Same story as usual, I woke up with a random concept, and I'm here to deliver it to the world. I've spent some time fleshing out the character backgrounds, so... yeah.
Super Mario Brothers
Maiden's Rage
By GlitchWarrior
Cover Art by either Foureign(?) or Rafaknight. (It's kind of in the air.)
Chapter One: Death Drive, Part One
Silence.
Every story begins... with silence.
Then, the thundering roar of a vehicle.
A massive truck veered across the bustling highway, cutting off a small go-kart. Inside of the truck were two figures- a large, muscular reptile with a shell, and his hostage- a young woman wearing a pink gown.
"C'mon," mumbled Bowser, "you told me to switch it up a bit."
"Not like this!" shouted Peach. "At this rate, you're going to crash and kill us both!"
She looked in the mirror, seeing the crimson kart coming back harder. "Thank goodness Mario's still got a sense of safety."
"The guy uses mushrooms as nitro for that thing," reminded Bowser. "You call that safe?"
"Safer than this!" the princess shouted.
"You think THIS is unsafe?" asked Bowser, a mischevous grin appearing on his face. "Then you drive!"
Bowser leapt out of the vehicle, climbing onto the roof of the truck. Peach grabbed the wheel, thinking for a moment. She could pull over now, allowing Mario to rescue her now. It would solve the problem much more quickly. But then again, the King of the Koopas trusted her to drive without doing that thing. That should have raised some red flags in her mind when this all started, almost thirty years ago. Had it not been for the Mushroom Kingdom having some sort of anti-aging spell, she, Mario, and Bowser would all be long in their elder years.
But now that those thirty years had passed, she knew that this was just another stunt that Bowser pulled. And she decided to continue driving after all. Mario didn't know she was the only one in the driver's seat, after all, and he wouldn't believe Bowser saying she was driving.
And besides, she liked to switch things up every once in a while. The whole gang did it. Every year, every summer, Bowser would show up and kidnap her. She initially resisted, and sometimes played resistance, but as of late, she'd decided to go willingly. Things always ended the same way; Mario showed up and defeated Bowser, saving her and returning to the kingdom to recieve cake and (maybe) a kiss on the forehead/cheek/wherever.
So this couldn't hurt, right?
Peach's eyes settled on the road ahead. She quickly realized she was driving on the wrong side of the road and that would end badly, so she changed lanes. This wasn't a racetrack, this was an actual highway. She couldn't drive into oncoming traffic and hurt innocents, even if this truck was, as she theorized, armored at the front. That was Bowser's job.
She took a glance at the rear-view mirror, seeing Bowser breathing fireballs in Mario's direction. She rolled her eyes; this happened quite often as well. How Bowser breathed fire was still a mystery. Perhaps he was part dragon? It was strange, to say the least.
Peach re-fixed her eyes to the road, suddenly realizing she was about to hit a sharp turn. She jerked the steering wheel to the right, upsetting Bowser's balance for a moment. The koopa king regained said balance, then shot a glance towards the windshield.
"Hey," he shouted, ensuring that Mario didn't know who he was talking to, "watch your driving!"
The truck was now on a straightaway, and Peach decided to give Bowser a formal apology when today was over. But now, there was another problem.
A jade go-kart, driving close behind the red one.
Sweet fungi, thought Peach to herself. Luigi is in this death race, too?
She didn't have time to ponder it, as a third vehicle drove between the two carts, this one a yellow motorcycle. Peach identified the rider as Wario almost immediately. She knew that he was only here for a reward should he save her. And it was true- Mario had everything he could ever want.
But there was something off about that. Mario had recently taken a trip to Sarasaland, the most recent of many. She suspected that Daisy was doing something with Mario. Perhaps he was interested in another girl?
Peach wouldn't care. Lately, in fact, she'd dropped most interest in Mario. He'd become bland, another face she saw every single day. They had never married, and for all she cared, never would. But then again, the Mushroom Kingdom needed an heir...
A horrifying thought struck her. What if she was destined to be Bowser's bride? He'd tried to marry her multiple times, without her consent. But then again, he might need the help of a woman. He was a struggling, lone parent, with seven adopted children and one real son whose mother was either dead or worse. She felt bad for the poor kids.
However, she wasn't going to give herself to Bowser just yet.
She took another right swerve, veering off of the course to World Eight. She wasn't ready to go back to the Lethal Lava Land, especially with Bowser still in control. Peach momentarily felt that this could be a mistake, but regained her composure when she drove through a large warp pipe- forgetting to tell Bowser to duck, and consequently hitting him in the back of the head with green metal, knocking him to the bed of the truck.
He turned back to the cockpit. "I could've used a warning."
"I know," Peach whispered. "Sorry about that."
"BOWSER!" shouted Mario from the back of the tunnel. "I'm here to end your crusade!"
"I kind of figured that," Bowser said. "Did you have to bring Loser Patrol with you?"
"It was just a thing," the plumber said.
"Screw your thing," Wario yelled even louder, "I'm gettin' that sweet moolah!"
"Is that your only motivation?" asked Mario, narrowing his eyes.
The biker crossed his arms. "Ain't that the only motivation?"
Peach looked back to the road, ignoring the incessant squabbling- and realized, to her horror, that this particular pipe was actually a SHORTCUT to Bowser's Castle. Oh, how the tables had turned, she'd meant to return to her own castle.
Holy shrooms, she'd goofed up.
Bowser started laughing, glad he'd found a new shortcut. Although she didn't want to admit it, Peach was relieved too. She hadn't initially wanted it, but she was secretly relieved to be back. This castle was her home away from home, after all, and when she wasn't sitting in one of Bowser's cages, it was because Bowser wasn't putting on their facade for Mario. Truth be told, he hadn't changed a bit since this had all begun. But she had, and so had Bowser. They were actual friends at the moment, and while Bowser still hated Mario, he and Peach were in a friendlier relationship- using the word "relationship" as loosely as possible.
Mario pulled close up, looking towards the driver's seat, although not seeing the driver. "I'm coming, princess!"
Peach swerved to the side, Mario closely following. At this point, Peach was like a completely different person- avoiding the man who usually saved her life. She felt at peace playing the villain. Obviously she'd never show it in public. But here, she was able to free up a little. She swerved towards the castle drawbridge, sliding through the gates.
Inevitably, as the troopas raised the bridge, the three mustachioed figures were to be left helpless. After all, there was almost no way they could get through a closed bridge.
Almost.
The three vehicles were nearing the lava moat fast.
As if on instinct, without slowing down, Luigi nodded towards his brother, and leapt out of his kart. Using his agility and momentum, he bounced off of Mario's head and over the gate.
"LUIGI!" shouted Mario.
"I'm helping her, Mario," spoke the taller plumber. "You just wait there."
"But Luigi-"
The green-clad plumber was already through the door. Mario stood in silence for a good minute before his greedy counterpart spoke.
"So," muttered Wario, "does that mean no reward?"
Next chapter begins the actual plot, because the kidnapping is merely the first step to my increasing madness. Also, if you read my other fics, don't worry, I'll get back to those eventually. I just needed a break.