I hope you all get to enjoy this chapter... It's sort of a tease... Thanks everyone for reading... Sorry about Morton's dialogue I'm trying to feel out his speech...
Disclaimer: I don't Super Mario but I do own a Mario Custom... but the only big head in it is my own...
Day 286-
The day had finally arrived as my forehead slammed against the tile of my king's shower. Despite being held in the warm touch of the cascading waterfall, I had managed to drift into an off and on pattern of daydreaming. Suddenly during one of my adventures to dreamland, the water went from the cold 80 degrees to boiling hot. I jumped awake quickly turning the dials to off.
"Don't waste my water," my king verbally scolded similar to a father from inside his bedroom while I was air drying.
I laughed until I realized my predicament. My clothes were on the changing screen. I felt the embarrassment radiating from my insides burning as hot as the water that turned my body into a lobster. I… I didn't want my king to see me naked.
"Um, sire," I asked meekly.
"What."
"Um, Happy Birthday," I smiled poking my head around the bathroom wall while still concealing my lower body.
"Thank you footstool," my king bounced enthusiastically. He appeared as giddy as a little school girl or 10 year old human child… Not that I know. I'm 13 now… A MAN! "What are you wasting time for? Get dressed!"
"My king could you leave the room or pass me my boxer shorts please," I asked watching my king raise an eyebrow. I wanted to word it right… "I'm not mature enough to be naked in front of you." (Did that sound right?)
King Koopa laughed walking to the screen. "I already saw your maturity turning on the hot water." He picked up my underwear and stretched the elastic waist. Thank goodness there weren't any skid marks if you know what I mean. "Frankly I don't know how you can take such a cold shower."
My king shot my boxers at me like a rubber band. They moved so fast that I caught my draws with my face… Thank goodness there weren't any skid marks if you know what I mean.
"I'm warm blooded sire. My body's always at 98.6 degrees," I slipped my underwear on then joined my king in the bedroom. "And where I was from 70 was considered shorts weather.
"Your hot water is too hot for me," I put on my pants. "Thank you for honoring this slave's request for aide."
"You're welcome, Footstool. Not many persons ask me so casually for help," King Koopa watched me finish dressing. "How come you didn't complain about the water before?"
"I'm a piece of furniture," I shrugged. "A never cooling 80 degree shower is more than I deserve." I knelt in front of my king's chair anxious to show him my gift. "I'm sorry I was late to work this morning."
"No time for that today," King Koopa's excitement returned stronger than ever. "It's my birthday. Everyone has the day off."
"Not me, sire. Slave's aren't allowed to participate in Bowser Day," I answered quickly.
King Koopa demeanor seemed to deflate from my response. Did my king forget I was a slave? No… He probably forgot his kingdom's rules. I mean who knows how long it's been since he's had to be reminded of them. Didn't matter because after a minute, he smirked the smirk of a loophole.
"You're a footstool there go you are furniture," King Koopa's grin reflected some of his lost enthusiasm. He extended an envelope to me. "Here, I wanted to give this to you personally."
I took the envelope breaking the seal. It was "an invitation," I whispered staring at it shockingly. It read:
Footstool, you are cordially invited to Bowser Day with your lord and savior Bowser, King of the Koopas and family in his private luxury box.
I couldn't believe it. "Really my king," I looked at him for confirmation. "An invitation to your birthday party."
"Yes, Footstool," King Koopa smiled. It was a genuine smile returned. Not a smirk… Not a half smile… It was the smile given when the giver makes the recipient's day confirming you made the right selfless act. "Yeah, well my kids have some type of performance planned and they're usually boring.
"I need you there, Footstool, incase I need to put my feet up," the king pulled a pair of glasses with attentive eyes painted on the lenses from his shell. "Lemmy gave me these a few Bowser days ago. They've help me through some boring meetings." He chuckled to himself.
Aw… Why did he say that? My brain said forcing me to do the hardest thing I've ever had to do since becoming a slave. "Then I respectfully decline, my king," I watched his once genuine smile sag in disbelief. "Princess Wendy has something special planned and has worked very hard on it.
"I won't allow you the opportunity to fall asleep during it. That would be disrespectful and insulting."
"There's no guarantee that would happen," King Koopa replied sounding hurt. I swear my king was trying to guilt trip me. His eyes swelled and lips pouted. His little act almost worked until…
"STOP THAT," I shouted bursting into laughter.
"Stop what," he continued playing innocent. However he only prompted me to laugh more.
"Flaring your nostrils," I doubled over. Clearly my king wasn't accustomed to begging. He's no Mort. I added remembering a similar situation with Loki. "You beg as lousy as I do."
King Koopa stopped his act as his beggar's face transformed into a menacing scowl. I knew I should be frightened. I… a slave… just asked my king to hand me my underwear. I… a slave… just turned down a personal invitation from my king. I… a slave… just shouted at my king while laughing in his face. I… a slave… just told his begging master that he wasn't going to sway his servant's opinion with weeping eyes. I… a slave… just did all this on his birthday.
"Pretty gutsy for a slave," my king implored the telepathy I had long since forgotten he possessed. "To openly refuse your king and on his birthday no less. I never pegged you to be the heartless type."
"I thought I was a piece of furniture," I replied with a smile.
My king's death stare relaxed into a smirk. However this half smile was different than usual. It contained what must have been a hint of pride. "I can't tell if it's courage or madness, Footstool."
"Just ignorance my lord," I answered recalling my previous reasons for not cowering to my king. King Koopa laughed. He must be remembering too. I led my king to the door. "I appreciate the invitation my king.
"I promise to stay awake all night listening to your stories of today." I decided to hold off giving my king his gift until tonight. He eyed me suspiciously. "I'll even have a cup of tea waiting for you."
"Very well, footstool," King Koopa left surprisingly happy despite being denied his every request on his birthday. Perhaps he was excited expecting to recap the day's events with someone. Truthfully, as much energy as my king demonstrated already, he'll need some kind of outlet in order to get to bed tonight anyway.
My head read and reread the invitation still in my head. I couldn't believe my king would go to the extent of inviting a slave to his private luxury box. Does that mean my king considers me more than a slave? It definitely won't win me any favors with my fellow inmates here.
Suddenly, my brain decrypted Roy's message forcing me to comprehend it in segments out loud. "When dad asks = Invite to Bowser Day. Say No = Decline invitation. Keep the paper = Invitation. Wait for 2 Honks = ROY!
"Thank you subconscious mind," I thanked my head sincerely. Luckily my brain's a genius. 2 beeps sounded on the outside of the door. I rushed into the hall locking the door on my way out.
My jaw nearly unhinged at the sight before me. The pink shelled koopa is black sunglasses sat in the driver's seat of a pink body go kart. Its engine revved under a pink hood shaped like a Yoshi head. White ran the length of the kart's undercarriage similar to the dino's white underbelly.
Black side runners, rear bumper, and interior calmed the automobile's vibrant color. Although the two chairs were lined up single file and resembled riding saddles, especially the back seat since the chair was missing a back support.
"Nice ride Roy," I climbed into the back. I realized the passenger in this seat was meant to stand… This should be fun.
"Listen to that baby roar," Roy pressed the gas a few times.
He put the auto into drive and we flew through the hall. Luckily I locked the driver's seat support in a death grip. I think we easily hit 70 miles an hour before the end of the first hall. Roy hit a question mark box that was nearly impossible to see. I mean I never seen it before when I walked that hall with Loki.
However I wasn't able to dig very deep into my mind considering I was too busy trying not to die. Roy just turned a corner without slowing at all. Both passenger side tires lifted off the ground setting us at almost an 89 degree angle. (I have no idea how we didn't grind into a bloody mess). Roy and I leaned to our right forcing the tires back down.
"Hang on," Roy shouted.
"A little late for tha-," I stopped myself watching Roy drive straight toward a wall. "Roy, look out!"
He pushed a button on his dash firing a Bob-omb at the wall. It blasted a hole in the wall large enough for us to pass through just before the rest of the wall collapsed. I looked back toward the damage and saw the grey stones fall as if the wall itself had just been replaced.
"It's a shortcut," Roy responded. "TAKE THE WHEEL," He yelled without slowing down. "This is my favorite road."
"But I don't know how to drive," I replied but found myself in the driver's seat despite the protest. Somehow we exchanged places while going over 100 miles an hour now… Kids! Don't try that at home!
"It's a straight road just try and keep the wheel straight," Roy said. "Oh and if you see a pink box with a question mark run it over."
My partner in this crazy breakout closed his eyes taking a deep breath while feeling the wind flow though this scalp… I guess. He was right the road remained straight which allowed me to finally take in my surrounds.
The sky was starry and twinkled as we drove in our little pink shooting star. It was a pretty scene. Some stares looked to be shooting while a few others in the distance exploded in fantastic supernovas.
The illuminated cosmic rays forced my unprotected eyes toward the road as I felt us slowly drift. The stone ramp changed from grey to a glowing prism of red, orange, yellow, and green. The remaining hues of blue, indigo, and violet were difficult to see against the darken night style backdrop but I had no doubt they were there as well.
"We're driving on a rainbow," I said in disbelief.
"Yep, this is the Rainbow Road," Roy answered. "It's a road people say grants wishes."
"Wow," my head turned side to side. "How come we're the only ones on it," I asked due to the lack of travelers.
"Not many people know about it. The road's rumored to be a myth and it's nearly impossible to find," Roy explained. "I don't even know if my dad knows about it.
"I only found it by making the wrong turn during a time trial. Sometimes I come here just to be alone," Roy admitted. "Oh my favorite part."
A star exploded a soft pink but instead of swirling the random spiral, the dust cloud burned a gentle pink not unlike the sky while in the setting sun of Earth some nights. It didn't last long as the light vanished back into the core.
I understood why Roy fell in love with the color pink. It comforted him whenever his brothers and sister expressed their disgust with him. I wish I had a place like that back on Earth. I never had a private sanctuary after my family died.
As I went to draw up some old memories another supernova brought me back to reality. Watching this explosion, I realized it was the same pink nova from before.
"That's right," Roy answer the formulating question. "I found out the Rainbow Road doesn't stretch forever. It just continues revolving until the driver wishes to get off."
"Like a treadmill," I questioned.
"A what," Roy shot back.
"Never mind," I saw a pink box approaching.
"Baldo, hit it," Roy pointed. "Let me know what you get."
I struck the box. Multiple items cycled through a tiny screen above the wheel. A banana peel, a star with eyes, and several more items passed before it stopped on of all things…
"What we get," Roy asked.
"Pink Mushroom," I replied.
"Mash the pink button," Roy commanded. I looked at the dash and saw every button was pink.
"Which one," I asked.
"The carnation pink one," Roy answered.
I just stared at the dash. How the heck am I suppose to tell the difference? "Which one is Carnation?"
Roy slammed my Mario costume head sideways over my head. "Move over and put this on."
We swapped seats again. I had just barely set the Mario head correctly when I saw Roy smash the dash. The kart entered a whole new level of speed and launched off a ramp. Hunched in his chair, I saw the pink radiating off his shell blurring my vision. I bet we looked like a pink shooting star.
"Next stop Koopa Square," Roy announced.
We emerged from the Rainbow Road under the stage coming to an instant stop. The sudden change in momentum flipped me over Roy's shoulders into his lap. I turned my Mario mask finding Roy grimacing from the heavy weighted object in his lap. I know it was mean but I remained stationary until his eyes found the Mario head.
"My hero," I said with a chuckle. He replied with a smirk signaling it was time to stand up.
"Baldo, you weigh a ton," Roy rubbed his knees.
"Yeah, sorry, it's because of my fathead," I pointed to the novelty I wore. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Roy exited the kart. In a blink the cart vanished.
"Where'd the kart go," I passed Roy.
"When the kart falls off the track, it automatically goes back to the castle once the passengers get off," Roy explained. He watched me start pacing. "What's wrong Baldo?"
I looked at him from behind the Mario head. It hid the sweat dripping down the back of my head but not the panic in my voice. "Um, how am I going to get home?"
"Why would you want to go back to Earth," Roy asked.
"I meant the castle," I replied confusing Roy.
"But the castle's not your home," he mumbled.
I didn't know how to respond. Was that the first time I referred to the castle as my home to the Kooplings? I know I called it my home in front of King Koopa and Loki but I don't think I referenced it that way since. I decided to let it go. There was a more pressing question that needed answering anyway.
"Okay, Roy, what's your plan to get us back to King Koopa's Keep before King Koopa tonight," I asked putting on the rest of my costume.
"Back," Roy repeated scratching his baldhead. "Um, I was only asked to get you here."
My jaw dropped kept from hitting the ground thanks to the Mario mask. After a moment, I laughed. Roy was right he only volunteered to get me out of the castle. No one ever mentioned anything about getting back unnoticed. I wonder if that's why nobody trusts Roy. He may only do what he's asked without considering the next step.
"You're right," I confirmed we were alone then removed the Mario head. I smiled, "Thanks, Roy. I wouldn't have gotten here without you."
I think he blushed but with that pink head it was hard to know for sure. "Welcome, Baldo," the turtle answered shyly.
My mind dwelled on my next conundrum. What do I do? Perform then rush back to the castle hoping to beat King Koopa and listen to his retelling or perform then come up with a lie why I'm outside the castle?
I was so distracted I didn't notice the under stage door open. Luckily it was only Mort and Wendy who came through.
"Where like were you Baldo," Wendy asked shouting. "It's like about to start." She grabbed my hand then stopped. "Like on second thought. It's like soundproof down here."
"Yeah. Wets wait'ere twill Wudwig's dwone," Morton shouted. Apparently both Kooplings were bleeding from the ears.