Chapter 1: Deal
It had been such a long day. The sun had started to set and with Peach saved once more, everything was back to the way it was supposed to be. The proposal may have been for naught, but Mario took comfort in the thought of another job well done. Afterwards, he bid Cappy farewell along with Pauline and the rest before leaving. He did not even stay for the celebration hosted by the others in honor of the princess' return. All he wanted to do now was continue down the brick road surrounded by greenery that would eventually lead him home and out of this tight, restrictive wedding suit. It had been a chore finishing the fight wearing it in place of his iconic overalls, and now trekking towards his destination felt like lugging weights all the way to his house in wake of exhaustion. Still, he powered on, recalling the big ravioli reward he had waiting for him in the fridge. He could only hope Yoshi had not already discovered it.
A sudden movement caught his attention in the brush nearby. His body jolted to engage. What he first assumed to be a stray goomba grew to a massive outline booming just beyond the bushes. It would be troublesome. With the day's events, he would barely have any energy to fight a foe now. No longer having Cappy's abilities which he had lately grown so use to as of late furthered his fears.
A brief moment later, and out stumbled a disheveled Bowser. His massive form lugged about, kicking at any rocks and debris while mumbling incoherently to himself. His body still bore the wounds from the previous battle. When he finally noticed Mario, he froze in place. That expected look of anger filled his pupils like it always did in the presence of his arch rival. Yet despite the furrowed eyebrows and massive grimace, he made no attempts to attack. If anything, he looked more annoyed at the fact this pint sized plumber would dare interrupt his moment of solace.
"Whaddaya want?!" he snarled. "Aren't you supposed to be with Princess Perfect back there?"
Mario clenched his fists in front of his face expecting an oncoming strike. Nothing came however, except for an eye roll from Bowser.
"Oh, come off it, I'm not in the mood to fight'cha. We already settled our differences up there, didn't we?!"
Mario cocked an eyebrow, but never lowered his defenses. Eventually, the Koopa King snorted two puffs of smoke out his nostrils. "Miserable meatball." He muttered plodding away.
The act caught the plumber off guard. It was completely unlike Bowser to not take advantage of such a perfect opportunity. He looked down his current path, then back at the lizard now angrily lumbering away. Against his better judgement, he went after the Koopa.
Bowser soon noticed his pestilence had not yet parted. He clawed at the air behind him and roared. "I don't have any shrooms on me fatso! Beat it!"
Mario took a step back, defensively raising his arms. For a moment, neither of them said a word.
"Well?!" exclaimed Bowser. His agitation growing by the minute.
At last, Mario rekindled with his voice. "Your-a castle is to the west."
The dragon sneered. "I know where my home is, you dimwit, I'm going to my Koopa Copter! Let me at least have a scenic view of the Mushroom Kingdom before I go back to sulking."
Mario gradually lowered his hands. He was surprised to see Bowser had stayed around for so long. Usually, he would have retreated into the darkness long before any festivities began. Stranger still, he had never before seen his foe with such a defeated look in his eyes. Yes, the hateful stare was ever present, but not the way he was accustomed to seeing it. Something was far different this time around.
Bowser growled. "Are you just gonna stand there or are you that desperate for a round two?"
Mario sighed. The weeks' events following up until now flooded his mind. "Hey. It's-a ok. We were-a both rejected, but I think we can at least-a respect her decision."
The Koopa King glared, shifting back to his transport. "I don't believe this."
"Believe-a what?" Mario inquired.
"I can't believe you! Don't you have a shred of
It had been such a long day. The sun had started to set and with Peach saved once more, everything was back to the way it was supposed to be. The proposal may have been for naught, but Mario took comfort in the thought of another job well done. Afterwards, he bid Cappy farewell along with Pauline and the rest before leaving. He did not even stay for the celebration hosted by the others in honor of the princess' return. All he wanted to do now was continue down the brick road surrounded by greenery that would eventually lead him home and out of this tight, restrictive wedding suit. It had been a chore finishing the fight wearing it in place of his iconic overalls, and now trekking towards his destination felt like lugging weights all the way to his house in wake of exhaustion. Still, he powered on, recalling the big ravioli reward he had waiting for him in the fridge. He could only hope Yoshi had not already discovered it.
A sudden movement caught his attention in the brush nearby. His body jolted to engage. What he first assumed to be a stray goomba grew to a massive outline booming just beyond the bushes. It would be troublesome. With the day's events, he would barely have any energy to fight a foe now. No longer having Cappy's abilities which he had lately grown so use to as of late furthered his fears.
A brief moment later, and out stumbled a disheveled Bowser. His massive form lugged about, kicking at any rocks and debris while mumbling incoherently to himself. His body still bore the wounds from the previous battle. When he finally noticed Mario, he froze in place. That expected look of anger filled his pupils like it always did in the presence of his arch rival. Yet despite the furrowed eyebrows and massive grimace, he made no attempts to attack. If anything, he looked more annoyed at the fact this pint sized plumber would dare interrupt his moment of solace.
"Whaddaya want?!" he snarled. "Aren't you supposed to be with Princess Perfect back there?"
Mario clenched his fists in front of his face expecting an oncoming strike. Nothing came however, except for an eye roll from Bowser.
"Oh, come off it, I'm not in the mood to fight'cha. We already settled our differences up there, didn't we?!"
Mario cocked an eyebrow, but never lowered his defenses. Eventually, the Koopa King snorted two puffs of smoke out his nostrils. "Miserable meatball." He muttered plodding away.
The act caught the plumber off guard. It was completely unlike Bowser to not take advantage of such a perfect opportunity. He looked down his current path, then back at the lizard now angrily lumbering away. Against his better judgement, he went after the Koopa.
Bowser soon noticed his pestilence had not yet parted. He clawed at the air behind him and roared. "I don't have any shrooms on me fatso! Beat it!"
Mario took a step back, defensively raising his arms. For a moment, neither of them said a word.
"Well?!" exclaimed Bowser. His agitation growing by the minute.
At last, Mario rekindled with his voice. "Your-a castle is to the west."
The dragon sneered. "I know where my home is, you dimwit, I'm going to my Koopa Copter! Let me at least have a scenic view of the Mushroom Kingdom before I go back to sulking."
Mario gradually lowered his hands. He was surprised to see Bowser had stayed around for so long. Usually, he would have retreated into the darkness long before any festivities began. Stranger still, he had never before seen his foe with such a defeated look in his eyes. Yes, the hateful stare was ever present, but not the way he was accustomed to seeing it. Something was far different this time around.
Bowser growled. "Are you just gonna stand there or are you that desperate for a round two?"
Mario sighed. The weeks' events following up until now flooded his mind. "Hey. It's-a ok. We were-a both rejected, but I think we can at least-a respect her decision."
The Koopa King glared, shifting back to his transport. "I don't believe this."
"Believe-a what?" Mario inquired.
"I can't believe you! Don't you have a shred of