Chapter 22 Fireballs Incoming

The Stone Heads banged against the castle door with their tiny fists. The yells they produced during this act made it sound like they were being burned alive; they were that loud. Regardless, Bowser still watched his new friends bang against his door. He bit his lip so hard that he could taste blood. The only thing standing between him and his normal size was the castle door, and unfortunately, it didn't look like it was anywhere close to opening. Wario seemed to agree, as he let out a long sigh.

"Oh, for the love of Pete," he said with a roll of the eyes. "If we wait for the door to close this way we'll experience the heat death of the universe." He took a step forward, reaching into his pockets as he did so. "EVERYONE, STAND BACK!"

The Stone Heads moved away from the door, smiling as their Lord and creator held a bob-omb in his hands. Gritting his teeth, he flung it at the door.

BOOM!

The explosion knocked about seventy five percent of the Stone Heads off their feet and almost caused Bowser to lose his footing on Wario's shoulder. Gripping onto the fabric of the shirt, he coughed as smoke entered his lungs. He was so busy hacking away that he barely heard the Stone Heads' cheers and didn't even notice Wario running into the now destroyed doorway.

"Come on, my babies!" Wario yelled. "We have a mission to complete!"

The Stone Heads cheered and rushed into the castle. While they seemed determined and fearless, Bowser himself couldn't help but experience chills running up and down his spine. He was not comfortable in the slightest, even with the familiar sights of his castle right in front of his eyes. If Arnie was capable of brainwashing Roy and Morton, there was no doubt that he had been able to brainwash the other Koopalings. The thought of Bowser having to go up against his own children in combat scenarios made the Koopa King physically ill.

"INCOMING!"

In a blink and you'll miss moment, a sparkly blue fireball shot towards the Stone Heads. The force of the impact pushed many of the tiny soldiers onto their backs. Bowser's heart leapt into his throat as a burning scent filled his nostrils.

"Oh no," He murmured. He looked up and saw Ludwig levitating over the group. The glassy sheen symptomatic of being brainwashed looked odd when accompanied by the blue flames that emanated from his body. The Koopa King gulped. "We're in big trouble now."

Wario laughed. "Trouble? I fart in the direction of trouble." He pulled more bob-ombs out of his pocket. "HEY, BLUE HEAD!" He threw the bombs at Bowser's oldest son, causing him to fall out of the air with a grunt.

"HEY!" Bowser glared at the fat man. "That was my son!"

"That son of yours is a mindless killing machine," Wario replied. "We would all be dead on our backs if…"

Wario didn't get to finish that sentence. A blue fireball hit him square in the chest, flinging him back against the wall. This caused Bowser to go flying.

"AHHH!" Before he knew it, he was face down in the royal red carpet. He pulled himself to a standing position and gasped when he saw Wario lying unconscious against the wall.

"WARIO!" He yelled. His heart pumped extra hard. His whole body shook.

"KING, LOOK OUT!"

Before he knew it, Saph pushed him out of the way of another fireball. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the Stone Head. The light of the fire was reflected on the shiny blue surface of their head.

"King need to be careful," he said.

Bowser nodded as his breathing turned to hyperventilation. "I…thanks."

Saph smiled, brightening up his already shiny face. The smile vanished as another fireball landed less than five inches away from where they stood. He looked at Bowser with wide, frightened eyes. "We need go!"

Bowser nodded right before Saph lifted him onto their shoulders. With feet quick like a deer, he carried the great Koopa King through the crowd of Stone Heads. Fire fell around them, creating a sort of apocalyptic atmosphere. Bowser looked at his eldest son through the ever thickening smoke. Doing so almost made him break down into a crying fit.

"We almost safe," Saph said just before they turned the corner. The scent of fire and the sight of smoke clogged the atmosphere, making breathing difficult. Even seeing was becoming a chore, as Bowser had to squint just to see the corner a few mere inches away. It was a miracle that he and Saph managed to reach the corner without passing out.

Once they were safe, Saph lowered the Koopa King. Both of them tried to get their breathing under control. It took a while before Bowser's breathing was steady enough to allow speech. "Thanks, Saph."

"King welcome," Saph said. They let out a gasp, a horrified one. "Oh no!" The pointed forward. "Big persons!"

Bowser turned his head to where Saph pointed. His heart skyrocketed into his throat when he saw Larry, Lemmy, and Wendy. Within seconds, the three Koopalings were running toward them.

"AHHH!" Bowser jumped out out of their path. With the only thought in his head being a thought of survival, he dashed past them down the hallway. He could feel the Earth quake beneath his feet as his children ran after him.

"Must destroy the King," they said in monotonous, frightening unison. Lemmy reached into his hammerspace and pulled out a bouncy bomb from his hammerspace and threw it. Bowser was knocked onto his stomach from the explosion.

"YAAH!" He looked up to see his kids towering over him. He felt like crying as he looked into their lifeless eyes. "Guys, it's me!"

Wendy raised her foot. "Say good night, Bowser." Just before she could lower her heel on him, all three Koopalings screeched. Gripping their tales, which Bowser saw were all throbbing red, they ran willy nilly all over the hallway. Bowser smiled when he saw Saph, brandishing his flamethrower.

"Thanks," he said as Saph came over and helped him to his feet.

"King be welcome." Once Bowser was to his feet again, they began running again. Bowser couldn't help but look back at his children as they did.

"I hope we can save them," he said.

Saph nodded. "Saph hope that too." He looked at Bowser seriously. "Where to?"

Bowser hesitated for just a second. "The throne room. We need to go to the throne room." He ran in front of Saph. "Follow me!"

They ran without stopping. Even with their lungs burning from the effort and the smoke, they still ran with the persistence of superheroes. They didn't stop until they got to the throne room. Once there, Bowser was able to get a full view of Arnie, sitting on his throne. The sight of his former Koopa Troopa servant made a fireball grow in his throat at a rapid rate.

Saph turned toward him with a furrowed yet determined brow. "Ready King?"

Bowser allowed smoke to rise out of his mouth. "I was born ready."