Chapter 20: Securing the Route!

After defeating Shadow Peach, the heroes obtained a golden key and proceeded to make their way back to the rear hall on the 3F of Bowser's Castle. To the right, previously there was nothing at the end of the hall besides a portrait of Bowser and King Boo with a golden frame. To their surprise, the portrait suddenly proceeded to raise higher, revealing the secret stairwell L. The heroes went down the stairwell, and arrived in a lone hallway on the 2F level. They continued down the hall without trouble, descending down stairwell N and arriving on the 1F level. The heroes arrived at yet another lone hallway, which was also deserted. The brightly coloured clouds could still be seen through the barred windows to their right. They continued down the hall and proceeded to descend down stairwell O, arriving in a rather dark hallway on the B1 level.

This hallway had six Bowser statues positioned symmetrically, with three on each side. There was a Hammer Bro patrolling the hallway. Link crouched behind the second statue on the left, unsheathing his sword from its scabbard and readying his shield. Rosalina stayed standing (levitating) in cover behind the first left statue, while Mario and Geno took cover behind the first statue on the right side.

Link emerged from his cover when the Shadow Hammer Bro marched past him. He kept his shield up. The Shadow heard him, turned around, and reflexively tried to strike him with the downward swing of his hammer. Link did a shield parry at the perfect moment, which caused the enemy to recoil backwards greatly. The Shadow Hammer Bro fell onto its back shell, and Link took this opportunity to jump high into the air and stab his sword down into the underbelly of the Shadow. The Shadow Hammer Bro shrieked with defeat and then went entirely black, before melting into the carpet and disappearing altogether.

Link stood tall and sheathed his sword as his companions emerged from their cover. He turned his head to them and nodded silently. The heroes continued down the B1 hallway until they reached Stairwell P, which actually went back up to the 1F level.

Once they ascended stairwell P, they arrived in a secret room on the 1F level. It was a square room, located on the other side of the altar wall. In the nearby corner, there was a brown table with a golden vase on it. Link could not resist smashing it. His destructive habit rewarded them with several Bowser Coins.

More importantly, at the rooms opposite end there was a large chained door with a huge golden lock. Geno passed Mario the golden key they had acquired earlier, and Mario jumped high in order to place the key into the keyhole. Hanging there in midair, he shifted his weight in order to turn the key. The golden chains reeled back into the corners of the doorframe as the huge golden lock fell to the floor with a big thud.

"Watch your toes." Rosalina grimaced, playfully.

The door opened, and there was a small square room with stairwell Q flush to the floor and surrounded by four golden poles linked together by red rope on all sides but the front. The poles had golden Bowser heads on the top. It was exceptionally dark down the stairwell.

"Looks like some sort of crypt." Link thought aloud. "Well guarded, and well hidden."

"Let's keep going." Mario suggested, marching down the stairs first. He ignited his right fist with flame in order to provide light for himself and for the others.

"Right." Geno agreed, with a nod. "We're so close to the Treasure, I can feel it!"

"I hope so..." Rosalina sighed, lazily. "I feel like we've explored the entire castle by this point."

And so, the heroes carefully continued down the dark stairwell, guided by Mario's flame. Eventually, they had emerged from stairwell R on the B2 level, which was the lowest level in the entire castle. They were greeted by a narrow corridor lit by purple torchlight. There was a dark purple carpet on the floor, nearly the exact width of the corridor. The stone walls curved into the dark ceiling. There was no door at the end of this corridor. After a brief walk down the corridor, Mario, Link, Geno, and Rosalina all had awe stricken expressions as they emerged into a large, cylindrical room.

/

Back in the real world, it was around 7 o'clock on the evening of April 16th. Bowser, Crump, Peach, and Daisy were having an awkward rehearsal dinner at a fancy dining table that had been set up for them in the mess hall on the castles B1 level. The entire mess hall had been evacuated and reconfigured for this purpose. By tomorrow evening, it would serve as the reception area for the newlywed couple.

The four of them sat at a large round table at the center of the mess hall. Bowser sat at 10 o'clock, Daisy sat at 2, Peach at 4, and Crump at 8. Kammy Koopa, as well as the Koopatrol and the Hammer Bro that had been helping set up earlier, were making sure that the rehearsal dinner was running smoothly. They were topping off glasses, replenishing plates of food, and the like.

Daisy saw Kammy Koopa approaching with a cart full of beverages. She quickly finished what was remaining in her wine glass, then waved her down.

"Mm, yeah, more please." Daisy ordered, wiggling her empty glass side to side in her raised hand.

She set the glass on the table and Kammy Koopa poured her some more wine joyfully. "Yes, dear." She smiled.

Daisy took a large gulp as soon as she could. Under normal circumstances, Peach would have advised her to ease up. But tonight, Peach understood perfectly where Daisy was coming from. Peach herself had finished one glass of wine earlier, and had decided that it might not be a bad idea to have another.

"Here too, please." Peach requested.

"Oh, certainly." Kammy Koopa gleefully obliged. "Anything for the bride!"

"Yes. Very good, Kammy." Bowser calmly acknowledged. "My bride and her friend shall be treated with the upmost respect."

"Of course, Lord Bowser." Kammy Koopa bowed, with grace. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think your PB & J fried doughnuts are just about ready..."

"Oh, YUM! My favourite!" Bowser gleefully chimed, smiling from ear to ear. "You really pulled out all of the stops on this one, Kammy! Well done!"

"Anything for you, your Heftiness!" Kammy Koopa assured, leaving for the kitchen.

"Wow. So PB & J fried doughnuts are your favourite, my bro?" Crump acknowledged, rather complacently. "Mine too! I just love 'em! There's nothin' quite like biting into that savoury peanut butter and fried dough, and then... BAM! Out comes that sweet, sweet, jelly! Buh! Buh huh huh huh!"

Daisy clenched her fists and grit her teeth with irritation. "Knock it off with that stupid laugh already, will ya? It's so annoying."

"Aww, don't be so sour, miss Daisy." Crump eased, in a mocking tone. He turned to Bowser. "The boys start to have a little fun, and the girls gotta spoil it with all their nagging and their emotions. Am I right, bro?"

"Uhh, yeah. Whatever." Bowser dismissed, not really listening to him.

"You don't gotta kiss his ass, you know." Daisy sniped, pausing to take a sip of wine. She maintained eye contact with Crump throughout. She spoke bravely, and with conviction. "You're already in. You get to kidnap me and bolt tomorrow, just like you have planned. So how about you just do us all a favour and keep your mouth shut in the meantime, okay?"

Peach had to do her best to refrain from spitting out her wine laughing.

"Ouch! Bam! I mean, damn! That's pretty cold, sister." Crump acknowledged. "But whatever. It's good. It's fine."

"Wait a sec, you plan on kidnapping Danielle and bolting?" Bowser gawked, his eyes narrowed with anger.

"Er, crap... Umm, well..." Crump fumbled for words. "...yeah?"

Bowser was silent for a brief, but very suspenseful moment. His calculating brain was ticking with the upmost difficulty. Eventually he stated his conclusion. "Well, whatever. As long as you do it AFTER Peach and I get married, what do I care?"

"Bam! Deal! Done and done!" Crump promised. "I got my bro's blessing! THAT'S my bro!"

Daisy shook her head, then finished off her glass with a large gulp. Peach, after taking a delicate sip of wine, set her glass down gently.

"No. I do not want your friend to kidnap my friend." Peach strictly declined, facing Bowser. "As your future wife, I demand that you keep my friend safe from him."

Bowser's jaw dropped with complete disbelief. He did not expect Peach to talk to him like that. In fact, he did not expect anyone to talk to him like that, ever. This was a first on all accounts. He was stunned. He did not know what to say.

"Buh huh huh! Welcome to the world of marriage, my bro!" Crump laughed. "You gotta listen to what she says! You gotta! Don't let me capture her friend!"

"I-I..." Bowser gawked.

"Wait, what am I saying?! Don't listen to her! Listen to me!" Crump corrected. "You know, bros before... wait, how does the saying go again?"

"Here they come!" Kammy Koopa swooned, placing a plate containing a mountain full of delicious PB & J fried doughnuts on the table.

"Oh, YESSSS!" Bowser erupted. He was brimming with joy. He had forgotten all about their conversation. To him, the mountain of delicious desert was positively glimmering. "Yeah baby! Time to dig in!"

"Careful not to get any on your clothes, your Messiness!" Kammy Koopa warned, giggling to herself.

And so, the rehearsal dinner continued for awhile longer. Bowser and Crump had lots of fried doughnuts, whereas Peach and Daisy instead had opted to have lots of wine.

/

Luigi was still wandering through the Forest Maze, deep within the woods that bordered the outskirts of Rose Town. He was following the twirling Mushrooms as they spun into different square regions, each new region containing another four separate paths.

"How much longer is this going to go on?" Luigi complained, noticing that the sun had set.

The Mushrooms giggled with an eerie chime as they spun down another path. Luigi sighed heavily, then followed the twirling Mushrooms down the path to his left.

/

Back in Bowser's Shadow Realm, Mario and the others were still so awestricken by the large cylindrical room which they had found at the very bottom of the Castle. This room bore many resemblances and features to the very same room where Peach and Daisy were usually held captive in Bowser's Castle back in the real world. It was even located in the same place, on the castles B2 level at the end of a lone corridor. Of course, Mario and the others knew none of this.

Also within the room were posters and photos of Princess Peach, much like the eerie room they had encountered earlier during their investigation. The most prominent feature of the room that was of great interest to all four of them was a strange, cloudy miasma that floated in the absolute center of the room, above a hoard of glimmering coins and sparkling jewels. It moved with life, shrinking and expanding in place as it sparkled like stars in a nebula. It was very mysterious.

"What is that?" Rosalina awed, her eyes filled with wonder.

"That's it! That's the Treasure!" Geno exclaimed. "We've made it!"

"That's the Treasure?" Mario gawked, skeptically. "But it's just a bunch of... smoke and stardust and stuff!"

"Hmm... I suspect that there is more to this than meets the eye..." Link pondered, keenly.

"That's exactly right, Link!" Geno cheered, making his way to the top of the coin hoard and standing beneath the pulsating miasma. "Remember our conversation from earlier? When I told you about the three phases required to successfully destroy a Shadow Realm?"

"Erm, yeah... Phase one was the inspection phase, phase two was securing the route to the Treasure, and phase three was stealing the Treasure." Mario recalled with great concentration, using his fingers to guide his talking. He faced Geno. "Right?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Geno confirmed, with a nod. "And I also said that stealing the Treasure requires an additional step, and that I would explain that step when the time comes!"

"Dun dun daaaa!" Rosalina sang, speaking with dramatization. "The time has finally come!"

"So what is this "additional step"?" Link questioned, his arms folded.

"I'll tell you! But first, let's go back and talk it over at Peach Castle." Geno decided. "We're done here for today. We've successfully completed Phase Two: Secure the Treasure Route!"

"Alright!" Mario cheered, jumping high with a fist raised.

"That was quite the mission." Link admitted.

"We're finally going back?" Rosalina gasped, speaking with a revivified tone in her voice. "Yes! Thank the stars! I'm exhausted!"

"All ready, then?" Geno summoned, surveying the three of them.

Mario *thinking*:

-Exit the Shadow Realm

-Continue exploring

"Let's-a-go." Mario confirmed, with a nod.

Link and Rosalina each gave the okay. Geno revealed the magical map. "Great! Then let's head back!"

All prepared and ready to go, they each examined each other, nodding while exchanging a few words. Then, they proceeded to vanish while sparkling with uniquely coloured light. Mario sparkled with red light, Link with green light, Rosalina with blue light, and Geno with yellow light. The magical map was sparkling as well, and all of the coloured light went into the map. Once they had each disappeared into the magical map, the magical map folded in on itself until it disappeared completely.

/

SHADOW REALM PROGRESS - DAY 2

Found an alternative entrance into the Castle !

Reached 2F Safe Room !

Got 2F Silver Key !

Reached B1 Safe Room !

Got B1 Silver Key !

Reached 3F Safe Room !

Got Treasure Room Key !

*Secured the Route to the Treasure !*

Geno: We've done it! We've found our way to the Treasure! Next time we're here, it's go time!

CHARACTER PROGRESS

Mario: Lv. 9

Geno: Lv. 10

Link: Lv. 9

Rosalina: Lv. 10

Money: 251 Bowser Coins

Mario and his friends have successfully secured the route to the Treasure in Bowser's Shadow Realm! However, instead of Bowser's Treasure, they found a strange, otherworldly miasma in its place. What could this mean? They anxiously await to hear what Geno has to say...

The story continues back in the real world, on the evening before the Royal Wedding. Mario and his friends have secured the route to the Treasure, but will they be able to steal it before Peach and Bowser say "I do"? And what of Crump and the X-Nauts? Will they succeed in their awful plans of kidnapping Princess Daisy? And what of Luigi, and those strange Mushrooms in the forest? And where has Pauline gone off to? Is she returning to Sarasaland, as Grodus desires? Or could she be planning on interfering with the Royal Wedding, which threatens the stability of the Mushroom Kingdom?

Our story has reached the beginning of its climax. Will our heroes prevail? Or will Bowser and the X-Nauts succeed in gaining control of the Mushroom Kingdom? The moment of truth draws closer...