Well another here at last. I think this is another favorite of mine because...well I'm not giving away any secrets. School is busy as ever. But I shall persist! RAWR! hee hee. That's all I have to say really so enjoy Chapter 10: Maria is Missing!
MARIA IS MINE! That is all. Good day.
To say the Mushroom Kingdom was in an uproar was clearly an understatement.
On a miserable grey day, a humble koopa with a black scarf walked quietly through the streets of Toad Town, taking note of all rallies that occurred on the corner.
"SAVE OUR PRINCESS!"
"...TEACH THAT HEARTLESS BOWSER A LESSON!"
"FINISH THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!"
"JOIN THE FIGHT!" "JOIN THE ARMY!"
Like robots, toads, koopas, and goombas alike lined to sign their names and their fates.
Ignoring the masses, the mysterious stranger strolled swiftly to the familiar gates that bore the royal insignia. He placed a claw on the door.
The Mushroom Palace...
"Hey you!" a toad guard screamed.
Remaining where he was, the silent koopa stared at the angry soldier.
"What the hell do you thinkin you're doing!?! The Castle is off limits!"
"I'm sorry, sir," he began, "I'm a reporter for the Daily Chit-Chat. There have been so many rumors that I came here to write an accurate article."
"Well I'm afraid I can't let you in," the grumpy Toad replied, "My orders were to-"
Suddenly a paragoomba rushed from the bushes, a crazy, drunken glaze in his eyes.
"Let me in! I gotta go see the king! He could be dying!"
The guard pushed him back. Unsheating his sword, the Toad brandished his weapon fiercely.
"GET LOST!" he roared.
Sluggishly, the defeated paragoomba slumped into the masses. The guard placed his sword into its proper place and let out an exasperating sigh.
"Does this happen a lot?" the koopa spoke up.
"Everyday and at least several times a day," he sneered, "...ever since our Princess was kidnapped, the kingdom...has fallen into chaos. So many people are saying different things, the Palace doesn't know what is really happening."
"Maybe...I can help."
A curious look spread across the Toad's face, "How so?"
"If you let me in.. I can get an accurate story and maybe ease some of this confusion. And maybe these random occurances won't happen as much."
The soldier pondered it for a moment. The Toad Town needed the truth. Heck everyone did. Maybe it would be worth it...
He took a good, long look at the koopa, searching him from top to bottom. The koopa was an average size, normal color skin. The only peculiar thing about him was his dark green shell, but that was never a warning sign of danger. Koopa shells can in all colors and sizes. One could never judge them by appearances. Finally this quiet koopa wore a black scarf that gently hugged his neck and dangled near his ankles.
"Alright," the Toad grunted, "I'll let you in. But be swift. If I hear that anything happened-"
"Nothing, will happen, sir," turtle chimed, "I promise."
"Very good," the soldier replied, turning to open the gate.
Click.
Immediately the guard recognized the sound. Before he even gotten a chance, the koopa had opened the door and went inside, without so much as a sound.
"Good luck, kid," he muttered to himself, before returning to his post.
Though the Toad had scanned the koopa for any signs of suspicious, he had never even noticed the small symbol at the edge of scarf.
Quiet as a mouse, the stranger walked through the Palace Doors, carrying Bowser's mark along his neck.
--
It was quiet.
Far too quiet.
Closing the door behind him, the mysterious koopa slowly strolled into the empty entrance. Each step he took gave off a small, lonely tap. Since it was a miserable day, the light that shone through the glass windows was grim, a bleak sign of little hope. Even the air around him gave the essence of death and despair.
What happened here?
Shaking his head slightly, the turtle quickly walked up the grand staircases,and walked into the main hallway.
No one was there.
His nerves becoming uneasy, he rushed solemnly through the corridors. Everywhere seemed so...dead. Not even a servant was seen.
Mario must have called everyone into hiding.
He must be preparing his army for today.
The koopa gave a quick shiver. He was almost there. Just one more turn and-
He stopped. After running up the spiraling stairs, he came to the door he wanted to go through.
Placing his claw on the golden knob, he turned it and opened the purple door, creaking in response.
Slowly, he entered the room that had so many memories. The place he did not want to return to.
Maria's.
--
What he saw in the room shook his very essences.
The room was destroyed. It barely looked like a bedroom. The balcony doors were shattered, ripped from its hinges and thrown to the other side of the room. Scorch marks from energy beams decorated the room, and everything was in ruins. There were no traces of life anywhere.
No sign of Maria.
As he stepped over the debris, imagines of the horrible scene flashed in his mind.
Crash!
"Stay back!"
Slam!
Hiss...
"HELP!"
Panic raced through his heart. The koopa could feel himself getting dizzy. What had he done? He truly believed that separating himself would save her...now she was kidnapped...or worse.
"...hello?"
His heart stopped. Slowly he turned around to a quiet maid standing in the doorway, a look of confusion spread across her face.
It was Toadette.
"Pardon me, ma'am," he began slowly, trying to keep his shock at a minimum, "I'm a reporter, and I snuck into the castle to seek some information. I apologize for intruding at such a difficult time for our kingdom."
Waiting for some type of respond, the koopa watched the servant carefully. Instead, she said nothing, but stared at him as if her eyes were peering into his very soul. Did she know? Was his disguise in vain? Did she discover that the prince of-
"What kind of information are trying to find? Perhaps I could help."
The koopa let a sigh of relief out. Maybe she could help him.
"Actually I wanted to know what happened...to our...princess, Maria."
"Ah. I see. That's why you have come...I think I have something that may help you," she replied gently, with a glaze in her eyes. What she thinking? The reporter could not even fathom it.
Gracefully, Toadette reached into her patched apron and pulled out a small item that gently jingled against her fingers. The stranger's eyes widened in surprise. He barely suppressed a gasp that was trying to escape his lips.
The golden chain glittered dimly against the grey light fluttering into the room, but it was the small star piece that caught the koopa's attention.
Maria's necklace.
Toadette's eyes softened.
"I believe this is yours, Junior."
--
The koopa prince froze in defeat.
"H-how?" he began.
"I have known for a very long time," she replied quietly.
"Maria, she never told you?"
"No. I have known for about four years. Only until recently did Maria reveal yourself to me, and even then she didn't give your identity away. She just said she had a boyfriend and left it at that."
"But when did you find out...?"
The maid sighed and smiled in remembrance.
"It was Maria's thirteenth birthday. I'm sure you remember that year because that was the one where she had an attack and her entire birthday celebration was cancelled."
Junior closed his eyes and nodded sincerely. He clearly remembered seeing Maria that morning in tears. That party had meant a lot to her simply because she was no longer a child. She was a teenager and wanted to celebrate that accomplishment. But the doctors said she could not because they did not want to risk another attack and the party had to be postpone. Needless to say, she was crushed. Sure the party was going to be rescheduled, but the fact that she could not spend time with anyone on that very day, hurt her.
Toadette continued, "I had felt terrible so that night I decided to sneak some ice cream into her room. Quietly I opened the door and I noticed Maria was still awake but she hadn't seen me. I was about to whisper for her until-"
"I came through the balcony doors," Junior responded.
"Yes, of course I was about to scream for help, but then I saw...Maria's face. She was so happy you were there and then you even surprised her with a small cupcake with a single candle on it. To see her so like that nearly brought tears to my eyes. So I have kept it a secret ever since then."
"I see..." he said quietly.
A small silence rushed over the two. Neither knew what to say. The secret was almost out and the princess was missing. Something had to be done.
"Junior, what happened last night?"
The koopa prince sighed desperately.
"I...broke up with Maria, telling her I never wanted to see her again."
"Why?"
"Because," he snarled.
"Then why did you come back? Because?"
Junior said nothing, but stared at his feet.
"You regret it, don't you?" Toadette whispered, "You regretted the moment you said those words."
Clutching his fists, he mumbled, "You have no idea."
"So what are you going to do now?"
"...I don't know! I don't even know where she went!"
The maid raised her eyebrows. "You mean the koopa kingdom didn't take her?!"
"No far from it. It was King Boo. I know it."
"K-king Boo?! What does he have to do with anything?"
"He's been bothering us for weeks. I don't know his reason, but he wants us to dead. I don't even know where his hideout is... Maria could be anywhere!"
"Where did you first meet him?"
"What?"
Toadette rolled her eyes. "Boos have a tendency to stay in certain areas. Sure, they can travel, but they like dark quiet places."
Dark places?
Junior's eyes widened. It was unbelievably obvious.
Boo Woods.
Quickly the koopa prince rushed to the balcony and snapped his fingers. His sadness melted into determination and he ripped off the black scarf he was wearing, transforming back as the Prince of the Koopa Kigndom. Within seconds, the distant whirling of the koopa copter could be heard.
"...Where are you going?"
"To save Maria."
"Then take this," Toadette said, and carefully placed the star necklace into his claw.
Cradling it in his hand, the prince looked at it with sadness before placing it around his wrist. Strangely, it fit perfectly.
Finally Junior's ride was at the balcony, purring with the rush of adrenaline, and soundlessly he jumped in.
"Junior..." Toadette said softly.
"Yes?"
"Bring my princess home."
"I will."
Soaring away, the koopa flew not only to save the meaning of his life, but to meet with fate.
--
The already grey skies suddenly turned dark and crackled with the anger of thunder and deadly storms. Almost immediately the heavens let loose and cried heavily, not sparing anyone who stood outside. The winds howled and wailed. Everyone could feel it, even the trees quivered in apprehension.
A battle was coming.
A battle of death.
The pouring rain covered Junior. Every so often, the skies would illuminate the earth then rumble as if counting down until the destruction of everything. There was myth that if one could count the seconds between the jolts of lightening, you could estimate how from a storm was. Even the prince noticed, the bolts of light were appearing more and more. Death was on it's way.
An eerie aura floated maliciously around Boo Woods. The hateful trees shook everywhere, casting their cruel shadows against the ground. Parking the copter on the outskirts of the forest, Junior quietly lumbered through the ghostly jungle, keeping watch of everything that moved.
--
Junior could have swore he had seen that rock before. It was the third time and the koopa prince grudgingly realized the forest was playing tricks on him. He could here the snickering of dead minions and knew King Boo was here.
"Alright you bastard!" he snarled, "I'm here to save Maria! So where are you?"
Suddenly a pathway quickly formed before Junior. Taking that as a hint, the prince followed the stony path which opened up to clearing.
The trees covered the skies which protected him from the rain, but only a few rays light fell through. But something caught his eyes, a person laying on the ground with white hair.
"Maria" he shouted and rushed forward, but suddenly he was pushed back but several snickering boos.
The prince roared and bared his teeth at the ghosts, but remained where they were.
"Just because I let you find her, doesn't mean I'm going to release her, Junior."
Appearing before the koopa with his deadly grin was King Boo. His eyes glowed a fierce blue and he chuckled once more.
"I'm so glad you could come today. I realize you're busy trying to save your girlfriend, but I just wanted to thank you for coming to visit little old me."
"Shut up, you creep."
"You still don't have any manners. Pity. You shouldn't be saving such things, especially because I have Maria in my grasp. Or have you forgotten already?"
"Let her go!" he snarled.
"I'm afraid not she is very important... for my ritual."
"Ritual? What are you going to do! Why have you been attacking us? What do you want our kingdoms?"
The king let out piercing laugh, that even made Junior shake with fear.
"Tell me, Junior. How does one become a king?"
"I don't want to play games you bastard," the koopa rumbled.
"I'm asking a question," the ghost hissed, "and I'm expecting an answer."
Glaring menacingly at the dead king, Junior mumbled, "You marry a princess or a queen."
"Precisly," King Boo hissed and floated towards Maria and hovered directly over her, "I once had a queen. A beautiful and truly powerful one. That is why I need Maria. You see Junior I don't want your kingdoms. No.... I want the world."
Immediately a purple light fell upon the king illuminating his dark features and making them far more intense.
"My minions and all the creatures of shadows, hear me. Tonight is your final night! Today will change forever and today will be our greatest stance-"
The skies turned pitch black rumbled as if the very storm hovered above the forest. Multiple lightening bolts flashed and cracked. In the clearing purple flames formed a circle on the outskirts and allowed Junior to listen to the most terrifying words he had ever heard from King Boo.
"Tonight is the night I will resurrect my wife, the Shadow Queen!"
Now I'll let everyone suffer with a cliffhanger. This is the big plot twist. (If you couldn't tell.) Next chapter I start explaining stuff and the puzzle will be complete. (I'm actually quite proud of myself, everything fits together pretty well.) I like this chapter because it gives away Toadette's identity and King Boo's motive. Good stuff. Yup, I'm sorry it took long. I don't know when I'll finish chapter 11. I will finish this story however, I have everything planned out. So this story won't go hiatus. WOO! Alright thanks for reading and I'll see everyone at 11.