Castle Run

Fleeing through the castle’s hallways Link could hear the rapid click clack, click clack of his footsteps. Having to hide behind statues and around corners as he waited for patrol of creatures to pass. While he knew what each of them were, it was still a new experience to see what a goomba actually looked like in person. They were another type of mushroom people, that stood around three feet tall, had small stubby feet that came off the stalk of their body and unlike the toadstool people the goomba’s were carnivores and had the sharp fangs to prove it. The first real choice he had on a direction was to go through a pair of double doors, doors that Link knew would lead to what was called a boss room. It was either go through those doors or go deeper into the castle.

A block of stone that looked angry crashed down to the ground before rising back up and latching onto the ceiling. “That's a Thwomp.” He nodded to himself, waiting for it to fall back down before darting under it as it rose back into the air. On one level he knew most things just needed a good stomp to show them who was boss, the thwomps were not among them, but on another he didn’t feel like he had the ability to truly fight anything. All it would take was one good hit and he could die, no hearts or armor to protect him. “There are power ups here, if I got one of those…” A plan in mind Link moved deeper into the castle seeing a pit up ahead that was spitting fire into the sky and a pair of goomba’s headed in his direction the bored look on their faces giving him the idea that they hadn’t actually seen him yet. “Just have to stomp them… just have to stomp them.” Pulling up the hem of his dress he looked at his glossy pink heeled feet and cringed, hating the idea of getting his heels dirty. “No!” He said firmly. “I’m not some girly girl, I’m not Princess Peach, I’m Princess Link… no wait.. No! I’m Link, I know who I am.”

Hearing footsteps, Link looked back to the oncoming goomba’s, now clearly spotting him after his outburst. “Oops, no surprise, I guess.” Balling his hands into fists the dress wearing man took a few steps forward on the balls of his feet before leaping into the air, planning on crashing the first of the creatures but soon as he was airborn the skirts of his dress billowed out, catching the air and having him defy gravity in a way that had him sailing through the air over the oncoming monsters. The feeling felt so familiar, like he was using his glider, the sense of familiarity giving the glitched man a sense of relief, though one that didn’t last. Sailing through the air, Link floated over the pits of lava, a burst of flame shooting up into the air causing him to cross his hands over his face. Expecting the worst, the feeling of fire burning his body, but instead all that happened was a bit of warmth as the fire shot out above him as he floated underneath it, somehow timing it perfectly, even if by accident for the fire to miss before coming back down behind him.

Landing on the ground on the other side he looked back, proud of himself. “That’s right, she did glide about when we fought.” His own comment took Link by surprise, memories from Brawl supposed to be clouded over, but it seemed like at least a few rattled on in his mind so long as they had something to do with both him and Princess Peach. ‘We fought and we also fought… someone. Shit, okay it's fine. If she can fight then I can to…” Link tried swinging his fist forward to punch the air, but instead of feeling like it could be a solid punch it felt more like there was a greater chance of him breaking his hand or worse a nail if he hit someone. “What else did she do?” He thrust his hip to the side, a move that had sent him flying before felt like it would do nothing in a fight here. “I guess stomping is the Mushroom Kingdom way… oh yeah! That and literal fire flower power!”

Just a few paces down Link saw a line of brick blocks, with a metal one along the line, it was exactly what he was looking for. Smashing his head into a metal box didn’t sound like a sound thing to do, but it was hollow and full of power or gold. Jumping up with his fist level with his head, Link crashed into the box, a red and white mushroom sprouting up and sliding away. “Oh no you don’t!” catching up to it link reached out pulled up the mushroom powerup, it vanishing instantly as he started to grow. Suddenly the world didn’t feel as vast, the three foot mushroom monster would no longer come up to his waist and with his new strength he felt like he could crash the goomba’s and make his way out of here.

Moving back over to the last pit, Link waited for the fire to just fall past him before jumping over the fiery ****, making an effort to not float about. Landing solidly on the closest goomba, feet together as they collided with the top of the thing, crashing it beneath him. With a wolfish smile on his pink lipstick covered lips he pulled up the hem of his dress, raising his foot to stop down on the last goomba. The thing came to a halting stop, a look of fear and panic on its face before the pink heeled foot stomped down ending its life like the first.

Taller than he had ever been in his life, Link felt a rush of strength and power but refused to analyze it any further knowing he wouldn't be able to help also thinking about the bra straps that dug into his shoulders and the panties he wore along with what the power up gave him. Stalking forward in the direction of the boss room he wore a smirk on his pink pink lips. Seeing the stone block creature he had passed before coming crashing down he took a few quick steps forward before leaping into the air. He has strength and the ability to glide once more, unfortunately his sudden burst of confidence had him get his timing off. Instead of sailing just under the thwomp the top of his head smashed into its spiky body, doing almost enough damage to mess with his perfectly styled hair. The impact hurt and sent him falling to his back on the ground. Groaning he started to sit up, but the power he held was now gone, looking had his slim hands he cursed at how fleeting the power ups were here. The loss of the mushroom power and fall to the floor had distracted the feminized Hylian enough that he missed the most important timing, the timing to get out of the way of the now falling stone castle guard. Crossing his arms above him was going to do no good, it wasn’t like he had a shield, but instead of crushing pain before an untimely end, Link felt nothing.

Link hadn’t remembered closing his eyes, but as he opened them the castle looked different or more specifically he found himself in a different part of it. “I’m at the beginning…” Opening his makeup enhanced eyes wide, his lips formed an almost O shape as it dawned on him, something he knew, but hadn’t thought about. “OH! I don’t have hearts, but I do have lives! And… and I have two more!”

With a renewed hope he sat down on a stone block, crossing one leg over the other as he formulated a plan. Thinking about the obstacles that await him in the castle in order to get out. ‘Can’t go back through the front door, so I have to go through the boss room, this place has lava pits, some of them spit fire up into the air, we got thromps to come crashing down, both are fine if I just pay attention. I can avoid hard jumps with my glide and so long as I am careful the koopa’s and goomba’s shouldn’t be any trouble. Only thing I don't know is the boss, but I have beaten worse odds.’ Link didn’t feel like he needed to be rescued, that didn’t mean he wasn’t scared and was unable to reach for the master sword for comfort, or any sword for that matter.

With that in mind he moved as cautiously as he could, jumping over pits, gliding over the residents of the koopa kingdom that resided here and timed his way through the obstacles. Things were going well and it wasn’t until he passed the halfway mark did, he realize had missed an important element. He hadn’t smashed any of the bricks to get coins, coins that could earn him another life or get power ups like another mushroom or a fire flower. Trying to not kick himself too much, Link took advantage of the nearest block, finding one of the powerful power ups available, a gold blinking star. Leaping for it Link’s hand just lightly grazed the thing before all of its power came flooding into him.

Instead of running off to carve a path of destruction, Link stood there, sliding his feet apart and opening and closing both of his hands as he looked down at them. He had never felt anything like this, it was an intoxicating power, making him wonder if this was what one of the pieces of the triforce felt like. A serious expression crossed his face as he made a running dash forward, jumping over a lava pit, moving through the fire. Not even the heat from fire was able to singe his clothes as moved on through the castle with a purpose. Coming up to a thromp he closed one eye, partially cringing as he collided with it, the massive stone creature going flying. “I wish we had this back home!” he yelled as he moved through waves of castle guards, koopa and goomba alike falling to the enhanced Hylian’s touch.

Many of Link’s memories had been lost to him when he woke up after his hundred years of slumber when recovering, but through his quests some of those memories had been recovered. Trapped in this world he gained so much knowledge of it from the perspective of the Mushroom Kingdom’s Princess. All while some and soon to be many of his own memories fogged over in his mind, but he could recall something Zelda once told him. How real power was only the type of power that couldn’t be taken away. His current god-like power from the star was a fleeting one and as it came to an end, he was in the middle of sprinting full speed to destroy the last remaining obstacle between him and the boss door. Link was only a breath away from touching the thwomp and ending it with the power of the star, but as it vanished Link found himself careening right into the stone. They had now interacted a few times, once when Link snuck passed it, the second when he had lost both a power up and a life to it and now when the overconfident man lost yet another life as everything went black.

Opening his eyes once more the Princess Peach impersonator found themselves at the front of the castle and feeling more than a few things at once about the situation and his own ineptitude. “Peach has made her way through castles before… right? I know Mario has and I know I’m more capable than him… or I used to be. What I wouldn’t give for the power to pull out a bomb right now.” He said in a voice that seemed softer then remembered his own voice sounding.

“No Bob Omb for you today, I'm afraid Princess Peach.” A voice said from the shadows.

Spinning around Link had just enough time to see a gang of green shelled turtles leaping at him, tackling to the ground where he was spun around in circles, ending up with a coil of rope now looped around his ankles, thighs, stomach, upper chest and yet another gag covering his mouth. Standing in front of him was a familiar koopa that had been guarding his cage. The small creature looked sadder and more hurt than anything.

“I want to believe that you just got lost trying to find the bathroom, but we both know you were just trying to use me.” Moreese the green shelled koopa spoke, his eyes tearing up slightly. “I’m afraid you are going back to your cage now.”

Feeling more upset at himself than anything, Link hung his head. ‘I still need to get out of here, but at least this time I’m not hogtied.’