World 4
Princess Peach walked into Ludwig's castle. She'd lost her current Yoshi in the incident near the end of Butter Bridge, but that wasn't too much of a problem. As she walked along the magma-colored corridor, ducking and dodging the spinning ball and chains, Peach went over the plan of the castle in her mind. First, there was the corridor with the traps... then the fence-climbing... was she missing anything?
In the next room, when the spiked ceiling started to winch down, Peach realized she had. She took off running, frantically making a dash for the reversal block up ahead. In the middle of a tricky jump, Peach's head knocked into the spikes. She immediately began to shrink.
Fortunately, the Princess had a Mushroom from the previous room saved as a Reserve Item. After covering the last few yards to the reverse block and hitting it, making the ceiling go back up, she took the Mushroom out and munched on it. Immediately, she felt her full height return.
The rumble of the ceiling brought her back to reality. She had only a short time to sprint to the far door! There was nothing to do but run for it, jumping headlong over fiery pits and dodging monsters before the last long dash. As the ceiling clashed behind her, Peach dove like she was playing soccer again, straight through the door.
She landed by the climbing fences and began slowly pulling herself upwards.
By the time she had reached the boss door, Princess Peach was slightly out of breath. She'd forgotten the sort of exertions Mario had to go through. She made a mental note to switch to a more extensive exercise regimen.
She opened the door, and went through.
Ludwig von Koopa, on the other side, was composing when Princess Peach burst in. He knew the drill, even though seeing Princess Peach being the hero was new to him. He bowed. "Princesse!" he said, in a thick accent. "You've come just in time to hear my newest composition! I call it, 'Princess with a Fiery Spirit'."
And he inhaled, preparing to launch a fireball at the Princess. She shifted one hand down to the handle of her parasol, miniaturized in her inventory for easy transport. As Ludwig belched out a superheated ball of fire, she pulled the umbrella out, using it as a shield. The fireball bounced, splashing harmlessly against the ceiling.
Undaunted, Ludwig retreated into his shell, spinning towards the Princess at great speed. She merely jumped over his high-speed attack, floating with her parasol as she waited for him to slow down. After a few seconds, he did, and she landed on him.
From there, the battle picked up speed. Ludwig tried inhaling for another fireball, but was stunned by a thwack from Peach's (now-closed) parasol. A simple jump finished him.
As Ludwig slouched off to find the nearest first-aid kit, Princess Peach entered the final room of the castle. Another Toad was there. He jumped for joy.
"I've just finished lighting the rocket fuse, Princess!" he said. The Princess went wide-eyed with shock. He'd lit it before the battle? She grabbed Toad around the middle.
"Let's get out of here!" she said, and they both ran for it.
Meanwhile, in Bowser's Castle...
The remains of the dinner lay on the table; a large ham had been tonight's meal for Bowser, and a delicate mushroom pasta for Mario. Empty wine glasses lay at both plates, and the ropes that had tied Mario lay discarded in a corner.
"I have always designed my castle for two purposes," said Bowser in his low voice as he showed Mario around. "An uncompromising, tough image on the outside... but at the heart, unparalleled luxury." He opened several doors at the end of a hall, showing the castle bedrooms.
Plush, rocky gray velvet and silk defined the furnishings in Bowser's bedroom, and the bed (heated by a portable lava pool) gave the room a warm ambiance. By contrast, the room the Princess used when she had to stay overnight (which usually meant Mario was stuck on a tricky level) was furnished in all colors and shades of pink; an open closet door revealed a number of Peach's spare dresses, looking to the uninformed all exactly alike.
Bowser opened another door, showing a room wallpapered in red and green. "When I heard you wanted to switch roles, I had this made up. You may stay as long as you like." The room was a duplicate of the brothers' room back home, down to the bunk bed. Mario thanked Bowser with a nod of his head.
"But, enough of décor," Bowser said, putting one arm around Mario's shoulders. "It's nearly dusk. I often see the sun set on the roof of the castle."
Bowser walked with Mario, to an elevator cut into the solid rock of the castle's walls.
"Come with me," he said, "and we can see it together."