I ripped the small orange sleeves off my sweat-matted arms. Hours and hours seems to have passed since I've seen Mario, since I've seen my cousin's ruined kingdom. Puruto, now hopping from tree to tree, still carries the unconscious Daisy in his poison-flicking tentacles. My legs ache, like I've set fire to them, and my head hurts from everything I've experienced. Seeing my mother after a decade, seeing my best friends after nearly dying, and seeing a beast that took my kingdom, along with countless others.
Without a warning, the toxic-spewing shadow landed on the ground with grace, and, with shadows dancing and swirling around one of his hellish limbs, made a tall, black tower appear from what, frankly, seemed like nothing. I stopped, hoping to save my legs. My lungs burned like they were on fire.
Brick by brick, shadow by nefarious shadow the building grew past the dark and murky clouds of the night sky. A door appeared, and, with a flicking of his tentacles, Puruto walked inside, and disappeared.
I didn't have a plan. I thought it would be quick and easy. So much for my unrealistic expectations. The only logical thing to do was to go inside. The fact that he built a tower that was rather spectacular if I must say so right in the middle of no-where suggests that he was expecting a guest. Namely, me.
Triumphantly, I walked to the back of the tower. Of course he wasn't going to answer the door to me, the only logical explanation was to scale the building and find a window or a crack.
I found a brick that was a tad out of place; a perfect beginning for my long journey. I placed my hand on the brick and secured my grip. I placed a foot, which was bare, mind you, on the cold exterior of the building and pulled myself up. I scanned for another crevice or misplaced brick to place my hand on. Found one, grab it, was going through my mind the whole time. No time for emotions now, that's for later.
My cold cut hands found something to latch onto. Not a stone, this time like a perfect arched hole in the wall. My bare feet burned and bled. I was tired, but I had to stop myself from passing out. I pulled myself up with my hand, and the other grabbed the hole's rim. My feet balanced on two separate bricks as I brought my eyes to see inside the hole.
Turns out the hole was a window, an open one at that, and I could see clearly inside: black interior, paperwork scattered carelessly in piles and couldrons bubbling with black goop. The same goop that he used to blind and burn me. Then I saw Puruto traipsing across the room, with Daisy, still unconscious, on his back. He dumped the body down onto a table and went over to a book shelf.
Daisy's eyes fluttered open and caught mine instantaneously. She looked like my mother in her last moments: lifeless and tired.
"P... Peach?" She said hoarsely. I put one finger to my mouth and shook my head. I pointed to Puruto, who was now frustratingly searching piles of paper for something. Daisy glanced over, and narrowed her eyes. But when she saw him coming back she quickly fell back, lifeless as she was in his arms. I ducked my head.
Puruto cackled.
"Finally," He taunted. "I can now be recognised by the gods who shunned me, by taking over this measly little hell hole!" I peaked over, and saw the shadow reveal a syringe. With great content, plunged it into Daisy's arm. He pulled the needle out, and her eyes opened. Her pupils shrank to the size of a pinhead. Her body levatated in the air and her body lit up. Her hair grew longer, her eyes becoming more elfish and her ears grew longer. But that was only the beginning of her transformation.
Her body, once rather squat, became long and slender, her curves becoming more defined, and her arms longer. Her face turned from child-like to that of an adult. Her hair became longer by the minute, until it was sure to wrap around the whole of the world. And by the time she was done I couldn't recognise her.
The one I knew as Daisy, childish, cute face, with short arms and bobbed hair, was now an elf-ish creature, long and thin waist, flowing hair and a crown made from twigs and wildflowers.
Puruto grinned, showing his long, sharp teeth. He cackled slightly.
"Oh, my sweet Daisy," He said. "I always knew you were the strongest. I'm so glad I didn't choose Peach's body to possess," He started to laugh uncontrollably.
Possess? Excuse me? He was going to put all of his filthy tentacles into my cousin's body and... Do stuff in there? The thought of it was making me want to vomit. But I couldn't let it happen. I clenched my fists in anger and pulled up. I landed into the room, attracting the attention of Puruto.
"Don't touch her, bitch!" I yelled. I was so angry for some unknown reason, and it was all happening too fast for me to process.
"You," the beast said. "Oh, I don't have enough time for you, I've got gods to impress."
I grabbed a vile full of the hellish poison of his, and threw it at him. The broken glass impaled his body, and the liquid spread all over his body. I was rather impressed at what I did, but no time for me to relish in my accomplishments.
Puruto fell to the floor, half unconscious. I grabbed the transformed Daisy by the arm, and she instantly converted back to her old self; her body became shorter, her hair bobbed, and her ears and eyes more like her usual features. She gasped, and I pulled her as I achieved a run.
"Peach, what happened," She shouted. Daisy had a lot more energy than before Octodad over here plunged a dirty needle in her arm, though I was certain it wasn't going to last long.
"No time to explain, wait until we're out of here," I shouted back. The door was in sight, freedom from this hell hole was in sight. But Puruto appeared from nowhere and blocked our path. I gasped, and ran to the window. Puruto blocked it again. I scanned for another exit, but all I saw was Puruto, taunting and jeering at me.
Someone suddenly burst through the door. The many Purutos and I turned around.
"Hands of them, you weirdo!" I recognised the voice, could it be?
"Mario!" I yelled.
"Fiend!" The Purutos screamed in unison. They ran around him, flicking toxic poison everywhere. My chance to escape.
"Princess!" Mario yelled. I turned around. "The Koopa Kingdom is nearby, go!"
"But what about..."
"Go, I'll catch up,"
I ran towards the window. Daisy jumped out. Then as I climbed through, one of the beasts flicked poison in my direction, hitting my face. I felt it seep into my eyes again, reaching around my body. I knew what to do. I reached for my chest with my remaining energy, feeling for my locket. No locket. I was in Daisy's pyjamas. Shit.
I fell through the window, and fell through the air. Were these my last moments? I pondered at my situation, trying to think of some way out. But there was nothing I could do. I landed on the ground with a thump. The impact should of killed me, but I was still alive. My head throbbed and my ribs hurt. I could barely see anything. My breaths were so shaky.
A fuzzy Daisy came over to me. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a gemstone. It was so shiny, so glossy, so mesmerising. She gave the gem to me, and I lifted my head. It was my locket. The cold exterior was hard to forget. So smooth. I opened it, and I collapsed to the ground.
I opened my eyes. I was cold, but not freezing. Stars dotted the surroundings, and I saw a broken planet. I made it. Mama's place. The string of light appeared once more, and it pulled me slowly to the planet. My right eye was still plunged in darkness, though it was nice to know that I wasn't fully blind.
Wow. It was hard to process everything. What I had seen was so crazy. Everything had happened so quickly, and in a short space of time.
I finally arrived on the biggest piece of the destroyed planet. The light pulled me through the walkway of trees. Though the trees looked sadder. The beautiful leaves and flowers which once covered the branches started to blow off the tree, falling to the ground and turning brown.
I saw the fountain a little further. The light rope disappeared as I walked to the fountain. I looked into the icy water. My reflection rippled and transformed into my mother's face. I smiled, knowing that there was some beauty left in my life.
"Hello, my dear," my mother said. Her voice was so soothing and wonderful to hear.
"Hello Mama," I replied.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Oh my, what a riveting conversation.
"My dear child, you wouldn't be here if you weren't in trouble,"
"Daisy was nearly possessed, I nearly died and Mario is stuck with Puruto,"
"Oh my goodness, you poor thing" Mama said. "Quickly, look into the fountain,"
Well, that was a weird conversation. My mother liked to get to the point quickly, despite her slow voice and gentle nature. I did as she told me, and I looked into the water.
The shallow surface of the water started to ripple, my mother's face turning into something else. A map, to be exact, with little red x's dotted around. I saw the map in the water turn from blue and liquidised to beige and more solid. I reached into the water and grabbed the map. It was a rather large map; I could see most of the kingdoms from the ruined kingdom to who knows where.
One of the little x's was on my kingdom, except it wasn't little, it was the biggest one there. Another a little east from Sarasaland, and one more far south from The Koopa Kingdom.
"I have marked the xs on there for you, the brightest one is most important right now." Mama said. As if she couldn't be more cryptic. No, don't be rude Peach.
I looked at the top right corner, near to my kingdom (or should I say 'Puruto's kingdom'). Four numbers appeared: 2911. A time, perhaps?
"What do these mean, Mama?" I asked.
"I wish I could tell you my child, but I fear I could tell you too much," She explained. "And you know your condition," Oh, my condition. I can't get too angry, too sad or too happy. My family has had this problem since the beginning of time; Bowser only made mine stronger. And ever since the incident with the Shadow Queen, I've been extra careful.
"My dear, just pay attention to the numbers and the x's, and everything will fall into place, please trust me," Mama explained.
"Go to the Koopa Kingdom and protect it with your life, or..."
"Or what?"
"Or my world- my universe, this fountain, I, will cease to exist,"