Chapter 13: Three Days
Mario and his friends were gathered at the stone bridge just outside the main entrance of Peach Castle. It was dark outside. It was late into the evening of course, but there was also Bowser's Castle looming overhead, which smothered all of Peach Castle and a good chunk of Mushroom City in shadow. The pleasant sounds of the water under the bridge were currently at war with the ominous sounds coming from Bowser's Castle up above.
Lana T. and Katan T. had arrived outside rather recently. Currently, everyone was gawking over Mario's magnificent display against the giant mechanical arm.
"I can't believe that you possess the Triforce of Power ability!" Geno gawked, spreading his arms in astonishment.
"And I can't believe I missed it..." Katan T. sighed, arms folded and eyes closed.
"For good reason though, right?" Lana T. silently smirked, nudging him.
Katan T. said nothing, turning his cheek coldly. Lana T. looked away with uncertainty, with her hands behind her back.
"Yeah, I really don't know what to say." Mario shrugged, shaking his head. "It just sort of... happened."
"That was the awakening of a Triforce Power." Link nodded, failing to hide a big smile. "Honesty, that was without a doubt the most impressive Triforce Power awakening that I've ever seen."
"Wow, Mario." Navi grinned. "If you've managed to get Master Link fanboying, then you know you just did something cool."
"Heh heh." Mario laughed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Your arm went all black and stuff!" Luigi added, with eager hands. "What was up with that?"
"Oh, yeah!" Captain Toad recalled, jumping with excitement. "And then there was that big, golden ring that spread across the sky when you punched that thing!"
"It looked like Saturn's rings..." Rosalina added, adjusting her bangs.
"I don't really know how to explain it, but..." Mario started, capturing everyones attention. "It was like... the power of the Goddess surrounded my arm... I felt so much power, like I could punch just about anything, and break it!"
"And that you certainly did!" Geno gawked, clenching his wooden fists with excitement. "You blew up that giant arm with a single punch! That was crazy!"
"Damn, I really wish I saw that..." Katan T. growled, looking at his clenched fist with grit teeth. Lana T. rolled her eyes and was shaking her head hopelessly.
"Let's not forget about what's really going on here, everyone." Link reminded, gathering everyones attention. "Princess Peach and Princess Daisy have both been captured by Bowser."
"Right... If only I had managed to punch the arm that was holding them." Mario sighed, looking downward with clenched fists. "Sorry, everyone."
"It's not your fault." Geno assured, shaking his head. "None of us could have stopped that. Besides, we're going to change his heart, right? If we can pull this off, he'll be bringing them right back to us! No sweat!"
"If, we can pull this off..." Rosalina cautioned.
"Hey, where's that eager spirit from earlier?" Geno sang, leaning forward with a hand above his eyes as if he was searching for something. He folded his arms and tapped a boot. "You said that you were ready for this, no matter how hard it was!"
"Yeah, well. My motivation comes in short bursts, very infrequently." Rosalina sighed.
Geno had an aghast expression, his hands raised in protest. (How unreliable!)
"We'll pull it off, no problem." Mario assured, stepping forward with a clenched fist. "Especially with this new power of mine. I'm gonna knock Bowser and Grodus out of this world, *yawn*... o-one..."
Everyone seemed slightly surprised as Mario yawned again. He started swaying back and forth in place. "O-One... by..."
"M-Mario!" Navi cried, with a chiming sound effect to accent her alarm.
Everyone stepped forward with shocked expressions as Mario suddenly collapsed to the ground.
/
Princess Peach and Daisy were screaming as they found themselves falling down through a curvy pipe. It was almost completely dark inside. Their hair was blowing wildly as seam after seam passed around them like headlights on a highway. Eventually, they were launched out of the pipe from the ceiling into a rather plush and elegant room. Elegant enough that you wouldn't expect a room like this to be anywhere inside Bowser's Castle, that is.
"Oof!" Daisy cried, landing flat on the floor face down. By the time she managed to lift her face off of the red carpet, Peach had landed on her backside butt first.
"Ahh!" Peach whined, wincing from the pain of her landing. She looked around at the familiar environment, sighing hopelessly. She sat thoughtfully. "Well, here we go again..."
"Oog... get up, please..." Daisy wheezed.
"S-Sorry..." Peach apologized, standing to her feet.
Daisy got up, brushing off her orange dress and examining it for a moment. When she was satisfied, she looked at Peach, who was already taking a seat on a lush pink sofa that had a royal brown wooden frame. Daisy was stunned.
"Oh, yeah, just make yourself at home." Daisy sang, sarcastically. "What are you doing? We need to escape!"
"Oh, Daisy..." Peach sighed. "I've been through this song and dance countless times. There is no escape. Not until Mario comes and rescues us, that is."
"What? So you're saying we're just supposed to sit here until rescue comes along?" Daisy cried. "That could be days!"
"Yes, very likely." Peach confirmed, with a nod. She seemed rather calm about it all. "You might as well get used to it, for now."
Albeit annoyed, Daisy did however take a moment to look around the room. The carpet was red, and the walls were baby blue. There was a U shaped powder room in the back, a single large bed with white blankets, a stone fireplace, a door on the left side, and glass double doors for the balcony on the right. Daisy checked her phone.
"Seriously? No reception? Ugh..." Daisy sighed. She faced the door, then back at Peach again. "I'm gonna assume that the door is locked from the outside, too..."
"And guarded, yes." Peach assured.
Then suddenly, there was a knocking at the door. An orange exclamation mark appeared over the head of Daisy. Peach checked the time.
"Hmm, he is a bit earlier than usual..." Peach commented.
Daisy simply shook her head. The dark blue door opened up, and Bowser stepped inside. He was dressed in a white tuxedo and was wearing a white top hat, which concealed his horns. This was fortunate, considering Geno had broken one of them during their fight back in Mushroom City.
"Hey, hey!" Bowser cheered, smiling brightly. "Welcome back, Princess! And you too, umm..."
Daisy rolled her eyes, her arms folded. "...Daisy."
"Oh! Yes, right." Bowser nodded. "I'll have it down before the wedding."
"I am not marrying you." Peach refused, turning a cheek with folded arms. "I refuse."
"What?!" Bowser barked, as if this was somehow a shock. "Come on, baby! Don't be like that! There's gonna be a big party! Tons of people are coming!"
"I do not care." Peach firmly rejected. "And do not call me baby, either."
"Aww, is this because the Mushroom Kingdom is gonna become Bowser Kingdom?" Bowser groaned, shaking his head with a shrug. "You still get to rule it, you know. Just by my side, as my wife!" Bowser then turned to Daisy. "And you'll even get to be the Maid of Honour, Danielle!"
"It's Daisy." Daisy corrected.
"Since when does the groom get to pick the bridesmaids?" Peach complained. She shook her head. "Wait, that does not even matter, because I am not marrying you!"
"Ohh... Well, you would have picked Danica anyway, right?" Bowser countered, rubbing his chin in thought.
"It's -oh, never mind." Daisy dismissed, with a hand.
"Well, yes..." Peach admitted, somewhat bashfully.
"Oh yeah! See? I know my future wife." Bowser grinned triumphantly.
"I am not your future wife!" Peach exclaimed.
"Hey, umm, is that your Tux?" Daisy addressed skeptically, with one hand pointing and the other hand on her hip.
"Yeah! Whadd'ya think?" Bowser asked, presenting himself. "I'm lookin' pretty fresh, right?"
"Umm, right... but uhh, why are you wearing it so long before the wedding?" Daisy questioned.
"Because I have to look cool while I plan everything, obviously." Bowser insisted, adjusting his top hat. "Besides, it pumps me up for the big day!"
"You're weird." Daisy dismissed, shaking her head.
"Besides, it's not even that far off." Bowser continued, raising three fingers. "Not tomorrow, not the next day, but three days from now, and you and I will finally be getting married!"
Daisy and Peach gasped in horror. "T-Three days?!"
"I know, I know, three days feels like an eternity when you're this excited!" Bowser happily grinned. "So sorry it can't be sooner."
"We are not excited!" Peach corrected.
"Besides, three days is like, zero time when it comes to wedding planning!" Daisy reminded.
"Yeah, it's gonna be tight for sure." Bowser laughed, rubbing the back of his head. He started to speak more informatively. "So you girls should probably rest up for the night, cause tomorrow is gonna be busy busy. You can use that phone by the bed if you need anything. In the desk drawer beside the bed there's a room service menu if you get hungry. It's all on the house."
"Okay Bowser." Peach acknowledged, arms folded and clearly irritated.
"Can I uhh... have a good night kiss?" Bowser requested, blushing in fantasy while scratching his cheek.
"No." Peach flatly rejected.
"Worth a shot." Bowser shrugged. He left with a wave. "Well, good night, ladies!"
The door closed shut. Peach placed her face into her hands anxiously.
"Three days... oh, that is not much time at all to be rescued..." Peach fret.
"Wow, they even have gourmet pizza?" Daisy gawked, rather impressed as she examined the room service menu.
"Daisy! Is this really the time?" Peach scolded, looking at her from the couch with disbelief.
"What? I'm actually kinda hungry..." Daisy admitted, with a slight pout.
Peach sighed heavily, facing the ceiling with her hands over her face. She anxiously fantasized about a prompt rescue. "Oh, Mario..."
/
Meanwhile in Sarasaland, we return to the peculiar room of darkness described before. Within this darkness were five white pillars with flat tops, upon which O'Chunks, Mimi, and Crump were standing. The pillars were close together but varied in height, which happened to serve as a ranking system for the X-Naut Army's Executives.
The rank of General is granted to the person who stands upon the highest pillar, and the rank of Commander is granted to the one who stands upon the second highest pillar. Grodus is the General of the X-Naut Army. Crump was once the Lord Commander, but Pauline had been recently granted the position of (Lady) Commander. Wario and Waluigi once shared the lowest pillar, but they had recently been "relived" of their duties by Lady Pauline. Crump now stood on the third highest pillar, Mimi on the second lowest, and O'Chunks on the lowest.
"I can't believe I got DEMOTED!" Mimi scowled, absolutely livid. "This STINKS!"
"Eh?! Wut yer complainin' about lassie!?" O'Chunks growled, stomping his foot three times in anger. "I reckon I'm one good trip in a tar pot away from bein' outta deh' league all tegether!"
"And I look forward to the day, O'Chunks." Mimi hissed, her petite fists clenched angrily.
"Guys, it's fine." Crump assured with his deep voice. He was calm as usual. "It's good."
"Shut up, Crump!" Mimi snapped, pointing at him. "I don't have to kiss up to you anymore, now that you're no longer Commander. Now you are who I should be!"
"Umm... I still outrank you, you know." Crump reminded.
"I only respect those who can promote me." Mimi assured, in a matter-of-fact tone. "And since you don't have that power anymore, I have no reason to be nice to you."
"Right..." Crump acknowledged.
"Tell meh Lord Crump..." O'Chunks sighed, his arms slumped. "Are we done fer? Am I gunn' be out of eh job soon?"
"Hey stupid, it's just CRUMP now." Mimi reminded.
"Your loyalty and your skills are what keeps you in the game." Crump reminded. "Just keep working at being a good executive, and you'll be fine."
O'Chunks looked rather dismal, facing downward while scratching his head. "Yeh sure? 'Cos that Waluiger fella was pretty loyal..."
"I just can't believe the new girl is better than all of us..." Mimi sobbed, her eyes teary. "I was hoping she would be like, the little sister type... And I would be the best big sister, where I would steal her dolls, her clothes, her boyfriends... and then I would make her cry every day with verbal abuse and hair pulling."
"Yeh call that deh best big sister?!" O'Chunks cried, with an expression of alarm.
"What makes HER so great? Hmph!" Mimi whined, sitting on the pillar with a hand on her chin thoughtfully and crossing her legs. She started dangling her shoe, slipping her heel in and out. She imagined it falling, and from a much higher pillar. She sighed.
"Lord Grodus gave her a pretty amazing Goddess Star." Crump informed. "The Gold Star."
"WHAT?" Mimi cried, angry all over again. "Seriously?! Why didn't he give that to me? I've always wanted exactly that Goddess Star! NOOOO!"
"Because Pauline has clout, and you don't." Crump reminded. "She's an influential public figure in the Mushroom Kingdom. And she's gonna help us accomplish what we want in return for the Goddess Star."
"This is SO not fair!" Mimi whined, as if she didn't hear a word that Crump had said.
"Yeah, well, life's not fair. All you can do is play the cards you've been dealt." Crump advised. "And I may have been dealt a bad hand with Pauline taking my rank, but I've just been dealt a good one that'll get it back."
"Yeh? An' wut might that be?" O'Chunks inquired, curiously.
"To strengthen the new alliance between the X-Nauts and the Koopa Troop, I'm gonna be the Best Man for Bowser's Royal Wedding." Crump informed. "He's marrying the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, which will make the Mushroom Kingdom his Kingdom, and in turn, OUR Kingdom."
"Eyy, congratulations Lord Crump!" O'Chunks congratulated, genuinely happy for him. "Best Man, would yeh look at that!"
"Oh, whoopie-doo." Mimi scowled. "Congratulations, you big oaf. Go party your head off. We'll just be back here WORKING!"
"Oh, this is for work. I haven't mentioned the best part yet." Crump continued. Mimi and O'Chunks were listening. "The Maid of Honour is Princess Daisy."
O'Chunks and Mimi recoiled in surprise.
"What? Are you serious?" Mimi gawked.
"You bet. I'm gonna capture her, and bring her back here with me." Crump informed. "We'll have the Mushroom Kingdom in our control, and we'll have imprisoned the former Princess of Sarasaland. She'll never escape again. And I'll definitely be promoted to Lord Commander again. BAM!"
"Wow, Crumpie!" Mimi praised with sparkling eyes, colourful sunflowers dancing around her to animate her glee. "That's sooo amazing! With a plan like that, you just might be right! I'm so sorry for being so rude earlier... can you ever forgive me?"
"Ey'! You were just calling em' names!" O'Chunks cried.
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Crump agreed. "It's fine."
"WUT!" O'Chunks gawked, amazed that he forgave her so easily.
"Yay!" Mimi cheered, with a gentle hop. She faced O'Chunks with a mean, pitiful look. "See, O'Chunks? Because I don't fart and stink up the place, people like me!"
"Der's no way dat's deh reason!" O'Chunks growled.
Mimi and O'Chunks proceeded to bicker back and forth, while Lord Crump turned the other way. He was deep in thought.
"Soon, everything will be just as Lord Grodus has planned." Crump thought to himself. "Now... I must take my leave to the Mushroom Kingdom..."