(Again, thanks to all who have responded and are enjoying my story. More surprizes to come in the near future!)
We last left Bowser as a young and confused Koopaling, whose siblings were taken away from him to become slaves. His only friend now, a mysterious witch named Kamilia, has taken him under her wing and spent years training together...
Years had passed. The once freezing region of Keep Canyon was now warm and infested with plants. Trees surrounded the cottage where Bowser and Kamilia stayed, training each day. Bowser was no longer a helpless child; instead he was a short, yet muscular and quite handsome Koopa. He trained everyday by punching and hitting trees with his father's war hammer.
As much as Bowser had changed, Kamilia hadn't. She still looked exactly as she did when the two first met, yet growing wiser every passing day. Bowser assumed this was the work of her magic.
Bowser was now nineteen, and it was a week exactly before his birthday. One day, while punching down fire wood, a Koopaling came running down a hill, waving his arms frantically. Bowser stopped him in his tracks, worried.
"What's wrong?" he asked. The Koopaling had a puzzled expression on his face, like he couldn't decide if the news was good or bad.
"The King…Wart…he has run away!" the young Koopa gasped. "He simply vanished a few days ago! Now, young King Toadstool is taking the throne!"
Bowser took a few seconds for the news to settle in his mind, and then sent the Koopaling on his way. He went inside the cottage and told his mentor the news.
"Hmm…" she thought. "Well, Bowser, it looks like your training will finally be put to the test. The day has finally come to rescue your sister and make Mushroom Kingdom a free land for all Koopas." Bowser could barely hide his excitement, and tried to act like a mature Koopa.
"Then we will fly…tonight." He stated. Kamilia gave him a smile.
"You are too big to fly on the back of my broomstick, Bowser," she said. "So I got you an early birthday gift. Come." She gestured for the Koopa to follow her into the backyard, where a large object was hidden under an even larger sheet.
"What's this?" Bowser asked, trying to hide his curiosity. The witch grabbed onto the sheet and gracefully pulled it off, revealing a medium-sized cockpit-like machine with a propeller on the bottom. The Koopa starred at the machine in confusion.
"It's a flying machine." Kamilia said proudly. "I designed it myself. You simply sit in it, it reads your thoughts by magic, and it automatically takes you where ever you want to go." Bowser felt a smile grow upon his face as he walked over to give Kamilia a small hug.
"Thank you, Kamilia." He whispered. She smiled warmly.
"You're welcome, my son."
That night they prepared themselves for the moment they both had been waiting for, Kamilia on her broomstick and Bowser in his new flying machine. They took off together, like shadows over the moon.
The flying machine worked like a charm, taking Bowser directly to the castle without any hassle. Once there, the machine made a smooth-as-silk landing and the two rescuers made their way back into the dungeon. Bowser had a sickly feeling of déjà vu when he made his way down the dark corridors, which were filled with even more shadows. This time, however, he was ready to attack.
They snuck into the prison and quickly noticed something different about it. The slaves…they were gone. Fear filled Bowser's spirit as thoughts of Brilette filled his mind. What could Toadstool have done to them?
Kamilia then spun her head around and gestured for Bowser to, quickly, hide in the shadows with her. Confused, the Koopa did as he was told. Soon afterwards, three Toads came in, dressed in new and shining armor, ushering the tired and sweaty slaves back into their cages. The King had them work twice as long as they did for Wart!
Anger consumed Bowser as he growled softly, forcing Kamilia to shush him up. The Koopa couldn't hide his frustration, however, and his revenge begged his body to leap up and attack.
And that's just what happened.
With a powerful cry, Bowser jumped out of the shadows and slashed at a Toad, killing him instantly. The Toads took out their spears and began to stab at the built Koopa, but Bowser showed no mercy. He grabbed their spears and snapped them in half like twigs. In his mind he thought he could take them all on by himself, when suddenly a dozen more emerged from the prison door. Kamilia watched from the shadows, scared for her student.
As more and more Toads appeared, and Bowser got more and more tired, the witch began to notice the Koopa slow down his attacks. He was losing. Kamilia needed to find a way to help Bowser before they killed him. She dug into her mind and thought of a transformation spell. When she finally thought of one, she stayed in the shadows and recited her spell:
"Sapos de la energía poderosa,
Usted es truely fuerte,
Pero qué sucedería si,
Duró no para largo,
Revolucione la raza poderosa,
Tome una ocasión, destruya la deshonra,
Usted ahora terminará, sesenta cuatro,
Mi encanto poderoso hará una repetición!"
The Toads then froze in place. Not a muscle in them moved. Bowser, now bleeding from his arm, stared in confusion. He got up and slowly walked over to the shadows where Kamilia was hidden. Her eyes were shut and she was deep in concentration. Soon, the Toads began to glow incredibly bright, blinding the slaves. An explosion of color came next, then died down. The slaves and Bowser looked in awe and triumph as they saw what Kamilia had done.
The once mighty Toads were now remarkably small, the tallest one three feet, and had the smallest muscles Bowser had ever seen on any creature. The one thing that everyone noticed, though, was their amazing resemblance to mushrooms. Kamilia had transformed them into tiny Toadstools. Bowser could hardly hide his smile, even though he was bleeding tremendously. Kamilia had grown tired and could barely stand, saying, "Bowser…we have done all we can do for now…we must retreat before the King comes…"
Bowser stared at the small, insignificant Toads, then at the slaves, and then back at the witch, shaking his head. "No," he said soft yet stern. "I have waited years for this day to come. We've gotten this far and we can't give up now…" He looked over at the slaves, their skins chapped and cut. "…for their sakes."
As much as Kamilia hated the idea of attempting to bring the slaves back with them, she allowed Bowser to do what he wanted. He gathered as many injured and hurt Koopas as he possibly could and began to walk out the door…
"Well, well, well…" a strong yet young voice said, from beneath the shadows. "Look who's returned to the scene of the crime."
Bowser turned his head around and growled at the mysterious man. He was quite short, yet had an aura of power surrounding him. Bowser could sense it. This man had a long, purple cape hanging from his neck and a small crown placed upon his head. A small, brown mustache stood underneath his smaller nose. He was quite handsome, with one exception.
"Toadstool?" Kamilia questioned. The man starred at her, a look of disgust in his eyes.
"That's King Toadstool to you now, you old hag." He sneered, his voice dripping with hatefulness. "And I intend to keep it that way…now, may I ask why you turned all of my servants into tiny mushroom creatures?" he asked, smiling. Bowser was surprised by the King's tranquility.
"No, you can't." Bowser replied. "But I will ask you why you treat my kind like animals."
"Because they were put on this Earth to serve man!" he cried out, as if he was an impatient scholar trying to teach advanced mathematics to a three-year-old. "Koopas are like mules and donkeys! They have always served and will continue to serve!"
Bowser roared at this. This, however, wasn't a little roar under his breath. This was an explosion, like flames could emerge from his very throat. The slaves back away, the King widened his eyes and stepped back…even Kamilia shivered at the thunder-like cry. The King drew his mallet.
"Do not try to frighten me, slave!" He exclaimed. "You are no different from the rest of them! You are my servant already…you just don't know it yet!" Bowser, wounded arm and all, leapt into a horrible fray with the King, who had the advantage. He was healthy and unimpaired, and he was armed with a killer hammer.
Kamilia starred in horror as her pupil began to attack the King, who was quite built. Toadstool dodged all of the Koopas attacks, which were powerful yet slow due to his injury. The King kept a smile on his face through the entire battle, laughing at how easy it was. Soon, he tripped Bowser, who fell hard on the hard stone floor of the prison. The moonlight poured onto his body like a white blanket.
All he heard next was a powerfully loud CRACK, like the mountains of Crabclaw being smashed to bits. His entire body went numb at that moment, with the exception of his back, which felt like large, dull rocks were being jabbed into it. He then heard Kamilia gasped and knew that something so horrible as to startle the witch must've been dreadful. The King has smashed his shell with his mallet.
Toadstool smiled triumphantly then kicked the Koopa hard in the stomach, making Bowser double over on the ground. Kamilia stepped out.
"Stop!" she begged. "We will go, but please! Don't kill him!" Toadstool looked at the witch and laughed.
"Why should I do such a thing to the likes of you criminals?" he asked. The witch replied by lowering her brows and stating, "Because I transformed each and every one of your Toads into weaklings. I can do the same to you."
This caught the King of guard, but you could barely tell by his outward reaction. He simply wiped his cape and ordered two shortened Toads to usher Kamilia and Bowser to the courtyard. Filled with gratitude, Kamilia dragged the nearly dead Bowser back to their flying devices, and wondered if peace and justice would ever be brought back to the Mushroom Kingdom…
(R & R)