked. Mario shook his head and looked out the window. "He promised," Luigi ventured when it was clear Mario wouldn't say anything. "Wario promised that if the world ever fell apart, if there was any chance he was still alive, we would find each other. Everything would be alright then, wouldn't it?"

"Has Wario ever kept a promise?" Mario dryly replied. "It's just you and me, little brother. It always has been. If this world dies, if everyone we ever knew and loved ends up just a memory, it's only gonna be you and me." Luigi looked down and sniffed. Mario looked over at him and immediately regretted the bluntness of his answer. He went to his little brother and tightly hugged him. "We'll be alright, Weegie."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The two gasped, looking quickly over. "Could it actually be them?" Luigi asked hopefully.

Mario put a finger to his lips and stealthily went to the door. Luigi readied his trusty hammer. Mario opened the door and started. "Waluigi, Wario!" he exclaimed. The two barrelled in without a greeting. Luigi gaped in shock. Mario quickly locked the door behind their counterparts. "What were you two doing out there this late? If the military had caught you, who knows what would have happened?" Mario chastised.

"Stuff it, pasta boy. We're not staying long. We're just here because Waluigi had a sudden attack of longing," Wario replied.

"I am not longing for her, I am not upset about our fight, I am not depressed, I'm not anything except angry and ready to kill someone!" Waluigi vehemently defended.

"Hah! A likely story," Wario bit, taking a soda from Mario and Luigi's fridge. He turned back around and downed it in a few gulps, then tossed the can into the sink. "Let's-a talk," he said. Mario and Luigi exchanged looks.

SMB

The cousins gathered in the living room of the house. Luigi brought out more soda and all the leftovers they had, because Wario. "So, what are we gonna do about the infection?" Wario asked after learning who all was at Peach's castle.

"We're gonna stop it," Mario replied.

"Let me rephrase. What are you and Luigi gonna do? I not doing a stupid rescue mission. I just wanna protect my treasure. Mona was annoying anyway. We're going back to my castle the second we figure out what's happening with Daisy and Rosalina, then never coming out until this is all behind us. Diamond City is a lost cause already, by the way, so don't waste your breath," Wario said. Quickly he summarized to his cousins what he'd already told his brother. Namely about the mayor's demise and the military's corruption. In exchange, Mario and Luigi informed their relatives of the other locations around the world that were done for, just for the sake of sharing information.

"Rougeport was just added to the list. And Isle Delfino. The radios have stopped broadcasting now too," Luigi finished sadly. Wario and Waluigi were silent, staring down at their sodas. Even Wario had stopped eating all the leftovers in the house.

"Has... did Pauline say anything about Metro Kingdom?" Waluigi quietly asked.

"Specifically New Donk?" Wario grimly added.

Mario bowed his head. "She was in Diamond City on business. She was going to meet with the Mayor. When she left, New Donk was infected but not totally gone. She hasn't heard anything since."

"No news on the family then. Good riddence."

"You don't mean that, cuz," Luigi said.

"Bet," Wario replied.

There was silence. Mario was first to recover from the gloom. Frowning determinedly, he said, "This ends now. I'll save the world somehow. You guys don't need to come."

"Yeah! We can do it without you," Luigi boasted.

Mario hesitated. "Uh, no, Luigi. I'm going by myself."

"Wha?! B-but Mario, we're a team! We're the Mario Brothers," Luigi protested.

"Luigi, we don't know what we're up against. I don't want you getting in over your head and being hurt," Mario replied.

"I fought through a mansion full of ghosts by myself to save you!" Luigi said. "Three times! Once in a hotel! Then another time in a hotel, but one wasn't with ghosts."

"I said no, Luigi," Mario said. "I'll take Wario before I take you. I don't care what happens to him."

"Of course! Mario and Wario go off on an adventure while Waluigi and Luigi are left behind like sitting ducks," Waluigi bit.

"Wario's staying too. He doesn't wanna go," Mario stated simply. Waluigi harrumphed.

Luigi sighed deeply and hung his head low. "Okie-dokie bro," he defeatedly said. "I'm going upstairs. Take care when you're out there I guess." With that, he headed up. He peer back the stairs and saw his three relatives talking in hushed tones. Quietly he went to his room, then quickly slipped out a window and walked away from the house. He'd go off on his own, he decided. If he couldn't go with Mario to save the world, he'd at least find Daisy and Rosalina and take that off his brother's plate. Polterpup noticed as he left and floated after him.

SMB

Luigi walked towards a park nearby, sulking and avoiding the military at all costs. Also any animals or other things that looked suspicious. The last thing he needed was to get infected. "I know Mario goes off on all kinds of adventures by himself, but this time it's different. What if he doesn't come back?" he asked Polterpup, who trotted contentedly alongside him. Polterpup made a questioning sound, looking up at him. Luigi sighed. "Maybe I'm underestimating him, yeah, but I'm not so sure this time." He entered the park he'd been heading towards and stopped, looking up hopefully at the full moon. It was blood red. What little hope he had was quickly becoming despair. What was happening to everything he knew and loved?

Polterpup started to growl lowly. Luigi looked quickly down at him. He was staring at the forest. Luigi looked towards it uncertainly and tried to hear or see what Polterpup was sensing. Something was moving around in there. Luigi's eyes widened a little and he got into a fighting stance, nervously watching the now rustling leaves. Suddenly a figure staggered out of them, spotted him, and ran full tilt at him. He cried out in alarm, leaping up, but before he could flee the figure was in his arms holding him tightly "Luigi!" she exclaimed, and immediately he recognized her. His eyes widened.

"Daisy?" he asked, clutching her tight. "Daisy, you're-a okay! What's-a the matter? What happened to you? How did you get here? Are you hurt? What's-a going on?"

Daisy pulled back from him, eyes wide and urgent. "I was with Rosalina! We were coming from Sarasaland. She wanted to teleport us straight here, but I wanted to search for any survivors that might be on our way. All we saw was death, death, and more death! Then, as we got near Toad Town, a hoard more massive than anything I've ever seen came out of nowhere! We started to run but got separated. I slipped and fell off a cliff and hurt my leg really bad. Rosalina heard me scream and came in time to teleport me to the outskirts of Toad Town while she stayed back to lure the horde away from it! I got up and kept staggering my way into town. Now I don't know where Rosy is and I don't know how much time she has before they catch up to her!"

Luigi had blanched a bit as he listened to her story. "It's-a all right, Principessa, I'm-a bringing you somewhere safe. We'll-a sort this out there," he swore. Quickly he scooped her up in his arms. She caught her breath and flushed deeply, but didn't protest. It was a relief for her wounded leg anyway. Quickly Luigi carried her back to his and Mario's house, Polterpup following close behind.

SMB

Wario and Waluigi gaped in disbelief at the princess in their midst who was now telling her tale. Mario was pale. They would never get to Rosalina in time. The way Daisy described it, there'd been hundreds of infected!

Luigi, noticing Mario's growing distress, reached out to comfort his brother. Mario probably didn't want contact right now, but he'd try anyway because odds were his sibling hadn't felt this hopeless for years. Maybe the extra comfort would be welcome.

"Well, star girl's-a toast. We should check on the others at Peach's-a castle," Wario said.

"If anyone can get out of a situation like that, it's-a Rosalina," Luigi immediately defended. "We've-a all seen what she's-a capable of."

"Before we were separated, Rosalina mentioned something about King Boo and Petey Piranha. She said they might know something. I asked her how she knew that, and she said she saw Bowser during the race throw a strange mushroom at them that caused Petey to go feral for a moment. She suspected that maybe it had something to do with this," Daisy said.

"Of course it would be Bowser. It's-a always Bowser!" Mario said, rolling his eyes hopelessly and throwing up his hands.

"We were considering going to them before we got ambushed by the masses. Guys, we have to find her!" Daisy continued. "She's the queen of the cosmos. She's our best chance at surviving this thing."

"No, Mario should try and find Rosalina. Luigi can bring you to the Castle. Wario and I aren't-a bothering with this mess," Waluigi said, pointedly looking at his sibling.

"Oh. Right. Not bothering," Wario replied.

Waluigi narrowed his eyes at his sibling dubiously. "What's-a that supposed to mean?"

"We should go to the castle at least to check on Mona," Wario replied, looking a bit sheepish.

Waluigi face-palmed, shaking his head. "Fine. Castle it is."

"Not until after we've-a figured out what happened to Rosalina," Mario said. Just then they heard moaning and groaning not far away. They went silent. A few seconds later, they heard the hoard start pounding on the doors and walls of nearby houses. They were getting closer. They were right outside! The group braced for infiltration, eyes wide in fear. Suddenly they heard bullets ringing out, then more screaming, then more fighting, then silence. A couple of minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

Mario went to answer and opened the door. Outside was the General of the Toad army. "Is everyone okay?" the General asked nervously.

"Yes," Mario quietly replied. He looked passed the Toad and winced a little. Obviously the soldiers weren't so well-off. Some of them had been bitten and were weeping helplessly. They knew what fate was coming to them, no doubt, and their grief-stricken comrades weren't taking it easy either. "We're-a fine," he muttered. Quietly he shut the door, then returned and filled in the others.

"The world is ending right in front of us," Wario dryly said.

"I'm-a still not going out of my way to help Mario figure this out, but we definitely need to get somewhere safer than this. Peach's castle might be the way to go after all. The sooner we reach it the better. Wario, maybe we don't-a return to Diamond City," Waluigi said.

"We're-a going back to Diamond City, but I guess we can stay for a bit first," Wario replied, crossing his arms and looking annoyed.

"I'll-a go search for Rosalina. If she's-a hurt, she needs help," Mario said.

"If Walu and I are stepping into this, I'm-a coming with you. You couldn't find your nose on your face," Wario said, standing up. Mario narrowed his eyes at his cousin, unimpressed.

"Wha? But-but-but…" Waluigi began.

"So long, losers," Wario said, walking out of the house with Mario before Waluigi, Luigi, or Daisy could protest.

Waluigi scowled then harrumphed, crossing his arms. "Stupid Wario," he grumbled. "Rosa is probably trying to make her way to the castle as we speak! Why Wario and Mario wanna go off and get themselves killed for nothing is beyond me," Waluigi said.

"I thought you'd-a be the first volunteering to go look for her," Luigi said.

"I have something called common sense," Waluigi flatly replied. "Like you said, Rosalina is the last one we need to worry about. Wario and Mario just made themselves the first."

"Then let's hope their common sense kicks in soon," Daisy worriedly replied.

SMB

It had gotten obscenely late. Mario and Wario had yet to show up. Luigi was worried sick, pattering around the house doing bits of housework here and there. A coping method, Waluigi knew. He, however, couldn't deny that he was worried himself. "We should all go to bed. Maybe Mario and Wario will be back when we wake up," Daisy said, tears threatening her eyes Luigi hated them. To see the tough tomboy near tears just wasn't right. She stood. "Where can I sleep?" she asked.

"Come with me, Principessa," Luigi replied gently, stopping in the middle of his dusting and going over to her. He took her arm and brought Daisy up to his room, letting her lean on him so she didn't strain her bandaged leg. Fortunately, Mario had said it wasn't broken. "Take my bed. I'll-a sleep on the couch. Don't-a worry," he said, gesturing towards it.

"Thank you, Sweetie," she quietly said, not meeting his eyes. It was obvious to him that she was still shaken by the day's events.

After settling her in, Luigi returned to the living room. Waluigi was currently lying on the couch, which he'd claimed as his designated sleeping spot. He'd stolen it from Wario, so Wario wouldn't be happy when he got back with Mario, but Luigi doubted Waluigi cared. "They had better be back soon," Waluigi said to his cousin.

Luigi nodded and looked around to see where he could sleep. He decided on the easy chair, given everything else was taken. Taking a seat, he looked over at Waluigi. "If you and Wario go back to Diamond City… Cuz, we'll never see you again," he quietly said, changing the subject from their absent brothers.

"It's always been just you and him anyway," Waluigi replied bitterly.

Luigi winced a bit and bowed his head. "Not lately it hasn't been," he said.

Waluigi was quiet. "I think it's the other way around. If you and Mario stay here, you'll die. The military is being picked off one by one. It's only a matter of time before the Mushroom Kingdom collapses in on itself."

Silence for a moment. "You know, if the world ended tomorrow, it would be alright if the four of us could just find each other. Then it wouldn't be just two against the world. We would have each other."

"Hate to burst your bubble cuz - who am I kidding? I love it - but you're assuming we would even know each other survived in the first place. Sure, it's all a nice and pretty little notion, but realistically, we'd probably never even figure that out. Heck, we probably wouldn't even think to try in the first place, because at the end of the day, it's only ever been me and Wario or you and Mario. We'd be too focused on survival to even think about each other beyond that."

"Even after everything we've been through together recently, you still think that?" Waluigi was quiet. "We four could take on the world," Luigi added. Hyperbole perhaps, but the point still stood.

"It wouldn't matter. What can I say? Fate likes to play games. Unfortunately, not everyone likes its sense of humor," Waluigi replied bitterly. "Go to sleep, Weegie."

"This isn't the end, cuz. Not yet. Somehow Mario will figure this out, I know he will!"

"You keep telling yourself that," Waluigi replied. Luigi bowed his head, but let it go and settled on the easy chair. He closed his eyes and soon began to slumber. Waluigi stared quietly at the roof replaying Luigi's words over and over in his head. Grimacing, he closed his eyes and soon joined his cousin in sleep.

SMB

"Principessa, get up," Daisy heard someone mutter, lightly shaking her.

She groaned and opened her eyes. Seeing him she screamed and sat bolt upright. "Waluigi!" she yelled furiously. "Who gave you permission to be near me while I'm sleeping?"

He rolled his eyes. "You and me are leaving for the castle," he replied. "Grab breakfast from Luigi and get in the car. Mario and Wario came back with Rosalina."

Daisy, at first lost, quickly remembered what had happened the other day. Her expression filled with intense relief and she nodded, then got up and followed him. She walked into the kitchen and saw Luigi gazing despondently out the boarded-up window. Hearing her, he turned slightly, nodded, then looked back out it again. Mario and Wario were already eating. Rosalina was sleeping on the couch.

"You and Waluigi are going ahead. The military's-a not out in force yet. You two should be fine as long as you can get into the castle without being shot. Avoid the things, though. They're-a out there in droves this morning," Luigi said, not looking at her. He didn't dare call the things zombies. Zombies meant they had died, but these ones hadn't yet. At least not technically. "Mario and Rosalina will follow you in Mario's car later. Wario and I will take the bike a while after them so that we can finish up a few things here."

Daisy went up behind him and wrapped her arms around him quietly. "Don't worry sweetie, everything will be okay," she murmured, head resting on his shoulder. He looked sadly back but forced a smirk, taking her arms and turning around. He gazed into her eyes quietly. She smiled reassuringly, giggled, then suddenly pecked his lips.

Luigi gaped and went red, looking a moment petrified. "P-principessa!" he stammered, unsure of what to do. She laughed at his awkwardness, then pecked him again and went to get breakfast. He gawked after her before grinning and letting out a dreamy sigh.

SMB

Daisy and Waluigi drove in silence. "So, why did you and Wario really come back? Was it really just for her?" Daisy finally asked, trying to break the tense atmosphere.

"Who?" he asked.

"Rosalina. Wario said it was the only reason you tried to come back here. To figure out what had happened to her," she said, letting her arm drift up and down in the wind outside the window of the car.

"And to find out what happened to you. Mona too," he said.

"Yeah, nice try. We both know I was the least of either of your worries there," Daisy said, giving him a look. "I get Wario coming back for Mona, but you and Rosy didn't exactly part on good terms. I figured you two had arrived at an impasse or something. Why come back for her too?"

Waluigi grumbled something under his breath. "Because I felt like it," he said a bit more coherently.

"Ooh, guilt maybe?" Daisy said, eyes lighting up a bit mischievously.

"Waluigi doesn't-a feel guilt!" Waluigi defended. "He just… feels like he could have handled things better."

"You're feeling guilty," Daisy teased, nudging him playfully. Getting under his skin was too much fun.

"No one asked you!" Waluigi snapped. Daisy smirked and looked out the window. Waluigi was quiet a moment, then looked over at her. "For what it's-a worth, I'm-a glad you're-a safe too."

Daisy grinned and looked out the windshield only to go pale. "Waluigi, look out!" she screamed, pointing.

Waluigi gasped and looked. There was a person right in the middle of the road! He jammed on the breaks, but not soon enough. The person was hit and flew forward. "Mama Mia!" Waluigi exclaimed. He and Daisy leaped out of the car and raced toward the toad they'd hit.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay!" Daisy exclaimed, falling next to their victim. Slowly the toad rolled over groaning, and Daisy paled. His eyes were red! She screamed as it lunged, falling back quickly. Waluigi gasped and raced towards them, dragging her to her feet.

"Time to go back to the car," he said.

"Wait, don't!" Daisy exclaimed, stopping him.

Waluigi looked back and gasped. The car was being swarmed by infected! He and Daisy tensed up, getting into fighting stances. "Not good," he said.

"Wally, we're surrounded," Daisy said, looking around.

Waluigi almost cursed, but stopped himself. Not in the presence of a princess, he determined. No matter how tough and tomboyish she usually was. It was a respect thing. He tried to gauge their situation and spotted an opening in the swarm. "There!" he exclaimed, grabbing Daisy's wrist and dragging her towards it. Daisy realized quickly where he was going and followed. They darted past the toad they'd hit and dashed for the palace. "Come on, come on," Waluigi muttered.

"We'll never make it!" Daisy said, still limping a bit. Waluigi didn't reply. Honestly, he lowkey agreed with her, but he wasn't going to stop, and neither was she. All at once a hoard ran from a side road, screaming and growling. The two cried out in terror. One of them jumped at Waluigi without warning. "Wally!" Daisy cried, sliding to a stop and pulling him backwards and out of its way. Waluigi gaped at the toad in disbelief. "We need to fight back!" Daisy said.

"Are you insane?!" Waluigi demanded. Daisy nudged him hard then shoved a power-up his way. His vines! "Fine," he relented, snatching it.

Daisy smirked, then held her necklace, activating her own power source. "Oh yeah, Daisy!" she cheered. Immediately she sent the crystals shooting forward, striking a wall of infected. She didn't want to kill any of them, but she knew they needed to disappear. Waluigi, on the other hand, didn't care either way. He lashed out with his whip, striking anything and everything.

SMB

It was all a blur, mostly, until at last everything went quiet. The two stood back to back panting. Finally, their powers wore off and Waluigi said, "Get in the car." Daisy was quiet. Waluigi looked warily over at her and noticed she looked pale and nervous. She was also staring at her arm, and that set off the kind of alarm bells he really didn't want to face right now. "Daisy?" Silence. "Daisy, what's-a the matter?"

"Waluigi?" He swallowed nervously. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and showed him her arm. He stared at it numbly. It was scratched. There was silence for a long, tense moment before Waluigi finally looked up at met her eyes. "Y-you were scratched?" he tightly asked, meeting her eyes. She sobbed. He could only stare at her in disbelief. This couldn't be happening right now. What was he supposed to do with this?! He considered his response carefully. "How long until it takes effect?" he finally and quietly asked.

"Sometimes hours, sometimes minutes," she answered. "I-I don't know how the infection spreads; whether it's through blood or bites or scratches or all three."

"Minutes?" he asked. She nodded. He was silent. He looked at the injury again, took her arm, ad began to examine it. "It doesn't-a look like teeth or nails caused this. I could have scratched you with my vines instead. It might not be a death sentence," he said.

"Can we take that risk though? For something this serious?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "What…? Mama Mia, what do you want me to do, Daisy?" His voice was strained on those words. He really didn't think he was going to like her answer.

"I should leave before I turn," she said.

"You don't-a even know if the scratch is gonna turn you! Like I said, it could have been from my vines! It really doesn't-a look like teeth or nails caused it. Look, sister, if I could go anywhere but back to my cousins' house after this, I would ditch you in a second." He really wouldn't. "Since I do have to go back there, I'm-a not leaving you alone until I have no other choice. I'm-a a dead man already if I go back with news you ended up infected on my watch." If he dared that feat, Luigi would tear into him like there was no tomorrow, very likely going into Mr. L form to do it. "Get in the car. We'll-a sort this out at the castle."

"Waluigi..."

"We'll-a get Mario to look at it later. You can be in quarantine until he gets here. It's-a gonna be okay."

Daisy nodded. "Okay," she releded. He nodded and brought her back to the car. They claimed in and continued to drive, hoping for the best. Even if it wasn't just a scratch from his vines, maybe Daisy was immune. He knew it was wishful thinking at best. Best case scenario, he was right about it being scratch marks from his thorns.

They made it into the palace yard without being seen. Not a surprise, Waluigi figured. As far as he was concerned, the toads were next to useless. He looked over to check on Daisy. She was pale from fear - at least he hoped it was fear - but beyond that showed no signs of anything going wrong. That was good. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the palace's secret side entrance. They slipped into it quickly and Waluigi raced through the halls with the princess in tow. He had to find the others and quickly. Maybe one of them could deal with this situation sooner than Mario would be able to. Peach had a nursing degree, didn't she? Yeah, she did! Soon enough they reached the ballroom where the other survivors were gathered and threw open the door.

SMB

Pauline was watching out a nearby window when suddenly the door not far from her was thrown open. She gasped, eyes wide, and spun around preparing to fight whatever might be trying to attack. The other survivors leapt to their feet as well, getting into position. They all gasped, however, on seeing the newcomers.

"Daisy!" Peach exclaimed. Her friend looked so pale and afraid. Waluigi was holding Daisy's hand tightly. Waluigi never held hands unless it was for a darn good reason. Peach rushed towards them but pulled up short, catching her breath. "No!" she exclaimed, grabbing her friend's arms and checking the wound. "Daisy," she breathed. She met her friend's eyes. "What happened?"

"We were swarmed," Waluigi replied like it was obvious. "She came to Mario's house last night telling us about her and Rosalina's escape. She was injured during it, so Rosalina led away the hoard and we needed to go find her. Mario and Wario took off to search and came back with the Star Queen and one of her lumas hours later. I was bringing Daisy here when we were… waylaid. She was scratched by something, but we're-a not sure it was one of the infected. I say it looks more like a mark from my vine whip." Peach gave him a shocked look. "I wasn't-a aiming for her!" he defended.

"Why did she come with you?" Mona asked.

"Because Mario and Luigi wanted to zombie-proof their house a bit more and Wario's-a good at that kind of stuff, so that left me."

"Peach, you need to quarantine me. Hurry! Just in case I turn," Daisy urgently said.

"Daisy…" Peach began.

"It's just in case, Peach!" Daisy insisted. "If I haven't turned in an hour, at least you'll know scratches have no effect.

Peach examined the wound again. "I don't think this is from the infected. I think Waluigi's guess might be right. I'll quarantine you until Mario gets here to confirm it either way, but I really don't think you have anything to worry about."

"You have no idea how much peace of mind that gives me," Daisy said, visibly relaxing a bit.

Peach smiled and took her friend's hand. "Come on. Let's go." Daisy smiled nervously but followed nonetheless.

"When will Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Rosalina get here?" Pauline worriedly asked from nearby.

"It shouldn't-a be too long. Mario and Rosalina will show up first with Luma. After that, Luigi and Wario will come," Waluigi replied. "We figured it would be safer to travel in less noticeable pairs. Clearly, that wasn't-a the smartest move."

"Well, it happened. Hopefully, they have better luck than you did. Once they get here maybe we can finally start to plan," Ashley said, walking away with a wave. Waluigi grimaced and lowkey hoped the same.

Chapter 4: Splitting Up

It wasn't long before Mario and Rosalina arrived at Peach's Castle with Luma. Peach filled Mario in on what happened to Daisy, and immediately Mario went to check on her. He quickly determined the scratch on her arm had in fact come from the thorns on Waluigi's vine whip. Needless to say, it was a huge relief for them all. Now the group sat in silence waiting for Luigi and Wario to show up. They weren't waiting long before the doors to the room burst open and in walked Luigi and Wario, the former of which looked utterly mortified. Wario just looked vaguely annoyed. "And I thought rush hour was bad. Zombies are worse," Wario complained as they reached the others. "We had to drive over other cars to get here. There was no way Wario was leaving his behind."

"S-so. Many. Infected," Luigi stammered, clutching Polterpup. Polterpup was yapping in excitement and wagging his tail enthusiastically. Luigi put him down and the ghostly puppy began darting around, leaping up on and licking everyone it possibly could. Wario set his pet hen on the ground as well and stroked her feathers. The hen clucked in enjoyment and began walking around the room, exploring her new surroundings.

"You two are alright?" Peach asked.

"We're-a fine. Lulu's-a just being a baby," Wario said, brushing it off.

"Wario! Not in front of everyone," Luigi insisted. Wario harrumphed.

"All right, so what's the plan?" DK asked, eager to get this situation dealt with as soon as possible.

"Rosalina mentioned that Petey Piranha and King Boo might know what's going on or what's spreading the infection. We should start there," Daisy said.

"The trouble is finding them," Mario said.

"What about Bowser in all of this?" Peach asked.

"Bowser and his family are long gone from the Darklands," Mario replied, frowning. "They probably abandoned it as soon as things got bad." Peach hung her head in disappointment. She'd guessed as much, but she'd so wanted to give the Koopa King the benefit of the doubt. She told herself he had probably done it for his children's sake, but while it excused him for sending them away, it didn't excuse him for going with them.

"So like, do we split into groups or stick together, yo?" Funky asked.

"It will be best if we all stay together," Rosalina said.

"I'll say. In every horror ever, splitting up usually ends in death," Daisy agreed.

"It's-a dumb to think we're-a all gonna make it through this unaffected anyway," Waluigi said, shrugging.

"He's-a right. Even if we do everything by the book, there are too many of us to get off unscathed. Chances are we'll-a get separated at some point no matter what we do," Luigi worriedly said. Polterpup darted by, barking at and chasing Wario's hen who was clucking in protest. Luigi watched after them i some surprise.

"Then let's at least stick together for as long as we can," Candy said.

"We're doomed," Tiny pessimistically said, bowing her head defeatedly. Funky put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and offered a smile. She smiled weakly back.

All at once there was a crunching sound. Everything went quiet. Polterpup and Hen stopped running around and turned in the direction the noise had come from. Luma began shivering and whimpering, hiding in Rosalina's arms. The groans and moans of the infected began echoing through the halls. "Oh no. They've gotten into the castle," Peach hoarsely said.

"There's no way we're going down this early on!" Dixie said, frowning angrily. "Let's show these lumbering freaks what we can do."

SMB

The moment the infected burst through the doors of the ballroom, the heroes went on the offensive. Given the infected were funneling through a pretty narrow passage, it gave Mario and Co. a distinct advantage. The infected fell by the dozens, unable to dodge the attacks that were coming at them. These attacks included peanut bullets, bananas, magic blasts, fireballs, lightning strikes, vine whips, and so on and so forth. The heroes began to advance, pushing the enemy back. They needed to clear out the area and get to a safe room! Then again, judging by the enemies pouring in, it was probably blocked off by swarms of infected servants at this point. The Boo Courtyard would be their next best bet. Since the boos were already technically undead, they could kill but not be killed. Unfortunately, it didn't sound like they had a clear shot to it either. At this point, it was probably smartest for them to escape from the castle entirely by going out a side exit.

"To your left!" Diddy called out to Funky with typical monkey sounds.

Funky threw back a fist, clocking an enemy that had been creeping up behind him in the face. "Behind you, dude!" he replied with the same sounds, returning the favor before turning around and plunging into the group of infected pressing him. He demolished them all. Diddy spun around and began firing into the ones closing in on him. One of the infected jumped and he let out a monkey shriek of alarm, unable to retaliate in time. Suddenly the zombie was tackled from the side and Diddy looked over. Dixie! She smiled at him and winked, saluting. Diddy grinned gratefully and turned back to the fight.

SMB

"The Kong clan works pretty well together," Mona remarked to Ashley, Peach, Daisy, Pauline, and Rosalina, who were standing with her in a little circle against the hoard.

"We aren't doing so badly ourselves," Pauline replied.

"If you think we're doing well, take a look at the Quadrangle," Daisy said, pointing towards Mario, Wario, Luigi, and Waluigi. The cousins moved seamlessly, playing off one another's strengths and weaknesses like it was second nature. Given how familiar they were with one another's shortcomings and move sets, they knew exactly what to avoid and what to embrace while working as a team, and their efficiency proved as much.

As soon as they got some breathing room, Peach called, "Follow me!" The others fell into line, and quickly the princess led the way through the maze of corridors that would eventually lead to the secret exit at the side of her castle.

"So that's it? The castle is lost?" Ashley asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Yeah, so now we find a better one. Mine!" Wario replied.

"Yours? Where is it?" Toadette asked.

"Just outside of Diamond City," Mona said.

"I won't abandon my people!" Peach protested.

"Your people are gone, Peachy!" Waluigi shot. "The only way you're-a saving them now is by finding the cure, and we're-a not gonna be able to do that from here. Our first step is making sure we're-a safe, then we can waste time trying to find Petey Piranha and King Boo or whatever we decide to do."

Suddenly infected poured out of a blocked room baying for blood. Screams of terror rang all around. "Peach, lead the others out! I'll-a hold the infected back," Mario said.

Luigi sprang back to stand at Mario's side, eyes narrowed. "You're-a not doing this solo, bro," he said.

"Later losers," Wario said, turning and bolting.

"Every man, woman, monkey, and dinosaur for themselves," Waluigi added, breaking off from the group to race after his brother.

Mario and Luigi gawked in shock. Had those two lost their minds?! "Wario, Waluigi!" Mario called after them.

"Bro, infected coming!" Luigi said.

"We're not leaving you two to face this solo," Daisy insisted. "We'll hold off the infected together."

"Is anyone gonna go after Wario and Waluigi?" Diddy asked.

"Mario and Luigi can," Peach said. "We won't need their help finding off this hoard, but Wario and Waluigi might."

"If you really think you'll-a be fine without us, we'll-a go," Mario said, gesturing to himself and Luigi.

"Go. Retrieve your cousins. We'll find our way to either your house or Wario's Castle and meet you there," Peach said. Mario and Luigi nodded then darted off with Polterpup, leaving the others to fend off the infected and make their way outside.

SMB

The Mario Bros hadn't gone far before they were accosted by a hoard that broke out of the sealed wing of the castle. As luck would have it, that hoard inevitably ended up splitting them up. "Luigi!" Mario exclaimed. Polterpup began yapping incessantly.

"Keep going, bro! I'll find a way to meet up with you! We should head to the Boo Courtyard. It might be the safest place," Luigi said, fending off his half of the horde.

"Okay. Be careful, Luigi!" Mario called.

"Oh yeah," Luigi replied, turning and racing in the opposite direction with his dog. Half of the horde went after him while the other half stayed with Mario.

Mario turned and ran, uninclined to face off the large numbers solo. He was more familiar with Peach's castle than most given his sixty-four adventure. He had no clue why it had been called that but didn't really question it. He raced through a door and slid to a stop with a gasp. "Mama Mia!" he exclaimed. The Boo Courtyard! He hadn't realized how close to it he'd been, but he wouldn't complain. He looked around. "Hello? Is anyone there?" he called out worriedly, hoping either his brother or cousins had found their way here. "Hello?!"

No reply. All he heard was the cackling of the boos that were floating around aimlessly. Well what was he supposed to do now? Where could he go? He had to meet up with his brother, find his cousins, then find the others. Luigi would be headed here, so staying put until his brother caught up was probably his best bet. Where they'd go from there he had no clue. If everyone was searching for everyone else, odds were they'd just keep missing each other. Peach had said they'd search for them at his place or Wario's castle, so after he met up with his brother and found his cousins, their best bet would be to head back to his place. If the others were there by then, great! If not, they'd wait as long as they could.

All at once he was seized from behind and screamed in terror, spinning around. His heart pounded out of his chest. "Wario!" he exclaimed. His cousin burst into laughter, dropping to the ground and rolling on it while holding his sides. To add insult to injury, Wario's pet hen clucked as if laughing as well. Mario flushed in embarrassment.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Wario blurted.

"Enough playing around, Wario! Where's Waluigi?" Mario demanded.

Wario, still snickering, stood up and got a hold of himself. "I got separated from him and found my way here. You happened to be around."

"Did you see anyone else?" Mario asked, looking past Wario and willing Luigi to appear.

"Eh," Wario replied, shrugging. He looked back at the doors and shifted a little. He kind of hoped Waluigi would walk through them soon.

"We can't stay here forever. There's no food or shelter and the boos aren't exactly friendly with us. We need to get outside the castle and head to my house as soon as possible. That's where the others are going to head," Mario said.

"Mario!" Luigi suddenly cried out as he burst into the courtyard in a panic with eyes wide, Polterpup hot on his heels. He gasped in relief at seeing his two relatives. "Mario, Wario!" he exclaimed, racing to them gleefully and seizing them in a tight hug.

"Get off, green bean!" Wario shot, shoving Luigi roughly to the ground.

Luigi, barely daunted, leapt right back up. "I thought I was all alone!" he exclaimed. "Where's Waluigi?"

"You didn't see him?" Mario asked.

"I didn't see anybody," Luigi solemnly replied. He glanced at Wario and inwardly winced a bit at the way his cousin's expression fell. The portly man looked back once more at the door as Polterpup whimpered and Hen preened her feathers.

"Mario, Wario, Luigi!" someone sharply called. They looked quickly up with gasps and saw Waluigi standing in a window high above the courtyard.

"Waluigi!" the three exclaimed together.

Waluigi lowered some of his vines. "Get up here!" he ordered. Quickly they obeyed, clambering up. "Nice going, Mario losers. You led us the wrong way and separated us from the others," Waluigi bit, shoving Mario a bit testily.

Mario frowned but let it go, brushing himself off. "We didn't leave you anywhere. You ran off on your own and did that to yourselves! We tried to tell you not to, but you did anyway, so we had to leave the others to come and find you. What else were we supposed to do? Say arrivederci and good riddance?"

"It's what I would have done," Wario said, picking his nose and shrugging.

"Well I'm not you," Mario replied, frowning at him with eyes narrowed in annoyance.

'You know, you could just admit you were worried, cuz," Waluigi teased, grinning wickedly.

"Hah! No one needs to worry about us. Let's get back to Mario's already and try to catch up with the others," Wario said.

"Why do I feel like I'd be better off going solo?" Waluigi dryly asked.

"Because you're not as smart as you think?" Luigi dryly replied. Waluigi gave him an ugly look, sneering. Luigi froze a bit and backed down, grinning innocently and shrugging. Harrumphing, Waluigi headed off. The others followed.

Half an Hour Later

"You lost him?!" Wario furiously said to Luigi, fists clenched as he leaned over his cousin who had just arrived at Mario's house solo. A hoard had separated the four of them. Wario and Mario had been forced in one direction, Waluigi and Luigi in another. Wario and Mario had fought off the hoard and made it back to the house. Luigi and Waluigi hadn't been there. They'd waited about half an hour before deciding to go back to search for their younger brothers, but just before they left, Luigi showed up alone. Needless to say, it wasn't going over well.

"I tried to follow him, but he shook me! I told him we should run straight to the house instead of trying to find you and Mario, but he wouldn't listen! I tried to keep up, cuz, I really did!" Luigi defended, eyes wide in fear.

"That mistake is gonna cost him his life!" Wario yelled.

"I'll go find him. You two fortify the house," Mario said, taking a couple of power flowers and mushrooms and walking to the door.

"Fine. Your funeral," Wario bit, crossing his arms with a frown. Mario rolled his eyes and left.

Luigi looked nervously back at Wario. "Wario, I'm sorry," he said.

"Whatever! Help me barricade this dump, then we can sit here and wait until the world's saved by a hero," Wario said.

"Mario's the hero," Luigi said.

"We might survive anyway," Wario replied. Luigi grimaced a bit, tugging nervously at the collar of his shirt.

SMB

In terror, Waluigi began to creep away from the infected. Oh star spirits, he was alone out here. He'd known from the moment he'd taken off on Luigi that he'd made a mistake. Now he was regretting it. In every horror book or film he'd ever read or watched, the one who went off alone ended up dead without fail. He guessed he'd see soon enough if the stereotype held true. Maybe Luigi had already fallen victim to said stereotype. Oh how lucky would that be?

Briefly, he reevaluated his life choices and why he'd figured it was a good idea to try and find Mario and Wario instead of going back to the house like Luigi had suggested. He guessed he'd just been wound up and hadn't really been thinking straight. The infected began to sense him and the next thing he knew, there was shrieking and moaning and groaning and roaring as they charged. He cried out in alarm and booked it. He rounded a corner and almost ran into a wall of infected stumbling towards him from the other direction. He gasped and booked it toward his cousins' house once more. The infected broke into a run, racing after him shrieking and roaring. Why had he ever split from Luigi, he wondered?

As he ran, more of the creatures poured from the alleys up ahead, scrambling towards him foaming at the mouth. He slid to a stop and paled. He was trapped! "No, no, no," he repeated over and over. Oh gods, this was how he was going to die? "Help!" he cried out in terror. They all charged at him and he leaped onto a light pole, clambering quickly up it. Not that it would do him much good at this point, but if nothing else maybe it would buy enough time for someone to find and save him. They couldn't be the only survivors, right?

SMB

Mario drove through the town nervously. More than once he had almost been swarmed by the infected or even other survivors trying to steal his car to escape He looked to the side and patted his trusty fire flower. He was armed and ready. Up ahead, near the town square, he saw a large swarm making its way in a particular direction. Great, here he went. They were focused on someone or something, and whoever it was, he intended to save them. As he drove around the corner and got a full view of the town square, he blanched and gasped. Oh no. "Waluigi!" Mario exclaimed. Immediately he gassed it and rolled down the window. "Waluigi, over here!" he called.

Waluigi quickly looked in Mario's direction, eyes wide. "Mario!" he exclaimed.

Mario clenched his teeth. There was no way in Hades those things were tearing apart his baby cousin in front of him! He whipped out the fire flower and aimed out the window, scorching the toads et al that blocked the way. They screamed in pain and scattered, giving the cousins a second to breathe. Mario inwardly cursed out his idiot relative wondering what the heck Waluigi had been thinking. Waweegie should have stuck with Luigi! Then again, was he really one to talk? Would he have stuck with Wario in the same situation? He guessed that was something he and Waluigi had in common. A tendency to blank on common sense in a moment of passion or desperation. For all Wario's recklessness, he was actually exceedingly good at self-preservation and keeping a level head in desperate times. So was Luigi.

Mario got as close to the light post as he could. "Cuz, now!"

Waluigi didn't argue. He leapt down from the pole, landing on the roof of the car, then swung inside through the now open passenger-side window. Flooring it, Mario tore away from the reassembling hoarde. "M-m-mama Mia," Waluigi tightly said.

"What happened?" Mario demanded.

"I blanked, okay?!" Waluigi replied, heart still pounding.

"Well next time don't!" Mario said.

"Like you'd have done better!" Walugi replied. "My first instinct was to find Wario because then everything would be okay. Yours probably would have been to find Luigi so he'd be okay."

"My first instinct was to meet at the house because that was where you two would go," Mario said.

"Oh really?" Waluigi sneered.

Mario shifted. "Okay, fine! It was Wario's. I just listened to the advice better than you did," he said.

"That's what I thought," Waluigi said, crossing his arms and glaring out the passenger window.

Mario was quiet, considering their current situation. He hoped the rest of the gang back in Peach's castle had gotten away okay. Maybe they would be at the house by the time he and Waluigi got back! He doubted it though. He looked around at the near-abandoned Toad Town. It was too quiet suddenly. Any second something would spring out, he just knew it. "We have to stop this."

"That's your job, not mine," Waluigi replied.

"You and Wario really won't help us, will you?" Mario said quietly. Waluigi harrumphed.

SMB

"Luigi, get your butt down here!" Wario shouted as the infected pried at the windows roaring and growling. His pet hen was freaking out, clucking desperately and flapping her wings in a panic. Wario picked her up and tucked her into his rucksack. He tried to keep the boards up, but he couldn't replace the barriers and get rid of the infected at the same time! It would figure the minute Mario left they'd get swarmed. It pained him to admit it, but Luigi had toughed it out longer than he'd thought he would. Of course, the fact his little cousin had subsequently had a nervous breakdown and fled screaming killed any admiration Wario might have initially felt.

Luigi, from his position hiding under the bed shivering, heard Wario calling and winced. What was he doing hiding like a coward? He could handle this! It was just a few infected! What was the worst that could happen? Wario needed him! Polterpup, lying next to him, whimpered, licking Luigi's face comfortingly. Suddenly, though, the pup stopped and began to growl at the window. Luigi began hearing unsettling scratches at it. "Oh no," he said, pulling his hat down over his eyes. He couldn't just stay here! Staying here would make him a sitting duck if they broke in from the upstairs windows! How could they have even gotten to the upstairs widows, though? Maybe it was just a tree? Swallowing, he climbed out from under the bed and went to the drawn curtains. They couldn't climb, right? Right?! Oh star spirits, please say they couldn't climb. Wario had claimed they couldn't. Not that that meant anything. He gulped, grasped the curtains, then flung them open in one swift motion only to come face to face with a hideous infected! He screamed in terror as it roared and smashed the window in. He knew they should have boarded the upstairs too! He'd insisted on it in fact, but Wario had promptly laughed it off! Stupid Wario and his know-it-all attitude. Couldn't climb indeed.

"Wario!" Luigi screamed as the infected poured through his window. He bolted from the room with Polterpup, grabbing a thunder power-up as he went.

SMB

Wario frowned a bit, confused. Suddenly the infected had stopped prying at the windows down here. Why? In fact, he couldn't see even one. His question was answered quickly, though, when he heard Luigi screaming. Shocked he spun to face the stairs with wide eyes. Luigi and Polterpup bolted down them like Bowser himself was on their heels. Master and pet peeled across the room towards him. Wario's jaw dropped as a huge swarm poured down the steps like a waterfall after them!

"What the…?" Wario began.

"Run you son of a goomba!" Luigi cried, blasting them with lightning for all the good it was doing. More just kept coming. Wario gasped and ran for the front door. The two burst outside and fled.

"Mario and Waluigi, what about them?" Wario asked, flinging himself into his car.

"I don't know!" Luigi replied, leaping into the passenger seat. "We hope they find us?"

"More likely they'll figure we're dead!" Wario snapped.

"They'll figure it out though, right?" Luigi nervously asked.

"They'd better, or it's curtains for them," Wario replied, gunning it and peeling away from the swarmed house.

SMB

Mario drove in silence as Waluigi stared ahead listlessly. As Mario's house came into sight, though, both their eyes widened. They sat up straight, lips parting in horror. Screams welled in their throats, but they couldn't make a sound. The home was swarming with infected! No one could have possibly gotten out alive!

"No!" Mario blurted, hitting the gas and plowing into the toads, all of which went soaring.

"Mario, don't!" Waluigi exclaimed, grabbing the wheel and turning it away from the house. "We can't go in there cuz! We'd be sitting ducks!"

"Our brothers!" Mario cried, struggling for possession of the wheel.

"They're gone, Mario, gone, you hear me?! Cuz, let me drive!" Waluigi shouted, fighting back.

Mario, pupils dilated and skin pale, somehow still registered what Waluigi was saying. Quickly he looked at his cousin. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized he wasn't in any sort of mental position to be at the wheel, so he hit the brakes, put the car in park, and swiftly switched with his cousin. "They might have gotten away before the swarm trapped them," he said, willing himself to get a grip.

Waluigi sobbed and Mario looked quickly over. "We're alone…" Waluigi brokenly said, clutching the wheel as the hoard closed in.

"No. They're out there, Walu, they're out there! They have to be!" Mario insisted. "Now drive, baby cousin. Drive."

Waluigi forced himself to get control of his welling panic and nodded. He put the car in drive and hit the gas, tearing away. He checked their fuel. There wasn't much left. Soon they'd be walking to, well, wherever it was they were going. Speaking of… "Mario, where do we go?" he nervously asked.

Mario shifted uncomfortably then bowed his head. "Wario's castle. That was what we'd been planning to do, right? From there we can go and try to find King Boo or Petey Piranha. At least it'll be something. What are the odds the infection took over a boo and a plant?"

"With our luck? High," Waluigi pessimistically replied.

"We have to try. We don't have a choice anymore," Mario said. Waluigi nodded. It was all he could bring himself to do right now.

SMB

"Where are we going, Wario?" Luigi asked.

"Back to Diamond City. If we can hole up in my castle, maybe they'll come looking for us there," Wario said.

"You said Diamond City was as good as done for!"

"It is. My castle isn't in Diamond City though."

"How long can we last there?"

Wario was quiet for a long moment. "I don't know, Lulu," he finally said.

Luigi was quiet. "You kept your promise," he finally said.

"What promise?" Wario demanded.

"You promised that if the world ever turned upside down, as long as you were still alive, we'd find one another."

"Bah! We were never separated."

"Mario once said you never kept a promise. I'm glad he was wrong this time."

Wario gave his cousin a look out the corner of his eyes. Begrudgingly he had to admit he might actually be a little touched by those words. Ugh, no. Wario didn't feel sentimentality. It wasn't his thing. He looked back at the road. "Walu and Mario will be fine. At least they'd better be, otherwise I'll bring Waluigi back to life just to kill him again."

Luigi nervously laughed then lapsed into silence. Wario glanced over at him once more and shifted a little. Okay, so maybe he was a little worried too. He kept that quiet though. After all, one of them needed to pretend they had this under control. He was the oldest, so that was his job now, he guessed. At least until Mario was back in the picture. He really, really hoped Mario would be back in the picture... Then this could be Mario's problem even though Wario was still older than him! What could he say? The guy had more experience playing hero than he did, and to say he played hero was stretching it. Usually, his acts of heroism were just byproducts of his selfish goals. This round was all Mario... Unless it had to be him... He shifted uncomfortably at that thought and really, really hoped it didn't come to that. He wasn't the type of guy in whose hands you left the fate of the world.

Meanwhile

Peach and the others had finally cleared out the castle. They'd tossed around the idea of barricading it up again and just staying put, but more infected were guaranteed to come sooner than later, and their defenses were mostly shot. The harsh reality was, this wasn't a safe place anymore. They had to go. The Mario and Wicked Bros were still MIA, but that just meant they needed to stick to the plan and meet up with them either at Mario's house or Wario's castle.

"Okay, so now that we've controlled the hoard, what are our next steps?" Dixie asked.

"Find the Mario and Wario Brothers of course!" Pauline said. "The question is what we do after that.

"I don't know what Mario's plan is, but I say we find Bowser. More likely than not, he or one of his children is behind this," Daisy replied.

"I thought he disappeared," Diddy said.

"He did, but odds are very good he went into hiding with his children. He wouldn't have stayed in the Dark Lands waiting to be overwhelmed. He would have escaped the moment he sensed trouble," Peach said.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi said before making a series of squeaks and grunts that more or less translated to: "And if Bowser doesn't want to be found, he won't be."

"Yes he will," Rosalina said. She spread her arms, closing her eyes and lighting up her wand. Opening her eyes once more, she projected an image onto a nearby mirror. Slowly it came into focus.

"Where's that?" Tiny asked.

"It's Sky Land in the Cloud Kingdom," Peach replied, eyes wide.

"Whoa. That would be a perfect place to hide," Funky said. "But why go there?"

"Because there's a castle there," Peach said, clasping her hands. "A gift he gave to his eldest son." She walked over to a window and looked up into the sky. "Years ago, Bowser gathered his four eldest children and gave them an allotment. He'd just conquered a good portion of the Mushroom Kingdom, as well as some others, and had decided to divide his newly acquired lands amongst his heirs, but only the four oldest. He permitted them to choose which areas they wanted to claim as theirs. Ludwig chose first and picked Pipe World and Sky Land. Lemmy, Roy, and Iggy scoffed. They believed Pipe World and Sky Land were among the worst lands to choose. Bowser, though, smiled. As the story was told to me, his objective in giving them that choice was to see if his young heir was clever enough to look beyond the superficial and see Pipe World and Sky Land for their true potential. You see, Ludwig realized, as did Bowser, that Pipe World and Sky Land were by far the most strategically placed locations of all the castle holds Bowser had taken, and the ones with the greatest advantages besides. Bowser praised his son for his wise decision and left without explaining anything further, which left Lemmy, Roy, and Iggy to try and puzzle it out on their own. Nothing Bowser has done before or since has ever impressed me more than that."

"Maybe the blue-haired Koopa Creep can actually boast a brain after all," Ashley said.

Birdo looked curiously at Ashley and made a series of sounds that translated to: "What do you know about Ludwig?"

"Kammy took me under her wing to mentor. Kamek helps. Sometimes that means going to Bowser's Kingdom. To his castle. Where his children are and especially his jealous firstborn. I suppose he wasn't impressed they'd shown more favor to a mere human than to him when it came to mentoring," Ashley said. "He's insufferable so I can't blame them for preferring me, really."

"Now that we know where Bowser is, how do we get to Skyland?" Candy asked.

"By summoning the Rainbow Road closer to where the castle might be. Before we do anything, though, we should try and reunite with the Mario Cousins. They would have tried to reach Mario's house, so we'll start there," Peach said.

"Lead the way, Peachy," Daisy said. Peach nodded and did so.

SMB

They gaped in horror at what they saw. Mario's house was swarming with infected and the Cap Bros were nowhere to be seen. "No," Peach tensely said, pale.

"If they were in there..." Pauline, equally as pale, began. She trailed off before finishing the thought. Not that she needed to. They all knew what it meant if the cousins had been inside.

"I don't see their Karts. They might have gotten away!" Daisy insisted.

"Wario..." Mona numbly said, eyes wide.

"What now?" Toadette nervously asked.

"Wario's Castle. That would have been their fallback. There'd be no other option. Wario's defenses are almost as good as Bowser's. They'd have time to rest and plan out their next moves. It's out of the way, on the outskirts of Diamond City, so it would take some time for any hoards to reach them considering they sensed them at all," Peach said.

"We should go directly to Bowser in Sky Land," Daisy argued. "Wario's defenses are good, but they're still on ground level. Bowser's are better and he's out of reach of anything ground-bound! From there we might even be able to see where the others are and have the means to get to them faster to save them."

"We have Roslina for that," Mona pointed out.

"But we still might need the Koopa Clan to help us with this whole situation," Daisy said. "On top of that, we need to think about making contact with King Boo and Petey Piranha. The more uninfected we can gather up the better."

"So then what's the play here?" Diddy asked.

"We have three different angles to tackle. I know we hadn't planned on splitting up, but there's a chance doing so will be our best bet," Pauline said.

"Or it could get everyone killed," Peach replied.

"Or we could all be caught together and wiped out with no chance of being saved," Pauline noted.

"I don't like this," Peach said, anxiously wringing her hands.

"No decisions should be made without the Cap Bros being present. Their experience will be key in deciding our next course of action. There is a chance, however, that we will be separated on the way there. Should that happen, each of us should know what we plan to do and group up with those of like mind. It's a middle ground we need now," Rosalina said.

"My goal is Wario's Castle," Peach said.

"Mine is Bowser's fortress in Sky Land," Daisy said.

"I'd rather put my focus on finding survivors. If Petey Piranha and King Boo are guaranteed, reaching them would be my focus," Pauline said.

"Who all is with Peach?"

"I am!" Toad said.

"Birdo!" Birdo said, nodding to convey that she was too.

"So am I," Diddy said.

"Me as well," Candy said.

"Who stands with Pauline?" Rosalina asked.

"I'm with Mayor Pauline," Mona said.

"So am I," Toadette said.

"Me too," Tiny said.

"I am too," Donkey Kong said.

"Which means Yoshi, Funky, Dixie, Parakarry, Ashley, and Rosalina with Luma are with me," Daisy said.

"Should we be separated or choose to separate with our groups, there are three different routes that can be taken to reach Wario's castle. It's possible the Cap Bros even took those separate routes if they split up. Shall we agree that each group will take one of those routes to Wario's castle should separation occur?" Rosalina asked. It wasn't really a question, though. More a statement.

"That sounds fair," Toad said, nodding. "If that's the plan, maybe we should all separate after all anyway."

"We'll decide that when we get to the split," Peach said.

"Then we have determined our course of action," Rosalina said.

"Each group should take a bus. It's more room for survivors if we come across any," Diddy said.

"Fortunately, buses are gonna be easy to come by in an infected town," Daisy said.

"Are you implying we steal them?" Peach exclaimed in horror.

"No, Princess. Borrow! Your kingdom your busses anyway," Funky said. Peach frowned a bit at the remark, but she supposed they really didn't have much choice.

"Let's go," Pauline said.

"Everyone stay in contact as best we can," Peach added.

"The bus radios will help with that," Diddy said. Peach nodded, and the group immediately set off to find the bus depot.

SMB

At the crossroads, they'd chosen to separate from one another, each team taking a different path. Peach hadn't been thrilled. Rosalina had been hard to read either way. It had been decided it was their best chance at finding the Cap Bros though, so they'd done it.

"This bus is kind of lame," Candy said as she and her group drove down the grassland road.

"Hopefully Wario can improve it. He's a genius with that kind of stuff when he needs to be," Toad said.

"Birdo," Birdly dryly said before following up with a series of sounds that translated to: "I find that incredibly hard to believe."

"I know, but believe it or not, he once put together a time machine in a matter of moments," Peach said, smirking.

"Hey look! Wario's bike!" Diddy suddenly exclaimed, jamming on the brakes. Quickly they all raced out to examine it.

"They're not here!" Toad wailed.

"Birdo," Birdo nervously said before making a series of sounds again. Roughly it translated to: "Hopefully they aren't dead either."

"Maybe if we're lucky, we'll find the Quadrangle heading down this road," Candy said. Quickly they loaded up Wario's bike and got into the bus once more.

Meanwhile

Wario's bike had gotten a flat. Which was just in line with their luck. Now they were walking somewhere in the country between the Mushroom Kingdom and Diamond City. Polterpup was sniffing ahead. Hen was perched on the pup's back contentedly preening and looking cautiously around. Luigi looked over some blueprints of Wario's castle. He'd asked to check them out so Wario had texted them to him. Luigi took particular interest in the defenses. They were good. Almost Bowser-worthy. Would they be enough though, he wondered? He pursed his lips tightly. He supposed they'd have to take the chance. He looked around cautiously as they walked down the eerily empty highway. "We need to try and find a cure," he said.

"That's Mario's thing," Wario replied.

"But Mario might not be here this time," Luigi quietly and sadly said.

"Bah! Leave it to the scientists," Wario said.

"I'm not going to stand by doing nothing hoping they manage to find a cure before the whole world burns!" Luigi said. "If you don't wanna help, that's fine. I'll go alone."

"You? Hah! You couldn't face the hordes when we were fighting in Mario's house! How are you gonna take them on by yourself?" Wario demanded.

"I'll find a way," Luigi insisted.

Wario glanced over at him cautiously. Was the Mr. L in Luigi coming out? No. Mr. L would probably be looking for a way to enslave the zombies and turn them into his goons. This was Luigi just trying to save a world that probably couldn't be saved anymore. "Knock yourself dead. Literally," he replied, shrugging. He wasn't budging in his resolve. If Luigi wanted to be a hero, let him.

"Fine. Then I'm breaking off here. Bye cuz. With luck we'll see each other again after this is over," Luigi grumbled before marching towards the countryside. Polterpup whined and followed. Hen leapt off the dog's back and into Wario's hands.

Wario could only gape after his cousin in disbelief. Was Luigi insane? "Lulu, if our brothers and the others are still alive, they'll come to my castle!" Wario called quickly after him.

Luigi paused and looked back. "We can't wait," he said.

Now Wario would never admit it, but he wasn't exactly inclined to be alone right now. Come to think of it, he wasn't exactly inclined to let the last known surviving member of his family out of his sight either. Wait. Was he feeling protective? Nah, couldn't be. He was only protective of his gold. "Three days, Luigi. If they haven't come, we'll leave," Wario promised. "Two days?"

"Sorry cuz. Not this time," Luigi answered, smiling a bit. There was a look in Wario's eyes. One Luigi only ever saw on rare, rare occasions. Concern. His cousin was concerned for him. His smile fell. "I love you, Wario," he said.

"Lulu, you've lost your mind!" Wario furiously snapped. Luigi turned, making for the bushes again. Wario stared after him, standing in the middle of the road like a bump on a log trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly he heard an engine in the distance and looked over with a soft gasp before quickly looking towards Luigi again. "Luigi, hold on, something's coming!" He'd never been more grateful to hear the sound of a motor. Luigi paused, turning curiously. He returned to his cousin's side, much to Wario's relief, and they looked down the road, squinting. Soon, over the crest of a small hill, a bus came into sight and the horn was honked.

Luigi's eyes widened. "It's Diddy!" he exclaimed.

SMB

The bus came to a stop and the doors opened wide. Wario and Luigi raced onto it and looked around. There they saw Peach, Toad, Candy, and Birdo! "You're-a alive!" Luigi cheered.

"Where's-a my bike?" Wario demanded. Surely they'd seen it on the road. Luigi had literally had to drag him sobbing away from it.

"Loaded up," Diddy replied.

"Diddy fixed its flat," Candy said, smiling.

"I'm glad to see you two alive," Peach said, smiling in relief as she approached Luigi and Wario. She pecked each of their cheeks. Wario's eyes lit up in sudden interest. Luigi blushed.

"Wh-where were you guys heading?" Luigi asked.

"They were heading to my castle of course. And if they weren't, they're-a gonna be heading there now," Wario said.

"That was our intention, yes," Peach confirmed.

"Hey Wario, think you can McGoomver this bus into a weapon?" Toad asked. Wario frowned and climbed out of the bus, looking it over. Inside, the others waited. Suddenly the sound of power tools filled the air while the bus shook and jerked around. In a few minutes, Wario climbed back on grinning wickedly and dusting off his hands. The others looked out the windows and gasped. There were spikes decorating the sides and rammers on the back and front! Spikes were also situated on the roof and undercarriage.

"Wood's-a gonna only last so long. When we reach my castle, I'll-a switch it to metal," Wario said. He sat next to a stunned Luigi. Diddy, equally as shocked, began driving again. Polterpup and Hen barked and clucked excitedly.

Meanwhile

Mario stared ruefully at his car. It had finally run out of gas along the woodland road. Waluigi was self-pitying himself, leaning on the car roof sobbing. "Why, why, why?!" the purple-clad man lamented, punching the roof for emphasis with each 'why'.

Mario began looking nervously around. He could hear the moaning and groaning from various infected in the distance getting closer. There was no sign of a gas station, so no hope of them 'borrowing' some gas for the car. He swallowed on seeing the hoard appear over the crest of a hill, approaching them slowly. "Waluigi!" he sharply said, looking at his cousin.

"What?!" Waluigi furiously shouted, immediately stopping with the dramatics and instead opting for dangerous fury. That attitude vanished immediately when he saw what Mario was looking at. "We're gonna die a horrible death!" Waluigi wailed, throwing back his head and shoving the heels of his palms into his eyes. He began to pace. "Why do the gods hate me?!" He stopped pacing, looked up at the sky, and shook his fist at it. "You know you losers could save yourselves the trouble and just smite me!"

"Waluigi! Mario said more sharply and firmly.

"Fine! Let's-a go!" Waluigi said, dropping the dramatics altogether. He'd try and hold off inevitable death with his cousin as best he could, though what the use of trying was, was beyond him. The hoard noticed them and began to shriek and snarl, breaking into a run. Mario shoved a power-up at Waluigi and took one for himself. They both downed them and Mario let out a powerful column of fire. Waluigi followed up with a blast of wind. When the enemies got too close, Waluigi began pulling off Waluigi Tornado, sending them flying, but it was only a matter of time before they ran out of power.

Just then they heard a horn blaring and gasped, looking back. Their eyes widened. A bus was barrelling towards them. Shouting in alarm, they dove to the sides. The bus plowed down the infected hoard, sending them flying, and came to a stop. Mario and Waluigi looked over with mouths agape in shock. The doors opened on both sides and inside they saw Mona, DK, Toadette, Tiny, and Pauline!

"Hi guys!" Mona chirped, perkily smiling. "What a nightmare, huh? Hop on board!"

"But-but how? Why? When?" Waluigi stammered.

"It was luck," Pauline said. She looked towards Mario in concern. "Mario, are you alright?"

"P-Pauline," Mario stammered. "I'm-a fine." Though their relationship was long over, he still cared for her deeply. He knew full well how badly he had hurt her when he'd broken up with her, truth be told he still felt guilty about it, but at least they'd parted friends when all was said and done.

"Any idea of where Wario and Luigi are?" Tiny asked.

"We don't-a know," Mario quietly said, head bowed. He climbed on board with Waluigi following him.

"We were on our way to Wario's castle," Waluigi noted.

"Do you happen to know if Petey Piranha or King Boo live somewhere along the way?" Pauline asked. "The more survivors we can gather, the better. Besides, maybe they know something about what's happening here. Weren't they the first ones to leave the race track the day everything went wrong?"

"You have a point," Mario said, considering this.

"I mean, this is the woodland road, so the forest where Piranha Plant Grove is isn't-a far," Waluigi said, shrugging. "We could take a detour."

"We'll-a feel it out," Mario said.

"All right then, let's get moving," DK said. With that, the group started off once more.

Chapter 5: Ludwig's Fortress

"Kammy, Kamek!" Bowser bellowed.

Immediately the two Magikoopas flew into his bedroom, saluting. "Yes, your Angriness?" the duo asked together.

"What's happening down below?" Bowser demanded.

"W-well, sir, from what we've been able to tell, Sand Kingdom, Oceanside Kingdom, Wooded Kingdom, Bean Kingdom, Kong Country, and pretty much everywhere else has been completely overrun," Kammy replied.

"Are there any survivors?" Bowser asked, voice a bit less confidant than it normally was.

Kamek and Kammy exchanged looks, then turned back to him. "We don't know, Bowser," Kamek replied more gently than usual. It was rare that he was able to use the first name of the koopa he'd raised as his own. He and Kammy might as well have been Bowser's father and mother, and as such were the only subjects of his who could get away with using his first name without a preface. Only under special circumstances though. This happened to be one of those circumstances, because though Bowser didn't show it, he was clearly shaken by what was happening. Deeply so.

The Koopa King was silent for a long moment. "Where are my children?" he finally asked.

"In Ludwig's throne room, your Worriedness," Kammy replied. Bowser gave her a cold look. She awkwardly cleared her throat and glanced to the side.

"What are they doing gathered there?" Bowser asked.

"What they usually do," Kamek wryly said. "You may want to check on them. Tensions were getting high by the time we left. At this point, they could be killing each other."

Bowser groaned. "Great, that's just what I need." Grumbling, he walked out of his room and headed to Ludwig's throneroom.

SMB

As Bowser walked through his son's great halls, he couldn't help but think how backward this all was. In all the stories he'd ever read or been told, it was the child who threw themselves at the mercy of the parent. It was the child in danger or the child losing a battle who would flee to the sanctuary of his or her father or mother. Now it was a father in dire straights begging refuge from his son. A son whose birthright he'd taken at that. Though, to be honest, he was beginning to think twice about his decision. Especially now with the future so uncertain. He didn't know if Junior could handle things if they were never fixed. He should probably do some serious thinking on that one.

He pushed open the door to the throne room and gasped. Six of his children were lined up against the walls, half of them looking terrified and half of them looking excited. His eldest and his youngest were in the middle of the room. Ludwig was spewing fire and sending magical blasts out after Junior, who was running and jumping around trying to avoid his brother's attacks. "The throne should have been mine!" Ludwig furiously shouted.

"You're just jealous because a little kid took your place!" Junior shouted back, whipping out his paintbrush and painting a variety of minions, all of which raced toward Ludwig. Ludwig demolished them without trouble and leapt forward, swiping at his brother and knocking him to the side. He then leapt on top of him, pinning Junior.

"Why should it be you to rule the kingdom in ze event of father's demise?! You're hardly more than an infant! You're not a leader, you're a baby! Ze Darklands would burn under your rule!" Ludwig roared. He breathed a jet of flame, purposely missing his brother but only by a hair. The flame was hot enough, however, to make Junior cry out in fear and start to thrash.

"Let go! Dad always hated you!" Junior shouted, grabbing his paintbrush and swiping it across Ludwig's face. Ludwig gasped and moved quickly off of him, wiping at the paint that was temporarily blinding him.

"How long has this been going on?" Bowser demanded of Lemmy, storming up to his second eldest.

"They've been at it for five minutes," Lemmy replied, excitedly bouncing on his ball.

Bowser charged forward, seeing Ludwig and Junior going at each other again in an attack that would more likely than not incapacitate, if not kill, Junior. What on Earth made his youngest think for a moment he could take on the eldest, he agitatedly wondered. Junior had a tendency to pick fights he couldn't win, as did Larry. He got between Junior and Ludwig, snatched Junior off the ground, held Ludwig back, and shouted, "Enough, both of you! You keep this up and I'll make Lemmy the heir to my throne!"

"Wait, really?" Lemmy asked, eyes lighting up.

"From what I'm seeing, you'd make a better ruler than either of these two!" Bowser replied. Besides, in the event that both he and his heir died, the throne would fall to Lemmy anyway. Hmm, he really needed to rectify that. If he was going to keep Junior as his heir, he should make it so that in the event he died, Ludwig would have his birthright again.

Ludwig and Junior looked incredulously over at Lemmy, who was goofily grinning while balancing on his ball, then back at each other doubtfully, then to their father. "Yeah. If you want the Darklands to become a circus," Junior flatly said. Ludwig snickered.

"Leave Lemmy alone!" Larry insisted.

"It's okay baby brother," Lemmy said, shrugging off the insult. Honestly, though, he was a little annoyed by Junior's slight.

"Who I choose as my heir is none of you two's business!" Bowser shot at Junior and Ludwig.

"You've already chosen me!" Junior protested.

"Have I, Junior?" Bowser asked. Junior shriveled a bit, realizing he was walking on thin ice. Awkwardly he cleared his throat and said nothing. "Now everybody clear out of Ludwig's throneroom! You have jobs to do. Move!" Grumbling, the Koopalings turned and left the throneroom, Bowser taking up the tail end with Bowser Junior.

SMB

Ludwig watched as his throne room cleared out, frowning. Huffing, he went across the room to the piano located there, then sat and began to play to calm his nerves. Perhaps he had let things escalate too far too quickly. In all honesty, while he would have loved the throne, no part of him resented the fact Bowser had given the title of Crown Prince to Junior. He frowned at the thought. Okay, so part of him resented it, but not to the degree it once had. Once upon a time, his jealousy had been raging. Now that that was no longer the case though, he wasn't entirely sure why he had let his baby brother rile him up so much. Actually, thinking about it now, perhaps that wasn't true. He knew what had bothered him. It wasn't necessarily the fact Junior was rubbing it shamelessly in his face in an attempt to infuriate him, it was the fact that he wasn't sure, and in fact was afraid, that if this world stayed as it was now, Junior wouldn't understand or know how to cope with it. His brother would flounder and fall, and there would be no one to pick up the pieces.

Junior's stubborn pride, like Bowser's, would prevent him from accepting help from his siblings. This was not a situation that Junior, at this young age, was capable of navigating. He was too young and too inexperienced; too naïve and too proud for his own good. In short, Ludwig was worried for the pest. Surely Bowser knew that if this world continued in this state, Junior wouldn't be able to handle the fallout. How could he help and safeguard his little brother if Junior didn't want to be helped…? He sighed in frustration and stopped playing. He needed to think of literally anything else right now. Getting up, he went to check his defenses.

SMB

Yoshi, Funky, Daisy, Dixie, Parakarry, Ashley, Luma, and Rosalina made their way through the Grunge Mountain Pass. It was the least-used route to reach Diamond City from Toad Town, but it wasn't all that populated so it wasn't unlikely the Mario or Wario Bros would have taken it. It had the added benefit of being one of the easiest locations to summon Rainbow Road from too, if it came to that. "Thank goodness hardly anybody lives up here or we'd be in big trouble," Parakarry remarked.

"Don't get too confident. There are quite a few small settlements up this way," Daisy warned. They drove around a bend and stopped with soft gasps. Up ahead the road had collapsed! "Luigi?!" Daisy called, immediately worried. She raced from the bus and straight to the edge, peering down nervously. No cars seemed to have been caught in the collapse. She breathed a sigh of relief as the others joined her.

"I guess it's safe to say they never came this way," Ashley said.

"There's a possibility they did and the road collapsed afterward," Rosalina pointed out. They weren't going any further with the bus on this road, so she floated across the gap with Luma. Dixie followed, using her hair, then Yoshi. Daisy floated across with her dress, Ashley conjured her broom and followed, and Funky climbed his way across using the mountainside.

"I hope Diddy, DK, Candy, and Tiny are okay," Dixie worriedly said, looking at Funky. "As far as we know, the six of us are all that's left of the Kongs."

"I mean, Cranky might still be alive, Dudette. He's like, a super recluse," Funky said with a helpless shrug.

Dixie sighed, frustratedly drawing her hand through her hair. "King K-Rool is probably fine too. He and his pirates would have hit the high seas the moment this thing started to spread," she said.

"The high seas might not have protected them for long," Ashley pointed out.

"Birdo," Yoshi sadly squeaked. He hoped his friend was okay. He liked her a lot. He hoped Toad was okay too. Toad was pretty well his best friend. Toad was also the only member left of the Toad Brigade. The rest had fallen early on in this infection. Yoshi looked up at the sky hopelessly. Having no idea where they were was really starting to bother him. He looked at the other and made a series of determined sounds that translated to: "We have to catch up with Toad, Birdo, and the others as soon as we can."

"I agree. There's safety in numbers. Maybe splitting up wasn't such a good idea after all," Dixie said.

All at once there was a terrifying scream from above. Gasping, they all looked up and their eyes widened. High above, standing on a ledge, was one of the infected! "Oh crap!" Parakarry exclaimed. "He's alerting the village. There's one not far from here!"

"And you didn't think to tell us this why?" Dixie demanded.

"I thought we could sneak around!" Parakarry replied when they heard the sound of a running hoard up ahead.

"Prepare yourselves," Rosalina warned, raising her wand. Luma, shivering, hid behind her.

All at once a large swarm of infected tore around the next bend and charged right at them! "Fight!" Daisy exclaimed. Immediately they leapt into battle.

SMB

Daisy struck at anything and everything that came near to her with a metal bat and whatever else she could use that was at her disposal. Yoshi raced around eating the infected and sending them back out trapped inside eggs. He kicked and flutter-jumped, doing all that he could to keep them down. Dixie swung from above and attacked with her tail, her hair, and with a wooden club she'd fashioned on the way up the mountain. Parakarry darted around using whatever he could, even resorting to dropping rocks on heads. He flew up to a ledge, spotting a loose boulder, and shoved it, sending it toppling. "Look out below!" he warned. His allies that had been in the way of the boulder dove to the sides and let the rock take down a large hoard of the infected. Funky jumped ahead again, striking at everything that attacked him and the others. Ashley used magical attack after magical attack, frowning darkly. There was no way in the Underwhere she was falling today. Rosalina, for her part, used her wand to fight back as well. Luma helped where he was able, which wasn't often as the little one really had little to offer in the way of aid.

Soon the hoard was cleared out, but they were down a bus now and not in a good position anymore. "Should we head back?" Dixie nervously asked.

"No. We're not far from the top. There either Rosalina or I can summon Rainbow Road and we can all get up to Skyland and hopefully Ludwig's castle," Daisy said. "We'll be okay, just stick together and be on high alert."

"Yes ma'am," Dixie replied, smirking and saluting. Daisy smiled back and led the way. Rosalina took it upon herself to stay at the back just in case, and they hurried up the mountain unhindered.

At least until they were near the top.

SMB

Infected hammer bros and other remnants of Bowser's army infested the final stretch to the top of the mountain. They didn't even want to think of what had happened on Bowser's retreat to Skyland that had caused this. Clearly, this was the way Bowser had come. Proof of that was in how much of his army had been left behind. Something must have gone horribly wrong on their retreat. Hopefully, they'd all made it safely. It didn't look like Daisy and co were going to have that same hope. They struggled for all they were worth to get up the mountain, but the situation was only getting worse.

"Rosalina, use your powers! Why are you holding back?" Daisy cried. Rosalina was silent but looked pained. Daisy didn't know what that meant, but clearly nothing good since Rosalina continued to hold back. She didn't understand why, though! Rosalina could solo this for them if she wanted to! Couldn't she?

Yoshi and Funky, both racing towards the same section of the hoard, suddenly ran into each other. "Whoa, careful green dino dude," Funky said getting back up and pulling Yoshi to his feet.

"Yoshi," Yoshi thanked. He made a series of grunts and sounds that roughly translated to: "We need to clear the path for the others. Let's take these things down!"

"Are you serious? Little chance of making it through ourselves? Falling as heroes? Not seeing the light of day again until someone fixes this for good?" Funky asked, raising a dubious eyebrow.

"Yoshi," Yoshi confirmed.

"Awesome, man," Funky said, giving him a 'thumbs up' and grinning. Immediately the two began making loud noises, drawing the hoard towards them.

"Yoshi, Funky, what are you doing?!" Daisy exclaimed in alarm on seeing her two friends going head-on with the infected.

"We're clearing your way through! As soon as you can, run for it!" Funky called back.

"No, we can make it through this together! We can't just sacrifice…!" Dixie began, fear in her eyes.

"Too late!" Funky called.

"Funky, don't!" Dixie screamed. If he didn't make it, it would kill Tiny!

"Dixie, tell your sister I totally would have dated her!" Funky called. Dixie started at that and frowned in some annoyance. Maybe Funky getting himself infected wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"The last thing we need to do is lose allies!" Ashley said.

"They won't be lost for long. Not if we can find a way to fix this," Rosalina said.

"You're more goddess than mortal! Fix it!" Daisy said.

"There are rules even the demigods and gods must follow to keep the balance of this world. They are what binds me now in both battle and solution. As long as there is hope of mortalkind fixing it for themselves, the game must be allowed to play out however it may," Rosalina replied gravely, closing her eyes and bowing her head ever so slightly.

"Oh for goodness sakes! That would figure!" Daisy said, throwing up her hands.

Rosalina smiled ruefully then turned to watch helplessly after Funky and Yoshi. "Let them go, we can't do anything for them anymore."

"No, this isn't fair!" Daisy insisted.

"What really is fairness, Daisy?" Rosalina asked. Daisy watched her hopelessly, then turned back to Funky and Yoshi.

SMB

Yoshi and Funky barrelled into the infected and began kicking and biting and scratching. Yoshi screamed in pain as an infected sank its teeth into him. Funky gave a monkey shriek of pain as he got clawed, then bitten. "Yoshi!" Yoshi called to Funky.

"I got it!" Funky replied. Yoshi stuck out his tongue, eating Funky, and laid the egg. He picked it up and sent it rolling into the infected like it was a bowling ball. The infected toppled like pins and the way was clear for the others.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi called.

"Yoshi, you didn't have to do this," Daisy said, tears in her eyes.

"Yoshi," Yoshi replied, sadly smiling and looking down as he felt the infection taking hold. He whined in pain and Daisy knew she couldn't stay any longer. Quickly she and the others ran up the hill passed the downed infected and Yoshi.

Daisy stopped briefly at Yoshi's side, gently pettig his head. "I'm sorry," she said, voice wavering.

"Yoshi," Yoshi reassured.

Gently Daisy petted his head, then quickly caught up with the others as Funky emerged from Yoshi's egg with an infected scream. The survivors picked up the pace. They needed to get as far from this nightmare as possible as soon as possible.

SMB

Daisy, Rosalina, Luma, Ashley, Parakarry, and Dixie made their way to the top of the mountain. It had been a silent trip after their battle with the infected. "I can't believe they're really gone," Dixie said, voice breaking.

"I can't believe they sacrificed themselves for us," Daisy said.

"Let's make sure that sacrifice wasn't in vain," Rosalina solemnly replied, holding Luma close to her chest.

"Birdo and Tiny will be devastated," Parakarry quietly said.

"Why?" Ashley asked.

"Because love," Parakarry replied, frowning.

"Love is a waste of time. I certainly wouldn't let myself become flustered over any mere male," Ashley said.

"You're only fifteen! You wouldn't understand anyway!" Dixie argued.

Ashley harrumphed. Not that the loss of Yoshi and Funky hadn't been a hard pill to swallow, but she'd never been close to either of them. She understood what the others must be going through though. After all, she'd lost her own friends too. All except Mona. She felt a tightening in her throat and willed it away. It was best not to think about it. This whole disaster would be fixed one way or another, she knew it would. Right now there was nothing to be done for Yoshi and Funky, but there was plenty to be done for everyone else. "Does anyone know how to get to Ludwig Von Koopa's castle in Sky Land from here?" she asked.

"The Rainbow Road like I said," Daisy replied.

"We don't know how far we are from it here, but it can't be too long of a trip. I'll fly up into the clouds and scout around. If there's any sign of trouble, I'll come back. If I don't come back in ten minutes, you can assume it's safe to follow."

"Be careful. You not coming back could also mean you got infected," Daisy said.

"It won't. I promise."

"Still, watch your back. Just in case the impossible happened and the infection got into the sky," Daisy said. Parakarry saluted and flew up into the clouds.

"Ashley, you know a little about magic. I'm going to teach you how to do something," Rosalina said, turning to the young witch. Rosalina conjured a book and opened it to a page about Rainbow Road, then handed it over to Ashley. Ashley took it and began to look it over. "Follow these instructions to the letter, or the Rainbow won't hold all of us on our ascent."

"Why are you giving the job to me then? I'm still in training," Ashley said.

"I'm sure Kammy and Kamek have told you many times why. To become adept, one must practice constantly," Rosalina said. "Don't worry. If you make a mistake, I'll be there to fix it."

Ashley continued skimming the instructions. "Well, it's definitely not my kind of hocus pocus, but I admit it could come in handy," she said. She closed the book, rolled up her sleeves, and began the chant. In a moment Rainbow Road was summoned. Rosalina smiled approvingly. As soon as the ten-minute mark was up, the group made their way up it and into the sky.

SMB

Parakarry, true to his word, was waiting for them. He smiled in relief on seeing the group. "Make sure to call back the Rainbow Road. We don't want the infected following us into Ludwig's cloud world," he said. Ashley nodded and turned to the Rainbow Road, making it vanish. "See that creepy dark castle in the distance?" Parakarry asked, pointing. "That's Ludwig's fortress."

The others looked over and Ashley couldn't help but smirk a little. "I don't have many decent things to say about the Koopa Prince, but even I have to admit he has good taste. Early Dracula?" Ashley remarked with a smirk.

"With the German accent he puts on, the sharp fang, and the creepy organ music he sometimes plays, yeah, probably. Or something like it," Daisy said, grinning. Dracula hadn't been German, of course, but he'd been some kind of Eastern European if she recalled correctly.

"Let's hurry," Rosalina said.

"Right, I don't want to be out here when it gets dark," Dixie worriedly said. Should the clouds dissipate in the night, well, she wasn't inclined to figure out how that worked when one was on top of them.

SMB

Bowser looked into his room where his children were all sleeping. Somehow they'd found their way into it and had taken over his bed one by one. He would have gladly stayed where he had been laying, surrounded by his sons and daughter, but to have them so close, to hear and see and feel their fear and their uncertainty… He wouldn't have been able to sleep if he'd tried. He probably wouldn't rest for the rest of the night in fact. It had unnerved him, to say the least, when Roy had come in shivering and shaking. Of course, Roy hid it well for the most part, you certainly couldn't see his body shaking, but when his third son had brushed against him, he'd felt the shivering. He growled dangerously and shut the door carefully. It had taken skill to maneuver himself out of the middle of the Koopalings. He still marveled at how the only two to awaken had been Larry and Wendy before they had immediately drifted off again.

He left the room, walking down the corridors of his eldest son's stronghold lost in thought. Granted he wasn't the most intelligent creature on the face of the planet, not by a long shot, but he got by well enough. Of course, Ludwig didn't think so. Then again, Ludwig saw everyone he met as mentally inferior. That boy would get into trouble with that attitude one day. All at once there was a knocking at the castle door. Bowser froze, looking cautiously and guardedly over at it. Infected didn't knock, so who could it possibly be? He approached carefully and readied a fireball. Opening the door, he started. "Parakarry?" he said.

"Um, and others my lord," Parakarry replied. Bowser looked past the messenger and his eyes widened. "Princess Daisy, Queen Rosalina, Dixie Kong, err, little red girl!"

"My name is Ashley," Ashley said, offended.

"Whatever," Bowser brushed off. He turned back to Parakarry. "What's happening?"

"We came to find you, your highness," Parakarry answered.

"And confront you for that matter! We lost two good friends on our way up, Funky and Yoshi, so you'd better have an explanation for what's happening on the ground, Bowser!" Daisy shot.

"If they and the rest of the world fell because of something you did, you'll pay for it!" Dixie backed, bearing her teeth.

"What are you talking about?" Bowser demanded.

"Don't play the fool, Bowser. Before this infection was even known to exist, you fled your Kingdom, abandoning it to ruin, and came here to the clouds away from anything that could harm you. You knew something had gone wrong. I hope for your sake you weren't behind it," Rosalina coldly said.

"And I hope for your sake that you have a good reason for leaving your people to die!" Daisy shot. "At least I tried to help mine! If I'd seen this thing coming from as far back as you did, I would have evacuated them! Maybe then they'd still be here! As was, it happened practically overnight in Sarasaland! We had no time to think or prepare or anything!"

"I left because I have eight children to think about!" Bowser snapped.

"You think that's an excuse for leaving your people to die?!" Daisy demanded.

"You wouldn't understand! None of you! You aren't parents!" Bowser defended. Parakarry, wisely, stayed out of this confrontation. Bowser approved. It was good when his future subjects were smart enough to fear him.

"You're wrong, Bowser. I understand it," Rosalina said, softly and protectively petting Luma. "Polari had hoped the observatory would cure him. I'd thought it would. Both he and I were wrong, and for that mistake, I paid a painful, painful price. If I had known what was to come, I would have taken my lumas and hidden them far away from their infected siblings. In contrast to you, though, I would also have returned to try and help the lumas who had already fallen sick." Tears stung her eyes at the memory.

Luma whimpered. "Mama?" it asked.

"It's alright, Luma," she promised.

Bowser's gaze softened ever so slightly, about as softly as could be expected of, well, him, and he growled in frustration. "Maybe, but your infected subjects were still your children. Mine weren't. That's the real difference. Come in," he said. When the clouds dissipated, Ludwig's Castle was generally the only thing left floating in the sky on a cloud they made sure never faded away. Some kind of cloud machine his eldest and Iggy had come up with. It was frankly a strategic miracle. No battle could be fought on the clouds for long. When the clouds disappeared, those still out on them fell to their deaths. Ludwig hardly even needed an army, just a strong defense, a wall, and a few traps outside that would keep the enemy away long enough for the clouds to fade. Granted there were a couple of solid and grassy areas that stayed floating, but that hardly impacted the strategic locale of the fortress.

"Do you know anything about what happened, Majesty?" Parakarry carefully asked.

"We had something to do with it, I know, but we didn't mean for any of this to happen. Ludwig made a mushroom that was supposed to help me cheat the Kart races and maybe be used in future domination plots. It was supposed to put the one it hit into a sleeplike state where I could control their every action and use them against themselves or even my other enemies. Before it could be used, Kamek and Kammy accidentally dropped it into a witch's brew. They didn't know the nature of the potion, no one did, but whatever it was, the mushroom tainted the brew and the brew tainted the mushroom, and whatever amalgamation the two poisons brought about led to this."

"My potion," Ashley realized, eyes wide.

"So we figured. We just never got around to asking what it could do. I took Kammy and Kamek before they could find you and quiz you on it," Bowser said.

"It was just an experiment. It was supposed to put anyone who drank it into a sort of berserker state. They'd still retain full control over their own thoughts and actions, though! It was Kammy and Kamek's idea of an alchemy test. They told me to come up with something I thought might be of use to someone in a war, but left the rest of the decision-making up to me. They figured that no matter what I came up with, its application would be of use to you in the future. I figured it wouldn't matter if you got your hands on it or not, because Mario would just kick your butt anyway."

"Hey!" Bowser shot.

"What? You have yet to beat him in anything. No reason to think the pattern would change now."

"I've come close!"

"And still failed. The point is, I figured it couldn't do that much harm so I made it for them, but the berserker state was only ever meant to be temporary, and again, those who partook of it would still retain control over their own thoughts and actions. Mixed with Ludwig's mushroom that strips away free will, though, I could see how it would make something like this. Even then, though, someone woud need to be pulling the strings from behind the scenes, since the mushroom was meant to give someone else control over the sleeping person's thoughts and actions. You're sure you never even considered spreading a zombie plague?"

"Yes I'm sure!" Bowser roared.

"Then something else is playing puppet master, and I have no idea what it could be," Ashley said, shrugging.

"Well that's just great!" Bowser said.

"At least now you know how this happened, even if not who's pulling the strings," Ashley said, shrugging.

Bowser growled and looked at Daisy. "What's happening down below?" he asked. Truth be told, since he'd fled with his children, he'd heard precious little about the world below. He hadn't wanted to hear. The periodic updates of what had fallen and what still stood were more than enough as was.

"We're not entirely sure," Daisy admitted. For the next little while they explained everything that had happened to them up to this point, including the splitting up of their group and the search for the missing Cap Bros. "We don't know where the others are or if they found the Mario and Wario brothers or anything other than what we've just told you," Daisy finished.

"Typical horror mistake," Bowser grumbled.

"It wouldn't be much of an adventure if everything went smoothly. There was a strategy to it besides," Ashley said, shrugging.

Bowser looked coldly at her. Wonderful. Another pragmatic know-it-all like his eldest son, with the brains to back it up. Just what he didn't need. "True as that may be, it still bothers me," he said. "You all can rest the night here and tell me more in the morning, like which places are beyond the point of help. My children are all together in one room, mine, so you can have theirs. Ashley, take Ludwig's room. It seems like it would be your style. Rosalina and Luma, you can have Junior's or Larry's room. They have enough toys and things in their space for Luma to be entertained. Dixie, you can have Iggy's. It'll remind you of home. Parakarry, take Wendy's room. She's possessive of her things and will probably freak when she finds you there, but after the initial blow-up, she'll probably just ignore you or chase you out. Her brothers will more likely beat you half to death if I give you any of theirs. Daisy, feel free to sleep in any of the other rooms left over. The kids won't be as hostile towards you as they'll be towards Parakarry.

"Thank you, King Bowser," Parakarry gratefully said as he headed off with the others to find their rooms.

Elsewhere

Mario, Waluigi, Mona, Pauline, Tiny, Toadette, and DK drove down the forest road that linked Diamond City and Toad Town, searching for a sign of either Petey Piranha or King Boo. So far they'd had little luck. "At least we're out of the city," Waluigi wryly said.

"Right, there couldn't possibly be as many infected out in the woods," Toadette optimistically, albeit uncertainly, said.

"Don't bet on it. This infection was working on animals too, remember? The last thing I want is to run into a pack of infected wolves or an infected tiger or something. Simians and predators do not mix," Tiny dryly replied.

"Don't worry, guys, we'll find Petey and King Boo soon. Look," Mona said, finishing the last touches on her tracking device and thanking the star spirits that Wario had given her a crash course on McGoomvering useful gadgets out of whatnot. Her smile faded. She was afraid. What had happened to her boss? Was he even still alive? Shaking off the sadness, she revealed the device to the others.

"Those are them?" Pauline asked, pointing out a Red dot spotted with white and a second dot that was purely White.

"You bet. It hones in on their energy signals and everything," Mona replied. She zoomed out, revealing more of the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. Here are the dots of the others," she said, pointing them all out. She read it again, frowning a bit. "Wait, something is missing."

"Where are Funky and Yoshi?!" Tiny exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" DK immediately asked, worried for his friends.

"They're not showing up! What does that mean?" Tiny asked in increasing distress.

"It-it means they've either been killed or infected," Mona numbly replied.

"No, no that can't be! How could this happen?!" Tiny cried. "They can't have just... how? Why?"

"We need to find the others. Maybe it's not as bad as it seems?" Toadette hopefully said.

"Mama Mia, this is just what we need now!" Mario sarcastically exclaimed, holding his head in his hands and pacing. Things were getting bad now. Very, very bad. He wished he knew how the military was holding up. He didn't have high hopes. The last military truck they'd seen had been driving right towards a large hoard of infected. They'd tried to stop the soldiers, but the toads either hadn't noticed or had just ignored them. They were probably all gone by now.

"On the bright side, it looks like Petey and King Boo are somewhere in these woods," Waluigi remarked, focusing on Petey and King Boo's dots once more.

"You looking at the bright side? You never look at the bright side of anything," Mario said.

"Stuff it, Jumpman!"

"I'll-a show you how to stuff it, Waluigi," Mario said, eyes narrowing.

"It's uh, interesting to finally see how you and your cousins get along, Mario," Pauline said. Not that she was surprised by the lack of affection between them, she'd known and dated Mario long enough to understand some of the ins and outs of that hot mess, though she hadn't ever known who these particular cousins were, but to see it in person was something else entirely.

"Lady, this is mild," Waluigi said. Mario rolled his eyes hopelessly. "The point is, Petey and King Boo aren't-a not far. We can't-a drive there, but it can't-a be too long of a walk either. Maybe a couple of hours. Probably less."

"Then let's-a go," Mario said.

SMB

The group walked uneasily through the deathly silent woods. Woods that definitely shouldn't have been this quiet. Toadette whimpered a bit. "Wait, do you hear something?" she tesely asked. They stopped walking and listened for a moment.

"All I hear is wind," Mario finally said.

"No, there's something out there, she's right," Tiny tightly said, her animalistic instincts and senses kicking into overdrive.

DK began growling and grunting. He rose onto his back legs and pounded his chest, bearing his teeth and making himself intimidating. Instinct demanded it. His aim was to try and scare off whoever was out there, but he doubted it would work against infected. "Back off!" DK roared at the forest. Tiny, chattering fearfully, clambered quickly up a tree.

"Don't leave me!" Toadette begged. Tiny climbed back down, grabbed the Toad girl's hands, and carried her back up into the tree, settling her on a high branch. She hadn't been about to leave her on the ground alone, after all. The poor thing was terrified. Thus far Toadette had held out pretty well against the zombie hoards, she'd even fought back as well as any of the rest of them, but the whole situation was really starting to take its toll on the toad girl at this point, so Toadette was quickly losing her nerve.

"I don't like this, not at all," Mona said, backing uncertainly away from the now rustling bushes, eyes wide and afraid.

Pauline swallowed, following suit. "We should keep moving," she said. All at once there was a series of barks from behind and she and Mona looked in that direction, gasping.

"Mario!" Waluigi exclaimed in terror, pointing in the direction of the sounds. From the bushes jumped a pack of at least six wolves, and every one of them was very clearly infected!

"Mama Mia!" Mario exclaimed.

Mona and Pauline screamed. "Pull us up, pull us up!" they shrieked at a terrified Tiny. Tiny gasped and immediately climbed down, hung upside down, took their hands, and pulled them up into the tree, albeit with some difficulty.

"Waluigi, up this tree!" Mario ordered, pointing at the one closest to them. Waluigi didn't need to be asked twice. He cried out in terror and ran for it, leaping up and trying to climb only to slip back down, unable to get a good grip. "Jump!" Mario ordered, running after his cousin. Waluigi did so and Mario cupped his hands, catching his cousin's foot and throwing Waluigi into the air.

Waluigi grabbed onto a branch this time and hung there. "Mario, grab my leg!" he ordered. Mario did so. Waluigi oomphed, but nonetheless did his best to lift himself and his cousin to safety. Mona, Tiny, Toadette, and Pauline climbed across to Waluigi and Mario's tree and hurried to help them.

"DK, get up here!" Tiny cried. DK began ooking and eeking, leaping up and down and roaring. The wolves charged at him and viciously he began punching them away, determined to protect the others.

"DK, don't!" Toadette screamed. She started pulling fruit out of the branches of the tree and throwing it at the wolves, trying to get them away from Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong cried out in pain as a wolf sank its teeth into his arm. He ripped it off him and threw it high and far. The other wolves, however, were quick to leap on him right after as well, forcing him down.

"Run guys, run!" DK ordered as the wolves tore into him.

"No!" Tiny screamed. She and the others began attacking from the branches, Mario using his fireballs and Waluigi using a tennis racket to punt coconuts and cones the wolves' way. Said wolves were hardly daunted by the attacks, but suddenly they stopped tearing into their gorilla prey.

"Oh no," Waluigi said.

"What?" Pauline fearfully asked.

"I think he's-a become one of them," Waluigi replied.

"But-but he can climb," Toadette realized in horror, eyes widening. The others started. Oh crap.

Suddenly Donkey Kong let out an enraged roar and beat his chest before charging for the tree they were in. "Run!" Mario shouted, terrified. This was worse than bad! Screaming, they hurried to leap to the next tree. Toadette took up the rear. She lept for the nearest branch and grabbed it, but suddenly it snapped! Toadette shrieked in terror as she fell.

"Toadette, no!" Mona cried, leaping back to try and catch her hand. She was too late. Toadette hit the ground and was immediately covered by the wolves. "Mario!" Mona screamed in terror.

Mario didn't need to be asked twice. Nor did Waluigi. They unleashed on the animals once more, getting them off Toadette as quickly as possible, but Toadette didn't move. Just stared up at the sky blinking, eyes glazing over. Lowly the toad girl began to growl and slowly started to sit up.

"Wha? Oh no," Waluigi worriedly said. Suddenly Toadette screamed loudly and ferally at the branches. DK sprang over her head roaring and snarling and foaming at the mouth. He leapt onto the tree with a vengeance untold looking almost rabid.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Tiny insisted, breaking away and starting to clamber through the trees, desperate to get away. She had a distinct advantage here, and you'd best believe she was using it. The rest of them began to follow, leaping from branch to branch. As soon as they lost sight of the wolves and DK, they dropped to the forest floor and began running towards the two flashing dots that were Petey Piranha and King Boo. They ran and ran until finally everything became quiet. They could no longer hear DK or Toadette following them. They heard nothing. Only then did they stop to try and catch their breath.

SMB

Panting, the group looked around at where they were. Mona pulled out her tracker and checked it. "Guys, they should be just through these bushes," she said.

"Seriously? We've just lost Toadette and DK and you're focused on Petey Piranha and King Boo?" Tiny freaked.

"We can't do anything for Toadette and Donkey Kong anymore. What we can do is try to figure this out and hopefully save King Boo and Petey Piranha. Maybe even find out what's behind this," Pauline said. Tiny looked sadly down. Pauline had a point she knew, as hard as it was to admit.

"Let's-a get this over with," Waluigi grumbled.

"Careful. We don't-a know for sure if they'll-a be welcoming," Mario warned.

"Petey will welcome me," Waluigi said.

"How can you be so sure?" Mario demanded.

"Who do you think planted him, Mario?!" Waluigi snapped. Mario started, blinking in surprise. "The guy's-a as good as my own kid," Waluigi grumbled, turning around and pushing his way through the bushes. Mario shifted a bit worriedly and followed his cousin with the others. Waluigi lead the way into the grove. Up ahead they saw the large shape of a giant piranha plant standing out amongst all the others. "There he is," Waluigi said as they drew near.

"Now where's…" Mona began.

"King Boo?" a voice asked from behind. They all cried out in alarm, spinning around only to see the large Boo floating right behind them. King Boo began to laugh. They scrambled back in terror, mouths agape.

"King Boo!" Mario exclaimed.

"Hello, Mario. Where's Green Stache? I believe we have some unfinished business," King Boo said.

Mario winced and looked down. "I don't-a know," he quietly admitted. He looked up at King Boo once more. "You and Petey are the ones we've-a been trying to find."

"Why?" Petey, who had been watching, asked in his regular roars and growls and snarls that everyone somehow understood.

"You two were hit directly with that mushroom Bowser threw. What did it do?" Waluigi asked.

"Petey went feral and attacked me," King Boo answered.

"Then I recovered," Petey growled. "King Boo wasn't affected at all."

"Do you have any idea what happened to you?" Pauline asked.

"I felt like devouring and killing. More than usual," Petey answered in his regular growls and hisses. "There wasn't much more to it. That mushroom wasn't one of the regulated powerups."

"No doubt Kammy, Kamek, or one of Bowser's children, came up with the thing as a way to cheat, just were unaware of what it could do," King Boo said.

"I don't believe one single mushroom was the cause of whatever's happening out there, but that's an answer only Bowser's going to have. Maybe he had more. Maybe the one that his me was just the start of some unknown pathogen or poison spreading out into the world."

"Unknow poison? Again?" Waluigi groaned.

"A contaminant is probably the better term to use," Mario said. "If there was more than just one mushroom, they had to have been spread out somehow. Maybe through water?"

"Why water?" Tiny asked.

"Because there was an aqueduct beneath the stadium we were racing in when this happened."

"But I dunked Luigi's head underwater and he was fine," Waluigi said.

"He never drank it. None of us did," Mario pointed out.

"At least we know neither King Boo nor Petey can be affected. They must be immune," Pauline said.

"Immune or not, I can still be ripped apart. After all, I'm ultimately just a plant. King Boo is the only one completely safe from this thing," Petey grunted and growled.

"Now that you know Bowser is probably behind this, what do you plan to do?" King Boo asked.

"If our answers lie with Bowser, then we're-a going after Bowser. He probably hid away in Skyland. It would have been his safest option," Mario said.

"Shouldn't we meet up with the others at Wario's castle first?" Pauline asked.

"The sooner we find answers and the source of all this, the sooner we can find the fix. They didn't-a look like they were at Wario's castle anyway when Mona checked her tracker," Mario said.

"Besides, Wario and Luigi can take care of themselves. It looked like they'd-a joined some of the others anyway, which means they're-a doubly safe and probably all headed to my bro's castle as we speak. The rest of the gang is probably already in Skyland. They looked pretty high up, and that was where Daisy wanted to go anyway. At least according to you guys," Waluigi said, pointing at the others.

"It'll be a relief if they are," Pauline said. She looked at King Boo and Petey. "King Boo, Petey, we can't stay here anymore. Something is coming, probably the infected wolves, DK, and Toadette. Come with us."

"I'll stay with my fellow plants," Petey stubbornly said.

"You're-a never going to make it!" Mario protested.

"Yes he will," Waluigi said. Mario gave Waluigi a curious look. Waluigi sighed. "I watched him grow from a seed. I know better than most what he's-a capable of." He looked at Petey. "If you figure you can pull this off, fine. Stay. You have King Boo for backup anyway. It's-a probably for the best besides. Just... watch your back, Petey."

Petey grinned a menacing grin and nuzzled Waluigi affectionately. "Yes dad," the plant teased. Waluigi grimaced, but didn't put him down for the tease. Mario gaped in shock, not quite sure he was comprehending this.

"I must return to my subjects as well. If this world is dying, there's really nothing for the boos to do here anymore. They'll be getting restless for a new home," King Boo said, eyes glittering mischievously.

"I suppose you and Petey are the ones safest in this whole mess," Mario said. He still wasn't sure about this though. He really didn't want to leave behind the only other two survivors they'd come across. King Boo smirked. Just then they heard moaning and gasped. King Boo turned invisible, Petey roared, and immediately all the piranha plats shrank in on themselves, hiding in leaves, pipes, holes, and whatnot. It was silent then, with only the sounds of approaching infected echoing in the distance.

"Quick, let's get out of here before anyone else gets infected," Mona begged.

"Waluigi, do your vine thing and get us into the clouds, then send it back down before the infected can follow us up," Mario said.

Waluigi nodded, pulled out the powerup, and ate it. "Everyone grab on," he said. He began to conjure the thorny vines. Quickly the others grabbed on wherever it looked the least thorny and rode the vine up.

SMB

Bowser gaped at the group who had just shown up in disbelief. "Mario!" he exclaimed in part rage and part surprise.

"It's-a a long story," Mario unenthusiastically said. He was no happier about being here than Bowser was seeing him. "We've-a come for answers, Bowser, and for your sake they'd-a better be good ones."

"Why is everything suddenly for my sake? We didn't mean for this to happen, okay?!" Bowser said in annoyance.

"Mario?" a voice hopefully called. Mario gasped. That was Daisy! He and Waluigi quickly looked past Bowser. There she was. Immediately relief washed over the group. At least some of the others had made it.

"Daisy, who else is here?" Mario hopefully asked, pushing past a chagrined Bowser.

"Ashley, Parakarry, Dixie, Rosalina, and Luma," Daisy replied, approaching them.

"Rosalina?" Waluigi asked, body relaxing ever so slightly.

"We'll tell you everything, don't worry," Daisy said.

"Let us in and we'll tell you everything that happened to us too," Mona replied with a smile.

Bowser incredulously surveyed the new group, then begrudgingly muttered and moved aside to let them in. He clearly wasn't impressed though. Oh well. What needed to be done and all that. Once settled in, the two groups began to tell one another everything that had happened since they'd separated and what they'd discovered from Bowser and Ashley.

Chapter 6: A Relative Matter

Notes:

Introducing two retro Mario characters that probably most have forgotten about. Well, at least until the movie came out for one of them. As for who they are, well, you'll see. I do quite the twist here with relationships between these characters too, so prepare for a bit of a shocker. Rewrote some dialogue to slightly better fit in with the movie counterpart. I'm also not too pleased with this chapter as is, but hopefully readers enjoy it.

The bus containing Wario, Luigi, Diddy, Candy, Peach, Birdo, and Toad rolled through Diamond City at a steady pace. They'd entered from the side opposite of where Wario's Castle was, which meant going through the city to get to their destination. At least it gave them an opportunity to look for survivors. The group looked warily around, watching for any signs of attack. "If we see an army vehicle, we get off the road," Wario warned Diddy, clapping a hand on the monkey's shoulder. Diddy nodded in understanding. It didn't look like they would have to worry about the military, though. The place looked desolate. They marveled at how they hadn't seen any infected.

"Where are all the undead?" Candy asked.

"Birdo," Birdo nervously replied, looking around.

"I don't-a like it either," Luigi replied.

Diddy parked the bus on top of a hill. "I'll go up to the roof and take a look around," Toad volunteered.

"Be careful," Luigi concernedly warned.

"I'll be fine," Toad assured, brushing off the concern. Swiftly he scrambled up onto the bus's roof and scanned the area. He started, eyes widening. Down the hill, by a construction site, there was a wall of zombies! Oh no, someone must still be alive down there! Quickly he scrambled back inside. "Guys, guys, there's a construction site a ways down the hill. There are hoards of infected there! Someone might still be alive!"

"We can't-a risk saving them," Wario stated.

"We can't-a leave them to die either though," Luigi argued. "Wario, we need all the help we can get."

"Fine, we'll-a drive by, but that's-a it," Wario said. Luigi nodded in agreement. Diddy started the bus.

As they neared the site, Luigi squinted at the trucks out front. The logo seemed familiar… Slowly his eyes widened. Oh no. "Wario, it's-a Foreman Spike!" he exclaimed, pointing.

"What?!" Wario demanded, eyes widening in shock.

"It's-a Spike!" Luigi repeated.

"Hit the brakes!" Wario ordered Diddy, turning sharply to the monkey. Diddy did so immediately and the group peered out the windows of the bus.

"Wait, why did the plan suddenly change?" Candy asked.

"Because..." Luigi anxiously began before stopping himself and trailing off.

Wario shifted a bit then growled in annoyance. "Because as much as we like to pretend otherwise, Foreman Spike is our Uncle," he bitterly grunted.

"He's what?!" the others exclaimed.

"Wait, doesn't that make you two cousins?" Candy asked. Wario pursed his lips tightly. Neither he nor Luigi volunteered further information.

"What are we gonna do, Wario?" Luigi nervously asked.

"Didn't-a think you'd-a be too keen on helping him," Wario replied.

"You're-a confusing me for Mario. Spike is still our Uncle. Of course we're-a gonna help!" Luigi said.

"What's-a he even doing in Diamond City?" Wario demanded.

"That's-a probably something we can ask him once we save him!" Luigi insisted.

"Fine! Who's-a comin' with me?" Wario demanded.

"I am," Luigi said immediately. Polterpup barked in agreement.

"So am I!" Toad chimed.

"Me too," Peach said.

"Diddy, Birdo, and I will watch the bus with Hen," Candy said. Diddy ooked in agreement.

"Then let's-a go," Wario said, getting out. Those who were going with him followed. Armed and ready, the group of four plus Polterpup entered the construction site and immediately began fighting their way through the infected. Diddy launched an explosion somewhere in the distance to distract the 'zombies'. It bought them some precious breathing room, so they took full advantage of it, racing to the stairs.

"We'd-a better start climbing," Luigi dryly said, looking directly up. Clearly, this was going to be a skyscraper. It had mostly been Mario who'd dealt with climbing up construction sites, not him, so he really didn't relish this.

"No lifts or elevators?" Toad asked in dismay.

"We'll be alright, Toad," Peach assured.

Toad sighed. "One floor down, sixty to go," he wryly said.

"And all of them full of infected," Wario dryly said, pointing upwards. Sure enough, a group of infected were running and staggering down the scaffoldings and sets of temporary stairs. Groaning, the four raced forward to meet the onslaught. Forcefully they pushed their way up.

SMB

Around floor fifty, they were all gasping and panting for breath. "This-this is ridiculous," Luigi said, fighting to catch his breath. "We can't-a keep going at this rate!"

"On no, another swarm!" Peach exclaimed, pointing out yet another hoard.

"We're doomed!" Toad wailed.

Polterpup began barking protectively. "Wario…" Luigi fearfully said, gripping a shovel tightly.

"Oh, this looks bad," Wario said, holding onto his crowbar.

Just as the swarm began pouring down the stairs, there was a loud grumble and groan. The group gasped when they saw the cause. Rolling down the steps was a large number of barrels! They struck the infected, knocking them off the structure en masse, and the quartet was left gaping in shock. "Wario, Luigi?!" a shocked voice exclaimed from above.

The two in question quickly looked up, eyes wide. "Stanley?!" they exclaimed together in disbelief.

"Who?" Toad asked.

"Stanley the Bugman. He's-a Spike's son! Our-our cousin," Luigi said in shock. Toad and Peach started in surprise.

SMB

About ten minutes later, the entire group—Candy, Diddy, Birdo, and Wario's Hen included—were inside a fortified room on the top floor of the construction site. To say the silence was awkward would be downplaying it. It honestly felt like the only ones even in the room right now were Wario, Luigi, Stanley, and Spike. Spike's expression was hard, if anything, but otherwise stoic. Stanley looked nervous to the extreme. Wario glared stubbornly. Luigi looked a bit uncertain and maybe a little fearful. There was a clock in the room. It was almost deafening at this point, given how quiet it was.

"What are you doing here?" Wario finally asked Spike point blank.

"Contracted," Spike replied.

"Why did you take the contract?" Wario asked.

"Money's money," Spike replied.

"You get better money in New Donk," Wario said.

"What answer are you looking for, Wario?" Spike demanded. Wario was quiet, glaring. "You two saw the trucks outside. You saw who they belonged to. Why did you bother to come try and play heroes?"

"Because the more uninfected people we can save the better," Luigi quietly said, not meeting the man's eyes.

"Really? That's the only reason?" Spike sarcastically replied.

"What answer are you looking for?" Wario challenged back.

"I dunno. Seems to me some honesty would be nice," Spike replied.

"So start being honest," Wario bit.

The others looked nervously from one pair to the other. Stanley looked worriedly between his father and cousins before his eyes settled on his cousins. "You're alive," he quietly said. "No one was sure you were. At least not you and Waluigi, Wario."

"I'm-a gonna guess they were wondering if we were alive even before the outbreak then?" Wario said.

"No one had heard from you in years. Or even Mario and Luigi. Mario and Luigi made the news though. You and Waluigi... It was like you just dropped off the face of the earth," Stanley said.

"And who's-a fault was that?" Wario bit, giving Spike a look.

"Oh no. You're not pinnin' this on me!"

"It was on you!" Wario replied.

Spike sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose, then looked defeatedly up at Wario and Luigi. "You two are doin' alright?" he asked.

"Not anymore," Wario said, gesturing towards the window.

"Before this," Spike wryly said.

"We were fine," Wario replied.

Spike nodded and there was silence again. "Where are Mario and Waluigi?" Spike finally asked.

Wario and Luigi exchanged looks, then Luigi bowed his head and looked at the man once more, clearly nervous about speaking to him. "We don't-a know, Spike," he said.

"They're-a alive. That's-a all that matters," Wario said.

"How are you so sure?" Spike asked.

"Because," Wario bluntly replied, arms stubbornly crossed. Spike shook his head at Wario hopelessly, but didn't press.

"It's-a been forever since we last saw you two," Luigi quietly said. "How has life been?"

"Oh, it's been," Spike replied. Luigi winced a bit and bowed his head low.

Another pause. "Well, I've been focusing on my greenhouse," Stanley said. "Y'know, keeping it safe from bugs, unsavories, Donkey Kong... I've gotten really good with the bug spray. Chemical cocktails like that come in handy against the zombies. I even made my own potent concoctions just for this. Explosives too." He looked at his father. "Dad's been busy with the company. Wrecking Crew is becoming a big name even beyond New Donk's borders. He opened a branch here in Diamond City a few months back and business has been booming. At least it was before... before all this..." Spike harrumphed and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. Though the Foreman tried to make the gesture seem indifferent and impersonal, a blind man could have sensed the love and concern passed from father to son in that gesture. Stanley forced a weak smile, looking up him.

"Why in Diamond City?" Wario demanded.

"Good money," Spike replied.

"BS!" Wario snapped.

"What about you, Stanley? Why are you here?" Luigi asked, interrupting them.

"I came to visit dad," Stanley replied, looking at his cousins again. "It's been a while since he and I have had much bonding time. I went my own way like grown children do, and we've mostly just exchanged calls and letters since. I scheduled some time to come up and see him and got here just before the outbreak got really bad. When the crap hit the fan, well..." He gestured around them. "Dad found me being surrounded in a greenhouse I was visiting. I'm lucky he did, otherwise I would have been toast."

"What... what's-a happening in New Donk?" Luigi asked quietly.

The silence fell once more. This time it lingered for a very, very long time. "Okay. How about we all start talking honestly instead of beating around the bush?" Spike finally said. His son and nephews shifted a bit and wouldn't meet his eyes or each others'. Spike frowned in some annoyance. "Say what you mean, boys," he warned.

"Is the infection there?" Luigi asked.

"Yes," Stanley quietly said, still looking down.

"Where... what happened to our family?" Luigi quietly questioned.

As expected, there was no immediate answer. After a minute or two, though, Spike finally sighed through the nose, bowing his head and closing his eyes. "We don't know. We weren't in New Donk when everything went down."

"No news is good news though, right?" Luigi hopefully asked.

"No. No news is bad news. Especially in a situation like this," Spike said, looking out the window at Diamond City far below. Stanley was quiet, clearly upset. Luigi and Wario were quiet as well.

"Why did you really put a location in Diamond City?" Wario asked after a moment.

"Why did you come in here playing saviors when you knew it was me?" Spike asked.

"Because you're-a still our Uncle," Luigi quietly said, not looking up from the ground.

Spike considered the words carefully. "Fine. I put a location here so I could keep an eye on Wario and Waluigi," he said.

"Thought you figured we were dead," Wario bluntly said.

"This was the last place anyone knew you were, so I figured I'd put a location here on the off-chance you were still out there somewhere," Spike said.

"Why?" Wario asked.

"Because when all's said and done, you're still my nephews, Wario!" Spike testily replied.

"Where was that mentality way back when?" Wario bit.

"It's been years! Things changed! I changed, in case you haven't guessed it," Spike said.

"Whatever," Wario said, crossing his arms and looking away from the man in annoyance. Spike crossed his arms and harrumphed, letting the matter go. No further comments were made and no more questions were asked. Peach watched the strained family worriedly, wringing her hands.

SMB

It was Wario, ironically enough, who Peach approached first that night as they all hunkered down in the locked room. She got the sense he was going to be far more open about Spike than Luigi would be. She got the sense Wario would probably be more open about it than even Mario and Waluigi, for that matter, so he was the best place for her to start when it came to getting information. Far below she could hear the moans and shrieks of the infected. She hesitated a moment before closing the distance between her and the yellow-clad man. "Wario?" she said.

"What?" he bluntly asked, not even turning around.

"I... I wanted to ask you about Foreman Spike. Maybe about Stanley too. Maybe about your family history in general?" she said, sitting next to him.

"What's-a there to know?" Wario asked.

"Everything."

"It's-a none of your business."

"Please," Peach said.

Wario looked dubiously as her, considered whether or not to answer, then shrugged and gave in. "Grand Poppy was a boxer in Italia. His brother, our Great Uncle Giuseppe, was a sailor. Also from Italia. Grand Poppy met Grandma Mario and had three boys. Oldest to youngest were Pio, Tony, and Arthur. Great Uncle Juliano married Great Aunt Sophie in Italia. She was from New Donk. Oldest to youngest they had Troy and Spike. Things went south between Giuseppe and Sophie, so she took Troy and Spike and walked away. Giuseppe sued for custody but basically got laughed out of court. Sophie took the boys and went to New Donk. Giuseppe followed her and Grand Poppy went with him with Grandma Mario and his own boys. After a lot of reconciliation, Giuseppe and Sophie got back together and the family settled in New Donk.

Meanwhile, back in Italia, Grampy existed. He was a lady's man, we'll call it. Four girls by three different women. Oldest to youngest were Mia, Luigeena, Maria, and Marie. Mia and Luigeena were twins. They were born to the woman that would eventually become Grammy. Maria was born to a one-night stand he met in the forest in Germany. A week later he started dating a different woman there, and she ended up pregnant which sort of stuck him in Germany for a while. Eventually, she gave birth to Marie, but post-partum hit hard and she ditched. Never looked back. He had no clue what to do. A month later he was still struggling to figure stuff out when he woke up to a baby crying outside. He thought Marie had somehow gotten out, opened the door, and saw a baby girl in a woven basket on the doorstep with a note that just said 'She's yours'. It was signed by the one-night stand from the forest. He was at a total loss. Took a DNA test to confirm it, then went immediately back home to Italia hoping he could maybe get help from his parents. They ended up hiring Grammy as an au paire to help with the girls. Turned out she was working to try and support her own kids that Grampy had left her with. Grampy nearly died on the spot when he learned, but she didn't ask anything of him. Said she was content to be a single mom, but urged him to get to know his daughters, so he did. No regrets. After noticing how good Grammy was with the four girls, he started getting interested like he had been before. They commenced the getting to know you junk and started catching feelings. They toyed with a courtship again, fell in love, and eventually tied the knot and moved to New Donk. While there, Grammy made a couple of close friends. Those friends were Grandma Mario and Great Aunt Sophie. Their kids all grew up together and eventually fell in love. Troy married Luigeena, Pio married Mia, Tony married Maria, and Arthur married Marie. Spike had a fling with some lawyer that produced Stanley, but it never got official. Didn't matter anyway, 'cause far as I know she ended up dead for... reasons we'll say," Wario said.

"Speaking of Spike, why were you and Luigi so curt and vague with him? Why did things seem so tense? What happened between you?"

Wario gave her a wary look. She held her ground, desperately hoping he decided to open up about this as well. It was too long before he at last harrumphed and looked away. "Spike was a bum, just a hardworking one. He and Troy were the family outliers because of the whole drama with Sophie and Giuseppe. They were separated from the family for quite a while when Sophie took them. All sorts of rumors and poison words and stuff went around during the peak of it all. Not from Sophie and Giuseppe. More from everyone else, which caused Spike and Troy to be leery about the rest of the family. No one likes their mama being badmouthed. Or their papa for that matter. Troy eventually grew out of it, but Spike stayed pretty distant. Guess he was more focused on himself and his ambitions than anything else."

"He sounds like you," Peach said with a small smile.

"Bah!" Wario replied, brushing it off. He considered the matter for a moment then harrumphed. "Our relationship with Spike was complicated. He liked me and Waluigi. Not so much Mario and Luigi. Who knows why? He was a hard-nosed, all-around jerk. Didn't-a shy away from loudly mocking and disparaging his nephews. His nieces he was more or less neutral with. As usual in this hot mess of a familglia, though, there were layers. No matter how he came across, Uncle Spike cared about us in his own way. It was subtle, but it was there. Me and Spike got on wonderfully. Favorite relative by far except maybe my cousin Marianne's daughter Marilyn. Heck, Spike beats out my own parents! When Uncle Spike realized I was totally indifferent to his insults and half the time took them as compliments, he started leaving me alone. We got on just fine after."

"How are things between him, Mario, Luigi, and Waluigi?" Peach asked.

"Luigi's-a terrified of the man. Given how low his self-esteem already is, Uncle Spike was his worst nightmare. He seemed to just take the insults on the nose and let them roll off his back, but I don't-a know how he really held up to them. All I know is that however it went, a small part of Luigi still cares about Spike just like Spike cares about him. Blood and water and whatever. That's-a about the extent of their relationship as far as I know or care," Wario said.

"And Mario and Waluigi?" Peach asked.

Wario was quiet for a beat. Peach became concerned and began second-guessing her question. "That gets a little messier," Wario finally and dryly said. "The long and short of it is Spike's-a Waluigi's favorite Uncle and I'm-a pretty sure Waluigi's-a his favourite nephew, but the two of them butt heads. A lot. Usually, it ends up in a screaming match. Sometimes it turns to blows. It sounds violent, but it's-a usually more like roughhousing than serious fist-fighting. Their clashes usually lasted a few minutes. They'd-a work it out with words or fights, then they'd-a part ways grumbling and cursing each other out and go back to normal the next day. Spike likes Waluigi because he's-a good at standing his ground and keeping up to him in verbal combat. Where I was never insulted so never had to worry about it, and Luigi just kind of let the insults happen, Waluigi stood up to the guy. He didn't-a ignore him or take it lying down, and Spike likes that kind of gumption. For a long time, the animosity was always brief between them, never serious. The thing was Waluigi and Stanley? They didn't-a exactly get along."

"Stanley was his second favorite victim next to me," Luigi's voice said quietly from behind. Wario and Peach started, turning quickly, then relaxed. Luigi sighed and approached. He sat on the other side of Peach and rested his chin in his hands looking troubled. "Stanley was also Wario's-a second favorite victim next to Mario, so he got a double-whammy."

"Triple. Luigi has a jealous streak and Stanely was Mario's favorite cousin," Wario said flatly.

"He was my favorite cousin too! I just... didn't-a like how much of Mario's attention he took," Luigi lamely defended.

"Stanley got along pretty well with Lulu and Mario. More Mario. They were close when we were all young. Even to the point that Luigi felt rivaled. Luigi and Stanley's relationship was mostly good, but Stanley's-a got a bit of a proud streak complete with bragging rights to back it up," Wario elaborated.

"Like you and Mario?" Luigi bit, giving his cousin an annoyed look.

"Stuff it, Green Bean. You got annoyed with Stanley more than you had any right to be, and that's-a coming from me," Wario replied. Luigi harrumphed, crossing his arms and looking away bitterly. Wario looked back at Peach. "Stanley's relationship with me and Waluigi was… tough. Like Lulu said, he was our second-favorite victim. Stanley was terrified of me, but at the same time family and all that. Waluigi and Stanley though? That was more bitter, to say the least. Sure, Waluigi was bitter to everyone, but he particularly loved taunting and belittling Stanley and Luigi. Like, more than even I did. Stanley just wasn't-a the kind to take it like Luigi was. That was another thing Stan had in common with Mario. Unfortunately, in this case, it backfired. Stanley caught Waluigi on a bad day after an argument with Spike, and Waluigi let his bitterness for Stanley plus his annoyance at Spike get to him. He took out his anger with Spike on Stanley who wasn't-a about to take my brother's bad attitude sitting down, and well..."

"It got bad. Really, really bad," Luigi quietly said, bowing his head. "Walugi was Spike's favorite, but also ended up the first one he estranged because no matter how much Spike loved him, he loved Stanley more..."

"I'm afraid to ask," Peach quietly said.

"Stanley ended up hospitalized. Waluigi was really, really not having a good day that day. He reached the breaking point. It's-a not an excuse, but it's-a what happened. The next time Spike saw Waluigi, he kicked him out. Hated that he had to, especially since Waluigi hadn't-a meant for Stanley to get hurt like that, but he did it anyway. I took offense and left with Walu, but honestly, it had been a long time coming. I'd-a already been making plans to take off as was. That was just the catalyst. From that point on, Waluigi was my only family until all of this nonsense started happening," Wario said.

"What happened to Stanley?" Peach asked.

"Woke up from the coma, heard Waluigi had been kicked out and Wario had taken off with him, and blamed himself forevermore," Luigi quietly said.

"What now?" Wario asked, looking quickly over. Luigi shrugged.

"How did he get put in the hospital at all?" Peach quietly asked.

"It got physical between him and Waluigi. Went to shoving, then blows. They were on top of a construction site. They sort of forgot that fact. At some point, he was shoved back. He stumbled then tripped over something and went over. I saw it all. I was running to try and break it up because I saw it was getting bad, but I didn't-a make it in time. Waluigi tried to save Stanley, even managed to catch his hand, but Stanley's-a glove slipped off and well... Let's-a just say it was a really, really big fall..."

Peach let out a slow, heavy breath, wrapping her head around this. "What about Mario's relationship with your uncle?" she quietly asked.

"It was like Waluigi's, only where Waluigi low-key liked Uncle Spike, Mario absolutely didn't," Luigi replied. "Well, maybe not absolutely, some tiny part of him probably cares about our Uncle still, and Spike probably feels the same, but it's-a bad. Mario and Spike always butted heads."

"Partly because of Luigi," Wario said.

"Luigi?" Peach asked, audibly surprised.

Luigi winced and sighed, bowing his head. "Spike always saw me as the weakest and most pathetic. The runt sort of. The one 'natural selection' probably should have taken care of. The weakest chick in a nest who gets pecked to death or discarded from the nest because it's-a not worth it to try and keep it alive when it's-a stronger siblings have a better chance of surviving. I was the one who needed to man up or lie down, so Spike was particularly hard on me, which really didn't-a help his relationship with Mario at all."

"Spike was trying to toughen you up so you'd-a actually stand a chance in the real world. He just handled it wrong," Wario said. He looked at Peach. "The guy used to try and drop heavy objects on Luigi and Mario's heads while mocking them and laughing at their expense. It frustrated Mario to no end, obviously. Mario also knew it was mostly meant for Luigi, so that just frustrated him even more. Mario stopped calling Spike Uncle really early on. Long before anyone else. When Mario and Spike butted heads, usually the confrontations went violent. Especially if no one was there to intervene. More often than not, Mario had a score to settle and a point to prove, because on top of the whole Luigi thing, nothing Mario ever did was good enough for Uncle."

"It culminated slowly over time until annoyance and frustration became outright animosity and he banned me from calling Spike Uncle as well. I didn't-a wanna mix myself up in that battleground, so I went with it just to avoid the drama," Luigi said.

"Probably smart. The rare times Mario holds a grudge, he really holds a grudge. Waluigi holds grudges a lot too, but he's-a generally quick to settle them. Usually harshly. Mario, though, tries not to even address them so ends up letting them fester. Then they just keep growing and growing. With Bowser, Mario can do what Waluigi does and settle the grudge fast, but it's-a more complicated than that when it comes to famiglia. A lot deeper too," Wario explained. "So in summary, Walu appreciated and loved Spike as much as he hated him, I was more or less neutral with our uncle leaning more towards fond-of, Luigi respected the man but was also terrified of him, and Mario was all disdain and bitterness but probably somewhat still cared."

There was silence for a while before Luigi broke it. "You know, when we were in our teens, Spike brought us on to work with him. Our parents wanted us to learn a trade and Spike was in a pretty good one. Besides, it was cheaper to pack us off to family than to send us in for post-secondary training. Waluigi really shone. Within a couple of years, Spike brought him under his wing as an apprentice because Stanley wasn't-a interested in construction so didn't-a even join his father's company. Wario wasn't-a too interested in construction either but did it just to keep people happy. Most of the time he lazed around or fell asleep in closets somewhere where he didn't-a have to work, though. Spike made it heck for Mario and me so we really didn't-a take to it either, so started looking into plumbing. Waluigi was about the only one who could handle it. He was so good that Spike actually gifted him a backhoe as a reward for his good work. Or was it an excavator? I'm-a not sure. Whatever the machine that scoops up dirt in a scooper is called."

"It was a big deal for Walu," Wario more quietly said. "He was no one's favorite except for mama's, so to be Spike's favorite as well meant a lot to my brother."

"Until Stanley," Peach said, nodding in understanding.

For a beat, no one answered. "Yeah. Until Stanley," Wario finally and bitterly said. "Now we haven't-a seen our Uncle in years."

"A part of me is happy to see him again, but another part is scared. I'm-a still gonna be the disappointment. I really haven't-a changed much over the years. Spike didn't-a like how weak I was then, and he's-a not gonna like it now. He also didn't-a like whenever I started to embellish the truth or get boastful, which I guess I sometimes do. Maybe more than sometimes. I guess that's-a a trait we all share, but coming from me it really rubbed Spike the wrong way. He didn't-a like it when I whined or complained. Heck, I'm-a pretty sure Spike figured that everything I did was a slight on his intelligence. Not that he had much of it. Sorry. Just some leftover bitterness."

"Maybe Spike was onto something," Wario flatly said.

Luigi shrugged. "Honestly, I'm-a surprised the guy was okay with me breathing. There was a time I wasn't-a sure he was, but then a workplace accident happened. It was pretty bad. A crane cable snapped while it was lifting a beam. The beam swung right into me. That I didn't-a die on impact was a miracle. I was pretty certain it was over for me until I came to, to the sound of Uncle Spike shouting my name and doing advanced first aid to try and keep me alive while an ambulance siren echoed in the distance. Mario hadn't-a been around that day, but when he learned what happened, he completely lost it on our Uncle and that was the end of our working with him in construction. I tried to rise to Uncle's defense because the cold hard truth was I wouldn't-a have survived without him, but it didn't-a do any good. Spike stopped showing up around the family after that at all... Maybe it was shame, maybe it was something else. Guess it doesn't-a really matter anymore. Looking back though, that was probably the only time I never saw Spike retaliate to something Mario was spouting off. It wasn't-a long after that Mario threw that relationship away entirely." Luigi paused, looking up at the sky with a pained expression. "I feel like it hurt Mario to do it. I think it hurt Spike too. Just neither of them could ever drop their stubborn pride long enough to make amends, so that's-a why Spike just stopped coming around."

"Luigi and Stanley were the least stubborn ones of all of us. Luigi was just too much of a coward to speak up or defy his brother, and Stanley wasn't-a any use because he never accepted or even grasped the seriousness of everything. Just stayed in denial. As far as he was concerned, everyone just went their separate ways. Plus, he never really got over the guilt he felt about Waluigi and everything that happened surrounding that. I know he wanted to make up, he just never got the chance. Waluigi and I were long gone and I guess, like Spike said, everyone just figured we were dead or on the other side of the world. Stan still hung out with Mario and Luigi here and there, but the disaster between them and Spike with that accident pretty well put the last nail in the coffin."

"Can we not talk about this anymore?" Luigi quietly asked.

"Of course, Luigi. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried. I just wanted to understand," Peach gently said. Luigi nodded. Wario said nothing.

SMB

Toad, sleeping, began to toss and turn, face creasing into a frown. He was having a dream. Moaning zombies just outside. Scratching and knocking noises that almost sounded like they were right... wait... were those actually part of a dream? Were the moans? His eyes flickered open confusedly, then widened. He gasped, sitting bolt upright and looking towards the walls. The infected were here! Immediately he leapt to his feet. "Guys, the zombies are here!" he screamed. Immediately everyone woke up. Just then the window next to Toad was broken open and he was seized! He cried out in fear as one of the infected bit deeply into his shoulder. Almost immediately, Toad began to turn.

The others began screaming and shouting orders to one another, chaos unleashing. As soon as they'd somewhat collected themselves, they broke out of the shelter and ran out onto the construction site. "To the elevator!" Spike shouted loudly, pointing. They all ran for it. All at once, though, Candy was jumped! She screamed in terror and fear as she was brought down to the ground. Immediately the infected began sinking their teeth into her.

"Candy!" Diddy cried, trying to run back.

Birdo seized him quickly. "Birdo!" she protested. It was too late for Candy now. Their friend had stopped screaming for help. She dragged Diddy to the elevator. The doors shut to the sight of Candy slowly growling while rising. The elevator began its quick descent.

"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad," Luigi said over and over, pale from fear.

"Man up, Luigi! Stop being so pathetic!" Spike snapped angrily. "I have a son to protect and now two nephews too. We can't afford to fall to pieces! You three happen to be the last family I have left, at least that I know of, and believe it or not, I don't plan on losing you all to something this ridiculous! It would be a stain on our family name!" Luigi shrank in on himself a bit, staring a the man in wide-eyed uncertainty.

All of a sudden the elevator stopped and went dark. The group gasped, stiffening. "Oh, this can't be good," Diddy soon said.

"Everyone stay put. I'll deal with it," Spike said. Before he could move, though, there was a sickening grinding sound!

"Dad, it's gonna fall!" Stanley exclaimed in alarm and fear. Spike cursed under his breath. The Elevator lurched suddenly and began tumbling down the line, everyone inside screaming.

They hit the bottom hard, but it seemed they hadn't been that far up, because the impact wasn't fatal. Birdo kicked open the doors and tumbled out onto the ground. The others scrambled desperately to get out of the elevator wreck and began to run for the bus. Birdo shook her head, pushing herself up on her arms, and looked back at the elevator nervously.

"Birdo, come on!" Diddy exclaimed, darting back, grabbing her arm, and pulling her to her feet.

Birdo cried out in pain, almost collapsing. Diddy started. The others stopped too and tentatively returned. "Birdo," Birdo said in pain, looking up at them with tears in her eyes.

"Oh no. She's hurt!" Stanley exclaimed, spotting blood as well as a strangely bent leg.

"Birdo..." Peach numbly said.

"Birdo!" Birdo said, pointing towards the bus.

"We're-a not leaving you!" Luigi replied.

"Whoever stays is gonna die," Spike bluntly said. "Anyone who wants to live, follow me!" Wario immediately darted off with Hen. Every man, or woman, for themselves, was his motto. Stanley, on the other hand, hesitated to follow his father and Wario, instead looking back at Luigi worriedly.

Luigi gave his cousin a forced smile. "Go on, cuz, I'm-a good," Luigi said.

"I don't believe you," Stanley replied, frowning.

"Luigi! Stanley!" Spike called out. Stanley looked hesitantly after his father and shifted uncomfortably.

For a moment Luigi almost hoped he would stay, but then he realized that was just plain selfish. "Go. We'll-a catch up," Luigi said. Stanley looked back at him once more. "The fewer people to worry about, the better. If you stay, Spike stays. If we all stay, Wario's-a not gonna go anywhere either probably. It's-a better some of us get out for sure than none of us."

"You need to get out," Stanley said.

"I will," Luigi promised. Sighing, Stanley nodded and chased after his father and Wario. Luigi was relieved. Now he didn't have a relative to protect too. The next minute, Birdo, Diddy, Luigi, and Peach were swarmed.

SMB

"Dad, Wario, we can't leave them!" Stanley insisted on hearing Diddy's sickening scream of agony. It was closely followed by Birdo's cry of pain. "They're dropping like flies! I should know. I'm a bugman."

"Forget them! They aren't-a worth our breath," Wario replied.

"He's our cousin!" Stanley insisted. "Dad, he's your nephew!"

Spike said nothing, but his mouth twitched uncomfortably. "Luigi, look out!" Peach screamed just then.

Stanley gasped, looking back, and slid to a stop. "You two keep going. I'm going back!" he said, racing away.

"Stanley!" Spike called, sliding to a stop.

"If you go after him, I'm-a leaving without you, Unc," Wario warned.

Spike gave his nephew a hard, annoyed look. "He's my son," the man gruffly replied. Quickly he followed his boy. Wario scoffed and continued to race towards the bus, carrying his Hen and dragging along an extremely reluctant Polterpup, who was desperately trying to reach his master.

SMB

"Diddy, look out!" Peach screamed as she spotted a now-infected Birdo staggering towards him. Diddy shrieked in terror and kicked her back. He immediately turned to another attacking swarm.

"I'm not going to make it!" Diddy exclaimed in dismay. He was being cut off from Peach and Luigi!

"Diddy, hang on!" Luigi insisted, trying to reach his friend. Terror gripped his heart. Just then, Diddy cried out in pain as Toad's teeth sank into him. "No!" Luigi exclaimed, trying to reach him.

"Luigi, it's too late!" Peach insisted, holding him back.

Luigi looked back at the monkey, who was being bitten into mercilessly now. He knew it was true, but to realize how many they had lost in such short order shook him badly. Mario would never have let this happen... Wait, he had to get Peach to safety! "Peach, I'm-a gonna clear a path for you. Run!" He let loose, then, with something she hadn't seen in a long time. He turned the area around them into a Negative Zone!

"I can't leave you," Peach said in shock.

"I'll-a be right behind you!" Luigi lied as he continued to dance to music only he could hear. She knew it was a lie, but she also knew she had no choice. She turned and fled, hoping against hope he was following. She broke out of the hordes and raced towards Stanley and Spike, who were heading their way.

"Where's Wario?" she asked.

"He left us behind," Stanley said, clearly shocked by the realization.

"What are we going to do?" Peach asked.

"Get Luigi and get out," Spike answered. "Stay here, Your Highness." Quickly Spike and Stanley ran towards the hoard.

Luigi felt his power leaving him. The negative zone was closing in and soon the infected would come back to themselves and attack him without mercy. "Mario, I'm sorry," he muttered under his breath.

"Luigi!" he heard Stanley call.

"Hold on, pipsqueak!" Spike shouted.

Luigi closed his eyes tightly. He couldn't. With a gasp, he ran out of energy and the zombies lunged at him. All at once Stanley and Spike were there holding off the hoard, though they were quickly falling back. "Dad, are we gonna die?" Stanley nervously asked, voice tight as he sprayed his chemicals at the infected.

"Probably, no thanks to Wario!" Spike said. He'd always been blunt like that. Sometimes it had been a blessing in disguise. Sometimes it had been a curse. Luigi leapt to his feet, drawing strength from his estranged family members. He had to fight for them! It wasn't just him now. He couldn't just give up this time.

SMB

"No!" Peach cried in alarm. They were going to fall! She began to run towards the hoard in a last desperate attempt to help. All at once there was a loud horn. She gasped, turning. Wario was driving the bus towards them! Peach screamed as the weapon on wheels tore towards her. Just as it was passing, Polterpup grabbed her dress and yanked her inside.

"Hang on, Peachy," Wario said. Peach scrambled to a seat and clutched Wario's Hen and Polterpup close, eyes wide.

Stanley, Spike, and Luigi, on the verge of being overwhelmed, tried their best to keep the infected from piling on top of them. Just before they would have been overwhelmed, the bus plowed into the infected, decimating the attacking hoard and pulling to a stop next to the trio. They didn't question it, just jumped inside.

"Wario, you came back!" Stanley exclaimed.

"Of course I did. Wario's-a no fool. I need all the help I can get to protect my treasure," Wario replied.

"You love us, cuz," Luigi sang teasingly, poking him.

"Touch me again and I'm-a gonna break your arm," Wario threatened. Luigi paled and quickly drew back. He cleared his throat and awkwardly went to sit next to Stanley.

"That's my boy!" Spike praised, seizing Wario in a chokehold and giving him a noogie.

"Uncle!" Wario exclaimed, almost crashing before righting the bus. Spike chuckled, put Wario's hat back on Wario's head, then went and sat next to Peach.

"We lost them all?" Peach asked, voice tight and afraid.

"I couldn't-a save them," Luigi sadly said.

"And we couldn't reach them in time," Stanley added, looking guiltily down.

"We could have made it if you'd-a just helped us, Wario!" Luigi snapped.

"Hah! We would have all been dead then. The only reason any of you are alive at all is because I went back for the bus. Sucks to be Birdo, Toad, and Diddy," Wario replied.

"How can you say that?!" Luigi demanded.

"What, you think Wario cared about them? They were your friends, not mine," Wario replied.

"They were as much your friends as ours, Wario," Peach said.

Wario scoffed. "I don't-a need no stinkin' friends. I have Waluigi and Hen, that-a all I need. Maybe Mona too. But only sometimes! When she's-a not being annoying," he said.

"Mona? Who's Mona?" Stanley asked.

"None of your business, Shrimpy," Wario grumbled. Stanley and Spike exchanged confused looks. They guessed this was something else they were going to be filled in on eventually. For now, though, the focus was on getting somewhere safe.

Chapter 7: Rescue Mission

The Koopalings glared agitatedly at all the new visitors. It had been a messy affair when Bowser's offspring had found their enemies and even some strangers asleep in their beds. It had taken Bowser, Kammy, and Kamek everything they had to keep the confrontation from turning into a bloodbath. "You could have told us earlier, dad," Larry complained, frowning at the Luma who he'd found playing with his toys and messing up his collections of bugs, rocks, coins, jewels, lock picks, etc.

"You were all asleep," Bowser lamely defended.

"Wonderful. Survivors in my palace who'll probably cost us our lives!" Ludwig bitterly bit, scowling darkly at the girl Ashley who he'd found in his bed. He'd taken an immediate dislike to her after learning Kammy and Kamek had taken her under their wing and subsequently cut back on his own training. Needless to say, when he'd confronted her in his room, they'd been the pair to get the closest to slaughtering each other. Magic had gone flying every which way and attacks had been delivered left and right. She had clearly been both surprised and infuriated that he could even keep up with her, so he took immense pride in that one.

Ashley huffed. "For such a refined Koopaling, you're certainly no gentleman."

"Oh? And just what vould you have done if you'd found me in your bed?" he demanded.

"You wouldn't have lived long enough to wake up," she replied. "But then I don't profess to be a gentlewoman."

Ludwig snorted in derision. "Zat is plain to see." She frowned and whipped out her wand. He growled and prepared his staff.

"Enough!" Daisy snapped. The two paused, looking over at her, then harrumphed and sulkily crossed their arms, turning their backs on each other.

"What's with you two anyway?" Wendy asked.

"Ask Kammy and Kamek!" Ludwig replied.

"He's just jealous they're paying more attention to me than him now," Ashley said.

"Kammy is," Kamek lamely threw out there. Ashley gave him a withering look, and he grimaced a bit.

"Heh, she's basically Ludwig's counterpart. Ooh, ooh, I wanna experiment with that, King Dad! Imagine if I could splice their genes together and create the ultimate Koopa-human hybrid! Ludwig Von Ashley would be unstoppable!" Iggy enthusiastically exclaimed, a mad glint shining in his eyes as he thought of all the possibilities.

"Iggy, no experimenting on your siblings! We've had this talk before. Remember that time before Junior was born that you completely confuddled the gene pool, turned your hair rainbow, aged everyone up except you and Lemmy who you aged down and made into twins, made Roy older than Ludwig, and basically demolished the true timeline until Ludwig was able to find a solution? If I recall correctly, your brain also shrunk. You couldn't even invent. You don't want that to happen again, do you?" Bowser asked.

Iggy paled. "No Dad, never!" he exclaimed, immediately tossing the idea of a super-powered Ludwig and Ashley hybrid to the side. Well, at least for now. Who knew? Maybe in time he'd figure out a way to do it. He darkly chuckled to himself. Bowser was glaring at him, along with the others, and he realized he'd been cackling out loud again. Darn. He really had to pay attention to that. He grinned innocently and tucked his hands behind his back.

"Where's-a Wario? Did that idiot stick ever show up?" Waluigi asked, looking around the castle.

"No. They didn't," Mona quietly said, bowing her head.

"Ludwig, Ashley, get on finding them," Bowser ordered. "The rest of you figure out something to do to occupy yourselves in the meantime." With no other options, the group left to do just that.

SMB

"Do you like, have any idea how creepy it was finding you in my bed?" Wendy demanded of Parakarry as she filed her nails.

"Sorry Wendy," he sheepishly said, glancing uncertainly down. Was she going to roast him? He hoped not. He didn't crisp well. He wasn't sure if any of the Koopalings besides Ludwig could breathe fire, but he didn't want to take that chance. After all, there was a possibility a few of the others had developed the ability too. It would have probably been Ludwig to teach them seeing as Bowser was always so busy, but he wouldn't be making bets on it.

"Next time I see you near my room, you won't be so lucky," Wendy said.

"Aren't you afraid you'll break a nail," he muttered under his breath.

"What?" she questioned icily.

"Nothing your highness!" he immediately exclaimed.

She scoffed at him. "For your information, I may be a girly girl on the outside, but I totally don't mind getting dirt under my fingernails. A broken nail is hardly worth a huff to me. I used to be quite the tomboy in fact," she haughtily said.

"Really?" he asked, surprised at this.

"Uh, yeah," she replied. "I dance and prance around in high heels and fire magical rings, but I can kick some serious tail if I want to, and look stylish doing it."

"Mario and Luigi always beat you," Parakarry pointed out. Wendy growled. "Sorry," Parakarry nervously said.

"Humph. Like I care about that anymore," Wendy replied. "Half the time daddykins and the Mario Bros end up working together these days anyway."

"Do you game much?" Parakarry asked, looking over at a certain game lying on the ground in front of a console that was clearly geared more towards your average guy than your average gal.

She glanced over at it and smirked wickedly. "Doy. I've beaten even Larry at that game, and he's considered the best video gamer in our family. Of course, my brothers have never seen me get my actual game on. Junior did once, but I swore him to secrecy on penalty of painful torture and death. We play together all the time now when the others aren't around."

"I thought you hated Junior," Parakarry said.

"Everyone seems to think that," Wendy replied with a heavy sigh. "Believe it or not, Junior's, like, my second favorite brother after Iggy."

"You and Iggy are tight?" Parakarry asked.

"Totally! Iggy's like my BBBF.

"BBBF?" Parakarry asked.

"Big Brother Best Friend," Wendy explained. "On April Fool's Day we teamed up against all the others and they didn't stand a chance. Well, Larry almost beat us, but that was only after he got Lemmy's help and managed to separate us." She slipped off her chair, checking her nails, then went over to the console and set it up. She tossed Parakarry a remote. "Keep up with me, I dare you."

"You're on," Parakarry remarked, smirking wickedly. He wasn't bad at video games either, but she didn't have to know that. At least not until it was too late. He chuckled evilly to himself, which was surprising seeing as he wasn't an evil Koopa by nature. She raised an eyebrow at him, but otherwise ignored the behavior.

SMB

"You're doing it wrong!" Ashley insisted, trying to pry an ingredient for the cauldron away from Ludwig.

"I know vhat I'm doing! Leave me be!" Ludwig snapped sharply.

"That ingredient won't get us a picture!" she insisted, still furious to have found him trying to tamper with her brew.

"The ingredient you're trying to put in will blow my palace sky high!"

"We're in the sky!"

"You don't think I know that?!" Ludwig freaked, losing his temper. "Show ze Koopa Prince some respect or I vill see you burn, witch!"

"Try me!" she replied.

"It will be at ze stake!" he shouted.

"Put that ingredient in! I dare you!" she shouted, losing her cool for one of the rare times in her life. He harrumped, yanking the ingredient away, and tossed it into the cauldron. It began to hiss and spit.

"Pass me ze Essence of Boo!" Ludwig ordered.

Ashley started, eyes wide. "What?" she asked.

"Ashley!" he shouted. There was a large boom, blowing off the roof of the tower they were in. The two stood there blackened with soot, eyes wide. Snapping out of it, Ludwig screamed, "What was that?!"

"How did you know Essence of Boo would stabilize it?!" she demanded.

"I told you I knew what I was doing!"

"I'm the trained witch, not you!"

"I'm the genius who figured it out through reading and some old training my disappeared mother gave me before she took off! For the love of ze Star Spirits, vhy von't you trust me to help you? Do you think I'm an imbecile?!"

"No! That's what you think of me!" she shouted. He started, staring at her in surprise. Did he? He thought about it a minute and grimaced a bit. Okay, maybe he did, but just a little! "I don't need to prove myself to you, Koopa Prince. I don't need to prove myself to anyone! I'm as good as you are. Probably better in the fields of Magic, in fact!"

"I know," he quietly said, swallowing his stubborn pride though the words almost stuck in his throat.

"And furthermore…" she began before stopping abruptly. "Wait, what?" she asked.

"I know!" Frustrated, Ludwig sighed. "Maybe I have been looking down my nose at you. Truth be told, I haven't actually had a challenge in years. At least not a mentally stable one." There was Iggy of course, who was actually saner than he pretended to be - at least Ludwig hoped he was - but other than that, no one.

"So the minute someone challenges your intellect, you fly off the handles," she said.

"Iggy challenges it and I don't love my temper with him."

"Isn't Iggy the crazy one?"

Ludwig frowned a little at that, but truth be told, he wasn't actually sure of Iggy's state of mind anymore. His brother only seemed to get more and more insane each year that went by. Sometimes that worried him, but then he remembered Iggy seemed to thrive on it. They said intelligence brewed madness, and the fourth oldest Koopaling was probably more intelligent than even he was. Ludwig had been noticing as much increasingly often since Iggy had become a teenager. No longer did his little brother copy or improvise on his experiments. Now Iggy was branching off with a whole new style all his own. Perhaps that style was getting to be better than even Ludwig's had been. Part of him was almost jealous of his brother, and he didn't like that. He knew where jealousy could lead - he'd experienced it first hand with Junior - and he really, really didn't like it. It was dangerous. So dangerous. He hated himself for where it had led with Junior...

"Crazy as he is, I suspect he's even more intelligent than me. At least in science and math."

"Where does your intelligence flourish?"

"In strategy and music. I compose symphonies you know." Ludwig boasted.

"You're a composer?"

"More or less."

She eyed him a moment, considering his words. "I've always liked classical organ music, preferably eerie sounding. Do you write anything like that?"

"They're among my favorite pieces."

"Show me some."

"What now?" he asked.

"Show me some." He stared blankly at her. Had he really just heard that? The only ones who had shown any interest in music besides him in his family were Junior and, surprisingly enough, Roy. Of course, for Roy it was hard-rock and screamer slash death-metal. Ludwig inwardly grimaced at the thought. Junior at least had some degree of taste. He was thinking a lot about his siblings these days, he noted. His father too. They'd been flooding his mind nonstop, especially since this whole zombie situation began. It was a little unsettling.

"Ludwig?" Ashley asked, snapping him back to himself.

"Right. Yes. Of course. I would be honored to play you one of my masterpieces," he said. Preferably not the ones he'd composed while he was partially deaf for a little while. Of course, he'd gone back and fixed most of those, but still. The horror and humiliation of finding out such pieces had come from him… Ugh, at least they were better now. Rather, most of them were. Some hadn't been half bad, but others had been atrocious and had needed a whole revamp.

Ashley watched him amusedly. She found it quite interesting how one minute his mind would be in one place and the next it would be in another. The product of a genius and beautiful mind, she supposed, and as much as she hated to admit it, he did have a beautiful mind. She'd been around him long enough to pick up on that at least. She turned back to her brew and caught her breath. "Ludwig, we're getting an image!" she exclaimed.

Ludwig started and quickly came up beside her, peering into it. He grinned widely. "Yes! Ve did it! Quickly, ve must gather the others. She nodded, and the two of them raced off to do so.

SMB

"Ugh, why won't you die?" Wendy demanded of Parakarry. Neither of them had gotten the jump on the other yet in this game. Every time they did, the other was quick to recover.

"Why won't you?" Parakarry demanded, eyes wide. When she'd said she was good, he'd had no idea. He couldn't keep up with her for much longer.

"You're better than I gave you credit for, but you're not good enough," she replied.

Just as she was about to pull off a move that would finally defeat her rival, Bowser's voice echoed through the corridors. "Get to the Throne Room, all of you!" he bellowed. Immediately Wendy and Parakarry shut off the game and jumped up, racing to obey the command.

SMB

They gaped in shock at the scene playing out before them. Peach's team fighting off hordes of infected with everything they had! "Mario, is that…?" Waluigi began before trailing off.

"Uncle Spike and Cousin Stanley," Mario numbly said, eyes wide. He hadn't seen them for years!

"Where did Wario and Luigi dig them up at?" Waluigi demanded.

"Diamond City. It had to be."

"Why were they even there?"

"Does it matter? We can figure that out later!"

"There's a threat of Nuclear Strike against Diamond City. They need to get out of there before it happens. Wario's castle's not going to be far enough to avoid it!" Pauline said, eyes wide.

"There's-a no guarantee the military will actually see that through!"

"Can we take the chance? Mario, it's Luigi and Stanley. I know you could care less about Spike and Wario, but what about them?" Pauline asked.

"You know this guy?" Tiny asked, pointing at Stanley.

"Yes. We were close once. Stanley helped me and Mario in our quest to find Donkey Kong once upon a time. Around that time, Mario told me that he was probably the first member of his family to see Stanley for years. I thought that was a bit depressing and wanted to know why, but there was nothing I could do to make either of them open up about their pasts."

"There was nothing worth opening up about," Mario vaguely replied. "Let's-a get down there. Wario's group can only hold off the infected for so long, and if a nuclear strike on Diamond City is a possibility... Enough said."

"Who's coming with me and Mario?" Bowser asked, immediately jumping up the opportunity to save Peach for once instead of kidnapping her. It would be a novelty, he decided. One she might appreciate. Maybe she'd even start looking at him differently.

"I am," Waluigi said as he watched Wario, Luigi, his long-lost cousin Stanley, and his estranged Uncle Spike so desperately struggling to stay alive.

"We are too!" Tiny and Dixie said together, putting their arms around each other.

"And me! Oh let me come, please!" Mona begged. "I can't let Wario die out there! I need to help save him!"

"Mona…" Mario began.

"Mario, I'm going!" Mona insisted.

"Let her come. If she dies, it's-a one less mouth to feed," Waluigi deadpanned.

"We can come too!" Junior excitedly said.

"No!" Bowser immediately shot, startling his children. All eyes turned curiously to him.

"W-wait. What?" Larry asked confusedly. They always went with their papa.

"You're not coming. Not you, not Junior, not Morton, and not Wendy. Not under any circumstances. "I don't even want Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, or Ludwig following, but if they want to, I can't stop them. I can stop the rest of you, though." Bowser looked over at his four oldest. "Stay here," he said simply to them.

"Fine. Someone needs to look after our siblings," Roy stated gruffly, punching his fist in his hand. "If any of them infected things try to get at my brothers and sister, they're gonna get my fist in their face. I'll crush 'em."

"I'll stay with Roy and work on a way to fix Ludwig's mess," Iggy said, smirking tauntingly at the eldest Koopaling.

Ludwig glared dangerously at him, warning him with his eyes not to push his luck. "I vill stay to help. I started this with Kammy and Kamek, so I'll help end it."

"It wasn't just you," Ashley said.

"I figured. You can explain that one after the others get back," Ludwig said, frowning at her.

"I'll go with you, King Dad," Lemmy said in a carefree tone with a smile on his face.

Bowser started and looked down at his second-born with eyes wide. "Excuse me?" he dubiouosly asked. "No. I don't think so."

"But you said I could!" Lemmy insisted.

"No," Bowser repeated flatly. Lemmy was the runt of the litter so to speak, and as such was also the most frail. When Clawdia had been pregnant with him, something had gone wrong. Something he didn't care to look back on. Needless to say, for a single, terrifying moment, he'd thought he'd lost them both. The emergency procedure had been carried out fine in the end, but Lemmy had been very premature and had never really grown much in size since. He would rather not risk losing his son again.

"King Dad, please! Let me prove to you I'm capable!" Lemmy sharply snapped. All eyes went to him in shock. For the first time since this started, the most childish of all the Koopalings was deadly serious. Mario hadn't seen this look on Lemmy's face since he, Wario, Waluigi, and Luigi were dealing with the Scattered Memories situation.

"What?" Bowser asked, unsure he'd heard correctly.

"Let me prove to you that I'm just as capable a ruler as any of the others!" Lemmy insisted through gritted teeth. Honestly, he couldn't care less about the throne, but still, it was the principle of the thing. He was the weakest of the Koopalings and as such had felt inadequate for most of his life, but he would defend his siblings with a ferocity like you wouldn't believe if he had to. He was far from incapable of protecting them. He needed them to know that. He wanted them to trust him and feel safe around him, because you could bet none of them did now! "Since Ludwig won't go and as such won't be your second in command, that duty falls to me," Lemmy continued, trying to argue his case.

"But…" Bowser began, unsure of how to react to this new side of Lemmy.

"Either I go with you or I follow behind with no protection," Lemmy warned, glaring defiantly and challengingly at his father.

Bowser stared back and for a long time there was silence between them. "Fine," the Koopa King finally relented. "But only because something tells me you'll make good on that threat if I call your bluff."

Lemmy grinned excitedly, immediately reverting to childlike behaviors again. "Yay! Let's go! It'll be like father-son bonding time. Hurry papa!" he cheered. Quickly he rolled out of the room. Bowser was quiet, glaring at the ground.

"Wait, I'm confused. Why do I feel like I just saw two different people?" Dixie asked, puzzled.

"He's a circus freak for a reason. The guy knows how to put on a show," Iggy flatly said. Bowser harrumphed then turned, going quickly after his son. Mario, Waluigi, Tiny, Dixie, and Mona followed on his heels. If they didn't, they'd probably be left behind.

Meanwhile

"Wario, how did they breach the defenses?" Peach demanded of Wario in terror.

"I don't-a know! Wait..." Wario said. He seemed to be recalling something, then scowled darkly. "Syrup," he growled loathingly, fists clenching.

"You mean the Captain who helped us during the whole Smithy Gang and Black Jewel thing?" Luigi asked.

"The one and only!" Wario angrily said. "Her and her Black Sugar Pirates. Black Sugar Gang. Whatever they're called. Useless pirates left a weak spot in my castle when they breached it last time. I haven't-a gotten around to fixing it yet! Bah, who needs 'em?"

"I'd really like to have them helping us now!" Stanley replied, bashing another infected.

"She'd-a more likely sacrifice us," Wario said.

"We might need to sacrifice someone if this keeps up," Spike grimly said. The others looked over at him, eyes wide in horror. "I was kidding," the Foreman flatly said, unimpressed. They immediately relaxed and focused on the infected once more. Steadily they were being overwhelmed.

"Principessa, run!" Luigi yelled at Peach

"No! I'm not leaving you this time," Peach replied, staying at their sides. The infected were swarming them from every direction anyway. There was nowhere she could run even if she'd wanted to. She seized a downed Stanley's arm and tried to pull him up, but before she could, an infected lunged to bite her! She screamed.

"Dad!" Stanley shouted in fear. Spike turned with a gasp.

All at once the windows of Wario's Castle were broken open and in leapt Bowser! He blew a jet of flame with a furious roar. They shielded their faces. Lemmy sprang through the flames and the smoke, throwing numerous balls decorated with spikes at the infected and taking them down easily while laughing the whole time. He loved this job sometimes! Not as much as the circus, but still.

Mario, Waluigi, Tiny, Dixie, and Mona leapt through the smoke after Lemmy and immediately set upon the zombies. Bowser roasted columns on columns of infected. Lemmy forced a large number of them over the tower edge by pushing them with his giant rubber ball and sending them toppling to the ground below. Dixie and Tiny ripped through the hoard with ease. Mario and Waluigi fought their way through until they were at the side of their brothers, their cousin, and Foreman Spike.

"You came!" Luigi exclaimed in relief.

"Of course we did," Mario replied.

"Mario, Waluigi!" Stanley exclaimed, equally relieved.

"Stanley!" Mario cheered, taking the time to grab his cousin in a bear hug. "It's-a been so long!"

"I've missed you, cuz," Stanley said, grinning widely.

"Can we focus on the zombies, please?!" Waluigi shot sharply. Immediately Mario attacked one that was about to bite him.

"I've-a got it," Mario replied in annoyance, frowning at his little cousin. In fact, they were probably in the smallest part of the hoard right now.

"It's good to see you again too, Wally," Stanley said, albeit a bit quieter.

"Waluigi... Star Spirits how you've grown, boy," Spike said, eyes wide.

"Whatever," Waluigi grumbled. He scowled as Spike playfully ruffled his hair and glared at the man. Nonetheless, he let it slide. He cried out as Stanley suddenly hugged him tightly. The Bugman had already hugged Mario, Wario, and Luigi, after all. He might as well complete the set. Waluigi grimaced and patted Stanley's back in annoyance, willing his cousin to let him go. Stanley did so, focusing once more on the infected. "You're-a alright, Uncle Spike?" Waluigi asked, turning to the Foreman.

"Better now that you and Mario are here!" Spike replied. Waluigi smirked a bit at that.

All of a sudden they heard a pained scream. "Tiny! No, let her go!" Dixie shrieked, seeing her little sister being bitten. She grabbed a metal bar and struck the infected that was biting Tiny, but it was too late.

"S-sis?" Tiny asked in a scared voice, covering her injury.

"Y-you'll be fine, Tiny, you'll be fine!" Dixie replied, sobbing.

"D-Dixie, I'm scared," Tiny said.

"I'm here," Dixie said, taking her sister's hands.

"Dixie!" Tiny cried out. Dixie screamed, feeling something bite her shoulder from behind. She whirled, batting it away. "Dixie, no!" Tiny exclaimed.

"D-Don't worry about me, baby sister. We'll go down together," Dixie said, smiling at her sibling and hugging her tightly.

"Dang it, we can't lose any more allies!" Bowser shouted at Lemmy.

"Don't worry, pops, I've got the best idea ever!" Lemmy exclaimed happily, jumping on his ball.

"The best… what?!" Bowser demanded, immediately suspicious about this. Whenever Lemmy said he had the 'best idea ever', it usually meant his second eldest had a pretty decent plan with the catch that it would only work if he played Kamikaze. Lemmy wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the bunch, but he wasn't an imbecile either. His plans were solid, just always at a greater cost than Bowser was willing to pay. Hence the reason he rarely if ever used Lemmy's plan suggestions. "Lemmy, don't do anything ra…" Bowser began.

"Kowabunga!" Lemmy exclaimed, leaping down the center of the huge spiral staircase at breakneck speed on his ball.

"Lemmy!" Bowser roared in alarm, looking over. As Lemmy's ball fell, it took out the infected mounting the stairs in droves. He took out the stairs too, for that matter. Lemmy disappeared in a rising dust cloud. There was a loud bang from below and the next thing they knew, zombies were flying up into the sky, screaming in alarm and terror before plunging back down to the ground below. It wasn't a pretty picture. "Lemmy!" Bowser shouted. His son hadn't bounced back up. He must have turned the ball metal! Which meant... Oh no... Bowser cursed under his breath and leapt down the center of the spiral staircase as well. He hit the bottom, landing on the now metallic and spiked ball. He'd expected as much, so had been ready for it. Immediately he let out a jet of flame, scorching a hoard that was racing toward him. He turned quickly and caught his breath, paling. Lemmy was lying on the ground unconscious. "Son!" Bowser exclaimed, jumping off the ball and stomping over to the still body. Quickly he scooped the boy up.

Lemmy's eyes flickered open. The youth blinked confusedly before realizing where he was. He smiled weakly up at his father. "See? Now all we have to worry about is getting out through some secret passage or something. I did good, right pop?"

Bowser swallowed, distress in his eyes. "Yeah, kiddo. Yeah. You did good." Lemmy grinned proudly before slipping into unconsciousness again. Bowser began breathing harder in rage, then suddenly roared furiously, voice reverberating through the whole of Wario's Castle and possibly Diamond City. Seeing red, he stormed towards a side door and broke it open, marching outside to face the swarm. This ended now. His form was changing to Giga Bowser, and soon anyone that stood in his way would be obliterated.

SMB

Mario, Wario, Luigi, Waluigi, Stanley, Peach, Mona, and Spike gaped in horror from the tower as Bowser tore the infected to shreds, bathing the castle in, well, enough said. He showed no mercy to anything in his way until finally the area was clear. Only then did he revert back to his normal form with a grieved roar, holding the body of his second eldest close to his heart. Gently he nuzzled the boy, willing Lemmy to wake up and sing in his annoying voice that he was all right and good to go. The others quickly hurried to join him. Peach floated down. The others used Waluigi's vines.

"Lemmy, no," Peach said, landing next to Bowser with eyes wide in worry.

"We need to get back to Ludwig's Palace," Bowser darkly said. "We can help him there."

"He's not infec...?" Peach began.

"No. He's not," Bowser sharply cut off, giving her a dangerous look.

Peach swallowed and nodded her head, hoping he was right and not letting his grief talk. The others joined them. Peach looked back at them. "We have to go before more come," she said.

"Then let's-a go," Mario said.

Quickly they raced away from the castle only to be stopped in their tracks near the outskirts of the courtyard. They gasped, paling. Ahead of them, emerging from the woods, was a wall of infected, all converging on them! "Mama Mia!" Mario exclaimed.

"Mario!" Luigi cried, diving behind his brother and cowering.

Stanley gritted his teeth and got into a fighting stance. Spike placed a protective hand on his shoulder. "Great! We're-a all gonna die!" Waluigi lamented.

"Oh no, I don't-a think so. Nobody touches Wario's Castle!" Wario said.

"How are you gonna stop them, Boss?" Mona fearfully asked, standing behind him and worriedly holding his shoulders. Wario glanced back at her, then ahead once more. Polterpup whined fearfully and Hen clucked in terror, hiding deeply in her master's rucksack. Wario swallowed. He didn't have an answer to that question, he realized.

Suddenly they heard loud barking along with maniacal cackling and gasped, looking in that direction. Their jaws dropped when out of the forest pranced Iggy on top of his pet chain chomp Chomper! The Chain Chomp leaped into the hordes, devouring them whole without hesitation. "Here's Iggy!" Iggy sang out excitedly.

"And Roy!" Roy said, leaping from Chomper's back and pounding a zombie into the ground before barrelling over a pile of others in his shell.

"And Ludwig Von Koopa!" Ludwig said, leaping off the chain chomp as well and sending out a series of magical blasts intertwined with fireballs. Joined by the cavalry, the group leapt into action and wiped out the hoard in only moments.

SMB

Ludwig, Roy, and Iggy crossed to their father's side once the hoard had been taken care of. "What happened to Lemmy?" Iggy demanded.

"Yeah, who did this? I'll pulverize 'em!" Roy roared in rage, pounding his fists together before roaring ferociously.

"You already did," Bowser replied.

"Well then whose stupid idea was it to put him in a place where he could get hurt?!" Roy demanded.

"He did that to himself," Bowser replied.

"Oh no. Don't tell me he went kamikaze," Ludwig said, rubbing his temples in stress.

"He went kamikaze," Peach solemnly confirmed.

"At least he made sure we could get out of the castle," Mona said. "Lemmy was a real hero. Brave too."

"I'll pulverize him for makin' such a dumb decision!" Roy roared.

"Like you've never made a dumb decision," Iggy bit.

"You wanna lose your glasses, Turnip?" Roy challenged.

"Enough! We need to get out of Diamond City. The army might be dropping a nuke on it soon!" Spike said.

"If they do, we'll-a never make it far enough in time," Waluigi said.

"We'll make for the sea," Stanley said, pointing out the blue shimmer in the distance. "It's far from the city but close to us. There might be a chance we can escape over it and get just out of range in time! Assuming the army is still alive to push the big red button, of course."

"Better safe than sorry. Let's-a go," Mario said. Immediately they raced towards the ocean, hoping and praying they found a way out of this mess before it was too late.

Chapter 8: Heart-to-Heart

Notes:

Not too happy with this chapter, but hopefully my readers still like it. In this chapter, I see what I can do with the family reunion and the addition of Syrup. I don't really go much into the fate of the Koopalings' mother here, as I'm not sure what happened to her - some think she's still alive, some think she's dead - so I'll go with ambiguous.

They reached the sea in relatively short order. Lemmy was drifting in and out of consciousness, which was becoming an increasingly alarming situation for his family. They didn't know the extent of the damage done to the fragile Koopa's body. If there was something internal going on, they'd have no clue. "I shouldn't have let him come," Bowser agitatedly said.

"Without him, you would be dead," Ludwig quietly replied. "If anyvun else had gone, you would be."

"Only Lemmy would have the guts and the stupidity to do somethin' like play kamikaze," Roy agreed. "I mean, I ain't so bright, but seriously? That's a whole new level of stupid."

"That turned out to be genius," Iggy said.

"Where do we go from here?" Mona uncertainly asked. "Rainbow Road?"

"No. This isn't close enough to Ludwig's stronghold that I can summon Rainbow Road," Peach said.

"We could take that," Spike offered, pointing out a beater of a boat. Of course, said beater was also the only thing still floating.

"Mama Mia," Waluigi said in disbelief. Luigi burst into tears, as he was sometimes prone to doing. "Oh shut up!" Waluigi barked. Luigi glared icily at him and kicked his shins in retaliation. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Waluigi exclaimed, hopping around. "Wah!" he cried as he fell into the beater. He groaned in pain as the others joined him inside.

"Serves you right," Mario said, smirking teasingly.

"Back off," Wario warned, pushing the boat out into the water then jumping in after them. Infected lumbered along the beach, heading their way and wading into the water until the waves forced them back. "So long, losers," Wario called back.

"We're gonna be the losers if this boat gives out on us halfway across the ocean," Stanley uncertainly said, looking around.

"We'll-a worry about that when it happens," Mario said, looking ahead over the ocean.

SMB

"This was a horrible idea!" Ludwig said as they frantically tried to bail water out of the boat only a couple of hours into their voyage. To be fair, they had gotten a long way before the junk heap began to sink. Unfortunately, they were still in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight, and still too far from his stronghold for Peach to summon the Rainbow Road. If they went down here, they drowned. End of story. Bye, bye.

Waluigi and Luigi were sobbing and cursing their luck while Wario and Mario tried to snap their younger brothers out of it while also focusing on bailing water. "Somebody kick them overboard!" Bowser roared furiously. He yelped as he was tackled by Luigi and Waluigi. The three began battling viciously.

"Oh for the love of… We don't have time for this boys!" Spike yelled furiously.

"The boat's beyond help! There's nothing we can do!" Mona exclaimed in terror. That stopped the fight quickly. Waluigi and Luigi went back to sobbing. This time the others felt like joining them. At least Lemmy was regaining consciousness, Bowser dryly thought. Ugh, what a time to wake up though.

"This is the end of us!" Ludwig said.

"If Junior dies in this chaos, Wendy takes the throne," Iggy observed randomly. Roy, Ludwig, and a recently awakened Lemmy turned quickly to him blinking blankly.

"Ew," Roy said.

"She'll turn the Darklands into the Pinklands!" Ludwig blurted, dropping the German accent.

"Pink's pretty," Lemmy said. "Anyway, it's not like Junior's gonna die."

"You realize, of course, that when we go down, Wendy will be the one left protecting Morton, Larry, and Junior?" Ludwig asked.

"Hey, Wendy's good! Better than you think," Iggy defended. "She's tough. She'll get them through no matter what. She'll make a great queen one day!"

"Maybe she will, maybe she won't. We'll never know," Roy grumbled.

"Wait, what's that?" Mona asked, pointing at something in the distance. "It looks kind of like a pirate ship." She squinted. "Wait... Is that Captain Syrup?"

"Wah?!" Wario and Waluigi both exclaimed, spinning around in shock.

"Who's Captain Syrup?" Bowser asked.

"Captain Maple Syrup is Wario's worst enemy," Mario replied.

"And Waluigi's wannabe lover," Luigi added with a smirk.

"Huh?!" Spike and Stanley exclaimed.

"She's-a not my lover!" Waluigi snapped sharply. "I doubt I could even handle the woman," he dryly added in a grumble.

"And you figure you could handle Rosalina?" Wario dryly asked.

Waluigi scowled at him. "Who?" Stanley asked.

"Never mind! We'll-a catch you up later," Waluigi said.

"For what it's-a worth, I think she just flirts with you for the sake of getting under your skin," Mario said to Waluigi.

"It is her. It's Captain Syrup! Syrup, Syrup, help us! Help!" Mona shouted, jumping up and down while waving her arms. Bowser blew a plume of fire into the air. The ship turned in their direction. "We're saved!" Mona cheered.

"That's-a one person's opinion!" Waluigi said.

"Ahoy there, sailors! Need a hand?" Syrup called out as her ship came alongside their sinking boat.

"You bet we do!" Mona said.

"Come aboard then," Syrup said.

"It's-a not like we have much choice," Wario bit.

SMB

Soon enough, most of them were boarded. Syrup knelt, taking Ludwig's hands. "Come on up, hon," she said, pulling him onto her ship as well.

"Danke," he muttered, not meeting her eyes.

"You next, sweetie," Syrup said to Roy, offering her hand.

"I can get up myself!" Roy argued. He leapt but fell short. He frowned frustratedly and leapt again. This time, though, missing would have resulted in his falling into the sea and possibly being eaten by the giant Cheepcheeps lingering beneath the surface, waiting for the boat to go down. He cried out in alarm. Syrup caught his wrist and, using all her strength, gave a cry and pulled him back on with her whole body weight. Panting, she stood up. Roy gaped at her in shock. She was surprisingly strong. Her athletic build had told them she was in good shape, but still, to be able to lift him on board? He was one of the largest of the Koopalings along with Morton! Eh, maybe she'd taken a supplement. Or Bowser had helped her out with magic or something. That was more likely. Then again, Mario could lift Bowser. "Uh, thanks," he reluctantly muttered.

"Sure thing. Go get washed up," Syrup replied, playfully punching his arm. It actually caused him to wince a bit, and he rubbed it, staring at her in surprise. Either he was really sore after the fight with the infected, or she had quite the swing. He shuffled off to stand next to Ludwig and wait for Iggy, Lemmy, and their father - the only ones remaining on the sinking boat - to get onto the ship safely. Syrup knelt. "All right sugar, hop up," Syrup coaxed the reluctant Iggy. Iggy shifted uncomfortably. "I'll catch you," she assured, smiling disarmingly at him. He hesitated a moment longer then leapt. Sure enough, she caught his wrists and pulled him on board. "There you go. See? I don't bite," she said. He had been surprisingly light, she noted.

"Ve'll see about that," Ludwig muttered to Roy and Iggy. The two snickered.

Syrup knelt and her expression softened a bit. "Oh. Poor little thing. What happened to him?" she asked Bowser.

"Just get my koopaling to safety. We'll talk when they're all on board," Bowser replied, holding the small koopa up high. Lemmy whimpered in pain, blinking innocently and fearfully up at the Pirate Queen.

"Come on, Pumpkin, you're alright," she cooed softly, taking him from Bowser's hands. As she did, her skin brushed the koopa king's scales and he raised a wary eyebrow. He'd sensed something in that touch that didn't sit well with him. Something was up. A pirate with a heart? That didn't make sense. "Youngest?" she asked Bowser.

"Second oldest," Bowser flatly replied. He expected a snide comment about how she doubted Lemmy was the second oldest of his brood, but all she did was raise an eyebrow.

"Really. Well, I'll be sure to personally care for his wounds and ensure he has everything he needs to heal. I don't like how injured he is," Syrup said.

"Why would you bother?" Bowser suspiciously asked.

"Because believe it or not, I quite like the Koopa Kingdom and its inhabitants."

Roy stepped forward and took his big brother from the pirate's hands. Bowser jumped up and landed with a pound on the deck, making Syrup lose her balance. She cried out as she started falling backwards towards the sea, but Bowser seized her arm and pulled her away from the edge. "Tend to the boy. Kids, go with her," Bowser gruffly ordered, marching away to join Mario, Wario, Peach, Stanley, Luigi, Waluigi, and Spike.

"I'll go help her," Peach said as Bowser drew near. Quickly she hurried off to join Syrup in tending to the Koopalings. Lemmy in particular, seeing as he was in the worst shape.

The others watched them go. As soon as they were out of sight, Bowser turned to Wario. "Can we trust her?" he demanded.

"You can never tell," Wario replied, waving it off nonchalantly.

"She's-a a free spirit," Waluigi added. "The seas are freedom. She loves freedom."

"She always did," Wario threw in. "Greed, power, and the sea are her favorite things. As long as we benefit her, we're-a safe."

"She's-a not so bad," Luigi said, recalling when she'd helped them during their last adventure.

"She's-a not so bad if being not so bad serves her purposes," Wario said.

"Imagine being her. No worries, no cares, no restrictions. Free like a bird in the sky," Mona said, smiling dreamily as she daydreamed about being a pirate herself. "She must lead such a romantic life."

"More likely it's a lonely one," Foreman Spike said.

"What do you mean?" Mario asked.

"I mean a woman like that probably has plenty of guys going after her, she just can't be bothered with any of them. If the seas are her love, how's a mere man gonna compete?" Spike answered with a shrug. "She's obviously not the type to settle down. Maybe she figures it wouldn't hurt to have a guy, but she's perfectly fine without one. The day she's willing to stay in one place for someone is the day she'll be truly in love."

"And the day he refuses to keep her bound to him is the day he proves he loves her just as much," Mona dreamily said.

Spike gave her a dubious look. "Sure. Let's go with that."

"More likely the day a man is able to keep her caged is the day she'll-a fall in love. She'll-a escape of course, but she'll-a know she's-a found someone who can challenge her. Goodness knows she needs a challenge. Jonathan Jones could probably provide, but he clearly wasn't-a in the running for courtship," Waluigi remarked.

"Even that's still romantic. Just like I said," Mona stubbornly replied.

"I bet Waluigi could challenge her," Stanley teased.

"I wouldn't-a go through the effort," Waluigi replied. "Besides, Wario's-a far more likely to pull that off and actually stick with it than I am."

"Wait, what?" Mona asked, suddenly a bit more worried.

"Relax. Even if he did like Syrup, Maple would just use him. A pirate's life doesn't-a exactly give you the opportunity to let your guard down and kick up your feet. Enemy pirates, mutineers, hazards of the sea: The last thing she'd-a bother with is housebreaking Wario," Waluigi said, jerking a thumb back at his brother who was currently picking his nose.

"Well good!" Mona huffed.

"Wario? Really? Stanley incredulously asked her.

"And what's-a wrong with Wario?" Wario demanded.

"Nothing!" Stanley quickly said. Wario harrumphed and went back to gold mining.

SMB

Peach gently dabbed a damp cloth against Lemmy's head while Syrup checked the dressings they'd used to wrap his injured body. "The little guy got it bad," Syrup remarked.

"Lemmy. His name is Lemmy," Peach said.

"What about the others?" Syrup asked.

"The eldest is Ludwig Von Koopa. He's the one with the blue hair. Lemmy is the second eldest and then there's Roy, the one with the pink mask and sunglasses. He's Bowser's third. After him comes Iggy, the one with the green hair," Peach said, pointing each Koopaling out in turn. They simply glanced up boredly on hearing their names before going back to doing their own things. Ludwig began to play a piece on the old organ in Syrup's cabin. Roy continued to do push-ups and other various exercises. Iggy, tongue sticking out the side of his mouth, was intently working on a bunch of bob-ombs he'd found in storage, improvising and modifying them. What? Syrup had said he could. It wasn't like he was going to use them against her.

"Are these all of his children?" Syrup asked.

"No, Bowser has eight. His fifth child is also his only daughter. Her name is Wendy O. Koopa. She likes makeup, nice clothes, jewels, painting her nails, massages, and shopping, but at the same time has quite a tomboyish streak too. His sixth is the second biggest, or maybe even the biggest by now, of Bowser's brood. His name is Morton Koopa Junior. Morton loves to talk and talk and talk and talk. He'd be an excellent writer, I think. He enjoys it. I've read some of his stories. They're very good. He also loves to train and wrestle with Roy. The seventh is Larry. He's a prankster and thief like no other. He's sneaky and has a tendency to cheat at everything he does. While he's mature for his age in some ways, in others he's as much a child as Lemmy or Bowser Junior. Junior is Bowser's youngest child. He loves to paint. It's his favorite thing in the world. Bowser once told Junior I was his mother. It was cute in a twisted sort of way. He still calls me Mama Peach. Junior is the most like Bowser in appearance and personality. Bowser's favorite, though I don't personally agree with favoritism. What about you?"

"I never had to worry about it," Syrup replied. "Sounds like Bowser has his hands full."

"He has Kamek and Kammy to help," Peach said.

"And you," Syrup pointed out.

"Sometimes," Peach quietly said. She looked over at them. "As much as they're my enemies, I love them. Very much. I offered Ludwig the opportunity to be the heir of my kingdom once. I know that despite everything he's still his father's son and very likely wants the same thing for my people as Bowser does, but my hope is that in time he becomes greater than his father could have ever been."

"Isn't he already Bowser's heir?" Syrup asked.

"Junior took on that roll. Lord Bowser's favourtism at play," Ludwig bitterly said, speaking up for the first time.

"He made his youngest his heir?" Syrup incredulously asked.

"King Dad's not the brightest bulb in the batch," Iggy said, finishing his modifications. Proudly he held the Bob-omb up. "Look Captain Syrup, I improved all the bob-ombs in your arsenal. Do you have anything else I can work on?"

"Check the cabinet. There should be something there you can tinker with," Syrup replied.

Iggy immediately dove into the cabinet she'd pointed out to him. "Ooh, perfect," the Koopaling said. He laughed maniacally as he brought out a windup device and held it close to his chest as if it were a beloved object.

Lemmy groaned and Syrup turned her attention back to him. "Now, now, easy Sugar," she soothed.

Lemmy's eyes flickered weakly open. "Who are you?" he asked, curious about the pretty lady sitting at his bedside. He never had gotten her name.

"Captain Maple Syrup, queen of pirates and bane of the seas. Just ask King K. Rool how potent I can be," Syrup replied, eyes glittering boastfully.

"You're a pirate?! I love pirates!" Lemmy excitedly exclaimed, sitting bolt upright and grinning almost from ear to ear. He immediately regretted it and gasped, holding his head in pain.

Syrup laughed gently. "Lay down you," she chided, pushing the young Koopa back against the pillows. "You're in no condition to be moving quickly yet."

"Hey, where's my ball?" Lemmy asked, looking around.

"Over here!" Roy called. He was currently using it for exercise.

"Really Roy?" Lemmy said, narrowing his eyes in mild annoyance.

"You gots a problem, shrimp?" Roy growled.

"Do you really wanna find out?" Lemmy asked, eyes glittering slightly menacingly. Roy glared at him but said nothing in reply, choosing to let it slide this time. Syrup raised an eyebrow. Lemmy, catching the incredulous look, smirked. "I can be malicious if I need to be. And more scary than anyone thinks I am. I know how to defend myself! It comes from a lifetime of being pushed around by my bigger siblings. It's not like I got a lot of respect growing up. My big brother always disdained me and my younger siblings never listened to me or even gave me the time of day half the time." He smirked darkly. "Until one day they did. I was sure of it," he chillingly added with a wicked grin, revealing his claws and teeth. The others koopalings paused, watching him warily.

"What happened that day?" Syrup asked, now intrigued.

"I mean, Ludwig's disdain turned to admiration which was a pretty cool bonus. I never make him proud of anything I do, so that was special. I also started getting a lot more respect from the younger ones, but apparently, that's starting to wear off, so I might have to teach them all that lesson again soon. I can be bad if I want to! I just don't. Being bad isn't really my thing. I'd like to join a circus, but King Dad won't let me. He says it's unbefitting of a prince."

"You have yet to answer my question in detail," Syrup teased, smirking a bit.

"Let's just say Lemmy can be a scary little punk if he's inclined. Like a gremlin. And painful. His claws, teeth, and spikes are the sharpest of all of ours, and boy does the little guy use 'em. I'm permanently scarred because of 'em for the last time I tangled with Lemmy too rough. Usually, he lets himself be pushed around, but he didn't that day," Roy said.

"Roy had just left Lemmy beaten on the ground and whimpering. He even laughed at him, but Roy didn't see what vas coming next. Lemmy leapt from the ground like he vas numb to the feeling of pain—which was creepy in and of itself, might I add—and sprang onto Roy's back. He began ripping into his flesh and skin wherever it was exposed. Even Roy's shell wasn't able to fully protect him from the midget's wrath. We had to bring Roy to Kammy and Kamek for healing that day," Ludwig said.

Roy shuddered. "I still wince at the memory of the stitches they used to patch me together again. I mean, I still bugged Lemmy after, but when he got that look in his eyes... Yeah, depending on the squirt's mood, I backed off pretty quickly. I mean, to be fair, Lemmy felt horrible after that attack, so I'm not all that worried he'll do it again, but still. Better safe than sorry, and that's saying something coming from a guy five times his size," he said.

"You'd be smart to keep that mentality too," Lemmy said. He turned to Captain Syrup, putting on an innocent look. "Thank you for helping me, Captain Syrup. I'm not so bright, what I did was really dumb, but I manage."

Syrup wasn't fooled by the act. Clearly this Koopaling was capable of much more than he let on, judging by the way he'd quelled his much larger brother. She smirked a bit. "You were bright enough to know it was the quickest way to help your allies escape Wario's castle, and you're still alive even despite the chaos going on around you. That means you're brighter than you think you are." Lemmy perked up a bit and grinned.

"Syrup, can you handle the children alone? I'm going to check on Mario and the others," Peach said.

"I've handled worse and ransomed more than my fair share of dangerous princes," Syrup replied. "Sometimes all at once." Peach blinked at the woman in surprise. The Koopalings looked just as shocked. Peach looked back at the children, then at Syrup. "You're not going to...?"

"That wouldn't be the brightest move to make when their father's right on board now, would it?" Syrup replied.

"No. I suppose not," Peach said. She left hoping she wasn't making a mistake leaving the young princes in Syrup's care.

SMB

As soon as Peach was gone, Syrup turned back to the Koopalings. "So, what to do with you four," she said, a dangerous smirk playing across her lips.

"You're not gonna ransom us, are you?" Lemmy asked, eyes wide. "Where's King Dad?"

"Calm yourself, Lemmy. Father is out on the deck. As Syrup said, it vouldn't be a smart move on her part to play for ransom with Bowser standing right in front of her," Ludwig assured, giving Syrup a challenging look. Lemmy relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Baby," Roy bit.

"Leave Lemmy be!" Iggy snapped sharply.

"Why you…" Roy began, starting to get up. Iggy held out a bob-omb, grinning crazily. Roy froze. He had no idea what Iggy had done with that thing and he wasn't inclined to find out. Instead, he harrumphed and began doing crunches. He had to be ready to meet these infected creeps head-on. He needed to protect his siblings. No one hurt them except for him! No one was permitted to.

"Relax, my dears. The time isn't right just yet to strike at Bowser's weaknesses. I admit it's very tempting, though. Just think of the possibilities. Your father is filthy rich no doubt. I wonder just how much he'd be willing to pay to see his children back home safe."

"Nothing," Roy said.

"He probably wouldn't even notice," Iggy dryly agreed.

"Dad cares about us, he does! He'd pay anything!" Lemmy insisted, furiously defending their father.

"We'd be lucky if he paid ten coins per koopaling," Roy said.

Syrup was willing to bet Bowser would pay far more than that if push came to shove.

"He'd pay millions to get us back! He'd give up the Darklands for us!" Lemmy vehemently said.

Syrup wasn't sure if going as far as to say Bowser would give up the Darklands for them was accurate or just hopeful. Millions, though; that was all she really cared about.

"Our father is stubborn. He wouldn't pay a cent, not even for Junior," Ludwig said. He looked directly at Syrup. "He would just wipe out this entire crew."

"That I could believe," Syrup said. "No doubt your mother would help him." She knew she'd said something wrong the second Ludwig's notes on the piano turned sour. Roy froze mid-crunch. Iggy stopped in place, paling. Lemmy's expression filled with grief and anguish. She bit her tongue, sickly sweet smile vanishing. "She's dead, isn't she?" she gently asked.

"She might as well be dead!" Ludwig shot sharply, whipping around in his seat.

"Might as well be? So she's still alive?"

"As far as we know. We're just not sure," Roy grumbled.

"King Dad never talks about her. We don't even know where she is," Iggy added, shoulders sagging.

Lemmy was quiet, gazing sadly down at the blanket he was under. Absently he traced invisible pictures on it. "We miss her. We miss her so much. At least those of us who remember her do."

"How could she just-just leave us? We were her children!" Ludwig said, voice shaking with anger. There was grief also, though, written across his face. Syrup observed the other three. Tears threatened Iggy's eyes, but he kept them shut and looked away, putting down what he'd been working on. Roy was glaring at the floor frustratedly, confusion and hurt burning in his eyes along with the threat of tears. After a long moment, Ludwig looked up at Syrup once more. "She left after Junior was born."

"If she left because she hated Junior, we're better off without her. Anyone who hates or hurts my sibs gets beaten to a fine pulp. Or I guess in mom's' case disowned," Roy growled, trying to force back his tears. Men didn't cry, he told himself. That was a sissy thing to do! Lemmy was crying, though, and Lemmy had proven himself more of a man than any of them today just by going with Bowser and not chickening out like he, Ludwig, and Iggy had...

"I don't believe she hated Junior. I won't believe it! Why should Junior have been different than the rest of us?" Iggy demanded. "She-she loved us..."

"I know, but sometimes something goes wrong in a mother's brain after a child is born, and suddenly what was once happy becomes something sad," Syrup said.

"We know what postpartum depression is," Ludwig bitterly said. "It doesn't excuse her just leaving! It-it doesn't... Even if that was what made her go, why couldn't she have at least let us know she still loved us? Why couldn't she have at least let us know she was still alive?" Syrup was silent. She didn't know how to answer that one.

"She still loved us, I know she did," Lemmy insisted, voice breaking as he remembered her. He'd loved his mother with everything. He and Larry had been huge mommy's boys, but even then, Larry had never gotten the chance to really know her. Morton hardly remembered her himself. Junior certainly didn't. She was even a fading image in Wendy's memories it had been so long. "We want her back, we always have, but-but I don't think she's ever coming back."

"And Junior and Larry and Morton and Wendy… They just want a mother at all," Ludwig added, rising and leaving the room.

"Wendy was mommy's little angel," Iggy quietly said, frustratedly wiping away a tear in annoyance before following Ludwig. Roy harrumped and took off after them without a word. Lemmy sighed deeply and burrowed under his covers in an attempt to hide from the world.

"Lemmy…" Syrup began.

"Just let me sleep," Lemmy miserably said. Syrup was silent. Finally, she brushed a hand through his hair gently and left the room.

SMB

Captain Syrup made her way across the ship and went up to the helm. She looked out over the water, scanning for land or any other Pirate Ships, namely Captain K. Rool's. She knew he and his people had taken to the seas the minute this infection had started spreading. She somehow doubted, though, that he was still normal anymore. Last she'd heard, one of his men had been sick. Syrup scanned the deck below, mentally checking off the passengers she had. Lemmy was in her cabin. Ludwig, Roy, and Iggy were all heading toward the sleeping quarters. Waluigi, Wario, Mario, Luigi, Stanley, and Spike seemed to be catching up on old times. She'd been extraordinarily surprised to learn that Wario and Waluigi had another cousin besides Mario and Luigi, albeit an estranged one who, ultimately, wanted little to do with any of the four's adventures. Stanley, as she understood it, was content working his greenhouse and occasionally taking on Donkey Kong who was currently out of the picture, according to the survivors. Last but not least, besides her crew of course, were Peach and Mona who were chatting animatedly as they walked around the deck. All were present and accounted for. Wait. Where was Bowser?

She looked around, frowning. She didn't particularly trust the scaly reptile on her ship. Bowser had made quite a name for himself and was far from someone you wanted to trust. She soon spotted him crouched high up in the Crow's Nest looking out over the ocean. Thankfully, the crow's nest was big enough to hold him without the whole boat rocking from side to side. This ship wasn't small, after all, so it could take Bowser's weight. At least when he was this size. She was almost certain the Koopa King could change his height according to what he desired. It wouldn't be hard for him she figured. After all, Bowser was powerful. At least according to the stories. More powerful than he ever let on. If he ever unleashed all his abilities at once on Mario and Luigi, odds were he'd come a lot closer to victory than ever before. Hmm, perhaps she would climb up to him. There was nothing to do down here, after all, and he was a curiosity she wanted to make sense of. Mind made up, she headed towards him.

SMB

Bowser growled lowly, sensing a rise in temperature from somewhere nearby. It was a human. A woman. He turned coldly, hissing dangerously as his tongue - which he rarely ever displayed - flicked out, testing the air. It wasn't Peach. The air tasted of peaches when she was near, delicate and sweet. It wasn't Daisy either. When Daisy was close, the air tasted of exciting and exotic spices of all sorts that were native to the Chai Kingdom and Sarasaland. This taste was hard to pin down. A blend of flavours from all around the world. It was the taste of an adventurer, not a princess. Maybe it sounded creepy that he could taste the air and get an idea of who was near, but he was of a reptilian race. They did this sort of thing. It was part of their genetic makeup. In that sense, it wasn't creepy at all.

"Captain Syrup," he growled in greeting before she was even in sight. There was no other woman on board whose taste it could be, after all. A few seconds later, she climbed into the crow's nest.

"Bowser," she greeted.

"How's Lemmy?" Bowser asked.

"He's fine. Recovering quickly," Syrup answered.

"The kid always was tougher than I or anyone else ever gave him credit for," Bowser said, looking back out over the ocean.

"I suppose," she said. She paused for a moment, thinking of how to phrase her next question. "They mentioned their mother to me."

Bowser immediately stiffened. After a long moment, he looked at her, eyes narrowed. "Then you're the first. They never even talk about her to Peach. What... what did they say?"

"That they don't know whether she's alive or dead, you won't tell them either way, and not even your two eldest are certain what occurred," she vaguely replied. He was silent. She looked up at him and in his eyes she saw sadness and fatigue. "They want closure. Is she alive or dead?"

"As far as I'm concerned, Clawdia is dead," Bowser replied.

"Do you not know or do you just not want to say?" Syrup wondered.

Again Bowser was quiet. After a long moment, he said, "Alive last I heard, but it's been a long, long time since then. I don't believe it anymore. She died long ago. There's no other explanation for why she never came back."

"What happened?" Syrup asked.

"Why should I open up to a complete stranger?" he asked.

"Because I saved your scaly hide?" Maple bluntly replied.

He glared icily at her, but to be fair she had a point. He gazed again out over the ocean once more and was silent. Finally, he began. "After Junior was born she got sick with a rare disease that left her unable to care for him. Or any of them. That led to a deep postpartum depression that almost killed her. Then it did… She couldn't handle it. She felt like she was failing them, especially her youngest who was still just an egg. An egg she couldn't incubate. If she couldn't incubate it, it would die. It would die slowly and no one would be able to do a thing about it. She couldn't watch that. She couldn't handle it. She ran away… They never found her, not alive or dead, but I know she died out there somewhere. She wouldn't have left them for nothing. She couldn't have. Tell me she didn't."

Syrup leaned against the railing, watching the ocean. Part of her wished she could say those words to him, but as to the Koopa Queen's fate, she had no clue. "My mother left too," she quietly said. "She wasn't depressed or ill or anything, just one day I woke up and she was gone. I loved her so much. For the longest time, I believed she would come back for me, but she never did. I don't know if she's alive or dead. It's hard not to have closure. I'd do anything to know what happened to my mother. It's one of the reasons I became a pirate. I thought that maybe if I sailed far enough and visited enough locations, one day I would find her and I could bring her back. I can't claim to understand how you or your children feel, but know you're not alone in the losses you've suffered." She looked up at him. "At least your children still have their father. I had no one."

"I'm not much of a father," Bowser replied.

"Aren't you? That's not the impression I'm getting right now."

"You don't know me." He looked up at the sky. "They need a mother more than they need a father. Peach would be that mother if not for me. It's me she can't stand, and my children suffer for it," Bowser said.

"You lock her in a cage," Syrup bluntly replied.

"Because I can't do anything else!" Bowser replied.

"No one likes to be a prisoner," Syrup said.

"I give her everything. Free-reign of the Castle even!" Bowser argued.

"But she's still a captive," Syrup said.

"She loves my kids. She lets herself be captured just so she can be with them. I know because I've seen her fight before, and she could easily avoid being taken. Doesn't her love for them make that captivity bearable? Maybe she doesn't love them enough. Maybe that's why Ludwig refuses to call her mother or accept her as one. Maybe that's why he defends his siblings when she starts to get too close. Even though he has a soft spot for her and her for him, he knows it's not enough."

"It's enough," Syrup said.

"Then why won't she stay?! She's the only chance my children have of getting a mother. Don't they deserve as much? Doesn't any child?

"They do, but if you think they wouldn't be content with just you, you're gravely mistaken."

"I'm not enough."

"Yes you are."

"They need a mother."

"They have one. It's not like they're the only children whose mommy and daddy live separately." Having said that, she climbed up on the edge of the crow's nest and leaped out of it, grabbing a rope and nimbly sliding down to the deck below. Bowser watched after her in surprise, taken aback by her words. Maybe she had a point.

SMB

Talking about the past had been a grave mistake. They knew it the moment they got to the part where Spike had cast out Waluigi. Needless to say, things had gotten intense fast. Particularly between Waluigi and Stanley. They'd gotten into it deep. At this point, Waluigi was ready to murder and Stanley was ready to burst into tears and fall to his knees begging for forgiveness.

"I never meant for it to happen," Stanley said, voice breaking as he stared at the ground.

"But it did!" Waluigi shouted. "Now look at this family! We're-a nothing to each other!"

"That wasn't my fault!" Stanley shouted as he looked back up at his cousin, a surge of boldness and defiance shooting through him. "You, Wario, Luigi, and Mario hated each other from the moment you were put together in the crib! That was you and them, Wally, not me! All I ever wanted was for our family to be together! I wanted the five of us to be together! But you and Wario, you just made it so hard with your cruelty and greed and violence. You made us your victims, not your cousins! Me, Luigi, and Mario all. What we became to one another wasn't because of me. I just unintentionally sped up the inevitable. You would have ended up estranged from us eventually regardless, all four of you. Dad hated Mario and Luigi, you and Wario hated me."

"I never said I hated Mario and Luigi!" Spike defended.

"And Walu and I never said we hated you, Stan!" Wario added.

"I never said I despised either of you either, say for Waluigi, and that was only in a fit of anger! You nearly killed me, Wally!"

"How was I supposed to know the safety harness wasn't latched?" Waluigi demanded. "Thank your lucky stars I tried to save your sorry hide at all! After Luigi, you were the one I disliked most."

"And you nearly killed me multiple times!" Luigi snapped sharply at Waluigi, backing Stanley.

"Oh because you and Mario were so angelic," Wario snarled at Luigi. He looked at Mario. "Don't-a pretend you didn't-a get a kick out of putting down Waluigi and making him feel like crap."

"In defense of Luigi! You were doing the same to him! I was a bambino. How was I supposed to know there were better ways to deal with it than that?" Mario insisted.

"It wasn't-a just you. Luigi belittled Walu too!" Wario shot.

"For the love of… you all belittled each other!" Stanley shot. "I was the only one in this godsforsaken family who tried to keep the peace! I never insulted any of you. I tried to pull us together!"

"Until you ripped us apart by whining to Uncle Spike because…" Waluigi began.

"Because of you getting me rushed to emergency in a helicopter? Yeah!" Stanley shot. "What part of I almost died don't you get?! I repeat, I thought I was going to die! The doctors didn't even think I'd make it! That was all you!"

"It was an accident! I never wanted to hurt you! You were just so easy a mark!"

"I know I was, but not anymore," Stanley replied. "I don't want to war forever with you over what happened that night, cuz. I never wanted us to quarrel. It was dad's choice to cast you out, not mine."

"And for that, I'll take the blame. I chose badly and I've regretted it every day since," Spike said.

"That doesn't-a change what happened," Wario said, crossing his arms.

"I can only say I'm sorry so many times," Spike said.

"I'm-a not talking about just that! I'm-a talking about everything that happened between all of us! We can hardly even be classified famiglia anymore things got so bad, so how about we all stop playing innocent?"

"For once I'm-a agree with Wario." Mario said. "Everyone played a part in this disaster. It just was what it was."

"The only family I've-a ever had was my brother," Wario bitterly said. Waluigi nodded in agreement.

"Well same here!" Mario snapped, putting an arm around an obviously distressed and distraught Luigi, who had said very little throughout the argument.

"Maybe that was the mistake everyone made. We forgot what it meant to be famiglia," Spike bluntly said.

"Am I the only one who wants to fix this?" Stanley demanded.

"Cuz, the rift between me and you might be fixed, heck even the rift between Wario, me, Luigi, Mario, and Uncle Spike might be fixed, but it's-a too badly broken between Mario, Luigi, Wario, and I to ever be repaired," Waluigi said, forcing himself to deal with this more calmly than was his usual.

"I don't believe that," Stanley said.

"Believe it," Wario replied.

Frustrated, Stanley glared at the ground. Maybe it was a good thing this trip was gonna be a long one. More chances to work things out. Determined to make at least some headway here, he lifted his head once more. "Come on, Wario, cut me a break. Side with me here! What do you say? Are we family?"

Stanley offered his cousin his hand. Wario glared doubtfully at him, then glanced at said hand. After a long moment, he finally took it and met Stanley's eyes once more. "We always were," he said, shaking.

"Luigi?" Stanley asked, offering a shake as well.

"Nothing can ever change the fact we have the same blood running through our veins," Luigi said with a small smile, taking Stanley's hand and shaking.

"Mario?" Stanley asked, turning to Mario.

"I never stopped seeing you as family," Mario said to his cousin, shaking as well.

Waluigi remained grumbling off to the side. "Waweegee, get in here and makeup so we can get this crap done with," Wario ordered impatiently.

Waluigi was silent for a long moment as he glared at Stanley. Finally, he reached out his hand and shook. "Famiglia. Sempre famiglia," he said. Family. Always family. Spike grunted roughly and stuck out his own hand to the Mario and Wario Bros. Waluigi and Wario shook eagerly. Mario and Luigi, though initially more hesitant, soon relented and shook Spike's hand as well.

"Famiglia," Luigi said. Family was what they were, and whether they liked it or not, they had to learn to live with it.

Chapter 9: Further Losses

Notes:

The form Ashley takes that she calls her 'true form' is the one seen in WarioWare: Game and Wario at what I assume is the title card of her minigame there. Imagine it more in the style of Mario than the style it's in and you'll get an idea.

"Land ho!" one of Syrup's pirates called from the Crow's nest. The group joined Syrup up by the helm where she was looking through a spyglass. It had been two days since they'd boarded this ship. Lemmy had mostly recovered from his wounds, aside from some residual pain.

"The others must be worried sick about us," Mona said.

"I cannot vait to get home and show Ashley this new potion. We'll see how she likes that," Ludwig said, grinning at the treasure he'd found below deck. "That is, if I'm allowed to keep it, Captain Syrup."

"Of course you are. If it doesn't bring me gold, I have no use for it," Syrup said.

"A policy for the ages," Wario muttered to Luigi.

"Oh yeah," Luigi agreed, nodding. Sure his greedy streak had toned down a lot over the years, but it still lingered in some capacity. He had inherited it from Wario. Rather, Wario's father. He hadn't thought much about Unce Tony for a long time, he noted to himself. He felt a bit guilty about that. Especially now when... He stopped himself from thinking about that. "Hey Wario," he said, tapping Wario's shoulder. Wario gave him an annoyed look. "Let's go see what we can find in Syrup's trove," he quietly said so the others wouldn't hear. Wario grinned wickedly, rubbing his hands together. Subtly the two slipped away from the rest of the group and hurried into the hold where Syrup kept a good portion of her spoils.

"As soon as we get close to where Ludwig's stronghold is, I'll be able to summon the Rainbow Road," Peach said.

"I can't wait to get home!" Lemmy excitedly said.

"Then we can finally start working on a solution to this predicament," Iggy replied.

"Hopefully Kammy and Kamek have made progress in our absence," Ludwig said.

"Sure they have. They're probably workin' on the finishing touches now," Roy optimistically said. At least he was trying to be optimistic.

All at once they heard two blood-curdling screams that sent shivers down their spines. "Luigi!" Mario exclaimed, spinning around.

"Wario?!" Waluigi called. All at once the trapdoor leading up from the hold burst open. Luigi jumped out, white as a sheet. Wario followed and slammed it shut.

"What's going on?!" Foreman Spike demanded.

"Syrup's-a crew! Somehow one of them must have gotten infected, because now everyone down below is a zombie! Luigi blurted in terror. They gasped, paling, and the pirates above deck began to panic.

"We need to keep them down there until we can get closer to land where Peach can summon the road!" Mona exclaimed.

"They aren't-a gonna stay down that long!" Luigi called as one punched a hole through the deck and began feeling around.

"Oh no," Waluigi groaned.

"Quick, to the lifeboats!" Syrup yelled to her people. No sooner had the words left her mouth when the infected broke through the wood and began climbing onto the deck. Chaos ensued, everyone screaming and tripping over each other as they scrambled for safety.

"Mona, come on!" Wario called, seizing her hand tightly and running for a lifeboat.

"Roy, over there!" Iggy called to the only sibling he could see in the fray anymore. Roy raced over to him and tackled an infected that had been about to bite his little brother. Iggy pulled Roy up and raced towards the lifeboat that Wario and Mona were heading for.

"Peach, in here!" Mario cried, seizing her and diving over into a separate lifeboat.

"Ludwig, follow Mario and Peach!" Lemmy called over to his older brother in alarm. Ludwig breathed a column of fire at an attacking group, then turned, racing to Lemmy. The two eldest Koopalings dove over the edge and into the lifeboat with Mario and Peach.

"I'm-a gonna die!" Waluigi exclaimed in terror.

"Wally, here!" Spike shouted, beckoning Waluigi over to him. Waluigi looked quickly over and ran towards his Uncle. Spike grabbed Waluigi and threw him over the edge into a third lifeboat.

"Where's-a Wario, Mario, Staley, and Luigi?!" Waluigi demanded as Spike leapt down and landed next to him.

"I lost them," Spike tightly replied.

All at once Stanley and Luigi dove over the edge, screaming in horror. "Get us into the water!" Stanley insisted. Immediately they cut the ropes and the boat fell into the ocean. Quickly Mario followed suit in his, and Wario in his.

"Wait, what about our dad and our brothers?" Roy furiously shouted from his position in Wario's boat.

"Their loss," Wario replied.

"Why you little creep!" Roy roared, going to attack.

"Roy, ve're okay!" a voice called suddenly, stopping Roy in his tracks. Roy turned quickly. Ludwig! And with him was Lemmy who was cheerily waving.

"I have Iggy! Where's dad?" Roy called back, a wave of relief washing over him.

"We don't know!" Lemmy said. "Where's Syrup?!"

"Who cares?" Wario replied.

"Oh no, what if they're infected?" Mona fearfully asked.

"Then no more rival treasure hunters for me," Wario replied. "Mario, Luigi, Waluigi, Stanley, where are you morons?!"

"We're fine, Wario!" Stanley called back. "I've got Dad, Waluigi, and Luigi in this boat!"

"It's-a me, a-Mario!" Mario said as he brought his own boat up alongside Wario's. Wario looked over and glared coldly at him, eyes narrowed. Mario grinned mischievously. Soon enough Spike's group rowed up next to them as well.

"Oh no. Bowser," Peach said, eyes wide in fear. They saw a pillar of fire on deck and knew he was still alive. For how much longer they weren't sure.

SMB

Syrup, teeth clenched, fought to keep the ship on course. Bowser was below, fighting and blowing fire. The boat was lost, as was the crew. She cursed her ill fortune. What had happened? Her crew had been healthy! How could someone have gotten infected all the way out here? She heard a moan and spun with her cutlass, cutting down the infected that were converging on her. She heard a roar and gasped, spinning. Bowser was throwing them like mad and roasting them without hesitation! "Bowser, we need to leave!" she shouted. She heard a noise behind her and ducked before spinning and cutting down the attacker, but more were converging. She had no idea if he could hear her over the moaning and groaning. She looked back and saw him still decimating the hoard. "Majesty, your children need you! I'll cover your back!" Nimbly she rolled out of the way of another attack and jumped off the poop deck, landing on the main one. She ran towards the Koopa King cutting down all those who stood in her way while simultaneously trying desperately not to be caught. She sliced at an infected that was going for a part of Bowser that wasn't protected by his shell, namely the tail. He'd been distracted blowing fire and hadn't seen it. The infected that Syrup downed fell at Bowser's feet, startling him. He gave her a wary look right after. "I said go!" she ordered again. Suddenly she screamed as something from below deck grabbed her ankle and began pulling her towards the gaping hole in the ship. She would fall into a hoard, she knew, and stand no chance. "No!" she shrieked in terror, clawing at the planks. She screamed again as she lost her hold and fell towards them. All at once her arm was seized. Her eyes, tightly shut, snapped open as she gasped. Bowser was there, holding her up! The infected were still pulling. She felt as though she would be ripped in half at any moment and grimaced in pain, closing her eyes tightly.

Bowser growled lowly then roared in fury. He breathed a pillar of fire down into the hold. The infected shrieked in agony as they burned. She felt the grip on her ankle loosen. With a powerful yank, Bowser pulled her up and carried her piggyback style to the edge. With a roar, he jumped overboard and into the ocean, the Captain clinging tightly to him. She hoped desperately that he could swim. They splashed into the water and went under. She clung to his spikes, holding her breath. He broke the surface and began to tread water like it came completely naturally to him. She coughed, gasping for air.

"Dad, Syrup!" Ludwig called in alarm.

"I'm fine. Get rowing for land. We need to summon the Rainbow Road," Bowser said. They hesitated only briefly before doing as he said.

"Thank you," Syrup breathed, letting herself collapse against his back and finally relax. Bowser simply grunted in reply.

SMB

The Rainbow Road hovered above the water, newly summoned by Peach. They hadn't made it to land just yet, but fortunately, they hadn't had to. "After you, Principessa," Mario said, bowing to the princess. He frowned at the Koopalings and sighed. "You too, Ludwig and Lemmy." Peach smiled at Mario and began to ascend the road. Ludwig and Lemmy followed.

"Women and children first," Wario bluntly said, gesturing for Mona, Roy, and Iggy to go next. All too willingly they did. Mona rewarded Wario with a peck on the cheek, which he brushed off while grumbling in annoyance. Syrup stood on Bowser's back and clambered onto the road as well.

"Luigi, you first, then Waluigi, then Stanley, then Mario, then Wario," Spike said. Luigi, Stanley, and Waluigi clambered up onto the road. Mario and Wario followed. Spike looked down at Bowser. "You should go next," he said.

"I'm just fine swimming," Bowser growled in reply. In fact, he was quite enjoying his swim. He almost didn't want to get out. Still, what had to be done and all that. Spike harrumphed and obeyed. Bowser scrambled onto the Rainbow Road last, joining the others.

"Such a waste," Syrup ruefully said, forlornly watching her ship. "All that gold. All those men… We have to fix this."

"Are you okay, Captain Syrup?" Lemmy asked.

"I'm fine, Sugar," she answered, patting Lemmy's head. "Just a little shaken and sad."

"You're one tough lady, Miss Maple," Roy said in admiration. He offered a fist. "Pound it." She smirked and obliged, then immediately winced at the power in Roy's pound.

"It's extraordinary what the human body is capable of when put to the test," Iggy said.

"And the Koopa body," Syrup added, still marveling at the raw power Bowser had displayed.

"Ve should hurry. The others will be vaiting," Ludwig said.

"Well then lead the way. We don't know where we're going," Spike replied. Ludwig harrumphed and did so.

SMB

Parakarry, keeping watch for the others with a forlorn-looking Wendy at his side, felt his heart steadily sinking. It had been days now. They were dead. They had to be. He glanced worriedly at the crown princess. She knew what it meant if her father and elder brothers were gone, and she was clearly nowhere near ready for that. "Wendy, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"No," she quietly said, but she offered nothing more.

He looked sadly down and then back up. He flew up higher to see if he could spot anything. He squinted, scanning the clouds, then gasped, eyes widening. There, coming towards the Castle, was a very familiar group. "Wendy, it's them! I can see them!" he called down to her. She gasped, looking quickly up. Parakarry darted towards them. Wendy leapt up, got in her shell, and went after him. "You're alive!" Parakarry excitedly exclaimed to the returned group the moment he reached them. "Do you have any idea how worried we've all been?"

"I'm sure we'll find out," Bowser grumbled.

"Daddy!" Wendy exclaimed, leaping out of her shell and tackle-hugging him while fighting back the tears burning her eyes.. "I was so scared you and Luddy and Lemmy and Roy and Iggy were gone."

"We're back, little Princess. Everything's okay now," Bowser said in a gentler tone than usual, hugging her and carrying her back toward the stronghold.

They reached the Castle doors and the Koopa King pushed them open, revealing the Grand Hall. Everyone was there. Sharply they looked over and their eyes widened. "Bowser!" Kamek exclaimed, unable to stop himself from covering the distance and embracing the King that he'd raised from infancy.

Bowser thought about toasting him but then decided against it. In fact, shockingly enough he found himself hugging the old mage. "Dad," he muttered so quietly that only Kamek could hear. Kamek's eyes widened in shock. Why, Bowser hadn't called him that for decades. He smiled softly at the King and floated back.

"Daddy!" the three youngest Koopalings cried out, racing to Bowser and throwing themselves into his arms. "Ludwig, Lemmy, Roy, Iggy!" they added on seeing their siblings, immediately enveloping the four eldest in hugs as well.

"Welcome back, your Royal Familyness," Kammy gently said, smiling in relief and flying to Kamek's side. For the first time in days, she felt herself relaxing.

"Stanley? It's really you!" Pauline exclaimed in excitement, grinning widely. She ran to him and hugged him tightly. He laughed, returning the embrace. "What are you doing here?" Pauline asked.

"Cousin Wario and Cousin Luigi picked my dad and me up at dad's construction site. We escaped to Wario's Castle but eventually got swarmed. Luckily Mario, Waluigi, and the others came to our rescue in time," Stanley said.

"Wait, where are Candy, Diddy, Toad, Birdo, Tiny, and Dixie?" Daisy asked.

Immediately a hush fell over the group. "They… they didn't make it," Mario said, painfully looking down and to the side.

"No…" Rosalina breathed, covering her mouth.

"Wonderful. We're dropping like flies," Ashley said.

"But gaining new survivors each time," Ludwig pointed out, gesturing to Stanley, Spike, and Syrup.

"Speaking of which, who are you?" Wendy questioned the strange woman she'd never seen before.

"Me? I'm a Pirate. Captain Maple Syrup," Syrup replied, smirking. "You must be Wendy, Morton, Larry, and Junior. Your father, Princess Peach, and your brothers have told me a lot about you all. King Koopa saved my life."

"Only because you saved Lemmy's. Besides, I figured I might as well. What else was I supposed to do?" Bowser asked, shrugging.

"Welcome Captain Syrup, Foreman Spike, Stanley," Rosalina said with a smile. She remembered the names of the latter two from when Mario and Waluigi had first seen the situation their estranged family members had been in.

Daisy smiled as well, though her smile was sad. So many of their friends gone. Just like that. It hurt to know they weren't going to be there anymore. At least not until they fixed this. Star Spirits, how were they going to get out of this mess? "I can't believe this is happening," she said. Luigi, sensing her distress, gently took her into his arms. Gratefully she hugged him.

"What's the progress on a cure?" Bowser asked.

"Nothing we try is working, and we've tried everything. Even with Ashley's help, no magical brew has been able to reverse this," Kammy said.

"No wonder when Ashley's as clueless as the rest of us," Peach said.

Kammy and Kamek grimaced, exchanging looks, then looked back at them. "Um, about that," Kamek said.

The two Magikoopas filled the others in on what they'd pieced together from Ashley and Bowser's testimonies. The others listened wide-eyed except for Mario. Mario was frowning instead, expression grave. "What do you mean something else must be pulling the strings?" he asked as the magikoopas closed out their explanation.

"No clue," Kamek said, shrugging. "We just know Bowser didn't orchestrate this scenario and neither did any of the Koopalings, so something else must have found out what the tainted brew and the tainted mushroom did, and boy did they use it. To great effect, from the looks of things."

"How could any one person control every infected victim in the world?! How would they even start to figure that out if you need to know who all is infected in order to puppet them? It's-a not possible!" Mario insisted.

"Not for a mortal," Rosalina solemnly said. All eyes immediately snapped to her and there was stunned silence.

"What?" Bowser finally said, tone low.

Rosalina's grip on her wand tightened, but she didn't repeat herself. "I must investigate this matter."

"Starting where?" Peach worriedly asked.

Rosalina looked up. "The Cosmic Spirit. Her insight may be all I need."

"Hold off on that, Rosie. If it's something divine, you won't be able to stop them anyway. First, help us find a cure. We'll worry about what ran a zombie scenario on us later," Daisy said.

"Very well," Rosalina relented.

"Maybe Professor Elvin Gadd can cure this with science," Luigi said.

All eyes went to him in surprise. "Weegie, do you really think E. Gadd is still alive?" Mario asked.

"He lives way out in Boo Woods, bro. Where my mansion is. Why would the infected even go there? They'd-a have no reason to. Besides, those woods are haunted and creepy," Luigi replied.

"If there is a chance he can help us, ve must find him," Ludwig said, handing Ashley the potion he'd gotten from Syrup's ship. She started in surprise and took it, curiously looking at him. He grimaced a bit and turned away.

Ashley examined the vial and her eyes widened. "Ludwig, this is… Do you know how long I've been searching for this particular potion?" she said in disbelief.

"Uh, no?" he replied, unsure of how to react.

"Since I was eight!" Ashley exclaimed. "Finally my collection is complete!" She frowned a little and looked sad for a moment. "Red would be proud…"

"Who's Red?" Ludwig asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My guinea pig and familiar," Ashley replied. "He… he was turned…"

"Oh," Ludwig awkwardly said. He decided he'd probably be smart to shut up now.

"Why can't anyone get something nice for me?" Wendy pouted.

"I gave you that jeweled Console Controller I got when I made a run—err, a flight—down to the nearest town to get supplies," Parakarry said.

"You got me a what?!" she exclaimed in delight, grinning from ear to ear.

"Didn't I give it to you? I'm sorry, Princess Wendy," he said, quickly reaching into his mailbag and handing it over. "I sometimes forget. Given your guilty pleasure, I just thought you'd like it, so I grabbed it for you."

"OMG, this is amazing!" she squealed, jumping up and down. Parakarry grinned, lighting up.

"Are you sucking up to the royal family?" Bowser flatly said to the mailman.

Parakarry's smile vanished, his eyes bugging wide in alarm. "No sir King Bowser sir! I just wanted to do something nice!" Parakarry replied quickly.

"No courtship intent?" Bowser demanded, looking ready to kill if the answer was yes.

"Not when she's this young for sure," Parakarry said with a snort of derision. The girl wasn't even fourteen. He got Bowser's protectiveness of course, Wendy was his only daughter and eventually stuff like that would get to be a problem, but come on. For the king to think he of all people would be interested in a kid? Yeah right.

"Good. Keep it that way," Bowser said.

"I am, sire! I promise sire! I wouldn't even be ready for something like that sire! I'm too young as well sire, and she definitely is! I mean…" Parakarry stammered.

"Shut up while you're still ahead," Larry warned, covering Parakarry's mouth and glaring at him. Parakarry helplessly nodded.

"We should start for E. Gadd's shack tomorrow at the latest," Kammy said, breaking up the tension.

"Right," the others simultaneously agreed.

SMB

"I'm so totally glad you guys are back. Junior, Larry, and Morton were getting so annoying," Wendy said to Roy and Lemmy as the three of them walked down the corridors of Ludwig's Palace. "Ugh, there's no way Junior is ready for the throne. Not with things like they are now. Humph, if I'd had to take it over until Junior was ready, it would've been a nightmare."

"You'd have been a good queen," Roy simply replied, shrugging.

"Wh-what? Really? You think?" she asked, looking up at her big brothers.

"Sure we do. Why not?" Lemmy replied for Roy.

"Awe, thank you guys. That means a lot!" she replied, hugging them gratefully. Lemmy grinned and hugged her tightly back. It had been a long time since his sister had given him a hug. Heck, it had been a while since they'd last interacted.

Roy, for his part, blinked blankly then awkwardly returned her embrace, patting her back. Shell, rather. "Sure, sure, don't get all mushy 'cause of it," he grumbled. "We've had a rough time. I ain't in no mood for sentimental stuff."

"As much as I'm loathe to say it, I'm glad you guys are here and okay," Wendy admitted.

"We're glad too," Lemmy said. "We're also happy that you guys are still safe." Wendy smiled and the three went their separate ways.

SMB

Rosalina knelt next to Waluigi, looking over the various burns, cuts, and bruises he had sustained in battle. Thankfully none of them had been bites or scratches from the infected. There were burns from misplaced fire attacks and Syrup's burning ship, scratches from wood cracking or snapping before hitting him, scratches from his many spiky-shelled allies, cuts from racing through forests and prickle bushes and whatnot, chills from being out on the water so long in a sorry excuse for a boat, and shock brought on by the pace at which everything was moving. On top of that, now there was his his estranged family to contend with.

"It must have been a nightmare," she remarked as he finished describing all that had happened.

"As if I didn't have enough family members nearby," Waluigi grumbled.

"I meant out there," she replied.

"Oh. Yeah. Sure," he said. Well, that was awkward.

"Do not take your family for granted, Waluigi," she said.

"Spare me the lectures," Waluigi bit.

"Do you doubt my council?" she asked.

"Your family actually liked one other, Rosa. Mine doesn't," he replied.

"Can you truthfully say you feel nothing for them?" she asked.

"I can truthfully say I feel precious little for them," Waluigi replied. She was silent and for a moment he almost felt guilty. Almost. Okay, he felt guilty straight up, what of it? "How long have you wandered out there in the cosmos?" he asked, changing the subject. She glanced curiously at him via the mirror in front of them. "In your storybook, it said you came to Earth once every one hundred years," he explained. She was silent, head hung. His gaze softened. "Per quanto tempo hai vissuto, mia regina delle stelle?"

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"For how long have you lived, my queen of the stars?"

"Have you not yet determined it?" she asked.

"Over three thousand years, give or take?" he wryly said.

"So why ask?" she asked.

"I was hoping for something more specific," he said.

She looked back at him through the mirror. "The centuries began to blend together long ago. I have not known my true age for millennia now," she said.

"And you still remembered your family after all that time?" Waluigi asked.

"You underestimate familial bonds."

"Not all familial bonds are strong."

"You remember them nonetheless," she replied. There was a moment of silence between them. "I couldn't forget," she at last said. "I wanted so badly to."

"What was your mama's name? Her real one?" She didn't answer him. "You say your father's no problem."

"When have I said my father's name when it was not necessary to?"

"Guess you have me there," he replied. He thought a moment. "Was Dimentio actually your brother's name?"

"You know my father's. Is it so hard to believe he would choose such a name for his son? Yes, Dimentio was my brother's given name."

"Do you know what happened to him after the incident with the Smithy Gang?"

"His presence there was only ever meant to be temporary."

"So Underwhere?" She was quiet. "Sorry."

"My brother..." she began, folding her hands in her lap. She trailed off, sniffed, and closed her eyes. "Celestial Night, what pain did I cause when I left you? How many centuries was it before all the good in you died? How often did you mourn my loss? How often did you beg me to come home?"

Waluifi felt a painful clenching in his gut and knew she wasn't talking to him anymore. For a moment he wondered what it would have been like for him had he been in her place. "Rosalina?" he asked.

She shook her head. "He will not answer me," she said, voice wavering. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "I miss him so, so much."

"There's-a always the butterfly," he said.

"He cannot be brought back."

"But maybe through the butterfly you can speak to him again," Waluigi said.

"He hears me already."

"Are you sure you can hear him in turn?" She wouldn't meet his eyes, because the truth was she wasn't sure. "Tell me about your brother. How he used to be."

"He was dark and mysterious, intellectual and imaginative, chaotic and carefree. A son to make both mother and father's hearts sing."

"I don't-a think you need to ask him directly if he wept for you when you left. Pretty sure he's-a made it plenty clear he did. Maybe that's-a why he won't-a answer. Because he knows you have those answers already."

"When did the last part of him that clung to sanity and some form of goodness die? Where did he bury it away, never to call it to the light of day again?" she asked.

"I'm-a not convinced it's-a as dead as you think it is. Heck, I'm-a not convinced he's-a as dead as you figure either," Waluigi said.

"I want him back."

"So what's-a stopping you?"

"You know the answer to that. Prophecy."

"A prophecy that was never meant to be written in the first place."

"But it was written."

"Dimentio wasn't-a wrong when he said a prophecy could be fought." She was quiet, gaze still fixed out the window and pain in her eyes. He hesitated briefly, then gently reached out and lightly touched her cheek. Which, by the way, was bolder than he was used to being with her. She turned to him hopelessly. "It's-a worth it to try. At least for you. Eternity is a long time to be separated from someone you love." She sniffed, closing her eyes and looking away from him again. His touch, though, never left her cheek. For a moment he watched her. "Will my queen ever age? Ever be free of immortality's curse?" he soon murmured.

"I am nigh immortal. No, I will never be free of that. To watch the world around you dying, to see all those you loved taken from you... Perhaps it would not be so bad if no one else ever aged and they all were timeless, but that isn't how it is." She met his eyes once more. "I never wanted to love. I was never supposed to love. That I feel myself inching closer and closer to it terrifies me. I cannot love you, mortal. No matter how much I want to. To love you will mean an eternity of mourning. One day you will die, and I will live on forevermore yearning for you, just as I yearn for my family now. Only there will be no chance of a reunion with you. This is why I will not take you for my paramour. This is why I must leave."

Waluigi's mouth felt dry. "You honestly think you can stop yourself from loving me?" he managed to ask.

"I can try," she said.

"You'll-a love again after me, Rosa. I'm-a not under any impression I'll-a be the last. Eternity is a long time to grieve," he said.

"To one who has not loved deeply, I suppose it would seem that way," she said. He started and scowled at her, offended. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," she said, hanging her head.

Waluigi thought about retaliating, but he really didn't have the energy for that now. It wasn't warranted anyway. He got what she meant, really he did. It still kind of stung though. "Let me love you," he said.

"Have I stopped you from doing so?"

"Let yourself love me." Silence. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. "Sometimes love is worth the pain."

"You will not be the one in pain," she whispered. He closed his eyes. That one hurt too and made him feel like a selfish jerk.

"Then I'll-a let you go. Just stay."

A sob escaped her lips. Before she could stop herself, her lips found his and pressed firmly against them. He was startled at first, but quickly returned it, tucking his hand behind her head and deepening the kiss. She curled her hands into his shirt and held that kiss for as long as she could before letting out a soft breath and stopping. Tears flowed freely from her eyes.

"You have my heart, mortal, though I do not want you to. You have it and I cannot gain it back."

"Take it however you must. I give it back to you. Just tell me how," he said, voice breaking.

"Make me hate you."

He sobbed this time, pressing his forehead firmly against hers and nuzzling it. "Okay," he replied after a moment of composing himself. "Just give me a little while longer."

"I cannot hate you. Nothing you can do will make me hate you."

"Don't-a be so sure. I'm-a really, really good at making people hate me."

"I don't want to hate you."

"Until you find another way to take back your heart from me, hatred is all I can give you."

"No more beautiful words, I beg you!"

"I'm sorry. Forgive me." She sniffed and leaned against him, closing her eyes once more. In his arms she let herself weep as he gently stroked her hair and cursed their ill fortune.

SMB

"There has to be someplace we can go that's safe. We can't keep coming back here whenever we run into trouble. The Rainbow Road doesn't extend everywhere. There are some areas it simply can't reach," Peach said to her fellow rulers. These consisted of Bowser, Daisy, and a sullen Rosalina. Pauline was grandfathered in too. Syrup attended as well. As a pirate that sailed everywhere the wind blew, she had insights they didn't.

"So let's review what kingdoms we know are lost and which ones might still be okay," Daisy said, leaning over the world map that sat between them. Rosalina waved her hand over it. The lands they knew were gone lit up. There was only a handful they weren't sure about.

"You can cross off these two," Bowser said, pointing at a pair of kingdoms side by side. That was intel he'd kept quiet until now. Intel that he'd received closer to the start of this mess.

"And these," Daisy stated, pointing at three smaller areas. "As I was fleeing Sarasaland I passed them by. There were a lot of ill people and no doctors working to cure them. I'll bet it was this infection. I didn't stick around to find out."

"That leaves only these four," Peach said, pointing them out.

"Two. Waffle Kingdom and the other one are both gone," Syrup stated. "My men and I sailed by them only a few days before picking up your friends. There was nothing left."

"I'll examine the last two," Rosalina said, waving her wand and closing her eyes. The image of the two kingdoms lit up.

"Gone. Both of them. There's nowhere left," Bowser stated.

"Wait, what's this here?" Pauline asked, pointing at a small part of the map where the outline of a small Kingdom could be seen.

Syrup squinted at it curiously. Her eyes widened in surprise. "It's the Flower Kingdom," she said.

"Which is…" Pauine pressed.

"A beautiful land, very prosperous but virtually unknown. It's ruled by my ex-fiance," Peach said.

"You were betrothed, Peach?" Pauline asked, surprised at this.

"Long ago. Just before I met Mario and Luigi," Peach replied.

"What happened?" Rosalina questioned.

"I fell in love with Mario. The Prince, Haru, came to realize it and set me free of the engagement," Peach vaguely summarized. "It's a painful time to look back on. I hated hurting him. I would have happily been his wife regardless of Mario, he was a good man, but he refused to bind me to him when my heart was clearly with another." She paused a moment. "He loved me very dearly back then," she quietly said. Rosalina immediately regretted asking. The last thing she wanted to hear about right now was love.

"Check it," Bowser said to the cosmic queen. Rosalina did so, opening an image of the Flower Kingdom. They all started.

"It's alive. Whoever this Prince Haru is, he's kept it clear," Rosalina said in wonder. "It's nothing short of a miracle."

"He's a good ruler and always has been," Peach said.

"Ruined Kingdom and Lost Kingdom. What about those?" Daisy asked. Rosalina peered into them as well. "Lost Kingdom is lost. Ruined Kingdom... There is nothing there, anymore, that could have been taken by this plague."

"So we have two potential safe havens then, not counting Cloud Kingdom. Hopefully, we won't need either," Syrup said.

"Our focus from here on out needs to be on fixing what's happening down below," Daisy said.

"Then try Luigi's solution of Profesor Elvin Gadd," Rosalina said.

"We'll need a safe place for him to work where he'll be close to key ingredients he'll need. Bringing him up here so far from those ingredients isn't going to work," Pauline said.

"Right now, Luigi's mansion is about as safe as it's gonna get down there. He wasn't kidding when he said it was isolated, and we can't very well kingdom hop over to Ruined or Flower. They're too far and there's no guarantee we'd find whatever we need in either location," Daisy said. "If all else fails, we hole up back here until the infection runs its course."

"If that's the plan we all agree on, then, let's start trying to find this Professor Gadd guy that Luigi knows," Bowser said. The others nodded in agreement.

SMB

Ashley sat on the parapet of one of Ludwig's castle towers. Down below the others were gathering in preparation to head back down to the surface. Ludwig was close at hand, standing behind her and frowning while going over a list he had on a clipboard. A mini census of sorts. He'd taken it not long ago so they'd have a written record of survivors and previous survivors. "So?" she asked.

"So vhat?" Ludwig asked.

"Who all is left as far as survivors go?"

"You can see that for yourself plainly enough," Ludwig replied. She gave him a cold look. He seemed to sense it and glanced up at her, eyes narrowed. "Humph. Fine. Living we have Bowser, Captain Syrup, Kamek, Kammy, me, Lemmy, Roy, Iggy, Wendy, Morton, Larry, Junior, you, Mona, Wario, Waluigi, Rosalina, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Stanley, Spike, Pauline, and Parakarry. Twenty-five in total not counting pets and familiars."

"What have our losses been so far?" Ashley asked.

"DK, Candy, Diddy, Dixie, Funky, Tiny, Toad, Toadette, Yoshi, and Birdo," Ludwig replied. "We've been doing vell given the situation. Ten gone, twenty-five living. Mario and co started with twenty-one, so we've gained four more. King Boo and Petey Piranha never joined, so they don't count."

Ashley turned around and hopped down off the parapet. "It's a decent increase. That means we'll last at least a little while longer," she semi-optimistically remarked. Not that she was an optimist in any sense of the word. "Are we heading down?"

"I suppose we should, but I don't like that everyone is going together. I'm of the opinion ve should leave at least some people here."

"Did you bring that up to your father?"

"For all the good it did me. For all the good it ever does me. Father thinks splitting the group vill be too risky."

"What makes him say that?"

"The clouds are no longer white and fluffy, even up here, and it doesn't sit vell vith him. I'm not in agreement that the clouds can hurt us. I told him that too, before you ask, and his response was that Lakitu's know about this place, infected or not, and zombified paratroopers are going to eventually come investigate too probably."

"Would they really be bothered to try and find us?" Ashley asked.

"Lord Bowser seems to think so. Besides that, he wants all his children in sight and refuses to separate us."

"He wants to protect you."

"He's going to get us killed instead."

"Do you doubt your father that much?"

Ludwig shifted a bit. "With Bowser, you can never tell whether the ideas are brilliant or stupid," he grumbled.

"He's lasted this long," Ashley said with a shrug. "Maybe you should trust him."

"Forgive me if I choose not to pay attention to the opinions of an eight-year-old," Ludwig condescendingly replied.

Ashley frowned at him. "I'm fifteen," she said. He raised an 'eyebrow' doubtfully. "I take it you don't believe me?" she asked.

"You look five. I gave you the benefit of the doubt claiming eight," he flatly replied.

"Oh really?" she testily said. Taking out her wand, she began waving it in the air before tapping herself on the head. Immediately her form changed, and Ludwig's eyes blew wide open in shock, and his jaw dropped. Oh, she definitely didn't look like a child anymore. "This is my true form, Koopa Prince. Looking like a child just keeps boys from bothering me and distracting me from my spells." She conjured her broom and hopped on. "Now that that's cleared up, let's get down to the courtyard and join the others." Ludwig shook his head and scowled, snapping out of his shock. With a harrumph, he leapt over her head, landed on the parapet, then jumped off it. Ashley started and quickly flew to the edge, looking after him. To her surprise, he began to flutter! She blinked and quickly flew after him. "You know how to flutter?" she asked as she came alongside him, genuinely surprised. Flutter jumping wasn't something dragon koopas, or even koopas in general, were known for.

"Self-taught," Ludwig boasted as he continued to flutter down.

They landed near the doors. Bowser came out of said doors just as they did, and they gasped, quickly turning to him. Bowser paused and raised an eyebrow. He looked them appraisingly over, met Ashley's eyes, and growled warningly at her. Ashley frowned. "What?" she demanded.

"Get away from my son," Bowser flatly replied.

Ludwig face-palmed, grimacing in embarrassment. Ashley frowned at Bowser and changed her form back to the childlike one. Bowser started, blinking, but didn't otherwise comment on the transformation. Ashley could only assume that was because rumor had it Bowser was something of a shapeshifter himself. Or at least he knew the magic to do it if he so wanted to. She half wondered if Ludwig knew that bit of mysticism yet. "I'm not interested in your son," she said.

"You should be honoured to court my son," Bowser replied.

"Frankly, I find him insufferable."

"The feeling is mutual," Ludwig bit. Bowser rolled his eyes and walked past them to join the rest of the group. Ludwig and Ashley exchanged grimaces and followed. As soon as everyone was gathered, the twenty-five survivors set off.

SMB

For a while the trip was quiet. They had run into a few hoards, but nothing they couldn't take care of. They were a large group, after all. Theoretically, nothing would be able to touch them. Unfortunately, nothing ever went as smoothly as all that. Besides, they weren't exactly having a good day. There were clashes happening left, right, and center, and it was getting loud and ridiculous.

"How are we supposed to make it through this if we're always fighting?" Junior asked Wendy, looking forlornly up at her.

"Ugh, tell me about it," Wendy agreed.

"Wendy, are you gonna die?" Junior asked.

"Cha, yeah right," Wendy replied, obviously offended at the idea she would fall. "I'm daddy's little girl. He won't let anything happen to me."

"Um, c-can I tell you something?" Junior asked. Wendy raised an 'eyebrow', looking down at him. "I-I think I'm afraid," Junior quietly admitted.

"Well stop being scared. I'll protect you," Wendy said, getting annoyed with her baby brother.

"You will?" he hopefully asked, looking up at her with eyes wide.

"Of course I will. That's what big sisters do. Protect their little siblings. Besides, if you were gone, who would I play video games with? Just Larry?" she asked, smirking at him. Junior grinned widely. Usually, his family was at each other's throats, always fighting and plotting to kill one another. This infection, though, had changed things a bit. At least for now. When it was over they would probably go back to being the same as always, but until then there was this. Not to say everything was going smoothly.

Junior and Wendy heard their siblings squabbling up ahead and grimaced, looking over. Roy was currently battling it out with Ludwig. Iggy was trying to experiment on a loudly protesting Morton. Lemmy and Larry were getting on everyone's nerves, racing around playing jokes or pranks on them and generally not being serious about this at all, and that was only their family. It only got worse from there. Wario, Waluigi, Mario, and Luigi were all over one another as Spike and Stanley tried to keep them apart. Soon, though, Spike and Stanley were dragged into the family feud as well. At the same time, Ashley was getting snappy with Mona, and Peach was squabbling with both Pauline and Syrup. Daisy was getting on Bowser's nerves, Polterpup was chasing around both Luma and Wario's pet hen, getting them agitated, and Rosalina was just shaking her head at the whole mess along with Parakarry. Hopelessly Junior and Wendy exchanged glances.

SMB

"This is not going to end well," Parakarry, flying alongside the queen of the cosmos, said to her. "I don't think most of us are even paying attention anymore."

"The group is too large. They're beginning to think themselves invincible," Rosalina grimly replied.

"Aren't you invincible? Can't you make them invincible too?"

"You give me more credit than is my due. I am immune to this plague, yes, but that doesn't mean I can't still be hurt. As for making the rest of you invincible, that is not my place."

"What's the point of limitless power if you have to follow rules?" Parakarry asked.

"There must always be balance, Parakarry. Even amongst the gods and goddesses."

"Are you a goddess?"

"I am like one."

"Will you become one?"

"That isn't mine to say." All at once they heard a bloodcurdling scream and gasped, whipping around. Their eyes widened. Wendy!

SMB

"Wendy!" Junior screamed in terror. The infected had come out of nowhere. It had jumped them from nowhere! Wendy had seen it. She'd screamed and thrown herself at Junior, pushing him out of the way. Now it was on top of her trying to bite and scratch her! He didn't know what to do! The only reason she was safe right now was because she'd tucked into her shell!

"Princess Wendy, hold on!" Parakarry exclaimed, zooming towards them and tackling the infected off the young girl. As soon as Wendy realized the infected was off her, she sprang out of her shell and began using her magical staff and her powers against others that were now creeping out of the woods and starting to close in on them.

"Into the middle kids, now!" Bowser ordered. Quickly Wendy retreated to her father, grabbing Junior along the way and pulling him along behind her. They got into the middle of the group along with their siblings, Ashley, Luma, Polterpup, and Hen, and the adults closed in around them. Said adults then really stepped things up and relentlessly began attacking the swarming infected.

SMB

"There are too many!" Pauline cried as they battled for all they were worth. She shrieked as one went to bite her. Stanley leapt forward, dragging her back and spraying a potent chemical solution right into the infected Koopa's eyes. It shrieked in pain, falling back and clawing at its face.

"Are you okay?" Stanley asked.

"I-I'm fine. Look out!" she exclaimed, immediately attacking an infected that was about to bite Stanley.

"Stanley, focus, dammit!" Spike barked sharply, unimpressed that his kid had almost been zombie chow.

"Sorry dad," Stanley called back.

"We're not going to make it," Parakarry fearfully said.

"Not with that attitude we won't," Mona replied.

"This is only getting worse!" Parakarry blurted.

"Just focus. We'll be okay," Mona said.

"We have to get somewhere safe!" Parakarry insisted.

"Then fly up and find us somewhere safe!" Bowser roared at him.

Parakarry looked urgently around and flew up higher into the sky to search. He squinted. There was something there. His eyes widened a bit. An old castle it looked like! "Over there! A ruined castle!" he exclaimed, pointing. "It has a stone wall and a courtyards and everything! I'm going to try and clear the way!"

"What? You'll get yourself bitten!" Wendy exclaimed.

"We're all gonna get bitten if we can't get somewhere safe!" Parakarry replied. With that, he zoomed off.

"Parakarry, wait!" Wendy cried. She looked quickly at her father. "Daddy, he's going to get himself killed!"

"He won't be the only one," Bowser grimly said.

"Parakarry, hold on! I'm-a gonna help you!" Mario called.

"Me too!" Stanley said.

"And me!" Pauline called.

"Wait, we shouldn't split the group! Mario!" Bowser shouted. Mario either ignored him or couldn't hear him, and the koopa king cursed as the hoards closed in on the new weaknesses, splitting the group even further.

SMB

"Wario!" Mona exclaimed, quickly moving to save her boss from an infected that had leapt onto his back. She managed to get it off of him and in relief threw herself into her boss's arms. He grabbed her firmly and dragged her back towards the safety of the group. What was left of it at least. At this point it had fractured pretty badly, and he couldn't help but feel like that was going to cost them.

Meanwhile, Daisy and Luigi were also struggling. "Daisy, over here!" Luigi called, grabbing the princess's wrist and pulling her away from the infected back towards the dragon koopas, magikoopas, and Captain Syrup.

"Luigi, no! We have to help Parakarry clear the way!" Daisy insisted.

Luigi briefly hesitated, but then nodded. Quickly the two hurried to help Parakarry, Mario, Stanley, and Pauline free up the path to the ruined castle.

"It's clear! Let's go while we still have the chance!" Stanley at last exclaimed. Everyone ran for it, but all at once there was a scream and they turned, gasping.

"Mona!" Wario exclaimed, eyes widening in terror. Mona was clutching a bite mark in her arm, an infected immobilized on the ground at her feet. Her teeth were clenched in pain and she was shivering, beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead. She gasped and met Wario's eyes in despair. "Wario?" she fearfully said. He cursed loudly, ran back, and scooped her up in his arm.

"Wario, what are you doing? Leave her! She's gone!" Spike shouted.

"He's-a right, Wario! Don't-a bring her back to us!" Mario exclaimed.

"Boss, you have to leave me!" Mona pled, feeling herself drifting towards unconsciousness.

"No!" Wario replied.

"Wario, please! I don't want to hurt you!" she begged.

"I'm-a not goin' anywhere," Wario said.

"Dang it Wario, we don't-a have time for this!" Waluigi shouted.

"Cuz, I know she's your girlfriend and all, but..." Stanley began.

"She's-a not my girlfriend!" Wario insisted.

"I would have liked to be," Mona murmured with a smile before falling unconscious. Wario looked fearfully down at her, willing her not to turn and willing her to wake up again as clingy as always.

"Let her go, Wario!" Parakarry insisted, flying back to Wario and hovering above him.

"No!" Wario shouted.

"Oh for the love of koopas!" Parakarry said when he noticed her starting to turn. He did the only thing he could think to do. He dove, grabbed Mona from Wario, and flew her far away. Before he could drop her, though, she woke up with a scream and bit him hard! He cried out in pain and hit the ground, but the others were safe at least. That was all that mattered.

"Parakarry!" he heard Wendy and Mario scream.

"Go! Keep going!" Parakarry ordered. He'd done what he could for them.

"We can't!" Wendy exclaimed, trying to run back to him. Bowser caught her arm firmly and dragged her away towards the castle. "No, let me go! Daddy, let me go!" she screamed insistently.

"Wendy, drop it! Please!" Ludwig begged. Wendy sobbed, looking down. Nonetheless, she listened to her brother and gave in, letting her father pull her along.

Wario watched after Mona and Parakarry in shock. "Mona…" he whispered.

"Hurry Wario!" Peach exclaimed, running back and taking his hand. She tugged firmly at it, urging him to follow.

"If we're not quick we're going to lose someone else!" Daisy said. Just then Peach shrieked as an infected leapt out of the forest in front of her and attacked! Before she or Wario could even move, it had sunken its teeth into her arm! "Peach!" Daisy shrieked.

"Get off her!" Wario bellowed, plowing the infected over.

"Peach!" Mario cried, racing towards her. Daisy followed. So did Stanley, Waluigi, and Luigi who had noticed even more infected pouring from the woods and closing in on the princess and Wario.

"M-Mario…" Peach breathed weakly as he and Daisy reached her side.

"No, don't-a go, Principessa, please! Please!" Mario pled.

"Do you know I love you?" Peach asked, smiling softly.

Devastation immediately crossed Mario's face. He felt like he'd just been punched in the gut. "Peach, don't-a leave me. Don't-a leave us!" he replied, clinging to her hands.

"Fix this. Save the world. I know you can, Mario. I know it," Peach said.

"No! Peach!" Mario begged.

"Peach!" Bowser exclaimed, racing to her side along with his children.

"Mama Peach, Mama Peach!" they all cried together, say for Ludwig.

"Run, my darlings. Run," she pled as she felt herself changing.

"Peach..." Bowser numbly said.

"Bowser, take them and go! Please! I don't want to hurt you! Not any of you! Leave me! Now!" Peach sobbed, trembling.

Uneasily Bowser backed away, arms spread out to push his kids away from her. Frantically they tried to reach her, but he wouldn't let them. "Go!" Bowser roared viciously at his brood! His voice boomed loud enough to make them recoil in fear! "Go!" Bowser roared again, pointing. Though they didn't want to, they turned and ran towards the castle once more. Bowser looked woefully back at Peach one last time, then hurried after his children. They weren't going to make it he knew. Not with the infected as thick as they were now. This hoard needed to be cleared out before they could even think about reaching that castle, and that was the truth of it. All he could do was hope he could manage to keep his children alive long enough to make that happen.

"Don't-a ask me to leave you," Mario pled, refusing to let Peach go.

"You have to. Don't be afraid. It's only for a little while. I know you can save us," Peach said, smiling softly. Mario shook his head frantically then suddenly moved, taking her lips with his. She curled her fingers in his shirt, closing her eyes tightly as tears escaped them. Mario pulled away too soon. "I love you," he breathed.

She sniffed and opened her eyes, forcing a smile. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear that," she replied. Letting him go, she backed away until she collapsed to the ground coughing and choking, hand at her throat. The transformation was taking hold.

"No! No, they're dead!" Daisy screamed, charging at the infected with intent to kill.

"Daisy, don't-a do it!" Luigi cried desperately, racing after her. Before he could reach her, though, she disappeared into the hoard! "Daisy, Daisy, please! Principessa answer me!" Luigi cried, making for the place he'd last seen her. There was no reply. He would have thrown himself right into the swarm after her if not for Spike. Before he could run himself to certain death, his Uncle caught him from behind and held him back. "Luigi, don't!" the man shouted.

"Daisy! Daisy!" Luigi cried frantically with a sob.

"It's okay, Lu. It's okay. We'll fix this, I promise, just stay with us, okay? Stay with us!" Luigi broke down, hanging his head, but he listened to his Uncle's words. As soon as Spike was sure Luigi wouldn't fling himself to the hoards solo, the foreman let him go and raced back to help the others clear out the converging masses. Luigi, shaking, scowled and raised his head darkly before plunging back into the fray as well, this time at his family's side.

Chapter 10: A False Sense of Security

Time felt like it was crawling by like years, but it was only ten minutes before the hoard was downed. Now the survivors were regrouping. "Who all is missing?" Pauline fearfully asked as they joined up with one another.

"Ashley, Daisy, and Uncle Spike," Waluigi replied, panting.

"I'm right here, but I won't be for long. They got me," Ashley said, staggering towards them in her true form while clutching her shoulder.

Ludwig started, eyes widening. "Vhat?" he asked.

"I was bitten," she repeated, glowering up at him while the others, say for Kamek, Kammy, and Bowser, gawked at her changed appearance. "Here's what you can add to your little list. Koopa prince. As far as losses go, there was Peach, Parakarry, Mona, and Daisy. At least as far as we know. Soon me too."

"Daisy is gone? How do you know that?" Luigi asked, stunned.

"She was the one who bit me," Ashley replied, looking down. "She seemed so normal. She was fighting alongside me one second and the next… The next she was sinking her teeth into my shoulder. I don't even know when she was infected. She seemed so untouchable."

"She always was," Luigi numbly replied.

"Have you tried any spells, my dear?" Kammy urgently asked, concerned for the girl. "Any at all?"

"Do you know of one?" Ashley almost vulnerably asked.

"If we did, we would have used it long ago," Kamek solemnly said.

"There has to be something!" Ludwig said, turning to the magikoopas. Both were silent, looking grim and pained. Ludwig stared at them in disbelief then looked back at Ashley.

"This-this can't-a be happening, it can't-a be!" Luigi blurted, holding his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help your princess," Ashley said. She winced and hissed in pain. "Here I thought I could make it through this nightmare."

"Ve vill find a cure. I swear it," Ludwig replied, taking her arm and examining the bite on her shoulder. He winced a bit. It looked so painful. He wanted to tell her to just hold on, but he knew she couldn't. He wanted to tell her it would be okay and that they would make it through this alive. He knew otherwise. He let her go. "I'm sorry ve weren't able to help you."

"It's fine. I'll be fine. This has to be fixed. It has to be. Just… just hurry. Please. I don't relish the idea of being undead." Ludwig nodded. Ashley backed away from them, then turned and ran into the forest so that when she turned, she wouldn't be close to her allies.

"Rosalina, can't you do something? Anything?" Pauline asked, audibly distressed.

"I am permitted an intervention. One single intervention. If I use it on the girl, there will be no using it again. There are rules even deities must follow in situations like this," Rosalina said.

Ludwig watched helplessly after Ashley. If they were doing this, they had to do it now, but that wasn't his decision to make. What did he care anyway? He looked down darkly. "This ends now," he dangerously said, clenching a fist.

"Use the intervention on Ashley," Kammy said to Rosalina.

"Why should we choose to save the witch over Parakarry or even Mama Peach?!" Wendy demanded, eyes narrowed.

"Because she's more useful than Parakarry is, but I'm on your side with Mama Peach," Iggy said. He looked back at the others anxiously. "Mama Peach is one of the seven star children! Doesn't that automatically make her more useful than most?"

"Where's-a Uncle Spike?" Waluigi nervously asked, looking around.

"Boys!" they heard their Uncle shout from somewhere in the woods. They gasped, looking quickly in that general direction.

"Dad?!" Stanley called, eyes filling with concern. He began to jog towards the voice.

"He sounds hurt. Weak too," Wario uncertainly remarked.

"We have to stop Stanley before he gets hurt," Mario said. Quickly he ran after his cousin. The others - not just Waluigi, Wario, and Luigi - followed after him.

The Wario and Mario bros reached their Uncle shortly after Stanley did and slid to a stop with gasps. There, lying on the ground, was Foreman Spike! Stanley stood in front of him like a statue, mouth agape.

"Uncle Spike!" Luigi cried, hurrying forward.

"Are you boys alright?" Spike demanded of them, looking tired and in pain.

"We-we're-a fine, Uncle, but-but you…" Luigi began, surveying the various bite and scratch marks.

"Are infected? Yep," Spike said.

Immediately Stanley snapped out of his shock. "No! Dad, come on, we're going to get you help! We're going to get you…" Stanley began.

"You're going to get me nothing but a comfortable place to turn with what's left of my family surrounding me," Spike interrupted.

"Us too?" Luigi asked meekly as Mario put a comforting arm around his shoulders. Wario and Waluigi came up alongside them as well, looking torn.

"Yeah. Even you two," Spike confirmed. "I'm proud of you boys. All five of you. I know I didn't always show it, but I was. Even after you broke off from my company to start your stupid plumbing business, Mario and Luigi."

"We thought you hated us for that. We thought you hated us for a lot of things," Mario said, kneeling next to the man and taking his hand. He didn't know what else to do at this point.

"I never said I hated any of you. Not even you and your brother," Spike said. Mario and Luigi swallowed painfully. Tears burned Luigi's eyes. Wario bowed his head sadly, clenching his teeth and willing back the burning sensation in his own eyes. Waluigi shook his head, covered his mouth, and to everyone's surprise, let out a sob. He actually sobbed. "Easy Wally, don't do that or I'll have to start calling you a wimp like I do Luigi," Spike said. Luigi started, looking offended. Spike just chuckled and fondly reached out, ruffling his green-clad nephew's hair. "I cared about you boys, all of you. No matter what it seemed like. Don't forget it," Spike said. Luigi's expression became grieved once more.

"Dad... Dad, don't leave me," Stanley begged, voice breaking as he fell to his knees next to the man.

"Hey, I'll be back, kiddo. Just you wait and see. I love you, son," he said.

"I love you too, dad," Stanley said, voice wavering.

"We all did," Wario managed to say, though his voice was unusually hoarse. Spike smirked, nodded, then laid back as the infection began to consume him. Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi rose shakily. Stanley didn't move, just stayed sobbing over his father's body. Waluigi grabbed him quickly, though, when Spike began to stir and growl.

Stanley stumbled back but recovered his step and stood looking broken. "Dad, dad no!" he cried, reaching towards the man but not going nearer.

Pauline hurried to him, hugging him from behind. He broke down, bowing his head low. "It'll be okay, Stanley. It'll be okay," she soothed, tightening her embrace.

Just then, they heard Kammy softly gasp. "Oh my," the elderly magikoopa tightly said.

The others turned and started with shocked breaths. Approaching them was Rosalina leading Ashley behind her. The girl looked flustered and nervous. "Ashley!" Ludwig exclaimed.

Ashley flushed and hung her head, looking away and closing her eyes. "Wh-why her? Why her?!" Wario furiously demanded.

"Because she is more useful than any of the others we've lost today," Rosalina said. "The Star Children have no power here, and saving those without powers at all could not have been justified in a situation such as this."

"Why use it on her at all instead of saving it?" Mario numbly asked in disbelief.

"Because the girl is more powerful than she knows," Kammy immediately said, quickly floating up to the young witch. "You're alright," she tightly said, taking Ashley's hands in hers. Ashley looked woefully up at her. "It's alright, dearest, it's alright. Don't feel guilty. You might just save this for all of us."

Ashley looked past Kammy at the others. "I really don't feel like I'm the class favorite right now." Almost every single one of them was glaring darkly at her say for a few. Ludwig just looked shocked, Kamek looked relieved, Syrup looked indifferent, and Bowser seemed indifferent at best, and suspicious at worst. Aside from them, Kammy, and Rosalina, though, she really wasn't liking the vibes.

"It's practical. Maybe disappointing, the popularity vote would have probably gone to Peach, but it's still practical," Syrup said, speaking up. "She's right up there with the top five when it comes to our most powerful assets. Especially if the Star Children are largely powerless in this situation." The others bowed their heads. They knew the Captain was probably right. Wordlessly they made their way out of the bushes and continued towards the ruined castle. Ashley stood still, biting her lower lip in frustration. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over. Ludwig. He nodded at her, patted the shoulder, then moved past her. She watched after him for a moment, then followed. Ironically enough, he was probably among the only allies she had right now.

SMB

The ruined fortress was soon cleared of infected. Solemnly, what was left of the group gathered around. Ludwig pulled out his clipboard and began scratching off names. He looked over what was left. Alive: Bowser, Syrup, Kamek, Kammy, Ludwig, Lemmy, Roy, Iggy, Wendy, Morton, Larry, Junior, Stanley, Wario, Mario, Waluigi, Luigi, Pauline, Rosalina, and Ashley. There was Polterpup, Wario's Hen, and Luma too, of course, but beyond that no one. "From twenty-five to twenty," Ludwig murmured.

The others were utterly silent. They didn't move, they didn't speak. Polterpup whined up at his owner. Absently, Luigi began to pet him. Wario harrumphed and marched into another room. Shortly after, they heard the sound of breaking objects accompanied by angry words in Italian and German that were probably best left untranslated. Hen clucked worriedly and went after her owner, cooing. They heard a pause in the destructive spiral and could only assume Wario had noticed his pet and had taken time to pet her. Hopefully, the hen's presence would help calm her master down. Stanley was still in tears, mourning the loss of his father. Pauline stayed close to his side.

Bowser repeatedly found himself checking over his children, counting heads to ensure none had vanished. "This will get worse before it gets better, your surliness," Kammy solemnly said to the Koopa King. "I hope you're able to protect your children, I truly do, but you must realize that the chances you'll save them all are, well…"

"Low," Kamek finished for her.

"I'll save them if I have to put this world to fire!" Bowser bellowed dangerously. "My children will survive!"

"Yes sire," Kammy and Kamek said together, but it was clear they didn't believe that.

"We should just give up," Mario numbly said. "Throw ourselves to the infected and get it over with."

"Wh-what? But you never give up, Mario," Stanley said, voice breaking.

"We can't-a fight divines. If one of them is pulling the strings of this nightmare, it's-a a battle we can't-a win," Mario replied, clearly in shock.

"No, you're wrong!" Pauline insisted. "I refuse to believe this is over! We can reach E. Gadd. We can find a cure and fix everything!"

"Will it bring the others back, though?" Junior quietly asked. Everyone was silent at that.

"It's-a over," Mario said.

"Bro, please. You can't-a just give up," Luigi quietly said. It was so rare when Mario got into a funk like this and turned defeatist. Really, really rare. So rare, in fact, that it was legitimately scary if he took on that tone. "You're-a the you…" Luigi trailed off and shook his head.

"We're-a done," Mario said, closing his eyes and turning his head away from the others.

"No we're-a not. Together we could take on the world," Wario said from the doorway of the room he'd just been in. Mario met his eyes, a bit taken aback by the words. "All of us, cuz. Not just three of us. Four if we count Stanley," Wario continued, pushing himself off the doorframe and approaching his rival. He stopped in front of Mario. "If this world is dying, it's-a up to us to save it. We'll-a take it back, Mario, but we're-a gonna need you with us."

Wario offered his hand to his cousin. Mario stared at it a long moment before looking up at his rival once more and taking it. Wario pulled him to his feet. "Let's-a start planning," Mario said. Wario smirked.

"I hate to bust everyone's bubble, but we should probably get some rest before we start plotting our next steps. We'll need a fire too. It's going to be cold tonight with lots of fresh snow. I love the snow," Lemmy said, pointing excitedly at the sky.

"It hasn't-a been doing us any favours. All it's-a been doing is slowing us down," Wario flatly said.

"There have been some pretty deep snowdrifts for sure," Stanley dryly agreed. "Still, the kid's right. Best we set up for the night and recharge our batteries for tomorrow's trek. It's gonna be a long one I suspect."

SMB

An hour or so later, the survivors sat around a large fire. Bowser's children were fast asleep, as were Ashley, the pets, and Luma, but aside from them, everyone was awake. "What can we do anymore?" Kammy quietly asked. "Not everything Mario said is wrong. The more I think about our situation, the more hopeless it seems. I'm half convinced he was right to suggest throwing ourselves to the infected."

"We've come too far to stop now. Keep holding on, my dear. Keep holding on," Kamek replied, patting her hand softly. "It will all even out in the end."

"We never should have fiddled with Ludwig's mushroom," Kammy said, head bowed.

"What are you thinking about, your Majesty?" Syrup asked, noticing the Koopa King's far-off look.

"I'm thinking about what will happen to my children should I go down," Bowser replied.

"You won't. Not if I can help it," Kamek said.

"Parents can't always protect their children like they want to," Kammy murmured. Kamek winced and looked down. He knew she was right, but he liked to pretend she wasn't.

"I'm going to patrol for infected just outside the gates. Who else is going to come?" Pauline asked, rising.

"I will," Stanley volunteered.

"I'll come too," Bowser said, shrugging.

"Same. We could all use the peace of mind," Syrup said, rising. She looked at the others. "You can hold down the fort without us?"

"We're-a not the ones infected hunting," Wario replied.

Nodding, Pauline, Bowser, Syrup, and Stanley walked off. "Be careful!" Mario called after them. More specifically, Stanley and Pauline. Stanley waved back at him with a smile. Mario immediately hated having his cousin out of his sight.

SMB

Stanley and Pauline, talking and giggling, walked ahead of Bowser and Syrup, Stanley boldly holding Pauline's hand as they went. She didn't seem to mind, which pleased Stanley immensely. He'd always had something of a crush on her, even when she was with Mario. He was glad that the cold winter air had turned his cheeks rosy, or she would see how much he was blushing.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Pauline asked Stanley softly as soon as there was a lapse in conveersation.

"As well as you'd expect," Stanley quietly replied, head hung. "You know, Dad and I hadn't talked much these last few years. I don't know why. We just never got around to it. Didn't have the motivation or something. Then this happened and we were stuck together and things were good again. They were good. We were doing so good… Now he's gone. Just gone… I should have spent more time with him or tried to contact him more often or something! It just... it feels so wrong not having him there."

"We'll get him back, Stanley. We'll get everyone back," she promised, reassuringly squeezing his hand.

"Did I ever tell you how much you mean to me?" Stanley wondered, smiling softly and gratefully up at her.

She flushed a bit, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "No, but I wasn't blind to your affections. Or to what you felt for me. Just Mario was there and then there was the DK issue and things, well, they got complicated. I know it's not an excuse, but it was what it was." She looked down at him and smiled once more. "It's time for me to move on, I think. From Mario that is."

"Would it be too bold to presume you might consider moving on to me?" Stanley asked with a rueful smile.

"Actually, I'd love to get dinner and drinks with you sometime. After this is all over of course," she said.

He grinned widely. "Of course." She blushed a little and turned away with a shy smile.

SMB

Bowser was silent as he walked next to Syrup. She paid him no more attention than he paid her, but stayed at his side nonetheless. She'd tried multiple times to get a read on him already, but he was surprisingly difficult to read, so she'd given it up for the time being.

"You owe me a favour," he suddenly said.

"Do I now?" she said.

"For saving your life."

"What makes you think I have that kind of honour?"

"Get my children through this alive." She looked up at him in vague surprise. He shrugged. "Peach isn't here to do it anymore. They like you, so I figured why not take a shot."

She considered his request for a moment. "Fine, but I doubt I'll have to worry about it. You'll outlast us all, Koopa King."

"I don't want to outlast my children."

"Their outlasting you goes without saying. I know that for as long as you still breathe, there's nothing that will tear them from you. I don't doubt your ability to protect them in the slightest. I can't pretend I'll do even half as good a job, but I'll certainly try." Bowser was quiet. She looked up at him. "You would never guess such a king lurked beneath the airs you put on, you know. Your feigned incompetence, your downplayed power... It's all a show. I see beneath it."

"Do you now?"

"I've heard the stories. Many, many stories. The sorcerer-king, the dark shape-shifter, the earth shaker... Need I go on?" Bowser darkly chuckled but said nothing. "They're stories I think even you've forgotten." Bowser's smile slowly vanished. "Maybe it's time you began to remember them again. Maybe then you'll actually start giving Mario a run for his money. You used to before, I've heard."

"You've heard a lot. Stories get embellished on the high seas."

"Not these ones," she replied. A chilling wind started up and Syrup shivered in the cold breeze. Bowser breathed fire, just enough to warm her. She looked up at him once more. He pretended not to notice.

All at once they heard a terrified shriek. Bowser and Syrup gasped, spinning around. "That was Pauline!" Bowser exclaimed.

"Run!" they heard Stanley shout only a moment before he and Pauline raced around a corner and headed back their way. A group of infected followed hot on their heels! Immediately Syrup drew her cutlass. Bowser scowled and dropped into a fighting stance. Those were too close to their sanctuary for comfort.

Suddenly Pauline screamed. An infected had grabbed her! "No!" Stanley exclaimed, turning back. Bowser and Syrup raced towards the two, Bowser breathing a column of fire and Syrup slicing through the attacking hoard. They were too late to save Pauline, though. Stanley held onto her as long as he could, but it was only seconds before she was pulled away from him and into the midst of the infected, a scream escaping her lips. "Pauline!" Stanley shouted.

"Run!" Bowser roared, grabbing Stanley and pushing him towards the fortress. Stanley tried to resist, so Bowser picked him up. "Maple?!" he called out, noticing the pirate's absence. Suddenly she leapt from the hordes, pulling Pauline along behind her.

"Pauline!" Stanley exclaimed in relief.

"Back to the Castle!" Syrup ordered. Bowser put Stanley back down, let the three humans get in front of him, then blew a stream of fire into the infected, wiping them out in droves. As soon as he'd cleared them away from the walls, he huffed and turned to lumber after the others.

SMB

Syrup, Pauline, and Stanley raced back into the safety of the courtyard and hurried inside, Stanley in a panic and Syrup looking terrified. The others whipped around when they heard the doors being thrown open, and those sleeping jerked awake.

"What happened?" Wario demanded.

"They-they got Pauline!" Stanley exclaimed, pointing fearfully at her. She had broken down, terrified of what would happen to her now. Bowser entered shortly after.

"King Dad, were you bitten?" Iggy immediately asked.

"No," Bowser answered. "The infected that attacked us have been dealt with."

"That's something, at least," Kammy said worriedly.

"We can't afford to stay here. More will come and they'll find a weak spot. They always do!" Kamek said.

"Are we trapped here?" Wendy fearfully asked.

"No. We'll find a way out," Bowser promised.

"Let me take Pauline," Rosalina said.

"What are you going to do?" Stanley nervously asked.

"All I can to give her a comfortable transformation. If nothing else, maybe we'll learn something about how this infection acts by observing how it changes people," Rosalina said.

"What will that knowledge help us with?"

"Maybe nothing. Maybe everything," Rosalina replied.

"Okay. Let's hurry then before it's too late," Pauline said. Rosalina solemnly nodded and took the woman away. Pauline cast one last apologetic look back at Stanley before vanishing. Stanley collapsed to the ground, burying his face in his knees. The others weren't far off from joining him at this point. The four youngest Koopalings began to cry. Roy picked up Junior and pulled Morton close, feeling tears threaten his own eyes. Iggy went to Wendy and hugged her tight. Lemmy rolled over to Larry and gently patted his head. Ashley stood in place, numb and pale as she watched after Pauline in shock.

"It isn't your fault she can't be saved, dear," Kammy said.

"Rosalina could have helped her if she hadn't helped me."

"No. In the end, you would have still been Rosalina's choice," Kammy reassured. Ashley swallowed. She really didn't like that thought.

Ludwig took a deep breath. Part of him wanted to weep and give up, but he wouldn't. He began to pace restlessly instead, racking his brain for any potential cure. Iggy was staring at the ground, brow creased in thought. It was apparent he was doing the same, but even together the two brothers were failing to come up with a fix for this. At least not one they had the resources for.

"The sooner we find E. Gadd the better," Iggy said. The silent agreement of the others hung heavy in the air.

SMB

The survivors waited nervously for Rosalina to return and tell them Pauline was one. No one relished that announcement. As they waited, Bowser gathered his children to the side. "Kids, there's something I have to do," he said. He gestured for Kamek and Kammy to come over. Quickly they joined the royal family, curious. Syrup, noticing the peculiar behavior, eased ever so carefully towards them, close enough to hear what was being said.

"What is it?" Ludwig asked.

"Listen carefully, especially you and Ludwig, Junior, because what I'm about to say will change everything," Bowser said.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Junior fearfully asked.

Bowser sighed deeply. Gods, if he'd known how hard this would be… "If no cure can be found before this land, this world, is ravaged by this disease, things are going to become very very complicated. The world will be a hard and challenging place to navigate and rule. After the infection runs its course, all that will be left in its wake are the remnants of civilizations trying to rebuild themselves, and that's a challenge I don't think you, Junior, will be up to."

"Wh-what?" Junior asked.

"If this isn't fixed, if things don't go back to the way they were and somewhere along the lines I game over, Ludwig will rule as King, not you."

"But..." Junior began.

"Do you want to rebuild civilization from the ground up?" Iggy dryly asked.

Junior blinked and grimaced uncertainly. Soon he hung his head. "Yes daddy," he quietly said.

"Father…" Ludwig began, clearly overwhelmed. He wasn't the only one. Even Kamek and Kammy were gawking.

"As long as this world remains as it is, you will rule as its king. If it's fixed, though, Junior takes precedence as Crown Prince once again. At least for a while. Make no mistake, though, you will be my heir again if the world ever becomes too much for Junior to take on," Bowser stated.

Ludwig immediately hugged his father tight. "Danke, father, danke!" he blurted. It wasn't so much that he wanted the throne as it was his father had in this moment shown more faith in him than he ever had before, and that meant more to him than Bowser would ever know. Junior could have had the throne, for all he cared, as long as Ludwig still had this. He was content to ride that high for as long as possible. Awkwardly, Bowser hugged him back.

SMB

It was ten minutes before Rosalina reappeared, brushing a tear from her eyes. "It's done," she said quietly. "She turned two minutes ago." Looking at Syrup, she said, "Thank you for bringing her here. I would have thought you'd leave her to her fate the moment you realized."

"I should have," Syrup said, shaking her head ruefully. "In the end it was futile. We probably didn't learn anything we didn't already know."

"We learned a little, though not necessarily enough to matter," Rosalina replied.

"Well then that was a waste of time, wasn't it?" Waluigi bit.

"You're-a a heartless creep, Waluigi," Luigi bit. "You really don't-a feel anything towards what just happened here?"

"I feel annoyance that we haven't-a figured this out yet," Waluigi replied, brushing it off. "Now if you'll-a all excuse me, I have a path through the courtyard to shovel. That place is a nightmare to tramp through. We won't-a have time to burrow our way out if the infected break in, so might as well have a path ready."

Rosalina tilted her head curiously at Waluigi, then looked out the window. He was right about the garden paths. It would be best to shovel them off just in case a quick escape was needed. Strange how he'd offered without being asked, though. She turned as the door of the fortress slammed shut. The rest of the survivors wandered off to try and get some sleep.

SMB

Waluigi shoveled through the snow muttering under his breath. What was he doing this for again? Not like it would help much at the end of the day. Oh well, at least there was a bright moon and at least he was still alive. He shuddered remembering his close call in Toad Town. It seemed like an eternity ago now, but it had only been a few days, maybe a week, since Mario had driven to his rescue. Good thing too. He'd been a fraction of a second away from being ripped to shreds by teeth and nails, and that definitely wouldn't have been pleasant.

"You're making fair progress," Rosalina noted from behind. It was the fifth time she'd come to the door sipping tea to check on him.

"Of course I am."

"If you're cold, you should come in to rest."

"As touched as I am by your concern, your highness, there's-a work to be done. A lot of it," he replied. Her worry was flattering though. People being concerned for him was still something he as trying to get used to, and he knew she was concerned because what other reason did she have to keep coming out here to check if he was still alive?

"What made you choose to do this?" she asked.

"Somebody had to." Just then he stepped into a snow bank and his leg sank down to his knee. He scowled, grumbling as he tried to pull it out. This night just got better and better. He heard Rosalina giggling and sharply glared at the woman. "I'm-a sorry, does this amuse you, Principessa?" he sarcastically asked, yanking free. He was aware he was being more bitter and sarcastic than usual, but he figured he was allowed that given what they'd just been through. He'd lost his Uncle, for goodness sake, as well as his once long-time crush! To say nothing of the rest of his family. No, they hadn't been close, but they were still family! He sat back in the snow bank, exhausted. At least keeping busy was helping him cope with everything. He looked up at the red sky above. He didn't like or trust the changes in it. For once he found himself actually wanting to see the clouds smile again, which was sad because he detested those clouds with a burning passion. Outside the old walls of the courtyard, they heard moaning and groaning. Animalistic screams echoed in the night. Rosalina watched the walls carefully, clearly worried, then walked back inside. Probably for the best anyway. To his surprise, she came out not long after with a cup of hot chocolate and floated over to him.

"Here," she said. He gave her a dubious look, but nonetheless took the offered drink and sipped from it. "There is something on your mind. It is distressing to you." He harrumphed and kept drinking the hot chocolate. "Are you cold?"

"Of course I'm-a cold."

"Then come inside."

"I'm-a fine sucking it up. This has to be done." He finished the hot chocolate, set the cup aside, and lay back in the snow. Her piercing gaze was starting to drive him crazy. Why was she even looking at him like that? Growling, he stood up and walked away. He picked up the shovel once more and commenced to digging again.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sensing something was bothering him.

"Everything is wrong, Rosalina!" he barked, turning on her. "Look at the sky! Look out at the kingdom! Everything is wrong! I lost my Uncle—the only man who's ever cared about me might I add—I lost the rest of my stupid family except my brother and three of my cousins, we lost a huge chunk of our allies, and now we're-a about to be torn to shreds by zombies!"

"They aren't truly zom…" she began.

"They might as well be!" he yelled. Grumbling, he began to shovel once more. Rosalina glanced down sadly, then looked around for another shovel. When she couldn't find one, she conjured one and started to help. He glanced over at her and shifted uncomfortably, a strange feeling gnawing at him. Guilt? Nah, couldn't be. He'd never felt guilt in his life. At least not often. "You don't-a have to help me. It's-a fine. I can do it myself," he muttered, glancing away.

"There is nothing else I can do," she replied. He was silent. He couldn't imagine how much that was bothering her right now. He resumed shoveling.

SMB

Rosalina looked down at the snow and an idea came to mind. A smile spread across her lips as she formed her plan. Bending down, she made a ball of snow and looked towards Waluigi. She set her sights on the back of his head and threw. The ball struck true, and he cried out in alarm before swiftly turning on her, eyes flecked with hints of purple. She laughed, her own eyes sparkling. Mumbling bitterly, he formed a snowball of his own. She let out a little squeal and floated quickly down the path. He blinked as he caught onto her game, and couldn't help but relax a bit, a grin spreading across his face. So she wanted to play games, huh? Well he could play games.

He raced immediately after her and threw the snowball. She ducked under it laughing. He dove at her, and though he missed her waist, he managed to grab her ankle and drag her down into the snow. She shrieked in delight. Rarely was she in a playful mood, he knew. Rarely was she in any mood other than her normal serious and sepulchral self. Not that he blamed her. This was the only respite either of them had had since this whole incident had started, after all. She rolled over and looked up at him, grinning as he pinned her beneath him. When their eyes met, silence fell and their grins became soft smiles until memories of their last conversation crept up on them. Slowly those smiles vanished, and soon he released her, cursing himself for letting this happen. He'd promised he would make her hate him.

"Thanks for nothing, your highness," he said, getting up.

She hated the coldness in his tone, but nonetheless stood as well and looked towards the castle. "It's so quiet," she murmured.

"It's-a only gonna get worse," Waluigi replied. Shivering, she turned her back on it. She wasn't ready to go inside again and look upon that depressing scene. The castle was familiar to her. A memory from millennia ago? A rarely used stronghold she had once visited as a child?

Waluigi watched her, a hint of sympathy in his eyes. They lit up shortly after as a plan began to form in his mind. He smirked wickedly and suddenly charged at her.

Rosalina gasped and turned when she heard her companion coming. She screamed as he caught her around the waist and dragged her down into a snow drift. They began to laugh once more and she met his eyes, grinning. She was glad he had torn her from her grim thoughts and that his coldness had dissipated. She brushed her hair back from her face and leaned towards him. He pulled back, but only slightly. Not enough to tell her he didn't want this. "No. Not like that," she softly chastised, hooking a finger in his shirt.

"This won't lend to you hating me you know," he said.

"Once more," she whispered.

"Rosa..." he breathed softly.

Before his mind could catch up to what was happening, she took his lips. He still marveled at how she never pulled away. She wasn't horrified or frightened of him, and that meant so much more than she knew. He hated that soon it would all end. For as long as he still had it, though, he would enjoy it to the fullest. Their kiss lingered a long moment before they slowly drew apart. He couldn't even think of what to say. He just gazed up at her, absently stroking her hair. She sat up, bringing him with her, and curled up in his lap, legs sprawled over his. She rested her head in the crook of his neck. Her hand was on his chest. He let out a breath of air feeling like he was in a dream and everything bad that had ever happened to him had been washed away. It was almost overwhelming. He lay back in the snow bank once more, holding her tight. For as long as she offered this, he would take it.

SMB

The two were about to drift off to sleep in the snow when suddenly there was a loud crack! They gasped, looking over, and heard a furious shriek! The duo leapt to their feet. They knew that sound. Infected! The wall had been breached! In horror, they gaped ahead at the one who had breached it. "Peach!" Rosalina exclaimed. She and Waluigi backed away in fear, glad they had cleared the path. All at once there was a snarl and Mona appeared, followed by a roaring Daisy.

"This isn't-a happening," Waluigi muttered. The three women gazed at them a moment then suddenly tore after the couple, shrieking and moaning and screaming.

"Run!" Rosalina exclaimed. The two turned and charged down the garden's pathways making for the fortress. They slid to a stop, though, when they heard a terrified scream from inside.

"The infected. They must have gotten inside! I knew this would happen!" Waluigi exclaimed.

Rosalina lit her wand and looked back at the wall. Dozens and dozens of heat signature lit up behind it at the north and east, but the west wall was another story. "Make for the west wall!" she ordered. He didn't question her, just followed.

"We're-a never gonna make it," Waluigi said. The wall only seemed to get farther and farther away! All at once the gates to the north burst open and infected began pouring inside the courtyard, half of them beelining for the fortress and half of them racing after Waluigi and Rosalina! The two slid to a stop and cried out in alarm. Waluigi seized Rosalina's wrist and darted down another path. If they could scale the wall, they might have a chance. There was a tree nearby, thank the stars for that. At least it was a saving grace. But even if they got out of the courtyard, would they be able to get away? And what about the others? Were they still alive?

Rosalina knew he was right. She could sense as much. They were trapped. Rather, he was. So were the others. The others needed her help more than he did. She pulled free of him and raised her wand. "Keep going. I'm going to slow them down then go back to try and save the others."

"What?!" he demanded, sliding to a stop.

"Go!" she ordered.

"In your dreams!" he replied.

She read his expression. He had no intention of leaving her behind and it startled her. He didn't want to be left alone, she realized. He was afraid. He thought the others were infected, Mario, Luigi, Wario, Stanley… He wouldn't leave her if she was all he had left… "Waluigi, they still live," she promised. "They'll be right behind you."

"No, I'm-a not going!" Waluigi replied.

"If you won't leave me, you lose them," she said. It was the only thing she could say that might convince him to run.

He hesitated again. "They will be right behind you," she repeated.

He let out a shaking breath. "Okay," he said. "Mia regina, be careful." She nodded and offered a small smile. He began to run again and she willed him to keep going. Turning around to face the infected, she began to attack them with her wand. It barely slowed them. She floated quickly down another path, leading them away from where he was. She could practically feel them breathing on her. "Rosalina!" she heard Waluigi call. She whipped around and attacked the infected with a blast from her wand, knocking them all back. She looked towards him once more.

"Keep going!" she called. He hesitated and for a moment she was worried he would run back to her, but he seemed to stop himself. Good. He was more practical than that. He knew full well that as long as there was a chance to save them all, her included, he had to take it. Even if she failed and couldn't save the others, he would still be the only one left, and that meant this world's fate would be in his hands. She could only imagine how much he would hate that, so she would do her best to make sure that outcome wasn't the one that came about. She had never been more relieved than she was when he at last leapt down from the wall and got away from the fortress.

Immediately she made for the castle and threw open the doors. She heard frantic shouting and cries for help. She soared towards them and got on the scene just as the infected were converging on the others. Kammy and Kamek, she saw, were among those infected, and her heart sank. She threw up a shield, protecting them. They gasped, quickly looking over. "Run!" she ordered. Immediately they did so, racing towards her.

"Rosalina, hurry," Mario said.

"Keep going. I'll hold them off," she replied.

"What?!" Mario exclaimed.

"I am immune to their disease. If I keep them occupied, you'll have all the time you need to get away," she said.

"But..." Mario began.

"Go, Mario. Save your family and friends," Rosalina said. Mario hesitated but then nodded and hurried after the others. Rosalina turned her attention back to the infected and flew at them, catching their attention. She led them around the room in a circle. "Luma!" she called. Where had her star child gone?

"Mama, mama!" she heard him scream. She looked up. He was floating there as high above her as he could be. She floated quickly up to join him, taking him into her arms then flying back down and through a door. The infected followed her. She didn't know where the others were, and by the time she finished leading the infected away, she doubted she'd find them again, but it didn't matter. As long as they were safe for a little while longer. She burst outside and suddenly the infected were swarming her from every direction. "Luma, fly away to safety!" she ordered. He shook his star body in denial. Rosalina had no time to argue with him. She crouched, beginning to weave a particularly powerful spell, and surrounded her body in glowing energy. A protective bubble would only hold for so long, so she would try something a little more potent. With luck, this would end the scourge of infected coming after her once and for all. Luma gasped, seeing what she was doing, and immediately flew high into the sky. Just as the infected were about to reach the cosmic queen, she let the spell go with a cry of pain. The infected were blown away and Rosalina collapsed to the ground.

"Mama!" Luma cried, flying down to her. He shook her desperately but the woman didn't stir. He had to get help! He had to save his mama! Quickly he zoomed off at the speed of a shooting star. He would bring someone back to her. He had to. Before the infected came back and it was too late…

SMB

Waluigi hurried through the forest alone, panting and trying to stay ahead of the few infected that had followed him. He'd taken most of them out. At least that was something. Soon he looked back. Sure enough, they'd stopped following. The fortress was far away now. He could see the infected wandering aimlessly in the distance, groaning and moaning. He couldn't hear anymore screams… He suddenly realized how badly he was shaking and almost collapsed. What if he was alone? He was alone!

"Waweegee!" a voice suddenly called.

"Mario?" Waluigi hopefully called back, looking around.

"Walu!" he heard Wario repeat, followed by a chorus of other people calling his name. He scrambled towards the sounds and stumbled into a clearing. He gasped in relief upon seeing the others. He sank back against a rock as they reached him looking immensely relieved.

"Cuz, you're-a okay!" Luigi exclaimed. He looked around. "Wait. Where's-a Rosalina? I thought she followed us!"

"No. She stayed behind to take care of the infected and buy us time to escape. I don't-a know if she got away," Mario said.

Ludwig cursed under his breath and began restlessly pacing again, hands going to his head as he attempted to de-stress. Protectively he looked over at his siblings.

"Where's-a Kamek and Kammy?" Waluigi asked. A look of devastation briefly flickered across Ashley's face before she looked quickly away trying to compose herself. That wasn't a good sign.

"They… they were infected. First it was Kamek. Kammy tried to help him… She failed…" Bowser said, painfully looking down. "I was right there. I couldn't save them." He couldn't do anything but watch as the man and woman who had pretty well been his parents fell protecting him… He looked painfully toward his children, thanking the Star Spirits that they were all safe and alive.

"We have to hurry. We're-a out of sanctuary options. Rainbow Road can't-a be called without Peach, Daisy, or Rosalina, the Flower Kingdom is beyond our reach away, and even if we could reach the Ruined Kingdom, we couldn't-a just give up and live there the rest of our lives. Our last hope is in Professor Elvin Gadd. Let's-a go," Mario said. The other nodded in agreement.

SMB

Rosalina lay still in the snow. How much time had passed? Who was to say? She didn't move. You could hardly tell she was breathing let alone alive. Her lips were becoming blue from the cold, and some infected stragglers were approaching her still body. She was defenseless.

One infected knelt and roared. Two more joined it. They went to take a bite out of her, but all at once they were shot with something very painful and very powerful. They screamed in agony, falling swiftly and vanishing into nothing. The stragglers, sensing this disturbance, began to stagger towards the one who was floating there watching, an unsettling smile on his face. The figure easily and casually shot them with magical blasts until there was nothing left in the field. When all was silent. Luma began making urgent noises, pulling on the stranger's cape and pointing toward Rosalina. The stranger looked at the woman and approached. He descended to the ground and gently placed the back of a hand against her pale and cold cheek.

Rosalina's eyes flickered ever so slightly. She could make out the form of a person above her. A man, she believed. Who was he? She could hardly see his features. Slowly, though, he began to come into focus and her breathing sped up. "Dimi," she whispered.

"Here you are. Finally I've found you. I was beginning to think I never would in all this beautiful chaos. You move quickly, sister. Too quickly for your own good," he replied.

"How is this possible?"

"You'll find out soon enough," he replied, casting a spell on her. She slipped into unconsciousness shortly after and desperately hoped she hadn't gone from the frying pan into the oven. Humming a dark song, Dimentio picked her up in his arms and floated off, luma helplessly trailing behind.

Chapter 11: Haven Gadd

Notes:

Okay, so this particular installment of the Mario series I wasn't particularly happy with overall, but I've made a lot of changes now, and feel it's a lot better than it was. This chapter is particularly long given all the changes I made, so rather than make another chapter altogether, I've just split it into two parts The second part will be clearly marked further down. Hope you all enjoy!

Ludwig read over his clipboard again, dejectedly crossing off the names of those who had fallen. Alive: Bowser, Syrup, Ludwig, Lemmy, Roy, Iggy, Wendy, Morton, Larry, Junior, Ashley, Wario, Mario, Waluigi, Luigi, and Stanley. From twenty down to sixteen. Eighteen if you counted Polterpup and Wario's pet Hen, which Ludwig didn't. Polterpup was quite the attack dog, to be fair, and Wario's Hen was surprisingly useful, but ultimately they were nothing. Ludwig cursed under his breath.

"I should have brought Chomper with us. Maybe then things would have gone different," Iggy dejectedly said, head hung.

"Chomper didn't fit in the boat. It vas best you let him go in Diamond City. He probably found his way home. We'll see him again soon, once all this is over," Ludwig assured. Iggy was quiet. Ludwig frowned and glanced at him, then sighed. "Chomper can fend for himself if push comes to shove.."

"I know, but I miss him," Iggy replied.

They'd traveled for some time now. It had been quiet. Too quiet. Syrup didn't like it. Judging by Bowser's body language, she was willing to bet her every cent that he didn't like it either. Things were going too well for them right now. It couldn't last. It never did.

"I can't believe how many we've lost. I mean we've lost so many that…" Morton began.

"Shut up, Morton, before I bash ya. We know how many we've lost," Roy growled before his sibling could go off on a tangent. In fact, it was nothing short of a miracle that the two families had stayed alive as long as they had. The only family here that had lost someone was Mario's. That had to have hurt, but at least Mario's family was still mostly intact. It was more than he could say for the Kongs, who had probably been wiped out by now. He doubted Cranky would have lasted long. It had been a while since this thing had started, and it had only worsened over time.

"Quiet. We need to be on the alert," Bowser growled warningly at them, herding his brood together, given they were starting to drift apart. They froze on hearing a monstrous shriek up ahead.

"If Parakarry were still here he could tell us what we were heading into," Wendy ruefully said. As it was, they didn't know if they were near a small village or a city.

"I'll-a scout ahead, bro," Luigi volunteered.

"Not without someone," Mario replied.

"I'll go with him," Stanley volunteered.

"Okay," Luigi agreed, giving him a thumbs up which Stanley returned. Quickly the two scampered ahead and the rest sat down to wait.

"If they're-a not back in five minutes, we go after them," Wario grunted to Mario and Waluigi. The two nodded in agreement.

SMB

It was just coming up on five minutes when a pale Luigi and a frightened Stanley returned. "What's the news?" Syrup questioned.

"We-we're-a just outside an army base," Luigi replied.

"Good. We can grab ammo, food, supplies…" Larry began.

"They're all infected," Stanley deadpanned. "They're swarming the place. It would be a suicide to go in there."

"How do we get around them?" Junior asked.

"It'll add time onto our trip, but we can bypass it by heading towards the highway over in that direction," Stanley answered, pointing in the general direction.

"Then let's get moving. The longer ve vait, the more likely we fail," Ludwig said.

SMB

Their travels down the highway were surprisingly uneventful. Especially given the fact the road was jammed with cars and had quite a few infected staggering around. Those infected had been surprisingly easy to deal with, though. They were coming up on Toad Town now, and a hush fell over the group. "Boo Woods won't-a be easy to reach or navigate," Luigi said.

"We don't-a have to go through town," Waluigi pointed out. "Boo Woods stretches a long distance."

"I want this to be over and done with. We go through town," Bowser stated.

If we go through town, the odds we start losing people again increase dramatically. It'll be dangerous. Especially for the children. Waluigi's plan is best," Syrup said. Bowser shifted uncomfortably and looked towards the town. "For the little ones, your majesty," she pressed.

"Fine," Bowser relented. "We'll go the long way."

They went off the highway and made for the distant outline of the forest. It wasn't long before they reached it and paused at its outskirts. "This is it. There's no going back once we enter there," Stanley said.

"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst," Mario said, entering. The other followed after him.

The silence was immediate and terrifying, not even a whisper of wind in the trees. No bids, no crickets, no buzzing bees or flies or mosquitos or anything. "Oh this is creepy," Stanley said, looking nervously around.

"Mama mia," Luigi fearfully said, shaking in his shoes. There was a distant screech that sent a chill shooting up every spine.

"Daddy," Junior fearfully said, getting closer to Bowser. Bowser put a hand reassuringly on his son's head and kept walking.

"On the bright side, we're-a gonna hear a hoard coming for miles," Wario said.

SMB

They did not in fact hear the hoard coming for miles. They practically ran right into it, actually. How such a large group had stayed so quiet was beyond them. Now they were running for their lives, the large hoard staggering after them at a surprisingly agile and quick pace. So quick that they were struggling to stay ahead. "We can't-a lead them to E. Gadd!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Where are the Boos when you need them?" Waluigi demanded.

"This was never their fight to begin with," Mario said.

Bowser's children raced along behind him. Suddenly Wendy tripped and fell, crying out in pain. "Wendy!" Junior cried, sliding to a stop and racing back to her. He tried to help his sister to her feet as best he could.

"Hold on Junior, let me help," Morton said, rushing back and pulling Wendy up.

"I-I sprained my ankle!" Wendy cried.

"I can carry you, Wendy!" Morton exclaimed, scooping her up into his arms and hurrying after the others. It slowed him down, though, and he was already one of the slowest Koopalings. He realized quickly how far he was falling behind. Junior realized it too and started to panic.

"Daddy!" the youngest prince screamed.

Bowser slid to a stop, sharply looking back. He almost had a heart attack on seeing how far behind three of his children had fallen. He cursed, racing back to them, and got between them and the infected, ushering them along. "Daddy, daddy, don't leave me behind!" Wendy begged, terrified her father would decide she was a lost cause and abandon her to die.

"Why would you think I would?" Bowser demanded. "Iggy, come back for your sister!"

Iggy hurried to obey. He knew why Bowser had called him back instead of any of the others. While yes, Morton was strong enough to carry Wendy without much issue, Morton was already one of the slowest of the koopalings. Iggy, in contrast, was the fastest. He'd still be fastest even with Wendy's added weight. "I got her dad, don't be sad," he rhymed. He sometimes did that when he got excited or wanted to be mischievous or lighten a mood.

"The infected are gaining! We can't outrun them!" Ashley exclaimed.

Bowser was silent, expression grim. They all knew the girl was right. "Remember that favour you owe me?" he said to Syrup.

"Are you really going to bring that up now?" she asked.

"Keep my children alive. Take care of them. Just in case this doesn't work out like I want it to," Bowser said.

Syrup immediately caught on and looked up at him, eyes wide. "Don't you dare!" she said.

"What can't pop dare to do?" Larry asked.

"Nothing, sugar, keep up with your siblings," Syrup replied, dodging the question. She fell back with Bowser and turned to him once more. "Stay with your little ones. I'll hold off the infected."

"You won't last five seconds. I have the armor, I have the fire breathing. If anyone has any chance of getting out of this alive, it's me," Bowser replied.

"Bowser, don't!" Syrup exclaimed. Bowser whipped around and roared, tucking into his shell and lunging at the infected. The moment he emerged, he morphed into Giga Bowser. Syrup gaped in awe. She heard his children shriek for him. She watched, gobsmacked, as the koopa king fought, sending the zombies flying with his powerful arms and tail. She heard his children rushing back towards him and caught her breath. "No, no, get back, keep running!" she ordered, spinning around and holding her arms out.

"Dad, dad, don't do this, please, come with us!" Roy roared. Though the koopalings could have passed the pirate queen if they'd wanted do - Syrup certainly wouldn't have been able to do anything about it - they didn't. Each one of them, it seemed, understood what their father was giving up for their sakes, and not one was inclined to tample on that sacrifice.

"Keep running, dears, keep running," Syrup pled. Though it was the last thing they wanted to do, they obeyed, racing away from their father and the infected. Syrup followed behind them keeping herself between the children and the hoard. The only sounds they heard as they fled through those woods leaving the zombies behind, were the sounds of Giga Bowser's roars of fury and murder…

SMB

The exhausted group staggered through the forest, devoid of strength and energy. At least nothing was after them anymore, because if it had been, they wouldn't have stood a chance. The Koopalings, emotionally and physically drained, plodded on without purpose or direction. The older ones knew their younger siblings couldn't go much farther. Heck, they knew they couldn't either. In fact, Lemmy looked as if he would be the first to collapse given his weaker build. "How much further is the mansion?" Lemmy asked.

Luigi pushed through one last bush and caught his breath. "It's-a here," he said, gazing up at the imposing structure. The others came alongside him and their lips slowly parted.

"That's a big house," Stanley said, eyes wide. "It's yours?"

"Oh yeah," Luigi confirmed. "And it's-a the closest thing to a sanctuary we have anymore. E. Gadd hasn't-a been touched out here yet, so the chances are neither will we. Professor? Professor Gadd!" He darted out of the bushes, running towards a shack sitting outside the mansion. The door of that shack was quickly thrown open, revealing a short and elderly man.

"Luigi, is it really you?" the man asked.

"It's-a me, Professor!" Luigi replied, slowing to a walk and approaching him.

The others stepped out of the forest into sight, and E. Gadd started, taken aback. He surveyed the mismatched group in some surprise. "Luigi, my boy, you'd better start from the top," he said.

"Yeah. I know. It's-a a long story," Luigi replied.

SMB

They entered the mansion to speak, setting themselves up in the large living room. E. Gadd sat back in his chair, listening to the tale they spun. When it concluded, he took a minute to take it all in and make sense of it. "Indeed. That's quite a story. My, you must be exhausted. All of you," E. Gadd at last remarked.

"Exhausted is an understatement," Waluigi replied.

"Well, there's plenty of room here for you to use. More than enough, in fact. Settle in all. After you've done so, we can meet back here and begin discussing a cure and our next steps. Then you can all get some rest," E. Gadd said.

"Thank you, Professor," Luigi replied.

"Now, now, none of that. I'm just the caretaker here. You're the one playing host, my boy. The others should be thanking you."

The thanks go without saying," Wario gruffly replied, arms crossed.

"All right, puppets. Time for bed," Syrup stand, standing and clapping her hands to get their attention. "Just think. You'll be able to sleep in warm beds tonight and not be afraid something's going to come snatch you away." Some of the koopa children yawned. Others rubbed their eyes sleepily. Others just looked exhausted.

"Can we do nails before bed?" Wendy asked.

"Well that's not very practical, is it?" Syrup said.

"No, but it'll help me feel better," Wendy replied.

"Very well, dearest. We'll do your nails."

"Carry me!" Junior insisted.

"What do you say?" Syrup asked.

"Please," Junior muttered.

"Much better. Up you go, love," Syrup said, scooping him up. "Anyone else have any special requests?"

"I wanna piggyback!" Larry said.

"I think I can manage that," she replied.

"Yay!" Larry exclaimed, jumping onto her back. She noticed the slightly forlorn look on Morton's face. Clearly he wouldn't have minded being carried either, but he was much too big for that. Still, she'd do what she could. "Come here, darling," she said, offering her hand to Morton. Moron's eyes widened hopefully and he scampered over, taking it timidly. She smiled and drew him closer, which made him light up in delight. Syrup looked back at the other Koopalings and Ashley. "The rest of you come along." Dutifully they rose to follow her. All except for Ludwig, who stayed put. Clearly he was wary of her motives. "No tricks, young prince, I promise. Well, king now, I suppose. How that must feel..."

"I can hardly enjoy it vhen my father is not even in his grave," Ludwig replied, gloomily looking down.

"I never expected you to be enjoying it," she said, walking towards the stairs. Ludwig huffed and followed after the pirate, his siblings, and Ashley.

SMB

One by one, Syrup settled each of the children into a room that seemed to suit their personal tastes. Frankly, she was surprised at the variety. She settled Wendy last, given she'd promised to help the girl with her nails. "There we go, dear. The room is perfect for you," she said.

Wendy wandered over to a dressing table where a variety of cosmetics sat untouched for goodness knew how long. She wondered if any of it was even good anymore. She rifled through the nail polishes before pulling one out and holding it towards Syrup. Syrup smiled and sat down. Wendy sat too and held out her claws. Syrup took out the brush, wiped off the excess, and carefully began to paint the elegant claws. They were certainly more interesting to paint than regular fingernails. Easier too, given how long they were. She hummed a soft song as she pained. Wendy was silent, just watching.

"Is it my fault daddy's gone?" the girl suddenly asked.

Syrup stopped humming, a frown crossing her lips as she glanced up at the young Koopa who wouldn't meet her eyes. "No, puppet. Of course not. We were doomed regardless. Your father did what he had to, to ensure our survival. That wasn't anyone's fault."

"If I hadn't fallen, maybe we could have gotten away."

"They were catching up long before you fell." Wendy was quiet. "Wendy," Syrup said, reaching out and turning the girl's face towards her. "None of this was your fault."

"We lost him. We lost daddy."

"We don't know that for sure, and even if we did, it's going to be alright. This is going to be fixed, all of it. I promise. Everything will be okay. You'll have your daddy back soon enough." Wendy sniffed and nodded. Syrup smiled and went back to the nails.

"Thank you for helping me with my nails, Miss Syrup. I haven't had another girl around to do girly stuff with since last time mama Peach was captured."

"It's my pleasure, darling. I haven't had another girl around to do girly stuff with for years."

"Years?" Wendy asked, eyes wide.

Syrup laughed good-naturedly. "It's not something I got with the Black Sugar Pirates."

"Wow... I think I can relate, though. I don't really have any girlfriends. Or friends at all. Just my brothers. Boom Boom and Pom Pom too, but Pom Pom doesn't spend time with me. I don't know if she even likes me."

"It could be she's too intimidated to spend time with you."

"Or I'm just too young," Wendy pouted.

Syrup smiled. "Well, how about this. Whenever I happen to sail by the Koopa Kingdom, I'll stop by. We can meet up and do all sorts of girly stuff together."

"Really?" Wendy asked.

"Of course. Then you'll have both me and Mama Peach to girl out with."

Wendy lit up with a grin. "Yeah! That would be amazing! Thank you Captian Syrup!"

"It's my pleasure, Sugar." She finished Wendy's last claw. "There you go, my lovely. All done." Wendy examined them with a smile.

SMB

After tucking the children into bed, Syrup returned to meet up with the others. "What was that display about?" Wario dubiously asked as she approached.

"If you must know, I owed the Koopa King a favour and promised I'd make sure his children got through this alive if he happened to fall," Syrup replied.

"Keeping them alive doesn't-a involve mom-ing them," Wario bluntly said.

"Funny," she coldly said, taking a seat. "So, what's the verdict?"

"Well, I have good news and bad news," E. Gadd said.

"Good news first, please," Waluigi begged. Goodness knew they could use some after losing Rosa, Kamek, Kammy, and Bowser all. Dryly he realized that about now the strongest person they had on their team was Ashley. Clearly Rosalina had known what she was doing when she saved the girl.

"I know how to cure this!" E. Gadd replied.

They all cheered, say for Luigi who was skeptical. When E. Gadd made statements like this, they were always followed by something he didn't want to hear. "The bad news?" he asked, immediately sobering the others.

"The last ingredients I need aren't in Boo Woods," E. Gadd replied. "I'll need a party to go get them. I'll give them instructions on how to mix the plants up properly with my formula and concentrate the solution into a miasma. After that, all you have to do is return here. Then we can open the container up, let the mist spill out into the air, and presto! An airborne cure. Once that's been done it'll take some time for everything to get back to normal, but the miasma will spread fast and work instantaneously. That means the closer the land, the quicker the infected are cured."

"I'm-a having trouble believing a single tiny vial of a concentrated mist can cure the world," Waluigi flatly replied.

"There'll be more vials made and shipped out as things go back to normal and gathering ingredients becomes easier. We'll just need to collect as many ingredients as we can now to make as many vials as possible right off the bat. So, who wants to volunteer?"

There was silence all around. Finally, Syrup said, "I can't leave the children, and I won't have them going out there on some madman's quest. I promised to protect them. I intend to keep that promise."

"I'll-a go," Mario said.

"I'm-a right there with you, bro," Luigi replied.

"Me too, cuz!" Stanley excitedly chimed in mounting hope.

"Whatever," Wario said, shrugging. Then he could get his factory up and running again with Mona and Ashley and everyone back. Especially Mona.

"Fine," Waluigi said, crossing his arms. "But I'm-a still skeptical!"

"Well, if a divine is pulling the strings behind the spread of the disease, maybe another will pull the strings behind the cure," Luigi hopefully said.

"Another thing we never figured out. Who's playing this game in the first place?" Waluigi said.

"Who knows? It could be the Shadow Queen, it could be Dimentio, it could be Galeem or Dharkon... Heck, it could even be Tabuu, but I'm-a gonna go ahead and press doubt on that," Mario said. "Doubt on Dimentio too, if he's-a really back in the Underwhere. The Shadow Queen I'm-a not so sure about. Same with Galeem and Dharkon."

"I'm-a gonna press doubt on Galeem, bro. This doesn't-a seem like his kind of game. It might be Dharkon's though, and the guy's-a probably ticked off his plan didn't-a work last time."

"Green bean has a point," Wario said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Luigi.

"Dharkon's plan could still be in the works for all we know about him. I'm-a loathe to claim we stopped the machinations of a god in any kinda capacity," Waluigi said.

"Step by step, men. Step by step. Worry about the cure first, and let the cards fall as they may from there," Syrup said, filing her nails.

"Rest here tonight and head out tomorrow after a good long rest. The more refreshed you are, the better you'll fare," E. Gadd said.

"Thank you, Professor. We owe you everything. Not even Bowser's Magikoopas, a witch in training, or Ludwig and Iggy could figure this one out," Luigi gratefully said.

"I'll tell you why I succeeded where they failed. Normally you fight magic with magic, but in this case, what magic did was bring forth a very real and physical disease. Diseases are cured with science. The Magikoopas and witch were probably looking for magical cures. Ludwig and Iggy probably couldn't figure it out because they had nothing to study."

"Wait. How did you get something to study?" Waluigi asked.

"I have my ways," E. Gadd replied, eyes shifting. The others stared blankly at him and exchanged uneasy grimaces. "Now run along to bed all. You have a big day ahead of you." The survivors nodded in agreement and each went off to sleep.

SMB

The next morning, the koopalings and Ashley watched solemnly as Mario, Luigi, Waluigi, Wario, and Stanley packed their rucksacks with supplies. "If we don't-a come back, this can be your new home I guess," Luigi remarked to the koopa princes and princess. King now too, he supposed.

"That convinced you von't come back?" Ludwig asked.

"Of course he is. This is as good as a suicide mission," Waluigi bluntly replied. "In fact, I'm-a so sure of it that I got my affairs in order last night."

"Bah! What affairs? It's-a not like you have many to settle. The last of our family is right here, and you've-a got no friends or children. All you have is your piranha plans, and they can't-a exactly do much with your junk," Wario said.

"Gee, thanks for pointing out how dissatisfying my life has turned out, bro. I really appreciate it," Waluigi sarcastically replied, sneering at Wario.

"What are brothers for?" Wario replied, ignoring the sarcasm. Waluigi grumbled bitterly and went back to packing, albeit this time more agitatedly.

SMB

Ludwig stared solemnly at the ground as the Mario cousins prepared for a journey they might not come back from. If they didn't come back, well, that could well be it. Memories of what his father had done for them began encroaching on his mind, and he hated them. Why did Bowser have to go? They needed him. They needed him so much. Funny. He'd never once thought in a million years that he would feel this way come his dad's death, but for the first time in years and years, he found himself feeling like a child again - small and naive and nowhere near ready for the responsibilities suddenly cast upon him. He looked back at his siblings who were equally forlorn. He knew what lay ahead of him regarding them. With almost all of the world's rulers gone now, along with their heirs, new ones would need to take their place. It was the only way to ensure the world's continued existence. He and his siblings may well be the only royals left, which meant it fell to him to place his brothers and sister on the now-vacant thrones. And he'd be high-king over them all...

King... It still sounded so strange to his ears. He now sat on Bowser's throne, and he understood all too well what that meant. He understood all too well the power and responsibility it carried. He was King, and he wasn't sure he liked that. On the bright side, it meant that finally something had worked out for them in obtaining their goal of world domination, just why had the price needed to be so high…? How was he supposed to do this? He guessed he could cast allotments for the lands as his father had once done. Alternately, he could go by age instead. That would mean the three eldest under him would get first dibs on picking what portions of the world they wanted, then the younger four. It was so much to take in and sort out, and he really, really didn't feel like he had the energy for that.

SMB

Mario, Luigi, Waluigi, Wario, and Stanley finished packing and shouldered their rucksacks. "We're-a gonna make it back, guys," Mario assured, looking over his cousins and brother.

"Whatever you say, bro," Luigi doubtfully replied.

"Don't worry about the kids. We'll watch over them," E. Gadd said.

"We know, professor. Be safe. All of you," Mario said.

"Before we go, shouldn't we sort out the matter of world rulership? I mean, it's-a obvious it's-a gonna fall to Bowser's royal line to take over, so hey, guess the guy finally did something right," Waluigi said.

Mario grimaced. "Don't-a remind me, but you have a point." Mario looked towards the Koopalings. "Ludwig?" he asked.

Ludwig stiffened. He really hadn't needed attention drawn to how much power he and his siblings now possessed. It would just make things difficult. Inwardly he cursed Mario and Waluigi for asking, because as soon as the rest of the koopalings realized the weight of Waluigi's questions, their gazes were sharply fixed upon their eldest brother.

Sensing the tension, Syrup stepped in. "We should probably talk about this later," she said.

"No. Now. This needs to be settled before things get any worse," Wario said. Honestly, though, he was just interested to hear who their new rulers would be should this whole disaster never be fixed.

Ludwig glared bitterly at the ground at a loss. He felt Lemmy's gaze on him and hated it, but at the same time part of him was relieved too, because when the chips were down, Lemmy was actually really, really good at coming through for him. He guessed that was to be expected of the second-born though. Second-born and subsequently second in command. Maybe between them both, they'd actually figure this out.

"Ludwig rules all Koopa Kingdom now. Cloud Kingdom too. There are lots of lands left over besides those, but I guess we should focus on the big ones. The little ones we can merge into the bigger areas of power as needed. Since that's the case, I'll take the Lost Kingdom and the Snow Kingdom," Lemmy said, looking back at the cousins. They were some of the first words he'd spoken since… since Bowser…

"Bro, give me the Sand and Chai Kingdoms, Daisy's lands. They're mostly desert. I'm used to desert," Roy said to Ludwig. After all, Ludwig didn't have to feel like he had to do this alone. They all needed to step up now. He knew Ludwig figured it was all on him, but it wasn't. They were in this together. All of them.

"Who vill take the Wooded Kingdom and Kong Country?" Ludwig questioned gently, looking his siblings over.

"I can, I've always loved jungle," Iggy replied. Besides, as the fourth born he got dibs.

"Ze Seaside and Bean Bean Kingdoms?" Ludwig asked, grateful for how eager his siblings were to help and work with him on something for once.

"I'll take them," Wendy said when no one else spoke up. Not that anyone would have. Her eldest brother's words hadn't really been a question. She'd been expected to step up and take her allotment, so she had.

"Now ve need a taker far ze Waffle Kingdom and Luncheon Kingdoms," Ludwig said, looking pointedly at Morton.

"Me! I love food!" Morton exclaimed, eager to take up his brother's offer. In a way it was Ludwig offering him the Kingdoms more than it was him volunteering for them.

"I'll take the Mushroom and Cascade Kingdoms, Ludwig. They're mostly grassy, and I've had experience ruling the Grass Lands," Larry stated.

Ludwig nodded. "What of Isle Delfino and Cap Kingdom?" he asked.

"I can do it, Ludwig! I know Isle Delfino! It was the first adventure daddy… daddy ever took me on…" Junior said, voice wavering at the memory of his father. The rest of them all looked sadly down.

"You vill have it, Junior," Ludwig vowed softly.

"What about Rosalina's observatory?" Wendy asked.

"It's lost, now. The Star Spirits vill appoint a new Cosmic Queen vhen the time is right and another worthy of the title comes into the picture. Until then, it isn't our concern," Ludwig replied.

"And as long as you children are at peace with each other, this world will be at peace," Syrup said with a smile. It was going to be a very difficult job for her, keeping them from destroying one another when they finally began to vie for power as Koopas tended to, but she'd certainly do her best. "I'll watch over you always," she added.

"Then they'll do just fine. They probably would have done fine regardless," a voice suddenly said, and all heads turned, gasps echoing out all arouond. There, emerging from the woods, was none other than Bowser!

SMB

"Daddy!" Junior screamed. Instantly he was across the field and in his sire's arms, followed shortly after by all his siblings.

"You're alive, you're alive!" Larry sobbed, hugging his father tightly. Bowser grunted in pain but held them back. Truth be told, he had quite a number of bad injuries. By what miracle he'd avoided being infected was beyond him.

"Let him go, let him go! He's hurt!" Syrup immediately ordered the children. They gasped, releasing their father. She hurried to the Koopa King, who sank to his knees weakly. "Bowser," she said, kneeling in front of him worriedly.

"I'm not infected, just beat up pretty bad," Bowser growled. "Won't be going anywhere for a while for sure."

"It... It's-a good to have you back, Bowser," Mario reluctantly admitted. With the world falling apart, any familiar face returning from death would be welcome.

"What Kingdom will Ludwig Rule now, if daddy's back ruling Koopa Kingdom?" Junior asked.

"Let him keep the Koopa Kingdom. It would seem I've been usurped. If the rest of my children are ruling, he might as well. May he retain control of all he's rightfully won." Ludwig swallowed over a lump in his throat. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so important and capable in his father's eyes.

"He still has Cloud Kingdom, king dad. It's not like he'll be without," Lemmy remarked.

"He's right, father. Take back what's yours. I don't vant to be your usurper. I want to be your son."

Bowser chuckled only to grunt in pain right after, clutching a badly bleeding injury that he hadn't been able to properly heal.

"Come inside. We'll take care of that and everything else," Syrup said. "Best we ensure no injury you sustained is from a bite or scratch."

"No one who's been bitten has lasted more than a few seconds. I've been out there overnight," Bowser said. "I doubt I'm infected."

"Nonetheless, we're taking no chances. Yes you might be immune, but you also might not be," E. Gadd replied.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, prof," Waluigi bit.

"I think he might be immune. Think about it. It would explain why none of the Koopas have been turned yet," Stanley said.

"Parakarry did," Iggy pointed out.

"Parakarry wasn't a Dragon Koopa. It may just be your species," Stanley said.

"Yes, yes, we'll figure all that out in due time. Now hurry inside, all. Let's leave the Star Warriors to saving the world," E. Gadd said, leading the way back inside. Obediently the rest followed him while the five cousins headed off to find the ingredients E. Gadd needed.

PART 2

The Cap Bros walked through the eerily silent woods, their guards up. "This is a bad idea," Luigi said.

"You're-a telling us. We don't-a even know where half these ingredients are. Lucky there's-a only three," Waluigi said.

"I know exactly where each one of them grows. Botanist, remember?" Stanley said. "Contrary to what Professor Gadd believes, we can find one of them in these woods without too much trouble. Invasive species. The other two will be more complicated. We're going to have to head up into the mountains for one, then into Ice Land for the other."

"Found the first one," Wario said. The others started and turned. Sure enough, there Wario stood, picking his nose and looking down at the ingredient in question.

"No way," Stanley said in disbelief.

"He has the nose of a bloodhound when it comes to seeking treasure," Mario dryly said. "Don't-a be surprised."

"The rest won't-a be so easy. We're-a gonna have to survive getting to the mountains and ice land, finding the general vicinity the ingredients grow in, searching the location for them, then getting back alive afterward all while the world is overrun by infected," Luigi said.

"So just another day in the life," Wario said with a smirk. Luigi couldn't help but smile a little at that. You know what? Maybe this was doable. After all, together they could take on the world.

SMB

Boo woods bordered on the edge of a mountainous land where Stanley was sure they could find the next ingredient. Getting through the forest hadn't been so bad. The boos were more active than they had been, so maybe King Boo had gotten himself involved in this fiasco after all. Maybe Bowser had run into him out in the forest while he'd been on his own, and secured his alliance. Whatever the case, the boos were keeping the infected off them. The forest was probably about as peaceful as things were going to get for a while.

The mountain trail began in Boo Woods and went up from there. The first stretch was uneventful, but there were settlements somewhere up here. Not many, but enough to give them problems if they ran afoul of them. "We're-a heading right into trouble, and there's-a no way around it," Waluigi warned.

"Wonderful," Wario bitterly replied.

"How far ahead?" Stanley asked.

"About a mile."

"Guess we should prep then," Stanley said, readying up his chemical sprays. Mario tossed a wind flower to Waluigi, an earth flower to Wario, a lightning flower to Luigi, a water flower to Stanley, and a fire flower for himself. They each had powerups of their own he knew, but better to many than too few. They tucked them away for usage later. Crawling to the crest of the hill, they looked down at the village up ahead.

"We're-a gonna have to go right through it," Mario said.

"Then we'd-a better do our best to stick together," Wario replied.

"I cant believe you actually do this for a living?" Stanley said to Mario,

"It's-a as natural as breathing," Mario replied, shrugging.

"Except for the zombie part!" Waluigi snapped sharply.

"Let's-a go already. Daylight's-a wasting," Wario prompted, getting impatient. Together the five headed down the hill towards the village, armed and ready.

SMB

The five cousins fled through the Mountains, zombies pouring after them from behind. They'd handled the town pretty well at first, but in accordance with their luck things had taken a turn, so now here they were. They reached the top of a hill and Wario turned around. He got behind a boulder, gritted his teeth, and shoved it over the edge down the hill. They heard the satisfying screams of the infected being plowed over and sent flying, and soon there was silence. Finally, the five could relax.

"Okay, we can't be too far from the second ingredient now. We might actually be able to get the third here too. The mountain is snowcapped, which means it might be growing just a little higher up. If it is, we don't need to travel to Ice Land to get it," Stanley said.

"Here's-a hoping then," Mario said, searching for the second ingredient.

It was an hour before finally they found what they were looking for. "Ah ha!" Luigi exclaimed out of the blue, pointing up. The others looked in that direction and gasped. There, high above them on a ridge, was the very flower they were seeking!"

"Who can reach that?" Mario asked.

"I can!" Stanley said. He went over to the cliff face and carefully began scaling it.

"Careful Stan!" Luigi called up to his cousin.

"Yeah, sure, careful," Stanley replied. He reached the ridge and plucked the flower. Good. That was done with now. Just as he was heading down, the rocks broke under his hands and he fell with a cry of terror.

"Stanley!" the others shouted. Wario darted forward and caught his cousin in his arms.

"G-good catch, Wario," Stanley said, pale and shaken.

"Two down, one to go," Waluigi said, squinting into the distance. He could see the snowcapped peaks on the horizon. "Probably another day's-a journey."

"We'll-a go as far as we can before dark, then set up a camp," Mario said. "Bright and early tomorrow, we can head out again. Let's-a go." He led the way, the others trailing behind him single file.

SMB

The evening was uneventful. They took turns keeping watch, but nothing happened. It was around noon the next day when they reached the snowy peaks. What met them was a furious snowstorm. Freezing and in a line, the five cousins traipsed through it. The world was depending on them, after all. "Stay together!" Mario called. If they lost each other up here, they were dead men.

"No crap!" Wario replied.

"Th-there's-a a-a river nearby!" Waluigi called. "I-if we get separated, find and follow it!"

"Okeydokey," Luigi agreed.

"Yeah, yeah," Wario grumbled.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Stanley said, deeply disturbed by the thought.

All at once Mario shouted in alarm. "Mario?!" Luigi exclaimed, looking swiftly up.

"Avalanche! Run!" Mario shouted at them, pointing. They heard the roaring almost immediately after he'd shouted to them, and gasped. Sure enough, up ahead a wall of snow was tearing down the hill heading straight for them! They shrieked in terror and turned to flee, but it was too late. The next moment the wall of snow engulfed them all!

The roaring continued on for five minutes. Once it stopped, there was silence. Nothing stirred. For a long time it looked like it was game over, but all at once a hand burst through the snow. A moment later a yellow-hatted head emerged, coughing and gasping for air. "Ouch," Wario groaned, dragging his badly injured body out of the snow. Shivering, he looked around. "Waluigi, Mario, Stanley, Luigi?!" he called out. No answers. Wario cursed under his breath and began crawling across the ground. Waluigi hadn't been far from him, so maybe he was close. "Waluigi!" he called. He stopped, gasping. He saw a hand sticking out of the snow. "Stanley!" he exclaimed. The arm attached to said hand was too thick to be Waluigi's, and Stanley had been about this far from him besides. Quickly he began digging and digging. He found the head.

Stanley was blue but conscious. His eyes flickered open slowly. "W-W-W-Wario?" he weakly said.

"Easy, I'm-a getting you out of here," Wario murmured, quickly digging around Stanley until he could pull him out of the snow.

"Wh-wh-where are the others?" Stanley asked.

"We gotta find them," Wario replied; or rather he would have to find them. Stanley was in no shape to dig around for the others. He let loose with a Wario Waft to speed up the process. Stanley looked disgusted. Nonetheless, the snow within a ten-foot radius had been melted down to the earth and now Waluigi could be clearly seen. "Ew," Stanley said, plugging his nose.

Waluigi sat up like a shot with a gasp for breath then grimaced. He coughed, covering his mouth. He'd hoped for fresh air when he broke out, not this! "Dang it, Wario!" he shot sharply.

"I was too lazy to dig," Wario explained, shrugging it off. Besides, time had been running short. He looked around. "Where's-a Mario and Luigi.

"I don't-a know," Waluigi replied. Stanley suddenly gasped. Waluigi and Wario quickly looked over. "Stanley, do you know?" Waluigi asked.

"I-I think they went over the cliff," Stanley numbly replied. Shock was quickly becoming grief in his expression. "Oh Star Spirits, they went over the cliff! They're dead, they're dead!" He ran to the edge to look. "Mario! Luigi!" he called. Wario and Waluigi gawked. "No..." Stanley said when he heard no answer. Neither Wario nor Waluigi could so much as move.

SMB

"Mario?! Mario!" Luigi called desperately, digging through the snow urgently. "Come on, bro!" He caught his breath on seeing a glimpse of red. Quickly he scrambled over to it and furiously started to dig again. "Mario!" he exclaimed, uncovering his brother's head.

"Luigi," Mario's weak voice replied. His eyes flickered and Luigi gasped in relief.

"I'm here, bro," Luigi soothed, hurriedly digging Mario out.

"Wh-what about th-the others?" Mario questioned.

Luigi's eyes filled with grief, and he swallowed. "B-Bro, I couldn't find them. I couldn't find them anywhere. I think…I think they might be gone," he said.

Mario was pale. "All of them?" he squeaked. Luigi burst into tears. Numbly Mario held his brother tight.

SMB

"I can't see Waluigi!" Stanley shouted over the blizzard he, Wario, and Waluigi had been traipsing through. "We have to find him!"

"Too risky! We need to get that ingredient. We can search for him later!" Wario replied. "Walu can take care of himself!"

"Just like Mario could?" Stanley demanded.

Wario instantly stiffened at this. After a long moment, he looked back and said, "Walu will find us, trust me." Stanley looked down, but followed nonetheless.

"Waluigi time!" Waluigi suddenly cheered, popping out of the snow from nowhere, holding an ingredient and making Stanley scream in alarm, falling back. Wario, used to his sibling's unpredictable behavior, wasn't overly surprised.

"We head back then," Wario said.

"We have to search for Mario and Luigi!" Waluigi argued as he crawled out of the snow. "We need their help. We hardly got here with all five of us! Three won't-a stand a chance! If they're-a alive, they'll-a follow the river!"

"I agree with Wally!" Stanley said over the howling wind.

"Bah! Fine," Wario relented.

SMB

"Bro, what if it's really just us now?" Luigi sadly said, head bowed low.

"Then we mourn them later. For now, though, our focus has to be on saving the world. We can't afford to give in to despair. Try not to think about them, Luigi. We can't do that now, we just can't. Not when we're so close. Let's follow the river. Maybe they're still alive. Maybe the ingredient is along the banks."

"Mario, in this snow we could be walking on it and not notice if it was frozen over!" Luigi replied.

Mario inwardly cursed. His brother had a point. "At least we're on top of the cliff again," he said.

"And the river flows parallel to the edge," Luigi said. All at once there was a crack and Luigi screamed in terror, the ground giving out beneath him!

"Luigi!" Mario cried, diving for the edge. He looked over in time to see his brother plunge into the icy, fast-running waters!

"Help, help, help, help!" Luigi shouted desperately, feeling the wild rapids carrying him farther and farther from his brother. He felt himself blacking out. In only minutes he would end up succumbing to hypothermia! Oh Star Spirits, he would die here! "Mario!" he shrieked desperately one last time before blackness took him.

"Luigi!" Mario cried, trying to race along the river and find a way down to it. There was nothing. His brother was only getting farther away! "Luigi, no! Luigi!" He fell to his knees reaching futilely out to his brother, who was sinking beneath the water. Before he could stop himself he was sobbing and cursing the gods. He hardly cared that his face was freezing with his tears. He'd lost his brother, he'd lost his brother! He was all alone now. He was alone… Dead, dead, dead, they were all dead! No! This wasn't happening! No, he couldn't give up! "Luigi!" he shouted again, leaping to his feet and starting to run again.

SMB

"Waluigi, Wario!" Stanley shouted desperately as they followed the river. You see, in its waters up ahead, he saw a still green form. Quickly Waluigi and Wario raced to his side. "Look!" Stanley exclaimed, pointing at the figure being swept towards them.

"Is that…?" Waluigi began.

"Lulu!" Wario exclaimed. "You two, build a fire! I'm-a goin' in!"

"Wha? Wario, wait!" Waluigi exclaimed. Too late. Wario plunged into the frigid river and swam as quickly as he could towards his cousin. Waluig yelped in alarm and instantly sent out vines to wrap around Wario, because by the time Wario reached Luigi, his brother would be too shocked by the cold to swim back. With his vines he could reel them in.

"I've got the fire!" Stanley exclaimed, quickly throwing down a bunch of sticks he'd gathered on their journey. He ate a Fire Flower and shot a fireball at the twigs. They immediately ignited and Stanley began adding more wood. He had become the designated wood carrier after they'd used up all the supplies in his rucksack. It had been Mario's stroke of brilliance to suggest it, albeit also a strain on Stanley's back.

Waluigi reeled Wario and Luigi in. Luigi was barely breathing by the time he did. "Is he alive?" Stanley asked in horror.

"I-I-I-I-I-I…" Wario chattered.

"Get by the fire!" Waluigi barked, shoving his brother over by the flames before dragging Luigi's cold body over there as well. Waluigi quickly listened to Luigi's chest. "He's-a breathing," Waluigi assured. Stanley breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you have a healing mushroom, Wario?" Waluigi demanded.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y…" Wario chattered again. Waluigi growled impatiently. He'd assume Wario was saying yes. He quickly dug into his brother's pack and pulled it out, then shoved it into Luigi's mouth.

Luigi choked a bit on the mushroom, but soon got it down. "M-Mario, wh-where are you?" he whimpered, his eyes flickering open. He cried out in alarm on seeing Waluigi. "Waluigi!" he exclaimed, entire body shaking with cold. Stanley quickly pulled Luigi closer to the fire. "Am I dead?" Luigi asked.

"It was t-t-t-t-touch and go," Wario was finally able to say.

"M-Mario is still out there!" Luigi worriedly said.

"He'll find us," Stanley replied. "Right now we have to keep you and Wario alive."

"And make the miasma," Waluigi said. "Then we can get it back to E. Gadd for whatever finishing touches he needs to do to it, and release it."

"Give me the ingredients. I might have enough experience in horticulture and chemistry to pull this off," Stanley said.

"Fine. Get mixing," Waluigi said, shoving the formula and ingredients over to him.

SMB

"Luigi!" Mario miserably called, hoping against hope he'd hear his brother's voice again. "Stanley, Waluigi, Wario!" he called hopelessly. He had to find them. He needed to find them! If he didn't, he was as good as dead. "Luigi!" he called again, helpless to do anything else. He felt like his throat and lungs were freezing. They probably were. He didn't have much time left. Letting out a breath, he collapsed to his knees, clenching his teeth and wrapping his arms around himself tightly. His entire body shook. It was too late, he realized. This was how he died. He couldn't go any further, he just couldn't!

"Get up loser. You look exhausted," a voice suddenly said. Mario started, catching his breath and sharply looking up. There stood an all too familiar yellow-hatted figure!

"Wario!" Mario exclaimed. Before he could stop himself he was hugging his most hated rival so tightly it was like he'd never let him go. Surprisingly enough, all Wario did was hold him lightly back.

"We've got a fire going. Waluigi, Stanley, and I found the last ingredient. Stanley's working on the formula. We fished Luigi from the river, by the way, and got him warmed up. He's gonna be fine."

"You're alive!" Mario exclaimed in relief.

"By some miracle," Wario flatly said. He'd never admit it, but truth be told he felt some measure of relief too that they'd found Mario alive and well. The same kind of relief he'd felt when they'd found Luigi alive. Just not quite as relieved because it was his rival.

Quickly he led Mario back to the others. They stopped confusedly when they spotted Waluigi holding the vial of miasma with eyes closed. "The heck is he doing?" Wario asked.

"I don't know. Praying? He just told me to give him the bottle, examined it, said something had to stick, then closed his eyes and well, this," Stanley replied.

"Mario!" Luigi exclaimed, jumping up to go to his brother.

"Luigi!" Mario cried, racing to his sibling and embracing him tightly.

"Waluigi! Get up stupid. Since when do you pray to anything?"

"Bro, if this is Dharkon's game, Galeem's-a guaranteed to be itching for a conduit to counter it," Waluigi said, giving Wario a look. "I'm-a not praying. I'm-a making a friendly suggestion mixed with a plea just to get on the guy's good side. For however long that's-a gonna last."

"Don't-a put any trust in either of them," Mario said. "They both wanted to destroy the universe in the end, just in different ways."

"Light and dark had fallen out of balance. That's-a why conquering them both at once fixed things," Luigi said. "Rosalina always talks about how balance must be kept, and in conflict, Galeem and Dharkon weren't-a balanced. When we defeated them, they were brought back to it. If you can even call what we did defeating them. Waluigi's-a onto something using their rivalry to our advantage now."

"We're-a not using anything. They know exactly what we're-a doing if they have their hands in this. We're-a just volunteering to be used in Galeem's favour. Which, by the way isn't-a gonna earn us any points with Dharkon, so sucks to be us I guess."

"We'll-a deal with the fallout of that decision later. For now we stick with the plan," Mario said.

"We'll-a head back after we've-a all warmed up enough to actually survive more than ten minutes," Wario added, rubbing his hands together and putting them near the fire.

Luigi's Mansion

Syrup, Bowser, E. Gadd, Ashley, and the Koopalings gaped in horror at the hoard of infected that had finally found its way to Luigi's Mansion and was now pounding at the doors, walls, and windows. "How did they find us?!" Ludwig exclaimed in terror.

"All the fighting you eight were doing and you're really asking?!" Bowser sharply shot. Ludwig winced guiltily. Polterpup, whimpering, sank into the floor quickly, probably returning from whatever realm he came from. Wario's hen clucked frantically and flapped its way up to the highest point it could reach, where it promptly hid.

"The windows won't hold out for long. We must get higher!" E. Gadd said.

"Get back, get back!" Syrup ordered, herding the children, Ashley included, up the stairs towards the roof. There was nowhere else to go. The windows broke open. She heard E. Gadd scream in pain shortly after. She heard Bowser breath fire at the infected, scorching a large number of them before following her and the children upstairs. E. Gadd was with him, but bitten.

"Where's the way onto the roof?" Bowser demanded, putting Gadd down.

"Follow me," E. Gadd said, stumbling his way towards the roof access. They followed up. "Up there. Hurry. I'll hold them off as long as I'm still me," the professor said, pointing out their escape. Quickly they exited the trapdoor and climbed out onto the roof. Once there, they shoved some heavy barrels and boxes on top to try and stop the infected from reaching them.

"We're gonna die, we're gonna die!" Wendy sobbed, clinging to Iggy in terror. Larry was holding Lemmy tightly and wailing. Nothing could calm him down. Morton was crying too as he held Roy with all his strength, actually making Roy wince in pain. Ludwig himself was clutching Junior close to his chest as the youngest shrieked bloody murder. Bowser, pale, swiftly went to his children and gathered them all close, holding them tight.

"You're not going to die! Not on my watch!" Syrup insisted. "Bowser, take this!" She shoved something into Bowser's hands.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A Magic Lamp. I'm going to distract them and you're going to wish your children to a safe place. The genie inside is weak. He can't cure this plague, but he can save your little ones," Syrup replied.

"And what about us?" Bowser demanded, knowing already what the answer would be.

She was quiet. "I don't know if it can teleport everyone," she finally admitted.

"Then I'll stay behind," Bowser said.

"We both will," Syrup replied.

"No, we won't leave you!" Ludwig insisted to his father and to Syrup.

"Kids, you don't have a choice," Bowser gravely said, gazing at the lamp. His offspring would be safe. That was all that mattered to him anymore.

"It will be an honor to die alongside you, Koopa King," Syrup remarked. Bowser grunted in response.

"No one is dying," Ashley said, stepping forward with her wand. Just then the trap door was broken open. Immediately Ashley spoke an incantation and let loose with her powers, hair and dress flying upwards as she erected a red and transparent wall in front of them. The infected slammed against it, determined to break it down. Ashley winced a bit, a headache starting to form, but willed herself to concentrate. She uttered another incantation and flames burst from the wall, enveloping the infected. She cried out, sinking to her knees. The wall wavered, but she managed to keep it up.

"Ashley!" Ludwig exclaimed, trying to go to her. Bowser held him back.

"Bowser!" a voice suddenly yelled from below. Startled, the Royal family and Syrup looked over the edge. It was Mario! "We've-a got it!" Mario called, holding up the vial.

"Mario!" Bowser exclaimed. "Break the bottle!" Mario threw down the miasma without question. Immediately the mist began to curl into the air. "Get behind me!" Bowser warned his children, shoving Syrup as well as them back into a corner. He lunged, grabbing Ashley and throwing her back there as well. She cried out, losing hold of her spell, and gasped, looking up with eyes wide. Bowser braced for an attack. If the mist didn't reach them in time, he didn't intend to let anyone but himself fall to the infection. Of course he'd be cured in a few seconds, but still. He roared in pain as the wall attacked him.

"No!" Syrup screamed.

"Daddy!" Larry shrieked in terror.

"Pop!" Roy cried out. Ashley scrambled up and chanted another spell, blasting a large portion of the infected back. Another incantation caused the mist to sparkle and start spreading out faster. She prepared to deal even more damage to the infected, but very quickly things began to turn around as the infected began coughing and stopped in their attack.

"It's working. It's actually working," Ashley said in shock.

"Here's hoping it works fast," Ludwig replied.

"Hooray for the Cap Bros! Star Warriors! Whatever!" Wendy cheered. The rest of the koopalings echoed her cheer.

Some Days Later

Citizens from far and wide celebrated the victory of the Star Warriors. The survivors stood grinning together. Soon enough their comrades who had fallen joined them as well, grinning just as widely. "Haha, you boys did it! I knew you would!" Spike praised, enveloping his four nephews and his son in a large hug.

"Ashley," Ludwig quietly greeted as the girl came up alongside him with a small red thing next to her and holding her hand.

"Ludwig," she replied. She turned to Red. "See, Red? This is Ludwig. The Koopa prince I told you about. Ludwig, my familiar Red."

"So, are you two...?" Red began.

"No," Ashley snorted.

"As if I could be bothered," Ludwig backed, folding his arms and turning his back on Ashley.

"Peach-Hime!" Mario exclaimed in Japanese. Of course Hime was the only Japanese he knew, seeing as it meant Princess, but still. Honestly, the only reason he'd bothered to learn Hime was because Prince Haru used to call her that. Peach had liked it and Mario had wanted to be able to give her the same so she didn't feel deprived of it. Mario raced to her and hugged her tightly. "I'm-a so glad you're-a back!"

"Mario, you did it!" she cheered.

"Luigi!" Daisy exclaimed, racing into Luigi's arms. He cried out as he was knocked down by the sudden force of her body against his. He burst into laughter right after and held her tightly as they lay on the ground grinning like fools.

"Boss, boss, you saved us!" Mona cheered, running to Wario and throwing herself onto him, kissing his cheek.

"Bah!" Wario replied, shoving her back. She looked slightly hurt and pulled away. Before she could blink, though, she was suddenly in his arms. He was hugging her of his own free will, she excitedly realized. She grinned widely, relishing being in his embrace.

"Pauline!" Stanley exclaimed, hugging the woman close to him before moving back. "H-How about that date?"

"Name the time and place, Stan," she said with a grin. The Kongs were all ooking and eeking joyously. Birdo and Yoshi were clapping and Toad and Toadette were cheering excitedly. E. Gadd was grinning from ear to ear. Polterpup and Wario's Hen excitedly rejoiced at the victory of their masters.

SMB

Meanwhile, King Boo and Petey Piranha watched from a distance, smirking. Bowser came up next to them. "You're not going down?" Petey asked him.

"I'm not a welcome sight there," Bowser replied. "Not my thing anyway. Let my children relish in it."

"You pulled off quite the feat, getting all of your children through that disaster alive," King Boo remarked. "What about your magikoopas?"

"They were turned. At least the cure got them back to normal. I was getting sick of bellowing orders to no one," Bowser replied, watching the two Magikoopas hovering protectively around the eight heirs.

"Are all the survivors who were involved in your adventure there?" Petey asked.

"No," Bowser replied.

"No?" Petey asked.

"There was a woman. A pirate. Captain Maple Syrup was her name. This wasn't her thing either. She's probably robbing Wario as we speak," Bowser replied, smirking at the thought of the free-spirited pirate queen. "She helped protect my children."

"Why?" King Boo asked.

"She owed me," Bowser vaguely replied, shrugging it off.

"Where's the Star Princess?" Petey wondered curiously.

"I assume at her Observatory," Bowser replied.

"Then why are the lumas searching for her here?" King Boo asked, pointing at the little stars floating worriedly around. Bowser's frowned a little. Why were they looking? Had Rosalina fallen for good? He knew that some civilians of this world had, after all. No, that couldn't be. Humph, it was none of his business anyway. Let Mario worry about saving princesses in distress.

SMB

"Rosalina's-a missing," Waluigi worriedly remarked to his cousins and uncle, as well as Peach, Mona, and Daisy.

"I know. I can't reach her," Peach concernedly said.

"I can't reach her either," Daisy uncertainly added.

"Do you think…" Mona fearfully began.

"No. She can't-a be," Waluigi shot sharply.

"Mona, what about that device you whipped up? The tracker?" Wario asked.

Mona pulled it out and opened it wide. She paled, covering her mouth. "Oh no. She-she doesn't register."

"What does that mean?" Spike demanded.

"Nothing good. Tell me there's-a an alternate explanation besides death," Mario said, concern in his eyes.

"She could be off the radar, I suppose, but I don't see how. This covers everything," Mona confusedly replied, scanning the world.

"She's-a alive. She has to be!" Luigi insisted. Waluigi was silent as a grave and still as a statue, expression blank. "She's-a alive…" Luigi said once more, but it was more to convince himself than anyone else.

Waluigi looked solemnly up at the sky, eyes filling with distress. "Dove sei, mia rosa?" he questioned softly. Where are you, my rose?

SMB

Rosalina's eyes slowly flickered open and softly she groaned. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was lying in the snow while a figure she couldn't make out came towards her. She'd seen it was a man, by his form she was sure of that, but beyond that… Wait... Her eyes slowly widened in realization. "Mama?" Luma softly asked.

She looked over at her Luma quickly. "Where am I?" she immediately asked him.

"I don't know," Luma replied uncertainly.

"Who brought me here?" she demanded, sitting up.

"A scary man, mama," Luma answered. "I was flying to find help and I reached a far-off place, where he'd hidden away. I don't know why he was there. I said you needed help and he looked at me funny. I couldn't see his face, but his mask never stopped smiling. It was the biggest smile I've ever seen. It was scary, mama. He was scanning me with his magic, I felt him. He was very powerful. He said, 'She needs help, does she? Well then, take me to your mama.' So I flew away and he followed, I don't know how he kept up. When he saw you I felt such a change, mama. I can't describe it, it was so big."

"Dimentio," she said in disbelief, a hand going to her forehead. "Something dark has happened."

"Not dark, mama, good! The infection is gone. The Star Warriors saved us all! I can go back and find them and they can help you," Luma said.

"Help me? Am I in danger?" Rosalina asked.

"I don't know," Luma replied.

Rosalina considered her situation. If Dimentio was out of the Underwhere, something had gone very, very wrong. "Luma, find Mario and the others. Go swiftly, my dear," she said. Luma nodded and quickly zipped off.

Rosalina watched after the luma as he vanished into the distance. Having little else to do, she decided to explore. She was certainly no prisoner here, she'd deduced. The doors weren't locked, after all. She walked out cautiously, prepared for anything. She entered a large room and caught her breath. A Throne Room! And sitting upon the throne was a harlequin figure. Slowly he looked up upon sensing her presence. His mask, turned down in a tragic manifestation, suddenly flipped to an eerie smile. "Rosalina, welcome home," he said.

"The Ruined Kingdom?" she asked calmly.

"Not ruined for long, if I have my way," Dimentio replied, rising.

She shook her head. "How has this happened? How are you free of that place? You were supposed to be dead."

"Was I? I don't feel dead," he replied, the unsettling smile still planted on his face as he floated slowly towards her.

She held her ground. "Were you behind this plague?"

"Not even I have that kind of power," he replied. He stopped close to her. Tears pricked her eyes. "You're overwhelmed. I know, Ethereal Queen, I know how this must feel, but I'm here now, and you're safe. You're home," he said.

"You haven't answered my questions," she said. He smirked darkly, and she sensed in her heart the answer wasn't one she wanted.

To Be Continued...

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of Chronicles of the Stars