Chapter 16

"It's been 30 years," Cy-Bowser muttered to himself as he stormed off for the entrance to Game Central Station. "30 long, miserable years of condemnation to defeat and dejection… and it all ends NOW!"

Just then, Waffle Cone Mountain came into view. Cy-Bowser immediately spotted the portal to Game Central Station atop its peak, and flew off for it as fast as his scaly wings would carry him.

Peach, encased in Cy-Bowser's massive hand, continued to wail "MARIO!" from behind his back.

"You may as well save your breath, Peach!" he snarled. "Mario can't stop me now! NO ONE CAN! GWAHAHA!"

…

Fortunately for Peach, Mario wasn't giving her up without a fight.

With both feet on the accelerator of the Ice Screamer, he was heading for Waffle Cone Mountain in pursuit of Cy-Bowser. Close behind him were Vanellope in her Candy Kart, as well as the other six heroes, all riding atop Rosalina's saucer.

His eyes suddenly lit up as Cy-Bowser and his cargo came into view. "There they are!" he yelled to the others.

Something else became visible; too- it was the sight of Peach in his claws. Even from afar, Mario could hear her helpless cries of "Mario!"

"PEACH!" he screamed.

At the sound of Mario's voice, Cy-Bowser wheeled around and spotted him in the Ice Screamer. Only then did Mario realize his mistake.

"Oh look, here comes dessert!" he said jeeringly. "Too bad I'm trying to cut down on the sweet stuff! Why don't we start off with the main course instead?!"

As Cy-Bowser approached the rainbow bridge to Waffle Cone Mountain, he paused, took a deep breath, and spewed fire all along its base. The entire bottom half of the bridge soon became enshrouded in flames.

"Farewell, losers!" he taunted his adversaries. "And don't forget to tip your waitresses! GWAHAHAAA!"

Mario was helpless to watch as Cy-Bowser began his ascent up the mountain.

"He's-a getting away!" Mario called out.

"And he's set fire to the bridge!" Vanellope answered him. "We'll never catch him now!"

Something blue caught Mario's eye in the distance to his left. "Or maybe we will…" he thought as he steered the Ice Screamer in its direction. Sure enough, there it was- a glide panel. "Vanellope! Follow me!" he called out.

"Mario! Whaddaya doing?!" she yelled after him.

"Just-a showing off a little trick-a I learned in Mario Kart 7!" Mario yelled back.

"This isn't time for tricks, Mario! A quick set of wheels won't help us now!"

"Wheels?" said Mario. "Where we're going, we don't-a need wheels!"

On that word, Mario drove over the glide panel. "Weehee!" he screamed giddily as his kart sprouted a glider and shot into the air.

"Whoa…" said Vanellope, before driving over the panel herself. Instantly, her kart did the same. "Whooooooaaaaaa!"

Mario kept his eyes trained on Cy-Bowser. If we hurry, he thought, we can still catch him in time. However, his train of thought was derailed by the sight of Vanellope shooting past him in a flash of blue.

"What-a was that?!" he called after her.

Vanellope smirked. "Just showing off a little trick I learned in Sugar Rush!"

Mario smiled. "You just glitched, didn't you?"

"Now you're catchin' on!" she shouted. "Try it! It's fun!"

Landing on the bridge, Mario and Vanellope began to glitch their way up to the top of the mountain and to Cy-Bowser, with Ralph, Luigi, and the other heroes in hot pursuit.

…

Did those idiots really think they had a chance against ME?! Cy-Bowser thought to himself as he finally reached the entrance to Game Central Station. Looking down over the ruined wasteland that was once Sugar Rush, he couldn't even see the heroes over the flames he had created at the mountain's base.

Cy-Bowser turned to face the portal. "This is it, Princess," he told Peach. "The new age of Bowser begins now!"

Or so he thought- as he took one step towards the portal, a flash of blue surrounded it. Cy-Bowser took a second step- and was instantly struck with the awkward sensation of hitting a wall.

"What the heck?!"

Again, he took a step forward, but found himself going nowhere. This time, he took a step back, and charged with all his might towards the entrance. Try as he might, the game was not letting him pass. He was indeed walking into a wall.

"GAAAAH! The stupid game won't let me out! Why I oughta- OUCH!"

A Koopa Shell flew from out of nowhere and hit him full in the face.

"Looks like you just figured out the downside of having the glitch!" Vanellope called out to him as she whizzed by his head. "Glitches can't travel between games!"

"Now, back to settling our business!" yelled Ralph, as he withdrew a Bob-omb and chucked it at Cy-Bowser's feet. He froze, terrified, as the bomb exploded and sent him flying face-first into the wall. He collapsed, dazed, and his hand became limp. Peach chose this time to attempt to escape, freeing herself from the unconscious Cy-Bowser's hand.

"Peach!" Mario called to her. "Quick! Get back to Game Central! HURRY!"

Peach did as she was told- just in time for Cy-Bowser to reanimate. In desperation, he lunged at her, but he was too late. Once more, the barrier to Game Central closed off before him, with Peach on the other side. In a fit of deranged fury, he began to beat his huge fists, clawing, kicking- doing whatever he possibly could to break through the wretched barrier. It was no use. Peach had escaped him for good.

"And for the record, that's President Vanellope to you!" the racer taunted him.

"Bowser! It's time to finish this!" shouted Ralph.

Recognizing Ralph's voice, Cy-Bowser shot him an evil look of blind rage.

"Well done, Ralph!" roared Cy-Bowser. "True to form, you just wrecked my castle, my game, and now my master plan! But your wrecking days are about to come to an end!"