Hi, stop right there. Don't scroll right away. This chapter is now the current champion in length, and it literally wrecked the competition. That means it's painfully long and that you should absolutely make sure you've got time cleared up to read it! Why is it so obscenely long? CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!
Also, double cautions and warnings: this chapter does go darker and, there's no way to sugar coat this, features dead fishes. Now, I've included some violent content before, but this stuff is a little slower over the details, so I figured I should lay out a head's up for anyone that's a little squeamish. There's no blood and guts, but it's a bit unsettling, I think. Maybe I'm overreacting, I hope I am, but I'm putting this up here, just in case.
Anyway, I'm not sure if every little bit of this chapter is super necessary, but as I went along with it, I wasn't quite sure what to cut. If you've got suggestions on things to cut away, I'm totally open to removing it from the chapter. Usually, I don't really press for long chapters, but I realize that, going forward, things might become a little more lengthy. (Ew, reading. Who does that? …Oh.) So, maybe everything works nicely for this chapter, maybe it'll be the oddball until endgame, I have no idea.
Ok, I could tell you more, but I've already included light spoilers, and I hate doing that, so read on and enjoy!
...
My Dear Bowser,
Perhaps that's a little too strong of a title, so I'll start by apologizing for it. However, I'm driven mad, insane, over your absence, with a limitless feeling of agonizing pain that hits me more frequently than I realized it would.
It should be no surprise, considering how desperately I wanted you. What I had desired from you was something fictitious, impossible for anyone to comprehend as a realistic and plausible option.
Yet, you had sought the same, and pressed the ideas in my mind forward.
Being with you, even for just a short period of time, not even a month, was just exhilarating, breathtaking. Something about having you made me feel alive, and whole, complete. The time we shared together wasn't ideal, not at first, but I grew comfortable to be near you, and blissful with how precious everything had become.
Most of all, it was you who made me feel worthwhile.
Granted, this kingdom considers me an asset, and they value my abilities, but it was really you who saw beyond that. And I suppose it only makes sense, but I can't tell you how desperately I love to be seen as something besides a hero. I am mortal, we all are; I grow weary of needing to live up to expectations, as anyone would. And as much as I like to see the smiles light up in people when they see me, it's not because they know and love me. They're delighted because I protect them, keep them safe, and I'm able to reassure that their tomorrow will come.
Is it selfish if I too desire that same feeling, those same thoughts? Perhaps not so much the protection, or the safety, but rather security, comfort. I don't need a hero, or some type of knight, to stand up and take blows for me. But I need someone to see when I'm ready to fall, when I'm at my weakest, and still want to pick me back up, press me on, keep me going.
Am I too bold in telling you that you were becoming that?
The mistakes that I've made are numerous, not even including those that I made in your company. Yet, when you did see me broken, when I did falter, you didn't make me feel like anything less for it. It was by your insistence, your confidence in me, that I kept going.
Even as you faced your struggles and troubles, you pushed past them to make sure that I would be right there with you. When your troops came after me, you guarded me, knowing that I didn't need it, but because you wanted to keep me safe anyway. After I had horrific nightmares, you comforted me, not because it was the right thing to do, not since it would make us closer, but because you wanted me to feel better.
Where others might have identified these as weaknesses on my part, where I might have shattered all confidence and hope by allowing myself to fall apart within your walls, you simply put me back together again. Nothing seemed imperfect to you, or at least, you didn't let my flaws deter you. It's true that we were only just getting to know one another on a completely new level, but from what we had, I was already hooked, already wanted more of it, of you.
I had you. And yet, I left you.
Certainly, my living conditions were not what I wanted, but I understood the bind we had entered. We both knew about the risks, the difficulties that would arise from it, from us. And I was fine with taking it slow, or I imagined that I could endure it. Sure, I had some curiosity that needed to be sated, exploring rooms that I shouldn't have, and some misgivings that I felt were fairly powerful, but I planned to move past them. I could be wrong, but I think you felt the same, in some regards.
But I had to leave; you were already struggling with my presence, and adding someone else on top of it was a greater gamble than I wanted to test. That Toad would not have been as safe as I had been in your castle. In the short amount of time I had to think about it, I knew that alone was enough to leave. More over, had I kept the Toad at bay from rescuing me, had I hindered his efforts, what would we do then? You hesitated to tell your son the truth, I've kept it from my friends; it was too much of a risk.
Maybe I had more time to think about it, and there's a chance that we could have stayed there. He might have been fine. We all might have. But I didn't want to put that much on you.
Still though, I understand that I didn't tell you, that my actions still betrayed your intentions, your love for me. And for doing that, I am sorry. It's probably too late to tell you so, too late to smooth things over, but I need you to know that I still do love you, that I still want to have you in my life. You've already done so much for me, and I need to return the favor. I don't know what to do or how, but I will figure this out.
However, I need you to figure that out, because when you're not by my side, I can't see the whole picture. When we're not together, the nightmares take over and it's impossible for me to think as clearly anymore. And now that I've had you, now that I don't, I'm longing for you, yearning for that clarity that you gave me.
Yes, I think it's too much to ask you for forgiveness, but if I still try, if I don't give up on us and share your determination, can we find ourselves together again?
Will you forgive me?
Love,
Mario
[Mario]
With a heavy sigh and trembling hands, I folded the letter and stuffed it inside my overalls. A yawn escaped from me, and my eyes weighed down a bit; though I had rested, sleep never came. Closing my eyes led back to visions of my previous nightmares and I was afraid to completely fall asleep, and my heart raced over their possible return.
It's a little excessive of me to have written all of that, perhaps overboard. But some small desire in me hoped that he would read it some day, that we could still be lovers. It's either that, or the crippling fear of anyone else finding it tucked away in this room, that I kept it with me.
A knock at my door made me jump. Luigi opened the door.
"Hey," he greeted. "We're ready to go to Seaside. Peach was hoping you would come with us."
Though I was hesitant about leaving the room, I nodded and followed my brother out to meet the others.
[Bowser]
My eyes scanned the hallway and I waited a minute before I opened his door. Without hesitation, I slipped inside and closed the door behind me.
After I turned around, my heartbeat picked up as I gazed into the room. Small, dark, dingy…had I really kept the man I called my boyfriend locked up in here?
Slowly, I inched forward and crawled about the room. A little less sheepishly than it should have been, I sniffed the air for his scent, as if it would still be here.
Making my room into a prison was a way to level the field, but torturing my mind to the point that I'm unsettled without him here? It doesn't make sense. We weren't together long. Mario's absence shouldn't affect me to the point of restlessness, clawing at walls and desks, or throwing pillows around the room.
But it does.
Quietly, I sat on his bed and slid my hand along it. This is overly emotional and I don't need to react like this.
No, you just don't like acting that way because you think it's weak.
Damn it, Kamek. With a heavy linger, I pulled at his sheets and dragged my claw across it gently. My nails tugged each fold along and ruffled the sheets.
It was the faint sound of a paper flapping that got me to pause.
Quickly, I flopped across the bed and threw the pillow away. A small letter floated in the air and I swiped at it while it dodged my grabs. Annoyed, I snatched at it once more and caught it in my hands.
A letter. His handwriting. Was it for me?
My eyes scanned the first words at the top. "To Luigi," I read and disappointment flared up instantly. Of course he wouldn't have written to me; I was already here.
Still, I kept reading; I hungered for his words, any words, even if they weren't for me.
He doesn't know where to begin or what to tell his brother, but he makes it clear that I haven't harmed him. Skipping through the lines, I scanned past them until I see him mention my castle or me again.
Although I tried not to falter, my eyes move slowly over one part: Sure, there is the threat of death that looms around the corner each day, and I fear for my life on multiple occasions…and I feel the worst ache in my chest. Stab my heart a little harder, won't you? Even though the next lines make up for it, the damage is already done.
Again, I scroll through the words, and he mentioned that I kept a tight surveillance on him. Mario made it clear that though he couldn't do so, he wasn't looking to escape.
"So why did you?" I begged for the paper to magically answer in his stead.
When it didn't, I skimmed on. Something about truths, being open minded, and I'm held up again: Bowser needed to tell Junior, so I should be able to do the same with you. A few more lines in, I caught: I love Bowser. And he loves me.
And had I stopped there, I might have been able to swoon over Mario some more. But I kept reading, and paid for it: It is a farfetched concept. How could a villainous king fall in love with the hero that constantly thwarts his plans, takes away every opportunity at conquest, and denies him that desire to rule? How can a man love a monster?
How are we possible?
My mouth fell open. Unrealistic, that was a given earlier. But by the point he was in this room, when he wrote this? How could he still be questioning…us?
Further along: Honestly, there is a struggle in my mind over accepting us, especially when I'm confined in just one room for most of my days, but it's worth the effort to try, isn't it?
Then he repeated himself:
Are we worth it?
That was essentially how it ended. My hands quaked and the paper flapped with each shudder. The last line etched itself inside my mind. He was seriously unsure of us. For how long had he felt like this? All this time, I hadn't been completely positive about the direction, but I had thought that, at least between us, we were fine.
The door open and I listened as my hands tore the paper in half. My eyes whirled about and focused on Junior and Kamek.
"Um…Papa?" he asked. "Are…you feeling ok?"
"No," I confessed in an uneven voice, and I bit my cheek. "But I'll be fine."
"The Koopalings and I are ready," my son informed me. "And Kamek's coming."
"Good," I growled. "We can use more powerhouses."
Kamek and Junior exchanged an uneasy glance with one another, and then back to me. "Sire, are you…certain about this?"
"Positive," I snarled. "I want him back."
Though I now had my own misgivings, I still had a right to answers. And Mario was going to give them to me. One way or another, he was coming right back here.
[Mario]
An hour had passed since our group left the castle. Already, we could smell the salty air from the waters just a short distance away, and we continued along the sand coated pathway. The sparse trees waved in the wind that blew by, and we glanced over the cliffs that we traveled, with Seaside waiting for us below.
Luigi and Yoshi led the way, while the Toads crowded together behind them. Daisy and Peach chattered a bit in between them, but Peach had slowed her pace to fall back with me, as I trudged quietly behind the group.
"You're usually the first one forward," she whispered to me and nudged my shoulder.
"Yep," I admitted. "Guess I'm still tired."
Peach slipped her hand into mine, and as if on cue, Daisy peeked back, smiled, and returned her attention forward.
"I love how well this works," giggled Peach as she lifted our hands to show me. "I suppose we make the perfect couple, huh?"
My head bobbed up and down. "That's how it seems."
She sighed and lowered our hands. "Honestly, Mario, I feel so much better with you here."
"Is it because everyone else lowers their guards when I'm with you?" I teased.
"Oh, that's a definite benefit, absolutely," she laughed. But quietly, she continued, "It's not just that though. I truly feel…safer with you around me."
"Of course." Everyone does.
"That came out so plainly, I'm sorry," she murmured. "I don't want you to think that I'm just happy to have my knight and journal composite back with me. I worried myself sick that Bowser had hurt you."
"But he didn't," I reassured her. "Just put that behind you now."
"You don't understand," Peach sighed. "I broke down while I waited. Normally, by the end of a week, you'd have rescued me. A week ended and you weren't back home. I was desperate. And that's why I…well, this." She hoisted her scepter up with disdain. "I'm not you, but with this, I could move as quickly as you do, save lives. I was so certain that Bowser would have killed you, and the 1-Up Mushrooms are so scarce now that I…I don't know, I panicked."
"Peach, you don't have to explain yourself," I rested my hand on her shoulder. "Not to me."
"Maybe not, but I can't rationalize it myself," she persisted. "Talking to you gets it out. No one else really gets it, gets me. They don't understand how much of a show I normally need to put on, being the regal princess that could be a friend to every living creature." She exhaled a heavy breath. "It's hard to put on a cheerful face when tomorrow you're going to deal with a wicked king that will impede all of your hard work again."
Her words about Bowser bother me, regardless of accuracy. I forced myself to nod, and rubbed her back. "I understand. Putting on a charade is a pain."
"Yes, yes I know. You don't always want to be the big hero," she reiterated her words that I've heard several times before. "But you're good at your showmanship, and have what you need to show for it. Not to belittle your issues, but being the perfect, benevolent ruler of this kingdom is a lot harder."
"We both have hard lives to lead," I argued. "Everyone does. But still, you don't need to act like the weight of the world is on your shoulders."
"Don't I?" she questioned. "Don't you do that too?"
"Well…yes," I caved. "But, it's not all that healthy, and—"
"Mario, we're put into these positions and we have standards to meet," Peach explained. "You and I don't really get time to…well, be normal."
She was right, but I didn't want to give up that easily. "Peach, we really don't need to live up to every single expectation," I tried again. "Sometimes, we just can't keep up that perfect image that everyone sees in their idols."
"No, we can't," she agreed. "But we need to nevertheless. When you think about it, everyone needs to put on a show the minute they walk outside and meet someone."
"Not always," I contended.
"Usually," she amended. "Just once, I'd like someone to not need me to be so—"
"Princess!" cried a Toad, and we looked ahead to the Purple Toad. "We've got enemies up ahead!" He pointed down to the beaches, with Rexes and Koopa Troopas parading across them. With a squint, we could make out the Cheep Cheeps in the sea.
"Let's take them on!" rallied Daisy.
"Easy, Daisy," Peach waved her down. She gazed back to me, studied me, and then returned her attention to the others. "Mario's still tired. Someone should stay back with him and keep him safe."
"Peach, I'm fine," I rolled my eyes, but she shook her head.
"If we really need you, it'll be for something a lot harder than what's up ahead," she insisted. She leaned closer to me, and whispered, "I don't want them to take one of my best friends from me again. Leave this to me, please."
She straightened herself back up and our eyes met. Her eyes reflected the sky. Limitless. I couldn't stop her once she made up her mind; she wouldn't allow anyone to. With a small sigh, I nodded.
"Daisy, you'll stay back and keep Mario safe," commanded Peach. "We'll clear a path up ahead and make it easy on him."
"Me?!" cried Daisy. "Look, Mario's great, but I came along to actually help you. After what we planned out back at the castle, I thought—"
"We had assumed that Mario would be back up to speed," argued Peach. "He's not. Just leave the rest to us while we clear the way open."
"But why can't his brother, or Yoshi, or one of the Toads—?"
"We assigned them to teams, remember?" reminded Peach. "Luigi can't work alone though, so I'll go with him."
"Hey, I could too!"
"Right, but you don't have…" Peach thought for a moment, probably about the right way to put it.
Daisy, however, finished it for her: "Oh, what, your magical wand? Give it to me, I'll blast holes into everything!"
"One, that's not a good idea," Peach contended. "Two, it won't work for you. Or did you forget—?"
"Family blood forged magic or whatever, no, I got it," huffed Daisy. "You know what? Fine, whatever, go ahead. You split into your pairs and go clear the path to the fortress." She folded her arms and maintained her annoyed expression.
"All right, let's go everyone," Peach ordered to the others. Though Luigi and Yoshi hesitated, they looked me over and nodded. Then, with the rest of the Toads and Princess Peach, they marched down the coastal cliff, toward the shoreline.
I frowned and turned to Daisy. "Sorry. We'll help out with the fortress, I promise."
The ginger haired princess stared at me; her eyes were a darker blue than the rest of ours, save maybe Yoshi, but almost an opposite of Peach. "You think this is because of you?" She asked. "This is because Peach wants to get back at me."
"Over your arguments earlier?" I questioned. "Daisy, you know that Peach rarely holds a grudge—"
"Yeah, usually she just hates Bowser," she interrupted. "But that stupid wand is messing with her head! You and I both know it, everyone does!"
Maybe not me, as just a minute or so ago, I was talking with my dear friend.
Still, taking on Daisy's temper would not be smart. "I'll admit that she's worked up," I consented. "But she's got her heart in the right place—"
"Not a chance," snapped Daisy and she plopped down on a flat white stone. "She's just trying to get me worked up and pressured into using magic too."
"You…you can use it too?" I asked.
Daisy bit her lip and pressed her hands along the rim of the rock, but nodded. "Magic isn't really a prerequisite to be a ruler, but, well, Peach and I have it in our blood."
"I didn't know that."
"It's not exactly something we want to air," explained Daisy. "The side effects from using any kind of magic are…well, pricey. I'm sure Bowser would do the same, but he has so many grunts to fall apart for him, there's less of a need."
Though I wanted to defend Bowser, I shrugged my shoulders instead.
"It's not a great idea, at all though, for Peach to be stuck on using this stuff," Daisy continued. "Magic is meant to be a last resort kind of thing, not a way to flaunt your talents or settle scores or whatever she's up to."
"And yet…you carried something with you too," I observed.
She glared at me, but pressed her eyes shut and slipped her gloves off. On her ring fingers were two silver, flower-shaped rings, with turquoise pendants in the center.
"Peach knew you had those," I murmured and Daisy nodded.
"You getting kidnapped is…rare," Daisy sighed. "Not unheard of, but rare. And it's been almost a month, which is a long time for Bowser to be holding a grip over everyone." She twisted her hands around and glowered at them. "I'm so annoyed at Peach because I'm angry with myself. We had the same reaction; she just acted on it. I didn't because I wanted to believe that you'd be ok." She dropped her hands and smiled at me. "And I was right, you are. Well, mostly."
"No, you had it right, I am," I insisted.
"Right, that's right," Daisy agreed, but frowned. "It's just…I…" She pursed her lips, wrapped her fingers together, and lowered her head to stare at them. "You're strong."
A laugh slipped out of my mouth. "So are you. A lot of us are."
Daisy shook her head. "No, Mario, you're almost inhuman," she argued. "I still remember how Tatanga had captured me, that sick little purple creep." Daisy shivered and held herself for a minute. "But…you came through, and saved me," she continued. "You went up against what my people couldn't. What I couldn't stop, you did." She looked back up at me. "And you do that repeatedly for Peach, like it's nothing."
Maybe because Bowser went softer on me than I realized.
"It is a lot harder than I make it seem," I tried, but Daisy remained unconvinced.
"Not even Luigi has the tenacity you do," she noted. "He's good, but you're…I really don't know how to put it. Born to be a hero?"
"So they tell me," I chuckled.
"But…you get why Peach panicked. Why we panicked," Daisy relented.
I shook my head. "I understand, but you can't really believe—"
"What, that you're superhuman?" asked Daisy. "I'll admit, your use of power-ups steered me away from those thoughts, at first. Lately, though, when we do see each other, every so often, I'm almost positive that you have to be."
My eyes rolled and Daisy laughed. "If you think so."
"Yep, I do," she asserted. "And, that brings up another good point: we never really hang out anymore. You saved me once, we spend some time at sports and parties together, but I feel like I've gotten to know Luigi better than I have you. And you're the one who saved my kingdom!"
"You're right," I nodded. "We should probably spend more time together." Cleverly, I had to add, "Guess Peach had more in mind about us staying behind together."
The Sarasaland princess shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past her, but I'm not giving her that much credit." Still, she smiled again. "Guess we are kind of the odd ones out this time around, what with you being a little out of the loop and me…well, trying to finally be in the loop."
"Daisy, Peach didn't mean what she accused of earlier," I soothed.
"Yes, she did," Daisy muttered. "And…she's not entirely wrong. I should be here, more often than just for fun. But, sometimes, beneath all of this toughness I show the world, I just…feel a little self conscious, just a little bit of doubt in myself."
"We all do."
"Maybe, but it feels like everyone else brushes past it," Daisy sighed. "I put on a brave face, and I talk big game, but when I'm faced with a big crisis, with kidnapping in particular, I just…" she shivered. "It's a little bit tougher."
"Daisy, you were abducted," I reminded her. "An alien nearly took you off planet."
"You've been to space," she argued. "You even met a girl who lives in space. I get so annoyed over myself for worrying about it."
"It's not a normal thing," I contested. "Daisy, it's all right to—"
"Mario, please," she interrupted. "I want to be tougher, braver, like everyone else. I want to become my mask." She picked up her legs and pressed her face into her hands, which rested on her knees. "You wouldn't get it. You're a hero. This kind of pressure is—"
"What, non existent?" I snapped. "Do you really think I don't know what that feels like?" Calmer, I continued, "In Bowser's Castle, I literally feared for my life, like I was going to die any minute. You and Peach have been through that, I get it perfectly. How the two of you reacted makes sense."
"It does, and it doesn't," Daisy conceded. "But…thanks. I feel a little more…or maybe not as powerless…whatever, you helped." We laughed a bit before Daisy changed topics. "How was that, if you don't mind? Like, besides the fearing for your life, which was awful, but…how did you cope, really?"
It might have had something to do with my boyfriend being the king over there. Should I tell her that? It was difficult enough to share with Luigi, and Daisy wouldn't take it well at all, or might even tell Peach. On second thought, I'd be insane to tell her, but…
Was it something to share with anyone else?
"Um, I, uh, managed," I stammered out. "It was difficult, but they kept me alive."
"Right, as the bargaining chip," Daisy recalled. "Toadsworth explained that to me." She shook her head once more. "You know what? It's fine; we both get what it's like to be a victim. You don't need to relive that for me."
"It's not—"
"Zip it!" she jumped up and put her hand in my face. "Positive thoughts, from here on out, got it?" That's not exactly where my mind is— "Hey! Don't drop your sad sack eyes on me! I mean it, Mario!" Daisy placed her hands on her hips. Was this the same princess that just confessed to being somewhat insecure just minutes ago? "As soon as the others come back, we're going to kick some—"
"Koopa shells?" offered a voice. Yoshi and the Purple Toad strolled over to us. "I prefer to munch on them myself, but—"
"You two finished already?!" cried Daisy.
"Yep," giggled the Toad. "First areas are usually the easiest."
"That's true," I agreed.
"Come on, it's a quick way through," Yoshi beckoned us to follow.
The four of us made our way down the coastline, and walked quickly through the disheveled beach that Yoshi and the Toad had traveled through. It wasn't the sticks or stones that bothered me; I winced as my eyes scanned empty Koopa shells that were tossed aside. A beached Cheep Cheep had already gasped out its last breath and left a vacant corpse behind, with its eyes wide open. Boot prints indicated that there had been Rexes in the area, but I couldn't see any of them; they were probably all flattened and blown away.
To think, dozens upon hundreds of times, I had blazed through areas and fought past these minions, but never once so much as glanced back to witness the damage that I had caused. Traveling through it, I studied the Purple Toad and Yoshi to see if they would show any visible reactions of their own. Mostly, the two kept their eyes forward, making a careful point not to take in their surroundings.
At the flagpole near the area's end, with Peach's flag already beating in the wind, the Blue and Yellow Toads waited for us. They waved as we came into view, and pointed us to a landmass ahead, a large purple rock with green moss on the top.
"In order to get through, we'll need to swim," explained the Blue Toad.
"But we mostly cleared the way," cheered the Yellow Toad. "Just wish we had kept the Ice powers!"
We moved ahead, jumped on the stone, and took it as far as it extended. Once we hit a wall, the only option was to swim below. The three Toads jumped in first, and Daisy followed them. Yoshi looked back at me and smiled.
"You ok, Mario?" he asked, and managed to keep his usual cheer in his voice.
"Um, yeah, I think so," I lied. "You can swim, right?"
"Not well, so it's a good thing that the others dealt with this level," Yoshi admitted. "I can manage a clear swim though, without anything to throw me off."
"Couldn't you jump around the top?" I pointed at the wall ahead of us, but Yoshi already shook his head.
"Too high," he murmured. He took my hand and led me to the edge. "I'll be fine, especially since you're here! You always look out for me when you can."
Slowly, I nodded and Yoshi smiled before he jumped in. Quickly, I dove in after him, with bubbles streaming past me, and found him swimming ahead. The others had already gotten a good distance on us, so I was left to quickly paddle after them.
Underwater was no better than the surface; there were frozen Cheep Cheeps, Bloopers, and Porcupuffers that bubbled up toward the surface or had sunk further below, out of sight in the depths of the sea. Two downed Urchins had clogged themselves into pipes. Broken bits of Fish Bones floated about, and I half expected one to become repossessed, chase after us again. But none of them did.
Ahead, the Toads and Daisy swam into a Warp Pipe. Yoshi and I paddled after them, and I watched the murky depths disappear behind me, with only a dark pipe's walls around me. As we were transported up, our weight returned.
We reemerged atop another large rock and jumped over some brown stone steps to the next flagpole, also with Peach's flag already raised. Just as we took turns to jump and slide down it, the Red and Green Toads came into view.
"You guys just come back from clearing the path?" asked Daisy, and the two Toads nodded. "Cool, let's go!"
She ran ahead, with the five Toads dashing after her. They seemed happy to be together once more, but frantic to keep Daisy amongst them. Yoshi went down against the ground scooted back. He slowly rose up between my legs and thrust me onto his back.
"Come on," he laughed, as I slammed into the back of his head, somehow undeterred. "Let's catch up with them!"
Yoshi charged forward and we ran along the landmass, catching up to Daisy and the Toads in just a few seconds. Soon, we reached the end of the mass, and I winced again at the Deep Cheeps and Spiny Cheep Cheeps that floated on the surface of the water.
"Are…we're going back under?" I forced out.
"It's the only way forward," noted the Green Toad.
"Don't worry, we made sure we took care of everything!" laughed the Red Toad.
Everyone jumped back into the water. Going back under this time, the water was darker, almost pitch black. If it weren't for some glow blocks that were in rocky wall crevices, I'm not sure that the light would reach us. What made the journey more eerie, frightful, was the lack of enemies, live or otherwise. The entire trip through was full of underwater plants and stones, maybe a clam, but nothing else.
We burst back from the water on the other side and jumped back onto the landmass above us. A short distance away was yet another flagpole.
"Huh," observed Daisy. "I was expecting Peach and Luigi to be back already."
"They were trying to find the fastest route, from what Peach told me," recalled the Red Toad.
"Well, I'm sure they'll be back soon," reassured the Yellow Toad.
As soon as the words left his mouth, I spotted Peach and Luigi strolling back to us in the distance. They crossed a long wooden bridge that led to a tall brown structure that I couldn't quite make out from far away. They slowed and waved us to meet on the bridge over the sea. Single filed, we made our way across the bridge and over to the two.
"This bridge is a straight path to the fortress," informed Luigi. "It's actually an abandoned ship!"
"That sounds like a pretty bad place to end up," murmured the Blue Toad.
"I wouldn't recommend it under normal circumstances," agreed Peach. "But, it's massive, and definitely the fortress for Seaside."
"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Daisy. "Let's go beat that boss out of the ship and regain control of Seaside!"
She rallied everyone to race across the bridge, and we rushed along the long way to the grand ship, almost the size of a cruise ship. However, when it came into view, the ship appeared to be some type of war vessel, with broken masts and holes on the deck railings that appeared to be from cannon fire. By the black flags that flapped far away at the top, I gathered that either Bowser's troops were here, or that it was a pirate ship, placing more faith in the former. Though we could see the top of the ship from down below, it would take some time to actually get up there, and we entered the lower decks.
"This shouldn't take very long," mumbled Yoshi, who seemed uncomfortable with coming along. I pat his back and smiled at him.
"If you want, Yoshi, you can wait outside," I suggested. "I know how much you hate to enter the dungeons and fortresses that Bowser's army occupies."
He shook his head. "Luigi already tried that one, and he got hurt inside," Yoshi told me. "We just got you back; I don't want to risk not going for my own safety."
My eyebrows raised and I turned to Luigi. "So, when you told me you hit your head before…?"
"Yeah, that was the last fortress," Luigi clarified. "After we stopped the boss."
"After you stopped the boss," corrected the Purple Toad.
"Oh, right, Luigi was awesome back at the pyramid," agreed the Green Toad.
"Well, I…I guess, yeah," Luigi sheepishly caved and scratched behind his head.
"All right, enough chatting," Peach interrupted. "Let's get inside and reclaim this land."
Peach led the way aboard the ship's ramp and door, followed closely by Daisy and the five Toads. Yoshi hesitated, but shook his head and marched in after them. I went after him, but stopped just before boarding the ship, and turned back to Luigi.
"Are you sure you're ready?" he asked me.
"Luigi, I can handle this," I assured him.
"Physically, maybe," he relented. "But…well, can you face your, um…boyfriend's army?"
Folding my arms, I squinted at my brother and studied him for a minute. He bit his lip and frowned, while his eyes appeared…worried.
"You're not telling me something," I assessed. "I've already had to fend off the Koopa Troop." Truth be told, the entire journey here disturbed me more than I imagined it would, and I was wary about taking down Bowser's forces. But…it had to be done.
Still, Luigi shook his head. "It's…well, last time, we faced off against a Dry Bowser," he explained. "He had direct messages to Peach…and me…about you, specifically."
An eyebrow shot up again. "What's your point?"
"Mario, the next boss could have something from Bowser and use it against you," he muttered. "They went for my mind and my emotions in the last fortress. Can you handle something like that?" He waited as I hesitated over my response, and then added, "You did escape from his castle. And judging by the story, it wasn't something he was made readily aware of, was it?"
Though I hated to admit it, Luigi had a fair point. But I tightened my fists and stared into his eyes. "I can handle this," I reaffirmed, and turned to walk inside the ship. Luigi's footsteps sounded as he chased after me.
As soon as we had stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind us.
"Not good," murmured Luigi as we whirled around to inspect it.
"Hey, Super Mario Brothers!" called Daisy. "How about you two get over here and lend a hand, huh?"
We turned back, watched the princesses on a platform, and waited to see Daisy leap up and stomp down on a flattened Rex, and she squashed it to the ground. Peach held her scepter and whacked a Dry Bones to pieces as it tried to sneak up on Daisy.
"That's not a battering ram!" shouted Daisy.
"Well, I thought you wouldn't yell if I used it this way," laughed Peach.
Daisy smirked and the two continued their way up the ship. On the platform across from them, Yoshi used his tongue to snatch a Buzzy Beetle, then spit its shell toward a Spike Top that was marching after two Toads.
"Phew! Thanks Yoshi," sighed the Green Toad.
"Yeah, you're great!" cheered the Yellow Toad, and Yoshi grinned.
"Mario, Luigi, come on!" called the Red Toad as he knocked a Dry Bones apart.
My brother and I stepped forward, and were ready to jump on the nearest crates to a platform, but stopped once we heard splashes below us. We exchanged a horrified glance before we gazed down to find the floor had suddenly filled up with water.
"Looks like we're going to need to speed this up," I yelled out. "This ship is sinking!"
"What?!" exclaimed Peach. "I know it's old, but it was fine a minute ago!"
She stared back down to us and watched as the water began to fill the floor. Daisy watched as well and gasped.
"Yikes! Double time, people!" she shouted.
"I knew this was a bad idea!" cried the Blue Toad.
Everyone jumped up through the ship, grabbing onto the poles and platforms while we avoided the enemies that rushed us. The sound of water rushing through the ship grew louder as it continued to sink, with more holes allowing the water to leak through.
Eventually, we made it to a high point and a giant, yellow studded door.
"Uh, should we go back down and search for power-ups?" wondered the Purple Toad.
Peach gazed down and shook her head. "We might have some time, but that water's leaking through quicker as the ship sinks lower. It's best to not chance it and just deal with the boss in the best we can naturally. All ready?"
Our group exchanged expressions, some worried while others calm, myself included. We returned our attention to Peach and nodded.
"Then let's go," Peach waved us forward and I pushed open the door.
We charged forward and ran onto the deck of the ship. It was steadily lowering toward the sea and we rapidly looked about for the boss.
"Where is it?" asked Yoshi.
"Maybe it was a trap," grumbled Luigi.
A loud slam sounded on the starboard side of the boat, and knocked us to the ground.
"W-What was that?!" yelled Daisy as we tried to stand up.
Another crash sounded port side and we were knocked back over.
"This is ridiculous," groaned Peach as she raised herself up again. I rolled over and helped her up.
Several more smashes sounded as a white tentacle with blue spots and tips crashed onto the ship. Another three long tentacles soon joined it. From the water, a large squid with a round mouth, a Blooper, surfaced and glared at us.
"Gooper Blooper!" I shouted and readied myself for the fight. Peach and the others followed suit.
The massive Blooper whipped one of its tentacles down toward us, and we spread out to dodge it. Right after, it fired three heavy blasts of ink, with one nearly splattering over Daisy and Peach, but missed overall.
"Try to grab the tentacles and pull them apart!" I ordered.
"Yes," oozed the Blooper. "Try, try, TRY!"
It slammed down another tentacle and slapped three Toads away. The remaining two, Blue and Yellow, went to pull at its tentacle and tried to drag it back.
"Mario, it's…not…working!" struggled the Yellow Toad.
Another tentacle slammed right next to me and broke through the ship. "Ground Pound it!"
As I rolled away from the tentacle, Yoshi kicked his feet from the deck and flutter jumped into the air. He flipped and slammed his bottom down hard on the tentacle, flattening it. Daisy rushed over and pulled at it, but she failed to tear it away from its host.
"Still no good!" reported Daisy.
"Well, you're going to hate me for this, but," Peach whipped out her scepter and aimed at Gooper Blooper.
Luigi, however, tripped over a third tentacle and crashed into Peach, who fumbled about with her wand.
The other two tentacles lifted back into the air and spiked the two Toads and Daisy across the deck, while Yoshi just managed to jump clear.
"Mario!" screamed the Red Toad. "We're getting closer to the water! We're running out of time!"
If the ship sank before we were rid of Gooper Blooper, it would most likely drag us to the depths.
Shaking my head, I pressed my teeth together. There had to be something else. I squinted at the Gooper Blooper's mouth. I could pull it back and shoot the mouth back into its face, but I'd need a distraction. We could—
"Watch out, Mario!" yelled Yoshi.
Two tentacles swung at me, and I flipped between them. Quickly, I jumped over to Yoshi and stared at him. Of course!
"Everyone! I have an idea!" I called. "Pair up with someone and grab hold of a tentacle!" Quietly, I rested my hand on Yoshi's shoulder. "You're with me. We're going to rush up and grab its mouth."
He nodded and I jumped onto his back. We watched as Daisy and the three Toads grabbed the tentacles nearest to the port side, while Peach, Luigi, and the other two Toads grappled the tentacles on the starboard side.
"Now!" I shouted and Yoshi dashed forward.
The Gooper Blooper struggled to pull its tentacles free from my friends' grips, but then refocused its attention on Yoshi and I.
"No good, no good," it taunted and spewed ink in front of us.
Yoshi jumped up and fluttered over a good portion of the ink, but couldn't stay airborne for long.
"It's…up to…you, Mario," Yoshi panted and slowly fell back to the ship's deck.
We skidded across the ink and were headed for the large hole in the ship. Quickly, Yoshi repositioned his body and arched his back to fling me forward.
Gooper Blooper's eyes widened as I landed and grabbed its mouth. Swiftly, I ran back across the deck and pulled its elastic mouth back with me.
"Hurry, Mario!" yelled Luigi. "We can't hold these much longer!"
"Good, let them loose once this snaps back," I ordered.
More than half way back across the boat, I was unable to tug the Blooper's mouth further.
"Everyone ready?" I asked as the pairs squirmed with the tentacles, but managed to nod at me. "Now!"
I released the mouth and watched it fire back at the Gooper Blooper. It tried to bring its tentacles back around to catch its mouth, but it zipped back too quickly.
With a loud snap, the Blooper's mouth hit it hard back in the face. While it winced in pain, its tentacles came reeling back and slapped it four times across its head and knocked it from the ship.
Yoshi pulled himself free from the ink and tried his best to shake it away. He walked back over to me as everyone else watched for Gooper Blooper to return before meeting us back in the center.
"Way to go, Mario!" congratulated the Purple Toad.
"Yeah, you're the best!" cheered the Green Toad.
"That's the Mario we need!" clapped Daisy.
"Thank you, everyone," I laughed. "But we did this together. So pat yourselves on the back too, because we couldn't have ended this without one another."
The Toads hugged one another and bounced around. Daisy glanced at Yoshi and picked up a broken bit of the wooden deck to try brushing the rest of the ink off of him. Luigi pat my back, while Peach smiled and rested her hand on my shoulder.
"Did we mention that we missed you?" she asked.
"Oh, once or twice, maybe," I chuckled, and Peach kissed me on the cheek.
Abruptly, a rumble from beneath us knocked us off balance. We wildly looked around, but saw nothing.
"Not…over…" moaned the distant and water obscured voice of the Gooper Blooper.
Before anyone could move, a blast sounded from below deck. Another one followed, along with several more in quick succession.
"He's blasting the ship to pieces!" shrieked the Green Toad.
Fiery explosions began to burst from all around the ship and everyone tried to run for cover. One blast went off and tossed me overboard.
"No! Mario!" I heard Luigi yell as I fell into the sea. Another blast knocked the wind out of me. As I hit the water, the world around me went blue, then black, and silent.
I had you. And yet…
A flash of fire went off in front of me, but I couldn't feel the heat. The world around me was suddenly purple, rocky, with glowing blue lights. The fire flew up near me again. It was the bird. I saw my gloved hand reach out for it, but it flew up into the starry sky.
"Not yet."
Bowser appeared and was over me. His hand interlocked with mine, but I couldn't feel it. At first, he smiled, but suddenly, his eyes widened and he bared his fangs. I watched as he worded "no" on his lips and the world began to go dark again.
"Stay with me! Don't go! Mario! Please!"
My eyes snapped open and I looked at darks clouds that lined up on the sky. I took in a deep breath of the damp, salty air. My hands pushed off the sandy ground and I shot back up.
Trees were sparse across the land in front of me. I glanced around and saw my friends scattered about, slowly rising from the ground as well. I pivoted back around and saw the sea around the land. Though it seemed to surround the area, I squinted and caught sight of a sandy path that led back to the coastline we were on before. This was a tidal island; we would need to wait for low tide to get back inland.
Thunder crashed along the sky and I gazed skyward. More dark clouds were rolling in. I looked back down to Luigi and Peach walking over to me.
"Are you all right, Mario?" Peach asked and I nodded.
"Mostly," I murmured.
"Well, at least we stopped that Gooper Blooper," Luigi laughed and stretched.
I smiled. "Yeah, and survived blowing the ship back into the sea."
"Well, hooray for you," bellowed a familiar voice, accompanied by slow applause.
No.
Luigi and Peach whirled around first, and I slowly turned after them. Daisy, Yoshi, and the Toads backed up toward us.
Hovering down past the trees came eight Junior Clown Cars, one Koopa Clown Car, and an old Magikoopa on his broomstick. Junior and the Koopalings, Kamek, and Bowser.
"Did you fools miss me?" he taunted. "I see you've been very busy, as of late. Why don't we catch up on a few things?"
Bowser's fiery red eyes glared straight into mine. This would not end well.
...
There, that's it! Congratulations, you survived this ridiculously long chapter!
Yes, I really wanted Mario to interact with Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and especially Daisy. (Yeah, that's right, newcomer development! What!) Originally, when I planned out the chapter, I was all, "First a letter, then Mario talks to Daisy, they level, he almost reveals his secret relationship, blah blah, they clear the third world, and Bowser shows up for the cliffhanger."
But then, I was all, "Nah, go big or go home," and decided to toss in the Bowser scene, add Mario interactions with the other three, and have the world exploration through an aftermath perspective. (Really, when does Mario get to go back and witness the damage he's done? Answer: never!) So, that was my process for the suddenly super lengthy chapter, which crammed everything in because I couldn't think of a way to make this a disgusting three part event. (Those will come in later!)
Ok, this chapter is already grotesquely long, so less blabbering from me. Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, and anything else can be sent to me via review or message. Oh, quick note, since someone mentioned that they weren't sure about long reviews: I enjoy any and all kinds of reviews, long and short, so if you have a lot to say, don't you dare ever hold back on me! FEED ME ALL OF YOUR OPINIONS, I LOVE THEM! Seriously, so long as I don't get reviews or messages that are all, "ew, gays for mario is gross. LOL f4g0ts," you're fine, and those messages are promptly deleted because I don't tolerate insults to anyone, from anyone, or how ever you want to spin that, because that's crass and not helpful criticism. (Pleasantly, I only had that happen once so far, but I doubt that will be the only instance.)
Yuck, ok, let me kick that soapbox away, because that wasn't totally necessary. That's it for now, next chapter is the one you're all waiting for: MARIO AND BOWSER HAVE WORDS WITH ONE ANOTHER! Oh, and ten-on-ten beach brawl, yes that. (I did plan this, yes. I is smarts, sometimes.) I know I say this a lot, but thank you very much for reading this far, and I'm so sorry for this super long chapter! The next one will most likely not be as long, so we can all rest easy.