#misstar

White patches of snow coated the grass as the brothers and Koopas found themselves leaving Mushwood Woods. The temperature began drastically drop as the setting changed; leaving Luigi, Junior, and Ludwig shivering intensely… Mario was fine, oddly enough.

As they began to stop, Luigi suddenly tripped, falling to his bottom as he continued to shiver. Mario then slowly got him back up to his feet, holding him close to keep his brother warm.

“…It’s f-f-freezing…” Ludwig said, intensely shivering where he stood. “Way more t-than usual…”

“Hmm… Nox’s magic must have affected the area to be far colder than the Island usually is.” Cosmo said, appearing before the group and looking into the new land they’ve stepped in. “I truly wish it was at least a little warmer for all of you.”

“…H-how come you and Mario are f-fine?” Junior asked. “No f-fair!”

Cosmo’s expression tightened a little. “Ah… I am…” He stammered. “I am a spirit, let’s say that… as for Mario…”

Mario turned to the Koopas and shrugged… more recently, he’s been more tolerant of weather like this, unlike Luigi. He always felt bad for him whenever he’d shiver uncontrollably from cold weather in areas like these.

“…I am not going t-through this absurd c-c-cold.” Ludwig said. He waved his wand, bringing little coats around their shoulders. The coats tore through their shells.

“…Thank you, Ludwig.” Junior said relieved.

Luigi then creeped to Ludwig, looking distressed from the cold… his eyes gave way to exactly what he wanted. Ludwig, albeit reluctantly, waved his wand again and summoned a dark green jacket for Luigi, bringing it around his shoulders. Luigi sighed with relief as Mario went up to him and patted his shoulder.

“Now that you’ve all warmed up, let us make haste!” Cosmo said. He turned to face forward. “…It looks like there’s a kind of small town in the distance… be careful of any threats that lie in the ice.” He disappeared again, leaving the group to go forth.

As they walked through the shivering and quiet Not-Nice Icelands, they noticed the color of the ice. Rather than a bright blue, it was a vivid teal… as they approached the small town, they spotted a tall and teal ice spire far into the island…

The icy village was deathly quiet… any door upon any home was entirely closed and locked. The only creatures found were small white-furred monsters and icy beetles, which the Bros. took care of without Ludwig and Junior’s help. Even if the creatures assisted in provided some life to area, the Icelands still felt peculiarly dead.

Ludwig then gazed upon the homes, noticing that Junior had suddenly disappeared… and was now standing by a triangular pillar of ice with a small hole at the bottom of it. It looked like a door…

“…Junior! No!” Ludwig said as he rushed to Junior and the Bros. stopped in their tracks. “That’s someone’s home!”

“You sure?” Junior asked. “…It looks like a giant ice pop to me.” He then stuck his tongue out and began to lick the pillar, only for his tongue to get stuck. He then began to struggle to remove himself from the pillar.

Ludwig sighed and reeled in disappointment before running to Junior, the Bros. following close behind to help. Ludwig and the Bros. tugged to get Junior free, until he eventually popped off. The entire group landed to ground, but it seemed their ruckus had alerted who resided inside the icy hut.

Out from the hut came out a Boo who bore a small red flag upon his head…

“Hey! What’s with all the racket out here?” The Boo asked. “We’re just trying to—!”

The Boo then took a good, long look at the Koopas on the icy ground… and let out a gasp. “…Lord Junior!? Ludwig!? What are you two doing here? …And why are you with Mario!?”

“WHAT!?” Another voice from within the hut shouted, which seemed to make it shake. “Lord Junior!? MARIO!?”

Out from the hut appeared a Goomba with the same flag that the Boo wore. He slid against the ice as he showed himself, wide eyes staring upon the brothers and Koopas.

“…L-Lord Junior! Sire!” The Goomba said, seemingly forgetting about the presence of the brothers.

“…Captain Goomba?” Junior said. He then turned to face the Boo. “And Captain Boo?”

“SIRE!!!” Captain Goomba exclaimed, tears forming at the edges of his eyes. He then ran to Junior, wanting to embrace him in a hug… surprisingly, Junior let him hug him.

“…I normally don’t do this…” Junior began. “But… my Dad’s not here, so…” He hugged the Minion Captain a little bit tighter.

As Junior and Captain Goomba separated, the Goomba approached Ludwig, wanting to hug him as well… before Ludwig backed off. “…I don’t really do hugs.” He said.

“…Oh. That’s fine!” Captain Goomba said. “As long as your—!”

Captain Goomba’s eyes moved away from the Koopas for only a moment as he glared upon the Bros… Lord Bowser’s nemeses. The men he has sworn to take down as a member of his Minion Troop.

“…YOU!!!” Captain Goomba exclaimed, sliding to the Bros., who swiftly got to their feet. “Why are you here!? What business do you have with Lord Junior!? Get out of here!”

“…Oh, boy…” Captain Boo sighed. “Cap, come on. We don’t need to do this now—!”

“I WILL NOT LET MARIO RUN AROUND WITHOUT A FIGHT FROM ME!!” Captain Goomba yelled, his face strained in fury and Minion spirit. “Come on, Mario! Green guy I can’t remember the name of! SHOWTIME!!!”

The Bros. are launched into a fight as Captain Goomba suddenly charged for Mario, readying to go right into the enemy’s feet, as he was taught… before Mario jumped and landed right on flagged head.

Captain Goomba gets knocked back to his place on the field. “How dare you!? You don’t get to do that, that’s CHEATING! …Let’s see you handle my power, green guy!”

The Minion Captain then charged for Luigi… until Luigi jumped upon the Goomba’s head, just as Mario had. The Captain gets knocked again, down to the icy ground, but stays down… he was defeated. Captain Goomba groaned upon the ground as the land was enveloped in silence.

“…So, uh…” Captain Boo began. He turned to the Koopa children. “Sorry about that.”

“…It’s fine.” Ludwig said. “But you must understand… this may sound horrible, but… we are working alongside the brothers.”

“…HUH!? WHAAAAT!?” Captain Goomba shrilled as he got to his stubby feet. He sounded like his entire world had fallen apart. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE WORKING WITH THEM!? …Lord Junior, you haven’t abandoned your Dad’s ways, have you?”

Junior’s face went red. “What!? NO!!!” He said. “…It’s a lot to explain…”

“Well, you’d better have a good explanation!” Captain Goomba said. “Because if you don’t…”

“…Come on, Cap.” Captain Boo said. “It’s weird that Lord Junior and Ludwig are even with those brothers… but, I bet that they have a good reason.”

…Captain Goomba then sighed, facing the Koopa children. “…Tell me, sirs.”

“…The Dark Lands have been taken siege by a ruthless Ztar leader, Commander Nox, who seeks to be rid of wishes for the sake of her late Master. Lord Bowser and the other Koopalings have been corrupted and are now siding with her.” Ludwig explained. “Junior and I sought to take refuge in Doop Doop Dunes after the attack, but—!”

“And?” Captain Goomba chimed in.

“Let me finish.” Ludwig said. “…We stumbled upon the brothers within the Grotto. There we realized that it’s best for us to have as any allies on our side is possible in a troubling time such as this. Thus, we and the brothers formed an alliance. With their assistance, we’ve been ever closer to taking back the Dark Lands with their help.”

Captain Goomba didn’t seem fully satisfied. “…Anything else?”

“…Not only have we’ve begun to save the rest of the Koopalings.” Ludwig said. “The revered Star Spirits have also been tainted… the brothers have already saved three of them. Essentially, we are a joint cooperation.”

“Huh… we missed all that?” Captain Boo said as he appeared deep in thought. “The Star Spirits are those godly Stars in the sky, right? Those guys that grant wishes and watch over the world? Even they fell…? This is a lot more dire than I ever would’ve thought…”

“…But… why? Why help those brothers!?” Captain Goomba asked. “They are our enemies!”

“Yes… but, you don’t understand.” Ludwig started. “It is not every Koopa for himself here. If the Mushroom Kingdom goes down, the Dark Lands go down with it.”

“…B-but—!” Captain Goomba tried to say, before Captain Boo cut him off.

“He has a point, Cap.” Captain Boo said sternly. “We don’t know much of anything about who this Commander Nox chick is… even if they’re enemies to us, we probably won’t get too far on our own.”

“You defy the Minion Spirit!?” Captain Goomba asked.

“No!” Captain Boo retorted. “…Why is it so hard to convince you of anything…? The only way we’re gonna get anywhere is if we team up with them, we can’t do this by ourselves… Lord Bowser’s in trouble. And I know that we both know that, as his Minions, we have to be there for him... even if it means joining them.” He said in a slightly bitter tone, referring to the brothers.

…Captain Goomba softened a little at the mention of Bowser… but he was deeply conflicted, not wanting to go against his King… but he knew, deep down, that Captain Boo was right.

Their Minion Spirit could get them far… but not far enough to face the ruthless Commander that had taken siege of his home and corrupted his King. The Star Spirits were even wrapped in it all… the beings who granted wishes most pure, and kept the world peaceful… without the Spirits, the world would fall into hopelessness and disarray. Many would weep over dreams and wishes that were never to come true. Peace would disappear as Darkness would then reign over all.

Captain Goomba couldn’t stand for such a world, a world with no desires or wishes. He himself is a creature of hope, always sticking up for his King and closest allies. He’d take no word from any other being or force that wasn’t his allies or Lord Bowser’s… he knew couldn’t allow some other creature or Darkness to usurp him.

…He hated to admit it… but...

Captain Goomba sighed. “…Fine. I guess we’ll work with the brothers. As much as it hurts me to say… we’d need them.”

“You’ll get used to that feeling eventually.” Ludwig said.

~ Captain Goomba and Captain Boo have joined your Party! ~

“Anyway… how’d you two get here?” Junior asked. “Don’t you usually have two other Captains with you?”

Both Captains stiffened at that. “…Uh… that story’s about as long as yours.” Captain Boo started. “How about we bring you into the hut? It’s just slightly warmer in there.”

The Captains led the Koopas and brothers into their icy hut, just as they started their story off.

———

The entirety of Bowser’s Minion Troop, along with the former Elite Captain Quartet, stood before a large stage, cheering on their King as he spoke of finally getting Princess Peach to be his.

Everything went as perfectly as it could’ve, Bowser calling upon his Koopalings, who would lead them forth into capturing the Princess once more… before disaster were to have suddenly befallen them.

“...Y-your burliness?” Kamek asked, looking up to Bowser with concern.

Bowser grumbled, now having been interrupted as he gave his speech. He swings back to face Kamek, his face distorted in fury. “What!? I was in the middle of my awesome speech!!”

“…Look at Iggy.” Said Kamek, pointing a worried claw to the inane Koopaling.

Bowser took a good look at Iggy... noticing his hair was now a deep indigo rather than its signature lime green. A faint violet aura also emanated around him.

“...Hey, you good, Iggy?” Bowser asked, putting his fists to his hips. "You look more... shroomed out than usual...”

“Bahahaha!!” Iggy then laughed. “BAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Iggy then began to move and spin around frantically, pointing his dark magic wherever he could. Many Minions, alongside Bowser and the Koopalings present, were stuck in the attack.

The beams of light that came from Iggy’s wand exploded into clouds of violet smoke that covered the entire Troop. Most Minions could be heard coughing or collapsing to the floor… but it appeared that only one Minion was unaffected from the sudden ambush.

Captain Goomba stood, eyes shut closed… before he slowly opened them, gasping as he witnessed the horrors that were transpiring within the Ceremony Hall.

The purple smoke clouded his vision, making it impossible to see Lord Bowser upon the stage. A few Minions could be heard amidst the struggle… except the other two Elite Captains there, Captain Shy Guy and Koopa Troopa, who had become deathly silent.

“…C-Captain Shy Guy? Captain Koopa Troopa?” Captain Goomba called. “You still there…?”

…There was no response… he knew they were next to him, but he couldn’t see their silhouettes at all. As he looked around, however, he saw bright red lights fill his peripheral vision.

He looked down, then around… seeing various Minions suddenly staring back at him with unblinking crimson eyes… they then began to close in on him. He couldn’t leave his fellow Captains behind, but he simply couldn’t carry them… he had to leave them.

Captain Goomba bolted for the Ceremony Hall’s exit, eventually finding it within the large crowd and cloud of smoke. As he pushed himself past the exit doors, more noise became apparent as he ran through the Castle, the sounds echoing through the fortress’ walls.

…More Minions wailing in surprise and pain, either fighting or finding themselves wrapped in a fate they couldn’t escape. The sound of magic beams also bounced against the walls, making the Castle shimmy in place.

The Goomba Captain ran and ran, until stumbling upon one of the Castle’s bathrooms… coated in distress and uncertainty, he simply couldn’t think of another place to hide.

He pushed open the bathroom door and shut it closed, scurrying the far end of the bathroom… before the stall door next to him slammed open. He was suddenly dragged into the stall by the person inside. The stall door shut and locked in a flash, barely giving the Minion Captain time to process who had pulled him in… he then gasped as he gazed upon the other person within the stall.

Captain Boo hovered just before Captain Goomba, a concerned look crossing his beady eyes. Captain Goomba still looked shocked… before his brows began to furrow in disappointment.

“…You said you’d be there on time for Lord Bowser’s speech…” Captain Goomba said.

“That’s what you’re worried about!?” Captain Boo asked in anger. “I bet you’d be a goner if I wasn’t in here!”

“…Why are you in here anyway?” Captain Goomba asked. “No one’s in these bathrooms for that long…”

Captain Boo paused before sighing. “I heard a bunch of loud explosions just as I was fixing to leave.” He said. “…I-I chickened out, man! I couldn’t go out there!”

…Captain Boo was a slightly cowardice kind of Minion, Captain Goomba knew that, but the leader couldn’t stay mad him. Captain Boo was one of his closest allies.

“…I suppose I can’t fully blame you.” Captain Goomba said.

Captain Boo hummed as he nodded… silence then enveloped the stall before he spoke again. “…D-do you think it’s safe to go back out there?”

Captain Goomba sighed In puzzlement. “I don’t know. The Ceremony Hall got filled with this purple smoke, and other parts of the Castle are getting ambushed too!”

The ghostly Captain shivered at the thought. “Well, what do we do? Where do we even go? Can we even go anywhere!?” Captain Boo asked desperately. “Why do these things always happen to us!?” He cried.

“Hey!” Captain Goomba said in a stern yet reassuring tone. “Minion Captains like us don’t fall in the face of danger!”

“…But we don’t have that title anymore, remember?” Captain Boo pointed out. “I think your brain short circuited again…” He said to himself.

“…Y-you know what I mean!” Captain Goomba said.

As Captain Goomba silenced, the two Captains began to notice the same purple smoke from the Ceremony Hall flood into the bathroom, seeing it hovering on the roof above them.

“OH, NO!!!” Captain Boo shrilled. “We gotta get out of here! Quick, use your head, man!”

“'Use my head…'” Captain Goomba said. “…That’s a great idea!”

“…What’s a great idea?” Captain Boo said.

Captain Goomba then creeped up to the locked stall door and used the end of the flag on his head to move the lock out of place. The door creaked open, allowing the Goomba Captain to push past it.

Captain Boo stared in horror as he watched his leader rush out of the stall. He followed behind and kept himself as far away from the smoke as he could as he watched Captain Goomba reel back, preparing to charge forward.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Captain Boo cried.

Captain Goomba began reeling back, preparing to charge toward. “Getting us out of here!”

The leading Captain then blasted forward, directly onto the wall in front of him… causing him go right through the wall and descend downward from outside of the Castle.

Captain Boo only stared in utter shock and terror, unable to process what Captain Goomba had done.

~~~

It took Captain Goomba only a moment to notice what he had done to himself. He plummeted from the bathroom within the Castle, seeing just how quickly the ground was approaching.

Captain Goomba’s face then contorted into that of fear as he saw his life flash before his eyes. “…SOMEBODY!! HEEEEEELP!!!”

As the Goomba Captain screamed at the top of his lungs, somebody suddenly grabbed onto him and flown into the air with him in its grasp. He looked up and gasped, seeing that Captain Boo had become his savior.

“Captain Boo!” Captain Goomba said. “Thank you! I would’ve been done for if—!”

“WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING!?” Captain Boo screamed. “You scared the DEATH out of me!”

“…But you’re already dead.” Captain Goomba said.

“NOT THE POINT!” Captain Boo retorted. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?”

“…I don’t know, I just thought—!” Captain Goomba tried to explain before getting cut off.

“Thought what!? Your GAME could’ve ENDED!!” Captain Boo said. “I care about you, man! Don’t you ever pull a stunt like that again!”

Captain Goomba smiled as he looked up at his fellow former Captain… before frowning a little. “…I wish the others were here…”

“…I-I do too.” Captain Boo said. “But I don’t think we can go back. It’s just us now.”

“…I hope they’re okay.” Captain Goomba said. “And also Lord Bowser…”

Captain Boo hummed in agreement as they passed over the lava-ridden Dark Lands… they looked so dead and barren from such a high altitude. The hot winds blew against the Captain’s faces as they looked forward. Captain Goomba then turned his head… noticing a few figures flying through the air.

“…Hey! Look!” Captain Goomba exclaimed. “Are those… Clown Cars?”

“Huh?” Captain Boo said as he turned his face toward what his fellow Captain was seeing… he gasped at what he saw.

Two smaller Clown Cars were being chased by a larger one… it was difficult to make out the smaller ones, but the larger one was most definitely Bowser.

“…T-that’s Lord Bowser!” Captain Goomba said. “But… he looks different…”

A blast of magic then came from one of Clown Cars, aimed directly for Bowser… it was a perfect hit, which knocked the large Clown Car off course, bringing it to its decent.

…Captain Goomba stared in a blank horror, just as Captain Boo began to speed up.

“I’m heading to Ice-Shine Island, it’s the closest area to here.” Captain Boo said sternly.

“But w-what about—!?” Captain Goomba tried to say, visibly distraught.

“Whatever it was, it’s out of our hands… Lord Bowser’s been able to push through much worse anyway.” Captain Boo said. “We can’t go back… but, we can still find a way to help Lord Bowser.”

“…Yeah! Yeah, you’re right!” Captain Goomba yelled. “FOR LORD BOWSER!”

“…For Lord Bowser.” Captain Boo said, a gentle smile on his face.

The two Captains then made way to the icy island, which faintly glimmered in the distance as they approached it.

———

“…We’ve been here ever since.” Captain Boo concluded. “Haven’t seen another Minion either.”

“When we were in Doop Doop Dunes, a hoard of Shy Guys and Koopas had suddenly ambushed us. They were being commanded by one of Nox’s generals.” Ludwig said. “We have reason to believe the Minion Troop has also been tainted. Whether or not there are more outside of the Dark Lands, other than the remaining Koopalings… we do not know.”

“…Shy Guys and Koopas…” Captain Goomba repeated… his heart ached at those words. “None of them had a flag?”

“No, not that we saw.” Ludwig replied. “We haven’t seen them at all.”

“Oh…” Captain Goomba sighed. “But they’ve gotta be somewhere!”

“Surely.” Ludwig said with confidence.

“Then why don’t we just go look for them?” Junior asked. “Maybe we can find them along with that bug!”

…The Bros. had once again forgotten about Fawful for a moment. Even after having almost bringing the Kingdom to its doom, in his current state as a Ztar creature hybrid, he just didn’t seem that threatening anymore.

Regardless of such, he’d be found again. They will not let him just roam free around the Kingdom to do whatever he desires, not again.

“Yes, that’s a sound idea.” Ludwig said. “Although, if we are to start in this village, I feel as if you can’t trust anyone here… the island has been awfully quiet…”

“The island’s been completely quiet since we showed up, no one’s around… reminds me of those woods from the Beanbean Kingdom…” Captain Boo stammered before beginning to shake in place. “I just wanna go home!”

“You will… once Commander Nox is dealt with.” Ludwig said.

Mario then rose to his feet and gave the group a confident gaze. He was willing to go out there and bring on a search for the missing Captains. He bravely smacked his chest with a balled up fist. He gave a look that highly suggested the others follow in his footsteps.

Captain Goomba then also got to his feet after Mario. “No Minion Captain cowers in the face of danger! …And as much as I hate to be around Mario, of all people… I’ll go out there too, for my fellow Captains!”

“…What am I worrying about? We’ve faced worse.” Ludwig reminded himself., flicking his hair. “…But I still believe we should remain vigilant.”

“We’re all going?” Captain Boo said, now shaking slightly at the thought of Chucklehuck Woods.

“Yes, of course we’re all going!” Captain Goomba said. “Why wouldn’t we?”

Captain Boo sighed. “…I can’t argue with that.” He said.

“And you can’t chicken out, either!” Captain Goomba declared. “Come on!”

Everyone rushed to their feet, heading out of the ice hut. They all only took a few steps forward… before the doors to the huts and homes around the group swung open.

Out from the huts came bulky and tall yeti-like creatures. The handled spears made from the teal ice as they rushed and huddled around the group. Everyone was pushed back against the Captains’ own hut, standing against the wall.

“Aw, come on!” Junior whined. “We could barely step foot into the village!”

“Haha!” A cheeky voice cackled from behind the yeti soldiers. “Ohh, lookie here! I thought it’d take a lot more to find you lot!”

“…I know that voice…” Ludwig said.

The yeti soldiers then parted from the heroes, allowing them all to see the source of the high-pitched voice.

Another Koopaling, Lemmy, stood before the group. His hair had become that of a teal icy mohawk. He also wore a bright green robe, which popped against his now extremely pale indigo scales, which were also tinged with a slight golden hue… the green robe also heavily complimented his crimson red eyes.

“Lemmy!” Junior called. “Never saw you as a commanding kinda guy…”

Lemmy then childishly huffed, crossing his arms and looking away. “Always the meanie…” He said, before turning back to the group. “You’ll learn to respect me once I’ve taken who I need! She’ll be so happy and proud of me!”

“…She?” Ludwig said to himself. “Who is she?”

“I HEARD THAT!! As if I’d ever answer to you!” Lemmy yelled. “Yevys!” He called, referring to the yeti creatures. “Grab those weaker guys!”

“Who’re you calling weak!?” Junior yelled as Luigi’s face began going red.

The Yevys then suddenly charged toward Luigi, Junior, and Captain Boo. They wrapped their arms around the man in green and the Koopa child… but Captain Boo was missing. The Yevys look around for the Boo, eventually hearing giggling above them. They look up to see the ghostly Captain’s invisible silhouette hovering over them.

“Bwa-ha!” Captain Boo laughed, appearing before the Yevys. “You can’t grab something you can’t see!”

Lemmy smirked as he brought out his wand and waved it. The magic glowed a bright blue as he summoned a small, icy vacuum, which began to suck the Captain inside it.

“Hey! Wait!” Captain Boo yelled. “NOOO, THAT’S CHEATING!!!”

Captain Boo was then taken into the vacuum, stuck inside its translucent holding compartment.

“Hahaha! You think you can face me?” Lemmy then readied his wand’s magic again. He stared at the heroes with a mischievous glare. “Come at me, if you dare! Haha!”

Captain Goomba then reeled back, preparing to charge forward. “I’ll save you, Lemmy!” He said as he charged.

Lemmy then threw his arm forward, launching his wands magic directly for the Minion Captain. The magic enveloped Captain Goomba in a bright blue light, which eventually cleared… and revealed that the Captain was now trapped in a block of ice.

The other heroes froze at the sight, moving back further against the Captain hut wall.

“Who’s next!?” Lemmy then shouted with a giggle.

“…Lemmy, don’t make me do this.” Ludwig said as he stepped forward, readying his own dark magic at the end of his wand. He threw his wand forward, just as Lemmy did with his.

…Lemmy’s ice magic seemed to have countered against Ludwig’s, standing no match against it. Just like Captain Goomba, Ludwig had also become trapped in ice.

“Hey!” Junior whined as he struggled in the Yevy’s grasp. “What the heck, man!?”

“Hehe!” Lemmy giggled. “You’re all so predictable!”

Lemmy then noticed a shadow peering over him. He looked up, and saw Mario ready to descend upon him with a hit to the head. Just before Mario could hit him, Lemmy launched his magic up, also encasing Mario in ice.

“M-M-Mario!!!” Luigi exclaimed.

As the block of ice that held Mario fell, Lemmy moved out of the way. He then cackled to himself as if he had pulled off some grand prank.

“Haha! It’s just as she thought! Heroes like them always take bait when it’s their closest friends!” Lemmy said. He waved his wand again, causing the vacuum that held Captain Boo to disappear, making the Captain fall to the icy ground unconscious. “My work’s done here. I’ll leave you to wallow in your weak pile of pity!”

“SHUT IT!!” Junior shouted. “Nobody calls me weak!”

“She’d beg to differ!” Lemmy retorted. “She said she doesn’t want you because you just don’t compare to the actual heroes! You’re not who she wants!”

“…WHAT DID YOU SAY!?” Junior demanded. “When I get my hands on you, I’LL—!”

“Oh, please, what you say doesn’t matter! I bet you won’t get far without your dear hero friends to help you! Haha!” Lemmy mocked. “Yevys, let go of them! We need to show her all the hard work we did!”

The Yevys let go of Junior and Luigi, causing them both to fall to the floor. With a wave of Lemmy’s wand, he and the Yevy’s disappear, causing silence to envelop the shortened band of heroes.

Junior then popped up to his feet, suddenly fuming as he paced around. “How dare he call me weak!? I’m a PRINCE for Koopa’s sake!!”

Captain Boo then slowly awoke, groaning… his eyes then popped open as he rushed to the air and hovered around. “C-Captain Goomba!? Ludwig!? WHERE DID EVERYBODY GO!?”

Amidst all the ruckus from the others, Luigi slowly rose, rubbing his head. He then caught notice of the raging Koopa child and the panicking Boo… his mind then trailed a little from all the noise.

…Luigi was now stuck with the child of his worst enemy and a creature that always gave him the jitters whenever he locked eyes with it… Mario was gone, and it was just him.

He felt so… alone…

The loneliness made Luigi feel hollow inside… after his venture to a mansion he thought was a prize, he’d prayed that something like that would never happen again… and now, here he was, separated from his brother again.

“MARIOOOOOO!!!” Luigi called in desperation, hoping by some miracle he’d get a response.

…That response never came.

Luigi’s desperate plea seemed to silence the others, who looked back at him with shocked and confused eyes.

“…You good, Luigi?” Junior asked.

Luigi shot Junior a glare… he wasn’t okay. He wasn’t okay at all. For such a question to be asked felt ridiculous. His brother had disappeared again, why wouldn’t he not be upset right now?

The man in green then took a breath as he glared beyond the icy village and looked up at the spire at the far end of the island… just then, he seemed to realize something.

…Mario may have been gone, but Luigi knew where he was held, unlike before. Luigi was 100% positive his Bro was being kept in the spire. Even if he knew Mario was frozen, he still felt like he could hear Mario calling out to him.

Luigi, now full of positivity and certainty, looked to Junior and Captain Boo with a confident gaze… they had to recognize this confidence too. As Cosmo has reminded him and Mario many times in the past, they can’t go down because negativity is beginning to overtake them. They can’t give up, not when people they deeply love and cherish are in danger.

“…Huh… you’re right!” Junior said with a smile. “I’ll show Lemmy what for by saving Ludwig! Yeah! That’ll show ‘em!”

“…As much as I hate dealing with stuff I don’t like or understand,” Captain Boo began. “I can’t abandon my fellow Captain!”

“Oh yeah!” Luigi said as he threw up a fist into the air with triumph. They’d show that Koopaling and that odd woman what for!

They’d show them all that even 2nd place means you still won. No matter how long it may take to the get the spire, they’d soon get there in tranquility and pride.

“Luigi!” Cosmo then called as he appeared. “I feel that the spire is where we will find the next Ztar Spirit! Let us make haste and save the others!”

“AH!!” Captain Boo shrilled before he then seemed to calm down. “…Ohh, are you a ghost too?”

“Ah… I’ll explain on the way to the spire.” Cosmo said to Captain Boo as he looked back down to Luigi. “Luigi! Lead us to victory! Onward!”

Cosmo disappeared once again, leading the three to the spire as they marched forth.

~~~

The three sallied forth, the spire appearing closer and closer as they traversed the empty lands beyond the village. Luigi lead, taking on any enemy that came their way. The others helped as well, finding extra items to store away.

The group walked upon the snowy walkway that lead to the spire, noticing icicles that barely glimmered a teal light under the peeking sun. As the group treaded, they gandered upon the ice… before Luigi spotted a dead Star Sprite Warrior imbedded inside one of the ice pillars.

They all stopped to gaze upon the horrific sight. The small Star being looked as if it was fixing to turn to Star Dust once it had been encased in its icy shell, it’s spear lodged in its side showing such. The Sprite’s eyes were unblinking and foggy, staring into the souls of those who gaze upon it.

“…I… I-I couldn’t…” Luigi heard Cosmo wallow in his head. “I-I couldn’t save t-them…”

Luigi shuddered at what he heard… he felt like he was in a horror film as the world was hushed into silence.

…What was with Cosmo…?

“…Ah… D-do not worry about me, Luigi. I’ll be fine. Just… mourning…” Cosmo said. “Let us move on from this ghastly sight.”

…Luigi wanted to retort against simply leaving this issue to rest… but, the more he pondered over it, the more he felt he was worrying too much. He decided to shrug it off… hoping that Cosmo was actually as fine as he said he was.

The three of them then began to approach the spire, seeing just how far into the sky it reached. Its top just barely stretched beyond the ice-tipped mountains beside it.

“Wow!” Luigi said as he looked up.

“…That’s bigger than any mansion I’ve ever seen… scary…” Captain Boo said.

“Hey! Look!” Junior then called, pointing toward the spire’s entrance. “It’s not guarded!”

The others looked forth, and sure enough, the entrance had no guard standing beside it… how odd. Luigi then slowly creeped up to it, with Junior just behind him. Captain Boo lagged behind a little as he followed hesitantly.

“…Are we sure we wanna go in there?” Captain Boo asked nervously.

Luigi looked back and nodded with certainty. He was determined to face whatever dangers lied ahead face on.

“Trap or not, we can’t just not go in!” Junior said.

“…You have a point.” Captain Boo said. “Lead the way, Luigi!”

Luigi then pressed his hand against the entrance, only for it to open on its own. The three of them then slowly entered the main room, taking only a few steps forward… before an image had appeared in the ice on the walls.

Captain Goomba’s image had suddenly appeared, causing everyone to stop dead in their tracks. It appeared as if he was trying to tell them something, but no one could hear what…

Except Captain Boo, who just barely heard the other Captain’s pleas.

“…Don’t stay here!” Captain Boo heard Captain Goomba yell. “You can’t…!”

“…Hey, Captain Boo? You okay?” Junior asked, looking up at the ghostly Captain. Luigi did the same, giving the Boo a concerned look.

Captain Boo was suddenly brought back to reality, having zoned out on Captain Goomba’s yelling. “…I-I can hear him in the ice…”

“Huh? Why can’t we hear him then!?” Junior asked, as if he was jealous he couldn’t hear the trapped Captain.

“…A Minion’s Spirit is a powerful thing.” Captain Boo explained. “I never thought it’d give any Minion the ability to transcend fields of existence though…”

“What’s Captain Goomba saying?” Junior asked.

“…That we can’t stay here…” Captain Boo said. “…Wait a second!”

“Hahaha!!” Someone cackled from the far end of the room as they entered with a poofing sound.

Everyone looked ahead, spotting Lemmy standing just across from them in a victorious triumph.

“Lemmy!” Junior said. The group then flared up, full of tension.

“Ha! You fell for it! Exactly like she said you would!” Lemmy then said. “Prepare to lose, suckers!

No one had time to process what Lemmy said as he once again brought out his wand and waved it, summoning a large blast of magic toward the group.

Before everything had slowly went quiet, all the group could see was a bright white flash…

~~~

…Captain Boo awoke, noticing he was now on the ground. He slowly lifted himself up as he wobbled in the air. He looked around and gawked at where he was.

Mirrors made of ice surrounded the Captain at every turn. They reached far beyond any height he could hover to. There was no escaping this room.

The ghostly Captain looked to the mirror in front of him, feeling fear pile up in his body, before slowly hovering toward it. As he looked deep into the mirror, he noticed two silhouettes approaching from the other side.

Captain Boo stayed entirely still and silent, awaiting anything sudden… just as the silhouettes made themselves clear and phased through the mirror, entering the room. The Captain felt a strong tension in the air, seeing these familiar faces make his presence known to him.

The other two Captains caught in the horrible fray back at Bowser’s Castle, Captain Shy Guy and Koopa Troopa, stood before their former fellow Captain. The golden-rimmed violet flags upon them swayed slightly as they walked.

Captain Koopa Troopa’s scales were a deep violet and his eyes were crimson red, much like Lemmy’s. His shell was spiked and he wore gauntlets of that same teal ice from outside. He looked to Captain Boo with fire in his gaze.

Captain Shy Guy’s attire was a somber blue, which made his red eyes really pop. The eye holes on his mask were drooped to appear as if he was in a saddened mood. He almost appeared like he barely cared about what was going on.

“…H-hey, guys!” Captain Boo said, barely keeping himself composed. “What’s up?”

Captain Koopa Troopa sneered. “SHUT UP!!!” He suddenly yelled. “We’re not here for some stupid small talk!”

“…I-I thought you liked small talk…?” Captain Boo said.

Captain Koopa Troopa grumbled at that, before Captain Shy Guy lifted his head slightly to speak. “…I don’t feel like talking… I just wanna do what I was told.”

“…You usually talk a lot.” Captain Boo replied.

The Shy Guy Captain drooped a bit at that, seeming to take that as an insult. He sighed in such a way that made guilt rush into Captain Boo’s mind.

“No! Wait!” Captain Boo stammered. “I didn’t mean it like that—!”

“Enough with your yapping! You sound so annoying!” Captain Koopa Troop interjected. “No wonder she doesn’t need you!”

The Koopa Captain then rushed forward, getting ready to throw a punch with his gauntlets. Captain Boo immediately turned invisible and hovered away once he was out of the Troopa’s way. The raging Koopa looked for him, but didn’t seem to dare to look up.

…Captain Boo snickered a little at his victory, before a small mask smacked against the icy wall. He looked down, and spotted Captain Shy Guy summoning a little colored mask in his hand and chucking it upward against the wall.

The cracking mask sent Captain Boo into a frenzy, zooming around the icy terrain in frightful horror. Everywhere he went he felt like he couldn’t escape his former comrades, even when turning invisible. No matter what he did, the other Captains still found him hiding away.

One of the Shy Guy’s masks, one that appeared blue and had a sad face on it, eventually hit Captain Boo square in the face… the Captain began to feel a deep sadness hit him hard. He then started to bawl his eyes out as he flew around the room.

This only left him susceptible to more attacks from Captain Koopa Troopa, who constantly threw punches the Boo’s way. The ghost had no time to evade as more masks and punches came his way.

“You’re making this way too easy!” Captain Koopa Troopa remarked.

“LEAVE ME ALOOOONE!!!” Captain Boo shrieked as he sobbed.

Once the effect of the mask had finally worn down, he’d get hit by another; a red mask that made him violently angry and would make him blaze around the room in a fit, or a yellow one that made him so giddy that he couldn’t focus on evading, or a green one that would make him feel extremely unmotivated to even hide… it was a rollercoaster of emotions that only made him panic more.

“Stop hiding!” Captain Koopa Troopa demanded as Captain Boo suddenly disappeared again. “Stop being a coward and FIGHT ME!!!”

“…Come on, man…” Captain Shy Guy said, sounding exhausted as he paused from throwing his masks. “I just wanna get this over with.”

Captain Boo was now at the highest peak of the room, huddling against the roof and being as silent as he possibly could. He couldn’t bring himself to go down there and fight his own friends.

…The stress was starting to get to him as tears threatened to coat his beady black eyes. “…I-I just wanna go home…” Captain Boo cried. “Why can’t I just go home…?”

As Captain Boo silently sniffled, feeling any hope of saving his friends beginning to diminish… he began to hear cheering.

The Boo Captain glanced around in confusion, before spotting Captain Goomba’s reflection on the ice walls within the room. His Minion Spirit began to churn as his leader’s cheers became more and more clear.

“…You can… do it…!” Captain Goomba cheered. “Fight… for me… for them! For Lord Bowser!”

…Captain Boo suddenly felt a burst of Minion Spirit flood into his heart. He then took a deep breath and stared at Captain Koopa Troopa, who was still looking for him.

The Boo Captain then lunged back down to the ground with a battle cry, smacking the Troopa Captain right on the head. He bounced off of his former ally and onto the floor as the brute turned around to look at him.

“YOU LITTLE PUNK!!!” Captain Koopa Troopa shrilled. “I’ll punch you into oblivion!!”

“Try me!” Captain Boo said proudly.

As the Koopa Captain wildly punched into the air and Captain Goomba continued to cheer, Captain Boo evaded the other Captain with precision. He didn’t miss a beat, not even when Captain Boo finally had an opening to hit him. Captain Shy Guy was in complete awe to the point where he wasn’t even throwing masks… he was just exhausted, it seemed.

After many hits, Captain Koopa Troopa finally went down. His head smacked hard against the floor, promptly knocking him out.

Captain Boo then turned to face Captain Shy Guy, who barely had time to move out of the way as the ghost Captain charged for the masked one. Captain Boo smacked right against the Shy Guy’s face… and when he backed away… Captain Shy Guy’s mask had been flung off his face. The Shy Guy’s head was turned away as the Boo’s jaw hit the floor.

“OHHH NOOO!!!” Captain Boo screamed as Captain Goomba’s cheering suddenly halted. “CAPTAIN SHY GUY I’M SO SORRY—!!!”

“…No… you don’t need to be sorry…” Captain Shy Guy said, before slowly turning his head around.

Captain Boo seemed almost more pale than normal as he gazed upon Captain Shy Guy’s unmasked face. Behind the mask seemed to be some empty dark void… but it didn’t feel empty. It was like a million unseen eyes were staring back at Captain Boo with an intent to vaporize him on the spot. Captain Goomba could be heard shrieking within his cold confinement in the walls.

As Captain Boo stared into the abyss… big eyes of various shapes and sizes began to appear amidst the dark mass. The ghostly Captain felt like he could puke then as the mass ejected itself from Captain Shy Guy’s head and formed into a large clawed hand, the large eyes still embedded in the darkness.

“BE AFRAID OF ME!!!” Captain Shy Guy shrieked.

Captain Boo screamed back and immediately dodged as the horror hand tried to grab him… amidst Captain Goomba’s screaming, he realized then that the only way he could attack from the back. After a few swings, the hand would fall to the ground in exhaustion, leaving Captain Boo to strike.

“LOOK INTO MY EYES.” Captain Shy Guy said in a cold tone as the hand slowly picked itself up.

“NO, I DON’T THINK I WILL!!!” Captain Boo replied as he tried not to look at the Shy Guy Captain.

The cycle of hitting Captain Shy Guy felt like a never-ending battle for Captain Boo’s sanity. He couldn’t stand fighting him anymore. After a couple more hits though, the Captain was finally downed. The eyes disappeared and the hand retreated back into the Shy Guy’s body as he fell on his back. Once he had fallen, his mask had magically brought itself back onto the Shy Guy’s head.

Once both Captains had fallen, the ice walls began to crack, eventually shattering into pieces, which Captain Boo braced for. The broken walls revealed not only a passage to the next room, but also Captain Goomba with only his feet encased in ice. The ice then broke, promptly freeing the Captain leader, who gazed upon his ally with a proud gaze.

“Captain Boo!!” Captain Goomba said as he brightly smiled and immediately rushed to the Boo. “You did it! Just like I knew you could!”

“…Yeah… I-I did do that…!” Captain Boo said with a growing grin. “I did do that!!”

“I knew you had it in you! No Captain ever doubts Minion Spirit!” Captain Goomba said. He then turned to face the other Captains on the ground… thoughts of the horrors behind Captain Shy Guy’s mask filling their heads once again.

“…I’ll carry Captain Shy Guy. You can carry Captain Koopa Troopa.” Captain Goomba said as the two of them went to their friends in arms.

“…A-Alright…” Captain Boo said.

As the Captains went to the others upon the ground, a cloud of bright green smoke enveloped them, causing them to suddenly disappear. Once the smoke cleared, Captain Goomba and Boo glanced around confusedly.

“Huh!?” Captain Goomba exclaimed. “Where’d they go!?”

“…I don’t know… maybe we’ll find them along the way as we find the others?” Captain Boo questioned. “Let’s go on ahead and see if we find them.”

“Yeah!” Captain Goomba agreed. “Let’s go!”

The two headed for the passage at the room’s far end… just as an odd stigma began to fill the air.

“…Let’s never talk about what’s under Captain Shy Guy’s mask, alright?” Captain Goomba suggested as he and Captain Boo left the room.

“Yeah.” Captain Boo agreed. “…I kinda wish memory erasing weapons existed in Lord Bowser’s artillery now…”

~~~

Bowser Jr. awoke, rubbing his head as he groaned. He looked around, visibly confused and irritated, not knowing where he now lay.

“…Huh? Hey!” Junior exclaimed. “Where am I!?”

“Hahaha!” A voice cackled from above. “Let’s see how you handle THIS!!”

Lemmy then appeared before Junior, a smug and cocky smile plastered onto his lips. He waved his wand, and summoned copies of the other Koopalings as they were before Nox’s invasion. Ludwig stood up in center, appearing as if he was never frozen.

“Bahahaha!!!” Iggy laughed.

“You ready to fight, little man?” Roy threatened.

“I will not go easy on you, Junior.” Ludwig said.

“Let me see how handle fighting them all!” Lemmy declared. “I bet you won’t get far, considering how weak she says you are.”

“I’LL SHOW YOU WEAK!!!” Junior declared, pulling out his brush from within his conjured-by-Ludwig coat. “Bring it on!!”

Roy and Wendy stood before Junior first, both bearing smirks on their faces.

“You ain’t scared, are ya?” Roy asked with a chuckle. “It’s not fun if you’re just gonna chicken out.”

“I’m not scared of you!” Junior said.

“You will be scared of us when we beat you to a pulp!” Wendy declared as she readied her rings. She began chucking them Junior’s way; some vertical, some horizontal.

With each ring, Junior would smack them back with his brush directly at Wendy, giving her a taste of her own medicine with each hit.

“How was that? Huh!?” Junior asked, seething.

Roy then scoffed as he opened his maw and began shooting fireballs back at Junior. He’d smack them back with his brush or jump over them, being sure to deal as much damage as he could. Roy soon stopped, sneering at the young Koopa.

“Man, come on!” Roy whined. “Since when did you get so hard-shelled?”

“Hmph.” Junior scoffed, smirking and putting his hands to his hips with smirk. “I learn from the best! MY DAD!!!”

“Who cares if you learn from the big man?” Roy asked. He then smirked with a chuckle. “You’re still scrawny!”

Junior grumbled. “Scrawny!?” He yelled. “I’ll shove those words where the sun doesn’t shine!”

Junior reeled and charged forward to Roy like a bull, hitting him square in the gut. The hit made Roy recoil and fall to the ground, holding onto his stomach as he groaned in pain.

“You’re so pathetic!” Wendy said. “Why must a pretty woman like me do everything myself?”

Wendy readied more rings and began chucking them to Junior. The ones she threw circled arounid him and closed inward, prompting Junior to jump up to avoid them. Wendy then paused as she stopped throwing rings before turning away.

Roy then got to his feet, still in visible pain. “…You ain’t… gonna get away with that!”

Roy moved back, readying a fist, before charging forward while throwing his fist out toward Junior’s face. Junior wasted no time in hitting Roy back with his brush, sending him straight back to Wendy, who was sent into the air from the hit. She landed on her back, stunned.

“What the heck, man!?” Roy exclaimed. He then grumbled as he left the battlefield for a moment and came back with a large chunk of ice.

“Here, man. Take the block.” Roy said as he chucked to Junior.

“Nah, I don’t think I want it.” Junior said as he passed the chunk back to Roy with his brush.

“Just take it, Junior.” Roy said, passing the chunk back to Junior.

“Hmm, but what if I don’t want it?” Junior asked, giving the chunk back to Roy.

“Just. Take. The chunk.” Roy said. “I think it’d be really cool if you just took the chunk.”

“And I think you should be glad I’m Dad’s favorite.” Junior said.

“Huh!?” Roy questioned as he lost watch of the chunk. He watched as the ice bounced on the ground and smacked upon Wendy’s head.

Wendy then got to her feet and looked upon Roy with an angered look. “What is wrong with you!?” She asked. “What was that for!?”

“No! Wait! Wendy!” Roy begged. “I didn’t mean it, I—!”

Wendy dared not listen as she suddenly pounced onto Roy, beating him up with all the force they could muster. As the fight progressed, they then disappeared into clouds of bright blue smoke.

Lemmy still stood at the far end of the room, visibly perplexed as to how Junior beat Roy and Wendy.

“Who’s next!?” Junior asked. “What else you got for me!?”

Iggy and Morton then appear before the Koopa Prince, both of them garnering the off-putting glares the usually gave.

“Bahaha!” Iggy cackled. “Ready for a royal clobbering?”

“MORTON TWIST LITTLE BOWSER LIKE MEAT PRETZEL.” Morton threatened with a chuckle.

Morton then flipped into the air and came back down, sending shockwaves Junior’s way. Junior jumped into the air, barely avoiding each wave.

“…I don’t like how I’m taking notes from Mario…” Junior said.

Iggy then began shooting fire from his mouth, slowly getting closer to Junior with each hit. Junior deflected each fire ball with his brush as quickly as he could, until Iggy had become enraged, wildly charging at Junior. Junior then hit Iggy back to his spot on the field.

Iggy huffed. “Huhhh!?” He exclaimed. “You can’t do that!”

“I just did!” Junior said. “What you gonna do about it? Nothing! That’s what!”

Junior charged toward Iggy as he had with Roy, slamming into him like a truck. Iggy was suddenly brought to the floor, dramatically posing as he fell.

Morton then grumbled as he readied fire within his maw. He shot at Junior, seemingly without end, only for Junior to deflect each hit back to Morton. The large Koopaling eventually fell to his bottom, visibly tired.

Iggy, as if he was now perfectly fine, got to his feet and pulled out his wand. “I’ll show you what I’ll do! You aren’t gonna just take us out like that! Bahaha!! BAHAHAHAHA!!!”

With a wave of his wand, Iggy summoned a large chain chomp, which he perched himself upon. “Sick 'em! Bahahaha!!!”

The chain chomp barked and growled before jumping straight forward to pounce upon the young Prince… but Junior only deflected once more with his brush, suddenly sending Iggy back to the dazed Morton.

“NO! WAIT—!!” Iggy tried to say before smacking directly into Morton.

As the two collided, they swiftly disappeared, just as Roy and Wendy had. Junior took on a triumphant pose as Lemmy stared back at him with daggers.

“No!!” Lemmy cried, stomping his feet. “You’re supposed to be one of the weak ones!”

“You’re witnessing the might of a Prince!” Junior said. “You can’t take out a Prince!”

“YOU DON’T KNOW THAT!!” Lemmy shrilled. “I’ve still got one more pair up my sleeve!”

Larry and Ludwig then stepped forward before Junior, Ludwig striking a pose while Larry fixed up his hair.

“Remember what I said, Junior.” Ludwig said. “I’m not holding back on you!”

“…Wait… I gotta fix my hair…” Larry said he continued to straighten his hair.

“Hah!” Junior cackled. “Still obsessed with your hair, neat freak?”

“Huh?” Larry asked as he froze and set his hands down to his sides. He then pulled out his signature tennis racket. “I’ll show ya what for, you little jerk!”

Out from Larry’s maw came a fireball, which he shot into the air and hit with his racket toward Junior. Junior hit the ball back with his brush, making the bout a constant back and forth, until the ball had landed right onto Larry. He screamed as the fire hit him, patting his hair to be rid of the flame.

“…You call that an attack, Larry?” Ludwig commented.

“Let’s see you have a crack at him then!” Larry said as he turned away and crossed his arms.

Ludwig then jumped into the air and began to hover just above Junior’s head. Junior waited as Ludwig stalled in the air… until he finally came down, giving Junior the time to hit Ludwig back to his spot, slamming him right into Larry.

“Bah! Man, come on!” Larry whined. “What’s the big deal with him!?”

“I am uncertain…” Ludwig commented as he got to his feet and readied his wand. “But it won’t matter once I go all out on him! It’s Ludwig time!”

Ludwig then reeled his arm back, preparing a large ball of magic at the end of his wand. The ball slowly grew, until it reached the roof of the ice battleground. Once the magic was prepped, Ludwig threw his arm forward, launching the magic straight to Junior.

Just at the perfect time, Junior shot the magic right back at Larry and Ludwig, who had no time to dodge as the magic ball landed right on top of them, causing them to disappear into blue smoke.

As the smoke cleared, and Junior stayed triumphant, Lemmy could be seen thrashing about on the floor over his unexpected loss.

“No, no, no, no, NOOOO!!!” Lemmy whined. “I was supposed to win! Me! It’s not fair!”

“Read it and weep, Lemmy!” Junior said. “There’s nothing you can do to take me down! Hahaha!”

Lemmy stopped thrashing as he got to his feet, readying his wand in his hand. “Fine! I’ll just defeat you myself then! Let’s see how you do against ME!!!”

“…Eh, whatever. I guess tryhards like you don’t listen.” Junior said with a shrug. “Bring it on!”

Lemmy waved his wand, summoning balls that bounced Junior’s way. Junior knew he couldn’t just bounce on them, that purple gas from before would only corrupt him… he deflected each ball back at Lemmy’s face, the very sound resembling a dodgeball hitting one’s nose. Each ball popped as they hit Lemmy, sending the purple gas into the air, which didn’t seem to effect Lemmy.

“That all you got?” Junior asked smugly. “You’re gonna have to do more than that to get me down! If you can! Hah!”

Lemmy shook his head, bringing him into focus after getting hit in the face so many times. He then began to spin around Junior, dizzying him for a bit as four copies of Lemmy appeared and went to their spot on the field, making a square pattern where they stood.

“Huh?” Junior said as he regained focus. “What happened?”

“Let’s see you find the real me!” Each Lemmy said in sync.

“Taking Wendy’s fighting style, huh?” Junior remarked. Lemmy only responded by blowing a raspberry toward him.

Before Junior attacked, he gave a long and hard look at each copy… but he just couldn’t make out which one was real. He scrambled for a way to find the right copy… then he remembered his brush.

Junior smirked. “Heh. I got the perfect way to find you!” He then began to wildly shake his brush about, splattering each copy with paint.

The copies covered in paint then suddenly disappeared. “Hey! No fair!” Lemmy cried, trying to get the paint off of his face.

Junior then charged Lemmy, hitting him square into the chest. He smacked Lemmy again, and again, as Lemmy fought to get the paint off. Lemmy eventually succeeded, making Junior go back to his spot.

Lemmy then grumbled as he began shooting more balls Junior’s way… Lemmy truly never learned, it seemed. Junior deflected each ball, hitting them all back at Lemmy.

Once Lemmy recovered, he spun around Junior again, creating six copies instead of four. He laughed as he expected Junior to cave… but he didn’t.

“Why do you keep making this easy for me!?” Junior asked. “It’s not as fun that way! …I mean, it’s kinda fun to show a guy who underestimates me what for!”

Junior splashed his brush around again, making the fakes disappear. Lemmy struggled once more with the paint as Junior charged at him continuously, until Lemmy was finally brought down.

Junior cackled and took on a victorious pose as Lemmy lay on the ground. “Boom!! That’s what you get for calling me weak!”

Lemmy then slowly brought his head up, his eyes spinning in their sockets from how dizzy he was. “…B-but… she said… you weren’t capable enough…”

“Whoever 'she' is can talk all the trash she wants, but she’s never gonna get through to me!” Junior said.

As Lemmy laid his head back down, the walls of the battlefield began to crack, until eventually shattering. Behind the shattered wall was the frozen Ludwig, which Junior immediately rushed to.

“Ludwig!” Junior called. “How do I get you out?”

The ice encasing Ludwig then began to crack until suddenly breaking apart. Ludwig fell right onto the ground, groaning a little where he lay. Junior swiftly helped him up to his feet as Ludwig slowly recovered his strength.

“…T-thank you, Junior.” Ludwig said with a cough as he helped himself up. He then looks upon the now unconscious Lemmy. “…It appears you did quite the number on him…”

“That’s what he gets for talking trash about me!” Junior commented.

Ludwig then stepped away from Junior over to Lemmy. Junior approached just behind as Ludwig turned to face him.

“I don’t believe he’s much of a threat at the moment… no need for Star Magic yet.” Ludwig said. “But we can’t just leave him here. Let us carry him alongside us while we look for the others.”

Junior seemed hesitant at that. “…I don’t know…”

“He might’ve talked a lot of smack, but he still needs to be saved and kept safe like every other Minion.” Ludwig said. “I’ll carry him, and we’ll walk with him in tow.”

“…Fiiiiiiine. I guess.” Junior groaned.

Just as Ludwig approached to pick Lemmy up, he suddenly disappeared amidst a cloud of green smoke…

“…What?” Ludwig questioned. “Where did he go? Who summoned that smoke?”

“Who cares? He was being a jerk anyway.” Junior said. “Let’s just find the others.”

Ludwig rolled his eyes as he followed Junior out of the room.

~~~

The silence was loud… where Luigi lay was deathly empty. He awoke with a start, quickly sitting upright as he looked around and gazed upon the icy walls of the enclosure he was stuck in.

He got to his feet, his eyes darting around for somewhere to escape through… but there was nothing.

“…M-Mario…?” Luigi desperately called out… no answer. Luigi drooped and sighed hopelessly, staring at his reflection on the ground.

“…Luigi… he’s just not like Mario, you know?” A familiar voice said.

Luigi turned to face one of the ice walls, seeing Starlow’s reflection in it… she looked as she before all this mess. Bright yellow complexion with a small Star on her head… it almost relieved the man in green as he approached the wall.

“He’s so scared of everything… always hiding away. Mario jumps into action, and Luigi...” Starlow’s reflection said. “He just can’t get up and fight! He’s such a coward!”

…Luigi huffed. He never seemed to catch a break with her, and he’s only been alongside her for one adventure… he can tell she’s not necessarily fond of him.

“Luigi’s sweet… but…” Another voice said. Luigi turned to see Princess Peach on another wall. “I feel he’s not the most suited for adventuring with Mario… he’s not as capable, the way I see it.”

Luigi’s heart stung at that… Peach didn’t really feel that way, right? She should know how capable he is. He’s helped Mario countless times, succeeded alongside his Bro…

…And yet… what if…?

“…Luigi? Oh, yes, I remember him.” Luigi heard another voice say. He turned, and spotted Prince Peasley on another wall. “He is called a hero, but cowers in the face of ghosts? How pitiful… Why did I even bother giving him that rose…?”

Luigi coughed, his heart stinging at the Prince’s words… he truly felt that Prince Peasley was one of the few people that respected him. Actually remembered him…

“Luigi!?” A snarky, loud voiced remarked. Luigi turned again and his heart sunk… he saw Daisy with her arms crossed around her chest in bewilderment. “He’s a cowardly, wimpy, sissy, pushover! Why would I ever wanna hang out with him!?”

Luigi stared at Daisy’s reflection with blank eyes… he couldn’t believe what he heard, and yet… all of these words stuck to him like leeches. Took all of his confidence, chewed it up, and spat it back at him in gloopy mess.

He loved Daisy with his life, he’d would do absolutely anything for her… is this really how she felt? How everyone he knew felt?

Every word the reflections said reverberated in his ears. Luigi brought his hands to his head as his breathing began to quicken. He could barely take any of it, he felt like he was going to burst…

“…Oh, Luigi?” Another voice said, blocking out all the others.

Luigi suddenly halted as he slowly brought his head up to look at the wall just in front of him… what he saw shook him more than anything else in that room as he slowly approached it with quivering hands.

He saw Mario’s very reflection upon the wall, looking as if he was pondering something…

“…Luigi… he’s-a my Bro, and all…” Mario’s reflection said. “But he’s-a just not what I need-a on adventures. I can-a do it all myself-a. I only bring-a him along because he-a constantly asks-a.”

'I’m-a just… not what you-a need…?' Luigi said in his head.

Luigi fell to his knees before the wall, staring up at Mario’s reflection as his words became muddled in his mind along with the other voices around him. Tears welled up in his eyes he looked upon Mario’s reflection.

His heart ached with pain as his head dropped against the wall and he started to cry. He smacked balled fists against the wall hopelessly as the voices became drowned out by his sobbing.

The time he spent crying seemed to last for an eternity. The voices never stopped as did his tears… he didn’t even notice the voices beginning to fade, being replaced by approaching steps and a hand sitting itself upon the wall.

“…Well, well, well…” A voice said. “Look at what the Goomba dragged in.”

…Luigi stopped crying for but a moment as he looked up… he shrieked at what had replaced Mario’s reflection.

Within the wall, Luigi seemed to see himself leaning against the glass… but he appeared as if he was some goth persona of himself.

The figure wore just about all black, save for the green bandanna around his neck and the hat of the same color. The L on the man’s hat was backwards, and a black mask seemed to cover the top half of his face, making his eyes appear entirely white.

“What are you so scared for? …Oh, wait, you’re always scared.” The figure said from inside the wall. “But, I guess you should know… I’m you.”

Luigi stared at the figure in the wall… he didn’t feel like him, didn’t appear like him… and yet, it still seemed like this man and Luigi were the same person, the other just taking on the appearance Luigi’s deepest demons.

The figure chuckled a little. “I’m you, but cooler. Everything I know you want to be. The side of yourself that you won’t let through your fragile little heart.” He said. The man paused as he then phased through the wall and stood before Luigi with his hands at his hips.

“I am… the Green Thunder!” The man said as he posed, making an L shape with his arms and standing on one foot. “MR. L!!!”

…Luigi gave his persona a perplexed look… 'Mr. L'? What kind of name is that?

Mr. L chuckled, ignoring Luigi’s confusion. “It’s a cool name, I know. I don’t think you’ll need to worry about remembering it though.” He said. “Starlow says you’ve got a small brain anyway.”

Luigi recoiled slightly… just thinking about what Mr. L had said brought him straight back to the reflections in the walls. His anxiety spiked as he recalled what they all said.

…That he just isn’t capable… that he’s pushover… that he’s just not Mario… that he’s not what Mario needs…

“I can hear your thoughts, you know… they always say that a Player 1 is nothing without a Player 2, and yet here you are.” Mr. L said bitterly with a smirk. “Starlow hates you. The Princesses tolerate you. That Prince just doesn’t get you. And Mario… doesn’t need you.”

Luigi quivered in his spot on the ground, his lips shaking as he stared upon his persona, his daunting figure that towered over him in every way.

“You’re nothing but a sap that you let people walk on, a doormat! You cower in the face of danger, and expect people to still love and appreciate you like they do with Mario? Puh-lease!” Mr. L shamed. “I bet you’d just sit in a corner and cry here for the rest of your days!”

…Luigi truly felt as if he could cry. So much had been shoved into his headspace with no effort, so many words that made him feel like he was going to explode in pure anguish and distress.

As his mind raced, barely able to concentrate… he remembered why he came here at all.

He came here to help his allies, save his Bro. He knew from the very beginning of this journey that he couldn’t just sit and mourn for his brother. He didn’t do that when Mario had disappeared at the hands of King Boo, and he wouldn’t do that here… he’d fight for Mario, even if he died trying.

…The reflections were but tricks… and he would break them until they were nothing but pieces of ice and dust.

“Luigi!” Luigi heard Cosmo call. “With the illusions breaking within your mind, I can finally communicate with you!”

“…What’s got you so spaced out?” Mr. L mocked, noticing Luigi’s attention was elsewhere. “Boo got your tongue? Hah!”

“Listen to this persona no longer!” Cosmo called. “Fight against these delusions, Luigi! We both know you can do it! You are strong and bold, with or without Mario! Show this fiend what you’re capable of, Luigi!!”

“Oh, yeah!” Luigi then said as he sprang his feet. He gave Mr. L a threatening glare, posing as if readying for a fight.

“…Ah, you wanna fight me? The grand Green Thunder?” Mr. L said smugly as he put his hands to his hips again. He then took on a battle pose of his own. “You’re nothing but a pathetic knockoff! Have at you!!! I’ll let you hit me first, since you think you’re so tough!”

Luigi stood with a confident glare… before that confidence began to dwindle. He couldn’t do much damage without Bros. Attacks… he then pushed the thought to the side, he couldn’t let that get him down.

The green plumber took out his hammer and reeled back, eventually landing a hard blow upon Mr. L, who was now heavily dazed. Luigi went back to his spot on the field as Mr. L recovered.

“…T-that was… nothing! Nothing Mr. L can’t handle!” Mr. L said. “Let’s see how you fare against my attack!”

Mr. L then jumped high into the air, disappearing from view for a moment. Luigi looked around, uncertain of where he went… before Mr. L had suddenly descended upon Luigi, spinning down onto him like a drill. Mr. L’s feet spun against Luigi’s head, until he eventually stopped, slowing down and retreating to his own spot.

Luigi fell to the floor, quickly noticing just how weak he was now. Mr. L cackled where he stood, his voice reverberating off the walls.

“What’s the matter, running out of HP?” Mr. L mocked.

Luigi quickly shook of the weakness at that, getting to his feet and eating a Mushroom. Mr. L wasted no time in attacking again, spinning in a circle as he rushed to Luigi like a spinning top. Luigi pulled out his hammer and smacked Mr. L away. The hit was so brutal, that Mr. L had collided with one of the ice walls, breaking it into pieces.

Mr. L lay on the floor for only a moment as Luigi tightly held onto his hammer. The dark persona then got to his feet and went back to his place on the field, sneering at Luigi with rage.

Before Mr. L could say anything, Luigi tucked his hammer away and leaped into the air, jumping upon Mr. L’s head with as much strength as he could muster. Luigi retreated back to his spot as Mr. L seethed.

“How dare you!? No one gets to just throw the Green Thunder around like rag doll!!” Mr. L yelled. “I’ll show you not to mess with me!”

Mr. L then brought his hands forth, making finger guns as green lightning appeared at his fingertips. Luigi smacked each bolt away with his hammer, every hit doing noticeable damage to Mr. L.

The persona recoiled where he stood, gasping as he recovered. He stared Luigi down with fury in his eyes as Luigi looked back at his own with a stare that’d make anyone’s spine shiver.

“YOU WILL NOT BEST ME!!! I am better than you in every way you can imagine!” Mr. L said. “I will have you blasted into meaningless dust!!”

Mr. L began to fire even more lightning at Luigi, making him jump and scoot around like running dog. Luigi could barely keep up as he tried to counter, getting hit a few times before Mr. L finally stopped. Luigi still stood tall before Mr. L, despite his minor injuries. Mr. L looked on, appalled.

“WHY AREN’T YOU COWERING BEFORE ME!?” Mr. L yelled. “I don’t understand… you are NOTHING without Mario!”

Luigi sneered as he ran to Mr. L, hammer in hand, and smacked his persona right on the head. The sheer anger in his hit seemed to really damage Mr. L as he slowly recovered.

Mr. L then leaped into the air once more, disappearing again… but Luigi was ready. He focused hard on what was above him, waiting for Mr. L come back down…

Just as Mr. L’s figure approached, Luigi hit his persona square in the stomach, launching back against the already broken part of the wall. Mr. L coughed as he tried to get to his feet… he then stood up, a fury in his eyes that not even Luigi had seen in himself.

“…I… am not… WEAK LIKE YOU!!!” Mr. L shrilled.

Mr. L balled up a fist, which began to crackle as green lightning surrounded it. He then charged toward Luigi, ready to throw his fist right onto his face.

…Just as Mr. L approached, Luigi slid to the side and bashed Mr. L in the back with his hammer, sending the person straight into another ice wall straight ahead of Mr. L, the persona’s face being the first thing to contact it as it shattered.

Mr. L landed to the ground with hard thud. He lay quiet, before turning to face Luigi as he struggled to get back up.

“…N-no…” Mr. L said. “No one stands… above the Green Thunder!!”

“Luigi!” Cosmo called from Luigi’s mind. “Give this illusion a taste of his own medicine!”

Luigi nodded to himself as he brought his finger gun hands forward and focused hard. Lightning appeared at his finger tips as he felt his and Cosmo’s power becoming one once more. Luigi looked up, and spotted an L shape above Mr. L’s head.

The man in green knew exactly what to do as he began shooting lightning at the L, making a constellation of thunder above his persona. The power of the constellation crackled, before shooting down upon Mr. L with a powerful boom.

Once the light of the attack had cleared, Luigi saw Mr. L lying on the floor beside a pile of shattered ice. Luigi then approached the persona as Mr. L slowly rose.

“…Unbelievable… how could I lose!?” Mr. L complained. He then looked up to Luigi. “How could you have possibly beat me!?”

Luigi’s silence spoke volumes as he stared back down at Mr. L… he didn’t need to explain a thing. No illusion or trick could possibly sway him from his confidence or love for his Bro.

He wasn’t falling for any more of his nasty tricks… and Mr. L seemed to notice as he chuckled slightly and sat up.

“…You may have won against me…” Mr. L said. “But may Ms. Enztar show you no mercy.”

Mr. L then poofed away in a cloud of smoke, which caused the walls around the room to crack and break, bringing ice shards to the floor… all Luigi was met with as he turned around and looked upon the room was a passage on the wall behind him that lead out.

“Hmm.” Cosmo hummed as he appeared before Luigi. “'Ms. Enztar'…? She must be our Ztar Spirit… perhaps, Misstar?”

Luigi looked up to Cosmo, wanting more information from him.

“Ah, yes,” Cosmo began. “Misstar is a very elegant, bold, and confident Spirit, one of the most courageous of the Star Spirits. I can only fear what has become of her…”

Luigi seemed a tad worried as well… but he wasn’t going to let that deter him. He pointed to the passage, telling Cosmo that they need to find the others.

“Yes, onward!” Cosmo said. “The others must be close.”

Cosmo disappeared again, allowing Luigi to step out of the room that had kept him confined… as he left, he almost felt as if he could feel Mario’s presence close by.

~~~

Luigi wandered the empty halls of the spire, only able to gaze upon his reflection in the ice… the lingering presence of Mr. L appeared, only for Luigi to push it away. He wasn’t real, just as those reflections he saw weren’t real.

The man in green then entered another room… a quiet hopelessness crossed his mind as the others were nowhere to be found.

“…Surely they’re somewhere close…” A voice said from another passage to the left.

“Where did they go!?” Another voice cried from the right.

Just as the voices silenced, two pairs came from the passages. The group of five froze as they gazed upon each other.

“…We’ve found you! Thank goodness you are safe.” Ludwig said.

“…I can finally rest my feet…” Junior said as he seated himself near Luigi.

“Lord Junior! And Ludwig!” Captain Goomba cried as he rushed to the three. “You’re safe!”

“…Those halls are unbelievably long…” Captain Boo said with a sigh.

Luigi smiled as he looked upon his allies, seeing that there wasn’t a single scratch on them… he was glad to no longer be alone.

“Luigi,” Ludwig began. “Where is Mario?”

Luigi looked to Ludwig as his smile dropped… he hadn’t seen him… he brows then furrowed as he looked upon Ludwig, wasn’t he frozen alongside Captain Goomba and Mario?

“Ah, I was freed once Junior had taken down Lemmy and knocked him out.” Ludwig said. “We planned to carry him with us while we looked for all of you and use Star Magic on him later, but—!”

“He just disappeared!” Junior butted in.

“…The same happened with Captain Shy Guy and Koopa Troopa too!!” Captain Goomba said.

“You found them?” Ludwig asked.

“Yeah! But, uh… they were corrupted, just as Lord Bowser is.” Captain Boo said. “Right after Captain Goomba was freed and they were downed, we were gonna take them with us too, but then they were just gone…”

“How peculiar…” Ludwig thought. “Captain Goomba and I were freed after Junior and Captain Boo took down their foes…. But why not Mario? What of him and the others?”

Everyone then went deep in thought… before Cosmo appeared and gathered everyone’s focus.

“Although such a situation is concerning, our priority should be to rescue them all and free the Minions of the Darkness that binds them.” Cosmo said. “Along with saving our next Star Spirit.”

“What Cosmo says is true.” Ludwig said. “Let us go forth. They can’t be far from us now!”

“Wait! Before we go! …Hey, Luigi!” Captain Boo called as Luigi turned to face him. “…I kinda hate to give this away, but, here! I’ve kept it on me for a while, but I think it’ll serve you and Mario really well.”

~ You’ve found a new Bros. Attack, Boo Shroom! ~

After Luigi held up the new attack, he placed it into a pocket of the jacket Ludwig had conjured for him and when they arrived within the Island.

“…Wait. You never tried to eat that?” Captain Goomba suddenly asked Captain Boo. “Thats why I gave it to you all that time ago!”

Captain Boo sighed. “…I don’t think it’d even do anything, Cap. That’s not how the power-up works.”

“But what if it gave you powers or something? You are a Boo, after all! If a Boo eats a Boo Mushroom…” Captain Goomba said. “You’d be a Super Boo!”

Junior then grumbled irritably. “We can ask dumb questions later!” He said as he got his feet. “You wanna find the other Captains right? Then let’s go find them!”

“Yeah!!” Captain Goomba then cheered. “For the Captains! FOR LORD BOWSER!!!”

Everyone walked ahead as Cosmo disappeared, heading into the next room onward.

~~~

The group walked up a large flight of stairs, beginning to notice the lack of windows in the spire… it was if the person who resided here desired to complete shut themselves off from the outside.

As they all reached the top, they entered another empty room with a large door at the other wall in front of them. The door was creaked open just enough for one to peek inside and listen in.

“…Head for the door.” Ludwig said. “The others must be in there.”

“Careful, now! Remain vigilant.” Cosmo said as he appeared again. “I believe the Ztar Spirit resides in that room.” He disappeared again as the group quietly approached the door and peeked inside.

…The saw nothing more than a sleek figure adorned with a dark green robe that entirely covered their body and face. The figure stood before the still-frozen Mario… Lemmy and the other Captains couldn’t be seen.

As the group listened in, the figure in the robe began to speak…

“…I may have lost those other ones… but you…” The figure said. “You are the most precious to me…”

“…What…?” Ludwig questioned.

Luigi shot the Koopaling a glare… he couldn’t make any sudden sound, lest they’re caught by this odd figure. He peeked back into the room as the figure spoke again.

“…I’m almost okay with giving them up. They don’t have nearly as bright of a fire as you… you are everything I want to be…” The figure said in a gleeful tone. She then raised an arm from her robe and began trailing her hand along Mario’s icy prison. “…My little Firebrand…”

As the group looked upon the frozen Mario, they noticed his eyes following the figure’s hand… there seemed to be a gleam in his eyes that displayed only disgust and fear.

The group backed away from the door, reeling from what they saw… Luigi then went deep into his thoughts, recalling all he knew… this was surely that 'Ms. Enztar' Mr. L spoke of.

“…Oh, dear…” Luigi heard Cosmo say in his mind. “Misstar’s courage has been completely wiped… she’s obsessed with Mario now, seemingly envious of him…”

“We can’t just barge in… nor can we fight that Spirit alone.” Ludwig said. “We need a way to break Mario free.”

“…But how do we break that ice?” Captain Boo asked. “I don’t think it’ll be easy to break.”

“I will help Luigi break it!” Cosmo said, appearing before the group. “I shall give him the power to break through that ice. What you all need to do is distract that Spirit!”

“What’s your plan, then?” Junior asked.

“Come close, and listen.” Cosmo said. “Understand me here and now…”

~~~

Ms. Enztar still stood by Mario, looking deeply into the red man’s fearful gaze. Her face was hidden deep within her robe’s hood, but Mario could tell she was just ecstatic over him from within his confinement…

As she gawked over Mario, a sudden creaking caught her attention. She turned to spot Junior, Ludwig, and the Captains sneaking in, looking as if they were to grab Lemmy and the other Minion Captains, who were lying unconscious upon the floor.

“…What… are you doing here…?” Ms. Enztar asked bitterly. “I expected the stronger ones to return, but… what of you weak ones…?”

“What’s with you people and calling us weak!?” Junior yelled.

“You underestimate the power of Minion Spirit!” Captain Boo said.

Ms. Enztar seemed taken aback, even if her face couldn’t be seen. “I don’t understand… neither of your flames burn as passionately, I know so! You are no heroes! You are but the shadows of your stronger partners!”

“They wouldn’t be here if that were true, correct?” Ludwig asked. “Why do you insist such lies?”

“Yeah!” Captain Goomba said. “Spit it out!”

“…You can never fight on your own. You always need someone else… you little Prince and ghost are not who I want to be, not what I need. I need someone with a passionate fire within them…” Ms. Enztar said. “The Koopaling and Goomba’s fires burn bright… but, only now do I realize, none of them compare to my Firebrand…!”

“…You say all of that about Junior and Captain Boo, and yet you’ve never faced them yourself?” Ludwig asked. “…You got Lemmy and the Captains to do all your work, didn’t you!?”

“Uncool, lady!” Junior butted in.

Ms. Enztar hunched over at that. “…No soul deserves to witness me… for I am too weak. I need someone to show me the person I could be…! A fire to warm my cold soul!” She said. “…And my Firebrand… he’s all I need now…!”

The others recoiled at how terrifying this lady was… she was deathly obsessed, so much so, that she truly sounded like there was no helping her.

“…Hehehehehe… the Commander ordered me to defeat him and his cowardly brother and bring them to her alive, but…” Ms. Enztar said. “I simply cannot! I must keep my Firebrand! I cannot let him leave me!!”

The four then took their eyes off of her for a moment, seeing Luigi stand beside Mario’s ice block. He looked as if he was ready to throw a punch… Luigi’s hand then began glow, Star-powered lightning covering it as Luigi then punched through the ice, promptly breaking it.

“NOOOOO!!!” Ms. Enztar screamed.

As ice shards scattered all over the room, Mario lay on the ground, slowly waking up. Luigi helped Mario to his feet as Mario looked up at Luigi with a genuine smile.

“Luigi!” Mario said as he tightly wrapped his arms around his Bro.

“Mario!” Luigi said back, returning the hug.

The Bros. then separated, turning their attention to Ms. Enztar… who appeared livid at Luigi’s sudden intrusion. She was shaking violently as her green limbs crawled out from her robe and clutched her hood.

“…No… no! No! NO!!!” Ms. Enztar shrilled. “You should not have that power! No flame’s power should reach his! …The flame within your cowardly brother… all of you… they are infernos!!! What is this!?”

The Bros. continued to look on toward Ms. Enztar as they got into a battle stance.

“Take her down, Mario and Luigi!” Junior cheered.

“Never back down!” Ludwig called.

“BEAT HER UP!!!” Captain Boo cheered.

…Captain Goomba grumbled a little before finally speaking. “…Good luck…!”

Ms. Enztar began to hyperventilate within her robe, hunching over and shaking wildly. “…The fire’s that burn within the atrocious lot of you… it hurts!! It BURNS!!! YOUR FIRES… I CANNOT…!!!”

A strong and vivid green light then coated the room, causing everyone to look away. As the light cleared, the group gawked at what they saw.

Ms. Enztar’s robe was shot open and her hood had fallen, revealing her bright green face and body. The robe spread outward and kept itself straight in the air like a pair of bat wings. She wore a mask, just as any other Ztar Spirit, its shape retaining the shape of a throwing star. The vivid green in her mask truly brought out the fury in her crimson eyes. Her hair was long and put up. It trembled and shook, taking on the shape of a lightning bolt. As the Bros. eyes trailed down her form, they noticed that she lacked legs… and that a large ice drill made up the second half of her body.

The Spirit’s eyes burned with rage and desire as she stared upon the Bros. “…No matter… how strong… your fires… I WILL HAVE YOUR HEADS!!!” She said. “…I WILL NOT LET YOU TAKE MY FIREBRAND!!!”

A fight was initiated then as Ms. Enztar raised her hands into the air, summoning little steaks of ice. She shot them toward the Bros. wildly, only for them to counter with their hammers and throw the ice back at her.

Mario dug through his pocket and pulled out two Tanooki Leaves, the same kind he’d received from Mushdark Forest, and gave one to himself and Luigi. They surrounded the Spirit, smacking into and through the air, until bringing her back down to the floor with a combined swing from both of their tails.

Luigi dug through one of the pockets of his jacket, stumbling upon the Boo Shroom Captain Boo had gifted him. He gave Mario a confident glare as he took in the Mushroom, suddenly transforming into a large mustachioed Boo wearing Luigi’s very hat.

Luigi opened his mouth, charging up a laser within it as Mario stood just before Ms. Enztar, pulling out his hammer and keeping a tight grip on it as Luigi shot the laser upward. The blast descended onto Mario just as the man in red spun around, causing the blast to deflect off of his hammer and smack right onto Ms. Enztar’s body.

As the Spirit recovered, Luigi converted back to his human self and Mario went back to his spot on the field. Ms. Enztar huffed as she gazed upon the brothers in confusion and bewilderment.

“…I will not let you get away…!” Ms. Enztar said. “I WILL NOT LET YOU LEAVE!!!”

Ms. Enztar then slammed the drill on her body into the ice below her, causing a path of ice spikes to appear and approach Luigi. Just before the spikes reached him, he broke the path with his hammer, sending a shock wave the Spirit’s way.

As Ms. Enztar sat, visibly weakened, the Bros. initiated more damage onto her with their Bros. Attacks, shooting her into the air with the Tanooki Leaf and blasting her with the Boo Shroom. As the Bros. finished their turns, Ms. Enztar gave them a foul look.

“…You will not… take me…” Ms. Enztar said. “I will… TAKE YOU!!!”

Ms. Enztar’s drill spun again as it formed into a pair of ice legs with skates at the soles of her feet. An icy rapier then appeared in her right hand as she stood with poise. “Let us dance, my dear Firebrand!”

She then skated toward Mario, spinning around him… threatening to break the floor underneath and send him falling. Mario pulled out his hammer and awaited her to approach his front… just as she did, he smacked her with his hammer, sending the Spirit back to her place on the field.

The Bros. attacked once more… and only once they returned to their places did they notice just how weak Ms. Enztar had become. She huffed and she puffed as she steadied herself upon her skates, still holding her rapier.

“…No… no!!!” Ms. Enztar yelled. “This is not the end of me!!!”

The Spirit then began to wildly slash her rapier about, sending gusts of cold wind the Bros. way. With each gust, the Bros. always jumped over the wind, until it seemed Ms. Enztar had finally tired herself out. She fell to the floor, her rapier clanging against the icy ground.

The Bros., utilizing her weakness, attacked the Spirit once again. They awaited Cosmo’s words to begin their final blow… until Ms. Enztar’s head suddenly shot upward, looking at the Bros. with rage.

“…NO!!! I AM NOT GOING DOWN LIKE THIS…” Ms. Enztar cried. “I CANNOT LET YOU LEAVE ME!!!”

The envious Spirit then brought her hands up, her clawed fingers shaking. “My Minions… GRANT ME YOUR DARK POWER!!!”

A dark mist then appeared around Lemmy and the tainted Captains… all of the dark magic that possessed them had been seemingly pulled out of their bodies in the form of mist, which begun to transmit over to Ms. Enztar.

The mist formed itself around the Spirit’s hands, and once it’s coalesced, the Bros. shrieked at the sight… around Ms. Enztar’s hands were large gauntlets made of the same teal ice that now coated Island. The Bros. were surprised that she could even hold her arms up.

“I don’t care how long this battle takes… my little Firebrand…! YOU SHALL BE MINE!!!” Ms. Enztar howled. “AND YOUR ALLIES SHALL BE NOTHING BUT ASHES!!!”

“Mario! Luigi! Aim for her hands!” The Bros. heard Cosmo call. “Only then can you finish her off!”

Ms. Enztar then shot a hand straight for Mario, as if wanting to grab him. Mario smacked the hand with his hammer, making the Spirit pull the hand away from him.

The Bros. then began to jump upon her hands, slowly but surely causing them to break. Once the Bros. returned to their spots, Ms. Enztar then raised both hands of above the Bros., one wanting to grab Mario while the other wanted to smack Luigi. They both deflected with their hammers, doing noticeable damage to the gauntlets.

The Bros. then jumped upon the hands again, noticing a few pieces of ice fall from them as Ms. Enztar prepared to strike again. She went for Luigi, going a little faster than before. Luigi couldn’t deflect in time and was smacked by the ice hand, causing him to be frozen in ice.

“…Stay with me… my Firebrand!” Ms. Enztar said. “Ignore your cowardly brother, then we can be together! I will cherish you for the rest of our days!”

Mario ignored the Spirit’s plea and quickly used an herb on Luigi, defrosting him… unfortunately, Ms. Enztar was able to attack again, going for both Bros. once more, trying to smack them to the ground. Both Bros. quickly deflected the hands, breaking them even more… they were now noticeably chipped and cracked almost everywhere.

Ms. Enztar growled as she attempted to grab both Bros. with her gauntlets, the Bros. focusing hard as they approached. As if they were in perfect sync with one another, they hit the hands, making them reel back. Both Bros. initiated their turns, jumping upon the hands one final time as the gauntlets suddenly broke apart and shattered.

“AGGHHHHHHH!!!” Ms. Enztar cried as the gauntlets shattered. “NOOOOOOOOO!!!”

The Bros. watched as the Spirit collapsed to her knees in defeat, before her form shrunk into an icicle-spiked ball… just as Mamust had once she was weakened.

“…No… but…” Ms. Enztar sobbed. “…Why…? Why must I be so weak…?”

“Now is the time!” The Bros. heard Cosmo say. “Ice her!!”

The Bros. readied their Stellar Finisher, once again feeling their souls combining with Cosmo’s. They leaped into the air, forming the Fire and Thunder energy within their hands. Once the power was at full capacity, the Bros. threw the ball down to ground, directly hitting the Spirit and causing the world to go white…

Once the bright white light faded, the Bros. slowly got to their feet, Luigi helping Mario up… they then took a look at how the spire had changed. No longer was it teal tone, but rather a vivid bright blue.

“…Ughhh…” A voice from behind the Bros. groaned. “What happened…?”

The Bros. turned, and spotted Lemmy slowly waking up. Ludwig approached him while Junior lagged behind a little.

“Welcome back, Lemmy.” Ludwig said. “…Junior, do you mind greeting him?”

Junior huffed a little a that… before sighing and turning to Lemmy. “Hey, Lemmy.” He said.

“…What’s up with him?” Lemmy asked Ludwig.

“Don’t worry about it too much.” Ludwig said. “It’s not your fault anyway… he’ll get over it soon, I’d imagine.”

Junior huffed again, turning away and crossing his arms.

“…Junior, please, just get over it.” Ludwig said as, just beside Lemmy, the other Minion Captains began to awaken.

“…Agh… my head’s pounding…” Captain Shy Guy said.

“…What… were we just doing…?” Captain Koopa Troopa asked as he sat up.

“What are you asking me for?” Captain Shy Guy asked back with snark.

“Captain Shy Guy! Captain Koopa Troopa!” Captain Goomba said as he rushed to his fellow Captains with Captain Boo in tow. “You’re okay!”

Captain Goomba then latched himself onto the Shy Guy, only for the other Captain to try and push him off. “Hey! Got off of me!!”

“…But a hug would be good at a time like this, Captain Shy Guy!” Captain Koopa Troopa said.

“Does it look like I care about that right now?” Captain Shy Guy asked. “I feel horrible!”

“Aw, come on!” Captain Goomba said.

“You know you like this!” Captain Boo insisted.

Captain Shy Guy seemed lost for words as he then sighed, and began to accept Captain Goomba’s hug. “Fine… I guess you’re right…” Captain Koopa Troopa gently nodded at that as the Goomba held onto his fellow Captain.

…The Bros. then diverted their attention back to the front of them, seeing a bright pink Star with a golden ribbon wrapped over its head and hanging against its shoulders. The Star’s face contorted in pain as it awoke and began to slowly rise into the air.

“Mmmm… oh… o-oh, my!” The Star, Misstar, gasped as her eyes shot open. “I feel as if I’ve awoken from a terrible nightmare!”

The Bros.’ brows furrowed in agreement with her… they felt the same way as well. Misstar then seemed concerned about the Bros. looks.

“I am so sorry for all this trouble I’ve put you through! Especially you, dear Mario …All of what I did, how unladylike of me!” Misstar said. “How dare that Commander twist my mind into such a sinful mess!? She shall pay for such! …I’d love to just show her what for here and now!”

The Bros.’ eyes widened at that… just as Cosmo had told Luigi, Misstar truly was bold.

The Minions and brothers looked toward Misstar as she calmed herself with a sigh. “…Forgive me. My emotions stir at the thought of what has happened to my fellow Star Spirits… and my dear Star Haven…” She said. “But, we haven’t the time to mourn, follow me outside!”

Misstar rushed ahead as the others followed close behind, traversing through the many staircases of the spire.

~~~

As the group of heroes made their way out of the spire, Misstar had just begun to form a barrier around Ice-Shine Island, keeping it safe from any more Ztar harm.

“Yeah!” Junior cheered. “Only three more spots to go!”

“Yes, precisely.” Misstar said. “Lethal Lava Land shall be your next destination… but…”

…But, what? The Bros. glared at the Star in uncertainty and concern as Misstar’s small brows furrowed.

“…Perhaps the freed Star Spirits feel it too… there is a strong presence of dark power in the lava lands.” Misstar said. “I do not have a good feeling about this… Mario, Luigi, come forth.”

Mario and Luigi step before Misstar, awaiting any command. “…I can feel blazing fire and crackling thunder within the two of you… I believe you claimed these powers during your time in the Beanbean Kingdom, yes?”

The Bros. nod at that… where was she going with this?

“…Hm… it appears those powers have gone unused for quite some time… you can’t use them on your own accord. I am to believe that another force is assisting you with the use of these powers.” Misstar said.

The Bros. wanted to explain… but something held them back.

“…Please…” The Bros. heard Cosmo beg. “They can’t know… they mustn’t see me… they can’t…”

…Why…? The Bros. couldn’t help but ponder Cosmo’s words as Misstar began speaking again.

“…Whatever this force is, it is indeed helping you along,” Misstar said. “But I believe it would be best if you were to rekindle these abilities to use them yourselves.”

The Bros. push their thoughts of Cosmo aside at such words… 'rekindle' their abilities?

“…The powers of Firebrand and Thunderhand can only be rekindled through physical contact with that element.” Misstar said. “You both must find a way to rekindle your elemental powers! I believe it will become of great use through your journey to defeat Commander Nox.”

The Bros. nod at that, just as Junior and Ludwig stepped beside them. “Okay, so,” Junior said. “We can just go to Lethal Lava Land now, huh?”

“And keep watch for a way to rekindle Mario and Luigi’s abilities.” Ludwig said.

“…Wait. Lethal Lava Land?” Captain Boo asked.

“Lord Bowser’s turf!” Captain Goomba said. He then turned to Captain Boo. “Captain Boo! …Do you think you could fly us over to the Dark Lands?”

Captain Boo seemed hesitant. “…I mean, I could try.” He said. “I don’t think you’d weigh that much altogether.”

“…You calling us fat?” Captain Shy Guy said.

“What!? No!” Captain Boo said. “Just hang onto me!” The Captains then latched onto the Boo as the ghost Captain began hovering away.

“What’s got you all tied up in a knot, Captain Shy Guy?” The group on the ground heard Captain Koopa Troopa ask.

“Yeah.” Captain Goomba said. “You’re a lot more angry than usual.”

“I’VE BARELY SLEPT AND HAVEN’T HAD MY COFFEE!!” Captain Shy Guy yelled. “What do you think!?”

“…Maybe some jokes will help?” Captain Koopa Troopa asked.

“…Stars above, NO!” Captain Shy Guy groaned as the Captains left the ground group’s sight.

“You all, make haste to Lethal Lava Land!” Misstar said. “I’ll take care of Lemmy here.”

“Oh! Wait!” Lemmy said as he approached Ludwig. “Take this before you go!”

~ Lemmy has joined your Party! Use his Koopa Kall to summon him in battle! ~

“Thank you, Lemmy.” Ludwig said. “Now, let us be off!”

The Bros., Junior, and Ludwig began to head for Lethal Lava Land, with Misstar and Lemmy waving them farewell.

“May the best of fate be on your side!” Misstar said. “Have faith! And be sure to remove those jackets as you enter the lava lands!”

As the group walked away… the thought of Cosmo crossed the Bros. minds again…

Cosmo then sighed in relief… although, as he huffed, he seemed on edge. “…Do not worry about me, Mario and Luigi.” He said. “I am fine.”

The Bros. then looked to each other, doubt beginning to cloud their thoughts…

He was not fine.

~~~

Commander Nox hovered past Lonely Lava Land’s borders, a firm look upon her face as she passed the many lava pools and approached a large building that seemed just as large as the volcano behind it, known as the Gloomcano.

“We are here! Here in the lands of hotness!” Fawful suddenly said, peeking out of a pocket inside Nox’s cape. “Fawful feels as if he could melt from the heat havings!”

The Commander grumbled as she pulled back her cape at stared at the bug. “…Keep quiet in there. Please.”

“Fawful will obey his grand Empress of Darkness like a spoiled dog that has been prepped for a pageant of beauty havings!” Fawful said as he dived back into the depths of the pocket.

Nox grumbled and let go of her cape as she stepped before the doors of the building, passing by the small garden of oddly well-kept shrubs at the front of structure. Before she could even knock, the owner of the residence appeared beside her.

“…Ah, dear Commander!” The owner, Kaglut, greeted with a bow. “What brings you to my Manor?” He asked as he rose to look upon her.

Nox jumped and shrilled as she moved to the side, summoning her trident and pointing it toward the man beside her. Kaglut’s complexion was that of a bright, vivid orange. He wore all black, along with a torch-like chef’s hat of the same color upon his head. At the top of his chef hat was a small flame that flickered slightly, which was his very own hair. Through the dark orangish mask upon his face were his calm, red eyes that stared back at the Commander.

The Ztar Commander sighed as she got rid of her weapon. “…Why do you have to do that…?” She asked.

“Forgive me, Commander.” Kaglut said. “But, I consider it my charm!”

“…Yeah, your charm…” Nox said under her breath. “At least I didn’t have to wait for your little servants to open the door.”

“Yes, they are not the quickest sort…” Kaglut commented. “But, once again, I must ask… what brings you here, Commander?”

“I have a strong feeling that those brothers are on their merry way here. I need you to distract them and their little group for as long as possible.” Nox said. “I don’t need them getting in the way of my plan…”

“Ah… are you referring to my recipes?” Kaglut asked.

Nox groaned. “No… not those.” She said. “I’m speaking of another plan I have. One that I must inform you of.”

“I see… perhaps it has something to do with all these odd looking Toads I’ve seen around the underground?” Kaglut asked. “They’ve been highly useful to me… but, I must ask, what do you require of them?”

Nox’s small brows furrowed as she then creeped up to Kaglut, staring him down as she closed in on his face. “You had better not tell any of your servants, or so help me…!” She whispered harshly.

“I-I promise not to tell, Commander!” Kaglut promised. “I swear on my tainted soul! …I shall never tell.”

Nox hummed. “I will trust you. And will only tell you this once.” She said. “Listen closely…”

As Nox whispered her plan to Kaglut, one of the shrubs rustled a smidge… neither seemed to notice a small microphone sliding it’s way to Nox, it’s black color perfectly blending in with the slightly charred ground and scenery as it creeped up behind Nox’s neck.

As the conversation ended, the microphone was lowered and silently brought back to the shrub. Nox then nodded to Kaglut as he opened the door to the Manor and let her inside, leading her to another part of the building.

…The shrub then rustled again as a head peered out, just barely peeking through one of the windows, watching Nox and Kaglut disappear elsewhere.

The figure then made himself clear… Corporal Paraplonk, one of the members of the Elite Trio, popped through the shrub and pulled out a walkie-talkie, which he began to speak into after it buzzed.

“Info’s been retrieved! I repeat, info’s been retrieved!” Corporal Paraplonk announced, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Thats great to hear, Paraplonk!” The voice on the other end said. “You remember where to go, right?”

“…Yeah, I do.” Corporal Paraplonk said. “That covered up hole at the back, yeah?”

“Yeah, we’ll be waiting for you when you get back down here.” Another voice said. “What you got better be juicy!”

Paraplonk chuckled. “Heh. Oh, it’s juicy, alright.” He said as he creeped out of the bush and ran off.

…Just what is transpiring within Bowser’s homeland?

- END OF CHAPTER 4 -

~~~

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