Remember when I told you this chapter wouldn't be as long as the last one? Well, that was mostly true. I just lied about it not being long. Ohohoho…I don't plan these things out very wisely. Hmm…oh well! BEEEAAAAAACH BRRRRAAAAAAWWWLLLL! Have fun bouncing around from fight to fight! Oh, and I did a thing at the beginning. It's…idk, ugly, but just go with it. Uh…make sure you have the time to read and enjoy!
...
A beating heart lets you know you're alive. It races as your emotions stir. Tensions flare up as dire situations rise.
Both war and love are untamed beasts. No matter how well we may know this, they somehow manage to catch us off guard, repeatedly.
Looming in our minds are great fears; our inner demons claw from the inside to burst out and tears us apart.
As a day begins, we can play around these problems and try to control the damage that could occur. But by day's end, these plans unravel in twisted ways we failed to predict.
Challenging our people, our society, and ourselves was never the easy route to travel, but it's the only way we know.
The questions: when and where can we stop? How do we know our limits? Who can see us, and what we strive for? Why is peace so far out of reach?
Are untamed beasts always meant to be?
Bolts of lightning flash in the sky above the island. The trees sway with the howl of the wind. Bowser grins menacingly as the Toads protectively line up in front of Peach.
"Well, well," the Koopa King snickers. "The gang's all here! How cute. I must admit, Peach, I'm impressed!" He lowers his eyes briefly and adds: "You've finally learned to use every able body from your castle to actually get things done." His eyes rise up as he glowers at her scepter. "And by any means necessary, I see."
"Bowser, just what is the meaning of this?!" Peach demands.
"The only thing we ever meet for, Princess," he taunts. "I'm here for a kidnapping."
"Back off, Bowser!" shouts the Yellow Toad, choking down the fear in his throat.
"Yeah, we're not going to let you take Peach!" chimes in the Blue Toad.
"Peach?" Bowser chuckles softly, which builds into a larger burst of laughter. "You think I'm here for Peach? Please! I've been down that road far too many times to handle, regardless of how much easier it is." Calming his voice, he points forward, directly to his target. "No, I'm here to kidnap Mario."
Mario grits his teeth as his friends quickly exchange fearful expressions.
"You have no need of him!" snaps Peach and holds her scepter up. "Keeping Mario will not be getting you any progress with your conquest."
"I did notice that, thank you for pointing it out," Bowser huffs. "Problem is, I still need him for, ah, personal matters. That, and considering how great your odds are with rescuing prisoners, I highly doubt you'll be saving him a second time in a row through crude and unconventional means."
For a moment, everyone waits in silence. Daisy breaks it by piping up, "When exactly did Bowser learn how to talk on a more intelligent level?"
"Sooner than you got up off your flowery pedestal that you comfortably rest your ass on," shrugs Bowser with a level voice. "Time's are changing, huh?"
"Ok, for that, I'm taking him down myself," fumes Daisy.
"Daisy, cool it," cautions Luigi. "He's just trying to bait you."
"Bait her? That would imply that she's useful," goads Bowser.
With a spike of rage, Daisy runs forward, only to be cut off by Wendy.
"Move," demands Daisy. "Or do you really need an obligatory cat fight?"
"Cat fight?" asks Wendy. "Do you have a Super Bell?"
Daisy slaps a hand to her forehead. "…I don't even know why—"
A punch from Wendy's Junior Clown Car sends the fiery princess flying across the beach. The Blue and Yellow Toads rush forward, attacking Larry and Lemmy, who force the two away from the crowd.
"Bowser, please!" pleads Mario. "There's no need for this! For any of it!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," mocks Bowser, "are you trying to reason with me?"
"Mario, there's no sense," argues the Red Toad. "We'll just have to wallop them."
"Big talk from a little Toad," chuckles Roy.
"This little Toad was clever enough to slip through your defenses," spat the Toad.
"Ah, see, that's where you're wrong," corrects Roy. "You got through the castle's defenses. You haven't seen anything about me, not yet."
The Koopaling drives his Clown Car after the Red Toad, while also forcing Mario and his friends to separate. As Roy chases the Red Toad off, Iggy and Morton swoop after the Green and Purple Toads that remain.
"Bowser!" Mario shouts.
"What are you waiting for?" asks Bowser. "This isn't any different from how it usually goes, is it?" He pauses and watches Mario bite his lip. "Oh, I suppose it is. All of your little friends are out here, in the open." Bowser grins wickedly. "Makes them easy targets to pick off, huh?"
"We'll see who's an easy target," murmurs Yoshi, as he raises an egg and aims it at Bowser. Before anyone can notice him, he fires it.
Ludwig, however, moves his Clown Car to intercept the attack. "Now, now, that's quite rude."
"Luigi, let's get him," Yoshi waves the plumber forward. "Princess, Mario, you handle Bowser and his son."
"Wouldn't a magical duel be more appropriate for her current interests?" questions Kamek. "And I'm afraid I have quite the vendetta against filthy dinosaurs like you."
Swiftly, the Magikoopa whips out his wand and wraps Peach and Yoshi in a spell to pull them away. Ludwig gives chase.
Mario and Luigi glance around to find their friends are scattered across the beach, fighting with Bowser's minions. A rumble of thunder and crashing tides obscure the shouts and punches from each fight.
"All right, they're out of the way," notes Luigi. "Bowser, I know you're dating Mario."
"How cute, you actually told him," Bowser ridicules Mario. "Good thing I already told my son as well."
"Why are you doing this?" demands Luigi. "There are a lot of ways this can be sorted out, and Mario is definitely willing—"
"Exactly why are you speaking in his defense?" inquires Bowser. "This is between us, not you."
"He's my brother," defends Luigi.
"And he's so much more to me," snaps Bowser.
"Please, Bowser—" Mario pleads.
Bowser scoffs, "You want to talk? Why don't we go somewhere private for that?"
Roughly, the Koopa Clown Car surges forward, knocks Luigi away, and grabs Mario with a pincer. With a roar, Bowser maneuvers it up and past several trees, flying to the center of the island.
Recovering, Luigi jumps up and runs to give chase, but Junior intercepts him.
"Move out of my way, kid," commands Luigi. "I need to go save my brother."
"And my Papa wants to have his boyfriend back," assesses Junior. "I'm sick of you people trying to ruin my family!"
"Right now, you're ruining mine!" thunders Luigi.
"Good, consider it payback," snarls Junior and lunges his Junior Clown Car at the plumber. Luigi flips away from the assault and dashes forward to attack Junior.
[Blue Toad versus Larry]
Larry spins his light blue Junior Clown Car at the Blue Toad and slams him across the beach. The Toad rolls across the sand and into a tide that crashes over him.
"Ha! I'm already winning this," sneers Larry.
"Not yet…you're not," pants the Blue Toad as he pushes himself up from the water.
"Please, don't bother," advises Larry. "Look around you: not a power-up around for days. Face it, half-pint, you're doomed."
"From where I am, it feels like I'm still standing," the Toad announces and balls his hands into fists.
"Yeah, but not for much longer!" Larry laughs and drives his Clown Car at the Toad.
Blue Toad leaps into the air and jumps down hard on Larry's head. He bounces off, and the force sends Larry's Clown Car into the sand. It overheats and the Koopaling abandons it.
"You don't look so high and mighty now," mocks the Toad.
With a growl, Larry whips out a wand. "When did Toads grow spines?" He snarls and casts a blue fireball from his wand.
The Toad leaps over it and jumps for Larry's head, stomping down on him again.
In an outrage, Larry slips inside of his shell and spins around. He torpedoes himself after the Blue Toad, who jumps away from the shell and rolls across the sand as another wave crashes down on both of them.
Rattled, the Koopaling pops out from his shell and wildly looks around, unable to find his opponent.
"Where did he…?" softly ponders Larry.
Just as the Koopaling shifts his gaze upward, he only has the time to let his mouth drop open as the Toad crashes down once more over his head.
Delivering a powerful kick, Blue Toad leaps from Larry and sends the Koopaling into the sand.
"This…isn't over!" groans Larry, just before another wave of water slams down over him.
The tide drags him out into the water, along with his Clown Car, which he scrambles for. Barely getting in, Larry cries out as the water swirls around and capsizes his vessel.
"Guess that's the end of him," laughs the Blue Toad and he turns to find the others.
[Purple Toad versus Morton]
Morton fires cannonballs at the Purple Toad, who runs to a field of gray stones. The Toad leaps from one stone to the next, listening to the rocks break from each blast.
"Hold still, you little pest," calls Morton as he fires from his black Clown Car's cannon once again.
"Somehow, that doesn't seem like the best idea," quips the Toad as he jumps to another stone.
By carefully jumping around in a circle, the Purple Toad is able to mount his own attack on Morton and stomps down on the Koopaling.
Though he is shoved to the sand, Morton simply growls and heaves his Clown Car back out. "You're making me fairly angry, and that's something I would advise you against."
"Ha, who are you trying to fool?" the Purple Toad inquires. "You may be the strongest of the Koopalings, but you must be one of the slowest and definitely not one of the brightest. Mouth off about your muscles all you want; I'll outwit you easily!"
"You were warned!" roars Morton.
The Koopaling jumps from his Clown Car and slams down to the ground, sending a shockwave across the sand and shattering stones.
A draft from the wave knocks the Purple Toad off balance and he falls backwards.
Morton chuckles, "Where's that cleverness you promised me?"
He stomps forward and takes out his wand. The Purple Toad jumps up from the ground and dashes around the sand, kicking up clouds of dust as he runs.
"What are…you doing?!" coughs Morton.
"Outsmarting you," laughs the Toad.
Growling, Morton lifts one leg and stomps the ground. A tremor emits around him, sending a pulse that expands and quakes across the sand. Once again, the Toad falls over from the wave.
With a whip of his wand, Morton clears the dust away and glares at the Toad on the ground. "Still waiting," the Koopaling taunts.
Quickly, the Purple Toad kicks up sand at Morton's eyes and attempts to run off.
Flicking the sand away with his wand, Morton laughs and leaps up into the air. He crashes down hard and sends a focused quake rumbling across the ground.
Its pulse eventually catches up to the fleeing Toad, sending him soaring into the sky and sailing off into the distance.
"To think he actually wanted to make me angry," snorts Morton as he trudges back to his Clown Car.
[Daisy versus Wendy]
Daisy lifts herself up, and hears the splashes as she rises. She steps backwards and realizes that she's on the submerged sand strip that leads back inland. The princess gazes back and sees only water between her and the main shore.
Wendy sails up on her Clown Car and giggles, "Well, well, all washed up already, little princess?"
"You're one to talk, you little brat," snaps Daisy.
"How dare you!" screeches Wendy, and she throws a hammer from her pink Clown Car. Daisy jumps backwards to evade it.
"That all you got?" taunts Daisy. "Your creep of a father would be disappointed."
"He's not my father," hisses Wendy. "But when I'm through with you, he'll wish he was!"
The mouth of the Clown Car opens and a cannon emerges from it. Wendy charges it as Daisy shuffles in her footsteps, unsure of where the Koopaling will fire it.
Abruptly, Daisy stops moving and waits as Wendy takes aim.
"Don't make this too easy, darling," mocks Wendy and fires the cannonball.
Princess Daisy waits and jumps over the cannonball, as it whizzes beneath her.
"This is way too easy," laughs Daisy as she approaches Wendy.
"You want me to make it harder?" grumbles Wendy. Then, she shouts, "Consider it done!"
Wendy draws out her wand and waves it to fire a glowing golden ring at the ground. It rebounds off of the sandy trail and shoots up at Daisy, who bends backwards to dodge it.
"Not bad," relents Daisy, "but not great either."
Fuming, Wendy casts out another two golden rings at Daisy, who dodges both. Daisy jumps up and stomps down onto Wendy's head.
"Oh man, you're as slow as you are dumb," teases Daisy.
"I will ruin you!" screams Wendy and she throws out another hammer.
Daisy leaps back and evades the crashing hammer, laughing as she does so, and outraging Wendy.
Again, Daisy maneuvers around Wendy, jumping onto the Clown Car, and bouncing off of Wendy's head.
"This is way too easy," snickers Daisy.
"That does it!" shrieks Wendy.
The Koopaling whips her wand around in the air and casts out another golden ring, which again misses Daisy. This time, however, she casts a spell into the air and knocks the first golden ring back down with a second one.
It rebounds back down and the ring spikes off of Daisy, shoving her to the ground in a splash.
"Ah-ha-ha-ha!" laughs Wendy. "I suppose that makes you the easy one now, dear!"
Wendy points her wand at Daisy's head as she picks it up from the sand. She balls up her fists and grits her teeth.
"Sorry Mario," the princess whispers and presses her fingers and knuckles together.
A faint turquoise glow emits around her hands and shines as Wendy attempts to unleash an attack.
"W-What is this?!" demands Wendy.
Crystals grow around Daisy's fists as the Regal Rings luster with light. It slowly fades as Daisy rises and pulls back one of her crystallized fists.
"No…no way!" Wendy cries.
"Coming through!" Daisy shouts and throws a punch directly at Wendy's Clown Car.
The ship rockets back and sends Wendy sailing across the sky and off into the distance.
Daisy grins as the Koopaling disappears from her sight, but looks down at her crystal-encased hands, balls them back into fists, and slowly frowns.
[Green Toad versus Iggy]
Iggy winds up several Mechakoopa robots and keeps them ready aboard his ship. The Green Toad peeks out from behind a tree, but realizes too late that he's been sighted.
"Come on out!" cackles Iggy as he tosses a Mechakoopa. It clatters along as it sneaks behind the tree and explodes.
The Koopaling waits a moment, but then sees the Toad pop up from behind another tree, further from the explosion.
"Lucky you," hisses Iggy.
"Oh, sorry, was that your best?" taunts the Green Toad.
"Not even close!" snaps the Koopaling and throws another three Mechakoopas at the Toad, who disappears behind the tree again.
Two explosions go off quickly, but the third one doesn't come. Iggy adjusts his glasses in confusion.
"There should have been a third blast," he murmurs.
"And there will be!" laughs the Toad's voice. Iggy wildly looks around to find him, but is unable to.
Instead, he hears a plop nearby him and slowly turns to see the Mechakoopa ready to blow.
Screaming, Iggy jumps clear of his light green Clown Car, narrowly evading the explosion.
"That little…!" he growls, only to have the Toad bounce off of his head.
"So much for the mechanical maniac!" giggles the Green Toad and zips behind a tree once again.
"You're…driving me…crazy!" wails Iggy.
In a frenzy, Iggy pulls out his wand and casts out erratic green fireballs. They bounce around the two trees that the Toad uses for cover and forces him out.
Quickly, Iggy sprints forward and whacks the Toad on the head, laughing wildly. The Green Toad turns to run away, only to have Iggy pop up on the other side of him.
"And where do you think you're going?!" barks Iggy.
He blasts the Toad away with a close range spell, knocking him backwards into a tree. Dazed, the Green Toad attempts to get back up, but is reeling from Iggy's consecutive attacks.
Glancing up, Iggy wears a twisted grin and fires another three spells to knock down a coconut from the tree. It spikes off of the Green Toad's head and he falls back down to the ground.
"Ohohohohoho!" Iggy maniacally laughs. He then coughs and clears his throat. "You certainly had that coming," he sneers at the fallen Toad.
[Red Toad versus Roy]
Roy glides his red Clown Car after the Red Toad, who races across the shoreline and bolts behind a large brown stone.
"Like that's going to save you," mocks Roy.
He moves the Clown Car up to the stone and activates its fists, punching and shattering the boulder to pieces.
However, the Toad is nowhere in sight. Roy taps on his sunglasses and looks around.
"Think you're clever, don't ya?" calls Roy. "There's nowhere to run, twerp."
"I don't run, I plan!" Red Toad shouts from behind the Koopaling, as he jumps onto and off of Roy's head.
Growling, Roy leaps from his Clown Car and pounds his fists together.
"You want to play tough? I can do tough," snickers Roy.
Red Toad readies himself as Roy lowers his arm in front of his body and charges forward. He jumps and watches as the Koopaling struggles to stop before a tree.
"Guess you're not so tough," teases the Toad as he jumps up into the air and crashes down onto Roy's head once again.
Roy pulls out his wand and casts a purple fireball from it. It whizzes by the Toad, who ducks to evade it.
Following up on the spell, Roy kicks off of the tree Ground Pounds the sand and a shockwave rockets forward, knocking the Toad backwards.
"Lucky shot," coughs the Toad as he leaps back up.
"Luck's got nothing to do with it," Roy calls, and whips his wand to cast another two fireballs, one high and the other low.
Waiting for the right moment, the Red Toad jumps over the low fireball and quickly ducks to dodge the high one.
Just as he rises up, however, Roy charges into the Toad and sends him rocketing back to the water.
Red Toad bounces along the shoreline, splashing against the ebbing tide. He forces himself up again as a pulse fires across the sand.
"I'm not going down that easily," grunts the Toad as he jumps up and over the tremor. He lands back down and sighs.
Gazing back up, however, the Toad is unable to find Roy.
Astonished, the Toad falters in his footsteps. "W-Where did he—?!"
"Guess who?!" shouts Roy.
Before the Toad can whirl around, Roy pops up from his Junior Clown Car and fires out another purple fireball.
The Toad slips and manages to evade it, but gawks as he looks up to find Roy slam back down to the ground, sending another shockwave.
"I'm not done yet!" insists the Red Toad and he manages to leap over the pulsing sand.
"Yes you are," laughs Roy, as the Toad falls down onto an exploding Mechakoopa and rockets off into the distance. "So long, chump!"
[Yellow Toad versus Lemmy]
The Yellow Toad darted around the sand, running off from the bouncing balls that Lemmy threw from his yellow Clown Car.
"Hey, you're not even trying to go after them," moans Lemmy as his latest shot misses its mark.
"Right, so you'll blow them up on me?" snaps the Yellow Toad.
"Noooo," insists Lemmy and giggles as he volleys out another ball.
It lands hard in front of the Toad and he skids to a halt. Lemmy floats forward and lifts another ball over his head.
"Bye-bye!" he laughs and throws the ball.
Yellow Toad jumps up, bounces off the top of the ball, and soars into the air.
A flash of lightning blinds Lemmy and he struggles to watch as the Toad comes crashing down over his head.
"Ouch!" cries Lemmy as his Clown Car slams into the sand. It explodes and fires him outward.
"Are you done yet?" asks the Yellow Toad as he rolls into a landing.
"Nope, not yet!" laughs the dizzy Koopaling.
To prove it, Lemmy whips his wand and manifests a giant, yellow bouncing ball with orange stars. He hops on top of it and rolls it around after the Toad.
"Come on, stay there so I can bowl you over!" demands Lemmy.
"No thank you!" wails the Yellow Toad.
Unfortunately, the Toad trips over a stone that he fails to spot. Lemmy laughs as he rolls over the Toad.
"Ha! Perfect!" the tiny Koopaling giggles and bounces around on top of his ball.
Dazed, the Yellow Toad struggles to lift himself up from the ground, only to have Lemmy come crashing down over his head again.
"Got you again!" laughs Lemmy. "One more should do it!"
As the Koopaling rolls his ball after him again, the Toad jumps up and runs off.
"Aw, don't ruin it!" Lemmy whines and manifests a smaller ball to ricochet at the Toad.
However, the Yellow Toad pivots and bounces up onto the ball. He plummets down, and bounces off of Lemmy's giant ball.
"What the…?!" shouts Lemmy.
"Surprise!" cheers the Yellow Toad as he rockets off up, causing Lemmy to flop off of his giant ball.
The Koopaling struggles to rise up again, and the Toad crashes down onto his head.
"That was…wild…!" laughs the winded Koopaling as he falls over into the sand. The Toad waits for a moment, but Lemmy doesn't pop up again.
"Phew," sighs the Yellow Toad. "Glad that's over." He grabs a fallen ball and dribbles it as he glances around to find his friends.
[Peach & Yoshi versus Ludwig & Kamek]
Peach and Yoshi roll across the sand as Kamek releases them from his spell and flies overhead. Ludwig pulls out his wand and joins the Magikoopa.
"Two scepters against one?" assesses Ludwig. "This fight will be ours easily."
"So, you haven't faced a royal's magic yet, have you?" questions Kamek.
"Does that make a difference?" asks Ludwig.
"You have no idea," murmurs Kamek.
"Princess!" Yoshi forces himself up and hurries over to Peach as Ludwig casts a spell to summon three blue fireballs.
The flames rain down toward the two as Peach scoops up her scepter and creates a shield from the water nearby.
"Huh. Pretty clever," admits Ludwig.
"She's just getting started," observes Kamek.
"That I most certainly am!" thunders Peach.
Using her Royal Scepter, Peach morphs the water into a javelin and fires it at Kamek. Ludwig intercepts the attack, at the cost of his blue Clown Car, which plummets from the sky.
Kamek flies below Ludwig, catches him, and heaves the Koopaling onto his broom.
"All right, you weren't kidding," breathes Ludwig.
Yoshi produces another egg and aims it carefully at the broomstick. He lobs it up and scores a direct hit on it, with the broom spiraling around.
"Rotten little pest," hisses Kamek as he regains control of his broom. "His kind have given me problems for more years than I can count."
"Want me to end it for you?" cheerfully offers Yoshi.
"No thank you, I can take care of the problem myself!" yells Kamek and he fires a hex down at Yoshi.
Sand bursts from the ground and blocks the hex, knocking the square and triangle shapes to dust. It lowers again upon Peach's command.
"You're trying the limits of my patience, royal brat," snaps Kamek.
"Funny," quips Peach. "You've already sent me beyond mine."
A flash of lightning lights up the sky, and Peach hoists her wand up toward it. A bolt cracks down from the air and into her rod, which she then redirects at Kamek's broom.
"Oh no, I'm not sitting back for that," grumbles Ludwig as he whirls his wand around and spews another series of fireballs at Peach.
Yoshi launches a batch of eggs to block each fireball and laughs as Ludwig winces.
Kamek whisks another hex, creating a circular shield shape. Peach lowers her scepter and smiles.
"Tell me, does that shield make you feel safe?" questions Peach.
"It did until you opened your mouth," notes Kamek.
"Good answer," agrees Peach and presses her hand over the head of her rod. The heart begins to glow with a bright blue light.
"What's…what's she doing?" inquires Ludwig.
"Probably charging her lightning bolt enough to shatter through my defense," mutters Kamek.
"Do something!" cries Ludwig.
"I'm afraid she'll match whatever spell I try to counter with," bemoans Kamek as he whips his spell to create two more layers to the shield.
"She can't be that powerful!" roars Ludwig as lobs a larger and more powerful blue fireball down at Peach and Yoshi.
Princess Peach takes a step back and thrusts her scepter forward, with a crackle of lightning ripping from the tip.
The surging bolt of lightning pierces through Ludwig's giant fireball, breaking it to bits and ashes. It shatters through each layer of Kamek's shield, blasting each piece apart before electrocuting the broomstick, Kamek, and Ludwig.
"Nice shot," nervously muses Yoshi.
"Thank you. Let's keep the pressure up," advises Peach.
Ludwig and Kamek fall from the sky and crash through tree branches, down to the ground. Peach and Yoshi hustle over as the two force themselves up and ready their wands.
"Are you still trying to hide behind those?" taunts Peach. "I thought I had already proven that it's useless."
"We have a better chance with them than without," observes Kamek.
"She means that you should surrender," explains Yoshi, to which Peach nods.
"No chance," snarls Ludwig.
Peach shrugs, "As you wish."
She waves her scepter and causes coconuts to rain down over Kamek and Ludwig, who raise their wands and fire spells to deflect the falling fruit away.
Yoshi, however, sneaks around and flutter jumps around the tree, stomping down first onto Kamek, and then Ludwig. He flips backward and rushes back to Peach.
"Is that…all you've got?!" booms Ludwig.
"To be honest, I didn't think they'd be standing after all that," Yoshi admits to Peach.
"They won't be for much longer," assesses Peach. "That bolt has certainly taken its toll on them."
"Rubbish," spits Kamek and he fires another series of hexes at Peach and Yoshi. Yoshi tosses an egg to block the first one, while Peach raises more sand to block the rest.
Ludwig attempts to follow up and sends out another fireball, but Peach freezes it in the air.
"You have got to be joking," grunts Ludwig.
"Didn't anyone teach you about playing with fire?" scoffs Peach as she pulls the blue fireball closer to her. It hovers over her hand and a pink beam slowly encases and expands it.
Kamek lobs another trio of hexes at Peach, who drops her hand from the fireball and rockets it directly through the spells. Each shape bursts as the flames plow through them and crash before Ludwig and Kamek, engulfing them in a pillar of pink fire.
Peach concentrates her rod on the pillar, smirking as it burns. Yoshi's eyes widen as it continues to billow, unrelenting.
"Princess…" Yoshi murmurs as she continues to focus on the flames. "Princess Peach," his voice grows louder, "stop!" When she refuses to listen, Yoshi grabs her arm, yelling, "Peach, that's enough!"
Blinking, Peach drops her arm and watches as the flames die down. Kamek and Ludwig are coated in pink smoke, barely breathing.
Hastily, Princess Peach runs back to the water, whips it up with her scepter, and taps the heart jewel to make the water pulse with a bright blue light. Carefully, she guides the water over her fallen opponents and pours it down upon them, with the pink smog dissipating as the water splashes over the two.
Kamek and Ludwig gasp for breath as they shoot up from the ground. The Magikoopa glares at Peach through his spectacles and wraps a spell around himself and Ludwig, warping the two away.
"Peach, what was that?" fearfully asks Yoshi.
Unable to answer, Peach drops her scepter and stares at her trembling hands.
[Luigi versus Junior]
Luigi leaps back from a falling hammer and rolls between several trees.
"Like that'll save you," snickers Junior as the rain begins to fall.
The green Junior Clown Car opens its mouth and produces a cannon, which Junior charges and fires right at the trees. Luigi dives away as the cannonball rips through the tree trunks.
"Can't you just give up?" whines Junior.
"You wouldn't understand," calls Luigi as he pushes himself back up from the sand. "I don't serve my brother with blind loyalty. I care for him. He doesn't need to indoctrinate me to follow in his footsteps."
"If you're trying to tell me that I don't love my Papa, you're wrong!" snaps Junior.
"No, I'm sure you love him, but your views are misguided," explains Luigi.
"They're not," protests Junior. He flings another hammer at Luigi, who dodges it.
"What you're doing is wrong, Bowser Junior," insists Luigi. "It's not your fault; I blame your father for forcing you to think that what you're doing is right."
"I am doing the right thing!" shouts Junior. "I'm trying to make my Papa happy and he will be once Mario comes home with us!"
"Forcing him against his will won't solve that," argues Luigi.
"So keeping him away will make everyone happy? Is that it?" demands Junior.
"Junior, you don't understand—"
"What don't I get?" asks Junior. "Papa loves Mario, and Mario loves him back, right? It's not like what everyone thinks about with them and Peach; it's real. So why shouldn't they be together?"
"Not everyone likes the idea of it," clarifies Luigi.
"It's not their relationship! It's none of their business!" snaps Junior. "This is why Papa needs to rule the whole Mushroom Kingdom. It'll stop people from thinking stupid things and judging what makes other people happy."
Luigi shakes his head. "See, that's the complete wrong way to go about it."
"Who cares about right and wrong?" bursts Junior. "If Peach's way is the right way, then Papa and Mario should be able to be together with us and be happy! But they can't be, and that's wrong!"
"It's not that simple," defends Luigi. "The two of them being together would throw a lot of things out of balance and force everyone to question almost everything they think they understand!"
"Are you afraid of that?" questions Junior. "You don't want Mario with my Papa, do you?" Luigi doesn't answer immediately and Junior growls. "I knew it! You're just as bad as anyone else! Why wouldn't you help your own brother?!"
"I'm trying to," protests Luigi.
"No, no you're not," accuses Junior. "You're probably angry because Mario didn't tell you right away. My Papa didn't tell me either, and he even lied to me about it." Junior glanced to the ground, and continued, a little more softly, "But he did that because he was scared of hurting me, and then he took time to explain it to me." The young Koopa Prince picked his head up and glared at Luigi. "I know Mario would have done the same with you. So why don't you want him to be happy? And why aren't you forgiving him?"
"Yes I do, I-I did," Luigi forces out.
"Don't lie," snaps Junior. "Family should stand up for each other no matter what. If I get that, why can't you?"
"Again, it's not that simple," repeats Luigi.
"Well it should be," grumbles Junior. "And I'm done trying to make you understand that."
Bowser Junior releases a Mechakoopa from his Clown Car, which rushes forward after Luigi.
Swiftly, Luigi leaps away from the ensuing explosion, and tries to stomp down on Junior's head. Reading his movement, Junior forces his Clown Car away as Luigi slams down to the ground.
Capitalizing on his error, Junior launches the Clown Car's pincers to snatch Luigi before he can move away. Laughing, Junior throws the plumber into a tree.
Wobbling, Luigi sinks to the ground and shakes his head. He forces himself back up and runs after Junior again.
"You can't fight this, Junior," Luigi manages. "This isn't the way."
"I already told you that I'm done talking," reaffirms Junior.
The Koopa Prince drives his Clown Car forward and spins it around to attack Luigi, who narrowly rolls away from the strike.
With a back flip, Luigi leaps and stomps down on Junior, smashing the Clown Car to the ground.
"Look, even if you're ok with what your father wants," Luigi presses on, "you can't force that will upon other people. Everyone should be free to make their own decisions and opinions of whatever matter they encounter."
Junior shoots the Clown Car's boxing fists out and pushes himself back up. "Then why is it ok for everyone else to tell us we're wrong?"
"You're using violence and oppression to instill a change!" thunders Luigi.
"Because no one listens to reason anyway!" fires back Junior.
"Like you?" challenges Luigi.
"I'm not listening to your reasoning because it's not helpful to my Papa or your brother," declares Junior. "I bet none of your friends even know, because if they did, they wouldn't be fighting back so much. At least my Papa is starting to tell everyone and wants everyone on his side! And I'm helping him! You should do the same for Mario instead of fighting back."
"By fighting back, I am doing the same for Mario," insists Luigi. "Bowser's methods are toxic and will only drain Mario of everything good he represents and gave the Kingdom and its people. Blindly forcing people to accept change they're not ready for is definitely not the way to go about this. You need to introduce it and help people build tolerance to it."
"And let my Papa suffer in the meantime? No thanks," spits Junior and lobs another hammer at Luigi. As Luigi dodges it, he launches a fist from the Clown Car, which plows Luigi into the ground and back toward the shore.
Once more, Luigi pushes himself up and pants heavily. Junior growls, and spews a fireball at Luigi. The plumber sidesteps it and races forward to stomp down on Junior again.
"At the end of the day…" Luigi calls, "…only Mario and Bowser can decide on this!"
"So why don't you let them?" questions Junior, as he pulls out a Bob-omb and tosses it as Luigi jumps up.
Unable to stop his momentum, Luigi flails as the Bob-omb connects and blasts him back down to the ground, spiraling and skidding across the sand, all the way back to the shoreline.
Junior glares and waits for Luigi to come running back into view. When he doesn't, the prince lets out a light laugh and drives his Junior Clown Car past the trees.
[Mario versus Bowser]
Bowser throws Mario down in the center of the island, which has the thickest amount of trees around.
"Enough!" He jumps back up and throws a punch down on Bowser. The Koopa King blocks it with his claw and shoves Mario back to the ground.
"Now, that's a poor way to start," growls Bowser.
"Start?!" snaps Mario. "Start what?! I'm not the one who just flew in from nowhere to assault everyone my boyfriend cares about!"
"So, we are still boyfriends," hisses Bowser. "Funny, I didn't quite get that vibe, after the whole escape plot you carried out."
"You're going to hold that over on me?!" yells Mario. "You're the one who kidnapped me and locked me up in the first place!"
"I was working on it!" roars Bowser over a crash of thunder. "I even let you sleep in my room! At least I was trying to make a bad situation good and keeping you in the loop on practically everything!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" cries Mario.
"Besides the escape attempt?" blusters Bowser. "Oh, gee, how about the letter you wrote to your brother, where you actually question our relationship, well into actually having it?!"
"…What?!"
A broken edge sounds on Bowser's voice as he snaps, "Do the words 'are we worth it' sound familiar?!"
Mario's head jerks back as though the words hit him square in the nose as thunder sounds in the distance.
"Wow, not even a half-assed retort or plea against it?" sorrowfully scorns Bowser.
"That's not how I meant it," Mario tries to reason. "Bowser, it was to my brother—"
"I know damn well who it was addressed to!" rages Bowser's uneven voice. "I tore the blasted rubbish in half myself!"
"Bowser, please, I was trying to think of how my brother might view it," clarifies Mario. "And really, I wanted him to understand—"
"Yeah, bet a lot of good came from that one, huh?" challenges Bowser.
"That wasn't meant to call doubt to our relationship," Mario insists. "Please."
"Even if that wasn't, how about you leaving me?" accuses Bowser. "I thought you understood how much trouble I was going through just to keep you protected, safe, alive, with me. Why would you run off from me? You're going to tell me that you were just a little too homesick?"
Mario blurts out, "I was!"
"You could have told me that!" rants Bowser. "You could have told me about your problems! We could have actually tried working through problems as a couple! That's what you're supposed to do with the person you love, isn't it?! Not dart off at the soonest possible chance! Not wait for him to lower his guard so you can stab him straight in the heart!"
"It was for the Toad's sake!" yells Mario, rain falling onto his face. "I knew you were struggling with me around! I didn't want to make that harder or risk his life! I made the choice to run for all of us!"
"But you didn't even bother to explain that to me!" contests Bowser. "You didn't even try asking me my opinion, or let me know that you needed to get a friend out of the castle! You just assumed that I wouldn't do anything to help him!"
"No, I didn't!" persists Mario. "Yes, it wasn't right for me to keep that escape plot withheld from you, but I really wanted things to work out ok! I thought we could smooth everything over after I got him back safe and sound."
"Lies," grunts Bowser. "You're lying."
"Why would I lie about this?" pleads Mario. "I want our relationship to work just as badly as you do! Look, I even wrote you an apology letter," Mario mentions as he pulls the paper from his overalls. "I knew that leaving you was wrong, and I regret it the second that I left, but I had the best intentions in mind!"
Bowser stares at the letter and takes it from Mario. He nearly opens it, but stops himself short and crumples it up as lightning flashes in the sky.
"What are you doing?!" cries Mario.
"Excuses," snorts Bowser and tosses the paper ball back to Mario. "I don't want any part of them."
"Read it, please, just read it," begs Mario.
"No," grumbles Bowser. "I've had enough of this."
"Can't you just read it?" questions Mario.
"I already gave you my answer," growls Bowser as his voice rises.
"Please—"
"Enough!" roars Bowser and spews out a breath of fire. Mario barely manages to turn away from the flames that shoot forward at him.
The Koopa King clamps his claws over his mouth as his eyes widen with shock. Mario mimics this expression at first, but his eyebrows tighten as he glares at Bowser. Another flash of lightning strikes as a chorus of thunder rumbles.
Shaking his head, Bowser starts to apologize, "N-No, Mario. I…I didn't mean to—"
"Oh, you didn't mean to almost fry me?" barks Mario and spikes his balled letter to the ground. "Just shut me up with a little bit of fire, singe me on the crispy side, is that it?"
"It was an accident, Mario, I lost control," justifies Bowser. "Please, I didn't—"
"Huh, why does the tone of this conversation feel familiar?" ridicules Mario. "Oh, right, we just flipped the tables! Now you're the jerk and I'm beyond annoyed with your idiocy!"
Rain falls and drips down Bowser's face. "Mario—"
"No, you know what? We've put this off for too long," Mario slams his right fist into his left palm. "You and I are well over due for a classic beat-down."
"Wait, no, Mario!" pleads Bowser.
But it is too late, as Mario jumps up to hammer a punch down at Bowser. The Koopa King scoots his Koopa Clown Car back, evading each stomp and blow Mario throws at him.
"Stop, Mario! I'm not going to fight you, not like this," implores Bowser.
"Why not? This is exactly where we were going with this," Mario snaps. "Come on, it's our go-to for blowing off steam."
"We've fought enough already," shouts Bowser. "Look, that was stupid of me, and I'm sorry! Please, Mario, I don't want to fight you anymore."
Another crash of thunder sounds. "Tough luck for you."
Quickly, Mario kicks off of a tree and leaps over Bowser. The plumber bounces off from another tree and flips to Ground Pound the Koopa King.
Still, Bowser guides his Clown Car away from Mario's rampage, in a sturdy refusal to retaliate.
"I get it, I get it!" claims Bowser, his voice unsteady again. "This is how I was acting. I messed up. I get it! Come on, Mario!"
"Explain why I should listen," grumbles Mario.
"You're better than me!" admits Bowser. "Mario, you're always the more sensible one. I pick fights that you'd rather not have. I cause pain and mayhem, not you!"
In spite of this, Mario refuses to lower his guard. The rain pushes his cap down a bit, causing the brim to tip over his eyes.
"Mario, I love you," murmurs Bowser. "We can work through this. That's what you were trying to tell me."
"Yet, you didn't listen," shrugs Mario.
Bowser shakes his head, "You're right, and I'm truly sorry. Please, can't we just—"
"I think it's a little too late for that," retorts Mario.
Before Mario can move again, Junior bursts through the trees. "Papa!" cries the prince.
"Junior, stay back!" warns Bowser.
The child opens his mouth to question his father, but is interrupted by Roy, Iggy, and Morton also plowing through the trees.
"Hey, what's going on?" asks Roy.
"We'll save it for later," Bowser mutters as he reaches down and pulls up rope.
"Oh no, you are not taking me back," spits Mario.
"Yes I am," asserts Bowser. "We're sorting this out one way or another, and I'm taking you back home with me."
"No, you're not," Mario raises his fists again.
Bowser sighs and waves his hand. "Stop him," he groans.
Under a flash of lightning, Junior and the three Koopalings use their Junior Clown Cars to spin into Mario and knock him around from four different angles. The dazed plumber's legs buckle as he slumps to the ground.
"Now, do it!" Bowser shouts as he tosses the rope out.
The Koopa King and his four subjects whirl around Mario and tie him tightly with the rope. In a matter of seconds, the Koopas have him tied up.
"One grouchy and uncooperative boyfriend for you, Lord Bowser," delivers Morton as he tosses Mario into Bowser's Clown Car.
"Uh…thanks," accepts Bowser. "…I think."
"Papa, what do we do now?" questions Junior.
"Where are Kamek and the other Koopalings?" inquires Bowser.
"I guess they lost their fights," assesses Iggy. "Though, I saw Kamek's magic dust popping up in the distance around various parts of the island."
"Then we're done here. Let's get going," commands Bowser, as he rides his Koopa Clown Car into the air. Junior and the Koopalings follow his lead.
Just as they begin to take off, however, a rustle sounds from beyond the trees. Peach, Daisy, and Yoshi dash forward and cry out as the watch Bowser's escape.
"Peach! He's got Mario!" announces Daisy.
"Stop! Let him go!" demands Yoshi as he lobs an egg into the air. Bowser pivots and spikes the egg back down to the ground.
"Mario! Don't worry, we'll get you down!" shouts Peach. "We won't let them get away again!"
"No, please, don't fight back," calls Mario. "I'll be fine, just wait until you can get home. You can rescue me later."
Reluctance fills the princesses' eyes, but both slowly nod as the Clown Cars soar off. Mario watches as tears line in Yoshi's eyes while the dinosaur drops to the ground.
The ships fly off and over the shoreline of the beach, where Mario watches two Toads gather three fallen Toads, along with Luigi. He winces as he attempts to study the pain his brother has sustained.
Luigi's eyes snap open just in time to see Mario taken away overhead. "Mario! No!" yells Luigi as he attempts to race after his brother and runs out into the water. The Blue and Yellow Toads manage to stop him before he rushes out too far.
"I'll be all right, Luigi!" cries Mario. "You'll get me back later!"
Desperately, Luigi struggles to fend off the Toads, but sinks to the ground when he realizes that Mario is too far away to be saved. A combination of rainwater and tears line under Luigi's eyes as he and the Toads miserably watch their enemies fly off with their hero.
"Um…I'm…sorry, Mario," Bowser lifts his hand to place it on Mario's shoulder, but the plumber bats it away with his face.
"Don't," snaps Mario, tears streaming from his eyes.
Bowser grits his teeth and leans against the edge of his Clown Car, quietly watching Mario sob as the rain pours and the thunder rumbles across the sky.
...
And just like that, I can puncture holes into the ship that I'm trying to support! Go me! …Oh crap, ship sinking! Quick! Quick, fill in the leaks!
But yeah, nOTP'd Bowsario right here. Oops, they came to blows a little too critically. Oops, Bowser broke Mario. Oops, the kidnapping was successful. Whoops, oops, oops! (But, hey! They're back together again! …Please stop glaring at me.)
Anyway, lots of fighting from this chapter, which I billed a lot, so that was natural. What was really enjoyable was featuring the other cast outside of the leading couple. Can you believe how skilled Blue Toad is?! He totally moped the shore with Larry! …What? Doesn't anyone care about the little characters? (It's cool, they are just filler, so you don't have to pretend.) Unrelated note: I really wanted to use rain and lightning storms so badly, and I know it's pretty cliché to use that kind of weather during sad moments and fights respectively, but I couldn't pass it up.
Oh, just in case anyone misread this chapter, no, no one died and everyone lived. They just beat the stuffing out of one another. Because war. Moving on, what will the heroes do next?! Wait…who are the heroes again? …Uh…scratch that. What will Luigi, Peach, and friends do about being stranded on the island? Will the injured and wounded recover? (Spoilers: duh.) Can Bowser and Mario learn to love again? (More spoilers: double duh.) Does this story ever run out of terrible cliffhangers? Just what exactly will happen next?!
Unfortunately, that is all the time I have for you lovely people. The next chapter will be the 20th and, conveniently, break 100,000 words. That means you guys can use cool filters to find this story, like it's in an exclusive club or something! …People use filters, right? …Right?! Ok, whatever. Any comments and criticisms are welcome, just send me a review or message. I very much love those from everyone ever, including the lovely website readers, cheerful guests, and the quiet stalkers that read along. Oh…wait, that's me. Which is odd, because I write this story. Uh…oops? Anyway, as always, sorry to punish you with long chapters, even though a lot of you did mention that you loved them and made me feel a lot better about it, and thank you for reading!