A/N: Remember when I said I'll try to be more consistent with uploads on this story? I hate myself.

I finished my spring semester class a while ago, but I also started an online summer class. Since the pandemic has shut down my local campus since March, as well as a lot of places and counties in my state, it has been a train wreck. The only positive is that most counties have moved to the green phase. Meanwhile, I've been more distracted with my outside life, Hotel Horror, and finishing Revengeful Resistance back in April and May.

As for this story that I've been procrastinating on (again), we're pretty much near the end of the Shiver Mountain arc. How will things unfold with Sonic stuck under Kamek's spell, Mario isolated from his friend, as well as Wario and Waluigi planning to ruin the day?

We'll start things off with our pesky pals in yellow and purple. Once again, I'm so sorry for making you wait so long...

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Nintendo or Sega's properties. On a personal note, I hope everyone is still safe out there.

Chapter 46: Exposed

Even with the thick clothing that they were sporting, Wario and Waluigi felt the freezing wind blow into their faces. Their bodies couldn't stop shaking, and their teeth kept chattering. Not only did the temperature get worse, but another blizzard was starting to pick up as many snowflakes fell onto the soft, white ground.

"Urgh, how are you holding up, Waluigi?" Wario grunted.

"Meh, I'm cold and miserable. I never want to visit this frozen wasteland again! How much longer do we have to travel?"

"The palace should be at the top of this mountain. But we have to keep climbing these stupid stairs! Seriously, who's the genius who thought walking up icy steps was a cool idea? They could've invested in an escalator!"

"Or a ski lift," Waluigi grumbled. "Either way, we wouldn't have to worry about slipping and landing on our tushies!"

"Tushies?" the fat man gave him a quizzical glance.

"What? It's another word for our butts!"

"You couldn't have just said the normal terminology?"

"Oh, shut up."

With every new flight of stairs they climbed, the more tired they became. In fact, their pace was starting to slow down as it became harder to trudge up the steep inclines with the blanket of snow, added with the extra precipitation that fell for the past fifteen minutes or so. Wario, especially, was wheezing from all the exercise. He may have a lot of stamina, but his movements were starting to wear him down. Waluigi was more parched than exhausted, and he just finished his last bottle of water a long time ago.

"Should we take a break?" Wario recommended.

"Eh, we might as well. I'm sick of carrying these Bob-ombs on our backs. My shoulders are killing me!"

"I agree. Let's set up camp in that cave. Besides, I need some grub to eat. I'm starving!"

They took a moment to settle down, removing their bags and setting them on the icy floor. Waluigi made a fire with some hardwood that he picked up along the trail and a lighter that he carried. With a source of heat, they sat down and brought their hands close to the crackling flame. Later, Wario took out an iron grill plate and set it over the fire. He grabbed some pieces of his garlic-flavored chicken and placed it on the rack to cook. After a few minutes, Wario and Waluigi dug into their meals, enjoying the juicy, savory flavors.

"You know, if there's one thing I'll never get tired of, it's your famous garlic chicken," Waluigi complimented.

"The recipe is always a winner! Tayce T. can't outmatch my cooking!" boasted Wario.

"Eh, I wouldn't exactly say that."

As they continued devouring their food, the aroma flowed within the giant cavern. However, it ended up reaching an adjacent alcove. The entity resting inside was awoken to the powerful smell of garlic. Wario and Waluigi, however, were so hungry that they didn't notice it emerge out of the cave. They did hear something growl though.

"Yeesh, how bad is your stomach? Is it really that hungry?" asked Waluigi.

"Huh? That wasn't me," Wario raised an eyebrow.

"Wait. Really?"

"Just because I got a large gut doesn't mean my tummy's making noises 24/7!"

"But I could've sworn I heard something growl. I'm not sure if-" Waluigi paused as his eyes bulged. Wario looked behind and had the same reaction. Standing several feet away was a giant Gulpit, a bulky, purple walrus with a large tongue. He licked his mouth while eyeing the chicken in their hands.

"Eh, what do you want?" Wario questioned gruffly. "Can't you see we're resting?"

"Uh, I'm pretty sure those kinds of creatures can't talk. They're not like Yoshi or DK."

"Whatever. All I care about is that he's giving me the creeps. Get out of here! Scram!" he gestured with his hand.

The Gulpit simply stood in the same spot, ignoring Wario's command.

"Didn't you hear me? Get the hell away from us! Don't make me use our Bob-ombs! I'm not afraid to use brute force!"

"Eh, I think that's pushing it a bit too far," mumbled Waluigi.

"So? We use Bob-ombs on Mario and Luigi before. Why can't I do the same to this jerk?"

"Because he's an animal?"

"So are Yoshi and Donkey Kong! What's your point?!"

"Well, by the looks of it, he's not exactly threatening. At least Yoshi can use his own tongue to swallow us and trap us in eggs. And don't even get me started on DK! His large fists pack a punch that he could launch us hundreds of feet into the air, just like all those times when he hit those home runs off of us!"

"That's coming from the guy who got stung by a swarm of Bzzaps."

"Would you quit bringing that up?!"

A few seconds later, the Gulpit let out a big yawn with some snooze bubbles forming out of his nose. Wario and Waluigi stopped arguing as soon as they noticed him saunter back to the alcove. Maybe he was an obedient Gulpit.

"Yeah, good riddance!" mocked the man in yellow.

"Why do I have this odd feeling that he's not retreating to his cave?"

"Eh, who cares? Let's just finish our grub and steal that Emerald!"

Wario continued chowing down on a giant drumstick while Waluigi cautiously finished his grilled wings. As soon as he was about to discard them, the Gulpit re-emerged from the cave. His cheeks were puffed up. He definitely didn't look like that a minute ago.

"Uh, Wario?"

"What? Hey! Why are you back here?!"

Then, the Gulpit leaned his head back for a quick second before he lunged forward and spat out a barrage of rocks from his mouth. Wario and Waluigi screamed as they got up from the icy surface. Several projectiles knocked over the grill rack and the remainder of Wario's chicken.

"NO! You damn walrus! You ruined my-"

He couldn't finish his statement as his eyes bulged when an army of Gulpits ambled next to the leader. They all jerked their heads back before they, too, spat some large and small rocks at the mischief-makers.

"WAH! Let's get out of here now!" Waluigi panicked as he grabbed his backpack.

"Grr! Fine! I'm not happy about it because my food's spoiled!" Wario grumbled before scurrying behind his purple-clad partner.

The Gulpits finally stopped their attacks as the leader blew a raspberry. He went over to the fallen pieces of chicken and swallowed a couple down his throat in one gulp. The rest of the horde went over to join him. Wario and Waluigi, who were expecting the creatures to follow them, continuously ran up the icy stairs without stopping for a second. On the plus side, they reached the entrance to the Crystal Palace.

"Hah, hoo..." Waluigi began wheezing. "That was a close call."

"Do you how know long it took me to marinate that chicken?! Three days! I wasted so much time just for them to get ruined by some chubby narwhals!"

"Complain to me next time when you get stung in the face. Can we just find this Emerald already?"

"Urgh, fine. Hopefully, it'll be warm inside. My butt is still freezing," Wario's mustache drooped in frustration.

Meanwhile, within the perplexing fortress, Kamek led the Koopalings further down to the deepest section. Just in case they missed something, Lemmy and Iggy searched the hallways a second time. Having to avoid the Swoopulas was irritating enough, but they became more exhausted as they flew towards the back entrance without any traces of the Chaos Emerald. As soon as they were about to open the exit, someone called out to them.

"Yo, turtlenecks!" The three Koopas looked behind to see Sonic dash through the doors. He approached them with a cheeky, malignant grin. "How's the search party going?"

"Ah, yes. The Blue Blur," Kamek commented. "It's a convenience that you're here considering this place is befuddling. Either way, we're still looking for the Emerald that Dr. Eggman and Lord Bowser desire. I can only hope you have better luck than us."

"Yeah! We can't find it at all!" Lemmy whined.

"My glasses are starting to fog up, which I don't understand how. Maybe it's from the freezing cold?" Iggy cleaned his lenses.

"Haven't found it yet, but I managed to steal something from that stupid plumber," Sonic grabbed something out of his quills and tossed it to the Magikoopa.

"He's not stupid. He's the hero of the kingdom!" the real Sonic scowled within.

"Hmm? What is this?" he was intrigued by the technological device.

"It's an Emerald Detector, something that'll help find our prize so we can give it to our leaders."

"Remarkable... I daresay that you are quite the conniving one. Aside from your snarky remarks, you are indeed beneficial to our team... for now," he mumbled that last part to himself.

"What can I say? Anything to take down old Mustache Bro."

"His name is Mario! Get it right, me!"

"Hey, what does that blinking light indicate?" Lemmy pointed at the screen.

"It's flashing red and rather very fast," mentioned Iggy.

"That means that a Chaos Emerald is nearby."

"Is that so? Why, this tracker is the key to finding the other Chaos Emeralds!" exclaimed Kamek. "Master Bowser and Dr. Eggman will definitely be pleased to know that we can take advantage of this. That way, we'll steal all the Emeralds from your possession!"

"Sure! In fact, I'll just blatantly hand them to you once we're done finding this one!" Sonic smirked.

"Man, maybe you're not as annoying as we thought," said Iggy.

"Who said I was annoying?" the hedgehog raised a fist at the green-haired Koopa.

"U-Uh... D-Doctor Eggman! He has rambled on and on about how you always managed to ruin his evil plans. I'm just saying it'll be refreshing to know that you're joining our side. Please don't hurt me!" he quickly added at the end.

"You're lucky I won't spin dash you, Tree Face."

"Tree Face? That's hilarious!" Lemmy chortled out loud.

"How about you zip it, Clown Boy?" That made the small Koopaling stop laughing.

"To be fair, I would've called them by those names, too. Wait. Why am I thinking of this now?! I need to get out of here!"

"Sonic, why don't you lead the way?" suggested Kamek. "I will follow behind with this in my grasp. Also, I'll make sure to keep this safe so that no one else can steal it away."

"Whatever. Let's hurry and get the heck out of here. I despise snowy landscapes," the hedgehog grumbled.

"I don't really hate snow that much. I just hate how I can't regain control of my body!"

The Blue Blur continued banging his walls as some kind of desperate act to break free and fight back against Kamek who bewitched him. For the past several minutes, he remained unsuccessful. The more he struggled, the more he felt miserable. He hadn't felt this way since the day Tails was buried. He couldn't bear to lose his little bro at that time. Currently, he couldn't stand the idea of losing the one who he inadvertently abandoned.

"Mario, where are you?"

As the entire group walked through the back door, they stepped outside to a snowy pathway that led to a separate mountain. This was the exact spot that Mario encountered the Crystal King and freed the seventh Star Spirit during one of his previous adventures. The only difference between that moment and what was going on right now was the absence of the red-clad man. Plus, there weren't any nearby signs of danger to interrupt their search.

Kamek scrutinized the tracker's map as the red light flashed repeatedly. The beeps became more frequent as they approached a small hump of snow near the mountain's edge.

"Lemmy, Iggy, dig through the snow pile for me," Kamek ordered.

"Okay!" they both replied.

Sonic stood next to Kamek, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently. While the hedgehog normally acted this way, the real Sonic was worn out. He couldn't let Bowser's minions take the next Chaos Emerald, but he also couldn't escape his prison.

"Nyeh heh heh! What do we have here?" Kamek spotted a radiant light through the blanket of snow.

From there, Iggy and Lemmy finished removing the layer to reveal a purple gem. The Emerald Detector's signals went flying off the charts.

"Ah, yes... The Chaos Emerald."

"Wow! It looks so pretty!" Lemmy held it in his hand, admiring the glow.

"This is exactly like the white one you took from that black hedgehog, only purple!" Iggy grinned as he also enjoyed its purple sheen.

"Wait... what? White one? Black hedgehog? ...No way. That can't be real..."

If what Iggy said was true, Shadow was, or rather is, trapped inside Bowser's Castle. Faker was the last person he expected to be held there. In fact, he didn't expect anyone at all! But if that statement was confirmed, that raised some questions deep down in his normal conscience; were more of his friends kidnapped, too? Did they suffer the same fate as Amy, Cream, and Cheese? Did he need to break them out as well?

Knowing how terrible the situation has gone, Sonic knew, without any sort of doubt, that he can't do this by himself. He needed Mario.

"Cool! I can't wait to get out of this freezing palace and back to the hot confines of Dad's Castle!" Lemmy revved up his Koopa Clown Car.

"And while we're at it, we'll just finish our business with you, hedgehog. We don't really need you anymore now that we have your special tracker."

Kamek rose his wand in the air to release a spell that struck him. Sonic felt several shocks, which were far more excruciating than the sensation he felt from last night. His body began to twitch and ache, forcing him down on his knees while extending a hand out as he screamed. In reality, Sonic was starting to gain control of his own body again; his traitorous form dissipated. But the subsequent consequence was enduring the pain from Kamek's magic.

Once the shocks subdued, Sonic wheezed heavily. While he finally felt his hands and feet again, they quivered uncontrollably to the point where his eyes began to water. It wasn't just physical pain that he suffered.

"Now that Mario thinks that you've deserted him, he's probably sniveling himself to sleep back at his house. Unless he decided to freeze to death here... Nevertheless, I bet he's quite distraught to know that you two aren't friends anymore. He must hate you with a burning passion. It's for the best as Bowser and Eggman are determined to break you apart and eventually end your games sooner or later. Of course, I could just finish yours right now, but I would betray my leaders, just like how you betrayed your partnership."

"I... d-didn't... betray him..." Sonic struggled to speak.

"Beg to differ. While I won't kill you, I think the doctor will be fairly amused to have a Sonic ice sculpture. At least until the intense heat from the lava will melt you."

"It'll be even better when you actually get sent to prison!" taunted Lemmy.

"Right! You'll get to know what it's like to be stuck behind Bowser's bars! Your furry friends already got the pleasure to enjoy that!" chuckled Iggy.

Sonic didn't respond, but he couldn't tell if he was referring to Amy, Cream, and Cheese, or if he was referring to Shadow, based on what the green-shelled Koopaling implied earlier.

"Hold still, hedgehog. Enjoy being stuck in a giant ice cube!" Kamek conjured up another spell.

~Earlier

Internally, Mario refused to egress the Crystal Palace without figuring out why Sonic reprimanded him and acted like a total jerk. The plumber didn't want to go and leave him be. Despite how tense everything became within the last couple of hours, he had a feeling the hedgehog was probably going to be lost since he didn't know the layout of the castle. Even if he did figure his way out, Mario was worried that he was going to experience hypothermia on the way down from Shiver Mountain. Otherwise, he could become sick with the flu or any other major illness.

Being experienced from trekking up and down the snowy peak, as well as exploring the palace, he didn't care about his own health and safety. His mind was solely focused on Sonic. Swallowing his pride, Mario forced himself to get up from where he sat, narrowed his eyes, and set off towards the red door at the end of the hallway. He wasn't leaving the damn place without him. Not without his friend.

Colombo, who was also concerned about the hedgehog, stood near Mario's side as they ventured through the cold, unsettling corridors. He didn't have a problem being stuck in the puzzling building since he could pass through the walls and mirrors that stood in front of him. He had to wait for the man to catch up as he went through the same puzzles he solved the first time. They ultimately entered the final room leading to the back exit. Unable to find Sonic in every other area, Mario became more upset than frustrated.

"Mamma Mia," he sighed, his head dropping.

All he desired was closure. Some kind of explanation on why he and Sonic had a fallout.

Then, Colombo flinched his head when he heard a faint noise within the distance. It was coming from outside the palace. Normally, anyone would lean their head against the wall as an attempt to eavesdrop. But the Polterpup stuck his head out the door, feeling the soft flakes fall onto his head and parka. He squinted through the snow before his eyes bulged. He returned to Mario, barking softly so the others wouldn't hear him.

"What's the matter, boy?"

"Ruff!" he gestured his front paw to the exit.

Hearing him whine, Mario slightly opened the door, curiously glancing through the small crack. His eyes were glued to the pathway that led to the adjacent mountain. To his surprise, he saw Sonic down on his knees, panting heavily. Kamek was confronting him with his wand. However, the most prominent thing he witnessed was the purple Chaos Emerald, shining in Lemmy's hand.

"The Chaos Emerald... And Sonic..." he was at a loss for words.

Later, Kamek went on a long speech, mocking the blue animal for acting like a fool towards Mario. Iggy and Lemmy joined in on the rebuke. It was at that point when Mario discovered why Sonic wasn't feeling like himself.

"Unbelievable," his eyes scrunched in ire. "Of course they're the ones behind it!"

The Polterpup mirrored his emotions. He refrained from barking again so he wouldn't blow their cover.

As for Mario, he was wondering if it was wise to call Luigi and Tails at this time. He didn't earlier when Sonic left him because he was unsure of how the fox would react. It seemed like an opportune moment to request for help, yet he preferred to confront Kamek himself for casting a spell on his friend. If he needed backup, that's when he'll call them.

"Colombo, can you make me temporarily invisible so we can pounce on them?"

The Polterpup nodded and tapped his paw on his body. Both of their bodies disappeared as Mario opened the door. They quietly trudged closer to the Koopas and the fallen hedgehog.

"Hold still, hedgehog. Enjoy being stuck in a giant ice cube!"

Kamek was about to release another round of his magic until he looked over to the pathway. From a distance, he saw random footprints being made in the snow. Confused, he went over to investigate. Seconds later, the footprints stopped forming. Kamek didn't understand until he felt something hard jump on his head.

"EYAH!"

"Kamek? What's wrong?" Iggy looked over.

Then, Mario and Colombo materialized in between the Koopalings and Kamek. Sonic, who was still weak and wheezing, looked up. His green eyes glistened as he saw his savior.

"M-Mario..." he whispered with sincerity.

"You annoying pest! I see that you finally caught up to us!" Kamek glowered.

"You bet your shell that I caught up, and I know what you did to Sonic!" accused Mario.

"Grrr!" the Polterpup didn't hold back to growl loudly.

"Why, I have no idea what you're talking about," the Magikoopa feigned innocence.

"Cut the act, Kamek. You made Sonic turn against me, leading us to have another verbal fight. Back then, I thought Sonic was cranky and actually was a total piece of garbage. But I know better than that! When I overheard you that you bewitched him overnight, that confirmed my thoughts that I wasn't talking to the real Sonic!"

"Hrmm... So you figured it out."

"Now turn him back to the way he was, or I'll make you regret that you own that damn, magical wand of yours!"

"For your information," Kamek snarled, "I already gave that blue rat his body back. His other persona is long gone. But you want to know what's also about to be long gone? Your pathetic life when Master Bowser takes you to the Underwhere!"

The magician shot a blast of his magic right at Mario and Colombo. As a fight initiated, Sonic watched his friends jump right into action. Unfortunately, it was a two-man squad versus the three Koopas since Iggy and Lemmy jumped at Mario in their Koopa Clown Cars. While he desperately wanted to join in and get some revenge, he was still feeble to get up on his knees. He prayed that Mario, grateful that he didn't leave him, was going to win like he usually does. However, he was somewhat nervous that his friend was going to fall like him.

He reached out for his Brotherhood Bracelet. But he saw a blinking light on his device. He found out that Mario pushed the button on his own. The plumber definitely thought ahead, Sonic briefly smiling at the thought.

"You got this, Mario!" he cheered with all of his might.

The mustached man heard his words, and he knew that they were genuine. "This is for you, Sonic. We'll take these Koopas down, but not without a little extra help," he looked down at his red Brotherhood Bracelet.

END OF CHAPTER

This chapter is shorter than the others, mostly because I want to save the fight on its own, similar to what I did with Metal Tails and Metal Sonic in the Ghost House. And secondly, I needed to put out another chapter for you all.

The scene where Colombo helped Mario turned invisible is an ability that I made up all the way back in my first story, Hidden Bravery. My god, has it really been that long? That's what happens when I don't update this regularly. :/

Nevertheless, thank you all for waiting on this. I also appreciate the fact that there are now 85 favorites, 70 followers, and a few hundred views shy of 50,000. That's freaking insane. With that being said, I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July weekend. I'll see you in the next one for the battle atop Shiver Mountain. This is TGN, signing off.