CHAPTER 3
The evening sun sank behind the Mushroom Castle, gracing the structure with a fiery embrace. The sky, a mural painted with red, orange, and yellow, bore down upon the lifeless streets of Toad Town, devoid of the Mushroomers who had previously been working on festival preparations. They had returned to their homes to eat dinner and then retire to their beds.
Instead, the streets were filled with banners strung out from building to building, bearing several joyous proclamations such as “Praise to the Princess!” and “Mario and Luigi, Our Saviors!” Empty concession stands littered the sidewalks, ready to hold food, drinks, and other goodies. At the docks, a small Ferris wheel had been set up along with other rides. Everything was set for the Festival of Heroes, what was bound to be the kingdom’s greatest celebration yet.
Sigel was frustrated that he would miss out on the merrymaking, stuck with the arduous task of finding an escaped criminal. He regretted deeming Defonil as nothing more than a victim of prejudice and wished the old coot had been killed back at Club 64. Everything would be peachy, then, and he would be at home with his family, not on police duty.
He peeked in various alleyways while cursing his luck. Defonil may have been past his prime, but he was still clever. Imagine Sigel’s surprise when he was greeted by some men from Sammy’s Carriage Co. who told him that they had returned several police cars. When he asked who had given them permission to use MPD property, they replied, “You, of course.” And if that wasn’t enough, he found the door to the storage room wide open with the keys to all the cars missing. The final nail in the coffin was finding Defonil absent from Sigel’s unlocked office. This did not fare well with his superiors, who demanded a thorough search of Toad Town, and since he was the only officer at the station, he was the one who would be conducting it.
I wish the Koopa Clan was wiped off the face of Plit, Sigel thought. There’d be no wars, no prejudice, and no Defonil.
He was traversing an alleyway filled with smelly trashcans and broken beer bottles, examining every nook and cranny in hopes that he’d spot Defonil tucked behind some pile of junk, drunk out of his mind. Then he could throw the sucker in jail, head back home, and in the morning enjoy the festival with everybody else in the kingdom.
“Good evening, Lieutenant.”
Sigel whirled around and drew his pistol. The silhouette of a Koopa stood before him, masked by the shadows. It dared not move and failed to draw breath as if it were a standing corpse.
“Identify yourself!” Sigel demanded.
“I am referred to by many names,” the Koopa said with a voice that was light and airy, though masculine, “and I don’t have the time to list them all.”
He wasn’t Defonil, that much was clear. His body build was smaller and he was garbed in a cloak, not the armor that Defonil wore proudly. There was also an aura of elegance to the strange Koopa that a criminal convicted of instigating a bar fight lacked. But nevertheless, his behavior was questionable. Something was amiss.
“Do you work for Bowser?” Sigel said.
“I’ve spent some time in Dark Land, I’ll admit, but my allegiance rests in a much more powerful being. But if I may ask, what’s with the questioning? Am I a threat to the peace?”
Sigel ignored the question, assuring himself that the Koopa was no threat. He holstered his gun. “I suggest you get inside,” he said. “There’s a criminal on the loose that the MPD is searching for.”
“Is that so?” the Koopa said, not at all surprised by this. “That’s a shame, what with the festival starting tomorrow. I do hope you catch this vile crook.”
“Well, if you have any leads on his location, be sure to report it.”
“I assure you, anything slightly out of the ordinary will be brought to your attention.”
The Koopa turned around and began to strut out of the alleyway. His scarred face came into focus in the light, covered in wounds fresh and old. His blue eyes sparkled brightly, thin slits that focused on Sigel with an unnerving intensity. He had cascading blonde hair that descended to his waist and, coupled with his hourglass figure, gave him an androgynous appearance.
With a quick flash of his jagged, white teeth in what vaguely resembled a smile, the mysterious Koopa walked out of sight, leaving Sigel confused at what he had seen.
The guy knew that Sigel was lieutenant and didn’t act like he was from out of town, yet he still seemed sinister in nature, and Sigel briefly contemplated pursuing him and bringing him in for questioning.
Just a freak blessed with eloquence, Sigel assured himself, that’s all.
He turned around to resume his search for Defonil and was promptly greeted by a loud “bang!” that sent him five feet into the air. His heart kicked into overdrive, taking several seconds to come to a screeching halt, and his lungs were about ready to die out on him. Age had its limits.
After calming down and getting to his feet, Sigel realized the sound had come from the trashcan besides him. He was about to dismiss it as a stray cat rummaging for a snack when it struck him.
He grinned, pulling out his gun and pointing it at the trashcan. This was the moment he’d been waiting for.
“I know you’re in there, Defonil,” Sigel said. “You can come out now.”
There came no response, but Sigel imagined Defonil’s thought process: realizing that his cover was blown, he tried to mask the fact by remaining silent. That trick wasn’t going to work, though.
“Don’t think I don’t know you’re there.” Still no answer. “Come out now and we’ll go easy on you.”
The resonating silence prompted Sigel to grab the trashcan’s lid, slowly pulling it open to confront the evasive criminal. “If you’re not going to come out, then I’ll just pull you-”
A hand shot out and grabbed Sigel by the throat. It was slimy and resembled a Koopa’s, only the scales were ripped in some parts to reveal protruding bone. A hollowed voice echoed through Sigel’s mind, finishing his statement with a resounding OUT...
The shock spread through Sigel’s body, strong enough to momentarily keep him from reacting, but as soon as he realized that a creature that clearly wasn’t Defonil was clearly going for his neck, he began to thrash about, struggling to break free of the phantom hand. The more he resisted, though, the tighter the grip became. His vision became hazy and he was losing a grip on reality.
In his last moments of consciousness, he felt his body pulled into the trashcan, where there was no junk or discarded scraps of food. Instead, endless darkness awaited them.
The lid came down upon the trashcan, shuddering for a brief second with a noise that sounded like a burp.
Silence fell over Toad Town as the moon pulled itself over the horizon onto the starlit veil up above Plit.
~~~
The Mushroom Castle had undergone the same transition as the rest of Toad Town. Festival preparations had wrapped up and servants returned to their quarters, eager to rest after working all day. A few guests meandered about the halls, but for the most part the energy was being saved for the Festival of Heroes.
Princess Peach stood in the main hallway, watching as Mario prepared to head back home. She held in her hands the pulsating Koopa egg squirming in her grasp. Before heading to bed, Daisy and Peasley had explained to her its importance in extensive detail, but she had trouble believing it.
“So this egg,” Peach began in a hushed voice, “is the key to ending centuries of fighting between the Mushroom Kingdom and Koopa Clan?”
“That’s the gist of it,” Mario said.
“All of it seems unreal, though. You’ve fought against Bowser for years, and no matter how many times he’s defeated he never surrendered. Yet this little thing can send him running with his tail between his legs?”
Mario chuckled. “The fact is that with this in our hands Bowser is completely at our mercy. Unless he wants his kingdom to crumble, he’ll have no choice but to comply with demands for peace.”
“And I thought this day would never come…”
Peach got lost in her thoughts, recalling her first entanglement in the Mushroom/Koopa conflict five years before. Her father had passed away and a lack of a proper heir required that she take executive control. Bowser was all too keen to take advantage of the shifting in power and quickly launched an attack, overwhelming the Mushroom Kingdom, capturing Peach as well as her advisors, and killing innocents left and right. It was then that Mario and Luigi showed up and managed to pull the weakened Mushroom Army together for a full-scale attack on the Koopa forces, driving them out of the kingdom and freeing Peach from Bowser’s grasp. The two plumbers were hailed as national heroes, a gift from the heavens; and they continued to assist the Mushroomers in fighting the Koopa Clan ever since.
But those days appeared to be coming to an end. The Mushroom Kingdom’s greatest threat would be no more and peace, prosperity, and happiness would reign over the common people. She knew it was for the best, but…
“If you’ll excuse me, Princess,” Mario said, “I’ve got to go. I need some sleep so I can be ready for tomorrow’s party.”
“Of course,” Peach said, getting back in touch with the present. “Be sure to say ‘hi’ to Luigi for me.”
“Sure thing. He hasn’t been feeling very well, though… Hopefully he’ll be able to make it to the party.”
“Let’s pray that he gets better quickly.”
Mario flashed a quick smile and opened the door, letting in the gentle night breeze. “Keep that egg safe. It’s going to bring us good times.”
“This’ll never leave my side,” Peach assured as the egg jerked around.
“Wonderful. I’ll see you tomorrow, Princess.”
Mario left before Peach had the chance to say anything else. It was a pity; she was going to tell him to stop calling her “Princess”.
Her gaze remained fixated on the door for several seconds before she sighed, turned around, and walked back up the stairs towards her room. The doors whizzed by her on both sides as she walked through the hall at a brisk pace, alone and keeping to her thoughts. Every now and then she tightened her grip on the egg when it tried to leap out of her grasp. Despite the cracks, though, it looked pretty sturdy and she doubted that it was that fragile. Nevertheless, protecting it was a must for the kingdom’s safety.
Peach reached her room and was about to enter when she noticed a glint of light peeking out from underneath the door. Nobody had been in there since she had been called out to see Mario earlier in the day. There was no need for a light…
Did Bowser find out already? Peach fretted, but she quickly dismissed it as impossible. Hesitant and cautious, she wrapped her hand around the doorknob and pushed it slowly forward. Peeking in she saw the covers of her bed tousled and thrown to the side. The bed had been made that morning and hadn’t been used since.
She stepped inside, arms wrapped tightly around the egg. Her eyes darted back and forth in an effort to find whoever had entered her room without permission, if they were still there. The bed was empty and the balcony door was wide open, letting in the wind. There was nobody else in sight.
Peach opened her mouth to call out but she refrained. If the intruder was one of Bowser’s men they wouldn’t hesitate to swoop out of their hiding place to nab her. Instead, she lifted the sides of her dress to keep it from dragging along the floor and crept along without the slightest creak. The only sounds were the gentle wind and the crackling of the fireplace- another oddity since no fire had been lit that day.
She walked through the balcony door and looked around, spotting the guest list, one of the few undisturbed objects. A few stories below the night sentries were patrolling the garden in silence, unaware that somebody had been sneaking around their princess’ room.
Sharp, cold metal prodded Peach in the back.
“Don’t think about calling for help,” a dry voice said, “’cause I won’t be afraid to plunge this sucker through that pretty body of yours.”
Peach remained still, eyes closed and egg held close. She said nothing.
“That’s a good girl. Now, you’re going to do exactly as I say, and that way nobody’s going to get hurt, right?” Peach replied with silence. “All I need is a way out of this castle, past the guards, through town, and out into the distant fields. Do you think you can handle that?”
“The guards won’t let me out of the castle with a Koopa,” Peach said. She didn’t see her captor but circumstances made anything other than a Koopa unlikely.
The voice hesitated for a split second. “You don’t need to accompany me. Just give me tips on getting out- and no false directions, ‘cause my buddies will get revenge if I’m thrown in jail.”
Peach tried turning around but she felt the metal jab her in the back. “I’ll tell you when you can turn around,” the voice said, “now tell me how I can get out.”
“Let’s see.” Peach searched one half of her mind for the directions while the other half formulated a plan to stop the Koopa. “I’m certain that the hallways are completely deserted. You should be able to sneak through without being caught. However, you can’t go through the front entrance because a huge amount of guards are stationed there and they will not hesitate to call the police.”
“Stop giving me information I already know. Tell me how I can get out.”
Peach opened her mouth to speak but stopped. She smiled to herself. “I don’t think I should tell you.”
“Do you have a death wish? I will not hesitate to kill-”
“And if you kill me, not only will you not get directions, I will use my dying breath to call the guards and have you executed. Does that sound reasonable?”
There was another long pause as the Koopa contemplated his options. The sharp metal pulled away from Peach’s back for a brief moment, more than enough time for her to move. In one swift movement she brought her high heels down upon the Koopa’s foot, digging it deep in. He stifled a yelp and fell backward, signified by a loud thump. Peach swirled around and pinned him down with her foot.
The Koopa was not as intimidating as he had sounded, looking old and frail, long past his prime. He wore Koopa Clan armor but it was old and ravaged, a useless asset in combat. The sharp metal had turned out to be a sword taken from above Peach’s fireplace, designed more for display than combat practicality. The blade had fallen out of his hand after he had been struck, and sat glistening in the moonlight.
“You’re just a decrepit, old coot, aren’t you?” Peach said with a sneer.
The Koopa tried to reach for his sword only to find it out of reach. He swore under his breath and looked up at the princess. “You sure you’re royalty? Everybody was sayin’ you’re the typical damsel in distress.”
“That’s a big mistake,” Peach said. “Being kidnapped several times and befriending a certain plumber teaches you to fight for yourself.”
“So I guess bearing King Koopa’s load is enough to make the sweetest girl into a burly warrior…” The Koopa chuckled weakly.
“What are you talking about?”
“Why else would you be carrying around that egg? I’m surprised you didn’t smash it over some rock to save you the burden of-”
Peach stomped on his stomach to cut him off. Of all the minions Bowser could have sent, it had to be a smart-aleck senior. It seemed that he hadn’t learned anything from losing the war.
“I wouldn’t joke about this egg,” Peach snapped. “You know it’s important.”
“What? Why would I care about a sick hybrid?”
Peach frowned; was he really that oblivious? “You’re working for King Koopa, right?”
The Koopa smirked. “That seems to be the question of the day. For your information, I used to work for him but I grew old and needed other things to do. I’m not some foot soldier sent to carry you back to his castle; I just want to get out of this town!”
“Then you don’t realize that this egg is… well…” Peach cut herself off. Even if he was telling the truth and didn’t work for Bowser, she couldn’t tell everybody about the egg’s importance. There were many opportunists who would be willing to steal the egg for their own purposes.
“What are you trying to say? I don’t care about the egg or whatever’s in it!” the Koopa said. “Look, it’s getting awfully uncomfortable under your foot. Are the guards going to come and throw me in jail or are you going to let me go now that you know I have nothing to do with King Koopa’s bunch?”
“How do I know you’re not lying?” Peach asked.
“Well… I-”
A hand clamped down upon Peach’s shoulder. It seemed to be a mixture of flesh and bone, and slime oozed down its fingers onto her dress. Before she could do so much as turn her head, she was thrown off of the Koopa and onto the ground.
Recovering from the shock, she looked up at the figure that had assaulted her and saw a shapeless, dark mass looming over her, flittering about in a spasm that distorted any sense of coherency in its appearance. Within the black blob she could make out various figures fading in and out of existence: Mushroomers, Koopas, Boos, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and many more. The egg sat beside her, surprisingly untarnished despite being flung out of her grasp. She turned her attention away from the blob and back to the egg, her conscious screaming at her to keep it safe no matter the consequences. With all the energy she could muster, she flung herself over the egg as the blob floated towards her.
The Koopa got to his feet and stared at the giant mass, bug-eyed. Peach desperately wanted to call for his help or to yell and hope the guards would hear her, but the sinister force reached into her mind with invisible hands, soothing her while provoking fear. She was left speechless as the blob descended upon her.
Peach felt her mind turn into a haze as she fell into the darkness, disconnected from reality and thrown into a world of nightmares. She could hear in the distance the Koopa crying out in pain but everything else she heard or saw was a collage of unrelated images and noises that were thrown messily together like a canvas splattered with clashing paint colors.
i LoVe YoU, pRiNcEsS… Mario’s distorted voice said to Peach as she fell unconscious, …bUt NoW yOu FaLl…