Chapter 7: Night In The Castle!
Peach's Castle, Helicopter Pad...
The doors of the Chop Chop Helicopter slowed to a stop. The roar of the engine faded away. The doors of the helicopter opened, with Mario and Luigi climbing out. Yoshi followed them, with Tails on his saddle. Sonic came out last, closing the doors behind them.
They landed on the helicopter pad behind the castle. The sun was starting to set in the Mushroom Kingdom. Toad retainers were scrambling outside, watching as the group of heroes were heading to the castle's back doors.
"Where are we?" Tails asked. He was rubbing on his leg, which got injured on their journey at Yoshi's Island.
"We're at the princess' castle." told Luigi. He was walking right beside his brother.
"A castle, of a princess?" said Tails. He was kind of surprised from the news, and also a bit nervous. He had never seen a princess before.
Sonic smiled at him. He was walking beside the fox and dinosaur. "Don't worry Tails! This princess is really nice!" He looked at the fox's leg. "Is your leg okay? Do you need ice or something?"
Tails shook his head. "It's okay Sonic. I bet my leg will get better in a week or two."
Yoshi looked back, checking on Tails' leg. "You took a bad beating back on the island. The princess knows just what to do on your leg to make it heal faster."
Tails nodded. Yoshi chuckled. "You know, you really surprised me when you started flying with your tails!"
"Your not the only one." said Sonic "He also surprised me and all of our friends when he did that."
"Sorry about that, Yoshi." Tails smiled. "I should have told you about that before we got ambushed by Eggman and that turtle."
Sonic thought for a moment. "Who was that turtle anyway?"
"He's the son of the evil Koopa King." Mario explained. "He and his father have been trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom for years."
"But me and my brother have always stopped him!" Luigi exclaimed. "Isn't that right, bro?" He gave a gentle nudge with his elbow on Mario. His brother nodded back at him.
"Hmph. He reminds me of Eggman if you ask me." Sonic pointed out.
"Yeah. Those two have some pretty ironic similarities." Tails added in.
The gang was now in front of the castle's back doors. Mario knocked on them. The doors opened up, revealing a long hallway, with two doors at the sides and a stairway leading down to the basement door. The gang walked in, heading for the door to the left. Mario opened it up and they all walked in. They ended up in the castle's foyer. Toad retainers were walking about, doing their castle deeds. Princess Peach was there, along with Toadsworth. She saw the Mario Bros with Yoshi, Sonic and Tails and walked up to them.
"I'm glad you guys are alright." Peach said. "What happened back at Yoshi's Island? I'd really like to know."
Mario explained in full detail of the events at Yoshi's Island. The princess and Toadsworth were really surprised from what happened.
"My goodness! That sound like it was a hassle!" exclaimed Toadsworth. "So you say that an evil scientist may have teamed up with Bowser? That does not sound good at all!"
Sonic stepped in. "That evil scientist's name is Eggman. And I gotta tell you, he is someone you don't want to mess around with."
"So, you've know that Eggman for years now, Sonic?" asked Peach.
The hedgehog nodded. "Yeah. He is the one I was talking about awhile back when I came here."
Peach and Toadsworth nodded.
"So how about the comet? What was it about?" Toadsworth asked.
Sonic showed Peach and Toadsworth to Tails. He was still rubbing on his leg.
"This was what the comet was." Sonic said. He patted on Tails' back. Tails looked behind him, seeing the princess and her adviser in front of him..
"Oh, umm...hi." Tails greeted. He waved at Peach, who waved back at him. Toadsworth eyes were attached to the fox's two tails.
"Hello there." Peach replied. "What is your name?"
The fox hesitated for a moment. "...Tails."
"I'm assuming that your name came from the two tails you have on you?" Toadsworth wondered.
"Yeah. That's my nickname though. My real name is Miles Prower."
Toadsworth chuckled. "Haha! What a capital name! In fact, it kind of sounds like you're saying Miles Per Hour!"
Peach nodded. "So you must be the one Sonic talked about when he was here before."
"Are you still okay from the crash?" Peach asked.
"Well, to be honest..." Tails looked at his leg. "My leg got injured when I hit the ground..."
Peach nodded. She walked up to Tails leg and felt it. "Oh my. There seems to be a big bump here. Don't worry. I have something that will heal it." She motioned Toadsworth to go get her special first- aid kit. The old adviser quickly headed to her master bedroom and got out the kit. The princess searched through her first-aid kit. She took out a roll of bandage, and an empty ice pack. She asked Luigi to go get her some ice from the kitchen.
After about ten minutes trying to remove some ice from the ice tray, the plumber came back with a handful of ice cubes. The princess put all the ice into the ice pack. She then rummaged through the first aid kit again, and took out a red mushroom, with white dots. She added it into the ice pack, suddenly giving it a red glow around it. She put the ice pack onto Tails' leg, then wrapped the bandages around it so it wouldn't fall off. "There you go. This will help your leg heal faster." assured Peach.
"Thank you, Princess Peach." acknowledged Tails.
Sonic inspected the ice pack on his friend. "Umm, not to be nosy or anything, but what was that mushroom thing you added in the ice pack?"
"The princess added in a Super Mushroom" explained Mario. "Super Mushrooms are able to help someone heal from all their injuries if they eat it."
Sonic thought for a moment. "Then why couldn't Tails just eat it instead of just putting it on the ice pack?"
"Well, you see, you two are from another dimension, if I am correct?" said Peach. Sonic and Tails nodded. "It wouldn't be safe if you two eat something your bodies aren't accustomed to in our world. If you did eat the Super Mushroom, and your body wasn't familiar with it, then you would get Mushroom Fever. So just to be safe, we'll heal your leg in a slower matter, but it will be quicker than just an ice pack by itself."
Sonic and Tails nodded. "That does make sense." said Tails. "So how long do you think my leg will take to feel better?"
"Your leg will be fine, maybe three to five days." Toadsworth explained. "The princess has been taught many medical techniques from the finest doctors of the Mushroom Kingdom. In fact, did you know that Princess Peach was a nurse for Doctor Mario?"
Sonic looked at Mario, who sweat dropped. "You were a doctor, Mario?"
Mario shrugged. "I know my things."
GRUMBLE! GRUMBLE!
Yoshi looked around. "What was that?"
"T-That sounded l-l-liked a GOOMBA!" yelled Luigi. He scrambled to hide behind His brothers back. Mario gave an annoyed look. "Luigi! That was my stomach!" Mario comforted him. "I haven't had anything to eat for the past six hours!"
Sonic put a hand to his chest. "Now that you mention it, I'm kind of getting hungry too!"
"Why don't I cook up something for all of you?" She looked to Sonic and Tails. "Does Lasgna sound good?"
Sonic gave a thumbs up. "My treat!" He looked at Tails. "Whaddya think, Tails?"
Tails nodded. "Sure!"
The group headed for the kitchen, ready for a well-deserved dinner...
Bowsers Castle, Throne Room...
"GAAAAAAAAHHH! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TWO SCREWED UP ON SUCH A SIMPLE TASK!" roared out the Koopa King. He sat up from his throne chair, causing the whole castle floor to shake. Eggman and Junior felt the shockwave. Bowser paced back and forth. "That airship was one of the most powerful of my fleet, and also my favorite one out of them all! How could you two mess up on such a simple task?"
Eggman was the first to speak up. He and Junior were covered in smoke from the explosion back at Yoshi's Island. "Bowser, might I say first, don't blame your son from what happened. Second of all, It wasn't our fault! If Sonic the Hedgehog hadn't decided to pop in and help the plumber and his friends, then we wouldv'e gotten the job done!"
Bowser looked at him. "Wait. Is it true? Mario was there when that hedgehog of yours suddenly barged in and ruined your assault?"
"It's true, Bowser. You shouldn't underestimate the power of that hedgehog."explained Eggman. "His agility and speed is something no one can compare to."
Bowser nodded. He looked at his son. Junior noticed his father looking at him. "Uuhhh, he's telling the truth, Papa. That blue spiky hedgehog thing is really fast! You wouldn't believe it if you didn't see it."
The Koopa King sat down back to his throne, calming down a bit. "Fine, I'll believe you two. But if something like this happens again, Eggman, you're going to wish I never helped you into my castle."
Eggman nodded. He was pretty surprised the Koopa King could tear up such a temper tantrum.
Bowser relaxed into his throne. "So, I'm guessing this means our two arch-rivals are now working together."
"I've realized that, Koopa King." Eggman commented. He thought for a moment. "This could cause trouble for the both of us, I assume."
"Yep. Who knew that a plumber and a hedgehog would be such a bad thing for a turtle king and a mad scientist!" joked Junior. He looked at Bowser and Eggman. They weren't amused. "Wow! Tough crowd! I'm gonna check up on my brothers!" He rushed out of the throne room.
Eggman looked back at Bowser. "Might I ask, how did you get all of you children?"
Bowser gave him a menacing look, Eggman took it as a warning. "That's enough of that. Now, back to our rivals. It's a bad thing they're teaming up. It could ruin our future plans"
Eggman nodded. "Yes, it would be. What do you have in mind?"
"Well, I was thinking about your end of our deal!" reminded Bowser.
The mad scientist thought for a moment. "Oh yes...that deal."
Bowser grinned. "Yes. That deal. The one where you would build me a super-mega-ultra-amazing machine!"
Eggman scratched the back if his head. "Well, what do you have in mind for the machine then?"
Bowser already had his mind made up. "I had something in mind, but because of our little 'problems' in the way, I'm thinking you should make something to get rid of them!"
Eggman was confused to what Bowser was trying to say. "What are you talking about?"
"Grrrr. I'm talking about Mario and Sonic! Make a machine that will get rid of them!"
"Oh! Now I get! I like your thinking, Bowser!"
The Koopa King gave a low grumble. "And I thought this scientist had an IQ of 300..."
"What was that?"
"Nothing..."
Eggman headed for the doorway, then stopped. "Umm, Bowser, may I ask, do you have anywhere I can work in private?"
Bowser pointed to the doorway. "I have a laboratory where all my machines are made. Ask my Koopa Troopas to direct you there. Use anything you want to use. Make something that will stomp that plumber and hedgehog!"
Eggman nodded. "I'll get right on it!" He exited the throne room.
Bowser rubbed his forehead. "Man. I need something to get this stress outta me..." He thought for a moment. My master plan. Once those two are out of the picture, then there's no doubt it will fail me...
Peach's Castle, Dining Room...
It was night time in Toad Town once the gang was finished the plates of lasgna. Yoshi was munching on some leftovers everyone had on their plates. Tails was the first one done. "That was really good, Princess."
"Thank you." acknowledged Peach. She looked at Sonic, who was staring down on his plate. "Is there something wrong, Sonic?"
Sonic looked up, hearing his name. "Oh, it's just nothing." Mario saw his worried tone in his voice.
"Are you sure nothing is bothering you, Sonic?"
Sonic gave a small grin. "Don't worry about me guys! I'm okay."
Mario remembered what happened to Sonic in his world. He was fighting with Eggman. We know where he is alright. He was also with his two friends. Tails and...
"Sonic! Are you thinking about what happened to your other friend? The one called Amy?" Sonic's ears rose when Mario said her name.
"Ohh, umm, yeah."
Luigi smiled. "You must really care about this girl, Sonic." He watched the hedgehog to see if he would react.
Sonic crossed his arms, giving a grin. "I care about all my friends. There's nothing different about her."
"Suuuurree. That's what you say." teased Luigi.
Tails knew Sonic was worried. "Don't worry, Sonic. I'm sure Amy will be okay."
Sonic nodded. But it's night time. Who knows what creatures could be lurking out in the Mushroom Kingdom. He looked down to his pocket, remembering the Glow Block he got and how he had gotten it.
"Do you two have anywhere to stay during the night, Sonic and Tails?" Princess Peach asked. Tails shook his head.
"To be honest, I don't know where we'll sleep at all."
"Then it's settled then." said Toadsworth. "You two will sleep in the castles guest rooms until you get back to your dimensions."
Tails looked at Toadsworth. "Are you sure?" Toadsworth nodded. The fox looked at the princess, who was also nodding her head. "Alright! This is awesome!" He turned to Sonic. "We're going to sleep in a castle!" Sonic nodded. He was pretty excited too, sleeping in a castle and all. But still...
"Excuse me, but I think I need some fresh air." The hedgehog quickly ran to the dining room door and ran out the castle. It was so quick, everyone just saw a blue blur.
Yoshi looked up, who just finished the leftover lasagna. "What was his problem?"
Luigi pat on the dinosaurs head. "Oh, it's just nothing I guess." He looked at Tails, seeing if he had an answer.
"Knowing Sonic and all, I bet he went out for a short run, to think about what's been happening recently." Tails said.
Mario nodded. "Maybe I should go check on him. He headed out the dining room, going through the foyer, and soon was outisde on the castle moat. He looked around him. No one was there. He checked around the castle grounds. No one was outside. He waited on the castle moat. He looked at Toad Town, which was right in front of the castle gates. There were a few lights open in the Toad houses. He looked to his left. There was the town lake. The water was sparkling in the moonlight. It remembered him about his adventures. The time when the castles power stars were taken by Bowser. The time when he went on that space journey.
Those were some pretty crazy adventures. He thought.
He also remembered when he saved Sonic earlier that day.
I wonder what he's doing right now. Something caught his eye. He looked to his right. He thought he saw a sparkle in the sky. The sparkle was gone.
Must have been nothing.
Mario looked back to the town. He heard the sound of running in the distance. A blue blur ran through the town, over the castle gate, then in front the the moat.
"Oh, hey Mario." said Sonic. He walked up to him.
"Went out for a jog?" asked Mario.
The hedgehog hesitated. "...yeah." He knew he didn't just go for a jog. No. He went on a small search.
"Don't worry, Sonic. We'll find her." Mario tried to comfort him. "We found Tails, didn't we?"
Sonic nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He looked up into the sky. "Sure is a starry night, isn't it?"
"You bet." Mario replied. They both looked at the starry sky for some time. Mario yawned. "It's-a getting late. Come on. We should get back inside and get some sleep. We'll start searching tomorrow."
The hedgehog nodded. Inside of him, he felt a little hope from his new friends. He followed Mario inside the castle.
Don't worry, we'll find you...
..
..
To be continued...
Sonic hasn't been this worried before! What kind of machine will Eggman make? What might be Bowser's master plan? Will the gang be able to find Amy? Stay tuned!
Author Notes: This chapter feels more of a filler chapter. The next chapter will focus a little more on the plot. Also, for a fun fact, most of this chapter was written on my Ipod Touch. Hope you like! Next chapter will be up, maybe Friday.
I do not own any Mario or Sonic related characters. They are property of Nintendo and Sega.
