Chapter 5: The Abandoned City

23:01, 10 March 2023

Mario: *sigh*

Luigi: You alright?

Mario: My head is a mess... I can't believe this is happening...

Luigi: Look... once we get to Inkopolis... Fingers crossed that we can find your REAL wife and everything will be Gucci.

Mario: What if she won't recognise us?!

Luigi: Um... let's just say that we are the Royal family of the Mushroom Kingdom!

...

Mario: I didn't know Windsor Castle moved to the Mushroom Kingdom...

Luigi: Look... let's just get there and let's find your wife!

Mario: I can't imagine her, having an affair with someone else...

*TYRES SCREECH*

Mario: Why have you stopped for?!

Luigi: Um... I think we may have a problem, dead ahead!

Mario: Huh?

There was a Security checkpoint.

Swag: STOP!!! Got any Anime?!

Mario: Eh?!

Swag: If we catch you with Anime, we will yeet you!!!

Chris: Anything in your car?

Luigi: OMG!!! The Anime Secret Service is still patrolling the town?!

Mario: Also known as... Ass.

...

Swag: Are you doing Anime?!

Mario: Um... do you know who I am?!

Swag: What?

Mario: Do you know who I am?!

Swag: Do I care?!

Mario: Yeah!!!

Swag: Go on, then! Who are you, then?!

Mario: Ronnie Pickering!

Swag: Who?!

Mario: Ronnie Pickering!!!

Swag: Who?!

Mario: RONNIE PICKERING!!! 😡😡😡

Swag: Who TF is that?!

Mario: Me!!!

Swag: Brilliant!!!

...

Luigi: Look... we don't have Anime!

Swag: Go on, then! Piss off, then!

Mario: You piss off!!!

Luigi drove off.

Chris: What was that about?!

Swag: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!!

Mario: I thought the Anime ban was lifted!

Luigi: Well... I might have another Theory! Since, we've altered the past... and we've never introduced SMG4 to ourselves... it looks like Anime is still banned in the Mushroom Kingdom!

Mario: I thought the guys were supposed to bring Axol, all the way over to here?

Luigi: They shouldn't done... but, we never met them!

Mario: Right! Let's just get to Inkopolis...

At Inkopolis...

Mario: *praying* Please be there, Meggy... Please be there, Meggy... 🙏

Luigi: Um... Mario?! Wake up!

Mario: WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!

When they got out of the car...

https://youtu.be/5h2HWs2LMqg

Mario: What the hell happened here?!

Luigi: Looks like the Inklings and Octolings... are nowhere in sight!!!

Mario: Where are they?!

Luigi: *gasp* Of course!!! Do you remember when all Inklings and Octolings vanished by Francis and the Anime nerds?!

Mario: Yeah?

Luigi: Since we never met SMG4... the Anime ban was never lifted in the Mushroom Kingdom... this must mean that Francis and his crew abducted every single Inkling and Octoling for Axol's Ink-weaver!

Mario: I thought he did that when the ban was lifted.

Luigi: But, it looks like he still did! Do you remember what kind of Ink, the Ink-weaver ran on?

Mario: Hmm... I don't remember...

Luigi: Inking ink!

Mario: Ah, right!

Luigi: I think Francis abducted the Inklings and used their ink to create more powerful Anime characters from the Ink-weaver!

Mario: I think I'm starting to remember something! Axol was abducted, as well!

Luigi: Exactly!

Mario: Well... if we never met our friends and family... to save Anime... that means that we're---

???: Too late...

Mario: Who's there?!

Callie appeared.

Mario: Callie?!

Callie: Yes... it is I... Callie from the Squid Sisters...

Mario: Where's Marie?

Callie: You're too late... Marie's dead! Every other Inkling and Octoling that existed is dead!!!

Luigi: Are you trying to say that all of the Inklings and Octolings have gone extinct?!

Callie: I am the only one that survived the Anime invasion of Inkopolis! I am the last of the Inklings!!!

Mario: How do you know?

Callie: Follow me...

They followed Callie.

Later...

Mario: Whoa... look at this wall!

Callie: This Wall is to remember all of the residents of Inkopolis, who have tragically been killed on 6th June 2019...

Mario: This is like 9/11... but it's Inkopolis in 2019...

...

Luigi: OMG... there's something familiar about that date!!!

Mario: You think so?!

Luigi: 6th June 2019 was the day when Anime Island was destroyed!!!

Mario: Well... there was an Axolotl called; Axol... and he was there!

Callie: Not even an Axolotl survived...

Mario: And then... Meggy became a human!

Callie: Did you just say... Meggy?

Mario: Yeah?

Callie: Meggy Spletzer?!

Mario: Yeah, that's her! Where is she? We're looking for her!!!

Callie: *sigh* I hate to burst your bubble... but, I'm afraid you're not gonna find her...

Mario: What do you mean?

Callie: She was a good Inkling... but, she never got to achieve her dreams...

Mario: Um... what do you mean that she WAS a good Inkling?!

Callie: Her name is on the wall, right there...

Meggy's name was on the wall!!!

Mario: *GASP*

Luigi: Oh... My... Goodness!!!

Mario: M- MEGGY!!! DEAD?!?!?!

Callie: I'm afraid so...

...

Mario: OH MY GOD!!! MEGGY!!!

Mario started to bawl.

Mario: *sobbing* MEGGY!!! NOOOOO!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭

Luigi: MARIO!!! CHILL OUT!!!

Mario: MY FAMILY IS DEAD!!! THEY'RE ALL DEAD, LUIGI!!!

Luigi: Mario!!!

Mario: If Meggy is dead... that means, my Gino and Emily wouldn't have been born!!!

Luigi: MARIO, IT'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT!!!

Mario: WHAT AM I GONNA DO?!?!?!

Luigi: Listen! I think I can explain to you, Mario.

Back at the Castle...

Luigi: This line represents the normal flow of events... Cross A is where we met SMG4... B is where Peach became stupid just like you... C is where you met Meggy... D is where you got married... and E is the present.

Mario: Okay?

Luigi: Now... at some point during the evening of Cross B, you did something that changed the course of your history... causing the timeline to skew off into an alternate tangent. Where you're married to Peach and Meggy is dead.

Mario: Well... what are we gonna do?!

Luigi: We gotta find out why SMG4's USB zapped Peach instead of you...

Mario: Right! Let's all figure that out, together!

...

Luigi: Do you know something else that worries me?

Mario: What?

Luigi: Have you ever heard the Theory that if you kill a Butterfly in the past... it could alter the present?

Mario: Um... no?

Luigi: Who knows what else we've changed?

Mario: Imma Google some events.

Mario did some Googling.

Mario: Oh, good lord!