"So," asked James during one fine morning in Shiver City, "where to now?"
	"Welp," began Koopin, "we gotta head back through the Toad Town Tunnels and back south towards the train station."
	"Wait...really?  Why?"
	"Well that's my next destination, and you can't get there from here since the kingdom's pretty walled-off all over the place, geographically speaking."
	"Ahhh, yeah I kinda noticed that on the map.  So what place is next then?"
	"I'll tell ya when we come to it, hehehe.  It's a place I know like the back of my shell."
	"Hah, alright then...yanno that was a pretty sweet trick back there with the shell sliding."
	"Heh, really?"
	"Yeah, that totally knocked that pirahna plant out of shape, couldn't have done it without ya."
	"Well..."
Koopin gently rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little embarrassed as to how he came to that idea of attack.
	"It was a silly idea I admit but, I kinda used to do it in school with a buncha friends, just silly games...but when it hits someone who's not a koopa then BAM it'll hurt!"
	"HAH, and it sure did, tell that to Mister Frost."
	"Heeheeheh!"
With the day long before them and the town now behind them, they hopped down the pipe and back through the tunnels of the kingdom underground, leaving their borrowed arctic clothes with Fridrik.  James had to admit that he was no stranger to using secret underground passages in his Chicago days, but actual sewers was something he had never gone through with such length as this before.  As they made their way through, they thankfully did not have to deal with any particular subterranean thugs as they soon popped out into Toad Town once again.

The town remained unchanged since their visit a few days before.  In fact James had to wonder if they could even clear through the entire kingdom in a single week let alone two.  Regardless, he followed Koopin towards the train station, at the very south of Toad Town's borders.  A gorgeously adorable red train stood proud and firm at the station, with a star emblazoned upon the front of its engine.  A classical steam train, with cowcatcher front and coal-scuttle rear.  James had never seen such a design before with his very eyes, as a childish enthusiasm arose within him.
	"Holy shit that's a cool-ass train."
	"Heheh, yeah?  That is the K64, the centre of all land transport in all of Toad Town.  Been goin' steady for many many years!"
	"Well that's cool and all but where's the carriage?"
	"Oh, you ride in the front."
	"...you ride in the ENGINE?"
James' face lit up with a glee that he had only ever felt once since his adventures.  The memory of a superfast red motorcycle and a young big-eared boy came to him in a flash.
	"...I want to ride this now."
	"Hhhahahaha, you're adorable."
	"H-hey I like fast things, what can I say?!"
	"Well we gotta get tickets first so come on!"
Heading off with glee, they both bought a train ticket each, having earned their money from Shiver City's praise to do so before obtaining their tickets.  James was excited, unsure of how or why they would even allow passengers to board the train which only had an engine.  Nevertheless he hopped on board, as the train soon readily took off within the half-hour.  The raptor already noted the change in scenery, having come from the frigid north to the much-more-acceptable arid regions of the south.  Koopin welcomed it greatly too.
The conductor checked their tickets before they were soon off, the spacious engine cabin allowing them room to move around as they witnessed the most strangely-freeing journey of their life.  James did have to wonder about it being unsafe, until he noticed the side of the engine was a door that closed securely to stop anyone from falling out.  The train ride was exhilarating.  While not immensely fast, it was a breath of fresh air to James as he beamed a bright white smile to the world around him.
Valleys of rising arid mountains rose from the horizon, dusty landscapes turning less and less green with every whistle the train made.  Koopin was smiling at the changing land all around him, verdant hills replaced by rocky mesas and windsheared cliffs.  After what felt like quite a fast trip on the K64, they finally reached the other end of the tracks.  A lone train station in the midst of the dusty mountain hills.  James was almost reminded of pictures he saw of the American Southwest.

Tall rising spires hewn by the elements, red rocky landscapes caressed by dusty winds that howled softly past their ears with a murmur of caution.  The mountains seemed to reach not as high as Shiver Mountain did, but James was not sure if it was the daylight or not that was making him think otherwise.  Yet they did not look as treacherous as he expected them to be, their smooth slopes and canvassed cliffs almost inviting him to come explore with ease.
A few locals waited steadily for their ride at the station, as well as any potential travellers to meet.  The only one at the train station that intrigued James at all, was a small mouse-like creature, blue-furred while wrapped in a turban and desert clothes.  He briefly pondered on the possibility of what areas of worship existed in this world, before Koopin said:
	"Welcome to Mount Rugged!  Here we have the arid mountain pass, home to moles and rocky clefts.  Most of the time they don't bother anyone but it's best to keep out their way.  This mountain pass is the only way to reach the Dry Dry Desert, a wide expansive desert filled with ancient ruins, small town outposts where many traders come from, and the odd oasis or two."
	"Ah huh."
	"How are you with deserts James?"
	"Uhhh...never been in one, but I'm good with heat."
	"Well don't worry, you got water on you right?"
	"Eeeyup."
He showed off his bottle of water he had purchased from Toad Town for the sake of this travel tour.  He also decided to bring out his tattered map in order to clarify where he was, with Koopin pointing out the southeast.
	"See, those mountains above the desert."
	"Ohhhh...wow, this desert doesn't look big."
	"Yeaaah the scale's off on this old map, it's actually pretty huge.  We're going towards this spot riiiight here."
He pointed towards the very northeast of the desert, literally hugging against the mountain, somewhere above a larger settlement.
	"What about this big town here?" asked James.
	"That's the main hub of the desert, but we're going to another smaller town so don't worry."
	"Ah...yanno these stains might not mean anything after all."
	"Whatcha mean?"
	"Well...I didn't FIND anything at Shiver City, did I?"
	"Mmmmnope...nothing for your uh...research, was it?"
	"Yep, and nnnope.  I mean other than rescuing those climbers which was pretty awesome of us."
	"O-oh yeah totally, I mean...that was pretty dangerous though, you nearly getting frozen."
	"Well I woulda been if it wasn't for you."
	"R-right...hmmm..."  Koopin gently tapped on James' map.  "Maybe it is just a stained map after all?"
	"I guess."
	"Do you really think it's gonna help you find what you're looking for, whatever it is?"
	"I dunno.  Merlon told me to take this map and that's what I did, has to mean SOMETHING, right?"

Koopin merely shrugged, as the raptor tenderly rolled up the map and placed it back in his satchel, before the two headed off towards the mountains.  Mount Rugged, while indeed of a rugged nature, was not a difficult place to navigate.  In fact, James suspected that it had been made far easier to climb by the passing of many travellers over the years, sculpting the land to become more accessible over time.  Koopin supported this theory by telling him exactly that.
The tender smooth rock warmed by the sun beneath his feet soothed the raptor.  A light breeze also helped him to keep cool, the strangely relaxing mountain hike a good breather of a walk before what would surely be a more challenging trek across the desert.  Koopin strided out in full force ahead of James, guiding him along with various factoids about the place, from tales of a mysterious friendly creature known as the Whacka, to the exploits of Mario's passage through towards the desert.
	"So who's this Mario?" asked James eventually.
The look on Koopin's face was the exact same face Sarah had once given him for not knowing the name of a famous movie director.  He smirked and looked a little shameful at his guide's reaction.
	"You...don't know who Mario is?"
	"Weeeell kinda new here."
	"Ohhhh my gosh I can't believe you never even HEARD of him!"
	"Wh-what, what's the deal?!"
	"Mario's like the HERO of the Mushroom Kingdom!  He's a legend, he does everything, he's a jack of all trades and a hero of all!  He's saved the Mushroom Kingdom more times than I can count!"
	"Woah woah woah woah, okay, gimme a crash course here, mister tour guide."
	"Hokay...Mario is a human who's regarded as the saviour of the Mushroom Kingdom.  He lives out west with his brother, is real good friends with Princess Peach, and is pretty much the only reason why King Bowser hasn't conquered the whole land!"
	"And that's...good right?"
	"Well, yeah, I mean Bowser might be good to his own people but he's still trying to rule the world!  I mean he's done some pretty crazy stuff, lemme tell you."
	"Like what?"
	"Well like, stealing the Star Rod and trying to control the power of the stars themselves!  He even beat Mario once!  And Mario's NEVER been beaten before, that's how crazy he is!  But Mario always finds a way, because he has such a strong heart, full of good and hope and wanting to help other people.  You can understand that right?"
	"Uh...wait, what you mean?"
	"Well, you jumped up in wanting to help those climbers before."
	"O-oh yeah yeah I mean what kinda guy WOULDN'T wanna help people?  I mean, you don't NEED a reason to help people right?"
	"Uh...right, hehe."
	"So what's the deal about stars in this place?"

James decided to quickly change the subject away from altruism for the sake of his own privacy, the koopa now even more curious about James' origins as he exclaimed:
	"You don't even have that where you come from?!"
	"Mmmmmmnope.  What is it?"
	"Wow...you're the strangest person I ever met."
	"Haha, I'll take that as a compliment.  So, stars, what about 'em?"
	"Uhm okay...well, you've heard of wishing upon a shooting star at least, right?"
	"Yeaaah?"
	"Well, there's this place called the Star Road, where your wish is transformed into a star to be granted by the Star Spirits.  When it's granted, it then turns into a shooting star and falls down to earth, so the power of your wish comes true unto the land itself.  So ya see, the Star Road plays a very important role in granting wishes."
	"Is that...like your religion?"
	"What's religion?"
James' eyes blinked at such a strange question, quickly thinking of a better synonym.
	"...uhhh...I mean like, a sorta belief system maybe?"
	"OH, yeah, yeah that's right.  It's pretty much what runs the whole kingdom into working together to be good and helpful towards each other."
	"Yeah I noticed a lot of do-gooders around and not many bad guys.  So do these stars grant ANY wish?"
	"Only the ones that aren't selfish and that come from good hearts."
	"Huh...that's pretty simple, but I like it.  ...what if a bad guy makes a good wish, with good ideas?"
	"Mmmm then the Star Spirits have to debate on how willing the bad guy is to change his or her ways, if their wish is not selfish."
	"Wait, they're real?"
	"Well yeah, course they're real!  They're up there in the stars watching over the world.  You can even meet 'em, if they summon you."
	"Wow...hmm.  I'm kinda liking this place more and more, everything feels so simple and uncomplicated here."
	"Heh, well that's good right?"
	"Definitely.  Alright come on, I think I asked you enough questions."
With a nod of eagerness in being so glad to teach a newcomer about his world, Koopin headed off with the raptor further along the mountain ridge.  As Koopin had mentioned before, squat little moles ran wild throughout the place, little whiskery faces peeking out of the sides of the mountain.  Some of them did not bother the travellers, but a few mischievous ones dared to throw rocks at them, which FG either blocked or forced away with a warning shot of fire.

Strange rocky creatures were also in the mountains too, living solid rocks with prominent chins known as Clefts, which Koopin warned to largely avoid since they were quite territorial, but thankfully not very fast.  Slopes and ridges headed upwards for them to climb, waterfalls rushing down by their side now and again with the purest of water for them to drink.  The wind was pleasant when higher up, unobscured by the rocky walls and peaks, as they gazed down upon the whole of the Mushroom Kingdom from above.
James could see Toad Town easily at the centre, as well as the koopa settlements, the Shiver Region, a wide forest with what he thought was a mansion hidden within, and the sea beyond towards the south.  From above, it looked as if it were such a small world, unless the height was playing tricks with his eyes.  Heading further east along several sturdy rope bridges, they finally found themselves making their way back down towards a hotter region.
James soon saw the wide expanse of the desert before him.

The endless dunes undulated before his very eyes, the heat making them quiver like serpents which intimidated him slightly.  This was his first time in seeing such a place for real.  A blistering hot infinitely featureless wasteland of sand and wind.  His anatomy did give some advantage over others, though this did not make him like the heat any more than others would.  Koopin however was completely fine with it, gazing upwards with his face basking in the radiant harsh sun.
	"Mmmmm...home sweet home huh?"
	"W-wait, home?" asked James, "I thought you lived in Koopamuir."
	"I do, but I was born in the desert, lived here until I was nineteen."
	"You seriously lived here!?".
	"Yeah, don't worry, it's not so bad once you let the sun soak in a bit."
	"I'm trying not to, I don't wanna test if I can get sunburn on my scales.  Now I see why you moved."
	"I just wanted to get out of the sun a li'l, I don't MIND the heat...but hey, least I can get you through here.  Anyways, welcome to Dry Dry Desert.  An endless land of scorching heat, ancient ruins and profitable towns full of trade.  A path lies through the desert itself to easily help you reach the main hub of the desert, Dry Dry Outpost.  But...I think you and me can take a different route."
	"Huh?"
	"I wanna show you another li'l place, somewhere more out of the way which is where I'm going anyway."
	"Uhhh...okay, you lead the way."
	"Now, few rules about the desert before we step in."
The koopa guide lifted a finger in the air like a lecturer as they stepped onto the shifting sands.
	"Rule number one, never go off the path alone.  Rule number two, ALWAYS carry water with you.  Rule number three, watch out for bandits."
	"Wait, bandits?"
	"Yeah, this place tends to attract them a lot, mostly 'cuz of the trade in this area."
	"Damn that sucks."
	"Yeah...but you'll be fine, right?  I mean...magic AND those scissors?"
	"Hehehe, yeah I guess."
	"You know you coulda been frozen to death by that pirahna guy.  ...you should be more careful in future, especially out here."
	"...is that you speaking as a guide, Koopin?"
Koopin gasped with a little blush, rubbing his neck nervously as he tried to rectify himself.
	"O-of course, I always give these sorta warnings to anyone I'm guiding!"
	"Riiiight."
Quickly turning away, Koopin lead FG across the desert dunes, hiding his slight embarrassment as he tried to slip back into his guide persona.  Professionally pointing out various titbits here and there, he also made sure that his companion was not suffering from the heat, reminding him to keep topped up with water.  James did so of course, trying to ration his bottle as their claws and boots sank softly into the sand.

The heat was even starting to make James feel sluggish after what felt like half an hour, but in truth had only been eight minutes.  He could feel his shoulders haunching over, unused to this sort of terrain as he gauged his steps carefully, the sand slowing him down a little before he grew accustomed to it.  Koopin handled the terrain perfectly well, even after three years of living in a temperate climate.  Taking careful drinks of water every once a while, he guided James off the desert path, and further towards the northeast.
Trekking through various areas of the sandscape, each dune turning all the more similar than the last one before it, he encountered strange creatures within the desert.  Moving cactus-like beasts, with haunted black eyes of orange pupils and prickly sandy bodies.  They wobbled and teetered like totem poles, shifting their body slowly towards them between sand dunes and palm trees.
	"The hell are those?" asked FG.
	"Ooooh those are Pokeys," said Koopin.  "Keep close, they can be pretty dangerous."
Keeping clear of the strange ambulatory cacti, James headed further on towards the north.  After an hour of solid walking beneath the eternal sun, he got worried about his water and tried to summon more from the air itself.  Much to his dismay, he found that the nanos had failed him, barely able to summon more than a few drops of water from the air itself.
	"Wh-what the hell?!"
	"What, what is it?!" asked Koopin.
	"I can't make water here!  God dammit the ONE place I need it."
	"Wait, you can't magic water in the desert?"
	"N-NO!  LOOK!"
He showed off his dripping wet wrist as the product of his work, much to Koopin's surprise.
	"...wow...huh...how does this magic work exactly?"
	"It's uh...I uh...I dunno."
	"You dunno how it works?!"
	"I-i-it's complicated alright, I can't explain it well, now lemme jus-AGH!"
He walked straight into a lone palm tree.  Out of all the dunes in all of the desert in all the world, he had to walk into this tree, only to feel something soft plonk on his head like an apple.
	"Wh-what the hell, how did tha-...tha...h-h-h-haaaaahhhh...n-n-no, no god no NO!"

He immediately jumped away from the tree and the object that had fallen off of his head from it, surprising Koopin at the raptor jumping back towards him.
	"Wh-what is it?!?"
	"It's a-a-a...a-a-aaaaAAAAAAGH!  GET AWAY, G-GET AWAY FROM IT!"
	"...um James?"
	"W-w-what?!?"
	"...It's...a lime tree."
	"Y-YEAH, SO WHAT?!
	"...and?"
	"I-i-i don't like them okay?!  They're..h-h-h-hhhhhhhgod they're disgusting and they stain a-a-and they g-guuuuunnnnngh...."
James looked away with an absurdly strong cringe, as if he'd just felt a muscular spasm run through him.  He buckled as he kneeled onto the sands, fingers digging into the soft soil as he tried his best to think how to explain his state without vomiting up the tightened knots in his stomach.  Fear ran through him, along with powerful revulsion that made him beg his body to vomit.  Even worse, he felt a familiar tug in his body, right in his heart.  He felt the fear start to infect him.
Oh god no, no no no, get back inside goddamit, not here!  Not here, please!
Koopin tried to help, coming closer towards the shaking hunched-over raptor.
	"James, what's up?  You're just a li'l addled by the desert, that's all.  Come on, lemme just pick it up and we can make some cold refreshin-"
	"NO, NO LIMES, NEVER ANY LIMES!"
Koopin turned with a start and looked incredulously at his companion.  The raptor was struggling to control himself, his fear battling against him in that brief moment of weakness, preying upon his heart which he clutched tightly, as his friend asked:
	"...do you...have a real problem with these?"
James slowly felt himself turn calmer, trying to maintain his breathing.  He then admitted softly, but swiftly, with shame:
	"I...I-igotaphobiaofthem okay?  I don't like limes...they make me really ill and real panicky.  I...kinda panic and...throw up and...I really don't like them."
	"Uh..."
	"Listen, j-just don't ever give me any limes, okay?  No lime drinks, no lime-scented soap, not even something shaped like a lime o-or lime-coloured alright?!"
	"O-okay okay, I'm sorry...I didn't know."
	"No look i-it's okay man, I never told you, no reason to after all."
	"...can I ask...why you're scared of them?  I mean really, I never heard of someone scared of fruit before."
	"Uhhhh...I...I..."
He looked away with shame before murmuring:
	"I dunno why.  Something happened to me as a kid...I...I just remember being trapped in somewhere tight...and small...like a closet or something and...I could smell it all around me, those...th-things a-and it makes me panic an' I start gettin' real nervous like this and I dunno what to do-"
	"Okay okay, don't worry.
Koopin gently held James' arm, rubbing it to reassure him and calm him down.  The warm touch of the smaller koopa's hand managed to soothe him, his heart beating more slowly.  Turning away from the offending tree, he looked down at the smiling koopa, his clear-blue eyes honest with understanding.
	"Let's go alright?  No limes for you I promise."
	"A-alright...I'm sorry."
	"Hehe, it's okay, we all got our problems.  Come on."
Hastily walking past the lone lime tree and beyond, Koopin guided James further into the arid wasteland, his steps shaky as the fear finally dwindled from him with each new step that sank into the sand.  As he began to calm down, Koopin occasionally checked to see his state of mind.  Thankfully an oasis served to calm them down, the two refilling their water bottles just to be safe.
One infinite trek later that took no less than an hour, they could finally see a town in the distance, a small collection of brown and grey blocks.  The southern sands continued to be baked by the desert sun above, as they trudged on towards the small dry town.  James was relieved to finally see it, despite his being able to handle the desert better than expected.  Even if he already hated the unbearably-dry environment.