Wow, I think this is the longest chapter in this story yet! Please feel free to leave a review if you want, and as always, I'll see you in the next one!
Junior awoke that day with a goal. He knew, once his father had explained the plan to him, he did not expect any time to be wasted, and he was correct in doing so; Junior couldn't wait to finally do what he had been trained to do for so long.
Right after breakfast, he approached Bowser and said, "Dad, do you think I could start with your plan today? It feels like the right time."
Bowser simply responded with, "If you feel like it's the right time it probably is."
"Thank you," Junior replied. "If we're lucky, Princess Rose might be here tonight."
"That would be great," Bowser said, nodding.
Junior knew what he wanted - he wanted to be quick and effective. His mission was not to terrify the whole Kingdom - at least, not yet. His mission was not to draw any attention to himself, either. His mission was to kidnap Princess Rose. That was all that was required for now, and he wouldn't try to overachieve, he decided. He just had one thing that he needed to do, and he would make sure that it would be done. He took a deep breath and started thinking.
He knew that flying in the Kingdom on any kind of recognizable Bowser transportation would be equivalent of screaming for attention, the very thing that he wanted to avoid. Therefore, he would have to somehow get near the Princess without any chance of being noticed, which would be very difficult, almost impossible. Unless ... he thought for a moment. Was it possible to somehow reach her from underground? Yes, that was imaginable. The Mushroom Kingdom was home to all kinds of pipes and sewers, he didn't doubt that for a moment. And, of course, he wasn't the slightest bit afraid or disgusted by pipes or sewers - so there was no issue. He needed to find a way to get into one, and he knew how he would find a way.
Earlier on in his training, Junior would often ask Bowser for advice. Initially, Bowser was happy to answer, but eventually he got tired of it, and, even though he wasn't too happy about this option either, he introduced his son to the Castle's library. The library was enormous, but it had never been used as Bowser was never too interested in reading books. It was there simply because it was, and always had been since the Castle was built many years ago (it was kept clean and updated at all times, however, also as a simple requirement). And since he saw it for the first time, Junior had learned to visit it every time he didn't understand something, and he would eventually be able to find the answer. He had grown to be far more literate than his father had ever been, and though this was never one of Bowser's original goals (almost far from it), he still appreciated the fact that Junior was now able to find his own answers, and he also believed that being so literate would teach Junior "cunning and manipulative arts" of some sort.
This being said, Junior quickly found himself in the library going through dozens of books on pipe and sewer structure in all kinds of different lands, worlds, and kingdoms. Out of all of this research, he finally managed to learn that there was a pipe a few miles away from the very edge of the Dark Lands that led into some empty land. In that empty land, there was another pipe that lead into the Mushroom Kingdom's sewers. Yes, it was possible that pipe structure had changed since that book had been written, but it was a pretty new book, and plus, he couldn't really find out more unless he actually tried that route.
Finally, Junior made his decision. He packed a small rucksack with a few sandwiches, a simple map, and a few tools that could be useful in kidnapping someone, which included a small amount of chloroform, a blindfold, tape, and rope, though he hoped the Princess wouldn't put up such a struggle that he would have to implement all of them - that would present quite the hassle. And yet, he had to be prepared since he had no idea what she was like and if she would even care enough to put up a fight.
"Alright, Dad, I'm leaving," Junior said hastily as he passed Bowser on his way to the Castle's main gate. "I've got a plan, but I need to act fast."
"Good," Bowser said. "Do you think it will be successful?"
"I can't guarantee anything, but it seems quite promising," Junior stated. "We'll just have to wait and see."
"I guess so," Bowser agreed. "Well, see you later."
Junior uttered some kind of a goodbye and quickly left the Castle - he didn't want too much attention to be drawn to his trip, lest he fail to retrieve the Princess. His father would be disappointed in him enough; he didn't need all of the Castle's servants talking about it too.
And yet, as he walked down the road to the end of the Dark Lands, he felt an optimistic excitement. Finally, after all these years, he was going on an actual mission. By himself, and to benefit an instrumental plan, no less. He knew exactly where he was going, and what he was planning to do. He knew that once he entered the Mushroom Kingdom's sewer system, it would be relatively easy to find the sewer closest to the Castle. He had a few vague ideas on how he would be able to find the Princess, but he had no clear plan on that. He knew he would have plenty of time to think of something on the way, though.
As she had often been for the last few days, Rose was in distress. This time, it was for another reason. She knew it was for her own good that she wasn't allowed to, but she desperately wanted to go out into the Kingdom. Her mind struggled between just holding it in, begging her parents to let her go (which would not seem very mature), or the option that scared, yet somehow excited her the most: to sneak out.
She knew that if she did so, anything that happened to her would be her own fault. If she got kidnapped, it would be her own fault. If her parents found out and punished her in some way, it would be her fault. If she got lost, it would be her fault. If she saw something she wouldn't be able to tell her parents about because she saw it in a place she shouldn't have been in, it would be all her fault. No, sneaking out was a very bad idea.
Sighing, she arose from her bed, and, giving herself a quick look in the mirror, regrettably trudged to her parents' quarters once again. Yet, today they weren't there. Realizing they were probably in the Throne Room, Rose scolded herself inwardly for being so foolish not to check there first and walked there instead. As the oriental, decorated doors to the Throne Room opened, she could see her father's proper royal greeting of, "Hello, what brings you here today" blend into a cheerful, "Oh, hello, Rosie! Why are you here?" She smiled softly, hoping her parents would be in a good enough mood to oblige to her request.
"Hey, uh ... there's good news," she stated carefully and watched with enjoyment as her parents' faces lit up.
"What good news?" Peach asked, visibly excited.
"It's been quite a few days and there are no sightings of Bowser or any of his minions anywhere around here," she said. "Plus, I've thought about it and perhaps the Clown Copter was simply passing by, and no one important was inside at all. It could have just been a misguided castle pilot or something," she added quickly. Truthfully, she doubted this but she felt like it was reassuring enough without being a straight-up lie.
"Hmmm, that sounds pretty good, ... " Mario said thoughtfully. "Hopefully you're right."
Rose took a deep breath. "I was thinking, since everything seems peaceful, could I leave the castle for just about half an hour or so? I promise I'll try to stay out of sight, and I won't go too far. Please? Being inside all day is a huge struggle for me. I understand why it's safer that way, but it's too sudden and is almost depressing for me to be inside all day."
Peach looked like she was about to protest, but then she started to slowly nod, almost uncertainly. She turned to her husband. "Mario, I think we should let her go," she said, somewhat quietly. "I know it's kind of dangerous but Rosie knows what she's doing. I think we should trust her to leave for a while."
Mario sighed heavily. "I guess you're Mom's right," he said to Rose finally. "After all, staying inside all day is unhealthy, and we don't want anyone suspecting that you're hiding or under a quarantine of some sort. You can take a short walk, but don't go too far away from the Castle, and make sure a few of the Kingdom's residents see you about, so they know you're still here, okay?"
Rose's face lit up significantly. "Yes, yes, of course!" she exclaimed. "Thank you so much! I promise I'll be careful!"
The parents shared a merry laugh.
"Run along, dear," Peach smiled. "Just be back home in time for lunch!"
Finally, Junior realized. There it was, the Mushroom Kingdom sewer system. He had imagined it in many ways, but he didn't expect how large it would be. The sewer system was much larger than it seemed on the map; thankfully, there were arrows underground pointing to and fro. He noticed that most of the arrows tended to have something written on them, mostly explaining how to get to the Castle's main sewer system. Junior wasn't looking for the Castle itself, though; rather, he was more interested in the area around the castle. He had a plan; it was risky, but it could be excellently efficient if successful.
As he walked and climbed along the sewers, he could hear the Mushroom Kingdom's residents talking above him, peaceful and completely unaware of the danger that was brewing. In some areas, the talking was louder, and he could hear the sounds of wheels and machines - these, he assumed, were the more busy parts of the Kingdom. The Kingdom ... it was hard to believe that he was technically in the Mushroom Kingdom for the first time in his life. More than that, he found great delight in realizing how everyone had no idea he was only some feet underneath them, and could technically climb out of anywhere and destroy them all in a second. He, of course, wasn't planning on doing that, but just the idea of it being physically possible brought him joy. It was the same joy his father had told him about; the exhilarating joy of power. Junior had power, almost singlehandedly, for practically the first time in his life. He had more power than his siblings, more power than the Toads above him, and, in time, he would perhaps have even more power than Bowser! This made him wonder if the Princess thought she would have access to her parents' power as well ... but now was not the time to think about all of this. He had a plan to act upon.
Collecting his determination, Junior waited near one of the sewer exit pipes for a few moments. Everything seemed quiet out, except for just one voice. It was the voice of a young girl, humming some kind of a song. Everything else was totally quiet. He realized it was probably lunch hour, and plus, this was a rather isolated neighborhood, according to his map. From what he could see, the houses were pretty far apart. Alright, stop meddling, he quickly reminded himself. There was no going back now. He reached through the sewer pipe, and in a second, he was out of it.
He spent a few seconds gathering his surroundings. The atmosphere was delightfully wholesome. Birds were chirping, the quaint houses were illuminated and sparkling in the sun, the air was warm and smelled of fresh bakery treats, the towering trees were a vibrant green color, and there were all kinds of flowers and plants growing everywhere. Had he not been so anxious, he might have even admired the area, but it was too unlike the place he grew up in for it to be comfortable, no matter how pleasant it may have seemed. With that thought, he turned around (he had only spent a few seconds looking around, I remind you) and saw exactly what he had expected and wanted to see - empty, isolated streets with just one young-looking female Toad standing in her front-yard garden, watering her flowers. Or, at least, she had been watering her flowers. Now, the watering can was on the grass, neglected as the last few drops of water spilled out of it.
Never before had Junior seen such an expression on someone's face. The look on the girl's face was horror, resignation, and disbelief all combined in one. Her eyes were large with shock, and her lip was quivering as if she were about to break out in a nervous fit of tears. He kept waiting for her to scream in agony, or start crying, but she didn't. She was in such a state of shock that she was unable to do anything but just stand there, shaking in fear. Junior had never seen fear like this. Yes, he had had some of Bowser's servants fear him, but not like this. It was at that moment that he realized that the girl thought she was about to die.
Finally, she managed to stammer, in a breaking voice, " ... A-are you ... B-"
"Quiet," he said quietly, but still menacingly. "I just have one question. I won't hurt you or anyone if you answer, and I will leave at once. If you don't ... " his mouth curled into some kind of an evil smile. " ... I'm sure you're smart enough to understand." He towered over her significantly, which only added to his threatening effect.
The girl nodded feverishly, her head almost bobbing up and down. "W-what's the question, uhh ... I'll tell you, just g-go away," she muttered.
"Fine," he replied, pleased with her cooperation. "Where is Princess Rose?"
Suddenly, the girl's eyes popped wide open. She was thinking so hard, he could almost hear her thoughts. Surely she would feel like a traitor giving away the Princess's location, but she wanted to keep her neighborhood (and herself), safe, too. Finally, it seemed like her somewhat more selfish side won over. She didn't want to die. Smart girl, he thought.
"I d-didn't tell you this, b-but I saw her earlier ... she's on Undertoad street, about six blocks away. She's taking a walk. I-it's a rather ... quiet place. N-no shops or anything, uhhhh ... " she paused.
"Thank you," Junior interrupted, somewhat sharply. "Remember, don't tell anyone you saw me today, or else. It is a pleasure to make business with you," he added with a hint of sarcasm and backed down into the pipe he came from.
He was sure the girl wouldn't tell anyone what had happened. This was certain. If she had managed to give away her own seemingly beloved Princess's location (he had heard that the new Princess was quite popular with her folk) to stay alive, then she surely wouldn't rat him out at this point, so he wasn't worried. Now, he was only minutes away from his goal, his entire massive body nearly trembling in his excitement. He quickly opened his map and practically raced through the sewers to the right pipe. This time, he didn't hesitate, and, in an almost reckless move, he jumped out of the pipe on Wellbell street. Wellbell street was right next to Undertoad street. Somehow, the Princess was still on that street; he could even hear her gowns swishing and her shoes clicking as she walked. There was no way that was a Toad; and who else would be walking the streets right now? Not Queen Peach - she was on royal duty. This was Princess Rose, he was sure of it.
He crouched right around the corner, waiting for the perfect moment. He had the intuition that she would turn onto Wellbell street next, and his intuitions were rarely wrong. He had to remember to keep breathing deeply. When he was this near to success as a future King Koopa, he couldn't let this slip.
Rose walked along Undertoad street, breathing in the fresh early-summer air she had felt on the balcony some days ago. It was so ... peaceful, so relaxing, in fact, that she had finally lost some of her stress. Little did she know, she would regain it in copious amounts in just a few moments, but for now, she was relaxed. She wondered if perhaps the whole Clown Copter incident had, in fact, fizzled out. Maybe she had just dreamt it? Maybe this whole situation was just a dream, and she would wake up in just a few moments to one of her smiling ladies-in-waiting, Joanna, in a moment. Or maybe ... her mind drifted off. She stopped at the intersection. She thought a simple thought - should she go to the right, onto Wellbell street, or to the left, onto Intodd street? It was Wellbell, she decided. And with that, she turned to the right.
It goes without saying that she instantly regretted that decision. If the situation wasn't so harsh, it might have almost been somewhat amusing. The poor Rose was so out of it that when she saw Junior she actually believed that she was going crazy with all this Dark Land stress and was starting to actually see things. It's probably just a tree, you psycho, she told her racing heart as she closed her eyes and then opened them again. Junior was still there.
For the first time in his plan, Junior had absolutely no idea what to do. He had imagined this moment many times before, and in his head, the Princess would scream and run, and he would chase her down and restrain her. Then he would quickly slip down a drain pipe and get to the Dark Lands as soon as possible. But so many things were going differently from this planned situation. First of all, for some reason he had expected Rose to look like the old pictures of Princess Peach his father had shown him, and from his own vague memories, but although there was a very tasteful resemblance, she clearly inherited a lot from Mario, which included her hair. Her gown reminded him of Peach's, but it was a light blue color instead of pink, and had a totally different feel as well. Secondly, why didn't she have an escort with her? Was she actually allowed to go out like this, or did she sneak out? And why wasn't she running yet? Was she in shock, too, like the Toad girl?
Rose's next action was to sigh nervously and lean against a nearby brick wall. "I'm seeing things," she muttered to herself very quietly, but Junior was still able to hear it. Figuring that was the only thing he needed to do, he approached her.
"You're not seeing things," his voice broke the silence. "Or hearing things," he quickly added.
It was at this moment that Rose produced a very audible gasp and immediately started nervously shaking, practically giving way to all of her mind's suspicions. She looked as if she was going to faint, but didn't, clearly trying to demonstrate her royal status. She stood up as tall and straight as she could manage, and did something Junior didn't expect her to do - she looked him straight in the eyes. There was obvious fear in her gaze, yet a hint of determination was present as well.
"What do you want?" She wasn't stuttering, which was another unexpected thing. She was clearly a Princess, and was fit to be one, too.
Junior didn't know how to answer that, so instead, he did the one thing he had been itching to do. He quickly grabbed his chloroform out of his backpack, and, quick as lightning, pressed it to her nose. This, combined with her stress, was too much for her body to take in a conscious way, and she collapsed. He managed to catch her, and then proceeded to wonder if he should tie her up or leave her this way. He decided not to restrain her, since he could always put her back into sleep if she woke up, and there weren't too many places to run in the sewers.
Quickly remembering his rush and risky visibility, Junior scooped up the Princess and efficiently went down the pipe again. Making sure that Rose was still safe, he started making a hurrying way through all the tunnels, determined to get to the Castle as soon as possible for two reasons; his excitement and his worry that she would wake up again.
The world above him was still sunny, still green, still peaceful and wonderful. Except for the one Toad girl Junior had spoken with, everyone was still oblivious and calm.
It was as if Junior had never even been there ... only one thing was missing from the Kingdom. And only he knew what it was ... for now.