Growling in annoyance, Mario quickly jumped over yet another lava pit, dodging the fireball that shot up at him. Once he landed on the other side of the small river, the plumber instantly broke into a run for a set of stairs not to far ahead. With each step, Mario grew more and more tired, yet his determination still remained.
A couple of days ago, the princess had (yet again) been captured by Bowser Koopa, king of the Darklands. Like the hero he was, Mario set out on a trek to save her. Making quick work out of each of Bowser's children, the Koopalings, the red hero was slightly surprised at the castle the dragon koopa was residing in.
Normally, Mario would make it through the death trap in only an hour, maybe less if it was a good day. At this point however, the Italian had been climbing for hours, and the sunlight of dawn was just beginning to show. Mario glanced ahead of him, noticing the ominous red doors come into view. Finally able to take a break, Mario let out a relieved sigh and hunched over, hands on his knees.
"F...finally..." The plumber wheezed. "I'm...here...mama-mia, the things I do for Peach..."
To an outsider, it may have seemed as though Mario was speaking maliciously, but that was not the case. In reality, there was little the red hero wouldn't do for the princess. Simply due to the fact that he was in love with her. Of course, Peach didn't know, and Mario had no intention of telling her. Sure, he saved her numerous times, but does that mean she loved him? No. To make things even more difficult, Peach was royalty, while Mario was just a simple man who enjoyed the simple things in life ; family, friends, and pasta. Especially the pasta.
Trying to focus, Mario kicked open the doors, the shattering crash promptly followed by a deep, taunting laugh.
"Glad you could make it, plumber..." Bowser chuckled, flashing his large canines. "Any longer and your little princess may have been toast..."
"Where is she!?" Mario yelled, not taking his eyes off the Koopa. Bowser merely flicked his hand up, indicating the princess' unconscious body inside a rusty metal cage hanging above a river or lava not to far away. Mario's eyes widened as he noticed just how rusty the cage was, or more specifically, the hook in which it was hanging from. "Koopa!" The plumber yelled, his voice wavering. "What are you thinking!? Even I know you don't want her death!"
"She's merely bait Mario!" Bowser called back, taking a single step closer to the hero. "I just needed you here! This is it you nuisance! We finish this today!"
Before he could react, Mario was sent flying by Bowser, who had quickly charged at the plumber. Landing on a bridge, Mario staggered to his feat as the dragon hoped over. By the way Bowser was smiling, Mario could tell he was serious ; Mario wasn't supposed to leave this castle alive.
Quickly, Mario jumped above Bowser, bringing his foot down as hard as he could in a signature jump attack. Other then a small flinch and stagger, the Koopa showed no signs of pain and quickly swiped at the plumber, who curved his body to avoid the assault. Bowser, after setting a distance between himself and the plumber, began launching fireballs down the bridge and towards his opponent.
Taking out his hammer, Mario began knocking the danger away, each fireball going off in a different direction. Upon being hit by one, a massive Thwomp came crashing down from the ceiling, narrowly missing the hero.
'Bowser isn't playing games...'Mario thought to himself. 'If he's really gone as far as to booby-trap the battlefield...' Before he could ponder it any farther, Bowser was already in front of him, lifting the plumber into the air. Both battlers stared in a menacing way, staying silent until they began hearing an eerie creaking noise. Looking towards the noise, Mario noticed the hook of Peach's cage was almost entirely off its hinge, ready to fall in mere seconds into the lava. Watching a fireball burst out of the surface, the plumber was certain his princess wouldn't survive.
"Please Koopa!" Mario pleaded, struggling in the grip of his mortal enemy. "Let me save her! I promise we can continue afterwords!" Bowser simply growled in response before throwing Mario against a wall, causing him to fall to the ground, nearly defeated. Wheezing in pain, the red hero felt a warm sensation in his pocket. Slowly, Mario removed a Power Star, watching it glow and pulse as if begging to be used. However, Mario knew using it could lead to unwanted results. Just like before, Mario would temporarily become untouchable...but what about Bowser? Would the power instantly knock him out like every other enemy, or would it simple make the plumber stronger by a small degree?
Glancing from the now charging dragon to the dangerously loose cage, Mario quickly gripped the power up tighter, letting it dissolve and course inside him. The world seemed to slow done, only the flashing or bright colors remaining at a normal speed as the hero could make out Bowser's every move. Quickly side stepping, the star absorbed as much energy as it could from its surroundings. Mario smiled slightly, listening to the cheery little tune the power created as he swiftly punched the king. Finishing off with a roundhouse kick, Mario merely stared as the koopa wheezed in pain, clutching his chest.
Running past him, Mario jumped onto the cage, quickly opening it and grabbing his love before the extra weight caused it to fall. Bowser, on the other hand, readily launched himself on the opposite side of the cage, swiping at the plumber as a eerie snap was heard and the cage started to descend. Dodging a punch, Mario used the last few second of invincibility to grab the king's hair, ramming his head into the cage before throwing himself back to safety, Peach still held bridal style in his arms.
Letting out a mighty roar, Bowser hit the surface of the lava with his head still stuck in the cell, flailing around helplessly in an effort to stay on the surface. Mario knew he would be fine...from past experience, one knew that King Koopa was fine with lava, as long s he made it out fast enough. Sinking below the surface, Bowser threw Mario one more scowl, and then proceeded to bite the bars, still attempting freedom as he went under.
For what felt like hours, Mario waited for the Koopa to resurface, just to make sure he had no other tricks left up his sleeve. Growing worried, Mario couldn't help but gasp as a spiked shell floated to the surface, along with a few bones.
"Did I just..." The red hero muttered in disbelief, quickly running out of the room to a nearby warp pipe.
"Did I just kill Bowser?"
"And, we're here." Mario smiled, turning his head to the princess as they finally walked through the entrance of Toad Town. "I hope the walk wasn't to tiresome, Peach..."
Peach smiled and pulled her hero into a hug. "It was fine Mario...you're company made it bearable..."
Pulling down the brim of his hat, Mario blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "Ah princess, you know I'm always-" the plumber froze as Peach gave him a small peck on the cheek. He couldn't help but wish it actually meant something, but Mario knew it was simply a custom for whenever a quest would be over...however, would this be the last time? After all, Bowser was -
Shaking his head, Mario ran a hand through his hair and put his cap back on before beginning to walk towards his house. "Mario!" The princess called, holding a hand above her head, "You need to come to the castle! I expect Toadsworth will want a full report!" Chuckling, Mario simply turned around and walked past Peach, who put on a small grin and waved to some of the nearby Toads, who were ecstatic to have their majesty back. Mario on the other hand, couldn't help but feel sad...true, he did spend a lot of time with Peach, being as he was the "Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom", but he couldn't help but feel anxious. If his biggest foe was dead, then nobody attacked the kingdom...at least not regularly. If no one attacked, there would be no need of a hero, and if there was no hero...Mario wouldn't be needed anymore, let alone able to regularly visit the royal family.
To top it all off, Bowser being deceased wasn't the worst part. The biggest problem on the plumber's mind was...he was a killer.
This story is re-uploaded from my old account. If you're a returning reader - welcome back! As you know, the first 12 chapters are already written out, so this story should update fairly quickly. If you're a new reader - welcome! I hope you enjoy the story :D
Please...i-if you wouldn't mind, review! Pweeze c: