One of the times Angel and Baaabe were hanging out, the pair passed by a pet shop... And knowing them, of course they had to look around. If nothing else, to see the variety of pets; but maybe getting a couple of gag gifts wouldn't hurt.
For Ash, it took Babe no time. They learned quickly that Ash chews on his lips or straws a lot, so they got a couple of chewing toys meant for puppies. Hey, if it works, it works. And it's cheaper than getting something for people anyway.
For David, Angel scanned through the aisles. Nothing really stood out to them. It wasn't like he really fell for that kind of stuff, the only dog related thing they got that he uses are diving toys for the pool. They thought it'd be funny; to their surprise, he uses the things for exercise while shifted.
Okay, there have been times that they toss the toys in and he retrieves them, but that's between the two of them.
"I dunno," Angel stood there with their arms crossed, "he doesn't really do this kinda stuff." They kept looking around.
When they rounded a corner, something caught their eye. They had to backtrack to it, backing up a few steps. There's no way that'd work, right?
They heard Babe behind them, "Where'd you- oh, there you are. Whatcha looking at?"
Angel looked over with a little smirk, nodding their head at the hook in front of them.
Babe connected the dots, "You think that'd work on him?"
Angel snickered a devious sound.
"Only one way to find out."
—
Angel dropped their friend off at their apartment, telling them to tell Ash they said hey, then started back towards the house.
The bag in the passenger seat contained a few things. A couple of sodas they picked up from a gas station, and the one thing from the pet store.
A dog whistle.
Now, don't get them wrong. They know if this works, it's going to get their ass smacked — among other things — but they just had to see. Sometimes, there's nothing wrong with experimentation.
They took their usual route home, finally pulling into the drive to click the button on their key fob to get the garage open.
After cutting the engine, they had to find something to open the package and tuck the little keychain into their pocket, tossing the package in the back to get at a later date. They had to keep the evidence hidden.
They grabbed the bag of drinks and a couple of their things to get out, artfully getting the door all while it was all in their hands. "I'm back!" They called out as they got their shoes off.
"I got you a drink while I was out," they added, looking around for him. "Davey?" Huh. Weird.
Oh.
When they got to the living room, they noticed him playing Warzone — a rare choice for them but it's when they all really wanna blow off some steam... And yell at each other. With his headset on, he kept trying to discipline Ash over call. And if they weren't mistaken, they could hear the familiar laugh of Milo along with it.
They grinned with intent, coming up behind the couch to reach over and press the cold can against the back of his neck.
"What the fu—!?" He whipped around fast, his shoulders instantly relaxing when he saw the perpetrator. "A little warning would e been nice before you scare the fuck out of me, angel," he sighed out, giving them an exasperated look.
"Well I tried calling out for you but I guess that headset I got you works wonders on tuning even me out," they mused. They leaned over the back to reach and give him a kiss, "I'm hurt."
"It's not that and you know it, you snot," he rolled his eyes, trying to sound offended but the loving smile gave it away. "What'd you get me then, I heard that much."
"The station had a couple of that flavour you like," they handed the can over, "tastes like battery acid to me but to each their own."
"You're the one that sticks to one flavour."
"Hey! I'm predictable! You know what to get me if the moment pops up!"
He hummed a teasing sound as he popped the can open for a quick sip, "Thank you, though," he leaned up for another kiss, then snorted when they recoiled.
"I just told you that shit tastes like nuclear waste and you kiss me with it???"
"You're the one that reciprocated, angel."
Okay. Not wrong. But still, they stuck their tongue out and blew a raspberry.
They took their drink from the bag, sticking the bag in the midst of the collection the two had going, then started towards the bedroom.
"Where are you going?"
They paused and leaned back to peek back into the living room, "Eh, I've got a couple of things I need to get finalized and sent in, I'll leave you to your precious game. Kinda need to focus, but I'll be back in as soon as I'm done, I promise."
He hummed, "Don't take too long then."
They gave him a little salute before turning on their heel and marching on, hearing him laugh as they went along.
Perfect... The alibi worked.
They plopped back on the bed, grabbing their phone to text Babe that they're gonna try it, even with David having his headphones on.
BAAAAAAABE: "Those things work for a good radius right?"
"I think, yeah. Not sure the specifics. But he also has those headphones on, so I dunno if it'd muffle it."
BAAAAAAABE: "One way to find out :3c"
Angel snorted to themself and set their phone close by as they popped the tab on their soda, getting a sip and setting the can over in the night stand. The whistle was cold in their hand, pretty lightweight.
They hooked their finger in the keyring, took a breath, and blew into the thing.
—
"Ash, if you don't fuckin' quit dyin'— I'm tired of rez'in' your dumbass."
"Well then don't run off when there's a fucking precision when I'm low!"
"Both of you," David sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ash, don't try and solo a squad. Milo, quit running off and abandoning someone down. There, happy? I feel like a fucking parent right now with you two."
"And you're the youngest here—"
"Don't fucking remind me. It's only by a month with you and a couple more with Milo. Don't act cocky because of it."
"Sorry, buddy, but if it's an advantage I have against ya, I'm gonna use it!"
David dropped his head back against the back of the couch, about to make a snarky remark when a piercing sound made him flinch. "What the—"
"What the hell was that???"
"Just sounded like someone tried jammin' that dental drill into my fucking ears—"
David stopped. "Wait, you heard that too?" That's weird. "It didn't sound like it was in the game..."
"It didn't even register in the call, your little profile thingy didn't light up for it."
"Hang on," David checked a few things in the call settings, even changing his mic input.
"I didn't hear it again— ow!"
David grimaced again, hearing the other two sling their headphones off. What the hell is going on—
"It's not your mic then," Milo sounded slightly painted as he spoke up again, "but it's definitely on your end."
"I can't even figure out where the fuck that sound is coming from. The TV is off, my laptop isn't making weird sounds... And I know it's not an appliance making that— I fucking hope not."
"Well, I—" Milo paused. "Sorry, my mate got back, and they're not lookin' happy. Gotta go."
The wolf shifter left the call before David could say anything.
"Is it still happening?" Ash chimed in. "I don't hear it again— owwwwwww why did I have to say anything—"
As if on cue, that damn sound happened again, David trying to use his headphones to cover his open ear again. Made the grand mistake of uncovering it partially just to hear for Angel if they called. He regretted it now.
"Sorry, Ash," David shook his head as if that'd get rid of the sound, "I have to find whatever the fuck that is."
"Nah—" Ash audibly cringed, "I get it... Whatever that is, get that fixed before I'm over next because I do not want to listen to that the entire time."
"It's not any better in this end."
—
Based on the flurry of texts they got from Babe, the whistle worked just as intended, and the other two could hear it through his mic. Ash was apparently rubbing at his ears, trying to explain it to his mate and not really understanding it himself.
Angel had to keep from laughing, spinning the ring on their finger.
They heard footsteps nearing and quickly shoved the whistle in their pocket, tossing their phone to the side and getting their laptop out before David got down the hall. They even hunched over the way they normally do to really sell it.
They looked up nonchalantly, "Hey! Thought you guys were still playing?"
He shook his head, getting up on the other side of the bed and laying on his side next to them. It was a damn good thing they left one of their projects open on their laptop the last time they used it so he could think they were still working.
"Did you hear this really high pitched sound earlier?"
"Hm?" Their brows scrunched up, "No? Was it your game glitching out?"
He shook his head, rolling over to lay on his back, "The guys said it was through my mic. I tried resetting it, changing the input... Kept happening." Z
"Huh," they shrugged, "I didn't hear anything, but I don't have that wolf hearing that you guys have either."
"You're the one that says you can hear electricity, angel."
"Hey, lightbulbs make a sound!"
He laughed, waving it off, "I know, I know they do, just teasing." He stretched back with a groan, "Just wish I could figure out what the fuck that was... Felt like a mosquito literally inside my head but... I dunno, it hurt like hell."
Oh... They didn't know it'd hurt... Okay, now they feel awful...
"How much progress have you made?" He asked, prying them from their thoughts.
They made a so-so gesture, "Not as much as I thought I would. Kept getting distracted on which song I wanted to put on."
"Aww, poor you," he mused, reaching over for them, "such a hard decision for you, I'm sure— ow, what the fuck...?"
They froze.
He had pulled them close to lay his head on their lap...
And instead landing his head right in the whistle in their pocket.
He noticed the caught look in their eyes, his own narrowing. He lifted up, about to try and get into their pocket, only to have to chase them around a little on the bed.
They kept shifting around, scooting over and back, then back up, setting their laptop to the side so they wouldn't knock it off.
"Angel— what are you— Angel."
They tried to move again, their shoulders slamming to the soft mattress instead as he pinned them down. One hand held their wrists above their head — and if they weren't terrified, they'd be turned on, however — the other tucking into their shorts pocket and pulling the little metal keychain out.
Oh fuck.
He eyed the thing, that intense stare darting over to them, "What the fuck is this."
They swallowed, shrugging innocently, "A... Dog whistle?"
He didn't look away as he clicked his tongue, running it over his canine, "Uh huh... And, uh, why do you have one of these?"
They couldn't act cute enough to get out of this one, they were sure of it.
"I... Thought— well actually, I didn't know if you would even be able to hear it, but—"
"You decided to test your theory anyway and drive me halfway to crazy," he finished for them. "Adorable, truly."
"I didn't know it'd hurt!" They felt so bad. They look defeated, a genuine look of guilt in their eyes.
He tried to be mad, sighing instead. "It'd be a good prank on Ash," he commented as he handed it back to them.
"On... Ash?" They blinked a couple of times.
"Yeah," he shrugged, laying back down for real this time with his head in their lap, "I give you full permission too, he was nothing but an asshole in that game."
They looked confused by now.
"Wait— so... You're not mad?"
"Hm?" He looked up, "Oh, no, I am," he stated before rolling over so his chin was on their thigh.
"But—"
Their words froze in their throat when they saw the look in his eyes.
"I have other ways of getting back at you."
Oh.
Oh.
"So... I'm still in trouble—oomph-"
They were back on their back again, this time with him hovering over them.
Summary: Peter and Mj team up to get and share you. You are walking in a dark alleyway at night when a group of criminals try to rob you. Spider-Man takes this as an opportunity to get closer to you but gets stopped by another semi-masked vigilante.
Warning: stalking, cyberstalking, mentions of violence, this will be a short chapter cause I have a bad headache
. · : * ¨ ¨ * ≈ ☆ ≈ * ¨ ¨ * : · .
Peter and Mj are sitting together on the couch, scrolling through some files they totally didn’t get Ned to hack the government to get. It took a lot of convincing to get him to do it, and what I mean by a lot is:
“Pleaseee Ned, we really need this.”
“I don’t know Peter, [Reader] is also a friend of mine’s and she wouldn’t appreciate me doing this behind her back.”
“She might be in danger.”
“What?”
“Yeah some villains were thinking of kidnapping her and we need all information on her to see if she’s associated with bad people.”
There were a long pause of silence before Ned started to let out a laugh.
“That’s funny you think [Reader’s full name] is associated with bad criminals. Damn Peter, I knew this breakup made you go crazy but I didn’t know you were this crazy.”
“Ned I’ll do anything you want.”
“Anything huh”
So yeah now Peter has to swing Ned around whenever he needs to go somewhere. Kinda sucks but anything to get all this info on you. He found everything there could possibly be on government records, even things Peter didn’t even know about you.
“Wow Peter can you believe she got into a school fight over food.”
Yeah, you weren’t exactly the most evil person just a bit weird. They did collect a bunch of information that would benefit them like what routes you take from work to your new apartment, which Peter could use to stalk you. Looking at your working hours seems like you changed your shifts so that they now end at 10 pm. A little dangerous but that was Peter’s sign to check the time which was 9:30 pm. Guess it’s time to voluntarily escort you home from a distance. To keep you safe at least. He kisses Mj goodbye as he jumps out the window, swinging his way towards your workplace.
. ・ 。 . ・ ゜ ✭ ・ . ・✫・ ゜・ 。 .
Peter has been following you to the train station. He quickly connects to the subway system to follow it from above since he didn’t wanna catch the attention of multiple people. He finally reached your stop, seeing you quickly get off. He followed you into a sketchy alleyway from the rooftop as walk like you have no idea what usually goes on in these situations. Maybe you’re too desperate to get home that you take a shortcut but Peter couldn’t believe you were that stupid. Survival instincts of a fart.
There’s a group of guys that quickly try to restrain you to attack you and Peter finds it to be a nice opportunity to get you to trust him. As he goes to sneakily get rid of each criminal, someone with a scarf around their head begins to get involved. Beating the shit out of each criminal until they were all pretty much passed out. He stops and tell you to run to the police office nearby while he stays there and makes sure the criminals don’t escape before the police comes. In shock you run away without properly listening to his voice.
He makes his way to the rooftop, just in case the police get there since he’s no Spider-Man. They wouldn’t want him there. Matt could hear Peter’s heartbeat.
“I know your here.”
“Matthew, didn’t know you were a vigilante. I would’ve thought your lack of eyesight would get in the way.”
“Hmm, Peter I didn’t think you would be stalking your ex but here we are. What did that little whore run along to the next person who gave her attention and now you want my precious [reader] back?”
“What, you think you’re some hot shit just cause she’s sleeping with you? Well tough luck cause I had her first and she only is interested in you cause you’re giving her a place to stay. She’ll come running back to me.”
“That’s not what she tells me. She tells me every day that I treat her so much better. I pleasure her more than you ever had. You think she’ll come back but she wants nothing to do with you. Now get lost.”
Matt leaves Peter thinking of their interaction. Out of anger he punches the floor under him, creating a hole in someone’s ceiling then quickly swings away back to his apartment.
Before I react and share my ending, I just need to mourn the end of Soulless.
There’s so much, I don’t even know where to begin…
Elliot’s morality
Last update left off with Elliot seemingly headed to the dark side. He’s my LI in my main slot, so I definitely stopped him from going too far. I really wonder what would’ve happened if I hadn’t.
I had to include Vincent’s dry and funny word of encouragement.
Out of all the LIs, I think Elliot’s story is the most painful. Even meeting his mom felt so tragic. She was there, but not as a mother. He became the parent to her. No wonder he was so consumed with taking down Kang. He literally took everything from him: his family, innocence, childhood.
Thinking about how far he got himself—college, job, mortgage, while keeping his hands clean, that’s pretty amazing. To see him struggle in this make-or-break moment actually makes his arc so much more rewarding. It’s the humanity that grounds the story in something that feels real and consequential.
Then this scene surprised me. It made the same connection I made last time, which is that both Elliot and Vincent make their living off of other people’s corruption. It was spun very interestingly. I’m glad they were able to see the good in them and not just the lying and killing.
Btw, I like how these celestials look better than the HSU and DLS.
The end of Kang
What I did not expect was how much I would feel for Kang. The scene between him, Tiger, and Elliot. 😱 That was just… too cruel and sad and so many emotions I didn’t think I’d have for him.
He kinda had to die, because he had done too many bad things. But I felt sorry for him. He’s the Gollum to Elliot’s Frodo. I’m relieved he finally apologized to Elliot. It’s not much, but it’s still huge considering most people don’t apologize. It showed Elliot that Kang wasn’t a complete monster like Tiger. It also finally relieved Kang of the guilt he carried for all those years.
Btw, we learned that Elliot’s last name is Cross. Fitting, huh?
Everyone’s Fates
The celestials offered Elliot and Vincent to become the new Veil. I really didn’t see that coming. In my ending, Elliot became Veil. I REALLY didn’t see that coming. Vincent kept doing what he does.
Threxio became a demon with a soul. I never found out exactly how he feeds still or how he even lives now that Red Gold is gone. What does he do now? I still have my Walter route, but I’m thinking about doing a Threxio slot instead. I’m too curious.
Walter chose to get rid of his celestial and siren parts of himself. It’s sad that he’s no longer an “angelfish” but he lives in peace now. With Seaweed.
Ava continued dancing and seemed motivated for the future. They all stayed friends. She stayed rich. Must be nice…
My end
Vyxaria drank Xantheia’s blood and became an Archdemon. That went in the opposite direction that I was expecting. I was really hesitant to take the blood, but I just went along with it. I also feared that if I tossed it to Walter, he’d be tempted by the bloodlust. I suspect the Path of Uncertainty would’ve had Vyxaria become fully human again.
Anyway, the celestials granted her immortality. Her demon self no longer rejects her human self, so it’s not killing her anymore.
She moved out of her apartment and into Elliot’s house. His job as the new Veil is kinda weird. I was hoping they’d live a normal human life together. But instead, they’re both immortal. They get to live together forever. And he’s now extremely powerful, including in bed.
And FINALLY the moment I’ve been waiting for FINALLY came!!
Mwahahahahaha…. Thank you, Wincy! It would’ve been a serious crime and extremely disappointing if Elliot had never used them on Vyxaria!
Look how cute they are…😍
Overall
IMO, one of the best stories on RC hands down. It wasn’t perfect. It took a slight dip in Velanthis, but it was also necessary for Vyxaria’s arc. Besides that, I’d say everything else was great.
Every LI is great with their own personal arc. The humor and quirks were my favorite. I can’t tell you how hard and how often this story made me laugh. Brilliant! On top of that, there’s also a lot of depth behind it. Vyxaria is still and probably will always be my favorite MC.
Wincy, enjoy your break and please come back soon. I will sorely miss your writing! I don’t usually tip, but this one earned it. It got all my 💎.
warnings: angst? turned to fluff, mentions of toxic/controlling friendships, insecurities, ghosting?, kissing, and i think that’s it
THIS TAKES PLACE BEFORE RAPPER!MATT AND POPSTAR!READER (or star) STARTED DATING!!!
THIS IS NOT PROOFREAD SO IF THERES ANY SPELLING MISTAKES OR GRAMMER ERROS I DONT WANNA HEAR IT!! BLAME GRAMMARLY!!!
wc: 1634
you usually never date a rapper or even a person with a reputation of being a player but something about matt was different. whenever he took you on dates, even when you guys would call, or even how he texted you.
you were hanging out with your friends, and somehow, the topic of you and matt came up. you had just been telling your friends how he was with you and how you thought maybe you were falling for him more than you should when your friend spoke up.
“i don’t know star but i would be careful you know he’s just a player this could just be his way of playing with you,” she said her voice sounding comforting but with a him judgment, as if she was trying to parent you into stopping talking with matt.
“i know i know but-” you started before she cuts you off.
“no buts star he’s just trying to play you don’t let him do that,” she said. her tone was firm and it made you shrink into yourself.
“okay…okay,” you said softly as you looked down at your hands in your lap.
your friends went back to talking and you’d just comment here and there trying to seem perfectly fine.
you did what your friend said because maybe she was right maybe matt was just trying to play with you, so you started to distance yourself from matt, acting colder during your conversations, not going out with him as much, it hurt but you saw it as protecting yourself from future heartbreak.
when matt first hit you up after you guys first met and you guys started to talk more, he realized he was falling for you hard and fast. it kinda scared him but it didn’t stop him from being too involved with you. he had himself wondering if he should maybe commit to you like actually starting a relationship, and that was shocking because matt was commitment’s number one hater, but there was just something about you, maybe it was your feisty, but sweet personality, or maybe it was the way you held yourself, or maybe it was your smile that looked like it was from the heavens above. (god does he sound whipped)
but when matt noticed the change he felt like he did something wrong but he didn’t know what he did and it hurt. especially since you weren’t responding as quickly as you used to, you stopped sending your stupidly cute stickers or emojis, you stopped hanging out with him, you even stopped texting him little updates about your day, eventually you just stopped responding to his messages as a whole.
he felt like he had lost one of the few things that could cheer him up when he was down.
he was talking to his brothers about it thinking maybe they could see something he didn’t.
“it’s just weird it was like a switch flipped overnight,” he said as he buried his face in his hands.
“dam… that sucks huh?” chris said, trying to be sympathetic.
matt let out a breathless chuckle. “…ya you could say that again”
“you know… i don’t think i’ve ever seen you this hung up on a girl before” nick said before continuing “well at least since you know…” he trailed off not wanting to know a certain someone
matt stayed silent, he knew his brother was right but he still didn’t know what to do to get you back to how you used to be with him.
a few weeks have passed with you pretty much ghosting matt and he’s had enough of it so he decided to go over to your house to talk to you and figure out what he did wrong and hopefully fix it.
he had been over to your house a few times and he had the route memorized at this point so he drove to yours on a day you weren’t typically busy on so he could hopefully catch you there to talk.
when he pulled up to your house he saw your car in the driveway so he took that as a good sign.
he parked his car in the driveway and got out, walking up to your front door.
he stands there for a second questioning himself if he was going to do this for a girl? ‘yes, yes i am especially since she makes me this happy’ he thought to himself before he raised his fist to knock on the door.
when you heard the knock on the front door you thought it was just a delivery person, until you heard another knock so you got up off the couch and walked over to the front door to open it.
when you opened it and saw matt, you were shocked to say the least.
“matt? what are you doing here?” you asked softly, surprise evident on your face.
there was a moment of silence that passed between you both mainly because matt wasn’t sure how to start this conversation because he didn’t prepare at all what he was going to say, all he knew was that he needed you to go back to being how you were with him.
“i- uhm… i came to talk” matt finally spoke for a moment.
“about what?” you said, even though you had a good idea what this was about.
“uhm… about you ghosting me,” matt said, still not exactly sure what he should say but just saying whatever comes to mind first.
“oh uhm… you noticed that” you said softly, maybe even slightly sheepishly.
“of course i noticed why wouldn’t i?” he said, his brow furrowing slightly.
“i mean… kinda figured… you were talking to other girls so you wouldn’t notice” you said, as you looked down unable to meet matt’s eyes anymore.
matt stood there shocked for a moment. you thought he was taking to other girls? that stung a bit, but he guessed he couldn’t blame you due to his past.
“oh well uhm… i’m not talking to other girls so ya… i noticed” he said softly. it felt foreign to say he wasn’t talking to other girls to anyone besides his brothers.
to say that when matt said he wasn’t talking to other girls surprised you was an understatement. “you aren’t?” you asked softly.
“no… i’m not… you were the only girl i was talking too” he said, his voice surprisingly soft.
“so uhm… can i get an explanation why you ghosted me?” he said, his voice still soft also fearful because he wasn’t sure if he’d like whatever your reason was for ghosting him.
“i- uhm,” you said, trailing off, because how were you supposed to explain you let your insecurities and your so-called ‘friends’ words get to you?
matt stood there silently waiting for you to explain.
“well… i kinda just… figured you were… gonna play me… so i just ghosted you,” you said sheepishly fiddling with your fingers still not being able to look up at him.
matt stood there silent, one because he was shocked, two because he was slightly upset you thought he was going to play you, i mean had he not showed you he wasn’t gonna do that with all the dates he took you one, on all the surprise hangouts, how he pretty much dropped everything to hang out with you, or how he would respond to your text within the same minute?
after a while, he finally spoke. “…you thought i was going to play with?” he said softly.
“i-… ya i did… i’m sorry…” you said softly before continuing “it’s just… i don’t know i just get into my head sometimes…”
“oh…” he said softly, he wasn’t sure what else to say.
“yeah…” you said still not able to look up at him.
“well uhm… i don’t know how to say this… but uhm do you think… maybe… just maybe you can give me another chance? to prove i don’t want to play you?” matt said, shocking himself with the words that came out of his mouth, not because they weren’t true but because he’s never asked for a second chance, especially like this.
“you want another chance?” you asked softly, shocked that despite you ghosting him he still came back asking for another chance.
“ya… i do i want to prove i won’t play you… that im serious about you… about us” he said his tone soft but firm, clearly showing he was serious about this, about you, about you guys.
“i…” you trailed off thinking about the right words to say and how despite you pushing away he still wanted another chance, to prove to you that he was serious, that he wasn’t going to hurt you.
“…okay,” you said softly nodding your head.
“okay?” he asked because he wanted more verbal confirmation.
“…ya i’ll give you another chance if that’s what you want,” you said your voice more firm now and not as small and soft as it was at the beginning of this conversation.
“you will?” matt asked.
“ya, i will,” you said with a slight nod and a small smile forming on your lips.
“oh thank god,” matt said letting a sigh of relief out.
you let out a small giggle.
“so… we’re all good now? back to normal?” matt asked taking a step closer to you with a slight smirk forming on his lips.
“ya… all good,” you said nodding your head.
“good,” he said stepping closer and gently grabbing your chin to pull you in a kiss.
the kiss was soft and sweet with a small bit of need in it. you wrapped your arms around matt’s neck loosely as you kissed him back.
matt’s arms moved to wrap around your waist, pulling you closer to him.
if you want to be added to my taglist go here-> taglist
an: this is the longest blurb ive ever posted and my first blurb for popstar!reader and rapper!matt but i can’t tell if i love it or hate it lowkey the ending was rushed cus i didn’t know how to end it so it’s lowkey bums💔
dislikes: anything related to Taxi's, Petria's government, laundrymats, kiwi
fun fact: hes great with a camera, he took to the camera Crowley gives them immediately
Yuumi is my TWST x Road 96 oc, he got transported to Twisted Wonderland right after successfully crossing. Sanchez isn't actually their last name, hes using Sonya and Stan and Mitch's, because he didn't want any association with his real family.
Road 96 info:
his route took 10 days, and his encounters were in this order(since this isnt an actual ingame route, he had multiple encounters with some characters):
No One Is Supposed To Be Here -> LFO -> Praying For Time -> About A Girl -> Some Like It Hot -> Video Killed The Radio Star -> No Concession -> Thieves In The Temple -> Stress -> Beep Boop Beep -> Too Young To Die -> Short Circuit -> Beat It -> I've Seen That Face Before -> Road 96 -> Election Day -> tunnels
after he crossed, he got hit by the carriage.
his opinions on different twst characters(written like dialogue):
Ace: "eh, we get along well, i guess. hes such an idiot, though..." <affectionate
Deuce: "i think he seems pretty reliable"
Trey: "kinda boring to be around, but he seems nice."
Cater: "i don't understand half of the things he says.."
Riddle: "... i dont like him."
Jack: "he seems nice."
Ruggie: "i like him. i feel like we agree a lot."
Leona: "you're telling me hes a prince??? ..checks out, i guess.."
the twins: "..they remind me of some people, hehe. i think we get along."
Azul: "he seems? decent? i don't really mind being around him, but the whole contract shtick is kinda weird?"
Kalim: "i like him, hes nice."
Jamil: "i don't think i know him well enough to say anything.." (pre book 4)
Jamil: "huh. you know, i actually respect him." (post book 4)
Epel: "im glad we're friends, hes cool."
Rook: "creepy..."
Vil: "hes pretty cool"
Ortho: "robots exist here??!?????? uh, i think hes neat"
Idia: "kinda reminds me of someone. barely. its like cater, i can't understand half the stuff he says..."
Sebek: "loud..."
Silver: "i don't talk to him much, he seems chill"
Lilia: "???"
Malleus: "still think its weird he was outside my house... whatever, he doesn't seem like he wants to do anything bad.."
Crewel: "hes cool. showed me how to sew better when i asked, so that was nice."
Vargas: "loud, but hes easy to get along with, i guess."
Trein: "pretty strict, but it makes sense. i like his cat"
Crowley: "... ..i don't think hes really trying to send me home. i dont want to go back anyway, so.. i guess im fine with that.. i got what i wanted, right? oh, and hes fine, i guess."
Sam: "i think we get along, hes chill."
Rollo: "...ehhhhhh...."
Fellow: "i like him. i thought his scheme was gonna be petty robbery or something not.. human trafficking... but, i guess i dont mind him??"
Gidel: "hes cute. he doesn't deserve being stuck on the streets though.. i might invite those two to Ramshackle..."
Skully: "i had bigger problems at the time, i think...i didn't get to know him that well."
Swing: "...i.... don't like him."
[Rielle and Minajael aren't here because i dont know enough about them ^^]
Random facts:
he is a HORRID driver. He dabbled in sewing, but he learned more about it from crewel after coming to Twisted Wonderland. Hes very happy to have Ramshackle dorm. Hes fairly pleasant if you actually interact with him, hes not as mean as he looks. He carries a lockpick everywhere
Super Royal Assistant! - Ch 20: The Chapter In Which There Is Fury
Previous < First > Next
A Chapter of Fury that goes best with Mustard of Doom! As Bowser returns to his castle, you find Fawful's work has gone much farther than expected. With the maniacal genius after two kingdoms and the Dark Star, you and Bowser have a long road ahead.
AO3
Wattpad
or below!
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The colorful foliage and shell-like rocks of Bumpsy Plains soon gave way to dark and foreboding tunnels. The wild Flifits had stood little chance against Bowser and his flames, but now it seemed like you had gone off course. “This is the way to the castle?”
Duh, you’re in my head, aren’t you? You should know this… Bowser paused. Are you sure it’s all just because you were dormant until that conk on the head?
“U-uh, I didn’t want to be rude of course. And besides, talking – err, thinking – things out like this can help clear up your head.”
Pfft, rude? You’re part of me, aren’t ya? Ain’t rude. Bowser rolled his eyes. Anyway, this is sort of a back door. Gotta have escape routes just in case. Considering how the escape routes had been helpful when Bowser took Peach’s Castle in the sky, you couldn’t disagree. This will take us right up into the main hall and - Who put a floating TV down here?
It was unlike any block you’d seen before. It was huge for one, but also had an antennae and a screen, which currently showed static. “Maybe a new kind of message block? Let’s try it out.”
Don’t have to tell me twice. Bowser gave the screen a good smack.
“Ah Monsieur Turtle Bits!” The screen buzzed and slowly focused, showing Broque Monsieur and Broggy on the other end. “Zis block called to you, honh? What is zis block, you think. I must know! What is it? Well, it is a shop block!”
“You put a shop block… in my escape tunnel…” Bowser said, remarkably calm despite the readings you saw on the screens. “After this is over, we’re gonna have a long talk about encroaching on my land.”
“Oui, oui, of course, I apologize, but I set zee blocks as I was searching for my naughty little Broggy, oui. I needed to check back in on zee store, of course,” Broque Monsieur quickly replied, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief. “Additionally, Monsieur, I can give zee fresh negative-ion treatment to heal zee body and mind!”
Bowser frowned but nodded. “I suppose that could be helpful…”
Broque Monsieur nodded frantically. “Why I could even give zee treatment for free, as a gift!”
“Free is good…” You muttered, “But…”
“Though, as we talk gifts… perhaps I could trouble zee Monsieur for a small errand?”
“There it is,” you sighed.
“As you know, I am a collector of zee finest blocks in zee world. However, my collection is incomplete. I seek zee adorable Blitties!” Broque Monsieur held up a photograph of an admittedly cute block kitten. “Once I had a whole family of zee Blitties, but they ran away in terror when zee Princess’s castle was taken to zee sky. Perhaps, if Monsieur sees one, could I trouble you to bring zee Blitty to me?”
“I’ll… think about it,” Bowser muttered.
“Of course, Monsieur, of course! Now, I wish you bon voyage with zee treatment! Au revoir!”
The screen shut off as a shower of sparks danced over Bowser’s body, healing any remaining injuries after his brawl with his castle. Huh. He’s kinda a weird guy.
“Any weirder than any of our other acquaintances?”
Touché.
===============================
A long walk later, and you found yourself at the doors to Bowser’s Castle. “Alright, time to see why these chuckleheads thought they could steal my own castle and attack me!” Bowser said, throwing open the doors.
You gawked at what awaited beyond. “What… the hell…”
You could say that again. The castle had been completely remodeled to become a massive theater on par with the fanciest venues of New Donk City, just with massive unnerving grins plastered everywhere. There were rows of golden statues of Fawful – or you at least assumed it was Fawful, since you had never seen him without his cloak. Every supposed guest to the theater was given the red carpet treatment on their way to the snack bar to get Fawful Popcorn and Fawful Cola and Fawful Chocolate Bars before heading into the grand doors to what used to be the throne room. I swear if they ruined any of the artwork… this is so tacky!
“This is coming from the guy who wanted a tower built to look like his face.”
HEY! Whose side are you on?
As Bowser stomped into the remodeled castle, he was greeted by a group of Goombas. “WELLCOOOOME! Welcome, dear guest!”
“What?” You and Bowser muttered in unison.
One Goomba stepped forward. “Welcome to Fawful Theater, please feel free to relax in the lobby. The show will begin soon!”
Bowser spluttered. “This is my castle!”
“Pleeeease wait in the lobby! Soon the show will start! (start!)” The Goombas sang together... mostly.
“HEY! IDIOTS! You KNOW me! Knock it off!”
“Pleeeease wait in the lobby! Soon the show will start! (start!)”
“It’s not worth getting upset over,” you said. “Look at their blank stares, and they keep repeating that line. I think they’ve been hypnotized or brainwashed.”
What? But how? These are some of my best frontline troopers! Battalion 1-1!
You didn’t have the heart to tell Bowser that Goombas typically weren’t that threatening. You also didn’t want to believe the gremlin of a Beanish that you were supposedly friends with was actually a war criminal capable of such things. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s best we play along for now. Considering the troops in your own castle tried to attack you, I think it’s safe to say we shouldn’t trust anyone inside the castle right now. Let’s see if we can find any clues on how we might be able to free them.”
I swear, when I get my hands on Fawful…
The rest of the minions weren’t in any better shape. Koopa Troopas, Shy Guys, Boos, Dry Bones, it didn’t matter who, all of them were head-over-heels for Fawful. Posters with his face were plastered everywhere and there were a worrying number of minions carrying Fawful body-pillows (which given his stature, were actually just normal pillows). As Bowser strode through the lobby, you listened in on some of the other conversations.
“I gotta get one of those new Fawful action figures, with extra Fawfully movement!”
“I wonder if this big guy would stand a chance against Lord Midbus…”
“Aw man, it’s so great we have a way to relax. I wonder what performance Lord Fawful will give today?”
“Hold it!” You said, and Bowser stopped cold. “Fawful’s gonna be here himself! If we can get in there…”
We can end this whole thing now! Great thinkin’ Blue! Just then, the theater doors swung open, and a flood of minions rushed in. Bowser cracked his knuckles and followed them inside.
You winced seeing Bowser’s statues now adorned with Fawful’s thick glasses as you passed down the hall. Inside, the throne room had been completely rearranged. Bowser’s heavy throne had disappeared, replaced with a stage that would make Madame Flurrie swoon. A pit orchestra was already playing a soothing tune to warm up. “Wow, I’ve heard of home theaters, but this is ridiculous.”
Looks like all the seats are taken.
“Ah, you must be Bowser!” Another Goomba theater attendant said. “I was just handed your name, please, right this way.” He led Bowser to the back, where a seat the size of a sofa rose from the floor. “Right here sir. Lord Fawful has arranged for special VIP treatment for you!”
VIP, huh? Back here in the nosebleeds…
“It’s something at least, and comfortable at that.” Bowser took a seat as the lights dimmed. You were shocked to see it wasn’t Fawful who walked onto the stage.
“Hellooooo everybody!” Kammy sang as she greeted the crowd to thunderous applause. However, instead of her usual lipstick, she wore a sickly shade of green and thick coke-bottle glasses “How are you all tonight?”
Something’s very wrong here.
“Was the giant creepy smile pasted everywhere not enough of a hint?” You asked.
Seriously, focus. Kammy would never agree to be an opening act for anyone except her drag daughters. You were right, there’s definitely some mind-twisting going on.
“And now, it gives me great pleasure!” Kammy said. “It’s time for the one and only, Fawful!”
The lights snapped off as a jazz drum beat began. “I HAVE… FAWFUL!” The spotlight snapped on, revealing Fawful standing center stage. Confetti dropped from the ceiling as the crowd lost their minds. “Excited crowd! You feel it? Fawful is also feeling it!” He cackled as he danced around the stage, working up the crowd. His tattered cloak was gone, now replaced by a regal red cape. You had to admit, he nailed the look of an evil mastermind, but it only made you feel sick.
“Oh, your power!” He called. “It high-fives Fawful’s face. And now I will use that power to call our most special guest, who you will be cheering! Today’s special guest… the famous Koopa King… BOWSER!” Suddenly, the chair rocketed forward, catapulting Bowser into the back wall. “I have chortles! It is an entrance of amazement! Like only a special guest does! And now, a Midbus battle will unfold like an angry dip of many layers on the chips of wildest hopes!”
I am going to kill him. And then kill him again. Bowser lumbered to his feet and punched towards Fawful, narrowly missing the madman, who only giggled incessantly.
“I have chortles! Come Midbus!”
The strange pig-armadillo you saw on the castle ramparts turned out to be Midbus. The beast snorted. “You have come. Now it is time. Now we will fight. Then you will lose! And you will cry!” Midbus growled and began to beat his chest.
Bowser snorted and smirked. “Heh, at least I can give these folks a REAL show and remind them who their king is. Thanks for volunteering, pork chop.” Bowser reeled back and smashed his fist straight into Midbus’ snout.
“Great!” you cheered. Midbus was less thrilled, sucking up as much air as he could and lumbering towards Bowser. “Is… is that supposed to be an attack?”
I don’t think he’s the brains of the operation around here. Bowser rapid-jabbed Midbus in the belly until the beast crumpled, but out of the corner of your eye, you could see his fist coming in.
“Bowser, shell, now!”
Bowser withdrew and Midbus hammer-fisted his shell instead. Bowser slid away but ricocheted off the wall, slamming back into Midbus. Bowser leaped out, skidded on the floor, and landed another perfect punch, knocking Midbus down and out for the count. “I guess we know why they call you Mid-bus,” Bowser snorted. The crowd cheered and threw their coins to Bowser. Huh, didn’t realize it was that kind of theater…
Despite his general getting made into a fool on stage, Fawful was unfazed. “And the winning is for… BOWSER!”
The crowd cheered. “That’s right! You remember me now, I bet! The unbeatable King Bowser!”
“Unbeatable?” You asked.
Shut it Blue. He then turned on Fawful. “Now give me back my castle! Old pink was just a warm-up, and now I’m gonna punt you outta here!”
Fawful’s grin grew wider. “Oh, Fawful is leaving! You had victory! Now the celebrate! The magic feast of honor!” Fawful then produced a little handbell and rang it. A trio of Boo Butlers floated in.
“Ah our winner!” The head Boo-tler said. “Yes, looks promising!”
“Well, I mean, if Fawful’s leaving, I wouldn’t want to be rude…” Bowser guffawed, despite your protests. The Boos led him into a room piled high with heavy, greasy food. Fried chicken, steaks slathered in butter, donuts, chili cheese dogs, prime roast, plates and plates of spaghetti and cakes and puddings piled high filled your vision. Oh… it’s heaven! It’s the ultimate cheat day!
“Bowser wait, don’t you think something’s a bit off? We need to go back and stop Fawful!”
Aww c’mon Blue, just a little snack. I’m starved! You don’t want me starving while we save the world, do ya?
“Please eat as much as you like,” The Boos tittered, bringing plate after plate of food straight to Bowser. At first, it seemed like service, but soon the Boos were practically forcing the food down Bowser’s throat.
“Huurk, slow down!” Suddenly, Bowser’s body bloated outward. “What the?!” The Boos snickered and floated away as Bowser seemed to double his bodyweight. Suddenly, the floor gave way, trapping Bowser between the beams. Bowser groaned and squirmed but it was no use. The extra-large king was stuck. …okay. Fine. You were right. Go ahead. Make a joke.
“Stars, Bowser, I’m not gonna joke now, I’m more worried about your cholesterol and blood sugar!” You shouted. “Ugh, Fawful must’ve done something to the food…”
Either that, or he’s really into gainer stuff.
“How do you know about that but not what a twink is?” You asked, though any response was cut off by a loud laugh.
Down below, you could hear Starlow busting a gut. “Sounds like you should go on a diet!”
“Shut up Chippy and do something about it! I’m stuck in the damn floor!” Bowser gurgled.
“I’ll do something when I feel like it. Yello goodbye!” You wondered how far you could smack the ball-shaped sprite with Peach’s Home Run Bat.
Ugh… she’s right though. Silver lining, this is gonna be great for my lifting… if I ever get out of here. Y’know the worst part? Fawful’s a great cook, best spicy wings I’ve ever had.
“Hang in there, Bowser. We’ll figure something out.”
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After some time, and several text messages from Luigi assuring you that they were working on fixing things, Bowser suddenly piped up. Hey… I feel something weird, comin’ from my backside. That felt like a loaded comment, but suddenly you could hear Fawful’s laugh. “Hey! What’s going on down there!” Bowser growled.
“First, your beating of Midbus! And then, the chubbening with the special dishes of tastiness! All in my master planning!” Fawful cackled, his voice somewhat distorted thanks to the floor. You could hear something else though, some kind of machine.
“He is very round. I am amused!” Midbus chuffed from below.
“Can it! And what’s that about a plan?” Bowser snorted.
“Yes, Fawful has a plan and it is a plan of FURY! A plan of Bowser inhaling Peach, sending the Mushroom Kingdom into the hands of Fawful! But now for the changing. I am needing the princess right this instant!”
“Wait, I did what to Peach?! Are you insane?!” Suddenly, whatever machine he was using made all of the controls and screens inside Bowser begin to flash.
“Princess… is mine… and is heavy!” Fawful groaned. “Midbus, hurry we must, to Mushroom Kingdom Castle!”
Bowser groaned. That felt so wrong.
“Better than the Princess coming out the natural way. We gotta hurry too. Seems like Sta- I mean, Chippy, isn’t helping much.”
Urgh, didn’t want to do this. Bowser shut his eyes and wriggled until the beams snapped and he dropped through the floor, landing awkwardly in the basement. Owwww…
“Bowser… I think you landed on something?”
Feels like a lumpy pillow… Bowser rolled his bulk over, revealing one smashed Magikoopa underneath him.
“Ow… what the heck was that?” Kamek, now out of drag, rubbed his head. “Bowser? What happened to you? And how did I get down here? Did- OOF!” He was stopped as Bowser grabbed him in a tight hug. “Hey now, I’m okay…”
“I know,” Bowser said, his voice quiet. “Don’t do that again.”
“Not sure what I did but I won’t.” Kamek said, patting Bowser’s arm. “Now… let me fix all this…” With a wave of his wand, Kamek dispelled the curse and Bowser popped back to his normal form.
After a quick explanation, Kamek laughed quietly, with a bit of an evil glint in his glasses. “Fawful, eh? Well, he isn’t going to fool me into his brainwashing again. I’ll work on fixing the others here. Then, we’ll make sure that Fawful sees what happens when he crosses us, eh?” He smoothed his wrinkled robe out. “So… if Fawful’s taken over both kingdoms, where is [Y/n]?”
Bowser hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“You’ll find him soon, I’m sure. In the meantime, maybe you should stock up on supplies while I get to work.” Kamek stood, back popping like bubble wrap. “Ouch… I’m going to need a massage after this…”
As Kamek left, Bowser got to work looking through the basement boxes. Too much old junk down here. Should really clean it out…
He pulled out a bunch of Fire Flowers and shook his head. “For the Fire Bros?” You asked.
Yeah, pretty pointless for me though. He tossed them over his shoulder.
“Bowser, wait!” But it was too late. The Fire Flowers hit a box of sleeping Bob-ombs. One minute you were in Bowser’s basement, the next, you were flat on the ground feeling like you were in a rocket launch. As you tried to keep yourself stable, Bowser hit the peak of his launch and began to plummet back to Earth. You landed hard, but not as hard as Bowser, who landed on his head in a hole. The screens all went dark, save three words. Recovery mode initiated.
“Ouch,” you muttered, but trusted Bowser’s body to hopefully fix things up. If the Rump Command light wasn’t flashing, at least it wasn’t life threatening. Instead, the screen showed a spinning circle as it tried to recover. You sighed, realizing there wasn’t much you could do now without Bowser to talk to…
…Without Bowser to talk to… or listen to you talk…
You pounced on your phone and quickly called Luigi. The video call opened to the Bros, Starlow, Toadbert, Toadiko, and Toadsworth. “Oh, thank goodness,” Toadiko said. “You had us so worried!”
“Sorry, unfortunately not my choice, but I’m safe up here.”
“Where is here exactly?” Luigi asked.
“I’m somewhere in the brain, makes it easier to speak with Bowser and seems to be pretty safe.” You then saw Luigi and Toadbert suppress a smile as Toadiko rolled her eyes. “Okay, what’s going on?”
“Called it,” Luigi said.
“Told you he’s always on his mind,” Toadbert added.
“Oh, come on, I still think the heart was a good idea too,” Toadiko protested.
After sharing everything that had happened, you felt exhausted. “So, Fawful did manage to kidnap Peach, and Peach is sure he’s after the Dark Star…”
“Assuredly,” Toadsworth replied. “I’m afraid I suspect the answer, but I do have to ask if-”
“No, I don’t have the key, but I did move it to a new hiding spot,” you sighed. Then, a thought crossed your mind. Their text messages were still left on “Delivered” but there was still a chance. “Have any of you seen Toad and Toadette?”
Everyone looked to each other, but no one had seen either of your friends. “Perhaps they weren’t sucked up?” Toadiko suggested.
Toadbert snapped his fingers. “They were out of the room! By boogity, there might be a chance!”
“Right,” you said. “I’ll see if I can get in touch with them while Bowser’s still out cold. You said you found some strange pipes?”
“Yes, quite,” Toadsworth muttered. “After inspection, it appears Fawful’s laser did have some strange effects on Bowser. We may be able to leave his body.”
“All the pipes he sucked up are working again,” Toadbert added.
“You could come with us!” Luigi said.
Suddenly, the door-globin shut tight, and the other sparky things formed a wall. “Um, I don’t think that’s gonna be possible. Besides, I can help direct Bowser. You guys go ahead, and I’ll coordinate from here.” You then frowned. “Will… will you all be safe out there if you go?”
“That’s why we’re going to check them out first,” Mario said. “You can’t underestimate Fawful, he isn’t above underhanded tactics…”
Your stomach twisted. “I… met him. Back then, I thought he was just some innocent guy down on his luck. When I ran into him under the castle I should’ve had him arrested. I bet he has a good idea of where the Dark Star is. I’m not sure if our locks and security will stop him, key or no key.”
The group shared some nervous looks, the worst of which being the look of disappointment on Toadsworth’s face. Then, Toadbert spoke up. “It’s in the past, boss. I know we can trust you to figure a way to fix it.”
Toadiko smiled. “That’s right, and you won’t do it alone, we’ve got your back.”
“Thanks guys,” you said. “I do have a bit of an idea. Mario and Luigi, if you can, try to make it to my office. In the meantime, I’ll try to get a hold of Toad and Toadette. Good luck, and please stay safe.”
“You too.”
“Nothing to do now but wait…” you sighed. You looked up to Bowser, seeing the recovery progress bar had hardly moved.
===============================
Hours passed and there was nothing for you to do. You ate the rest of the treats left in your room and drank about half of the Chuckola Reserve, but it failed to calm you at all. You tried to call Toad and Toadette again, with no luck. Instead, you were surprised to get a call yourself. It was a number you didn’t recognize. “Hello?”
“Hello darling, so good to hear your voice again,” Ms. Mowz said in a hushed voice. “I’m glad you asked for my help, things are not looking good.”
“Not what I was hoping to hear,” you muttered. “How bad are we talking?”
“The castle is no longer safe. It’s a matter of time before Fawful takes full control. Seems there’s a lot less brainwashing here compared to the Koopa Kingdom at least. These strange barriers have popped up on the main entrance, keeping anyone from getting in, but I’m sure the Princess has more than one way in and out of the castle. Hold on!” She fell quiet as you heard something big stomp by on the other end. “I need to move. I’ll continue to watch and report in.”
“Please be safe.”
“Don’t worry about me now, darling. Focus on getting home; I need my driver back.”
You took a deep breath to reset. That was about as clear a heads up as you could get that the Dark Star was now in Fawful’s hands. You then checked your phone. With no luck of a return call and Ms. Mowz’s unnerving report, you switched tactics and called your own office. The phone rang twice before you heard the hushed voice of your floral friend. “Boss? Is that you?”
“It is, are you okay?”
“For now. Fawful and Midbus don’t really pay attention to little guys like us. Toad’s been looking out for us.”
“Toad’s there? Can you put him on?”
“Already listening,” Toad spoke up. “[Y/n], things are bad. Like I thought Claymorton was bad, but Fawful’s taken the whole castle and filled it with monsters. He’s got Toadette locked up somewhere too.”
You bit your lip. “Okay, Toad, I need you to do two things. Number one, you have to take my hidden key and get it out of the castle. Number two, evacuate anyone else you can.” Fawful may have had the Dark Star, but the last thing you wanted was for him to get his hands on everything in the castle’s hidden armory.
Toad spluttered. “A-are you sure? That’s a bit of a b-big order.”
“Toad, you need to get that key out, immediately! The fate of the world might depend on it!” You clutched the phone so hard your hand twitched. “Toad, I know this is scary, but I need you to muster every drop of courage you have. You said one day you wanted to be like Bucken Berry and Ala Gold. Today is that day.”
The line was silent for a moment. “Okay,” Toad said quietly. “I… I’ll figure it out. You can count on me!”
“Make that us,” your flower buddy added. “We’ll do everything we can.” The Piranha Plants hummed a march as the little star babbled in the background.
“Thanks, and good luck,” you said, just as the screen began to flash. Bowser sat up with a groan and the screen slowly came back to life and focused. “Welcome back to the land of the living. How are you feeling?”
Like I got hit by a train. Could really use a doctor right now…
You looked around your surroundings. The brick walls and dank atmosphere clearly said sewer, but you weren’t exactly sure which ones. “Let’s try getting out of here first.”
As Bowser punched his way through a sewer grate, you found yourself staring at your own house. The chorus of screams that followed confirmed your suspicions. “Looks like we made it back to Toad Town. Castle District to be precise.”
Great, just great…
“Actually, this is a good thing. My- I mean – Isn’t the nerd’s doctor here in Toad Town? I think his name is Dr. Toadley.” You then hastily added, “I think the nerd said he’s a bit strange but seems to get the job done.”
Toadley, huh? Worth a shot.
As expected, Toads ran screaming in all directions as Bowser made his way up from the Castle District and towards downtown. Your stomach twisted as you saw the effects of the Blorbs firsthand, with rotund Toads stuck all over town. The only silver lining was that the town seemed to be intact, and not a smoldering crater of dark energy.
Dr. Toadley’s office was expectedly packed full of patients, those with normal maladies on top of those worried about contracting the Blorbs. The attendant shivered, looking at Bowser as he stood at the desk. “D-d-do you have an a-appointment?”
Bowser grunted something about déjà vu. You had another idea. “Tell him you have permission from the castle for priority emergency care, codeword Savato.” Peach had made sure that all key personnel had an emergency phrase in case someone was in dire need of care. It might’ve been a bit of a stretch, but Bowser was going to be stuck in this office for hours if you didn’t pull rank.
Bowser did so and the attendant’s expression changed instantly. “Right away sir!” Bowser was hurried into Dr. Toadley’s examination room… which happened to be in use.
Dr. Toadley stood over his crystal ball. “Yes, yes! Do I see this strange terminal disease? I do! Is it called Bowseritis? It most assuredly is!”
The terminal patients in question happened to be Mario and Luigi, with Starlow in tow. Bowser quickly forgot about his headache. “Mario! Luigi! And… you…” Bowser trailed off, pointing at Starlow.
“Starlow,” the sprite spat. “But that’s okay, a meathead like you wouldn’t remember.”
“You must’ve worked all day to come up with that comeback,” Bowser snorted. “Outta the way pipsqueak, I got some beef to settle with these two. Showing up late to Peach’s meeting and then disappearing so they couldn’t keep the castle or the Dark Star safe? Mario, you’re off your A game!”
“Weren’t you late to Peach’s meeting too?” You asked.
Shut up, not now! Bowser snarled, getting ready to let an inferno fly.
“Wait, you can’t fight here! Dr. Toadley’s one of the few doctors treating the Blorbs!” You said in a panic. “His other patients will suffer if you ruin his office!”
Bowser stopped, and shut his mouth, smoke pouring from his nostrils. “You’re lucky we’re in a hospital, Mario,” he snorted. “If Peach actually gave a damn about healthcare then maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess. I wouldn’t want to ruin this office and make more of a headache for her and the nerd.”
Luigi scratched his head. “Uh… thanks? I guess?”
Mario glared at Bowser. “Temporary truce then. But don’t think I’m gonna let you say all those things about Peach, we’ll settle this later.”
“Deal.” Bowser and Mario nodded, but the glares between them were so intense they could start a fire. “So Doc, you better share any plans on how to fix the Blorbs.”
“Why should we share with you?” Starlow said.
“Gee, I don’t know,” Bowser shot back. “Maybe because this is the start of a pandemic and its being led by a guy who has his hands on the most dangerous piece of magic known to the kingdom? Mother of the stars, no wonder you float all over the place. You’ve got nothing but air in that head.”
“HEY!”
“Can we please focus,” Luigi pleaded. “Dr. Toadley, do you have any ideas?”
“Is there a cure for the Blorbs and a way to counteract the Dark Star? There is!” Dr. Toadley proclaimed. “You need the Miracle Cure! Three Star Cures make the Miracle Cure, that they do. You need them all to light the way!”
“Star Cures?” Starlow asked.
“Sounds like something a sprite from Star Haven should know,” you muttered to yourself, especially since you remembered Eldstar had something called a Miracle back when he hosted the Mario Party.
“The Sages guard the Star Cures,” Dr. Toadley said, waving his hands over his crystal ball. Inside you could just make out the three teardrop cures with stars on them. “It is hard to say where they are, but a vision comes! Yes! One Star Cure is to be found in Dimble Woods.”
“That’s all I needed to hear!” Bowser guffawed. “All I need is three Star Cures, huh? You Super Stupid Bros can sit back and let Bowser save the day.”
“What, you?!” Starlow said. “You can’t get them! Mario and Luigi will get all three!”
“Aw cry more, runt. I’m gonna get all three. Eat my dust!” Bowser hurried out the door with Mario, Luigi, and Starlow hot on his heels. Yet, when you came to the edge of town, only the brothers headed towards Dimble Wood. Bowser instead slowed down.
“Uh, Bowser? Where are you going? Dimble Wood is that way.”
Heh, why would I waste my time in Dimble Wood when I’ve already got a Star Cure?
“Wait what?! If you know where the first Star Cure is, why didn’t you tell Mario and Luigi?”
Because I’m not gonna give that Mario a single helping hand, not when he beat me every step of the way for those Crystal Stars. I’m gonna find the Star Cures, I’m gonna save the day, and I’m gonna be the one to impress my nerd! He’ll think I’m so awesome for saving everyone.
Despite the frustration, you couldn’t help but smile a little bit. “Bowser, you don’t need to impress your nerd by doing something like that. I’m sure he thinks the world of you already.”
…maybe, but I gotta be sure. No more chances, no more rushing in. I gotta make sure that I don’t mess this up.
“Oh Bowser…” You sighed.
===============================
After a stop for one of Broque Monsieur’s negative ion treatments, you found yourself heading back towards Bowser’s Castle. In the meantime, you texted Goombella about the Star Cures, asking for her help to find any and all information on them and the Dark Star. Per usual, she sent back a salute emoticon and a heart.
In the meantime, Mario and Luigi had returned to Bowser’s body, finding that Bowser had accidentally eaten one of the Star Cures. With it safely now in Mario’s hands, you felt you could breathe a little easier. It was a little step, but an important one.
Bowser had taken you deep under one of his fortresses to his royal treasury, a hoard of gold and gems that would make Wario froth at the mouth. However…
“NOOOOO!!” Bowser ran into the treasury and fell to his knees in shock. “W-what? What is this?!”
You were equally confused. “Who builds a railway through a treasure hoard and leaves the treasure behind? I mean, you’d have to be really, really stupid, like unbelievably incompetent and-”
“King Bowser! We found you!”
“Oh, stars no,” you groaned. Private Goomp ran in with Corporal Paraplonk and Sergeant Guy not far behind.
“Awesome seeing you again, sir!” Corporal Paraplonk said.
Sergeant Guy saluted. “Our sweep of the castle and this fortress indicate it is intact, sir!”
You covered your ears just in time. “Intact?! INTACT?! DO YOU CALL HAVING A TRAIN TRACK THROUGH MY TREASURY INTACT?!” As Bowser roared, you could’ve sworn you felt something else vibrating.
“Whoa,” Private Goomp said. “Where’d this come from?”
The vibrations grew stronger as a train rolled in and came to a stop, inches from Bowser’s snout. “Now arriving, Bowser’s Castle!” Most notable was the train’s design. It appeared Fawful must have stolen the steam engine for the line to Mount Rugged and slapped his own face on it. A group of Monty Moles disembarked.
“Explain. Now,” Bowser snarled.
“Oh, hey bro,” one of the Monty Moles said. “We finished the train line to the Mushroom Kingdom! Isn’t this what you wanted?”
You covered your ears again as flames shot from Bowser’s maw. “I wanted a high-speed train line from the castle to Neo Bowser City, to the Mushroom Kingdom. An ELEVATED high-speed train line! Not a SUBWAY THROUGH MY TREASURY!!”
“Bowser, breathe,” you soothed.
“Bro, the project got bought out by the Fawful Foundation!” Another mole said. “We’re now high-up managers for Fawful with great pay and insane benefits!”
“Too bad you can’t afford a ticket on this train. A loser like you is too poor for this!” Another one said… despite being literally surrounded by piles of Bowser’s cash.
Bowser snarled and lit the four up with his fire breath. “Treason! There’s nothing I hate more than traitors! I’m just going to get the Star Cure and get out of here.” Bowser took one step towards the large safe on the other side of the tracks, when the train started. The locomotive pushed against Bowser, sending him skidding on the tracks.
“Bowser, quick, get off the tracks!”
NO SHIT! He roared back, suddenly smashing into loose boulders that had fallen into the right-of-way. I’ve had it! He roared, slamming his foot down and slowing the train to a stop.
Well, he would have, had he had another half-mile of track. Instead, he was smashed into the side of a mountain. “Stars dammit,” you sighed, pulling the Rump Command lever again. “Bowser, wake up! We’ve got a train to catch!”
Bowser grew massive once again, towering over the train with a snarl. “Oh, I’m gonna punch their ticket after this. I’m not gonna give Fawful a quick way into my castle!”
The Monty Moles threw the train into reverse, black smoke spewing from the smokestack. Trains weren’t exactly your specialty, but you knew enough to handle them. “Melt them down Bowser! If we get that engine hot enough, the boiler pressure will make that thing pop!”
“With pleasure, time for some confusion and delay!” Bowser guffawed, snorting wave after wave of fire after the train. In no time, it was starting to look worse for wear, with steam hissing through the plating. As the train darted through a tunnel, the Monty Moles launched a desperate missile towards Bowser. “Dumbasses,” he said, grabbing the missile and slamming it down onto the track, sending the train careening off the rails and into a rocky hillside. With an evil grin, Bowser snatched up the train over his head, crushing it between his grip as the Monty Moles escaped. He then slammed the exploding hunk of metal into the rickety bridge at the end of the line.
“Last time I use contractors,” Bowser snorted as he shrunk back to normal.
“That was amazing!... and maybe ask the nerd after all this to see if he has someone who can do a better job on your high-speed train.” You then blushed. “I’m sure he’d like to use it to visit you.”
Heh, you’re just strokin’ my ego, Blue.
===============================
After returning to the treasury, you found the trio had moved the safe to a clear spot. “Alright Bowser, now to open the safe and get the Star Cure!” Corporal Paraplonk said.
“The combination is…! Uh…” Bowser paused. Uh, little help, Blue?
“Good question…” You didn’t have the foggiest idea on where to start with the memories. You grabbed one of extra screens. The first one you grabbed buzzed to life to show you and Bowser walking along Star Hill. You shoved that one back and tried another on a different shelf. This one instead showed the two of you eating cake in Peach’s Castle. You tried a third one, and again, no luck, instead getting a memory of you and Bowser singing together. One final one, and you found yourself staring at a picture of yourself in the wedding outfit, though the memory seemed to be slightly embellished, given the way you were depicted with movie-star level photoshopping. You sighed, touched but also a little frustrated. “Okay, Bowser, you gotta work with me here. I know you want to get your nerd back, but it’s really not helping with finding the code.”
Hey! If I could remember on my own, I wouldn’t ask you for help!
“I know, give me a sec.” You turned towards the Door Globin and the sparky cells. “You guys have any ideas?” The sparky ones flitted to the screens but seemed just as confused as you, but it didn’t seem to be because of the memory. Suddenly, a pipe grew from the ground and Toadiko and Toadbert popped through.
“Oh my! We found you!” Toadiko said, hurrying over to give you a hug.
“It’s this one!” Toadbert shouted down the pipe. “By boogity, we found him!”
Soon Mario, Luigi, and Starlow had joined you, happily reunited. The sparky cells were less enthused. Almost immediately, the sparky cells converged, forming one. It stared down the intruders, scanning them. “Intruder alert! Virus detected! Repel Virus!” The guardian glared and reformed, its bodies stretching to your size and split in two. The new blobs pixelated, until they looked like 8-bit sprites come to life – 8-bit sprites of Mario and Luigi at that. “Memory M and Memory L online. Repel Virus!”
“You’re kidding me,” you said, but the guardians had no interest in you. Memory M shot into battle, dragging Memory L along with it. Mario and Luigi countered the two easily, knocking them back. “Guys, be careful!”
“Don’t worry [Y/n], these copycats can’t beat the genuine article!” Mario laughed, pulling out a barrel. “Luigi!”
“Okay!” The barrel grew and both brothers jumped inside. Suddenly, the barrel split into eight copies. “Yoo-hoo, we can copy us too!” Luigi, or rather four Luigis, shouted as they popped out from the barrel. One by one, the brothers launched towards Memory M.
Hey Blue, what the hell is going on up there?
“Immune system,” you shouted back trying to hold Memory L back from whacking Toadiko and Toadbert. Toadiko grabbed Toadbert’s bag and began whacking the Memory with it. “Guys, careful!” Memory L broke free and pulled out a giant hammer, hesitantly approaching Luigi.
“No, you don’t!” Mario said, whacking it first with his own hammer. The Memories, dissuaded, then merged into another form. This 8-bit version of Princess Peach wielding a pale yellow parasol stared expressionlessly at the Bros, though it wasn’t hard to sense the hostility. “Leave. You may not take him.”
“Leave them alone!” You shouted, finally jumping into the fray, pulling out your Ultra Hammer. “They’re not threats, they’re here to help! If you want to hurt them, then you’ll have to fight me!”
The copycat Princess stared at you. The pixels rearranged, forming now into a copy of you. “Reevaluating. Affirmative. Yes.” It blinked. “Threat level reduced.”
“Thank the stars,” you sighed. “Okay, please, find the missing code.”
The guardian nodded and zipped through the shelves. In no time, it had found the code, albeit a bit jumbled. “We can take care of this part,” Toadiko said as she and Toadbert quickly unscrambled the pieces of the memory, revealing the code.
“There we go!” Bowser said, happily opening up the safe. Inside was the Star Cure, safe and sound. “Gwha ha ha! And that’s one Star Cure for Bowser! I bet Mario and Luigi are still searching in the woods. Now just two more to go!”
“King Bowser, there’s something else in that safe!” Private Goomp said.
“Really?” Bowser said. “Huh, must really be back here…” Suddenly Bowser tumbled forward and the door slammed shut behind him. “HEY! What’s the big idea? Let me OUT!”
“The Age of Bowser is over!” Private Goomp said.
“Now is totally the Age of Fawful! Definitely!” Corporal Paraplonk laughed.
“Lord Fawful will reward us well for this noble act, men!” Sergeant Guy cheered. “Can you say ‘extra rations’? Now let’s toss this trash somewhere out of Lord Fawful’s sight.”
Bowser pounded against the safe in a rage. “LET ME OUT! MINIONS!” Suddenly the cage was tossed to the side. Bowser growled and stewed in his anger, before closing his eyes and taking a breath. “Okay… plans. Need to get out.”
“How stupid do you have to be to fall for that,” Starlow muttered.
“I HEARD THAT CHIPPY! JUST HURRY UP AND MAKE ME BIG SO I CAN GET OUT!!”
“I can’t do that when you’re not in mortal peril. Just sit there and stay calm like an adult while we figure out what to do,” Starlow replied, rolling her eyes.
You would’ve snapped at Starlow but you were dealing with your own seething rage. “I just wanna talk to them.”
Blue…
“I just wanna talk to them!”
Bigger issues here. There’s still the other Star Cures. Maybe… ugh… I don’t know. We gotta do something.
You sighed, then looked at your phone. Opening the map app, you quickly found where you had been tossed. “Right then… Bowser. I promise I’ll be back, but I have to go for a bit. In the meantime… how about Pink keeps you company?”
W-what? What do you mean you have to go? And who’s Pink?!
You waved Toadiko over. “Please, just keep him company,” you whispered.
Toadiko nodded. “I’m Pink, nice to meet you.”
Ugh, I swear. First stop, I’m seeing a doctor after all this.
You winced, but you knew you didn’t have much choice. You then turned to the others, motioning towards the pipe. You barely took a step before the guardian appeared before you again.
“I promise I’ll be safe. Please, you have to let me go to help him. If I don’t… he could...”
The guardian hesitated, “Affirmative. Yes.”
The Door Globin added. “Be careful, O pretty-ish one. Please return soon-ish.”
Once you left Bowser’s Memory Banks and could speak freely you wiped your forehead. “Oh man… that was stressful.”
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Mario added.
“True. I checked the map, and Bowser and the safe are currently inside Peach’s Castle.”
“Mamma mia!” Luigi gasped. “So, he’s right there with Fawful!”
“Right, so we’ll need to work fast. You guys go and take care of the last Star Cure. Without the Miracle Cure, we won’t be able to cure the Blorbs or stop the Dark Star.”
“What about you though?” Luigi asked. “You look like you have a plan.”
You smiled softly. “I’m going to try and save my… boyfriend. With any luck, I might be able to talk some sense into Fawful on the way. Just need to make one very important stop first.”
Mario clapped you on the back. “You can do it. Just come back in one piece otherwise Peach will tear me to pieces!”
Luigi put an arm around you. “And call us if you need help, okay?”
“I will,” you said, gathering your courage. As the Bros. and Starlow headed to the pipe that led to Toad Town, you picked another, hoping it would take you where you needed. “Good luck!” You said, but before taking the pipe you paused. “And Starlow,” you said, turning towards the sprite with a dark look. “Watch how you speak about Bowser otherwise no force on heaven or earth will save you from me.”
===============================
Luckily, you guessed right, and the pipe popped you out at Neo Bowser City. You shot out of the pipe and tripped over something moving. You hopped back up, gripping your Ultra Hammer tight. “I might not be a fighter, but I’ve got no patience today. Come on!”
“Maooooow?” An adorable blocky kitten sleepily blinked up at you. “Murroaw?” It asked, licking its paws.
“Aww hello! Sorry for waking you up. I know someone who will be very happy to see you.” The Blitty seemed more interested in curling up and taking a nap, which it did so in your pocket. You just shook your head and hurried towards the skyscraper castle.
You were lucky to avoid any of Fawful’s goons on the way, and you rushed into the express elevator up to the top. Your heart pounded with each floor as you climbed higher and higher. With a soft ding, the doors rolled open at the hangar floor.
“Kids! Are you alright?! Did anyone…” The skirmish fell silent and you watched, dumbfounded, as the eight Koopalings paused in beating the absolute snot out of three weirdos in workout gear while some peppy 80s aerobic tune blasted from a boombox. Morton smacked the weirdos one extra time with his hammer. “What happ-”
“[Y/n]!!” Suddenly you were tackled and embraced – or pinned down – by eight pairs of arms.
“He’s back, he’s back!” Iggy and Lemmy cheered.
“You’re okay!” A teary-eyed Junior said.
“Bruh, don’t scare us like that!” Roy added.
You struggled but managed to wrap all eight in your arms. “It’s okay, everything’s gonna be okay. I’m going to get you as far away from here as I can. We’ll… we’ll take an airship to Rogueport or New Donk or Boo Woods and-”
“Like hell we’re running,” Wendy said. The rest of the Koopalings nodded enthusiastically.
“No! I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you. We have to get you away in case something happens with the Dark Star!”
Ludwig rolled his eyes. “[Y/n], you’re supposed to be the smart one. If we didn’t listen to our own father when he was trying to hide us from that skeleton, what makes you think we’ll listen to you about this?”
“SMASH BONES!” Morton roared.
“You’re not getting rid of us,” Larry said, crossing his arms.
You looked at each of them and finally nodded. “Okay, okay. No airship, no running. But I can’t leave you here alone.” You peeked over at the three they were walloping and winced. “Uh… no matter how capable you are.” You hoped whoever it was was still breathing. After all, if those three managed to hurt the Koopalings… well, it was only right you got a few strikes in.
“Perhaps a deal then,” came another voice from behind the pile of Koopa kids. They finally let you up, revealing Professor E. Gadd. “I came here as soon as I heard things were going south. The kiddos can stay here and help keep things under control while I work on some things to help take care of that Fawful feller.”
You smiled, happy to see the Professor was safe too. “Well kids, that sound good to you?”
The kids muttered to each other. Finally, Junior spoke up. “We’ll do it. BUT, as soon as the big fight goes down, we’re coming to rescue you!”
“I suppose that’s fair.” You laughed. “But in that case, I need to get back to the castle, quick.”
“But it’s dangerous!” Larry protested.
“And what about the Dark Star’s barriers?” Wendy asked. “Even with your super boots, you can’t just jump over them.”
“I’ll figure something out,” you replied, standing and straightening out your very messy uniform. “All of you, please stay here where it’s safe, I’ll tell Kamek to get over here as soon as possible. We’ll fix this and everything will go back to normal soon.” The Koopalings all started to shout and protest.
“Ahem!” You and the Koopalings stopped. E. Gadd twirled a remote in his hands. “Don’t worry sonny, I’ll keep the little ones safe here with my newest gadgets – even if they’re doing more to protect me nowadays. But, if you’re planning on getting back to Toad Town in a jiffy I might have something that could help. Might even get you past those barriers!” He pressed a button.
There was a throaty roar of a powerful engine. The sleek P-Wing prototype came to a stop in front of you, engine purring. Your heart began to pound in your ears as a smile took over your face. “Oh, hello beautiful.” You jumped in the driver’s seat.
“Consider this our test run, sonny,” E. Gadd said, fiddling with his glasses. “Feel free to really break her in. And have some fun with the anti-grav mode, okay?”
“Oh, you don’t have to tell me twice,” you grinned, hands tightening over the steering wheel.
“You’ll be careful right?” Junior asked, leaning on the car door. “You… you can’t get hurt, okay?”
“I promise I’ll be careful, and I’ll be home soon.” You didn’t catch it until you said it, but it felt so natural. Home is where the heart is after all. You took a deep breath as you let the engine roar, and you shot out of the hanger.
“Hmm,” E. Gadd muttered as the Koopalings watched you zip away excitedly. “At least, the 200cc engine is doing well. Maybe I’ll have to suggest that to the Princess…”
===============================
The engine roared as you skidded through the streets of Toad Town. The kart handled like a dream, and each drift and mini-turbo felt as natural as breathing. “Stars, I missed this,” you laughed to yourself. Soon, you were approaching the moat. Large dark clouds blocked the way, each with the emblem of an angry star.
You quickly shifted and giddily hit the anti-grav mode as you shot onto the defense walls. The P-Wing’s wheels smoothly folded inwards and the car glowed with a soft blue light as it clung to the side of the wall as naturally as it would on the ground. “Yes!” You released another mini-turbo, bouncing off a tower as a ramp and flipping into the air. The glider deployed seamlessly, carrying you across the moat. The engine simmered as you touched down at the castle doors.
You snuck through the doors, keeping your Ultra Hammer close. There was no sign of any Toads, let alone Toad or Toadette. At first, you hoped to get to your office, but you heard someone approaching. You quickly crouched down behind a wall. Midbus pushed a cart filled with electrical components. You gripped your hammer so tightly, your hand went numb. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any sign of the Dark Star yet.
You wandered the castle, hoping to find anyone, but Fawful’s remodel had completely changed the castle’s layout. You couldn’t figure out where your office was. As you wandered, you found yourself in what appeared to once have been the throne room. The room was foreboding, making you feel a fear of the castle you hadn’t felt since your first day. Dark didn’t describe it, it was imperceptible, darker than dark. High above, you could see the slumbering form of the Dark Star, seemingly absorbing any light around it. The oppressive energy of the Dark Star filled every corner of the room. You recognized the sensation of magic on your skin, but here it felt more like you were being bruised, your body under an absolute assault of evil magic. Suddenly, a purple spotlight locked in on you, filtered to look like a maniacal grin.
“FRIEND, TO YOU I SAY WELCOME!” Fawful cackled. “Welcome to Fawful’s Castle of Amazement!” He ran up and twirled before you. “First, Fawful had the gratefulness, then Fawful had the commerce, and now Fawful… HAS FURY!” Magnificent but eerie banners descended from the ceiling, bearing Fawful’s grinning face. “And it’s all thanks to you and your kindness!”
“I… you’re welcome?” You started, clinging to futile hope. “Fawful, wait, don’t you think this is going a bit far? So many people are hurt and…”
“And what? I am thinking I am not far enough! I am quite close, and there is so much farther to be going!” Fawful said with glee. “First, Fawful tricks the stupid finkrats into eating cursed shrooms to distract them. Then, Fawful finds the Dark Star. Princess Peach is crying like the baby from which I have stolen the candy!”
“But the damage you could do to everyone! If you want to rule the kingdom, fine, but there isn’t going to be a kingdom left after this! This isn’t revenge, this is…”
“Fury! This is fury, and Fawful has long missed the taste of sandwiches seasoned with the mustard of doom. Now, not only will Princess Peach be revenged on, the Koopa Kingdom too! And Fawful and his new partner shall rule over the world with the power of the Dark Star!”
“Fawful, you have to stop! You can’t use the Dark Star, it’ll doom us all! Not just the kingdom but maybe the entire world!”
“Isn’t that the point, whelp?” The words felt like knives. The blood drained from your face as you slowly turned towards the throne. You realized Midbus wasn’t the partner Fawful meant. There was no light, but you knew the glow of those fiery embers. “Well, well, well… I didn’t think I’d see you here. Good to know your useless kingdom has someone with a backbone.”
You swallowed, staring straight into his eyes. “Dry King Koopa.”
===============================
A/n: Well… that ended up a lot longer than planned. To be honest, this is after I cut a section with the Tower of Yikk and with a reduced battle against the Memories. Like I said last chapter, this is a really hard game to cut down!
