Chapter 3: A Fight Against Familiar Foes

"Hyah!" Mario cried, jumping straight for Bowser at high speed with a clenched fist.

Bowser charged back a fist, ready to meet the incoming Mario. While in midair, Mario turned his body and surprisingly met Bowser's extended fist with a powerful roundhouse kick.

"Grgh..." Bowser grunted, surprised by the sudden kick.

Mario then used his other foot to jump off of his extended fist, his figure zipping high into the air with a whoosh. Bowser was slow to lift his eyes, and before he knew it Mario had stomped down right on his face with his brown booted foot.

Although it seemed like Mario had nailed Bowser with a powerful stomp, the Koopa King didn't even flinch. In fact, he even still had his eyes open. He grabbed Mario by the ankle, boot still on his face.

Mario's eyes widened. "A-wa-wa-wa-wa!"

With a whip of the arm, Bowser tossed Mario into a nearby city building. Smoke accompanied the impact of his crash. Bowser turned towards the smoke, and to his surprise, Mario was already zipping out of it with a quick jump. He had slight scratches on his face, his teeth clenched as he charged back a punch. Bowser crossed his arms in a V formation to block the attack.

SMACK!

The impact of the punch made a fierce sound, the force blowing Mario's hair for a moment.

"Bwahahahaha! Is that all you've got?" Bowser mocked, still blocking the attack. "How sad! You'd best take some vitamins, 'cause that didn't hurt at all!"

Mario bounced back, avoiding any potential counter attack that Bowser may have planned. He slid backwards on the cobblestone, using a single gloved hand to brake. He looked up with harsh eyebrows.

/

Back near Peach Castle, Luigi was confronting Kammy Koopa, the girls and Toadsworth in the rear.

"I had a feeling that you'd show up!" Luigi started, in his fighting stance.

"Oh? Is that so?" Kammy Koopa inquired, baring a single gnarled tooth. "Or was it Mario who had that feeling?"

"T-That's-" Luigi took a step back. He figured that she must have eavesdropped on him and Mario.

"Trying to flee without fighting power?" Kammy Koopa continued, hovering upon her broom. "That was foolish, I fear. I will be taking the girls."

"Ha! As if I'm gonna let that happen!" Luigi laughed, thumbing to himself heroically. "I am the fighting power!"

"Nyeah heh heh..." Kammy Koopa laughed, raising her golden wand. "We'll see about that. Now, witness my power!"

Luigi had a determined expression as his focused increased, a single sweat drop sliding down his forehead. Daisy and Peach watched with concern while holding the unconscious woman, Toadsworth cowering behind them. Pauline was standing slightly offside, somewhat absent-mindedly.

Magical geometric shapes formed around the ruby tip of her wand as it absorbed energy. Brimming with light and fully charged, she sent her attack... at Daisy.

"Ehh?" Daisy barked, her eyes widening as she realized the attack was heading towards her instead of Luigi.

She was defenseless. Preoccupied with holding up the unconscious woman, she had no time to react. She was struck with the magic, which took the form of twirling geometric shapes. A piercing sound, like deafening interference, shot through the air, and she suddenly found her form had been irradiated and was glowing. Much to her dismay, and everyones surprise, she proceeded to transform.

Peach winced as she could no longer hold up the woman, the support from Daisy removed completely. She had no choice but to release her, the woman falling to the dirt of Castle Road.

Everyone gasped as they looked at the strange creature on the dirt path. It was a frog with bright blue eyes. It also had Daisy's green and white flower earrings.

"R-Ribbit!" Daisy nervously croaked.

"EEEEEEEEK!" Toadsworth and Luigi squealed, hands on their faces in terror. Pauline also featured an expression of disgust and terror, Peach remaining quite serious.

"HOLY CRAP, SHE'S A FROG!" Luigi cried, pointing at Daisy with a gloved finger.

"NYEAH HEH HEH!" Kammy Koopa loudly cackled, hovering high up in the air. "Fools! Never underestimate the power of magic!"

"Toadsworth." Peach ordered, her expression serious. "Run ahead to the castle. Get the Toad Brigade."

"What? And leave you here in danger?" Toadsworth retorted. "Balderdash, I say! I simply won't!"

"They have no idea what is happening." Peach explained. "We, Mario... We might need the back up!"

"Y-Yes, but I can't just abandon you here in such a perilous situation!" Toadsworth explained, clearly conflicted.

"I need you to go and send for reinforcements." Peach ordered, her tone firm. "That's an order!"

Toadsworth heaved a sigh, shaking his head. "Very well, then. I shall be off."

With that, Toadsworth proceeded to run towards Peach Castle. He had quite a ways yet, so they needed to buy some time.

Peach turned to Frog Daisy, who seemed quite unhappy with her new form.

"Do not worry, Daisy." Peach assured, feeling sad for friend. "You will be back to your usual self shortly, I am positive!"

Kammy Koopa watched Toadsworth run while hovering on her magic broom from up above.

"Oh? Reinforcements, eh? That would be most unpleasant." Kammy Koopa declined, raising her magic wand. "We can't have that, now can we?"

With terrible timing, the old Toad had tripped and fallen flat on his face.

"Toadsworth!" Peach cried, her fists clenched.

Luigi winced, shielding his eyes. He peeked through his gloved fingers.

"Oh, dear!" Toadsworth groaned, his cane rolling away from him.

"Oh, how marvelous! You make it too easy!" Kammy Koopa swooned, launching a second magic attack straight for the back of the downed Toad.

"Get up, man! Hurry!" Luigi cried. But it was too late.

"ERAGH!" Toadsworth cried, his form irradiated as he proceeded to transform.

Peach, Luigi, and Pauline gasped as they saw Toadsworth had been transformed into a snail. His shell featured the same spotted colouring as Toadsworth's top. It also wore the same spectacles, and looked as though it might have been saying something along the lines of "I say!".

"NYEAH HEH HEH!" Kammy Koopa roared, nearly falling off her broom from raucous laughter. "Now that's a more suitable form! You'll never reach the castle now!"

"Ooh, crap! Dammit! You son of a bloody gun!" Peach cursed, all huffy with teary eyes.

"P-Peach!" Luigi gasped, not used to hearing the princess curse. Pauline also looked quite surprised.

"S-Sorry! So sorry!" Peach apologized, taking a deep breath. "I let my emotions get the better of me. My sincerest apologies, everyone."

"Er... now, I shall turn you all into helpless beings!" Kammy Koopa mocked, raising her wand whilst hovering up above on her magic broom. "Prepare to be defeated!"

/

Mario was running in a large circle, avoiding the fireballs which Bowser was launching out of his mouth. The large buildings were relatively tolerant to the flame, but some of the outside props such as signs or foliage was getting destroyed. Mario decreased the radius of the circle with each lap, seeming to dodge Bowsers fire with ease. As Bowser charged up a big fire blast, Mario made a break for the tail. However, just before he could grab it, Bowser leapt high into the air, landing safely across the deserted plaza.

"Bwahahaha! That ol' trick again?" Bowser laughed. "You're gonna have to do better than that if you think you're gonna defeat me!"

With harsh eyebrows of determination, Mario ran straight for Bowser. With a speedy skip, hop, and twirling jump, he had performed a triple jump. Bowser charged back a fist, looking up at the rapidly twirling Mario. Mario shot out of his twirl with a racing stomp, which was stopped by Bowsers massive fist. Mario featured clenched teeth, once again unable to overcome Bowser by brute strength.

"Ha!" Mario barked, backflipping off of his feet and landing on the plaza with a single gloved hand. He stood up and adjusted his cap. "Well, this is going nowhere fast."

Mario reached into his pocket, pulling out the letter Princess Peach had given him. He examined the pink heart sticker which sealed the envelope, memories rushing back to him:

{"Hyah!" Peach grunted, tossing a white letter that sparkled with magical pink light.

Mario and Luigi watched with familiar wonder as the magical letter soared into Mario's hands.

"I have enclosed a jewel that helps protect you!" Peach informed, hand by her face. "You must defeat Bowser, Mario! I just know you can do it!"}

"I've got one shot at this." Mario warned himself, opening the letter. "I gotta make sure it counts!"

/

Pauline, Peach, and Luigi were running around aimlessly, avoiding the countless magic attacks that were raining endlessly from up above. Geometric shapes scattered violently as they struck the earth with a zap, missing their targets.

"Nyeah heh heh!" Kammy Koopa cackled, launching more attacks. "It's only a matter of time before you're struck! You're all just helpless idiots in stinky diapers, running around aimlessly!"

(Crap, I gotta do something!) Luigi winced, his teeth clenched and forehead sweaty. A magical attack just missed his head. Luigi placed his hands on his capped head while ducking. "YIKES!"

"Ugh, I can't run in these stupid heels!" Pauline complained, struggling to take off her shoes. Before she had the chance, she was struck with a magical attack. "AIYEE!"

"PAULINE!" Luigi and Peach cried, watching in terror as her form was irradiated with light.

As the brown haired woman transformed, a strange creature had appeared on the dirt path once again. It was a scarlet scaled snake, purple eyeshadow on its eyes.

"SHE'S A SNAKE!" Luigi gasped, his face turning blue with fright.

"NYEAH HEH HEH!" Kammy Koopa boomed, swooping down on her magical broom while holding a small cage with small spacing between its thin bars.

She grabbed Snake Pauline, who emit a large hiss, forked tongue whipping viscously. Kammy Koopa tossed her into the cage quickly and locked it. She rose back up into the air, nibbling with a gnarled tooth exposed. Luigi and Peach were in defensive stances, the angry Frog Daisy and Snail Toadsworth safe distances away. The unconscious woman was still on the dirt path nearby.

"Well, Luigi? You've already lost three of your friends now, and you haven't even laid a finger on me!" Kammy Koopa mocked. "What ever shall you do?"

"Do not listen to her, Luigi." Peach comforted. "All we have to do is defeat her, and everything will be alright."

"Mm." Luigi nodded, keeping his eyes on Kammy. A single sweat drop was on his forehead. (But how the heck am I supposed to do that?)

/

"Hm?" Bowser barked, examining the item in Mario's hands. "What's this?"

Bowser was not familiar with this item. A white wing with a red P on it, the P-Wing. Mario looked at it with a serious expression. "This is a P-Wing. With this, I will defeat you."

Mario clenched his fist around the item, white wings forming on his cap thanks to the power of the P-Wing. Glittering light occasionally rained down from the magical wings.

"Bwa ha ha! An item? You think some silly item is gonna help?" Bowser mocked. "I've been all powered up by that old hags magic! I'm indestructible now!"

Mario squatted in place, a fist clenched at his hip, a palm facing forward. "Para-Para..."

"You don't stand a chance." Bowser grinned, shaking his head.

Mario launched forward with zooming speed, a ring of smoke launching outward from where he stood. He twirled while in flight, which sliced the air like a super sonic jet. His arm extended with a clenched fist, expression determined. It was all too fast to process for an observer. Before Bowser could even react, Mario had nailed him in the stomach with his white gloved fist, which sunk in quite some depth.

"Hooomph!" Bowser wheezed, his eyes widened.

"AERO-PUUUNCH!" Mario cried, racing lines emphasizing his attack.

"GWAAAAAAAAAH!" Bowser cried, getting launched far away.

Bowser was launched hundreds of feet through the air before even connecting with the ground. He bounced off of one of the cities main streets like a rubber ball, and again, continuing down the eastern street until an abandoned taxi finally caught him. It was violently crushed inward from the weight of the Koopa King, the spikes on his shell ripping into its metal. Bowser simply laid there stomach up, his eyes whited out.

/

Peach and Luigi were growing tired. They had been constantly evading Kammy Koopas seemingly endless attacks, which rained relentlessly down upon them.

"I-I'm going to attack her!" Luigi decided, his eyebrows narrowed with determination. "I'm gonna do it!"

"No Luigi, it is too dangerous!" Peach explained, evading another attack. "She'll strike you with her magic before you can reach her!"

"But we can't just dodge her forever!" Luigi explained, running past the unconscious woman for the umpteenth time, who was just laying there on the dirt road. Luigi continued to dodge attacks. "We need to act!"

"Then we shall go to the castle!" Peach decided. "I will retrieve Daisy and Toadsworth. You go on ahead!"

"But what about the Mayor?" Luigi reminded, not accepting this plan.

"It will be alright. Mario will defeat Bowser and rescue Pauline from her." Peach assured. "I believe in him."

(Should I really just run and leave this all up to Mario?) Luigi thought, gritting his teeth. He closed his eyes in anger. (Maybe it is the best idea... Dammit! Why do I have to be so damn weak?)

"Go, Luigi." Peach ordered. "I will be with you shortly."

Luigi hesitated, his teeth clenched. Regrettably, he started to run for the castle. He closed his eyes and sprinted, and Kammy Koopa watched from above with interest. "Hm? What's this now? Running away?"

She then turned and noticed Peach was walking up to Frog Daisy, her back exposed. "Oh, no you don't!"

"Come with me, please." Peach softly ordered, bending down and extending her delicate hands. "Let's go to the castle."

But it was already too late. Before Frog Daisy could even hop onto Peachs hands, she had been struck by the magical attack from behind. She cried out.

Luigi gasped, his eyes widening. He turned around and saw Peach was irradiated with light, her eyes closed.

"PEACH!" Luigi cried, tears in his eyes.

"L-Luigi, r-run!" Peach begged, before she proceeded to transform.

Much to his dismay, he saw that Peach had been transformed into a fluffy white rabbit, with no accessories. Her gold crown crashed onto the dirt path nearby, its gemstones glistening sporadically in the moonlight. Luigi stood there, a single tear sliding down his cheek.

"NYEAH HEH HEH!" Kammy Koopa cackled, flying down to the helpless Princess with a cage. Peach attempted to flee in her smaller form, but was claimed with little effort. Kammy Koopa eagerly stuffed her into the cage. "That makes two. That's all folks! Lord Bowser will be so pleased! Off I go!"

"WAIT!"

"Hmm?" Kammy Koopa barked, nibbling on a gnarled tooth. She was hovering in the air once again, the caged, transformed girls on her person. She looked at the hero in green, who seemed furious as he stood there with clenched fists and teary eyes.

"Oh, it's just you." Kammy Koopa retorted. "Shouldn't you be running away?"

"Give me back my friends." Luigi ordered, wiping his tears with a gloved fist. His expression was serious. His usual cowardice, non-existent.

"And just what are you gonna do, exactly?" Kammy Koopa challenged, remaining calm. "Peach is right, you know. You should just go and get help. Leave it to Mario to do all the work. You, obviously, are incapable."

Luigi grit his teeth with anger. Kammy Koopa's mocking had gotten the best of him, much to Peach's dismay. Luigi proceeded to charge at full speed towards Kammy Koopa, an impressive speed at that. "I said, GIVE ME BACK MY FRIENDS!"

Luigi then shot high into the air, getting ready to perform a wicked roundhouse to the hovering Magikoopa. It would have done an impressive amount of damage, but all Kammy Koopa had to do was simply lift herself a little higher. She near effortlessly dodged the attack, Luigi proceeding to fall back down. Kammy Koopa raised her magical wand, geometric shapes gathering around the ruby embedded on its tip.

"You're wide open!" She cried, launching her attack.

Luigi's eyes were concealed in the shadow of his cap, his expression full of despair as he fell back down, defenseless. He was struck with the magical attack, his form irradiated with light. He had been defeated.

/

"Ergh..." Bowser groaned, hopping back up onto his feet. The crushed Taxi remained stuck on his spiky shell, Bowser standing on his feet.

Mario had a determined expression as he soared through the city, flying above the road illuminated by streetlights. People were watching with awe safely from within the nearby buildings, their windows white squares in the night.

(If I get hit even once, I'll lose this power. I need to be careful!) Mario thought, wind racing through his hair and 'stache.

Bowser saw Mario was zooming towards him, so he took quick action to jump high into the air. Mario watched and saw he had landed on a nearby rooftop. The building was five stories tall, so the jump was quite impressive. Mario swooped upward, making sure not to lose Bowser. He saw him standing on the building, and Mario was quick to zoom into him with an extended fist. He didn't give the slow Koopa King any chance to counter attack.

"Hrgh!" Bowser growled, blocking the attack with his arms in a V formation.

But it was too powerful. Bowser was launched backward, twirling through the air with the crushed taxi still stuck on his shell. Mario racing through the air like a bolt, his vision narrow like a tunnel. His expression was intense.

"Now Para-Para..."

Mario managed to clasp his white gloved hands around Bowsers tail in midair. The twirling Bowser came to an abrupt halt, which caused him to bark in surprise. It wasn't long before he found himself spinning again, however. While in midair, Mario began to spin Bowser round and round by the tail. He was spinning around so fast, that a whirlwind had formed around them. People watched with awe from the safety of the city buildings. The whirlwind grew stronger and stronger as Mario continued to spin Bowser, the P-Wing abilities allowing him to hover as he spun. High up in the air, he eventually released Bowser with a powerful toss.

"CYCLONE!"

Bowser zoomed through the air, his body whirling in the same direction Mario had been spinning him. A cyclone of slicing wind surrounded him as he headed for the central plaza. This gave his body minor cuts in various places, mostly along his arms. He then smashed into the stage used earlier this evening at a high velocity, destroying it completely. All parts of it had come crashing down, the big lighting equipment falling down on him.

Mario landed on the stone title of the central square, the wings of his cap flapping gently in the night breeze. There was a ton of smoke around the demolished stage, where he had sent Bowser. Mario waited anxiously for the thick smoke to subside, eager to see if he had been victorious. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw something emerge from the smoke at a high speed. It was the crushed taxi.

"A-wa-wa!" Mario cried, seeing that it was heading straight for him.

But he was too slow to react, rather, it had been thrown too fast. Mario got stuck to the bottom of the tossed Taxi, which carried him then smashed into a building. The taxi fell down to the ground, Mario's eyes closed as he remained stuck against the side of the city building for a brief moment. There was a slight streak of blood coming from his forehead, his eyes closed. The wings on his cap blinked in an out of existence before fading away. He had lost the power of the P-Wing.

Mario fell from the building and onto his stomach right around the time Bowser stood up, the smoke almost entirely dissipated by now. Bowser was standing there, breathing heavily. His eyes were red from within the smoke. Shortly after, the smoke had finally subsided. Mario was dropped to a knee, one eye closed as he examined his opponent across the plaza. He saw Bowser was quite angry, a streak of blood coming from his forehead as well.

"Gwa ha ha..." Bowser wheezed. "You had your chance to defeat me, but it looks like you have lost that now."

Mario said nothing, one eye closed as he looked at his opponent with heavy breathing. He was still had one knee against the ground, an arm resting on his other thigh.

"You are simply too weak to fight me, now." Bowser reminded, his breathing heavy as he stepped closer. Mario did not move. Bowser looked down at him with a victorious grin. "This fight is over."