Super Princess Peach

Ch. 20

"HANG ON!" Peach screamed as they fell towards the churning depths. The drop was stomach-wrenching - her heart was leaping in her chest.  

BAM! They slammed against the wet cliff's side. Some of the toads screamed in fear and pain, and a few almost lost their grip and fell down into the ravine. Peach was near the end of the rope, and she couldn't help but look down below her feet at the crushing oblivion below. 

"HEY!" screamed a voice from above. It was Toaddette. Peach looked up and saw her peeking over the edge of the ravine, along with six or seven other toads. "Is everybody okay? Has anyone fallen?" 

"We're all fine!" Toader shouted. He was hanging on right above Peach. "Just get us up from here!" 

"Okay! I'm going with Perry to get the Hoo!" Toaddette yelled. "Hang on! I'll be right back! With help!" Her head disappeared from over the side. As she rushed away, the other toads on solid ground gripped the rope from where it was impaled in the ground and began to heave upward. Slowly, Peach felt herself shift skyward a few inches. It wasn't much, though.  

"P-Princess!" Toader shouted from above. He sounded scared. "I'm - I'm slipping!" 

Peach looked up into the rain in alarm and saw that Toader was indeed slipping: he was gently sliding downward the rope was so slippery.  

"Hold on!" Peach urged. "Toaddette will be back with help in a minute! Try bracing your legs against the wall!" 

Grunting and squirming with panic, Toader slowly shifted his weight backward and then eased his legs up against the cliff wall. He sighed in relief. "Great idea, Princess!" he called down to Peach. "This is much - " He broke off as he suddenly lost his footing, and he lost his grip on the rope and fell down. 

"TOADER!" Peach cried. She swung her legs and stuck them outward, and as Toader fell past, he grabbed ahold of one of Peach's feet with one hand. Peach gasped as their combined weight made them fall even further, so much that when they finally managed to stop, Peach was hanging onto the very end of the rope. 

"I'm slipping, Princess!" Toader shrieked. "I'm slipping!!" 

"Okay, hold on!!" Peach was tempted to use the Joyful Stone, but if she used it now, Toader would lose his hold and fall. Instead, Peach used all the strength she possessed to drag herself and Toader up the rope, an inch at a time. Her muscles burned. She was running out of strength. And the steady pull of the toads up top on land wasn't making things any easier. 

"PRINCESS!" Toader screamed. He lost his grip on Peach's foot and fell. 

Peach let go of the rope at almost the same time and turned in the air, plummeting face first down towards Toader. As she reached him, Peach grabbed his hand and at the same time grabbed her Joyful Stone. Peach's cyclone burst around them, and she turned and shot higher into the air, above the stranded toads and onto dry land. She set Toader on the ground. 

Just then, the Hoo arrived, flapping her wings in the gusty rain to maintain height. She flew over the ravine and swept down, grabbing the dangling end of the rope with her talons. She then flew the rope to the top of the cliff, and the toads were carried up with her. She set the rope down on dry land, and the toads collapsed with relief, exhaustion, and stress. 

"Is anyone still after us?" Toadonelly asked Peach. 

"I'm not sure..." Peach looked around, just to see a whole army of Boos rounded the bend of trees, blocking any chance of escape. 

"Whoops," Toadkins said. 

"The time has come for the King to eliminate you vermin!" Baxter Boo shouted. The rest of the ghosts cheered their approval. "All hail the KING BOO!" The Boos all raised their hands in respect as the ground began to rumble. 

All of the toads gathered around Peach and Perry, drawing daggers and any weapons that they had on hand. Thunder and lightning split the sky even more fiercely as the space between the two groups began to glow a ghastly white. A figure emerged from the glowing white circle-a huge Boo with incredibly sharp teeth and red eyes. A petite crown sat on the top of his bulbous body and he was holding a wine glass in his hand. His expression was annoyed. 

"Baxter, how many times do I have to tell you not to summon me unless it's an emergency!" the King Boo snapped. "I was having a lovely champagne party with Blizzaurus...and now I've left my whole bottle of Chateau over at Bowser's! Do you know how distressing that is? That blasted dragon could chug wine day and night!" 

"I'm terribly sorry, Your Majesty," Baxter Boo apologized, bowing low. "I didn't mean to disturb you, but I just wanted to - " 

"We have a problem," Booella said, giving a wide-toothed grin. "Pests have infested your house! We were going to give you the honor of the extermination." 

King Boo turned. "Pests, you say? In my house?" 

"Yessir!" another Boo said. "Drinking your wine and cleaning your walls and floors!" 

The King Boo threw his wine glass into the air. "WHAT?! Where are the little vermin?" 

The Boo crowd turned as one and pointed towards Peach. She gulped. 

"It's them!" Sonny Boo cried. "And their witch is what led them!" 

The King Boo's eyes lit up. He glared at Peach. "So you're the infamous Witch," he snarled, baring teeth. "Interesting that such power is capable of being holed up in a raggedy little girl like you. You'll pay for soiling my mansion and drinking my Chateau!!" He pointed to Peach. "Boos! Kill them!"