No Such Thing

Chapter 4- The Mushroom Kingdom

After three chapters of the Koopalings plus Bowser/Dry Bowser, we finally get introduced to the princess herself to see what she's up to as well as her servants. Thus, we are finally introduced to new characters. And because of that, there is going to be a lot of character developement starting here.

~KF

"Morning, Princess Peach."

"Good morning, how'd you sleep?"

The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom always wanted to know how well her servants were doing to express her kindness and courtesy. Back in the day when she first started doing so, they were quite surprised. Nevertheless, at this point they were used to it. To them, she was nicer than most royalties they knew.

"Quite fine, I suppose..." The green Toad responded.

Peach almost immediately noticed the expression on his face that he was attempting to hide. "...Is something wrong?"

"... ...Uh..." Not sure on how to reply, he rolled his eyes to the left.

"...Can you tell me?" Peach was no fool. She had known her servants far too long, it was like as if they were her own family. The royal princess could easily tell if something was bothering them as a result, even if they attempt to disguise their mood.

Remembering that fact, the green Toad chose to just let it out and head straight to the point. "...You know Bowser's Castle has been burned down last night, right?"

An instant later, Peach gasped with great astonishment and confusion. "...B-Burned... down...? Bowser's Castle has been burned down? Is it true? Why? Who done it?"

"I don't know anything. A couple of my fellow servants showed me the news. Literally no one has any idea what happened, who done it, and why." He answered with a sigh. "What I do want to know is about King Bowser himself and his eight children. If they were unfortunate enough, some, or possibly all of them have been-"

"N-no, don't say that..." She shook her head holding her hand out. "We can't give up all hope yet... Does Mario know about this?"

"I can't say..." It was his turn to shake his head. "However, knowing him he's probably on his way here right now. Even if the royal family escaped the fire, we have no idea where they could be... But anyways, I have to go get ready. Toad and Toadette downstairs. They are wishing to discuss this matter with you."

After the servant left, Peach had a mix of emotions. "Bowser's Castle was burned? I've seen it millions of times and now it's destroyed? Who could have possibly done this and why Bowser out of all people? Since we're still enemies, we should be the ones wanting to burn it down, especially Mario... I hope he gets here soon... I hope Bowser and his family is alright,... wherever they are..."

Meanwhile at the town's supermarket, the italian red-capped plumber himself was walking down an aisle whilst pushing a blue shopping kart. One can infer that he was doing his weekly shopping, which was the case. He and his younger brother would go every Friday to get groceries.

He was in the freezer aisle for the time being, apparently searching for something he desired. "Hmm... I'm sure they hadn't ran out, already... Blue Toad told me that they just came in two days ago..."

The savior of the Mushroom Kingdom took a small break from the search as he rotated his head in all directions. Only a few seconds later, he grabbed a cell phone with a red-capped emblem on the back, which was the same color as the entire phone. Going into his contacts, he pressed call and awaited a response.

"Hello?"

"You've been gone for almost ten minutes. Where are you?"

"Sorry... Three people wanted to talk to me about something that was rather important. I'm on my way, now. What aisle are you on?"

"Two... And should I be concerned? What's it about?"

"I... I... I'll tell you when we get home. This may startle you as it did me."

"Is it that bad?"

"Very... But, I don't wanna give away any details just yet, despite h-how serious the situation is..."

"...You know what, I'm almost done here. We can discuss this in the car. Give me about five minutes..."

"SAY WHAT!?"

"...W-Well,..." replied a startled Luigi. "at first I didn't know how I can put it into words so that you wouldn't be so hyped up... I had no choice but to simply tell you straight up in the end..."

"LUIGI, HOW CAN A PERSON BE CALM WHEN THEY HEAR SOMETHING LIKE THIS NO MATTER HOW YOU TELL ME!? IS BOWSER'S FAMILY OKAY!?" He exclaimed.

"...F-F-From what I h-heard from those people who have the daily paper, they're all apparently missing..."

"THEY, WHAT!? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!?"

"I... I'm... s-sorry..."

The red-capped older brother buried his face in his hands. "This is just unimagineable... His whole castle was burned to the ground... That castle's huge. I'm pretty sure Bowser had enough common sense to call the firefighters so they could save at least a quarter of the castle..."

"I don't believe it either, brother..." The younger one shook his head in deep frustration. "I also wanna find out about all of Bowser's minions. I read the article and there was nothing about them. Have they gone missing, too? I doubt the fact that every last one of them is,... same with all eight of Bowser's children..."

"...I don't know, Luigi... I just don't know..."

A moment of silence took place. "...S-So, what do you think we're gonna do? Go to Dark Land to investigate?"

"... ...Mabybe..." Mario responded, sighing. "But first, I'd rather for us to see Peach to see what she thinks about it. She probably found out already..."

Luigi stared in front of him. "I can go with that... But, if we're going to see for ourselves, are we actually planning on finding them? ...Or, at least attempt to?" He slightly raised his voice. "If so, then... just why? ...Mario?"

His face was finally free from his gloved hands, though now instead of looking at the man in the passenger seat, he was focused at the ground. "...Bowser's been our arch-nemesis for years, Luigi... In spite of it,... we still manage to tolerate each other, no matter how many times he's attempted to keep the princess to himself and take over the Mushroom Kingdom... He raced with us, he brawled with us in the Smash World, and many other things... Let's just say that he's not always trying to do anything to us. He goes on breaks like those times to either blow off some steam or... whatever the case may be... Nevertheless, he was kind... And I think it's time for us to return the favor... So yeah, we're gonna try to look for all of them, no matter what it takes..."

"...I'm with you..."

"Good." He nodded in conclusion. "Now, let's get to Peach's castle so we can talk. Maybe she can send some of her minions. We need all the help we can get if we're gonna look for them."

"We're almost there..."

Ludwig was directing the airship once again as they were nearing Castle Toadstool. They managed to reach the kingdom the previous night and were actually planning to head to the castle at that time, until Lemmy thought of the fact that everyone in the castle might be in a slumber and he didn't want to awaken anyone. So, they chose to halt their journey somewhere in the Kingdom where they thought no one would discover them. Fortunately, not a soul showed, which caused Ludwig to thank the stars.

As the castle came into view, mixed emotions swirled around inside the eight children of King Bowser Koopa. Some reminded themselves of all those times when at that point, it was almost time to snatch the princess and let Bowser continue on his plot. Others were thinking of the possible consequences they would receive if Peach and the Mario Bros didn't accept them, even though they heard Ludwig and Lemmy speeches the night before. Though every now and then, they would recall the times that their father and Mario weren't feuding with each other. Regardless, none of them weren't so sure how things were going to end up.

"Can't we just stay at a hotel or something?"

"Our money is most likely burned, Morton..." Iggy responded. "And plus, they'll hate us, anyway..."

"This is the only way, Morton..." Ludwig added. "I know it's probably a lot to take in, but we have to do this... for father..."

"But, what if they don't wanna help?" Wendy thought out loud. "Even if they accept us, what if they still don't want anything to do with us?"

"...I'm afraid we'll have to by force..."

All eyes were on him in a split second. The ones who were still struggling to stay awake were finally sitting up all the way. "...It's the last thing we want, I know... But, the plumber might be the only way we can save him, or at least help us find out how to save him. He's gonna help us whether he likes it or not... If he says no, then I will consider him to be one of the most ignorant inhabitants of this world..."

"He's right..." Roy couldn't agree more. "If Princess Peach and/or Green Stache' lives were in our hands, he would definitely grow angry if we have the nerve to say no. There's no difference in this case..."

"It's settled, then..." Ludwig confirmed. "Let's hope it's gonna be the best case scenario."

Larry gulped nervously.

Bowser Jr. had his head leaning over the airship to get a good look at his arch-nemesis' Kingdom. "...Huh...? Uh... guys?"

Subsequently pointing, the rest of the Koopalings, minus Ludwig walked to his location.

"...Well, what is going on down there?" Wendy questioned. "I'm not surprised about the mushroom people staring at us surprisingly, but... something tells me... that we were... apparently expected..."

"...Expected?" The blue-haired son of Bowser was perplexed.

"...Why are they taking pictures...?" asked a dumbfounded Morton. "And now I can barely here some of them all the way up here. I can tell that they're very loud, indeed... Funny how I didn't know we were that famous, these people are following our every move. Wonder if they know about what happened last night and wondering where we are and stuff? Do you think that they actually care about us after all? What do you think-"

"You're running off again, Morton..." Iggy groaned. "You're running off again... But, you do have a point. They've probably heard about our castle being burned down or something. However, what I wanna know is if they heard what happened to..." He sighed hanging his head down. "...I still need to get my thoughts together..."

"You should, we all know that you can be too insane to get your ownself together, let alone your own thoughts." His youngest, older brother joked without smiling. "Especially, with your inventions."

"Guys, quiet!" Ludwig commanded. "We're almost at the castle and I know that we are going to be bombarded with almost every last Toad living in the castle. We need to figure this out..."

With that being said, the Koopaling began lowering the ship to the castle grounds. The fact that some of the Mushroom Kingdom's inhabitants weren't already shooting at them with their cannons. Even if they did, they wouldn't fight back. The eight of them were already in enough trouble. If that was the case, the best they could do was to dodge all cannon fire. Yet if there was too much cannon fire to handle, they would most likely be shot down.

"...I guess we can just land a safe distance and walk the rest of the way..." Lemuel suggested.

"And get trapped by Princess Peach's servants to answer a million questions?" Morton folded his arms. "I'd say we rise this airship back up until they think we aren't here anymore. Then, we come back unnoticingly and end up at the castle."

"We don't have time for that! We just have to deal with it!" Larry shouted. "I don't think they're just going to give up like that! Let's hope for the best!"

Peach was in her throne room, glancing out a large window to past the time. After all, thanks to the information one of her servants provided that morning, she indeed had a lot on her mind. The Royal Family's status was of course the main question to ask. By the time she was finished with her breakfast, she looked to see that it was all over the news. She said in her thoughts that it was possibly getting ready to cross over to other worlds, like Yoshi's Island, or Sarassaland.

"The children... They are all too young to just... They must be okay... Nobody deserves this, not even Bowser of all people. We are his most hated enemies. If we weren't to attack him, who would? This is all too much to take in..."

"Miss Princess Peach?" A knock had what she was thinking. "Toad and Toadette have arrived."

"Okay..." She replied, slowly stepping towards the door. Upon opening it, she met the rather sad expressions of the twins, instead of the usual, more cheerful ones. "...Please come in..."

Closing the door, Toad decided to be the one to start off the conversation after nearly a ten second silence took place. "...Do you think they're okay?"

"...I don't know..." The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom shook her head. "...I'm really worried about the children..."

"Well, all I have to say is that I heard that the police didn't find anyone... yet..." Toadette brought up.

"That only makes things worse..." The pink-dressed female hung her head down. "What if they... they didn't make it?"

"Then, the Dark Lands would enter a great downfall..." Toad predicted. "The thing is, who could have possibly done it?"

"It's really ridiculous to me." His sister added. "If it were anyone, it would be us, especially Mario..."

"Speaking of, is he near here?" The pink dressed woman asked

"We've just called him, said he's less than five minutes away..." Toad responded. "...This is just unbelievable... We should volunteer to help..."

"That's a good idea." Peach had to agree with a nod. "Let's go downstairs to-"

"Princess!" Another servant called out to her running. He stopped to take a breath, banging loudly on the large, brown door. "An airship has been spotted! B-Bowser's children... T-They're here!"

After rushing to the front door of the large castle, the eight kids were standing just outside said castle the entire time with blank faces. To them, they found it rather surprising that not a soul was asking a billion questions thus far. Yet, a couple of them had a feeling that it would happen in the future.

"Oh my..." The Princess couldn't find the energy to move upon seeing the victims of the incident.

Iggy had to think to himself as well, as he and the rest of his siblings were experiencing the feeling of nervousness once more. "Okay, we were able to stay here for at least a minute... So far, so good... But, I'm stil not getting my hopes up..."

Ludwig decided to first one to start speaking. "G-Greetings, P-Princess Peach..." His hands were behind his shell.

"H-Hello..." At the time, she couldn't think of anything to say.

"...Y-You've probably heard... w-what happened last night,... I assume..."

"Y-Yes..." She nodded stuttering. "...M-My servants told me everything that happened this morning... A-Are you all alright?"

"W-Were fine... We t-thank you for your courtesy. Everything's... ...okay for now..." He answered. "...Here it comes..."

She was so astonished by the fact that the Koopalings were standing right in front of her after what they had gone through the night before, she almost completely forgot about the King of the Dark Lands himself. "...Y-Your father... Where is he? Is he okay? How did it all happen, and why?"

"... ... ..."

"Princess, I suggest we continue this conversation inside. People are starting to come, now, including many reporters." The same servant who informed her of the Koopalings' arrival suggested.

"That would be a good idea, thank you. I'll try to calm them down."

As everyone else minus the two Toad servants entered the castle, Princess Peach calmly stepped to the increasingly large crowd. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask you all to come back later if you want. But, we have some things to take care of right now."

They all obeyed.

"...And that's why we came to you of all people..."

Ludwig finished the long explanation to why they were in the Mushroom Kingdom, and what had happened to their remaining parent. One knew that it was hard for him to even think about it without the feeling of sadness, let alone tell his arch-nemesis's princess.

Thus, poor Peach felt sorry for the seventeen year old. Unless one was blind, she was clearly upset as well. Toad, Toadette, and the toad servants who were in her throne room all had similar expressions.

"...H-He burned the whole castle down?" Toad thought in disbelief. "H-His mind and body has been taken over?"

"...I... I am terribly sorry, everyone..." Peach shook her head with a frown. "I... I do not know what to say... It's really hard to believe, but... I-I'm sorry..."

"W-We don't want you to worry, too." Iggy sai. "W-We just wanna find a way to end all of this."

"We just w-want our father back, nothing more." added Roy.

"Princess Peach!"

As before, she got up and answered the somewhat loud knock on the door. When she did, it was much to her gratitude when she saw the person she looked forward to see all morning.

"Mario..."

Sorry, I had to end it there. But, it was better than the last chapter it terms of length. Though, I'm not sure how long the next chapter will be. It depends on how long the upcoming conversation will go and if anything else happpens.

Questions:

1. Do you think everything's going to go along great, or their would be some problems along the way?

2. What would the whole Mushroom Kingdom's reaction may be if Mario accepts the Koopalings?

So, what do you like/dislike? Favorite parts? I encourage everyone to review!