Before we begin, a spoiler warning: minor character death will occur in this chapter.
Now, onward. …Oh, hey, it's been a while since we followed a certain someone's perspective, huh?
Originally, I told myself that this wouldn't be a long chapter. And then I kept writing and stuff just happened. Fortunately, for my short chapter fans, it's not as long as the last chapter!
…For you long chapter fans, I'm clearly favoring you guys, and I hope you're enjoying it. Speaking of, enjoy this chapter too! (Please? Hopefully?)
...
[Peach]
An icy gust blew around us as we crossed the bridge to the Glaciers. I kicked a bit of ice off the bridge and watched it disappear into the dark blue waters below. Once I reached the frosted surface, I turned back and watched as my shivering friends made their way over to meet me, albeit at a slower pace.
"P-Peach, h-how is it t-that you are n-n-not f-freezing?" Daisy asked.
With a shrugged, I answered, "I guess the cold never bothered me."
"N-No way," Luigi cut in. "I've s-seen you c-cold before."
"Well," I turned back around and marched forward, "not today."
Onward, I stepped across the dense ice, slowing my pace every so often to wait for my friends. They staggered along, with each chilling breeze slowing them down, not to mention the slight movements of the glacier threw off their balance every so often as well. I bit my lip, annoyed at their sluggish pace, but then, had an idea. Waving the Royal Scepter around, I cast out fireballs that circled around us, creating a circling wall of warmth.
"W-Wow, thank you, Peach!" cheered Toadette. I smiled and nodded in response.
"Hey, yeah," laughed Daisy. "It's the first time in forever that I've seen a fireball not blast someone to cinders."
"Um…I don't know…which is worse…for me," panted Yoshi, as he wiped sweat away from his face. "Extreme heat…or cold."
"Neither seem like ideal options to deal with for very long," agreed Luigi.
"No, and we'll need to keep a quick pace if we don't want to melt a hole where we're standing," I directed. "Come on!"
My friends followed me across the frozen mass, but I wasn't looking to work through every last glacier, every little area. We didn't have the luxury of clearing each individual location and dragging down all of Bowser's flags. What we needed was control here, and hasten our pace to get Mario back.
Ahead, there was a gap between the Glaciers, with several Goombas and two Ice Bros. waiting on the other side for us.
"Looks like we've got company," Daisy assessed as the others gazed past my fireballs and to the enemies across the way.
"Hold it right there, Princess," called one of the Ice Bros. "This will be as far as you go—"
He wouldn't get to finish his sentence as one of my fireballs cracked across the sky and blasted him into the waters below. A chunk of ice with a frozen Ice Bro. was all that came up after.
Shocked, which turned to anger, his companion shouted, "You miserable little—!"
Another fireball crashed against him and sent him off into the waters to join his friend. The Goombas ahead shivered and I readied to attack them.
Before I could move, a long red tongue stretched out and smashed them across the glacier, into a wall of ice. Frozen blocks came crashing down over the Goombas and they were trapped in seconds.
Yoshi and I stared at one another, with the fire's heat bothering him less since that the numbers dwindled. Though he did his best to maintain a neutral expression, I could see a bit of wariness in his eyes.
"My, that was certainly a wonderful show of strength, Yoshi!" Toadette applauded and I cast the fireballs aside, out of our way. "For someone so cute and with your reliance on eggs, I didn't know you had it in you."
"Don't talk to him like that," muttered Luigi to her as he walked past me.
"Well, excuse me, mister," huffed Toadette.
He and Yoshi leapt across the gap to the other side. Daisy followed them, and I turned to Toadette, who frowned at the distance.
"Toads aren't the best jumpers," I murmured.
"That gap is easy to make," Toadette reassured me and smiled.
"There will be longer ones up ahead," I warned her.
"Then I'll have to figure something out," shrugged Toadette and she jumped forward. Easily, she reached the other side. "Come on, Princess!"
With a final glance back to the frozen Ice Bros., I leapt across and joined the others. Whipping the fireballs back around us, we hurried along the way, until we reached a large ice structure ahead.
"What is that thing?" Daisy asked and I motioned the fireballs away.
"It's…it's a palace made of ice!" cried Luigi.
Everyone gazed at the ice fort before us. It seemed fairly grand, at least in height. Carved into the castle were doors and small openings for windows. The blocks of ice that were made resembled stones that one would build a proper castle with. Near the left side was a type…slide?
"Is this meant to be the fortress?" wondered Yoshi.
"Hey guys!" called Toadette. We turned down to see that she turned her attention away from the palace and gazed out to the ocean. "See that iceberg over there?"
She pointed and we squinted at the huge ice chunk that floated away in the distance. A polar bear that stood upright on its hind legs wandered atop it, with what appeared to be black sunglasses and hot pink shorts.
"…What is that?" carefully questioned Daisy.
"A polar bear," I answered, more plainly than I should have.
"But…why is it…?" Daisy trailed off as the palace's doors opened from behind us.
Several Penguins marched out, with wide and curious eyes. They were much taller than any of us, and looked down as they came closer.
"Who are you?" demanded one that stood in front. The voice was a female's, but very authoritative.
"My name is Princess Peach," I introduced. "I'm here to help free the Glaciers from Bowser's control."
"Princess? He…he hasn't kidnapped you?" she asked, quite surprised.
"Not this time," I nodded. "We need to get through these Glaciers quickly and free the fortress that's been taken over. Once we do that, the rest of the land is yours to restore back to order, as you see fit."
"That would be nice," agreed the Penguin. "All right, if you take our slide, you'll be able to reach the glacial caves quickly. But, be very careful; it's a bit of a stretch, and you don't want to fall off from the slide."
"It goes above the water, doesn't it?" checked Daisy.
"Yes, and Penguins tend to enjoy the swim, but I very much doubt the rest of you would," murmured the Penguin.
"We'll be fine," I assured her.
"Very well," she nodded and turned to the Penguins behind her. "Allow these five through, and let them use the slide."
"Yes, Madame," complied the Penguins and they waddled aside.
With a smile, I guided the others through the entrance of the palace and the Penguins guided us to the nearby slide. The Madame Penguin followed us over and stood next to the slide.
"Do be wary of Cooligans," she advised. "Unlike us, they're not the friendly sorts. They're cheeky and will try to bump you off, just for laughs."
"Thank you, we'll exercise additional caution," I curtseyed to her. "Toadette, do you have the Item Bag?"
"Sure do," she pulled it out and I rummaged through it until I pulled out the Penguin Suit.
"Oh, that's a smart idea," Luigi smiled. "Can we all use it?"
"We should be able to," I nodded. "Grab hold, everyone."
My friends gathered around and touched the Penguin Suit as it glowed bright. In a flash, we were enveloped in a light. When it disappeared, I gazed down at my hands, which were now covered with flippers. My pink dress remained along the outside, but it was now around the body of my blue Penguin Suit. Daisy had a similar costume, with her orange and yellow dress around a black Penguin Suit. Luigi's was a dark blue with green overalls on the outside. Yoshi's was a plain suit, but had his saddle on the back of it. Toadette had a blue Penguin Suit as well, with her pink vest and dress on the outside of it.
"Gracious, I didn't realize you were all part-Penguin," mused the Madame Penguin.
"Oh, we're not. I'm sorry, Madame," I shook my head. "This is just a temporary, to help us as we slide."
"Ah, I see now," she nodded. "Well, those will certainly help, I'd imagine."
Another Penguin stepped up to help us climb onto the slide. Luigi and Yoshi scooted to the front, while Toadette sat between Daisy and I in the back.
"Hey, you boys ready?" asked Daisy.
"N-Not exactly," gulped Luigi.
"Too bad!" she laughed and kicked Luigi and Yoshi forward. Slowly, they fumbled about and slid down the icy slide, with Luigi wailing as they flew off.
Quickly, the girls and I flipped onto our bellies and pushed off, as we hurried down the slide after them. It had a steep drop at the beginning, but slowly rose up a bit, allowing us to slow our pace a bit. The slide dipped down and around a bend, letting us go through another set of the Glaciers and over the ocean below.
"This is awesome!" shouted Daisy as she threw her hands into the air.
"Woohoo, yeah!" agreed Toadette, who began to pick up speed and slid further ahead. "W-Wait! What?"
"Oh dear, hold on, Toadette!" I called as she continued down slide, between the boys and us.
Ahead, we slid into a cavern between the next two of the Glaciers. A quick gap of air let us know that we passed from one to the next. However, from that opening, I glanced up and watched several small penguins with sunglasses dive down at us.
"Cooligans!" cried Luigi, who had also noticed them drop from above.
We sped through the next glacier as they dropped into open spaces around us. Daisy held her hand up and summoned an Ice Ball. She threw it at one of the Cooligans, who turned into a block of ice and gained momentum.
"Uh…oops?" nervously chuckled Daisy.
The frozen Cooligan knocked two of its allies away and sped closer to us. Luigi and Yoshi screamed and I whirled my head around.
There was a slight gap in the slide itself, where we soon launched off and dropped to the next part of it. Though we continued to rocket onward, the frozen Cooligan had dropped off the slide, too heavy to launch properly.
Three Cooligans remained with us, and one sped up to attack Toadette.
"Watch out, Toadette!" I called out again.
She spun about and fired an Ice Ball, which missed and burst on the slide in front of Daisy, who had to wipe her eyes from the powder that flew at her.
I launched an Ice Ball of my own and hit the Cooligan, who was encased in a block like the last one. It slid down and crashed into the remaining two Penguins, who were batted off the slide.
Luigi and Yoshi jumped up and allowed the frozen Cooligan to race past them, dropping back down and next to Toadette as it disappeared around the next bend.
"Phew. Thank you, Princess," sighed Toadette as we continued to slide along.
Soon, we reached another steep drop in the slide, and we sped down it. The end of it lifted up and we soared off from the slide, over the ocean, and through the air. After a moment, we crashed down on another glacier, this one with a large cave in front of us. I glanced at the top of it, with a flag of Bowser's insignia at the top of it.
"A glacial cave," observed Luigi. "Doesn't seem like the best place to convert into a fortress, does it? What if the place collapses or melts?"
"Considering that we already dealt with a sunken ship, I think they could care less on a permanent fortress foundation," countered Daisy.
"Regardless, this is definitely the place," I pointed up to the flag at the top. "Let's get in there and get this over with."
They nodded and we walked inside the icicle-lined entrance of the cave. Cautiously, I guided the others further along the cave, but stopped when I noticed the Dry Bones ahead.
"We'll need to deal with those," I whispered to the others and shuffled forward first.
Luckily for us, we were already prepared to deal with Dry Bones. I formed a new Ice Ball in my flipper and aimed my arm to throw it at the first Dry Bones, which rested on a cliff above.
As I threw the Ice Ball, Daisy yelled, "Peach! Head's up!"
Shaken, I watched my Ice Ball score the hit against the Dry Bones and froze it before I gazed up to watch a giant ice stalactite come crashing down.
It knocked me away and in a flash, I was on the ground, back in my normal dress, and lost the Penguin Suit.
"Drat," I hissed as I pushed myself up.
"Are you all right, Princess?" asked Toadette.
"Yes, I'll be fine," I brushed myself off and pulled my Royal Scepter out. "Well, let's continue, shall we?"
The others exchanged glances, but I turned back and jumped up to the cliff. Placing my scepter down, I lifted the ice encased Dry Bones and threw it against a wall, shattering it.
"Is that really necessary?" wondered Yoshi aloud.
"Of course it is," I responded. "We don't want them coming back to attack us, do we?"
"But, they don't always attack," countered Yoshi. "Sometimes, they just patrol."
"Yoshi, don't tell me you're pitying these undead Koopas," I snapped. "They're not worth it!"
"They're not worth obliterating either, are they?" questioned Luigi. "We're in a hurry, aren't we?"
My eyes locked with his, and even at a distance, Luigi held a good stare. With a heavy sigh, I nodded.
"Then let's go," Luigi called out and jumped onto another cliff on the opposite side.
Daisy and Yoshi followed him up, while Toadette hurried over to my side and jumped to follow me. Instead of attacking the Dry Bones that we passed on our ascension, we evaded them and leapt to the next platform.
A crack sounded from above and Toadette shouted as we watched another ice stalactite slam down by Luigi, Daisy, and Yoshi. Toadette and I jumped to another platform and saw Luigi and Daisy jump on top of the ice stalactite, but Yoshi was against the floor, without his Penguin Suit.
"Ugh," I heard him groan. "Not fun."
Luigi jumped down and helped Yoshi back to his feet. We jumped up and continued to climb, evading the patrolling Dry Bones and ice stalactites that fell as we pressed on. Eventually, we reached a platform that brought our groups back together, along with a few snowmen lined up against the cavern walls.
"Happy snowmen!" cheered Toadette as she ran over and poked one. "With carrot noses! So cute!"
A long red tongue stretched out and lashed against the snowmen's faces. Toadette jumped as it stretched in front of her, and paused for a second for us to see the lump of carrots that were wrapped up. It slipped backwards and went into Yoshi's mouth as he swallowed the vegetables whole. Everyone else stared at Yoshi as he rubbed his belly.
He stopped and looked back at us. "…What?" Yoshi questioned. "I was hungry."
We shrugged and continued to jump up the cliffs and platforms of the cave. Another stalactite fell, which I launched a fireball at to shatter it. The remaining pieces rained down, however, and one struck Luigi.
"Nice aim, Princess," Luigi muttered as he was lit by a flash. He folded his arms as his Penguin Suit disappeared and the light faded.
"It was worth a shot," I grumbled.
Our climb continued, mostly uneventful as we paraded past the Dry Bones, who wandered aimlessly around by this point.
"You know, some of the others attacked us before," observed Daisy. "Why won't these guys?"
"The cold must be messing with their heads," guessed Yoshi. "Dry Bones have a pretty solid weakness to ice and frozen environments, right?"
"True," I agreed. "Which…makes it confusing as to why Bowser would send them here."
"Isn't every fort guarded by Dry Bones?" inquired Luigi. "I've been through so many and it's always full of Dry Bones. Why is that?"
"Bowser probably knows that we'll just clobber anyone else and rush through the place," assumed Toadette. "So, might as well make it easy for us!"
"That…doesn't exactly make sense," argued Daisy. "Why put the boss at the end?"
"Oh. Then that's probably it," presumed Toadette. "He wants us to go through quickly to fight the boss, who he thinks we'll struggle against."
"They're not the only ones here!" shouted a voice.
Everyone glanced up to see two Ice Bros. waiting near the top of the cavern.
"Hello," Toadette waved, undeterred. "Can you tell us why Bowser uses mostly Dry Bones in fortresses and such?"
"W…What?" asked one of the Ice Bros.
"Well, they're pretty weak, for the most part," continued Toadette "Besides the whole resurrection action they have going on and…hey, that's it!" She snapped her fingers at the revelation. "Guys, Bowser probably uses them because they're the ones that can come back from almost everything! Dry Bones can handle extreme temperatures, reassemble from being knocked apart, aren't afraid of the dark, they're ideal troops for these places!"
"…Why do you even care?" questioned the other Ice Bro.
"Care? Who told you that?" asked Toadette. "I'm just distracting you two."
Realizing it too late, the Ice Bros. whirled around to find that Luigi and Daisy had climbed up and jumped on top of their heads. The Ice Bros. fumbled back and fell from their perch, back down the cavern below.
"Nice work, Toadette," I congratulated.
"Thank you, Princess!" Toadette beamed.
"Hey, how about us?" demanded Daisy as she folded her arms. An abrupt flash enveloped her and she blinked as her Penguin Suit disappeared. "W-What?!"
"Is that a Freezie?" asked Luigi as we looked to the passing ice block with a perplexed facial expression. It silently slid from the edge and fell down the cavern.
"…Seriously?" questioned Daisy, as her arms hung out loosely in front of her.
"That could have been worse," noted Yoshi.
Annoyed, but agreeing, Daisy nodded and folded her arms back together. Yoshi, Toadette, and I jumped up to the next cliff and met Luigi and Daisy as we leapt further up the cavern. Eventually, we reached a big, green studded door.
"Well, congratulations, Toadette," muttered Luigi. "If this were a mini-game to see who could keep the Penguin Suit to the end, you'd be the winner."
"Woo!" cheered Toadette and twirled around. We laughed as she spread her arms out and posed happily.
"Come on, let's keep going," I urged. Toadette nodded and we pulled the door open.
We walked inside and the door slammed shut behind us. I stare down the long corridor and realize how dull this becomes as we venture through each one across the kingdom.
"Let's race down the hallway!" suggested Toadette. "First one there gets the first attack!"
Before anyone could contest to her idea, she broke into a run and hurried along. I charged after her, with Yoshi, Luigi, and Daisy running not too far behind me. At one point, Toadette tripped and slid forward on her Penguin Suit, which helped her glide along a little faster for a moment, but skidded to a stop. She giggled as I scooped her up and carried her along to the end of the hallway. For a moment, I thought I heard Kamek's evil cackle resonate in the distance.
Once we reached the end, we exited the glacier cave and appeared at the top. Thick ice stalagmites surrounded us, preventing a chance at escape, if need be. A mound of snow was all that was at the end of the area.
"Wait, did Toadette win, or Peach?" Yoshi asked.
"Whoever you are, just show yourself already," I called out. "We've already been through three of these fortresses, we know how this works."
"T-Three already?" a voice echoed around us. "Oh d-d-dear, that's not good news."
A surge of wind billowed from the snow bank and blew the powder all around us. When it cleared, a giant snowman rested where the pile originally was. He had a blue bucket on his head, a stick arm that had a yellow mitten with a pink stripe at the end of it, and an expression on his face similar to the Freezie from before. Black stones were used to make up the face and the buttons on his lower section.
"And you are…?" inquired Daisy.
"I-I'm Mr. Blizzard," a voice sounded from the snowman, but his mouth did not move a bit. "B-B-Bowser requested me to watch over the Glaciers."
"More like ordered," corrected Daisy.
"Not exactly, b-but I suppose you c-could c-call it that," shivered Mr. Blizzard.
"You don't seem all that evil," assessed Luigi. "Why are you oppressing this land?"
"O-Oppressing? No, I d-don't do that," Mr. Blizzard insisted. "I k-keep the land cold and h-helped the P-Penguins build their ice p-palace."
Something clicked for me as I inquired, "So, it was between you and the Penguins to work for Bowser?"
"N-No, Bowser didn't even c-consider the Penguins," the snowman shivered again. "He t-thinks that they're t-treated well enough."
"Treated well…?" I questioned.
"B-By you," accused Mr. Blizzard.
"As opposed to whom?" I demanded.
"Other s-species of the k-kingdom," continued Mr. Blizzard. "P-Princess Peach enforces l-laws that keep them out from h-her kingdom."
"If by others, you mean the nasty grunts that Bowser uses, then that's wrong," defended Toadette. "Princess Peach keeps us safe from them."
"S-She keeps the others out, a-and they're f-forced to defend themselves," persisted Mr. Blizzard. "B-Bowser takes them in a-and uses them for t-troops, but also g-gives them m-more help than the r-r-royal family."
"Listen," I intervened. "Bowser has been trying to tell that lie for ages, and it's been passed down within his line for generations. My family has done no wrong to these other species. They're hostile creatures, and they'll attack innocent people on sight. The Toads, the Penguins, the Yoshis, they're more defenseless folks. How have they ever incurred the wrath of such vicious monsters?"
"I-If they were truly v-vicious, you wouldn't even n-need to c-call them such," Mr. Blizzard picked out. "Y-You've grown up on t-the lies you've b-b-been told and now you c-continue to spread them amongst y-your p-p-people."
"These aren't lies," I insisted. "The first instinct of a Goomba is to bonk an approaching target. A Koopa will launch its shell at someone to attack. Cheep Cheeps bite, Piranha Plants spit fire, Dry Bones will throw bones—"
"Toads will stomp, Penguins dive, Yoshis fire eggs and eat foes," clearly sounded the snowman. "They're not quite as defenseless as you believe them to be. You are not as defenseless as many would believe you to be."
My grip tightened around my scepter. "The Koopa King has fed you nothing but lies, and now they've festered in your head for far too long," I darkly murmured.
"S-So if they w-w-were lies, w-why do you grow so angry?" challenged Mr. Blizzard.
"Because you believe them," I called out. "And I'm upset that you do."
"Does my o-opinion bother the g-great Princess of the M-Mushroom Kingdom?" he questioned.
"It wouldn't if it was your own opinion," I pointed my rod at him. "However, this is just what Bowser wanted you to tell us. He's trying to stir something against us."
"Who's to tell?" inquired Mr. Blizzard. "I only see you and your allies here. None of them have connections to Bowser, do they? Their absolute, undying loyalty resides with you, doesn't it?"
"That's right!" piped up Toadette.
I flashed her a smile, but when I turned to check on the others, I noticed Daisy wearing her own perplexed expression while Luigi and Yoshi were frowning…at me.
"You don't seriously believe him…do you?" I quietly asked them as I lowered my wand.
Yoshi shivered quietly, though he didn't look like he had an answer in mind for me.
"No, we don't," affirmed Daisy, though there was unsteadiness in her voice. "I've known you for years, Peach. You're not evil, or oppressive, or whatever he's trying to imply."
"Not by choice," mused Luigi.
"What was that?" I questioned.
"It's just…Peach, you were never there during the time that the Koopa Troop soldiers were, well, not apart of Bowser's army," observed Luigi. "Have you ever spoken with them on a personal basis?"
"Are you insane?" I blurted out. "Bowser kidnaps me! Why would I ever—?"
"I didn't suggest Bowser," corrected Luigi. "Though, maybe he's just doing what he was always raised to do."
"He wasn't raised to kidnap me and hold me ransom for my kingdom, he chooses to do that!" I snapped. "He's doing it with Mario right now! Luigi, you have to see that, out of everyone here!"
"…My brother and Bowser…" muttered Luigi. He glanced at Yoshi, who continued to shake from the frigid environment.
"They're enemies!" I shouted.
"Are they?" boomed Mr. Blizzard. "Or have you made them such?"
"What?!"
"Why would they be against one another?" contested Mr. Blizzard. "Mario foils Bowser's attempts at rule to keep you safe. Bowser despises Mario because he keeps helping your kingdom. If you're taken out of the equation, what do they have left to fight over?"
"Anything!" I forced out. "Everything! They hate each other! Mario only ever puts on a good front when we invite Bowser to things because I ask him to!"
"Always?"
"Yes!" I insisted. "Even then, Bowser crashes to I don't even know how many events and gatherings we have! He's cruel, vile, nasty, rude, insecure, bossy, spiteful, evil, insensitive, manipulative—!"
And I froze as that last word registered in my mind. I checked back on Yoshi, who had folded his arms and crossed his legs as he shivered still.
"Manipulative," I repeated. "Manipulation. That's your game, isn't it?"
"Excuse m-me?" questioned Mr. Blizzard.
"Most bosses have forced us into a fight by this point," I recalled. "But you haven't. And that's your trick, that's why Bowser chose you. You're trying to get in our heads and have us freeze out here figuring ourselves out. Crafty, and it was going well for you."
"C-Confrontation is something I-I'd rather avoid," Mr. Blizzard tried, but I shook my head.
"No, that's exactly what you were going for," I readied my scepter again. "And that ends right here."
Before anyone else could speak, I whipped up a fireball and shot it at Mr. Blizzard. The snowman took the hit right across the face and wailed in pain, but didn't flinch.
"And you've called others monsters?!" cried Mr. Blizzard.
"Peach, hold on a minute," Daisy reached out and grabbed my shoulder. "He can't move."
"That's the point!" I thundered. "He's just trying to get into our heads!"
"But Peach—"
"No, you guys don't understand," I argued. "That's all this boss is made of. It's not like the others that can fight us back. He's stuck where he is. The way he battles us is by messing with us verbally and mentally, not physically."
With a glare at the snowman, I readied another fireball.
"M-Maybe we could just…run around him and confuse him, instead?" weakly offered Toadette.
"If your friends won't help me, and you won't stop, then I have no choice," moaned Mr. Blizzard.
A snowball materialized in his hand, formed from the icy dust around the area. Quickly, I shot a fireball at him, but he lobbed the snowball at my shot, which cancelled the blast.
My mouth dropped open. "How…?"
"For my lack in mobility, I have sharp aim and a mastery over colder elements," announced Mr. Blizzard. "This allows me a chance to defend myself from predators, such as yourself."
"I'm no predator!" I angrily defended.
"You launched a fireball to harm me, when I haven't wronged you in any way," noted the snowman. "What do I call you if not—?"
"Just stop talking!" I shouted.
"Truth lives, even if I fall silent," rumbled Mr. Blizzard.
"Enough!"
Again, I sent out another fireball, which Blizzard blocked with another snowball. He formed another one and quickly tossed it at me. I ducked but heard an odd, crackling sound behind me.
"Yoshi!" cried Daisy.
Whirling my head around, I gasped. Yoshi was encased in solid ice, frozen in place.
"S-Surrender now, p-p-please," bellowed Mr. Blizzard. "Leaving him frozen for too dangerous."
"Then release him!" I commanded.
"Only if you leave this place," he contended.
"We can't do that," I argued.
"Well, then you leave me no choice," Mr. Blizzard echoed.
Another snowball launched out and I shot a fireball to block it. Daisy ran forward and went to jump onto the snowman, but he was far too tall for her to rise quickly enough.
"Daisy!" I shouted as another snowball formed in his hand.
It was too late. Blizzard hit her directly with the snowball and my fellow princess was quickly encased in ice. She crashed back down to the ground, not far from Mr. Blizzard.
"Will you stop now?" he asked.
"No!" I yelled.
"So be it."
Mr. Blizzard whirled up another snowball and launched it. I created a pink barrier around Toadette, Luigi, and I, which blocked the snowball.
"Nice work, Princess!" thanked Toadette.
"Peach, you're doing well," observed Luigi, "but for Yoshi and Daisy's sake, we should probably stop here."
"Absolutely not!" I boomed. "Just give me a minute."
Another snowball formed in Mr. Blizzard's hand, bigger than the last. He hurled it forward and I watched it hit my shield and…break through it!
"That's not possible!" I cried out.
The large snowball crashed down beside me and I pivoted to see Luigi slowly encasing in ice.
"Luigi! No!" Toadette gasped.
Hastily, Luigi called out, "Either end this, or s-save my brother!" The ice closed around him and froze him like the others.
Angered, I whipped up another fireball, bigger than the last, and sent it right at the snowman. It hit him without fail and he moaned in pain.
"Is war…the only answer…you know?" gasped Mr. Blizzard's voice.
"You're the one launching snowballs! Just stop!" I shouted.
"Must I be the one at fault?" he challenged. "You launch fireballs repeatedly at me."
"Those snowballs froze my friends!" I yelled.
"Unfortunate," he murmured. "I've been aiming for you."
Quickly, he formed another snowball and lobbed it at me. I shot a fireball at it, canceling it, as another snowball whizzed through the air at me. Again, I burnt it down, and readied my staff for the next one.
The third, however, flew across rapidly after the second, and I couldn't ready my spell in time.
"Princess!" wailed Toadette.
As the snowball soared down, Toadette jumped in front of me and took the hit.
"No!" I screamed. "Toadette! Why?!"
Thinking that I was asking her, she tried to laugh, but coughed instead. "I guess some people are worth freezing for," she managed out to me as the ice encased her.
My mouth hung open. All four of my friends were frozen solid. And if they stayed that way for too long…
"Forgive me, Princess Peach," bellowed Mr. Blizzard. "This will be the end."
A roar of anger escaped me. The snowman threw another snowball, but I blocked it with a shield.
He created a larger snowball again, but I lowered the shield and waited until he threw it.
As the snowball came flying at me, I waved my wand and froze it in the air.
"W…What's this?!" gasped Mr. Blizzard.
Pink ice encased the snowball and shifted its shape into a spear. With another wave from my scepter, I threw it back and it sliced through Mr. Blizzard's arm. The snowman shrieked in pain and I used the scepter to create a giant fireball above him.
"Release my friends, right now," I demanded.
"This…heat…should…do it," coughed the voice of the snowman.
Slowly, the ice around my friends began to thaw, but it wasn't fast enough.
"Help it along!" I commanded. "Now!"
"I can…only create…snow…not destroy it," wheezed Mr. Blizzard.
Daisy gasped out as the ice around her face melted. Yoshi and Luigi soon followed as I moved the fireball above the center of the area. Mr. Blizzard also began to melt as I kept it raised above us, waiting as my friends were freed from their icy prisons. My shoulders were stiff until I heard Toadette breathe again, as Daisy broke out of the remaining ice and ran back to us.
Once my friends were thawed out, all that remained of Mr. Blizzard was a slushy body, and his partially melted head.
"Good job…Princess," he gasped. "You've…won. I…surrender."
Hearing that didn't satisfy me, not like I assumed it would have. The fireball floated overhead and I guided it above Mr. Blizzard.
"Peach?" Luigi spoke up. "Peach, what are you doing?"
"He's too dangerous," I murmured.
"Who…danger…?" was all that Mr. Blizzard could manage.
"Stop! Peach, don't!" Luigi cried out.
But I didn't listen, as I released the fireball and let it fall in front of the melted snowman. A pitiful last cry of pain was all that we heard.
We watched as the fire burned the ice. Luigi shouted something, but I stopped listening. Tears filled my eyes as I summoned water from the ocean below and tried to put out the fire quickly.
It shined a bright blue color and I washed the flames away. But all that remained of Mr. Blizzard were burnt objects that he wore, and a large puddle.
I glared at the Bowser flag that continued to beat in the wind. As I guided the water back down from the glacier, I made a wave slice the flag off from the ice.
"Princess…?"
Sharply, I inhaled, and looked down at Toadette. She worriedly gazed up at me, but neither of us spoke. A tear dropped and I brushed it away.
"What have you done?" asked Yoshi.
"He was evil," I defended and scowled at Yoshi. He backed up, taken aback, and seemed quite sorrowful, fearful even.
"Who is the evil one, Princess?!" thundered Luigi and I locked my glare against his.
"Are you seriously asking me that?" I questioned.
"Yes, yes I am!" he snapped. "Bowser's taken my brother, seized control of these kingdoms, and hurt us all on multiple levels, but you know what he hasn't done?" I stood quietly as Luigi paused, waiting to see if I knew the answer. When I didn't fill in the blank for him, he continued, "Killed. Somehow, after all of this, not a single person is dead on your side. Meanwhile, we've taken down so many troops from Bowser's side that I've lost count."
"They're monsters, Luigi," I insisted.
"Are they?!" he challenged. "Blizzard was ready to give up, Princess. He didn't need to be incinerated."
"He did!" I shouted as my voice broke. "If I didn't stop him here, he could have done worse to another person! Who knows what he would have done?!"
"How?!" Luigi demanded. "He couldn't even move! All he could do was throw snow and talk! That's it! So long as no one else came here, who could he harm?"
"Luigi, Peach might be right about this," cut in Daisy. "Mr. Blizzard couldn't move, true, but why should this place be kept under his control? We needed to free the Glaciers. Now that he's gone, the Penguins can get rid of Bowser's troops without fear."
"Without…he helped build their palace!" defended Luigi. "If anything, we've given them something to be more fearful of!"
"I think Luigi might be right," voiced Yoshi. "If Blizzard helped the Penguins, we might have only made matters worse here. What if he was the one that kept the tension to a minimum?"
"While he kept Bowser's troops here?" protested Daisy. "Come on, that's no way to live. This guy…or, snowman…he was evil!"
"A necessary evil," I muttered.
"Peach?"
Quietly, I stepped over to the puddle and lifted the charred mitten. With a final glance at the other remains, I stood back up and walked past my friends and used my scepter to form a bridge from the ice stalagmites. Slowly, I crossed them as I silently walked back toward the ice palace, visible from this glacier in the distance.
After a minute, I heard small footsteps chase after me. And soon, my friends followed Toadette as she hurried after me.
Barely, I observed the other Glaciers below, watching for Bowser's minions. There weren't many, but there wasn't much that I could make out. Mostly, I watched the water and glanced between that and the steps that I took across my ice bridge. Each time the bridge stopped, I motioned for a piece from the back to break off and form the next part of the path, creating my own never-ending steps.
Eventually, we arrived back at the ice palace. The Madame Penguin stepped outside to meet us as I shifted the pieces from the bridge into a descending staircase.
"Welcome back," she greeted. "I'll take it that you were successful?"
"At the cost of Mr. Blizzard's life, unfortunately," I reported. "I understand that he helped you create this place?"
"Indeed, and it took a lot of his power to do so," she confirmed. "It's unfortunate that you needed him gone, but what's done is done."
"What will happen?" I quickly asked. "Without him, what will happen to this place?"
"Well, we'll be fighting to take back the rest of the Glaciers," noted the Penguin. "After that, I suppose we'll need to find another, um, 'winter wizard,' if you will, to help us continue to fortify our lands."
"I'm sorry," I apologized.
"Dear, there's nothing for you to be sorry about," insisted the Madame Penguin. "You did only what was necessary."
Somehow, her reassurance failed to comfort me, but I nodded.
"Thank you, Princess, for your kindness, in rescuing not only your land, but giving our people hope," she bowed to me. "We will no longer fear the tyranny of Bowser's forces."
"Have they done much to harm you?" asked Luigi.
"Nothing too over the top, but they've threatened our lives and taken control of more than a fair share of land," informed the Madame Penguin. "Mr. Blizzard was kind enough to protect us when they overstepped their boundaries, but we'll be able to take care of things from here, without him in our way either."
"Just don't over do it," I cautioned. "If you need any support, send word to my castle immediately."
"Of course. Thank you again, Princess Peach," she smiled.
With a nod, I turned away and led my friends away from the palace.
When we were a great distance away, across another glacier and bound for home, I uttered, "I just promoted war."
"Well, yeah," came up Daisy's voice. "You are in the middle of it."
"But I've done nothing to stop it," I murmured.
"Neither has Bowser," Luigi admitted. We locked eyes for a moment. "Peach, I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. It's just…well…"
For a moment, Luigi looked like he had more to tell me, with his mouth open and a finger raised, but he dropped his arm and shut his mouth as he scratched the back of his head.
"It's all right," my voice broke out. "You're just keeping an open mind. You just want Mario back. I get it." A tear slipped from my eye. "I really want him back too. But I don't…I don't know the right way to go about it."
Once we reached the bridge, I stopped walking. The others crowded around me, but I couldn't look at any of them. Instead, I dropped to my knees and tossed my rod aside.
And then, I cried.
...
Huh. That was pretty heavy, for the death of a snowman.
Anyway, yeah, Peach is not pleased with her own actions. She tried to save her friends, but might have gone just a little over the top doing so. Whoops. So, does that make her evil? Well…for now, I'll leave that for you to ponder. What was with Luigi, though, huh? It's like…he's actually considering the other side…? He's a bit harsh about it, though. But what's his issue…? (Am I only adding more questions than answering them? Oops, pardon me.) And then, Daisy and Yoshi were there. Hmm. (Toadette too!)
So, Mr. Blizzard! It was such an oddball choice, but I really wanted to change up the type of boss battles that Mario and friends are used to. Run over, jump on the head three times, yippee, we win. Yawn. Since I'm writing a story and not a game, however, I figured that I could toy with the way fights are handled, and I enjoy villains that appeal to logic and play mind games. None of that's really in Mr. Blizzard's repertoire; he just throws snowballs at his enemies. But, I felt creative and flashed my artistic license at creating baddies, so there he was! …But was he really a bad guy? He did work for Bowser…but he wasn't totally evil. And that begs to ask: is Bowser evil? …Isn't gray morality so much fun to explore?! (Please don't kill me.)
Other stuff: Toadette was a fun addition, and I enjoyed writing her with the group. But, she's such a little…"Peach pleaser," I guess. (She does work for Peach, though, so that's kind of her thing.) There was a gag at defeated Mr. Blizzard by running around him, which was how to defeat him in Super Mario 64. Madame Penguin just kind of happened, idk why. It was just, bam, new character. And I'm sure that you guys caught a certain cameo earlier, right?
That'll do it for me. If you have any more questions or want to shoot me some comments, reviews and messages really make my day. Next chapter will shoot back over to our leading coup…uh…hero…no…hmm. What do I call Bowser and Mario collectively, as of this chapter? …Screw it, they're still Bowsario, even while they're apart. After all…this is all written! (I tried.) Anyway, that's all, so thank you again for reading!