What it lacks in length, it more than makes up for in weight. Brace yourself, here comes a big chapter.

...

Morning Mario,

Sorry that I couldn't stay with you until you woke up. A few of my troops have pounded on my door and asked for my presence, so duty calls.

Hope you slept well. Last night, you didn't really toss and turn while I was awake, so I think you were ok for the most part. I'm worried though and feel like I should have tried to stay up longer, just in case.

But, here you are this morning, still sound asleep, and you look fine, so I keep trying to tell myself that you're ok. Truth is, I'm still worried about what you told me. Don't get me wrong; I'm glad that we're on the same page now. It's just that I want to know more and see how else I can help you. I don't want you to be miserable every single time you try to sleep.

Then again, that led you to spend the night with me, so…maybe there are some benefits? (Don't glare, I'm teasing. Mostly.)

Really though, I enjoyed talking with you last night. It didn't really amount to much, and I kept turning the more serious matters into, well, silly stuff, but I was glad to have shared the night, with the different stories and topics. Except maybe that one where I went on too much about that tennis tournament. That was just…sorry.

And I don't mean to sound so lovesick or obsessive, but you are cute while you sleep. You tugged all of the covers around you, like you're in a little cocoon of red blankets. Also, your hair is messy, but I like the way it looks. It's kind of pushed up on one side and spread out, so it gets a good laugh out of me, but it also has a natural flavor that I can't quite pin down. I guess it's a little wild, maybe.

Sorry, you didn't really need to read all of that, but I can't scratch it off. So, secret's out, I'm into you. (As if either of us had any doubts.) In fact, I feel like we're actually going in a good direction. Do you feel like we're getting closer? I mean, obviously, since we're dating, but I just wonder if we have that good of a connection.

Nope, I digress, enough of that. Kamek should be by later with a big breakfast; I'll eat later, but I made sure that he could bring it by once he has a chance. That way we won't need to worry about anyone else walking in and…well, you can fill in the details.

Anyway, I need to get going. There are a few things on my agenda today, and I need to speak with the Boomerang Bros. battalion, Rex troopers, and the Cheep-Cheep squadrons. Not that you really need to know about all of that, but apparently I'm just telling you everything today.

Thanks again for spending the night, and if I helped at all, I'm glad to have done so. It's been ages since I've had that with anyone, where we actually bonded. And now that we're not beating each other up, it's much easier to talk with you.

All right, I really have to go. Don't worry, I'll be back later to overbearingly gush over you and awkwardly make us both uncomfortable. That's my specialty!

Love,

Bowser

[Bowser]

As I snapped my collar on, I stare at the letter I left for him on the pillow. My eyes continued to bounce back and forth between it and him, as he snuggled deeper into the dark red sheets and sank under covers.

Even though I had been up for a while, I couldn't bring myself to leave that quickly. He was comfortable here, safe. And I wanted to stay with him and keep things that way.

A knock came at the door. "Lord Bowser, sire," came a Rex's gravely voice. "It's been a half hour since you told me you were coming. The troops could really use your presence soon."

"Yes, I'm coming," I called out and strolled across the room. Part of me felt I should have been more forceful, but I didn't want to wake Mario.

But should I? While we have just another moment together, should I just wake him up for a little bit? All I need to do is just nudge him with my nose, give him a quick kiss, and we'll be good to go. He could go back to sleep or it might be better for him to be up and alert.

Still, I don't imagine that he's slept as well as he was this moment. Kamek should be able to stop by shortly anyway.

Reluctantly, my hand gripped the door and I slipped out.

With a pivot, I turned to face the Rex soldier who had come to collect me. Nothing out of the ordinary with him: purple scales that coat the body, orange belly and tiny, sharp wings, red boots, horn on the nose, two small spikes on the tail, thin eyes, and a pair of protruding fangs on either side of the mouth.

"Is everything all right, Your Highness?" he asked.

"Fine, fine," I murmured. "Just a little slow this morning. Not a lot of sleep."

The Rex nodded and moved to guide me back downstairs, but he stopped short as Junior walked in.

"Morning Papa," he warmly greeted, but took note of the Rex trooper that had shown up. "The Koopalings were looking for you too."

"Tell them I'll get to them later on," I relayed to Junior. "I'm running late and I've got three other troops that need me too."

"Why are you running late?" questioned Junior. "I thought you were up a while ago."

"It was a long night, Junior, don't worry about it," I hurried my response and waved the boy to follow us down the stairs.

Junior followed, but continued to bring up conversations. "There are a few Koopas that are wondering if you're all right, lately, Papa."

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

The boy shrugged. "Well, the Koopalings told me that they say that you've been acting weird lately," he explained. "You captured Mario instead of Peach, used him as a chip to start war, didn't kill Mario, locked up a bunch of people that made an attempt, ordered everyone away from those guys—"

"And it's a strong plan in progress," I cut in.

"The Koopas don't think so. They think that you're doing too many things that are different from usual," Junior continued. "They think that Peach would have been the better bargaining chip for taking over the Kingdom."

"We've gone down this route before," I grumbled. "I made the mistake earlier, but this works out well enough. Peach is always rescued by Mario, so with him here, we can try to turn the tables on that." I pinched between my brows and let out a heavy breath. "I'm improvising, but it's not a bad plan. Why is that so difficult to follow?"

Honestly, I wasn't expecting my son to have an answer to it, but I needed to let it out somewhere. Gossip doesn't normally weigh down on me, but lately, it's been hitting harder than usual and slowly breathing on the truth.

I climbed down the last few steps and exited the stairwell behind the Rex and Junior. We walked through a few stony hallways to the right, then the left, and made our way to a studded door. The Rex walked in, and I turned to face Junior. He's quiet and stared down at his feet.

"You know I'm trying, right son?"

He looked up at me, and tugged down on his bib. "Sure, Papa, but…you have been different lately. Some of it's a good different, and you seem really happy some days, but other times it's different. And I feel like you're trying to hide something from me a lot of times."

If it's that obvious to him, it's that obvious period. Air swept in through my nose and I softly exhaled it.

"You might be right Junior," I relented. "We should have a talk later. Send my message to the Koopalings and I'll see you eight later."

"Ok, I will, Papa," he nodded and turned, but I grabbed him to hold him back for a moment.

"How are Iggy and Lemmy doing?" I asked as I turned the boy back to me.

"They're up, and they're better," Junior reported.

"Good. Do they remember what happened exactly?"

"Lemmy can't remember anything exactly, but usually agrees about what people tell him. Iggy remembers just working on the door, a flash, footsteps, and that's it."

My claw raked through my hair; I knew it was that Red Magikoopa, but without knowing much else, I couldn't do much about it. He wasn't the only one that wore a red robe, which would make finding him difficult.

Still, I shook my head. "All right, thank you son. Go, I'll see you later." And I bent down to give him a tight hug. "You keep those Koopalings in order for me, all right?"

"I will, Papa," he hugged back and ran off with a smile right after.

Once he was out of sight, I followed the Rex inside and found the troopers inside as they rushed about the spacious room, practicing formations and attacking methods. There were a few obstacles set up, mostly with open space and several steel platforms, set to simulate the mountain-like environment they would be sent to.

"So, what am I here for?" I asked.

The Rex began, "Well sir—"

"Hold everything!" shouted a deeper voice. "I'll take over from here."

He nodded and stepped aside as another Rex walked up. A few things about this Rex in particular were different. He had black scales where the typical color was purple, a white belly where it would have been orange, larger white wings that he might actually be able to fly with, wider green eyes, white boots, and three tail spikes instead of two.

"Hello, milord Bowser," he…purred to me. "My name is Nix, but you can call me what ever you like."

"Uh, hi," came my flat response. "Nix is easy."

"Memorable, good, I should hope so," he licked his lips slowly and lowered his eyes.

"Um…are you in charge?"

"If you'd like, I could be," he suggested with a quick wink.

"What? It's a yes or no question."

"Oh, don't worry, I have…some authority here," he murmured as he eyed me up and down. "It's been a while since I've seen you in the flesh, sire."

My eyebrows shot up and I tilted my head a bit. "…Right, so, what am I here for?"

"Some of us were requested to deploy near Seaside, not just by the mountains," he informed me. "We were hoping you could…" he gazed at my arms and down a bit before his eyes came back to my face. "…Give us some tactical advice. Among other things, of course."

"Sure, I guess? Does this need to be right now?"

"Oh, yes," Nix purred. "Yes indeed, milord."

I shifted uncomfortably in my position and folded my arms over my chest. This Rex was acting…oddly, to say the least. Quickly, I glanced down to reassess him when a small little brooch of my emblem caught my eye. It was pinned on his right shoe, barely noticeable, but definitely there.

"See something you like, sire?" He chuckled softly.

Our eyes connected again and I blinked at him. "Just show me what you need."

"Of course," he murmured and beckoned me to follow with a finger. "Right this way."

With an exasperated sigh, I trudged after him.

[Mario]

The click of the door, along with a creak open, woke me up as I threw the covers over my head.

"Relax," came Kamek's unenthused voice. "It's just me. Bowser wanted a tray of breakfast brought here."

A tray's clatter from the end of the room confirmed that.

"Being a confidant over this relationship is just so rewarding," he muttered to himself as he shuffled back outside of the door.

With a laugh, I tossed the covers off of my head and heard a paper flap. I turned to the pillows next to me to see a small note written out. As soon as my eyes registered my name, I took the note and read it over.

Bowser had written a small bit, a love letter, to me, explaining about sending Kamek in, where he was, and that he had enjoyed our night together. My hands shook as I read through it, and my heart pounded, but then sank.

He was happy just to have me here, just to be by my side.

There was a clatter from the tray and I jumped up from the bed. It was on a small round table on the opposite end of the bedroom, with a large silver tray that covered its surface. I grabbed my cap from the nightstand, brushed my hair with my hand, and pulled the hat over it. Quietly, I crept over to the tray and lifted the lid.

"Yikes!" came a cry. "O-Oh. Mario, it's just you. Phew."

The Red Toad hopped off of the food tray and laughed. There were several empty plates, along with bits of food that were torn and scattered, with sauces scattered along the tray and smeared napkins.

"So you managed to sneak into Bowser's room too?" My hand clawed at the back of my head. He looked up at me with a bright smile. "Nice work! Great minds, huh?"

"Yeah, sure." Not even close.

"Well, it's a perfect place to get ready for our escape attempt," nodded the Red Toad.

"Wait. Just…how long were you under that tray for?" I had to ask.

"Oh, uh, a little while," he pondered. "Long enough to have myself a pretty fancy feast! I didn't think you'd be here already though; I would have saved you some."

Part of me was hung up over the fact that it was for me, but I forced a smile and nodded to him as he knocked on the discarded lid.

"It's pretty soundproof in there too, and I tested it before I stowed away," he explained. "Must be so durable to keep the food warm…lucky for me!"

"Good thing," I chuckled.

He suddenly straightened his face and dropped a fist into an open hand. "All right, so I still have a Magikoopa wand in case of emergencies, but we're looking for a clean run." The Red Toad reached into his vest and pulled out a Cape Feather.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, not withholding my awe.

"It took ages to find one, but I brought with me from Peach's Castle before I came here," the Red Toad explained. "Remember, you can't fly indefinitely with it, so the second we hit the ground, we'll be swarmed by enemies."

"The way to the roof is just down the hall," I explained. "We can get a good distance before they see us fall. And after that, we'll fight to clear some distance and—"

"Mario, we'd be doomed if we had to fight off Bowser's army with just Capes," interrupted the Toad. "There's a secret pipe, a Warp Zone, that's hidden at the tallest volcano's base. We can take it in order to find our way back to the Grasslands."

My mouth dropped open. "We'll be right near home."

The Red Toad nodded, but gravely added, "It's a one-time use, so we need to go together and make sure we aren't followed. And this is the only Cape Feather we've found in years, Mario; as soon as an enemy attacks you, it's gone."

Slowly, I nodded. There would be no avoiding enemy attacks. We would literally need to run for it from our landing point and shoot straight for that Warp Zone.

"To tell you the truth," the Red Toad went on, "I actually had a completely different idea devised while I was still preparing to rescue you. They got word that you were here from the castle and sent me whatever records they had on that Warp Zone." He scratched his head. "Honestly, even I'm surprised with how many attempts people have made to rescue Peach, but then they fail and usually end up leaving it to you."

Peach's failed rescue attempts left a heavy weight in my mind; our chances for success were virtually non-existent. And I felt fear for this Toad, who would pay far steeper consequences than I would. I shook my head.

"You've done well, Toad," I congratulated him, "but this isn't worth the risk. I can stay here until more help arrives. I don't want you risking yourself for me."

He looked up at me and smiled. "That's something that Peach would order us to do too. But if I hadn't timed this out Mario, if I wasn't sure of myself, we'd still be waiting." His expression then changed to a more determined one. "I'm not leaving you here. You're our best chance and everyone else is already risking everything they have to come find you. I've come this far and I'm not about to quit."

He held the Cape Feather up before me.

"Whenever you're ready, Mario."

My eyes glanced around the room for a moment; not to take in every detail, but to get a good reminder that Bowser had brought me here himself. He opened up every inch of his heart with little to no questions. The Koopa King risked the wishes of his own people, of the ideas that he built his kingdom upon, for me.

But this place wasn't home.

With a heavy sigh, I stuffed Bowser's letter tightly, securely into my overalls. The Red Toad smiled again when my hand stretched out and clenched the Cape Feather. In a bright flash, the Cape Feather divided itself and turned into two long yellow cloaks. Capes. The Toad and I fastened one each around our necks and our ankles and nodded to one another.

"All right, now we hurry," the Red Toad cries as we burst from Bowser's bedroom and into the halls.

I lead him to the doors to the roof and knock them open to the next staircase. Our sprint is fast and we didn't check for anyone else that could be in our way. The Capes flap after us as we push off from one step to the next.

Quickly, we smash the doors to the roof open and rush outside. The roof is a long stretch before it runs out; it's perfect to build momentum.

We hardly pause as we redirect ourselves from the stairs, in the direction of the tallest volcano. "Ready? Go!" I hear myself shout as we race toward it, running with whatever energy we could give.

Our capes beat in the wind behind us and we keep our eyes on the edge. Just as we come to it, we jump over it and grab hold of the capes.

After we're in the air, we have a brief second of flight before we quickly feel gravity pull us down to the ground. My hands grip the cape, and I watch as the ground comes closer.

Forming a bubble shape, the cape catches the wind and gives me a bounce, firing me back into the sky.

With a quick glance, I see the Toad fly up past me, able to go further with less weight. He laughs as we bounce across the sky, toward the volcano.

Slowly, we're adjusting our height and descending from the dark clouds and soot that line the dark sky.

We're near the volcano and closer to the ground when I hear a boom sound in the distance. Cannon fire.

Within seconds of that registering into my mind, a cannonball comes whizzing past us. Another one speeds across, just over us.

The third, however, strikes the Red Toad's cape, and in a flash, it's gone. With a scream, he plummets to the ground.

Hardly anything else goes through my mind as I dive bomb right after the Toad. His fall is fast, but he's light, and my drop, even with the cape slowing my descent, is quicker.

My arms reach out and I snatch the Toad. He holds around me as I ready the cape again. We're near the ground and I puff it out for another bounce. The cannon fire continues in the distance.

Just as we lift from the ground, a cannonball smacks straight into my cape. It bursts in a flash and the Toad and I turn just a bit before we crash hard into the ground.

We push off of the ground, and I grasp my arm. Pain, but not broken. It wasn't from too high. I glance ahead and the volcano's massive base is just some distance ahead.

"We're there, Mario!" the Red Toad cheers. "We're right here!"

A sharp bang is heard from behind us. We pivot to find a swarm of Koopas with Bob-ombs, Magikoopas, and Hammer Bros. chasing after us.

The Red Toad whips out his wand and fires a hex out. The spells come out with various colors and shapes as it hits the ground. A rumble sounds and the Koopa troops skid to a halt as the earth before the rises.

A stonewall billows up and the Toad grabs me to run forward. I turn as it continues to form, and I stop looking once I see that none of the Koopas have followed us.

Once we arrive at the volcano's base, I notice a circle of markings that form the shape of a door. With another wave of his wand, the Red Toad casts another spell to unseal the base and, crumbling open, the volcano's secret Warp Zone is revealed.

Rapidly, we rush inside and the Toad whips the wand again to seal the volcano behind us. He taps it just before the stones close and lights up the interior. It's a red and craggy cavern, with slight markings on the walls around us. Just ahead, I see an orange Warp Pipe, ready for just one use.

"Mario, let's go home," the Red Toad happily cries as we walk toward the pipe.

"Stop!" thunders a voice. Impossible.

We whirl around and a lone Koopa Troopa stands opposite to us. He holds a wand out, his hands trembling. He's not trained to use it properly.

"Don't move!" he orders.

"You're outmatched," I reason. "We have a wand as well, and there are two of us. Give up now and—"

My words are left unfinished as a spell fires out. The Koopa flies backward while his wand shoots out and hits the cavern's wall.

I'm too stunned for a moment, but I turned to see the Red Toad pull his wand back. He waved his hand in front of me.

"Mario, are you in there? Bowser's Koopas can't be reasoned with!" he harshly reminded me. "Remember?"

I shook my head and stared at the Toad, who patted my arm lightly.

"It's hard to remember sometimes, I know," he soothed. "There are some Koopas that you've worked with, some that don't work for Bowser. But that one was definitely not one of them."

For a moment, I gazed back and saw the Koopa flopped over on his back. With a squint, I could see that he was unconscious. I turned back to the Red Toad and nodded.

"Let's go home."

Together, we jumped onto the orange Warp Pipe and plunged down into its dark abyss, its sanctuary.

[Bowser]

My hand slammed the door open and I rush out from the stairwell. Kamek called out from behind me, but I refused to listen. With a roar, I punched the wall next to my bedroom door, which had been left wide open.

Reports had buzzed through the castle the second someone caught Mario's escape, but I didn't want to believe it. He wouldn't. But he did.

My teeth were clenched, and smoke billowed from my nostrils. Water burned my eyes.

Kamek lightly grasped my arm. "I'm sorry, sire."

"One time!" I roared. With a gasp, I lowered my voice, but it's not by much, and I'm still yelling. "I kidnap that damned princess repeatedly, and he's always there to save her. Finally, I have him here, I tell him, give him, everything, and he runs?" My claws dug into the doorway and I carved straight down. "Why?"

No answers came to mind, and Kamek just shook his head.

"Sire—"

"No. I want answers! I want to know why Mario, my boyfriend, decided to run long after I kept him here. I—"

"Your what now?"

My eyes nearly popped out of my face as shot wide open. Kamek jumped and we both slowly turned around. Ludwig's voice sounded. Morton's hand dropped from the doorknob.

Just a few feet away, Junior and the seven Koopalings stood outside of the boy's room, mouths agape, and all eyes on me. Briefly, I exchanged a glance with Kamek, who shook his head, and we turned back to face them.

...

Wow. What a shocker huh? I totally didn't see the Rex troopers being used in this story!

Yes, Mario and Red escaped. Yes, Junior and the Koopalings heard that. Yes, Bowser is having a very terrible day. Wasn't that such a fun chapter?!

Very briefly, meet Nix, an aptly named Rex that has a certain soft spot for his Koopa King. I themed him after the Black Yoshi (and partly after a Winged Yoshi) because the design was super cool in my mind. He'll show up with the rest of the one-off characters...later.

Super Mario World just happened to be stuck on my mind long enough to have the Cape Feather be used for the escape attempt. I bounced between that and the Super Leaf for the critical escape, but decided that the Cape hasn't seen much use besides Mario's smash reflector in a while. Apparently, the developers of Super Mario 3D Land faced the same choice when they were making the game and went with the Super Leaf. Fun choices!

Oh, and it was intentional to suddenly switch to the present perspective during the escape attempt; I wanted there to be a more action feel to Mario's flight, and give a slight sense of, "will they make it?" as the reader went forward. (Of course they would, but in the moment, it was still very breath taking.)

So, Mario and Red are on their way back to Peach's Castle, which is exactly where Peach and the others are headed! Shortest adventure ever? Hooray! ...Well, not quite. Peach still has a kingdom to restore order to, and Bowser's still very much in control of the other territories. But hey, the heroes almost have their ace back! Bowser may not be quitting, but he's going to have some explaining to do. Whoops.

But that'll do it for now. Gotta save the intensity. Please let me know what you think of the chapter and the story so far, with a message or a review! Thanks again for reading!

PS: McDonald's has a new commercial titled "Archenemies," in which iconic heroes and villains are all getting along to spread love. And there's a brief moment in which Mario and Bowser show up, and Mario presents a potted Piranha Plant that shoots out fire hearts, and Bowser smiles and laughs with him. Now, that's not really meant to be a Bowsario shipping moment, but it totally is. IT'S LEAKED OUT INTO THE WORLD, GUYS. KEEP SHIPPING!