Chapter 5 - Two Victories

(Trumpet fanfare) Doo, doo doo dooooo. The toads all stood in the throne room of the castle with a partition down the centre where the crimson carpet leading straight to the throne was.

"THREE CHEERS FOR MARIO!" a voice exclaimed, "HIP HIP HOOORAY!"

"HIP HIP HOOOOORAY!"

"HIP HIP HOOOOOOORAY!"

Every toad cheered and celebrated as Mario walked in along the red carpet following their beloved princess, finally she was safe back at the castle where she belonged.

Toadsworth ran down the carpet to the princess in tears, "PRINCESS YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW WORRIED I HAVE BEEN ABOUT YOU IT WAS HORRIBLE TO THINK WHAT BOWSER HAD DONE WITH YOU HE PROBABLY KEPT YOU IN A DINGY SMALL PRISON CELL OH MY GOODNESS PRINCESS PLEASE TELL ME HE DIDN'T DO THAT DID HE FEED YOU ARE YOU-" "The princess is fine Toadsworth, for a matter of fact she was tied to Bowser's throne itself! That's got to be comfortable" Mario reassured the elderly toad, partially to calm him down but mainly to get him to stop talking. In Toadsworth's defence he had every right to be worried about Peach, he looked after her as a baby and raised her so he considers her like his daughter. "ARE YOU SURE MASTER MARIO?" He asked the hero with a very slightly less worried face, "Yes Toadsworth you can even ask the Princess herself" Mario replied calmly.

Everyone was happy that their princess was home, happy and safe thanks to Mario...

Except she wasn't.

"He's over there!" Kamek's voice cried from the opposite corner of the room to Bowser, "In that pile of rubble!". Bowser turned from looking in the rubble he was searching to see Kamek pointing at some rubble under a hole in the ceiling, "Kamek, clean this up" Bowser ordered and without hesitation Kamek spun his wand which began to glow blue, he then thrust it forwards and a ball of blue circles, triangles and squares flew out. The magic flew around the room from rubble pile to rubble pile making each one glow until they all were radiating with magic, then they all floated up and arranged themselves back into position, bricks went back into walls, pillars stood up vertically and chunks of ceiling slotted back into place. The room was now spotless other than an unconscious Bowser laying on the floor in-front of Bowser and Kamek.

The magikoopa then cast a spell on the unconscious koopa making him shrink back to the size of a koopaling, everything returned to proportion leaving Larry lying there looking normal again, except for looking beaten up. Bowser snapped his fingers and a Koopa Troopa ran in with a bucket of water and poured it on Larry who woke up sharply due to the cold shock sending icy chills down his previously peaceful body. "So Larry? How do you like super stars?" Bowser asked condescendingly, "I hate them" Larry replied pathetically. Bowser and Kamek laughed for a while until Bowser spoke once more, "Well luckily for you phase 1 the plan worked perfectly and I'm in a good mood, so your punishment is almost over!".

Larry was too exhausted to speak so he just smiled before instantly falling asleep again, "Should we move him from the floor?" Kamek asked his leader, "Nah! Let the minions deal with it" Bowser replied nonchalantly before proceeding to clap his hands twice. Six goombas rushed in and picked up the sleeping koopaling and take him out the room, "He doesn't need to do Phase 2 yet anyways" Bowser said before he and Kamek left the throne room and walked down the stairs to the dungeons...

The cold draught bit at her toes as she sat in the chilly dungeon, her cell was fairly large compared to the ones around her but that meant nothing since she was chained to the floor by her legs and the chains were only long enough to walk about 3 feet in any direction. Her hands were bound together in a weird cross between handcuffs and gloves meaning she couldn't even move her fingers, they too were cold in the metal casing but had slowly warmed up as the heat inside couldn't escape. She was still wearing her pink dress however which was a luxury considering the other prisoners in the cells all had to wear old brown tatty jumpsuits, she was so glad she didn't have to wear them, the thought of the dirty rags on her skin made her shiver and cringe.

Peach heard footsteps slowly getting closer from the staircase at the end of the room and so did the other prisoners, they all ran to the back of their cells where hopefully they wouldn't be noticeable enough to pick on. Peach however stood up and bravely walked to the front of her cell (well, as far as she could). She might be the pretty princess but she sure as heck isn't the weak stereotype, she stands up for what is right and she will confidently fight for her kingdom and other ones as she has in the sprixie kingdom and the time she saved Mario.

The footsteps got louder until their source was at the bottom of the stairs, Kamek and Bowser stood looking at her really smug. This worried her. The silence was broken by Kamek cackling with laughter and taunting her, "You've lost missy! Your savior isn't coming for you!" this outburst started them both laughing. "What do you mean he isn't coming? He always comes to save me" Peach stated confidently despite panicking on the inside that they were telling the truth.

"We made him think he's already saved you!" Bowser exclaimed with joy on his face, Peach was horrified at what she was being told, "No! That can't be true!" She outburst, losing the fake confidence act. Bowser and Kamek laughed as they began to walk up the stairs again, "NO!" Peach screamed at them, "NO! NO! NO!" She shouted.

"Shut her up will you!?" Bowser said to Kamek who flicked his wand making a gag appear in her mouth leaving her screams as muffled noises. Once they had left she fell to her knees in tears, who will save her and the kingdom now?...