We've Never Been Apart This Long

No Bros For Now, But All the Better to Catch the Other Two With Their Pants Down

"Chancellor?" Peach asks a day later. "Any word on your sabotage?"

"As of matter of fact, there is." The Chancellor replies. "Wario didn't even bat an eye. I guarantee the Koopalings are ready to drop him faster than a Thwomp, wondering what he's just done."

"Get out." Iggy snaps upon seeing Wario walk in.

"What?" Wario sneers. "I just reported the Chancellor to his bosses for conspiring with Bowser, so really, I just got you an in to the castle."

"What do you think you're trying to pull?" Wendy demands.

"You've got some nerve coming back here after cheating us out of a castle!" Lemmy yells.

"As per usual, I have no idea what any of you are talking about." Wario rolls his eyes. "I caught the Chancellor talking to your dad, so I turned him in."

"Our dad wasn't conspiring anything!" Morton exclaims. "They were just talking! And while you had the Chancellor's bosses so busy with that, the Chancellor was busy securing the castle from us ever getting our hands on it again!"

"What? No, that's impossible." Wario denies.
"Now we have to fall back on Bowser's help!" Ludwig complains. "All thanks to you!"

"You think this is all my fault?" Wario screeches. "All I did was report what I saw! If that was bogus, nobody informed me!"

"You got a lot to learn about us." Roy snaps back. "If you think you're gonna get away with double crossing us."

"And as a cherry on top." The Chancellor adds. "The Koopalings didn't even question trusting Wario to help them. They actually thought Wario was smarter than their dad to pull something like this off."

"And so did Wario, naturally?"

"Oh yes."

"Is it wrong to wish I'd seen the look on their faces when they discovered the truth?"

"But our castle is safe. For now."

"Well done, Chancellor." Peach says, then leaves to go back to the hospital.

"Whoa whoa whoa." Wario holds up his hands, backing away. "I am not double crossing you."

"So you're just an idiot?"

"If there were any holes in what I saw, that just means the Chancellor told your dad he was onto me and got him to cooperate to make us look bad."

"All you had to do was get us our castle back!" Wendy whines. "And now we'll never set foot in it again!"

"Okay fine, I got it wrong." Wario admits. "But your dad set me up! I can still find a way to get us the treasure!"

"Forget it." Iggy shakes his head. "We'll take our chances with our dad or on our own."

"No, don't do that!" Wario protests. "I can find us another way in!"

"No." Morton says. "This whole thing is done. We've outgrown you. Get lost."

"Not even to figure out who was behind it?"

"We already know." Roy says dismissively.

"Mama!' Junior calls when he sees her, following her into Mimi's room. "I thought they said it was my dad who attacked your friend!"

"They did." Peach confirms. "But I suppose we're hoping you could help us."

"Me?" Junior repeats. "How would I do that?"