Warning! From this chapter on things get a little too romantic!
Chapter 6: The ambush! Final hours of Earth and the power of love!
"Hello, my Queen." Bedlam said and bowed with the Star Rod in hand. "Good job, Bedlam." Shadow Queen said from her stone coffin. "Now wish back the princess. I can't just take any body." "I wish-" "Hold that thought!" Luigi kicked the Star Rod out of Bedlam's hand. "Who's there?" the Shadow Queen demanded because she couldn't see what was going on. "Insolent brats!" Bedlam said. Marilyn grabbed Luigi from behind and held him tight. "Star Shower!" a voice said from the passage the led outside the Shadow Queen's grave. A rain of glowing stars fell upon Marilyn and, in pain, she was forced to drop Luigi. Skolar and Goombella were now on the scene. "Get that Star Rod at all costs!" Luigi commanded. "Try it." Bedlam smiled. All three heroes charged forward. "I'm not a pushover like Vivian!" Bedlam said with confidence as she raised her hands. "The Star Rod will amplify my powers!" Luigi, Skolar, and Goombella became frozen in small glaciers of ice. Their anguished looks of frozen pain gave Bedlam pleasure. "I wish Princess Peach was alive!" Bedlam commanded the stars while still holding her arms up. The star rod glowed and then shattered. It couldn't handle the wish of bringing someone to life. Luckily, Bedlam's desire fuelled it with even more dark power.
"What? Oh no!" a voice said behind the stone coffin. Princess Peach rose from behind it with fright. The stone coffin shook and glowed with dark mist. It entered Peach's chest, and then the princess shook uncontrollably but the power was too much to handle. Peach couldn't hold against it and she transformed. Her fair, healthy skin was turned into dark, unruly fur. Her teeth turned into sharp fangs and her eyes became red, searching for blood. Her dress was destroyed, leaving nothing of the former princess. What stood in her place was a huge dog-like creature. It howled, scaring Bedlam and Vivian. When Shadow Queen first possessed Peach, her powers were weaker so Peach's body was still intact but her power have increased over seven-fold and this is the result. "Thank you, my loyal servants. Come and accept your reward!" Bedlam and Marilyn hesitantly walked over. The Shadow Beast inhaled through its mouth and sucked up it's loyal slaves. "Momma mia!" Mario yelled as he appeared on the scene. "My good friend Mario! Long time, no see! Have you come to try and stop me?" the Shadow Beast asked. Mario nodded nervously and then took control of himself. "Kage Buushin no-ugh!" The Shadow Beast stopped Mario's assault by breathing a large stream of darkness from its mouth. The whole Shadow Castle was destroyed from its power. Everything happened so fast. When Mario could finally open his eyes he was among the rubble of the castle in the middle of the Rogueport Square. His star powers had left him and he was too weak to move. How could he win now? Mario fell into unconsciousness from his despair.
"Mario, Mario." the plumber heard his name being called by a sweet voice. He opened his eyes and saw in front of him, Princess Peach. "Mario, join me." she said with flirting eyes. Mario also saw Luigi, the Star Spirits, and all of his allies frolicking in a field behind the princess. "Yeah." Mario took the princess' hand and they walked together in the fields. Slowly, the clouds above them darkened and thunder rumbled. Mario dismissed it. As long as he was happy with Peach, that was all that mattered. "This is the life." Mario sighed but something was wrong. His voice was higher pitched. He looked at the princess in surprise to see she was about seven years old! Mario looked at himself and saw he was about that age also. He glanced at the fields. Everybody was a now a small child. They all turned toward Mario. "Mario, help us." they repeated with a dull tone. Princess Peach let go of Mario's hand and joined the others in their cryptic chant. "Mario, help us." Then, one by one, they started to fade into darkness. First, Sushi, then Kooper, until the only people left were Mario and the Princess. "Mario, help me." she said as she faded into nothingness. In fright, Mario looked at his own hand and saw it slowly fading away. "No!" He said, defiantly. "I won't be like the others! I'm not helpless! I'll win and save them all!" Mario yelled and he glowed with a bright light.
Mario opened his eyes and flew into the air with a powerful upward take-off. He burst through the pile of debris he was under with anger fuelling his power. He had the power of the stars again. He glanced over the mushroom kingdom. The land was dead and dark. The buildings were nothing but a pile of dust and debris. There was not another soul on this planet, except- "Mario!" the Shadow Beast called out, like it was calling an old friend. Mario turned around to see nothing but air. He looked all around to see where the voice originated. "Down here." Mario looked down and saw the Shadow Queen, not in beast form, looking up at him. It looked like her body was made of soil and forced out of the ground. Upon closer inspection Mario saw this was true. "I was looking for you! From absorbing Bedlam I took her memories. It seems you weren't able to save everybody this time because I ate them! Now that should end your argument with her, shouldn't it?" The Queen smiled when she finished. Mario pointed downward at the Queen's earthen tail with a disgusted look. "Oh yeah." the Queen casually answered. "I've become one with this planet. I'm feeding on its energy right now. I've decided not to absorb or kill you. I'm going to leave you on this barren earth with despair and misery. This is fun, isn't it? I thought I would never destroy your realm! You did well, Mario but not well enough." The Queen was acting like a child in destroying the Mushroom Kingdom and this was ticking Mario off.
He flew high into the air and rained down on the Shadow Queen but he hit nothing but dead soil. The Queen retreated into the ground to dodge his attack! "Darn!" Mario said while spitting out hard dirt. "Just don't try anything, Mario. You can't win." the Queen's voice echoed through the dead kingdom. Suddenly, hands, bare to the bone, emerged from the ground and gripped Mario's limbs tightly, so he couldn't move. Mario tried to fight back in a futile attempt and cried. He couldn't win now. Or could he? "Kage Buushin no jutsu!" Mario called out and instantly thousands upon thousands of Mario clones appeared in a huge puff of smoke. It was a whole army! The clones were able to free Mario from his prison. The wings on his hat started to fade then returned to their regular fullness. "What?" the Shadow Queen yelled in surprise. "I forgot about that move!" Mario couldn't fight her head on and decided to use his brain. Shadow Queen was now fused with the Earth and if Mario could hit the core of the Earth, he would destroy Shadow Queen's hold on it. Mario saw something that helped him with his conclusion. Thank the stars, Shadow Queen had been careless! Peach's body lied below Mario's location in the sky. The army of Marios made a quick dive and landed beside their love. The real Mario bent down beside his princess and stroked some hair out of her face. "I….love you." he whispered. Peach weakly opened her eyes. "Take this." She was barely able to open her palm and give Mario a small star pendant. "I love you too." she said before passing out. The pendant glowed in Mario's hand. A huge cannon made of earth built itself in front of the Mario army.
Thanks to Peach. I don't need them. Mario cancelled the jutsu as the cannon charged up. Thanks to her, I don't need this! Mario took off his wing cap and threw it on the ground with a careless swing. He had no power of the stars. The cannon fired a concentrated ball of darkness, enough to kill Mario if he just had the power of the stars right now. The ball enveloped Mario and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "Phew, that was close. I though he was really going to dig to the core of the Earth and release my hold. Better absorb Peach. Just in case." The Shadow Queen appeared behind the unconscious Peach. "Don't touch her." Mario said from the dust cloud. The Shadow Queen gasped in surprise. Mario walked from the cloud as it faded away and came toward the Queen. "Don't touch her or I'll kill you!" He yelled. "How did you survive?" the Queen asked. "I am protecting Peach and the Earth. I have no time for games. Leave this planet, now." Mario replied and he picked up his unconscious princess. The Shadow Queen smiled and Mario noticed. "I should've killed you when I had the chance." she said in a demented way. "I should've but I didn't. I'll still kill you now though! Your little love connection won't be enough to stop me!" The Queen went underground and a powerful tremor started. Mario panicked and looked around for an answer he wouldn't find. "You fought monsters and demons." The Shadow Queen started. "But have you ever fought a whole planet!"
Mario hopped into the air and his cap turned into a wing cap. This was just in time as a hand of earth reached out to drag him to his death. Mario still had Peach in hand. It was too dangerous to leave her behind. "I'll have to go with my original plan. Destroy the core!" Mario whispered to himself and he did the Kage Buushin no jutsu. "Planning to go for my weak spot?" The Shadow Queen's voice echoed. "I think its useless now!" "Why?" Mario called out. "Because I'm this planet is mine!" The Queen replied. "Just think about it! Instead of a demon of darkness I'll be a whole planet of evil." She chuckled. "You won't reach the core."