Well, I have nothing to say about this chapter without spoiling some of it. Let's just say that it gets more serious. Same warnings as before.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, nor do I own anything Nintendo related.
Rosalina sighed. The party went better than she expected. There were no fights or anything, but there was a huge mess downstairs. The Toad guards offered to clean it up, but she had decided to do it herself. Two people, well, two Koopalings had gotten lost in Shifting Sand Land, and no one informed her of this until she saw Iggy panicking. When the Koopaling told her, she kept quiet because there would have been an uproar if anyone else found out. Princess Daisy had to go back to Sarasaland to keep her kingdom in check.
Life was currently peaceful in the Mushroom Kingdom. Toad Town was full of people, and business there was normal. Everyone enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere because it usually doesn't last long. Toadette skipped through the town, greeting everyone with smiles. Today, she was going to check on her grandmother, Toadanne. She was in the hospital because she became sick. Due to her old age, her immune system did not work well. After 10 minutes, Toadette arrived in the Mushroom Kingdom General Hospital.
"Good morning! Do you know where my grandmother's room is?" Toadette asked.
"Ah! right in room 106 to the left, Toadette," the Toad at the counter replied.
"Thank you!" She walked to her destination. The door was closed, but she could still go inside. Her grandmother sat on the bed, not knowing that her granddaughter was there. Toadette faked a cough so that she wouldn't scare her.
"Oh, hello, sweetie!" Toadanne spoke weakly. Her face showed signs of old age, and her skin was pale. Her mushroom was a grayish-pink colour, and the spots were slightly gray. Her hair was gray, too. She began to cough a lot, which worried Toadette. She held a box covered in a present wrap.
"Toadette, this is for you. It's a picture of us," she told. Toadette received the box and opened it. It was a picture of her brother, mother, and grandmother. Their father was absent, which confused her. She thanked her anyways.
"Don't you worry about me, dear. I'll be okay. I'll watch you and your brother."
"Grandma! Did you know that my brother is Captain Toad? He never told me!"
"Aha, I knew already. Maybe he wanted to keep you safe." Suddenly, she began coughing again. Toadette grew even more tense than before. Toadanne insisted that she was alright, though. Some doctors came into the room with some stuff that the bright pink girl didn't recognise.
"Miss, you will have to leave," a Toad doctor stated. Toadette nodded and left the room with the picture.
Bored, she went to explore the hospital. Someone was in the middle of giving birth. That was something that she did not want to ever see again. Some other rooms were either not in use or had a patient in there. Unfortunately, she heard crying from a room ahead of her, implying that someone was dying or already dead. That was not the case, though. She took a peek, only to see Princess Peach in there. She gasped and ran back to the counter.
"I-I'll be back! I have to leave for a moment!" she said to the Toad. He looked confused but continued signing people in.
Toadette was about to run to Peach's castle until she saw Rosalina nearby. She rushed towards the girl and got her attention. Rosalina jumped back in surprise, not expecting Toadette of all people to do this.
"I found Peach! She's in the hospital!" Toadette panted.
"Which room?" Rosalina asked. She was a little nervous because she expected the worst. Toadette grabbed her hand and dragged her to the General Hospital. The counter attendant was shocked at how fast she came back with a woman who was probably three times her size. The two ran to the room where the pink princess was. Assuming that something was going on, they stayed outside of the door. They guessed that she kept a low profile because if anyone found out that she was there, the Mushroom Kingdom would be in total chaos. Listening to the conversations inside, they discovered what happened.
"Will he be okay? Poor Junior..."
"He will be fine. He needs rest, though. He will not be able to walk properly for, at the least, 2 months."
"Now, we need to do something. All of us are in danger!" Rosalina and Toadette thought that those voices sounded like Peach, Mario, and Bowser. Something has happened to the last's son, apparently.
"Since Bowser Jr. can't come along, and the Dark Land is currently unsafe, should we entrust Rosalina with him?" Peach asked.
"...Yes. It's better off that way. Don't bring him outside at all costs," Bowser said.
"We have to come up with an excuse..." Mario trailed off. Rosalina chose to go inside of the room with Toadette holding her hand. All eyes were on them, and the air grew more uneasy.
"I will keep the kingdom on lockdown, Peach," Rosalina finally spoke. Toadette was nervous and did not say a word. Instead of being angry, Peach seemed more relieved.
"Now that you know, it will make things easier."
"Dimentio is back, isn't he?" the space princess questioned sternly. The room went cold. Everyone's eyes were on Rosalina this time. Toadette began to shiver. Peach finally broke the silence.
"...No. We're actually going to Flipside for him, though."
"In the meantime, keep the kingdom on lockdown. We are being attacked," Mario added. Toadette panicked and took a step back, hiding behind Rosalina.
"We-we're being attacked? Oh no!"
"Please keep quiet. It's better if no one knows besides you two and Daisy," Peach said. Toadette put her head down.
"It's okay; I would've reacted the same if I had found out later," Rosalina patted the poor girl on her head. Bowser stared at her with an unreadable expression.
"If I find out that my son is hurt by the likes of you or that mushroom girl, I will not hesitate to kill you." Toadette whimpered at the threat, while Rosalina just nodded. She understood how it was to be a parent.
"We're actually leaving today. We have all of our stuff packed and such," Mario told them. They would have to lie and say that Mario and Peach were going on vacation for a while. Meanwhile, Bowser would have to put someone in charge and inform Kamek that Junior was alright. Peach picked up the sleeping patient, and she put him in her friend's arms. He was wearing a leg cast. Toadette was given the crutches and his paintbrush.
"He will be safe in the castle. It's somewhere the enemy won't target." Both girls nodded.
"Stay low, okay?" Peach told them before they headed out of the door. Rosalina kept the prince close to her chest, while Toadette seemed to struggle with the extra weight on her. Not many people saw them because they took another path. They still had to be careful, though.
When they finally made it into the castle, they went to Peach's room. Rosalina put Bowser Jr. on the bed. Toadette sat on a nearby couch to watch him. He'd probably attack them if he had woken up, so she decided to stay as well. He was sleeping soundly, as if nothing had happened to him. The Toad girl wanted to rest too, but it would be better if she didn't. A few minutes later, her phone began to ring.
"Hello?" Toadette muttered. Rosalina couldn't make out what was going on, but she had a feeling that it was something bad as her face became more grim. It looked like she was about to cry, too. When she hung up, she began to sob into Rosalina's dress. The tears stained her attire, which annoyed her a little, but disregarded it a moment later.
"S-sh-she's gone..." Toadette wept.
"What happened?" Rosalina asked, trying to calm her down.
"Heart failure," she stuttered through tears. Toadanne passed away when they were just leaving. Rosalina tried her best to comfort the crying girl, but she continued to do so. After 15 minutes, she stopped and observed Bowser Jr.
"I hope I didn't wake him up..." Toadette sniffed. Luckily, he was still sound-asleep. Rosalina let her sleep after she received the news. The space princess examined Bowser Jr. The Koopa prince would have to hear about what happened to his dad. Daisy would have to know as well because she needs to be prepared.
"Oh, shit," she thought. She almost forgot about the three that were leaving. Rosalina waved her wand. It was something that she did when she needed to make an important announcement. A giant figure of her appeared in the sky when she checked. She didn't attract enough attention yet.
"Everyone, can you hear me?" she asked. She glanced at the window and observed the sky once again. It appeared that there was a crowd forming beneath the hologram.
"Princess Peach and Mario are going on vacation. To keep everyone safe, the Mushroom Kingdom is going on lockdown. This includes places such as Rogueport, Koopa Village, and many more places. Flipside will not be affected. Yoshi's Island is the only place outside of the Mushroom Kingdom that will be protected as well. The Dark Land will not invade if we do this. You are still allowed to visit other places, but only in the Mushroom Kingdom. I shall cast a shield around these places, if you are wondering. You only have 5 hours to gather your friends. That is all."
A commotion seemed to follow, but nobody was really angry about this. In fact, they felt more at ease. Phone calls were made, probably to get their friends. At least no one questioned it. It was a rare occurrence, really. Toadette was still taking a nap on the couch during all of this. She poked her as an attempt to wake her up. She swatted her away in response. A yawn could be heard from the bed.
"Where am I?" a drowsy Bowser Jr. asked.
"Peach's castle. Don't move," Rosalina answered.
"Why not?"
"Your leg is broken." With that, he glanced at his leg.
"What happened?" Rosalina groaned inwardly. She had to inform him everything that happened up to this point. During her little speech, he yawned again. The boy was rather nonchalant about this. When she was done explaining, he summarised everything in a question.
"So basically, I have to stay here with you while my dad, Mama Peach, and Mario go somewhere? And I can't go home because it's not safe?"
"You must not tell ANYONE. Just say that I'm watching you while your dad is gone."
"Well, okay. I'm hungry." That was it. No attacks or anything. A weight has been lifted off of the girl's shoulders. She couldn't take him downstairs yet, though. She had to tell Toadsworth that he was there. She left the room and walked downstairs. How would he react? Would he go off? Toadsworth was like a ticking time bomb; you never know when he'll explode. As for Daisy, she could only contact her via cell phone. That reminded her to do so.
Rosalina got her phone out from the guest room and dialed her girlfriend's number. She answered it, fortunately. Usually, she picks it up after 2 calls.
"What's up, Rosie?" she greeted.
"We need to talk." She could sense Daisy's nervousness from here. Once again, she explained everything to keep her updated. A few 'ohs' and 'whats' were emitted from her, meaning that she was listening well. It was a huge issue, of course.
"Well...I can't go to the Mushroom Kingdom. I have Sarasaland to govern."
"I know. Please stay out of harm's way, alright? I'm just worried."
"Yeah. I'll keep mine on guard."
"Have a nice night, Daisy."
"You too."
She hung up and sighed. At least she knew now. Now she just had to deal with Toadsworth.
ooOOoo
"So, Bowser Jr. is here? And he's being taken care of by you and the hospital?" he said. Rosalina nodded. The old man thought for a few moments. He then paced around the lobby. He sighed.
"...As long as he doesn't cause any damage around here, he can stay." Her face brightened. She didn't have to tell anyone else about this, except maybe Luigi. Where was he anyways? He hasn't been showing up. It was likely that he was just staying at his home, though.
She went back upstairs to see if Toadette was awake. When she opened the door to Peach's room, she met with chaos. Toadette had paint all over her face, and Bowser Jr. was laughing. There was some paint on the walls, too. When both looked at her, they became fearful.
"I just gave him his brush! I didn't expect him to do this!"
"You're cleaning this up, Junior," Rosalina stated. He already annoyed her. It was going to be a long 2 months.
Luigi sat on the table, thinking about the announcement. He already knew Mario was leaving, but Peach and Bowser, too? They really were in danger. It all seemed too surreal. Whatever the attacker is doing, it's working. All of a sudden, he got a headache. He took off his hat, as he was getting a little heated up. A few seconds later, he blacked out.
I really wish I made Toadanne with more character...would've been more interesting. She just seems like a random character who appears out of nowhere and just never appears again.