-Chapter 35-
The King Is Back
Toad Town
A few moments passed before Mario's head slowly raised. His eyes were red from crying, but his face was one of grim determination.
"Get up, Lu," he ordered. "We're going to the Dark Lands, and we're getting Peach and our sister back."
"You know it's a trap," Toad pointed out.
"And I don't care," Mario's fists clenched. "If Bowser wants a battle, I'm gonna give him a war ."
"Pink girl not happy," Yoshi spoke up, recalling the sheer hatred radiating off of Blue Hood. "Red man sure want to go after pink girl?"
"It's magenta, not pink," Mario clarified instinctively. "And yes. She wouldn't be doing this if she was in her right mind. Bowser must have brainwashed her. So, we gotta get to the Darklands and get her back."
"But how?" Luigi questioned. "The only way there was all the way in Snowman's Land."
It was at that moment Yoshi noticed something odd about the paper in Mario's hands. "Red man, what that?"
"This?" Mario held up the paper "Some directions the king of Tube City gave me to help get back here."
"Okay..." Yoshi pointed to an extra folded part of the paper. "And that?"
"Huh?" Mario unfolded the section, gaping. "No way! It's directions to a pipe that leads to right outside Bowser's new castle!"
"Wait, seriously!?" Luigi exclaimed. "How!?"
"Yeah, look," Mario showed them. "See?"
Luigi blinked. "But...how?"
"He's the Pipe King, man." Toad pointed out. "Nobody knows Warp Pipes and where they go better than him."
"That must be why they targeted Tube City." Luigi realized. "With this..."
"Yeah, there's just one problem though." Mario cut in. "The pipe is located high up in the clouds."
"Seriously!?" Luigi let out. "Dangit, we'd have to fly to get there! And the professor hasn't finished his machine...yet..."
His eyes widened as he got an idea. "Bro... you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Mario nodded. "The Tail Tree."
Dark Lands
MP shoved Peach into a small cage down in the dungeons, slamming the door shut and locking it.
"Never realized how satisfying this would be," she said with a smirk. "Some replacement you turned out to be, 'Your Highness'."
She gave Peach a mocking curtsey as the Princess blinked in confusion.
"Replacement? What are you-?"
MP scoffed, lifting her head and giving Peach an annoyed look.
"Oh, don't act all innocent. I know who you are. You're the discount, dollar store version of me. The token girl to tag alone while those no-good, ungrateful scumbags I used to call my brothers play hero in Mushroom Land."
"Is that what Bowser's children told you?" Peach gripped the bars of her cage, leaning as close as she could. "And you believe them?"
"It's what they showed me." Mips began pacing back and forth. "Their little commercial, and how everywhere I go, it's 'Super Mario Bros.' this or 'Super Mario Bros.' that. I'm not an idiot, princess. I can see when I've been cast aside."
"Mary Pat, please... listen to me!" Peach pleaded. "Whatever they told you is a lie. Mario and Luigi still love you. They've been working on finding a way back home this whole time!"
That got MP laughing. It was a mirthless, bitter thing.
"Wow, they picked a good one. Some doe-eyed simp who doesn't realize just who she's hero worshipping." She met Peach's eye with a cold, unfeeling gaze. "Newsflash, princess: Mario doesn't care about anyone but himself! I'm surprised he has enough of his head out of his fat butt to even care about his twin!"
"If you're talking about how he left things with you and your parents the night they found the Warp Zone, he regrets that every day! He hates himself for leaving things like that!"
MP just laughed again, this time tinged with dark amusement. "So he told you about that, huh? How he basically threw away the twenty-odd years my Ma and Pa gave up to raise them? Did he tell you how they handed over Marionetti Plumbling Company to them? Or how they trusted the boys they called their sons with their legacy after Pa got hurt? And how Mario spat on it, saying it wasn't enough?"
Peach nodded. "Yes. He told us everything."
"Well then, let me tell you the rest of the story. About how I, a sixteen-year-old girl, had to take over the shop. How I was burning the candle on both ends trying to find them, keep up with school, and keep the business afloat." Her hands began to shake slightly, her fear and exhaustion evident. "How Anthony Scapelli ambushed me, trapped me in the sewer, beat me up… then threw me in a drain to die."
Peach gaped in horror. "That's... I can't imagine…"
"And how the evil Koopa Troop you and yours hate so much opened a Warp Zone specifically to save me." A smile slipped onto MP's face, gratitude replacing her earlier fear. "How the only reason I'm alive is because of the Koopas, how they saved me and nursed me back to health, asking nothing in return."
"And how they somehow convinced you your own brothers stopped caring about you. Can't you see that they've filled your head with lies?"
"I trust King Bowser," MP retorted, her voice sounding robotic. "I have nothing to fear under his protection."
That caught Peach off-guard. "What? Are you saying...?"
MP chuckled darkly. "Oh come now, Princess. You're a native here. Did you honestly think a little lava could kill a Royal Koopa?"
Peach sighed. "I was afraid of that…"
"Bowser saved me. Bowser gave me purpose, and gave me the chance for revenge."
"He's been causing trouble and terrorizing our world for years! And now he turned you into his weapon because his ego can't handle the fact that your brothers defeated him!"
"Oh, I volunteered. He didn't turn me into anything."
Peach reached out to her through the bars. "Please, listen to me. Mario and Luigi talk about you and your family every day. Not a day goes by that they don't want to find a way home. Look into your heart. Search your feelings. Deep down, you know they would never abandon you."
MP just glared at the princess… and that was when Peach saw it. The red gleam in her eyes, one that spoke of forbidden magic. The pieces fell into place.
"So that's what's going on…" she let out.
MP raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You've been brainwashed."
"Brainwashed?" MP scoffed again. "Seriously? Is that the best you've got?"
"Why else would you be so quick to side with the Koopa who's been causing trouble in my world for years over your own brothers? The ones who helped raise and care for you? Who changed your diapers and read you stories at night?"
"Because the Koopas care about me!" MP got closer, Peach putting a hand on her chest in what looked like an attempt to keep her away. "Not like those no-good-!"
She was cut off when Peach focused her power, a flash of pink light shooting from her palm and through MP's body. MP blinked, her eyes clearing as she looked around as if unsure where she was or what she had been doing. Slowly, Peach lowered her hand.
"Mary Pat?" she called out tentatively.
MP groaned slightly, rubbing her head as she blinked away the last of the red.
"What... what just... what... am I doing?"
"Maybe now you're willing to listen to reason."
Hearing her, MP turned to face her. Seeing the battered and captured princess brought back all the memories of everything. She remembered fighting her bros, first just for fun, but how it just got worse from there. She remembered Kamek's words echoing in her head, realizing now that he had been gaslighting her this whole time.
"Oh F-" her last word was cut off by her just vomiting, unable to stomach everything she'd done. Not just against her brothers, but her open participation in global regicide. She felt awful, remaining hunched over as she dry heaved. "What have I done? How could I… Mario… Luigi…"
"Mary Pat, listen to me." Peach put a gentle hand on her back, rubbing it in a comforting way. "It's not too late. We can still fix this. Just let me out, then we can find your brothers. I promise, both of them are worried sick about you and will forgive you once they see what really happened."
With shaking hands, Mary Pat got to her feet, wiping her mouth before nodding.
"You're right…" she let out, patting down her belt for the keys. "I need to make this right. I need to-"
Suddenly, a clawed hand engulfed the back of her head.
"What?!" Peach cried.
"I think you need to be reminded of where you belong."
MP's eyes rolled back and she fell to her knees, revealing an ominous red-and-white mask. Peach's blood froze at the sight of the ominous figure Mario and Luigi had described in Subcon.
"Phanto…"
"Indeed," Phanto smirked. "I'll admit, that little Heart Power of yours is clever, but I want to see how Kamek's little Lame Brain project turns out. And that means I can't have you curing her just yet. Tonight marks the end of the Super Mario Bros. Nobody escapes Phanto."
MP slowly got back up, her eyes red once more. Phanto placed her hood in her hands, then ushered her out of the room.
"Hope you enjoy the show, Princess," Phanto taunted as he walked away with a whistle.
-X-
In Kamek's lab, MP was given another cup of "tea."
"To ensure you're in top condition when they arrive," Kamek justified.
MP nodded, drinking the concoction down. Her eyes glowed red as an evil smirk spread across her face…
Mushroom Kingdom
Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Yoshi were flying with raccoon power-ups.
"Wooooooohoohoohoooooooooo!" Toad cheered. "This. Is. AWSOMESAUCE!"
"Funny tail let Yoshi fly like dino-birdy!" Yoshi spun in midair.
"Guys, focus!" Mario snapped. "We got a pipe to find!"
"Bro, would that pipe even work?" Luigi asked. "I mean, we're in the air . There's nowhere for it to go."
"It's a magic teleporting pipe, Lu." Mario pointed out. "I don't think that's gonna be a problem."
"Less yacking, more searching!" Toad cut in.
"Right!" Luigi nodded. "Check the hilltops! Maybe it's on one of them."
"Yoshi found it!" Yoshi pointed ahead. They turned to see a Warp Pipe sticking out of a cloud.
"Okaaaaaay..." Luigi remarked. "Now I've seen everything…"
"Let's see where it goes," Mario insisted. "C'mon!"
Mario flew over to the pipe, then went down it.
"Here goes..." Luigi followed.
"This is it..." Toad declared dramatically. "Once again our heroes go down the tubes to face certain doom! All to save friends new and old! Will they prevail? Can they prevail!? Or will they..."
Yoshi grabbed Toad, dragging him down the pipe with him. As they went, he gave Yoshi a dirty look.
"You really have no feel for dramatic tension, do you?"
Dark Lands
Bowser sat in his throne room, eagerly awaiting his showdown with the Mario Brothers. He could already picture his victory over them, their crying, terrified faces leaving him chuckling to himself. His thoughts were interrupted when Kieran opened the door.
"K-King Bowser, sir?" the Shy Guy stammered.
"Eh?" Bowser looked at his minion before recognition dawned. "Oh, it's you. You're Iggy's assistant. Ehhhh… Kiryl, was it?"
"Kieran, sir. And...I need to speak with you."
"Well whatever it is, it can wait. I've just received word that Blue Hood has captured Princess Toadstool. So, I need to head down to address the troops for the big invasion."
Bowser rose, beginning to head off.
"Sir, please! This is urgent! Th-The Hood! Mary Pat! She's..."
"What about me?"
Bowser and Kieran turned to see Mips and Kamek entering the throne room. The former looked curious while the latter was giving the Shy Guy a look that would have ended his game if it had the power to. Technically, he could end Kieran's game with a look, but it would have been far too suspicious.
"Come on, spill," MP playfully teased. "I'm curious what you're saying about me."
"Go on, Kieran," Kamek agreed, his glasses glinting viciously. "You have our attention."
Beneath his mask, Kieran was sweating bullet bills. "K-K-K-Kamek… Has… H-He's..."
"Father!" Ludwig burst into the room. "The troops are assembled! We're ready to begin at any time!"
"Excellent," Bowser commended. "Any luck with Lemmy?"
"We managed to change him back." Ludwig grimaced. ""But… His Mohawk is feathers and…"
"RAWK!" Lemmy came running in, flapping his arms like wings.
"Lemmy, get back here!" Ludwig snapped. "You cannot fly!"
A loud crash sounded, bricks flying.
"I'll get him down," Mary Pat offered, chuckling almost fondly. "You've got your showdown."
Bowser nodded at that.
"Indeed I do. So, If you'll excuse me… I have a date with vengeance."
Bowser walked off, Ludwig following him along with Kamek. Despite the death glare the court magician gave the Shy Guy, Kieran reached out, trying to get their attention. He wanted so desperately to do something right… but he hesitated. His fear was too great with Kamek still there. This meant approaching the Koopa King was out of the question.
But what about Master Iggy?
Kieran pulled out a sheet of paper titled "Lab Results", the very results Iggy had ordered for the "tea" MP had been drinking. Perhaps if he delivered them to the prince…
"I'll take those."
"Huh!?" Kieran whipped around, coming face to face with Phanto. Understandably, he shrieked. "Ahhhh! Ph-Phanto!? What are you...!? They said that you were..."
"Crushed?" The mask smirked, revealing a large crack across its face, almost like a scar. "Some cracks, sure, but I'm still in one piece. Nothing you need concern yourself with. The only thing you need to worry about..." Phanto held out his hand, "is giving me those papers in your little, baggy-sleeves."
Kieran clutched the papers, backing away slowly. "I-I..."
Phanto's eyes glowed. Kieran slowly held out the paper, hands trembling. Phanto took it, the papers catching fire.
"Sorry to ruin your job, but I want to see this ploy play out. Now be a good little stooge and get back in line."
Kieran silently nodded, feeling defeated as he solemnly walked off.
-X-
Bowser stepped out onto a balcony, looking over the massive army he had gathered. Along with his minions, multiple tanks and airships idled behind them.
"Beautiful..." he mused. "Welcome, fellow Koopas!"
The Koopas cheered.
"Goombas!"
The Goombas cheer.
"And...whatever those things are!"
The Spinies and Lakitu sagged in disappointment.
"Spinies and Lakitus, sir," Kamek whispered to him.
"Right, thanks." Bowser nodded before clearing his throat "My mighty army of merciless minions! You have been gathered here today for one sole, singular purpose: Revenge."
A chorus of cheers sounded.
"We were defeated! Utterly humiliated! And by who?!" Bowser slammed his fist on the railing. "A pair of nobody plumbers from the middle of nowhere, nothing! These so-called Super Mario Brothers!
Booing and jeering sounded from below.
"A pair of idiots who bumbled their way through our defenses through dumb luck! They shattered our dominance! Crippled our control! And most of all… they made us look weak! But are we gonna take it lying down?!
A chorus of "Nos!" sounded.
"Are we gonna hang up our shells and give up!?"
Another chorus no "Nos!" sounded.
"That's what I like to hear! Mario will pay for what he did to us, and he'll pay in blood!"
The army cheered.
"But before that, we are going to remind this world who's in charge. We're going to show everyone who sings the praises of these so-called 'heroes' that their victory was nothing but a fluke! Starting with the place that started this mess in the first place! My minions! We are going to invade the Mushroom Kingdom!"
The army cheered once again, even more loudly and enthusiastically than ever. Bowser grinned evilly.
"My people…" He looked up, perking to see something flying in the distance. The rest of the army followed suit.
"Look! Up in the sky!" a Koopa declared.
"Eh?" a Goomba blinked. "What is that, a bird?"
A Lakitu shook his head. "Nah, it's a plane."
"Kamek?" Bowser turned to him. "View spell."
"Yes, sir." Kamek waved his wand, conjuring a viewing portal...revealing… "It's the Super Mario Bros.!"
"WHAT!?"
Sure enough, Mario and co. were flying right toward them.
"That's impossible! How are they here already!?"
"I don't know, sire! Th-They must have found a Warp Pipe or something!"
"Are you kidding me!? Of all the stupid, lousy, cheap...!" Bowser growled furiously. "All forces, open fire! Several Bill Blasters took aim, firing rapidly. The tanks began to fire as well.
"Lakitus! To the sky!"
"Oh, now he remembers us." The Lakitu flew off. Bowser turned to Kamek.
"Tell the Hood to bring Peach to the arena," he ordered. "Our vengeance ends tonight."
-X-
"Guys, there's the castle!" Toad pointed ahead.
"We're almost there-" Luigi yelped as a Bullet Bill zipped by.
"Guess they noticed us," Mario mused.
They looked down at the army.
"They all notice us!" Yoshi cried.
"Doesn't matter!" Mario cried. "Keep moving!"
"They're gonna shoot us out of the sky!" Luigi cried.
They dived and weaved around the shots.
-X-
In the dungeon, Peach perked as MP entered, carrying a coil of rope.
"King Bowser's orders," she declared. "I'm to bring you to the Dark Land arena."
Peach perked. "Mario's here? So that's it… I'm the bait."
MP just nodded as she opened the cell. Peach slowly raised her arms, allowing MP to bind her wrists.
"No funny business," the bespelled Mario sister commanded. "Try anything, and we'll know."
As they went, Peach turned to MP.
"Mario and Luigi will save us," she insisted. "Both of us."
MP rolled her eyes. "You weren't listening to a word I said earlier, were you? Mario's a selfish rat who only cares about himself. What makes you think you know him, or how he feels about me?"
"Because I do!" Peach snapped. "And deep down, so do you!"
With an annoyed growl, MP stopped in her tracks, spinning on her heel and punching the Princess in the face. Peach crumbled to the ground, now with a black eye and busted lip. She looked up, seeing the brainwashed girl pulling out a pair of cloths, balling one up.
"I think I've heard enough out of you."
-X-
Back outside, the fight wasn't going well in the troops' favor. Several Lakitus were knocked off of their clouds and sent plummeting. Mario and Luigi led the Bullet Bills on a chase, flying down at their source before darting away just in time to hit them with their own bullets. Before long, the troops all laid out, groaning in pain. Mario flew down, landing on his feet and lifting a Koopatrol up by the collar.
"Where is Bowser?!" he snapped.
"You won't find him!" the Koopatrol shot back. "He'll find you!"
Mario slammed him against a wall. "My sister is your Blue Hood. The princess is in danger. I'm fresh out of patience. Now TALK!"
The Koopatrol scoffed. "Since when do you care? We all heard the story of how you treated your family like shiitake."
Mario let out a growl, dragging him over to the magma moat
"What are you doing?!"
"Last chance. Tell me where Bowser is," Mario dangled him over the moat. "And try not to lie to me."
"Are you mad?!"
"I'm rip-roaring pissed! Now talk! One!"
"You wouldn't!"
Mario's grip started to loosen. "Two!"
"No need," came Bowser's voice. "I'm right here, Mario."
Mario turned to face him, tossing the Koopatrol aside. Bowser took in his furious expression.
"So angry," Bowser mused. "Y'know, you oughta be careful. Too much stress will give you a heart attack." After a minute, he shrugged. "On second thought, go ahead. Explode. Never mind what I say."
Luigi landed next to his brother, putting a calming hand on his back. " Calmati, fratello. Non lasciare che offuschi il tuo giudizio. (1)"
Mario took a deep breath, composing himself.
"I've been waiting for this, Mario. You left me battered and demeaned in my own city, turned my subjects against me." Smoke drifted from his mouth as his anger grew. "I am King Bowser, plumber. I don't suffer humiliation. I pay it back."
"Is that why you took Mary Pat?" Mario demanded. "Stole my sister from her home? Turned her against me?!
"You did that yourself. I just gave her a chance to vent after she mentioned the last time you talked," Bowser scoffed. "My old man was a piece of shiitake who never gave me the time of day. I'd kill to have a family like yours, and you spat on them." His voice grew somber. "When I found that kid, she was so exhausted and malnourished that she was unconscious for a few days. All because her 'fratellos' were too busy living it up here to care about what happened to their 'cherished family'. So really, who's the monster here, Mario?"
Mario looked down in shame.
"You're right," he admitted. "I took it for granted. I didn't know what I had until it was gone... and not a day goes by I don't wish I could take it back." He looked up, his face full of determination and righteous anger. "But it's never too late to correct a mistake. I'm getting Peach and my sister back, even if it kills me."
Bowser chuckled. "Good luck with that. But if you wanna try, follow me to the arena."
Mario's eyes narrowed. "After you."
-X-
Bowser led them to a massive circular building, a bridge leading inside. He stood before them, gesturing to the structure.
"What you see here is the Koopaseum. For generations, the Koopa tribe have fought here for honor, glory... and the amusement of the people. Peach and your sister are inside. All you have to do to save them... is get past me."
Luigi blinked. "Wait, hold on. You're… not the final boss of this? Our sister is?"
"You didn't think I was gonna make it easy for you, did you?"
He stepped back onto the bridge, flexing his muscles and stretching. Mario looked at the bridge, constructed of simple Brick Blocks, and got an idea as he stepped out onto it to face him.
"Bring it on, ya big gecko!" he taunted.
Bowser threw a punch, but Mario rolled to the side, letting Bowser smash the brick.
"Stand still and fight!" he roared.
"Oh, were we fighting? I thought you were just getting warmed up!"
Bowser fire blasted at Mario, prompting him to leap out of the way and cause more bricks to be damaged.
"Is that all you got?" Mario taunted. "Why are you king again? I mean, it can't be your charming personality."
Bowser growled in anger before springing up, coming down rear first. Mario casually stepped back as Bowser landed, fracturing more bricks.
"Sloppy," Mario tsk-tsked, wagging a finger. " Very sloppy."
"Do you never SHUT UP?!" Bowser screamed.
More wild swings and fire blasts ensued, Mario ducking each one as Bowser loomed over him.
"Nowhere to run now, you little smart mouth!"
Mario smirked. "Don't need to run. I win."
Bowser sputtered in shock. "Are you crazy? You haven't thrown a single punch!"
"But you have." Mario pointed down. Bowser looked, seeing the various shattered bricks, and hearing ominous creaking as more cracks spread beneath him.
"Oh, sh-" was all Bowser managed before the bridge collapsed under him, sending him plummeting into the magma once more. Bowser thrashed about, growling in rage as he sunk. The group watched as he did.
"...Wanna bet he survives this one too?" Luigi said.
Mario shrugged. "Not what I'm worried about now."
"Right," Luigi turned his gaze to the arena. "C'mon. let's get our sister back."
"Took the words right out of my mouth."
Hand in hand, they marched into the arena. As they did, Bowser, exactly as Luigi predicted, pulled himself from the lava for the second time, groaning in annoyance.
"When I get my hands on the lousy contractor who made the bridge so damn flimsy, he'll be lucky if he can even carry his box of shiitake out of the castle," he grumbled as Kamek approached.
"It's alright, your foulness," Kamek assured. "The show is about to begin."
Author's Note:
(1): Calm down, brother. Don't let him cloud your judgment
We're on the home stretch. Can Mario and co. save Mary Pat and Peach? Could this be the end for our heroes?
Please R&R. Until next time!