Story [Super Mario Brothers] The Dark Lands: Trial By Fire

Preface

Author(s): Me
Characters: Alexander (OC), Bowser, the Koopa Children, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and more.
Genre: Fantasy/Video Game/Nintendo
Summary: This story follows the adventures of Alexander Magnus, as he accidentally ends up in Mushroom World, but rather than landing in the Mushroom Kingdom, his story begins in Bowser's domain, the Dark Lands.
Advisory: Violence, Mild Language, Adult Themes
Rating: Teen+
Notes: This is a slightly edited version of a Super Mario Brothers fan fiction that I wrote back in 2014. It's suppose to be the first of a five part series of stories. As I mentioned in another thread, my version of the Mushroom World is a little bit more realistic that the Nintendo version, but I didn't try to go all Game of Thrones with blood, guts, gore, and indecency. There is violence, a bit of language here and there (less than 10 wirty dords throughout the whole story), and situations that are adult in nature, but certainly NOT XXX rated. I'd also like to point out that while the Mario Brothers are in the story, they're not the focus OF the story. As a final addendum, I also gave the Mario Brothers a real Italian surname, Bartonelli, for the fic, instead of Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. Shigeru Miyamoto might be a legend at Nintendo, but naming things had never been his strong suit.

 

Chapter 1

At six-feet even Alexander's height was nothing to be impressed by, nor was his build which was solid but otherwise unremarkable. What drew so many looks was the head full of solid white hair. Only twenty-six years old many people would whisper and some even chanced to ask what he'd done to it. The answer was always the same, Alexander would tell people he was born this way. He even found it amusing how so many people overlooked his eyebrows which were white as well, it was even like that in a region much lower though he didn't make it a point of showing that off. The questions and occasional stares didn't bother Alexander as most people were polite, the others were just ignored. This was an aspect of his appearance that drew most of the attention away from the blue jeans and the simple black t-shirt the young man wore.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and foot traffic in the mall was thick. Throngs of people moved about to and fro as the gentle murmur of indistinct conversations floated across the air. There were numerous signs with bright colors and large words trying to draw people in and part them from their money, but all were ignored as Alexander looked down at his new cell phone. Walking through the mall he programmed several numbers into it from memory, the last cell phone had met its demise at the hands of the toilet it was dropped into. Every so often Alexander would glance up to make sure he wasn't about to mow down any innocent passers-by, and eventually exited through the main door into the parking lot.

Large crowds of people were never something he'd cared for, but that particular electronics store in the mall had the best prices in town so it was briefly endured. Outside there were vehicles of all shapes, sizes, and descriptions and here Alexander gave his full attention to crossing the road. More than once in the past he'd almost been run down for not paying attention, so close was one of them that he was struck by a side view mirror. The sun beat down from a cloudless sky with such intensity that it heated the newly paved lot to the point of giving off an offensive chemical smell. On the way to his vehicle Alexander watched a small group of girls walk by led by an older woman. They were attractive to look at but the first thought that came to mind was jail bait. Not a single one of them appeared to be over eighteen.

Near the middle of one aisle Alexander used his key chain to unlock the doors of an old but well aged blue sedan. The beige interior did nothing to make the vehicle stand out among others. Aside from the occasional missing knob or broken vent the Sedan was in good condition, and with a single turn of the key it purred to life. As he backed out into the parking lot the cell phone made a simple ringing noise, it's default tone, only to be ignored. Texting or talking on the phone was something that Alexander refused to do while driving. The call was likely from his best and only friend Trevor. Already about ten minutes late he had promised to drop by today to hang out and shoot the breeze for a while.

Trevor would no doubt try to talk him into playing a video game, the recently purchased PlayStation 2 was something that was still talked about at length. Alexander on the other hand didn't even own a television which was rather ironic, as he'd spent the last eight years working as a field technician for a cable company. Idiot boxes were a more accurate description in his mind, electronic screens that did nothing but waste a person's time with programming that wasn't even mildly interesting. Alexander often preferred to lose himself in a good book be it history, fiction, drama, or any other of a number of enjoyable genres. For a moment he mused over that thinking of how books had taught him more about life and the world than school ever did.

The drive to his friends apartment was uneventful, and some twenty minutes later he pulled into the parking lot of a white two story apartment complex set with dozens of windows. The pavement was cracked with weeds growing up through them in some places and a fresh coat of paint to whiten the exterior would help, but all in all Alexander had seen worse. Bringing the car to a stop in one of the assigned visitor spaces he shut the engine off and stepped out, locking the doors with the key chain. Trevor lived on the first floor near the front, walking up the path he knocked on door 4D. In short order a rather gangly looking young man with a head full of long brown hair answered the door. Four inches taller than Alexander he was also about twenty-five pounds lighter. With dull blue eyes and a large nose set atop a slender mouth he could easily put someone to mind of a scarecrow. The black tank top and tacky orange shorts didn't help either, often leading Alexander to wonder if his friend was color blind.

"Wondered when you were gonna show up bro," Trevor said. The two exchanged a fist bump as he walked in seeing his friend's apartment surprisingly clean. There was only a small scattering of electronics and dishware in the modest size room. While Alexander was looking around, a slender young woman with long red hair and a pleasant face walked out of the hall leading to the bedroom, wearing only a pair of blue jean shorts and halter top. Though he'd only seen her twice before Alexander knew the young woman as Angela. She'd dated Trevor some time ago but it never went anywhere and they eventually broke up, or so he thought.

"Hey Alex, what's going on?" Angela said, waving with a smile.

"Same stuff different day," He took a seat on the old brown leather sofa that was facing the apartment window, to watch Trevor go through some frantic button pressing while playing some sort of shooting game on his wide screen plasma television. The noise alone was bothersome but Trevor seemed quite intent on killing everything in sight. "I thought you broke up with Angie,"

"Oh we're not together if that's what you mean, Angie's ex-boyfriend kicked her out and with nowhere to go I let her shack up here for a while."

"She helping with the bills?"

"Yeah, she pays her share of the rent," He looked over with a wink. "Just not in cash if you know what I mean." To that Alexander just shook his head and continued watching the game for a time. The two had first met a decade ago when Alexander was only sixteen. Trevor, nineteen at the time, had received a service call for a local fast food restaurant Alexander was working at, that was having problems with their internet connection. He was dispatched for repairs which was how they first met. After striking up a conversation the two became fast friends. When Alexander turned eighteen it was Trevor that helped him get a driver's license and from there a job at the cable company. The two rode together while he was still in training and they'd remained friends ever since.

In truth Alexander never much cared for being a field technician, but it payed the bills and was something he was good at. There was also not having a boss over his shoulder all day, so long as the orders were taken care of no one said anything. That was something else that troubled Alexander, as of late life in general seemed to lose its flair. Nothing caught his interest anymore, not activities, or friends, or dating. Trying to recapture some sort of interest he even tried a few extreme sports like sky diving and bungee jumping, but nothing seemed to have that wow factor anymore. In truth Alexander was slipping deeper and deeper into a serious depression that he didn't know how to climb out of.

"Alphabet," Trevor said.

"What?"

"You know, that twenty-six letter thing you use to form words."

"You mean like bite me?" At this Trevor paused his game and set the controller down on the glass top coffee table in front of them.

"Dude, what's with you lately. You've been a total buzz-kill, you alright?" While Trevor may have been a hardcore gamer that often tuned out the rest of the world, he always seemed to take notice of anything going on with Alexander. This was something that, at times, proved to be rather annoying. While they were friends Alexander still chose to keep much of his personal life, personal. Sharing thoughts and feelings on a level like that was something he rarely did even with Trevor.

"I'm fine."

"Yeah right, what's eating at you, spill."

"B-I-T-E M-E." When Trevor leaned over sinking his teeth into a shoulder Alexander about jumped over the back of the couch.

"Boy, I almost cashed in your dental plan."

"Then start talking, or do I have to turn the game off and straight up badger you into submission." At this Alexander gave him something of a dirty look. In the past Trevor had badgered to that point before and would make good on the threat. As annoying as he could be at times Alexander knew it was only because he cared.

"I'm bored with life."

"Bored with life, what the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"Just what it sounds like, I'm bored with everything. Reading books, going places, doing things, nothing peaks my interest anymore." There was a lot of truth to those words in that very little seemed to keep his interest anymore. Even things that had once been interesting no longer held any enjoyment. There was something missing in Alexander's life but he didn't know what it was, or where to go looking.

"You're not thinking about doing anything stupid are you?"

"Hardly, I'm just... bored. I wish I could find something to spark my interest."

"Like Angie?" Trevor said. Not a moment after saying that she walked over punching Trevor on the shoulder.

That drew a small snicker from Alexander, "Anyone ever tell you, you have the class of a cactus?"

"Repeatedly." Angie said, walking into the kitchen. After some more thought Alexander wondered if coming over here was a bad idea as he wasn't in a very social mood. In fact all he really wanted to do was be left alone to brood. Normally when something was eating at him this badly. deep contemplation would eventually uncover the source of such feelings. This was a problem that had slowly built up over several years and until now Alexander hadn't told anyone about it. The loss of interest in life, everything turning to shades of gray in his mind, how nothing held interest anymore. It was strange for Alexander because he always seemed to be able to self-regulate problems and deal with emotions, yet no matter how hard this problem was struggled with it just wouldn't go away.

"I know, why don't we go grab a couple of cold ones at Joe's Place."

"Sure, why not." The two walked out with Trevor telling Angie that they would be back in a little while. Neither man approached their vehicles due to the run down red brick building across the street with a sign that read 'Joe's Place' over the front door. To the sound of a hinge that needed to be oiled the two walked in. Far from a high class establishment, Joe's was the type of place you went to get away from the world in general. The smell of old beer clung to the gray haze of smoke gently obscuring details. The dim lighting and sedated atmosphere gave the entire place the look of some mobster hangout from a low budget B-movie. Behind the bar was Joe, built like a barrel in a plaid green shirt and dark slacks the older man merely looked at the two new arrivals, and grunted before going back to cleaning glasses.

"Two Budweisers, hold the lite my good barkeep." Trevor said, taking a seat at the bar. Joe took two long neck beers out of the cooler setting them down in front of the two. Once paid for Alexander twisted the top off of his beer and proceeded to drink the entire thing. It was at that point he let out a loud belch and held up a finger for Joe to bring another. "Boy you are down in the dumps, I haven't seen you drink like this since your twenty first birthday."

"Yeah well my head's pretty screwed up right now. Maybe if I get wasted I'll figure out a way to unscrew it." Not normally the type to drink, he knew that intoxication did lead to some rather unorthodox thinking patterns, and was starting to wonder if that might help to solve this bothersome riddle. Instead of chugging the second beer it was sipped as Alexander looked around the bar. With the bottle held up to both lips he stopped at the sight of a woman at a table not too far away. It wasn't her figure, the black three-piece woman's suit, or even the attractive facial feature that drew Alexander's attention. It was the complete lack of hair, the woman was as bald as they came. What's more is that she was staring at him. When their eyes met she smiled and waved and the gesture was returned with a raised eyebrow instead.

Not sure how to react to such a sight Alexander turned around to face the bar. There were only about twenty people in the establishment which would change as evening began to set in. Joe's Place did have its weekend regulars. Another thing that Alexander appreciated was Joe's zero tolerance for bar fights. While the portly older man may not have appeared intimidating, both had witnessed him handling troublemakers much larger in times past. When drinking like this Alexander and Trevor didn't talk much. They usually just sat back sipping beers and enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.

This time it was different, almost like a laser drilling through the back of his skull, Alexander felt as if he were being watched. Twice he looked back to see the same woman staring at him, only now with her head propped on a hand. It was one thing to be watched, but another altogether to know you're being watched. After a few minutes it was starting to irritate Alexander considerably. Being rude wasn't in his nature unless extremely angry, so a different approach was taken. Sliding off the bar stool Alexander walked over to the table where the woman was and helped himself to a seat.

"Hi there," Alexander said. "Name's Alexander, couldn't help feeling the back of my head burst into flames."

The woman chuckled lightly, "Hello, my name's Selina and I couldn't help noticing your aura."

"Uh yeah, my aura."

"You have no idea what I'm talking about do you."

"Aura, an energy field generated by living creatures that surrounds the body. I'm familiar with metaphysics, just never put much stock into it personally." The woman seemed to have a subtle charm. Her deep brown eyes and broad smile were inviting, yet something was also very different. While Alexander couldn't put his finger on what it was, it was more than just the lack of hair.

"So did you just get bored and decide to shave your head?"

At this Trevor about snorked his beer and looked back, "And you call me a cactus?"

"I'm just being blunt." The question didn't seem to offend the woman, instead she looked him over without any attempt to hide it.

"I shaved my head because I wanted people to be interested in me for who I am, not the way I look. And what's you're story, bleach?" Selina said. That drew a small smirk from him. If anything Alexander appreciated people who were equally blunt so long as they weren't rude. While he'd never had any testing done to confirm the reason for being born with solid white hair, several doctors had stated the most likely cause was in lacking a gene for hair color. It was considered a genetic defect but was both minor and harmless.

"Born this way."

"So, one different by choice, another by birth, how... fascinating. So is all your hair white?" This caused Alexander to stop in mid-sip and lower his beer looking at the woman for a moment. It was rare to come across a woman so blatant in her questioning. Then there was the fact that it could also be taken as a personal advance. That sparked interest on his part because sex was one of the few things that Alexander still derived pleasure from, even if it was just purely physical. There were several ideas going through his mind at the moment including that aside from not having any hair, Selina was attractive. Her face was slender and oval shaped with gentle cheekbones, and a small nose set above wide, generous lips.

"That's one question you'll have to find out for yourself."

"So should I drive?"

Alexander looked over holding up the now empty beer, "I don't D&D." As the two stood up to leave he smiled and waved to Trevor who gave him a thumbs up.

Roughly Two Hours Later...

In bed next to Selina he looked up at the ceiling letting out a satisfied sigh. While the drive to her apartment involved a lot of metaphysical discussion, once inside they about attacked one another and there wasn't much conversation involved. Despite having just met Alexander liked the woman laying next to him. Selina was rather straight forward in her approach and didn't bandy words.

"Enjoy yourself," she said, tracing a finger over his chest.

"Definitely, you?"

"Mmmhmm, if I may ask though, how long has it been since you were with anyone?" That drew something of an odd expression from Alexander as it wasn't a question he was normally asked.

"Only a few months, why? Does it show?"

Selina only chuckled, "No, you just seemed to have a lot of pent up energy."

"Frustration more like." At this Selina sat up in bed scooting closer. This again drew an odd look from Alexander because he didn't mind cuddling afterward, but it usually required knowing someone for more than two hours first. She settled in taking one of his hands and looking over the palm. At first she said nothing, instead tracing a finger slowly over it with considerable interest. This raised Alexander's curiosity as he had no idea what she was doing.

"Is my hand really that interesting?"

"You would be surprised how much of a person's life, both past and future, are written upon their body." Alexander finally realized what she was doing, reading his palm. It was little more than an amusing game to him as fortune telling and other such things were considered to be little more than superstitious hogwash. While Alexander had studied metaphysics in the past, he was the type of person who put more stock into what could be perceived through the five senses, than spiritual guesswork.

"And what does my palm say."

"That you've known much pain and suffering in your life." That only drew a presumptuous chuckle from him at such a vague answer. "You've spent much of your life struggling against the world but now you've lost your way. You seek something to fill the void in your heart, yet you know not what." That brought an almost shocked look to Alexander's face as she described the last few years of his life with considerable accuracy, and he'd never told her about any of this. In his late teens there was still a lot of desire to seek out new things and explore the world, but that desire eventually faded along with a lot of his emotions. Now everything was little more than a novelty that gave him no enjoyment. There was nothing to stir his passion or make him feel alive.

"What... what else do you see?"

"That your fight is not yet over, in fact it's just beginning. You are destined to walk a path in life that few others ever get the chance to. But, in doing so you will know pain and suffering unlike anything you have ever experienced."

"Okay, first of all I don't believe in destiny, I make my own path in life. Secondly that's not exactly a description that makes me want to run right out and find this path."

Selina only smiled up at him, "You will know pain and suffering yes, but you will also know passion, desire, and your name will burn so brightly that in time this life will seem as little more than a dim faded memory... of what once was."

There wasn't much Alexander could say in response to something like that. While he had no idea what could possibly change his future so radically, that Selina had so accurately described parts of his past it gave pause to wonder. Was there any truth to what was said, or was this just more mystic mumbo-jumbo? To have passion and desire was something that Alexander wanted desperately, yet there was also a part of his mind, the logical side, that kept him from fully believing in something like this. In order to keep from over thinking the matter he decided to change the subject and took Selina's hand in his.

"Well I've never been much of a palm reader, but even I can see your future here."

"Oh, and what's that?" She said, smiling playfully.

"Round two." Rolling over he bit Selina on the neck resulting in a surprised yelp.

The Next Morning...

Because Alexander left his vehicle at Trevor's the previous night, Selina allowed him to stay at her apartment. The next morning he picked the car up and drove straight home, after a quick breakfast followed by changing into a light blue jumpsuit he went to work. Sycamore Cable was a small local company with less than two-hundred employees. The single story red brick building was a familiar sight as he approached the fenced off rear parking lot. Here there were a number of identical white work vans, all bearing the words Sycamore Cable Company in red over top an image of their namesake tree. At the gate Alexander removed a work identification card and slid it through the kiosk which housed a card reader. To the sound of a small buzz the automated gate opened.

At the very back of the lot he parked the car along side a number of other personal employee vehicles. It was easy to see that Trevor wasn't here yet which was no surprise, the man was constantly cutting it close when it came to arriving on time. With no windows around back the only entrance was an old metal door with another card reader next to it, and Alexander repeated the same process from before. Inside he was greeted by a cacophony of ringing phones, talking people, and whirring office machinery. Hearing this every morning for the past eight years it was little more than background noise. Most of the floor was divided into office cubicles with chest high walls that were screwed together. Those with positions of authority had offices, and Alexander passed several of them on his way to one in particular, after quickly swiping the card through the time clock on the wall.

The door stood open as a young Hispanic woman with long black hair sat behind an office desk wearing a headset. She was busily typing at a computer while talking to a field technician and smiled at Alexander's approach. This was a routine the two went through every morning for years. Without a word she reached into a desk drawer, placing a small electronic pad on the desk with several work orders. Alexander took the pad with a small two finger salute and walked out while reading it over casually.

"Yo bro, what's going on?" Trevor said, passing Alexander in the hall.

"Another day another dollar."

"So, have fun with that bald babe?"

Never one to kiss and tell, Alexander looked at his friend with a mildly annoyed expression and continued toward the parking lot. Trevor only laughed and slapped him on the shoulder knowing what sort of response he would get. Outside he walked to a van parked in the same spot that it always was, and opened the door tossing the pad into the passenger seat. The van roared to life without a fight, and Alexander pulled out of the parking lot with the address to the first job already dedicated to memory. Morning traffic in the city was the same as it always was, slow, loud, and filled with angry drivers. Only two blocks later Alexander came to a stop as traffic quickly became congested. Knowing full well how long this could take he removed a large hardback book off the dashboard, and turned to a page held by a bookmark.

As the other cars moved forward inch by inch he looked up every so often to keep pace. The book in hand was about the various monarchs and royal families of medieval England. History was one of Alexander's favorite subjects and something he avidly consumed. With the brutality of politics and how some monarchs were forced out of power not long after the crown settled on their head, he often wondered how the country ever achieved stability. For nearly an hour he inched through traffic until things picked up enough to allow actual driving. Even now things remained congested requiring another half hour just to reach the first address. In front of one of the city's schools Alexander pulled to a stop, shutting off the engine.

Another point of curiosity was how the company managed to secure business from one of the local schools. Things like this were often handled by much larger companies, and it was only a year ago that Sycamore grew large enough to start offering internet services of their own. In retrospect Alexander didn't much care, it was just another service call to him. The large two story building was adorned by numerous windows along the front and neatly manicured lawns. Children were still moving about in large groups as they were between classes. From the back of the truck he removed a tool belt, strapped it around the waist and walked toward the front door. Just inside the main hall there were two security guards standing by a metal detector that stopped Alexander as he approached.

The photo identification from work was provided, and one of the guards called the office to verify that he was on official business. Once everything came back clear he was given directions to the basement where the main service box was located, and allowed to side step the metal detector due to the tools being carried. The white linoleum halls were lined with lockers and a wide variety of posters as the children, seemingly oblivious to his presence, went about their day. Nearing his destination Alexander was about to reach for the door leading to the basement, when a chubby boy with light skin, white shorts, and a matching t-shirt bumped into him.

"My bad," the boy said.

Before getting more than two steps away, Alexander grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled back. He took a screwdriver from the boy's hand, and placed it back in the tool belt from which it had been lifted. Heading down a set of cement stairs, Alexander flipped the light switch on the wall but to no avail, their was either a short in the wiring or the bulb was blown. This posed little problem as he removed a large flashlight from the tool belt and with a small click, pierced the darkness with a bright cone of light. At the bottom of the stairs he noticed what appeared to be cement debris on the floor.

This was a curious turn of events, and following the trail a few feet later he found the problem. The router box, which was normally mounted on the wall, was laying on the floor covered by more debris, the dozen odd wires leading out of the bottom were all severed. Kneeling down he picked the router up and looked it over. There didn't appear to be any sign of damage from tool marks or anything else of a suspicious nature. The wires had been torn rather than cut leading him to wonder exactly what happened. The answer to that question became apparent when the flashlight was shone against the far wall. Buried within it was what appeared to be a large green pipe.

It was large enough for Alexander to walk inside without having to duck, though it raised many questions in his mind. First and foremost how did it get there, the debris alone spoke of it not being part of the original structure. Something this large would have required a lot of digging and machinery to move into place. This wasn't something that could have been achieved covertly. Naturally curious about where it led, Alexander walked inside shining the flashlight around, but oddly it was unable the penetrate the darkness. Several steps in, the floor simply stopped and when he went to put a foot down it kept going. In a flail of arms and legs, Alexander fell into the darkness, then slammed into a hard stone floor with enough force to knock the wind out of him. A low groan escaped, and in the process of trying to get up, Alexander was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head from the falling flashlight.

An unknown amount of time later, he slowly started to come around with a pounding headache being the first sensation experienced. Another groan issued forth as he sat up trying to collect what scattered thoughts remained. Falling into a sewer wasn't the highlight of Alexander's day, and reaching for the flashlight he noticed something that was out of place, the surroundings. The large square room appeared to be made of stone and mortar, but what was more interesting was the large pink canopy bed next to him. Further inspection revealed a nightstand with a mirror and a considerable amount of make-up and perfume. The walls were covered with posters of what looked like anthromorphic turtles and several dresses tossed in the floor.

Alexander suddenly had the sinking feeling he was in a woman's bedroom, and wasn't eager to find out who would live in a sewer like this. There were three doors and a shuttered window. Curious to find out exactly where he was, Alexander walked over opening the window, and felt his heart drop. There was no sewer, no tunnel, or anything even remotely close to what he expected to see. Outside the window was the view of a massive castle protected by a large curtain wall, a moat of molten lava, and beyond that a major metropolitan city with bright lights and buildings of all shapes and sizes. The land beyond appeared to be a parched wasteland covered by a sky of impenetrable dark clouds, through which loud rumbles of thunder issued from time to time.

"Alexander my boy, I do believe you are over the rainbow."

To the sound of an opening door, he looked back to see something walk in that was so far beyond what his mind could compute, there simply was no reaction. It appeared to be a female reptile covered in fine orange scales with a tan section running down the chest. Possessed of a visibly femanine figure, her head was bald save for a pink bow with white dots, the neck was adorned by a necklace of red gemstones, gold hoop bracelets around the wrists, and red high heels. What stood out the most was the pink spiked shell on her back. Face buried in a magazine titled 'Koopa Teen Monthly' it took a moment to notice Alexander standing there.

"Hi, my name's Alexander, I have no idea where I am or how I got here."

"Oh, my name's Wendy... WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BEDROOM?!"

When she reached back for something Alexander didn't even wait to see what it was. Like a bolt of greased lightning he ran out of the room knocking Wendy over in the process, and quickly exited the long hallway. In the circular room beyond there were several additional hallways with one exit, which was guarded by two rather large and muscular Hammer Brothers. Now in fight or flight mode Alexander ran down another hallway only to come face to face with Ludwig, a tall male koopa with blue hair parted down the middle, who was coming to see what all the commotion was about. Doing a quick one-eighty he ran back out into the main room, now trapped as all eight Koopa children came out of their rooms. In a state of near panic that all changed when Wendy looked to the two guards and snapped her fingers, "Kill him."

With flight no longer being an option and realizing his life was in very real danger, Alexander reverted to fight. The two hammer brother guards drew hammers from their shells and charged in to carry out the princess' orders. When the first one raised his arm to strike, Alexander slammed his fist into its beak snapping the head back and nearly breaking a knuckle in the process.

"Son of a..." Alexander said, waving his hand. The blow was enough to stop the turtle momentarily, but little more. The second swung with a vertical attack, and he leaned to one side out of the way. About to counter-attack, the hammer brother drew his arm back slamming an elbow into Alexander's chest, knocking him to the floor. The hammer then came down spitting chunks of stone from the floor as he rolled to one side before rising. Again his attempt to attack was interrupted, when the first hammer brother connected with a shoulder to the chest sending him to the floor once more.

"Okay, now you're just pissing me off." When the first hammer brother grabbed a leg he used the other to plant boot to face. With an audible grunt the hammer brother let go and staggered back. Alexander evaded another hammer swing by kicking both legs up and rolling back into a kneeling position. As the second hammer brother was recovering from the attack, he came up with a side kick to the head knocking the guard to the floor. The first came at him with a series of rapid swings which were evaded through ducking, dodging and weaving. Then as the arm came down for another attack, Alexander kicked the bottom of its hand and struck the handle of the hammer causing it to fly up into the air.

The weapon was grabbed before hitting the floor, and he caught the surprised hammer brother with a left right blow to the head, followed up by an upward swing to the chin. The guard fell over backwards crashing to the floor in an unconscious heap, and as the second began to rise it was struck down by a hammer throw directly to the face. Now with both unconscious, Alexander looked to the Koopa children holding both arms out, "Next."

To the sound of a door opening and closing behind him, all of them held a hand up pointing. Alexander turned around coming face to chest with a large set of pectoral muscles, and following the figure up saw Bowser staring at him. Over a head taller, more than one-hundred pounds heavier and nearly all muscle, this was without a doubt the largest creature he'd ever seen.

"Intruder," Wendy said.

The last thing Alexander remembered after that, was one of Bowser's arms moving and feeling as if he'd been struck by a tree trunk before colliding with a wall.

 

Chapter 2

Note From The Author: I know that according to Nintendo their given names are Mario Mario and Luigi Mario but frankly, it sounds stupid. It would be like me having the name Eric Eric. Therefore I chose to give them actual Italian surnames for this fan fiction.

For the second time since arriving in this strange new place Alexander regained consciousness to the sensation of a pounding headache. The dim lighting and strange smells told of a different location but at first he didn't know where. On a thin cot bolted to the wall there was a single blanket and pillow in the small eight by eight room. In the far corner was a steel toilet which was the only other thing in the room aside from the steel bars. With a defeated sigh Alexander sat up realizing he was in a jail cell, but nothing made sense. One minute he was on a service call to a local school, the next he was being attacked by these weird reptilian creatures. To top it all off he was dressed in a green jumpsuit, likely a prison outfit.

There was no way something like this could be under the city, there was a sky filled with clouds, but how, where, Alexander's head was swimming with questions. It was also swimming with pain from nearly getting knocked off by Bowser. This was beyond anything he could have imagined and trying to deal with it was more than his mind could handle. On one hand it was impossible to deny everything that happened, and on the other his mind just couldn't accept what it saw. A castle filled with strange creatures, an entire city beyond, it defied explanation. Going home didn't seem likely as being stuck in an eight by eight cell made just about anything impossible.

“I think I've finally gone and done it, I've lost my marbles.”

“So you're finally awake,” a male voice said. It came from the cell directly to Alexander's left, and the first thought to go through his mind was trying to get some information.

“How long have I been out?” He asked this while walking toward the wall.

“About a day.” Kneeling down Alexander rested his back against the wall trying to figure out exactly what to ask, he had no idea where to begin.

“My name's Alexander.”

“Anthony, nice to meet you.” This was the first conversation he'd been able to have since this whole situation began. Alexander's nerves were already frayed by everything that was going on, and in order to formulate any sort of plan, or at the very least understand the situation, he needed information. Anthony had a deeper voice that made him think it was either a man, or something male at any rate. So far the being in the cell next to him seemed friendly enough, and even the chance to merely talk was sorely needed.

“Anthony, what's... what's going on, where the hell am I?” This was followed by a low chuckle that made him wonder exactly what was so funny. Nearly getting killed, then bludgeoned in the head, and finally winding up in jail wasn't his idea of humorous.

“You're in the dungeon of Koopa Castle.”

“No, I mean where am I? One minute I'm answering a service call at school, then I find this green pipe in a wall, and the next thing I know these weird reptiles are attacking me.” After that Anthony took the time to explain that he'd fallen through something called a warp pipe, a device that allowed for rapid transit all over a place called Mushroom World. There were even a few that led to Earth. In Alexander's case he'd come across a random pipe. It was a rare event but every so often a warp pipe would spawn at a random location, and if someone happened to go through it, they would exit in another random location somewhere in Mushroom World. This one just so happened to dump him into the bedroom of one Princess Wendy Koopa.

“Princess, then who was the reeeeeally big one that almost took my head off.”

“Bowser Koopa, first among the Koopa people, titular head of the Royal House of Koopa, sovereign king and absolute ruler, protector paramount of the Dark Lands, and Archduke of the six counties. That's his official title anyway. Most just call him King Koopa, or His Royal Majesty." It was still hard for Alexander to accept that he was on another world, but that at least made a little more sense. Regardless, he had no idea what to do. Then something else even less comforting came to mind. If Alexander really had landed in the bedroom of a princess, then he would likely be facing charges, trespassing on royal property was no doubt a serious crime. This could result in a lengthy jail sentence or worse, depending on the laws of the land.

“I really didn't commit any crime, at least not intentionally. What do you think my chances of getting out of this alive are?”

“Not as bad as you think, King Koopa can be heavy handed but he's also fair. If you are innocent, and from the sound of it you are a victim of circumstance, you may not be charged with anything.” That was the first bit of good news Alexander had received since arriving in the Dark Lands. The possibility of a fair shake in court meant that he might just be able to get back home soon, and put all of this crazy business to rest. Regardless of what Anthony said his hands were still shaking, the sheer amount of shock being experienced right now was nearly overwhelming. It was taking all of Alexander's willpower not to have a nervous breakdown. Trying to keep his mind occupied a change of subject took place, with asking exactly where Mushroom World was in relation to Earth. According to Anthony, from an astronomer's point of view, they were located in one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy that was opposite Earth. Now knowing that he was clear across the galaxy did little to alleviate the stress.

“So tell me, are you human?”

“Me? No, I'm a Koopa Turtle. Here, see for yourself.” Nearing the edge of the cell Alexander saw a hand covered in yellow scales, holding a small mirror showing the reflection of an old turtle. This made the third reptilian species that he'd come across since arriving here. Still trying to find something to occupy his thoughts, Alexander started to ask questions about the three species. From what he learned the Koopa, Turtles, and Hammer Brothers all evolved from the same progenitor species which died out around ten-million years ago. Because of this they were all evolutionary cousins after a fashion, and capable of interbreeding, though it didn't occur as often as one might think. It was fascinating for Alexander to learn that there were dozens of sentient species in Mushroom World, unlike Earth where there were only humans.

It was talking with Anthony that he learned a lot of other information, such as how the Dark Lands had often been at war with their neighbor to the south, the Mushroom Kingdom. Here the primary form of government was a monarchy and while there were quite a few, the Dark Lands, Mushroom Kingdom, Bean Bean Kingdom, and Sarasaland comprised the four major political powers. To at least have a vague idea of what was going on did help to put Alexander's mind at ease. From what Anthony told him along with learning about this new world, it gave his mind enough information to start considering various ideas and possibilities. The thought of attempting to escape came to the fore only to be discarded. Alexander knew nothing about the castle layout or where to possibly go if he did manage to escape. The only option at the moment was to work within the system, and hope that Bowser was as fair as he'd been told.

What was driving Alexander up the wall at the moment was the waiting, the intolerable waiting. Time seemed to drag on with no end in sight, so for the first day Alexander tired himself out with isometric exercises. Dinner was served consisting of a patty of something that resembled meat, a side of corn, plain bread with a bottle of water and a plastic spork. The meal was eaten in silence, and with nothing else to do Alexander decided to call it a night. The entire situation was depressing and he already regretted stepping through that pipe in the first place. There was also the slim hope that this was all somehow one big bad dream from which he would wake up. That hope came to a crashing end the next morning when Alexander found himself in the same cot, awoken by a commotion in the jail. Many of the prisoners were clamoring in their cells for some reason. Rubbing his eyes in an effort to chase away the last vestiges of sleep, Alexander awoke and sat up. Not long afterward a turtle jailor with a keyring on his side, walked in front of the cell flanked by two large Hammer Brothers.

“This one looks able bodied. You want out of your cell for a while human?” the Jailor said.

“Doing what?”

“Working the mines, they need warm bodies to make up for a labor shortage.” Hard manual labor didn't bother Alexander, physical exertion was something he appreciated. It was good for the body and kept the mind occupied. In response to the question he nodded, and the Jailor used the keys to open the cell door nodding his head to the left. There were a few pops and cracks as Alexander stood up and stretched, then as he walked out there was a line of prisoners all chained by the hands and feet, with a third chain connecting them all at the ankle. It didn't take long for one of the Hammer Brothers to do the same to him, and in short order they were all being led out of the dungeon. There were Hammer Brothers, Turtles, a few other species not recognized, but what Alexander noticed most of all is that he was the only human here. As the group was directed up a set of long spiral stairs the heat increased enough to cause Alexander to sweat, oddly he seemed to be the only one having this problem.

It was also at this point he realized trying to escape would have been a fool's errand, as they moved through several winding halls and passages that were almost identical in design. A few minutes later they exited into the courtyard where a white bus was waiting, with the words Dark Lands Judicial Correction Services painted on the side in black. This was quite a change for Alexander as back on Earth the only legal entanglements he'd ever incurred was an occasional traffic violation. The chain that linked all of the prisoners together was removed as they were loaded onto the bus.

As with most prison transports there were a variety of foul smells that Alexander couldn't or didn't want to identify. The back of the bus was separated by a thick metal mesh with a single door, and once the prisoners were all seated it was locked. With a low rumble of the engine, they pulled out of the courtyard giving Alexander his first good look at the Dark Lands. It was a desolate wasteland were only the toughest weeds and occasional bit of shrubbery were able to eek out a meager existence. The dark clouds that covered the sky made it almost impossible to tell what time of day it was. In the distance Alexander saw a range of mountains that stretched as far as the eye could see either direction. Many of them also appeared to be active volcanoes that regularly belched clouds of ash, and long rivers of molten lava which explained a lot about the current condition of the kingdom. The air also carried the faint smell of ash.

How anyone could survive here let alone build an entire kingdom, Alexander couldn't begin to imagine. It took almost two hours to reach their destination which was a mine in the side of one of the mountains, which had a twenty-foot fence blocking the front two rows deep. Topped by rather vicious looking razor wire there were signs identifying the location as Prison Mine Seven, as well as warnings about the lethal levels of electricity running through the perimeter fence. The bus came to a stop and the prisoners were allowed to leave. Stepping out Alexander looked around to see the mine was comprised of four large levels cut into the shape of massive half circle steps, each level further back than the last. There were dozens of mine shafts along with tracks upon which carts were pushed. There also appeared to be small powered elevator platforms bolted to the wall on the first three levels, to allow both worker and cart to move up and down.

The ground level was set with numerous tables where workers were chiseling what appeared to be precious gems out of chunks of rock. Off to the right side of the mine were the administrative offices, a collection of seemingly portable buildings made of metal. Here one could see a packing and shipping area for finished products, along with a tool shed and the foreman's office. Everyone here was wearing the same green jumpsuit indicating they were prisoners all. The group was directed toward the foreman's office as a large older looking turtle walked out with a hard expression on his face. He spoke to a Hammer Brother who'd followed him out in a language that Alexander didn't recognize, and motioned the prisoners toward the tool shed. There they were made to stand in a single file line, while the Hammer Brother handed out either a hammer and chisel, or a pickaxe along with a hardhat that had a light in the front. At the very end of the line Alexander waited his turn, finally being handed a hammer and chisel. He looked down at them for a moment, then back to the Hammer Brother.

“Can I get a pickaxe? I'd prefer something a little more physically demanding.” Obviously not a request made very often, a slightly confused Hammer Brother looked to the foreman who in turn shrugged indifferently. The hammer and chisel were replaced with a pickaxe and hardhat.

“Nrmv hvevm,” the Hammer Brother said, looking down at a clipboard.

“I don't understand your language.”

“Mine seven.” It wasn't hard to find mine seven, over each mineshaft was a metal plate affixed to the stone, painted white with a number in black. Alexander wasn't too crazy about this type of work, but it was true he liked to be physically active. This also got him out of the jail cell for a while, so this was looked at as a cloud with a silver lining, however dim that might be. Inside the mineshaft there was a track running through the center. Light was provided by means of electric lamps mounted to the wall with a single power cable connecting them all. Instead of jumping into his work right away, Alexander watched the workers to see how the process went.

The various prisoners, most of whom had their green jumpsuits unzipped and pulled down to the waist, were hard at work digging away at the walls. Every so often when another worker pushed a mine cart along the track, those with piles of raw gemstones next to them would hold their pickaxe out blocking its path. The worker would stop long enough for the raw materials to be piled in, then continue on. Now knowing what to do, Alexander unzipped his jumpsuit pulling it down to the waist, and with pickaxe in hand he began to dig away. Rather wound up from being confined in a cell for so long he didn't overdo it, and for the first four hours the work wasn't too bad. Finding a few gemstone veins of his own the work burnt up a lot of excess energy. Every two hours they wheeled out a water cart giving the workers two full cups, and a mineral tablet to replace what the body lost through sweating.

This gave Alexander more insight into the Koopa legal system than most would think. That the workers were given regular cups of water and mineral tablets spoke of a system that took the health and welfare of its prisoners into consideration. Around noon a loud whistle sounded, and when the workers began leaving the mine, he followed. They were all forming a single file line at a series of tables set up with food and drink making it obvious this was a lunch break. Having worked up a good appetite Alexander wasted no time getting in line. The food handed out appeared to be two sandwiches, a bag of potato chips, and some sort of colored drink. The line moved at a steady pace with the workers finding seats for themselves on the ground, with many forming small groups from those obviously acquainted with each other. Almost at one of the tables there was a small commotion, and looking back Alexander could see a turtle flanked on either side by two more pushing through the line, soon reaching his position.

“Outta my way smooth skin,” the turtle said.

“Wait your turn.” With barely enough time to turn around a pair of hands grabbed his waist. The next thing Alexander knew, he was face down in the dirt a short distance away. It quickly became obvious that the turtle was the local bully who liked to push people around, and not something he was unfamiliar with. Having white hair as a child made Alexander a prime target for being picked on.

“Hey scale for brains, turn around,” He said, standing up. The turtle in question looked over at Alexander, and pointed to himself as if to make sure he were being addressed.

“That's right, I'm talking to you.” With an arrogant swagger to his step, the turtle walked over and looked up at him being about half a head shorter.

“Got a problem smooth skin?” The only response from Alexander was a left hook to the jaw that staggered him sideways. Having dealt with people like this for most of his childhood, Alexander knew fists were the only language they understood. The two quickly began to exchange punches while trying to dodge or block, and it didn't take long for a rough circle of prisoners to form around them yelling 'fight fight fight'. For his part the turtle seemed to be using professional boxing mixed with street fighting, and didn't limit himself to punches alone. Alexander decided to switch tactics to the preferred style of fighting when facing a single opponent.

The turtle came in with a jab, only to have his wrist caught and twisted taking him to the ground, with Alexander positioned on top following through with two punches to the face. He lost control after being clapped in the ears and jabbed in the throat. With a cough Alexander staggered back and took a deep breath before being kicked in the face and knocked prone. As he was getting up the turtle tried for another kick to the face, only to be punched in the kneecap. Both combatants backed away, one waving an injured hand, the other hobbling slightly and cursing. It was also during this time that Alexander noticed the foreman was in the crowd of onlookers, but made no move to stop the fight.

“Not bad for a human, haven't had a fight this good for a while.”

“Oh I'm just getting started.” The two continued to trade blows for the next five minutes until they were both battered and bloody. Now in considerable pain Alexander smirked holding out a hand and motioning the turtle forward. Despite the injuries he wasn't about to give up. The turtle was starting to get angry over having been injured, and made the mistake of letting emotion get the better of him. Trying to dash in with a punch to the head, Alexander caught his arm moving into a hip toss. The turtle hit the ground shell first and after three more solid blows to the face, finally stopped moving. With the fight now over the rest of the prisoners started to break up, heading for the lunch tables once more. For his part Alexander was sitting on the ground breathing heavily as the amount of injuries he sustained made it hard to move. The foreman motioned to the two of them, and a trio of guards approached. Two carried the turtle as the third helped him stand up.

“Where are we going?”

“The infirmary,” the Guard said. Both of them were taken to the infirmary behind the foreman's office, and led into a room with a dozen beds against both walls and a wide array of medical equipment. Near the back of the room was a young woman wearing a large white hat with red dots, sitting behind a wooden desk. There were also eight turtle guards spread throughout the room. The desk was piled with paperwork and she looked up upon their entrance. When the young woman stepped down, Alexander was surprised to see how short she was, barely coming up to his waist. The woman cut a loud whistle and two more turtles along with a Hammer Sister came out of a back room. Both were placed on the nearest bed with Alexander laying down in order to relax. The Mushroom Woman used a small step ladder to stand next to Alexander pulling what appeared to be a wand from behind her back, and began to move it over his body.

“My name is Doctor Cassandra Balfor but you can call me Sandy, everyone else does,” Sandy said.

“Alexander, nice to meet you. Uh, what are you?”

“Pardon?”

“New arrival, never seen anyone like you before.”

“Oh, my species is known as the Mushroom People.” One of the turtle guards in the room positioned himself on the other side of the bed next to Alexander, while a second did the same near the unconscious prisoner. It was no surprise to him as prisoners were often violent, and known to lash out at anyone they could. Their presence was merely a safety precaution.

“So you're a form of highly evolved sentient fungus?”

“Looks like there's a fungus amongus after all,” She offered him a cheerful smile. This world was turning out to be stranger and stranger by the minute, first talking reptiles, and now sentient fungus. Not even bothering to try and reason it out, Alexander laid his head on the pillow letting the doctor do her work. All in all he found her moderately attractive. Long brown hair flowed down over her shoulders, framing a slender face of tanned skin with pleasant, but otherwise normal features, devoid of any visible make-up. Clad in a strapless green dress and red vest he noticed those two colors seemed quite popular, but reasoned it was because Bowser was also colored in a similar fashion in terms of skin and hair.

“You don't seem to have any serious injuries, shouldn't take too long to heal a few bumps and bruises.” Taking a few minutes to hook him up to one of the monitors that tracked blood pressure, pulse, and blood oxygenation, the treatment began. The part that came next drew his full attention. The doctor held the wand over a bruise on the chest and as he watched the tip began to glow. Alexander's chest was overtaken by a sensation of warmth, and before his very eyes the bruise slowly faded away.

“How did you do that?”

“Healing magic.”

“There's no such thing as magic.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes really, magic is nothing more than a term applied to a process or procedure that isn't fully understood. Once it is, magic becomes science.”

“An astute observation and correct as well. The term 'magic' is just a hold over from and earlier age when people relied more on mysticism than science. In modern times the technical name is Energy Science.” That made more sense to Alexander, even though he still didn't understand how this so called 'magic' worked. Over the course of the next ten minutes he watched the doctor carefully tend each wound, and even asked if there was anything that might have been missed. Once everything was in working order again he sat up on the side of the bed, almost overcome by a feeling of fatigue. This was followed in short order by a loud stomach growl.

“Is that normal?”

“Sure is, healing magic works on the principle of accelerating the body's natural rate of cellular mitosis to promote rapid healing. It also burns up a lot of your body's energy reserves.” By now the turtle was awake as well and once the two of them were cleared for release they returned to work. Sliding off the bed, Alexander was in the process of zipping up his jumpsuit when a round of nasty coughing ensued. It continued until he spit up some dark colored mucus, and this brought Sandy back over. She looked down in the garbage can, then back up at him.

"Let me guess, you're from Earth and you arrived... yesterday?"

"How did you know that?"

She pointed to the garbage can. "The Dark Lands has a small amount of ash in the air, and most people in Mushroom World have adapted to handle it. You on the other hand, have the early stages of Ash Lung."

"That doesn't sound good, is it treatable?"

"Yes, have a seat." Doing as instructed, he took a seat on the side of the bed, and waited for Sandy to return. She came back a few minutes later setting a small black case on the table next to the bed, and motioned for him to lay down. Doing as instructed, Alexander's eyes widened when she produced a hypodermic needle that looked more like a railroad spike.

"The hell is that for?"

"This is the part you're not going to like, because it's really going to hurt." Holding the syringe up, she squeezed it a little to get the air out. "I'm going to inject this directly into your lungs. It will clear out the ash and make you cough it up." Once again unzipping and pulling down the top of his jumpsuit, Alexander grabbed the metal railings on both sides of the bed and braced himself. After swabbing the injection site, Sandy placed the needle directly over his left breast, and pushed straight down. The pain caused by this burned as badly as getting stabbed, a sensation he wasn't unfamiliar with, and resulted in a loud growl from between bared teeth. Straining against the pain hard enough to turn his face red, it took everything not to yell and thrash around. Then as the plunger was depressed, injecting the white liquid directly into his lung, it forced some of the air out. Alexander couldn't catch his breath, and it felt like he was suffocating. The needle was quickly removed and Sandy held up the garbage can. At first it was ignored as he came up gasping, trying desperately to breathe, then the coughing ensued. It was violent, painful, and strong enough that he jerked forward, then the white liquid was expelled, now gray in color. Taking several deep breaths he looked at Sandy.

"Is the rest... of the treatment... that pleasant?"

"Compared to this, it's a piece of cake." Reaching into the case she took out another needle, only this one was normal sized, and swabbed the bend in his left arm. "This is a cardiovascular fortifier that will help you breathe easier." Compared to having something injected directly into the lungs, the second needle felt like a pin prick. Once that was over with, she took out a third needle about the same size, by which time Alexander was starting to feel like a pin coushin. Sandy had an alcohol swab in hand when he finally pulled back a little.

"Hold on a minute Dr. Stabitha, how many more injections are you going to give me?"

"Last one. It's a genetic retrovirus that will recode the DNA in your lungs to be able to handle the ash content in the air, without the need for further treatment."

"Whoa, wait a minute, you're talking about genetic manipulation here. Is that safe, or legal?"

"Of course it's safe, and legal, otherwise King Koopa wouldn't allow it. The Ash Lung treatment's been approved for over three centuries, and they worked the last of the side effects from the retrovirus out... over a century ago? There's nothing to worry about."

"How long will it take to, alter my lungs?"

"A couple of months, you'll need regular weekly treatments until then. I also suggest you not miss any appointments, unless you want another lung injection." As Sandy gave him the final injection, it was something of a disturbing thought to consider being genetically modified, and it also made him wonder just how advanced medicine in Mushroom World was, that they were able to do something like this. After the final injection, he was released from the infirmary. Alexander's chest still hurt from the strain, but it was easier for him to breathe. Because of missing lunch he was given ten minutes to inhale a plate of food, along with two more mineral tablets before being sent back to the mines. For the rest of the day Alexander worked steadily. During that time through talking with some of the other prisoners, he learned Scar was the name of the turtle he fought, fitting as he had three on the face alone. Scar was a career criminal with a life sentence who had barely managed to avoid being executed after killing an Enforcer, the Dark Lands equivalent of a police officer. This was achieved by turning kingdom's evidence against his accomplices. They were also impressed that Alexander manage to beat him in a fight.

The work detail ended after another six hours with all of the prisoners loaded onto a bus and transported back to the castle's dungeon. Inside his cell Alexander sat against the wall thinking to himself that the work wasn't so bad. It was physically demanding but for him that was the enjoyable part. Because of the healing magic used Alexander was quite tired and after dinner he laid down, quickly falling asleep. For the next week he continued to work in the mines on a volunteer basis, also learning that prisoners were allowed a shower, a shave, and a fresh jumpsuit every other day. From that point on there were no other problems from Scar either. The two were by no means friends, but the turtle seemed to make it a point of picking a line Alexander wasn't standing in to barge through.

********************

“Alexander Magnus,” the Jailor said. The sound of the turtle's voice woke him the next morning, and looking up from the pillow through sleep weary eyes the only response was a grunt. “Rise and shine, you've been summoned by His Majesty to appear in court." Now wide awake Alexander sat up quickly and was led out of the cell. Before being brought in front of Bowser he was allowed to shower, shave, and given a clean jumpsuit to wear. Both arms and legs were chained, and while being led through the castle nervousness once again started to set in. This was the moment he'd been waiting for, being brought before the king to face what would no doubt be serious charges. After being escorted through several different hallways into the heart of the castle, Alexander and the Hammer Brother guards walked into the main keep from a side hall. The heat was sweltering the entire way, and here there were a lot of functionaries moving about, dressed in a variety of fancy robes.

To the left the room ended in a set of large wooden double doors that stood open. Inside was the throne room, it was long and rectangular, with a red carpet trimmed in gold that led up to a half circle dais, and five steps. Atop the dais, Bowser sat upon a throne of silk and gold adorned with many precious gems. On either side of the carpet there were a number of beings dressed in rich clothing that spoke of important positions within society. As they approached the throne room, Alexander could see the main keep was lined with alcoves in which statues of solid gold stood representing various past rulers. At the very end was Bowser's which was considerably larger than the others. This led Alexander to believe it was meant to signify the current ruler or a sign of considerable ego. Inside the court room another prisoner, a Hammer Brother, was standing before Bowser. As they approached he was able to hear the end of the conversation.

“...appeal has been reviewed by the throne, and we find the new evidence insufficient to set aside the verdict as passed down by the high court. Your execution will take place on the appointed date. Dismissed,” Bowser said, with a wave of his hand.

As the prisoner was taken away by a pair of turtle guards, Alexander swallowed hard realizing the Dark Lands did have capital punishment. There was a voice in the back of his head that said his actions likely wouldn't warrant such, but without a better understanding of the current laws, there was no way to be entirely sure. All three came to a stop in the middle of the courtroom, and without having to be instructed to do so Alexander bowed on one knee, lowered his head, and waited to be addressed. Ludwig and Roy stood to the right of the throne, with Iggy and Wendy to the left.

“At least the ape knows some manners,” Wendy muttered. Her comment was said just loud enough to be heard resulting in a few snickers from the audience.

“Ah yes, I remember you. The human discovered in my daughter's bedroom,” Bowser said. Again Alexander said nothing as he'd not been directly asked a question. Because of his avid reading and love of history, some royal protocols were known including bowing, not approaching a member of the royal family, and speaking only when spoken to.

“State your full name for the court,” Ludwig said.

“Alexander Franklin Magnus.”

“Mr. Magnus, in your own words explain for the court the course of events leading up to your arrival in my sister's bedroom,” Iggy said. Now that speaking was expected, Alexander rose and took a moment to collect his thoughts. At a time like this babbling or rambling, which he sometimes had a habit of doing when nervous, wasn't likely to go over well.

“It all started about eight days ago on Earth. I was working for a company known as Sycamore Cable as a field technician. My first assignment that day was fixing a problem with the internet services of a local school. I drove there and once inside I went to the basement where the router box was located. There I found it laying in a pile of debris, having been knocked loose from the wall where it was mounted,” Alexander said. Taking a moment to breathe, he looked around noticing a lot of the people in the courtroom seemed genuinely interested to hear his side of the story.

“In place of the wall there was a large green pipe the likes of which I'd never seen before. As it was big enough to walk inside, and not knowing what it was at the time, I chose to investigate. Not long after that I found myself in a bedroom with no knowledge of where I was, or exactly how I got there. After that the princess arrived and I believe the court is aware of what happened next.”

“Indeed we are,” Bowser said.

“May I ask what I'm being charged with?"

“Nothing,” Ludwig said. That drew a surprised look from Alexander along with some curious murmurs from the crowd of onlookers. After spending just over a week in jail he was confused, but also elated to hear that there were no criminal charges. The princess on the other hand was not only shocked, she was angry as well.

“May I ask why not?” Alexander said.

“After a lengthy review of the case we have gathered information not only on your residence on Earth, but also confirmed you are indeed an employee of a company known as Sycamore Cable. My son Prince Ludwig conducted a lengthy analysis of the princess' bedroom, and confirmed there was evidence supporting the appearance of an unstable warp aperture. In short, the evidence supports your story,” Bowser said.

“What, you can't be serious!” Wendy said. “You're just going to let him go? He put two of the royal guard in the infirmary.”

“Only after you ordered them to kill him. It was an act of self defense,” Bowser said, looking at her. Wendy started to say something else only to have him hold up a hand and fall silent. That little exchange told Alexander that Bowser was not a king to be trifled with. Even his own children shut up when told to.

“Because your appearance in the bedroom of Princess Wendy Koopa has been determined to be the result of unusual circumstances, rather than conscious intent, as well as the attack on two members of the royal guard being acts of self defense, you are hereby found innocent of any criminal charges. You will be released from custody and escorted out of the castle. If you wish to return to Earth you will be provided with a transit pass free of charge. If you wish to remain in the Dark Lands the throne has no objection, however you will be required to file a petition with the Bureau of Immigration,” Bowser said. He then raised a hand, snapping two fingers, and a guard came forward handing Alexander a small cloth pouch. Not sure what was going on, he opened the top and looked inside, surprised to see several dozen small gold coins.

"Right, not that I'm complaining, but what's this for?"

"As you spent a week working in the mines, and have been found innocent of any criminal charges, it's compensation for services rendered to the throne." He was about to dismiss Alexander when Ludwig leaned down whispering something into his father's ear. At first it took a moment for whatever was said to register, then the king looked over furrowing both brows curiously. There was a short but hushed exchange between the two and what snippets of conversation Alexander overheard, couldn't be understood. Whatever language they were speaking he'd never heard before. Bowser took a moment to think then carefully nodded, as he did Ludwig stepped forward to speak. “Upon your arrival in the castle, you did partake of combat with two members of the guard royal, and in doing so bested them. Not an easy task as they are the best the Koopa military has to offer. I would know where you acquired such combat prowess.”

“The school of hard knocks. I've spent most of my life fighting,” Alexander said.

“Ah yes, a most interesting educational establishment no doubt, however I would see these credentials for myself. Roy my good brother, would you like to do the honors?” Ludwig said. At this Alexander looked over at Roy with a wide eyed expression. The prince was easily a head taller than him, much larger, and almost all muscle.

“Do wut?” Roy said.

With a picture perfect face palm Ludwig pointed to Alexander, “Roy, bash.”

“Oh yeah, heh, I got dis." The prince stepped down from the dais as the crowd backed away to give both of them enough room to fight. Holding both fists up he started cracking the knuckles.

“You ready fo a butt whoppin' shrimp?” Roy said.

Alexander in turn leaned to one side and looked at Bowser holding his hands up. “Can I at least be unchained before the prince tries to turn me into a grease spot on the floor?”

Bowser nodded to one of the guards who quickly unchained him. Facing off against someone like this wasn't something Alexander was eager to do, but having faced larger opponents in the past and having no choice at the moment, a fight it would be. The prince swung hard but his attacks were slow and easy to avoid, after three more he was in position and delivered a powerful left hook as Roy drew back from a swing. The Koopa's head jerk to the side briefly as the sunglasses flew off, and he stood up with a smirk, looking at Alexander through eyes which had red irises.

“Not bad, I almost felt dat.." That gave Alexander reason for concern, as he'd not held back with the blow and Roy seemed to just shrug it off. The Prince continued to come at him with heavy swings which were avoided, and two more power punches to the face were delivered to similar results. Backing away Alexander began to rethink his strategy, realizing Roy was built like a brick with a skull that was obviously just as thick. He also discovered that thick didn't mean unable to learn. The next time Alexander caught him with a left cross, Roy recovered faster than before slamming fist to chest. The blow sent Alexander tumbling across the floor and he landed looking up at the ceiling. The pain was immense and he was having trouble breathing.

“Aw don't tell me yous outta gas already, I was jus gettin' warmed up."

“Nah, it'll take more than that to put me down for the count,” Alexander said, slowly rising to his feet.

“Dat's da spirit.” A change of tactics was in order and instead of trying for heavy power attacks Alexander dodged, weaved, and used rapid jabs and hooks trying to wear his opponent down. At first a number of the attacks got through but had seemingly no effect, and as Roy caught on he began defending more. Soon the tactic was about worn out and yielding no results aside from annoying the Prince. Once more Alexander decided to try for a different approach.

“You know, when Ludwig first wanted me to fight you I was a little intimidated, but not so much now."

“Oh yeah, and why's dat?”

“Because you're not nearly as tough as you look. Sure you got in a good hit, but really, if that's all you got this is gonna be a short fight.” This change of tactics would prove to be a mistake which would soon become apparent. The insult served its purpose of making Roy angry, and in doing so he lashed out with a swing much faster than Alexander thought possible. The blow connected lifting him off the floor and clear across the courtroom, to slam into the wall next to the doors. Stunned by the blow, Alexander was brought around by the sound of audibly heavy footfalls as Roy charged forward. There was barely enough time for him to roll out of the way before a large fist struck the wall hard enough to spit chunks of rock into the air.

Suddenly realizing it was a bad idea to piss Roy off, Alexander found himself completely on the defensive trying to avoid blows that could easily shatter bone, while fighting through the pain of the last attack. Though he normally didn't use a wide array of kicks, Alexander tried to halt the offensive by leaning back to avoid a claw swipe, and kicked Roy in the face as hard as possible. This snapped his head back and the prince staggered to maintain balance. Surprised by this Roy moved his jaw from side to side and spit two sharp teeth onto the floor in a small pool of blood. To see two of his own teeth only made Roy even angrier.

When Alexander took another step back, it would seem that the Prince retained enough mental clarity to think of an unusual fighting technique. Roy brought his foot down on Alexander's resulting in a loud crunch of breaking bones. This brought about a pained yell, and before being able to react his arm was grabbed. Swung overhead and slammed to the floor the arm was broken in three different places. In complete shock from the pain, Alexander didn't have time to move before a foot came down on his chest breaking multiple ribs. By now the fight was over as he was coughing blood onto the carpet and unable to move. After that Roy retrieved his sunglasses before walking back over.

“Yous ready ta say uncle yet?” Roy said, picking him up by the back of the jumpsuit. The amount of pain coursing through Alexander's body would have been enough to render a lesser man unconscious, but he wasn't a lesser man. Using the one good arm left he reached up removing the sunglasses from Roy's face, and broke them in a final act of defiance. This got him slammed to the floor and nearly stomped on a second time, had Bowser not intervened ordering his son to stand down. Rising up on his good arm Alexander let out a loud gasp and rolled over. With a wheeze he started to grab at his chest frantically. Ludwig, having walked over to where he was laying by now, looked down arching an eyebrow.

“Oh dear, I do believe a displaced rib has punctured his lung,” he said, motioning to a guard. “Do be a good fellow and summon an emergency medical team, we can't very well have him bleeding all over the carpet, now can we?”

Alexander was quickly transported to the castle's medical wing by an emergency response team, only this time he was anesthetized. With a rib turned into complete gravel and another seven badly broken, he had to undergo surgery. The seven ribs were reset and healed after his lung was closed and re-inflated. The one that was shattered had to be completely removed with Alexander being hooked to a intravenous nutrient solution. This was to provide his body with enough energy for the doctors to spend the next twenty-four hours using healing magic to regenerate the missing bone. Once fully healed, Alexander spent sixteen hours asleep as his body recovered from the intense strain put on it.

Now almost two days after the fight with Roy he started to slowly regain consciousness. At first Alexander was confused and had trouble even forming a coherent thought. Once everything was sorted out mentally he let out a low groan, a deep breath, and looked down. Now in a white medical gown he was laid out on a bed, and hooked up to a number of monitors that tracked various vital signs. His head flopped back down on the pillow and in doing so he noticed someone else was in the room. Off to the left Ludwig was leaning against the wall with his arms folded.

“I was beginning to wonder how long you would remain unconscious.”

“Go away, haven't you done enough damage already?”

“Oh no, that was merely a means by which to test my hypothesis.”

“What?” Alexander said, looking over at him.

“I have maintained close observation of you since your appearance because as I stated previously, you did best two of the guard royal in fair combat. There aren't many who can lay claim to such an honor. Then you bested a criminal known as Scar in the mines, not one known for being easily felled,” Ludwig said. Although Alexander didn't know where the prince was going with this, it was accompanied by a sinking feeling he wouldn't like it. The one thing he did know was that those in positions of authority and power within the political arena were constantly plotting and scheming. In this regard royalty were some of the worst.

“So?”

“So, it's been decided that prior to your departure a service is to be rendered to the throne."

“Forget it, all I want to do is go home."

“I see, if you wish to tell father no then by all means I'll not stand in your way. Though my good brother Roy might acquire a few additional ideas once father is finished, I would imagine.” The prince's last remark brought a slow eye roll from Alexander in his direction. After nearly being killed by Roy the last thing he wanted to do was fight someone even deadlier. While he was explaining the situation to Bowser before the fight, Alexander had made eye contact with the king and quickly looked away, almost like a subconscious reaction. There was no doubt the king was the most dangerous thing in that courtroom, Alexander knew it, everyone else knew it, and so did Bowser. There was an undeniable presence to the Koopa sovereign, one that spoke of intelligence, nobility, authority, but most importantly that he wouldn't hesitate to crush anyone who got in his way. Alexander was intimidated by him, but it was as much out of respect as fear. The way Bowser handled his court case proved he was fair and just. That brief moment of eye contact also allowed him to see a creature that had known immense violence in his life, and wasn't afraid to use it against others.

“Alright fine, what do you want me to do?”

“For many years now there have been two individuals who have proven themselves an unbearable thorn in father's side. The brothers Bartonelli, Mario and Luigi to be precise. The task set before you is to remove those thorns, permanently."

“When you say permanently you mean...”

“Six feet under, dead as a doornail, pushing up daisies, whatever term you prefer will suffice."

“Now hold on just a minute, first off I'm not an assassin. Secondly with all the resources at your disposal why send me?” None of this made any sense to him, why would a Koopa prince want him to go out and kill two people. While it was not something that was openly talked about most royal houses had assassins on their payroll for situations just like this. There were no doubt people in Mushroom World that specialized in thorn removal just like there were on Earth. While Alexander often approached situations with a logical mindset, even he couldn't follow the reasoning in this.

“Calm your ire and I shall elaborate further. My desire to place you in combat against Roy was not merely for the purpose of entertainment, even though it was quite amusing to watch. As I previously stated it was a test. I believe that you possess an innate skill for the art of combat, and that with sufficient training and experience you will be able to bring about the end of two who have proven most difficult to dispatch."

“Look, I appreciate that you've got problems that need dealt with but I just want to go home."

“Accomplish the task given you and I care not where you go, now I would advise rest. Come tomorrow morning I will be assigning the first task in furthering your education." This turn of events had Alexander so mad he could barely see straight. Wanting nothing more than to go home, he was instead being tasked with killing enemies of the Dark Lands against his will. As Ludwig started to walk out of the room, Alexander pulled the leads from the monitors loose and got up to have another little chat with him. No more than two steps later the Prince pulled a golden wand studded with gemstones from his shell, and spun around pointing the tip at Alexander's face. The two glared at one another for a time, then the tip of the wand started to crackle with energy as a warning. Alexander backed up taking a seat on the bed, but maintained eye contact the entire time.

 

Chapter 3

Each morning Wendy was attended by her personal servants, and they went through nearly an hour of preparation so that she would be presentable. Anything less would have been unbecoming of a Koopa princess, however this morning was different. Normally she would pay close attention to every last detail, but this wasn't normally. Wendy was so preoccupied by thoughts of the previous day and that detestable human, that she barely paid any mind as her nails and claws were filed and polished. When a Mushroom woman approached with a glass case holding a variety of necklaces, she waved to one casually. The human race was one that she'd never cared for in the first place, Bartonelli brothers not withstanding.

They weren't native to Mushroom World, had no culture of their own, no town to claim as theirs. They were more like a parasite that simply invaded an area and blended in with the locals. She let out a disgusted grunt. Wendy had refused to even go back into her room until the floors and walls had been properly scrubbed and sanitized. Warp pipe or not, a breach of security like this was simply unacceptable, and something would have to be done about it. It only grated on her nerves even further that Alexander had been treated in the castle's medical wing. Better to let him die and have one less human to deal with, in her mind.

None of Wendy's servants attempted any idle banter, as they knew her opinion on fraternizing with the hired help. Once finished they were waved away save one. It was a young turtle woman with a red shell who was Wendy's personal aide and keeper of her daily itinerary, Daria by name. Nearly seven in the morning, the princess walked out of her room and prepared to join the rest of the royal family for breakfast in the dining hall. Along the way Daria reminded her of an appointment for open court later that morning, receiving an annoyed grunt of acknowledgment.

Having to sit and listen to people whine and complain about every little thing they could think of was not Wendy's idea of an interesting day, but it was something Bowser required of all his children. It was part of the life of a royal and would be properly tended to none the less. Koopa castle was a place that never truly slept, and as she passed through the halls, they were filled with Turtles, Goomba, a few Mushroom People, Koopa, and others going about their daily business. It was a hive of activity as the low murmur of indistinct conversations floated across the air, none of which Wendy was interested in.

Rounding the corner to the private dining hall the royal family used when not entertaining guests, Wendy stopped short seeing Alexander walking in. He was dressed in a pair of black satin slacks, and a silk shirt of the same color with silver buttons. Without even realizing it, an audible growl escaped her mouth, eyes narrowed, and hands clenched into fists. Having that loathsome human in the castle was bad enough, but now Ludwig was allowing the livestock to eat with them? This was too much. She had no doubt that her brother was behind this. So incensed by this it threatened to disrupt Wendy's appetite, but that was forestalled by several deep breaths. She didn't know what her brother was up to, but an insult like this could not be allowed to stand.

Sauntering into the dining hall, the meal was already underway. The family didn't stand on formality, or much in the way of table manners, in private. Her brothers were eating, laughing, belching, and seemingly having a good time. The only ones in the room that were silent were Alexander and her father. Seated at the head of the table, Bowser didn't seem to pay the raucous breakfast banter much thought. Ludwig was seated to Bowser's right, being firstborn, Roy to the left, then Iggy, and her seat was next to Roy. There were times Wendy wished she'd been born first or second, so that she could sit next to her father, but the arrangement was according to age, and she was born fourth.

The modest sized dining hall was arrayed with paintings, tapestries, and banners like most rooms in the castle, but her attention was on the table and the banquet laid out upon it. Steak, ham, sausage links and patties, hamburgers, beef jerky, bacon, eggs, pancakes, and just about anything else one could want. Meat was a staple of the Koopa diet, and in situations like this it was self service. Platters were being passed around, servants were filling drink cups, and the smell of cooked food drew a growl from her stomach. Wendy didn't engage in any conversation with her brothers, the whole of her focus was directed at the human seated nearly at the end of the table. He seemed fond of bacon, having quite a helping of it on his plate, but was keeping quiet.

“So is it true what they say about humans? That you mate in mass orgies like wild animals?” Wendy said, stabbing at her plate with a fork. The room went silent at this, and all eyes turned to Alexander. He looked up with a mouth full of food, seemingly unsure of how to react, then swallowed.

“Only on alternate Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Gotta do something with all our free time.” There was another drawn out silence, before her brothers burst out laughing. That only served to make Wendy even madder, that he wasn't taking her insult seriously.

“Where'd you find those clothes, a dumpster?”

“It was at my behest they were provided, and I've yet to require dumpster diving to clothe my servants,” Ludwig said, looking up from his meal. Hearing him referred to as a servant nearly made Wendy turn red with anger, until noticing the same expression from Alexander directed at him. It was a curious reaction, which in turn made her curious as well. Never the less, this was something that would have to be dealt with.

“How has your stay been so far?” Bowser said, looking up from his meal. That brought a quick silence to the room as Bowser wasn't normally one given to casual conversation, even at the breakfast table.

“Gee, let me think,” Alexander said, looking up and rubbing his chin. “I was attacked, imprisoned, attacked in prison. Then Roy tried to turn me into a grease spot and almost succeeded. Couldn't be having more fun if I keeled over dead.”

“If you need any help with that...” Wendy said.

“Princess, take a number and get in line.” The short exchange caused another outburst of laughter from her brothers, but Wendy wasn't amused in the slightest. The human had a sharp tongue, there was no doubt about that. It only made her want to see him dealt with even more. It was one thing to have her brothers mouth off, they were princes after all, but to be talked to like this by a human, and a commoner no less...

After the meal was finished and most of the food eaten, everyone began to file out of the dining hall to attend to various duties. As Alexander walked out, Wendy followed him and drew a wand from her shell. It was made of gold and studded with a variety of precious gemstones, widening at the top which was covered by a red glass dome. Pointing the weapon she fired a simple blast of energy that missed his head by roughly a foot, and struck the stone wall in front of him.

“What the hell?” There was obvious irritation in his voice as he turned to face her.

“Give me one good reason I shouldn't blow your primate head off your shoulders,” she said, aiming the wand at him.

“Because I do believe father would be quite displeased when yours followed presently, should you decide upon this particular course of action.” The voice was that of Ludwig, and looking to one side she could see him standing behind Alexander, wand in hand. The young man quickly removed himself from the Koopa sandwich, and she stalked toward her brother, stabbing a claw into his face.

“I don't know what game you're playing, but I won't tolerate you parading this filthy animal around the castle like some pet.”

“Animal?!” Alexander said, to which she fired another blast in his general direction without looking.

“What game I deign to play is not your concern. I am acting with father's dispensation, as such it is 'none of your business'.” The two began to growl at each other, but before things could go any further, there was the sound of fingers snapping and they backed away from each other. It came from Bowser who was standing a short distance away, and they both knew well that their father disapproved of public displays of aggression between members of the royal family.

With a sardonic smile, Wendy turned to leave. “This is by no means over... dear brother.”

“No it is not... dear sister.” There were other matters that needed tending to right now, so Alexander and her brother would have to wait. Her ever constant shadow Daria, reappeared letting Wendy know that she was expected in open court soon. Still grunting a response, she decided to get this out of the way rather than try to delay the inevitable. Bowser and each of them held open court on scheduled days throughout the week, to allow the people to approach them directly with concerns and disputes. It was her father's way of taking a direct hand in the affairs of his people, and something he insisted was important to good governance, though Wendy could have cared less. As long as the peons paid their taxes and didn't cause trouble, she had bigger koopa to fry.

“Very well, gather father's advisers and tell them I'll be along shortly,” she said, dismissing Daria with a wave. The throne room was already full of claimants and supplicants of various species, seeking to place a matter before her when Wendy walked in from a back hallway, circling around the throne and taking a seat. Bowser's inner circle of trusted advisers never left his side for very long, but he also had enough people on staff to comprise a small army. There was a Shy Woman, dressed in her people's trademark hooded red robe and smooth white face mask, a Goomba mushroom, and Magi-Koopa standing ready to offer advice should it be required. The court was already packed with nobles and commoners alike. When Wendy gave the Court Secretary a nod, he walked to the edge of the dais to speak.

“Hear ye, hear ye! Her Royal Majesty Princess Wendy Koopa hereby calls this open court into session.” As he stepped back, the secretary handed her a folder containing information on the first case to be presented, and three claimants came forward. They waited quietly as she read, once finished the folder was handed back, and the case moved forward. This process continued throughout the morning with Wendy listening to a variety of cases. She also made use of the advisers more than normal due to being distracted. The matter of Alexander was still nagging at her not only because of her disgust for humans in general, but also out of a desire to knock her stuck up brother down a peg or two.

Wendy went through the motions of listening to each supplicant beg for help in one form or another, to which Wendy either denied or granted their request, and the various complaints that people had against one another. This was incredibly boring to her, but she kept such an expression hidden, and tried to appear to at least be listening. There were a few cases that were mildly interesting, such as the claim of intellectual theft over a homemade gerbil mortar, which included a demonstration of said device. Why someone would even create something like this was beyond her, but it was still amusing to see a small furry animal launched through the air.

During the last case before court ended for lunch, her thoughts drifted enough that she was brought out of it by the two turtles present arguing with each other loudly. Annoyed by this, Wendy took her wand out and pressed one of the jewels on the handle. This caused the bottom to open and extend, turning it into a staff. She channeled energy into it with the intent of making it louder when the butt end was hit on the floor. Already agitated she used more magic than intended, the staff striking the floor with a thunderous boom that shook the throne room. It was enough to cause the two claimants to jump back in surprise.

“Are we finished?!” Wendy asked, leaning forward to look at them with a sneer. Both Turtles quickly nodded, averting their eyes away from hers. “I find this entire case to be absurd, that you can't decide on custody of a CAT, of all things. This is a matter that should have been handled in civil court, but as you are here now... I find in favor of Arburs, the animal's original owner since only a partial payment was made. Arburs will take custody of the animal, and in turn repay the money he received. Dismissed!”

Wendy also had a meeting with the royal financiers committee, but that wasn't until later in the day. Right now it was time for lunch, and a little brainstorming. She took the meal in her room, two large steaks, a chicken salad with dressing, and red wine. Seated on the large pink canopy bed, she thought about the matter of Ludwig and Alexander. There were a number of things to consider in that regard as well. The two didn't seem to like each other very much, which meant he'd likely been coerced into agreeing with whatever scheme Ludwig was cooking up. She could try turning the two of them against each other, but it likely would have been easier to just get rid of the human, and watching Ludwig fume over something was always amusing.

The issue now was how to go about doing this. Direct assassination was an option, but entailed a lot of problems as well. Since Bowser had taken the throne he'd severely cracked down on that kind of activity. With an assassination there would be a lot of questions, an investigation, accusations, and the possibility of needing a scapegoat. Then there was the fact her father was no fool, barely anything in the castle happened without him knowing what it was, and who was involved. With a sigh Wendy discarded that line of thought as more trouble than it was worth. The best course of action would be to get rid of Alexander without killing him, get rid of him in a manner that would be quite permanent.

In thinking on the matter it occurred to her that if Ludwig was keeping him around the castle, there was a reason, and she would need to know what it was. Taking a cellphone out of her shell, Wendy found the number she was looking for and sent a single text message that read 'Tango'. With that taken care of, she removed the remote from the nightstand, placing the food tray where it had been, and began to channel surf on the television that was in the entrtainment center opposite the bed. She settled on the local news, listening to local developments and financial forecasts for several minutes, before a small shadow appeared in the room. It was already dimly lit, making it easy for the figure to move about unseen, and climb the nightstand on the other side of the bed.

“You summoned me majesty?” Raxx said. Wendy looked over seeing the Ninji, a little star shaped creature no more than two feet tall and completely black, save for a white oval across the face with two coal black eyes. His sudden appearance startled Wendy, and she placed a hand on her chest, taking a deep breath.

“For crying out loud, I've told you not to sneak up on me like that.” Raxx was one of the many spies in Wendy's employ, her personal best, and with those of her father and brothers, they were quite numerous around the castle. It wasn't just spies that were numerous either, so were bugs. More than once Wendy had found them in her room, courtesy of her brothers... mostly. Before the conversation began, she reached into the drawer of the nightstand and took out a small silver tablet and attached what looked like a matching bar across the top. It was designed to sweep the room for unusual signals, and she did so twice. Satisfied there were no bugs the tablet was placed back into the drawer and the conversation began, but not with words. Wendy was still paranoid about other means of spying, so they spoke using a modified form of sign language.

'As your job is to keep track of my brother Ludwig and his various machinations, I want to know what he's up to.'

'The prince is a very busy Koopa, he has many plans in motion. Perhaps if you were to be a little more specific with your query, I could offer the assistance you seek.'

'The human, what's he planning to do with that stupid ape?' Wendy's hands moved faster, as she got aggravated.

'A most interesting query indeed my princess. There's a shipment of gold bullion arriving in Cape Boomer tomorrow night. It's bound for the Mushroom Kingdom's mint, but the prince has other... ideas. I overheard him discussing the involvement said ape will have in this venture not too long ago.' Wendy stopped to think about that for a moment. Ludwig was planning to raid a shipment of gold under the cover of darkness, which could prove to be quite useful to her. Mulling the situation over for a time as the Ninji waited patiently, a slow and devious smile crept across her generous red lips.

'Listen closely, here's what I want you to do.'

********************​

The meeting with the Royal Financiers Committee was one that was a bit grueling, but Wendy wasn't bothered by this. Where Ludwig was interested in science, and Iggy in engineering, she was all about the money. The RFC was the branch of the monarchy that reinvested a large portion of the taxes Bowser collected, in public works, aid for the poor, and other matters that needed funding. It was always headed by a member of the royal house, which in this case was Wendy. She'd overseen such matters since the age of fifteen, a little over three years ago now. The princess was very diligent in knowing where the royal house's money was coming from, how much they had, and where it was going.

At the head of a long table, Wendy had an electronic ledger in front of her, along with three more propped up on stands that were within hands reach, all displaying various spreadsheets and other financial data pertinent to this particular meeting. The committee itself was comprised of two Mushroom People, three Koopa, and a Chargan, which most called Charging Chucks do to their seeming obsession with football. The room was silent as the RFC members had tablets of their own, and they were all correlating information on quarterly finances. That was until something caught her attention.

“What is this? Over a thousand gold for miscellaneous expenses?” She turned the tablet on the small stand for the Mushroom woman next to her to look at.

“That's related to the public restoration project that Commissioner Tane is overseeing. Fuel, food, travel expenses, lodging, and so on.” Wendy thought the matter over, knowing that Tane was in charge of restoring some of the older neighborhoods in the kingdom that were in need of such, but that was still a lot of money. It didn't sit right with her that a commissioner should encounter expenses that high in executing his duties, even when they involved extensive travel.

“What's he doing, renting a penthouse at the Obsidian Towers? Query his financial activities in this matter. I want receipts, transaction confirmations, credit summaries, whatever it takes to account for the money.”

“Of course majesty.”

She was about to return to electronically collecting and dispensing funds when the Chuck held out his tablet. “Baron Carse is requesting a reduction of taxation due to last weeks ash fall majesty.”

She took the tablet and looked over not only the request, but a packet of pictures that were included. It was too hot in the Dark Lands for there to be any rain, but at times ash did fall from the sky, and it could be quite a problem depending on how much there was. From the pictures it looked as if the city had been hit by a gray blizzard, more than two feet deep in some areas. The request included an itemized list of the costs of cleaning up the ash, medical supplies required to treat the ensuing health problems, and other associated expenses. Everything appeared to be in order, and the tablet was handed back.

“Granted, I'll print a Writ of Relief and sign it after the meeting.” Even though the royal house had gone digital with a lot of things, they still used physical copies in the event the database decided to start eating things. It wasn't long after that, her cellphone vibrated indicating a text message had been received. Taking it out, the message was from Raxx indicating that everything was in place, as was he. With another smile, she replied and told him to proceed as instructed.

The RFC meeting continued until dinner, which Wendy again took in her room, not wanting to be around Alexander any more than she absolutely had to be. After relaxing in her personal hot tub which doubled as a bath tub as well, allowing the female servant staff to wash and dress her, they were all dismissed for the evening as she prepared for bed. Daria was the last to leave, and as she approached the door to do so, there was a knock. The turtle answered it, and after a short conversation she looked back.

“Majesty, your father has summoned you to his personal bedchambers.” That drew something of an odd expression, and she gave a small nod before Daria walked out. Bowser rarely summoned her this late at night, which made her wonder what he was up to. Perhaps he had found out what she was up to. That in itself presented a problem. If Bowser had uncovered something, it was a matter of trying to figure out which something it was. It took almost twenty minutes to reapply her make-up, and Wendy walked through the castle to meet with her father.

Up a winding set of stairs into the highest tower, she topped a small landing with a large orange metal door guarded by four very large hammer brothers. None of them attempted to stop her as she knocked on the door as a courtesy before walking inside. Bowser's bedchamber was a large circular room filled with expensive metal furniture trimmed in gold, as he preferred that to wood. There were also a number of bookshelves and a writing desk in one corner, as Bowser was known to be fond of writing and a publish author.

The room was dark making it hard to see, the only light being what was cast by the nearly floor to ceiling plasma screen television opposite the bed. She finally spied Bowser on the bed, his large spiked shell on a stand next to it. He was wearing casual attire, red silk pants and a green button up shirt, as nearly all of his personal wardrobe was in that of the house colors. He was relaxing, and at first she didn't know what was going on. Approaching the bed, there was a frosted half gallon of milk and a bowl of chocolate bon-bons, her favorite snack, on a tray next to him. About that time the television finished playing a preview, followed by the title of a newly released movie. In gold letters it displayed 'The Conquering Koopa'.

“Come now, did you really think I'd forgotten what you asked me about last week?” Bowser said, his deep base voice easily carrying over the sound of the television. With an excited squeal she nearly pounced, snuggled up next to Bowser, and grabbed the snacks. This was the latest release of one of the most popular fantasy adventure movies in the kingdom, and Wendy had asked if they could watch it together, time permitting. She didn't get to spend much time with her father at all, but didn't begrudge him that fact. Being the sovereign ruler of a kingdom, Bowser's time was rarely his own. Another advantage of being royalty was that you didn't go to the movies, they came to you.