Okay, I'll post it. Stuff in italics'll be in astriks (*). *Deep breath* Here goes. Umm...It's really long, BTW. Let me remind you again, some events may be disturbing and shocking--and rather mature-themed. It's sort of a tragedy/drama/sci-fi/fantasy. Now without further ado:
-Part 1-
Chapter 1: Shattered Dreams
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“*And a child of Good and Evil shall come to rise. Good will perish and Evil will reign, but the child will destroy the Evil, and Good will prevail once more.*”
“What does that mean?” Mario asked.
“I don’t know. It came to me in a dream the other night,” Merlon replied.
Mario thought for a moment, “It sounds like some sort of prophecy.”
“Only time will tell.”
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Luigi came inside, shuffling through the mail. “Hey, Mario! You have a letter.”
“Cool! Who’s it from?”
“Open it!”
Mario carefully opened the envelope, and silently read the elegant words scripted on the beautiful stationery.
Dear Mario,
Please come to the castle as soon as you can. I have a surprise for you.
Yours truly,
Peach
As his mind processed the words, he exclaimed, “Wow! A letter from the Princess! She wants me to come over! …I gotta go! See ya, Bro.!” Mario rushed out of the house as Luigi rolled his eyes and sighed.
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“Your Highness! I have just received a disturbing vision!” A blue-cloaked figure approached as a familiar grotesque monarch glanced up from his thoughts.
“Yes, what is it?” It was Bowser.
“A voice told me this—” Kamek, the figure, told him the exact same words Merlon had told Mario earlier, “—It came to me in a dream!”
“What could it mean…?” Bowser thought about it for a second. “…It sure doesn’t sound good…!”
“What should we do?”
“We must think of something…”
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Mario soon arrived at Peach’s Castle. The guards immediately noticed the figure approaching, and smiles formed across their faces as they realized who it was. They eagerly welcomed him in as he stepped into the comforting castle. It was just as he had remembered it—the sky-blue walls with puffy white clouds painted on them…the crimson velvet rug leading up to the top of the stairs…the elegant doors with the insignia of a star on them—he had been there many times before.
“Oh, hi, Mario!” Toad, one of the Royal Mushroom Retainers and close friend to Princess Peach and Mario, headed toward him. “The Princess is upstairs, in her private chambers right now. Go ahead, she’s waiting for you.”
“Thanks, Toad!”
He headed up the stairs and opened the door. The lovely princess stood gazing out the window, then slowly she turned as she heard the door creak open.
“Hi, Mario! I’m so glad you made it.” Her voice was just as beautiful as she. “I made something for you.” She walked over to a nearby table and showed him a scrumptious delectable. “Here, it’s a strawberry cake.”
“Wow, thank you, Peach. It looks delicious!” He glanced back up at her. “What’s the special occasion?”
“Nothing, I just felt like making it for you.” She smiled and cut the cake, placing a slice each on two plates, one for each of them. He waited as she sat down on the velvety sofa, then sat down himself on a matching easy chair.
“Mmm…this is so delicious!” He seemed slightly nervous. “Hey Peach, why don’t you meet me at Shooting Star Summit this evening? It’s very beautiful…”
“I’d love to! How’s 8:00 sound?” she queried, her eyes sparkling.
“Perfect! But I must go now. Thank you for the cake. See you tonight?”
“I’ll see you,” she leaned over and kissed his cheek, his face starting to blush. “Bye!”
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Inside a dark dungeon-like place, three dark figures stood moping. They were obviously being punished for something.
“I hate this place. Why does Bowser always lock us up?” It was the voice of Wendy O. Koopa.
“’Cuz he says we’re a bunch of no-good, lousy failures,” replied her brother Larry.
Morton chimed in, “He’s the one stupid enough to think we can beat Mario.”
“Hey! Shut up!” Wendy shouted, “You may have given in to that plumber, but I haven’t!”
“He beat you up, too!” Morton sneered. Wendy turned to a defensive position and the two continued to argue. Larry was sick of their constant bickering.
“Guys! Shut up! Maybe if you can keep from arguing for two seconds, Bowser’d let us out sooner!” Wendy and Morton stopped and each gave him an evil scowl.
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It was 8:00. The sky was a beautiful deep navy, with gorgeous celestial wonders colorfully streaking across the night. The princess and the plumber reached the top of the hill on Shooting Star Summit and sat down on a blanket spread over the cool grass.
Mario smiled. “Thank you for coming, Princess.”
“Wow… It’s so beautiful…and romantic…” She focused on the wondrous sky above.
“Peach…there’s something I’d like to ask you,” Mario spoke softly, slightly shy.
Her attention turned to the red-clad hero. “What is it?”
“We’ve known each other for a long time… I can’t even remember how long now…”
“I know…” she smiled, “It seems like I’ve known you for as long as the stars have shown in the night sky…”
“We’ve gotten to be very…close,” Mario continued, “I’m not sure how to say this, but…I’ve loved you since the day we first met…”
“…Oh, Mario…” Her blue eyes twinkled. Mario gathered his courage, his eyes transfixed on hers.
“Peach…will you…marry me?” He opened up a small box and showed her a beautiful ring.
Peach shrieked with delight. “Oh, Mario! I’ve always loved you, too! Of course I will!” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him frantically. “I’ve been waiting my whole life for you to ask me… This is a dream come true!”
Mario smiled at her and glanced back up at the night sky. “Peach! Look! Look at all those shooting stars!” A gorgeous meteor shower took place, sending thousands of twinkling stars plummeting down past the horizon.
Peach leaned softly against him. “It’s so lovely…” Her thoughts drifted off as they gazed at the stars long into the night.
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“Your Highness!” Kamek entered the throne room. “I have had yet another disturbing vision.”
Bowser looked slightly annoyed. “Now what?”
“It was the Princess!” Kamek stammered, “…And…Mario…!”
“What?!” He turned to an alert position, “What about them?! Go on!”
“Your Highness…they were…uh…” he was having trouble forming the words, “…Mario asked the Princess to marry him! They’re engaged!”
“What?!” Bowser stared at Kamek in disbelief, “No!! This cannot be! I made her promise… Urgghh!!” His scaly face turned red with fury.
“What should we do, Sir?” Kamek asked timidly.
“Urghhh!!” Bowser opened his fierce mouth as a bright orange stream of fire emerged from it, lighting the dark room. He was so enraged, Kamek was afraid he was going to explode.
“Sir, you must control yourself! Please!”
“Never have I been so furious!” he growled. His voice suddenly changed into a cool and confident tone, as he brushed back his coarse hair with his scaly claw. “Kamek! Come. I have a plan!”
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Mario and Peach continued to lie on the cool grass, still gazing at the celestial wonders. They were both silent, lost in their own thoughts.
“Oh my gosh!” Peach suddenly sat up, rising out from his arms, “Look how late it is! It’s after midnight!”
Mario looked at her eyes and quickly glanced back up at the sky, “We should probably go, huh.”
The two quietly gathered up their things and headed back toward the castle, which was close by. They walked side by side, the faint rustle of their feet on the soft ground making the only sound.
“Peach,” Mario broke the silence, “Today I visited Merlon, and he told me of a strange dream he had.” The princess’s eyes met his. “He said a voice came to him and told him this… ‘And a child of Good and Evil shall come to rise—” he continued the rest of the visualization.
“Wow, that’s strange,” Peach said, absorbing it in her mind, “I wonder what it could mean?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. Merlon said he had no idea…but…it sounds like a prophecy.”
“Hmm…” the Princess wondered. Her mind drifted back to the events of earlier that evening. Soon they realized they were already back at the castle.
“Well, it looks like we’re here…” Peach sighed. “Thank you so much for the most wonderful evening. Goodnight, Mario.” She leaned over to kiss his nose, but Mario turned his face and slowly met her tender lips with his. For the first time, they both kissed with pure, genuine love.
Peach looked up and smiled gently. “I love you,” she whispered, as she closed the castle door softly behind her. Mario smiled, then quickly he started to head back to his home.
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In her room, Peach got ready for bed and put on her nightgown. She lay down on her soft, cozy bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking of the wonderful evening she had had. Not able to sleep, she walked outside to her balcony and looked at the starry night sky. She fingered her new ring and slowly the realization absorbed into her mind. *I’m going to be married.*
She smiled and sighed. “Oh, Mario…”
She sat down in the balcony chair, her mind wandering as she gazed at the sky. Then she remembered the prophecy Mario had told her.
“*And a child of Good and Evil shall come to rise…*” The words played over and over in her head. *What does it mean?* she wondered, but soon her mind drifted into the world of dreams, as she lay asleep in her chair, overlooking the Mushroom Kingdom.
A breeze drifted over the dreaming princess. There was a faint whirring sound. She heard it—it was the sound of propellers in the wind. Still half asleep, she was unaware of what was happening. Suddenly a scaly claw came up from behind and clutched over her mouth. Instantly startled from her sleep, she tried to scream, but nothing came out.
“Ha ha! I have you now, Princess!” the figure laughed.
It was Roy Koopa.
The gruesome turtle-like creature tied her up and pushed her into the Clown Copter. Her muffled screams were faintly discerned as they rode off to the massive castle of Bowser.
The Copter landed and the princess was led out. Standing before the tied-up girl was the atrocious form of Bowser, surrounded by several guards. Some of them held her still.
Bowser spoke gently. “Well hello there, Princess. How are you doing this evening?” She glared at him fiercely from behind her gagged mouth. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Bowser realized, “Guards! Untie Her Majesty at once.” They then freed her immediately without hesitation. “Tsk, tsk…What were you thinking? How rude of you! She’s our…guest.”
The princess frowned in utter disgust. “Bowser! Why am I here?!”
“We had an agreement,” he calmly replied, “It looks like you broke our little promise…”
“What are you talking about?!”
“Don’t be so naïve, sweetness…”
“Sweetness!?” Peach interrupted angrily, “Why are you talking this way? What do you want from me!? Why do you always kidnap me?”
His eyes narrowed and met her gaze. “Guards! You’re excused!” Silently everyone left.
The princess was left cold and alone with the monster.
“You really wanna know? All right, fine,” he stared at her, “All this time I’ve kept it a secret from everyone… I made them think I kidnapped you just to make your kingdom vulnerable…”
“What are you saying?” she gasped.
“You wanna know the truth? Follow me.”
Bowser exited the room as the frightened princess reluctantly followed. She was led down the dark corridor when Bowser stopped abruptly and opened a door.
The princess froze. The room looked exactly the same as her palace bedroom.
“What’s going on here?” she gasped, “What’s my room doing here?”
Bowser spoke gently, “I duplicated your room for you so you’d feel more…at home…”
“Why?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“You’re gonna be here a long time…” he replied, “The truth is…I love you, Peach.”
“What?!?!” she gasped, unbelieving what she had just heard, “You’re serious?!!”
“You broke my heart, Peach,” he spoke glumly, “As long as you remained single, I had a chance… But instead, you decide to marry my sworn nemesis!”
“What?!” Peach was taken aback, “I love Mario! And I hate you! You never had a chance with me! And you never will! Why can’t you just leave me alone?!!”
“Please! Don’t torture my soul any longer!” he cried, “Have pity on me!”
“Pity?! On *you*?! You have pity on *me*! You’ve tortured not only me, but Mario and everyone in the entire Mushroom Kingdom!” She looked at him irritably. “Just leave me alone!”
“I’ve tried to hold back… Please, stop resisting me! I don’t want to hurt you!”
“Well it’s too late for that,” she retorted, “Go back to the fiery pit, where you belong.”
“Oh…Princess…have mercy on my agonizing soul,” he cried, “Let go of your hatred! Please…I can no longer hold myself back…”
Unable to control himself any longer, Bowser edged himself toward the princess. Terrified, she cowered back in utter fear.
“What are you doing…?!” she shrieked. He came closer. “Help! Heeelllp me, someone! Please!”
Amidst her screams, the scandalous monster slashed her nightgown, ripping it to long, dangling shreds. He then grabbed her and forced her down.
She was raped.
Peach struggled and screamed with all her might. “Help meeeee!!”
Bowser got up and exited the room, leaving the terrified girl whimpering to herself. She sat on her bed, her beautiful pink silk nightgown now in pieces, placed her head in her hands, and wept bitterly all throughout the night.
