Back for more? All right, let's get right into the fallout!
...
Dearly Beloved,
We are gathered here today to have a complete and total panic attack.
As anticipated, my troops managed to pull off the attack on the Mushroom Kingdom's finest without a hitch. That's the fantastic part. Somehow, I'm the one that managed to ruin that and captured Mario by accident.
Me! How is that remotely possible?! Out of my entire army, I bungled the attempt to kidnap the princess and use her for extortion to overtake her kingdom. Here I am, claiming to be the most intelligent being no one will ever truly know, and how do I prove that? By acting perfectly in character and pulling about the dumbest move I've made in ages. Brilliant!
He may be their luscious little hero, but how far would Peach campaign to get Mario back? She wouldn't turn over the castle and courtyard for him, that's certain. They still have his brother too! Blast it all to hell and back again, they'll probably send him out to save Mario the second there's a chance.
Another issue for the damage control is that my soldiers are most certainly suspicious over my actions from the kidnapping. My own miscalculation on the attack is what caused me to catch Mario instead of Peach. He may be heavier than her, but I let my ambition cloud my common sense. Magically, no one noticed until we already climbed on board, not even that Koopatrol! To be fair, they're specifically trained to not question orders, but this was an obvious point to disobey! After that, I continue to think I have Peach and make myself a total fool in front of my men, cry out for help when Mario wakes up, and proceed to lose it with them around.
And as the pièce de résistance, I spare him. The monster they see, the one that stomps down on so many fellow soldiers, was right within their grasp. All they needed was my blessing and they were free to tear him apart, gaining retribution for their lost comrades. But what does their king do? He spares the enemy. Their enemy, his en…my enemy! It should be one in the same! It's that simple!
I should hate him.
So why do I only love him more?
It's just stupid! I can't even think of more eloquent ways to put it because it's just that obvious! He loves Peach! He hates me! What do I have to do to convince myself that he'll never be mine, never the way I want him? How can I even feel anything for him? It has to be lust, not love! We barely know each other. Hell, he doesn't even know the real me.
Why do I torment myself?
Why do I keep going on like this?
Why am I still writing every little thought of fear?
This is an opportunity for me. Before I questioned how someone so mighty could be so frail. Sure, I'm afraid and insecure, but here and now, I have a chance that I beg for. He'll be annoyed, and probably angry, but once he calms down, I can tell him my little secret…wherein little means gigantic abomination that I've guarded so carefully that I planned to die before telling a soul about it. Not even a Boo can find what I've written about. (Especially since I burn half of the notes, but that's beside the point.)
Do I really want to tell him now? I know every possible consequence right? He'll either reject me, or the world will reject us. And then there's the nigh impossible universal acceptance, but there's no chance Junior will understand. I did that to myself, teaching him the charade. Hindsight says how foolish that was, but it worked flawlessly at the time. Now I understand. I know the consequences, I truly do.
So I can't tell him. That would ruin both of us. Destroy everything all of the outliers and whatever were left between us. It's just not worth it.
Reminder: I need a love therapist.
Bound by duty,
Bowser
[Bowser]
Puzzling over the note, I'm thinking about burning this one. It felt good to get it out though. Grabbing a magic scepter, I cast a spell to open a safe. This reminds me of how no one asks where the Koopalings acquired their own scepters. Then again, no one is usually bold enough to ask us about anything.
Quickly, I punch in the combination, stuff yet another sheet of paper in there, close it, and magically seal it away once again. Nostalgia will ruin me sometime, but not today. A knock sounded at my door.
"Yes?" That's too polite. Add a little fire. "What is it?!" Better.
"Lord Bowser, sir," comes a Koopa's voice. Female. "We've successfully put the prisoner away."
"Good." And why did I need to know that? "Any trouble?"
"We kept it under control." Seriously, do I want to know this?
"Excellent. Is there news of my son and the Koopalings?"
"Their takeovers are underway, sir." Could she add a little personality? I understand she's following orders, but I'm not that harsh…wait, no, to them I am. Oh well.
"Very good. Have someone send a report once their work is complete."
"Yes sir." Good, now jump as high as the tallest tower.
"That will be all, soldier."
"Sir, if I may," she starts, still monotone and emotionless. "I'm looking to become a member of the Koopatrol."
"Ok, so go do it. This isn't the ancient days where the kingdoms were beginning; I've got a number of female soldiers as Koopatrol trainees." Everybody counts where every body counts.
"We're required to have a royal seal of approval before applying, sir."
"Right, of course." Opening the door, I see the purple-shelled Koopa with matching shoes and ruby eyes waiting for me. I take the paper she's holding and sign it quickly, reaching back to grab a stamp. She's somewhat unnerving, with her differences from the usual troop, but I pretend to take no notice. Placing an official seal of approval next to my signature, I hand the letter back.
"There you go, Koopella, all set," I murmur, catching the startle in her eyes at the use of her name. She recovers quickly, and takes the letter with a nod.
"Thank you, Lord Bowser. It is my honor to serve you." And with that, she turns to leave, but pauses.
"Is there something else?" I inquire and she turns back.
"The prisoner wished to see you, sir. We denied him and we assumed that we wouldn't mention it, but…I think you should know. It's your decision, sir." She walked out of the hall before I could question her further, leaving me to my thoughts once again.
[Luigi]
It's really terrible how instances of calmness can be so abruptly taken away.
I watch outside Peach's throne room, looking at the cleaning crews in the distance from the attack earlier today. It's already dark out, but they're still trying to undo Bowser's damage. It took a good few months for the Toads to work on everything and I feel for them. The Bob-omb explosions left craters across the road, grass was shred, and the bridge went to pieces. Toadstool Road being left to ruins would be a bit of an understatement.
Glancing down, I've got his speech notes in my hand. I haven't read it yet. It's a bit torn up, but I managed to find it while helping the princess return here. Gently passing it between my fingers, I tuck it away and return my attention outside.
"Master Luigi?" comes Toadsworth's voice. "Are you quite all right, my boy?"
"H-Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." I whirl around and see the old Toad staring at me. "Just a little worried about Mario." More like freaked out, but not that anyone's paying that much attention to me.
Case in point, Toadsworth just pats my shoulder with his cane. "There, there, Master Mario knows what he's doing. I'm certain that he'll be out in no time." Everyone seems to forget this isn't the first time Mario's been kidnapped. By Bowser. And that he needed to be rescued. At least one of those times was by me.
I should be rushing out to go save him now, but usually, Bowser kidnappings have more trouble behind them. We're waiting in Peach's castle to learn more news. The princess herself, however, is left to pace while we wait. I want to calm her down, but she's much too bothered to listen.
Turning back to the window, I wait quietly for someone to speed in and tell us what else they know. I may not be the bravest brother, but even I can't wait forever. If no one comes in the next hour, I'll—
"Princess!" A call sounds as the large red throne room doors open. Peach stops and faces the front of the room. Toadsworth and I follow as the Toad runs forward. "We've got a bad situation on our hands, your highness!"
"Yes, Mario has been kidnapped," Peach sighs. She seems…annoyed? By the Toad? That's unlike her.
"No, your majesty, it's worse than that!" The frantic Toad sounds, jumping in place a bit. "Bowser's minions are trying to take over the rest of the kingdom!"
My heart sinks as I realize my impending mission got a taller order. Fit for the taller brother, I suppose. Swallowing hard, I focus as Peach responds with a flat, "Go on."
[Bowser]
Making my way to the chambers behind my throne room, I move to the private cell, usually reserved for Peach. Two Koopas turn and look surprised upon my arrival.
"L-Lord Bowser? S-Sir?"
"Leave us."
They looked as though they would have protested, were it not their king giving the orders. Nodding, the duo walked away, leaving me with him. Mario stood up and walked over. He looked ruffled, with his vibrant clothes a little messier than usual, maybe a few holes, and his hat was down over his left eye, but overall, he was still in good shape. (Shut up, I mean his condition, not body.) Upon getting a closer look at me, he raised his visible eyebrow, still frowning.
"Am I actually speaking to the Koopa King? Or is this another False Bowser trick?"
His voice sounded dry, with a touch of rasp to it. No one must have given him any food or drink yet. Obviously; after all, they hate him, unlike Peach.
"This is the one and only," I grunt and can't help but smile. He probably doesn't realize it, but it's not my usual boastful grin, but a genuine one.
"Funny how you grabbed me instead of Peach," he continues, with an aim to hit my pride, I'd imagine. "Something that elaborate seems like it would make her the intended target."
A chuckle escapes me. "She was, at first," I begin with a little truth, but decide not to give in to him that easily. "I realized, however, that getting you out of the way might be worth my while. If they refuse my demands, then who can stop me from kidnapping Peach now?"
Mario swallowed hard; tables successfully turned. He coughs and continues, "I know several people that can."
"Who?" I laugh this time. "A bunch of miserable Toads? Or your little, green brother? They're both far too cowardly to face me."
"They'll do what they need to." He returns this quicker than I expected. There's a pause and we stare each other down. He snorts and then starts again. "Honestly, I thought Peach's personal prison would look nicer, or be more comfortable."
Laughing again, I answer: "Contrary to the popular belief, Peach's cages and cells usually don't have any more special treatment than other prisoners' jails get. Maybe a ribbon for a mocking decoration, but that's about it."
"Ah." He nods, and I can't tell if it's meant to be condescending or not. He pushes up his cap and I see his hair is also messy underneath. Not enough to cover his deep blue eyes; not enough to spare me. "Why do you kidnap her?"
Isn't it obvious? "I want her kingdom. They're not willing to hand it over, so this is my preferred method."
"Bowser, this is constant." He sounds a little more upset this time. "Why do you really take her?"
"What do you want me to say?" Returning a question with another is an obvious avoidance tactic, but I really don't understand.
"The truth," he sounds back. "There's more to you than just kidnapping princesses and taking control of kingdoms, isn't there?"
"Well sure, I've got my kid, actually ruling over my own kingdom, uh…" Wait. What was he trying…?
"That's not what I mean."
"Then what do you mean?" I'm impatient now, especially because he sounds more broken every time he speaks. "I'm not a mind reader, Mario. Spell it out."
He looks into my eyes this time. They're as beautiful in the dark as they are under the sunlight. I'm searching them for something and he's looking for something else in mine. What is he trying to get at?
"Do you love her?" It just comes out softly and suddenly. I need to blink to focus again. I should step back to better assess everything, but I'm too into him.
"What?" I let out, even as I've figured it out.
"Do you love Peach?" He asks it, a little louder now. His face looks crestfallen as if he already knows the answer. And right here, I want to lie. Right now, I can crush him, make him hurt for all the ways that he tortures me. It's easy, isn't it? After all, I know he loves her. And he thinks I do, as if we have some weird love triangle going on that will never end. What Mario doesn't know is that the triangle gets a little more twisted than that. But if I tell him the truth, then what happens?
I don't know. And I'm curious to see how he'll act.
With that, I shake my head, but I realize he's not paying attention. "No," I grunt a bit, and he looks up with the most astonished look. So, let me make it clear. "No, I don't love Princess Peach." I come close to the truth, but I wait.
Mario's eyes have widened. His mouth opens to say something, but he doesn't know where to begin. The expression reads totally perplexed. If it's not love, then why do I do it? Why do I claim it is? Why do I continue the farce that everyone else so easily believes?
He doesn't see it. He most definitely doesn't get it.
Mario is a moron.
A smile creeps back onto my face, but it's more of a grimace. I doubt he'll see the distorted parts of my eyes, the grin.
"Does that make it easier for you?" I taunt, covering up my emotions. "Or are you more worried for her safety than ever before? You can keep your precious princess all to yourself. I just need to take her kingdom first."
There's nothing left to say here. I turn to leave, begin walking away.
"If not for her, then who?" he blurts out.
My hand is against the door and I stare at the claw, and then let my gaze drift to the door. Why are half of the things red around here? …Why else?
A deep breath in, a deep sigh out. "You," I whisper as I push the door open, certain that he couldn't hear it. The guards walk back in as I trudge out. My heart's racing and as the doors close again, I take a minute to control myself before walking back to my quarters.
That's the closest moment we've ever shared. Yet that moment is already so far.
...
Aw, Bowser's crushed. On the bright side, he's made progress! ...Sorta. Um...how about that Luigi perspective?! Whoo, Luigi representation! But, oh crap, he's got Mario's letter! The suspense is brutal!
Anyway, I looked into different Koopa characters that exist and never found the name Koopella, hence the new character. (Peach being the only visible girl wouldn't be any fun, even if she's getting ready to bust heads.) More importantly, I don't think we've seen a lot of standard Koopa Troop members with distinguished genders, and I don't see Bowser as a discriminatory type (he'd use anyone to make ends meet), so I figured, why not? Stammers, Koopella...Goomba, Koopa...guess who plays too much Paper Mario?! Ahahaha...I need to stop, but I can't. (Honestly, Koopatrols are the most underused villains in Super Mario history and have so much potential.) Why am I talking so much? Help.
Seriously though, I enjoyed getting the letter and perspective swapping in a chapter together, however briefly. I'm going to continue that for the next chapter, yeah! ...Hopefully. But I liked it being a little more focused again, since the last chapter bounced around a lot. At the same time, it didn't totally ignore what happened with the secondary characters, so that too. Usually, if I add a character and name them, I want to make sure they do something. Otherwise, they don't need to be added. (Or serve a meaningless existence only to become cannon fodder. Mwahaha!) Whatever works.
So, what will Mario do about being a prisoner, and what he's learned? In fact, what are Luigi & Peach going to do about Mario? Or does Bowser control the situation? If you'd like, let me know your thoughts in the reviews. Comments and criticisms welcome! And thank you all for reading this far! It's really exciting since this is my biggest story as of posting. This is also has the most views as of posting, so double bonus points. (Though it's mostly the first chapter, so that might not be so great, huh? Still, I will keep trying!) Thanks again!
P.S.: I heard this pairing has the name of "Bowsario." IT HAS A NAME, YOU GUYS. LET'S MAKE THIS SHIP SAIL! (Lolshipping.) But really, this is still nonexistent. Even if I'm not serious about it, this should have some backing, right? Link and Ganon[dorf] do, and they've got a lot. (Then again, Legend of Zelda has, what, 3 main characters? Mario's got 4 and arguments could be made for at least 8, depending upon who you count.) ...Bowsario forever, guys. Altogether now!