Love in the Oddest Places (bowuigi story)

Chapter 17: Wrench in the Works

After some time of respite, it would seem trouble was once again knocking at the brothers’ doorstep. A solitary Kong appeared from a painting in the Great Gallery, taking a moment to acclimate to their unfamiliar surroundings before going ahead to knuckle-walk towards the exit and approach the guard stationed by the red door.

 
          The Toad looked up and jumped slightly at the sight of his visitor. The Kong chuffed, “I need to speak with Princess Peach immediately,” they said. Noting their grave tone, the guard escorted them into the castle. The odd duo traversed through the long corridors of the castle. The Toad couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he led the Kong deeper into the castle. He had never seen such a large and imposing creature before, and the fact that they seemed so urgent only added to his anxiety.

            As they walked, the Kong remained silent, their eyes scanning their surroundings with a fierce intensity. The Toad couldn't help but wonder what could be so important that this creature would need to speak with Princess Peach immediately. Finally, they arrived at the door to the throne room. The Toad hesitated for a moment before knocking softly and announcing their arrival.

 
          They found the monarch in her office, looking over the progress reports Luigi supplied her, and was startled by their appearance. At the sight of the large ape, she knew something was amiss. The princess stood from her seat, on the verge of speaking but the Kong cut her off. “Sorry, Princess Peach, but I can’t do formalities. Chief Cranky requests immediate aid,” they said.

Peach raised an eyebrow, “Immediate aid? What’s going on?” she asked.

“We believe someone may be stealing from our food hoards; we are rationing everything we can, but it’s not enough. Even worse, a large eel swam into our reefs, disrupting our attempts to re-supply.”

            The Toadstool Princess gasped. Mushroom and Sarasaland gave them provisions that should have lasted them weeks! It was unlikely that this resulted from negligent distribution since Donkey Kong was in charge of that, so it must be an outside force affecting them; furthermore, Cranky wouldn’t call for aid if he didn’t know that this was out of his control. Peach pursed her lips, knowing that swift action was necessary and that consulting with the Allied Council was not an option. 

 
          Unfortunately, this meant that she would not be able to seek Daisy's input, which would undoubtedly upset the Crown Princess even more than she already was. Following the trial, Daisy had been quite displeased with Peach, not even bothering to say goodbye.

 
          Swallowing thickly and shoving the thoughts aside, the princess sighed. She will deal with the fallout later. Peach gestured with her hand as she spoke, “I shall send the Super Bros to investigate and help in any way I can,” she said. “But I also have to redirect the Koopa Army to Kong Country. We cannot give them a chance to escape and Sarasaland won’t take too kindly to their unsupervised presence.”

The Kong nodded. “If that’s what needs to be done, then so be it,” they said.

 
          Having received her response, they dismissed themselves with a grunt and followed the guard out, thus leaving the princess to her own devices. Peach fiddled with her gloves, pondering the situation; who could steal from the Kongs’ food supplies? Kong Country had the most (well, second to the Darklands but Peach isn’t going to admit that) powerful warriors in the world. They have successfully subdued their enemies, so a list of suspects was nonexistent.