A/N: Hey guys. Since I'm going to be more busy starting tomorrow, I decided to upload two chapters at the same time! Yay! Okay, so last chapter Fawn said she'd escape. Let's see how that goes

Coooool123: Lol sorry, this is my fault, I made it pretty unnoticeable. About Larry...check the A/N at the end of the last chapter lol

Enjoy!

Chapter 16: The Escape

I walked around the castle, gathering all the materials I needed. I searched around outside in the courtyard and in a few supply closets I found in the castle to find everything. I didn't need much, so it didn't take me to long.

An escape plan was something I had already began forming shortly after arriving here. Nothing to serious, really. I had created it after I had observed the castle some, and my mind was drifting for things to do. I had created a rough draft of a plan while I daydreamed, and it didn't need much improvement to turn in to a full plan.

I looked at the materials I had gathered. A sturdy piece of wood I collected from a large fallen branch I got from a tree in the courtyard, a few leaves and tiny branches, a few matches, and a jagged rock. The matches were the hardest to find. I had considered asking someone for them when I found them in a closet I was searching through in a stroke of luck. Phase 1 complete. Smiling, I quickly stashed the materials in a supply closet I found near the hangar. While I wandered through this castle, one of the things I noticed was that this closet was not used much, so my supplies would be safe for a short time, as I made sure no one saw me stash them. I saw a broom in said closet that I decided I would use later as well.

I quickly ran up to my room to change in to the newly washed clothes I came here in. I neatly folded the dark green clothes I had been wearing in the dresser. I felt as though if I was going to escape, I shouldn't take the clothes they made me. It felt like stealing. So donned in what I owned, I took off to commence my plan.

I quickly ran in to the closet I had stashed everything and locked the door. Wasting no time, I lit a match and threw it on the branch. I had feared that it wasn't flammable, but thankfully it caught fire. Grinning, I fed the fire with more matches and the leaves and branches I'd gathered. After I had spent some time tending to it, it was a decent size. The smoke was becoming a problem for me in the tiny closet, but it was the price to pay. Wiping the sweat off my brow, I stuffed the rock in my pocket and grabbed the broom. I opened the door and quickly swept the fire out in to the hall as quickly and neatly as I could. But at the same time, I made it look like I was feebly trying to put out the fire with a broom, in case someone should see me and asking why I was pushing a fire in to the halls. Thankfully, the flame still lived on the branch, large enough not to be put out so easily. To my delight, the broom had also caught fire. So as the fire alarm went off, I threw the broom next to it and the fire got bigger. With Phase 2 done, I began to run to the hangar to start Phase 3 of the plan.

"Um...help! There a, uh...fire! A fire! I think someone needs to do something about it...I think!" I called, my acting being very poor.

Thankfully, the guard in the hangar heeded my call and the fire alarm and ran outside. I grinned, knowing he was the only guard in the hangar.

"Ma'am, what happened!?" he asked frantically.

I tried to look scared, but I probably looked weird. "There's a fire! Um...yeah! I don't know how it got there, but I think somebody needs to deal with it...I think you! Probably you."

Thankfully he didn't catch on to my poor acting. "Right! Get to safety, I'll put it out!"

"Uh, okay…it's that way," I said, pointing down the hall. "See the glow?"

"I do!"

I wished him luck to make it more believable…although it probably made it less believable. "Well, good luck…chap? Don't get burned…that'd be bad!"

"Don't worry! I've got this!" he yelled energetically, before running off in the direction of the fire.

I grinned, also knowing there weren't any fire extinguishers close to the place I put the fire. Another thing I had noticed when I was searching the castle and completing my plan was where the extinguisher was, so I incorporated it in to the plan. It would take him a while to put out the fire.

I ran up to the control panel that operated the hangar door, which was currently open. I saw two buttons; one said 'Open' and one said 'Close'. I used my analytical skills to determine which one would open it...I didn't require much of them to determine that. I took my rock and began to hit the 'Open' button with all my might. Eventually the button was crumbled up and rendered useless. Grinning, I pressed the 'Close' button, and as expected, the opening began to close slowly. I rushed in to the hangar before it could be sealed off fully. The door finally closed, and I grinned knowing that it couldn't be opened to easily now.

I quickly went through the basket that Bowser kept his keys in and found the one that I recognized as the key to the Clown Copter Mach 20. I sighed, feeling bad about Phase 4. I took the keys and made my way to the Clown Copter. I remembered which button to press on the control panel attached to the keys to drop down the ladder from the flight I had with Bowser.

I climbed up the ladder and in to the Clown Copter. I sat at the controls and put the keys in the ignition, starting the machine up. I gulped, feeling scared about this part. I pressed the button on the keys that raised the back wall, allowing the Copter to take flight. As the wall rose slowly, I observed the controls, remembering how Bowser operated them. But while I was observing, a button caught my interest. It read 'Hood' on it in small letters.

Hood...is that what I think it is...? I pressed it, and sure enough, a dome of tinted glass began to slowly cover the top of the Clown Copter, effectively hiding me from view. I grinned largely. Perfect, this makes the plan much less risky! Seeing the wall was now up, I gripped the controls and remembered what I observed Bowser do on our flight.

I raised a lever ever so slightly, and as I had hoped, the Clown Copter began to hover. Grinning, I got myself to a certain height and stopped. I then used the yolk to make the machine go forward. The experience was extremely exciting for me. I'm...I'm doing it! I'm actually flying this thing! Oh my stars this is amazing!

I smiled happily and flied my way out of the hangar without to much difficulty. I made my way to Peach's balcony, knowing what it looked like. I began to search for it, flying around the castle as quickly as I could while being careful. I only bumped in to a few trees and a wall, and I didn't attract to much attention. Not that the people that saw me did anything. One of the things that this plan hinged on was that I knew no one would suspect what I was doing. I observed how disorganized the troops were and how normal it was for people to take out the Clown Copter, so nobody really felt alarmed by a Clown Copter taking flight. Especially since they wouldn't be able to see me with the tinted glass. But mostly, I knew no one would suspect what I was doing because everyone was sure that a kidnapped person would never be able to escape.

Peach

I sat on a seat on my balcony, feeling like a complete fool. I not only let her get kidnapped, but I'm also letting her try and escape? How pathetic am I!? How could I have not found the strength to stop her? Or at least go with her...oh, how could I just sit by and let her do this, all by herself? I'm a disgrace...

To be honest though, part of me was hoping that she really would find a way out, as I wanted to leave as soon as possible. But that's so silly...why would I think she could? I've never found a way...there are to many guards! And Fawn is kind of...well, dim from the looks of it. She's so slow to pick up on things...she thought she was here for fun! Well, I get that she just came up with some way to make herself feel better...but she believes Bowser! She believes they're friends, and that she was brought here by mistake! Oh, what is she even doing now? I'm so scared for her...I mean, how could she possibly-

I looked up from the floor when I heard a noise. There stood Fawn in a Clown Copter, hovering outside my balcony.

"Hello," she greeted. ...Huh? I was speechless, so she continued. "You should get in now."

My mind couldn't fully process what was going on, but some part of it seemed to. I nodded distantly and slowly rose from my sets and climbed in, albeit with some difficulty. I looked around me and saw her closing the hood of the Clown Copter.

"Okay, let's go," she said to me.

With that, she slowly began to rise up and forward. I thought for sure someone would spot us and possibly shoot us down when we reached the wall. But we flew over it without any trouble, and before I knew it, Bowser's castle was a speck in the distance.

It was at that point that I finally found my voice. "What...just happened?"

"Oh...we escaped," Fawn explained simply.

I was stunned. "We did?"

"Yeah. We're out of their reach now; probably...even if they send Clown Copters after us, we've got a good head start. Plus we have my dad and the Mario Bros. to keep them occupied anyway."

"Oh...okay," I said, collapsing in the second chair, dumbstruck and amazed. She...did it. She really did it...she escaped...we escaped...she's amazing.

"Hey Peach, do you have any idea which way we're supposed to go?"