Chapter 4 Same Old Routine

There was something so… odd about the journey to Bowser's Castle this time around. It somehow seemed to drag on and breeze by at the same time. These two conflicting realities created a maddening experience for Mario specifically. On some level, he was going through the motions, doing the exact same thing that he had done countless times in the past. And considering that the rescue missions hadn't made him too uncomfortable previously, he expected this mission to be more or less the same. But… it wasn't. It made him feel like he was going insane, losing a snippet of his mind with each world that he trekked through. If Luigi hadn't been there, he probably would have curled up into a little ball and cried when he reached World 5.

Thank the good Lord in Heaven above that they managed to get to Bowser's Castle in the end. The brothers exchanged a look as they stood outside the door, the same kind of look that they had exchanged during pretty much every previous rescue mission. Mario fished some power ups out of his pocket, handing an ice flower to Luigi and using a fire flower on himself. Once both brothers were all powered up, and thus far less likely to receive any sort of brutal or fatal injury, they opened the door and made their way inside.

The interior of Bowser's Castle, as spooky and disquieting as it was, was such a familiar sight to Mario at this point in his life. With how easily he was able to navigate the never-ending labyrinth of dark corridors and lava pits, one could easily make the assumption that he lived in the castle. Which… kind of wasn't too far away from the truth, if Mario was being completely honest. Sure, the castle wasn't a pleasant place, far from it. However, Mario was so used to and accustomed to it by now that it almost did feel like a second home. Heck, he had even eaten food and slept in one of the fortress's many beds at one point during a particularly exhausting mission.

Of course, he wasn't going to get hung up by those feelings today. It was the Princess's birthday. Being kidnapped and held hostage on her birthday was the exact opposite of what Peach deserved. So, he and Luigi were going to find Peach, free her, and take her back home lickety split. They would be back so quickly that it'll be like they never left. They'll be back so quickly that the Toads will forget there was ever a problem at all.

With that, the brothers made their way to the throne room, which seemed to be Bowser's favorite place to keep Peach prisoner. Both Mario and Luigi sucked in a breath when they saw the two of them, their hearts pumping extra hard as Bowser kneeled before Peach's makeshift cage (which, on a side note, seemed to be big enough to house the albatrosses that Mario had encountered in previous missions). The two brothers let out their breaths and made their way forward. As they got closer, they could hear Bowser talking to the Princess. They could also see that he held some sort of colorful box in his big, monstrous hands.

"I know it's a little unorthodox for humans," Bowser said. "But this gift is very important to us Koopas. It's typically given to a person by a person that really likes them. And I mean really really likes them." He chuckled, the sound carrying a sort of sinister vibe that Mario despised. "So, I figured that it would be appropriate to give it to you, considering you are my one true love and everything." He got down on one knee and extended the hand that was holding the gift box. "Will you accept…" he opened the box. Even though Mario couldn't see the Koopa King's face, there was no doubt that he was grinning. "This brimstone necklace?"

Peach, still locked up tight in the cage, made a face. "No. I can't accept this." She glance over Bowser's shoulder, and her face lit up. "Especially seeing how you're about to receive quite the defeat!"

Bowser stiffened up. He got to his feet, turning toward the Mario brothers. He initially blinked upon seeing them (which Mario found weird, considering their arrival shouldn't really be seen as a surprise at this point) before scowling.

"What are you two plum scum doing here?" He shook his head and growled, all while biting his enormous lip. "You're interrupting my celebration of Peach's birthday!"

Mario felt bile rise to his throat, so much so that he gripped his hand into a fist. "Seriously? You don't see any irony in that statement?" He shook his head. "You were the one who crashed our birthday celebration for Peach."

Bowser blinked again, as if that fact hadn't really occurred to him (as menacing as Bowser was, he was also as dumb as a box of rock mushrooms). "Huh. I guess that's true." He scratched the back of his head before shaking it and putting on a determined face. "But it doesn't matter who's crashing whose celebration!" He smiled. "I spent months trying to make Peach the perfect present! And, well…" he chuckled. "I don't know about how you guys feel about this, but I think that this particular gift will definitely help me win her heart once and for all!"

Mario and Luigi snorted when they heard that. "Yeah, keep dreaming, Bowser," Luigi said.

"How sick are you?" Peach exclaimed from her position in the cage. "How could you possibly think I would fall for you? You ruined my birthday and probably scarred some Toads for life; you're a maniac!"

"Yeah," Mario said with a nod of the head. "What she said."

Bowser looked stunned. He looked between the Mario brothers, the Princess, and the necklace that he still held in his hands. Eventually, he grit his teeth, let out a very loud groan, and threw the gift to the floor. "Come on!" His eyes practically glowed a heated red. "Why can't you guys realize it! Peach and I are perfect for one another!" He glared at the Marios. "Is it just because I'm a koopa? Cause if so, MAN do you guys need to take a good hard look at yourselves."

Mario grit his own teeth, staring Bowser down with so much rage, rage that had accumulated over the course of every last rescue mission he had to go on. "You know what, Bowser? You should've let your silence continue. Any shot you think you have with Peach is the product of willful delusion." He got into a fighting stance. "We're going to rescue Peach, wether you look it or not."

"Yeah!" Luigi said. "We've kicked your butt numerous times before. Nothing is stopping us from doing it again!"

Bowser sniffed, still looking at the brothers with a very visceral hatred. Eventually, he chuckled. "Well then. If you think that, you're the ones in the wrong. I'm keeping Peach with me, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

With that, he roared, the vibrations so strong that they actually pushed Mario and Luigi back a few feet. Regardless, Mario wasn't bothered. This had happened pretty much every time; he was used to Bowser's roaring by now (and was also well acquainted with the fact that the Koopa King was in serious need of some super strength breath mints). He exchanged a look with Luigi, one that contained a hint of boredom as well as determination. Really, was it even a question who was going to win at this point? Was there someone so stupid that they couldn't see that Mario and Luigi would emerge victorious?

The answer was yes. That person's name started with a 'B' and rhymed with 'Gowser.'

The Mario brothers rushed forward, again following the song and dance that they had done countless times before. Also following the structure of the much practiced routine, Bowser took in a deep breath and breathed fire at them. This blaze didn't even faze the brothers. Luigi shot ice balls at the stream, causing it to vanish into thin air. The only thing that told that the fire had even been there in the first place was a small, harmless patch of steam.

Bowser grit his teeth. "Oh, you guys are going to get it!"

Mario snickered. Now, he recalled that there were two things that Bowser could do in retaliation to their power up attacks. One, he could either jump in the air and try to pounce on them. Or two, he could charge at them and try to flatten them into pancakes. Mario's money was on the jumping. That was what Bowser usually did…

"CHARGE!"

Oh, nope, Bowser was charging. Huh, he must've been feeling fancy today. Both brothers bolted out of the way as Bowser stopped and did a spin attack, just like he had done when he tried to build his empire in the center of the universe not too long ago. Once he stopped spinning, the Koopa King wobbled and fell to the floor. He appeared so dizzy that Mario could almost see some stars circling around his head.

"Go Mario! Go Luigi!" Peach cheered, reaching out her arm through the bars of her birdcage. "I know you can do it!"

Mario smiled. Yes, he knew they could do it too; again, it wasn't even a question at this point. Even still, hearing Peach call out to them with a tone that hopeful and assuring did fill him with strength. It was a strength that surged through his bones, one that started at the heart and traveled all throughout the rest of his body. Before, he had felt confident that he could defeat Bowser. Now, he felt super confident.

So, he stepped toward the Koopa King and started flinging fireballs at him. Luigi and Peach watched, the former not getting involved due to the fact that his iceballs would counteract the flames. Mario's smile grew bigger the more fireballs he threw, and it refused to diminish even as Bowser got into his shell and started zipping around the room like some sort of super sonic top.

Thankfully, nobody got hit by Bowser's shell. The frustration this caused the Koopa King was visibly evident when he exited his shell. He had one of the darkest scowls Mario had ever seen on his face, and he looked ready to tear the Mario brothers to shred with just his front teeth alone.

"You guys…" he growled again, smoke zipping out of his nostrils. "I'm going to beat you two! I'm going to beat you once and for all, and Peach is going to love me and marry me and raise my son!" He growled again, the sound low and guttural. "I promise you! I PROMISE YOU!"

Mario smirked. "Well then… prepare to have your promise broken!"

With that, he shot more fireballs at the dragon koopa. Said dragon koopa shrieked; while fire didn't have the same disastrous effect on Koopas that it did on humans, there was no doubt that it still caused Bowser a whole heaping amount of pain. He put his arms in front of his face, no doubt intending to use them as some sort of shield. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't enough. With one last big fireballs from Mario, Bowser screamed the most bloodcurdling of screams and collapsed to the floor. He didn't move as small plumes of smoke rose up from his body, nor did he cringed at the scent of the fire and the flames.

Mario let out a breath. He looked over at Luigi, who gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up. Wiping sweat off his brow, Mario smiled and made his way over to Peach's cage. He burned the lock, allowing the Princess to exit. Once she was free, she squeed and wrapped her arms around Mario.

"Oh, thank you so much, Mario!" She gave him a peck on the nose. "This has got to be the best birthday ever!" She snickered. "Or at the very least one of the most memorable."

Mario laughed right alongside her. "Well, that's good to hear." He patted her on the arm before turning toward the door. "Well, let's make our way back to the Mushroom Kingdom." He smirked. "I've been craving that cake Tace T. has made for a while."

The other two chuckled before making their way toward the door. Mario lingered behind, getting a look at Bowser's unconscious and burnt form. He sniffed. Hopefully, this would be the last time he heard from Bowser (or really any koopa) for a while…