CHAPTER II

"Hello?" Mario's voice echoed in his home as he opened the door. A smell of delicious spices swimming with pasta and cheese embedded the air. "Mama Mia! Home sweet home!"

"Mario? Is that-a you, bro?" Another voice answered him.

Steps were heard advancing towards the entrance until a presence was made known to him. Master Luigi appeared from behind a wall. He wore his faithful and iconic green shirt and blue overalls, added with a white apron stained with saucy stains describing fine Italian cuisine.

The two brothers embraced each other as laughter escaped their voices, happy to see each other.

"How have you been, Mario?" The young Mario brother patted his shoulder.

He stretched his body by pulling his arms upwards. "I'm great as super! But famished! This long trip really tired me out!"

"I bet it did!" Luigi wore a sly smile knowing that his brother was with the princess. He obviously was implying that Master Mario had been "intimate" with her.

"Oh, knock it off!" His brother smiled shily.

"Ha ha! Come on, you're just in time! Dinner's ready!"

The table was garnished with delicious food that perfumed the air. Mario hummed with passion eating that cooking he was so familiar with. Not that he despised the princess's food, but the home-cooked meals that nurtured your childhood were the kind that were irreplaceable.

As they enjoyed their supper happily, Mario told the tale of his vacation with the princess, Cappy and Tiara. There was wonder in his voice. The first time he had visited those various kingdoms, it was to save our monarch from the evil Princess Bowsette. But this time, he could fully explore them to his heart's content.

Displaying his photo album to Luigi made this one very envious, but he enjoyed hearing his brother's tale. He was always the better storyteller, he thought.

"Mario, this is fantastic!" he said amazed! "Next time, we should do a double date vacation: us the bros and Peach and Daisy!"

"That's... sounds nice." Mario's hesitation was clear in his reply, and that did not escape Luigi's gaze. "Speaking of Daisy, what happened between the two of you while we were gone?"

"Oh, well..." Luigi's face brightened like a red bulb from a Christmas tree.

"Please tell me you asked her out..."

"Oh, I did!"

"You did?" Mario shouted in happiness. "Come on! Don't hold out on me!"

It was not everyday that Luigi was known to be confident towards womankind; especially if that woman happened to be Princess Daisy, heir of Sarasaland. Unlike Peach's calm and mature composure, her counterpart of the desertic land was bubbly, tomboyish and rebellious. She never shied away from her honest words and did not let her royal title stop her from "dropping the gauntlets" as they say.

Opposites attract, as the old saying goes; I understood how such match happened. And I concurred with Master Mario's happiness that Master Luigi and Princess Daisy looked dreamy together; there was a perfect balance in each other.

Luigi recalled his date to his older brother. He did not hide the fact that he was a walking nervous mass of timidity. But Daisy had reassured him that all was more than good enough. It filled the green plumber with confidence to carry his outing with not too much missteps. Luigi had wanted to make a good impression on her and had thought well to take her on an outdoor picnic. Despite the interruption of some mischievous Shy-Guys, which both Luigi and Daisy had valiantly driven away. The well-crafted picnic had been a little bit ruined, and Luigi was disappointed, but Princess Daisy admired his courage and kindness displayed on her behalf; and such traits of him were rewarded with a passionate kiss they had shared under a beautiful moon.

"Look at you, Mister Casanova!" Mario was excited after hearing his brother's story. "Congratulations on putting your guts out and score big with her!"

"Thanks bro!" he replied blushing. "Now come on; I told you my big story, I want to hear yours! How did it go with Peach?"

"Oh, I..." His eyes lowered just as his good humor.

You're truly are my best friend! He remembered those words from the princess. He knew that these words were far from being harmful. Her words were always spoken in truth, honesty and without an ounce of malice. He knew that more than anyone else. But so much hurt was borne in his heart.

Pain rose up from his heart thinking about telling the sad story to his brother. He decided to do so in the best way he knew; masking it behind a fake smile.

"Well, you see..."

***

A powerful roar erupted the skies of the Koopa Kingdom; it wasn't the crimson lightning bolts travelling frenetically through the thick veil of dark clouds.

Inside her enormous castle, Princess Bowsette carried a fury that hell itself could not contain. While trashing and causing mayhem in her home, the way that her attire of a black dress swam wildly without upsetting the dress's bodice that held her... *cough* suggestive cleavage was remarkable.

Her wrath of failing (yet again...) one of her evil plans to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom was unquenchable as hellish fire. Her growl resonated throughout the dominion in absolute fear.

Her own Koopa citizens were petrified of coming near the large doors leading to the throne room. There were holes through these thick walls; it was one of the many symbols of Bowsette's strength... and of every Koopa that she had thrown out to vent her frustration. By the numbers of holes, her anger could have been qualified as bottomless.

"Damn this blasted bastard!" she shouted. She grabbed a giant Chain Chomp in her room. Usually vicious and fearless, the poor thing tried to escape, but the evil princess yanked it brutally out of its block and threw it at the throne room's gates. The entire doors along their wall completely collapsed to the princess's monster strength.

Koopas, Goombas and different creatures were stricken with fear. Some had the intelligence to run for their lives. As for some others, it was like their legs had turned into stones while gazing into the thousands of murderous intents projected from her blue-turned-crimson eyes.

In her rage, she stopped to look at the frightened ones; some Koopas, Boos and even Hammer brothers, known to be one of the fiercest warriors in her ranks.

"What..." she said growling. Fire flickered in her mouth. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?! BACK TO WORK!!" A river of powerful flames was unleashed at them. If she had aimed more precisely, those fellows would have been piles of ashes; perhaps even the Boos.

After another hour of rampage, her body finally tired out and her eyes reverted from the crimson rage to the "peaceful" blue they usually carried. While shouting orders to put everything back in order because of her stormy tantrum, she found herself back to her throne, sitting and sighing angrily, still feeling the itch of blasting someone or something to oblivion.

She crossed her legs revealing her long spiky boots; black leather and rebellious-looking. Her nostrils exhaled small streak of fire in exasperation. Her mind was obsessed about Mario, and not in the kindly way.

Time after time, Princess Bowsette had accumulated nothing but defeats at the end of the Mario brothers; in particularly from the red-and-blue plumber. No matter the schemes she had in mind, it was as if he was two steps ahead of her. And even when times were dire for the courageous lad, he had always come on top.

She was just sick of it. What she needed to finally destroy Mario, her only obstacle to the keys of the Mushroom Kingdom; the answer was not given to that question.

"Always, and always..." she muttered. "Why can't I beat this little red annoying weasel?!"

A Koopa dressed in wizardry clothing with thick glasses flew in the room on a broom stick. He looked around and whistled at the catastrophic damages done by the princess's defeatist temper.

Kamek was his name; Princess Bowsette's caretaker and closest (and only) advisor. This Magikoopa, despite his old age, was known to be a powerful and accomplished master of the mystic arts. Yoshi along with Mario and Luigi had their fair share of confrontations against this cunning adversary.

"Princess," Kamek bowed to her. "Decorating, I see?"

"I'm not in the mood for comedy, Kamek!"

"It already has been months, your Highness."

"Get to the damn point, Kamek!" Her voiced reached a louder tone. Unlike the other Koopas, Kamek did not flinched by her angered temper. He knew her since her toddler years. He was bounded by servitude and honor to serve her, not matter the orders given, but he was the only one who could argue with her and survive to live the tale among the Koopa forces.

"Of course, your Highness."

Kamek rose to his feet and snapped his fingers. Quickly and efficiently, the devastated room was putting itself back in its former and imposing self. The wall of wine-red bricks reconstructed itself, the torches that were bent and out of fire unbent and lit brightly anew, the painting showing the princess's might and superiority were hung once again, the stony and grey floor's small craters disappeared almost instantly, the fire place reformed itself with flaming life and the colossal gates stood tall again.

"Thanks." she said. "I really didn't feel like cleaning up."

"As if you had to," Kamek replied. "You are royalty! You are entitled to all!"

"So, what brings you here?"

A comfortable chair appeared into existence as he fell backward. He installed himself comfortably in it.

"I was patrolling the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom. It seemed Mario and Princess Peach have come back from their long getaway vacation."

Bowsette spit an angry sigh of fire from his lips. "Did they finally tie the knot? I wouldn't be surprised; they've been out for weeks."

"From the information that I was able to gather, they did get closer during their travel. But..."

"But?" For the first time in these past weeks, another emotion other than anger was displayed on her face: curiosity.

"Things ended in an unexpected way for Mario and Peach's relationship."

"Trouble in paradise?" She smiled wickedly.

"It could very well be that," Kamek hummed evilly. "And if that is the case, then their relationship is fragile! If you kidnap the princess and convince her to take your hand, with the emotional distraught that she could be experiencing at the moment, she could easily say yes! And finally, the realm of the Mushroom Kingdom would be yours!"

"No." She declared flatly to Kamek's surprise.

"What?" The Koopa wizard sounded shocked. "But-"

"No matter how good or bad their relationship is, as soon as I kidnap Peach, Mario will run eight kingdoms and more like always to her rescue. That alone will patch things up and they'll forget their couple trouble immediately."

"Hmm... I didn't see the matter from that perspective. You've really grown wise over the years, haven't you?"

She shrugged and directly a sly smile to her advisor. "I learned from the best."

"Ha ha ha!"

"That's it!" Princess Bowsette suddenly snapped her fingers. Her face dressed in a sumptuous and vile idea.

"What it is, your Highness?"

"It's not the princess I needed to target!" Evil enthusiasm made her stand up from her throne. She paced back and forth. "Yes... yes... That could work! Kamek?"

"Your Highness?" A sense of curiosity was apparent in his voice, yearning to know his monarch's newest scheme.

Dark confidence dressed her face. "I need a specific spell...!"