Chapter 6 Rest and Reset

Getting back to the Mushroom Kingdom after the completion of a rescue mission was always quicker than the journey toward Bowser's Castle, a fact that Mario always found to be a mighty relief. And this time was no different. He, Luigi, and Peach trekked through the eight world with a spring in their step. Granted, Mario's was considerably less springy than the other two. The reason behind this was because he couldn't help but worry. Despite the beating that he had given him, Mario knew for a fact that Bowser was going to retaliate. He was going to retaliate and make things infinitely worse for everyone everywhere.

Of course, by voicing these concerns to Luigi, his brother told him to calm down. "Sure," Luigi had said. "That's always a possibility. But we saved Peach! We have an amazing birthday celebration that we need to take part in! Everything is going to be fine, Mario. I have a feeling we won't have to deal with any Bowser-related shenanigans for at least the rest of the day."

Mario sighed. He wanted to believe that, he very seriously wanted to believe that. However, he knew Bowser too well. He knew every trick in the Koopa King's book, every single last piece of ill will that Bowser wished toward his nemesis. To try to get Mario to not worry when he was all too aware of these facets of Bowser was darn near impossible. Sure, he might have believed them when he was new to the whole rescue mission thing, when he was still young, naive, and optimistic. However… well, things had changed since then. He had changed since then,

However, he wasn't about to tell his brother that. Luigi was trying to look on the bright side of things, which was very appreciated. So, while he himself couldn't do it, he still verbally thanked Luigi for having an optimistic outlook. On some level, hearing the reassuring words coming from Luigi was extremely therapeutic.

Not as therapeutic as the sight that greeted them when they returned to the Mushroom Kingdom. When they arrived at Peach's Castle, the crowd from earlier that day was still gathered around the entrance. Sure, some of them were yawning and even sleeping due to the fact that the afternoon was transitioning into the evening, but they still waited with bated breath for the return of their princess and her mustachioed heroes. Mario actually smiled when he saw this. Something about the Toads' hope and certainty that the three would return struck him as very wholesome.

What made the sight all the more wholesome was when the trio came within the line of sight of the Toad throng. Someone at the back of the crowd noticed and pointed out the heroes' return to everyone else, and as such, the entire vibe of the scene changed. All the Toads cheered, shouting their congratulations and cheers toward Mario and Luigi. Really, the difference in the moods that the scene conveyed before and after was like night and day.

So, Mario walked back up to the podium situated in front of the castle's door with a smile on his face. He cleared his throat and tapped on the microphone, getting the attention of everyone. Once all eyes were stuck on him, Mario began to speak.

"Well, we did it. Both the Princess and her birthday celebration are safe." He looked over at Peach, feeling his heart flutter as he looked into her pristine eyes of sapphire blue. "And as I was saying before our party was so rudely interrupted… I only wish the best for Peach from this point on. Every year of her life so far has been an absolute blessing for everyone whose lives she had touched in this kingdom. Especially me." He smiled and put his hand to his heart, feeling a warmth course through him with each beat the heart produced. "And I know that this year, her twenty fifth year, will continue being a blessing for everyone." He looked back over to Peach, noticing such a warm and touched smile on her face. Once again, his heart swelled with joy. "And I can only hope that I can be just as much a blessing for her as she has been for everyone else. This is why I took great and immense pride in planning her birthday celebration." He smiled. "So, eat cake to your heart's content! Watch the fireworks that will happen in a few hours!" The Toads gasped and whispered excitedly back and forth amongst themselves once that was said. "And, most importantly, have fun!" He bowed. "Thank you."

With that, Mario stepped down from the podium. He could've said more; in fact, his original version of the speech contained many more words and much more positivity. However, he didn't say all that because… he was just really tired. Going after Peach and rescuing her from Bowser's fiery fortress over the course of less than a day had been exhausting to the nth degree. Nobody could deliver a lengthy speech after such an event. As such, when Mario walked away from the podium, away from the prying eyes of the Toads, he yawned. He wanted to go home and sleep the night away. He wanted to wake up tomorrow with a fresh start, a cleansed palette.

Of course, he wasn't going to do that quite yet. Sure, the day had been exhausting and hectic, but he was going to stick around so he could help Peach have the best birthday she ever had. On some level, he thought that was his duty. On another, he felt it was a good way to spend time with the woman he loved. And he would never pass up an opportunity to spend time with the woman he loved.

So, he joined in on the party. Unfortunately, whether it was because of his exhaustion or his still very present worry, the party blurred by. He ate the chocolate rainbow cake (it was delicious; Tayce T. never failed to deliver), watched Peach open her presents (he was very pleased to see that she enjoyed the amethyst pendant that he picked out for her, and even more pleased that she found the "big box" trick to be humorous), and for the most part, had a pretty good time. During the rave part of the party, he did all the best dances he could possibly do, from the moonwalk to the robot to the monkey. Yeah, overall, it was a pretty nice event. But, again, it sped by. It felt like Mario would blink, and then an hour passed. Sneeze, and two hours would've been sped through. This was a real bummer to him, as he had wanted something fun to help ease the stress that had come with rescuing Peach from Bowser. Unfortunately, it would seem that he wasn't going to get that, at least in the way he imagined.

Plus, to make things worse, he only grew more tired as the evening wore on. By eight o'clock, he felt ready to clonk out. By nine, he felt like the walking dead. He was so exhausted that, by ten o'clock, he could barely keep his eyes open to watch the fireworks. He even found himself dozing off, his eyes closing and his head almost falling straight to the ground.

That was when he realized that he had enough. So, he decided that he wasn't going to watch the entire fireworks display and just go home. He said good bye to Luigi, wished Peach a happy birthday, and then trekked down the path. He yawned more times making his way to his house than he coil count, and rubbed his eyes so much that he wouldn't have been at all surprised if he found out they turned red. Yes, he was very much in need of sleep. Rescue missions were always grueling experiences, but never before had he felt this beat. He was tempted to just collapse onto the road and sleep right then and there. He didn't, of course, but the desire was definitely there.

It seemed like a miracle to him when he finally did get back to his house. Kicking off his shoes and putting his hat down on a bureau in the living room, he trudged upstairs. He never felt so relieved to get to his room. Not even bothering to change out of his typical plumber's uniform, he collapsed onto the bed. With that, everything faded away. All the worry, all the fear, all the anxiety… it all fell away as he entered into the amazing state that was sleep.

…

Kamek seriously couldn't believe he was doing this.

He actually frowned as he snuck his way through Toad Town. Everything about what he was about to do just felt… wrong to him. And sure, he was part of a faction that did morally questionable actions all the time. But this time… well, he really didn't want to do this. He really didn't want to be the one to place such a horrific curse on Mario. Sure, the plumber was his and Bowser's arch enemy. But there were somethings one just wouldn't wish on their arch enemy…

He shook his head. Maybe he should just try to push these thoughts and concerns to the side. After all, he had to do this whether he liked it or not, and the last thing he wanted was to have to deal with the guilt that came with this crime. So, why not compartmentalize? Why not push every last doubt and conscience-centered thought out of his mind? It would certainly help him, and it would make this sneak through the Mushroom Kingdom's capital all the more bearable for him.

So, he did just that. Sure, it was difficult at first, but he eventually managed to do it. So, not thinking about anything but his goal, he continued with his sneak. He actually let out a breath when he got to Mario's house, feeling relieved that he had found it in the dark. As quiet as a mouse, he sprinted over to it and teleported in when he found that the door was locked.

Once he was in, Kamek snuck into Mario's room. Now, Kamek had been in Mario and Luigi's house before, as Bowser had asked him to spy on the brothers so that he could have a much better understanding of their weaknesses. As a result, Kamek knew exactly where to go. He tiptoed through the house and up the stairs, not even granting himself the freedom of breathing as he continued on his trek towards Mario's room.

When he got to the plumber's room, he stood in the doorway. He saw Mario, snoring away in his bed without even the covers pulled up. It was this sight that caused Kamek to hesitate, and hesitate profoundly.

"Should I really do this?" he whispered to the darkness. He noiselessly made his way over to Mario until he was practically standing on top of him. "I mean… I know Bowser said he wants this." He shook his head. "Oh, but that doesn't make it right…"

Seriously. Despite all the bad things he had done in his past, he knew that this act would be up there. If it wouldn't be the worst thing he had ever done, it would at least be in the top five. Could Kamek really live with that? Could he really live with ruining someone's life in this way?

He stood in place for a little bit, debating in his head. He went back and forth on this issue, almost turning around and making his way out of the house entirely. That is, until he thought about Bowser. His sweet little tyrant would be mighty disappointed and upset if Kamek didn't fulfill his request. And Kamek never liked to see Bowser upset…

So, he let out a sigh. "Screw it." He held his wand in front of him, humming a low B note as he closed his eyes. "Ickabo Henshin. Boracktoo Koopa. Metamorphoses, Mackel tiera!"

When he finished chanting, he opened his eyes, held his wand over Mario and waved it. A light covered the portly plumber, and through it, Kamek could see the hero's form shifting and changing. Morphing based on Kamek's desires, changing in a way that could possibly be permanent. When the light cleared, Kamek let out a breath. He studied Mario's new red shell, studying it as he had never studied anything before.

"Well… I did it." He cringed. "And I don't know how to feel about that…"

He stood in place for a little bit, keeping his eyes on the sleeping Mario. He would be in for a very major shock when he woke up. Oh, that wasn't going to be fun to watch…

Which was why Kamek wasn't going to stick around to see it. So, with a flick of the wrist and a frown, he teleported away.