Author's Notes: I can't believe I waited a year to update this story! I am so sorry to those who have been anticipating the next chapter. This isn't a dead fic, but I do have a lot of projects in the works right now. As for this chapter, we're back in the sports universe, where war universe Bowser has turned everything on it's head by kidnapping Princess Peach. How will this confusing situation effect our heroes (and villains)? Find out now in this chapter :)


Chapter 7

007

Peach had been trapped with Bowser in his clown copter for almost an hour, and only now was the Koopa Kingdom coming into view. His castle was a mere few minutes away now, and its mighty towers could already be seen along the horizon. Peach was certainly angry at having been taken from the striker's tournament, but more than that she was confused.

Bowser was acting strange. He growled under his breath more, he didn't want to talk to her, and every order he gave his minions on the journey was loud and abrupt. He seemed crueler, harder, and more single-minded than she had ever seen him before. Peach didn't know what was happening, but she had a feeling it would have an effect on not only her, but also her kingdom.

"We'll be home soon, my dear," Bowser suddenly said, pulling Peach out of her reverie, "I hope this time you'll be more cooperative. Locking you in the dungeon isn't ideal, but if you defy me again that's the way it will have to be. I'm hoping you'll see reason this time though. The Koopalings miss you."

"Who?" Peach couldn't help but ask.

"You've forgotten them already? My, my, you are so unfeeling," Bowser chided Peach, "I would have at least expected you to ask about Wendy and Roy. Wendy wants to be just like you, you know. She struts around her castle in her bow and gold bracelets, believing one day she will take her rightful place as princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, just like you."

"I don't know anyone named Wendy, or Roy for that matter," Peach replied; puzzled, "Bowser, is everything okay? You seem rather churlish today."

"I am different, Princess," Bowser said with a smug grin, "I awoke today as king of the Koopa Kingdom, but when I go to sleep tonight I shall be the ruler of two lands. We shall be wed immediately, and soon we shall spread our forces outward to conquer the rest of the worlds. Together we shall rule all!"

"That's insane," Peach shot down the notion outright, "I'm engaged to Mario, and trying to conquer the world would only result in wars you would eventually lose. Bowser, why risk this? Everyone likes you, and you rule over a lovely kingdom with happy subjects. What more could you need?"

"I will not stop until everything is mine," Bowser declared, "And that includes you. As for Mario, I doubt he'll be in our hair for very long. I will send my finest troops to kill him and his sniveling brother."

"Kill him?" Peach gasped, "You can't be serious! He's your friend!"

"That two-bit plumber is no friend of mine!" Bowser snapped, his gesticulating arm swiping at Peach and knocking her down, "If you know what's good for you Princess, you will forget that miserable excuse for Goomba stompings and accept your place in my new world order. I will treat you well, but only if you obey. Cross me, and you will live to regret it."

Peach trembled when she heard those words. They were spoken with a voice far colder and more sinister than anything she had ever heard Bowser say before. She didn't know what was wrong with the Koopa King, but she knew that she was going to have to think on her feet to save herself and stop Bowser from harming her people. She would have to forget he was her friend and treat him like an obstacle, just like when they competed against each other in games. Only this time, the prize for winning would be her very life.


Mario, Luigi, and Daisy had been driving for over an hour when their karts suddenly ran out of fuel. Luigi's was the first to stop, so Daisy pulled over to help him. Mario, who was riding in the back of Luigi's kart, was grateful for the rest. He wasn't used to driving wherever he went, so he was getting a little motion sick.

"Oh no, I ran out of red mushrooms!" Luigi exclaimed as he checked his inventory.

"That is bad news," Mario replied, "We need those to grow large enough to take damage from the Koopa Troopas."

"Mario, you can't eat red mushrooms. They're only used for kart fuel," Luigi argued.

"Don't worry guys, I have plenty of power-ups for when we get to the castle," Daisy assured them, "It's mostly ice flowers, but that should do us some good. Koopas hate ice."

"Bowser doesn't mind. He just breathes fire until it melts," Luigi informed her.

"Oh trust me, with three against one, he'll mind," Daisy replied with a devilish grin, "If he wants to declare war on the Mushroom Kingdom, then he'll have to deal with Sarasaland too. No one is going to wreck our planet again!"

"You see Daisy, that's what has me worried," Luigi said, "Why is Bowser suddenly trying to hurt the Mushroom Kingdom and marry Princess Peach? I can't help but wonder if this is related to the alien technology. Maybe Tatanga is mind controlling Bowser or something."

"The reason doesn't matter," Mario dismissed, "All that matters is we do our jobs and save the kingdom. That's what the king hired us for, and that's what we'll do."

"Hired? Mario, I'm starting to think you suffered some permanent brain damage," Luigi cringed, "I mean, you've forgotten almost everything, and you talk about things that never happened. Maybe what happened to Bowser also happened to you. Does that make sense?"

"Not really, but I don't care," Mario replied resolutely, "The princess is in trouble, and we have 'a to save her. That's all that matters right now."

Luigi was about to say something else, but then Daisy grabbed his shoulder and pointed to the road. He stopped and listened, and sure enough, he heard the sound of a kart coming straight toward them.

All three heroes grabbed an ice flower and prepared to use it if need be. For all they knew this could be more troops ready to kill them. As it turned out however, the intruder was someone worse…at least in Luigi's mind.

"Waluigi…" Daisy sighed in annoyance, "What do you think he wants?"

"Probably to run over my foot," Luigi speculated, "He doesn't even live in this direction, so there's no reason for him to be here."

Just as predicted, when Waluigi saw the trio on the side of the road he stopped his kart. The smug grin on his face always made Luigi's stomach feel queasy, because this bully loved nothing more than tormenting him over every little thing. Mario, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered by any of this.

"Hey losers! Taking a break from chasing down King Stoopa?" Waluigi laughed at his own bad joke, "Wahahahaha! Anyway, need a hand?"

At this Waluigi took off his glove and threw it in Luigi's face. Luigi scowled as he snatched the glove and tried to throw it back at Waluigi, but the throw was less impressive and just landed safely on the hood of the purple kart. Waluigi just laughed harder at this, which only made Luigi madder.

"Seriously though…" Waluigi said in between laughing breaths, "…I came here to help you take down Bowser and rescue the princess."

"You want to help us?" Daisy asked skeptically, "Since when do you do anything that doesn't get you something in return? You and Wario are basically goons for hire, and frankly you're even lazier than him."

"Hey, you misjudge me!" Waluigi said dramatically, "I'm not just in it for money like greedy Wario. This is serious, and I want to help."

"I think it's a good idea," Mario said, surprising everyone.

"Mario, no!" Luigi protested, "Waluigi is a cheater and a liar! I'd rather fight Bowser alone than have to work with him!"

"Hey! You are cheater! Waluigi never cheats!" Waluigi snapped angrily.

"Oh yeah? Remember the piranha plant incident?" Daisy asked with a smirk.

"That was different," Waluigi huffed, "Waluigi was losing!"

"Referring to yourself in the third person? Now I know you've lost your cool," Daisy laughed.

"Guys, Bowser is the most powerful Koopa in the world," Mario reminded them, "We need all the help we can get, and this guy is a star athlete. If we just work 'a together, then we can win this. Trust me."

"Of course I trust you, Mario," Luigi said reassuringly, "I just don't trust him."

Waluigi grinned when Luigi pointed at him, and Daisy flicked Waluigi's cap off his head. Waluigi frowned at her even as he bent down to pick it up, and Daisy stuck her tongue out in a less than mature maneuver. Luigi laughed, which made Daisy laugh too. Mario tried to figure out this new dynamic, but he couldn't help but feel like something was weird about this. After all, he had never seen this strange lanky man before, or Princess Daisy for that matter, yet Luigi acted like they had known these people for years.

"So, you need some mushrooms?" Waluigi asked as he pulled a bag out of his pocket.

Daisy smiled then, probably the first friendly smile she had ever directed Waluigi's way, and he flashed a confident grin in return. Luigi and Daisy filled up the karts with mushrooms, and Mario tucked one away in his overalls for later. Luigi was worried Mario wanted to eat it, but there was no time to ask. They had to get back on the road if they were going to rescue the princess. He just wished Waluigi wasn't driving right next to them on this journey.

Waluigi, meanwhile, couldn't believe how easy this turned out to be. This version of Mario trusted him completely, even against the advice of his own brother. Killing him was going to be a cake walk, but he'd have to scan Mario first to see how many extra lives he had. He would have to wait until Mario was down to his last life, and then choose that moment to strike.

If only he had a reason to get Wario to destroy Luigi, but he supposed he should actually be grateful he didn't. After all, killing Mario was about survival. If he failed, then he would have failed Wario in the gravest of ways. Waluigi didn't care who else he hurt, but he would never want to put the amount of pressure on Wario that he was feeling right now. That pint-sized pudgy plumber was going down.


Bowser Jr. had heard about what happened to the princess from DK and Diddy, and wasted no time leaving the arena to chase after his father and Peach. After flying for a few minutes however, he realized that going into the line of fire without a plan might actually be a bad idea. So, he parked the copter on a hill and pondered his next steps.

"Dad doesn't remember me," Bowser Jr. whispered to himself, "Mario didn't remember me either. Dad wants to force Mama Peach to marry him, and Mario wants to stop him. This happened after Dad showed Mario the infinite warp pipe. Hm…I think that pipe has something to do with all this. The pipe changed their personalities somehow. But if I just go home, then Dad might attack me or throw me in prison. I have to save Mama Peach, but I don't have the power to just charge in and take her. So, what do I do now…?"

Bowser Jr. pondered the situation until his little head hurt. He had been training in battle strategies for most of his life, both to use in sports competitions and to perhaps eventually implement when he became king. This problem should have been easy to solve, but the caveat was that every player in this scenario was someone he loved and didn't want to see hurt.

So, a less direct approach was needed. He would need to rescue the princess in a way that was less obvious than just storming the castle. In fact, he was in the perfect position to do such a thing. He knew the castle inside and out, and he also knew that Mario and his friends were going to attempt a rescue soon too. His tutor often told him that in war, information is power. Well, Bowser Jr. was going to use every bit of information he had to his advantage.

He pulled out his walkie-talkie and pushed the button, knowing that the person answering on the other end was a Paratroopa named Flappy.

"Shadow Striker calling Red Hawk. Come in, Red Hawk. Over," Jr. called over their radio frequency.

"Red Hawk responding. The area is all clear. Over."

"Red Hawk, I need my paint brush from out of my room. Fly it to the dump arena. Over."

"Copy that. Over and out, Shadow Striker."

Bowser Jr. sighed in relief. At least something was going right for him today. Flappy was a servant of his father, but always someone Bowser Jr. knew he could rely on. The paint brush had to get to him quickly, so he flew back to the arena at top speed. If his plan to save Princess Peach was going to work, then he would have to use his mind instead of his claws.


Night had fallen on the Koopa Kingdom, and Mario and his traveling companions had just breached the outer perimeter of the land they were…well, invading, technically. Luigi still couldn't believe this was happening. They could potentially go to war with the Koopa Kingdom, and all because his brother and best friend had suffered some sort of head injuries and now hated each other.

"Does anyone have a fire flower?" Daisy asked the group, "I wanna roast some marshmallows."

Setting up camp had been a tricky task, mostly because Waluigi couldn't set up his tent. If that had been the only problem everything would have been fine, but when Waluigi couldn't have a tent he decided no one else should either, so he destroyed the other tents the group had worked on.

Now, there they sat, in the cold dark night hoping someone knew how to make a fire and wishing their go karts had doors so they wouldn't feel every draft when they tried to sleep.

"I think I have a fire flower," Luigi replied, "Oh wait, it's a rose. Never mind."

"A rose? Why would you keep that stupid thing in your pocket?" Waluigi taunted, "You trying to make your own perfume so you don't smell like loser? Wahahaha!"

"Actually, it's 'a for Daisy," Luigi declared.

"Aww, Luigi. I love it," Daisy gushed as she took the flattened and wilting flower from Luigi's hand, "Thank you."

Daisy then grabbed Luigi and kissed him on the lips, and Luigi put his arms around her to reciprocate. Waluigi made immature gagging noises at their display, but that just encouraged them to keep going.

Mario, meanwhile, had decided to try to find a fire flower to start the fire. The plants on the ground were hard to see, and there were no power-up blocks in the area, so it was unlikely he would find anything. Since he finally had a quiet moment alone however, he decided to sit on top of the hill and look up at the stars. They looked so clear and beautiful, and Mario allowed himself to relax and feel at one with his natural surroundings.

It occurred to Mario that he slept outdoors a lot nowadays. He used to just be a plumber, and not a very remarkable one at that, but now he was considered the Mushroom Kingdom's last line of defense. It still boggled his mind that one decision at the age of 19 had changed both his and his brother's lives forever.

They had been sent to the grand palace to repair some pipes in one of the upper level bathrooms. Nothin special, just another job for the Mario Brothers. Everything changed however when they witnessed the first time King Bowser tried to kidnap Princess Peach.

Without even thinking, Mario leapt out of the bathroom window and flung himself on the clown copter; ready to save his country's monarch by any means necessary. Bowser pushed Mario off the edge of the copter, and the poor plumber landed roughly on the roof.

Luigi checked to see if Mario was alright, but he wasn't. He couldn't allow that horrible beast to abuse the daughter of the Mushroom king. Trying to stop Bowser with no weapons or training was crazy, but nonetheless Mario vowed that he would rescue the endangered Princess Peach no matter what.

The rest of the kingdom held no hope that Mario and his brother Luigi would succeed in saving the princess. They instead sent Toads to fight against the Koopas and Goombas, but most of them fell to the stronger foes.

Not willing to give up, the Mario Brothers made their way through rugged terrain and deadly enemies to thwart Bowser's plans. Along the way they used the knowledge their father had taught them about using power-ups, and the jumping techniques they had learned from Yoshi.

They started their journey as humble blue collar workers, but they ended their quest as triumphant heroes.

Thinking back on those times as he looked up at the stars, Mario still found it hard to believe that he and Luigi had become central players in a war that had thus far lasted over a decade. Even stranger still, he seemed to be the only one that remembered it ever happened.

Why was Luigi acting so strange? What kind of world was this where he was a sports star dating the princess? Sure, he had saved Princess Peach a few times, but they had never had a real conversation. At most she had made him a cake in appreciation once, and even that felt like an honor. She was a princess, and he was a working class nobody. And yet…now Peach loved him?

Something was clearly wrong with what was going on, and Mario couldn't even begin to figure out what was happening to him. Perhaps Bowser had found a way to hypnotize the Mushroom Kingdom into forgetting he was evil? Mario didn't know, and he knew trying to solve the mystery was probably pointless, but curiosity as well as fear kept his mind reeling.

After a few minutes Mario felt the ground shift next to him, and saw that Waluigi had come to sit next to him on the hill. Mario had hoped it would be Luigi, but this could still be an opportunity. Perhaps he could get to know this strange purple-clad fellow a little better.

"I couldn't find any fire flowers," Mario said apologetically, "Did they have any luck?"

"No," Waluigi said sourly, "Those two Goomba brains are still making out. It makes me sick!"

"I'm 'a happy for Luigi," Mario smiled, "I've never seen him do well with the ladies before. The Luigi I know is shy, and frankly a little bit of a coward. I love him, but I worried he would live in my house forever. It's 'a so nice to see him so happy, and it will be great to have a princess as a sister-in-law someday, I hope."

"The Luigi you know…" Waluigi pondered, "So, where is the Luigi you know?"

"What do you mean?" Mario asked, confused.

"Don't play dumb, paisano," Waluigi smirked, "You know what I mean."

"Um, no, actually. I don't," Mario shrugged helplessly.

"You didn't notice Luigi's shadow?" Waluigi asked pointedly.

"Shadow?" Mario asked in disbelief, "You probably don't know this, but Luigi and I don't have 'a shadows. We lost them due to an accident we had several years ago. Luigi and I were hired to fix a sink for a scientist in the Forest of Illusion. There was an explosion, and for some reason when we recovered we realized that we had no shadows no more."

"Wait for the fire, then you'll see," Waluigi replied conspiratorially, "Or on second thought, don't. You don't need to know anyway. I just want you to know one thing, Mario."

"What's that?" Mario asked.

"That you're the person I always wanted to be," Waluigi said; a hint of sadness in his otherwise smarmy tone, "Ciao, tubby!"

Waluigi then dropped something in Mario's lap and ran off down the hill. It took Mario a moment to realize that there was a lit Bob-omb staring right back at him!

"Oh no!" Mario yelped.

Mario, thinking quickly, threw the Bob-omb away from himself before it exploded. The blast was still enough to send Mario flying back toward the campsite, but he missed the brunt of the impact.

Luigi and Daisy had just lit the fire and were cozy in each other's arms. Everything was perfect, but then suddenly Mario was thrown into Luigi's face! Luigi struggled to get up, but when he did he noticed that Mario had been knocked out cold.

"Mario! Oh no, not again!" Luigi wailed, "He just recovered from being burned alive!"

"What was that?" Daisy asked, "It sounded like some kind of explosion."

"Maybe Bowser is throwing bombs," Luigi speculated.

"Hm, Bowser does like his bombs alright, but I don't think so," Daisy replied, "Bowser is most likely at his castle by now, but there is someone close by who has a steady supply of bombs in his arsenal…"

"Waluigi!" Luigi deduced, "But wait! Why would Waluigi try to kill Mario? He only hates me."

"I don't know, but if Bowser is willing to put Peach in harm's way then who knows what's going on?" Daisy pointed out, "Something has been very wrong lately. Bowser has been cold toward his son and practically declared war on your home kingdom. Now Waluigi is trying to kill Mario. These things are connected, I'm sure. But the question is…why?"


Bowser poured himself a drink of wine to celebrate a job well done. The first part of his plan to overtake the Mushroom Kingdom was well underway. Peach was locked away in the dungeon, Mario and his friends were powerless against him, and his minions were readying themselves for war. Everything was perfect. Well, almost perfect.

Bowser had tried to call every Koopaling's castle, but thus far he hadn't been able to get ahold of any of his children. Three of the conquered lands even claimed that they didn't belong to him! How dare they defy King Koopa? Something was definitely odd in the Koopa Kingdom.

The largest emotion Bowser displayed was anger, but beneath the surface he was also starting to panic. What if there was a rebellion afoot? His kids could have been killed, or at least captured. Losing one or two would be a sad but acceptable casualty of war. All seven however was a tragedy. He needed at least one to survive to be his heir, preferably Roy, Ludwig, or Wendy. With no Koopalings, who was he going to trust to coordinate his army?

"Sire," a hammer bro bowed as he spoke to Bowser, "There is a bounty hunter here who wishes to speak with you. He claims he can help you capture Mario."

"A bounty hunter?" Bowser repeated, "Hm, what fortunate timing. Send them in."

"Very well, sire," The hammer bro replied, "Announcing the famed coin collecting bounty hunter: Nabbit."

What hopped into Bowser's dining room was a creature the Koopa tyrant had never seen before. It was a dark purple creature with long ears, large soulless looking eyes, and a crayon-drawn bib. It carried a sack that rattled with coins, and had an energetic spring to its step.

"Greetings, King Bowser!" Nabbit exclaimed in a high-pitched voice as it dropped the bag of coins at Bowser's feet, "A token of my appreciation, your majesty. One that I hope will pay dividends. Heh heh heh heh."

"You've come at the right time, bounty hunter," Bowser grinned, "I need your services right away."

"You do?" Nabbit asked in surprise, "I mean, uh, how can I help you, your majesty? Any enemies trying to storm your palace? Heh heh heh heh."

"My children have gone missing," Bowser explained, "I need you to help me find them, and possibly the rebels that have taken them. I'll pay you 100 coins for each Koopaling you find, as well as an extra 50 coins for each rebel you kill."

"Kill?" Nabbit asked squeamishly, "I mean, no problem! Just, um, I request permission to be provided with a weapon. My net gun isn't designed with murder in mind, if you know what I mean. Heh heh heh."

"Very well," Bowser nodded, "Follow my hammer bro to the armory. I'm sure a hand cannon will be more than sufficient for the job."

"Um, of course, your majesty," Nabbit replied quickly, "I'll find your…children. And the rebels!"

"Good. Now get out of my sight," Bowser ordered, "And if you know what's good for you, you won't show your face to me again until you've succeeded."

Nabbit nodded nervously and then followed the hammer bro down the hallway. As they turned a corner to get to the armory however, Nabbit went through an open door that led to the lower levels. He had no intention of arming himself, at least not yet. First he had to check on someone…

Peach banged on the door, kicked it, and even tried to pick the lock with her pinky nail. Nothing worked. It wouldn't budge, and she was trapped in there until Bowser decided to let her out…if he decided to let her out.

She had no idea what was going on, but if she had understood how serious the situation was she might have thrown him out of the copter and flown it back to the strikers tournament herself. She didn't understand what was wrong with Bowser. They had been friends since they were in diapers, but now he was treating her as nothing more than a pawn to be fought over. She hoped Mario could talk some sense into Bowser, since for whatever reason she wasn't having any luck.

As she sat on her cot pondering the situation, suddenly the door opened. Peach turned, expecting to see Bowser, only to be greeted by the sight of a purple rabbit wearing a bandana.

"Who are you?" Peach asked in bewilderment.

"Don't worry, Mama. It's me!" A familiar voice replied.

The rabbit then took a paintbrush out of its money sack and painted over his body, transforming into Bowser Jr.

"Junior!" Peach exclaimed in relief, "Honey, what are you doing here in that silly disguise?"

"I had to," Jr. told her, "Dad doesn't remember me, so I knew he wouldn't just let me come down here to see you. So, I told him I was a bounty hunter so I could come here and set you free."

"That was smart thinking," Peach commended him, "Come on, you can go back to the Mushroom Kingdom with me until we figure out how to cure your father."

"Um, Mama Peach?" Junior looked at the floor as he spoke, "There's a problem. When Dad thought I was a bounty hunter, he hired me to do something."

"Oh? What did he want?" Peach asked.

"He…he wanted me to find his…" Junior took a few deep breaths before continuing, "He wanted me to find his children. He doesn't remember me, and he thinks he has more children. I don't know what to do. I can't find someone who doesn't exist, and I can't get my dad back if he's still waiting for his imaginary kids to return. He thinks they were kidnapped. What should I do?"

"That is strange," Peach commiserated, "Bowser has been acting very weird lately. I should be mad at him, but at this point I'm more worried about him. He could be dangerous though. You should still come back to the Mushroom Kingdom with me. Your safety is top priority right now. We'll figure the rest of this out as we go. Maybe if I send a diplomatic envoy that will be helpful."

"Maybe," Junior replied, unconvinced, "I have a car in the garage we can escape in. Lay low though. We'll have to be quiet to sneak past the guards. Oh, hold on! Let me put my disguise back on."

Bowser Jr. took out his paint brush again and painted the Nabbit suit over his regular body. He then snuck out the door, with Peach following closely behind him. They would have to work together to escape, but at least each one knew they weren't alone in this anymore. They had each other, and they would need to keep each other safe if they were going to stop Bowser from taking over the world.


Author's Notes: If you haven't already, please check out my original ongoing stories on Kindle Vella. It's very difficult to get exposure for new ideas, especially for someone like me who is too shy to even talk to my own family about my stories. Right now the available stories are "Svetlana", "Panhandling The Stars", and "Magnolia Survival School". The easiest way to find them is to search the name "Madness Jones" on Amazon under the category Kindle Vella. Thank you for reading this shameless plug. LOL! XD