Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ NSX ❯ One Flew Over the Koopa's Nest ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Luigi found himself wondering what the Mushroom Dynasty was intending to do with a shipment of bunk beds. He himself had been told that they were to be used in the occaision that Toad Town found itself short a few hundreds, by disaster or whatever catastrophe could strike the Mushroom Kingdom - but beds? He sat up from his rest, lifting a massive mound of green quilt off of him. He might not have thought himself the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knew that there were far fewer beds here than would have been needed by the entirety of Toad Town. Again he found himself scratching his head. "...beds?"

"Yes, beds." Mario slurred from the bunk below. He was just about suffocating himself in a cluster of blankets below, leaning closer to the wall. Both brothers had taken up residence in the palace's warehouse, which housed what seemed like an endless repitore of useless goods. "..you know, I hadn't thought much of saving royalty, wherever we are... but you think they could at least get us a guest room or something."

Luigi shrugged. The massive chamber, while very plain, was surprisingly warm - while Mario thought otherwise, Luigi insisted to think of it as a really, really big bedroom. A very dark bedroom, but a comfortable one nonetheless. Sighing, he collapsed back against the mattress, rolling over and burying himself under the sheets. "...you know, I could LIVE down here, but don't you get the feeling that something's wrong with this entire situation?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well, those turtles weren't from this country, you heard everything Peach told us..." he shivered. "...man, I'd hate to see their oil deal fall apart from a racial attack like that."

"Now..." Mario stared up. "...we're not going to get worked up about it, if everything goes well we're gonna be out of here by morning... and we're going to FIND that pipe that we fell out of and get home before anything else happens to us. To tell you the truth, this place gives me the creeps..."

"And you're telling me I'M afraid of the dark?"

"You know what I mean. G'night."

Both buried themselves in their beds. There was a brief pause before Mario sat up again.

"Eh, Weegi."

"Hm?"

"You hear something?"

"That high-pitched whine coming from upstairs?"

Mario blinked. "...well.. uh, yeah, except it's a bit louder."

Luigi fluffed his pillow again before collapsing. "...I can't hear it... maybe we just really need some sle-" he was suddenly blinded as he was blasted in the face by a flashlight. "H-hey! What's the big idea, we're trying t-"

"Luigi." Mario grit his teeth.

In front of them stood four armored Troopas.

Luigi glanced through the squad and back again before heaving a sigh. He rolled over, grabbing his trusty pipe wrench from under the covers. As Mario raised both his hands from under the covers, a loud clang could be heard as a half-dressed Luigi fell from his bunk, giving a Troopa a painfully-vibrating helmet. Another rushed at him, causing Luigi to do the first thing he could think of - he wound up and tried to kick the turtle in the groin, the hard shell not particularly helping any - but the position of his leg did manage to trip it up and cause it to hurtle itself into a pile of crates. As another approached him from behind, raising his heavy light to bash Luigi, Mario jammed his spanner into the arm joint, causing it to seize up as the Troopa tried to bring his arm back down. Mario simply planted his boot firmly on the side of the shell, shoving him into the same heap of boxes. Luigi was able to strike a unspectactular blow to the remaining Troopa's head with the same wrench, heaving him into the pile as he began to lose consciousness.

"If I didn't know any better, that was a bit more than a hate crime." Mario spat. "Something's going on here."

Luigi had already leapt into his suspenders. "I hear you, bro."

Again, a faint whine came whistling through the otherwise vacant warehouse. As they stood still, trying to analyze it, they soon found it to be far too organic for their liking.

They both exchanged pale glances. "Peach."

As the both dashed for the exit, Luigi couldn't help notice what looked like a giant key sticking out of a box of antiques, glistening in his direction.





********




Troy walked up to the pipe hanging from the celing, tapping it twice with the keyblade. "...this the place you're looking for?"

"I can still sense the Vast on the air... and it is certain." Sirius hunched down, drawing a talon through the dirt. "Many koopas have passed through this corridor. We must be headed in the right direction."

Troy frowned as he stared on. Undoubtedly they were getting closer to the Mushroom Kingdom - the caverns were steadily becoming more alive, a stark contrast from the labrynthine tunnels underneath Dark Land. The lichens and plant life in this area was denser than anywhere Troy had been in the pipe catacombs - which may had also been the result of them getting closer to the surface as well, but it was easy to take Sirius' assumption for granted.

"...Sirius... I'm just getting a tad bit curious..."

"Yes?"

"You're certain that the Vast or whatnot are headed here, but what exactly are we going to do if we confront them?"

"It's not so much as what WE'RE doing, as what YOU'RE doing."

Troy went deadpan. "What's THAT supposed to mean."

"I told you, the Keyblades are the only things capable of banishing the Vast. I can assist you in fending off the Koopa Troop but it is you who must exorcise the Vast from any who are infected. Exactly what degree to which the Troop is corrupt, I don't know. But it may be safe to assume that their leader may be the deepest."

Troy shook his head frantically. "...wait, wait, wait... so Bowser's probably at the heart of this?" he took a deep breath. "...Sirius, what exactly HOW do you exorcise Vast with a Keyblade?"

"Use it as a weapon. Do not worry, in its current state the Keyblade cannot inflict actual physical harm - it will only do that if you will it to. If you attack Bowser with it, it will merely pass through him - eliminating any Vast in its path. The subject will still feel quite a bit of pain, an unfortunate side effect of the purging process, but it is for his own good."

Troy's heart stopped. "You're insisting that I FIGHT King Bowser?!" Troy gaped, grimacing. "Are you insane?! He's massive! He could take down a tractor trailer with his bare hands! He's got enough armor plating to stop a meteor! There's NO way I'm just going to rush in and just wail on him! Unlike SOME people around here, I VALUE MY LIFE!"

"For the last time, Troy, think outside the box for a moment." Sirius growled. Troy immediately froze. "You hold in your hands an ancient weapon of inconceivable power. I'm not saying defeating Bowser will be easy at the moment, but with a Keyblade in your possession it is very much possible. The more you're set on doing this, the easier the going is going to be. Do you understand?"

"I'm getting the assumption I'm going to HAVE to." Troy leapt up, grabbing onto the inside lip of the pipe, pulling himself up. Quickly the inner suction took hold, shooting Troy up through the pipe system. Sirius followed closely behind.




********




The Koopa camp, meanwhile, was now in a full uproar over the death of Kare - very much more a gruesome act than many of the soldiers there were used to seeing. Preperation for the attack had sped up tenfold, lest anyone get on the bad side of Bowser once again. Even then, at least three battalions had fled the scene. Bowser himself briefly contemplated hunting them down and destroying every last person himself, but soon found himself far away from the camp in the other direction - marching on Toad Town by his lonesome. Two battalions of Troopas lagged a safe distance behind, hoping to console their obviously-distorted king, but still did so timidly. One brave Troopa was up ahead of Bowser, leading the group through the night with a lantern.

"...erm... King Bowser..." he tugged nervously at his collar. "...no offense or anything, but didn't you send Morton and Wendy to nab their princess? Shouldn't we wait until they get back before launching a-" he suddenly paused, slowing down to turn to Bowser. "...uh..."

The massive king of the Koopas was slumping along at a snail's pace, his face darkened and turned to the ground. His fists were clenched painfully, the black liquid beginning to lapse out at regular intervals and splatter against the dirt. Looking behind further, the two battalions were split, keeping a safe distance from its trail. "...grrrhaahhahhhh... you can just.. forgettt... about them." he ended his statement with a hiss that sent a chill through the crowd. "...we've got more important thingsss.. to do right now."

The lead Troopa was visibly confused. "Like?"

"CONQUER!!!" Bowser bellowed, afterwards letting out a high-pitched scream very uncharacteristic of his build. His form slumped over, slamming both his fists into the ground. One battalion stumbled as the tremor washed over them. The other was already fleeing into the hills. The guide shielded himself, slowly raising a dismayed glance to the shattered King. He breathed in ragged gasps, now beginning to drool almost savagely. He stared back at the guide, flashing a grin not like his trademark, but a hideous, twisted grimace.

"...erm..." the guide sweatdropped. "...let's... get moving.. I guess."

"Well said." Bowser snarled, stomping ahead of the lone Troopa.

Off in the distance, over a hill, Sirius tore Troy from the other end of the pipe with one hand, sending him flying into the shrubbery nearby. He quickly stood up, spitting out a mouthful of dirt. "...if you'd just GIVE me a minute, maybe I WOULD get out of the pipe!"

"If you might stand up and look around, you'll see that we don't exactly have all the time in the world." Troy began to jog as he followed Sirius up the hill. He stood high upon it, staring abroad at the two battalions of Troopas, one at least a 100 paces behind Bowser, and the other 500 paces behind them - and rapidly losing ground. Sirius pointed towards the front, where the hulking koopa could be seen leading the march. "There. Is that this Bowser you speak of?"

Troy squinted. "That'd be him, alright. Why?"

"Can't you sense it in the least?" Sirius stared with slit eyes. Troy continued to look abroad before turning back to Sirius.

"Sense what?"

"The Vast. Come now, can't you recognize the slightest change in his appearance?"

Troy peered out again, shielding his eyes from the rain. "I don't know, I can't make out much from this distance."

"Maybe you'd like to get a bit closer?" Sirius suggested. He turned to a suddenly silent Troy. "Thought so. Anyways... now, where did you say he was headed?"

"He's on a march to the Mushroom Kingdom. I'm kind of surprised the Koopa Troop isn't swarming together. After being trained to do that, and everything." he panned across the horizon again, where he could see another five giant clusters of Troopas huddled together as they kept an even more liberal distance behind the second battalion. "Well, what next, fearless leader?" Troy said breathlessly.

"I don't know. I wasn't predicting your 'Koopa Troop' to be this large. No matter. I'm sure Bowser has other things on his mind right now - I'm presuming the best time to make our stand would be wherever his destination is. Do you have any idea where his first stop would be in the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Now, I've only been to the Mushroom Kingdom a few times... but from the looks of the paths where we are there should be a large settlement nearby. I guess it would make sense for Bowser to strike right at the heart of the Mushroom Kingdom, the capital, Toad Town."

"How far is that?"

"Do I look like a walking talking GPS to you?" Troy muttered. "The best we can do at this point is just continue on through the pipe catacombs and get to Toad Town that way. From what I understand, sometimes traders use the tunnels to get out of the city when the roads above get too packed. But I can't verify that."

"I think that's the most intelligent thing you've said all day." Sirius sighed, climbing back into the pipe. Troy stood outside, letting the keyblade bob on his shoulder.

"...yeah." Troy sighed. "It probably was."




********


NSX


2: One Flew Over the Koopa's Nest



********




The door leading to the main lobby of the castle, oddly enough, was locked. With a loud thud it buckled, again, and then one more time before the cheap Koopa-crafted seal on it burst. Mario and Luigi charged in, leaping to a halt as they reached the sun-patterned floor near the center. They both kept watchful eyes about them, taking special care to stay on each others' backs in the case that there were far more many Koopas - a safe assumption if they had managed to get in the castle, even with the lax watch kept by the small fragment of the National Guard out front.

They both froze as the main doors opened - right on cue as a blast of thunder tore through the room. The rain outside was pounding harder than before, and it showed. The tied and gagged Peach standing in front of them was now just a wet mess, and the two stumpier Koopas flanking her didn't appear much more amused. One's skin and shell were a cracked, dark tan brown, and the other was draped in a pink shell, far too much makeup to be healthy and a magneta shell. She wore a comically large polka-dotted bow on top of her head.

"I thought we were done here." Wendy pouted.

"Your stupid escort's busy elsewhere." Morton grunted, facing the other way. His large, clawed foot tapped impatiently against the expensive rug that took up the majority of the area directly in front of the main doors. "...does his mouth ever empty? I mean, c'mon..."

Both plumbers glanced over as another Sledge waddled out from a side door, dragging a sack as large as him in his wake. "..uhh, wow! Rations for me whenever I want..." he picked it up, slinging it over his shoulder. "Dur... we done here?"

"Look around, genius." Wendy let herself slouch.

"What's going on here?" Mario suddenly stepped forward. "Where's Peach?"

"I believe that's confidential information regarding our kingdom, if I'm not terribly mistaken..." Wendy did the same. "...and also if I'm not mistaken your best action would be to back your little BEHINDS UP!" she grimaced as both lunged at her, Luigi lagging behind. She slung her arm forward, catching the peppermint candy ring that hung around it loosely. As Mario homed in on her she got a clean throw, the confectionary exploding violently as it hit its target. Mario was hurled backwards against the wall and Luigi's charge was halted - in the meanwhile all three koopas turned, darting out of the castle's foyer.

"...man!" Luigi was already at the back of the lobby, helping Mario up. "...you alright there? That stuff packs a punch..."

"Now that's... sour candy." Mario continued to dust himself off, righting his cap. "...well.. I guess that's not going to stop us.. either that or it wasn't meant to... either way we gotta get to the bottom of this..."

"I guess there's no real way to avoid it now..." Luigi picked up a box of soda crackers off the floor. Looking ahead he saw several more random articles of food spread on a path to the entrance. Throwing the double doors open he was hit in the face with the raging winds outside, the storm having now become just shy of a hurricane. Still, however, he could make out the steady trail of foodstuffs leading down the palace path and along the Toad Town streets beyond.

"You two!" Toad burst through the hall door behind them, making amusingly large strides.

"He did it." Mario and Luigi pointed at each other.

"I'm not stupid... I know what's happening here..." Toad removed his cap, wringing it stressfully. "...I never thought something like this would happen.. I mean, what reason does the Koopa kingdom have to attack us?.. I mean, asides from our endless riches, but... you know, we just started talks with them such a short time ago... how did they get such a trained attack force in that time... this doesn't add up... ay yi yi..."

"Listen, we'll take care of the princess. You just try to keep everyone around here on their toes, right?" Mario slung his weapon over his shoulder.

Toad began to pace. "Right, right... lessee... I'll try to get a hold of Wooster and Toadsworth and the other retainers... yeah, that'll work, and the duty guards.. no, not the duty guards, that'll give things away for sure... the king? Definately not the king..."

"What's the deal?" Luigi muttered. "I think the bigwigs here should be in the know, especially if their princess' missing."

"You don't understand," Toad blurted. "I've tried so hard to help her with her duties appointed to her by the king, and I'd love more than anything else to see her succeed and get her hands on a prominent position in palace affairs, just to prepare her for her future leadership and to just give her some prestige to work with, you know what I mean, if the king knew what was going on here that'd all be gone, bang, zippo, destroyed, you know what I mean, I MEAN, he's got faith in her but I can't let that be taken aw-"

"OKAY, okay, we get the point." Mario grumbled.

"Bro? You sure about this?"

"Positive, those koopa creeps haven't been too much of a pain..."

Toad tensed up. "Yes, yes! That'd be great, great great! Thank you thank you! Here, take these..." he lifted up his cap, taking out a bouquet of flowers. Mario hesitantly took them, wincing as he felt a burning heat shoot through his hand. Not knowing what else to do he passed them off to Luigi, also letting out a yelp and tossing them around for a bit before letting them fall to the floor.

"What was THAT for?!" both brothers were now furiously blowing on their hands.

"Oh, that's one of the Mushroom Kingdom's bumper crops, the hephastus flora, or as the market likes to call them, fire flowers. Pretty spiffy, they give off a magical charge that enables anyone who comes in contact with them the ability to conjure up heat whenever they want to, for destructive purposes or personal heat or-"

"OKAY, OKAY." Mario clenched his fists, letting them loosen again. Luigi did the same. "...now.. how do you work th-" He glanced around. The hall door shut with a slam again.

"...ah, guess it can't be that hard." Luigi sighed. "...well, guess we'd better split..."

"Now, hold it right there, you two..." another beige retainer waddled into view rapidly. Luigi rolled his eyes. "I understand the urgency of our situation, but should we not worry about getting the rest of the royal family to safety? And what of the citizens? Where is that blasted Guard when we need it?" Toadsworth continued to fume. Toad blocked it out to the best of his ability.

"Well, that's a good question..." Toad scratched his head, trying his hardest to dodge the comment. "Well, at this point we should see what Mario and Luigi want to-" he froze, whirling back to the door and finding no one there. "...well, crud."


********


A solid twenty minutes had passed, as Mario and Luigi still fought through the storm in their pursuit of the princess. Or, more technically, the raider of the royal pantry. The city streets were a dark labyrinth, only made worse by the beating rain and the relentless wind. The trail of consumables continued to wind through the streets - but gaps were beginning to appear, both in front and behind them.

"We've got more pressing matters here!" Mario huffed, trying not to waste any more breath.

Luigi jogged along behind him, a sack of his own filled with various canned pastas. "Waste not, want not."

Mario frowned, beginning to slow down as the trail reached an end. Him and his brother stood in the middle of an intersection. Still, the edge of the city could be seen, but that still didn't help matters any.

"This is bad." Mario sighed.

"Wouldn't they be headed for the city limits?"

"That's what they want you to think." Mario turned, raising a finger matter-of-factly - and just about poking Luigi in the eye. "...they could've taken any other route, even if it would be slower it would throw us off."

"There's gotta be other Koopa 'round here!" Luigi growled. "We gotta find one of them..."

A short ways off, at the edge of the street, a manhole slid off its supports. With a cough, Troy stuck his head out, slinging his hands out over the cobblestone road to get a better grip. With a grunt he quickly hoisted himself out of the sewers, seemingly unaware of the smell that rose from the pit. He was about to walk away before he heard Sirius clear his throat. Chuckling, he stared back down into the hole in the road, scratching his head. "...well, I guess I never thought of that before, did I..."

"I'm just a tad bit confused how I'm going to get through a hole that small." Sirius droned.

"...maybe you can find a bigger one further along?" Troy blurted.

He was suddenly hurled backwards as a large section of the street exploded from underneath him, Sirius rocketing up through the granite. Troy landed with a roll as Sirius came back down, his massive feet hitting the ground with a crash. He flexed his talons as he remained hunched, slowly returning to his normal posture. Troy sat back up, coughing out a mouthful of dust as the two brothers whirled around to find the street behind them in ruins.

Sirius glanced behind him. "That should be big enough."

Troy muttered to himself as he stood up, only to grabbed by the collar of his shell and pressed against someone else.

"You've got some talking to do." Mario growled.

"...wha?" Troy squeaked.

"Don't play dumb with me... now, where's the princess headed?"

"Uh, wha?" Troy slurred.

"Release him. He means no harm." Sirius rumbled. His eyes pulsed with energy.

Luigi trembled before Sirius, almost another half as tall as him. "...eh, this guy isn't a koopa..."

"...oh?" Mario tossed Troy to the side, taking another step forward. "...and what race are YOU? Don't tell me you're in with the Koopas on this..."

Sirius' expression suddenly twisted again - this time into one of utter confusion. "...well..." he tried his hardest to dig into his host's mind, but still could find no trace of knowledge on the subject. "...I.. uh, I'm not a koopa..."

"Just hurry up and choose!" Troy spat.

Another barrier in Sirius' mind snapped. Another field of memory began to open itself to him with the word having some familiarity to him beyond normal use. "...choose... I.. for your information, I am a Chozo. And this... koopa has no pact against you. I need you to direct us to the government of this city-"

"Uh, no." Mario said flatly.

Troy leapt back onto his feet, flailing his limbs. "You IDIOT! Just listen to me for a moment! I'm not with the Koopas! We've come to deliver an urgent message to your king or whatever... I'm guessing you've already had an unpleasant run-in with the Koopa Troop, but that's the least of it! An entire freaking seven brigades are on their way to pillage Toad Town as we speak, with the king of the Koopas, Bowser leading them! This place is gonna become a warzone in a while and you all have to get out of here!"

"Well, no offense or anything..." Luigi said meekly, still keeping a steady eye on Sirius. "...but what real motive do we have to listen to you?"

Troy swung out his keyblade, pointing it forward. "...because if you don't, it's just about certain this place is gonna be overrun by the Va-" Sirius stabbed a hand at Troy, causing him to hop back, silenced.

"Shall we get going?" Sirius said firmly, clenching his fists.

Troy dropped the keyblade back on his shoulder, heading to the front of the group - and was promptly thrown back on his feet as the ground rumbled beneath him. Sirius remained unfazed while the other two stumbled.

"NOW what..." Troy hacked.

Everyone looked forward to the main gates of the city far down the street. With another blast the huge doors were blown off their hinges, tossed to the road with another deafening crash. Troy grimaced, looking up as a squad of Troopas swarmed in, unveiling their weapons as they advanced. They suddenly paused, parting as Bowser slumped to the front. At that point Troy could start to notice what Sirius had earlier - that Bowser had definately devolved since his last encounter. Bowser continued to advance, stepping haphazardly as a visible trail of drool hovered from his lips. He laughed, his pupil-less eyes piercing into everyone present. Troy squeaked, pedaling himself backwards across the ground as fast as his arms could take him. Eventually he bumped into Sirius.

"This is the king of the Koopas. As you might notice, he's not particularly himself." Sirius turned to Luigi. "He has been affected by a sickness that has warped his mind. It is imperative that we immobilize him as quickly as possible before he causes any more harm to himself and others."

Two Hammers stepped forward, sharing much the same expression. They both let out feral hisses as they hunched forward, snaking towards the group.

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "So it has spread."

All four shuffled backwards, with Troy in front as he himself hunched down, gripping the keyblade tightly. "...oh, c'mon... GUYS! It's me... a fellow Troopa! Just calm down for a minute..."

Their expressions froze, returning to their normal stares. Troy breathed a sigh of relief before they started moving forward again. "...it's the defector."

"...wha?!" Troy tensed up as they both charged at him, swinging their blades. In a flash Sirius leapt forward, catching both weapons with his bare hands, throwing both Troopas clean over his shoulders. "...Sirius?!"

"Troy, we'll try to keep the brigade busy. You focus on Bowser."

"'kay, I'l-" he suddenly shook his head, staring at the group as they charged around to the Troop's flanks. "W-wha?!" He glanced around, and eventually over his shoulder - where he saw a small group of the Guard walking by, their eyes widening in disbelief as they saw and eventually figured out what was going on. The mushroom peoples' faces grew sour as they readied their weapons, charging forth and providing backup to both groups. Mario and Luigi took the left, and with another two dozen troops were held off the advancing Troopas fairly well - on the other the Troopas were doing everything BUT fighting, trying for their dear lives to get out of the way of the rampaging Sirius - who was, in fact, purposely not even landing blows in the event he DID end up doing something tragic with his inhuman strength.

In the middle was Bowser, slowly beginning to step towards Troy as what remained of the huge Koopa's awareness began to drift away. He let out a hiss as he continued to lumber forward. Troy could only stumble back, keeping his keyblade held awkwardly in front of him. Bowser's expression twisted, looking down at the miniscule Troopa hungrily.

"...KEY??" Bowser slurred.

"...it's a key! And I'm going to beat you senseless with it!" Troy was backpedaling faster now, his pep talk having little relevance in the shadow of the behemoth Koopa.

"YOU ARE NOT WITH USSSS!!" Bowser reeled back, suddenly beginning a mad charge forward. Troy let out a screech as he dove to the side, barely escaping Bowser as he slashed forward with one of his claws. His paw slammed down against the street, shattering the cobblestone beneath it as Troy leapt back to his feet.

"...Bowser! It's me, that little delinquent that spoiled your entire invasion plans! Don't you remember me?!" Troy yelled at his infuriated king. Not even that seemed to have any effect. Instead, he cast his hands forward, letting his dark sludge ooze out of his hands and onto the road. Troy stared on, beginning to shiver as the sludge reformed itself, turning into two lanky figures. A pair of beady white eyes and antenna popped out of each head, locking onto Troy and charging. "...well.. alright... Troy, these are two guys about your size... this shouldn't be a challenge.. just use the key like you're told... just this once..." he closed his eyes, hunching down as the two shadows darted towards him.

He grit his teeth, leaping forth as he swung the key into the shadow on his left. His eyes widened as the device cleaved straight through the ooze, completely dividing it down the waste. It quickly began to lose substance, dissiapating into the air. Troy gaped, but not before whirling around and slashing through its partner with one smooth stroke. Ooze was randomly sprinkled on the street from the heavy blow, dissolving into nothing. Troy blinked, lifting up the key. "...that.. THAT WAS.. AWESOME! WOO!" he swung the key around for a moment, letting it fall back in his hands. He glared back at Bowser, gritting his teeth. "...if this cuts down the Vast so easily..."

"..KEY!!!" Bowser roared.

"I GOT YOUR KEY RIGHT HERE!!" Troy leapt off his feet, swinging the keyblade above his head as he made a full-out charge at Bowser. He vaulted upwards, falling at Bowser's head as he swung back to deliver a blow. He was promptly greeted by Bowser's claw.

Sirius watched painfully as Troy crashed through the wall of an adjacent shop, causing the entire wall to collapse. "...oh dear..."

A green shell rolled out of the debris, slowly wobbling to a stop before Troy popped out again. "...um, ow. But... you know, that still didn't hurt as much as I thought it w-" he looked up to see Bowser's foot coming down on him. "Crap." The keyblade hit the ground as he let out a squeak, shielding himself as Bowser thrust down.





**
You still have time.
**





Troy blinked. "...whuzzah?" he glanced down to find the keyblade back in his hand - but that still wasn't the greatest of his concerns.

Bowser's massive, clawed foot hung in the air inches from him, but was still approaching him - very, very, very slowly.






**
You, are the Keyper of CHRONICLE.
In the face of adversity you will learn to use these powers; fueled from within:
For the heart always stands defiant, even against something as indestructible as time...
**




Troy took a deep breath, glancing over. The rain continued to plummet around him in normal time - but Bowser continued his slow-motion descent. He squinted as another blast of lightning filled the sky. Off in the distance, beyond the melee that was occuring by the gates, he could see a tall figure standing in the rain, draped in a long black raincoat. "...wha? Who..."




**
Whether the heart is correct or not...
Is a different matter entirely.
**




Troy was blinded by another flash. "Wait! Who are-" he stared out into the storm once again. Everyone still crowded around the gate - but no one stood within. Suddenly reminded of his current situation, he tightened his right hand around his weapon. "...grr, I'll worry about it later... now, the keyblade can cleanse, and cause pain in the meanwhile... let's hope this works... hyaa!!" Troy suddenly lunged back upwards, kneeling forward as he drove the end of the keyblade into Bowser's near-stationary foot with every ounce of strength he could muster.

With that, time suddenly snapped back to normal - Bowser's eyes widened as he reeled back, roaring in pain as his still-functional foot began to burn from within. He wobbed, his yell raising in pitch as he leant away from Troy. Troy leapt up, moving himself away as fast as his legs could take him. He spun around to face Bowser again - in time to see him lose what balance he had left, toppling over facefirst onto the road with a tremendous crash. This caught the attention of the others, who were busy dusting off the remaining Troopas that hadn't fled with some assortment of bruises. Troy continued to stare at Bowser's limb - the dark substance that Bowser had previously summoned now spurted out recklessly onto the street, neutralizing on contact.

"NOW!!" Sirius yelled. "He's stunned!! Attack!"

Troy nodded, running along an arc towards Bowser's back as he slowly began to push himself back up. Before he could, however, Troy leapt onto the back of his shell, darting up it - he leapt, stomping down hard on his head. The impact stunned him again, sending him back to the road.

Troy's grin beamed with triumph as he pointed the keyblade downwards. "G'night." he leapt back towards Bowser's shell, kicking off of it and dropping down again on his head - driving the keyblade straight through it. He grit his teeth, wincing as the darkness now viciously exploded out of the imaginary gap - Bowser convulsed below Troy, but he continued to hold on as the dark spray continued to fizz into the air, disappearing. As the stream ceased, Troy withdrew the keyblade, leaving behind no evidence it had ever been there. Bower's head suddenly jerked up again, letting out a dull groan before falling back to the ground, its host finally unconscious.

Sirius waited a moment before returning to his normal posture. "...well... whew. Finally, the Vast is out of commission... at least for the time be-"

Troy was still on top of Bowser, pelvic-thrusting every few moments. "OWNED! OWNED! OWNED!"

For the first time that night, the storm began to weaken.





********





A very long discussion with the Koopa Troop ensued. Some were still a bit confused, but while the problem of Kare had been shoved under the carpet so to speak, and Bowser himself was ready to own up to the chaos he had caused, a deal was quickly struck that all palace officials that had any indication as to what the Koopa Troop were actually doing there would keep their lips zipped, only referring to the sudden insurgence of Koopas as reinforcements to help construct the shelters that the National Guard was busy trying to throw up on their own.

Peach was still a bit annoyed about being drug facefirst across the wilderness by the inital shock corp of Troopas, but Mario and Sirius were intent on keeping her pacified in the case another conflict would start.

Of course, throughout all of this the king had still been sleeping and upon being woken by Toad had no idea what the hell had went on.

The next morning, Mario, Luigi, Toad, Toadsworth, the King, Troy and Sirius could all be found around a small dining table in the banquet hall, digging into a light meal. Sirius picked slowly at the single crumb that remained on his plate. Troy continued to shovel at his food. Mario and Luigi did the same. Toad and Toadsworth still had blank stares on their faces.

Last but not least, Bowser could be seen sitting uncomfortably at the far end. "...WHY do all you guys have STUBBY legs..." he fidgeted, shifting his legs - in the process lifting the table up a foot at his end, causing Toadsworth's full plate to slide off the table with a crash.

"'ey, Sirius..." Troy mumbled between bites, spewing crumbs back onto his plate. "What's the holdup?"

Sirius' giant hand held the miniscule fork, continuing to poke at his empty plate. "Blast... why did I have to pick a body with such grueling physical demands... can we get fifths?"

Toad bowed. "Remember, we're in YOUR debt."

"Say, what are we all doing here anyways?" Luigi blurted. "I thought we cleared that whole imminent-war deal up..."

"We're finalizing the oil deal." the King mumbled.

"Again?" Troy said.

Bowser shot him an annoyed glance. "Actually, I recall bein' the one who suggested coming back here..." he shoved off, falling back on his bulky frame as he stood. At the far end of the hall the doors opened, Peach entering the room in her ceremonial dress. "...well, look who stopped in..."

Peach never said anything, instead heading straight for the table. She took a seat next to Troy, who's eyes immediately locked onto her. She drummed her hands on the table before pausing, noticing the Troopa looking over her. Troy glanced up at her face, twitching upon realizing he was being watched. "..oh, uh, hey, I mean hi... I mean..." he knew what she was implying. "I mean, that's a really nice wristband you have..."

The band itself was rather plain but had a series of tiny diamonds atop her wrist. "I.. got it for my 16th birthday." she glanced back to Troy, who was still trying to hide his blatant blush. A Troopa, yes, but not a particularly bad one. Especially if what she heard was true and that he DID manage to stop Bowser singlehandedly. "...how old are you, anyways?"

"...fou-uh, fifteen. Gee... how did I manage THAT...?" Troy scratched the back of the back of his head while Toad chuckled to himself.

The King stood, rubbing his hands together. "Alrighty. Looks like everyone's here. Now, Bowser, was there something you wanted to tell me?"

"I apologize on behalf of the Koopa Troop for the events of last night and everything." he moved, slowly beginning to pace. "...which brings me to my point... before we talk more about the oil, I've been a little concerned about what happened last night..."

Peach was visibly stunned. "...well, this isn't Bowser."

"...Sirius here tells me that I'd caught a little bug that had caused me to go berserk on your kingdom... I don't seem to recall much if anything that actually happened last night, but whatever it was, there's only one thing on my mind right now... I want to make sure that it ain't contagious, and if it is, have some way to contain it on standby."

"Oh?" Peach folded her arms. "...from eyewitness accounts we believe there was something wrong with you, no doubt... the Dynasty is willing to forgive you on those accounts, but how exactly do you intend to fight it?"

Troy was almost knocked clean out of his chair as Bowser's arm was slung around his shoulder. "Take a look at this fine Troopa here. He risked his life to find a way to the Mushroom Kingdom to warn you of the imminent siege by the Koopa Troop. Now, I do seem to recall a few moments before losing consciousness last night... and that's the fact that THIS boy holds the key to stopping this infection, literally."

"...wha?" Troy blurted.

"Where's that key you were using the other night? You got it here, don't you?" Bowser shook Troy.

"...yeah, yeah..." he glanced to Sirius, who gave him a dull stare. Seeing no harm in it himself, he ducked underneath the table for a moment, sitting back up and resting the CHRONICLE on the table. Everyone present gasped or otherwise gaped over the odd-looking keyweapon. Troy glanced around, surveying everyone's reactions - Peach stared down on the weapon with the widest eyes of the group. She obviously wanted to say something, but was appearing to hold back her ambition.

"Well, anyways..." the King waved a hand to Troy. "...Troy, I thank you for all that you have done for the Mushroom Kingdom in this past night... know that you as a koopa will always find a home with us."

Troy nodded. "Thanks, your highness." This seemed to irk Bowser a bit.

"Anything to add, Bowser?" Peach interjected.

"Funny you should ask. Seeing as how the weapon that can banish this afflictment rests in the hands of a Troopa..." he twiddled his thumbs. "I think that would entitle us as the Koopa Troop a little incentive to keep such a powerful artifact within reach of our allies."

"What?" Peach slurred

"I'd like a 15% fee hike on our oil shipment."

"Not on your life." Peach said coldly.

"I hate to burst your bubble, King Bowser," Sirius folded his arms as well. "...but what position would you be in right now if Troy WEREN'T part of the Koopa Troop? Correction, what if he already isn't?"

"Sirius?" Troy glanced between the two.

"Is something the matter?" Bowser laughed.

"Just the usual." Peach sighed, leaning forward and resting her chin in her hands.

"This key is not something to be bought and sold." Sirius growled. "It is something that is needed by the whole world. Troy shall keep the keyblade and wield it as he sees fit. You said yourself you're clean, so that gives you no right to try to swindle these people."

"...10%?" Bowser asked weakly.

"5%." Peach seethed.

Bowser shrugged. "Yeah, whatever... alrighty, I guess I'll get the oil shipments headed here in a few days... well, I guess I'd better head off... you all take care, eh?... and Troy..."

"Yessir." Troy stood up straight, hoisting the keyblade over his shoulder.

"You sure you don't want to stay in the Koopa Troop? Plenty of benefits headed your way, especially after a wonderful performance out t-"

"I'm fine." Troy repeated.

Bowser just stared at him for a moment, blinking before a sour frown formed on his face. He grumbled, waving his arms at his two escort Hammers. He turned, lumbering off - the two light infantry marched behind him, keeping in perfect step as they left the banquet hall. Troy watched as the huge doors closed, feeling a great weight taken off his shoulders, and another one slapped down on him in exchange. He slouched, slowly turning back to the remaining attendees. "...well... I wonder where this places me in Mushroom Kingdom politics."

Toad rocked back and forth in his chair. "It'd be nice to see a few more koopas stand up to him, that's for sure."

"Meh..." Luigi leant back in his chair, wrapping his hands around behind his head. "...but you gotta admit... Troy can't be feeling NO remorse at a time like this... I mean, you've seen them... they're Troy's kin and everything."

Troy shook his head. "...nah, I'm alright... I actually lived elsewhere, I joined the Koopa Troop for some quick coinage, actually..." he turned back to the table. "...bashing your cranium against random floating bricks gets tiring after a while."

"Where did you live before?" Peach asked.

"Way, waaaay back in Dark Land... near the beginning of Land's End. I grew up in a small mountain village there... Highborne. I'm starting to wonder how all the folks there are doing now... but I guess it can't be helped right now..." he glanced back at Sirius. "...I'm under the impression I've got more pressing matters."

"And why would you think that?" Sirius asked emotionlessly.

"Because you're still here." Troy stared back, a frown developing on his face.

Peach glanced around the rapidly quieting table, slapping her hands together. "...erm, could I have your attention please... dad.. could you do a quick favor?"

"What'll it be." he leant forward, far more relaxed now that Bowser was no longer actively glaring at him.

"Can you just leave us for a moment? I'd like to have a private word with the others here."

He nodded, rising from his chair. His robes flowed down around him as he smiled warmly to the others. "By all means. Actually, I'm going to go talk to Wooster about getting those new flower beds out front up and running. You all behave now, okay?" his grin spread as he whirled around, marching off. Once again the great doors shut, this time much more quietly. Peach stared in the direction of the door for a moment before turning back to the crowd.

"What would you possibly need to discuss with us without the King's watch?" Toadsworth mumbled.

"Really..." Mario stood up. "...I think we've discussed everything here we need to... now, there's something I'D like to discuss here, and that's how exactly we're going to get ho-" he paused, moving closer to Peach. "...'ey, you still here?" he glanced down to the table and back. Peach still stared at the keyblade lying on the table, her grin widening by the second.

She glanced to Troy, to Sirius, and back again. "...I just can't BELIEVE this! Who would've figured..." she planted her hands back on the table, twitching. "This is INCREDIBLE!! This is just.. just unreal!" she stood up, humming to herself as she pranced around in a circle before leaning over the table.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. Troy blinked.

"...I just can't get over it.. after hearing so much about them... I have a keyblade sitting right in front of me!"

"A wha?" Toad said blankly.

"Key?" Mario slurred.

"Blade?" Luigi gaped.

"Huzzah?" Toadsworth gasped.

Both Troy and Sirius exchanged glances. Troy was just as confused as anyone else - Sirius was downright amazed. "...you... how do you know? How do you know that this is a keyblade?"

Peach nodded, her mind still on too much of a high to say anything correctly off the bat. "...you'll never believe how long I've wanted to see one of these things! Here in the castle we have so many books, so many records of everything that's happened throughout the history of this land, throughout the Mushroom Dynasty and even some texts from before, whenever that was... I've just read so, so much..." she paused for a moment, her smile becoming more solemn. "...I've always put so much attention into reading whatever I could... books of every genre, encyclopedias, whatever knowledge I could get my hands on... I wanted an escape from this kingdom so bad..."

Toad suddenly reeled forward. "Well, geez, why didn't you say so? I'm sure your dad would let you set up an expedition if you really wanted to..." his own face saddened as he saw her sulk.

"What's the point, Toad? Everyone has done those expeditions... and everyone has recorded their knowledge... right here for my convenience. There's no point in any adventuring anymore... because it's just all been done. Even if I were somewhere first hand I'm still living in a shadow of someone else... just having it regurgitated to me... and looking back upon the archives... call me crazy, but I'm beginning to doubt if there is anything left in this world to discover... I've got the eight lands in the palm of my hand, and all the surrounding nations..."

Troy stepped forward. "Land's End."

Luigi opened an eye. "What's Land's End?"

"The edge of the world. Beyond a set point, at least on the very edge of Dark Land, the ground just drops off. A bottomless valley lies beyond. They say that if you head out far enough, all land around you just suddenly ends, and you're left in a bottomless sky with no way of finding your way back to the continent."

Toad shook his head, leaping forward in shock. "Are you CRAZY!? No one's gone beyond Land's End and come back to tell the tale! There's nothing beyond there but death... I know my fair share of those who headed out there, trust me!"

Peach seemed even gloomier than before. "Toad... you're right."

Mario blinked. "He is? But c'mon, there's gotta be something beyond Land's End... unless THIS world's flat, which would be kind of crappy if you asked me."

Peach sighed. "...I know nothing is out there. I was there myself."

Both Toads' eyes bulged out. "WHAT?!"

"Some nights... I've snuck out... hopped aboard one of the miniairships we have... how was I able to control one? Well, it's amazing what the books in this castle'll teach you..." she smiled weakly. "...I headed out into the abyss... and spent the night there... I myself nearly failed to get back to the continent... it was sheer luck that I steered in the right direction after I had become lost in the sky."

"...Peach!" Toad collapsed. "...we could've LOST you out there! What's gotten into you?! When was this? I demand to know..."

"It doesn't matter anymore. Because I've found the undeniable proof that there IS knowledge out there not known by anyone in this world. And I WILL find it before anyone else." she clenched her fists. "The ancient texts I've seen talk about the keyblades, weapons that ultimately serve the purpose of bridging the gap between worlds, no, DIMENSIONS! Just think about it - there could be a zillion other worlds out there that no one here knows about! I'm making it my life mission to get out to those worlds, and leave this world - and return having experienced dozens of others! I couldn't ask for anything more! To tell you the truth... I had something that looked like a keyblade in my basement, but I wasn't sure whether or not it was an actual artifact.. it had no enchantment.. but this just proves it!"

Mario and Luigi both nodded. "Actually... I think I've seen enough to justify that WE'RE in another world."

Peach paused. "...but you said you were from the pipe catacombs!"

Luigi chuckled nervously. "We did. I know for a fact there wasn't a Mushroom Kingdom where we came from... just big 'ol Brooklyn and a mess of pipes that needed unclogging." he looked back up, finding his hands in Peach's.

"What?! Wow, wowwowow! You're telling me.. you're from another WORLD? The world of BROOKLYN?!" she jumped up and down, causing Luigi to flap lifelessly. "THAT IS JUST SO COOL!!"

Troy and Sirius sweatdropped. Troy looked up at Sirius, letting the CHRONICLE tap against the ground. "She's sorta the compulsive type."

Sirius cleared his throat. "Princess Peach, you say that you have documents relating to the keyblades? If these are for real, I wouldn't mind taking a look at them myself. And about that other keyblade... could I examine it as well?"

Peach nodded fervently. "Well, of course, of course..."

"So what are these keyblades, exactly?" Mario stood up, tucking his chair in. "...and what do you mean, they have the power to bridge worlds? Aren't they already bridged? I mean, we got here and everything..."




**
This world has been connected.
**



Troy felt himself go limp. He spun around - finding no one there. He turned again - the table was bare. Not one person was around. He took a step forward - he looked down, finding his boot holding a length of a beige cloak. "...what?! Not again!" he pitched his head up, finding himself staring into the darkness of its hood. "...you're not the same guy..."




**
Tied to the darkness... soon to be completely eclipsed.
**



Troy stumbled back, raising his keyblade. "What do you want? Darkness? What darkness?"




**
There is so very much to learn.
You understand so little.
**




"...I don't... I'll give you that much... but whatever's going on here..." Troy bit his lip. "...I'm going to find out what's attacking my world..."




**
A meaningless effort.
One who understands nothing can know nothing.
**




Troy trembled. Staring up into the dark pit that lied beyond the man's hood, he saw nothing... but fear. On impulse Troy rocketed forward, impaling the man upon the blade - it passed straight through him. Nothing came out. No Vast, no blood, nothing. Troy's eyes widened as he stared upwards. The hood slowly swayed from side to side, the being shaking its head as Troy slowly removed the keyblade. He held it down to his side, his soul cold as he continued to stare into the blackness.

He was still deathly afraid of what was within.

"...may I ask what that was for?" Sirius said, slightly annoyed.

Troy blinked - everyone was back, standing around the table. Sirius stood in front of him. He held up the keyblade again. "...uh.. oh, did I..."

"I know not to give you a sword." Sirius muttered. "What in blazes were you saying, anyways? You've been standing here just RAMBLING to yourself for how long..." Troy chuckled nervously, glancing around. Indeed, everyone including the princess was giving him odd stares.

"...don't.. mind me." Troy sighed. "...I.. haven't slept much, lately... treason is stressful work."

Mario slapped Troy on the shoulder. "...just... don't creep us out, okay?"

Troy nodded. "Gotcha." he raised his hand - to find it empty. "...wha?!"

Peach was already back at the table, holding the CHRONICLE with her hands at both ends. She raised it about her, looking over every inch of it. "...well, these things are spiffy and everything... but how exactly are they able to bridge worlds? Sirius?"

Sirius growled, snatching the keyblade back from Peach. He tossed it back to Troy, who caught it with relative ease. "The keyblade is not leaving this world."

Toad put up his hand. "I second the motion."

"Toad..." Peach scowled.

Sirius looked through the crowd with discontempt. "...I guess it's not worth keeping a secret from you any longer... Peach, I realize that the keyblades may be a means of unlocking other worlds to you, but I have seen from experience, as have you, another purpose of the keyblades - to fight that affliction that you have all obviously seen. The fact of the matter is, that is something foriegn to this world. Yes, it came from another world, now just let me talk. It is an entity called the Vast - it seems to possess a fair amount of sentience, and seeks to do nothing but corrupt those it comes into contact with to create the violence Bowser sought to. The only thing that can stop the Vast are the Keyblades. We may have cleansed Bowser, but there is nothing saying that the Vast that came to this world have been completely eradicated. Do not make the assumption that nothing but good comes from other worlds."

Peach fidgeted. "...well, that I understand... but, what about that other key? What if that were a keyblade, could it be possible to leave that behind in someone else's care? I'm sure with that kind of power they could defend our kingdom easily... I mean, you say Troy has little experience with his, and he managed to take down Bowser..."

"Safety in numbers." Sirius said.

Troy sighed. "You keep saying you want to do something about the Vast... but you're not organized in the least."

"Battling an intersteallar plague isn't exactly the easiest thing." Sirius said coldly.

"...but if the Vast just jumped to this world like that..." Peach frowned. "What's there stopping them from moving to another one?"

Sirius bowed his head. "What makes you think we have the kind of resources to fight the Vast on an infinite number of fronts?"

"EVERYONE, EVERYONE!" Troy budged into the center of the group, holding them all apart. "...just.. everyone calm down for a minute! Alright... Sirius, you tell us that we don't have the resources to fight the Vast on more than one front... but we have a keyblade, and we may have another one... how many keyblades ARE there among the worlds? Wouldn't it be possible to rally a battalion of Keypers to manage the worlds?"

There was a long pause. Troy looked back and forth between everyone present, waiting for a reply.

"...Troy..." Sirius said sadly. "...if it were that easy, the Vast would have been destroyed long ago. There is more you all need to know about the keyblades... and the Keypers..."


********
Initially the keyblades were placed amongst worlds, no one knows who created them or what their initial purpose was... all I know is that as the Vast have pillaged galaxy after universe, and the only physical weapon that has worked consistantly against the physical manifestation of the Vast has been the Keyblades. With each new world, beings throughout time are appointed as Keypers, those who can effectively use the Keyblades and the powers that lie dormant within them. In theory, there are an infinite number of keyblades, Keypers, and worlds for them both to manifest on respectively. Troy, and all of you, you have made the common and often lethal assumption that all Keypers are valiant warriors ready to sacrifice their lives to the Vast to keep it at bay.

This could not be farther from the truth. I've seen people of every build, age, race and walk of life take up the Keyblades - sometimes for more valiant means, and sometimes to further themselves. People have destroyed worlds using them, others have saved them, some rape and pillage civilizations with their aid, others make divine contributions to society, you get the picture. Not everyone sees the keyblades as what they are - some wish to merely exploit them. If they must destroy other Keypers; their only match in power, to accomplish their goals, so be it.

I personally feared for the safety of your world when Troy took up the keyblade calling itself CHRONICLE. He was a mere boy, dysfunctionally educated in the operatings of the Koopa Troop, and a tad bit dense on the side... he could just as easily enslave the CHRONICLE and implement all his childish fantasies with its power under his control... but, in the end, he stood up in the face of responsibility and wielded the keyblade against the Vast - thus, saving this world from its wrath. He is a rare example of heroism in these times.

Add to the fact that the Keypers are stranded among all these infinite worlds and you begin to see the difficulty in rounding them up for a campaign against the Vast.
********


"You see, there may be others just discovering the keyblades as you are... but not all will put them to the productive use that you will... Troy, by taking up a keyblade against the Vast, has not only subjected himself to their harassment, but potentially to the delinquent Keypers of other worlds."

Troy sighed nervously. "...well, isn't that grand."

"...so, a good plan to start with would be to find the keyblades of the Mushroom Kingdom and unite them under one banner, right?" Luigi asked.

"That would be the best option, if forming a proper defense for this world is your priority. I suppose it would be best to fortify this world, it will also give us better footing to advance unto other worlds, if we decide to go that far."

Troy smirked. "Well, then that's settled."

The King bowed. "That it is."

Peach twitched. "...dad?! When did you get back in here?"

He raised his head, his usual smile on. "...people like to call me just another dense politician... but from what I've heard we've got quite a situation on our hands, don't we? If the Vast return it could prove catastrophic for our kingdom... but even with Troy on our side the Vast has its work cut out for it. If there are more keyblades in this world, we WILL find them. Mario, Luigi, Sirius, Troy, and... Toadstool, I will provide whatever assistance you require to make this world into an anti-Vast bastion." he nodded. "Toad, Toadsworth, I trust you will put your hand into this?"

"I'm guessing I don't got much of a choice." Toad sighed. He nodded to Toadsworth. "We'll have to get the other retainers on this. Well... we'd best get cracking."

Mario sighed, leaning back again. "Methinks we're not headed home anytime soon."

Luigi cracked his knuckles, bounding out of his chair. "...methinks I don't got a problem with that."

Troy laughed, resting on the CHRONICLE. He exchanged grins with the others (a wink with Peach, with a particularly confused look in return), and a nod with Sirius. He could sense some gratification coming from Sirius - for the first time in.. well, a while, it appeared that a world was in the beginnings of standing up against the Vast.

A great movement had begun...





********


In the sky, a star died.

Along with it, a world.

The Keypers fled.

A storm of green bolts filled the solar sky as people began to shoot off randomly to other worlds.

Some sought sanctuary.

Others sought power.

Others sought blood.


********




TO BE CONTINUED

NSX: Ntropy
Chapter 3 - A Bridge Too Many