Here's a chapter that's a little longer than the others, but you'll see that it's important for what follows.
I apologize in advance for its size. I had the choice of doing it in two chapters or leaving it whole, but I opted for the second option because I didn't feel like cutting into the action.
Enjoy!
Chapter 20 - Threat
"You know, there's still a whole bunch of places we haven't shown you. There's the waterfall behind the castle, the big harbor with all those boats, the beet field..." Luigi lost himself in a long monologue about all the places Cinder hadn't yet had the chance to see. Counting each one on his gloved fingers, he walked quietly beside her as they strolled over one of the bridges into the mushroom town.
"The world is so vast!" Cinder laughed as she raised her arms to all those colorful dwellings. With a broad smile, her heart clenched as her gaze wandered over the hills in the distance, wondering what other regions looked like.
"It's very vast, yes..." Luigi groaned beside her after straightening his green cap on his head. He had always been afraid, so anything unfamiliar scared the hell out of him.
That morning, the princess had suggested that Cinder take a stroll around the grounds to familiarize herself with her new home. To make her feel at ease, in her own words. Peach did everything in her power to make her feel at home, and Cinder had to admit that all these little attentions warmed her heart. She was very fond of the princess and admired her for her strength of character. She was always in a cheerful mood and never let herself be intimidated by anyone, not even the biggest bullies. After having eaten a most entertaining full breakfast with her and her friends, she went out for a walk around the town filled with those little mushroom men always smiling. They were so adorable! But to her great surprise, Mario's brother Luigi offered to accompany her after much hesitation.
And now, they were chatting like good friends as they strolled through this wonderful, bustling city at all hours of the day.
"What do you do when you join the world above? What's it like?" Cinder suddenly wondered as she leaned over the bridge railing to look down here at the street. She saw a purple Toad waving at her, a gesture she hastened to return with a smile.
"Oh well, it's a much duller world than this. There's no rainbow road, no talking mushroom man, no pink and white castle either. My brother and I fix things... For example, yesterday we unclogged a toilet! The customers were very grateful and we even got an extra bonus." Luigi began with a shy smile, quickly followed by a grimace of embarrassment when he realized what he'd just told her. Laughing awkwardly, he turned away to murmur softly.
"What are you talking about, Luigi! You're talking nonsense. You're talking about a clogged toilet!" He clapped his hand to his forehead at the ridiculousness of this situation. He always had to lose his temper at the worst of times! However, he returned to his interlocutor with a big, toothy grin.
"Hehe, I mean, we do all sorts of cool stuff up there! We're real little local celebrities now." He boasted as he puffed out his chest with his hands in fists at his hips.
"I see." Cinder raised her eyebrows, not sure she understood.
"Mario and I make a great team. But my brother is the braver one of us ... It's always been like that. I just follow." He admitted with a small shrug after he also moved closer to the railing. He didn't dare look down because he was afraid of heights!
"I'm sure you're as brave as he is." Cinder replied, winking at Luigi which triggered a blush to his cheeks.
"B-brave?! Uh yes, of course! I'm afraid of nothing, or almost nothing." he stammered. Embarrassed nonetheless puffed up in pride, he grabbed the tip of his moustache to smooth it between his fingers. This made Cinder laugh out loud. But this laughter quickly faded as the girl's face saddened again, her red hair brushing against her pale cheeks. Perplexed by this sudden change, Luigi leaned towards her with a concerned look.
"May I ask you a question?" He asked softly, his eyebrows furrowing as she turned her head towards him to make eye contact. He was struck by the sadness in her green eyes. At her weak nod, he cautiously resumed; "why do you look so sad?"
Then she thought about his question. Why was she sad? Of course, she already knew the answer... But accepting it was no easy matter. Cinder looked away from Luigi to take her pocket watch out of her pocket and hold it between her clasped hands above the void. Her gaze lost on the spinning hands, she felt her heart compress as she absent-mindedly ran her thumbs over the cold metal. There was something terrifying her... Something approaching. And it was about to reach her. Anxiously, she twirled the pocket watch in her hands as her gaze wandered once more over the colorful houses, her joy evaporating at this innocent question. She was about to tell him the truth, but having mistaken her silence for a refusal to answer, Luigi finally laid his hand on her arm.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause you any more pain. But you're safe with us, you don't need to be afraid anymore! Mario will protect you. We ... Will protect you." He corrected himself after a brief hesitation as he smiled gently at Cinder in an attempt to reassure her. She smiled back, but distant shouts cut them off.
Panic had set in. Puzzled, the two straightened up to see that the Toads were running around shouting that an intruder had entered their city. What were they talking about? Casting a horrified glance at Luigi, who was quick to return it, they hurried across the bridge to the elevators leading directly to the castle courtyard. There they passed Peach and Mario, followed by Toad General and armed guards ready to do battle with anyone who had entered their territory uninvited. Like them, they looked worried. No one knew what was going on as they all descended into the main street, where the people of Toad City were running and shouting. Mario tried to get some information by calling out to a Toad, but he was too panicked to formulate a complete sentence, so he let him take refuge in his house which he double-locked.
Cinder moved forward to see that something familiar was running in their direction. Dodging the many Toads in his path, the little figure tried as best he could to make his way through the crowd of short-legged mushrooms. Frightened, it let out little cries that were easily recognizable, to the point of startling her. Her eyes suddenly widened as she finally realized it was her young friend Bowser Junior, her heart racing in her chest. What was he doing here? It was dangerous! Instinctively, she lunged in his direction as the princess realized who it was and ordered her guards to apprehend him.
"He's an enemy!" She exclaimed after snapping out of her stupor.
"He's a child!" Cinder immediately corrected, running towards Junior in fear that he would be hurt by the guards. The two met in the middle of the now empty street. Kneeling on the ground, she opened her arms wide to welcome the little turtle when he threw himself against her, resting his cheek against hers with an emotional smile.
"Cinder!" Bowser Jr was so happy to see her again that he couldn't restrain his tail from wagging. He couldn't help it! He sank further into the welcoming arms of the human he'd missed so much, incredibly relieved to have found her in this cluster of scary, shrieking Toads. He didn't want to let her go for fear she'd disappear now that he'd finally found her! Having overcome his fear of Toads to come to her. As he tightened his arms around Cinder with a little purr, he raised his eyes to meet hers when she began to speak.
"Junior, are you all right? How did you get here? It's very dangerous!" Worried the fiery-haired girl before taking the reckless Koopa at arm's length to examine him, looking for injury. But luckily he was fine.
"I've come to take you home!" Junior nodded firmly with a determined frown. Sitting on Cinder's lap holding the fabric of her white and pink dress in a desperate grip, he suddenly felt intimidated by the presence of the princess and her friends.
"What does this mean? I demand an explanation!" Peach summoned once beside Cinder and Bowser's son, a potential danger to her Toads. Raising her chin with a stern look, the princess put her hands on her hips as little Koopa nervously moved away from them. Hands knotted, Junior gasped as the guards' halberds lowered toward him.
"No, don't hurt him. He is not a threat." Cinder extended an arm toward them to calm the tension. Finally, the young turtle summoned up his courage to state his intentions.
"I'm here to kidnap Cinder! I want her to come with me!" He demanded, crossing his arms and flashing a pretentious grin. He wasn't afraid of them!
"And how were you planning to do that?" Mario grimaced, then threw up his hands at this completely absurd statement. Did he even know where he was? This was totally unexpected! Nevertheless, he had to admit that the kid had guts, a bit like his stubborn father.
"I didn't ask you first!" Junior growled, glaring in the direction of the two mustachioed men. He couldn't see those two! Not even in pictures, for that matter. His dad's enemies were his enemies too, he didn't know the difference! Showing his little tooth as a threat, the Koopa turned back to Cinder to look at her with disappointment.
"Why did you leave? You promised you'd never leave me... That you'd always be with me." Bowser Jr pouted as he played with a gravel stone on the floor. Obviously, he was lying because she'd never promised anything like that, but he wanted her to understand how much her departure had affected him. Facing him, Peach's cold expression softened slightly after this statement, which she found touching. It seems the two of them had a lot in common. Worried to see the sadness on her young friend's face, Cinder searched for words, but didn't know what to say so Luigi spoke up.
"Mario, why is he wearing a bib with teeth? I find it very creepy..." He whispered in his brother's ear, who remained impartial despite everything.
"Coward." Junior replied with a mischievous grin, delighted that his bandana was having an effect. The two glared at each other before Mario turned to Peach to ask what to do now that Bowser's son was in the Mushroom Kingdom. Concerned for the princess's safety.
"And now, what do we do?" He looked desperately between the cheeky little Koopa and Peach, who had crossed her arms as she pondered. She wasn't in favor of taking him prisoner, not only because it went against her principles, but also because it might arouse the wrath of King Koopa.
And she had no particular desire to put everyone in danger because of an irrational decision.
"Cinder, you really have to come with me! Dad's been really upset since you left... He thinks it's a conspiracy. He's already on his way to destroy everything and I don't want him to hurt you! Come with me, you must!" Bowser Jr pleaded again with a touch of desperation while taking the kneeling human's hand in his own.
"Bowser's on his way?!" Toad General exclaimed from behind the princess's back. His mouth opening in amazement, he nervously adjusted his glasses on a nose that didn't exist; "it's impossible! Our radar indicated no imminent threat. Princess, he's trying to destabilize us! It's obvious. We can't trust him."
"It's impossible." Peach repeated as her eyes narrowed at the child hugging her friend's hands. However, her answer surprised everyone present.
"Well ... It's possible that I've perfected a camouflage device and that you can no longer detect the castle. It was a secret." He added when Cinder looked at him in bewilderment. He'd kept this prototype from her because he knew she'd never agree to create something like this.
"What have you done ... What have you done!" Filled with dread, Toad General placed his hands on his large hat, realizing how dramatic the situation was.
"Are you kidding?!" Mario widened his eyes.
"Oh no ..." Luigi groaned, hiding behind his equally shocked brother.
"Now that explains why he managed to capture me by surprise. The castle was undetectable..." Peach spoke without addressing anyone in particular. Her confused blue eyes darting to the ground for a moment then she turned to her general, who still hadn't recovered from the announcement.
"How soon will the Kong army be here?" She asked hastily.
"They're on their way! They should be here any second." He replied in that same panicked tone as he frantically looked at his wristwatch to be sure of his information.
"Then there's not a minute to lose. Bowser will soon be on our doorstep! The threat is real. We must evacuate the city and get everyone to safety as quickly as possible!" Peach ordered in a panic after signaling her guards to spring into action.
Everyone instantly got to work. Peach, Mario, Luigi and Cinder quickly rounded up the Toads and emptied all the houses, while Toad General directed the traffic to avoid a similar panic. Hundreds of little mushroom men scrambled to reach the harbor and the boats, terrified of crossing paths with the ferocious King Koopa. They had very bad memories of the last confrontation, which had cost them the renovation of part of their beautiful princess's castle! Signs were knocked down, baskets of fruit and houses were abandoned in panic. Time was running out, but it was already too late... As everyone ran and screamed in fear, something gigantic gradually blocked out all the sun's rays.
The ground began to tremble. The windows of the mushroom houses tinkled to the great vibrations emitted by the castle flying over the soon-to-be abandoned city. The black clouds enveloping the ship rumbled and produced strong electric currents that turned into menacing lightning bolts as it approached at high speed. Just like last time, the big, scary head of Bowser's headed for the castle on the highest hill. About to unleash a reign of terror. The flying platform soon covered the entire city as the last Toads rushed to the harbor, where they hoped to find safety until their princess could settle the score with this hideous monster who wanted to seize power!
"Evacuate, go on! Luigi, make sure they're all in the boats!" Peach guided her Toads, then looked up at the evil castle which was slowing down once above Toads City. Despite being scared, she felt an intense hatred wash over her as the huge anchor balls were released to sink into the ground, crushing mushrooms in their path. Tightening her fingers around her spear, the princess glared at the ship as it finally began its descent, following Bowser's large stone head with her eyes. A shiver ran down her spine.
Cinder searched everywhere for Junior, having lost sight of him in the uncontrollable crowd. She called out to him several times, but there was no answer. They'd barely had time to evacuate the town before the castle had already appeared in the now threatening sky, with all its dark clouds and impressive lightning. She'd never seen the castle from this angle before, and she had to admit it was particularly intimidating. Taking a few steps backwards in fear, the young girl couldn't take her eyes off the platform as it descended ever lower to the ground, crushing absolutely everything in its path without the slightest scruple. Horrified, her mouth dropped open as she ducked under a porch to see that something had just jumped from the giant Bowser's open mouth.
"Mario!" Grumbled the big, spiny Koopa, who hadn't waited for his castle's mooring to come down. His voice was menacing, much deeper than normal. He landed heavily on the ground, then straightened up with a slaughtering stare he only used in extreme rage, fists clenched. As he hit the ground, he kicked up dust. His breathing was heavy as he took a few steps to perch on an upturned mushroom to get a glimpse of the city and more particularly of a character he despised with a passion.
"Did you really think I would do nothing? That I'd wisely sit on my throne while you raked all the praise?" Exclaimed the latter, raising his arms. His glowing eyes crinkled at the little mustachioed man in overalls who was running in search of a Power Up.
Fortunately, the princess had scattered them all over town in case something like this happened. And she had done the right thing!
"Swallow your fear and face me like a man!" Bowser shouted beside himself.
Mario hurried to reach the yellow box with the question mark before the furious Koopa could pounce on him. Without these powers, he had no chance of beating him... And it was imperative that he stood his ground until the Kong army arrived, or else they'd be headed for disaster. This scenario was not even conceivable! Jumping on a small mushroom to bang his fist against the mystery box, he quickly grabbed the item that came out in his right hand, out of breath from having run so hard to reach it. Without even looking at what it was, he swallowed it whole with a disgusted grimace. Suddenly, he gained in size, increasing his striking force and overall power. Nothing extraordinary, but at least it enabled him to take blows and give them too. On his red mushroom, Bowser laughed vilely.
"You think you can stop me with that?" He sneered, his thick eyebrows rising to his forehead. He didn't lack nerve! Clenching his fists with a furious growl, he resumed more basely; "this time, there won't be a Star to save you!"
And he was going to make him suffer as much as he was suffering. Releasing his famous roar, King Koopa pounced on Mario to engage him in combat. His rage was uncontrollable, inexhaustible and fueled him from head to toe. He'd never felt such anger, not even when his last marriage had been ruined because of him! No, this time it was totally different. He threw his fists in Mario's direction, but Mario narrowly dodged them to punch him in the face. It stunned him for a moment, but was not enough to hurt him. Bowser grunted furiously, then grabbed a piece of stone and threw it at the faster human who managed to hide behind a house to avoid the brutal impact that would have taken away his power.
"First Peach, now Cinder! You'll always get in the way of my happiness! Weak, insignificant poor little thing! I was finally going to know how it feel! I was going to know what it's like to be loved! And you had to ruin it all, again!" Fulminated the imposing turtle after throwing rubble at Mario in the hope of touching him. Trembling with rage, he continued, his hysterical gaze fixed on his sworn enemy; "that's why this has to be settled right here and now! This is between you and me!"
"Then let's get started!" Provoked Mario, now as wound up as he was. He wanted a fight? In that case, he was going to fight until there was only one left!
He wiped his moustache, then groaned as he was almost crushed by a wall that had been violently torn away by Bowser. He had to face up to the fact that he'd never make it on his own... The turtle never tired, and his threats promised that he wouldn't stop until he'd obtained justice. Against a wall, he quickly covered his face when a powerful jet of flames struck the house against which he had temporarily taken shelter. The heat they gave off was stifling, but suddenly his eyes fell on another yellow cube only a few meters from his position. Waiting for Bowser to catch his breath, Mario rushed to the box to pull out another Power Up, hoping this time to get something a little more effective. He wanted to eat it all at once, but stopped halfway through because of its flower-like appearance...
After touching it with his fingertips, a white and blue boomerang appeared in his right hand while his clothes changed color to match his new object. Perfect! Attacking from a distance was a better option. Shouting happily, he threw the boomerang at the King to push him back, Peach and Toad the Explorer hurried to the central square to lend a hand to their friend in trouble. The princess slowed down when she saw Koopa's appearance, momentarily petrified by his devastating wrath. He was destroying everything in his path... Burning dwellings, buildings and mushrooms in his path with unheard-of violence.
"Mario!" She exclaimed as he took a terrible blow with his tail, propelling him through a window.
"I'm going to crush you, tear you to pieces! You've taken everything from me, and you're going to pay with your life! I'm going to destroy everything that matters to you!" Bowser roared as he began spitting flames at everything nearby.
The princess covered her face at the incandescent wind, which blew her blond hair back in horror as her kingdom fell like a stack of cards before her devastated eyes. How was she going to stop it? She wondered as she ran in search of a yellow box to give Mario a hand before he was badly hurt. The flames ravaged the mushrooms around her and engulfed the homes of her poor Toads in mighty whirlwinds of destruction. Tears stung her eyes, but this was no time to burst into tears! She had a kingdom to defend. She jumped up to retrieve an item from the box when suddenly, the powerful jet of flames stopped. Puzzled and wary, Peach looked at what had miraculously managed to stop Bowser's fury.
The smoke slowly dissipated, revealing Cinder's silhouette amidst the smoking rubble. Bravely facing the King of the Koopas, the young girl spread her arms to prevent him from going any further. Breathless with adrenalin. She faced him head-on, without fear or hatred. She risked her life to stand in his way and save the rest of the kingdom and its innocent inhabitants, desperate to stop the massacre. Bowser's fists relaxed, his enraged gaze softened. Cinder remained motionless as he studied her, having lost all traces of rage the instant he laid eyes on her. The stunned scene shocked Peach as she watched the silent exchange taking place a few yards away with a touch of apprehension, fear in her stomach that her friend might be hurt.
"Please ... Don't do this." Cinder whispered with a faint shake of her head, never breaking eye contact with the turtle towering over her. Her tender green eyes plunged into Bowser's downcast ones, which had abandoned its anger for something else. A feeling that manifested itself every time he saw her. Once she was sure he was sufficiently calm, the human moved closer to him to offer him her hand with an affectionate smile. He was about to offer her his...
When something abruptly made contact with the King of the Koopas.
"No!" Cinder shouted as Donkey Kong's foot struck Bowser's face, ejecting him from her grasp. The big monkey took the opportunity to raise his fists in the air with a broad grin.
"Hey, sorry I'm late! There was a traffic jam on the road. Now let's give him a beating he won't soon forget!" The latter joked as he clapped his hands in preparation for the fight, not in the least intimidated by the fire-breathing turtle. He'd had it once, but there wouldn't be a second time! Raising his fist with a war cry he charged at Bowser, leaping over him to reach the mystery box just above his spiny shell. He received the power of the cherry, which split him in two. Just like that, four times as many blows!
"Let's a go!" Mario quickly joined his friend in battle with the boomerang, which he threw at the winged Koopas who had finally decided to come and fight when they saw their monarch on the ground. Toad took this opportunity to go to Cinder and lead her away from the area.
"We have to go! I have to get you to safety. It's too dangerous to stay here!" He said hastily as he took the human's hand in his own and led her with him towards the harbor. He pulled desperately at her hand but she struggled.
"No, let me go!" She protested, trying to slow down the Toad who was being particularly insistent as he tried to force her to follow him.
Sprawled on the ground after receiving a violent blow in the ribs, the King of the Koopas looked up when he heard Cinder's little voice in the distance. His claws dug into the ground with several disgruntled growls. He saw the scene, which made the intense anger in his belly grow. His pupils narrowed dangerously as he leapt to his feet with a frightful roar to reach her, but Donkey Kong, his double and Mario slammed him into a mushroom house. He was buried, but that wasn't enough to calm him down - far from it! Throwing out his sharp claws to fend off the two monkeys, he barked at his remaining soldiers to get rid of them while he took care of Mario himself. He managed to deliver a violent backhand blow that propelled him dozens of meters away, the impact strong enough to cause him to lose his Power Up.
"You're no match for me!" Bowser laughed ruthlessly, his expression becoming frightening to the little fellow as he slid across the floor in search of a hiding place.
"I'm stronger than you, you can't beat me! Nobody can." He vociferated after lifting a large sign, intending to swing it at him, except that Donkey Kong intervened.
"I wouldn't bet on that, fatso!" Mocked the big monkey after using his feet to deflect the sign from its trajectory. It sank into the ground behind him.
Further on, Cinder was being forcibly dragged along by Toad who absolutely had to get her to safety, no matter what she thought.
"Let me go, I can convince him to stop the massacre! I can put an end to all this!" She told him in a panic as she pulled her arm out of the little mushroom's grip. He had a lot of strength.
"No way, you're going to get hurt! It's out of control." Toad shook his head, refusing to abandon his new friend to certain death. He pulled on her hand with a groan to keep her from joining the fight, but suddenly her fingers slipped and the girl rushed forward to confront him.
"Cinder, come back!" Toad exclaimed after collapsing on his bag.
Mad with rage, Bowser tried to fend off all these coordinated attacks but he was getting tired, while Peach and Mario returned to the charge with new Power Ups. The Princess had taken a Fire Flower, while Mario had once again received a Super Mushroom. The battle was fierce. Part of the city had been ravaged by Bowser's destructive madness, but there was still much to save, especially the Toads who were all gathered at the port with Luigi. And Peach was determined to protect them. Whatever the cost. Their lives depended on it! The three of them, or rather four thanks to the power of the cherry, were soon able to defeat King Koopa. The turtle was getting seriously tired as he was taking flak from all sides, no longer hitting any targets with his blindly swinging claws.
Donkey Kong used his double's strength to raise a giant blue mushroom, which they brought down on Bowser at the same time as Peach threw several fireballs that never missed their target. Harassed from all sides, he let out one last howl before collapsing to the ground with a great earthquake. He tried to get up but his arm strength was failing him, so he fell back into the dust with an exhausted groan. He had lost... Again. Defeated, the giant Koopa raised his head to see Mario standing proudly over him with a frown, fists clenched at his side. After a few seconds of silence, he raised his fist in the air to administer the last shot.
But the blow never came.
Bowser reopened his eyes to see that Cinder had stepped between him and Mario, her small hand reaching for his fist still held above him. Leaning over the downed King, she used her body as a shield, her breathing erratic. Pleading with her eyes for Mario not to finish the job. This scene froze everyone in the square as they watched in surprise at the intervention of the fiery-haired human, her desperate gesture staggering them. She had just come to Bowser's defense! They could hardly believe it. Cinder waited a few seconds in this same position before finally lowering her hand when she was sure Mario wasn't going to do anything more. Thanking him with a brief nod, she turned back to the Koopa on the ground.
Now that the fight was over, Junior reappeared among the rubble to join his father, anxious after witnessing his rage. For he had been badly beaten up by Mario and his gang... Was he all right? Would he recover? He walked cautiously in their direction.
Helping Bowser to his feet by taking his hands, Cinder was about to express her relief but the last rays of sunlight disappearing between the hills stopped her. Her smile vanished from her face. Her worried green eyes turned towards the horizon to watch the magnificent sunset bathing the pink and white castle in a beautiful golden glow. It was too late... Her heart clenched painfully in her chest as she quickly took out her pocket watch and looked at it with a frightened expression. The needles were getting dangerously close to twelve, and she was running out of time.
Turning back to Bowser who was staring at her in disbelief at her strange behavior, she hurriedly took his hand in hers and slipped the precious watch into the center of his palm. His skin was so warm to the touch and she lingered there for a moment, as if she wanted to remember. She wished she had the power to stop time... Just to take this moment. Emotionally, she gently closed her fingers around his and remained in this position before looking up in his direction. She gave him a sad smile at the confusion that never left her battered face. She could feel the gaze of the others, but paid no attention as the last rays of the sun finally reached her, bringing out the red of her hair. Her fingers lingered on King Koopa's as she began to see blurred by tears, the pressure building in her chest.
"Don't forget me." She managed to say in a voice affected by tears, offering him one last smile.
Bowser held out his other hand towards her, but at the very last tic of the watch, Cinder evaporated right before their eyes. Slowly disappearing into the breeze.
To be continued...
I have to admit that, with a sad piece of music, I shed my tear at the end of my chapter. It's hard sometimes, especially at times like these. Poor Bowser ... Poor Junior, and poor Cinder! What happened to her? We'll soon find out.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter which was quite important, a crucial moment in my story that will soon come to an end. No, I'm not looking forward to the end of this … Because I love Bowser and Jr !
As usual, don't hesitate to let me know what you think!
VP
