Okay, sorry for the delay, but school has been getting so frickin' hectic, plus, my family has been dragging me out to do a bunch of more stuff, everything from out-of-town events to household chores. But, I was finally able to make time. So, as always, enjoy the next chapter!

"Okay," Peach said, "we'll need to move quickly to get to the armory."

"Right, let's hurry!" Bowser said as they both rushed off down the corridors of the underground labyrinth. "Which way is it?" Bowser asked.

"Well, it's…" Peach stopped for a moment while she looked into his eyes. There was definitely something vaguely familiar about those blood-red eyes. Peach couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could almost swear she has seen the exact same ones before. Something about them made her uneasy, and they almost seemed frightening to her, yet she could not explain why.

"What's wrong? We gotta keep moving!" Bowser said.

"O-oh! Right!" Peach said, "It's this way…" she began to head down one of the branching hallways, Bowser following behind her.

Once they made it to the armory, Bowser would have gone for the giant morning star, or the heavy battle ax, but they were both too heavy for his human form. Instead, he chose a long, two-handed bastard sword, and Peach got a meter-long jian. They both proceeded to head up out of the dungeons and back to the main hall.

"Alright," Bowser said, "so, this is where our fate has gotten us. We must now take down the last bit of energy that the Dark Star used to give Carmilla immense power, and hopefully, the collapse of its power will put an end to the cult that tried to revive it."

"Yes." Peach said, "But, Richter…"

Bowser looked at Peach again, "Yes?"

Peach sighed, "Look, I know this is gonna sound really silly and all, but…after having only known you for so short of a time…I have really come to like you."

Bowser looked around, "You mean, like…as a friend?" he asked.

"No, like…like you like you." Peach said.

Bowser's eyes widened in amazement, and his most magnificent smile spread over his face, "…Me too." He said, "Now, let's take down this demented chick! I'll be here, right beside you, the whole time."

Peach smiled, "Thanks."

As the two of them proceeded to climb up the main tower, fighting several Dark creatures along the way, before finally arriving at the door to the Throne room. Taking Peach's hand, and looking her in the eye for a moment, Bowser slashed the rope binding the doors and kicked it open. Sitting on Peach's throne, drinking a glass of wine, was the possessed Carmilla.

"Ha ha ha!" Carmilla laughed in her demonic voice, "I would have never expected you to make it this far."

"Just give it up, bitch!" Bowser shouted, "I never wanted you! Why can't you just accept what everyone eventually experiences and go on!?"

Carmilla laughed once again, "By merging with her, I have seen Carmilla's past. She is but a poor girl who wanted someone to fall in love with her, yet no man she chose ever gave her a chance! Including you!" she said.

Bowser's jaw dropped, "So, just because I didn't want you to be my girlfriend, you're going to turn this world into a living Hell!?" he asked.

"Mmm…" Carmilla rubbed her chin, "…but isn't the world Hellish already? It is full of nothing more than selfish, arrogant, self-centered mongrels! All I merely wish is for all of them to reflect upon this, and accept the punishment for their flaws and mistakes. Join me, you two, and I can give you immortality and reign over this new world, all the while possessing the perfect human on this planet to fall in love with my most favored priestess."

"Join forces with the Dark Star!?" Peach asked, shocked, "Never!"

Carmilla glared, threw her wine glass at the floor in front of them, and hover upwards out of the throne, "Very well…you have made your judgment, and I will be taking this world…with you along with it!"

"No way!" Bowser said, "Because of all that's happened, I will not give you the pleasure! Prepare to die!"

Bowser charged in, brandishing the longsword in both hands. Carmilla smirked, snapped her fingers, and was engulfed in a pillar of darkness that vanished, and reappeared behind Bowser as he tried to slash, but missed.

"A HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Carmilla laughed so hard, which echoed so that it sounded like several Carmillas. And then, she zapped him in the stomach with a dark purple lightning bolt, sending Bowser flying and hitting the wall, where he crumbled to the ground.

"You are a fool!" Carmilla said, "Ever since I had absorbed Fawful's soul, it has given me power beyond anything else! Fawful was nothing but a weakling; he annoyed me, so I tormented his spirit for a long time until I became bored and took it for myself! And soon, the souls of the two plumbers and the stupid Sarasaland Princess will be part of me as well, giving me even more strength. Don't you see, mortal? No human will ever be able to defeat me!"

Bowser slowly stood, "...Hate to drop the bomb on you, buddy, but…" he stopped speaking as he ripped his shirt off, the triangular symbol on his chest glowing brightly as he began to morph back to his Koopa form.

Carmilla stared in disbelief, "N-no! This magic…it can't be…" she said, hardly able to speak, "…you…could…handle it…?"

Peach stared in shock as she watched what literally unfolded before her.

After Bowser was back to normal, he gave a smug grin at Carmilla, "…I'm no human." He said.

"You!" Carmilla shrieked, "You put me back into my eternal slumber! You were the one who foiled my plans!" She glared very evilly, and almost murderously, at Bowser, "Well, I would wish to thank you for allowing my resurrection, since I now have the opportunity for my revenge!"

"Try me!" Bowser dared, "I'll beat you down again!"

Carmilla conjured a glowing red rapier, and her voice was completely replaced by the low, demonic voice: "Kründai…Daimaō Kuppa!"

She darted at Bowser, trying to land a strike to decapitate him. Bowser blocked the attack with his own sword, and stabbed her in the stomach, causing black dust to seep out of her.

"Hmph, who knew it would be so—" Bowser suddenly stopped speaking when he noticed Carmilla began to change; her muscles appeared to be getting thicker, while her head was changing shape, and she grew much taller in stature. Her transformation left her as a large, dark-blue, reptilian demon with large horns and wings on her arms. She was larger than Bowser.

"Damn…" Bowser thought, "…this bitch has got way too many tricks up her sleeve!"

Bowser charged in with the sword and slashed at the demon's legs a few times, and then she jumped over him (and got a lot of hang time for just ten feet due to her wings). While in midair, the demon spawned several Dark koopas, goombas, shy guys, boos, dry-bones, and bob-ombs. Bowser charged up his fire-breath and burned them all up (the explosions from the bob-ombs aiding in the process), and then, he noticed a shaped on the demon's chest that looked like the Dark Star. He then looked down at the sword in his hand.

"That's gotta be her weak spot!" Bowser said to himself, "Only got one shot at this…"

"Do you see now, Koopa King?" the demon spoke in its same horrifying voice, "I now have the ability to overpower you, even better than last time! Now, I will finally be able to send to into the underworld to be tortured for all eternity! Say your final farewell to this world!"

Bowser wound the sword up behind him, "Not today, you twisted succubus! I'm gonna send you to burn in Hell!" and with that, he threw the sword, hitting the demon in the Dark Star-mark on its chest.

"AAAAGH!" the demon shrieked, "The blade! No…!" she fell to her knees and began to dissolve, "…How could I lose again…? And to…a mere mortal…? You haven't…seen the last…of…me…!" The sword clattered to the ground as the large cloud of black dust expanded around the Throne room.

Peach coughed as she approached, "B…B…Bowser…?" she asked.

Bowser sighed sadly, "Yes, Princess…it's me. I was hoping this wouldn't happen…" he said.

Moan began to appear from the area that the cloud of smoke appeared from; lying there was Carmilla, Mario, Luigi, and Daisy.

"Ungh…" Daisy strained as she sat up, "…what was that? Weren't we in the ballroom just now?"

"Yes," Peach said, "it's a long…terrifying story, so, let's get up and have the workers clean the place up, shall we?"

"Yeah, I think that—AAAH!" Daisy screamed, "It's B-B-Bowser!"

"Hah!" Mario said, "I knew it-a was a trick-a!"

"Yeah, prepare to-a cry-a!" Luigi said as the two brothers took a fighting stance.

Peach stepped in front of them, "Mario! Luigi! No! Don't attack him!"

"Get-a out-a of the way, Princess! This-a will be-a short!" Mario said.

"No, you have to listen to me!" Peach said, quickly, "You should really be thanking the big guy right now!"

Mario, Luigi, and Daisy all dropped their jaws, "C'mon, Peach, are you really trying to defend the Koopa King again!?" Daisy asked, furiously.

"Yes!" Peach said, "Because he…saved us all."

"What!?" Everyone said simultaneously, "He…saved us?"

Okay, so it might or might not be a while again before I can upload another chapter. In the meantime, try to spend a little less time on the computer; go out and do something wild! At least, that's what I would do, but you can do as you like. Bye for now! Keep holding on…