Still with us so far? All right, sit down and buckle up. This chapter's a little bigger, taking a story approach, with a little action & perspective swapping (labeled by character names in brackets). Happy reading!
...
[Mario]
I'm at the castle again. His. It's in the final corridor of my journey, which happens to be his throne room today. We're across the way from one another. It's warm, but not because of the torches lit around the room. He stands from his spiky black throne, revealing the red cushioning underneath.
He looks at me, with his usual toothy grin. Already I am looking from that to his eyes. Red. Fire. Perfection.
Seeing the princess in a cage beside the throne means we're in for a fight. She's in a white dress though, strangely. Wedding? Was he forcing her into it? Why isn't he in a tux? Would he wear one? Can we get him to wear one?
No. Not here. Focus. I need to stop him. I hate it, but I must…
Stop. I'm looking over to my right. My brother is against a wall. He's battered. I don't look long, but I'm sure he took too many hits. But he never ventures this far, or rather, not before me.
I look down. I'm a bit scratched up, but it's not as severe as his. Or, I don't think?
Cries and cheers for a father echo. His son, Junior, is waiting to join in, ready to fight with his father. He looks angrier than usual. Twisted, almost. Pained, somehow?
A thunderous roar erupts and my attention is back to the center, to him. He bellows a breath of fire and I need to move. But I can't. I don't. Why won't I?
The fire consumes me…wait, this isn't right!
Laughter is the last thing I can hear. It's faint, far away. "You're a fool to even look at me that way." His voice. His words. But I never heard him…this still isn't how it goes…no, enough!
I wake with a jolt and nearly fall from my bed. My heart is racing as I scramble up. A dream. A nightmare. That's all.
"Mario?" Luigi, sounding concerned. "You ok? I thought I heard muttering while you were sleeping. Sounded like you were scared."
Looking over the bunk, I meet my brother's eyes looking up at me, into a matching pair, mine. His hair's a little messy, but I'm back at his eyes, which waver a bit. His expression looks more afraid than his voice allows.
I laugh. It confuses and calms him at once. "It's today, isn't it? The opening?"
His frown lifts to a smile. "Of the new bridge and road? Yes, it is."
"Fantastic. My nightmare was about Bowser and his minions arriving to ruin it, but I was already standing at attention in my underwear." I try to make it sound convincing by making it ridiculous.
He frowns again, eyes lowered a bit. He's not buying it.
"What's worse," I added, still trying to sell it, "was having the princess gasp a little 'Oh my!' right behind me, Toadsworth babble about how preposterous it was, and then everyone proceeded to laugh at me. Every time I tried to get away, I walked or jumped into a tree." I pause here. I'm ready to say more, but Luigi's lips curved into a smirk. Now it's close to crazy enough. Now it can't be made up.
"Sounds completely humiliating, bro," he says, getting up from his bed. Luigi moves to the drawers and tosses a red shirt and blue overalls up at me. "Hit the shower and don't forget these on your way out."
"Yep, will do!" I toss off my covers and hop from the top bunk, clothes in hand. Moving toward the door, my hand reaches for the knob before my brother interrupts me.
"Shouldn't you bring that paper?" He points to the desk, with my letter from last night still decorating the center.
Did I really leave that there? I am insane. I'm expecting to rush Luigi to grab it, but he must think better of it and watches me snatch it. Too quickly, I've taken it. Think.
"Right, thanks, Luigi," I force another laugh. "Now I'm positive I'll forget something."
Not bothering to see his reaction, I hastily move out the door. He calls out to me anyway. "That's why I follow you. Someone has to make sure you've got your act together!"
It's unintentional, but those last words sting me.
[Bowser]
After a terrible nightmare of Mario and Peach marrying, with me ruining the wedding reception and being soundly trounced afterward, I wake with a cough.
"What does he see in her anyway?" I know the answers, but I ask the question out loud as it rolls from my head. With a groan, I toss my head back and onto my pillow again. I stare blankly at the ceiling. She's perfect, especially for him. Don't think about it.
There's a knocking at the end of my bedchamber. "Yes?" I gruffly call out, but it gets buried under another cough. Clearing my throat and answering the knocking again, "What?"
"Lord Bowser," comes a minion's voice. It's a grunt soldier, a Goomba, by the sound of the meek voice. "W-Word has been sent that a new road is being built between Peach's Castle and the Toads' little town." Stammering? What, is this a new recruit? Does he think I blast the door open and burn his little…? Bah, enough.
"And I care, why?" And the acting begins, with my continued annoyed responses.
"Um, well, the princess will be there." This has to be a new recruit if he thinks that will get me moving faster. Still, this has already gotten me rolling off my bed and up for the day, so he's got me by that technicality.
"And I suppose her little knight, will be there?" I grunt, and stifle a laugh. Twisting myself a bit, I stretch some while he pauses.
"W…Who, sir?"
Really? "Mario, you nitwit!" Seriously, must I spell it?
"O-Oh! Right, o-of course," stammering little Goomba continues. "Uh, yes sir, Mario, will be there as well." Naturally. "He's meant to give a small speech for the opening, along with the princess." How cute.
I roll my claws through my hair to fix it up before continuing. "Tell me again, soldier. Why should I care? Am I meant to trifle with every little event the princess holds?" Trifle? Hang on, that's almost too good. His mighty king doesn't speak like that. At least, not to anyone's knowledge.
"B-But sir," he continues, "I was sent by my superiors to tell you about this. It does lead to the c-castle. It would be a perfect time to-to kidnap the princess and proceed to eliminate Mario and take her kingdom, all in one fell swoop."
Huh. He's got a bit of a brain himself. I would hope more than the genius that sent him. "If this were any other kingdom, that would be a terrible idea. If everyone will be there, Stammers, why would an enemy like me appear there? So the guards can slay me and lay waste to my army?" Too theatrical with those words, I realize as I yawn. Straightening my cuffs, I realize I'm still waking up. I even named the Goomba.
"I…uh, well, sir, it's…um…"
"You're lucky, Stammers, that we're talking about the Mushroom Kingdom. As always, stealing Peach will be a cinch."
Strolling across the room, I throw open the door. The small little critter hops up with fright and I see his face. It's a Goomba, but his eyes are wider than others and his expression is nervous, not confident. His teeth aren't quite soft, but certainly not as sharp as they should be. He hits the floor hard, but quickly hops up again.
"Y-Yes, sir, certainly!"
"Well? What are you standing around for? Get back to training!"
"R-Right aw-away, Lord B-Bowser!"
Stammers the Goomba speeds off, down the hall, and disappears from my sight. Junior walks out of his room just to see him speed off. Undeterred, he looks to me with a grin on his face. He walks over, and by his bouncy stride, I can tell he's been up longer than I have.
"Morning, pop! …What was that all about?"
"Just a messenger, son." I pat his head. He giggles, still young and affectionate of his father. "It appears that now would be a good time to kidnap the princess again."
"Really? Can I come watch? Oh, I can help you grab her and tie her up!" He's eager, as always. I laugh and pat him again.
"Thanks, son. But if this goes well, I'm going to need you and the Koopalings to move out and begin a total takeover of the rest of the kingdom." His smile drops into a pout. Oh boy.
"But pop," he whines. "Why can't I help you kidnap the princess? The Koopalings can take over the rest of the kingdom without me. I wanna help you! And you need me!"
The kid has a point. Bringing him along could be helpful, and I've done it before. Not today though. I want to be alone a bit. I need to clear my head. If my son's around, I'm going to feel compelled to play father and teacher. Normally, I do love to, but now is not the time. So I force a laugh and put my hand on him.
"Thanks, son! And you're right; I could use you. But if I can take care of the princess on my own, then I'll need the rest of my takeover to go without a hitch. That's where you and the Koopalings will come in. They're pretty good at handling things, but I need to know that this plan turns out well. I'm only going to know that if you go and be ready for everything, son."
Keeping my smile up, I wait. Junior frowns for a bit, letting his head drop down. I doubt my words for a moment before he lifts his head, a confident smile on him now.
"Yeah, ok! You got it, pop!" he responds, full of renewed pep. "I'll go get the Koopalings ready now!" And he races off down another hall.
I let loose a breath that I didn't know I had been holding. Perfect. World's best dad just goaded his kid out of more important work. Bah, I can make it up to him later. And he seems fine with it; he'll only pull this kind of thing up on me when he's a teenager. I've got some time before then. Besides, if the plan does somehow backfire, at least he'll be safe.
Bah, that's enough parenting. The army awaits their king.
[Mario]
The ceremony has been underway for a little while, with probably the whole town of Toads gathered. Princess Peach and I wait on a slightly raised stage, listening to Toadsworth talk about kingdom history. Well, she might be. It's interesting to hear the first two or three times, but after hearing similar speeches dozens of times, I've started to let my mind wander as I awkwardly shift in the small seat, probably prepared last minute and not quite for someone as big as me.
It's fun to see the different expressions on the Toads. A good number do pay attention, listening patiently to elder steward explain how the Mushroom Kingdom came to be, noble rulers that lead to her Grace, Peach herself, my coming here for the first time, and current history.
Casting a glance, I look to see the princess, who wears a bright smile and keeps a steady posture. Honestly, I can't tell if she's completely engaged by Toadsworth's retellings of our lives, or if she's putting up a wonderful performance. Her eyes wander into the crowd, which is filled with a plethora of Toads, many that hold in gasps and squeals of awe once they think their eyes met Peach's. Her smile broadens a bit by their actions, taking in the moment. They look to me as well, and I find myself follow Peach's example, smiling kindly at excited eyes.
I turn my head and share a gaze with Peach. Already the crowd may be getting the wrong idea, but we need to find each other, breathe a minute. There's a moment that she seems like she wants to say something, but—
"And now, a few words from our Princess, Peach!"
Clapping sounded and Toadsworth has finished. Not what I was expecting to interrupt. By her quick jump, she wasn't anticipating it either. Yet no one seems to notice this and she strode up next to her steward, delicately taking the podium.
"Thank you all. It's a pleasure to be here for the opening of Toadstool Road…"
She has a few lines to read over, royal customs. I tune these out as well, having helped her practice one too many times myself. Perhaps it would be hard for anyone other than me to believe just how nervous she can get about these speeches. It's not so much about speaking in front of people as much as it is choosing her words carefully. If I could speak longer sentences and was required to recite stories of the kingdom, I might be as well. But that's not what people come to see me for. No long tales of old are necessary from their hero. Just a few quick whoops and they'll erupt into cheers.
My eyes scan the assembly for Luigi, who sticks out too easily with his vastly different appearance. He's caught up in Peach, not getting the opportunities I've had to spend with her. For a moment, I wonder if there's anything between them that he'd like to explore. Neither has mentioned it, though, so I find it doubtful.
Wandering, again, my eyes take another stroll. There are bright yellow banners around us, confetti waiting to burst forth from golden containers, and a small band waiting to play a few more lovely numbers for their princess. We're by the bridge, not too far from the castle. The stones used for it are smooth, fresh, and feel nice to walk on; maybe one would forget the dull grays used to make it. There's a nice view of a blue pond below it. The road is carefully paved, managing to not disrupt the charming nature around it, filled with lush green grass and tender trees.
It's a peaceful scene, if only a bit dull at the moment. Everything feels a bit too still, stiff, as the weather is fair and the community is neatly gathered before us. They should enjoy the resting time, instead of having to worry about the kingdom falling into disarray. Unlike me, I doubt many Toads are excited by adventures and battles and…facing a certain king.
Wait, no, not here, not now! Even if everyone believes I'm daydreaming about Peach, I don't need to be distracted, disoriented by—
"And now, please welcome our hero and my personal friend, Mario."
Never mind, I suppose. Letting a small sigh out, I jump up, a little high, and hear the cheers from all around. Deciding to give the people more, I pull off a back flip and let loose a loud, "Wahoo!" They love every second, cheering louder. That's enough for now though. I hurry past Peach, who claps and giggles softly, as I take the podium.
"Hello! It's-a so nice to see you!" I don't know why they love the accent, but it's something they've grown so accustomed to. More cheering and clapping continues, so I take a minute to wave excitedly, smile broadly, at everyone. I'm so caught up in the show that I almost miss Peach's gasp. Glancing back at her, she's looking skyward.
"Oh no!"
"It's him!"
"Not now!"
Toads cry out all around as I look to the sky and see the familiar dark airship approach. His majesty's arrived at last. Farewell, peace. This kingdom hardly knew you.
[Bowser]
My ship descends a bit, casting a dark shadow over the folks below. Cries of "He's here! It's Bowser! Oh no!" erupt all around. Delightful. Well, I'm sure Mario and Peach had their fun. It's time for me to ham it up and take the stage. Leaping from the airship with some of my soldiers, we do just that.
"BWA HAHAHA! That's right, you chumps! Bowser's here to take over!" Ugh. Why did I ever pick my dialect to sound like this? If I had just stuck with how I normally speak, when I'm alone, that would still be intimidating. I'm not just brawn; I've got a good share of brains. Sometimes. Oh well, this is all an act anyway. More importantly, it gets the job done.
"Bowser!" a fierce call out that prompts me to turn. The princess. And naturally, her little knight in overalls is already at her side.
"Well, hello, Peach," I laugh. "What a nice little ceremony you have here." A few pesky guards try to climb onto the stage and attack me, but my guardsmen severely outclass them. "What, didn't hand out the power-ups beforehand?"
"Why must you do this?" she chastises. "For once, couldn't you leave us in peace? Is there a reason you choose now to kidnap me?"
I laugh again. "I need one? Peach, dear, any time is as good as the next to kidnap you, for any and every purpose it serves!" Wait. Did I call her "dear" now? Bowser, back it up already. A Hammer Brother tosses a hammer at Mario, but he dodges it. His brother stomps on my soldier. Damn him.
"Give it up, Bowser!" The green one calls. "You're outmatched—whoa!" A few Koopas rush him.
"Bwa ha ha! Hilarious! I'd stay for more, but I've got more plans to keep up with." They're in progress, but they don't need to know that. I jab a finger out at the princess. "Peach! You're coming with me! Mario! Why don't you stand aside? Your brother needs you and a doctor soon!"
"Luckily I've dabbled a bit in that then," he challenges, a smirk on his face. His confidence against me is brimming right from the start. I love it. "My brother will be just fine. I can't say the same for you."
"There're a lot of same things we can't say, huh?" What? Where did that…? Oh crap, they're looking quizzically at me. Quick, cover it! "Like…bomb's away!"
…Pause. Why is there a pause? "I said, bomb's away!" I roar. Late to the stage, a squad of Bob-ombs rushed up and lit their fuses. Mario attempted to rush forward, but that just made it easier for me. I spat a fireball at the back Bob-omb, lighting it up and causing a chain explosion.
[Mario]
Coughing, sputtering, I tried my best to see around the smoke and fire from the Bob-omb blast, but to no avail.
"Mario!" Peach cried out from behind me.
"Hey! Someone grab Peach, let's go!" Bowser roared aloud. No, not today! Turning on my heel, I rushed back and dove to protect Peach. Finding her, I listened to heavy footfall nearing us, approaching faster than I imagined.
"Mario, help!" Peach called out as Koopas approached. I leaped onto one, knocking it from its shell. With a shout, I hurled it at the second one, a direct hit smashing it off the stage. Smirking, I turned to Peach as I heard something whizzing through the—
[Bowser]
Blasted smoke is everywhere. But I'm right on top of Peach now. Cannon fire erupts from around us as I reach forward. Wood tears up from nearby, shavings flying into my eyes.
"Damn it all!" I shout, reaching out and grabbing the princess. She practically falls into me. Keeping my eyes shielded (and a little shut), I try to escape, nearly falling off the stage. "Hey! Get me an escort!"
"This way sir!" A deeper voice called. Koopatrol. That's surprising; they just began training new regiments a week ago. In spite of an unexpected appearance, he guides us from the stage and to a rope. Feeling for it, I grab it with one hand and we're lifted from the ground. Several soldiers call out and I try to look as they jump back aboard. An attempt to mock Peach over another successful kidnapping is met with a sharp breeze into my eyes.
No matter. A kidnapping is a kidnapping. With a roar and laughter, I bellow out to the Toads below. "BWA HAHAHA! Peach is mine again! Rescue her if you dare, Mario! Soon, the entire Mushroom Kingdom will be mine! GWA HAHAHA!" Listening to cries of aguish grow faint, I feel the rope tugged up by my army.
Scrambling back on board, I rub my eyes. A few tears slide, but no major damage. Reaching forward, I tapped the Koopatrol.
"Send word to my son and the Koopalings to proceed with our plans."
"Right away, sir." With that, he marches off and I motion to gather my crew's attention.
"Good work, soldiers! As expected, everything went perfectly."
"Uh…sir?" some soldier starts. Koopa underling. I ignore him.
"Here, let's get the princess tied up," as I motion for some Hammer Bros. to get the ropes, but once they look at me, they can't move.
"Sir?" the same Koopa calls out, more persistent.
Annoyed, I snap, "What?"
"You…may want to take a look at your, um…hostage."
Raising an eyebrow, I look down past my arm and see bright blue overalls. My eye twitches a bit as I carelessly drop him. His red hat flops off a bit.
"We…we kidnapped Ma-Mario?!" a soldier's surprised cry rings out and several others begin to join in on a storm of conversation. I'm frozen. He groans, but I'm barely listening. Shouts sound around me, some pleads for orders, but my eyes are concentrated on Mario as he rises.
"B…Bowser…!" he tries, coughing a bit and sputtering my name out. He's wobbling and I'm tempted to prop him up. But that's a weakness that I can't afford the crew to see.
The crew. My army. Mario…here. Crap! I need to get myself together (after all, this isn't a first). The hero has himself more put together as he tries to steady his fists. No, he'll lose for certain here. My army will swarm him in no time.
"Knock him out!" I call out in a more panicked voice than I would have liked. A Hammer Brother takes the blunt side of his hammer and does so, encountering a somewhat surprising lack of resistance. Mario falls flat to the floor.
The excited clamoring begins. "He's still weak!"
"We got him!"
"Now's our chance!"
"We can end him now!"
"No!" my own voice roars out to everyone's surprise, myself included. All eyes turn to me, perplexed. They realize that I should want him dead. Quickly, Bowser, come up with something!
"We, uh, we are not going to make him a martyr. The last thing the Mushroom Kingdom needs is a reason to suddenly grow strong. And it could take them years, but they will make our fights more tedious than need be."
Murmuring begins among them as they take it in. I don't know if they're convinced yet. "We can torture him and kill him when the time is right, but we need to do this slowly and carefully. They need to believe that Mario still has the upper hand and can escape at some point. They need to fall into the belief that if they obey each of my demands, that Mario can eventually put an end to my so-called 'tyranny.' When they've given us everything, then we can crush their hopes. Then we can kill Mario."
More muttering commences, spreading all around the ship. Eventually, I see a good number of soldiers nod. They are still very tense, but they trust their king. I rouse them to continue the trip back to the castle. Mario is…mine.
...
Phew, that was a big one! Yes, that's the latest so far!
Honestly, I was going for a story/letter mix, since I had one suggestion for each. The trouble was my writing for the letters, which made this chapter much longer than needed and took too much away from the immersion of the overall story. (Trust me, I tried really hard there.) Ultimately, I wanted to try the story feel, just to test the waters and see if anyone would like it. If so, I'll continue story style writing along with the letter exchanges. If not, letters all the way! (Also, I was kind of unsure about the dream sequence, hence there only being one. Let me know if that's cool to use or not.)
All right, so I found perspective swapping fun, but I'm not sure if anyone else would enjoy that. Also, I'm worried that my writing for Bowser and Mario ended up being too similar, so if that bothered you, let me know. If you enjoyed it, let me know and the multiple point-of-view style might return in the future!
Now, actual plot discussion. This chapter ups the ante a bit since I wanted a little more than an "excuse plot" for Mario and Bowser to end up together. (It was either this or a casual stroll which the two meet, read the notes, and suddenly declare love...or a tennis match! Score: love-love; hur-hur, I'm funny and original.) They don't get a lot of love thinking this time around, but they've got the next chapter to do that again. (And it may take a while, but they will! Guaranteed...mwahaha!) Besides, kidnapping is dramatic and the second genre is drama. It fits! (Right?)
In my mind, the two of them wouldn't possibly be able to meet under even sort of normal circumstances. And though it has been done before, Bowser kidnapping Mario just doesn't sit right with me. It's happened, it's possible, but it still feels weird. (Though, I really would love to see the other characters play hero more. Luigi's good, but Peach and Toad could use more love. Or even...the spin-off characters?! Gasp!)
Also, I'm trying to include the other characters as well, so that they're a little more than wallflowers. Some lines for Luigi, Peach, Toadsworth, Bowser Junior, a Koopatrol, and even Stammers the Goomba! Oh, and a bunch of Toads and Koopas/other minions. Not that the focus is going to shift too far from Bowser/Mario, but now we've got more characters to play with. (I might include a snippet in the next chapter as an assault aftermath in Luigi's P.O.V., maybe. Dynamics!)
Wow, I even had to break up my comments for ranting too long. Flat what. Anyway, let me know what you think of this story so far! Fun? Exciting? Hopefully not too predictable. Again, please share and comments and criticisms! Improving my writing is part of the experience, as are the reader reactions. (Also, I really appreciate knowing that people are reading and following this, since I know it's a lot to read and keep up with.)
Until next time, keep your eyes open for the next chapter! Thanks again for reading!