Wow, sorry this took so long. I've been uber busy with theatre and whatnot. Plus, for the longest of times, wouldn't let me import this chapter! Gah, it's been frustrating, but here's the next chappie:
I've recieved a lot of feedback saying how perverted and stupid Bowser is when it comes to Princess Peach. But he has spent his whole life running, hiding, and fighting. The only women he ever knew in his life were Kammy and his own sister. If a beautiful human girl appeared in front of you for the first time in your life, wouldn't you be a little bit curious as to what's popping out of her shirt? Haha!
The dark corridors seemed to be made of shadow. The princess kept her hand against the damp, gringy walls of the staircase. Small, unlit candles bordered the gray, eroding bricks. Peach didn't know where to go from there.
Finally, after a few minutes of aimless walking, she stumbled upon a wooden door. Upon opening it, she found herself ankle-deep in frigid water. She lifted her dress to avoid getting it soaked. She was in her basement.
She waded through the dark water for a moment or two, searching for…anything: Mario, an escape, something that would free her from Bowser's clutch. As she walked and searched, she thought of everything that had occurred to her in the past couple of days.
Her kingdom was taken over by Bowser, King of the Koopas, who had a vicious streak miles long. 'Why?' she asked herself. 'He did mention that Father did some horrible things to he and his family. But…what could Father have possibly done to make him so evil?'
Mario had come to her rescue. She was overjoyed by that fact, but Bowser was more than determined to exterminate her savior. This worried her for a while, but thoughts of her Mario emerging from the painting, Stars in hand, gave her a boost of confidence.
But then more thoughts had entered her mind. From the moment she laid eyes on Bowser, she realized that there was something familiar about him. Almost like she had met him before…or had known him her whole life. This, of course, raised even more questions about her past, such as who her mother was. Why had her father never spoke of her before? Why did she have no memories of her?
Her thoughts and questions were interrupted by the sound of water splashing behind a stone wall. Her spirit was lifted high as she thought of Mario, bursting around the corner, bringing her close to him, embracing each other.
Nothing of that sort happened. In fact, all the princess saw was a small bunny rabbit, hopping along nervously. The princess slowly walked over to the bunny, trying not to startle him, but tripped on a loose floorboard. She flailed her arms every which way, trying to keep her balance, then let out a shriek as she collapsed in the water with a loud splash!
The bunny's head jerked up as he immediately began to hop away. Peach cursed at herself as she got back up and began chasing the furry fiend. This animal was quite fast, however, and it took every ounce of strength the princess had to catch up with it. Finally, she had the creature cornered up against a wall. She pounced on the little critter and grabbed it tightly in her gloved hands.
"Who are you?" she asked, looking quite crazy with her hair wet and sticking this way and that. The poor rabbit shivered as he tried to speak.
"You…You are with Bowser…yes?" he stuttered, scared out of his fur. Peach blinked a couple of times, startled by his question, then responded,
"No, I'm not with that tyrant. Why?"
The bunny sighed with relief as he slowly stopped shivering. "Oh…Oh, good. At first I thought he sent you to do even more terrible things to me. But I see that you are nothing more than a prisoner, as I am." The princess didn't know weather to take this as an insult or not. The bunny took a slight bow.
"My name is Mips, from the Beanbean Kingdom." He stated.
"I am Princess Peach Toadstool of Mushroom Kingdom. I'm sorry I gave you such a fright." She said, standing back up, dress soaking wet. The bunny gave a slight laugh.
"Oh, no, I am sorry that I ran away from you, princess. I'm afraid that, ever since my first encounter with Bowser, I haven't been as brave as I should."
"Tell me, Mips," the princess started. "Have you been in this castle for very long?" The rabbit lowered his ears sadly.
"I'm afraid I have. The Koopa King managed to seal off any and all escapes. I've been wandering this castle for days."
"Have you seen a man, a little shorter than I, wearing red and blue overalls?" The princess asked hopefully. The bunny raised one ear and cocked an eyebrow, placing a paw under his furry chin, thinking.
"You know, come to think of it, I have seen someone of that sort. Has he a mustache?"
"Yes!" Peach exclaimed happily. "That's Mario! He's come to save us!"
The bunny's face was still grim however. "Yes, I have seen him, hopping into paintings. Last time he leaped out of one, he was covered in cuts and bruises. Tell me, princess, do you know where those paintings lead to?"
Peach thought about this, then answered, "I do believe they lead to different parts of the Mushroom Kingdom. For example, the painting entitled Bomb-Omb Battlefield leads to the civil war-infested state of Ombaria."
Mips was quiet for a moment. "It's obvious that Bowser intended to hide the Stars in the paintings themselves, but instead sent them to different locations scattered along the land. I do believe that they are the only escape from this castle."
The princess's face became grave as well. Her beloved Mario was jumping back and fourth between worlds. That couldn't be at all safe, especially if Bowser designed it.
"Tell me, Mips, what painting is he in now?"
"I'm afraid I don't have that information, princess, but if I see him, I will bring you proof that he is OK."
The princess looked grateful. She picked up the small bunny and gave him a soft hug.
"Thank you, Mips." She stated, before retreating back to the secret staircase. "I'll be back in a few hours. Or days. Whichever, I'll have to see how Bowser is doing. He's probably searching for me as we speak, and the last thing I want to do is get him angry."
Mips smiled. "Then return, princess. I shall keep my eyes out for Mario."
After another "Thank you", Peach began ascending the stairs once again. However, this time, the candles were lit. The princess had little time to question how this was possible, for she quickly found another wooden door, this one slightly smaller. Curiosity was begging her to open it.
'I shouldn't' she thought. 'Once Bowser realizes I'm gone, he'll go insane and kill Mario for sure.' She continued to debate over opening the door, then finally thought, 'Oh, what the hell?' and turned the rusty door knob…
Well, I hope that explains a little bit as to what the levels and bosses really are: different lands across the Mushroom Kingdom. More to come soon, just please read and respond!