-
Luigi opened his eyes and Peach, Mario and Yoshi made their way up the path. His brother had returned to normal, and while that did relieve him in that he did not have to face off against a pissed off Koopa, he was curious on what changed him back, as well as why he transformed into a Koopa into a first place.
“You are here,” Daisy greeted the newcomers in her most cheerful tone.
“Luigi?” Mario’s eyes widened as he approached his brother.
“Mario,” there were so many things he wanted to say to his brother and he blurted out the first string of words that came to his mind.
“You are human again,” both he and Mario said at the same time.
“I’ve been reverting back into a human for the past few days,” Luigi placed his hands in his pockets. “I guess it wasn’t quite as noticeable as before.”
“I noticed,” Peach said. “When I was pounding on your shell. I noticed the spikes were almost gone. I didn’t hurt your back, did I?”
Luigi shook his head. “No. It didn’t hurt at all.”
“Why did you turn into a Koopa again?” Iggy asked the question that was on everyone’s minds. “Without the aid of the machine.”
“I have no idea,” Mario scratched the top of his head. “It just happened. I didn’t even know I changed until we were halfway back to the castle.”
“It’s true,” Yoshi nodded. “Mario thought he was still human and then he looked at his hands.”
“There was still no explanation,” Iggy chewed on his bottom lip. “It might be a side effect from the machine.”
“What machine?” Kammy placed her hands on her hips.
“It was the machine that Gadd and I built,” Iggy explained. “The Gadd Iggy Species Metamorphosis Chamber Pods. We built it to turn Luigi back into a human, and it needed someone else who was human to change him back. We figured the more humans meant a higher and better chance to change him.”
“And instead it turned everyone else into a Koopa?” Kammy raised an eyebrow.
“We have come to the conclusion that instead of grabbing the right DNA codes from the other subjects and using them to change the central subject that it read and exchanged from everyone.”
“And how do you explain Mario’s transformation last night?” Peach asked.
“An odd side effect,” Iggy shrugged.
“This is what you get for trying to use science to undo my magic,” Kammy pointed at the young genius. “What have I told you about mixing the two?”
“You only said that mixing magics could end in a disastrous results.”
“How did it look?” Daisy asked. “I mean to ask, what really happened when Mario changed.”
“I just sent Roy to one of the chandeliers,” Yoshi held out his hands as he described the scene. “Then Bowser grabbed me. Mario thought Luigi betrayed him. Mario growled and tackled Luigi, then he turned into a Koopa, bit Bowser and freed the Princess before we all ran out.”
“Thinking about it, the whole scene is like something from the Hulk comics,” Luigi said. “It was like, Mario angry, Mario Koopa out, Mario smash.”
“Well I was that angry,” Mario smiled sheepishly.
“I wish I could have seen it,” Iggy said. “For scientific reasons of course.”
“Including the part where he hurt your father?” Kammy asked. “If Mario still had his horns I would be grabbing one by now.”
“Like I said, he needs a new hobby,” Iggy folded his arms and looked up. He however did have horns and Kammy grabbed him by the left one. “Hey.”
“What have I said about disrespecting your father?”
Peach cleared her throat and turned to Daisy. “You told me you were providing transportation, but I didn’t know you were joining us.”
“I always did want to go on an adventure,” Daisy clasped her hands together. “You got to go on a few yourself. You even rescued Mario and Luigi once.”
“We are only going to see what is going on in Sugar Land,” Peach explained as she and Daisy walked off together.
“It probably will be another adventure,” Luigi inhaled.
“Yeah,” Mario nodded.
“Mario, I wanted to apologize for last night. I didn’t mean a single word.”
“I know now,” Mario stared at his hands. “I’m sorry if I had hurt you.”
“No, I didn’t get hurt at all, nothing to serious.” Luigi only felt the bruises when he touched them with his hands. “I was the one who slashed you.”
“Based on instincts,” Mario pointed at him before he shrugged. “I guess my actions were also based on instincts. “I accept your apology if you accept mine.”
“I do,” he pulled Mario into an embrace.
“Does this mean you two will never fight again?” Yoshi had been watching them.
“You don’t have a brother, do you?” Mario asked. Yoshi shook his head. “I thought so.”
“I’m sorry,” Iggy cried out. Kammy was still holding onto his horn. “Can you please let go?”
“Promise not to disrespect your father or your elders?” Kammy asked.
“I promise,” Iggy pursed his lips. “Please let go.”
“You better have learned,” Kammy released her hold.
“Ouch,” Iggy massaged the area where his horn met with skin. “You humans have no idea how that feels.”
“I do,” Luigi wiggled his fingers. Bowser only grabbed him once, but it had reminded him of the times he and Mario fought as children and their grandmother grabbed them by the ears until they let go. “It’s the same as grabbing someone by the ears.”
“When are we going?” Mario asked.
“I just need one last check,” Iggy said. “And then we got to decide how we want to travel. The helicopter can only hold three and I’m the only one who knows how to fly it.”
“I can carry two people,” Yoshi said. “I’ve done it before.”
“Can you carry two people, plus luggage?” Luigi asked. He didn’t want to burden down his friend.
“I’m not certain,” Yoshi glanced over his shoulder. “I might.”
“It might slow us down,” Kammy held out her broom. “I can carry someone with me. All they have to do is make sure they hold onto me.”
“We can switch around,” Luigi suggested. “The girls can ride with Iggy and I’ll ride with Kammy.”
“If you don’t mind I would like to ride with Mario,” Kammy prepared her broom.
“Okay,” Iggy closed the lid over the motor. “Everything checks out, Peach, Daisy. We are ready to go.”
“Keep on eye on them,” Luigi climbed into Yoshi’s saddle. “And let me know when you get hungry.”
“When am I not hungry?” Yoshi asked.
“Good question,” Luigi chuckled. “That is almost like asking when Mario isn’t hungry.”
“I heard that,” Mario was sitting sidesaddle on the broom, right behind Kammy. “Don’t drop me.”
“I have never dropped anyone,” Kammy told him. “Now hold on.” She, Mario and the broom rose into the air.
-
Larry hadn’t checked on the women in a while. Madam S hadn’t said much, but then again she rarely talked. Silhouette on the other hand had a mouth, and right now it was silent. He looked over his shoulder and saw the cat girl leaning back as far as she could be, with her head resting against the window, mouth was slack and a little bit of drool was leaking out of the corner of her mouth.
“Kamron would love to get a picture,” Larry whispered and checked on Madam S. She too was also leaning back, but he couldn’t tell is she was asleep with that veil over her face. “I think they might both be a sleep.”
“Are you certain?” Howls asked from behind the wheel.
“I can’t be certain with Madam S.”
“She needs her sleep if she will be driving soon.” Howls said. He and the human would switch so that Howls could get some sleep. Larry took over for Squishy on the motorcycle so the large toad could also get some shut eye. “What about you, ready to drive the bike again?”
“I was born to ride,” Larry said. He lost count of how many times he rode on Iggy’s experimental bikes and the few times he took out one of his father’s clown copters.
“You have license?”
Larry shook his head. “I’m too young, but I have plenty of experience.”
Howls nodded. “You have plenty of fighting experience. Where did you learn how to fight?”
“My father taught me,” Larry hoped he did not rouse too much suspicion with the information he gave the old toad. “He’s the ruler of Dark Land, that is where I live.”
“You never told me you were a prince.”
“I never felt like one,” Larry shrugged. “Taught us how to fight and me, my brothers and sister, and father I fought against these two brothers. You might have heard of them, the Mario brothers.”
“I don’t think I have,” Howls shook his head.
“I guess they are not as well known up here,” Larry heard some stirring in the back and checked, only to see Madam S adjust herself before she drifted off to sleep again. “I never wanted to ask her, because it would seem rude, but why does she wear that veil?”
“She is photosensitive,” Howls explained. “She gets a bad rash in direct sunlight. She has several medical problems.”
“That is why she needs the medicine and the sleeping chamber?” Larry asked. They had made several stops. While they refueled and bought more ice for the cooler they plugged in what Larry and his friends had thought was a tanning bed. They later found out that Madam S had to sleep in it for at least two hours, in addition the cooler contained several small bottles of a medicine drink for her.
“Don’t get her wrong, she is a skilled fighter, one of the best. She was nearly dying when I found her and once she was back to the right health I could see her strength and skills.”
“I’ve seen her use a fire flower.”
“She can use fire flowers, ice flowers, power mushrooms, super leaves and feathers.”
“Most humans can.”
Howls nodded again. “Most humans can, but they do not have the skill lever she has.” He frowned. “Getting low on fuel again. We can charge the bed, get some ice and switch out. I don’t know about you, but my back teeth are floating.”
-
Mario had gotten over his shock and fear of flying on a broomstick with Kammy after a half hour. She flew fast, almost faster than Iggy’s helicopter and he could tell she was holding back to make certain everyone stayed together and no one outran or out flew anyone else.
“Are you going to be quiet through out the whole trip?” Kammy asked minutes after they had finished lunch.
“No, not that I am finally used to this,” He stared down and could see Yoshi and Luigi racing on the ground beneath them.
“Tell me what is on your mind,” Kammy said.
“I have a lot on my mind,” Mario wasn’t lying. His first thought was on the journey, followed by Luigi. He also thought about his transformation and of Peach and their upcoming wedding.
“What would you like to talk about?”
“I want to know why you are helping us,” Mario asked.
“Bowser asked me to go with Luigi. You are also thinking about last night.”
He nodded. “I never thought I’d turn back into a Koopa again. I can’t remember the last time I was that angry and the next thing I know I had Luigi pinned to the ground, I was throwing fire at Bowser. I bit his arm, lashed my claws at him and then freed the princess. I told my friends that I thought I was throwing fire balls, and wasn’t breathing any fire.”
“You were blinded by your rage to even feel that you were changing?” Kammy asked.
“Yeah,” Mario remembered feeling an itch and a few pains. “I thought the biting and the scratching was human instinct. I have heard of people who were being abducted biting and scratching at their kidnappers.”
“As for chewing and clawing through the rope?” Kammy asked.
“That I don’t know.”
“Have you ever thought this might be a new gift?”
“You mean like the raccoon suit or the ghost mushroom?” Mario asked. The thought had never crossed his mind. It would help him fight enemies better. “I have to figure out how to use it. It doesn’t just appear when I eat something or touch something.”
“I believe that is something that you have to figure out on your own.”
Mario stared at his hands. He imagined them scaly and ending in claws. He closed his eyes and tried to picture his feet ripping through his shoes, a spiked shell growing on his back, his mouth lengthening into a snout and filling with sharp teeth. He imagined it, but he didn’t feel it.
He tried to use the anger that had worked before. He thought of several scenarios that made him angry in the past, Bowser kidnapping Peach, Bowser kidnapping himself and Luigi, Luigi throwing his favorite record into the fire. Larry and Roy tying to turn Luigi into scrambled eggs and the possible idea of Luigi betraying him.
He opened his eyes and saw that he was still the same. Oh well, he would try again.
“What are you doing?” Kammy asked.
“I’m trying to turn into a Koopa again.”
“Try it after we landed for the night, a physical transformation may cause us to crash.”
They were silent for a few more hours before Kammy spoke again. “You still don’t have much to say.”
“Sorry if I am not the great conversationalist,” Mario said. “But you are technically the enemy.”
“So that is the way it is going to be,” she shook her head. “I thought you were going to talk about your upcoming wedding.”
“Luigi told you?”
“He told Bowser, who told everyone. Where will you have the ceremony?”
“Well we thought about—wait a second,” he almost forgot who he was dealing with for a second. “If I tell you, what is going to keep you from telling Bowser?”
“There is no way,” she chuckled. “And yes if he does ask then I would tell him.”
“Thanks for being honest,” he increased his grip around her waist. “How am I going to be certain that you are not going to try and kill me?”
“Lets just say your new ability has piqued my interest in you,” she noticed the face Mario was making. “Not in that way. You may be more useful alive than dead.”
“Great.”
“Has Luigi told you we have seen your past and your parents in my crystal?”
“No he hasn’t,” Mario shook his head. Why hadn’t Luigi mentioned he had seen their past?
“Your parents were named Angela and Lucio Segali.”
“Wait, our last name is actually Segali?” He had always thought it was Mario, the same as his first name. Were the citizens of the mushroom kingdom going to call them the Segali brothers?
“I guess your mother forgot it in the letter she gave to the Lakitu.”
“A Lakitu brought us to New York?” That would have caused a commotion, except people in New York rarely ever looked up.
“Your mother loved living in the Mushroom World, but there was so much danger. It wasn’t long after the Shroob invasion when the vampire lord Nosferus tried to come after you. He sent a minion after you before, but your parents and their neighbors defeated him. He later came after you again, with his own army, Mario I am sorry to tell you this, but your father died in that battle.”
“What about our mother?” He could understand why she sent them to Brooklyn, despite all the troubles that city had there were no Koopas, or Shroobs or Vampires to hurt them.
“That I do not know,” Kammy shook her head. “I had nearly collapsed from exhaustion at that point.”
“Why didn’t Luigi ask again?”
“He wanted to make certain that I was rested.” Kammy sighed. “You can ask him once we have landed
“I will,” Mario frowned. He had to know about his mother, maybe Kammy could show them another vision, and he was going to find out some way.
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